Long Run Week 3- Wanting more

Friday 14.5 miles/2:09:27/8:56 average pace

Awwwww, only 14.5 miles today?? I was feeling so great and having such a nice time, I really did want to keep going!! But, I had to get home and get ready for work. Bummer!! ha ha.

Started out with Zach at 5:20 am and ran about 2.25 miles together. He wasn't even going to run but I talked him into it. Those two miles went by fast, but I realized I was overdressed in my capris (had a tank top on top). When we ran by the house where Zach finished, I ran upstairs and changed really quick into shorts. What a good idea! It felt so much better after that.

After changing I headed out on a familiar 12 mile loop that has me on a well-lit street for about 7 or 8 miles, gradually climbing, then shoots downhill for about a half mile, giving all the elevation right back. Then I turn onto the good ol' Iron Horse trail for a nice flat 4.5 miles or so back home. The first 9 or so miles I ran very comfortable and easy, and was consistant between 9:05-9:20 or so. Then I flew (it was a controlled-fly) down that big hill and just continued flying all the way home! I was feeling really comfortable still and the pace felt easy. My last 5.5 miles were: 8:48 (downhill), 8:40, 8;35, 8:25, 8:08, and 3:47 for the last half mile (7:34 pace). I really did NOT want to stop. I especially didn't want to stop and then have to go to work! haha. But I did, I'm so good. What a great run. It felt great and I didn't have to walk at all (besides the usual stop light and water-refill stops) and was strong on the hills (however slight).

I had a good pod-cast line up including The Extra Mile (Maritza was on!) and the Final Sprint interview with Dean Karnazes (who came to our running group once while promoting his book!), along with my Onion Radio News clips and some good music. There were lots of people out too, once the sun came up, so I had plenty of company. :)

I also have to report a Swim Double! That's right- I swam TWICE yesterday. I went to the gym for a super quick 500 before work. It was quick because I was running late, but I was also just plain FAST! I blew away my previous swim times finishing in 9:23. Then, last night we tried out our rented wetsuits in the local lake. We swam approximately 280 yards and it took me 5:06, which is much faster than I usually swim out there. Sweet! I love the wetsuit- it's so floaty! :) We practiced taking them off quickly last night after swimming and again at home (which included putting them on, good Lord that is exhausting!!). It's tricky to get off, really just when I get down to the ankles. I think it's all about the Body Glide and not freaking out. Any other tips, triathletes?

So we are packing tonight and then heading out bright and early (actually dark and early, before dawn) and driving down to San Diego. I am really excited about the Mission Bay Tri, but I do not have any real goals besides to do my best and have fun. Since this is my first "real" tri (with chip-timing, results, etc) I am just interested in how I can do. I know it's going to be super fun no matter what. I'll post a report asap and lots of pictures too!

Have a great weekend everyone, and an especially enthusiastic GOOD LUCK to Fran who is running the Toronto Marathon this Sunday and will be going for a Boston Marathon Qualifying time. You can do it man!!! He is seriously speedy, especially at long distances. Good luck and have fun out there! :)

Miles and Miles (and Miles)

Goodness, I have a lot of running to report considering it's only been a couple of days since I updated. In fact, I ran 23 miles in like 36 hours. :O

Monday 8.0 miles/1:09:24/8:41 average pace

Nice run after work Monday night- I ran a loop that has one BIG hill and a few smaller hills, then I did strides at the end. It was a hard but good run.

(Tuesday am swim 1000 m in 21:39. Nice easy swim followed by a looooong soak in the hot tub)

Tuesday 4.0 miles/36:04/9:01 average pace

Another after-work run, and it was a little warm this time. I kept the pace nice and easy and ran on a flat course. It felt like such a short run! My shin was a little sore, and my whole body a bit tired, but felt ok.

