Trying not to let the holidays get to me

It's a good thing I did the Turkey Trot last week because I didn't run again until this past Monday. The weather was terrible all weekend (freezing cold & thunder/lightning storms). Thankfully now the weather has been GORGEOUS (cold, yet sunny) & perfect for running. I ran 3.2 miles in my neighborhood Monday & 4 miles tonight & to my delight I averaged about 13 mins/mile both nights. I really hope I can keep that up all the way through to the Houston Half Marathon. (I can't believe it's only about 5 weeks away. Eeeeeek!)

The new season of TNT begins this weekend with the big kick-off party Saturday morning. Not only have I signed up to do the Vancouver Marathon with TNT, but I will also be mentoring again. I haven't officially mentored in over a year so it should be good to get back into it. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. So far I only have 3 mentees. I have a feeling this will be a very small group. We'll see if they get any more to sign up this weekend. *crosses fingers*

I really need to get back on track. Those few weeks I had off from running took its toll. It's been a lot harder to get myself motivated again, especially with the holidays here. But I can't let myself go back to what I was. I've worked too hard & I've already thrown away all my old "fat clothes". Having this new season start should be just what I need to get my ass back out there on a regular basis & back to eating the good foods.

Here's hoping!

Turkey Trot

Yesterday was Thanksgiving & as tradition in this city, I joined a few thousand runners & did the Turkey Trot in the Uptown Galleria area. The weather was awful! The temps had dropped overnight & it was in the low 40's with HUGE gusting winds, making it feel like it was about 30 degrees. My hands & arms were practically numb.

I was supposed to do this race with my best friend, Kelly, but she developed a nasty upper respiratory infection so I went alone. I ran into my TNT teammates, Sandi & Tim, said a quick hello, then went to look for a few other friends (which I never found). While huddled in the starting line, trying to keep warm, I ran into my friends, Adrienne & Julie. They were as miserable as I was & regretting not staying in our warm beds. They were running the 10K but Adrienne decided right there at the starting line to run the 5K with me. It was nice to have someone to talk to during the race. We were freezing our butts off so I ended up running faster than usual just to try to get my body temp up & to finish as fast as I could. My first mile was 12:48! I couldn't believe it! The 2nd mile was about the same. Woo! The last mile was the worst because we were in a headwind. Sweet JEEBUS was that ever c-c-c-cold! Brrrrrrr! When we saw the finish line, we kicked it into high gear. As we crossed the finish line, I looked at my watch & couldn't believe my eyes... I finished in 37:56! WOO-HOOO!!! PR baby!! My last 5k was something like 46 minutes.

I'm really amazed at how much I've progressed these last 6 months. Even Adrienne commented during the race how strong my running has become. I can't wait to see how much more I can improve in the future. Bring on that half marathon! :)

Quickie

Before today, I'd only run 3 times since the marathon. I'd hurt my left big toe the day after the marathon (accidentally kicked the back of a guys shoe & ripped the nail off the toe) & it was 2 weeks before I could wear any shoes other than flip flops. By the time I did my first post-marathon run, 2-1/2 weeks had gone by. I was pretty surprised that I was still able to keep up a good pace. All 3 runs (each btwn 3-4 miles) averaged about 14:30 mins/mile. Today was my first "long run".

I'd planned on doing 8 with the TNT group (down Allen Parkway) but at that last minute a friend asked if I could cover for her at a water stop, which I did. After I was done helping out with the group, I did 6 miles in the park. I don't know why, but today I was able to do my fastest 6 miles ever! I finished in 1:20:53 for an average pace of 13:28 mins/mile. WOO-HOOO!!!! If I can keep this up & maybe even get a bit faster, I might be able to do a sub-3 hr. half marathon. (My official half marathon PR is 3:27.)

I'm gonna go for it! :)

Better late than never

Sorry for taking so long to write this up, but it's a doozy...

RACE DAY:

The time limit for the marathon was 6.5 hours. However, if you were with TNT & knew ahead of time that you wouldn't be able to finish in that time, you were given the option of doing an early start. This way, you'd have an extra 90 minutes (for a totoal of 8 hours) to finish the race. I, of course, was doing the early start.

