tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56764285334133556592024-03-05T19:19:32.311-08:00One Run At A TimeI love to run, isn't that enough?Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-27649032777198214322013-06-05T10:01:00.000-07:002013-06-05T10:01:00.972-07:00Everyone Has An Opinion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember when I was getting married (*cough-cough* 10 years ago!) that every little decision that was being made had ten different opinions added to the mix. I was young though, and pretty much handed over the reins to my mom. All I cared about that day was the fact that I got to marry my best friend, and all the rest was, well...icing on the cake. Sure, I picked out my wedding dress and I tasted food and our cake, but when it came down to it, I just didn't really have much of an opinion. Which, if you know me and my very type-A personality, is a shocker. Maybe I was just young, or, maybe it really was the fact that on that day nothing else mattered except for me and my future </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hubbs :)</span><br />
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gah, we were young - and a little chunky :)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Flash forward 10 years and the same opinion givers about your wedding often pop up out of the wood work when you tell them you're pregnant. Most times it is a nice gesture, other times it's...not. Yesterday I had a run in with one of the later, and it left me questioning a lot of things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Back up a few days and I have been feeling great. I ran 43 miles again last week and my legs were finally showing up. I feel like this MAF training is actually working as I see the mile times I am running go down. (side note, I am by no means worried about pace - this is just a nice progression) Sunday the hubbs and I set out to do my long run. I had a 2 hour run to do with some specific HR zones to hit. I felt super good the first half and I was hitting some paces I hadn't seen in so long. But about 3/4 of a mile away from where we started and our turn around, I got some major sharp pains in my "belly" area. They weren't going away with a slower pace or more water. So, when we hit the half way point, I had to call it a day. I wasn't bummed but I wish I had been able to keep going. Later that night the cramping started up again. They tell you when you're preggo that drinking a big tall glass of water usually solves most aliments. I chugged water like crazy but the cramping persisted. Monday morning I woke up feeling good, no cramps so I just chalked it up as some "stretching." I did my easy run Monday morning but again, by Monday night, I was having full on contractions again. I drank more water, put my feet up and tried to de-stress. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This time though, they weren't going away. They were pretty intense by late Monday night and they were taking my breath away. Finally I decided to call my SIL (the labor and delivery nurse) and ask for her advice. She told me to count them and see if they got longer and more intense while still chugging the water. They didn't get longer but they were still happening in waves, about 5 an hour. I finally fell asleep though, and slept great. Yesterday, though, I woke up and was so sore. And, as I made breakfast, I had the most intense contraction yet. So, I broke down and called the advice nurse who sent us right away over to the hospital.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Good news, baby is just fine! He is a busy, busy little boy! (And I can feel him squirming around now!) But we did find out that I was pretty dehydrated. WTH? I had been drinking water like it was going out of style and yet I was still dehydrated? So, I got some fluids in me and they sent me home. BUT...not after the on-call doctor decided to lecture me about running.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I will <em>try</em> and be nice here, but when you're getting advice about running from an over-weight, although young, doctor, my opinion of her goes out the window. I had been poked and prodded all morning and relayed my story. Every time I told someone I was a runner, their eyes lit up like Christmas trees. And when I told them how much I ran - yeah, shock and awe. THANKFULLY the hubbs was there. Anytime any of them questioned my sanity, he was there to back me up. He would say things like, "oh, you don't know, she has cut WAY BACK," or, "she has slowed WAY DOWN, trust me." They didn't understand still. And when this doctor came in, the doc in charge, who hadn't even examined me or questioned me, merely looked at my chart and listened to relayed information told me that I had to quit running! She even asked me how far a 10K was!! I was shocked - and so was the hubbs. She went on to tell me that running is not good for pregnant ladies, that it puts too much stress on the body, that your form suffers, that the josseling of the baby isn't good, and so on and so on giving every excuse in the book. WOW. I just listened though, and nodded my head and took her advice that I needed to up my game in the hydration department.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As soon as she was gone I looked at the hubbs and said, "you have to be kidding me, right?" He told me that as long as our doc was still on board and I am running with my HR monitor and listening to my body, he will still support me. He also said she was an idiot - god, I love that man! I have always known since the beginning of this pregnancy that there are two school's of thought when it comes to running/exercising during pregnancy. One being, that if you have been doing it all along, and you watch your intensity and listen to your body, there is no reason why you can't keep doing it. The other being that you should just rest, become a sloth, or as the L&D doc told me, "take up speed walking." Thankfully I have the doctor that is on board with my running. Funny, my doc is older, and one would think this would lead him to be more "old school" and think that exercise is bad. While this younger doctor I saw yesterday (she was no older than me) would be more on board with exercising and knowing the new studies that go along with it. </span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Complete opposites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yesterday was a wake up call. I am not stupid enough to think I can keep doing what I have been doing and expect different results without change. I will work on my hydrating while running and I will be more aware of my body. I have said from the beginning that if one day I can't run because it will effect the Blueberry, then I will stop. But so far, that little dude is as healthy as he can be in there and there is no reason to stop. Opinions about everything in pregnancy are all over the place. The second a woman sees that you are preggo, she wants to share her story or give you a piece of advice. Sometimes I don't mind stopping and listening, other times, just keep it to yourself. And let me tell you, men are not exempt from handing out advice! Just the other day a guy told me that his wife used this great nipple cream and I should try it! WHAT THE HELL? Yeah, you get bombarded at every possible angle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On a lighter note, I am beyond the half way mark! WHOO HOOO! BUT, where has time gone? And I can finally feel the Blueberry kicking and squirming away. He loves when I eat peanut butter or something sugary - he does summersaults and kicks like David Beckam. And, he likes to be busy at night...when I'm trying to sleep. Yeah, that is not the fun part. But it is such a relief to finally feel him in there, to not to have to guess if everything is ok - it's just a little bit of reassurance that goes a long way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There ya have it - some highs and lows of my week. I know not every week is going to be good and not every week will be bad. It's just hard to find a balance, pregnant or not, between the good, the bad and the ugly. Speaking of ugly, here is my latest bump pick - yeah, he is a growing Blueberry!</span><br />
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I can't see my toes anymore!</div>
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-1174048908439747092013-05-29T10:36:00.000-07:002013-05-29T10:36:21.199-07:00Lots of Running and Our BIG Reveal!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I<em> finally</em> had a pretty decent week of running & that hasn't happened in a few weeks. I actually was able to complete every run that was on my schedule and finished off the week with my highest mileage since the Blueberry came on board: 46.5 miles! When I added them up on Sunday, I was pretty proud of myself :) I still marvel at the fact that 46 miles seems like so much, and yes, it is. But before the Blueberry, I was running 80 miles and even before that I could hit 100 easily. But now a days, 46 freaking miles feels like a TON, and it amazes me how my body is responding. Sometimes it feels easy, and other days getting through a 45 minute run is just plain daunting. And that is the story of pregnancy - one day you feel totally normal and like "your old self" and the next you are wiped out and just want to be lazy. I try and keep the mindset every day that today could be the last day I run. Not because I am not feeling good, but you just never know in pregnancy. Everyday is something new, you body changes on a daily basis. I know this makes me so much more appreciative of each run and makes me feel more accomplished when I finish. I also ran my longest run since the Blueberry, 12.5 miles in two hours! Yes! I'm hoping this will transpire well for my SFM half in a few weeks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have always been a treadmill (hamsterwhizzle) runner. I started on that when I first started walking 7 years ago and then when I graduated to running shortly after. I have gone through THREE treadmills over the yeas, so yeah, I use it a lot. Before being preggo, I would try and simulate an outdoor run by keeping the incline around 1% or higher and would do a lot of speed work on it. I have even done a few 20 & 22 milers on it! But nothing replaced the feeling of running outside. Lately though, I have to admit, I have been using the hamsterwhizzle for 90% of my runs. There are a few reasons behind this. </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">First being, it takes a lot longer for me to get ready to go for a run. Now that I am running by my heart rate, I have to add that to my wardrobe. I hate putting that thing on! Thankfully, though, it pretty much doesn't bother me too much. Sometimes at the end of a particularly long run, and I am a sweaty mess, it starts to slip down (even on the smallest setting) and that is annoying, but for the most part I don't even notice it. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Second, I get so much more hot, so much more quicker now that I am preggo! I was most definitely a sweaty runner before, but wholly sweat buckets! I am a dripping mess by mile 1! And that needs to be controlled while preggo. You really have to watch your body temperature and make sure not to get over heated. I also notice that when I start to get really warm, it makes my HR spike like crazy! So, when on the hamsterwhizzle, I can turn the A/C on full blast in my house and run a fan just a foot away from me. I also have to body glide places that haven't needed it in YEARS! Holy chaffing!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Third, I have to pee...a lot. I did a 45 minute run last week and I stopped FIVE TIMES to pee!!! It was beyond annoying. If I was outside, this could be a major problem since I live in suburbia. I'm sure all my neighbors don't want me copping a squat in their yards every day :) </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And finally, you really have to be extra super careful that you don't fall. I am a clumsy person to begin with, and now adding extra weight in front of me, it's probably a recipe for disaster. The rule is, while preggo, if you fall, you HAVE to go in and make sure all is ok. No questions asked, even if you didn't fall on your stomach. The placenta is pretty fragile and yet very sturdy. But a jolt from a fall can be bad. So, I try and err on the cautious side and just try and minimize my chances. I only have fallen once in my running life (outside of trail running) while running on streets. And it was a bad one. Skinned my knee so bad that I still have a major scar. So far, so good, and I have "yet" to fall off a treadmill. Right now, with a treadmill in my living room, it just makes all of these factors so much easier.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I do miss my runs outside, but I try and do at least one a week, and I usually make sure the hubbs is on his bike next to me, or running along side of me. We are finally able to run at the same pace! Well, that's not entirely true, I am still in better shape and a bit faster than him :) I try not to make a big deal of it when I get up a hill faster than him and I'm not out of breath - his ego doesn't need to be reminded that his preggo wife is still faster than him :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> I'm sure you have had enough of my running rambles - you are probably here for my big reveal. Last week we had our big anatomy scan at the hospital. This is torture for pregnant women! You have to drink 32oz of water before you go in and you can't pee!! I was about to burst! And the thing lasts for about an hour! The other crappy part, they don't let your partner in until the last 15mins. So, he had to stay outside and wonder/worry the whole time. You need a full bladder so they can get a good look at everything - apparently a full bladder pushes the placenta out perfectly so they can get all the accurate measurements. They measure everything from the brain down to the toes! Finally the tech got all my measurements pretty quickly then let me go and pee. The funny thing was, as soon as I was back on the table, about 10 minutes later he said to me, "um, do you have to go again? Because your bladder filled up again!" YES! I went a total of 3 times during that damn test! He said I was the best patient ever on filling up on water - first place? I'll take it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The whole time he is measuring and taking pics, he can't tell you anything. You can ask if you see the heart beat and that is about it. I tried to get some things out of him, but he would just "lead" me to my answer by showing me on the ultra sound machine. He couldn't even talk about Baby B in there :( Finally he let the hubbs in and he revealed to us that we are having a.........</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I couldn't believe it! Of course, if he said girl, I would have been just as happy. Really, you just want a healthy baby. But it's funny when people get all excited when you tell them the sex. Like, would they be this excited if you said girl? I was pretty sure it was a girl, but was secretly hoping for a boy. We had the name of the boy already picked out, and we have ALL boys in our family, so I'm way more familiar with little boys. Wait, that sounds weird. Ha! Just, I have taken care of so many baby boys that I have a good idea of what to expect. Our close family knows the name we are going with, and that is about it. We aren't telling the hubb's side of the family because it is a special tribute to them and we want them to have a surprise when he is born. I just hope my family can keep their mouth shut at our shower and family get-together's! I have to admit, we kind-of already knew it was a boy. My SIL is a labor and delivery nurse and couldn't wait any longer to find out. So a few weeks ago she took me into her hospital and had one of her doctors check it out for me. We got a 99% confirmation it was a boy that day, and we took video of it on the iPad. But getting the "real" confirmation has been nice. I am feeling more and more bonded to him now that we know he is a "he" and he has his name already :) </span></div>
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Here he was last week just chillin' - I get all teary eyed every time I get to see him!</div>
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I get that this pic is hard to understand, and as my good friend <a href="http://www.runthisamazingday.com/">Katie</a> pointed out, "you do know that a 'leg' is not a penis, right?" Trust me, the "goods" are there!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had started throwing boy and girl names out a while back and you wouldn't believe, even from family, the comments you would get! Some good, some not so good. EVERYONE has a damn opinion! But they fail to realize, they don't get a vote! LOL! And since we really couldn't agree on a girl name, thank gawd he was a boy! And I just love his name - I already know it will fit him perfectly :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, there ya have it. As one of my other good friends told me, "you have a penis in you!" Yes, Gloria, I have a penis in me! LOL! What the tech could tell me was, everything looked good enough to send me home that day and not across the street to the hospital, so I'll take it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm off to catch up with all of you! Hope you all had a good sweaty weekend!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Running!</span></div>
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-87810026042408096352013-05-15T10:48:00.002-07:002013-05-15T10:48:35.530-07:00Lucky #13<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think I was always destined to be a bean counter. For those that don't know this, I'm a tax accountant. Go ahead, roll your eyes, I even bore myself when I say that! I have <em>always</em> loved numbers, I've always loved putting things in order and keeping count. I remember at Christmas time my mom would have me count the number of houses we would see with Christmas lights on them. I had a whole system, complete with a note pad in the car to keep track and to make sure I didn't have duplicates. Yes, I'm sure more than anything, it was probably to keep me occupied and to keep me from talking - which apparently I did <em>all the time</em> :) But I loved that game and even find myself counting them as an adult :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Trust me, this brings me to my latest segment for the blog: things that happen while you're cooking little fingers and toes. And just as a side note, pregnancy isn't <em>all </em>bad, just some things make you stop and go, "seriously? Now this?" I just am finding humor in so many things as I experience through this and thought, what the heck, I'll share it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As runners, we share everything while on a run. And, more often than not, at some point on a long run, you're gonna have to "go." If you have read any of my past race reports, I have really yet to complete a marathon without having to stop and use the honey buckets at least twice - usually more. Talking about poop on a run with someone you just met? Just fine. Talking about poop at a dinner party with someone you just met? Not cool. Lamenting about how many potty stops you took in your last 5K with your run buddy? Totally normal. Talking about how you almost sharted when sprinting during a 10K with your non-running best friend? Yeah, no....just, no. So, since this is a running blog, I will bring you all to my next realization during pregnancy: all the stories are true, yes, you pee at least a million times a day!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Right now, I find it a small victory if I can get through 30 minutes of running without having to stop and pee! In the beginning, it wasn't so bad. But now, I am doing everything in my power not to wet my pants during a run and make it to a bathroom (or bush) in time. And that lucky #13? THAT is how many times I went pee the other day. It's my current PR - 13. Yesterday, 12. It's barely 10am right now and I'm already on track to break it. I've gone 5 times already today. And yes, I'm keeping track. I am, after all, a numbers geek. Don't worry, I don't have a note book...yet :) I only started to keep track the other day because it felt like I was running to go every hour! I know where every Starbucks is in my hood, thanks to my caffeine addiction and my new found need to "go" at a moments notice. And let's be honest, Starbucks bathrooms are by far the cleanest ones out there - thanks Sbux! Its the new running joke in our house, too. The hubbs thinks its hilarious when I declare I have to go, NOW! And just another over share for all of you, one second you don't have to go, the next you are on the brink of peeing your pants! IT MAKES NO SENSE! Or, I literally JUST went, and 20 minutes later, I am going again. I have a feeling this little blueberry is making my bladder its own personal punching bag. I think lucky #13 is going down today and my new PR with be #14.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In running news, I haven't logged any miles in the past few days. I had some contractions and the doctor wanted me to go a full 24 hours with out any before I went back to running. After 3 days, I am finally cleared to go. I will admit, it was a bit scary there for a few days when we went in and I was having pretty significant contractions. But this is all to be expected with Baby #2 in there. Thankfully our little blueberry is nice and healthy so no real need to worry at the moment. And, AND, AND...we get to find out the sex next week!!!! We are soooooo excited! Actually, that is an understatement. WE CAN'T WAIT! We plan on sharing the sex with everyone (including all of you!) but we probably won't be sharing the name. Turns out, everyone has an opinion on what you should call your off-spring. Yeah, who knew?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Since there has been little to no running we took advantage of living in SoCal and went to the beach twice - Lilly is a happy corgi!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Anyway, off to catch up on some blogs and actually get my own legs turning over - can't wait to get my sweat on!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Running!!</span><br />
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-76686920512052308192013-05-06T10:54:00.000-07:002013-05-06T10:54:17.629-07:00Google + Pregnancy = *-*<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are always things you should never mix. Like, email + wine + (insert a person who has pissed you off), or beer before liquor never sicker. And I would like to add: pregnancy + google.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm not gonna lie, this past week was difficult. My calf was keeping me from running, my normal outlet to keep me sane and feeling like a human. I was walking a ton, and even tried the elliptical! Gasp! I know, it was boring for me, too! But I needed to sweat, I needed to zone out and I jumped on the thing and was reminded very quickly what a boring, draining machine it is. 30 minutes felt like an <em>eternity</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm also not gonna lie and say that pregnancy is all rainbows, sunshine and unicorns all the time. Again, gasp! I know! I had 10 weeks of horrid morning sickness that left me vowing that I would never, ever, do this again. But then the sun did come out, and I was in a great stage of pregnancy where you feel awesome, practically don't even feel preggo and pretty much back to my old pre-pregnancy self. But then last week happened and I had another bout of morning sickness, wasn't able to run and I was thrown off my horse again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The other element to all of this, is that my body is changing so rapidly. I know I documented on here how I went from an over weight smoker to a 3:04 marathoner, and how I vowed I would <em>never</em>, <em>ever</em>, let myself get back to that place. But pregnancy brings on a whole new set of changes (and a giant pile of hormones!) that I really never thought I would see again. Sure, everyone tells me I look "cute" pregnant (thanks for all of that you guys!) and that I have that "pregnancy glow" shinning from me, but when I look down at myself and have a hard time seeing my toes now, it is hard to digest. I went to the doctor last week and saw that I had gained 8 pounds and also saw a number on the scale I hadn't seen in years. YES! YES! I KNOW! You gain weight during pregnancy, you just can't escape it if you want a healthy baby and mommy at the end. But it is still hard to see it creep up and watch yourself change - and the change feels like it happens so quick. When I originally saw my doc, he said he wasn't going to be focused on the number on the scale, that if I only gained 10 pounds and baby and I were healthy, he wouldn't worry. But he also warned me that because I started on the "low end of the scale" I may gain more than some. Ugh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last night the hubbs wanted to go out to dinner. Awesome, I didn't want to cook anyway! Before he came home though, I was on blogger and visiting some blogs I had abandoned for a while. I came across this old favorite <a href="http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and saw that in the time I was gone he himself had a beautiful son with his wife! Yayyy! (Congrats Stevo!) Then I wandered over to his <a href="http://rxironman.blogspot.com/">wife's blog</a> who was a pretty accomplished triathlete herself. Much to my luck, she had blogged through her pregnancy! Yayyy! I dove in, reading all the way back to when she first got pregnant. Finally, one that was honest. She didn't sugar coat things. She tells her story as it happened, the ups, the downs, and finally being able to complete a marathon she signed up for when she was pregnant & running on the morning she went into labor. As I read though, I got more and more scared. She was a fit, beautiful woman before she was preggo, and seeing how her body changed (and yes, it was/is beautiful still!) got me worried. Things are going to change, it isn't going to be easy the whole way, and I finally needed to see that. So thanks Pharmie - your honesty is just what I needed. After all of this though, I felt like garbage. Like I said, google + pregnancy is not a good combo. I started searching for other pregnant runner blogs, tips to keep running while pregnant and so on. Some of it was helpful, others just plain scared the living crap out of me. By the time my hubbs got home, I was a mess. Add to that, my pre-pregnancy pants aren't fitting too well and it was a recipe for disaster that I couldn't even wash away with a celebratory Cinco de Mayo margarita.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On Saturday I finally had a pain-free run! Before I ran I "sticked" the crap out of my calf, rolled like crazy and headed over to the gym. I have been sticking, foam rolling, icing, epsom salt bathing like it was my job. My coach suggested I start off with a run/walk so I did a one minute walk warm-up then followed by 14x5 minute run with a one minute walk in between. I felt great! My calf was a little sore, but it wasn't bad! Yes! I did 7.3 miles and finally felt like myself again. The one thing I did notice though, was I started to feel that "belly" of mine while I ran. In the two weeks I had pretty much taken off running, it grew and it was finally noticeable to me. I was a little sore at the bottom of it, and think I may have to start looking into one of these things: warning - they are NOT pretty! More like, "what human being thought up these contraptions? Oh, right, probably a man!"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FOThjdRODE9u_wHC5H8zA6mtU93kgoYhF3yEknCbmSJIErWrpByZ9fwuGaXdHenvJVwqQ_-rVM8sFfJtNYwzzcY14Lj1Ki_yH-gvz-5ANe73oocSrEXP_NcoEmcSusp61G3fCi1dYQc2/s1600/supportbelt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FOThjdRODE9u_wHC5H8zA6mtU93kgoYhF3yEknCbmSJIErWrpByZ9fwuGaXdHenvJVwqQ_-rVM8sFfJtNYwzzcY14Lj1Ki_yH-gvz-5ANe73oocSrEXP_NcoEmcSusp61G3fCi1dYQc2/s1600/supportbelt.jpg" /></a></div>
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Gah, that is NOT attractive at all! And yes, I plan on wearing pantie hose with mine.</div>
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(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gabrialla-Elastic-Maternity-Support-Medium/dp/B000ZKE4AM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367860536&sr=8-1&keywords=pregnancy+support+belt">source</a>)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwyTX-FxdXvebwrmXtkGGZgqn1ObOmroJc39ZHJjccKoiigDtIO8KjMrHyb0pnYANAOJDbR4vNKHiGfQsE84FLjJ-FsRtGfU_VvexCL8j-5k50oSDTsCyR_fCnJnDnqKqrqoRytHt4ZqT/s1600/mother-to-be-maternity-support-belt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwyTX-FxdXvebwrmXtkGGZgqn1ObOmroJc39ZHJjccKoiigDtIO8KjMrHyb0pnYANAOJDbR4vNKHiGfQsE84FLjJ-FsRtGfU_VvexCL8j-5k50oSDTsCyR_fCnJnDnqKqrqoRytHt4ZqT/s320/mother-to-be-maternity-support-belt1.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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Doesn't she look happy? </div>
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(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=mother%20to%20be%20maternity%20support%20belt&sprefix=mother+to+be+%2Chpc%2C220">source</a>)</div>
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Or my favorite</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunjAt3j1_MEK9ZQmW9p5z0lezKZe4D7K8x9E_lH2g-t-othsYpWW8BxzTvY2kERSAcHfx08rkP-nqnQayGgYlX9u6FP75qKxHAlR_14qglQ2Q3wrq9ijc04y_onGXIJOB3jbax4pQAeuS/s1600/dmc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunjAt3j1_MEK9ZQmW9p5z0lezKZe4D7K8x9E_lH2g-t-othsYpWW8BxzTvY2kERSAcHfx08rkP-nqnQayGgYlX9u6FP75qKxHAlR_14qglQ2Q3wrq9ijc04y_onGXIJOB3jbax4pQAeuS/s1600/dmc.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sexy and supportive! The hubbs is voting for this one, obvs.</div>
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(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=mother%20to%20be%20maternity%20support%20belt&sprefix=mother+to+be+%2Chpc%2C220#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=maternity+shapewear&rh=n%3A3760901%2Ck%3Amaternity+shapewear">source</a>)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apparently the top one works the best and got the best reviews from running mothers. But why, oh, why, does it look so uncomfortable and unattractive??? Many also said to wear it <em>on top</em> (yuck!) of your running clothes. Great, now I can show the world my belly and an awesome velcro support belt that screams "she's pregnant!" I may need a few more weeks to digest this, or it may come sooner than I anticipate. Really, more than a fashion statement, I want to keep running, and if that ugly belly band keeps me running, then sign me up! (note: the enthusiasm in that statement is my attempt to build up the courage to actually hit "add to cart" on amazon) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm in a much better state then I was last night. God help my poor hubbs. I am sure this won't be the last time my hormones get the best of me. And I'm still in the "early" stages of this pregnancy! In fact, Saturday afternoon, as I was reading my book on breastfeeding, I got all teared up and crying as I read about it, and then seeing the pictures of nursing mothers! Cue water works! Who does that? Oh right, pregnant, hormonal mothers who are completely overwhelmed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sorry if the above paragraphs or pictures make you want to down a whole month's worth of birth control pills, or better yet, get yourself sterilized. I understand, I probably would have done the same thing a few months back. But I'm vowing to keep this honest and keep you all in the loop of how one goes from marathon running to motherhood (and "fingers crossed," back to marathons). Hopefully I will continue to find that happy balance in between, and also learn my lesson of staying off google while pregnant - especially when my hormones are at a particularly high level :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Off to read some great race recaps! So many PR's! Congrats to all of you who ran Pittsburgh, OC Marathon, and so many others!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Running!</span></div>
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-18203512025477805172013-05-01T11:05:00.002-07:002013-05-01T11:05:26.174-07:00Rolling with the Punches<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think I have been mentally preparing myself for the day that running may have to stop. This day may never come, and I may be one of those lucky women who get to run on the day they deliver, but I'm making no promises or deals with myself - I know I can't control it all! But, being prepared is better than being caught off guard or living in denial.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last week my running got sidelined by a little injury. I have been pretty lucky in the fact that I haven't had major running injuries that I have left me in the dreaded "boot" or sidelined for months at a time. Sure, I have had the injuries that have kept me from having great training cycles or ones that kept me from running for days at a time, but really, nothing major. Well, last week my right calf had other plans. I did a great speed work session on the old hamsterwhizzle where I saw paces I hadn't seen in months! Paces that started with an 8! And were in the low 8's! I felt great afterwards, too! But Sunday when I went for my run, my calf seized up around 30 mins into my run and then I was left hobbling for the rest of the day! Argh!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Monday when I went for my run again, I lasted 20 mins before it seized up again and I called it quits. I came home, iced, put on compression socks and declared Tuesday a rest day. I've never had calf problems before, so this was new. I started thinking it was pregnancy related, but after thinking about the speed work I did, I think it was because of that. I would be running at a good clip, then the plan called for walking one minute in between. I think the stopping in between made my calf angry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wednesday my calf was still kind of 'twingey' so I declared another rest day. Thursday I was traveling to NorCal so yet, another rest day. I tried not to get down on myself, especially when the runs I did have earlier in the week had my HR cooperating like a champ! Friday I set out for my planned run and I felt awesome! My HR was great, my energy was awesome, and I felt like I was floating. But then....then...at the 20 minute mark when I turned around to go home my calf seized up again! WTH? And this time it was bad! I was 2.5 miles away from home and I hobbled all the way back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I felt defeated and worried about my <a href="http://www.insidetrail.com/ai1ec_event/folsom-lake-trail-run/">race</a> the next day. I knew in the back of my mind it would not be smart to run the next day so I called it after talking with my coach. I was disappointed but I sucked it up and knew a few more days off was smart. Ugh, rolling with the punches was smart but not what I really wanted to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Saturday I got up and got ready and head out to the race any way since my girl <a href="http://www.runinsyn.com/">Alisyn</a> was there running her first 50K! And my other good friend<a href="http://thesmudge.com/"> Layla</a> was there spectating. I couldn't wait to be reunited with these two! I miss them sooooo much!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's funny how things work out in the end, the day ended up being very warm, and the course ended up being not very shaded at all. A pregnant woman running in the heat isn't the best combo - so it's funny how things end up happening for a reason. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I cheered my butt off and was so happy to spend time with Layla and Alisyn's fiance Matt while waiting for Alisyn to come in. I even got to score some post-race food by playing the "preggo" card and getting some cold, juicy watermelon :) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_T8hpO4xRJ5I0sdvEzgUhjHL2n6fsWuWw21DY3aHkw7c6VTEdDsGmwKBfO0UPfr7DyKpPBVRp6Q8257XwfLv0tiEkHN5xiAZZA5L19Ewlv394mZc4yqY9QCAArBKkXi8sdCSEaPCt_rz/s1600/alisynracepic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_T8hpO4xRJ5I0sdvEzgUhjHL2n6fsWuWw21DY3aHkw7c6VTEdDsGmwKBfO0UPfr7DyKpPBVRp6Q8257XwfLv0tiEkHN5xiAZZA5L19Ewlv394mZc4yqY9QCAArBKkXi8sdCSEaPCt_rz/s320/alisynracepic.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matt, Layla, Alisyn and me post race</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I still haven't ran since Friday, but today I'm going out for a test run and am hopeful. My calf feels good, I've been icing like crazy, making the hubbs massage it until I cry and I think if I ease back in I shouldn't have lost too much ground. I have only a few short weeks until<a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/"> SFM</a> and I can't wait to run that and be reunited with so many other good friends!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the pregnancy front, I'm feeling good, but I have definitely "popped!" Like...over night! I had a few days last week where I had some <a href="http://www.babycenter.com/0_braxton-hicks-contractions_156.bc">Braxton Hicks</a> contractions, which are totally normal, but I could also feel my abs stretching. I really grew over a few days. When I got home on Monday from my trip, the hubbs just looked at me and said, "you grew! THAT is a baby bump!" I laughed, because I finally look "pregnant" and not like I just pigged out on a giant burrito at Chipotle. It's amazing every day the little things you notice. I go from not being hungry at all, to I NEED TO EAT NOW! OR I WILL CHEW MY ARM OFF! Or, from being totally full of energy to I need to take a nap right now! Your body definitely tells you what you need and when you need it! And it doesn't let you down until you answer it. I also got to see baby on the ultra sound thanks to my sister in law. She is a labor and delivery nurse (and a god send to a pregnant sister!) and took me over to the hospital for a peek :) It still brings tears to my eyes when I see my little blueberry moving around in there. (we may or may not have gotten to tell if it's a boy or a girl, but I'm not confirming or denying that) And hearing the heart beat is such nice reassurance. You go a whole month in between appointments and it's hard not to worry. But I am happy to report, the blueberry was busy waving at us, doing kicks and just generally being a busy, busy little baby! Ahhhh!</span><br />
