Brrrrrrrrr!!

Winter has arrived in Houston. Well, at least for the day. I love it! The cold temps really helped keep me moving fast last night. Only 1 TNT participant showed up to practice last night (in addition to the 2 coaches & 2 mentors) so instead of doing speed/strength work, one mentor just went home while the rest of us just did a loop around the park. I forgot to start my watch so I don't know the exact time it took me to do the 2.9 miles but it was somewhere between 40-45 minutes. Not bad.

It's been all over the news lately how a guy has been lurking around the park & attacking women. Emily & I commented on how we saw 2 news vans, yet no cops on our run, & it was pretty damn dark on portions of the trail. A few of the coaches had said before that they've seen the guy described as the attacker, but of course, at the time, they had no idea he'd been attacking women. They just all thought he was dressed a bit weird for the park (fatigues & a jacket). Hopefully they find & arrest him soon. Until then, I'm going to be a little wary about running alone out there, particularly in the mornings (when the last attack occurred). If my dog, Moe wasn't so old & slow, I'd take him along with me, but running one 2.9 mile loop, let alone more than that, would probably kill him. Oh well, I guess instead I'll just run with a buddy.

Slug

I've been such a slug since Thanksgiving. I'm glad I actually ran on Thursday because otherwise I'd feel REALLY guilty (as opposed to the mere mild guilt I feel right now). I am for sure going to go to practice tonight, despite my feelings about last time. I need to run.

I also need to get long running pants & long sleeved running shirts. Do you know why? Yes, it is in fact getting colder here in Houston (44 degrees right now), but that's not the real reason. The REAL reason is because I'M GOING TO NEW YORK CITY!! And, while it may be cold here in Houston, it's actually FREEZING in the big apple, and while I'm in the city that never sleeps, my happy ass will be running in Central Park. My brother (with whom I will be staying) lives about 2 or 3 miles from Central Park so the plan is to walk to the park then start my official run as soon as I get there.

I CAN'T WAIT!!

Good lord... if you told me a year ago that I'd be excited about running, I'd have pointed at you, called you a nut job & doubled over in laughter.

Funny how much can change in such a short amount of time, eh?

Weather update

According to Mr. Weatherman, there's a 90-100% chance for bad thunderstorms early tomorrow morning, so I have decided to sleep in & skip out on practice tomorrow. I'm actually kinda glad, because I kinda accidentally took about a 3 hour nap late this afternoon & now there's no way I'll ever get to bed early. We'll see how the weather progresses throughout the day & if it gets better maybe I'll head over to Rice & do a few laps.

We shall see.

***EDIT***

I'm so glad I decided to sleep in. It's POURING!! Seems like a perfect day to stay inside & snuggle up on the couch with a good book. :)

Bonus

I almost forgot... I weighed myself tonight & even though I'd eaten what seemed like at least a TON of food, the scale still showed that I'd lost at least 10 lbs. Nice! I figure if I keep things up the way I plan, I should hopefully have no problem making my goal of losing at least 40 lbs. by my 35th birthday on April 1. I know I need to lose a lot more than that, but so far, this is a good start. :)

Gobble-gobble!

Thanksgiving day started out with the TXU Uptown Turkey Trot 10K race. I'd been looking forward to it all week because all my running buddies said it was a fun race & for the most part, it was. I had my fastest splits to date & finished in 1:33:57. Three of the 6.2 miles were done in under 15 minutes each... something I've never been able to do before. The 1st mile was the fastest, but what amazed me was the fact that mile 6 was only 3 seconds slower! I was VERY happy with that. I switched to a 4:1 walk/run ratio & I really think that's helped increase my speed (I don't tire out as fast as I did when I did 3:1's).

The thing I wasn't happy with was the lack of water on the course. It was in the 70's which meant that I would get dehydrated faster. Things were fine for the 1st half of the race, but as I was in the last 2 or 3 miles, when the sun was getting stronger & the temperatures were getting higher, I came upon the last water station, in desperate need of water, only to find that they were OUT OF WATER! I told myself I only had a little ways to go before the finish & there would be plenty of water there so I'd be fine.

WRONG!!!

As I crossed the finish line I asked the woman who was taking my timing chip off my shoe where the water was. She looked around & said she'd seen people passing out bottles right behind her, but they were gone. I looked around everywhere & there was not a single solitary bottle of water anywhere! I ran into Adrienne & her neighbor, Beth & asked them if they knew where I could get some water because they'd run out on the course & Beth graciously offered up her bottle. I drank almost the whole bottle in one slug. I continued to walk around looking for more water, but there was none. There was however a plethora of coffee & hot chocolate.

