Road Trip, An Epic Start

Hello From Sunny San Diego!

For reals, it's hot as balls here. This air conditioned princess is not used to living in houses without modern day air. #1stworldproblems

We arrived yesterday afternoon after a fantastic drive where we "almost" ran out of gas in the middle of the desert. Not going to name names or anything, but it wasn't my fault. We were suckin fumes and ended up pulling into a scene straight from a bad horror movie flick. (did I hear screams?) Wade bribed some young guy to put a gallon of gas into the truck to get us the 10 miles up the road to a real gas station.

Wade claimed he saved the day. Scuse me?

This was the nice part of it.

So I sat pissed off for 10 whole miles (that's a long time for me) until we hit gas. And Subway. I was more upset about my eating schedule being interrupted.

I have been anxiously awaiting this trip solely for this purpose.

 You bet yo ass I got a new beach cruiser after Pinkie was stolen in Newport Beach earlier this summer.

So after the awesome car ride, we officially started vacation last night. Beer, beach and sushi.

Race tomorrow. I will be a sardine at the end of this thing. So sweaty.

I have zero expectations. (OK I mean very low) This race is fun. Scenic. Hilly. Humid. I don't feel prepared for some reason. Oh well.

Here we go.

I need a new name for my Cruiser....suggestions?

AFC Part Duex

Ah yes. I did it.

I booked a beach house. I registered. Party of 3, here we come.

The 3 stooges are at it again...and I'm super excited!

Reason #1: Amazingly gorgeous course
Reason #2: It's in SD, duh
Reason #3: "Recovery" beach cruiser rides
Reason #4: PR (hopefully...maybe...yes I can)

AFC 2011

New training plan has commenced....today I can barely walk from the 3,567,393 lunges and squats I did yesterday. So tomorrow will be my first "official" training plan run!

A Week at The Beach...

Come and Gone. But captured in photos. So fun.

(you have been warned, photo overload)

{Boating}

{Disneyland-ing}

{Beaching}

 

{Eating & Drinking}

{Hiking}

{Shopping...(no photo evidence of damage occured)}

Thanks for looking....I'm already itching to plan our next trip!

Setting Expectations

Most people set goals. Career goals, financial goals, family goals.

Racing goals.

I have set racing  goals in the past, and they may seem small compared to many other bloggers and runners out there. That's OK though, because they are my goals. To finish my first half marathon, to set a new PR, complete a Ragnar Relay, run 20 long miles during a training run, all while avoiding injury.

Run a full marathon.

This goal has been on my mind ever since completing my first half marathon 1.5 years ago. It was lofty, but doable. I'm not going to lie....I would love to have an impressive time goal for this, and of course, I have one in the back of my mind that is realistic and something I will use as a guide to keep me going this coming Sunday.  But I am going to choose to gently tuck it away, and enjoy the ride instead of run for time.

Being submersed in the world of running changes your outlook. Running 13.1? No biggie. PR's, negative splits, speedwork, etc....completely foreign to the majority of people out there. 

Fact is. Running 26.2 in itself is a huge feat. (I need to remember that)

Enjoy every single moment. I have run countless miles (not true, I have a spreadsheet with all my miles on it), put way too much thought into the logistics, the planning, the details, the fear of the unknown.

I am going to soak in the views of the ocean and beaches, the lovely palm lined streets, thank and smile at the volunteers, cheerleaders and supporters holding up silly signs and clapping and yelling for strangers. I will walk when I feel I need to, drink when my body doesn't tell me to, and be proud when I cross that finish line.

We made it safe and sound to Newport Beach late last night, long drive, but well worth it. We woke up this morning (6:15am first day of vacation, wtf) and took the pups out and were greeting with an amazing view. This beach rental is impeccable (ocean views, whaaaaat) and the weather is perfect.

We hit up the expo, had lunch at an AZ favorite (True Food Kitchen), had a beer, and bummed around the rest of the day.

And then carbed up for reals.

Off to lay out my stuff, eat a brownie and hit the sack! Wish me luck!

RagDelSol 2012 Recap

Official Results: 31:17:27


Overall feelings at approximately 2:30 pm on Saturday"

Mentally - happiness, relief, success, pride
Physically - sunburnt, dehydrated, surprising awake, alert and almost pain free!

Leg 1 Stats:

8.63 miles. Started at 5:24 pm. Warm at the start, saw the sunset and almost dark by the end. Ideal temps. Slight incline first half, slight decline last half. Gorgeous scenery. I got passed at the beginning by a few Ultra dudes and passed several dudes at the end. Sorry boys. Slight pain in the IT band the last few miles. Average Pace: 9:02

Leg 2 Stats:

4.05 miles. Started at 4:03 am. Cold as balls. Major pain through this run. Like I almost cried, pulled over and sat on the curb and pretty much pouted to myself the whole run. Flat the first 2 miles, uphill the last 2. Average Pace: 9:09

Leg 3 Stats:

6.49 miles. Started at 1:24 pm. Hot as balls. The course was really pretty but through a golf course/bike path and had a ton of little hills...which normally I wouldn't mind, but the downhill really hurt my knee. I was in a lot less pain on this run surprisingly. I passed a lot of bikers and leisure walkers who smiled and helped me along the way...and few fellow Ragnarians. I passed a young guy near the end who had cruised past me in the beginning and he gave me "knuckles" and a few words of encouragement...that helped. I almost cried when I got to the crew directing us up onto the major roads towards the exchange. And again when I saw Ann's face at the exchange. Average Pace: 9:36

*MY PACE
My goal going into the race was to stay right around 9:00/mile for the first 2 legs and whatever I could muster up for the last leg...hoping for under 10:00/mile given my potential IT band pain. I was pleased with what I did. I wasn't trying wasn't to be super fast, but to run pain free and comfortably. Achieved. Kind of.

