Runner Girl hits the trails

Going organic

2012-01-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

One major change that my fiancé and I decided was necessary is to change the foods we eat. I have been reading lots about genetically modified crops and pesticides and the reports are troubling. So we are buying organic foods and I am loving going to the farmer's market and buying locally grown, chemical free food; we are trying new dishes and loving it. Here are a couple of pictures of recent dishes. I plan on blogging more about food as I think that it's important for people to know how the food in the US is increasingly contaminated with chemicals and GMOs.

Organic and vegetarian pizza- so yummy that we will buy a pie pan to use next time instead of aluminum foil:)

Quinoa with chard, mushrooms, and lentils- healthy, delicious, surprisingly filling

Trails

2012-01-05T17:16:00.001-08:00

Trails, trails, oh how I have missed you. With your ankle-twisting holes, butt and calf blasting and lung exploding hills, you are so much better than asphalt. Even the big cats who cross the path and cause my heart to race are worth glorious hours with you. The last two days caused me to yearn for spring so that I can spend more time with you.

2012 craziness?!

2012-01-02T11:02:00.001-08:00

While 2011 was not a fantastic personal running year, I had a blast running with Alan and seeing him PR on a challenging 1/2 marathon course. We wrapped up the year in Memphis and I logged some wonderful trail miles and learned about the booming Memphis running scene; I will definitely join Breakaway Running store's runs next year. Alan and I did the Operation Jack satellite run to support OJ (autism charity) and I loved showing Alan the killer gorgeous paved path winding through the nature area behind our hotel.

2012 is guaranteed to be an amazing year since I am getting married this year. Running will continue to be a priority as I am very stressed with other family things and running helps me escape those worries for a few hours. Alan and I are gearing up for some races; he does not love long distances as much as I do so I'm eyeing some solo long races. I'm bouncing around a crazy idea of attempting a 100 miler in February; I've been lacking the motivation to do long runs and need a long distance race goal. I definitely question whether it would be wise to attempt that distance given my lack of high mileage so I'll keep musing over the idea before signing up. Ultra craziness is a real thing!!!

I'm back!

2011-12-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I have posted. Life has been super crazy since I'm teaching an extra class period and commuting way too many hours per day. Thankfully, I booked the major items for our wedding during the summer since I've had little time for wedding planning. Running has also taken a backseat but I see that changing soon.

I accidentally ran an ultra October 30th when I did the Richard Leary 6 Hour Challenge to benefit TAPS and Train for Autism. I had little time to run in the weeks leading up to the race so my longest run since last November was 14 miles. Somehow I managed to run about 33 miles and that gave me the motivation to get my butt back in gear; I love running ultras and I have a strong desire to to another 100 miler before spring of 2013. I've been pushing the pace occasionally and am stoked to throw in some faster miles without my knee acting up too much. Being able to go that distance without any training surprised me as I had assumed my body could no longer handle long distances.

I'm eyeing a 50K for February but will have to see if my schedule allows me to train for it; if I'm not ready for it, I have some others on the schedule for March. I have some fun races coming up this month and in January and they are all shorter distances. I used to hate shorter distance races but now I just enjoy the chance to be in a race setting and snap some pictures to capture these moments in my life.

Beijing and Hong Kong vacation and time to race!

2011-08-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been a long time since I posted on here. I went to Beijing, China and Hong Kong last month and that trip altered my running routine. The trip was incredible and I was pleased with making myself get up early in order to utilize the gym for running. I could not sleep on the flight there and was exhausted upon arriving in Beijing (total flight time not including the layover = 16+ hours); we decided to go on an additional tour that day but had a couple of hours to relax and get ready upon arrival at the hotel. I hit the gym and my sleep deprived body managed a few miles (or shall I saw km!). The days in Beijing were nonstop activity and I managed a couple of gym runs and, of course, did some running (but mostly climbing) on the Great Wall. I would LOVE to do that race someday, though it would kick my butt more than any other race due to the inconsistent size of the steps; going up is challenging but descending sections is downright scary. In Hong Kong, I loved the gym; it had the nicest treadmills I've ever seen so I made sure I ran each day, especially since the effects of very delicious, salty, greasy food (and too much of it) caught up to me. I saw some trails on one of the islands near HK and was sad that I did not get a chance to run the trails there; maybe one day we will return and I'll have that opportunity.

After returning home, I decided to log a higher mileage week and then take a few weeks off from running. I managed about 48 miles and my legs were not accustomed to running every day and doing double my recent mileage. I hoped that a few weeks off would help my knee; I've gradually gone from no activity to slow walking to fast walking and hiking to slow running with mileage increasing gradually. Unfortunately, the knee issue (cyst) is still there. But yesterday's run with a Train 4 Autism group led by my friend Sam was good enough and long enough for me to decide that Alan and I will be able to do a half marathon next month!!! We logged ten miles and the second half was faster than anticipated due to my leading the way; I had been eying the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon and yesterday's run confirmed that we will be ready to run and enjoy it. We are not in "racing shape" but we have a wedding to prepare for so I'll sign us up this week. I love that Alan is excited about running and can't wait for the race. Not being able to run as fast as I used to has been a blessing in disguise; I now enjoy my runs with him even more because I'm not having to slow down and his company makes every mile more enjoyable.

Freedom Run at the Ranch 10K

2011-07-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'm going to be doing some shorter races over the next year as Alan and I plan our wedding. Today was the first one and we chose the Freedom Run at the Ranch (Ladera Ranch) 10K. It was a small race, especially for the 10K field, and we had a blast. We got there around 6:20am, wandered our way through the really cute neighborhood and found the start/finish and registration table. A quick walk back to the car and back to the race put us there just in time. I had been warned that it was two loops and that there was a long hill so we took it easy. I loved that most of the race was shaded and that the 10K started early (7am) as it turned out to be a warm day. The second loop I pushed Alan a little bit up the hill because I wanted to pass some women and then we really picked up the pace for the last 0.8 to pass more people and finish in 52:xx. We crossed the finish line holding hands; what more could a girl want?!

Before...

Halfway...

After:)

I may have lost it....

2011-06-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is the first school year when I have been done with grades before the last week of school. I managed my time wisely, planned the last weeks of school purposely, and stayed very organized so I've been in an odd situation this last week of school. Having everything on my end-of-the-year list done, I've been very bored during class time. I am accustomed to being very active and running around my classroom seemingly nonstop so boredom led to way too much internet surfing while my students do assignments. Combine free time with a brain stuck on wedding planning and you get my attempts to come up with a good theme for our wedding. My first idea led to tons of ideas from others' blogs but was met with little enthusiasm by my fiance. My second idea was met with mixted reviews on Facebook but my fiance loved it, especially when we started discussing ideas for how to make it happen.

So....as of now, I am having a running themed wedding. Yes, I may have lost it! No, we are going to get married while running a race or do anything too extreme but guests will know that we run together,. I read about a couple of triathletes who made guests race on stationary bikes if they wanted the couple to kiss but I've yet to figure out a way to get two treadmills in our reception space; that is the one extreme idea I would love to see his family deal with! One huge bonus of making this a theme is that we will be doing many races together over the next year; while my knee doesn't allow me to actually "race" and I hate short disrances, it looks like I have several 5Ks and 10Ks in my future. Considering I've yet to run a 5K, it will be an adventure all in the name of love.

If you have any ideas for how we can incorporate running and/or trails into our wedding, let me know! I have many ideas but could use lots more!

It's been a long time...

2011-05-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

I realized it's been a very long time since I've updated on here. I could say that I've been swamped with school, work, and wedding planning but the truth is that my running has been so minimal that writing about it has seemed pointless.

Around my last post, I went back to my orthopedic doctor hoping he would give me a magical fix for the cyst in my knee; unfortunately, that doctor's visit left me sad and very uncertain about my running future. He would not give me another cortisone injection since it had only been a few months since the first one and the first one did not completely help; the risk of another one outweighed any potential benefits. Instead, he told me that he had no answer for me; the cyst is in an odd spot (and is very uncommon) so surgery is not an option. He ended up telling me to keep getting soft tissue work and consider PRP (platelet rich plasma treatment), which insurance does not cover. I was strongly considering that...until other events in my life made me realize at this moment I can't spend $500/treatment when there is no guarantee it will work; making my knee better is not a financial priority at this time. What broke my heart momentarily was his telling me that I may have to just be happy running short, slow distances and that I may never run the speed and distances I did before; however, he did encourage me to get another opinion and to seek any alternative treatments.

My chiro and I discussed my options and, in addition to PRP, he recommended I try acupuncture. He's never known it to work for something like my injury but said it's worth a shot. Today was my second acupuncture visit and I'm optimistic. The acupuncturist has never heard of a cyst behind the pes anserine but he's confident that a few more treatments will cure me. Fingers crossed....

While it's been very hard to get motivated to run short distances at a slow pace because every step causes discomfort, I am thankful I can run. If acupuncture is unsuccessful, I'll stick to running what I can and remembering that there are so many people in the world who cannot run and so many people dealing with much larger issues than a knee injury. Running has been my way of dealing with hard things in life and, while I and my family are facing some big challenges now, I am lucky that I CAN run and continue dealing with stress in a positive manner.

Priorities

2011-03-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been a long time since I updated my blog or read the ones I follow. Life has been extremely hectic this year and many things have taken a backseat to my top priorities. I'm still teaching and my commute makes that a long work day, but I'm also taking two courses in the hopes of making a career change within the next 18 months. Being in class until 9pm two nights a week and doing all the homework, projects, and studying has left less time for running. The weeks I don't need to study before class, I squeeze in a short (5 mile) run since my campus is located near a gym, which is near a park. On the weekends, I'm pretty exhausted and run whatever mileage I have the time and energy to do. I have no races on my schedule as my goal for the year was to get healthy and that's still my objective.

It's become apparent that my knee issue is still there so I went to my chiro for an ART session this week; he did a number of my leg but he thinks I'll have to opt for another cortisone injection....that's better than his joke about my getting a pink prosthetic. Normally, I would hate the thought of again taking time totally off running but I'm learning to go with the flow. I'll see how my leg/knee feels over the next week and then get another injection if needed.

Thankfully, I am so excited about things going on in the other parts of my life that this lingering knee problem can't get me down. I got engaged recently so my attention is on planning a wedding for July of 2012!!! While I'd love to run some ultras this year, my priority is spending time with my fiance and making our wedding fabulous. I have zero problem with letting "life" be my top priority and letting running (long distances- short distances will still happen) and racing take a backseat.

Knee Update

2011-01-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

Life has been crazy and, since injuries are not fun to think about, posting an update regarding my knee took a backseat to other things. Since Stuart gave me a virtual kick in the pants, here's the scoop....

Background....
The inner part of my left knee has been hurting for almost two years; it's been an odd pain pain that did not match typical knee injuries and its effects made running, yoga, walking, sitting painful. I actually gave up running "faster" miles because I would feel a catching in my knee and I would end up dragging my left leg/foot along....not exactly fun for someone who likes to race. Last summer I finally had enough when yoga poses became painful. I was seeing a wonderful chiro (Dr. Neubauer) for A.R.T. and he was also baffled by the cause of my pain. My left calf is full of scar tissue and I swing my leg out in a funky way when walking/running so we worked on fixing those in the hopes that it would fix my knee. After a few weeks of no relief, he sent me for a M.R.I. The doctor (radiologist) said I had effusion (swelling) and bursitis in a lesser-known bursae. My chiro recommended the typical course of treatment for it and told me to see an orthopedist if I was not better by November. I took some time off running, ran very minimal mileage when I resumed, did so much stretching I felt like Gumby, and devoted time each day to using the Stick. My knee never felt 100% but I held off on going to the ortho....until the pain became unbearable this month.

About two weeks ago I saw Dr.Graham and he took one look at MRI from last year before giving me a diagnosis. I have a huge cyst along the pes anserinus (area where the three hamstring tendons insert into the knee); the radiologist misread my MRI! It sucks because I've spent the past 5 months in pain and avoiding running when I could have been treated for it and on the road to recovery. However, I should have gone to see him a few months ago instead of trusting the radiologist. According to Dr.Graham, MRIs are often misread. Yikes!!!!

Dr. Neubauer told me the course of treatment for bursitis when I made my appointment with Dr. Graham so I was prepared for aspiration (draining of burase) or cortisone. Since my cyst is old (lots of layers), the only option was cortisone. I happily jumped at the chance for getting cyst-free and he injected it twice. Fingers crossed it works....he told me to give it 2-6 weeks and to return for another round of cortisone if necessary. It's such a large cyst that one injection may not be sufficient.

I took a mandated 5 day stretch off from working out and am counting down until I am allowed to resume running. In the meantime, I am working with Dr. Neubauer on fixing what may have caused it; last week I had a grueling A.R.T. session and he taught me lots of PT exercises. I am on an intensive hamstring stretching and strengthening routine. Apparently, my hammys are weak so I'm working the life out of them. I even (gulp) took his recommendation for inline skating; unfortunately, I recently donated my havent-been-worn-in-10 years Rollerblades so I had to purchase a new pair. Now, I'm hoping I don't hurt myself trying to relearn how to skate. I am allowed to start "power hiking" this week and next week, if my knee feels "ok", I get to run again...yay!!!

I am having less pain in my knee, though I experienced extreme shooting pains for about 36 hours late last week. Those, plus some insane bruising around the injection sites, worried me but it could be that the cyst burst. Apparently, pain and bruising are symptoms of a cyst bursting. I'm monitoring it and will be smart in returning to running. Until then, I'm working on getting buns of steel with rollerblading and hammy exercises.

2011 Goal

2011-01-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

As I look back on my running in 2010, I am happy that I survived the year. While I had some successful races (100K and 100 miler), I spent most of the year injured or dealing with nagging issues that make running painful. Obviously, I want this year to be different. I long to sign up for races but have realized that I will have to deal with my knee injury as it has not gone away on its own. I took time off running, limited my mileage, kept my paces slow, used the foam roller/stick/Strassburg sock, iced, etc. and got through most of the year without the pain getting back to where it was in late July/August. However, I guess the combination of some faster miles and my body deciding to put me in check before I sign up for a slew of races caused my knee to start hurting a lot over the past week. So, my only running goal for 2011 is to get the knee pain resolved.

Wednesday I will see my orthopedic doctor. I had a MRI in August and it showed bursitis in the semimembranosus gastrocnemius bursa (fluid sac where calf and hamstring meet behind knee). I'm hoping the doc can use that MRI (paying for another is not in my budget), drain the bursa, and send me on my merry way to get more A.R.T. with very little time off running. I am wishing I had taken care of this later in 2010 when I knew that the bursitis had not gone away, but I took less discomfort as a sign of healing...so now I have to see what the doc and my insurance can do to help me with my 2011 goal. Fingers crossed!

Running in Memphis!

2011-01-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

I traveled to the Memphis area for 10 days to spend time with my family for the holidays. While I was always on other people's schedules (sharing car) and trying to optimize my time with my nephews, I still managed to get in some great runs. Normally the weather does not allow me to run trails because they flood from rain but this year the weather was perfect and I could not get enough of trail runs.

Tuesday 12/21 I checked out Herb Parsons Lake in Fisherville, the tiny unincorporated town where my mom lives. I ran there years ago but this year I was stoked to see that a newer, slightly longer trail option existed. I felt like a little kid running through the woods, wondering if I was lost when the trail was hard to see, and silently thanking whoever marked the trail turns with ribbons...I felt like I was on a well-marked trail race course! While there were no true climbs, by the end of the run I felt the effects of the constant tiny rollers...about 7.1 miles with about 850 feet climbed...not bad for a flat trail run! I was sad to cut my run after one loop but family obligations called so I was thankful for the time out there as it was so peaceful and the solitude was just what the doctor ordered.

Only a small section of the big lake!

"over the hill and through the woods"

Where's the trail? lol...loved the tree roots, leaves, constant up/down

Photo op

One of many bridges

The new mile markers...a welcome sight

Wednesday I squeezed in a run around my sister's neighborhood in East Memphis/Germantown. Again, I got to throw in some small hills and my body liked the cold temperatures so I cranked out faster miles than I have since the beginning of the year. With 3 of the 5 miles in the mid 7s, I finished the run feeling fantastic. Thursday was another short run around the neighborhood and I was surprised at my "recovery" pace. Maybe I was so cold that I was just eager to get the run done?!

Christmas Eve I set out for an 11 miler that would take me through a greenbelt area and allow me to run some on the dirt trails along the Wolf River. I was limited by time but loved discovering the dirt trails that I had desired to run for years.

Start of yellow trail

View from yellow trail

Christmas morning I awoke to snow flurries...something I had never experienced on Christmas in Memphis. I could not resist the chance to run in snow so I went to Herb Parsons Lake and had a fantastic run scampering through the woods, being careful not to fall on slick bridges and leaves, and loving the sight of flurries! I wished to stay out there but settled for one cold but heart-warming loop.

On the 26th, I was scheduled to participate in the Operation Jack Satellite Run; it was to be a 6.1 mile run as my friend Sam was finishing his 61st marathon/ultra of 2010 (ending a year of spreading awareness about autism and fundraising for Train 4 Autism). I hit the blue trail along the Wolf River and then ran to my sister's house, throwing in an extra mile just because I was loving the snow flurries. My recently weekly mileage has been low but that run pushed me to 41.5 for the week.

Snow on the blue trail

My boyfriend and his parents arrived the afternoon of the 26th so I took the 27th off from running but managed to get in some good runs on the 28th and 29th. Since I wore my Garmin for all of my runs in Memphis, it was cool to see what my easy pace was as I've been running Garminless for most of the runs around my neighborhood. I was eager to return to Cali but sad to leave the gorgeous trails of the Memphis/Shelby County area. The pace of my runs boosted my confidence but I know I need to work on endurance in 2011.

Santa Monica Mountains 50K Race Report

2010-11-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

PCTR puts on the best trail races and this year's Santa Monica Mountains race was no exception. This race is a sentimental favorite for me because the 2008 version was the first time I met Billy and Lori in-person; we did the 30k together and I had a blast. That was only my second trail run and it got me hooked on trails and led to my path of ~~insanity~~ ultra running. Sarah and Michael put on another fantastic event this year and it made me so happy to be out there; they even brought in good weather to make conditions perfect for running.

Saturday was non-stop rain where I live and the forecast called for rainy and windy conditions for Sunday. My boyfriend had decided against the 50K (okay, I told him no because I knew he was not trained for it and I didn't want him getting hurt) but was contemplating the 30K or 18K. Unfortunately, the potential for rain caused him to back out and I definitely missed having him at the race. The drive to Point Mugu made me worry about trail conditions and being out there for 7 hours but thankfully the skies cleared as I neared the race site. Seeing how beautiful of a day it was made me wish I had tried to convince Alan to run and that hung over my head off and on during the day. My heart and mind were not totally into running and I knew that my legs were not prepared for the distance. However, seeing my running buddies before the start cheered me up and I knew that I would have fun out there.

Good looking bunch of fun people!

The course consists of 3 "loops" (with a section that is the same on out/back) and then a 9k out/back for a total of 5 significant climbs. My plan was to take it very slowly and walk all the ups (ie. energy conservation, saving my legs) since I was very unprepared for the distance. The first loop I ran with Stuart and, since we started very far back, we were bottlenecked at times and then behind a slower group for the first few miles. We finally passed them after the first big climb and I just enjoyed taking in the phenomenal views. I did not carry my camera since there was a chance of rain but Stuart got some great pics. :) I was glad that it had rained because it made my least favorite section (meadow area with trail in a "v" making running hard) softer and easier to run without hurting my ankles.

Coming back through the "boulder" section, I was super cautious and Stuart ran ahead. I took a moment at the first aid station to grab a Shot Block and a sip of electrolyte drink. As I started the next climb at the start of the second loop, my coworker caught back up to me; he was going for his first ultra so I told him to walk the uphills and save his energy for the latter miles. I powerhiked the up section and caught back up to Stuart; as we ran towards the aid station/turnaround, I felt good but realized my legs were already dead. Running the fire road out was torture and I wanted to walk...not exactly the best feeling before hitting a seemingly endless technical climb.

I pushed to the top and was very happy when I finally reached the downhill and entered the aid station after completing the 30K part. Seeing Billy taking pics and having Sarah's friendly face asking if I was having fun motivated me to continue on to complete the 50K.

I filled up my water and was happy to see that I had done a better than normal job of hydrating. I grabbed a couple of Shot Blocks, hit the restroom, and started back out on the 3 loop, which is the same as the 1st loop. This time, I walked the entire first part as it's miniscule incline and my legs did not agree. It was then that I realized I had not been eating (3 shot blocks over 19 miles); this is the first PCTR event where I did not grab candy, potatoes, etc. from the aid stations and from miles 18 to the end, I felt that mistake. In the "boulder" section, I got very disoriented and started going the wrong way; thankfully, a fellow runner (Mike, a guy who ran Los Pinos 50K the day before...super awesome, tough guy!) yelled out and got me back on track. However, with him ahead of me, I managed to do the same thing less than 0.25 mile later; I stood there wondering where on earth to go before climbing up on a big rock and seeing the right way and having to climb down and find my way to the next ribbon. I felt pretty dizzy and unstable on the entire uphill section and even struggled on the flat meadow part, walking most of it and telling several runners to go ahead of me.

The fakest smile ever.

