Napa Valley Marathon - #21

It has been over two weeks now since I ran the Napa Valley Marathon ... Marathon #21! I'm happy to have crossed yet another marathon off my list and had fun coming home to the Bay Area for the weekend for the race. For years I heard people rave about this race having a beautiful course and having a nice negative elevation which was ideal for PRs, and since hearing that I have wanted to run it. Several months ago I talked Tara into running this race and we had plans of shooting for a 4:20 PR for her, and a big cancer PR for me. (My previous races on chemo were 5:30 and 5:00.) Our training didn't go exactly as planned in the months leading up to the race though so in the end I was really just hoping for a sub 5:00 finish to at least prove to myself that I was making improvements and recovering from the chemo which I finished back in December.

 

 

Napa Valley Marathon Course

 

 

The race has a strict no-headphones policy which they threatened all of the runners about repeatedly leading up to the race, including a grumpy sign at the expo. I know there are runners who don't need music and who prefer to run without it. I'm not one of them. I find running in silence to be torture. I stressed about what to do about the headphones for weeks. Buy wireless headphones? Run in misery without headphones? Run with headphones and risk disqualification?)In the end I decided ... well ... let's just say that I have a friend who kept her headphones in her shirt and would take one ear out to listen to when it was "safe".. and then tuck it back into her shirt when it wasn't. I hear it worked out well for her. :o)

 

 

BOO on No Headphones!

 

 

David and I flew up to San Francisco Friday night and had dinner with my Dad, and then had breakfast the next morning with my best friend and her family. We also had a chance to see her beautiful new optometry practice downtown called Lunettes Optometric. Check it out if you need to have your eyes examined or need new glasses!

 

 

Lunettes Optometric

 

 

Lunch at Cornerstone Sonoma

 

 

We drove up to Napa after breakfast to go to the expo and to get my race bib. We stopped at Cornerstone in Sonoma along the way and I couldn't resist taking a picture on the giant purple Adirondack chair. I have a normal sized purple one at home.
 

 

Napa Valley Marathon Duffel Bag

 

 

We all stayed in Yountville that night at my friend Tom's house and had a nice carbo loading dinner at R+D Kitchen. Such torture to be in wine country and to have a nice dinner and not be able to enjoy some wine ... but I didn't want to break my rule of no alcohol the night before a race.

 

 

Dinner at R+D Kitchen

 

 

In addition to stressing about the earphones for weeks I was also worried about the weather. A big storm was coming through California and the weather reports were showing rain on race weekend. Luckily most of the rain hit on Thursday and Friday and by Saturday things started drying out. On race day we managed to stay dry until the last hour or so and were only hit with a light drizzle. (Which running through still leaves you soaked, but at least it wasn't pouring.)

 

 

San Diego Storm Watch

 

 

The course was a point to point and wasn't great for spectators, but we did get to see  David and crew around mile 18. I felt bad that they had to stand around in the rain, but I guess it could be worse. They could be running 26 miles in the rain! Ha.

 

 

Race Morning Mustaches

 

 

10 Miles Down, 16 To Go

 

 

20 Miles Down, 6 To Go!

 

 

Running In Rain - Ewwwww

 

 

We ended up finishing the race in 4:46:51, a time that both Tara and I were happy with. This was still much slower than any marathon I ran before being diagnosed with cancer, but hey, I'm making progress from my races last year when I was on chemo, and my doctor said that it could take 3-6 months for me to be fully recovered from its effects.

 

 

Napa Valley Marathon Finishers 

With Our Race Support Crew

Finisher's Medal - It's a Spinner!

 

  

We flew back to San Diego that night and then I actually took the entire week off of running! I probably could have run again by Wednesday but decided to give my body a rest until Saturday when a group of us got together to celebrate our friend Allison's recent wedding with a "mustache and wig" run. Why? Why not! (Okay, the real reason is that Allison loves mustaches and wigs. I mean, who doesn't??)

