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Posts from the ‘Gear’ Category

Jun 5

Ask Jane: Beating the heat

It was at mile two in this weekend’s Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon that I became overwhelmed by a sense that it was going to be a hot one. Sure, the Mermaid Series Sirena 18 included the sun beating down on me, but the San Diego mix of heat and humidity was ridiculous. And I couldn’t even see the sun.

Now I know, we’ve reach THAT time of the year.

It’s hot.

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It’s not quite summer yet, but the heat is already hitting the valley where I live. I wake up and it’s nearly 70-degrees outside. It makes me regret never really getting into morning running. It’s so much cooler in the morning than it is when I want to run at 7 p.m. In the evening, the concrete is still hot. I can feel it moving through the rubber soles on my shoes, I swear.

seejanerunASKBut runners are creatures of habit. We’re not quick to dismiss our passions just because it’s getting a little warm.

Last month, I asked the ladies at See Jane Run in Oakland for tips and tricks to help stay cool while the weather heats up. The staff offered some great suggestions to help acclimate to the weather. The question led to another post specifically on hydration, but the ladies also had other tips to share.

This post comes just in time for this weekend’s See Jane Run 5K and Half Marathon in Alameda, the first of four running events hosted by the store, with locations in Boise, Seattle and Whicita, Kansas. The weather forecast is calling for a temperature of 74 with western winds at 14 miles-per hour. No cloud cover.

Needless to say, it’s going to feel a little warm out there.

GET THE PROPER GEAR

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Depending on the time of year purchased, running clothes can vary greatly in the make and feel of fabric. Didn’t know that? Neither did I until I spoke with Ginny at See Jane Run’s Oakland store.

She showed me a noticeable difference in clothes for different climates. That T-shirt you bought during the fall? It may not be the best for running as it warms up. Those tights you love? They may be keeping in too much body heat.

Next time you visit your local running store, feel the fabric. Yes, that sounds a little bizarre, but when you do you’ll notice something about clothes designed for warm-weather running: They are lighter.

That goes for shorts, capris or shirts, including tank tops.

I have a Nike tank top that I love wearing. It’s a darker blue color one and I always considered it lightweight. Then I came across a Nike Sculpt Tank at See Jane Run. The difference between the two tanks is night and day. My new pink one doesn’t have as much mass. I don’t feel like my body is holding in as much heat when I’m wearing it.

This is the time of the year when you’ll find running stores stocking up on summer-related clothes in seasonal colors (hello neon). It’s not just because these stores are trying to sell you clothes you don’t need. There is an actual difference in the products.

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Brooks clothing actually includes tags that tell customers what climate their possible purchase is best-used for. It’s a nice touch.

You’ll also likely notice more light colors when you see fellow runners. My favorite go-to tanks right now are soft pinks, yellows and oranges. I’m rarely putting on my darker-colored garb. Why? Darker colors absorb more light.

There’s a fashionable element to these potential new purchases, but it’s also about function.

GET FRIENDLY WITH THE GLIDE

“You are going to chafe more,” said Ginny. Because, of course, you’re likely going to sweat more. This includes your feet. They sweat too. So get some Glide, or the equivalent.

Lately, I’ve been using Skin Glide between my toes to make sure they are lubricated enough. Blisters are bad enough as it is. Blisters during the summer months just are downright undesirable.

RUN AT A COOLER TIME OF DAY

I know, if you’re like me, you’d rather not change the time of day you run. This was especially the case when I was working out of town and commuting home every day. I had a small window to fit a run in. I either did the run or risked having to head out during a rather runner unfriendly time of night (after 9 p.m., sometimes closer to 10 p.m.).

So, many times, I gave in and moved my run to the morning.

See Jane Run’s Ginny said she, too, would often head out for a run and realize it was a little too warm. Adjust. Be OK with the adjustment.

I’m a stalwart for my night runs, but sometimes it pays to run in the early morning hours (some of my summer training runs were as early as 5 a.m.) just to get the run in during a cooler time of the day.

FIND AN ALTERNATE PATH (OR THE TREADMILL)

Trees are your friends. Embrace the foliage! OK, that’s cheesy. But it’s something to take into consideration. If you’re standard running route takes you through new subdivisions with five-year old trees, you probably aren’t getting enough coverage to keep you cool.

That’s what happened to me last summer when, at the peak of a training period, I realized I was too hot and too tired only two miles in. I found a new route, with trees most of the way, in a more established neighborhood.

There’s also the treadmill (gasp!). I’ve written about my love for my personal hamster wheel before, but during the summer that love is sometimes a fiery passion. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve started runs outside, dissolved into a puddle of sweat and relented back to the treadmill with two fans blowing on me to finish.

We have days where I live where the temperature is 105 or so. As much as I try to watch the weather advisories beforehand to see if my training runs are falling on a particularly warm day, sometimes I have a run scheduled on one of those scorchers.

