Trix Run - June 14 - 5K

The day dawned bright and sunny and yet chilly (yeah ....you know how I just loove that.....) I hadn't slept much the night before .... a few winks really .... so I was extremely sleep deprived. I hadn't signed up for the race yet either so technically I could have just gone stayed in bed and done my own run later today. But I was really wanting to feel the adrenaline of getting to the start line and getting ready with all the other runners. I didn't even know about this race until Tim told me about it last week and I had been thinking about going to Santa Cruz so by Friday afternoon I still hadn't made up my mind. By late evening however, I had decided to run the race..... so I had to get there a little earlier to do the whole sign up thing. I was in Lodi early so I grabbed a drink at Starbucks with Frank before heading to the registration tables at Lodi Lake.

I had promised Tim I would try my best to be there and I had also persuaded Frank to run so I felt even more compelled to be there ....

As I said, the day dawned bright but very chilly so I kept my running jacket on until the start of the race but then decided to keep it on because the wind (coming off of Lodi Lake) was blowing quite steadily ....

There were only about 280 people running this venue (not the smallest venue I have run) so it was very relaxed. Literally, at a little after 8 am the announcer yelled "1, 2, 3 Go!" and we were off. I had studied the course a bit before the race and was disappointed to see that part of the course was a loop and I hate loops as much as I hate wind in my face so that was a bit of a downer ...

I took off a bit too fast (when will I ever learn!!) but this time it was really not intentional. There were too many kids ages 9 - 12 or so that were running and really had had no instructions on how to run a race so they were cutting in front of people and a couple of times I almost tripped because they kept cutting in front of me. I think it is great that the community and the parents get kids involved in exercise early so they learn and understand the benefits but it's also important to teach them race etiquette. How about we start with "Don't cut in front of other runners!"

I kept pace with my Garmin and when I saw that I had gone out a bit too fast (8:15) I slowed down to about a 9:20 and stayed there for about the first 3/4 mile before picking it up to about a 9:05. The wind had surprisingly died down by this point and I really wanted to take my jacket off but my pinned bib prevented me from doing so, so I sucked it up and dealt with the sweat ....

No knee pain, no foot pain, no joint pain. Except for the wind it was an exceptional day and an exceptional race as I set a new PR for the 5K: I came in at 27:59. My goal had been 28:00 so I was estactic... my overall pace was a 9:02.. How cool is that? The Runnerchik is back!!!!

Well that will probably be my race for June. I am going to start running with Carmen's group again and will meet them every Saturday for my long runs (that is, if I don't hop in my car and go to Santa Cruz to run and then chill on the beach .... ).

Stay tuned fellow runners... Wharf to Wharf is coming up in July and I intend to set another PR there. In the meantime, I am running 25 - 30 miles weekly. I will start going out to the track to do some speed work as soon as Delta finishes working on the track.

Oh, I am also going back to Yoga starting tomorrow. I signed up for 10 sessions of Bikram Yoga. It is time to get back to working on my core and also to cleanse ... I'll let you know how it goes as I haven't done yoga in a year.

Have you gone for your run today?

It's all about the view ...

What does running mean to you? Why do you run? What makes you lace up your running shoes everyday and hit the pavement or running trail? For those of us that run seriously (regardless of pace etc..) we know that running is not easy. There is no such thing as an "easy run." In fact that is an oxymoron ...

There are may reasons I run: to stay healthy, to keep my arthritis in check, to maintain my weight, stress relief, for the overall well being of my soul, physical body and mental health and running also provides the escape I often need to be alone with my thoughts. I often come back from runs with mental lists made, goals established, and solutions for various problems I might be facing.

But I also run for the view... These past weeks I have had the opportunity to go to Santa Cruz several times and have gone for a run each time and captured some amazing photos .... It sure beats running the levees .in Stockon...

Stay tuned ... have you gone for a run today?

Stay tuned fellow runners... this chik will run Boston yet ....

Avenue of the Vines - May 18, 2008

It's been almost two weeks since my last race (and first of 2008) and this chik has barely had time to stop and take a breath. Blogging, while enjoyable and fun is not high on my priority list as I do not have a lot of free time.

