Ojai Half Marathon- Race #5 of 14

I am well on my way to the halfway point on this years goal of 14 half marathons. My halfway half will be in Mammoth in June and I am really excited that that race is going to be #7. Mammoth is a special place for me and I really cannot wait to run that race.

But, here we are at the end of April and my love for running and my excitement for my goal is growing. That's obviously a good thing because I still have 9 more races to go in the next 8 months.

I wasn't too sure about this race today. I knew that the course had a generous 4 hour time limit, however I got there this morning and found out there were only about 350 runners running the half marathon. My mom was with me and I looked at her and simply said, "I may finish last today.. But, finishing last is better than not finishing which is better than not starting."

Thankfully, there were pace groups and I stood in the corral with the 3 hour pacer. I wanted to try to finish before 3 hours (which is what I attempt at every half marathon) but I wasn't going out to PR. I just recently PR'd in February and I did that by increasing my intervals. I haven't been working on speed and I've been really comfortable in doing 30:1 intervals. Plus, this is a new course that states "no whiners or crybabies need apply" on their website due to the rolling hills.

I wish I could recap a race better than I do. I wish I could remember the things that I see, think about or do while out there. Unfortunately I think a lot while I'm out there, but never remember anything when I get in front of the computer. At least nothing interesting..

Here's what I remember:
1. My legs felt tight up until mile 2.5ish
2. I had a cramp on my right side up until mile 2ish
3. The scenery was amazing
4. The bike lanes were really small and I thought on more than one occasion that I was going to be clipped by a truck
5. A lot of runners use both headphones
6. I like it when runners sing out loud.. most of the time

7. I like taking pictures while running

8. Running in a new place with nice scenery makes a run go by fast
9. Running past the finish line down 1.5 mile and back 1.5 miles before finishing is torture

10. You can have a great run without hitting a wall and still get bored towards the end
11. Some days you feel like you're going to have a bad, hard run and it ends up being the opposite
12. Getting a cramp 2 miles before the finish line sucks
13. My mom is amazing and I'm so glad to have her. It helps running towards someone to celebrate with after you finish running for 13 miles

And with that, here are some pictures from the race.

 

 

 

 

Motivation

Or lack thereof...

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I tend to feel this way when I take a day "off" from tracking. I also tend to feel this way when I stop blogging. I sometimes get these feelings that what I write about is not meaningful so there's really no point in typing it all out because more likely than not other people have already realized the same things. Sometimes I just don't know what to write about, other days I feel as though I sound like a broken record. Sometimes I have nothing exciting going on, other days I do but can't write about it, most of the time what's exciting to me is usually not to others.

Then I start thinking about it. I mean, really thinking about it. What I realize is that this blog is for me and if what it takes to keep my motivation is to brag about it then that's what I'm going to do. If I need to post about each run, workout, meal, or whatever it is that is going on then I'm going to in order to keep myself going. I figure that I'm not forcing anyone to read along and find that when I do write about it, no matter how short or long, no matter how meaningful/full of knowledge or how insignificant/full of rambling thoughts it may be, if I find it helpful then I'm going to do it.

So I left off with my last post on Friday with a loss on the scale. A small loss, but a loss none the less and at this point I'm going to take whatever I can get.

It probably comes as no surprise that I have fallen off the wagon. Hard.

I had this great idea for Easter. I was going to do exactly what I did for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was going to track my meal as an even 1000 calories, pick and choose the foods that I really wanted to eat, take a portion of those items and enjoy myself.

It's pretty obvious that that didn't happen. Multiple trips for appetizers, an unbelievable amount of candy and then dinner and dessert (including an amazing "heaven in a dish") I left my parents house with a stomach ache and a disappointment in my head and my heart. The scale and my stomach are feeling it today as well with a 6 pound gain overnight (most likely a lot of that is false.. hopefully) and with the way my stomach looks I'm surprised no one has asked me when I'm due (I'm not, just in case you were wondering).

So, I had choices today.

Track or not track?
Workout or take another rest day?
Dwell or move on?

I chose to start the day tracking but then stopped at lunch time when we went out for a coworkers birthday. It was not a good enough excuse to quit, but it is what it is and tomorrow is another day to try again.

I will admit that I was extremely tempted to take another rest day from strength training. This is why I need a training plan that has me doing something every single day. It's just how I work. If I take a rest day then I'm going to want to keep resting and it takes a long time to get back into it. I woke up around 4:20 this morning with my alarm with enough energy to get up and go do my workout, but I also had enough desire to go back to sleep. Then I thought I would just do the workout on my lunch, forgetting in my sleepy haze that I had lunch plans. It took a bit of coercing to get myself into my workout clothes when I got home when the couch looked so comfy, but I did the workout and am so glad that I did. And then I went for a quick 1.21 mile interval run when Patrick got home from work.

