Definitely a good running week. With every run, I feel my fitness increasing. Still not totally sure of my goal pace for the race, but it's starting to look more and more likely that I'll be able to head out with F, at least for the first few miles.
M: 3.01 easy @ 10:46 AVG pace.
T: 5 easy with H (yay! H is back in the running world) @ 10:29 AVG pace.
W: Run the Dish instead of track intervals. Power up the hills and jog on the downhills. This is a *great* workout and I could feel how much it was pushing me. I may try to fit this one in one more time before the race if I can find a good time to do it. 4.25 miles with all the uphills at sub 10:00 pace.
Th: Same as T. 5 easy with H. No watch. 2.65 mile walk in the afternoon.
F: Rest Day. 1.35 mile walk.
Sa: 11 with F. AVG pace of 10:17. Last 1.5 miles @ 9:05 pace. This run felt so great. I'm very appreciative to have F to run with as I know if I headed out on my own I would have been significantly slower, particularly on the last 1.5 miles.
Su: 2 hours stretching/yoga in the garden while watching Chompsky graze. 2 miles with E including a strong cutdown in the last mile: 10:23; 8:47. (Today, my hip flexors are finally nice and loose after about 2 weeks of increasing tightness. Chompsky is clearly good for me!)
Total mileage for the week (including walks and w/u and c/d): 37.58.
May 27, 2013
May 26, 2013
Introducing Morla(n) Chompsy
After Key West, E and I agreed that we should get a turtle.
I am allergic to pretty much all animals with fur. And, I love reptiles. Also, turtles are *SO DARN CUTE*. Plus, almost all of our friends seem to have children. And while we don't really want one of those, for conversational continuity, it's useful to have something you care for...
Anyways, after much research, we determined that a Californian Desert Tortoise Rescue would be best for us. Our climate would fit, and they need good homes. (For more info on the Turtle/Tortoise/Chelonian/Terrapin moniker issues, I recommend the SD Zoo).
Little did I know, this would result in a four month email campaign to convince the rescue folks that we would be a good home and we were committed to taking care of our tortoise. I don't chase people. I am fairly adamant about this. Either you want me in your life, or you don't. But with the tortoise rescue people, I made an exception. It was very educational, and frustrating to realize how different my understanding of time commitments and responsiveness and just everything fell apart within the tortoise rescue community. About a week ago, I gave up.
And, then, I got the call (which, of course, I'd started to believe would never come, and I'd started to consider buying a turtle from a pet store). I'd made enough of a good impression that if I bought the right enclosure, they would let me take a juvenile home!
Easily, this was the best thing that happened on my sabbatical (and we spent a weekend at the Ritz in Half Moon Bay).
In fact, this event may be the reason I am finally happy not to have been in China on my sabbatical. If I'd missed making the chelonian/tortoise/turtle rescue filter due to international travel after all of the up-front work, I'd have been seriously sad and grumpy.
Instead, I spent last Friday waiting to get the *actual* time and location for the drop off. It felt like (in my imagination) the machinations involved in a drug deal. I was told "call me at 11 AM". So I did. Then I was told, "call me in an hour." Then, "let's meet at Petsmart in Millbrae in an hour." If I had been working full time in my normal life, I wouldn't have even had time for these calls, much less the flexible drive. But I *WAS* on sabbatical. And, eventually, it all worked out. We are tortoise parents. YAY!
Please meet Morla(n) Chompsky! A small slice of welcome to your new adopted home strawberry from our garden just seemed appropriate.
Yes, strawberries are like candy. I got the lecture upon adoption about not feeding too much candy to the desert tortoise. Terrible. But I'd grown this strawberry in our garden and I wanted him to associate my smell with good happy food. Also, I've already ordered tons of native desert seeds and we'll grow native grasses and he'll have to forage and already has had to in the garden and lawn to find his way to the marigolds, nasturtiums and dandelions. In fact, after the first night recorded here, he's had nothing but grasses and marigold, nasturtium and dandelion plants.
Oh, as an aside, sex (gender) is hard to tell with juvenile tortoises, apparently, so, while we're open, I've taken to calling Chompsky (for short) "he" or "our son." But, we've left the first name open, and if we're wrong, we'll just switch to Morla and she'll be, "she," "her," and "our daughter."
I am allergic to pretty much all animals with fur. And, I love reptiles. Also, turtles are *SO DARN CUTE*. Plus, almost all of our friends seem to have children. And while we don't really want one of those, for conversational continuity, it's useful to have something you care for...
Anyways, after much research, we determined that a Californian Desert Tortoise Rescue would be best for us. Our climate would fit, and they need good homes. (For more info on the Turtle/Tortoise/Chelonian/Terrapin moniker issues, I recommend the SD Zoo).
Little did I know, this would result in a four month email campaign to convince the rescue folks that we would be a good home and we were committed to taking care of our tortoise. I don't chase people. I am fairly adamant about this. Either you want me in your life, or you don't. But with the tortoise rescue people, I made an exception. It was very educational, and frustrating to realize how different my understanding of time commitments and responsiveness and just everything fell apart within the tortoise rescue community. About a week ago, I gave up.
And, then, I got the call (which, of course, I'd started to believe would never come, and I'd started to consider buying a turtle from a pet store). I'd made enough of a good impression that if I bought the right enclosure, they would let me take a juvenile home!
Easily, this was the best thing that happened on my sabbatical (and we spent a weekend at the Ritz in Half Moon Bay).
In fact, this event may be the reason I am finally happy not to have been in China on my sabbatical. If I'd missed making the chelonian/tortoise/turtle rescue filter due to international travel after all of the up-front work, I'd have been seriously sad and grumpy.
Instead, I spent last Friday waiting to get the *actual* time and location for the drop off. It felt like (in my imagination) the machinations involved in a drug deal. I was told "call me at 11 AM". So I did. Then I was told, "call me in an hour." Then, "let's meet at Petsmart in Millbrae in an hour." If I had been working full time in my normal life, I wouldn't have even had time for these calls, much less the flexible drive. But I *WAS* on sabbatical. And, eventually, it all worked out. We are tortoise parents. YAY!
Please meet Morla(n) Chompsky! A small slice of welcome to your new adopted home strawberry from our garden just seemed appropriate.
Yes, strawberries are like candy. I got the lecture upon adoption about not feeding too much candy to the desert tortoise. Terrible. But I'd grown this strawberry in our garden and I wanted him to associate my smell with good happy food. Also, I've already ordered tons of native desert seeds and we'll grow native grasses and he'll have to forage and already has had to in the garden and lawn to find his way to the marigolds, nasturtiums and dandelions. In fact, after the first night recorded here, he's had nothing but grasses and marigold, nasturtium and dandelion plants.
Oh, as an aside, sex (gender) is hard to tell with juvenile tortoises, apparently, so, while we're open, I've taken to calling Chompsky (for short) "he" or "our son." But, we've left the first name open, and if we're wrong, we'll just switch to Morla and she'll be, "she," "her," and "our daughter."
May 20, 2013
SFHM1 week -4
I'm still on sabbatical, so I had time to fit in runs without any chance to blame work for getting in the way. Slowly, but surely, despite gluttonous activities like homemade whole milk mozzarella and whey pizza dough, I'm reclaiming some of the lost fitness. Before I get to the running data, here's some food porn:
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| Claravale Farms Raw Whole Milk |
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| The New Gas Grill Gift from E gets all the way up to 750F if we're patient enough. Perfect Pizza Temps! |
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| There is an inordinate amount of whey left after a batch of mozzarella. |
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| And not that much mozzarella to show for an hour of work and 1/2 gallon of milk to start with. |
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| Thankfully, some of the whey can be reused in the pizza dough |
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| One of the dozen or so BBQ pizzas that we made while I was on sabbatical. Success! |
M: 7 easy, just get the volume in. 11:07 avg pace, no walking, audiobook. 0.38 walking c/d.
T: I was visiting my aunt and uncle in beautiful San Luis Obispo county, so I took the opportunity to walk the dogs with my aunt as a warm up: 0.79 miles. Then I headed out for 2.55 at a medium hard effort and averaged 9:15 min/mile. 0.38 walking c/d.
W: Track Day. Awesome. The assignment was Yasso 800s with a very long rest (3:50 for F, which typically translated into something closer to 3:40 for me). I knew I wasn't in fabulous shape, but I also knew I was getting more fit, so I was curious to see how this workout played out. I decided to target 4:00 as the goal pace and hold on until I couldn't anymore. I made it through the first 5 okay, but then started to really slow, so after the 7th, I decided to do the last two as 400s targeting 1:55. Splits: (4:02; 4:02; 3:59; 4:03; 4:03; 4:09; 4:12; 1:56; 1:51). With jogging to the track, recovery walk/jogs, and walking back to the car, it was an awesome 7.49 mile workout, with friends.
Th: True rest day. Impressive that I managed to pull this one off without work commitments, as I told myself I'd go to Bikram. But, the reality is, the momentum hump to get me into that hot room is huge. And I had meetings in SF, and errands and chores, and the next thing I knew it was dinner. Oh well...
F: Alpine Ridge/Portola Valley Loop with F. This loop is a killer. But it's also a great training run to increase your fitness. F and I headed out together for the first few miles, but eventually she started dropping me and coming back to make sure she didn't get too far ahead. This was a big help, because I didn't want to slow her down more than I had to, so I kept up my pace as best I could. After telling her to push it on the final downhill miles, I did the same. Overall: 11.56 miles @ 10:58 avg pace with 1183 total elevation gain, 50% horse trails, 50% pavement. Only one walk break on a very steep hill, where I took a Gu. This is probably the hardest I've pushed myself on a run in a long time. I was nauseated and weak at the Deli after we finished and had to excuse myself to go outside and sit down while I finished my lemonade. I recovered quickly, but I confirmed for myself that I very much left it all on the loop, which felt good. Bonus -- this loop is more elevation change than I will hit on the first half marathon of SF, and 2/3 of what F will hit on the full.
Sa: E and I were in Half Moon Bay for a weekend getaway. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset through the windows of aptly named Miramar Restaurant on Friday night, and Saturday AM we headed out for a nice easy 3 miles on the Coastal Trail. It was much more rugged than expected with many short, steep ups and downs, roots, paths that disappeared, etc. But it was a great way to start the day. 3.01 in 32:18. Then we clamored down the bluffs to the beach and walked the beach for a while until we could climb back up the bluffs and take a shower. We also went for another walk along the beach to watch the golfers before dinner. Total mileage for the day: 6.91 miles (plus some impromptu rock climbing).
Sun: Taking advantage of the hotel, we slept in. I finally fit in my core and stretching for the week at the hotel gym. 30 minutes of yoga and abs. My hip flexors thanked me.
Overall, it was a solid week totaling 37.31 miles. I need to get my paces to be a bit faster in the next few weeks, but I'm happy with the volume.
May 15, 2013
SFHM1 week -5
So, as I mentioned, I finally managed to start to pull it together last week on the running front.
M: 10 miles super easy with the audiobook (to make up for the missed long run on the weekend) 2 hours, avg pace of 11:02. Last mile 10:19. 0.35 walking c/d. The goal was simply to get it done without walking, and I did.
T: 1.35 mile walk before lunch. 4.30 mile walk and talk with my childhood best friend on the phone. (Approx 2 hours walking)
W (Track day with F & D) -- Warm-up: 0.7 jogging w/u to track; 3X 100 pickup w/u @ 9:28; 7:28; 7:17 per mile pace per 100 followed by 100 walk to the start line. Workout: 2 X (2 X 400; 1 X 800; with 2:00 RI) -- Splits: (1:49; 1:52; 4:31) (2:03; 2:01; 3:00 (600)); -- I took the initial 400s much too fast for how I was feeling and it pretty much killed the rest of my workout. Hindsight. Cooldown: 1 mile walk
Afternoon 3.15 mi walking (Wednesday total of more than 2 hours on feet)
Th: 3 miles @ 30:13 (10:08; 10:13; 9:47); 0.2 walk; 0.8 miles @ 8:52/mi pace; 1.02 walk (Total of 1 hour on feet)
F: 3 miles @ 29:54 (10:23; 9:51; 9:40); 0.36 walk (Little more than 30 minutes on my feet)
Sa: Goal? 10 easy miles with F. Actual: 8 easy with F, last 2+ struggle on my own. (First 8 avg ~10:25: 10:17; 10:26; 10:20; 10:31; 10:34; 10:33; 10:42; 10:16); 0.23 walk; 0.29 @ 11:47; 0.2 walk; pull it together for last 1 mile @ 10:43 and final 0.2 @ 9:22); 0.52 walk c/d. (2 hours of exercise).
Sun: 2 fast in the heat with E: 9:49; 8:42. 0.19 walking c/d. 30 minutes heavy gardening in the sun. (1 hour of exercise).
Total Weekly Mileage Goal: 40+. Actual Mileage: 40.46.
Total Weekly Exercise Time Goal? 14 hours. Actual Total Workout Time: 10.5 hours. (I bailed on Bikram and a trip or two to the gym).
Even though I missed the workout time goal, I felt great finishing up this week and hitting the volume goal. It's definitely already paying dividends. Today's track workout was *much* better than last week's and I'm really looking forward to Friday's 12-mile long run with F, which is a good sign. I only look forward to long runs when I think they are going to be fun and not ridiculously difficult.
M: 10 miles super easy with the audiobook (to make up for the missed long run on the weekend) 2 hours, avg pace of 11:02. Last mile 10:19. 0.35 walking c/d. The goal was simply to get it done without walking, and I did.
T: 1.35 mile walk before lunch. 4.30 mile walk and talk with my childhood best friend on the phone. (Approx 2 hours walking)
W (Track day with F & D) -- Warm-up: 0.7 jogging w/u to track; 3X 100 pickup w/u @ 9:28; 7:28; 7:17 per mile pace per 100 followed by 100 walk to the start line. Workout: 2 X (2 X 400; 1 X 800; with 2:00 RI) -- Splits: (1:49; 1:52; 4:31) (2:03; 2:01; 3:00 (600)); -- I took the initial 400s much too fast for how I was feeling and it pretty much killed the rest of my workout. Hindsight. Cooldown: 1 mile walk
Afternoon 3.15 mi walking (Wednesday total of more than 2 hours on feet)
Th: 3 miles @ 30:13 (10:08; 10:13; 9:47); 0.2 walk; 0.8 miles @ 8:52/mi pace; 1.02 walk (Total of 1 hour on feet)
F: 3 miles @ 29:54 (10:23; 9:51; 9:40); 0.36 walk (Little more than 30 minutes on my feet)
Sa: Goal? 10 easy miles with F. Actual: 8 easy with F, last 2+ struggle on my own. (First 8 avg ~10:25: 10:17; 10:26; 10:20; 10:31; 10:34; 10:33; 10:42; 10:16); 0.23 walk; 0.29 @ 11:47; 0.2 walk; pull it together for last 1 mile @ 10:43 and final 0.2 @ 9:22); 0.52 walk c/d. (2 hours of exercise).
Sun: 2 fast in the heat with E: 9:49; 8:42. 0.19 walking c/d. 30 minutes heavy gardening in the sun. (1 hour of exercise).
Total Weekly Mileage Goal: 40+. Actual Mileage: 40.46.
Total Weekly Exercise Time Goal? 14 hours. Actual Total Workout Time: 10.5 hours. (I bailed on Bikram and a trip or two to the gym).
