Lunch Time Ramblings

The weather is finally starting to cool down and it feels awesome. Sure, we are still hitting the high 90's but that is much better than 106.

The marathon photos are being uploaded and so far, I've seen 6 or so of myself. You know that moment when you think, "shit... Those pants really DO make me look fat!"? Well I have had the moment 6 times today. I spent a few minutes being disgusted and I had to put things into perspective for myself.

PERSPECTIVE!
1. Still wearing the same size clothes I was wearing in March.
2. Just bought a pair of size 10 designer jeans and they fit right off the hanger. No squats or outside assistance necessary.
3. Just took a bunch of time off my first half marathon time.
4. It might be a myth but the camera adds 10 pounds... The angles were just all wrong. My story, sticking to it!
5. Still feeling awesome!

I do need a new routine and I do need to stop eating my husbands cooking. With that said, I am going to start a new workout program through a local running club. I'd like to shave some more time off my next race and I would like to be a little stronger in my core and with my balance. I just need to stick to it!

News from the back of the pack!

OK! The Santa Rosa Marathon. The race where I was going to beat my previous time into oblivion. The race where I planned to be at a sub-3 hour. The race where I was supposed to come out blister free. The race where I was supposed to run a lot and walk a little. (Dear Fresno Weather, thank you for ruining my desire to train, you jerk!)

So for me, the race started with a drive. My husband, dog, and I took off at 6PM on Friday night and made the trek to Santa Rosa. Hank slept the whole way and was a crazy dog the moment we stepped foot in my parents house. He ran around, drank too much water, refused to eat any food, and almost popped in the kitchen. After a 5 hour drive, all I wanted to do was sleep and the dog just wanted to play. Then he woke us up to go to the bathroom at 4AM and 6AM. Let's just say, when I finally woke up for real on Saturday morning, it felt like I only got 5 minutes of sleep.

Once everyone else in the house was awake, I headed over to the Expo to pick up my race packet. On the way, I stopped at Lucky's to buy Peanut Butter for the Redwood Empire Food Bank and my last minute, "shit I need stuff for the race" stuff. Basically I still needed Powerade, a pre race Power Bar, and a during race pack of Power Bar energy blasts. While at the store, an older gentleman in a wheelchair told me, "Hey gorgeous, want to point me in the direction of the adult diapers?" After I pointed down the aisle he proceeded to tell me, "I think I love you. Let me take you to dinner. Where do you want to go?" I didn't feel too pleased with myself because literally a second after I declined, he offered to take someone else to dinner.

With my dreams of dinner out with a nice man in adult diapers completely shattered, I headed off to the Expo at the Flamingo Hotel. Parking was a complete disaster but once I parked, I took a long walk to the lobby of the hotel. I immediately dropped off my Peanut Butter and got a nice "Run, Run" grocery bag. The girls at the booth also tried to sell me a shirt for the Santa Rosa Marathon and I was thinking, "Um... hello? I get a shirt with my race registration. Why would I buy another?" Long story, short. I did not buy another shirt.

Something that was different about this Expo than the Expo for the California Classic was that they required ID. I almost didn't think I had my ID on me but I found it and was able to get my bib and swag bag. My bib says "Full Marathon" and my heart leaps into my throat. I was seriously thinking that I paid to be in the full marathon and I tried to think of ways that I could try to get myself back down to the half marathon. Turns out, there was a huge printing error at the printing company. The half runners all got full bibs and vice versa. (There are a TON of Facebook complainers re: this subject) The chips for this race were shoe lace chips and believe me, at 6AM when I was fighting with the damn chip, I was begging for the bib style chip instead!

I had a great lunch on Saturday with my Mom at BJ's Brewery (sodium-rrific!) and an even better dinner with my grandparents, Mom, and Husband at Mary's Pizza Shack. I was also perfectly exhausted by 10PM so I was able to fall asleep really quick and woke up pretty easily at 5AM on Sunday. I've found that the earlier I wake up and eat, the easier it is for my GI tract to let loose before I run. TMI, yes. Completely necessary, absolutely. I even drank a little bit of coffee and I've decided that method is a mistake and it won't be repeated. I should have had only Powerade before the race but I've just chalked it up to experience and I'm going to move on.

I left the house at about 6:15, made the five minute drive to the free parking garage and then took the 5-10 minute walk to Juilliard Park in Downtown Santa Rosa. I was really nervous at this point because I really needed to use the bathroom... again. I waited in a really long line and realized there was absolutely NO toilet paper left in that bathroom so I ran to a group of porta potties and waited in line there. It was 6:55 when I finally sped over to the start line. I don't know if it was the chilly morning temperatures or the significant amount of waste I expelled from my body that caused my mental confusion but it seriously took me three minutes to figure out how to get to the start line. I ended up in this maze of route fencing and had to hop over one of the fences to get where I needed to be. To make matters worse, I couldn't find the pace group I planned on joining so I ended up completely at the end of start pack. It took me about 3 minutes to cross the start line (the only reason I know for sure is because my clock time and chip time are 3 minutes apart).

