First rule of Zombieland: Cardio

(Feeling strong at Valley of the Moon!)

I survived marathon number 2.

Ok, now is not the time for modesty. I did more than survive. I knocked 20 minutes off my previous time. I'm sore, but I'm moving. My knees aren't killing me. In fact they feel great. My hips are very sore, but they always are. And it's Tuesday again! Tuesday Night Race time! I'll decide when I get there whether I'll be doing Farm or Lightning. I SHOULD just do farm. But I never do what I should do. I checked my calendar for what I did after the Mayor's marathon. It was pretty ridiculous. long walks at kincaid. hiking bird ridge, hiking flat top, running, biking, swimming etc.

So maybe I'll just do Lightning after all.

marathon stats:

official time - 4:28:28

41 out of 60 total

16 out of 22 women

average pace: 10:15

first half pace was 9:46 (first half time approx. 2:08)

second half pace...10:32.

Sooooooooo I didn't make my ambitious goal of 4:20. But I had another goal in my head of 4:30 and if I hadn't made that one I was going to be upset. Put out if you will. If I didn't make 4:20 I wasn't really going to be disappointed. I think it's within my ability to run a 4:20 though. Maybe next year. Overlal though I am very very very pleased with my run. I went out fast. I probably shouldn't have. But I was feeling so good. I was running some sub 9:30 miles there for a little bit. But the first part of the course had a lot of downhill. I hit the wall with 6.5 miles to go. Had to walk a little. And definitely walk/jogged up the last hill. I tried to jog the flats and walk the up of that last half mile uphill. I feel like I handled it ok.

Major thanks to Krista for jogging almost 2 miles with me at the critical half way point. Also thanks to Micah for being there to cheer me on. Always great to see familiar faces!

More thanks to Paul for being my photographer and cheering me on at multiple locations. Definitely gave me something to look forward to!

(Smoking it at Westchester Lagoon)(Last long grueling uphill to Kincaid!)

Bicycle Pin-Ups!

When I bought my bike I felt like I had just bought a flashy sports car. When I think of fast cars I think of hot women sprawled across the hood. So, here's my version. Major thanks to Gavin Tate for the photography work.

What if?

There's one aspect of training that doesn't get much attention, and that's the mental aspect of it all.


I'm physically ready for Saturday, but psychologically I am like a scared little child. I've spent weeks on the physical. Hours and hours and hours running. But I've spent more hours worrying about every little thing that could go wrong. And despite the hours of training, the psychological has me doubting just how physically ready I am for this race. Did I get enough long runs in? I only ran 16 miles this go around, what if I can't run more than 20? What if I'm slower than I was in June? What if I can't finish? How much of a failure will I feel if I'm slower, have to walk, am dead last, or hurt myself running? How much will that feeling of failure permeate into my every day life and how long will it linger?

This isn't the first endurance event I've done. This isn't the first time I've tackled these feelings and ended up victorious on the other side. I don't think it matters how many times I've been successful in the past, each new event presents it all in my head as something completely new. There's always a reason why this time it's going to be different.

This isn't a call for encouragement or sympathy. Just a window into what I'm thinking the week before the big day.

My ankle is feeling good. My throat has been sore for a few days though. I've got a few days for it to heal up though.

Tuesday Night Race tonight. Gonna take it super easy. It's at Bartlett which means crazy hills.

Tomorrow I'm going to take an easy swim. Thursday is an easy 3 miler. Friday is rest rest rest. Saturday is race day at 8am starting from Kincaid Park. If I make goal pace I will be at Goose Lake at 10:10am (10 minutes after the half marathoners start from Goose Lake. I'm hoping to be able to cheer on Kate, Jeri and Janelle as we cross paths right there at Goose Lake. For those of you out there...please please please! feel free to make it out anywhere along the trail to cheer me on. There is nothing quite like seeing a friendly face at mile 15, mile 20, etc. to distract from the monotony. Lots and lots of viewing points...Goose Lake, Valley of the Moon, Westchester Lagoon, Lynary Park, Earthquake Park, Point Woronzof. If you want an estimate of where I might be at any of those points just let me know.

