@#$%!*& – ME Monday

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Jen

It’s ME Monday! The day when I reveal something about myself that has nothing to do with my running life, yet always ties back to running somehow. I haven’t done one in awhile, mostly because I haven’t been posting on Monday. Oops! I’m back!

Today I’ll tell you something that might be a little unbelievable… I’ve NEVER said a swear word! That’s right. NEVER.

I grew up in a household with a strict no swearing rule. For some reason, I listened to my parents on this for 18 years until I left for college. At that point, how would I start? Why would I start? It just wasn’t me.

I really couldn’t have a potty mouth if I tried. I don’t even say things like h-e-c-k or f-a-r-t. I’m not offended by people who swear. I think it’s funny/entertaining. My parents swear, and so do all my friends, my husband has quite the potty mouth… everyone I know swears. “Bad words” just don’t cross my mind.

The most common 2 things people say when they find out I don’t swear is:

A) I am going to be the person who makes you swear for the first time!! (Sorry…)
B) What do you say when you stub your toe/get hurt unexpectedly? (Ouch!)

So there you have it! A ME Monday that only related to running in the picture!

Do you have a potty mouth? When did you start swearing?

See ya later, 2012! (My Year in Running)

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Jen

It’s the last day of 2012, and I really couldn’t let the day pass without doing a little RUNdown of my year.

I ran a few reports in my online running log, which I use in addition to my Believe I Am training journal. Here are some stats:

In 2012 I ran 2,436 miles. That’s about 6.3 miles a day. In comparison, I ran 2,983 miles in 2011. That’s about 7.2 miles a day.

In 2012 I ran 17 races, distances/times as follows:

2.1 miler: 1, pushing a stroller, 13:15
5k: 9, times ranging from 17:07 to 18:13
6k: 1, first XC race in over 10 years! Unsure of time.
5 miler: 2, 28:19 and 29:07
15k: 1, 56:52, got bad blisters from hole in sock.
13.1 miles: 2, 1:21:09 and 1:22:18
26.2 miles: 2:54:47, crazy weather, favorite race of year

Podium finishes:

First place: 9

Second place: 4

Third place: 1

Money made in 2012 from racing: $1,425.

Other prizes won: bagels for a year, 3 pairs of running shoes, coffee thermos, and a hand-made vase.

Family affair:

Thanks to generous family, friends, and even paid babysitters, my husband was able to run 10 of the 17 races I ran. For the record, he is faster and always beats me – no hand holding finishes!
Our daughter (who will be 3 in February 2013) ran her first race, which was less than 100 meters long, in June. Then she ran a half-mile race a few weeks ago.

Ribbon and water after finishing her first race at the Airport 5k. Yes, she raced in sandals!

Currie turning at the half way point of the Reindeer Run

Both of my brothers raced at the Columbus half/full marathon with me.

Jason (younger bro), me and Josh (older bro)

My younger brother raced at California International Marathon with me.

Other cool running stuff:

I was able to meet up with so many of my Oiselle teammates at the Track & Field Olympic Trials this year! I got tickets to watch the Trials for 2 of the days. Also, #totallytrials happened. Need I remind you? Ok! Here are a few pics straight from Oiselle’s FB page and a fuzzy pic of my own!

Yes, I understand this photo is super fuzzy. But it’s MC Hammer! And me! (and a piece of ribbon hanging out the top of my dress…)

I was able to meet more of my fellow birds in Seattle this summer, and at California International Marathon!
I met Frank Shorter this summer!

Frank asking Currie for a low-5 after her race. He then said “how cute!”

I’ve been able to meet so many new runners through this blog, twitter, and other social media channels. I love the running community!

Thanks for sharing this year with me! Cheers to our miles in 2013!

Reindeer Run 5k 2012 – Race Recap

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Jen

Jeff, Currie and I all took part in the 1st ever Reindeer Run 5k in Rochester, NY. I have a feeling this race is going to stick around as there were 1278 finishers today. What a great turnout for a new race! Jeff was 4th overall, I was first female, and Currie ran her little heart out. We had a great morning!

It was chilly, around 30 degrees, but no snow so no complaints from me! It was really good racing conditions for December in Upstate NY! We arrived at the race with about 40 minutes until race time. We got Currie and ourselves bundled up then went to find our friends who were going to watch her. We found them 15 minutes before the race started, dropped Currie off, and started our warmup. We only did about a half mile warmup before stripping down to our racing gear and heading to the start line. I didn’t want to run more than 5 miles today so this was fine by me!

I’ve never done a Christmas-y run, so I’ve never attempted running in antlers. I got the only antlers I could find at the store yesterday and they were quite bulky as you can see in the pics. I thought it was going to be really fun and not bothersome at all. Turns out, I ran almost the whole race arms above head, holding them on. (On that note, I think only my arms will be sore tomorrow!) I would have taken them off within the first quarter mile, but the first male and female to cross the finish line wearing antlers won a pair of Saucony Kinvaras so I was going to keep those darn things on the whole time, even if I had to hold them there the whole race. Afterall, winning shoes (or money for shoes) is my “thing”. I always say my race winnings support my running shoe purchases and they really do. I NEEDED those shoes.