 

 

Allison's Mustache & Wig Run

 

We only ran 3 miles that morning and for the last mile and a half I was running between a 8-8:30 pace and felt great. I was recovered! Well, not really.  The next day I ran the San Diego Half Marathon for a friend who couldn't run because she was injured. I decided to start out with the 1:50 pacer running sub 9:00 miles. I felt good for all of two miles before I started to hurt, then get really tired, then wanted to quit. I considered calling David at one point to come pick me up but figured I'd just slow down, take walk breaks whenever I needed them, and just treat the race as a recovery run.

 

 

My Thoughts on the San Diego Half Marathon 

 

 

Finished - But It Was Painful

 

I finished in 2:12 ... and I started with the 1:50 pacers! I must have been crazy. Oh well, live and learn! I'm done with running races for a while and will be switching gears to triathlons. Next up is the Spring Sprint Triathlon May 4th!

 

 

2014 Race Schedule

Happy New Year! 2013 flew by and I can't believe it's 2014. This is a somewhat special year for me since it is my year - the Year of the Horse!

 

 

New Years Lunch with Mom

 

 

Last year I completed 15 races (all running) ranging from 5Ks to full marathons. This year I'm cutting back on my racing a bit and mixing things up as I prepare for my next big goal. So far this year I've run one 15K and two half marathons. My first race this year was the Resolution Run 15K in January which is my standing 15K PR from 2012 when I finished in 1:14 (7:58 pace). This year I finished in 1:26 (9:15 pace). Not my best time, but not my worst. After finishing race after race last year with my slowest times ever, I'm happy to be slowly recovering from chemo and getting my speed and endurance back.

 

 

Resolution Run 15K

 

 

World's Happiest Runners

 

 

Best Husband/Race Support EVER

 

 

Earlier this month I ran my next two races, the Mermaid Half Marathon and the San Dieguito Half Marathon. These races were on Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend, and I'd like to think that they take the place of a second 20 mile training run which I wasn't able to squeeze in this marathon training cycle.

 

 

Mermaid Half Marathon - Team Peacock Pants

 

 

The Mermaid Half Marathon is also the course of one of my PRs, with my 2011 finish coming in at 1:49 (8:23 pace). My finish time last year was a far cry from that - 2:13 (10:09 pace) - so I was happy to have somewhat split the difference at 2:03 (9:24 pace) this year.

 

 

Twinsies! My Favorite Running Partner

 

 

I was a bit slower in my second race for the weekend and finished San Dieguito in 2:09 (9:52 pace). Not great, but I'll take it. There were a lot of hills and I walked most of them, with the course rivaling the difficulty of the San Francisco Marathon for me.

 

 

San Dieguito Half Marathon - Team CAT PANTS

 

 

Cat Pants in Action

 

 

Cat Pants Close Up - Don't Be Jealous!

 

 

Next up on my race calendar is the Napa Valley Marathon ... this weekend! Marathon #21! David and I are flying up to San Francisco on Friday, having dinner with my dad Friday night and spending the night at his house, and then heading up to Napa on Saturday. I'm excited that my two marathon wifeys are both running this race (love you Christina & Tara!) and I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with them and several other friends in Yountville.

 

 

Final 20 Mile Training Run

 

 

After the Napa Valley Marathon I'm actually going to *gasp* cut back on running a bit as I gear up for my next big challenge. My original goal for 2012 was to finish marathons 19 and 20, and then complete a Half Ironman (70.3) in 2013. Well, cancer got in the way and I didn't cross marathons 19 and 20 off my list until last year ... so that means this year is the year I'm going to cross a Half Ironman off my list by completing Barb's Race - a women's only Half Ironman on the same course as the Vineman full Ironman.

 

 

First Bike Ride in Over a Year!