WEAR SUNSCREEN

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I’m notorious for my sunburns. I don’t tan. I just burn. I’ve always had pale skin, so when I go into the sun at all, I’m all about the sunscreen. I pack two bottles, at least, whenever I go somewhere to run. This past weekend in San Diego, I caked Coppertone SPF 30 on my skin and STILL ended up with bright pink lines around where my Garmin sits on my left wrist.

Both my running buddies don’t have this problem. They could run all day and be perfectly bronzed by the evening. Last year during my six-hour endurance run, I had to apply sunscreen every hour or so … and I still ended up with a sunburn.

For quick application, I usually invest in a multi-pack of spray-on sunscreen at the beginning of the season. I think it’s a good idea, even if you aren’t prone to burning.

HYDRATE

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I devoted an entire blog post to this topic, but I’ll briefly touch on it again because it’s THAT important. First off, it’s always a good idea to drink more water as it gets warmer. I fell victim to some pretty significant dehydration on Monday when, at an amusement park, my husband and I shared one bottle of water.

By the time we left, after standing in long lines for extended periods of time, I was so thirsty. Remember, being thirsty is your body telling you it’s already dehydrated. The night before a race or a long run, I’m especially increasing my intake so I don’t feel parched before I even get to the start line.

Carry water with you. Make sure your route includes fountains if you are prone to running out. Bring a couple dollars to purchase a bottle of water if you have to. Just keep the water coming in.

DON’T PUSH IT

“If I don’t run those eight miles today, I’ll be so behind in training,” I once told my husband when it was 100 degrees outside and you could see mirages coming off of the pavement.

I think I ran a mile then decided it wasn’t happening. It was just way too uncomfortable.

“Even if it isn’t the heat, it’s the sun,” said Ginny.

It was be a cooler 75-degree day and the sun right above you can completely devastate a run. Know when to quit. Don’t be afraid to throw in the towel after wiping off all your sweat. It won’t ruin your training. In fact, waiting for a cooler day might make your training run even better.

Just don’t push it. Your body will thank you later.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The views on this blog are merely suggestions. As always, consult a doctor before you start any new workout routine.

May 19

Ask Jane: Hydration as a habit

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I’ll admit that I rotate three or four water bottles during the week, especially right before a race. It kind of drives my husband crazy because I leave them in different rooms. The San Luis Obispo Marathon bottle is usually in my home office or in my classroom. The Nike Women’s Half Marathon bottle spends most of its time in my bedroom. The Title Nine bottle, the white one, was rolling around the backseat of my Jeep until last week when I had to clean out my car.

The silver See Jane Run bottle, my latest addition, is now a constant in my kitchen.

On a typical day, all of them will start out full. By the end of the day, all are usually empty.

Hydration is THAT important. Especially now.

seejanerunASKThe sun is starting to feel a little brighter. The temperature is more than a bit warmer. Let’s face it, it’s hot. And the heat is being absorbed into the sidewalks and, even at 7 p.m., it still feels warm when I head out for an evening run.

That’s one of the reasons I asked the staff at See Jane Run in Oakland about topics pertaining to running in warmer weather, exactly what we’re facing right now in California as summer approaches.

One of the biggest concerns this time of year: Hydration.

And not just on race day.

ESSENTIAL TRAINING TOOL

“If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated,” said Kerina, the social media manager for See Jane Run and one of my Jane interviewees at the Oakland store on College Avenue. “If you are training for a race, you need to be hydrating nonstop.”

Most runners know the feeling: You’re doing fine, making your way out for a long-run. You feel like you’ve prepared sufficiently when, almost instantly, you feel as if you can’t get to the nearest water fountain soon enough.

As the sun becomes more intense, most people think THIS is the time of year to start thinking about drinking lots and lots of water. As a runner, it’s essential year round.

Kerina said that thirst you experience is your body’s way of telling you that you’re depleted.

In fact, the Mayo Clinic recommends that women drink nine cups of water a day.

Ginny, another Jane, points out that the magic hydration number, though, needs to be increased for those working out. A WebMD story backs that up, explaining athletes should be drinking around three cups of water in the hours before exercise, a cup to 10 ounces immediately before and then a cup every 15 minutes or so.

Seem like a lot? Not really considering how much water is expelled from our systems daily.

This is true even if you don’t consider yourself an “athlete.” Ginny said some women say “oh, I just run 10 miles a week” and feel like they aren’t really “runners.” Not true.

“You are an athlete, you are a runner – treat yourself like it,” said Ginny.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE H20

In many ways, drinking a ton of water doesn’t sound appealing. I know. I’ve been there. There’s that moment when you can’t drink anymore. NOT. ANOTHER. SIP. UGH.

Kerina has a recommendation for that sort of “over it” symptom.

Nuun tablets are a good way to add a little flavor. The brand has really taken off over the past year, especially with more than 10 flavors, including Cherry Limeade, Lemon Tea and Banana.

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My favorites happen to be Lemon Lime and Grape. These tablets are portable and travel well.

Miranda, the third Jane I spoke with Oakland, recommended Nuun tablets to both add flavor, but also add crucial electrolytes back to the body. That’s important during training and on race day.