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Obligatory bump shot :) See, I GREW!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will leave you all with Lilly sporting her SFM doggy bandanna - she loves to dress up (well, at least that is what I tell myself!) Congrats to all of you who raced this weekend - lots of PR's and great race reports!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Running!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lilly and her ball - it's never very far away :)</span></div>
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-7859118671499452272013-04-17T11:11:00.000-07:002013-04-17T11:12:38.944-07:00It's Personal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I struggled with weather or not I wanted to write anything on the horrible day that struck Boston on Monday. I have read so <a href="http://www.runnersrambles.com/2013/04/bostonwithlove.html">many</a> <a href="http://www.runthisamazingday.com/2013/04/boston.html">great</a> <a href="http://www.discombobulatedrunning.com/2013/04/you-cant-take-it-away-from-me.html">posts</a> that have captured just how I feel about it all. And adding to all the grief and sadness didn't seem like I was really adding anything to the mix.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But then I sat back and thought about how I really feel. I have gone through all the stages of mourning so far. From initially feeling so sad and scared to feeling like it was all a dream (denial), to being so damn angry about it. I had to stay off social media yesterday. I couldn't take any more links, thoughts, pictures with anything to do with Boston. Even the posts that were in support of Boston, pictures of people going out in their own favorite race shirt to run a few miles for our Boston people. I was overwhelmed on so many levels.</span><br />
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2010 VIP stands - even then I was excited!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I also saw so many people post a real personal connection to the tragedy</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> even if they weren't physically there in Boston. And I for one had that same thought. Immediately when I saw the first glimpse of the finish clock showing 4:09:xx when the bombs went off, I knew I would have been finishing around that time and my hubbs would be so very close to where the bombs went off. But as we all know, my Boston trip and race was sidelined by my doctor (need to thank him next time I go in!). If I had run, that was probably about the time I would have crossed. Hitting so close to home was way too hard for me to think about. As I watched the news unfold in front of me on Monday, I, like so many of you, knew so many people there that day. I quickly scrambled to text, facebook and tweet to them. Thankfully, all my peeps were safe. My next thoughts went to those that were not so lucky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I also saw/heard some people feeling guilty for feeling like they could have been there but weren't. But you know what? That isn't a selfish thing. We, as such a large running community, are so connected and the Boston marathon means so much to so many people that making it personal is just normal. I did it and I don't feel guilty. It could have been me, it could have been you, it could have been your friend. In times of tragedy, we all place a personal emphasis on it, it's just plain human nature. And guilt should not accompany it. </span><br />
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My 2010 finish line pic with my good friend<a href="http://runwithjill.blogspot.com/"> Jill</a> :)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Having been so lucky to run Boston myself in 2010, I brought all my own emotions back to those streets, those runners, those volunteers and spectators. It is only natural. But what I am gathering from all this is that we are stronger than this. We will persevere. Boston will happen again - better, stronger. In trying to find something good out of all this garbage, I figured out that, above all, we have brought a great light to the world of running. To many of us, running is such a huge part of our lives. We eat, sleep, breathe and live running, and we surround ourselves with so many like-minded people that it's hard for us to grasp that others don't get what something like what the Boston marathon means. I was sad that I couldn't find the Boston marathon to watch on TV on Monday. I watched on my computer. I chalked it up as the sports world just not caring that much about running or not considering it a "real" sport. But after Monday, through all that tragedy, we have been given this opportunity to show just how awesome our sport is. It is finally highlighting what we all knew all along: that our sport is filled with amazing people, doing amazing things every day, and that we are a community that supports one another. We run for ourselves, we run for charities, we run for something bigger than the finish line. I think out of all of this we are finally able to show the world that running is much more than a selfish thing, that it is a celebration of the human spirit. And if that is all that can be found out of this horrid, horrid day, then I'll take it. Maybe those that have never had a thought to lace up their shoes and run will finally "get it." If anything, we have brought to light what a wonderful community we have and for that I am grateful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My thoughts are constantly with those that are still struggling with the aftermath of Monday. I wish I could personally take it all away. It has shaken me to the core - like so many of you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was personal to all of us. And its OK to feel that way. It was an attack on all of our innocence and I am angry that it has been taken away. But I have not lost faith in humanity. We will preserve and for that I am grateful - especially when I stand on the cusp of bringing a new life into this messy, messy world. Good over comes evil - and I have not lost faith.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Running friends.</span></div>
Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-37006624038487764922013-04-15T10:11:00.002-07:002013-04-15T10:37:56.792-07:00Surprise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Women have been giving birth since the beginning of man-kind. Somehow that is reassuring to me, that I am definitely not in uncharted territory. But in the same breath, each pregnancy is different and however natural it may be, there is bound to be some bumps in the road and surprises.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I struggled with weather or not I wanted to share this bit of news with the interwebs. But I vowed that I would be as <a href="http://one-run-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-new-beginning.html">honest</a> with all of you as I could, and leaving this part of my story out would be doing not only a disservice to myself and my own documentation, but to all of you. Many things are very predictable in pregnancy, like you are going to gain weight. You are going to to be overwhelmed by the thousands of baby products that someone has declared as a "must have," for every new mom. While other things come up that you could have never predicted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last Thursday my hubbs and I went in for our 2nd ultra sound and what is called a "NT scan." All along pregnancy, you are tested for so many things that can make your head spin and create a lot of fear in you. In all reality, most are not meant to add to your fear, but to reassure you that you are doing everything right and that baby is right on track. The "NT scan" is a scan that is done twice during pregnancy, first between the weeks of 11w 5d (11 weeks & 5 days) & 13w 6d, then again from 15w 5d & 18w. It is a scan to measure the fluid in the baby's neck and check to see if the baby has formed correctly or if there is a high chance it will have Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is a horrible disease, it basically means there is a high chance that baby will have some sort of paralysis. They also do a blood test at this point to see if they baby will have a whole other list of genetic diseases like Downs Syndrome. To say going into these tests is scary is an understatement. At this point there is nothing that a mother can really do to prevent any of these. They almost all occur at a genetic level that is out of your control. There is a lot of science behind the thinking that if a mother has an adequate level of folic acid in her at the time of conception and through those first few critical weeks of pregnancy, the chances of Spina Bifida go down. But again, many times, it is out of your control. The other side of all of this genetic and disease testing is that they only have an 80% accuracy rate! 80%?! I know personally my best friend had a positive test for Spina Bifida only to have her son come out perfectly healthy. So, along with the fear, there is a sense that more often then not they are wrong. On the flip side of this, even if you get a "negative" reading, it could, ultimately, be wrong. Originally I had said no to all testing. I just didn't want to know. I had this sense that what ever was meant to be would be, and god willing, if we got to the other side, that we would love this child no matter what - "faults" and all. But they do do all of this testing so early because some parents decide to terminate. We did it on the off chance that if something was found we could get the help we needed before hand and at birth, they would be ready.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I bring up all this "science" stuff because it really does come into play when you are pregnant. I had no real clue of all of this until we came home from our first visit with the doctor with no less than a giant stack of pamphlets that describe everything and anything that they test for and and can go wrong in pregnancy. To say it's a miracle is selling it short.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well, our test went well. Our baby is right on track and even measuring ahead of schedule! (We are blaming it on it's big head! No seriously, the head is big! Which is more scary for me! Eeek!) The "NT scan" came back negative and that was reassuring. But what I struggled to share is that we got another piece of news that day. Something so very unexpected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was laying on the table as the technician was doing the scan and within a minute she was asking me some crazy questions. The first one being, "did you go through fertility treatments to get pregnant?" Uh, no! Her response, "oh, wow." Her next question, "well, did you know you were carrying twins?" UH NO!!! I was SHOCKED!! TWINS? ME? WHAT?? HOW DID THEY MISS THIS THE FIRST TIME? Her next statement sent me for a tailspin though, when she said, "well, looks like you were carrying twins, but you are no longer." I really didn't know what to feel. Up until this point it was never on my radar. Sure there were some jokes thrown around when we first found out we were pregnant that it could be twins, but we never really believed it. Twins don't run in either of our families, so the possibility seemed non-existent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After a few measurements with the machine, she as able to see that "Baby B" had stopped growing around 8w and 1d. Wow.... Through all of this, the hubbs was still left in the waiting room and I was all by myself to absorb this information. My first question was, "but is the other baby OK???" And she said very reassuringly, "yes!" In fact, baby was so busy doing somersaults that it was hard to get a good measurement for the NT Scan. Baby was not cooperating for her and was active it took almost 3 times as long to get the test done. And once I heard how healthy and active "Baby A" was, I pretty much let the other news of "Baby B" float to the back of my mind while we finished up the test. The fact though that she kept saying "Baby A" and "Baby B" was a little foreign to me. My next question was, "how did they miss this the first time?" Turns out, what we thought was an extra large "yolk sack" for "Baby A" was actually the backside of the placenta of "Baby B," and since we had the first ultra sound done at 8w 4d and the doctor only heard one heart beat, it never occurred to anyone at the time there could have been two.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Finally they brought the hubbs in, and trying to make light of the situation, the first thing I said to him was, "did you hear? You really dodged a bullet!" Of course his response was "what the heck are you talking about?" The technician and I went on to explain to him what we had found out and his reaction was, "but is baby OK!?" It felt good to be able to hear and say, "YES!" Everything is on track!</span><br />
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The Blueberry! See the "halo" above the Blueberry's stomach? That is "Baby B's" placenta</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I can honestly say I was feeling OK with everything we had learned. I pretty much put out of my mind any feelings of sadness on the way home. All we could do was be so excited to see the pictures of the baby and how it has finally turned into looking like a "real human" and not an alien. And to hear how active it was made us so happy. It wasn't until I was alone later that morning and the hubbs had gone off to work that it hit me. I called my mom to tell her how good the appointment went and our "discovery." That is when I lost it. And so did she. I think it was only natural to have a sense of sadness. To have a sense of what could have been. But after the reassuring words only a mother could give, I came to the conclusion that what has happened was for the best. I am SO grateful that I didn't know this whole time. That I wasn't preparing for twins only to be disappointed. I know that the fact that "Baby B" didn't make it is better, that it most likely had something very wrong with it and mother nature has a way of "taking care" of the really sick ones. We did learn that I had released 2 eggs, and this meant that they were not identical which is good news for "Baby A." It means that that baby is healthy and strong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There have been a few times since the appointment that I have had moments of sadness and a feeling of loss. But I know that this will pass as we get farther along. I am sure feeling like I am mourning is totally natural. But really, I am OK with all of this. I am so grateful that I didn't have to deal with a miscarriage or any real disappointment. I am so grateful that there were 2 eggs and one is so healthy and on track. And again, I am comforted knowing that there was nothing I did or could have done to change that outcome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, surprises come all along with pregnancy, and I am sure this will NOT be the last one, but I am sure that for the most part the next surprises will usually be good. I am feeling so much better in the 2nd trimester and everything seems to be on tack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I finished off another great week of running. I hit 40 miles and even had my longest run since the Blueberry showed up. On Saturday I ran 10.1 miles! And yes, all on the treadmill. I kept telling myself at certain points I could take a walk break, but I never did and I hit all of my HR zones like I was supposed to. I felt great afterwards. But on Sunday I was just wiped out! My legs weren't sore or tired and mentally I felt good, but my body was just plain tired. I decided a rest day would be OK.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I will leave you all with a pictured of how much I have grown! I have totally "popped!" The doctor confirmed it is "all baby," but man, I feel big already! And we are just barely over the 1/3rd mark! Sheesh!</span><br />
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Obligatory bump shot</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm off to keep tracking all my Boston friends! Today has been a little hard seeing all the Boston updates on Twitter and Facebook. I had been dreaming of being there again for 3 years. But I only have to look down and see that I have a bigger job right now and I will be back. Oh yes, I will be back!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Running!</span></div>
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-39160227181281635372013-04-08T14:54:00.000-07:002013-04-10T15:23:03.316-07:00So, What Do You Want to See?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First off, THANK YOU to all of you that read and left me such sweet comments on my little story. The one thing you find out when you finally divulge to the world that you have struggled with fertility, is that so many people do. And everyone has a story. It's often a subject that isn't discussed in the open, sans the conversation you might have with a close relative or friend who is going through or has gone through it themselves. I'm not sure I want to be the "spokes person" for the subject, but maybe, just maybe, my own story can touch someone to be more pro-active in their own struggles. Yes, it's something that society hasn't really lifted the vail of "secrecy" from, but by no means is it something to be ashamed of.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The problem with vowing to blog more often, is, well, that you have to blog more often! I've never written on this blog anything profound or all that witty, but many times my blog went untouched because I felt like I didn't have anything really to say. Yes, my race reports were always fun to post, and a place where I could archive my story for myself, but aside from that, going on and on about my training always seemed boring to me - so it had to be boring to all of you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, here is my question. What keeps you coming back to a blog? What topics make you smile, stop and think about something, or help point you in the right direction? I know that I want to blog about running and pregnancy but I don't always want to be talking about that. I know that the majority of blogs that I never miss are ones that are completly honest and open, about any topic. I will try and bring that here. And since I won't be "racing" much, aside from my <a href="http://www.thesfmarathon.com/">marathon in June</a> and an upcoming <a href="http://www.insidetrail.com/ai1ec_event/folsom-lake-trail-run/">trail half</a> in April, there goes a big chunck of my blogging topics! Help a sister out! Let me know what you might want to hear from me, or if you're just fine with all my on-going posts about running while pregnant, let me know that, too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This past week I finished my highest mileage week of running while pregnant! I hit 46 miles, which, I know, to many sounds like a lot. And yes, it is! But honestly, I felt good all week (for the most part) and I was by no means pushing much. I never thought that running 46 miles in a week would be such a big deal to me, but I finally felt such an accomplishment on Sunday when I finally added up the miles - something I hand't felt in so long! And in a way, it felt like an even bigger accomplishment than all those 80+ or 100 mile weeks I had ran before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Right now, thanks to my <a href="http://www.runthisamazingday.com/">coach</a>, I am doing a good mix of some "harder" runs and "easier" runs, both being relaitve. And I even have a couple of double days thrown in there, which is one of my favoirte things to do. When you're running 80+ miles a week, double days are a necessary element. I never thought I would be able to while pregnant. I'm well aware that there may be a point where those double days are far and few between and most likely disappear all together. But for now I am enjoing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is a run down on how my week of running goes. PLEASE keep in mind, I have a coach! I had a great base of mileage and fitness BEFORE I was pregnant, and I have a doctor who is monitoring me and on board with my running. If you're pregnant, please don't use this as a base for you own running. Each runner is different. Every pregnancy is different, and like I said before, there may come a day during this pregnacy when all this comes to a screaching halt due to any number of cicrumstances. Until then, here is a run down of my week in running.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Monday: Double Day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> run #1: 10min w/u - HR >150, 30mins steady - HR 155, 5min c/d - HR >150</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> run #2 45mins, all eady, HR >150</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Tuesday: 1:10, all easy, HR >150 (side note, I was Pukey McPukey this day, I chose a rest day)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wednesday: 1:30: 20min w/u - HR >150, 10x5min HR 155 w/ 1min easy jog in between, HR >150, 10min c/d - HR >150</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thursday: 1:15 - all easy, HR >150</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Friday: Double Day - Same as Monday (side note, was not able to do 2nd run, couldn't get my HR down, gave up after 5mins)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Saturday: 1:10 - all easy, HR >150</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sunday: 1:20: 20min w/u - HR >150, 4x6min HR 155 w/ 6min easy in between HR >145, 12min c/d - HR >150</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">(I probably won't run down each week, as my schedule is made by someone else and if you're looking for a good coach, contact her!)</span><br />
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Me and my HR monitor have become BFF's </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Even with the two missed runs, I still got in the 46 miles. I am averaging any where from 10:30/mi to a few sub 9's in there. For the most part, my "comfortable pace" is right around 9:20-9:30 (HR >15). Each run is different, which I guess isn't too far off from a runner who isn't prego :) Sometimes my HR wants to cooperate, and other times it doesn't. I am much more sensitive to what I eat and drink now, too. I know that if I have caffine too close to a run, my HR is through the roof! Same thing goes if I'm too hungry. Or if I don't wait long enough in between my runs. A bit of it is trial and error, some of it has no explanation. The important part is listening to my body. That is a new concept for me. Before I would push through most aches, pains, hunger, headaches, etc. Now, I just plain can't. It's amazing though how fast my head got on board. Before I would have been really bummed out if I missed a run or didn't hit the mileage I needed or a pace I had set. Now, I'm just happy to get through a run without having to stop and pee!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There ya have it, a look into a week of running while pregnant. I still stop and smile when I write that. Heck, I still stop and smile every time I remember I'm pregnant! I have to admit though, with Boston just a few days away, its getting hard not to be even slightly sad that I won't be toeing the line on Monday. I'm gonna try REAL hard on Monday to cheer on so many friends who will be there running their hearts out but I also know that seeing too many tweets or too many posts might make the pain a little harder to bare. Sorry, just being honest. By no means would I trade my situation just to be running a race, but come on! It's BOSTON! And I had earned my spot to be there! But I know that it wasn't going to be my last Boston and I hope I'll be there in 2015 taking my own revenge on the Newton Hills :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And I can't not have a post and not include a pic of Lilly enjoying her backyard this weekend - nothing puts a smile on my face faster than seeing her enjoying life like this! I need to take a page out of her book! Stop and enjoy the grass!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Running!</span><br />
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-81966030477968705752013-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:002013-04-08T08:01:56.901-07:00A New Beginning...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The last time I was here, I had left with you with my latest attempt (at the time) at going for that elusive sub 3. I was injured, I was burnt out, but I was still hungry for the goal I had set ahead of me.<br />
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2012 was not a big year of racing for me. Without boring you all, I only ran ONE marathon, the<a href="http://www.laketahoemarathon.com/"> Lake Tahoe Marathon</a> in September, where I was the 4th woman over all with a big course PR and a day I would never forget. I thought my fire had been reignited, but I was once again just feeling burnt out and had no idea how to achieve my goal. In December I toed the start line of<a href="http://www.runcim.org/"> CIM</a>, on one of the worst days of weather a marathon could see: pouring rain and wind! I also was wearing a banana costume, which, as some might think was crazy, but actually kept me fairly dry! Even with the excitement and a ton of friends to run with, my desire to suffer through 26.2 miles of wet and wind was just not there, and I called it quits at the half way point. I was slightly disappointed, but really, I knew it was the right choice. I didn't want to end up injured, I didn't want to end up with layers of chaffing, and I still got to run with some of my best friends.<br />
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Beautiful Lake Tahoe and my cheerleader <a href="http://www.runinsyn.com/">Alisyn</a></div>
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The Banana & Alisyn (after the CIM that wasn't)</div>
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This shit was bananas - waiting at the start of CIM - see all the ponchos!?</div>
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In the middle of all of this, the hubb's job relocated us to Southern California and I was thrown into a new area, little to no friends and no job. The move was right for us, it was a promotion and a step in the right direction for his career - it would have been stupid for us to pass up. But to be honest, I was scared and worried. I was in a new town, new weather (read HOT most of the year!) and no idea what was next for me.<br />
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I never really shared much here on our struggles with getting pregnant. Often times women think that once they are ready to start a family, it will just magically happen. Well, more often than not, that is just not the case. We have had a LOT of UPs and DOWNs with the process. No one tells you the strain it puts on a relationship or marriage when you are both to committed to achieving something and continually come up short. We finally took the pressure off ourselves in 2012 and decided that if it were meant to be, then it would be - no more "trying," no more "discussions." In the back of my mind though, I had this sense that it would never happen, and as time went on, I became more and more ok with this. Children don't and shouldn't define you or your marriage success, even though I was so tired of the looks I got when I told people that we were married 9+ years and had no kids. Judgement, although never totally outward, was always looming in people's minds when I would tell them, "well, we tired, it didn't happen, we're moving on." If I thought about it too much, I would get sad and angry. Maybe I was to blame? Maybe too many miles each week? After all, I was running 80+ miles a week, maybe it was that.<br />
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By the end of 2012 I had started to back off my miles, cutting down to closer to 60. Since I didn't really have a big goal race until Boston 2013, I figured it was now or never. In reality, running 20 or so miles less a week wasn't a huge deal to me mentally or physically and in a way I could feel a bit of stress be lifted. I never told the hubbs that I was doing this, I never really told him my thoughts on this even though it had been discussed in the past. He had always continued to support my running through all our trying, so bringing it up now didn't seem like the case. In January this year, I went to visit my family in Arkansas. My mom has always been supportive of our struggle and our decision to put things on the back burner. She has always known of our situation, and was nothing but supportive. My baby sister was also always supportive. On this trip though, my sister told me something that brought tears to my eyes. She told me, if it were definite that we couldn't start a family on our own, that she would carry our baby if we ever wanted. Wow, what a self-less thing for a sister to say. As much as I was so touched by her giving, I knew that that was probably a road we wouldn't take.<br />
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My baby sis Erin and I - hanging out in 'exciting' Arkansas!</div>
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I will admit, that through this, aside from a basic doctor's check-up, neither my husband or I really got "checked out" to see if we had good "working parts." Looking back, we probably should have, but as easy as that sounds, it is easier said than done. By doing that we were admitting to ourselves that we could actually be "broken" or have a real "problem," and I know neither of us was ready before then to face that. I had always known that I didn't want to do anything invasive to get pregnant - its just who I am. I didn't want endless tests or drugs, or the possibilities of endless disappointments. I have seen a cousin go through it and it was not easy. I just knew that I never wanted that. And thankfully the hubbs was on board with my decision.<br />
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When I got back from Arkansas I was ready to start training again. It was the end of January and Boston was just a few short months away. I dove into running, upping my mileage a bit each week and working on finding a new client base to work with in my new city. I was finally allowing myself to enjoy our new area and new life, knowing that it wasn't going to be forever (the plan to stay in SoCal is 2-3 years). I had a real change of heart in a lot of areas of my life. I don't know if it was the trip to Arkansas to see my family, the fact that I had just turned <strike>33</strike> another year older, or that it was the beginning of a new year, but I finally talked to the hubbs and we decided that we would explore some options and see a fertility specialist. November 2012 marked 3 years of "trying" to get pregnant. I was finally ready to know if it was in the cards for us or if we should go buy that convertible and be happy with just the two of us and Lilly.<br />
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I had an appointment for the second week in February to see a fertility specialist. I really hadn't put much thought into it. I mean, I'm healthy, I exercise, I eat well. I really couldn't imagine what they would say (yes, I am "regular" in that department). But as the appointment got closer I could feel some anxiety building. The hubbs said he felt the same, but was ready to find out.<br />
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Well, turns out, we didn't need to go see that specialist after all. I had heard people tell me countless times (seriously no less than ONE million) that once we stopped "trying" it would just happen. Or if we started the adoption process, poof, we would get pregnant. Well, apparently our "poof" was making that fertility appointment. Exactly one week before we were to go, I found out I was pregnant :) Yes, words that I wasn't sure I would ever type. <br />
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I took FOUR tests because I just couldn't believe it. I called my older sister who is a labor and delivery nurse to tell her first - even before I told the hubbs! I was in serious shock! Not because I was fearful, more a type of shock that I never thought I would have this day. When I called the hubbs at work he was over the moon and he hasn't left that high since the day we found out. <br />
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Its amazing the millions of thoughts that go through your mind when you find out your pregnant. This was something that we had been hoping would happen for so long, and when it finally all comes together, there are no words to describe it.<br />
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So, my life changed in the blink of an eye - literally. As I am sure anyone who has been proposed to or found out themselves they were pregnant - it's true, everything changes all in a second. My first thought was, of course, "what about Boston?!" Looking at the calendar, I knew right away it was out. And...I was ok with that. I wanted to confirm with the doctor first though before I really let that goal slip away. Turns out I was right, he nixed Boston but is totally on board with a marathon in my 2nd trimester. (Boston is my 14th week, yes my 2nd trimester, - but he thinks it's probably smart to just hold off a bit longer)<br />
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So far things are going well. I would be lying if I told you that it was all sunshine, rainbows and unicorns being pregnant. For me, the first 8 weeks of being pregnant were not pretty. Aside from a whole new way to think about training, I was totally sick 24/7 for the majority of it. Thankfully, around 9.5 weeks my nausea went away and my energy and appetite came back. My doctor is totally on board with my running. Although there isn't but a handful of studies done on women who are pregnant and are long distance runners, for the most part, if you have been doing something all along exercise wise, then its usually ok to keep doing it - just maybe with the volume turned down a bit.<br />
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I definitely got the volume turned down. Those first 9.5 weeks I could barely run due to being so tired and worn out. But I am back to running about 30-40 miles a week. The other thing they have you do (well, at least my doc has me doing) is to run by heart rate (HR). They do know that distance runners often times have smaller babies. This is due to the fact that when you run, blood flow is directed to the mother's important body parts (i.e. your heart, lungs, legs) and away from baby. Which in turn often leads to a smaller baby when born. This is where the studies start to waiver - there hasn't been long term studies done on those babies to see if there are long term effects. But for the most part, if you keep yourself well-hydrated, watch your HR and keep your temp down, you and baby should be fine. But if I was told tomorrow no more running, you better believe I would stop. But so far, so good. I have a <a href="http://www.runthisamazingday.com/">coach</a> who keeps me on track and makes sure I'm not pulling normal "Katie" stuff and running 100 mile weeks. My running times have DROPPED a TON, and I'm ok with that. My first run out I was running almost 4 minutes slower than my goal marathon pace! It's amazing though what this HR training does for you and how quickly it can have real effects on your running - I started out this pregnancy just a few weeks ago barely able to run 11:00/min miles, now I'm regularly running in the low 9's (which is crazy for me to type, I haven't ran that slow by myself in years!) - and it should go down a bit more before it goes back up - which is inevitable :)<br />
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This is my new beginning. I have a new goal and finish line now (October if you're wondering) and I'm excited to experience everything this will bring me and my family. For the first time in my running life I'm not focused on pace or mile splits, I'm more focused on making sure I can keep running all through this pregnancy so that after I give birth I can hit the road again and start working on that sub 3 goal again.<br />
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Meet "the blueberry"</div>
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I'm hoping to keep blogging through this, too. I read so many of your blogs regularly, but haven't been commenting much due to the fact that I felt like I wasn't really "contributing" to this community. I'm in a different and better spot than I was when I left this blog so long ago. And not just because I'm pregnant, but this change had already started before and I am just now able to see that it's so much better on this side of happiness.<br />
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Thank you all for reading - it's been way too long!<br />
Happy Running!<br />
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Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-39574704919217032852011-12-05T12:56:00.001-08:002011-12-05T13:10:16.070-08:00Race Report: California International Marathon 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, hello bloggers! Yes, yes, haven't been here in a while, but don't worry, I still keep checking in on all of you!<br />
I ran CIM yesterday and had huge plans, but sometimes plans don't go as you, well, planned. This is the post I put on my Daily Mile account. Since some of you aren't on there, but probably still want to know how it went, I'll put it up here, too. So proud of so many of you running and racing this weekend - cannot wait to go and read them all! Hope you're all well! Happy Running!<br />
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Wasn't sure how I wanted to write about this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you can see, I didn't reach my goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have been pretty beat up about it since yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one thing that is keeping me sane is a quote from a friend who read in Brain Training for Runners is that if you're meeting your running goals 50% of the time, then you're not making your goals hard enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Running is not easy, and if I had gotten my sub 3 yesterday, that would have put me right at 50% - so I can rest a bit easier knowing that my goal is hard, is going to take a lot of work and is a goal worth fighting for.</div>
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So this may get long - sorry in advance!</div>