I was very happy to get back to the aid station, see my friends, and head back out for the last 9K. While I know others ran the gradual uphill, I again walked all of it. I ended up with another runner as we were both just trying to get through the race; I hated letting other runners pass me but I knew that my objective was to finish, not to race, and so I didn't even try to push harder. When we hit the turnaround, I was so happy to have less than 3 miles to go; I walked any of the uphills on the return but cautiously flew on the downhill...I had my doc's voice in my head reminding me to take it easy on the downhills and I obeyed. The wind gusts slowed me down at times but I realized I had a chance of finishing around 6:30 and I cautiously pushed the pace to make that happen. About 0.15 from the finish, I lost my concentration (I was irritated with a runner who stood in the middle of the trail seeing me coming but not moving until the absoulte last second); I took a very hard fall, slamming my face, hands, elbow, knees into the ground but jumped up so as to not lose any time. I crossed the fnish line in pain, quickly said hi to Billy, Lori, and Emil and walked to the bathroom to assess the damage and clean up.

I felt very dizzy and out of it and Emil commented on the amount of salt on my clothing. It was then I realized another mistake; somewhere around mile 18, I stopped taking salt capsules. By now, I should have learned how to eat, drink, and replenish electrolytes but yet I made the same mistake I've made other times. In retrospect, I wonder if my crappy feeling for the last 12 miles was due to nutrition and not a lack of endurance/traning. I guess I'll get a chance to figure that out soon when I run another 50K. :)

Final results- 6:30, good enough for 6th female and 29th OA (out of 70 finishers). It's not my personal worst (what I anticipated) but it's far from my personal best. However, I had a lot of fun out there, had a wonderful time during and after with my old running buddies, made some new running buddies along the way, and enjoyed gorgeous weather in one of the prettiest parts of the country.

(all pics courtesy of Billy and Stuart)

PCT at San Gorgonio- Hello, altitude!

2010-11-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

On Veteran's Day, I had the pleasure of exploring new trails and getting in some altitude training. A fellow SocalTrailHeadz member posted for doing a longish (up to 20 miles) run along the PCT near San Grogonio and I jumped at the chance to head to the mountains. LT is a speedy ultra runner who has completed races I dream about and he's one who always supports his fellow runners. I made sure he would be okay with running slowly and that he knew I'd never run at altitude (SD 100 is highest altitude I've run at and that was only up to about 6200 ft). Thankfully, he was more than willing to take a newb on those gorgeous trails.

Normally I look forward to sleeping in on my days off work but I was so excited to explore that area that I had no problem waking up at 5am to prepare to drive to Riverside. The weather forecast called for strong winds and temps in the 30s in the San Bernadino mountains so I dressed and packed accordingly. The initial part of my 50 mile drive made me realize that the winds would make the run potentially way more challenging, but I did not wake up to bail because of some little bitty winds. :) LT texted me while I was driving to make sure I was okay with running in those conditions and I told him I could handle the challenge (no texting while driving...pulled to the side of the freeway) as long as it was safe; I had no idea how exposed the trail was but I figured it would be good training for races when you run regardless of the weather.

We carpooled from Riverside to Hwy 38 and parked within a mile of where the PCT runs parallel to the highway. It was clear that the temps were cool but I didn't worry because I was wearing more layers than I've worn when running in cold temps in Memphis. LT recommended we walk the first half mile or so for me to acclimate to the altitude; I felt totally fine and didn't notice any problems (momentarily)....we were running at a comfortable pace for me (slow for him) and stopped when we came to a wildlife refuge area. I've never been so thankful for metal fences and cages! There was a lioness that became agitated(?!) and started roaring and pacing back and forth...that scared the life out of me as I've never heard something like that before. The tiger and bear seemed more mellow but I was still pretty freaked out by seeing creatures like that so close...especially before running on a very remote section of trail!

I'm not getting any closer- the lioness and tiger are hard to see and that was fine with me!

The section of the PCT we planned on running was one with no major climbs, just rolling hills (800 feet or less for each climb). I was already wondering if I'd be able to run all the hills since lately I tend to fast hike up hills but I also know that I can push myself more than I do if running with others. However, as soon as we started running up the first hills, I felt a tightening in my chest. I couldn't take any deep breaths and started to feel a little dizzy. I pushed through at first but finally told LT how I was feeling. He gave me one of his tricks of the trail and it helped momentarily. But as soon as we started to climb again, I was having such a hard time breathing that I told him I needed to walk. I admitted that the altitude was kicking my butt and we decided to take it very easy and just enjoy the run. And that we did...that area is stunningly beautiful!

Incredible backdrop...loving the mountains and being on a "real" trail

Steep drop!

Conquering the rocks and the PCT (yeah, right!)

LT running ahead to show how small we are compared to our surroundings...neat perspective!~

The fireroad below, thank goodness for switchbacks!

We ended up missing the PCT trailhead around mile 5 or 6 and instead ran on fireroad; since it was so pretty running by the campsites, we decided to keep to that path instead of turning back to look for the PCT. Unfortunately, running down the fireroad meant we had to run back up it but challenge is what ultra runners seek, right?! We decided to turn around when we hit mile 8. Thanks to my difficulty breathing, we did a walk/run approach for making the climb back up. LT figured out where we missed the PCT, the place where we were more focused on the scenery (seeing the steep dropoff) than the trail. Getting back to the vehicle meant more running/hiking and just taking in the beauty of the area. It was a perfect day for being out there and the scenery made me long to stay out there for days...maybe some day I can do that. :)

In the end, it was about 16 miles and over 3 hours of altitude training...a fantastic fun run with great conversations during and after the run....well, more talking after the run because talking and running at altitude are not easy for me! I can't wait to go back to that area as it's just the challenge that I need and it's such a gorgeous area that any run is destined to be a wonderful one.

Sometimes you just have to get it done...

2010-11-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

This week felt like a "just get it done" one as I battled being sick, hot temperatures, and a work deadline that left little time for running. Wednesday and Thursday I hit the roads and a dirt path for a couple of easy hilly 8 milers; considering the weather and my lingering fever and icky feeling, I was happy to get in decent runs. Saturday I finally broke away from grading (and watching football) to hit the trails for 10 miles; I knew that I had to get in some miles to up my weekly mileage. I took it easy and was happy with how I felt on the hills, though I still have a long way to go to being able to run up the steeper sections.

With the Santa Monica Mountains 50K only two weeks away, I felt that I needed to put in 18-20 miles today. It looks as though Alan will not be running the race so I procrastinated heading out for a solo run. I watched the NYC marathon and graded all morning and then found the energy to hit the trails. This was one of those days when I was very happy that I live a mile from the trailhead as not having to drive to run helped me get out the door. From the first step, I could tell that the run would not be a great one but knew that I could battle through it and just get it done. I took it very easy, walking the uphills (even little ones) and was glad I saved energy as it was a rough one; I discovered I did not have any salt pills so my body was craving salt from about mile 9 to the end. I underestimated my caloric needs and only took one shot block so I ended the run needing sugar and electrolytes. All in all, 18.35 miles with less than 3,000 feet of climb. It wasn't pretty but I got in the miles and I am hoping that the back-to-back trail runs will help the race not hurt toooo much!

Trails and mud- where to run?!

2010-10-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been crazy during the week but I've kept with the mantra that some miles are better than no miles; I've been getting 3-4 5 milers in during the week and making each run hilly. I'm running Garmin-less on most runs and loving the freedom of just enjoying running. I planned on getting in long trail runs (making up miles) on the weekends and, for multiple reasons, things have not gone according to plan.

A couple of weeks ago, Alan and I headed out for a 20 miler, his distance PR, in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and El Moro Canyon. I had 3 climbs planned for it, attempting to prepare us for the climbs we will do in less than a month. However, Alan had not run much for two weeks and his legs tightened up after the second climb. He decided to tough it out and finish the distance as long as I made it a little easier; we ended up walking much of the last 8 miles but finished in about 4 hours and 45 minutes, which was pretty good considering how much we walked and how little he ran the previous two weeks. I figured that we would get in a good 22 miler last weekend to make up for it....

However, the misty ran began Friday night and made the trails increasing muddy Saturday morning. While I found conditions good- slightly muddy but still runnable- Alan did not agree. After 4 miles of a predominately downhill run into El Moro, he said he couldn't do the distance on trails because it was too slippery. I thought through the options and, since I did not have road shoes in the car and running in Cascadias on pavement/concrete makes my calf and knee injury worse, went with the idea Alan liked best...so we ran down PCH and walked up Newport Coast Drive and Ridge Park (a good 1000 foot climb) to the car. Less than 10 miles total and definitely not what we needed to prepare for a 50K. But a happy Alan makes for a happy Rachel and I hoped for better weather for this weekend. Sometimes, I a little too optimistic. :)

This week of rain makes this weekend's run hard to plan. I know that we need to get in 20+ miles on trails (not roads)- partially because the race is less than a month away and we are running out time and partially because I know that 20 miles on pavement is harder on the body and we haven't been running long distances on pavement. The trails I know best will be muddy this weekend so I'm considering taking Alan up the Harding Truck Trail. It would be my first time running it but I've heard it holds up well in rainy conditions and I'm hoping it's not too muddy. Instead of climbing all the way up, a 9 mile uphill that I doubt I can handle, I would have us walk/jog up about 3.5 miles and then run down and repeat 2 times. Fingers crossed this plan works. If all goes well, I'll post some pics. :)
-Any ideas for trails that are not too muddy are VERY welcome!

Training Times

2010-09-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted but that does not mean I've taken a complete break from running. Instead, I have been trying to adjust to a very crazy teaching assignment, my commute (50 miles each way in "lovely" southern Cal traffic), and the ensuing tiredness I feel all the time. My calf issue is still there and standing on concrete all day has cause the plantar fasciitis to flare up in both feet; however, I'm keeping it from getting worse and am trying to determine what shoes are best for wearing to work. Overall, I know that my body can handle ramping up training and I'm excited to feel like I'm on the mend.

Despite being tired after work, I have getting out for runs during the week, even if it's only 4-6 miles; sometimes I run without a Garmin as I don't want to know exactly how fast/slow I'm running that day and I find it freeing to just run and enjoy that feeling. I've been including as many hills during those short runs as I can in my area and I feel my legs getting stronger. One road this week surprised me as I wanted to run slowly (upper 8s) but I'd catch myself in the low 8s and it was a constant effort to slow down the entire run.

Today's trail run was one of my best in recent memory (11.26 miles, avg pace of 9:28, about 1,300 feet of climb). I finally pushed myself to run most of the uphills, except for a couple of steep stretches, and found myself running more of the route than ever before. I was sucking air countless times on the rolling hills but forced myself to keep at it, knowing that it's good for my aerobic fitness. Crazy how I spend almost all of my runs breathing easily and how few times I push myself anymore...hmm...gives me something to think about for future runs.

Today's run- happy with this one, finally!

My weekly mileage is low but I'm focusing on building my weekend long runs.....because I am running a 50K November 21st. I love PCTR events and their Santa Monica Mountains run was my second ever trail run and first trail race; it's what got me hooked and I'm so happy to return there this year. What will make it more special is that my boyfriend is running the 50K with me or, more appropriately, I'm running the 50K with him as his pacer and kick in the pants when he wants to quit. He has been a casual runner typically running less than 20mpw since we started dating so I'm being careful in our training. We will go 2-3 weeks building mileage and then have a cutback week.

Last weekend we hit Laguna Woods/El Moro Canyon for 15 miles and I was very happy with how he did, especially since our 12 the week before tested my patience. I'm not the most patient with certain types of whining/complaining so I'm having to learn to think back to when I started running and how hard certain distances/routes were. Since his longest race was a 12K last year, jumping to a 50K is a huge thing and I want him to enjoy the training and have fun during the race...or at least survive and feel good the next day!

For the 15, we ran from the Ridgepark parking area down No Name to the El Moro ranger station and then back up; we then headed out along Bommer Ridge, down Willow, and then up Laurel Canyon Trail and back along Bommer to the car. It was my first time to run Laurel Canyon and I realized enjoyed the trail because it was such a runnable singletrack with some rocky sections.

Starting up Laurel Canyon

It's so green!!! Rare in this desert area

I've learned pics taken during a run may wind up in a blog....not sure if Alan knows that;)

Trying to make it manageable climbs as we build distance...not bad for 15 miles

This weekend was a short run of between 6-8; there was a trail that I wanted to take him on but the mileage would be closer to 9 roundtrip and I loved that Alan said he would be good with that. Again we started at Ridgepark and did a very easy 4 miles down Bommer Ridge, Willow, along Laguna Ridge Rd (name?) on our way to Big Bend. I pushed the pace a little because I wanted to get Alan to run all of it since I knew the climb would slow us down and he had an overall pace goal. Before hitting Big Bend, we say a group of 3 deer...soooo cool! It was the first time I've seen deer on a trail and it was bizarre seeing them in an area less than 12 feet from a busy road!

Can you find the Big Bend climb? Steep, sandy...a good butt-firming workout!

Climbing Big Bend was tough and Alan struggled so I would go ahead of him a little bit and then wait for him; I was very happy to that he was able to run the flat parts and that his legs were still good enough to run most of the miles back along Bommer Ridge to the car. In all, 9.25 miles and he's gaining confidence on trails. I'm getting more and more optimistic about how the remainder of training will be. We have 18 planned for next weekend and I'm trying to determine where I want to run; I can always plan something for Laguna/El Moro but am considering somewhere different...suggestions?!

Trying to get motivated

2010-08-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

With my summer vacation winding down, I would expect to be using all this free time to run as much as possible. But instead, I find myself barely putting in miles, bailing on runs, shortening runs, taking walk breaks during runs because I'm "over it." Most days I wake up and can't get myself out the door for a run; I end up reading, running errands, watching tv (something I never do during school year), going for A.R.T., all while thinking I should head out for a run...by the time I get my butt out the door, it's the warmest part of the day and I use that as an excuse to cut the miles or have a bad run (ie. took a walk break yesterday).

But maybe this is my subconscious way of seeing if rest plus A.R.T. will make running enjoyable (ie. painless with a spring in my step) again. My knee pain is gradually subsiding and my calf is starting to feel like a muscle instead of a rock. I've been getting A.R.T. 2-3 times per week since the MRI and it's very helpful. However, it has caused my calf to feel sore, as though I'm doing hard workouts daily. I'm not sure if that's contributing to my feeling of fatigue during every run but it's possible. Apparently, frequent A.R.T. sessions break down muscular strength (makes sense) and a lack of strength in the calf means running hills is harder and the hills are where I feel myself fatiguing quickly. This week or next will be my last of frequent A.R.T. torture sessions so it will be interesting to see if I regain the spring in my step post-treatment.

I'm heading to Vegas for a few days of "relaxation" and doubt I will do any running while I'm there; I'm taking my running clothes but will be with a huge group of girls and see little time in our schedule for "me time." I will be slammed with work starting next week but I'm hoping I will be able to relax each evening with a long run. I'm looking forward to a race in November and will put myself on a mileage ramp up plan next week. I'm assuming that will help with the motivation factor as I miss having a race on the horizon. Since I've been working on correcting my running biomechanics, I've been running 1-2 miles/4x a week in my Vibram KSOs and I want to continue to increase my mileage in them; the short runs I do in them make me feel like a little kid and I long to get to where I can run 10+ miles in them. I feel I have ideas for regaining motivation/joy in running but am open to suggestions....

MRI results

2010-08-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the best chiropractor (A.R.T. specialist, sports injury guru) ever, I got the world's fastest turnaround on a MRI. Dr. Scott wrote the MRI prescription, faxed it to imaging place he recommends, called my insurance and convinced them I needed it, and helped me get a same-day MRI....all in the span of an hour! So, if you are in Orange County and need to see someone, I beyond highly recommend him. The next day, he called them because he expected a report by that morning and it was not ready; he worked some magic and had my results by that afternoon...whew, I did not have to spend the weekend wondering what the MRI showed.

I'm glad I stayed optimistic because the MRI turned out in the best possible way- it was positive but for something that is relatively minor. I have a lot of swelling in a specific location and a possibly inflamed bursa; the location of the swelling indicates that it is caused by something that has plagued me for years, a huge knot in my calf muscle. The knot was there during last year's Boston marathon and reduced me to walking (okay, dragging that leg behind me as I could not even walk) and it has been so bad that a previous chiro feared I was developing compartment syndrome. Apparently I must have torn (microtears) my calf muscle or damaged it at some point causing collagen to form and fill in the gaps; the mast of collagen is the worst my chiro has ever witnessed and he said it's very rare for someone my age to have. sigh.

Hopefully frequent ART sessions between now and the start of the school year will go a long way in breaking up that scar tissue. After school starts, I will be on my own using the stick, a lacrosse ball, and anything else I can do to break it up (ie. hopefully killer massages from my BF). Outlook is that it will take about 6 months of "beating" it to death to break up the collagen mast. I have to be very careful running downhill since this makes me more likely to injury my knee. He told me I can't be the typical ultra runner who blasts down the downhill sections.

I'm okay with giving up speed work, flying on the downhills as long as I can do what I love- run. I have to work on my running gait since I swing my left leg out in a weird way and it's related to my calf injury/knot; I basically have to retrain myself to move in just one plane of motion when running. It may mean running with short, slow steps but I'll deal with that. I've been working on engaging my left big toe more when pushing off and I've been doing that on a treadmill (not turned on) wearing Vibrams; I intend on doing some short runs in Vibrams in hopes that it helps me focus on my toe-off, gait. On tap for tomorrow, more PT exercises and a run!!! I'm learning to cherish my runs even more since I had the fear of not running for 6+months hanging over my head last week.

MRI time

2010-08-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

I've been running very limited the miles the past few weeks. In fact, every run has been a struggle and I've had the worst runs of my short running career recently. I've tried to figure out why and several things have become apparent...a lack of motivation since I'm not committed to any races, a lack of running with other people, not being able to run at my "old" paces. Since all three of those are connected by a sense of dread of running, I decided it's time to tackle that issue. I've dreaded running because I wonder if I'll feel that catching in my knee, if I'll be able to run the distance I desire, if the run will cause my knee to hurt...ie. I need the knee pain to go away!

I've had a few ART sessions with Dr.Scott and he has done a fantastic job of noticing issues with my gait and working to correct those. The lingering thing is the medial knee pain that I've dealt with off/on for a year; it's the pain that has prevented my doing any speedwork as I feel a catching in my left knee and cannot fully extend my knee during the running cycle. I've hoped that it's just a muscular issue- really tight, knotted muscles pulling on my knee. But the huge possibility of a torn meniscus or torn cartilage has been hanging over my head. I've put of getting a MRI because I hate spending money on it with the chance that it will come back negative (a good thing) and I'll still be left with knee pain. After feeling the shooting pain when wearing my Strassburg sock the past two nights, walking around the neighborhood, and doing yoga this morning, I finally broke down and am taking doctor's recommendation of getting MRI. Hopefully I can get in today or tomorrow and know something early next week.

Until then, it's pool time...with a buoy between my legs to prevent kicking as I'm not allowed to pool run or swim unless it's painfree. My doctor's reached the pessimistic point about this but I'm staying optimistic...it's all I can do!

Running, hiking, dying in the desert

2010-07-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

As a child I did not do well in the extreme heat plus humidity of Memphis, TN. I recall getting very hot playing on the playground and spewing my lunch all over the playground. I eventually learned to deal with it well enough to run and be active outside while living there and Tampa but never as well as others. Fast forward to now when I live in Southern California near the ocean and 80s and 90s are considered extreme temperatures. It makes running conditions optimal but does not prepare us for racing in warmer environments...unless we venture into the inland areas and do what others avoid- run during the heat of the day. Over the weekend, I unknowingly ventured into the extremely warm and dry conditions of the Anza-Borrego desert and experienced one of my worst "runs" ever. It proved to be a learning experience and, as always, a good time with friends, despite our suffering.

One of my running buddies, Shacky, notified me of a training run for the Lost Boys 50, an event that will be held October 23rd in the southern San Diego county portion of the desert. It's one that's on my radar as a potential race and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to check out a portion of the course. The run would start at about mile 18 of the race course and go out 11 miles and come back; for some reason, I did not realize exactly where we would be running and how brutal it could be during the summer. Shacky and I easily convinced Billy to drive down and do the run with us. 22 miles...how hard can that be?!

Saturday morning I woke up at 2:30am and questioned my sanity for getting up so early to drive to S.D. and then the middle of nowhere for a 22 mile run. Nevertheless, I crawled out of bed, prepped, and got on the road by 3:15 for the drive to San Diego. Our little group met at Shacky's house and then drove to the San Diego Running Institute so that we could meet up with others doing the training run; that was perfect since we had no clue how to get to the starting point. I figured it was somewhere near part of the SD 100 course because there is a small section of Lost Boys that appears to be part of the SD course.....well, the desert is bigger than I realized! Thankfully we were following others because finding Great Overland Stage Route of 1849 (no, I'm not making that up...that's the road name!) was trickier and farther than I could have imagined. About 90 minutes after leaving SD, we arrived at the starting point just in time to do last minute running preps and get briefed on the run by the race directors. They had marked the course with ribbon and would have water and ice at miles 5.5, 11, and 16.5; they warned us that temps reached well into the 100s the day before and for us to take care of ourselves. GULP. It already felt warm and I started to question being out there for hours....

Kilted Shacky, me, Billy ("before")

Start of the trail/and, later, the end of my misery

We took off and I immediately realized how hard running through sand can be. I didn't want to hold up the group so I was running a comfortable pace but not one I could have sustained through the sand and heat so I took a walk break a couple of miles in, much to the relief of Shacky. Billy, Shacky, and I muttered complaints about the sand and how it would be harder on the return trip. Paul, one of the RDs, passed us in his truck on the way to mile 5.5 and I thought nothing of it...trucks can drive through sand easily, right? Well, we ran/walked into deeper and deeper sand and I wiped all desire to run Javelina Jundred out of my mind. My shoes were full of sand and I could feel hot spots developing. Well, the sand was so deep that we came upon Paul's truck stuck in the sand. The rest of the group caught up to us as we tried to dig the truck out...after building and using cardboard ramps, the truck was eventually unstuck and Paul continued on his way to the aid location.

