A bit of an update

Oh boy.

I haven't written anything since just after the marathon. There wasn't much to report initially. I ran, probably about 4-5 times leading up to my next half marathon (9 months into my quest to run [at least] 1 half marathon every month for a year). Most of those runs did not feel very good; in fact I was starting to wonder if my quest might be over. It wasn't until the last run prior to my May half marathon (5/29) that I thought, "Maybe it won't be so bad!" AND I was going to be running with three of my girlfriends for a Girls Weekend, so at least I knew I'd have fun!

Happy Girls Half Marathon:

We drove down on Saturday, for the Sunday "all-girls" race, with a quick pit stop for two of my friends to run the Stoller Vineyards 5k in wine country. I opted to pass on this one, seeing as I was already worried about making through the half the next day. It was fun though, since everyone was allowed to wine taste after the race, including spectators.

After that fun, we made the 3-hour trek to Bend for packet pickup. It was snowing. At the end of MAY!! Oh boy! The weather reports seemed to indicate that Sunday would be a better day, but it still made us nervous. Turned out we had all packed several different choices since we weren't sure how the weather would really turn out.

It was a wet and cold outdoor packet pickup, but everything went pretty smoothly. We got our bibs, shirts, and goody bags (Lululemon bags stuffed with your usual race advertisements, Lara bars, as well as water bottles, candy, fruit strip, and other miscellaneous goodies). After we all retrieved our stuff, we quickly made our way back to the car to warm up, and head out to lunch. We wanted to eat at Bend Brewery, but the line was out the door, so we ended up at some nearby Mexican restaurant instead.

After lunch, we headed down to Sunriver, where we would be spending the next few nights at my Dad's house. My Dad and stepmom made us some pre-race Lasagna, and soon enough, it was time for bed (by 9pm we were all exhausted).

The race didn't start until 9am, so our wakeup call wasn't too early. I got to sleep in until 7am!! My pre-race meal was a donut (why not?!) and I scarfed it down easily in time to drive back up to Bend. We made it to the race start with about 30 minutes to spare. It was supposed to be 40-55°, so I opted to wear my capris with a short sleeve shirt, and a long sleeve shirt on top to keep me warm until I warmed up. I figured I might be cooler than normal since I wouldn't be "racing". Soon enough, we were lining up in the shoot, awaiting the start, then BAM we were off. Well, maybe not that fast.

We lined up with the 11:00 min/mi pacer, and stayed ahead of him, except when we would walk through aid stations. (The pacers were all male "Handsome Pacers" and they were all wearing sparkly skirts.) The first half of the course, was mostly uphill, meaning the second half would be mostly downhill. The course itself was really great! Concrete river trail, paved bike trail, dirt trail, and road. River bridge, forest, high desert-y area. The other participants were really great, too, and many participants had really awesome supporters! All in all, the course was really fun! And the day turned out to be beautiful!



I felt surprisingly great throughout the entire 13.1 miles, and we definitely stopped at the Deschutes Brewery "beer aid station" at about 11.8 miles. So Fun! Soon enough, we were making our "victory" lap at Riverbend Park on the way to the finish line.

Once we crossed the finish line, we were greeted by volunteers with necklaces. Yay! And then it was off to search for the beer. On the way there, however, we found the best thing I've ever found at the end of a race: BROWNIES!!! And not just any brownies, the most delicious brownies EVER!!! I want some more! We did eventually find the beer, and after putting on some warmer clothes (it's surprising how much warmer you feel when you're running!) we made our way to Bend Brewery for lunch. Much needed!

We headed back to Sunriver for a few hours relaxation (including a dip in the hot tub) before heading back to Bend to finish off the day at The Decemberists concert. Good times were had by all, and we were all ready to head back home the next day, Monday, after breakfast at my favorite Bend breakfast place, The Victorian Cafe, and a tasting at one more Bend brewery, 10 Barrel Brewing.

Overall, the Happy Girls Half Marathon was amazing. Everything seemed to happen flawlessly, with no hiccups from our perspective! I was amazed, since it was an inaugural race! I would do it again in a heartbeat, especially if I had friends along with me!


The Week After:

I was scheduled to have the Tuesday after Memorial Day off, so I planned to use it to relax after our busy weekend (and to clean my house!) Unfortunately, I started feeling odd at about noon. I was actually starting to feel like I had a temperature, but without any other symptoms, and by the time I went to bed, my temperature was 99.5°, so I planned to take the next day off of work. I didn't seem to have a temperature on Wednesday, and I didn't really have any other symptoms, but I just didn't feel "well". I didn't really eat anything on Wednesday, and I wasn't really hungry. I started experiencing a minor stomach ache at about 2pm, but overall, I thought I was actually feeling better, and very surprisingly excited to go to work on Thursday. I even went to Wednesday night Trivia with my friends! I went to bed, mentally prepared for the early wakeup call.

Unfortunately, stomach pain woke me up before my alarm did, at 1am. I tried to suffer through it for a bit, since it wasn't the first time I'd had stomach pain wake me up at night (from "ulcer" pain). Soon enough, my pain worried me enough to wake J and ask him whether I should go to the ER, especially since the pain was located in the right lower quadrant; location of appendicitis symptoms. We arrived at the ER at about 2am and after hours of waiting, numerous pokes and prods, and a CT scan (as well as a healthy couple doses of morphine...) we got the diagnosis: Ruptured Appendicitis!!

WHAT!!!???

But I hadn't had any pain until 1am that day. How do you catch it earlier than that?! Oh well...

Next up, a couple of hours waiting to find out if they were going to go ahead and do surgery, or discharge me with antibiotics to calm all the tissues, and then schedule me for surgery later. Soon enough, they told me they had decided on surgery, which would happen as soon as they could get me into an OR.

I had never had surgery before, but everything seemed to happen so fast, I didn't really have time to worry about it, and really...I don't think I had much of a choice to NOT have surgery.

I went in to surgery at 4pm, and came out (feeling freezing cold) about 1.5 hours later. I was back in my hospital room by 7pm. By 8pm, I finally got to slowly drink water!! (I was so thirsty, even though they'd been pumping me full of IV fluids all day!)



The good little Physical Therapist in me had J walk with me that night, and a few times on Friday (with my IV as needed). I had my last IV antibiotic Friday at 4pm, and they told me I could discharge if I wanted to, but I didn't think my pain was adequately controlled at that point, so I stayed another night. By Saturday morning, I was feeling well enough to discharge, so J took me home!

