2/3/13: Surf City Half Marathon Recap

Half Marathon #9 is  done! It was definitely not my best race but I learned a lot from it. I am now very happy that I decided not the run the full marathon because it would have been less than spectacular! I do want to congratulate Megan who ran the full marathon and exceeded her goal. It was her very first marathon so please stop by her blog and give her some love!

I went to the Expo with Caroline on Saturday morning and we played photographer for one another. The weather was perfect on Expo day and I wish it would have been the same on race day.

Caroline and I talked the whole way to the Expo and the whole way back. We have some great conversations about everything from running to life in general. I actually thought of her several times during this race because she continues to run through some tough situations. She inspires me to keep going when I feel like giving up. Thank You Caroline for inspiring me, especially on this day.

The race was very well organized and even though there were almost 21,000 runners signed up, these people know how to handle things. The corrals were very easy to get into and there was very little crowding until the race was about to start. 

We didn't get stuck in traffic which we thought was bound to happen. Shuttles were provided free of charge from several locations to minimize the traffic issues. We were planning on valet parking at the host hotel which is right at the start but they raised their price to $35.00 on race day so I passed on that. We ended up parking in a residential area about 3/4 miles away and the walk was a good warm up for me. We waited at the host hotel until it was close to start time to use the restrooms and just relax a little. It was nice to have access to "real" bathrooms and not just the port-a-johns which I really dislike. The restrooms on the beach were also available for use so I never saw any big lines which is a big plus!

Most of the course takes place on Pacific Coast Highway and it's a beautiful view. I was hoping to feel some ocean breeze with all of the sun beaming down but that didn't happen. The race organizers did a great job of keeping the marathoner and the half marathoners separated so there weren't any issues with that. The course was not overcrowded either and most of the runners were half marathoners and women :)

I did a lot of things wrong which made this race less than enjoyable for me. I am in no way making excuses for my less than fabulous finish but just want to share some of things that I learned so that I don't repeat them in the future. The weather was supposed to be overcast and cool. The temperature was in the high 50's but the sun was out the entire time and there was no shade on the course whatsoever. I was looking for that break from the sun but it never happened. First of all, I was a little overdressed thinking that it was going to be cold since it was by the beach. I saw some posts on Facebook stating that it is very cold at the start which is wasn't. The weather was actually pretty nice when we arrived so I left my jacket in the car because I knew that I was not going to need it. I wore a really thick Lululemon shirt with my Flow-Y sports bra underneath. The shirt was new and I didn't realize how warm it was going to keep me. I thought about taking it off several times but was too embarrassed to run in a sports bra so I suffered instead. I didn't have sunscreen on all the places that the shirt covered so I didn't want to risk a sun burn either.

I also decided to try something new and carry my hand held water bottle. Carrying something in my hands for 13 miles was very annoying to me so I wish I would have stuck to my hydration belt instead. I am used to my belt and it works much better for me. I probably won't do that again either. I didn't even GU during this race because it was awkward trying to open the GU and hold the hand held at the same time. I know I am so lame!

Other than all of the mistakes I made, my shin starting bothering me at Mile 3 or so and I had to stop to stretch and figure out how to proceed with my race. I thought I was feeling good the first three miles but maybe I started to quickly and my shin was not happy. It was at this point that I decided to back off and just focus on finishing. Injury is no fun and it's never worth it! I was not happy but didn't want to make matters worse and I was not going to walk unless I absolutely had to. I texted my husband to tell him that my shin was acting up and that I was probably not going to make it in for a while. He told me to walk and take a break but I just wanted to finish as quickly as I could. I also witnessed a girl running next to me throw up and then I felt like I was going to be next one!

When we arrived back at the car after the race, we noticed another runner walking back and forth looking for his car. I felt bad for him and offered to help him look for his car. We drove around looking for his car and we found it. He was more than grateful for our help and I was glad that we were able to help someone. I went home feeling much better having done something to help someone else.

I finished in 1:53:26 but got this super cute surfboard medal which I love. I know that it is not a horrible time but it hurts when you know that you should have or could have done better. I am sure you all understand what I mean. I thought it was going to be a two hour finish so I am thankful that it was better than what I anticipated! I am okay with it today and I am moving on.

I know that every race is not going to be a perfect race and things can possibly go wrong. My main focus is on the Beach Cities Challenge medal and I have now completed my first race in the series. I saw the medal in person at the Expo and boy is she pretty!

Here are the ugly details if you are interested.

After the race I enjoyed the Superbowl with my family. Grandma came over and watched the game with us and she cooked some of her amazing food for us. She even made us some chocolate covered strawberries that were to die for!

I am not much of a football fan but I do enjoy the commercials. My favorite one was the Anheuser-Busch commercial with the Budweiser Clydesdale. I am an animal lover so naturally I cried. As a matter of fact, I don't think there was a dry eye in the room!

Four Weeks and Counting!

I can't believe that my third marathon is just four weeks away. I am so nervous yet excited! It has been over a year since I ran my last marathon so it's like I am running my first one all over again. I think I have forgotten what it feels like which is why I am nervous. I really want to run a sub-four marathon but at this point I am not so sure that I have put in the training to make it a reality. I am running this marathon in honor of my Dad who is still battling cancer so I guess it doesn't really matter what time I finish. I just need to finish and get through those last 6.2 miles where I always seem to throw my race away!

