California International Marathon :)

Well, it’s done. I have done it. I have run a marathon!!!! What an amazing experience.

I got on the bus at my hotel and it took us to Folsom. We arrived at the race around 5:45 with nothing but time. One of the best things about CIM is that you can stay on your heated bus until 15 minutes before race time. The weather was most kind to us – the rain stopped at around 4:30am and the sun came out for most of the day! 🙂 Of course we all performed the usual pre-race ablutions: waiting in line for the porta-potties (which, no kidding, stretched down the road as far as the eye could see. AMAZING.), dropping off sweat bags to the trucks that would carry them back to the start, drinking water, eating bananas, etc. I did all of that and still had time to relax on the bus. At 6:45, I made my way to the start (right up the street) and found my pace leader. I decided to run with the Clif Bar Pace Team, specifically the 4:45 pace group. Before I knew it, the gun went off and the race began!

We went out a little faster than I expected, probably because the first mile was downhill. Miles 1-4 flew by; I somehow missed the table with water at both aid stations, so I drank the Gatorade in my hydration belt and waited for the next aid station. When I got there, I dumped my 8 oz bottle of Gatorade and had them fill it with water, then drank two cups back-to-back. I felt much improved at that point. Some tropical punch Clif Shot Bloks and I was on my way.

Miles 5-8: Also very fast. Didn’t really notice the time flying by. We passed Relay Exchange #1 at about the 10K mark; it was exciting to see the ladies from the WOW Team handing off at the exchange points. All told, I ended up seeing four of them on the course. It’s always nice to see friendly faces!

At about mile 8, I went internal – headphones went in and I started to buckle down. From miles 10-14, it’s the section called the San Juan Hills, and while everyone said they were no big deal compared to San Francisco, I still felt it. We were also going WAY faster than our predicted pace of 10:51/mile – those were actually my four fastest miles of the whole race, so I tired out quickly. We passed Relay Exchange #2 at the half marathon point – where I saw Jenni, who cheered and rang her cowbell medal for me – and by mile 14, I was done with the pace group, it was just too fast. I started my 9:00/run and 1:00/walk interval.

Mile 15 was a struggle for me and I ended up having to stop at a porta-pottie because my stomach was bothering me. No major GI problems, thank goodness, but I did lose about 4 minutes waiting in line. (Bummer.) After the stop, I felt better, and miles 16-20 were pretty good. I found myself running pretty fast on the run intervals (10:30-10:45) and I walked as fast as I could on the other.

I knew Jenni would be at mile 20, and soon I saw it looming in the distance. A local real estate company built a faux wall and they had a balloon arch over it, so it was easy to see. Relay exchange #3 was just after mile 20, and I saw Jenni right after that. She got this great photo:

Somewhere between mile 20 and 20.5

I still felt pretty good at this point, I think it was all the Shot Bloks, gel, Gatorade, and water I was consuming. My feet were a little sore and my legs were definitely tired, but I didn’t ever feel “the wall” looming over me. Fueling is essential!!!

Miles 21-25 were through flat, scenic, residential areas. There were a lot of beautiful older homes and even an authentic German Christmas market along the way. The crowd support was fantastic! People were ringing cowbells, yelling, and playing music. I made the final turn onto L Street and I knew I was going to make it – I got a little choked up.

I passed mile 25 and texted my best friend (volunteering at the finish), Jenni, and my husband to let them know where I was. I passed Jenni and hubs with less than a mile to go – they were standing in front of our hotel. My husband got this great pic:

Mile 25+

I could see the big flag for mile 26 looming in the distance – then it was a left turn, a short straightaway, and another left turn to the finish. After the second left, I started running with everything I had. Another woman was running right next to me and I crossed in 4:57:38! 🙂 My best friend gave me my medal and space blanket, and we took this picture with another friend who helped her out at the race:

Friendly faces at the finish and the State Capitol in the background. Hi, Ahhhhnold! 😉

I met up with Jenni and the hubs after the race, changed into my wonderful new CEP compression socks (seriously, I highly recommend them) and hobbled back to the hotel.

Happy feet and legs!

After an ice bath, shower, and bed rest, the hubstar and I had a lovely dinner at Pyramid Alehouse. I’m beat, but I feel so amazing.

I thought about Steve, and my friend C’s stepfather, and all the other suicide angels and those who have been left behind. It was moving and inspiring to run for such a worthy cause. As of now I have raised over $1,100!!! Thank you again for all the support.

(In case you’re wondering – I don’t have any immediate plans to run another marathon. Maybe in 2012. :))

December 5, 2010. The big day.