What.

the.

FUCK????

Cuz you know, that's exactly what I want after running 6.2 miles in the hot sun... a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate. There was also no shortage of muffins, kolaches, & cinnamon rolls (which were great, but would've been better if I had something to wash them down with that wouldn't scald my mouth!) I finally went into Starbuck's & told the barista my plight & he gave me a big ole cup of water. I could've kissed him.

The other thing that pissed me off about the race was the lack of respect shown by many of the teenage volunteers. After they were done with their duties of passing out water to the runners (when they HAD water to pass out) they were all walking back to the start/finish area. They were taking up the whole street & were playing & rough-housing while there were still runners on the course. I, along with the last few runners had to weave in & around them & dodge their rough playing. One girl almost pushed a guy right into me. Then, as I was almost to the finish, there were even more volunteers & spectators standing & crowding around the finish line. Again I had to weave around them all just to get to the finish line. I never did see my official time because I was concentrating too much on trying to just get to the damn finish line (I later found it online).

When I finished, I should have been celebrating the fact that I'd run faster than I ever had. Instead I was pissed, cranky, & extremely thirsty. I will definitely think twice next year before agreeing to do this race again. For now I just have to remind myself of the good:

• I had my fastest time ever.
• It was great seeing all my running buddies during the course & hearing them cheer me on.
  
• Despite the dehydration, I still felt great during the race.
• I never got tired, sore, or winded during the running portions of the race (another first).
  
• No part of my body really hurt during the race.
• No part of my body really hurt after race.
• No part of my body hurts right now.
  

Splits:

mile 1 - 14:40
mile 2 - 14:53
mile 3 - 15:25 *
mile 4 - 15:25 *
mile 5 - 15:47
mile 6 - 14:43
mile 6.2 - 3:02

* I never did see the 3rd mile marker, so I just split the time from mile 2-4 in 1/2.

Next up... at least 10 miles on Saturday with TNT. The route goes through the Heights, which I've never run before (I was on water stop duty both times before). I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully the rain will stay away long enough for me to finish the run. *crosses fingers*

Slow poke

Tonight I went to my 1st Tuesday night practice of the season & I'm not sure if I'll do it again. It was a good work-out, but it re-affirmed just how damn slow I am.

We were doing 1/4 mile speed work & of course, I was always the last one to finish. Everyone would get to the 1/4 mile marker & wait & wait & wait for me to get there. Then we'd rest & do another 1/4 mile a bit faster, again with everyone waiting & waiting for me to finish. I started wishing they'd just go on without me because I was getting embarrassed & frustrated with how much slower I was than the others. It also wasn't exactly fair that they got to rest a lot longer than I did between the 1/4 miles.

Pppppffffffftttttt!!!!

The more I do this whole running thing, the more I've realized that I really prefer to do it alone. But at the same time, I need to do it with people. I need to have the group there in the beginning because it helps get me pumped up for the run, but once we get started I really don't like to run with someone by my side. I don't want to chit-chat. I just want to get in my groove, concentrate on my form & breathing & zone out. Then, when I'm about to finish, I like having the group there to cheer me on.

I need to work on getting my speed up because, while I like to be alone during the run, I do NOT like knowing I'm in "last place". Some of my best runs have been when I've known there are at least a few people behind me. I hate, hate, HATE being the last to finish. Hate. It!

GGGRRRRRRRRR!!

I'd gone to practice tonight because I thought it would be good & I knew I needed the extra work-out, but now I'm all pissed because of how shitty I did. If I'd only just gone to the park & run a loop or 2 by myself, I'd be feeling much better right about now. Hopefully I'll do better at the Turkey Trot on Thursday.

San Antonio 1/2 Marathon recap

I'm back from San Antonio. I was convinced it was going to be a bad race, but it turned out pretty damn good. (Well, at least for me. Evan & Rob didn't exactly have the greatest experience.)

I got to San Antonio late Saturday morning, went to the Expo & picked up my race packet, strolled around the River Walk for a few hours, had a nice late lunch/early dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse & relaxed at my friend Julia's house for the rest of the night. Last minute jitters set in & made for a night of tossing & turning instead of solid sleep. When I did sleep, all I remember is dreaming that the only way I could run was on my hands & feet (like a crawl) & I could only move about as fast as molases. Weird.

