Eat Drink Run Woman

Sheesh, for someone who calls herself a “non runner,” Nancy sure makes people run a lot. First there was “8 on the 8th,” THEN she wheedles us into “9 on the 9th.” Next thing I know she comes up with another hare-brained scheme: “10 on the 10th.” But while I dutifully join her in these shenanigans, does she reciprocate? NOOOOO. I asked her to run 22 miles on Dec. 22nd, and I don’t even think I got a response. HARRUMPH.

Oh! And get this: while 8 on the 8th and 9 on the 9th were in miles, for some reason she takes the easy way out with 10 on the 10th, making us run kilometers instead of miles (I think she needs to just go live with Pete Pfitzinger, ‘cuz she obviously isn’t a true American).

And while I’m on this rant, I have yet another beef: what’s with the freakin’ caveman getups? Doesn’t she realize I’m a zebra? Criminy.

Anyhoo, I’ve really had my panties in a wad over this, which mostly likely was the cause for the catastrophe that was my 10K: I DNF’d.

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Why would anyone want to drive almost 60 miles just to run a 10K race? Well, if you’re Ms. Follows-the-Rulester like I am, then you wouldn’t be asking that question.

As I’ve been yammering about for the past 12 weeks, I’ve been following the Pfitzinger “Advanced Marathoning” 18/55 training plan with hopes for a 4-hour BQ in June. As part of the program, Pete Pfitzinger (or “Pfitz” as I like to call him, us being pals and all) recommends running three “tune-up” races of 8-15K to monitor your marathon fitness level and prepare you mentally for racing.

That’s all well and good, but what Pfitzie (another pet name I have for him) is forgetting is that, unlike him — Mr. Kiwi — I live in AMERICA, so our races are in MILES. We have our 13.1-mile half marathons and our 3.1-mile 5Ks. Sure, I’ve heard about a handful of 6.2-mile races, and a couple of 4.96-mile ones, but 8-15K races? Please. Go back to where you came from, pal.

He calls for these races to be run on Saturdays, the day before your long run. Not only have I tweaked the schedule so my long runs fall on Saturdays (which would mean I’d have to run my tune-up races on Fridays), even if I DID follow the schedule to a T most races are held on Sundays. Doing my long runs on Monday ain’t an option.

But just when I resigned myself to running time trials instead of racing I saw on the NW Runner calendar that the Arlington “Walk and Roll” 10K had been rescheduled due to snow. The new date? Saturday, April 26. Huzzah! And since the race didn’t start until 11 a.m., I wouldn’t even have to drag my sorry butt out of bed at some ungodly hour.

Although I can’t recall ever visiting Arlington, I knew it was a small farm town an hour north of Seattle. I figured it wouldn’t be a big race — just a couple of local yokels with a stopwatch at the end. But hey — a race is a race!

To get an idea of what to expect I looked at the results from 2007. A whopping 35 people entered the 10K that year; the top woman in my age group finished in a little over 56 minutes. “I can beat that!” I exclaimed to no one in particular (although I did startle my kitty out of her slumber). When I plugged a 4-hour marathon into the McMillan Running Calculator, it said I should be running a 10K in a little over 51 minutes. It’d be a stretch, but that’s what I was shooting for.

I started having second thoughts about the race during my runs on the two days prior. My right calf was really tight, despite doing lots of stretching, and I couldn’t muster any more speed than just under 10-minute miles. But I figured I could always make the call on race day.

I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning — on the cool side, but not a cloud in the sky. As I ate my bowl of whole-grain cereal I entered the address for Haller Park (the race start) into Google Maps. Hmmm… it appears it’s in the middle of an industrial area. Could this possibly be a diabolical plot by the Arlington Runners Club to keep the ringer from Seattle from entering? I then Googled Haller Park and found a slightly different address for it on the web site for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. When I entered that address into Google Maps nothing came up. Perhaps those Arlingtonites don’t want us city slickers coming to muck up their town.

