IMS AZ 2013

The weekend flew by as usual...how is it already Monday?

IMS Arizona Marathon 2013

Course: Verrado to Glendale, AZ
Time: 4:09:11



How I felt:
It's a mixed bag here. The first 8 miles were awesome, I felt good mentally and physically, the weather was perfect and the first part of the course was fairly nice.  I experienced some horrendous stomach issues at my last half marathon a couple weeks ago and it came back to haunt me. I think I wasted about 4-5 minutes stopping at various J-Johns along the way and took some extra time walking when the gut/fear of an accident kicked in, good times! I noticed it kicked in after my 1st GU, this has never happened to me before so I think it's time to find a new source of fuel? Wade ran with me until about mile 16 and then took off like a bat outta hell. I was hoping to break the 4:00 mark yesterday and was on course at the halfway mark...but the gut issues, the heat and my hip/back pain were working against me.

 The highlight of my race...My friend Ryan and his buddy rode the ENTIRE course with me on their beach cruisers and it was the best thing I could have ever asked for. Once I realized my goal wasn't going to happen, I decided I was going to have FUN and I really did. We had so much fun talking, laughing, being silly, waving at cops and volunteers, it made the 26.2 fly by and I never felt alone out there. It's a small race and for many stretches I was running alone, so having these 2 guys by my side was amazing. They handed me water, gum and GU along the way, it was like my own personal race crew! Ryan was supposed to run the race, but due to injury he chose not to start so instead, he and I crossed the finish line together, he earned it too!

A failed jumpshot attempt.

I'm really happy I did it, and saw so many familiar faces along the way...which was one of the best parts! Seeing Wade (and lots of friends) at the finish line, with a HUGE smile on his face (this was his 1st full) was worth every ounce of pain .... and I still got a PR. And a sunburn.

Finish line with Ryan, yay buddy!

Wade, sub 4:00!

And I got to finally meet my cute friend ChaCha who also had an awesome PR 3 weeks after running a hilly marathon in her hometown, she's kind of a badass!

Lately. And a PR.

Busy Week. Whew.

{Highlights}

A new baby arrived....and she is amazing, adorable and absolutely perfect.  I'm in love.

We Trick-or-Treated with Cyn, Jeff and little Natalie.

I attended a baby shower (do we sense a theme amongst my girlfriends?)

Wade was gone a few days working on projects at our Cabin, so I had some QT with my puppies.

And the best of all. I got my PR. I am on cloud 9 right now!

I set an intention this race during my first mile. I ran for NYC. I ran for my husband. And I ran for my new "niece" and her Momma...who better get her ass in gear once she is cleared so she can run side by side with me. I stayed out of my own head the entire race which I have NEVER accomplished before. I was happy, I felt good. I stopped smiling at all the cheering spectators at mile 11 because I was so focused on my goal and was feeling like a robot at that point. I hope no one thougth I was a grouchy ahole. I wasn't, I promise.

I almost cried when I looked at my Garmin at mile 12.5 and KNEW I was going to make it. Hard work pays off....what a concept.

Time to celebrate. (and set a new goals)

1.48.55
(Edited to add official results)

What Day Is It?

Man oh man has work been NUTS. My business comes in waves and it is crazy right now, which is a blessing in my field...I had a mini meltdown on Tuesday night and woke up Wednesday with my husband's cold that I had been avoiding the past 2 days. Nothing like getting sick when work is busy and you have a race the following weekend.

I was popping Zinc like it was my job, so I think I got the easy version of what he had but it sure is dragging on. A bit of a bummer because with a new running game plan, it forced me to hold back a bit and shuffle some days around.

Here's what I have:

Monday: 5 miles easy + Legs/Abs

Tuesday: 6 miles

Wednesday: 6 miles, speedwork (3x1600 @7:50 + warm and cool) <---- nailed it. 

                     + Upper body (still sore, ouch)

Thursday: Sick

Friday: 5 miles easy

Saturday: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run Hmmm

Total for the week: 27

I had fully intended on a long run today, but with this cold now in my chest and not feeling really great, I reluctantly skipped it and will run it Monday am. Good times.

A very smart little blogger planted an idea in my head after I posted my San Jose RnR Recap. Her major points:

1. If you want to get faster, run more miles
2. Don't add more speedwork (1x/week is plenty, you will just get injured)

So simple, yet not. 

We exchanged a few emails and chatted about HOW I could do this and if it was realistic...and it is. It really got me thinking about how I feel when I run more per week vs. per less. And really...I feel better running more. I feel stronger, faster, more confident. I run between 30-35/week consistently (give or take depending on my current happenings) and she suggested I bump up to 40-50. A little scary but I think I can handle it. And really, full marathon training IS right around the corner, so it should work out nicely.

