Safari Park Half Marathon Recap

I ran my 10th half marathon today and I have to say that it was my favorite one so far! The Safari Park Half Marathon had all my favorite elements in it. More on that in a bit.

I didn't really have any expectations for this half. The start of the week totally sucked and my runs on Monday & Tuesday were no bueno. I could barely get a full breath which makes it really hard to run unless you are going really, really slow. But every day got better and better and my 9 mile run yesterday went really well so I was hopeful for today.

I woke up at 3 today since I had a 90 min drive there, had to pick up my race packet, and the race started at 6:30. I kind of regretted that this morning because I only got about 4 hours of sleep but it turned out okay. I got there in plenty of time, got ready, and then met up with Moonkin Running. It was fun to meet another twitter friend. I can't tell you her name or show you her picture because she is another Super Spy. ;) Then we split up to head to our corrals. I got in the corral with the 2:15 pacer which I thought I could do without dying. The plan was to just have fun, not worry about time, and enjoy the run.

The start was full of energy and packed with people which forced me to go out slow. I couldn't have gone faster if I'd wanted too. Which was fine. We headed out and turned on to rural roads that would take us past wineries, dairies (some of the cows even came out to watch us), a horse ranch, and an ostrich farm! It was cool and overcast and the surrounding views were beautiful. At mile 6 we had to climb a steep long hill into the Wild Animal Park. We were all groaning going up it and not just because it was so steep but also because the race people had put up signs with really bad jokes going up them. Like: "How do you know when a rhino is about to charge?...He pulls out his credit card!" and "What do elephant trunks and this hill have in common?...They both suck!". Yeah, they were all bad like that but you had to laugh.

Once we were over the top of the hill, we were in the park and we had a fabulous downhill that wound thru it. I was laughing w/ a couple of the runners about what the animals thought of us crazy humans running by them! We left the park for a little while and some of the keepers were out there with a camel cheering us on. We had one more hill at mile 12 as we went back in the park and then it was all downhill to the finish. I'd lost the 2:15 guy a while back but caught and passed him at this point. I'd had a low energy point around mile 10 but then felt better so picked it up a little at the end.

It was hard to stay focused though, especially when we ran by the elephants and there were baby ones! It was almost torture to keep running and not stop! But I told myself the faster I finished, the sooner I could come back with my camera. You could hear the finish line party for the whole last mile and it was really energizing. The finish was a lot of fun, with the lions to the right and the cheetahs to the left...I found myself speeding up. Be fast or be food, right? ;) I finished in 2:12:35 which I was very happy with. Frankly, I was thinking it would be more like 2:30 because I've been so slow lately. But I did pretty well considering the slow start and the hills. And best of all, I felt great at the end. I probably could have pushed harder but who cares, I had a blast!

I got my medal, grabbed some water, banana, orange, and a bagel and went to sit in front of the cheetah enclosure and watched them while I ate. I swear the cheetahs were licking their chops as they watched us and were pacing back and forth. Later, one of the keepers told me that all the keepers were talking about how much the cheetahs enjoyed watching us. Ha! I bet! :) The medal is very cool, don't you think? I love it.

After that, I went back to my car and got my camera and spent the rest of the day exploring the park. I even splurged a little and did the Photo Caravan tour which is a 2 hour tour on truck that goes into the animal areas so you can get up close and personal with them. You get to feed giraffes and be just a couple of feet away from rhinos. And take pictures galore. A photographer/wild animal lover paradise. Spring is a wonderful time to visit the park with all the babies and the frisky animals. I highly recommend it.

All in all, today was fabulous! A perfect early birthday present to myself. Holy cow, I'm going to be 44 in 13 days! I don't feel old though. I feel like a kid. Especially today. :)

Foxy Half Marathon Recap

I ran the Foxy Half Marathon at Lake Hodges in Rancho Bernardo today. It was the second race in Dirt Devil Racing's Half Marathon Animal Series and it was a lot of fun. I sucked but I enjoyed the run anyway because for once NOTHING hurt. Well, except for the quarter size blister I got on my left foot for some weird reason. But my foot, my groin, and my shoulder all felt really, really good. If only I could say the same for my stomach.