Even though I missed the workout time goal, I felt great finishing up this week and hitting the volume goal. It's definitely already paying dividends. Today's track workout was *much* better than last week's and I'm really looking forward to Friday's 12-mile long run with F, which is a good sign. I only look forward to long runs when I think they are going to be fun and not ridiculously difficult.
May 11, 2013
A Change of Focus
Ever since I decided not to go to China to run the Half Wall Half Marathon, I've been lame in my commitment to running.
Sure, Maui is partly to blame - that place will put you into a languid state no matter where you start.
But, even so, after my return, last week definitely didn't look anything like what you'd see on any training plan 6 weeks before a half marathon race. Particularly one where I'm contemplating trying to run at speedy F's target marathon pace to help her reign it in for the first half of her first marathon. Unfortunately, despite my training, the truth is that even though I'm not going to China, I'm still running the 1st half marathon of the SF Marathon.
Thankfully, this week, I got my act together. And, I'm proud to say, I knew myself well enough to just do it the way I know works for me -- Nothing you'd read about in any running book (that I know about).
When I am in a running funk, I have learned, I have to give myself permission to just walk or jog at an egregiously slow pace -- I just need the space to get it done. So, I buckle down and set an aggressive mileage goal for the week and promise myself that I will hit it, no matter what, no matter how. (Pro note - this requires an abundance of time that I often do not have at my disposal).
The freedom to do the miles slow almost always causes some sort of fundamental shift in my attitude. I finish the miles, the long period of time on my feet pushes my fitness, and voila, I'm out of my funk (of course, finding the motivation to make this commitment and the time to pull it off in any given week is another trick entirely...).
So, here I am, I'm post Saturday long run of 8 great miles with F plus 2.6 mediocre run-walking finishing ones solo and headed into tomorrow's recovery run, where, so long as I manage to finish 2 miles or more, I'm guaranteed to hit my first week over 40 miles since Mid-February (peak mileage for the last marathon).
Now that feels better.
Sure, Maui is partly to blame - that place will put you into a languid state no matter where you start.
But, even so, after my return, last week definitely didn't look anything like what you'd see on any training plan 6 weeks before a half marathon race. Particularly one where I'm contemplating trying to run at speedy F's target marathon pace to help her reign it in for the first half of her first marathon. Unfortunately, despite my training, the truth is that even though I'm not going to China, I'm still running the 1st half marathon of the SF Marathon.
Thankfully, this week, I got my act together. And, I'm proud to say, I knew myself well enough to just do it the way I know works for me -- Nothing you'd read about in any running book (that I know about).
When I am in a running funk, I have learned, I have to give myself permission to just walk or jog at an egregiously slow pace -- I just need the space to get it done. So, I buckle down and set an aggressive mileage goal for the week and promise myself that I will hit it, no matter what, no matter how. (Pro note - this requires an abundance of time that I often do not have at my disposal).
The freedom to do the miles slow almost always causes some sort of fundamental shift in my attitude. I finish the miles, the long period of time on my feet pushes my fitness, and voila, I'm out of my funk (of course, finding the motivation to make this commitment and the time to pull it off in any given week is another trick entirely...).
So, here I am, I'm post Saturday long run of 8 great miles with F plus 2.6 mediocre run-walking finishing ones solo and headed into tomorrow's recovery run, where, so long as I manage to finish 2 miles or more, I'm guaranteed to hit my first week over 40 miles since Mid-February (peak mileage for the last marathon).
Now that feels better.
May 9, 2013
Nenana Ice Classic
So, I come by my gambling enjoyment honestly. I mean, Gran had Parkinsons. Enough said.
My childhood memories are full of family holiday meals followed by pinochle -- if you were quiet, you could sit on a relative's lap and help sort cards, make the meld, and suggest plays. I am the eldest of the grandchildren in my family, and for me, the "seen and not heard" thing was still in seriously strong effect when I was a child. I did my best.
As an adult, my memories tell me that one of the few things my parents' parents had in common with each other (to my child's eyes) was card games. They respected each others' card prowess and they would spend hours at the card table with idle chit-chat around serious time enjoying, in order of popularity, pinochle, hearts, dominoes, poker (typically 5 card stud, I didn't learn Texas Hold'em 'til much later), rummikub, backgammon, and sometimes, depending on the guests, Euchre.
When the kids played, rummikub usually was the game of choice, although occasionally dominoes won. We knew the adults were feeling lazy when it devolved to "Uno" for our sakes. (Or worse yet, in my mind, as the oldest, to the dreaded "Go Fish").
So, it turns out, I didn't find ratios or statistics that hard. And, I don't think this is due to any specific STEM initiative. I think it's due to a large contingent of gamblers, and I say, "Thanks, family." (Also, perhaps we should support *free* gambling to get our youth into math? Oh, is that my gambling-centric personality speaking? Okay. Never mind.)
In my 20's, I developed a little bit of a craps problem. Okay, Not really. I couldn't afford to do so, Nevada was too far away. But still. It's probably for the best that my husband does not enjoy gambling. At. All.
These days I must content myself with the occasional lottery ticket, or evening at the craps table in Reno on our way back from Yellowstone. (Pro Tip: my old rule of playing craps sober was *much* better than the new rule of *maximize* the free drinks for both E and me (you can imagine who made out better on this one)).
The lottery tickets I buy these days are usually either for friends' kids' schools or charities. But, every once in a while I also buy one when I am convinced that Dad would have bought one (unfortunately, most often, this is when the multi-state lotteries get super high and, then, our local liquor store informs me (or E, if I send him) that we can't buy tickets because the laws regarding lotteries between states are *much* too complicated for me).
Actually, on this point, I have a guy. Seriously. I don't touch the stuff, professionally. I know people. They are good and I give them all of my gambling/gaming legal referrals. Dad was big into trusting your network, so I'm sure he's cool with this.
Anyways, moving on...personally, as I mentioned, I come by it honestly, and I *love* gambling.
Which is why I entered the Nenana Ice Classic for 7:23 PM tonight, based on ice measurements at the time of my submission. I did a reasonable assessment of prior years' ice thickness, dates, and times (but ignored many other important variables). Even so, it felt like the type of gamble Dad could get behind (and Gran and Papa and Grandpa and Grandma).
Despite all of my ancestral support, you will note by the photo above that a) breakup has not yet occurred; and b) it is still light in Fairbanks despite it being dark in Silicon Valley when I took this screenshot around 9 PM or so.
Even so, it may be the most rewarding $2.50 I spent this year. Hi Dad, Papa, Grandpa, Grandma and Gran. Next year, you should pay more attention and look out for me more (since it seems you can pull weather)! In the meantime...thanks Arvay!
My childhood memories are full of family holiday meals followed by pinochle -- if you were quiet, you could sit on a relative's lap and help sort cards, make the meld, and suggest plays. I am the eldest of the grandchildren in my family, and for me, the "seen and not heard" thing was still in seriously strong effect when I was a child. I did my best.
As an adult, my memories tell me that one of the few things my parents' parents had in common with each other (to my child's eyes) was card games. They respected each others' card prowess and they would spend hours at the card table with idle chit-chat around serious time enjoying, in order of popularity, pinochle, hearts, dominoes, poker (typically 5 card stud, I didn't learn Texas Hold'em 'til much later), rummikub, backgammon, and sometimes, depending on the guests, Euchre.
When the kids played, rummikub usually was the game of choice, although occasionally dominoes won. We knew the adults were feeling lazy when it devolved to "Uno" for our sakes. (Or worse yet, in my mind, as the oldest, to the dreaded "Go Fish").
So, it turns out, I didn't find ratios or statistics that hard. And, I don't think this is due to any specific STEM initiative. I think it's due to a large contingent of gamblers, and I say, "Thanks, family." (Also, perhaps we should support *free* gambling to get our youth into math? Oh, is that my gambling-centric personality speaking? Okay. Never mind.)
In my 20's, I developed a little bit of a craps problem. Okay, Not really. I couldn't afford to do so, Nevada was too far away. But still. It's probably for the best that my husband does not enjoy gambling. At. All.
These days I must content myself with the occasional lottery ticket, or evening at the craps table in Reno on our way back from Yellowstone. (Pro Tip: my old rule of playing craps sober was *much* better than the new rule of *maximize* the free drinks for both E and me (you can imagine who made out better on this one)).
The lottery tickets I buy these days are usually either for friends' kids' schools or charities. But, every once in a while I also buy one when I am convinced that Dad would have bought one (unfortunately, most often, this is when the multi-state lotteries get super high and, then, our local liquor store informs me (or E, if I send him) that we can't buy tickets because the laws regarding lotteries between states are *much* too complicated for me).
Actually, on this point, I have a guy. Seriously. I don't touch the stuff, professionally. I know people. They are good and I give them all of my gambling/gaming legal referrals. Dad was big into trusting your network, so I'm sure he's cool with this.
Anyways, moving on...personally, as I mentioned, I come by it honestly, and I *love* gambling.
Which is why I entered the Nenana Ice Classic for 7:23 PM tonight, based on ice measurements at the time of my submission. I did a reasonable assessment of prior years' ice thickness, dates, and times (but ignored many other important variables). Even so, it felt like the type of gamble Dad could get behind (and Gran and Papa and Grandpa and Grandma).
Despite all of my ancestral support, you will note by the photo above that a) breakup has not yet occurred; and b) it is still light in Fairbanks despite it being dark in Silicon Valley when I took this screenshot around 9 PM or so.
Even so, it may be the most rewarding $2.50 I spent this year. Hi Dad, Papa, Grandpa, Grandma and Gran. Next year, you should pay more attention and look out for me more (since it seems you can pull weather)! In the meantime...thanks Arvay!
May 6, 2013
Weak Running Week Recap
Some weeks, running is so awesome.
And then there are weeks like the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, I had a lackluster 20.5 mile week, which included quite a bit of walking.
This week, I busted out only one good workout -- Monday's short but solid 3-miler in Kaanapali with my bro-in-law. He's a former NCAA all american steeplechaser, so our runs together are typically hilarious. This one was no different. We went out and tried to run along the ocean for a while and finally agreed it wasn't happening, so we headed for the roads. Mile 1: 10:02, including lots of obstacles and terrain changes as we tried to run near the beach and finally ran through parking lots out to the road. Full sun in the afternoon, 85F, 85% humidity and some hills. Mile 2: 9:44. I called the turn around at 2 miles exactly, and bro-in-law decided to step up the effort. It was slightly uphill and into the wind on the way back, which was a mixed blessing/curse. Cooler, but more effort into the wind and hill. He kept upping the effort throughout mile 3 and I stopped talking, tucked in and just tried to hold it with him despite the continuing increase in my body temperature. I made a deal with myself -- mile 3 and I could walk. We hit mile 3 in 9:50. I stopped and told him to go on without me. He stopped and grinned, "I was pushing you at the end there?" Yes. Yes, he was. The numbers don't look like a difficult effort, but it was, for me, and there's no way I would have gone for that without the help of B to pull me along. It was one of the better workouts I've had in a long time and it reminded me just how awesome it can be to run with others and let them do the mental commitment while you just hang on.
Tuesday, I headed out for a quick easy run and barely managed 1.5 miles.
Wed, I had to bail on track day (my favorite workout most weeks) due to crazy work stuff.
Thursday and Friday, it was more of the same. Stupid work.
Saturday, I had 10 miles on tap, but it was *HOT*. I got out late (almost 11 AM), and easily decided to push the 10 to Sunday. Once I gave up (around 2 miles), I really gave up and I slowly ran walked my way through 3 miles in 47 minutes while enjoying my audiobook.
Sunday, E and I woke up and headed out at 8:50. Finally, the heat wave had broken, and we did a nice easy 3 together in pleasant cool temps (except he ditched me at the end as he's decided that sprinting the last 0.25 miles or so of his runs is a good way to build fitness) at 10:37/mile or so. I picked up my audiobook at the house and headed back out, but everything felt terrible. My hip flexors hurt. My hamstrings hurt. My calves hurt. I just felt wrong. So, I jog-walked it in for a total of 4.73 miles in 1:02. I promised myself I'd do the 10 today.
And, I did do the 10 miles today. Super slow, but consistently running the whole time except when taking gu/water. So hopefully the slump is over.
Weekly total (for last week): 12.75.
The good news is, now that I'm on my sabbatical, and not going to China, I really have no excuse not to focus on my running and workouts. And focusing on them is one of my goals. I've decided if I can't go to China, at least I can do a minimum of 2 hours of workouts every day for the sabbatical time. I look forward to reporting back on the forms this time commitment takes.
And then there are weeks like the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, I had a lackluster 20.5 mile week, which included quite a bit of walking.
This week, I busted out only one good workout -- Monday's short but solid 3-miler in Kaanapali with my bro-in-law. He's a former NCAA all american steeplechaser, so our runs together are typically hilarious. This one was no different. We went out and tried to run along the ocean for a while and finally agreed it wasn't happening, so we headed for the roads. Mile 1: 10:02, including lots of obstacles and terrain changes as we tried to run near the beach and finally ran through parking lots out to the road. Full sun in the afternoon, 85F, 85% humidity and some hills. Mile 2: 9:44. I called the turn around at 2 miles exactly, and bro-in-law decided to step up the effort. It was slightly uphill and into the wind on the way back, which was a mixed blessing/curse. Cooler, but more effort into the wind and hill. He kept upping the effort throughout mile 3 and I stopped talking, tucked in and just tried to hold it with him despite the continuing increase in my body temperature. I made a deal with myself -- mile 3 and I could walk. We hit mile 3 in 9:50. I stopped and told him to go on without me. He stopped and grinned, "I was pushing you at the end there?" Yes. Yes, he was. The numbers don't look like a difficult effort, but it was, for me, and there's no way I would have gone for that without the help of B to pull me along. It was one of the better workouts I've had in a long time and it reminded me just how awesome it can be to run with others and let them do the mental commitment while you just hang on.
Tuesday, I headed out for a quick easy run and barely managed 1.5 miles.
Wed, I had to bail on track day (my favorite workout most weeks) due to crazy work stuff.
Thursday and Friday, it was more of the same. Stupid work.
Saturday, I had 10 miles on tap, but it was *HOT*. I got out late (almost 11 AM), and easily decided to push the 10 to Sunday. Once I gave up (around 2 miles), I really gave up and I slowly ran walked my way through 3 miles in 47 minutes while enjoying my audiobook.
Sunday, E and I woke up and headed out at 8:50. Finally, the heat wave had broken, and we did a nice easy 3 together in pleasant cool temps (except he ditched me at the end as he's decided that sprinting the last 0.25 miles or so of his runs is a good way to build fitness) at 10:37/mile or so. I picked up my audiobook at the house and headed back out, but everything felt terrible. My hip flexors hurt. My hamstrings hurt. My calves hurt. I just felt wrong. So, I jog-walked it in for a total of 4.73 miles in 1:02. I promised myself I'd do the 10 today.
And, I did do the 10 miles today. Super slow, but consistently running the whole time except when taking gu/water. So hopefully the slump is over.
Weekly total (for last week): 12.75.
The good news is, now that I'm on my sabbatical, and not going to China, I really have no excuse not to focus on my running and workouts. And focusing on them is one of my goals. I've decided if I can't go to China, at least I can do a minimum of 2 hours of workouts every day for the sabbatical time. I look forward to reporting back on the forms this time commitment takes.
