Race #1 Here I Come!

Well, the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge is getting going! Many people who are doing the challenge have already run their first race!

Yesterday I received a treat in the mail! Chica bands!

For a long time I have been trying to grow my hair out. This is a pain in the butt not only on an every day basis, but especially when I am running. I have tried many clips and rubber bands and hats and everything else, but there are always strays! So I was excited when Jill not only set up the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge, but she even went so far as to get sponsors, and one of them is Chica bands! I can’t wait to try them out, as I have heard great things about them from other runners. They are really going to be great to have for the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge!

Our other sponsor is iFitness, who have agreed to give us a gear belt to use for the races. It's a great belt, with a waterproof pocket that fits my iPhone as well as a couple Gus and an ID, which will be great in this rainy and snowy weather we've been having! With these two sponsors, I am going to be good to go!

My first race is tomorrow! It is a Brazen Race (there are many in the Bay Area). I have never run a race that is put on by them, so I am interested in seeing how it goes. The race is at 9, which I LOVE (the last one I ran was at 7). The weather forecast is good and I have a few goals this time, but they are not like normal ones. Here they are:

Finish: I have no doubts that this will happen, but I am always glad to just finish the race!

Don’t look at my Garmin: I am not running this one for time. This will not be a PR. I will wear my Garmin, but I don't plan on using it. I want to run at a pace that feels good. Also, since this is a hilly race, I will be running slower anyway, so I may as well just be comfortable and see where that takes me!

Time: Even though I will not be looking at my Garmin, I still like to have a time goal. However, I have no idea what kind of time to expect. On my trail runs at home, I usually average about an 11:15, but I think this one should be a little less strenuous. So I guess I will try for about a 2:20 goal, which is a little under an 11 minute mile. I really don't know what to expect.

HAVE FUN: I am looking forward to this race. It should be a fun one, since it has variable hills and flats, dirt and paved. I think it will be a pretty small race as well, so it will be fun to see what they have in store for us! 

Good luck to everyone who is running this weekend: Jill, Courtney...and anyone else! Go get 'em!

Have you run a race yet this year? Do you wear a headband while running/working out? Do you play for fun or to win?

12 in 2012 (2): January

A while back, I joined up with Jill for the 12 in 2012 running challenge. You can read more about it on her site HERE. It entails running 12 half marathons in 2012, which sounded like a great idea to me! I thought it a great way to keep myself motivated and to possibly get to run a few races in places I have never been.

I will admit, I have had a hard time deciding how to schedule these races. I should have known that it would not be easy, since I travel a lot for work and don't really have a "home base" so to speak. And even when I do have a semi-home-base, I don't know how long I will be there, since my work is on a contractual, as needed basis and can arise at the drop of a hat.

So, I wondered, how the HECK was I going to plan 12 races this year!? Well, I started off by assuming I would be home, in California. I used Running in the USA to figure out where the upcoming half marathons near me were. Of course, I am hoping I will not be home, but at least this gives me a little bit of a plan, even though it IS tentative! There are some REALLY fun looking races in my area and there are also races year round, which is more than I expected! Luckily within 100 miles of me, there is pretty good winter weather conditions!

Next up was my training schedule. This has been hard, I have to be honest. First there was Christmas and family and then New Years and travel (with hiking and pilates though!) and the next week it was roofing and sorting! There just seems like a lot to do and I am so tired! But I am trying to run at least 15-25 miles a week, even though it has been a chore (and I haven't quite made my mark each week). Thank goodness for the HBBC or else I may have been a real lazy person during the holidays. Training has not been as good as I wanted, but it has not gone away entirely!

Dec 19 - 25: 28 mi run
Dec 26 - Jan 1: 20 mi run (+ 4 mi walk)
Jan 2 - Jan 8: 10 mi run ( +19 mile hike / 9 mi walk)
Jan 9 - Jan 15: 8 mi run (+24 hr roofing)

As you can see, I am going steadily downhill, which was not the plan at all! But, this week I have 11 miles so far, and plan to run 6 today and a 10 mile run this weekend, giving me roughly 27 miles.

