Chi Running Update

I'm running more consistently these days. I started with 3-2s, that's 3 minutes running to 2 minutes walking. Now I'm up to 5-1s. I can run consistently for about 6-7 miles, after that I want to walk. That feels pretty good considering I didn't run at all until about a month ago.

Ages ago I promised an update on the Chi running technique. The seminar I took was lead by two great instructors Ben from Effortless Running, and Shelli from Joy In Movement. When I can do it, Chi running is really effortless. The problem is I can't consistently manage to do it. Sometimes I'm flailing around and I look like a complete dork. Usually I try to focus on one Chi technique at a time.

The thing is that when I get it, I absolutely know I've got it. My whole body feels aligned to the run and suddenly I'm about 2 minutes per mile faster. When it happens, it's that good - faster, easier. Then the whole thing falls apart and I'm back to my slow, gawky self.

Overall, I'm really satisfied with the Chi running class I took. In fact, I'd like to take a refresher course in a few weeks.

IronGirl

My favorite race of the year was last weekend, the IronGirl 10K. I did they inaugural event last year and it was fantastic. I liked it so much that I drafted a whole slew of women to do the event with me this year: TNT alumni, friends, and even some Striders.

This year the course started on the Del Mar Race track. The horse track surface is strangely cushioned. It's really soft on your joints, but a bit like running in sand. Either way, it was neat to get to run along the famed horse track. Also, we got to watch ourselves cross the start line on the Jumbo-tron which was cool.

Unfortunately, it was a hot day. I just don't do well in the heat at all. Also, they changed the water station layout from the course map. They moved the water stations to the turn around points which was a bummer, because it effectively meant that there was one less water station on course. I had plenty of hydration mix in my water belt, but some water to pour on me to cool off would have been great. Instead, I got sick just before the water station. Damn heat.

Everyone hates the heat, but other people don't seem to suffer the way I do. I'm going to research how to increase my tolerance of hot weather. Maybe I should be training in warmer conditions.

Other than my bout of heat sickness, it was a fun event. I was happy to collect my medal and see my friends all along the course.

Perfect

Just a lovely, lovely evening.

First, dinner at The Better Half - Apple, Mushroom and Pear Stuffed Quail, Bison Ribs and the Leaning Tower of Beets. Followed by good coffee and bread pudding with candied figs.

Then we took a nice evening walk to Cinema Under the Stars. It was great, wrapped up in our blankets and relaxing in the zero gravity recliners. Steve relaxed too much and fell asleep for a bit during Sorry Wrong Number, but I loved it.

Off to an Annoying Start

Grrr. I went to meet my new running group, the San Diego Striders, at the scheduled time and location. Unfortunately the coach decided to change the starting time to be a half hour earlier. At the team meeting on Wednesday I heard her say she be adjusting the times during the summer to have us running before the heat of the day. What I didn't hear her say is that the hand out she'd just given me listed the wrong time for the first session.

One of the other coaches was there and said I could still run if I wanted. However, the route was a 6 mile out and back along Camino Del Rio Road. It's a boring, ugly road that runs right next to US Highway 8. Who doesn't love running in a cloud of exhaust fumes?

I declined the offer to run there and decided to go run at Balboa Park instead. Luckily a few miles into my run and bumped into my normal training group. They were scheduled for 9 miles and I was only scheduled for 6. I pretty much ran the first 6 and walked the remainder. Also, since I was only planning for 6 miles, I didn't take along any nutrition - by the time I got to the Embarcadero I was already feeling hungry. By the end of the run I was shaky/weak. Lesson learned, always pack something.

We did a challenging course for a short distance - Balboa Park, downtown San Diego, up the Convention Center steps, around the Embarcadero, through Little Italy and the up-up-up the canyon hill back to the Park. Take note San Diego Striders - this is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. There's no need to be running along ugly stretches of highway.

Training Log - San Francisco, America Finest City, Big Bear and Long Beach

For the next few months I'll be taking a break from Team In Training. I'll be training with the San Diego Stride and with a group of friends that I met through TNT.

Training Log for the San Francisco Half Marathon, America's Finest City Half, Big Bear Half Marathon and Long Beach Half Marathon.