I have only ran one 20 miler and I would like to run at least one more before the big day. As I have said before, I am not in love with the marathon but I so badly want to qualify for Boston. If it wasn't for Boston, I think I would stick to half marathons. 

I also have a half marathon coming up next Sunday which will be my first race of 2013. It is a flat and fast course and in spite of this good news I don't have any goal for this race except maybe a sub-two finish. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to play it safe and use it as part of my marathon training to get an idea of where my endurance is at.

Anybody else running these sames races? When is or was your first race of 2013?

Recap of My 2012 Goals and My Goals for 2013

I can't believe another year has past! It was not the best year because I lost my Grandpa and my Dad is still battling cancer. I may not have accomplished all of my Running Goals but I did accomplish other important things in my life like finally earning my Master's Degree. 

I battled two injuries this year with my hamstring and then with my shin which really set me back on reaching my goals. When I look back at my Running Goals for 2012, I started out with 3 major goals for 2012:

1) Run 3 marathons in 90 days and become a Bronze level Marathon Maniac.  

Status: Goal not met. Why? That damn hamstring injury that had me sidelined for a few months!

2) Run the remaining two half marathons/marathons needed to earn the Beach Cities Challenge Medal in the OC.  

Status: In Process.  Once again injury stopped me from running and I broke the series which has to be ran consecutively or you must start over! I restarted the series with the OC Half Marathon in May, then broke the series again by not being able to run the Long Beach Half in October due to shin issues. If everything goes as planned, it looks like I will be starting the series for the third time by running the Surf City Marathon on February 3, 2013! 

3) Run a Marathon in under 4 hours.

Status: Goal not met. The plan is to continue to strive for this and February 3, 2013 will be another attempt for me while I run the Surf City Marathon in honor of my Dad.

4) Run 1200 miles in 2012.

Status: Goal not met. I only ran 993 miles. I was shooting for 1000 miles but missed a run. 

Races: I completed 7 races in 2012: 4 Half Marathons, 2-10K's and 1-5K. The only distance that I PR'd was the half marathon with a time of 1:46:58.

 So what are my Running Goals for 2013?

I have to say that my injuries certainly changed things for me in 2012! Slowly working my way back into running has been a challenge because I was coming off of a year where I PR'd in three distances (5K, 10K and 13.1) and I I was so eager to keep that streak going to into the marathon. As I slowly worked my way back from my injury, I had to accept things that I really didn't want to.  I went from running a 1:47 half marathon to an almost 2 hour half marathon. My ultimate goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon so in order to accomplish this goal I have to become a stronger and faster runner. There is just no other way to get to Boston!

 Running Goals for 2013:

1)  Accomplish Goals 2 (Beach Cities Challenge) and Goal 3 (Sub Four Marathon) from 2012.  Goal #1 (Marathon Maniac) will be put on hold until I feel that I am strong enough to take it on and not risk another injury. Three marathons in 90 days is a lot of stress on the body and one needs to be in top shape to take on this challenge.

2) Stay Injury Free and be a smarter runner!  This should be Goal #1! I now know the warning signs of an injury and I need to be smart enough to back off when my body is sending me a message. I am also better at icing, foam rolling, stretching, using my Stick and knowing when a rest day is needed.

3) Continue to work towards that BQ.  I am not sure when it will happen or if it will ever become a reality but I am not giving up yet. 

4) Focus on the marathon!  I have yet to figure out this distance. I struggle the last 6.2 miles and I am not in love with the distance by any means. If only a marathon was just 20 miles!

5)  Earn a PR or 2!  I would love to improve my time in the shorter distances such as the 5K and 10K. I would also like to try a new distance. The 15K or 10 Mile race in 2013 interest me since I have been ran a race of these distances.

6) Run 1200 miles in 2013!

Races: So far I have five races on the Race Schedule including the Ragnar Relay which I am most excited about! I am also wanting to take on the Dumbo Double Dare but I am not sure yet.

I think that's it for 2013! I think these goals that are reasonable and achievable for me.

Did you meet your Goals for 2012? 

What are your Goals for 2013?  
I want to hear about them!

Marathon Training Plans

I guess I am committed to running a marathon on Super Bowl Sunday! The thought of it really scares me for some reason! I need to stay injury free for this one because I am running it in honor of my Dad and I don't want to have to sit it out. I have been trying to be a smart runner since my injury but have been battling sore shins lately. I have never had this problem occur as often as it has been so I am not sure what is going on. My shoes are good and no major changes in my running so I am kind of puzzled. Maybe I am just getting old?? In any case, I have been kind of taking it easy since I have the Long Beach Half Marathon coming up in a few weeks and I don't want to risk it. If I have to take it easy for this half I am completely fine with it. I will settle for my mini PR for the year and be happy that I was even able to accomplish that.

