My History with the OC Half Marathon

I will be running half marathon #21 next week! I have never actually "raced" this half and it always seems to be that way. When I ran the OC Half Marathon back in 2012, it was a comeback race for me after a hamstring injury so I ran it very cautiously and finished right under 2 hours.

In 2013, I speed walked/ran the half marathon with my friend Caroline who was injured at the time. Speed walking is no easy task let me tell you. I don't think I have ever been so sore in all of my life after a race. The weather was perfect that day and I am glad I made the decision to stick with her because for me running isn't always about a personal PR or goal. 

I did not run the OC Half Marathon in 2014 but I will be back to run it again this year. In 2015, I find myself in a similar situation once again. I have been having issues with hip bursitis and a knee cyst so it is kind of hit and miss. My hip seems to stay happy as long as I do my exercises and keep the pace easy on longer runs. It really gets me down sometimes because I am not sure if this is going to be something that I will just have to deal with long term or if it will go away. Maybe I am just getting old but as long as I can run I am grateful. It is tough at times but I know that I have to stay positive and optimistic.

Keeping a 9:00 pace or under on longer runs seems to be the key to keeping my body parts in check but it gets tough sometimes because I feel like I have the energy to run faster. It is not worth the consequences for the days to come so I have to run smart. I would love to run this race and give it my all but I don't think I can do that right now. Being out on the race course gives me a boost of energy and adrenaline that I don't get on my training runs. I can't lie. I know I will be tempted. My last long run went pretty well. The weather was perfect and my mental game was where it needed to be. The last five miles of my run were the best and my confidence level was lifted enough for me to feel like I can run my 21st half marathon.

Pace has not been my reason to run lately. I have kind of putting that on the back burner for now and I am just feeling grateful that I can run. You have to keep things in perspective during these times. If you have ever been injured, you know what it is like to not be able to run at all, right? I don't have a race plan for Sunday. I think that would just be too overwhelming for me right now. What I can tell you is that I will finish the race and I will run with my heart and be thankful that to be out there. I am really excited about my second Beach Cities Challenge medal that I will earn on top of the medal for just running the half marathon! Race bling always gets me excited!

Who else is running the OC Half/Full? 

Beach Cities Challenge?

5/5/13: OC Half Marathon

This makes half marathon #12 for me. This race brings me back to 2012 since it is the first race I ran coming back from my hamstring injury. It just so happened that my good friend Caroline is dealing with an injury this year so I decided to give her some support out on the course. I knew what this race meant to her. I knew she was determined to finish it. I knew she needed to finish this race so she could begin to deal with her injury. I knew I needed to be there with her to help her since her family was not going to be there as they always are.  This was her race. It was not mine.

Caroline invited me to stay at a local hotel with her since the race had a start time of 6:15 a.m. We went to the expo on Saturday afternoon and then had dinner at a local mall. We went back to our room and talked, drank tea, ate some snacks, laughed and then decided to call it a night around 11 p.m knowing that we needed to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch the 5:05 a.m. shuttle to the start. 

RACE DAY:
We hopped on the shuttle in the morning and arrived at the start with little time to spare.

 

We immediately made our way to the porta potties. The lines were really long and almost all of the them were out of toilet paper. By the time we got up there they were out of seat covers too since those became the toilet paper! People were not happy! I happened to have some napkins with me so I got lucky plus I squat and never ever sit!

We made our way into corral 5 and waited for our turn to start.It was 61 degrees and windy at the start but the weather turned out to be just perfect. The sun never came out the entire time we were out on the course.

 

Caroline did not want me to stay with her and she tried to get rid of me multiple times but I knew she needed me and I wasn't about to leave her on the course alone. I finally scolded her and told her to stop looking at me and focus on her race. She was threatening to run and telling me that I was going to have a horrible time on Athlinks.com and all sorts of crazy stuff but I just ignored her and distracted her by doing things like this.

 

I think she finally stopped trying to get rid of me at mile 12 since none of her threats were working! I just could not find the heart to leave her and I knew that the right decision was to stay with her and make sure she made it to the finish line. This was decided earlier in the week when I ran my half marathon on the treadmill the Friday prior to the race. That was an experience!

