Fall Line-up

It is officially mid-September and I can feel fall in the air. The days are slowly starting to get slower and the temperatures are dipping so that I can recommence my evening runs without the heat sticking to me.

August was a hard month for this non athlete. Besides the fact that it was a billion degrees outside I moved, started the new school year, and participated in the festivities of the wedding of two dear friends. There was much more drinking this month and a lot less running.

So here I am, on the precipice of fall, school is finally starting to feel manageable and the lovebird are already back from their honeymoon. it is time to get serious about my training.

I have been going back and forth since this spring about whether I would do another marathon this fall. Since my summer running was so abysmal I have decided to forgo the second marathon and focus on my half. I am running the distance run on Sunday (eek!) which should be interesting considering the lack of miles I have been logging. Then I am jumping right into Hal Higdon's INTERMEDIATE training plan for the November Philadelphia Half Marathon.

It is no longer fair to call myself a novice, it just lets me get lazy. So I'm going to try and get a little faster this time (and by faster I mean a solid 9:30 mile during a half). I know I'm not qualifying for Boston anytime soon, but it helps to try and get better.

I plan to run another marathon someday, perhaps sooner rather than later. The Austin marathon is in February and I've always wanted an excuse to visit the city.

So that is the plan folks. The fall line-up:

Philadelphia Distance Run Half Marathon 9/20

Run the Bridge 10K 11/1

Philadelphia Half Marathon Half Marathon 11/22

Turkey Trot (in Detroit) ?? 11/26

This will take me into winter and then I'll reassess from there.

What is everyone else planning on running this fall? Anyone know of a good jingle bell run?

P.S. MAJOR SHOUT OUT TO RACHEL FOR COMPLETING HER FIRST IRONMAN!!! She is DEFINITELY an athlete.

Beat the Heat

It is August in Philadelphia and it is HOT. I am currently dreaming of the days of sweaters, pumpkins, red leaves, and apples. One of the worst things about the heat and humidity is that I absolutely cannot run in it. Perhaps I am being a little over dramatic...but I can barely go 2 miles with the hot sun beating down on me. This isn't the best scenario if you want to do a fall marathon and training is supposed to commence in July.

What is a girl to do? I'm sure everyone will say to just wake up early and go for your run then. Well, unfortunately for me, there are 2 things that make running unbearable for me. The first is obviously the heat, and the second is waking up early to run. I can't do it. I'm not a morning person and with a 7:30 work arrival time there is NO way I'm running when I wake up.

So morning runs are out. Drinking lot of water...helps, but still 2 to 3 miles is the limit. Treadmill? Hate it. I know I'm not providing a lot of helpful tips here. All I can say is when the heat of the summer is upon us I find myself cross training like crazy (okay, not really like crazy). I've re-discovered my love of pilates, picked up yoga again, and go to spinning class. While I'm doing these things I've been trying to take stock of my fall running season and what I want to get out of my athletic "career" this year (because I still think of a year in terms of school!).

I was validated in my hate for hot weather running in one of the latest versions of Runners World (June or July?). There was an article that said it is proven you can't perform as well in the heat and it isn't very healthy for you. I'm taking that and running with it. Or actually, I'm NOT running with it. At least for a couple more weeks I will be taking it slow, logging 3-5 miles on a run and trying to cross train while I prepare for my first fall event...the Philadelphia Distance Run!

Till next time, if you can't stand the heat, go to spinning...

Race Review: Napa to Sonoma Wine County Half Marathon

The Distance:

Half Marathon-13.1 miles

The Course:

From a winery in Napa, California to the town square in Sonoma, this course was BEAUTIFUL! There were some "rolling hills." Race started by going sharply down hill for maybe .1 of a mile and then going up a very steep hill or maybe .2mi. I was very nervous about the hills for this race. There were definitely hills, but the good news is what goes up, must come down. Also, the hills stopped around mile 6 or 7 and the rest of the course was nice and flat (just when I needed it!)

