Week 11: What I think about when I think about running

This week's title is a spin on the popular memoir by Haruki Murakami called "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running." I keep meaning to pick up this book. Maybe I will after the marathon. I ran for a very long time this weekend - almost 4 1/2 hours - 18 miles - the furthest I have ever run in my life. I had Wacarra with me during the first 6 miles and we chatted away about everything from the election to Weight Watchers to future career goals and aspirations. It's true that whenever I'm not running all I talk to her about is running, and when we are running we talk about everything else :)

After mile 6 we had to say goodbye and I continued on to the next 12 miles alone. I decided to try a new trail this time and started just outside of Matthews Beach Park at 97th Ave NE and Sand Point Way and ran 9 miles up past Bothell Landing and back. The views were straight out of a Monet painting (if Monet painted fall foliage). The trail led me over rickety bridges and still water, through windy paths littered with golden yellow leaves and tall birch trees, past a wild rooster and a pair of bronzed running shoes. Throughout the entire run I was reminded how fortunate I was to live in an area of the country that not only has stunning natural beauty at every turn, but also a population of tax payers who financially support the infrastructure needed to maintain such beautiful trails and parks. Thank you, King County.

So while I was surrounded by all of this beauty, on a slightly chilly, clear autumn morning, I thought about all of the wonderful things that have come into my life from the moment I began running. I am more satisfied with my career than I have ever been; I've become a more supportive friend; and I am in the best relationship of my life. In a nutshell, I am the happiest I have ever been, and I trust that things will only get better. I believe there is a direct correlation between running and achieving and my level of happiness. I guess you could say I've hit the runner's high.

The 18-miles wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Miles 13-16 were still difficult but once again I made it. For the very first time, I looked at my Garmin watch, at the 17.95 miles staring back at me from the display, and I was really, really proud of myself. Eighteen miles is an awesome achievement. I did it. I'm a runner.

Link to the Garmin Report

Week 9: Happy Sweet Sixteen!

So this weekend marked my longest run to date: 16 miles. I was filled with trepidation all week as I thought about the prior week's 14-mile run and how bad my knee hurt this week. I purposely took it easy on my weekday runs, logging three 3-milers on Tues/Wed/Thurs, instead of the recommended 4/7/4.

I've been mostly sticking to two or three primary running routes since the spring: Alki beach, Burke Gilman between Gasworks Park and U-Village, and my favorite, Leschi. As my runs have continued to increase, it's become more and more of a challenge to find a long enough route to get all the required mileage in. In addition, I'm really bad with directions and have an unjustified fear of somehow "getting lost" in Seattle, a city I've lived in for 12 years :) This weekend I decided to shake things up a bit, and planned my 16-mile route to begin at Shilshole Marina/Golden Gardens Park running along the Burke Gilman to U-Village and back. Wacarra had plans to meet up with me at Gasworks on my return route, around mile 11.5. This turned out to be a lifesaver!

I was excited for the good weather on Saturday. I started my run at 7:30am, at approximately 40 degrees (similar to marathon day in Philly). It was sunny, clear, and beautiful. I wore my North Face running jacket for the first four or so miles, then took it off at Gasworks where I briefly stopped to use the restroom. Running through Fremont along Lake Union was amazing. Fog was lifting off the water and I could barely make out the silhouettes of the boathouses and fishing boats which reminded me so much of the small town in Maine where my uncle lives. I made it to my turn-around point at mile 8 (U-Village) fairly easily and was counting down the miles until I would be able to meet up with Wacarra.

We finally met up at Gasworks and she arrived bearing gifts in the form of six or seven candy pumpkins (similar to candy corn) which I quickly devoured :) It was so nice to have someone to talk to for those last 4 miles. Around mile 12 my knees really started to hurt - and when I say "started to hurt" what I really mean is "started to feel like someone took a sledgehammer to them." Aside from the knees, I felt pretty good. I finished just under 16 miles in 3:27, stretched, and drove to Starbucks for a chocolate banana Vivanno and some Perfect Oatmeal.