The gun went off and I took off into the first female position. Sprinting felt strange, but good. The mile marker came quickly and I hit that about 5:40. My spot didn’t change much the whole race. I passed a guy, he passed me back, I passed him back. Besides that, I was always in the same spot. The second mile seemed to take awhile, but at the same time, I was shocked to see the 2 mile marker so quickly. I think I was just getting annoyed with the antlers at that point. The last mile went by quickly and before I knew it I was heading into the finish line. I ended in 17:55, 9th overall, first female. I got my gift certificate for my free shoes and my “toy trophy”.

Blurry iPhone pic of me accepting awards.

My trophy with a transformer (I think?) on top

I told Currie she could have my trophy. She was excited!

After our 5k, it was 2 year old Currie’s turn. She begged to sign up for the half mile race yesterday, and of course I said yes! She did great! She ran, hopped, pranced the whole way and came in towards the back of the pack. I have to say, I was proud that she passed at least 5 kids in the last 1/4 mile! Way to finish strong little lady! Jeff and I took turns running beside her and taking videos/pics. Here’s a little snippet of her finish:

Right when she was done, she said “Is there another kids race? I want to run again!” Do we have a distance runner on our hands?

Posing with the reindeer after the Reindeer Run!

Posing with the Fleet Feet Mascot!

Just under 2 weeks past California International Marathon and I’m feeling good. Now the races are slowing down for the winter and so am I. Back to easy running, 4-5 miles a day, continuing the marathon recovery.

I’m definitely glad I raced today and the whole family could join in the fun! Great day for all!

CIM Recap, The Real Deal

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Jen

Let’s get right down to it. It’s gonna be a long one. For lessons learned, etc, scroll to the bottom:

I woke up at 3:45am on race morning before my alarm went off with this cheesy message: “Let’s DO this!” Despite the forecast for the worst, I knew it was going to be a great day. I braved the wind and rain to get my coffee at the Starbucks on the corner of our hotel. The Starbucks was set to open earlier than usual for the marathoners, 4am, and when the employees saw the long line of people waiting in the rain for their cup of joe, they opened 10 minutes earlier. THANK YOU STARBUCKS EMPLOYEES!

Back in the room with my Tall Blonde, I ate a plain bagel with almond butter and drank a bunch of water. When I got dressed, I noticed the Oiselle tattoos I applied the night before were destroyed. That’s what I get for applying tattoos on lotion-y legs. Darn!

Jason and I left the room just before 5am so we could head over to the Sheraton, just a few blocks away, to catch the busses to the start. The marathon starts in Folsom and ends in Sacramento. It’s about a 45 minute bus ride to the start.

On the way out, we took another elevator mirror pic.

We got on the 4th bus in the big row of busses. They were playing Christmas music. Jason and I started singing along, then went to cracking jokes and laughing hysterically. We talked the whole way and kept the tone light. I had maybe 2% excited nervousness, 98% happy-go-lucky.

The busses were really hot and I was layered up in Oiselle outerwear so I had to slide my arms out of my funnel neck top and pull my pant legs up to my knees. Ahhh, much better. Time for another sibling pic! Jason seriously looks how he did in middle school in this photo!

After the blinding camera flash in the dark bus, I decided to check the weather at the start line. I took a screen shot. I don’t think I need to explain anything. You know we were going to be running into the wind and the race started at 7am…

When we arrived, we walk/jogged through the rain looking for the elite tents. We found them after 4 failed attempts. They had a lot of tents around, it was dark, and in the rain and wind, it was much harder to find than it would be on a clear morning. We went straight into the porta potties where the toilet paper was so moist it was swollen. Made for a soft, slightly damp wiping experience though, so that was cool…

When I got into the elite tent, and boy was I happy there was an elite tent, I noticed my Raynaud’s problem was starting.

I had cotton throwaway gloves but knew they would be soaked before the gun went off. Thankfully, I saw a box of latex gloves sitting on the table. I put them on over my “throwaway” gloves and ended up wearing them the whole race. It was the best my hands have ever felt during a race! Perfect temp! (Though I did rub my under-eyes raw during the race without knowing it. With the rain I was constantly wiping my eyes and I guess latex and sensitive eye skin don’t work well together.)

Ok, onto the real deal. Time to race!

I planned to run as much of the marathon as I could with my friend Mason. Mason was in incredible shape, but I figured I could stay with him for 16 miles and after that he would probably cruise along to a great finish as I survived the final 10 miles. That was the plan in my head anyway. When I went to the starting line, we immediately spotted each other, gave some “let’s get pumped up!” hugs, hand squeezes, etc, and got our game faces on. I also saw my Oiselle teammates Allison, Stacy, and Marci on the starting line. We all looked cold, wet, and focused.

The race was off and the first mile went by with no problems. (Other than the rain, which felt like sharp pellets in my eyes even though it wasn’t sleet or hail. It was knocking my contacts down each time it landed on them and I would blink to push the contact back in place. This continued the whole race.) I wore my Garmin so I could have splits post-race, but decided I wouldn’t look at it. With my training and the weather, I was just going to run by feel. The miles clicked by, Mason a step ahead of me most of the time. Sometimes we would run side by side, and maybe there was a mile or two where he ran behind me, but for the first half, we just ran, exchanged words, shared Nuun bottles, and enjoyed each other’s company.

I couldn’t help but feel so thankful for all the volunteers out on the course. What we were doing was EASY compared to their day of standing in the wind and rain, helping us achieve our goals. THANK YOU CIM VOLUNTEERS AND SPECTATORS! I also couldn’t help but feel thankful for Mason. His presence made me feel relaxed and comfortable, exactly what I needed the first 13.1.

