Total poser.

It’s funny… despite the fact that I clearly have run, can run and continue to run, I still struggle with actually see myself as a “runner”.  With a bunch of 5ks, some 10ks, a 12k (Bay to Breakers last year... wild and crazy times… well, actually, not as wild and crazy as before they made participants stop pulling kegs of beer along the route) and two half marathons, one would think that I would have fully embraced this part of me by now... maybe if I start running to the theme of Rocky or that Eye of the Tiger song I'll feel more legit... or at the very least really motivated (although perhaps that only works when you need to run up stairs).  That being said, I’m hopeful that I can shift my perspective in time for the marathon as it can’t be a good thing to go into it visualizing myself bouncy walking, crawling or rolling to the finish line rather than looking like a Nike ad as I tear up the roads like a lean, mean running machine. 

So “runner” or not, I took my slightly achy knees and sore shins (that’s what I get for giving the pair of shoes I swore off of one more try) to Crissy Field this morning to get in my miles.  Once I got over the fog-induced dampness and serious breeze, the run went pretty well and included a sea lion sighting (pretty common there) as well as a dolphin sighting (not so common there and totally cool!).  I included a detour through Fort Mason again, added in another loop through the hills and finished up mile 7 by dodging through about 500 kids on some sort of field trip (also a common but not as cool sighting in that area).

If you include yesterday’s Pilates express session (I’m fairly certain that the extended version might cause irreparable damage… nobody wants to throw out their parts doing something called a boomerang) and yoga for runners (still trying desperately to turn my angry pigeon pose into a happy little pigeon like the one that super bendy Dynamic Duo can do in her sleep), I would have to say that so far I’m doing a fairly good job of redeeming myself for last week’s serious slacking. Now, let’s see if I can keep it together long enough to get through the 12 miles I need to do on Friday... fingers crossed!

7 miles, 1hr 8 min, 25 sec, avg pace 9.46

Cheers,

SF runner in training

11 weeks and counting...

Last week ended up being a pretty low mileage week as I only ran a total of 10 miles rather than the 24 I was supposed to.  What was I thinking??!!  I mean, I realize that my body did need a few days to recover from the half and it’s not like I sat around doing nothing but still… considering that there are only 11 weeks until the marathon, this is clearly NOT the time to slack off on my training!  In an effort to get the week off to a good start and begin to redeem myself for last week, I went to Crissy Field for an early morning run. I changed it up a bit from my regular route and added in a big loop through Fort Mason which kept me from getting bored and gave me the chance to add in some hill work (not the kind of crazy giant hills that make you want to cry… more like a gentle, meandering upward slope that makes you breathe more heavily vs. gasping for breath... but I say that still totally counts). 

An added bonus to the location of today’s run was that stage 2 of the AMGEN Tour of California bike race was kicking off from the nearby Marina Green so there was all sort of activity to keep me distracted as well as tons of very fit bikers to motivate me to finish my run for the day vs. veering off course to the nearest Starbucks for a bucket sized container of latte… if they sold drinks in bucket size I would totally buy them… even if they wouldn’t fit in my cup holder… or car (have I mentioned I drive a Mini?... it’s a miracle I can fit my iPod in the car with me let alone buckets of anything).  

Today’s run got me off to a good start for the week and, as I've already ranted about, I really need to make sure that the rest of this week as well as all of the other weeks between now and the marathon go just as well… no more slacking with mileage, cross-training, hydration or nutrition allowed (thank goodness I have the Dynamic Duo to keep me inline... they are going to have to start withholding wine, shopping and possibly cheese if I start slacking again).

After I finished up my 7.27 miles (was aiming for 7 but got distracted by a cute running jacket someone coming towards me had on and missed my turn), I took a walk down to where the AMGEN race was getting setup to bask in the festive atmosphere and get some inspiration to help my motivation. I loved all the branded support cars with zillions of bikes mounted on them, the giant RVs with team flags flying and the crowds grouped around certain athletes (I’m sure I saw at least one famous biker… well, either that or people were taking pictures of random biker dudes because they all thought they were famous like I did).   

So while I wandered around taking it all in and thinking about ways to stay motivated and push myself to the next level of focus and effort, there nestled in between the RVs, news trucks and racks of bikes was my own personal beacon of hope at just the right moment.  Yep… the Lululemon event van which is covered in those inspirational adages that I totally covet was parked perfectly for my viewing pleasure and post-run foot photo.  So I snapped my photo, read and repeated a few sayings to my inner voice (the rude one who is not always very supportive and more often than not is far from Suzy Sunshine) and booked it out of there before the surrounding streets were closed and I was trapped in the Marina for the better part of the day. 

