Mt. Shasta

Hiking Mt. Shasta is something I never thought I would do twice. To quote myself the last time I did it: "Sometimes I wonder why people, myself included, subject themselves to such pain and misery". 

It started off pretty ominously. 

The problem with this is that we are hiking up a hill with a 40+ lb pack on our backs...above the tree line. This means there is no shade, so a high of 99 is BRUTAL. To top that off, part of the hike is through snow and the last time we did this, the reflection of the sun off the snow gave me a wicked sunburn on my lips and under my chin. And the last time we hiked it, it even snowed a little! So this was going to be hard. 

6,915 ft* / 0 miles / Bunny Flat: The hike starts just above Shasta City at the Bunny Flat trailhead. After grabbing our poo bags, we started up the trail. Oh, you want to know what I mean by "poo bags"? Let's just say that you have to carry EVERYTHING out; nothing can be left behind. Need I say more? My mom joined us for the first two miles, which ends at Horse Camp. 

Ready to go

7,898 ft / 2 miles / Horse Camp:  Horse camp is the first place you can camp, if you like, and is the last place to get running water. At Horse Camp there is a natural spring where the water comes right from the ground and you can fill up to your heart's content. It is delicious. After this, all water will be from melted snow. Horse Camp is also the last place with a real toilet. After this, business will NOT be as usual. At Horse Camp, we filled up with water, used the facilities, ate a Snickers bar (man, I have not had one of those in a long time!) and said goodbye to Mom. 

Below Standstill Hill

10,430 ft / 4 miles / Helen Lake: From there, it is a semi-flat slog for about .75 miles on a rock path called the Olberman Causeway, which is named after one of the caretakers, who made a 950 yard long rock path from Horse Camp to the bottom of the steep hill. Once we crossed the causeway, the hill went up and was mostly scree, which is a bunch of loose rocks, and is really hard to hike/climb because it's very slippery. After the scree hill came a snowy one, aptly named Standstill Hill, as you are starting to feel the elevation, plus you can only take one tiny step at a time so that you don't fall. 

Helen Lake: Trying to stay out of the sun.

At the top of Standstill hill is Helen Lake, which is where we camped the first night. It's good to camp at a higher elevation in order to get acclimated for the next day. However, we arrived pretty early, as we had started pretty early in the morning in order to avoid the sun. We got our camp set up and then pretty much ate and stayed in the tent reading and talking in order to stay out of the sun. Unfortunately, it is summer and the sun stays out late! It finally went over the mountain around 7, so we had dinner and then went to bed. 

The next morning we got up at 2, ate breakfast and started up the hill. It's best to start early for a few reasons. First, you want the snow to be icy. This facilitates crampon use as well as helping you to get down the mountain later, which you do by sliding on your butt. If it is too slushy, you will not slide very well and you will get really wet to boot. Also, it's hot during the day; you want to minimize the time you spend in the sun as much as you can.

12,555 ft / 5.5 miles / Red Banks: The first mile and a half was done in the dark and was hard. It took us about an three hours, including breaks, and we gained about 2,000 ft in elevation. We were wearing winter clothes and I was sweating inside my coat but it was too cold to take it off. The going was slow. The hill was straight up. It was icy and walking with crampons up a 45 degree angle (est) is hard. In this period, we passed the Heart and got to the bottom of the Red Banks. 

13,773 ft / 6.25 miles / Misery Hill: An hour and 45 minutes later, we reached the top of Misery hill. To get there, we had to go through a chute in the Red Banks. Usually you can walk around the Red Banks, which means more mileage, but it's less steep. However, it does include a hill termed Heart Attack Hill, which we avoided by going straight up the chute. However, the chute was a heart attack and a stroke, so we didn't really get off easy. The chute made Misery Hill, which is usually deadly, seem pretty tame. We took a break between the chute and Misery Hill and at this point the altitude was definitely affecting us. Also, the sun was out and it was strong. I was pretty ready to be done, but knowing that I only had about 1,000 ft left (from the bottom of Misery) kept me going. I was not about to quit now! 

Bottom of Misery Hill: Starting to feel it.

14,129 ft / 7 miles / The Summit: Like a marathon, the last little bit was the hardest. There were rocks, which are no good with crampons on, and I had a headache that wouldn't quit. Also, altitude makes you feel like such a weakling! My whole body was unresponsive and my brain was dysfunctional. I wasn't hungry, which really made me realize that the altitude was affecting me, because we had just hiked for five hours and I should be famished. I was pretty happy to make it to the summit. Once we got there, We we didn't hang out long; we took the obligatory photos and got the heck out of there. At this point, it was about 8 a.m.

It's amazing; as soon as you start to head downhill, you start to feel better. It's like immediate relief. We headed down a few feet, ate a snack and then hiked back down Misery Hill and through the Red Rock chute (which was NOT any easier going down). This is where the fun began. We took off our crampons and got our ice axe at the ready and glissaded down the snow on our butts. The same part that took us about an hour and a half to climb up took us about 15 minutes to slide down. 