Wednesday 11.0 miles/1:39:45/9:04 average pace

Back out there only a few hours later at 5:15 this morning. Ran 3.4 miles with Zach, then continued on my own in the dark for a few miles. Finally the sun came up and I got on the Iron Horse trail for the rest of the run. I felt better today- not too stiff or sore. I listened to The Final Sprint podcast and heard the interview with our man Steve Runner. Cool! I've also started mixing The Onion Radio News clips into my playlist and so far it catches me off guard every time and I totally crack up. I highly recommend it. :)

So I'm feeling pretty good so far this week! I haven't felt GREAT, but I haven't felt bad either. Just getting the miles in and not worrying too much about my pace. I am hoping my body will get accustomed to the high mileage and I won't feel as tired and sore, although I will probably just get USED to feeling tired and sore! haha. I know I've had success with this plan before, and Maritza is a few weeks ahead of me in the schedule and kicking butt, so I know I can do it. I just need to stay out of my head for the time being and just run.

But first, I have a TRIATHLON to do! We're getting excited. I did decide to do a 14 mile Long Run on Friday. Then Friday night we have to get our stuff together and the we'll leave super early Saturday morning and head down to San Diego. I can't wait to see my in-laws and all their super nice friends (all triathletes!) and have a group of people all go to the Tri together. We're doing a brunch at one friend's house after which should be a blast. We're driving home Monday and that will be a rest day as well. I'll update after my long run and before I leave, then I'll make sure to hop online after the race and give a quick recap. Yipee!!!

Pfitz Week 3- Mission Bay Tri on Sun!

I've messed with this week a little because of the Tri on Sunday. We're driving down to San Diego early Saturday morning, so I moved my long run to Friday morning and shortened it by 2 miles. I think this will give me the long run practice I need but I will be recovered by the race Sunday. Thoughts?

Monday: 8 miles GA (+ Strides)

Tuesday: cross training/4 miles easy

Wednesday: 11 miles Medium Long

Thursday: cross training/rest (picking up wetsuits and going for OWS to try them out)

Friday: 14 miles Long

Saturday: cross training/rest (may take short swim upon our arrival in San Diego to try out wetsuits again)

Sunday: Mission Bay Triathlon 500 m swim, 15k bike, 5k run

TOTAL miles scheduled: 40.1

Long Run Week 2: September Showers

Saturday 16.0 miles/3:31:47/9:29 average pace

Despite being dumped on the ENTIRE TIME, I had a fantastic run!! Maritza and I decided to run together since it's been a while and we wanted to go somewhere fun and new. It worked out perfectly because she had a 12 miles Goal Pace run to do, and I was determined to run strong and comfortable since last weekend's suck-a-palooza. Maritza's Goal Pace was 10:00 ish, and I wanted to run no faster than about 9:30 for majority of the run, so we were a perfect match.

We drove to the Coyote Hills Regional Park, which is right along the shore of the Bay, and is a very cool place to run. We saw tons of sea birds (egrets, pelicans, etc) as well as bunnies and a skunk! The rain was pretty light for the first hour or so, but then it picked up. I asked Maritza at one point "Do you think the rain is getting worse?" and she just said "It's not getting better!" haha. We were chatting and cruising along with a pace between 9:30-9:59 (never a mile over 10:00!) and the miles were flying by! I didn't know if we would need to go our separate ways at some point, but Maritza was running very strong and easy (at least it looked easy, I'll have to read what she says about it) and we finished the 12 miles together. In fact, mile 12 was our fastest! I'm so proud of Maritza, she is a great runner and is setting up to have a super run in New York. She is also great to run with- we really settled into a groove together pace-wise and with the mental distraction of talking it was very comfortable and fun. :) I have 1:57:37 for the 12 miles, an average pace of 9:49.

We hit the 12 mile mark and refilled our water bottles, then we did split up. At this point it was absolutely pouring, and the trail had become more puddles than not. Maritza had 3 more miles to run at an easy pace, and I wanted to pick it up for the last few miles. I ended up doing 4 miles and we met back at the car, soaked to the bone. I did the last 4 miles in 34:10, 8:32 average pace. It felt so great, and I definitely could have kept going. What a great feeling!

We rang out our clothes (that was as close to "drying off" as we were going to get) and drove back home for a bagel breakfast and some hot coffee. After she dropped me off I got cleaned up and into some dry clothes, and relaxed a bit. I feel so good about this run- definitely made up for the bad run last week. The biggest thing is I kept the pace easy for several miles, then sped up at the end. Going out too fast is never a good strategy, and I am just going to have to get that tattooed on my face or something. Seriously, why is that so hard to learn??