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I felt really good Saturday night, went to be early and slept great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke up rested, went through my usual pre-race routine and felt ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except for one thing, I couldn't go to the bathroom!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a bit panicked and hoped that by the time I got to the portta potties that things would be "ready to go," so I relaxed on the drive there.</div>
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Thankfully the wind had stopped, and other than the 35 degree temp at the start, I wasn't too worried about the weather for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in shorts, a tank top and a light Lululemon shirt over that with gloves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But after I did a one mile warm up hoping to get things moving, as I stood in line at the potties I still couldn't go!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told the hubbs that I wasn't sure if I even wanted to start since I was afraid it would be a suffer fest of running to the bathroom multiple times for 26.2 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, he reassured me and I bid him ado and went to the start line.</div>
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My legs felt good, nothing was hurting and had stayed good all week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, other than the cold and fear of potty stops, I was excited to race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran into my friend Caitlin at the start line and we wished each other good luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn't get right with the 3 hour pacer, it was packed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I wasn't worried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the gun went off, I felt great and just started cruising.</div>
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The first mile is down hill for about .8 until you make your first turn and hit the first hill passing mile 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn't faze me at all and I knew I was running a bit fast but thought I would just bank some time and capitalize on feeling good.</div>
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The first 4 miles went by easily, lots of ups and downs and my legs felt awesome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do remember in this time thinking my ass was literally COLD - numb!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But other than that everything was going to plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hitting my goal MP pace of 6:45 or faster and just went with hit.</div>
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mile 1 - 6:32</div>
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mile 2 - 6:43</div>
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mile 3 - 6:29</div>
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mile 4 - 6:37</div>
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The hills weren't bothering me at all, and I was enjoying the cool morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw the hubbs in here finally and just put on cruise control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still in the back of my mind I was sure I was going to have a bathroom stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I was WELL ahead of the 3 hour pace group and I had banked enough time to make sure that if I stopped I would still be in a good place.</div>
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At mile 5, right before, you hit a good hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each hill I went up, I attempted not to get out of breath and know that there would be a good downhill to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this proved to be smart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn't out of breath, I wasn't tired and I felt good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also took a Gu in here, continuing each 5 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also took water from the hubbs on the bike, for some reason, I was really thirsty all day.</div>
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mile 5 - 6:44 - big hill</div>
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mile 6 - 6:53 - other half of big hill</div>
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mile 7 - 6:51</div>
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Around mile 7, I could feel the rumble in my tummy and I had to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn't awful, but I knew I had to stop soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No worries, I asked the hubbs and I was way ahead of the 3 group still so I decided to stop at the next potty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right after mile 8, there was a potty and I stopped.</div>
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mile 8 - 6:57</div>
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When I stopped at the potty, I went in and squatted down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As SOON as I squatted down, I felt my hammy seize up!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OUCH!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I screamed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt it run down my leg!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hubbs even heard me scream and asked if I was ok!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was panicked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished my business and when I got out my leg was in PAIN!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked the hubbs if the 3 hour group passed and he said there were about 25-30 seconds ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fine, I can catch them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only, my leg was in pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My whole left leg was cramping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was trying to push through and find my stride as I chassed down the 3 hour guy, but my leg wanted nothing to do with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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From there on, I knew I was in for a fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried everything in my head to keep going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was loosing time, but the 3 hour group was just ahead of me and I still believed I could catch them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the stop at mile 8, I was on track for a 2:56-2:57, after that, I was just hoping to make 3!</div>
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mile 9 - 7:55</div>
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mile 10 - 6:48</div>
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mile 11 - 6:52</div>
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mile 12 - 7:06</div>
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By mile 12, I felt so mentally and physically done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was fighting so hard but was in so much pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had so many thoughts running through my head, like should I just quit at the half?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I doing permanent damage?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do I keep going with another 14 miles?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at the hubbs after the half and told him I was done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he just looked at me and said, find your stride, keep pushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have a 1:29 half in YOU!</div>
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I will admit, when I hit the half in 1:30 I was so upset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I KNEW I didn't have that in me anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At mile 14 I got really low and down on myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hills were pretty much over but my leg was just killing me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hubbs said my form was still good, which I guess I never broke, but my I was dragging my left leg.</div>
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mile 13 - 7:08 - half 1:30</div>
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mile 14 - 7:12 - the beginning of the end</div>
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mile 15 - 7:27</div>
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mile 16 - 7:21</div>
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With 10 miles left, I attempted to math in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, we all know how well that goes during a marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought if I kept 7:30's or better I would still make 3:05, so that became my goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did everything I could to keep it there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still don't know how I did it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still Gu'ing and taking in as much fluids I could - I was soooo thirsty!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But mentally I was done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw many friends cheering and pushing me along, but I was so out of it.</div>
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When I would think about mile 18 or mile 20 or mile 22, I couldn't do it, so I kept it small, counting down the miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could only think in terms of, "I have, 10 miles left, I have 9 miles left, I have 8 miles left," and so on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn't think about how long 26.2 was!</div>
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mile 17 - 7:13</div>
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mile 18 - 7:25</div>
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mile 19 - 7:36</div>
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mile 20 - 7:41</div>
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At mile 20, after I saw my wonderful friends Jana, Beth and Karin cheering, I realized I had done the math wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually had needed like 7:15's to get that 3:05.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was heart broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn't know how I would keep going - but I was too close to quit now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That last 10K was some of the hardest miles I have ever run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt a little like an out of body experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought of my friends, many of YOU, my family and trying to be grateful that despite my pain right now, I was out RUNNING!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A marathon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I am lucky!</div>
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Like I said, that last 10K was a blur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did everything I could to keep moving forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wanted to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried so hard to not think of the loss of my sub 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that was hard when at mile 20, the 3:05 pacer group passed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was now just hoping to break sub 3:10.</div>
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mile 21 - 7:40</div>
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mile 22 - 7:46 - hill/bridge</div>
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mile 23 - 7:41</div>
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mile 24 - 7:49 - SHOOT ME NOW!</div>
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mile 25 - 7:46 - NO REALLY, SHOOT ME NOW!</div>
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mile 26 - 7:48 - GET THIS OVER WITH</div>
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Offical stat: 3:10:37 - 7:14/mi - this still amazes me. I lost over a mile/min that second half! I really had a lot of time banked in that first half!! Argh!</div>
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AG - (30-34) 29/393</div>
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Women overall - 121/2484</div>
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Overall - 581/5755</div>
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When I crossed the finish line and stopped, my left leg gave out and I fell over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I collapsed at the finish line - I was one of those people! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hubbs has a good video of it! I couldn't move anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My whole body just shut down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, medics were right there and my GOOD friend Layla who was on medal duty caught me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hurt sooo bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They took me over to the med tent where they tried to stretch me and get me some relief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't remember much, but I do remember at one point they were stripping my wet clothes off of me and I screamed, "Don’t cut them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's Lululemon!!" LOL!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still knew what was important. :O</div>
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Apparently, I was hypothermic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My temp went down to 90.1 - even with 3 cups of hot soup in me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was shaking uncontrollably and my legs hurt soooo bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wrapped me up and put me in front of a heater for an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole time my hubbs was outside so worried - they wouldn't let him in.</div>
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After an hour, and my temp climbing to 96, they finally let me go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I felt better!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could walk; I could talk with out chattering teeth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the reality of what happened hit me and I was a little overwhelmed.</div>
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I know I fought hard yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I disappointed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hell YES!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I know that I still ran an incredible race despite all my odds?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hell YES!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found my friends and we all rehashed the day - thankfully all of them had HUGE PR's and that took my mind off my own race.</div>
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I am a day out and still a bit sad, but I know I ran a race and a time that some only will ever dream about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the cold is what did me in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that my legs were cold and that is what made my hammy cramp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably should have gone with capri’s, but live and learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AND, I have a new FIRE lit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am MORE than determined now to do what it takes to get my sub 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a goal worth fighting for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And like the Brain Quote says, it is a good goal – one that I can keep fighting for!</div>
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Thank you to all of YOU for the continued support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, I thought of many of YOU yesterday and it brought me a lot of strength.</div>
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Thanks for reading ;)</div>
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CONGRATS to so many of you that raced yesterday and kicked ass!!! <3</div>
</div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-25711867978348709672011-10-11T12:58:00.000-07:002011-10-11T12:58:28.831-07:00Race Report: Portland Marathon 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know, I know! I haven't been here in ages. And I am truly sorry I haven't updated here in a while. Life has been crazy, but thankfully good and I have been plugging away at work and training. I wanted, more than anything, to post my Portland Marathon race report on here to give you all a glimpse into what I have been working towards. Training has been priority #1 next to work and family and finally this past weekend I had a chance to give it my all and see if I could hit my goal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Running had been going really well, I have been nailing all my workouts for the most part and really enjoying this training cycle - even though I was SO ready for race day to come. As you will see, the stars sometimes don't always align on race day, but these are the days and races that make us stronger and hungrier for more. This is the post I put up on my Daily Mile account so if you already got to read it there, thanks. I am more than ready to keep my head down and keep plugging away at my new, big goal of sub 3. Thank you to all of you who continue to support me through Daily Mile and twitter - I thought of all of you as I ran on Sunday and it kept the fire lit under me as I ran my heart out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And, as usual...it's a long one ;) Grab a cup of coffee and settle in!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Where to start, where to start!?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sorry this is a bit late, but I was traveling home and recovering from this and I wasn't sure what I wanted to say just yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a lot of obstacles to overcome this weekend and the race and I am not sure how much I want to give credit to all of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I am going to just give you all of it (there is a lot, grab a drink and settle in!) & hopefully you'll see where I am coming from ;)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Friday when we arrived in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Portland</place></city> at our hotel, it was NOT like the hotel on Expedia that we booked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a dump - reeked of cigarette smoke, filthy and just plain scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn't stay there and we panicked as we attempted to find another hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will admit, this sent my nerves for a tail spin, but after a couple of hours we found another, better hotel and all was well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent the evening with some family and trying to rest up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We slept in on Saturday and got up and decided to drive the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did this in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Eugene</place></city> and it helped a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, this proved smart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been hearing over and over again that this was a PR course and great for racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, driving and running parts of it scared the crap out of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a lot of hills, a lot of bridges and even though I am good at hills, the placement and degree looked challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried not to let it scare me too much and just use the info we gathered as best as I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made lots of notes on the maps, and that afternoon & evening went over them and the map TONS to make sure I knew what was ahead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Fast forward to race day morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slept pretty well and woke up ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got ready and I thought I had taken care of “business” at the hotel so I wasn’t too worried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, it wasn’t too cold out so that made me feel better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We parked, got my stuff together and I said good bye to the hubbs who was going to see me around the ½ mile mark on his bike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I waited in the corral area and used the bathroom a few times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But by now my nerves were a wreck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to feel a bit sick to my stomach and tried the bathroom again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing, so I figured that once I started I would be ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in the first corral and they don’t do “elite” status for this race, so I had all the fasties around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the national anthem, I lined up next to two ladies about my age and we exchanged goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were going for sub 3 and only one had done it before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was perfect – my rabbits!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should also note, we were just ahead of the 3 hour pacer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also wearing the 3 hour pace band that was specific to the course – which means it took the hills and stuff into consideration for mile splits – very helpful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When the gun went off I felt great!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was perfect, low 50’s and light rain, it wasn’t too crowded and my legs felt right on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I went with it even though I was a bit ahead of my 6:45/mi pace goal and the pace goals on the pace band.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 1 – 6:35</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 2 – 6:38</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 3 – 7:05 (BIG HILL)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 4 – 6:37</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By the time I was starting mile 5, my stomach went crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt sick and nauseous right away and got all sweaty and hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to use the bathroom, NOW!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to cry, there was nothing I could do to push this down and I was freaking that this would be the end of my sub 3 goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tired to stay calm and ran to the first bathroom I could find.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in there forever it felt like, but I also wanted to take my time so that it would be the ONLY time for the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I came out I felt good again and started to find my stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also caught back up to the 3 hour pace group so my nerves were calmed once again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 5 – 7:48 – potty stop</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 6 – 6:40</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 7 – 6:44</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 8 – 6:50</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Even though I was feeling good, I could NOT get down a GU or any water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My stomach still felt off and I was afraid to chance it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I also knew I couldn’t run a marathon without any fuel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole time, the hubbs on the bike was trying to get me to eat a GU, and I would open it and try to get some in before it would make me gag and I would throw it away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up until mile 8, I maybe had a little bit of GU, but not even a ¼ of a whole one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Once again though, in mile 9 my stomach flipped and I had to go again!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was right with the 3 hour group and we were starting a 2 mile out and back section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want to stop but I had to and I was once again feeling like this was the end of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No GU in me, 2 potty stops, what the hell!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I stopped once again and hoped for the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came out and felt a ton better and wanted to hit the half strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 9 – 8:10 – potty stop</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 10 – 6:48</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 11 – 6:52</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 12 – 7:04 (HILL)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 13 – 6:52</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">13.1 – 1:32:04 – 7:02/mi pace</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After the half I knew we didn’t have much more time until the next big hill was coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still hadn’t taken but maybe a swallow of GU or water at this point and I was worried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt strong but my stomach was just off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>feel myself start to fade but I knew it would only be a matter of time with no fuel in me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had lost the 3:00 pacer after the potty stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just behind the 3:05 pacer and knew I could catch him and just ahead of them I could see the 3:00 hour guy once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t think I had it in me to catch the 3:00 guy and this is where I had to switch gears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was nothing I could do to get my sub 3 now, the hand I was dealt wouldn’t allow for that so I had to refocus my goals and shoot for anything close to that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will admit, it was a HUGE blow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was running well when I wasn’t in the bathroom, but I also had no fuel in me and a hard section of the course coming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Just after mile 16 you begin your climb up the <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">St. John ’s</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Bridge</placetype></place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The climb up this is something like the climb up <street w:st="on"></span><br />
<address w:st="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lincoln Blvd.</span></address>
</street><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">in the SF Marathon – only this is at mile 16-17!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My energy was fading here but I knew I was strong up the hills<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so I made it my goal to pass the 3:05 group up the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, I passed them no problem and got across the bridge into some more flat sections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was feeling a lot better in here and found my stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just between the 3 hour and 3:05 guy and this felt doable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 14 – 6:49</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 15 – 7:00 (real mental breakdown – reassess goals)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 16 – 6:59</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 17 – 7:33 (HILL)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 18 – 7:09</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 19 – 6:56</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Through this section I had zero energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly don’t know what kept me going other than I knew I had so little miles left and was so close to my goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on auto pilot .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowds were good through this neighborhood and I attempted to feed off them and kept going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, once again, my stomach had other plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to push it down and tell myself I only had a few miles left but it wasn’t working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt so defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no clue what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I stop?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I keep going?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted so bad to be sub 3:05 at least now and knew a potty stop would ruin that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I had no choice and I stopped once again in mile 21.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, I wasn’t in there but a few seconds as I just had nothing left in me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I came back out I was RIGHT with the 3:05 pace group and jumped in and told myself to just hold on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 20 – 6:49</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 21 – 7:14 – potty stop, slight hill</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 22 – 6:49</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 23 – 6:56</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was moving pretty well with the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had some big hills to get over once again in this section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to go back over the river and the bridge just ate my legs up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, I was so done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Physically and mentally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs were toast from the hills and the lack of fuel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I had to keep going, I was so close.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 24 – 7:57 – HILL!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When we came off the bridge back into downtown and I knew we just had over 1.5 miles to go, I felt so good mentally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going to at least get my sub 3:05.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>knew I could out kick the pacers and I knew that I had a bit more in me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also knew at this point I was 11<sup>th</sup> or 12<sup>th</sup> woman and I wanted to keep that in my sights. (A spectator told me this more than once).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were winding through downtown towards the finish, all of a sudden the train barrier came down and we were STOPPED FOR A TRAIN!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I screamed!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally, I screamed, “NOOOOO!!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to cry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really, after everything I had been through?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They warned us that trains were a possibility, and that most likely people later in the race would encounter them, but not us at the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here it was, mile 25 of my hardest marathon and I was STOPPED!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had also said a race official would be at the train crossing to take down bib#’s, but there wasn’t one, only a cop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pacers had no idea what we should do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was pissed, screaming, swearing….at MILE 25, to be sopped was awful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, when I got to the gates coming down, I totally could have ran across, the train was at least 30 seconds away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the cop stopped me and I had to wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were stopped an almost full 2 minutes!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time the gate went up, the pacers said hold on and run!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew sub 3:05 was gone but I was now trying to beat the clock and at least PR (sub 3:08:36).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we stopped, there was probably 12-15 of us with the pacers, after the stop, only 2 of us could keep up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We ran hard and we ran fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know where this came from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had DEAD legs, ZERO energy and just wanted to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to bob and weave the half marathoners who were walking but it didn’t matter, I was sticking to those pacers like white on rice!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found my stride but my legs just felt so gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The finish of this race for me was the hardest ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no emotion other than to just finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we hit mile 26 and I began to look for my family, I had this overwhelming feeling of sadness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just ran the hardest race of my life, gave everything I had and still ended up short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally crossed the finish line and the announcer said my name and that I was woman #12 – not even the top 10 I wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second I crossed and stopped, I burst out into tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I held this back for so long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so deflated, so defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finish line was just a line – I felt like I hadn’t reached my goal or accomplished anything for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sobbing, the volunteers were thinking I was injured, but all I could say was, “I WAS STOPPED BY A TRAIN!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were ZERO race officials around so I gathered my schwag, blanket, and water and tried to find my family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was crying so badly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I was mad I was crying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran a great race, still ran fast and PR’ed, but didn’t feel like it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 25 – 8:30 – TRAIN!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 26 – 6:50</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mile 0.2 – 2:46 – 6:53/mi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Official Results:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">26.2 – 3:06:40 – 7:08/mi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">12<sup>th</sup> woman overall/ 4,405</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">144<sup>th</sup> overall/ 8,386</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3<sup>rd</sup> AG (30-34)/ 753</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Garmin Results:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">26.4* – 3:06:40 – 7:04/mi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">*the race website said the course measure with a Garmin at 26.37 - so I guess I naile the tangents pretty well once again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am a few days out from this and feel slightly better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to know I thought of many of you out there today as I ran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I had a lot of obstacles to overcome from the upset tummy to practically taking in ZERO fuel the whole race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That, in and of itself, is huge and I can recognize this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Also, THIS IS A HARD COURSE!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is NOT a PR course, don’t let anyone tell you that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is deceiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am good at hills, I love hills, but this race is tough, and you better be mentally ready for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a beautiful city and AWESOME crowd support, volunteers and organization, but don’t go there thinking you will set the world on fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is tough, and I feel so beat up physically from this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t been this sore after a marathon in a LONG time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted, I know that I went into a huge deficit by not fueling and that will play into my recovery, but this was marathon #11 for me and I have felt better and stronger after harder races.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am more and more determined that I will get my sub 3 SOON.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have said it before and will say it again, the stars have to align on race day for you to reach your goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had my stomach behaved, had there been no train, I would have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">maybe</i> got my sub 3 here, but the course is hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably would have come in 3-3:01.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know now though, that in December, at CIM, sub 3 is possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am right on track for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thank you to all of you for your continued support through this training cycle and journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, I thought of many of you out there as I ran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I promise, that sub 3 is right there and I can taste it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, I will probably have my time adjusted for the train, they will probably put my time around 3:04:40, which would put me as 9<sup>th</sup> woman overall and an even bigger PR ;)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll let you know when it happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks again peeps!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy Running!</span></div>