Ginny agreed.

“Water is important, but you won’t feel good until you have those electrolytes in you,” she said.

AT THE START LINE

We all know the “nothing new on race day” mantra. Even beginning runners have heard it. Proper hydration is part of that plan.

Consider water bottles. I am consistent about running with my Amphipod 20-ounce water handheld.

It’s a little overwhelming when you walk into any running store and don’t know where to start. Kerina said it comes down to personal preference. Belts are popular.

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They offer a nice balance around the mid section and provide water or water/electrolyte mix in smaller doses. I know runners who prefer these over larger water bottles because they can moderate intake much better, i.e. every bottle per three or four miles.

I prefer holding a bottle.

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There are many, many choices in this area. I prefer one with a pocket to carry my “stuff.” That usually means my keys and a bunch of packets of Vanilla Bean Gu. Or some cash.

See Jane Run also has a “best of both worlds” kind of hydration system. It’s a belt with a larger water bottle. I actually ran with one of these when I started running distances over six miles. It’s nice because it holds more “stuff” and also has a bigger water bottle.

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Some runners would rather not carry water. It’s important, then, to know where water stops are either along your daily running route or at a race. A typical running route doesn’t present many problems. A race brings surprises.

I ran a half marathon last year in deceivingly cool San Francisco weather. I carried my 20-ounce water bottle. But I was thirsty (likely from not hydrating well the days before, a rookie mistake even though I know better). By the time I was on the Golden Gate Bridge where there were no water stops, I was out of water and feeling faint.

Know where the water stops are, but be prepared if things don’t go as planned.

GLASS HALF FULL

The bottom line is the hydration is incredibly important. So important that my questions for one blog post, about warm-weather running, turned into a series that included this as the kick-off point. The biggest recommendation from the crew at See Jane Run is to make hydration a part of your everyday life. Like all healthy changes (taking up running in the first place, included) it works better when it becomes a habit.

Happy hydrating!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The views on this blog are merely suggestions. As always, consult a doctor before you start any new workout routine or if you are having issues with hydration.

May 15

Breaking in my new running shoes

This is a warning: About two months ago, my husband bought me a video camera. It’s kind of funny because one of my favorite things about working as a journalist was shooting video.

I also once loved talking to people.

All that kind of died when I started experiencing the extreme anxiety I had last October. And you know what? Tuesday was the first day I took out my pen and paper and interviewed someone since October. For this blog. So I figured the next step would be taking out the video camera my husband bought me in January and shooting video.

Of myself.

This seemed like a good idea at the time, an hour ago. I’m not so sure now.

But I present to you, me. I sound like a Valley Girl (which is OK, because I’m technically from a valley) and talk faster than I should. I also don’t make a lot of sense on the first take. Or maybe at all.

There will be more of these. Especially now since I got the Firewire connection cord I was missing for my new Mac, which, by the way, is NOT the computer behind me in this video. It was shot in my home office. All my race medals and bibs are there.

Don’t laugh too hard. I’m sure my mom will appreciate it.

May 14

Run-nerd moments in Oakland

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Today I ventured into Oakland to visit the See Jane Run store where I met up with the fabulous trio of ladies staffing the store today, including social media manager Kerina. A couple weeks ago, I asked if I could come and chat with the team and ask some questions for a series of blog posts I’d like to do on different running topics.

I’ve been considering doing “ask the expert” posts for awhile, but had never had direct access to the pros in the field. When I found out I was a See Jane Run Ambassador for 2013-14, I KNEW this would be the perfect opportunity to ask questions and get some good advice for runners — newbie to advanced.

I’m excited to report that I got a ton of great information from the ladies at the store today. I’ll be going over my notes and photos in the next couple days to develop a series of “Ask Jane” blog posts. So far the topics will be on warm-weather running, hydration (a big conversation today) and fueling.

I’ll also admit to having some run-nerd moments while speaking with the ladies today. I rarely have a chance to geek out about running and related topics, but today it felt like I was having conversations about running with myself! The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive.

I also partook in a little warm-weather running retail therapy, grabbing up a lightweight Nike Sculpt Tank and an MPG pair of Prelude Knee Tights. Since I’ve been hydrating quite a bit lately, I bought a new Klean Kanteen See Jane Run water bottle with the 5K and half marathon logo.

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A big thanks to Kerina, with me above, for helping me set this up. I’m glad I was able to come into Oakland and get answers to questions every runner has. I’m excited to scour through my notes in the next couple days and start bringing these posts to life.

May 1

Pay the price for a porta-potty?

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If you’ve been a runner long enough, you’ve learned to love the portable toilets that get set out en masse on race day.

If you’re like me, the relationship was strained at first. You hemmed and hawed over it. You waited for the real bathrooms, the ones where the toilets flush and there is real plumbing, before you would even try a “blue bucket of stench.”

But then you missed a start time. No big deal if there was chip timing. Until it was a big deal and you were literally the last person to start the race.

