msteechur's Xanga

Blogalicious

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:12:40 GMT

I like to poke around on other blogs. I enjoy reading someone who makes me laugh, shares the same manias I do (running, triathlons, geek-stuff), and is updated somewhat frequently. (I should update more often...I know.)

Anyhow...so here are a few of my favorite blogs:

The Athena Diaries: Misty is hilarious, irreverent, and almost normal in a wacky kind of way. She makes me laugh every time. She is a "reformed teacher" and I so relate to some of the frustrations she dealt with in that life. She is also formerly flabulous like me, and suffers from adult-onset athleticism. She isn't "fast" she isn't a "natural born athlete" but she is enthusiastic, and wicked funny.

WhoIsRunnerGirl? I just found this one when the authoress extraordinaire emailed me to tell me she is running her first marathon. I get a lot of "Hey, I has a blog too" so I eagerly clicked. Wowsa! I love this girl. She has a spunk about her and likes to wax on and on about how awesome it is to be able to do what she's doing (usually running). She also turned me on to a new yoga video podcast. I hope to meet her in Chicago when she runs her first and I run my...well...maybe 13th, probably 15th marathon. I bet she kicks my ass.

E-Flat Trail Runner: Laura is a friend of mine who is like this complete geek scientist type who responded to my pathetic plea on a message board for someone to run trails with. We've run together now for a bit over a year. (Laura, we are overdue for a run!) She keeps a blog about her trail running adventures. Laura likes to get down and dirty on the trails of the Pacific Northwest!

Run Big! Nancy is a fellow penguin who understands the beauty of the back of the pack. She is doing the muddy buddy this year and I am jealous. I want to wallow in mud and fall off my bike and play like a little kid, without suffering the consequences of getting yelled at for messing up my good clothes!

Eat Drink Run Woman: Betsy is awesome! She is personal chef and a trail runner and is semi-insane with this running stuff. We met online, and ran into each other in person at the Mt. Si Relay last year. Hey Betsy, I'm doing Mt. Si ultra next year. Wanna join me!? Read about her shenanigans as she works towards a BQ.

Those are just a few. I'll add more when I run across others I find fun.

==========================

On the home front...

Last night was the Firecracker 5000, Seattles only midnight race. Fun fun fun! Roy and I took the afternoon in Seattle. Got some stuff at Frys to turn Guest Bedroom into Home Gym. Then off to Ikea for all things faux-Scandahoovian. We carbo loaded (LOL) at Dennys for dinner because sometimes I just like me some Dennys. Since it was First Thursday we went to the Experience Music Project and the Sci Fi Museum in Seattle for free (my second favorite word next to "Finish"), and then saw Hancock, also for free as we scored some online tickets. Glad that Hancock was free. I didn't hate it, but...

Then off to the Seattle Center to run in the holiday. As soon as we got there I saw Marie, my friend I met at the CDA Marathon who convinced me that I too could become a Marathon Maniac. She was there with her husband and son, so we hung out together and right before the race started Marie and I headed up towards the 8.5 min mile pace group and left our guys in the back.

I was feeling kind of iffy about my pace tonight because my tummy has been bothering me off and on over the last few days, and I just ran a marathon (always a handy excuse). We took off at 11:55 and stayed together for about 500 feet, then Marie ran ahead. She's much faster than I am. Well something happened and I found my sweet spot and about .5 mile in, I just felt like I was flying! My splits:

Mile 1: 8:24

Mile 2: 8:17

Mile 3: 7:49 (woot)

Last lap: 6:49

I finished in 25:39, which is just a few seconds off my best time, although definitely a PR in chip timed events. (The other one was with my watch.) Marie came in shortly after I did, and our guys came in within ten minutes of us. I'm very proud of that time!

--------

We decided to set up a home gym this summer because the YMCA gets more and more expensive every year. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, I love the YMCA, but our local one has raised rates every year and almost all of the improvement has gone towards children and parent-related benefits. We paythe full family rate and I finally got tired of it. There used to be a cybex area and weight room that were off limits to kids under 14. Not any more! Nope! Now the ENTIRE GYM is open to kids all the time! Whee! You know how much I love having kids screwing around on machines, being ignored by their parents, while I try to work out? Yeah! LOTS!

So we turned our guest bedroom into a little home gym/studio thingy. We got a small flatscreen TV that we hooked up to the computer in my office. We run TV, internet, and DVD through that hookup. You know what's cool? I am a Netflix Member and Netflix has all these movies you can watch on your computer, including probably 50 exercise video titles! So today I did three different ones with my new room, Jim. (I call him my personal trainer.) I also have a Nordic Trak that I picked up for $80 on Craigslist, a variety of dumbbells, and some resistance bands. I found a really good quality step a few years ago at the thrift store for $5. So it's all set! Very cool!

Speaking of personal trainer, I am now officially a Certified Personal Trainer! I finished my internship and sent in my proof of smartness and CPR/First Aid certification, and got back a purty piece of paper that says, "If you want to work out with me, I probably won't break you." Roy is working on my logo and my website will be up very soon! I applied for my business license, will get my insurance in place soon, and then hope to start one training group here very soon to train for a Fall 5k, and possibly the Seattle Half Marathon.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:44:24 GMT

Seafair Marathon
2008-06-29
Bellevue, Washington
United States
90F / 32C
Sunny

Run - Marathon
Total Time = 5h 01m 15s
Overall Rank = 144/533
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 25/33

Pre-race routine:

Got up bright and early and ready to rumble. Roy drove me to the start line and we got there with plenty of time to hit the potties and relax. The beginning was really hectic, though. Lots of walkers and half marathoners, not as many fully marathoners. I am curious that the only place I see this particular phenomenon is at our local races...half marathon walkers with back packs full of food as if they are going on a 40 day march in the desert.

Event warmup:

Craziness will warm you up! The event was held up for 15 minutes because the buses couldn't get everyone to the start line. So the announcer was saying, "Everyone line up in the road! Elite runners up front!" and behind us a police officer on a loudspeaker was saying, "Everyone off the road! The road is still open!"

Huh? The road wasn't open. It was a two lane road with a meridian on the west side, sidewalk on the east. In the middle of the road at the intersection was a "Start" banner with the timing mat set up across the entire road. There were "Road Closed" saw horses closing off the road. So unless a car materialized in the middle of the runners, and then proceeded to drive south through the start line, there wasn't any traffic. So we thought they were talking to people who WERE standing in the road west of the meridian. So we stayed.

Pretty soon the officer gets out of her car, and starts shooing the entire crowd up onto the sidewalk. Um? What!

Two minutes later the announcer, unaware of what was going on with the officer (and probably quite confused) starts telling us to get BACK into the road to prepare for the beginning of the race.

So the officer starts yelling again, "Get out of the road! Yes you! Even you behind the black vehicle (it was a race vehicle that was stopped, no engine running, no one inside)! The road is open!"

Perhaps that word "open" does not mean what she thinks it means.

The announcer says again "Everyone ON the course! Line up according to your pace!"

It was ridiculous, but we did get warmed up!

Run

Comments:

Even though I will say this was by FAR the hardest race I've run, and by far FAR SUPER DUPER FAR-EDY FARNESS the most disorganized race I've run, I am glad that I did it. It was a HUGE challenge for me to see if I could two races two weekends in a row. I actually LOVED the course. Oh "anyone could run a flat race" but when you've run from Seattle to Bellevue through the 99 hills of Kirkland, you know you have run a SERIOUS race! I also loved the new route. I don't think it's any less hilly, but it is by far more beautiful than courses in years past.

Will I run it again? I might, but only after ensuring that the children's marathon will not complete on the same course as the regular marathon. I actually love the idea of the children's marathon and support it 150%. I want to see more opportunities for families to get their kids involved in sports early, particularly running. I am children's races biggest fan! But to have the kids and adults on the same course was foolhardy at best. I also believe it was kind of unfair to those of us who had just accomplished 26.2 miles and deserved to "own" that accomplishment...to have our names called out (correctly) at the finish line, to have a medal placed directly over our heads (rather than be pointed to another area where someone asked, "Did you run the marathon?"), and to not have to push down small children to get some water. (Okay, I didn't push anyone...I didn't have the strength.) I also think at the same time it takes a bit from the kids' race too. Let them have THEIR OWN area to bask in their glory! Don't "not" do it, just don't do it in the same spot at the same time!

