Weekend warrior!

I ran a lot over the weekend! My goal for Saturday was to run 9 miles. I did 3.5 miles, but then had to stop. It was way too hot to run. I waited for the day to cool and ran an additional 6 miles. Great run, actually. Even threw in some hills! My goal for Sunday was 14 miles. I ran from Seward Park to Broadmoore along the lake on the boulevard, and then ran up Madison. What a freaking ridiculous hill. I was feeling kind of whiny by the time I reached the top lol. Then I hopped back on the Blvd, passed The Bush School, and ran back the rest of the way along the lake. My friend Jim accompanied me on his bike. Poor guy. It was raining like mad, but he was a good sport. It's nice to have company on the long runs... and someone to carry all my shit! lol The run left good, though. Knees were good. My left ankle did some popping at about mile 12-ish. I had trouble at mile 10 again. I felt like crying... but I pulled myself together, remembered the 'why' in it all. I ended up running 13.58 miles in 2 hrs 18 mins. I took 6 minutes off of my half, even (2:20 to 2:14!)

My left knee doesn't really hurt, persay... but it is huge and fluid-filled. That makes me somewhat concerned... What to do? What to do?

Total mileage last week: 36.35 miles.

"The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears."
~No idea.

July 9, 2009

I worked on my training schedule last night. Wow. This is going to be hard! LOL I ran home from work yesterday. I ran hard, felt great, and my knees held up splendidly. I ran home the day before yesterday as well, and that run was also great. There were a lot of people on the trail yesterday. Very odd. A cop seemed to follow me for several sections of trail... He passed me at 44th, then again on the road that is between the first and second sections of the trail that come after the Park & Ride, and then again when I crossed 208th! I raised my eyebrow at him. I couldn't decide if he was being a weirdo or monitoring my safety. I may have seen him again on 212th, but I can't be sure. I'd like to think that he was just being proactive in his police protection...

Today I ran to work and then back home again after work. Both runs were great! Had a little incident on the trail this morning, though... So there is this park of the trail behind the P&R where as I have mentioned before, there is a homeless man who lives in the bushes. I have encountered him many times now over the past several months and it has always been without incident. I always keep my peper spray at the ready though. You can never be to safe. So this morning as I was approaching his little area, I see over the little fenced area his head moving, so I knew he was there. As I passed the fence, he comes strolling out onto the trail... wearing nothing but his tightie-whities! I immediately looked away and hauled ass outta there!

After much debate, I decided to call the police this evening. I spoke with a lovely officer who after some questions, knew exactly who I was talking about. He said he is a known transient and they have never had problems with him. He said he is harmless (with a disclaimer, of course) and that he is a bit "slow." He told me that he will have a chat with him, not bring me or the undies thing into it, (to protect my identity) and ask him to move camp. He also mentioned that there has never been an attack on the trail. That's good, but I am no dummy.. I will continue to be cautious. I feel very relieved. I do feel sorry for him though... It makes me think about how blessed my life is. It makes me anxious to start volunteering at the mission again... and soon.

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
~ The Dalai Lama

Announcement!

I have made a decision. I have decided to train for a FULL marathon. I have thought about this endlessly, and then finally I realized that this is something that I think I would really like to experience at least once in my life. Now seems as good a time as any, eh? I mean, I'm already trained to at least half it's distance already, and 'tis the season, is it not?! There are two marathons that I am interested in:

http://www.skagitflatsmarathon.com
This one is in Burlington on Sunday, September 13th. It is totally flat, and the course is expected to be beautiful, (not the same course though as my recent half though.) Last year there were 189 participants. Finishers will receive a "medallion." Not that I care, but it is a Boston Qualifier. Runners are given 6 hours to finish.
Cost: $70
Pros: Flat, not too far from home, cheaper, can pick up packet on day of race.
Cons: Same weekend as the Fairhaven Waterfront 15k... and I had really wanted to do this race...

http://www.bellinghambaymarathon.org/
This one is in Bellingham on Sunday, September 27th. It isn't terribly hilly as far as I can tell, but it isn't flat, either. This course is also expected to be beautiful. Some of it is on a gravel road... which can be good or bad. There were 269 finishers last year. Finishers will receive a "finisher's medal." This race is also a Boston Qualifier. Runners are given 6.5 hours to finish.
Cost: $95
Pros: More participants, more time to finish, more time to train for race.
Cons: Farther from home, pricier, must pick up packet the day before, not as flat lol.

