Race Report: New Year's One Day 6-Hour

I ran my last race of 2012 on New Year's Eve, starting at 6pm and ending at midnight. It was the perfect way to bid adieu to 2012 and welcome 2013. This was my first timed event, and I really liked it. It's really weird not having a finish line in sight and knowing that no matter how fast you run it will still take the same amount of time to finish (unless you stop earlier). I really liked the challenge and it's a great way to train yourself to dig deep. Even though I didn't quite run a marathon, I felt just as beat up. I think I'm starting to understand how running a slower marathon is harder than running it hard because at least when you run fast it's over with quicker and the pain usually stops when you cross that finish line. When you run it slower you are on your feet a lot longer and that hurts just as much.

Stats:

• 23 laps 
• 24.4 miles
• 2/7 in 30-39 age group
• 30/62 overall place
• Garmin Total Time: 25 miles in 5:51 @ 14:01 pace
• Garmin Moving Time: 5:28:51 @ 13:09 pace
• Full Garmin data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/256704299)

Swag: Below is a picture of all my race swag. The green hat was an optional purchase, but I got mine for volunteering at the aid station prior to the race. The medal is my 2nd place age group award. We'll also receive a custom coaster with our name and distance completed.

Support: There was a huge aid station near the start/finish of each loop filled to the brim with everything you could possibly want, including water, soda, cookies, candy, pretzels, shot blocks, salt tablets, energy bars and after sunset pizza and hot soup. There was a timing mat we passed each loop with a big screen tv showing your progress and splits. Runner progress was posted to the race site every hour, and the site had a link to allow friends and family to email messages to the runners. I got a few and it was such a treat! My favorite was from George, and I read it at the perfect time when I needed to dig deep and ignore the pain:

"Scott stumbled upon the most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner's arsenal: instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well you're not afraid of it anymore." Run without fear!

Course: Each lap was 1.061 miles around the lagoon at Crissy Field with spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Alcatraz and the San Francisco Bay. The start/finish was about half a mile from my apartment, wich was great for a quick walk home after we finished. The loop is 60% dirt and 40% asphalt. The 6-hour race started at 6 pm and finished at midnight. The sunset was at 5pm, so my entire run was in the dark and it was cold in the low 40s, but that wasn't much of an issue once I was running. As we looped round and round, I took in all the sights and was grateful for a clear night. The Golden Gate Bridge is gorgeous when lit up at night. We could see all the lights from the city and cruise ships in the bay. At one point somewhere in the Marina someone released light lanters. The moon was huge above us lighting the way.

Race: Since Goofy is less than two weeks away, I wanted to take it easy and avoid injury. I could not decide what I wanted my distance goal to be, but I knew I wanted to run at least 20 miles and really wanted to get in a marathon if I felt good. However, my main goal was to practice running at night on tired legs for my upcoming ultra in March. I volunteered at the aid station for 5 hours prior to the race and was on my feet most of that time, so I certainly accomplished that goal.

I started slow with :30/:30 intervals for the first 3-4 miles, then switched to :60/:30 intervals for most of the rest of the race. I felt a twinge in my IT band early on; somewhere around mile 7 I think, but thankfully that settled down quickly. My biggest problem was that I kept having to pee, so that ate up a lot of my time. Having an aid station available every mile is both a blessing and a curse. It's too easy to dilly dally and waste a lot of time, so I tried to only stop once an hour to eat some shot blocks with some water and stretch. The other laps I would stop for a quick sip of water as needed. 

I was feeling really good most of the race, the cool temps certainly helped, and was surprised at how quickly the time flew. That is the beauty of the loops; they let your brain breakdown the race into manageable chunks and you just focus on the next milestone: the next loop or the next hour. I felt like I was flying when I was running, but I know I really wasn't moving as fast as I thought.  Eventually my legs, specially my calves, started to tighten and hurt, but since I knew I wasn't injured I pressed on. I switched to :90/:30 intervals after mile 17, but shortly after gave up on the intervals altogether when I couldn't run any faster and just ran the longer stretches of the rectangular loop at a steady pace and power walked the shorter side where the one tiny hill was, which became a small mountain after so many laps.

I walked one whole lap with Jason and considered walking the rest of the race when I realized there was no way I'd make it to the marathon mark, but I knew that would just drag on so I dug deep and pushed as hard as I safely could for some mental training of running on sore and tight legs. I ran the last lap with Jason and finished strong with less than 10 minutes until midnight. We turned in our timing chip, got our glass of champagne, quickly gathered our gear and bundled up and waited for the countdown to the new year and watched the fireworks over the city. It was the perfect way to end 2012 and I'm so glad that Jason was there to share it with me. 

Post-Race: I wasn't that sleepy when we got home at 1 am, but I was sore all over. After a quick shower and some refueling, it didn't take long to fall asleep. I woke up this morning earlier than I hoped, so went for a walk to shake out the legs and see if anyone was still left at the race site. There were only 2 people there, so I helped them break down the aid station. Talk about active recovery! But I really think it helped. Turns out that I placed 2nd in my age group, so I was able to get my medal before I headed back home. We then walked to lunch for my celebratory milkshake, then got some chores done. I'm still a bit sore, mostly the muscles on the outside of my right leg by my calf, but overall I feel great. I can't wait to try the 24-Hour option next year :)

Joy of Trails and 50M Recovery

It's been raining the past few days, although nothing like what we got in Florida, but today was gorgeous all day with clear and sunny skies. Even though I ran 10K yesterday, I couldn't waste such gorgeous weather, so I laced up my trail running shoes and went out to enjoy it. I only ran 3 miles, with 2 on trails, but boy did I forgot how exhausting it can be running on trails with rolling hills. It's also really exhilarating, specially with views like this.