The first few days were rough, and I'm still not feeling 100%. I get tired very easily, but my pain is steadily improving and my walking is looking better (at least from my perspective). I took this week off from work, since I figured I probably wouldn't be feeling to well. I might need to take next week off as well, since I have a 2 week, 10lb lifting restriction, and I do end up lifting people at work... I also have orders for no "strenuous exercise" for 4 weeks, whatever that means.

BUT, this will affect some goals of mine. I was scheduled to run a half marathon the Saturday I was discharged, which would have been my 12th half marathon, and I would have completed it by the anniversary of my very 1st half marathon, which just so happens to be this upcoming weekend. But, that didn't happen. I'm also fairly certain I will not be running another half marathon this month...ending my streak. Oh, and that half marathon triple (3 in 3 days) I was planning over 4th of July weekend; doubt that's going to happen, either. What can you do?! That's the problem with making long term goals; things can come up!

Right now, I'm focused on healing. After that, I can focus on getting back into shape. One step at a time!

So...that's what's up with me. Probably no running recaps for awhile, but perhaps a "health" recap later on this month!

Eugene/FIRST Marathon Race Recap

I've been a terrible blogger up to this point, but I know I should definitely write down all my thoughts from our very FIRST marathon, before I forget ALL the juicy details!! So here goes!

Saturday
Saturday we got up at a decent hour (8am) to pack our stuff and start on our journey down to Eugene. We got on the road at a decent time, and made it to the Race Expo at the Eugene Hilton by noon. We found the packet pickup where we picked up our bibs, timing chips, goodie bags, and shirts. Nothing looked too enticing as we passed by several booths, and it seemed a bit crowded for my taste, so we were in and out in no time.





We picked up a course map at the expo, and decided to drive the course as best we could, since much of it is on the path along the Willamette River. First stop was Historic Hayward Field, where the race start and finish are located!



As we were driving around the Mile 16 mark, we accidentally found out where Autzen Stadium (home of the Duck's Football team) was, AND that there was something going on there on Saturday, at about the time we decided to drive by. Oops!!

We made our way through most of the course, and then it was finally time to check into our B&B (The Secret Garden Inn), located only about 2 blocks away from Hayward Field. Our room was not "spacious" but it was perfect for us! Cute and cozy, and perfect for resting!

Cozy!

Our friends made it down later in the day, and we met up at Track Town Pizza, for a delicious pre-marathon meal. Many of our long runs were preceded by a delicious meal of pizza, and we didn't want to stray too far from that! :)



And of course, our pre-long run meals always include a delicious beer...Mmm...(J and I split a pint)
Finally we headed back to our room and got our gear ready to go for the next day.
After we were prepared for the next morning it was time for some relaxation in bed, including an awesome Timbers game. Although I slept through most of the second half, I woke up just in time to see them cinch the win! I slept really good marathon eve, for some reason, and woke up with my alarm, ready to go!

Sunday/Marathon Day!!
5:45am came not so bright but early. J and I ate our oatmeal, and suited up for our first full marathon. I knew it was going to be cool for the start (~40°), but that it would warm up in no time. It was actually quite reminiscent to our first half marathon a little less than a year ago. All our training, and even the week leading up to the race was cool and wet, and then come race day, the warmest day of the year thus far and no clouds in sight!! Not so nice when you can't handle running in heat...(We're the opposite of most fair-weather runners!)

I tried to go into the race without any time expectations, as I knew it was going to be tougher than any race we had ever done. I knew if I went in with certain expectations, I would probably be disappointed, but I also knew I wanted to do the best that I could. I know that I am capable of a sub-4 hour marathon, but I wasn't sure today was the day for it. We hadn't done any speed work in our training. In fact, we hadn't actually run at a sub-4 hour marathon pace at all during training. But I wanted to start out at a decent pace, and see how we felt!

We got to the race start with about 10 minutes to spare. The lines to the potties looked immense, and I was starting to get nervous, so I opted out of the lines, and we went to line up instead. We found the 4-hour pacer, and thought that was as good a place as any to line up. Little did we know the race would start 11 minutes late...

Miles 1-7:
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, a little girl sang the national anthem, and then the gun went off. We shuffled across the starting line, and waited for the crowd to loosen up a bit. The first mile or so was a bit of a cluster, but we didn't try to push through it, or wind through too many people; we just took it easy, we still had a LONG way to go.

I knew my friend, K, was waiting for us at about 1.5 miles. We saw her and waved, and I handed off my handheld, as I wasn't expecting to need it until later on, and didn't want to cart it along with us the whole way. It was at about this point that the 4-hour pacer took off. And I mean TOOK OFF!! I know he was a bit behind the pace, but holy moly! There were plenty of miles to make up time! It was probably at this point that we let him go on ahead, and we didn't see much of him at all later on. Oh well!

The next few miles were fairly uneventful. For the first few miles, we could see the fasties on the other side of a green patch (through some tree branches) which was pretty cool. We looped down and around, and made our way back up toward the University, grabbing water or gatorade at every aid station along the way. This part of the race seemed to go by really fast, and we were able to keep a good pace going.

Mile 1: 9:49 (Thick crowd)
Mile 2: 9:13
Mile 3: 9:04
Mile 4: 9:10
Mile 5: 9:14
Mile 6: 9:00
Mile 7: 9:03

Miles 8-11:
Our friend K had planned to see us again in front of South Eugene High School, just before the "hill" at mile 8. I passed off my arm warmers (I was plenty warm at this point) and she told us to keep going. Then came the "hill", which wasn't much of a hill, really, and actually crested at our B&B, "See you later!"
We came back by Hayward Field again, and we decided to hit up the potties while we knew there would be no wait. I probably didn't *need* to use the potty; it was more mental than anything, but it didn't take us too long. Soon enough, we were crossing over the pedestrian bridge to the other side of the river, and parting ways with the half marathoners.

Mile 8: 9:12 ("hill"?)
Mile 9: 10:00 (pit stop)
Mile 10: 9:12
Mile 11: 9:23

Miles 12-16:
Definitely the most boring part, at least to me...Neighborhoods, and a long...boring...road. I kept waiting for Centennial Blvd to turn in to MKL, because I knew that meant we were almost to Autzen Stadium, and almost to the River Pathways. After what seemed like forever, we were finally there! My legs started to feel a bit tired during this stretch, but that could have been a bit due to the long boringness of it...I'm pretty sure this is when we decided to settle in to our 9:20 pace, since our bodies had already.