And it got worse...

We got there and topped off water and grabbed ice. It was already brutally hot and we had only just begun! Shacky said he could not go any farther...the sand had killed his legs and his back was hurting. Billy and I convinced him to venture on by hiking the remaining section. The next section was a long, very rocky climb and we eventually decided that Billy and I would go to the 7.5 mile point and then turn around and get Shacky on the return. I trudged up the hill as Billy ran sections; I was horrified that I could not even run the very baby uphill sections and was so relieved to get to our new turnaround. I was dizzy and nauseous and just wanted to be done. Even running dowhill was hard as the rocks and my dizziness made each footstep challenging.

Starting to climb Oriflamme (Shacky's pic)

Rock to the head

I could have taken a long, hot nap there

We loaded back up on water/ice at the truck (aid) and I dreaded the remaining 5.5 miles since it would be through sand. We tried to run/walk but eventually the heat got the best of me and I told Billy to run ahead, while Shacky and I would take our time back to the car. Shacky and I ended up splitting up as I tried to move when I could and find shade (VERY hard in the desert) as much as possible. In the final 3 miles, I sat under 4 different bushes trying to get my heart rate down enough to continue on; running was out of the question as even walking wiped me out.

Still smiling with less than 4 miles to go...think this is when the smiling ended

Canyon area (Shacky's pic)

When I eventually got back to the car and chugged some ice-cold recovery drink and diet coke (thanks to other runners), I started to feel human again, though I would feel dehydrated until the following day. The car thermostat read 109 degrees and I can bet it was at least that hot. I drank plenty of water during the run- about 120oz- but dehydration still occurred. I tried to problem solve and determine why I struggled so much and came up with a few things: I did not eat breakfast, yet consumed caffeine prior to the run; I should have sipped water every few minutes from the start instead of waiting until later; I need to try wearing a white long-sleeve top instead of the brightly-colored tight Moeben sleeves for sun protection.

After taking the long, less-windy road to the 8, we eventually made our way to Alpine for the best part of running- the eating and chatting afterwards. We stuffed our tummys with delish food at Ramon's smokehouse BBQ and eventually I made my way home. What an adventure!!!

During the run, I swore that I would not run Lost Boys or Javelina (they are on same day so would have been choosing) but, by that night, I was trying to figure out how I could become better at running in those conditions and how I could train for either event. Runner's amnesia strikes again.

Next BIG race?!

2010-07-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to pick my next 100 miler and it's very hard when there are so many very cool races out there. I've narrowed it down to Javelina Jundred and HURT 100. Javelina still has plenty of open spots so I have time to register for it. HURT, on the other hand, is doing a lottery this year for just 100 spots. If I put my name in the lottery for HURT (lottery open July 31st until August 5th) and get selected, then I have to do it. If I put my name in and don't get selected, I'll go with Javelina. Thus, the big question is whether or not to enter the lottery.

HURT is one of the toughest 100 milers and I have no idea if I could actually manage the endless climbs, roots, and heat/humidity to earn the buckle. I hate the idea of spending money on traveling there when I know the course would chew me up and spit me out....but it's Hawaii and, even with the brutality of the race, I'd be in a gorgeous area and would have an unbelievable experience. Working HURT into my budget is very iffy at this point and makes deciding whether or not to enter the lottery harder, as does knowing my BF (crew/lifesaver) would not be able to accompany me. Eeeekkk.what's a crazy girl to do?!

Need to get my butt in shape

2010-07-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

This week I've been careful with my mileage and paces and I've been enjoying how much better my knee is feeling. Sunday I did my first double-digit run since SD; it was an out/back along Quail Trail and Serrano Ridge and I took it VERY easy since I was running with my boyfriend. I still feel so weak on hills and I've resolved to make as many runs include hills as possible. I'm also using this week to rack up the cross-training.

Monday- 5 miles on Shady Canyon trail - nice and easy with baby rolling hills. 30 min pool running, 35 min bike ride
Tuesday- 5 miles on treadmill with some faster intervals; I felt the nagging inner knee pain during last interval so I'll continue to be careful about starting speedwork. 30 min pool run with intervals, 30 min bike ride, 30 min yoga
Wednesday- 6 miles on Shady Canyon trail- heat killed me and I struggled on back portion. 30 min pool run.
Today - 5.25 miles along Turtle Rock Drive and Newport Coast Drive- baby rolling hills- was in the 80s and sunny and it killed me so I had to walk portion of uphill...then did short uphill repeats. 30 min pool run. 30 min bike ride. 30 min strengthening/stretching exercises.

I had another ART appointment yesterday and Dr.Scott continued to work on my trouble areas and tried to figure out why my left leg swings outward after toe-off. One possible cause- very weak left butt muscles. Awesome. I have a weak butt...so it's time for me to get my butt into shape! He gave me strengthening exercises and I'll be using this as motivation for running up more hills to correct my butt issue. On tap for the remainder of the week- 1 or 2 trail runs and more cross-training.

Enjoying summer and an ART session

2010-07-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 4 weeks since SD 100 and my body is not recovered. I've developed on/off crepitus in my left achilles tendon and the knee issue is lingering. I tried picking up the pace at the end of a run last week and felt the same issue that plagued me off/on over the past year- a feeling of pulling inside my knee that prevents me from straightening my knee when I try to run faster...arg. I've been resting and stretching with less pool running this week and more time relaxing and enjoying my summer. I attended a wedding Monday and subjected myself to wearing heels; thankfully, my knee and achilles survived and I was able to walk around and enjoy a day at the San Diego Natural History Museum. As we jogged back to the car, I longingly eyed the trails around Balboa Park and Alan said we could change clothes and go for a run. Feeling I was already pushing my luck, I decided to drive back and indulge in Taco Tuesday at On the Border..ah, a long weekend of gluttony.

I'm okay with mountain lions...as long as they are stuffed and behind glass

I admit that I shivered when seeing this rattler behind glass...never want to see one closer!

The "creature" I would not be afraid of seeing during a trail run...

Wednesday I ventured out for a run to burn off the excess food and drinks with the goal of 6-10 miles; I stuck to the flat bike paths/gravel areas near my apartment and thankfully turned around early. My knee started hurting and I had zero endurance...running at a slow pace didn't seem to help much. The run made me decide to seek out a chiropractor/person who does ART (Active Release Technique); I've had it before with success and decided to find someone closer to my apartment. Thankfully, I recalled a doctor responding to an email on the Orange County Trail Runners site and that he seemed very runner-friendly. I called Dr.Scott Neubauer this morning and got his only appointment for today.

I seem to have excellent success in finding great doctors lately and Dr.Scott is no exception. He's a talented athlete with tons of experience in treating crazies like myself and he has enough of a crazy streak to "get it." He did a very thorough examination and gave me two options...either get a MRI to check for possible torn meniscus (booo....I have enough of the symptoms to make it possible) or do the conservative approach of treating it with ART, stretches and seeing if that offers a cure. I have so many little muscular issues that it's hard for him to pinpoint what causes what...huge areas of concern are my left psoas, quads, and gastrocnemius (he had lots to say about how bad it is...). He did lots of work on those areas and commented that the way my left leg turns out/lands/turns makes it amazing that I can run as much as I do...guess I'm a walking freak of nature. :) He used Rocktape to tape my knee and told me I could go for a run today or whenever I wanted. If my knee started hurting, he wanted me stop and stretch the psoas and then run more...if it still hurt, stretch psoas and quad and run more...still hurting, stretch previous ones plus gastro....still hurting, stop running. All this to see if we can pinpoint the cause of my knee issue. Fingers crossed big time that this works!

After a run and a shower...coming off one one edge but better than KT brand that I tried

I went for a little over 4 miles and it took getting used to the tape around my knee. I stopped after the first mile to stretch the psoas and then finished the run; by the end, my knee was starting to hurt but very minimal...not sure if it was the tape or the ART or the stretching or all of the above. I stretched tons post-run and even gave my gastro a long session with The Stick. Tomorrow I'll go for a longer run and see how everything fares. I've dealt with enough injuries where I'm optimistic and think ART plus tons of stretching will get me back to running a 100 miler by January. Worst case, I get a MRI and spend tons of time sitting by the pool being lazy over the next month...lol!

What's next?

2010-06-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

The most common question has been what race is next on my running/racing agenda. Short answer- No race. I knew SD would take a lot of my body and that I might end up nursing a niggle, so I've been exercising restraint in only looking at other races and not actually forking over the dough. My knee is still bothering me; it's getting better but definitely not 100%.

Prior to SD, I visited Kathy at Dynamic Touch Massage and she worked out my calf knots so I took her advice and went back for a massage this week. Gillian, the other massage therapist, had an opening at the Lake Forest office Friday and I jumped for it as I wanted to get back on the trails ASAP. She noticed that my left quad was tight, especially around the knee and focused on it; I noticed a difference by Saturday. Yay! So, again I highly recommend checking them out for a massage.

I've been hitting the pool for some easy swimming and have attempted a few short pool run sessions. I'm a really bad swimmer thanks to not growing up around water and never swimming enough to get good, so I'm considering taking swim lessons in July. I need to do something with all this extra energy from not running and I can only pool run so much without losing it.

Today was the new member meeting for the So Cal Trail Headz and I was hesitant about going since I find it hard to go to the trails and not run. I woke up a little late thanks to waking up so many times during the night (and checking on Western States runners) but decided to go to the meeting point and then walk a couple of miles and finish in time to join the group for the social time. My knee felt better this morning (yay!) but my left achilles was really tight (?!) but I managed to jog 2.5 miles with a couple of walk sessions. That made me so happy as I've missed running!!! I enjoyed getting to chat with other members and was very happy I went since I met someone (gentleman whose name starts with "M" and I can't attempt to spell...btw, I'm horrible with remembering names so I apologize) who found out about the group thanks to my blog and again got to chat with Dave (another member who reads my ramblings)...so cool! I'm a little shy in person so I can't wait until I am back to running so I can do more group runs and get to chat with other people; running together makes talking easier for me.

The knee held up "ok" but the achilles is very tight so I'll probably take at least a couple of days off before another test run. No sense in pushing it and winding up hurting for months! The faster I recover, the faster I can choose a race and sign up.

Not running has left plenty of time for me to look at other races and I'm still on enough of a crazy streak where I've made a list of 100s to consider for my next. I've made pros/cons list in my head for each one and who knows if my body will be ready in time for another one this year but I can dream, right? A few on the short list- Javelina Jundred, Chimera, HURT. "Watching" such an exciting Western States, plus my boyfriend asking me if I wanted to do it, made me decide to enter the lottery for 2011 and I will enter every year until I get selected and finish it.

Congrats to all the Western States runners!!! Truly incredible!!!

San Diego 100- Race Report Part 2...the big day

2010-06-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Warning...this is VERY long. I included many details because people asked what I thought about while running for so long without any music and I want to remember as much as possible forever. :)

Race morning
I stumbled out of bed and started getting ready. Thankfully, I had packed my Ultimate Direction Wink pack days before with Gus (mostly non-caffeinated as I wanted to take as little caffeine as possible until night), ShotBloks, a small baggie with SaltStick capsules, chapstick, the pacing plan and topo maps, a baggie with advil/tylenol/Immodium, a baggie with toiled paper and wet ones. I planned on filling the Camelback bladder with water and my Nathan handheld with Gatorade once we got to the start.

So, I just had to focus on dressing and taping. I downed a small cup of coffee and a bagel and then taped my left foot (low-dye method to prevent PF flareups) and had Alan use KT tape on my right ankle. I then dressed and Body Glided tons...there can never be enough Body Glide on all parts of the lower body (lube everything is what I was told) and even on the upper body since the pack and shirt can chafe.

What did I wear? Skins compression shorts (men's XS), Skins compression calf stirups (with stirup part not being used), old running shorts, sports bra, wicking shirt that's slightly large (more sun protection), Moeben sleeves, Injinji socks, Brooks Cascadias and a neoprene brace on each ankle (nixed AirCast during drive to site thanks to wise advice from Alan). The plan was to change shoes, socks, sports bra, top, shorts for overnight/daytime.

We arrived at the Al Bahr site and had no problems parking. I took the time to say hi to runners I know from RWOL, races, and the Socaltrailheadz and filled up hydration pack and bottle with water plus Nuun (no Gatorade at start). Loaded up on Neutrogena's spray SPF100 sunscreen and said goodbye to Alan with tears in my eyes. I had no idea how the day would turn out but I love him so much for being there for me and believing in me. I kept thinking of how many injuries I endured during the past four months, how I was on crutches 6 weeks ago, and how I was starting a 100 miler with the determination to finish it.

A few minutes we assembled outside at the start line. Ryan and I gathered with someone he knew from Hawaii (Jan) and Tracey, someone I know from RWOL. Our little group would stick together for the first part of the race, the most crucial.

Tracey, me, Ryan getting ready

Why am I doing this?!?!?!?!?!

Scott had said during the pre-race meeting that the race could not be won in the first 20 miles but that it could be lost during that time, so I knew how important it would be to start slowly and save our energy for later...not only would the course get tougher after mile 30, but that's when I would hit my unknown...I had never run more than 32 miles on trails and had zero clue if/how my body would handle it. But for now, my focus was on getting to the first aid station and I know I can go 7ish miles easily! Since my ankles are my weakness (literally), I was focused on carefully running...going slowly on rocky sections, picking up my feet instead of allowing them to drag when I get tired, and being aware of where my feet were landing. Our team felt that if I avoided injury, I had a fighting chance of seeing that finish line.

The first 23.6 miles
The RD gave a very low-key start signal and I almost laughed at how slowly we took off...I'm not used to being at the back of the pack and it was weird to be running so slowly. I knew that Ryan would make sure we paced it perfectly so I shuffled along. Ryan, Jan, Tracey and I ran together and I focused on trying to get in rhythm and on holding back. The first 7 miles we alternated walking with running and I had Ryan take the lead so that I wouldn't go too fast. We loved climbing over downed trees and marveling in the beauty of the trail; it was lush and green, especially since this area had burned a few years prior. Ryan snapped some pics as we trotted along. I kept feeling a shooting pain from my left hip to knee and I got slightly concerned. My right achilles was tight but felt better by the aid station. The weather was perfect (cool, overcast) and I hoped it would stay that way. We entered the first aid station a few minutes behind schedule but it was not a big deal as there were no cutoffs until later. Alan topped off my handheld and I realized I should get some calories so I ate a piece of PopTart. I had not been fueling and that I needed to get on top of nutrition fast. Ryan had been reminding me to drink so I was okay with fluid consumption.

Minutes before the start

Beautiful way to start...at 6000 ft

The baby climbs

The next 6 miles were more the same and I enjoyed the ease of the trail but knew it would get harder. I took a salt capsule about 90 minutes into the run and planned on taking one every 1-2 hours depending on temperature and how much I was sweating. Ryan and I settled into a run 4 minutes, walk 2 minutes rhythm on the flats and it worked to keep us at a good pace, while saving energy. Running 100 miles is all about energy conservation. At the second aid station, I grabbed a few bites, got more sunscreen applied, topped off the handheld and said hi to Lorraine from the TrailHeadz; Alan and Jan's crew/pacer had joined forces so it made the stop easy as we were ahead of Jan at that point and they only had two of us to take care of. I knew I would not see Alan at the next aid station so I snagged a quick kiss and had him take some pics before we ran off.

I "love" rocks, especially red ones

It's early:)

The next few miles were more of the same and we kept our average pace around 13-14 min/mile, slightly faster than what we planned but I felt like we were barely moving. We continued walking anything remotely "up" and slowly running the flats and downhills. The weird pain in my left leg continued and I developed a slight ache in my knee. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, including the foliage and streams...stunning and surprisingly green for a dry region. The next aid station stop was more of taking in some calories to supplement the shotbloks I was consuming every 30 minutes. I sucked down my first Gu about 4 hours into the race and was feeling decently. I glanced at my watch when we hit 20 miles and noticed we did it in about 4 hours and 50 minutes, slightly ahead of schedule but not so much as to ruin our race.

See why I love this?!

The aid station at 23.6 was a huge one since it would the last one where our crew would have access for about 21 miles. I had told Alan how important it was that he be there; unfortunately, it was also the one where we had been warned that parking was difficult and our crews had been asked to get there as close to our ETAs as possible. We arrived at the aid station a few minutes early and kept looking for Alan. Ryan had planned on drinking his shake there and I was to get in about 200 calories with the Lite Muscle Milk. Needless to say, I was irritated not to see the crew at such an important stop...and probably also irritable because I needed some sugar. The aid station volunteers noticed my frustration and were beyond nice; they filled my hydration pack and bottle and kept offering me assistance as I griped to Ryan about wondering where Alan and Julie were. People asked if we wanted to have a seat and wait but I knew that was the worst idea as I wanted to avoid the chair unless I was changing clothes. I grabbed a baby wipe, cleaned my face and applied sunscreen, ate some fruit and got some gels since I knew I needed those for the upcoming sections and I had only carried enough for the first 30 miles in my pack.

I took off for the porta potty to reapply BodyGlide and noticed what appeared to be my car parking down the road; Ryan ran to it and they pulled up as I exited the porta potty. I, unfortunately, snapped at my boyfriend asking where they were and why they didn't get there early since I had mentioned we might be 15 minutes early. Alan explained and, as he took care of Ryan and me, I realized how harsh I was being (and I think the sugary fruit kicked in and I felt better) and started apologizing...thankfully, before the race I had warned him that I might snap at him and he knew it was more my being nervous than really being mad. I tried to drink the prepackaged Lite Muscle Milk to get in some calories and try out getting some protein; I could not finish it but did my best. Alan dipped my bandana in ice water and I relished the refreshing feeling as I wrapped it around my neck...ah, the little things make such a difference. Alan asked how I was feeling and I shot him the look of "don't ask" but he did and I had to whisper that my knee was hurting; I didn't want Ryan to know I was in pain so early. Since we had spent longer there than desired, I finished up my needs and Ryan told me to go ahead and that he'd catch up. I said good-bye and snagged another kiss and again apologized to Alan (and Julie), sad that I wouldn't see him for several hours and took off walking.

Miles 23.6 to 51.3
Ryan quickly caught up to me, right after we passed the sign indicating we were entering Noble Canyon. I had been warned by a course marker that Noble Canyon would be a brutal section. I had taken in sufficient calories to feel a slight increase in my energy level but my stomach started hurting a little and I began questioning taking in more than 200 calories (and protein) at one stop. The sugaryness of the Gatorade starting bugging me so I began drinking more water. Sometime during the stretch I felt my legs getting tight and tired; I asked Ryan if he felt the same and he was feeling better than I was. I tried not to let that get to me and just focused on power hiking the ups and running the downs without making stupid mistakes. I've never been so focused on making sure my feet land in "good" (non-rocky) spots and it demanded more concentration that typical. The miles to the next aid station were pretty uneventful; Ryan listened to music off/on and at times I wished I had my ipod as the quietness alternated between pleasant and unpleasant. I started to feel more fatigued as the sun popped out of the clouds and it got warmer but I knew we had lucked out with fantastic weather. We enjoyed running by streams and the occassional, easy-to-naviate crossing.

One of many stream crossings

One of many GTTH moments

I was so happy to see the aid station around mile 31 and I devoured some watermelon and pb&j and pretzels, toweled off my face (loved the wet paper towel), dipped my bandana in ice water, and got ready for the 5 mile loop. I saw a few familiar faces at the aid station, including Jeri who was rocking the course. During the next section, we encountered a nice stream crossing and took advantage of dipping our hats in the cold water...we would do the same during several other stream crossings during the day section. I started to struggle on the climb and Ryan recommended I suck on a Jolly Rancher to take my mind off it; it helped as I just watched the ground and power hiked. We recommended we take it slowly since the next section had a big climb...the climb that I would later kept thinking was overnight. We finished the loop and entered the same aid station as our last visit and I again sucked down watermelon, commenting how it was the best food imaginable. I repeated the same routine of prepping for the next section, including getting a couple sips of soda.

We were warned that a climb awaited us and, as soon as we left the aid station, we began what would be the hardest section. I kept thinking what Billy, my pacer, had said...that if I could make it to mile 51, they would get me to the finish line. So as we did an endless climb up a long, road I kept reminding myself to HTFU and just get to the top. I focused on one foot in front of the other and somehow found myself ahead of Ryan who was wisely taking it very easy and I passed a few guys...one guy said I was making it look easy and I retorted that it was not easy! I got to the end of the paved road and what I thought was the end of the climb...I stretched my hip flexors and chatted briefly with a guy who made it to the top and sat down. I joined back up with Ryan and wondered where the downhill was...I asked Ryan if we could run and he said for us to keep walking and after a moment I knew why. I had not checked the pacing/race plan since the previous night and did not remember how long and tough the climb was for this stretch.

(You know it's tough when we didn't take any pics) We soon began a seemingly endless, very technical climb. I kept reminding myself of the need to be careful, to prevent stupid mistakes that could take me out with a sprained ankle or worse. We passed several people on the climb and stuck with others who were also expressing their distaste in the section. Even on the downhills we could barely run because of the rocks; I kept slamming my foot into rocks, even while trying to be careful about picking up my feet. I knew I'd probably wind up with some mad blisters but it was better than falling. I kept hoping not to die and even wondered how Alan would feel if I died by slipping on the rocks and falling off the mountain...even being extra careful did not make that possibility go away. I continued perfecting almost falling..I'd trip on something and then catch my balance; that was something I did so many times during the race that if I had a dollar for each almost-bust-my-butt, I'd be off to an exotic country with plenty of cash. By the time I knew we were close to the aid station, I could not wait to see our crew, including Billy and Lori.