Tomorrow I will run the California International Marathon. 26.2 miles. It has been a long time coming, the attainment of this goal. I tried to run Disney World in 2008 – I got injured and couldn’t run at all for 4 months. I then tried for Marine Corps later that year – life got in the way. In May 2009, I finally ran my first HALF marathon, and got hooked, running another 11 within the next 17 months. And now, the big day is here. I have made it to the main stage at the music festival.

Part of me was OK with never actually making it to 26.2, but then I found out about the death of my friend Steve. He had run one marathon, Detroit, in 2007. His determination and accomplishment was what propelled me to try and run one of my own in 2008. He had always been an inspiration to me and a fantastic cheerleader. We all have that one friend who is always there, no matter what, who listens without offering solutions or judgment, and who cheers you on no matter how crazy your ideas are. That was what I lost on June 18, 2009 when he took his own life.

Training for this race while raising money and awareness for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has opened my eyes to so many possibilities and wonders about life… and my ability to set a goal and make it happen, even through days of self-doubt and the doubts of others. My poor husband had to deal with 24 weeks of my being tired and beat up after long runs, with my saying “no, I can’t go, I have a race/long run that day” and generally listening me talk non-stop about the mythical 26.2. For that, I salute him. (If you’re reading this, honey, THANK YOU!!!! For everything – the foot rubs, the leg rubs, the ice baths, the support, and listening to me for the last 24 weeks. Muah!) It’s not easy to be the non-running spouse/partner/significant other of someone training for a marathon. I see that now.

Additionally, I have learned so much about the strength of those who are left behind, the “survivors” of suicide. Not those who attempt it and are not successful, but those who have to wonder why for the rest of their lives. They are survivors in the truest sense of the word. They are left with the unanswered questions, the guilt, the stigma still attached to suicide, and tremendous loss of their friend/loved one/family member. For all of my friends who have lost someone to suicide, whether it was last week, last year, or 30 years ago – I salute you. I run for all of you. I run for our suicide angels. I run for those who tried and had someone intervene at just the right moment. I run for those who are considering it right now and for those who will try it tonight. I hope someone intervenes for you. I run for all of them, and I run for those who are feeling down and out and may consider it in the future. AFSP is an incredible resource, and I am proud to have raised over $1,100 for their efforts. To all of you who have donated, I thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I know my fellow survivors thank you, too.

And now it’s time to run.

My custom shirt for tomorrow 🙂

Fin.

Today was the Run Wild For A Child 10K, and I ran it plus 1.8 miles after – total for the week: 16 miles.

All that’s left are two 2-mile runs, and the early mornings, late nights, long runs, hot weather, cold weather, rain, wind, aches, pains, doubts, fears, and the last 24 weeks will come down to ONE epic run.

26.2 miles.

I have other thoughts on this that I will share as it gets closer to race day; I’m still getting them together. In the meantime, my last LR is DONE. 🙂

Keep your fingers crossed that the weather cooperates!!! The latest intel is that there’s a 60% chance of showers, but that has been known to change!

ONE WEEK TO GO!!!!

 

Month in review and a major milestone!

#1 – Giants win the World Series! YEAH! OK, had to get that out. 🙂

Also, in October, I set a major distance record – 138 miles! I have run 704.9 miles this year.

This past weekend, I achieved a major milestone – THE milestone of marathon training – the 20-miler! I actually pushed past “The Wall” and ran 21 miles. It went off without a major hitch, just some minor irritation from sand/gravel getting in my shoes. I kept re-applying BodyGlide and got through that. My knees gave me a little trouble, but nothing at all worrisome; my 6-miler on Thursday was far, far worse. (It had to be the shoes.)

I have found my newest running anthem! This song got me through the last 6 miles.

I feel most ready for this marathon – for all of you out there who might have been holding out on making a donation on the off-chance something might happen, have no fear! I have crossed the bridge and come through on the other side. I will finish this marathon! Your support and generosity is needed and appreciated!

http://www.active.com/donate/jenrunscim

Less than 60 days to go…

It’s now getting to first marathon freak-out time! As several of my friends gear up to run the Chicago Marathon this weekend, I got to thinking. Why on earth do we do this to ourselves? Why do we spend hours and hours every week, up at the crack of dawn, up late at night, roasting in the middle of the day, whatever your schedule allows… running? Pounding the pavement, one foot in front of the other, the shock traveling through our feet to our knees to our hips to our back?

I’ve asked friends over the years why they run. Some run for the shirt; some run for the medal. Some run just for fitness and never enter a race. Others still run on a treadmill at the gym and won’t set foot outside. Whatever our reasons for running, we all run to fill some need within ourselves. Maybe it’s the need for personal accomplishment. Maybe it’s to collect tangible souvenirs of said accomplishment. (I’ll admit, I tend to fall into this category. I love souvenirs.) Maybe it’s so we can have that pizza, that milkshake, that fancy dinner, that favorite food without guilt. Or maybe we just run because we can’t fly.