When I got home, I immediately iced both knees for about half an hour, showered, rested a bit on the couch, and then took the bus downtown to Pike Place Market. Raj and I walked around for a bit and picked up some ingredients for dinner, but otherwise it was a pretty light day. On Sunday, we did some more walking at the Magnuson Dog Park, but mostly took it easy. I honestly felt great all weekend, but what was especially strange was what I noticed once I got to work this morning. My office is nestled within a series of buildings in the Red West portion of the main Microsoft campus. I am contstantly walking in between buildings, which means I have to climb a lot of stairs. Stairs = knee pain. But not today! I noticed it immediately. There is a slight discomfort, but I would say near 80% improvement from what I've been feeling. I have no explanation for this. Was it the extra sleep over the weekend? Was it the spicy olive oil from Pike Place Market? The icing? The candy pumpkins? I'll probably never know, but I feel fabulous today, my legs feel fresh, and I have high hopes for this week and my next 16-mile run this coming Saturday.

I'm down to my final six weeks! I can't believe it! Only three more long runs, then I taper, then I run the marathon. I can't believe I've made it this far. Sometimes I can't believe it's me who is running all these miles. It doesn't seem possible. It's as if "that person" is someone else I can't even relate to. Like I can't take credit for the accomplishment. It's a strange, almost out-of-body experience. Is this a common feeling?

UPDATE 4:30pm - Ok, so I take back everything I said earlier today. Left knee is still hurting, though not as bad as it has been. Me = still feeling good. Taking one more night off and resuming running schedule on Tuesday...

Running with the Garmin Forerunner 305

So this weekend I bought a used Garmin Forerunner 305 secondhand off of craigslist for approximately half the retail price. Wacarra told me about these little gadgets last Saturday on our run, and as soon as I heard about the 305 I was intrigued. Basically, it's a GPS device that fits on your wrist, like a watch... only it tracks all the important things you'd want to know when doing any sort of physical activity or training: distance, pace, heart rate, calories burned, etc. There are literally about 20 different types of data that this thing records. You wear it on your wrist like you would a watch and yes, it's a little bulky and no, I probably wouldn't wear it out on a Friday night, but I did not find it at all distracting to wear while running. There is also an option to strap a heart rate monitor to your chest which communicates with the wrist device.

(Note: not my arm)

So I wore this on Wednesday morning for my 5 mile run and also tonight for my 3 mile run, both at Gasworks. Wednesday didn't work out, as I hadn't cleared the previous owner's user data from the device which was causing a weird conflict with the software. Once I wiped it clean, I was able to start fresh with my new data. There are so many reasons why the Garmin 305 is cool I don't know where to begin. After using it for 2 runs here is what I'm finding impressive:

1. I actually know how far I'm running by distance, not time. In the past, I had measured one mile as 12 minutes of running. Now, I actually know the exact distances I am running. This frees me up to try some new routes.
2. My heart rate is really high! I am averaging almost in the 90% rate of my max, which means I have fallen REALLY out of shape since I stopped running through the summer, but also gives me a good benchmark for improvement.
3. I can set an alert to beep me when I go above or below my target heart rate. Very cool.
4. The unit ships with some pretty basic software, but you can also use the supplementary web-based software called Motion Based (www.motionbased.com). The free version is awesome! You can upload your runs from the device into Google maps, and see all of your data in chart form - what your heart rate was on such and such a hill, how fast you ran during the last mile, how many seconds you stopped for, etc. 

You can also view other Motion Based user runs across the U.S. (there were some runs uploaded tonight from Oildale, CA - my hometown, ahhhh), or filter by your city. So if I want to see what routes people are running in Seattle, I can view them. You also have the option to make your runs private, but why would you want to?

The coolest thing about the software is the ability to replay your run using the Map Player. When you "play back" your route, the little pin glides along your route, giving off real-time data results including what your heart rate was, pace, elevation, etc. at any given moment during the route. It's really cool.

I think this is going to be a useful little tool for helping me improve my pace while training within my target heart rate zone. I'm excited to track my route in Bellingham this weekend for the 15K!

Week 3: 3/4/0/7

Not much happened this week run-wise. I was highly distracted by the DNC/Barack Obama speech/CNN commentary/Sarah Palin debacle, and it was hard to focus this week. Regardless, I managed to log 14 miles and finished with a strong 7-miler at Leschi on Saturday.