We finished our slide at Helen Lake, where we broke camp and boiled a little more snow for water before heading back down to Horse Camp. We didn't really have enough water, which was really stupid on our part. We had boiled a bunch the night before, but we ended up drinking more than expected during the night and so we didn't have enough left in camp for the last leg down. So we made pretty good time down to Horse Camp because we were jonesing for that natural spring water! 

We got back to Bunny Flat at 2 p.m. I was hot and tired and thirsty! We went back to the hotel and took a shower and tried really hard not to fall asleep before dinner (it didn't work). We finally went to dinner where I drank a bunch of beverages and ate like a horse before going back home and going to bed around 7 p.m. 

Verdict? Things we did well: We brought the perfect amount of food. At first I was worried it wasn't enough, but the second day with the high altitude really doesn't warrant a lot of food. We ended up having some left over but not a whole lot. Starting early is a great idea, although it does leave a lot of time in camp the first day. Things I would do differently: Boil more water! Bring a tarp or something to make shade during the day. As much as I like to make fun of them, those ski pole walking sticks would probably be pretty handy. 

We actually saw a few people who did it all in one day. They started at Bunny Flat around 10 pm and hiked up to the summit and back in one day and got back around the same time (or earlier) than we did. I think this may be better due to the fact that you are not carrying your tent etc with you, so your load is much lighter. However, knowing how tired I was on Sunday after four miles less (and 4,000 ft gain less) than them, I am not sure I would be able to do it in one go.

*All elevations shown are from my / Broski's Garmin recordings. 

Have you ever done a multi-day hiking trip? Have you ever been so tired you went to bed at 7 p.m.? What's the earliest you've gotten up in the morning for an event?

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Shadow of the Giants 50k

As part of the training for the What's Beautiful Challenge, which is to run a 50 miler, I also signed up for a few 50k races. One of them was kind of an impromptu race near Yosemite. A couple of friends were doing it and I decided to join them for some fun in the Sierras. I grew up in the Sierras but it was roughly about 300 miles north of where this race was. However, the scenery is very similar in many cases. Evergreen trees, granite and clear mountain streams are the norm.

I drove to Fish Camp on Friday evening, which is where the race started. We won't even talk about the drive right now, as it was full of heat and traffic and wrong turns. Actually, I will talk about the heat a little. The thermometer in the car read 113 at one point. The car did not have A/C. I drank a ton of water. The end.

The race director Baz was a crazy really nice English (I think) guy who dropped the F bomb a lot. With your race entry (for a mere 15 dollars extra) you could stay in the dorms at a kids summer camp up in the mountains. Count me in! I arrived late and crept into the nearest empty bunk.

The next morning there was coffee and muffins and we all got our bibs on and got ready to go. The race started at 7 and it was probably about 55 or 60 degrees at this point. The starting elevation was about 5,000 feet. Baz made some jokes and dropped the F bomb a few times and then we were off! And it was straight uphill. I know, I know, if you got a quarter every time I said "and it was straight uphill" you would at least have $1.75 by now! Well it was...straight up.

For about two miles. In this time, my heart was beating like a tom tom. Seriously, it was going to beat out of my chest. My normal average HR is in the 130s. This was in the 150s! It was going crazy. I know it was probably mostly due to the elevation, because that can make a huge difference, but also it was dusty and it was already heating up (or maybe it was my imagination) and I don't know if I had gotten enough water in me the day before.

This reminds me of home

The trail went back down and then we did a little out and back so we could see who was in front of us. There were two girls ahead of me. At this point I was running with my friend and we were trying to guess the ages of the girls to see if they were in our age group or not. Shortly after that, I ditched my friend (on the downhill! She beats me on the ups every time and then I pass her on the down) and headed off on my own.

Now when I say on my own, I mean it. I was alone a lot. Except for one girl in a maroon shirt who was keeping just a safe enough distance behind me that I was taking it easy because I didn't always see her back there.We had a water crossing, which was my first, and then she caught up to me at the next aid station and passed me. Then she stopped to pee and I passed her. Sweet.

Next up was a really cool single track section that went through groves of Giant Sequoias. It was awesome. Then I got to the mile 20 aid station where there was a one mile loop through another grove, plus the volunteers filled up your pack and let you do the loop without it so when you got back you had icy cold water waiting for you. Thank you volunteers! As I left that aid station, the girl in the maroon shirt passed me again and then..

I hit a wall. I had no fight left in me.

I blame several things. 1. I was not hungry. At all. I don't know if it was the heat or what, but at the first aid station I grabbed a banana, took one bite and spit it out because it was not good. So I didn't really eat. For the entire race at this point I had maybe a quarter of an orange, 2 gummy chews, 3 pretzels and a bite of banana. Which is not good. We need fuel to move! 2. The heat. Can you say Sluggish? It was about 96 degrees. 3. The elevation. It affected me more than I thought it would.