At the half point, I looked at my Garmin for the first time. I saw we were right around 1:25:40, EXACTLY where we wanted to be. My calves started cramping, tightening, showing the first signs of failure at mile 11, but other than that I felt good. I was optimistic. Then I had a problem grabbing my “special needs bottle” at mile 13.3 followed by a problem picking up a GU from a volunteer and lost a good 10 seconds (I actually stopped trying to get both items and in the end, the GU flew off the course into the grass and I didn’t get it anyway.) I had a quick thought of pity for myself. I knew I would need that GU soon and I wasn’t sure when the next one would be available.

I snapped myself out of my pity party and continued on. Alone. In fact, other than passing a few people and a few passing me, I was alone the rest of the race. I usually had no one 20 meters on either side of me. I was alone with my thoughts.

On the flight to Sacramento, I had read Duel in the Sun and remembered reading about Alberto Salazar’s faith. He mentioned praying on flights, in the car, on his daily runs. Though I don’t remember ever praying on a run in my life, I spent many of my marathon miles talking to God. The prayers gave me strength, passed the time, kept me hopeful. I also thought about where my little brother was on the course. I imagined him running strong through the same elements I was facing. It filled me with joy. I had a feeling he was feeling as good as me. (Turns out, he was doing great!)

I don’t remember when I found the next GUs after missing the one at 13, but I think it might have been around mile 17. It was vanilla flavored and I had to stop at the table, ask a volunteer if they had any, and wait for her to get one and give it to me. A few seconds spared there were more important than minutes spent after a bonk. She gave me a vanilla flavored GU, and just like the one I took around mile 9, I took it without fluids. I just put a little squirt in my mouth, opened my mouth to the rain until it formed more of a liquid and swallowed it.

At mile 20, they had a brick wall poster on both sides of the street, like we were running right through the wall instead of hitting it. I was ecstatic to not have any feelings of hitting the wall. Around mile 21, volunteers were handing out GU again. I took 2 by accident. One was Espresso Love, the other was Strawberry Banana. I went with the caffeine and put the other in my back pocket. At this point, I knew I was going to make it. I knew I was going to be sub-3 (my goal) and I was feeling better than I have ever felt at that point in a marathon! The pain in my calves was getting more intense, but I knew it wasn’t enough to stop me from finishing happily.

The last few miles were just maintaining, trying to keep myself under 7:30 mile pace. Usually, by the end of a marathon, my pace slows drastically (hello 8:30 pace) and I just wanted to keep my miles as steady as possible, no slower than 7:30. I checked my watch on a few of the miles and saw I was just over 7 min pace and I told myself to just keep pushing.

With 2 miles to go, I knew I was going to be way under my goal of sub 3. I got excited. I joyfully ran the last few miles and couldn’t wait to see how Jason and Mason finished. Right when I crossed the finish line, Mason was waiting and we hugged! It was such a good feeling to know he had a PR (2:51!) and I ran my 3rd fastest of my 8 marathons (2:54!).

I was given a medal, offered chocolate milk (which I declined-lactose) and given the finishers blanket. Some people started asking Mason and me about the course. He, in a better state-of-mind having finished a few minutes earlier, knew we were being interviewed for TV. I had no idea until about a minute in when I saw the microphone. I assumed we were talking to race volunteers. I blame the marathon haze effects on the brain.

I found my brother in the Sutter House where they had the elites and found he placed 4th and got $1000! Woohoo! He took a picture of Mason and me.

Jason forced me to eat from the breakfast buffet they had for us and I’m glad he did. Though I wasn’t hungry, I think it helped me recover quickly. After I changed out of my wet clothes and had breakfast, we got sibling massages. PAINFUL sibling massages. Nothing was fun about this, but we figured our muscles would thank us later.

After the massages, we went to our room to shower and hang a bit, then went to the elite room for some more food and drinks. An hour later we attended the awards ceremony where Jason was awarded with his check. He is pictured below with 5th place finisher, Nick Arciniaga.

A few points of interest, things I learned…

You know, I never wanted to run a marathon. The only reason I ran my first in 2004 is because I wanted to impress my new boyfriend who is now my husband. We both ran Seattle as our first marathon. I was more into heavy weight lifting at the time, was running 3 days a week, and said I’d never run another. Well, I did run a few more, as this was my 8th marathon and it was my favorite because I felt good the whole time. I’ve always felt like a mid-distance girl who is forcing marathons. Now I truly feel like I have a future in the marathon.

At first, I was shocked to run so fast given my short buildup and my half-hearted training, but thinking about it, I’ve been running all year so I was only lacking in workouts and long runs, but I had a great base. And I was in awesome shape last year which I know means something.

This marathon gave me the opportunity to do new things like fuel the way I have always wanted to – the way that always scared me with my sensitive stomach. I ended up taking a GU with caffeine 15 minutes pre-race, another GU with caffeine around mile 9, a GU without caffeine around maybe mile 17, and a GU with caffeine around mile 21. I drank a few sips of Nuun at 4 locations, took powerade and/or water at every station except the last one (so 16 stations) and my stomach felt great.

