Eat Drink Run Woman

Oh my — has it REALLY been more than two months since I’ve blogged? So much for my vow to document my “13-in-12” journey (not that I have anyone left reading.) Suffice it to say I’m now a 7-star Maniac who managed to complete the stunt injury-free. I’ve included more info below, but wanted to summarize the highlights from the past two months.

The biggest news? We’re going back to Boston in 2011!!! Unfortunately I don’t have an invite to the party (yet), but my darling — after two years and several attempts — ran a BQ race this past Sunday at the Tacoma City Marathon, finishing in 3:18:28 (he needed 3:20). This was a surprise to us both as he’s run even more races this year that I have. But his Achilles heel (so to speak) has been the long run; he starts off strong but fades toward the end. By getting in so many long runs he built up his endurance and it’s paid off. Now I need to get my butt in gear.

Tacoma was not only the capper to my 13-in-12 streak, it also was my 50th race of marathon distance or longer (I even got to wear bib #50). It also was my fastest marathon since Portland.

The Boston 2 Big Sur Challenge was fantastically fun, albeit not particularly challenging given I had already been running a marathon a week. Going in to Boston I toyed with trying to beat last year’s time (4:15:48), but my darling encouraged me to try for a more challenging goal: a BQ. I figured it would be an incredible long-shot, but I also thought I would know when to dial it back once it became clear I wouldn’t reach that goal. Fortunately that happened with the first 5K. In order to make 4 hours I’d have to run each 5K in under 29 minutes; when I hit the first in 29:30, I decided I’d run the rest of the race for fun. I finished in 4:25:19 feeling great.

The next week we headed to Monterey for the Big Sur Marathon where I met up with a woman from the Runner’s World online forum. She’s a speedy runner (she BQ’d at Boston), but this would be her first back-to-back race. Therefore, we decided to run together. It’s an absolutely stunning course, and fortunately we didn’t get as much wind as in other years (in fact, the little wind we had helped cool me down). We ran up ALL the hills — including the 2-mile Hurricane Point — and celebrated our accomplishment with a snort of Laphroaig 10-year single malt scotch at the grand piano just after the Bixbey Bridge (it was surprisingly tasty!)

The other big news? We’re parents again! We welcomed Jasper and Luna into our hearts and home this past Sunday (we rushed home from the marathon to shower and then head north to pick them up). They’re from the same litter and they not only keep themselves entertained, they fill us with happiness and joy. We still miss our sweet Xanthe terribly, but are so thrilled to have the pitter-patter of little paws running around.

Jasper:

Luna:

As for future plans, now that the pressure is on for me to BQ again I’ve made some adjustments to my schedule. I was signed up to run the Rainier to Ruston 50-mile (my first) on June 5, but now that I want to try to BQ at Seattle Rock ‘n Roll on June 26 I’d like to get in some more recovery time. So I’ve switched to the 50K for R2R and will attempt to run 50 miles during the Redmond Watershed 12-hour next Saturday, May 15. This takes some weight off my shoulders as my darling wouldn’t have been available to crew me on the 5th (although one of our running friends offered to do it). And since the Watershed race is a 12-hour, there’s no DNF — I’ll simply run as many miles as I can.

Should I not BQ at Seattle Rock ‘n Roll I may try again at Missoula on July 11, however, it’s only three weeks later and the race can get pretty hot. My last-ditch back-up plan will be Skagit Flats in September, however, that too can get quite hot. Given how quickly Boston filled up last year I doubt it will still be open for an October race (but if it is, perhaps I can try again during the Nike Women’s Marathon). If all else fails then I’ll simply go to Boston as a spectator and will perhaps take over the Hopkinton Hop.

Now for a quick recap of the rest of my 13-in-12 races:

March 6: Invest in Youth 6-hour
Gorgeous day along the Centennial Trail in Snohomish, Wash., just north of Seattle. Had thought about going for 50K but I was feeling pretty creaky. Finished the marathon distance in 4:47.

March 20: Pacific Rim 24-hour
Another great day for running, this time around the 1-mile loop trail along Lake Sacajawea in Longview, Wash. Had to complete at least a 50K for it to count; felt like a bit of a slacker considering many were going for the full 24 hours (the women’s winner set a course record of 116 miles). Finished in 6:05.

March 27: Yakima River Canyon Marathon
Last year I had trouble with the cambered roads, but this year I seemed to navigate them quite well. Very pretty course with perfect weather. Kept my pace slow as I would be running the Redmond Watershed marathon the next day (plus I had come down with a bit of a cold). Finished in 4:49.

March 28: Redmond Watershed Marathon
While my cold hadn’t settled into my chest, thankfully, I still had some trouble breathing in the beginning. But I figured I had 7 hours in which to finish the race, so I’d be fine. Walked a lot, especially up the hills. Was thrilled to finish in 5:20. (My cold hit with a vengeance after that though. I had to take two days off from work).

April 3: Dizzy Days
How could you not love a race that starts just a half mile from home? As the name suggests, this is a loop course around Green Lake with distances ranging from the half marathon to 100K. Once again I decided to limit my run to the marathon. Although the rain was kept at bay, the wind along one side was pretty strong. Took it easy and finished in 4:52.

April 11: Whidbey Marathon
We stayed at our friend’s parents’ condo near Windjammer Park (where the race finishes), along with a couple of our Maniac buddies. While I’d be running the race slowly, my goal was to run up all the hills (it’s quite the hilly course). Another great day weather-wise. I started off with walk breaks every half mile or so, then eliminated them all-together by mile 20. Finished in 4:43.

April 19: Boston Marathon
Another fabulous experience. Race started off hot; had to pull off my arm warmers and of course I had neglected to put on sunscreen. Fortunately it clouded up and I had nary a burn. Finished in 4:25.

April 26: Big Sur Marathon
I think this was the most incredibly stunning course I’ve ever run. Some years it can be very foggy, but we enjoyed bright blue sky. The heat got to me at times, but my running buddy kept me moving and we finished in 4:34.

May 2: Tacoma City Marathon
This was the Maniac reunion, and it was so much fun catching up with old friends and meeting new. Knowing this was the last in my streak I decided to go for it. I knew I wasn’t in BQ shape, but planned on sticking with the 4:15 pacer for as long as I could. Had to take a potty stop at mile 6, but managed to catch back up with them. However, after taking yet another stop at mile 14 (note to self: don’t eat pinto beans the day before), I wasn’t able to catch up. Still, I wasn’t far behind, finishing in 4:15:28 (in fact, I think I was one of the few who were able to finish near that time. Most people in the group fell off).