The important stuff:

• T-Shirt (because it is really all for the t-shirt, right?): White t-shirt with their logo (a woman runner, kneeling down with a sheep jumping over her back) on the back of the t-shirt. Not impressed. The t-shirt quality wasn't great, and while i liked the picture, i never once saw a sheep in wine country....So I'm not sure what they were going for. My friend wore hers to the start because she was cold and just discarded it there. Enough said.
  
• Goody Bag: Not half bad, my friends. I had left Philadelphia without my cliff shot blocks (or jellies, as I refer to them), which are my preferred snack of choice during a long run/race (I feel another post coming on...). I figured I'd just buy some at the expo, those places are usually crawling with sugared gelatin passing for sports food. However, no such luck. I was planning on just borrowing some of my friend's, however, but to my great excitement there was a pack in the goody bag! And a mini-cliff bar! Good job folks, good job. Nothing else of merit in the bag really, except a free tasting at one of the wineries in the area...
  
• Expo: Pitiful. That would be the one word I would use to describe it. First of all, they tried to charge me $10 to park at the expo. I don't think so. I drove across the street and parked for free. Second of all, lack of the aforementioned jellies. Third of all, barely any gear. The expo was held in a huge room, but there were hardly any venders. My friend was looking for a hat and could even find one of those! Needless to say, not much time was spent at the expo-we just went and drank more wine instead!
  
• Water/Bathrooms: There were johny-on-the-spots a plenty both at the start and at each water stop throughout the course (there was even a hand washing station at the start, which is something you'll never see at a Philadelphia race). There was a water stop every 2 miles of the race, and while I successfully got a glass o water at each one, they had RUN OUT of water at the 6 mile water stop by the time my running compadres had gotten there. So that means they ran from mile 4 to mile 8 without water. Not fun, not fun at all. I find running out of water unforgivable, because they know how many people are running the race (3000), so I think it would be easy to be prepared. They also had no Gaterade, but some gross, watered down sports drink instead.
  
• Other Participants: 3000 racers, 2000 were woman and 1000 were men. I think this race brought out a lot of groups of females participating in a Napa wine/running weekend. There are worse things...
  

My Results:

My Uniform: black spandex shorts, gray sportsbra, blue tank--all Nike

My Shoes: Asics

Overall Rank: 1281

Finish time: 2:22:53

I'm still trying to break 2:20! Perhaps on the Distance run. Overall, this was a LOVELY weekend. Part of me thinks it would have been just as nice to go to wine country and eat and drink, but I have to say I felt much better about eating and drinking because I ran the race.

The only downfall of this race is that is fills up quickly (the race filled up in February) so you have to commit early.

Would I do the race again? Definitely, as long as I can afford to make the trip!

http://www.napa2sonoma.com

Tip #3 What NOT to do the night before a race

Sorry for not posting earlier this week....I have been MIA in San Francisco with no laptop and only an iphone (I'm on vacation, people!). Turns out the iphone cannot send posts on blogspot. Who knew?
I am sitting here, in the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa, a mere 10 hours away from the start time, and I am sitting here thinking about my NORMAL pre-race routine.
The night before a race is almost a ceremonial time. There is ritual, there is a specific menu (well, basically). Normally, I would tell you to do the following things the night before a race:

1. Refrain from alcohol the day (or even two days) before the race
2. Carbo load with a nice pasta dinner
3. Refrain from any exercise or strenuous activity a day or two before
4. Go to bed early
5. Lay out you clothes and pin your race number on
6. Plan your race day breakfast--I suggest something light---a banana with peanut butter, a powerbar, toast

Almost all of this has gone out the window with this race. So here is a list of things NOT to do before race day:

1. Do not walk around San Francisco with a large backpack on your shoulders, causing your shoulders and neck to be in extreme pain the next few days.
2. Do not go wine tasting in the Napa Valley, especially when that wine tasting includes a gay man who calls your male friend, "daddy," and all the wineries provide extra treats and tastes
3. Do not go to dinner at a restaurant where you feel the need to order a flight of wine, eat copious amounts of cheese, and indulge in profiteroles and bacon chocolate (but do try the bacon chocolate another time!).