April 28, 2013
Hello From Maui
I am in Maui, visiting with my sister and her husband and hanging out with my adorable nephew. Life is good.
The view from my lanai:
Tako poke, courtesy of the grocery store across the street:
Ukelele, because it reminds me of brother:
And, the full grocery store poke hall (coming in at less than $20): spicy ahi poke, vegetarian rolls, spicy tako poke and Krab kimchee poke:
Running Week Recap
This was supposed to be my first *real* running week since the SLO Marathon.
Even so, work and life (and gardening) got in the way more than expected, so I didn't get to fit in any Bikram, and only fit in 3 workouts.
Wed -- return to the track. This workout felt great and it was so fun to catch up with F, D, and to meet newcomer A. Again, I was impressed with F's obvious natural talent (and improvement each week). And, as for myself, it wasn't half bad for post-marathon legs: 0.94 mi jogging uphill w/u @ 11:53 from the car to the track and then around a bit. 300 pickup w/u with each 100 at the following mile paces: 9:03; 8:00; 6:49. 5 X 400 (1:54; 1:53; 1:55; 1:54; 1:54) 30s - 1m recovery; 5 minutes jogging; 1 X 200 @ 45 seconds; another 5 minutes jogging and then 0.74 walk c/d back to the car. [4.24 miles total]
PM workout: 1 mile TM walking a 4% grade reading a book. I'm heavy for me right now, so I need to incorporate more low-intensity aerobic work into my life in addition to being a bit more disciplined about my caloric intake. Walking with a book on an incline is one of my favorite ways to get in some easy negative calories. I'm going to try to get this one into the rotation more often.
Friday -- botched long run with F, but still a good work-out.
I had a great plan -- run 1.7 miles to the trail, join F for 10ish miles of her 17 mile run, and then run home. For some reason, I didn't think of this as a proper long run that required any fuel, or planning other than making sure I had my coffee and time to use the restroom in the AM.
It started out perfectly. I ran the first mile at 10:30, and the next 0.7 at 9:30/mile pace. I stopped, as planned, at the water fountain, drank some water, and started stretching, doing yoga and pushups, dips, abwork, etc. In an effort to ensure I didn't miss F, I'd arrived about 10 minutes early. Due to an unscheduled restroom break, she arrived 10 minutes later than planned. These 20 minutes of calisthenics and stretching were not remotely included when I thought of how this run would play out. Also, in other news, my arms are *still* sore...
F and I had a great first 5 miles together, most right on target for 10ish/mile, but all of a sudden, I found it hard to keep even a 10:30/mile. I struggled through mile 6, but it was clear I was dragging F, *and* it was clear to me that I was only going to continue to get slower. I told her to go on.
I tried to soldier on for a while, but I could barely muster 11 min/mile. I was hot and nauseous. I realized (too late), that I'd been out, working out in the direct sun on an empty stomach, with only water fountains to offer refreshment for 1h40 minutes and I still had 4 miles left. I had one Gu chomp from F, but I really didn't feel like I needed or wanted electrolytes or fuel. Even once the nausea and burping set in, my brain didn't seem to understand what I needed (although I did realize I was getting sunburnt, which certainly wasn't helping matters).
Just like that, after 7.7 pretty good, steady miles (I felt like I was holding back) I was completely done. After a few attempts to restart running, it became apparent that if I wanted to keep running, it would have had to have been high 11 minute miles, or possibly 12s or even 13s. I did *not* feel that I had any benefit to gain by slogging through the remainder of the mileage at those paces.
So, I chalked it up to re-learning the lesson from the Training Run From Hell, turned on my audiobook and walked home. Even so, it took about an hour after arriving home, drinking grapefruit juice (and pickle juice! Yay Sodium) before I felt remotely normal again.
Saturday, I flew to Maui to join my sis, her husband and my adorable nephew, so no running. This AM, I did about 4 miles total walking and running with my thirty pound nephew in the stroller while my sister and her husband went snorkeling.
Total mileage for the week: 20.5ish.
In other running news, due to unexpected work issues for E, we had to cancel the China trip, so I will not be running the Great Wall Half Marathon. I'm disappointed about missing the race, but not overly so. The more I'd learned about the pollution (not to mention H7N9), the more concerned I'd become about whether this was a good plan or not.
The current plan is to reschedule the trip and just go hike a portion of the wall in the absence of the race. Please send me good vibes for being able to get some of the pre-paid race package fees refunded...
Even so, work and life (and gardening) got in the way more than expected, so I didn't get to fit in any Bikram, and only fit in 3 workouts.
Wed -- return to the track. This workout felt great and it was so fun to catch up with F, D, and to meet newcomer A. Again, I was impressed with F's obvious natural talent (and improvement each week). And, as for myself, it wasn't half bad for post-marathon legs: 0.94 mi jogging uphill w/u @ 11:53 from the car to the track and then around a bit. 300 pickup w/u with each 100 at the following mile paces: 9:03; 8:00; 6:49. 5 X 400 (1:54; 1:53; 1:55; 1:54; 1:54) 30s - 1m recovery; 5 minutes jogging; 1 X 200 @ 45 seconds; another 5 minutes jogging and then 0.74 walk c/d back to the car. [4.24 miles total]
PM workout: 1 mile TM walking a 4% grade reading a book. I'm heavy for me right now, so I need to incorporate more low-intensity aerobic work into my life in addition to being a bit more disciplined about my caloric intake. Walking with a book on an incline is one of my favorite ways to get in some easy negative calories. I'm going to try to get this one into the rotation more often.
Friday -- botched long run with F, but still a good work-out.
I had a great plan -- run 1.7 miles to the trail, join F for 10ish miles of her 17 mile run, and then run home. For some reason, I didn't think of this as a proper long run that required any fuel, or planning other than making sure I had my coffee and time to use the restroom in the AM.
It started out perfectly. I ran the first mile at 10:30, and the next 0.7 at 9:30/mile pace. I stopped, as planned, at the water fountain, drank some water, and started stretching, doing yoga and pushups, dips, abwork, etc. In an effort to ensure I didn't miss F, I'd arrived about 10 minutes early. Due to an unscheduled restroom break, she arrived 10 minutes later than planned. These 20 minutes of calisthenics and stretching were not remotely included when I thought of how this run would play out. Also, in other news, my arms are *still* sore...
F and I had a great first 5 miles together, most right on target for 10ish/mile, but all of a sudden, I found it hard to keep even a 10:30/mile. I struggled through mile 6, but it was clear I was dragging F, *and* it was clear to me that I was only going to continue to get slower. I told her to go on.
I tried to soldier on for a while, but I could barely muster 11 min/mile. I was hot and nauseous. I realized (too late), that I'd been out, working out in the direct sun on an empty stomach, with only water fountains to offer refreshment for 1h40 minutes and I still had 4 miles left. I had one Gu chomp from F, but I really didn't feel like I needed or wanted electrolytes or fuel. Even once the nausea and burping set in, my brain didn't seem to understand what I needed (although I did realize I was getting sunburnt, which certainly wasn't helping matters).
Just like that, after 7.7 pretty good, steady miles (I felt like I was holding back) I was completely done. After a few attempts to restart running, it became apparent that if I wanted to keep running, it would have had to have been high 11 minute miles, or possibly 12s or even 13s. I did *not* feel that I had any benefit to gain by slogging through the remainder of the mileage at those paces.
So, I chalked it up to re-learning the lesson from the Training Run From Hell, turned on my audiobook and walked home. Even so, it took about an hour after arriving home, drinking grapefruit juice (and pickle juice! Yay Sodium) before I felt remotely normal again.
Saturday, I flew to Maui to join my sis, her husband and my adorable nephew, so no running. This AM, I did about 4 miles total walking and running with my thirty pound nephew in the stroller while my sister and her husband went snorkeling.
Total mileage for the week: 20.5ish.
In other running news, due to unexpected work issues for E, we had to cancel the China trip, so I will not be running the Great Wall Half Marathon. I'm disappointed about missing the race, but not overly so. The more I'd learned about the pollution (not to mention H7N9), the more concerned I'd become about whether this was a good plan or not.
The current plan is to reschedule the trip and just go hike a portion of the wall in the absence of the race. Please send me good vibes for being able to get some of the pre-paid race package fees refunded...
April 21, 2013
Two Weeks of Marathon Recovery
Like everything associated with marathons, recovery is one of those things that no one seems to agree on. There are the back-to-back marathoners, who claim that recovery is unnecessary. Then, there are the extremists who claim you shouldn't run hard (or, for the very extreme, at all) for 1 day for every mile you race. I generally try to give myself 2 easy weeks at a minimum. This is the Hanson's Approach, and historically, it's treated me reasonably well. I don't usually have the drive to follow a "recovery plan" as some folks recommend, so I like to just give myself a break and go by effort/desire.
So, ever since the San Luis Obispo Marathon, I've been taking it *very* easy on the running side of things.
The total mileage for both recovery weeks combined is approximately 24 miles, and that includes 50% of the mileage either on the elliptical or walking. I'm proud to say that I took the 2 week hiatus easy, but not entirely off, and I did quite a bit of cross-training with recumbant bike riding, weight training, calisthenics, a session of Bikram yoga, and over 15 hours of gardening, which, believe it or not, can be quite the cardio workout when you're digging into clay, loading wheelbarrows, moving dirt, and turning beds.
Yesterday, I headed out for my first real run since the marathon and managed a decent 3.13 miles at 10:09 pace to meet up with E at the rocket launch. Unfortunately, after walking around for 0.5 miles, I confirmed that he had already left, so I ran another easy 2.15 miles back, and walked the final 0.75 or so.
Today, I woke with great intentions for a long, easy run. But, the plan was to start the run with E at 9 AM, and E was sleeping in. Lazy, I let him. This, my friends, is how we didn't even leave for our AM run 'til 10:20. At mile 1.5, E informed me that it was much too hot and he was deserting me. At first, I was annoyed, but then I decided to make the most of it and push myself for a step-down workout to see how some faster work felt instead of pushing through the longer, slower run in the afternoon heat. It was a good, solid 3 mile run. Splits: 10:07, 9:37, 8:30. My left hamstring is a bit tight, but nothing some stretching and rolling shouldn't fix. (Oh, and in E's defense, it was 82F when I got back to the house. I haven't sweat that much, that quickly, after a short run in a very long time.)
The good news is, I think I'm recovered and ready to get back into the swing of things, running wise.
Which is good, as I've got 4 weeks 'til the Great Wall Half Marathon, and then another 4 weeks 'til the San Francisco Marathon First Half Marathon (Which, by the way, I'm very excited to do for the first time -- I may or may not be able to join F on it, depends on how speedy she decides to go out for her first marathon, but either way, it is the last of the three events of the SFM that I've never done, so it'll be cool to say I've done 'em all).
So, ever since the San Luis Obispo Marathon, I've been taking it *very* easy on the running side of things.
The total mileage for both recovery weeks combined is approximately 24 miles, and that includes 50% of the mileage either on the elliptical or walking. I'm proud to say that I took the 2 week hiatus easy, but not entirely off, and I did quite a bit of cross-training with recumbant bike riding, weight training, calisthenics, a session of Bikram yoga, and over 15 hours of gardening, which, believe it or not, can be quite the cardio workout when you're digging into clay, loading wheelbarrows, moving dirt, and turning beds.
Yesterday, I headed out for my first real run since the marathon and managed a decent 3.13 miles at 10:09 pace to meet up with E at the rocket launch. Unfortunately, after walking around for 0.5 miles, I confirmed that he had already left, so I ran another easy 2.15 miles back, and walked the final 0.75 or so.
Today, I woke with great intentions for a long, easy run. But, the plan was to start the run with E at 9 AM, and E was sleeping in. Lazy, I let him. This, my friends, is how we didn't even leave for our AM run 'til 10:20. At mile 1.5, E informed me that it was much too hot and he was deserting me. At first, I was annoyed, but then I decided to make the most of it and push myself for a step-down workout to see how some faster work felt instead of pushing through the longer, slower run in the afternoon heat. It was a good, solid 3 mile run. Splits: 10:07, 9:37, 8:30. My left hamstring is a bit tight, but nothing some stretching and rolling shouldn't fix. (Oh, and in E's defense, it was 82F when I got back to the house. I haven't sweat that much, that quickly, after a short run in a very long time.)
The good news is, I think I'm recovered and ready to get back into the swing of things, running wise.
Which is good, as I've got 4 weeks 'til the Great Wall Half Marathon, and then another 4 weeks 'til the San Francisco Marathon First Half Marathon (Which, by the way, I'm very excited to do for the first time -- I may or may not be able to join F on it, depends on how speedy she decides to go out for her first marathon, but either way, it is the last of the three events of the SFM that I've never done, so it'll be cool to say I've done 'em all).
April 14, 2013
I Love New York
Every time I come to New York City, I fall a little bit more in love.
It's always a completely new experience. It seems to me, that if you wanted, you could do new things and have completely different experiences every day in the greater NYC area, and I don't think you'd ever run out of things to do, as things change faster here than you could possibly accumulate all of the potential experiences. Sure, this is generally, philosophically true about any sphere of life, but that's trite. In New York, the reality of the scale is so overwhelming that it makes me stop to reconsider my outlook.
My first trip to the city was with N. I think we must have been barely 21 or 22 years old, and we were niave. We had tons of European travel under our belts, but we were very mistaken in our plans for NYC and we were lucky to both check into (after 2 AM -- and not be left in the street) and successfully get out of the sketchy hostel in Harlem. Once the sun was up, we escaped to the nearest subway with some other international hostelers (who were equally freaked out by the open heroin use). We immediately went to a travel agent and rented an apartment on the Upper East side for the remainder of our stay -- talk about an example of the various extremes that are all available in such a small physical area.
The next trip was also with N, but we were visiting a high school friend of mine who had an apartment, so that one was less tramatic and more culturally full of museums and bar hopping and typical 20-something NYC fun while couch-surfing with local trusted friends.
Several years went by until E & I ripped through a 47-hour tornado of a trip as our first joint visit to his Mother's hometown. We attended a law school colleague's 30th birthday party and were awed by the east-coasters' abilities to drink 'til 4 AM and beyond. From there, we visited E's grandparents and uncle in Brooklyn and were introduced to a great multi-generational perspective on this wonderful city.
Almost 2 years later, I came back as part of a married couple and we did a much more traditional business oriented trip, with both of us in town for work.
6 weeks after that, we were back, taking time out for friends' wedding festivities and E's Grandfather's 90th birthday party events (Holy Family!).
Several years of constant work rushed by for a few years, and then, we returned, appropriately, to both work and visit N, who'd since moved here. (N, was, at this point, 3/6 and counting, on being involved in my NY trips.)
The next year, I returned to NYC solo, for N's bachelorette weekend, and, of course, more work. I thought I'd been clever to book my own hotel room away from the rest of the party in their cramped apartment in the heart of midtown. Of course, the joke was on me, as I actually did end up having to work from my hotel room, and I missed half the festivities. But, I had a blast hanging out in NYC with a group of some of the coolest ladies I've ever known (including N, E2, and friends). (N count: 4/7)
And here we are, third year in a row where I've made the trip. Work, of course. But tons of social stuff as well. In fact, this may be the most stereotypical NY trip we've ever done. We landed and stayed the night at a JFK airport, then headed in for a day in Queens with N and R & new baby F. So cute! (bonus -- N count: 5/8 -- should I officially declare NYC as my N city?)
