Half Crazy, Half Awesome

Yes, I believe the title of this blog entry describes me for many many reasons.

For the purpose of this entry, I'm focusing on one part of my crazy/awesome combo. For starters, there's a few people who shall remain nameless in this blog (but know who they are) who deserve a huge thanks for helping me believe that I am capable of running a half marathon distance. My best running buddy, and her sisters, all played major roles in helping me see the light. (THANKS YOU GGUYYYSSSS)

I may able blame them a little for creating a monster.

I ran my first half marathon in May of this year, and then turned around a ran another one two weeks later.

This turned out to be a bad plan. My body wasn't used to that must exertion and quickly revolted by causing all sorts of issues (runner's knee, ankle problems, rage).

However bad that idea may have been, two half marathons in two weeks earns you entry to the elite half marathon club: Half Fanatics. This dues-paying club requires you complete a certain amount of halfs within a certain amount of time, and as you progress through the levels, you can earn different "status'" within the club. The top status you can achieve:

THE SUN          

1. 52 Half Marathons or more within 365 days.

2. 30 Half Marathons in 30 US states, Countries, or Canadian Provinces (any combination) within 365 days.

3. 20 Countries within 365 days. 

I'm not planning on attaining Sun status until I figure out how to get sponsored... 

Since that first halfy in May, I've ran five. This is where the half crazy part comes into play. My last two races were one week apart. (In my defense, the last one was a fund-raiser for soldiers with PTSD, which TOTALLY tugs at my heartstrings. AND, they offered a military discount, which I LOVE).

Photo from the 2011 race.

While I did this because my current training plans require more and more miles every week, and for me, there's nothing quite like the push I give myself in a race (my competitive side can be sort of aggressive sometimes). So, not only did I get to race for a good cause, but it also doubled as a great training run.

My next race is a 30k (that's 18 miles. WTF was I thinking) trail run. I'll hold off writing about this until later because the mere thought of this race is still a little daunting. (Another shout out to my running buddy for getting me into this one...) This will be a PDR for me, and a big jump outside my comfort area. I've come to love my halfys, but I have to remember that for most my life, a half marathon was out of my comfort area, too.

Next up to add to the training regime? Speed work. I feel like I've built up a good endurance base, but would love to have a little "push" for race day. I'm hoping I can find a local track to do some work at next week.

"To give anything less than you best is to sacrifice the gift. " Steve Prefontaine, who was also half crazy.

So maybe I am half crazy. Crazy for running so much? Crazy about half marathons being my "perfect distance"? Crazy for listening to my running buddy when she says, "Hey, we should do this!" Or maybe even crazy about pushing myself just that little bit extra... Yup. I'll own up to every little bit of that. Oh yeah, and usually to the half awesome part, too.

What does your training schedule look like?

Do you train for races or do you prefer to run for recreation?

Are you like my husband who believes if you have to go father than three miles, you should get in a car?

Pre Race Jitters

The night before a race, no matter how big or small, is consistently the worst night of my life.

No matter how well I plan, or how much work I do in advance, I always freak out.

It seems pretty simple when I plan it out. Hydrate, eat good foods, set out my clothes and gear, paint my fast nails, load up my water bottle...

Somehow instead of going to bed at a decent time, and chugging 60 ounces of water, I end up vacuuming inside the closets, reorganizing drawers, or cleaning out the cupboards.

Right now, I'm fighting the urge to clean the house, and instead I set up my bike so I could spin out some nerves while I catch up on some new TV (So far, Guys with Kids is pretty funny. Love Jimmy Fallon!)

Who says printed books won't always be useful!?

I did manage to have a DELICIOUS dinner, courtesy of Trader Joe's and what happens when you go there for ONE thing. I bought their frozen salmon patties, their guacamole/greek yogurt mix, and their corn/flour tortillas (weird combo, I know). I grilled up the salmon patty and made a wrap with the guac and tortilla. So good!

If you like avocados, you gotta try this stuff. Immediately.