7.27 miles, 1hr 15 min 0 sec, avg pace 10.17 (I'm pretty sure something funky happened in mile 2 as the watch thinks it took me 15 minutes & 4 seconds to run that mile… now, I am absolutely a rather slow runner but that’s like the pace I would be going in heels while trying not to spill a drink in a fancy glass, not running!).

Cheers,

SF runner in training

My new toy and that guy on TV.

It took my pieces and parts awhile to recover from the half marathon I ran on Sunday so Monday and Tuesday were total rest days which included some gentle stretching, a lot of ice on my right knee (as well as some on the left so it didn’t feel left out and start acting up), tons and tons of water along with copious amounts of Advil (you should see the size of the bottle I just got… it’s giant!). On Wednesday I did a couple miles of walking followed by some yoga for runners (the people on the DVD still freak me out with their blank stares and abnormally bendy parts) and a long session with my beloved foam roller and magic muscle stick thingy… both of which worked painful miracles on my tight ITB (Iliotibial Band – it’s a band of thick fibrous tissue that starts at the hip and runs along the outer thigh and attaches on the outside edge of the shin bone just below the knee joint and it can get super tight and make pretty much everything hurt). I’m fairly certain that I know more about anatomy now than I ever have before despite watching that somewhat creepy guy in the bodysuit as a kid (remember that guy? I think it was a PBS show... ahh, yes... Google to the rescue once again... Slim Goodbody!)

By yesterday evening I was getting pretty cranky after not being able to run for a few days (not that long ago I would have said the exact opposite and would have dreaded going to run rather than being bummed about it... kind of a cool transformation). So this morning I laced up (same shoes, same issues), grabbed my new totally badass Nike+ Sportwatch w/GPS (a congratulations on the half marathon prize from my sweetie!) and went to Crissy Field to see what my body would let me do.  Apparently my parts were grateful for the days of rest because everything pitched in and did their part to keep me upright and running comfortably (maybe comfortably is too strong of a word… perhaps that should be replaced with “relatively comfortable”) for a great 10 mile run!

My total fascination with the new watch thingy distracted me for most of the run… I had no idea my pacing was so inconsistent or that I was miscalculating my regular loop by almost .25 miles (thankfully I was running further than I thought vs. shorter!). It was also easy to get caught up in looking around at what an amazing day it was as well as all of the people the warm sunshine brought out so it really wasn’t until about mile 9 that I started to think about the end of the run rather than just enjoying what was going on around me (and what my fancy watch was telling me about my run… how far, pacing, time, etc… so much fun!).  The watch also introduced a new sense of freedom because instead of having to stick to a predetermined route, I'm now able to branch out while still keeping tabs on my mileage - total bonus! And now that I will have all the fun details of each run, I'm going to include them in my posts... while I do hope you will find them interesting, quite frankly it's more for me than for you as I'm a sucker for accountability and need all the help I can to make sure I'm getting in the necessary miles at this stage in the game!

10 miles, 1hr 43 min 57 sec, avg pace 10.22 (I couldn’t figure out how to pause it when I stopped for a quick restroom break… got it figured out now so average pace should be more accurate next time!)

Cheers,

SF runner in training

I even wore pink.

I did it - I ran like a Diva... and I even wore pink (well, more like a plum but still).  It was a sweaty, sometimes irritating, toe-hurting run (clearly still need some work in the shoe area) but mostly it was totally awesome and incredibly gratifying in so many ways! It was also a nice reminder that there really is something about being in an actual running event that gives you a boost which make the miles pass more quickly as well as distracts you from your body reminding you that it thinks you are crazy for making it do what it’s doing...something I will likely need a whole lot of when it comes time for the full marathon!

