New Digs

Hopefully I will be getting keys to some new digs in the next 48 hours. I am super excited because there is some good running and wide open country to explore!!!!! Between the gym and the pools, I am hoping that I am get into a more respectable level of fitness. In fact, I think I am going to run 13 miles this weekend just because I can. Hollar!

The stress of finding a place to live is entirely overwhelming. When you are staying with someone you work with, it is particularly important not to overstay your welcome. Let's just say Danielle is getting a pretty nice baby shower gift as a "thank you" for putting a roof over mine and Gunther's heads. It is going to feel so good to have the keys in my hand. I am not thrilled about having to commute now (30 minutes...wahhhhh!) but I am totally stoked about the money I am saving (like HUNDREDS of dollars) because I am not in Napa. Woohoo! Maybe the distance will help me manage my workload and not spend so many late nights at work. But then again, I have NO FURNITURE for my apartment, and can't even think beyond purchasing a mattress, so maybe I will be staying at work. Mom, if you read this, I think I need a living room for Christmas.

I can't wait to tell you all about my upcoming run... I have been scoping this route for a year and now I am going to be living near it! And, now I live only a half marathon away from the Bestie (a whole different run!), so you better bet I am going to run to her house and beg for a ride home!

Ah, stability is just around the corner....

Freeway fruit

10 miles/ 2:04:00

Instability has allowed me to fall into a training funk, but today was the exception. With so much on my mind as a look for a place to live and get ready for a new school year, I have been prone to just wander aimlessly in my thoughts, sometimes while walking around a store, driving around town, or just sitting/lying around. This morning I decided it would be best to try to get my head organized by getting out for a run. No music, no gadgets, just 2 gels and a bottle of water.

Lately running has felt like a chore or a task on a to do list, and I have been really envious of people who get out and run/bike/swim/spin for the shear joy of it. I decided that my training needs a drastic makeover. I am abandoning my training plan (for the most part) and running based on feeling. I had no idea how far I ran today until I got home and mapped it (I had a feeling it was around 10 or 11). I was pretty impressed with my pace, considering I stopped to stretch at mile 2, stopped to eat a pear off a tree on the side of the trail by the freeway at mile 5 (awesome, right?), and stopped to ask for a water refill at mile 7 (which they didn't have. Well water is one of the few downsides of country running). Even with all those stops, my time tells me I am running around the pace I want to be to finish my next marathon under 5 hours. That, my friends, feels GREAT.

I absolutely love country running. Today I ran past a ton of different crops: summer wheat, walnuts, sorghum, alfalfa, corn, squash, grapes, pears, apples, and sunflowers. I saw some great metal sculpture art in from of a farm house. People don't mind sharing the road when the shoulder is narrow and overgrown. Cute cyclists tell you hello. There was a refreshing breeze blowing off the delta and the sun was shining. It was the perfect day for a run.

Life is full of restart buttons and chances for re-dos. Sometimes it is difficult to see it as such. Yeah, my training is in the crapper and I haven't felt my best, but today seems like a pretty good day to press that restart button... again. I'm off to go have a chicken & roasted beet salad. I decided yesterday to reintroduce vegetables back into my diet :)

At Last!

10 miles/2:02:13

FANTASTIC long run yesterday! My average pace of 12:13/mi was ahead of the 13:12 pace on my training schedule, but I just kept a pace that felt good. I really did feel great and didn't struggle with the hills as much, so it was a huge step forward. This week is an easy week, three 5 mile easy runs, which will have plenty of hills and hopefully I can keep a 13:08 pace.

Not going to lie, I was SORE and TIRED today. Naps and extra strength tylenol helped, as well as all you can eat sushi buffet. I am a glutton, it is no secret. Even with the pain today, it still felt good to get a double digit run in and not feel like I was going to die. I am very optimistic about my 12 mile long run at the end of the month. I might just finish this marathon sub 5 hours after all...

A couple of things probably made this run better:

• New shoes. Well, same model, but fresh pair. More shock absorption, it was time for a new pair.
• Hydration Belt. Brought along fuel and had gatorade in one bottle, filled the other with water and refilled both along the way. It is H-O-T even when I leave at 7:15, so I am going through a lot of fluids. 
• Garmin. Beeps at me when I fall below pace and helps me keep track of distance because I ALWAYS take wrong turns and end up somewhere I didn't plan of being. 
• iPod Nano radio. I am sick of my play lists so radio adds some much needed variety.
• Country Roads. Ran a lot on undeveloped country roads, so I didn't have much traffic or pounding of pavement.
• Nice people. Runners in the area keep hoses outside of the gates of their properties so runner can refill. Super important when the only thing around are sprawling horse ranches and gated estates. This kept me from drinking reclaimed water from a sprinkler at mile 6.

and one more little thing.....

• Having a job. I was rehired back at the High School, so I will be doing another year of math, definitely with a better course load (some non-remedial classes!!!!!) and hopefully with a better classroom.

This means moving back up to northern California and finding furniture and a room mate because I sold nearly everything when I moved. This will be quite the daunting task, but I am so thankful to have work in this education-unfriendly economy. I was seriously getting worried, which is probably why my runs were so sucky. Running is a mental sport. If my mind is not in the right place, my body isn't either. People think I exaggerate when I tell them that the marathon is 80% mental, but for me, it is all about if I can get my head in the game.

A Covey of Quail!

Masters of camouflage, surprised I saw them!

Seen on my long run, a covey of quail! Tiny quail are so cute, they just bop around like little feather balls. No wonder everyone wants to eat them up!