I am moving on. There is no point in thinking about what I could have done yesterday. I can't go back and change it. I can change what happens for the rest of tonight and for tomorrow, maybe even for the rest of the week. Beyond that, who knows what's going to happen.

So here is what I did last week workout wise and what I plan to do for this week:

Sunday 4/13: cross training/gym- stationary bike 30-45 minutes completed, minimum 1 mile interval run completed

Monday 4/14: strength training/DVD- Body Revolution workout 1 completed, minimum 1 mile interval run completed

Tuesday 4/15: strength training/DVD- Body Revolution workout 2 completed, minimum 1 mile interval run completed

Wednesday 4/16: strength training/DVD- Body Revolution cardio 1 completed, 2-3 mile interval run completed

Thursday 4/17: strength training/DVD- Body Revolution workout 1 completed, minimum 1 mile interval run completed

Friday 4/18: strength training/DVD- Body Revolution workout 2 completed, minimum 1 mile interval run completed

Saturday 4/19: strength training/DVD- Body Revolution cardio 1 completed, 8 mile interval run did not complete

The only workout that I planned on that I didn't complete was the 8 mile run on Sunday. I realized pretty early on in the week that I didn't give myself enough rest time before my half marathon next weekend. I decided that I would rather split the mileage between Saturday and Sunday then to do it all on one day. So that's what I did.. To be honest, I'm thrilled with how this week went and would call it a major success. I can't remember the last time I completed so many scheduled workouts..

Sunday 4/20: 4 mile interval run

Monday 4/21: Body Revolution Workout 1, minimum 1 mile interval run

Tuesday 4/22: Body Revolution Workout 2, 2-3 mile interval run

Wednesday 4/23: Body Revolution Cardio 1, minimum 1 mile interval run

Thursday 4/24: Body Revolution Workout 1, 2-3 mile interval run

Friday 4/25: Body Revolution Workout 2, minimum 1 mile interval run

Saturday 4/26: Body Revolution Cardio 1, minimum 1 mile interval run

I have really been enjoying the Body Revolution workout so far. Granted the first two weeks are the same workouts and are the easiest of the challenge. They're considered to be easier in order to build your foundation, strength and balance. It's still Jillian, so it is by no means easy, but I really like the system so far and I am really looking forward to continuing and completing the full 90 days. I even talked Patrick into joining me one day last week. He may even join me again this week.

I don't feel too sore either, which is great because I was concerned it would affect my running, but in reality I have been finding that I already feel my legs are stronger and running has been a little bit easier. Hoping that the results are as awesome as they've been on other Jillian programs.

Here's to more writing and a better tomorrow!

Hollywood Half Marathon- Race #4 of 14

This morning started bright and early.. Okay, not so bright, but very early. The alarm went off at 3:45 am so that I could press snooze once or twice before getting up and dressed for the race this morning.

My very awesome husband offered to stay up in order to take my running laundry out if the washer and put it in the dryer. He even took it from the dryer and set the laundry basket of clean clothes in the bathroom since he didn't know what I was planning on wearing. Lack of planning on my part won him some extra and major brownie points.

I picked my sister up at 4:45am and we made our way to Hollywood. We thought we had planned ahead and had given ourselves plenty of time to find parking and make our way to the start line. Unfortunately, the parking structure they had advised would be open for our use that morning was blocked off. There were so many people looking for parking and no one really directing anyone where to go. We eventually found a parking lot and decided it was our best option, even though we'd have to walk a bit to the start, walk a lot farther after finishing, and we weren't quite sure we'd come back to a car with a ticket.

Major frustration. 

I really do try to keep my frustration levels low at races, knowing that things happen, people make mistakes and that it is a learning process. In the grand scheme of things, a race not starting on time or running out of water is low on my list of things to worry about. However, this is the third year of this race and my sister and I both have a legacy status in this race. I'm not too sure we'll be coming back next year. Three years and three unorganized events later...

The race started about 15 minutes late an since we were in the second to last corral it meant we started 15 minutes after that. We started strong and kept a pretty good pace for the first half of the race. But the halfway point got us both. Rachel couldn't feel her right foot and on top of that felt like her feet were burning (later to be discovered the cause were two blisters). Her shins were also feeling tight and causing pain. My right knee was not happy and I was in quite a bit of pain no matter if I walked or ran. We decided to finish the race walking, although I strongly contemplated stopping at the first aid tent and not finishing. 