Wood Line in the Presidio

Recovery from the 50 miler is obviously going very well.  I was sure to wear my compression gear and ice the 2 days following the race, and take ibuprofen as needed. I listened to my body and took it easy when it asked, and I almost feel completely recovered. I can tell there is some lingering fatigue in my legs, but that could be the trails. Here's a timeline of how recovery progressed:

• Sat 11/10: Finished the race at 11 pm with knee/it band so painful that even moving it an inch was excruciating.
• Sun 11/11: Still sore everywhere below belly button, but knee felt much better. I could move it and bend it just fine. Braved the stairs and went on a short 1 mile roundtrip walk for lunch and my celebratory milkshake.
• Mon 11/12: Knee was nearly pain free, but my calves were painfully tight. Spent the day laying on the recliner with compression sleeves resting my legs.
• Tue 11/13: Ran 2 miles! I was shocked I could run so soon when I felt so awful at the end of the race. I still had a few minor sore spots, but for the most part this felt really good. I kept it short and slow just in case.
• Wed 11/14: Walked 2 miles to hear Scott Jurek speak.
• Thu 11/15: Ran 3 miles, a little faster than Tuesday. Everything felt good. I also walked 2 miles to the store in the evening.
• Fri 11/16: Was feeling a little worn out, so took it easy and just rested.
• Sat 11/17: Walked 2 miles to volunteer for a race.
• Sun 11/18: Ran my own 10K and felt great!
• Mon 11/19: Ran 3 miles, 2 on trails. Felt really good, but a little tired. 

I plan to take it easy tomorrow, with perhaps a short walk or bike ride trip to the store, run easy on Wednesday, and then run a marathon on Friday. 

Race Report: Run d'Amore 50M

Run d'Amore bib and swag.
I got to choose the bib# and I chose 50 for the number of kilometers or miles I'd be running.
We all knew it would be miles :)

On Saturday, November 10, I completed my first ultra: 50 miles that took nearly 17 hours to complete. The best way to describe this experience is horrifically awesome. It was nearly 11 pm when I finished and it was freezing, but I refused to give up. I was expecting to finish at least 4-5 hours earlier, but my IT band started bothering me before I even finished the first marathon. It was only a minor annoyance at first, but eventually it became too painful to run at all. I made the mistake of seating down to get a blister looked at and that was the last straw causing the IT band to get too tight. I had to walk, sometimes barely even a shuffle, for the last 10K, but I finished in just under 17 hours with a total of 51.2 miles and I'm now officially an ultra marathoner!  It was both harder and easier than I expected, and worth every painful second. So you bet I'll be doing it again :)

Race Shirt

Stats (50M = 51.2 miles):

• total 50M time = 16:59:44 (I made the ironman cutoff lol Race cutoff was 36 hrs) 
• moving 50M time = 15:37 (lots of stops to change, pee, eat, etc) 
• moving 50M pace = 18:38 
• moving half marathon time/pace = 3:14 @ 14:48 
• moving marathon time/pace = 6:51 @ 15:41 
• moving 50K time/pace = 8:19 @ 16:03

As you can imagine, what transpired over those 17 hours is a bit of a blur, so I'm going to post a bullet list of the highlights instead of my typical race report.

Swag: Awesome black long sleeve tech tee, goody bag with lots of samples, tasty and plentiful food, and heart shaped handmade medal.

course scenery

Course: 2 mile loop at Harvey Bear Ranch Park, San Martin, CA. I know this sounds dreadful, but I really like it because it's easy to adjust layers and nutrition when you only have to plan 2 miles at a time. If you make a mistake, you only have to endure it for 2 miles. It's also a lot easier mentally to tell yourself to run 2 more miles. The loop was actually 2.05, which is why 25 laps netted me 51.25 miles.

Food! Running an ultra is way different than any other race because you get to eat all kinds of stuff you wouldn't dare otherwise. It's like a buffet on the run. Many of the runners brought things to share, including my homemade granola, cookies, candy, soups, and the RD ordered pizza after sunset. That was the best pizza ever! Also, coke tastes damn amazing when you've been running for hours.

sunrise

Scenery: The race started at 6 am and it was still pitch black, but it was clear so we could see tons of stars. As we finished the first few loops, we saw the sunrise and the fog slowly rolling over the mountains. It was breathtaking. We were treated to the same gorgeous views as the sun set and the stars greeted us once again.

Weather: The forecast called for cold temps and rain. Thankfully, the rain never materialized and once the sun came up it was perfect running weather. The oddest thing is that one half of the loop always felt cold while the other warm, specially when the wind kicked up. It got really cold after sunset, and those were the hardest miles because I was walking them, in the cold and dark, and in so much pain.