So you likely conceded to the plastic throne. You didn’t get too comfortable. You hovered. (Seriously, what I’m saying here isn’t anywhere near TMI, we’ve all done this before).

Finally, you realized all of that dancing around was stupid. You gave in. You broke down and just handled your business. Now you aren’t afraid of it. You even have no qualms about getting in and taking awhile.

You’ve entered into a relationship with the portable toilet. Even if it’s only one that’s comfortable on race day.

Running does funny things to your psyche. It makes something once so incredibly gross into a must-have essential, especially if you get the sudden urge to go all of the sudden at mile 15 in a marathon.

At the San Luis Obispo Marathon in early April, I literally had a moment where I was asking whatever divine force was guiding me to just let the little slider on the door for one of the two upcoming portable toilets be green.

“Please, please, please!” I said to myself as I ran up to the aid station near the turnaround at the farthest point out in the course. When I realized it was open, I jumped in more quickly than I can describe.

Now, I’ve done some bonding in toilet lines. Last year at Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego me and my running buddy Sam literally waited for 45 minutes for the pleasure (or not?) of using one of the hundreds of moveable Johns lined up near the corrals. With something near 25,000 people running the race, those lines seemed to go on forever.

Lines have a way of increasing my anxiety and triggering rapid heart rate, sweaty palms and general freak out in me. I hate waiting. My last panic attack was at a doctor’s office where all they had to do was check my blood pressure. Needless to say, after 45 minutes when someone finally came out (after every patient around me, including people who’d come after me had left), I was trying to suppress the sheer terror eating me alive. Anxiety is fun, folks.

So when I received an email from the Competitor Group a couple weeks ago announcing an “upgraded” race package that included reserved parking, private restrooms, private gear check and a post-race brunch, I’ll admit I was tempted.

I still am. For $35, though, I’m still not quite sure.

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The email doesn’t specify real bathrooms or portable toilets. I’ve seen the “VIP” area at other Rock ‘n’ Roll events and there are portable toilets. The series also has connections with Brooks to provide flushable toilets for some runners as well. (I posted a question asking as much on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland Facebook page.)

Call me crazy, but there’s something incredibly reassuring about “private restrooms” at the start.

I’d honestly rather not wait through the lines and deal with the mad rush. In fact, one of the reasons I’ve done so well at recent races is that I’ve had a string of good luck in the portable toilet area.

At Pasadena, there were plenty of toilets. Sam and I basically had never-used stalls the morning of. At Oakland, there’s always enough toilets flanking the side of the start corral. I think that’s because no one has quite figured out they are all right there just yet, let’s keep it that way Oakland. In San Luis Obispo, my early marathon start meant that all the half marathoners would be rushing to the toilets when I was starting mile three of my 26.2 mile run.

My next race is the Mermaid Sirena 18. Last year, NO ONE used the portable toilets in the small 18-miler field. I’m told later on there were lines for the half, but not for the longer distance. I’m looking forward to that again.

Portland will be my first larger-scale race since CIM (which is known for it’s long, twisting line of commodes at the start). After that, I’m doing See Jane Run in Alameda. The bathroom lines were long there in 2011, but also moved incredibly fast.

I kind of want the “private bathrooms.” I don’t want to worry about missing the start, or freaking out about waiting in line, especially in an area I’ve never been before. I don’t want to chance it.

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All these images? I, apparently, like to take photos of portable toilets and store them in perpetuity on my iPhone. The one immediately above is one of my favorites. One guy, nine choices. Do you know how often that happens at a race? Not very.

The price is what’s getting me, though. If Sam and I were planning to park, it would be one thing. We are doing public transportation instead from the airport to the expo to the hotel, which is less than a mile from the race start (another reason I wonder if I really need to buy special bathroom arrangements).

I’ve paid $20 for buffet brunches. I’ll likely use the bag check, since we’re coming from California and won’t go back to the hotel until all the festivities are done. But I’m also never really that hungry until about an hour after I finish a race.

So I keep questioning whether it’s worth it. I told my husband he could “gift” it to me for my birthday (the day after Portland). He didn’t seem convinced.In fact, he was pretty sure this race, much like it’s sister race in Pasadena (second photo), would have ample enough bathrooms at the start-line to make my little porta-potty appreciating heart content.

We’ll see. Until then, I’m still flirting (is that appropriate for a blog post about bathrooms?) with the idea of “upgrading” my race/bathroom experience.

Apr 9

A SLO marathon: Part I

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I realized when I was printing out my confirmation for the San Luis Obispo Marathon that I registered on Jan. 1 at 2 p.m. By 7 p.m. that night, I was laying in a hospital bed curled over begging the emergency room staff to give me something for that pain.

When they finally did, the marathon I had just signed up for was the farthest thing from my mind. I was pumped full of Dilaudid and sent home. A week later, I was back in the hospital being rolled into an operating room having my gallbladder removed.

Ominous beginnings, right?

Good thing the San Luis Obispo Marathon didn’t turn out anywhere near bad. It was actually an amazing, pleasant experience. I had fun. I felt good. It turned out to be a great weekend, actually.