 

Once we all got moving, the run was chilly at first and the views were pretty. We passed a bunch of horse properties, vineyards, and fields all while running along the Santa Rosa Creek. Later on, I was grateful for the shady running area and I was so glad that the volunteers were placed near some of the complicated insets in the course. There were quite a few spots where marathon runners were doubling back when I was making my first pass through an inset and I know that I almost went the wrong way at one point.

I was really happy at mile 8-9ish when they had oranges, bananas, and extra GU. I swear it was my saving grace and gave me the extra boost I needed to finish the race. At about 6 miles, I realized that I burned through my Energy Blasts and I was so pissed off at myself. I prefer the Energy Blasts to GU because I prefer chewing but ended up having GU at the rests of the stations. My camelbak proved to be helpful yet again because I definitely needed the extra hydration along the way. I even decided to use it as my ipod holder last minute because I realized that most people were hooked to music even though the race rules highly advised not being plugged in to headphones. It was a good choice because I was alone most of the race and needed the company of my music.

Run wise, I felt like I could have done better. I could have run a little bit more and I could have paced better in the beginning. I ran until the 3 mile mark, then did 1/2 mile jog-walk intervals for 5 miles or so, and then I dropped down to 1/4 jog-walk intervals. My heart rate was just not as consistent as usual and it made me suffer a little bit. I didn't fatigue as early this time around and I actually remember the whole race this time around. I didn't once get the feeling of dread because I had a certain number of miles left and at one point I started chanting to myself, "You can do it. Almost there. Just here to beat yourself." It helped a lot because my final three miles weren't horrible. I felt a blister on the bottom, side of my left foot for the last 5 miles but it didn't hurt as much as the back of the ankle blisters I got in Fresno. My $15 pair of socks really DID help. :)

Race wise, I loved this race and will definitely consider doing it again. The crowd was supportive, the other runners were amazing, and the volunteers were awesome. I swear, I want to be around this group of runners every time I run. I don't know what was different between Santa Rosa and Fresno but there was definitely a difference. There was more camaraderie between the runners in Santa Rosa. Marathon runners who were doubling back were actually encouraging us back of the pack half runners to "finish strong"and telling us that we were "so close". It was really cool. I even got a high five from a Modesto Marathoner after I crossed the finish who kept telling me all through the race, "You're gonna smoke 'em!" I mean... how cool is that guy?

I was lapped at Mile 10 by the first place Marathon finisher and that was at about 2 hours and 13 minutes. He ended up finishing at 2 hours and 40 minutes (whoa, dude!) and I finished my half marathon about 20 minutes after that. Just BARELY over the 3 hour mark. At first, I was really bummed because my goal was 2:45 or less. Doing the math, I ended up cutting over a minute per mile off my last half marathon time so you know, I done good. And I even got to meet my family at the finish line. My Husband, our dog, and my Mom were all there to see me finish and it was pretty cool. The pictures below are courtesy of my Mom.

Next race is November 4th and it is in Clovis! I guess my new goal for Clovis is to be at 2:45 or less... I can do it. Almost there. Just going to beat myself.

Quickly, before I need to recap...

Well... a lot has been happening in the real life sphere lately so I may as well just do one big update!

For me, the most exciting thing is that I won Employee of the Month for the Month of June. So for the entire month of July, I got a nice parking spot and I got to pass my picture on the way to the breakroom/bathroom. To get noticed for my hard work is definitely something that I appreciated.

The next thing is that I sold my horse.... finally. About 4 years ago, I made the tough decision that she and I were no longer a good match. I was just about to graduate from college, I had no where suitable to keep her in my new town, and I basically just wanted to take a break from horse ownership. Well, I was lucky when I found a trainer who was willing to make a deal with me. She basically leased her from me as a lesson horse but I still had to pay for board and in turn she would sell the horse. The whole situation (without going into too much detail) has been a ridiculous mess. Lots of arguments with my husband, lots of hemming and hawing over what to do, and even some moments where I considered taking her back. Now she is finally sold and we are having problems with the check clearing the bank. It's been frustrating but one day, very soon, the horse will be officially sold and moved. And I will have a little more money in my savings account.

Over the last month, my run training as gone from a lot of miles a week to next to nothing. The hot weather (three weeks straight of 100+ degrees) just killed my desire to do anything. It was basically a training disaster because once I did get back on the treadmill and out on the road, I felt like a complete newbie again. With the Santa Rosa Half Marathon being this past weekend, I was really stressed that I would do worse time wise in this race than I did in my first. Now, finishing is winning and the accomplishment of finishing means more to me than my times in my races but I just wanted to blow my previous time out of the water. Oh well! I have the Two Cities Half coming up in November and it will be cooler between now and then so...there!

:) Race Recap coming up!