Shiny Hair, Pretty Eyes: Story of a Fat Girl

Back in the game!

2010-02-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I've written! And so many wonderful things have happened :)

In chronological order, I got my half marathon, 5k and full marathon PRs. I knocked 40 minutes off my last year's marathon time! It was unreal! :)

I can't really believe it's time to start thinking about plans for the year again. This year will be a biggie. I have 2 full marathons on the list. I applied for the NYC marathon and am presently waiting to hear if I've made it past the lottery stage.

I also had a great idea for a new running group. I need to take a break from work so I can focus on it! But, I've made some great new friends at work, most of which run! :)

I'm also taking my first stab at a full marathon training schedule. One that I would actually follow. It has less running days than most schedules, but I truly think that's how you make it to the starting line fresh and ready to run your best!

For Christmas, Matt wanted us to run another half marathon together. We've set our sights on the Disneyland Half Marathon in September.

My sister ran her first 5k this month and I couldn't be more proud! The whole thing made me totally emotional, she was such a rock star for her first race! She didn't even look tired! I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a race we can do together... maybe another 5k, or a 10k :)

When I was in California for her race I went for a nice long run with a friend from high school. I was sooooo grateful to her for showing me a trail I can get some real miles out of. She is also mid-training for a marathon this year. It was great to spend the time catching up and talking about life.

Kelly, Leanne and I ran the Nookumchamps half marathon a couple weeks ago. I didn't really train, which I'm embarrassed to say. I'm trying not to be so reckless with my body, but it was a pleasant long run that earned me another medal :)

I'm on Week 2 of my new training schedule. I'll be running 12 miles at the end of the week. I'm planning to really incorporate a lot of hills so I can be ready for the Mercer Island Half Marathon. I had a great time running with my friends. It wasn't terribly hilly last year, but I could have been in better shape. I'll be ready this time!

Anyway, more as it develops!

it's official...

2009-06-19T14:54:00.001-07:00

Full Circle

2009-04-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

This week our lesson for Girls on the Run was about being grateful and taking time to reflect on all the things we are thankful for.

And the girls had to run their laps... without partners... in silence...

One of the most rewarding parts of coaching is all the perspective it brings. I had a lousy day at work that day, left the office crying on the phone to one of my co-workers, then came to our running group where I was greeted by an excited group of girls ready to run! :)

I watched them write down things they were thankful for and it was a reminder of simpler times. A time where you were grateful for "puppys" and "elefans" and when the WORST thing to happen to you all week was being forced to run in silence for 20 minutes...

Makes all that client stuff seems silly sometimes :)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Literally minutes after Chris and I started our long run this weekend she hit an uneven part of the pavement and was launched a few feet in the air and landed right on her elbow!

It was so scary! We were, of course, out in the dark at 5:50 in the morning, and lucky enough to be near a starbucks that had just opened. We grabbed her some coffee, then she headed back home and to the emergency room.

I was in starbucks at 6 am, and didn't have anywhere to be for two hours so I finally started reading "4 Months to a 4 Hour Marathon," and then took off for a quick 6-miler... alone.

With no running partner, I was forced to run in silence.

--------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a while since I had run alone. And I did spend the time reflecting on things I'm grateful for... especially all the wonderful people I've been running with :)

Then I thought about how Bridget and I started running Queen Anne Hill. Something I never thought was possible before. And how overwhelmed I feel at work sometimes and the only way to get through it is to buckle down and take care of one thing at a time.

That's the way all things are possible, from running marathons, to losing 100 pounds. Anything is possible one small change at a time.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I also got to thinking, this "4 Months to a 4 Hour Marathon" is totally possible... I WILL pick a race this week. :) And I'm really excited!

Stay tuned!

St. Patty's Day Dash Photos

2009-04-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Brie and I braved the snow and rain and ran the St. Patty's Day Dash. Usually I'm available for any race that ends in a beer garden... but we finished around 9:30 :)

It was great! It felt like a nice jog up Aurora Bridge :)

Here are a couple photos Brie took :)

My shirt says "Lucky Me," it wasn't intended to be ironic, but....

Updates!!!

2009-03-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, where did February and March go?

So much to update and so little time!

--------------------------------------------
RACE INFO:

Just finished the mercer island half marathon last weekend! It was so much fun! I ran with my friends Bridget and Chris. Because Chris is a little crazy (and that's what I love about her) she used this half marathon as a training run for her next half marathon in May. She ran 7 miles with Bridget and me.

The Mercer Island course was pretty tough! The first 10 miles are rolling hills on uneven streets, then the last three miles were even tougher! And it ended in an uphill incline!

I managed to PR, my chip time was 2:20:57. I realized that morning that this was my fifth half marathon in less than a year. And I finished this one 18 minutes faster than my first one :)

The only thing I can attribute it to was having this song in my head all through the race:

hahahaha, Bridget and I actually starting singing it around mile 10 :)

---------------------------------------

In February I did the Love 'Em or Leave 'Em 5k with Holly and Matt. I was still in marathon training mode, so a 5k was not going to be enough distance for me. I decided to leave at 6:30 in the morning and run from my apartment to Greenlake (where the race was) first. It was 6 miles to get to the starbucks. Then a mile from Starbucks to the start of the race, where I met up with Holly and Matt.

Somehow I managed to only finish about 10 seconds slower than my 5k best! I guess I really do need to get those junk miles out of the way early :)

------------------------------------------

In marathon news, I need to pick a new race. Matt's sister is getting married the weekend of the Vancouver Marathon. So I decided to not really train for anything just yet, and now I'm running out of time! I'd like to get at least two marathons in this year.

I'll pick something this week :)

----------------------------------------

I took a volunteer position as an assistant coach for Girls on the Run. So every thursday I go to an elementary school in Tukwilla and help out with running and teaching the Girls on the Run curriculum. I've only gone one week so far and it's already proving to be an amazing experience! I'll definitely post more updates :)

----------------------------------------

Thanks to Bridget I've finally run Queen Anne hill, right up the front of it. It's one of the steepest hills in Seattle. I usualy take a mile and a half to go around the slowly up the hill. This was is the most direct route. Frankly, if I can run Queen Anne hill, I'm pretty sure I can take on almost any hill ;)

----------------------------------------

I've also recently become moderately addicted to Bikram yoga. I tried it while I was in Scottsdale with my boss last month. We went twice, the first time was awful the second time was less awful. Then I decided to find a studio in town, and found Bikram Seattle. They have this sneaky trick where you sign up and pay the drop in fee, and get 10 FREE classes that you have to use in 14 days. So I ended up going 3 or 4 times a week... and by then it's totally easy!

(FYI, Bikram is hot yoga. You do 26 poses twice. The first time you hold them for 60 seconds and the second time is 30 seconds. Oh, and the room is at least 100 degrees)

---------------------------------------------

Phew! That's the long and the short of it! More soon!

It starts... again

2009-01-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was my first long run in the game again. When I started to taper during my Portland marathon I was pretty bummed that I didn't really practice my pacing. I would just go for it and try to keep my run as even as possible.

The first few miles almost always suck. I can't really understand only running 3 miles at a time. I maintain that running doesn't get fun until you're hitting mile 4. I would usually hit my stride around then and all went well until about mile 15. Anything after 15 miles was a free-for-all.

On Saturday I did 10 miles on West Seattle, and I worked to maintain a 10:30 pace. I fininshed in an hour and 46 minutes. I had to push pretty hard especially on the hill in the middle of the run. As a consequence I never really hit a point where it got easy.

I think next week I'm going to try starting slow, you know, like they say you should... and see how that affects my pace.

----------------------------------------------------
My biggest takeway from my run this week is that I realized how grateful I am that I've been able to experience Seattle on foot. It's given me the opportunity to see parts of the city I wouldn't have otherwise. My West Seattle course starts on Alki with a beautiful view of the downtown skyline. I run along the water and by giant cool houses and cute quaint ones with the view of the islands.

Then you enter Lincoln Park with paths and and trees. Early in the morning it's foggy and feels like you could be somewhere else in northeast maybe :)

Anyway, I need to remember this when my alarm goes off at 4:45 in the morning and I walk over, set it for an hour later, and get back into bed....

I can't wait until we have some sunlight in the mornings again! :)

Run Matt Run!

2009-01-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, how can so much greatness exist in one apartment.... :)

Last Sunday Matt completed his first half marathon in Phoenix. And I was along for the ride.

I was a little nervous going into the race. Our longest run had been 5 or 6 miles, and Matt started getting a pain in his toe. Anything beyond 6 miles was going to be a mystery! We hadn't had a chance to try out hydration or nutrition options.

On the morning of the race I wanted to be prepared for anything. I packed us some water, a couple granola bars, shot blocks, some aspirin, oh and a disposable camera. Matt also hadn't run enough in my uber-fashionable fanny packs to get comfortable carrying his own, so I strapped on our survival pack.

The weather was perfect! A cool 50 degrees... but since it was Phoenix, the weather was going to get much warmer right away. We packed into the starting line and took in the myriad of characters waiting to start the race. Because we had a longer estimated time we were mixed in with walkers and joggers. But there seemed to be too many people in warm winter-y coats. It blew my mind.

I wonder how many race participants were first timers. I know Phoenix has a lot of programs to raise the fitness level of their city, but it seemed like there were a lot of people who didn't know what was ahead of them.

Here are a couple of my favorite runners:
- Dude carrying the goody bag from the expo around his shoulders
- Girl holding up the line for the porta-potties because there was no toilet paper
- The two Paris-Hilton type girls walk-running, one of which had a wrist clutch
- The dude on the apparent "green team" or maybe he was rooting for the eagles....

Okay, so Matt was definitely my favorite runner. We ran the first 4 miles, no problem. They were going by pretty quickly! We stopped and walked for a mile. Then it happened...

He got his first runner's high. It was great to be with someone while they experienced it for the first time. He was pumping his fists to the music and joking around. He could have run forever...

or for another mile or two. :)

Around 8.5 it started to get more difficult. Luckily, his family was in the perfect spot to cheer us on, and they snapped a photo. :) The energy was enough to keep us going for another half mile.

We ate a granola bar, walked, talked, and made fun of bands along the way. We decided we'd run again at mile 10.

Then it was mile 10, just in time for our legs to get good and stiff. It took about 10 minutes for me to start feeling good again. It's been a while since I've been running for more than 2 hours. We only had three miles to go. Matt was pretty lucid and moving, and if it came down to it, we could walk it if we had to. We both knew he was going to finish :)

The last three miles were pretty rough, but of course they are, that's why most people don't do this sort of thing. It also started to get really hot. It was reaching the mid-70s. We kept trucking along. I was really impressed with how well Matt was doing. I knew he was in pain, but he was a real trooper!

We got to the finish line and it was over. It wasn't as climatic as Matt had hoped, but it was over and we survived. :)

AND, the best news is... he's interested in doing it again! I think the real success is that he finished the race and doesn't hate running! Look out world, we have a new half-marathoner on our hands :)

Girls, Girls, Girls!

2009-01-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

GIRLS ON THE RUN IS SO MUCH FUN!

You can't really argue with a chant like that! Holly and I became "running buddies" this winter for an organization called "Girls on the Run." This group is dedicated to helping girls between the ages of 8 and 11 develop healthy self-esteem (to match their healthy bodies!) through running. Our job as running buddies was to help these young ladies train for their first 5k and offer encouragement and support during the 3.1 mile journey.

After Sammy, my running buddy, and I were formally introduced, she looked me up and down and asked, "Can you go fast?"

Uh oh!

I wondered, am in good enough shape to keep up with this gal who is ready to win? I mustered up a bit of confidence and answered, "Uh, sure!"

From the start Sammy was ready to go fast. She wanted to pass everyone right out of the gate! I tried my best to explain why you don't go as fast as you can in the beginning, but Sammy wasn't interested in reason. Soon we were so far ahead of everyone it was okay for us to walk. It gave us a chance to get to know each other a little better.

We kept walking until one of the other girls would catch up, then we would run as fast as we could! And eventually Sammy's strategy worked! We won the practice 5k!

As the girls finished we cheered and enjoyed our celebratory cups of Gatorade. It was so touching to see the girls be so encouraging to one another. Let's face it, girls aren't always nice to each other, and it was refreshing to see these girls be so accepting and encouraging of their friends!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Wonder Girl 5k was the event the girls had been training for. Sammy was ready to win that morning. She even looked like a super hero in her crown and cape.

On the other hand, I was freezing... it must have been about 30 degrees!

Before I knew it we were off! Sammy strategically placed us near the front of the group so we could go fast. Everything was going according to plan, then it happened.

The worst thing to happen to anyone while running: a side stitch!

Poor Sammy was trying so hard to run through it, but we still had so far to go! We tried a few times to walk it off, but it just kept coming back. I tried my best to convince her that this happens to everyone and some days are just "bad run" days.

Then she said, "I don't think we're going to win–I'm sorry..."

It totally broke my heart! I told her she didn't have to apologize! She's a strong person for even attempting to run a 5k and she'll be an even stronger person when she finishes!

I told her about my awful 12-mile run that I couldn't even finish. I had to call Matt to come pick me up. BUT the next weekend, I ran 21 miles! And the weekend before the 5k we were running I ran 13.1 miles at the Seattle Half Marathon.

"Did you win?," she asked.

It made me laugh, I wasn't even close! I won because I finished.

Our conversation reminded me that you can't expect every time you hit the road to be even better than the run before it. What's important is doing the best you can in any situation.

We sprinted the last 1/2 mile of the Wonder Girl 5k. She finished strong with the crowd and her friends and family cheering for her as we crossed the finish line.

I really admire Sammy's ambitious attitude because he's willing to work hard to achieve her goals. Although she didn't win the whole 5k, she won her personal race. Even with a side-stitch, shoe/foot pain and ridiculously cold weather she did her best that day.

Too often many of us settle for mediocrity, and we're okay with never really challenging or pushing ourselves. It's easier not to.

But what I loved about being in the "trenches" with Sammy was witnessing a young lady choosing not to settle. In our two interactions I could tell that Sammy will grow up to be a very successful woman some day. I've been inspired by her determination to be a better mental athlete.

