2012 In the Books!

What an amazing year.  I ran my first marathon!!!  Then signed up and ran another one!!  I managed to end the year injury free and I'm ready for 2013.  I am not signed up for another marathon YET, but we shall see.  Here's a recap of 2012:

January
Ran 71.08 miles
Rode 93.54 miles
Total 164.62 miles

February
Ran 116.58 miles - started TrainingPeaks Marathon training
Rode 42.29 miles
Total 158.87 miles

March
Ran 135.98 miles
Rode 9.94 miles
Total 145.92 miles

April
Ran 136.33 miles, this included a 20 mile training run
Total 136.33 miles

May
Ran 158.41 miles, this included a 22 mile training run
Total 158.41 miles

June
Ran 72.52 miles, this included my first marathon
Rode 38.38 miles
Total 110.90 miles

July 
Ran 72.32 miles - started training for marathon #2
Rode 69.48 miles
Total 141.80 miles

August
Ran 90.10 miles
Rode 85.76 miles
Total 175.86 miles

September
Ran 112.90 miles, this included a 20 mile training run.  My longest training run before my second marathon
Rode 18.01 miles
Total 130.91 miles

October
Ran 102.67 miles, this included the Susan G. Komen for the Cure 5K
Rode 19.88 miles
Total 122.55 miles

November
Ran 85.12 miles, this included my second marathon
Rode 37.77 miles
Total 122.89 miles

December
Ran 66.50 miles
Rode 63.51 miles
Total 130.01 miles

Total for the Year
Ran 1,220.51 miles
Rode 478.55 miles
Total miles for 2012:  1,699.06 

If I would have realized how close I was, I would have gone an extra mile today to reach 1,700!

My plan for 2013 is to start the year with a 13 mile run.  It's been in the 30s in the early mornings lately and I am really looking forward to a long cool run.  I am also going to work on an "active" streak - I want to see how many days I can stay active.  This will include running, cycling, and strength training (something I desperately need to work on!)

How was 2012 for you?  Any big race plans for 2013?

Christmas Week 2012

Hello there!  I know it's been a few days.  We had an enjoyable visit with Les' parents.  I ate way too much sugar.  Pie, cookies, candy, ice cream, nothing was safe!  The funny thing about eating that way is I don't want anything sweet today.  I am done with sugar.  That's not to say I won't eat sugar ever again, I don't think I'm capable of cutting it out completely, but I'm ready for fruits, veggies, chicken and fish for a while!

I was able to sneak in a couple of workouts while our company was here.  Here's how my week went:

Sunday:  Ran 5.5 miles in 1:03:21, 11:31 pace.
We got home from San Francisco very late on Saturday night.  My Dad had 2 surgeries last week, so we spent a ton of time sitting.  It also rained while we were there, so we didn't explore the city at all.

Monday:  Rained out!
I was so bummed.  My plan was to do a double before our company arrived - a run and a ride - but it was raining like crazy!

Tuesday:  Christmas Day
Visited, cooked, cleaned... and ate a lot!

Wednesday:  Ran 5:14 miles in 1:08:00, 13:14 pace
My legs were dead.  It was very difficult to move due to a food induced coma.  Better than nothing, right?

Thursday:  Rode 9.93 miles 1:12:10, 8.3 mph
It has rained so much lately, our trail is a mess!  It made for tough riding.

Friday:  Rested
I was just lazy.  No other excuse.

Saturday:  Ran 7.07 miles in 1:17:26, 10:57 pace
I felt great today!  This is the fasted I have run in months.  I've had short bursts of speed, but nothing sustained.  I ran every step.  I was racing the rain, again, but this time I won!

Now it's time to start thinking about 2013!

Merry Christmas!

The gifts are bought and almost all wrapped.  Les will pick up his parents at the airport this evening.  Most of my cooking is done, at least the prep part.  My house is clean.  And I'm ready for a few days off.  My plan is to run in the early mornings while my in-laws are here, but I won't blog.  I'll be back Saturday or Sunday or Monday!

Thoughts on Streaking

In 1974 the Ray Stevens song "The Streak" was released.  I was 10 years old, but I still remember the days when "streaking" in public was quite popular.  People would strip down and run across a football field or baseball diamond.  The song had the famous line:  "Don't look, Ethel!" That's really not what I've been thinking about, but when I wrote the word "streaking" all those memories came back!

I'm actually talking about a running streak.  Running everyday for weeks, months, or years.  I've never had more than a 10 day streak and I've wondered how I would do if I tried to run everyday.

