Recovery Time - October Week Four

Yes, I've been skimping on the weekly recaps lately. With the race reports on the weekend, it felt much more exiting to focus there! This week was a well-deserved and needed recovery week after running a half marathon each of the past three Sundays. I took real days off and sat on my butt for a few days after this race, and didn't work very hard the rest of the week either.

Monday - Wednesday, October 22-24
Rest Days
The right calf that became painful in the Detroit Half needed a break; I didn't run for a total of four days in a row after the half. Go me! Why do we all hate time off so much?

Thursday, October 25
Completed: Body Pump
Due to missing my training week recaps, I never did write about going to Body Pump. I switched from my Wednesday paid class to this free one at work. This was my second time at the class and I liked the instructor this time a lot. I enjoy the class being set to music and how it follows the beat, probably the band nerd in me. I'm not thrilled with using the bar because it's too easy to let one arm compensate for the other, but it's not uncomfortable. I am thinking about asking to do it with dumb bells instead.

Friday, October 26
Completed: 5.5 mile trail run
I met up with a few SF Marathon Ambassadors and friends for a morning trail run in Los Gatos. It was a blast! We ran the St. Joseph's Hill trail that I usually run with Alisyn, although this group was faster than we often do it. As the slower one of the group I was working pretty hard - good workout for me! We started in the dark and had some fantastic sunrise views at the top of the hill. We attempted photos, but somehow they all ended up blurry or a little too candid...

Sort of candid? Ha. (Photo from Keith)

Saturday, October 27
Rest Day
We headed up to Napa to pick up our Casa Nuestra wine club shipment and enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine at the Mumm Napa Oak Terrace patio while we were there. I love going to wine country. What a nice way to spend a no long run Saturday!

My fave winery.

Sparkling wine with a view at Mumm.

Detroit Half Marathon Race Report

My third half marathon in a row turned out to be the best one by far. Perhaps I ended up more focused after the first two? Not sure, but I'll take it! I loved this race when I ran it in 2009 and enjoyed repeating the course. The highlight of the Detroit race is crossing from the US to Canada via the Ambassador Bridge, running through part of Windsor, and coming back through the under water tunnel. The bridge approach goes in a circle and then up the hill to bridge level, so for a long time you can see tons of runners going up and over the bridge. It's a fantastic sight with the sunrise in the background.

The weather agreed with me too, about 40 degrees at the start. I was freezing while waiting around because it was a bit windy, but that quickly went away once I got into the corral crowd. I can't believe how much easier running feels when the temperatures are below 65 or so. I wore my new Oiselle Lesley tight with my singlet and arm warmers, and that turned out to be perfect. I'm now addicted to these running tights too!

Huddling in the People Mover station for warmth pre-race.

I didn't consider the start line crowd to be bad at all, especially when comparing to last weekend's I-can't-move-a-muscle crowd in the corral. The start was well managed and went off in groups with about 1.5 minutes in between. I was corral D, so I didn't have to wait long at all. Everyone started running from the beginning and it was easy to keep pace the first mile. I warmed up after a few minutes and ditched my throwaway layer. We ran to the bridge, then up and over into Windsor. The bridge hill in mile 3 feels substantial when you are on it, although I don't know that it's very hard in reality.

Mile 1 - 9:30
Mile 2 - 9:43
Mile 3 - 9:53

Mile 4 took us down the other side of the bridge, through the gates into Canada, and started along the Canadian waterfront. I like the statues by the water, and both times there have been a good number of people out cheering through this part. The announcer at the Canadian border is fun too - he yells out names and cheers into a megaphone to pump people up.

Mile 4 - 9:28
Mile 5 - 9:42
Mile 6 - 9:42
Mile 7 - 9:53

The mile 7 marker corresponds to the start of the tunnel back to the US, aka the 'Underwater Mile.' The tunnel goes downhill for a while, flattens out, and then climbs back up the other side. I admit that as cool as it is to do the border crossing, the tunnel is tough. It gets stuffy hot, you sweat like you went inside, and coming out is like a blast of cold air on sweat. My splits went wacky due to GPS signal loss too, so the ones beyond this aren't on the actual race mile markers. (to be expected.)

Mile 8 - ??
Mile 9 - ??