At the end of the day, all we can ask of ourselves is to do our best in any situation; then, we can't be disappointed in the outcome.

Just fine in '09

2009-01-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

It's that time again... resolution time!

I've stopped making traditional resolutions years ago. They were always the same: this year I will lose weight, be better at finances, find a better job, become a super human who always has their stuff together, become a super hero while I'm at it, save the world, save money, save trees, save the children... that all comes back to that super hero thing.

Usually by around January 15 my delusions of grandeur had met cold hard reality: I'm human.

A couple years ago I realized that if I made resolutions I could actually keep I'd be a much happier person. Thus my new resolution was born: I will wear one article of black clothing everyday.

It was perfect. Totally something I could control, and each day I succeeded I felt good about setting a goal I could achieve. So this became my resolution every year. I kept this up for a few years until suddenly my entire wardrobe was black. I guess I was committed.

At any rate, this year I'm going to set goals rather than resolutions and here's what I have so far:

IN RUNNING:
- A 25:00 5K (I would need to shave 3 minutes off my current PR, and maintain an 8-minute per mile pace... hello track workouts!)
- A sub 1-hour 10k
- A sub 5-hour marathon

Race Schedule thus far:
- 1/18 Phoenix Rock N' Roll Half Marathon
- Love 'em or Leave 'em 5k (February)
- Vancover Sun Run 10k (April) this one is a maybe... a local 10k would be just fine
- Vancouver Marathon (May)
- Seattle Rock N' Roll Half Marathon (June)
- Disneyland Half Marathon? (Sept)
- Portland Marathon (October)

I realize I don't have to run every race, every year, but I think this is an aggressive year for me because ultimately, I want to do a 50k race in 2010. So in addition to all these road races, I'll also be trying out some trail running. I have yet to find a 50k road race, but I'll keep looking.

So that's the running plan for this year! This is going to be a good one, I can feel it! :)

Seattle Half Marathon Race Report

2008-12-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

What a tough course! After a race like that I definitely had to give my body a break.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Seeing hundreds of thousands of people running over I-90
- Spending the entire race waiting for the hill that would be my eternal doom and never finding it
- Starting, running, and finishing the race with friends

DISAPPOINTMENTS:
-Really the only disappointment is my Garmin malfunctioning. It stopped tracking my location while I was under the bridge. I assumed the clock kept running. But I have it on auto stop for when I'm "not moving." Sarah and I thought we finished in 2:19... and it was really 2:27.

I feel really good about how this race turned out. Even with the Garmin snafu I still shaved 11 minutes of my PR.

Look out Phoenix Rock N' Roll Half!!! :)

More Marathon Photos...

2008-10-29T06:56:00.001-07:00

So I've been totally MIA, but I promise there is much to report! I'm already running again and training for the Seattle Half Marathon at the end of November.

But more on that later....

Here are the official race photos, and they actually caught my running crew out on the street with me! You can view them here:

http://racephotos.net/RunnerDetails.asp?nRunnerID=648049

I plan to purchase a couple photos this week :)

Here are a couple from our lovely dinner of Spold Mac and Cheese at the Montage:

Sarah took this one, so she's not in it :( But here's Holly, Jess, Chris, Simon, Michael, me and Matt :)

MMmmmm.... left overs!

There's a good lookin' fella!

The best friends you could ask for! (Missing a few people, of course!)

There they are!...Sarah and Michael, too! :)

Thanks again to everyone who made my first marathon truly special! Deb and Raj, too! (Who I unfortunately, didn't get a photo with... )

More to come :)

Take that, Katie Holmes!!!

2008-10-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

Wow wow wow! I did it! And it was incredible and one of the best experiences of my life so far!

I was sure I'd finish in 5 and a half hours. My super secret goal was to finish before Katie Holmes. What I (and I'll bet Katie) didn't realize, is that she set the bar for a lot of young women. I couldn't believe how many other gals I talked to that had the same goal!

I was also preparing myself for two hours of sheer agony. If this race was going to be anything like my training runs, it was going to be long, slow, and excutiatingly painful.

Much to my surprise, I finished in 5:03:38!!!

And I felt great! I was able to sprint the last part before the finish line! I was definitely in pain afterward. My ankle is totally swollen (pic below, promise I'm icing! Or it just looks like I have one kankle). But I'm not too stiff! We didn't have a bath tub in our hotel room, so I had to rotate ice packs. And Matt helped rub my legs and feet afterward. Then we pretty much stayed in bed and watched Food Network and football until I fell asleep.

I'm walking like a normal person, for the most part. :)

I had so much support from my friends who were there in person, and also there in spirit! And I really couldn't have done it without them. I really appreciate all the supporting phone messages and emails I received. My in person crew was Matt, Holly, Sarah, Michael, Jess, Chris, Simon, and Deb and Raj drove up the morning of.

And here's the break down:

MILES 1-6:
Off to an okay start! I see Deb and Raj right away! Shortly after I hear Matt yell, "Go Wac!" Which made me tear up a little, but I knew I had to breathe slowly if I'm going to get through this thing. I see the 5-hour pace group, and kind of just hang with them. It feels a little fast, but I look down at my Garmin, and we're only going a little over an 11-minute mile. I can't decide if this is too fast to me, or not. But my heart rate is only in the 150s, so I stick with them. Even though I'm kind of thirsty, I don't stop for water or fuel until mile 6, which is what I did in my training runs. I'm prone to cramping when I have too much water.

HIGH POINT:
Mile 5/6: Seeing everyone on the side again

LOW POINTS:
Mile 2: Noticed my sock on the left had fallen and was only half way around my foot
Mile 3-ish: The top of my ankle on my right foot began to hurt (and didn't quit)
Mile 6: Pain on the outside of my left foot

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MILES 6-13
Coming into mile 7 I was in a lot of pain. Both my feet are killing me, in very different ways. It's also that time of the month, so I was having the occasional menstrual cramp, and it was catching up with me. I managed to stay with the 5-hour pace group through this entire time. Around mile 10 I started falling behind. I was thinking, "I made my body into this machine, that means I can will it to go faster..." and this woman came up beside me and asked if I was okay! hahah... I must have been very pensive looking. We chatted for a bit, this was not her first time doing this marathon and she said the real hump is the bridge at mile 17. Her scheduled walk break was about to take place. I would have stopped with her, but I noticed the few minutes we ran together slowed me down. So I told her I'd catch up with her later... but I never saw her again.

I did, however, catch up to the 5 hour pace group again!

HIGH POINT:
- There was a family on the street handing out jelly beans. I had to stop and give a high-five to this one kid. :)
- The miles were really just flying by!

LOW POINT:
Mile 13: This is totally nit-picky, but they had the 13-mile marker, then the water tables, THEN the timing chip mat! I had stopped at the water tables, and was totally bummed to see the timing mat.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MILES 14- 20
I had to be smart. I had enough energy to to speed up, but I knew that would wipe me out. Instead I tried to slowly increase my pace. I decided to pull ahead of the 5-hour pace group so when I chose to stop and walk, I wouldn't fall behind. Having the bridge as a major landmark to work towards, getting to mile 17 was what I was focusing on. I had some fuel at 16, and began the ascent around 16.5. I made a point of climbing the hill slowly, and not letting my heart rate get too high.

Around mile 19, the pain set in. I expected it to come sooner. I remembered something Deborah told me about "accepting the pain." Maybe it's because I was anticipating it, or imagined it would be much worse, either way... it wasn't awful, but it definitely slowed me down. I couldn't seem to pick up the pace.

I started chatting with Dave the walker. He's probably late 60's or early 70's and walking a marathon in all 50 states. (He did manage to finish before I did)

Then mile 20, I saw Sarah and Michael! Sarah ran with me for a bit

HIGH POINTS:
Miles 14: Pulling ahead of the 5:00 pace group and maintaining a lead
Mile 17: Passing people up the hill to the bridge
The bridge: I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and there was such a beautiful view of Portland
Mile 20: Seeing Sarah and Michael waiting for me, and having Sarah run with me for a few minutes

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MILES 21-26.2
Sarah let me know the whole crew was just around the corner at mile 21, which really helped me get to the next mile. Then only 5 miles to go! This was the point where I knew I was going to finish. My legs hurt, but they only felt like I had run for 10 miles instead of 20. I was also super close to finishing in under 5 hours, if I just pushed hard enough! I did what I could, and mile 25 was one of my fastest miles! Here are the highs and lows:

HIGH POINTS:
Mile 21: My whole crew came out and ran with me for a few minutes! I was the envy of all the runners around me
Mile 22: Meeting Jenny from Texas. We were talking about how much we enjoyed beer, and we passed the Widmer brewery, which was handing out free beer!
Mile 25: Meeting Victoria, originally from LA, who had been training with Portland Fit
Mile 26: Helping this guy who had a bad thigh cramp by giving him a shot block with sodium, and some water
- Seeing Holly and she let me know the finish line was around the corner
- Seeing Deb and Raj and having the energy to wave at the camera
- Hearing Matt's voice cheering for me as I approached the finish line
Crossing the finish line: Victoria and I hugged, I got my cape, medal, and rose. I found my crew and there was chocolate milk waiting for me

(Here's a photo Deb snapped of me... I'm still in a lot of pain, if that smile looks intense... :)

LOW POINTS:
Mile 26: Helping thigh-cramp guy seriously slowed me down ;)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the Garmin report:

And here's the link to view the whole report, but you need to view it in IE.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really can't believe the whole thing is over. It seemed to go by so quickly. I did it! I ran a marathon. I'm pretty sure I thought about each and every person in my life and how much I appreciate them. It's like everyone was running with me. It was incredibly touching when they came to run with me. (photo coming of the crew soon!) And I am super grateful for how encouraging and supportive Matt has been. He really is my biggest fan! Hearing his voice while I was running brought a smile to my face no matter what my legs were feeling.

I feel like an enormous weight has been lifted. I think I came into this race trying to prove that it can be done. That anyone can run a marathon, all you have to do is train. Through training you learn so much about yourself. You learn that you are capable than so much more than you imagined. You also learn it's okay push yourself, but also to be kind to your body.

Although it felt like I was bearing a torch those 26 miles, I wanted to do it for all the people out there who think a marathon is something they could never do. I started running when I was almost 300 pounds (hence that opening picture), and one mile at a time I made it! I've had the help of many encouraging people along the way, and I hope that my story can one day inspire others to get out there and do it, too!

Finishing a half hour before I expected... that was for me. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Part of me knew I was going faster than I should. I figured if I lost the 5 hour group I would still finish at a decent time. But I could have lost it, and dropped into my slow mopey pace I experienced at the end of my 18-mile and 20-mile training runs. I am really proud of my time, and I know I can knock a few minutes off it next time...

That's right, next time!

Race Report: Alki Beach Run 5k

2008-09-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of being at the peak of fitness for your own body, is that you can really kill on shorter races.

My friend, Holly, and I signed up for the Alki Beach Run 5k last Sunday, and it was a blast! The weather was perfect, the route was a flat out and back along the water, and I knew this was going to be the 5k that I broke the 30 minute barrier.

I know I've been getting faster, I can feel it. I've been running with Brie in the mornings, and she's much faster than I, but I've been able to keep up with her. I've also had some surprisingly fast first halves of my long runs... but I've really been looking to do a timed race again.

The announcer starts by saying, if you run 5-6 minute miles you should be up front. If you run 7-8 minute miles you can be back by him, and the walkers will be in the back...

hahaha... oh alright, I'll go behind the stroller brigade...

The first mile went so fast! I finished it in 9:44. Having the garmin made it so much easier to keep my pace. I was able to look down and notice when I was slowing, and counteract it. Mile 2 was a little more difficult as the sun came out, and I was over dressed for the heat. There was this tall, thin blonde runner in front of me. I had to work hard to keep up with her, but I knew that if I did I would meet my goal.

The last mile was so great! I know I could have pushed harder at the end. We were coming to mile 2.5 and I wanted to kick it up, but decided to wait until I was closer to the finish line.

A quarter of a mile later I ran as hard as I could, and finished... 28:30!

Here's our photo on the beach :)

Even though I'm really excited with this new PR, I know I could have done even better!

I would love to do a 10k, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the perfect one!

The marathon is less than a week away... I'm so excited! :)

New Choooos :)

2008-09-23T16:56:00.001-07:00

Well, sort of new. After forgetting my beloved Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8's when I went to Vancouver for the Half Marathon, I had been running in the Asics I picked up from the Running Room.

The Asics were fine. During the Vancouver half I noticed a foot pain I had never experienced before. I was ready to dismiss the Asics to being gym shoes, or maybe used for tennis. But I took them out on a few more runs and found them to work just fine!

Until about two months ago.

I started getting that same pain in my foot. Usually I would get it post mile 7, and it would go away in my ice bath. Then when I did my 20-mile run, I had to foot pain for a week and a half afterward. I kept running on it, of course, because I'm ridiculous.

So after the scare of this pain being a stress fracture, I figured I'd bring back my old Brooks just to see how they felt. And I ran 11 miles in them, pain free!

Yesterday I ran out and got a new pair of my oldies but goodies. They were practically glowing in the dark this morning :) I need to run them through a few puddles or something before the marathon.

I really feel ready to this... is that strange?

(Yes, this is a post about my shoes... whatcha gonna do?)

Real Runners do it in the rain

2008-09-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

I woke up Saturday morning to Deb calling to confirm our meeting spot, as she was pulling into her parking spot.

Shit! My alarm didn't go off.

I raced out the door and pulled into the parking spot next to Deb 20 minutes later. It's a good thing I had set out all of my stuff the night before.

This was my first chance to use my garmin forerunner... and it was AWESOME! (screen cap below)

Deb and I began our 11-mile run on Alki, and it was raining steadily. The air was crisp and fresh and reminded me how excited I was to be running in cool weather again. The course we were running was going to be mostly flat, there was a slight incline around mile 5. (I did this exact run for my 12-miler a while back). There's also this beautiful area that looks like it could easily be a small harbor on the east coast (especially the fog).

