Changing Plans

Last weekend I was scheduled to run a 5K - something I haven't done in ages! One of the downfalls of marathon training is that you're running 13+ miles almost every weekend for months. To squeeze in a shorter distance race it usually means doing the long run AND the race. (Unless the race is a half marathon and then I give myself a pass.)

10K to 5K

Upon the urging of Miss Jojo from the San Francisco Marathon and Sam from Operation Jack, I signed up for the ACT Today for Military Families 10K in Mission Bay. This race included a 10K, a 5K, and a kids fun run to raise money to support military families with autism. I was scheduled to run 16 miles last weekend and decided that I would run the 10K, and then run 10 more miles around Mission Bay.

I wrote out a schedule on Friday night before going to bed (to make sure I wouldn't be late), but the next morning I was dragging a bit and was behind schedule, and ended up going out the door with an arrival time at the race of 10 minutes pre-start time. Unfortunately my GPS sent me to the wrong address, and after entering it again and still ending up at the wrong address, my 10 minutes dwindled down to 0 .. and soon I knew I wouldn't make it in time. I called David to ask him to look at the website for me to find  a better address and to read me the schedule of events. The 10K (which I was missing) started at 7:30am, but the 5K didn't start until 8:00am .. which I could probably make. AND .. if I really kept having direction problems, I could always make the kids dash at 9:00am. Har har, thanks David for pointing that out.

I finally got to the race around 7:45am, parked, walked a MILE to the start line, and then milled around for a bit. I knew that my friend Dan and his family were going to be there, so I wandered around looking for them. I was excited to find them by the start line and finally got a chance to meet his wife and two adorable daughters! It was nice to finally meet them in person after reading about them online in Kerstin's blog.

Before I knew it race time had arrived! I was sad to have missed the 10K but hadn't run a 5K in a while so figured it would be fun as well. I started out in front with a bunch of Marines and dashed off in a fury with the lead pack for a while. I was running a sub 7:00 pace for a while but was hurting by mile 1. I slowed down a bit and settled in around a 7:30 pace. The course went around Fiesta Island (which I am so sick of after the RNR Marathon, the Fearless Triathlon, and the Tri Club races) and was flat but windy. I had a few people pass me but held my ground pretty well. I knew a couple girls were ahead of me but was pleased to see that not many passed me! As we ticked through the second and third mile I was neck and neck with a girl who looked about my age. I've been edged out for a place in the top 3 many times by a matter of seconds, and now I'm alert to girls who look like they are in my age group and do my best to run them down to the finish.

One girl in particular was just ahead of me from mile 2 to 3, but right near the finish shoot I kicked it up a notch and passed her by about 10 yards as I came across the finish line. Man that felt great! (But darn, she started 3 seconds before me and claimed 1st in our age group. Argh!) I love knowing I have energy at the very end! Running fast for short distances is way out of my comfort zone right now, and I was hurting towards the end. I checked my watch and virtual trainer after finishing the race and was ELATED to see I had nailed my goal! A 7:30 pace exactly! Whoo hoo! I finished in 23:20! Was that a PR? I'd have to check when I got home.

 My Eight Chins & I Powering Through

As it turns out this was a PR for me (19 seconds faster than my stale 2008 PR), I also placed 2nd in my age group out of 37 (missed 1st by 3 seconds!!), placed 4th among all of the women (276 total), and placed 31st overall out of 514. Wow! I did great!

My WINNING Medal Collection

(I've placed a few other times but didn't get medals)

Shorter Long Runs

I needed some time to cool down and walked back to my car, and then decided to head over to the harbor to finish my long run. By the time I got to the harbor I was tired, but figured I'd get over it. Yeah, I didn't. About 2 miles into my run I turned around and decided to give it another go the next day. Sadly, the next day wasn't much better and I only made it for 9 1/2 miles. I was scheduled for 16 miles this weekend and raced 3, ran 4, and then ran 9 1/2 the next day. Total mileage was over 16, but none of it was consecutive. Sigh.

Focusing on the Run

As this next weekend approached I thought about how I've been overloading my training by trying to combine racing with long runs.  A few weekends before when I was scheduled to run 20 miles I squeezed in a Tri Club club triathlon on Saturday, and then tried to run 20 miles Sunday. I was beat and sore and only made it through 17 miles (which I still think was a huge accomplishment), but it wasn't the 20 miles I physically and mentally needed. I did the club race because I was getting nervous about the Super Seal Triathlon, and wanted to have a practice race to re-acquaint myself with the sport. Although my running suffered that weekend I really think it did help me with my triathlon the following weekend. (More on my blog: Super Seal Triathlon.)