My mile splits were the most consistent they’ve ever been. Yes, they consistently got slower, but I never completely fell apart as shown below:

1: 6:09
2: 6:15
3: 6:10
4: 6:15
5: 6:20
6: 6:22
7: 6:29
8: 6:35
9: 6:42
10: 6:34
11: 6:34
12: 6:29
13: 6:31
14: 6:37
15: 6:34
16: 6:25
17: 6:30
18: 6:45
19: 6:49
20: 6:55
21: 7:03
22: 7:17
23: 7:08
24: 7:10
25: 7:00
26: 7:07
1:49

People always say don’t do anything new before the marathon. Well, here’s my list of old, normal things:

Oiselle racing kit
Shoes
Brand/amount coffee
Breakfast
Healthy
Confidence

And here’s my list of NEW things for this race:

Fueling during race – I will continue this in the future!
Crazy weather – I would prefer nicer weather and a tailwind!
Friend to run with first half of race – I would love this for the future!
Stayed in a hotel night before – This was nice, but I like my own bed.
Raced against super elites (there were big names, super speedy people running. I never felt so slow with a sub 3 hour marathon!) – Want to do more of this!
Training – Would definitely like a longer training cycle next time!
Actually got sleep, 10 hours 2 nights out, maybe 8-9 night before. – This was great!
Ran last half of race totally alone – It worked out ok but it’s nice to have people around.
Lots of laughs, much more than usual in days leading up to race – Would love to spend days leading up to marathon with my siblings for future races!
Completely cut out dairy in 3 days leading up to race – I will definitely do this in the future!
Latex gloves over throw aways – I will do this in the future!
Travel east coast to west – Loved the time difference. Getting up at 4am (7am) was easy!

So there you have it! A recap of the marathon that made me feel like a true marathoner! I can’t wait to see where I will go next with this distance!

Lead-up to CIM, in iPhone Photos

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Jen

I woke to this message on Friday, November 30th and smiled. I was just hours away from a weekend of fun with my younger brother. A weekend that would end with both of us running a marathon.

I looked at my little angel, gave her so many hugs and kisses as she slept, shed a few tears, and left the house.

I boarded my plane, from ROC–>ORD and was shocked to see people sitting in full rows all around me and the cabin doors closed with me in an empty row. How did I get so lucky? Beside me, across the aisle, was a tall dude who was sitting scrunched up by a mom, dad, and child-on-lap. I let him take the window seat in my row. I’m nice, but not nice enough to give him my aisle!

On my flight from ORD–>SMF, another miracle. On this “completely full” flight, my row had an open middle seat. Can you even believe this luck?!

After some “moderate to severe turbulence” according to the captain, I was on the ground and reuniting with my brother, Jason! Supershuttle pic! We were laughing so hard in the shuttle, giddy to be together again, that we had the dude beside us cracking up, even though he had no idea what we were talking about. Good times!

Dinner the first night was carbtastic – The Old Spaghetti Factory. I was strictly cutting out dairy, heavily consuming my favorite thing in the world – carbs, and hydrating all day.

That night, as I was brushing my teeth, I looked down into the sink. Do you see what I saw? I called Jason into the bathroom. He saw it right away too. Sign #1 this was going to be a great weekend!

We went to bed by 7pm (10pm for us!) and I slept around 10 hours. That hasn’t happened in… hmmm… ever? At least in my whole life as a parent, and my whole pregnancy…

We were up and at ’em around 5am and went for our pre-race run. We had some great sibling discussions!

After the run we enjoyed a $20 hotel buffet breakfast and we definitely got our money’s worth. Runners can EAT. We threw down plateful after plateful and stayed for quite some time. Jason took his coffee 1/3 cream, 1/3 sugar, 1/3 actual coffee (HA) and I took mine black as usual. A few funny things happened at breakfast, but for the sake of not embarrassing Jason or myself (anymore than I already do on this blog), my lips are sealed. More belly laughs.

After breakfast, Jason and I went to meet my friend Mason to talk marathon strategy and then hit up the expo. I had to take a mirror shot of us outside the elevator.

At the expo I was able to meet up with some Oiselle ladies who were also running! It was SO NICE to meet a few new teammates and see some who I haven’t seen for awhile! I didn’t bring my camera, so no picture but I wanted to mention it here. After the expo, I went to the elite suite to hang for awhile. This was the view of Sacramento from the suite on the 26th floor. 2622 to be exact.

We snacked a bit up in room 2622.

We did not partake in the liquor, wine or case upon case of beer that was just waiting to be consumed.

I dropped off my “special needs” or Nuun bottles to be placed on the “elite” tables. I can tell you that it’s really nice to have your fuel-of-choice waiting on a table for you on race day. I can also tell you it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s much nicer, for me, to be able to grab fuel and fluids from a volunteer’s hand, than try to grab my bottle in the midst of 30+ others. Even if yours are unique (mine definitely were), the process of going to the table, searching for my own, and grabbing it without knocking over anyone else’s is somewhat stressful for me. Plus, I only take sips at a time so I feel wasteful. Big thanks to Nuun for the race day hydration!

How sweet and innocent do I look here? This is the “microfiber, wicking and breathable, seamless, multifunctional headband/neck gaiter” (their words, not mine) given out to marathoners at packet pickup. I was going to wear this to the restaurant the night before the race, but Jason vetoed that one.

And we went back to The Old Spaghetti Factory for our pre-race dinner on Saturday night. It was really crowded already at 4:30pm so we ordered the food as takeout and enjoyed a nice dinner in the hotel room, on our beds, and watched some football. By 7:30pm it was lights out, and we fell asleep shortly after.