After exiting the tunnel, there are tons of people with signs cheering for the runners. And coming out of the hot uphill tunnel, it's very welcomed! From there we headed toward Cobo Arena and back into downtown. The last miles take runners through Mexican town and Corktown, more fun neighborhoods where people come out to cheer. This part flattens out nicely too, so you can make that last push to the finish.

Mile 10 - 9:35
Mile 11 - 9:45
Mile 12 - 9:19
Mile 13 - 8:58
Last part (split for 0.36 because of tunnel weirdness) - 8:31
Finish time - 2:07:28

The race finishes back where it starts and the full marathon splits off just before mile marker 13. If you want to run a race with someone to pace part of a full, this is a great one for it because of the late split. They added the opportunity to run the second 'US Only' half as of this year. I might have to do that one sometime to see the rest of the full course.

I felt great for this race, the only slight quirk being a very sore right calf muscle. It was sore for a day after NWM but didn't bother me again until the hill after the Ambassador Bridge. I stopped to stretch it a couple of times and that helped, but it still cramped up after the finish line. My breathing was nice and easy the whole time at these paces (yay cool temps!) and I finished feeling awesome. My time was another PR, also an exciting part!

I LOVE the medals, one of my new faves. The ribbons are half Canada flag and half US flag, very appropriate. They also do a different car each year now, which is so fitting for Detroit. Last time I ran, the medals were circles so this is more fun.

Medal close up, complete with orange manicure shot.

An interesting tidbit about running NWM followed by Detroit is the stark contrast between the two courses. I went from what I'd consider the hardest half I've run to one of the easier ones, and the difference in exertion was crazy. I worked very hard for a slower time at NWM, but in Detroit it felt comfortable. I love that feeling. Running them only one week apart really exemplified the difference a course can make.

After crossing the finish line, I ran into my friend Rob. He finished about 2 minutes before me and started in the same corral (him front, me back), so we basically ran within a half mile of each other the whole time. Funny.

At the finish with Rob.

My friend Jill ran the 5K and they gave nice medals for that race event too. We headed out pretty quickly after the race because it was chilly outside for us sweaty people.

With Jill post-race. Pretty fall colors.

We celebrated with dinner at the Melting Pot in the evening after quite a long nap. Jill and I went matching with our shirts and medals. Don't we look great? I love the detail on the shirts; each race had a separate shirt design with the correct distance on the arm, front, and back.

Now for the fun race logistics!

The Expo. I enjoyed the expo for this race and I'm pretty sure it's become bigger since I went in 2009. There were the normal vendors and running brands selling merchandise, plus samples of food and drinks. The races at this expo were different than the ones I've been seeing because of the location, and I visited a few tables for races I've liked in the past. The bib and shirt pick up line was super easy when I went, and that was Saturday afternoon at prime time. They had tons of volunteers manning the stations. Because of the border crossings between Canada and the US, you need a passport or enhanced driver's license to pick up your bib and then the patrol agents check for race bibs as you cross.

Cool logo on the signs.

Race goods. Note the detail on the shirt arm and back (flipped up), super cool. 

The Course. The Detroit course is especially unique because you run in both the US and Canada. I know Detroit gets a bad rep, but they truly do a nice job with this event. The route is fairly flat, the only real inclines being the Ambassador Bridge, the tunnel, and a couple of short overpass type hills. There are a decent number of people out cheering and they seem to show up at the places you need them, like coming out of the tunnel. I highly recommend this race for a fun experience!

I should also mention that parking was super easy and only $5 the morning of the race. We had no traffic issues getting in and out, and we arrived around 6 am for the 7 am start time.

The Support. Course volunteers did a good job with water and Gatorade, they didn't slow people down going through the stations from my experience. I found there to be plenty of water stations for my needs and porta potty lines didn't look bad. They didn't hand out gels during the half, although I usually don't take the provided ones so not an issue for me. The start line volunteers were well-organized and kept people in the correct corrals, then moved the ropes to make the start flow easily.

The Finish Line. The finish was super easy and not backed up at all because they have a ton of space for runners to keep going straight through. There was water and gatorade first, mylar blankets for warmth (much needed!), massage, and a food line. I know there were pretzels and fruit plus more, although I didn't go through the food line because I didn't want anything but fluids at that moment. We parked very close and headed back to my friend's town and breakfast shortly after. Another nice touch - the people handing out the mylar blankets actually came behind me and wrapped me up!

