2/17/13: Rock 'n' Roll Pasadena Half Marathon

Half Marathon #10 is done! This was my first time running this half marathon. I missed the inaugural event last year due to injury so I was excited to be able to do it this year. We went to the expo on Friday to beat the weekend crowd and make a pit stop at this place. I had a gift card so I bought a pair of shorts.

Bib pick up was pretty fast and easy as well as parking pass pick up. We chose to park in the Rose Bowl for $10 so that we did not have to walk too far. The expo is pretty small so we did a quick walk through and then headed home.

The race was well organized and had plenty of potties and all of that good stuff. The snacks after the race were pretty good too. Jamba Juice gave out smoothies, and cold water and Gatorade, pretzels, bananas, and granola bars were also available. The course is very scenic and starts and finishes at the Rose Bowl. My favorite part of the course was crossing over the Colorado Bridge. The course also goes through Old Town Pasadena and includes numerous landmarks in the city such as the Tournament of Roses House and the Norton Simon Museum.

Deena Kastor ran this race and I saw her heading back when I was barely at Mile 4 or 5. She finished in 1:12:56 (5:34 pace). She is pretty amazing and was the top female finisher..of course!

Deena Kastor

The parking was great! I got lucky and parked in a lot that was about ten steps from my car to the Start. Score! Most of the parking lots seemed to be within a very close range of the Start but I think mine was one of the best. I was the best $10 that I ever spent on race parking. I was able to use the bathroom and keep my son warm in the car until the race was about to start. 

I was a little worried about the weather but it turned out to be just perfect. It was 48 degrees at the Start and the course had lots of shade. Two days prior to the race the temperatures had been in the low 80 degree range so I was preparing for a hot and hilly run. 

I really enjoyed the course but definitely need to incorporate more hills to my training. I am not a big fan of hills but I know that sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone to make things happen. I wouldn't say that the course is super hilly but it had a couple of nice sized hills to tackle.

The first small hill of the course hits right about a half mile into the race and then another nice sized one right before Mile 2. I wanted to take a picture but I was too focused on getting to the top. Miles 3-9 were probably the easiest part of the course. I loved running over the Colorado Bridge around Mile 9 but after the bridge, I was greeted by another hill (pictured below) that kind of tired me out. I borrowed this picture from Pasadena Rock and Roll's Facebook page and I was already nervous when I saw it!

I tried to be smart on the hillier parts of the course by slowing down and then recovering and picking it back up on the parts of the course that were downhill or not as difficult. The last mile and a half of the course had a gradual incline and I was tired and struggled a bit around Mile 12, which was my only mile over 9:00 (9:38 mile..yuck) but was able to pick it up in the end. 

I think I need to add some hill workouts to my future training so I can tackle this type of course. I guess if you train on hills the flatter courses will be that much easier. I finished in 1:53:29 and I am happy with this time because the course gave me a good workout.

My last half marathon had  a much flatter course and I finished about four seconds faster so I know that I didn't do too bad this time on a much tougher course. This was my third half marathon this year and I have no scheduled races in March. I am not sure what I am going to do with myself in March. I have been looking around for a March race but have not committed to anything yet.

I am taking it easy today. My five day weekend is coming to an end and it's back to work tomorrow. My puppies have been sick the last few days with tummy trouble so that has not been fun. They are feeling much better today after another trip to the vet to get some antibiotics.

How was your weekend? 

What did you do for President's Day? Did you have the day off?

A Good Kind of Pain

My calves have been really upset with me! I think I may have pushed them more than I should have but it sure felt good doing it. Let's see how this might have happened...15 miles on Sunday and then a nice 6 miler on Monday. I rested yesterday and spent the day in my CEP's even though they did not quite coordinate with my business attire dress code at work. I don't think anybody really noticed my socks since I spent lots of time in my office hiding out working for the most part.