My left knee is still hurting day of and day after my long runs, even if I wear my patella brace. The dull pain usually subsides 2 days after my long run, and I hope this isn't going to be an ongoing and/or worsening problem. Keeping fingers crossed.

Week 2: Getting easier...

East Lake Sammamish Trail

Week two kicked off with a new gym membership. After heading into my old gym, Anderson's Nautilus at Greenlake, to run on a treadmill during a particularly rainy evening, I knew there was no way this was going to work. Five of their six treadmills were occupied by huge football player type guys, and the temperature in the treadmill room was hovering around 80 degrees.

So I did some research and settled on L.A. Fitness up on 134th and Aurora. Alex had been in a few times and told me it was great, although too far of a trek for her. This gym is awesome! Pool, racquetball courts, millions of treadmills, and it's spotlessly clean. Oh, and the monthly membership is almost half of what I was paying at Anderson's. The choice was easy.

So I settled into a gym routine this week - just in time for several days of Seattle rain. Running on the treadmill is fine for now while I'm still doing light weekday runs of 3-4 miles. In a few weeks when those increase to 5-8 miles, I'll need to come up with a better plan.

So I finished out the week with a 3/4/3/6 schedule, 16 miles total. On Saturday, Raj and I had to get up early to watch Alex compete in her first triathlon, also in the city of Sammamish where he lives, so I got up early from his place and ran the East Lake Sammamish Trail. It looked good on the website, but the loose gravel trail really screwed up my knees, particularly the left knee, which I had problems with in the spring. I won't be running there again.

Later on Saturday, Raj and I drove out to Port Angeles and camped at Heart o' the Hills in the Olympic National Rain forest. We took it easy and just relaxed all day, ate some awesome mexican food, and settled in our tent fairly early. On Sunday, my knee was still hurting and as it started pouring rain, we decided to scrap our hiking plans (and omelette plans....saaaaad) and head home.... which took 5 hours due to a massive car accident on the 101!

Overall, much improvement this week with my runs. I am running between a 11:35-11:50 minute pace, which was close to my half-marathon time. Aside from the physical progress, I am making a huge effort to up my calcium and iron intake, and of course plenty of carbs. It is nearly impossible to "watch my weight" while I am in training mode, so I'm just focusing on eating the best foods I can to give me optimum energy to complete the runs.

Ok, off to the gym for my Monday night run....

Week 1: 15 miles down; hope restored

So today officially marks the end of week one of my 15 week marathon training schedule. I'm following the 16 week schedule (and omitting one of the three 16-mile runs) laid out in the book The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer by David Whitsett. It's a fairly straightforward plan which requires 4 runs per week, including one long run (Saturday). I felt pretty good this week, although I hate, hate, hate Greenlake and will be avoiding that loop altogether going forward. I have some sort of mental block which keeps me from enjoying my time there, unless I'm walking with a friend.

I completed all four runs, including 5 miles at Leschi yesterday. However, getting back into the swing of things has been hard and I've definitely had to walk during the runs. Yesterday was especially hard, as I'm not used to running in this "heat." All of my half-marathon training was done throughout the late winter and early spring, and I much prefer running in cold weather any day. This is one of the primary reasons I've chosen the Philadelphia Marathon - the average start/end temps of that race are 45/55 degrees.

I'm reading a few really interesting books this time around and am approaching this race much more creatively. I'm choosing to really focus on nutrition (following the guidelines in Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners) and to make sure I'm fueling my body with the proper nutrients. I know for a fact, with the last race I wasn't getting nearly enough iron in my diet (which would explain my chronic fatigue following the long runs), and according to my last physical I am slightly anemic, so I really need to increase my green smoothie intake during the next few months. Also, I have decided to incorporate one day of weight training into my new routine. I know I should do more, but one day is all I can commit to at this time.

Overall, I'm following the principles of Kaizen - small steps over time equate to big changes. I'm trying to overcome the anxiety I have about the long runs by not thinking about them ahead of time - just conquering them as they come. I'm glad to have week one behind me and am excited to move one week closer to my goal.

Blissfully optimistic or just stupid?