My husband and I left home at around 11 a.m. I completely forgot how long the drive down to the San Luis Obispo area was, a total of about four hours with a pit stop for lunch. The drive was relatively uneventful. In fact, we hit very little traffic on the way down, likely due to our late start.

By 3:30 p.m. we were driving down into central San Luis Obispo on Highway 101, passing right by the tented expo at the Madonna Inn.

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I should explain why I decided I wanted to run this race.

One of the issues I’ve had lately is with running really large races. Nothing spikes my anxiety more than being around a huge group of people. So I’ve been avoiding large marathons. I’m lucky that California International Marathon only has about 8,000 people. I was slightly hyperventilating at the beginning of CIM. The fear was masked by the rain, thankfully.

I read that the SLO Marathon had a cap of 1,200 marathon runners. The half marathoners were capped at 4,000.

I hate to say this, because it’s a great race, but I knew that the races wouldn’t sell out. The event is only in it’s second year. I heard about it from another runner’s blog, but otherwise there was very little Internet chatter about the marathon. I signed up when I did in order to avoid rising prices, though it still wasn’t cheap.

On Sunday, only 672 people ran the marathon. It started at 6 a.m. It was still dark. By the time I was hitting mile three, the half marathon was starting. Most of my time on the course, I only saw one or two of the fastest half marathoners. Small. Nice.

Plus, I love the SLO area. My husband and I went on our first vacation together in Morro Bay. We went back for years before our lives became too busy (note, we need to go back more now).

I ignored the elevation chart. I just wanted to run somewhere beautiful.

And it was beautiful when we arrived at the expo. It was also easy in and easy out to get my race packet. The only people lined up for the marathon were two misplaced half marathoners. It took me about five minutes from start to finish to get my race packet and number, which was assigned the day of. The race organizers then wrote my shirt size on the bib tag for me to claim my shirt.

I initially signed up for a medium. On race day, my husband went and exchanged it for a large. It was way too tight across the chest. But it was a beautiful green color, very similar to my CIM one (see above).

We made our way through the expo, which actually didn’t seem all that big. I found the race gear booth and admit that I went a little crazy. I’ve been so good at not buying anything running related lately. But I always consider marathons different. I don’t do a ton of them, definitely not as many as the half marathons I do. So I bought myself a nice jacket, my first nice race-related jacket.

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The nice logo was embroidered on the front. It’s a nice jacket, with a fleece lining and no hood. It’s kind of a windbreaker material, but it’s really, really warm.

So I splurged a little. The back of the jacket also had a basic logo on it, but simplistic design that I loved enough that I was sold pretty quickly on the jacket.

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I also bought a hefty water bottle. I’m already using it. Like I said, I haven’t been buying any running items lately, so I figured this would be my gift to myself for running the marathon. Incentive is always a plus, especially with 26.2 miles ahead.

We didn’t stay at the expo long. The area is too nice to stay inland. And we were staying in Morro Bay, which was only 20 minutes away. I had told my husband I would have preferred to stay in SLO, but I’m glad we stayed on the coast.

We actually headed out to the peninsula area and went exploring for a little while before dinner.

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You’ll notice the difference in atmosphere here. It was nice and sunny inland. Last year the marathon was run on a relatively foggy day. This year it was beautiful the entire time. The coast, though, was layered in fog. We went for a quick jaunt along the peninsula, but I didn’t want to spend too much time on my feet.

I did get to take in some ocean calm.

It helped to soothe my nerves, though, a little before my run. We ate at an Italian place overlooking the ocean before heading back to the hotel. I settled in for bed early, at about 10 p.m. Why? My iPhone alarm was set for 4 a.m. The marathon started at 6 a.m.

And you know what? I slept really, really well. The bed was super comfortable, comparable to my bed at home.

I felt like this whole marathon lead up was different than the three times before. I felt as if I was much more calm. I wasn’t cranky. The anxious nerves were being kept at bay as well. I was taking it moment by moment.

I’d like to think that’s what led me to PR success the next day.

Apr 1

Finally, new socks

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I’ve been in need of new socks for about a month now. Most of my original Nike collection has holes in it, right in the big toe where my nail has gone through. I’ll admit, the socks have lasted a good while for as much as I wear them.

I found my favorite running socks, though, in 2012 before the Pasadena Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon when Sam and I visited the Nike Outlet inside the Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles.

We just happened to stop by when we were checking out a ton of other places.

Those two pairs have actually been my most resilient pairs. No toe issues, still fit good, etc.

In fact, I’ve been relying on them more and more as my other ones start to fall apart.

On my way back from the Oakland Half Marathon expo, I stopped at a new outlet center in between Oakland and where I live. The Paragon Outlets in Livermore recently opened up. This was the first time I stopped there, so I didn’t realize there was a Nike store.

But when I saw it, I immediately knew I had to track down another pair of those socks (or three, whatever).

And I found them, after some looking. For $7.99 a pair. I bought three pairs for just over $26 with tax.