The hill at this point was an uphill but it was oh so gradual, but nevertheless, it was killing me. I stopped to walk a bit and seriously considered walking the rest of the way. I was calculating in my heat addled brain how long it would take me if I walked. Somehow I came up with a possible 2 - 3 hours. The only reason I started running again was because I wanted to get it over with and 2 -3 hours more was way too much time to be out there.

At the top of the gradual hill (600 feet in about 2.5 miles) there was an aid station. It was like this:

source

Except they didn't berate me; they gave me food. Food, glorious food. This is the only time I eat Ruffles potato chips and man are they good!

And then it really was all down hill from there! Except for the fact that I fell (again. Oops) and scraped up my knee and hand (again), I felt a lot better after the food and during the down hill. I made it to the finish in one piece and went and soaked in the icy cold creek with a cold beer.

The Finish Line

The Verdict? The girl in the maroon shirt beat me by 5 minutes. I finished in 5:04 and change and was the 5th girl overall (I never saw the extra one, I guess) and 2nd in my age group. The kicker? Maroon shirt girl was in my age group. I have to learn to beat those 30 somethings! Young whippersnappers! However, it was a PR for me all the same. But I would have loved seeing a 4: something...

Total elevation gain: 4,078

Would I do this race again? Sure, why not. But next time I would hydrate more the day before and I would plan out my fuel intake a little bit better. And maybe train at a level besides sea level.

Have you ever been affected by the altitude? Or lack of food? Have you ever been to the Sierra Nevada mountains?

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Recovery Mode

If you have ever had a big event, you know how it feels when it's over. You feel a little lost, a tad adrift, a bit confused. You don't know what to do with yourself. Due to the weeks I spent training for the marathon, this is kind of where I am right now. Couple that with the events that happened in Boston after the marathon and it is definitely a strange mental state overall.

I read in Runners World, and I mentioned it after my first marathon, that you are supposed to "rest" for the same amount of days as miles that you ran for your race. For me, this would be 26 days, or approximately one month. They say that for the first couple weeks of your break, drop mileage to zero and do light cross training instead. For the next three to six weeks, add running back in slowly: For two weeks, run 25% of pre-break mileage; for two weeks run 50%; the last two weeks, run 75%.

Hm.

This really is counterproductive to having a positive mental state. Most people who are runners RUN when they are feeling sad/angry/tired/scared/stressed. I am no different. My daily run makes me feel strong, makes me feel happier, and takes away the cares of the day.

So I did not take the advice of the good people of RW. I would have gone crazy. I already tapered, which was horrible, but they can't take away my after marathon run therapy! 

First of all, I had already signed up for the Ohlone 50k, which is May 19th. There are roughly 5 weeks (4 weekends) between the two races. I guess I was feeling kind of post race blues before the marathon even happened, because I also signed up for the Squamish 50k and the Marine Corp Marathon. It's like retail therapy, but better!

So, what's the recovery plan? Well, it's hard to figure out how to work it when I have a 50k in three weeks. So I decided to do a four weekend training plan, consisting of one easy weekend, one little bit harder weekend, one high mileage weekend and one easy weekend, and then race weekend.

Week 1: April 15 - April 21: Boston Marathon / weekend trail runs (easy)
Week 2: April 22 - April 28: easy week / weekend trail runs (med)
Week 3: April 29 - May 05: med week / weekend trail runs (long)
Week 4: May 06 - May 12: easy week / weekend trail runs (easy)
Week 5: May 13 - May 19: easy week / Race weekend

After weekend one, I was pretty tired. My legs were pretty sore, plus I followed short Saturday and Sunday runs with a two hour hike up a steep hill and the Monday BostonStrongSF run, so I took Tuesday and Wednesday of the next week completely off. (TOTAL = 41 miles (including the marathon) / 5 hours, 53 mins)

After weekend two, I feel good. My legs are definitely not back to normal, but I did do one shorter test run where I was able to keep the pace under an 8 minute mile, so they are not totally dead. (TOTAL = 45 miles / 7 hours, 40 mins)

Next weekend is the big mileage weekend. I hope my legs are up for the challenge. I know my mind is.

How do you deal with the comedown from a big event?  Do you have a long recovery time after a big race? What is the closest time period you have had two big races together?

Want more? 
**Check out Laura's take on the Post Race Blues.
**Head over to Fitness Friday at Jill's for some more fitness advice and info!

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Panic Station

Today I had one of those "oh s**t" moments, where I thought that the Boston Marathon was next weekend and I was worried that I hadn't even picked out my throwaway sweatshirt yet. I also haven't ordered another pouch for my running belt (my current one is falling apart). I thought, "darn it, now I am going to have to pay for two day shipping on Amazon".

Then I realized, not only is the marathon not next weekend, it's not even the weekend after that OR the one after that. It's three weeks and three days away. Cue the panic.

I like to plan ahead. I lay out all my clothes and things a week beforehand and check them off my list (literally). Then I check to make sure I did not miss anything on the list. Then I check my bag again. I have found that this saves me running around at the last minute wondering what I have forgotten. It also saves me forgetting things like my toothbrush or my contacts. I hate feeling unprepared. I hate it. I feel a lot better when I have a nice tidy list and everything is all checked off.