One year ago today, August 12, 2007, I ran my very first organized race: the Seattle Guts n' Glory 5k to help raise money for Chrohn's and Colitis research. I remember every detail of that race: the song playing on my iPod when the starting horn sounded, watching my reflection in the glass of some of the businesses in SODO (thinking - wow, I'm a runner), the turnaround point at Starbucks on 1st ave. S (I worked next door at the time and visited that Starbucks every day .... I wondered if anyone inside recognized me as I trotted by red-faced on the street outside), how far the finish line seemed and how overjoyed I was to cross it.

So today seems like a good day to make an announcement to my dear blog reader(s). And maybe I'm crazy and maybe there is no way in hell that I can make this happen, but..... deep breath..... I have decided to train for the Philadelphia Marathon happening on Nov. 23, 2008. All 26.2 miles of it.

Now there is a good chance that I will actually kill myself in the process. A really good chance. I haven't seriously run in 3 months, and while I'm hoping my body will snap back fairly quickly (I was up to 10 mile runs in May), I'm still looking at a freakishly intense training schedule that takes me from 4 miles this Saturday to 18 miles in approximately 13 weeks. I'm not sure I can do it. But I'm going to try, dammit!

There are a few reasons why I've decided to do this now: I haven't fallen THAT far off my prior training schedule, as a contract employee I can't work overtime (even if I wanted to), I have practically no responsibilities whatsoever at this point in my life, I've gained about 10 lbs. since my last race that I desperately need to lose, and frankly, 2008 just feels like my year.

Making a public commitment solidifies the deal. Makes me accountable. And I'll go back to using this blog for what it was initially intended to do: track my running progress. As I sit here writing this, I can't believe I'm writing this. I'm staring at the "Publish Post" button wondering if this is the right thing to do. And I'm scared to death that I'll fail.

But I guess that's why I don't have a choice but to do it.

I've been running again

I've run only a handful of times since completing the race last month. Four times to be exact. All on the treadmill. I have come to loathe the treadmill. This morning, after a spirited 20 minute treadmill run, I decided that I'm going to run outside again tomorrow. I'm thinking Gasworks Park? I would love to do Leschi, but it just takes too long to drive over there....and that extra half-hour of sleep sounds so delicious!

I watched Wacarra finish the Seafair half-marathon in 75 degree heat yesterday, so I'm inspired and ready to get back to business. I am contemplating another half-marathon in the late fall, early November'ish. I am reconsidering the Hartford, CT half.... I have a free domestic airfare ticket burning a hole in my pocket! We'll see how it goes. This heat really sucks.

More pics and thoughts from Vancouver

Well, the race was only a week ago and it feels like I haven't run in 6 months. I took a well needed break this week to rest my body and contemplate what's next for me. It's hard to articulate into words what this race was like without sounding totally cliche. It was amazing from start to finish.

We started promptly at 7am, with perfect weather. I was well rested from the night before, and at the last minute changed into my lightweight Patagonia technical shirt, which ended up being too hot after about 4 miles. I also wore my cute blue gloves that came in my race pack. Yeah, took those off at mile 2, and held onto them throughout the whole race! Didn't want to lose them.

We ran through some really cool parts of Vancouver: Chinatown, through some sketchy parts of downtown, along the water, and about 6 miles of Stanley Park before heading along Beach Avenue back to the Expo finish. I was pacing ahead of schedule up until mile 7, when I briefly stopped to stretch out my back and legs. Headphones were banned from this race, and this was the first time I had run any significant distance without music. Without this sensory distraction I was much more aware of my other senses - sights and sounds, and of course pain. So after my quick stretch, I was running again, crossing the 7 mile sign at exactly 77 minutes. At around mile 8 I hit the big 200' hill that I had been anticipating. My race strategy for conquering hills is simple - walk it! So I power walked the whole thing. I figured it was good to conserve energy here, I would need it over the next 5 miles. After about 3/4 of a mile, I finally cleared the top of the hill and then headed down, down, down! I think that downhill mile was the single greatest moment of my life! Or at least it felt that way at the time. I picked up some speed here and crossed mile 9 only 3 minutes behind schedule at 102 minutes.

I knew at this moment that I would achieve my goal of finishing in under 2 hours 30 minutes, and that was a great feeling and relief. Right around mile 10, however, I started getting side cramps I'm assuming from drinking Gatorade along the course. I walked for about a minute and worked out the cramps, and started running again. The last 2.5-3 miles were truly difficult; at mile 11 I started speaking out loud to myself - swearing over and over and coaching myself to keep going. The crowd was really supportive here and I really appreciated their words and shouts of encouragement, some even calling out to me by name (which was on my race bib), which totally choked me up.