October 5 - October 11
Resting up for Long Beach, but very consistent in the pool
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	Rest	-	-
Monday	Swim	Swim	-
Tuesday	Swim	Swim	-
Wednesday	Swim	Swim	Swim gloves really worked my arms.
Thursday	Swim	Swim	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	Rest	-	-
-
September 28 - October 4
Hmm. Is this a training log or a log of blown-off workouts? You decide
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	rest	-	The long drive home
Monday	Easy run	-	Work, work, work
Tuesday	Swim	Swim	-
Wednesday	Swim	Swim	-
Thursday	Swim	-	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	8 Miles	9 Miles	D'anza Cove kills my legs. Shins, hips, knee all say ouch.
-
September 21 - September 27
Consistency, lets try it sometime.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	Toning work	Callan Lower Body (HB), Upper Body Weights	Nice! Felt good. Callan kicks butt!
Monday	Easy run	-	-
Tuesday	3 miles	-	Office, I don't know how to quit you.
Wednesday	Swim	2500 Meters	Got there first thing in the morning.
Thursday	Swim	Spin	I missed the first few minutes, but I cranked it!
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	10 Miles	14 ish	-
-
September 14 - September 20
Hmm. Is this a training log or a log of blown-off workouts? You decide
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	10K	-	Hot and didn't feel it
Monday	Easy run	40 Minutes run	-
Tuesday	3 miles	2.5 Miles	-
Wednesday	Swim	-	-
Thursday	Swim	-	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	16 Miles	17 Miles	Lots of walking to break up the runs. Felt strong all day.
-
September 7 - September 13
Went to Vegas on Vacation.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Saturday	14 Miles	14 Miles	Ouch. Planar Fasciitis.
-
August 31 - September 6
I'm totally lame and continually blow off workouts.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	10K	-	Hot and didn't feel it
Monday	Easy run	40 Minutes run	-
Tuesday	3 miles	2.5 Miles	-
Wednesday	Swim	-	-
Thursday	Swim	-	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	14 Miles	13 Miles	Nothing special, but I did it.
-
August 24 - August 30
Felt slightly sick and rundown. Didn't do much.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	Rest	-	-
Monday	Rest	-	-
Tuesday	Swim	Swim	-
Wednesday	Rest	-	Parents arrive.
Thursday	Run	Skipped	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	14 Miles	-	I worked a 12 hour day on Friday and felt like absolute crap. Decided to skip the workout and get some sleep. Good decision.
-
August 17 - August 23
Planned low impact and recovery.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	AFC Half Marathon	AFC Half Marathon	Good race.
Monday	Rest	Rest	Rest
Tuesday	Swim	-	-
Wednesday	4 Miles	-	-
Thursday	Swim	Swim	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	8 Miles	6 Miles	Mission Bay Park hates me. My shins always hurt there because of the camber of the sidewalk. I decided to go run in the street and was much happier.
-
August 10 - August 16
Preparation and rest for America's Finest City Half Marathon.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	5 Miles race walk	5 Miles race walk	Walked with Noel, She is fast!
Decided to take the week off beyond some light running and walking. It's time to rest and prep for AFC.
-
August 3 - August 9
Planned low impact and recovery.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	San Francisco Half Marathon	San Francisco Half Marathon	Good race.
Monday	Recovery	Recovery	-
Tuesday	Recovery	Recovery	-
Wednesday	4 Miles	30 Minutes, easy	Nothing special, but not bad.
Thursday	Swim or spin	Skipped	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	7 Miles	4 1/2 miles	Aching torture. My muscles aren't fully recovered from the half.
-
July 27 - August 2
A solid performance. Realistic race prep.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	Rest	Rest	Walked and walked at Comic-Con
Monday	3 Miles Hills	2.24 Miles Running and 3 Miles Walking	Ran into the TNT walk crew and joined them for the loop. My cardio capacity has really improved, the camel back was fairly easy.
Tuesday	Upper Body Lifting , Feldenkrais	Missed it. Crap.	-
Wednesday	4 Miles	Yoga, 4 Miles	Why don't I do yoga every day? I love it.
Thursday	Swim or spin	Rest	-
Friday	Rest	Rest	-
Saturday	Rest	Walked around Berkeley.	Way too much time/effort walking.
-
July 20 - July 26
Solid and consistent, but too many miles. A good week nonetheless, because I learned what it's like when I overtrain.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	3 Miles Easy	2 Miles Easy Walk	Just a relaxing stroll after seeing Mama Mia
Monday	4-6 Miles Hills	3.19 Miles	I was a little sore from Saturday and I got off to a late start. Took yet another go at the 6th St. Hill.
Tuesday	Upper Body Lifting , Feldenkrais	Upper Body Lifting , Feldenkrais	A quick lift, but a good one.
Wednesday	5 Miles	7 Miles	Hard going - I was tired
Thursday	Swim or spin	-	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	Run 9 Miles	Run/Walk 5 Miles	I was dehydrated and exhausted. Overtrained and unable to run well
-
July 13 - July 19
A good week - a bummer to miss my Tuesday/Thursday, but great job in going to run on my own on Wednesday night after missing my coached session.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	3 Miles Easy	Walked a bit	No real exercise and bad eating to boot.
Monday	3-4 Miles Hills	3 Miles	Humidity, I'm not a fan. 6th St hill was a butt-kicker.
Tuesday	Swim or Spin	-	Infuriating, I was actually at the Y when I got an emergency call from the office. GRR.
Wednesday	Run 5 Miles	Run 2.6 Miles	Another "emergency" screwed up my schedule, but I managed to run in the late evening. Better than nothing.
Thursday	Swim or spin	-	Another work "emergency"
Friday	Rest	-	Rest
Saturday	Run 9 Miles	10 Miles	Great run - one of my best.
-
July 6 - July 12
Terrible week in terms of consistency. Both workouts were okay, but it's unacceptable to miss 3 days of workouts. Work was a long grind this week.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	3 Miles Easy	Rest	-
Monday	3 Miles Hills	3 Miles Hills	My first attempt at 6th Street hill - wow.
Tuesday	Swim or Spin	Nothing	Must be a lunch workout. We have evening plans.
Wednesday	Run 5 Miles	Nothing	-
Thursday	Swim or spin	Nothing	Must be a lunch workout. We have evening plans.
Friday	Rest	Scheduled Rest	-
Saturday	Run 9 Miles	8.5 Miles
-
June 29 - July 5
Not perfect, but a very, very good week. If I can string together 4 more just like it I'll be ready for San Francisco.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	3 Miles Easy	2.5 Miles, Pilates Leg Work	Ran in the heat. Blah
Monday	3 Miles Hills	2 Miles Walk	-
Tuesday	Swim or Spin	Spin	-
Wednesday	Run 4 Miles	4 Miles	Mostly 5-1. Ran by myself since everyone else is faster than I am. I was slow but fine.
Thursday	Swim or spin	Rest	-
Friday	Rest	Rest	-
Saturday	Run 7 Miles	7 Miles	Humid - it was like running in soup. Every run gets a little bit easier.
-
June 22 - June 28
Good week - Consistent
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Sunday	IronGirl 10K	IronGirl 10K	Hot, felt like crap.
Monday	Rest	Rest	-
Tuesday	Swim Conditioning	Swim Conditioning	I love the pool!
Wednesday	Run 3 Miles	3.5 Miles, light swimming	Slow, but I did it.
Thursday	Run 3-4 Miles	Spin Class	-
Friday	Rest	-	-
Saturday	Run 5 Miles	6 Miles	Sometimes I get my Chi going and it's very easy.
-
June 14 - June 21
Bad Week - too hot and too many skipped workouts.
Day	Goal	Actual	Notes
Saturday	Run 6 Miles	9 Mile Run/Walk	Nutrition was off since I planned for 6 and did 9. Either running or the lack of food did a number on my energy for the last few miles.
Sunday	Run 3 Miles (Easy)	2.5 Miles Run	-
Monday	Run 3 Miles	Rest Day	-
Tuesday	Rest	-	-
Wednesday	Run 3 Miles	3 Miles	Yuck. Heat.
Thursday	Run 3-4 Miles	Skipped	-
Friday	Rest	Skipped	-
Saturday	Run 7 Miles	Rest for IronGirl	-