Tracy, she got me into this mess

Running Buddies: I ran most of the first 50K or so with Tracy, who talked me into this race, and that was awesome. The miles flew by as we chatted and she introduced me to the other runners. Her boyfriend Scott was there to crew us, and he ran a few laps with us and even biked along to bring us food. They were both amazing! After 3 hours, we switched directions so we could see all the other runners and that was awesome.

Reverse Psychology: After so many miles, even at a slow pace and using 1:1 intervals, running became a chore. We started to hate that damn beep every time it was time to run, so I tried to trick our brains by saying "Yay!" instead of "ugh" every time it was time to run. Scott joined us for one of these laps and got really into it with us. Every time the beep came for us to run, we'd throw our hands up in the air and scream "Woohoo!" It totally helped!

Disney Songs: Eventually, that wasn't enough fun so we started singing Disney songs. That. was. awesome! We brought a little on course entertainment to the other runners, so that was a nice bonus. But more importantly, it distracted us from the pain. I posted about this on Facebook and solicited songs to sings. A fellow Galloway runner commented with "Dig a Little Deeper." I was a little annoyed at first thinking she was telling me what to do instead of helping me sing Disney songs, but then she reminded me it was from Princess and the Frog and I just had to laugh. It was so perfect! So remember this trick when the going get's tough, and sing this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJT0uhfcCkw

99 Bottles of Beer: After I started running alone, I started singing this song but I was so tired and my brain so foggy, that I had a hard time remember which number. I started singing faster so I could more easily remember the next number, but then I realized I was running faster to match the song tempo and finally tired and gave up around 89 bottles.

running in crocs

Crocs: Around mile 37, I stopped to change socks and shoes because the socks I was wearing were too thick and my feet were really warm. My feet seemed swollen, so I put on my crocs instead and ran a few laps in those. It was quite amazing and added to the absurdity level that made this even more fun and help distract me from the pain.

Other Runners: It was even more evident while completing this ultra how amazing the running community can be. As I walked, shuffled, and dragged my feet along during that last 10K in the dark, every single runner that lapped me greeted me and made sure I was ok before continuing on their own journey. Some stopped to show me some stretches and I had the pleasure of walking a lap with one gentleman who was on the last lap of his own 50M and he shared some words of wisdom with me. That helped me walk that lap a little faster.

Sleep Walking in the Dark: By the time the sun set, I was walking and my brain was so foggy from fatigue that I felt like I was sleep walking. I was moving slowly because bending my knee hurt. I tried walking backwards, sideways, dragging that leg, you name it. Anything to avoid bending it.  I was holding a knuckle light in one hand and texting Jason on my iPhone on the other hand. It was really hard to see ahead of me unless I held up the light, and I tend to drift when I walk even when I'm not half asleep. At one point I was texting or checking facebook and when I looked up I was all the way on the other side of the road lol That scared me a little and I focused on keeping the light in front of me and walking straight. Then the bitter cold hit and I was shaking. Thankfully, that's when Jason arrived and he helped me get on a warmer jacket.

Last Lap: Jason rented a zip car to come get me because I wanted to sleep in my own warm bed after I finished instead of a tent in the cold. He arrived just in time to walk the last lap with me. That was awesome. I was able to push myself a little and walked those 2 miles faster than the previous 4 I had done alone.

happy 50 mile finisher!

Finish: As I neared the end of my final lap, I looked at my watch to see what the damage was and I could see it would be close to 17 hours (which is the cut-off for most Ironman events). I joked to Jason that maybe I would at least make that cut-off, but I was not about to speed up to ensure it. I said "I'm ok with 17:05" or whatever. But as I crossed the finish and stopped my watch, I saw it was 16:59:45 and found it hilarious. And then Alan, the Race Director, fetched my medal and as I went to grab for it he said, "oh no don't go reaching out, there's a ceremony" and I laughed. Then he got everyone's attention and announced we had another 50M finisher, that it was my first 50 and first ultra and I just beamed with pride. I almost cried, but I think I didn't have energy to do so. I was just elated that I had done it and that now I got to go sit in a warm car.

The photo to the right was taken right after I finished, and you can see the elation in my face. I was smiling through the end. Even when I was shuffling along and every step hurt, I was in good spirits because I knew I was going to finish this. You can also see my ridiculous outfit that is such a missed matched assortment. When the sun went down and I got cold, I just grabbed the nearest things I could find to stay warm that involved the least amount of bending. None of these outer layers would I ever wear to run, but when you are tired, sore and cold, anything will do and they did indeed keep me toasty warm.

Wrap Up: So that's the highlights of my experience. It was an incredible experience, filled with so much love and support from an amazing group of runners. I am sure I'm forgetting something, so if you notice I don't talk about something you expected to read or have any questions, comment and I'll update this post. Stay tuned for my next adventure :) View more photos on flickr or click play on slideshow below.

Hike along Pacific Ocean

Today was an awesome day. We're still having really nice weather with sunny clear skies, and we took full advantage of it. The initial plan was to head to Golden Gate Park in the morning to meet Katy to run together at the DSE 4 mile race. Due the US Half Marathon, the bus was rerouted and we never made it to the race, so Katy drove to me and we went for our own fun run in the Presidio. It was a lot of fun.