The weekend after, I have my first of twelve half marathons for the year! It is the Coyote Hills Half in Fremont, CA. Since most of my running lately has been trail running, I decided to sign up for a semi-trail run. I am very excited to try something new, and kind of relieved to not have to attempt a PR, since trail running is already a little slower anyway! I plan to have fun and hopefully get some of my drive back!

Has anyone else run their first race of the year yet? Is anyone else running THIS race?

12 in 2012

Since I didn't get married on 11.11.11, I decided instead to do another alliterative challenge, 12 half marathons in 2012, otherwise known as 12 in 2012. I can't take credit for the idea though. It was thought up by Jill. Not only did she think up the idea, but she also went so far as to find sponsors and to organize everything for us. Sponsors so far are iFitness and Chica Bands.

You can run one a month, or instead you can run 12 in one month. If you are crazy. My plan is to try to run one a month, but probably some months (like January) will have none and other months (like September and other fall months) will have extras. This is going to be a challenge, but it will also be a lot of fun. I also want to run some trail races this year and I am also planning on running The Relay  in support of Organs R Us and a friend of mine who needs a kidney transplant. So, it will be a busy year.

You can do it too! All  you need to do is commit to 12 half marathons in 2012 and be prepared to blog about your races a little bit (which most of us are already doing)! If you are interested, go to Jill's website and email her to get details! This is a fun way to be fit and challenge yourself in 2012 and you will have the support of everyone else who is doing it!

So, who is in?

What goals do you have for 2012?

Almond Bowl Half Marathon

Last weekend I decided kind of last minute to sign up for a half marathon. I was supposed to run 14 miles for training anyway, and running a race is a lot more fun than running alone. Sure you have to pay to sign up, but you get the joy of running with others and you get a free t-shirt!

Since this race was pretty close to where my parents live, my Mom came to support me for the first ever! Usually I am running somewhere far away and she has never gotten the chance to watch me in action. It was great to have a fan and she took lots of photos to boot. We had fun before the race, figuring out where the best place for her to watch from would be. This race was pretty much an out and back race, so she ended up standing at mile 4 (and 9) to watch, as well as getting to see both the start AND the finish! What a great fan/photographer she was!

The race was put on by Fleet Feet and was very well organized. The sign ups were easy, you had the choice of picking up your packet either Friday, Saturday OR Sunday at the race. The volunteers were very helpful, the route was well marked. I even got a t-shirt, although the website warned that if you did not sign up by the 22^nd of Oct, you were not guaranteed one. They were long sleeved tech T’s, which I was very happy about. The only downside is that they are orange. At least you won’t get hit by a car while wearing one of these! 

The race was chip timed, but it was a strange wristband type of chip that you put on your shoe that I have never used before.  Hopefully it worked! I still have not gotten my official time!

The race started at 8:15. There was an option for a 5k, Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay and Full Marathon (two loops). I am not sure what the official amount of people was, but the girl at the packet pickup told me she thought there were about 800 people, which is pretty small. Apparently this was the first year that this race was anything but a 5k. The trail was mostly flat, with a few gradual (and one not so gradual) hills. My initial goal was to treat this as a training run and to try to keep it under a 9 minute mile (less than 2 hours total).

I started at the front of the pack. People were passing me, which was fine, but I think it also makes me want to run faster. My first mile was 8:03. I remember thinking, “stop being a gazelle!” I thought that I needed to slow down so I would have a negative split and that there would be no way I could keep up this pace. But it felt surprisingly good. So I decided then and there that I would try to keep it under an 8:21 pace, which was my last race pace.

And that is what I did. The only mile that I had over an 8:21 was mile 5. I am not sure why, since it was not a particularly hilly mile. Nor was it as bad as miles 5.5 - 7.5 which were on a dirt/gravel road and had rocks, mud and puddles everywhere. The race was well supported. For the spectators, there were plenty of easy access viewing points. There was water every two miles, except between miles 4 and 8. There were Gu stops at miles 5 and 10. The only thing I did not see were any port-a-potties. Other than that, I would say this was a well-organized race.