So there ya have it. It's not science after all. (well I suppose it is)

The weekend has been pretty great! A dinner date with Wade and a Sun's game on Friday night, lunch al fresco on Saturday, homemade soup and a movie last night. It's been lowkey and laidback, my favorite kind of weekend. Off to enjoy the rest of my WHOLE WEEKEND off, thank you Real Estate Gods.

A Place for Pride

My husband is oh so handy. Look what he did for me (and him too). I made sure to tell him that I have more bling than he does. He loves me.

(Please ignore the messy closet)

I might not have any 1st place medals (actually I have one from a very very teeny tiny small race), but I am proud of every.single.one.

Where do you keep your medals?

Be Patient

I ran yesterday. It wasn't epic or anything. But I ran.

I had 5 on my schedule and I planned on running 5 unless I felt pain. I was actually excited to run...the weather was gorgeous, I was excited to get a few miles in and I was excited to start being consistent with my weekly mileage and of course, running pain free. I started out with a slow pace (I think, I was running garminless) and was running with a huge smile on my face when I realized I was feelin good.

I was secretly fist pumping in my head.

And then I hit about 1.75 miles and I got a dull pain in the same spot I had last Saturday...I brushed it off and then had a little pep talk with myself:

Bad Me: It's fine, just shake it off
Good Me: Turn around, danger

This went back and forth for a few seconds. Good Me won. I kicked it in reverse and headed home. I walked a couple times and worked on running really slow. It wasn't an awesome run, but it was something...and learning to take things slow is something I am learning in this "sport" of running. It's supposed to be fun, not painful.

I'll try again today.

On another note....my official race time from Saturday was 1:53:45 - average pace being 8:41.

4 seconds slower than my official PR, which is nuts considering this course was much tougher, uphill and I was hurting. One reason running with a watch kinda sucks.....however it is a confidence booster - I CAN be faster and I WILL be faster ;)

P.S. Wade and I went to dinner with a good friend last night...Mexican food. It was delish but man I felt like I had a salty taste in my mouth when I woke up. Blech!

4 Legged Running

Tomorrow is the Desert Classic Marathon/Half Marathon hosted by my club, the Arizona Road Racers.

I'm excited for the actual event, the process, the race enviroment...all of that.

But I'm NOT excited about the end result of running 13.1 miles. I really hope my IT band holds up. I have been babying it since RnRAZ so I'm hoping the rest + cross-training + easy runs makes the difference.

If it feels stiff tomorrow am, I will drop down to the 5k. I won't feel bad about it and I won't beat myself up over it.

I went for an easy 3 mile run yesterday. As I laced my shoes up I decided to make it a fun run. No watch, easy pace, beautiful weather, calm tunes, and my favorite 4-legged running buddy...

If anyone ever gets bored with running, bring your dog. Watching the excitement in her face brought a whole new meaning to WHY I ran yesterday.  That was also Sadie's furthest run to date!

I have to remember what's on the horizon and prevent injury and burnout...Ragnar Del Sol and 26.2 baby.

Goals

I always try to write my goals down. Each year.

I like lists. I like crossing stuff off those lists even more than the actual list making process...hello crazy. 

I don't make New Year's resolutions because I prefer the actual  meaning of goal vs. resolution. Either way, if someone can achieve something they wish to achieve, then I like both terms.

I usually hide my goals on a word document buried deep within the files of my laptop. These are my goals, things for me to accomplish....or fail at, privately. But with everyone around me putting it out there, I thought it would be a good exercise in holding myself accountable, and honestly why shouldn't I share them?

2012 here I come...

{Fitness/Health}

• Stretch. Foam roll.
• Strengthen - lean up, use my muscles more. 
• Ride my bike every week. Outside, or on the trainer. 
• Run. Run more. Track miles.
• PR. On something. Or everything. (OK not really)
• Don't be so stringent.  If I'm supposed to run, and want to spin....spin.
• Do something new that scares me. (I'm lookin at you Triathlon, full mary)
• Be healthy. Appreciate my body.

{Professional}

• Work harder.

(I'll leave the work related goals buried within my word document, no one cares)


{Life}

• Try new things. 
• Food, music, events, books, daily grind.
• Love more each day. Friends, family, husband.
• Explore my State. (Sedona yes, you are booked)
• Travel. Europe. 
• Unplug. Cell phone/laptop/TV. Use them less.
• Think twice before buying. Do I need it? No? Walk away...
• Invest in a REAL camera. And take a class on how to use it.
• Take more photos.