However, I have this feeling that I am forgetting something, that I will forget something, or that I haven't trained enough (cue the laughter from all my non running work friends who think I am crazy when I run 6 miles even!). I know, its the taper madness, but really? I am not even done with my high mileage week yet! However, this week does mark the end of the high mileage. This week is my highest yet, and then comes the dreaded taper.

What will I do with myself when I am not running for several dozen  hours a week? Maybe I will take up the harp, or actually read a book this month. Probably I will spend more time at the gym, and by the time taper is over, my arms will look like this. You know, since I am supposed to be resting my legs.

source

**title inspired by this song

Is anyone you know running the Boston Marathon? Are you running the Boston Marathon? 

When you are leaving for a trip, do you pack beforehand? Have you ever felt like you are unprepared for something even when you were actually ready?

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2nd Saratoga Fat Ass

It's a big secret. It's a "race" that doesn't have a website, that you don't pay for, and that doesn't have a start time. You have no idea who is running it or if you are going the right way. It's promoted by word of mouth.

My friend D, who I met when I volunteered for the Oholone 50k last year, invited me to run this with him. He is part of a running club in the San Jose area, and they do runs together quite often. The ultra running community really is quite small. You see a lot of the same people at the runs and races and often the same two guys are at the top of the results. This guy and this guy are the ones to beat (moral of the story: fast people have blogs?).

A few days before the run, D told me that he hurt his knee and that he wasn't going to make it. The area where the run was was one that I hadn't run before and I was a little wary of trying to negotiate the turns by myself. So I asked D if he knew anyone I could hook up with for the run. He suggested his friend L and soon she and I had arranged a meeting the next morning at 7. There weren't any other runners there when we started, but we knew a lot of them were planning on starting at 8.

We started off and I have to admit, she ran slower than I usually do. However, it made it so the run was not stressful. I never felt any twinges or pain or worries that I was overdoing it. The plan was to do three 10 mile loops, each which started and ended at the parking lot where the car was. This was a great way to not have to carry so much stuff because we could stop and refuel / refill every 10 miles. I have only run one 50k before, but it took me a little over 5 hours, so I figured this would be the same.

We saw several of the other runners along the way. One of them even took our picture!

Thanks Jean!

After the second loop, it was later than anticipated, so I ran a bit of the third loop with L and then turned around and went back to the car. All in all, I completed 24 miles in 5:02:36, for a pace of about 13 minutes per mile. There were some beautiful views along the way and I can't wait to come back to this area for another run!

I felt great the next day, which just goes to show that slow and steady is the way to go! The best thing is that I made a new friend (thanks L!) and had a great time running around in the woods, as usual!

Have you ever done an "unofficial" race? Have you ever met up with a stranger for an event and ended up getting along great? Or badly?

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Golden Gate Trail 30k

Remember the last half? The one where I fell? Well I guess I hadn't had enough because I went back to the scene of the crime for more, but this time, I decided to tackle the 30k. This was my first 30k and I wasn't sure how it would go. I have been running long runs of 20 miles, but they were on flat ground and this was going to be quite hilly. Here is the elevation profile.

According to the Coastal website, this would be approximately 4000 ft of elevation gain. I have run Coastal races before and have always liked them. They are in gorgeous places, the courses are varying, the snacks are great and the staff, volunteers and other runners are all very friendly. The usual players were in attendance: Broski and my friend TJ, who is one of my long run buddies but hasn't really done a lot of trail running. TJ and I ran the 30k and Broski ran the half.

The race started here, at Rodeo Beach:

It was a nice clear and crisp day and the course, as you can see from the above map, started off by going straight uphill. And then straight down to the aid station. And then straight up. That's the thing about these trail races; it is very uncommon to have many flat areas. This one was no different.

The cool thing about the course is that it goes through scrubby coastal areas, and then through Eucalyptus groves and then through open fields. There are views of the other hills, of the bay, the ocean, the city and the Golden Gate bridge. The entire time there is a nice fresh, cooling sea breeze. It was great. TJ and I basically chatted the entire time, just like we do on our long runs, and the run went by in a flash. At the end we ran it out although I have to admit, the quads were a bit tired.

We finished in 3:11:23. We got number 22 and 23 out of 100 runners for the 30k. Broski got 2:08, which was almost as good as his FLAT half marathon PR!! He is much faster without me (last time we got around a 2:30). He got #57 out of 232! He said he only walked once or twice. Go Broski!

All in all it was a great run on a beautiful day and I would return to THAT scene of the crime again in a heartbeat. 

What did you do on Sunday? Have you ever run a race with a friend? Do you like running hills?

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2013 Race Calendar

Last year I challenged myself to run 12 half marathons in 2012, thanks to Jill and her inspiration and enthusiasm. I had a great time planning the races, meeting new people, going new places and challenging myself to do something new and fun. I learned a lot about running and along the way, a lot about myself. For instance: Although going commando is fun, I still prefer to wear undies when I run. I learned that I am much faster than I thought I ever could be. I learned the difference between an easy conversational pace and an almost puking pace and everything in between. I ran more miles than I ever have before.