Nonethless, my first race of 2008 was amazing and considering the stress fracture of this past year and my surgery, I did exceptionally well after a four-month hiatus (well not a complete one but almost). My best half-marathon time so far is a 2:05 (Four Bridges 2007) and at Avenue of the Vines I completed the course in 2:18:26. While I didn't set a PR, it felt great being part of a race again. I felt strong and there was no pain in my foot and it was very hot. In the mid 90's to be exact. It felt great!!! There was only a slight wind (just enough to not make it completely miserable) and the sun was shining and the sky was clear. The perfect racing day in my book. This is a race I will definitely repeat. Running through the Lodi Vineyards and taking in the beautiful countryside made the race even more enjoyable and made me glad to be part of my local running community.

Having a cheering section was great too and cheering for Cesar who ran his very first race was a great experience. He came in under two hours (1:57) and although he forgot his chip at home (he didn't listen to me when I told him to lay his things out the night before - a runner's ritual), he did have his newly-acquired Garmin.

The thing that made this race particularly enjoyable is that my daughter ran her very first race (1/4 mile kids fun run) and won first place! She was estactic! She has been asking me to run a race for quite awhile and when this opportunity came up I signed her up. Now she's asking me when I'm going to sign her up for the next one. I think it's quite possible she's caught the bug....

I have races planned for July (Wharf to Wharf) and August (San Francisco Half) but so far nothing planned for June. The life in the day of a runner continues as I go back to teach summer school a week from Monday. It's back to the trenches .... Stay tuned fellow runners... I'm looking for a race for June so if there's one you know about (preferably with a great view) and in Northern California let me know...

Mediocrity Rules

As most of you know I don't often blog about topics unrelated to my running. This is a running blog and personally I find it extremely annoying to log on to someones blog only to find their personal diary laid out for all the world to see. No, I don't need to know what you ate for breakfast, or what conversation you had with your neighbor unless it somehow relates to the topic at hand. And no, I don't need to know all the intimate details of your whole sorry life. Save it for your mom (that's what I do - sorry mom) or your therapist (some of you out there need one more than you think) and give the rest of us a break. I'll admit that these types of blogs are often amusing and yet offer little to move one forward.

In any case.... I don't usually blog about unrelated topics on this blog because the intent and purpose (audience and purpose) of this blog is to talk about my joys and struggles with running, thereby eliciting those in the running community to join in the dialogue. That said, perhaps it is time to graduate and write a different type of blog, one that deals with community issues, society and the like.

With that in mind, it has occurred to me lately that in this country mediocrity rules. I do not believe that it has always been so, for if it had, we would not be the great country that we are today. However, lately, it has occurred to me more than once that one is looked down upon, smirked at, placed outside the circle, and quite often completely alienated from said community if one attempts to move beyond mediocrity. If you are mediocre then you are accepted by others. But should you attempt to do more then what is required of you, those around you who may not have similar qualities as you and who may not be willing to rise to the challenge before them, may look upon you as a threat. And once you become a threat you must be taken out. You may disagree with me but I challenge you to look around you and analyze your community (work, church, school, youth organization, club, whatever) and those within it and I guarantee that you will find that mediocrity is at the forefront of your community or organization. Those companies and organizations that have not allowed mediocrity to rule are those that are extremely successful and competitive precisely because creativity is admired and desired and nothing short of your ABSOLUTE best is accepted. I could continue here and say a word or two about the state of politics in this country but I would be digressing .....

While I am a Type A and scream at the mere thought of mediocrity I have noticed that depending on where one works, volunteers etc.... it is quite possible that one might not be able to function if one does not accept and adhere to the rules of mediocrity. I know, I know, its seems like I am contradicting myself now but with all the rules pertaining to mediocrity there are also the rules pertaining to survival where one must appear to be functioning with the walls of mediocrity while all the while attempting to to do what we creative people do best - kick butt.

That's why I run. Here is a community where mediocrity will never rule. We go out and we kick butt every day. We don't jog. We run. We don't believe in mediocrity. We believe in challenging ourselves every time our running shoes hit the road and nothing less than our absolute best will ever suffice.

And you thought I couldn't bring it full circle huh?

I find it fascinating to observe people and how they seem to function so naturally with the confines of mediocrity. Pay attention the next time you are out there in your world. They do it so well that even they no longer know who they are. They have ceased to be and have become one with mediocrity.

I'll see you out there at Avenue of the Vines.....

When life gives you lemons...

You make lemonade. And so I've been having quite of bit of lemonade lately and have learned to enjoy it. "When it rains it pours" I guess the other saying goes and yes, in addition to lots and lots of lemonade it's also been raining quite a bit too and my running has suffered because of it.