I have been icing my calves, using my Stick and also using my TENS/EMS unit so I think I might be on my way to recovery. They are feeling better today and tonight I have 7 miles on deck.  My last two runs went better than expected so it's kind of hard to pass up a planned run when everything feels so right. I guess I will see how I feel tonight and make an executive decision. I know that I have to be careful...

This is kind of unrelated but I am loving this bag from Lululemon right now. My friend Shawna brought it to work and gave it to me because she had an extra one. It was kind of exciting to get my hands on this bag without having to drop my life savings on a cute running outfit! 

Are you a Lululemon fan?

 If you have never shopped there it is best that you don't even start because it can be pretty addicting.  I made the mistake of signing up to receive their Tuesday morning lulu-grams that tempt you with all of the new stuff for the week!

A Little Road Trip to Sin City.....

My son is on spring break this week and I mentioned that we were consider taking a small road trip.  My son had a list of things that he wanted to do on his  break like go and see Hunger Games, go to Universal Studios and he really wanted to Las Vegas.  We decided that it would be nice to get away so off we went to Sin City. We usually stay at The Excalibur since they have an arcade for kids and the rates were really reasonable this week, like $21.00 a night.  They do charge a resort fee of $15.00 a day so I guess the rate was actually $36.00 a night plus all of the lovely taxes. We left early Sunday morning and got back late Tuesday afternoon.

We did a lot of walking on Sunday.  We visited several casinos and bothered lots of random strangers to take pictures of us.  My son is just amazed with Las Vegas and all the strip walking is a good workout too! 

We also ate at one our favorite sandwich places that we do not have here in California. It is called "Earl of Sandwich" and they have the best hot sandwiches ever!! I always get The Earl's Club, which has roasted turkey breast. Mmmm! If you have never tried this place, you have to try it!! Their website says that they are opening one soon at Downtown Disney right near Disneyland. I can hardly wait!!

We finished off the night by taking my son to the arcade and he played some games and collected a few prizes. My son can go through $25.00 within a few minutes so we have to keep a close eye on him!

On Monday we went to the Fashion Show Mall because there is a Lululemon store and I wanted to check out a tank that I have been eyeing on their website.  It's called the "Stuff Your Bra Tank" and of course after I tried it, I bought it.  I like that it has a ton of pockets to hold gels, keys and even your phone so you can run hands free. I can't wait until I can actually run a race again so that I can wear it.

SOURCE

After the mall, we headed back to the hotel to hit up the pool. I opted not to do the pool thing and headed to the Fitness Center to get a workout in. 

I only did six miles but with the walk breaks in between the jogs, a six mile run takes longer than I would like it to. The fitness center was pretty decent and was practically empty. They hotel supplied...

the water and the towels...

the view of the pool....
AND

the entertainment!

I am not sure what kind of dance this girl was doing but it was pretty entertaining! Perhaps she had a little too much too drink! I did witness her making a few trips to the bar.

 

After our visit to the pool we went back to our room and showered and headed out for dinner.  My son wanted to see the motorcycles at the Harley Davidson Cafe so we took him there for dinner. The food wasn't to die for but my son enjoyed the many motorcycles on display.

We were pretty beat after all of the activities of the day and headed back to the hotel to take a rest before we did a little more walking around on the strip. We closed out the night by having a beer, which is something that I don't normally do but Michelob Ultra tastes better to me than most beer. I tried it at a race I ran in December with Shawna and decided that beer is not that bad after all. 

As we were driving down to the strip to head back to California, I spotted this place and stopped to grab some lunch.

Although we have several Whole Foods Markets in California, I don't have a location close to my house.  I tried the split pea soup and this yummy dish from the Hot Food Bar:

They were barely putting out the hot lunch foods so I am not sure what this is called but I think the guy putting the food out said it is called Curried Quinoa.  It is just vegetables with quinoa and it is just a tad bit spicy. It was pretty good!!  I would definitely get it again in spite of fact that the food is pricey and you have to be careful since it is sold by the pound!