[Why do YOU run? Leave a comment!]

I have my best thinking moments when I’m out for a run – and often my best photos, too. Usually taken with a cell phone while in motion, they still reflect moments while I’m at my most peaceful, when I’m inside myself and not worried about the rest of the world. I like being inside myself. I visit there as often as I can, but sometimes life gets in the way. Two hours of commuting every day, plus 8.5 hours at work (gotta include lunch in there), plus being sociable or doing stuff around the house or watching TV or volunteering or whatever else it is we do to fill up the time. It’s a shame I can’t blog from my thoughts, because I’d have some great entries. 🙂

I recently finished what has to be my favorite book this year – “The Pull of the Moon” by Elizabeth Berg, a novelist I discovered not too long ago by randomly choosing a book on the new releases shelf at the library. In my opinion, that’s the best way to find new authors and branch out as a reader. Anyway, the book is about a 50-year-old woman who is going through “the change.” You know the one, the one we hear our moms and grandmas talk about and dread experiencing ourselves because it means we’re getting older. Some of us are already at that point – I recently found out that I am going through it at age 34. Yep. It’s a drag, but it’s also nature and I can’t do anything to change it, so I’m running with it. Pun intended.

I digress again!

So Nan, the protagonist, decides one day she’s going to “run away” for a little while and goes off on this epic solo road trip to find herself. I’m sure we all have moments where we feel lost, like we don’t know who we are anymore. The story alternates between her journal entries and letters she writes to her husband and daughter. The letters are happy, sad and angry, while the journal entries are longing and wistful.

The book struck a chord in me, and really got me thinking about why I run – is it so I can find myself, out there on the trails or along the roads? Will I find myself in a photograph? In a random moment of peace and tranquility? (Those are so hard to find these days!) Whatever the reasons for running, I know that while I’m out there, even when my knees hurt and my feet are tired and I want to go home, the way I feel after a run, good or bad, keeps me coming back for more. And even though I am starting to freak out about The Main Event coming up in just over eight weeks, I know that I will find something new out there on the course…and I can’t wait to find out what it is. 🙂

As always, thank you for your support!

I am running my first marathon on December 5, 2010 to raise money for the American Federation for Suicide Prevention. Please consider a donation to this wonderful cause – no gift is too small!

Where does the time go?

Oh, faithful readers… my apologies for being MIA these past few weeks. Life has certainly been busy! I need to buckle down and dedicate more time to blogging, especially with TWO MONTHS TO GO until race day. *gulp*

Reality is starting to set in; in two months I will be running 26.2 miles!!!! Ahhhh!!!! I never thought I’d get to this point in my running “career,” ever.

Last week was a bummer of a running week; I only got in two of the three scheduled runs. It makes you think – what could possibly interfere with only running THREE days a week? I don’t know either! 🙂 I haven’t even done a *month in review* post yet and I know I have set some new records there.

Just to play ketchup:

*14 miles this past weekend; the Napa Valley Stomp trail race (10-miler) and 4 extra miles. I ate poorly the night before and suffered for it with every step. Only 6 miles on Tuesday, also a struggle of a run. Maybe my body needed a break last week.

*18 miles the weekend before – I may or may not have posted about it. Certainly on Facebook, but maybe not on the blog. That tells you how far behind I am. [sheepish grin]

It’s time to get back in the saddle – these are the weeks that really count. Please, if you haven’t already, consider making a donation – it is such a good cause, and with the recent rash of teen and young adult suicides due to bullying and cyberbullying, there is no better time to show your support for an organization dedicated to helping those who have survived suicide as well as those who attempt or think about attempting suicide.

You can donate anytime at my donation page! Thank you for your support.

13 down, 11 to go!

Week 13 has come to a close and training is going very well! Today I ran 17 miles along the Contra Costa Canal Trail.

Looks so good on the map!

The run went really well. My knee didn’t act up – I had a couple of moments of niggling pain but nothing extreme. It was really nice to be out there and see so many runners, walkers, cyclists – I saw Team in Training and Team Challenge as well. Most people were friendly and waved/said hello, which was great!

Honey Stinger gummy chews are delicious, but, like the gel, they don’t agree with my stomach for some reason. I felt GI distress and minor queasiness within a few minutes of eating them. Guess they won’t be on my list for marathon day!