After lunch we went on an awesome 8 mile hike with Thomas on the trails along the Pacific Ocean. It was breathtaking, but a little tough due to heat, elevation changes and terrain: dirt/rock/sand trails, up & down hills, up & down stairs, sand, and sand ladders. The amazing views were well well worth the pain.

We walked from Marina to GG Bridge, down Coastal and Battery to Bluffs trails (with lots of up and down stairs), down the Sand Ladder to Baker's Beach, across the beach to Land's End, through Sutro Heights and finally ending at the Beach Chalet Restaurant in Golden Gate Park. After a yummy dinner, we took the bus home and unwind with a Disney movie, Aladdin! I'm more sore from this than the marathon, but it's different muscles and I had a blast.

I took a ton of photos along the way with my iPhone. View the slideshow below, or browse them yourself on the Flickr.

3 Things Thursday: Beyond 39.9

39.9 Recovery - Unbelievably, I bounced back from the 39.9 weekend rather quickly. The morning after the marathon, I was only a little sore and was walking normally. None of the usual suspects hurt one bit. The following day, yesterday, I went for a 3 mile run and had to hold myself back because my legs just wanted to go go go! I just got back from another 3 miler, faster than yesterday, and I'm feeling amazing. I guess what my legs needed was more miles lol

Weather - We've had pretty nice weather in San Francisco this month with lots of sunshine. However, I can already see the end in sight as the rain has started. Now, this isn't rain like we had in Florida. The most I've seen so far has been a heavy drizzle, and it surprises me that it's still pretty warm even when it's overcast, foggy or raining. There have been times when I've been walking in the rain and I didn't even notice it lol

Ultramarathon - I ran the marathon on Monday with 3 other ultra marathons who have all completed 100 milers. They are great guys, lots of fun, and very inspiring. So it was inevitable that they would eventually talk me into doing one myself ... in 10 days! Oh, don't worry, I'm not crazy enough to try to run 100 miles ... yet ;) It's basically an overnight camping trip with crazy fun runners (because most of them ARE running 100 miles or more, and I'll be there to support and photograph them once I finish mine). And what do runners to for fun and pass the time? Run of course! =) I was pretty nervous about it (ok, I still am a bit), but now that I'm registered and plans are coming together, I'm started to get really excited.

Race Report: Lazarus Marathon

Today was  marathon #5, 8 months after my 4th one. I've now run 39.3 miles in the past 2 days, and I'm exhausted. But I also feel amazing. I finished today's marathon in 5:28, totally unexpected after running a 2:36 half yesterday. It's amazing what a difference it makes having support from running friends, both on the course and online.

Pre-Race

I was a little nervous going into this race because it's been so long since I've run a marathon, the most I've run in the past 8 months was 20 miles (after running 8 the previous day), and I ran a half marathon yesterday. Initially, I was just going to run the marathon yesterday instead of my 23 mile long run next weekend, but I hated not running the 10 miles for Goofy training the previous day. As luck would have it, due to a series of fortunate events, I ended up running the half yesterday and thought I'd attempt the full today, specially after hearing who else was running it.

I knew last night that I was going to run the marathon today, but not knowing how I would feel this morning, I didn't broadcast it. I had the option of starting the full and stopping at the half, which would have been a great accomplishment too as my first back-to-back half marathons, but once Runmeter posted to Facebook that I was running a Marathon, there was simply no going back knowing everyone was "watching."

Starting positions

My legs felt fine when I woke up with only some minor sore spots here and there, but that did not last. Never having done this before, my plan was to start slow and go with the flow with the goal of just finishing. Well, I blew that when I got caught up running faster than intended while chatting with Tony and finished mile 1 in 12:11; I intended to start closer to 13-13:30. Oops! But I corrected that quickly and slowed down settling into a comfortable pace for the next few miles.

Unlike yesterday's perfectly executed negative mile splits, today was all about survival, strategy, and making it to that finish line any way possible. I started with 60s/30s intervals, but adjusted as needed to take advantage of running the down hills and walking the steeper up hills to conserve energy. I was surprised at how quickly I started to feel tired and sore, and that started messing with my head -- "how can I possibly make it to 26.2 miles if I'm already sore in less than 10?" So surprisingly, the first half was way harder than the 2nd half as I battled my own head and came to terms with running on tired and sore legs.

Making it happen

Throughout all of this, I was texting Jason and reading your Facebook comments and that really kept me going. I couldn't fail all these people, so I just had to suck it up. Tracy also rallied the rest of the runners to keep an eye on me and give me a nudge should I need it. Seeing their smiling faces and hearing their words of encouragement lap after lap made a huge difference. When you hear "You look strong" enough times when you don't feel it, you eventually start to believe it and your body acts accordingly. Eating shot blocks with caffeine during the 2nd half didn't hurt either.

Once I realized the dull ache wasn't getting any worse and I was clearly not hurt, the pain became background noise and I let myself go. It became a mental game to push through it, and every mile I finished only motivated me to push harder and finish faster. I wanted to finish to end the pain, but it also became clear that my secret goal of finishing in under 5:30 was within my grasp and I was willing to work for it.

Finish line leap!