Tomorrow, I'm running a half-marathon and I'm attempting to PR with a time less than 1:50. My reach goal is 1:45 because I know it's a flat and fast course, but that means I'd have to run almost :30 faster a mile for most of the race... and I'm a realist.

Cross your fingers for race bling!

I also know it's going to a smaller-than-normal race; I'm thinking there will be less than 500 people there. So... my odds of placing are either super awesome, or super terrible because I'll be again some FAST rangers and army wives. 

What are your pre-race rituals? Do you have a certain dinner before important races or something special you always do? 

UPDATE: PR'ed on the course! Was the sixth woman in my age group, with a 1:46. There were a TON of really talented and fast runners at this event. But, the best part was the band after the run. Called Heavy Left, I believe it's a group of soldiers. The did an awesome rendition of Rock Candy by Montrose, complete with a falsetto chorus. 

Friday Favorite: KT Tape Pro

First of all let me say, I would have stopped running long ago if it weren't for this magical, super-powered tape; KT Tape Pro.

It isn't actually magical (Although Magic Tape kind of has a nice ring to it). It is, however, an awesome way for regular, non-physical therapy, stubborn, I'm-not-going-to-stop-running-unless-a-bone-is-broken type of people to power through minor injuries in a safe and self-empowering way.

KT Tape (the KT stands for kinesio therapy) has an awesome website, and lots of videos on YouTube to show you how to properly apply this super-sticky tape for all sorts of afflictions. IT band issues, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, rotator cuff issues, and even jammed fingers all have videos for tape application, allowing you to continue your training, despite muscle or joint pain cause by these problems.

I started using KT Tape earlier this year (2012) when I started having issues with my outer knee, as many runners do. I had recently started adding miles to my runs, and didn't exactly follow the "add 10% at a time" guideline (read: I'm terrible at math and though one more mile a week sounded great to me).

It was pretty debilitating, and as it got worse, I started favoring my other leg, causing a myriad of other problems. So, with the help of lots and lots of Google searches, and my husband's Army Medic knowledge, I deducted the culprit was my IT band (which runs from the top of your hip, all the way down to the lower side of your outer knee). After a brief stint of "resting" (ok ok, i just changed my workouts so there wasn't any high-impact jumping), and a few sessions of acupuncture (which did help, just not fast enough, or cheap enough), I took matters into my own hands.

I bought myself some KT Tape Pro (also available in regular KT Tape - it's a little cheaper, but doesn't stay on as long... and quite frankly didn't look as cool as the Pro version) in neon blue and neon green - because after all, if you're going to have half your leg covered in tape, you better own it and look as bad ass as possible, right? Right.

One application for the IT band.

I tried it out for a run, and it surprised me how much better my leg felt. But, I still wasn't convinced something as easy as tape could be the solution, so I tried another run without the tape. OUCH. That was STUPID another setback, and I had to rest and ice, Again.

After about 4 days with the tape on.

I wouldn't run again without my KT Tape for six months, moving an application along with any little pain I created for myself. My IT band problem went away, and I exchanged it for an ankle issue: another common problem for runners, created by running on the sloped outer side of a road. I KT Taped it up, and again, I was able to get out and continue my training. I've used it for achilles tendon issues on running buddies, a pulled muscle in my foot, and was AMAZED at all the athletes in the London Olympics rocking their KT Tape!

Gotta have all the cool colors, right?

As I wear it, people often ask me what it's for. It's sort of hard to describe, other than saying, "It's MAGIC TAPE!!", but usually try to describe it like this: When elastic is put on an item of clothing, it's stretched out to a certain point (50%, 75%, etc), and then attached to the material. Then, as the elastic is allowed to do what it naturally does, it bunches the material together. The tape, very simply, works in the same manner. It's stretched out as you apply it to the problem muscle or joint, allowing the strain or pressure on the area to be hugely reduced, giving it the support to heal or correct.

Today, my legs are KT Tape free, but I know I would never have been able to log so many training and race miles without this magic tape. If you're experiencing any sort of training-related continued soreness, strains or discomfort, check out kttape.com and see if there's an application for what ails you. 