So these are the highlights of our Vegas trip.  It's back to work for me today but I only have a two day work week because I am off this Friday. I also have physical therapy tomorrow and I am hoping that I will be released to start "running" without the walk breaks. My pain seems to be going away but I don't want to jinx myself by saying that! The pain always seems to sneak back up on me just when I think things are starting to get better.  I don't wish a running injury on anyone..it has been life changing for me!

Do you like Whole Foods?  What are some of your favorites from Whole Foods?

DNS#2 and Thoughts on Not Running...

Life has been pretty stressful lately since I have not been able to run.  My last run was the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on January 29th.  Since then, I have missed the Surf City Marathon and the Pasadena R&R Half Marathon. Pretty depressing...

To put it mildly...I really miss running!  I feel as though something I love has been taken away from me.  I can't begin to tell how many times I have wanted to just ignore the doctor's orders and just go for a run....just a short run and not tell anyone about it.  I would keep it between the pavement and me.  It would be our little secret.

It's difficult to go on Twitter, Facebook or even read all of my favorite blogs because it's all good news.  Please don't get me wrong. I love to read about all of the great tempo runs, the challenging long runs and all of the PR's that all of you are knocking out.  I just wish it was me so maybe I am insanely a little jealous.  I had big plans for 2012 and now I am not quite certain what this year has in store for me. Those familiar routes that I was getting tired of running now seem so desirable to me these days. 

I can hardly wait to get back out there and have a decent run.  I can't wait to feel my Garmin on my wrist again.  I can hardly wait to break one of those awesome sweats that lets you know you accomplished something.  I can't wait to feel my running shoes back on my feet again. I can hardly wait to be sore again after a marathon.  I can't wait to get home from a great run and share it on DailyMile. I can hardly wait to wake up early on a Sunday morning to go for a long run. I can't wait to run with my buddies again. I can hardly wait to feel those butterflies in my stomach right before the start of a marathon. I just want my life to go back to "normal" again.

I have been doing other forms of cardio like the elliptical, stationary bike and I even cheat and take a spin class once in a while but it's not the same as a run.  I know that I should be using this time to work on strength training and flexibility since I seem to ignore these things. I have been wanting to try a yoga class but it just doesn't appeal to me like a  15 mile run does! I did make progress and actually bought a yoga video but I have yet to pop it in the DVD player and try it out. 

My shopping habits have also spiraled out of control.  Lululemon and Nike.com are loving me right now!!  I have bought like three pairs of shoes, a few more running skirts, a few pairs of Tempo shorts and you don't know how many times I have been tempted to sign up for a race or two. I hope my husband isn't reading this post but I am sure he has clued in on all the UPS deliveries we have been receiving lately!!

I know I sound like a big whiner but if you are a runner you can probably relate. It is going to be a while before you hear the words, "I don't feel like running today" come out of my mouth. I know that I have to be smart and take the time to let my body heal.  Thank you to everyone who reminds me of the need to take this break and listen to the doctor. I do appreciate it because it stops me from putting on my running shoes and secretly flying out the front door. I promise to never take a single run for granted again even if it's a less than wonderful one.

Tomorrow will be physical therapy session #3.  The pain is still there but seems to be getting a little bit better. Thanks for listening to me vent!

Three Things Thursday

1. Sorry Speed Workout but I will be turkey trotting!  I am so in love with doing speed workouts that I decided to run two Turkey Trots (5K's) instead of doing my speed workout next week.  I will be trotting on Thanksgiving Day and then I will be trotting again on Saturday. This is just my way of justifying all of the feasting that I will be taking part in.  I will trot before I eat to ease the guilt and and then I will trot again on Saturday to justify it even further! I am so thankful for Honeybaked because they will be cooking the hard stuff for me while I am out running.  My family loves their ham the best anyway so why bother if they are already happy!

