With My Parents at their first race – the Hot Chocolate 15k!

Quick post to say I’m super excited about this 3 day weekend mostly because I get to watch these people dominate their first half marathon! If anyone will be at the Mountains to Beach Marathon in Ojai/Ventura this weekend, look for me on the sidelines cheering my awesome Dad and Step Mom on! After they completed P90X earlier this year they set their sights on their first half marathon and have been training for a solid 4 months. Mike and I are making a mini vacay out of it and staying 2 nights in a cute B&B. We plan to hike, drink wine & coffee, relax, and  most importantly, be the best race cheerleaders there ever were!

I’ve also got my eye on the Mountains to Beach Marathon as my BQ attempt for next year so it’ll be great to check it out in person. The thought of training for another marathon through the winter doesn’t sit well with me, so I think the M2B race might be at the perfect time. It’s also net downhill….

Happy Memorial Day!!!!

In the beginning, eating a mostly plant based diet seemed like more work because I had to totally change my go-to meals. I ate chicken, turkey or tuna in pretty much every meal I cooked for lunch or dinner and I had to figure out ways to stay full without a few hundred calories of meat in my meals. Over the last nearly year since I switched to cooking nearly 100% vegan (I tend to just eat vegetarian when out at restaurants although I do have several go to vegan restaurants that I eat at. However, we only eat out about four meals a week on average), I’ve tried countless new recipes. Some were amazingly delicious  some just ok, and luckily none were downright bad. However, the recipes that I’ve kept in rotation are typically those that are delicious and don’t take a long time to cook or prep.

I’ve shared several of these recipes with you already, including lentil cashew spinach curry, apricot black bean quinoa salad, and my go-to tempeh burritos. The veggie quinoa enchiladas I posted about are delicious, but not very quick, so I don’t tend to make those very often. Recently I’ve come across a new favorite recipe which is awesome as is, but can also be modified to substitute any of the veggies. I love this stir-fry because the flavors are fresh, thanks to the huge quantity of vegetables and powerful, thanks to the ginger and garlic, and for once, it doesn’t contain curry which is a change for me when it comes to stir-frys.

15 Minute Brussel Sprout and Tempeh Stir Fry (adapted from inpursuitofmore.com)

Ingredients (my comments in italics): 

• (20) brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed & halved
• (1#) plain tempeh, cubed (always buy organic when it comes to soy)
• (4) green onions, chopped & divided between greens & whites (I didn’t have green onions the second time I made this and I used red onion and it was fine)
• (3) garlic cloves
• (2) tbsp grated fresh ginger
• (2) medium carrots, peeled & sliced on the diagonal
• (1) medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
• (1) tbsp cornstarch
• (3) tbsp soy sauce
• (2) tbsp rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned)
• (1/4) cup water
• 4 tbsp sesame oil, for the stir-frying (I didn’t use 4 full tablespoons – it seemed excessive. You could also use olive oil instead of sesame oil)

Directions (My comments in italics)

Start by combining the cornstarch, soy sauce, rice vinegar & water in a small bowl with a whisk. Mix and set aside.

As with any stir-fry or curry dish, the most important thing is be prepared with all of the ingredients before cooking. Prepare & cut the brussels and set aside in a separate bowl. Prepare the tempeh and set aside in a separate bowl. Finally, prepare the green onions (setting aside the greens separately in a bowl on their own) and the ginger & optional garlic. Prep the carrots & bell pepper and set them aside together.The second time I did this, I didn’t prep everything in advance because I found that it added a lto more time (at least 10 minutes) and I could just prep as I cooked. 

When ready to cook, heat a large cast iron frying pan or a wok (I used a wok) on high and add 2 tbsp of sesame oil (you can start with 1 tbsp and add more if necessary). Once hot, add the brussels sprout halves and cook, tossing here and there to prevent burning, for 4 minutes. Set the brussels sprouts aside in a medium bowl. Give the pan a little wipe with a paper towel and return the pan to the stove.

Heating another tbsp of sesame oil (or less), this time add the cubed tempeh and cook in the oil (you may need to add a little more oil). Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until the cubes are golden, starting to brown, and a little (deliciously) crispy.

Set the tempeh aside with the brussels sprouts (you can use the same bowl). Wipe the pan again and return it to the stove.

Next, heat the remaining tbsp of sesame oil, and cook the ginger, green onions & garlic for one minute, until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add the green onion whites, carrots, & red pepper. Stir frequently and cook for 2 minutes until the colors are bright and they are just softened. The second time I cooked this dish, I left the carrots, peppers and onion on for a little longer because they were a bit undercooked for my liking the first time. This is up to your personal preference.

Keeping the heat on, add the cooked sprouts & the tempeh to the pan and mix all of the vegetables well together. To finish, give the bowl of prepared sauce a good stir with the whisk and pour the entire lot over the hot vegetables. Stir well as it thickens from the cornstarch. Cook, stirring constantly, for a final 2-3 minutes.

Ate This With My Long Lost Chopsticks I Bought in Vietnam

I served this on top of a heaping bed of brown rice  but you could also eat it over quinoa if you don’t have time to make brown rice. It makes a large serving and if you serve it over brown rice it could easily provide 4 full meals. I usually make extra rice and we eat the leftovers for lunch!

Do you cook stir-fry? What is your favorite kind? 

One of my biggest goals post marathon is to get my muscles back. After I completed P90X in 2011 I was really happy with my strong, toned body. I continued to strength train through the rest of the year but once heavy Ironman training started, I really only had time for an occasional core workout and some yoga. After the Ironman I strengthened a bit with Dailey Method but then during peak marathon training, all I dedicated any non-running time to was core and yoga again (1 yoga class a week and 1-2 core sessions a week, usually P90X Ab Ripper).