Do you have a training-related issue you're experiencing, or something you've overcome? How are you/did you deal with it? Have you used KT Tape before?

Fitting It In.

Sometimes, life gets just a little bit out of control. Going on vacations, work trips, and sometimes just the regular day-to-day responsibilities can SERIOUSLY get in the way of fitting in a workout. ESPECIALLY when your workout requires two hours of the day!

This weekend, I was away from home for the whole weekend, which meant I knew I was going to miss out on my regular long training run on Saturday. Upon realizing this, I freaked out packed up my workout DVDs and figured it would be okay to substitute a HIIT workout from TurboFire on Saturday, and then squeeze in a workout when I got home on Sunday. My workouts keep me sane, so I knew I needed to do a workout to make it through the weekend, and HIIT 25 fit the bill perfectly.

Love this saying - because I never know what to say when people ask, "Are you a runner?"

Sidenote: to all you busy moms out there - you are truly amazing. I was babysitting all weekend, and the thought of either having to take two little boys (4 and 6.5) with me, or forfeit my long run was enough to make me tear up like they did when I told them we weren't having chocolate-covered-raisins for breakfast.

What do you mean, you can't read the instructions on the microwave popcorn bag?

Thank goodness I got up before the kids and worked out. Otherwise I may have had to make them play tag (aka, do shuttle runs and fartletks) with me.

Moving my long run to a week day is where I really get hung up. I know I need to do it before work, because that's when I focus best, but it is SO hard to get up before the sun when you're used to doing a long run with so many conveniences.

Long runs on the weekend are perfect for me because there's less traffic, I can start at 7 or 8 (or even 9! who cares!), and there's less pressure for me to finish in a certain time because I have somewhere to be. In my area, there's even a few places that close down vehicle access so runners and bikers can use the whole road.

Besides running, I do most of my regular workout at home. So, they're travel-friendly,

How do you fit in a workout when you're super busy, out of town, or if you missed a day? Any tips from those of you who run longer runs during the week?

What's your "race style"?

I ran the Lake Union 10k yesterday in Seattle. It was a perfect run morning: cool weather, beautiful course, less than 1,100 runners (I think because the paved course around the lake isn't very wide). The race started at 7:30 and I was meeting up with some running friends, so, living an hour South meant my alarm clock went off incredibly early (4:30).

A view of Lake Union from the South end.

Side rant: I always worry too much about what I eat for breakfast the day of a race. I haven't yet made a majorly regrettable breakfast choice - but I've read enough running blogs that I'm overly concerned about some sort of emergency happening during a race (read: needing to poop). At least when you're up three hours before a race, you've got plenty of time to stand in line at the porta-potty.

Back to the topic at hand:

There are SO many different ways people approach race days. Some choose a goal time to try and beat, while others don't worry about their completion time. What do you do?

I recently purchased a Garmin 910xt and it's really changed the way I run races. It allows me to see my pace, my heart rate, and will let me compare my times for each mile ran (among the million other things it also does). This handy tool really lets me see how I'm doing, in real time, and lets me know how much harder I can push myself. I always try to beat whatever my previous time running that length was, and my Garmin helps me keep from starting out with a pace I can't maintain over the course of the run. 

Another tactic I've adopted during races, is to find someone with a pace a few seconds faster than mine, and follow them throughout the race. Sometimes this ends up with a long game of leap-frogging some poor stranger. Other times, I just find someone ahead of me with bright clothing on, and try to keep within eyesight.

For this race - I started out with (what felt like) a super fast pace. But, after a mile in, my watch told me I was right on track for my regular race pace (which is always faster than my training-run pace). After I wove through the pack to where my pace was, I found a guy in front of me with bight blue Mizuno Precisions on, and was able to creeper stalk  draft him the whole race. I was feeling pretty good during a few places and smoked this poor stranger up the hills, but then he came right back and passed me on the straightaways. (I should take that as a training tip, probably... but I'll choose to focus on the fact that I run strong hills.)