Needless to say, my friends and I are slightly un-prepared for tomorrow. I'm usually a lot more "on it" the night before a race. However, when in Rome....or when in Napa....I was drinking wine today and that was all there is to it!

So...I am off to bed, trying to make one or two "good decisions" before the race ensues. I will give you a full report soon in my "Race Review," although I can already provide a sneak preview: Expo= lame. Goody bag= awesome!

See you on the flip side...

Getting back on the Wagon

Running is, unfortunately, not like riding a bike. Just because you could run 15 miles nine months ago does not mean that you can do it today. There were two years between my first and second half-marathons, and when I started training the second time around it was as though I had never gone for a run a day in my life. Two miles was laborious. I kept at it because I KNEW I could run that distance. But there are not many things in your life where, if you stop doing it, you have to start again as a "beginner."

I feel like I am going through another "beginner" phase. After my first marathon this past November I did not have tons of motivation to go run long distances. I have been running consistently, but haven't managed to pull out more than 5 or 6 miles for my "long" runs. Now I find myself one week to the day away from the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half-Marathon, and I am feeling nervous. Due to triathlon training, I haven't gotten in as many long runs as I would have liked. With limited free time this spring I had to cut out a lot of runs in favor of the bike rides and swim sessions. I did a 9 mile run last weekend and it was tough. I had my camelback and walked a minute every mile (which feels a bit like cheating, but Hal Higdon says it's okay, so I'm going with it). I finished, but it didn't feel like 9 miles did this fall.

I realized recently (on a run when I'm usually thinking about these things-like why the hell am I doing this in the first place) I am going to have to keep running like this my entire life, if I want to avoid the "beginner" phase--which is the hardest phase to get through. I am going to have to run 15-20 miles a week (minimum) for the rest of my life. This is a daunting thought. Running is now part of who I am, and what I do. It has to become the same as taking a shower or cooking dinner (okay, maybe eating dinner). I know I want to stay on the wagon, because it is only going to get harder to get back on as I become older. So here is to being 50 and still being able to go out and run 10 miles, no sweat (and by default, here is to being 50 and being able to eat that second piece of chocolate cake). Let's keep running friends!

Abe Weintraub, 98, finishing the 5th Avenue Mile Run

Tip #2: Knee pain? Learn how to tie your shoes!

Are you tying your shoes right? It is kind of an offensive question when you think about it, of course I'm tying my shoes right! I've been an expert shoe tie-er since kindergarten!

Apparently, this might not be the case, at least in terms of your running shoes. Having the wrong knot in your shoe may not seem like a big deal, but it can cause knee problems.

But have no fear if you are sitting there, scratching your head, thinking, "I did have some problems with cut and paste...maybe I didn't really learn how to tie my shoes!" (or, more likely, if you are starting to experience some knee problems and you aren't 55). Runner's World has provided this lovely, how-to video so you can make sure your sore knees aren't a result of poor bunny ears. My roommate had been having sore knees, she watched the video, figured out she WAS tying her shoes wrong, and her knee problems have all but been eliminated!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2524559001?bctid=4328494001

Race Review: Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon-Olympic Distance

Okay...here is the breakdown

The Distance:

Swim: 1.5K (about .9 miles)

Bike: 40K (about 25 miles)

Run:  10K (6.2  miles)

The Course:

In and about Fairmount Park...

Swim:  In the Schuylkill...yes, that is what I said...it actually is pretty clean and refreshing!

Bike: A two loop course with 4 killer hills per loop....for the mathematically challenged that equals 8 killer hills on this course.  Let's just say, I wasn't really prepared for that.  Lemon Hill was pain-inducing!

Run:  An easy out and back and then out and back again (in the other direction) on West River Drive.  Flat, although not tons of shade.

