Giant Race recap

I LOVE baseball, and more specifically, I love the Giants.  I did not start loving them in October of 2010.  No, I started loving them when I moved to California in 2004, moved in with a dude who loves baseball and has the world record for farthest object ever thrown (not a baseball), and who also had a television and cable.  I've always loved baseball, thanks to my dad who taught me how to swing a whiffle bat as soon as I could walk.  Summer evenings after dinner found my whole family in the side yard playing two-on-two whiffle ball until it was dark.  I joined ponytail softball, and then little league where I played as the only female in the entire league until 8th grade.  I can throw hard and far, and hit home runs.  I haven't played much since then, but ball is always fun and always on our summer evening barbecue to-do list.

So that's me and baseball.  Last summer when I found out the San Francisco Giants were hosting a 5/10k and a 1/2, I was so excited.  Couldn't pull it off last summer, but this summer I lured both non-runner sisters into running with me, with promises of Tim Lincecum bobbleheads at the finish line for all.

The Giants haven't been doing so well this half of the season, so we were doubtful of actually witnessing a win.  We watched the Friday evening game against the Astros and won in typical Giants fashion.  The racer's expo was at the stadium that night and it was then and there I decided to downgrade my entry from the 1/2 to the 5k and run with my sisters.  Switching was no problem, but I obviously didn't get any money back.  Bummer.

Saturday morning dawned cloudy and slightly chilly.  Perfect running weather if you ask me.  We hopped on the muni that runs down the Embarcadero to AT&T Park.  We made a quick pit-stop for pre-run donuts and coffee, and continued to the start, located in the stadium parking lot.  The racers started in 3 waves, which allowed us time to chat, mill around and get chilly.  We also passed RIGHT by Matt Cain, my all-time favorite player!  Highlight of the day!

We ran a decent pace in the beginning, and I noticed we were too fast to maintain an actual running pace for 3.1, so I tried to reign us in for the sake of youngest seester.  Nonetheless, she called it good at around 1 mile and put in some time walking.  We got her going again and she made the turn.  She really wanted to walk again, and I told her we could walk while under the Bay Bridge, which was a perfect 1 or 2 minute break.  Amazingly, she made it to the finish line without walking again, and we had a blast.

 

My results:

Overall:	2060 out of 3487
Women:	1138 out of 2141
F 25-29:	329 out of 506
Age/Grade:	37.50% Place: 2084
Finish:	39:29 Pace: 12:43
Tag Time:	39:29
Gun Time:	45:13

39:29 is obviously a huge underachievement for me, but is also a 5k PR!  First and only, baby.  My foot hurt pretty much the whole race, and the whole rest of the day after that.  I was glad I didn't run 13.1 miles, but also really disappointed, as I had been anticipating the Half for a long time. 

And finally, the finish was a major major clusterfuck.  Granted, all my races have been really small so far and I have no comparison.  However, The 5k started 1.5 hours after the 1/2 and 10k, which means a majority of the 1/2 marathoners are trying to cross the finish line at the same time as 3000 mediocre/walking 5k runners.  Combine this with a finish chute the width of the warning track and you have a finish line FAIL.  It took us 5 minutes to cross the finish line, another 30 minutes to make it off the field and up into the stadium, another 30 minutes to get our finishers food, T and bobblehead... not fun.  No time or room to stretch post-race, just stand-still crowds milling in cattle-chute isles.  Oh well.

Post run we had delicious mexican food and beers at the Ferry Building and walked the Saturday Farmer's Market.  Giants won again that night, and the weekend was a success!

August Fail

August = grappling with disappointment. I wish I had been able to keep up with blogging and running and dailymile while dealing with my injury but I couldn't bring myself to check any of it.

I took a vacation to Jackson for a friend's wedding and skipped two low milage weekly runs.  I had a 12 miler scheduled the day after my return, and ran it just fine - felt great, in fact!  Two days later I ran 5 miles at a faster-than-usual clip (August 15).   I felt 100% fine after the run, but woke up in the middle of the night to pee, stood up and gasped at the pain.  I could barely walk to the bathroom.  Woah. 

I did the next planned run at the health club alternating 'mill and elliptical.  I also JUST got my new shoes in the mail.  I tried another super-slow 3 miler which was a fail.  Another stint at the health club resulted in 2 full hours on the elliptical.  Boring.

I decided to downgrade my 13.1 Giant Race entry to a 5k race entry (a $95 5k!!!!!!!!!!).  This was a mixed blessing because I got to run the race with my seesters, but had major disappointment.  I'll recap the 5k in another post, but at one point during that weekend the pain became so intense I thought for sure I had just experienced a fracture.

I did another 2 hour stint at the Health Club upon return from the City, and have since logged 3 runs of increasing distance.  The pain is lessening and almost gone.  I've started icing my feet in a bucket after ever run, no matter how short.  I've been stretching my arches and NEVER going barefoot (not that I went barefoot at all really before this injury). 