I'd set my alarm for 3:30 am but it turns out I didn't need it. I hardly slept at all & finally got out of bed around 3:20 & started to get myself ready. I'd laid all my stuff for the race out on the ironing board before bed so everything I needed was right at my fingertips. I got dressed, lubed my feet up, put on my shoes, grabbed a bottle of water, a granola bar, & a protein bar & headed downstairs to the lobby to meet the rest of the early starters at 4:45. I was so nervous I could barely eat but I knew if I didn't, I'd be sorry, so I ate 1/2 the protein bar & 1 of the granola bars. We posed for a few pictures, then headed to the starting line around 5:00 am.
The starting line was just around the corner from out hotel, so we didn't have to walk far. It was about 55º & a tad breezy. Quite a difference from the 100+ temps I'd been running in all summer long! We dropped our gear bags off at the buses down the street & I made a quick pit stop at the porta potties. Then we walked over to the official starting line, right in front of Tiffany's in Union Square. I was surprised by how many people were starting early. I'd say there was at least 1000 of us.
It was pitch black out & there wasn't that big of a crowd of people there to cheer us on, but there was definitely excitement in the air. A few minutes before 5:30, we began to hear the faint song of a choir singing. There were no microphones on anywhere so it took a minute to realize that it was the Star Spangled Banner. Soon all the women in the corral joined in & by those final notes, I had goose bumps on my arms & a lump in my throat. Then a woman standing on a platform began to speak. Again, she had no microphone so she had to shout, but the crowd became quiet as a mouse so we could all hear her. She thanked us all for coming & for working so hard to raise money for such a wonderful cause. Then she told us to all close our eyes & take a minute to think of the reason we were there... for the people we know/knew who have been touched by this disease, the people who are fighting cancer, the people who lost that fight, & for those who have won. The crowd was completely silent except for the sniffles from the tears of many of the runners (myself included). After our moment of silence, she asked us to look at those around us, to look at their faces, to give them a hug, thank them for running & wish them good luck. This caused more tears, but also lots of laughter. Then came the moment we all had been waiting for...

10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

GO!!!!

And we were off. Down the streets of San Francisco we went, with police on motorcycles leading the way.

Starting line

I started out with my friend, Carmen & her pals from Louisiana. We couldn't go very fast because of the crowd so we were just walking, talking, & laughing. The only people on the streets to cheer for us were the police & it was so dark we could barely see the sights as we ran past them. I almost missed the TransAmerica building!

After about 15 minutes the crowd had spread out a bit & I began to feel restless. I wanted to stay with Carmen, but I wanted to go faster, too. I had a goal to meet with this race & I knew if I kept that pace I'd never make it. Eventually I had to bid her adieu & took off. I thought I'd been going very slow because I never saw any mile markers. Suddenly I saw one that said "mile 2". I looked at my watch & I'd been out there for 31 minutes. That meant 15:30/mile pace, & I hadn't even really been pushing it. I was SO happy!

By this time we were running along the Embarcadero & there was a big choir from a local church singing hymns for us. There wasn't another sole around except for the runners & that choir. It was so beautiful I got chills. A little further down we came upon Fisherman's Wharf. Again, there wasn't a sole around but I could hear the barks of all the sea lions that reside along the pier. It gave me such a big smile. I yelled to the runners around me "Listen! The sea lions are cheering for us!" They all laughed.

Every once in a while, maybe a few blocks apart, there was 1 or 2 residents on the corner cheering. I made a point to thank them all as I ran by. It meant a lot that they would get out of their nice warm beds so early on a Sunday morning to cheer for us. After the Wharf, it was on through the marina up to the Presideo. It was then I saw the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was just barely rising & the bridge was still lit up. It was gorgeous! I'd forgotten what a beautiful sight it is. I stopped several times to take photos.

Mile 5

(2 second exposure photo of Golden Gate Bridge just before mile 6)

At mile 6 I was at the base of the bridge & at the start of what was the steepest & worst hill on the course... going from an elevation of 25' to 290' in about 3/4 of a mile. I made that sharp turn to start up that hill & was almost stopped in my tracks by what I saw... the San Fransisco skyline perfectly silhouetted against the most gorgeous fire orange, red, & golden sky. The city was still asleep. I told the girl in front of me who was struggling up that hill to take a look. She stopped & took it all in. I think it gave her the strength to get the rest of the way up that hill. I know it gave me a burst of energy. I charged up that hill like it was nothing but a small bump on the course. When I reached the top I couldn't believe it. That's what everyone was so worried about??? That tiny hill?? That was nothing! I didn't even stop at the Oxygen Bar at the top of the hill. I just kept on going.