Mile 12: 9:25
Mile 13: 9:25
Mile 14: 9:12
Mile 15: 9:20
Mile 16: 9:20

Miles 17-21:
Although the scenery was better, all the pedestrian bridges leading to the other side of the river were dirty teases, as we had to continue on straight ahead. I was definitely getting more tired, but no more than I had expected. I was also started to feel warm, and more thirsty than the water stations were appearing. Luckily K, and our other friend M (who had just raced to a PR in her half marathon) were going to meet us at the mile 21 marker to run with us for a few miles!

Mile 17: 9:41
Mile 18: 9:39
Mile 19: 9:51
Mile 20: 9:53
Mile 21: 10:00

Miles 22-24:
K and M met us just in time. I was so thirsty, and needed a good distraction. M told us about her PR, and K told us about the other friends she'd seen out on the course. They told us how strong we looked (which I strongly doubted, as I felt anything but strong at that point...) I got my handheld and kept drinking at every aid station. Soon enough, though, our 2 miles with friends were over, and we continued on on our own.

Marathons are hard!!

Mile 24 was probably the most difficult, as we were so close, but not close enough to know the end was near. We were passing several people walking, and although I wanted to walk, I really just wanted to get it over with! And I knew I could finish if I just kept running!

Mile 22: 10:05
Mile 23: 10:05
Mile 24: 10:12

Miles 25-26.2:

Coming into the finish

When I saw the Mile 25 marker, I knew I could pick up the pace, and I knew we would be finished soon. I just kept running, and when I saw the final turn on the path, that would take us to Agate Street, through Franklin, and onto Hayward Field, I definitely picked up the pace. On we went, and then I saw the stadium, and really picked it up! It got closer and closer until it was finally there. We ran onto the track, around a curve, and booked it as best we could through the finish line!

Mile 25: 10:25
Mile 26: 9:46
Mile 26.2: 8:08 avg pace

Garmin Results: 4:10:50 (26.27 miles)

Official Results: 4:10:43 (26.2 miles)

After we crossed, we collected our race medals, and slowly/painfully made our way toward the exit to meet our friends. We were done! The legs were not working so well, though. We collected our congratulations from our friends, and slowly made our way back to the B&B to shower/change. (It took AWHILE!!) We made it out eventually and ate lunch with friends at Lucky Noodle, and then some gelato at The Sweet Life. Yum! Not walking so well:

From the back

From the front

Overall, I'm very happy with how we did. Yes, our pace dropped off, but I think we still finished strong. I think a lot of the difficulty (for me) in the last 10k or so was mental, and not knowing what to expected from myself in uncharted territory. But I think I was still able to remain strong, even during those tough times. Its kind of funny to look at our split times, compared to others running the race (check out our "rank" for our first few splits compared to the "last 10K" split, even though our pace dropped significantly, our rank improved!):

10k: 58:10 (pace: 9:22 , rank: 115)
Half (13.1 Mile): 2:02:09 (pace: 9:20 , rank: 116)
20 Mile: 3:07:41 (pace: 9:24 , rank: 105)
Last 10k: 1:03:03 (pace: 10:09 , rank: 102)

I think it was a solid first marathon, and although I'm suffering from quite a bit of soreness right now, and felt like I was suffering through most of the end of the race, I'll definitely run a marathon again (and I think J is up for it, too!) I now know I can make it the whole distance, now it's time to see how fast I can go!

Marathoners!!

27 Days + Wheatfield Half Marathon Recap

until Eugene, and I am officially a terrible blogger! :) Oh well. I’ve been pretty busy with work, and you know, training for a marathon! I guess I can get a little lazy…

Since I last left you, we completed another 20-miler, which I think felt harder than the first one…Maybe it had something to do with moving the Mt Tabor loop closer to the end of the run. We got to the top and then had to keep going! Oy! My theory: If its hard, it just makes you stronger!

The following weekend, I completed my 8th half marathon in 7 months (with an additional 3 added miles to make it an even 16 mile long run) at the Wheatfield Half Marathon. I wrote a recap for the RunOregon blog about it.

It was a good event. Very small race, and only $5 pre-registered ($10 DOR). It was a bit of a drive (1.5 hours to The Dalles) but it didn’t start until 10am, so we didn’t have to wake up extra early! It was a beautiful out and back course, along wheatfields, green mossy rocks, and most of the course ran alongside a really pretty creek.

Since it was a small race, there were definitely times when J and I were running by ourselves (Good thing we enjoy each other’s company!) And we recognized a lot of people out there, and it was fun to cheer them on as they passed us on their way back to the finish line. We took the course pretty slow, since this was most of our long run. We had gotten to the race start about an hour early (score!) so we did most of our extra 3 miles prior to the race start, but when we came into the finish, we knew we had another extra mile to do.

After the race, our carpool friends took us to a few of their favorite breweries in Hood River: Double Mountain Brewery and Big Horse Brewery. Pizza and beer = delicious post-long run recovery food! :)

This past week was a recovery week, and we took our rest seriously!

Next weekend is the Vernonia Half Marathon, which will be my 9th half-marathon in 8 months. We’re going to use this is part of our last 20-miler (maybe 22-miler; we’ll see). After that…taper time! Wow, Eugene Marathon is coming up quick!!

So Busy

And not just with running. We just finally had a “restful” weekend, but I still think I would have liked for it to be longer. Ah, well.

So I guess I last finished off by writing about Hagg Lake. We’ve definitely kept up the running since then, and have done some LONG runs!

Last weekend was our first ever 20-miler! And it wasn’t nearly as bad as I would have thought it would be way back when; just another progression in distance. We ran again with Coach Jim’s group, which brought us up to the top of Mount Tabor within the first 5 or so miles; not a bad way to start your first 20-miler! ;)

After Hagg Lake, those hills felt like nothing! The remainder of the run was along relatively flat neighborhoods, and we finished 18.5 miles with the group. J and I ran few more miles until we completed 20.5 total! Wow! That’s kind of a long way!

We’re planning on another two 20-milers before Eugene. And I’m thinking of just maybe making one of those 20’s a 22-miler…We’ll see.