</div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-54100444975150585312011-07-13T16:30:00.000-07:002011-07-13T16:30:45.982-07:00The Race that Wasn't<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am sure you are all shocked to see a blog post from me show up in your reader! I know I am! Life has gotten busy, life got hard and things like blogging took a back seat. I want you to know though, that I have been keeping up on the reading for the most part. I read many of your blogs on my phone when I get a free chance, but being able to comment has been put on the back burner. I already follow so many of you on Twitter and Facebook that I haven't felt too out of the loop, and that has been my main source of communication with many of you. If you want to keep up with all things Katie, you can follow me on Twitter, SJRedGirl is my handle, come on over and find me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Work is mainly what has been keeping me busy - it is hard to balance your own schedule when you don't punch in and out of the same job day after day. Learning to balance my time with personal things, work, training is a constant balancing act. But I think I am getting the hang of it. The good news is, I am actually making this "work from home thing" work and I couldn't be more happy being able to make<i> my</i> time work around <i>my</i> schedule.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One day I am super busy going from one client to another, while the next day I am completely free to do what I please. Plus, it has allowed me to actually have time off with my hubbs since his day off always lands in the middle of the week, which before was a problem when I had a pesky day job to go to Monday through Friday. Balance - it's what I am trying to achieve ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But, as you can see from the title of this post, it was a hard race experience that has brought me back to my blog. My running and training has been going just awesome and I couldn't be more happy with how I am progressing with my running. I have had quite a few races since Eugene and each one I have met my goals. I actually have won, YES WON, two races since then and now have the confidence needed to push me towards my ultimate goal in Portland in October for a sub 3 marathon. Actually, my training has been going so well I was bound to hit a rough patch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This past Sunday there was a local half practically in my back yard that I hadn't raced for a couple of years. The majority of the race was ran on a trail I run on quite frequently and knowing the trail was a big plus. So, as I find myself doing with almost any race I enter now, I stalked the past few years of winner's times. <a href="http://www.firstwave-events.com/races/Jungle-Run-Half-Marathon-10K-Los-Gatos-High-School-Track-Los-Gatos-Creek-Trail.aspx#race-details">The Jungle Ru</a>n has had some fast women show up the past couple of years, but each of their time's were not as fast as I have been running. Last year's winner won in 1:28:xx and the previous year before that was 1:31:xx, both of which I have been running faster. My last half, the <a href="http://www.seejanerun.com/t-see-jane-run-half-marathon-and-5k.aspx">See Jane Run</a> in Alameda a couple of month's ago I won with a 1:25, so my confidence was through the roof that I could totally win a decent size race when I signed up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">With the massive amounts of miles I put in each week, running 13 miles doesn't sound as far anymore. I know for many runner's, this is still a hard distance. And it is, don't get me wrong. But I have progressed in my running that it isn't scary anymore - the other side of this is though, that I may not take it as seriously anymore. I don't have the same pre-race rituals I do as with a full. I don't take the day off before and rest, I don't worry about logistics as much and I don't necessarily watch my diet, but I also don't stress about it. Again, this may be a down fall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The day before the Jungle Run, I ran an easy 9 on the hamsterwhizzle. A little bit of speed work thrown in, but if you have been following my running, 9 miles the day before was actually quite easy. My legs felt fresh and strong and I wasn't stressing about my legs showing up to get the job done. What I did stress about was getting to the start on time. The race started at 7am, which meant I needed to leave the house by 5:30 (I like to get to any race at least an hour before), which meant I needed to be up by 4:30. Yes, 4:30 is early, but I know many of us get up that early to get our runs on, especially on race day, so I wasn't too stressed about that actual time I had to get up. The night before though, I think I ate too late. The night before any race or long run, I like to eat by 6pm. Well, the day before this race I didn't get to eat before 8pm, but again, I didn't stress about it too much - I was only running a half, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I went to bed nice and early and fell asleep just fine. My alarm went off at 4:30 and this is where the spiral down happened. Mistake #1: I guess I slept too well and turned if off completely!! I NEVER over sleep! Even though I work from home, I am up most days around 5:30. An hour earlier shouldn't have made that big of a difference. Apparently my body & mind had other plans because I didn't wake up until 5:10!! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!! I shot out of bed and quickly turned on the coffee pot and scrambled to get ready. I had 20 minutes to get out the door and I rushed around like a crazy woman. We got in the car at 5:30, right on time and I proceeded to eat my peanut butter toast in the car - mistake #2. I know better than this, and it even crossed my mind if I should eat at all. But I was planning on racing all out and knew I needed to eat so I gobbled down my breakfast. I usually need at least 2 hours for my breakfast to digest otherwise I have a sour stomach. But I was so worried about needing good fuel that I ate anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By the time we got to the race start my stomach was in knots. From pre-race jitters, to the stress of over sleeping and then shoving my breakfast down my throat so fast, my stomach was a mess. I told the hubbs quite a few times I was worried about my stomach acting up but he reassured me like a good hubbs that by the time the race started I should be fine. I had to believe him, it was all I had. But as the clock ticked closer to 7am my stomach was still a wreck and I had no idea how I was going to do. I wanted to run, my legs felt great but I was nauseous and just felt like garbage. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I lined up at the front of the race and looked around for my competition. From my view point, there didn't seem to be any "fast" chicks showing up. I have learned this year how to look for the competition. Yes, fast chicks do look different. Don't act like you don't know! They are usually in sports bras and shorts, speedy light shoes and sans iPod's. None were around me. I was the only crazy standing around in my sport's bra looking ready for a race. This gave me a bit of confidence but not much, as my stomach was still a wreck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When the gun went off I took off with the lead pack of guys and never looked back. I knew that the men were going to be fast so I tried to stick with them for a bit. With in the first tenth of a mile you are hit with a good hill and I charged up it giving it all I had. I have been eating hills for breakfast in my preparation for San Francisco on July 31 so I actually got up the hill quite well. But at the top of the hill I felt like I was going to puke! I looked around and there were no women around me except for one, who recognized me as the winner of the See Jane Run race. She congratulated me and I thanked her and took off. I still had that pukey feeling though. I was pushing as hard as I could. I knew if I wanted a sub 1:26 I would need a 6:33/mi pace. When I looked down at my watch after the hill and recovering from it I was in the low 6's! Holy cow, slow down! So I backed off and tried to collect myself. I knew right away though, it wasn't my speed that was killing me, it was my stomach. I was burping up peanut butter and felt like I was going to spew at any second. I tried really hard to push it down and just run. It wasn't working though, and when my Garmin beeped a 6:18 I knew I was in trouble. I couldn't catch my breath, my breathing was very hard and I felt like absolute trash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I decided to keep pushing and hope that my stomach would calm down if I backed off a bit. There were NO women around me so I knew I had some cushion if I slowed down a bit. It didn't work though and by mile 1.5 I had a volcano burp that sent so much acid into the back of my throat that it burned it! Ugh! My breathing was so hard at this point too, and I just couldn't catch my breath. In all reality, maybe my first mile was a bit fast, but nothing too crazy I couldn't handle if my stomach had been cooperating. I tried hard to talk myself down, to catch my breath, to just keep moving but it wasn't working. My throat was on fire, I felt like I was going to puke at any second and I had no idea how to keep going.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My second mile beeped in at 6:27 and I knew I didn't have much left in me. That mile felt like it took forever and I wasn't recovering. I began to realize I needed to stop, that I couldn't keep running. I couldn't catch my breath, the burning was so bad that one more step just felt too hard. I tried so hard to push those "just stop!" thoughts out of my head but it wasn't working. I was slowing down a ton and the spiral down just kept coming. I finally couldn't take it anymore and stopped at 2.5. Right away I started crying. My whole throat burned, I couldn't breathe and I was so heart broken that I had STOPPED during a race that I was an instant wreck. But...I knew I couldn't keep going, so I hit stop on my Garmin and pulled over to the side. A few runners passing me asked if I was okay but I told them to keep going - I knew my race as over, don't loose any of your race on my sorry butt on the side of the road. Tears came instantly. So many emotions came over me. A minute or so later, the hubbs found me on the bike and told me to start running. "I can't," I yelled at him! He offered me a Gu but I knew that was the last thing I could get down. I couldn't swallow without it burning! I told him my race was over and I sat down on the side of the road and cried. A few minutes later the first woman came by and tired coxing me to get up and start running but I told her to keep going, that she had this and off she went. That stung as much as my throat - I had a TON of time on the second place woman and the race was mine! But there I was, on the side of the road, throat burning and in a puddle of tears.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in myself until that moment. I cried as I walked the 2.5 miles back to the start. Actually...I sobbed. The hubbs tried to be supportive but I think he realized that it wasn't helping so we walked in silence - well, almost silence, I was after all, crying. One thing that I have learned from my running and racing is that was separates the rest of the running crowd from the "elites," is that the elites are able to push down pain and doubt. They can run through the hard stuff. And for the most part, I usually do. Trust me, running 110+ miles a week there is pain. Not every run is good, not every day is pain-free, but I keep pushing through, both mentally and physically. And this was the source of my disappointment. I push through so much during my runs in the week and today, when it counted - I couldn't. I knew that I had a lot stacked against me with this race. I over slept, I ate late, I ate my breakfast too late - things that are usually controllable but became uncontrollable that day. I took for granted my ability to go out and race 13 miles, I didn't take it seriously enough and as a result I ended up on the side of the road with my first official DNF.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Those 2.5 miles back to the start/finish were the longest 2.5 miles of my life. I actually took the side streets off the race course because I couldn't bear to see everyone running. Here I was with legs that wanted to run but I was sidelined due to stomach issues. It was just too painful to watch - which is the exact opposite for me. I LOVE to cheer on fellow runners, but that day I just...couldn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When I got back to the start I saw my two girl friend's who came out to cheer JUST FOR ME! I walked over to them and they had looks of disbelief on their faces. I just started sobbing again and they listened to me as I retold my tale of disaster. Thankfully though, these chick's rock and reassured me it was just not my day. And they were right. I say it all the time, race day can bring ANYTHING. You can do everything right and still have it fall apart. Or, you can do everything wrong and walk away with a PR. In all reality, race day is a crap shoot - and any day you get to race, and on top of that race your best, is a gift. The real journey, the real prize is the training that got you there, not your finishing time, not the medal around your neck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am a few days out from this and I am still saddened by what happened. I am a bit more clear headed about it, and a lot less "woe is me." I set myself up to fail in a way, and I only have myself to blame. I should have gone through the motions of preparing for a race like I used to. I should have eaten earlier the night before, I should have re-adjusted my breakfast....shoulda, woulda, coulda. What I did learn from all of this is that a) every race needs to be taken seriously, especially when you have big goals for yourself, b) that it is ok deviate from some rituals, like breakfast, c) that you will survive and see another day after your first DNF. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On the drive home my ego hurt as much as my throat. And believe you me, that is hard to type. My throat actually hurt all the way into Monday - I burned it good! But my ego took a hit too, my confidence went down the toilet. I was ready to scrap all my hard training, all my hard work and call myself a failure simply because I couldn't finish. I knew though, that we all have days or races like this and in the end it isn't what the outcome is, it's how you handle it. I will be honest, I needed that 24 hours of feeling like garbage to move past it. I needed to wallow in my own shame and pain to see that I really am better than the DNF next to my name. On Monday morning though, I got up and ran. My legs felt awesome! My spirits were on the mend and you know what? I ran that 13.1 miles! I didn't run it in a time that would have landed me on the podium, but I did run it in a time that would have gotten me a NY qualifier - which is awesome in and of itself. Just a few months ago, that was my big goal - sub 1:37. Now a days, I can run that on a training run no problem - and that is the lesson I take away from all of this. I have made HUGE leaps and bounds in my training the last 6 months, I have PR'ed like crazy, I have hit miles I never thought possible - so when it didn't happen one day I needed to be slapped back down to reality to remind me that running isn't always easy. Running is hard, running can't be perfect every day - and that yes, even on race day, there is a chance it won't be "my" day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am back on the horse this week and nailing my training runs already. I feel good, I feel renewed and a new fire has been lit. I am looking forward to October 9, the day I toe the line for the Portland Marathon. It is my main focus right now and I want nothing more than to get to race day ready and knowing I did everything in my power to reach my goal. In the meantime though, I have San Francisco to get through. I feel like I have been training for this race for so long that it just can't get here fast enough so I can really start focusing on Portland. But I know SF will serve it's purpose and I will get to the other side of it with a renewed energy for Portland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I think what brought me back to my blog was the need to type out all of my thoughts. That is one thing I have missed about blogging. I don't get to "down load" all of my thoughts about my training or races. But I haven't kept up with it because really, there isn't that many exciting things going on in my life. Who wants to hear about another 20 mile double day I ran, or the speed work and times I just hit? I don't even that much! Yes, I have been racing and accomplishing things, but for me I have been really trying to live in the moment and appreciate things for what they are and then move on. But this race really struck a cord for me. I was knocked down hard but now I know that it is probably just what I needed. I needed a reality check, I needed to step back from the miles and times and PR's and see what the big picture is. Not every run or day can be fabulous, and not that I live like that, but I do live with a sense that every run is a gift and I try not to waste it. That is why I have been pushing so hard - all of this could go away in a second. I don't want to waste this moment, this run, this time. I have big goals and dreams for myself and I want to do everything in my power to reach them. Sometimes things need to be put aside to focus on them, and unfortunately, blogging has been one of them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />I promise to keep reading and checking in with all of you. I LOVE reading how all of you are doing and what you are accomplishing - it is such a source of inspiration for me, so thank you blog world, your words are very powerful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If I don't get around to updating again before SF, good luck to all of you racing and running. I do promise to come back and update you on SF and fill you in on all of my goals and training for Portland. Your support and comments mean a ton to me, and I hope that my experience here will help some of you. Running is a gift. Every day we get to run injury free is a gift. <i>And I intend not to waste it.</i><br />Happy Running Peeps!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-75152560575240993002011-05-02T15:06:00.000-07:002011-05-02T15:26:03.426-07:00Race Report: Eugene Marathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Before I dive into the awesomeness that was the <a href="http://www.eugenemarathon.com/">Eugene marathon</a> this past weekend, I need to say I am so sorry I have been absent from the blog world. I assure you I was reading, usually on my phone, but my ability to comment or update here has been hard. Life got busy, life got rough, life threw me some major curve balls this past month + and I just needed to focus on getting through everything. Thankfully though, life has calmed down, things are beginning to look positive again and hopefully things will continue to stay positive and back to its regularly scheduled programming. Thanks for understanding ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Among all the craziness that was my life, the streak...came to an end :( I was doing really awesome, too, but life had other plans for me and the weekend before Eugene I came down with the flu!! I was on day 108, I had managed to stay injury free the whole time, I was logging 110+ miles each week! But sometimes you can't control it all and the flu caught up with me. I was devastated...I even ran one of the days just one mile to try and keep it up, but I was just knocked out with the flu and was forced to take two days off. And just like that I was reminded...all good things must come to an end. I had a great streak: I ran well, I learned so much about myself, I became a better runner and person, it gave me structure and an outlet to keep me sane when life got crazy - it served it's purpose when I needed it most. You can better believe though that I started up once again and this time I'm hoping, baring any injury or major life crisis, that I will surpass 108 days! I'm thinking 365 days sounds pretty dang neat! I want to be like my friend <a href="http://itsjustonefootinfrontoftheother.blogspot.com/">Shelly</a> ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So...on to the race report of my life!!! Sorry, it's long - you know the drill, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and sit back and enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">All week I was just feeling "off." My first run back coming off the flu and the "forced" rest days I felt like garbage and I wasn't sure if I was going to even be able to run Eugen like I had been training for. I had visions of last year's Boston and Big Sur creeping up on me - I had the flu right before those last year, too! But I was bound and determined to make sure I would get there and enjoy it and run as best as I could.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The hubbs, aka "running Sherpa," and I drove up to Eugene on Friday morning. After staying up all night with my mom watching the Royal Wedding, we jumped in the car and made the 577 mile drive up to Oregon. The hubbs had never been to Oregon and we were actually excited for our "little 9 hour" road trip. We hit every type of weather you can have while driving there, from heat to wind to rain and even snow! We arrived early Friday afternoon and right away I went for a run. Yeah, that run was awful! And I was immediately worried that I was aiming just a little too high. I was forgetting though, I was living off zero sleep and just sat in the car for 9 hours. After a quick 5 mile run we enjoyed the town of Eugene. If you are not familiar with Eugene, it's the running mecca of the world. It's home to the Oregon Track Club, Hayward field, and the roads and trails were Prefontaine himself ran. It's rich in running history and the town never lets you forget you are right in Oregon Duck country ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Saturday the hubbs and I slept in and then went out for another quick 5 mile run. Thankfully the legs felt good this time around and I even was able to hit some MP miles while I was out there. It was just the confidence boosting run I needed. I finished up the run and spent the rest of the day driving the race course, stuffing my face full of pizza and attempting very hard to not focus on the fact I was running a marathon the next day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">All week the weather said a low of 47 - perfect for this running wimp. But Sunday morning, race day, we were greeted with 32 degrees and frost! Argh! Oh well, the lack of wind made it not so bad and we walked the mile together from our hotel to the start line. Right away I could tell this was going to be a great day - even if I didn't meet my "A" goal time. The start area was filled with electricity. Right away the hubbs and I noticed that the majority of people who were there were "runners." You know the type, hard core runners. Everyone looked and played the part well. I was excited to be surrounded by such awesome talent!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfC_PuMIqiHlTBW0O75NY6sN_yhFXpy1OEaCQcFiraaidulOu9Dh6j5FNGmcd72hjXWHcH1qIbDK_MdFJsYnJ2-zSsLVx7tzf8fFFpmPQkYOI2n8ymCEb6wyI0gY4tcNBAInaX-EP78zlM/s1600/DSC03112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfC_PuMIqiHlTBW0O75NY6sN_yhFXpy1OEaCQcFiraaidulOu9Dh6j5FNGmcd72hjXWHcH1qIbDK_MdFJsYnJ2-zSsLVx7tzf8fFFpmPQkYOI2n8ymCEb6wyI0gY4tcNBAInaX-EP78zlM/s320/DSC03112.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sherpa and me (he's going to kill me for this one! Sorry honey bunny!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After using one of the zillion port-a-potties a few times, it was soon ready to line up in the starting corral. I said good-bye to the hubbs who was going to meet me at the top of the first hill on his bike, and stood in the front of the first corral with runners who all had the same goal as me - sub 3:10 or better. I wasn't sure if this was even possible that morning though, I had even taped on my wrist the 3:15 pace band because I was sure that would have to be my "B" goal for the day. But I still decided to line up in front of the 3:10 pacer and hope for the best.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After the cutest little 8 year old girl sang a great rendition of the National Anthem, the gun went off and I right away felt great! The pack of runners was thick, and within the first 1/2 mile you are greeted by your first "hill." It really isn't that bad, maybe a 10th of a mile up, but many people were already slowed down by it. The 3:10 pacer even caught up to me and I soon found myself behind the large back of runners who were attempting to pace off him. The 3:10 goal pace is a large BQ for many men, so it was a LARGE pack. I tried to stick with them, but just past the first mile marker I had to get out from there. So I decided to speed up and pass them. At first I was worried this could use up too much energy and I could pay for it later, but I knew I had to find my own stride and go with it. I passed the big group and I was finally out from all the crowds. There were a lot of half marathoners in here, but it wasn't crowded by any means and I decided to just go with it. My legs felt really fresh and my kick felt good, too, so I decided to see how long I could hold my pace. I was, at this point, thinking I would just try to hold this for as long into the race I could and if I bonked...well then, I bonked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 1 - 7:08</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 2 - 7:02</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 3 - 7:09</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 4 - 7:13</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The pace I needed to get a 3:10 was 7:14's and for 3:15 was 7:26's. At this point I was banking some time and I was hoping it would pay off in the end when I would need it. Around mile 4 I started to realized I really had to pee! It was bad, we were in an out and back portion and I was trying to stay focused and I just couldn't - I had to go and there were no porta potties. I was also thinking that maybe I could just hold it and that the "urge" would eventually go away. At mile 5 I took my first Gu and instantly felt a good surge from it. But it was short lived since I had to go so.damn.bad.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I knew that between miles 7 & 8 was the big hill of the course. I was trying to stay focused and even through here since I wanted to conserve some energy for it. But damn, that urge to go was bad. When we turned a corner and saw the big hill in front of us, I knew there was no way I could make it up that hill without peeing my pants, so I found the first port-a-potty and dove in! Man, it felt like it took forever! But as soon as I was done I met back up with the 3:10 masses and passed them again before tackling the big hill. It was a good thing I stopped, I finally felt clear headed and tackled the hill good. And, what goes up MUST come down, and on the down I took full advantage of it before we were dumped back on the road passing the start and finish line once again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">mile 5 - 7:07 (gu)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 6 - 7:04</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 7 - 7:06</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 8 - 7:37 (potty break)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">mile 9 - 7:10</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I will be honest, that potty break made me worried. Before it I had about 200 meters on the 3:10 group and I was now trying to hold a steady pace and continue to stay in front of them. But the whole time I was feeling really good. In fact, I had to hold myself back at times. There a were quite a few times I would look down and see my Garmin showing sub 7's and I knew that would not be smart so I would rein it back and just try to focus on my stride. The crowd support was pretty good through here, too, which really helped. This was also my first full marathon where I didn't wear my iPod - and I am so glad I didn't. I could really pay attention to myself, my breathing, my form and just soak in the historic paths we were running on.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Around mile 10 you cross over the Willamette river and onto the bike trail that follows it. This is also were we split from the half marathoners. It was good to get away from them. Finally the paths would open up and it would be easier to navigate the more narrow trails. This section is just beautiful, with the river next to you and tons of beautiful trees. I tried hard to soak it all up. When I hit mile 12 I saw 1:2X:XX on my watch and knew that I was going to hit the half well ahead of the 1:35 I would need. This was just the confidence I needed, and when I crossed the half timing mat in 1:34 and change I was right on target. Again, I was feeling so fresh in here and just enjoying the whole run. I wanted to pinch myself I felt so good, because still, in the back of my mind I was convinced it would eventually come crashing down and I would feel like garbage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 10 - 7:09 (gu)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 11 - 7:14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 12 - 7:13</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 13 - 7:10</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I was nothing if not consistent. I pulled back when I needed to and pushed it when I needed to. When I hit mile 14 and I realized I only had 12 miles left it felt sooooo good! I run 12 miles all the time! And by doing some math in my head I knew that even if I slowed down a ton, I would still have the 3:10 in my sights. I also was running with the same people at this point. They were all as consistent and strong as me. So it was good to have a few regulars around me. At mile 15 or so we had to cross over a large overpass. My strategy for the hills was to go up them by feel and not burn out. I knew I would make up time as I went down and got to flat ground. I couldn't believe how many people were already walking the hills, especially at this fast pace! But I held onto my pace going up and didn't feel burned out at all. And when I hit mile 16 and just 10 miles left, it started to feel soooo real! I could finally see that my goal was totally possible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 14 - 7:10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 15 - 7:12 (big hill + gu)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 16 - 7:06 (gu kicked in!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 17 - 6:58</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After 16 I was feeling like I was on top of the world! I was so in tune, I felt so fresh and felt so good! I had to rein in my emotions because we still had some race left and as you can see, for a bit there, my emotions got away from me and I even ran a sub 7 by accident. I quickly realized this though and began to scale back. At this point though, things began to hurt. My right leg was feeling tight, my right achilles started to ache (WTF? It NEVER hurts!) and my kick started to suffer. I didn't know what was going on but this is what I had feared. I had been running so consistant, so strong and then out of no where my leg started to ache and act up. I tried hard to push it out of my head and began to tell the hubbs, who was on the bike next to me, to keep my focused. I was complaining to him...a lot. He was great though, and kept reminding me to stay focused, watch my kick, push through it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 18 - 7:08</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 19 - 7:13</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 20 - 7:12 (gu)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Up to this point I was still very consistent. And with just a 10K left I was still feeling confident, but in pain. I was so upset, things that were hurting had never hurt before. I was becoming mentally drained. The peeps around me that had been just as consistant as me were beginning to fade too, but I tried to stay focused. The hubbs was planning on leaving me around 23.5 to get to the finish and see me and now, the thought of not having him out there to keep me focused made me worried. I was pushing through this crazy leg pain and so fearful it was going to come crashing to a halt at any second. In here we were on a bike path that had some un-easy footing. It was hard to find my footing and my kick and I just felt so off. Around here too, some women came out of no where and started passing me. I attempted to stick with them but I was afraid of kicking too soon so I let them go and stuck with my group. When my watched beeped a 7:19 mile for mile 21 I got scared! I wasn't ready to see that! So I dug deep in here to make sure I didn't see one of those again! Right before the hubbs took off I decided to take one more Gu - each time I took one I always felt good within a mile and I knew that was just what I would need to get me through the last 5K. I took a Gu at 23 and said goodbye to the hubbs in hopes I would see him before the clock said 3:10. I had been working so hard out there the whole race, I was going to be damned if I let it get away over a little bit of leg pain!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 21 - 7:19</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 22 - 7:16</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 23 - 7:24 (gu)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 24 - 7:17</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After mile 24 I didn't feel the Gu kick in. I was getting worried, and one guy who had been even more consistant than me began to fade bad. I tried to kick away from him but I just couldn't shake him. We both were fading. People started passing me and I just felt so bad. I felt like the race was being lost with less than 3 miles left! When I got to mile 25 and my watch once again beeped 7:26 I freaked! I did not want to finish like that! So I decided to kick with everything I had. And I'll tell you, it wasn't much. I felt like I had energy but my leg was just killing me! I could push but my right leg did not want to respond. So...I zoned out. We were running through a beautiful park, along a beautiful river, the sun was shinning, crowds were cheering and I was running the race of my life. I put the pain out of my head and focused on getting to the finish line strong. I eventually dropped Mr. Consistent and just put my head down and ran. There was a chic who had passed me earlier ahead of me now I set my sights on her. I eventually caught up to her and passed her - she kicked too soon. When I got to the mile 26 marker my Garmin beeped 7:09!! and I switched my watch over to over all time. I saw 3:07:xx!! It was JUST what I needed! I rounded the corner and saw the finishing shoot and took off! My leg pain would NOT hold me back! In the final tenth mile I could hear the crowds, see the entrance onto Hayward field and saw the hubbs cheering me in! I kicked with all I had and finally crossed the finish line in <span style="font-size: large;">3:08:36 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 25 - 7:26</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 26 - 7:09</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">last .2 - 1:11 - 6:12/mi pace</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Official Stats:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">26.2 miles - 3:08:36 - 7:12/mi pace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Garmin:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">26.2 miles - 3:08:38 - 7:12/mi pace (ran the tangents perfect!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I screamed in excitement once again when I finished! And of course...started crying right away! I felt amazing! I was in so much shock, I ran the race of my life and everything went according to plan. There are no words to describe that feeling when I finished. All of my crazy screaming and excitement once again got every volunteer out there wanting to put my medal around my neck ;) I grabbed my medal and a bottle of water and started looking for the hubbs. I did stop though and look around - I had just finished the marathon of my dreams on HAYWARD field! Home of many Olympic Track Trials and the famous Organ Track! It was not lost on me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I felt great afterwards. My right leg did not hurt - grrr! I wasn't sore, I wasn't gimping around like the rest of my fellow runners - I just felt...amazing ;) I quickly found the hubbs, put on my jacket and just relived the greatest last 3 hours, 8 minutes and 36 seconds of my life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I am still on cloud 9 today - that is the only way to describe it. I did everything right out there. I stuck to my plan, I stayed focused with my eye on the prize and didn't let myself waver too much even when my leg was killing me. Funny thing, it doesn't hurt at all today. It didn't even hurt yesterday as I took the one mile walk back to our hotel. I even sat in the car for over 9 hours on the way home yesterday and it's just fine. Who knows what aggravated it - maybe it was the uneven pavement, maybe it was one wrong step - who knows - but I am thankful it doesn't hurt anymore. And that just goes to show you, anything can happen during 26.2 miles - what it also shows me, its not how the pain affects you, it how you LET the pain affect you. I pushed the pain down and showed myself I am stronger than it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I started the race I only wanted to run a smart race - and the goal of hitting sub 3:10 even in the starting corral just felt like a pipe dream. Today, I know that faster is possible. With some tweaks to my training, I am now believing that even a sub 3 is possible...soon. All of my crazy miles, all of my crazy double days paid off. My legs never got tired out there, I never felt out of energy and I do know that it was all due to my crazy miles and doubles - they were used to hurting! LOL!