My alarm went off at 4:35 & I quickly jumped into action. I cleaned up, got dressed, grabbed my stuff & was out the door just after 5:30 to drive downtown & meet up with Evan, Rob, Lori & Meredith at their hotel. We left around 6:30 to walk the 2 blocks to the starting line & waited to get things started. I wasn't too happy about the 70+ degree temps & billion percent humidity that morning (all before sunrise), but I was praying that at least the sun wouldn't show itself until after the race. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sharyl, a Houston TNT-er & former honored patient, who was there to support her friend Theresa who was running. We chatted for a bit & then said our goodbyes/good lucks. After what seemed an eternity, they finally made the announcement to get ready at the starting line. We said good-bye to the girls & made our way towards the back. We never did hear the gun go off, but the movement of the crowd signaled the start. After about a minute, we finally made it to the starting mats & we were off. I wouldn't see Rob again for about 5 hours & Evan for about 2.

I started off running. It's hard to NOT run when you're in a race like this. My adrenaline was pumping & I was feeling great. After about 2 or 3 minutes of running, I started to walk. It didn't take long for the majority of the crowd to pass me by & before I knew it, I was pretty much alone. It's always a bit frustrating knowing you're one of the slowest people on the course, but I was trying to not let it get me down. I'll admit it was nice to run/walk by the Alamo & not be surrounded by people. Since it was so early there were no tourists there yet & it was so quiet & peaceful.

The course for the race was a series of loops within loops, which was quite confusing in some parts & quite frustrating in others. The one thing I liked about it was that the way it was configured meant I wasn't alone for very long. By mile 2, there were runners coming back around from the opposite direction. (It was also quite humbling when I was between mile 4 & 5 & suddenly I was being passed by a full marathoner on his SECOND loop... aka mile 17 for him.) When I got back towards downtown, it was great. There were runners everywhere & there were people lining the streets cheering. It's a real boost to hear people yell out your name (it was written on my shirt) & tell you "you're doing great!" I was wearing my TNT singlet & at one point I heard someone on the sidelines yell "Go Team in Training!!! WOOOO!!!" I looked over & to my surprise, there was Sharyl. I was SO happy to see her there. Seeing her made me smile the biggest smile & even though I was already feeling great, it gave me such a huge boost. Not much later, around mile 7 or 8, out of the corner of my eye I saw a runner coming in the opposite direction raise his arms up. It was Evan. He smiled & sang to me as he passed me by & again, I got a rush.

I was amazed at how well I was doing during this race. I was making fantastic time (well, fantastic for me) & wasn't hurting at all. I knew if I could keep up my pace, I would finish MUCH earlier than I had anticipated (my goal was a 4 hour finish). I couldn't believe how fast the miles were coming. Every mile marker was a thrill to see & made me push harder. There was also one section of the course that was spray painted by a local school. It had stick figure drawings of runners & phrases like "You can do it!", "Keep going!", "If not now, when?", "One mile at a time!" It was awesome & exactly what I think everyone needed. The kids were all there handing out water & Powerade & cheering us all on. It actually gave me goose bumps.

The only problem I had was the teeny tiny pebble that managed to lodge itself under my left heel around mile 2. I figured I'd eventually forget about it.

Not so much.

I'd been blazing through the race & was SO damn excited, but with each & every step, I could feel that damn pebble. Finally, around mile 8 I couldn't take it any more & had to stop & take my shoe off. I knew it would fuck up my pace, but I HAD to get it out. When I did, even though it was only about the size of the head of a pin, the difference was night & day. I felt like I'd removed a friggin' boulder from my shoe!

Finally I came to the turn-around point where there were photographers up on step-ladders waiting to take my picture. When I got to the blue line, I threw my arms up in the air, smiled a silly smile & ran on by. I was in the home stretch & so friggin' excited.

As I made it past the 11 mile marker I called Lori to tell her I was almost done & that I hoped I'd see her at the finish, but I later learned her phone had died. I was bummed because I really wanted to see her cheer me on.

Around mile 12 I heard someone yell "GO ERIN!!!" I figured it was just another random stranger who read my name on my shirt but then I heard the tambourine. I immediately perked up & looked around & BOOM! There was Lori shakin' her tambourine on the corner of the street cheering me on. I was so. damn. happy to see her. I threw my arms up & yelled & she took my picture. She said I was right on schedule & I told her I was actually about a 1/2 our ahead of schedule! As I passed her by, she started to walk with me & told me she'd seen Rob & Evan & about how far they'd gone. On the next corner was Meredith in her cute green hat cheering me on. It was SO great to have my own little cheering section. You wouldn't believe what a difference it makes knowing people that love you are actually out there to cheer you on. It fills your heart up & makes you want to go faster. :)

I made my way out of down town, under the freeway, past the Price is Right-like model at Evan's hotel (she was pointing the way), & rounded the corner towards the finish line. I saw that 13 mile marker & knew I was home free. As I made my way into Alamodome area, there were tons of people & when they saw me, they all started to cheer me on, saying "you're almost there!" "Only a few more steps to go!" "Go girl!"