So far, though, so good. No problems with my shins (or knees, calves, hips, or any other body parts!). I’m pretty excited about this. I think it was a good idea for me to stay away from super challenging workouts, like speedwork, in order to prevent any injuries while going into uncharted mileage territory.

Last week was another cut back week, and we finished all the pertinent miles on our schedule without difficulty, and managed to actually have a little fun, as well as a little rest over the weekend: including Sake Tasting, Wine Tasting, and dinner at Por qué no!

Next Sunday is the Shamrock Run. We’re doing the 15k + ~7 more miles for an even 16. It should be a fun time with friends, though!

55 more Days
until Eugene Marathon!!

Hagg Lake Trail 25k Recap + 10 weeks left!

J and I spent last weekend out volunteering at Hagg Lake Trail (MUD!) 50k and 25k races. We spent all of Saturday volunteering at the finish line (which was also an aid station before the second loop) and then on Sunday, J volunteered at an aid station and the finish line, and I ran and volunteered at the finish line. (It was packed when I finished, and I jumped right into the same duties I did yesterday.) Volunteering was fun, and there were a lot of great runners out there this weekend. How they finished as fast as they did on those rough trail conditions just leaves me in awe!

Onto the 25k recap!

Mud. Mud. Mud. If you ever do this race, don’t let the first 8 or so miles deceive you. The last half-ish of the race is a big dirty, slippery mess. I don’t think I saw anyone finish the 50k who didn’t fall! My goal going into this race was to stay on my feet. And, as long as hand contact on the ground doesn’t count…I succeeded!!!

The first several miles entailed what I consider “average” dirt trail, much like the Wildwood Trail. This section was tough with the hills and and all, but overall not too bad. There was a section of washed out trail where you have to get through some mud. I didn’t mind since I knew what was to come. But others tried their best to get around it. I didn’t feel like hurting myself trying to do that, so through the mud I went!

I saw J at the aid station about 6 miles in, and quickly moved on after refilling my water bottle. A few more miles later, the muddiness began, and didn’t end until we crossed the finish line.

First up was the slick mud. Easy goes it with shuffling and trying to stay on my feet. This is where I pulled, what I refer to as a Spiderman pose. One foot out to the side and both hands on the ground. But I was still on my feet! This continued on for miles, with slick up hills, slick down hills, and slick flats. There were a few breaks in dry dirt and on the road, but the slipping really takes a toll on your legs.

I was counting down the miles, hoping for some glimpse of the finish as my legs were begging me to stop! And then I saw the boat ramp at the parking lot, and knew it was only a small bit of trail afterward to the finish line! But first, holy boggy mud!!! Mud up to mid-calf. This section went on longer than I expected it seemed like it could, and when I finished I only had to slug my 5-lbs blocks of shoes a little ways farther to the finish line.

3:14:13 – later, and the finish line was packed, and I could tell all the volunteers were scrambling to get things done, so I jumped in and started helping out. Which probably explains the extreme soreness I’m grappling with today! Ouch!Not the best picture of the mud, but pretty much knees and below = mud.

On the marathon training front, we are about 10 weeks away from the Eugene Marathon and everything is going well so far. I’ve decided against doing any speed training at least this go around because I want to avoid any injuries as we up our mileage. So far so good! Next weekend is our first 20-miler!! And it doesn’t seem nearly as daunting as it once did! I’m actually kinda looking forward to it! :)

Lazy Blogger

Not much new to report.

We’ve kept up our training for the Eugene Marathon. Since we started our training, I’ve felt a little tenderness in the shin area, and since last week was a cut back week, I took it seriously and ran a total of 2 times, and made sure to massage and ice my shins as much as I could! They have definitely felt better the last few runs, so I think I made a good choice. When cutting back like that, it’s hard not to feel lazy, but I just had to keep telling myself: “It’s better to take a few lazy days now, than a few lazy months later!” And truthfully, my goal for this (my first) full marathon is just to finish! And I can’t finish if I injure myself during training!

So I don’t have anything too exciting to post. January was my highest mileage month ever, about 0.4 miles more than my only other month over 100 miles. Not too shabby. I’m expecting the next few months to be even higher; I just hope my shins hold out for me!

The weekend before last, we finished a 15-miler for our long run, our longest consecutive run ever. It felt pretty good, too, except for the last 0.5-0.75 miles. That’s when our legs started to feel heavy, but I expect that’s probably going to happen as we continue to increase our mileage; it’s kinda far to run!

We have 16 miles planned for next weekend, plus I have to work Saturday. I predict I will be tired next week! Oh the joys of marathon training!

Cascade Half Marathon Race Recap + Week 1 of Marathon Training

When I initially signed up for this race, I thought that it looked like a nice flat course for a PR. Then the Holidays/Vacation came and went without much running, and I decided that I would just run it for “fun” and hope to finish! At some point I though I might try to break 2 hours, but I have been feeling pretty sluggish lately, and really just wanted to finish!

The weather wasn’t too terrific for the drive down to Turner, but the temperature reading seemed fairly warm for January. And it would have felt warm, too, if it weren’t for the driving rain! Oh well.

This race is a fundraiser for the Cascade High School Cross Country and Track and Field Teams, so the start and finish are located on school grounds. We made our way to the school gym to pick up our packets. Packet-pickup was a breeze, and we had plenty of time to kill before the start of the race at 9am. We wandered around the indoor school areas to get the lay of the land, including the cafeteria (which served warm soup after the race) and the locker rooms (which would allow us to take “warm” showers after the race.)

Now, my bib number was 909. As in the pace needed to break 2 hours. (Yes, I knew that off the top of my head.) This is when I started to think I might just break 2 hours after all…

 
Soon enough, it was time to head outside into the driving rain. But we didn’t have to wait too long. Finally, we were on our way!

The course takes place on flat country roads, taking several turns here and there as you weave through farms, cows and horses. A flat and fast course for sure, except for that darn sideways rain! As we made each turn, it was fun to discover which way the rain would be hitting you this time! It didn’t take long before we were all drenched, but we’re Oregon runners, and so, we continued on.

I was hoping to settle in to my “fun” pace right from the beginning, unfortunately I fell right into PR pace. Oops! So, I tried to fall back a bit, but it was hard to do with all the people surrounding me. I finally found a reasonable pace…for about 2 miles, until the leaders started passing us on their way back to the finish. So I picked it up again, and before I knew it, we were at the turn-around with several boisterous spectators, which definitely pushed me on.

