tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25105021902944087052024-03-04T20:07:06.991-08:00RunningWithBellyButtonLint...the ins and outs of my developing interests, and the hidden treasures I dig up...Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-53504972077751408132011-09-13T14:37:00.000-07:002011-09-13T14:40:26.801-07:00Don't Call it a Comeback...It's coming up on a year now since I've done any racing. Let's be honest, it's been almost a year since I've really done any running! Ridiculous, I know. If you ask me why I stopped running, I can't come up with a great reason. My last race was the Catalina Eco-Marathon at the end of November, and it was my favorite race to-date. A gorgeous course, top-notch company, and I felt great; couldn't have asked for a better weekend on the island! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/154581_10100167746476597_8624241_59894156_7422111_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/154581_10100167746476597_8624241_59894156_7422111_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why did I "leave" on such a good note? It was a combination of being burned out from running, and wanting to spend time doing other fun stuff. After I graduated college in 2009, I ran my first half marathon. Before that, I really hadn't run much since track season my senior year in high school, or more than 6 miles. Over the next year and a half, I ran my first, second, and third marathon as well as quite a few half marathons. I was doing a race every month, and it was a lot. Uffdah. At the same time, I had just moved out to California from Minnesota, where I still hadn't met a lot of new friends...most people I knew my age were out on weekends and week nights playing coed sports, hanging out at the beach, partying at the bars, or all of the above. Although I was having a great time, all I was doing was running and passing on most of the socializing...until this year. dun dun dunnnn.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So what have I spent all my time doing these first 9.5 months of 2011? Well...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. I learned how to play ultimate frisbee, and met a bunch of fun new people. My third season started this week and I'm proud to say that I do not suck, regardless of having very unreliable disc throwing skills.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/282073_10150348335036369_241366951368_9593889_4010569_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/282073_10150348335036369_241366951368_9593889_4010569_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/284616_10100678717641287_8624241_64381668_3767710_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/284616_10100678717641287_8624241_64381668_3767710_n.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. I continued to play kickball every Monday night, and was appointed team captain last season. In a few weeks we're going to Vegas for the national kickball championships. That's right, we're kind of a big deal. However, after playing kickball for almost 2 years, I'm retiring for a while after the Vegas tournament.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/41012_10150236307635234_842495233_14438245_1475781_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/41012_10150236307635234_842495233_14438245_1475781_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/63676_169675696404047_100000848545453_326548_7792243_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/63676_169675696404047_100000848545453_326548_7792243_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...but I'm only retiring to try a new sport: Dodgeball!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/dodgeball-matrix-ibm-patent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/dodgeball-matrix-ibm-patent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. I did manage to fit in one running event, a 4ish mile mud run at Irvine Lake. It was a blast with Gavin's Groupies!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/205574_10100421770101217_8624241_62216273_4205604_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/205574_10100421770101217_8624241_62216273_4205604_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. On a whim, I was convinced to join a bunch of guys from work on a 100ish mile ride down to San Diego. After not biking more than 6 miles over the course of a few months, and about 75 miles being my longest ride ever, I'm not sure why I thought this was a good idea, but it turned out to be a great trip! I may have slowed everyone down more than they're nice enough to admit, but we'll blame it on my bike being heavy :-)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/260072_10150226582851583_726911582_7814871_2583455_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/260072_10150226582851583_726911582_7814871_2583455_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. I was in two weddings this year. I was a reader for my step-brother's wedding in April, where I got to spend some quality time in Iowa.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/230629_10150162298196324_502901323_7050394_107265_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/230629_10150162298196324_502901323_7050394_107265_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
And I had my bridesmaid debut in my good friend/college roommate's wedding a few weeks ago. I spent lots of time and had a ton of fun helping plan the bachelorette party, and had a great time spending about a week on my old stomping grounds in Madison! Although I now feel ancient because college kids look 12.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/311994_10100694895909907_8624241_64700222_2023278_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/311994_10100694895909907_8624241_64700222_2023278_n.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And all the time in-between was spent living it up in SoCal with new friends as well as old, doing anything from having a sangria-off (mine won), to dressing up as the Goonies at an 80s party, to shenanigans at the 6-man tournament.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/217595_10100186630602742_17104843_45389532_5696580_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/217595_10100186630602742_17104843_45389532_5696580_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/215902_10100428796001257_8624241_62312141_1503447_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/215902_10100428796001257_8624241_62312141_1503447_n.jpg" width="168" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/223125_10100671565509217_8624241_64233221_3765122_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/223125_10100671565509217_8624241_64233221_3765122_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294603_785602225415_73403879_39416235_501314058_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294603_785602225415_73403879_39416235_501314058_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See, I haven't just been sitting on the couch...at least not most of the time :-)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That being said...I [finally] MISS RUNNING. I'm not sure how much I miss all the required time needed to train well, but I miss having goals and impressing myself when I achieve them. I miss how refreshed and strong you feel after completing a long run. And most of all, I miss races, with all the people and the sense of accomplishment after crossing the finish line, especially with a surprisingly fast time. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So that I have something to work towards, I signed up for the Surf City Half...my comeback race! I'm going to be starting over from scratch with the mileage and speed, and don't plan on doing any fulls in the near future, but I'm looking forward to see what I can do. Time to remember how to create a training plan...is there an app for that yet?</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-74554484346491391582010-10-19T19:24:00.000-07:002010-10-19T19:27:19.685-07:00Long Beach Half Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't have any specific reason why, but the Long Beach Half Marathon has been the favorite of the 7 half-marathons I've run. Last year, Long Beach was my second half marathon, and this year it was my seventh. Last year I was under trained and this year I was over trained having just ran the Chicago Marathon the week prior, but both times I've surprised myself with my performance and I think that's part of the reason I love this race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSB_EnI4COf-eSkmXsstikF_5iEo3kAbaKu1Ss4gRUGkZdjgu_rqiWO5EE0Q87WzP0sE1xMCgOsxbELUPA73m9mQEuHU-DZbzztb9_Yj0mgqlUNLn67NKOBv2J6H6PCfmN4XUHc-95I6H7/s1600/IMG00561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSB_EnI4COf-eSkmXsstikF_5iEo3kAbaKu1Ss4gRUGkZdjgu_rqiWO5EE0Q87WzP0sE1xMCgOsxbELUPA73m9mQEuHU-DZbzztb9_Yj0mgqlUNLn67NKOBv2J6H6PCfmN4XUHc-95I6H7/s320/IMG00561.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to doing well, the size of the race is perfect for my liking (that's what she said?), the weather was perfect (especially after Chicago), and the course itself is scenic and fast, with a couple tiny hills to break up the monotony my muscles don't seem to appreciate on a completely flat course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After arriving at the start with a perfect amount of time to spare (thanks to a cop on the 710 showing me how to avoid the traffic) I positioned myself at the end of one of the many long lines for the porta-potty. For once, I picked the fast line and I was in-n-out just in time to force my way into the middle of wave 4 as the gun went off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOPcZq5TT1IwOD4znJpi34O3Js2ozOurMR2tpw-enDzrE42X8J8DulcB1-JnvkOMI6-6YN1q3xhrIpmF_EggVMLS7cgaqRlSCGpknekL92bfqUySVmXIHdeCyBnpfbU0gneSxRQ4KpcJM/s1600/IMG00560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOPcZq5TT1IwOD4znJpi34O3Js2ozOurMR2tpw-enDzrE42X8J8DulcB1-JnvkOMI6-6YN1q3xhrIpmF_EggVMLS7cgaqRlSCGpknekL92bfqUySVmXIHdeCyBnpfbU0gneSxRQ4KpcJM/s320/IMG00560.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I waited around for about 15 minutes as waves 1-3 started, watching impatient people jump the fence to run up to the front, or push their way forward through the tightly packed crowd. I'll still never completely understand this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When my wave was finally off I really had no race plan because I had no idea how I was going to feel after having run a marathon. I was standing close behind the 4:30 pace group and decided a 2:15 half sounded modest enough, and figured it'd be a good time to see what these pace groups are all about, so I joined the pack. After about a half a mile, I realized the pacer had WAY too much energy and was going to drive me nuts if I stuck with him for another 12.5 miles (I'm sure some people appreciate this, but not my style), so I picked up the pace and left the group in the dust. Perhaps unrelated, but I watched the same pacer make his way into the finish...alone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really enjoyed the first 5-6 miles of the course with all of the turns, small hills on the overpasses, and being able to see the runners ahead and behind you at different spots. Much like last year, this part of the course went by really fast, and I was surprised how great my legs felt especially since I was averaging about a 9:30 min/mile. I took Powerade and water at all of the stops, and my first Gu at mile 5...without stopping!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Things started to fall apart soon afterward, at mile 7. I was finally feeling the fatigue in my legs and my butt of all things locked up and felt like lead. My never-ending achilles issue presented itself again and by mile 8 it hurt pretty badly. I had my mind set of breaking my time from last year, a 2:08, and was on pace to do so until this point. I thought about pushing on for another 5 miles, but decided it'd be best to take it easy, slow things down, and recover a bit until mile 10 where I'd pick it back up again for the last 5k.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mile 10 came around, my leg was feeling better, I took my 2nd and last Gu, and got ready to pick it back up. There's a slight gradual incline around mile 10 and I was having an issue getting my butt moving again (literally) so my pace continued to be a bit slow and I knew I wasn't going to be able to do as well as last year. Oh well, better than getting hurt!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few motorcycle cops and a truck passed me at mile 11, closely followed by the leader of the marathon. I knew I was almost done and seeing that guy fly past me was motivation enough to get going and I picked up the pace for the last two miles, finishing in just over 2:10 - not too bad! I didn't break my time from last year, but I was happy with my decision to let up a bit, and was impressed with my legs for surviving a marathon and a half within a week. Splits from the race <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53669435" target="blank">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNymsXUihOLp83oU08JPxn-FIYc5xhRaTTah0h0-HIS7tgxyM4WkGs4VnCSp6QiFl4E9DVejkUz4EQp84uOXUVLpMtO9BuobmHkjz3mUyWE0y9hyQ01QgpieaRjZdq1UbaTOAPAiMCHxqb/s1600/IMG00565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNymsXUihOLp83oU08JPxn-FIYc5xhRaTTah0h0-HIS7tgxyM4WkGs4VnCSp6QiFl4E9DVejkUz4EQp84uOXUVLpMtO9BuobmHkjz3mUyWE0y9hyQ01QgpieaRjZdq1UbaTOAPAiMCHxqb/s320/IMG00565.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the medals this year, and I really liked how the post-race food was well organized by giving each runner a small bag instead of it being a chaotic free-for-all. Can't wait to do it again :-). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up is the Catalina Eco-Marathon in three weeks, and not sure how to prepare for that, but for now I'm giving my legs some much needed rest and recovery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-2606638935326510652010-10-17T15:51:00.000-07:002010-10-17T16:04:26.366-07:00Chicago Marathon Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96inK1tnOUGbKBUQyTfWZCOQgkwbjrMc_FBzytVovi1PMb_7OLa7ZhTdTp1VpDdgkTkSIL3B9CbK3YflfFcc3NDI3AxCG1e6Awznn3ceCoX5zdTnVov1s-yxhS3iXxrtW_5QGIRHrPUZ3/s1600/chicago.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96inK1tnOUGbKBUQyTfWZCOQgkwbjrMc_FBzytVovi1PMb_7OLa7ZhTdTp1VpDdgkTkSIL3B9CbK3YflfFcc3NDI3AxCG1e6Awznn3ceCoX5zdTnVov1s-yxhS3iXxrtW_5QGIRHrPUZ3/s320/chicago.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
To get the stats out of the way...<br />
<div><br />
<div>Time: 5:27:25 - palindrome! :)</div><div>Place (overall): 27945</div><div>Place (females): 11388</div><div>Place (20-24): 1151<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>And my not-so-negative splits can be found <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52727083" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Going into this race, I knew it was probably going to be sub-par as I trained horribly, so my dream of running a 4:30 (or 10:10 pace on 10/10/10) was unlikely. However, I was confident that I could PR or at least run about the same time as my first marathon, a 4:50, after my last 20 mile training run in which I managed to hold onto a 10:08 pace. It became pretty clear that this was not going to happen either by the 2nd mile.<br />
<br />
Pre-race I was lucky enough to get access to the special facilities for the Chicago running group, CARA, so I got to avoid all of the porta-potties, and lines, and hang out on the second floor of The Congress Hotel and eat bagels while talking to some first-time marathoners.<br />
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I made my way to the start and positioned myself just behind the 4:45 pace group, thinking that would be a more realistic goal. The race started, and about 20 minutes later I was finally able to cross the starting line! The first few miles were pretty uneventful except for the ridiculous amount of guys urinating on the supporting beams underneath the first bridge. <br />
<br />
My garmin freaked out a bit being between all of the huge buildings, and I was weaving around the crowds of people, which lead to my first mental lapse by the third mile. I was feeling fine and keeping my pace slow, but I noticed that my garmin was already reading 0.38 miles long. I let this discourage me as my pace was actually much slower than I thought, and I let it continued to discourage me until mile 23 when I realized that no matter what distance my watch said I had run, I only had 3 miles left. By the time I finished, I had run 26.89 miles.<br />
<br />
At mile 5, we made our way into a park, and again flocks of guys were coming in and out of the not very wooded trees to urinate. I had to go as well, but opted for the porta-potties resulting in about a 3-5 minute break. It seems unfair that guys can just go wherever and waste less time, but they also attributed to the porta-potty line being much shorter so I guess I won't complain!<br />
<br />
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I don't remember the miles much leading up to the half way point (come to think of it, I felt totally lost and disoriented the whole race), just that I started feeling fatigued already by mile 10 and began walking through all of the water stops. Throughout the day, I would take Gatorade, and then water at every single stop, which definitely helped me out when the heat started rising. At the half way point, I was not feeling good anymore - I was starting to feel my lack of training. This was the first time I took out my phone, letting Pete know I didn't think I'd finish before 5:15 and that I was having a hard time.<br />
<br />
My achilles started aching around mile 14, and by mile 15 I decided I was done with this race. My legs were tired, I knew there was no way I'd come even close to my previous time of 4:50, and it was getting hot out, so I gave in. This is when I started walking quite a bit, and tweeting about how much it sucked. But I wasn't about to drop out of the race, so I kept moving along, stopping a few times to stretch my legs.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDpRQzab2dvh5hK1jAllULjObmAsi7dJZdwdHBTY0AvnZQUMM6kzF5IgYhDvW-dTPKGYg5TchHsA_C4berntFx5eSZskWi7sQwoEgBbZsjSl1Lbloq553qiB85yHpakXWAfKpVp4uKphE/s1600/Clipboard01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDpRQzab2dvh5hK1jAllULjObmAsi7dJZdwdHBTY0AvnZQUMM6kzF5IgYhDvW-dTPKGYg5TchHsA_C4berntFx5eSZskWi7sQwoEgBbZsjSl1Lbloq553qiB85yHpakXWAfKpVp4uKphE/s400/Clipboard01.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br />
Mile 20 finally came along and I knew I could finish. Looking at all of the people around me, I knew I wasn't the only one hurting. The heat was approaching 90 degrees and the whole running field looked zombie-like. This was about when I saw a guy carrying a 7 foot mini Eiffel Tower on his back...I was not about to let that guy beat me. I started running again and continued a walk/run pattern.<br />
<br />
I was in so much pain by mile 23, and all I wanted to do was finish. I knew I needed to pick it back up a bit and focus on running if I was going to finish sub-5:30, so I kept a slow, steady pace and tried my best not to walk until I crossed the finish line. The crowd during the whole race was amazing - I couldn't believe how many people were out cheering in the streets compared to any other race I've done. The last mile to the finish was definitely powered by the crowds as their numbers grew even more and everyone was encouraging you to push it to the finish. I finally made my way around the last corner and kicked it in as fast as I could manage. Crossing a finish line has never felt so good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kb6E6RNPMXdoRYqTFvEjtqO0FPnlZsmuItXDGxGn1-ghfK8QEEdRSBIQRJHLaiEb4J3XjLLg7heUX_XN57UPEatT0gLm1aZLH2fJWjvEM8C5f6bBmFzgl-CDR39MQQzuEE1XM3kN87Ak/s1600/Clipboard13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kb6E6RNPMXdoRYqTFvEjtqO0FPnlZsmuItXDGxGn1-ghfK8QEEdRSBIQRJHLaiEb4J3XjLLg7heUX_XN57UPEatT0gLm1aZLH2fJWjvEM8C5f6bBmFzgl-CDR39MQQzuEE1XM3kN87Ak/s400/Clipboard13.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br />
I got my medal and walked, for what seemed like forever, out of the finish area. The pain that flowed into my legs was awful so I just kept walking all the way back to the hotel where I was able to keep my drop bag. I met up with Pete and his friend, and headed to straight to the bar where I learned I wasn't the only one to have a less than awesome race.<br />
<br />
It was a rough day out there, but I had a great time with my first big marathon experience, and am happy to add a second marathon finish to the books! I learned a lot from this race - especially that 26.2 miles is no cake walk, and requires a lot of training if you want it to be successful (at least for me). I also learned that I have what it takes to finish a marathon on a tough day, but that I have a lot to work on both physically and mentally.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Next up - Long Beach Half!</div><div><br />
</div></div></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-82594253201861383002010-09-08T19:58:00.000-07:002010-09-08T19:58:40.026-07:00I'm Coming Out.......of my pitiful four month rut filled with copious amounts of running loathage and complete demotivational suckage. Yeah, that about sums it up.<br />
<br />
Since completing my first marathon on May 2nd, I've been very down on running. I'm not sure why or how it started. I was thrilled to have run my first marathon, and I guess equally thrilled to not have to run 4-5 days a week for hours on end. I finally had a life again, even if it wasn't very eventful, and within record time it seemed I had kicked that running habit and developed a new one as a laziness extraordinaire. But when it came time to start training for Chicago in July, I got right back into the swing of things...I wish.<br />
<br />
I didn't completely quit running, as I had a "goal" this year to run a race every month, but those races seemed to make up the majority of the running I did, and needless to say, they didn't go over super well.<br />
<br />
Here are some very brief recaps of the races I completed this summer (yep, I was that unexcited about running I couldn't even find the motivation to blog about the races at the time).<br />
<br />
<b>Peters Canyon Summer Trail Series</b><br />
This is a really chill, fun, series of 5-mile trail races that happen on a Thursday evening once a month over the summer. This was also my very first trail run last summer after moving out to California and I was excited to run the course again.<br />
<br />
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I managed to beat my time from last year at all three races, and had a blast despite being rather out of shape!<br />
<br />
<b>San Francisco 1st Half Marathon</b><br />
I decided to sign up for this race somewhat last minute to complete 2/3 of the California Dreamin' Series. I was not ready for this race AT ALL as I had not run AT ALL in at least a week. However, this ended up being a fantastic weekend since I finally got to meet my twitter buds <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Ron</a> and <a href="http://regularjoerunning.com/" target="blank">Joe</a> and tour some of SF on my 2nd visit to the city.<br />
<br />
I met up with Ron first thing after getting off the BART to get my race bag he was kind enough to pick up for me, and ended up running with him for the first 6 miles of the race the next morning until my bum calf (and lack of running) forced me to resign from my "pacing" duties. Ron kicks ass and I was honored to have been able to run with him, even if it was only 6 miles :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqTyb2sfKR00ZeE7wF7g-rP6Sx5n7fMegZ-U3gxjwvtgzHQ7rZBbZJMLJWUIl5l5ZLYrJFmss9clJW3WFmeKwG9KwWBFdrU9pAKr0gXjwbTN24HskTuUzFuuYeO-nNsuzja-tAqmZm3CC/s1600/Pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqTyb2sfKR00ZeE7wF7g-rP6Sx5n7fMegZ-U3gxjwvtgzHQ7rZBbZJMLJWUIl5l5ZLYrJFmss9clJW3WFmeKwG9KwWBFdrU9pAKr0gXjwbTN24HskTuUzFuuYeO-nNsuzja-tAqmZm3CC/s320/Pic+1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Running over the Golden Gate Bridge was pretty spectacular, and it was a great course in general...but the hills...you'd have to be crazy to run the full marathon. I struggled a bit from about mile 11 on, and finished around 2:16 - not a PR, but not my worst half either - I'll take it!<br />