This past weekend I was scheduled to run 20 miles again ... and again a club race was going to happen. I registered again (I'm addicted to free racing) and figured I almost made it to 20 last time, I'd definitely make it this time! A friend of mine from GOTR also registered which I thought would make the event even more fun!

Evaluating Priorities

As the weekend approached I started to get worried. I hadn't run 20 miles since the Rock n Roll Marathon last June. That race was horrible for me and completely ruined my self-confidence in distance running. Because of the mental anguish I experienced during and after that race, I actually decided to quit full marathons. (More on my blog I'm over the Marathon) That didn't last toooo long, and here I am back again with a marathon 3 weeks away. My friend got sick recently and pulled out of the club race, and with the pending rain and my stress over the 20 miler, I did as well. Wise choice young grasshopper! I mean Monika!

On Saturday I headed out to run my 20 miles. I was happy to have put running first, and knew it was a good decision. Getting 20 good miles in 3 weeks before my marathon is key. Doing another club race and having a mediocre triathlon performance which would only serve as a training run for a race that wasn't until June was really not a priority, and I'm so glad I realized that. I was apprehensive at the start of the run and self-doubt crept in. I started thinking about my last marathon and how I had a total mental breakdown. Around mile 7 I actually started crying as I was running. :o( Not ugly crying sobbing, but a few tears were shed. I never wanted to be in the place that I was in that last marathon, and I hoped that this coming marathon would be so much better. I pulled it together and focused and churning out the miles.

I had decided a while ago that I need to do this next marathon without my usual pressure of a sub 4:00 finish. My goal at this point is just to finish a race without a meltdown, and to build my confidence back up. With that in mind I try not to look at my watch. I glanced at it now and then to see my pace, but never looked at the overall time. I had set my virtual partner for a 20 mile run at a 9:30 pace - totally conservative. Inside I wanted to finish at a 9:00 pace, but didn't want to stress about it. As I neared the end of my run I was ecstatic to realize that physically I felt okay. Nothing hurt too much and I felt like I was running at a good pace for my body. As I approached the finish of my run I switched over the virtual trainer view on my watch to see if I was ahead of behind my opponent. I was ahead! I was actually ahead by a mile! whoo hoo! I ended up finishing my run at 3:00:50, which is a 9:02 pace. I did it! YES!!

Three Weeks to Go

So now, eleven weeks into my training I think I'm ready. I have three weeks to go before the marathon, and now its focus time! I need to spend these last few weeks not getting hurt, building up my self-confidence, and reminded myself that I LIKE running, and that is why I do it. I'm honestly nervous to run a full marathon again, and I'm praying so hard that it goes well. 

For now .. its taper time! Usually this means I start to get restless, but now that I'm a "triathlete", it just means that I can swim and bike more to keep my nervous energy at bay. OC Marathon, I'm ready for you!

Race Medal Rundown

One of the things I love about distance racing is the bling. A nice medal just for participating? Thanks! It makes you feel like you're a winner just for trying. :o)

I've managed to accumulate a nice collection of bling over the years, and am always excited to add to my collection with each subsequent race. Recently the San Francisco Marathon asked the Ambassador team what our favorite race medals were and why. I was shocked when the first few ambassadors replied back immediately saying they didn't really care about the medals and just stashed them away. What? I proudly display my medals on my "wall of accomplishment" (haha) next to my diplomas. Maybe its because running is something I never though I could do, but I'm proud of each and every medal and want to show them off. There's quite a variety of designs among race medals and in my collection you'll find the cool, the unique, and the boring.

Full Marathon Medals

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego 2005

 

 

Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix 2006

Los Angeles Marathon 2006

San Francisco Marathon 2006

 

Long Beach Marathon 2006

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego 2007

Chicago Marathon 2007

Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio 2008

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego 2009

Marine Corps Marathon 2009

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego

Take a look at this medal above, and then check out my friend's tattoo below. We trained together with the Rock Runners last year and this was his first full marathon. I thought this tattoo was pretty cool and a nice artistic take on the medal!