*MY BODY
Overall....this race was 100 times easier on me mentally and physically than Ragnar Vegas. Maybe it's because I knew what to expect...maybe it was because there was no travel involved in getting there. Maybe I was better prepared as a runner? I was in SEVERE pain after my 2nd leg and was really worried about finishing my 3rd leg. Fortunately we finished near Ann and Marcel's house and got to go back to shower, take a 2 hour nap and get doctored up a bit. I was among 2 nurses who hooked me up with ice, ibuprofen and instructions to lay off the stick/rolling. I think all of that really helped because after 3 icings, I felt like a new woman. My hamstrings are a bit tight from the hills and bracing against my knee on the downhills and my IT band is still tight...but everything else feels good. 
 
*MY TEAM
Awesome. Funny. Prepared. Relaxed. We had a good mix of newbie runners and experienced runners which made it pretty cool. And of course, no one was running for time, just fun, so it kept things light. We laughed a lot, slept very little and encouraged each other throughout the whole race. It was so nice to see my other van/teammates between legs as well as other running friends along the course. No one got lost, injured or was too grumpy to handle. There was a lot of farting and stinky bodies though...which was to be expected.

*THE COURSE
Pretty damn good. Super volunteers. Spirited runners. A lot of skin, costumes and nutty people along the way. A love of running, camaraderie and laughter make this race what it is. FUN.

*OTHER STUFF
We didn't stop and have meals this time and instead ate at one major exchange and snacked along the way. This was WAY better for me as it gave us time to rest, relax, stretch, change our clothes and do whatever instead of wasting time at restaurants. We brought tons of snacks and drinks. A lot of baby wipes, sunblock, cowbells and of course...our cameras.

Sorry for the photo bomb...

Oh and another thing....my husband is fast. I think his average pace was around 7:15-7:30 the entire time...which I think is pretty rad for not sleeping for 30+ hours and running around 20 miles total. He already has his eye on the Ultra team with his buddy Brian for next year. Nut.

One last photo for you which pretty much sums it all up. Last leg. Yup. Ignore my man thighs please.

Will I do it again? Absolutely.

DS Bitches

Clothes are laid out. Bags are packed. Carbs are in my belly.

Ragnar Del Sol Baby.

12 people. 2 vans. 200 miles.

A lot of laughs, weird jokes, inappropriate behavior, and of course copious amounts of candy.

I have RICE'd the shit outta my IT band and put new insoles back into my shoes...let's hope I live.

Chuck Ragnorris is in the house...See y'all Sunday.

Ragnar LV - Day 1

Day 1 - Operation Drive

Team Name: "We are the 12 best friends that anyone can have". Hangover theme, all kinds of wrong. 

Van 1 met at my house around 2pm on Thursday. The hours leading up to it...not as smooth as I expected. We had some confusion with the van rental, my phone wouldn't stop ringing with annoying work stuff and Wade's foot still hurt.

But once we were all crammed into a SWEET van, it was smooth sailing. No traffic, no accidents, lots of snacks, music and nervous excitement filled the van. It would later be filled with less pleasant things...

We arrived at Exchange 6, Calville Bay, where we had a SICK houseboat waiting for us. Van 2 was already there, with a delicious pasta dinner ready for us to inhale.

We got to know each other, ate, laughed, made some ridiculous "motivational" signs and hit the sack pretty early. It was odd to not have alcohol involved with this group of people....

Super weird.

Ragnar...

I'm back.

We did it.

Recap when I catch up on my Zzzz's....

run

So this shall be my mantra...

DETERMINATION
/di-ˌtər-mə-ˈnā-shən/
a: a fixed purpose, the power and will to persist, resolve, to have the drive, to have the grit, to go the distance, to be hell-bent on reaching a goal and getting it done no matter what.

And if all else fails....try not to trip or fall, hurt myself, shit my pants, or embarrass my friends (last one definitely not gonna guarantee). 

(and after a trip to the Vet, the pup seems better - whew)

One Week

(meant to be posted yesterday, life got in the way)

In one week, I will be in Vegas with my team of other crazy people.

2 vans
12 runners
2 drivers/cheerleaders
197 miles
475 teams
1 Birthday
Several hilarious costumes (The Hangover Theme, hehe)
Countless laughs and memories

I have been looking forward to this trip for MONTHS and I cannot wait!

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

I Promise

I promise to never drink one of these.....

While my husband is stuck in the car with me for 3.5 hours in Holiday Weekend traffic as we are heading out of town. Turns out, they make me super spastic.