I finally found some reliable directions on the Seattle Bike Tours web site (what the Arlington locals refer to as “Haller Park,” Google Maps and Mapquest call it “Arlington Park”). Crisis averted, I loaded my gear and 1-liter bottle of water into the car and took off, leaving my darling snoozing away in bed (he thought about joining me for the race but was up late shooting photos and getting hit on my drunken Seattle University alumnae since he conveniently “lost” his wedding ring. Bastard).

Where was I?

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What a difference a year (and hardcore training) make! I ran this race for the first time last year, dubbing it the “Strongest. Half Marathon. Ever.” Ah, what a naive young thing I was!

Reading the 2007 race report brought a smile to my face on several fronts. Here are some choice excerpts:

I compete against myself and yesterday my bad self whipped my wimpy self all over the course. HAH! Comparing 2007’s “bad self” to 2008’s would be like comparing Marie Osmond to Courtney Love.

…my finish of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds… Ummm… Hello? Conveniently forgetting that 2 minute, 20 second potty break now aren’t we?

Yes, I was sore and in need of some serious couch time immediately after the race, but I feel fine today and even mustered up the strength for a 4-mile walk. Whatever. I’ll be RUNNING five miles tomorrow, you wuss.

I attribute my success to Jeff Galloway’s run/walk program. Sure, if you want to stay middle-of-the-pack, that program is fine. But if you want to run with the big girls, Pfitzinger’s program kicks ass.

And here’s the best:

I’ve decided I don’t need to prove anything by trying to run a sub 2-hour half marathon; I’m just looking to have a good time and keep my body healthy and injury-free for the next race. Screw that! (Okay, not the “having a good time” and “keeping my body healthy and injury-free” part).

Of course, some things never change:

With Helen serenading me, I picked up speed, passed several runners, blew my darling a kiss and sprinted powerfully over the timing mat. Oh wait, I suppose that needs to be re-written for this year:

With Helen serenading me, I TRIED to pick up speed, but GOT passed BY several runners, blew my darling a kiss and sprinted powerfully lurched dizzily over the timing mat.

I’ve been looking forward to this race for months. As I mentioned in last year’s post, it’s particularly significant since it’s a fund-raiser for colon cancer awareness (colon cancer runs in our family). And how cool is it to run a race on a course that looks like a foot (minus the toes)! But this is the first long race I’ve run twice, so it was great to compare my progress. Last year I followed a 12-week training schedule, logging in a little over 150 miles. While I was diligent with my weekend long runs, I often bagged on the mid-week ones. In the three weeks before the race I only logged 14 1/2 miles (although I think I was sick one of those weeks). My weight on race day was 166.4.

This year was considerably different. In the 12 weeks leading up to the race I logged in 311.5 miles. I did a mini-taper this past week, but still put in almost 36 miles. And by watching what I ate and eliminating alcohol for the past couple of weeks, I weighed in at 161.6 this morning (although by the time I ate my pre-race steel-cut oats and drank my coffee and water, I’m sure I gained a couple of pounds).

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… I spit in your face!

The results aren’t official, but Garmin says I crossed the finish line in 1:58:03. I’ll be posting a full race report later today!

Update — official chiptime result:1:58:02; 47th in my age group, 300th in the female division (out of 798) and 842nd overall (out of 1601).  I’ll live with that!

Nancy, that crack-the-whip race director, is at it again. Not happy with just making us run eight miles on December 8, she somehow convinced us to run nine miles on February 9th. (And even though she refused to take ME up on my offer to run 22 miles on December 22nd, I decided to buck up and join in on the fun).

Because my darling and I are training for yet another marathon, we had a slightly longer run on the docket (12 miles). We were both feeling somewhat creaky, so we opted to run the very flat Burke-Gilman trail, starting at the Fred Meyer in Ballard and going until we hit the halfway point (just past University Village).

