I woke up sore this morning from moving and unpacking boxes last night. Carrying boxes up and down stairs is a significant work out for me. I wasn't really planning on running today because I'm doing a half marathon tomorrow, but I didn't want to disappoint my running buddy. So I got her out on the trail under false pretenses. It was only then did I tell her that I was planning on walking. I walked a leisurely pace for 4 miles while she completed a 7 mile run. It was a beautiful day to be out on the trail. The birds were out and singing and the sun was gorgeous. I even managed to see (and hear!) a woodpecker. The walk was able to work out my soreness, so hopefully I'll be good to go tomorrow.
The drive to Oakland was rather uneventful and I'm sorry to say so was the running expo. I know this is an inaugural event but the running expo was the tiniest thing I've ever seen. Not a whole lot of products or free stuff. It was almost a why bother. At least I didn't have to worry about buying anything! The nice thing is that the volunteers outnumbered the participants and were very helpful. Hopefully the same is true out on the course and it will all be worth it. After a five minute trip to the expo, yes, that was all it took to get my gear and walk through the mini-maze of non-existent exhibitors, I checked into my hotel and was pleasantly surprised. You never know what you get when you make hotel reservations on travel sites and my track record in the recent past hasn't been that great. This place looks like Melrose Place. All the rooms face out on a common courtyard that is the pool. Hopefully that is where the similarities end and there won't be any Melrose Drama to interrupt my pre-race slumber.
The last time I did hill repeats was on a hill in Kirkland parallel to 90 that was a total beast. It was short and very steep. A group of girls conquered that monster again and again every Thursday night. It was always gruesome but it made me stronger.
Fast forward 10 years. My running buddy wants to run a half marathon in August with the following elevation profile.
I'm not sure this is exactly my idea of fun but I'm game for new adventures and at least I have time to prepare. And there is no time better than the present. I found a hill that is about a quarter mile long, not the steepest but a nice gradual incline. I did a short warm-up and then attacked the hill. I sounded like my lungs were weakly powering a sickly set of bagpipes or an accordion that has been attacked by moths. Fortunately I didn't need CPR and my lungs were able to power the legs and arms up the hill four times. Not bad after a ten year hiatus! We'll see how I feel tomorrow and whether or not I begin a new Thursday tradition.
It was gorgeous today. As I was exploring what will hopefully become my new neighborhood next week, I followed the signs to a park entrance (new to me!) to see where it entered the bike trail. A great entry point only a couple miles from my new neighborhood. It didn't make sense to just turn around, so I parked and went for a three mile walk along the trail. Momentarily, I thought about how unpleasant it was going to be since I was wearing heavy jeans and a cotton t-shirt but I had a pair of older running shoes on and that's what really matters so off I went. Now I understand the benefits of technical fabric and one of my favorite substances, Body Glide. Walking at a good clip generated a sweat and it wasn't the most pleasant experience but I'm thankful that I got out and moved today and didn't allow excuses to interrupt. As an extra benefit, I had a close encounter with 3 deer, an egret, AND a wild turkey! Spring is definitely here. I can't wait to dust off the bike and log some miles.
The obsession continues. My recovery after Shamrock'n has gone well which means I'm still upright and moving forward, so what's one more half marathon? I signed up for the inaugural Oakland half marathon next weekend. It sounds like a great run in the city and a nice way to kick off my spring break. Some people go to Cancun and drink like fish for a week, I pay to run 13.1 miles and pray not to be sore for a week! The hardware makes it all worth it.
In preparation for next week, finished a 7 mile run this morning with my speedster training partner. One day, my hope is to keep up. It was fun plotting our next steps together since the training group we belonged to just ended. I feel that there are some exciting things on the horizon.
I did a slow 2.5 mile recovery walk/run today to loosen up the muscles from the half marathon yesterday. I can't remember the last time I did a mid-week run. It's been awhile. Daylight Savings Time Rocks!! The run was just around the neighborhood and I saw a couple red-winged blackbirds. Back home once I downloaded my Garmin and discovered that I actually ran on water! Satellites don't lie right? I have google map evidence. It clearly shows that I started my run in the river and still managed to finish. Isn't that considered a miracle? It's even more miraculous considering I can't swim. As the penguin said, "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
Even though I didn't literally start my run in the river, I think the image represents my journey so far. I began running regularly only 8 months ago. Those initial runs and half marathons were hard, much like running on water. The thought of completing 8 half marathons in six months seems ridiculously impossible, much like running on water. I kept finding the courage somewhere among all the daily stresses to continue. That's my goal as I move forward. Even if the task appears as impossible as running on water, there is always that next race, that next challenge that serves as the finish line on the horizon. As I continue to get stronger, faster, and make progress that end point gets redefined for the next challenge. Truly miraculous.
I finished my 8th half marathon since October and I feel like it was my best one yet. My pace was relatively consistent throughout the race without any breakdown the last few miles of the race. Yeah!! The Shamrock'n folks put on a great event. There were TONS of people there but the wave start made it so there was no need for defensive running at the start. The course had plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged. My final time was 3:05.53 which was only 3 minutes off my PR which I think is fantastic considering that I missed out on several weeks of training due to illness AND I needed two potty stops along the way! I'll monitor my recovery and then perhaps complete the half marathon in Oakland in a couple weeks.
Does playing soccer with first graders during recess count as a workout? Probably not much of one, but it sure was fun. The weather was great, the grass was freshly mowed, and the competition was fierce! I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to keep up. Six year olds have some serious soccer skills and are super quick. Fun times.
The schedule said 11 miles today. I started with the early groups to buy me some extra time. I went 12.32 miles instead. At the turn around, I was in desperate need for a bathroom and not a lot of options when I turned around. So I kept pushing ahead knowing it would add some extra miles. I'm glad nature called when it did. My hope is that the extra mileage will help next week. By the last 1.5 miles, I definitely started feeling like my usual tired self at that point of the race but pushed through it. Amazingly enough, my pace was fairly consistent throughout the run. Hopefully, that little extra will get me across the finish line next week with a respectable time given all my recent illnesses.