12:10 at Kincaid. It's going to happen.

What if a Moose attacks? What if a bear attacks? What if I step on a porcupine? What if it snows? What if there's ice on the trail and I slip and fall? What if I run out of water? What if I get hit by a bicyclist? What if no one comes out to cheer? What if my ankle isn't really up to it? What if my ipod malfunctions? What if I'm not dressed warm enough? Dressed too warm? What if my car breaks down trying to get to the race start? What if...What if...What if...?



Post publishing edit: Can't believe I forgot to put Kate in there for doing the half! I'm so proud of you Kate for making this your 3rd half this year! Can't wait to help you train for a full for 2012. You have always been such an inspiration to me as well as a dedicated friend. You better make it hard for me to catch up to you!

RICE!

I had started out on an update Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling pretty good about my last long run, my speed was doing ok, and I had written a little bit and was going to finish the entry later in the evening.

And then I rolled my ankle at the Tuesday Night Race. It's doing ok, but Wednesday morning it was extremely cranky. Thursday morning it was just sore. Thursday afternoon it only twinged while making circles, and now, Friday after a morning ice session and advil I think I'm ready for my last long run tomorrow. But I did lay off my 7 mile speed workout yesterday to let it heal.

I was coming in to the last 2 minutes or so of the race and I just landed on my ankle completely wrong. I couldn't tell at the time what kind of damage had been done. Too much adrenaline and what not running through the body. And I calculated it out as doing 9:30 mile pace which for any sort of hills is definitely good for me. I went to trivia after the race but I was feeling rather paranoid about not being able to run the marathon. I haven't worked as long for this one as I did the first one, but I have put in quite a few hours and I am really looking forward to trying to beat my time. Perhaps I was overdue for an injury, since I've been basically injury free since I started running over a year ago. I'll be extremely bummed out and disappointed and depressed if I can't run next Saturday but I also don't want to run on an injury and be off exercising for a much longer time. I did not sleep well last night and I know it's because it's been a few days since a good workout.

We'll just have to see how the run goes tomorrow.

In other news my 16 miler last weekend went great. I took Ike out to Kincaid and we did 16 on the trails. But I don't know the mileage of the trails very well so I just did my 8 mile loop which is Margaux, Jodphur and Mize. and then I turned around and did it backwards. Nice combo of up and down, not too much up and up like doing Lekisch. And doing the loop backwards was almost like doing a new trail. Although Roller Coaster is just not much fun backwards. I'd like to learn the distance of the trails out there so I could do more of my long runs. But after the marathon, I think it will snow before I have a chance to do another long run. And here is my main question, why is there not a marathon on the Kincaid trails? I would do it. I think it would be fun. There's enough trail out there you wouldn't have to repeat anything. Maybe next summer I'll just stage one myself. Figure out the distance and spread the word.
All it needs is a catchy name...

Last week was tough. I worked 5.5 days. I didn't miss a work out, and I had social engagements for almost every night. I definitely can't keep that up. I have a lot going on right now socially and I have a feeling that that is what is going to disappear, almost completely when Ironman training really hits. I think I can still find time to hang with my friends at least once a week, and see family frequently, but if I am not already in a relationship by then, dating is just not going to happen. Too stressful. Not enough time. Wouldn't be fair.