When I saw the time on the clock at the turn-around, I figured I might as well continue on with my current pace! And so we wove back over familiar territory, counting down the miles left until the finish. Each time we turned a corner, I kept a lookout for the school, hoping I could dry off soon. Finally, there it was! So I picked up the pace for the last 1.1 miles, and pushed through the finish line.

 
Just for fun, here are my splits from the race (along with my thoughts at the time):
Mile 1: 8:23 (Oops! Way too fast.)
Mile 2: 8:46 (Better, but still too fast.)
Mile 3: 9:11 (Better, I could probably keep this going.)
Mile 4: 9:28 (That's more like it.)
Mile 5: 9:20 (Still comfortable.)
Mile 6: 8:52 (Look at those people coming back this way; they're fast!)
Mile 7: 8:56 (Ok, under 1 hour at the 1/2-way point, I should just go for it.)
Mile 8: 8:43 (Not sure I need to go this fast...)
Mile 9: 8:34 (Or this fast...)
Mile 10: 8:33 (Well, I'm nearly there now...)
Mile 11: 8:43 (A little tougher here.)
Mile 12: 8:29 (Almost there)
Mile 13: 8:12 (Push against that headwind! Push!!)
Mile 13.1: 1:23 (7:26 avg pace) (I just want to be dry again!)

Official Time: 1:55:32 (8:50 avg pace) My second fast half ever!

 
So much for the “fun” run I had planned! I was tired, but not as tired as I had been after EWEB. My competitive spirit definitely got the best of me! I collected my finisher’s medal, grabbed my dry clothes from J, then made my way to the locker room to get cleaned up. It was definitely nice to change into some warm/dry clothes!

 
It was a great end to a decent week of Marathon training. I got all my runs in, and finished the week with 28.7 miles. Not too shabby! I might have less mileage during this upcoming week, but that’s probably ok! :)

So far I have completed 5 months of 1 half-marathon/month for 1 year! AND, since I completed 6 half marathon within 5 months, I now have 2 moons as a Half Fanatic! Yay!

Until next time!

Sneaky Sneaky

Well, Marathon training kinda, maybe, somewhat caught me off guard. We got lazy over winter break, and now it's time to jump right in! Whoa!

Luckily, we managed to squeeze in 22 miles last week, and we have 26 miles on the schedule for next week. I think we'll be ok, but going into my long run on Sunday, I was starting to worry about my half coming up next Sunday. But it looks like I'll be ok. I'm definitely not in "racing" shape, but I know I can complete the whole thing! Phew!

Also…I may have done a crazy thing. I'm a Half Fanatic, and noticed some of my Fanatic friends on Facebook were signing up for a few races on July 4th weekend. Three to be exact. So I signed up! For three half marathons in three days! Eep!

Actually, I'm kind of excited. I think it's going to be difficult, and definitely a challenge, but I really think I can do it! And when do you get the chance to run 3 halves in 3 days? A fellow Fanatic (and Maniac) is putting on the 2 weekend marathons/half marathons, and the 3rd one is the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon/Half Marathon. It's being billed as the Firecracker Triple, and you can find more information here. The 2 weekend races are capped at 100 participants each, and they will definitely fill soon! (Clearly, you can also do a triple of marathons, but c'mon now, that's just crazy :P)

Marathon training officially begins this week, so I guess it's time to get serious. My legs are starting to remember what running is, just in the nick of time!

Hopefully I'll have something fun to report next weekend!

Running Goals for 2011

I hope everyone had a good time ringing in the new year. J and I hosted our own party, and had a lot of fun with friends and games. I haven’t run since Monday, and thus can officially say I ran 801.5 miles total in 2010. Not too shabby, but I want to think bigger next year, especially with marathon training officially starting on the 10th. Eek! :)

I made a few goals for 2011. I think they are realistic, and will give me something to work for. But I won’t hesitate to adjust them as necessary throughout the year, and hey, maybe add a few more! You never know!

1. Run 1200 miles in 2011. As I stated above, I ran 801.5 miles in 2010, my first full year of running. I know I can run more than that now, and I know we’ll be training for a marathon, and thus should definitely get more miles in.

2. Complete a Marathon. Currently planned as the Eugene Marathon! I’ll reassess whether I would like to run another one after I complete the first one. Best not to get ahead of myself, right?!

3. PR in the half marathon (and probably the 5k and 10k, and definitely the marathon…automatic PR!)

4. Complete running 1 half marathon every month to complete a full year (August being the last). I started in September 2010, so I am on my way!

I’ve added a 2011 Race Calendar to the sidebar (and moved the 2010 calendar to the “Races” tab). I’ll keep updating it when I “officially” confirm my plans for races. Until then, happy planning for 2011!

Recap of my first year of running

I’m fairly certain 1-year-ago-Marya would not believe what current-Marya has accomplished this year. Several 5k’s, 10k’s, and SIX half-marathons! As of a few days before New Years, I have run 801.5 miles, and will probably add a few more on before rolling over into the new year.

Overall, I think it was a successful year! And I can’t wait to see what next year holds…including the Eugene Marathon! Here’s a run down of the past year:

January:
We ran our first running race, the First Run 5k at the strike of midnight. What a great way to ring in a great year of running! We finished in 29:16, and were ecstatic to finish under 30 minutes. Our times have improved, and we’ve certainly run further, but it was our first great running accomplishment, and I’m still proud of it!

Unfortunately, while I was finishing the Couch to 5k plan, I got a little too goal-oriented and injured myself. Too much running for my legs coupled with the wrong running shoes = injury in the form of shin splints and I was sidelined much of the rest of this month.

After purchasing some new shoes, I thought I had been magically cured, and attempted my first 1 mile race, the Be The Change Mile (pictures can be found here). I finished in about 9-ish minutes, but I'm fairly certain I can finish faster than that now… Looks like I need to find another miler to race!

The rest of the month was full of cross-training in the form of hiking and recumbent biking. Blah. I continued my shin splint self-care, and hoped February would be better.

February:
I continued my road back to recovery, with more hiking and more self-care, and I eventually got back on my feet. It was a slow, hesitant recovery, but I ended the month running nearly 3 miles, relatively pain free! And that’s all I could ask at that point.