I am shooting for a 16 week training plan but have not decided on a plan to follow. I am unable to run more than 3-4 days a week due to my commitments at home and at work so I need to find a plan that fits my schedule. I would really like to fit in some lunch runs but I don't want to be all sweaty at work so that does not work for me or else that would make things a lot easier. My goal for the Surf City Marathon in February is 3:59:59 (9:09 pace). Seems simple enough but my slow death begins at Mile 20 and continues on to Mile 26.2 so I have to conquer these final 6.2 miles of hell this time around.

If I can stay injury free and everything goes as planned, I will begin my marathon training the week of October 14th.

Oh! If you haven't entered my GIVEAWAY to win a few of my favorite running things you can find it HERE!

Any suggestions on marathon training plans? Which marathon training plans have you used that have worked for you? Any tips for tackling those last 6.2 miles?

I usually write up my own training plans and end up changing them to meet the other demands in my life.

FORUDAD

This past February I was really looking forward to running the Surf City Marathon. I felt that I had trained properly and that there was a good chance that I could pull off a sub four finish (3:59:59 was all I was hoping for.) Then the whole injury thing happened and all bets were off! The Surf City marathon folks were nice enough to allow me to defer my registration to 2013 and I finally registered today.

I guess I will be running a marathon in February, 2013 if everything falls into place. This marathon will be a little different because I will be running it in honor of my Dad who is battling cancer. Although he is still here with me, I want to dedicate this race to him and allow his courage and strength to carry me through those last 6 miles where I always seem to fall apart. I hate those last six miles and wish a marathon was only 20 miles! Don't you?

I usually put my first name on my race bib when personalization is an option but this race bib will be different. My bib will read "FORUDAD." My goal will once again be to break four hours, even if it's 3:59:59. If I succeed I will have accomplished something more meaningful than any other race I have ever ran before. This race is perfect for me since I have plenty of time to train and slowly build myself up to the proper mileage.

THIS ONE'S FOR YOU DAD! HANG IN THERE AND I WILL BE RUNNING MY HEART OUT FOR YOU! I KNOW THE PAIN OF A MARATHON IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT YOU FIGHT EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE!

Everything Happens for a Reason

If you follow my blog you already know that I was not able to run the Surf City Marathon yesterday.  I thought about it all week and just got more and more depressed about it.  I am dealing with some knee pain right now and made the decision to put the run off and give myself some time to heal.  The pain is still the same and I finally saw an orthopedic doctor last week and he ordered an MRI of my left knee. I am scheduled to have the MRI done this week so I am hoping for good news.  He has given me a number of possible scenarios of which none are good but as long as I don't have to go under the knife I am good! I am hoping it is not joint related but I have started drinking this stuff to keep my joints greased since I am not getting any younger! My friend Maura swears by it and has advised me to try it out.

God works in mysterious ways and I am now kind of glad that Surf City did not happen for me. I woke up on Saturday morning and decided that I would get my Starbucks and start taking care of some things on my To Do List. When I opened the door of my car, I smelled a really bad odor..like rotten eggs!  It was pretty nasty.  I started searching all over the car trying the figure out where the smell was coming from but nothing in the car was causing the smell.  My son is notorious for leaving food among other things in the car but it wasn't him this time.  I gave up looking for the smell and pushed the Start button on my car and then I saw this warning light....CHECK BATTERY!

I drive a hybrid and the battery in a Toyota Prius is not the same as a battery in a non-hybrid so you can't just run down to the auto part store and buy a new one. The hybrid is pretty new so most mechanics don't even want to touch it! I know that the car has two batteries but I wasn't even sure where to find them!  Had I not decided to run the Surf City Marathon I would have gotten in my car to drive to the Expo and ended up with this nightmare.  I would have had a massive panic attack so maybe it wasn't meant to be! So I was forced to stay home for most of the day on Saturday until my car was fixed.

Thank God for AAA because the first 7 miles are free and any miles after that are on you. The dealership was 5 miles away so I didn't have to pay anything to have the car towed. I guess it could have been worse but $400 later I have my car again. The service department was so busy so it  took the entire day to fix my car. The rotten egg smell was coming from the battery because it was not only dead, but also leaking. All I can think about now is how much $400 could have bought me at Lululemon versus buying a hybrid battery!

WISH ME LUCK ON MY MRI!!  I miss running so much that I just wear my new running shoes around the house and just stare at them!  Really...I do!! I can't wait to break them in!!

No Surfing For Me!

The pain in my leg is still here which means that the Surf City Marathon is not going to happen in 2012!  I am pretty bummed since I will have to start the Beach Cities Challenge all over again!  It is bittersweet for me since I am sad that I cannot run Surf City but at the same time this may be my opportunity to redeem myself in Long Beach this October! Long Beach was such a disaster that it probably should not count anyway! 

In the meantime, I am taking it easy and testing my leg out to see what it will tolerate.  I did a 45 minutes on the elliptical last night and felt no pain but it's usually in the morning that the pain hits me.  So far so good but I really want to try spin and see what happens. I have decided to see an orthopedic doctor to make sure that the Sports Medicine doctor I saw has diagnosed me correctly.

Until then, I will keep hoping and praying and looking forward to getting back out there.  With all of the suffering and sad days that I have had wishing that I could run, I should be coming back with a vengeance!