My Partner at Work

Maui on my mind

(Rainbow off of the Kaanapali coastline on Maui - June 2006)

Some of my Hawaii history...

This trip will not be the first time I have been. Hawaii and I have had somewhat of a love affair since my teens. Just after my sophomore year in high school (summer of 1993), my dad sent me away on a trip for high school students in the area to study environmental science. The trip was put on by a teacher at Anderson High School, Jeff Schwarz, and involved getting course credit. We spent a total of eighteen days on three islands (Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii) hiking, swimming, snorkeling, studying, and seeing the sights. I learned a lot, got a rockin' tan, jumped off of waterfalls into natural pools of water, and hiked to see flowing lava and got close enough to poke a stick in part of it that was flowing. There was so much more to the trip. We only got to visit three islands that year because hurricane Iniki had blown through the fall before and ravaged the island of Kauai. To say the trip was life-changing is almost an understatement. I can pinpoint moments of that trip that made me into the woman I am today. I can see in my mind many of the first sights of that trip.

My dad and Rose travel to Maui (and other islands now and again) every year, sometimes twice, so I have visited with them on several occasions...December of my senior year in HS and got to take my friend Erin, a family trip with my brother Chris, family trip with the Tietz family, family trip with Chad, Chris and Kim (where my niece was conceived), and I'm sure once or twice that I'm forgetting to list here. I also visited Kauai with them on a family trip.

When I was a teacher (summer of 2003), I had the good fortune of getting to relive the environmental science trip again by being a teacher chaperone on the trip with Mr. Schwarz. This time I was an adult, I got to drive a van, and we visited four islands in 31 days. Again, this kind of trip is life-changing. Lots of hiking, lots of snorkeling, kayaking the ocean to see the Napili Coast on Kauai...and on and on. As an adult, I definitely appreciated what I was doing more than I did when I was fifteen.

Cut to today - Sometimes a family trip to Maui means seeing all the sights, especially if we are traveling with friends or family who have not seen the island. Sometimes we spend more time on the lawn chairs at the beach in the sun/shade. Regardless of what we do next week, I'm ready to return to the ocean breeze, the powerful sun rays, walking around in a bikini worrying about tan lines, and eating the uber-fresh Maui pineapple.

Down Time Rant

I'm not naming names. If you are reading this and think I'm talking about you, maybe you should take an extra day off of running just to be sure I'm not. Sort of like that Carly Simon song.

I just don't get why some people have jumped right back into marathon training mode. For those of us who ran Boston/Nashville, today is just now the 15th/10th day post-marathon. Some of my teammates are back to running 10+ miles a day and are already at 60/70 mile weeks. Forget the 10-15 days post-marathon, they were right back at it within a few days of their race. WTF? Well, really I get that there are reasons they have started running so much, but those are issues they can work out for themselves.

Most everyone I know who ran Boston/Nashville raced for a PR and gave their full effort or were forced to deal with hot weather that also took a toll on their bodies. These are also people whose idea of a taper...oh wait, we're calling a taper a 'peak phase' because we're not really lowering our mileage all that much...is running 40-60 miles all the way up through the week of the marathon. Umm...have these people forgotten that your body and mind must rest after a big race? All major athletes take a break. 10 days (or less) isn't really a break.

I get that everyone has their own needs and everyone gets to start back at their own pace and mileage levels. I get that we all have to start running again soon and that the 'high mileage' is part of the game. What I don't get is why people's actions don't reflect what has been told to us over the years....you cannot run an 'A' race over and over every 6 months (or in this case less than 6 months if you count from December to April). Why the hell are people jumping back in to a high load 10-15 days post PR marathon? WTF?

Running is awesome. Running at a particular training intensity must also be respected (mentally and physically). In my opinion (and if you are upset about this post so far because you know I'm talking about your last 10-15 days, why don't you just go ahead and ignore this next part), heavy legs, tiredness, any of that crap at this point in the season is just asking for trouble later in August. Why in the world should any of us feel tired 10-15 days post-marathon? We should feel rejuvenated, refreshed, ready to start back at the higher intensity in the coming weeks.