 

 

I've also signed up for two shorter distance triathlons to help me prepare for Barb's Race and to get used to triathlons again, and will be doing the Spring Sprint Triathlon in May and the San Diego International Triathlon in June. I'm also doing the San Diego Century again (metric distance) in May to stay accountable with my biking.

 

 

Morning Swim Lessons in Coronado (Not Mexico ... my iPhone is confused)

 

 

The swim leg of a triathlon is definitely my weakest leg and to help myself prepare I've hired a swim coach that I will be working out with once a week for the next several months. We've had two sessions so far and just in the few hours we have spent together I've already seen noticeable improvement.

 

 

New Swim Tools

 

 

I'm excited for my marathon this weekend and even more excited for the races following it! Send good vibes this Sunday!

 

 

 

Marathon #20

About two weeks ago I accomplished a huge personal goal - I completed my 20th full marathon! I had planned to run marathon #19 and #20 in the fall of last year, but cancer had other plans. Fortunately I was able to run the LA Marathon as #19 this year, and just last weekend I ran the Long Beach Marathon as #20. 

Last Long Run By The Coast

I had run this race years ago and liked it for its flat course, scenic route by the beach, and easy access to/from the start line from the surrounding hotels. I was originally training to run this race with Tara who ran the LA Marathon with me, but unfortunately she got injured and had to drop back to the half. My friend Barb who had been training with us but was signed up for the half (because she had the NY Marathon three weeks later) heard that Tara couldn't run with me anymore, and took my plea seriously when I joked that she should upgrade to the full instead. Well, as my mom taught me as a kid - you never know what you're going to get until you ask! And I'm so glad I asked, because Barb ended up running with me! Thank you Barb!

Here are some pictures that tell the story of the race better than words.

Pre-Race Pedicure Tradition

Long Beach Marathon Theme: PINK!

Crafting Time With Iron-Ons

Outfit Complete!

Tara's Long Beach Shirt

Race Morning Breakfast of Champions

30 Minutes Till Race Time!

Best Husband EVER

Bumped Into Blogger Friend Ciry At The Start

Sun Coming Up At Mile 6

No Turning Back Now

We're Halfway Done!

Still Feeling Good 

We've Spotted David!

Best Banana EVER Apparently

20 Miles! Piece of Cake From Here

Who's Got The Spirit? Barb Does! :)

One Mile To Go!

"One More Mile" Sign With Signatures

Found Our Names!

Flying Towards The Finish Line

Marathon 20 - CHECK!

 

20th Marathon, 2nd During Chemo

Me & Barb (Aka Bad Ass Running Buddy)

Blowing My Fitbit's Mind!

Long Beach Marathon Medal

We finished the race at exactly 5:01:00. I wish we could have shaved a minute off! Oh well. This was my 2nd slowest marathon ever, but a 23 minute improvement over my "powered by chemo" LA Marathon, so I was happy.  I've been feeling stronger each month and hopefully I'll be running like I used to at some point in the future.

After the race David and I had a quick lunch in Long Beach before heading back to San Diego to relax and enjoy the rest of our Sunday. As it turned out, the annual neighborhood street festival was going on that afternoon just a few blocks from our house so we went down to check it out and listen to some bands.

Golden Hill Street Fair

Representing My Hood

It's hard now to believe that the marathon wasn't even two weeks ago. It seems like it was so long ago! I have a couple other shorter races planned for the rest of the year and I am already thinking about what marathons I want to run next year. So far I'm signed up for the Maui Marathon in September since the registration fee was only $26 (who could resist?!) and we were already planning on going back to Maui next summer for our one year wedding anniversary. I'm also eying the Napa Valley Marathon in March and have a couple friends who seem interested in that as well. We'll see! For now I will try to revel a bit longer in this accomplishment and try not to dismiss it too quickly before moving onto my next goal. I can't believe I made it to 20! HUGE thanks goes out to Barb for switching to the full marathon at the last minute and running with me the whole way. You are truly a Bad Ass Running Buddy!