<br />
After the race, I got a chance to have some drinks with Joe at his Runners World get together and had a bitchin time hanging out, relaxing, and talking until I had to leave to catch my flight.<br />
<br />
<b>Bulldog 25k</b><br />
This race was absolutely BRUTAL as I was not trained or ready one bit. It took me only 50 minutes less to complete this 15ish mile run than it did to complete my first marathon...yikes! I don't have a whole lot to say about this race other than it was a really hot, really scenic, really exhausting 15 mile <b>walk</b> in the Santa Monica mountains on a lovely Saturday morning! I won the battle a 65 yr old man decided to start with me around mile 4, and I only got lapped by about 10 of the people running the 50k - so I'll call that a win!<br />
<br />
Special thanks to the race photographers for displaying "warning" signs that I better "look cool" and like I'm "having fun" because they would be taking our pictures up ahead. This is the only reason I look so happy and awesome :-). <br />
<br />
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After the race I got to hang out with <a href="http://j-tris.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Josh</a>, Graham and a few other friends and talk about my death march while we watched some more of the fast 50k racers finish close behind me.<br />
<br />
<br />
You'd think with a decent amount of races this summer that my training for my next big race, the Chicago Marathon, has been going well. Noooope. Once I got out of the habit of running practically everyday, I could never get it back. No matter how much I fought with myself, I'd always come up with some excuse not to run, and usually the excuse wasn't good. I just didn't want to run; it no longer seemed fun - just a lot of time and energy I didn't want to spend running all over the place, and a lot of aches and pains I didn't want to feel. The excitement of completing my first marathon was gone and I couldn't figure out why I'd want to do it all over again so soon. The motivation and desire wasn't there, I couldn't find it, and as a result I've probably logged about half as many miles as I did training for my first marathon.<br />
<br />
<b>Chicago is just over a month away and I'm finally ready to bust out of this sucktastic running funk.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
I watched "Spirit of the Marathon" the other night and something finally clicked back on, and I'm finally excited and passionate about running again. Due to the unfortunate training leading up to this point, Chicago is going to be painful for me, no doubt, but I can't wait for the big city, the enthusiastic crowds, and hopefully all the tweeps I get to meet and/or see again; it's going to be an absolute blast.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I went for my first run in about a week and it was fan-fucking-tastic. I haven't felt that great on a run since I can remember :-)<br />
<br />
Stay away injuries, and bring it on...cuz I'm back!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-6438656454618662712010-06-15T19:57:00.000-07:002010-06-15T20:07:43.918-07:00My Issue with TissueFor the past month and a half since the marathon, my life has consisted of very little running and lots of doing other things. It has been lacking so much running-related activity that I have digressed to writing about toilet paper...yes, TP, the butt-wiping tissue.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.greenzer.com/blog/blog_image_store/2009/03/toilet-paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.greenzer.com/blog/blog_image_store/2009/03/toilet-paper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Ever since sophomore year of college, when I moved out of the dorms and had to begin buying my own toilet paper, I've been in awe of just how much toilet paper an apartment of 2-5 girls can go through in what seemed like a very short amount of time.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*i would just stop reading now*</span></div>A few months ago, I decided to start keeping track of toilet paper usage at my apartment to see what kind of conclusions I could draw, if any. For three rounds of toilet paper that I bought (my roommate and I take turns), I kept track of the price, number of rolls, number of sheets per roll, and the date purchased and date the package of toilet paper ran out. Seemed like good things to note.<br />
<br />
<b>Meet my toilet paper</b><br />
To reduce variability, I bought the exact same toilet paper each time. I picked generic Target brand TP because it's cheaper, but not so cheap that it's quality is awful and going to inflict pain upon my sensitive areas. I picked a package of 6 rolls, because less than that means I have to waste time buying more, sooner, and I didn't choose more than 6 rolls simply because my roommate never does and we have to keep things fair, right? :) Each package of 6 rolls had 286 sheets per roll and cost $3.79.<br />
<br />
<b>Results</b><br />
On average, the 6-roll pack of toilet paper lasted 27 days. This means between my roommate and I, and a couple random visitors, we used about 1/5 of a roll of toilet paper or 64 sheets every day. That doesn't seem THAT bad, but you have to remember we're not home most of the day during the work week, or even that often during the weekends. So it really is a bit ridiculous, and wasteful. If just the two of us use that much toilet paper every day, I wonder how much toilet paper is produced daily.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusions lacking usefulness</b><br />
- Not taking into consideration fluctuations in price or usage, and keeping the type of toilet paper constant, it costs my roommate and I about $0.14 per day or $51 per year to use the bathroom.<br />
- No big deal, this is less expensive than I had in mind, but I guarantee it costs a household of guys way less. Another reason why they have it easier.<br />
- I'm going to continue using toilet paper liberally, but buy in bulk so it seems like I'm using less because I'm buying it less often.<br />
- Even if I tried to limit my toilet paper usage, my roommate and the rest of the population would cancel out my efforts. Ahem, toilet papering houses.<br />
- This was a waste of time, but I'm no longer curious.<br />
- What is the point of having tiny sheets?<br />
<br />
<b>And then I found $20.</b>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-67540721597233650872010-05-16T22:46:00.000-07:002010-05-16T22:46:02.062-07:00Bike to Work WeekIt's Bike to Work Week! This girl is coming out of bicycle commuting retirement and pedaling to and from work all week, and I'm actually really excited :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://nicomachus.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/bike-to-work-week-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://nicomachus.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/bike-to-work-week-logo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I would like to encourage everyone to participate in BTWW by riding your bike to work some day this week, or by using public transportation - or both! <br />
<br />
<b>There are many great reasons to ride your bike to work - here are a few:</b><br />
1. Exercise is always good for you - use the bike ride as a way to cross train.<br />
2. It's a fun way to wake yourself up in the morning, and cool down after work.<br />
3. Bike shorts are sexy.<br />
4. Riding your bike or using public transportation is an environmentally friendly alternative to driving your car<br />
5. and you save gas money!<br />
...etc, etc, etc.<br />
<br />
OCTA has put together a nice program where you can pledge to bike to work and receive a gift certificate to Jax Bicycles, and get entered to win numerous prizes. They also provide a bike map, and bus routes/schedules for Orange County. Check it out <a href="http://www.octa.net/btw_home.aspx" target="blank">here</a>!<br />
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Pedal away, friends!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-48341308328066342092010-05-03T15:22:00.000-07:002010-05-03T15:22:49.462-07:00I'm a Marathoner!It still hasn't quite sunk in that I just ran 26.2 miles. Ignoring my screaming quads, it doesn't feel like I ran that far, or like I spent almost 5 hours of my day just running - it feels more like I just finished a long training run, and a lot of people happened to be there, or something. It's a strange "did that really happen? naw, it couldn't have" sort of feeling, but at the same time I'm floating on cloud 9, and a bit sore in funny places, so I must have done something amazing! Maybe I need to go drive what I can of the course and remind myself that I am a crazy person who just ran crazy far.<br />
<br />
Thanks to my mom, who flew in from Minnesota to visit and watch me run my first marathon, I got to spend Friday and Saturday at the Newport Beach Marriott conveniently located about two blocks from the start of the marathon. It was a bit funny staying at a hotel for a marathon only 6 miles away from my apartment in Huntington Beach, but it was incredibly relaxing and made the morning of the marathon way less hectic. I spent most of my Saturday eating, drinking lots of water, and relaxing next to one of the pools. A little taste of heaven.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs523.ash1/30758_386888641323_502901323_4426028_5736903_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs523.ash1/30758_386888641323_502901323_4426028_5736903_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Sunday morning, I didn't have to wake up until shortly after 5am since we had literally a 5 min walk to the starting line. I got dressed, pinned on my number, made some oatmeal, and headed up to the lobby to give <a href="http://www.larunner.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Billy</a> his race number. We headed back down to the room where <a href="http://adventuresinmissingthepoint.com/" target="blank">Pete</a> was still getting ready, and chatted for a bit while I finished my oatmeal. It was great to see Billy before the race, and hear that he would be biking around looking for me around the 20 mile mark after he finished the half.<br />
<br />
Finally, at about 6:10am we headed to the start of the race. I told Pete good-luck, and he jogged to the start to make his way up towards the front with the fast people since he was going to be running a speedy half. My mom and I then casually walked over to the crowded start, and I eventually planted myself near "corral C." I realized later, after waiting 10 minutes just to cross the start line, that I probably should have lined up a bit closer. Oh well. It was during this time that a few "fast" guys were complaining about how they somehow managed to line up towards the back of the pack and one felt the need to say, "so this is what it's like to be slow." I wanted to slap him. If you're a fast marathoner...shouldn't you know better?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjzPRyXZzCfeSKRMFvhZKGPeSOph4mWmwhD6KrI_MNNJ0_Ca2pGPoSnX8apUtrmV5SSPUmunsGwLxMD-lfnFIDzjDEcGDE__hswa-OrAfoCLoxg13Eb5MExtEnLnpjFGAvogyQ_Sje8d2/s1600/IMG_4610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjzPRyXZzCfeSKRMFvhZKGPeSOph4mWmwhD6KrI_MNNJ0_Ca2pGPoSnX8apUtrmV5SSPUmunsGwLxMD-lfnFIDzjDEcGDE__hswa-OrAfoCLoxg13Eb5MExtEnLnpjFGAvogyQ_Sje8d2/s320/IMG_4610.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Anyway, I was surprisingly the least nervous I've ever been for a race, and was relaxed when I finally made my way across the starting line some time around 6:40am.<br />
<br />
<b>Miles 1-5:</b><br />
Taking most everyone's advice, I started off slow - almost painfully slow. Since we started with the half marathoners, and they greatly out-numbered the marathoners (1498 marathoners finished; 6112 half marathoners finished), it was a little hard to keep going at a slow pace, and people were passing me left and right, but I knew it was for the best and averaged the first 5 miles at about a 10:45 pace, still feeling fresh and full of energy. I relaxed and enjoyed the only views I'd be seeing of the ocean, and sort of watched all of the people around me. I teared up a bit when I saw a lady running for a little girl named Andrea who had cancer - the picture on her shirt, and the fact that she had my name, made me sad. I also got a bit emotional when I saw the Marines pushing their Sergeant in a wheel chair. At this point, I told myself I wasn't even to mile 5, and I really needed to mentally HTFU if I was going to make it to the finish!<br />
<br />
<b>Miles 6-10:</b><br />
I was most excited for this part of the course. It was mainly through the beautiful Back Bay, where I had done both of my 20 mile training runs, and I knew my mom would be waiting for me at the top of the hill at the 9.5 mile mark. I was still going pretty slow, even getting a little bit slower. This is the first point where I contemplated picking the pace up since I was feeling good, but since I had never done this before and it was still early in the race, I kept trotting along at about the same pace. Somewhere between miles 8 and 9 I could tell my legs were getting a little bit tired, and it freaked me out a bit since it was so early in the race! I told myself my legs were just warming up, working out the kinks, and I'd be fine. I ran past a bunch of people walking up the hill (that was fun!), and saw my mom - who had surprised me by making a sign!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlOfp-vxEM7wUJwmf5nnHcsICWo3ldaQ_9in5QaR4WG-gjBiPi_nAFDomCkPQX9bB0SIQnwoLANU70J1q1Vh8NGX0am-WvRP-DYsBvuAA_R1XfMEnNqdj39z2Aj-eV2XzmPa-aNZNbloN/s1600/IMG_4614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlOfp-vxEM7wUJwmf5nnHcsICWo3ldaQ_9in5QaR4WG-gjBiPi_nAFDomCkPQX9bB0SIQnwoLANU70J1q1Vh8NGX0am-WvRP-DYsBvuAA_R1XfMEnNqdj39z2Aj-eV2XzmPa-aNZNbloN/s320/IMG_4614.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Miles 11-15:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The most annoying part of the race for the marathon runners. I lost count of how many times volunteers and people cheering yelled, "you're almost there!" because we were running with the people doing the half marathon. I wasn't even <i>half </i>of the<i> </i>way there so hearing this over and over was not fun, at all. Just after mile 12, we parted ways with the half marathon runners, and suddenly it was like I was running alone. I went from being surrounded by tons of people to having maybe 10 runners in sight. My energy fizzled a bit from lack of commotion, but it was also calming and I started feeling really strong. I decided to pick up the pace a bit, running close to 10 minute miles for a couple miles, but again got "scared" that I would totally run out of energy later since I had no idea what to expect, and slowed back down - and ended up maintaining this average pace for the rest of the race. About half way between miles 13 and 14, I knew to look for <a href="http://breakingthetape.com/blog/" target="blank">Jeff</a> and his son, and was really excited and feeling amazing when I came across them making HUGE bubbles for all of the runners. I gave his son a high-five, Jeff told me I was looking good, I said thanks, and kept chugging along.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Miles 16-20:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Soon after mile 15 is when things started getting a little sketchy. We had just come down from a fairly big hill, I ate a Gu and drank some water and I felt a bit sick. Thankfully the nausea faded quickly, but my legs were starting to hurt. I saw my mom again at mile 16.5, and when she asked how I was doing, I told her it was starting to get painful. It was great seeing my mom again, but I knew that would be my last familiar face until Billy found me around mile 20.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaJwEW7O4QzISDr5nlaHru1LevsgkAhnWUHIrbKCzNOgEBDoQ_eT_4XIn3Cx6yV1jiSRUtpMPoqNtHp638QHihi98aRDq_yxRS5r257GMYieXzzKM5M_0Yk7_RkCau_ZU0Qwo5qMm85PE/s1600/IMG_4615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaJwEW7O4QzISDr5nlaHru1LevsgkAhnWUHIrbKCzNOgEBDoQ_eT_4XIn3Cx6yV1jiSRUtpMPoqNtHp638QHihi98aRDq_yxRS5r257GMYieXzzKM5M_0Yk7_RkCau_ZU0Qwo5qMm85PE/s320/IMG_4615.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Miles 17 through 20 are kind of a blur. It was the only area of the course I wasn't familiar with, and I don't really remember it. The pain was coming and going every few minutes and wasn't bad at all, but I was definitely getting tired, and I kept telling myself I just needed to get to mile 20 and I would make it to the finish.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Miles 21-26.2:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was so great to see the 20 mile sign, and it was even better to see Billy up ahead soon after! He briefly chatted with me, took a shockingly great picture, and headed back to his bike - telling me he'd meet up with me up ahead a bit.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp02_udVRDx9NYr21D_VvMcL8GGSsepCVYHSDfpYb02uWqyYuPNxJ_DHmDEfHYmDYrYdUxxbYvlQwvVWEjRi99adq2QjnzQnU5m0PtozajXxKCCtszQ4O5paE8evDiTkdU9TaLYaSVRaI9/s1600/mile20billy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp02_udVRDx9NYr21D_VvMcL8GGSsepCVYHSDfpYb02uWqyYuPNxJ_DHmDEfHYmDYrYdUxxbYvlQwvVWEjRi99adq2QjnzQnU5m0PtozajXxKCCtszQ4O5paE8evDiTkdU9TaLYaSVRaI9/s320/mile20billy.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I was running a bit slower, but still feeling relatively good at this point. A little before mile 21, Billy met up with me again and ran with me for about a mile. It was so great to have a friend to talk to to distract me from my legs that were slowly getting more and more tired. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After Billy left again, I was looking forward to finding Pete. I was a little worried his race may have left him incapable of running with me, but the plan was for him to be somewhere around mile 23. Moments after turning a corner past the mile 23 sign, there he was! I could tell I didn't have much left in my legs, and was so glad to see him. He slowly ran with me, talking to me about his race, when the next aid station would be, told me I looked like I was still doing pretty good, and all that good stuff...and I was doing my best to contribute to the conversation. Then BAM! Right around mile 24 I hit the "wall." I was done. It was extremely painful to keep moving. I wanted to stop and walk, but thankfully Pete made me keep going. I also started to get a bit cranky and Pete's talking, and usually welcome enthusiasm made me want to punch him...in a nice way :-) We saw Billy again around mile 25, and he captured this great picture that illustrates this perfectly.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxktGzyC06PAF2b7yUI9zSHAivcZlggR8Snj-02jKeorUOcYPkkJPhm1coJkoqbc9iA8RP9NMAeClms3TFBxcJ0kjiBDzlid_JkB1dq88s3Gcm0panfQPfsBRtmD09KJ6TEOhS6qi2JXX/s1600/5-2-10+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxktGzyC06PAF2b7yUI9zSHAivcZlggR8Snj-02jKeorUOcYPkkJPhm1coJkoqbc9iA8RP9NMAeClms3TFBxcJ0kjiBDzlid_JkB1dq88s3Gcm0panfQPfsBRtmD09KJ6TEOhS6qi2JXX/s320/5-2-10+018.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've never tried so hard to smile in my life! Pete quieted down a bit, I kept slowly putting one foot in front of the other, and somehow made it to mile 26 - only 0.2 to go! Pete was forced off the course, and I kicked it in to the finish - running a speedy 9:07 pace to the finish. I was so happy to be done! I just became a marathoner! The initial awe wore off a few seconds later when my legs, hips, butt, everything started aching so bad I was in tears. I walked around a bit to find my mom and Pete and had to sit down. Again, SO glad Pete did not let me stop...if that is what stopping feels like - holy moly!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs583.snc3/30758_386891126323_502901323_4426087_7907473_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs583.snc3/30758_386891126323_502901323_4426087_7907473_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finishing my first marathon was a great experience I will definitely never forget, and I'm thankful I am able to accomplish such a feat! I was hoping to run close to 4:30, but I couldn't be happier with my <b>official 4:50:23 finish. </b>I wanted my first marathon to be a FUN learning experience, and it was definitely that! I know what I want to change, and what I want to remain the same during my training and during my next marathon. And, I made it out alive with no puking or bowel movements, all of my toenails, only three blisters, a pretty sweet medal, and one big smile :-D</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Special thanks again to my mom, Jeff, Pete, and Billy for cheering for me and running with me on the course. And to everyone else (on Twitter and in person) who has given me tons of advice and have been incredibly supportive :-)</div><br />
For the curious:<br />
<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/32035709" target="blank">Garmin Connect Data</a><br />
<a href="https://www.runraceresults.com/secure/raceresults.cfm?ID=RCOE2010" target="blank">Race Results</a> (bib #158)<br />
<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AkRB99d7Fy_ZdF9ieG1ZNEtsNGFhQmgtSjlBejBycUE&hl=en" target="blank">Training Plan</a> (deviations in red)Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-58672168269553862482010-04-26T20:08:00.000-07:002010-04-26T20:36:09.328-07:00Ragnarly Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
I apologize in advance for a long, probably disjointed recap of this weekend. The occurrence of events is a huge blur and I'm struggling to put it all into words - what a crazy experience!<br />
<br />
I think my experience with the Ragnar Relay can be best summarized by their tagline: <b>Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.</b><br />
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<b>Run.</b><br />
Going into this thing, I didn't think the running was going to be very difficult for me. I was only doing a total of 14.6 miles, with a solid 8-12 hour break between legs - and turns out I was right!<br />
<br />