Saturday night we went to a street fair in Pleasanton (the rain had stopped) and then met my brother and sister-in-law for dinner. I feel asleep really early (8 something). Yesterday I was feeling VERY motivated and attacked a project I've been dreaming of for a long time: organizing my recipes! I went from a sloppy pile of little pieces of greasy paper to a beautiful sleek cookbook with a complete index. I rule!!

I did take a break about 5:00 pm to go for a bike ride, since my arm was sore from writing and my back from sitting. I did 8.5 miles in 34:09 (14.9 MPH). It felt good to get outside and clear my mind from recipes. :) I have to thank Zach, he did all the chores and grocery shopping while I worked on the cookbook. What a sweetie! I didn't finish the project until after 9:00 pm, but it was worth it.

SO....

TOTAL miles for the week: 40.25 (YAY!)
PLUS 14.75 miles bike and 2250 m swim

Easy Friday and Busy Me-Day

Friday 5.25 miles/46:16/8:49 average pace

Easy run this morning before work. I felt really good and kept the pace easy 9:00-9:15 for the first 4 miles, then ran mile five in 8:14 and sprinted the last .25 to my house in 1:44 (6:56 pace).

I listened to an old Final Sprint podcast which had an interview with Grete Waitz who I was lucky to meet at the Boston Marathon expo earlier this year. She is an amazing athlete and pioneer of women's distance running, and I had no idea she is also fighting cancer. I can't find any updates, but I wish her the best.

Yesterday I had the day off from work and was able to do a bit of relaxing, a little housework, and a LOT of cross training!

First, I did a core workout from the new Cooking Light magazine.

Then, I went to the pool and did my first ever real drill workout. I finished with 1500 m total in 31:21. Here's what I did:

250 freestyle (4:59)
5 x 50 sprints in 51, 50, 49, 50, 49 with rests between every lap
250 freestyle (5:16) with one lap catch-up drill and one lap finger-drag drill
250 alternating breast stroke and backstroke (WOW that was hard)
500 freestyle easy (11:11)

Then I sat in the hot tub forever and stretched really good. I'm a little sore today! I think it was the backstroke, that kicked my ass.

Finally, last night after Zach got home from work we did a short easy bike ride: 6.25 miles in 28:04 (13.4 MPH).

happy friday!

Just run

Wednesday 11.0 miles/1:39:00/9:00 pace

I had Garmin issues this morning (it just wouldn't turn on) so at 5:15 I had to make the quick decision to just take my watch and run for time. For ease of calculation I went with an estimated 9:00 pace, which seemed reasonable, and just ran. I did 4 miles with Zach on his usual early morning loop, which I finished in 36:40 (9:10 pace). This seemed right since I am usually nice and slow the first mile this early in the morning - like 9:45, then speed up from there. Then I looped through the streets for the next 30 minutes since it was still dark out, then got on the trail for the next 35 minutes or whatever. It was great just to get out and run. No looking at the pace, no worrying about being too fast or too slow, just running. I still would not trade my Garmin 205 for anything but it was kinda nice to leave it at home today. Definitely helped my "whoa girl, take it easy" thing. I may have been a bit long or short, but who cares. :)

After I got home I plugged the Garmin into its charger and plugged that into a different outlet, and it seemed to charge it up. I guess it was just dead? Which is weird because I swear I charged it all day and it said "battery charging complete." Wtf? Hopefully it was a fluke.

I got my run done this morning because we've got a cold front moving in with maybe some showers. Yay!! I do love cold temps for running but not so much the rain. But I do love this kind of weather- I am still a Montana girl at heart and the cold wind and dreary skies really bring me back. haha. I stood outside on the porch last night for a minute, it was about 50 ish, and just loved the feeling. We get wussy "winters" here in the Bay but I'll take it over sunny skies any day.

Proof I can hang in a real winter:

Yellowstone Park, March 2002

True Tempo

Monday 8.0 miles/1:07:10/8:24 average pace

Whew, what a relief to have a great run after Saturday's melt down!! I was pumped up and anxious to get out there and redeem myself, and I delivered. Yay!