I'm just sayin'. I'm doing my thing and what's best for me. It is hard to see time and time again how people get tired, injured, and a little pissy come mid-July. They wonder why running is not as enjoyable as it should be. The answer is this - Your mind and body are tired because you never took that break like you were supposed to.

Rant, rant, rant.No one wants to hear about how much people are training right now. Our official training program hasn't started for a reason. It's much better to enjoy running later in the season because you took your break than to enjoy running now and pay for it later.

Whatever...I'm gonna go on vacation. I'm gonna run some. I'm also gonna lie on a chair and do the 'Sadie version' of eating bon bons. When I get back from vacation I will hopefully be rested enough to train full force again with the high miles and enjoy it as much as I did last season.

always a good time for you and i

I guess I forgot to update everyone on the music choice for this week. To help remind everyone to chill out and enjoy their little vacation from running (and in honor of our upcoming Hawaiian vacation), I've chosen some Hawaiian music. This song comes from the Facing Future album and is a favorite of mine when I want to get into the island mood. For more info about the artist and the song lyrics, you can visit the links below.

Enjoy!

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Henehene Kou ʻAka

Shake it, Shake, Shake it

Did my post-marathon shake out run yesterday. Ouch, did it hurt! It was 5pm, hot and muggy outside. I wore a cotton shirt (awesome!) to remind me of what it was like when I was a newbie runner. Really, I didn't want to get another shirt dirty for the week. Did my regular 3 mile loop in the hood. Little bit of residual hip soreness, but my quads were the big killer. I had no idea my quads were still holding onto some funk.

Anyhow, the legs felt much better after the run.

As part of my little break from the marathon and mini-recovery, I've committed to start strengthening some of the muscles in my body that need to be in better shape...glutes, quads, hamstrings, balancing and stabilizing muscles in my foot/lower leg, and abs. I did lunges, side-stepping squats, calf raises, jumping drills, one-legged exercises that I learned from Molly, and some ab work. I felt really good afterwards and as expected, this morning my legs are sore (in a good way).

I like running three miles and doing strengthening exercises. It's fun :).

Kitty Post - Adventure at the vet office

Miss Independent


Here is our sweet girl, Miko, at the vet this morning. All three kitties went in for their annual shots and checkup. Normally our kitties are pretty shy at the vet, opting to stay in their carriers for as long as possible. Not Miko. She ventured out today, rubbing up on all of the corners of the exam table, jumping up on top of it all by herself. She's such a good little girl.

Here's a shot of her venturing out on her own. What you might notice if you click on the picture to enlarge it is that our two other cats (Beans and Felicia) have crammed themselves into the larger travel crate. That's right...the sworn enemies actually chose to be together. I guess if scared enough, kitties will forgive each other's differences and hunker down together.

Here's a shot of the typically 'macho' alpha kitties snuggling together. They look so embarrassed to be seen with one another. Hahahah! Busted!

As soon as we got home, these two got in a few hisses and swats at each other just to prove that they still don't get along. Whatever...I know the real story...they are both cowards!

The good news is that all three kitties are an acceptable weight for their size. Beans weighs between 14-15 pounds (down from 18 at one point in his life). Miko is about 11 pounds. Felicia is just under 10. I guess being vigilant at mealtime to ensure Beans and Miko don't get any of Felicia's food has paid off. That, and being in a larger house with stairs allows for lots of kitty playing, running, and climbing to work off the extra weight.

We go to Arbor Animal Clinic. I used to work there when I was in college, and they took great care of Beans when he was hit by a car as a kitten. We love them there!!

Pics are up!

Pictures from the Country Music Marathon are up. I made an effort to look happy at all of the cameras that I saw on the course, and it is evident that I'm the one in the highest spirits during the end of the race. The cameras were just one more thing during the race to distract me from the heat. If I wasn't going to PR, I definitely wanted to enjoy the race. The pictures are proof.

This is definitely the best shot of me during the race (somewhere during mile 19).



I think this next one is just past the 10k timing mat. I'm still running pretty fast here and didn't see the camera. I just took a peek at my watch.