What would you do differently?:

I definitely should have brought my own water! I will not make that mistake again! However, I asked one of the people at the expo if there would be plenty of water on the route, considering the forecast, and she said there would be extra water stations. There weren't.

Other than that, I think I did well. I ran/walked. I did not push on the hills. I wish I could have, but it's good I didn't. I did not once wish I weren't doing it, even when I felt icky.

Running
05:01:15 | 26.2 miles | 11m 30s min/mile
Age Group: 25/33
Overall: 144/533
Performance: Average

Average HR was 155 Pace was slow, but I haven't ever run two marathons two weekends in a row. It was also extremely hot and hilly, so while I really wanted to break 5 hours (and did, according to my watch...and crossed the finish line with the clock reading 5:00:13, so not sure where 5:01:15 came from), I am not unhappy with my time.

Course: This is probably, no this is definitely, the most challenging course I have ever run. It is an incredibly HILLY course. Somewhere I read that it is a "fast" course and not as hilly as in years past. I've run the half marathon three times and yes, it was hilly, but no it was not hillier in years past. Maybe once upon a time they ran up K2 or something, but I can't imagine a hillier course. It was, however, a very beautiful course. We started out running right across the 520 Evergreen Floating Bridge. It was breathtakingly beautiful! It also afforded us a really nice breeze and some lovely shots of Mt. Rainier. To watch the ribbon of people running up the hills was amazing! After the bridge (about mile four) we went into some areas that weren't overly remarkable. Then we started running through areas with just beautiful homes. There were a lot of people out with sprinklers (thank you SO much sprinkler people), which was heaven-sent because the thermometer was rising quickly. The first water stop was at mile three and had me already wishing I'd brought my own water. It was such a disorganized madhouse that people had to wait for water. I timed two full minutes of waiting for someone to give me some water. Someone handed me an EMPTY cup. That was helpful! (NOT!) The next water stop wasn't until mile six and it was hot, so I wasn't going to skip this one. Another good call. Mile six was equally disorganized. This time I just pushed right in and grabbed a cup and asked (nicely) for water. I question the intelligence of water stops only every three miles when the weather forecast had this hot weather for over week, and I also really was chastising myself for not bringing water with me. Stupid move.

Mile seven was a joke. First we climbed up a small mountain. Then at the top of the mountain, we climbed a short steep hill. At the top of that hill some guy sitting cross legged in the lotus position pointed up. I thought he wanted us to show reverence to the Lord, but he was really pointing to the mountain we had to climb to complement the hills we JUST climbed! I tried to run up the hills because I love the feeling of passing people on hills, but when I saw even the Mountain Goats were walking with nordic poles, I decided to save my energy for the rest of the race. Good call there.

At mile 11 the last water stop that was for both full and half marathoners was the worst. There were no cups! The volunteers were offering to pour water into our mouths, but I declined. Later on, as I hit a very hot unshaded area, I was kicking myself for not just picking up a discarded cup and using that. But at the time I didn't think of it. I was ANGRY by this point. The entire first half of the race was one big disorganized mess! Unfortunately when I get emotional, I start up my new "running buddy" who goes by the name of Exercise Induced Asthma or "Chokey" for short. Well Chokey started settling in, and I couldn't breathe so I knew I needed to settle down and just let it go. I had money in my shoe pocket if I needed to dash into a store and buy some water. If I could make it another 3 miles, I'd be fine.

At mile 12 we said Adios to the half marathoners, and to the shade trees! The rest of the course was equally hilly, but it was also not shaded! So that made it WAY better because now we were trudging up hills...may MOUNTAINS without benefit of shade. But I saw alpacas! Actually, the Bridle Trails area was gorgeous (where I saw the alapacas...obviously in their native territory). There were also these young men standing at every street corner holding signs that said "Run!" and smiling. Not cheering, just smiling. They made me smile. It was kind of cute.

I was ready to find a store to get some water when finally saw another water station. Thank GOD! Of course since there were probably 1/8 as many marathoners, these stations were much less chaotic. The volunteers handed me cup after cup of water. After downing two waters, a Gleukos, and pouring another water over my head, I felt like a new woman and was ready to tackle the rest of the race! I took my second Luna Moons (like Gu, but in the shape of cute little moons and tasting of pomegranites) and trudged on.

The next few miles passed with some thoughts creeping into my head, "Now why did I think running two marathons in 8 days was a good idea?" I tried to banish them because I know it was just stinkin' thinkin' (as my good friend Al says), but I have to admit. With the relenting hills, the relenting heat, and the relenting loneliness it was getting rough. But I think I always go through a rough patch on every race, and I seldom remember it afterwards. The only reason I remember this one was because there was this lovely downhill at the end of mile 17 and then a shaded area in a park, and then the most welcome site I'd seen all day! Just as I was rounding a corner going one way, a cutey man was rounding the same corner going the other! Roy had parked at the finish line and biked out to see me and it was kismet that we literally hit the exact same spot at the same time! My spirits soared! Not only that, there were red vines! A group of high school boys were at the water stop handing out red vines! I took one and said, "Did you lick it??" He assured me he hadn't, so I took it. I heard him high fiving his friends yelling "Woo! She took mine!" (Apparently some sort of contest? Or maybe he'd really licked it...). A few feet later another kid said, "Mine is 110% BETTER!" "But did you lick?" "No!" "DAMN! I can't get ANYONE to lick my licorice!" (That sounds really naughty, but I didn't mean it that way.) So I took his licorice too and settled back into my run.

At this point we were heading through Kirkland around Lake Washington. It is just such a beautiful area! I could live there, if they would quadruple my teachers' salary and move my school to Kirkland. Since that's not going to happen, I just have to be happy with biking and running through that area every now and again. As I'd biked (and run) this area before, I knew where I was and enjoyed it. It was getting hotter and hotter, though. Roy biked beside me and every now and again he'd hold up a sign that said "You're looking good!" and it would make me laugh. The odd thing is, I was wearing a shirt with my name on it. I'd worn the same shirt at Grandma's last week and EVERYONE cheered for me by name. This time only two people on the entire route did! Maybe they thought I was a visiting Brit or Canadian declaring my partisanship!

At mile 23 we left the lake behind. I had literally just finished saying to Roy (trying to be positive) "It's hot, but I don't think it is as hot as yesterday" when I think it got to be about 9000 degrees. I Hit The Wall. I think the lake was offering just enough of a breeze to keep me from being completely miserable. Now no lake, no breeze, complete misery. But hey, I only had a 5k to go. I was totally going to do it and in doing so, I would make my goal of becoming a MARATHON MANIAC! The other reason I think I was staring up the wall is because I was also staring up a mountain. I had thought we were done with hills, but there was another one. I literally almost started to cry. I was just DONE! But I realized that if I cried, Chokey would join me and I needed to breathe to run. (Pesky little detail, but I have found that oxygen intake is a definite performance enhancement on the marathon.)

At mile 24 Roy said "I think I can hear music! This is the best part, when you hear the music you know you're almost done!"

Soon the "25" sign came and I said "OH! My SECOND favorite number!" and tried to pick up the pace a bit. As we got closer there were more spectators (nothing like Grandma's, but still...it was nice) and I felt my pace quickening as best I could. It was definitely not the "kick" I would have liked, but it was kick-like! I said goodbye to Roy and told him I loved him and appreciated him SO much for staying with me. He said he'd meet me at the end. Man, what a guy. Husband of the Year for SURE!

My FAVORITE number! Mile 26! We rounded the corner into the finisher's chute. I could hear footsteps behind me trying to overtake me, so I sped up. In front of me I saw a child. Why is there a child in the finisher's chute? Next to her was a lady in capris and flip flops. I am in the right place, right? Yes, there is a sign that says "Finish" in large letters at the end. Wait, there is another child...and another...and that one is turning around and running towards me. Why is she doing that? Why is she in here. "You can't do that!" I called out (more like whispered out, I was so exhausted). "She can't do that! She's going to hurt someone!" I choked out to Flip Flop.

May I just take a moment to ask who in the name of all that is good and holy on this earth, thought it would be a GOOD IDEA to have the children's "marathon" (they ran a mile) run on the same course through the finishers' chute as the ADULT MARATHON?? Because whoever thought that was a good plan needs to have his/her/their head examined. You take kids, who do not know how to run a race (ie...see finish, point at finish, run to finish, do not stop) and put them in the same narrow field as extremely tired adults who have been running for five hours and see the word finish and are only thinking "I want to be done. I want my bagel. I hope there's ice cream." and you think this is a GOOD plan!? I nearly CREAMED that little girl, and I saw other kids nearly get creamed. Someone could have been HURT!