That's all I have on this one - I loved the experience for the second time and hope to go back!

Training Around the Triple

A few weeks ago my October race schedule went a little nuts when I added Nike Women's to my original list of San Jose RnR and Detroit - but I just couldn't resist the chance to sign up. This meant I'd booked myself for three half marathon weekends in a row. I realized what I was doing, and I don't particularly consider this to be crazy because I'm going to run that far (or longer) anyway. Why not do the races with friends, right?

At this point I can honestly say I'm really glad I added NWM. I had a blast, enjoyed seeing and cheering for friends, and had the chance to redeem myself after a tough run in San Jose. This weekend I'll be running the half in Detroit, an event I enjoyed back in 2009 and am looking forward to running again. I can't say how I'll attack this race yet; I never intended all of them to be at 'race' pace and so far only one has been. I'll make the game day call based on how I feel that morning. Either way, two friends will be running their very first half marathon in Detroit and I'm pumped for them!

A little throwback to the Detroit 2009 Expo.

The most interesting part of doing three half marathons in a row is deciding how to approach the weeks in between, especially considering that I don't want to drop weekly mileage with CIM in December. Run normal mileage? Cross train only? Run lower mileage? All of these things went through my mind and/or were suggested to me by others. Here's what actually happened.

For San Jose. I ran normal mileage the week before, and I used Body Pump for my strength session that week. Running wasn't an issue, but going to Body Pump the first time pretty much wrecked me and made my legs super sore. I should know better than to try a new workout before my goal race, but I guess we live and learn. I thought I was tougher than I am perhaps. Believe me, I felt like crap for San Jose in many ways and I learned my lesson.

For NWM. As I didn't push myself in San Jose, I wasn't sore and didn't take any extra rest days after that one. I ran normal mileage and did a lower key strength workout. Race morning didn't feel any different than a long run day of a normal training week. I felt good, so I was able to go for it.

For Detroit. I ended up rather sore from NWM, especially the hill muscles and my right achilles. Monday was a rest day, Tuesday was a strength day, and the first run day was Wednesday (today). I'll run the next couple of days as planned and have slightly lower mileage than normal for the week, but not by much.

Overall, I treated these races as if I were scheduling long runs and didn't make any changes to taper. This strategy seems to have worked well so far and we'll see how I feel in Detroit for number three. After this weekend I'll be able to focus on increasing my long run distances for CIM, which is starting to freak me out a little because I'm behind my normal marathon training plan.

Warning - I'll be throwing one more race report your way in the near future!

NWM Half Marathon Race Report

The Nike Women's Half brought perfect weather, a super hard course, and an unexpected PR. What a fantastic day! I went into this race expecting a training run pace and nervous after my side cramping at San Jose last weekend. That happily didn't come back and I woke up feeling great on race morning. Realizing that my San Jose race ended up being a training pace and not a race pace for me, I decided I'd take advantage of the good feelings and go for it at NWM. Even so, I didn't think I'd get to the PR mark on that course with the crowds and hills.

The start line was crazy crowded, packed to the point of not being able to move. It was the same last year so no shock there. This year, they handed out start corral bracelets and only let you into the correct pace corral, which helped at least a little. There were still people walking out of the start, stopping abruptly and traveling in long rows of 5 people, but it wasn't as bad as 2011. I was in the 9:00-9:59 pace corral, which is definitely not a walking-from-the-start pace.

Start line! Here I go.

After fighting through the initial start line cluster, I was able to navigate in and out of the crowd fairly well. The first few miles go toward and then along Embarcadero, one of my favorite places to run. Mile 3 took us over the short but steep Fort Mason hill and down the other side. I made up for the uphill on the downhill with no problem.

Mile 1 - 9:47
Mile 2 - 9:37
Mile 3 - 9:51

Next we headed through the marina on flat ground where I could keep a happy pace for a couple of miles. The end of mile 5 started up the hill toward the Golden Gate Bridge, with most of that uphill falling into miles 6 and 7. I walked through the water stop at the top of the hill to take water and Nuun, which was the first aid station I used on the course (hence the way worse mile 7 split.) You could say that particular hill is my nemesis.