Once I finished the last of the 4 4.5-mile loops, I dug deep to bring it home strong and ran the last 2 4-mile loops with laser focus to make the most of every elevation change. Those were my fastest 8 miles at an average sub-12 pace, with mile 26 being the fastest overall in 11:18. I kicked it into high gear as I came around the bend and ran the last .2 at a 9:45 pace. (See all the data on Dailymile.) I even had enough energy to leap over the finish line. Other than some soreness all over, my legs felt pretty good.

Because this was such a small race, with only 7 starters and 4 finishers, I finished 2nd overall and 1st female. That cracks me up. We hung out for a bit and took silly finisher photos, then Tony drove us home. I immediately sat in the tub filled with cold water for 15 minutes, took some Aleve, then put on my compression gear. I feel pretty good; let's see how I feel tomorrow :) All I know is that I am totally hooked and I am now officially training for a few ultras by year's end.

Here's a silly photos we took after the race. View the rest on Flickr.

Race Report: Bummer Half Marathon, #18

Today I ran half marathon #18, and it was my best executed race. It was not my fastest (nor my slowest by far - I've run 6 slower), but that wasn't the goal. Since I'm running another tomorrow, today's goal was to run comfortably and practice pacing, and I nailed it! Just look at these beautiful perfect negative splits:

Strong Finish

• Time: 2:36:12
• Avg Pace: 11:56
• Loop Splits Pace: 12:26 - 11:50 - 11:22
• Half Splits Pace: 12:16 - 11:31
• Mile Splits Pace:
• 12:38 
• 12:32 
• 12:31 
• 12:26 
• 12:14 
• 11:51 
• 11:50 
• 11:48 
• 11:45 
• 11:42 
• 11:38 
• 11:35 
• 11:05 
• :42 (8:11 pace)

I started slow, using 1/30s intervals, and just tried to run each mile slightly faster than the previous one. I switched to 1:30/30s intervals for the last 6 miles. Secretly, I wanted to finish with sub-12 min/mi pace, but I wasn't going to push unnecessarily for that. In fact, I held myself back a little in the first 2 laps to ensure I could maintain the negative splits throughout, trying to keep each mile only a few seconds faster than the previous one. I knew if I ran a mile too much faster than the previous one then I would have to really increase my pace too much for the rest to keep it up. So I kept a laser sharp focus and then was able to let myself go for the last 2 miles. I still didn't really push the pace, I just didn't hold back anymore. 

I've been volunteering with Tracy's Racing since her first in September, but this was my first time running one. Much like DSE, these are very low key races with little fanfare but lots of love and support. I love the yummy goodies at the aid station, the great company, and the novelty finisher's bling she offers. Although an even smaller race than usual, it was a lot of fun. The washer machine style, where you switch directions after each 4.5 mile loop, is a great way for runners of different paces to see and support each other throughout the race. 

Clear Sunny Finish

Foggy Start

The weather was picture perfect too. It was super foggy as usually when I started, but still relatively warm, for at least the first lap. The fog was so dense that my eyelids were wet. But then the sun came up and it turned into a gorgeous morning. You can see the contrast from the start to the finish in these photos. I'm really glad I just wore a skirt and tank, because I felt comfortable the whole time, never hot nor cold. Jason came out to watch and serve as our photographer.

After the race, we went to lunch with the Tracy (RD) and her husband, and then took them to the Walt Disney Museum. It was a great way to spend the day. Now let's see what I can do tomorrow on tired legs, although they feel pretty damn good. I think they are actually more sore from standing around at the museum than the race.

And here's some silly photos with Tony and Tracy. THIS is why we run :)

Race Report: Great Floridian Endurance Festival

This was Jason's day, but by the end of the night he made it ours. You can read Jason's recap at http://leapfromthelion.blogspot.com/2012/10/great-floridian-triathlon-race-report.html I'm going to use his same structure so you can see the parallel from both of our perspectives.

Matching Medals
commemorate our special day

A Little Background

At last year's race

I remember spectating this race last year when Jason did the shorter distance and Stephanie the 15K. Jason was training for the Breast Cancer Marathon, his second, because he knew he wanted to do a full Ironman (running isn't his favorite sport). The race was a lot of fun to watch, and with a huge registration discount I encouraged him to signed up for the full already. My reasoning was that he had done his first half in Clermont, so why not do his first full there too. I knew it would be tough, but I loved the race's slogan, "tougher than iron," because that really does describe him. As I often say, "he knows how to suffer." I contemplated doing the 15K to give me something to do since I knew I'd be sitting around for many many hours and because Stephanie spoke so highly of it. Once we decided we were moving to San Francisco, and Jason had to forfeit the other races in the sprint tri series, we transferred some of that credit to my 15K registration and I convinced some of my running group to do the race or come cheer on Jason.