I saw the finish line in the distance & felt my heart race. I was mere yards away. As soon as I made my way around the little bend & into the chute, I started to run & the crowd burst into applause & really started to cheer. Talk about a rush! I could hear the announcer say something like "now that's what I'm talking about! Here she comes!" & I ran as hard as my feet would let me. I could see the announcers, the photographers, & race officials at the finish line & I could feel the emotions about to burst out of me. As I crossed the finish line, I raised my arms up again in victory, smiled a big smile & said "YES!" A woman handed me my medal & everyone at the finish line was congratulating me on a job well done. I stopped to catch my breath before posing for another official photo with my medal proudly displayed around my neck.

I did it.

I finished.

Going into this race, all I wanted was to finish in 4 hours. The week before in practice it had taken me almost that long to complete 12.8 miles.

My official gun time for the San Antonio 1/2 Marathon: 3:36:13

My official chip time for the San Antonio 1/2 Marathon: 3:35:13

Holy. Fucking. Shit!!!

I know that there were about 1000 people that finished the FULL marathon in less time, but for me, knowing I could do 13.1 miles in that time was such an accomplishment. What made it even more of an accomplishment for me was the fact that I did that time with hardly any running. I did my 3:1's for a little bit in the beginning, but the heat was just too much for me so I pretty much just walked. Imagine what I could've done if I'd kept up with the 3:1's the whole time!

I am going to be SO ready for the Houston Half. Bring on that 4 hour time limit bitches! Bring on your silly time requirements for certain parts of the course. I'm gonna kick your ass!

And don't even get me started on what I'm going to do to San Diego. :)

My final splits & time (according to my watch):

1 - 14:48:23 (one of these days I hope all my split times involve #'s like these)
2 - 15:48:11
3 - 15:30:85
4 - 16:31:51
5 - 16:25:90
6 - 15:16:34 (Wow! I can only guess this was due to the boost I received from the crowd downtown)
7 - 16:39:08
8 - 17:40:36 (this is when I removed the boulder from my shoe)
9 - 16:41:36
10 - 16:53:45
11 - 16:44:37
12 - 16:59:01
13 - 16:53:05
.1 - 2:03:38

Total: 3:34:55 (I like this time the best. Go figure.)

Inspriation

I just reread this post about the Alaska marathon & got all weepy again & I'm getting more jazzed about the run this weekend. Who cares if it's going to be hot? If I can survive over 8-1/2 hours in all that crap in Alaska then I have no right to complain about a measly 4 "warm" hours in Texas.

(I still can't believe I survived that. Crazy!)

Last night I helped out my friends & a mentee with their Bachelor/Bachelorette auction & it was a big success. They pulled in about $1300 at the door, the bachelors & bachelorettes each went for several hundred dollars & at least 2 bachelorettes went for $1000-$2000! There were also LOTS of great silent auction items that I know went for at least $2000-$3000. I don't know the final tally for the night yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they raised over $10,000! The girls did such an awesome job setting this whole thing up & everyone seemed to be having a great time. I'm so proud of my girls!

I didn't get to participate much in the event because about 1/2 way through the night, my friend & fellow TNT teammate took over duties at the door so the 2 girls that had been there would be able to check things out at the party. We could still see everything going on & it was fun watching everyone parade around & mingle & try to get their bids up. It was also nice to catch up with Michelle for a bit. She'd recently run the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon & I got to hear a little about it. She told me that Michelle Dedman had gone on the trip with her (which I had heard from someone else) & they really had a great time. She also told me that Michelle decided to train for at least a 1/2 marathon (again, something I'd heard before from someone else), but what she said next really surprised me. She told me that Michelle mentioned to her several times that she uses me as an inspiration, that when things get tough with training she thinks of me & what I was able to do. I seriously almost starting crying right then & there. I'd only met Michelle Dedman & her husband, Tim once & that was way back in... March? at the honored patient party. (Tim, David & I played pool as the 2 Michelles watched.) I didn't even know she remembered me! It's "funny" to me that someone I admire SO much for her courage & strength in all she had to go through with her husband's illness & eventual death looks to me for inspiration. She is the one that inspires me. It's her story & the story of my brother-in-law & the stories of so many others that keeps me doing what I'm doing.