At that point I think it was more mental than physical though, so we walked 6.5 miles to the finish with occasional bursts of running when there was more of a downhill. 

It wasn't our best finishing time, but it wasn't our worst. It really was about finishing, and we did. 

On top of the 13.1 miles we had just finished for a medal, we then had to walk an extra 1.42 miles (partly uphill) to the car. No ticket though!! 

Another half is done. 4 out of 14 finished and the next one is in 3 weeks. I really like always being in training mode. It gives me something to work towards and keeps me more focused than if I was just running for pleasure. 

Good thing I enjoy it!

 

San Diego Half Marathon- Race Recap

March 9th was race # 3 of 14. Another half marathon in the books, bringing my total number of races to 25 and my total number of half marathons to 11.

Rachel and I drove to San Diego after watching Emma play soccer in her first week of try outs for a club team. The team is awesome (they won 7-0) and you can definitely tell a difference in Emma and the way that she plays. She was on fire and even scored a goal! It was like night and day watching her play on this team.

Rachel was kind enough to drive there since I am not a fan of driving long distances. We hit some traffic and it ended up taking us a little over three hours to get there and find the expo. Parking was difficult so she jumped out while I circled the parking lot. I usually don't get anything at the expo anyway and I already received my bib in the mail.

We made our way to the hotel that Rachel had booked and I honestly believe it was the perfect location. It was right across the street from both the start and finish line and was reasonably priced. I know I can always trust her with finding a good hotel when we need to travel for a race. 

We decided to go out to dinner that night and chose to stay close to our hotel. We ended up at Fox Sports Grill where we were able to watch part of a Dodgers Spring Training game (Rachel's team). It was nice to watch the game, have some food and drink a beer. We then went to get some frozen yogurt before heading back to our hotel room to try to get some sleep. We knew that 6am would be there before we knew it, especially with the time change.

Thankfully our phones changed to the right time and our alarms went off when we had set them, so we were up and ready to go with plenty of time to spare. We made our way over to the start area and then realized there was nothing to do but stand around so we headed back to the lobby to sit for a while.

They started the race in waves and we started in wave 15, the last wave. The first wave started at 720, but we didn't cross the start until closer to 8am. By then it was already pretty warm. Thankfully, someone had timed the trolly's so that we didn't have to wait on the course for one, but it did mean extra time standing around before starting. It worked out well though, and thankfully they played pretty good music.

And then it was our turn. We decided to stick to 30:1 intervals and to stay around a 13:30 pace. It worked well for us even with the heat. Rachel has been experiencing some pain in her heel though and she had already told me that if she needed to walk then we would split off and I would continue the intervals.

She made it to mile 6 with running intervals before we split off. I felt guilty going on, but I knew it was what we had discussed. Unfortunately, at the next water stop (mile 6.5) they had run out of water. And again at the next water stop (around mile 8.5). I had brought my running belt with three small water bottles attached, so I wasn't in bad shape, but I was concerned that this was how the rest of the race was going to be.

Right around mile 9 was where the hill began. The mile long hill that feels like it's never going to end. Seriously, you turn a corner and feel like it has to end at some point and BAM! more hill.. I decided to walk because I just did not have the energy to continue intervals. I run hills, but nothing like this and not for a mile straight. And then, at the top of the hill, there was water. Lots of water. And ice. And gummy bears. And a guy on his front lawn with a hose. It was glorious.

I decided to walk another mile to try to get my heart rate lower. It was still pretty elevated from the hill and the heat. I started intervals again at mile 11 and continued them until the finish line.

I was able to stand at the finish to watch Rachel come across and I am so proud of her. We had text a little while on the course so I knew that she was still going strong. I just hope that the pain in her heel goes away soon. It's never fun to have an injury.. It's even less fun to watch your running partner suffer through one.

All in all it was a really good race. I'm glad that we decided to take the challenge and run both San Diego and Mammoth in order to receive an extra medal for doing both. I'm also glad that we were not out there in the heat trying to run the LA Marathon. Although I did have a little heart break for not being out there on that course, I know it's not going anywhere and that there's always next year.

And now for the photographic evidence that we were there:

Keeping it classy San Diego!

Seaside Half Marathon Race Recap- Race 2/14

So, my race goal changed a bit when I got a little registration happy and signed up for 14 half marathons in 2014. Kind of threw off the whole 13 half marathons in 13 months, but it's a bigger goal and I am so ready to kick ass and take names!

This month's race was the Seaside Half Marathon. It was an out and back, mostly flat course along the beautiful coast.