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I would recommend this race to anyone who wants to run in the footsteps of the greats. It was so well organized, the volunteers were amazing, the scenery was out of this world and the course is PR worthy. Put Eugene Marathon on your list of "must-do" races, it is worth the travel to the crazy little town of Eugene, OR.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I am not sure what is next for me. Of course I have an urge to find another one right away to start ticking away at that time. I know faster is possible and I am hungry for more. Right now only SF Marathon in July is on my books, but I will find another between now and then. I hope next year, when I go back to Eugene to run, I will be seated in with the elites - you need a sub 3 to line up with them. Before yesterday it seemed like a pipe dream, today it's not a matter of "if" it's now a matter of "when."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thank you to all of you for your encouragement and support - I thought of many of you yesterday as I ran. I talk to so many of you on Daily Mile and Twitter that you all know who you are - so thank you from the bottom of my heart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm off to catch up with all of you - many of you, like <a href="http://marleneontherun.blogspot.com/">Marlene</a>, <a href="http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/">Denise</a>, <a href="http://www.runnersrambles.com/">Aron</a>, <a href="http://twentysixandthensome.com/">Page</a>, Tara, <a href="http://www.kristenkeepingup.com/">Kristen</a> and Alyssa had great races this weekend! Congrats ladies!! Oh, and send LOTS of healing vibes to our buddy <a href="http://racingwithbabes.blogspot.com/">Tonia</a> - she had a bit of an accident yesterday :(</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running Peeps!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">P.S. Here is the video the Sherpa took of me right before the finish - I have watched it a zillion times and tear up each time! I still have to pinch myself that yesterday actually happened!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwVIWpHRsctGVUOied_JntZoHw_A32Vaiu26LCruFa6HF_ERF1ciDQxkUISwbxfbtUipgGxELr_5OAww9rrgQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-21354504804477386732011-04-04T11:16:00.000-07:002011-04-04T11:30:21.336-07:00Race Report: Sactown 10 Miler<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm sure none of you are surprised that I am writing yet another race report ;) I had originally been signed up to pace a friend in his first 12K on Sunday, but he ended up canceling last minute due to injury. Whoo hoo! A free Sunday to race! The<a href="http://www.sactown10.org/"> Sactown 10 Miler</a> was a run I had been eyeing, and since I hadn't raced one since the fall last year, I was excited to see what my new found legs would be able to do!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I was able to easily recruit my buddy <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/">Punky</a> to join me in Sacramento. Being just one week out from his first 50 MILE race, it was a good race for him to get some fun taper miles in. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">All week I had some goals in mind, but wasn't really sure what I would have in me. My high mileage weeks are still in full force, and as you all know, race day can hold anything. It also didn't help that Punky was feeding me motivation by telling me I had a good chance at hitting up the podium since it was the inaugural race - read, none of the "fasties" are coming so you're a shoe in ;) I liked his thinking though and began stalking the past 10 mile race results from Sacramento and the Bay Area. The top women were coming in around 1 hour, and then the peeps following around 1:06-1:10. I love running 10 miles, and recently, on a training run/speed workouts, I had been nailing 1:06-1:07 quite easily. If none of the fast peeps showed up, Punky might actually be right!</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpd-6aeoV9W38ASFo_umO2efw_4OsPuRLTCLYBgW39BDx05e7mNPRNTKaCelonSFtpfGidSXAZZYuxiR9L6Ey21qmIblGw1Da43bX_IxCvyTmbHcuwkKgyNeaSrj2G3vJwjNICwURPw9X/s1600/ron-me+sactown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpd-6aeoV9W38ASFo_umO2efw_4OsPuRLTCLYBgW39BDx05e7mNPRNTKaCelonSFtpfGidSXAZZYuxiR9L6Ey21qmIblGw1Da43bX_IxCvyTmbHcuwkKgyNeaSrj2G3vJwjNICwURPw9X/s320/ron-me+sactown.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punky & Me at the start in front of the State Capital ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Sunday had some of the best racing weather in store for us - minus the wind :( It was was chilly out, but the wind was a bit gusty. The race was very well organized, too. Easy packet pick-up & easy parking. With about 10 minutes to the start they called everyone to the starting corral. Punky pushed me to the front. We started eyeing the competition - and he was right, it didn't look like too many fast women had showed up. We did notice one woman who looked like would be the one I could latch onto and run with. We started calling her "booty-shorts chic." She had some skin-tight underarmor booty-shorts on and a sports bra. She didn't necessarily look like a fastie, but she moved to the front confidently when the race director called all people wanting a shot at winning to move to the front. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">With about 5 minutes to go, I stripped my throw away shirt to the side and stood in the cold. With nothing more than shorts, my sports bra and arm warmers, I was cold! Then, all of a sudden, the race director came back on and said they had to delay the start due to the train. UGH! I quickly went and grabbed my throw away shirt again and found Punky a few feet back. We chatted up race strategy as we waited in the cold. And waited. And waited. Soon the 10 minute delay had past and they were saying another 10 minutes! WTH? Finally, it looked like the race was going to start, I once again stripped my shirt and lined up next to booty-shorts chic. It still seemed like we had a few minutes before the start so I started messing with my headphones and things. Then, all of a sudden the horn went off with no warning! I crossed the mat and hit start and was off running!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Right away I noticed that booty-shorts chic was FAST! But I was banking that she would eventually find a slower pace and I would hold on. I was running at a pretty good clip when I looked up and two OLDER women came out of no where and took off! I latched onto them good, bobbing and weaving the first half mile. It felt fast, but again, I was banking that they were just trying to get ahead of the crowd and would soon find a good clip I could tail off. Soon though, it became apparent, they were NOT going to slow down to the 6:30's I was hoping for. I had to back off, and around 3/4 of the first mile, I backed off and let them take off, booty-shorts chic included.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I hit my first mile, it beeped 6:12 - way too fast! I was glad I decided to scale it back, I knew I would find my stride quickly and settle in. I wasn't thinking anymore about winning, I only wanted to see what I had in me. But I would be lying if I didn't say I was hoping they would eventually bonk and I would catch up to them once my legs warmed up. The first 3 miles went by quick and I set a PR in the 5K during the race - 19:44! I tried to keep a level head though, I didn't want to burn out too quickly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">By the end of mile 3, and numerous turns through downtown, I was starting to feel a bit off. My stomach was not happy, my legs were NOT warming up and I felt like I was just holding on for dear life. It was also in here we began to hit some rollers. I had passed a few more women that went out way too fast and was holding onto some faster men around me. I was just feeling a bit off the whole time through here. At the mile 5 turn around I decided to GU and hope for the best. I also got to see the front runners on their turn around. I counted them - I was in 6th. And the two older women were WAY ahead! I put it out of my head though and just tried to run. I also got to see Punky at this point. I just looked at him with a "I don't know what is going on?" look, and he told me I was about 35 seconds behind 5th. I didn't know if I could catch her, but I was going to try.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Around mile 7 I started feeling a ton better. My legs were warmed up, and the GU had taken affect. Also at this point, I had come up on a dude. We were kind-of alone out there, aside from the "out" peeps still passing us on the other side. When I came up to pass him, he started trying to respond. He did NOT like a girl passing him. So he grunted LOUD and tried to match my stride. This bothered me though, he was slowing and it was causing me to slow. We had this whole wide road and he was right on me! Every time I would kick and try to drop him, he would get mad and try to respond - and again, it would slow me down! Finally, I dug deep and took off, at the same time yelling at him to stay off of me! He got the message and backed off. He had some poor race etiquette - we had the whole road around us, no one around, he could have tried to pace with me instead of being right on me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After I dropped him and I realized that I had less than 3 miles to go I started to kick. I found another pack of runners right away and passed them. Soon though, we were back in down town and it was WINDY! We were winding through the city and the headwind was bad! I HATE THE WIND! Every time we would turn a corner I would hope we would get a respite from the wind but NO! It was still coming at us sideways. It was hard to stay focused. Around the middle of 8 I came along a lone man running pretty well. I decided to pace behind him. We began leap frogging the mile. He liked a chic pushing him and I liked him pushing me. I was running pretty well in here despite the wind and was glad I had someone to push with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After mile 9 I switched my watch over from "current lap" to overall time. I had a goal the whole time of coming in sub 66. The race directors had a fun way of rewarding you for your speedy race. They were going to put your time on your shirt at the finish if you finished in sub 60, sub 65, sub 70 or sub 80. At the start of the race, I was happy with sub 66, but as I was running I began to really want and see if I could get sub 65. When I switched my watch over to current time though, I knew that sub 65 was probably not an option, so I kept my eye on the prize and my original goal of sub 66 in the front of my mind.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The final mile was straight into the wind and I just wanted to be done. At the final turn the guy I had been running with kicked well and took off. I tried to respond and match him - we raced side by side crossing the finish line together in 1:05:37! I was sooo glad I had made my goal! I felt awesome when I finished. I felt like I could have kept going!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I thanked the guy I had ran the last 1.5 miles with, and we both agreed we pushed each other well. Let that be a lesson to others and that dude from back around mile 7. If you can tell people don't want you tailing them, back off or move! But, if you find they are up for the push, work it! You're only out there competing with yourself, don't ruin other people's race because your ego can't take being "chicked!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I received my sub 70 card in the finisher's shoot, I will admit I was a bit bummed. I was just 38 seconds from the coveted sub 65. I'm not sure where I would have made up those 38 seconds - maybe in those middle miles where I wasn't feeling so great, or...maybe not. I am finding that with all these miles, my legs do so much better once they are warmed up - usually around mile 5. I ran as well as I could on the day that was given to me - and I made my goal ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I finished the 6th woman overall! And 2nd in my AG! Turns out, I was competing against some of the fastest women in NorCal - so my original feelings of being bummed about 6th have been squashed, I ran well! The top two women were in their 40's and ran 59 and 1:02 respectively! And the three in front of me where only a minute or two off of me or just a few seconds - I'll take it! I learned a lot about race strategy out there so that made the race more valuable than my finishing time. I was smart in the early miles to back off and not try to stay with the rabbits. I took the race as my own when it became apparent I was running with the big dogs. I also rallied through some hard miles out there and was still able to meet my goal - all great mental prep for Eugene.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Official Stats:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">10 miles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1:05:37 - 6:34/mi pace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">6th woman overall</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">22/562</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2nd in my AG (30-34)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Garmin Stats:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">10 miles - the course was measured well!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1:05:38 - 6:34/mi pace</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I found once again, that racing 10 miles is just has awful as racing a 10K. You are pushing for what seems like forever! I want to thank my buddy Punky for coming out with me and continuing to believe in me. He pushes me when I think I don't have it and that is invaluable to me. It is so easy to doubt your training, your ability, your whole training sometimes, but it is nice to have someone remind you that you are better than you think - thanks Punky ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I finished off another week at 122 miles - and 87 days straight of running. My legs are still thriving off the high mileage. I actually really love the double days and am finding that the second run of the day is usually my best day - they do so much better when they are all warmed up. I am less than a month out from Eugene and couldn't be more pleased with how my training is going. I am already worried how I am going to taper! I love the high mileage and double days - I have a feeling taper is going to be awful!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Congrats to all those who raced this weekend - you guys were amazing! Especially my buddy <a href="http://marleneontherun.blogspot.com/">Marlene</a> who surprised us all when she "ran" a marathon this weekend as a training run and ended up with a 12 minute PR! You are amazing girlie - you are going to rock your goal race!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm off to catch up with all of you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Monday and Happy Running peeps!</span></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-73185454450684803882011-03-21T21:03:00.000-07:002011-03-21T21:03:57.073-07:00Race Report: Brazen Mt. Diablo Trail Half<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">No, you're eyes are not mistaken, this is a race report from a half marathon. After last week's <a href="http://one-run-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2011/03/whata-weekend-race-reports-shamrockin.html">Shamrockin' Half PR</a>, I was advised my many people that if my sights are truly set on running a great race in Eugene, it was probably wise for me NOT to do the 50K. Sure, I've been training like crazy to cross the finish line of my first ultra, but I have my sights on running a huge PR in just six weeks, and doing what I don't normally do, I listened to those around me who know best and decided to sit it out. It was a hard decision to make, but as soon as I made it, I knew that I had made the right choice. A huge weight was lifted off of me - I made a decision that I was actually o.k. with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thankfully, my heart was even more settled with my decision when the weather report for race day had 100% chance of rain. The thought of running 31+ miles in the mud and rain did not appeal to me, and now hindsight is glorious, because as you will see, the mountain was not good to us that day my friends.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I had the pleasure of joining my buddy <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/">Punky</a> for the Mt. Diablo challenge. Just a week out from his first 50K, Punky was also signed up for the half. As we drove to the start together, it was pouring rain. Both of us second guessed our sanity as we arrived at the starting area to a giant, muddy mess. Thankfully though, <a href="http://www.brazenracing.com/diablophotos.html">Brazen </a>always puts on a good show and we knew that no matter what the day held, we were in for a real treat.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm of the thinking that ignorance is bliss. This may or may not have come back to bite me in the butt on more than one occasion, and Saturday was one of those days. I had studied the elevation and maps in detail for the 50K, but as soon as I downgraded to the half, I thought anything else would be a piece of cake! Yeah, mistake #1 of the day - I should have looked. I had no idea what was in store for me - actually, if I had, I probably wouldn't have even started!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As we stood at the start line, Punky urged me (once again) to go to the front and attempt for a podium spot. I wasn't eyeing the competition too much, but I was ready to run. In all reality though, I just wanted to finish in one piece - I didn't want to trash my legs too much since I still had a long run to do for the weekend. But, like true "Katie" fashion, when the gun went off I didn't think twice and began running with the front running men.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Right away the trail was a muddy mess, but I soon learned that if I followed where the men in front of me ran, I would at least know where the sure footing was. We were slip-sliding right away and a muddy mess within a half mile. And as luck would have it, it began to pour even harder as we ran.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I don't remember too much from the race itself - I was in full on survival mode. Every step I took felt like I was going to slip and fall on my face. And so the race went on, I followed the three men in front of me and we soon became a band of brothers as we attempted to survive one of the most difficult trail courses I have ever ran. The mud was relentless, it stuck like clay to the bottom of your shoes, making it feel like your feet were an extra 5 pounds heavy! I often found running on the side of the trail in the grass was the best place for footing, but I soon found out around mile 6 as we were on the back of the mountain that it was not necessarily the best place to be. A giant gust came up at one point and slammed me into the side of the mountain! I couldn't believe I was running in such conditions! Who does this? FOR FUN? I had many low moments out there, times I just wanted to sit down and cry, but I kept pushing forward. Of the three guys I was running with,Tim, knew the course like the back of his hand. He kept us up to date on what to expect next. These guys were like mountain goats going up the hills, I did all I could to stay with them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At around mile 8 and the final aid station, the guys all stopped for some liquids but I decided to keep going. Not to beat them necessarily, but because I was afraid if I stopped, I wouldn't start again. Mistake #2 of the day - I should have stayed with them. As I ran by myself, it was hailing - sideways. At one turn in the course I saw a guy up ahead climbing up yet another mountain, so I followed him. Mistake #3 of the day - not every runner goes the right way. Turns out I had missed a turn, but thankfully Tim saw me in the distance and stopped to yell at me! I ran a 1/2 mile out of my way! My only saving grace was that it meant I got to start the decent and FINALLY start going downhill.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The final 3 miles were all downhill and I wanted nothing more than to be done. I knew I was doing pretty good on time as I caught up with the guys again and even passed one - my final three miles were all sub 7! I flew down the hills, ran straight through all the rivers and finally crossed the finish line in 2:12:46 - FIRST PLACE FEMALE! I couldn't believe it! The entire time I was running, I had no thought of coming in first or even placing. I was so focused on just surviving I hadn't even stopped to notice that there were no other chic's around me. Crossing the finish line first, made it that much more sweeter to be done!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Garmin stats: 13.70 miles (1/2 mile out of my way + long course)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2:12:47 - 9:41/mi pace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Official stats: 13.1 miles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2:12:46 - 10:08/mi pace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1st Female overall, 1st AG </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">5th overall/94</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I crossed the finish line just a few seconds behind the guys, Tim gave me a big hug! I was so grateful to him! I owed him big and the rest of the guys. We tackled that mountain together and without them I don't think I would have done as well. It was a hard, challenging day, filled with some low points and some highs. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I also got to hang out with my buddy <a href="http://trailturtle.blogspot.com/">Ann</a> who had ran the 10K. She did awesome too, and together we waited for Punky to cross the finish line (mistake #3 1/2 for the day - always take the keys if you plan on finishing first - just sayin')</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLHpyHKBNkav3-4_SA0z8DMAhGk0-VZAsL4ydXgvEebBdEpypGVLnsqBhH3L8fqOaUdmpFOGg4selDbOU8uNxycH5ecs8VDyfMPneXc7Z9XJay0sYCI1Qk8YgF9iVoykv2XmdvSFLprHi/s1600/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLHpyHKBNkav3-4_SA0z8DMAhGk0-VZAsL4ydXgvEebBdEpypGVLnsqBhH3L8fqOaUdmpFOGg4selDbOU8uNxycH5ecs8VDyfMPneXc7Z9XJay0sYCI1Qk8YgF9iVoykv2XmdvSFLprHi/s320/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally crossing the finish line!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oIEDLLqjvSXFJUCszPYFsszbVRy8RR0LZjURn9f6D4VXZN2BbrhUSJICg_44LsVV802_xmwBRhefvRtfLHhk7RF0IHt63BWo-zC08ddH6AKu7v-l_0lB-TyDxhNzxXDvTtOqa7rSZHaT/s1600/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+7+Ann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oIEDLLqjvSXFJUCszPYFsszbVRy8RR0LZjURn9f6D4VXZN2BbrhUSJICg_44LsVV802_xmwBRhefvRtfLHhk7RF0IHt63BWo-zC08ddH6AKu7v-l_0lB-TyDxhNzxXDvTtOqa7rSZHaT/s320/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+7+Ann.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>My buddy Ann & me - thanks for waiting Ann!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWsjNpLIBEZEZjxxNXLoStjJ6f0_1WJIkXc-af_-fwcdF-cnld2OwQdQraKLCeTYiPCNmlImaPShlepMcZdjErOs0W7tNIq2EmLYf5FRoEwTHbmpEIp61aIzkcUPc37KDQsXHrGpIbVUK/s1600/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+3+Tim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWsjNpLIBEZEZjxxNXLoStjJ6f0_1WJIkXc-af_-fwcdF-cnld2OwQdQraKLCeTYiPCNmlImaPShlepMcZdjErOs0W7tNIq2EmLYf5FRoEwTHbmpEIp61aIzkcUPc37KDQsXHrGpIbVUK/s320/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+3+Tim.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Thanking Tim for saving me!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWPGGvcIprsb5hADb4FDSVWS-SfKeUxVqgg15zuseN1ZsLyjI_HlIMRgqyR5tcif7YDcV5sg2Agq8UI3wO3jPxQ-yXWsuprW0N8D4AERA8xZc8xOXosM8oEStSIMHVs8aKY48V8SaiCp8/s1600/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+guys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWPGGvcIprsb5hADb4FDSVWS-SfKeUxVqgg15zuseN1ZsLyjI_HlIMRgqyR5tcif7YDcV5sg2Agq8UI3wO3jPxQ-yXWsuprW0N8D4AERA8xZc8xOXosM8oEStSIMHVs8aKY48V8SaiCp8/s320/Brazen-Diablo+Finish+guys.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>My running buddies and me for the day ;)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm so glad I ran this - I learned a lot from the day. I was more than physically challenged, I was mentally challenged. There were a few points during the race where I just wanted to sit down and cry in the fetal position. But again, I ran an awesome course, with some awesome people and got to hang out with some pretty badass trail runners. Thanks Sam and Brazen for putting on a great day in not so great conditions.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After I got home for the day I decided my legs needed some easy miles, so I jumped on the hamsterwheel and made it an even 22 for the day. My legs really liked the easy pace and soft surface and I got off feeling a ton better. Ann warned me though, that my legs might not feel so great the next day - and boy was she right. I had 20 scheduled for the day on Sunday and with the weather crappy again, I hit the treadmill. I lasted 14 miserable miles before I called it a session. I was disappointed that I was feeling like garbage, but decided to leave the run behind me and went and hung with my family for a few hours. When I got home later that afternoon the treadmill was calling my name again, and I jumped back on. Thankfully, my legs once again felt good. I ran another six and called it day. That was a run I really needed - both for my legs and head.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The streak, as you can see, is still going strong. I finished off the week with 117 miles, my 4th week in a row of 100+ miles. My legs are really thriving on the high mileage, and I actually can't see an end in sight any time soon. I'm still doing double days, an easy run in the morning, followed by an evening run with some speed work. Today was day 74, I ran 20 miles, my 3rd day in a row of 20+ miles and my legs felt awesome. I split the runs up, 10 each, and felt like I finally had my legs and spirit back.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I have my sights set high for Eugene in May. I am working towards a really big PR, but more than anything, I want to hit the start line fresh and as prepared as I can be. Thank you to all of you for all the kind words from last weekend's half - it was a surprise but I can finally say all these crazy miles and training are finally amounting to something.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Congrats to all of you who raced this weekend, especially my running twin <a href="http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/">Denise</a> who had a huge PR at her marathon, and to all my buddies who survived the LA Marathon this weekend - that was a wet & crazy race! And thank you to all of my new followers! Leave me a comment so I know who you are and can thank you! It is all of you that keep me coming back ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm off to catch up with all of you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Monday (evening) & Happy Running!</span></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-22820106232549518152011-03-14T18:37:00.000-07:002011-03-14T18:37:46.799-07:00What...A Weekend! Race Report(s): Shamrockin' Half Marathon & Spectator Report - Way Too Cool 50K<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Where to start, where to START?!? This past weekend was filled with racing...once again. I know that I had informed all of you that I had planned on running my first 50K this weekend at the <a href="http://www.wtc50k.com/">Way Too Cool 50K</a>, as my friend <a href="http://rbr-runbabyrun.blogspot.com/">Stacey</a> had offered to let me use her bib. I had emailed the race director a few weeks ago and she informed that bib swapping was not ok, and if either of us tried anything funny, we would BOTH be BANNED from any future races. Well, with that piece of information, we both thought it wise to ditch that idea and for me to find a new 50K of my own. Being banned from the #1 50K in the country was NOT something either of us wanted, and really, in the end, I wanted <em>my</em> name to be on the official finisher's list, not my friend's. Luckily, next weekend is the <a href="http://www.brazenracing.com/diablo.html">Brazen Mt. Diablo 50K</a> challenge so I have signed up for this and am sooo excited to be apart of that race, as Brazen Racing holds a special place in my heart.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So, without further adu, my spectator's report from WTC on Saturday & my own race report from Sunday's Shamrockin' Half Marathon. Grab yourself a drink, this might be long - sorry!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Even though I wasn't racing the 50K, I decided to still go and cheer on my buddy <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/">Punky</a> for his first ever ultra trail run. I was honored to be apart of his first 50K and be the support crew that is so essential to runners when they take on the awesome challenge of an ultra run. Friday I headed up to Sacramento to stay with my family so that it would be an easier drive to the early start on Saturday morning. I got to hang out with my favorite 8 year old nephew, get a run in, stuff my face with quesadilla's and make some tasty banana muffins for Saturday - a perfect way to start out a fun weekend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I got to bed a little late on Friday night, and soon my alarm was going off at 4:30. Punky and I made plans to have me drive him to the race, as it was easily predicted that he probably wouldn't be in any shape to drive home after the ultra. So right on time, at 5:15 a.m. Punky was at my door step and we headed off into the dark morning to beautiful Cool, CA. Yes, you read that right - the town was called Cool. Just off highway 49 in gold country, it was the most perfect and beautiful setting for a fun, challenging race. Punky seemed calm and collected, but he later informed me he was more like a duck sitting on top of the water, all calm, but below the surface his little feet and heart were going a mile a minute. I am sure this is what everyone feels when they are on the brink of tackling 31 challenging miles. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We arrived with plenty of time to check in and begin the process of gearing up for a 31 mile run. The race officials did an awesome job in organizing everything. The whole race area was decked out in fun frog theme decorations, including a giant 10 foot blown up frog that greeted you as you entered the parking area. One thing I did notice: ultra runners are their own breed. They just "look" & "act" different than your average road runner. Their clothes are little more flashy, they are calm and collected looking forward to the day's challenge, and they consume lots of food and water while waiting for the race to start. I also noticed, most every car had a sticker of some sort of past race on their bumpers or window, showing the world that they are inducted into the world of ultras. Also, there were lots & lots & lots & lots of Subaru's - take from that what you like ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2ZHp6QL8mOtEhePS2jHM5KxIgF4U0FiVdoYAO3xGSsBP7RbZEnImxRP5pLk1VZ91DQxAsyLVLcSGS-Nlj44qIHVYmv30vK4kLIDYXzpJwwpeff3Or92RnraBKsnUIn8ng-z3r5ZNN98b/s1600/roncar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2ZHp6QL8mOtEhePS2jHM5KxIgF4U0FiVdoYAO3xGSsBP7RbZEnImxRP5pLk1VZ91DQxAsyLVLcSGS-Nlj44qIHVYmv30vK4kLIDYXzpJwwpeff3Or92RnraBKsnUIn8ng-z3r5ZNN98b/s320/roncar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What...have I gotten myself into?!?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Pretty soon it was time to send Punky off to the starting line. If you don't know Punky, he's kind-of a "celebrity" in the running world. I have yet to attend a race with him where no less than 5 people come up and say "hey", either personally knowing him or having known him from his blog. I guess I was in the presence of someone great, or at least someone who is good at personal P.R. ;) The whole vibe at the start line of the beginning of the race was of excitement - but a different kind-of excitement than at the start of a road race. Everyone had confidence, everyone had a smile on their face, and most everyone was ready with a kind word for their fellow ultra runner - not the typical game face that you can encounter in the start corrals of competitive road running. I actually liked it a lot and made me excited for my very own experience into the ultra running world next week. I snapped a few pics of Punky with his friend Rachel who was also tackling her first 50K and soon the gun went off and I said good bye to Punky. I was a little sad for a second that I was on the spectator's side and not joining him, but soon enough I was filled with excitement for him - he was finally taking the challenge of becoming an ultra runner ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFMfA5oiuR5KOPOR39D3NztNV6hx1cYkYZ4lfWDYSdi9XB00jKtCcB0Z8588WRtYdWFr9o4ugMxdLWy0ddC2kTuPr-03K12ln-N3tBln3jaGk2sk1dbkYuNFldxg-8OAKFOfEy3d2UbmJ/s1600/ron%252Bstart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFMfA5oiuR5KOPOR39D3NztNV6hx1cYkYZ4lfWDYSdi9XB00jKtCcB0Z8588WRtYdWFr9o4ugMxdLWy0ddC2kTuPr-03K12ln-N3tBln3jaGk2sk1dbkYuNFldxg-8OAKFOfEy3d2UbmJ/s320/ron%252Bstart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the start - his friend Rachel is in the blue ;)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_2sfCG2fRhHJIjwTtPxXaA9PpMGs2N3Ak0Ks46mBYcWjhYahGYJS5TAKzGODUxKZJSne_sMYfV0279N34_CwUqJlEauKOyF8wjNXn9ShxxRxu-4cFA4-NKPSgDerbu_013glx-OmUI04/s1600/punkystart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_2sfCG2fRhHJIjwTtPxXaA9PpMGs2N3Ak0Ks46mBYcWjhYahGYJS5TAKzGODUxKZJSne_sMYfV0279N34_CwUqJlEauKOyF8wjNXn9ShxxRxu-4cFA4-NKPSgDerbu_013glx-OmUI04/s320/punkystart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjZ3DWFeVJ6W5ScHXGyo6ZfpvgTSZL9dtJvKw4GQp20wkAcxl8Dv4IQrPlVVzMcyuol3EGzg1azN6tsRdp-dhSDuh15958DkMo-8znohf_LsRkASvK6zioLXjbV4ol7ZWYbH4NPBU07si/s1600/50k+start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjZ3DWFeVJ6W5ScHXGyo6ZfpvgTSZL9dtJvKw4GQp20wkAcxl8Dv4IQrPlVVzMcyuol3EGzg1azN6tsRdp-dhSDuh15958DkMo-8znohf_LsRkASvK6zioLXjbV4ol7ZWYbH4NPBU07si/s320/50k+start.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>And...their off!! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My plan for the day was to hang out with the other spectator's, get a run in, and then when it got close to his predicted finish time, I would run out to the end of the race and try to meet him around mile 27 or 28 and pace him back to the finish. I soon found out though, that I would have the opportunity to see him on a loop back at mile 8, so I gathered around the aid station and waited and cheered as fellow runners came in. I think the first runner came in right around 50 mins - smokin' time! And pretty soon I got to see Punky, looking strong! I was so excited to see him, check in with him and send him on to the next 23 miles. The good news was, he had a giant smile on his face and looked like he was enjoying the whole thing and soaking it all up.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3h-dcc5pctsHPI1erU0p2S_FjYhTahZYKKBN1csR2Ku6g-_atHDAiz_bKGxV4jGYx0KoZKulEyOq9UOHMDcDd7JG275qyXkMxBIZwmhJq1E8QZ66ZCHw6chu27rgfjkx5Mjkg8SIcvkr/s1600/ronmile8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3h-dcc5pctsHPI1erU0p2S_FjYhTahZYKKBN1csR2Ku6g-_atHDAiz_bKGxV4jGYx0KoZKulEyOq9UOHMDcDd7JG275qyXkMxBIZwmhJq1E8QZ66ZCHw6chu27rgfjkx5Mjkg8SIcvkr/s320/ronmile8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punky looking strong coming in at mile 8</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After I saw Punky and sent him on his way, I headed back to my car to get my own run on. Cool, CA is not very big, and it has the major highway 49 running right through it. There isn't much to it, and if you blinked you would probably miss it as you drove by. But none the less, I laced up and headed out to the road. Within a half mile of running on a two-lane road though, it became clear to me (thanks to the many angry looks of driver's passing me) that running there was not an option, so I turned back a bit deflated. How was I going to RUN? A bit of panic set in as I walked back to my car. I had 7 hours to kill and couldn't run? What would I do? But then, God sent me a sign, I looked into the "shopping" center right next to the race area that held the local liquor store, pizza parlor...AND there was a GYM! WHOO HOO! I was saved! I ran right over to the gym and asked them if I could buy a day's membership and they more than happily said yes! So, for $8 (the BEST $8 I have ever spent) they let me run on one of the TWO treadmills they had. It was a cute little gym, nice and clean and even had a TV. So for an hour I ran on the hamsterwheel, knocking out another 9 miles and looking out the window at the beautiful Golden hills of California and wishing Punky all the best for the day.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6D8WWZygeaDhzcI-6RhgkzXRnfIlSUSJ24OhPGABxiv7Op401D9zS1lV6hxdkS6iyhlG5xz1kjUCAUUnPA5KOl5igwPqZJIcnJcnBfWP8UVsleEwTcF_8Kmjt_d02A56csJ1BLNVolkd/s1600/coolgym.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6D8WWZygeaDhzcI-6RhgkzXRnfIlSUSJ24OhPGABxiv7Op401D9zS1lV6hxdkS6iyhlG5xz1kjUCAUUnPA5KOl5igwPqZJIcnJcnBfWP8UVsleEwTcF_8Kmjt_d02A56csJ1BLNVolkd/s320/coolgym.