I do not need to decide on anything yet. Training for a full marathon is going to be fairly difficult for me time-wise. Finding the time to run all those miles may be, in fact, impossible. I am going to give it my best shot, nonetheless. If kids, work, and life prevent me from being able to be ready for a full in time, then I will commit to running the half at both of these events instead. Sound fair? :)

"As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are."

~Joan Benoit Samuelson

Running Journal 7/5/09

Went for a phenomenal trail run today out by Dave's place. I'm not positive on the exact distance, because my Garmin decided to die within 30 seconds of leaving the house. LOL Ah well. I ran for exactly 2 hours. My pace felt like it was between a 9 and 10 minute mile on average. So.. 12 miles...? Shrug. More or less, eh. It was absolutely gorgeous out. The trail I was on goes right by the hatchery, and is called "Whitehorse Trail." The trail is flat, unpaved, but well groomed. (Lot's of horse crap, though.) It is surrounded by forest, but pops out near the Stilliguamish River here and there, and does run along the property line of a few scattered houses (some nice, and some... well.. the word "hillbillie" and the phrase "OMFG!" come to mind! LOL) Dave warned me the night earlier about some "junk yard pitbulls" that live about a mile and a half out... Lovely! That was rather.. concerning! I decided to have Duke (Dave's Lab/Collie/Pit mix) and his neighbor's Rotweiler accompany me! The 2 dogs and my pepper spray made me feel much more at ease! LOL It truely was a great run. I felt great and I simply floated down the trail in pure running bliss.

Running Journal 6/27/09

Well, I have some of the mystery solved. My left knee doesn't like my new runners. I am not sure if it would like them more with a different kind of insert, but I don't think I like them either. I'm going to take them back and try something else.. I think I liked the 8w better than the 8.5 reg anyway. I ran/walked 3.12 miles last night in my new shoe combo, and it was stupid painful. I ran the same 3.12 miles this morning in my old runners with the blue inserts, and felt improvement immediately. (The downhill still hurt though.) Later today, I ran/hiked another approx. 6 miles in my hiking shoes with the blue inserts. I'm not sure if it was the shoes, inserts, or the fact that I was running on a nice soft hiking trail, but I felt awesome! Initially I was a little sore, but it melted away. The hills; both up and down felt great. It was a very fun run! Trail running... hmmm... I can get behind that! LOL I'm thinking about pounding out another 4 miles this evening.. to make up for bailing on the RnR. Running it's equivalent in mileage today seems like a fair deal. :)

My first half marathon! 6/20/09

"Tears streamed down my face as I crossed the finish line. I was a new person, a runner."

~Thomas King, Novelist and Broadcaster

I should start by saying.. I DID IT!!! 13.1 miles: 2 hrs, 20 mins.

On Friday night, I laid out all of my gear and made a morning check list. I was all nerves! I had a terrible time getting to sleep. It was like Christmas Eve when I was a kid... except with more anxiety! LOL I got up yesterday morning at 5am, showered, dressed and got the boys up and ready. I dropped the kids off at their dad's at 6am and I was off.

I arrived in Burlington right on schedule at 7am. I got an excellent parking spot, which I think is always a good sign. :) I readied my things and then walked over to pick up my bib. I was the first runner to arrive, but shortly after, another woman showed up.. She was running the 2 mile. She, like me, was new to running. She was very proud of what she had accomplished so far. Boy, could I relate. She told me that she had made it her goal to run in a race every month. I enjoyed speaking with her and we wished each other well.