We got off to a rocky start. My darling’s feet have been bothering him, so he’s trying out new insoles and is taping the last two toes on his left foot. He had to stop several times in the first few minutes to adjust his shoes. He then started getting nervous he wouldn’t have time to get back to prepare for his client meeting at 2 p.m. (he’s a photographer and he was meeting with a bride). We had hit the trail before 9:30 a.m., but due to my pokey-Joe pace he wasn’t sure we’d make it in time. So at the 5K mark he bid me adieu and headed back to our truck to drop a few things off. He then headed through the neighborhood back to our house in order to get his 12 miles in.

While I would have loved to have him along for the entire run, it worked out better this way. I’m really trying to slow my pace down for my long runs, and I tend to speed up when running with him. My goal was to keep my pace between 10 1/2-11 minutes per mile and my heart rate between 130 and 150.

Despite some wind gusts, the weather was quite pleasant (although I was glad to be wearing my hat and gloves). Because I’ve run this route so many times, I just became lost in my music. I turned around just past the 6-mile mark and slowed to a walk to down a ClifShot and a bottle of water. As I neared the 10-mile mark my quads started letting me know they were ready to stop, but I kept on (I reminded them there was a can of chocolate milk waiting for them in the cooler back at the truck). I finally crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 19 seconds (for 12.5 miles). My overall average pace was 10:25 (10:21 for the 5K, 10:27 for the remainder) and my average heart rate was 137. Perfect!

I probably don’t even need to post — the picture says it all (it’s a pretty funny contrast to the finish photo from the half!). But despite my pain, I truly had a fabulous time.

The alarm once again jolted us awake far too early (although we set it for 15 minutes later from the previous day). Our routine was basically the same: quick shower, eat some breakfast, lube up the feet and anything else that might chafe, grab some coffee and get on the bus. It was obvious it would be another muggy day, so I once again left my long-sleeved throwaway shirt in the room (although I did grab the space blanket that was handed out at the end of the half).

A live band was again there to greet us, but the crowd seemed much heavier than the day before. We met up with some folks from the Taper Madness forum (Michele, Mark, Toby and his wife Laura) and did some preliminary stretching. Because we were both feeling a bit creaky, we decided we’d do a 5:1 run/walk throughout the race (I think I was inspired after listening to Jeff Galloway’s talk at the expo). Michele wasn’t looking forward to running solo, so she decided to slum it back in the C corral with us (she too was doing a 5:1 run/walk).

Despite the humidity, I felt great the first few miles. Our pace was perfect, and the time flew by as we chatted with Michele. However, my darling was feeling pretty bloated, and unfortunately the potty breaks provided no relief (it didn’t help knowing Michele and I were standing outside waiting for him). As we got to mile 7 my legs really started to tire; I knew our running pace was too fast for me, but I was determined to keep up. However, I found myself falling farther and farther behind (although I’d catch up during our walk breaks). I felt bad for Michele as she and I waited for my hubby during our second port-o-potty stop. I got pretty anxious seeing all the runners pass us, but she was very gracious, saying she preferred the company.

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Hardest. Race. EVER!

Okay, so that’s not entirely true. The half marathon portion of the Goofy Challenge was actually rather easy. The weather pretty much cooperated (although it was quite humid in the early hours) and I felt strong throughout. But therein lies the rub. BECAUSE I felt so strong I ended up running faster than I should have. Sure, I “met” my goal of a personal worst (I wanted to run between 2:15 and 2:30; my actual time was 2:15:21). But knowing what I know now, next time (and yes, there WILL be a next time!) I will keep my pace to at least 2 minutes per mile slower than what I’m capable of.

While some may say I’m Goofy for running the race, what truly makes me Goofy is the fact I signed up for the challenge before I had even run my first marathon. I read about the race in the same Runner’s World article as the Marathon du Medoc. When I saw Marathon Tours was still offering entries at the end of July, I jumped at the chance (the race sold out to individual entries in February). Somehow I managed to corral my darling as well.