The first couple miles of the course were super congested and full of inexperienced runner hazards… not that I’m an expert by any means but even I know that stopping abruptly in the middle of the path to answer your phone or fix your ponytail is a no-no. Oh, and lest you forget, this was a “Diva” run so there were also a LOT of wardrobe malfunctions people were stopping to deal with (think flying feathers, sequins in eyes, tangled tassels, etc.).  Some of the funny things I heard in the first 3 miles… “do you think this sports bra makes me look fat?”, “I figured since I can run 3 miles at a time I’ll just stop every 3 miles and then start again – it can’t be that much harder to run 13 miles than it is to run 3”, and my favorite one “I think I’m still drunk”.  Around mile 4 most of the hazards had slowed to a walk (or possibly returned to the nearby hotel bar) and I was able to make up a bit of time and try to find my stride rather than focusing only on getting through the crowds without face planting. It was around that time that my big toes started to hurt despite the careful sock selection and application of anti-friction stuff which took place that morning (guess it’s time for a return trip to the running store… sigh) but despite the discomfort, it was also right around that time I started to feel settled into the run. It was a really sunny day and other than a lovely little stretch through a grove of eucalyptus trees, the route had minimal shade so I was happy to be wearing a tank as well as my sunglasses, visor and buckets of sunscreen (yes, the coconut one and yes, I did picture frosty mini umbrella drinks which was a lovely distraction).

At mile 6 my own personal pit crew (AKA my better half) showed up with chapstick, water to wash down Shot Blocks and some much needed and appreciated encouragement that I was doing a great job and to keep it up (such a lucky girl I am!).   Miles 6 – 11 went pretty well and I kept up with my plan of walking through each of the water stations and also took a quick break to retie my shoes in hopes I could give my toes some relief (nope, didn’t work but did get me some distance from the girl running in the annoying skirt with bells on it so was totally worth it). Mile 11-12 lasted much longer than I thought it should have and was probably the most difficult mile of the race for me but once I got to the 12 mile marker, the last 1.1 miles totally flew by and before I knew it I was crossing the finish line and receiving not only my tiara but also a red rose, glass of champagne and a rather large finisher’s medal which were being presented by very, very fit shirtless firefighters (I’m still slightly suspect that they were really members of a boy band rather than actual firemen).  

So now I am officially a 2 time half marathon finisher! And while I do have the toe/shoe thing to figure out as well as something funky that started with my right knee about 4 hours after I finished the run (feels slightly weak and the back of the knee aches and is somewhat stiff), I definitely felt stronger during this one, am really proud of my accomplishment and am reminding myself that I am now one step closer to my goal of running a full marathon.

Today will be a complete rest day with lots of ice, Advil, water and anything else I can find on the internet that will help my pieces and parts feel better quickly so that I can get right back out there to stay on track with my training schedule… no rest for the weary (well, past today)!

Race Results

2 hours, 18 minutes and 51 seconds.

Overall Place855 / 3558

Division Place161 / 686

Cheers,

SF runner in training

Yep, I'm going to run like a diva!

With the Run Like a Diva half marathon coming up the day after tomorrow, I’m busy deciding  what I can test out for the marathon as well as trying to wrap my head around the whole tiara, feather boa, explosion of sparkly pink that I believe it will be.  So far I’ve decided to go back to my OG socks with the addition of some of that anti-friction stuff for my toes (running doesn’t really make for cute little flip-flop feet), maybe the coconut sunscreen (somehow images of tropical drinks garnished with mini umbrellas seems appropriate for this run) and possibly a new pair of Lululemon running capris I’ve had my eye on (it’s not my fault… they woo me with their inspirational adages!).  As far as the sparkly diva stuff goes, I've gone with a rather jarringly bright pink for my toes this week and think that will have to suffice as wearing pink running clothes really accentuates my frighteningly bright pomegranate colored face that will inevitably appear right around the first photo op on the course.

After a fairly long week and a pretty late night last night (one of the perks and  occasionally a drawback of having a musician as my better half!), I’m looking forward to an early night tonight with some quality time on the sofa with something silly on the TV and my latest Runner’s World magazine to flip through.  Tomorrow should be a nice leisurely day and will include some race prep (layout clothes, make sure I have my Aveda Lip Saver, visor, sunglasses, iPod, backup Lip Saver, emergency Lip Saver, etc.), packet pickup, lunch at one of my favorite Burlingame spots and perhaps giving in to the siren call of a little retail therapy to sooth my pre-race nerves.  

I shall leave you today with some running wisdom from Guru Lululemon (yes, I realize I sound slightly obsessed... I just can't walk away from an inspirational saying... or a cute running/yoga/lounging outfit!).  Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that I don’t trip on a wayward tiara, choke on a boa feather or get champagne in my eye at the finish line! 

Cheers,

Sf runner in training