Now I finally have the time and the motivation to get my “beachbody” back. There are two big motivators for me getting back to some serious strength training. First, I know a strong body prevents injury. I think my serious strength training from 2011 helped keep me injury free through 2012, but now that we’re a few months into 2013, those muscles have faded and aren’t doing much good anymore.

Second, the clearly vain part of it all – I want to look great for my wedding and bachelorette party. I really loved my body post P90X – it was toned and tight yet feminine and I want that look back for the upcoming celebrations.

July 2011 At a Friend’s Bachelorette – hoping to look like this for mine!

Mike had already started a fresh round of P90X after he ran the Surf City Marathon and he just wrapped up Phase 2. Lucky for me, he started Phase 3 last week so I was able to jump on board with him for the workouts. I eased into them and did not complete the intense plyometrics workout the first week since I was only a week and a half out from a very intense marathon and I knew I should not be pushing it. Instead, I only completed the three main strength training workouts and then supplemented with a little yoga and running on my own. This week I do plan to do the plyometric workout and I will wrap up phase 3 of P90X with Mike over his final 3.5 weeks.

Once Mike is finished with the program, I’m not sure if he plans to start a new round. My plan as of now is to continue to incorporate the three main strength training workouts (two involve upper body exclusively and one focuses on legs and back and all three finish up with an intense 15 minute “Ab Ripper X” workout) while also running three times a week and starting in late June/early July, start cycling again. I do plan to race the Solana Beach Sprint Triathlon in late July, but I don’t plan to focus on triathlon training. Strength training is going to be my priority this summer. My second priority is to work on running speed by doing tempo runs, track workouts and hill repeats (not all in one week). I will be running shorter distances at higher intensity.

Assisted Pull-Ups Are Still a Struggle

Uuuuuffff

I did take some “before” photos for this round of P90X and I didn’t need to take the fit test to realize how much strength I’ve lost. Although I’m up to five pounds lighter than I was on the above Day 90 photos, those five pounds and then some are definitely muscle. I can no longer do a pull up and I can barely do 20 push-ups on my feet before having to go to my knees (I was able to do 2 pull ups and over 30 push-ups after P90X last time). I purposely didn’t push myself too hard last week during my first time through the workouts again since I am conscious of the fact that I am still recovering from the marathon, even if I can’t feel the fatigue anymore. Despite the “moderate effort,” I was still VERY sore post workout, especially my chest after Chest and Back and glutes after Legs and Back.

So far I’m loving the feeling I get during and after my P90X workouts and I can’t wait to see how my strength improves as I continue. Last time I did P90X I also saw some great improvements in my running and I’m hoping that the added strength from the weight lifting as well as agility and power from plyometrics also boosts my running as well!

Sporting My New Oiselle Gear at the Run!

But my favorite things this week have been trying out completely new workouts! First, I took advantage of a local studio’s first 6 classes free and took my first hot yoga class last night (more on that later). Then, this morning I tried a really fun new workout called Xtend Barre with my good friend Allison. I knew it was a barre class so I figured it was similar to Dailey Method, which I was doing regularly last late summer/early fall. However, it was much different and I actually really loved it!

The front of the building Xtend Barre Encinitas is attached to – I thought I was in the wrong place!

The class is very dance and cardio oriented but it is constantly challenging your muscles. It’s a great mix of both cardio and strength training and it so fast moving that you don’t have a second to think about anything other than the moves and the class literally flies by. According to the website, it is a blend of pilates and ballet. The creator and owner is a professional dancer as well as a pilates instructor. From the website: 

In an effort to provide cross training and seek better results for her clients, she began to incorporate dance elements and music into her Pilates sessions in order to offer challenges in coordination, rhythm, and cardiovascular fitness. By raising her Pilates clients to a vertical position, and diversifying their range of motion, Andrea found greater results by offering Xtend Barre than by maintaining a routine of Pilates alone. Most importantly, her clients were gaining energy, enjoying elements of dance, and having fun!

First let me clarify that I’m not a good dancer. As a child I loved to dance and took tap and jazz classes, but I was never the one to get a solo, if you know what I mean. I am not very coordinated, but I do know how to follow instructors and I feel like I am a good student. I don’t have great rhythm (I distinctly remember in 9th grade when it clicked that you are supposed to move with the beat of the music – from 6th-8th grades I just kind of moved around aimlessly, not following any sort of beat or rhythm), so honestly the hardest part for me was the warm-up which included some more “dancy” moves. The rest of the class definitely required some sort of rhythm and coordination, but it wasn’t too demanding. I didn’t feel like a complete dope in class even though it was my first time (such as I felt the first time I did Turbo Kick Boxing – I learned to absolutely love that class but it was pretty embarrassing at first). At the same time, I also didn’t feel like I mastered the class, which is exactly how you want to feel the first time you try something.

By the end of class I was dripping sweat and I felt like I got a great strength training workout. The class has portions dedicated to each muscle group, from upper body at the beginning (with super light weights – 1 lbs!), to legs and tush in the middle and end, and wraps up with core work. However, it really feels like a full body workout the entire time. We used stretch bans for portions of the class and those were particularly useful in creating serious burn to my butt! There isn’t nearly as much stretching as Dailey Method and there isn’t as much holding and tucking. I think that taking both Dailey Method and Xtend Barre would actually be a great compliment since you could get the stretching and serious core work at TDM and the cardio and extra resistance training at Xtend- it’s too bad they don’t have a dual pass! 