I gave myself a little pep talk before hand. Basically, I need to take a little pressure off myself, relax a little, and take the pace a little easier. There are plenty of opportunities to push myself during training, but I don't need to push myself every single run. How many times do I have to re-learn this lesson?? So even though the schedule called for 8 miles with 4 miles LT pace, I told myself to take it easy.

The two warm up miles felt great: 9:09, 9:15. I made a little pit stop at the end of mile 2 and then was ready to ramp it up for my Tempo miles. My goal pace for Tempo is 7:22-7:47 or so, but I would be ok with anything sub-8. Historically, I've done this workout all wrong. I basically run too fast, then have to take a break between miles because I'm too tired to do them continuously. That is wrong. That is mile repeats and I"m supposed to be doing a Tempo run.

Well, I did this one right! Since I gave myself permission to keep the pace slightly slower, I started off strong and maintained control and I was able to run the tempo miles continuously! 7:41, 7:54, 7:59, 7:45. Average pace 7:50- nice! I actually got pretty tired in that last mile and did stop for a brief drink, but finished strong. I really feel like I met the objective of this run for once!

Last 2 miles cool down: 8:58, 8:27. I got a little side cramp toward the end so I did walk a couple of times but had no problem starting to run again right away. It was such a relief to prove to myself that I CAN run without stopping and without wanting to cry. :)

I have to give a shout out to the Extra Mile Podcast, since the great music and inspiring stories really energized me out there. Thanks Kevin, Chris, Nigel, and the others!! :) Maritza and I will be using the new comment line to call in and give shout outs to you guys and everyone else who needs a boost while doing their tough training runs.

After a great night's sleep I got up early and went to the gym where I swam 750 m total. I did 500 m in 9:58 (whoo hoo!) and then finished up with 250 m worth of drills. I alternated kicking-only with the kickboard (3 laps total) and breaststroke (2 laps total). It was fun to incorporate some different ways of swimming! I was always intimidated by these drill sets that I see, but actually it's pretty simple- kicking, pulling, and using different strokes. I still really want to take some kind of class though, to work on my freestyle and to learn how to properly do the other strokes. I saw swimcrush girl today and she can butterfly like a mofo. :love:

Pfitz Week 2

Monday: 8 (4 @ Lactate Threshold pace)

Tuesday: rest/cross training

Wednesday: 11 Medium Long

Thursday: rest/cross training

Friday: 5 Easy

Saturday: 15 miles Long

Sunday: rest/cross training

TOTAL miles schedled: 39

Long Run Week 1: Humble me Lord.

Saturday 14.0 miles/2:04:44/8:55 average pace

The overall time and pace on this run is way deceiving. It was terrible. If I didn't stop my watch during walk breaks this run would be about 20 minutes longer. It was awful. I was fucking owned.

It has been a couple days and I'm largely over it, but it would be unfair for me to gloss over this with my usual positive "I'll get em next time!" BS. So I'm going to dig up a little of the despair I felt during this run to share with you all. Basically, it really sucked. I ran one of my favorite courses- Lafayette Moraga Trail- on Saturday, and the weather was perfect the whole time- 60's with some clouds and plenty of shade. I had a nice breakfast of oatmeal and a banana, after my standard spaghetti dinner and a plenty of sleep the night before. I had planned on running 15 miles rather than the scheduled 13, because, you know, I'm smarter than Pete Pfitzinger (sarcasm). So this all started off just lovely.

Unfortunately, I was off from the beginning. The course is an out and back paved bike path of just under 7.5 miles- it gradually and sometimes not-so-gradually (aka steeply) climbs for the first 5 miles to St. Mary's college. Then it drops down and flattens out to the turn around. Well, I have run this trail plenty of times- I love it. The hills never really get to me, in fact, I have used the word "imperceptible" to describe the five-mile incline at the beginning. Well, I was perceiving the shit out of it this time. In fact, I believe I pushed too hard up that incline, refusing to walk until I got to the top at St. Mary's, that completely did me in. I haven't run really any hills lately and started off my run just a little (ha ha) cocky. My first five miles were: 9:10, 9:04, 9:07, 9:11, 9:09. That is not insane but it was too fast for me on this course on this day. I could tell my heart was pounding, and I really really wanted to take a little walk break, but I just keep pushing till the top. I figured I could recover there and enjoy the rest of the run! Not a terrible strategy, but on this day it was not to be. At the top of that hill, I was spent. Done. Finished. I am probably talking out my ass on this, but I believe I had lactic acid built up in my muscles and I had essentially "hit the wall."