March:
I continued my recovery this month, and made my triumphant return at the Shamrock Run, with a new 5k PR: 27:40! We also signed up for 2 races: Bridge to Brews 10k and the Helvetia Half Marathon! I must have been feeling better; I was getting ambitious!

In preparation for half marathon training, we completed our first “long” runs of 4 and 5 miles! Hey that was a big step back then! :)

We also did our first volunteer gig at the end of the month, at the Fort Vancouver Race, and we made a very important running friend!

April:
This marked our first opportunity to run on vacation, down in sunny so-cal! It was hot and I contracted allergies, which impacted my running for the rest of the week after I got home, but I still ran a successful 6 miler!

I eventually was able to breathe again, and was able to celebrate J and my one year anniversary, with our first 10k! (pictures can be viewed here) We finished in 56:07, good enough for a PR (you know, since it was our first one! :)

We finished out the month by volunteering again with friends at the Earth Day Races, and attempting a 7-miler on a difficult trail, on full stomachs, and trying Gu for the first time, and ultimately failing by completing only 5.3 miles. Oh well…

May:
We started the month with something new and fresh. Our first track workout! Later that week, I “ran” an almost-5k with my Girls on the Run buddy…Oy.

Our follow-up week included a second trip to sunny so-cal, where we failed on yet another long run, but came back the next day to complete 8 flat miles for the first time ever!

We completed our first “Tempo” workout the next week, and took part in our first of many First Thursday Runs. We finished out this very successful week with a 10-miler on Leif Erickson!

We followed up this “best week of training ever” with a very poor showing with a too-fast track workout and a terribly disappointing long run on the Banks-Vernonia trail.

We made up for it the next week with a passable 12-miler, and J totally smoked a 5k race, getting first in his age-group, and setting a new PR in 21:34! Holy smokes fasty! This also marked our 3rd volunteer gig, at the Rum Run. Overall, we completed this peak week with 26 miles, and were quickly closing in on our first half marathon!

The last week of May was devoted to tapering, and our long run was only 9 miles! Totally easy after a 12-miler! Only 1 more week until Helvetia!

June:
I started out the month with the Starlight Run with Girls on the Run…it only took us 55 minutes to complete the 5k, but hey, we beat the bus! :\

In preparation for our race, we adopted a new kitten. Hey, why not? But soon enough, it was time to get ourselves to the start line, and do this thing!

And then we did it. We completed our very first half marathon! I was slightly disappointed just after the finish, since we were so close to breaking 2 hours…but in retrospect, I think 2:01:46 is pretty respectable for our first 13.1 miles! I learned some lessons that I was able to take into my next goal race, about aid stations and fueling, as well as confidence that I could complete the distance! It was so great to complete that first half, and I think it gave me a bit of a bug for the distance, as we will see later in this recap.

After the race, I continued on with my new addiction, yoga. The week after the race was devoted to yoga only, 3 yoga classes in the first week, and I became more familiar with the types of yoga that suit me best.

We finished up a great month with the Epic Oregon Relay. It was a great fun time with running friends, and I can’t wait to do another one of these relays, maybe next summer. I still had a great time even after biting it on my last leg. I think you look pretty bad-ass with blood streaming down your leg as you cross the finish line!

July:
This month started the theme of running for fun and continuing with yoga. With no real “race” planned, we just ran/yoga’d when we wanted to, and it was really fun!

I started the month out by taking part in my friend’s Sleepover Marathon. I honorably completed my “half” as my friends struggled to complete 15-17 miles. It was a very hard endeavor; much harder than we had anticipated, but it was still fun to be with friends. We also volunteered at an aid station for the Flat Half/Full Marathon; fun with cowbell!

I continued on with fun running, finding new routes, and even getting lost sometimes. Then we decided to finally “race” again at the Bowerman AC 5k, where I got a new 5k PR (24:25) in the heat! (85° is hot to me) and got to meet Kara Goucher! Overall, a very fun month!

August:
We continued on the with the running theme of “fun”: First Thursdays, volunteering, track, all while still continuing with yoga.

And then I did it; I made plans! Well, first of all, we officially joined the Red Lizard Running Club. We’d been running with their group for awhile, so it seemed only right to make it official. And as for plans, I signed up for several half marathons, including a “goal” race for November: EWEB’s Run to Stay Warm…Soon enough I would be “training”, although I didn’t really end up following a “plan” as I did previously!

September:
I started out September by running a half marathon for fun (old Marya would say, “HUH?!”) The inaugural Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon. It was a fun time, except for that few miles of gravel…

Next up, a 10k race, and a new PR (49:47) at the Pints to Pasta 10k race. I left my old PR in the dust! Woot!

Continuing on with the shorter and shorter races, the next weekend I raced the Oktoberfest 5k, and ran yet another PR (23:28). Guess I got a bit faster than the beginning of the year!

We finished the month with a wedding, and just kept running!

October:
3 race reports, none actually “raced”.

First up: Fall Finale 5k, pacing a 30 min 5k. It was fun preparation for the next weekend’s activities, and I won free shoes! Not bad!

Next: Portland Marathon Pacing. So. Much. Fun. I ran 17 miles total with my pace group, and it was fun to see who was still with the group after a bit of a break at the aid station. I definitely want to do this again next year!

Finally: Nike Women’s Half Marathon + San Francisco Vacay. What a great way to sightsee, first walking around with J, then running a half marathon with thousands of my closest friends! I don’t think I would ever want to “race” a destination marathon, but we’ll see!

November:
The month of my new half PR. It started with a trail half marathon, our first ever race on a trail. Super difficult, but really fun! The perfect adventure for a camera! I got a lot of great pictures out of it.

I finished my last week before the race with lots of trail running. Excuse me. Lots of muddy trail runs. Super fun and super dirty. It’s what fall is all about!

And then it came, the race I've been running toward the last few months. I didn’t really stick to a “training plan”, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t train. I did track and long runs, plus other “easy” mileage throughout the week. I got my miles in, but I was still nervous! And then I ran what felt like a perfect race. Pretty even splits throughout, it wasn’t tough until the end, and I finished with a smile on my face; completely satisfied. A new PR of: 1:48:49; I’ll take it!

After this run, I officially became Half Fanatic #652, and fessed up to signing up for our first full marathon!