This one is on the paved path between 15 and 16. The guy on the left with the white shirt is wearing an Austin Marathon shirt from this year. I chatted with him in the starting corral. He's from Florida.



I think this is somewhere around 19, right before I saw Sean.



This is the same area. Note the traffic circle with cobbles in the background. Also, I'm much happier than those guys behind me.



This is in mile 24 coming up the little hill after the pond. Love the fat ripples in my right leg. I'm gonna work on that this summer.

My Traveling Man

Beans is ready for his next trip. He crawled in the carrier twice
today and got comfortable. Maybe I should take him for a ride in the
car like dog owners do with their pups.

Keeping up with the Joneses. And the winners are...

Sadie and Chad! Chad was the fastest Jones man at CMM. I was the fastest lady Jones. Woohoo!

Another Post-Race Pic

Nashville Race Report

Here's the dirty...

Great night's sleep - When we arrived in Nashville on Thursday night, I had a horrible night of sleep. I woke up to every single sound (and there were lots of unfamiliar sounds in this hotel room). I'm used to sleeping with a sound machine that plays light pattering rain all night. On Friday night, I got into bed and had the thought...'Surely there's an app for that!'. So, I grabbed my iPhone, searched for a 'white noise' app, and downloaded it immediately(free). My iPhone was turned into a sound machine and played light pattering rain all night long. I slept like a baby.

Great start line - the start line was very well organized. We dropped our bags, used the portopotties, and lined up in corrals. I was in corral 3. After the gun went off, they walked each corral to the front in 1-2 minute intervals, removed the guard rope in front and counted us down to our own staggered start. It was awesome! I did not run in a crowd that slowed me down significantly ever. (It was 67 degrees, not 62 as forecasted)

Great first few miles in the shade - My plan was to run based on effort for the first few miles to determine exactly what finish time I would go for. The ultimate goal pace was 7:38, and I was hoping that my opinion of running easy and comfortable would be somewhere between 7:30-8:00 because the weather was going to be a little warmer than we thought.

Mile 1 - 7:21 (lots of downhill - I was thrilled to see this time because it felt so easy. I tried to slow down)
Mile 2 - 7:33 (more downhill - This was great. I felt nice and easy and the splits were coming better than expected)
5K split - 23:46 (The split for the last 1.1 was 8:51, uphill significantly the whole 1.1 miles.) This is ahead of 3:20 pace, but I was keeping the effort nice and easy.
Mile 3.1-4 - 7:06 (Slight downhill, then uphill during this mile. Sun starting to come out, but we're running mostly in the shade)

Sun came out - At this point we're doing an out and back on Music Row. The scenery is pretty and there are some trees to partially shade us.

Mile 5 - 8:19 (completely uphill, nice and steady, I decided to relax the pace slightly to not over-exert on the early miles)
Mile 6 - 7:39 (mostly downhill, nice and relaxed. Saw Chad!!! The sun is out. Starting to get warm.)

Hills + Sun not a good combo

Mile 7 - 8:00 (some tight turns, narrower roads, a really slow lady was in front of me getting water, or otherwise this would have been 7:50 or so. For the first time, I knew that the temperature was going to be more than a factor than originally thought.)
Mile 8 - 8:16 (Uphill, our side of the road had less shade, it was heating up)
Mile 9 - 7:52 (Flat to downhill, felt okay, nice and steady, temp still rising without shade)

eased up - was okay with it - Once we got to the open city roads, the heat was becoming a factor for everyone. I knew that based on my effort for the first 10 miles that my body was going to have a really hard time cooling itself down much more. I was really hot. At every single water stop so far I had taken in Cytomax and water, and had poured water on my head/neck. There were half marathoners at this point who were suffering.

anyone got a pocket knife?
Mile 10 - 8:04 (Warmer. I started yelling at the spectators 'Pocket knife?' 'Anyone have a pocket knife or scissors?' After about 30 spectators a man jumps up at my question and offers his swiss army knife. I ask him to please cut off my pace bands. They were a burden to me at this point. It was a relief to let go of them and I just tried to enjoy the course from here on out.)