I did take my break at the top of the hill, then put my head phones on and tried to relax a little and keep the pace easy. I was struggling and tired, but I kept going. Miles 6-10 were 8:54, 9:12, 9;05, 9:10, 9:04. I was drinking a lot of water, suddenly I just was dying of thirst! Weird because I was well hydrated going in. I took a couple walk breaks but was doing "ok." I climbed back up the back side of the St. Mary's hill, and took another little break.

From here on out it was a full-on Suck Fest. I had nothing left. I have literally only felt this bad running before one time, and that was in my first marathon. :( I just couldn't run. I was running like quarter-mile or half-mile at a time then walking. I had to take my headphones off because I just couldn't deal with the distraction. I wanted to quit. I did not have my cell phone with me (dumb) and anyway Zach was out on a bike ride, but I have never wanted to call him so much and have him pick me up or something. But it was impossible, I was out there alone and I had to get back to my car. I wanted to cry. I wanted to lie down and go to sleep. My last 5 miles are funny because like I said it was a freaking walkathon: 8:28, 8:30, 8:32, 8:08. As a frame of reference, this run should have been 15 miles, and I ran 14. Which means I walked about mile. BOOOOO!

I did call Zach as soon as I got back to my car, and I did cry. Then I called Maritza and cried and complained some more. She was actually out running (smart girl carries her cell phone!) her 18 miler but still had plenty of sympathy for me. I was pretty upset and a little pissed. I had no idea what went wrong, my "lactic acid" theory has sort of developed since then on much reflection. It was weird though. And it was not the distance, which I guess makes me feel better, because I was feeling like crap at like mile 10. Obviously I can run 10 miles so I guess this run was just "special".

Whew, well that was carthartic. I'm over it though, and anxious to get today's run out of the way. I am sure that Saturday's suck a thon was a fluke, and I'm just going to try to learn from it and move on. So, Moving on!

I actually had a really great weekend after that. Sunday morning Zach and I got up really early and went down to watch the Tri for Real Triathlon! It was cool to watch the transitions and just to see the whole race play out. I have actually NEVER been a spectator at any event, so it was really cool. And I got to meet 21st Century Mom!! Check out her blog for her race report- I can tell you she did great and makes it look too dang easy! Here's a pic:

(yes, it is officially wear-my-boston-marathon-jacket-everywhere season!)

Later that day I went up to Heather Farm Park and swam in their outdoor pool. I did 1250 y in 25:59. It was really relaxing and fun, a great way to balance out my terrible run. Last night I found a couple new pics online from our tri:

Allright- TOTAL miles for the week: 36

PLUS 13.9 miles bike and 2000 m swim :)

Moving on!

Easy like Friday Mornin

Friday 5.0 miles/45:50/9:10 average pace

Easy run this morning just as the sun was coming up. I made sure to keep the pace very easy, which wasn't hard cause I was sleepy. *yawn* However, as I woke up and my legs loosened up, my pace got a bit faster with every mile. I ran purely by feel so only noticed when reviewing the data after my run. Here's the splits: 9:42, 9:24, 9:07, 8:59, 8:37. There's a symmetry and a pattern in those numbers that pleases me. I was also very pleased by the cool temperature (maybe 60 degrees).

Also:

Thursday BIKE 6.9 miles/31:38/13.1 MPH

Another easy ride, although we had some big headwinds along the way that made it a little tough. It was nice to get out though with Zach - I'm trying to teach him the whole hard/easy principle since he's really "new" to this whole endurance athlete thing in a way... He has been running for a while but was never super excited about it. Now that he's super excited about cycling, and is enjoying the short runs he does by himself a few times a week, he is basically following a hard/hard/hard/hard workout schedule. :D Not good! I think he is in danger of getting an injury if he doesn't ease up a little, so I like to go out with him and slow him down now and then. haha. I'm so nice.

Tomorrow I am doing a 15 mile long run rather than the 13 miles scheduled. Since I am doing the Tri in two weeks and missing that weekend's long run, and since I ran 13 miles last week with no problem (besides, um, falling down) I feel it will be better to do a longer one this weekend. I have made other small tweaks to the program but I am staying very true to the schedule in terms of key workouts, total mileage, etc..