2012 miles run - 1,682 miles.
Highest mileage month - July,  205 miles.
Longest race - 50k
Fastest race - 5k, 21:49

So what does 2013 have in store?

1. I will once again be joining Jill for a running challenge. This year it's 13 in 2013, but instead of all half marathons, it will be a mix of any race length, both trail and road.

2. Jill is also hosting several  virtual races this year.

3. Laura is doing a race series called 5 By The 5th, where you run either a 5k or a 5 mile race (virtual or otherwise) before the 5th of each month from January to June. I already ran my January race and am looking forward to all the rest!

For me it's better to have something to look forward to or to strive for. So challenges like these are a great way to challenge myself to try harder, to run faster, and to beat my own time. I am also really enjoying running with Broski and seeing him improve. I have another friend who wants to run a half marathon and am excited about joining her on her journey as well.

And of course there is this:

I am currently in week 5 of training and despite a little hiccup last week (which is a story for another time) the training is going well! I also just bought my flight last night so it's getting more and more real each day!

How do you plan to stay on track, fitness-wise, in 2013? Do you have any races planned?

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The Last Half

Last week I asked my brother if he would want to run one last race with me in 2012. It was a trail race and there were four options: 8k, Half Marathon, 30k or 50k. I was going to run the 30k and assumed he would want to run the 8k, since it was a pretty steep race and I figured he would want to take it kind of easy for his first trail race.

He chose the half marathon. So we did it together.

It was good! It started off in Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands and the first mile was a half mile out and back on a road. We missed the turn and followed some other runners, so ended up running about an extra half mile right at the get go. Then it started uphill.

For the next two miles, we climbed about 700 feet. Broski wanted to run the hills, but I was trying to be the voice of reason and remind him that we sill had a long way to go!

Once we got to mile four, the trail went downhill again by about 500 feet, where we stopped for some snacks. Broski had to lube up and luckily in most trail races they have everything you need at the aid stations! We ate a few pretzles and a swig of coke and then it was back uphill for another 700 feet. We walked it and were passed by quite a few people at this point.

At the next aid station, which was at mile 10, Broski admitted to being pretty tired in the legs and said he "hoped there were no more uphills or steep downhills!" Luckily there weren't. From there it was a pretty steady decline to the end.

About a tenth of a mile from the end, I was enjoying the view while running down a small hill and I tripped on a rock and fell, scraping up my hands and knee pretty bad. Luckily only a couple of people saw me! Because that is what really matters...

We finished in 2:37 with smiles on our faces. Okay that was a lie. I had a grimace because I had rocks and dirt stuck in my knee and I was bleeding everywhere. Broski had a grimace because his legs felt like rubber rocks and he just wanted this to be over with.

So now my brother will probably never run with me again.

Total Elevation Gain: 2,200 ft
Average pace: 11:19
Kicking your brother's a**: Timeless

Have you ever run a trail race with a significant elevation gain? What is the hardest race you have ever run? Have you ever fallen down and skinned your knee (as an adult)?

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I am a Beast

For the number 12 race in the 2012 Challenge, I accidentally competed in the Spartan race in Sacramento. Okay, it wasn't an accident. However, I was always one of those people who kind of poo-poohed obstacle races, mud races and the like. But when my friend said that we could get a group rate of 13 dollars each (rather than the $150 they were going for), I signed up. I figured that if I didn't go, it was only $13 dollars.

The day before, it started pouring. Severe wind warnings were in effect. The girls I was going with were shooting emails and texts back and forth: should we cancel? It was supposed to rain all day. And be cold. Plus we had to drive to a place near Sacramento, which was about 2 hours away. Our race started at 8:30. Maybe we should just cancel.

It's funny how much less you care about a race when you pay $13 instead of $150.

However, I told them that I was still in if they were still in. I am a Beast. A little rain cannot get me down. The next morning we left at 5:30 in the morning. It was raining. One girl dropped out. Typical girls, we stopped to pee, and to get coffee, and to get gas. But we made it. It was raining. We stripped down to barely anything and got our numbers and peed again and got into the crowd at the start. Did I mention it was raining?

Then we were off! This was not supposed to be a mud run; it was supposed to be an obstacle run. But due to the heavy rains the night before, it was a muddy, wet mess. Even if this race were only to complete a half marathon through a muddy field, it would have been tiring. Add 2 obstacles per mile (or something like that) and a lot of burpees and you end up one tired pup.

The easiest obstacles for me were the balancing ones. The hardest was the 8 foot wall. The worst was crawling under barbed wire on your elbows and knees through rocky poop filled mud.

The first obstacle was a series of three water pits, ensuring that even if it weren't raining, you would be wet the entire time. The last was a rope climb, fire and gladiator combo that I barely remember because I was SO DARN HUNGRY.