I finish the race to the sounds of "ToNy Klementsen from Marysville!" (thanks, my name is ToRy) and run up to receive my medal. "Oh, this is for the children's marathon. Your medals are back there." *grrr* So I stumble to those people and get my medal. I was feeling extremely lightheaded and nauseous so all I wanted was water. I see a water table (pleaseletitbecold) and I go over. The volunteer tries to hand me the cup. A little boy pushes in front of me (or is pushed by Mommy) and reaches for the water. The volunteer moves it out of his reach as I'm reaching for it. Mommy says, "Take the cup, Johnny! You need water!" He reaches up for it. I take my hand back. The volunteer gives Mommy a look. I am unable to form a complete thought outside of "I thinkimightfalldownnow,okthxbai". The volunteer says, "Here Dear, you need this" and thrusts to water towards me. Mommy gives her a look. Good LORD woman! I know your kid is thirsty, but I am the walking dead here. Mind if I get some hydration?

Post race

Warm down:

I grabbed my water from the child (LOL) and looked up and saw Marie. I met Marie in Couer d'Alene where we hooked up and ran together. She pushed me to a PR! She is a marathon maniac and had run three races in a row over three weeks because she is truly insane! We caught up and commiserated that we hadn't found each other earlier. I told her how wonderful Roy had been and she waved and called to him. We got some food, although not much sounded even remotely good. I had an apple slice, an orange slice, an oreo cookie, and a melted otter pop. After talking with Marie and Tim (her husband, also a great guy from what I understand) Roy and I headed to the car where he whisked me off to sushi! Best post-race food EVER!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The heat and the fact that I'd run a marathon the week before and hadn't tapered at all during the week. (I'd taken one day off, and run or biked quite a bit each other day.) Oh yeah, and I'm not very fast. There's always that.

Event comments:

I really REALLY want to love this race. It's in the summer and at a good time. I love the whole Seafair festivities that go on around this time of year. But they make it so hard! The paper the next day told of how 400 runners were not transported to the startline, but to the halfway point because they wanted to start the race. So people who paid and trained to run a full marathon (some of whom were going for a BQ) were only allowed to run half. Not only that, but three GPS units (mine, Marie's and another person's) measured the route almost a mile short. If it had just been mine I would have blamed it on losing signal, but three? Hmmm.

I hope they learn a lot from this race. There was a lot to sell this race, but the lack of organization was really really bad.

Keeping cool Bad
Drinking Not enough

Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 2
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 2

Grandma's Marathon--that's 8 states down, 42 to go!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:52:36 GMT

Grandmas Marathon

2008-06-21
Duluth, Minnesota
United States
80F / 27C
Sunny

Run - Marathon
Total Time = 5h 56m 1s
Overall Rank = 6531/6876
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 308/324

Pre-race routine:

We were in a hotel in Proctor that was VERY supportive! They were awesome. They opened the breakfast up at 3:30 a.m.! How is THAT for service? Gotta love it! I so appreciated that. I had a waffle (fresh) with peanut butter and a little sugar free syrup on it, and grabbed a banana for later. I had brought a breakfast cookie, but figured the waffle would be good enough and I'd save the BC for later.

Kim and I grabbed the bus to the start line. We rode it and chatted with other racers. It was already warmish at about 5:30 so I figured we were in for a TOASTY run! I wasn't wrong!

Event warmup:

When we got there it was already buzzing. Loud music was playing all over the area in Two Harbors. The two-lane road we were going to run on was closed, and an old fashioned train was parked on the tracks parallel to the course. About 7:25 two F-16s flew overhead, which was breathtaking. The sky was DEEP blue so it was awesome to see them against the beautiful sky. Both Kim and I shed our shirts we brought since it was already probably 65. Someone sang the Star Spangled Banner and all the people on the train started to cheer for us as the gun went. It was a crowded start with self-seeding, so it was a little jostle-y at the start, but not too bad. We crossed the start within a few minutes.

We started out running 5:1 (5 min runs with 1 min brisk walks) right off. I know it was hard for us both at the beginning. It's so hard to see people pass you right at the beginning, but I know that if all things remain constant, I'm passing them at the end. I think this was the first time Kim tried the run/walk combo and I'm not sure she was completely convinced it was the way to go at the beginning. We were running pretty consistent 10:30 miles up until about mile 8. At that point, Kim started having pretty painful IT band problems. By mile 10 we were walking. She was SO frustrated and kept telling me to go ahead and leave. But I had come to run WITH her not from her, so I didn't consider it for a second.

Run Comments:

We started out running really strong. Kim had had some IT band issues coming up to the race, so she'd been cross training the last three weeks. But her doctor had okayed her running today, so we were confident that it would be good. Unfortunately it started to twinge at mile eight and I felt SO bad for her. There is nothing worse than training for months for a race, only to have your body betray you on race day! So we extended the walk breaks a bit hoping that she could keep running, but by mile ten it was too painful. She kept saying "You don't have to wait for me" but like I said, I wouldn't have left her. After all, the reason I signed up for Grandmas was to run with my sister! We had run the same race in September when we both traveled (with our awesome husbands) to run the Disneyland Half Marathon, but hadn't run together. Since both Roy and Mike have officially retired from marathons, we decided to sign up for Grandma's and run together. The guys declined to run the half marathon because they wanted to support us. (How altruistic of them. Ha!)

My only concern was that I have lower back problems due to loose joints and some slight arthritis, and walking can cause problems. But I figured if it came to that I'd just run ahead a bit, then run back if I had to. I think I'm in good enough shape to handle some extra mileage and it would have been preferable to just leaving or the pain that walking might have caused.

Fortunately after a few medical tent stops, we found one just after the halfway point with a massage therapist. He worked on her leg, and at first she thought it made it worse. But at mile 14 she decided to give it a go and found that she could run again. Yay! I don't think either of us wanted to admit out loud how LONG it would take us if we had to walk 16 miles. It sure gives me an even GREATER appreciation for people who walk marathons! That's no mean feat!

We resumed 5:1s and continued that for most of the race, with a few longer walk breaks if the IT band commanded it. When she stopped to stretch, I would go ahead and run and then circle back. My back was just threatening to cause issues after about mile 16, so I was unsure about doing too much walking or stopping. That worked out well.

At mile 23 Roy and Mike met us to run us in. Unfortunately Roy wasn't able to keep up due to his knee problems. But Mike was able to run in with us and it is SO nice to have someone else to distract you at that point. I know we both REALLY appreciated it! WE also appreciated that they tried valiantly to get to us many places along the route. We did see them about mile 12 or so, but unfortunately they weren't able to get to us in the other areas. Both of them had made signs too, which was awesome.

The last two miles take you into Duluth and then into Canal Park. As always, I found myself getting emotional at the end. Every marathon is special, but running it with family made it even moreso. I was so thankful for this and for the fact that we had this gorgeous memorable day together.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing, really. I was feeling really good for most of the marathon.

Post race

Warm down:

As soon as we hit the finish line, God blessed us with a drenching rain. No need to shower now! LOL! Since our legs were really tight, we'd agreed during the run to go and walk into the lake after the race. Since it's so large, it never really warms up and we heard it was about 43 degrees. So after grabbing some food (ice cream...man oh man that ice cream was good, for me and a bagel for her) we made our way to the beach and waded in. HOLY CRAP it was cold, but let me tell you. I think it made all the difference in the world! Honestly! My legs felt refreshened afterwards!

We went back to the hotel and showered and rested a bit before heading back into Duluth to eat dinner at Little Angies. Even there they welcomed runners, with eat wait person wearing a shirt that read, "I ran once. I was quite proud of myself."

Oh, one thing that was interesting...we got to keep our Champion Chip! So now I have two. One from Grandma's and one I chose to keep from NYC!