I went to the packet pick up yesterday. My number was #666. I text my mom, my sister and Patrick the number I got. My mom's response: "Ask for another number!" Patrick's response: "Hell yeah!" and Rachel's response: "The devil is going to tear up the course!"

I decided to play it up and add devil horns to my outfit.

I  got up early this morning in order to make sure I was ready to go. I left a little over an hour and half before the race started in order to make sure I got a parking spot. It took about a half hour to get there, giving me plenty of time to walk around and warm up my legs.
 

And of course take some pictures... It's a good thing too, because I didn't take any during the race.

I started the race using 30:30 intervals. We ran along the bike path and I was concerned about the starting and stopping with the people around me, but I guess I started in a good place because I don't think I annoyed too many people. I was very conscious about the people around me.

 

It was a pretty uneventful race, to be truly honest. After what happened at the Camarillo half marathon in January I was a little concerned about my goal of PRing, but I still wanted to make that my goal. I decided to up my intervals from 30:1 to 30:30 because I had been practicing with those intervals and knew that it would be my best chance to PR.

 

My current best is 2:39:00 from the Arroyo Creek half marathon. I really pushed myself today because I have been very comfortable with my 12:30 pace. I knew I had to be around a 12 minute mile consistently in order to PR. I made it to the halfway point pretty easily. I decided at that point to start running 1:30:30:30, so I would run 1 minute, walk 30 seconds, run 30 seconds, walk 30 seconds and repeat. That worked pretty well to keep my pace consistent because my running was getting slower, but as long as I upped the amount of time I ran it worked itself out.

 

I hit a small wall around mile 8. Nothing too bad though. At the Camarillo half I ended up needing to text a few of my "people" for support. I needed that extra boost, that reminder that I enjoy doing this. Today it was more of a minute or two of questioning myself and my goal of a PR. Before I knew it I was already at mile 9 and at that point I only had 4 miles to go.

 

I've found that I usually hit my wall around mile 8 and I would love to work on that. That's definitely more of a mental road block for me than a physical one. It's at that point where I realize that I'm over halfway, have already gone 8 miles but I still have 5 to go. 5 miles just seems like so many when you've already gone 8.

 

I text my mom at mile 10 that I was a 5K away and then again just before mile 13 to let her know that I was on my way and to get the camera ready.

 

I knew at that point that I would have a PR. It was an exciting moment for me. Something that I hadn't really been training for but something that I wanted to prove to myself. I really had no intention of attempting a PR for any of the races I have planned for 2014, and at this point I have no intention for any new PRs this year. For some reason this just felt right.

On to the next one. In two weeks!

David vs. Goliath

aka: Tracy vs. the hill.

Okay, not quite as extreme, but this hill is my Goliath and the challenge that I want to complete is being able to run intervals up the entire way without any extra walk breaks. 

Obviously I have yet to conquer this beast of a hill (at least that's how I see it). I'm sure there are many people who have done this and more. But so far the hill has won every single time in my story.

It is a mile long, extremely steep hill and I have had to walk up it many times. Enough to know that walking it alone can raise my heart rate, cause heavy breathing and make my legs burn. 

Yesterday's scheduled 6 mile training run turned into 7.73 miles when I decided to run from our apartment to my in laws. We were heading there anyway, might as well run right?

Unfortunately this course includes one pretty intense hill and Goliath. I made it through the first one, but by the time I started the big one I was already 5.3 miles in, exhausted from multiple factors (distance, the hill, heat, etc), and I was dizzy, out of breath and my heart rate was elevated. 

I made it four 30:1 intervals before Patrick showed up on his way to his parents. Like my night in shining armor, he arrived when I needed him most. He dropped off a cold water bottle and tried to encourage me to keep going. At that point I had hit my wall and I was beyond encouraging words so I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

At the 6 mile mark (not yet halfway up the hill) I text Patrick to see if he could pick me up. I justified that I had made it the scheduled distance and it was okay to stop. I sat on the curb for no longer than 5 minutes before I felt like I could keep going. So I text him again, this time simply saying "never mind" and I kept going.

Once I got to the top I started my intervals again and made it the full distance. I'm glad I took the short break (being dizzy while running is not a good combination) and I'm glad I was able to finish.

I will defeat the hill at some point. Maybe I haven't been able to because it's always been the middle part of the course so I'm already spent by that point. Maybe I need to just park my car at the bottom and take it on as the first mile. 

Regardless of how it gets done, it will get done. 

Weigh In #7

Starting Weight: 189.2
Last Weeks Weight: 180.8
This Weeks Weight: 182.8

+/-: +2
Total +/-: -6.4

A two pound gain was not expected, planned or wanted, but a two pound gain was needed. You see, I haven't been very diligent with my tracking. I've been sneaking bites off of Isabel's plate and not using my calories as well as I can. I'm not going to try and justify it as a false gain (even though it could be) or due to strength training (even though it could be). It is a reminder to get back to basics and to start tracking again. 