The race took us 3 hours and 25 minutes. This was #1 out of 169 in my age, #11 out of 812 for gender and #220 out of 2967 overall (this means there were over three times as many men as women). The fastest person finished in 1:38. That is 7:33 pace WITH obstacles!

Afterward, we got naked in the parking lot (literally) and tried unsuccessfully to get most of the mud off of us and then went and ate a huge burrito and had a nice cold beer.

Because I am a beast. And beasts like burritos.

Have you ever completed an obstacle race? If not, would you? Do you still do things even when weather gets in the way? 

Don't forget to stop by Jills for Fitness Friday!

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You Are What You Eat

I track my food. I don't do it because I am on some wild diet fad; I do it because I am a number cruncher. I love spreadsheets and lists and comparing how one day or week or year compares to another. I like knowing if I am eating too much sodium or not enough vegetables. I think it's fun! I have been tracking my food pretty religiously for about a year and a half (before that it was only on and off) using Lose It and it has shown me some interesting things.

First of all, I don't eat out very often, but when I do, it makes it harder to track food. You have no idea what is being put into the dishes that you are eating. There is a reason their polenta tastes different (dare I say better?) than mine. That reason is...BUTTER. The same goes for things like pre-sweetened yogurt and pre-made tomato sauce and canned beans. There is salt and sugar and goodness only knows what in there. So, what my point was going toward was that tracking has made me more aware of how much better it is to eat a REAL piece of fruit rather than a canned one, or to make my own tomato sauce rather than dumping a jar in a pan.

So, back to the statistics. On Lose It, you can make some graphs and pull up some numbers and this is where it begins to get fun. For instance, I pulled up my most logged items for the past six months. Here is what items were on the top of the list.

Hearty oats is a mix of oats, chia, flax, almond milk and raisins. I got tired of entering each one separately, so I made it into a recipe. The same goes for cabbage salad, which includes the dressing. There are a few problems. For instance, it says I ate 48 peaches. This is actually 48 peaches. However, for strawberries, it is cups not actual berries. And bananas is actually one banana, not a cup of bananas. I wish that it were more standardized.

Or yogurt, for instance...The number 67 indicates the number of times that I HAD yogurt. I may have had a cup; I may have had a 1/4 cup. You never know. However, I do like that the top items are all real foods! I have to be honest with you though, coffee was actually my number one item, since I have it almost every day!

The other thing I found interesting was the breakdown of where my calories are coming from. Although now that I compare it with the above list, I am not really surprised.

Apparently I snack a lot. I do put fruit in the "snack" category a lot of the time, so you can see why snacking wins over meals pretty easily! Besides fruit, I often snack on yogurt (with fruit), nuts and Craisins (so the list on top is consistent with the graph below!). My carbs are also high, which is mostly due to the fruit, and the sugar that comes from my new favorite snack, the dried young coconut.

FYI: The American Heart Association recommends: less than 1500 mg sodium per day / 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times a week / 4-5 cups of fruit and veggies per day / 200-300 mg cholesterol per day (or less). 

So, if the title of my post is correct, I guess I am a big blob of oatmeal. With little chicken legs.

Are you running the CIM? For tips, check out my guest post over at Terzah's!! And don't forget to stop by Jills for more Fitness (and food) related posts!

Do you track your food? Do you know how much sodium you are getting each day? What do you think your most eaten foods would be if you had a top 10 list?

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Wine Country Half Marathon

Remember I said that the Broski was talking about running another half? Let me tell you why. When we decided to run the Cloverdale Half, we did it only because the race we wanted, The Wine Country Half, was full already. It wasn't heartbreaking or a difficult decision; it was quick and easy to pick a different harvest related race, since Broski works in the wine country and so not only does this mean it is fun to do it on his home turf, but secondly, he is also busy with harvest and so it makes sense to do something closer to him at this time.

So we ran the Cloverdale Half as planned. The next day, Broski's friend Dave, who owns a winery in the area, said that he was running his first half and had put together a team for his winery and still had a couple of spots open. So, in the typical crazy runner fashion, Broski and I decided to fill the empty slots.

First of all, let me say that Dave ROCKED his first half! He finished in under 2 hours! We ran together for most of the time and it was great to get to know him and to be a part of his first big race! Second, I must mention how much I love hanging out with Broski and the Lady Friend. I always go up and stay the night and we have great times cooking, eating, drinking and hanging out.

Unfortunately, this time, Broski was nursing a cold and a fever, so he ate and went to bed early to try to be at his best for the next day. Lady Friend and I stayed up and shot the breeze for a little while. We solved the world's problems, planned a trip to Vegas and decided that we are going to create our own Thanksmas Holiday where we don't have to fight the crowds on our special day. It's sure is nice to know people who make wine, let me tell you. I had to sample the wine from the winery that I would be running for the next day!

The race couldn't have been better. The weather was perfect at the beginning. The course started off in Geyserville with a huge hill, which really separated the men from the boys right from the get go! It then meandered around with some twists and turns and ups and downs, much of it through the vineyards, which are beautiful and all fall colored!