Saturday, E & I headed to Manhattan on the N-line and met up with R at his place in Union Square. We all went on a run to the highline, then walked the highline as quickly as possible between the crowds of tourists (super impressed with the reclamation project, New York! Well Done!), ran the Riverside to 34th, then weaved back to Madison Square Park, past the ridiculous line at the Shake Shack, over to Gramercy Park, and finally, we stopped at the crowds on 7th Ave and walked back to Union Square for a lunch from R's favorite local falafel vendor.
Our afternoon plan had been to head to the Museum of Natural History with E's folks. But, by the time we checked into our midtown hotel, they'd decided we didn't have enough time to make a proper visit of it. So, instead, we sat around their hotel room and caught up over a bottle of Turley Old Vine they'd bought on one of their trips to visit us, had been aging for at least 5 to 8 years, and took the time to dig out of the cellar and put in checked baggage for the trip. (Yeah, I hit the in-law jackpot, it's true).
With our afternoon free, R graciously agreed to give us a tour of the NY Google office before dinner, and we took him up on it. For E and me, it was more or less what we expected (just buried in the port authority high-rise building between telecoms instead of in MV, sprawled between whatever buildings they could get), but for E's parents, it was a generational shock at the ball pits and food and play areas and scooters. The experience, will, no doubt, give them tons of cocktail party fodder. Which is good, 'cause they insisted on treating us all to dinner at the super fancy and delicisous Tocqueville, so at least they have something to show for it (evil grin).
Today, we did our best to be awake and head downstairs to meet E's parents, chipper on EDT at 9:15 in the rented car at the hotel entrance. We drove through the Bronx, Yonkers, and up to northern Westchester County, where E's maternal grandparents are now in an assisted living facility facility. At the far end of the drive I realized that the conversation I regularly have with people about how easy it is to get to truly rural areas from San Francisco is *also* true from Manhattan. It kind of blew my mind.
And then there were E's grandparents.
I love old people. And E's grandparents are super old, which, in my book mean super awesome. Plus, they love me and him and his family, so I love them even more than I normally love old people, which is a ton, as I mentioned. E's grandfather is so dotingly in love with and anchored by his wife that it takes my breath away. Meanwhile, E's gran is adorably concerned about E's grandfather in an alternating nagging, caring and sending extra food across the table way that I can't help but find it adorable -- she watches his every move, telling him what to order because he can't remember what he likes and is overwhelmed by the menu (which he appreciates) and cutting him off when he drones on (which he tolerates and even seems to enjoy with a ridiculously good humor).
In short, they are that exemplary couple who have become a singular unit with disparate external functions. And seeing them makes me realize that this is what I want. I have other desires in life, but supreme above them is that I want to do a good enough job of living as a wife with my husband that we age well together and our oldest years become a shared old joint mind-body-soul. I see E's grandparents (and parents on their own way) and can only hope that I may be so blessed.
So, yes, of course I love New York. Food. Sites to see. Friends. And Family.
And, of course, I can't wait to come back.
It's always a completely new experience. It seems to me, that if you wanted, you could do new things and have completely different experiences every day in the greater NYC area, and I don't think you'd ever run out of things to do, as things change faster here than you could possibly accumulate all of the potential experiences. Sure, this is generally, philosophically true about any sphere of life, but that's trite. In New York, the reality of the scale is so overwhelming that it makes me stop to reconsider my outlook.
My first trip to the city was with N. I think we must have been barely 21 or 22 years old, and we were niave. We had tons of European travel under our belts, but we were very mistaken in our plans for NYC and we were lucky to both check into (after 2 AM -- and not be left in the street) and successfully get out of the sketchy hostel in Harlem. Once the sun was up, we escaped to the nearest subway with some other international hostelers (who were equally freaked out by the open heroin use). We immediately went to a travel agent and rented an apartment on the Upper East side for the remainder of our stay -- talk about an example of the various extremes that are all available in such a small physical area.
The next trip was also with N, but we were visiting a high school friend of mine who had an apartment, so that one was less tramatic and more culturally full of museums and bar hopping and typical 20-something NYC fun while couch-surfing with local trusted friends.
Several years went by until E & I ripped through a 47-hour tornado of a trip as our first joint visit to his Mother's hometown. We attended a law school colleague's 30th birthday party and were awed by the east-coasters' abilities to drink 'til 4 AM and beyond. From there, we visited E's grandparents and uncle in Brooklyn and were introduced to a great multi-generational perspective on this wonderful city.
Almost 2 years later, I came back as part of a married couple and we did a much more traditional business oriented trip, with both of us in town for work.
6 weeks after that, we were back, taking time out for friends' wedding festivities and E's Grandfather's 90th birthday party events (Holy Family!).
Several years of constant work rushed by for a few years, and then, we returned, appropriately, to both work and visit N, who'd since moved here. (N, was, at this point, 3/6 and counting, on being involved in my NY trips.)
The next year, I returned to NYC solo, for N's bachelorette weekend, and, of course, more work. I thought I'd been clever to book my own hotel room away from the rest of the party in their cramped apartment in the heart of midtown. Of course, the joke was on me, as I actually did end up having to work from my hotel room, and I missed half the festivities. But, I had a blast hanging out in NYC with a group of some of the coolest ladies I've ever known (including N, E2, and friends). (N count: 4/7)
And here we are, third year in a row where I've made the trip. Work, of course. But tons of social stuff as well. In fact, this may be the most stereotypical NY trip we've ever done. We landed and stayed the night at a JFK airport, then headed in for a day in Queens with N and R & new baby F. So cute! (bonus -- N count: 5/8 -- should I officially declare NYC as my N city?)
Saturday, E & I headed to Manhattan on the N-line and met up with R at his place in Union Square. We all went on a run to the highline, then walked the highline as quickly as possible between the crowds of tourists (super impressed with the reclamation project, New York! Well Done!), ran the Riverside to 34th, then weaved back to Madison Square Park, past the ridiculous line at the Shake Shack, over to Gramercy Park, and finally, we stopped at the crowds on 7th Ave and walked back to Union Square for a lunch from R's favorite local falafel vendor.
Our afternoon plan had been to head to the Museum of Natural History with E's folks. But, by the time we checked into our midtown hotel, they'd decided we didn't have enough time to make a proper visit of it. So, instead, we sat around their hotel room and caught up over a bottle of Turley Old Vine they'd bought on one of their trips to visit us, had been aging for at least 5 to 8 years, and took the time to dig out of the cellar and put in checked baggage for the trip. (Yeah, I hit the in-law jackpot, it's true).
With our afternoon free, R graciously agreed to give us a tour of the NY Google office before dinner, and we took him up on it. For E and me, it was more or less what we expected (just buried in the port authority high-rise building between telecoms instead of in MV, sprawled between whatever buildings they could get), but for E's parents, it was a generational shock at the ball pits and food and play areas and scooters. The experience, will, no doubt, give them tons of cocktail party fodder. Which is good, 'cause they insisted on treating us all to dinner at the super fancy and delicisous Tocqueville, so at least they have something to show for it (evil grin).
Today, we did our best to be awake and head downstairs to meet E's parents, chipper on EDT at 9:15 in the rented car at the hotel entrance. We drove through the Bronx, Yonkers, and up to northern Westchester County, where E's maternal grandparents are now in an assisted living facility facility. At the far end of the drive I realized that the conversation I regularly have with people about how easy it is to get to truly rural areas from San Francisco is *also* true from Manhattan. It kind of blew my mind.
And then there were E's grandparents.
I love old people. And E's grandparents are super old, which, in my book mean super awesome. Plus, they love me and him and his family, so I love them even more than I normally love old people, which is a ton, as I mentioned. E's grandfather is so dotingly in love with and anchored by his wife that it takes my breath away. Meanwhile, E's gran is adorably concerned about E's grandfather in an alternating nagging, caring and sending extra food across the table way that I can't help but find it adorable -- she watches his every move, telling him what to order because he can't remember what he likes and is overwhelmed by the menu (which he appreciates) and cutting him off when he drones on (which he tolerates and even seems to enjoy with a ridiculously good humor).
In short, they are that exemplary couple who have become a singular unit with disparate external functions. And seeing them makes me realize that this is what I want. I have other desires in life, but supreme above them is that I want to do a good enough job of living as a wife with my husband that we age well together and our oldest years become a shared old joint mind-body-soul. I see E's grandparents (and parents on their own way) and can only hope that I may be so blessed.
So, yes, of course I love New York. Food. Sites to see. Friends. And Family.
And, of course, I can't wait to come back.
April 7, 2013
San Luis Obispo Marathon -- The Long Race Recap
Hills. So. Many. Hills.
My brilliant plan to drop out of the LA Marathon if the going got tough, and replace it with the SLO full was still brilliant. But, unfortunately, as I realized on-course, the hills were definitely this plan's downfall. I hadn't trained for hills at all, really. Oops.
Even so, the totality of the race weekend was more than I could have asked for. The lame finish time was more than worth it.
Pre-race dinner with the aunts and uncle who live in town? Awesome. We told stories, caught up, and reminisced while looking at pictures of my dad at age 19, my uncle at college graduation and with the red ford truck (every-wash-it-fades) my dad had given him in high school because "I've got to go to college and I can't make it work." Aunt B and Uncle H's house is on the course around mile 17 or so, and they informed me, "Oh, we always end up waiting much longer than people estimate to meet up with them -- it's a slow course."
Okay. I thought. I can deal with that. I'd dropped the PR goals in LA, so I'll just adjust. Plus, I'd just learned that my mom and dad's first house was on the course! Cool!
Then, they informed me that the race included what they'd deemed the "Wheeeeee Road" in their childhood. Take a look at the elevation profile between mile 15 and mile 16. Alright, I thought, I'll be prepared.
I had a great pre-race meal (opting out of the BBQ'd steaks and veggies and opting for take-out posole without eating any of the pork, plus 3 bottles of water). After dinner, at the hotel, several cups of tea, and I was finally in bed.
I managed to finagle an early AM ride to the start with H (who's finally healed and ran the half! Yay, for a return to workouts together!) as she'd conned J into driving not just her, but me too! Score.
I found T at the start, behind the 5 hour pace group. She informed me that she was emotional all weekend as the purpose for her and many of her friends was to celebrate and honor their friend G, a Cal Poly grad and local teacher who'd recently died of a blood cancer. It was great to see her, and we started together in the dark, but after about 1/3 mile she dropped back and urged me on. (In hindsight, I should have stuck with her).
I headed out at what I thought was a very conservative pace, and while being a bit surprised at how steep the early hills were (both up and down), I executed a PR 1:11 porta-poop stop in mile 4 (every PR Counts!), and met up with Auntie I at 4.2 miles near my gran's house. She had gatorade, a kiss, and a huge sign encouraging me to run by my initials. Priceless. (In other news, apparently, my initials are quite common, and she received many thank yous from other folks who have my initials and enjoyed her sign.)
From there, I did my best to keep my original target pace, but around mile 6 or so it became apparent that the hills were going to get the best of me. I saw KP running towards me on the out and back section trailing the 4 h pace group and she looked *very* strong. I was excited for her. I tried to keep it even, refused to walk, and promised myself that I'd run hard 'til I reached Aunt B & E around mile 17ish, and then, well, then, I'd just finish.
Why? You ask?
Well, in case I missed the point from my family, the hills were crazy. The wind was not remotely as bad as I'd feared, but that meant the tailwind wasn't very helpful whereas the headwind back in was lame and the hills were more than I'd bargained for. On mile 15, there were actually cyclists cresting the hill just as I did, who screamed "Wheeee..." as they headed down -- the Whee Hill, indeed. In my pace area, the majority of the folks I was keeping pace with were run-walking as early as mile 12. Walking up the steep hills and then running down. It's quite efficient, apparently, as most of them would get passed by me as I climbed and then pass me on the downhill.
Unfortunately for me, after climbing the entirety of the Whee Hill, I had to stop to tighten my laces on the descent, as my toes were slamming into the front of my shoes with each quad-burning step. Also, my quads were beat up from the previous hills, so once my shoes were fixed, even though downhills are usually my strength, I was unable to fly with as much fun and vigor as I'd like.
Essentially, when I saw E & Auntie B, I was thrilled with relief. Powerbar, gatorade, companionship. I stopped and smiled and stretched. If I was honest, in my mind, I was done with the pushing. I walked and ate my power bar and talked with E as he pushed his bike along. The 4:45 pace group passed us. At some point in this process, I hit stop instead of lap, so I screwed up my Garmin. By the time I figured it out, I'd lost 6 minutes (according to the chip time) and who knows how much distance. Finally, I saw some ladies I'd been trading run-walk spots with and fell in with them for their run segment. E pedaled on.
E met me again at mile 18, and took a picture of me at the mile marker, with the ancestral family ranch in the background. (I'd post it, but E's phone died and the photo was lost! My Aunts and Uncles claim that I obviously have to run it again!)
While we were trying to get the photo, T ran by. T!!!! She was well ahead of the 5 hour group and trying to catch the 4:45 pace group. I dropped in with her and tried to keep up but after a mile or so, I admitted that I just didn't have the drive. I wished her well and let her go.
I ran the rest of the race the best I could. Into the nasty headwind that kept increasing with each minute. Short walk breaks when I had to on the severe uphills. Enjoying the last sighting of Auntie I and E at mile 23+ and then, running slowly, but without break, even on the pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, passing run-walkers to the finish.
I crossed at chip time 4:52:22 and gun time 4:53:06. In other words, despite what felt like a much harder effort, I was *much* slower than last year's monsoon dial-it in CIM performance.
Many lessons learned. Starting with "Hills Matter -- Train For Them". And ending with, "Go Out Slow!" I hit mile 13 at around 2:14, says the Garmin. So, even though I truly did my best to go out at a reasonable pace for my fitness, and I included a bathroom break in the first half total, I still underestimated the course and lost another 22 minutes on the back 13.2 (and most of it after mile 17, when I decided to just enjoy myself). If only I'd stuck with T, who took it slow-and-steady-tortoise-wise and ended up finishing almost 5 minutes before me. Hindsight...
So, there you have it. The end to the coach experiment resulted in a DNF on the target race and a great family weekend with a slow finish on the replacement race. And lest you think I blame the coaches, I actually don't think I would have been able to finish this race without the training plan. I don't think I would have been disciplined enough to have put in the mileage and would have likely just done the half.
Take home? I think I need to do some serious soul searching about the structure of my life and whether I *actually* have time to dedicate to what is necessary to run a pleasant marathon. Thankfully, the next two races on the calendar are halfs. And I feel like today's effort is a great strength building and endurance building workout that will pay dividends for those efforts.
Onward.
(Oh, and post-race lunch at the pub with E, both Aunts, and Uncle H was more than worth the bummer of a finishing time. Family & NACHOS!!!!)
My brilliant plan to drop out of the LA Marathon if the going got tough, and replace it with the SLO full was still brilliant. But, unfortunately, as I realized on-course, the hills were definitely this plan's downfall. I hadn't trained for hills at all, really. Oops.
Even so, the totality of the race weekend was more than I could have asked for. The lame finish time was more than worth it.
Pre-race dinner with the aunts and uncle who live in town? Awesome. We told stories, caught up, and reminisced while looking at pictures of my dad at age 19, my uncle at college graduation and with the red ford truck (every-wash-it-fades) my dad had given him in high school because "I've got to go to college and I can't make it work." Aunt B and Uncle H's house is on the course around mile 17 or so, and they informed me, "Oh, we always end up waiting much longer than people estimate to meet up with them -- it's a slow course."