I knew going into this that I wasn't going to "race" it because I hadn't been feeling that great all week and I have been so SLOW on my runs. No speed at all. And then starting on Tuesday, I had some stomach issues. It was a little hot on my run home from work that day and I felt really nauseous after and dinner didn't stick around long. Wednesday I seemed fine but then it happened again on Thursday after my run home from work. So I thought it might be the heat. But then it happened again during lunch at work on Friday and that place is on icebox so it wasn't heat related. On Saturday I woke up feeling just slightly nauseous and decided to go for a run & ride and see how I did. Both actually went really well so I had high hopes it would be okay for today. It was mostly okay but I still have a lingering bleah feeling. Anyway, that's the back story going into this morning's race.

Pre-Race

Rancho Bernardo is about 90 minutes away from me so I woke up at 3:30, ate, got ready, and packed. I headed out at 4:40 so I could be there about 6:15 to pick up my packet. Traffic was non-existent so I made good time. I did have one moment of panic when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw flashing lights but he zipped right by me. I found out why in a few miles because he was doing a break on the freeway. Luckily it didn't last long and I made it there about 6:10. I got my bib and chip and my goodie bag. It had a shirt and a hat in it for the race. I really like the logo. I was SUPPOSED to eat something before the race but I forgot. But it was too late to go back to the car so I hoped the Gu Brew I had in my little bottle would be enough.

The Race
There were 2 waves for the race: the fast people and the snails. I got in the second wave but they were still moving. It was single track at the start and I kept up with the line and went out at a 9:30 pace. I did okay in the first mile but my legs were already noodley and I decided I better back off so I could finish and not blow up. I had no energy going up the hills but only walked a very small portion of them.

It was a pretty interesting course. Some single track, some fire road, road, and bike path, lots of fishermen. Um, but they weren't running. The course took us around a portion of Lake Hodges and even across a cool suspension bridge. Since I wasn't racing, I was able to enjoy the views. It was foggy this morning and it was hanging over the hills and the lake and gave it a very peaceful feeling. Kind of reminded me of Milford Sound. Hey! A girl can dream (it's #2 on my list of dream run vacations behind Scotland). So that and all the birds made for an awesome run. I wish I had stopped to take pictures but I didn't want to get in anyone's way or step off the trail (we were warned repeatedly at the start about watching for rattlesnakes).

The only bad part of the run was that I started getting a blister on my left foot about mile 6. I wore my Peregrines because they are more protective than the WT110s and I wanted my foot to not have a setback. But I haven't worn them in forever and paid the price. :( I thought I might have to stop and take care of it at one of the aid stations but decided to wait and see. Well, I waited til the end. One thing that helped keep running was when we crossed a stream for the second time. The first time I crossed I hopped from rock to rock like everyone else. The second time I stopped and looked at the rocks and looked at the stream and debated whether getting my feet wet would hurt or help. I finally decided to go for it and plunged right in. The water was cold and felt so good! It definitely helped and I was able to finish without stopping. :)

So I just ran along at a steady pace, enjoying the morning, and happy I was going to finish my 9th Half Marathon. Then I was done and I got my medal. I WAS happy to be done but it was a little bittersweet. I wished I could have run it harder. There was a part of me in the beginning that was sad but once I let it go, I really enjoyed the run. I just bought Of Monsters and Men's new album last week and there's a song on the album which fit perfectly for today. It's called Slow and Steady and these are some of the lyrics...

My dear old friend, take me for a spin
two wolves in the dark, running in the wind
I'm letting go, but I've never felt better
passing by all the monsters in my head
I move slow and steady
but I feel like a waterfall...

Here's my medal, front and back. The saying on the back of the medal is also on the back of our shirt. I like the quote a lot. This was a fun race, the volunteers and some of the runners dressed as cats, foxes, and other animals. Everyone was very friendly and the aid stations were great. Bonus...Merrell was one of the sponsors so I got to check out their new trail shoes. I'm not sure how I walked away without buying any. I was in lust. :) Yes, I have a shoe problem! The only downside to Dirt Devil's races is no food at all at the finish. Not even a banana. What's a starving runner got to do to get some food in her! Actually, it was better that I didn't have any food before I drove home. I would have hated to get another speeding ticket because I had to hurry.