Event comments:

I would definitely give this race 4 stars, reserving 1 star because of the anti-MP3 stance they take. I could go on about how ridiculous I find it that someone tells me that I can't listen to my own music on a race that, on a good day, is going to take ME at least 4:45, but suffice to say I would not have registered if Kim hadn't wanted to run it. I'm so glad she did because Grandma's definitely ranks as one of my favorite marathons in the 12 I've run. It wasn't overwhelmingly big like NYC (and I loved NYC), nor was it lonely like Seattle. It's like Baby Bear's porridge...just right. The course support is amazing, and the community totally gets behind the runners. There were signs welcoming runners all over Duluth and Proctor. The newspapers had articles two days leading up to the race (big articles, too...not like the 25 word blurb I saw on the Seafair Marathon that I'll be running Sunday...thanks Seattle. You really know how to make runners feel valued.) The paper also had a HUGE section on the marathon with EVERY single finisher listed in it the day after the race. The hotels went out of their way to make us feel welcomed, which isn't always the case. We were even offered the opportunity to reserve a room for the following year. The transportation was outstanding to the beginning of the course (bus left right from our hotel). The festivities were well planned and organized. The restaurants the day before all catered to runners (I think I counted at LEAST four carbo-load "feeds" in the restaurants we walked past) both before and after.

You know what the BEST part of a marathon is, though? The people you meet on the route. More than once we'd pass people on the side of the road (over 200 didn't finish) and someone near us (or us) would ask if they were okay. At one point this happened and I said to Kim, "This is why I love marathons. People are always so GOOD to each other on marathons!" The lady who I was referring to agreed and we had a nice chat then, and again at mile 26 when she said to her husband (who was running her in) "If I mention doing Grandma's again next year, you have my permission to slap me...I can't take this heat!" I replied, "Oh you know you'll be talking about it within two months."

"Yeah, you're probably right...but this heat!"

I invited her to join us in Seattle where not only would she NOT run in heat, but she might get rain, wind, or even SNOW and LOTS of hills with zero cheering spectators!

Some of my favorite moments on the race:

The F-16s flying over. I love the sound of loud planes and I always find things like that very moving.
The kindness of the people in the medical tent, not just the volunteers but other runners who were consoling each other for having to drop out.
The homemade wrought iron dinosaurs in front of a house, one of which spewed flames. This family was busily setting up a water stop for the runners, so I got a chance to tell the guy who COOL I thought his dinos were!
The many MANY times people yelled my name on the route, especially the drunken frat boys chanting my name over and over again. I'm telling you, you gotta put your name on your shirt! It makes SUCH a difference when you're staring down the wall to hear someone say "You can do it, Tory!"
The line of trolls on the ground "for luck".
The yard filled with flamingo statues. What was THAT all about?
The many people with sprinklers, hoses, and even water guns!
Al Franken giving me a HUGE hug and a kiss on the route! I love Al Franken!
The wind coming off the water providing us with much needed heat relief!
Running with my sister. That was the best. We're going to have to do that more often! (Plus she "gets me" and doesn't think I'm insane at all with all this marathon stuff.)







Course:	The course is along the north shore of Lake Superior, which is a BIG LAKE! No wonder it's called "superior!" It's HUGE! It's also very brown. Mike explained that it's because of the high iron content in the rocks and dirt in the area. It's not a muddy color, it's a "clear" brown and it's not brown everywhere. When the sun hits it in certain ways it is blue or green, so it's a beautiful, changeable lake. It's a point to point route that is really beautiful, even when you're in neighborhoods. There isn't a point at which you can't see the lake, although you are closer to it at some points than at others. The course had supporters almost all the way along the race. People were out cheering for EVERYONE! It was such a neat supportive race! It had a real community feel. In the areas in front of homes, at least one or two homes every mile had people out cheering and many had either their own water stops or were out with hoses to spray down the hot runners. (And I don't mean hot in a good way. It was hot.) The water stops were always well stocked and the volunteers were totally awesome, cha! Talk about Minnesota Nice! I never had to reach for my own water or Ultima, and one of the coolest thing was that almost every stop had ICE! Yah! For this PNW-er, the ice was enough to keep me nice and cool throughout the entire warm race. In fact while I think the heat might have slowed us some, I don't feel that it impacted me in any major way and that was definitely due to the ice, the frequent water stops, and the wonderful people with sprinklers.
Keeping cool	Good	Drinking	Just right

Post race
Overall:	Good
Mental exertion [1-5]	3
Physical exertion [1-5]	4
Good race?	Yes

Evaluation
Course challenge	Just right
Organized?	Yes
Events on-time?	Yes
Lots of volunteers?	Yes
Plenty of drinks?	Yes
Post race activities:	Good
Race evaluation [1-5]	4

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:14:19 GMT

Moses Lake Family Tri: For the Health of It
2008-06-07
Moses Lake, Washington
United States
65F / 18C
Sunny

Triathlon - Olympic
Total Time = 3h 25m 40s
Overall Rank = 156/161
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 11/11

Pre-race routine:

NERVES! I did not sleep the night before at all. I just couldn't stop thinking about the swim. As far as the run and bike went...no problem. But the swim had me terrified. We did get into the lake and swim for a few minutes Friday night, and that really helped. But I was still really nervous.

Early morning stop at Starbucks. I had a breakfast cookie and coffee. Go to the transition area as soon as it opened. We racked our bikes. I had my bucket...very handy idea. I got the bucket from Ann (along with a giant ear) at Christmas. Almost all my stuff fit in it.

Event warmup:

We went out to the water to get used to it a bit. It's hard to get used to water that feels like it was glacier ten minutes ago. But I waded in and got my arms in (my wetsuit is a farmer jane, so no sleeves). I went ahead and put my face under for just a split second about a minute before we started. Good plan!

Swim

Comments:

Okay the swim scares me to death. Honestly. It is what almost keeps me from doing triathlons every year. Add to that early season cold water, and I was nauseous with nerves Saturday morning. I actually don't know why. I can swim. I swim twice a week in a pool. But it still scares me.

After setting up the transition area I got into my wetsuit. I have the lamest wetsuit in the world. It's one I got end of season on sale. I don't even know what brand it is. It says "Phillipines" on the tag and that's it. It's ugly and doesn't have any of that cool racy look to it. It's like wearing Wranglers to Fashion Week. But it works.

I made my way down to the water with the rest of the ladies. Ann, Lisa, Michelle, and Leslie were already in the water, so I decided to be like one of the cool kids and hop in. It was freaking COLD! But okay, I knew it would be cold. I got my arms wet (my wetsuit is sleeveless) and then right before going in, put my face in the water to get that over with. (I have no fear of face in the water, it was the freezing face in the water thing.) Rory tried to reassure us that the water was WARMER than the Sammamish Tri a few weeks ago. Yeah, didn't work. It was still freaking cold.

And we were off. Now this is where I normally freak out, but my plan was to start singing in my head as soon as I went off so I could push out my other thoughts. I liked that the first bouy was so close. Even though I knew it meant a lot longer to the next one, it was nice to have a close goal. Made it to the bouy behind everyone else, gladly. I always start in the back. Someday when I am more confident, I'll move up towards the front. But I'd rather be last than be swum over.

I turned the bouy and sited the next one. That's when the doubts started to creep in. "You can't do this! It's cold! What were you thinking?! Are you crazy? The shore is RIGHT there, you could turn in and quit. Why are you doing this? You're never going to make it!" I couldn't bilaterally breathe. Nothing. I flipped onto my back and looked up at the beautiful blue sky and thought, "What are you doing?" flipped right back over and kept on swimming. I don't think I was on my back for even three kicks. That is HUGE for me! I did not panic!

The rest of the swim went swimmingly. For quite awhile I thought I was last, but I wasn't. I turned the bouys nicely, and sited better than I have before. Definitely my best siting I've done yet. (Usually I add a few hundred feet to every swim by heading in the wrong direction at least once.) I spent the entire swim singing showtunes in my head (which is how I keep track of my laps in the pool). I know that sounds lame, but it works for me.

Finished the swim so darn proud of myself and looking forward to the rest of the triathlon. I looked at my watch and finished in 39:22, which doesn't break any records, but for me is good. I never did feel like I got a good "oomph" on my strokes due to the cold, but I don't care. I finished. I didn't stop ONCE. I didn't panic. I feel good about it.

What would you do differently?:

Let's see if next time I can avoid going onto my back completely. I am also hoping I can get some stroke instructions before Troika. Otherwise, my personal goal of completing the swim without letting panic take over was met.

Comments:

T1 was the WORST! I was so cold and disoriented from the water that I immediately came in, sat down on my bucket...and missed. Ended up right on my ass! Ann had come in just before me and was about to head out. Vicky and Hope came in right after me and I yelled to them, "See! You're nowhere NEAR an hour!" They were both sure they wouldn't make the hour cutoff.