I really finished strong for this one. It was awesome to finish 11-miles and feel like I had just ran 5. AND, my foot didn't hurt at all. (I had switched back to my old shoes for this run, so I think that's the answer).

The photo on the left is from when we were done. We were soaked. I brought us some dry jackets to change into and we got our post-run coffee and yogurt/chocolate milk.

I'm really enjoying tapering. It's so awesome to see how much long runs and speed work effect your shorter distances (and it's amazing that I consider 11 miles a shorter run now...). Deb also snapped this photo of me, but she said I didn't look miserable enough. :)

The race is two weeks away and I'm feeling pretty prepared, and frankly, excited.

I'm really in the mood to watch marathon movies and get all pumped up. Matt and I saw Run Fatboy Run in the theater a looooong time ago and it just came out on DVD. I'm also dying for Spirit of the Marathon to be released. Unfortunately that won't be until October 7.

Perhaps I'll have to watch all the Prefontaine movies for the time being... :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, my Garmin is the bomb.com:

Deb also recommended this website/program where I can upload my runs and analyze them. I can not only see my pace, heart rate, and exact distance, but it also tracks the weather, elevation and laps.

I'm going to set it so that I get an alert at every mile. And for some reason it showed that my heart rate was 100 the entire time. I'm guessing there was interference from Deb's heart rate monitor. I'll be trying it out in the morning on my own to see what I come up with. I'm so excited.

I really shouldn't have waited so long to buy it! It's reinvigorated my love for running again. That and the abundance of running buddies I've finally found. It figures I would be getting excited about running a couple of weeks before I'm scheduled to take a break.

Also, the group that I trained with for the half marathon has started up again. They are training for the Seattle Half Marathon. I'm thinking about doing the long runs with the new group. I think I could really help some of the gals while they are training. Plus, now that I've gotten faster I could possibly run with a couple of different pace groups. We'll see... I ran into Heather from our group at breakfast this morning and she said that a couple of gals from our group were already running with them... hopefully they wouldn't mind my dropping in.

Anyway, a good weekend in the world of running. I also cheered on Holly and Alex and the Kirkland triathalon this morning. It looked incredibly challenging and fun...

Something for next year?

Taper Time!

2008-09-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I'll be running 11 miles with Deb, at Alki. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't run at Alki in months. Although it'll probably be cold and possibly drizzly... I'm looking forward to running in the cold again.

The absolute nutso thing is that the marathon is 15 days away. When I started that ticker thing I was around 120 days away... when it got to 90 it was surreal... now that it's so close!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a follow-up, I did get my bone scan, and I was injected with radiator fluid...

jk, radiation fluid

which has been giving me awful headaches. I have to drink water to flush it out of my system, and as a result I've been drinking around 12-16 glasses a day...

I'll have a follow-up call with my doc today.

My bone scan didn't show any extra activity near the painful part of my foot, so my technologist mentioned that it was probably muscular.

Randomly, I picked up "Northwest Competitor" magazine at the doctor's office because there was an article about the "Young Guns of ultra-marathonning," and the article mentioned one of the dudes had a neuroma in his foot because he had doubled his mileage from 130 miles a week to 260 in like two weeks... or something ridiculous...

BUT... I looked up neuroma, and it sounds really similar to the foot pain I'm experiencing!

I'm going to ask for a referral to a sports medicine doctor, just so that I have one in my back pocket :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

AND in the most exciting news of all...

My Garmin Forerunner 305 showed up last night!!!

I really should have bought this sooner, it's so amazing. It tracks your heart rate, pace, time, ties your shoes, gives you water, and carries you when you're too tired to run anymore....

OK, well the first three things are true. I charged it last night atnd I'm dying to try it out, but I really shouldn't run today with a long run on the horizon tomorrow.

I'll post a full report after I take it out for a spin! :)

3 weeks... and an hour and a half...

2008-09-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

The Portland Marathon is exactly three weeks from today...

wow...

These next three weeks it's going to be crucial that I listen to my body.

The first time I felt it was at the Vancouver Half. A slight pain in my right foot that radiated up into my ankle. I thought it was the shoes I had purchased the night before.

It went away, although I would get the pain occasionally even when I wasn't running.

I noticed it again this last month or two. It seemed to only show up post mile 7, or when I ran on uneven surfaces. And usually it went away before the end of the run and wouldn't bother me afterward.

Then I did my fist 20-miler. My foot hurt by the end, but no worse than before... only it didn't go away. It continued to hurt, and I continued to run on it. I cut down my mileage, started icing it on non-running days, and it finally went away a week and a half later.

I did see my doctor and she set me up with an appointment for a bone scan next week to be sure it's not a stress fracture. If it's a stress fracture, that means 6 weeks no running... at my discretion...

Today I have my final 20-miler beginning in about an hour. I need to be smart. I'm probably doing closer to 17 instead, and I plan to really take it easy on my foot, at the first sign of pain.

Wish me luck!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Update from 7:25 this a.m.... I wised up and I'm not running 20 miles this morning. I don't want to risk really injuring my foot today. I'm going to wait until I get my bone scan done on Wednesday before I make any decisions... And I'll hit the stationary bike at the gym until then.

I was putting an ace bandage on this morning and trying to loosen my shoelaces so my foot would comfortably fit in my shoe and I thought, "this is a bad idea..."

So Kelli and I are going to swing by the farmers market instead... time to hit the shower...

Time flies...

2008-09-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

So... how in the heck is it Mid September already?!!?

I've had so many things to say and no time to get them on the blog! Well here's a quick recap of what's been going on in my world for the last month and a half:

In Life:

- I'm getting promoted at work! Nothing feels better than knowing you're kicking ass at work, but now the never-ended flow of work has started to appear on my plate. (Like working everyday after work, and through the weekend, and still having to do an all-nighter yesterday... sigh...)

Which really explains my lack of internet presence lately. I'm ALWAYS on my computer, but the second I don't have to, I won't... I'll try to be better about responding to emails and updating sites, and someday making a facebook account.

In Running:
I have successfully completed my 16, 18, and 20-mile training runs... and they were every bit as painful as they sound! Thanks to some encouragement from Alison, I have started taking ice baths afterward. Which are also just as painful as they sound. But they make a huge difference! The first 30 seconds is miserable, then it's just a matter of holding still.

Holly rode her bike for three grueling hours with me on my 16-mile run. And I'm excited to see her compete in the Kirkland Triathlon next weekend!

Sarah was wonderful enough to meet me along the trail and run a 3 mile and 2 mile section of my 20-miler. I don't know if I could have done it without her! And we've been doing wednesday runs, which have also been a tremendous help.

Brie was awesome and ran a relatively scary route with me the other morning. It's getting dark so early already!

I have my final 20-miler coming up this weekend. Kelli has graciously volunteered to ride her bike from Seattle to Redhook Brewery with me. Any takers on running the last three miles?

I'll be running the weekend after next with Deb, who is taking the Philly Marathon by storm in November.

And of course, my wonderful Matt has been continuing his encouragement and support by picking me up from the run I couldn't finish, and the runs I did, then taking me to starbucks for chocolate milk immediately afterward. He has also been to person to announce to all of our friends how far I've run the morning before we do anything.

I guess I'm just feeling very grateful for all my friends and family and how supportive they have been while I'm trying to accomplish this major feat. I've had to give up a lot of my social life for long solitary runs. Even though through running I've had the opportunity for a lot of self-reflection, personal development, and success... I'm ready to get this fucker over with! :)

So thanks everybody!

More to come soon! Stay tuned for blog posts on:
-The end of my first year of running
-The Garmin 305
-Gear that I love
-The last 20 before the big day
-Is that lump on my foot a bone spur?
-What the hell do you do after you've run a marathon...?

hehehe...

2008-08-06T21:33:00.001-07:00

pretty funny...

Updates

2008-08-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Soooo... I ran my 16-miler and lived to tell the tale! It actually went surprisingly well! Having Holly riding her bike along side me really helped me miss a few miles and helped me to keep going!

Miles 1-10 went pretty smoothly. I stopped at mile 6 for some fuel, then again at mile 10. Then something magical happened... From mile 10-12 my body was totally in autopilot. It was the weirdest feeling! It was like I inhabited this robot that was just running. I honestly had no say in the pace (which was pretty good and maintainable), nor my ability to stop.

Holly stopped at one of the parks to use the facilities, and I continued on foot. Only I used her absence as my excuse to see how fast this robot body could go, and my pace picked up! Mile 12-13 was easily my fastest mile! Just slightly under 10 minutes!

I told myself I could stop at mile 13, to eat something and to stop at a water fountain. At this point I had been going for almost 3 hours and was running low on fluids in my hydration belt.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have stopped. Or walked for so long, I was walking for about 2 minutes when Holly caught up with me. This also coincided with the rigor mortis setting in. When I started back up again it felt like I was trying to run on wooden pegs. I slowed waaaaaaay down, too.

Miles 13-15 were painfully slow, yet satisfying. This trail is where a lot of my runs have ended, so I'm familiar with landmarks and things that let me know how much further I have to go. I kept trying to bargain with myself that I could walk at the two mile mark, or the one mile mark... but I know that I need to be a tougher mental athlete, so I didn't stop. Soon we were at the Wall of Death, which meant one more mile.

I don't know if it was a second wind, or just the sheer excitement to get this over with, but I was able to muster up enough energy to start picking up the pace again. Then some walkers were coming on to the trail, which gave me an excuse to pick up the pace, yet again. Before I knew it I was in an all-out sprint for the end of the trail!

I finished in 3:21:28... not terrible, but I wasn't too concerned with time for this one.

What was terrible, however, were the aches and pains that seemed to instantly inflame my legs. I went over to the grass at gasworks to stretch out, but ended up just sitting down. My legs couldn't support my weight any longer.

I spent a few minutes sitting there in shade while Holly practiced some of her bike-run transitions in the parking lot, then we went to grab some coffee.

Once we got to the coffee shop, my legs felt OK! I was a little stiff, especially on the stairs... but I didn't feel quite as destroyed as I felt right after the run was over.

I went home elevated my legs and took a short nap, then I was out amongst the normal people... and able to walk like a girl! I'm so grateful that my recovery time isn't what it used to be! I really only need an hour or so after the run to really relax, then everything seems to fall back into place!

Soooooo... this week I'm back down to 10 miles, then the next week is... dun dun dun... 18 miles! I need to figure out where I'll do my 18 and 20-milers. It might be kind of cool to go out 20 miles, and get picked up... just to see how far I can run...

to Kenmore perhaps?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, swimming laps is really flippin' hard! Yesterday was my first attempt at swimming laps. We went to the outdoor pool in West Seattle, and it was divine! The weather was nice and warm, and so was the water :)

The pool was 50 feet long (as opposed to most pools which are 38 feet long). I did 6 out and backs, with significant resting periods between each lap. I couldn't believe how quickly my heart rate shot up while trying to swim a significant distance. The most bizarre feeling is sweating while you're submerged in water...

Swimming proved to be the perfect cross-training activity, as I worked out the kink in my hamstring from my speed work the night before. Today I was walking on fresh legs!

So maybe after the marathon I'll learn to swim? I mean, there were plenty of other people finishing out their laps in a doggie paddle...

Oh wait..

that was just me...

Whatever, I ran 16 miles last weekend, AND I can doggie paddle with the best of them! :)

Where we're going, we don't need roads...

2008-08-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

I am about to embark on a journey into uncharted territory...

in more ways than one.

This morning I'm running 16 miles. The furthest I have ever run in my life. I hear this one is going to be a hard one. Luckily, my friend, Holly, has been gracious enough to volunteer to ride her bike along side me.

My 14-miler was fantastic! I finished it in 2:40, which is only 2 minutes after my Vancouver Half time. I'm expecting this run to take me well into 3 hours of running... I don't even know how to plan for that.

We're also heading 8 miles out along the Burke-Gilman trail. I've never been more than 3 miles out...

Wish me luck!

My body is falling apart... sort of

2008-07-30T05:52:00.000-07:00

Last night one of my toe nails popped off...

I guess that makes me an official runner!

hahaha :) No, but I've known I was going to lose two of my toe nails, the other one still looks like it's ready to go at any time. If toes had the same names as their corresponding finger, I would be talking about my pointer toes. (Second in from the big toe) But in the world of toes, those ones would probably be ring toes, that's where I always wore my toe rings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, I finally made it to the doctor to check out my gall bladder. My doc was already talking surgery before he even sent me to get my ultrasound. Which freaked me out. On my health history I had checked off weight loss, so he asked me about it. When I told him I had lost 86 pounds his immediate response was, "On purpose?!"

Who accidentally loses 86 pounds, really? I could see 5, 10, 15, maybe 20... but 86? It takes a lot a freaking hard work to lose 86!

Anyway, I think he could have handled that situation a little better. I didn't really dig him from the start. He had on a gold chain and some of his chest hair was poking out of his scrubs. He totally struck me as the kind of guy that would have been a lot nicer if I had blonde hair and fake boobs.

But who does this guy think he is? He does colonoscopies for a living?

Meh, now I'm just being mean. Needless to say, I'll be looking for a new gastroendenologist.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had an ultrasound on Wednesday and I got to see my stones on the monitor... they're going to be soccer players!

I have two small stones, and apparently the small ones are the more painful ones. I asked my ultrasound technician if my stones and me can have a peaceful coexistence; one where I don't feed them anything that makes them angry, and inturn they don't make feel so sick I want to die.

She said it is possible. My gallbladder is not infected, so it doesn't have to come out.

There's a little ray of hope! :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Normally I don't think I know more than doctors. In fact, I know I don't know more than doctors. But I really don't want to have surgery if I don't have to. If they remove my entire gallbladder it'll mean an overnight stay in the hospital (something I've never had to do), and at least a month before I can return to any form of strenuous exercising.

Even though the pain is pretty bad I know I can control it through diet. And I know I can get through it for at least the next two months.

I'm pretty much refusing to let surgery get in the way of my training for the portland marathon. I've worked too hard and I just want to make it to Portland so that I can take a break afterward. A real one.