Okay. I thought. I can deal with that. I'd dropped the PR goals in LA, so I'll just adjust. Plus, I'd just learned that my mom and dad's first house was on the course! Cool!
Then, they informed me that the race included what they'd deemed the "Wheeeeee Road" in their childhood. Take a look at the elevation profile between mile 15 and mile 16. Alright, I thought, I'll be prepared.
I had a great pre-race meal (opting out of the BBQ'd steaks and veggies and opting for take-out posole without eating any of the pork, plus 3 bottles of water). After dinner, at the hotel, several cups of tea, and I was finally in bed.
I managed to finagle an early AM ride to the start with H (who's finally healed and ran the half! Yay, for a return to workouts together!) as she'd conned J into driving not just her, but me too! Score.
I found T at the start, behind the 5 hour pace group. She informed me that she was emotional all weekend as the purpose for her and many of her friends was to celebrate and honor their friend G, a Cal Poly grad and local teacher who'd recently died of a blood cancer. It was great to see her, and we started together in the dark, but after about 1/3 mile she dropped back and urged me on. (In hindsight, I should have stuck with her).
I headed out at what I thought was a very conservative pace, and while being a bit surprised at how steep the early hills were (both up and down), I executed a PR 1:11 porta-poop stop in mile 4 (every PR Counts!), and met up with Auntie I at 4.2 miles near my gran's house. She had gatorade, a kiss, and a huge sign encouraging me to run by my initials. Priceless. (In other news, apparently, my initials are quite common, and she received many thank yous from other folks who have my initials and enjoyed her sign.)
From there, I did my best to keep my original target pace, but around mile 6 or so it became apparent that the hills were going to get the best of me. I saw KP running towards me on the out and back section trailing the 4 h pace group and she looked *very* strong. I was excited for her. I tried to keep it even, refused to walk, and promised myself that I'd run hard 'til I reached Aunt B & E around mile 17ish, and then, well, then, I'd just finish.
Why? You ask?
Well, in case I missed the point from my family, the hills were crazy. The wind was not remotely as bad as I'd feared, but that meant the tailwind wasn't very helpful whereas the headwind back in was lame and the hills were more than I'd bargained for. On mile 15, there were actually cyclists cresting the hill just as I did, who screamed "Wheeee..." as they headed down -- the Whee Hill, indeed. In my pace area, the majority of the folks I was keeping pace with were run-walking as early as mile 12. Walking up the steep hills and then running down. It's quite efficient, apparently, as most of them would get passed by me as I climbed and then pass me on the downhill.
Unfortunately for me, after climbing the entirety of the Whee Hill, I had to stop to tighten my laces on the descent, as my toes were slamming into the front of my shoes with each quad-burning step. Also, my quads were beat up from the previous hills, so once my shoes were fixed, even though downhills are usually my strength, I was unable to fly with as much fun and vigor as I'd like.
Essentially, when I saw E & Auntie B, I was thrilled with relief. Powerbar, gatorade, companionship. I stopped and smiled and stretched. If I was honest, in my mind, I was done with the pushing. I walked and ate my power bar and talked with E as he pushed his bike along. The 4:45 pace group passed us. At some point in this process, I hit stop instead of lap, so I screwed up my Garmin. By the time I figured it out, I'd lost 6 minutes (according to the chip time) and who knows how much distance. Finally, I saw some ladies I'd been trading run-walk spots with and fell in with them for their run segment. E pedaled on.
E met me again at mile 18, and took a picture of me at the mile marker, with the ancestral family ranch in the background. (I'd post it, but E's phone died and the photo was lost! My Aunts and Uncles claim that I obviously have to run it again!)
While we were trying to get the photo, T ran by. T!!!! She was well ahead of the 5 hour group and trying to catch the 4:45 pace group. I dropped in with her and tried to keep up but after a mile or so, I admitted that I just didn't have the drive. I wished her well and let her go.
I ran the rest of the race the best I could. Into the nasty headwind that kept increasing with each minute. Short walk breaks when I had to on the severe uphills. Enjoying the last sighting of Auntie I and E at mile 23+ and then, running slowly, but without break, even on the pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, passing run-walkers to the finish.
I crossed at chip time 4:52:22 and gun time 4:53:06. In other words, despite what felt like a much harder effort, I was *much* slower than last year's monsoon dial-it in CIM performance.
Many lessons learned. Starting with "Hills Matter -- Train For Them". And ending with, "Go Out Slow!" I hit mile 13 at around 2:14, says the Garmin. So, even though I truly did my best to go out at a reasonable pace for my fitness, and I included a bathroom break in the first half total, I still underestimated the course and lost another 22 minutes on the back 13.2 (and most of it after mile 17, when I decided to just enjoy myself). If only I'd stuck with T, who took it slow-and-steady-tortoise-wise and ended up finishing almost 5 minutes before me. Hindsight...
So, there you have it. The end to the coach experiment resulted in a DNF on the target race and a great family weekend with a slow finish on the replacement race. And lest you think I blame the coaches, I actually don't think I would have been able to finish this race without the training plan. I don't think I would have been disciplined enough to have put in the mileage and would have likely just done the half.
Take home? I think I need to do some serious soul searching about the structure of my life and whether I *actually* have time to dedicate to what is necessary to run a pleasant marathon. Thankfully, the next two races on the calendar are halfs. And I feel like today's effort is a great strength building and endurance building workout that will pay dividends for those efforts.
Onward.
(Oh, and post-race lunch at the pub with E, both Aunts, and Uncle H was more than worth the bummer of a finishing time. Family & NACHOS!!!!)
April 3, 2013
Checking In -- Looking Good, If Tired
The majority of my friends post about the exhaustion of balancing lives with children.
And, to be clear, while it seems rewarding, it also sounds exhausting.
Nights like tonight, I think to myself, "There are many ways to choose to have an exhausting life."
Note, I do not think, "There are many ways to choose to have a well-balanced life."
No. I do not think that. Because. Well, because I do not actually think that. If I thought that, no doubt, I'd actually be living one of those many well-balanced ways. But I am not.
Instead, tonight, in an act of self-preservation after too many nightmares involving document editing, clients, negotiations, accounts receivables follow-ups, etc., I've cut myself off work. Clients are annoyed at this choice.
Instead, I finalized some details our contractor required for the remodel (which required that I make time to go to the hardware store during work hours to collect samples so E and I could discuss them in the evening, which meant I had to block out time from my work day, which is always difficult). I also finished laundry, made dinner, and took the time to blog and hang out with E.
And yet, despite giving myself freedom from work, what I haven't yet done this evening is a Mandarin lesson, pack for our trip to SF for a night, prepare our China trip visa applications (because our flights were changed *yet again* and the old apps are now out of date), or respond to multiple emails from my brother's attorney. I'm helping him with some legal issues, and it requires daily effort on my part *after* I've finished all my daily work legal efforts. Tonight, these things are just not getting done. I'm too exhausted. Tomorrow, my friends. Tomorrow.
What I did do, however, after addressing the necessary house remodel issues and deciding nothing related to work was getting done, is respond to my extended family and accept an invitation to dinner at my aunt and uncle's house before the SLO marathon. E is thrilled, because these are the same extended family who hosted my gran's family memorial dinner that was cooked on the BBQ my papa (grandfather) welded (after three prototypes):
Let's just say that E's pre-race meal will be more civilized than what he usually agrees to have out of solidarity. I will be the outcast -- bringing my own noodle soup. They will all feast on wine and red meat and other traditional family celebratory stuff that only a marathon the next day could keep me from enjoying. Regardless, it will be a good time.
Did I mention that I will have family waiting at mile 4.5, 16.5, and 24 with sports drink and oranges? My aunts and uncle have overwhelmed me with their support once I announced my intention of doing the full marathon where they live -- they have been adorable with questions and details and emailing daily detailed farm-level-detail weather updates. Plus, E is planning to bike between the various family members and be there to support me as well. And finally, watching the weather report move from storms with rain, to showers, to clouds with great cool temps (albeit with bad wind), makes me feel like once again my farmer family ancestors are pulling weather for me.
In short, I've never felt this well supported on a marathon before. The generosity of my aunts and uncle have made me grateful that I dropped out of the LA Marathon and allowed myself the opportunity of doing a marathon in my dad's hometown, amongst the support of his siblings.
Plus, today's short tempo was *awesome* and the REI member benefit allowed me to replenish my fuel stores with products of choice for free to ensure I don't repeat the mistakes I made at Coeur D'Alene.
I'm excited for Sunday! No matter what, I will do my best to finish, and I will likely cry a little bit as I run in front of the family ranch. Wish me luck!
Nights like tonight, I think to myself, "There are many ways to choose to have an exhausting life."
Note, I do not think, "There are many ways to choose to have a well-balanced life."
No. I do not think that. Because. Well, because I do not actually think that. If I thought that, no doubt, I'd actually be living one of those many well-balanced ways. But I am not.
Instead, tonight, in an act of self-preservation after too many nightmares involving document editing, clients, negotiations, accounts receivables follow-ups, etc., I've cut myself off work. Clients are annoyed at this choice.
Instead, I finalized some details our contractor required for the remodel (which required that I make time to go to the hardware store during work hours to collect samples so E and I could discuss them in the evening, which meant I had to block out time from my work day, which is always difficult). I also finished laundry, made dinner, and took the time to blog and hang out with E.
And yet, despite giving myself freedom from work, what I haven't yet done this evening is a Mandarin lesson, pack for our trip to SF for a night, prepare our China trip visa applications (because our flights were changed *yet again* and the old apps are now out of date), or respond to multiple emails from my brother's attorney. I'm helping him with some legal issues, and it requires daily effort on my part *after* I've finished all my daily work legal efforts. Tonight, these things are just not getting done. I'm too exhausted. Tomorrow, my friends. Tomorrow.
What I did do, however, after addressing the necessary house remodel issues and deciding nothing related to work was getting done, is respond to my extended family and accept an invitation to dinner at my aunt and uncle's house before the SLO marathon. E is thrilled, because these are the same extended family who hosted my gran's family memorial dinner that was cooked on the BBQ my papa (grandfather) welded (after three prototypes):
Let's just say that E's pre-race meal will be more civilized than what he usually agrees to have out of solidarity. I will be the outcast -- bringing my own noodle soup. They will all feast on wine and red meat and other traditional family celebratory stuff that only a marathon the next day could keep me from enjoying. Regardless, it will be a good time.
Did I mention that I will have family waiting at mile 4.5, 16.5, and 24 with sports drink and oranges? My aunts and uncle have overwhelmed me with their support once I announced my intention of doing the full marathon where they live -- they have been adorable with questions and details and emailing daily detailed farm-level-detail weather updates. Plus, E is planning to bike between the various family members and be there to support me as well. And finally, watching the weather report move from storms with rain, to showers, to clouds with great cool temps (albeit with bad wind), makes me feel like once again my farmer family ancestors are pulling weather for me.
In short, I've never felt this well supported on a marathon before. The generosity of my aunts and uncle have made me grateful that I dropped out of the LA Marathon and allowed myself the opportunity of doing a marathon in my dad's hometown, amongst the support of his siblings.
Plus, today's short tempo was *awesome* and the REI member benefit allowed me to replenish my fuel stores with products of choice for free to ensure I don't repeat the mistakes I made at Coeur D'Alene.
I'm excited for Sunday! No matter what, I will do my best to finish, and I will likely cry a little bit as I run in front of the family ranch. Wish me luck!
April 1, 2013
March 31, 2013
Now That's More LIke It
This is the first taper week of my rescheduled SLO marathon training program after my unceremonious DNF in LA.
It feels so much more like a taper week should than last time. I'm antsy today after yesterday's short, easy long run. I'm Energetic. Bouncy. Yay!
M: Walk 1.5 to recover from Sunday's long run at the Oakland Running Festival.
T: End of quarter work insanity. Onsite at clients, fire-fighting, and lucky E got to manage dinner while I kept working into the evening.
W: More end of quarter madness. Finally decide that something is better than nothing and sneak out for a quick easy 1 mile at 10:10 and 0.66 walk back to the house.
Th: Track workout with F & D. 0.53 miles w/u (2X150 pickups); 3 X 600 (alternating 200 hard, 200 med, 200 hard); 3 minute jogging recovery interval between 600's. Splits: (50, 1:15, 53); (50, 1:17, 54); (49, 1:27; 55) -- Yeah, I needed some serious recovery on that last 600 medium effort, and even with it, could only manage 55 on the last 200. 0.53 miles jogging c/d followed by 0.13 miles walking. I was happy with this workout, but amused. It took me 15 minutes to get to the end of the speedwork and totaled only 2.05 miles of running, including w/u and c/d. I was careful not to push it even though it was such a short workout -- reminding myself that the turnover and hard cardio needs to be helpful and not hurtful this close to a marathon. It was ideal for a taper week speed workout, for sure. But funny to me, that a group of us made the effort to drive to the track just to get in less than 30 minutes of total work. Also, on the last 600, I think F may have finished almost a minute before me. She is *FAST*
F: Rush to finish close of quarter work for many grumpy clients and realize I'll have to work over the weekend. Grrr... Decide that if I'm going to have to work over the weekend, I can stop working at 4 PM and build the new rotating compost bin as a strength workout. No Joke. 2 hours of pushing, pulling, using a screw driver 'til both wrists were burning, holding steel parts in place, etc. Oddly therapeutic and rewarding to have the finished product.
Sa: Sleep in. Head out for a nice easy 10-miler. First 6 by effort, last 4 at target race effort (e.g. my breathing is a little labored, but I think I can do this for the full race). Average pace on the last 4: 9:42; 9:32; 9:32: 9:34. And with that, I think I've got a target race pace for SLO. No pace groups, so I have to pick something I think I have a chance of sustaining on my own. Potentially bad weather with 20+ mph winds and possible showers. Hills. Yeah, I'm happy to shoot for 9:30s as the fastest reasonable option I've got under these conditions. Unlike LA, I'm committed to finish, rather than committed to having a perfect race day. If it takes me 5 hours or longer, so be it. I'm going to consider it a success to finish the marathon that runs in front of my family's ranch, regardless of how long it takes me.
Su: Walk 3 miles with visiting friends. More work. Looking forward to Monday's short/medium run and even considered moving it to today -- *this* is the feeling I associate with taper. Finally.
Weekly total: 19.16 with quite a bit of walking. I feel *very* rested and fresh.
It feels so much more like a taper week should than last time. I'm antsy today after yesterday's short, easy long run. I'm Energetic. Bouncy. Yay!
M: Walk 1.5 to recover from Sunday's long run at the Oakland Running Festival.
T: End of quarter work insanity. Onsite at clients, fire-fighting, and lucky E got to manage dinner while I kept working into the evening.
W: More end of quarter madness. Finally decide that something is better than nothing and sneak out for a quick easy 1 mile at 10:10 and 0.66 walk back to the house.
