Chasing Hamburgers

Les and I went riding this morning.  Las Llajas, of course.  The trail is perfect right now, the little rain we got a couple weeks ago has knocked all the dust off, but it's not muddy yet.

This morning I decided to push on up to what we call "Sunshine Mountain."  This is 5.7 miles from our house and pretty much all uphill.  I haven't ridden that far since before the marathon, so I didn't know how I would do.  Well, I got fourth woman overall on the segment called "Oil Wells Climb."  This is 1.2 miles with an average grade of 10.4%, some parts are close to 20%.  I watched my heart rate climb and climb, finally maxing out at 169 BPM.  It took me 24 minutes and 17 seconds to ride that segment!  A 24 minute mile while running is crawling, but doing this on the bike is killer!

After catching our breath, we headed back down.  The fun part!  About a third of a mile from the top, Les slowed.  "There's a momma cow and her calf."  They were just ahead of us on the trail, running for all they were worth to get out of our way!  They finally took a short cut that led back to the ranch, while we headed for home.  You just never know what you're gonna see on Las Llajas!

Not "our" cow, but this is what she looked like.

Total ride:  11.4 miles in 1:33:22, 7.3 mph average.
1,638 feet of climbing
Average HR 137
Max HR 169
Calories burned 690

Have you ever seen anything crazy while out running, riding, or walking?

Hiking the Mist Trail

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend.  Lots of eating, lots of fun and laughter with family, and a major hike. Yosemite National Park is practically in Fresno's backyard.  Just a short 60 miles gets you to the park entrance and another 35 miles takes you to the valley floor.

Les and I have made many trips to Yosemite in the past 22 years.  He proposed to me there on November 3, 1990 and we've been going back ever since.  When Les proposed, we hiked the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall.  This time we continued another two miles to Nevada Fall.  3.5 miles, with 2,000 feet of elevation gain!

The hike is described this way:

Medium, but bordering strenuous if you go all the way to the top of Nevada Fall. The stretches beside Vernal and Nevada Falls are both quite steep - in fact, the last few hundred meters up the Vernal Falls trail are stairs cut into the cliffside.

Those stairs in the cliff are killer!  Many were so steep, my hand was touching the ground as my knee was bent.  But the views from the top make it worthwhile!

Both of our Garmins had trouble tracking with the tall cliffs, and mine died completely on the way down, so I don't have complete data.  I did see my heart rate hit 162 as we were climbing the final steps to the top.

At Nevada Fall the trail continues on up another four miles to Half Dome.  The cables are down for the winter, so even if we'd been prepared, we couldn't have gone.

We made our way down, via the Muir Trail.  It was four miles, as opposed to 3.5, which made it just a little more gentle.

I had very little soreness on Saturday and none on Sunday.  I guess running hills has helped!

Turkey Trot 2012

I was going to sign up for a Turkey Trot that is taking place tomorrow.  A few weeks ago, when my Dad's health was so bad, I didn't know what we would be doing or where we would be on Thanksgiving, so I never signed up.  He's currently back in Fresno and I'll get to see him this week. I don't have a race scheduled, so I did a Turkey Trot of my own this morning!

I couldn't have picked a more beautiful morning - 49 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and no wind.  I didn't have a time or distance goal, I just wanted to see how I would do.  I didn't feel great, but I ended up running six miles!  I can tell I'm still not completely recovered from the marathon (11 days ago) but I'm starting to feel a little more pep in my legs.

I had a great ride on my mountain bike yesterday - even set a new PR on Marr Ranch Blacktop, taking second place overall of women!  I shaved 3 seconds off my best time.  First place is safe for now - I'm 15 seconds behind her.

Tomorrow will be a rest day, then we're planning to go hiking in Yosemite on Friday.  What about you - any Turkey Trot plans?

Murphy's Law for Runners

After a very rainy Saturday, I was ready to run this morning.  It was a little misty when I left, but not too bad.  I thought I'd do 5-6 miles.  My legs weren't great, but they felt good.  The mist felt wonderful, the air was clean.

About 1 1/2 miles from home all of that changed.  It started pouring!  Water was dripping down my face.  Murphy's Law for Runners says this:

The rain will start to fall 5 minutes into your run, and stop about 5 minutes before you finish.

I'd like to add a little:

The farther you are from home, the harder the rain will fall.

Like the typical Southern California wimp that I am, I cut my run short.  Still got in 3 miles, but I can run another day.  Getting rained out here is rare, so I don't have to run it in unless I want to.  Today I didn't want to!