When I saw the AS, I took off running as fast as I could...Rob saw us coming and was there snapping pics of my pissed-off self. I flew into the area cursing mad about that stretch; Ryan ambled in a few moments later in a much jollier mood....must be that laid-back Hawaiian spirit.:) I gulped down a few sips of the Lite Muscle Milk, said hi to the crew, and griped about that section to no-end. I grabbed a different Garmin, tied a jacket around my waist, stuck my backup headlamp in my pack, and hit the aid station table to get some more fuel. Somehow the cheeseburger Billy offered sounded like the last thing I could imagine eating. I got a laugh when the volunteer asked Ryan if he need anything and Ryan asked for a gun...lol! I wanted to get back out there because that last section had taken longer than anticipated and I questioned how fast I could do the next section...the fear of the cutoff pushed me out of the aid station; Ryan ran back for a long-sleeve shirt and I started walking.

Note the look on my face....

The next section was beautiful but had us on the edge of a cliff and I again hoped my legs were strong enough to stay on the trail and I focused on not tripping and dying. I could not gaze at the gorgeous scenery much as I didn't want to make any stupid errors. 45 miles of technical trails is MUCH harder than a 65 miler on pavement and my legs were feeling like they did near the end of that run. We caught up to a lady whose voice I recognized from PCT50 and we exchanged race stories; she was also concerned about the cutoffs so we pushed ahead. Ryan was having some chafing issues and I felt badly moving ahead of him but I know how fast and superb of a trail runner he is and that he'd catch up to me. That lady and I caught up to a guy (Art?) who was also doing his first 100; he had trained on all of the course and he gave me insight into the night sections...advice that I would share with the others and use to gauge when/how to push through those stretches. I was following Art's run/walk plan and then Ryan came racing up; I think he knew how close to our ETA we were and he had huge burst of energy...he flew past me and I struggled to run fast enough on the downhill to keep him in sight. We killed the last few miles of that section, which was good since it was almost nighttime. I was so happy to see my crew and get ready for the night. My stomach was starting to hurt and I decided to avoid the Muscle Milk and to limit my protein intake.

Another stunning climb

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous way to see the sunset

wow! Can I go back?!

Lori and Billy took care of getting us food from the aid station, helping us change, and getting us pumped up for the night section. Alan and Rob took care of getting us ready. I yanked off the KT tape from my right ankle (guess it can last for days but not for 50 miles on trails) and was very pleased the tape was still good on my left foot (duct tape rocks). Alan helped clean my dirty feet and even offered to pop the huge blister on my right big toe; I opted against it as I didn't want to risk infection and the blister was not affecting my running. I was in a hurry to change so I quickly yanked off my top and sports bra much to the surprise of my crew...I threw on my next one, had Alan help body glide my back and pulled capris over my compression shorts; I hoped that I'd be able to wear that combination of clothes since I never tested my night clothing! I slipped on clean Injinis after Alan applied a ton of Body Glide and put on what would become my favorite shoes, my Inov8 Roclites. I kept on my Moeben sleeves because it seemed very cold. I cracked up when I said I needed Body Glide and Billy, not knowing where I meant, offered to help...gotta love the helpfulness of my awesome pacer but thankful I could take care of that job myself. Pacers and crew don't have to help runners with everything. Our team almost pushed us out of the aid station and I appreciated their drill sargeant attitude as we didn't have time to waste.

It's like NASCAR pit stop for runners

Ninjas

Miles 51 to 80
We raced out of there with time now on our minds (or at least on my mind). Ryan and I had entered the aid station about 50 minutes ahead of the cutoff and we left there around 8:30pm. We had decided on a "conga line" order- Billy, me, Ryan, Lori. Since I had almost zero night running experience, Billy would help light the course for me and would point out things like rocks so that I could just run. Lori would be our safeguard against mountain lions as we figured she would be most likely to survive an attack (j/k). We we running faster than I expected and I smartly didn't try to keep at that pace; I told Billy what I needed...walk ups and slowly run downs. He got us in a great rhythm and I got comfortable with night running over the next several miles; Art had said this night section was the easiest and that the following two would be harder. So we cruised along, with Ryan and Lori providing comedic relief. My knee was bugging me but I mentally resolved to wait until at least mile 60 to take ibuprofen. Billy and I chatted and I enjoyed having his guiding me...I kept hitting rocks with my feet and he reminded me to lift my feet. It was warmer than we expected and I ended up taking off my jacket and pushing down my sleeves. We took a few pictures and I loved being with my friends on the trails on a gorgeous night. It was a new moon so it was dark but the sky was dotted with stars, making for a perfect evening. My fingers were swelling slightly so I started to monitor my salt intake and Billy did an excellent job of staying on top of me about nutrition, etc., as did Ryan and Lori.

Clowning around in the dark and it's not even a full moon!

We ran into the next aid station at mile 58.9 and Alan was not there. Billy called him and found out he was at the next aid station as he had taken a wrong turn; I was just relieved that he was okay since I was afraid of his being tired and driving during the night. We got some fuel and I wanted to get out as soon as possible since I was still worried about the mile 87.5 cutoff and was hoping to put time in the bank. The aid station had a selection of warm food but I chose pb&j, what had worked for me well during the race. We got out of there after saying hi to Rachel Spatz, who was there to pace.

Look at the spread....love aid stations at ultras

The next stretch (miles 59 to 64.2) was very rough for me. My knee pain was getting worse and the forever, steep climb on rocky terrain made it very painful. I started to get dizzy and Billy got even stricter about monitoring my caloric intake. Somewhere in the early 60s, I finally broke down and took 200mg of ibuprofen. Ryan and Lori were joking around and it helped to get my mind off the climb and the excruciating pain I felt with every step; I felt badly for not being able to talk much but knew they'd understand. We caught up to Tracey and others who were also hating that climb. At times I had to ask Billy to slow down and he did a fantastic job of making sure I was okay; the downhill into the next aid station was very hard on my knee but I managed to run off/on down it as the ibuprofen kicked in and made things bearable. Ryan and Lori hung with us, even though I know they could have raced ahead...I felt like I was slowing Ryan down but I enjoyed the time our team was running together.

At the Paso Picacho aid station (mile 64.2), I was so happy to see Alan; I went to the car and he applied Salonpas patches to my knees and I said I had no idea how I could last 36 more miles with the pain I was having; he reassured me that I looked great and that we had plenty of time to make cutoffs and could slow down if necessary. We had arrived about 20 minutes ahead of our pacing plan and that meant we were still okay for the upcoming cutoffs, though I questioned if I could manage to keep up pace with the knee pain. Billy made me drink a little soup broth since my fingers had swelled. I quickly drank it and then told Billy that I wanted to get out of the aid station quickly and that I knew Ryan and Lori could catch up; I was worried about having a bad stretch, slowing down, and missing cutoffs.

The next section was also tough but I felt relief in my knees thanks to the Salonpas and my legs felt stronger than they did during the previous section. Ryan and Lori caught up and we enjoyed more time together, which was captured in one of the few videos Billy shot. I was happy to be doing well running at night and decided to risk motion sickness by using my flashlight the whole time; it helped my running ability and Billy and I picked up speed. At some point we were separated from Ryan and Lori and it bugged me but I knew that they are such strong runners that it was only temporary. The miles ticked by quickly and I enjoyed not seeing how far climbs were, the sense of being in nature and just running...it was an incredible feeling. I was climbing faster on this stretch and decided to go with how my body felt, taking advantage of less pain to gain some time.

I continued what had become a routine to maintain my sanity and ensure that I did everything I needed at an aid station; about a mile before an aid station, I would mentally and verbally run through what I needed during the stop. I was on a mission not to lose any time in the aid stations as that would give me more time on the trail. My flashlight died right as we were entering the aid station at mile 72.3; I ran in yelling for Alan, as I had taken to doing so that he would know it was us coming (all you could see of other runners was a light). He quickly changed the battery while I downed a sip of soda, two bites of a Cliff bar and a mini-bagel; I kept thinking we had big climb during the next stretch so we got in and out of there quickly after Alan used duct tape to secure Salonpas to my knee. We checked in with Ryan and Lori who came in minutes after us; they understood my desire to gain some time and I appreciated that. I snagged another mini-bagel to chow on during the next section and off into the dark we went.

" Can we take pics in the dark?" test photo

We walked/ran with two other guys for awhile and Billy and I later remarked how it's hard to talk to people in the dark since you couldn't see who they were...at least I got to figure out who they were later but was so out of it at the finish that I didn't get to chat. We powerwalked for awhile and Billy consulted the elevation profile to determine when the climb would start; we got sick of waiting for the climb and began doing walk/run. My knee pain didn't subside like it did before so every step became painful but the thought of being so close to the finish line propelled me forward (lol...never did I think I'd consider less than 30 miles short!). The extra calories or adrenaline gave me a huge boost and, when we hit the long, gradual climb, I began powerwalking up it faster than I knew I could so late into a race; we passed so many people and Billy asked a couple of times if I really wanted to go so fast. I wanted to take advantage of my energy and feeling strong and so we surged ahead. I even went straight through a muddy area because I didn't take the time to slow down and find a way around it!

As daylight approached and we got closer to mile 80, I felt so giddy. Billy said he hoped we'd be somewhere pretty for sunrise and I responded that it wouldn't matter where we were; we'd be on the trails rocking the final stretch of the race...not what he meant, but to me the world was amazingly beautiful. As I saw the 80.3 aid station, I tried to run and managed to walk/run despite increasing knee pain. I started fighting back tears because I knew I was entering the last phase of the race and I was so happy to see my crew, especially my boyfriend.

We entered the Sunrise (how appropriate!) station around 5:20, 70 minutes ahead of my projected time and 100 minutes before cutoff. Alan went to work helping me take off my night gear, cleaning my feet, applying more Body Glide, putting on clean socks/clean shirt. I opted not to brush my teeth as I wanted out of there and it took me forever to put on the socks/ankle braces and favorite shoes. Rob helped us finish getting ready for the day section and the guys were ready for Lori and Ryan who entered within minutes of our leaving.

Look like crap but stoked 4/5 done with race and no sprained ankle! Alan all business:)

Miles 80.4-FINISH!
The next stretch included a little downhill, which we ran, and then had a technical climb. My knee had not responded to the second 200mg ibuprofen pill and I hated telling Billy that it looked like we'd be speedwalking the last 20 miles. Every ounce of me wanted to run and I had the energy but my knee hurt with every step and attempting to run made the pain unbearable, plus I was worried that running could cause worse problems and I didn't want a DNF so late in the race. During the climb, we had the pleasure of running (powerwalking) with Monica Scholz, who was doing her 99th 100 miler! The scenery was incredible and, despite my pain, I loved being out there...the best sunrise and morning ever! When we hit the downhill, I again loathed having to walk but knew I could walk fast and that walking and finishing was better than quitting. Quitting was not an option.

Cheering for an incredible sunrise

You can't help but smile looking at the scenery

It was growing warm and I was very happy to near the 87.5 mile aid station. Billy ran ahead so that he could tell Alan and Rob what I'd need. I hobbled in, rubbed some Icy Hot on my ice (didn't help), while Alan filled my handheld with Nuun/water. It was a pleasure seeing Jimmy Freeman out there; he filled my hydration pack with tons of ice and gave me advice on how to protect my knee and speed walk. He reminded me it was less than a half marathon to go and Rob and Alan encouraged me with how far ahead we were and how good we looked (yeah, right). We had entered the station 90 minutes ahead of projected and 2 hours ahead of cutoff. Jimmy told us about the remainder of the course, which helped prepare me for the last "bad" climb.

Billy running ahead

The next stretch had some uphill but nothing too brutal...on a normal day with no knee pain. I wanted to make it until late in the race to take another ibuprofen but I couldn't handle the pain and I took one during the stretch; unfortunately, it didn't help.:( I was now beyond the point where finishing the race was predominately mental. I wanted that belt buckle; I wanted to succeed and I could deal with the pain to get there. I longed for music and Billy must have read my mind because he put on some Journey and then played other tunes I loved (in between tweets, of course). Thankfully, we have similar taste in music...something I discovered during the last 12 miles.

The aid station at mile 91.5 was the one hosted by Steve and Ann Harvey and I giggled seeing Steve running towards us not far from it; I figured he couldn't resist hitting the trails for some running! I was sooooo happy to see my friend Deirdre who was volunteering at the station and to see Alan and Rob. They commented that we were making good time and, looking back, we were 100 minutes faster than expected and had made the cutoff by over 2 hours. We made it a quick stop, just getting an ice cold bandana and topping off fluids and snagging some quick fuel. With less than 10 miles to go, I wanted the race done. I knew I could finish but I had heard so many stories about people DNFing in the final miles that I continued to be careful.

The next miles were very painful and I was dying inside as I HATED not being able to run because of my knee. My legs and body had the energy so I moved as fast as I could. Walking at that pace can be harder than running and I felt badly for Billy. We had a climb, which, as Jimmy had warned, felt very tough. I didn't look up and just kept my head down, putting one foot in front of the other. I was getting sleepy at this point thanks to very little caffeine and no sleep; I accidentally took non-caffeinated Gu and had forgotten to drink any Red Bull. I told Billy I was tired and he cracked me up when he told me to stop whining! That's what I needed to hear at that point. Ryan and Lori flew past us during this stretch and I was in awe of their running the uphills so late in the race; those two rock! Hearing their shouts of encouragement gave me a mental boost. The last aid station was nice break from climbing and powerwalking; the volunteer filled my hat with ice, drenched my bandana in cold water and off we went.

The next 3.9 miles were relatively flat and I knew that if I could walk fast, I'd finish under 29 hours. Previously Billy had commented he wanted to get me in under 30 hours and I didn't tell him that we were an hour ahead of that. We walked as fast as we could (about 16 min miles...fast so late in a race) and I mentally counted down the miles, while enjoying the scenery. We were back where I had started the day before and I felt like that was very appropriate way to end this journey. Billy ran ahead of me when we entered the camp area and I kept trying to run but it wasn't worth it. When I could hear people yelling my name, I found that extra gear and pushed through the pain to sprint to the end. I couldn't believe the clock...28:24! I had been fighting back tears off/on for the last few hours and I continued doing that...I was so happy and so appreciative of everyone who made it happen. My BF and friends are the best! Finishing the race was incredible...finishing over 2.5 hours ahead of the time limit was the icing on the cake.

The "sprint" to the finish

I had to look twice to believe my eyes

A congrats from Billy...fighting back tears and wanting a hug/kiss from Alan:)

Minutes after finishing...
Alan was taking video and it captured how delirious I was...I somehow thought I finished in 28:34. I thanked the incredible race director and told him how awesome the volunteers were and how well marked the course was. I was in a daze but managed to get my buckle and shirt and chill with Billy, Lori, Ryan, and Rob, while Alan got my stuff from the car. I made my way to the foot care guy (another awesome volunteer) to get the huge, enormous, disgusting blister popped...it was the one that developed before mile 30 and just got worse over 70 miles. The pain of his popping it, combined with a lack of blood sugar and exhaustion, caused me to black out and become very nauseous. That nausea lasted until an hour later when we got back to the hotel and I ate a piece of pizza. Alan, of course, continued to take care of me by getting ice for my ice bath and getting us food and drinks. He crashed but I couldn't sleep thanks to the adrenaline rush and my aching knee.

Ending thoughts...

100 miles with 16,000 feet of climb on technical terrain is hard!!! It was way more mental than physical for me; I lacked the training, especially night and technical training, but had the determination to finish. But my team (Team Sanchez) was instrumental in keeping me focused on finishing and reminding me that I COULD do it and in helping me get there and 2 hours faster than I thought possible...that's just crazy!
Alan is beyond amazing. I can't express how much he helped me out during the race; even just knowing I'd see him at the aid stations gave me such a boost. He took care of me and all of us so well and deserves major props for that. See why I love him so much?! (I'd say more but then it'd get cheesy and make everyone want to barf)
Rob was so awesome in driving down and taking care of all the stuff that came up during the race; I loved having him as my crew and his being there helped me gain precious minutes and some sanity.
Billy did a perfect job of pacing me. Having a pacer who knows when to push you and how to deal with you is crucial and he nailed all of that. I talk at times and, many times, don't feel like talking as I need to focus on running/making sure my feet land in the best spots; he didn't talk too much or too little...it was just right. Without his reminders about nutrition, I would have crashed.
Without Ryan, I would have DNFed. He made us set up a smart race plan, guided me through all my nerves for months leading up to it, and paced us perfectly to ensure that we did the first 50 miles exactly as planned. He reassured me when I was struggling and made sure I made it. I know he could have run the course so much faster without me, so I'm so happy that he did as we planned and stuck with me, helping me realize my goal.
Lori's so sweet and I almost cried just from hearing her say how proud of me she was. Seeing her experienced, calm, smiling self starting at mile 44 gave me a huge boost. Her jokes during the race and her caring, bedside manner after the race got me through some of the roughest times...it was exactly what I needed to get back on track both times.
The course was the best marked course EVER
The volunteers were beyond incredible.
The race director is a class act.
My body does not like consuming too much protein during a race. I was able to listen to my body, balance my water/electrolyte and food needs better than expected and that was key....my team did an excellent job of helping me figure that out along the way.
Special thanks to Jonathan Gunderson for advice and tips (some individual, some in his RRs). And thanks to other ultra runners from whom I've learned so much!!!
The race was the best 28 hours and 24 minutes of my life...I got to spend time with my friends and boyfriend in a gorgeous area doing what I'm passionate about...pure joy!!!

Father's Day and one reason why I run

2010-06-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on my San Diego 100 race report; the writing is almost complete and I'll add pics and video over the next couple of days. Work is really busy right now as I'm trying to grade students' final projects and balancing that with watching the NBA finals last week and apartment hunting this weekend left little time to work on the RR...but it's coming.

With today being Father's Day, I felt I should post something. My boyfriend's friend asked me last night what I'm running from...I laughed and joked that I'm not running from anything, though running to escape the stress of work is something that happens at times. But there was a huge reason why running became a higher priority in my life a couple of years ago.

Rewind to 2007 when I decided to train for the Nike Women's Marathon with Team in Training; my best friend's mother who I was going to raise money in honor of passed away the day after I committed to being with TNT...so, my training and fundraising were in her memory and I did it because it meant something to my best friend and anything that could help her cope with the loss of her mother was the least I could do. My parents, especially my dad who was more into sports than my mom, were very proud of my fundraising and finishing the marathon. I decided to attempt to qualify for Boston and ran another marathon a few months later to improve my time and inch closer to a BQ...again, my parents were very proud of me. When I toed the line at my third marathon, San Diego RNR, a few months later in early June of 2008, I did so with a very heavy heart as my dad was in the hospital and not doing well...needless to say, seeing people collapse around me in the heat of the day got to me as I did not want to wind up in the hospital and make my family worry and I did not have the day I hoped, finishing at 3:47, 7 minutes away from a BQ.

Father's day 2008 was a few weeks later and it happened to fall on my parents' 45th anniversay. My parents had many ups and downs in their marriage and, being the youngest, I saw much of the rough times. However, when my father got sick (variety of things...asbestosis, chronic lung infections, Lyme disease, West Nile disease, Wegner's, kidney failure), their love became more and more obvious. My parents were side-by-side almost every day during their marriage and loved each other with a love that few couples have after so many years together. My father was in the hospital on Father's Day and I'll never forget my phone conversation with him. I told him happy Father's Day and he said thanks and then went on and on about how it was their anniversary...how my mom was so wonderful of a wife and his "nurse", how much he loved her, how he didn't want to celebrate their 45th anniversary in the hospital. I kept trying to say happy Father's Day and tell him how much I love him but he continually brought it back to it being their anniversary and how much he loved my mom. I was laughing on the inside as it made me so happy to hear him saying those things and I know my mom had to love hearing him say that also.

A few days later, my dad took a turn for the worse as his lungs failed and he asked to be put on a ventilator. I flew home to see him in the Intensive Care Unit and, because he was on a vent, he could only mouth words...so our conversation Father's Day two years ago was the last time I heard his voice. I spent as much time in that ICU room as the nurses would allow and it was so hard...I'd talk to him and pray. I told him about my life and my dreams and promised him that I would run the Boston marathon the next year; Boston would be the day before his birthday, very fitting. My way of dealing with his being in ICU was to run; I stayed in Memphis a few days and then returned to CA; I'd go for a run during visiting hours so that I could handle hearing my sister on the phone tell me how he was doing. I had returned to CA thinking he was improving, but that quickly changed. I know my dad gave every ounce of his strength to have those days with me and my family as, once my brother and I returned to our respective homes, his condition worsened rapily. He died in the early hours July 4th while I was on a plane trying to get home before he died. Running in Memphis, TN during the summer is brutal but I had to do that to cope with his losss...I knew running was better than drinking or other negative ways of coping.

I accomplished my goal of qualifying for Boston in my best marathon ever, the Santa Clarita race I ran a few months after his passing. Before Boston, I started trail running and was hooked. Early last year I was wondering how to deal with July 4th; I didn't want to be miserable that day so I decided to celebrate my father's life in the only way I knew would give me time to reflect on everything he did as a father, running 65 miles since he was 65 when he passed away. I planned on doing it solo and mapped out a route and my awesome friends and boyfriend were so supportive of my memorial run plans. I did a couple of trail ultras before Boston in preparation for it and then wound up battling injuries until a month before my memorial run; it was hard but that run was everything I needed and wanted it to be. Billy asked to run with me for part of it, as did Sam, and Alan served as my crew....didn't know that Billy and Alan were learning the ropes for future endeavors but that's how it's worked out.