If the stress fracture wasn't enough I found out in February that I would probably have to have surgery (unrelated to the stress fracture) and indeed as promised my doctor took me in for surgery on March 28th, 3 days after my 39th birthday. Not exactly how I had planned spending the weekend of my birthday but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do ...

Recovery was not pleasant and took about a month. I ran infrequently during that time. My foot was grateful of course and actually probably helped it recover that much faster. I can honestly say that now I am fully recovered but sort of off my game a bit. I have slowed considerably these last few months and this has been hard for me to accept. Thankfully I have never stopped running completely but certainly not the miles I have been accustomed to doing.

Because of the surgery I was not able to run Santa Cruz half which was hard to accept but again it was just one of those nice little lemons that is thrown our way every so often. I am getting better at just rolling with the punches and making lots and lots of lemonade.

I have managed to run the past three weekends and each time have run 11 miles each time. I also have taken my bike out more and two weekends ago I rode some trails for 23.5 miles. Very nice ride. During the week I have managed to run short runs of between 3 to 5 miles each time.

Avenue of the Vines is coming up and I am thinking of running that this year instead of running Bay to Breakers. I did Bay to Breakers last year and while fun and exhilarating (who could forget Hayes Street Hill?), I do love running in different locations. I have heard Avenue of the Vines is a very nice half marathon and what better place to run than among the vineyards? It will be a very nice way to get back in the zone and see if I am up to doing SF Marathon in August.

Stay tuned fellow runners... this Runnerchik ain't givin' up yet .....

Two MRIs later...

It's been awhile and people are beginning to wonder if the Runnerchik has hung up her running shoes for good. I haven't, although they have not seen as much action as they did in 2007.

Shortly after CIM I went to see my Sport Medicine doctor who promptly ordered an MRI of my right foot which a couple of weeks later showed that I had a stress fracture on my right foot precisely where I had been having all the pain. His recommendation was what it had been last July - that I back off on the training and allow my foot to heal. I did not follow his advice last July and went and ran the San Francisco Marathon and bombed it BIG time. Then I went and ran CIM almost five months later having trained VERY hard between August and December. My foot couldn't have healed had it wanted to..... this time I decided I had better follow doctor's orders.

With the disappointment of CIM, I took some time to really put things in perspective. I did not stop running but backed off to about 15 - 20 miles a week which to most of us serious runners is not serious running. I had no choice though. It was either that or end up not running for a VERY long time. So .... I have spent quite a bit of time in the gym running on the treadmill (helps with the impact), as well as lifting weights. I know how a lot of you runners feel about lifting weights but I am OK with gaining a bit of "weight" in order to have a strong upper body. I know it slows me down a bit but I feel a lot better having a strong upper body. I despise running on the treadmill and I usually only last about an hour before I just have to get out of the gym. I don't mind going there to lift weights but I do not enjoy running on the treadmill. A chik's gotta do what a chik's gotta do.....

During these last 3 months the weather in northern California has been very cold and windy and just pretty miserable. Having my gym membership has helped because otherwise I might not have run at all. For those of you that know me, you know I hate running in the wind and lately we have had very few windless or warm days. I have run outside off and on especially on days where the sun has dared to show up but mostly I have been in the gym. Being outside is always more invigorating and I have run outside any chance I got. The bottom line though is I have spent the majority of the last three months working out in the gym and I am looking forward to running full time outside again. This week I have run 16 miles already(outside) and am planing on running about another 15 between Friday and Saturday. If I can accomplish that I will feel much better about how these last three months have gone.

In mid February I had a second MRI due to knee pain and the results were negative. Apparently, because I continued to run last year with the stress fracture on my foot, I had begun to compensate (I could have told you that just from observing my stride) for the pain and had begun to put more pressure on my left leg and my knee had taken the brunt of it. I continue to have the knee pain and so I am continuously aware of it and do what I need to do to alleviate it.

I have gone snowboarding several times this winter ( I know! I know! the knee pain ....) and have had a great time. Having an SUV now has made a real difference, especially one with 4-wheel drive.

I have kept active and have been exploring my options for this year as far as running events. I decided that running 5 marathons in a year (2007) was a bit excessive, especially for a beginner and so I have decided that this year I will only run my two favorite marathons - SF in August and CIM in December. The former a real killer as there are nothing but hills and the latter a very flat and fast course. In between those, I have several half-marathons planned as well as several 10 and 12ks. There's also lots of snow left up in Tahoe ... so .... see you out there somewhere.....

My first race will be the half-marathon in Santa Cruz in April .... stay tuned ......