These will likely last me a good while. Plus, they are soft and cushy. I wore a pair for the Oakland Half the next day. Since that run turned out good, I figured I really, really needed new socks.

Now I have a relatively close place to get them at a discount.

Mar 6

My dog ate my Garmin

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Apparently I left my Garmin too close to the edge of the kitchen counter last night. I came home to it on the floor with puppy teeth marks all over it. The band was ripped apart.

It looked a mess.

As much as I want to be upset about it, it’s my fault. I normally put this very prized possession in my home office. I was having problems taking it off last night (stupid arm) and just left it there. I guess I never went back downstairs last night. I didn’t even see it this morning when I was leaving for work.

So my puppy kind of mauled my Garmin.

The good news is that I had a leftover band set from when I sent a previous one in a couple years ago. I switched out the band. Then I tried to get rid of the nasty rough edges. My husband said it doesn’t look as bad as he thought it would. Plus, it seems to still work fine. The touch bezel isn’t malfunctioning or anything.

I’m assuming Cassie probably got mad at it more and more when it kept beeping.

My puppy has now attached my shoes and my Garmin. I guess that means she’s jealous of my running?

Side note: My arm is still pretty banged up. I’m having a hard time extending it completely. I was hoping it would feel much better last night and this morning, but it is giving me problems. I can’t lift anything. It’s even hard to open a bottle. I’m keeping compression around it and generally avoiding using it. So, I still have a bit of a T-Rex arm happening.

 

Feb 20

Rockin’ to a course best in Pasadena: Part II

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I left off my last post eluding to what a night Sam and I had. Last year, I kept getting woken up by some annoying children in a room above us. When I booked this year’s hotel, I didn’t want to stay at that place again. It had paper-thin walls. I didn’t know when I booked this year’s hotel that it was, essentially, right across the street.

We went to bed around 10 p.m. because we had to wake up at 4:30 a.m.

Yes, that early. I felt like I was running the first half of the San Francisco Marathon all over again. Way to early. But we were told to get to the Rose Bowl by 5:15 a.m. even though the race didn’t start until 7:30 a.m.

We were tired. I figured we’d go to sleep pretty fast. That didn’t happen. We kept hearing screaming downstairs, people basically yelling things like “woo!” and other crap. I’m not kidding with the “woo!” it was so annoying. I think both of us literally got only four hours of sleep by the time our alarms went off.

We rolled out of bed and were rather efficient in getting up and out early. Our drive was less than five miles. We were there, trekking down the hill into the Rose Bowl parking lots before most other cars did.

Our reward for getting there so early? An awesome parking spot.

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We were literally less than 100 yards from the starting corrals. Plus we were right across from a row of portable toilets. (Is it weird that I thought this was a pretty sight? The Rose Bowl sign in the background and all the portable toilets.)

It was a nice enough spot that we stayed in the car for about an hour. We kept the heater running and just kind of hung out as everyone walked by. At about 6:30 a.m. we decided it was time to check out the pre-race snacks and head to the portable toilets were knew were clean.

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It wasn’t as crazy as last year, when I swear there weren’t as many porto-potties. But the morning was really, really cold.

I opted not to wear a long-sleeve shirt because I knew I’d end up taking if off. So I was freezing cold walking around. I was jumping up and down and even slightly running in order to get warm again.

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The ground was still frozen when Sam and I headed to check out the banana booth. Bagels were also being handed out. I grabbed a small water. Sam took a banana, which she only ate half of.

As she was folding it up, a woman walked by and said: “Oh…save that for later, after you start the run!” We both kind of looked at each other and wondered where Sam was supposed to “save it for later.”

She figured out a way, tucked into the new water belt she bought at the expo the day before.

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We were sure it would fall out though, so she just threw the rest of it away. (Sorry people who think that’s wasteful.)

By the time we finished going to the bathroom and getting fueled up, which included my pre-race Vanilla Bean Gu, it was time to hit the corral. We both worked our way over to corral six, which was the 2:20 corral. When I signed up I had no idea I’d be having my gallbladder removed only five weeks before.

The day was going decent so far.

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After the National Anthem and some other talk, the start line began moving exactly at 7:30 a.m. It was then I realized I had to go to the bathroom again. I’m not even kidding. The anxiety had gotten to me as it had previously. And I had nowhere to go but out of the shoot, since the corrals were being released every two minutes.

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That’s how far back we were initially. We’d be up there within minutes. Not enough time for me to go. So I decided to start the race and figure it out on the way, meaning I’d find another blue-wonder porto-potty along the run.

And that’s how I started the run.

Mile 1: 10:13 — Starting out strong and didn’t feel like I was going this fast. Maybe it was because I had to go to the bathroom, but I kind of kept going. I jammed up the first hill, which I thought was a bit of a monster last year. We hit a mile at about the top of the hill.