I went for a ride when I got home. No soreness at all but I just wanted to spin out my legs a little. All in all, it was a good day. I can't wait for the Cougar Half in June and then Raptor Ridge in October. I've never done a series before. If I lived closer, I'd do their Grand Slam Series too. The first one is the Coyote 5K. What do you think? Should I?

A Hurricane JEM Race Report

I ran A Hurricane JEM 16.5 Mile Trail Run on Saturday, October 15th in Virgin, Utah. It was my first real trail race where I had to follow course markings and there was the possibility of getting lost! I signed up for this race for the adventure, to revisit Utah, and to mark Utah off my list of states I'd run in. As an extra bonus, my family decided to come with me to see me race and keep me company. My sister, nieces, nephew, dad & stepmom all joined me on this trip.

I always planned on having fun with this run but I have to admit that I'd hoped to do well. That all changed on October 1st when I crashed my bike. Suddenly, I wasn't sure I'd be able to even run the race at all. In the crash, I bruised the entire back and side of my left leg. There was a huge lump above my knee from fluid/blood that had settled there. Any jarring of that area was pretty painful and I tried everything to help it heal but according to the doctor, it would just take time. Time, I didn't have! I wanted to run the race, but I didn't want to risk further damage or delay the healing. Finally, on the Thursday before the race, I was able to run 3 miles, slowly and with the area wrapped by a compression sleeve to hold the jarring to a minimum. Jason felt that if I could run another 3 miles on Friday, I could go ahead and run on Saturday. Run though, not race. On Friday, I felt okay to run and I felt better on that run. I had hope that I would be able to finish on Saturday! Woo!

I probably should have stayed off my feet for the rest of the day but we were in Zion and the weather was gorgeous. We took the tram into Zion and did some exploring. We did some of the shorter hikes but nothing too technical or strenuous since my six year old nephew was with us. It was a long, long day day and I was pretty tired at the end and my leg was aching. I had to wrap it at the end but it was worth it. Zion is stunning and the views are soothing and inspiring to the soul. We got back to the hotel around 7 and my family decided to rest, change, and go out to dinner. I stayed in and just had some peanut butter and bagels for dinner so I could put my legs up and rest. I set the alarm for 4:45 and went to bed.

On Saturday, I woke up, ate breakfast, dressed, took care of business, then headed over to the race start to check in and get my bib and bag. Oh, and the map of the course. I guess there had been some confusion last year with a mountain bike race from the week before and some runners got lost. They were worried it would happen again this year so they handed out maps and made sure we knew to follow the orange markings only. I had a gel and hit the porta potty and I was as ready as I could be for this.

They sent us off just before 7:30. I felt pretty good for the first few miles. My leg wasn't hurting much and I was taking it easy. The first half of the race was a steady climb up to the halfway point with small rollers. This is my favorite profile for a run. I passed a few runners on the uphills and by the first aid station at mile 4, I was on my own. There were about 50 runners in all for both the 16.5 and the marathon so it was a small race which meant I wouldn't be able to just follow runners on the course. We were strung out enough that for big chunks of the race, I didn't see any other runners. It was nice and quiet. But if you are one of those runners who needs crowd support, this is not for you. There were a few people out at a couple of the intersections where a dirt road met up with the trail but other than that, it was just the aid station crews cheering us on.
The first half of the race was very nice. I got to watch the sun rise over the valley and it was beautiful. I took a couple of photos and then my phone went wonky and the camera wouldn't work. :( Boo! So I just tried to absorb the views. I was feeling really good when I went thru the 2nd aid station a little after mile 8 (about 90 mins) and had visions of finishing in 3 hours. I decided to have a gel and that's when things went south. I know better to run and do a gel at the same time, especially on the trail but it wasn't a technical section so I thought I would be okay. Wrong!