For all the curious minds out there, I think there will be another “iPhone photos” post showing race morning and another post where I tell you all the details about the race. Until then…

Tell me about some cool things that have happened to you before a race (the smiley face in my sink water is my favorite unexpected detail from the weekend). How often do people really get a whole row to themselves on an airplane these days? Do you like the window, middle, or aisle seat (who’s going to say middle, right?)

Sisters In Sport, 2nd Check-in + Marathon Snippet

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Jen

Oh boy. What a weekend! In case you don’t know, I ran California International Marathon on Sunday. Every time I think about the race, I remember another thing I want to share with you all. For now, here’s a quick recap, more info in another post.

I raced my 8th marathon in drenching rain and heavy winds (against us on the point-to-point course the whole way) and finished in my 3rd fastest marathon time 2:54. I had a 7 week training cycle, with 4 races and 2 long runs along the way. I tried new things on race day, and they all worked out in my favor. I never hit the wall, fully enjoyed every minute, and came out hungry for more.

My speedy friend Mason and I were interviewed by the local CBS station immediately after I crossed the finish line. Watch below to see my strange facial expressions, how I looked when I crossed the finish line, and how my race-day french braids held up.

Before I post the full marathon recap (another day) I want to revisit my Sisters in Sport goals update for November. First, a little refresher. When I got my current Believe I Am Journal at the end of September, running a 2012 marathon was the LAST thing on my mind.

Notice my end goal of successful LATE 2013 marathon? Turns out, I accomplished part of my huge goal, just a year early.

When I made my goals and started logging workouts in my journal on October 1st, I told you I was working to build my hip/glute/hamstring strength – just a little piece of the end goal puzzle. Then in mid-October, a crazy week led to a few crazy ideas and the next thing I knew, I was signed up for California International Marathon.

After signing up for the marathon, the end goal (successful late 2013 marathon with sub 2:43 time) remained the same. The little pieces of the puzzle along the way remained the same as well. I was just throwing extra running into the mix.

October hip/glute/hamstring goals were proudly met. November goals of continuing the October routine and adding core, drills and additional hip exercises started out great for the first two weeks! Then, taper weeks came and strength stuff fell to the wayside, as appropriate!

Now we are in December, and while I don’t want to give up the incredible strength routine I’ve been following, I am in marathon recovery and think I need to switch focus for the month of December. I’m going to focus on an entirely separate part of my goals page, my sleep.

I really need this much to feel great and perform my best.

For the past 2 years, I’ve been running on empty, never getting enough sleep to feel rested. While I have enjoyed my extra cups of coffee, I know I really need to sleep more. And maybe it’s a little sad that I need to make this an official goal in my journal to get there, but that’s what I have to do. I’ve identified all the little obstacles to achieving the 8 hours of sleep a night goal, and I’m actually feeling good about getting there, even with the holidays approaching.

I want to end this post by sharing a few things the journal has helped me with this month, aside from the stated goals:

Visual cues – I have never been one to summon specific visual cues while racing. Since getting my Believe I Am Journal and reading fellow Sisters in Sport blogs, I used the Ninja Stars cues with great success. During my Turkey Trot, and a bit during my marathon, I focused on the words “Strength, Courage, Wisdom” in their ninja star glory and imagined throwing them right onto the shirt of the person ahead of me, pulling myself right up next to them, and then past them. I was in shock over how effective this tactic was! In the words of Yo Gabba Gabba “Try it, you’ll like it!”

Strength, Courage, Wisdom Ninja Stars

Positivity pages – That’s not what they are officially called, but that what it is to me. A large section of the back of the journal consists of totally blank, and lined blank pages where you can dream. It’s just extra jot-it-down room and I really enjoy this section. I love filling these pages with positive ideas that I want to revisit often, especially before tough workouts or races. The journal tends to live in my purse so I can write down a few quick words here and there that help me later.

So there you have it! November goal recap (not so hot), December goal plans (optimistic about it), and quick marathon recap (woohoo). Expect more details about California International Marathon in my next post!

Columbus Turkey Trot 2012 Race Recap

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Jen

Oh wow! It’s been a week since I last posted! That’s what happens when there’s a holiday and birthday party and I’m driving around Ohio trying to see everyone in my family.

The 1st birthday girl and my little lady sitting on my lap.

Thanksgiving was great for us, so much fun with both the in-laws and my family! We ate things like this for 3 days straight:

Pumpkin, pecan, and sugar cream pie

Now we are back in Rochester and I’m trying to get unpacked and repacked since it’s MARATHON WEEK!

The main point of this post is to give a little update on my racing. On Thanksgiving morning, I ran the 5 mile Turkey Trot in Columbus, Ohio. It starts on Lane Avenue near the running store Frontrunner and runs through The Ohio State University Campus, around Ohio Stadium and back up Lane Ave to finish where you started.

Given my running history you may assume I do a Turkey Trot every year, but this is actually only my second year of racing on Thanksgiving! I really enjoy starting the day this way and hope to continue racing a Turkey Trot every year.

I’m going to try to make this quick with some bullets:

Got to race an hour before start & immediately used porta potties. They were in the worst shape (dirty, wet floor) I’ve ever seen this early in the day. Got a laugh out of the graffiti (is this considered graffiti?) on the soap dispenser.

Sex way? Sex wax? Either way, what does it mean? Wait, if you know, don’t tell me!