After the race, I made sure to find the guy and thank him for being my pacer. He was nice, and laughed as he said, "Yeah, I noticed you on those hills, you did well". (Which I think translated into: "You chicked me twice, but then I caught up... so they get cancelled out, right?). He finished REALLY strong; probably a good 15 seconds ahead of me, even though I sprinted the last 100 yards of the race, just to try and get those seconds down. 

I looped back around to a point before the finish line, so I could cheer on my running buddies, and here's where I got to thinking... What are these people's plans of attack? Some people looked like they hadn't just ran six miles, while others were pushing it so hard I was afraid they were going to miss the turn off for the finishline. 

It was pretty obvious that some runners were trying to beat a time, while still more seemed to be taking their time and enjoying their surroundings a little more. (Also, I was standing near the camera guy, and it was HILARIOUS to see the ridiculous things people were doing for their photos. I saw people with the look of death on their faces, covered in sweat, all of a sudden flash a HUGE smile, do an air jack, and yell, "WOOHOO" for this camera guy - and then immediately go back to exhausted-runner. It was hysterical!)

From this, to Richard Simmons, in 1 second flat.

Do you know what kind of "race style" you have? 

I like to treat races as endurance training runs: a way to get in some speedwork, and push myself a little harder than I so when I'm just competing with myself. And, it's the best time for me to PR. Less distractions, more competition (I'm just a LITTLE competitive. Like 10 steps behind Monica from Friends, competitive...)

So tell me what your plan of attack? Beat everyone? Don't be last? Beat a personal time, or within a certain time limit? 

Do you have a plan of attack for the camera guy? Mine? Avoid him at all costs... running directly behind someone else is not out of the question. 

Friday Favorite #1

Well since this is the first Friday of my blog, I thought I would liven things up a big, and give myself a weekly topic to write about. So, each Friday I'll pick out a favorite of mine: gear, workouts, food, etc. And, I hope you'll share your favorites, too!

Today's favorite? One of my favorite run routes.

Chamber Creek Properties - Pierce County, WA

After a week of anticipated hotter-than-normal days here in the Pacific Northwest, my friend convinced me to get up and run in the morning on Wednesday (which I only do sometimes because of my work schedule) so I wouldn't have to work out in the heat of the afternoon. (Here in the PNW, 85 is pretty much considered blisteringly hot. It's embarrassing.)

I set out my clothes the night before, and mentally prepared myself for an early alarm.

You should know I'm a self-described morning person. Some might say I'm obnoxious a little too chipper in the morning hours, especially when there's exercise involved.

There's just something about how peaceful everything is early in the morning when the world seems to be moving just a little slower, don't you agree? (Non morning people, keep your comments to yourselves.)

This is where I have to add in that I started my run with a laugh because the exact person who talked me into  getting up early for a run? Sent me a text message that said "OKAY, I'LL GO BACK TO BED!!"

Don't worry, she got up and ran despite her bed trying to trap her.

Here's the view from where I ran:

This is Chambers Creek Golf Course (the 2015 location of the U.S. Open Championship) and the Chambers Creek Properties in University Place.

It's the PERFECT training route for all levels of runners. There's a paved path that runs around the golf course, a giant meadow, and through some forested area. If you take the longest loop around, it's a perfect 5k (although it feels much longer!).

The route has some significant hills on both sides; one side is three large switchbacks, and the other side in multiple smaller switchbacks with rolling (and sometimes really steep) hills through shady trees.

Here's an actual map of the route.

Chambers is NO exception when it comes to the early-morning peacefulness. It's next to Puget Sound, has a train track that runs nearby, and most of the regular users have a good understanding of trail etiquette.

The view from the top.

This course is ALWAYS challenging to me, no matter how many miles I've logged recently. The hills are KILLER, no matter which direction you decide to go around it.


Do you have a favorite place to run? Somewhere peaceful? Or maybe it's your favorite because it's super convenient to get to?