It's also a reminder to look at the whole picture. I may have gained weight and a quarter of an inch in my chest, but overall I have lost an inch between my waist, hips and thighs in the past two weeks. That is a success and something to be proud of.

Plus the fact that I stood on the scale and accepted the weight without any negative thoughts about myself was a huge step in the right direction.

Last Weeks Goals:

1. Stay off of the scale except for weigh in day. I did well with this goal up until Thursday night. I had an inner turmoil dilemma on whether or not I should check in. I knew better because it was at night and I already felt like I had gained so why verify it and make myself feel worse. I ended up picking up the scale and taking it to Patrick to hold onto until it was time to weigh in. I didn't like feeling so out of control, but I was proud of myself for finding a solution.

2. Track. I could have been better tracking every bite, but I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I know that it's the little bites and tastes that end up causing harm, so I need to cut that out ASAP.

3. Stick to the workout schedule. I did stick to the schedule, except I moved the gym from Tuesday to Wednesday again. I realized that this works better and am going to make that change for next week so that I don't have to change it and can just stick to the schedule. I stayed home from work on Friday as Isabel was sick and stayed home from school. I left my 5 and 8 pound weights at home so I followed the exercises from the Jackie Warner DVD using my 3 pound weights and did more repetitions.

4. Go grocery shopping on payday (Friday). Well, I didn't go yesterday (payday) but I do plan on going today or tomorrow and sticking to our list/budget. Isabel was home sick so we stayed home so she could rest. It will feel good to get groceries to restock the fridge BEFORE it gets completely empty

5. Step out of my comfort zone and use the weight machines at the gym. Patrick went with me to the gym on Thursday (it's becoming a nice part of the week) and after a quick run on the treadmill to get in my streak he and I went and did a few of the weight machines. It felt good and I think that if I went in the morning when there are less people I would be more comfortable trying more machines.

Workout schedule:

January 19th- January 25th
Sunday: streak completed
Monday: streak completed, arm workout completed
Tuesday: streak completed, No More Trouble Zones completed, gym moved to Wednesday
Wednesday: streak completed, arm workout completed, gym completed
Thursday: streak completed, No More Trouble Zones completed, gym completed

Friday: streak completed, arm workout completed
Saturday: training run- 10 miles 8.69/10 miles completed. Isabel is sick so I ended early.

This weeks goals:

1. Track every single bite.
2. Stay off of the scale except for weigh in day.
3. Get 6+ glasses of water every day.
4. Follow workout schedule.
5. Write one positive thing about my body a day.

Workout schedule:

January 26th- February 1st
Sunday: streak
Monday: streak, No More Trouble Zones
Tuesday: streak, arm workout
Wednesday: streak, No More Trouble Zones, gym
Thursday: streak, arm workout, gym

Friday: streak, No More Trouble Zones
Saturday: training run- 6 miles

Original measurements taken October 15th:

Chest: 41

Waist: 37.5

Hips: 45.5

L thigh: 26.5

L arm: 13

L calf: 14.5

Last weeks measurements taken January 11th:

Chest: 38.75 (-2.25)

Waist: 34.5 (-3)

Hips: 43.75 (-1.75)

L thigh: 24.5 (-2)

L arm: 12.5 (-.5)

L calf: 15.5 (+1)

Current measurements taken January 25th:

Chest: 39 (-2)

Waist: 34 (-3.5)

Hips: 43.5 (-2)

L thigh: 24.25 (-2.25)
L arm: 12.5 (-.5)

L calf: 15.5 (+1)

Long distance training run recap:

Today's run was a scheduled solo 10 mile training run. Rachel couldn't make it this week because she's too awesome doing volunteer work at a Cross Fit Infinite Strength competition in Arizona. I was a little worried that it was going to be a tough run, but it ended up feeling really good.

My mom text me between mile 4 and 5 to tell me that Isabel's fever had spiked. There really wasn't anything I could do except cut my run short and go back to their house before mile 9 instead of passing it for that little extra distance. I finished at mile 8.69 and thankfully her fever had gone down by the time I got there.

I stuck with my 30:1 intervals and tried to keep my mile times until 13:30 minute miles. These long distance runs are supposed to be 1-2 minutes slower than my race day pace (which has been around 12:30). Some miles were closer to that 12:30 and some were close to the 13:30 pace. Overall I was really happy with my time and more importantly with how I felt throughout the entire run.

Onto another week!