The important stuff:

• T-Shirt (because it is really all for the t-shirt, right?):  A heather gray, cotton shirt with a picture of Philadelphia and a guy swimming, biking, running done in black and white.  At first, I was not that pumped about the design.  But the shirt is soft and fit surprisingly well!  I can actually see myself wearing this...
  
• Goody Bag:  Not good, barely any free stuff.  However, the goody bag was a nice, reusable REI bag; so I suppose there is a silver lining.
  
• Transition Area:  Fairly organized, clean, felt secure.  This is definitely a professional event
  
• Bathrooms:  Lots of johnny-on-the-go's in the transition area and at the start, but what about the bike and the run!  I felt like I was going to pee on myself during the bike and just had to push through...I had a long transition 2 time because I ended going to bathroom at the transition area.
  
• Other Participants:  Hard core.  Let's just say, if you are doing an Olympic distance you have to be hard core to a degree.  As a friend who came to watch me said, "All these men have the best asses."  I was definitely one of the most "unfit" in this bunch. In some regards it made me feel pretty badass...in other regards I felt like the over-weight eighth grader all over again...
  

My Results:

My Uniform:  Tri shorts and a Tri Sportsbra ala Danskin (yes, I did the race in just shorts and a sports bra! bold, Suzanne, bold).  

My Bike: a Jamis Ventura Sport (Thanks, Bicycle Therapy!)

My Shoes: Asics

Overall Rank: 1746/1924

Class Rank: 116/132

Swim: 31:55        Swim Rank: 1715

Bike: 1:39:51       Bike Rank: 1733

Run: 1:11:59        Run Rank: 1700 

Finish time: 3:32:36

So, I was super slow...but I'm okay about that. This was my first Olympic distance tri.  Will there be another...hard to say.

Philly Insurance Tri again?  Definitely

Sprint or Olympic? Remains to be seen....

Even consider a half-ironman?  Hell, no

www.phillytri.com  

Tip #1:Hal Higdon, my hero

My first advice to anyone who is wants to take their recreational jogging to the next level is sign up for a race, tell everyone about it, and find a training plan.

You might think that you aren't ready for a race-what happens if you come in last?  But believe me, you are ready and you WON'T come in last (well, technically, I suppose it is a possibility, but I have faith in you).  

For me, it is equally (if not more) important to tell everyone that you are doing said race.  Why? Pride, my friends.  Pride is a powerful thing, and when it is cold outside, or raining, or you would rather be at happy hour, pride is sometimes the one thing that will actually get you outside for that run.  You don't want to look like a pansy when someone asks how the race went and you have to tell them you were drinking gin and tonics and just couldn't commit to training.  

Or if pride isn't enough to get you motivated, money surely will.  When I was doubting my ability to complete the Olympic Triathlon I had signed up for in December I remembered the $150 nonrefundable dollars and realized that if I dropped out I would a. look like a pansy and b. have wasted $150.

Along with telling everyone you are racing, you need to find a training plan.  This is the easiest, most foolproof way to hold yourself accountable and make sure you'll be able to cross the finish line.  Without a plan you might be able to convince yourself that you really don't need to start training for that half marathon until six weeks before the race (when you can't even run 2 miles right now).  Without a plan you might be able to convince yourself that 4 miles is an acceptable long run and 2 times a week is sufficient to complete a marathon.  For me, my training plan helps me figure out if I can really commit to training for the race and gives me a guideline so I know what my weekly workouts should look like.

What training plan should you use?  So glad you asked.  There is only one name you need to remember in the world of training plans...Hal Higdon.  Hal Higdon is a famous runner/marathoner and has a website dedicated to helping people of all fitness levels compete in races.  The best things about his training plans are: 1.  Room for flexibility 2.  Free

His site breaks down plans by distance of race, and offers plans for the novice, intermediate, advanced, and even walkers.  Right now I am gearing up for a half marathon in Napa, California and am using his "Novice Half-Marathon" plan. I've used this plan multiple times for half marathons, and used his marathon plan as well.  For this race, I'm picking up the plan in week 9 because of triathlon training.  However, I'm glad to have the plan to focus my last few weeks of training.