By this point I was right in the Presideo with all the military housing. There were actually people out there cheering us on, which was a welcome surprise. Just before mile 8 we were all passed by the pace cars for the elites, & soon were passed by the elites. I was in awe of these women as they glided past me. It all seemed so effortless for them. Here I was, out on the course for the past 2 hours & I was being passed by women who had only been running for about 40 minutes! But there weren't as many as I thought & they were all spread pretty far apart, which for some reason made me feel better.

Mile 9 was a tough one. Again it was up a very steep hill, but again, I tackled it like I never thought I could. At the beginning of the hill was a big group of TNT staffers, all dressed as prisoners holding signs like "You can't escape mile 9!" There were also posters of all the honored patients from all over the country. It was quite moving, especially when I saw the poster for my group, with the photo of my friend, Carrie's son. Then I saw Coach Chris & Coach Holly, which was a welcomed sight. They quickly asked me how I was doing, told me I was doing great, then went back down the hill to check on the other runners. A minute later I saw my coach, Dan. He saw me, gave me a huge smile & said "Erin! How the hell are ya?" I smiled, laughed, then yelled "LIEUTENANT DAN!!" He ran up to me & told me how great I looked. I told him I felt great, that I was doing so much better than I thought I would, & that I was having a great time, despite the hills. He ran me up the hill, saying he thought this one was worse than 6, to which I agreed. When we were almost to the top, he told me is wasn't that bad once I looked behind me & saw where I was. I looked & saw that hill, with all the houses along the side & the most beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. It was breathtaking. As Dan turned around to go back down the hill to greet the other runners I gave him another smile, thanked him for everything, & went on my way.

Soon after I ran into the last of our coaches, John around the mile 10 marker. Again I laughed & smiled & told him how great this all was. He asked if I needed any gu's, gels, etc. but I said "nope, everything I need I have in my bra!" He looked stunned. I explained to him that one of the perks of being a big gal like myself is that you have the ability to stuff SO much stuff into your bra. I said "I have 2 ziplocks full of Clif Bloks, a ziplock with baby wipes, & a granola bar in there!" He busted out laughing so hard, said "alrighty then!" & let me go about my merry way. It was at this point where it began to go downhill again & I was able to pick up speed. The streets wound around & around until I came to a big bend in the road. As I rounded that bend, I stopped in my tracks. I was dumbfounded by what I saw. I actually said "HOLY SHIT!" There it was... the Pacific Ocean in all its glory. The sun was up & made the beach glisten like gold as the waves crashed against the shore & there was a soft mist in the distance. I pulled over to the side of the road & grabbed my camera. No way was I going to miss this Kodak moment.
This photo doesn't even begin to do it justice. I swear you could almost hear angels singing, it was so beautiful. It gave me yet another burst of energy.

Mile 10

As I wound down the hill & headed towards the beach, I could see the finish line area & smell all the food they had cooking there. That was not fair! I was SO hungry! But I still had 16 miles to go. We hung a left & kept on going, heading towards Golden Gate Park. Just before mile 12, the half marathoners split off from the full marathoners. Those lucky ladies were almost done. One of the high school girls at the cheer station yelled to me "Way to go! You're almost done!" I yelled back at her "YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR!!!! I am nowhere NEAR done!!! I still have 14 f'ing miles to go!!!" I think I scared her. LOL! She apologized & said that's what she was told to yell. I didn't care. I told her to stop telling people that because it will just piss them off. She didn't seem to get it. I think you have to be a runner to understand.

Running through GG Park was quite pretty. It was lots & lots of trees, which meant lots & lots of shade. A plus in my book. It also had bagpipers in kilts! It was awesome! I of course had to take a picture:
It seemed to take forever to get through GG Park. We went up one side of the street & down the other. It was a bit frustrating seeing all those runners ahead of me coming back down the road. I wanted to be where they were! Where was that damn turn-around anyway? I finally reached the turn-around & headed back down the road. That's when I saw Carmen again as she headed up the road. I hadn't seen her in about 12 miles. She looked tired, but she looked strong, too. There were lots of people cheering up & down the road, which was so nice. It really does help to have people call out your name & simply say "Go Erin!!! You can do it!!!"