I enjoyed this race because I had the opportunity to appreciate the course and to see things that I would not normally notice or pay attention to. I was able to "stop and smell the roses," and sometimes you just need to do that. I noticed how beautiful the course was, the amazing homes along the course, children waving from their windows, all of the mile marker signs, all of the cute pets that were hanging out with their humans that were supporting the runners, acting silly for the photographers and I even noticed a home that still had their Christmas tree up! I never do these things because I zone out and just focus on finishing. 

The time passed very quickly even though we were walking/jogging the course. It was over before I knew it and I left Caroline around the 13 mile mark to run to the finish. I finished in 2:57:58 with a happy heart. I did not care about my time. I wanted to see Caroline finish her race and I know she wanted a finish line photo. She finished with her hand over her heart for Boston and she didn't vomit or have dry heaves! Sorry Caroline..I had to say that.

 

Her husband was not there to take her photos so I was her substitute photographer but with my iPhone. We hugged each other at the finish and had a little moment before we headed over to pick up her Beach Cities Challenge medal. I think she was happy and I was happy for her. This picture pretty much sums up the way we were feeling out on the course.

 

I can also tell you that walking a half marathon might sound easy but it is not. I was sore in places that I have never been sore before! I am now one race away from getting my Beach Cities Challenge medal! The last race in the series is the Long Beach Half Marathon which I will run in October. I can't wait to get my hands on that medal. 

I'm in the Newspaper!!

Well kind off...

 I am not the "Tustin woman finds her high at OC Marathon," but I am the blurry figure in the background with the blue tank and shorts about to pass the poor guy on the ground!  I remember passing him and feeling really bad that he was so close to the Finish and had to go down with cramps. I thought this was pretty funny (not the poor guy on the ground) and probably the closest I will ever get to being in the newspaper when it comes to running!!

Have you ever been in the newspaper or kinda/sorta like me?

OC Half Marathon (My First Race Back Post Injury): 5/6/12

 This is first race back since my hamstring injury and it felt pretty good to be out there running like I did in the"old days!" My last half marathon was on January 29, 2012 and I have missed running so much. I have sat out four races this year because of my injury and I want to put those depressing days behind me. This race was really different from the others because it was not a race that I planned to PR at nor did I have any goals for this race with the exception of finishing and getting that first medal towards the Beach Cities Challenge.  This mind set was a little different for me this time around but I think the time off from running has given me a new perspective about running and the patience that I needed to execute a safe and smart race.

I was undecided as to whether or not I was going to run this race.  I wanted to be able to run 10 Miles without any pain and I was able to do that on the treadmill the Thursday before the race. I waited a couple of days to see if I developed any pain, discomfort or anything out of the norm.  I felt great but mentally I was still struggling with the idea. I prepared all of my gear for the race anyway and just waited it out.

 The Expo was at the OC Fair and Event Center, which also happens to be where the race ends. There was lots of parking but you had to pay parking for both the day of the Expo and race day. In spite of being undecided about running the race I went to the Expo since I needed the bib to run the race plus I decided that I would pick up my goodie bag since I paid for the race anyway. The Expo was a pretty decent size and was pretty crowded.  The Bib and Shirt pick up area was organized and moved fairly quickly which is a good thing.  We did a quick walk through the Expo and got suckered to buy a few things. My son loves going to the Expos because he loves to try all of the samples and spin all of the wheels in hopes of winning something.

I had actually signed up for the full marathon a while back knowing that I wanted to pursue the Beach Cities Challenge but after my injury I had to downgrade to the half marathon with hopes of being able to complete half of what I had planned on. It was a heart breaking decision but a very smart one. The decision to run the race was made when this happened on Sunday morning at 4:00am....

The OC Half Marathon was my first point to point race and the whole bus shuttle scenario was kind of stressful to me.  The race started at 6:15am and I was not on a bus heading to the start at 6:15am! I waited 45 minutes to get on a bus so I think it is best to have someone drop you off at the start to avoid having to be shuttled or be there an hour before your scheduled shuttle time. You live and learn, right?

My son really wanted to ride on the bus. Can you tell?