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Half Marathon Medals

Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix 2005

Valley of the Sun Half Marathon 2005

 

 

America's Finest City Half Marathon 2005

 

America's Finest City Half Marathon 2006

Austin Half Marathon 2009

Run to the Rock Half Marathon 2009

Surf City USA Half Marathon 2010

San Francisco Half Marathon 2010

Long Beach Half Marathon 2010

Carlsbad Half Marathon 2011

Surf City USA 2011

San Dieguito Half Marathon 2011

I have two other "medals" that I didn't include above, both of which are necklaces. The first is a Tiffany's necklace from the Nike Women's Marathon in 2006, and the other is a heart shaped necklace from the Mermaid Half Marathon a few months ago. I think its a cute idea to give necklaces instead of finisher's medals, but after wearing both for a short period of time I took them both off for the same reason. Maybe I'm weird, but I start to get uncomfortable talking about how many full and half marathons I've completed with a non-runner, and the conversation usually goes there a few minutes after someone asks about the necklace. The shock the person expresses usually makes me feel more weird than accomplished for some reason. As if they think I'm crazy and weird! I mean I am proud of finishing so many races, but I don't usually broadcast it publicly. At work I think only a few people know I run marathons, even though I have marathon art on my walls. :oP The discomfort I get when someones eyes bug out as I talk about races is the same discomfort I used to get when people found out how old I was in school. I'm younger and always felt a bit out of place, and people's reactions didn't make me feel any less weird.

Mermaid Half Marathon 2011

Nike Women's Marathon 2005

But onto other things, here are a few final medals in my collection from various other race distances that I've finished over the years. I love the variety of my bling collection, and its a nice way to visualize my training and all of the mile I've raced, and the hundreds of other miles I trained leading up to each event.

Super Seal Triathlon

Last weekend I did my first 'official' sprint distance triathlon - the Super Seal! I'd previously raced in an 'official' triathlon that was a super-sprint distance called the Fearless Triathlon back in October of last year, (More on my blog: Fearless Triathlon - I Did It!) and I've also done two sprint distance club races with the Tri Club of San Diego. The Super Seal was going to be the biggest triathlon I had done to date (by number of participants) and although I'd covered the race distance before I was nervous!

The Day Before

The day before the race I picked up my race number at the Loews Resort in Coronado before rushing off to volunteer at the San Diego Science Festival. (More on my  blog: I'm an Engineer, I'm a Runner.) When I got to the Lowes resort for packet pickup I suddenly started feeling anxious, and then after looking at a map of the course and listening to a description of it, I felt sick. Was I really doing this?

 

Course Preview

 

Race Morning

Before I knew it Saturday had come and gone, and I was up at 5am yet again on a Sunday to get out there and give a race all I had. I meticulously packed my transition back the night before, set my alarm, and went to sleep. But .. I didn't get a great night of sleep because the girl who lived upstairs from me was having a party and between the noise of talking and laughing people, music, and shoes on hardwood floors I was tossing and turning for hours. I finally put earplugs in so I could block out the noise, but became paranoid that I'd sleep through my alarm. Luckily I didn't, and I got up and out the door right on schedule. 

Sunrise Over Coronado Bay

My friend Tara from GOTR was going to be watching her husband compete in the Olympic distance race so I had my eye out for them. Surprisingly I bumped into them in the transition area and we stopped for a photo opp. Soon after it was time for me to head down to the water to get ready to start with my age group - the pink swim caps! 

 

With Ben & Mr. Bacon

The Swim - 500m

When I got down to the water I was even more nervous, but was glad that I had done a club race the weekend before and knew that I'd be okay in the water. I jumped in to get wet and acclimate to the water and swam a few strokes out and back. When I got out of the water I saw a woman on the beach who looked really familiar. How does someone in a wetsuit and swim cap and only their face showing look familiar? :oP After staring at her for a bit (and her giving me a side look and probably wondering why this weird stalker was staring at her) I told her she looked familiar and she said I did too. It turns out it was SugarMagnolia who is one of my DailyMile and Twitter friends! (Internet geeks unite!) It was great to finally meet her in person and I think having the chance to chat with her for a few minutes before the start helped calm me down a bit.

 

Pink Cap Wave Starts

 A few minutes later it was time to start the race and I ran into the water with the rest of the pink swim caps. I started off in the middle of the pack and decided to count my strokes from the beginning to stay calm ... and wouldn't you know - the swim wasn't that bad! Sooner than I expected I was out of the water and on to the first transition.

Happy to Exit the Water

Running Out of the Water

The Bike - 20K

We had to run up the beach, through a tunnel, and down a path to get to the transition area. Running barefoot on a rock path is FUN! Not really. 