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "gym" that saved the day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I didn't want to run too much though, as I knew I would still be pacing Punky later and...I had a little race of my own the next day. So after 9 miles + that mile from earlier, I called it a day and went back to my car, ate some lunch and got ready to hit up the finish line and cheer Punky and some friends in. Sam, the race director from Brazen was also out there running today and he was hoping for a sub 5. With just over 4:45 into the race, and the winner's already crowned (the first male came in at 3:20!!) I began cheering for all the racers. Cheering is so much fun, and not something I get to do very often since I'm usually the one racing. It is such an honor to see someone cross the finish line of their first or 100th ultra. My voice was almost horse from screaming and clapping my heart out - such an awesome and humbling experience. Soon Sam came in looking strong and I got to pick his brain about what I should do with pacing Punky. He told me the course was muddy and a bit difficult, but I should head out soon and begin looking for him. I got my trail shoes on and began heading up the course backwards. I stopped often because the course was single track and I didn't want to get in the way of the runners. I also loved stopping to cheer, as they were all so grateful to finally see a smiling face after running 6+ hours. It took me just under an hour to go 3 miles, and pretty soon I found Punky. He was looking tired, but I do believe that is to be expected with you have been running that long. He was just as happy to see me, too. I won't share his story here, you'll have to cruise on over to his blog to share that experience with him, but let's just say it was good I came when I did. It was fun to walk and run with him, keep him motivated and cheer him on to the finish of his first ultra - a true honor. It took us about an hour to get back and when he got to the finish line it was so awesome to finally be able to call him an ultra runner ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHP4GU276JQ8DZGUYtCMVJmIUKUJjHqOHjSYiJr29BLYI9qCosYeao3dYB_-V4QyK5wmtk8wkveQn1Yhpo4WA2aDzOjBk-901ZKqRoOrOBg9yEhch3jJ3eyuo3nsLShMm5YdkC1r9uL9m/s1600/ron%252Btrail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHP4GU276JQ8DZGUYtCMVJmIUKUJjHqOHjSYiJr29BLYI9qCosYeao3dYB_-V4QyK5wmtk8wkveQn1Yhpo4WA2aDzOjBk-901ZKqRoOrOBg9yEhch3jJ3eyuo3nsLShMm5YdkC1r9uL9m/s320/ron%252Btrail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting Punky to the finish!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The race organizers did a fantastic job with everything at the finish line. Everyone was helpful, encouraging and they even handed out little cupcakes with frogs made out of icing. You can bet Punky ate a few of those! After chatting with a few fellow runners and congratulating some peeps, we made our way home. Punky did fantastic!! He ran strong and smart and I am so lucky he did this BEFORE me, now I can pick his brain for my own this Saturday ;) Congrats Punky for an awesome day on Saturday - you did amazing! I'm so lucky (and honored) I got to share the experience with you and can't wait to see what's next!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We got home around 4:30 and I was lucky enough to stay with my sister once again. She had a big dinner of spaghetti and salad waiting for me to carb load for my own race the next day. My good friend<a href="http://thesmudge.com/"> Layla</a> also came to stay with me and my sister as she was running the race the next day, too. We got to chat and fill our bellies with pasta and soon enough it was time to hit the sack and prep for our own race. Thanks (or no thanks) to day-light savings time, we were loosing an hour of sleep that night, and once again the alarm went off at 4:30 (I felt like I was in that movie Groundhog day!). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I got up that morning, I.was.exhausted. I felt like garbage, and I questioned my sanity as I got ready. I had no idea what the day would hold, I was really just hoping to get the monkey off my back that was qualifying for New York - sub 1:37. When I thought about that time and the mile average I would need (7:23), I was a bit overwhelmed. I had 89 miles on my legs for the week on race day, I had slept a mere 8 hours in the past two nights - total - and I was just mentally drained. As Layla and I drove to the start, in the dark, I was really doubting what I could do. We arrived with plenty of time to get Layla's bib and rest a bit in the car. It was a bit chilly out so we stayed in the car as long as possible. I may or may not have told Layla more than once, "I don't want to race today!" "I think I'll just stay in the car and take a nap while you run, come and get me when you're done." All week Punky and the hubbs kept telling me that I had the NY qualifier in the bag and that really I had sub 1:30 in me if I played my cards right. I really attempted to not let either of them sway me emotionally, I just wanted to race well, get my sub 1:37 and ENJOY the day - anything else would be icing on the cake ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzpbD11ucyZHyLebJHDdhhX50Kh5OwzBl-XWlQl-CAFCfRZd-pS2pDAPEtTLbIwVfEY8PcOU0VYYZEFoWSXhmgVHhoPvdqBN5e-2TDyJPZGdHt9sdKYwdjKiVzh2CWdz5U24CYJywBvdj/s1600/LAYLA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzpbD11ucyZHyLebJHDdhhX50Kh5OwzBl-XWlQl-CAFCfRZd-pS2pDAPEtTLbIwVfEY8PcOU0VYYZEFoWSXhmgVHhoPvdqBN5e-2TDyJPZGdHt9sdKYwdjKiVzh2CWdz5U24CYJywBvdj/s1600/LAYLA.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layla & me before the start ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Finally we made our way over to the starting line and I stripped myself of my throw away clothes and stood in the cold in nothing more than a sports bra, shorts and some arm warmers. It was chilly, but I could tell right away this was a smart move. I had decided to also use a pacer for the race since they had a 1:30 on hand. He was almost at the front, so I positioned myself between the front line of runners and the pacer. I was feeling like maybe the 1:30 guy might be a bit fast but I would at least try a shot at staying with them in hopes of banking some time. All of a sudden it was go time and the gun went off!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I began sprinting with the lead pack. My legs felt awesome. I started chasing a chic who was also in a sports bra and I had over heard her say in the starting corral she was shooting for a 1:25. She became my target as we bobbed and weaved through the little bit of crowd that was ahead of us. She was moving well, and when I looked down at my watch we were already running sub 7's. This made me a bit nervous. I have never strung together more than 7 or 8 sub 7's before, but in that instant I felt like going with it. The 1:30 pacer was right behind me at this point too, so I just went with it. At mile 1 my Garmin beeped a 6:41 mile and I panicked for a second. Whoa! TOO FAST! Or at least that is what I was fearing. I decided to try and scale it back and actually stick with the pacer from then on - I was really afraid of bonking too soon. Mile 2 I tried to run with the pacer but my legs did not like holding back and when my Garmin beeped at mile 2 a 6:51 mile I knew I had more in me and I began to let go and let my legs take over. Thankfully the girl in the sports bra was not too far ahead at this point and I began to chase her down once again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">By mile three I could tell my legs were feeling strong and I just went with it hoping for the best. I finally caught and passed sports bra girl and never looked back. I kept checking in with myself as I ran, hoping that I would know the signs to look for in case I started to bonk and would need to scale it back again. But it never happened. My breathing was in control, my kick felt great and my legs felt like they were on FIRE! And so the miles kept going by and each one was faster or as fast as the last. At mile 5, a spectator yelled at me that I was the 3rd female! WOWZA! How did that happen? I didn't know I was running that well but it really lit a fire for me. When I reached mile six in 40:15 I knew something awesome was happening and I just let it take me away.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Along this point also, a shorter chic came up and started drafting off of me. I could hear the clap of her foot steps behind me, matching my every stride each time I pushed a little more. It was so annoying. I even turned my music up but I could still "feel" her on me. Any time we had a hill, she would over take me, but I would recover quicker and take her over again. It continued on like this for the whole race and there were quite a few hills and bridges we would cross. She was playing the game well. I attempted really hard to zone her out, but she just kept on me. I also gu'ed around mile 6 or 7 - without water, but I never wanted to stop long enough to grab a cup and attempt to get it down. I was running well and I finally felt the gu kick in and just kept at it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I couldn't believe how well I was running, and for the first time, in such a large race, I had spectator's cheering for me and reminding me how close I was to the front. Around mile 10 one woman spectator told me the second female was only a few seconds ahead of me and to go get her! Again, it was just the fire I needed and my tenth mile was 6:33! Every time though, that I would push and kick that short chic would match me. It became apparent she was waiting to take me over - she knew my kick and could respond. She knew what my weakness was now and it was now just a matter of time before she would attempt to capitalize on it. I had to stay strong though, because I was feeling emotions I have never felt before. I was in the lead pack at a pretty major race. I wanted to cry, I wanted to run faster, I wanted to shout to the world how awesome I was feeling. But I had to keep my emotions in check as the race was still unfolding.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Finally, with about 1.5 miles left, we hit the final bridge - and it was a rather large one. This time the chic over took me quick and found her own kick and took off. I tried to recover quickly but she just took off. She found my weakness, let me do all the work for the race and finally made her move. I tried to respond but I couldn't. My legs were moving as fast as they could and I didn't want to get out of breath in case she herself bonked and I had a chance to take 3rd back. But...she didn't. She ran strong. She was so close I felt I could reach out and touch her. And each time I responded she found another gear and pulled away. The final 3/4 mile was around the baseball stadium we started at. As we rounded around I heard them say the first female had just crossed the finish line and I do believe that lit a fire for all of us. I attempted to run faster but the parking lot and area they had us running on was all torn up concrete. It was hard to find my footing. At this point I was just holding on for dear life. The finish of the race is right inside the baseball stadium and as I entered chasing that chic I saw woman #2 cross. I put my head down and ran, seeing the clock read 1:27:xx. I finally crossed the finish line in 1:27:54!!! I couldn't believe it! I put my hands in the air and screamed loud! I was soooo excited! I couldn't believe I had just raced as well as I had.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After I grabbed my medal, the chic who had drafted over me came over and congratulated me. She ran a great race too, finishing just 13 seconds ahead of me. I had tears rolling down my face - if I had only know it was 13 seconds, what would I have done differently? It didn't matter in that moment though, my reaction made the whole crowd go nuts for me! They all were excited for me! I had every volunteer handing out medals trying to put a medal around my neck :) I found my sister in the crowd and the tears just kept coming - I couldn't believe what I had just done, I couldn't believe how good I felt - it was so surreal. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As I climbed up the top stairs I had many of the runners in front of me congratulate me. I do believe that many of them are used to running this fast and are a bit jaded, they were happy for me and my happiness, it felt really good. The second place woman also came over and gave me a hug - she finished a mere 40 seconds ahead of me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I quickly found my sister and cried in her arms. I don't think I have been that overwhelmed from a race before. Sure I really felt awesome after CIM, but this was new. It was so unexpected, and I felt so fantastic afterwards that I was so overcome with joy. I had ran well, I had ran smart and felt oh, so good!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We waited for Layla to cross the finish line, who by the way, had a PR day herself! Go and check out her story, I won't ruin it here for her, but she should be proud! She ran a great race also - just three months out from injury! I also found out my official stats as we waited for Layla - turns out I came in second in my age group!! I couldn't believe that either! I had some more bling to gather! The only kicker to that was though, the woman who came in first - was the chic who drafted off me, the one who beat me by 13 seconds - damn!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Official stats:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">13.1 miles 1:27:54 - 6:41/mi pace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2nd in AG (30-34)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">4th woman over all</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">41/4654</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyoOOjyYZcmHJJFTWWFAe3Ygls5dh6AHlQmMqtT3S8YpEL3PswSa27Y3gPvFdmrJGYl-ekXxDnJBTWkbyZ-t451olyrOvys7Qua8gcvmfAxqiCdluRJ-J4z52_LkyYXGdjP_twMfD8oOC/s1600/buggyshamrockin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyoOOjyYZcmHJJFTWWFAe3Ygls5dh6AHlQmMqtT3S8YpEL3PswSa27Y3gPvFdmrJGYl-ekXxDnJBTWkbyZ-t451olyrOvys7Qua8gcvmfAxqiCdluRJ-J4z52_LkyYXGdjP_twMfD8oOC/s320/buggyshamrockin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite and best cheerleader Buggy & me ;)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I am still on cloud 9 today. I am beyond thrilled with how my race turned out. But I will be honest, I'm left with a lot of "what-if's?" What if I hadn't ran 16 miles the day before? What if I hadn't had 89 miles on my legs for the week prior? What if I had a decent night's sleep? What if I had kicked sooner and not let that chic draft off of me for so long? What if I had been able to kick at that last bridge and not let her get away? What if... I almost can't let myself go into too many of those, I know I ran well. I know I ran as well as I could with what I had given myself. It was my first major race to run in where I actually raced it like I could really win it. Dealing with all the emotions while out on the course was a new experience to me, and I think learning to respond when someone is right on your heals is also something that will get easier and strategy will present itself as I get more races under my belt that are of that caliber. Right now, I am just enjoying the fact that I can finally say that all my crazy mileage and training is actually paying off. I am proving that what I am posting and running is for real and that when it comes down to, I can deliver when I want to - the possibilities make me excited, makes me excited to now ask..."what's next?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">To say I'm not nervous about this weekend would be a lie. I'm a bit overwhelmed, especially after seeing what happens at a 50K - but I would also be lying if I said I wasn't excited! I can't wait to see what it feels like to cross the finish line of my very first ultra, I'm sure it will be nothing short of amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I need to say a big shout out of thanks to my sister Suzie - she made this weekend possible for me. She fed me well, she took good care of me and she was the best cheerleader I could ask for. Thanks Suz, you mean the world to me! And thank you to all of you for your encouraging support. I thought about many of you as I ran yesterday ;) Yesterday was day 66, I ran 19 miles yesterday (came home and ran another 6) and I ran 108 miles last week. My legs are feeling great, fresh and ready to tackle the week and my first ultra. If I don't check in here again this week, I will next Sunday, hopefully with a race report. Good luck to all of you racing this weekend - run strong, run fast, ENJOY & believe in yourself! You've got it in you! I'm off to catch up with all of you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Have a great week!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy running peeps!</span><br />
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</div></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-91243230097380200322011-02-27T19:42:00.000-08:002011-02-27T20:05:54.257-08:00108<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When this "little" streak started, I really had no idea where it would lead me. Sure, I knew that what I was attempting was something new by trying to run everyday for 60 days, 100 days, what have you, but I had no idea where my miles and paces would go. I really had thought that my legs would eventually begin to revolt and that there would be more bad or hard days than good. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Last week I had dreams of maybe, just maybe hitting 100 miles, and although I kind-of had my goals and heart set on meeting that, I wasn't sold on the idea that it was even possible. Each day I'm able to run, and continue the streak, is a gift, and no set number of miles was going to make or break it. This week though, when I started the week, I had a little bit of excitement as I thought what I could really attempt this week. During this whole streak, aside for a few days, my legs have felt strong and fresh. And when Monday came, after back to back races and double days, they felt great and I set out for my first run of the day with my friend Jana. Together we tackled 10 miles, negative splitting, leaving us both feeling awesome and fresh. When I got home, my legs were not tired, so I jumped on the old hamsterwhizzle and pounded out another 6. Whoo hoo, 16 miles for Monday! 100 might just be possible!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And so the week went on, I continued to split up my runs and get into the double digits each day, running easy for one, and a bit faster harder on the other. I have found that double days really agree with my legs, they enjoy the break up of the speed and I feel like they are really thriving on it. By Friday though, after a long week of double digit days and my day job, my head had a hard time wrapping around the idea of even running one mile. For the first time during the streak...I didn't want to run! I know, GASP! By the time I got home from work, it was almost six, and I was looking at the mileage I would need for the next three days to hit 100 and I was instantly overwhelmed. 13.37 miles each day minimum was needed, and staring down that barrel made me sick to my stomach. But I changed my clothes, laced up my shoes, turned the TV on and just started running on the treadmill. The first 3 miles were horrible, and I did everything I could to keep running. Finally by mile 5, my legs and head warmed up, and the running high kicked in. It was short lived though, and by mile 7 I just wanted to be done! I lasted just two more miles and called it a day a 9. I haven't had a hard run mentally like that in a long time. I keep telling myself through this running streak, and all of my running, that the second this isn't fun anymore, it's time to quit for a while. I went to bed that night thinking the streak might just be over and there was no way I was going to hit 100.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Saturday I had a running date with my buddy <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/">Punky</a>. Nothing like a running date to get you out of bed at 5:30 on a Saturday morning to run in 30 degree weather. I loathed the idea of running as I got ready and shoved peanut butter toast and coffee down my throat. As I drove I thought of a million of excuses to call him and tell him I was bailing, but soon enough I arrived at the trail and we were off in some of the coldest weather I have ever ran in. Yes, I know, I'm a California wimp - cut me some slack though, it hardly ever gets that cold here! Soon enough the miles were passing and we were turning around at 6. I felt so much better on the way back. My legs woke up, the fog of my running blues lifted and I enjoyed the run again. When we finished, I felt great! I felt renewed. I instantly started doing the math in my head of what I needed to hit 100 for the weekend - 22. 22 miles stood between me and 100 miles for the week - it sounded very doable.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I got home that morning, I changed into some dry clothes and headed out for a few more. I had no idea what my legs or head were capable of, but soon enough I was hitting mile 10 and feeling fantastic. I knew I had to stop though, 22 miles in one day is enough for one person, especially when those last 10 were ran at an 7:21/mi pace! Oh, and I had my little sister's b-day cake to bake ;) My legs and mojo were back after 22 miles - and now all that stood between me and 100 was 10 little miles ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I slept like garbage Saturday night - just like after I run a marathon. Again, I made a running date with Punky to ensure I would get up and get the miles done. Both Punky and I are training for the 50K, so back to back long runs is not a bad thing. Punky though, has a 50 miler in just a few weeks after the 50K, so persuading him to run was not hard at all ;) When I woke up this morning, I was met again with dread and not wanting to run. I was exhausted, and even one mile sounded like one mile too long. Oh, and it was even colder this morning, 29!! Sheesh! I'm ready for spring! Thankfully, misery loves company, and Punky was just as sluggish as me. We took it easy, did some great hill work and soon enough we were back after 10 miles and I hit my 100!!! Nothing like a little run to make you snap out of it and realize just how wonderful your life is. I just hit 100 miles and I was beyond stoked! Thanks again Punky for meeting the milestone with me, I couldn't have done it without you ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I got home from running, I was exhausted! I told my hubbs I was just going to lay down for a second, and well, that turned into a 45 minute nap! Guess I was tired! By the time I woke up, I felt great again. I ate some lunch, hung out with the fam and that old familiar itch to run crept back in. Yes, I know, I hit my goal of 100 miles for the week. But my legs and head still had the urge to run! A stark contrast to the 2 days prior. So I jumped at the opportunity to run again. I laced up and set out into a cool, brisk winter afternoon with no goals other than to enjoy the miles ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Right away, my legs wanted to move. I couldn't hold back, and soon enough I was checking off miles that I had no idea were capable after 100+ miles for the week. I was back in love with running and just enjoying the whole run. As you can see from my splits - my legs and heart enjoyed the run! 7:49, 7:38, 7:21, 7:08, 7:12, 6:59, 6:46 and my 108th mile for the week was my fastest at 6:24!! Where that came from, I have no clue, but that whole run I was on cloud 9! I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard, just enjoying a little speed and the beautiful afternoon. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38nchi-KQ9B5ec1E3hsZ7knAtCmpyCnHfZEGLdLnbvyaMRuwF3GFLtuXUmbaVI0tzMIa4PHv2bzCoc2B3qo8Ap5MLY_Us4OoMnRH_QTPn9LQFVpXSwWMFVfB-hvNgsT5KyOsre1UCgdUs/s1600/2011-02-27+16.48.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38nchi-KQ9B5ec1E3hsZ7knAtCmpyCnHfZEGLdLnbvyaMRuwF3GFLtuXUmbaVI0tzMIa4PHv2bzCoc2B3qo8Ap5MLY_Us4OoMnRH_QTPn9LQFVpXSwWMFVfB-hvNgsT5KyOsre1UCgdUs/s320/2011-02-27+16.48.14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When this week started, I had a goal in mind, but I had no idea how I would hit it. I had no idea if it was even possible, but I put my head down and just ran. I ran though some great feelings, with some great people, and through some hard mental struggles. I had highs and lows - which I now know, comes with the territory when you hit triple digits with miles in one week. I had no idea that this kind-of mileage or speed was even possible with a running streak, but I'm here to tell you, anything is possible when you're a stubborn red head ;) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Today was day 52, I ran 18 miles, and 108 for the week. I'm truly amazed at all of that. I will admit though, I'm a bit scared. What's next? What to do for an encore? At 100 days will I be satisfied? If I hit 115 miles in a week, will I be satisfied? I almost can't think about any of those possibilities at the moment, I can only do what I can with the day I have in front of me. One more day of running in the streak is a gift, no matter how many miles I hit. Each week I run with out injury is a gift. Each day I can get up and put one foot in front of the other is a gift, I don't intend to waste any of it. For now, I'm going to keep plugging away. I'm going to keep with that mantra, "one run at a time," because truly, that is all that we can control. I will be more than excited if I'm able to hit 100 again this week or the next, or the week after that. But I will also be excited for each day that I'm able to run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thanks again for all the encouragement this week! You guys are truly motivation for me! Reading and seeing what all of you are accomplishing is very inspiring, and I often think of all of you each time I lace up. Thanks again to Punky for keeping me sane this weekend and believing that I had it in me even when I didn't - that meant more to me than you'll ever know ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm off to catch up with all of you! Trust me I'm reading, but my comments may be sparse as I have a few miles to run and I'm in the thick of tax season! Cograts to <a href="http://racingwithbabes.blogspot.com/">Tonia</a> for an awesome half marathon PR this weekend! You rock chica!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running peeps!</span></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-48808059839611536542011-02-21T19:52:00.000-08:002011-02-21T19:52:27.239-08:00I Never Claimed to be Sane<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Oh man, I won't bore you all with one long blog post right now. I'll just give you all some highlights in bullet form - sometimes I even bore myself ;)</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The week before, I had my highest mileage ever, 76, during the worst week ever for me. When this last week started, I wanted to see what I could do when I felt good and had less stress - it's official, I broke 90 miles this week! 91 to be exact, but who's counting ;) My legs felt awesome all week, and let's just say, this week, I don't expect that number to go down at all!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Today is day 46 - I ran 16 miles - again, I never said I was sane ;)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I ran two races this weekend - one Saturday in the worst conditions ever. <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/"> Punky</a> and <a href="http://www.runningonthego.com/">Tara</a> came out to run, too! Two of my fav running peeps! A half marathon in rain, wind, cold and gravel. But...I came out on top. Despite having 53 miles on my legs before the race, I ran a PR of 1:34!! Yes, I know, I'm in shock, too! That was a 7:11/mi pace for the race - and my last 3 miles were 7:09, 7:04 & 6:49! I'm beyond excited about this - and more excited to see what I can do with rested legs, a better course and conditions. Unfortunately though, it wasn't a certified race, so darn the luck, I have to go and get my NY qualifier somewhere else!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After the race, I came home and pulled a crazy again - and ran another 6 miles on the hamsterwheel to loosen up my legs & get my long run done. I'm really enjoying breaking up my long run. If I run slow in the morning, I'll do some speed in the afternoon. If I run fast in the morning, I'll do an easier pace in the afternoon - it seems to be working out well.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Sunday was a trail 20K with my buddy Punky again. It was cold, and I think I told him more than once that I was just going to stay in the warm car and sit this one out. </span></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbNVOFXyZ8403n6LnXGNieF389abg9HJNW5MetlcNsOiDUkx4SnWqWyI7BsncPyyCIjU0zRspndKrBUZpS_TDq3NeJsv9FsggP_45xqDnPLaXgf02RI8KR5CtE1g_0N514mO-bCNtoo_R/s1600/imagejpeg_2_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbNVOFXyZ8403n6LnXGNieF389abg9HJNW5MetlcNsOiDUkx4SnWqWyI7BsncPyyCIjU0zRspndKrBUZpS_TDq3NeJsv9FsggP_45xqDnPLaXgf02RI8KR5CtE1g_0N514mO-bCNtoo_R/s320/imagejpeg_2_7.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Freezing my butt off before (hey, it was 36 out, that's cold for this California girl!)</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since we had been pelted by rain here in the Bay for 5 days straight, it was a muddy scene out there. But Punky and I took our time and enjoyed the beautiful scenery running around Lake Chabot. We warmed up quickly, especially when we picked up the pace as we ran by a shooting range! We were NOT expecting to hear gun shots on our beautiful early morning trail run. I took it easy, probably slowing down Punky in the process, but ran the uphills and walked the downhills as to not tear my quads up or fall on my butt in the mud. We finished with 10.75 miles and jumped right into the car to get warm! We also may or may not have been beaten by a blind man ;)</span></div></li>
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lDsiH2lGJLZTwAfv4MHdCuhU_lMRQNOuOrlv2VaJy-2Ez8JxUnZLzazIijWFTLFh0tUyAZCCyTYUMN0gS6qxD5ABL99fKLy_Oy1IIRnIlmZuJW-l_J14aIKOqRkcz0UN6uBK3Pmmu-cl/s1600/imagejpeg_2_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lDsiH2lGJLZTwAfv4MHdCuhU_lMRQNOuOrlv2VaJy-2Ez8JxUnZLzazIijWFTLFh0tUyAZCCyTYUMN0gS6qxD5ABL99fKLy_Oy1IIRnIlmZuJW-l_J14aIKOqRkcz0UN6uBK3Pmmu-cl/s320/imagejpeg_2_8.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">One muddy hill!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After getting home and getting warmed up, you guessed it, I jumped on the TM to finish off the day. But...let me defend myself! I was at 84 miles and I wanted to see if I could hit 90! As soon as I started running I felt awesome. My legs welcomed a little even pace on the hamsterwheel and I finished the day with 18 miles and 91 for the week! Whoo hoo! That really made me smile ;)</span></div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As you can see, I had one hell of a crazy week! I think I'm going to be more than prepared for my 50K in March, but more than anything, I am excited to see where my paces are going to be when May comes around. I'm going to continue to ride the running streak for as long as possible. My legs are feeling fresh and awesome, and I couldn't be more pleased.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm off to catch up with all of you! Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend, especially my buddy<a href="http://muddyrunner.blogspot.com/"> LB</a> who had a huge 5K PR and to <a href="http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/">Denise</a> who also had a huge 5 miler PR! You guys rock!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running Peeps!</span></div></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-34018247968696259832011-02-13T18:39:00.000-08:002011-02-13T18:39:11.153-08:00A Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As you can tell by the title of this post, my week was less than stellar. Although, I have to say that I thank God that everything has worked out for the best. Things could have been worse, and for that I'm grateful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The week started out great. The job has been going really well, and so far this is the easiest tax season I have ever had. Now, mind you, it's only the second week of February, and I'm sure I have just jinxed myself by saying that. But usually by this time of the year, I am beginning to loose my hair AND my mind. So far, things are going smoothly, a lot less stressful than ever before and for that, in this moment, I'm grateful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My horrible, terrible, no good, very bad week though, came on with a vengeance Wednesday morning. I have an hour commute to work. I travel down a main highway that has bumper to bumper traffic all morning. It has a reputation for being a dangerous freeway, mainly because people just drive way too fast and have little to no patience for their fellow mankind. I always take my time though, going to work. I leave early enough that if I were to hit a major traffic hiccup, I'm still on time. And if I'm not on time, it's never the end of the world. Wednesday I was just driving along, had my hands at 10 & 2, paying attention to traffic, when OUT OF NO WHERE a woman in a giant Toyota Sequoia SUV decided to get in front of me and hit her breaks. I was doing about 30 miles an hour, had a car length between me and the person in front of me, and she just squeezed in for no reason. I couldn't stop in time though, and I rear ended her. It was awful. My car was totaled right away. I drive (drove) a Mercedes CLK 350 convertible, a smaller two -door sports car, and her bumper just ate me up. Thankfully though, my car saved my life. It did everything it was supposed to do, everything it was designed to do. It helped me break faster, it crumpled in all the right spots, it rolled down the windows, it turned on the hazards, shut the power off the car and even dialed the police for me as I sat in a haze with my airbag deployed and trying to figure out what had just happened. When I looked up a split second later, the freeway, that is usually jammed packed, was empty. Even the SUV that hit me was gone. About 2 minutes later, I see the SUV driving backwards for over a mile on the right hand shoulder. She had driven off, probably didn't even know I hit her GIANT car and saw finally in her rear view mirror my crumpled, smoking car. I was lucky. My face never touched the air bag, the seat belt pulled me into my seat, I even heard it lock me down in the collision. After I realized more exactly what happened, the tears just came. My arms were burned from the air bag. They were bruised, and so was my collar bone and neck from the seat belt - but I was alive! I had survived a major crash, and my car did everything for me that I wasn't able to do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It seemed to take forever for the ambulance, fire truck and police to show up. I'm sure it was only a matter of minutes, though. I was so grateful that my car had the S.O.S. system in it, like OnStar, only for Mercedes, because I was so shaken and hurt I could barely call my husband five minutes later and tell him what had happened. Apparently I only said I was in an accident on the freeway and I was hurt. He jumped in the car right away to meet me, but it took him a long time to get there because of all the traffic back up I had caused. Shock set in and I started feeling pretty good. But the fire chief on the scene told me he really wanted me to get on the back board and take me to the hospital. Within minutes, I was laying on the side of the freeway, looking up at the blue sky, being braced down to a back board and loaded into an ambulance. It all felt so surreal. One second I was being a cautious driver, the next I had a totaled car and was in an ambulance. Just as they were pulling away with me in the ambulance, my husband showed up and took care of everything I couldn't. Thankfully, THANKFULLY I had the best group of emergency people show up and help me. The fire chief even went though my purse and car and got all my id's and cards out for me, all while cracking jokes and attempting to make me smile. I think at one point he told me my car was fine, that it would just need a little touch up paint! LOL! By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was in some pain, but I was alive and had nothing broken.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The ER doctor said I really dodged a bullet and that it was thanks to my car and my safe driving that I walked away ok. I had a few x-ray's done, but thankfully nothing had broken - only my confidence. This all happened at 7:20 a.m. and by 9:30 I was home licking my wounds and asking, "what the hell just happened?" I did nothing wrong on Wednesday. I was driving safe. No cell phone, no radio on, I hadn't even eaten my breakfast or drank my coffee yet - I was just driving. She just pulled in front of me and slammed on her breaks for no reason - the only damage done to her car was a bent tow hitch. My poor, pretty, SAFE car is gone, and I know it's only a car, IT SAVED MY LIFE, but I'm sad about it. Now I have the wonderful task of having to buy another one - something I'm not looking forward to. In an instant everything changed, and there was nothing I could do about it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Later that afternoon, after I napped, iced and took some Advil, I went for a run. YES, I know, probably not something anyone would recommend. But it was the most glorious run ever. I was alive, I was un-hurt for the most part, minus a few bruises and burns. My legs worked still, the streak continued and I got to just let my mind rest while I ran. Those are the types of runs I live for, the therapeutic ones where you think about nothing but one foot in front of the other. I was angry, I was sad and I was so thankful that I had walked away alive. I'm still dealing with some nerves while driving. I'm a good driver, a confident, safe driver, but right now I'm more than nervous while I'm on the road, especially on the freeway. I know that it will get better, that time will heal this, but in the mean time I'm more than cautious.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thursday and Friday I worked half days, sitting at the computer more than 4 or 5 hours really hurt my neck. So I took full advantage of the beautiful weather and the extra time to just run. Funny enough, my neck and collar bone did not hurt while I ran. Maybe it was just all the endorphins and happy thoughts that I was still able to run that masked anything, but today I feel great. No pain, just my arms are still a bit sensitive to the touch where the burns and bruises are, and my collar bone a little sensitive to the touch, too. My streak continues. You know what one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind immediately after the accident was? You guessed it, MY STREAK! I would be damned if this careless, wreck-less driver was going to ruin it for me. In those early moments though, when everything was hazy and I had no idea what was in store for me, a lot of the tears were for my fear that the streak was lost. I know, it sounds crazy, but I could only think that my running would help me heal through it all...and it did.