Finally got my butt onto the bucket and struggled to take off my wetsuit and it would not come off my right heel. I pointed my foot and WHAMO! Major charley horse both in my calf and in my hamstring! Oh. My. Dear. Lord. It hurt SO bad! I knew it would go away, but it was so painful that tears immediately sprang to my eyes and I just rocked back and forth muttering "Go away Charley. Go away. Go away." and thinking "Thank you JESUS that this did not happen on the swim!" (Today my calf is SO sore from that, it isn't even funny.) Finally got it off and then the rest of T1 went fine. I don't know how much I lost in that fog of pain, but I don't think I've EVER had an almost 8 minutes transition when I was not waiting for someone else!

I got the bike off and Rory was there (Budu Racing guy) telling me he liked my Spiderman helmet cover (I think he'd come over to see if I was okay since I had been just sitting on a bucket rocking for awhile). My bucket shot out and fell over and he said "You go! I'll get that!" Nice guy!

What would you do differently?:

I need to figure a way to get the wetsuit off faster. I'll practice that. I also didn't lay out my gear quite as well as I should have. First tri of the season and so much going through my head in the morning, I just didn't remember it all.

Bike

Comments:

Obviously I need to take some weight off my bike, get a lighter bike, and ride more, but I am not displeased with my bike performance. I wanted to be careful since I have a marathon in two weeks coming up, and just finished a marathon two weeks ago. Two weeks before my last marathon I tweaked my knee on a long bike ride, so I wasn't pushing it as hard as I could have, but I also don't feel like I coasted. Yeah, I was still in the back of the pack, but oh well!

I did enjoy the scenery. I know that a lot of people would say "What scenery?" but I always enjoy the differences between the two sides of the state. The greens are different in Eastern Washington! I also really enjoyed greeting people who were coming in and appreciated all the well wishes called out to me, even if I couldn't hear most of them! I am pleased that I stopped to help Hope, even if it took a bit off my time. Who cares? Just think, the slower I was this year, the less I have to work to beat my time next year! Ha!

At the turnaround I checked my watch. It had taken me an HOUR to get to the halfway point with the headwind! I figured I'd cut at least 15 minutes off that time with no wind, so tried to plan accordingly with my food. I had brought peanut butter pretzels, cheese and peanut butter crackers, and Clif Bloks. I am SO tired of bloks, though, that I only ate two. However I knew needed to be done with solid food at least half an hour before I started my run so I was trying to calculate when I'd hit the bike finish. Boy was I off! It literally took me HALF the time to do the same distance on the way back! Oh well!

As I realized I was almost to the transition area I had to fight to keep from crying. All I could think was "I did it! I did it! I DID IT!" The two challenging portions were over and I DID IT!

What would you do differently?:

I think I'll take the extra crap off my bike before my next triathlon. I don't know if it slows me too much, but I probably look like a Grade A dork with it on bike. Totally makes me look like a Tri-N00b.

Comments:

Pretty fast T2, for me. My bike shoes require ties, so that slows me down. But I like my bike shoes, and I'm not winning any awards anyhow. Honestly, I think this was the first triathlon I did NOT start running while still wearing my helmet!

What would you do differently?:

I thought about untying my shoes as I coasted in, but then thought about them getting caught in the chain and me falling on my face and nixed that idea.

Run

Comments:

Darn! I normally do better in the run and rank higher, but my legs were officially TIRED by the run! Still, I love the run. It's like being "home". As I ran out I was met by a LOT of people running in. I decided that I would encourage, smile at, or greet every person coming towards me. It is very interesting. I would say that 99% of the women returned my greetings, and only about 30% of the men. Oh well! I just enjoyed myself. I greeted dogs on the route, bid good morning to people in their yards, and greeted the fishermen on the bridge over the lake. I felt like I was totally slogging. Since my Garmin wasn't with me, I had no idea of my pace. Unfortunately when I turned it on that morning, the battery was dead. So on the bike and run I had NO idea of my pace or distance. It was actually kind of freeing because even my bike computer had stopped working. (No idea why!) Normally I run about a 9:30 mile on triathlons, but I've never done an oly length two weeks after a marathon, so it felt a lot slower. It looks like it was somewhat slower, but not too bad.

It was hot on the run so I unzipped my tri-suit just a bit to let a bit of a breeze in. About 1/3 mile later I felt really nice and breezy. I looked down and saw that my suit was unzipped to my waist. Um...ooops! Hey everyone! Here's a show! I mean I had a running bra on, but I don't show my scary belly to ANYONE, so yipes! Let's just hope there were not photographers on that part of the race! Ha ha!

Came up to the first water stop at the sprint turnaround point (about 1.5 miles) and drank a cup of water. It was WARM and that water felt great! After that stop, we turned down a road and on the corner were obviously some cheerleaders. As every runner came towards them, they started a cheer. I got "L E T S G O, Let's go! Let's go!" on the way out and "Go runners! Get your groove on!" on the way back. Another lady on that corner was directing traffic and just hollering and screaming at every runner as well. I bet that girl had a sore throat by the end of the race! I sure as heck appreciate that, though!

Ran out along the lake, which was beautiful. The greens are more sagey in Eastern Washington, mixed with the golds of the drier grasses. I was hoping to see some wildlife and wasn't disappointed. I saw a really long garter snake right in front of me. I stopped and watched him cross and decided that being crossed by a snake was probably good luck, especially since it wasn't a rattler. Saw the most pathetic looking chihuahua I've ever seen in my life. Poor thing looked like he'd been put into the spin cycle a few times.

As I was coming back most of the sprint triathletes were doing their thing. It was great to see so many people of all shapes, sizes, and ages challenging themselves. I don't care who you are, a triathlon is a challenge.

What would you do differently?:

Not run 14 miles the Tuesday before the triathlon. I had the dumb that day.

Post race

Warm down:

As I finished the race I was greeted by my awesome friends, Lisa and Ann. I saw Michelle as I was running over the bridge (she was heading back to the hotel). It sure means something to have someone waiting for you at the finish line. I smiled for the camera and finished (hopefully) looking strong. Lisa called out "Congratulations! You're an olympiad!" and I yelled, "So does that mean I won the gold?" I knew already, by the people I passed on the run, that I was probably 5th from last and I was okay with that.

I got my medal and happily talked with my friends while stretching. My knees felt tired but overall, I felt really good. I walked around a bit, then went to the food table and grabbed a mini bagel, piece of ham, and cheese and a banana. Someone handed me a big jar of Udderly Smooth cream. Apparently I won it in a drawing while I was still out on the course. So now I shall be udderly smooth for a very long time. Enjoyed the mint water at the finish!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Marathon two weeks prior, and trying not to overdo it for the marathon two weeks in the future. And as always, the fact that I'm not very fast.

Event comments:

As I was heading out to the water in the morning I kept telling myself, "This is the last time you have to do this. You never every have to do this again. Just get through this triathlon and you don't EVER have to do another one. You don't even have to do Troika; (the half ironman I'm registered for in August)." I was so freaked out that I just could not for the life of me remember WHY I do these things!

Now I remember why. I do them because once I couldn't. I was too lazy and too fat. I do them because they scare me and I refuse to let fear keep me from doing something amazing. I do them because they are a way to EXPERIENCE LIFE. I do them because some people can't. I do them because some people who have every excuse to say they can't, do them (like the guy with the prosthetic leg who beat the tri-suit off me). I do them because I love the challenge. And I do them because Ann and Lisa talked me into doing them!

So I'll keep doing them. I know I'll be nervous again on the next one, but not as bad...and eventually I won't be so nervous. I guess then I'll have to find something else that scares me and do THAT! Anyone up to climbing a mountain?

I had a marvelous time with my friends; Lisa, Ann, and Michele and my NEW friends, Lynne and Leslie. Thank you ladies for making this a fantastic experience, for putting up with my quiet freaking out, and for swimming with me Friday night in the freezing cold lake. Thank you, Lisa, for all the support the week before when you knew I was going insane. Thank you, Ann, for talking me into this and into Troika. (I think that's a thank you...it might be a "curse you".) Thank you, Michele, for being so funny and for bringing Bob so we had a token male. Thank you for the cucumbers, the pink sausages, and the tri-hippos. Oh, and thank you Starbucks for the pre-race fuel! Couldn't have done it without all ya'all!

When did the Jack@ass Promotion Begin at Starbucks, and Do I Get a Free Coffee with That?