Karen and Pam! - Saw Karen and Pam somewhere during this mile. Gave Karen a big sweaty hug for being there and let her know how hot it actually felt running. They said I looked great. I told them I was just going for a good experience from here on out and was going to run easy but steady.
Mile 11 - 8:45
Mile 12 - 8:47 (Almost completely uphill. I was kind of jazzed that my splits were still under 9:00 while I was really trying to slow down and control my body heat. The pavement was beginning to be brutally hot and there was no shade at all.)

No walking the first half - People were walking everywhere and I desperately wanted to walk at this point. It was mostly about body heat issues. It felt better to cool off for a minute by walking instead of running and feeling my body heat steadily rise. I made a deal with myself to at least make hit to the half before I did any walking. I knew that I had so far to go, and walking would only make it take longer.

Mile 13 + .1 - 9:52 - My half split was 1:46 something, which is only a minute off of my PR for a half. Not bad at all, but it is not even close to what I wanted it to be today.

Elite waiting at a bus stop bench - Somewhere between 13 and 14 we look to the right and see an Elite runner waiting and stretching at a bus stop bench. Everyone I talked to after the race said that when they saw him, they felt better. At least we weren't the only person feeling like crap :).

7:32 (this is only a .9 split between 13.1 and 14)
Mile 15 - 9:21 (I walked for about a minute here at a water stop and through a water sprayer. It felt awesome to cool down.)

Passing and being caught - We got to a paved running path by the river which was totally exposed, but really flat. I started picking off people to focus on something other than the heat. There was a man pushing a wheelchair (similar to Team Hoyt), and that reminded me how everyone out there shared the same burden...some more than others. If he could run the course in the heat, I surely could too. Michael Wedel passed me and looked nice and steady. It was great to see him.

Mile 16 - 8:40

More passing - We got off of the river path onto the roads in the industrial park. The industrial area was at least a space with ponds, grass, and flat roads. We were near the Titans practice field. I passed lots of people who were fading. I knew that even if I walked the water stops to cool off, I was still running better than a lot of the folks around me.

Miles 17-18 - 19:45 During this part, there was a section where we were running uphill, into the wind, full sun, and were punished by having a clear view of a bank thermometer reading 78 degrees. Thanks for reminding us, though I was surprised it only read 78. That must have been in the shade because it felt like 85-90 degrees.

That band is pretty good - There was a fantastic band near the 18 mile marker. The beat of the song was exactly the tempo my feet were striking the ground. I gave them a big thumbs up and they waved back a supportive wave.

Mile 19 -8:37

Hot hot hot pavement - nuff said

Water stop walking - Still walking through water stops. It felt great to get the Cytomax into the body (thought the taste of Cytomax was making me gag at this point in the race). I also continued with water pouring down my neck and over my head.

Between 19 and 20 I caught Sean Braymen. I was so sad to see him walking. I walked with him for a good while and we ran for a bit together to keep him moving forward. He told me to go ahead and I did. This part of the course was uphill and where the half marathon course merged back onto the road. It was tight and crowded here.

Mile 20 - 9:51

Walking with Rogue friends - Shortly after walking with Sean, the marathon course passed by the Titans stadium where the half marathoners were finishing and where we would be 10k later. I saw Karen and Pam again and they said I still looked good. Well that's good, because I felt like crap.

Just ahead I spotted Jon Alter and was sad to see him walking as well. I pulled up next to him and asked him if I could walk with him for a while. He accepted my invitation and after the race told me he was glad to see someone familiar. We walked together for a little bit uphill and started running again to get to the next water stop. We walked through the water stop and I started jogging again downhill to get back some momentum. I thought Jon was right behind me, so when I felt myself chafing between my legs, I pulled over to the side of the road to apply some Aquaphor. I thought Jon would catch me and we would run together for a while longer. Not so.