I am not sure what my final official time was, since they still have not posted it online (the other only thing I would complain about for this race). However, my Garmin (which I didn’t stop right at the very end) put me at 1:48:21 and the time clock, which you can see in the photo below, put me at 1:48:10. I think that time should be pretty close, as I went over the chip timer pad pretty early on. I may have shaved 3 seconds off that time. Either way, it’s a NEW PR!

Using the time on my Garmin, this makes my average pace 8:13.

After the race, there was a band, turkey wraps, chips, sports drink, bananas, apples and cake. I partook in one of each. Of course that did not stop me from having a huge burrito a couple hours later! This was a good race in a great location and I would recommend it to anyone else looking for a fun 5k, half or full marathon.

What did I feel good about?

Pace-wise, I think that setting a goal and then sticking to it really works for me. I also counted the number of girls that were ahead of me when we got to the turn-around (16) and then as the rest of the race went by, my goal was to pass as many of them as I could (6). Even though this does not mean I was 10^th, since many of the people starting after me may have still had a better time, this is another way to set goals and try to reach them.

Fuel: I usually do not use fuel on a half marathon and I did not carry any with me, but Gu was given out at mile 5 and around mile 8, I decided to try a “sip” of it. I only had two small mouthfuls, NOT the entire packet, which has made me feel sick before. It was good! The mocha flavor (with caffeine) actually is not too bad. Who knew?

Even though there were water stops, I carried my own water. I only went through about 10 oz. (out of the 16 I carried) but it was good to have it and know that I could get a drink when I needed to.

What would I do differently?

As you can see, I am wearing pants. Next time, NO PANTS! Also, my long sleeved shirt came off around mile 3, so I would probably bear the cold and go with no sleeves either. Maybe arm sleeves and gloves with shorts is the answer. I always mess up on clothing.

Have you run any races lately? Do you prefer big races or smaller ones? What fuel do you use when you run? Do you set fitness goals for yourself? What are they?

**All photos on this post were taken by my mother**

Passed With Flying Colors

On Sunday, instead of doing a training run by myself, I opted to meet up with a friend of mine in Massachusetts and run the Newburyport Green Stride Half Marathon! Newburyport is a cute little town in the very northeast corner of the state, just before you get to New Hampshire. It's about an hour north of Boston, so we stayed the night in Boston, where we did our carb loading at Nebo, in the North End. My friend is gluten intolerant and they have a full gluten free menu!

All I wanted to do was to beat my last time (1:53). I wanted a new PR.  

Before the Race

I woke up on Sunday morning with a sore throat. I had been feeling a little under the weather but was hoping it would hold off until Monday, but it didn’t. The drive from Boston to Newburyport was not too long and the fall colors got better and better as we headed north.

The weather was about 45 degrees at the start of the race and warmed up into the low 50s as we ran. This time I got towards the front of the line before starting, since last time I was farther back and it took a while to cross the start line. I think it took me only about 5 seconds to get over the line this time! The race started downtown, which was filled with spectators, and headed north at first. The first hill came around mile 1 and that is where my running buddy and I split up. 

The course wound around town and had a few ups and downs along the way. The best part was around mile 4 or 5 and then again around mile 8 when we ran past lakes surrounded by orange trees. The water and the reflection of the trees in the water made me want to shout out, “This is beautiful!” But I didn’t. 

I ended up using the Pink Lemonade Honey Stinger Chews as my fuel (Thanks to Jill for the suggestion!) They are great. I would recommend them to anyone who can’t stomach the Gu or the gels! I took one at mile 6 and one at mile 10. This was enough to keep me going but not too much to make me feel sick. The package comes with ten chews. I will probably need to split it up pre-race so I am not carrying around excessive fuel. 

This was the inaugural race for the Green Stride Half Marathon. It was pretty good overall, but there were a few kinks they will need to iron out for the next one. 