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:32:32 GMT

I think it was a LITTLE too soon after my marathon to attempt a hilly 12 mile run. Oh well.

So I'm running home today. I'd told Roy I wasn't sure if I wanted to run the entire 15-16 miles home and he said "I could pick you up at some point so you'd only have to run part way." Okay! I suggested the park, and told him I'd call him if I decided to do the entire 16 miles.

So I'm at mile 9 and my legs are KILLING me, and it is FREEZING. The wind is whipping, it's about 50 out, it is a tad too warm with my jacket on, but too cold with it off. So if I put it on, I sweat and then the wind comes up and the sweat freezes and I'm darn near hypothermic! We are having the COLDEST damned spring! So all I can think about is "Only three miles. That's like 30-35 minutes. I can do three miles and then I'll be in the warm car! THREE miles!"

At mile 11 I call to let him know I'm almost there, and it sounds like he's outside. "Where are you?"

"I'm almost to the park on my bike."

"Your bike!?! No!!!! YOu were going to pick me up!"

He totally misunderstood, although HOW he misunderstood since it was his idea to pick me up, is beyond me. So he decided that he'd meet me on his bike. He brought me two extra waters, and a Reeses (my treat for when I run more than 10 miles), and was going to bike the last 5 miles home with me.

I, of course, am so cold I'm literally slurring my words. I'm tired. My legs are heavy. Normally a few extra miles, no biggie. But two weeks after a marathon was a bit too soon to run this much.

So I'm trying not to cry. He suggests I go back to McDonalds and warm up (he doesn't realize I'm a mile and half past, there, but oh well) and he turns around to go back home.

I run back to McDonalds and decide to try a Starbucks in a store that looks like a regular Sbux. No tables. That won't do because I need to sit. I call him to let him know I'm going in to McDonalds and it sounds like he's STILL outside so I say "How close are you to home?"

"Not close at all." he grumbles.

He got a flat tire right after he got off the phone from me. Not just a tsssst tire, but an actual blowout. Three miles from home.

So he had to walk back three miles and I figured another half mile wouldn't kill me, so I ran to the next Starbucks I knew.

Got in there and it's crowded. There was one table with no one at it, but only one chair and some jerk is sitting there with his foot up on the chair. So I figure I'll go grab something to eat and hopefully a table will clear. Get my stuff, and no table. So I go over to the other table and he is texting, foot on only chair in restaurant. I try to catch his eye, and he intentionally puts his head down further (it was so obvious). But out of the corner of my eye I see some people getting up, so I figure "Okay, I'm sure your foot NEEDS that chair, so I'll go over there." I go and put my sandwich on the table, and go grab some napkins. Someone had spilled a drink all over the countery thing, INCHES from the two full napkin holders, and of course left it. So I grab some napkins, wipe it up (muttering about people who think their personal maid must follow them around), grab some napkins for me, turn around...SOME LADY IS SITTING AT MY TABLE IN FRONT OF MY SANDWICH. Now it's not like it's half eaten and maybe someone didn't finish it and left it. No, it's a brand fresh sandwich in the container sitting there.

So I walk over to the table, figuring she'll be embarrassed and get up, and she intentionally turns and looks the other way (this is not a 18 year old "lady" this is a lady about 60) and turns in the chair trying to pretend she doesn't see me. So I just stand there, then reach down and intentionally take my sandwich trying to catch her eye. Okay...

Walk over towards the other open table with foot guy. Nope. He's not moving his foot. A chair (one of the soft ones) opens up so I sit in that and wait for a table (I don't like trying to eat over my lap) and sip my coffee. Finally the rude lady leaves and the people next to her leave. I get up, go over and guess what? They all left ALL their stuff on the tables. Now I personally do not for a MOMENT understand the mentality that says "Oh. Someone ELSE will clean my mess." In fact one lady was standing waiting for her husband to come out of the restroom WATCHING me clear off her table! Again, we're not talking YOUNG lady. This woman was probably about 65!

So either on my run I ran through some radioactive dust that rendered me completely invisible, or today was asshole day at the Everett Starbucks and I didn't get the memo.

Yeah, I should have just asked foot guy to move his damned foot, but you know how sometimes you get so tired that you just don't want to open your mouth or you will say some not very ladylike things? I was THAT tired.

And poor Roy...here he was trying to be all thoughtful and romantic and what did he get for it? A lonely bike ride, a flat tire, and a four mile walk home on his bum knee. I did share my Reeses with him...and even though I was not a happy camper when I realized no warm car was waiting, I wasn't mad at him. Once I was warm and had eaten (Italian Grinder...very good.) I was quite appreciative of the effort.

Stopped at the Bike Centres and got some new tubes for my bike. Saw the guy who did my bike fit. He asked me about it and was quite pleased to hear that it had all but taken care of my back and hip problems. (It was worth EVERY penny!) And now I am home and heading to take a bath!

Super Sunday

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:27:24 GMT

I ran and biked a total of 114.5 miles last week. Wow. When I think back to where I was seven years ago... Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be able to do things like that.

Today was a typical example. Car is in the shop, we wanted to go see a movie, and Roy needed to go back to his classroom to unlock the piano because it's Baccalaureate today. So rather than sit home and watch gardening shows and DVDs, we hit the road at 9 a.m. Ran to the movie theater and watched Sex and the City (loved it). Then we ran on to his classroom. (Well I ran, he biked. He's still not able to run due to his knee.) He unlocked the piano and we ran out to lunch. Stopped by the pizza place and split a personal pizza (BBQ chicken) and had salad bars. After a nice lunch we ran home.

Tomorrow must get to work, so I'll be biking it again. I sure hope it isn't cold, but it will be so I just have to accept that and deal. I don't want to put anyone out driving me in, and I don't know the phone numbers of any colleagues coming from Marysville. I just hope I don't get a flat. I put a tire on that has that slime in it, so I hope that means I won't have problems. I also patched the other tire, since I was able to find the hole, and hope that will hold if I DO get a flat. Heck, if I get a flat I can call work and someone can come get me with the van. I work in a great place that way.

I just feel so blessed to be able to do all of this. It's interesting because someone said to me the other day that I am "lucky" to be able to. On the one hand, yes. I am fortunate that I have a healthy body, the leisure time, and the support to keep fit. But health is NOT about luck. The more I learn about health and aging, the more I understand that most age related health problems are really NOT age related. They are lifestyle related. But I think people want to believe that a person who runs by them, looking thin and fit, is "lucky" because then that lets them off the hook. Blessed? Yes. Lucky? No. I work hard to stay in good condition and while I enjoy it, it is very calculated. I plan to live a long time, and I want to be healthy doing just that. So I choose to control everything I can control related to my health.

But I do honestly feel blessed. While I was frustrated to hear my car wouldn't be out of the shop until Monday, I knew it wouldn't necessarily mean the weekend was shot. We managed to go out to breakfast yesterday morning, run to the store (to get a new tire for my bike), and spend the day gardening. Today we managed to run an errand, see a movie, and go out to lunch. (Ha! Have to say, "This pizza lunch made possible by 9 miles of running.) I love that I was able to say "Sure" to all of that because nine miles isn't that big of a deal.

I have a triathlon on Saturday of next week, and I'm very nervous about it. But I realize that really, it's just a "busy day" for me. I can swim a mile, bike 24, and run 6.3 with no problems...so why am I so nervous?

Sunday we want to run the Furry 5k. We'll run without Maddie this year, which is very sad. But the boy s will have a blast and we'll run in her honor. Maybe I'll bring some cash with me to make a donation to the animal shelter in her name. I miss my Maddie. The house still feels so empty without her.

RIP Dear Madison

Tue, 27 May 2008 11:10:14 GMT

Sadly our wonderful weekend was marred by the death of our wonderful collie, Madison. We came home to find she'd gone to sleep and just not woken up. I was upstairs and Roy went to let the dogs in from the kennel. (They have a big kennel with access to our basement, so nice and warm and dry and lots of room to play.) Dash and Murphy came up, but Maddie didn't. I heard sobbing coming from downstairs and ran outside to find him stumbling up the stairs crying.

She was such a beautiful, sweet, gentle girl. She'd look at you with these gorgeous chocolate eyes as if you were the most wonderful person in the entire world...and then she'd burp. The entire house was always covered with "tumble fur" from her blowing coat CONSTANTLY. She loved to play...for awhile, and then she got cranky and would go all "Cujo on your ass" at Dash. Poor Dude, he never quite got that when she was done playing, she was DONE.