Felt awful on the warmup.
Saw an OSU cross country teammate right before the race started. We hugged and quickly took our places.
First 2 miles nice gradual downhill. Felt great, effortless. Also knew I had to do those same 2 miles gradual uphill at the end.
Kept passing dudes the whole race, was first woman from the start. Actually used some Believe I Am journal cues and they REALLY worked. More on this in another post. #ninjastars
Uphill didn’t feel bad. I felt pretty darn comfortable the whole race, kept waiting to feel the real race pain. In hindsight, was upset I didn’t run harder the last mile!
Finished 1st female, 28:19, 5:40 pace. I was 20th overall. I was about 40 seconds ahead of female #2. Got pie and a trophy plus a bunch of food.

Oh, and immediately after I crossed the finish line, a woman from Easter Seals Central and Southeast Ohio took my picture for their Facebook page. I thought I should share my cold, yet sweaty, glory below.

Just crossed the finish line, trophy placed in hand before they even took my racing bib tag. bing, bang, boom!

Whole Foods was right across from the finish line so I went in to get my recovery started. I was excited to see Vega One. Unfortunately all they had in individual packets was Natural flavor. No thank you. I want to recover, but not enough to drink that straight up with water.

I love every flavor of Vega One EXCEPT natural. And that’s all they had in individual packets!

So I tried something new-to-me: Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator in Tropical flavor. Pukey-looking when mixed in bottled water, but ok tasting and did the job. Yes!

Vega Sport Recovery in Tropical flavor against a backdrop of my goosebumpy legs. Looks nasty, tastes ok.

Went to coffee shop with Jeff.
Immediately had coffee (again) with a different friend who ran OSU cross country with me, at her house. Made my day!

We took some weird pictures. We have a history of weird pictures together. Most are better kept in private.

Finally, it was home to shower, change and feast. I wore fitted clothing which is quite a daring thing to do on Thanksgiving!

Got ready really fast, just went with the wet hair look until it air dried. Yes, if you were wondering I wore the same scarf almost every day while in Ohio. You can only pack so many things!

So there’s the race and my Thanksgiving in a nutshell!

Tell me about your Thanksgiving! Would you wear tight fitting clothing to feast? Any strange porta potty stories?

USATF Niagara XC Championships – Race Recap

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Jen

Today I laced up my spikes for the first time in over 10 years and ran the USATF Niagara Open XC Championships. I was 2nd overall woman and very happy with my race.

Freshman year, Ohio State, 12 years ago! It was totally cool to wear your bunhuggers that high. And you aren’t a college student without a belly ring. And it’s hard to tell but I had a big booty back then.

I wore the same shoes I last raced in at Ohio State, spikes still intact, ready to go. Until this morning, I forgot that the shoes were 1/2 size too small. I really had to cram my toes to get the shoes on. I’m happy to report I didn’t get any blisters or black toes! Whew!

My old Nike Jana spikes from 2001 got me through the race.

It was 29 degrees when my Currie alarm woke me this morning. Today was the first time we paid babysitters to watch Currie while Jeff and I both raced. I was feeling super guilty about it until the girls arrived and Currie was happily showing them around. Score! I felt much better when no tears were shed. Off to the race we went.

We arrived with an hour until my race was supposed to start. We went to the lodge to use the restroom and someone made an announcement that the race would start 30 minutes late. Within 5 minutes, another announcement was made: “the race may start on time or it may be 30 minutes late, so be ready for both.” Hmmm. It actually didn’t both me other than wanting to get back to Currie.

Always want to get back to this little cutie.

We did a warmup and used the real restroom (my friend convinced me to use the restroom instead of a squat in the woods!) By the time I got back, it was 5 minutes until race start, which was going to start ON TIME! I figured I wouldn’t be doing any strides. Whatever. I was going into this race with excitement and I didn’t care. Then, an official told us we had another 3 minutes so I got a few slippery, muddy strides and got to the line. My conclusion – I would DEFINITELY slip on this 6k course. It was going to happen. No doubt. (Spoiler: I didn’t fall, but 2 of my friends did.)

The race started, and I went out conservatively. Junior Olympic races were going on all morning on the same course and it was pretty sloppy by the time we got started. I was in the chase pack for the first 1k, then I moved up to the lead pack. By the 1 mile mark, I was in 3rd. I gradually heard people falling back and I knew I would most likely finish top 3, which happened to be how deep the prize money went. I settled in until approximately the 4k mark, somewhat content with my 3rd place status.

SOMEWHAT content. I started thinking, honestly, “what a loser attitude!” Content with 3rd? That’s just not me. Maybe that’s a me of the past, but not the current me, not the future me. I told myself I would catch up to 2nd place, (who was maybe 10 meters ahead) and pass her hard. Then push hard for another minute and see what happened. I had to make an effort. I had to get uncomfortable.

I passed her. I gradually increased my lead over 3rd place, but wasn’t sure I was definitely going to get 2nd until the last 800 meters. I finished maybe 10 seconds back from first place, and maybe the same in front of 3rd. These are just guesses since I haven’t seen results or times. I was told by the course setup team that the women’s course was long. And it was muddy, slippery, sloppy so I’m not too concerned with my time. I was happy to be back on an XC course, and proud to snap out of my “3rd place is ok” mode.

In the end, I won $150 for 2nd woman. I remembered how XC courses are really different from road racing. It’s like running on slippery pillows. You can never get in a rhythm as you are always sinking in the ground, slipping, jumping, climbing. I also remembered how much FUN it can be. I’m out of practice right now, but I can see myself doing many more XC races in the future!

How was your weekend of racing/running? Have you run XC? Like it? Hate it?