When I passed the 12 mile mark I really, really wanted to stop. A few yards later I saw the "1 mile to go!" sign and checked my watch - 2:17. Crap! Too close to slack now! Somehow I finished that last mile; honestly, I don't know how. Once the finish line was in sight I got a sudden boost of energy and began to sprint! I was so happy and was fighting back the tears as I crossed the finish line. We were given our medals and blue plastic blankets as we were ushered through the crowd and this is when I really started getting choked up. The damn medal! That's what I wanted!

This whole experience has been awesome and has changed my life in so many ways. It's taught me to really let go of my perfectionist tendencies and be willing to fail at something. I've learned that just "doing it" is good enough. I've felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment for setting my sights on a huge goal that took a lot of time and effort to achieve. And I've come to appreciate my body for it's strength and physical ability rather than judging it for its shortcomings. I feel lighter and happier and more appreciative for everything that I have, and I can't wait to discover what is next on the horizon for me....

A few more pics from Vancouver, 5/4/08:


Here I am at the race start - light blue shirt, arms in the air waving my cool blue gloves. We anxiously awaited the start gun amid dozens of red and white Canadian beach balls being tossed through the air. Very festive.

I have to say, my race photos taken out on the course are absolutely atrocious. I can't even post them here... anyway, here's me at the finish line, 2 and 1/2 hours later. What a race! The last 2 miles were agonizing. Nicole snapped this pic just as I crossed; my chip time was 2:28:13. I was trying not to cry.

Happiest day of my life - I did it! Now I know I can do anything!!!


Ahhh.... Starbucks. Breakfast of champions :)

And off we go!

This is it! Race is tomorrow. I'm all packed and waiting for Nicole to pick me up so we can head north to Vancouver. Weather is crappy here in Seattle, but is supposed to be sunny and beautiful in Vancouver on Sunday. The half-marathon begins at 7am. I'm excited, anxious, and terrified - but I feel sooooo alive! What a great feeling! If you're reading this, be sure and send good karma my way tomorrow morning - wish me luck!!!

Final countdown...

Today I ran 10.5 miles. Let me repeat that. Today I ran 10.5 miles... as in, consecutively. The half-marathon is next weekend, and at this point in the game I'm as ready as I'm going to be. I had a lot of time to think today - I reminisced about the past 10 months, remembered some of the early races I competed in - back when I could barely run 3 miles, and felt overwhelmed by my accomplishment. One foot in front of the other. Slow and steady wins the race. As cliche as they sound, these statements are my mantra.

I truly believe that with the proper training and commitment, anyone can complete an endurance event. I wish I could convince all of those people out there that think they are not capable that they CAN do it. I am a different person today due to the self-confidence and boundless determination that I've gained from my training. It's a great feeling. Now I'm coming up on the final stretch and can't wait for all of my hard work to pay off. Just one more week to go ....

Vancouver Sun Run!

I ran the Sun Run this weekend in Vancouver. I loved it and hated it. Things I loved: the enthusiasm of the city in embracing this event! Awesome crowd support, organized bands along the route and plenty of water stations, stellar views along an diverse route (city, 2 bridges, etc), running with 60,000 people! Woah! Things I hated: 40 minutes to cross the start line, waiting in line to cross the finish line, and running with 60,000 people! Woah!

This was the second largest race in the world, with a record breaking 59,179 registered runners. My time sucked, mostly due to the walkers and slow runners registering in the incorrect wave. There is nothing more annoying than having to strategically dodge hundreds of people for 5 kilometers! It tends to slow you down. I finished at 68:26, about 5 minutes more than my expected time - but I still did well in comparison to others in my age group and finished in the top 1/3 of women :) Here are some fun photos from the race...

Me and Wacarra patiently waiting at the start line ... for 40 minutes.

The line in front...

And the line behind us...

Here we are - 39:29 - almost crossing the start line!

Around 4k - crossing the Cambie Bridge. Unfortunately I didn't capture the stunning views from the bridge. I was busy running :)

At the 9k mark - heading over the Burrard Bridge. More great views of downtown Vancouver.