This weekend will be a good race. I'm going to see to that. :)

I guess I should pack now.

Just great

The forecast has changed...

now the high on Sunday is supposed to be 88º.

Looooooovely. >:(

Ugh. I still have to pack & I have the worst fucking headache that goes down the back of my neck. I'm gonna be pissed if I get sick. And I'm already pissed because my wallet got stolen out of my office today (thankfully it was found... whoever stole it only took the spare change & left my ID & credit cards).

I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this weekend. Here's hoping my feeling is wrong.

*sigh*

Weather report

Sunday, November 13, 2005:

Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a thundershower possible. Winds from the NE at 14 mph.

Low: 65° F RealFeel: 64° F
High: 78° F Real Feel: 76° F

If someone could make the low temps be the high temps I will love him/her FOREVER!

Oh well, at least it should be cloudy most of the time. And I seriously won't mind the rain, either. Hell, I ran for 8-1/2 hours in the freezing rain in Alaska. Surely I can handle 4 hours in tepid rain in San Antonio.

A simple wish

Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.
Please let a cold front come through this weekend.

Trial run

This weekend's long run was a test for me. I hadn't done a real long long distance in a few weeks & was getting a little worried if I'd be able to make the 1/2 marathon next week. (I'd only done just over 6 miles last weekend, I was sick the weekend before, then the week before I only did just over 8.) My big worry isn't that I won't be able to finish the 1/2 marathon, but how long it would take me to finish. The Houston 1/2 marathon has a 4 hour time limit & I really want to be able to finish in at least that time (preferrably less). So yesterday's long run was going to be my test.

The route was both shorter & longer than I wanted (the 1/2's were supposed to do 8 miles, while the fulls were to do 16 or 18 miles) so I modified the route to suit my needs, figuring it would be close to about 12 miles. As I started at Memorial Park, I just walked until I hit Memorial. That's when I started my interval timer & did my 3:1's. It was much hotter out than I would've liked & I wasn't feeling as energetic as I do when it's colder, but it wasn't too bad. I had my stopwatch going, too & told myself I'd go as far as I could on my proposed route, but if I hadn't gotten to my turn-around point within 2 hours, I'd turn around wherever I was at that point & make my way back to the park. Thankfully, I made it to my self-imposed 1/2 way point in plenty of time & was on my way back before I hit 2 hours. My next goal was to make sure I made it back to the picnic table at the pool in the park before the 2nd two hours were up.

By the 3rd hour the sun was getting pretty high in the sky & was beating down on me. I felt myself getting weaker & I could feel the heat sucking the life out of me. Every time I saw the littlest bit of shade, I made my way toward it. At one point a woman came out from an apt. complex & started walking behind me. She would not pick up her feet as she walked so they made a scraping sound against the sidewalk with each & every step. I wanted to turn around & scream "PICK UP YOUR FUCKING FEET YOU BITCH!!!"

Sorry. I get cranky when I'm hot.

I kept waiting for my timer to go off so I could start running again & get the fuck away from her & her scraping shoes. Unfortunately, I was so hot & tired that I could only manage a sort of a "trot" & it seemed that every time I sped up, she sped up & I just couldn't get away from her. After about 20 minutes, she finally turned down a different street.

THANK GOD!!

I was so happy when I finally made it back to 610 because I knew the park was close & soon I'd be done. It was about that time that I said "fuck it" & stopped the interval timers & just walked. It wasn't even a fast walk, more like a regular stroll. When I finally finished, I looked at my watch & it said 3:55. Sweet! When I got home, I mapped out my route & it turns out it 13 miles. What a relief! If I can do 13 miles in less than 4 hours in November, I will have no problem doing that or better in January.

Now on to my next worry... the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon. I was on their website & found out there are cut-off points at mile 13.4 & 19.2.

Participants not upholding a 17:26/mile marathon pace at mile 13.4 mile will be rerouted to the finish line and complete an 18 mile course. Participants who do not uphold a 17:26/mile marathon pace at mile 19.2 will be stopped and transported to the finish line.

Fuck.

I know I'll be able to make the 1st cut-off. I get just over 4 hours to get there. No problem there. But I know I can't keep up the pace long enough to make the 19.2 mile cut-off. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let anyone take me off the course.

This sucks. I really want to do this marathon but I do NOT want to go through all the work & fundraising, travel all the way to San Diego & NOT finish. That would be too heart breaking. So it looks like I may have to just do Alaska again. But I know I can do Alaska. I've already done Alaska.

Do you think it's possible for me to improve enough in 8 months to where I could actually finish?

I need to start getting serious about working out again.