Miles 21 and 22 - 19:19

I was on the last out and back section of the course, running uphill on my side, when up ahead I recognized Chad coming back the other way. I didn't want to see him because I wanted him to have a better race. However, I then saw that he was running with Keith. Oh no! They both were not going to make their time! Even though it was sad to see them, I was glad they had come together to get through the last miles. They both looked like they were suffering less than everyone around them and I know the last few miles were faster for the two of them together than they would have been apart. I gave Chad a huge sweaty hug in the middle of the street.

Hey, I look better than that person - From this point on I felt like crap, but I looked better than most everyone else around me. I kept looking at folks, thinking 'I look better than that person. I can do this. Just stay steady, walk the water stops to stay cool, and keep running in between.'

Mile 23 - 9:18
Mile 24 - 9:44
Mile 25 - 9:57

Last mile got me under 3:50, but a crappy poker hand - At 25 I saw that I could finish under 3:50 if I stayed steady and didn't walk. I knew I could do it. I skipped the last water stop and ran the tangents. Pam and Karen and one of the half runners from the north group were cheering at the .5 to go point. Karen was running with another Rogue runner just ahead of me (can't remember his name, but he had a big tattoo and a dyed mohawk). She let him go and turned around. When she saw me, she said I still looked good and asked me to close the last bit. I told her no, I was just going to run steady. She was good and coached me by saying it's still good practice to finish with a close. I admitted that I wasn't going to close because I was trying to finish with a good poker hand. AAAGGH!! She laughed, rolled her eyes, and told me to go ahead. I was going for 3:49:33, 3:49:44, or 3:50:00 at least so I would have 3 of a kind. Unfortunately, I didn't have the heart to slow down any more, so I finished in 3:49:28.

Mile 26 + .2 - 10:49

Medical folks worried about me - Immediately after I crossed the finish line, my temp spiked and I looked and felt like crap. The medical folks could tell I wasn't right and asked me if I was okay. I could barely move, but I was still standing. I said I needed ice. Ice, please. I'm really hot. The medical lady sprinted over to the cold sponge area and ran back to me to squeeze it over my neck. I kept walking (If you want to call it that) and could barely pick up water or sports drink. Another medical lady asked me if I was okay and I told her 'Yes, I'm just moving slow'. When I got to the trash cans filled with ice and Cytomax bottles, I seriously considered climbing in. If I was less coherent, I probably would have. Instead, I braced my hands against the sides of the trash can and fantasized about taking a dip in the ice. I stood there staring at the ice for a good minute or so until the lady handing out Cytomax started talking to me....I must have looked funny.

Me worried about me - I started getting pinpoint headaches in my head and worried that I might be having a stroke. Seriously. I almost sat down, but thought if I sat down I would not get back up. I just kept shuffling through the finishers chute, knowing that if I was in really bad shape, my body would take itself down to the pavement on its own.

Slowest walk ever! I shuffled through the finishers chute to get to the drop bags. Thank goodness Chad was at the bag drop, because it had already taken me 30 minutes (at least) to get that far.

Sunburn (after sunscreen) I was wearing 45 spf, waterproof, and a hat, and still managed to burn my face. Oh well.

Well, that's the long and dirty. Thanks for reading. I love running in the heat, just not racing in it. It was great running fast paces early and having them feel pretty good. I wish the weather could have been more cooperative. I'm thankful that I let go of my goals early and really enjoyed the race as much as I could. I'm proud of my finish, especially now that I see how the rest of the race field fared.

I have now run 10 marathons and am satisfied that I am a smart runner who can find successes in every race.

Results
3:49:28

13th in my age group (30-34) out of 283
72nd woman overall out of 1,692
351st overall finisher out of 3961 finishers

That doesn't even count the number of folks who started and DNFed today.

Not bad for a hot day.