Inside the Studio

For now I plan to join Mike in wrapping up his final 5 weeks of P90X but I would definitely consider buying a monthly pass to Xtend Barre. I really liked it and I think I could see some great results if I attended classed 3-4 times a week. The instructor assured me that all classes are different which I liked – I love showing up to class not know what I’m in for!  I need to figure out how that would fit into my schedule before I purchase though.

Have you ever tried a barre class? Or Xtend Barre? Do you like to show up at random classes and try new workouts like me!?

During a Not So Great Moment in OC Marathon

I’ve had over a week to reflect on my first (or would it be second?!) BQ failure at the OC Marathon. I am still at peace with what happened and I’m proud of myself for that PR, but I’m always looking to improve and I wanted to write an honest analysis of what I think went wrong.

After further discussions with Mike, Asia, and my coach (all of whom know me and my training best), we’re still not really sure why I performed below expectations at OC Marathon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still thrilled about my PR, proud to have finished my third marathon, and relieved that training is now over and I can focus on wedding planning. However, I still wonder why I wasn’t able to achieve my goal when my training told me I could (not to mention my training partner Asia did).

After reading my race report, my coach still emailed me telling me he was “baffled.” All the data said I could run 3:30 (he said even 3:24) yet I ran 10 minutes slower. These are the things that I think contributed to me missing my goal to qualify for Boston at the OC Marathon:

1) The DNF at Eugene. Clearly having a panic attack and quitting a race that you built up for so long isn’t exactly a stress free event. Every marathon taper article I read advises that you avoid stress in the week prior to a race since it affects your performance more than you realize. Although I felt “fine” after the race, I still should have probably taken into consideration the stress it put on my body and realized that it would likely have an impact.

2) Extended/Awkward Taper. My planned taper was extended by the DNF at Eugene which likely threw things off a bit. My coach had me do some tempo intervals on Wednesday and while they did boost my confidence, they could have fatigued me a bit for the race. Key word could – we really can’t be sure!

3) Race Course and Conditions. I really do believe that my training was there for me to get my BQ at Eugene. Had I had not had what I think was a panic attack, I’m pretty confident I would have gotten that BQ. The race conditions were perfect and the course is know to be a fast one. Asia and I have ran and raced side by side and I know that we would have finished within minutes of one another (she finished 45 seconds behind me at the Hot Chocolate 15k just five weeks prior).  The OC Marathon course was long and/or I ran the tangents incorrectly (I ran 26.51 miles), it was very windy (beginning miles and last 6 miles strong headwind), the temperature was higher than at Eugene (60s instead of 50s) and there were more hills than expected. I definitely don’t think these factors were the only reason I didn’t BQ, but they came into play and probably cost me a few precious minutes.

4) Electrolytes/Fueling. I didn’t “carbo-load” for this race, although I did increase carb intake, but not significantly. I tried to eat fairly normal to prevent the heaviness I’ve felt on race day in past races that I’ve over-zealously carbo-loaded for. On race morning, I made the mistake of not bringing enough cereal and I didn’t have a large breakfast. I had half a cup of a decaf/non-decaf mix of coffee because I heard caffeine can trigger panic attacks. I usually get some calories from the coffee creamer and sugar I put in so that was reduced. However, during the race, I think my fueling was fine. I took a Gu every 35 minutes and never had any GI distress or hunger. I only really used about a half a Nuun for electrolyte replacement, instead relying on my Gus to get me there. I ended up cramping and drinking Gatorade in hopes that it would help, but I think it was too late. Going forward I’ll be training and racing with electrolyte/salt tabs and eating a bigger breakfast.

5) The Marathon is a Beast. And of course, there’s the fact that no matter how “ready” you are for a race, no matter how many months of preparation you put in or how bad you want it, it won’t always go as planned. Marathons are long. Racing them requires a lot of focus. There were a couple miles in the beginning where I lost focus and my pace got a bit off track. The marathon is also a race that is so long that normal glycogen stores are depleted, requiring correct nutrition in order to perform well. A lot can happen and at the end of the day, anyone should just be proud to cross the finish line.

Happy to Have Finished!

What about my training? I don’t think I’d change anything. I got significantly faster over the last 7 months. My improved my half marathon PR by 9 minutes over the last 7 months – the same as my marathon PR at OC. I ran a 15k on a very hilly course at a 7:30 pace. My long runs went well. I felt strong on long runs and my tempo interval pace dropped significantly. I had been doing long runs of 18+ miles consistently since late October. The endurance was there, the speed was there. At one point I was 100% confident that I had Eugene in the bag. If anything, I need to work on my mental game. Toward the end of my training I started getting doubts and fears about the race. I got nervous, I put a lot of pressure on myself and then I ended up self-sabotaging at Eugene.

The most important lesson I can teach myself from this experience is that your mind can play serious tricks on you. Not only is it important to have “mental toughness” during a race and during hard training sessions in order to conquer pain and push through, it’s equally important to come into the race with a calm, confident attitude. There is no room for self-doubt or anxiety in racing. I need to be confident in myself and in the work I put in and focus on what I can control and know that I can handle the things in stride that I can’t control (i.e. weather, a crazy crowded start, a long course, anything else that comes my way).

So when will my next attempt for a BQ be? I’m not sure yet, but I can tell you it won’t be in 2013. For now, I want to focus on strength training and running speed at shorter distances. In 2014 I’ll put in a solid 4 month training period for a full marathon, but until then, there will be no 16+ mile long runs. I’m going to enjoy being engaged, marrying my best friend and having a wonderful Italian honeymoon. I’m ok knowing I won’t be at the 2014 Boston Marathon but I will be there in 2015!