I guess I can say that my dad is why I started running ultras. Finishing that 65 mile run was tough but nothing compared to what my dad went through during his last years. Anytime I'm struggling during a run, I think of my dad and draw on the fortitude that he gave me. Running trails has been my therapy and continues to be how I remember and commemorate my dad's life. I like to imagine that my dad is looking down on me and I know he'd be proud of me, including for last weekend's run. I love and miss you so much dad....

SD 100 Race Report Part 1- Pre race

2010-06-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

The week of the San Diego 100 Endurance Run was one of the best, if not the best, of my life and I have so much to say that I decided I need to write my race report in sections. I want to remember as many details as possible so that I can use what I learned for future races, allow others to learn from my mistakes and successes, and relive the epic adventure for years to come. This installment is just the days leading up to the race, how I prepared,

The days leading up to the race became like a party as my friend Ryan, the one who did HURT 100 in January as his first and suckered me into attempting my first this year, flew in from Hawaii and our team took advantage of what might be our last race together for many months. Tuesday I picked him up from the airport and we met up with Billy for a short 7 mile trail run. It was my chance to test out briefly my headlamp, flashlight, and shoes (Inov8 Roclite 315's) as the run took us through sunset and for a little bit of evening. We took it very easy and, despite my slowly running the first mile uphill, I seriously doubted being able to do longer, more technical climbs over 100 miles. I did remark to Billy that maybe I was underestimating my climbing ability, a statement that I would consider during the wee hours of the race.

Wednesday I hit Target for last minute things and started packing...getting stuff organized was a priority because I needed to feel in control of something! I also used Ryan's goal times to create a pacing plan for us and so that our crew would know when to expect us. Ryan had the smart idea of aiming for 5 hours for the first 20 miles, between 5:15 and 5:45 for the second 20, and 6:30 for both night segments, with the remaining time for the last 20 miles; I tweaked it slightly to make sure we would make cutoffs. Missing cutoffs was my major concern, especially since there was a tough one overnight (1.5 hours for a 7.1 mile stretch...huh?!) Thursday we met up with Danica for some chow at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Long Beach; since getting fatter before the race was a must, I gobbled up some fried chicken and a waffle....ah, the advantages of running for hours- eating whatever I want with no regrets!

Race weekend officially began Friday morning after Ryan, Alan (boyfriend and crew), and I slept in knowing that it would be our last real night to rest. Ryan and I began our final packing preparations, including comparing our pacing plan/aid station spreadsheet with what we might need to determine how many drop bags to pack. We decided on having 2, one for each of the aid stations where crew did not have access. We only included essentials- bandages, tape, scissors, wet ones wipes, alcohol wipes, Gu...we would revisit the drop bags after the runner meeting and add long sleeve shirts to the one for mile 36 in case temperatures dropped early in the day.

And this is only part of the stuff I would pack for my main crew bag!

Before driving down to San Diego, we hit Denny's for some carb-loading and I attempted to eat as much as possible with mostly carbs and little protein. No way I could finish it all, but I gave it my best!

Ryan and I went to the runner meeting and I kept fighting back tears of joy and utter disbelief. The meeting got me pumped up and hearing the race director, Scott Mills, thank everyone for their help, made me so appreciative of how many people gave of their time and energy. Scott gave the advice of thinking of the race in terms of aid station to aid station (as in, the next AS is 7 miles away...I can run 7 miles) instead of how many miles to the finish line. I took that in and decided that would be my mini-strategy. We were warned that it might get very cold and we made sure we (and our crew) prepared for that. I left the meeting anxious to finalize drop bags, go over crew/pacing instructions, eat, and attempt to sleep.

Ryan and I near the start/finish

That evening we ran through crew instructions with Alan and Rob (friend who was coming down to crew from Sat afternoon until Sunday) and crew/pacing instructions with Billy and Lori. I kept emphasizing the need to hit cutoffs and, knowing Ryan is a much stronger runner, we reminded them that if I started to lag behind that Ryan would go ahead of me. Billy had asked me to come up with a solid nutrition plan and I decided I would rely on Clif ShotBloks and Shots, Gu, pb&j sandwiches, aid station food; since every 20 miles Ryan was using a drink with protein to aid in recovery, I decided to try Lite Muscle Milk every 20 miles. I knew nutrition would be key to my making it and that I had to be diligent about consuming enough calories every hour, something I'm notoriously bad at doing. We loaded up on pasta at restaurant in Alpine and I was so stuffed I wondered if I'd fit into my shorts!!!

With the game plan set, I attempted to get some rest before the 4:15am alarm...yeah, that didn't happen very well!

Next post will be a race recap...it was a long race so I can guarantee a long report:)

Final thoughts before SD 100

2010-06-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

With less than 48 hours away from the start of my first 100 miler, the San Diego Endurance Run, I am very nervous and excited. I know that I am severely undertrained and unprepared but hope that the saying that it's more mental than physical holds true. I have a wonderful team and I have the determination to finish; I know my crew/pacers/running buddy will help me through the rough times and I hope my ankles and body hold up.

I have lots of fears and, since blogging is also venting, here are many of my fears/things that I think could kick me in the butt.

Technical, rocky trails...used to love them but ankle sprains caused me to loathe them...only trained on wide, well-groomed fire roads.
The endless climbs...my longest climbs in my 3 training runs were less than 1000 feet...yeah, going to be doing double that numerous times over 100 miles.
Endurance...two 30 milers on "easy" trails did not give me the time on feet practice.
Almost zero night running experience....only longer-than-a-few-miles night run was when I sprained my ankle badly. 'nuff said.
Lack of being able to try out equipment...not used to carrying handheld, never tried out night running clothes.
My ankles...both are now chronic sprain-type. See above about rocky trails.
Lack of training and so much time off due to injuries means I'm slow like a tortoise...I'm very slow on climbs and legs are not used to climbs...double whammy
No opportunities to test out nutrition needs, how to fuel. Going to be trying that out during the race.

What do I have going in my favor?

my running partner- Ryan did HURT100 as his first earliler this year and is one kick butt runner (trails and roads)
my crew- my boyfriend is awesome and, though he's never crewed for an event like this, he rocks and will help us out!!!! He'll be joined by another experienced runner-friend, Shacky, so that should help when time cutoffs become tighter.
my pacers- Billy and Lori are very experienced runners who know how to HTFU and make me HTFU
I've packed my bags and have them organized. Not sure how that helps but it helps my mental state.

I have no idea what will happen this weekend. I'm going to the start line determined to finish...too many people are investing their time in my endeavor to quit. But the reality is that anything can happen to anyone during a 100 miler; even the most experienced and well-trained can have issues arise and have to drop (DNF). So, I know that if anything happens and I have to accept those 3 letters, I gave it my all. During the past 2.5 months, I've dealt with plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, a severely sprained ankle and, despite all that, I'm heading to the start with a shot at seeing it from the other side 100 miles and less than 31 hours later.

Last major "training" before SD 100

2010-05-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

With my first 100 miler only 2 weeks away, I know I'm walking a fine line between cramming in training runs and staying healthy. I felt great after last weekend's 14/30 training runs and considered 40/10-20 this weekend with about 80 miles for the week...thankfully, I revised that over the week.

I took it easy during the week, taking Monday off to let my legs rest and keeping to the Quail Hill trail for just 6 miles on Tuesday. My legs felt tired and I realized that I must make rest a priority. Wednesday was about 11 miles taking the same route I did last week and I felt sluggish and then strong; I was surprised that my average pace was about 30 seconds/mile faster than last week; I guess trail running is getting easier. Thursday was just 8 miles along Bommer Ridge/Willow (Laguna Wilderness park) as I discovered how to connect my typical running route with Aliso Wood park; I'll have to do a long run through those trails soon. Friday was a rest day since battling horrendous traffic left no time to run.

Saturday's plan was for 40 miles but I awoke feeling a little under the weather and I knew it would be sunny and in the low 80s, not exactly the best running weather for a wimp like me. I finally got to my typical parking place around 8:30 am and decided I'd go for 30-40 miles. Fortunately, I ran into a running acquaintance, Bill, who has lots of 100 mile finishes under his belt and has been a good source of information in the past. He's running SD 100 and has also been dealing with injury since Orange Curtain.

We compared running plans and he strongly urged me to keep my run under 35 miles, with 30 being the most he'd recommend so close the race. He said 40 miles so close would be risking injury and not giving my body enough time to recover; the additional 10 miles would not give as much benefit as potential harm. I trusted his advice and revised my running plan...I considered running with him for part but was dealing with my new ankle brace (Aircast 60...doesn't fit me well...no bueno) digging into my leg and didn't want him to wait for me to begin. So we parted ways and I embarked on my second solo 30 miler. This was my last major test of gear and I tried out my new handheld, the Nathan Thermal Quickdraw.

Aside from the pain of the brace digging into my ankle, the miles ticked by quickly and I focused on taking it easy and not running anything uphill. I feel like a wuss walking such "little hills" but I know the cumulative effect of uphills over a long run makes walking the best plan. I did a similar route to last week but ended up trying out some new little trails.

Route ended up being Bommer Ridge to Willow to the parking lot, back up Willow to Laurel to Upper Laurel to Serrano Ridge to where it ends at Quail Trail...turned around and go back along Serrano Ridge down to Little Sycamore to Nix Nature Center (filled handheld) and back up to to Serrano Ridge to Camarillo for about 1.5 miles (that trail ends at Nix and I didn't care to go back there) back up to Serrano to Upper Laurel to Laurel to Bommer to El Moro for a mile down/up and back to car (another fill of handheld) down No Name to where it ends in El Moro parking lot and back up to car....love how I can connect lots of different trails to make the route! Ended with 30 miles in 6 hours of run time...about 6:12 including the two water refill breaks.

Post-run...I typically hate carrying a handheld because of the added weight but I love how I can carry this in a variety of ways and it doesn't bother my hand/arm as much. I felt better during the run as I paid more attention to fueling consistently. My average pace was 12 min/mile, which wasn't bad considering the sun/warmer temps made me hot and sluggish. I know I'm very unprepared for SD 100 but the past two weeks have given me hope of finishing it. My legs felt great today; I just have to figure out what ankle brace to wear as I have a huge bruised area from my new one.

Less than 2 weeks...

Weekend of trails and snakes

2010-05-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

Can I go from 0 to 100 in 3 weeks? That's what I'm trying to determine and last week and weekend left me no closer to figuring that out but closer to getting back in trail running shape. After tweaking my ankle last weekend, I took Monday and Tuesday off from land running and spent time in the pool. I swear that pool running is incredible therapy for recovering from sprains and injuries. My ankle felt better and the bruising around my tibia subsided. I get poking around at sore spot (one doc was concerned about) and realized it was not a bone issue; instead, the anterior tibial tendon had a lump in it. I did some excruciatingly painful deep massage on the area and it started to feel better. With the thought of a possible stress fracture out of my mind, I cautiously took to the trails.

Wednesday I did a gentle, easy trail run on the Quail Trail, one that I discovered last week. Only about 600 feet of climb (mostly in two climbs) and a mixture of fire road and single-track for a 5 mile out/back made for a nice test run. I wore my Aircast to prevent spraining and to help healing, something I'm going to be doing for a long time! Thursday I did the same run, except I continued past the Quail Trail to Serrano Ridge (trail part of Laguna Woods) and loved it! The views were fantastic and I got in some gentle rolling hills and took some pictures. Another out/back for a total of 10.1 miles and 1400 feet of climbing. Best of all, no ankle issues!

Newly opened and I got to be one of the first to discover this little jewel

A view from Serrano Ridge...then time to put camera away and focus on running!

A pink ribbon along the way...where's Billy?!

Friday was a rest day because I was getting sick. :( Saturday I awoke with a fever, the feeling of knives sticking in my throat, and overall ickiness. But I knew I needed to get in some miles so eventually I made my way to the Ridge Park entrance to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. The fever made running harder, as did my taking two new trails and discovering what goes down steeply must come back up...as in, straight up! I took Bommer Ridge across/down, with my first snake encounter early in the run, to Big Bend and then climbed back out of Big Bend (holy smokes!). I then continued on Bommer Ridge until I got to Laguna Bowl Road and took that trail (very sandy at times) down to the end, while thinking how much of pain it would be to climb back out...yep, it was and I got my second snake encounter on the trip up. I haven't done climbs that steep in a year and they, combined with my sickiness, made the run challenging. However, I had hoped to make it through 6 miles and I wound up with 14 miles and about 2400 feet of climb.

Sunday I still felt sick but I was determined to get in 30 miles on the trails, even if it took me all day and night! I decided to combine some trails run previously, leaving out Big Bend and Laguna Bowl Road. I started at Ridge Park, ran along Bommer Ridge to Willow and ran down Willow for some technical training. The climb back up was easier than when I first did it months ago but I could feel my butt burning from Saturday's run. I turned on Laurel to Upper Laurel trail and did the slight up/down until I got to where it goes under the toll road to connect to Serrano Ridge. An out/back on Serrano Ridge, with a quick out/back on West Cayon (will explore another day) and I was at about 14 miles. However, I had only consumed 1 ShotBlok at that point and I realized I was behind on nutrition, though I had taken a salt pill every hour.

Emerald Canyon...very pretty single-track and very green- too green!

I hate snakes...and wonder what kind of snake is this one????

I contemplated going back to the car and refilling my water but decided to run down Emerald Canyon trail first; I ran down until it became gorgeous single-track; I loved it until I got sick of dodging what looked like endless bushes of posion oak (or something with leaves in thress) lining the trail; I turned around to go back up and had my third snake encounter of the weekend; feeling braver, I hopped over its tail and kept on my merry way. I started to feel very tired heading up and realized I needed more fuel so I sucked down a raspberry Cliff Shot and waited for it to kick in. I ran along Bommer Ridge (or more accurately, hiked the ups and jogged) towards my car. I hit my car around mile 19.5 and filled up water and realized I needed to start drinking more and eating more to finish the mileage.

I ran down No Name trail to the end, ran back up and then back down to add mileage, ran down/up some random trail, and then started to head back to Ridge Park. Extreme lethargy set in and my legs felt so spent that I had to pause to catch myself; I had flashbacks of my last 50K and realized I needed sugar; I took another Shot Block and it kicked in enough for me to get back to the top. I was at mile 28 and I decided to resist the temptation of stopping and ran past my car for another out/back. 30 miles done, 5350 feet of climb in a little over 6 hours. My legs were beat and I was starving! Note to self: eat more during a run!!!

Old Trails, New Trails

2010-05-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I was stoked to hit some easy trails around the Quail Hill part of Irvine, off the 405 at Sand Canyon. I ran the dirt trail along Sand Canyon a couple of weeks ago and decided to try the Quail Hill loop, which is about 1.8 miles and only has a 250 foot hill. A few loops of it in the sunny, warm afternoon made me want my climbing legs back. I enjoyed finding a new easy trail that I could combine with the dirt path for some easy, after work runs. Looking online at the Irvine Open Space Preserve wesbite, I noticed there are some more open-to-the-public trails in the area and planned on venturing on those this week.

But first, I had to make it through the weekend. I planned on getting up at 3am Saturday to run 4-5 hours before heading to a traditional Chinese wedding ritual with my boyfriend's family; however, I felt sick in the morning and had to forgo the run. :( Sunday I waited until noon to head to the Ridge Park entrance to Crystal Cove park/El Moro/Laguna Woods; I was hoping to get in some heat training and test out my gear and new shoes (Mizuno Wave Ascends, the shoes I'm considering wearing as my 2nd or 3rd pair during the 100 miler). However, it was overcast/foggy and that kept temps low; wearing Moeben sleeves and UD Wasp hydration pack made me sweat like a pig (uh-oh, need to hit the sauna for heat training ASAP).

Look silly and probably sillier posing in bathroom to take pic!

I planned on 20-30 miles and taking it very slowly, walking anything uphill and being careful on the downhills. I decided to head down (and up/down the rollers) No Name Trail, a trail I'd never explored. After a few miles, I had to fiddle with my insoles as my custom orthotics were sliding around...that didn't work and I had to deal with them again after running back up the trail to my car. Glad the plan of the day was to experiment as 6 miles and 2 adjustments to shoes/orthotics is something I want now, not during a race. I took off along Bommer Ridge trail and decided to take it until it ends...I ended up doing that and going out/back along Laguna Bowl Road trail and the Water Tank Road trail. I loved taking in the sights and feeling stronger on the trails than I have in so many months!

Loved running through flowers so much had to take a pic!

An incredible view of the ocean! I love this place!

However, I was dealing with pain at the front of my ankle. Thursday's 11 miler I had worn an ankle brace with adjustable velcro straps and developed a sore spot/bruised area in that region either from the brace or from when I rolled it. It got progressively worse and wearing a brace on Sunday, I felt the pain get so bad that I had to stop after those out/backs to rub the area (ouch!!!) and remove the brace. I had fiddled with it a few times during the run and it seemed less painful when it was not on the tender spot.

After about a mile sans-ankle brace, I felt some relief from the excruciating pain so I decided to make the run 20 miles, not the 18 I had decided on when I removed the brace. To add the additional 2 miles, I ventured down El Moro trail for short out/back; on way back, I was feeling great running uphill...until my left ankle landed in a sandy area and buckled under me; I landed on the ground and yelled some choice words as pain shot through my ankle and leg. I gingerly stood up and was relieved that I could walk on it; in fact, I was able to jog most of the way back to my car, even on the uphill sections. Big plus= running hills was easier that late in a run that it was early in a run a couple of weeks ago! Big negative= my ankle hurt like hell later and the bruised area seemed to initiate from the bone.

I loved being on some new trails, feeling stronger on trails than I have in a long time (though the total elevation gain was only 3100 for 20 miles...not exactly that tough!)...now let's hope the ankle issue is just a minor tweak. Monday was my typical follow-up with Dr.Marcus and he was not that worried about the twisted/swollen part of the ankle; he did some tests on the bruised region and mentioned a MRI to rule out a stress fracture; I told him how I bruise without knowing why quite often and we decided to wait on the MRI. I am to monitor the area, wear my AirCast all the time (had it off during run), and see him again next week.

I'll update later this week on how it's feeling as I put it to the test today....

Trying to bounce back...

2010-05-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been tough. I spent the week after spraining it nursing it like mad; I iced almost every hour I was awake and not driving; I drove with my leg propped on the car door to reduce swelling and I used the crutches because I knew putting weight on it was a bad idea. Teaching was tough and I had to take one day off because I awoke during the night in excruciating pain. I spent much of the week wondering if I had a stress fracture that was not visible on the blurry x-rays. But I did not lose hope that it would heal quickly. I got in the pool daily and pool ran, something I think helped speed up the healing process; I think the water pressure helped ease the edema because I noticed the swelling would go down after being in the pool. I know pool running helped me stay sane as I needed to get rid of stress and running is my normal means of doing that. By Saturday I was still wearing the air cast but went without crutches. I began range of motion exercises (pointing/flexing toes, inversion and eversion) during the week and felt all of that helped the healing process.

How it looked one week after spraining it...

Sunday I saw my friends after they raced the OC marathon/half-marathon and it made me more eager to run. Monday I went back to Dr. Marcus (best podiatrist ever) and laughed when the first thing he asked was if I ran the OC marathon; he obviously knows runners!!! He examined the ankle, noted one area where it's still swollen (the area that worried me), approved my request to continue pool running and start walking. I didn't ask about doing rehab exercises because I forgot but I figured what I was doing was okay. The swelling has remained in that one spot but I assume that's part of the healing process and I keep reminding myself that it was a bad enough sprain where it will take more than 2 weeks to heal.

Tuesday I walked two miles on the treadmill and pool ran; walking I felt the ankle stiffness and wondered how it would feel the next day. Wednesday it did not feel worse so I decided to pool run and go for 3 miles...with incline...at about a 13 min/mile pace...with a few jog intervals. Yes, I suck at the whole walking on a treadmill thing. Thursday I was exhausted but felt lazy so I hit the TM again for 3 miles...and jogged 2.5 miles of it with incline of 4-5%....I think I'll just say I walked really fast, like those speedwalkers in the Olypics...oh wait, they walk faster than I run! Friday I went to the TM at my apartment gym and some guy was on it; feeling too lazy to walk across the street (literally less than 0.1 miles) to 24 hour fitness, I decided to go run outside Garminless...about 4 miles later I returned home after forgetting to walk any of it and landing weird on the gravel path, causing pain in the still bruised area near my heel. Yes, I'm stubborn (that's nice way of putting it...).

Today I put in my 90 minute pool run (way more boring that it was a few weeks ago). I had plans with my boyfriend to go for a hike today but he was tired this morning and we decided to postpone that. But when he called and asked if I wanted to go for a walk or run, I jumped at the chance. I decided to check out a new trail in Sand Canyon/Quail Hollow, one that I'd heard is relatively flat (some rollers, each w/about 150ft climb- so flat compared to SD100!) and runs beside a bike path in Irvine; in other words, one that is pretty easy. We decided to do 2 miles out/back. I took my camera to snap a few picks and tried to keep the pace slow...I did that for one mile, the one where I was taking pics. After that, I enjoyed the rolling hills and found myself struggling to keep my pace in check. The trail was also gutted in places and had sandbags so I was VERY careful not to repeat my performance from two weeks ago! I ended up adding a mile to my run and the 5 miles (avg 8:52) in the heat made me realize how little endurance I have now. :( Ankle is a little sore and swollen so I'm babying it tonight.

Beautiful day for a run with the one I love!!! How could I resist?!

Til next time...