Scare Away Brain Cancer Race Recap 2012

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Jen

I ran the Scare Away Brain Cancer 5k today, and was 2nd female in 17:39. I didn’t know it at the time, but the woman who beat me, by about 2 seconds, was Canadian steeplechaser Dana Buchanan (10:02 steepler and winner of Canadian Olympic Trials). I didn’t know she was living here in Rochester, but am excited for another speedster in town!

Peace… and second place.

Last night Jeff and I were able to go out to dinner because my in-laws were in town for the night. While I wanted to eat some pasta at home like I usually do for 5k distance, I also wanted to take advantage of the night and eat at one of our favorite restaurants The Owl House. So, out to dinner we went. I knew this would come back to haunt me. I had water, vegan bruschetta, and the Buffalo Stance sandwich (which is like a buffalo chicken sandwich but vegan – spicy seitan sandwich).

We got home and Currie was having a rough time. I’m getting a cold so I wanted to get good sleep. Unfortunately good sleep wasn’t in the plan for the night. 6:03am came too soon!

I went with the regular almond butter sandwich and 40 oz of water but drank one cup of green tea instead of coffee, mostly because we are out of coffee and I didn’t want to walk 2 blocks to Starbucks in the rain.

We got to the race, and I ran just over a mile warmup with Jeff because we were running a little late on time. I noticed my calves were a bit tired and my glutes, super high by my hip bones, were sore. I’m not sure why, but my guesses would be either:

The 10 strides I did as part of my run on Thursday before driving for 8 hours.
The higher mileage I started 2 weeks ago.
The general lack of stretching this week.

Back to the race: I did some dynamic stretching and some strides and it was time for the gun to go off. I actually know this race course, even though I haven’t done this race before, because it uses the same USATF certified course as a race I ran in the summer of 2011.

The first mile was rough for me. I was feeling out of sorts and was about 20 meters behind the first 2 ladies at the one mile mark. I ran a 5:40. Somewhere in the second mile, though it was more of an uphill mile, I started feeling good. I decided to catch the first 2 ladies. I got them by the 2nd mile, which was a 5:49 (more uphill), I went back and forth with the girl who won on the last mile, the whole time dry heaving and gagging. My food last night didn’t sit well. I felt like my legs and lungs had more to give, but my stomach didn’t. I was fighting angry bowels and a queasy stomach most of the race. My last mile was a 5:36, then 34 seconds for the close. I was very happy.

After the race I did 3 miles at 6:2x. I felt great other than the stomach problems. I did a slow mile then headed back for some food.

There was quite a bit of food but by the time I got done with my workout and cooldown, there wasn’t much left. I ate 2 bites of a veggie/cheese/mayo sandwich and a had a small cup of coffee, got my awards (medal, Nalgene water bottle, $150), chatted a bit, and headed home.

A few things to note:

Did you notice my 99 cent “throw-away” white gloves in the picture at the beginning of this post? Some lady actually yelled “nice gloves” in an enthusiastic voice during the race. I sure hope she was talking about my Oiselle armwarmers!
I wore my Garmin during the race, never looked at it until I got home, but it sure was nice to have splits automatically taken. (I usually don’t race in a Garmin, superstition.)
There were just over 500 people in the race today.
We had to slow considerably on each turn (there were quite a few turns) because it rained last night and there were lots of leave on street corners. I was worried someone would trip, but I didn’t see any falls in front of me. People were being very cautious. Wet leaves are treacherous!
It was about 50 degrees with a slight mist during the race. I couldn’t have asked for better racing weather. I was worried about it being really cold and rainy, but we got very lucky.

There you have it! How is your weekend of racing shaping up?! Good luck to everyone racing on Sunday!

Columbus Marathon Half 2012 Recap

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Jen

Columbus Half Marathon recap. It’s going to be a long one. Let’s get right down to it.

I got the best pre-race sleep I’ve had since Currie was born. She actually went to bed around 8:30 (very early for her thanks to some planning and LOTS of help from the in-laws) so I went immediately to bed. I woke up a few times, but mostly slept until 4am. I laid there until my alarm went off at 4:30. I think I got close to 7 hours sleep!

I had 32 oz of water, an almond butter sandwich, a banana and a cup of coffee immediately when I got out of bed (3 hours pre-race). I got packed up and excitedly started the 50 minute drive to downtown Columbus.

I easily found parking though I didn’t realize it was a half mile away from where I needed to be. You would think after racing here 3 years in a row, and living in the city for 4 years, I would remember where to park. No big deal though. I arrived in the elite room right as my brothers were arriving from their hotel room. Josh ran the full, Jason ran the half. I hugged them and hugged Nicole (sweet girl, 2:39 marathoner, and little bro’s girlfriend). I got a picture with my brothers right away.

So giddy to be racing with my brothers. Notice my smile is a mile wide.

I started discussing all the experiments I would try on that day, which led to Jason laughing and jokingly asking me, “have you ever run a race before?” I knew I wanted to try everything new. Everything I ever wanted to try on race day, but never had the guts to do before. If I was really doing this race as a training run, I wanted to get a little crazy. The first new thing I did was add the banana to my morning breakfast (noted earlier). I know, super crazy, right? I’m always scared to eat a banana, like fruit pre-race might mess with my stomach.