Bonus - Extra Triple Crown

When I sent in my registration for the San Francisco Half Marathon I got some good news. There's a new Triple Crown - The California Dreamin'.


California Dreamin' Racing Series - The San Francisco Marathon has partnered with Surf City USA Marathon and Long Beach International Marathon to form the California Dreamin' Racing Series. Runners who complete the full or half marathon in all three events in two years will receive a special medal and Racing Series jacket.


The best part is I'm already scheduled to do all three of these events. It's a bonus medal! And did you see the part about a Racing Series jacket? That will rock my sneakers!

I'm such a marathon/medals dork.

Other Than The Dirt, It's As If I Never Left

Our vacation is complete. :(

We wrapped it up with a 10 hour marathon drive home from Eldorado National Forest. That drive was actually not as bad as it sounds. It allowed me to slowly shift gears from vacation-no-phones-no-work-communications mode to real-life mode. Not that I wanted to shift gears, but it had to be done.

Three random notes -

• This year our only camping purchases were an air mattress and a coffee percolator. Both were highly valued. Next year, I'm buying a camp shower (stall optional). Grime and I do not belong together. I loved the place where we camped. However, there was a lot of loose dirt at the campsite and our feet were absolutely filthy after a few days of walking around in flip flops and river sandals. My feet were so filthy on the way home that I was almost too ashamed to enter Starbucks for my first Americano in four days. On the trip home when I wasn't driving I was trying to de-grime my tootsies.