My bus arrived at the start around 6:35am and was one of the last buses to arrive. The start was about a three minute walk from the bus drop off location. I made a final stop at the porta potty and then lined up at the start and was off within a couple of minutes. I spent the first mile weaving in and out of traffic trying to find an open spot to settle into but that didn't really happen.  
Mile 1: 9:09

 I was well behaved and took some breaks, walked when I thought I needed to and based my race on how my body felt and not my pace. All of my training for this half was done on the treadmill so this was my first time stepping off the of mill.  It was a tough run and the treadmill training did me no justice because I have been running on the mill with minimal elevation.

 The course was not a difficult one but it did have a few hilly moments that were a little risky for me at this point. The course starts on a slight climb for the first mile, downhill on Miles 2 and 3 and then it's kind of up and down for the remainder of the course.  I had to slow myself down after the downhill miles.
 Mile 2:8:19
Mile 3: 8:24
Right before Mile 3 the course takes you by the water and it is pretty scenic and the breeze is refreshing. The weather was great as well.  It was 59 degrees at the start and about 63 degrees at the finish with overcast skies and no sun.

There were also a couple of times around Miles 6-8 where the course got really narrow and took the runners on a bike trail. This gets ugly when you have a bunch of people walking and you cannot get through or let alone move.  I don't have a problem with people walking but I guess it was just bad timing with the course becoming so narrow. 
Mile 6: 9:08
Mile 7: 8:53
Mile 8: 9:14

There was an ugly climb right at the end of Mile 1o! It didn't last long but I wasn't ready for it! Mile 10 ended up being my slowest mile,
 Mile 10: 9:22.

Based on these  signs you knew that the climb wasn't going to be fun!

I didn't look at my Garmin much at all which is pretty much unheard of me for me!  The only time I looked is when it beeped to tell me that I had completed another mile.  Based on what I saw, I adjusted my pace to keep myself from going too fast. For the most part, my miles were pretty close to 9:00 and that was comfortable so I tried to maintain that pace. Miles 12-13 were tough and I was getting tired.

Mile 12:8:56

Mile 13: 8:42

I did give myself a slight push the last quarter mile because I wanted to be done!  I was getting tired and I knew that the slower I ran the longer I was going to be out there.

 My official time was 1:57:57.  Nothing impressive for all of you speed demons out there but crossing that finish line was an incredible feeling for me! It was a feeling that I have never felt before! I am so thankful to be running again and even more grateful that I finished the race!

Can you tell that I was pretty tired?  I haven't seen 13.1 miles in a few months so I guess it shows! I wasn't in any pain at all during or after the race but my PT tells me to ice after a run so I was just being a good patient.

I know that I have lots of work to do! My next race, The Disneyland Half Marathon, isn't until September so I have plenty of time to train properly and get myself back into shape. I am also entertaining the idea of running the Long Beach Marathon at the end of this year.  If I am able, I will be running in honor of my Dad who is battling cancer. 

 I think it might be a little too soon to officially say that "I AM BACK" but things seem to be moving in the right direction!

Three Things Thursday

1. I tried nuun for the first time this week and have been experimenting with it on my boring treadmill runs.  The Strawberry Lemonade flavor was pretty good so I think I have found a new form of hydration that I really like.  I also to try the Fruit Punch and Grape nuun too. If I am able to run the OC Half Marathon on Sunday, I will be using it to hydrate.

2. The OC Half Marathon is still up in the air!  I am about 60% "yes" and 40% "no" right now.  My runs have been going really well but mentally I am not sure if I have the confidence to get out there yet.

 3. I will be busy avoiding my favorite local cupcakery for the next couple of days to make sure that I do not indulge in these special Cinco de Mayo cupcakes! I love the Mexican Hot Chocolate!! Cupcakes would be best after a half marathon and probably not before, right?

 

Who is running a race this weekend? What is your favorite post race treat? What is your favorite flavor of nuun?