In the mean time, my mom is researching my holistic medicine options, and I'll be avoiding Cheez-its, french fries, and excessive amounts of dairy. We can get through this!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even though it seems like my body is falling apart, the rest of me is incredibly healthy! Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, my insides... all in terrific shape! The guy who took my blood pressure was surprised at how "normal" it was. He asked me if it's always that low...

I dunno? I guess so, right?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That concludes this health update :) Hope everyone else is feeling as healthy and vibrant as possible!

So where's this slow and steady race?

2008-07-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

I am the slowest runner, ever.

period.

ever.

exclamation point!

As I embark on this marathon journey I realize I'm going to be doing the majority of my long runs on my own. Which is fine, I'm perfectly good company for the first nine miles... then I'll talk to just about anyone who passes me. Don't be surprised when you start getting calls from the road! I'm just not used to being solely responsible for my pace.

My first official long run after the Seafair Half Marathon was an 11.2 mile run... over queen anne hill, around lake union, and back over queen anne hill. It took me 2:25! Granted, I did run the queen anne hill twice, and I wasn't really on fresh legs, but still! I averaged 13 minute-miles! Yeesh, some people walk that fast!

Here's the loop:
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/wa/seattle/406543320"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;11 mile Lake Union Loop&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/wa/seattle"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Seattle, Washington&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

I highly recommend it! It was a beautiful run. The best part was getting to the other side of the lake and seeing buildings I had just ran by look so small in the distance. I mean, this was a fantastic long run! The problem was my heart rate only raised above 165 when I was running up hill. I held back and fell into a nice easy pace that I could have kept up all day.

But who wants to run all day?

My only motivation for getting faster is that I just don't want to be running for 6+ hours to finish the 26.2! I'm not talking about running a sub 4-hour marathon... I'm thinking between 5:15 and 5:45. (And hey, I would be ecstatic to beat Katie Holmes' time. Hey, it looks like we might have the same pants!)

Last weekend I did a 10-mile long run, and it took me 1:56. Not too shabby... And yesterday I ran 6 miles in 1:06. I'm totally happy with that, too!

What I need to learn is how hard to push myself. I dream of being able to just bust out 10-minute miles with no effort necessary. What I'm now realizing is that if I want to run 10-minute miles, I need to keep running miles at that pace and eventually it will get easier. Or at least striving for that pace. My 6-mile run was definitely not easy. I really had to push the last two miles to keep up the pace.

I think I've found the difference between jogging and running. When I'm jogging, I can run for days at a super slow pace. When I'm running, I'm pushing and trying to gage how hard to push so I have enough endurance to las the whole run.

Tomorrow morning I'm doing some speed work again. I did some track workouts with Holly on Monday and it was awesome! I wish the track by me wasn't so scary :)

I also think it might be time to step up the gear... I'm really thinking about getting a heart rate monitor that tracks mileage and pace... A big investment, but it will really help me on my long runs.

I want to go fast!!! Now I need to work for it!

Who am I?

2008-07-02T20:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was walking over to Jessica's apartment and I saw it...

They are building a TACO BELL less than a block from my friggin' apartment! This is going to be the ultimate test!

Most people who know me know of my deep and profound love of the bell. Even the logo is so inviting with it's hip, fresh colors, to match it's hip fresh(?) food! Even a glimpse of the logo can get my salivation glands going like one of Pavlov's dogs.

Mmmm... bean burritos, chalupas, mexican pizza, mexi-tots, Cheesey bean and rice burrito... MMmmmmm.... listen to my inner-fatty roar! RRRaaaaaarrrrr yom yom yom!

The good news is the Bell has not opened yet... It looks like we're still a few weeks away before the test begins.

Damn! And I had been doing so well... is this going to be my kryptonite?

I think I'm going to be OK. I haven't been to Taco Bell in over seven months. If this had happened last year I think it would have been a real problem. But now I know the only days I can visit the Bell is after running for 2 hours so I can quickly burn through all the APs I'm earning. I'll have to get a shirt with the Taco Bell logo and a line that says, "This is why I run!"

Then it hit me, I'm referring to myself as two different people.

Old Me

and

New Me

Old me would be ecstatic that I don't have to drive 15 minutes to the nearest taco bell, and I can waddle down the street into cheesey goodness.

New me is frightened by the idea of Taco Bell being so close to my home, and was immediately grateful that it is out my back door instead of the front door near subway.

Wow!

I think I've made the transformation into thinking like a healthy person. Well, healthier... When I started to think about everything that I've changed in the last year it all made sense: I've become a different person!

A year ago if you had told me I was going to run a half marathon on the hottest day of the year, I would have told you you were full of it! There's no way I could even run a quarter of a mile! Well, Matt maintains I would have said, "Shut up and hand me a piece of pizza, don't forget the ranch!" Which is probably more accurate... :)

I've noticed how I'm physically becoming another person, I don't even recognize certain parts of my body anymore. My hands are so strong looking and have bulging veins... instead of the chubby 12-year old hands I've had my entire life. I'm starting to see and feel muscles in my legs that I've never seen before!

I still feel like I'm me... but I'm in a different me suit. And with different priorities. A year ago a friend asked me what the top five things were that make me happy... was it sad that three of them were food?

5. Tup Tim Thai's Pad See Ew
4. Chicken Tikka Masala
3. Anything with cheese melted on it
2. My friends
1. Matt and my family

What would be five things that make me happy now?

5. Design and excelling at work
4. Finishing a long run
3. My friends
2. Matt and my family
1. Feeling confident and proud of all that I have accomplished

Well, now that I realize I'm transforming into a new person, it's time to decide who I want to be. There are definitely different areas of my personality that could stand to be improved. And I've learned how to make changes in my life. Start small and before you know it, you've turned your whole life around! Besides, it's never too late to be who you could have been!

I have been to purgatory

2008-06-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finished my second half marathon during the hottest day of the year in Seattle. It also happened to be the hilliest course I have ever run.

We'll start with the good part... like the first 5 miles were no problem. It was a little warm, but we ran across the 520 Bridge (photo to the left) and had the benefit of a nice cool breeze coming off the water. I couldn't even believe we had been running for an hour already!

Everything was going fine until I saw the 7 mile marker...

half way up a hill.

Wait a second... this course was supposed to be flat! I had checked the course elevation map and the biggest hill should be coming between mile 11 and mile 12 (coincidentally the hardest mile in a half marathon, right?) Here's the course map provided by the race (to the right), which shows some rolling hills, but for the most part, a fairly manageable course.

Chris and I are able to get through the first two hills. There are some wonderful spectators on their lawns wetting us down with their hose and sprinklers. It feels great for a moment before all the water evaporates off my skin...

Damn, it's hot.

We get the satisfaction of running down hill, only to turn the corner and see...

another incline?!?!

I started running up it, but I was going so slow I knew I had to walk... it was too much. My heart was pounding and I could not cool off. I checked my heart rate monitor... 178! And I'm walking... partially in the shade!

As a reference for me, here's how the heart rates break down:

165- Nice, easy 11 minute-mile
175 - Pushing for a 10+ minute-mile
180- Running uphill in cool weather
189- Heart is about to pound out of my chest, incredibly uncomfortable

I realize I need to to take it easy, especially if I want to have anything left for those last dreaded miles. I stopped at every water station and walked while I downed glucose and water.

I'm able to keep chugging along, but this part of the race was definitely challenging. I knew Deb would be at mile 10.5, so I had to at least make it that far!

Deb was actually a little past mile 11, which actually made all of mile 10 go by much more quickly! She asked how it was going, all I could say was, "this sucks!"

I knew I only had two miles to go, but I started to feel all sorts of strange sensations in my body. My hands had swollen to the point where it was painful to try to close my fingers. My feet were swollen and my shoes felt so tight. My left ankle shot pain up my leg with each step, meanwhile my right hamstring felt like it was on the verge of cramping.

And I had the chills! I could feel the goosebumps showing up on my arms, and I felt cold, yet feverish. I even starting getting a tingling sensation on my face.

Then Chris and I hit the even larger hill. I knew I had to walk it. We both decided to walk to the top and see how we felt about running the downhill afterward. As we were walking Chris saw this gal we had started with. Her shirt said, " I thought this was supposed to be a beer run!" She really wanted to beat her, so she picked up the pace.

I did not.

I felt like I was lucky to be walking at this point.

I came to the mile 12 marker, only a mile to go... slightly downhill. I started to run again. I was sooooo slow. I just could not muster enough strength to pick up the pace. I could see Chris off in the distance. But she was too far. I couldn't catch up. I just had to take it at my own, very slow, pace.

Before I knew it, I turned the corner and I was in the shoot and could see the finish line. It's funny, at this point during Vancouver I started choking up because I was so proud of my accomplishment. This time, they were literally tears of joy. I knew not to let myself totally cry because I can't breathe, but I didn't care, I was sooooo excited for this to be over!

Then some dude started coming up on my left... No way Jose! I somehow found some strength to pick up the pace and finish before him!

And then there was watermelon! Woo hoo! I could not think of a better post-race treat! My face was covered in watermelon by the time I met up with Deb, Chris, and Chris' family.

I don't even care about my time, or the fact that I had to walk more than I would have liked. I am so ecstatic that experience is over. I was so nervous the night before and it turns out, the race was even more terrible than I had imagined it would be. But I survived!

Chris later emailed me the actual course elevation and map:

Yeah, that's more what it felt like. Every agonizing step... But I couldn't be more happy that I did it. I probably won't put myself through that again... but now I really know that even when things seem terrible, if I just put my head down and take one step at a time, I'll get through it.

I'm too stubborn not to.

Portland, here I come!

They don't make 'em like they used to!

2008-06-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

Surprise surprise!

I can't eat like I used to...

Not that it's a bad thing, by any means!

Its probably a good thing that I had to spend half of the Mariners game in the bathroom because I ate 10 garlic fries. And I wish it was just diarrhea or something I knew how to control...

I'm about 95% sure that I have gallstones. I know I'm totally a self-diagnoser, but I've been doing some research and it's all pointing to the same thing. I've had six "episodes" in the last six months. Initially I thought it was just really bad gas from being lactose intolerant. But how do you research "cramps" and "gas"? Those are symptoms for just about anything that's fun!

Then I stumbled upon an article on gallstones.

(they're so cute in their little dish)

Here's how wikipedia describes the attacks:

A main symptom of gallstones is commonly referred to as a gallstone "attack", also known as binary colic, in which a person will experience intense pain in the upper abdominal region that steadily increases for approximately thirty minutes to several hours. A victim may also encounter pain in the back, ordinarily between the shoulder blades, or pain under the right shoulder. In some cases, the pain develops in the lower region of the abdomen, nearer to the pelvis, but this is less common. Nausea and vomiting may occur.

Sounds pleasant, right?

I totally freaked Matt out when I had a terrible attack at the Las Vegas airport while we were in line to get our tickets. I started getting the pain in my stomach, and I knew what was about to happen. I started feeling really woozy and light headed. Then all the blood in my body rushed up to my head, I was barely awake standing up and I had the chills, yet I was dripping in sweat.

Matt took care of our bags so I could go to the restroom where I curled up into a ball and just waited it out. That's really all I can do. I was fine an hour later.

I blame the box of cheez-its I ate a half an hour before.

----------------------------------------------------------------

There was no way I could have gallstones, right? I mean I eat really really healthy most of the time. WTF? I'm supposed to have less health problems, not new ones!

I was on a walk with my friend, Holly, and she had mentioned that she came across an article saying that people who lose weight too quickly run the risk of getting gallstones.

So I immediately looked for the article.

It has been confirmed, I've developed gallstones from losing weight too quickly. I have lost 85 pounds in 9 months. Basically all that crap I ate before I decided to get healthy is still in my body. My poor gallbladder couldn't process it fast enough to keep up with my digestion. It probably doesn't help that I haven't been very good about getting my healthy oils in (which lubricate the process... get more of that *ish out of my system).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

So what have I done about it?

Nothing.

I keep putting off making a doctors appointment. I'm not scared to go. I really want to! I'm just a complete slacker about making appointments. I don't like using my phone for personal conversations in my office with 10 people and no walls. And I don't want to do it on my lunch break because I'm usually with co-workers.

I'm blogging about it, so anyone who reads this will harass me until I make an appointment. I already did research and picked out a doctor, I saved the number in my phone... no excuses.

Also, I guess this is sort of a public service announcement. Just raising awareness :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luckily, I only get these attacks when I eat absolute crap disguised as food. I know to avoid super greasy and really high fat foods. Because, frankly, none of that crap is worth the amount of pain it causes.

So now I'm stuck in this healthy world I've created for myself. Whether I like it or not :)

Let's go have some veggies dipped in hummus!

Snoop Bloggy Blog

2008-06-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Man, I sometimes really suck at this "keeping up with my blog" business....

Here are my excuses:
- I've been working a lot
- I've been running a lot
- I've been enjoying an active social calendar
- And all these things mean I'm not sleeping much

The running world has been awesome! I've found two running buddies crazy enough to meet me as the sun comes up to go for a jog. We get to enjoy the beautiful views this city has to offer, and we have them all to ourselves!

Myrtle Edwards park can be somewhat scary when you're on your own, this morning Sarah was awesome enough to meet me at my apartment and we embarked on a four mile journey along the water front and back up Queen Anne hill. She's such a trooper, this run is gorgeous, but either way you end on an incline, Queen Anne hill being the lesser of two evils.

Tomorrow morning I'm meeting Chris at Alki at 5:30 a.m. to do 5 or 6 miles. This run is also fantastic! It's flat and we usually make a point of ending the run at starbucks, just in time for me to need some caffeine!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I've neglected my blog a little, but I'll be back! This weekend I'm running my second half marathon. I don't feel totally prepared for it, but I know it'll be fine. Expect a full report!

How do they do it?

2008-06-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

This whole week I've been struggling to get my runs in... Monday the weather was ridiculous (windy and cold), and my running buddy cancelled, which made it much easier for me to cancel... I was lucky enough to get myself to do yoga that night, so I wasn't a total waste.