So…I'm running thru a relatively flat part of the course (on top of a mesa) and it's single track but not a lot of rocks so I decide it's safe for me to eat a Gu without stopping. And BAM! My foot catches on a rock and I start stumbling. I told myself to just fall and get it over with so I don't strain or break anything. I fall and roll and what do you know, I fall on my left side! My injured side. I remember thinking “couldn't you have fallen on the other side” and then I get up and start gathering up my stuff that went flying: my hat, my water bottle, my Gu. Yep, I picked up my Gu and finished it. It was the only one I had and it was another 4 miles to the next aid station. I only had water in my water bottle so I needed the calories. So I ate some dirt, figuratively and literally. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

Next, I took assessment of my body. Sore arm, scraped knee, sore calf. But otherwise, I'm good. I run a few steps and it's not bad so I just keep going. I'm mostly thankful that no one saw me fall! Right after my fall, the trail took a steep turn down from the mesa to the canyon floor and that's when my knee protested. Needless to say, I did this section very, very slowly. Of course, that's where the photographer was so he got plenty of chances to catch me with my new dusty look. And once I was away from him and I thought I was in the clear…there was his daughter taking pictures at the bottom! Why couldn't they have been around a mile earlier when I looked fresh and strong! Sheesh.

The next few miles were mostly easy single track with a few ups and downs. I couldn’t take advantage of the down hills as much as I wanted though because of my knee and a few people caught me. They would ask me if I was okay because they could see from the dirt covering me that I had fallen. One nice gentleman came up behind me and asked me if my shirt came like that or if I’d made the pattern myself. I said it came like that and I was going to tell him about the tribal design on my shirt when he said “I meant the dirt all over your back”. Ha!

When I got to aid station 3, I stopped to get some water to rinse off my hands so I would stop getting dirt and mud on face and in my eyes. Then I grabbed a half a banana and ate it, contemplated cleaning up my knee, decided it could wait, and prepared to head out. But first, I decided to look at my map since I knew that we would be splitting from the marathoners soon and I didn't want to accidentally run a marathon! But there was no map! It must have fallen out of my pocket when I fell. I had about a 10 second anxiety attack and then just started running. The course had been well marked so far so I figured I wouldn't need the map. And if worse, came to worse, I could see from the landmarks in the distance where I needed to go so I knew I’d get out eventually. By this time though, I was getting tired and didn’t relish the prospect of adding miles.

I was on my own for the rest of the race, not a soul except a few lizards and birds. I walked a few of the technical uphills and downhills in the last few miles and I could tell my time for the second half was going to be a lot slower. So I trudged on. I stopped again at aid station 4 (unmanned) to grab some cold water and there were just 2.5 miles left to go and it was all dirt road so I could relax a little. I did get a little sidetracked because I wasn't sure if I supposed to go right or left at a fork in the road. I started out going right (which was the direction I should be going to the finish) but then decided the left was the “right” way (even though it was in the opposite direction). And luckily, I was right! There were a few people cheering at the end of that section so I knew I'd picked the right way.

Now there was just one mile to go. By then, everything was aching: my leg, my arm & shoulder, my lower back. I shuffled on. Then finally, I came to the street the park & the finish were on and saw my sister and my niece waiting for me at the corner. My niece ran with me toward the finish and then I was done! My first trail race. I crossed the line and ran over to where my dad was and he gave me a hug and I just leaned against him to rest. The race director came over to give me my medal and he congratulated me and asked if I'd left any dirt on the trail! Then he had the race photographer come over and take pictures of me (one of the front and one of the left side) so I could be captured in all my trail dirt glory. ;)

I grabbed some food (they had bread, cookies, chips, grilled cheese sandwiches, and root beer floats) and some water and sat to clean up my knee. After a little bit, we went back to the hotel so I could shower and then it was time for lunch (In-N-Out!) and more sightseeing. All in all, a successful, fun-filled family vacation. Can't wait for the next one!

My time was 3 hours and 34 minutes. So the second half did take me a lot longer. It should have been easier but I guess that wasn't in the cards for me. I ended up 9th out of 11 women. Actually, I was kind of hoping I would be last! I've never been last before. It would have been nice. Um, without the fall though. Maybe, just maybe, the trail gods were reminding me that I was supposed to be taking it easy! Sigh.

My medal...