Race Prep

Packet Pick-Up on Friday

With the move to San Francisco, Jason made all kinds of excuses as to why he wasn't getting in his training. The longer he waited, the more overwhelming it became to get back into a routine and he considered not doing it. I wanted to be supportive either way, but I knew he would kick himself if he didn't see this through. Initially we were flying back for the race because we had already shelled out the pricey registration fee, but it quickly became apparent that we would be paying more than that to fly back and ship his bike. With the closest ironman distance race several months away, he finally decided he wanted to see this through in 2012 and not let all the training go to waste, and I knew it would be better to do his first back home where he would have the support of his family and friends. He eventually got back into a routine and got in some solid training in the hills of San Francisco and Marin county. It was awesome being part of every step of this journey with him, from helping him put together a new training plan, to following along on Cyclemeter when he went for those super long bike rides and runs, to the post-workout milkshakes :)

Before we knew it, it was race week. We flew into Orlando late Wednesday night and promptly went to sleep. Our biggest concern was if the bike would arrive intact, so we didn't make any plans for Thursday or Friday in case putting it back together took longer or if he had to make alternate arrangements for the race. Thankfully the box arrived unharmed as did the bike. He spent Thursday putting it together and fine tuning it, then we headed to Clermont Friday to pick up packets and rack his bike. Now the concerns turned to the water temperature of the lake and if the swim would be wetsuit legal. Signs were not good as the temps were in the low 80s, but by some miracle strong winds cooled down the lake for a 76º reading on race morning.

Race Day

We woke up way too early at 4 am, ate breakfast and were on the road by 5 am. There wasn't too much for him to setup, but we wanted a good parking spot so I could easily go back and forth to the car throughout the day. He got body marked, set up transition, then we heard the good news about the water temp and he got downright giddy. I knew I'd have plenty of time to watch him finish the swim and then get ready for my race, so I just focused on easing his nerves and capturing the moment.

The Swim

After Swim Lap 1

It was finally time to suit up. I have to admit I was a little disappointed Jason wouldn't be racing in his tiny speedo ;) but I know the wetsuit would make things way easier. I wished him luck, kissed him goodbye, and he went off to warm up. I snapped a few photos, then went to the pier to get a good spot to see him coming out of the water. He finished the first lap pretty quickly, but seemed a bit disoriented as he completely missed the water station right in front of him and walked way further than he needed to get back in the water for lap 2. He finally found his way and started lap 2.

While I waited for him to finish the 2nd lap, Chris showed up. We got caught up on running group and he shared his recent ironman spectating experience. It was nice having someone who had been through this keeping me company. Before long, Jason was out of the water and I was screaming like a crazy groupie, leaping off the pier and sprinting to try to catch a shot of the strippers getting off his wetsuit and him running in his tiny speedo. I failed miserably, but the race photographers delivered! While he was in the changing tent, Chris reminded me that I still had many more hours of spectating and my own race to run so I should take it easy on the sprinting lol

The Bike / My 15K

I saw him head out on the bike and then was able to focus a bit on my own race. As I was told later, I was really scattered. Knowing that I was going to miss him finishing the first lap of the bike because I would just be starting my 15K, I kept telling everyone who was there to spectate (Shannon, Stephanie's boyfriend Steve and his parents) that they could watch me start but then rush over to the bike special needs area because he would be coming in shortly after. I sounded like a broken record as I kept saying it to anyone who would listen. I really wanted to make sure he had someone there to cheer him on and capture the moment when I couldn't. I am so grateful so many were there.

Sole Mates Galloway Group

Everyone from my running group had arrived and it was time to warm up. We took it easy and just enjoyed catching up. We took a zillion photos, then it was go time. It felt so good to be running with them again and doing a race where people I knew were taking photos and cheering for us. I really missed that. We started with 90s/30s intervals and had a blast chatting and enjoying the gorgeous course for the first 3 miles. I knew we had started too fast, but I was a bundle of energy and wanted to suck it all in. I even answered my phone when Sean called and told him I was running and would call him when I finished. Then the wheels fell off. The shade was gone, the hills had really started, and my stomach began to cramp. I took a walk break when the rest of the group kept going and I was never able to catch back up to them. The hills really weren't too much of a problem, but the heat really got to me and I felt like my stomach was going to explode. I slowed way down and contemplated that I may not be able to finish this race, but I dug deep and got through it. I'm really glad I did and got to experience a little bit of the pain that awaited Jason.

All smiles after lap 2 from our cheers

I didn't really have time to be disappointed because I knew Jason would be finishing his 2nd bike loop soon and I was not about to miss it. Besides, this was his day and I was not about to complain about my little 15K when he was out there suffering far more for far longer. I grabbed some food, found my parents, and then rallied everyone that would listen to come see him with me and take photos. Knowing it would be hard to get a good shot in the few seconds when he zoomed by, and because my camera was still in the car, I asked everyone with a camera or smart phone to take a photo while I kept a look out and cheered him on. When we saw him, everyone screamed and snapped photos. Shortly after, Jason sent me this text message: "You guys are awesome. Tell everyone thank you!"

Some of our signs

Now I had time to relax a bit. I downloaded Shannon's photos to my laptop, changed and ate some snacks while my parents returned with my lunch, and Sean and I entertained ourselves making some signs for when Jason returned. We found a spot in the shade and discussed strategy for the next part. I finally realized how tired I was from the 15K but I had no time for that. I got a few messages from Jason 30 minutes later complaining about cramping and saw his bike speed decreasing. I knew things were not going as planned if he had time to text me, because he is usually too focused to waste time on that. I did my best to tell him what he needed to hear and keep him going.