In the elite room, I pondered whether to wear – my tried and true, busted up watch or my Garmin. I was going to do the Garmin since I’m usually superstitious about racing in it. I wanted to break the superstition. However, I remembered being warned at packet pickup that the GPS watches could mess with the timing system, so I went with old busted up watch. It needs to be safety pinned… all velcro is worn out. I know I could get a new band, or even new watch, but I never do. I was so happy when I found out Nicole also uses a busted watch, held together with elastic! I’m not the only crazy one!

Nicole’s busted Garmin, my busted timex, both race ready!

I used the restroom for the first of about 45 times in that hour. A hotel worker was getting ready in the restroom. She asked each elite the same thing. “So are you excited about the race? Are you running the whole race or just half?” I wish I had something witty to say back, to let her know a half marathon isn’t “just half” but I’m too nice and said “I’m doing the half marathon this year.”

I drank more water, peed some more, talked WAY TO MUCH. My brothers asked if I was really nervous or really excited because I was talking even more than usual. I told them the excitement of this race gets me EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

Before I knew it, it was time for the warmup. I went out with my bros and Nicole. I usually do at least 2 miles before a half marathon. I decided to experiment with 1 mile this time. Back in the elite room, I did some dynamic stretching and put on my racing flats, and took a gel. I TOOK A GEL! 20 minutes before the race! I am always afraid to do this, thinking I might get a sideache. So glad I tried this one.

Some fuel and a little kick of caffeine

Another elite was gel-ing up as well:

My big bro Josh, downs a chocolate outrage Gu.

Next, the elite coordinators were telling us to get out on the course. We did bag drop and started strides, hugs and kisses for mom and dad, chats with people at the start line, and then… the one of my favorite parts of the race – FIREWORKS! The race starts at 7:30am, as the sun is just starting to rise, and fireworks and the statehouse cannon go off very close to the start line, lighting up the sky. So very cool. Perfect way to give participants that extra energetic push as the race begins!

The first mile of the race is almost still in the dark and always goes by quickly for me. I wanted to keep it as slow as possible, which was hard with all the pre-race excitement. I went through the one mile around 6:15. Perfect!

We were lucky to have temps in the 40s. It was pretty humid, and very foggy in parts of the course, but overall GREAT running weather! I heard someone say “top ten woman” as I passed around mile 3. That was my goal for the day. I never got passed and never passed another lady the whole race. That was really strange. I did have some back and forth action with other guys, but my female position was the same from the half mile through the end.

Another new thing I tried was taking in water/fuel every single water stop. Usually in a half marathon I take maybe a sip of water and a sip of gatorade, so 2 sips of something the whole race. This time, I took at least one drink of water or gatorade at least every other mile. This worked really well for me. I didn’t take any gels. Liquid fuel worked great.

The roughest part of the race for me was around miles 7-8, but I tried to stay consistent with my miles. In reality, I slowed slightly these miles. I don’t know exact mile splits, but I think I was in the 6:20s-6:30s. There was a heavy fog and cool temps, and my hands were frozen. I couldn’t even hit the split button on my watch for 3 miles straight. I finally used my palm, at the bottom of my thumb and got my final mile splits. In retrospect, I should have worn my Oiselle arm warmers. Instead, I only wore throw-away gloves and I paid for it big time post race.

My dad got a few pictures of me around mile 8. You can see a little fog. In some places, the fog was so heavy you could barely see 50 meters ahead.

Around mile 10, I started feeling really good. At mile 11, two guys running the marathon passed me and I thought “I only have 2 miles left, why haven’t I picked up the pace yet?” I asked the guys if they were doing the half or full. When they said “full” I knew I needed to get more aggressive and pass them. We chatted a bit about goals, fast runners, etc, and then I was out of there. They cheered for me, from behind, for the rest of the race until about 1/2 mile to go when I could no longer hear them.

I felt AWESOME the last 2 miles and would have gone even faster had I not had stomach issues that had me running straight to the restroom at the finish line. Was it the banana? The gel with caffeine pre-race? The gatorade on the course? The whoopie pie I had the night before the race? I’m thinking it was the dairy in the whoopie pie. Dumb move considering I was so good about dairy that whole week leading up to the race!

Still, I finished so strong, playing up to the crowd like I was the first place woman, “raising the roof” etc. I was pretty pumped. I ended in 1:21:09 (6:11 pace). I was planning to go 1:22-1:24. I feel like 1:19 was definitely attainable if I would have been racing.

I really liked the medals this year, with the theme of “inspire”. I loved this year’s partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the “Miracle Miles” with Patient Champions at each mile of the race. Each mile was dedicated to a child who has been treated at Children’s, with banners and posters showing a picture of a child and a little blurb about their struggle. For instance, at mile 5, there was a sign saying “129 doses of chemo=5 miles”. Talk about perseverance! These signs were very motivating for me. I gave high-fives to as many of these children as possible.

Post race, I got together with my bros for one final picture. Josh had a rough day and finished 6th (he won this race in 2008). Jason had a small half marathon PR in 1:04:56 and was 5th place. I finished 8th female. These were the worst “place finishes” any of us have had at Columbus, but still lots of fun!

Siblings!

So there you have it. I could write a post just about how amazing this marathon is, but decided to just go with my personal experience this year. If you haven’t done Columbus Marathon, I highly recommend it!

In the end, I’m so happy I did this more as a training run than a race. I was tired at the end, but not beat. I tried all the new things I wanted to try, and have more confidence going into half and full marathons in the future!

So tell me… have you ever gone against common advice and tried lots of new things on race day? How did it turn out?

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