In 2007 I had my first 2,000 mile year - I ran 2,415 miles in a single year.  In 2009 I set a goal to run 50 miles a week for a total of 2,600 miles.  I did it, but I was completely burned out from running when 2010 came around.  Fortunately in 2010 I discovered that mountain biking is a lot of fun, I was able to stay active and my love for running eventually returned.

Of course this year was huge for me - TWO marathons!  My miles will be lower than they have been since 2006, but I've accomplished so much.  Marathon training had me taking two rest days a week and I certainly needed them.

I don't have an answer.  Since I've never tried a streak, I don't know if it would help or hurt.  I think a better streak would be consecutive "active" days, whether that be running, walking, cycling, or strength training.  I do know the older I get the more my body needs rest.  So I'll ask you...

Have you ever had a running/active streak?  Was it good or bad?

Do you remember Ethel??

Another Run in the Rain

I have run in the rain more in the past month than I have in the past 5 years!  This morning I could see that the ground was wet, but when I stepped outside it wasn't actively raining.  Five minutes into it, Murphy's Law for Runners kicked in:

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

That is exactly what happened!  It rained the hardest at my turn around point, but I was determined to get in 5 miles today.  My dad is having surgery in San Francisco this week, so we'll be traveling and sitting for several days.

It wasn't cold at all, but I was soaked!  Even my socks were wet.  At about the 3 1/2 mile mark my pace was 12:15, I decided I wanted to finish in under an hour so I kicked my pace up a notch and finished strong.


5.01 miles in 59:40, 11:55 pace
Ave HR 136
Max HR 160
Calories burned 489
Elevation gained 545 feet

The Weather Outside is... Unpredictable!

It was a typical week in Southern California ~ sun, rain, warm, cold, breezy and calm!  Here's how my week went:

Sunday - Ran 10.03 miles in 1:57:51
It was a cool 42 when I headed out, but was quickly warming.

Monday - Rest Day
The forecast called for Santa Ana winds with gusts of up to 45 mph.  The winds never showed, but I enjoyed a rest day anyway.

Tuesday - Rode 12.41 miles on Backbone Trail in 1:57:08
The most beautiful day of the week.  Sunny and warm, we had a high of 77!

Wednesday - Rode 9.36 miles on Las Llajas in 1:02:16
A storm was moving in.  Temps were low 50s, I got lightly sprinkled on.

Thursday - Rest Day
It started raining Wednesday night and was raining steadily when I woke up.

Friday - Ran 7 miles in 1:23:52
The storm brought much cooler temps.  It was 38 when I got up to run, we don't see that very often!

Saturday - Ran 4.40 miles in 56:28
We got a bunch more rain on Friday night.  Temps dropped to 37 early this morning.  It was cold, but I loved it!  It's so much easier to put on an extra layer.

All in all, a very fun week.  I'm really enjoying running and cycling when I want, without a training goal at this time.

Totals:
Running:  21.43
Cycling:  21.77
Total  43.20

Single Track, Sunshine, Rain and a New PR

I asked Les yesterday if I should rename this blog.  I've been doing a lot more mountain biking than running lately!  I read so many running blogs that talk about injury, I think cycling is great cross training.

For the last month Les has been telling me, "We need to go ride Backbone."  Backbone Trail is in the Santa Monica mountains with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.  We finally decided yesterday would be the day and we couldn't have picked a more beautiful one!  It was about 65 out, sunny, clear, and calm.

The trail is to the right of Les in this picture

There are several types of mountain bike trails.  Las Llajas, my usual ride, is on fire roads.  These are wide enough for vehicles.  The first three miles of Backbone was on single track.  It's exactly what the name implies - wide enough for a single bike, and tricky when someone is coming the other way. This was a first for me.  I've ridden a few other trails, but they've all been fire roads.

The Pacific Ocean, as far as the eye can see

We rode about 5 miles when we came out on Yerba Buena Road.  We somehow lost the trail, so we rode Yerba for a little while before turning around.  While I didn't mind going up the single track because we were going so slow, coming down was a bit scary.  I even took a small tumble trying to navigate a steep hairpin turn. I have a couple bruises, but didn't break any skin.  So maybe this cross training isn't exactly injury free, but it's still fun!

Total distance 12.4 miles in 1:56:59, 6.4 mph
Ave HR 136
Max HR 164
Calories burned 787
Elevation gained 1,716 feet

We are suppose to get rain sometime this afternoon or evening.  Since I can run in, or right after, the rain, I decided to ride again this morning.  About 4 miles from home it started sprinkling.  My legs weren't feeling completely recovered from yesterday, so I decided to just go the Y and call it a day.  Coming back down, I got wet, but not too bad.