I believe my injury is Plantar Fasciitis, but don't really know.  I thought it was a stress fracture, but don't believe the pain would be lessening if that were the case.  It could have been caused by my old shoes that had just over 500 miles on then.  It could have been running too fast.  It could have been skipping two runs.  It could have been walking barefoot on a fragile foot. 

It's been a difficult month to bear, and I feel apprehensive about my marathon, which happens in 19 days.  I've skipped a total of three long runs: 19, 13 and 20. This is difficult to swallow because it happened so far out from my actual marathon that my last month of training is tapering instead of peaking.  I've wrestled with skipping the marathon - deferring to next year, downgrading to the half - but decided to just do it.  I've read so many inspirational stories of people who run marathons and just finish them.  I will have to walk, no doubt.  I will have to throw away any and all expectations of time.  I will have to hold my head up high and enjoy the day despite my training not going to plan.  I will have to decide if I want to go through all this again and give myself another shot at running a marathon injury free.  

Down to Zero

My mileage. I sprained my ankle yesterday, pretty badly. I'm now on crutches, hobbling around doped up on advil. Can you believe it? At least now I can say I have TWO injuries preventing me from running the Half Marathon on Sunday.

It's been nice to read others' October race reports. I think next time I might train for a full marathon............................................................. why not?

:-)

So, a few runs have happened

Actually, just one. Friday found Meghan and I out on the Haul Road. Again, I was totally rocking it at a super-slow pace. My knee felt .... actually, it didn't feel. I couldn't feel anything, which means I was pain free. I tried not to think about it, or get excited, or even notice it at all. At 1.7 miles I had a faint shimmer of pain and we turned around immediately. I'd say we made it another .5 miles before I had to stop and stretch. I busted out a very measured, controlled .5 miles before declaring "Damnit Shit" and walking the last .6 back to the car.

I rewarded our pathetic efforts with a carton of cool coconut water each, and we stretched our IT bands in the sun while discussing my future running career. Turns out, I've officially bagged my 1/2 Marathon due to conflict of more important plans and the obvious outcome of me not finishing said 1/2 marathon. Let me just say that again to be clear:

I've officially dropped out of my October 17 Humbolt Redwoods 1/2 Marathon

This is both good news and bad news - a mixed bag, let's call it. On one hand, I can stop stressing about (not)training and pain. I can stop wondering what it's going to be like to run 2.5 miles and then walk 10.6. I can focus on my future as a runner, this fall and beyond. On the other hand, this is wholly depressing and anti-climactic, and I face a pretty constant challenge of not thinking I'm a stupid loser for having such a stupid loser IT Band. Also, it was to be my first real race. With real aid stations, tons of people and super-human achievement.

So, back to my future. I am now going to be a 2 mile girl. I will run 2 miles, 3 times per week. This is a very short distance, but it tends to lately be a pain-free distance. I am going to be a roll-the-shit-out-of-my-ITB girl as well. And I'm going to just have fun. I am also going to take some serious time off from running while it rains, storms and shits on us all winter, and will become a second-round P90X'er as well. This is the plan, anyway.

I so desperately desire to run a Half or a Full, and sincerely hope that my next year of life will be the year when I can accomplish this.

Sort Of

Well, it started out well. I plowed through 2.3 miles like it was my J O B. I felt great. I felt invincible. I stopped for 30 seconds to stretch and take in the amazing view of the ocean. I tightened up my knee brace and started back towards the car. I guess stopping was a bad idea because almost immediately my knee started to hurt. I ran/walked another mile and called it a day - Erin came and met me with the car.

Damn. Last night I rolled the shit out of my IT band, and then had a deep tissue massage from Erin that made me cry. Still need to wrap the roller pipe in some foam for more comfort.

In an effort to pretend that I am still a runner, I'm entering Katie's giveaway for some schweet Cliff schwag. Yum. If I can ever log another long run in my life I will giveaway many many things as an offering and sacrifice to the gods of IT bands everywhere.

Back At It!

So it's official. I bought the shoes. FINALLY! I'm pretty damn excited. I've been drooling in anticipation for weeks/months at the thought of a trip to Fleet Feet to have a 20-30 minute personalized fit consultation with a sales associate. :-) Let's just say it was everything I thought it would be. I was really impressed with the guy who helped me. E and I were basically hovering at the front door waiting for the San Fran store to open at 10. I showed the guy my old Asics Cumulus' (embarassingly beat, grungy & falling apart) and then he measured my skinny pedos at size 7 while sitting & 7.5 while standing, which apparently is important? He watched me walk, and then came back with a pair of beautiful Mizuno Waveriders. Who ever thought I'd stray from Asics? Not I. They felt incredibly different from my good ole' standbyes, and I wasn't so sure. So after a good 45 minutes, several pairs Asics, Brooks, Saucony & Mizunos, and a quick jog around the block, I decided on the Waveriders. Gotta hand it to the guy for getting it right on the first try! The 30 day guarantee helped me make the decision too - because these shoes feel so different the unconditional return option helped me take a step outside the box and go with something completely new! New has to be better for my IT band, I presume.