Running & Wetsuit Unzipping - SKILLS

I felt that I got out of my wetsuit and into my biking gear pretty quickly, grabbed my bike and clop-clopped over like a horse in my bike shoes, CLIPPED IN (yeah!), and I was off! The course was a big oval with an out and back one way, and then an out and back the other way. I am pitifully slow on the bike (since I never practice) and was expecting everyone to pass me as usual, but was surprised to see that while many passed me, I also passed some people myself!I find the bike leg of the race to be a bit boring, and since I haven't been practicing on the bike my legs burned almost the whole time. To keep the muscle fatigue to a minimum I'd ride a few minutes on a higher gear, then lower gear, then higher gear. I'm sure this is totally bad form. Oh well!

Staying Focused on the Bike

The Run - 6K

My favorite part of a triathlon is the run of course. I am always elated to get to this part of the race. This signals that the race is almost over! I ditched my bike, changed into my running shoes, and I was off! I didn't feel as funny as usual running after biking, but as always noticed that I was running faster than normal. I was surprised at first to see that the run started out on a sandy path ... and was irritated to see that the sandy path continued on for the first half of the race. I felt strong running and was slowly passing everyone in front of me. Some people looked like they were really hurting on the run and I passed a few people who were miserably walking. :o(

 

Nearing the End of the Run

 

Pushing Hard to the Finish

The run was over before I knew it and soon I had the finish line in site and I was about to finish! Tara was right by the finish line taking pictures and I crossed my fingers that in my last final push to the end I wasn't creating any more hideous finish line pictures. (More on my blog: Race Photos - The Good, the Bad, the UGLY). 

Official Finish Photo

Upon finishing I was handed a finisher's pin (WHAT?? No medal! BOO!) and I walked back to the  transition area to retrieve my stuff, once again ... a triathlete! Whoo hoo!

Finisher's Pin - Boo, No Medal??

 

Proud to be Done!

Official Times

Several days later the official splits were posted and I was thrilled with my results! I did pretty good on the swim, not as bad as usual on the bike, and I kicked a** on the run! Yay!

• Swim 500m: 10:55 (7/25 Age Group, 28/128 Women) 
• T1: 3:34 (9/25 Age Group, 25/128 Women) 
• Bike 20K: 50:45 (17/25 Age Group, 74/128 Women) <---Here's where I need work
• T2: 1:16 (8/25 Age Group, 28/128 Women)
• Run 6K: 26:22 (1/25 Age Group, 13/128 Women) <-- HECK YEAH
• Overall: 1:32:51 (8/25 Age Group, 33/128 Women)

Next Up

For the next month I'll be easing off the triathlon and focusing more on my running. I'm running the OC Marathon May 1st as my first full  marathon in almost a year! (After quitting marathons - more on my blog: I'm Over the Marathon). My next triathlon will be June 26th when I do the San Diego International Triathlon. This race will be another jump up in distance with a 1000m swim, 30K bike, and 10K run. Between now and then I better start biking!

Facing Fears

Fears, we all have them right? My life is full of fears. I'm afraid of large dogs, flying, tripping down the stairs, burning myself, drowning, bugs, speaking in front of large groups, my parents dying, having an asthma attack, crying in public, getting dirty, germs, catching a cold/flu, etc, etc. I have a lot of fears, several of which I conquered (kinda) by entering the world of triathlon and open water swimming. I don't like water, being cold, being wet, and I'm a major germ freak. Nothing about open water swimming is conducive to my neurosis. Yet, I did it! Last year I thought that getting past the open water swim was my biggest obstacle in the triathlon. But I was wrong ... Enter clipless pedals. 

Clipping In

I am the proud owner of a road bike thanks to the generosity of my Dad and David this past Christmas! I have a Specialized Dolce which is an entry level women's road bike. Upon getting the bike I also purchased cycling shoes, cleats, and clipless pedals. The purpose of clipless pedals is to allow you to "lock in" to the pedal and have seamless movement with the pedal, with both the push and the pull of your leg stroke engaging in a strong motion. I had heard from many people that they had all had "zero-speed bike crashes" and knew that one would probably be in my future, but I had no idea what a significant event that would be.