So far so good!

Wednesday 9.0 miles/1:17:30/8:37 average pace

Fall has officially arrived here in the bay area, and that means absolutely perfect running weather. Yesterday I had a bit of a headache all afternoon, so I wasn't really looking forward to my run, but once I was out there I was in heaven. It was cool and cloudy- in the 60's and just really nice. I wore my new running skirt, a new top, and the socks Zach got me for my b-day, so I was feeling spiffy. It was also really nice to run without hat or sunglasses, as those things can seem so cumbersome and constricting. Feeling the freedom of the day, I also chose to run without my iPod. I brought it along, but I never felt like putting the headphones on. I really enjoyed listening to the sound of my steps and my breathing, along with the birds, the traffic, and the people. It was a great run! I also had a very good pace, which felt pretty easy the whole time.

9:09, 8:39, 8:30, 8:32, 8:41, 8:49, 8:45, 8:36, 7:49.

I looked back in my log and comparing this first week of training with my last training cycle for CIM (run #1, run #2), I have been running a lot faster, like 45 seconds+ per mile. I know a couple of training runs don't mean much, but I feel stronger and faster and more confident than last year (and I was feeling good last year, so that's saying something!). I guess we'll really see where I'm at when I start doing Speed Intervals and long runs. But so far (ha ha, halfway through week one!) I am feeling like my GOAL marathon time of 3:35 could really happen. :)

Also, you will notice my cross training entries are going to get kinda pushed to the bottom of running posts, like this:

Tuesday BIKE: 7 miles/35 minutes-ish/12 MPH
It was an unplanned ride, born of a confusing and totally my fault commute/drop-off/pick-up/who-has-the-keys type situation. Basically I could have stood around for 45 minutes or ride my bike around in my work clothes (jeans and a sweater. A SWEATER.) It was luckily cool out, but still, yuck. Oh well, got a ride in. :)

Thursday SWIM: 750 m in 14:51
YIPEE!!!!!!!!! I wish I could have made this a whole post on its own, because I DID IT! I finally got my goal of under 1 minute per lap. I was swimming very strong and felt comfortable, when who appears like an angel asking to share my lane? That's right, my swim crush. I finally talked to her, even if it was just to say "Oh ya, come on in!" or whatever I said. :) Ya, we're buddies now.

Giant shout out to Maritza who is making this Pfitz thing look way too easy. She's really motivating me since she's 4 weeks or so ahead of me in the schedule and has set the bar pretty high! You rock Maritza!!! :)

Day one of Pfitz

Monday 8.0 miles/1:09:08/8:39 average pace

The first official training run is in the books! It was a nice run, my legs felt great, and I'm really happy with my pace.

I had a fun dinner out last night for my Birthday and then my mom called and I got to hear the story of my birth 27 years ago. :) I think my favorite part of having a birthday is getting all the nice calls from family and friends. :)

Today is of course September 11, and we'll be seeing images from the terrorist attacks and talking and hearing about it all day.. pretty sad. Everyone who lost someone on that day is in my prayers.

Rest day for me today, which is fine with me. I already skipped my swim this morning and will probably just relax tonight. I'm a little birthday-ed out. But thank you again for all the nice wishes everyone! Have a good day.

Pfitz Week 1

Monday: 8 miles General Aerobic + 10 Strides

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: 9 miles General Aerobic

Thursday: rest/Cross Training

Friday: 5 miles Easy

Saturday: 13 miles Long

Sunday: rest/Cross Training

Total Miles Scheduled: 35

Derby Girls and Birthday Weekend

Yoshi's Jazz Club on Friday night was super fun. We saw Kenny Burrell and had a great time. It's not only a Jazz club, but also a sushi restaurant, so pretty much the coolest place on the planet.
Saturday we went for a bike ride: 13.16 miles in 1:00 even. It was a pretty relaxed ride, but we did a few hills too. Then we stopped by the new SPORTS BASEMENT in Walnut Creek. Yay! I had no idea they were opening one there, but that RULES. Got some new running clothes. :)

Saturday night we headed down to San Jose to watch my sister-in-law Bri make an appearance with her team (Silicon Valley Roller Girls) at halftime, and watch the Bay Area Derby Girls go at it (San Francisco ShEvil Dead Vs. Oakland Outlaws). HOLY CRAP it was awesome. I had so much fun! We went to dinner w/ my brother Jon, then went to the bout, then went out to a bar after with all Bri's derby friends. Oh and I met Jon and Bri's friend Mel who is doing the San Jose Rock and Roll Half marathon next month with her sister. Good luck girls!!