Our team started at 7am in Ventura. I started my first run just before noon, and it was a short <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31245296" target="blank">2.8 mile route</a> through Camarillo. Even though I promised myself I would take all of my runs easy with the marathon approaching, I started out pretty fast, because let's be real here, who wouldn't run fast for only 2.8 miles? I finished the first mile in 8:17, and then I came to a hill and slowed down quite a bit. All of the route distances, elevation profiles, etc were in the Ragmag, but the tiny bump in the elevation profile was deceiving, and the hill turned out to be a bit brutal, gaining 160 ft in less than half a mile. Thank you trail runs!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs440.snc3/25273_404408088808_687998808_3901570_155626_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs440.snc3/25273_404408088808_687998808_3901570_155626_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs085.snc3/15291_948772305617_8624241_55577020_1982560_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs085.snc3/15291_948772305617_8624241_55577020_1982560_n.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The parrot all ready to go, and finishing my first leg!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">My favorite run was my second leg that started at 12:57 in the morning. This was a <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31245289" target="blank">6.1 mile route</a> mostly through Beverly Hills. I was a bit nervous for the night run since I had already heard a few horror stories about bums and running completely alone through wooded parks, but thankfully I had a pretty stellar route and I felt safe the entire time. I was also slightly nervous for this run because it was part of the "hillier than thought" LA marathon route, and a girl in my van had run the LA marathon and was telling me how the hills I was about to run on totally sucked.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs420.snc3/25312_10100219302368114_2302377_62526764_1816049_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs420.snc3/25312_10100219302368114_2302377_62526764_1816049_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here I am all excited to go at 1am! Reflective vest, headlamp, and blinking butt light for safety!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I took off fairly fast again, and was having a blast running in the dark. There was something about running at 1am, in the dark, that was really exciting. The few drunk people I encountered on Sunset Blvd were harmless and entertaining, and I was enjoying the surroundings. Once I got to Santa Monica Blvd I came across another girl who was running about my pace and we decided to stay together for safety reasons. We pushed each other up the hills (which weren't bad at all!), and she helped me keep my pace fairly fast and steady. I also had additional motivation because I knew <a href="http://triathleteintransition.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Nina</a> was volunteering at the exchange until 2am - so I needed to get there before she left! We passed 13 people, ran the last mile at 8:13 pace, and I made it to the exchange before 2am! I still don't know exactly what it was, but this run make the whole experience worth it to me, and I had a mega runner's high.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">By the time I had my last run around 9am the next morning, I was feeling pretty crappy, and dreading having to run again...but excited I was about to be done. My last leg was a <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31245234" target="blank">5.7 mile route</a> through Seal Beach. Right as I was about to take off, I saw <a href="http://laeasymeals.com/" target="blank">Andee</a>, who then cheered for me when her team drove by to find their runner up ahead. So nice to see her, and wow was her team fast! They started 7 hours after my team and were passing us with about 1/3 of the relay left - amazing! Anyway, like all of the other legs I had run, I started out a bit fast. However, this time, my fatigued legs were not having it. I totally shut down after about a mile. Bonktastic. I struggled to finish the last 4ish miles of this run and fought with myself not to walk. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs420.snc3/25273_404410023808_687998808_3901721_4388910_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs420.snc3/25273_404410023808_687998808_3901721_4388910_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finishing up my last leg - DONE!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Drive.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A fun, and sometimes frustrating part of the relay was navigating the course in our huge 15-passenger vans. Thankfully, I was able to program all of the GPS coordinates of the exchange locations into my GPS, and we only got slightly lost a few times. I highly recommend doing this, and being very familiar with the route. We saw a few runners who had gotten to the next exchange, but the runner they were supposed to hand off to (and van) were MIA. That would totally suck!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of my favorite parts of the relay was seeing all of the decorated vans with all of the creative team names. There were some great team names, and van decorations...everything from "The Vangina" to the "we eat our feelings" van with food wrappers attached to it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Being the "Jungle Janes," we decorated our van with a jungle theme.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWpO7NTuzx7GqjDoXHlkvleCpLvbcjRUUinacwCegxAafXE82Sno7XncXRgKIt2I5DEv9s1LCBL_cEuXWMMHSEh-6U_lS0WdQR5UgmuTLXMvWrpwJ6ZAl5clQi_cl8h_yHnO_1cm8I00C/s1600/IMG_4570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWpO7NTuzx7GqjDoXHlkvleCpLvbcjRUUinacwCegxAafXE82Sno7XncXRgKIt2I5DEv9s1LCBL_cEuXWMMHSEh-6U_lS0WdQR5UgmuTLXMvWrpwJ6ZAl5clQi_cl8h_yHnO_1cm8I00C/s320/IMG_4570.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs460.ash1/25273_404407828808_687998808_3901526_5116062_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs460.ash1/25273_404407828808_687998808_3901526_5116062_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am also very glad that each of our vans had a designated van driver, who drove the entire time so that none of us that were running had to worry about driving, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Sleep?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What sleep? The lack of sleep was definitely what made the relay difficult, and is what took a toll on all of us. I heard a few people say that this relay was harder than running a marathon, and I think the lack of sleep and sitting around in a van for hours has a lot to do with it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thursday night, those of us in the first van that had to go to the starting line only got about 4 hours of sleep. We didn't get everyone picked up, the vans decorated, and to the Motel 6 in Ventura until about 1am, and had to be to the starting line to check in at 6am Friday to be ready for our 7am start. I was tired and we hadn't even started the relay yet! Bleh!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSn1gzIdFtbghsYYFiSnycUdLQKNXMJAHC593z3NXQ0yq58nAkad8mLcAWzHsdC6hoovqHp_T05ohdnYyw0TP6INsmj8ByuuhcEUzS_mIMsLFVXufSPmjZfJljd52wYgwQ21wzNNm9-XE/s1600/IMG_4603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSn1gzIdFtbghsYYFiSnycUdLQKNXMJAHC593z3NXQ0yq58nAkad8mLcAWzHsdC6hoovqHp_T05ohdnYyw0TP6INsmj8ByuuhcEUzS_mIMsLFVXufSPmjZfJljd52wYgwQ21wzNNm9-XE/s320/IMG_4603.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">People trying to get some sleep on the Santa Monica pier around 2am.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After everyone in the first van finished running, we met the 2nd van at the first major exchange where it would then be their turn to run, and we would get a break. This exchange happened around 1pm - and were projected to be at the 2nd major exchange around 7pm. This gave us about 5 hours of free time since we'd want to get to the exchange a bit early. By the time we sat down and ate an actual meal, got to the house we'd be "sleeping" at, and factored in driving time to the next exchange, we were able to get about 2 hours of sleep. And we had even less time before our 3rd and final van switch, resulting in about an hour of sleep. So going into my last leg, you can imagine why I may have felt like total crap, and started having some pretty bad stomach issues.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoZj9a76c0gIPLHLEGqEK3vj8VQgo1RkKfOZ4Dng35pFJvPuCuwNg-kLQEGZd6FjLkvieT6XuI9ZL5oSUmJGA7zJ99wsreB7CXme24OjgAxrdc7-GVXP2bFQQOT92vSAbgGaeJmWR7UcV/s1600/IMG00069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoZj9a76c0gIPLHLEGqEK3vj8VQgo1RkKfOZ4Dng35pFJvPuCuwNg-kLQEGZd6FjLkvieT6XuI9ZL5oSUmJGA7zJ99wsreB7CXme24OjgAxrdc7-GVXP2bFQQOT92vSAbgGaeJmWR7UcV/s320/IMG00069.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Not a flattering picture, but I'm willing to sacrifice my good looks to sum up exactly how I was feeling at that point :-)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And to think I was on a SLOW team (aka we got a lot more rest time than fast teams)! Not sure how they did it. Kudoos to them.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Repeat.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've been asked about 10 times already if I would do this again next year. Heck yes! So much so that I've totally lost my mind and want to be on a 6 person "ultra" team. Recruiting in progress. And now that I've done this once, I've learned some valuable lessons and hope to make the next time an even better experience.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Finish.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">My team ended up finishing the 200.6 miles in just a few minutes over 35 hours - making our average pace around 10:30 min/mile. Not bad! I'm extremely proud of our team for pulling this whole thing off. It involved TONS of planning and we were able to make it to the finish pretty smoothly. Our team was also very diverse. Hardly any of us had ever met each other, only a few people had run further than a half marathon before, and we even had a girl who had never ran outside before, or more than 6 miles, and didn't know what a marathon was! You can imagine the look on my face when I found this out as she was about to head out on her 7.7 mile run! But really, super impressed with my n00b team's relay skills.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs460.ash1/25312_10100219300102654_2302377_62526681_8204118_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs460.ash1/25312_10100219300102654_2302377_62526681_8204118_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here we all are at the finish with our wonderful van drivers! Yeah Jungle Janes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I think this could quite possibly be the most amazing race medal ever! Ragnar sure knows how to make their runners happy :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZnxBZk6-LzMPt_t34vli0rCnoiKnKimePcmkb7DcFoLh0u1FALYqdDcjWYTiwM1GklBKEz14V48EftW_tQujBDmdAcV-yGloqFRhUcakIgJ0UlONIGGADzzXtbk0yih3jLGw6qe0Q4Sr/s1600/IMG00092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZnxBZk6-LzMPt_t34vli0rCnoiKnKimePcmkb7DcFoLh0u1FALYqdDcjWYTiwM1GklBKEz14V48EftW_tQujBDmdAcV-yGloqFRhUcakIgJ0UlONIGGADzzXtbk0yih3jLGw6qe0Q4Sr/s320/IMG00092.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">What an amazing experience. There were some fantastic highlights, and definitely some low points, but it was all worth it, and I can't wait to do it again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-45898344235823912892010-04-14T12:27:00.000-07:002010-04-14T12:27:16.808-07:00OMG, Shoes!Yesterday, I bought new running shoes. Not because I found a flashy new pair I wanted, or because I didn't like the ones I had, but because I actually wore them out! This is a first for me, and it's also the first pair of shoes that mean something to me - as dumb as that sounds.<br />
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I found it a little annoying to buy the EXACT same pair of shoes, but I really liked them, and with the marathon in about 2.5 weeks, I had a slight fear of changing the shoes I had just spent 3.5 months training with. Also, since they're an "endangered shoe," I got a sweet discount - looks like next time I'll have to try something different.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjBudbg_N7ssSlLWM-Jjq0iTrnudxq6g61cy9Ig9vmm5HXiizynsMFekj7f9rOKeax7C1a0M3Lrg1_OZ9WPIWl8B7BgFtvLXM_SGZ7T4H6AA27jE-1lVvlrf7gVoDtus2W_h4osoicfgn/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjBudbg_N7ssSlLWM-Jjq0iTrnudxq6g61cy9Ig9vmm5HXiizynsMFekj7f9rOKeax7C1a0M3Lrg1_OZ9WPIWl8B7BgFtvLXM_SGZ7T4H6AA27jE-1lVvlrf7gVoDtus2W_h4osoicfgn/s320/shoes.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Leave it to a new, bright white pair of shoes to make you realize how worn and dirty the old ones have become.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, I've kept old tennis shoes before, but that's because they're still in fairly decent condition and I can use them for pick-up games of basketball, kickball, biking around, going for walks, etc, and when it gets to that point, I don't think I would have an issue throwing them away. In this case, I feel like I'm in some weird limbo of not knowing if I should keep these shoes or get rid of them. They're old, dirty, run down shoes that no longer serve much purpose, yet I feel some sort of nostalgia for them. They were with me when I broke the 2 hour barrier in a half marathon, they took me up some ridiculous, beautiful, trails I never thought I'd ever be running on, and most importantly to me, they were the shoes I used to start training for my very first marathon.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After years of shaking my head, I think I finally understand why my dad still has t-shirts and shoes from significant marathons and various other races dating back to the 1970s, even though you can practically see through some of the shirts they're so old, and the shoes have ridiculous leather patches (if I remember correctly, he still takes these out for a run on occasion) or soles mended with a hot glue gun.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I remain in shoe limbo. I feel too attached to my shoes to just throw them in the trash. Yet it seems asinine to keep smelly, dirty shoes - and this is just one pair, what happens when I've accumulated dozens?! Maybe I will use the old shoes for the occasional trail run I do, since they're already dirty. Or maybe they'll find a permanent home in the plastic bin in my closet, taking up space...next to my dusty track spikes (hey, you never know when you'll need those again!).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Do other people feel this way? What do you do with your old shoes?</b></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-68619851321611076442010-04-12T16:44:00.000-07:002010-04-12T16:44:05.922-07:00Gearing Up for the Ragnar Relay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/view_resource?r=237123730867973562&size=2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.mapmyride.com/view_resource?r=237123730867973562&size=2" width="160" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Next Friday and Saturday, I will be running the <a href="http://www.ragnarrelay.com/losangeles/index.php"target="blank">LA Ragnar Relay</a> as part of a 12 girl team. The relay starts in Ventura Friday morning and ends in Dana Point some time on Saturday depending on your pace, totaling 199.9 miles. Each person runs three legs, with each leg ranging anywhere from just over 2 miles to just under 10 miles. The minimum total mileage any one person will run is 12.4 miles and the most is 21.3 miles. There are 282 teams registered this year - which include all girl teams, all guy teams, coed teams, old people teams, corporate teams, and there are also the crazy people who are on "ultra" teams of up to 6 people, who then cover about double the distance! You'll also see the occasional nut case who decides to run the entire thing by their self - no thanks.<br />
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Since this is all taking place the week before my first marathon and I will be deep into taper madness, I opted for lower mileage and will be running a total of 14.7 miles - with individual legs of 2.8 miles, 6.2 miles, and 5.7 miles, which will take me through the cities of Camarillo, Beverly Hills, and Seal Beach at various hours of the day and night!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZvWYHvxSzWoPKAnjhmxLtACgA6AxDiwSV4OSvWC-LbQsft20UDyOPKvwb_N5MyaUGrdmw1YnvXGHY34OyhmrnT9p5hPwJszOU4bXFY-VnbEqfRV_YYZ0AqLoo7nL9eOQYrUAWZE8zDzD/s1600/coursemap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZvWYHvxSzWoPKAnjhmxLtACgA6AxDiwSV4OSvWC-LbQsft20UDyOPKvwb_N5MyaUGrdmw1YnvXGHY34OyhmrnT9p5hPwJszOU4bXFY-VnbEqfRV_YYZ0AqLoo7nL9eOQYrUAWZE8zDzD/s320/coursemap.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'm super excited for this relay, but the whole thing is more complicated than you'd think, and has involved a TON of organization. Props to our team leaders! We've had to rent 2 vans and find van drivers, adapt to multiple changes in the route (which involved losing people, and finding new people last minute due to mileage increases), find ourselves 3 volunteers so we didn't have to pay extra money, organize all of our safety gear (reflective vests, headlamps, tail lights, etc.), find places to "sleep" along the course, determine an accurate estimate of how fast everyone will be able to run, and so on...but most importantly, we had to get our costumes all figured out!<br />
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My team decided on the theme "Jungle Janes" and we will all be dressed as a different jungle animal. Now you don't have to dress up for the relay...but who wouldn't?! Boring people, and we're not boring :-) Also, when you're running, and sleep deprived, I bet watching monkeys and tigers and frogs running through neighborhoods at all hours of the day will be quite entertaining (it's not a closed course, and we probably won't be running with a ton of other people at any given time, so I hope to attract some awkward stares). So please keep an eye out for a monkey, tree frog, butterfly, zebra, giraffe, peacock, turtle, avatar, lion, cheetah, tiger, and, my costume, a PARROT! I'm not entirely sure if a parrot is a "jungle animal" but it sounded like a great idea at the time.<br />
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Last night, I realized I better get going with this whole costume making business and went to the local Jo-Ann and picked up some stellar supplies. A few creative hours later, the parrot was born! Feast your eyes on this epic creation. I just realized I actually ate some crackers while wearing this, too. How fitting!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsc2dzFoij4jMPwOC-rSsjI9kid9Xdd1iplS5XoR5S2wN11LlfhvqTqJuMoSf8yWg2u8eZ6aQl8ohvpYy8_DSPhjdd7naemoKB1rqVLOU0XYoh0pmNoZDs_VOIgysrn5_w88bX8KRLoP9C/s1600/IMG_4535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsc2dzFoij4jMPwOC-rSsjI9kid9Xdd1iplS5XoR5S2wN11LlfhvqTqJuMoSf8yWg2u8eZ6aQl8ohvpYy8_DSPhjdd7naemoKB1rqVLOU0XYoh0pmNoZDs_VOIgysrn5_w88bX8KRLoP9C/s400/IMG_4535.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Anyway, yes, it is ridiculous, but I'm okay with that! The best part, is that the parrot masterpiece is not quite done! I'm brainstorming ways to make "wings" and haven't quite figured out what color shirt I'm going to wear, or if I'm going to wear my black compression socks to look more like parrot legs. You will just have to wait for the relay recap to see the final design! In the meantime, I'm thinking about buying a webcam and wearing my masterpiece while I hang out on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatroulette"target="blank">Chatroulette</a>. Might be a good warm-up for the reactions I'm going to get while wearing it running through Beverly Hills at midnight :-)<br />
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One day into my taper, and I may have already lost my mind. Oh well. Can't wait to share how the relay goes!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-68217702200824369552010-04-11T14:23:00.000-07:002010-04-11T14:27:39.927-07:00Twenty Great Miles!Yesterday was my second 20 mile run, and last loooong run before the marathon! Only 3 weeks away and I'm finally starting to get excited :-)<br />
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If you remember my <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2010/03/weekend-run-fun.html" target="_blank">first 20 mile run</a>, it didn't go the greatest. I took a lot of breaks, and although the running only took me about 3.5 hours, I was out on the "course" for almost 5 hours. This time around went SO much better for various reasons.<br />
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<b>First off, I ran the first 10 miles with a group of people. </b>Earlier this week, <a href="http://dylan.beadle.name/" target="_blank">Dylan</a> pointed me to a meet-up group called "OC Runners" who were planning to run 10 miles around the Back Bay Saturday morning. Perfect! I showed up Saturday morning and was welcomed by a group of about 10 friendly runners who were happy to hear I was there to run with them. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8ne9HKYF2iM5RC2-5RLU09PIrYKV4rqPFQS_YnHXZ0WIjL2xBTjf4fA2JZFZMUleXn9Dotn7AM8vdKQGolRCxXSXBlZwA7waRXlMCohJJBchOFN130zIN96t7nPVv0KMd5RYwl_GdM0u/s1600/20milerbackbay2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8ne9HKYF2iM5RC2-5RLU09PIrYKV4rqPFQS_YnHXZ0WIjL2xBTjf4fA2JZFZMUleXn9Dotn7AM8vdKQGolRCxXSXBlZwA7waRXlMCohJJBchOFN130zIN96t7nPVv0KMd5RYwl_GdM0u/s320/20milerbackbay2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Most of the runners were a bit faster than me since I was going to be doing the 10 mile loop twice, so I stayed back a bit. I started the run around 9:30 min/mile pace and realized I needed to force myself to slow down so I could make it the whole 20 miles without a ridiculous amount of stops again. Remember, goal for this 20 was consistency, not speed. There were two girls in the group running behind me at about 10:30 pace so after a few miles I dropped back and joined them. They were a ton of fun to talk to (one lady just moved here from MN in July, too!) and the pace we were running felt very easy and comfortable. Before I knew it, we were already back to the start! My legs felt amazing at this point, and I couldn't wait to go back out for another loop. I talked with the group a bit, ate a honey and peanut butter uncrustable, and headed right back out!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KLKsKFs5KoI2HhKlMycM0FF8lAWpIO6df58o2cplUUoPbBPQV-fUt1P6kxCNN1dEWQscuQzTFeNXKGmn7NJfcTo1u33ylPMiVlJYWU3HEKfgZ-vOOdclNLrtWqn_YrzWsYhFdVcsTfo2/s1600/20milerbackbay3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KLKsKFs5KoI2HhKlMycM0FF8lAWpIO6df58o2cplUUoPbBPQV-fUt1P6kxCNN1dEWQscuQzTFeNXKGmn7NJfcTo1u33ylPMiVlJYWU3HEKfgZ-vOOdclNLrtWqn_YrzWsYhFdVcsTfo2/s320/20milerbackbay3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This leads me to reason number two this run went well. <b>I forced myself to run slower than my usual pace. </b>Unless I'm doing crazy trail runs, my natural, comfortable pace is around 9:15-30 min/mile. When I go out for really long runs, I always tend to stick to this pace and forget I'm running way further than my usual 5-8 mile weekday runs. Once I started running with the two girls, my pace slowed to around 10:30 and I maintained a 10:15-11:00 min pace for the remainder of the run. I felt amazing until about mile 15 when my legs started to get fatigued, and the pain started kicking in about 3 miles later. BUT, by going slower, I only made a total of 4 stops - none of which were because I felt like I couldn't run anymore. Hooray!<br />
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<b>Next, the trail runs I've been torturing myself with have made the "hills" on the road feel easy. </b>With the ridiculous hills I've been running on lately for all of these trail races I decided to do for some reason, the little hills I encountered on this route felt like nothing! I hope to keep doing at least one trail run a week for this reason...and I have a goal to be able to do a whole run in El Moro without walking, but that may take a while.<br />
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<b>Lastly, the weather was perfect! </b>When I did my last 20 miler, I didn't start until about 11 am, and it ended up being a very hot and sunny day with temps in the 80s. Yesterday was overcast and cool. The entire run I only drank one water bottle full, compared to 3-4 refills last time. I think this definitely made a huge difference and I really hope the weather stays cool for the marathon!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMsqzpFHnF45WOiWq96TFhIMbKxLQpehbe3GrL8jEIXG4f_QEETjuW2SPidufq9e6_UUImdItGzwtx7cTsQHV2M_r1CoC3QyjzHAQr00-8miFyMyGjVy73IfHsNdE5byS73zXp_FpjwwN/s1600/20milerbackbay4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMsqzpFHnF45WOiWq96TFhIMbKxLQpehbe3GrL8jEIXG4f_QEETjuW2SPidufq9e6_UUImdItGzwtx7cTsQHV2M_r1CoC3QyjzHAQr00-8miFyMyGjVy73IfHsNdE5byS73zXp_FpjwwN/s320/20milerbackbay4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I finished the 20.08 miles yesterday in 3:32:59 and only made about 20-30 minutes worth of stops. I was so happy and felt great afterwards. I know the last 6.2 miles of the marathon will be painful, and I will undoubtedly be slow, but after this run I'm finally confident that I can finish - it's a great feeling :-)<br />
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T-minus 3 weeks until the marathon; it's officially TAPER TIME! I hope I don't go crazy!<br />