The Bike Crash

Back in January after I bought my bike, shoes, and pedals, David and I headed out to Mission Bay to go for a bike ride and allow me to practice clipping in and out of the pedals. After about 5 minutes of practicing I had my first zero-speed crash, followed soon by my second. Its hard at first to remember your shoes are attached to the bike! We left Mission Bay with me crying and my wrists and elbows getting sorer by the minute. By the time we got home, I couldn't bend either elbow. I really started freaking out and about an hour later we were in Urgent Care and I was sobbing on the x-ray table. Oh what a fun day. It turns out I seriously bruised my wrists, forearms, and elbows, and I had a tiny fracture on my right elbow. As a result of this I couldn't bend either arm, bear weight on my arms, and I was suddenly rendered helpless. I took two days off work (on prescription painkillers and sleeping most of the days away) while David played nurse, and  I thanked my lucky stars that he was there and able to care for me. If not, I seriously would have had to call my dad and ask him to fly down from SF to take care of me. I couldn't even open a door or take the cap off    the prescription bottle much less feed myself or take care of my dogs! :o(  This whole experience left me traumatized and terrified of my bike.

 

Getting Back on the Bike

My training schedule had two days of biking on it -  one day of spinning mid-week,and one day of riding on the weekend. Well, these bike rides never happened. As week after week rolled by, I missed ride after ride. I finally went for one training ride the week before my 3rd tri, with a fellow GOTR coach, but wussed out at the last minute and biked in my  running shoes. Yes, on clipless pedals. That sucked! Finally it was time for my next triathlon, a club race with the Tri Club of San Diego. Eeek!
 

 

Triathlon #3 - Tri Club Race

My 2nd tri ever was a club race back in November. (More on my blog Triathlon #2 - The Sprint) One of the many incredible benefits of the tri club is their free chip-timed races! This race would be the same route and distance as the last, yet suddenly I was nervous about getting back into the ocean, and I was worrying over the decision of trying to clip into my bike or not. When it came down to going to the bike store to have cage pedals put on or learning how to clip into my bike ... laziness won. (I didn't want to have to drive down to the store, explain the situation, get the pedals changed, etc.) Instead I sucked it up and spent 30 minutes in the park  near my house practicing clipping in and out. After about 20 successful attempts I felt that I had it down and committed to try it the next day in the race.

 

The Swim

I hadn't been in the ocean in five months and was so scared of the swim the next morning! I had been swimming laps at the pool but it is so different to look out at a faraway buoy in the ocean versus doing  repetitive short distance laps in the pool. I freaked out a bit in the beginning of the swim and started having what felt like an asthma attack, but managed to pull it together and finish the swim with some decency. Whew!

The Bike

My bike ride experience in club race number two was just like number one. I was passed by everyone and passed no one. When I complained to David about this later he asked me "Well, how many training rides did you go on? One right? What did you expect? You'll get better with practice". For some reason I thought that being a good runner meant that those muscles and strengths would transfer over to biking. Well they don't! Shoot.

 

The Run

Oh running, how I love thee! I'm so glad that running is the last leg of the triathlon,because it gives me something to look forward to. By the time I started my run most of the other participants were done racing and were enjoying the hot breakfast buffet. :o( I started off on my run (noticing once again how weird it feels to run after biking) and blasted out the first half mile at a 7:00 pace. I knew this wasn't sustainable and slowed down a bit, but was surprised to see that I was still running a sub 8:00 mile and feeling quite all right! The run course was two loops around the island, meaning that as I finished my first lap I got to see even more people finishing and eating breakfast. ARGH! I gave the run all I had on the second lap and finally crossed the finish line a triathlete once again. Accomplished, disappointed,  proud, sad, and frustrated. So many emotions!

20 Miler - DOH!

Oh yeah, and that weekend I was scheduled for a 20 mile run before I signed up for this race. So the next day (after much waffling about flaking), I headed out and gave the run what I had left. I didn't make it through 20 miles, but I was able to run 17 which was pretty darn good in my book!

Race Results

A few days later the results were posted and I was horrified to see my times. I was so slow! Mostly due to my crappy bike times, but it was a blow to the ego to know that as a decent runner I was a terrible triathlete. I didn't take this sitting down though, and all it has made me want to do is go out and train harder and improve. I've managed to slowly improve over the years with running, and I intend to do the same in the triathlon. I never thought I could do this, and now all I want to do is do this better. My goal this year is to increase in distance and intensity, and who knows, maybe a few years from now I'll be laughing over the time when I was afraid to do open water swims or to clip into my bike. Wouldn't that be so great? :o)