A few pics of Saturday night:

Jon in downtown San Jose:

Palm Trees in SJ: Derby Girls:
View of the bout from above:

Bri (on the left) jousting it up at Halftime:

So I strongly encourage everyone to check out your local Roller Derby! I had no idea it was so exciting to watch. These girls are beyond hard-core.

After getting home very late, I slept in late Sunday morning. Then I met Maritza and we went to lunch and then shopping at H&M. Basically, I had the best weekend ever. :) Oh, and I also got a promotion at work. :) Hooray!

I think I may have peaked a little early with all this birthday stuff :D So tonight it's just a nice dinner out w/ Zach and going to bed early. I did my first official Marathon Training run this morning, so got my birthday off to a great start. :) I'll post more about that later! Thanks for all the b-day wishes everyone!

The Happy Birthday Half!

Friday 13.1 miles/1:55:49/8:51 average pace

What better way to kick off Birthday Weekend than running a half marathon before work! I woke up this morning before the alarm went off, so about 4:45. I admit, it is getting easier! Zach and I both had all of our running stuff ready, which is KEY to getting out the door super early, and we were on the road about 5:15.

We ran around the neighborhood streets since it was dark out and felt like the only people in the world. Unfortunately, I learned a lesson this morning which is BE CAREFUL when it is dark out! It is very hard to see things like uneven spots in the sidewalk. Yes, I fell. It happened really fast - I kinda tucked and rolled which worked out well. I only got some light scrapage on my leg, knee, elbow, and shoulder (only! :D) but my hands got scraped up too, one pretty bad. Luckily I do not need my hands to run!! I shook it off and we kept on running. :) We looped back the the house - Zach had to get ready for work, so after 5.25 miles we parted ways. I thought about going up to the apartment to clean up my wounds, but I really didn't want to take a break, and I knew that it would take a while. I had to keep on keepin' on! Plus, I figured I ran 16 miles of a marathon with a nasty cut on my leg and torn up hands after falling at mile 10... so I knew I could do it.

Miles 1-5 w/ Zach were: 9:25, 8:52, 9:09, 8:46, 8:41

It was not quite light out yet, so I ran a half-mile or so on the streets before heading onto the Iron Horse Trail. I think I was the first person on the trail! I was feeling great and running consistent pace around 8:50. I had a great playlist on my iPod - some very motivating rock- Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendryx, CCR, Van Morrison, Eagles. :D It was sweet. Baby, I was indeed born to run.

Miles 6-13 were: 9:03, 8:48, 8:55, 9:01, 8:41, 8:52, 8:36, 8:12

I ran a Birthday Half Marathon last year too and I am not surprised but still really psyched to see I am faster! Quite a bit faster, actually. I know that a single training run doesn't really show that, but overall, I see the same trend when I look back over my log. I rule!

ALSO, last night I joined Zach and his rad new ride for a nice bike ride: 8.0 miles/33:25/14.4 MPH. Followed immediately by:

0.5 miles/3:35/7:10 pace

Not bad! I admit I was trying to run fast and beat Zach. Hehe. It was easy.

I have a birthday-tacular weekend coming up, I cannot wait! Tonight we are going to Yoshi's, a cool jazz club (is there any other kind?) in Oakland. Tomorrow Zach and I are doing a longish bike ride and going to breakfast/brunch in Walnut Creek. Then tomorrow evening I am going to see my awesome sister-in-law make an appearance at the Roller Derby in San Jose. She's on a brand new team that isn't yet competing, but they are doing an intermission-type practice bout. Or something. I have much to learn about this Roller Derby.... Finally, I am hanging w/ Maritza on Sunday and then maybe going swimming at the lake w/ Zach. Which brings us to my actual birthday, which is on Monday. :P I have to work (boo!) but I will also be completing Week One Day One of my Pfitz 12/55 schedule for CIM. And going out to dinner with my wonderful husband. Have a great weekend everyone!