I also received some encouraging news from another sales associate who suffered a 6 month stint of no running due to IT band tightness. He said the only thing that helped was a foam roller & regular massage. Good to know. Also good to hear he actually recovered, which apparently is really unusual? Anyway, I'm stoked.

I still might cancel my scheduled 1/2 marathon on October 17 because really, I'm not ready for it. It's hard to deal with because I've actually scheduled an entire 3 day weekend trip around it. I'll run tomorrow in my new zapatos, stretch the crap out of my ITB, use my new Salonpas heat patch-thingies and report back.

Peace.

Followers

Holy Crap. I just noticed I have two followers. What what? :-)

Time to post!

Running is a somewhat depressing and sensitive subject for me (ie, I'd rather not talk about it). But writing.... I think I can manage a few words. My right knee is still on the blitz. I've been trying to alternate strengthening and stretching daily, and I bought a neoprene knee brace that velcro's above and below the kneecap. Basically, my training is on hold until I can foresee a run without pain. It's been over a week since I've run (literally - not even 1 mile), and I've done some P90X leg workouts, yoga & played a few nights of badminton. This better be the correct course of action for me, because healing this thing is really a shot in the dark.

I know that many many runners experience knee pain/ITB trouble, but there are many many who don't. I keep wondering why I have to be one that DOES???? I'm committed to this 1/2 marathon. I really, finally, want to run. My body is able, and my mind is willing, but my knee holds me back. It's really frustrating.

So, while I'm vacationing for the next 12 days, I'm going to try a few short runs here and there. I'm going to hike beautiful mountains and enjoy the companionship of good friends. And we'll see where I end up in two weeks. If I can't manage 13.1 miles on October 17 then I'll have to walk. I'm still going to do the race.

Well, I guess that's that

Yesterday called for 7 miles and today called for 2. I managed 4.25 today, but probably ended up walking 1 mile or so of that.

I'm dealing with great disappointment right now. I know that my body is capable of the miles I want it to run for my training. I know that my lungs, my muscles, are in line and ready to go. My mind is also willing. It's amazing how I have really been motivated to run, and have kept so close to my training schedule. My mind is actually willing and will not undermine me.

The ultimate catch-22 exists here: if I rest, my mileage suffers and by October 17 my knee might feel better but my body won't be able to handle 13.1 miles. If I keep running, my knee will get worse and worse but my body will be able to handle the mileage.

I think I made a decision tonight while running. With a healthy dose of run/walk combination I think I can keep my mileage up. This means my runs will sometimes take twice as long, but I must accept this. I want to run the race, I want to finish. I have to let go of my previous expectations of myself and just focus on staying healthy and finishing. There will be other races for me in the future.

Giveaways are Awesome

And lo, I entered another giveaway on Jill Will Run, and I won! Blogging giveaways are so cool. I really appreciate the people who take the time and energy to create giveaways for their readers. Keeps us coming back for more! I've just entered another giveaway on one of my favorite blogs - "Racing With Babes" for a beautiful tank top made by a company called BackPocket Sports. This one is a random drawing and there are already 220 entries (probably will get up to 1000, just like Tonia's yearly milage!).

And holy smokes, another giveaway from "Goals for the Week"! This is insane, people are so generous! I love it. $150 at Athleta is something I can only dream about at this point.

In other non-material news, I have not been on a run since Wednesday. This in an attempt to rest my knee and give me the best chance at returning to running this afternoon. I plan on doing a REALLY SLOW 2 miler up the Haul Road. I've been strengthening, icing, arnica-ing and tiger-balming for a week now. Tightness doesn't seem to be a big part of my problem because I stretch so much. I really really really am hoping for the best today and will check in later.

super-sweet shwag

My lime green tank top finally came in the mail today, and though it looked far too big when i tore the packaging off, it fits great! Super duper light weight, and green enough even for me. I like it. I actually had two slips in the PO box, but only one package, so I'm still waiting for my Nathan water bottle from the giveaway. I keep getting really tempted to buy clothes, but there is no money right now. I still need new running shoes and I know that should take priority over clothes I don't really need. Hopefully our new business plan will add a little cash to the pot for special extras...

This week is basically an entire week off for me. I'm worried about my training, my endurance, my ability to actually run my 13.1 miles in 6 weeks. But I know that this isn't an injury I can run through. I've been icing about twice a day, lots of arnica rubs, and doing my exercises for my gluteus medius. In addition to resting this week, I really don't know that there's anything I can do.