Marathon Recovery Report

I had a really great recovery week.  It's surprising to me that I was able to ride my mountain bike up steep climbs, but could barely run at all.  At least I'm getting my heart rate up!  We have a friend who hikes a lot, he told Les he didn't think he could get a good workout on a bike... until Les took him riding!  As soon as the road turns up, cycling gives a great workout.  Of course the downhills are fun, too!  There's no coasting during a marathon.

Sunday: Rest
Result:  Rested

Monday:  Rest
Result:  Rested

Tuesday:  Rest
Result:  Walked 2.01 miles in 35:47
Moving slowly, but still moving
Ave HR 96

Wednesday:  2 miles easy
Result:  Rode 6.81 miles in 47:37, 8.6 mph
Ave HR 128

Thursday:  Cross train
Result:  Walked/Ran 3.05 miles in 43:57
Walking was okay, running was still a bit painful
Ave HR 111

Friday:  2 to 3 miles easy
Result:  Rode 9.36 miles in 1:08:31, 8.2 mph
Ave HR 129

Saturday:  Run easy, no more than an hour
Result:  Rested.  It's raining steadily here and I have no reason to push myself out the door!  Yay for a Saturday off!

As you can see, right now I can get my heart rate up higher on the bike than running.  As my legs continue to recover, I know I'll be able to get a higher HR running as well.  My plans for now are to continue doing both.  I haven't signed up for my next marathon, but I'm pretty sure there will be at least one in 2013.

Total for the week:
Running:  5.06
Cycling:  16.17
Total:  21.23

Setting a PR

Les and I rode our mountain bikes again this morning.  Our trail is tough, I get a good workout every time.  This morning we had a time constraint, so we only went 4.6 miles before turning around. 

There are several Strava segments on this ride, the final one is called Marr Ranch Blacktop. This is a quick stinger - blacktop after riding on the dirt.  When I first uploaded some older data, I was 5th overall of women.  A few weeks ago I moved up to 3rd overall at 58 seconds.  Today I did it in 57 seconds.  A new PR!  I am only one second away from 2nd place overall.

I was really surprised because my legs still felt pretty dead after last week's marathon.  Les said I was sandbagging the rest of the ride. It was great riding today knowing I don't have a long run in the morning.  I think I'm going to enjoy spontaneous running and riding for the rest of the year.  We're suppose to get rain, so I just might sleep in on a Saturday for the first time in 2012!!

Marr Ranch Blacktop is just before the 8 mile mark

Total stats for the ride:

9.4 miles in 1:08:31, 8.2 mph.  1,022 feet of elevation gain.

Ave HR 129
Max HR 161 (this was on Marr Ranch Blacktop)
Calories burned 520

Coming Back for More

I love this quote by Dathan Ritzenhein:

The marathon has so many elements to prepare for. I think that is one reason I always want to come back for more. There is always something to change in your preparation and I am still trying to discover what I am capable of.  I guess I just love the challenge.

Dathan is the American 5K record holder.  His half marathon time is 60 minutes and his full is 2 hours and 10 minutes.

I really didn't know how I would feel about running a marathon.  But after running two, this quote just sums it up.  There is always something to change and I'm actually amazed at what I am capable of.  No, I haven't run a sub 4 hour marathon, but I have finished and learned a lot along the way.  I don't have another race planned yet, but I feel sure there are more marathons in my future.

My recovery is going well.  I took Sunday and Monday off, walked on Tuesday, rode my bike yesterday and finally tried a little running today.  I use the word "running" quite loosely, since I did a combination of walking and really slow jogging, also known as wogging.  I have a little soreness, but it's only noticeable when I try to run.

SB Marathon Numbers

If you don't care a thing about numbers, this post is not for you!  I am a data geek, so all this stuff is right up my alley.  I was lost when my Garmin died, I probably look at it too much!

5:28:52 - My finishing time
12:33 - Average pace

Split times:
2:26:19, 11:10 pace - First half
3:02:33, 13:56 pace - Second half

10:00 - pace of my fastest mile, mile #2
15:24 - pace of my slowest mile, mile #24

1247- my place out of 1375 finishers.

66 - my place out of 72 in the Women 45-49 age group

2:23:09 - Overall finisher's time

147 - Average HR
173 - Max HR

3005 - Calories Burned

0 - Number of blisters.  I had 2 last time.  I put cream on my feet before I put my socks on and that did the trick.  I was so happy when I finally took my socks off to find no blisters.  It really is the little things.