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I don't know still what is going on with the insurance, thankfully the hubbs is taking care of it. I never saw my car after the accident. But it didn't look good from the view I had. I don't think I could see my pretty, now wrecked car, and not cry. I still tear up and want to sob when I think of everything that happened and could have happened. Lots of tears have been shed since Wednesday when I think about it all. I know it was by no means a life or death thing, but it did reaffirm for me that life is pretty damn short and that we only get one shot at it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I finished off the week today with a great 20 miler. I got up early and met my buddy Punky for a run. It was <em>cold</em> when we started, but we finished 8 strong miles together, averaging 9:07. I came home, ate, stretched and went out to finish my day with another strong 12. If you've been following me on daily mile, you would know my left quad has been less than happy with me. It gets knotted really easy after my runs, and stretching, ice and my new BFF Tiger Balm are working wonders. Thankfully today it cooperated, and I finished the week with 76 miles - my biggest running week ever! And to think, I crashed and totaled my car on Wednesday. Guess my running really helped me get over it all. Next week will be a cut back week for me, I'm really looking forward to it. The streak continues at 38 days!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I know I babbled a bit here - it was actually quite therapeutic to get it all out of my head. So, as you can see, between mourning the car crash and running a zillion miles, I had little to no time to catch up with all of you. But it is my priority tomorrow night, as my valentine will be working. Thank you all for the encouragement this week as I continue on this crazy streak. I'm loving seeing what my body and my head can accomplish when I have a big goal in mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day and you spend it with the people who matter most to you ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running Peeps!</span></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-82596622960947882392011-02-06T16:24:00.000-08:002011-02-06T16:24:29.224-08:0030 Days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As I sit here today, I'm on day 31 of my streak. As I mentioned in my last post, I had high hopes of making it to at least day 30, but now that it has come and gone I sit here thinking what's next? Through out these 30 days I have learned a ton about myself. I have learned that I'm stronger than I thought, that my legs are strong and resilient, but above all, I have learned that when you have a goal in mind, all that stands between you and the finish is the mental attitude that you can get there if you really want to.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Running every day has become such a part of my routine, it's hard to imagine one day in the future of not lacing up and heading out for a run. My day doesn't feel complete until I've logged my miles and had a good sweat. I think there is some real truth to the 21 day habit thinking - it has become a habit, it has become more apart of me now than even before I started the streak.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm amazed at what I have accomplished. By the numbers, here is where I stand at the end of the 30 days:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">day started: January 8th - Crystal Springs Trail Half Marathon - 14.57 miles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">miles logged: 255.4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">average pace/mi: 8:15</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">long runs done: 4 - topping yesterday's 30 streak with a fast 18</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">pounds lost: close to 9-11 (I'm amazed at this!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I look at the raw numbers, I'm pretty dang proud. I had no idea where this little streak would send me, but I just finished day 31 with another 8, and capping out my week with 68 miles - my highest mileage in I can't even remember! Amazingly, my legs feel great! I was a bit tired today when I set out, but it was windy and very warm, about 76, but I just pushed through and averaged a 7:55/mi pace - a pace I would have been ecstatic about just a few short months ago.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">More than anything, I have seen my legs get faster. I would not have imagined that would have happened over the course of running for 30 days straight, I would have thought the exact opposite. But with the combination of loosing quite a bit of pounds, rolling out daily and taking an ice bath a few times a week, my legs are loving this and are finally turning over at a pace I have been only dreaming about. I feel almost as proud as when I crossed the finish line at CIM in December, and that's saying a lot!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">With today being day #31, I can only think what's next? I have been being very smart about my running, I'm eating a ton better, icing, stretching, rolling out, and I do believe this is what has kept me going. My legs feel fresh everyday, and I am going to continue to ride this wave for as long as possible. Right now I'm shooting for 60 days, but in all honesty, I would love to hit 100. There's just something about 100 that sounds so bad ass! I know though, in order to keep going, I need to be smart about it. I need to continue to listen to my body, fuel it well, and treat it like that temple that it is. As I got farther and farther into the streak, I really tried to focus on what the benefits would be to me. In the grand scheme of it all, I'm hoping that it will reap dividends when I toe the line for my first 50K in March - knowing what tired legs feels likes will really help me mentally when it gets tough out there. Oh wait, forgot to mention that didn't I? Oops! I kind-of agreed to run a 50K in March with Punky. Our friend isn't going to be able to run it (boo!) and offered me her bib! Yayyy! But, at the time I agreed to it, I hadn't looked at the date! Oops again! It's the day before my Shamrockin' Half! Oh well, if I don't know what tired legs feels like now, I will then! My original plan was to try and qualify for NY at Shamrockin', but now it will be just a fun run with some of my favorite running peeps. There will be plenty of other half's this year to get that NY qualifying time, so I'm not at all bummed about that. Oh, and if you noticed on my little side bar of upcoming races for the year, I added the Eugene Marathon on May 1st. I was very much in need of a training plan when I signed up, I needed something to shoot and train for. I have heard so many awesome things about this race and the timing just seemed to be perfect - AFTER tax season was all I needed to read ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As you can see, I have a busy schedule ahead of me. But for the first time in a long time, I am finally feeling like my running has purpose, and that is a big relief to me. I love to run, I love everything about it, but I do so much better when there is a carrot hanging in front of me like a goal race. I'm hoping for a BIG PR there, so watch out, I'm thinking I'm going to have some more big weeks to come before race day. Thanks again for all the support, knowing I have all of you cheering me on means a ton ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Congrats to all my friends who ran and raced this weekend! Especially my buddy<a href="http://muddyrunner.blogspot.com/"> L.B.</a> who had a HUGE PR at Surf City this weekend! And my girl <a href="http://twentysixandthensome.com/">Page</a> who also had a HUGE PR there in the half - that's a NY qualifying time! You both are rockstars in my book! Very proud of you both!!! CONGRATS!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm off to catch off with all of you, enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running peeps!</span></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-22426213079302519982011-02-01T17:58:00.000-08:002011-02-01T17:58:34.059-08:00Hello?? Anybody Still Here??<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've been a bad, bad blogger. I hang my head in shame for not coming around for a while. But I have my reasons. I needed a break. Life has gotten really busy, lots on my plate and lots to think about. I started my new job a couple of weeks ago and it's going pretty darn good, couldn't ask for more. The hour long commute in each direction leaves something to be desired, but I'm back in a routine, earning actual money and I'm doing what I love and do best: taxes. Yes, you read that correct, I love taxes ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">January was a big month for me. Running has been very important to me and very much apart of my life. Since January 8th I have been on a bit of a running streak! I'm at day 26 and still going strong. I didn't mean to start a running streak, I think it just came out of necessity due to all that was going on in my life. I realized it one day when I was logging my latest workout and saw I hadn't taken a rest day in 10 days! Wowza! I was sure I had had one in between, apparently though, that was not the case. With that realization came a thought: I think I can keep going! I think I can reach 20 days! Then 20 turned into 30, and now I'm just four short days away from 30 and I think I'm going to keep going! Surprisingly, my legs feel awesome, still fresh and fast, which I didn't know was possible. I did have one day where my hip hurt and waited to do my run until later in the day, but aside from that little blip, my legs are loving it! And my head thanks me, too ;) I logged over 244 miles for the month of January - not a bad way to start the new year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I really didn't have any rules for the streak, just that I run a minimum of 5 miles a day, and that has not been a problem what so ever - I usually end up doing at least six and am still getting in some good long runs on the weekend. I used to see other runner's doing streaks and think they were crazy, but I am eating my words now. Running each day has become such a habit, I can't see it ending any time soon!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">To keep up the running though, and my job, and all my other responsibilities, I have been made to eat some more words: I have become a morning runner. I never thought it possible that me, the afternoon/evening runner would ever be able to get up early and enjoy a run. Well, my friends, I'm here to tell you, anything is possible when you want it. I get to work around 8 am, which means I leave my house around 7, factoring in getting ready before hand and getting a run in means I am up at 4:30 each morning and at the gym by 5am! Yes, 5am! I am often waiting for them to unlock the doors! Who have I become?! I will say, the first week was a little rough. The first couple of miles were dreadful, and I couldn't find my pace very easy. But after some time it has gotten so much easier and I'm actually loving having my run done before 6:30am! Who knew!? I also noticed that by mid-morning I don't feel like I ran at all, and if I could, I would lace up and run again. But I have been good and not been doubling up...yet. I'm actually enjoying my evenings home, not having the running monkey on my back!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Along with all my running, I have also managed to get a couple of trail races in! Don't think I would stop racing, did you? January 8th I did the Crystal Spring Trail Half Marathon with <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/">Punky</a> and then this past weekend I did the Coyote Hills Trail Half with Punky, <a href="http://singletrackjunkie.blogspot.com/">JoLynn</a>, <a href="http://rbr-runbabyrun.blogspot.com/">Stacey</a> and a ton of other bloggy peeps. It wasn't the most scenic course, but it was definitely great to be out running the trails with some of my favorite running peeps! I have a few other fun trail runs and a half marathon coming up this month and next. My credit card has gotten quite the workout lately. I have decided to continue to sign up for races and play the wait and see game. I hated not having anything on the calendar, and as we all know, it is cheaper to sign up early than to wait. And if you're wondering, no, no news in that other department.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvUf5qsAUzegzV2yzRq7RVjlwHf-zuGM81GoXtg4Yv4cpxpYR_-s2u1D_1He498209XsatrlKyBBj6L0ZpNpKSs-bbOuXcKDSEl_D3JitImUnTjcixjnpLnkn0NZwU2JCzvtxDdDR6vnW/s1600/punkettes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvUf5qsAUzegzV2yzRq7RVjlwHf-zuGM81GoXtg4Yv4cpxpYR_-s2u1D_1He498209XsatrlKyBBj6L0ZpNpKSs-bbOuXcKDSEl_D3JitImUnTjcixjnpLnkn0NZwU2JCzvtxDdDR6vnW/s320/punkettes.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Punky, Stacey, JoLynn and me </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;">(thanks Ron for the photo)</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As you can see I've been up to my eyeballs in running and balancing my new job. I didn't realize how cushy I had it at my last one or how wonderful it was to not have a schedule each day. Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true! I am actually really enjoying the job, I just wish it would fit better around my social life and of course, running ;) My twitter, Facebook and blogging time has taken a serious hit! But I'm working on fitting it all in, one piece at a time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I often read your blogs on my phone in between all the craziness, so sorry if I don't comment, I still am keeping up with all of you! Some of you are doing and planning some amazing things, I love watching it all unfold for so many of you. Keep it up! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I will do my best to get back here again in the very near future. Every day is different in the tax world, and unfortunately it is only going to get busier though May. So my apologies in advance if my posting and comments are sporatic. Just know I'm thinking about all of you and sending lots of good thoughts your way! Drop me an email any time, I love to hear from you and often times that is how I communicate even with the fam now! I know, tragic, but it's tax season, I'm on a running streak and life has gotten very, very busy ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thanks for checking in!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running peeps!!</span><br />
<br />
</div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-15717287010405042522010-12-31T12:09:00.000-08:002010-12-31T12:09:38.278-08:00The Year in Rewind<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Is it just me, or did the New Year sneak up on you just like me? It feels like I was just writing my goals and recap from 2009! But here we are, on the eve of 2011 and I have a feeling it will be just as awesome as 2010.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I had a few <a href="http://one-run-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-new-year.html">goals</a> for 2010, and I think that I accomplished almost all of them. Once again, I spent my year running and racing. I ran 24 races this year, more than double for 2009! I ran 8 half marathons, 6 trail races, 4 marathons, a 10 miler, a relay, a couple of 10K's and a fun 5K while I was in Boston - I would say that was a success! But more than anything, I met all of my time goals that I had hoped for. I really wanted a sub 1:40 half, and I got that in <a href="http://one-run-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2010/11/race-report-stockton-half-marathon.html">November</a>! And I really, really, really wanted a low 3:30 marathon, and I finally achieved that with my final marathon in <a href="http://one-run-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2010/12/race-report-california-international.html">December</a>. I learned to push myself when I didn't think I had anything left. I learned to dig deep and come out on top when I really wanted something. I also wanted to learn what it felt like to hold on to a pace that had always seemed so far off for the majority of my runs, and I can finally say I am there. This was a year of growing for me, I learned that running is so much a part of who I am, and I truly find myself when I'm out there running towards the finish line. I also finished off the year today with 1,916 miles - about 100 miles short of the 2010 I wanted, but still almost where I was last year. I'll take it! I also went through 6 pairs of shoes! Hahaha! Maybe 2,011 miles in 2011? We'll see!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2010 wasn't just about time goals, miles and finish lines, though. I also met some <a href="http://runthisamazingday.blogspot.com/">pretty</a> <a href="http://runwithjill.blogspot.com/">amazing</a> <a href="http://rbr-runbabyrun.blogspot.com/">people</a> this year, and made a friendship with a running<a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/"> buddy</a> that means a ton to me. I also made the blog world a second home, where I could open up to all of you and share my success and failures while supporting all of you. I found out that blogging is very much an important accent to my running and that sometimes just knowing that all of you are here rooting for me on any given day fueled many of my runs. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I went into a bit of detail <a href="http://one-run-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2010/12/back-on-track.html">yesterday</a> on what I hope my 2011 looks like. You all gave me amazing support as I shared with you my newest finish line. All of you gave me the support I needed as I venture into 2011 with a pile of unknowns - but more than anything you gave me the confidence to know that what ever happens, it will surely be another fantastic year. So again, thank you for all the kind words and support - you really know how to make someone feel pretty dang loved ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Aside from the dreams of becoming a mamma this year, I also want to make sure that I keep some goals in mind with my running - weather or not I get to start my family. I want to be able to keep racing. Many of you mentioned that running while pregnant is very possible, and that maybe I should focus on shorter distances. And I think you're right - I don't need to run 4 marathon's in a year, or a half dozen half marathon's to feel like I'm still in the game. I will focus on a few key races as long as I am able to in the mean time, and keep my fitness up. I would love to continue to get faster, incorporating more speed and core work. I don't want to forget all the hard work I did this year, so until "things" change, my focus will be keeping up my base. And who knows, NY marathon could still very well be a possibility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Without recapping each and every race from the year, I'll leave you all with some pics of the highlights of 2010 - it was a very, very good year.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik35ce5JGuxZbT9h68SONlCYkQ33U2mc2pwW5Vt0Et8i3p08xLeaz84OUk8oqZeE87oRGg5Tfe3Wkq7QolWE6h8YejoflrGvOgZO2B7u3gWeCRoQtLGWhr_Wgs80SeiDWh0Gpegwnk2zD3/s1600/aronmejolynn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik35ce5JGuxZbT9h68SONlCYkQ33U2mc2pwW5Vt0Et8i3p08xLeaz84OUk8oqZeE87oRGg5Tfe3Wkq7QolWE6h8YejoflrGvOgZO2B7u3gWeCRoQtLGWhr_Wgs80SeiDWh0Gpegwnk2zD3/s1600/aronmejolynn.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Creek Trail Half with some <a href="http://singletrackjunkie.blogspot.com/">amazing</a> ladies and MUD!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzEvrrR68EKHqXWLr8Aj_h9yAUMlDxhdlBWf_wIiSCWTBU5fWEu9ws7JswotRPbq3qjmqDm2RITp15mtAJsl_-pT2BL1-sFy14RJBNpk4f9fYHO2A5wSMHussITOPPWexopCWtghXnide/s1600/DSCN0581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzEvrrR68EKHqXWLr8Aj_h9yAUMlDxhdlBWf_wIiSCWTBU5fWEu9ws7JswotRPbq3qjmqDm2RITp15mtAJsl_-pT2BL1-sFy14RJBNpk4f9fYHO2A5wSMHussITOPPWexopCWtghXnide/s320/DSCN0581.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Running the Great Highway for the Kaiser Half Marathon in February<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dsxvgxrS1lK2lLqDDMlq30B7y3R7Q7Md_-Mg7k5CmPjrzjdaGq7iJ8aV5IUO64b4YsUnkyhcVnad6EkmfEPOlIbHaKVJdn93M_GMyUtx4kZuQ0HQ_c08s1hI_-GDxELe-6_aJ_G0rPH-/s1600/DSCN0583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dsxvgxrS1lK2lLqDDMlq30B7y3R7Q7Md_-Mg7k5CmPjrzjdaGq7iJ8aV5IUO64b4YsUnkyhcVnad6EkmfEPOlIbHaKVJdn93M_GMyUtx4kZuQ0HQ_c08s1hI_-GDxELe-6_aJ_G0rPH-/s320/DSCN0583.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>My cousin <a href="http://thewritesarah.blogspot.com/">Sarah</a> and I at the Valentine's Day 10K - LOVE her!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfvFVRHSau0LRHwvuUthsmzEj7dHSQK0ATmqQl5fVFS16e1ptlvNDtG9nNtyiX_U2IzSaJ0Dp7ftHX3pBVqq5ZO7At2thpT9bkNHCZklWgzXBchZ0B_OU7NSH6rQ4-tLNoCpCw0k1wpip/s1600/DSCN0640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfvFVRHSau0LRHwvuUthsmzEj7dHSQK0ATmqQl5fVFS16e1ptlvNDtG9nNtyiX_U2IzSaJ0Dp7ftHX3pBVqq5ZO7At2thpT9bkNHCZklWgzXBchZ0B_OU7NSH6rQ4-tLNoCpCw0k1wpip/s320/DSCN0640.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Shamrockin' Half with <a href="http://www.runnersrambles.com/">Aron</a> in March<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDlh2Ita27qFwT7frgMgRfFfE_MdO40QtK9npR-hrphh2Yb7cjf34epam4q5yQKzPaIUuRnQ7ZYN80YCDPBrRMUH1pW5pQns3ujKzu8TkZbc-ggbIWXtEJ1f6fMzHsZzeCGRP7IGnXrTD/s1600/post+race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDlh2Ita27qFwT7frgMgRfFfE_MdO40QtK9npR-hrphh2Yb7cjf34epam4q5yQKzPaIUuRnQ7ZYN80YCDPBrRMUH1pW5pQns3ujKzu8TkZbc-ggbIWXtEJ1f6fMzHsZzeCGRP7IGnXrTD/s320/post+race.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Santa Cruz Half with Sarah in April<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDimyLJOAuTFYywtbTwjP4T2Sw22qA5f1uI9AJiuIIRQM3m4hmAL5M9aXZ8CB01iXDK392-Yk9VNlkgGnOT7Cv6B7J46lbrgvKn9OVa6Xqry3KmrWqn3FE0GIVBhtGLBjRKneSQJB4LJ5f/s1600/start+line+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDimyLJOAuTFYywtbTwjP4T2Sw22qA5f1uI9AJiuIIRQM3m4hmAL5M9aXZ8CB01iXDK392-Yk9VNlkgGnOT7Cv6B7J46lbrgvKn9OVa6Xqry3KmrWqn3FE0GIVBhtGLBjRKneSQJB4LJ5f/s320/start+line+me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>BOSTON! (with the flu!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAyX3_6c9ONIssmxn_5zbSOdvtNyYjENy4FgdBEYwhZQf8_kuqNisOPq5Vue72EgVpUXSBTTgm27ZQDOjJGkaMjzukx2rizQn9SOpXMzHkIK9VchrnzE53_HoEFWWjodosvq8TwhOG3Wi/s1600/5k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAyX3_6c9ONIssmxn_5zbSOdvtNyYjENy4FgdBEYwhZQf8_kuqNisOPq5Vue72EgVpUXSBTTgm27ZQDOjJGkaMjzukx2rizQn9SOpXMzHkIK9VchrnzE53_HoEFWWjodosvq8TwhOG3Wi/s320/5k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>B.A.A. 5K with <a href="http://failedmuffins.blogspot.com/">Lauren</a> and<a href="http://cautionredheadrunning.blogspot.com/"> Morgan</a> in April<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3hKv0jtD1RM-gQvG_QsjRK15p9btU7A8ZZaLuDGaul8m47w9i3ai9MLm0npApLFCbuk0eaNGeseyzsgpd3oAy63sXWQBH0ArgdJJt-mk2irq0NWe1gB_EaF_etUUtuJjbCDnzAmFg5Y-t/s1600/jillfinish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3hKv0jtD1RM-gQvG_QsjRK15p9btU7A8ZZaLuDGaul8m47w9i3ai9MLm0npApLFCbuk0eaNGeseyzsgpd3oAy63sXWQBH0ArgdJJt-mk2irq0NWe1gB_EaF_etUUtuJjbCDnzAmFg5Y-t/s320/jillfinish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Boston Marathon with my BFF <a href="http://runwithjill.blogspot.com/">Jill </a>in April!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZDOzsi0yygvIt20t1tEvtpLEZBdhYrB1MJKtytIGRNAKiB5emN5BSjZMR3y8eplm8JxTb4WogGiebvBMcjvImaLSjWuOjOaapCrLo2tGSEM3CwJQbefXWyeUt3siphJFLJo97gs0gGlR/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZDOzsi0yygvIt20t1tEvtpLEZBdhYrB1MJKtytIGRNAKiB5emN5BSjZMR3y8eplm8JxTb4WogGiebvBMcjvImaLSjWuOjOaapCrLo2tGSEM3CwJQbefXWyeUt3siphJFLJo97gs0gGlR/s320/me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Big Sur B2B challenge in April<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-F2BSrUnTJXLOvG73ivmRGwoWU7oe3Ir-CaqxQ31XxcPLNZNknLZBvlPEFZ221ZeQTOebq4VQeX-veRGX_ooBHPazLGOTam-SaPyBndNflru1SWP8n6tqUQgC6vjgLerJFM61YKEoxFk/s1600/DSCN0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-F2BSrUnTJXLOvG73ivmRGwoWU7oe3Ir-CaqxQ31XxcPLNZNknLZBvlPEFZ221ZeQTOebq4VQeX-veRGX_ooBHPazLGOTam-SaPyBndNflru1SWP8n6tqUQgC6vjgLerJFM61YKEoxFk/s320/DSCN0846.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The Relay in April - love these girls!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCqK-93plUZgAqx7E6AmFB2UBCfPzmYGzT_RsktiOrm_UWiRsHu8vG77t7OONfmRzoI4AacimXLMbGx6HXWadwNIZtvIggaZ7ppK22zsgnRSBCJogx3OCHSoUtKUM7-m2dZgLkx41KWpR/s1600/mebridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCqK-93plUZgAqx7E6AmFB2UBCfPzmYGzT_RsktiOrm_UWiRsHu8vG77t7OONfmRzoI4AacimXLMbGx6HXWadwNIZtvIggaZ7ppK22zsgnRSBCJogx3OCHSoUtKUM7-m2dZgLkx41KWpR/s320/mebridge.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDMATIR8ZgqAFtdyhpMnIPFwQmpEL7bll7xUcSxvYe0WI5797-wAYwT3QLbztwrzP-wgdkOleL3eeTkDU0CtoFOdlThbpEKq-lsoQYb6Erp-RIYoQo0ZiORN-khASgP9rtzbsnRNEch7g/s1600/hoppers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDMATIR8ZgqAFtdyhpMnIPFwQmpEL7bll7xUcSxvYe0WI5797-wAYwT3QLbztwrzP-wgdkOleL3eeTkDU0CtoFOdlThbpEKq-lsoQYb6Erp-RIYoQo0ZiORN-khASgP9rtzbsnRNEch7g/s320/hoppers.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Sunset Run in San Francisco with <a href="http://seejuliannerun.blogspot.com/">Juliane</a>!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6E9OhTT5ShoGGnOMRlAK9EXBJXnMusvqir21TTk5hr5M5jqk_tNd7cWx2TfkkomsUhn1rLl-YJcMxs_jRhqJ4yRfPcLQbifbCiaeMhclBLEgfVtYHdALxpbNpzFCdteKl0QkphSkxS80/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6E9OhTT5ShoGGnOMRlAK9EXBJXnMusvqir21TTk5hr5M5jqk_tNd7cWx2TfkkomsUhn1rLl-YJcMxs_jRhqJ4yRfPcLQbifbCiaeMhclBLEgfVtYHdALxpbNpzFCdteKl0QkphSkxS80/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>San Francisco 2nd Half in July - with the fam<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqRvb6fkDPfkrU96W8vq838fzZniaEaahKmmJdX1PqOVb3jfgCHnWTvNs7uhZjduPhGS-q6BI0w3xcDUYM4FzwfA0GyxKS4tYRZa43H0ELQ95p6zdoEbA0axCseC3t_9x0AmH5yiUvPp0/s1600/Dirty+Legs+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqRvb6fkDPfkrU96W8vq838fzZniaEaahKmmJdX1PqOVb3jfgCHnWTvNs7uhZjduPhGS-q6BI0w3xcDUYM4FzwfA0GyxKS4tYRZa43H0ELQ95p6zdoEbA0axCseC3t_9x0AmH5yiUvPp0/s320/Dirty+Legs+039.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>SVE Dirty Legs 10K with RBR and Punky<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdALKK5AwjySAp5za-Za64wlY82NY6AC47GTib2nz52XOkJZKGDwYWNwqmcabduETsPHXxles8FhCbci8vMKMHha-gexLYYaFR2QjFuBGUaVQPHaUhDVrEvwoHSUZAvHfE7cQ99uxQb4f9/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdALKK5AwjySAp5za-Za64wlY82NY6AC47GTib2nz52XOkJZKGDwYWNwqmcabduETsPHXxles8FhCbci8vMKMHha-gexLYYaFR2QjFuBGUaVQPHaUhDVrEvwoHSUZAvHfE7cQ99uxQb4f9/s320/me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>SF Sunset run with <a href="http://www.kristenkeepingup.com/">Kristen</a> in August <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7t4fMhqvzXyj0bQihKBqvS2RrPBGS57fEhZE89R0c36SWH1BTdSSQaFlRNVG-onGi7f3_mQW_wA7xNIJSB_zNJQl5sbtru9C_qyiZ5Ygei77TIJ7Q_Y2xO-GQI2JbKDF9xPE7e2pL_k0x/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7t4fMhqvzXyj0bQihKBqvS2RrPBGS57fEhZE89R0c36SWH1BTdSSQaFlRNVG-onGi7f3_mQW_wA7xNIJSB_zNJQl5sbtru9C_qyiZ5Ygei77TIJ7Q_Y2xO-GQI2JbKDF9xPE7e2pL_k0x/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Buffalo Stampede 10 miler with Buggy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOFkY8kDN1QoVHaEQhtCKy_HnbVM8iBJAWmuUCjFckFlAhJ067BVL34BSua-blWmYNmydLHt7z3y7GR2AbCt3-9qs2Fk9_t0d6k_vqaDjjcJNrlpJAW_OnsJmzm_EofeGesjlJ1ZGfwZv/s1600/kristen%2526me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOFkY8kDN1QoVHaEQhtCKy_HnbVM8iBJAWmuUCjFckFlAhJ067BVL34BSua-blWmYNmydLHt7z3y7GR2AbCt3-9qs2Fk9_t0d6k_vqaDjjcJNrlpJAW_OnsJmzm_EofeGesjlJ1ZGfwZv/s320/kristen%2526me.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>San Jose Half with Kristen in October<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0hzi6iVlS3lu00Dvq5prKjky_5Tte1JEs9TR7_-m_g-AwWQk-62bHMqHvks26nIrgSUpZI4kIQY94yk1W6S0tt51s-laeGvRFKlrc7yYgEy4MkhUNvyb49FVSS03PLzIRQSkgSi8ehCg/s1600/HH-GROUP.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0hzi6iVlS3lu00Dvq5prKjky_5Tte1JEs9TR7_-m_g-AwWQk-62bHMqHvks26nIrgSUpZI4kIQY94yk1W6S0tt51s-laeGvRFKlrc7yYgEy4MkhUNvyb49FVSS03PLzIRQSkgSi8ehCg/s320/HH-GROUP.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Healdsburg Half with Aron, Punky and <a href="http://www.runningonthego.com/">Tara</a>!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kKdmpwJ9tMVCO_uN5kJ-rqqgKENaaMMWIt82nqxISRK3DIVdNY-r3pi-gzNbXRrEEE-3DMlu-7FoKt1xtAikiolwDZU6FmFcpSCjcw3AGbkZ4Ygy4FrcRh_Yy_npq3xnPjd9sZJ6ZV3J/s1600/laylaronme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kKdmpwJ9tMVCO_uN5kJ-rqqgKENaaMMWIt82nqxISRK3DIVdNY-r3pi-gzNbXRrEEE-3DMlu-7FoKt1xtAikiolwDZU6FmFcpSCjcw3AGbkZ4Ygy4FrcRh_Yy_npq3xnPjd9sZJ6ZV3J/s320/laylaronme.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Stockton Half Marathon with <a href="http://thesmudge.com/">Layla</a> and Punky!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPXqUctrTqlPfboGuw_cqbHNnBwBuglgY716sAMC6wmm_8pzy5MTGylqsG9vpMV6zfmMxySl_D_tmRCYpPSs-NUrrKYDNJklIEAJryNX5KpK2jEWcgqRNJGx10o3AP4GJ3xFQOxqayobK/s1600/Summit+Rock+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPXqUctrTqlPfboGuw_cqbHNnBwBuglgY716sAMC6wmm_8pzy5MTGylqsG9vpMV6zfmMxySl_D_tmRCYpPSs-NUrrKYDNJklIEAJryNX5KpK2jEWcgqRNJGx10o3AP4GJ3xFQOxqayobK/s320/Summit+Rock+027.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Summit Trail Half Marathon<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNtW2XH-2OF-_Dd1WTCtcq3mDR_uzIaB32GuTP1W5Ddm6K99FZspEEQ8hgdtCtG6__Kjxd2Pt_eAjVgYgitM_pgkaTNM0V8kL0u5_sy9-WgjM5SMDacoE7gzOOvBeFnzUF4ttONKmDvmq/s1600/Summit+Rock+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNtW2XH-2OF-_Dd1WTCtcq3mDR_uzIaB32GuTP1W5Ddm6K99FZspEEQ8hgdtCtG6__Kjxd2Pt_eAjVgYgitM_pgkaTNM0V8kL0u5_sy9-WgjM5SMDacoE7gzOOvBeFnzUF4ttONKmDvmq/s320/Summit+Rock+031.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Punky and me after the Summit Half<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j8lx9NR__tIj1VnLsDiD-p8p59cOutGtSBktbmYhwlHhQbCBedsqkweYu-sRaNq4xO8cAU3yoxqMCvDfy48l0d2kSx4iVJgxVoTdqspYwO2UmzoljKEcC-Eia58tVC4ncExeR6X8gfMw/s1600/DSC_0245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j8lx9NR__tIj1VnLsDiD-p8p59cOutGtSBktbmYhwlHhQbCBedsqkweYu-sRaNq4xO8cAU3yoxqMCvDfy48l0d2kSx4iVJgxVoTdqspYwO2UmzoljKEcC-Eia58tVC4ncExeR6X8gfMw/s320/DSC_0245.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>CIM in December<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgG2cqTTUbOjSBmYgy5oL4ngPh9H12yYoVOPvbvRhh-f-W2E_IX9uLz193yQ7Ba3-LnRtyFDVNUOyLO5kBej25qoZSXjg7HO491Ew5BDQjRbi5OI00dG_igkBug9TwqrcMq9c7bbBhe8_/s1600/DSC_0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgG2cqTTUbOjSBmYgy5oL4ngPh9H12yYoVOPvbvRhh-f-W2E_IX9uLz193yQ7Ba3-LnRtyFDVNUOyLO5kBej25qoZSXjg7HO491Ew5BDQjRbi5OI00dG_igkBug9TwqrcMq9c7bbBhe8_/s320/DSC_0284.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>CIM<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyofD-2HUlSvQ61iUMQO_MRp62qJdmsEouyR00h8gPnqvDoMU-myBlTU1tEn35VQlAikJeTz8D93rZpFp5rPnPinsQvGb6-a3CSq3goeMGvVglOevDLyyAnY4KNDbHsiXnliVbYz2EpXz/s1600/DSC_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyofD-2HUlSvQ61iUMQO_MRp62qJdmsEouyR00h8gPnqvDoMU-myBlTU1tEn35VQlAikJeTz8D93rZpFp5rPnPinsQvGb6-a3CSq3goeMGvVglOevDLyyAnY4KNDbHsiXnliVbYz2EpXz/s320/DSC_0292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Crying in the finish chute at CIM<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnlNTqRGngqQl2Nmc-sAHzJiaKS5j5ZzkA4DDVbuhCB1kgfD6f4vMVKHSWu-lFdz9b6TgBwfQaXaaP9fIV5aOewcgAVxp_6p8KBM_fGTPv4g487aat6jLLBcKz0X7wpBsXBKfdhl3Bgxx/s1600/DSC_0304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnlNTqRGngqQl2Nmc-sAHzJiaKS5j5ZzkA4DDVbuhCB1kgfD6f4vMVKHSWu-lFdz9b6TgBwfQaXaaP9fIV5aOewcgAVxp_6p8KBM_fGTPv4g487aat6jLLBcKz0X7wpBsXBKfdhl3Bgxx/s320/DSC_0304.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The fam at CIM<br />
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wow, going through all those the pics really reaffirms for me, that 2010 was a really awesome year for me. And I TOTALLY noticed I dropped some weight this year! I had no idea I was that big! LOL! The one of me crying at CIM still chokes me up, and it's my biggest accomplishment to date. I hope I can relive that feeling once again in 2011. Thank you again to all of you for your continued reading and support. I can't wait to see what's in store for all of you in 2011!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy New Year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I wanted to leave this with all of you, since it was a song I just loved the past few months while running - it's "Rolling in the Deep" by Adel. I ran with it in CIM and definitely hit repeat a few times out there!</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> It has some great beats and strong lyrics - enjoy! (don't read too much into the lyrics , though! It's just a good running song!)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rYEDA3JcQqw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-73257730911605691032010-12-30T12:29:00.000-08:002010-12-30T12:29:53.908-08:00Back On Track<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I guess an apologies is in order: I'm so sorry I have been MIA from the blog world for the past few weeks. I needed a break. I needed to get some things in order, along with where I wanted things to go personally and well, here on the blog. I had some ups and downs since the time I have been on here, it's been a difficult and trying time. Nothing life threatening of course, just needed to square away what I wanted and needed out of life. But, I'm back and ready to keep up with all of you and keep you all up to date with what's going on in my small little world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I wasn't sure if I would share this with all of you, but I do believe this blog is a place of honesty and where I can share with all of you as a great support system. See, there has been a ton of talk in the past month or so of where everyone will be and will be doing next year with their running and race schedules. As you know, I decided to sit out Boston this year. That was a really hard decision to make, seeing how I wanted a bit of redemption after last year's <a href="http://one-run-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2010/04/114th-boston-marathon-race-report-kind.html">fiasco</a>. It is the race that everyone hopes for, so all of you going, soak it up - it is everything you want it to be an more. But not only talk of Boston got me down, it was everyone trying to sketch out what their 2011 race schedules would be. I saw peeps signing up left and right for the races I wanted to run, and as we all know, I LOVE to race. I do really well when I have a training schedule and a race to work towards. And without any planned, I was feeling a bit bummed and disconnected from all of you. My plans though have a bigger plan for the 2011 year. See, my hubbs and I have decided to start a family. That was what I wasn't sure I wanted to put out in blog land. I was almost afraid it would jinx us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We have been attempting to get pregnant for over six months now, and honestly, I thought I would be by now. It is a very trying time in couples lives when you are trying to start a family. Who knew? The plan from the beginning was I would be pregnant by the fall and hopefully be able to salvage the year with a great race schedule. But as I sit here now, no baby on board, and each month it doesn't happen, I see the year fading away from racing. I know what we are doing is so much bigger than a goal race or a PR, but running and racing is such a huge part of me that it is hard not to want to plan. And that is the problem, you can't plan. You can try, you can do all the "right" things, but sometimes things take longer than you want. And even now, I had big plans of the New York Marathon being my fall, big marathon of the year, and I am sad to say, I don't think that is in the cards. *sigh*</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">A part of me thinks I should just sign up for some fun races and see where life takes me. I feel like I shouldn't put my life on hold for something so unpredictable. But races fees are expensive, and I wouldn't necessarily want to put my health or a baby's health in jeopardy just because I signed up for a race and didn't want to loose out on the fees I paid. It's quite the predicament. I'm torn, and I still don't know what the right plan is. I really thought that I would be satisfied with all the goals I made and hit this year and that mentally I would be okay with sitting out - but I had also planned on being pregnant and that would make sitting out a whole lot easier. I had no clue what to expect, so now I'm in limbo and feel a bit lost. Some people have told me to just go for it, don't plan things you can't, while others have said that maybe it was all my miles and hard running that is slowing down the "process." I don't know what the right answer is right now, but for the time being, I'm just going with the flow as best as I can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm still running a ton, and when I look back on what I accomplished this year, I'm actually quite proud. All of my runs lately have been at a pace that I never knew would become so comfortable. I have been doing all my runs in the 8:00/mi range and I can finally say, that is my natural pace. I worked really hard all year to get here, and as much as I want to start my family, I also don't want to loose all the gains I made this year. I'm loving running right now, the NorCal weather has been just perfect for every run (minus the damn wind!). It's hard not to have a training calendar, and running aimlessly for mileage or what have you. I have kept my base right around 40 miles a week, and I don't necessarily feel like it would have that great of impact on my health. But who knows? For now, it's keeping me sane in this trying time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Christmas was wonderful, although not void of some MIL drama. That was the other piece of my life that really sent me down a spiral. Attempting to deal with behavior that isn't going to change, especially around the holidays is very trying, but we did our best and thankfully we had a very blessed Christmas. I couldn't ask for more. I also realized in the last month or so, that as much as I love being my own boss and working from home, it's just not for me. I felt a bit aimless and clueless with how to make it work. Not having a set schedule or where to be at certain times can be really hard. So, I decided that I needed to find a job. I am a people person, and in accounting and taxation, it is actually quite helpful to have other people and their own thoughts around when working. And thankfully, I landed the first one I applied for today! I'm super excited about it, it's an environment where I can grow and thrive and give me the structure that I'm craving right now. I even discussed with my future boss that I do have plans of starting a family in the near future, and they couldn't have been more supportive. I'm finally feeling like I made a really good choice for myself. A grown-up, healthy decision that will hopefully reap dividends that I can only imagine. I don't start until 1/24, so I still have some time to play and enjoy not having a schedule for a bit longer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Right now, I am signed up for a trail half in the middle of January and the Surf City half in February. I had to bite the bullet and take the plunge. I didn't want to sit out on these, cuz some of my <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/">favorite</a> <a href="http://rbr-runbabyrun.blogspot.com/">peeps</a> are running both. And I even managed a nice run on Sunday with Punky where we ran for the Operation Jack Virtual run - good times ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOYf7-qGpRmwV3wBtNiTo-68gLc5hM10QWagFJw06J3YJ9JaGkuzIsqgA40bKulX-yIPcE9XmaqhUTbSZTbIgLe1LLGxJ2JFn-eUc_6dRRJ9zCQO2zBWGiFlsgTpELIbFOgAzIBCdoAd6/s1600/ronme4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOYf7-qGpRmwV3wBtNiTo-68gLc5hM10QWagFJw06J3YJ9JaGkuzIsqgA40bKulX-yIPcE9XmaqhUTbSZTbIgLe1LLGxJ2JFn-eUc_6dRRJ9zCQO2zBWGiFlsgTpELIbFOgAzIBCdoAd6/s320/ronme4.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 Chilly miles done!<br />