Bad News

Bad news.

In an effort to rest my knee I skipped my "easy run" of 4 miles on Monday. This, following a slightly painful episode on my 8 mile Saturday. The knee didn't hurt so much during the 8, but afterward I knew I'd need to take it easy. So it's fortunate that this week only had 3 four milers. So I rested Monday, assuming I'd add mileage later in the week.

This was sort of a disaster. I made the first two miles great, felt pretty good. I should have stopped there, but I thought I'd try for 2.5 (?!?!!?!?!?). A slight downhill ensued, and that was the end of my good run. Damn. I ran/walked the next 2.3-ish miles back to the car. E and I talked about various gaits that might help my ITB and I tried out a few.

So, downhills hurt it the most but I seem to be able to account for this by running on my toes downhill. Next time I should try this. We're going on a downhill walk this afternoon which I'm looking forward to.

In Jury

I've two miles on the training plan for today but I'm going to skip it because of my knee. The right one still feels pain today after a good arnica run-down last night before bed. I didn't ice it because the pain went away after my hot shower and a good stretch. But it has be worried.

Also, I keep touching muscles in my legs that I didn't know were there. My legs seem so ripped, and my arms are somehow ripped too! Like, this morning I was reaching down to pet the dog and my hand hit my shin on the way and touched a muscle - I thought for sure 'that can't be mine!'. Cool.

I'm still on the hunt for new running shoes - the ones I want are $104!!!!!! Holy Hell. Why do they have to be so much? I also need new hiking boots (probably). Secret: I did splurge and buy a green lightweight tank that I hope will be the perfect running top. I'm pretty excited. Combined with the waterbottle coming in the mail I am totally decked out! Now just need to get this knee into shape....

8 miles!

I ran my long run on Saturday. After a long day at work I was totally bonked out, probably due to all the backpacking, rafting and driving of the week. I came straight home and napped for an hour, and then dragged my butt out of bed, ate a rice cake with peanut butter and got dressed. I picked up M. and her friend and their bikes and loaded them down with almonds, Cliff Shot electrolyte drink (in my stainless steel waterbottle - watch out front teeth!) and a banana.

We set out on the BRHR, and knowing my GPS wouldn't get a signal at all on such a foggy day I strapped it to one of the bikes just to keep track of the time. At mile 3 I started drinking a couple swigs and did so every mile after that. I made it up to 4.05 miles and turned around, totally stoked. I had to stop every time I needed a drink, and I also stopped many times to eat huge juicy ripe blackberries and thumbleberries right off the bush. I think it worked as a running snack and I never ended up needing or wanting the banana or the nuts.

My knee flared up twice during the run - vague pain in the back of the right side. I ignored it and it went away, only to reemerge Sunday morning as I got out of bed. It seriously hurt. I rubbed arnica all over it - twas really stiff. I skipped disc golf and instead took a long hot hot bath. Yeah.

Today was a short 2 miler and I decided to run up the hill from town to the house. Nice little jaunt. I ran it in 22:26. I get a wonderful amazing massage this afternoon, and am taking the rest of the day off.

Yoga (& thoughts on blogging)

My plan to go to hot yoga two times this week is foiled, as the studio was closed on Monday and Tuesday. I remembered the Wednesday a.m. class taught by a different teacher and decided to go. She led an almost identical series of poses but incorporated personal thoughts and opinions cleverly disguised as a "yogic lesson". Seriously? The class was fine though, and not as hot as normal.

I've been feeling really tired lately, perhaps because I'm not sleeping very long or very soundly. I bagged my Monday run upon returning from Boonville. Yesterday I knew a run wasn't in the cards because of torrential rain and severe wind. And today I chose yoga over a run and have no plans to run in the 40mph wind tonight after work. I will run tomorrow, and get down at least five miles.

I'm still feeling some pain in my hips (psoas) from pushing myself those extra two miles on Saturday. The pain was intense but I decided to try running through it. Probably not a good idea when it comes to that particular area of my body.
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I spent a lot of time online today reading running/food blogs. Some reek of leftover teenage body angst channeled into an adult forum (eating disorders disguised as health discussions). In public, they can pretend they have nothing to hide (this is especially true when I see photos of thin women paired with in depth discussions of calorie counts). I'm not trying to judge, just observe.

One thing I do envy from these bloggers is their sense of community - they have running partners, running groups, and running friends. I am alone in all this, and it makes me want a running penpal!
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We'll travel to Auburn this weekend, the self-proclaimed Endurance Capital of the World. Sounds like there are lots of good restaurants, some great running trails, an amazing running store and a few good vegetarian restaurants (oh yeah! and a hot yoga studio!). I hope to find time amongst the tournament to indulge in these things. Running in a new place (probably alone) highlights several safety issues that I'm unsure how to tackle.