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Garmin Connect info: <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29697563">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29697563</a>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-74367514725150446582010-04-05T10:56:00.000-07:002010-04-05T11:09:51.016-07:00Sycamore Canyon 18k RecapSince it seemed like everyone else was running the 30k or 50k at Sycamore Canyon this weekend, I thought I'd show the 18k some love and run that one...of course it had <i>nothing</i> to do with my physical capabilities, in fact, the bionic woman who got 3rd overall in the 50k with a time of 4:28:xx better be happy I didn't sign up!<br />
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In all seriousness, I was looking forward to this race more than any other race yet this year. I was finally going to meet a lot of the people I talk to daily on Twitter, and I only had to run about 11 miles on a beautiful trail, where walking is justified :) After swearing off trail runs after finishing the Buffalo Run, I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me that I keep signing up for trail races, and I think I figured it out: I can walk and not feel bad about it. And, of course, the people are pretty awesome and chill.<br />
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I woke up not ridiculously early, around 6am, got ready and started on my 1.5 hour jaunt to Sycamore Canyon. On my way out of the parking lot I found my first tweep, <a href="http://quadrathon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Stuart</a>! I was surprised to hear he had an accent, who knew? I must not have downloaded that Twitter app.<br />
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Soon, everyone had congregated near the start, and I saw tons of familiar faces. <a href="http://www.larunner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Billy</a> got a random fella to take this picture of all of us! And I have to agree with Billy, what a great looking group of people!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wBAJ2Preex6OHIyypDUUQZjk1e4G2cUGtdx1PqJY7EIvV4ZPD4oHgsYg3gV2p9830Mg56hU7AyWkegYnM4fevhzEKWgFd_0W-ermaRa7Dkq3Bzt8rvCAKc8zXr2Mds-RZmCuWKhxRYU/?imgmax=800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wBAJ2Preex6OHIyypDUUQZjk1e4G2cUGtdx1PqJY7EIvV4ZPD4oHgsYg3gV2p9830Mg56hU7AyWkegYnM4fevhzEKWgFd_0W-ermaRa7Dkq3Bzt8rvCAKc8zXr2Mds-RZmCuWKhxRYU/?imgmax=800" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From left to right, Stuart, me, <a href="http://wearethechans.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dave</a>, Billy, <a href="http://j-tris.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Josh</a>, <a href="http://ilovesteaks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Emil</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/kristincool" target="_blank">Kristin</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/runwicked" target="_blank">Colin</a>, and <a href="http://laeasymeals.com/" target="_blank">Andee</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were all so busy talking that we failed to realize it was 8:28 and the race started in 2 minutes. Crap, I still had to go to the bathroom. The race started, and I was just getting to the bathroom. Because of this, I literally started the race dead last. I've never done this before, and it wasn't a great feeling since I knew single-track was coming up within the first mile and I wouldn't be passing many people. Oh well, next time I'll pay more attention, and I'm not really sure how or when passing many people happened, but I ended up finishing 54/80ish so I must've done something right!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The beginning of the first climb wasn't too bad. I was still running, and my legs didn't have that awful heavy feeling they've had lately. Nearing the end of the single track, though, the trail literally went straight up! I started walking, and just walking was proving to be difficult - uffdah! The guy in front of me was mumbling to himself, "this'll teach ya." I had to laugh; true story.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then ran on fire road for a while up to the Ray Miller Trail where I had gone hiking last weekend. I was really excited for this trail - it's absolutely gorgeous and gives way to some breathtaking views. I also knew this meant I was done with the first major climb - hooray! I have to say, being a n00b trail runner, I think I'm pretty good at running downhill and managed to catch up to or pass a lot of the people who schooled me on the climb.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_37mg0tAwCZucx0hPg5rqtOCGYsec3baYAQBXaVnNv84MZkvIq0ZUBKSQ2TaP4hjjZxSVWWzxpts2tI9R0vwuDi1l4KE3DMR7yJN7axqL1KgWHS9ka9zlViXWLmzeDohYw7n4KGoGdVa/s1600/IMG_4506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_37mg0tAwCZucx0hPg5rqtOCGYsec3baYAQBXaVnNv84MZkvIq0ZUBKSQ2TaP4hjjZxSVWWzxpts2tI9R0vwuDi1l4KE3DMR7yJN7axqL1KgWHS9ka9zlViXWLmzeDohYw7n4KGoGdVa/s320/IMG_4506.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1sgyvMDocIv4Q51sd2KEwMiT75qDm30OvS1LlMe5OeAJZGIR-wV14uqDtAp8HPI7gZYlHm-sulVMDaqaEumcGqqc2kXSucUgM1QkEpo6L1-bTcvAm5TJl4sFj7sErx23bWVASpSR28VO/s1600/IMG_4498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1sgyvMDocIv4Q51sd2KEwMiT75qDm30OvS1LlMe5OeAJZGIR-wV14uqDtAp8HPI7gZYlHm-sulVMDaqaEumcGqqc2kXSucUgM1QkEpo6L1-bTcvAm5TJl4sFj7sErx23bWVASpSR28VO/s320/IMG_4498.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A few pictures I took from the Ray Miller Trail on my hike last weekend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the bottom of the trail was the first aid station, and also time for me to turn around and run the course in reverse. I carried a water bottle and Sharkies, so I didn't stop at the station and turned right back around to save some time. Thinking about climbing back up everything I just ran down was daunting, and I made a personal committment that I would run anything that was relatively flat or slightly downhill, and just walk the rest, and it seemed to work pretty well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since I'm not the best at climbing, but do well on the descents, I had been playing a cat-and-mouse game with a few people, including this girl and her dad (or maybe grandpa?). What was special about the girl with the old dude was that I could tell she was in my age group, and I was fairly confident that her or I would be in the 3rd place slot based on who I saw coming back up the hill when I was still going down. My time was already becoming less and less impressive and definitely not brag-worthy, so the least I could do was place in my age group and get a kick-ass ribbon! After turning around, I could hear her approaching me again, and tried incorporating more running into the routine. This didn't work very well, and by mile 8 the girl and the old dude were probably 1/4 of a mile ahead of me and gaining, we were nearing the end of the climb, and I had pretty much convinced myself that I wasn't going to get the kick-ass ribbon. Oh well, life goes on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Soon enough I was back on the fire road and had about 2 miles of running downhill on the road to the finish. Nobody was really around me at this point so I just did my own thing, took in the sights and sounds, and made my way back down and quickly and safely as possible. With about a mile left, I could see the girl and old dude not far below me so I picked up the pace a bit. Maybe I had a chance after all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With about 3/4 of a mile left, a guy literally FLEW by me...turns out he was the leader of the 30k (he ended up finishing it in 2:15). That's cool, dude. It didn't phase me...and you too should just be happy I didn't sign up for that race!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, with less than a half of a mile left we were back on a flat dirt road, my legs were really feeling fatigued, and I could see the gates to the campground/finish area. The girl and old guy were also only about 100 feet away. I knew I could catch them. I kicked it into full gear, used what I had left, and passed them both with about 50 feet to spare, finishing in 2:18:34. I then got yelled at by the old dude about sandbagging, the race just being for fun, and that there was no "prize car" or anything for running fast across the finish line. Thanks, man. Maybe it's trail race etiquette not to kick it in at the end or something, but that's just how I've always been told to end races, it just kind of happens, and I had been trying to catch up to them for 3 miles! I just wanted my ribbon! And, for the record, I did end up getting 3rd in my age group and got my ribbon :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished just before 11am, but didn't leave the race until about 2:30. Having only ran the 18k, I had the privilege of watching everyone else finish their races and had a great time just hanging out and watching everyone kick butt. Josh finished the 30k soon after me, getting 2nd overall, and Colin and Kristin prove the be the nicest, cutest, and most amazing running couple ever and finished their first "official" (not to mention difficult w/about 6000' of climbing) 50k together in just under 5 and a half hours. Great job everybody!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xjrWWNSFvaD42mWJ1J4byKXPkR6nJAHF5y8yvW2A2HDXPevUiJJ3Xzsf6uwdKallnbx_ElydCPioIFwCOYQBV5Z707aF9RDQ_geKKnlHEOblv55JuGPjZ9fV8SK8_1OeAL_9Ka9VZ7g/s1600/4-4-10-012_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xjrWWNSFvaD42mWJ1J4byKXPkR6nJAHF5y8yvW2A2HDXPevUiJJ3Xzsf6uwdKallnbx_ElydCPioIFwCOYQBV5Z707aF9RDQ_geKKnlHEOblv55JuGPjZ9fV8SK8_1OeAL_9Ka9VZ7g/s320/4-4-10-012_1000.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I stole this picture from Billy...seriously, they're awesome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then had the pleasure of ending my evening at the weekly s'moree at the Cooley's. It was a great time with great company, and instead of drooling over the s'more pictures Colin always shares, I got to experience the wonder first-hand :-) I was not disappointed!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also have to say, it was truly a great time meeting and hanging out with everyone yesterday. I've never felt that welcomed by a group of people I've never met before - you all rock! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Garmin Connect info if anyone is interested: <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29010987">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29010987</a></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-78572893394844987722010-03-29T11:19:00.000-07:002010-03-30T10:16:10.510-07:00The Great FailThis weekend I ran the <a href="http://greatraceofagoura.com/course/half_index.html" target="_blank">Chesebro Half Marathon</a> as part of the <a href="http://greatraceofagoura.com/" target="_blank">Great Race of Agoura Hills</a>. Since my first half marathon a little under a year ago, every half I've completed since then has been a PR - if not in time, then in other ways like surviving thousands of feet of climbing (see <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2010/03/catalina-buffalo-run.html" target="_blank">Catalina Buffalo Run</a>). Races have always been a ton of fun and I've surprised myself every time with how well I've done...until this weekend. This was my first race where essentially nothing went well...<b>which is why I'd like to rename it, The Great Fail.</b><br />
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First off, the race started at 7am. If I had seen this before signing up, I probably would not have opted to run this race. Agoura Hills is just under an hour and a half drive from Huntington Beach, meaning I would need to leave my apartment by around 5:15am to get to the race. Then, a long pre-race email was sent out explaining that parking is going to be crazy and to plan to walk 10-20 minutes from where you park to the park where you had to pick up your race bib, etc. For the Chesebro race, the starting line was an additional 10 minute walk up-hill from said park. I ended up having to awake at 4:15am, drive an hour and a half, and then spend about a half hour walking just to get to the start of the race. I am NOT a morning person. <b>Personal</b> <b>Fail #1.</b><br />
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After sleep-driving to the race (don't really even remember driving there), parking, walking, walking, walking, picking up my race bib, walking, going to the bathroom, hanging out with Pete, and walking some more, I realized 5 minutes before the race started that I totally forgot to put on my Garmin. Great! I also remembered that I had "popped" the trunk of my car to get my forgotten Garmin out of my backpack. Not only was I anxious about the race, but I Garmin-less, and concerned about my trunk being open with all of our camping gear for the rest of the weekend with no way to let Pete know to shut it. <b>PF #2.</b><br />
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The first 3 miles of the race were on road, followed by about 7.5 miles on trails, and the remaining 2.5 miles on road again. Although I swore off trail running after the Buffalo Run a couple weeks ago, I went into this race thinking it would be no big deal because the amount of climbing I'd be doing was about 1/3 of that in the Buffalo Run, so I started off feeling fairly confident and strong. The first mile was also downhill. I started off and what I thought was a good pace, but not having my Garmin I really had no clue, and by mile 2 I was already starting to realize I started off way too fast. Soon before the 3 mile mark, I asked a kind lady I was running next to with a Garmin what pace we were moving at. 7:40 min/mile. <b>PF #3.</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe_GoOMo-vsAsAf5UlpqbMRGSYbR4xIG5mvizz_AfVAZpM_qta07haBcE6Bs50l-RXAzwzFXSovyoNMdBrN5m5asq9y2yroLR2Kh-ljwYkAfGRpJaDLRapXc2otNSIJc9o1ao16O-mmcN/s1600/pic7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe_GoOMo-vsAsAf5UlpqbMRGSYbR4xIG5mvizz_AfVAZpM_qta07haBcE6Bs50l-RXAzwzFXSovyoNMdBrN5m5asq9y2yroLR2Kh-ljwYkAfGRpJaDLRapXc2otNSIJc9o1ao16O-mmcN/s320/pic7.jpg" /></a></div><b><br />
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I slowed down, but right after mile 3, we made our way onto the trail and my legs were done. Just done. My legs have felt like garbage all week, ever since the 20 miler, and any optimistic thoughts I had that they might miraculously feel any different during this race vanished. I wanted to just quit and walk the rest of the way...but I kind of sort of had another 10 miles to run. Ugh. <b>PF #4.</b><br />
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As much as I wanted to stop, I kept jogging along at an I-have-no-idea-how-slow-cuz-I-forgot-my-Garmin pace, so I guess that may be <b>win #1</b>. However, this is also when I realized there were not going to be mile markers every mile. So now I didn't just not know how fast/slow I was running, but I had no idea how far I had gone either, which was extremely difficult for me when I was feeling that crappy. <b>PF #5.</b><br />
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Thinking to myself, "I bet I've gone about 7-8 miles by now," I round a turn and see a nice big "Mile 6" sign. Obviously, I was discouraged by this, but took a bottle of water they were giving out (which was a fail on their part since bottles littered the trail everywhere) and continued on my way. Some single track started at this point and suddenly I was at a dead stop. I could see some people sort of yelling up the hill in front of me but didn't really know why. As I slowly made my way closer to the commotion, I realized there was a guy running with his 1ish yr old baby in a stroller. WTF?! I realize running a race with your child can be a special occasion or whatever, but this was a half marathon, on a trail, with single track, and rough spots, and you're blocking about 1000 people! <b>Parenting Fail #1. </b><br />
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<b></b>I ended up running behind "stroller guy" for a while because he was extremely difficult to pass, and running slow enough for me that I didn't care too much. I kept getting so nervous watching him tho, as the stroller kept nearly tipping over. Then, it happened. There was a mini "ravine" in the trail and the stroller tipped completely over. The kid was wearing a seat belt, thankfully, and seemed to be fine. But really dude? <b>Parenting</b> <b>Fail #2. </b>Random<b> </b>side note: looking back, "stroller guy" reminded me a lot of The Hoff. That may explain some of it.<br />
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Soon I was marching up a steep hill to the high point of the course. I felt like I was part of an ant parade, but nearing the top, it was fun to look down and realize I was definitely not going to get last :) <b>Win #2. </b>After this long, steep climb, we got to run back downhill for a while and my legs were feeling a bit better, and I knew I'd be able to finish this beast. I came around a turn to some volunteers holding trash bags to throw our water bottles from the previous water station in. The course had flattened out a bit at this point and my legs were feeling tired and heavy again. A few of the volunteers were laughing and smiling and yelling "mile 7!! not much further to go!!" It felt like we were WAY past mile 7...I looked to the girl running next to me, she looked back, and we hung our heads nearing tears, and proceeded to slowly walk up the next hill. Again, I was ready to be done, and couldn't believe I had only gone 7 miles. Upon reaching the top of the hill a half mile or so later, I noticed it looked like we were turning off onto the road again (meaning we only had 2.5 miles left) and sure enough, I exited onto the road and saw the 11 mile marker shortly after. Thanks volunteers at "mile 7" that was SO nice of you when not everyone has a Garmin, and there was only one mile marker on the trail. Laugh away! <b>Volunteer Fail.</b><br />
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Again, more downhill and I knew I could make it back. Being annoyed at the volunteers gave me an extra boost as well. I was tired, but I was so close I wasn't going to let myself walk anymore. With about 0.2 miles left, I rounded the final turn and felt the same urge I felt at the Buffalo Run to throw up. I had to stop and compose myself. Who stops that close to the finish, really? <b> PF #6.</b><br />
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</div><b>I finally reached the finish with an official time of 2:24:06.</b> I think I should have been able to run this course between 2:10 and 2:15, so I was a bit disappointed, but I guess I can't win them all! I finished 706/1038 overall, and 22/34 in my age group. Definitely not my best, but not my worst either.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha__nj47FvELiOf6ZvB0m48wgsP3FIjr7XR89HhfgbuFXBM-8tqzLEaSc_1xReG8_tnyBFAEdD9Nz1G7WEW4kpeNVpHzGAfQr69o6-jzqNPiDgHWkXYbsUcU5P46L1JBLYtrQEnzpLIUZi/s1600/pic4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha__nj47FvELiOf6ZvB0m48wgsP3FIjr7XR89HhfgbuFXBM-8tqzLEaSc_1xReG8_tnyBFAEdD9Nz1G7WEW4kpeNVpHzGAfQr69o6-jzqNPiDgHWkXYbsUcU5P46L1JBLYtrQEnzpLIUZi/s320/pic4.jpg" width="184" /></a></div><br />
<b>On a positive note,</b> the people who ran this were some of the nicest people I've encountered while racing. Everyone was encouraging, had great race etiquette, and I even saw a couple people picking up litter they saw along the course. And thanks to all volunteers that were not at "mile 7!" :) I'm excited for my <a href="http://www.pctrailruns.com/Sycamore_Canyon.htm" target="_blank">18k trail race</a> next weekend - redemption here I come!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-52013756091599581812010-03-24T16:56:00.000-07:002010-03-24T17:06:02.906-07:00The Car Chronicles<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So about that being carless when I moved to California thing?</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Things started out great.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I had a 12 mile commute to work that took some getting used to, but I really started to enjoy the cool, crisp mornings and the mellow, calming rides home after work. After a long day, it was so relaxing. And being a Minnesota girl, this weather was just too good to be true, and I was more than willing to spend my mornings and evenings commuting. If for some reason I wasn't up for the ride, the bus was always a fairly convenient alternative. As described in </span></span><a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2009/10/special-case-of-mondays.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">this post</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, I really was falling in love with the commuting lifestyle, and I became a lot more serious about sticking with it...I even vowed to stop using Pete's truck for things like grocery shopping. By the end of November, I was enjoying biking so much, that Pete and I spent a week biking 400 miles up mountains, across the desert, around a sea...and back. It was one of the best experiences of my life and it made me even more passionate about being on my bike.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirII3EPtWKx0rMKy5YK374Tf78mYSLho9Io18KD7gBo2py8xopAtWvHtRN91AhWHXFTj7toRIddIokUSEK0vjoeMynPlBulgflwqvSYRZaqzh-b3g9Ac2JvDDG-_8OIvJD3WLry0fZ1tNu/s1600/IMG_4025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirII3EPtWKx0rMKy5YK374Tf78mYSLho9Io18KD7gBo2py8xopAtWvHtRN91AhWHXFTj7toRIddIokUSEK0vjoeMynPlBulgflwqvSYRZaqzh-b3g9Ac2JvDDG-_8OIvJD3WLry0fZ1tNu/s200/IMG_4025.JPG" width="150" /></span></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm not entirely sure where my turning point was, </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">it may have started with all of the rain we got,</span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">but by January biking started to lose it's fun. Commuting was no longer enjoyable. It became a chore. Something I had to do everyday. I described the pros and cons of being without a car </span></span><a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2010/01/carless-inconvenience.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. However, finding and buying a car is a pain, especially when you don't know much about cars and have never done it before, so I pedaled on, looking here and there every once in a while.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Things really got bad about a month ago. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I mean REALLY bad. Drivers appeared to get ridiculously dumb, careless, and evil. I had a lot of close-calls, and I started getting severe road rage. This is not good when you're on a bike. I wanted to plow people over...who were in cars...going fast. Get the picture? It got so bad, that commuting made me want to cry, and I wanted nothing to do with it. From then on, I would take the bus. I guess you could say I hit the "wall?"</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the midst of my commuting mid-life crisis</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, I got an email from an angel named "My Dad" (my mom's gonna love that one). He asked me if I would like to buy his 2000 Jetta for $2k. Umm...YES. That decision took about a minute. Best day of my life! Long story short, the Jetta made it from Houston to Huntington Beach via some plane rides and road trips, and my life is already better.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHFfp2Rdss-zWMTeqVQ_rtmfj8gV_WaavidJT469oHy3NqEz5aBHuj_4xi2c1nfxqE15HgICcRcu4nO8exNpffDv-TrLA7ecEnbryYXsImwPDabJDUR8luw7_UFXwYA5VgNCOo3d-MxVy/s1600/IMG_4426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHFfp2Rdss-zWMTeqVQ_rtmfj8gV_WaavidJT469oHy3NqEz5aBHuj_4xi2c1nfxqE15HgICcRcu4nO8exNpffDv-TrLA7ecEnbryYXsImwPDabJDUR8luw7_UFXwYA5VgNCOo3d-MxVy/s320/IMG_4426.JPG" /></span></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Since I retrieved my car</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">almost 2 weeks ago,</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I've been able to get out and do so many more things without having to rely on Pete or a bus or my own two legs. One nice thing is being able to sleep more in the morning because my travel time is about 40 min less, and my nights seem longer for the same reason. Yay more time to run! I was also able to go drive to San Diego for a night, a new place to do my 20 mile run and cheer on everyone at the LA marathon! I also signed up for another race in the Santa Monica Mountains next weekend...BECAUSE I CAN DRIVE THERE...and because it sounds fun :)</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All of the biking I did was a great experience, but after 9 months, </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I learned a completely carless lifestyle is not for me, at least not while I'm living here. </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now that I have been driving for a while, the idea of biking to work again is actually kind of exciting and I plan to start commuting a few days a week soon. There's definitely a difference between having to bike to work, and wanting to bike to work. It's nice to finally have that option.</span></span></div></span></span></span>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-6933998062924733662010-03-22T11:07:00.000-07:002010-03-23T16:33:52.900-07:00Weekend Run Fun!<b>This weekend was jam-packed full of running, and it was a blast!</b><br />