What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned during a race?

Our wave was supposed to go off at noon but they were still sending off the 11 a.m. waves. They were breaking the groups up into 10 minute segments to avoid pile ups at the obstacles. I definitely think this was a great idea, although it didn’t completely stop lines from forming. As soon as we started a group of five of us (four girls, one guy) broke off. The first obstacle was simple – just crawl through some tubes. The second obstacle was really cool – we climbed up onto some platforms via a rope and then bounced on trampolines between platforms (they advised two bounces, I found three worked for me). At the end, we took a fire pole down.

After running a bit more we hit more obstacles, including one of my favorites – a water slide! We grabbed big inflatable tubes and ran up a hill and then slid down a crazy slide into a pit of muddy water. We kept running and hit up more obstacles. Some were simple like just literally jumping over a wall, scaling short concrete dividers and a tire run. Some of the more difficult ones were the monkey bars (So slippery! Only Allison made it across without slipping off!) and the rope swing over a mud pit (was somewhat simple/easy but it was intimidating at first). There was also an obstacle where you had to walk across a rope over a mud pit while holding on to a rope above. The tricky part was that a guy was there to try to shake you off! We saw a young  boy in front of us get knocked off and he fell right over the bottom rope and was hanging over it for several seconds. After that happened, we told the guy NOT to shake us!

Toward the end was some of the best obstacles. Unfortunately these had really long lines, up to twenty minutes each! The first one was “The World’s Largest Moon Bounce” and was basically a bounce house with low walls. Once they let us on, we all rushed onto it and then tried to jump up on the higher tier and all failed and bounced back. It was pretty hilarious watching us all attempt to bounce, crawl, and climb up onto the second level without assistance. Once we made it up we took advantage of the bounciness and hung out and bounced a bit – I felt like a kid again!

The next big obstacle reminded me of Oh Sit! We waited in line quite a while then got up on a platform and had to run/walk over barrels over the water. The barrels rotated so you had to keep your balance perfect to make it across. On top of that, two huge red balls were spinning above and you had time to it to make sure they didn’t hit you during one of their rotations. I made a good attempt but still didn’t make it across! Only one in our entire group made it!

The last obstacle was awesome! It was a HUGE slide and contained the finish line. Once you go to the top, the guy scanned your chip to get your time and then you slid down. Honestly, I don’t know why they bothered with timing chips at this race because the lines were so long there is no way you could compete. It ended up taking us over 1.5 hours to make it through the obstacles and 3.1 mile course.

Despite the lines, we still had a blast! We all decided we’d love to race again next year and hopefully our group will be even larger! Post race we enjoyed a beer and then headed home to relax. I was actually really tired from it all! I kept my effort low to moderate for the entire event since I’m only one week out from my last marathon, but just being out there for so long was tiring! And of course, I was sore the next day, mostly in my back and arms. A sure sign I need to get back to the weight room!

Allison and Me – We Made It!

Have you ever done a race like this? Would you want to do it? 

Ironman CdA Swim Start 2012

In breaking, non-running related news, the Ironman just announced that they will be making several significant changes to the swim portion of the Ironman race. Statistically, the swim is the portion of the swim that most fatal incidents occur and it is typically the leg of the race that gives participants the most anxiety. I’d say at least half of the people who I tell that I was training for or have complete an Ironman tell me that they could never do it because of the swim. There are a variety of reasons that they proclaim they “can’t” do it – some physically don’t know how to swim, some just don’t like to swim, and some have a deep fear of the open water. These fears mixed with race day nerves can unfortunately lead even the most experienced athletes to avoid triathlon or the Ironman distance all together.

Last year when I raced CdA, there was a man who unfortunately did not make it out of the swim. This was the first swim death at IMCdA in over 10 years but it definitely startled the triathlon community. I found a study that analyzed USAT sanctioned events from 2003-2011 and found that out of the 43 athlete fatalities during a race, 30 occurred during the swim. The most plausible cause of the deaths were “sudden, fatal arrhythmia — a primary cardiac problem” and the cause of death is not related to factors such as length of swim, swimming ability of the participant, or type of swim start.

There are probably several reasons why these sudden fatalities tend to occur in the swim, but they are probably aggravated by the anxiety and nerves the participants feel leading up to the race start. Once an attack begins, if a participant is swimming it is much more difficult to signal for help or stop exercising completely to get help than if they are running or biking.

Luckily, Ironman is addressing some of the reasons that athletes may feel anxiety going into the race by adjusting it’s swim starts at several of its North America events.

First, the following changes will be made:

1) Some races will have modified swim starts rather than a mass swim start (IMCdA, IM Lake Placid, IM Mont Trenblant). This will help reduce pre-race anxiety and fear of being hit, punched, kicked or swam over during the race. Also, since there will be less roughness in the water, this will also prevent swimmers for panicking while being swum over or kicked (not to say it will prevent these things all together but it will reduce them).

2) Whenever possible, athletes will be allowed to get in the water for a pre-race warm-up (this helps soothe nerves and creates less shock when the athlete enters the water for the first time).

3) Swims with temperatures under 52 degrees and over 88 degrees will either be shortened or canceled. Swimming in water not within this range can be dangerous and should be avoided.