2 - Number of post marathon rest days.  I got up and went for a 2 mile walk this morning.  I don't think I'm as sore as last time.  The slower pace and early walk breaks may have made the difference.

5 - Number of donut holes consumed in the car post race.  Recovery done right!

I took a little time to compare this marathon to my last one.

Actual time:
Ojai to Ocean - 4:53:33
Santa Barbara - 5:28:52

35 minutes and 18 seconds slower.  1 minute and 13 seconds a mile slower.

Then I spent a little time using Strava's Grade Adjusted Pace:

Ojai to Ocean had 215 feet of elevation gain - my GAP was 5:02:34 - I would have been slower if the course had been completely flat.
Santa Barbara had 754 feet of elevation gain - my GAP was 5:15:55 - I would have been faster if the course had been completely flat.

Comparing the two marathons using GAP, I would have only been 13 minutes and 19 seconds slower, about 30 seconds a mile!  What does all that tell me?  I can do better next time...

Next time??  Oh yeah, I'm already thinking about it!

Santa Barbara Marathon

This will probably be pretty lengthy, but so is a marathon!

The Expo
We picked up my bib Friday evening.  New to me was a timing chip on the back of the bib.  This made the bib quite a bit stiffer, but I didn't notice it once I got running.  Most of my freebies were picked up at the National Guard booth.  We met four of the team members and they looked ready to run.

I also met the director of the Ojai to Ocean Marathon.  We chatted quite a while.  The race has now been renamed The Mountains to the Beach and moved a week earlier to Memorial Day weekend.  Ben asked what my goal was for the next day's race.  After telling him about my Dad being in the hospital for much of my training, I said, "I don't have a time goal, but I'm okay with that.  I plan to smile at every mile marker.  I'd also like to give first time marathoners encouragement along the way."  I didn't plan that second part, it just flew out of my mouth.  I had no idea how much that would play into the second half of my race!

Of course I had pizza Friday night!  After checking in at the Agave Inn, we got a recommendation for Olio Pizzeria.  It was fabulous and I had no stomach problems during the race.  Pizza.  Can't run without it!

Race Day
The prediction of rain had dropped considerably, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky Saturday morning.  It was about 36 out, but that would quickly change as the sun came out.  I slept pretty good, and was ready to get up and get running.  We all gathered in the school gym waiting...

At about 7:30 we started gathering outside.   The sun was starting to warm things up, so I gave my jacket to Les and kept my throw away, which I ended up tossing by mile 2.

I started with the 4:30 pace group, but really did not expect to finish with them.  I smiled at mile markers and thanked volunteers along the way.  At about the 4 mile mark I noticed a woman taking frequent walk breaks.  I caught up to her and asked if she was doing the Galloway plan.  She said yes, running 5 minutes, walking one.  I asked if she minded if I joined her and away we went.  Just like women, we chatted, ran, chatted, walked, and chatted some more!  Diane was running her sixth marathon and was great company.  I finally needed a pit stop at the 13 mile mark and I told her to go ahead.  She said to try to catch her, but I never did.

Just around the 15 mile mark, as I was walking through a water stop, I met Alison.  This was her first marathon.  I asked if she wanted some company and she was happy for it.  We ran the rest of the marathon together!  We chatted, ran, chatted, walked and chatted some more!  The miles were still there, it was warm at times, hills were tough but we got through them!  She said when I caught up with her she was really starting to wonder if she could finish the race. She had trained with some friends, but they had all gotten ahead of her.  So I did what I really wish someone would have done for me on my first marathon, I helped her finish and enjoyed the race so much more!

Les was able to catch up with me many times while on his mountain bike.  He was so great!  Telling me how awesome I was doing, carrying extra Perpetuem, taking pictures, and just being there.  Between Les, Diane, and Alison I never reached a point during the marathon that I just wanted to give up.  Not once did I think "I hate this, why did I sign up for this?"  Those were thoughts that kept me company while I ran some lonely miles from Ojai, but not this time!

The final half mile was lined with American flags.  It was downhill to the finish line.  Alison and I picked up the pace for one last burst!

There's just nothing like crossing the finish line!

A hug from Alison!

And number 2 is in the books!

I think if I had realized just how under trained I was, I probably wouldn't have even attempted this marathon.  My last long run was on September 29th - my 20 miler.  That was six weeks before the marathon.  I had done nothing longer than 9 miles in the final six weeks!

The miracle isn't that I finished.
The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

Official time 5:28:52, 12:33 pace. I'll have a breakdown of all the numbers tomorrow.