Mile 4 - 9:36
Mile 5 - 9:29
Mile 6 - 9:44
Mile 7 - 11:42

Heading downhill on mile 8 made up some time and I felt like I was flying - I love this part of the run on both this course and the SF Marathon one. It's fun to take the tangents on the twisty turn-y road. Mile 9 went back up into the Presidio, where it got harder again. I swear the uphill segments through this section feel never ending, although knowing where the end actually was this year helped me a ton. Last year I remember trying to save energy because I didn't know what was coming, and I didn't need that mental save this time around. I also realized I was on PR pace or close somewhere around this time.

Mile 8 - 8:54
Mile 9 - 11:04

At mile 10 we again got to fly downhill along the water. This is normally a view of the Cliff House and Seal Rocks, but the fog took the views away this day. That's ok - I'd so much rather have the foggy, cool weather! Around this time you see the finish area on Ocean Beach, but then you take a left turn into Golden Gate Park. I slowed down in Mile 12, although I can't really say what happened there. It might have been the long slow grade in the park.

Mile 10 - 9:33
Mile 11 - 9:32
Mile 12 - 10:06

I knew if I could hang on around a 9 minute pace I'd be in for the PR, even if only by a few seconds. The last part of this is mostly a downhill grade so that was easy to do and I was in under my best time. I crossed that finish line as happy as could be - I PR'd in NWM? That's a challenging course and a huge win for me!

Mile 13 - 8:43
Last 0.1 (0.2 by my watch) - 7:49
Final - 2:09:07

Of course, the finish chute brought the highlight of the day - the custom Tiffany NWM finisher necklace. Ah, best race bling ever. Thank you, dear firefighter in a tux, for being there to hand it to me!

Tiffany Blue.

On the inside of the box...

After finishing I met up with two other Oiselle team ladies, Lauren and Ashley, to say hello. Sadly we missed the fourth teammate post-race. I'm so happy and lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of Oiselle team!

Oiselle team photo - Me, Lauren, and Ashley post-race.

Later I found my friend Julie and we headed out to cheer for the marathoners around the beginning of mile 25. For the next hour we jumped around, cheered, and ran up and down the Great Highway to help pep people up. I love cheering for races and was able to get cute photos of friends running the full.

Julie looking super strong at mile 25!

 Julie (different Julie) and I showing off our necklaces at our cheer spot.

All in all, NWM turned out to be better than I could have imagined and I'm glad I added it to my races last minute.

Now, the race details and logistics.

The Expo-'tique'. For the first time ever, I didn't go to a race expo to pick up my packet myself. My friend grabbed it when she went on Friday during the day, and I'm glad she did. I heard stories of lines going around Union Square two times just to get into the expo. Yikes! I know from last year that this expo is focused on Nike merchandise only, plus some hair and skin related booths, which have terribly long lines. To purchase merchandise, you have to go across the street to the Nike Store.

The Course. This is the hardest half marathon course I've done, which is why the PR was such a surprise. There is quite a bit of flat and downhill, but the uphill portions tend to feel never ending and the Presidio is a mental challenge for me. That said, it's also one of the prettiest courses I've run with views of the water, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, and Seal Rocks. Many of these sights were hidden by fog this year though. The other important detail of the course is that it's insanely crowded. Many people walk or run in groups, so it's easy to get stuck behind these groups and to have trouble passing. This drove me crazy last year, but this time I knew what I was getting myself into.

The Support. The aid stations had water and Nuun (YES!) which totally rocked, and the solids were Clif Shot Bloks. It's like they designed it with my ideal race fuel. The support at the aid stations was so-so; some stations were great, ready and handing out cups, but others were not with it and you had to go to the table to get cups. In some cases, it would have helped a lot if the aid stations spanned a longer stretch so that people could spread out to hold cups to avoid back ups. Now for the most amazing part - gear check. This was by far the easiest gear check I've used. Each start corral had a school bus or two parked at the corral entrance, so you handed them your bag when you entered. They placed a sticker on the bib with gear check info such as bus name and window. At the end, you went back to that bus name and window. This resulted in no lines and no wandering around looking for the gear check before starting. Loved it!