2. I swore that I would not buy another thing from lululemon for a long time but I lied!  I bought the cutest running skirt today!  I wore a lululemon running skirt in the 10K that I ran last week and I loved it so much that I bought another!  I thought it would feel weird to run in a skirt but I didn't even notice I had a skirt on and it was super comfy. Since I earned an instant PR I thought I better reward myself and went ahead and did the damage!

Source

3.Today is my day off from my training! Amen! I am so excited because I am absolutely exhausted!  I am not sure what I am going to do with myself tonight since a large part of my evenings are committed to training. Maybe I will head on over to Yogurtland and try out some of the new seasonal flavors they posted on their website! Have you tried them yet?

I've Got Some Good News and Some Bad News......

This pretty much sums it up for me with my marathon one week away!

I had a very easy week and managed to get 22 miles or so in this week. The Long Beach Marathon is just a week away and I feeling nervous yet anxious all at the same time.  I ran 10 miles on Friday and 8.3 miles on Sunday because I have been having some pain in my left calf close to my Achilles tendon.  I did a little bit of Googling and think that I may be coming down with a case of Achilles tendinitis!  Just what I needed after the ten day forecast shows great marathon weather!  The pain is really low on my calf and I am almost positive that I have self-diagnosed correctly.  I found some great videos on YouTube on how to deal with this and I have been foam rolling, icing, doing wall push-ups and taking ibuprofen.  I am hoping that I can kick this within the next week and still be able to run Long Beach without any major problems. In any case I will be out there running/walking/limping/crawling/crying, etc.  I refuse to earn my first DNF but will settle for a PW!

Now on to the positive things! I was shopping at Target on Friday and finally decided to buy some Quaker Steel Cut Oats and give them a try.  I see them all of the time but am always hesitant to try them. I am glad that I gave in because I fell in love with them! The only problem is that they take a good 20-25 minutes to prepare and I usually do the instant stuff at work. I threw some brown sugar and bananas on top and washed it all down with milk.  I love milk and just can't live without it! My favorite breakfast to date has been Perfect Oatmeal with brown sugar and nuts from Starbucks but I think I have found something new that I really, really like! I am also overjoyed that it keeps my tummy full for a long time!   

I also scored some great deals at the Nike Outlet this weekend.  I had a $25 off of a $50 purchase coupon and purchased two new running tanks.  I own quite a few of them already but some of them are not in the greatest shape anymore.  I bought a hot pink one and a gray one which match up with most of the Tempo shorts that I already own.  I also bought a new running skirt from lululemon but no special deal on this purchase!  Lulu sells out of the cute stuff so quickly that you are forced to pay full price for their stuff.  I only splurge at lululemon once in a blue moon when I think I deserve it. To be honest, I often find myself making up excuses for deserving new running clothes or other gear!

In closing I want to wish all of you GOOD LUCK in your upcoming races.  I know that The Long Beach Marathon and the Chicago Marathon will both take place on October 9th so don't forget to tell me all about it! It is always great to hear how hard work/training pays off and results in great races and PR's!

Frogs, Snails, Puppy Dog Tails, Armadillos and Alligators!

I didn't get my long run in on Sunday and I only logged 23 miles last week but it was all for a good cause!  My older sister, well if you consider 11 months and 3 weeks to be older, than she is my older sister.  We pretty much grew up together with everyone thinking we were twins! What  were my parents thinking..yuck?? Isn't there some kind of six-week rule you are supposed to follow after you have a baby?  

My Sister and I back in the day!

The reason my mileage sucked for the week was because I flew to Florida to surprise my sister and also to meet my new nephew!  My sister's in-laws were kind enough to send me a ticket to visit her.  They are such kind people! I took a red-eye flight out and landed in Atlanta at 5:00am with a short layover before boarding my flight to Tampa. There were some strange people on both of my flights to say the least! Some people just have no consideration for other people...it's really sad!

Had to brush my teeth during the layover in Atlanta! Ignore my bra strap please!