So one of the big things I'd really like to do before my Ironman comes around is get to a race weight of 145. And I'd like to reach that goal before heavy training starts, since I know from past experience training for my marathon and such that I don't really lose while training. I'm about 155 now, I didn't think I could get below the 160 mark which was my goal that I reached at Christmas. I really struggled maintaining that until June when I somehow managed to control the food cravings and dropped 5lbs over 6 weeks. It comes and goes being able to be in complete control. My wager with Kevin right now is helping me stay at 155, and maybe by the time I go to visit him in Kodiak after the marathon I'll be a couple lighter. I told him I'd abstain from beer until getting there. A feat that is a big challenge with all the available homebrew I have right now. A 6 pack of deliciousness that Micah made and 2 kegs on tap in the garage from Pat. But staying off the beer cuts out a lot of calories. 5 points a beer! That's a 40 minute run! But lighter is faster and more likely to stay injury free. My knees and hips will thank me if I can drop another 10. But here's hoping it comes off the thighs and not the chest. I can't afford to lose anymore from that department. The last 5 lbs I swear came directly off my chest. I'll have negative boobage if I'm not careful.

Speedy McSpeedster!

Oktoberfest 10k Results

17th out of 41 for my age group (20-29)

53 out of 133 overall for women

Time: 57:02
Fastest in my age group: 42:13
Fastest for women: 40:05

Average pace: 9.2

Subtract the warm up 10:30 mile...pace for 5.2 miles: 8.94

Making progress!

I don't think I'll ever get close to those top ladies...but if I'd just dropped 30 seconds I would have been in the top 50. It's another 6 minutes to get to the top 25.

Runaway Bride!

The line for the bathroom was so long I barely got to the starting line in time. I normally try and have that all taken care of beforehand but this was an early race, starting at 9am. I require much caffeinated fortification by means of coffee to do anything before 10am. So I stood in line with fairies, cats, bees, etc., to use the facilities, which meant there was no time for a photo-op beforehand to get photos with the bride. The runaway bride ran away at the 5k/10k course split so she finished before me and promptly ran away again at the finish for wedding preparations. It was fun running all together at the start. Jeri's sister Janelle ran with us as well as Pat's sister Darcy (now Jeri's sister in law!) They all did the 5k so when we got to the split in the course I took off for the 10k and picked up the pace. There is immense satisfaction in passing a lot of people. This is a new experience for me and I will relish in all of my glorious roadkills. First mile running with the group was 10:30, the next 5 I averaged 9's. Perhaps it helped that I'd thought I was going to be running with the group the whole way so I did not bring my iPod. So, much like the Homer triathlon, I had only my footfalls and breathing to listen to for the rest of the run. I think it helped me focus on my breathing and getting into a good rhythm. It also probably didn't hurt to have people to catch up to and pass.

I felt good for the run. Legs were doing good, lungs were ok, but I now have blisters. My Nike's may not be the super shoe I'd hoped they would be. But they looked so good with my dress.


Arms Glo...Arms!! T-rex arms do not help!

I finished in approx 58 minutes. Official results have yet to be posted.

Since there was no one at the finish for me I thought, "why stick around? I've got nothing else to do today until the wedding"...so I jogged back down the trail until I caught up with Pastor Julia and Kate who were walking; Pastor Julia with 30+ lbs of Daniel on her back. I caught up with them after about a mile and a half and they proudly reported they were the red lanterns for the race. I had a great walk with them back to the finish.

I got to run/walk with friends, I got to dress up in a costume which I love, and I had a kick ass time for me. I think I can safely say it was a success. If that wasn't enough for the day, I topped it off by attending a beautiful wedding and a very fun party. Congratulations Pat and Jeri!

All we want is to eat your brains!

I think it's rather fitting to have a zombie marathon. I definitely start to feel like a zombie at the end of my long runs. Mile 18 rolls around and the feet just seem to move on their own...slowly. very very slowly. Have you ever seen a fast zombie? I think my asthma is a bit too high pitched for the proper groaning and moaning sounds for a zombie but we can pretend right?