The Finish Line. NWM had a good finish line area and good swag. It gets crowded, but I didn't see any issues with back ups across the finish line. They handed out the necklaces, race shirts, mylar blankets, water and Nuun tablets, fruit cups, bananas, Luna bars, Ghirardelli chocolate (hellooo dark chocolate salted caramel...), coconut water, and reusable NWM shopping bags to hold it all. Neutrogena gave everyone face cleaning wipes to freshen up, and Verizon handed out little packs of freshening wipes and yoga mats. There was a Verizon friends and family meeting area where you could call people, although I wish there had also been the family meet up letters. The Oiselle ladies planned to meet at the 'O' but it didn't exist, causing us a little difficulty. Last, I enjoyed the mirrored RUN letters for a photo op.

Celebrating with Julie!

Finisher shirt, nice and bright green.

If you happened to talk to me about NWM or to read my race report from last year, you might remember this was not my favorite race due to logistics and crowding. I'm happy to say that giving it another chance was the right thing to do - I had an absolute blast this year!

Don't Cramp my Style

I've had two races now where I significantly slowed down and walked due to a nasty side cramp on my right side. Not the kind that eases up when I stretch, breathe better, or slow down. Both times it started early, mile 1 or 2, and held on for the entire time no matter what I tried to do. And it really sucked.

Even worse? After the races it didn't go away for a while. The first instance during the Seattle RnR Marathon hurt noticeably for about a week after, and then it dulled out but remained for 2-3 months before completely easing up. Six weeks after Seattle, I mentioned in passing to my husband that I wish my side would stop hurting. He sort of freaked out because he didn't know it never went away (if I hide it, I don't have to worry about it, right?)

Naturally I'd been I'd Googling the heck out of the internet in an attempt to figure out the problem and who else has side cramps that never leave, but I didn't come up with anything useful. Anything I found about running related cramps said they went away with breathing, slowing down, and walking with hands on head, and they never stayed after running.  I really just assumed it was muscle hurting from being cramped for the whole marathon.

Kevin insisted I see the doctor, who was also rather concerned when I told her how long I'd had it. She did an exam and didn't think it was appendix due to the severity and location, but she said we needed to do tests. I went for two CT scans, many blood tests, and then an MRI because they couldn't tell what they were seeing on the CT scans. There was a lot of worrying in the middle because the doctor thought it could be a major liver issue or tumor, but after the MRI the verdict was nothing. The cramp must be from muscle healing, everything else is ok. I'll have a follow up MRI in December to make sure, but they don't expect an issue.

Fast forward to Sunday, the San Jose RnR Half. I had a good first mile and got out of the start crowd at my target pace, but then I was hit with the side cramp. It felt just like it did in Seattle, maybe even worse at times, and again I couldn't get it to leave. Remembering Seattle wasn't helping my stress level any, especially with this being my goal half marathon for the fall. I finished the race doubled over and again the side hurt for the rest of that day and the next few. It came back hard when I ran on Tuesday. I assumed that would happen all week and potentially for the next 2-3 months like before, but at this moment it seems to be basically gone and didn't bother me on my last two runs.

My post-race sad side cramp face.

I'm sharing this story because I haven't found any info on these lingering side cramps, and I'm hoping I can either help (commiserate with) someone else or find someone who has been through it. I don't know what initially caused the cramp, especially considering I was focused on eating well, hydration, and doing everything right to prep for my races. I have a few more halfs and a full coming up, and right now I'm worried about this continuing. If you have thoughts, let me know because I'm all ears - leave it in the comments!

Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Half Race Report

This was supposed to be my easy PR, the flat course with great weather that I could walk to from my condo. The easiest race logistics ever, low stress and all fun. I put a lot of pressure on myself for this 'goal' race and ended up really nervous the night before and morning of. I thought I did everything right to prepare food and hydration, but I woke up with bad GI issues and knew it could be a tough day.

The race start was on Santa Clara Street near Almaden, less than a mile from where we live. I loved walking so easily to the start line! Kevin ran as well, and we arrived around 7:20 am for the 8 am start to check our bag and use the porta potties. The start for this RnR race was much smoother than Seattle; it only took me about 1.5 minutes to cross the start line from corral 6.

I went out feeling pretty good and had no problem hitting my target pace (9:30-9:45) for mile 1. Not long into mile 2, the side cramp from hell came back into my life and made me miserable. I stopped to stretch my side, walked to ease it up, and went back to running. Unfortunately, it only got worse from there on out.