Some things to note if you choose to use Hal's plans....it doesn't really matter what day you do the runs as long as those distances are covered in a week.  Now, perhaps Hal would argue with me, but for people who are trying to FINISH the race, and not necessarily WIN, I think that rule applies.  Life happens and you don't want to stop training because you can never fit in the Wednesday runs (when you could easily fit them in on Monday).  My other piece of advice is don't stress of the "stretch and strengthen" section.  I would usually just take 3 days of rest per week (4 days of working out is just fine with me, thank you).  I don't think I was any worse for the wear.  Just make sure you are stretching after your runs.

So that is it.  Tip #1--Sign up for a race, TELL everyone, and then get a training plan (preferably Hal's).  What are you waiting for....go....sign up....right now!  And be sure to tell me about it :) 

An Origin Tale-How one nonathlete got off her ass and went out for a run

Let me start off by saying-I am not athletic by nature.  My foray into running and triathlons happened by accident (though, how someone wakes up one day and accidentally decides to run a marathon is beyond me).  In fact, if you had the pleasure of knowing me in elementary, middle, or high school, you’d probably be pretty surprised by my fairly recent transformation into runner/triathlete (I’m just beginning to call myself a “runner”, and also feel like I’m telling a little white lie when I do). 

I had the typical “nonathlete” childhood.  I sat indoors for hours and read the Babysitter Club books over and over again.  I was picked last in gym class, tried (unsuccessfully) to twist my ankle before the mile-run day, and ate more than my share of Hostess food products.  Basically, I was your average book-loving, art-making, overweight child.  I wasn’t lazy, perse, I tried to play all of your typical team sports-soccer, basketball, softball—it was just very apparent to me early on that I wasn’t very good, and since I don’t like to do things I am not naturally good at I never lasted in any sport too long.  By the time I reached high school I had found my niche in music and theatre, and left the ball playing to others.   

What did happen, however, was I befriended a group of girls my sophomore year of high school who WERE naturally athletic, and all ran on our school’s cross-country team.  They convinced me to do “pre-season” cross country the summer before my junior year, which consisted of me waking up at 5:30 in the morning (I lived in Arizona, and if you didn’t start running then, you’d melt) and going for an hour run with the team.  When I told my parents I was doing this they looked at me with a raised eyebrow and said I wouldn’t’ last the summer.  Nothing like your parents telling you that you can’t do something to get a non-athlete’s ass into gear.  I may not be athletic, but I’m stubborn, competitive, and tenacious (all traits that really do help with this sport).  So I dragged my butt out of bed every morning and went for a run.  At the beginning of the summer I couldn’t run 15 minutes without stopping…by the end of the summer, I was running 50 minutes. 

I wish I could tell you that it was that simple.  That I began on the cross country team that year, became a star athlete blowing people’s 5k times out of the water…In reality, I got in the school play and stopped running, except for the occasional jog around the block.  However, running never stayed too far from my mind. I was not blessed with skinny genes…so I continued to run so that I could eat (because I was definitely born with the eating gene), and hopefully still fit into my skinny jeans.  In college my roommate and I decided to run a half marathon (I don’t remember whose idea this was-I doubt it could have been mine!) and so began my transformation from non-athlete into self-made athlete. 

Over the years I have had periods where I have trained and raced a lot, and then there have been periods of time when I’ve done nothing.  I’ve learned some basics along the way, and while I’m no expert, feel I might have some pearls of wisdom to share with other non-athletes like myself.  I have noticed as of late, that many people, particularly females my age, are starting to get into racing. That was the impetus for this site.  I hope for this blog to be a collection of tales of my own running/racing history, like the one above, but also bits of advice and tips that I have garnered along the way.  Hopefully it will motivate people to get outdoors and start running—or train for your first triathlon.  Believe me, if I could turn myself into an “athlete”—anyone can!