I turn the BIG 3-0 this year...I have mixed feelings about getting "older". I am happy at where I am in life...but a part of me wants to put a freeze on getting any older. Guess I'll be turning 30 every year until I die. Or I will work on being excited and happy about it...most people I know (over 30) have told me their 30's were the BEST years.

Of course, this list will evolve throughout the year...things will be added, adjusted, dropped off or pushed back. That's OK...starting somewhere is the most important thing.

2011 in Review

Welp...here we are. The end of 2011. Where did it go? I could have sworn I was just celebrating the Holidays of 2010.

I guess time flies when you are having fun.

I was out for a run earlier and was reflecting on the past year (I'm so intelligent and full of thoughts, hehe) and what I have accomplished. This time last year, I was prepping for my first race ever. My first. I vividly remember the feelings that would run (no pun) through my head (and stomach) every time I thought about running my first 13.1. Scary. The Unknown. I remember every detail of the night before, the morning of...and the complete high I felt that entire day after I crossed the finish line.

My time wasn't fast. But I did it. I have to remember that when I worry about being faster, being skinnier, being healthier, splits and course maps. At the end of the day, I'm doing something and that something makes me happy.

The racing bug got the best of me. It occupied several weekends, and I'm happy with that.

2 - 5K's
1 - 10K
1 - 15K
1 - 10 Miler
4 - 13.1's
1 - 30K Relay (15K/leg)
1 - Ragnar Relay (<---awesome)

Of course, I had several "PR's" being that I had no previous times to go against (cheat, yes) but my last half marathon of this year was a real big deal to me. After I ran my 1st half a year ago, I couldn't EVER imagine running a race under 2:00 or in the 8:XX pace time. I did it, and I felt rad.

I went from a 2:20 half marathon to a 1:53 half marathon in just less than a year. I shaved off about 7-8 lbs. I learned A LOT, not just about the sport, but about me. I made new friends...I tightened bonds with current ones. I joined a running club, became a Board Member. I found a hobby both my husband and I can enjoy together. My career is going in the direction I want it to go, Wade's new business is booming, we are all blessed, happy and healthy. This is not a brag post (well not to others, but maybe to myself), but a post to myself, to tell ME that I am proud of myself and I can achieve what I want, if I set a goal. My blog will hold me accountable, and my legs and heart will hopefully take me through some more achievements in the next year.

  With meeting goals, you must make new ones. Over the next few days, I will be thinking about my "bucket list" for 201 and what I want to accomplish over the next year. I know it will include running, racing, cycling and some other cool stuff.

Happy New Years! 

Worried

My husband has sore feet. Like so sore he stopped 0.5 miles into our run today. I turned around and saw him standing in the middle of the road....with the saddest look in his face. Frustration.

We are leaving for Vegas Ragnar in 9 days.

We work so hard. Training, sweating, spending hours pounding the pavement and taking all precautions to avoid injury. We buy the best shoes and socks, stretch, fuel properly...yet, we still have these little bumps in the road.

I hope that's all it is...just a bump, and I'm hoping for a quick turnaround.

Yes, I steal photos

*Inspired*

This past weekend was FULL of races held across the Country. I was glued to my computer and phone as I watched news come in announcing times of the elites runners, the Ironman athletes and friends (blogger friends) sharing stories and results. Chicago, Kona, Portland, Long Beach.

Amazing. Inspiring. Humbling.

Liliya Shobukhova (Women's winner Chicago 2011)

I read a story on a blog of someone who didn't have such a "hot race". (in her opinion anyway) In my opinion, she was amazing. Courageous. It's sad to see someone upset over a comment left on a personal blog. How dare someone knock someone down for not running a PR? I personally have never done The Marathon, so anyone that can wrap their head around 26.2, register, and show up on race day, shoes laced up tight, is a HERO to me. Slow or fast, it is definitely an accomplishment. 

As I have mentioned, I toy around with the idea of it...it's a battle in my head. I know my body could probably struggle through it. But can my mind help push my body to the end? I don't know.

I think signing up for the Desert Classic 30k in December is my idea of dipping my toes into the water...until then I'll watch from the sidelines.

108

That's how many miles I logged in September. I started keeping better track of my runs on a spreadsheet a few months ago, and thought it would be fun to see what kind of mileage I'm doing each month.

I'm pretty proud of that little number.

Goals for October:

Mileage - 97 ( I have a taper week and Ragnar)
More strength training
More mileage on my bike
Gain speed for my half on 11.6.11
First ARR Social event!

I got this!