Mile 1 - 9:38
Mile 2 - 10:41

Somehow I held an ok pace through the next few miles even with walking to take my Clif Shot Bloks in Mile 5. I knew my PR goal was quickly slipping away if it wasn't already gone, but I kept fighting for it and running through the cramp. We headed through Japantown, then turned and ran right by our condo where many of our neighbors were out cheering. Actually, I was very impressed with how many San Jose residents were out cheering in the yards!

Mile 3 - 9:59
Mile 4 - 10:06
Mile 5 - 10:17
Mile 6 - 10:14

We ran by HP Pavilion and out along the Alameda for a bit, then into enjoyable residential neighborhoods that I'd never seen. Around mile 7 the cramp was getting worse and I started taking walk breaks. I don't remember mile 9 being specifically bad, but my splits tell another story. What happened there? More walking and slower running I suppose. I held onto that slower pace for the next few miles, focusing on nothing but forward progress.

Mile 7 - 10:39
Mile 8 - 10:37
Mile 9 - 11:48
Mile 10 - 10:39
Mile 11 - 11:08
Mile 12 - 10:45

With one mile to go, I told myself to finish this race already and just be done. I picked up the pace and ran it into the finish line, which felt so far away in the last mile.

Mile 13 - 10:05
Last 0.1 (0.22 by my watch) - 9:03
Total: 2:18:31

I was so glad to cross the finish line, and I took a minute to double over holding my side in an attempt to ease the cramp. Ugh, that didn't work. I collected the medal and slowly walked through the chute to get food and to find Kevin (who PR'd by 2 minutes with a 1:46:00! Woot!) After downing water, Gatorade, and a Jamba Juice smoothie we headed to the gear check and beer tent.

Medal shot. 

Successfully collected our free beer.

We watched the top 3 ladies and men receive awards, the highlight being Oiselle Team athlete Allison Maxson getting 3rd! I stalked the awards area to say hi and congrats briefly when she was waiting behind the stage, so glad I got to meet such an awesome and inspiring athlete!

Allison receiving her award in the super cute Oiselle Elite singlet.

At the end of the day, I was frustrated with my time because I'd put so much pressure on myself to PR in San Jose. But it's important to remember that this time would have been a PR only 1.5 years ago, and really I did ok on a hard day. I learned that putting so much pressure on one race isn't the way to go, and I'll try to go into the next few half marathons this fall with a different attitude. After all, my completely for fun non-goal race in Chicago ended up hitting my sub-2:10 goal!

Now for the ever-so-important race details.

The Expo. The expo seemed smaller than last year, although we went around 11 am on Saturday and didn't have to wait in any lines. They had a ton of volunteers and ran the packet pick-up smoothly from my perspective. The Brooks race shirts are cute; the Brooks shirts are definitely a highlight of the Rock 'n' Roll races. Also, I finally made it out of an expo without buying random things that I already have too many of...

Race goodies.

The obligatory expo background photo.

The Course. This is a very flat, perfect PR course (i.e. why it was my goal race.) The course starts in downtown San Jose, winds around the area through Japantown and residential areas off of the Alameda, and comes back to finish near the convention center. They had lots of bands to entertain us and many people came out to cheer too. I found it very enjoyable because I live here and run most of these roads all the time - today it gave me a different perspective on routes I could take in the future.

The Support. I was seriously impressed with the water stations along the course because the volunteers were on it. Most of the water stations were local kids and teenagers, and they were cheering and getting into the race. Love it! The water stations lined both sided of the street, were organized into Gatorade vs. water sections, and didn't slow us down one bit. There was one Gu station with multiple flavors. Aside from the volunteers at the stations, there were many local cheer groups along the course going nuts for the runners.

The Finish Line. The finish area was well organized and had lots of food. I saw oranges and bananas, water, Gatorade, bagels, pretzels, Snickers Marathon bars, Jamba Juice smoothies, and chocolate milk. I may be missing items, but overall plenty of good finish food options. They directed people through the chute and around the park, so there were no lines or back ups that I saw. Each runner had one beer ticket, and even the long looking beer line went super fast with so many people working. I am impressed with the race logistics of this one for sure.

And after the race? I came back home to rest and cuddle with these cute kitties sleeping by my feet.