Mile 2: 11:42 — I actually didn’t slow down my mile pace here. I found a bathroom. I actually commandeered it, only the second time I’ve ever done so. I didn’t feel bad about it this time either. There were two rows of bathrooms, four on the front, hour on the back. There was also a portable toilet set up for persons with disability. No one was in the toilets on the back. So I grabbed one. It probably added about a minute or so onto my time, but I had to go. And I got a toilet without waiting. Score.

Mile 3: 11:19 — The largest hill here. I ran up it most the way, slowing down a little to stay consistent.

Mile 4: 10:28 — The start of another downhill. Still feeling good.

Mile 5: 10:24 — Getting consistent now. No issues. Not feeling tired. Downed another Vanilla Bean Gu right here.

Mile 6: 10:33 — Starting to really see the time I was running. I wondered if I should keep pushing it, or if I should pull back a little. This was also the start of the later out and backs that then take runners back to the main street.

Mile 7: 11:27 — Decided to pull back a little. I start getting a twitch in my ITB band on my right side. I wondered if that would be the end of the good run.

Mile 8: 11:04 — Still feeling really good despite some more hills. Not too bad.

Mile 9: 12:21 — The worst of the hills. I slowed down a little bit. A huge hill. I walked up the last little bit to the top. I was starting to get tired. I downed another Gu. I was really in need of water.

Mile 10: 11:08 — This mile was mostly downhill, but I was trying to be conservative in my approach. I didn’t want my leg to give up on me like it did last year in mile 10 of this run.

Mile 11: —12:30 — Then I hit the WALL. I rarely hit the wall in half marathons these days. But I hit it hard here. I could see the finish line as we started around the Rose Bowl and adjacent golf course. This is also where I started to experience a little bit of the dizzy spells I’ve been having since the surgery, just generally feeling off center.

Mile 12: 13:04 — Which let to me running into a woman en route to finishing this mile. I actually didn’t really run into her as much as body checking her. I was so embarrassed. I nearly took her out with me. I had a moment where I nearly collapsed. She grabbed my arm and asked: “Are you OK?” I put myself back together and explained I had surgery weeks before and still wasn’t feeling very stable on long runs. “Should you even be running?” she asked, surprised. “I’m at mile 11, so I’m doing OK.”

Then I ran off. So if you are the lady who was concerned about the slightly drunk-looking runner in mile 12, I’m sorry. I wasn’t drunk. I just run off centered lately and tend to veer toward the right side. Forgive me. I felt bad long after that.

Mile 13: 10:14 — And then I found something in me that I’d lost for about a year. I found a will to continue, despite the pain and slight confusion. I was so “on.” I kept saying: “Run, Tara, just run.” And I ran. And I passed the 2:30 pacers. And suddenly it wasn’t about “just finishing” anymore. It was about getting in under my time from last year.

Mile .21: 2:04 (9:51 pace) — I high-tailed it up the hill and ran down the shoot and looked at my time. I managed to cut off 20 minutes from my time last year. That’s huge.

Official time: 2:28:21

Garmin time: 2:28:36

And my first thought: What the hell just happened?

I walked through the finishers corral, picked up all the fun drinks and snacks and made my way back to the closely-parked car. I figured I’d get a bag so that Sam and I had a place to put everything when she finished.

I called my husband. I told him about the run.

Then I went and sat down by the “G” marker, for other reason than that’s just where I wanted to sit.

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That’s where I drank my fat free chocolate milk and pondered how in five weeks I’d got from being in a hospital bed to running one of the best half marathons of my life.

And because it was one of the best half marathons of my life, I broke my self-imposed rule about buying running clothes, with my husband’s blessing of course.

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So what happened in those five weeks. A lot. Everything. I went from self-loathing to being confident. I also realized that I had it in me all along. Somewhere in the ridiculous journey of the past five months, I’ve realized that I’m stronger than I think. And I’m better at running than I gave myself credit for.

Pasadena wasn’t supposed to be my “A” race, but I’m comfortable kind of letting it be for a minute. Oakland was my new “A” race even though it’s only two weeks before I run a marathon in April. Sometimes we surprised ourselves with just how much we want something.

I wanted this race. I needed this race to prove that after all the work-related crap, I was just as strong, if not stronger, than I was before it all happened. My friend Jennie tells me bad things happen for a reason. She believe my reason is to prepare me for something better. Nowhere did I feel that more than sitting under the “G” sign in Pasadena after finishing a half marathon I had no business running five weeks after having an organ removed.

But it felt amazing.

To top it off, Sam and I checked out the Far East Movement playing at the end of the run.

I’m not a huge fan, but they put on a pretty good show. We got back to our hotel by the noon hour where we quickly showered than jumped back into my car to head back to Northern California.

I wasn’t expecting it to go as well as it did, if only because last year was a disaster and the scars from the surgery are still bright red and fresh. But Pasadena turned into a redeeming run for me. Now it’s time to train for the flatter, faster Oakland.

Feb 19

Rockin’ to a course best in Pasadena: Part I

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There’s always a little bit of anxiety when you start toward a race expo, especially one that’s more than 300 miles away. Why? A lot can happen in three hours. Between traffic and other things, it’s always best to start out a little earlier than normal and hope that there are no snags along the way.