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm not sure what the near future holds for me, or what my 2011 will look like. I'm not good with the unknown - I'm a planner and love having things all lined up. But I'm realizing that not all things in life can be planned, and it's definitely a lesson in patience. I've spent my whole life making lists and plans, and relishing each time I can cross one off my list. Right now, no lists, no plans is a difficult place to be in - so if I get a bit frantic or crazy, just know, it will hopefully be temporary and 2011 will hold great and wonderful things for me and my hubbs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Whew, I feel a lot better that I finally shared this will all of you. Some may think it's an "over-share" or that I'm just being whiny and feeling sorry for myself. And to those, you don't know what's it's like until you walk in my shoes. No one prepares you for what it's like when you start down this road of starting a family. Trust me, even from some of my closest and dearest friends and family, I'm constantly still getting, "it will happen when it's supposed to." That's all well and good, and I know there right, but damn it stings a little. And to all of you who continue to be supportive and excited, thanks - it means a ton. I promise to be back to my normal, happy, cheery bloggy self because I find so much inspiration and support from all of you. And I will live vicariously through all of you as you embark on 2011 and some really awesome races and goals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Tomorrow I will do my look back post and see how the year wrapped up. I do know, 2010 was one of my best running years yet. All of my accomplishments and goals were pretty great in my eyes, and I'm going to use it as a reminder that I've got a lot going for me when I do get to get back in to my crazy racing schedule.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thanks to all of you again, I'm off to catch up with all of you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Have a wonderful New Year's Eve Eve!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy running peeps!</span>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-81617458597088229342010-12-12T16:46:00.000-08:002010-12-12T20:39:18.045-08:00On Your Left! Race Report: Summit Rock Trail Half Marathon<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You probably don't know this about me, but I'm a bit of a tree hugger. Which may or may not surprise you, since I do live in the tree hugger capital of the world: the Bay Area, CA. True story: I'm such a fanatic about recycling, I used to take home all the recyclables from my office I used to work at. I couldn't stand that they didn't recycle, so much so that often when I left on Friday's, my car was stuffed to the brim with all the office recyclable garbage!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPXqUctrTqlPfboGuw_cqbHNnBwBuglgY716sAMC6wmm_8pzy5MTGylqsG9vpMV6zfmMxySl_D_tmRCYpPSs-NUrrKYDNJklIEAJryNX5KpK2jEWcgqRNJGx10o3AP4GJ3xFQOxqayobK/s1600/Summit+Rock+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPXqUctrTqlPfboGuw_cqbHNnBwBuglgY716sAMC6wmm_8pzy5MTGylqsG9vpMV6zfmMxySl_D_tmRCYpPSs-NUrrKYDNJklIEAJryNX5KpK2jEWcgqRNJGx10o3AP4GJ3xFQOxqayobK/s320/Summit+Rock+027.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree Hugging Saturday<br />
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But I digress. I forgot to mention this to all of you, but I had a little race to run on Saturday: <a href="http://www.brazenracing.com/summitrock.html">The Summit Rock Trail Half Marathon</a>, with my buddy <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/">Punky</a>. Yeah, maybe not the smartest idea to run a trail half less than a week out from a pretty grueling marathon, but I couldn't pass up a Saturday run with Punky or the beautiful trails that were pretty much in my back yard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I like to think of myself as a pretty on-time person, mainly due to the fact that growing up, my parents couldn't be on-time to save their lives. I was often late to school, girl scouts, soccer practice, even Mass! So, being on time to me even means being about ten minutes early. Saturday I had told Punky to be at my pad around 7:45. I got up around 6:30, dottled around as I got ready and thought I had plenty of time to get going. But then, around 7:10, I got a text message that read, "You should really buy a rake." WTH? Ron? Followed by the next text at 7:11, "I'm outside." Oh $hit! He's here! Already? Quick, get dressed and let him in! Dude was over a half hour early! Talk about on time! And talk about embarrassing! So, I let him in and scrambled to get ready as he drank my coffee and hassled my dog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Soon enough, we were in the car making the 20 minute drive to the race. The race was almost in my backyard, in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains in Saratoga, CA. This was the first event that Brazen put on at this park, but they did an awesome job as always. Thank goodness Punky was early - it took us almost 15 minutes to get into the park with all the traffic. After we parked, got body-glided up, we headed over to pick up our chips and meet up with my girl <a href="http://rbr-runbabyrun.blogspot.com/">Stacey</a> and Ron's friend Anne. (Side note: did you ever notice, Punky has a LOT of girl runner friends!) The weather was really perfect, overcast and a bit foggy, but not too cold. After a few pictures with the gang, we lined up at the start together. Stacey was doing the 10K with Anne, while us two stupids, Ron and I, were doing the half. Stupid only hit us when we were a half mile into the run and wanting to turn around and find a doughnut shop instead ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru5UMt4BioJZyfiAlqKzX0-3M3y4BXLJk_Ie4vb2F0gnHvMCYxL7DP90cjkd_UTKaxoV4xy73vNpsucRNYfkAi6P5oEMl5qG-QrPsEW8EQKDxshNqKBO49P9DjiCX9EW-Ic2YuIt1IJGH/s1600/Summit+Rock+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjru5UMt4BioJZyfiAlqKzX0-3M3y4BXLJk_Ie4vb2F0gnHvMCYxL7DP90cjkd_UTKaxoV4xy73vNpsucRNYfkAi6P5oEMl5qG-QrPsEW8EQKDxshNqKBO49P9DjiCX9EW-Ic2YuIt1IJGH/s320/Summit+Rock+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacey and me - she's the smart one on the right<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDzBTiAdSauWlIZukBTylNfPnpWmzttAvlEnAYx0_K4wPe54TDkSoI4wgGzfN3e4JcsobzE-ba5JhB4BQ1PYGs5EoTTXJ2KKjjxbHL5p7pcvFZgRgzp6k7O39axCBiyjJ2pg0DFzNi-bE/s1600/Summit+Rock+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDzBTiAdSauWlIZukBTylNfPnpWmzttAvlEnAYx0_K4wPe54TDkSoI4wgGzfN3e4JcsobzE-ba5JhB4BQ1PYGs5EoTTXJ2KKjjxbHL5p7pcvFZgRgzp6k7O39axCBiyjJ2pg0DFzNi-bE/s320/Summit+Rock+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Stacey, Ron & Anne - a stupid sandwich<br />
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Neither Ron nor I had really looked at the course map or elevation chart - big mistake! But I guess ignorance is bliss, because if we had looked, we probably wouldn't have even started. The whole run is pretty much single track, where you are enveloped by the beautiful canopy of redwood tress. It was damp and dark, just the most beautiful scenery you could ask for. Right away, the course went up hill. And just kept going up. It was an out and back course, so in the beginning we told ourselves that this would be great - negative split, baby! But it became pretty apparent right away, that might not even be doable. The race director, Sam - great guy by the way - had encouraged runners to walk the uphill parts and run the down hills - pretty smart advice. So, walk we did. All week, my legs felt pretty great after the marathon, but all of a sudden, on those hills, I felt like a lazy butt. I couldn't run up them if I tried! We were both out of breath and sweaty messes by the time we finally, finally hit mile 1. No worries, it's a trail run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The theme of the day became, "on your left!" We heard it constantly from the majority of our fellow runners passing us. Hahaha! Neither Punky or I could keep up with the mountain goats passing us. No big deal really, we had plenty of beautiful scenery to keep us occupied, and well, when you run with Punky - a good time will be had, even if your walking. I really, really wish I had put a sign on my shirt that read, "I'm not usually this slow! I ran a 3:34 marathon last week!" Funny how as runners, we don't ever want to show a "slow" side, but if there ever was one, yesterday was my slow day. I just hoped I wasn't slowing Punky down too much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And so the day went on. Walk, jog the uphills, fly down the down hills - "fly" being relative also. We chatted with fellow runners, took in the great smells of the damp forest and just generally goofed off as we made our way to the top.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqdW-zvV7mnetGSCWwRsL1Kux_Dyq3b6MLPu8jodMKh1RSMowWttddda8eKqN8vLd9InWhLR_o3QqyRf_B35rbWFPT0uztUJRDoERkj0jUgqOlMyEyD9SL9fR7bcXqENeMKus7fHZRNG6/s1600/Summit+Rock+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqdW-zvV7mnetGSCWwRsL1Kux_Dyq3b6MLPu8jodMKh1RSMowWttddda8eKqN8vLd9InWhLR_o3QqyRf_B35rbWFPT0uztUJRDoERkj0jUgqOlMyEyD9SL9fR7bcXqENeMKus7fHZRNG6/s320/Summit+Rock+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm also a bird lover ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzeOpChlR_T67Uo6zAOerfEKQbVWqwTLJMbFeW9QMV96sSDGDL90KaDZi9Rw9CrddIYd4DITfPslV_xVhXnbwxBlWdus6D1OwN8dEGLwKgUguBztReQZfKADU5BVSMJCbOBxsmn0_XbLi/s1600/Summit+Rock+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzeOpChlR_T67Uo6zAOerfEKQbVWqwTLJMbFeW9QMV96sSDGDL90KaDZi9Rw9CrddIYd4DITfPslV_xVhXnbwxBlWdus6D1OwN8dEGLwKgUguBztReQZfKADU5BVSMJCbOBxsmn0_XbLi/s320/Summit+Rock+017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By the time we hit the 10K turn around and aid station, we may or may not have contemplated turning around. But the show must go on! And on and UP we went. The conversation got pretty "R" rated in here, which means neither of us will be sharing exactly what crossed our mouths as we kept plugging along. By about a mile and half from the last aid station and half turn around, we had many, many people coming back down. WOW! I mean LOTS of people were already lapping us! Hahaha! And you wouldn't believe what they kept saying to us! "You're almost there!" "Just a bit more to go!" Did we look that bad!?? I mean, <em>come on</em>! We had a LONG way still to go! Thanks, but you can keep your pity comments to yourself. One woman, and I have to say this, she was on the larger side, looked at me at this point and said, "almost there, they even have pumpkin pie waiting for you!" WTF? Do I look like someone who is motivated by pumpkin pie? Do I look like someone that <em>needs</em> food as a motivator? Sheesh! Punky and I just had to laugh, but by like the 100th person telling us "almost there!" with just over a mile left, it got old - quick!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At the final aid station, we both stopped to fill our water bottles and grab a cup of water. I started chatting with a few runners and the support staff, when I turned around and I couldn't see Punky. Now, by no means was this a large area, so I would have seen him <em>and</em> his hair if he was still there. But no, he ditched me! He took off and left me as I stood there drinking my water. Argh! So I high-tailed it down there where I found him running down the hill trying to leave my slow butt. What a friend, <em>what</em> a friend. It was when I found him that I got my revenge, I jumped into a giant mud puddle and covered us both in mud! Tee hee! That's what you get for leaving me. Don't worry, he knew I would catch him...eventually. And so we made our way back <em>down</em> the mountain.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Down? Yeah, not so much. There wasn't much down happening on the way back. I guess it is possible to go up both ways in a race. We were cursing the course and Sam at this point - he's a dirty, dirty race director. Our legs were both toast at this point and we still had six miles to get back. So, back to shenanigans for us! More dirty jokes, more making fun of our slow selves and finally the miles began to tick by. We would attempt to run the down hills when we could, but both of us had quads there were screaming at us. No biggie, we still enjoyed the scenery.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8umZyuwqjz436qAlKgZwswghUAv-WBTqKClNpLpJXo2QXR1yEUAF5XJjkYOXZNvREwSVQiCE-WYty2AhOm5kkXoNXdaULnCOoYzMbuVtf2JhfqDoyKi7rhlnUHXZh8DMo921_vST6O8ry/s1600/Summit+Rock+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8umZyuwqjz436qAlKgZwswghUAv-WBTqKClNpLpJXo2QXR1yEUAF5XJjkYOXZNvREwSVQiCE-WYty2AhOm5kkXoNXdaULnCOoYzMbuVtf2JhfqDoyKi7rhlnUHXZh8DMo921_vST6O8ry/s320/Summit+Rock+028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My view for the majority of the race - check out those calf muscles! Meow!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVkmVfpXwXzW-cZCw80n-pgwhX5rL5HeNVPh9xvp1TmQ7kIgzH1O84Omt8MvHJBK0giGvD9g1BozvQdFYYvbxLDWjLzj8HuM8owXjw9tyYhAUY7J0UU6I61u9wIvupWsevBGrdYRuslEg/s1600/Summit+Rock+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVkmVfpXwXzW-cZCw80n-pgwhX5rL5HeNVPh9xvp1TmQ7kIgzH1O84Omt8MvHJBK0giGvD9g1BozvQdFYYvbxLDWjLzj8HuM8owXjw9tyYhAUY7J0UU6I61u9wIvupWsevBGrdYRuslEg/s320/Summit+Rock+015.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I look happy, no?<br />
<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We slowly inched our way down the mountain, only to be greeted by the last two miles that were pretty much straight down. You had no choice but to run, stopping killed our quads and well, we had been out there so damn long we just wanted to finish. We both did an awesome job of keeping each other motivated and finally, after 3:17:58, we crossed the finish line together - oh so happy to be done!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Yes, you read that right, it took us 3 hours, seventeen minutes and fifty-eight seconds to go 12.4 miles - or a 15:58/mi pace. Just think, I covered more than twice that distance the week before in almost the same amount of time - hahaha! When we finished, we felt like we had just come back from war - we saw some crazy things out there people, some of which will forever be etched into my brain. But you know what, I HAD A BLAST! Yes, the course was the most difficult trail race I have ever done, but I couldn't have done it without Punky, and I sure as heck wouldn't have had as much fun! Thanks Ron, you're a gem, and I'm so glad we got to share this "experience" together. Note to self: NEVER run this one again!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wgy-LkvrTsYe_Pliv2VTZ9c-hcoDjta4CsiZ3LoSSoCWy0AGBlFOW0WbcFhnuATqY6J_8f55BL-hwU2b95zED4372ptw4AEmoK8x66BkNzWhgbWSGYGM00wJlcNqcONDkjNJhJaYZylM/s1600/Summit+Rock+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wgy-LkvrTsYe_Pliv2VTZ9c-hcoDjta4CsiZ3LoSSoCWy0AGBlFOW0WbcFhnuATqY6J_8f55BL-hwU2b95zED4372ptw4AEmoK8x66BkNzWhgbWSGYGM00wJlcNqcONDkjNJhJaYZylM/s320/Summit+Rock+009.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before - all happy and ignorant<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTiRYfKbDeZ12xcfuDwz4Azg3fsrwb5oS_4IJDsh7v8Q0Fyslha-Ir-87GP-_UldYIjsBadnsom6OukBUmkh9L-xeH-2R4m-CWtlwoSjbSU7J9Z5bK1bCLaow_AXfDq96UAlJlwxEocKX/s1600/Summit+Rock+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTiRYfKbDeZ12xcfuDwz4Azg3fsrwb5oS_4IJDsh7v8Q0Fyslha-Ir-87GP-_UldYIjsBadnsom6OukBUmkh9L-xeH-2R4m-CWtlwoSjbSU7J9Z5bK1bCLaow_AXfDq96UAlJlwxEocKX/s320/Summit+Rock+033.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>After - what the hell happened to us?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNtW2XH-2OF-_Dd1WTCtcq3mDR_uzIaB32GuTP1W5Ddm6K99FZspEEQ8hgdtCtG6__Kjxd2Pt_eAjVgYgitM_pgkaTNM0V8kL0u5_sy9-WgjM5SMDacoE7gzOOvBeFnzUF4ttONKmDvmq/s1600/Summit+Rock+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNtW2XH-2OF-_Dd1WTCtcq3mDR_uzIaB32GuTP1W5Ddm6K99FZspEEQ8hgdtCtG6__Kjxd2Pt_eAjVgYgitM_pgkaTNM0V8kL0u5_sy9-WgjM5SMDacoE7gzOOvBeFnzUF4ttONKmDvmq/s320/Summit+Rock+031.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>We finished!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDVhX9tmbpZAluhyphenhyphenViwuWkXIIhI8e3gtKfw6eUWjpKcyeB1ImjAnSUVfr9spYq18pX1R8sSYJFYyqbqtIPpByu-65Miu43iqBdht02_rIZwXEw8Nu8KlS3b4A-lnYEUGDV0hF9aZ6xvw4/s1600/Summit+Rock+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDVhX9tmbpZAluhyphenhyphenViwuWkXIIhI8e3gtKfw6eUWjpKcyeB1ImjAnSUVfr9spYq18pX1R8sSYJFYyqbqtIPpByu-65Miu43iqBdht02_rIZwXEw8Nu8KlS3b4A-lnYEUGDV0hF9aZ6xvw4/s320/Summit+Rock+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The medals<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm so glad I did run this, it taught me I'm stronger than I thought. I enjoyed a beautiful Saturday run in the most beautiful scenery around. I may not run it again, but so glad I can say I did run it - once!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thanks Ron for all the great pics - at least the ones I could show here and still keep my blog rated PG.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My legs were pretty tore up all day yesterday, but I iced-bathed when I got home and today they felt pretty dang good so I went out for a quick run. I was so surprised they felt so good, in fact, they just wanted to run! I did some fartleks and some speed and enjoyed a foggy run - 5 miles in 39:44 - 7:57/mi pace. Did not know I still had it in me. I even managed to run over 27 miles this week even post marathon. Recovery went really well, I'm still recovering mind you, but so far so good.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I have a busy week again ahead of me, 2 days of tax classes and some snow boarding are on schedule! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Have a wonderful week peeps, I'm off to catch up with all of you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running!</span>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5676428533413355659.post-16095135734529468662010-12-07T07:45:00.000-08:002010-12-07T07:45:26.156-08:00Race Report: California International Marathon 2010<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Where to start, where to start! I have so many thoughts and emotions about my race and everything involved with it, that it is kind-of daunting thinking of where to begin! But I'll start at the beginning, which is usually a good place to start ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I did not sleep very well at all on Friday night. I wanted to make it a good night's sleep, but I just was tossing and turning for pretty much the whole night. I did manage to get a few hours in early Saturday morning, but when I finally got out of bed I was exhausted. I was not happy about this, but went about my morning getting all packed up to leave for Sacramento.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My brother and sister-in-law live up in Sac, so we were planning on staying with them. My parents also joined us, and together we drove up with 4 peeps and 3 dogs ;) I had no appetite on Saturday - my nerves were really getting to me. But I forced down a sandwich and headed to the expo with my brother Michael and sis-in-law Suzie. Suz has been to a few expo's with me, but my brother was an expo-virgin. He couldn't believe all the crazy peeps and crazy gadgets. We had fun hanging out and sampling things and after I got my bib and stuff we headed home where I tried to relax.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My mamma made her homemade spaghetti sauce and for the first time I ate pasta the night before a race. I still had no appetite but I managed to get it down - along with a serving of Suzie's pumpkin pie desert ;) I was all nerves all day, I don't think I have been this nervous before a race before. I just couldn't get the knots out of my stomach. But I did everything else right, with hydrating, eating and resting the best I could. Finally, I hit the sack around 10 and <em>attempted</em> to sleep. I slept really light, waking often, which isn't unusual for me the night before a big race. But again, when my alarm went off at 4:15 in the morning I just didn't feel rested. My dad decided to drive us to the start up in Folsom while everyone else in the house slept in a bit more and got ready later. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I ate my usual pre-race breakfast in the car as we drove to the start. I saw lots of school buses driving on the road along with us. This actually calmed me a bit, finally I wasn't alone in this endeavor. Ari was planning on ridding his bike along side me during the race, so when they dropped me off at the runner's spot, he took off to the start on his own. I boarded a bus with other runners where they finally dropped us off at the start. I was worried Ari would get lost or have a hard time finding me, but I just couldn't think about it. I was so sick to my stomach. I felt like I was going to barf as I wondered around the start area. I stood in line a few times to use the bathrooms and each runner I talked to commented on how warm it was out. The weather report was calling for a 50% chance of rain and the temps in the low 50's. When I had gotten out of the car it was already 50, so I went with shorts, a short-sleeve shirt and wore a long sleeve shirt on until the start. The temps weren't too bad, you could stand around and not feel chilled to the bone. I even ditched my gloves before the start.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My plan was to stick with the 3:30 pacer. I met him at the expo and he is the head pacer. Everyone said he runs really even splits. I had a plan of going out faster in the first half, banking some time, and then using that time to help me if I struggled the later miles. I wanted to go 1:40 in the first half and 1:50 in the second half. The start wasn't too bad, and it seemed like all the runners were lined up in the right spots. This was one thing about this race I really liked: it seems this race really brings out the hard core runners. You know, not too many peeps making this challenging course their first one. I finally lined up between the 3:20 pacer and the 3:30 pacer. Figuring, I would shoot to stay between them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As I stood waiting for the gun, I thought I was going to puke right there with my nerves. I don't know how I managed it other than I was afraid of loosing any nutrition even before the race. I even told the peeps around me to watch out, I might barf! None of them seemed to bat an eye - I'm sure I wouldn't have been the first to do that! Everyone was also shedding clothes like crazy! It was pretty warm in the start corral and I think everyone was banking on it being cold just like last year so they were all over dressed. I took off my long sleeved shirt, tied it around my waist and soon the gun went off.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The first mile is almost all down hill. I had memorized this course pretty well, and attempted to keep my strategy in the front of my mind the whole time. The 3:20 guy took off pretty fast so I let him go and just stuck to my feel good pace. I had my watch set to current lap and I was keeping at a pretty good clip the whole time. I was also on the watch for Ari here - I was still worried it was going to take him a long time to find me. Right away I also knew that this race was going to warm up fast. I was already pretty warm by the end of mile 1 and just tried to stay positive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 1 - 7:50</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 2 - 7:50</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 3 - 7:38</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Consistency was the name of the game for me. I just tried to go by feel as much as I could. Those early miles felt really good - no knee pain and my stomach had pretty much decided to play nice for the time being. Score! I kept looking for Ari and took some water at the first stop. I was getting a bit worried though by mile 3 when I didn't see him. He had my GU and I wanted one in my hand to start warming it up by my 4. I couldn't focus on that too much though, I was too overwhelmed with just keeping my legs right on task and not thinking too much about what was ahead. Finally, around mile 4 he found me and I instantly felt so much better. The miles in here are pretty up and down. Gradual up's but none the less, it is some good rolling hills. I kept my pace up through them and just went with what felt good. I used the down hills to my advantage and just kept plugging away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 4 - 7:49</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 5 - 7:53 (GU'ed at mile 5.5)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 6 - 7:52</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Ari had done a pretty good job of memorizing the route. I had forgotten it all at this point. He warned me that there was some good climbs coming and that I should be prepared. Well, I was in for a shocker. Right before mile 7, a big hill came. I looked at my watch on the current lap setting which also showed elevation change. At the beginning of that hill it said something like 220 feet, but the time I got to the top of that first climb it said 350 something! WOW! It felt like that big of a gain! I was also getting excited to see my family who said they would be out just past mile 10. I couldn't wait to see them, and that was fueling my legs, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 7 - 7:54 (big first climb!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 8 - 7:56</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 9 - 7:56 (Gu'ed)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 10 - 7:42 (nice downhill)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Around mile 10 you enter into the cute downtown area of Fair Oaks. It's super cute and a big spectator spot. I kept looking and looking for my family. I couldn't see them, and when we got through all the spectators I was afraid I missed them. I turned to Ari and asked them if I had missed them. He told me the bad news - they couldn't get there due to the traffic closures and would be at mile 19. I.was.so.bummed. And angry for a moment. I really wanted to see them. I needed to see them. But I had to put it behind me and keep moving forward. The hills just never stoped in here. They just kept coming. I wasn't getting tired just yet but kept drinking water from the aid stations and Ari constantly. Sometimes because I was thirsty or needed to wash down a GU but also because I wanted to just stay on top of my hydration. I was also getting really warm in here, and by mile 13 or so, I took off my shirt and went with my signature sport's bra look ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 11 - 7:47 (BIG climb in here)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 12 - 7:55</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 13 - 7:50</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 14 - 7:45</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At the relay exchange at mile 13 I got to see <a href="http://www.runningonthego.com/">Tara</a> and <a href="http://kristinrunning.com/">Kristin</a>! I soooooo needed this! They spotted me first and it felt sooooo good to see a familiar face. I needed that boost. I was starting to get down on myself. I had hit the half in 1:42:xx, a bit off from where I wanted to be and this really bummed me out. But seeing them reassured me I was right on track - my legs were feeling really good in here and I was holding them back just a bit. To say that I had another 13 miles to go made me worried and I promised myself I could pull back a bit around 16 and gather myself and my plans. It seemed my legs were fresh, but my head was another story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 15 - 7:56</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 16 - 8:04 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 17 - 7:56</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 18 - 8:00</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I had told myself I could back off a bit at mile 16, but seeing that 8:04 on my watch had gotten me worried. I didn't like it one bit and knew I was being easy on myself. So, at 17 I picked it up a bit and at mile 18 I just tried to cruise. With single digits left I tried to stay positive, but I was a sweaty mess and just kind-of done running. I had some really low moments here, but then I remembered my family would be at 19, so I grabbed a GU somewhere between 18 and 19 and that helped a bit. Not much, but it did help to think about that instead of running! Finally, at mile 19 I got to see my family - my dad, my mom, my sis Suz and my nephew William. They were cheering so loud I could hear them before I saw them. It felt so good to run by them, and I tried to be strong. For some reason though, I just wanted to cry. I was starting to hurt really bad and all the thoughts of loosing my goal started to enter my head. Ari also noticed around this point my posture was starting to slouch. He coached me a bit to stay more upright and to focus on my kick, but I may or may not have yelled at him to shut the heck up! I knew he was right, but I just didn't want to hear him. My legs started to get really, really heavy - mainly my quads. The whole course is rollers - some up's are really long and steep, while others are just a pain in the butt. They had taken a toll on me at this point and my quads were just not happy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">By mile 20, my quads had pretty much seized up. They hurt to step up at all and I had no kick what so ever. I couldn't understand what went wrong. Really, physically up to this point I felt great. I wasn't tired, my legs felt pretty fresh, and I was running almost by feel. Yes, my head had been an emotional wreck, but physically I was moving just fine until here. They just had no strength left by mile 20.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 19 - 8:12 (saw the fam)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 20 - 8:26 (the beginning of the end)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 21 - 8:34 (WTH??)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 22 - 8:48 (GU'ed)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I was in full on survival mode. I couldn't believe I had nothing left in me. Ari also managed to get a FLAT in here! Argh! NOT AGAIN! But I had to keep moving. At mile 22, the 3:30 pacer passed me and I died a little inside. I couldn't believe it. All my hard work was crashing down. My legs were DEAD. I felt like I had energy, but my legs had pretty much seized up in my quads. I couldn't get them to move any faster. I took one more GU at 22 right before Ari got the flat but that didn't seem to help too much. I wanted to cry again. I was on track for so long. I tried to stay with the 3:30 group (it was big!) and even though it was pretty flat these remaining miles, I just couldn't catch up. This was so disappointing to me. There were tons of spectators now that were back in down town again. It was nice to have the cheers, but they weren't making my legs carry me any faster.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I started doing the math in my head, even if I ran 9 minute miles for the next four miles, I would still hit my B goal of 3:35 so I just tried to stay positive. This was the lowest point for me during the race. Ari was gone, I just lost my great pace, and I felt really alone. I wanted to be done. I had gone from being on an 3:26- 3:28 pace down to settling for a 3:35. I was crushed. I had to stay with it though, I still had 4 miles left and decided to get my head away from the pitty party and just enjoy the fact that I was running the race of my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 23 - 9:05</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 24 - 9:11 (it was getting ugly in here!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 25 - 8:57</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">With just over a mile left, I knew if I picked it up I could break 3:35! I was running as fast as I could - I had looked over my shoulder at one point and saw the 3:35 guy coming and there was NO WAY I would let him come close to me! So I just started kicking as best as I could and before I knew it I was passing mile 26 and looking down just the last .2 with a few turns.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">mile 26 - 8:19 (where was this 3 miles ago!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">last .2 - 2:16 (7:25/mi pace)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I crossed the finish line in 3:34:16 - an over 4 minute PR! I had done it! I was so emotional right away. I had worked so hard out there, fought so hard those last 6.2 miles that I was very overwhelmed when I crossed. I started balling right away. Thankfully, <a href="http://thesmudge.com/">Layla</a> was there to catch me and wrap a blanket around me. It was sooooooo good to see here. I was a sweaty, sticky, crying mess, but my friend gave me a big hug and carried me to my family. Thanks Layla - that meant a lot to me. When I finally saw my mom and everyone, they were also crying. I was so spent, but so happy. I'm proud of my time, proud of my accomplishment and so glad I had my family there. As soon as I crossed, after I saw my fam, my sis Suzie got in the car to go and pick up stranded Ari. He had missed me crossing the finish line - and I was so sad about this - he had worked hard to keep me going out there, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.flashresults.com/2011_Meets/CIM/searchind/">Official Stats</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">26.2 - 3:34:16 - 8:10/mi pace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">AG - 62/437</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">245/2549 - woman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1143 overall</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Garmin:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">26.31 - 3:34:16 - 8:08/mi pace</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After I got a bit collected, I put on some dry clothes and went to see where <a href="http://www.runnersrambles.com/">Aron</a> and everyone was. I met up with them inside the finish shoot and it was nice to see how every one's day went. This is a tough course - don't be fooled by the negative downhill they play up so well. Yes, it is a net downhill, but it is rolling hills for the majority of the race. It can chew you up and spit you out quick. The race itself, it just awesome. VERY well organized, great course management of the route and aid stations and I will definetly be back next year. I would recommend this race to anyone - it may be difficult, but it is so worth it ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I have some thoughts on why my quads seized up. I'm not 100% convinced though of what exactly went wrong. I know that I was running very well the first 20. Like I said, my legs never felt really tired, and my energy was always spot on until the end. I think it had to do with my salt intake and how warm it was out. I didn't bring any salt tabs on me, and since I just was not hungry the days before, I probably didn't eat enough of my usually salty diet before hand. I GU'ed and drank at all the right spots, but in the end I think it came down to the lack of salt and all the sweating I did. My shorts and sports bra were so wet I probably could have wrong them out and got a good puddle. I'm not sure what I could have done with that info during the race - I was probably already in a deficit. But I'm glad my knee behaved, my tummy behaved and my energy was great. I also know I ran pretty smart through 16. I could have gone faster, I could have tore that course up more - but I ran by feel and effort and the whole time (until 20) I had the right energy and legs. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm hungry for another. I wanted my sub 3:30 that I just know is waiting in me to be unlocked. Although, today I'm a wreck. Standing, sitting, walking, going to the bathroom are all still very, very painful. I know I left it all out on the course. I'm not sure what is next now - I had planned on this being my last full for a very long time, but I want more - I want my sub 3:30 - I need to step back and see what my options are and what my ultimate goals really are.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Thank you to all of you for your support during my crazy training cycle. You all always made me feel so special and so strong - and I thought about allll of you while I was out there. I kept you all in the front of my mind when it got tough or hard, and reminded myself that you would all be proud no matter what. So, thank you to each and every one of you - I couldn't have done it with out you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Congrats to all my fellow CIM'ers out there and to all of you that tackled Vegas this weekend - you are all rockstars in my book ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I know this has been long, but I'll have pics up in the next couple of days - so thanks for sticking with me!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Have a great Tuesday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Running peeps!</span>Katie A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05532916063060905892noreply@blogger.com33