I didn't quite get my act in gear early enough for proper training for my second marathon...but I'm into week 3 and things are going well. Knees are starting to feel it. But since I kind of went from only running about 10-14 miles a week to running 25-28 miles a week...I really shouldn't be complaining. They're doing the best they can. My feet are holding up well. I bought some new shoes. Nike Vomero 6. I have almost never bought the same shoes twice. I go to Skinny Raven and I try on shoes until I find the pair that feels right on my feet and right when I'm running. I was running on Saucony Progrids. Thats what I did the Mayor's Marathon in. They were ok. I felt like my heels were always kinda hurting though. I'm still using those for muddy runs. And they successfully carried me across Lost Lake, but they're well past their expiration date. I can't bring myself to sully my pretty purple shoes yet during the Tuesday Night Races. Speaking of which, I took 43 out of 52 this week. With a time of 46:05 for the 7.7km race. Last week it was 31 out of 33 and 53:46 for 8.8km. Sooooo I ran this week's faster. Not too surprising because it was 1. shorter. 2. a trail I new well. 3. didn't have single tracks. I notched it up a gear when I thought I was getting close to the finish...only...we weren't close to the finish so then I had to try and keep it going for the last 15 minutes or so. I refuse to look at my watch while running these races until I cross the finish. It was definitely a struggle trying to keep the pace. Sometimes I wish I just had a big label on my shirt that said "I'm not dying I just have asthma!" So as not to get all the weird concerned looks from people.

I've got a 15 miler tomorrow. Swapping my Thursday and Saturday runs so I can run the Oktoberfest 10k with Jeri before the wedding. Yay costume runs! I get to be an honorary bridesmaid for the race. Should be fun. I'll post pictures as soon as I get them. I'm trying to map out a course to combine getting to regular Thursday game night which is up on hillside and my 15 miles. I think I've got it figured out. Not looking forward to the hills but, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? Or as Dad would say, "Thank you hills for toughening up my body."

Race day for marathon #2 is October 15. I'm hoping for a faster time than the Mayor's marathon. I'd like to do it in 4:30. One of my training books suggests making big goals for times. Tell yourself that's what you're going to do it in. Post it around the house. Tell everyone that's your goal. Why pick goals you know you can make. If you know you can run something at a certain pace and you say that's your goal how satisfying is it when you achieve it? So I set big goals for Lost Lake and for the Homer triathlon. I reached both. I was giddy with success. Which makes me think maybe 4:30 is too attainable. 4:20 Why not. I like the stoner reference too. In terms of the race, I think I'll do ok until mile 20. The course is Kincaid to Goose Lake and back. So that means on the return I'll have the hill climb from earthquake to Pt Woronzoft so from mile 18-21 will be rough...and then the last half mile is uphill as well. I will definitely have turned into a zombie by then. Runners are encouraged to dress the part. I do not want to run 26.2 miles in a zombie costume or zombie make up. I do not need to be one big fat walking pimple post race. My skin and zombie make up are probably not a good mix. And I can't really imagine any sort of zombie clothing that will be running friendly. So I'll just have to act the part. Shouldn't be too hard. But instead of groaning for BRAINS! I'll be screaming for BEER! PIZZA! ICEBATH! ADVIL!

Any zombie costume suggestions are highly encouraged.

Adventures in Homer

Mom and I got a late start heading out of Anchorage on Friday night. Destination? Homer, AK for the Homer Mariner Iron Man Triathlon. Why they call it an Iron Man I have no clue as it is a sprint distance course but I suppose you can call things whatever you want. I might have called it the "you better have the right set of gears for climbing up that 3 mile hill or you will be miserable" triathlon but I don't think it has nearly the same ring to it. Mom and I made it to the Eisses's cabin near Clam Gulch well after 10:30pm where we promptly crawled into bed, set alarms and fell asleep. I only had to get up twice to go to the bathroom. It was almost worth it to see the stars though. Stars! Thousands of them...way too many to count. It was a special sight.