Pictures of the sprained ankle

2010-04-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

I did a great job at spraining my ankle multiple times during one run (see last post if you don't know what I mean) and it didn't look very good. Monday, I spent the day at work elevating it, hobbling around on crutches, and icing every hour much to the bewilderment of my students.

Yesterday about 36 hours post-running, I was home with my foot in a lovely ice bath when my boyfriend looked at it and strongly suggested I go to my podiatrist. After googling pictures of fractured ankles, I grabbed the phone and called. Thankfully, Dr. Marcus has late afternoon appointments on Monday and they were able to squeeze me in. While waiting, I took some pics of my ankle since I realized I might need to look at the healing process in the future given my propensity for injuries.

After examining the x-rays (hard because of all the swelling) and feeling around the bones, the doctor said it's sprained. He was shocked I was not experiencing more pain, though I have a VERY high tolerance for pain. He wrapped it in a 24 hour soft cast because he said he knew I wouldn't want anything that I had to wear for long..lol. So true. I have to wear an air cast for an extended period of time and use crutches for about a week. Now, the waiting game begins...how fast can the swelling subside?

Overnight my ankle and toes swelled more, despite being compressed and elevated. My toes looked like little sausages poking out of brace but I'll keep that picture to myself. This afternoon I removed the soft cast and was surprised to see how much my ankle changed in 24 hours; purple is the color of the day and it makes it easy to see where I did the most damage to my ankle.

I hope the changing color is a sign of healing because I still have desires of completing SD 100 (less than 2 months away). I'll keep the ankle sprain updates coming...at least until I hit the pool and can describe my 1-3 hour sessions in great detail.

Volunteering/pacing/spraining ankle at Rocky Road 100

2010-04-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

In January I ran a marathon put on by Charlie Alewine Racing and loved the low-key, welcoming feel of his races. He gets to know the runners and truly loves the sport. CAR has events weekly, including some weekends/holidays where a person can run 2-4 races on consecutive days. In other words, CAR enables Marathon Maniacs to be even crazier. Since January, he has been including more and more trail runs and I've been longing to race on but injuries or scheduling have gotten in the way. That was the case for CAR's first 50/100 mile race, the Rocky Road runs; a range of events was offered from the half-marathon distance to the 100 miler.

I longed to do the 50 miler as a training run for SD 100 but my achilles issue made that impossible. I had prior commitments for Saturday, including a 6 year old's birthday party at Scandia (small amusement park), that prevented my running a shorter race but decided to combine running and volunteering late Saturday evening into Sunday. Charlie needed a volunteer from 4am-3pm Sunday and I thought it would be a great experience to see that part of a 100 miler; I asked if I could run a loop of the course before my shift and he was very gracious to allow that. I decided to arrive around 11:30 pm and the night time did not stop by being amazed at the beauty of the Cota de Caza neighborhood, an exclusive "enter through guard house" area in southeastern Orange County. The area made my jaw drop open and remain that way until I left!

When I arrived, there was a guy (Troy) at the aid station who had completed 75 miles and was heading out for the technical 5 mile loop; he asked who I was pacing and, when he learned I was looking to get in some miles before my shift, asked if I wanted to run with him. I jumped at that- my first overnight run and I'd have the opportunity to pace someone!!! We took off and I was very happy he'd run the loop several times during the day because it was rocky, sandy, easy to lose footing, and overgrown with grass at times (last minute course change meant the RDs did not have time to clean up trail)- very remote and very cool! The views of nature were incredible and I loved seeing the moonlit hills and vegetation, even just seeing the home with its own golf course made me smile; I planned on returning after my shift to take pics, despite knowing they were lots of snakes that had been spotted during the day.

I warmed quickly and decided to discard my gloves at the aid station after the loop. My achilles felt good so I asked Troy if he wanted my company for the next 15 miles. He seemed very happy for that. He had mentioned having a goal of sub 24 hours and I realized he needed to make up time for that to happen. I decided to make it my mission to get him in/out of aid stations quickly (he'd told me he lingers) and to push him gradually to pick up pace when needed.

When we headed out for the 7.5 mile (15 mile round trip) trek along the loose, sand-like horse trail, he mentioned there were lots of sandbags along the way due to recent rains. I was not running with my headlamp on because the moon was so bright; big mistake! I decided to run slightly ahead or beside him and tried to give him the best part of the path, the small part not blocked by the lines of sandbags.

About a mile out of the main aid station, I landed hard in a small gulley and heard/felt my left ankle snap; the accompanying pain was excruciating but I jogged it off and said I was fine when Troy asked; no way was I going to whine to someone on mile 81 of 100! I could feel the ankle tightening and anytime Troy needed to walk or pee, I'd take a moment and rub it; I could feel it slightly swelling and it was super tender to the touch. I kept landing in small gulleys and the pain would shoot to my sole. But I was determined to help make up time and get him down to 15 min/mile average pace, the slowest pace possible for him to go sub 24; I'd see our chipping away at the 16, high 15 min/mile average pace and knew he'd be close if we could keep pushing.

The course had some rolling hills and I got to gawk at the homes while enjoying conversing about everything from races to work to family and the times of just running silently; it's still crazy to realize how much people can learn about others while running at night. We hit the turnaround and we both snagged ibuprofen and he fueled up. On the return, I could tell he was struggling as his run had turned into a shuffle; but the food kicked in and I started to pick up the pace and he followed suit.

I decided to turn on my headlamp to avoid the gulleys and it helped....until we were about 5 or 6 miles from the main aid station when I avoided one obstacle (railroad ties) and then managed to tumble when leaving the horse trail to cross a street; I stumbled off the curb, landed weird on my left ankle and it collapsed, sending me into the pavement. Pain shot through my body and, as I got up, I worried I would not be able to put any weight on my ankle. It hurt like hell but I did not want Troy to be concerned; he said we should walk for a bit and I reluctantly did for a few moments before checking my Garmin and realizing we had no time to lose. My left hand was bloody and the cold air hitting it hurt but the worst was every step when pain would reverberate through my entire body. I realized I had to make it back and that I wanted back asap so that I could get off my ankle and ice it beyond belief.

We continued running/walking and I made out as though everything was okay; my job was to pace and he was looking stronger by the moment so I did not want anything to mess up his groove. As we made it to the aid station, he asked the time (I'd kept quiet about time, distance, pace except for the two times he asked) and realized he had 90 minutes to get aid and do the tough 5 mile loop. I told him it was possible and that he should go for it; even if he did not make sub 24, he'd given up 15 minutes by helping a fellow runner earlier in the race.

Troy, me, Charlie (RD)

I proceeded to assess the damage to my ankle- worse than I expected- and start icing and elevating. I remained at the race, saw the winner, and was stoked to see Troy finish in 24:07, earning him second place!!!. Seeing how happy he and his friend Gina were with his time, I was so happy I'd paced him; it was an experience unlike any other and I learned so much about myself, ultras, what it takes to finish 100 miles...way more than I can share in a blog!

After one round of icing...ice caused part of redness

I remained at the main aid station and then went to another one until 2 people remained; seeing how hard those two ladies were working, one of whom had officially DNFed but was still out there to finish the mileage, gave me such an appreciation for the distance, the mindset it takes to finish, and the determination of those ladies. Jean and Ronnie rock! All in all, the experience was incredible and badly sprained ankle and all, I would not take it back. I got in about 20 miles and my achilles held up; I'm stronger and in better shape than I realized.

The house was incredible and it has an orange grove...holy smokes!

More on the ankle to follow...
Til then, hit the trails for me!

Ramping up mileage

2010-04-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

So far, my run/walks have been successful. :) I've upped my mileage from doctor's schedule but I'm keeping his plan of run/walk intervals. I've been increasing the length of the intervals and trying to keep my pace in check, the hardest part for me. Thursday I covered 8.25 miles, including a few mile long intervals at sub-8 pace; the plantar fasciitis bugged me off/on and the achilles was tight but there was no pain or anything that caused concern. I'm back to doing the laundry list of things to help the PF and am wearing both night splints, instead of just the right one. Hopefully all of these things will allow me to continue increasing my mileage and hopefully hit the trails for some hills soon.

Today was a beautiful, warmer day and I headed out with the goal of 10-12 miles; plan was for 0.25/0.75 miles walk/run for the first half, then 0.25/1 mile walk/run intervals. I felt good and stuck to the plan for the first 5 miles and then did 1-2 mile run intervals. My legs were tired by the time I hit mile 10! I guess my legs are not used to running as this was my longest run since February 28th. The PF bugged at times and the achilles area was tight but I was able to finish 12.25 miles with no problems; I stayed within a couple miles of my apartment throughout the run in case something acted up but was very happy to finish the distance and feel good.

I'm optimistic I'll feel good tomorrow and will be able to do a short run/walk tomorrow. Thankfully it's beautiful weather so I can get in some more pool running today and tomorrow and end the weekend feeling as though my legs are getting adjusted to working hard.

Returning to running

2010-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at listening to doctor's orders but I'm trying to be smart and trust that my podiatrist knows what he's doing. Last week he told me I could do a walk/run Friday and Sunday and I jumped at that chance. I followed his orders Friday, though I found myself using the run intervals as speed work and realized that's not the best idea when recovering from an achilles injury. I did another long pool running session Saturday and walked/ran on Sunday; that day I diobeyed his orders by making the run segments longer (0.5 miles versus 0.25) and increasing the distance so that I covered 5 miles. My achilles area felt "off" but not painful so I figured I was okay.

Monday I returned to his office and admitted I ran a little farther; he laughed and guessed that I ran 10 miles. whew. 5 was not so bad apparently. :) He examined my achilles and noted that it feels normal- edema and crepitation are gone. Yippee!! He gave me the green light to return to running but, unfortunately, he mapped out a VERY gradual return to running. The next two weeks are the most critical. I won't even admit what he mapped out for me as it almost brought me to tears; the plan for the next 5 weeks fails to even scratch the surface for what I know I need to be doing in order to run a 100 miles 8 weeks from now. When I kept asking about increasing it more than his plan allows, he said I could but kept emphasizing how I have to be careful or I'll end up out for a long time. Running PCT 50 in less than 4 weeks is so far from the running plan that I am contemplating writing the RD and withdrawing from it. My boyfriend said I might as well see how I feel the next 3 weeks and then attempt to hike/jog it. Obviously, that's now a thought in my head as I really need to train on the course...

Yesterday I did 30 minutes of pool running and then tried a land run. I slightly upped the mileage (from doctor's plan) and the length of 2 intervals to make my total run/walk 6.5 miles. The plantar fasciitis in my left foot bugged me from the start but my achilles felt okay. While I was hoping for a "perfect" feeling run, I'll take it. It was a reminder that I have to be diligent about working on loosening up the PF, something that I backed off of when it seemed better. Today's another pool running session and I'll give running on the roads another go in the morning. June 12th is still looking very iffy but I'm going to see what my body can handle over the next 3 weeks.

Best massage ever

2010-04-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

While my boyfriend has been wonderful about giving leg massages and "torturing" me while trying to get knots out of my jacked legs, he's not a professional and my current right calf pain needed a massage therapist who knows what she's doing. After a google search, I chose Dynamic Touch Massage, which has offices in Costa Mesa and Mission Viejo. Testimonials on the site made me think that they know how to treat athletes, including runners. The rates were higher than some other places but I decided it's better to pay more and get what I need than to leave another massage place wanting my money back. I arranged to see Gillian, the one who was available this morning (love spring break!) and I am so happy I did!!!

As soon as I told her I'm a runner training for a 100 miler, she responded, "Ah. An ultra runner." Sweet-someone who knows the lingo, a rarity, and a sign of good things to come. She asked several questions about my current pains, running plans, etc. and recommended making the most of my hour by just working on my lower body and asked if it would be okay if she did no work on the rest of my body. Bingo! Finally, a therapist who offers what I need. I'm so used to telling massage therapists that I only want my legs worked on and having them ignore me and give minimal attention to my trouble spots.

Throughout the massage, she kept checking in to make sure she was digging deep enough but not so deep to make me cry. She even offered to work on my psoas muscles and iliacus muscle, which is very painful work through the abdomen wall but very needed as they are involved in hip flexion/rotation. It hurt so good and my hips felt so much better! When she made her way to my right calf, she pinpointed the issues and worked so much on those, to the point where no more work could be done today. I immediately felt relief. She made sure I knew to stretch both calf muscles and to strengthen my hip abductors (hmmm...she tells me that but my first physical therapist did not?!). I was extremely impressed with the massage, her knowledge, and her knowing how to treat runners. Hands down, it was the best massage I've had. Anyone in Orange County who needs a massage should see her!

My legs felt so much better so I hopped in the pool for some pool running (only 2 hours today after yesterday's 3 hours) and then did the grueling P90X yoga DVD. I get to attempt a walk/run tomorrow and I'm feeling way more optimistic about it after today's massage.

Follow-up podiatrist visit

2010-04-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my follow-up appointment with my podiatrist. He noted that the crepitation is gone from my achilles and that the simple injection appears to have cleaned out/cleared up the adhesion between the achilles and its sheath. I was somewhat honest and told him the achilles felt tight immediately after the injection and that my calf has become very knotted and seems to be pulling on my achilles slightly; I didn't tell him the achilles still feels tight and that I "feel" it when walking and pool running...there's no pain, just a sensation that does not exist normally. I'm hoping it is just caused by the recurring muscular knot so I figured I'd allow his physical examination of the tendon to be enough.

He seemed very pleased with my progress and I hoped he'd allow me to resume running today so that I could salvage my spring break to resume training. Unfortunately, that's not what he had in mind. Friday I'm allowed to do a warm-up and then run 1/4 mile, walk 1/4 mile 8 times...yeah, a total of 2 miles, not including my warm-up. No running on Saturday and then I get to do the same thing for 2-3 miles Sunday. I go back to see him Monday, exactly 2 months from the SD 100 start. The reasonable part of me knows that testing it with 2 miles of walk/run is the smart thing but the running side of me is eyeing the calendar and hoping my goal race doesn't become impossible.

I have no idea if the walk/run will go okay but if it does, I wonder if my body can handle going from zero running (except for in the pool) to running up/down mountains for 100 miles in 60 days. That's what I contemplated for 2.5 hours today while I ran back/forth in the pool. The calf tightness worsened during the "run" causing my achilles to get tight post-pool running so it's time to find a fabulous massage therapist....off to search for one in the Irvine area. Suggestions anyone???

Pool Running

2010-04-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

The past week taught me that I must be pretty determined to stay in shape and that I can push through monotony and boredom to reach a goal. How did I learn this? Pool running (aka. aqua jogging). I bought my lovely flotation belt for $15, the cheapest and first that I found, and it was not comfortable so I doubted my ability to wear it and run back/forth in a pool for more than 30 minutes. I knew I could handle 30 minutes on a treadmill so I assumed pool running would be just as exciting.

My first pool run was in the not-too-cold, not-too-warm water of my apartment complex. I wore a bathing suit and a Nike long-sleeve drifit top for additional warm. I jogged back/forth in the deep end and was surprised that an hour passed without my beating my head against the pool deck in boredom. After the run, I was coughing a lot and hoped that the water had not been so cold that I would end up sick for my spring break.

The next day was slightly colder and much windier and the running was more difficult because I started coughing up phlegm about 30 minutes into the workout. I kept pushing, though I did not keep doing intervals, and got concerned when my phlegm contained blood. I got out after an hour and the coughing up blood (small amounts but enough to make me wonder...) continued for several hours. I realized I needed to carry a water bottle and hydrate during the run as I felt very dehydrated and that could have caused the bloody phlegm.

Thursday I sought advice from another injured runner off the RWOL boards and decided to hit the lap pool at a 24 hour fitness. The water temperature was much warmer and I easily did 80 minutes before calling it a day and heading to the sauna for some heat training. Friday I again ventured to the gym and 90 minutes passed by quickly, especially since I spent about 20 minutes conversing with 2 other people in the pool area. Both days I was famished and my legs felt like they were getting a good workout, as they had the prior days. Hm...guess pool running is not so bad after all.

Saturday brought warmer weather and sunny skies and I checked the water temperature at my apartment pool- perfect! I was stoked to be able to run back/forth in the sun and shade and soak in the beautiful day while getting in a 2 hour pool run; I know I could have continued but I was getting bored and my legs were telling me to quit. The most annoying part of the longer runs is that the flotation belt rides up and I have to readjust the cheap elastic belt part; if I continue having to pool run for long periods of time, I can tell it will fall apart.

I did have company for part of my pool running...

Considering I'm pool running sans an ipod or any music (except for the music I heard from a neighbor's apartment for about 20 minutes), I'm happy to be staying sane. I'm planning on continuing to pool run after I'm allowed to return to trails/roads, but I'm doubtful I'll keep up the 2 hour runs.

Trail running to pool running

2010-03-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a wonderful time to relax (apart from running) and to attempt to run with my PT's blessing. I ventured out for a run Garmin-less and felt good enough to get in about 6 miles Friday evening; I felt some tightness in my Achilles but did my eccentric calf exercises and stretched, hoping Saturday would be a double digit trail run. Saturday I waited until around 11am to hit part of the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park- Bommer Canyon Trail, Willow Trail into Willow Canyon and back with a few short runs down misc. trails included. It was very warm and I felt sluggish early so I walked all the uphills and just focused on getting in 10 miles, despite increasing tightness and creakiness in the achilles.

Random ribbon along Willow trail....seriously made me stop and wonder where the runners where

Love the flowers in bloom

Told you that it was hot!

I iced and tried to stretch/relax the remainder of the day before venturing out to meet up with some girlfriends. I bravely wore heels, not intending on being out for long. After only a few minutes standing, I felt the creakiness in my achilles worsening and I looked forward to getting home, icing, and putting on my night splint (pathetic I know).

Sunday was another warm but beautiful day and, despite the nagging feeling that I should rest (or not run), I headed back to the same trails. The day before I had felt the notch in my Brooks Cascadia's pushing into my achilles so I cut two slits in it so that it would not put pressure on that sensitive area; unfortunately, that did not solve my issue. The tightness was there from the start but I got excited from running El Moro (different part of trail than day before) and being in nature that I pushed myself too far until the discomfort in my achilles reduced me to walking. At least I got in 9 miles....

View from El Moro trail- see the Pacific?!

Even the lizard was taking in the beautiful day

Snow capped mountains in the distance- view from Bommer Ridge

Post-running Sunday I looked forward to Monday's podiatrist appointment, as the creaking was getting worse. My calf was very tight and so sore that my boyfriend's massaging it brought me to tears. Not a good sign. Knowing that I would be taking a self-induced break from running for at least a few days, I went to Dick's Sporting goods and bought a flotation belt for pool running.

Monday I saw Dr.Marcus to get my new orthotics (forgot to ask how to wear them as they are different than my last ones and seem too small to replace the insoles....) and asked him about my achilles. He confirmed that it's intact but that the tendon is sticking to its sheath, causing the creaking sound (crepitation). He offered an injection similar to novacane in order to "lube" the area between the tendon and sheath- a procedure called brisement- and I accepted, trusting he knows what's best. His directive of no running at least until he sees me again next Monday was heartbreaking, as I feel I am running out of time to prepare for the SD100.

Today I iced, iced, iced (ice massages every 1.5 hours) while at work and hit the pool to "run." My apartment complex has a pool and I was so stoked to discover it's heated! While it was still chilly outside to be in the water, it made pool running more bearable. I have no idea if my form was correct but I took advantage of having the pool to myself and ran back and forth from the 5 foot to 7 foot part, just zoning out and without any tunes. I could feel my legs burn and I hoped it had been at least 20 minutes (goal was for 30) when I ventured out to check my phone clock...surprisingly, it had been 52 minutes so I hopped back in to make it a cool hour of pool running. I guess I have the mental fortitude to do something very monotonous without dying of boredom..who knew??!?!

Hopefully the rain will skip over the area. If not, I may see how it feels to pool run outside during a storm tomorrow.

LA Marathon weekend as a specator

2010-03-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

I had such a blast over the weekend thanks to the LA marathon. Friday Ryan arrived from Hawaii and Billy took us for a trail run in Temescal Canyon near Malibu. Though it was only a quick 4 miler, I loved the chance to run with them, especially when we realized it was our first (and last for an extended time period) trail run together. (insert misty-eyed face)

The view from the top (pic thanks to Billy)

The way least likely for me to sprain my ankle again...like a slip and slide!!!

Friday afternoon/evening was a fantastic opportunity to see other runner friends at the LA marathon expo. A group of us ended up getting dinner in Silverlake at Gingergrass, a hipster Vietnamese-style restaurant, and grabbing some drinks and German sausage at Red Lion Tavern (love that place!!!). Fun times and lots of laughs made me sad for the night to end. The evening was a huge reminder of why I love running- the awesome people!!!

Another pic courtesy of Billy :)

Saturday I drug myself out of bed and hit Peter's Canyon for a quick, hot 5 miler. I hiked the uphills as I know I'm not used to heat and hills and I was feeling ill prior to the run. Getting "attacked" by a cactus made for an interesting run and a lesson learned- never touch my face if I just pulled cactus bristles from my hand. (No pics of that...sorry guys!)

Sunday morning I drove to West LA and easily found parking less than 2 miles from mile 21, the place where I told Ryan I'd meet him. Since driving and parking too less time than anticipated, I leisurely jogged to mile 21 and decided to run closer to 21.5 and hangout at Coffee Bean. My right achilles felt tight so I doubted being able to run anymore that day. I got a sugar-free mocha IceBlended (yummy!) and scored a perfect spot for watching the race.

I loved seeing the wheelchair participants, including the eventual winner who flew by before I could snap a pic. Even after seeing the female and male leaders, my favorites remained the wheelchair participants as I had such admiration for their strength and ability. I'm accustomed to seeing runners so it was a different experience for me, one that made me even happier to be a spectator.