Awwwww.

The SF Marathon Ambassadors

Yesterday the SF Marathon announced the Ambassador team for 2012-13, and I was chosen to represent the race! I'm super excited to be part of the team. I've already met a number of the past Ambassadors via the race expo and Twitter, and they are an inspirational group of runners. I'm going to need some meet ups ASAP to get to know everyone.

Why did I apply and feel so attached to this race? The SF 1st Half Marathon was my very first half back in 2009. Before that, the SF Marathon events motivated me to do my first 5K in 2005 while I was visiting SF from Michigan for a conference. That day, I decided I would run the half someday so I could run the Golden Gate Bridge. Between 2005 and 2009 I had doubts that I'd hit that goal, and I essentially gave up at points. But you know what? I realized I could do it if I worked hard and I reached the goal of running the half.

You know you want to run this beauty.

That half marathon was the start of my running and racing addiction. It is the reason I'm where I am today as a runner. I'd even say it fueled my desire to move to the Bay Area, another dream that came true in June 2011. I can't imagine another race I'd rather represent than the SF Marathon.

I ran the 1st Half Marathon again this past year and dropped my time from 2:31 to 2:13. Not bad for me on a tough course. In 2013, I'll be running the 2nd Half Marathon to complete the 'Half It All' Challenge. And in 2014? The goal is to run the marathon to complete the 52 club. I see a long line of SF Marathon events in my future.

If you want to join me in my SF Marathon adventures, registration is open and at the lowest price it'll be. Check it out! I'd love to see you here in SF on June 16, 2013.

2012 Finish Photo

Oyster Challenge Urban Adventure Race

This past Saturday, Kevin and I headed to SF with a group of friends and strangers for the Oyster Challenge. We signed up with the Integrate Performance Fitness group, who set up five relay teams. I was doing the running legs only, and other people on my team were doing the biking. Each leg had to have three people from the team, so ideally three runners and three cyclists. We ended up one runner short, so Paul did the running legs too. And let me tell you, he was an enthusiastic team leader!

Before the first leg. (Kai, Julie, Paul, Me, Ken)

I've never done an urban adventure race before and had no idea what to expect. We found the first 'clue' in the fence by the parking lot and had to solve a puzzle to get the first 'passport' with instructions. The cyclists went first and had a long leg involving fish throwing, Chipotle seasoning identification, and stand up paddle boarding. Sounds pretty fun! I took a short 2 mile warm up run while they were gone to enjoy the SF weather and the bay. We started from Sports Basement Presidio and had plenty of gorgeous bridge views and marina area to run.

The cyclists returned and gave us the first run clue. We ran to a building in the Presidio where we solved a math and verbal exam (what!? I can't think when I'm running) and then headed to the Walt Disney Museum area. They had challenges set up on the grass; we had to launch a shoe with a three-person water balloon launcher and have a team member catch it two times. Then we had to have one team member navigate a 'mine' field (small balls) while blindfolded, getting instructions from team members. Aside from having some shoe launching issues and ending up with a major bruise on my chest, we went pretty quickly.

Wait, where are we going?

We figured it out! Here we go...

The next bike clue took them over the Golden Gate Bridge where someone had to take a photo licking the bridge. They had a few more photo clues on that leg as well. The next run clue started with - get this - beer pong. We had to land four ping pong balls in the cups, each time chugging the half-full cup of Shock Top. Somehow I ended up with 2 of the beers and essentially chugged a whole beer. After that, we ran about 2 miles to a path on the bay. There, we had to eat two donuts off of a team member! I ended up eating about half a donut because Paul was eating faster than me.

You could say the run back to Sports Basement on the beer and donut stomach was less than ideal. But it was so much fun! There was one final bike clue after this, so at that point the runners were done. I think the cyclists had it harder than we did because we only ran about 6 miles overall. I might prefer to do both the running and the biking if I did this again.

In the end, we finished first out of all the IPF teams by quite a bit. We really rocked it! The run paces were around a 9 minute mile and the cyclists were quick too. Our race medals were colorful cowbells, which will come in handy for some future race cheering.

Cowbells!

This was definitely a fun event and a great social time with the IPF group. Oh, and the important part. We beat Al, the highly competitive owner of IPF!

Neener-neener.