Santa Rosa Marathon Race Report

My 4th Marathon is done. I ran it in Snoopy's home town, Santa Rosa CA, on Sunday in 4:06:18. I'd been hoping to go sub-4 but instead I'll take the 8 minute PR! Here is my recap of the weekend.

Pre-Race
Santa Rosa is 460 miles from where I live. I decided to drive there instead of fly so I only worked half day on Friday to drive up there. I thought I might run into traffic when I got to Oakland so I was going to do the drive in two stages. But I didn't really have any traffic so I drove all the way to Santa Rosa on Friday. 8 hours on the road (two stops). That was a long, long drive.

I got a little lost looking for the hotel and arrived at 8:30. And when I went to check in they said they were having a problem with their key machine. But I eventually got into my room. I was pretty tired.

On Saturday morning, I went to the hotel's cafe for their pancake breakfast. This was probably the only carbo loading I did for the race and I think that came back to bite me on race-day. After that, I went to pick up my race packet. It was a very small expo so I didn't spend much time there at all. Just got my bib, chip, and shirt and then talked to Marshall Ullrich for a little bit (he signed his book for me!). I think I was out of there in 20 minutes. After that, I got a pedicure (green toes!), had a sandwich for lunch, and then went back to the hotel and made like a spud.

I was still tired on Saturday night and I fell asleep around 8:30. But then some party revelers returned to the room next door to me at 1 am and I couldn't go back to sleep. I tried just resting my eyes and I think I got about another 45 minutes of sleep because the alarm woke me at 4 am.

Race Morning
So, I woke up at 4 and had a banana, 2 mini bagels, and 20 oz of Gu Brew. I could tell I was nervous because my stomach was a little upset but it soon settled down. I got my food and drink ready for the race, packed a bag for after, and then got dressed. Then I listened to some Daft Punk and Austra while I studied the course map and waited til it was time to leave. At 5:30, I headed over to the race start which was only a few miles away. I drank another 12 ounces of water on the way.

When I got there, I went into the Church of One Tree (The church was built using just one redwood tree! It's pretty small but it still must have been a big tree!) where the 5K registration was to wait and use the restroom. After that, I downed a Gu and had one last gulp of water, did a short warm-up, and it was time to head to the start line! I got into the section for 9 min miles and waited. I wasn't nervous at the start and spent most of my time looking at the shoes everyone was wearing. I didn't see any barefoot runners or minimalist shoes which I thought was weird. I thought about that later during the marathon.

The Race
The gun went off at 7 sharp and we were off! The start was narrow to string us out because the river trail was pretty narrow so it was a little crowded. This kept me from going out too fast and my first mile was 9:01, a little faster than the 9:08 planned but not too much. I thought I did pretty good.

The course was a double out and back along the river and it was really pretty and quiet. There wasn't a lot of people along the route cheering but I kind of liked it that way. Once again, I was surprised by how many people ran with headphones so I didn't really get to talk to anyone. The miles passed pretty quickly. Just me and my thoughts and the scenery - river, trees, vineyards, fields with horses. Plenty to keep me occupied. :) The only thing I didn't like about it was that half of the course was dirt and a little uneven in places. I only tripped once though. Which is good for me. Anyway, part of the trail was gravely and I figured that might be why I didn't see any barefooters or VFFers running.

Soon enough, I was at the turnaround (6.5 miles). My Garmin was beeping a little earlier than the mile markers (about .10 of a mile) and I realized I wasn't doing a good job of running the tangents. Darn it. After that, I really tried to run them but the path was winding and it was hard. I didn't lose much more distance getting back to the start for the halfway point so I was at least doing better. I realized that with the extra distance I'd run, I would be cutting it close to 4 hours but at the time I was feeling pretty good and had visions of picking up the pace for the last few miles (ha!). When I got to the turnaround at 19.6, I was .16 miles ahead of the mile markers so I'd lost a little bit to the tangents again but at least not as much.