I also took it easy, but still managed a turkey trot, and paced a 30 minute 5k again. This race was packed, though, and I’m not sure too many people knew we were there. We still managed to get one kid across under 30 minutes, and he was definitely proud!

December:
Lastly, we have the Holiday Half; another fun run with friends. We got a great cowbell/finishers medal at the end, and I’m sure I’ll be able to use it to cheer on fellow runners at some point!

I’ve got some plans lined up for next year, but I need to get things somewhat more finalized. I’ll try to get a plan/goals post after the new year. Until then! Have a Safe & Happy New Years!

Holiday Half Run Report + Weekly Recap

Another weekend, another half marathon! ;) But first, recap of the week:

Monday:
Day Off

Tuesday:
Back to Track
This week’s workout:

1 x 600 @ 2:48 (200 recovery)
1 x 800 @ 3:44 (200 recovery)
2 x 1000 @ 4:41 (400 recovery)
1 x 800 @ 3:44 (200 recovery)
1 x 600 @ 2:48

Here’s how it broke down:

600 @ 2:37 (a little speedy)
800 @ 3:37 (a little less speedy)
1000 @ 4:41 (dead on)
1000 @ 4:44 (oops)
800 @ 3:44 (dead on)
600 @ 2:42 (strong finish!)

It was a good, dark workout. Nice to run fast again. I was afraid that I forgot how! It was my first track workout in (probably) over a month; before my Achilles started to bother me. No pain afterward (well maybe a little sore…)

Wednesday:
Fulton Pub Run
5.22 miles (9:16 min/mi)
A tad bit speedy, but it felt pretty good. Nice run with friends, and trivia afterward! Good times!

Thursday:
3.1 miles (un-timed run, with a story)
We had a bit of rain just before rush hour, which caused traffic to be horrendous. Literally the second worst commute of all time, right behind the time it snowed right at evening rush hour. That night it took me 4 hours to drive 12 miles….yeah, it was awful!

To be fair, it only took me 1.5 hours to drive 10 miles (to NW Portland) where I was supposed to be taking part in Fit Right NW Light Up the Night Holiday Fun Run. When I finally arrived, everyone was just finishing up their 5k run, and I was so upset (I absolutely hate traffic, like it tops the list of everything I hate in the world…) so I decided to do my own 5k. I had no Garmin, no plan, and no watch, so I just took off. I know I was running fast, but I didn’t care, I just needed to run.

I looped down to the Pearl District and made my way back. I got a side cramp from running so fast unprepared, and had to walk just a bit. Now, while I was driving, there was hardly any rain, and the other runners had a fairly dry run. As I was walking, it started pouring, and I was so happy. It felt good, and I felt so much better finishing my run by getting drenched!

I arrived back to the store, drenched to the bone, the raffle long past completed. Luckily, J had won me a nice reflecty beanie, and saved me a beer. I don’t even know what kind it was!

Moral of the story: Best. Run. Ever!

Friday/Saturday: rest days

Sunday:
Holiday Half Run Recap
13.1 miles: 2:19.04 (10:37 avg pace)
Pretty good run for an inaugural event! The starting/finishing area was located at Adidas Headquarters, and there were a good group of people there when we arrived at 7:30am. We picked up our race bibs and shirts, then went to find the bathroom…line. Oy! What a line. We didn’t stick around for long, since we didn’t have to go too bad, and weren’t too worried about waiting in a shorter line along the race course. There were 3 porta-potties in the parking lot, and another few at the starting line. Needless to say, not enough potties for 1500 runners. I heard it took 30 minutes to get to the front of the line! Wow!

The race started just about right on time, and we all funneled through the starting line. We started on a bit of an incline, then wove through some neighborhoods surrounding the Adidas campus. I would definitely prefer to weave for extra mileage at the start of the race versus the end! As we wove back to Greeley, we continued on to Willamette Blvd. There are some nice houses that line this road. The Willamette River was towards our left side, just on the other side of an industrial area below the bluff we were on. What I remember most about this part? THE WIND!!! You had to fight to stay upright! I was certainly happy it wasn’t raining, as I thought it might be. I can handle the wind, as long as we don’t have sharp rain hitting us sideways, as well.

Eventually we passed by the St John’s Bridge, and ran through a few more neighborhoods, and turned around at about Mile 7.5. We looped back around the neighborhood we just traversed, and made our way back past the St. John’s Bridge. Soon enough, we were back on Willamette Blvd, honing in on the finish. We turned the last corner to a nice downhill through the finish line. After we finished, we received our finisher’s medal (a cow bell! for real!) I can foresee using this medal in the future for spectating. Very cool! It was also awesome that those who had already finished, and were walking back towards the race could use them to cheer on the rest of us runners!

All in all, a pretty good race. We spoke to the race director at the end, who knew about the bathroom situation, and also knew that many of the carolers that were supposed to be along the course didn’t show up. Oops! I was a bit disappointed that there were not as many carolers along the way, but I was really having too much fun to notice they were missing until the end!

I wore my Half Fanatics shirt for the first time during this race, and got a few cheers along the way because of it. I also got to meet a few fanatics at the after party, which was fun!

K and I before the race: Race swag:

One half marathon a month for a year:
So, since September, I’ve managed to run at least 1 half marathon each month, and I want to keep this streak going for 12 months. So far I have the Cascade Half Marathon in January, and the Hagg Lake 25k in February. I’m keeping my eye out for more each month through August! If you have any “must-do” halves, let me know, and I’ll see if I can squeeze them in!

Taking it easy

My legs have been a bit tired since the race, which is to be expected, so I’ve been trying to take it a bit easy. But I’ve still gotten out for a few runs!

Thanksgiving Day:
Give N’ Gobble 5k
My friend K and I dusted off our fancy pacing skirts to pace another 30 minute 5k. A lot of people showed up to this race, and I’m not sure too many of the surrounding people knew what we were up to, but we tried to grab a few people in the last couple of miles so they could reach their goal. We even had one kid thank us at the end for pushing him through the finish! Very fun and rewarding!

I was a little nervous going into this “race” since my legs were still a little fatigued (especially noticeable the previous day for my first post-race run). But they actually felt a lot better on this day. Maybe it was the “race” atmosphere that helped! All around it was a good time! Instead of a Turkey Dinner later that day, we had pizza! Mmm!