Tuesday we had some friends over for dinner, and my apartment was a disaster, so rather than selfishly taking a run while the best boyfriend in the world cleans and slaves over dinner, I took the day to help get the apartment in order.

Tonight I went to a senior portfolio show, followed by Ladies' Night, followed by a much needed pedicure. (I'm totally not one of those gals, so the fact that my feet were so funky is a testament to how poorly I'm doing at keeping it all together.)

Tomorrow my theater group is meeting and Friday is well... ya know, Friday...

then I'm running 12 miles on Saturday! hahaha... that sounds pleasant...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I need to get my ass up in the morning. No more excuses. It is too hard in the summer to have a social life and train for a distance run. I know I won't be able to balance both successfully. Frankly, it doesn't get much better than drinking a cold beer at 3 in the afternoon on a sunny day....

All I need is some sun... and to have my run out of the way!

What does that really mean?

It means I need to be up at 4:30 in the morning. I have to be in the shower a little after 6 if I plan to catch the bus on time.

It also means I need to drive somewhere safe to run in the wee small hours of the morning. Even though Queen Anne is perfectly harmless, I'm still one girl running by herself, with no one around. My best bet is probably Greenlake... which will mean two or three laps around it once I get my distance up again... geesh! I thought this was supposed to be fun!

Last year I had a good 6 month stint of getting up to go to the gym every morning, and I know that all it takes is a week or two of sludging through it before it becomes routine.

I'm starting tomorrow...

I will be at Greenlake at 5... see ya there!

Heart Rate and Fat burn (heart burn and fat rate?)

2008-06-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't been to the gym in months, I was always mystified by the heart rate scales on the treadmills and elliptical machines. For some reason if your heart rate stays lower you are in "Fat burn" territory. However, when your heart rate gets higher your workout is considered "Cardio."

WTF?

I thought the whole point of doing cardio workouts was to burn fat?

I read this fantastic book, Marathoning for Mortals, which I highly recommend to anyone even remotely interested in running. Here's a section from their book that breaks it down:

"You run all of your tempo workouts just below your anaerobic threshold, that is, the level at which your body begins to burn the short supply of glycogen or sugar in your system at a higher rate. Your muscles can burn one of two types of fuel–fat or glycogen (stored carbohydrates). At lower intensities–such as walking–your muscles prefer to burn mostly fat for fuel. However the higher your intensity, the more glycogen your muscles burn.

"You can go for days on fat stores but only a few hours on glycogen. The body is always using a ratio of both, but for the purpose of a successful and comfortable race, you want to burn a higher rate of fat.

"Your tempo workouts will allow you to raise your threshold. Ultimately, your body will burn a higher percentage of fat for a longer period of time at a higher intensity. This not only helps you lose weight; it also bolsters your endurance. The more your body burns fat for fuel, the more it conserves glycogen and the longer you can run without feeling tired."

Hey, I'm a fan of burning fat, So I think I'll keep up the tempo runs!

I mean, it makes sense that you can build endurance by increasing your threshold. And really I've seen evidence in my own running career.

Presently I am reading The Complete Book of Running for Women, where I discovered that women store the same amount of glycogen whether we eat a diet containing 60 or 75% carbohydrates, but we burn more fat than carbohydrates or protein compared to men. Which means our glycogen store will last longer.

So.... if I keep up the tempo work and maintain a healthy amount of carbs and fat in my diet I will be able to run forever...

Or cover the same amount of distance in less time...

I prefer the latter. Even though I totally agree with C.S. Lewis when he said, "If one could run without getting tired I don't think one would often want to do anything else," let's face it, comrades, the best part of distance running is when you're finished.

30:38

2008-06-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

I knocked 4 minutes off my last 5K time in a matter of 4 months. And it wasn't easy.

Last night I ran the fremont 5K. (My race photo is there to the left.) My intent was to use this race as my tempo run for the week. I haven't competed in a short race or fun run in a few months, and I was curious to see how fast I could really run 3 miles.

I would really chalk this event to a bad run day. I came home from work starving and against my better judgement, had a pretty heavy meal. It was also raining all day, so I wore pants, a long sleeve technical shirt, and a jacket...

It ended up being a beautiful afternoon, and I couldn't believe it. It was actually pretty hot (considering our recent weather), and around mile 2, I could tell my upchuck reflexes were being tested...

I ran the first mile at a relatively slow pace (or so I thought), but then I hit the mile marker at 9:40. I felt fine, but I was distracted by the two barefoot men running near me, and the woman on one leg who passed me.

Between mile 2 and 3 is where it got hard. I could feel myself slowing and couldn't do anything about it. My heart rate was in the 170's (which for me means I'm pushing, but I'm probably at about 80% of my capacity). And all I really felt like I could puke at any time. I even rationalized stopping and walking for 30 seconds.

But come on, it's 3 miles...

There was a large crowd of people around a runner who had fallen. As I got closer I saw his hand was covered in blood. I looked in through the crowd and saw a man in his 40's with a purple face and blood under his nose. It was pretty scary! The ambulance was on it's way for him.

I passed the mile 3 marker at 29 minutes. I could see the finish line, so I wanted to push harder. I could feel my heart pounding, but I pushed anyway. I was 50 feet from the finish line and looked down at my heart rate... 188! Oh Sh*t! But I'm so close. My heart feels like it could jump right out of my chest, and it's over!

When I stopped running my entire body shook. I knew if I had to run another step I would have thrown up. I could feel my dinner packing it's bags and getting ready to come back up.

Sarah finished just after me. She also felt pretty woosy, so we headed to the food table, got some water, and met up with her husband, Michael, at the beer garden. Danielle finished a little after the both of us, so we all went to a bar and got a beer.

The beer actually calmed my stomach, quite a bit!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The book I'm currently reading, "The Complete Book of Running for Women" casually mentions a 10-minute mile as though it's a slow pace, on par with jogging. I find this fascinating! I've been running for over a year now, and I'm only finally getting to a 10-minute mile pace, and only on my short runs. I think one of my other side goals would be to have a 10-minute mile be my 10K pace. I would LOVE for it to be my distance pace, but really my only motivation for running long distances faster is so I won't have to be out there for so long!

Guess it's time to up the speedwork!

Reunited and it feels so good...

2008-06-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sorta...

Saturday morning my alarm went off at 5:45. I slowly got myself out of bed. I found my running pants, got my sports bra on, strapped on my heart rate monitor, located my one technical shirt, threw my hair back in a ponytail, put on my under armor running socks, and went into the kitchen.

It's weird how a routine and gear can feel like getting reacquainted with an old friend you haven't seen in a while. For two months every Saturday started this way. It was completed by having a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of soymilk.

After the Vancouver Half I took a week off of working out. My body appreciated it, and I continued to lose weight. The problem was, not working out was starting to become too easy. One week turned into two, and then three... I went on the occasional three mile social run, but nothing I would consider training.

Saturday was going to be my first long run with Chris. And I knew it was going to kick my ass. We were planning to run 6 (or 7 miles). Which is twice what I had run at any one time in the past month. To make matters worse, rather than eating a healthy dinner and going to bed early (like I did for my two months I was training), I decided to go out for dinner and have a glass of wine... and three jack and diet cokes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to Saturday morning... Chris woke up with a stomach bug :( I knew this was going to make it easier for me to wuss out on my run... but instead I went anyway. I decided to run along the Burke-Gilman. I knew it was three miles out to the water fountain.

Mile 1-2:
Were awesome! I was somewhere around 10.5 minutes a mile for the first two and the felt great. I've totally missed this!

Mile 3:
It's funny how quickly running goes from being enjoyable to pretty uncomfortable in a matter of a couple steps. It's hot out and I got a pretty bad cramp and felt my breakfast starting to come up, and I was ready to turn around, but I hadn't even made it to the water fountain yet... Then I looked down right as I was stepping on the marker for three miles. I knew the water fountain wasn't far, so I kept going.

Mile 4:
I spent this entire mile looking for the mile 2 mile marker I had seen on the way out. This sucks.

Mile 5:
When you run out and back you get to cross paths with some of the same people. I see a man approaching slowly, he's walking... and carrying a cup of coffee in his hand.

Mmmm... coffee, I look down at my monitor to see how many minutes I have to keep this up before I can be smug walking around with my cup of coffee... dang it, probably 20 minutes yet!

Mile 6:
I'm so close I can smell it! I'm ready for this to be over with... and it is!

I spent a good 20 minutes stretching at my truck, and it felt so great! All of it, so great! Even the agony (haha, I can be so dramatic!) during the run seems all worth it now that it's over.

I missed this!

I felt so great after my run, I go home and sign up for a couple other fun runs and races I'm planning to do: the Fremont 5K, the Seafair Half Marathon, the 4 mile run at the Redhook Brewery... and the Portland Marathon.

Here we go!

Life After a Half Marathon

2008-05-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

There isn't one...

Totally kidding!

I did REALLY enjoy taking a week of exercising. I know I should have been cross-training, but whatever. Sometimes you just want to do nothing... so I did and it was glorious!

I've been reading about this phenomenon of the "post marathon blues" where runners have a hard time adjusting to life again. The past few months were spent diligently training with a goal in sight, and now I'm supposed to be aimless...

Instead I've started making training plans for another half marathon at the end of June. Chris and I are crazy enough to try it all over again! Then I'm pretty sure I'm looking at the Portland full marathon in October...

As trite as this is going to sound, running the half marathon totally changed my life. It's the perfect example of how lots of small goals can become a major change in your life. Like miles, for example. This time last year I would set out to run a mile on the treadmill, and fall about 3/4 of a mile short because it was sooooooo hard!

So instead I focused on quarters of a mile, then after many months I was able to run three miles without stopping. Then I decided to take on the half marathon and added a mile a week. Some runs were harder than others, but before I knew it I could run 10 miles!

A few months ago I was convinced the human body was not supposed to run 26.2 miles straight. Hey, that's why the first dude who did it died immediately afterward. You hear all these horror stories of people's bodies shutting down and losing toe nails, and bloody nipples... and worst of all you have to run for like 5 hours... sounds more like torture than a hobby.

After the half marathon we met up with a friend of mine, and her sister and friend. All of them ran the full marathon, and this wasn't their first one.

Sarah, in an act or recklessness that I can totally appreciate, upgraded to the full marathon, even though she had planned (and trained) for the half. Luckily, she ran a full marathon a couple months ago so she had enough of a running base to survive.

Cat, the super-human athlete woman, just finished her marathon in less than four hours! And was able to walk and talk about it! (Apparently on her long runs she sets into a casual pace of 8 minute miles...) The other two finished in a little after five hours.

Cat had the revelation that when she looked back on her marathon, there wasn't a second where she wasn't pushing as hard as she physically could. I ran my half marathon in the exact opposite way. I look back on my half as two and a half hours of concentrated restraint.

We all had lunch and talked about shoes (haha, running shoes!), running, race locations, goals, and pacing. We casually discussed running 16 and 17 miles, as though this is what normal people do. The Sarah's and Cat encouraged me to run a full. And I left the lunch truly believing that I can do it.

One of the main reasons was that one of the Sarah's was saying that in her training runs she only got up to 16 miles before running the full marathon...

16 miles is only 3 more than what I had run earlier that day...

Although I didn't feel like I could have done 26 that morning, I definitely could have done 16...

Then it's just a couple more miles to 20...

Hmm... maybe this lofty marathon goal pretty attainable after all...

13.1 miles down! 26.2 to go?

2008-05-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! I finished the Vancouver BC Half Marathon...

And now my life can go back to normal... or will it?

Is it crazy that I'm really considering the Portland full Marathon in October?

Let's not put the cart before the horse. I've lived to tell the tale, and here it is (less clichés below, I promise):

Saturday afternoon we pulled into Vancouver BC, and right as we get to Robson street I realized...

I f-ing forgot my running shoes.

I came to Vancouver to run a half-marathon and I forgot my shoes. The most important piece of equipment for this sport, and I totally forgot it.

To spare some of the self deprecating anecdotes, it was just on par with the kind of week I was having anyway. So... almost 3 miles of walking and several crying episodes later, I finally got a new pair of running shoes. (Thanks, Matt for being such a trooper)

We still had a lovely dinner with the gals from the running team and their husbands, and watched the E True Hollywood Story about Patrick Dempsey before finally falling asleep.

I already had a sore throat starting Saturday morning, and it kept me up through the night and really everything was pointing a recipe for disaster....

RACE DAY:
5 AM: My alarm is going off, and I had just fallen back asleep... so waking up was pretty miserable. Matt was great and got up to help me make my breakfast while I was getting dressed.

I met up with the team to get some breakfast down and walk to the starting line together. Here's a group pic on our walk down.

Uh, I'm in the back :)

If you can't tell from this picture the weather is perfect! It's a little chili but promises to be sunny and kind of warm... too warm. :)

AND WE'RE OFF!

I was really trying to run at a slightly slower pace, and it felt great. I was reading some where that rather than placing the emphasis on time, really focus on enjoying your first half-marathon. I'll have plenty of opportunities to better my time, but only one first half-marathon.

We got to run through china town and parts of Vancouver I've never seen before. Which isn't a big surprise, considering this was only my second time to Vancouver.

Even though the supporters were sparse, it was greatly appreciated.... until there was this woman around 2 and a half miles. She shouted, "Keep it up, you still have a long way to go!"

Thanks, b****! We are well aware that we have at least a couple of hours of running to do yet. What a butthead... Oh, I'm sure she didn't really think about what she was saying... but it's not really what you want to hear so early on in a race.

Here's a pic of Chris and I around mile 3, seconds after seeing her family cheering on the street near a band covering David Bowie. I love that in all my "action photos" it looks like I'm just walking, but hey, it felt like I was just walking :)

Around mile 5 we headed into Stanley Park. It was such a beautiful run. I absolutely loved it. It felt like a nice leisurely weekend long run... with 20,000 other people.

We ran up this slight incline to the water station near the halfway point. We overheard this gal mentioning how easy "the hill" was, we didn't have the heart to tell her what was yet to come.