4) The swim course will be easier to navigate with numbered buoys. Even better, there will be swim rafts positioned on the course that athletes may rest on without penalty.There will also be additional personnel and rescue watercraft on the course to assist those that need it (there were already way more personnel at IM events than the requirement).

I really like these changes and I definitely think that Ironman is doing the right thing in adding them to the race. I personally had extreme anxiety going into IM CdA, mostly as a result of my fear of being pummeled during the mass swim start. As a woman, it was very intimidating to think about running down a beach into a lake with 2,000 people, most of which are big, strong men. IM CdA’s modified start will basically be a self-seeded wave start. As soon as an athlete crosses through a threshold, then can run down the beach and begin the swim. This will begin at 6:30 a.m. with the intent of all athletes being in the water by 7 a.m. to allow the full 17 hours to complete the course. Athletes will have 2 hours 20 minutes to complete the swim course after the final swimmer enters the water.

At the same time, I do feel like that experience of “Ironman” is slightly altered with the non-mass swim start. That is part of the excitement and also part of the pride you feel when you tell people you did an Ironman. Is that worth safety? Probably not,  but I do see why many will be disappointed in these changes.

Although I’m not sure that these modifications can prevent sudden cardiac arrest in some individuals, I do think that it will reduce some anxiety and stress which could in turn help prevent some episodes. The new safety measures will also put many triathletes fears at ease and provide a much safer environment for racing.

For the complete article from Ironman, click here.

What do you think of these new standards? Does the Ironman swim start scare you?

Surprise! I ran a marathon this weekend. Although some people knew, I tried to keep it mostly private to avoid extra pressure for the race. Of course, my intent was to qualify for Boston at this race and I picked it with the help of my coach via text within an hour of my DNF at Eugene. Originally I’d thought I’d race Mountains to Beach Marathon (know to be a big BQ race) but it was sold out and I considered San Diego RnR but I knew that race would be crazy crowded too and I already have plans to be out of town that weekend. My coach said OC would be fine – would be good actually since it was only one week out and we could just add on to my taper from Eugene. I actually had run my last 20 mile run 2 weeks before Eugene so it would just be a fairly average 3 week taper (with an extra light 2nd week).

Since I grew up in Orange County, I have friends and family there so Mike and I ended up cooking my usual pre-race pasta dinner at my friend (and bridesmaid) Jill’s house with her husband and our mutual friend (and also bridesmaid) Jenny. I’d actually already had plans with them that day – they were going to come to San Diego for a visit – so it worked out well. My Dad and Step Mom could be there on the course to cheer me on and my Mom could make it to the finish line.

I told close friends and coworkers as well as some people at Eugene about the race, but I didn’t make a peep on Twitter, Facebook or my blog about the race. I had some race jitters the day before but not nearly as bad as the heart pounding anxiety I had while trying to fall asleep the night before Eugene.My main concern going into the race was the crazy winds that were ripping through Southern California. The forecast showed up to 15 mph winds on race day. Based on the direction, I guessed they’d be at my back for the majority of the race but I knew that the final 6 miles would be into the wind so that made me nervous.

4:45 AM Start Line Picture

Race morning came EARLY because the marathon start was 5:30 A.M. My assigned shuttle from the finish to the start was 4 a.m. so instead I had Mike drop me off at the start line around 4:40ish. It was odd to be at a race completely alone but it was also calming. No pressure.  I used the bathroom 3 times (for future racers – there are some porto-potties near the runner drop off that have no lines – the ones near the bus drop off got long!), warmed up and got in my corral – Corral 1. I noted that the 3:35 pacer was in my corral but didn’t pay attention to him otherwise because I didn’t plan to use him.

I basically started five rows back from the front and due to the fact that the vast minority of runners do the full marathon (about 2,000 compared to 8,000 in the half), it was not crowded at all at the start. Since the first few miles had some downhill, my plan was to cruise but not go faster than an 8 minute mile for the first five. Then I was to back it down to an 8:10 then pick it up to 8 min/miles for 10-20, then give it all I had for the final 10k (coach’s instructions – 7:50 pace). Same as Eugene, my estimated finish time was around 3:30.

The first mile felt pretty good. I knew going into it that there were some inclines on that first mile so I should not be worried if my pace was slower than 8:10 since the next mile would definitely be faster. We ran through the parking lot of the mall and up some slight inclines and as my legs warmed up they felt better. The first mile ticked off  on my Garmin at 8:15. Not bad. As we left the mall and ran toward Corona Del Mar, a beautiful beach side community in Newport Beach, we enjoyed a very nice long downhill portion. This is when the 3:35 pacer passed me while I was running in a the mid-high 7s, so I didn’t try to keep up. Mile 2 ticked off 7:51 and I knew I did the right thing not following them.

Miles 3 and 4 looked like they were still a bit downhill according to the course elevation but they really seemed to just be full of small rollers. We ran past all the shops in CDM then ran through the neighborhood to the coast, passing gorgeous multi-million dollar homes propped up against the ocean. The headwind was hitting every time we headed South and it was noticeable enough to cause a change in pace depending on which direction I was running. Miles 3 & 4 8:08 and 8:10. Right on track but not as fast as I had hoped. Mike had parked nearby and was running between the streets as we wove through them so I was able to see him at least four or five times during this stretch which was nice. I was in high spirits and feeling good. I shouted at him at one point “right on track.” My Garmin said my average was about 8:07.