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I started the weekend off by taking a somewhat impromptu drive down to San Diego with my friend Sarah from high school who drove MY CAR (more on this later) back from Albuquerque with me last weekend, and then stayed the week. The San Diego visit was short and sweet, but ended up being a really fun night filled with dueling pianos, an amazing Ghirardelli chocolate sundae, and some interesting foreign people at the hostel. And how does this have anything to do with running? I ate an entire pizza and was a pretty boring bar-mate since I would be running 20 miles the next day. It happens.<br />
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After driving back from San Diego, I headed right back out for <b>my first 20 mile run!</b> I decided a while ago I wanted to scope out the parts of the <a href="http://www.ocmarathon.com/" target="_blank">OC Marathon</a> course I was unfamiliar with, so I ran an out-and-back of the first 10 miles (the rest is a lot of my bike route to work). I'm so glad I did this! The race is advertised as being downhill the first 5 miles. I quickly learned this was not exactly the case with a few hills within the first 3 miles. They are small hills, but still! Other than getting to run along the coast, and overlook the ocean at Corona del Mar beach, I kind of loathe the first 3 miles of the course. Maybe I was just in a bad mood that day :) I did really enjoy the second 5 miles as it's all through the back bay in Newport. I've never ran in the back bay before and I thought it was really pretty, relaxing, and it's almost completely flat! WOOHOO! It was hot however, which is something to remember for race day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJnzXGzGGoQ2sqbpYLmh6SEQdLMlC26KoFaixr4LShzYZ_GgRWvzQ1xWp8AZC8aYlOYrUf3gyhzgQwOFTauQehjkx0_hH-SFpkenH3XQtuOue7FpBEwcpuO9JM4yDiwJeBZ-4-7n97_pm/s1600-h/20milerbackbay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJnzXGzGGoQ2sqbpYLmh6SEQdLMlC26KoFaixr4LShzYZ_GgRWvzQ1xWp8AZC8aYlOYrUf3gyhzgQwOFTauQehjkx0_hH-SFpkenH3XQtuOue7FpBEwcpuO9JM4yDiwJeBZ-4-7n97_pm/s320/20milerbackbay.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In general, my first 20 miler went alright. It was successful in that I ran all 20 miles in just short of 3.5 hours (aside from a few walk breaks at the end since it was ALL up hill ;-)) But it was not successful in that I stopped A LOT (and got sunburned). From the time I left my car, to the time I got back, it was more like 4.5-5 hours. My legs felt tired before the run even started, and they pretty much stayed that way the whole time. I feel like I must have stopped every 2-3 miles to either catch my breath, stare at the pretty ocean, eat some gu, drink water, stretch, refill my water, awkwardly take pictures of myself, complain on twitter, text my dad who pointed out that texting during a training run is a bad sign, go to the bathroom...you get the picture. But in the midst of it all, I did run 20 miles and get a feel for the course, and I guess that's what matters at this point! Next time, less stopping!<br />
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(P.S. I'm doing a pretty awesome job of keeping up with my training plan for once! You can check out what I've done <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AkRB99d7Fy_ZdF9ieG1ZNEtsNGFhQmgtSjlBejBycUE&hl=en" target="_blank">here</a>. Six more weeks till race day!)<br />
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<b>Now onto the fun stuff.</b><br />
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Sunday morning was spent cheering on my tweeps at the LA Marathon with Sarah! I got really excited when I found out so many people would be running, and that I would actually be around to cheer, so I made a bunch of awesome signs. After waking up a bit late, driving a couple miles and realizing I forgot the signs (that could've been bad), and putting some air in my car tires, Sarah and I arrived a bit later than planned, found parking where we could, and ended up claiming a section of pristine sideline just before the 18 mile mark. I got to see <a href="http://twitter.com/runwicked" target="_blank">Colin</a>, <a href="http://triathleteintransition.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nina</a>, <a href="http://www.chicrunner.com/" target="_blank">Danica</a> and <a href="http://www.larunner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Billy</a>, <a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ron</a>, and <a href="http://gymnotes.org/" target="_blank">Linda</a>. And I'm so happy that amongst a massive crowd of runners, we only failed at showing 2 people their signs! Oops. It was so fun to finally see everyone out running one of these marathon things you always talk about! Side note: mile 18 was probably not a great spot for me to watch when I'm about to run my first marathon.<br />
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Let the sign parade begin:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfqF2rSzH_Y64N_yFmayN0CB4lFsbpX8RD4GX3KB3LInvFRDWyn1651aIDtY_Hdz1wrmKu3FlWeKx2SEB-7p9tBuKuWjv7UdpvFqyB8BeVYEEDUCgboMlStJ1CumbiYjBmOYLwemFGbAd/s1600-h/colin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfqF2rSzH_Y64N_yFmayN0CB4lFsbpX8RD4GX3KB3LInvFRDWyn1651aIDtY_Hdz1wrmKu3FlWeKx2SEB-7p9tBuKuWjv7UdpvFqyB8BeVYEEDUCgboMlStJ1CumbiYjBmOYLwemFGbAd/s320/colin.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEIRhUhn1tJUGjuzEeejfkgf44QTJzCtAS7X3xOL5935o4s2S-u95hNvlUE9TjD-wBbnkYaJhXOWFKtrMRR3GzPl9RwhCI-aK_UMdploaAzmxqj0i24A7qblG4lxYpTFxQLf6DhPXZmaG/s1600-h/nina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEIRhUhn1tJUGjuzEeejfkgf44QTJzCtAS7X3xOL5935o4s2S-u95hNvlUE9TjD-wBbnkYaJhXOWFKtrMRR3GzPl9RwhCI-aK_UMdploaAzmxqj0i24A7qblG4lxYpTFxQLf6DhPXZmaG/s320/nina.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6XrSBnRhle32Ecjq-5frfO_Q0chvFpU3HbvexXoSUrYY0YB6T7Taktl5pI8L1uZl5wFCvnvVYUdEQuFHO3m4ZQ1DaxtGe1-SpXTgUHMcjDlLuMQs177GJ2qjoRGzf-BvjDljAejopr7U/s1600-h/danica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6XrSBnRhle32Ecjq-5frfO_Q0chvFpU3HbvexXoSUrYY0YB6T7Taktl5pI8L1uZl5wFCvnvVYUdEQuFHO3m4ZQ1DaxtGe1-SpXTgUHMcjDlLuMQs177GJ2qjoRGzf-BvjDljAejopr7U/s320/danica.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjg_6zLr_-NdOBS4rMRjG9WrDuIyTQQbfIob60QJySuVEIJn27-wGvky3IdzOhQ7QggUrToqwN7DFXyBAyoETeI0B82lVCFQPUZ1UnDOrlqXOyhyvsekuoxCfVXyO1ysTDV62jmrPEOtp/s1600-h/ron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjg_6zLr_-NdOBS4rMRjG9WrDuIyTQQbfIob60QJySuVEIJn27-wGvky3IdzOhQ7QggUrToqwN7DFXyBAyoETeI0B82lVCFQPUZ1UnDOrlqXOyhyvsekuoxCfVXyO1ysTDV62jmrPEOtp/s320/ron.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqLSi4upsM-2ov18fldQa_fDUqHExf-lnJb7agsHWP88JKKd5UbPJCwli5K9ZQFzc0DN5jDAxTusREBmR6MoP-41zZlw3SoB13bLCIEBPMjABCzxsJdsj6IikYf3HP_Y7K-cvCTJsKrJs/s1600-h/linda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqLSi4upsM-2ov18fldQa_fDUqHExf-lnJb7agsHWP88JKKd5UbPJCwli5K9ZQFzc0DN5jDAxTusREBmR6MoP-41zZlw3SoB13bLCIEBPMjABCzxsJdsj6IikYf3HP_Y7K-cvCTJsKrJs/s320/linda.jpg" /></a></div><br />
You all did GREAT and need to run more races around here so I can come cheer you on and make more signs :) Congrats again to everyone out there yesterday...I hope to be as cool as you soon!<br />
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After the marathon, I went for a 4 mile recovery run, felt great, and <b>finished my first 40 mile week!</b> Today, I am sore, and I love it.<br />
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Happy recovery runners!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-922720094076880652010-03-01T11:45:00.000-08:002010-04-05T12:00:32.462-07:00Catalina Buffalo RunThis weekend, I traveled to Catalina Island with Pete and his parents to run the trail half marathon around Avalon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6V2LuQkKGRRz4BUZ84LJlMNSOh-zxrfdoV_c3NokwCP60jzZ-Up7kP-jM4bBQ_LYYbrkVyiRKTVzFR4MCinuY7ja4xMJqKC4n349jNH7_COiV4OKnYPUIPtjLBogjqdtC01VHHIqO-yS/s1600-h/DSC00017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6V2LuQkKGRRz4BUZ84LJlMNSOh-zxrfdoV_c3NokwCP60jzZ-Up7kP-jM4bBQ_LYYbrkVyiRKTVzFR4MCinuY7ja4xMJqKC4n349jNH7_COiV4OKnYPUIPtjLBogjqdtC01VHHIqO-yS/s320/DSC00017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Looking back, I'm still not entirely sure why I signed up for this race, knowing the following:<br />
1. I don't like going to Catalina because I get sick on the hour long boat rides.<br />
2. I was aware that the course elevation gain was about 1600 ft in the first 5 miles. Most of my training runs are on the flat, sea-level beach.<br />
3. This was a trail run, and I had only completed two trail runs my entire life.<br />
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But, I guess it was something to do, and it was definitely a challenging experience I wish to never endure again :) Shout out to trail runners - what is wrong with you people?!<br />
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<b>Here's the play-by-play of how it all went down:</b><br />
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<b>Pre-race -</b> Woke up around 7am and walked to the area to pick up our race packets and shirts. Number 131 - yay a palindrome number! Pete got number 187...which is the month and year I was born, so I told him it was lucky, of course, and threatened to swap our timing chips so I could be really fast! I ate a banana, some of the Wheaties we got in our bags, and watermelon sport beans. We took a group picture (Pete's dad ran the 5k) and headed to the starting line for the 9am start. Props for having a "late" start time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEm5xrQkU0iTIO0vPgRvY9lQ4AoABJmZoxBV1CSZbaTMyGGQJMixU5p7yvO_3E2r-oBrwd1mnPqun3hJ0Z7ijRkChXH7d3fGtdYGEgIponUrb-j9p_rZazH7HZJBklqY80bwUd-x4M1-r/s1600-h/DSC00002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEm5xrQkU0iTIO0vPgRvY9lQ4AoABJmZoxBV1CSZbaTMyGGQJMixU5p7yvO_3E2r-oBrwd1mnPqun3hJ0Z7ijRkChXH7d3fGtdYGEgIponUrb-j9p_rZazH7HZJBklqY80bwUd-x4M1-r/s320/DSC00002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 0</b> - Race dude announces that it's all uphill until about mile 6, and then it's all back down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 0.1 - </b>Cruising along around 8:30 pace, still running on the road. Hey, this isn't too bad!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 0.67</b> - Holy crap! Why isn't anyone walking yet?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 1.6</b> - We reach the trail/dirt road and a "rival" passes me, and starts walking. I start walking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 1.8 - </b>I try running again, and make it a few tenths of a mile before I stop and walk again. I continue this run, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalk, run, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalk pattern for most of the race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 2.6</b> - Guy passes me wearing weird sock things that cover his shoes...wtf are those?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 3.5</b> - Look at my garmin and see my average pace is around 11:50 min/mile. Decide I'm not going to let my pace get any slower than 13 min/mile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 5.0</b> - Okay, not letting my pace get any slower than 15 min/mile</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile. 5.3</b> - WOOHOO! A DOWNHILL!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 5.4</b> - Ahhh I don't know how to run downhill - I can't stop!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 5.5</b> - F#ck, there's a sharp rock in my shoe. <i>That's</i> what those shoe cover things are for, and I remember that they're called Gaitors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 6.2</b> - Oh good, there's another hill to run up. FML. Start walking again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 6.6</b> - Weeeee back downhill the rest of the way! I remember a conversation I had with Pete once about him learning to run downhill on trails, and his advice came to me in a very Yoda-like voice: "Lean forward, while running down hill, you must." So I start leaning forward slightly and it helps me maintain my speed, but stay much more in control.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 7.1</b> - I see Pete flying downhill towards me (there's one out-and-back portion) and excitedly give him a high five before he makes his way the rest of the way down to the finish! Wait, he was running downhill...which means we're going back up. What the hell?! The race dude said it was all downhill after mile 6...efffff this!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 7.8</b> - Rain. Wind. Lots and lots of mud. Freezing my ass off. FML, again. Can this just be over yet? Rival passes me and tells me I'm almost to the turn-around. I'm about 3 minutes behind. Grrrr.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 8.2</b> - I reach the turn-around point. Guy looks behind me and says "I see I have an orange shadow." Whatever drugs that dude is on, I want them. Then I realize I'm wearing an orange shirt, and pass him. Now, it's all downhill!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 10</b> - Weeeeee I'm flyin! Feel great, and only have a 5k left!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 12</b> - Can see rival not that far ahead of me...decide I'm going to start picking up my pace around 12.5 miles and try to pass.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 12.5</b> - I think I'm going to throw up. I slow down a bit and take it easy the rest of the way...trying not to puke. I can see the finish...deceivingly far away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 13.0</b> - I see Pete and his parents. (don't barf, don't barf, don't barf...force a smile...don't barf, don't barf, don't barf)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPTedraHWOqCoSOpxm6cYDSnwKgJwaimcVtIvYzdWU9SWhlDSc4W7R7TdiRY7CQIuyWE-At-lUYBLyl9UzYEI587wkKtW9zyaV-zD_kHBEwKrZBPts6LspdNyB82T4PfAYCS_ed9O4S6M/s1600-h/DSC00004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPTedraHWOqCoSOpxm6cYDSnwKgJwaimcVtIvYzdWU9SWhlDSc4W7R7TdiRY7CQIuyWE-At-lUYBLyl9UzYEI587wkKtW9zyaV-zD_kHBEwKrZBPts6LspdNyB82T4PfAYCS_ed9O4S6M/s320/DSC00004.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Mile 13.14</b> - Run past the finish, past the person with the medals, past the person collecting chips, and straight to the trash can and throw up three consecutive times. Victory!!! First time ever doing that. I think it was a combination of too much orange gatorade on the course, and since the last 4 miles was downhill, running really fast (for me).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>I ended up finishing in 2:29:14</b>. Only 5 minutes slower than my very first half marathon...haha. And only 45 seconds behind said rival :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I went back and got my medal, and Pete and his parents met up with me. We walked over to where the 5k awards were being announced and Pete's dad got 2nd in his age group! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After showers to wash off all the mud, and some food, we walked back over to the half marathon awards since we knew Pete had won his age group with a 1:50:14 - watch out, he's getting uber speedy! While we were waiting for them to announce his name, I hear my name - what the hell? Turns out I got 3rd in my age group! Pretty fun that we all placed! Here we are with our age group medals.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOYLG50UR31hY9gV-N0fU0OICKrbTHKwqEG9OD9s9UPNg9ctckFpCoS8KVV4QPKejQGGT0TTC7Ik49dttXuq1Z0zCG5YPbGH2h8q7_rQoYBgE7-_ZHYX9waNPgvRLg0wV_fACy5FuFq6m/s1600-h/DSC00009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOYLG50UR31hY9gV-N0fU0OICKrbTHKwqEG9OD9s9UPNg9ctckFpCoS8KVV4QPKejQGGT0TTC7Ik49dttXuq1Z0zCG5YPbGH2h8q7_rQoYBgE7-_ZHYX9waNPgvRLg0wV_fACy5FuFq6m/s320/DSC00009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was definitely the hardest race I have ever finished in my life. I'm new to running these distances, and was WAY out of my element running on a trail like this, so I'm proud of myself for pushing through, and doing as well as I did. I'm fairly sure that I never want to do this race again (at least not until I forgot how much it sucked), but I think it was great mental training for me with my first marathon coming up in just 2 months! Eek!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the elevation profile and a graph of my pace throughout the race:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFFroys8m8mVpvx0YV6WUs-yrDzbZBFefgomA5OKXHL7UKpm25Lz_ZQmRno6piinTjeJ9FNMeNoVTbYAkfYWvFtc6p7uMFMy-4_ftju0FvC4bSFVhJX5Tuh7u_LhyphenhyphenywfP91s5b9QqV-Eo/s1600-h/buffalo+run+elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFFroys8m8mVpvx0YV6WUs-yrDzbZBFefgomA5OKXHL7UKpm25Lz_ZQmRno6piinTjeJ9FNMeNoVTbYAkfYWvFtc6p7uMFMy-4_ftju0FvC4bSFVhJX5Tuh7u_LhyphenhyphenywfP91s5b9QqV-Eo/s400/buffalo+run+elevation.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bJAq2v8JeGjkik8cZG98LH6JjMQiaG6OCNwZ0neQjoTQa6uprCuvvB6UyekbroPuzj1mAvne-BzRx1V9CIIkV3MV8pfGyThW2sbFFsBvrZbYHr27OFqpFuMwoWYSy_ylbp25nOIMJB11/s1600-h/Pace+Graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bJAq2v8JeGjkik8cZG98LH6JjMQiaG6OCNwZ0neQjoTQa6uprCuvvB6UyekbroPuzj1mAvne-BzRx1V9CIIkV3MV8pfGyThW2sbFFsBvrZbYHr27OFqpFuMwoWYSy_ylbp25nOIMJB11/s320/Pace+Graph.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-63732016193368614802010-02-09T20:36:00.000-08:002010-02-09T20:36:36.271-08:00Yukon Days 3 Miler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vacationsports.com/NewYukonLogooo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.vacationsports.com/NewYukonLogooo.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I should have known by the event logo that this race was going to be completely ridiculous and an outright horrible idea. Seriously, what is that thing? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yukon Days involves a 1 mile run, 3 mile run, and a 3 mile snowshoe race which all take place ON White Bear Lake in good ole Minnesota, in February! If you're not from the northern part of the Midwest, February is pretty much the absolute worst month of the year to be doing anything outside. Sign number 2 this was a bad idea.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking at last year's times when I was considering signing up for the 3 mile race, it didn't seem like it would be that bad: the winner of the 3 miler ran it at about 6 min mile pace, and I took a quick glance at the pictures and it seemed like people were having fun, even if they looked like they were freezing their butts off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For whatever reason, I decided to sign up, and since my mom had recently gotten into snowshoeing, I thought it would be fun to sign her up for the snowshoe race as a Christmas present. So Saturday morning we woke up, hopped in the car, and drove the few miles to the race. I was originally planning on running to the race, but with my leg being injured I didn't want to push it - and I can sincerely say I was happy to be injured at that point, because it was frigid out there!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We got our numbers, timing chips, and hoodies. I'm used to getting nice, fancy tech shirts for running events...but this was a hoodie, and it was definitely NOT fancy, or cute! Hopefully you won't see me wearing it outside of my apartment. Again, bad sign.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c54102/x2_a18481" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c54102/x2_a18481" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I stood with about 100 other people on the frozen lake waiting for the race to start...freezing to death. The race director FINALLY announced that the 3 miler would be starting in a few minutes. Everyone lined up near the two cones marking the starting line, and moments later we heard this huge CRACK! that you could hear propagate over a good few seconds. It's normal to hear this kind of cracking on a lake, and I wasn't worried about falling into the water or anything, but it was definitely startling and I just wanted to get going. Another sign this was a bad, bad idea. I also noticed everyone around me had on yaktraks...and realized that probably would've been a good purchase. Fail.</div><br />
The race finally started, and I was off. I started at about 8 min mile pace thinking I could finish this bad boy in under 24 minutes. My sub 24 min dream came to an abrupt end upon nearly falling on my face 5 steps into the race. I immediately realized running on ice covered in 3-4 inches of fresh snow was insanely difficult. It was like running on a sandy beach, but way more slippery. My pace soon plummeted to around 11-12 minute miles except for a few spots where cars had driven and packed the snow down, and I could run around 9:30 min pace. Ankles were rolling, yaktraks weren't helping (suckas!), and everyone appeared to be tiring quickly. The way everyone looked running, you'd think they pounded a few drinks beforehand.<br />
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And as if the ice and snow weren't enough to deal with, we had to run the 2nd mile through a popular ice fishing area. I had finally just figured out how to awkwardly run with tiny strides to reduce the slippage, and then we had old ice fishing holes! It was like running through a mine field only instead of mines you had old ice fishing holes buried in snow to deal with. Any method I thought I developed to conquer the snow and ice no longer worked. Gah! Can this race just be over already?<br />
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By mile two I was abnormally exhausted and just wanted to be done. I picked out this guy running in shorts (umm hello, it's 20 degrees out!) about 1/4 of a mile in front of me and decided I was going to pass him before we finished. I booked it as fast and safely as I could and passed him with about a half mile left and before I knew it I was done. I saw my mom waiting in the crowd to start the snowshoe race, said good luck, and took shelter in the warm car until she finished.<br />
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I finished in 33:44 - a PW! I later learned the winner of the race, a girl who has been known to run sub 3:15 marathons, finished in 24-some minutes. Now, I don't feel so bad! (last year's times were so speedy because it hadn't just snowed - tricky!) I also learned running on such a terrain is probably one of the worst things you can do with an injured calf/achilles, but it actually felt pretty good afterwards and has been improving ever since - hooray!<br />