Female leaders...easier to snap their pic than the wheelchair leaders who were too fast!!!

Ryan came by and I got the chance to hang with him. Crowd support was phenomenal from 21 to the finish. Though the post-finish line area was crazy, I understood why the organizers had to use the parking lots near the beach (far from the finish) as it seemed like all of Santa Monica was shut down for the race. After having lived in SM for years, I was shocked to see so much of the city devoted to the race. I had the chance to see a few people post-race and thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of the day as a non-runner. Unfortunately, my achilles is super tight and creaky-sounding after the weekend's running but I'm not worried...I loved the chance to see people enjoying running LA and to see friends...what an awesome weekend!

Ryan's GTTH pic and my looking like idiot trying to run in front of him for the shot!

Running on St.Patty's Day- not quite beer but great!

2010-03-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

I love St.Patty's Day, even though I do not brave the been-drunk-since-6am-crowds at the local pubs anymore. So I was so disappointed to realize that my school's Open House (kinda pointless in high school because it's not one-on-one conferences) fell on this evening. I'm stuck at work until 7:30pm and traffic plus my communte will mean getting home close to 9pm. Thus, there will be no celebrating at home or getting the chance to relax much before heading to night-night land.

However, I did manage to get away and hit the gym for a quick run. The PT said I could attempt a run today based on how my feet feel. Well, one is still slightly tight and I feel that when I massage it (something I do so many times per day I lost count) but not bad. I decided to play it safe and hit the treadmill in case it started to hurt; I didn't want to risk being a couple miles away and having to hobble back. It took some time to hit my groove and I felt my lack of running plus some slight "niggleness" in the foot but not the pain I felt before. So, I kept cruising. Eventually my right hip flexor got tight and that started making my gait weird (okay, weirder than normal on TM); I've been stretching like mad but the tightness remains almost four weeks after Orange Curtain. Guess I need to foam roll that area some more. Finally realized I had to stretch and shower so I finished the run with a smile on my sweaty face. 6 miles in 50:40 (approx 8:34/mile).

Hope my foot still feels okay tomorrow. I'm massaging it tonight and will do so when no parents are here and then again first thing in the morning. Feel great now and I'm very optimistic that I'll be able to run again tomorrow!!! WOOOHOO!

Cross-training and PT

2010-03-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Almost three weeks with minimal to zero running and, while I'm very anxious, I've yet to jump out of my skin and go bonkers...but I see it on the brink if I don't resume training soon. With less than three months before attempting to run/hike/crawl 100 miles, I'm getting very nervous that I won't have the specific training I need to survive. However, I know that including cross-training in my preparation is key to being successful in my attempt so I'm using this break from running as a chance to determine how/what I'll incorporate into my busy schedule once my evenings are filled with jaunts on dirt.

I've read that the stairmaster (the one w/revolving stairs) can help with buidling climbing muscles/endurance and last week my PT cleared me to use that (yippee!) and the elliptical. So I've spent more time in the gym on the stairs (climbing sideways to work outer hips and forward to get ready for mountains) and the elliptical plus a little time walking on the FreeMotion Incline Trainer. Also I've been doing lots of PT exercises to strengthen my weak hips (abductors; ie- gluteus medius, piriformis, etc.) in the hopes that helps reduce reoccurences of ITBS, plantar fasciities, achilles problems. I continued doing tons of stretching (yoga at-home) and some core work, part of my usual pre-injury program.

Saturday I met up with the So Cal Trail Headz and hungout with a few of the members (injured and non-running that day) while the others ran the trails in Peter's Cayon. I offically joined that cool bunch and am very eager to begin running with them. I chatted with the RD of Old Goat, a 50 mile race that is brutal but on my must-do list. Unfortunately, my PT appointment yesterday means that race will remain on my "in the future" list as I didn't even ask if I could run it in less than two weeks; I knew she'd either say no so empatically that I'd cry or just laugh at me, neither of which I was in the mood to hear.

Physical therapy last night went okay. She showed me some new exercises and then used ultrasound with anti-inflammatory gel and massage to work on my feet. She noticed the PF is still tight but better. When I asked about running, she said later in the week....then eased up and told me to take it by feel...if my feet feel okay that I can run. My feet have been tight since I started teaching 6 years ago (gotta love walking on concrete for 7-8 hours daily) so I doubt they will feel perfect now but I'll listen to her. Sleeping with both night splints has been rough and I wake up so many times during the night and take forever to fall asleep but I feel the stretch and hope it's working.

I'm definitely doing what it takes to recover. However, I've been reading online that some people take months to years to recover and that many people never get rid of it entirely. So, I'm at the point of accepting that my feet will hurt and that I'll have to massage them when I change shoes during the race. I just want to resume training!!!

Best Podiatrist EVER and fantastic new PT

2010-03-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

After developing what I believed to be plantar fasciitis before or during the OC100K, I decided it was time to see a podiatrist and potentially get new custom orthotics; my old ones wore out (aka. pieces tore off) early last year and my efforts to use athletic tape to repair them made them wearable occassionally but not for long runs. I did not wear them during the race and I figured that my high left arch was collapsing inward, which could have caused the PF. Doing too much too soon in the Vibrams caused my right achilles to be inflammed so I went to the new doctor with a myriad of problems and I pondered how to tell him everything, get treated for all my foot/ankle issues. Most doctors are on such a tight schedule that they barely take the time to hear what's going on and then send you off with what may or may not work. I hoped this doctor would be different. Since my previous podiatrist was in LA and I wanted one closer to home, I googled "irvine podiatrist runner marathon orthotics" and one of the first results was for Dr.Michael Marcus who has offices in Irvine and Montebello; I read his bio and realized he was the doc for me as he has completed 11 marathons, including Boston. I wanted a doctor who would understand my training schedule and would work with me. Calling his office, I found out he keeps super late hours so that patients can go there after work...so rare to find!

My appointment was for 5pm Monday. The assistant took x-rays around 5:15pm and I got impatient waiting but I heard the doctor with patients and realized he took his time talking to them, etc. so I felt the wait would be worth it. Boy, was I right. It was closer to 5:45 before he entered the exam room but he was with me for almost 30 minutes, asking medical history, running history (even my PRs...lol), running plans, diagnosing me, and laying out my treatment options. He said I have PF in both feet (way worse in my left foot) and that my right achilles is very tight. He offered his advice and took my input, realizing I was a compliant patient who wants to recover. Final verdict- night splints for both feet (apparently most people only get one), custom orthotics designed to last longer (specifically for an "ultramarathoner") and fit to prevent blisters, physical therapy. Since I had not been pleased with my current PT (he rarely sees me himself, said I had no muscular/hip imbalances that I suspected were causing my numerous injuries, and only seemed to have my symtoms treated versus find out the cause), I asked for a referral. Non-running note is that the doc's older sister was a high school bio teacher and that led to his becoming a doctor 33 years ago...so he said he had to make sure I'm well-cared for. Awesome!

The set of night splints...

Tuesday I took the day off running and hit the gym for some rare cross-training. Doing lower body weights, especially the abductor machine, made me AGAIN realize how weak my legs are despite my running. Wednesday I returned Rhonda's (the PT at PARplus) call and made an appointment to see her that evening. I had been desiring to test my foot on a run but figured getting started with PT was a priority. Unfortunately, I learned that she's out of network but will only make me pay in-network costs...20% of the bill, which has me concerned as money is tight right now. Why do I pay so much every month for PPO insurance to spend so much myself?! However, she proved that she's an excellent therapist and, as a runner/triathlete, understands running injuries and the importance of treating the cause so that fewer injuries occur. Her tests showed what I suspected- I have weak hip muscles, specifically the abductors, and that issue could be why I've had so many minor injuries. She did treatment with a form of ultrasound designed to help break up the swelling in the PF feet and gave me a series of exercises to start strengthening my hips. Bad news is that she said no running until at least next week. :( Major bummer as I had been planning on hitting the trails. Oh well, I'm hoping my PF improves enough by Monday (next appt) that I get the all-clear to run. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I only need a few PT visits because my bank account can't deal with more....here's to wishing for quick improvement!

I'll be making friends with 24 hour fitness and taking my bike out for a spin....getting in the cross-training I should be doing while skipping the running. Sleeping in the night splints is not fun but I'm doing it..the time is ticking for me to resume training for SD100. Could be waaaay worse so I'm being the compliant patient and hoping it pays off!

Malibu Creek- The "I didn't race" report

2010-03-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

While I really wanted to run the Malibu Creek 50K, I had zero desire to be stupid and end up sidelined for months. I already made the mistake of running (and/or walking) too much in my beloved Vibrams last week and causing my previously, repeatedly injured Achilles to be achey and have a "crunchy" sound when stretched. My right leg and left arch were not 100% this morning so I arrived at the course with my running and carpool buddy, "Shacky," almost certain I would not be running anything more than the 25K. When I felt my achilles tightness with every step I jogged around the parking lot prior to the start, I began realizing what I didn't want to admit yesterday...that a DNS was in my best interest. After checking in and seeing Danica and Emil finishing/getting ready for volunteer duties, I realized that hanging out and seeing other runners would be a viable option. I mentioned my thoughts to Sarah, the RD, and Shacky and Billy so that no one would wonder what happened to me if I did a U-turn early in the race.

Rob ("Shacky") and I...he's the one whose advice about Vibrams I asked for after being stupid

Getting ready to start

The mountain I missed climbing:(

Being silly

The start was the typical, low-key affair that I love about ultras. Billy zoomed ahead and I ran with Shacky. I felt my right hip/butt/thigh, left arch but knew those might be okay...but the discomfort I felt with every step in my achilles made turning around after 1/2 mile an easy decision. No point in doing a gorgeous, challenging run and risk tearing it or causing inflammation that would prevent my training for and running my goal race. I jogged back to the start, getting odd glances from the other runners. Back at the start/finish, I had the chance to catch up with Danica and see Stuart; Stuart was there to man an aid station and invited me to join him.

Billy, Emil, Rob, me

Since I love seeing other runners and felt I should make the most of the beautiful day, I headed out to the first aid station of the race, the one right after the creek crossing. It was cool seeing the runners coming through, helping them by refilling bottles, advising about taking salt tabs, etc. I got to get advice on what trails I could hit for night runs from Stuart and to baby my achilles and foot with ice and my TENS machine. Then, I headed back to the start/finish hoping I would see Billy and Shacky finish but those speedy guys were already finished and relaxing. We waited for Emil to join us and for the 50K winner to finish before heading to Pho Show in Culver City for a great post-race meal. While I hated missing out on a beautiful run, I enjoyed seeing friends and sharing in another PCTR race experience.

Tofu and veggie pho...yummy!

Fingers crossed for tomorrow's 50K

2010-03-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm supposed to be running the Malibu Creek 50K, the race that I ran last year as my first ultra. I know that I am completely unprepared for the hills/climb as I have only done 3 trail runs in the past few months. But I'm not worried about covering the distance. What worries me is that I have not healed from the pains that hit during the OC100K. Being sick the past 9 days has been a blessing in disguise as it's meant I've done very minimal running. I've focused on resting, walking around in my Vibrams, doing yoga, and relaxing.

Last night my wonderful boyfriend gave me a deep massage on my right leg; what scared me is that he immediately noticed what he described as a red line under my skin running from my outer knee up my outer thigh to my hip. He immediately started massaging along that line and the pain I felt was unlike any I've experienced; the pain I've been feeling has been going from my hip to my knee so it's not surprising that area is tender but the tenderness of certain spots has my hoping it's just muscular or my ITB but researching stress fractures. Today it hurts to even gently touch those areas.

I tested out my legs on a short run and felt discomfort within a half mile. I kept to a flat, gravel/dirt path near my apartment and, for the most part, kept to a slow, recovery pace. Thankfully, the right leg pain improved over the run, though my left arch is not 100%. And apparently I overdid it wearing my Vibram KSOs; I wore them for several hours daily at work and ran 1 mile on the treadmill in them; my right achilles (the one I tore 3 times in high school) was very tight and sore today. I clearly suck at "gradually" easing into anything! What this means for tomorrow is unclear. I'm excited that I'll be able to see several runner friends, including Billy, Emil, Shacky, Deirdre, Lori, but I'm already prepared to drop at the 25K mark if I feel I'm doing damage to some already sore spots.

During today's run, I kept remembering that I've yet to learn a very important lesson- gradually increase mileage. My running logs over the past 7 months look like a "what-not-to-do" memo. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my body will forgive me and allow me to continue training for the SD100. In about 26 hours, I'll know how much my body loves me.

Week Recap- Tampa and I hate being sick!

2010-03-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

The last 10 days have been rough as my body rebelled and forced me to slow down and realize that I have to take care of it in order to recover from a race. The night of the Orange Curtain 100K, I could not sleep; maybe it was the adrenaline still pumping or a standard bout of insomnia but, regardless, it was not what I needed. I spent the next several days exhausted and unable to sleep well at night...not exactly what is good for recovering, allowing the body to heal, preparing for traveling cross-country. While I did not suffer from DOMS or any major discomfort, I continued to feel the pain in the arch of my foot and the knee/quad/ITB tightness in my right leg. I went to PT last Monday for ultrasound, massage, stretching and to the chiro for ART on Tuesday. I still felt the lingering issues so I took most of the week off running, except for 30 minutes on the treadmill Wednesday.

I knew I was going to Tampa tired and not recovered, but the trip was for a good cause (Operation Jack) so I looked forward to it. Unfortunately, I awoke Friday at 3am feeling like knives were embedded in my throat, the sure sign I was getting sick. My friend Sam picked me up for the airport and we embarked on our journey; two long plane rides later we arrived in Tampa. After eventually getting dinner at Macaroni Grill with one of Sam's biggest Operation Jack supporters (and her running buddies) and picking up a selection of cold medicines and Airborne, I looked forward to a good night's rest and hoped I'd feel okay to sign up and register for the 15K the next morning.

I had to have coffee and a chocolate donut hole...why don't we have these in Cali?!

Neither one happened as I felt progressively worse but I decided to head to the expo and hangout/shop while Sam ran the 15k and the 5k. Tampa puts on a series of races as part of the Gasparilla Classic, though this year was the last year they will host a marathon due to low participation and the cost of it. I was very impressed with the expo and with the organization of the race, the goodies given out, the selection of post-race beverages and food...basically, everything!

After the expo, we grabbed brunch at Cracker Barrel near my brother's house; I grew up loving their food and one problem with rarely having the chance to eat at one is that I cannot decided what to order. I LOVE their biscuits and hashbrown casserole but wanted breakfast so I ordered one with: 2 eggbeaters, turkey sausage, hashbrown casserole, grits (bleh), biscuits and gravy. WOW! So much food...I ate waaaaayyy too much but did not finish all of this monstrosity:

I was very tired (waking up at 4am without sleeping=need a nap) but feeling so sick that I failed to sleep much that afternoon and evening. Needless to say, I was very happy that I had made the wise decision of registering for the 1/2, not the full! Getting to the race was easy, despite the freeway being closed right before our exit due to a wreck, and I loved having zero pressure to run fast or hard. Being sick made my plan of running slowly easy to manage. The race started in the dark and we ran through some nice neighborhoods, with the highlight being the fire juggler...very cool to see during a race! The arch of my foot started hurting during mile 1 and I regretted my decision to wear my custom orthotics as they fit my arch too well and were pressing on the "messed up" spot every second; around mile 3, my right knee/quad/ITB got super tight and I started counting down the miles. The race was pancake flat and I kept eyeing the grass when we ran along the bay as I wished for hills or trails, with grass being the closest I could see. I stuck to the asphalt and was so happy to see the finish line as my foot and right leg were killing. Crossed it in 1 hour 50 minutes with my Garmin showing 13.3 miles; I sucked at tangents and weaved a lot during that short time. I limped back to my car for a sweatshirt and returned to see Sam finish, ogle the food but not eat any of it, snap some pics, chug some coffee.

Tampa and Pirates...it makes sense!

Sam and I sporting our Operation Jack shirts and nifty medals

Just some of the food provided by the Columbia restaurant...

Sticker in the Starbucks across from the race...so true!!!

Since the arch of my foot hurt so much, I decided to cave and buy Vibram KSOs in Tampa at Fit2Run, a runner's paradise. My best friend helped me choose the least weird color (black was sold-out in my size) and I sported them around the mall and at lunch since my foot felt better in them than in my Mizunos. Hmm...I'll keep testing them and let you know my final verdict. Since I've been sick (can't shake this cold), I've been taking rest days and hope that my arch and still hurting right leg heal soon. Fingers crossed as the Malibu Creek 50k is only days away.

Orange Curtain 100K- How was I the female winner?!?!?!

2010-02-21T16:46:00.000-08:00

WARNING- LONG RACE REPORT TO FOLLOW!!!
The race consisted of running from the start 3.1 miles on a bike path (or in the dirt alongside it) to the turnaround/aid station and returning to the start. In other words, one out/back was a 10k lap. The 50K runners would do it 5 times and the suckers in for the 100K would do it 10 times. The race director reminded us 100K crazies that we could drop at any time after the 50K mark and receive a 50K finishing time. That was never an option for me as I knew I had to finish using whatever means necessary. I knew I would use a walk/run strategy but I'm bad at sticking to schedules so my plan was to establish and follow the intervals of run/walk based on how I felt. Many of the miles blurred together but I'll try to recall what happened during the different laps, hoping I don't mix up when things happened too much. :) During all middle/end loops, it was cool to have the race director ride by on his bike and give encouragement...really enjoyed the race!

First loop (10k=6.2 miles)
I was chatting with few people as we began but almost all runners kept to the pavement and so only runners near the dirt where I ran got to engage in fantastic conversations with me.;) Many people took off fast (mostly 50K runners) and I kept checking my Garmin to make sure I was not getting carried away. I wanted to average 10 minute miles for the first 50K, which would give me plenty of time to finish the second 50K. I figured running in the mid-9s plus taking walk breaks would put me around that average. I kept catching myself in the 8:20-8:50s and desperately tried to settle into a slower rhythm. I passed one guy in the dirt who was also doing the 100k; he commented that I was running fast and I kept thinking I hoped I was not setting myself up for major crash/burn later. I felt very comfortable with my pace and, in fact, worried my hip flexors would hurt if I ran too slowly. When I hit the turnaround, the ones recording our numbers and times said I was the second female for the 100K. That shocked me and I started trying to figure out who was first so I could make sure I didn't pass that person. I was running beside one lady and I assumed she was in for the 100K and decided that I should not pass her as she was running high 8s and that was too fast for my goal. I realized bib numbers 1-49 were people in the 50K and 50 and above were 100K runners. I started checking bib numbers, except of the lady near me because I couldn't see hers. Another lady, whose number was slightly hidden, ran past me starting her second loop and I wondered if she was in for the 50K or the 100K; she was flying so no bib number left me wondering. My intention was to walk after the first 10K but I didn't see anyone else near me walking and I decided to wait to take walk breaks.

Second 10K (miles 6.3-12.4)
Nothing notable about the miles. I chatted with some runners around me, enjoyed seeing the lead 50K guy flying and hamming it up, and just settled into groove. I made sure I got Gatorade at the aid stations and took my first Gu around mile 10. Getting close to ending the lap, I saw a photographer and thought it was John, my boyfriend's co-worker who I knew was coming out to take pics for a couple of hours for AM Signature Photography. Quick porta-potty break and I was back out for my third loop.

Third 10K (miles 12.5- 18.6)
The skies started to clear more, the opposite of the rain that had been predicated, and I started to look at the surroundings of the course while listening to a long DJ mix by Above and Beyond. We were running by some parks, a place with horses, a Wal-Mart...nothing exciting. There were some bikers and other pedestrians on the bike path and most were nice, except for one jerk who yelled out obscenities because he had to pass a runner in the race. Total idiot! All the other people noticed we were part of a race and were very cool about sharing the path with us. Alan, my boyfriend, had joined John taking pics and I was very happy to see him. I got to see him a few times as they moved from one spot to another and he saw me on the out/back. He said he was leaving but would be back later and I looked forward to having him there at the finish. Ending the loop (or the next one), I met Jay, the race director, and he said he had spoken to my photographers....lol. I let him know it was my boyfriend and boyfriend's co-worker. Jay seemed very cool about their being there and I was just happy to be almost 1/3 of the way done and with some pics of my running as a bonus. I did my walk strategy leaving the aid station by walking 0.2 miles before running again.

About 2 hours into the race

Sending Alan kisses (I'm too gross to kiss during a race!!)

Few minutes later; getting ready to head into dodging of water puddle underpass

Moments later...according to time stamp on pic files:)

Smiling while running is good!

Blowing Alan kisses...

More kisses to the best boyfriend in the world!

Alan capturing my kisses:)

Fourth 10K (miles 18.7- 24.8)
I kept saying hi to the other runners, yelling my last bit of encouragement to the guy who was making his way to the finish line as the winner of the 50K, and finally chatted with the lady who I was running near; she and I had traded off "leading" and she told me it was my time to lead. I laughed and told her she was doing a great job pacing me so she could stay in front; I asked if she was doing the 100K and she said she was in for the 50K! Eeeeek. That was my cue to slow down! I hit the turnaround and again did a 0.2 walk. I have no clue when I took my second Gu but I ended up having to take a Salt Stick capsule at some point because my fingers were swollen like balloons.