We all ran together until mile 9, when Broski's fever/cold started to catch up to him. By this time, he must have drank 40 oz of water, and it was starting to get hotter. Plus the shirts that Dave gave us to wear were cotton and black and they were hot! We both took off our shirts and kept plugging on, but we had to do some walk breaks up the hills (and there were a lot of them!) It got warmer and we drank more water and tackled more hills until mile 12 or so, when the course went into downtown Healdsburg for the finish.

We finished in 2:06, which was a little over Broski's goal of under 2 hours, but that just means that he needs to try again! I think he did very well, especially since he (a) ran his first half marathon LAST weekend, (b) has only run a long run distance of 8 miles before this and (c) was battling a cold/fever! We also started off a little fast and therefore pooped out a bit early (but like I said before, you have to learn this on your own sometimes).

Afterward, we got a wine glass, some snacks and some red licorice (my opinion? they should have this at every race) and our choice of not only dozens of different wines to try, but Lagunitas beer as well! And the best thing of all? The medal is a wine stopper! Now that is what I call a great after party! So when is the next one?! Broski?

*This race is race number 11 in the 12 in 2012 challenge! Only one more race to go to make 12. 

Have you ever tried exercising when you were under the weather? Have you ever run as part of a team? If you could design a fitness related item, what would it be?

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Cloverdale Harvest Half Marathon

My first half marathon was hard. It was hot, by the end of the race my feet were hurting and I was tired. I finished in 2:13 and change. I remember the feeling of pride and amazement when I was finished.

Last weekend was Broski's first half marathon. I want him to get the bug. I think running is fun and racing is fun! It gives you that runners high and makes you feel strong. So I was a little nervous that he would run it and it would suck and at the end, he would never want to run again. To make it worse, he hadn't run since the Harvest 10k, which was two weeks ago. So I was a little worried, because I wanted it to be FUN!!

The weekend before last, we got together with the family and all my relatives were giving my brother advice. I try not to give him advice unless he asks for it, because I know that he is like me and sometimes just needs to learn the hard way. However, some of my family members still do it. Their advice was good! My uncle said, "the hardest thing about running is lacing up your sneakers". Ain't that the truth! My father said that my brother should try to "start out slower than you think you should, in order to save gas for the end". Also true and a lesson that doesn't really make sense on paper, until you have done it wrong in a race!

My goal for this race was to let Broski run it how he wanted, only offering encouragement, not handing out too much advice (only Pink Lemonade chews when needed). I will leave that part to my other family members. Broski's goal was to finish with a smile on his face and to do it hopefully under 2 hours. Did we achieve our goals? Let's find out!

Before: It was about 44 degrees in the morning, so you know how it is trying to figure out what to wear. Broski went with the short sleeved tee, while I decided to keep my long sleeves on. In a rare show of enthusiasm, I wore orange and black. I don't have to tell you why. The lady friend and her sister came for the 5k, just like last time. They are becoming our best fans!

Beautiful morning for a run!

During: The course was beautiful. It went along the vineyards, where people were RUSHING to get the grapes off the vines before the rains came. Broski looked good. The first few miles were good, we did a little out and back loop on a creek path, which was fun because we could see all the other runners. Then we started going uphill! The hills were rolling, but they were plentiful! (Splits Miles 1-5: 8:43, 8:42, 8:45, 8:44, 8:52)

At the turn around

Around mile 6, Broski's right foot was hurting just a tad, but we kept going strong. The pink lemonade chews were a welcome distraction! Then around mile 8 (where Broski passed his longest mileage run ever), he started getting tight calves. I was a little sore as well, as I had run the headlands the day before and had hit the hills pretty hard. The entire time though, the course was beautiful and after the turnaround, everyone was cheering each other on and even when we got passed or were passing someone, everyone was very encouraging of each other. (Splits Miles 6-10: 8:55, 8:59, 9:06, 8:49, 10:23)

We had to stop and walk for a few minutes here and there in the last 4 miles, but we finished it off strong. However, my Garmin read 13.6 at the end! Our finishing time was 2:05, so by our calculations, if the course would have been correct, we would have made it in under 2 hours! (Splits Miles 11-13.6: 9:34, 9:28, 10:01, 9:09)

Finished! Wine in hand!

After: There was lunch and WINE (hurray for Harvest) and Dolly Parton was there! Okay she was a cardboard cutout. We had fun hanging out with the lady friend and her sister and enjoying a great live band to boot!

So, in my book, we made our goals. We had fun, lemonade chews were dispensed, encouragement was given and 2 hours would have been achieved if the course was not long! Plus, Broski beat my first half marathon time. I better watch out, he will be running circles around me in no time. The best thing? He's going to run another half marathon.

Tomorrow.

No, I am not kidding.

Have you ever been to any Sonoma County wineries? Do you ever stay for the after party at your races? After your first race, did you want to run another one?

Don't forget to join Jill for her Fitness Friday link up!