Just after mile 15, we finally met up again with the 1/2 marathoners. Suddenly I was in a throng of runners. It was awesome! I got a huge burst of energy & began to run faster. I ran into my friend & teammate Pam there & we had a quick hug before she ran off (she's MUCH faster than I am). Then there was the Nike tunnel. It was a huge long tent set up in the path, down a hill that was blasting Melissa Ethridge & flashing all these inspirational photos on the sides. It was so cool. Again it gave me a quick burst of energy & felt like I was flying right through it.

Just after mile 16, we split off from the half marathoners again just as we hit the Great Highway, along the coastline. There was a HUUUUGE crowd of people there cheering. They were yelling SO loud, calling out my name (putting my name on the front of my jersey was the BEST idea). I actually got goose bumps! I kicked it up a notch & ran faster as I rounded the bend. Once again I saw that gorgeous ocean view. When I hit the mile 16 marker, I looked at my watch. I realized at that point that even if I walked the whole rest of the way & did 25 minute miles, I'd still finish under my goal, so I decided to walk for the first time in I can't tell you how many miles & took in that view. I had planned on walking that whole mile, but it hurt my back so I began to trot.

The further I went down the Great Highway, the fewer spectators there were. There wasn't a bit of shade & the sun was pretty high in the sky. The marching band around mile 18 perked me up a bit, but not too much. I was getting tired. I was so tired that I didn't even realize that my TNT director & all the staff were right next to me cheering for me as I entered in the Lake Merced part of the run until I had passed them. LOL!

(Side note: the day before the marathon I found out there was a time cut-off at mile 18.6, which is where the Lake Merced portion began. If you didn't reach that point by 12:00 noon, you were turned around & told to go to the finish line. I'd missed a time cut-off in San Diego the year before & there was no way in hell I was going to miss one in this race. I was SO nervous that I wouldn't make it there by 12:00. When I finally made it there I looked at my watch. It was only 10:00!!! I'd beaten the time cut-off by 2 hours!! WOO-HOO!!!)

The beginning of the Lake Merced portion of the course was gorgeous. The lake was like glass, there were tons of trees & shade, & it was all very quiet & serene. I thought "oh wow, this won't be that bad."

WRONG!!!

Lake Merced was the worst part of the whole race. We dubbed it Lake "Cursed". After about mile 20, the serenity ended & were were on the side of a major boulevard. The city had blocked off the right lane for us, but the rest of the road was backed up forever with cars & trucks. The exhaust was awful. Then we heard a gunshot! I thought there was a sniper but it turns out there's a skeet shooting place on the lake. Fun.

The further we went around the lake, the hotter & less breezy it got, & the more the roads went up & down & up & down & up & down. I hadn't been taking in enough fluids & it was really catching up to me. I was SO glad to see the one & only water stop around the lake. I grabbed 2 glasses & chugged one & poured the other over my head. I wanted to be out of there & back on the Great Highway. Even when we got to "the Chocolate Mile", where they were handing out Ghiradelli chocolates, I didn't want any. Me? Not want chocolate? Anyone who knows me knows that means a lot for me to turn down free chocolate! I forced myself to take a bite because I figured it would maybe at least give me a quick sugar rush, but my mouth was so dry it wouldn't dissolve in my mouth, so I just threw it away.

Mile 23 was all uphill & I just didn't have the energy to run any more so I walked. I felt terrible. I was tired, I was hot, I was in horrible pain. I wanted so badly to just quit, but I knew the Great Highway & the final road to that Tiffany necklace was only a mile away, & I knew I'd never forgive myself if I quit, so I trudged on despite the incredible pain in my right knee & hip & despite feeling lonely & isoloated. It was around this point when a woman running past me put her hand on my shoulder & told me "Dave would be so proud of you". With a lump in my throat, I thanked her. Then she was gone.

As I neared the top of the hill I heard 2 women behind me thanking each other for staying with the other during the whole race & how much it meant to have each other there, pushing each other, not letting the other quit. I started to get a lump in my throat & I was really wishing I had someone I knew with me. Other than the brief run-ins with my coaches & a few teammates, I'd been running alone pretty much the whole time. Suddenly I heard someone behind me call my name. I turned around & saw that the 2 women I'd overheard thanking each other were none other than my teammates Beth & Marissa! As soon as I saw them I burst into tears. We gave each other huge hugs & laughed. We all agreed that mile 23 was our lowest point in the race. We rounded the bend & saw the most beautiful sight ever... the Great Highway & better yet... the downward hill! Beth said "as soon as we start to go down, we're going to run!" I said I'd run too, but that I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with them. And down we ran, laughing all the way. It wasn't long before they were ahead of me. I said I'd see them at the finish line. I was alone again but my mood had changed significantly. I was going to do it. I was going to finish!!