The last two months we've all been talking about the hill we were going to encounter around mile 8. It was kind of nerve wracking to know it was looming ahead. The funny thing was, the hill really made the race for me! That was the point in the race that I felt the strongest.

Thanks to all those hill runs we had to do for our training Chris and I were able to charge up that hill! I was 200 ft. and spanned about 3/4 of a mile. We were passing people left and right. It was such an amazing feeling! Then when we got to the top of the hill I knew, the rest was going to be easy.

Although I completely understand why, I was pretty irritated that there were no cheerleaders up the hill. That's when we needed them the most. but I guess bands, djs, friends, and family would have to be really ambitious to get up that hill just to cheer.

We stopped and walked for a few seconds, and Chris wanted to walk a little longer to get her knee back in gear. So I continued on...

The best part about running up a hill... is getting to run downhill afterward! And I had the energy to really push through it. I picked up the pace, and was flying down that hill. Again, passing people left and right. I've never really passed more than maybe a person or two in a race before. It was incredible!

By mile 10 we were out of Stanley Park and running along the water. I recognized where I was from the 10K two weeks back. This was the half way point for the 10K, meaning more or less 3 miles to go. It's funny when you find it comforting to think that you only have one lap around greenlake to go.

I'm not going to lie, I don't think mile 12 was a regulation mile. It was sooooooooooooooooo long.

There was a man preaching around this point. I found myself trying to block out what he was saying (there were protesters at the 10K, apparently you can't "run with with world and walk with God..."), but when I got close, I realized he was encouraging us! The only part I caught was him congratulating us because only 1% of people would even attempt to do this, that makes us the elite.

I started to well up. But starting to cry makes you hyperventilate so I had to slow my breathing down and focus on running. Even though I really appreciated the support of the crowd I knew the mile 12 marker would be coming soon, and I needed to bring it!

I finally made it to mile 12! Little did I know my personal photographer was along the street at this point. It was funny, because I thought to look for him at this point in the race, but knew better so I wouldn't start hyperventilating again.

I actually had enough steam to push really hard for the last mile! I was as close as I could be to "sprinting." As much as I enjoyed the race, I was ready to be done! Crossing the finish line was the biggest relief I've ever felt. Every muscle in my body exhaled. And as much as I tried to hold it back throughout the race, the tears just kept coming (and I don't know if I can spare the fluid or sodium at this point!).

Jonna, my coach, was there to greet me! She gave me a huge hug, and asked what my time was. I looked down at my watch, 2:40 (Just looked up my actual time: 2:38:49).

The best part was, I actually wasn't that sore! Or hungry! I just went through to find Matt. We bought a bag of ice from the fancy 7-11 and walked the mile back to the hotel. I spent about 45 minutes stretching, then a few minutes icing, then hopped in the shower and went to best part about all the running I've done for the last two months...

A full body massage :)

And I'm insane enough to set my sites on the Portland full marathon in October...

Walkers to the right!

2008-04-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I was one of almost 60,000 runners to grace the streets of downtown Vancouver for the Sun Run. It was 30-ish degrees at 8:30 in the morning when Deb and I left the hotel to walk to the starting line. It was so exciting to see sooooooooo many runners ready to do this!

The race, of course, started late. And based on my estimated pace I was so far back that I didn't even start the run until 9:45 (pretty late by my standards) :) We enjoyed the musical stylings of "the Neurotics" who were doing a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab." Incredibly relevant, if you ask me.

And we're off!

There are HUGE 6' signs every where that say "Walkers to the Right"... yet Walkers were everywhere! Did all these walkers really think they would be finishing this in about an hour? I spent some time darting around trying to go the speed my body wants to.

Mile 1:
Really? Only a mile? I'm already ready to stop running and just walk... I know the first two miles are usually the hardest... besides the last two miles...

Mile 2:
What? The road is getting narrower? We're running near Stanley Park, but I can't even enjoy it with all the walkers everywhere. You really have to be on top of your game to even make it through the crowd! The sun has come out, so it's starting to get nice and toasty... kind of wish I wasn't dressed for 30 degree weather... But we're running along the water which is always nice :)

Mile 3:
I'm nearing the 5K mark... it would be AWESOME if this was the end... Alas, I'm only half way through. I throw back a GU and some water and hope that it will kick in soon. I look down at my watch... 34 minutes... If I can just keep this up, it'll all be over soon...

Oh F! incline just ahead. Meh, I'm walking it... it'll give me time for my GU to kick in. Because I know and understand race etiquette, I jog over to the right side of the hill where I can walk safely.

Well, with every incline comes a decline, right? Um, no. We turn the corner and we are now running up the Burrard Bridge! I figure I can probably run this one, but I feel myself definitely slowing down.

Then, FINALLY, we get to run down the Burrard Bridge... but I'm still going really slow... I'll keep that in mind for when it gets flat again... I think I'm already out of gas.

Mile 4:
What am I doing here? I thought running was fun... this is NOT fun. It's hot and I'm tired. I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself, I did run 11 miles yesterday. I look down at my watch.. 52 minutes? No way... I need to pick up the pace!

Mile 5:
And I'm walking again. I told myself I could slow down to get some water, but the water tables are at least 20 feet back by now... then I see her...

I'm coming up from behind on this girl who could have been my body double 6 months and 60 pounds ago... and it's on! I can't let her beat me! (This poor gal probably has no idea I'm projecting so much emotional torment and anguish on her) I start to pick up the pace and pass her...

Oh I'm tired... I slow back down.... then she passes me just as we're getting to another hill!

I had to zoom past her, so I charged up the hill. I could feel my heart pounding all through my body.

The this old guy charges past me yelling "walkers to the right!" each time he passed walkers on the left. Most of them didn't seem to care.

I finally hit the 8K sign.. only about a mile to go!

Mile 6:
Running isn't a competitive sport. At least not at the level of running I'm doing. We're not really competing against each other. Even though I made a point of trying to run faster than my body double, I was passed plenty of people who weighed 60 or 70 pounds more than I did, or were 60 or 70 years old. The whole point of racing and distance running is to compete against yourself. (Or someone who reminds you of yourself...)

Races are really the perfect place to challenge yourself and to see if you really are greater than the distance. People enter races to see if they can do it. Or if they've done it before, to see if they can do it better this time. That kind of drive for personal growth really makes this sport more than just getting from one place to another. (Yes, I'm including the walkers here!) But it creates an opportunity to challenge yourself and see measurable results.

Anyway, I just want this bugger to be over! The only thing keeping me going is that I know that if I walk it could take me almost twice as long to finish. So I just keep jogging... 12 more minutes...

My legs feel like they are made of wood and I can feel my right foot going numb... and we have to go up another bridge.. but then we get to go down the other side of the bridge. I want to sprint in and I'm pushing as hard as I can, but my body is still going at that jogging pace.

Maybe it's a delayed reaction thing, but I'm able to get up to a sprinting pace with only 200 feet to go!

FINISH
02:18:36 Haha, I mean 01:12:36

Meh... a good bench mark so that the next time I run a 10k (hopefully on fresh legs) I'll be able to blow that time out of the water!

I spent the rest of the day (and part of Monday) walking around like a 60 year-old man with a hernia... It's almost like a badge of honor :)

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/canada/bc/vancouver/789613247"&amp;gt;Vancouver Sun Run 2008&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/canada/bc/vancouver"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Vancouver, British Columbia&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

This one goes to 11!

2008-04-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

Initially Jonna told us we would be running over 10 miles, closer to 11. So in my mind, that meant we were running 11. But Jonna couldn't make it, so Christi lead our run. She wanted to stick to the original route, which was little over 9.

I ran 11 anyway...

because I got lost :) Saturday morning I posted the route we were supposed to run, here is the route I actually ran:

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/wa/seattle/71180940"&amp;gt;11-mile Long Run&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/wa/seattle"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Seattle, Washington&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

And here's the break down:

Mile 1-3:
Chris and I started before the group since I was in a time crunch. So we headed down the Burke Gilman. It was a lovely run through Canal park, then we got to the armpit of Ballard, Shilshole. Don't get me wrong, I know you need industrial boating sections of town, but it's not my favorite back drop to run against...

Mile 4:
We've just ran across the Ballard Locks, and I like it! It's refreshing to run through the loud water and light spray...

then Christi points to the hill we need to go up... grumble grumble... We (well, I trudge, the other gals don't seem as affected) up the foot bridge and up the street until we finally get to flat land again. The only comforting thought right now is that this will be downhill on the way back!

Then we enter Discovery Park... and have another hill to climb! I'm feeling kind of beat at this point. I'm definitely excited to stop and walk and look at our maps to make sure we're headed the right way.

Mile 5:
We're running again. Luckily, Chris got us to start up again otherwise who knows how long I would have walked! We get to the top of the hill and pass the cementary, which means we're headed in the right direction! Kristen takes off (she's much faster anyway), but a few minutes later we realize she went the wrong way!

But, there's not much we can do about it...

So we get to (FINALLY) run downhill. Part of it is on the street, the other part is on a trail. I'm starting to feel the effects of our shot blocks we took at mile 3. I'm ready to fly down the hill.

Unfortunately, running downhill was not so kind to Chris' knee. So she needed to slow down.

If this had been any other Saturday, I would have stayed with her. Unfortunately, I had to be back at my truck no later than 10:30, so I had to keep going. She does her best to give me directions and I vaguely know where we are anyway, so I take off.

Mile 6:
I've come to a dead end. I saw a parking lot that I recognized and rather than leaving the park, I followed my gut and went down this other windy road. It was a beautiful run through nature and on an open empty road. I could get used to this! I made it to the Native American Cultural Center. I ran all the way to the edge and looked out at the water for a second. Despite being a gray-ish cold day, it really was perfect for this kind of run!

OK, no dilly-dallying, time to get back to the task at hand. I head back out to the road. I see Chris coming about 200 yards up the way and I start motioning her to go back. The last thing she needs is to be on that knee any longer than she has to! I'm actually able to sprint to catch back up to her. Once I do, I stop to walk and eat my goo and have some water.

Just as I finish we meet back up with some other gals from the team, and get directions to Commodore way. And it's downhill again!

We get back to the Locks, and Christina needs to find I restroom so I continue on by myself.

Mile 7:
I'm running down the railroad tracks because I think it will save me time... but there's two dudes walking down the tracks and I figure this isn't the ideal running condition, so I head back up to market street.

The rain is slushy in blowing right into my face. I go to wipe my forehead and realize my entire head is sopping wet. I try to wring out as much as I can.

Mile 8:
I give Matt a call, why not? I'm running by myself, he's on the way to work... It was actually kind of nice. I think that's how I'll be able to pass the time when I do long runs by myself :)

I can tell that I'm slowing, but I know that once I get to the Ballard Bridge, I'll only have two miles to go.

Mile 9:
My iPod stopped working a few months back and rather than getting it fixed I've started getting used to running without music. In a way, I feel like I can listen to my body. And there's something almost soothing in listening to your own breathing. I'm starting to notice the rhythm... breath... step step step breath... step step step breath... step step step

I've definitely settled into a slow but steady pace. Now if I can just keep this up for 20 more minutes I'll be OK.

Mile 10:
A woman in a Seattle Marathon shirt approaches from behind me. I'm surprised she actually returns my smile. (You never know with runners in this city)

"Nice day for a long run!" she says.
"Yeah, it's just right!"
"How long you doing today?"
"I'm doing 11, " I say, realizing I'm slower than dirt right now, so I add, "about a mile and half to go!"

She tells me I'm doing great and I wish her luck then she disappears off into the distance...

What I wouldn't give to be able to run that fast right this second!

I've reached a point where my running isn't going as smoothly as I would like. I start digging in my pack for some sort of energy enhancer. My legs are so heavy! And with each step the pain increases in my left quad and right inner thigh. My calves are tight like rocks and my feet feel like they are starting to blister.

15 more minutes, Wac...

I'm starting to notice how irregular my breathing is. Instead of the nice even rhythm I heard earlier, it was more like: breath... step scuff scuff breath breath scuff breath step

I've been running along the right side of the path, and I'll move over into the center to accommodate the walkers. This older woman (and her husband and dog) are walking along the right side, so I move into the center to pass them, and cyclists come on my left passing me.

The woman says, "I think they want you to be on the other side."

I'm sure she was trying to be nice, but at that point in my run that was the last thing I needed. I waited a few seconds (until she was out of site) flipped her off and said, "well, I want YOU to be on the other side."

Here's the thing, runners can go in the bike lanes on Burke-Gilman because walkers go in the pedestrian lanes! Sure, cyclists and runners are at odds sometimes, but the bike lanes are huge! Wide enough for a couple of runners and bikers going each way. The pedestrian lane is usually two people wide at very best.

I digress...

Gasworks park is finally in my line of sight. I start to use whatever energy I have left after getting pissed at that lady to pick up speed. I'm pushing as hard as I can to get back to my car as quickly as possible. My heart is pumping so hard feels like it could jump out of my chest. I dart across the street, run into the parking lot, and tap my truck as I come to a halt.

DONE!
And I couldn't be more excited. I walk over to Christi and we chat for a sec before I have to schlump into the truck. Wow... I can barely walk... I wonder how that will feel during my 10K tomorrow... Good thing I have a nice long car ride to rest these legs!...

And we're off!!!!

2008-04-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

9 miles gasworks to Discovery Park
Find more Runs in Seattle, Washington

I'll be in Vancouver running the Rock and Roll 10K tomorrow, so recap coming later...

If I survive...

Awwwww.... warm fuzzies!

2008-04-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Without gushing too much, I just have to say that I have the best boyfriend :)

My workload has been really heavy this week and I've been tired, and really unable to spend much time with Matt. Today he had a half day from work. He stopped by on his way home and he could tell how tired I was. He came back later and picked me up when I was off work (2 hours later).

When I got home he had a surprise for me...

A whole new running outfit!!!! And some Jelly Belly Energy Jelly Beans! :)

AND he even found a shirt with longer sleeves for me, AND the pants he got me were a size large. Like, a regular large... with no Xs in the title! And they fit!