Th: Track workout with F & D. 0.53 miles w/u (2X150 pickups); 3 X 600 (alternating 200 hard, 200 med, 200 hard); 3 minute jogging recovery interval between 600's. Splits: (50, 1:15, 53); (50, 1:17, 54); (49, 1:27; 55) -- Yeah, I needed some serious recovery on that last 600 medium effort, and even with it, could only manage 55 on the last 200. 0.53 miles jogging c/d followed by 0.13 miles walking. I was happy with this workout, but amused. It took me 15 minutes to get to the end of the speedwork and totaled only 2.05 miles of running, including w/u and c/d. I was careful not to push it even though it was such a short workout -- reminding myself that the turnover and hard cardio needs to be helpful and not hurtful this close to a marathon. It was ideal for a taper week speed workout, for sure. But funny to me, that a group of us made the effort to drive to the track just to get in less than 30 minutes of total work. Also, on the last 600, I think F may have finished almost a minute before me. She is *FAST*
F: Rush to finish close of quarter work for many grumpy clients and realize I'll have to work over the weekend. Grrr... Decide that if I'm going to have to work over the weekend, I can stop working at 4 PM and build the new rotating compost bin as a strength workout. No Joke. 2 hours of pushing, pulling, using a screw driver 'til both wrists were burning, holding steel parts in place, etc. Oddly therapeutic and rewarding to have the finished product.
Sa: Sleep in. Head out for a nice easy 10-miler. First 6 by effort, last 4 at target race effort (e.g. my breathing is a little labored, but I think I can do this for the full race). Average pace on the last 4: 9:42; 9:32; 9:32: 9:34. And with that, I think I've got a target race pace for SLO. No pace groups, so I have to pick something I think I have a chance of sustaining on my own. Potentially bad weather with 20+ mph winds and possible showers. Hills. Yeah, I'm happy to shoot for 9:30s as the fastest reasonable option I've got under these conditions. Unlike LA, I'm committed to finish, rather than committed to having a perfect race day. If it takes me 5 hours or longer, so be it. I'm going to consider it a success to finish the marathon that runs in front of my family's ranch, regardless of how long it takes me.
Su: Walk 3 miles with visiting friends. More work. Looking forward to Monday's short/medium run and even considered moving it to today -- *this* is the feeling I associate with taper. Finally.
Weekly total: 19.16 with quite a bit of walking. I feel *very* rested and fresh.
March 27, 2013
Some Thoughts On the DOMA Arguments (Now With Curse Words)
So, I'm back with day 2 of SCOTUS marriage law comments. I was just going to take a break to read the DOMA arguments and be quiet, but I laughed at an early passage in the transcript and had to share:
JUSTICE SCALIA: Really, that's very peculiar. When -- when both parties to the case agree on what the law is? What, the -- just for fun, the district judge is -- is going to have a hearing?
Why did I laugh? Because I pictured Scalia stopping himself from saying, "What the Fuck?" I'm pretty sure that's what he was thinking.
It was pretty dry from there, so I made it halfway through the transcript before I hit this bit, and my jaw dropped:
JUSTICE KAGAN: Well, is what happened in 1996 -- and I'm going to quote from the House Report here -- is that "Congress decided to reflect an honor of collective moral judgment and to express moral disapproval of homosexuality." Is that what happened in 1996?
Guess what, kids? That is actually what happened. This is the justification in the House Report for DOMA. In nineteen fucking ninety-six.
Sometimes I forget that I live in California, and the Bay Area, at that. But when I read this statement, I was reminded that I was in Berkeley at that time. Clearly, my daily experience was not remotely in line with the majority of the population the House thought they were representing. At the time, I assumed the proponents of DOMA would not have been so open with their judgment and rather would have tried to rely upon "the traditional institution of marriage" as a "bedrock" of our society that needs to be "preserved".
In other news, it almost makes my brain explode to read this statement in today's culture of awareness of bullying. I can't imagine what was considered acceptable bullying of homosexuals at that time if this type of language was considered completely reasonable justification for passing a law.
Intellectually, the best part was the awesome moment when Justice Kennedy creates the most unlikely bedfellows:
JUSTICE KENNEDY: Well, I think -- I think it is a DOMA problem. The question is whether or not the Federal government, under our federalism scheme, has the authority to regulate marriage.
Bam. See that? That's the moment when the traditional 10th Amendment States' Rights advocates ("Federalists") just got lumped in with the same sex marriage crew.
Where are all the States' Righters, you ask? (You must not be from the South).
Hmmm... and what's the current status on state laws for same sex marriage:
1May include recent laws or court decisions which have created legal recognition of same-sex relationships, but which have not entered into effect yet.
2See the article on same-sex marriage in California for the status in California. .
(Source: Wikipedia)
Looks like Iowa and Washington are the only states where that party would be any fun.
Just when I thought I couldn't be surprised any more, right before the end of the transcript, I came upon this exchange.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: As far as I can tell, political figures are falling over themselves to endorse your side of the case.
MS. KAPLAN: The fact of the matter is, Mr. Chief Justice, is that no other group in recent history has been subjected to popular referenda to take away rights that have already been given or exclude those rights, the way gay people have. And only two of those referenda have ever lost. One was in Arizona; it then passed a couple years later. One was in Minnesota where they already have a statute on the books that prohibits marriages between gay people.
So I don't think -- and until 1990 gay people were not allowed to enter this country. So I don't think that the political power of gay people today could possibly be seen within that framework, and certainly is analogous -- I think gay people are far weaker than the women were at the time of Frontiero.
I did *not* know that.
Like yesterday, Wow.
JUSTICE SCALIA: Really, that's very peculiar. When -- when both parties to the case agree on what the law is? What, the -- just for fun, the district judge is -- is going to have a hearing?
Why did I laugh? Because I pictured Scalia stopping himself from saying, "What the Fuck?" I'm pretty sure that's what he was thinking.
It was pretty dry from there, so I made it halfway through the transcript before I hit this bit, and my jaw dropped:
JUSTICE KAGAN: Well, is what happened in 1996 -- and I'm going to quote from the House Report here -- is that "Congress decided to reflect an honor of collective moral judgment and to express moral disapproval of homosexuality." Is that what happened in 1996?
Guess what, kids? That is actually what happened. This is the justification in the House Report for DOMA. In nineteen fucking ninety-six.
Sometimes I forget that I live in California, and the Bay Area, at that. But when I read this statement, I was reminded that I was in Berkeley at that time. Clearly, my daily experience was not remotely in line with the majority of the population the House thought they were representing. At the time, I assumed the proponents of DOMA would not have been so open with their judgment and rather would have tried to rely upon "the traditional institution of marriage" as a "bedrock" of our society that needs to be "preserved".
In other news, it almost makes my brain explode to read this statement in today's culture of awareness of bullying. I can't imagine what was considered acceptable bullying of homosexuals at that time if this type of language was considered completely reasonable justification for passing a law.
Intellectually, the best part was the awesome moment when Justice Kennedy creates the most unlikely bedfellows:
JUSTICE KENNEDY: Well, I think -- I think it is a DOMA problem. The question is whether or not the Federal government, under our federalism scheme, has the authority to regulate marriage.
Bam. See that? That's the moment when the traditional 10th Amendment States' Rights advocates ("Federalists") just got lumped in with the same sex marriage crew.
Where are all the States' Righters, you ask? (You must not be from the South).
Hmmm... and what's the current status on state laws for same sex marriage:
Same-sex marriage1
Unions granting rights similar to marriage1,2
Legislation granting limited/enumerated rights1
Same-sex marriages performed elsewhere recognized1
No specific prohibition or recognition of same-sex marriages or unions
State statute bans same-sex marriage
State constitution bans same-sex marriage2
State constitution bans same-sex marriage and some or all other kinds of same-sex unions
1May include recent laws or court decisions which have created legal recognition of same-sex relationships, but which have not entered into effect yet.
2See the article on same-sex marriage in California for the status in California. .
(Source: Wikipedia)
Looks like Iowa and Washington are the only states where that party would be any fun.
Just when I thought I couldn't be surprised any more, right before the end of the transcript, I came upon this exchange.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: As far as I can tell, political figures are falling over themselves to endorse your side of the case.
MS. KAPLAN: The fact of the matter is, Mr. Chief Justice, is that no other group in recent history has been subjected to popular referenda to take away rights that have already been given or exclude those rights, the way gay people have. And only two of those referenda have ever lost. One was in Arizona; it then passed a couple years later. One was in Minnesota where they already have a statute on the books that prohibits marriages between gay people.
So I don't think -- and until 1990 gay people were not allowed to enter this country. So I don't think that the political power of gay people today could possibly be seen within that framework, and certainly is analogous -- I think gay people are far weaker than the women were at the time of Frontiero.
I did *not* know that.
Like yesterday, Wow.
March 26, 2013
Hollingsworth v. Perry Arguments
It's been a long time since I've posted anything purely about the law here. But it's time.
I had a busy day at work, which was a bummer, because I read tweets and facebook updates that let me know that many of my legal colleagues were totally focused on the arguments. Unfortunately, for me, it's close to the end of quarter, so I had to work 'til after 6:30.
Finally, I took the time to read the transcript of the oral arguments before the Supreme Court today and I think it makes sense to summarize some of the issues the justices raised:
Heads up to all you married opposite sex couples who don't plan to (or can't) have kids:
"JUSTICE KAGAN: Mr. Cooper, could I just understand your argument. In reading the briefs, it seems as though your principal argument is that same-sex and opposite -- opposite-sex couples are not similarly situated because opposite-sex couples can procreate, same-sex couples cannot, and the State's principal interest in marriage is in regulating procreation. Is that basically correct?
MR. COOPER: I -- Your Honor, that's the essential thrust of our -- our position, yes."
AND
" MR. COOPER: Yes, Your Honor. The concern is that redefining marriage as a genderless institution will sever its abiding connection to its historic traditional procreative purposes, and it will refocus, refocus the purpose of marriage and the definition of marriage away from the raising of children and to the emotional needs and desires of adults, of adult couples."
Apparently, if you're like me (married and without plans to procreate), under the Prop 8 supporters arguments, the state has no more interest in protecting or recognizing your marriage than a same-sex couple one. After all, you're just an adult couple...
Think about it.
You Know, :
Mr. Cooper: If, in fact, it is true, as the people of California believe that it still is true, that the natural procreative capacity of opposite-sex couplescontinues to pose vitally important benefits and risks to society, and that's why marriage itself is theinstitution that society has always used to regulate those heterosexual, procreative -- procreative relationships.
Lest you think I'm exaggerating, I direct you to the discussion of Turner v. Safely on p. 27.
The Court -- the Court here emphasized that,among the incidents of marriage that are not destroyed by that -- at least that prison context, was the expectation of eventual consummation of the marriage and legitimation of -- of the children...
Seriously.
Thank goodness this looks like it'll be settled on standing grounds, because the substantive argument seems to be coming down to "But We Need To Avoid Bastards" and "Married Couples Exist Solely To Have Unprotected Sex and Produce Children."
Wow.
I had a busy day at work, which was a bummer, because I read tweets and facebook updates that let me know that many of my legal colleagues were totally focused on the arguments. Unfortunately, for me, it's close to the end of quarter, so I had to work 'til after 6:30.
Finally, I took the time to read the transcript of the oral arguments before the Supreme Court today and I think it makes sense to summarize some of the issues the justices raised:
Heads up to all you married opposite sex couples who don't plan to (or can't) have kids:
"JUSTICE KAGAN: Mr. Cooper, could I just understand your argument. In reading the briefs, it seems as though your principal argument is that same-sex and opposite -- opposite-sex couples are not similarly situated because opposite-sex couples can procreate, same-sex couples cannot, and the State's principal interest in marriage is in regulating procreation. Is that basically correct?
MR. COOPER: I -- Your Honor, that's the essential thrust of our -- our position, yes."
AND
" MR. COOPER: Yes, Your Honor. The concern is that redefining marriage as a genderless institution will sever its abiding connection to its historic traditional procreative purposes, and it will refocus, refocus the purpose of marriage and the definition of marriage away from the raising of children and to the emotional needs and desires of adults, of adult couples."
Apparently, if you're like me (married and without plans to procreate), under the Prop 8 supporters arguments, the state has no more interest in protecting or recognizing your marriage than a same-sex couple one. After all, you're just an adult couple...
Think about it.
You Know, :
Mr. Cooper: If, in fact, it is true, as the people of California believe that it still is true, that the natural procreative capacity of opposite-sex couplescontinues to pose vitally important benefits and risks to society, and that's why marriage itself is theinstitution that society has always used to regulate those heterosexual, procreative -- procreative relationships.
Lest you think I'm exaggerating, I direct you to the discussion of Turner v. Safely on p. 27.
The Court -- the Court here emphasized that,among the incidents of marriage that are not destroyed by that -- at least that prison context, was the expectation of eventual consummation of the marriage and legitimation of -- of the children...
Seriously.
Thank goodness this looks like it'll be settled on standing grounds, because the substantive argument seems to be coming down to "But We Need To Avoid Bastards" and "Married Couples Exist Solely To Have Unprotected Sex and Produce Children."
Wow.
March 25, 2013
Whirlwind Week
Monday was a recovery day in LA. Even though I didn't do the full marathon, I was very sore from the effort. E and I did an easy 3 miles in Santa Monica on the beach path @ 10:23 pace and I walked another mile or so to get a pedicure. I managed not to work at all, which was awesome, and very necessary.
Tuesday was the typical "now you pay for the day (and weekend) you took off from work" day. D was visiting from NYC, so I stopped working when he arrived and we enjoyed a great meal and some wine to catch up.
Wednesday, the work chaos continued with an unscheduled on-site day at a client, additional client emergencies plus all the normal stuff, but I managed to fit in an easy 3 @ 10:19 pace, and afterwards, my legs finally started to feel normal. S came over and we went out for Italian for dinner and then we stayed up late talking and catching up.
Thursday, F, D and I headed out for a weekly track day at Foothill College. I'm very much enjoying this weekly work-out. My legs were still a bit shot from the effort in LA, but I managed to partially complete the assigned ladder:
400 @ 1:49; 800 @ 4:03; 800 @ 4:11 (with 60 seconds walk/rest recovery -- the last 800 should have been a 1200, but I didn't have it in me). 3 minute walk/rest. 1000 @ 5:06; 800 @ 4:14; 400 @ 1:49. 1.1 slow jog cool down. Not great, but not terrible, either. I didn't want to push it too much given that I'd decided to incorporate the Oakland Running Festival into my long run on Sunday.
Thursday night, my mom came into town and we went out to Turkish food.
Friday, mom and I had a girls' day. We walked to coffee and back, went to Santana Row, got massages, and had lunch. After lunch, I worked a bit, then headed to the San Francisco Home and Garden show. I must have been the only person there under the age of 50. It was $10 to park and $15 for a half day ticket - quite pricey. I thought it was cool to see all the entrants into the designed garden and back-yard competitions, and just generally loved walking around looking at all the plants, but I can't imagine most people would get $25 worth of enjoyment out of it. I splurged on a huge rotating compost bin that will be delivered this week. I'm super excited.
Saturday, I did an easy 2.5 with E @ 10:17. I was exhausted and my legs were tired -- I was relieved when I remembered that I'd had an intense shiatsu massage the day before and the masseuse had done a great job of beating me up, so it made sense that my legs were without their usual pep. I potted up about half of the tomatoes and I'm getting *very* excited for peak gardening season. I met up with the Mandarin Ladies for brunch at F's, and then E and I headed over to some friends for dinner and to meet their 4 month old baby. I got to bed a little later than planned, but we'd brought mediterranean food, so I'd eaten a decent healthy pre-race meal and E was happy to have the designated driver.