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And BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: I finally did the impossible and took a cute race picture! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcgKzX71evSXQhRcOt-aTrbN3u-N08zsc3CV-FO5wZAaSWA4PMyBUvfiLYTVHAoLgeO7wqEtadP8f4OSXgdA1EWDLbiRmFujpPtCbZm48HsDIPck2PUuscwcZAXV7u0NXxDTtLF1WByfa/s1600-h/yukondays1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcgKzX71evSXQhRcOt-aTrbN3u-N08zsc3CV-FO5wZAaSWA4PMyBUvfiLYTVHAoLgeO7wqEtadP8f4OSXgdA1EWDLbiRmFujpPtCbZm48HsDIPck2PUuscwcZAXV7u0NXxDTtLF1WByfa/s400/yukondays1.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All of the freezing to near death, ankle rolling, slipping, tripping on old ice fishing holes, and acquired wind burn on my face was all worth it in the end! It was also fun getting my mom to do a race - she finished in under an hour and wasn't last! :-)</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-32184066730831991102010-01-18T13:43:00.000-08:002010-01-18T13:43:48.143-08:00Marathon Training!I made it through my entire first week of marathon training - without skipping a beat! If you haven't noticed, I suck at sticking to a training plan, so this is a big accomplishment for me (yes, I know it's only been a week).<br />
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FINALLY, I'm extremely excited and motivated to run and train for this race - I attribute this mostly to having music again, and my sub 2 hour half marathon last weekend - or maybe 2010 is just my year, who knows! This whole week I've just felt like running, and haven't given in to the TV (even with my recently developed Dexter obsession) or let feeling a little tired get in the way. <b>Running hasn't felt like a chore; it's been a blast and I don't want to stop!</b><br />
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<b></b>For my long run on Saturday, I even got myself out of bed at 4am to do a 10 mile TRAIL run with <a href="http://www.breakingthetape.com/blog"target="_blank">Jeff</a> - woah, woah, woah! Although this was really hard for me since I never run hills and we did about 1000 ft of climbing (yep, I walked a fair amount), it was a great change of scenery, and I had a ton of fun experiencing some trails...butt, you will thank me later. Jeff also made sure to tell me I did well, and I'm not as scared for my hilly half marathon on Catalina in about a month. And, I was done with my long run by 7:30 in the morning - NICE!<br />
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Anyway, I'm really excited that training for my first marathon is starting off on a nice, positive note! I have some jitters about my first marathon so good vibes like this are definitely welcome. I want this to be a fun first experience; not one that will make me hate the marathon. <br />
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If you're interested in the training plan I worked up - you can check out my mess of a spreadsheet <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AkRB99d7Fy_ZdF9ieG1ZNEtsNGFhQmgtSjlBejBycUE&hl=en"target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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My plan is not set in stone since I have no idea what will and won't work for me quite yet. For my first go at this marathon thing, I don't want to work on my speed or worry about being fast, or too slow - I really just want to finish, so my main focus is just to build up my mileage. I do have a goal time hanging out in the very back of my head...but that's where it's going to stay. I don't want to be unhappy or disappointed in myself if I don't reach that time; instead I want to be happy and proud for having run an entire 26.2 miles, no matter how long it takes. I still have at least a good 10 years or so to worry about getting fast!<br />
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If I don't want to work on speed, why do I have 5 mile track workouts every other week? I just really miss track, and think it'll be a good way to break up doing lots of long, slow runs all the time. I hope to make these workouts fun and relatively easy - nothing to wear myself out or make me puke! In high school track and cross-country we would do push-ups and crunches for time after each workout, so I implementing that into my training as well. I hate doing core workouts and I don't see myself making time to do any sort of lifting, so this is a quick way to get some of those muscles moving as well - better than nothing!<br />
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I really hope this excitement and drive I've had over the past week doesn't fade anytime soon - or at all! I really want my first marathon to be a success, but for that to happen, I definitely need to love what I'm doing!<br />
<br />
Here's to 15 more weeks of training! And special thanks in advance tweeps for your daily ecouragement ;-)Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-62798906974866204062010-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:002010-01-18T11:53:58.467-08:00SoCal Half Recap + PR!<b>I PR'd by 9 minutes!!!</b><br />
<br />
I'm really surprised by this PR, since once again I did not train very well for this race. I noticed the number of runs I've completed before each of my half marathons has been about the same (not many), but the distances I'm running have increased. I ran a few 8-10 milers, and even a 13.1 mile run before this half...I guess the increased mileage is helping!<br />
<br />
I really wasn't nervous for this race at all, and felt at ease when I lined up in the crowd at the start. I recently got a new iPod for Christmas, so I made a fun playlist the night before and was excited to listen to it - running with music helps me SO much, and I realized a few days before the half that music was what I had been missing - once again, I was excited and motivated to run!<br />
<br />
Anyway, I lined up at the starting line, and almost immediately became a stand-out in a crowd of a bunch of kids. What? I was thinking to myself, these little people (around 8-12 yr old) can't possibly be running an entire half marathon...at least not very fast. I learned later these kids were all part of <a href="http://www.srla.org/" target="_blank">Students Run LA</a>, and not only would they be running this half marathon, but they were gearing up to run the LA Marathon in March. Wow. I really hope I can run a whole marathon if they can! And kind of makes me wish I had done something like that when I was younger.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql4co9moWKLnGwDWWTWJRagY3nmU8ffLUiilvSoWZEA2Ks4ixEl98FjINSvK9S7tGTYLj-5U3EuiTULd-CWKdco9t9Q8dF_GM5DEx5BIK3A7H6-3dq_KKsSYvTB3PEvUEFM2_sx8e03Ui/s1600-h/Clipboard05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql4co9moWKLnGwDWWTWJRagY3nmU8ffLUiilvSoWZEA2Ks4ixEl98FjINSvK9S7tGTYLj-5U3EuiTULd-CWKdco9t9Q8dF_GM5DEx5BIK3A7H6-3dq_KKsSYvTB3PEvUEFM2_sx8e03Ui/s320/Clipboard05.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Soon, we were off. The first mile went by super fast. I remember looking down at my garmin a couple times and noticed I was running around 8:30 pace, so I slowed down a bit, but not a lot. <br />
<br />
I felt really good, so I kept running around 8:45-9 min pace...and was still cruising along at this pace by mile 5. The goal I set for this race about two months ago was to break 2 hours - and I knew I needed to run around 9:10 min miles to do so. But by the end of [inadequate] training, I definitely didn't think I could do it because running 5 miles just a little faster than that was difficult for me. But I had just ran 5 miles in about 44 min - ah! That was faster than my 5 mile race PR! I kept telling myself I really needed to slow down or I was going to totally burn out...but I couldn't. I kept finding people to pass ahead of me (usually little kids), and still felt pretty dang good. I was just going to hang on to my pace for as long as I could. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQaIGqITaAyqVCCf9OUh9obHF2sNDrfl1y5uoRcioWKk6oAxtN4XnIebB18aglfEliGE_8t9E9c3aRanWXFHNY1Zh6ZglkjQN4r2gNRczQuivBIkjVP_B_7Fdoo67F-Q3m3VuFaAFyYh8/s1600-h/Clipboard03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQaIGqITaAyqVCCf9OUh9obHF2sNDrfl1y5uoRcioWKk6oAxtN4XnIebB18aglfEliGE_8t9E9c3aRanWXFHNY1Zh6ZglkjQN4r2gNRczQuivBIkjVP_B_7Fdoo67F-Q3m3VuFaAFyYh8/s320/Clipboard03.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Mile 8 came along and I finally started to feel it. This is also when I realized that even if I did slow down some, I had a good chance of breaking 2 hours and I got really excited. This is also when I started to drive myself crazy thinking things like "ok...if I hold on to this pace till mile 10, I can then run 10 min miles and still break 2 hours." I must've done these annoying calculations about 20 times before the end of the race...especially once I got to mile 10 and I really just wanted to walk. Everything hurt at this point. I've obviously been in pain in my other 2 half marathons, but nothing like that - guess I finally learned how it feels to race. This also makes me wonder how much harder I could push myself, and what kind of pain tolerance I have - assuming I'll find out before or during my first marathon in May!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMmAXC3T_jWVwawFcxmJIfvwrhCSU1-8x42XjydIsQTdr5SOPHo59-2Qt0H-XDkzwx9EPcjpPdh5R4SNmSHP7DaVg2zgrIfhCHHbUivt15MgTEbnJg1n0f_AES5f6zm40a1zR3AogaIc9/s1600-h/Clipboard01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMmAXC3T_jWVwawFcxmJIfvwrhCSU1-8x42XjydIsQTdr5SOPHo59-2Qt0H-XDkzwx9EPcjpPdh5R4SNmSHP7DaVg2zgrIfhCHHbUivt15MgTEbnJg1n0f_AES5f6zm40a1zR3AogaIc9/s320/Clipboard01.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>So at mile 10 I definitely slowed down some. A few of the kids started passing me too, which was annoying. I started looking at my garmin a ridiculous amount (I did this the entire race and it started to annoy the crap out of me), and continued calculating what pace I needed to maintain - which is probably why when I got to mile 11 I thought I was at mile 10. Despite driving myself nuts, that was a nice surprise.<br />
<br />
I hate mile 11 tho, and it was a huge struggle. It's always the point in the race where I'm tired and in pain and there's nothing exciting about it like mile 10 where you realize you only have a 5k left, and mile 12 when you realize you only have a mile left and before you know it you're at the finish line. Mile 11 just sucks, for me anyway. I tuned into my iPod and just focused on getting to mile 12.<br />
<br />
I was in some sort of zone at this point (didn't even look at my garmin) and before I knew it I saw <a href="http://www.adventuresinmissingthepoint.com/" target="_blank">Pete</a>, <a href="http://www.breakingthetape.com/blog" target="_blank">Jeff</a>, and Jeff's son Thunderclap sitting on a curb - I was almost to the finish! I rounded the corner they were sitting at and ran the last 0.1 miles as fast as I could. The race clock said 1:59:40, so I knew I had broken 2 hours - holy crap! Did that really just happen? Then I started walking towards my "fans," and already in pain, realized yes, yes that did happen.<br />
<br />
This picture makes me laugh.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMqOIs_nmmC1NtWGRLhg7WT_ot0-gOphY1KIJh2V_zIK1NLHXfR-Qqx0b83fGmTw91oXExG-lUTkeNSvdtRif8KK2_x0U_zyc0fZWsh7VGKGQG9L1Xn-3S37b2qgSn_Oem2wJi_hoDuGB/s1600-h/Clipboard04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMqOIs_nmmC1NtWGRLhg7WT_ot0-gOphY1KIJh2V_zIK1NLHXfR-Qqx0b83fGmTw91oXExG-lUTkeNSvdtRif8KK2_x0U_zyc0fZWsh7VGKGQG9L1Xn-3S37b2qgSn_Oem2wJi_hoDuGB/s640/Clipboard04.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<b>I finished with an official time of 1:5</b><b>8:57 - just the kick-start I needed for my first week of marathon training: maybe I don't totally suck at running afterall!</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Also, congrats to Pete on getting his PR in the 5k that day, and <a href="http://adventuresinmissingthepoint.com/2010/01/11/report-of-stolen-thunder/" target="_blank">getting closer to his goal</a> to qualifying for Boston :-)<br />
<br />
Race Splits:<br />
<br />
Mile 1 - 9:03<br />
Mile 2 - 8:53<br />
Mile 3 - 8:50<br />
Mile 4 - 9:04<br />
Mile 5 - 8:45<br />
Mile 6 - 9:00<br />
Mile 7 - 8:50<br />
Mile 8 - 9:08<br />
Mile 9 - 9:07<br />
Mile 10 - 9:17 - yep, definitely started getting tired :-)<br />
Mile 11 - 9:31<br />
Mile 12 - 9:26<br />
Mile 13 - 9:21<br />
Mile 0.13 - 0:47Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-75967078081332051762010-01-13T16:27:00.000-08:002010-01-13T16:27:57.651-08:00Carless Inconvenience<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been 7 months since I sold my beloved 1995 Saturn SC-1, and I want him back.</span></b><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;">My dad purchased my Saturn my senior year of high school after a not-so-tragic, person-less accident that resulted in my 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage getting totaled by a truck - happiest day of my life! We received $800 for the $2k of damage done to my Mirage (that was MAYBE worth $200, so I couldn't stand making the poor guy pay $2k just because he forgot to use his e-brake when he parked on a hill), sold it to my step-bro for $100, and purchased the Saturn for $1500. Not too shabby.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span>Five years, 8<span style="font-family: inherit;">0k miles (long distance relationships can be a b*tch), a few repairs, and a weird noise or two later...I sold my Saturn for a measly $300. I was about to graduate, get an awesome new bike, and move across the country, so I just wante</span>d to get rid of it - it definitely wasn't going to make the 1500-some mile commute from Madison to Huntington Beach, anyway!<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I moved here, I decided I didn't want to buy a car - looking back, I think I just got really sick of deciding anything having to do with a car, and the idea of another loan was definitely a major turn-off. So for the past 7 months I've gotten by with biking, utilizing public transportation, and borrowing Pete's truck more often than he'd like. Frankly, I'm sick of it. I want my Saturn back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since I'm one of the world's worst decision makers when it comes to this sort of thing, I took the usual route and made a quick list of pros and cons to help me along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why I like being carless (pros):</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Gives me the ability to save a lot of money and pay off student loans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ta-Da! Honestly, this is the only real reason I like not having a car. Yes, there are many other reasons, like how I get good exercise from biking everywhere and can appreciate sights and sounds people miss out on when driving...but what makes me think if I had a car, I couldn't experience these things, too? Seems to work for lots of other people. The environmentalist side of me pats myself on the back for not having a car, but I truthfully don't care enough for that burden to outweigh the proceeding cons. I can be environmentally conscious in other ways, and me not having a car isn't going to make the world better (unfortunately).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why I don't like being carless (cons):</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Commuting to work via bike or bus uses up an entire hour of my morning, and evening...every day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Unless I want to spend hours commuting, I'm limited to activities within a ~10 mile radius of HB.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- I have to plan to go everywhere - hard to be spontaneous when you have to work around a bus or train schedule, or allow yourself lots of time to bike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Since helmets are a necessity - MY HAIR IS NEVER, EVER CUTE...not that I'm the kind of girl who really cares that much, but it eventually gets old. And, I can't pull off the look nearly as well as </span><a href="http://punkrocktriguy.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">PunkRockRunner</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- I don't like being cold, wet or cold and wet. I'm not about to complain about SoCal weather, but the mornings get cold, and the few days a year it does rain are unwanted and I bug Pete for his truck...which leads to the next con...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- I hate bothering Pete for his truck. Even if I wash it, fill it with gas, change the oil, etc...I still feel guilty asking to borrow it, and I'm not entirely convinced he truly likes letting me...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, it's pretty obvious there are more cons than pros. Even though the one pro I do have is a pretty big deal to me, I think it's time to give in and settle for convenience. I don't know how long I'll be living in this SoCal heaven...so I want to be able to explore, venture out of Orange County, and truly experience California while it lasts - and look cute doing it! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've learned to love biking enough that I know I won't give it up if I get a car...in fact, I might appreciate it even more knowing I don't HAVE to do it all the time - it's nice to have options. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Currently seeking a reliable car for $5k or less</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (aka no loan! where did I get the idea I had to buy something shiny and new, anyway?) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Suggestions? Also, I'd prefer not to have to mow it...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3834936186_a6f41c325d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3834936186_a6f41c325d.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-17441945491333349572010-01-03T22:47:00.000-08:002010-01-03T22:47:16.137-08:0023 years; 23 proud memoriesYesterday was my 23rd birthday, and as part of my birthday celebration, Pete and I went on a nice bike ride down the coast from Huntington Beach to Solana Beach. It was an absolutely AMAZING day outside, and although I love my home state, I am SO glad I didn't have to spend my birthday cooped up inside because of -15F temperatures. I hadn't done any biking for a couple weeks so I was a tad timid about this 75 mile ride (longest ever by about 4 miles)...but I made it! And, I had a great birthday :)<br />
<div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKvfjQZY7dsevYGorUO7t75oAH3R1lV8peEZse-wbUCybwnRuNsgVQ0Fi8CZSrEtbspyj4mj3RFelDK1eBtEINTOESIdHEAnF7Wi3KEucaasB8fAj6M-3Y3190tSmF5uxaE9yL_qcKuU5/s1600-h/IMG_4333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKvfjQZY7dsevYGorUO7t75oAH3R1lV8peEZse-wbUCybwnRuNsgVQ0Fi8CZSrEtbspyj4mj3RFelDK1eBtEINTOESIdHEAnF7Wi3KEucaasB8fAj6M-3Y3190tSmF5uxaE9yL_qcKuU5/s400/IMG_4333.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span>So in honor of my birthday accomplishment, I thought I'd share 23 things I've accomplished or learned over the past 23 years that I'm proud of or are at least worthy enough to mention.<br />
<br />
In no particular order of recollection (hello, randomness)...<br />
<br />
1. Biking 75 miles in one stretch<br />
2. Running 2 half marathons<br />
3. Completing a 9-day, 400-some mile bike tour<br />
4. Moving outside of my comfort zone: almost 2000 miles away from home (still not sure why they needed an 18-wheeler for my small room full of stuff)<br />
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</div><br />
5. Graduating from UW-Madison with a BS in Materials Science & Engineering<br />
6. Making the Dean's list all 4 years<br />
7. Summiting Mt. Baldy while totally out of shape<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v308/212/93/8624241/n8624241_44267994_2853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v308/212/93/8624241/n8624241_44267994_2853.jpg" width="236" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>8. Winning a coloring contest in 2nd grade<br />
9. Being the high-scorer in a high school basketball game (14 points)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v74/212/93/8624241/n8624241_37418435_7723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v74/212/93/8624241/n8624241_37418435_7723.jpg" width="229" /></a><br />
</div><br />
10. Graduating from high school<br />
11. Getting 1st place in the 800m at a high school track meet<br />
12. Being a big sister<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs097.snc1/4976_117536800725_734040725_3257786_4359160_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs097.snc1/4976_117536800725_734040725_3257786_4359160_n.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
</div><br />
13. Getting accepted into UW-Madison, and then into the engineering program<br />
14. Being front row, center in a few of my many dance recitals<br />
15. Learning how to fall in and out of love<br />
16. Getting rid of my car<br />
17. Running a 5:40 min first mile in a cross-country race (and then freaking out and slowing down for the remaining 1.5 :-P)<br />
<br />
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</div><br />
18. Getting a poem published in a book in 5th grade<br />
19. Learning to play the guitar and clarinet<br />
20. Completing an 18 mile hike while going from Two Harbors to Avalon<br />
<br />
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</div><br />
21. Learning to appreciate traveling<br />
22. Having research results published in a journal<br />
23. Making life-long friends<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/212/93/8624241/n8624241_44994076_6695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/212/93/8624241/n8624241_44994076_6695.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v320/212/93/8624241/n8624241_44903802_3392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v320/212/93/8624241/n8624241_44903802_3392.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And many more...but my memory isn't that great. Through all it's ups and downs, I love my life! :)<br />
</div><br />
</div></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-27622262334704780782009-12-31T11:52:00.000-08:002009-12-31T11:52:44.219-08:00Top Tres of 2009About this time last year I was sitting around a table in Chicago with Pete and a couple of his friends, <a href="http://whats-your-goal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rooster</a> and Tuna. Rooster asked us to tell our "top 3 of the year."<br />
<br />
As everyone started reflecting on their accomplishments and adventures over the past 365 days, I was sitting there thoughtless. Moving from person to person, I was hearing crazy stories about traveling to Africa and summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya, running ridiculous ultra marathon distances that were unimaginable to me, and finishing some sort of seemingly freakish adventure race. I was no longer thoughtless - I was thinking, "I guess I am 4-5 years younger than all these people, but is my life really that lame?!" Still being half-way through my last year of college, the sort of "accomplishments" that started to run through my head were how I won 10 games in a row of beer pong, didn't fall off any bleachers and break a leg while "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMLmRNt12xI&feature=related" target="_blank">jumping around</a>," and did such a great job cramming for finals (in between the parties) that I pulled off an awesome GPA. When it came down to it, I think I said my top 3 were running a race with my dad, and summiting Mt. Baldy and San Gorgonio Mountain - decent accomplishments for someone who had been almost completely inactive for 3 years, if you ask me. But I still felt like a total lame-o in comparison.<br />
<br />
This year, my top 3 (and more) came to me right away, and they're way less lame! Watch out, Pete Posse, I'm <i>almost</i> as cool as you :) Drum roll please...<br />
<br />
<b>Graduating from College</b><br />