Post-Thanksgiving Weekend:
Hot Buttered Run Volunteering (Bag Check!)
Although I didn’t run this race, I had a great time volunteering, and it looked like all those out there actually participating had a great time too. There was a 5k and a 12k, and everyone (of legal drinking age) got delicious Hot Buttered Rum at the end (hence the name). Before or after the race you could enjoy the Festival of Trees in the Pearson Air Museum. Overall, a great festive event!

Last week:
I ran a few times this week, and even did a long run yesterday. Group run from Lululemon! My legs were pretty tired the whole way through, but I made it, and feel fine today!

After the run, J and I attended the Holiday Ale Festival during the Civil War game (in order to avoid the crowd.) Good planning! My favorite of the day (got 3 tasters of it, it was so delicious!):
Hopworks Brewery Kentucky Christmas!!

Next week:
Next weekend my friend K and I will be running (for fun) the Holiday Half. It looks like a really festive fun time! (Carolers!) Until then!

EWEB’s Run to Stay Warm Half Marathon Race Report

Freezing temps, wind, and rain. The weather forecasters could not have been more wrong! It turned out to be a beautiful, clear, sunny day! I was getting pretty nervous in the days leading up to my first goal race in a long time; I was really just hoping there wouldn’t be any ice or snow to slip me up! But I couldn’t have hoped for the weather to be any better than it was!

The race didn’t start until 9am. And, since we drove down the night before, that meant we got to “sleep in”! (Anything past 6am is sleeping in to me!) I ate some of a cinnamon roll (since the oatmeal included in the continental breakfast was inedible) and started feeling a bit nervous.

We got to the packet pickup area at a little after 8am, and waited in a brief line. The pickup was inside a heated building, which was nice, but the room was a bit small for all that was going on, and I think with the large turnout, it got a bit jumbled up in there. No worries, though. I got my bib number, picked up my chip, and stayed inside to be warm. Half an hour before the start time, I used the (real) facilities, and just counted down until it was start time. Soon enough, it was time to line up, so all the half-marathoners headed out to the start line.

The race started right on time, and there was plenty of room at the start for everyone to spread out. After we finished weaving through EWEB’s River Edge Plaza, we found ourselves on the bike paths that would make up most of the race course.

Just after the start (I’m in the green shirt!):

About a mile into the race, we crossed over the Willamette River for the first time, and went around a bit of an extra loop on the North side of the river. We came back around toward our initial river crossing near Mile 4, where we met up with the 10k and 5k’ers. At first, I thought this would throw me off my race, but it was actually a bit of a mental boost. Up until this point, I felt like there were a lot of people passing me (although I would eventually see many of them later), but it was pretty empowering to be able to pass people running a shorter race than me. It definitely made me feel fast.

I went into the race wanting to hold an 8:30 min/mi pace, but I definitely started out faster than that. I was just hoping I wouldn’t pay for it later.

Mile 1: 8:02
Mile 2: 8:20
Mile 3: 8:15
Mile 4: 8:31

My friend K was nice enough to jump in with me from Mile 4 to Mile 7, to keep me company, and make sure I was feeling good. I was definitely feeling good, and able to keep a little bit of a conversation up at this point. Everything felt nice and smooth, and really pretty easy! J cheered me on from Mile 4 and Mile 7 (he was helping drive K around, and also there to cheer me on!) so I had him grab my gloves and hat since it had warmed up so much!

Meeting K and J:

Running with K, still feeling good:

Mile 5: 8:33
Mile 6: 8:21
Mile 7: 8:16
Mile 8: 8:04

About a mile after K took off to meet me on the other side of the river, things started to feel not quite as easy. Mile 8 is also where we had about a 0.4 mile out-and-back, which felt a bit discouraging, but after we made it through that, we crossed the Mile 9 marker, and crossed over the river for the final stretch.

Mile 9 wove through some neighborhoods, but soon enough we found ourselves back onto the bike path system. Mile 10 is when it really started to get hard. I told myself “Only 5k to go!”, but really, 5k seemed like an awfully far way to go! I told myself just to keep going. Although I was feeling tired, I still sped up a bit during this section, which may be because I was passing a few familiar faces.

Mile 9: 8:09
Mile 10: 8:01
MIle 11: 7:54

I think my friend K and J saw me during Mile 11, so maybe that’s why it was so quick? But I know I saw K again about halfway into Mile 12. She ran with me to the finish, and I’m so glad she did. I was struggling, and mentally I just wanted to slow down a bit, but K kept me focused on my breathing and on keeping a smooth, even pace. I stayed strong, and the time just kept clicking away. Soon enough, K told me to charge ahead, so I did! One final turn and I could see the finish line. I totally didn’t catch up with the 2 girls in front of me, but that’s ok. My legs definitely gave all they had. Finally I crossed, with a smoking new PR!

Getting really tired! Can you tell?:

Me and J at the finish area:

Mile 12: 8:12
MIle 13: 8:13
Mile 13.1: 1:54 (6:48 avg pace)

Garmin Results:
13.28 miles: 1:48:44 (8:11 avg pace)

Official Results:
13.1 miles: 1:48:49 (8:19 avg pace)
Age Group: 6/44
Overall: 139/462

(Apparently, my chip didn’t work. But I’m not too worried about it. I was only a few seconds behind the start line, and those few seconds didn’t put me over into the next minute! ;)

I’m really proud of myself for this race. I ran it smartly, and really think I gave it everything I had in the moment. It was a great day to race a half marathon, and I definitely killed my time from Helvetia! Part of that is because the course was pretty flat, part of that is because I’ve learned to run smarter, and part of that is because I’m faster.

It was a great race, with a good course and good organization. And It was for a great cause! (From the website: “All proceeds benefit EWEB's Customer Care Program to help income-eligible customers who are having difficulty paying their utility bills.”) It was also a pretty great preview of a good portion of the Eugene Marathon! (Which J and I may or may not have signed up for…)

Since this was my 2nd half in 15 days (and also my 3rd or 4th within 90 days), I qualified to become a member of the Half Fanatics. Say hello to Fanatic #652! :)

I want to continue running half’s (hopefully 1/month for a year, if I can handle it in my schedule!) I really like them, and not all of them need to be races! :) We’ll see how I do!

In the meantime, it’s again time to run for fun! My next half is the Holiday Half on 12/12! And I have a turkey trot on Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!