A day delayed, today ends my first week of training for SBIM. I approached it as a "get your life together and just get out there week" and it went over quite nicely. Getting back into a training rhythm is a little challenging, but it is turning out to be very rewarding, as always.

Week in Review: 15.5 miles run 

Models make it look easy.

Monday: Crosstraining. Paddleboarding on the American River. Awesome core workout, you gotta try it! Made me want to learn to surf and windsurf.

Tuesday: Easy run. 2 miles on treadmill, supposed to be 3 but I pulled up the wrong training plan. whoopsie!

Wednesday: Rest. Had to save my energy for the DMV.

Thursday: 5 mile tempo. Warm up, 3 miles @ 11:32/mi pace, cool down. Had to break it in half because there was a dude hovering near the treadmill only 15 minutes into my run (HATE THAT). Of course, I stick to the time limit (30 minutes) and when it is his turn he totally goes over. After 40 minutes, I started to hover to give him a taste of his own medicine. It felt kinda dirty, but it worked. Did 20 minutes weights, 10 minutes core, 5 minutes stretching while I waited for Mr. Hoversby.

Friday: Rest. It's week 1, so I needed to not get too excited and over-exert myself. Especially since I crammed in weights and core with my tempo run Thursday. However, I did play some frisbee at the park, which got my heart rate up for a few minutes. Any activity counts for something, right???

Saturday: Epic hike. Palomarin trailhead to Alamere falls, 7.5 miles 600 ft elevation gain. Waterfall goes right into the ocean. Anyone in the bay area MUST do this hike. You can even lay out on the beach after. We were a fast moving bunch, practically trail-running, so it was a really good workout.  

Sunday: Rest. My legs and butt were hurtin' from the hike, which is how I knew it was a good one. Planned to run 8, but my running buddy was too sun burned from the hike so we just ate pancakes her husband made instead. After a beautiful drive up the coast and over the Golden Gate bridge to get home, it was too hot to make up the run. So I took a nap instead!

Monday: 8.5 miles. Supposed to be 8 but took a detour to stop by a school to refill water bottle and soak my hat. Running hats are terribly dorky, but they sure get the job done! It took me 2 years to break down and wear the goofy thing, and it has changed my life (or at least my body temperature). Supposed to be run at a 13:21 pace, but I didn't bring the garmin. With water stops and breaks in the shade to cool down (I slept in too late and had to run in the heat), the average was 14:07/mi. Which means my actual pace when running was probably around 13:00/mi. 

Today wasn't about hitting the paces, but committing to the miles so I can get into my training plan. I know that if I want to hit my goal of a 5 hour marathon I am going to have to really pay attention to my times, but for the first week I think i am off to a promising start. I was not in a good mental place for my Boston training cycle, it is really affected my ability to log good miles. Now I am in a much better place. I could immediately feel the difference today on the long run. Of course the first few miles were really crappy, but I fell into a great rhythm and really enjoyed the miles logged. Best of all, the past week I really feel like I have returned to my old self again, and it feels great!

Week 2 training plan:

Tuesday: Easy run 4 miles @13:17

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 4 miles speedwork including warmup, 2x1600 in 10:58 w/800 jogs, cool down

Friday: Crosstraining (probably pool with some core & weights)

Saturday: Moving day, so lots of lifting!

Sunday: Long run 9 miles @3:17

Excited for speedwork (although 10:58 isn't really speedy at all) and I am loving crosstraining. My final week in Napa so I am going to have to take advantage of the beautiful scenery!

3 weeks until Boston!

32 miles of training this week (wow)
17.5 mi long run @ 11:05/mi, lotsa hills, no music

2 of the last 4 runs were in the rain. Today was the first sunny day. Forgot to wear sunscreen, which is going to make recovery even more pleasurable. With Boston only 21 days away, there is no time for nonsense. Only one more long run between now and the race, and I feel really good about it. No pain or numbness, no chafffing or blisters, no urge to barf. However, this run might take a day or two to bounce back from. Planning a good run Wednesday morning before the long drive to Southern California for Me and the Mags Disney Adventure.

Today I practiced running with the camera to get used to holding it in Boston, where I am going to want to take TONS of pics. I thought I would share how AMAZING the scenery is on my runs. I love Northern California:

OKD, home of world class Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Merlot.

Luna, one of the wineries I run by in the OKD

Why they call it Oak Knoll District

Silverado Country Club, one of the golf courses I loop around

Where the wine comes from

Mustard in the spring makes the vineyards breathtaking

My future residence

Rain + Sun means vines will bud soon

Pretty much what we are all about up here: Wine, Cheese, Art

A friend I made along the way

I didn't run down the street with all the pigs and goats and sheep because I had to widen my loop to add miles. I was kinda sad not to see as many different animals. I also saw deer and a cow, and heard a couple roosters. Best part of the run? When a guy who I passed by an hour earlier passed by me on his bike again and told me I was doing a good job. The kindness of strangers is the best fuel on a run. When I got home, had a huge glass of chocolate milk and a ham and egg sandwich. Oh, and a little treat to reward myself for not giving up: Godiva Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel. I didn't even have a full serving; 2 squares was satisfying enough this stuff is so rich. 

Training this week:

Tuesday: MAYBE an easy 2.5 miles, if my hips feel up to it

Wednesday: 4 miles, easy

Thursday: lots of walking (DISNEYLAND!)

Friday: MAYBE an easy 5 miles, if I don't have shin splints from Disneyland

Saturday: REST, travel day

Sunday: 20 miles

After this week, it's taper time!