Sunday, I drove out to the Oakland Running Festival. My coach had told me to just repeat the last 3 weeks of the training schedule to prep for SLO, so I needed to do somewhere in the range of 14-18 miles this weekend. When Jen offered to register me at the expo, I was completely committed. I'd had a blast at this one last year so I was excited to return.
The weather prediction was a bit hot -- highs in the low 70s with clear bright sun. The start for the half marathon is a double-edged sword of 9:15 AM. It's late enough that I could sleep in and the finish is late enough that the beer tent actually seems like a reasonable idea. But, it's also late enough that it could get quite hot on the course. Sure enough, it did get hot.
Even so, my goals were pretty modest and I hit them, more or less. I just wanted to get in a good few miles as a warm-up, do the first 10K at target race pace, and then run the remainder of the race at a good effort without stopping. I did 2.5 around Lake Merrit, met up with Jen, ran to my car and ditched the long sleeve shirt and compression socks, pinned on my number, hit the porta-potties and got into the corral.
In the corral, Jen introduced me to many of her fellow running bloggers and friends. It was fun to meet so many new people. My watch was synched with the satellites from my warm-up and the others seemed to be having trouble getting signals, so I offered to be a pacer 'til their watches caught signals. However, after we went through the start, I slipped to the left, where it was more open, and assumed they'd follow. I looked back after about 1/10 mile and they were nowhere to be found... Oops. Sorry ladies!
The first mile is decent downhill and in the shade, so running by effort put me at an easy 8:42. From there, I executed roughly according to plan and hit the 10K at a 9:11 average pace. During the first few miles, K said hi, and we ran together for a few minutes. She's doing the full marathon in SLO, so it'll be nice to have a friendly face there. She was too speedy for me, though, so I let her go. Then Jen caught up to me, but same story, she was taking a downhill at 8:27 pace and I was feeling lazy, so I let her go as well.
After the 10K, I tried to maintain a good effort and didn't let myself walk, except through the aid stations, where I dumped water on my head. I drank my electrolyte drink from my water bottle and took 2 Gus.
I finished in 2:09:20, for an average pace of 9:52. The Garmin claims it was 13.33 in 2:09:24 for an average pace of 9:43. Either way, it surprised me a bit, as the "run at an even effort" miles were much slower than I expected. But, the goal wasn't to race this one. It was to get in a good training run, and I'm glad it was. The heat kept climbing, and I think it would have been a difficult one to try to race, even if my legs weren't beat up from last week's effort in LA. The best part was the lack of coughing compared to last week.
After the race, I met up with Jen and her SO. We had our beers from the beer tent, congratulated her Running For a Better Oakland buddy on his finish, and went out to delicious (if delayed) Mexican food with two of their friends. The post-race walk was about 1 mile or so, which felt great. Total mileage for the long run according to the Garmin was 16.8 (including the walking ), which I'll take as a decent last long run before SLO. Total weekly mileage was 32 and now it's time to taper!
After Oakland, I picked E up at the Caltrain station in SF and we went to visit yet another set of friends and their new baby and then we came home. The planned dinner was leftovers, but our neighbor dropped off Korean food as a gift and it was *very* much appreciated.
In hindsight, this was a crazy week. In addition to all the normal life stuff, we hosted 3 dinners with guests, I made four separate visits to friends' homes plus all the running and race-related socializing and travel from LA and Oakland. I'm exhausted, and looking forward to a day of "just work" today.
Tuesday was the typical "now you pay for the day (and weekend) you took off from work" day. D was visiting from NYC, so I stopped working when he arrived and we enjoyed a great meal and some wine to catch up.
Wednesday, the work chaos continued with an unscheduled on-site day at a client, additional client emergencies plus all the normal stuff, but I managed to fit in an easy 3 @ 10:19 pace, and afterwards, my legs finally started to feel normal. S came over and we went out for Italian for dinner and then we stayed up late talking and catching up.
Thursday, F, D and I headed out for a weekly track day at Foothill College. I'm very much enjoying this weekly work-out. My legs were still a bit shot from the effort in LA, but I managed to partially complete the assigned ladder:
400 @ 1:49; 800 @ 4:03; 800 @ 4:11 (with 60 seconds walk/rest recovery -- the last 800 should have been a 1200, but I didn't have it in me). 3 minute walk/rest. 1000 @ 5:06; 800 @ 4:14; 400 @ 1:49. 1.1 slow jog cool down. Not great, but not terrible, either. I didn't want to push it too much given that I'd decided to incorporate the Oakland Running Festival into my long run on Sunday.
Thursday night, my mom came into town and we went out to Turkish food.
Friday, mom and I had a girls' day. We walked to coffee and back, went to Santana Row, got massages, and had lunch. After lunch, I worked a bit, then headed to the San Francisco Home and Garden show. I must have been the only person there under the age of 50. It was $10 to park and $15 for a half day ticket - quite pricey. I thought it was cool to see all the entrants into the designed garden and back-yard competitions, and just generally loved walking around looking at all the plants, but I can't imagine most people would get $25 worth of enjoyment out of it. I splurged on a huge rotating compost bin that will be delivered this week. I'm super excited.
Saturday, I did an easy 2.5 with E @ 10:17. I was exhausted and my legs were tired -- I was relieved when I remembered that I'd had an intense shiatsu massage the day before and the masseuse had done a great job of beating me up, so it made sense that my legs were without their usual pep. I potted up about half of the tomatoes and I'm getting *very* excited for peak gardening season. I met up with the Mandarin Ladies for brunch at F's, and then E and I headed over to some friends for dinner and to meet their 4 month old baby. I got to bed a little later than planned, but we'd brought mediterranean food, so I'd eaten a decent healthy pre-race meal and E was happy to have the designated driver.
Sunday, I drove out to the Oakland Running Festival. My coach had told me to just repeat the last 3 weeks of the training schedule to prep for SLO, so I needed to do somewhere in the range of 14-18 miles this weekend. When Jen offered to register me at the expo, I was completely committed. I'd had a blast at this one last year so I was excited to return.
The weather prediction was a bit hot -- highs in the low 70s with clear bright sun. The start for the half marathon is a double-edged sword of 9:15 AM. It's late enough that I could sleep in and the finish is late enough that the beer tent actually seems like a reasonable idea. But, it's also late enough that it could get quite hot on the course. Sure enough, it did get hot.
Even so, my goals were pretty modest and I hit them, more or less. I just wanted to get in a good few miles as a warm-up, do the first 10K at target race pace, and then run the remainder of the race at a good effort without stopping. I did 2.5 around Lake Merrit, met up with Jen, ran to my car and ditched the long sleeve shirt and compression socks, pinned on my number, hit the porta-potties and got into the corral.
In the corral, Jen introduced me to many of her fellow running bloggers and friends. It was fun to meet so many new people. My watch was synched with the satellites from my warm-up and the others seemed to be having trouble getting signals, so I offered to be a pacer 'til their watches caught signals. However, after we went through the start, I slipped to the left, where it was more open, and assumed they'd follow. I looked back after about 1/10 mile and they were nowhere to be found... Oops. Sorry ladies!
The first mile is decent downhill and in the shade, so running by effort put me at an easy 8:42. From there, I executed roughly according to plan and hit the 10K at a 9:11 average pace. During the first few miles, K said hi, and we ran together for a few minutes. She's doing the full marathon in SLO, so it'll be nice to have a friendly face there. She was too speedy for me, though, so I let her go. Then Jen caught up to me, but same story, she was taking a downhill at 8:27 pace and I was feeling lazy, so I let her go as well.
After the 10K, I tried to maintain a good effort and didn't let myself walk, except through the aid stations, where I dumped water on my head. I drank my electrolyte drink from my water bottle and took 2 Gus.
I finished in 2:09:20, for an average pace of 9:52. The Garmin claims it was 13.33 in 2:09:24 for an average pace of 9:43. Either way, it surprised me a bit, as the "run at an even effort" miles were much slower than I expected. But, the goal wasn't to race this one. It was to get in a good training run, and I'm glad it was. The heat kept climbing, and I think it would have been a difficult one to try to race, even if my legs weren't beat up from last week's effort in LA. The best part was the lack of coughing compared to last week.
After the race, I met up with Jen and her SO. We had our beers from the beer tent, congratulated her Running For a Better Oakland buddy on his finish, and went out to delicious (if delayed) Mexican food with two of their friends. The post-race walk was about 1 mile or so, which felt great. Total mileage for the long run according to the Garmin was 16.8 (including the walking ), which I'll take as a decent last long run before SLO. Total weekly mileage was 32 and now it's time to taper!
After Oakland, I picked E up at the Caltrain station in SF and we went to visit yet another set of friends and their new baby and then we came home. The planned dinner was leftovers, but our neighbor dropped off Korean food as a gift and it was *very* much appreciated.
In hindsight, this was a crazy week. In addition to all the normal life stuff, we hosted 3 dinners with guests, I made four separate visits to friends' homes plus all the running and race-related socializing and travel from LA and Oakland. I'm exhausted, and looking forward to a day of "just work" today.
March 22, 2013
Audible Addiction and Device Annoyances
So, I don't own a single Apple device. Mainly, because I hate buying things, and I think they are too expensive. But, also, partially, because I don't love the closed system approach to technology that they take and I have enough technology in my life to ignore them, for the most part.
Anyways, this resulted in me using a Sansa Clip for the first several years that I ran with auditory input. Small. Cheap. Lightweight. I loved it for music and language lessons, both Spanish Pimsleur and Mandarin ChinesePod MP3s.
But, then, I decided I wanted to try running with Audible audiobooks.
So, E bought me a Philips GoGear Vibe for Christmas a couple of years ago and all has been well ever since.
In fact, I've developed a bit of an addiction to audiobooks. After I've scheduled or completed my language lessons for the day (if I didn't set this rule, I'd never finish my language lessons) I listen to audiobooks when I run. I listen to them when I garden. I listen to them when I drive, walk, do dishes, laundry...
After the LA DNF, I pulled my device out of my pocket and listened to the end of Lost In Translation while waiting for E.
That book (and likely the water I'd poured over my head and sweat) were the end of its electronics. I spent the next several days fighting with it to get it to stop cycling through the menus or actually respond to the interface. Finally, I declared defeat and ordered a replacement from Best 4 Best, an Amazon Fulfillment Partner.
I ordered 1-day shipping. I'd developed an audiobooks problem, you see. (Also, I use my MP3 player to do Mandarin lesson review). Best 4 Best didn't bother to ship my device for 3 days. I was underwhelmed, but tried to be reasonable. Their estimate was arrival today, and the device did arrive today.
Unfortunately, despite pristine packaging, it was completely non-functional. After I failed to get it to do anything interesting with the cables and Windows, E confirmed that it wasn't even "enumerating" via Linux.
So, yeah. That didn't work. I printed a return label, packaged it up, and convinced E to head with me to Fry's.
They carried exactly one device that was listed as a supported MP3 player on audible.com: The RCA TH1814. It came with a coupon for a free audible book. I tried to redeem it, but I was informed it was only available for 1st time audible users. I tried to transfer a file from my library to the RCA. It was informed the RCA only supported *enhanced* audible files. I then tried to transfer the *enhanced* file from my Audible library and supposedly it worked. Windows explorer saw it there, in all of its glory, in the Audible folder. But the minimalist interface only allowed me to access the songs in the "Music" folder.
No problem, I thought, I'll just copy it to the "Music" folder. Yeah, that didn't work either. The Manual informs me that despite the coupon in the packaging, "This Device does not support Audible files."
So, tomorrow, I'll be gardening with my audiobook playing from my Samsung Galaxy SIII via the Audible Android App. And after that? Well, if you have any recommendations, I'd love 'em. Otherwise, I'll hold my breathe that Best 4 Best comes back to me with a functional solution in the form of a new (or refurbished but functional) GoGear Vibe.
Anyways, this resulted in me using a Sansa Clip for the first several years that I ran with auditory input. Small. Cheap. Lightweight. I loved it for music and language lessons, both Spanish Pimsleur and Mandarin ChinesePod MP3s.
But, then, I decided I wanted to try running with Audible audiobooks.
So, E bought me a Philips GoGear Vibe for Christmas a couple of years ago and all has been well ever since.
In fact, I've developed a bit of an addiction to audiobooks. After I've scheduled or completed my language lessons for the day (if I didn't set this rule, I'd never finish my language lessons) I listen to audiobooks when I run. I listen to them when I garden. I listen to them when I drive, walk, do dishes, laundry...
After the LA DNF, I pulled my device out of my pocket and listened to the end of Lost In Translation while waiting for E.
That book (and likely the water I'd poured over my head and sweat) were the end of its electronics. I spent the next several days fighting with it to get it to stop cycling through the menus or actually respond to the interface. Finally, I declared defeat and ordered a replacement from Best 4 Best, an Amazon Fulfillment Partner.
I ordered 1-day shipping. I'd developed an audiobooks problem, you see. (Also, I use my MP3 player to do Mandarin lesson review). Best 4 Best didn't bother to ship my device for 3 days. I was underwhelmed, but tried to be reasonable. Their estimate was arrival today, and the device did arrive today.
Unfortunately, despite pristine packaging, it was completely non-functional. After I failed to get it to do anything interesting with the cables and Windows, E confirmed that it wasn't even "enumerating" via Linux.
So, yeah. That didn't work. I printed a return label, packaged it up, and convinced E to head with me to Fry's.
They carried exactly one device that was listed as a supported MP3 player on audible.com: The RCA TH1814. It came with a coupon for a free audible book. I tried to redeem it, but I was informed it was only available for 1st time audible users. I tried to transfer a file from my library to the RCA. It was informed the RCA only supported *enhanced* audible files. I then tried to transfer the *enhanced* file from my Audible library and supposedly it worked. Windows explorer saw it there, in all of its glory, in the Audible folder. But the minimalist interface only allowed me to access the songs in the "Music" folder.
No problem, I thought, I'll just copy it to the "Music" folder. Yeah, that didn't work either. The Manual informs me that despite the coupon in the packaging, "This Device does not support Audible files."
So, tomorrow, I'll be gardening with my audiobook playing from my Samsung Galaxy SIII via the Audible Android App. And after that? Well, if you have any recommendations, I'd love 'em. Otherwise, I'll hold my breathe that Best 4 Best comes back to me with a functional solution in the form of a new (or refurbished but functional) GoGear Vibe.
March 18, 2013
LA -- My First Marathon DNF
After my last long run before the LA Marathon, I promised myself that I would have a plan the night before the race, and that I'd do my best to execute it.
As promised, I prepared a plan. To tell the truth, it was a cowardly plan. But, I'm a planner...
Between the worst cold I'd had in years 3 weeks before the race killing several key workouts, the complete absence of the standard taper rest feeling I associate with being ready to race, and the yellow haze E & I observed against the mountains on our descent into LAX, I was feeling *very* apprehensive about my performance on race day.
But then, after checking in to our hotel with my race number, things were looking up. The weather report showed that the week's heat wave had broken and it appeared unlikely that I'd have to run in anything warmer than 62 or 63F.
Due to the predicted warmer temps, I hadn't even brought my St. Patrick's day 4-leaf-clover compression socks -- I assumed I'd have to run in ankle socks. Given the good weather news, though, I just laid out my black compression socks (that I'd worn all day Saturday) and assumed all would be well. I didn't want to be cold...