Marathon Recovery Week Zero

I stumbled upon Hal Higdon's Marathon Recovery Guide two weeks after my first marathon.  This is the plan I'll be following for the next 5 weeks.  This week is called Week Zero, here is the plan:

Recovery begins the minute you step into the finishing chute. Keep moving and start drinking, preferably a replacement drink such as Gatorade (I had Recoverite). Research suggests that refueling works best if done immediately after exercise, when the body is eager to absorb energy. As soon as your stomach can tolerate food, start eating. Most marathons provide bananas, yogurt and other easily digested high-carbohydrate foods. These are good for you. A long walk to your car or hotel room won’t hurt you. After that, get off your feet and rest an hour or two. By then, you should be ready for more solid food. It too should be high in carbohydrates.

Sunday: Rest

Monday:  Rest

Tuesday:  Rest
Yes he really does recommend three days of complete rest!  "Starting to train too soon can delay that recovery. You earned this period of rest. Take it!"

Wednesday:  2 miles easy

Thursday:  Cross train

Friday:  2 to 3 miles easy

Saturday:  Run easy, no more than an hour

#2 In the Books!

I'll have a full report later - no PR but I had a GREAT day!

I don't have my official time and my Garmin DIED at about mile 21.  Les was following me on his mountain bike, so he gave me his Garmin and we spliced the two records together.  It was 5:27'ish.  I finished after a very difficult training season and that's enough for me.

Let's Go!

I'm ready as I will ever be!

Weather Outlook for Saturday

Oh look! The first real storm of the season is hitting southern California this week.  I guess I can blame any slowness on the weather. If it's not actually raining, these temps will be perfect.

In typical female fashion, of course my biggest concern is what to wear!

Marathon for Sandy Relief

Strava has a variety of challenges going at any given time.   More seem to be cycling related so I don't check the challenges page very often.  Today I found Marathon for Sandy Relief:

Despite devastating setbacks, New York City and the Strava Run community share a commonality of rising to the occasion, regardless of circumstances. If you're up for the challenge, Strava is motivating you to run a marathon; 26.2 miles in a single run, any day between November 4th-11th. To see your hard work pay off, Strava will donate $10 for every Challenge Finisher (up to $10,000) to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. 

I just happen to be running a marathon on Saturday, so this was a no brainer challenge to sign up for!  Full details can be found here, but if you ran a marathon last Sunday or will be running one this weekend, I encourage you to join Strava (it's free) then join the challenge.

You Can Follow Me!

The Santa Barbara Marathon has added Runner Tracking for this year.  I've never tracked a marathon runner so I don't know exactly how this works, but if you want to follow me as I run the streets of Goleta to Santa Barbara on Saturday go HERE.  My bib number is 878.

Veteran's Day Weekend Festivities at the Santa Barbara Marathon

My uncle, Ron Fultz, US Navy

I received an email last week with all the details about this week's Santa Barbara Marathon.  The city of Santa Barbara has several Veteran's Day Weekend activities planned ~ starting with the marathon!  Check out all this cool stuff:

• A Color Guard and fly over of WWII war planes, along with a live rendition of Reveille and “Charge,” will kick off both the full and half-marathons.
• Flags held by both veterans and active duty personnel will line the final mile of the course, the SBIM Veteran’s Memorial Mile Finish.
• An authentic World War II Jeep will escort Marathon runners.
• During the awards ceremony, the Color Guard will present the Wounded Warrior awards.
• Official marathon runners’ shirts will have the words, “The first 25 miles are for me, the last mile is for veterans.”

My great uncle, Euel Gannaway, WWII

Can you imagine standing at the Start line and hearing Reveille, then shouting "Charge!" before taking off?  And that last mile - just reading out it brought tears to my eyes.  I have such admiration and respect for our service men and women.  They do so much with so little in return.  That may be my slowest mile, I'll want to salute and shake everyone's hand!!

My great uncle, Lewis Gannaway, WWII

Also, joining the marathon for the first time will be the 25-member National Guard Team of Elite Runners, led by Michael Hagen, SFC as the NGB marathon coordinator. They hail from 10 states (PA, WI, MA, IL, WA, OH, UT, MD, ND, and NE).

My father-in-law, Bill McElhaney, US Navy 1953

My father-in-law, still able to wear his uniform more than 50 years later!

As you can see, my family has a few veterans.  I'm proud to be part of a day that honors them!

M2T W16

This is it!  Marathon #2 will be checked off the list at the end of this week!!!

This is the final week of training. Your race is this weekend! Take the three days of rest on the schedule and do short, easy runs on two other days.