My new nephew and Me! 

Baby Derek: born June 16, 2011

My nephew is the best baby ever! He hardly ever cries and all he does is sleep!  He is only seven weeks old and he sleeps through the night! They have no idea how lucky they are to have such a good baby!  I know I was never this lucky with either one of my kids!

We were able to keep the secret from my sister!  Her mother-in-law picked me up from the airport and took me over to her house.  My sister thought she was just coming over for a routine visit with the in-laws.  When she saw me she was shocked and she cried. She is such an emotional person! We had a great visit and I enjoyed myself to no end.  The only complaint that I have is the Florida weather!  It is humid and hot to say the very least. It just starts pouring rain out of no where in Florida! It's pretty crazy! The weather did not stop me from getting a couple of good runs in though and luckily I did not get stuck in any downpours!  I will dedicate a post just to recap my runs while I was in Florida.

My Sister, Brother-in-Law and my new nephew Baby Derek!

I am used to the heat but not 80% humidity!

We did a lot of bad eating and they showed me around to their favorite places.  The eateries in Florida are not the same as what I am used to in California so it was a nice change.  I tried to make good eating choices but it was hard to do that in some of the places, plus it was a vacation! One of the places we ate at was called "Smokey Bones Bar and Fire Grill"  Here is what we ordered:

The Crowd Pleaser: Fire Stix, Chicken Fingers, and Southwest Spring Rolls

My Meal: Turkey Burger with Broccoli

My sister knows how I love to shop and I have been dying to check out the lululemon athletica store at the Orlando Premium Outlets. We loaded up, baby and all and headed out to Orlando to shop!  It was pretty hot and humid and my poor nephew was not excited about the visit to the outlet!  One of my favorite things to pass on the way is the Mickey shaped power lines!   

Got Milk?

..the power of Disney!

The Orlando Premium Outlets

My lulu Dressing Room Door!

My new lulu Outfit!

The lululemon outlet prices are not much cheaper than buying from a regular store but I did save something! I still haven't tried out the first pair of lululemon shorts that I blogged about. I better do that soon!

My sister's in-laws (Kelley and Derek, they do have names) made some amazing flank steak and cake and boy was it good!  Derek is known for his great barbecuing abilities and I can see why! Kelley is known for her cakes!

I am a true animal lover and my sister has the cutest little 3-1/2 pound Yorkie in the world. Not only is Jazzy cute but she is pretty vicious! If she doesn't like you, then you are pretty much done!  She will bite your ankles and bark at you every opportunity she gets! She fears nothing when it comes to strangers! I was able to make peace with her this visit and that was quite an accomplishment because she hated me up to this point.
 

My sister's Yorkie, Jazzy!

My sister's in-laws dog, Scarlet!  She is so sweet!

     This is my poor dog Baby, waiting for me to come home from my trip!  He is the sweetest thing in the world!

On the day of my departure we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Carrabba's Italian Grill.  We don't have one in California so I was really looking forward to eating at Carrabba's the whole time I was visiting. The bread at Carrabba’s is fresh from the oven and served with a delicious olive oil and herbs combination for dipping. The bread alone could have been a meal for me because I just love it!

I think I ate two loaves by myself!!

Tag Pic Pac: Tagliarini in Picchi Pacchiu sauce
with crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil

We had a great time laughing and just enjoyed our last day together!  We really got out of control with the bread! I mean way out of control and we had no alcohol in our systems either..honest!

My Sister and I!

My niece even got in on the act!

It was really tough going home because I won't see my sister and her family until December!  My niece cried for me after I left which surprised me because she was pushing me to say goodbye and get on my plane once we arrived at the airport! She is too funny! The plane ride back home was much better than the plane ride into Florida. I snapped this photo of the sunset while in the sky and thought it was just beautiful.  Well, back to the grind but I guess I have a lot to be thankful for. My family back at home was missing me too!  It is not too often that I leave them behind!