Dream On

A 15-miler race that reminded me that the amount of runners that are nice and kind are the majority; that while I let a mean and rude runner I met in the lockers to screw up my race, I let another great woman to show me that I can do what I believe in and that she was there to help me.

Weekly runs in the dark, cold, and wet mornings, that are nothing but fantastic, with a more fantastic company.

A Friday long run, an 11-miler, to relieve all accumulated emotions from the Memorial of slain Trooper Tony Radulescu. I stopped the run only because I had to go to work; I wanted to continue kicking the asphalt because today we are here, tomorrow we don’t know.

A Half Marathon on Saturday, running the first half of the race with an adorable young woman. An unexpected PR of 2:06:03 in very windy conditions - up to 50mph, and with supposed tired leg.

Sing with me, sing for the year, sing for the laughter and sing for the tear. Sing with me, I’m just for today; maybe tomorrow the Good Lord will take you away. Dream On.

Bremerton 557. Out of Service. Gone But Not Forgotten

15-miler Ft. Steilacoom

With Ginger who rabitted me the last 3/4 of mile at 8 min/mile

Run For The Honeywagon Half Marathon. With my niece Angie, who falls into the perfect definition of A True Person

Where The Line Between Suffering And A Tough Run Is

This week has been tough. Training is going well, but I am feeling it as I am ramping up the mileage and doing different workouts .

On Tue, before my hills workout, I informed coach how my half at Birch Bay went: though I finish in my regular time, I did suffer. After hearing this, his words were "you do not suffer the long runs. You suffer today - Tuesday (hills/sprints/tempo), you may suffer on Thursdays, but you never suffer on the weekend. You go easy. Remember what I told you the first day we met? I don't like my athletes to race every weekend because they go crazy. Yo don't suffer during the weekend. You suffer TODAY. You suffer Wenatchee (test race), you suffer Coeur D'Alene (marathon), but you DON'T suffer the long runs...". 

Then I still talk back: Coach, I really didn't race. I think is that I am feeling the training... and he shoots back:  you do not suffer the long runs. You suffer today - Tuesday (hills/sprints/tempo), you may suffer on Thursdays, but you never suffer on the weekend. You go easy. Remember what I told you the first day we met? I don't like my athletes to race every weekend because they go crazy. Yo don't suffer during the weekend. You suffer TODAY. You suffer Wenatchee (test race), you suffer Coeur D'Alene (marathon), but you DON'T suffer the long runs...".

He repeated this another time, not mad or mean, but serious. Though he didn't say "Is that clear?" or... "is that understood?" I responded as to a Drill Sergeant. "Yes Sir".

The hills workout was awesome and I did better than expected. On Wed I dragged my feet on an easy 60-min run under sleet and snow. On Thu I ran a 6-miler with Monica, a new running partner, and we had a great run.

On Sat, "not suffering day", I had a 17-miler in the plan, 15 to be run in a race. The day was sunny and clear, and you know what that means. COLD. Temp at 7 am were 16F/-9C (10F/-12C with wind chill factor). When race started, temps have climbed up to 24F/-4C (17F/-8C with wind chill factor).  I had 6 thin layers (top), 3 bottom, and 3 pairs of gloves with hand heaters inside. I was perfect, never felt cold or hot.

Birch Bay last week was harder as I ran at a better pace, but this run was as tough as it could be and the pace was s-l-o-w. I ran it almost at 12 min/mile, to barely clock a minute under 3 hours. Last year, same race, I clocked 2:47; not that I am getting slower, I am pretty sure of that. Different week with respect to marathon race day, and different training. Plus, I had done 1.7 miles as a warm up to log the required mileage. One similar thing with last year: I was very thirsty. Probably because it was SUNNY. Yesterday's highlight, other than a tough run, was the delight of having natural "icy water" at the aid stations. Tough to pass the GU, though.

Coach words were in my brain along the course... Yes, Sir.... Here I go: easy, girl, easy... I did not suffer - baloney. Not sure Where The Line Between Suffering And A Tough Run Is.

I haven't gained weight. It is the amount of layers....

3rd place in my division...

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AND GOOD AWESOME NEWS.... I am going to be a grandma!!!! So, initial grandma's "demands" to son Diego and daughter-in-law Shelly were:

1) I will spoil him/her all I want.
2) I will not try him/her to be a runner, however, ALL kids love to run for fun, so I will take him/her to all kids' dash while possible.

Here my first picture with my grandbaby....

Feb 26, 2011. First picture with my grand-baby to be born in Nov 2011.

A Blank Mind

Marathon Plan - Regressive Countdown - Week Eleven
02/15/10 - 02/21/10 - Week Total: 30.5 miles

My long runs normally dictate my writings. As I go and hit the road, dozens of topics or ideas on how to describe my running week come to mind. I usually get several blog titles, but one always shines over the others. That has been the case, week after week, year after year, with very few exceptions. Like this past weekend, when I ended up with A Blank Mind.

The distance: a 15 miler. The course: pretty much known. The setting: A race. The temperature: Started at 36F/2C, ended at 48F/9C. The Sun: In all its splendor. The clouds: Absent. The Rain: Nonexistent.

And there I go with members of a running club, ALL very fast runners, to prove myself that in race conditions I am able to improve my pace.

And without knowing I was in mile 5. I don't remember what happened in the first third of the race, or what my mind had in it. All of a sudden I found myself in the place where we did the turn around at a 10-mile race organized a month ago by the same club. This time, we continued for 2.5 miles to turn around in the half mark. From 5 to 6.5 I only remember I felt very strong. It was a little bit hilly (nothing remarkably hilly, but not flat) and I felt that my legs and heart could not be in a better situation. At mile 6.5 I started to slow down but still felt good. No thoughts until I got to 7.5 miles and was the time to turn around.

At mile 8 - a water station - a lady that had been running close to me all the time told me "come on". We ran together for half a mile until I noticed my right shoelace was loose (thing that never happens to me and I tend to criticize). Lost my thoughts again when I found myself between mile 10 and 12 completely falling apart. Literally. And in top of that I was very thirsty. I was drinking at every water station 1 cup of water, but I felt I needed to connect a hose to my mouth. At the 12th mark I improved a bit and got a surge at mile 13, don't know how, and suddenly I was finishing the race. I tried to sprint as I use to, but didn't have too much strength.

What happened throughout the race and why I was blank most of it, is beyond me!

Overall, I ran at a better pace (11:12) that my long runs training pace (11:21), and faster than my Half marathon the weekend before (11:32)... And as my first 15-mile race... it is a PR.

Splits:
1 - 10:05
2 - 10:33
3 - 10:59
4 - 10:36
5 - 10:37
6 - 10:57
7 - 11:45
8 - 11:09
9 - 10:54
10- 11:05
11 - 12:06
12 - 12:21
13 -11:48
14 - 10:52
15 - 11:40