I was still feeling good all the way thru mile 21 and I'd averaged 9:08 for all those miles and then bam!... I started slowing. :( Mile 22 was 9:24, mile 23 was 9:42, mile 24 was 9:57, and mile 25 was 9:59! I don't know what the last mile and change was because my Garmin lost the satellite during the last mile! But it was probably around 10:20, I think. Those miles felt a lot slower than the actual pace and it was so frustrating! I kept telling myself to pick up the pace but my legs chose to ignore me and do their own thing. I mean, come on! Who's the boss here? Apparently, not me.

The one bright spot during that time was Dan from Sacramento. We were running about the same pace and I was a little behind him. The back of his shirt said "Why do you run marathons?" so as I came up to him during mile 20, I told him "I run marathons for pancakes". He laughed and we started talking. We ran together until the last couple miles and he pulled me along. He asked me what my goal was and I told him 4 hours and he said he would help me and he kept giving me encouragement and pushing me. He kept me from walking and slowing down even more. Finally, I told him to go ahead since he was doing better than I was but I kept him in my sights and that helped keep me running and lessened the disappointment once I saw I wasn't going to hit 4. He finished about 1 1/2 minutes ahead of me and met me at the finish line. I am so grateful for his encouragement out there. Thank you Dan! I wish I'd remembered to thank you when I saw you at the finish. (bad Lisa!)

The Finish and Beyond
This marathon definitely hurt more than the Lost Dutchman in February. I was hot, covered with salt, and my legs were super tight. When I crossed the finish line, I was more concerned about getting water than my medal (pretty cool though, eh?) and I had to keep moving because both hamstrings and calves were trying to cramp. But I also really needed to sit and rest so I was just wandering around trying to decide what to do. Finally, I just stretched out in the grass and drank lots of water. When I felt I could get up without my legs cramping, I made my way over to the pancakes and wolfed 'em down. Hey, a girl's got to have her priorities! Let me tell you, they tasted delicious. I could have eaten another one but I thought I better let that settle. So I went over to the results to see my official time since my Garmin had gone bonkers. 4:06:18. An 8 minute PR! Frankly, I wasn't even sure if I was going to get that! But I did it. I finished my 4th marathon and got a PR out of it. :) Thank God, I didn't walk. Thank God for Dan!

After getting my results, I walked back to my car but I didn't think it would be wise to drive yet. Instead, I grabbed my gear bag and went into the mall (where the race parking was), changed, did a little shopping, and got a Turkey & Avocado sandwich,pretzels, and a peanut butter cookie. I sometimes have trouble keeping food in after a long run so again I didn't want to eat too much. My celebratory meal would have to wait until dinner.

Once I ate, I felt like a normal human being again and that I would be able to drive back to the hotel. So I went back to the hotel to put my feet up for a little bit. But only a tiny little bit because I wanted to go to the Charles Schulz Museum and Sunday afternoon was my only chance. Luckily, it's not too big and wasn't too far away. There's no way I could go to Santa Rosa and not go there! Have I mentioned that my nickname is Snoopy? And that I have Snoopy tattoo (pic on the right) on my ankle? I'm glad I went. Although my wallet may not be because well, I bought a few souvenirs. Okay, more than a few. ;)

I went back to the hotel and then went over to Applebee's for my celebratory dinner. I had tortilla soup, steak, garlic mashed potatoes, veggies, and a hot fudge sundae! I made sure I wore my medal so if anyone saw me chowing down, they'd know I earned it!

And then my adventure was over and I drove home yesterday. My legs were still stiff so I went for a ride when I got home and then got a massage later. Both helped. I actually felt pretty good. Not tired or drained so I think I'm recovering pretty well. My left foot hurt a little on the outside and my left knee was a little sore from the trail being concatenated, I think. Also, my arms/shoulders were sore which is weird. Never had that before. At least, I don't think. I guess it has been long enough since the last one to forget how much it hurts! ;)

Overall, I would say this was a successful trip. I ran a marathon along a beautiful river, visited Snoopy's home town, met some great people, and got an 8 minute PR! What more could a girl ask for?

P.S. I'll post a Random Thoughts blog tomorrow about the Santa Rosa and it will have my thoughts on what I think went wrong. Because I still think I had a 4 hr marathon in me. It just wasn't meant to be at the Santa Rosa Marathon.