The Run

Run Start

My parents returned just moments before he finished the bike with my grilled cheese and a milkshake, but I was too pre-occupied with making sure I didn't miss Jason starting the run to enjoy it. I ate a few fries, grabbed the milkshake and went to wait for him to come out of transition. That's when Laura arrived and saw me frazzled. He took forever in the changing tent and I started to worry that I had missed him. He finally came out about 10 minutes later, and it is incredible to see the difference between his other races. He is usually rushing out of transition with a face of determination, but this time he was walking and taking his time and looked spent. He finally crossed the mat and started running. I took a few photos and asked how he was feeling. He was understandably tired and feeling the effort from the last 8 hours; he said this would be the worse marathon ever.

The run is 3 loops with 2 out and backs, so we got to see him 6 times. I love that because I could see him perk up and quicken his step just a little bit every time he saw us and our ridiculous signs. Sometime during the first lap, we are guessing around mile 3, he texted: "Ugh I got nothing. I'm doing 1 and 2s right now" Again, I texted back words of support and encouragement and then rallied Facebook to start posting funny motivational comments to keep his mind off the pain. And boy did they deliver! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed. It kept us entertained too!

I had some time to catch up with Laura between laps, and Sean was great at tracking where he was and how long we had before we'd see him again so we could time our trips to the car, go find food and use the restroom. Sometime during the 2nd loop, Jason texted again about his calves cramping up and he said "This sucks." I told him, "Yeah well it's an ironman. No one said it would be fun :)" That seemed to make him laugh and help him dig deep. Sean and I were worried about him, so we walked a little further to see him sooner, but when he came through he was running with someone else and looking much better, so we just let him be.

Finish Line - Look at the smile!

It knew he was in pain, but he never failed to smile for us so I knew he'd be ok. He just had to dig deep. He finally passed us one last time for the final out and back, so we packed up our stuff and took it the car, then met back at the finish line to wait for him. It was dark now and the field was really spread out so every athlete had the finishing shoot to themselves and they held the "tape" for everyone to "break." I wanted to cheer for him and see him finish through my own eyes instead of behind a camera, so I gave my camera to his sister to capture the moment. I told everyone when we saw him we had to scream like we had never screamed before. We finally saw him coming down the finishing shoot and started screaming our heads off. He was clearly hurting, but he was digging as deep as he could to finish strong. I was so proud! I thought I would cry when I saw him finish, or that he would, but I think we were both too tired and relieved that it was over to cry.

After the Race

I met him behind the finishing shoot after he got his medal and gave him a hug and kiss. He was limping, but wasn't really hurt. He was just done, but still smiling. God how I love that smile :) The rest is a bit of a blur, but I'll do my best. We kept offering him a seat, but he wasn't sure that was a good idea. We joked that he could lay down on the ground, so he did and pretended he had passed out.

He then sat up and reached for my hands. I thought he needed help getting up, but he stayed down on one knee and started saying how I'm such an amazing girl. I still didn't really have an idea of what he was doing. I thought he was just hanging on to me because he couldn't get up and thanking me for being there for him through all of this, which he did. He acknowledged the role I played in him even doing this race and make it across the finish line and the positive influence I've had on his life in general. He told me he loved me and then said, "Will you marry him?". I just smiled and said yeah. I hugged him as he kneeled on the ground and then I finally helped him to his feet as we kissed and hugged some more.

I never thought this day would come, but it was absolutely perfect and worth the wait. It felt so organic. I am really glad I did the 15K so we have these matching medals as our engagement bling, and because I was able to experience a little bit of the pain he suffered during those grueling 14 hours. I am so touched that he chose to share the spotlight of his greatest achievement with me by proposing. I was absolutely perfect. He is the most selfless person I know, and I am the luckiest girl for having him.

Wrap-Up

The next few days in Orlando where a whirlwind of celebrating and catching up with friends before we headed back to San Francisco. I am glad we left this for after the race so we were able to share all the good news. I want to thank everyone who came to Clermont to support him, and those who met us for dinner on short notice on Monday to celebrate. I know we missed seeing many of you, but we'll be back in January and hope to see you then.

When he finished the race, he said he never wanted to do that again and that it would be a while before he swam, biked or ran again. We all knew he was lying. He was fine and walking normal within 2 days. He biked to work yesterday and is already considering the next one. It's not a matter of if, but when because the training is a big commitment and he wants to enjoying exercise without giving up his life, but I know it's only a matter of time before he gives it another try. So stay tuned! :)

PS - I am sure there are many questions about the engagement/wedding, and I'll try to post more about that later. For now, let's celebrate Jason's incredible accomplishment.

Flirting with Swimming

Jason got me back in the pool last week, and as always I regret staying away so long. I looked it up, and the last time I swam was almost 2 1/2 years ago at my last triathlon, the day I broke up with triathlon to commit to running (if you've never read this, check it out. It's my "Dear John" letter to triathlon and the race report from my last tri.)

The first time back in the pool wasn't as hard as I feared. I swam 500 yds, even if I had to stop to breath every 25 yds. My stroke and breathing was a mess, but I got through it and actually enjoyed it. Today, I swam 700 yds and had to rest less. My bilateral breathing still sucks, but I felt really strong today. My stroke felt powerful and I could really feel my hands pushing the water to propel me forward faster. Fast is of course relative because I am still painfully slow. Jason was in the lane next to me and in the time it took me to complete 1 length, he was starting his 2nd lap. But that's ok because I'm just out there to get a little extra exercise.  