(around mile 24)

The further I got down the Great Highway, the more people I saw. At mile 24 I saw my coach, Dan again & he ran with me for a short time. He told me I was doing so great & that he was proud of me. I told him I had a great time & thanked him for everything he'd done for me this whole season. (He was such an awesome coach!)

Not long after I saw Dan, I saw Adrienne. She ended up doing the 1/2 marathon with our coach, Emily who has bone cancer & had finished the race about 2 hours earlier. She ran & talked with me until mile 25, where we stopped to pose for the race photographer. After that, Adrienne took off to find Carmen & I made my way to the finish line.

Adrienne & me - mile 25 (photo courtesy of Brightroom Photography)

Not long after Adrienne left me, I heard someone behind me yell my name. It was Cyndi Purtee! Her son, Johnathan is one of our honored patients & this was her very first marathon. I was SO happy to see her! I'd been thinking of her so much during the race, wondering how she was doing. I gave her a BIG hug. She said I was her "Dread Pirate Roberts". (She's called me that for the last part of the training season.) She said "I've been trying to catch up to you for 25 miles! Every time I'd see you I'd say 'how is she so far ahead? It's inconceivable!!' But I finally did it! I caught up to you!" We agreed we were going to run our hearts out that last mile & cross the finish line together.

The crowd was enormous & kept calling out our names. We smiled & laughed & picked up speed. I could see the finish line, I could hear the announcer calling the runners in, & I could see the line of gorgeous men in tuxedos. I could see the Tiffany boxes!! This was it. I was almost done! I was REALLY almost done!! I heard the announcer call my name, I raised my arms in the air & I screamed with glee as I crossed the finish line! I did it!! I really did it!!

I got my beautiful blue Tiffany box & after 7 hours, 10 minutes, & 25 seconds... I finally stopped. Every part of my body began to scream in pain, but I didn't care. I was done. I had completed the Nike Women's Marathon.

When I turned around, I saw Cyndi & I grabbed her. We hugged & hugged & hugged. I told her how proud I was of her & how proud her son will be of her when he hears how great she did. She thanked me for being her inspiration. She told me that every single week she followed me, trying harder & harder to keep up with me. She said she saw my determination & was inspired. She knew that if I could do this, so could she. I hugged her again & told her again how proud I was of her & how it was an honor to cross the finish line with her. I couldn't have imagined a better ending to our race. :)

Me & Cyndi about to finish (photo courtesy of Brightroom Photography)

Nike Women's Marathon FINISHER!

Here are my splits. Average pace was just over 16 mins/mile. I still can't believe I did it.
1 & 2 - 31:20
3 - 15:54
4 - 13:15 (wow! Don't know what happened here, other than a short downhill section in complete darkness.)
5 - 14:23
6 - 15:59 (at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge so of course I had to stop to take photos!)
7 - 16:05 (the end of the steepest & supposedly hardest hill on the course. Whatever!)
8 - 12:56 (What goes up, must come down. YAY downhill!!)
9 - 15:57 (another very steep hill & I still took it in under 16 minutes, thanks to the help of my coach, Dan who ran up the hill with me.)
10 - 14:46 (again, what goes up, must come down. This includes me stopping to take photos of the ocean.)
11 - 15:06
12 - 15:40
13 - 15:49
14 - 17:08 (this is the 1st time I started to get really tired & cranky)
15 - 15:51
16 - 14:57
17 - 17:38 (this is where I decided to slow down)
18 - 17:05
19 - 18:41
20 - 19:25
21 - 19:37
22 - 17:37
23 - 20:21 (worst part of the race... the lake seemed never-ending & this was mostly uphill. Lake Merced="Lake Cursed")
24 - 16:33 (Yay for downhill! Plus, I could see the ocean again and better yet, the finish line!)
25 - 18:51 (Adrienne & I stopped to pose for photos)
26.2 - 20:01 (I forgot to hit my watch at 26, but it was about 16 minutes)