Fifth 10K (miles 24.9- 31)
Starting on my 5 lap, I got a huge surprise as I saw Sam and his son, Jack; Sam's the one running 60 marathons this year to raise funds for Train4Autism. They were nearby for their session in the hyperbaric chamber and decided to drop by and cheer me on. It worked out perfectly as they had just arrived when I came by. I chatted for a minute, told him how I was doing (ahead of schedule), and posed for quick picture. That brightened my race and gave me more inspiration. My legs were really tired during the loop and I realized I was not fueling often enough/getting enough calories per hour. I hit the marathon mark in 4:05 and again realized I must slow down and force myself to walk more. Ending the lap, I was an hour ahead of schedule and my right hip flexor/quad/ITB and left foot were hurting, a sign of more pain to come. Leaving the aid station and heading out for the next loop, I stopped and chatted with Bill Ramsey, a man I met last year when I got injured at the PCT50; he was in for the 100K but decided to stop at 50K; he said the course was harder on the legs than any trail run. That made me feel better about the aches I was feeling and my chances of surviving my first 100.

Pic courtesy of Sam around mile 25- Thanks to him for being there!!! He rocks!

Sixth loop (miles 31.1-37.2)
Nothing notable except I finally figured out who the lady I would end up battling for the win was. She was the one I had noticed early in the race. At some point I passed her and she said, "Go girl..you go get it." The aches in my right leg and left foot got progressively worse and I looked forward to seeing my friend Deirdre at the end of the loop; I had told her to be there sometime noon or after and I ended the lap around noon. She was great about refilling my water bottle, chatting with me, encouraging me while I sat on the ground. I noticed my right leg was swollen above my knee and that it was very knotted; I massaged it hard and used the stick hoping for the best. I removed my left shoe and tried to work on the huge knot in my arch. I considered changing shoes but decided to stick with my plan of changing after my next loop. I headed back out and implemented a new strategy- walk 0.5 miles every turnaround and walk some every mile.

Seventh loop (miles 37.2-43.4)
Foot hurt so badly I had to stop and massage it again. Right leg also got some more treatment. Again noticed I was dizzy and needed to take in more sugar when the ground looked like it was rolling. Took 200mg of Advil at mile 40. I knew the lady I was leading was close behind me but I was not concerned; I was in survival mode/avoid too much pain mode. I chatted with some runners who were a lap behind me and the conversations broke up the miles. I was soooo happy to get back to my drop bag, rub my foot, change shoes, massage my aching/knotted right leg, and take off with only 2 laps to go.

Eighth loop (miles 42.5-49.6)
Starting trading places with other 100K leading lady; she would pass me when I was walking and I would pass her when running. We chatted for a bit and she seemed very nice. My foot was somewhat happier with new shoes but still hurting. I kept battling feeling really tired and kept realizing I needed more calories. I kept taking 0.5 mile walk breaks but was still able to run in the 8s, 9s when running.

Ninth loop (miles 49.7-54.8)
Same as last loop, except at turnaround the volunteers commented that I was battling that lady for first. I told them she could have it as my legs were done; they didn't like that response...lol. When she passed me heading back to end the loop, I told her all I cared about was finishing and I encouraged her to take the win. We chatted and turns out we were both out for the same thing- just finishing, Ending the lap, I saw Alan and I was so happy to see him!!! But was sad he didn't have the diet coke I requested...I yelled for him to go get it, expecting him to have it for me at the finish.

So happy to see Alan and to have 1 lap to go!

I'm trying to smile:)

Coke- not the same as Diet Coke- but trying to find some energy

Missed the garbage..."Alan, can you get that, please?"

Tenth loop/Finish
My competitive nature set in and, when I saw Alan holding out the diet coke he had gotten permission to hand me, I barely took two sips because I wanted to keep momentum. I ran as much as I could but ended up being so low on energy that I had to do more walk breaks than I hoped..sometimes could only run half mile before needing a break. Got my spirits lifted by seeing a guy who had passed me way earlier in the race pumped heading towards the finish line. I got lots of encouragement by other guys and girls who realized I was on my last lap. With only 3.1 miles to go, I tried to muster everything in me to run. I knew I had a lead and I was so tired I didn't care if I was first or second; I was just shocked to be finishing it feeling okay. I kept to run/walk and would do run 0.4/walk 0.2, stretching out run part when I had enough energy. With a mile to go, I walked slightly more in order to save energy for sprinting to the finish. And sprint I did...I was so pumped to be finished and being the female winner was icing on the cake. Garmin time: 10:56! I got big surprise seeing my friend Tiffany and her son Benjamin waiting with Alan at the finish. I cheered for the second place lady and finally got to do formal introductions/learn her name (Jeri). Very cool to learn that we are both doing SD100.

Starting to sprint to finish line

Final surge

I'm a little happy!

I love Diet Coke!

Alan was so awesome! He kissed/hugged me in all my "disgustingness" and got me red roses!!!

Tiffany and I- she's the best!!!

62.58 miles ...lol!

So cold! We couldn't wait for the RD to do the award part!

Flowers from Alan, Tiffany, race...love them!

Ice bath...well the ice melted so I should have used more. Look of having the worst blisters ever- no pics of those allowed!

Orange Curtain 100K RR- Pre-race

2010-02-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

Since the race was long, my race report will be long but I'll take of of pre-race details in this post.:) Most of you know that I decided to run the Orange Curtain 100K in order to meet the qualifying requirements for my goal race, the San Diego 100. I was definitely nervous about the race because my I have not done many long training runs (over 12 miles) in the past 7 months. My longest runs recently were two marathons this year and, though I ran those comfortably, 62 miles is a lot farther than 26.2!! I was especially concerned about how my body (and mind) would handle the course. The course is an out/back 3.1 mile trek on a bike path along and small "river." I knew there was a dirt path alongside the pavement and I fully intended on running on the dirt because my legs would hate me otherwise. The course is extremely flat with the only slight ups/downs being when we cross under 3 overpasses and I was very worried about my legs holding up under extremely repetitive forces; at least trails or hilly runs allow the leg muscles to be used differently and cause less strain.

My fears about the distance were lessened because I kept reminding myself that I've covered the distance before. I did a 65 mile "run" last year the evening of July 3rd into the morning of July 4th; however, that run caused my left ITB to hurt around mile 20 something and to lock up completely by mile 39ish; I ended up walking most of the last 25 miles in excruciating pain. That run was a course I mapped out and it had some elevation changes and variety in scenery...in other words, it was mentally easier (plus, I was doing it as a memorial to my father who passed away the previous July 4th so nothing could prevent me from finishing it).

Two days before the race, I made a list of the things that I might need during the race and Thursday/Friday, I hit my local Target and REI to load up on stuff for my drop bag..oh and to buy a waterproof bag in case it rained. I looked at many bags and settled on a large Drybloc one by Granite Gear since it would be large enough for all my stuff and, especially, my stick. Friday night I nervously packed, putting items into ziploc bags and trying to organize things so that I could easily find them. I packed my drop bag, a bag with clothes/towel for car for post-race, and bag with things I would be wearing (Garmin, ipod, Ultimate Direction fuel belt). Finally went to bed around 9:30pm and tossed/turned until almost 1am...just getting 3 hours of sleep before crawling out of bed and succumbing to my alarm at 4:15.

For after the race

Stuff for drop bag and to wear during race

After quickly getting dressed in my Operation Jack shirt and other gear, I made the short 30 minute drive to the race location, checked in (got my #54 and cool tech shirt), and then finished preparations for the race...more BodyGlide on feet, putting moleskin and athletic tape on blister-prone toes. I made my way to the start line around 5:50am and ran into a running buddy (James) who came out to say hi and see us start. I chatted with a woman who has completed almost 20 Ironmans and who was out for the 50K. The race director, Jay, gave a quick run through of the course and the race was on.

Shirt is dark orange/brown...iphone pic not so good;)

I'm finding my speed gear....

2010-02-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

I lost my speed gear last year and have not pushed any paces in so long that I feel like a slug. Tonight I finally had a run that makes me think my faster paces may come out of hibernation. I felt so slow starting out in the breezy conditions but I decided to push since I was only doing 3 miles; ended up tacking on a cool down mile because I was so happy!!!

Mile 1: 8:04
Mile 2: 7:31
Mile 3: 6:46 (yayayay!!! First sub-7 mile in almost a year!)
Mile 4: 7:47 (cool-down)

While tonight's run does absolutely nothing to help me prepare for Saturday, it was a huge boost to my confidence. I've avoided speedwork/tempo runs because they are hard (I'm lazy) and they aggravate my knee but yesterday's ART session made my knee feel so much better. I finally see hope in returning to the training paces that I was hitting late 2008/early 2009...I plan on keeping one run per week short and focused on speed so that training to run slower in the 100 does not equate to a loss of speed overall.

Happy Friday! - Friday starts early for me:)

Eeek! Orange Curtain 100K is days away!

2010-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

With my first 100K only days away, I am officially entering "freak out" mode. I've never completed a race longer than 32 miles due to injury and I feel very undertrained for Saturday. I'm especially worried that my nagging injuries are going to cause me much pain and that old injuries may rear their ugly heads. Today I spent time at Dr.Yu's in Manhattan Beach office getting A.R.T. (active release technique...basically the most painful deep tissue manipulation imaginable) done. Unfortunately, he confirmed what I've been fearing- that my left ITB is very tight and that there are bands of scar tissue along my adductors (inner thigh muscles), hamstrings, and quads. My left ITB is what locked up last summer and brought me to tears on the run that knocked me out of training for months. The scar tissue is causing my knee to be pulled out of place, creating the pain that never dissipates. Sweet. Just what I needed to hear days before my longest race. Foam rolling never seems to help with the ITB issue but I'm going to be spending loads of quality time doing that and adding more ITB stretches over the next couple of days; it can't hurt to do everything possible, right?

Right now I'm doing my customary shocking of the muscles with my handy-dandy TENS machine; yes, boys and girls, my chiropractor made sure I had my very own electrical stimulation machine a couple of years ago when it became apparent that my body does not respond to distance running very well. Fingers are crossed that all of this helps and that I make it 62 miles without major ITB or knee issues or messing up my recently-sprained ankle.

So much can go wrong on Saturday that I'm refocusing my attention to preparing a list of items I need to buy and things I'll need for my drop bag (bag I'll have at the start/finish/every 6.2 miles). So far, I've thought of the following:
contact lens case; eye drops; PowerBar; banana; ziploc bags; Gu; shot blocks; Desitin/Body Glide; salt stick capsules; Icy Hot; change of shoes/socks/insoles; sunblock; "The Stick"; baby wipes; safety pin and alcohol wipes (in case pop blisters); moleskin; athletic tape; scissors; sunglasses
Quite a list so far and I'm sure there are things I've yet to think of. I'm starting to think I'll wake up in the middle of the night with some random item in my thoughts.

Taper madness is definitely getting the best of me as all this energy would normally be diverted to running; I've limited my running to a measly 8 miler on Monday but will get in 3-5 tomorrow to restore some sense of sanity. And then I'll start packing my drop bag, putting new songs on my ipod, and giving my legs some more at-home physical therapy. If I'm this wound up over a flat, "simple" 100K, how on earth will I be days before my first 100 miler? Scary thought...

Take care and go run some miles for me:)

Laziness or just missing my running buddies?

2010-02-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Ah...a day off from work. A time to sleep in, take care of errands, and run, right? I did great at the sleep in part since last night I went to Pasadena to hear my boyfriend's band, Regal Beagle, perform at the Pub. I loved hearing them since they don't perform very often anymore, but it made for a longer day than I am accustomed to having. Needless to say, I managed to stay in bed past my customary 5:30 wake-up time but it must not have been enough. I took care of many top errands- scheduling and going to an optometrist appointment (they hooked me up with deal on eye exam plus contacts plus doc was awesome), mailing in my application for the Orange Curtain 100K (next weekend...eeeeek).

Alan (BF) rockin' out

But the third item, run, has not happened as I've fallen victim to laziness or sadness. Since I feel I have to kick my training up a notch and can't skip many runs, I feel pretty crappy for bailing on today's trail run. I spent this morning searching for an OC park with open trails (many are closed due to recent rains) and zoned in on Aliso and Wood Canyons and even mapped out a nice 10+ mile route. I posted on RWOL and FB that I was going to run it but, after getting my eye exam, I suddenly felt very tired and unmotivated. For weeks I had planned on running with Ryan (my SD 100 partner and instigator of all this craziness) and Billy, but Ryan was unable to come in from Hawaii and Billy's foot is hurting. I know I could go run alone today with a great new trail area to traverse, but the thought of running alone is unappealing after having it set in my mind that I'd be running with friends today. Silly? Maybe. Or maybe it just shows how much running and friends go together for me. I normally love the solitude of hitting the trails or roads alone and enjoy my quiet, alone time but today has been different.

I'll do some yoga and maybe some weights later to make up for my lack of training today. I still can't believe I wasted a gorgeous southern California day by not taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time in nature, basking in the wonderful sunshine. Sigh. A day of training down the drain sucks but a day of realizing how much my friends mean to me is priceless. It's crazy to think that these are the people I met via a running discussion board not long ago, but yet they are friends who have shared in the ups and downs of my life over the past year and half. Earlier in the week, I responded on RWOL to what I love to run and I listed the people I've met. Well, today confirms how much that is true. As I consider the crazy events I will be running during 2010, I look forward to the ones where my friends will be there more than any others.

Tomorrow I'm volunteering at the Twin Peaks 50/50 (1st time volunteering at a running event), so good luck to anyone participating in it or in any event this weekend. Since I'm celebrating Chinese New Year this weekend, I also wish everyone happy new year!!!

Surf City Marathon Weekend Recap

2010-02-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Background
I ran the Surf City Marathon in 2008 as my second marathon and returned this year hoping that my rain-go-away dance would work so that my 10th marathon would not earn the title "Soak City Round 2." Since I'm now in full "training-to-not-die-in-upcoming-ultras" mode, I changed my goal from earning another BQ (my 1st post-injury-filled 2009) to chilling and running at comfortable pace (aka. finishing in 4+ hours). I had been averaging less than 30 miles per week heading into the marathon and had fewer long runs in recent months than before any of my other marathons, normally a combination that would stress me out. Yet, it was awesome in that I had virtually zero stress about the marathon and got to focus on enjoying time with friends.

Saturday - FE (Forum Encounter)/Operation Jack Dinner
I'd been looking forward to Saturday more than anything because Lucia, a friend from RWOL, was coming in from Truckee for the race and we'd finally get the chance to hangout and share some laughs. I picked her up from the airport and we took advantage of a break in the rain to hit the race expo. Wow. The place was completely packed and that's when I felt what would really hit home during the race- that the race has outgrown its expo tents and narrow bike paths. Lucia and I wasted no time in getting our bibs, shirts, and hitting the PowerBalance booth so that she could exchange her wristband and I could resist the urge to buy one; I'm still on the fence about it but may cave soon since I'll need all the help I can get to get through the SD 100. I dropped by the legacy booth to pick up my "special" T-shirt for participating in my 3rd consecutive S.C. event. We decided to hit main street for some grub and drinks and wound up at BJ's pizza where I got to be one of the first toorder their new strawberry mojito...yummy!!! Unfortunately, the rain returned when it was time to leave so we got to test our puddle jumping skills and BJ's takeout bags as umbrellas; I give it a thumbs up as it kept my hair from getting drenched.

Lucia and I with our "umbrellas"

We eventually made our way to the RWOL FE/Operation Jack fundraising dinner. My friends Sam and Tiffany and Train 4 Autism did an awesome job of getting a place large enough to accomodate all of us and making sure we had enough pasta for carb-loading heaven. I had a blast reuniting with fellow runners I've met at other running events and meeting new ones but was not looking forward to waking up at 4am.

Me, Sam, Alan (BF)

RWOL crew

Race Day
After a sleepless night spent tossing and turning and hoping for quiet, I drug my butt out of bed at 4:15am, got dressed, and made my way to Huntington Beach afer a good luck kiss from Alan. I scored a spot as close to the starting line as possible, set my alarm and napped until 5:45 when I awoke and finished getting ready. I decided to violate the "never try something new on race day" rule by wearing new shoes with insoles, a combo I hoped would not give me blisters...thank goodness for Body Glide. I made my way to the starting line around 6:15, stopped by the Train 4 Autism tent and met up with Sam who was getting ready to assume his 3:30 pacing duties. We made our way to the starting line and I eventually saw Emil, who I wanted to hang with for at least part of the race. After a very odd and disorganized "wave" start, I made my way across the starting line and started dodging way too many people, losing Emil in the process. I settled into a groove of a cruising pace and kept checking my Garmin to make sure I was not going too fast; Emil caught me and then took off while I silently repeated, "jog...jog..jog."

I caught the 3:50 pace group (started before me) around mile 5 and realized I needed to stick with them and slow down. I twisted my already-sprained ankle around mile 6 and hoped that it would not come back to haunt me (whew...it was okay). I really felt the effects of a larger marathon crowd trying to cram onto a narrow bike path through the HB parks and welcomed being back on the wide streets. Emil and I wound up together for a bit and we both agreed that the 3:50 pacer was doing a horrible job at running an even pace; I decided to split from the group and bounded up the last "hill." I downed my first Gu and took a quick porta-potty stop around mile 10 before turning onto Pacific Coast Highway; then I resisted the urge to push and catch the pace group. Nevertheless, I caught and passed that group and actually considered picking up the pace and going for 3:40; then remembered that I could not jeopardize my legs getting burned out and again backed down. Turning on the bike path around mile 17, I caught another 3:50 pace group (huh?!) and decided to stick with them to help with the boring out/back...that didn't last too long as I felt I was running in place on the narrow course. I ended up on my own and loved when I saw people I knew along the course...cheered for Sam a couple of times and knew he'd nail that 3:30 pacing gig again. I consumed my second/final Gu around mile 18 and noted that I felt much better than I did at mile 18 of my last marathon.

I was looking forward to seeing Lucia (did the half as a training run) as we had plans for her to meet me at mile 24 and run with me the last couple of miles. Since I was ahead of schedule, that didn't work out. I decided to walk for 0.1 of mile around 24.5 to see if that would help her find me...no luck so I tried again around 25.1 and 25.4 with no luck. As I turned onto PCH for the final stretch, I heard, "Rachel!" and Lucia joined me for the last few tenths of a mile. Crossing the finish line in 3:47 I was stoked with how good I felt and how easy that pace felt...so, I didn't give myself too much grief for running faster than "training run" pace.

Post-race

Unfortunately, Lucia had to leave for the aiport but I grabbed lunch and beer at BJ's with Billy, who kicked butt in his first race after suffering a stress fracture. As always, the best part about racing weekends is getting to hang with friends before/during/after and this weekend was no exception. Surf City falling on the same day as the SuperBowl makes celebrating all day long a necessity. Since refueling is essential to training, I made sure I consumed tons of scrumptious tacos, chips, cookies/cupcake at a SuperBowl party I attended with Alan. Yesterday was physical therapy and lots of icing, etc. for my ankle and work on all my other nagging muscular issues....but thankfully my body felt no different than before the race. Sweet! I resumed training today sticking to the treadmill and stairmaster with my fingers crossed that the rain goes away so that I can hit the trails this weekend.

Til later...enjoy your day!

Why am I here?/Support Operation Jack!!!

2010-02-04T19:43:00.001-08:00

Welcome! I can't believe I'm actually following through with sharing parts of my life via a blog. The thought of writing a blog has come and gone at various times in my life...gone because I felt I had nothing notable to share with the world. I still have nothing so fantastic to express but since I'm jumping on the crazy train, I might as well share this adventure with whomever is bored or intrigued enough to read my ramblings.

I'm now training for my first 100 mile race...yes, that's 100 miles run as one run over the course of less than 31 hours. Crazy? Yep. I ordered my straight jacket the same day I forked over the application fee. I hope writing will at least help me stay slightly sane as I deal with all the ups and downs I face over the next four months leading up to the San Diego 100. Along the way, I'll share my thoughts so that you can know what on earth goes through someone's head as they prepare for that type of event.

I started running in May 2007 for reasons I'll explain another day. Running provided me with an outlet for dealing with hardships and stresses in life and I was quickly hooked. I found a wonderful online community on Runner's World and I made several friends via that site. Those are the people who have influenced me to test my physical and mental limits over the past two years. I mailed in my application for the SD 100 exactly 14 days ago and got confirmation that I was conditionally accepted 12 days ago; that's the day I realized I needed to start training (yikes!!! How do I do that?!). Thankfully, I already have 2 road marathons booked for this month, so I'll use those as slow training runs instead of running them as fast as I can (pretty slow right now for me....but I digress).

In two days, I'm running the Surf City Marathon for the third consecutive year; however, this time I'm doing it to support Operation Jack, a charity organized by my friend Sam. Sam's middle son is autistic and Sam is running 60 marathons this year(!!!) in order to raise awareness for autism and to raise money to support Train 4 Autism. Train 4 Autism is a charity that provides people with the resources they need to train for and complete an athletic event while raising funds for an autism-related charity of their choosing. Autism is being diagnosed in about 1 in 100 children, a statistic that scares the "science teacher" side of me. Since autism is the fastest growing diagnosed neurological disorder in the US, there is a tremendous need to support autism charities.

Sam, me, Billy around 2am July 4th (stay tuned for "why")

Since I sprained my ankle less than two weeks ago, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will cooperate so that I finish the race without pain and, more importantly, that people will support Operation Jack/Train 4 Autism since that's the reason why I am staying off the trails this weekend and pounding the pavement in Huntington Beach instead. Thankfully the pouring rain (I thought it never rained in southern Cal?!) is making being off the trails slightly easier today, which is good since I really need to work on my to-do list and get ready to rock-n-roll Sunday morning.

If you're running Surf City, I hope to see you before the race! If you don't run, I hope that at some point this blog encourages you to put on some shoes and pick up those feet...it's good for you, I promise.

-Rachel