5:30 is far too early to get up in the morning. Hence perhaps why the coffee spilled into the peanut butter. But we finally got on our way out the door properly fueled by my "super oatmeal" and coffee and hit the road for Homer, about another hour down the road. Upon arriving at the high school and checking in and trying to find my start time they can only tell me they don't even have a number for me and to check back soon. So we head down to The Spit to drop off my shoes for the bike to run transition. Only we don't actually know where this transition is supposed to take place. We drive up and down thinking we'll see some sort of sign or some sort of indication that this is where in just about an hour or so bikers will be coming through and transitioning to the run. No signs. No indications. Nothing. Tension is getting a little high as the minutes drag by and it's well past when the first swimmers have started. I finally call one of the race organizers or volunteers and get directed to a parking lot that has 4 pairs of shoes in it. Apparently there aren't many people switching shoes in this race. And then we realized mom could have just driven down later with my shoes while I was biking. Hindsight. Oh well!

Back at the high school they now have a number for me, #15 and there's only a few people left to swim. Some very nice locals clue me in to the 3 mile up hill on the bike. I thought it was 4 so I was actually relieved. 20 laps. 1000m. I still don't know my exact time. Close to 16 minutes. I lapped the other girl in my lane twice and was almost coming up on her for a third time when I happily pulled myself up out of the pool, down the hall and out to the bike. Not the fastest transition. Helmet on, bike shoes on, jacket on, off we go!


I was a bit slow on getting the computer going so...actual distance and ride time was a bit off. But I think I did the 15 miles in approximately 1:07-ish? And it was indeed about 3 miles uphill. 3 of the most grueling miles of my life. I did not have a low enough gear. Cadence was horrible...50? Speed? 5 mph for most of it. Occasionally getting up to 6. I kept thinking why am I doing this? I am so not in shape. This is the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm going to have to stop and walk...and then I finally rounded the top and a local was cheering people on. She said the most amazing thing I've ever heard. "You are a cyclist! Look at you go!" And I could care less if she said that to every person who topped the hill. It made my day. I smiled. I popped into my big fatty gears for going down hill and I rocked it. When I felt sturdy enough to glance at the computer it was showing 37mph. Until I hit the flat of the Spit and I struggled to maintain 17. But I at least had runners to look at now, and to cheer on.

I rolled up to the transition and tried to give a big smile to mom. Here is where I lost some time giving instructions on putting my bike in the car. But I was putting on my running shoes too and taking off the jacket...downing a GU...drinking water. I'd dropped my water bottle of gatorade at mile 8 of the bike. An unfortunate accident. I have dropped a water bottle a couple times while riding now, I may try to find a different style bottle. I can't feel my feet. They're cold and numb, but I've got 5 miles to run before this thing is over and we are gonna push it as best we can.

I wish I'd known ipods were ok for this race because there's nothing quite as monotonous as running down a straight, flat stretch of pavement with the only sounds of your ankle popping, your feet hitting the ground and your loud wheezy breathing. I tried to see how many times I'd count to 100 before reaching the next landmark. Then I tried counting in German. I only got to drei und vierzig before getting sick of that. But someone was catching up to me and that kept me occupied for quit some time trying to stay ahead of them without looking back. I could occasionally hear his footsteps. The feeling in my big toes finally came back. It's such a weird feeling when you can feel everything but the big toes. I also soundly refused to look at my watch until nearing the high school. I'd glanced at it while starting off on the run but that was it. Turns out that wasn't too bad of an idea. I had no clue how fast I was running I just knew I was pushing it as much as I could and not trigger an asthma attack. The course ends with a long up hill back to the high school. The older gentlemen that had been on my heels along the spit had passed me a ways back and I was trying to keep the gap close but the hill held me back. I crossed the finish line approx 45 minutes after starting out on the 5 mile run with an overall time of 2:10:45. Completely unaware that that would be 7th out of 20 women and only 18 minutes behind the winner. I was 15 minutes faster on the run than I told Mom I'd be so she missed my actual finish, but caught me right afterwards.