As you're heading down this final stretch to the race, know that it's natural to start having doubts about your training and anxiety about race day. Try not to worry. Even if your training didn’t go perfectly, if you followed the plan most of the time, chances are that you’re fit to reach your marathon goals. Don’t try to cram in one extra hard workout; it will deplete the energy you need for the race. Just try to get some sleep, eat well, and make sure your plans are set for this weekend. Try to stick to the same routine that's worked for you during training; this is not the time to try out yoga or rock climbing. Whatever you do, don't try anything new.

Sunday:  Rest
Monday: 5 Miles w/3 Miles @ Tempo
Tuesday:  Rest
Wednesday:  5 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Thursday:  Rest
Friday:  3 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Saturday:  26.2 Miles - Santa Barbara Marathon!!

Total planned miles:  39.2

The Final Long Run That Wasn't

My plan for today was 12 miles.  My last double digit run before the marathon.  I was mentally and physically ready to hit it.  I turned on my iPod to block out the many thoughts I've had jumbling in my head lately.  Some I have blogged about, some I have not.  Just a lot of stress in my little world these days and I didn't want to think about it this morning!

The first three miles were 10:09, 10:13, and 10:47.  The weather was perfect - 50 degrees, no wind. I was feeling so good!  At about the 3.5 mile mark everything went south.  My stomach started complaining.  I walked a little and it settled down.  Started running, it started complaining.  Run, walk, run, walk.  I detoured to my house at about mile 6.  Took care of business and headed back out, only to turn around less than a half mile later.  Grrrr.

So what happened?  I almost always eat pizza before a long run.  It works every time.  Last night Les wanted pasta instead.  That should have been fine, but I ordered Chicken Parmigiana.  Too much protein.  It really is that simple for me.  Simple carbs are fine, throw in protein and my stomach is not happy. I am also a slow learner.  This happened on the final Saturday before my marathon in June!!  I think I just get tired of pizza, want something a little different, then pay for it.  I will eat pizza next week!

Here's the recap of my week:

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested

Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/5 Strides (pace 9:46)
Result:  5.25 miles in 58:52, 11:12 pace

Tuesday:  5 Miles w/3 Miles @ Tempo
Result:  Rested

Wednesday:  Rest
Result:  7 miles of hills in 1:22:02, 11:43 pace

Thursday:  5 Miles Easy (pace 9:46)
Result:  5 miles in 1:04:08, 12:49 pace
I was sore from Wednesday's hills!

Friday:  5 Miles Easy (pace 9:46)
Result:  Walked 3.06 miles in 50:02, 16:22 pace
I wanted to take it really easy so I would have a good run on Saturday.

Saturday:  12 Miles LSD (pace 10:04-11:04)
Result:  6.82 miles in 1:21:59, 12:01 pace

Total planned miles:  32
Total miles:  27.14

Running with Joy

I love this quote:

As expected I've been thinking a lot about my upcoming marathon.  It's very difficult not to compare my readiness this time to last time.  It's been dragging me down and making me doubt my abilities.  Training for my first marathon was charmed, no injuries, life was smooth, good weather, and my confidence was high.  This time around I've dealt with a pulled glute from a poorly executed cartwheel, hot temps, plus the major stress of my Dad being hospitalized 700 miles away for the past 6 1/2 weeks.  When I compare results, it's depressing, so I have to look at the facts and know I've done my best and that has to be enough.

It's also not a good thing to compare my running journey to anyone else's.  I don't know what they've been through and they don't know what I've been through.  The winner of last year's Santa Barbara Marathon finished in 2:22:28, the fastest female finished in 3:03:26.  I am in no danger of winning!  But, after looking through the results, I also found that many groups had finishers in under 3 hours, but they also had finishers in over 5 hours.  The fastest in my age group (female 44-49) was 3:38:35 and the slowest was 5:37:37.  But you know what?  None of that matters.  They are all marathoners!

So how can I get back to running with joy?  My plan for next week is to finish.  I don't have a time goal.  Yes, I'd like to PR (faster than 4:53:33) but I'm not going to worry about it if I don't.  I have decided I will smile at every mile marker.  That's right, that is my number one goal for this marathon - to enjoy the journey. To remember that I love running and how great it makes me feel. I know enough to know there will be tough miles, miles that mentally tear you down, and miles that physically wear you out, but I will finish with a smile. I will smile at and thank as many volunteers as I can.  I won't be first and I, hopefully, won't be last.  But 10 days from now I will be a two time marathon finisher!