Although going to college seems like something almost everyone does these days, I'm proud of myself. I worked hard to get into a great school, and worked even harder to graduate with great grades, make (and keep) great friends, and gain great experiences.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj3HGbj_LlhxHKFU5ak7uOnB9YIV9_sLKKZmEkdFt1gi39LHKc6CrkU9gboh35M9nE1wRViVQe0Eqn6u4BsZcAYtbwJU7Dg9T8EQ2Dn2-1ZGQrvmmW47164fhLX8cRwXMLF9hhtVYUFtA/s1600-h/grad1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj3HGbj_LlhxHKFU5ak7uOnB9YIV9_sLKKZmEkdFt1gi39LHKc6CrkU9gboh35M9nE1wRViVQe0Eqn6u4BsZcAYtbwJU7Dg9T8EQ2Dn2-1ZGQrvmmW47164fhLX8cRwXMLF9hhtVYUFtA/s320/grad1.jpg" width="240" /><span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY64CMDH4_ZHUwIM-Jms5NAmjYBxFXS1fi4DyaJnmtT_wlFi9mJBP82goUtkCUvHGxyKHoEAsgB074NesBmbp_1H9Y5v1xzcWEIH5imuX3j0oNreNnwj9bPoEwWQrqMFnmApmJHUIaPy6T/s1600-h/grad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY64CMDH4_ZHUwIM-Jms5NAmjYBxFXS1fi4DyaJnmtT_wlFi9mJBP82goUtkCUvHGxyKHoEAsgB074NesBmbp_1H9Y5v1xzcWEIH5imuX3j0oNreNnwj9bPoEwWQrqMFnmApmJHUIaPy6T/s320/grad2.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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</div><br />
The four years I spent in Madison were some of the best I've had. I was definitely sad to leave, but it makes me happy to be able to reflect on all I've accomplished and all of the memories I've made.<br />
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</span></b><br />
<b>Half Marathons</b><br />
As I've said before, I ran my first two half marathons this year after ending my 3 year hiatus towards the end of 2008. I'm definitely not fast (yet!), but slowly getting into running again this year has allowed me to meet some great new people, accomplish running distances I never had before, set goals I never thought I'd be setting a year ago, and obviously stay healthy! I felt accomplished after running 13.1 miles twice this year, the longest distance I've gone...but can't wait to <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2009/12/epic-plans-for-010.html" target="_blank">go further in '010</a>!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWXE49LDGRULWsjginA-e2w92BNHn80QxzXJcuv61WEA0YBGqOgKgGb9h_fPAT2e_6GScMMX5LWvajnPHsFnlGD0I___9nYyIIVoIwkGrP3sJt53ypXU3CKeKtgL76-T1Mk1zEBsQyeWI/s1600-h/Running+Pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWXE49LDGRULWsjginA-e2w92BNHn80QxzXJcuv61WEA0YBGqOgKgGb9h_fPAT2e_6GScMMX5LWvajnPHsFnlGD0I___9nYyIIVoIwkGrP3sJt53ypXU3CKeKtgL76-T1Mk1zEBsQyeWI/s320/Running+Pic+2.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Becoming a Biker Babe</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With plans to get rid of my car and do lots of bike commuting once I moved to California, I received a brand new Surly LHT from my mom and dad for a graduation present. I had never done much biking before - just an occasional, leisurely ride on a bike trail, around the lake near my house, or back and forth to classes on an old bike similar to what you'd find at Target. I was excited to start biking around, but it was definitely unfamiliar territory. I remember asking Pete to explain the correct way to shift and how fast or slow I should be pedaling. And, I had to have my step-dad show me how to step into and get out of my pedals without crashing. Then there was buying a rear rack, fenders, water bottle cages, a seat, lights, a helmet, shorts, jerseys, panniers...umm, yeah sure, that one looks good! Total n00b, but hey, it turned out pretty sweet!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs027.snc1/4282_802347172757_8624241_49451419_4351630_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs027.snc1/4282_802347172757_8624241_49451419_4351630_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By July, I was biking to work and taking the bus back a few days a week - 12 miles in the morning was enough to tire me out, and trying to bike 12 miles home again into the wind was too difficult. Soon, I found myself biking to an Angels game, the grocery store, Newport, etc., and was able to start making the commute to AND from work. Come October, I managed to ride both ways for an entire week and I was actually starting to really enjoy biking. Then in November, I completed my <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2009/12/400-mile-thanksgiving-turkey-tour.html" target="_blank">first bike tour</a> with Pete! Something I did not expect to accomplish as soon as I did.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQBtCtRQWwRlHu3LL6c7SESw8a1b2CN3ywlQX2wkhI4ctiNj3vGfgS9gaBQd6WkDlXRx1g1_Mg1dfH3QPK4tkzGU7vVb-HoorWNej9C-EAER_5s_qe8GT5z2uy_q7H-eHAvCbmy-Jwp4N/s1600-h/IMG_4102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQBtCtRQWwRlHu3LL6c7SESw8a1b2CN3ywlQX2wkhI4ctiNj3vGfgS9gaBQd6WkDlXRx1g1_Mg1dfH3QPK4tkzGU7vVb-HoorWNej9C-EAER_5s_qe8GT5z2uy_q7H-eHAvCbmy-Jwp4N/s320/IMG_4102.JPG" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since I got my bike in June, I've come a really long way and I'm really proud of what I've been able to do and where I've been able to go through biking.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, there you have it - my top 3 of 2009. I've had an incredible year, and thanks to some great people, I was able to accomplish some very un-lame things (and, it was hard to pick just 3!) - be on the lookout 2010, I'm on a roll!<br />
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</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-71055392660364168742009-12-22T11:09:00.000-08:002009-12-22T13:21:17.184-08:00Epic Plans for '010<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></span><br />
</div>Since it's almost the end of the year, it's time for holiday mayhem and setting New Years resolutions. I don't really know why I set resolutions every year because I hardly ever keep them for more than a few weeks anyway. I don't even remember what my resolutions were last year or any other year for that matter...so this time, I'm changing things up. <b>I want to actually accomplish something, and remember it!</b> I decided the best way to go about doing this, is to do something running-related since I'm finally back into the running groove, sort of.<br />
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Half way through 2008 I started running again - a few miles here and there - and ran my first race since high school! <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2009/10/then-and-now.html" target="_blank">A seemingly difficult 5 miles with my dad</a>.<br />
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In 2009, I ran another 5 mile race in Madison in a friggin massive thunderstorm (<a href="http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs005.snc1/2506_788350537127_8624241_48813016_6319254_n.jpg" target="_blank">proof</a>), a 5 mile trail run, my first and <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2009/10/long-beach-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">second</a> half marathons, a repeat of my first 5 miler the year before, <a href="http://adventuresinmissingthepoint.com/2009/11/15/pancreatic-race-lives-up-to-its-function/" target="_blank">an absolutely ridiculous "10k,"</a> and completed a pretty epic <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2009/12/400-mile-thanksgiving-turkey-tour.html" target="_blank">bike tour</a>! Side note: just realized 5 miles is my favorite distance :)<br />
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I definitely need to do something totally epic to top 2009. So, I give you my<b> </b>New Years resolution for 2010:<b> Run at least 1 race every month! Including 3 marathons! </b>I'm really excited about this, but nervous at the same time - mostly about the 3 marathons. All the other races will pretty much just be a way to make sure I get off my butt and do my long training runs. My first marathon will be in May, and I have no idea how it will go. Right now, I can't even fathom running 26.2 miles since just running 13.1 is a daunting task. <b>So why 3 marathons?</b> If I (worst case) hate my experience at the first one, it'll force me to give the marathon another chance - and if you've talked to Chic Runner, you'd know <a href="http://chicrunner.com/long-beach-marathon-race-recap/" target="_blank">second chances can be amazing</a>! And if I love it, then duh, I'll have 2 more to run! Also, I'd like to do 3 over just 2 because I already have two I know I want to do, so throwing a 3rd in there will make things interesting :)<br />
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I have my race schedule for the first half of the year almost all planned out! It's going to be challenging, but fun. I'm signed up for two TRAIL half marathons (I don't do trails), a 3 mile race on a frozen, snowy, lake which I plan to run to from my house since it's only 4-5 miles away - not a lot of people can say they've RAN to their race! And finally, my first full marathon! <b>Here's the line-up so far:</b><br />
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January - <a href="http://teamtrax.net/schalfmarathon" target="_blank">Southern California Half Marathon</a><br />
February - <a href="http://www.vacationsports.com/yukon.html" target="_blank">Yukon Day 3 Mile Run</a> and <a href="http://www.pacificsportsllc.com/buffalo-run-registration/" target="_blank">Catalina Buffalo Run Half Marathon</a><br />
March - <a href="http://www.greatraceofagoura.com/" target="_blank">Chesebro Half Marathon</a><br />
April - TBD<br />
May - <a href="http://www.ocmarathon.com/" target="_blank">OC Marathon</a>!<br />
....<br />
October - Chicago Marathon - 10/10/10!<br />
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<b>I hope I can afford to keep this resolution :) Can't wait for '010!</b>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-85846540070540372452009-12-06T23:01:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:01:11.856-08:00Bachelorette'n WeekendI spent an entire 4 days totally alone. No biggie, right? I've been staying home alone for like 10-15 years. I didn't realize until today, however, that I had never actually been THIS alone for an extended period of time. Just coming from college at a large university, and going to high school in a suburb of St. Paul, I've always had lots of people to hang out with and lots of things to do. Then, coming up on 6 months ago I moved from the familiar, homely midwest to Huntington Beach.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.open.salon.com/files/home-alone1243399154.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://static.open.salon.com/files/home-alone1243399154.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div>My main hangout partner here, Pete (duh), unfortunately had to fly home for a funeral. My roommate and I don't talk or see each other much, or hang out due to totally different lifestyles/personalities, and all of the other people I hang out with are coworkers and we really only get together during the week for Taco Tuesday and other random occasions.<br />
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I'll admit, this alone time made me feel like a bit of a friendless loser. It's not hard for me to make friends with people once I'm with them, but I have found it hard to just get to that point. I'm not really into the church thing - where it seems a lot of people meet others when they move to a new area, and the main issue is I don't have a car. I'd love to join a running group, or join other "meet-up" groups, but not having a car makes getting to gatherings a bit difficult. Maybe it's time to think about buying a car again...I have a feeling this week-long rainstorm coming up might do some final convincing...<br />
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Although I felt loser-like, I was actually kind of excited for the time alone. I definitely have an introverted side, and sometimes being alone is energizing and refreshing. I started looking for things to do, and found a few girlie goodies that I knew Pete or my coworkers (who also happen to be all guys) wouldn't be too excited about. Pete also left his truck behind, which gave me some more flexibility if I needed it.<br />
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Thursday was typical. After work run and yoga. Followed by dinner and bed.<br />
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Friday I decided I wanted to check out the $3 theater and see a movie - I could see whatever I wanted! I was set on seeing "Pirate Radio" but after an ex-coworker told me it was one of the worst movies he had ever seen, I decided to join him and his wife who were planning to see "Couples Retreat." I had never been to a movie with a married couple before...so that was different. The movie was hilarious! I thought it was funnier than "The Hangover" but I think I'm part of a very small minority that didn't think that movie was funny...so I guess that comparison sucks, but I highly recommend renting it. The best part of that experience was after the movie, without collaboration, all three of us mentioned that the 3-4 year old character reminded us of Pete.<br />
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Saturday was definitely girl day. I started the day off by sleeping in. Then at noon I had a hair appointment! I'm that girl that hates getting my hair done...just because it's so insanely expensive and time consuming, but the last cut I got a couple months ago was AWFUL. It was so bad that the person that did my hair this time said things like "I'm not sure what the goal of this cut was...I just don't understand." I'm not really sure how I dealt with it for 2 months. The lady worked wonders and was able to fix my hair - also the first stylist I've had that has taught me a lot about my hair and how I can take care of it better and gave me ideas about what would look good (her name is Pamela and she works <a href="http://www.saloncache.com/" target="_blank">here</a> ;-)). Anyway, here are the before and after shots. Before shot might not look <i>that</i> horrible, but trust me, it was.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HqojI6AebHGijwT_hoCwfIJRwWRDwSecsee2hX5uu_9uxXDn3O5L0LGwi8V22So2D2AE-ljU2maEkGmCpyIla_5w44eIWe6d1X0uN0nwG2QIQ1vXwV_Iqm1WA4POcDgVX0MBvy7P3y4P/s1600-h/hairbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HqojI6AebHGijwT_hoCwfIJRwWRDwSecsee2hX5uu_9uxXDn3O5L0LGwi8V22So2D2AE-ljU2maEkGmCpyIla_5w44eIWe6d1X0uN0nwG2QIQ1vXwV_Iqm1WA4POcDgVX0MBvy7P3y4P/s200/hairbefore.jpg" width="171" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpURRerhfxhPmd_CISNsRPri9VI9Y7IfqWGgHL8gC5Vtm3UJjAicNnxFtXVa04Mbtsi9xi7LKbbyL-SENGZ4Hmqn3qvj4vSX9-mAgD7qNV-_NdtKlw6Hafn1JYskhy496BMs8yoEIRBc0o/s1600-h/hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpURRerhfxhPmd_CISNsRPri9VI9Y7IfqWGgHL8gC5Vtm3UJjAicNnxFtXVa04Mbtsi9xi7LKbbyL-SENGZ4Hmqn3qvj4vSX9-mAgD7qNV-_NdtKlw6Hafn1JYskhy496BMs8yoEIRBc0o/s320/hair.jpg" /></a><br />
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That night I attended The Nutcracker being put on by a youth ballet company at the Huntington Beach High School historic auditorium. I wasn't expecting it to be amazing or anything, but wow, it was a really great performance - the dancers were extremely talented and the show had great flow. The costumes were amazing, too. I danced for quite a few years between the ages of 2 and 15 at a fairly prestigious/well-known studio, and really appreciate this type of thing. It's fun to get a chance to WATCH all of the talent, and also understand how much time and effort is put into such a production. Definitely excited I found tickets! Speaking of which, if you aren't familiar with it, you should check out <a href="https://www.goldstar.com/signup" target="_blank">Goldstar</a> - keeps you in the entertainment loop and gives great discounts (and it's free to join)!<br />
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Sunday was long run day after sleeping in and making breakfast and lunch. I wasn't real excited about this 9 mile run I had to do - but I had told myself I was going to stick to a training plan this time around, and finally got my butt out the door. The run sucked - not sure if it was the lack of running recently due to the <a href="http://belly-button-lint.blogspot.com/2009/12/400-mile-thanksgiving-turkey-tour.html" target="_blank">bike tour</a>, reading all of the CIM and Las Vegas RnR tweets all morning about barfing and pooping, or if my body is starting to hate gu, but I felt like total crap right from the start. My legs felt flat and every time I had to stop at a light I felt nauseated and dizzy, making it really hard to start again. I got through it though, running a 9:32 average pace. I wore my HR monitor this time too to see what my rate was during an average paced run - 168 bpm. I was told this is kind of high for a fairly easy pace - but I'm not THAT out of shape so who knows...we'll see how it goes I guess.<br />
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I got back and settled in bed, and found a spider crawling on my wall. As a kid I watched "Arachnophobia" over and over and it never bothered me...but now, I'm nearing the deathly afraid of spiders point, so it took a lot of pepping myself up to take my Cosmo magazine and lightly hit it till it died. I'm not about killing things, but I couldn't stand the idea of it disappearing and ending up in my bed or on my face while I was asleep. I'm going to have to get Pete to dispose of it tomorrow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c54102/x2_5b65f9" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c54102/x2_5b65f9" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div>Seeing as this was my first time in this sort of situation, I'm proud of how well I entertained myself the past few days. I think Pete and I both feel at times that he's my only source of entertainment here (makes sense), and this was a good opportunity to show both of us I can be independent, too. As lame as it may sound, I had a blast this weekend (minus the spider) - completely alone! And for the record, I swear I do have real-life friends, they just happen to be thousands of miles away :-) Can't wait for Christmas!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510502190294408705.post-81297663551438192382009-12-05T23:52:00.000-08:002009-12-06T10:08:26.033-08:00The 400 Mile Thanksgiving Turkey Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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</div>Last week, <a href="http://www.adventuresinmissingthepoint.com/"target="_blank">Pete</a> and I embarked on a 400(ish) mile, 9 day, bike tour around Southern California starting in San Diego, continuing across the Anza-Borrego Desert, around the Salton Sea, and finally ending at Solana Beach.<br />
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Here's a map I made of our tour:<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pretty epic if you ask me - but my pre-requisites for this event were a mere 4-5 months of biking to work a few days a week, and one day long (45ish mile) ride to Oceanside. When I made a pre-tour trip to REI the cashier asked where I was going, and then if I did any training to prepare...hell no - I have issues just training for a half marathon! I gave a nervous laugh and left.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Anyway, this trip was a huge accomplishment for me physically and mentally, and an amazing cultural experience. Enjoy the Thanksgiving/turkey-themed recap! If this gets too long and boring, I apologize, and feel free to check out the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2651639&id=8624241&l=ba881ffc0f"target="_blank">picture version</a> :)<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Day 1: Escaping the Senile Relatives - San Diego to Alpine - 35 miles and 1700' gain</b><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Admit it. Every family has "those relatives" at holiday gatherings that you try to avoid, or at least keep encounters to a minimum in order to save your ears, cheeks, and maybe even nose and lungs if you're lucky. <br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This day felt like I was trapped in a room with a ton of them - having to stop and talk to each one before I could get the eff out. Essentially, getting out of San Diego via bike is a huge pain in the butt! Tons of traffic, a ridiculous amount of stoplights (that were always red, of course), and a few obviously unwanted wrong turns (one that resulted in biking up a super steep hill - gah!) <br />
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We finally reached Alpine at about 4:15pm, and I was crabby and already exhausted - morale from that stretch was definitely low - great first day, eh? Thankfully, we decided to not bike the remaining 5ish miles to the intended campsite and stayed at a motel...which just happened to be neighbors with the Alpine Beer Company (supposedly 4th in the nation) - heck yes! Rest of the night is history.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Day 2: Turkey Legs - Alpine to Mt. Laguna - 30 miles and 4500' gain</b><br />
Uff-dah! If I were a turkey, you would want to eat me after this stretch of the trip - my leg muscles got all big and beefy (turkey-y?). It was only 30 miles, but it took pretty much all day because it was all uphill and I was biking slowly...even slower than I RUN at times. Too bad we didn't come across any turtles...I would've made them feel speedy. That probably doesn't sound like a lot of mileage/climbing to some people...but my route to work contains one or two short hills - so this stretch was definitely out of my element...not to mention all the stuff I had loaded on my bike.<br />
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Despite all the climbing and having to bike on Hwy 8 for a few miles, I was in a much better mood this day - actually had fun! At one point I was even singing "she'll be comin' round the mountain" to myself and replaced "she'll be driving six white horses" with "she'll be driving a long haul trucker." Happens.<br />
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The sense of accomplishment once we reached the campsite near the summit of Mt. Laguna was fantastic. I was proud of myself. And, that would be the most climbing we'd be doing all week.<br />
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Pete went for a run around a meadow once we got to the campsite - while I could barely move. <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Jerk</span> Show-off.<br />
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</div>The meadow had a cool little rock structure - photo-op!<br />
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That night it got down to about 20F - I froze to death and Pete had to do all of the cooking since I couldn't feel my fingers...biggest freeze baby from Minnesota ever.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Day 3: Gravy Train!!! Mt. Laguna to Lake Henshaw - 35 miles and 3500' descent</b><br />
After the climb the day before this day was easy, relaxing, and overall fabulous! Definitely one of my favorite days (riding wise) of the trip. Shortly after leaving the campsite we finally had some amazing views that made me realize just how much climbing I had actually done (Mt. Laguna summit is at about 6000').<br />
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</div>From this point, we were able to see the desert terrain we'd be biking through and even a tiny sliver of the Salton Sea (holy crap we're going to be biking way over there?!)<br />
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Almost the entire ride was downhill on fun, curvy roads. We stopped in Julian - a small, touristy town (historic landmark as it was part of the Gold Rush) and had lunch at RongBranch Cafe, followed by dessert at <a href="http://www.momspiesjulian.com/"target="_blank">Mom's</a> - amazing pie (and amazingly long line).<br />
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Ended our day in Lake Henshaw at a somewhat run-down RV park/campground. Lots of barking dogs, old RVs, and interesting people - but the lake was really pretty, they had free hot showers...and they were even biker friendly! :-P<br />
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</div>Pete has a personal challenge to run around the lake in an hour. He made it about half way before getting attacked by burs...no worries, he has plans to return soon - just don't tell him it'll be during the rainy season and the lake will be bigger ;-)<br />
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<b>Day 4: Cranberries + Milk - Lake Henshaw to Arroyo-Salado Primitive Campground - 46 miles and 1800' descent</b><br />