I also set a new PR on Marr Ranch Blacktop.  Are you tired of hearing about that?  Today was huge for me - I rode it in 40 seconds.  I am now ONE second from first place!!

Total distance 9.36 in 1:02:16, 9.0 mph
Ave HR 136
Max HR 170
Calories burned 504

Elevation gained 1,030 feet

How's the weather in your neck of the woods?  Do any fun cross training lately?

Double Digits

I took a planned rest day yesterday.  A Saturday without running has been rare this year and I enjoyed it so much!  I set the alarm last night though, because I needed to run today.  Our forecast is typical December - Santa Ana winds are headed our way sometime this afternoon.  That's how reindeer fly in my neighborhood - 45 mph gusts of wind.

This morning was the calm before the storm - 42 degrees, clear and calm.  I had my first double digit run in a month - 10 miles and they felt great!  I wasn't fast, but I was steady.  My fastest mile was 10:51 and my slowest was 12:58.  I loved watching the sun come up and start warming things up a bit.

10.04 miles in 1:57:51, 11:45 pace
Ave HR 144
Max HR 160
Calories burned 997
Elevation gained 724 feet

Trail Pictures

I don't always take pictures when I ride, but today was too gorgeous out not to!  We rode to the top of Sunshine Mountain.  5.7 miles from our house and this is the view:

Today's ride:  11.4 miles in 1:30, 7.6 mph
Ave HR 144
Max HR 171
Calories burned 865
Elevation gained 1,644 feet

Mud Ride

I must have been smiling, because there was mud on my teeth!
~ Me, this morning

I had such a fun ride this morning.  We had rain for about five days, which meant a muddy trail this morning.  Lots of puddles, including one that went across the entire trail.  Going up the trail was a little slow as my tires collected more and more mud.  Just as I got to the split, I saw this downed tree:

Hmm... that takes me further up the trail.  To the left is a cattle ranch.  I was able to skirt around the tree and made my way up a little further.  The higher up the trail, the muddier and slicker it got, so I turned around and headed back down.  Going back down, my tires shed all the mud they had collected.  More than once, I felt mud hit my face and teeth.  I hit a really slick spot and thought I was going down for a few seconds, but was able to stay upright. 

Muddy Myka after I got home

And once again, I PR'd Marr Ranch Blacktop!  On November 16th I rode it in 57 seconds.  On November 20th I rode it in 54 seconds.  Today I rode it in 49 seconds!  This is one tenth of a mile with an average grade of 21.8%.  I really didn't think I could get that much faster, but I am. And having a lot of fun in the process!

Mud splattered clothes - just part of riding this time of year!

10.19 miles in 1:15:18, 8.1 mph
Ave HR 136
Max HR 162
Calories burned 587
Elevation gained 1,234 feet

Determination

I really like this quote!  Great things don't happen by accident.  Crossing the finish line, whether it's your first 5K or your 20th marathon, takes a lot of determination. And brings a lot of satisfaction.

I had a great run this morning.  I didn't have a plan, I just got up and ran.  My legs felt strong.

7.02 miles in 1:22:37, 11:46 pace
Ave HR 146
Max HR 166
Calories burned 687
Elevation gained 793 feet

Being consistent, even through the final month of 2012, will take a lot of determination.  I'm going to do it, how about you?

I Needed to Run

I know I'm super spoiled when it comes to weather.  The only things that keep me from running are rain or wild fire.  I probably get rained out about 20 days a year, so I don't worry too much if I miss a day due to rain.  I use to have a treadmill, but I gave it away since all it did was gather dust.  This week I was rained out on Thursday and Friday, so I went to bed last night planning on running this morning...

I woke up and could tell the roads were wet.  It didn't seem like it was actively raining, so I decided to go for it.  It was 58 out, so I put on a light jacket (hoping to stay dry) and a baseball cap.  As soon as I stepped out, I knew it was going to be a wet slog.  It wasn't raining hard, but it was misting.  I told myself, "Go a mile and see how it is."  I then decided to go two miles, then four, and finally ended up with five miles!  I ran a pretty hilly route.  Even PR'd to capture second overall on one of the climbs!

The conditions never changed.  I was completely wet by the time I got home, but I felt so good!  My legs felt fresh, I think I'm completely recovered from my latest marathon.  So glad I went.

The face of a wet, but happy runner!

5.01 miles in 59:43, 11:55 pace
Ave HR 143
Max HR 159
Calories burned 515
Total elevation gain 607 feet

What keeps you from running?  How many days can you go before you're stir crazy??