Once our entries were confirmed I signed on to the Disney Running Forum for training advice and other tips. As race day approached, the level of excitement intensified on the board. I found it incredibly amusing to read how into Disney many of the forumites are (they’ve obviously been drinking the Kool-aid), but with just a couple of weeks to go I found myself acting like the little kid in one of the Disney commercials who exclaims, “I’m too excited to sleep!”

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We JUST got back to our house; thank you everyone for your kind comments! And I’m SUCH a dork — indeed I had entered under Betsy (so I apologize if you tried to track me under the name Elizabeth). Stay tuned for a full report — with pictures! But my half finish was 2:15:21 and the full was 5:07:26. This was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it also was a fabulous experience. I’m definitely going to do this again (probably not next year, but who wants to join me for 2010?)

I ran this race last weekend as part of my back-to-back long run training for the upcoming Goofy Challenge. Held in Kirkland, Washington, it’s a relatively small race — a little over 900 participants for the 12K and 500 for the 5K.

My 18.5-mile run the day before left me wiped and beaten, so I questioned my decision to do the race. Not only would I have to get up early, I’d be racing solo (my darling was visiting his mom in Yakima). But I knew it would be good for me, so I bucked up.

The weather was absolutely perfect: slightly overcast but no rain. I read a couple of race reports from previous years and found it’s a rather hilly race (which really didn’t come as much surprise). Normally this wouldn’t bother me too much, but given the beating I had taken the day before, I would have preferred a flat course. But again, I bucked up.

Unlike the Jingle Bell Run the weekend before, the 12Ks of Christmas appeared to attract some pretty serious runners. I once again donned a Santa Hat, but questioned that decision after seeing the other runners heading toward the packet pickup (I was the only one with any type of costume). Fortunately once I got down to the registration area I did see several others in holiday attire.

Due to all the last-minute entries, the race started about 15 minutes late (I’m assuming people waited to see what the weather would bring). But finally we were off, only to encounter the first of many hills. sigh.

In true holiday spirit, I offer you my 12Ks of Christmas race report:
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While my darling thinks I have an obsession with running blogs, there definitely is a benefit to being a member of an online community. I’ve “met” lots of fantastic runners who inspire me and spur me on to lace up weekend after weekend.

A few weeks ago Nancy suggested a virtual 8-mile race on the 8th of December. Since my darling and I are training for the Goofy Challenge, we decided to make it two back-to-back 8 mile races. We picked a scenic route that started at our doorstep, wound around Greenlake and Lake Union, headed along the Seattle waterfront and the wound back up through the neighborhood to our favorite pub (we thought a frosty beverage would provide enough incentive to run those 16 miles!).

Despite not having to pay any race fees, we still got a t-shirt:

(I think my arm weight routine must be working; do I look buff OR WHAT?)

While other runners were forced inside due to the snow, we awoke to gloriously sunny skies. This was an incredible change from the beginning of the week; as some of you may have read the Seattle area got a deluge of rain earlier in the week (they had to shut down a major interstate for several days due to flooding). I was crazy enough to run a little over 10 miles in the stuff, and I tell you, it wasn’t fun. As I was stretching prior to the run it was snowing:

…but by the time I started the run it turned into a cold downpour that soaked me to the bone. So I was thrilled to see the weather cooperated today for our 16-mile run. Here’s a picture at the end of the first 8 miles (notice I’m still smiling):

We finished the first “race” in 1 hour, 14 minutes — a 9:21 pace (I’m extremely happy with that!). The second part of the race was much hillier, plus we were starting to tire. We still finished in a respectable 1 hour, 20 minutes, but I had to take a couple of walk breaks (I powered up one hill at the 15-mile mark and thought I was going to faint). Here I am enjoying my frosty beverage:

We originally were going to run the mile+ home, but decided to walk given the hills. But tonight we’ll be walking around Greenlake again to enjoy the “Path of Lights” (they line the edges of the trail with luminaries) and will be running a 5K Jingle Bell Run tomorrow morning.

Thank you Nancy for organizing this!