He totally turned my day around :)

He's been so supportive. I really don't think I could be doing all of this without him.
He listens to me drone on and on about running and food and nutrition, and running, and work, and always has the best advice and the right thing to say :) Not to mention he makes dinner most nights which really helps us eat healthy.

This weekend I have my long run on Saturday, a 10K on Sunday and now I have some fashionable running gear to choose from (that happens to match our bathroom :)

Thanks, babe! :)

Maybe not the biggest loser, but still a big loser

2008-04-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

So I didn't make my goal of losing 6 pounds this week, but I lost 3.8! And I'll take it! Maybe I can lose 6 pounds next week if I go to the gym for four hours a day and have someone prepare my meals for me...

Oh, wait... Matt already cooks most of my dinners, and they're always delicious and nutritious... I guess I have no room to complain :) I'll try to lose the other 2.2 pounds this week! Here's how it's going to happen:

Workout:
Friday: light workout
Saturday: 11 miles
Sunday: 10K (6 miles)
Monday: Yoga (maybe some running, we'll see)
Tuesday: 5 miles/boxing??
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: weigh-in!

For Food:
B-fast: luna bar, smoothie (1 cup frozen berries, 1/2 a banana, 1/2 cup soy milk, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup carrots | Directions: Blend, Repeat)
Lunches: big salad, or sandwich... maybe something with black beans....
Dinners: A protein, veggies... maybe some starch... but probably not
Snacks: Peanut Butter on a slice of bread

Ready Go!

Real Runners Do it at 5 a.m.

2008-04-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

My morning started off with my alarm going off...

CRAP! Did I oversleep???!?!!?!

No, it's only 4:35 a.m., I have to be at Greenlake in 20 minutes to meet up with Chris....

Uh oh, where are my pants? Where's my sportsbra? Why is little kitty so cute and cuddly? Oh, wait, gotta go....

Running greenlake at 5 a.m. is not quite what I imagined... it was actually better!

There were a lot less people than I expected... There were probably 10 people total, and 5 dogs. It was a lot darker than I guessed 5 a.m. would be, but it made the whole experience almost surreal. It felt like a dream. No cyclists, no strollers, no groups 5 people wide... only the truly insane! And I felt like an honored guest :)

I had forgotten how much I loved running in the morning. It's great, I usually don't even wake up until I've been running for about 10 minutes and by then I have no say in the matter, the body just goes.

An apparent regular at the 5 a.m. party at Greenlake was our running coach, Jonna! She came up from behind us and we chatted for a little while we finished out our run and hers was just beginning. It was actually really good to see her there. I felt a definite sense of camaraderie. I feel like I've transcended into the athletic world where working out isn't just something I do because I have to, I do it because I want to. Right comrades?

Here's a great example: Last Saturday we ran over 9.5 miles. My longest run to date. I was really shocked at how quickly I ran the first half, soooooooo I decided to spend my Sunday morning running 2.89 miles as fast as I could (within reason). I did it in 29 minutes! Can you imagine if I had done it on fresh legs?

I don't know what I'm trying to prove to myself, that I can do it? Or that a year ago I couldn't even run a quarter of a mile without dying?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last night I did my tempo run at Burke Gilman. So 20 minutes of my run is supposed to be really hard. I did about 13 minutes at a pretty slow warm up pace, then I started my tempo run. I ran about 13 minutes out (at tempo pace, which fluctuated but was mostly fast for me). Then I turned around and those 7 minutes of fast-paced running were pretty hard. I think I checked my watch every 30 seconds just waiting for it to be over. And finally it was.

I slowed down into a comfortable jogging pace. As I started getting closer to finishing I realized I was about a mile and half away from my car and 15 minutes from being done with the run entirely. Well, a mile and a half in 15 minutes seemed totally doable, so I stepped it up a little. I think mild discomfort is what you call it, but I was able to keep up the pace. I got back to my car only 1 minute slower than it took me to get out on the trail.

Not bad, eh comrades?

I wonder if the point of tempo runs is to make you realize that pushing hard becomes easier the more you do it? What does this mean for a 13-mile run? Should I be pushing hard the whole time? Is that realistic? Or should I be coasting in my easy pace... reserving energy?

I think specifically for the Vancouver Half, I'll have to pace myself until we get to the hill in the center of the course... then it's all or nothing!!!

Deep Thoughts...

2008-04-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

"The more I run, the more I want to run, and the more I live a life conditioned and influenced and fashioned by my running. And the more I run, the more certain I am that I am heading for my real goal: to become the person I am." --George Sheehan, M.D.

And I'm going to add: "And the person I could be."

No excuses, get out there! :)

Are positive splits positive? I've got 9.5 miles to find out

2008-04-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Some magical runners (like my friend, Deb) have the awesome power of running negative splits. That's where your pace is faster for the second half of your run. The best chance of testing this is doing an out and back run.

This morning we ran about 9 and a half miles on the Burke Gilman trail. The first leg was a little over 4.5 miles. I'm finding the first two and half miles to be the hardest (well, not as hard as the last two....) and I discovered, I do not run negative splits. If the second half of your run is slower, is that really a positive split?

------------------------------------------------------------------

Pre-run: I know I may be eating my words later, but 13 miles doesn't seem like so far anymore. It just kind of clicked this week. I know I haven't actually run 9 miles yet, and it's very likely I'll be singing a different tune in two hours... but the distance doesn't seem to daunting anymore...

Mile 1-2: Suck, as per usual. I'm kind of getting use to just hunkering down for the first couple miles knowing that it gets better (and dare I say, easier?) later.

Mile 3: This is more like it. Today was totally an ideal running day. It was sunny, 60-ish degrees, breezy... perfect. And at mile 3 I could really just enjoy taking advantage of such awesome weather.

Mile 4: My friend, Chris, and I are nearing the turn-around point, but it's strange that we haven't seen the faster girls on their way back, yet.

Turn-around: I'm teeming with energy, I can even sprint for a little bit, but luckily Jonna is there to remind me to save it for the end. Chris and I stop and stretch for about a minute or two. I look at my HRM and it says 48 minutes and some change! That's pretty fast, and it wasn't too difficult!

We both take some shot blocks, and I realize I'm really thirsty. I usually don't drink much when I run because I get pretty aggressive cramps. It was probably the heat. But, off we go!

Mile 5: Still feeling great. We're facing the sun on our way back and it feels warmer. I find myself resisting surges of energy I keep feeling.

Mile 6: OK, slowing down. I can definitely tell that we weren't going very fast. I find comforting in realizing we're 2/3 of the way there, and we "only have three miles to go" hahaha... It's bizarre how 3 miles seemed easy...

On the way to mile 7 we passed the "wall of death" (left). I had pointed it out on our way out, knowing that the next time I see it, I'll be in the home stretch. I love running on the Burke Gilman because it's scenic and there are tons of landmarks. I think it makes running back go by more quickly. And it gives me a sense of distance. I know the "Wall of Death is around 2 miles from our starting point and one mile-ish from gasworks.

Mile 7: Definitely bummed that I haven't gotten a single red light or reason to stop for a second. We decide to stop and walk for 20 seconds just to get some energy back for the last mile or so. Now that it's later in the morning there are a couple of walkers out on the trail, and I use some of my reserved energy to pull ahead.

Anytime I'm running and I'm gaining on a walker I feel this need to really prove to myself that I am running faster than they are walking. Even if I sprint by them, then drop back to a slower pace, it makes me feel better.

Mile 8: Only 1 mile to go! Or around 12 or so minutes. I know I can do this. I pull ahead from Chris for a while, but not by much. I really want to run fast, but my body won't listen. Well, I guess it fights back... I could feel a small cramp coming on from pushing to hard, but I finally got a red light so I stopped and Chris caught up to me. We're less than a quarter mile from finished!

DONE! We pull up just as some of the faster girls have finished stretching and are taking off. It took us 56 minutes to run the second half. Which, is not terrible... but definitely isn't a negative split.

-----------------------------------------------------

In crazy news, I ran 9.5 miles this morning and my knee is fine! Not painful at all! I'm sore everywhere else and my legs are so stiff I feel like I'm walking on stilts, but I guess my plan for knee recovery worked!

This week I'd like to have a biggest loser week. I want to lose 6 pounds. I'm going to do this by working out in the morning this week. I plan to get all of my "required" workouts done in the morning before work, then if I do any supplemental workouts they will just be a bonus.

I also think I'm going to try to get my runs in earlier this week. Like on Tuesday and Wednesday. The last few Saturdays I had been pretty tired, and this morning I felt totally rested and ready to rock!

Next week we're running almost 11 miles... Let's see if I can learn from all this experience :)

The hip bone's connected to the... ?

2008-04-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

"You've got your ubulus muscle, connected to your upper dorsimus. It's boring, but, it's a part of my life..."

I'm nursing an injured... knee? this week. Well, it's the inside of my leg, next to my knee. It's the muscle that extends and contracts my leg. Based on my (and Matt's) expert googling skills, we've deduced that I've strained my MCL.

I really should leave the diagnoses to a professional, but that's just not how I roll :)

It all started Tuesday during my tempo run. A tempo run is where you run at 90% of your capacity for 20 minutes, then follow it up with a 30-minute easy jog. I've been doing my tempo runs on the treadmill because I find that it keeps me honest... but maybe I don't need to be kept so honest.

Near the end of my tempo run I felt a soreness in my knee. It felt a little worse as my slow jog progressed. Then on the walk home I could feel it start to cramp and tingle like it was going numb. I came home and iced for a while.

Wednesday it was a little sore, but I couldn't tell if it was the kind of sore that can be worked out over a run, or made worse by running on it. I decided to try it out on my interval run, which starts with a 50 minute warm-up run. I ran out 30 minutes, and when I hit my turn around point I was in a lot of pain. The problem was, I was a 30 minute jog away from the car...

In the sake of time I decided to jog back. I was able to run on my leg for a little over 20 minutes, but then I finally convinced myself to walk. It took me about 20 minutes to hobble that last mile. I couldn't believe how painful it got.

I finally made it back to the car, and went to safeway to pick up some dinner. I also picked up a huge bag of party ice intending to just sit on that for the rest of the evening.

Much to my chagrin, I was talked into missing my long run this weekend. I know it was for the best, but I was really excited to run the course we had planned for this week. It was 8 miles through Interlaken Park and the Arboretum. I guess I'll have to run it on my own sometime :)

-----------------

Today my leg is feeling much better. I'm definitely going to yoga tomorrow. But I don't think I'll run there again. I think I'm going to wait until Tuesday before I run on this leg of mine again. I went for a 3 mile walk this morning, and it was feeling pretty good.

Sometimes I need to remind myself not to be an idiot. It's better to sit out for one run, than to push yourself and miss the big race. I probably should have taken it easy on Wednesday. I'm not invincible and there are some serious injuries (potentially permanent ones) that are looming if I don't take care of myself.

I need to learn the difference between mild discomfort and actual pain...

It also wouldn't hurt to know anatomy of the leg a little better, either :)

Ugh!

2008-03-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Man... when did running get hard all of a sudden?

Our first mile was through Genesse Park. I took a goo shot at the beginning of the run...

not my favorite. I think there's something about the consistency of goo when you're participating in a physical activity.

Mile 2:
I was running with a couple other girls, and it seemed like we were running pretty fast for me... but I was able to keep up. Running along Lake Washington Blvd, was awesome. The houses are beautiful and you're right on the water.

Mile 3:
We arrived at Seward Park, also beautiful. We stay on the path around the outside of the park along the water. I'm starting to feel the urge to slow down, but we're running together in a group of 3 and I feel the pressure to maintain the pace.

Mile 4:
We take a shot block and I'm hoping it will kick in ASAP, because I feel myself kind of lagging. Christi comes to run with us and I feel myself falling back, but trying to keep up.

Mile 5:
I ask how far we've come at 5.6 miles and knowing that we have about one and a half miles left both brings some comfort and some pain. I'm definitely ready to slow down, but I know there's 15 more minutes, max! One of the gals picks up her pace and moves forward. I also picked up my pace, hoping that the end of the run will come sooner than I run out of mustard... no luck...

Mile 6:
I slow down again, and Chris and I finish the final mile together. It's definitely better to be running with someone. If I talk I don't pay as much attention to what I'm doing. We finally see the other gals stretching and Chris and I pick up our pace. I'm really greatful she was there to push me when I was ready to stop.

Finished!
It couldn't have come any sooner! That was one of the harder runs for me. Chris said we did closer to 7 and a half miles. We were stretching for a few minutes and I saw Deb coming down to do her 8 mile run on the same course. I was actually able to jog over to her and run with her for a bit!

I think if I had stopped for a few seconds, that last mile (or two) wouldn't have been so hard. I came to a realization: I need to stop viewing the Saturday runs as tests and more like homework, like the weekday workouts.

Obviously, I want to do well on the Saturday runs, but I also shouldn't be afraid to try things. Yesterday I ran the whole way because the group I was running with did. I need to stop for a second around the halfway point, then I'll have more energy to finish out strong.

Even though I can see definite improvements in my running abilities, I don't feel like I'm progressing as much as the other gals in the group. I know we'll all get there at our own pace, but I'm really wanting a run that I can totally nail...

I guess I'll just push as hard as I can on my weekday workouts and hope for the best next Saturday!

Seward 6-7
Find more Runs in Seattle, Washington

Pillow Fight!

2008-03-30T15:29:00.001-07:00

Ha! If only the Northwest Woman's show was so sexy... :)

It was such an interesting mix of women, and vendors... tea parties with psychics, or window installation... I had access to information on it all.

What we did find were these amazing bras! Their slogan was to "quit sagging and start bragging!" They had you put stickers on where your nipples naturally fall in your current bra. Then you try on one of theirs and there was seriously like an inch or two difference! And the straps weren't huge! I didn't get one, yet... but I will once I'm at a size I'm maintaining.

AND, I got tested for all the grown-up things like cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc... and

I'M HEALTHY!

I have good blood pressure and blood sugar, my bad cholesterol is really low, and my good cholesterol is a little low. So I really do need to start incorporating more healthy oils into the diet.