In case you haven't experienced this first hand, cranberries and milk DO NOT go well together: barf-o-rama. Headwinds and climbing also do not go well together. About half of this leg of the trip was into the wind, while climbing about 3000' - I summed it up in my journal by bluntly writing "F**K HEADWINDS!" The ride was difficult for me and pretty miserable in general. However, Pete did make me smile at least once when I found him sitting on an abandoned chair on the side of the road when I came around a bend.<br />
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Our windy ascent ended (finally!) in a really tiny town called Ranchita. The biggest thing in that town was probably this weird albino Uncle Sam Big Foot? I guess the real estate person makes them...for whatever reason. Fun fact: Big Foot has a nice backside - Pete took a picture if you're interested (see picture version link above).<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Departing from Big Foot, I noticed my front tire was flat. I freaked out since I'd never had a flat before, proceeded to stop, let out a squeelish "ahh," and tipped over - landing on my knee on the side of the road. FAIL. I bet the whole thing looked absolutely ridiculous. For time sake, I had Pete fix my flat tire while I attended to my bleeding knee...and thankfully this happened less than a mile before the next part of the ride: a 12 mile, 4000' descent in Borrego Springs.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The descent into Borrego Springs was really beautiful - definitely a reward for having to deal with our barftastic combo of wind and climbing!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaVnszaEO9wm9MRyCo7ry5DGr2ixvUTFwyDW6EBW-hfozPjSCw94rsRNjiikuqZmcIMZsIKwMhD8oDgkHZilPR1Eyoti2AQaLoXe-hSCt1VwrHulLY26t7o4XxG6ANaG9q_pBCeVEFHvc/s1600-h/IMG_4090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaVnszaEO9wm9MRyCo7ry5DGr2ixvUTFwyDW6EBW-hfozPjSCw94rsRNjiikuqZmcIMZsIKwMhD8oDgkHZilPR1Eyoti2AQaLoXe-hSCt1VwrHulLY26t7o4XxG6ANaG9q_pBCeVEFHvc/s320/IMG_4090.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But while Pete was having a blast flying down the mountain...<br />
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</div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO81hfWKsyap9BJZ-HkozYCVa8JFj9uH559BBqtbJbFS-htpYoZHyfLwk2WgItERCVDg3h9LOorDDDWYnK6rSN5ezxRnF2-A8o5LcPDevP_Cn9QP966tArUwU6lmNO7Uy2jSBj29yIaf5-/s1600-h/IMG_4092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO81hfWKsyap9BJZ-HkozYCVa8JFj9uH559BBqtbJbFS-htpYoZHyfLwk2WgItERCVDg3h9LOorDDDWYnK6rSN5ezxRnF2-A8o5LcPDevP_Cn9QP966tArUwU6lmNO7Uy2jSBj29yIaf5-/s320/IMG_4092.JPG" /></a><br />
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</blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">...I had my hands clenched to the brakes. First time riding down something this steep and it took a while (like 11 of the 12 miles) for me to warm up to the "weeee this is fun!" point.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We devoured some food at a local restaurant, and headed into the desert. Finally some flat roads! 16 miles later we were at our campsite just in time to watch the sunset. And when you're in the middle of the desert, the stars are absolutely amazing!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Day 5: The Cornucopia - Arroyo-Salado Campground to Salt Creek Campground - 50 miles and 600' descent</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's not a ton to say about this day as the majority of the ride consisted of biking along a busy highway that paralleled the Salton Sea. The sight and sound of semis driving by you at 60 mph isn't the most enjoyable. I also got another flat tire soon after leaving the campsite which put us in a bad mood right off the bat.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For some reason I was surprised at the amount of farming being done on the shores of the Salton Sea. We biked alongside date palms, orange groves, lemon orchards, vineyards, rows of peppers, lettuce, and what we guessed were onions - quite the selection! Unfortunately, the little place we were told to go to get a date shake was closed. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7NWtfnQP7EctDSA2yE-C_nXsmQjzNQZmScxoE170x1POEPkYk9gBpIfd0f_Q16SfCHd36nGVtBzd0G-35PKkiKx8VZQ2xWjT4QU_wO1xK_db4nCfS2QJjwrxK-NY4w_ngRUlP0GHzQ3r/s1600-h/IMG_4121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7NWtfnQP7EctDSA2yE-C_nXsmQjzNQZmScxoE170x1POEPkYk9gBpIfd0f_Q16SfCHd36nGVtBzd0G-35PKkiKx8VZQ2xWjT4QU_wO1xK_db4nCfS2QJjwrxK-NY4w_ngRUlP0GHzQ3r/s320/IMG_4121.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The aroma was quite nice when a semi full of red bell peppers spilled a few crates all over the highway and all of the cars kept driving over them. And on a stretch the next day we got a few free lemons that were spilled on the side of the road. When life hands you lemons...pick a few up! Or run over them with your bike like I did, heh - I had to laugh when Pete looked back and asked, "did you just make lemonade?! [uhu] Do it again!"<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAW-UAxXpOjrwQaBj-CH74b3MeChb1RurpZrfWrNVC4wVjiJ3HxPYDn3GUrbm-T89K0TfGN-L_4LEKqktClj0WgNMqyHpRnMyz6wr5AyCY8f-7i-SssRbhuOzkHKQdbm8upUi_roSt7FJ/s1600-h/IMG_4146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAW-UAxXpOjrwQaBj-CH74b3MeChb1RurpZrfWrNVC4wVjiJ3HxPYDn3GUrbm-T89K0TfGN-L_4LEKqktClj0WgNMqyHpRnMyz6wr5AyCY8f-7i-SssRbhuOzkHKQdbm8upUi_roSt7FJ/s320/IMG_4146.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After passing by a few closed campsites in the Salton Sea Recreational Area, we finally arrived at the Salt Creek campground. I think this was both of our favorite campsite of the trip - just off the Northeastern shore of the sea, it was really pretty and we were able to hear all of the birds and the sound of the water crashing against the sand and rocks.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Jgtm6iKj4uzeba3LFkKANthdLnmyZ5oEVU0EjHCjeZATW9Ll5ELUKzis1fGTVFRd-w1yolH4NLxusFY0Tnk-PBYdMYrL3Hkl1fDSIqWBfh9MgEyisYDB94tDu8ZDtVYi7iFrJKB4q02g/s1600-h/IMG_4139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Jgtm6iKj4uzeba3LFkKANthdLnmyZ5oEVU0EjHCjeZATW9Ll5ELUKzis1fGTVFRd-w1yolH4NLxusFY0Tnk-PBYdMYrL3Hkl1fDSIqWBfh9MgEyisYDB94tDu8ZDtVYi7iFrJKB4q02g/s320/IMG_4139.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Day 6: The Unidentifiable Hotdish - Salt Creek Campground to Slab City - 25 miles and 100' descent</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's always that one dish somebody brings to Thanksgiving or other gatherings that makes you wonder. And when you're younger, a good portion of the dishes look this way. For me, it was always the sweet potatoes. Orange potatoes? And, marshmallows? What the...even though I've come to like sweet potatoes, I still don't find myself eating any of it today.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Slab City reminded me a lot of that unidentifiable hotdish. It's strange, out-of-the-ordinary, and makes you feel a little uncomfortable...but it definitely has a lot of character. Once you muster up the courage to dig in, you'll find out you either love it or hate it. I happened to love it. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzc8OKz13CYyNReXZ6FtzpBRxL08U8NaM4-yurCEBHzP_0yaG7HXlg2M2Y5MxjVedQhMwSgwMu4yAEs1Bif0vmUe1xWsUdQu4BEhNas5S3kCIhzaLoDkO5r7rY-5XPsIltfUJx4SBPF-s/s1600-h/IMG_4152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzc8OKz13CYyNReXZ6FtzpBRxL08U8NaM4-yurCEBHzP_0yaG7HXlg2M2Y5MxjVedQhMwSgwMu4yAEs1Bif0vmUe1xWsUdQu4BEhNas5S3kCIhzaLoDkO5r7rY-5XPsIltfUJx4SBPF-s/s320/IMG_4152.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I could ramble on about our almost 24-hour experience in "the slabs" but I've found it's hard to relay to someone in a way that paints the full picture. As our neighbor for the day Patrick (a handsome, 30-some guy from Houston spending the winter there in a tent) put it when we arrived, "it's kind of like landing in Oz, isn't it? You have to go explore and figure it all out...have fun!" <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One thing I did find especially noteworthy was the library. Cody, a guy we had met at the hostel in San Diego, told us we definitely had to check it out. He had just spent about 3 weeks in the slabs and apparently thought it was noteworthy as well. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was exactly what I expected. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of donated books, free to take (and keep), on a bunch of shelves and milk crates, all covered by a few lean-to's. The fountain in the middle of it all added a nice touch. <br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSO3x5x0SDVUL5bQ0t6iVhiA51xqKoI0oonfumodnGWOnW7f7qJ1KjBCpZNb7kl_GjdVLhyphenhyphenAqxgl3S9_au3MBaYN1dM14cJKTcWgheipxq9Vd-Iwbg-QdbVuaEgGhQOpiVKYjnsl685WqW/s1600-h/IMG_4155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSO3x5x0SDVUL5bQ0t6iVhiA51xqKoI0oonfumodnGWOnW7f7qJ1KjBCpZNb7kl_GjdVLhyphenhyphenAqxgl3S9_au3MBaYN1dM14cJKTcWgheipxq9Vd-Iwbg-QdbVuaEgGhQOpiVKYjnsl685WqW/s200/IMG_4155.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDvd3O86LzBopOwMnChsa3yoS7JsmRlslCfiiz6UDBr3DXJZFPdSLI_Jhv1fbbCjKhSmcLZjRwRsDdCQSULE7OgkCiKZg0o8iD9ldNQkfcbERa6wgV_WJPqSgP4UqUDdJbL_GKpKw6fcG/s1600-h/IMG_4157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDvd3O86LzBopOwMnChsa3yoS7JsmRlslCfiiz6UDBr3DXJZFPdSLI_Jhv1fbbCjKhSmcLZjRwRsDdCQSULE7OgkCiKZg0o8iD9ldNQkfcbERa6wgV_WJPqSgP4UqUDdJbL_GKpKw6fcG/s320/IMG_4157.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Salvation Mountain was also noteworthy. You may recognize it from the book-turned-movie "Into the Wild." It was thought up and constructed by a quirky, now almost 80 year old guy name Leonard who has been living just outside of Slab City and working on his mountain and other structures for the past 25ish years. We had a chance to meet him and go on his "tour" - he's got some serious spunk.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0sBzz5SmNybLMY_0VbOf6zZTuvYzKf-A8WttwLQJwkVVUW-XF75aZGggBrF0KXRERgKrVET8_yt0kfYrAloToqQSbr0VjII5E5Dma6zpZCGpJm3H9pRP76ySmgYaWe-vKrL0H-qmeLZV/s1600-h/IMG_4172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0sBzz5SmNybLMY_0VbOf6zZTuvYzKf-A8WttwLQJwkVVUW-XF75aZGggBrF0KXRERgKrVET8_yt0kfYrAloToqQSbr0VjII5E5Dma6zpZCGpJm3H9pRP76ySmgYaWe-vKrL0H-qmeLZV/s320/IMG_4172.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've left out a lot of details, but Slab City is somewhere you just have to dig into and experience for yourself. Most of the sights are by no means beautiful or breathtaking, but the culture is somewhat otherworldly and the people are overly generous and real. I do have to wonder though, what do these people do all day, every day, all winter?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pete wrote an interesting, more-detailed, recap of our experience in Slab City and his unique thoughts - be sure to check it out <a href="http://adventuresinmissingthepoint.com/2009/12/01/slab-city/"target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Day 7: The Awkward New Boyfriend/Girlfriend - Slab City to Borrego Springs - 70 miles and 700' gain</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Going to your significant others' family gathering for the first time can be somewhat un-enjoyable: you feel out of place, time seems to drag on, and everyone appears to be judging you. This day brought about a lot of those same feelings. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First of all, with the 50 mile bike ride a few days before being my longest ride to date, I felt a bit intimidated just going into a 70 mile ride. Was it going to be welcoming and accept me?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first 25 miles of this stretch was biking through a grid of farmland, literally. Pete loved this part of the ride for some reason, but I didn't share those feelings. I thought it was kind of eerie in a way, like I was stuck in the middle of someone's farm in FarmVille or like I was going to get chased on a remote road by some creepy truck like in the movie "Jeepers Creepers." Not to mention it was just boring - I've seen enough corn in my day.<br />
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</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The majority of the rest of the trip involved biking back through the desert, through some huge off-road vehicle recreational area. This is where I think we both really started feeling out of place. There were miles and miles and miles of people riding motocross bikes, 4-wheelers, desert buggies, and whatever else. People stared at us like we were nuts, people rode on the sandy shoulders creating menacing clouds of dust, people flew by with their huge trucks and trailers...and it never seemed to end! <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We decided to stop and get something to eat at what for all we knew was the only place between where we were and Borrego Springs. This place looked like it had thrown up motocross and I remember Pete saying something like "I have never felt like such a loser." You'll have that.<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpRf0QL5W2BWnyEk0U2dhMtSDSmpRpcjDZb3bMrVC7j6VpQ7VvZV9yU0uqMYewaE1awT2YXgd-f0RJwhs9A8OYKuHnmeMxEdGs9SSf01qXcjjVlKaRj_NSA0u3GNtkLa-4Y105IGN7aV4/s1600-h/IMG_4204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpRf0QL5W2BWnyEk0U2dhMtSDSmpRpcjDZb3bMrVC7j6VpQ7VvZV9yU0uqMYewaE1awT2YXgd-f0RJwhs9A8OYKuHnmeMxEdGs9SSf01qXcjjVlKaRj_NSA0u3GNtkLa-4Y105IGN7aV4/s320/IMG_4204.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had a couple guys that were really interested in our trip and asked a bunch of questions (I just wanna go eat!) but other than that we just kept to ourselves and ate our food, which was good.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Twenty some more miles till we finally arrived at our motel in Borrego Springs. Holy cow I was exhausted. First shower since day 4 - I have never appreciated a shower so much! More dinner, more drinks, more bed.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Day 8: "Crap, I ate way too much" - Borrego Springs to Lake Henshaw - 45 miles and 1800' gain</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Everyone always eats way too much on Thanksgiving - it's inevitable. When this happens, you're tired and all you want to do is sleep. This day, my legs felt like they had pedaled a few too many times. Pete got the furthest ahead of me he had been all trip (a few miles), and I was on the verge of crying and wanted the day to be over. I was eating plenty, drinking plenty, and trying to go my same easy pace I had been going all week...but for whatever reason my legs were not having it. The little climbing we were doing was not much compared to the second day, yet I felt like I was going so slow and was so tired I might start rolling backwards! I remember tweeting at one point, "Bonkville: population Andrea."<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking back, the 70 mile ride the day before probably had something to do with it, but I'm going to go ahead and blame the weather. We had amazing, sunny, warm weather all trip (minus some wind), and then there was this day.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSKnf3PyjI_QUPmlt38PO7F5ngAoPpEJYNMPw1kYaRB7alFIu3TNNY1D3zRNSk0MwaMb_BSLik3LOpvaBB0h9_1SMLLwO6GcWqbF-yhCTlHii7E66huyMdbfx1huojZv1QprPNV-zFj79/s1600-h/rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSKnf3PyjI_QUPmlt38PO7F5ngAoPpEJYNMPw1kYaRB7alFIu3TNNY1D3zRNSk0MwaMb_BSLik3LOpvaBB0h9_1SMLLwO6GcWqbF-yhCTlHii7E66huyMdbfx1huojZv1QprPNV-zFj79/s320/rainbow.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We woke up to a lovely rainbow, and it was drizzling out but nothing crazy. I knew it was supposed to rain this day...but I wasn't expecting it to be much worse than the drizzle. After a few miles of climbing, the pretty rainbow disappeared and BAM! Downpour...and it was freezing rain - holy owe! I was miserable within minutes: freezing cold, wet, stingingly numb, and not happy. Pete turned back to ask if I was doing okay and I remember grunting something dramatic like how I was going to die of hypothermia. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just as I was freaking out thinking we still had like 40 some miles to go, and no sign of the weather clearing up, we came to a campground. We ended up taking over the handicap bathroom for a good half hour while I warmed up. Pete made me some hot chocolate, and I put on a billion layers of clothes: under armor tights and long sleeve shirt, capri tights, bike shorts, long sleeve tech tee, fleece jacket, windbreaker, headband, socks, and gloves - ha! I was ready to face the weather and we left the bathroom - and then what happens, the sun comes out...and I was WAY too hot - weird, huh?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alas, I think that 20-30 minutes of being freezing cold and worrying took a lot out of me. That, and the shoulder-less climb that followed with an obnoxious amount of RVs and trailers with obnoxious honking/taunting occupants...but that's a different rant.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up until the last 8 miles, we had a dry and somewhat sunny trip - I just felt like crap. The last 8 miles were downhill so I was feeling much better, but it was yet another downpour. We buckled down and got back to Lake Henshaw as quick as possible. Out of luck, they had a no-show and we were able to get the last cabin instead of having to camp outside. Warmth - yahoo! The rest of the night was spent eating, drinking beer, and drying our clothes while we sat around the heater on the porch chairs Pete brought inside. We kept it classy...in a white-trash kind of way :-)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclJPOEc-0aHWoIJZAFKRanZz-nDiiVg5YOyMemJk1cxyiXQyAM3OWw5PNGpCdjvsgfBApdsSFa4p_YqMTGfWbRp9uPwHWDXWiBpe0Q_P-KqoTjde_fhzDX5x-D_KwlroH4sN6GcCsKZXo/s1600-h/IMG_4212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclJPOEc-0aHWoIJZAFKRanZz-nDiiVg5YOyMemJk1cxyiXQyAM3OWw5PNGpCdjvsgfBApdsSFa4p_YqMTGfWbRp9uPwHWDXWiBpe0Q_P-KqoTjde_fhzDX5x-D_KwlroH4sN6GcCsKZXo/s320/IMG_4212.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Day 9: After Dinner Drinks - Lake Henshaw to Solana Beach - 54 miles and 2600' descent</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last day of the trip - bumtown! Pete and I have a slight obsession with Stone IPA, so we made sure to fit a visit to their brewery into the itinerary and make for a fun last day. We ate some breakfast waiting for the residual rain to pass (no way was I biking through that again) and then headed to Escondido. By the way, Pete loves coffee.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOP4bFVhb0STCvWi-wXgIKmWEjgOn8Y2S0ni94IZIOguwmcbYBKLPC3_dH5nbFPXfI1hQr1ITfyH1itdBLZq2lbv3aXVTnqQx-r4BJ_wDm0WPGC-8fWxmKjqGkW9tkOVKQ8JEjK4_OGq8/s1600-h/IMG_4216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOP4bFVhb0STCvWi-wXgIKmWEjgOn8Y2S0ni94IZIOguwmcbYBKLPC3_dH5nbFPXfI1hQr1ITfyH1itdBLZq2lbv3aXVTnqQx-r4BJ_wDm0WPGC-8fWxmKjqGkW9tkOVKQ8JEjK4_OGq8/s320/IMG_4216.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ride to Escondido was fun, and I was feeling so much better than the day before. We had a few really fun descents (one in which Pete had a scare because he brakes wore out, yikes) and even got a glimpse of the ocean for the first time in a while. There was also a bit of climbing...and get this - <a href="http://adventuresinmissingthepoint.com/2009/11/30/reliving-the-mental-barrier/"target="_blank">I thought it was fun</a>!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the "brewing company" we went on a tour and had a really good meal. Their facilities were nothing like I was expecting, but really impressive. I highly recommend their tour - as long as you get our awesome tour guide - he gave us FIVE samples of beer instead of FOUR...angel in a brewery! Their food was pretty awesome as well, if you're willing to pay a little more than usual.<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUM4dKJGcOuIHat2vHr2HGU2uzRrAIQ8iXmWZ1rqRNp-G5wT16W8rSmX0bLViCe_LkfvDtuFpeZG8tzhzRKlDCUimGh40h1dw4K60ejC2HWVgkUxNW8FdRgbDlaF63-C0fKT1IqB5e-uc/s1600-h/IMG_4227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUM4dKJGcOuIHat2vHr2HGU2uzRrAIQ8iXmWZ1rqRNp-G5wT16W8rSmX0bLViCe_LkfvDtuFpeZG8tzhzRKlDCUimGh40h1dw4K60ejC2HWVgkUxNW8FdRgbDlaF63-C0fKT1IqB5e-uc/s320/IMG_4227.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepzdXkydtaKlEoiD_9FGB0vYBDg6X8R2dXd4UbJ0YWzkJ_89a8NTop0GYnTn_o4x5oQTPFdQdu05vufoNu0fbLvVjusk-QKm47vllvTE2bs1bkg8cA3m53UkP8b9OWGE6QvRrCbyZrEX8/s1600-h/IMG_4234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepzdXkydtaKlEoiD_9FGB0vYBDg6X8R2dXd4UbJ0YWzkJ_89a8NTop0GYnTn_o4x5oQTPFdQdu05vufoNu0fbLvVjusk-QKm47vllvTE2bs1bkg8cA3m53UkP8b9OWGE6QvRrCbyZrEX8/s320/IMG_4234.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Quite a few beers later, we headed out. Guess what I got?! Another flat tire! Seriously...I get 3 flat tires and Pete gets none - Spokey needs to shape up! We only had about 16 miles left to go to the train so we just filled it up a few times and made it. The ride to the train was kind of sketch - it had gotten dark out and I learned I'm not a fan of biking on busy, unfamiliar roads when it's dark. Also, you'd think biking to a beach would involve a lot of downhill, right? Not the case - rolling hills the entire way...but I was badass by this point and Lance'd the crap out of those hills :-)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We made it to Solana Beach with about an hour to spare until train time! I celebrated by eating some frozen yogurt, and Pete bought some interesting over-sized donut/cinnamon roll thing.<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7K4_XT8yDFI8R9C3IBHnx-lufzPzmBY7d5Sw91Yi2lDeDYy722l4z_E-l9nuM9QYiJosE2tKMCr51rv8vl0a9ZLvZiC2gyR_PREMbG2Y92AZBDLGBC_sZ1rz54qgu2aVwOiiZwNUAtrA/s1600-h/IMG_4235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7K4_XT8yDFI8R9C3IBHnx-lufzPzmBY7d5Sw91Yi2lDeDYy722l4z_E-l9nuM9QYiJosE2tKMCr51rv8vl0a9ZLvZiC2gyR_PREMbG2Y92AZBDLGBC_sZ1rz54qgu2aVwOiiZwNUAtrA/s320/IMG_4235.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bought a few beers, boarded the train, and chillaxed till Anaheim from which we'd have a measly 10-15 mile ride back to Huntington Beach.<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOb1YoFdo3e3sgx_4mjmvdV7gVKcbX2wbdtJWmWbpdDHTt0zJMTTQQ2P7si9MHo4vq7Pu_dYTXrAXH2VxVSt_612VV-j3PVSu__J4tnvz6ve6EB3WsZCHAlrADN0Prm1w07xACcZj4_Pt/s1600-h/IMG_4238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOb1YoFdo3e3sgx_4mjmvdV7gVKcbX2wbdtJWmWbpdDHTt0zJMTTQQ2P7si9MHo4vq7Pu_dYTXrAXH2VxVSt_612VV-j3PVSu__J4tnvz6ve6EB3WsZCHAlrADN0Prm1w07xACcZj4_Pt/s320/IMG_4238.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We did it!!! And I didn't even cry!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This trip was fan-friggin-tastic and I learned a great deal about myself, Pete, other cultures, biking, and camping. It went by way too fast and I'm anxiously awaiting the next bike tour...whenever that comes about. I admit I doubted my capabilities numerous times before and during this trip, but I'm proud I was able to turn those doubts into accomplishments (something to remember when I start training for my first marathon - eek!). Props to Pete for being patient and helping me along the way :-)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And the best part, I get to show-off my amazing tan when I go home for Christmas...it looks like something along these lines (pun intended):<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwScVD-Tv6J9b2otM7DMbQDx8lK5K5eeqR_uSBNERjJgbGqHv5wV84A04JTHI7a_NvnFQASKwE2alKuDcJZ16DOoifcH7jg0li_JepTYFyRNJuJ811n6Nxz26PpTvjmXK3meDv5WikGHLx/s1600-h/tanlines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwScVD-Tv6J9b2otM7DMbQDx8lK5K5eeqR_uSBNERjJgbGqHv5wV84A04JTHI7a_NvnFQASKwE2alKuDcJZ16DOoifcH7jg0li_JepTYFyRNJuJ811n6Nxz26PpTvjmXK3meDv5WikGHLx/s320/tanlines.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks, <a href="http://breakingthetape.com/blog/"target="_blank">Jeff</a> :-)<br />
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</div></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06688112313495313052noreply@blogger.com2