Every single morning that we go swim, I dread it and just want to stay in bed, but I always feel amazing when I am done and full of energy. I've been running right after swimming, and those runs have been amazing, so I guess I'll keep it up. :) But don't worry, triathlon and I are not getting back together. I'm just flirting with swimming, but my heart still truly lies with running. (Although ultra is looking mighty fine lately.)

I work best with goals, so I think I'm going to attempt this 0 to 1650 program to work up to swimming a mile non-stop. I still need to get a bit more comfortable with my breathing and stroke, and we'll be traveling next week, so I'll start this sometime when we get back from our trip to Florida or in November. I've also been working on my core this month, and I hope to keep that up as part of my Goofy training. In just 2 short weeks, I can see the difference the swimming and consistent core work is making for my running, so I really need to keep at it. 

As for running, we've never been closer. This weekend we tackle another Goofy run, where I'll run 8 miles on Friday and 20 miles on Saturday. It's going to be a LONG weekend. Then on we head to Orlando next week for Jason's Ironman and my little 15k. I'm really looking forward to seeing some running buddies again at this race.

Race Report: DSE Lake Merced Half Marathon, #17

I ran my 17th Half Marathon this morning, in my 3rd fastest time. I couldn't be happier. This was part 2 of my first official Goofy training run; part 1 was 4 miles yesterday. Here are the stats, followed by the full race report.

Stats (from Garmin):

• Finish Time = 2:25:18
• Overall Place = 134/147
• Gender Place = 34/41
• AG Place = 6/6
• Avg Pace - Overall = 11:05
• Avg Pace - Loops = 11:18 - 10:59 - 11:00
• Avg Pace - Half = 11:12 - 10:59
• Avg Pace - Miles = 11:32 - 11:19 - 11:28 - 10:55 - 11:13 - 10:46 - 10:58 - 10:58 - 11:08 - 11:43 - 10:38 - 10:53 - 10:55 - 9:37 (.1 in 53s)

This was another one of DSE's low key races, which I've come to really enjoy. There was no shirt or medal, although all finishers receive ribbons, but for $10 is a great way to get in long millage with support and meet local runners.

The race was held at Lake Merced, just outside of San Francisco, so there were some transportation logistic to deal with. Jason ran it as part of his 23 miler, so he ran the 8 miles to the race. I took the bus, which was 20 minutes late. Yes, I was freaking out a bit, but I had chosen to take an earlier than needed bus just in case this happened. Instead of trying to switch buses and risking the connecting bus being late too, I took one bus further and then ran 1.5 mile to the race as a warm up. I made it there with about 15 minutes to spare, which was perfect. Oh, did I mention I had to run with a backpack so we'd have something to change into for the bus ride home? Otherwise I'd have to put up with the unimaginable smell that is Jason after a run. It wasn't much of an issue.

It was of course cold and foggy when I left the apartment and for most of the run. I wore a running skirt with knee high socks, a tank top under my Half Fanatic short sleeve shirt, arm warmers and gloves. I had windbreaker pants and jacket over this for the bus ride there and the warm up, then stashed them in the bag to change into after the race. Even though I don't think the temp raised much above 60º during the race, I shed the gloves early on, the arm warmers probably during the 2nd loop, and the shirt during the last loop. I was really glad I had worn a tank top under it. I wasn't super hot, but the breeze felt great with less clothes on when I was working so hard during the last loop.

The course was 3 loops on the 4.5 mile path around Lake Merced (with a wooden bridge crossing on the 3rd loop to make it 4.1), which I really liked. It reminded me a bit of the Ocala Marathon, except this was actually flatter ha! The nice thing about doing a loop 3 times, you know exactly what to expect after the first loop and have consistent aid stations. My plan was to take it easy on the first loop while maintaining slightly negative splits, edge the average pace towards sub-11 min/mi on the 2nd loop, and then give it everything I had left for the last 4.1 miles.

I stuck to a 90s/30s interval (aka 3/1 ratio) for most of it, adjusting for the downhills because I won't waste gravity, and it worked great. I really love the 30 second walk breaks. It ensures I don't dilly dally and keeps my heart rate up while giving me just enough rest. This also means that my run intervals are shorter, which means I can push harder knowing a walk break is coming sooner. My strategy worked pretty well, but I started to pick up the pace too much during the end of the first loop while chatting with another runner about the run/walk method. I kept it up for the 2nd loop, but started fading a tiny bit when I had to tackle a hill and the off-road part that cuts the 3rd loop to the needed distance, and I was getting tired! I still managed to basically maintain my average pace during the last loop, so I'm good with that.

Although a PR would have been nice, I knew it was likely not going to happen given the issues I've had the past week and that I haven't been doing ANY speed work since moving to SF, so I just wanted to finish around 2:20-2:30. I'm thrilled with a time right smack in the middle of that range. I feel like I put forth the best effort I had in me today, ran a really strong and smart race, and didn't wreck myself. So I'll call that a huge win.

Next up: we fly back to Orlando for Jason's first Ironman on October 20. I'll be running the 15K between cheering and  waiting for him to finish.