It was kind of funny, the nurse was going over ways to get your good cholesterol up and one thing she mentioned was maybe intensifying my work outs... hahaha... I ran almost 8 miles yesterday, lady! Then I got up and ran two more :) But it was good to see the benefits to having healthy oils in your diet.

All in all, a nice morning out with Amanda and Leanne. I haven't even sorted through all the pamphlets yet... I'll add more info if I find anything totally great :)

Oh, in other "yay me" news, they were giving out free mint n' chip dreyers ice cream! Northwest Woman's Show you know the way to my heart! I didn't, however, partake. I can't be so frivolous with my points anymore! There will be another time that I can have mint n' chip ice cream, it doesn't have to be today.

I'm 25 and own a fanny pack

2008-03-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Because it takes slow runners, like myself, over an hour to run 6 miles, it was advised that we get hydration packs.

They might as well call them geek packs. I went to REI the night before our run looking for the coolest hydration pack I could find.

What I ended up with was a fanny pack that holds a water bottle.

Poor Matt is such a trooper, our pre-shopping conversation should have gone something like this:

W: Hey, even though it's Friday night, do you want to go to a store that you're mildly interested in to help me look for the least dorky looking fanny pack? Just as a heads up, I'm already pretty insecure about my running gear, so I'm going to be impossible to please."

M: Sigh, "OK"

It was pretty funny, once I was running along Burke Gilman I realized 90% of runners out on the trail had hydration packs... not to mention the other 10 gals I was running with.

So I guess it's cool to wear hydration packs, but I think I'm going to get a new one because mine only holds one bottle and it's pretty heavy. I might need the one with little bottles... I'll have to go shopping again :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our run started at Gasworks Park and we were supposed to run to where our run began the week before then turn around and come back. The run was mostly flat. We started at a pretty fast pace for me, but most of us stayed together in a group. I think we did the first mile in about 11 minutes. Which is pretty fast for me. My heart rate was hovering around 170, which can be a little uncomfortable.

Around mile two I decided to slow down a little, I knew I still had a long ways to go. I ran mile two and three alone. Which was fine, I felt like my pace was maintable and I wasn't too tired, my hear rate stayed around 160. When I was about to hit the turn around point a couple of gals had caught up to me, so we ran together. I had the cliff shot blocks with me, so we took one at this time.

By mile 4 the blocks had kicked in and this seemed almost easy. My heart rate was still at 170, but it definitely took less energy.

Once mile 5 hit, I really felt a burst of energy and was able to really pick up the pace for the last mile.

I was super stoked that I finished on such a high note! It felt great to have run so far. I can't believe in 4 weeks I've already doubled the distance I'm able to run.

A couple of the girls and I were talking about how walking effects distance running. The whole point is to build your endurance, so is it better to run the whole thing, even when your pace is really slow? Or is it better to stop and walk for a second?

This round we had a couple stop lights and opportunities to stop for a few seconds, and I felt energetic by the end. I finished in an hour and 15 minutes. Which isn't too bad.

**It turns out this run was actually closer to 6 and a half miles.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/wa/seattle/557609809"&amp;gt;Gas Works Out and Back &amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/wa/seattle"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Seattle, Washington&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

I'm not Irish, kiss me anyway!

2008-03-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our long run this weekend started at Cafe Zoka behind U-Village, then we ran into Ravenna park (trail running is the bomb!), then up into UW, then down to the Burke-Gilman trail, and we followed that along until we got back to Zoka.

I couldn't believe how far we got after only running for 50 minutes or so. I did stop and walk 3 times, but for no more than 30 seconds each time. The first two were as a result of running up a hill. But when i finished the run, I still had energy left. I think I could have kept going...

So maybe that's the answer? A little walking never hurt anybody, right?

My HRM said I burned 783 calories after that jaunt... not too shabby!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ask anybody, the St. Patty's Day Dash was a blast! It was pretty awesome to have Deb show up at my apartment at 7 in the morning where the exact same shirt I was. Great minds think alike! :)

Here's Deb and me at the start:

Here's a pic of Matt and me at start:

and here is Matt's recap of the run

3.58

He has more to say on the topic... my general disposition is:

woo hoo! We got to run through the city and on the viaduct! Here's a pic from Deb:

Pretty sweet, right?

The difference a year makes...

2008-03-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

So I recently came across pictures of Matt and I at a St. Patty's Day Party, and we've come a really long way!

Here's a glimpse:

Gasworks

2008-03-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

Gasworks offers a fantastic view of the Seattle skyline, and I had always known it was on the Burke Gilman trail, but I met Deb after work here for a light 30 minute run (oh, and my interval run), and it is really a perfect place to run!

I had gotten super sick Tuesday, so today was my first day back in the exercise world. Even though I had hardly eaten anything, I was really jonesing for a good run.

It's totally flat, and very scenic. Our warm up run was perfect. A good pace, a nice conversation... then I had to do my intervals. We're supposed to run your hardest for 45 seconds 4 times. It's hard, but I'm starting to enjoy it. I can feel myself getting stronger.

I felt really strong after this run... and I'm looking forward to Saturday's run!

Week 2 - 4 mile Hill Run

2008-03-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Wow! I ran 4 miles! It was surprisingly not much different from running 3 miles... except for that hill part in the beginning. I found that I had pushed way too hard in the beginning, so I was out of mustard by mile 3. I slowed down quite a bit for the last mile. I'm starting to wonder if I had just stopped and walked for 30 seconds if I would have been able to conserve enough enegery to run the rest of the way at a quicker pace? Something to try during my training runs this week :)

I came home, iced my legs, then went for a 2+ mile run with Matt and Jason along Alki. Although this sort of behavior is border-line obsessive, I was fascinated to find that it was more painful for me to walk than to run.

After our run we grabbed some lunch, did some wine tasting, then I was pretty much worthless the rest of the day :)

Cardio Cross-Training

2008-03-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

My friend Holly turned me onto a boxing class at our gym. I was, of course, intimidating by the shouts echoing throughout the gym while I would be chugging along on the treadmill. Holly arranged to get me some gloves, so I was free to try it with nothing to lose...

Oh man! What a workout! Even though it was really hard, I was really proud that I was able to keep up and, frankly, survive. Even more exciting was even though we did a million lunges and other leg work, my legs weren't sore!

I am a machine!

Healthy Goddess Half Marathon Training

2008-03-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

So... I think I'm crazy. The furthest I've ever run has been 3.1 miles, which was the exact distance of our first long run. We'll be adding a mile a week from here. This is going to be insane.

We'll be working out 6 days a week. We run twice during the week, alternating between intervals and hills. I'll also be doing a yoga for runners class, cardio cross-training and strength training for the next two months.

I was relieved that my running pace put me in the middle of the group. I've been running for a few months now, so I think I've built up enough endurance to run three miles at about an 12 min/mile pace. At my last 5K I averaged about 11.5 min/mile, which is pretty great considering I weigh 230 pounds.

Although I am officially scared for our next long run (which consists of hill training and will be 4 miles long), I'm excited to feel like an athlete again... it's like being in high school... only I'm making less mistakes and have less homework to do :)

VH1's Worst Week Ever

2007-12-31T12:14:00.000-08:00

Finally, back in Seattle, and back on the bandwagon!

My trip started off successful. I was amazed to find that I had lost 0.6 lbs at my weigh-in Thursday morning. Especially after the week I had. The problem with eating healthy around the holidays is not JUST Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. It's all the meals that surround the holidays. We had our company holiday luncheon where I managed to eat 2 days worth of points.

I think I'm feeling better about my food choices, because even though it felt like I was off the bandwagon, I was still making much better choices and managed to lose weight anyway!

I had done so well until my weigh-in in california. After that it was a free-for-all! I had full cheeseburgers, mexican food with fresh hand-made tortillas and butter... my 0.6 gain was worth every bite.

Considering the typical american gains 7 pounds over the holidays, I faired pretty well, but I feel like next year I'll be prepared!

VH!'s Best Week, Ever...

2007-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

the Shiny Hair edition!

So I feel like I rarely get the opportunity to say this, but last week was my week! Here's the recap:

- Gave my notice at my current job, because I start an awesome job on January 2.
- I ran 2.8 miles all by myself in 40 degree weather, without stopping.
- This week marked not only losing 10% of my body weight, but also 30 pounds.
- Yesterday I ran my first 5K, it was 30 something degrees and it snowed, and there were hills, but I still didn't walk.

I think it's crazy how what you might think are small choices can severely impact your life. I think it was about 6 months ago that I had a small break down. I was so depressed about everything; my job, my weight, my laziness, etc... And in jut a couple of months I've managed to turn it all around.

A year ago if you had told me I would be running a 5K on a Sunday morning in the snow, I would have told you to shut up, and then we would have laughed at how ridiculous that would be.

Let's hope this week can live up to its predecessor!

Here's the 11,000 people waiting to begin this race:

Restaurant Report Card

2007-12-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while, there was so much going on with work, side projects, a birthday, thanksgiving, black friday... so many excuses.

BUT, I found this interesting link for Restaurant Report Cards.

There are plenty of restaurants that have shockingly high amounts of fat, carbs and calories per dish (hello, outback steakhouse... Over 2,000 calories for one of the appetizers!), and it's not only irresponsible, but to top it off they hide access to that kind of information (believe me, you have to work for it!).

We know Americans are eating more calories than ever. So is it really that reasonable to assume the restaurant is doing the hard part for us?

Why do so few American's know anything about nutrition? Why is it so easy to believe that whatever trend is out there is what we should try. Apparently, our low-carb fascination has now led to a huge increase in our carb intake. More than we were consuming before the craze.

We need to support the restaurants that will disclose their nutrition information and let the other companies know we don't want to be in the dark anymore. We need to know how many calories we're consuming if we ever want our country not to be the fat girl in the corner. I know I'm tired of being that fat girl hiding in the corner.

The musical fruit...

2007-11-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

I got this tip from my sistafriend:

It said that fruit is very unique in that it contains enzymes and has a ton of nutrients. So when you eat fruit by itself, it digests very quickly on its own and gets the nutrients directly into the blood stream. But when you eat fruit along with your meal, it gets slowed down and doesn't digest as efficiently. So to get the most impact, fruit should be eaten as a snack between meals (at least 30 minutes before or after).

She read about it in "Skinny Bitch." I think that will be next in cue...

"My first book is fit or fat"... or Fit and Fat

2007-11-14T22:48:00.000-08:00

Randomly, I saw mention of this book, "Fat Fallacy" on a message board, and immediately ordered it in Amazon. The premise is that Americans eat a low-fat diet and manage to be the fattest people in the world, while the french eat rich indulgent foods and maintain their slender frames and this book will tell us what the secret is.

Even though I strongly recommend reading this book, I'm going to tell you the secret anyway (I don't think you'll be surprised): The eat real food, we eat chemicals disguised as food that manage to ruin our nervous system, give us heart disease and cancer, and make us... fat.

It seems as though nutrition scientists are looking for he one element that can cure us from fatness. They notice that people who eat vegetables have lower chances for cardio-vascular disease. The scientists realize the veggies draw their super power from beta-carotene. So they find a way to extract the beta-carotene, but it in pill form (with other synthetic properties), and viola! We can get the effects of eating vegetables without having the suffer through all those greens.

Now, here's where it get's tricky. Of course scientific tests can show a plethora of results, but in people who took beta-carotene vs. the placebo there was not a significant difference in people who got heart disease.

So once the book teaches you to look at nutrition data in our country with a skeptical eye, you start to think about all the fad diets. Remember when butter was bad for you? Aren't carbs the devil? We were supposed to avoid nuts and oils, and now we're told we should be consuming at least two teaspoons of oil a day. Now we're knee deep in good fats vs. bad fats. The funny thing is natural fats aren't bad for us, it's the fats created by to help extend the shelf life.

What I took away from the book was that our body was created to process a certain amount of fat. By eating a fat free diet, our body goes into fat starvation mode, so it holds onto what fat you already have. It requires so many chemicals to remove the natural fats from wonderful food like cheese. And artificial sweetners that have terrible chemical reactions when they enter our bodies, or can be linked to cancer, heart-disease, and diabetes. We should be avoiding aspartame, dyes, high-fructose corn syrup, olestra... I'll get to that in a different post.

It has a little bit of a diet to follow; more like guidelines. But overall it initiates a first step in establishing a better relationship with our food.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: If it's not food don't eat it.

Pumpkin Muffins (with cream cheese filling)

2007-11-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

So there are several similar pumpkin muffin recipes out there, but here's the one I've come to know and love:

15 minutes prep time | 20 minutes baking
Makes 24 servings

PUMPKIN MUFFINS
1 box Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz can Pure Pumpkin
1 can diet 7up (or about 2 cups)

CREAM CHEESE FILLING
1 8oz Package of Light (or 1/3 fat) Cream Cheese
2 eggs (or equivalent of eggbeaters)
1 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup sugar (or splenda to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients for the muffins in one bowl. Mix until all the powder is gone. In a separate bowl combine all ingredient for the cream cheese filling. Mix until creamy in texture.

Either use cupcake liners or grease 2-12 cupcake pans. (I'm not going to lie, I've only had one cupcake pan and had to use it twice in a row to complete the batch.) With a large spoon, place 1 dollop of pumpkin mix in each "cup." With a different spoon place a small dollop of the cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin mixture. Then place one more spoon of pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture. Smooth out the top. Sometimes I'll sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. With the cream cheese filling, the muffins are 3 weight watchers points each. Without, they are 2 points. I'll make some this week so I can get a picture up.

Let me know what you think!

Welcome!

2007-11-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Alrighty...

So I'm giving this blogging thing a try. I started a new food plan last month and this is where i have chosen to post all of the nutrition and health information I've come across. You'll also have access to new recipes that I find, as well as some personal stuff.

If you don't know the reference to my title, it's from an episode of Saturday Night Live. Cheri O'Teri plays a plus-sized model whose autobiography is titled "Shiny Hair, Pretty Eyes: Story of a fat girl." She mostly models hair clips and "mu mus."

So that's the foundation for this thing. Oh, and there will be plenty of self-deprecating humor, so stay tuned!