• Also, the loose dirt did a number on the interior of my truck. We had to reload all the food and coolers into the truck each night to prevent those sneaky bears from snacking on our food. I must make an appointment to get the car interior detailed.

• During vacation I did not have any neck pain. That's a big deal because I'd slept in hotel beds, camp cots and air mattresses. I was back at my desk for 15 minutes and BAM - my neck was completely locked. It's not fair.

Tent Camping in Eldorado National Forest

We're wrapping up our vacation this weekend. ** double frown**

Eldorado is beautiful. It's at a nice elevation, about 5000 ft; therefore, the weather is deliciously crisp. By crisp I mean in the thirties at night. We were grateful for that campfire/bonfire we cranked up last night. Our campsite is right along a stream and a short trail from the lake. Perfection.

Surprisingly, I like tent camping here. When I was a kid my family had a travel trailer and we made it one whole summer before we put in the air conditioner. We aren't "rough it" people.

You may be wondering why I'm on the internet. Steve and the rest of the boys wanted to check their fantasy baseball. My laptop has cellular broadband which to my surprise works in the middle of the forest. If it wasn't for the love of fantasy baseball, the laptop would still be in the truck.

This has been such a fun trip and full of great people and great places. I'm sorry to see our trip end.

Shutting down the laptop and heading out to enjoy the lake.

I Want To Be A Part Of It - New York, New York

This isn't the email I was hoping to receive from the Race Director of the New York City Marathon.

...Thank you for applying to the ING New York City Marathon 2008. We're sorry to inform you that you were not selected in the random lottery drawing...

I had my heart set on running the New York Marathon this year. I'll apply again next year.

Yosemite National Park

Steve and I decided to leave Tahoe early and go camping at Yosemite National Park for a few days. Actually, Steve decided to go to Yosemite since he knew I was disappointed that we couldn't stop there on the drive to Tahoe. Other than his bike ride in Tahoe, this vacation is relatively unstructured and we can go on side trips if we feel like it. Luckily, it's a bit before the main tourist season. We haven't had much trouble finding accomodations - in fact, we got a heated tent cabin inside Yosemite at Camp Curry.

I'd never been to Yosemite before; it's possible I've never been at a National Park either. If I had to describe Yosemite in one sentence it would be "Honey, stop the car because I need to take a picture of that." It's just so beautiful. I took tons of photos which all fail to capture how amazing Yosemite is.

We spent most of our time in the less inhabited places in the park - Merced Grove and the Tioga Pass meadows areas. There's still some snow left at the higher elevations and that area doesn't have tons of visitors in the spring. It does have lots of deers and bears. It was lovely, peaceful and so amazing. The waterfalls are absolutely amazing now as all of the snow melts and feeds into the falls.

We're off to camp in Eldorado National Forest for a few day - possibly more pics and posts later, but probably not.

Lake Tahoe, AMBBR and SAG

Lake Tahoe is absolutely stunning. I love it and I'm incredibly happy to have made the trip.

I was a little worried about the trip, not about Tahoe, but about being there for America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride. This was the 100 mile bike ride that I decided not to do. Honestly, I was more than a little worried that I'd be heartbroken and petulant all weekend. It's not my nature to sulk, but then it's also not my nature to be a quitter either.

In fact, I had an absolutely fabulous time the day of the race. My job was to help with SAG - that's either "Support and Gear" or "Sympathy and Gear" depending on your day. First, I met the team at Inspiration Vista above Emerald Bay. It's beautiful there as you can clearly see in the photo. At Vista I took the cold weather gear they needed to ditch. I also snapped team photos and did whatever the riders needed. Then I had a few hours off so I went for a run. (Oh, I ran three times in Tahoe. Chi Running is awesome.) Finally, I wrapped up my day cheering on the cyclists at Spooner Summit. This was toward the end of the ride and after the cyclists had finished a 9 mile climb.

In total, I spent about 7 hours and it was great to be able to help people succeed. I had never done SAG at an event, but I've always always appreciated it. There have been plenty of events where some TNT person called out "GO TEAM" and it gave me the push I needed to reach the finish. Last night at the victory celebration someone said that seeing me at Spooner was like a "Ray of sunlight. All the cheering is great, but when it's someone you know cheering for you it's a big lift." Her taking time to say that made my weekend.

It is a huge lift to see a familiar face along the course. I'll always remember seeing Coach Ellen at mile 19 of my first marathon and seeing Steve cheering at Nike Women's Marathon. I hope I was able to provide some joy to the riders along the course.