Running the last 1k

After standing in line to cross the finish mats, we waited in another line to enter the Expo. Lots of runners, lots of food :) But where is Wacarra???

Bagels never looked so good! I hate that after a big run I always eat all the calories I just burned - I had 3 (hey - they were small).

Yum - bananas!

55,785 people running in Vancouver this weekend!

The 2008 Vancouver Sun Run has broken the participant record this year, with nearly 56,000 people signed up to run! Wacarra and I are heading up Saturday morning, with fingers crossed that we won't hit insane traffic at the border. On Saturday, we have plans to pick up our race packs and have a little fun enjoying the Vancouver night life without a hugely long run to worry about on Sunday. We're staying on Robson Blvd., so I'm sure we'll get some fabulous shopping in over the weekend as well :)

I'll be sure to take tons of photos! Stay tuned!

The first 2 miles are always the hardest.

Another 8+ miler today, much better than last week. I downloaded some fresh music on my iPod which helped break up the monotony. I wish I could've run with my camera today, but I didn't feel like tacking on the extra weight. Here are some shots from after my run.

The parking lot in Madrona where I start my run.

Exhausted but content.

I love my feet. They take me everywhere I want to go and hardly ever let me down. Here I am enjoying a nice stretch after my run. See how close I am to the water? I'm so lucky to live in a city with such beautiful trails. I heart Seattle.

Little buddy is getting old - 11 years! He needs a tune-up real bad. I need to take him in for a check-up before my Vancouver trip in 2 weeks.

8 miles. Harder than 7 miles.

This morning it really hit home that doing these long runs is 90% mental, 10% physical. After an exhilarating 7 mile run last Saturday, I was expecting 8 to be a breeze. Not so. The weather has been crappy all week long, it even snowed twice - including yesterday - and all week I've wanted to stay inside and eat nothing but carbs. What's up with that? Almost every woman I know is complaining they've put on weight the past month. Are we biologically programmed to eat nonstop and be lazy this time of year? I've really got to reel it in!

Anyway, I skipped a few workouts this week, so I was expecting today to be bad. And my inner voice was secretly hoping it'd be raining this morning so I could blow off this run, too. But I woke up at 7 and everything looked fine, so I begrudgingly got my stuff together and headed back down to Madrona to run along Lake Washington Blvd.

At around mile 4, I ran into my friend Wacarra who was just finishing up her own training run with her Healthy Goddess running group. We're like little satellites orbiting around each other, as we always seem to end up running at the same time at the same place, every Saturday! At mile 5, I started to hurt all over. I kept telling myself - only a 5k left! Somewhere around mile 6 I stopped feeling my butt. At mile 7 I was confused - had I really run this far last weekend?! But somehow I made it one more mile. Actually, a bit past 8 miles I think....

My knees are sore and my back is aching, and now I'm curled up on my couch under a blanket watching On Demand. The pain is but a distant memory :) Next weekend, another 8-miler, then 9, then 10 - then the half-marathon. Five weeks to go, the countdown is on...

Spirit of the Marathon - on tour!

Spirit of the Marathon is making another round in theaters! This movie is awesome and very inspiring - a documentary that follows 5 runners (2 elite runners, 2 first-timers, and a 70+ year old man) as they train for and complete the Chicago Marathon. I will probably be seeing this again, it's just a few days before my half-marathon :) Here is a list of cities + dates:

Boston – April 17st at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Nashville – April 24th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Indianapolis – May 1st at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Spokane/Seattle – May 1st at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Los Angeles/Orange County – May 8th 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Denver/Boulder – May 22nd at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
San Diego – May 29th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Atlanta – July 1st at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Virginia Beach – August 28th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Philadelphia – September 18th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
San Jose – October 2nd at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Chicago – October 9th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
San Francisco – October 16th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Washington DC – October 23rd at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
New York City – October 30th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
San Antonio – November 13th at at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Memphis – December 4th Time TBD

I can't believe I just ran 7 miles

I remember last summer preparing for my first 5k race when running 3 miles felt like an impossible feat. It just goes to show that consistent training over time really does pay off. On Saturday, I ran the furthest I have ever run - 7 miles - starting in Madrona just north of Blue Water Bistro, heading south towards Seward Park along Lake Washington. It felt surprisingly strong through the whole run, and I believe I could have gone another 3 miles easily. The weather was phenomenal (followed by an especially crappy Sunday) and every runner I passed had a huge smile on their face. I am still experiencing no knee problems (still wearing my patella strap on the left knee - just in case) and am looking forward to 8 miles this coming Saturday.