On Saturday, there were no snags. None whatsoever. Everything seemed a bit too easy.

My running buddy Sam and I hit the road at about 10 a.m. from Mountain House, which is west of Tracy. It’s also the place I do a lot of my runs.

We hopped on Interstate 5 and just kept on going. We only had to stop once, about 50 miles before The Grapevine, the stretch of road that takes drivers from the valley floor over the Tehachapi Mountains. On one side, there’s an expanse of land before you, on the other a metropolis.

We made the long journey on one tank of gas plus some. And we arrived in Pasadena around 3 p.m., which gave us ample time to scope out the expo.

Pasadena is only in its second year as a “tour stop” for Rock ‘n’ Roll, so the expo is still relatively small in comparison to the flagship San Diego run. It didn’t take us long to work out way through the bib pickup, even with a small wait for our $10 parking pass for the Rose Bowl.

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Speaking of which, a lot of people were really upset about the whole “pay-to-park” thing. Most of the other races don’t required it. I’ve been in a lot of races that actually make concessions and find people places to park. Apparently other Rose Bowl-hosted races don’t require this. Because we had paid last year, waited in the traffic and hung out in the morning, Sam and I were prepared for all this crazy.

I purchased the pass ahead of time.

We picked up our red Brooks event shirts and our swag bags and headed into the expo where we quickly bypassed the Brooks area, outside of checking out a very interesting display with fake beer.

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Fake beer is the way to sell pint glasses, I must say. But I didn’t buy one. We kind of just ran through that area because I’m on a “no new clothes” kick right now. I didn’t even look.

Sam and I checked out all the booths and she picked up some new running equipment. A fire at her house late last year means she has absolutely no gear. We picked up a new bottle set for her, which was a discounted $15 and had four small bottles and a place to stash stuff. Plus, it was Nike, so she got a deal.

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I loved this label on another belt she looked at. Penguins. For penguin runners? I don’t know. I kind of consider myself a penguin.

The sad part of the expo was that we didn’t find the “cake booth.” It’s some sort of organic, healthy cake that we’ve seen at multiple Rock ‘n’ Roll expos. The reps at the booth gave out these amazing slices of cake, with frosting even, that were incredibly delicious and apparently good for you as well.

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See all those awesome running clothes? I didn’t buy any at the expo. I was so proud of myself.

The real purpose, though, of our expo visit outside of picking up our stuff was to hit up the main Rock ‘n’ Roll booth. Sam has a Tour Pass for this year, meaning she pays a flat amount and can run as many races as possible. I’m really noncommittal about races going into the later part of the year after I run two marathons in the first six months, so I didn’t go that route.

Sam wants to run San Diego again.

After last year’s disastrous run there, I was reluctant. I kept waiting for the course map to be posted online. By the time it was, the price had gone up. So my only chance to register at a lower price was to do so at the expo.

So we ventured to the booth to do so.

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I saved $15. The downside? We didn’t register for the 2014 Pasadena run for $70, which will be the lowest price all year. But I really hate making a decision on something like that this far in advance.

For registering, I also got a Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego T-shirt, which was pretty rocking.

After those few things, we were kind of done at the expo.

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So we left. By then it was later than it was last year when we finished. We had planned on meeting one of my friends for dinner. But we saw that the Macy’s across the street from the expo was having a closing sale.

So we went.

Because we needed shoes and all.

Not really. But we bought shoes.

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We were starting to get a little hungry though, so I sent my friend a text message. We hadn’t yet checked in our hotel room. But both of us were more tired than we thought we would be anyway. My friend was caught up with something, which was a bummer, but we figured since we were already out, we’d find a place to eat.

Last year we ate at this ridiculously bad seafood place right down the street from where we stayed. We both still laugh at how bad the service was and how bad the food was.

This time, we found a great Mexican place. Both of us ordered fajitas.

The food totally made up for last year’s horrible fare.

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It was amazing. Plus, we had a ton of leftovers that we both of us ate when we got all the way home the next day. The food was just as good as leftovers.

We finally checked in to our hotel room around 7 p.m. Saturday. The room was nice, toasty and, we thought, would be a little more quiet than last year when we heard people above us making loud noises all night long.

We were so wrong.

Another one of my friend’s stopped by for about an hour to catch up (I know a lot of people in the Los Angeles area, more than I ever think I do). Then it was off to bed for a 4:30 a.m. wake up even though we were only four miles away from the race start.

Why so early? The parking lot closes at 6:15 a.m. for the 7:30 a.m. start.

Unfortunately we didn’t fall asleep all that well. Instead, we heard people screaming in the parking lot and on E. Colorado Blvd. at midnight. It was ridiculous. Both of us woke up numerous times. It seemed our hotel management did nothing to make it stop. In fact, unlike most the hotels I’ve been to, this one’s lobby wasn’t even open at 5 a.m. when we headed down to my car.

It was still dark when we ventured to the Rose Bowl.

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