I spoke with other runners as they started to arrive. I find that other runners are so supportive of each other. As I stretched and loosened up my muscles the excitement grew. The negative worries about the race were gone, leaving only the excited butterflies and delighted anticipation. Many people wished me well and I did the same. I knew I was ready. The air was chilly, so I had decided to wear my running coat. I hated bringing it as I knew it would only be needed for the first few miles. We all stood anxiously at the starting line. The start was a few minutes late, but at the toll of a huge bell, we were off!

The first mile or 2 were not hard physically, but had more of a mental aspect. I thought about the fact that I had so many miles to go! I anxiously tried to quiet my mind, enjoy the scenery around me, and take it all in. I looked at my Garmin from time to time and was surprised at my pace. I was going faster than I had planned, yet I felt extraordinary. I couldn't help but wonder if I should slow down to conserve energy for later. I ultimately decided not to. I thought, "Why should I? I'm not racing against anyone else. If I'm tired later, I'll slow down later." There was also an element of fearing coming in last.. Ok, so I guess I was racing against someone.. the someone at the back!! LOL

Eventually, I slipped into that place.. the place where my mind drifts away and and there is no pain or number of miles to go, there is only peace. This place is why I run. This place is quiet and beautiful and calm. This place reminds me of this one summer when I was in high school. I was out on Lake Washington in a rowboat. The weather was perfect; warm and sunny. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I laid down in the bottom of the boat and closed my eyes. I felt the sun's warmth on my skin, and the only sound was that of the water gently lapping against the bottom of the metal boat. I laid there like that for hours. All of my problems, fears, sadness, and anger were released. For those moments I wasn't the kid from a screwed up home... I was just.. Alyssa. Out there on the course, there she was again... Me.

Shortly after the 8 mile marker, my brain was forced to engage. We had been running on pavement up until this point, but now we had turned onto a gravel road. It was rather unpleasant! The gravel was not packed or even.. it was lumpy and was a mixture of golf ball-sized rocks, potholes, and random patches of grass! I felt like I was on an obstacle course! I couldn't help but think to myself, "yeah.. this is great for my knees!" LOL At least my mind was preoccupied with trying not to trip and kill myself. :-)

At about mile nine, I decided to have a puff on my inhaler... it wasn't there! Oh shit.. I had dropped it! I eagerly glanced behind me, hoping I would be able to still see it laying on the ground.. It wasn't. Where had I dropped it?? My heart sank a little bit; after all.. the dreaded mile marker 10 was approaching... my wall.. but I pushed forward, still at a pace that surprised me. At 9.5 miles, the course split again, sending me onto a soft dirt path surrounded by trees. As I ran the next 1/2 mile I started to worry that I was going the wrong way. There were no course markers in sight, but then I realized that I could make out the tracks of running shoes. Even though logically I knew I was where I was supposed to be, I was still nervous. Wouldn't it just be fabulous if I got lost and never finished the dumb race?? To my relief, a couple out walking their dog came around the corner. I asked them if they had seen runners and they graciously confirmed that I was on the right path and told me I was doing great. My spirit soared.

Shortly after this reaffirmation, the course looped back around, had a short stint on the highway and then returned me back to my gravel road. "Hi gravel road," I thought.. "Now I know how far you are!" I was starting to feel the distance I had covered, though. I was no longer able to shut out the world. My feet were sore, my abs were tired, my lungs ached.. and then.. there it was, laying on the trail, wrapped in my running gloves.. MY INHALER!!! I scooped it up and puffed on it a couple times. I love air! The happiness my inhaler brought my was short lived, however. Although my lungs were doing better, and I was once again on my beloved pavement, my body was just plain exhausted! I told myself, "Two more miles, Alyssa. Easy! Cake!" I touched my necklace and remembered it's meaning.

At one mile out I called my friend Jennifer. Her voice was encouraging. As I hung up the phone I thought, "Next time I talk to you.. I will be DONE!" At a half mile out I was really dying. Although I knew I was so close, it felt like I was running in place!