I was fortunate to find a bathroom at a shopping center along the way – the trail is a paved multi-use path and does not offer regular porta-johns or anything like that. Thank goodness for Jamba Juice! 🙂

This week’s total is 30 miles – first time ever  – I am feelin’ pretty darn good, let me tell ya. My feet were super tired/sore in the last 4 miles or so and it was SO nice to sit down and stretch. I had 16 oz of chocolate milk in my cooler and I was only 15 minutes from home, so I got into the ice bath right away. I’ve been relaxing pretty much ever since! Running on Saturday is so great because I still have tomorrow to relax and chill out. I’ll be at the gym of course, a swim will feel fan-tas-tic!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, faithful readers!

I am running my first marathon on December 5, 2010 to raise money for the American Federation for Suicide Prevention, the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.

You can make a donation via my page by clicking here. No gift is too small. Thank you!

At long last… Drag-N-Fly 10K: A Race Report

Hi faithful readers, I haven’t felt the urge to go online much and so, I have lapsed in my posting lately.

This past Sunday, I ran the Drag-n-Fly trail 10K race at Contra Loma Regional Park/Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, basically in my backyard – finally, a race I could get to in 15 minutes, instead of an hour or more! I have run in this park many times so I knew what to expect, terrain-wise. However, I did not count on the weather. I have been spoiled lately by cooler temperatures closer to the bay; I did not take into account how much warmer it is in the valley where we live… and the later start time meant an even warmer temperature.

I don’t think it helped much that I wasn’t in the mood from the minute I woke up. Lately I’ve been burned out on racing; so burned out, in fact, that I have ditched four potential future races this year to cover the miles on my own.

To compound the problem, I started out my day with a total rookie mistake – I decided to trust in the aid stations instead of bringing my own water. Bad, bad, bad idea. I drank water up until the start and did NOT drink Gatorade; I had a gel before the race started but it still was not enough. After the first mile, I was struggling. I felt it in every step. I was hot, tired, and thirsty. Not a good combination. I’m used to drinking fluids every mile, more often if it’s warm; it was already 65 degrees at the start and with minimal shade, it felt much worse. The first aid station was around mile 2 and I greedily gulped two cups of Gu electrolyte brew and grabbed a gel. From mile 2 through mile 2.6 or so, it was straight uphill. My pace got slower… and slower… and slower. For a moment, I briefly considered my first DNF ever. I was really having a hard time. All of my rookie mistakes were catching up to me in the worst way.

At long last, we hit the “fly” part of the race – drag up the hill, fly down the other side – and I flew. I tried to make up as much time as I could. Here’s a picture of my efforts:

Somewhere around mile 3

Alameda Ted was on hand, taking photos. He snapped this one and yelled hey to me as I ran by. It took me a moment before I realized who it was, and yelled hey back. It continued downhill for another mile or so – then back up, and down, and up, and down over a series of short rollers. Aid station #2 was a welcome sight near mile 5 and I gulped some Ultima (bleck, but it had electrolytes) and water. I somehow made it through the last mile and a half – yes, the course was LONG – and crossed the finish line in 1:14:02, good enough for 4th place in my age group. I had hoped for another age group award, but the heat got to me – third place was 10 minutes ahead of me! There was no way I could have caught up, so I didn’t feel that bad. I think it would have felt worse if she had been right in front of me.

I was so tired at the end that I didn’t even take a picture of the bling. However, it’s done and it was a good week overall – 18.71 miles. A nice cut-back week.

This week is extremely nerve-wracking for me and it’s already one third over; I have my longest long run ever and my highest mileage week ever as well. It’s off to a good start, though – I ran 8 miles yesterday without any issues. 🙂

I am running my first marathon on December 5, 2010 to raise money for the American Federation for Suicide Prevention, the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.

You can make a donation via my page by clicking here. No gift is too small. Thank you!

Brief update and good news

I have heard now that my friend did not lose her house, it is still standing! However, they do not know the extent of the damage just yet (whether there’s any structural or if it’s just on the outside) and they haven’t been told when they can move back in or even see it. Hopefully it’s soon. I am so relieved that they didn’t lose everything!

10K race tomorrow, report to follow (perhaps with photos!). 🙂

Sadness and devastation

In case you haven’t heard, the city of San Bruno was rocked by an explosion and major fire this evening – a ruptured natural gas line is the apparent cause.

One of my best friends from high school has lost her childhood home; as of right now, 53 homes have been lost and another 120 damaged. Dozens of people were injured and one confirmed fatality. It’s a sad day in the Bay Area. 😦

Running related, I have run 12 miles thus far this week and have a 10K race on Sunday. It’s a cut-back week. Not much else to say right now; I’m still in shock about what’s going on. I was able to see the cloud of smoke from all the way across the bay on my way home today. I can’t imagine how my friend and her family feel right now. Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.