Since I switched races from San Diego (June 1) to Vancouver (May 4), I am a little behind where I should be this close to the race, but if I feel this strong on race day I should have no problems completing the entire 13 miles :)

Wearin' O' the Green

Today was the St. Patrick's Day Dash beginning at the Seattle Center in Queen Anne and finishing at Qwest Field in SODO - 3.5 miles in all. This is one of Seattle's biggest races, and I was surprised at how disorganized the whole event was. From the postponed start to the lack of signage along the course, to the completely lame post-dash bash which included a crappy band and packets of BEEF JERKY at the finish line. No bagels or orange juice. No water. Nobody at the finish line to cut off our race chips (I totally forgot and left the race still wearing mine). And then there were the return shuttles ... what a nightmare. You'd think the money raised by more than 15,000 runners paying $30 a piece they could at least afford some decent food at the finish line.

The weather was good though and it was an easy, scenic course. This is my last race until the Vancouver Sun Run at the end of April (50,000 runners at that race - hoping the Canadians are more organized!). For now, I will continue to focus on my Saturday long runs (this weekend was another 6 miler ... almost 10 miles total this weekend, I'm tired). Next weekend ... Seward Park?

Deb and Wacarra, St. Pat's Dash 2008

Waiting to cross the starting line - I can't find Alex among the 15,000 runners on Mercer Ave!

1/2 mile into the race - running under freeway 99

Amazing weather today - I had to stop, turn around, and take a pic. It's not everyday I get to run on the viaduct! As I was taking this photo, someone called out my name. It was ....

Alex!

Deb and Alex

Mercer Island 10k

Well, I did it! On Sunday the 9th I ran my first 10K race at the Mercer Island half-marathon event, which also included both a 5K and 10K run. Although I viewed the course elevation map online before the event (and timed my iPod list accordingly), I was just not prepared for the 3 - 200' elevation hills that made up the course! I'm happy to say I finished, just under my planned pace time of 11 minutes/mile. My chip time was 67:54, which I hope to improve at my next 10K, the Sun Run in Vancouver, B.C. on April 20th! Special thanks to my running pal and good friend Wacarra who got up early and cheered me on as I shuffled up the final hill from miles 5-6. You're awesome!

Ok, so it's been a while....

It's been a busy first-part-of-2008...I strayed for a while, dear blog, but I did not forget about you! So the truth is, I moved in the latter part of January (into my hip new neighborhood - go Greenwood!!!) out of my old lovable shoebox in Queen Anne and into a grownup apartment with an in-unit washer/dryer. I also signed up to do the San Diego half marathon through Team in Training. So I've been running like a maniac with my TnT group the past few weeks! Also, I finally caved and subscribed to Comcast, the first cable I've had in at least 5 years, so there is a period of readjustment while I submerse myself in Bravo reality tv, HGTV home remodel shows, and E! True Hollywood Stories.

I've also been focusing hugely on my nutrition and I am - drum roll please - back on the green smoothies. I missed you, BlendTec. My latest concoction consists of organic kale, organic baby spinach, organic orange, non-fat yogurt, and organic mango (4 for $5 at Safeway!). I was feeling really crappy last week, as kale tends to have a detoxifying effect on my body/brain/energy level. A friend of mine had similar effects when drinking kale smoothies. So I backed off a little on the greens and I am feeling better now. Although my skin is also looking a little scary. Hopefully the toxins will all be gone soon.

I think the exercise and nutrition boost have elevated my mood considerably, as I've noticed a huge difference in the past week. It could have something to do with the sun being out, a rarity here in Seattle. Either way, 2008 is off to a great start and I'm wholeheartedly looking forward to running my first half marathon in San Diego on June 1st.

Reader(s): if you'd like to donate to my cause (Leukemia research), visit my running website: www.debisrunning.com