Miles 5 & 6 felt good – I finished them in 8:00 and 8:09 but also started to realize I was either running the tangents poorly (I swear I was running them perfectly – especially since there weren’t many other runners so I had a direct path and rarely had to weave to pass people) or the course was a little long. Maybe both? Not sure, but already by mile 6 I was about 0.10 behind the mile markers, meaning I knew I’d be running at least 26.3 miles that day, but likely more. My coach had told me even though I could bank some time miles 1-5 because of the declines, I should keep the pace at around 8:10 for 5-10. I remember being thankful for the cool weather and lack of sunlight, but also remaining cautious of the winds. The wind is not your friend.

Miles 7 and 8 were the first indicator that it could be a hard race. We were slowly making our way back up that nice decline we had at mile 2 – via a different route, but nonetheless, I knew the uphills were more prevalent than the down. We ran up a path in a small park that led us up to a cliff overlooking a lagoon which was beautiful. Gorgeous homes lined the path and it was very scenic, but I didn’t  love the hills. I told myself just to run based on effort and not worry so much about the pace for these miles, and unfortunately that meant the pace was slower than targeted – 8:20 and 8:18.

After mile 8 clicked off I knew I had some catching up to do so I picked it up a bit more and knocked off a 7:58 pace for mile 9. My average pace per Garmin was still on track – around 8:07 or so, but I also knew I was getting further behind those mile markers and I had to make up some time.  The pace just didn’t feel as easy as I knew it should and around this point was my first indicator that it may not be my day. However, I told myself, rather than slow down now and lose time, I need to at least keep up with my pace, even if it feels faster than it should. Based on my experience at Surf City Marathon where I was able to run a basically even split the entire time (8:47 pace), I knew that miles 1-14 should feel really easy if I was going to be able to maintain or pick up the pace at the end. Unfortunately, they didn’t, but I didn’t give up hope yet.

Mile 10 was 8:11, which I told myself was fine since my goal pace was 8:10. I knew it was time to pick it up and Miles 11 and 12 clicked off at 8:02 and 7:58. However, they didn’t feel as easy as they should. Somewhere around this point is when we broke from the half (not that any half marathoners were running since they had a later start time) and this is when the course got significantly less scenic. I’d been warned via the yelp reviews and blogs I’d read about this race so I was prepared,  but honestly it was a pretty boring second half! However, I was so in my head with my paces and everything else that it didn’t bother me too much. If you are running this race for “fun” and to get a good view of OC, I’d pick another race. If you are trying to run really fast, I’d also skip it.

When I hit 13.1 (13.3 on my watch), I was disappointed that my watch said 1:47:20. Halfway to 3:35 is 1:47:30 so I knew I was cutting it VERY close. I also knew I was already tired. The thought of running another 13.1 miles at the same pace seemed daunting. Just after we crossed the 13.1 marker we hit a pretty big incline and just over the top I saw my Dad and Step Mom for the first time.  I tried to act like I wasn’t tired but I had just scaled a big hill so I probably didn’t look that happy! It was great seeing them though and I was glad for their support.

Despite a little setback after scaling that hill and knowing I was cutting it close, I reminded myself that this is what I worked for. This is what I put in all those hours of training for. This Moment. Dig Deep, I told myself. You can do this, I reminded myself aloud (I spoke to myself more during this race than I ever have before – maybe the lack of fellow runners/crowds made me feel like it was a good idea?). The next few miles I got some sort of energy boost. Hope crept back into my mind and I just kept telling myself to forget picking up the pace, just focus on maintaining.

Mile 14: 8:08

Mile 15: 8:08

Mile 16: 8:04

Mile 17: 7:48

Mile 17 is when there was a small out and aback and I saw the 3:35 pacer for the first time since mile 2. I thought to myself Catch Them!!! And picked up the pace. Mike saw me sometime around this point and he said that I looked really strong. I was ready to do this. Only 9 miles to go. Not too much longer in the pain cave. Let’s go! 

The momentum I had at mile 17 slowly waned and Miles 18 and 19 faded to 8:08 and 8:11. Sometime during Mile 19 we ran through a High School parking lot (yes, I kid you not) and that’s when I saw Sarah . She had told me last weekend in Eugene that she’d be at the race to pace another friend so I wasn’t surprised when I saw her. I was getting really tired at this point, and I called out to her. She asked if I wanted to be paced and I said sure! She asked what pace and I said 8 – 8:10. The wind was in our faces at this point so I told her to run in front of me. However, My breathing was too hard, my legs were too heavy, and I was clearly struggling.

Although I had literally just been on pace, this was when things went downhill. I knew these evil miles were coming and I’d been mentally preparing for them, but when they arrived, I wasn’t ready for them. Miles 20-24 are down a lonely concrete path next to the river bed. This “river trail” may sound scenic, but really it’s a concrete path next to an empty concrete river bed. We were running south and the wind was in our faces, blowing hard. I couldn’t keep up with Sarah. She was running my pace as I asked her to and I just fell behind. I wasn’t able to draft off of her because she was running too fast (clearly not her fault – my pace was too sporadic to be able to easily run just ahead).

Knowing that I had to literally maintain my pace and I had nearly no cushion to work with, this is when I knew what was going to happen. Instead of looking at my watch and freaking out, I just focused on effort. I kept up my effort and just kept chugging along. Sarah was really awesome and gave me words of encouragement and tried to help the best she could, but I was so deep in the pain cave at this point that nothing could help. My thoughts went from BQing to praying for the race to be over.