The Running Roller Coaster

I had some issues with shin splints last week and was unable to run for a few days.  After a few days of rest and help from my new PT, I was able to get back on track toward the end of the week. I think I had a pretty decent week and I am pain free this morning. I am trying to be patient with the recovery process but it gets frustrating when you take one step forward and then one step back again. I have experienced the ups and downs of the running roller coaster lately but I am thankful that I am able to run again.  My pace is slower than what I would like to see but I have to count my blessings, right?

Here is a Recap of My Week:

Monday: 1 Mile Run and 5 Miles on the Elliptical
Tuesday: REST due to shin splint
Wednesday: REST AGAIN
Thursday: and REST AGAIN
Friday: Ran 6.2 on the Treadmill
Saturday: 3.5 Mile Jog/Walk on the Treadmill
Sunday: Ran 7.3 on the Treadmill
TOTAL MILES FOR THE WEEK: 18 

My weekend was pretty relaxing. We attended a birthday party for a family member and I also spent some time with my mom.  The theme for the birthday party had something to do with Nerf guns so my son went well prepared for battle and had a great time!

This weekend will be a busy one with a couple of exciting events on the agenda. I hope they happen!!

Weekend Plans and Another Run on the Agenda

We have no big plans for the weekend. I have really been wanting to see the Titanic in 3D but I don't think that my 10 year old is going to sit through a three hour movie. Once the nachos and the popcorn are gone, the movie better be something that interests him or he loses focus really quick! I think Grandma is going to have to keep him entertained while we slip away to watch this movie.  Titanic is the very first movie that my husband and I saw together so it's one of my all time favorites.

Other than wanting to see Titanic in 3D, my plan is to get back out there and go for another run.  I did have a little bit of pain after the 8 Miler on Tuesday so I took a few days off. The pain was in a different area so that was encouraging since I would have gone into a mad panic thinking that I re-injured myself! I don't want to take any chances so I have learned to be patient and rest when something doesn't feel right! The pains that I have been experiencing lately are nothing major and seem to go away within a couple of days with a little bit of icing. I have to admit that I do get paranoid with every little ache and pain that I feel.  I really need this paranoia to go away really soon!!

Can you believe that the OC Marathon is just a couple of weeks away? I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.  I have my heart set on running it but my body will make the final decision.  My plan is to get myself up to 10 miles and if I am able to handle it then I will go for it.  If not, I am going to sit it out......

Do you have any big plans this weekend?  Titanic fan? Yes or No?

What a Great Weekend It Was!

I had a great weekend in spite of the rainy weather. I drove out to see my Mom on Friday and the visibility was really poor on the freeway.  By the end of the day there was a beautiful rainbow but then the rains started again in the late evening hours.

I am overly excited about being able to run on Friday and Sunday.  They were all treadmill miles but I will take whatever I can get right now!!  I feel like I am finally making some progress and I am really feeling good! I don't think I have felt this happy in a long time. Isn't it kind of crazy that running has become such a part of my life that when it goes away I am sort of lost?  It's almost like running and I went through a bad divorce! My Friday treadmill run went really well and I hardly walked but I know better than to push myself these days so I was more than happy to take a 1-2 minute walk break after being able to handle 12-15 minutes at 6.0-6.2.  I haven't done that in quite some time. I was kind of proud of myself!

On Saturday we went on a 4 mile walk on a local bike trail.  My son rode his bike while we walked it out. The weather was cool and my son enjoyed it so it was quality family time.

On Sunday I was more than ready to try another 7 miler on my good old friend treadmill.  I accidentally hit the stop button after 2.6 miles because I dropped my towel so I had to restart the darn treadmill.  I hate it when that happens because I have to put my math skills to work.

The OC Half Marathon is just a few weeks away and my mind is pretty set on running it.  If things continue to improve over the next few weeks, I hope to be out there. I want to be able to run 10 pain free miles before I decide to run this race.  I even considered running without my Garmin but then I thought that I might take it too fast so my Garmin will keep me in check.  I have my heart set on the Beach Cities Challenge medal but I will not risk an injury if my body is telling me to sit this race out.  I have already sat out four races so one more won't kill me. 

I will set no goals for the OC Half Marathon. I will walk when I need to, I will walk the entire race if I have to and I will only focus on finishing. I hope it happens for me...I want it so bad.