Race Report Coming Soon

I'll post something in the next day or so. In the meantime, here's a preview -

Great night's sleep
Great start line
Great first few miles in the shade
Sun came out
Hills + Sun not a good combo
eased up - was okay with it
anyone got a pocket knife?
Karen and Pam!
No walking the first half
Elite waiting at a bus stop bench
Passing and being caught
More passing
That band is pretty good.
Hot hot hot pavement
Water stop walking
Walking with Rogue friends
Hey, I look better than that person.
Last mile got me under 3:50, but a crappy poker hand.
Medical folks worried about me
Me worried about me
Slowest walk ever!
Sunburn (after sunscreen)

Readyfornap

Hot hot day! 3:49:28

Readytorun

BFD

Breakfast for dinner...our secret weapon. Easy to digest. Pasta/rice
at lunch. Eggs, hash browns(the best I've ever had), gluten free
muffin, tea. We're at a great place near Vanderbilt called Fido.
Reminds us a lot of Austin Java.

Travel Buddies

Silver Lining

Our team has been watching the forecast get warmer and warmer for Saturday's race morning. It was going to be 56 at the start, then 58, then 60. Then, the weather forecasts started talking about wind. Heat and wind? No fair!

Well, this morning I looked at the forecast and it is predicted to be 70 degrees at the start, warming up from there. Are you f-ing kidding me??? I would laugh, except that the wind is also now predicted to be stronger and stronger . Finding the silver lining in the clouds (that aren't even going to be in the sky on Saturday) has been difficult, but I think I see a little shimmer through the gloom and doom of the forecast.

Mother Nature doesn't know that I tend to run faster with a bit of wind. Pair warm weather, my ability to sweat, and a breeze...should feel a bit like an air conditioner, right? Silver lining, indeed. It's not the 'ideal' 48, mostly cloudy, and no wind, but it just might be okay.

Prep School

Today and tomorrow are going to be the most important days before the marathon on Saturday. I will be putting the final touches on the preparation that I've been doing for months.

Physiologically -
I'm going to rest. I'm getting 8-10 hours of sleep each night. I'm not doing unnecessary chores or activities on my feet. I'm actually working from the recliner most of the day in compression socks just to have that 'little something extra' feeling in my legs.

Mentally -
I'm reviewing the course maps. I'm focusing on my goal time and what it will take to get there. I'm building my pace band. I'm visualizing myself running well, trying to feel what it is like to be smooth, confident, and ahead of pace.

Nutrition -
I've been really careful about food/water intake this week. Chad and I have our own plans for eating in Nashville because we have a pretty solid routine going for us before long runs. I hope to eat scrambled eggs, home fries, and fruit as my evening meal before the marathon. As a back-up, I can always eat a Chipotle bowl, and will likely eat it for lunch if we don't go eat pasta (which I don't eat anymore).

What will the next two days have in store?

Today - work from recliner, laundry, grocery store, dry cleaners, check in online for flight, pack suitcases, healthy dinner, lots of water, in bed early.
Thursday - sleep late, work from recliner, healthy lunch, lots of water, leave for airport, flight to Nashville, check into hotel, in bed early.

MIA - hip hurt, heat, health

I've missed some workouts. I've been doing my own thing lately with this sore hip of mine. I missed Saturday's run with the group because my hip was still achy. Sunday I ran on my own and it felt pretty good. I only managed to get in about 8 miles, but I'm okay with it. Yesterday I loosened it up some more with an easy three. So, why wasn't I there this morning? It is part of my super secret strategy to combat the warm weather we are about to feel in Nashville.

I've been sleeping in every morning and running on my own in the afternoon warm weather now for about a week. I've got 7-10 planned for today during the hottest part of the day. I'm gonna sweat and feel very hot and uncomfortable. I'm even wearing black to maximize the warmth. Actually, every day that I have done this has helped make the next run feel more comfortable. I'm getting the extra hours of needed sleep, focusing on hydration during the day, and getting used to running in the heat in the afternoon.

It's looking to be 60 degrees at race start and 75 at the finish. Umm...that's a little warmer than my preferred race temp, but I'm hoping that these afternoons at 85 degrees make the race feel cooler by comparison. At the very worst, I've gotten a full night sleep (8-10 hours) for seven days in a row.

My weight is back down to the low point during the month, so hopefully my nutrition efforts will keep it manageable through Saturday. I'm feeling as good as I can feel with a less than ideal taper situation, so I'll just have to roll with it.

Thursday we travel. Friday we rest, packet pickup and scout the course. Saturday we run. Eeeek!