THE PROS: Water every two miles. There were plenty of volunteers to tell you where to go during the race. Gu at mile 6. Lots of spectators! Beautiful course that was mostly flat with several small hills. Great fall colors! Good sponsors – 2 free beers, pizza and plenty of snacks at the end, as well as a local band. Chip timer was on race bib rather than shoe. There were plenty of port-a-potties at the start line. T-shirts were sponsored by Life Is Good. 

THE CONS: Mile 10-12 was run right in the middle of a traffic-filled street that we had to cross! Also mile 12-13.1 was run on a single track wood/asphalt path along the harbor. It was like one of those cattle chutes, and I had a hard time getting around people at the end, when I usually try to sprint. The start and finish was in a fenced off area, which only had one door for entrance and exit, which was not good. The start and finish was also surrounded by a parking lot and people (runners) were trying to get out of the parking lot while others were still finishing the race! Also the room for spectators at the end was quite sparse and unorganized. At the beginning of the race, the first 500 people who signed up got a long sleeved t, but they did not have a good system of telling people who got one and who did not. No port-a-potties on the race course. Only the first 500 registrants get a wicking shirt. 

Right before the finish -- see the parked cars!?

THE VERDICT: I would run this race again. I really hope that they figure out better logistics for the finish line, so that the runners can run without being worried about getting run over by cars as well as having space to run and to pass other runners at the end. I also think they need at least 3 port-a-potties along the route. 

I ended up coming in at 1:49:21, which is an 8:21 mile. So I got my PR! I placed 13/119 in my division and 345/1103 overall. The fastest woman was around 1:10!! I “only” have to shave 39 minutes (roughly 3 mins/mile) off my time to beat her next time!  **(I was looking at the placing and IF I was in the 60-69 age group, I would have gotten 3^rd. Otherwise I wasn’t very close to the top 3 in any other category!)**

Did you race last weekend? Or, if you are not a runner, are the fall colors showing themselves in your neighborhood? 

Don't forget to go to Jill's for more Fitness Friday blogs! 

Best Time Ever

You all know I was a little excited/nervous for my half marathon, which was on Sunday the 18th. However, as you all predicted, the day of the race went just fine. But let me back up a little.

My Dad came for the weekend to cheer me on and to run the 5k that was also happening on Sunday. On Saturday night, like any good, healthy runner, we had to carb load. At the fair. Yum (Okay, honestly, I had pasta for lunch too. But I did eat almost that entire funnel cake).

Then I got everything ready for the next day (the race was at 7:30 am). 

The next morning, we got up bright and early and went to the starting line. This guy was checking out my butt during the National Anthem. Don't you think? I think he was.

The race was good! I was trying to get under a 2 hour half, which comes out to about 9 minutes per mile. To do this, I set my Garmin so that the PACE was showing and I just made sure to keep it under 9. I didn't look at how many miles I had gone or what my total time was; I just kept making sure it was under 9 minutes/mile. So I did not try using the Yasso method, just the old tried and true.

Afterwards, I had a beer with Dad. Because beer is a really good post workout fuel.

And then we went and did the most important thing, rewarded ourselves with a huge meal, complete with cheeses and a huge desert! 

It was a great race! I am so glad my Dad could come. It sure is nice to have some company, moral support, a cheerleader and a photographer! He even jumped in at the very end and ran the last tenth of a mile with me!

In case you are interested, below is the pace (blue) and elevation (green) graph. It was really hilly and I had to stop and pee around mile 3, but otherwise I kept under a 9 minute pace the whole time.

And the numbers: 

Miles: 13.1

Race Time: 1:52:36

Average Pace: 8:37

Which is 7 minutes faster than my goal had been overall!!

 And 10 minutes faster than I have ever run a half, which makes this:

A NEW PR!

How was your weekend? Did you run any races? What races do you have coming up? How do you reward yourself after doing something tiring?

Make sure to link up with Jill for Fitness Friday!