I felt good about it. I think I gave it my all. And I had a fun time. Not to mention a PR for running. 9 minute miles! Twilight 12k I ran a 9:41 pace.

After a most amazing hot shower Mom and I did some shopping. I picked up some cute shell earrings and necklace to remember the race. My race t-shirt is supposedly in the mail. They ran out of my size. When the hunger kicked in we found a little place for lunch. Deliciously greasy mushroom cheese burger and fries. I rarely indulge in the fried and greasy foods and I savored every bite. Yum.

The drive home was powered by diet mt. dew that probably saved our lives as I was struggling to stay awake at the wheel. But we arrived home safely and I soundly slept for 10 hours straight.

But it was a good time. I think Mom enjoyed it. And I think she got a feel for how supportive people are, why I find these kind of things fun. I know I was very glad she was there supporting me.

Overall Results

Why?

I finished my first marathon June 18th, 2011 with the slow but steady time of 4 hours 48 minutes and 26 seconds. Sometime during the following days as I was gingerly walking around and sleeping as much as possible, my mother asked me if I felt the need to do another one. With the memory fresh in my mind I casually said "oh I don't think so, not for a while at least, maybe a half marathon next year." She was relieved and confided that she didn't think it was all that healthy for me to push my body so hard. A week after running 26.2 miles I was climbing up Bird Ridge, a couple days later I was up Flattop, then running partway up Wolverine peak, and then climbing Mt. Marathon to cheer on my siblings Allen and Joyce as they raced on July 4th. I wasn't slowing down. I was relishing in seeing how hard and how far I could go. I had very casually lied to my mom and myself. And I had my second triathlon coming up on July 16th.

The thought of doing an Ironman had already entered into my head after my first triathlon, the Gold Nugget. I'd signed up on a whim. I trained marginally for the swim and bike portions. I'd been participating in a bicycle challenge all of April. "Freeze your keys" where you vowed to not drive your car and bike as much as possible. This is Alaska. It was still snowy/slushy/icy. But I did it. So I was in reasonable biking shape going into the triathlon but my bike was certainly not. A 1998 Mongoose Switchback with mountain bike tires, comfort mustache style handle bars and not to mention a fraction too small. Despite this however I rocked the bike, swam well (I learned to swim as a toddler) and didn't humiliate myself on the run. (I think I've mentioned I'm not very fast.) I was in love with the new sport. Was there another one I could sign up for? I started thinking about my budget. Could I afford a new bike? Alas, the Eagle River tri was already full by the time I realized it wouldn't really interfere with my marathon. But there was this off-road triathlon in July, could I mountain bike 13 miles? I don't like mountain biking. Sure! Sign me up. It will give me a goal to work towards after the marathon. And all the while I'm thinking about the ultimate triathlon challenge. Ironman.

I read 3 books on it in less than 2 weeks. I analyzed race courses, race dates, training programs. I consumed as much as I could.

And then I told mom.

She wasn't ecstatic.

It was a few weeks later before we talked about it again. She asked if I was happy. If training made me happy.

It does.

I get sore. I get blisters. My knees and hips hurt. I get frustrated and angry if I miss a workout. But challenging myself to get better....to do something most people don't do...to find out just how much I can do...how far can I go...that makes me happy.

The off-road triathlon "XTERRA Hammerman" at Kincaid park came and went. It was hard. It was exhilarating. It was fun.

Why am I doing an Ironman?

Because I spent years sitting on the couch. Years being fat and lazy. (In 2007 I weighed 208 lbs) Years watching other people run fast, run hard, run long and secretly wishing it was me.

I'm not fast. I never will be. I will never win a race. Never set a course record. But I can still run hard and long. I can bike hard and long and I can swim hard and long.

And doing that makes me happy.

If you never challenge yourself, how will you know what you are capable of doing?


--

I do my third triathlon tomorrow, in Homer. My mom is coming with me. I'm looking forward to sharing my joy with her.