Oddly enough, I was ok knowing my BQ wasn’t going to happen that day. My thoughts were actually surprisingly positive. Every mile marker was a flag that had written on it a reason “Why I Run,” presumably submitted by runners themselves as reasons why they put their body through 26.2 or 13.1 miles.  I had been reading them the entire race, but during these miles they were particularly inspiring to me. I focused on the fact that I could run. That running makes me healthier. That running has been the inspiration for this blog which gives me so much joy. That running makes me part of an amazing community. That as long as I didn’t have to walk, I’d still PR. That I was going to finish my 3rd marathon that day. I should be proud no matter what happens. I mentally celebrated the fact that after I crossed that finish line, I didn’t have to think about training for a while. Heck, maybe I didn’t even have to run a marathon ever again!?  I just tried to look on the bright side.

After pacing me for about 3ish miles, Sarah jumped off and headed back to find her friend to pace. I thanked her for her help. Later I saw her as she passed with Monica (EatRunRepeat) and several other runners and she told me to get in their group and out of the wind (yes still running into a headwind, all alone, since there was no one to draft off of). I tried to keep up, but I just couldn’t. I can’t remember if it was now or another point when I saw Sarah that I told her, “I’m going to finish and I’m going to PR!” letting her know that although the BQ wouldn’t be mine, I’d still be proud.

Mile 20 : 8:28

Mile 21: 8:47

Mile 22: 9:02

Mile 23: 8:54

Mile 24: 9:11

I remember hitting mile 24 and bemoaning the fact that I still had 2 miles to go. My watch was now nearly 0.30 miles ahead of the mile markers so I knew I would be running at least 26.5 miles that day. My legs were exhausted, my breathing heavy. I had refilled my water bottle 5 times now (I’d take off the cap, run through the chute and pour 4-6 cups of water in it) yet was still so thirsty. I was cramping in my feet and legs so I’d started drinking gatorade (I had put half a Nuun in my bottle around mile 16 but the other half disintegrated my running sleeve). I wanted to walk so bad but I knew I couldn’t. I wanted to PR. I vaguely thought it’d be nice to go sub 3:40 but I really didn’t care enough to push it harder. I just wanted to cross that finish line. I wanted to be done.

Mile 25 – 9:20

Mile 26: 9:05

My family had gone to the finish line so I didn’t see anyone from Miles 20 to the finish. The miles went by in a blur. They seemed so long. I fantasized about finishing and just laying on the grass immediately and drinking gallons of water. I wanted relief. I was in pain. The marathon is a beast. I had forgotten how hard it was to race one.

My watch showed that I had run 26.2 miles even before I hit the 26 mile marker. Around this point I also made it through two main roads where they were letting traffic pass and stopping runners. Luckily I wasn’t stopped by I felt for those that did get stopped because I don’t think I could keep going if I had to stop at mile 25.9. I saw the OC Fairgrounds where the finish line was held and I was so relieved to almost be done. I couldn’t muster up much energy, but I was able to pick it up a little bit at the end (final 0.51 miles 8:13 pace). I saw my Dad first, then heard Mike and my mom cheering me on to my right, then saw my Step Mom just before I crossed the finish line. Relief. 

THANK YOU Mike for Waking Up at 3:30 AM and Driving/Running All Over Town for Me!

With My Dad and Denice

I didn’t cry. I was just happy. Relieved the race was over, relieved my training was over, relieved I didn’t have a huge goal looming over my head. The worst had happened last weekend in Eugene and I think it eased me into accepting that getting that BQ may have to wait a while. I did lay on the grass for a bit, fulfilling my mid-run pain-inspired fantasy,  but my legs were so achy and my heart was still pounding so I decided I better keep moving. I found my family and they timidly approached me, not sure how I’d be feeling. I greeted them with huge  hugs and smiles and said “I did it!I finished! I’m so happy it’s over!”

My final time was 3:40:52. Under the old standards I would have qualified for Boston.  I was 11th in my age group (originally it was 10th! Somehow I got bumped back) and only 5 people in my age group even qualified for Boston. Despite the disappointment that I did not achieve my goal, I am supremely proud of myself for achieving a 9 minute marathon PR and even more proud of finishing the race. The marathon is an incredibly difficult distance – I respect it even more now than I ever have. I’ve read the race reports of friends who tried to BQ and have also failed. All their training and tune up race times indicated they’d do it too and they just didn’t. As to why it didn’t happen for me or for those others, it’s hard to pick just one thing. What I do know is that I’m a much faster runner than I was 7 months ago and that won’t go away. I also believe that my race time doesn’t completely reflect the training I put in, but I’m at peace with that.

Look for another post soon with some post-race reflection on what may have gone wrong as well as review of the OC Marathon itself, but for now, I’m going to just continue to celebrate my accomplishment and enjoy some much deserved rest!

My third season as a coach for the amazing program Girls on the Run is coming to a close. Yesterday was one of my absolutely favorite practices and it really reminded me why I coach. If you need a recap on how the program Girls on the Run works, you can read the post I wrote when I first began coaching in the Fall of 2011. In a nut shell, Girls on the Run is a not for profit program for girls age eight to thirteen years old which combines training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development (summarized from gotr.org).

For the last two seasons I’ve been coaching Girls on Track, the Girls on the Run Program tailored to slightly older girls, ages 11-13. Nearly all of the girls in the two groups I’ve coached have been in 6th grade (11-12 years old). For me, personally, 6th grade was a really rough year for me. I was growing into an adolescent but I was kind of still stuck back in childhood. Some of my friends were starting to “hang out” and talk about boys at lunch but I was still playing hopscotch. It was an odd year for me as I began the process of becoming a woman yet still felt like a child. It was also my first year of middle school (luckily these girls are still in elementary school in 6th grade), so in the midst of all these changes I was also thrust into a new school with new social expectations. As a very shy girl, it was a rough year to say the least.