The plan looked like this:
1. Saturday: After a short 2 mile shake-out run, a flight, and picking up my number at the expo, rest and relax on the bed for a true pre-race prep day. Stay off my feet, read, wear compression socks, eat a healthy dinner in the hotel, pound water and tea incessantly, prepare a throw-away gatorade bottle with duct tape and a water bottle with a drinking attachment, watch a movie. (I've never *actually* done the full pre-marathon easy day, so this was a big treat. So decadently relaxing. I'll definitely try to repeat this experience again. It's a nice reward for a full marathon training cycle.)
2. Saturday: Lay out all the race gear, pin the number on, prep coffee, sunscreen, power bars, etc. so I could sleep as long as possible, get dressed quickly and quietly in minimal light and walk to the shuttles. (This amount of pre-race logistics commitment was impressively effective. 18 minutes from wake-up call to exiting the hotel, post coffee, including at least 2 minutes in the hotel after leaving the room.)
3. Sunday: Get to the start. Run the first 10K with the 4-hour pace group. Assess. If 9:09 is difficult (as it is likely to be, given the recommendations from my coaches), scale back to 9:19 or 9:30 pace and try to maintain for the remainder of the race. If it's hard enough to maintain a target pace below 9:30 by the half, be prepared to run hard as long as I can for a good solid long run at race pace and walk off the course and call for E to come pick me up.
I told you it was a cowardly plan.
But, hear me out. I haven't had a good, true, hard marathon race effort since 2011. In 2012, I had a great time run-hiking the Fairbanks Equinox Marathon with Arvay, but it wasn't a good race effort by any measure. And then 2012 CIM weather plus life destroyed my commitment to a race effort there and I just did a nice easy long run while puddle stomping and laughing at the weather.
I've trained hard this cycle. And I want to reap the benefits. Also, I was already registered for the San Luis Obispo Half Marathon. My dad's family is from there. The family ranch is *on* the full marathon course. But, it's hilly. There's no crowd support. It's not a course I'd choose for a performance marathon, by any means. But if LA was going to beat me up and deny me a chance at a PR or improvement over CIM in 2011, I'd rather postpone the full marathon, and at least enjoy the pleasure of running past my family's ranch in exchange for the beating on my body and the satisfaction of just finishing a non-performance oriented marathon in my dad's hometown.
Sunday, I woke, dressed and got on the shuttle easily and quickly. The only thing I noticed is that despite the dark and 5:05 AM time, I was warm. Hmmm...
I ate my powerbars on the shuttle bus and chatted with a Texan who informed me that the highs in Dallas are in the 80s with humidity right now, so he wasn't worried about the LA weather (lucky dog).
Upon arrival, I headed into the Dodgers Stadium and waited in line for the restroom. I did this loop 3 times. In hindsight, I was on my feet, without a break, from 5:30 - 7 AM. Suboptimal.
I headed to my corral (C: sub 5 hour) and upon showing my C-number was waived through by the guards as they kept everyone else who did not want to be in the unseeded corral D out. Word to the wise -- this is a *big* race (24,000). If you have the race results to get a seeded number, do so.
I found the 4 hour pace group and sat down. The elite women started. Time passed. They announced that the elite men and then general corrals would be starting soon.
Everyone started peeing on the sidelines. I'm serious. I've never seen anything like this. Men were just openly turning their back to the corral and pissing against the mesh over the gates of the corral. Women were squatting (many with friends blocking, but some without). The worst part was, many people had already discarded their warm clothes on the sides of the corrals. In most races, the local Salvation Army or GoodWill gets the discarded clothing from a race. In this case, I'm so sorry for whoever collects these clothes. Such a waste.
Eventually, we started. I stuck behind the 4-hour pace group leader and decided to avoid looking at my watch for a while. After all, to stick with him for 10K meant my watch was useless anyways, right?
I had been warned that Mile 1 had a steep uphill, so I was prepared. It wasn't that bad, actually. My watch beeped and informed me we'd hit the first mile at 8:57. I was a little surprised, given the pacer's statement that his goal was to hit consistent 9:09 miles regardless of terrain or crowds, but I didn't think much of it.
Mile 2 was downhill and the pacer was clearly taking advantage of it. I felt good, so I stuck with him. Mile 2 beeped 8:22. Oh. Dear. No time to stress about that, though, my self-made water bottle with duct tape handle was ripping.
Mile 3 was also downhill. I stuck with the pacer for a bit and finally, when I had to throw the broken water bottle to the side (7/8 full of gatorade), peeled off to slow down, realizing that my plan of sticking with the pace group for the 10K was not going to work. 9:09/mile consistent pace did not mean the same thing to Joe the pacer as it did to me. Even with my slow down, I hit mile 3 at 8:44.
Mile 4 I just tried to stay with the crowd and run by effort. 9:01. Now that was more like it. There were even some uphills in this one, so I felt very good about my decision to leave the pace group and trust myself. Water station was great.
Mile 5, however, was a different story. Steep uphill, then an equally steep drop, then back up. 9:41. Hmmm... Water/electrolyte station was still great.
Mile 6, 100+ ft. incline over 0.5 miles, then a drop. Trying to run by effort, I heard the beep and saw the depressing report of closing this mile at a 10:08 pace. Water/electrolyte station was great.
The race results say I crossed the 10K pad at 57:53 or a 9:19 pace. Oh, boy. I was in trouble. That fast aggressive start and nothing to show for it? Did I mention I was hot? I'd worn a long sleeve shirt to keep warm and had made the mistake of leaving it on at the start. I'd removed it during mile 2 or 3, but, even so, I'd heated up much more than I'd planned and the direct sun plus higher than expected temps were not making me happy.
After the 10K, I seriously started considering how long I'd need to run to make this a good strong training run for SLO. I took a gu and committed to keeping the pace below 9:30 and ticked off 2 miles: 9:25; 9:21. Unfortunately, despite my multiple trips to the bathrooms, it became apparent that I'd need a porta-potty stop. I saw my opening in the next mile and took it (another 1:49 delay).
Back on the road after the stop, I closed out the mile at a 9:14/mile pace; then did another at 9:35.
I started to cough. Intermittently. But definitely proof that yet another thing was not right with me. Ever since my water bottle handle had ripped, I'd been taking either water or electrolyte drinks or both at every aid station. At the most recent one, however, I had trouble drinking because I was coughing and having some decent asthmatic symptoms. Awesome.
Did I mention it was hot? I was dumping water on my head at every water station -- Thankful for the lessons I'd learned in Phoenix. But also annoyed at the compression socks -- why had I double-guessed my original decision to race in ankle socks? Oh well, I doubled them down to expose some additional skin. No idea what the physiological effects of double compression are -- I didn't notice any except the additional coolness from the lack of coverage.
The next few miles were a struggle with increasing cough frequency: 9:34; 9:47; 10:12; 10:21. Finally, I decided to call it. I gave myself 16 miles as a deadline and did my best to push it to that point. I took a gu and made a point to note that the temperature started to decrease as we hit the fog. We hit a downhill mile and I pulled out a 9:12 for mile 15 and then a 9:54 for mile 16.
And then I was done. The policemen were nice enough to let me call E. I walked to Wilshire and Doheny. He picked me up. And we went on to have a lovely day of brunch with my cousin, a dinner date, and drinks with friends.
No, this did not play out according to plan. But I like to think that my flexibility to do what made sense for my body will pay off in the near future in the form of a successful and pleasantly finished full marathon in my dad's hometown.
As promised, I prepared a plan. To tell the truth, it was a cowardly plan. But, I'm a planner...
Between the worst cold I'd had in years 3 weeks before the race killing several key workouts, the complete absence of the standard taper rest feeling I associate with being ready to race, and the yellow haze E & I observed against the mountains on our descent into LAX, I was feeling *very* apprehensive about my performance on race day.
But then, after checking in to our hotel with my race number, things were looking up. The weather report showed that the week's heat wave had broken and it appeared unlikely that I'd have to run in anything warmer than 62 or 63F.
Due to the predicted warmer temps, I hadn't even brought my St. Patrick's day 4-leaf-clover compression socks -- I assumed I'd have to run in ankle socks. Given the good weather news, though, I just laid out my black compression socks (that I'd worn all day Saturday) and assumed all would be well. I didn't want to be cold...
The plan looked like this:
1. Saturday: After a short 2 mile shake-out run, a flight, and picking up my number at the expo, rest and relax on the bed for a true pre-race prep day. Stay off my feet, read, wear compression socks, eat a healthy dinner in the hotel, pound water and tea incessantly, prepare a throw-away gatorade bottle with duct tape and a water bottle with a drinking attachment, watch a movie. (I've never *actually* done the full pre-marathon easy day, so this was a big treat. So decadently relaxing. I'll definitely try to repeat this experience again. It's a nice reward for a full marathon training cycle.)
2. Saturday: Lay out all the race gear, pin the number on, prep coffee, sunscreen, power bars, etc. so I could sleep as long as possible, get dressed quickly and quietly in minimal light and walk to the shuttles. (This amount of pre-race logistics commitment was impressively effective. 18 minutes from wake-up call to exiting the hotel, post coffee, including at least 2 minutes in the hotel after leaving the room.)
3. Sunday: Get to the start. Run the first 10K with the 4-hour pace group. Assess. If 9:09 is difficult (as it is likely to be, given the recommendations from my coaches), scale back to 9:19 or 9:30 pace and try to maintain for the remainder of the race. If it's hard enough to maintain a target pace below 9:30 by the half, be prepared to run hard as long as I can for a good solid long run at race pace and walk off the course and call for E to come pick me up.
I told you it was a cowardly plan.
But, hear me out. I haven't had a good, true, hard marathon race effort since 2011. In 2012, I had a great time run-hiking the Fairbanks Equinox Marathon with Arvay, but it wasn't a good race effort by any measure. And then 2012 CIM weather plus life destroyed my commitment to a race effort there and I just did a nice easy long run while puddle stomping and laughing at the weather.
I've trained hard this cycle. And I want to reap the benefits. Also, I was already registered for the San Luis Obispo Half Marathon. My dad's family is from there. The family ranch is *on* the full marathon course. But, it's hilly. There's no crowd support. It's not a course I'd choose for a performance marathon, by any means. But if LA was going to beat me up and deny me a chance at a PR or improvement over CIM in 2011, I'd rather postpone the full marathon, and at least enjoy the pleasure of running past my family's ranch in exchange for the beating on my body and the satisfaction of just finishing a non-performance oriented marathon in my dad's hometown.
Sunday, I woke, dressed and got on the shuttle easily and quickly. The only thing I noticed is that despite the dark and 5:05 AM time, I was warm. Hmmm...
I ate my powerbars on the shuttle bus and chatted with a Texan who informed me that the highs in Dallas are in the 80s with humidity right now, so he wasn't worried about the LA weather (lucky dog).
Upon arrival, I headed into the Dodgers Stadium and waited in line for the restroom. I did this loop 3 times. In hindsight, I was on my feet, without a break, from 5:30 - 7 AM. Suboptimal.
I headed to my corral (C: sub 5 hour) and upon showing my C-number was waived through by the guards as they kept everyone else who did not want to be in the unseeded corral D out. Word to the wise -- this is a *big* race (24,000). If you have the race results to get a seeded number, do so.
I found the 4 hour pace group and sat down. The elite women started. Time passed. They announced that the elite men and then general corrals would be starting soon.
Everyone started peeing on the sidelines. I'm serious. I've never seen anything like this. Men were just openly turning their back to the corral and pissing against the mesh over the gates of the corral. Women were squatting (many with friends blocking, but some without). The worst part was, many people had already discarded their warm clothes on the sides of the corrals. In most races, the local Salvation Army or GoodWill gets the discarded clothing from a race. In this case, I'm so sorry for whoever collects these clothes. Such a waste.
Eventually, we started. I stuck behind the 4-hour pace group leader and decided to avoid looking at my watch for a while. After all, to stick with him for 10K meant my watch was useless anyways, right?
I had been warned that Mile 1 had a steep uphill, so I was prepared. It wasn't that bad, actually. My watch beeped and informed me we'd hit the first mile at 8:57. I was a little surprised, given the pacer's statement that his goal was to hit consistent 9:09 miles regardless of terrain or crowds, but I didn't think much of it.
Mile 2 was downhill and the pacer was clearly taking advantage of it. I felt good, so I stuck with him. Mile 2 beeped 8:22. Oh. Dear. No time to stress about that, though, my self-made water bottle with duct tape handle was ripping.
Mile 3 was also downhill. I stuck with the pacer for a bit and finally, when I had to throw the broken water bottle to the side (7/8 full of gatorade), peeled off to slow down, realizing that my plan of sticking with the pace group for the 10K was not going to work. 9:09/mile consistent pace did not mean the same thing to Joe the pacer as it did to me. Even with my slow down, I hit mile 3 at 8:44.
Mile 4 I just tried to stay with the crowd and run by effort. 9:01. Now that was more like it. There were even some uphills in this one, so I felt very good about my decision to leave the pace group and trust myself. Water station was great.
Mile 5, however, was a different story. Steep uphill, then an equally steep drop, then back up. 9:41. Hmmm... Water/electrolyte station was still great.
Mile 6, 100+ ft. incline over 0.5 miles, then a drop. Trying to run by effort, I heard the beep and saw the depressing report of closing this mile at a 10:08 pace. Water/electrolyte station was great.
The race results say I crossed the 10K pad at 57:53 or a 9:19 pace. Oh, boy. I was in trouble. That fast aggressive start and nothing to show for it? Did I mention I was hot? I'd worn a long sleeve shirt to keep warm and had made the mistake of leaving it on at the start. I'd removed it during mile 2 or 3, but, even so, I'd heated up much more than I'd planned and the direct sun plus higher than expected temps were not making me happy.
After the 10K, I seriously started considering how long I'd need to run to make this a good strong training run for SLO. I took a gu and committed to keeping the pace below 9:30 and ticked off 2 miles: 9:25; 9:21. Unfortunately, despite my multiple trips to the bathrooms, it became apparent that I'd need a porta-potty stop. I saw my opening in the next mile and took it (another 1:49 delay).
Back on the road after the stop, I closed out the mile at a 9:14/mile pace; then did another at 9:35.
I started to cough. Intermittently. But definitely proof that yet another thing was not right with me. Ever since my water bottle handle had ripped, I'd been taking either water or electrolyte drinks or both at every aid station. At the most recent one, however, I had trouble drinking because I was coughing and having some decent asthmatic symptoms. Awesome.
Did I mention it was hot? I was dumping water on my head at every water station -- Thankful for the lessons I'd learned in Phoenix. But also annoyed at the compression socks -- why had I double-guessed my original decision to race in ankle socks? Oh well, I doubled them down to expose some additional skin. No idea what the physiological effects of double compression are -- I didn't notice any except the additional coolness from the lack of coverage.
The next few miles were a struggle with increasing cough frequency: 9:34; 9:47; 10:12; 10:21. Finally, I decided to call it. I gave myself 16 miles as a deadline and did my best to push it to that point. I took a gu and made a point to note that the temperature started to decrease as we hit the fog. We hit a downhill mile and I pulled out a 9:12 for mile 15 and then a 9:54 for mile 16.
And then I was done. The policemen were nice enough to let me call E. I walked to Wilshire and Doheny. He picked me up. And we went on to have a lovely day of brunch with my cousin, a dinner date, and drinks with friends.
No, this did not play out according to plan. But I like to think that my flexibility to do what made sense for my body will pay off in the near future in the form of a successful and pleasantly finished full marathon in my dad's hometown.
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