Last weekend we took them all to the dog park, which is her MOST favorite place EVER. If you even mentioned "Dog Park" or even "Swog Mark" or "Log Snark" she would go INSANE! Because her hips were starting to bother her, we kept her on leash until we got out to the lake. On the lake she assumed her role of herding the rest of the dogs to try to control chaos. She'd run up and down the beach trying to get the dogs in the water out of the water, snapping at the dogs running around to "behave" and "stop running! It's dangerous!" and just having a HELL of a time. I'm so thankful we took them. Who knew it would be her last trip to the park?

Friday Roy and I were in the "used food store" and I saw a toy that I knew she'd love, so I told him "Maddie told me to get this for her." We brought it home and I enjoyed watching her and Dash play with it that night, until Dash performed a Squeak-ectomy on the poor thing. Even after that, she ran around with it's "shell" in her mouth, shaking it and trying to get Dash to tug on it for a good game of tug of war. Last night we buried her with that toy (or what was left of it), and planted a hydrangea over the top. The dogs got me the hydrangea for mother's day, so I thought it was fitting. (On a rather crass note, do you have any idea what a challenge it is to get a 90 pound collie up the stairs and then dig a grave deep enough to bury her in in the dark? Yeah. I'm sure the neighbors are STILL talking.)

Here is my beautiful girl. She's the one second from the front. The merle 'Sandy' colored collie at the Dog Park last week. (In fact, her first "acting" role was as Sandy in Roy's first play, "Annie.") She found two other collies and fell in with them like, "Hey! Kin!"

Coeur d'Alene Marathon Race Report

Sun, 25 May 2008 23:07:00 GMT

Coeur d'Alene Marathon at Riverstone
2008-05-25
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
70F / 21C
Overcast

Run - Marathon
Total Time = 4h 39m 2s
Overall Rank = 206/278
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 15/19

Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4:30 and had coffee and a breakfast cookie to make sure it was well settled before the race. I actually slept relatively well last night. Knees were both feeling pretty good, which was interesting since Saturday morning I woke up in pain.

Event warmup:

Got to the race site about 45 minutes before the start. It was odd that there weren't very many people there. I didn't know quite what to expect, size-wise, so was surprised to see only 355 (or that was the highest number I saw) registered in the marathon run! We sat in the car and kept warm, although the weather wasn't too cold at that point. Hit the porta potties a few times, just to make sure. I decided last minute to divest myself of a water bottle, which turned out to be fine. I like to carry less, if possible.

Run

Comments:

I didn't realize what a SMALL race it was. I think there were only 355 runners running the full marathon. I think about 4x as many running the half marathon, and more walking than running. Probably because it's a very walker friendly race, since the course is open over seven hours.

I ran the first three miles on my own, chatting off and on with people. Then hooked up with a lady named Marie who was doing walk/run of run a mile, walk a minute. I decided at the last minute to do 5:1 (5 run, 1 walk) and when I hit the 5k mark was running sub 10 minute miles, which is great for a long run. She decided to join me with my 5:1 and we ran together just yakking away. It was awesome! She's 44 and a marathon maniac. I'm working on becoming a maniac. We had tons in common.

Anyhow, we did 5:1s up to the last 6 miles then moved to mile/minutes. At one point she said, "Hey, aren't you doing pretty well? Maybe you'll PR?" I said, "Hmm, I don't know. I haven't looked for awhile...oh whoa! Yeah! I am doing pretty good!" So she said any time I wanted to take off, go for it. When we had three miles left I told her I wanted to run it in but I'd wait at the finish line for her.

When I realized I really WAS heading for a PR I was so psyched and really picked up the pace. It had obviously dropped by that point, but my last two miles were under 9 min miles. I finished with a clock time of 4:39, which is 2 minutes better than my best which was last year in Eugene!

I waited at the finish for Marie and gave her a HUGE hug. We kept thanking each other because honestly, with no music allowed (and none on the route except some nice people with loud car radios), I was not thinking I'd do as well.

We also met this great 14 year old kid and his dad doing his first marathon (the kid's). Talk about inspiring! After the marathon we were in Olive Garden and I hear, "Hey marathon lady!" and I turn around, there he was! He came in 5 minutes after me, which is pretty damned good for a kid! He's a short kid too. We talked for a bit and it just left me feeling warm and gooshy inside. His dad was totally cool, too. When we passed them I turned and said to the kid, "Now you ARE going to wear your medal on Tuesday to school, right?" He said he would. I said, "Good! Because I am too and I'm the teacher. I make ALL my kids look at it!" His dad asked me what I taught and I told him, then he said, "Do your students know how awesome a teacher they have?" (We'd talked off and on throughout the marathon.) "I tell them every day, but I'm not sure they're fully aware!"

What a nice family! Met a poor 18 year old girl doing her first with tummy problems. Gave her some advice. Sad And another girl on her first whose hips were killing her, so we gave HER some advice. (Having run 23 marathons between us, we had lots of advice.) Plus lots of others. It was really one of the most social marathons I've run.

And like Eugene last year, when I PRed, it was just a training run for a bigger marathon.

After we ate and then went to Silverwood and rode coasters and had cotton candy. I am amazed at how good my legs feel, but honestly I think walking all over the theme park actually helped. Stopped at Wendys for dinner (Roy was adamant that he needed to eat a potato in Idaho). Haven't come CLOSE to eating my calories, but I'll make it up tomorrow.

Got back to the hotel and sat in the hot tub for half an hour. Ahhhhh....

Some neat moments on the route:
-Meeting Marie. She kicked ASS! What a fun lady. I hope to get to know her better on our side of the mountain.
-Chatting with LOTS of people about all sorts of things!
-The family of geese sitting on the beach.
-Chuckling at seeing the water so high on the lake that the picnic tables were under water.
-Running past a lady and cheering her on in mile 25 only to have her say, "Looking good! Wait! How old are you?" "I'm 43!" "Oh good! Well run strong!" "Let me guess, you're hoping to place in your age group!" "Yup! It would KILL me if someone passed me now!" "Ha ha! I do the SAME thing on triathlons! Good luck!"
-Passing, but barely, a guy who had run all 50 states, all 13 Canadian Territories, and was all hunched over, but was still running.
-Seeing Mel and Bob Dolphin out on the race. These guys are LEGENDS in Seattle! Both are older men who started running in their 50s and do many MANY marathons every year! What role models!
-The beauty of the lake. Wow, it is really a gorgeous lake.
-This totally cool house in this neighborhood full of cool houses. In fact, this house was so amazing that we were afraid that it would hurt the self esteem of the other houses around it.
-Seeing my honey at mile 25 and telling him that I was on the way to a PR and just watching his face BEAM with pride. Man, who can ask for anything more?

What would you do differently?:

I don't know that I'd do anything differently. I really did the run/walk quite well. I pushed it on the run and slowed just enough for recovery on the walk. It bothered me at first to see so many people passing me in the first four or five miles, but I reminded myself that I'd probably pass a lot of them in the last four or five.

Post race

Warm down:

I crossed the finish line and kept walking. When I realized I had hit a PR I started to choke up and suddenly couldn't breathe. All I could think was, "Oh no! I hope Roy has my inhaler!" (I was prescribed it for bronchitis, but I think I'm going to ask for it to be extended because I often do this at the end of hard races.) I was suddenly feeling like I was going to drop, so was really trying to talk myself down and get some water in. I couldn't see Roy because my vision was dimming (!!!) so I walked toward the medical tent, figuring I'd either be fine by the time I got there, or not and that would be a good place to fall. I was fine. It cleared. So I went back to the finish line to wait for Marie. She came in and we hugged. I met her family (Roy went back to get my inhaler). We walked together for awhile.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I did stop for pictures a few times, and of course now I think "That could have been 1 more minute off my PR!" but oh well. I will appreciate those pictures!

Event comments:

The race itself really suffered from lack of organization. The race packets literally had NO information about the race. There was a blurry map, but it was useless as it had no street names and no mile markers! No start time. No where to park. Nothing. So I came back to the hotel to check the website. It had two different places for the start line. I finally decided that I'd just forget it, show up to the Riverstone area and hope for the best.

The race started late because two buses were pulling out of the hotel at 7:00 a.m. The strange thing is, that was in mile 2 and the race was starting at 7:00 a.m. so I'm not entirely sure why we waited. Even the fastest runners would hit that at best about 10 minutes in. But I guess better safe than sorry.