This season has been awesome because the girls are smart, cooperative and friendly. In past seasons there have been a disruptive clique of three that have made it difficult to move the lessons along, but this time my team is comprised of wonderfully behaved, talkative and amazing girls who all support and uplift one another. Four of the girls from the previous season returned this time so I also was able to build stronger relationships with these girls.

Honoring Each Other With Kind Words

The season is reaching and end and yesterday we had a really fun lesson where we honored each other. For our “warm-up” game, we had each and every girl sit in the center of our circle and then we went around and each said a few kind words about the girl in the center. Each girl was beaming with pride by the time they left that spot in the center. All of the girls considered their words wisely and thought of wonderful things to tell their fellow teammate. I even got to have a turn in the middle and the girls made me feel incredibly special. They all told me I’m pretty, but the compliment that touched me the most was when one of the girls said “you are a really good coach.” It meant a lot to me.

After all of the praises had been sung, we had our final workout. This time I decided to run too and ran around the track in the opposite direction as the girls. Each time I reached one of them I asked them to tell me a favorite memory from the season or something they learned. Although most of them started by telling me they liked capture the flag (they ask to play this every single practice) or the scavenger hunt, they other most common answer was that they liked running with their friends.

I’m so thankful to have found this program and to be able to hopefully help these girls become better prepared to handle the challenges of adolescence as they enter middle school next year. Yesterday at practice I told them a little of my story – that I had been made fun of when I was in middle school but as I grew older I realized that those people who made fun of me were doing it out of their own insecurities. I told them that they all should all be proud to be who they are no matter what anyone tells them. I’m not sure if anyone actually digested my words but even if just one girl remembers my advice one time I will be glad that I shared. 

As time went on, I started to open up more and share more of my personal life. The more I opened up, the more people seemed to read. Ironically, I found, it wasn’t really the information about running, working out, or nutrition, that people wanted – they wanted to get to know a person who was going through something that either they were also going through or were curious about attempting. I started to notice I had regular readers (via their comments or tweets) and I got feedback from readers that I was inspiring them to achieve their own goals. Over that first six months or so, writing this blog started to mean much more to me than just a creative outlet for me to document my experience and keep me on track – it become a way to connect with others, build relationships, and enter a community.

Never have I been so happy to have started this blog than I was this weekend. My Eugene marathon race weekend was a true testament to how incredible the “virtual” running community is. This weekend I strengthened my friendship with Page, a fellow blogger who I bonded over the inter webs via over our lack of cycling (and triathlon) experience while we both trained for our first Ironman (Page is doing Ironman CdA- check out her blog!). I also got to meet a few of the bloggers whose blogs I’ve been reading for months or even a year or two (Sweaty Emily, SarahOuaL, Jocelyn , EnduroTwerd/Megan, fellow San Diegan Patty, and ALMOST met Sarah) as well as met a whole crew of bloggers/runners that I didn’t follow on Twitter and/or read their blogs previous to this weekend (including Lora who I met on the plane, Courtney who I met at the expo, Corey who offered amazing support post-non-BQ, and SO many others!).

Running Friends at the Expo with Our Favorite Pancake

Running Bloggers!

Despite having an absolutely worst case scenario thing happen to me at Eugene (although a big part of me thinks worst case would have been to continue the race, finish and then have to recover and train all over so this wasn’t 100% worst case), the weekend was AWESOME! No matter how odd it may feel at first to meet someone in real life that you semi feel like you are stalking because you read their blog and know more about their life than half their friends and family, it is totally worth it to introduce yourself. All of the bloggers I met were so down to earth, so real, and SO nice. Like crazy nice. Everyone was in such a great mood at the shake out run and expo – everyone so pumped to achieve their goals, whether it be a BQ, PR or a “training run” (ahem, Page). At the post race party, everyone was so excited for those that did achieve their goals and so supportive or those that didn’t.

The best thing about the running blogger (or just running period) community is that they are so accepting. Everyone is competing against themselves, not each other (somewhat unlike triathlon where people are hunting each other down using the age printed on the back of their fellow athlete’s calves as honing devices- albeit I still think people are supportive its just a bit more competitive with one another). People are so happy for each other’s accomplishments and are sympathetic for their failures. Nearly every single person I talked to about my race experience had a story to share – We’ve all been there. Bad races happen.  The amazing tweets people sent me with words of reassurance and encouragement after the race were even more numerous than the ones I received after I achieve my goal of completing an Ironman.  I read every message and every message made me happier and stronger. It helped with my healing tremendously.

Just some of the supportive words

But this weekend was just an example of how awesome and supportive the running community is. The incredible response to the Boston Marathon tragedy is a great example of how runners have each other’s backs. The running community as a whole mourned the tragedy together and then rose up together to support those that were affected directly as well as help heal all of us who weren’t directly involved but felt the sting of betrayal that day.

This weekend fueled my fire to get back out there and get that Boston Qualifier. I want to toe that start line in Hopkinton with all of my incredible fellow runners and run side by side with them for 26.2 miles before crossing the most famous of all marathon finish lines. If it’s not in 2014, then it’ll be another year,  but I will get there.

Last, THANK YOU to all the Twitter followers, readers, blogger/runner friends, real life friends and family who have cheered me on over the last two years as I’ve attempted, achieved and failed at my goals. Your support means everything to me.

And, if you ever see me at a race, on the road, in the airport, or on the streets – say hi!

Have you ever met a fellow blogger IRL? Do you feel the twitter and blogging community for runners is a positive, supportive one?