The last stretch of the course was straight through town. Directly following the race, there was to be a parade on the very road I was now running on. As I got closer, the street became lined with people waiting for the parade. For the first block, no one seemed to noticed the half dead, covered in sweat, crazy woman running down the street.. and then, like an angel from heaven, I heard a voice.. "Great job runner! You're almost there! You can do it!! You can do it!!" It was the woman I had spoken to before the race! She was jumping up and down on the side of the street, waving her arms like mad, and screaming these beautiful words. I became overwhelmed with pride and joy as her actions became contagious and everyone started cheering for me. It was at that moment that I realized.. I had done it!

Tears filled my eyes as I approached the finish line. I was sprinting at this point. My body was like a machine and all I felt was euphoria. There was Ky! Alannah! Jonah! There was John!.. and his children! Jennifer was there (holding my banana!) and her fiance, Sean! And then the most beautiful sight of all.. I saw my children. They were beautiful. Then something extraordinary happened.. It was Matt, grinning from ear to ear.. he had started to run! He was finishing my race with me! I swear I will never forget that moment. Crossing the finish line was everything I had dreamed of and more. I hugged my friends and cried as I held my children. It was a wonderful and unforgettable moment.

I have to thank a few people.. (I feel like an Oscar winner lol) Thank you Ky, Alannah, Jonah, Matt, Spencer, Jennifer, Sean, John, Mason, and Robbie for driving all the way to Burlington to cheer me on. Thank you Dave, Chris, and Steve for being there for me in spirit. You guys are awesome. I'm one lucky gal!

So what's next...? Oh, it's already in the works. ;-)

http://www.bellinghambaymarathon.org/
http://www.skagitflatsmarathon.com/
http://www.seattlemarathon.org/Home.htm

Hrmm...

Two days until RACE DAY!! 6/18/09

This week has been for rest and restoration...

I didn't run on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday... I'm not sure that is healthy for me...
1. I ate too much ice cream...
2. I need to run to stay sane!

I was going to run yesterday, but it was not in the cards. Too busy with work, play dates, and life. Moving on... I decided to run to the gym today. I believe it is roughly one mile. My lungs seemed rather shocked they were being used again and were unhappy on my way to the gym.

Mental note: No more going over 2 days without some form of cardiovascular exercise. Amen.

Once at the gym, I chose my hamster wheel and flipped the telly to Emeril Live. I'd never seen that before.. Hmm.. I feel hungry again... As I was saying, I hit the ol' treadmill and set off to have a nice and easy sanity/systems wake up run.

1st mile: 12 minute mile
2nd mile: 11 1/2 minute mile
3rd mile: 11 minute mile
4th mile: (only .67 mi.) ~8 3/4 minute mile

At this point I accidentally hit the emergency stop button, but it seemed like as good a time as any to call it.

Time for my big news!!! On my way out of the gym I had my body fat % calculated... 19.1% Not bad for an 31 year old mom of two! I think the last time I had it checked (a few months ago) it was 22%, so this was great news (although I can't say that dropping my body fat % was a conscious goal for me.) It must have been the extra ice cream this week. Hehehe. :-) Then I ran home. Total mileage today: ~5.67 miles. I plan to do an easy 3-5 miles tomorrow, and then race day baby!

Speaking of race day.. Let's discuss it! I am nervous. Will my asthma flair up and hold me back? Will I hurt myself? Will I enjoy myself? Will I hit The Wall either mentally, physically, or both? Will the finish line be filled with the elation that I have dreamed of for 6 long months?? Will anyone be there to cheer me on, and will it hurt if there isn't? Will I need to pee for miles on end? Will there be a photographer there? (I better get a good f'ing picture... lol.) What should I carry with me? Will I come in last?! (Oh please God, I don't want to be last!) Will I need a medic?... Shoot... Will I need to be the medic?? LOL

Someone special wrote this in an email to me this morning:
"Saturday, and these days leading up to it, is/are your moment to take in all that you've worked so hard for....savor it, all of it....even the vomiting part at the end :). Like we talked about last night, even these early jitters are part of the grand experience.....you'll do great!!!"

Thank you for these words. You are absolutely right.