Mmmmm... particulate matter!

Wednesday 4.0 miles/33:34/8:24 average pace

We had a nice layer of smoke blow into the bay area yesterday from some fires to the northeast, in addition to a big fire down in Morgan Hill. The result was a really yucky haze and poor air quality, but a freaking sweet sunset! This definitely reminds me of Montana, where we dealt with these conditions nearly every summer. I know this year has been especially smokey for my family and friends up there, so I won't complain too much. In fact, I admit I kind of enjoyed it because it reminded me so much of MT. I'm weird.

Not only was it smokey, but it was hot and VERY dry as well. I was going to do a longer run, but the conditions changed my mind. I got in a pretty good workout though- I could call it a progression run. My splits were: 8:50, 8:40, 8:14, 7:49. I was a little worried about Maritza, who had to do 11 out there... I hope it wasn't too bad.

I also have 2 swims to report! Tuesday I did 750 meters in 15:03. This morning I got in 1000 in 20:06. :) I am getting really close to that 1:00/lap pace, but not quite yet! I definitely swam the last 500 under 10:00 this morning though, but that doesn't quite count. My swim idol was in the lane next to me again and I tried not to stare. Holy hard core swimmer though, seriously. I <3 her.

So, Maritza and I have officially volunteered for the Nike Women's Marathon on October 21st! We did this race together as our FIRST marathon back in 2005 so we can't wait to go back and help out. Miss Petite America is going to be out there running the full marathon, so we'll be cheering like crazy for her. :)


Here are a few more pictures from the last couple weeks that I finally got on my computer :)


Malibu coast:

Sweaty and hot at Cheeseboro Canyon in Agoura Hills last week:

Zach, canoer (so not a word) extrordinaire:

Canoeing it up at Lake Del Valle:

Summertime fun and the (birthday) week to come

We had a really nice Labor Day weekend- Saturday we drove out to Lake Del Valle and spent 3 hours canoeing all around the beautiful lake. It was so cool! I forgot how hard that is though- my shoulders and back got really tired. We had a nice picnic lunch when we were done - what a fun day.

A few hours later that day (Saturday) and a good part of Sunday was spent in the bike shop (Livermore Cyclery) looking at, learning about, trying out, and talking about a new bike for Zach. He is really getting into cycling and he's definitely committed, so we decided it was a good investment. So I'm excited to announce we are now the proud parents of the Trek Madone 5.0

We also purchased a roof-mounted Thule rack for our car and all the components for carrying the bikes (plus locks and fairing). It was kinda complicated but fun to put on, and it's super easy to use now that it's all set up. I was worried I wouldn't be able to lift my bike on all by myself but it was no problem.

I'm really excited for him! I am hoping to get a bike for myself soon so I can go for longer rides with him and with the local cycling group too- he's going to start doing that.He had an exciting first ride yesterday- he got a flat AND fell over when he couldn't get out of his pedals. :D I know it happens to everyone, but he felt pretty embarrassed (and got a nasty bruise on his hip!) but he's already gaining some experience.

Anyway, total miles run last week: 30 miles!

PLUS 13 miles bike, and I think 1000 m swim (I didn't log one of my swims, so I'm just guessing it was 500)

Coming up this week: MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Ok, my birthday is actually next Monday the 10th, but I like to celebrate the entire week before. I got birthday week off to a great start by running with Maritza yesterday. Here's the stats from that run plus this morning's swim, plus the rest of the week's schedule- this week is actually the last week before I start marathon training! Wow.

Monday 10 miles/1:38:30/9:51 average pace

Monday pm: approx 5 mile bike ride around local regional park w/ Zach

Tuesday swim 750 meters in 15:03

----- coming up -----

Tuesday pm: bike 10 miles

Wednesday: run 6 group

Thursday am: swim, pm: bike 10 miles

Friday: run 13.1 miles "Birthday Half Marathon"

Saturday: bike 20 miles + short brick run + party like a rock star

Sunday: ?? TBD some birthday activity maybe go to the lake ??