The course was EXTREMELY confusing in some areas. Sometimes there wasn't anyone to point the way, but we figured it out. However those course support who WERE there were wonderful. Very nice people who ever encouraging. Thank you course support! Thank you!

Running
04:39:02 \| 26.2 miles \| 10m 39s min/mile
Age Group:	15/19
Overall:	206/278
Performance:	Good
I didn't carry my HRM this race, for some reason. I was thinking it would be pretty warm and sometimes it chafes. However, I was running a good pace over the first half. At 5k I was at 29. At 13.1 I was 1:21:11 (by my timer). Since I finished at 4:39, I obviously did negative splits. Started right off with a 5:1 run/walk program. That worked quite well. Since this was a "training run" for Grandma's Marathon, I felt okay to push it a tiny bit but slow if/when I needed to.
Course:	The course was alternately beautiful and wonderful, and just plain torture. The elevation profile was pretty flat. I didn't mind that. There was one substantial hill both out and back, but honestly it didn't seem like a big deal to me at all. What I did NOT like was the fact that the course was out and back, through some neighborhood, then out again. I didn't mind the out and back on the trail itself. The lake is gorgeous and I don't mind seeing that twice. But the out and back in the Riverstone area bit. First off, it's ugly unless you LIKE overpriced condos. And to make it worse, you run in at the end and PAST the finish line for out and back AGAIN, so if you hated it the first two times, you were REALLY going to hate it the last two! But oh well. It wasn't all that bad, except running past the finish line and having to run UP to the road and back and around. That was just mentally hard.
Keeping cool	Good	Drinking	Not enough

Post race
Weight change:	1%
Overall:	Good
Mental exertion [1-5]	3
Physical exertion [1-5]	5
Good race?	Yes

Evaluation
Course challenge	Just right
Organized?	No
Events on-time?	No
Lots of volunteers?	Yes
Plenty of drinks?	Yes
Post race activities:	Below average
Race evaluation [1-5]	3

Lost in my own private Idaho

Sat, 24 May 2008 18:39:02 GMT

If you don't hear from me again, I'm lost somewhere in Idaho.

Just got into the hotel, free wi-fi...YAY! I journaled my day including planned dinner and am 480 calories over, but I know I need to eat at a maintenance level before my marathon, not a losing level, so I'm okay with it. Dinner will be Spaghetti, soup, coffee, and spumoni ice cream for dessert. Then bed!

The expo was TEENY! I think there were maybe five tables in all, and they were all so small that even if you wanted to look at anything on the table you couldn't because if two people stood in front of them, it was blocked. I'm kind of amazed at the lack of organization for a marathon in its 31st year. I had the wrong shirt size (m and I'm an s, and I know I would NOT have marked m), there is absolutely ZERO information about the race itself inside the packet. I mean NOTHING except a really blurry photo of the course. No address for the start line. The website says you start at N. Idaho College, but then on another page on the site it has you running around N. Idaho college after a few turns. The route itself is frightengly convoluted. I mean SRSLY! It takes you through neighborhoods in an out and back and there are so many turns I am honestly nervous about getting lost. I found a course description on the website and wrote down directions for that part of the course. It does go out along the Centennial Trail, which is beautiful paved and runs right along Lake Coeur d'Alene. So the course should be gorgeous, and this time of year I'm sure the yards in the neighborhoods will be blooming beautifully. It looks like there are about 2600 participants in all three races, which is why I worry a bit about getting lost. I do not like the no MP3 rule. I think that should be a personal decision and if I had seen that on the website before I registered, I would not have run this race. Especially since 90% of the course is on a trail where there is no traffic at all. Grandma's is a no MP3 race too and the only reason I signed up for it is because my sister wanted to run it. Otherwise my plan had been to find a friendlier race to run in Minnesota. I actually don't usually listen to it the entire race. I'd rather find someone to talk to along the route, and enjoy the sounds of nature. But there is always that point in the race where you just NEED to get into your own head and the music motivates you. With so few runners, I fear I'll be running alone in silence the entire race.

I'm bringing it anyhow... It has my Nike+ and I want my mileage recorded. I'll just keep it in my pocket of my running skirt.

I sound negative about the race. I'm actually not. I know it's going to be beautiful and a lot more enjoyable long run than if I were running alone at home. I don't think there will be much in the way of spectators outside of the immediate start and finish area, but oh well. I knew it wasn't going to be a big race going into it. I just hope I can make friends on the course. I'm wearing my "100 pounds lost, 1000 blessings gained" shirt, so that always sparks conversations. I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

Race starts at 7 a.m. PST tomorrow, Sunday May 25! W00t!

Shirley: Congrats on the new bike! Must see pictures! Bike porn! ;)

Someone asked how I manage to arrive places looking good after biking to and from, or running to and fro. Actually, I am blessed with a lack of sweat glands or something, so I don't sweat much. I wear sweatproof makeup because, hey, there may be photographers on the course. Okay, maybe there won't be photographers on the course to WORK, but you never can tell. Biking to work, I have rain gear and I bring my clothing with me. I have a balakalava (not to be confused with a tasty greek pastry) that I wear that covers my hair, and a Spiderman helmet cover. Even when it's pouring, my hair doesn't get wet. Since I have curly hair it always looks messy anyhow, so no one notices! LOL! If it's really bad, I throw it into a pony tail. That's actually one of the reasons I keep my hair long. A ponytail covers a multitude of sins.

Shirley: I ride a Schwinn Fastback road bike. Her name is Dulcinea or "Dulcy" for short, after the fiery redhead in the play Man of la Mancha. She is red, which makes her fast (I think I slow her down). I use SPD clips with mt. bike shoes. I used to use Look with road shoes, but since I like to do things like bike to the mall to see a movie, and walk into stores without falling on my ass because my road shoes are so slippery, I moved to mt. bike shoes and I love them (Cannondale). I got her two seasons ago on the Presidents Day Weekend Sale at Performance Bike when they do the closeout from last year, and pay your sales tax. So she was a $999 bike but I paid about $300 less. Amazing that this is considered "cheap" because anything that has more than one zero is not "cheap" in my world.

Sorry to hear you fell! I totally feel your pain and have the knees of a clumsy 5 year old to prove it! My first season with clipless pedals I fell so often and banged up my knees so much, I still have ugly scars. I just consider them battle wounds.

I think I might take Dulcy with me when we do our road trip to Grandma's marathon in June. It'll be nice to get on a bike the day after and spin around Minnesota for a bit. I just wish Roy had a road bike because it is so hard for us to ride "together" due to his heavy, slower bike.

Okay off to poke around Spokane! I think Roy fell asleep, though. Hmmm, maybe I should let him sleep. He drove 7 hours today.

Wet ride to work...

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:38:13 GMT

So I set out at 5:30 this morning to ride to work. Why? Because my car is being held hostage by the repair dude for over $1000. Thankfully she SHOULD be done today and all completely better. I hope so. We're driving to Coeur d'Alene on Saturday.

It's dry out, and dreary. Note to self: Must get clear or yellow glasses for early morning rides.

I cross the bridges, not walking this time because the wind wasn't threatening to kill me. All was well. I got into Everett, the skies opened and POURED on me! ARGH!!! It is SUPPOSED to be a nice day today. Didn't the skies read the weather report? Apparently not!

By the time I got to work I was soaked except my top (my top layer was wet, but it holds the water surprisingly well. I could feel water sloshing in my shoes every time I had to stop. But it's one more scary rain ride that did not kill me! Yay! I'm actually getting to the point of "Meh...it's raining. It is what it is."

I guess what Bear says about getting better and more confident on the bike is right. "Ride lots." The more I ride, the more I find myself relaxing into the ride. (I still like running better.)

Not sure if I'm riding home or not. The car should be loosed from her tethers today and Roy will get her. He wants to see Indiana Jones. He had tickets to see it at midnight (for both of us, is he insane??) but because the car had to stay overnight, we missed it. So I might just run out to the mall and pick Dulcy up on the way home.

She's a good bike. Is it wrong, though, that last night I was dreaming of not getting a new car next year, but instead getting a new bike? Shhhh, don't tell her that. I don't even know if I want to continue to do long distance triathlons, but I do know I want to ride more.

-----------

I have a marathon on Sunday. My knees hurt...I hate that. Something always hurts right before my marathons. Why is that?

Oh well. It is what it is. I know I will start, and if I start I know I will finish. Can you ask for anything more?