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Nike Women's Marathon

I got up at 5 to get on the bus to cross the bay. The bus terminal in San Francisco is about a mile from the race start, which is in Union Square. I decided to walk. I got to about 3 or 4 blocks from the square and it was a mad house. Of course that was just when I started to have to use the restroom. So I ducked into the Marriott (thanks JW!) and used theirs before heading over to the Square to line up in my corral.

Like I said before, my corral was 7:30 - 9:00 and actually they were letting the faster corral in at the same place, so they had to go in and then fight their way to the front of all of the people in my pace group. It was a bit of a mess. Everyone had pace bracelets, so you could tell when they weren't supposed to be in that corral, and there were several that weren't.

Once the race started, it seemed like it took forever to cross the starting line, but once I got my results, I realized it was really less than a minute. My Garmin was having a bad day and it kept telling me I was running a 3 minute mile. I was passing a lot of people (trying to get around everyone) but I don't think I was that fast! For the first mile or so, it was a lot of bobbing and weaving, but luckily I had rudely pushed myself to the front(ish) of the start line, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I can't imagine what it was like in the 9:00 - 10:00 group, which was pretty far behind us. I checked out some of the people who came in near the end, and their chip time and gun time were a half an hour apart!

The course was great; miles 3 - 6 were on one of my favorite routes, through Crissy Field, where normally there is an awesome view of the Golden Gate bridge. However, it was quite foggy and there was a view of nothing. I felt kind of bad for the out of towners who came for the views. At this point I started to fuel. I had decided earlier that morning, in a split second decision (dumb maybe) to try dried apricots as fuel. They went down fine with a little chewing, and at about 15 calories each are about the same as a Gu Chomp. Mile 1 - 6: 6:50*, 6:19*, 7:26, 7:34, 7:27, 7:39 (*these may have been Garmin error)

After Chrissy Field, it started to go up, and up, and up, and down and up and up! Basically miles 7 - 11 were about a thousand feet total elevation gain according to the Garmin. This is where I had a lot of trouble. I can run up the hills, but it sure is hard. I could feel my face getting redder and redder. At this point it was kind of misty raining, which was a blessing! Somewhere around mile 11 the marathon and half marathon split up. They went toward the finish and we went toward the park. This made a HUGE difference! All of a sudden, I was running alone. It was great!  Mile 7 - 11: 8:19, 7:37, 8:11, 7:57, 7:15

Uphill, chug, chug

Miles 12 - 17 were all in Golden Gate park and were flatter than the coast, although not flat by any means. They were just more gradual, and more up, up, up and then down, down, down (rather than up, down, up, down). According to Garmin, this was another 900 ft gain/loss. It was fun running this section, as the park is beautiful and I got to see my friends, the Bison. There was also a huge jumbo-tron here. Check out this video  of the 10k, 15k and finish line. You can look at my waddle. All I can say about that is...I run funny! We also met back up with the halfers around mile 16 (their mile 13) and it was a crazy mess for about a half a mile before I popped out into the solitary confinement of the Great Highway. Mile 12 - 17: 8:01, 8:18, 7:58, 7:45, 7:50, 7:32

Miles 18 - 20 were along the Great Highway which goes along side Ocean Beach. I was really looking forward to seeing my family, as I was getting pretty tired at this point. The road was a chip and seal rather than a nice smooth asphalt and it was killing my feet! Also, I just needed a smiling face, which is funny because as I was scanning the crowd for my parents, a person jumped out of the crowd and hugged me! It was my new running buddy! I gave her a high five and kept on. Then there they were, the Parentals and grandma, right near mile 18. Seeing them gave me the boost I needed to keep going. Mile 18 - 20: 7:49, 7:52, 8:11

The Great Highway

Miles 21 - 24 were around Lake Merced. If I would have known how bad this section was going to be, I would have asked the Parentals to be over here. It was dead. I was tired. It was raining on me. There were a lot of cars. The lake was nice though. At one point this guy came out of nowhere and was running right next to me for about a mile. Then he just stopped. I am not sure what that was all about. Maybe I looked tired? Like I needed a push? Well it worked; I was trying so hard to get away from him and to have a little space between us that I picked up my pace by a few seconds. Mile 21 -24: 8:14, 8:13, 8:09, 8:06

Miles 25 to the end were back along the Great Highway. This part was fun, because all the runners behind me were coming the opposite direction. I had a few friends running and I looked for them, but never saw them. Also, I saw two guys that had ridden my bus into the city that morning! What a small world it was shaping up to be! Mile 25 - 26.2: 8:08, 8:15, 7:59

Still feeling good!

Then I was at the end. Almost. First I had to muscle my way through a bunch of walk/jogging half marathon people who were sharing the finish line (and the 200 feet or so leading up to it) with me! Then I was over the line, and this cute fireman in a tux gave me a little blue box. I could have hung out with him longer; why is the box giving portion so short and the run so long? It should be the other way around.

And then I was done. I was wet and cold and hungry but I felt great!

Final Time: 3:29:16
Overall: 46/4452
Gender: 30/4051
Age: 9/837

A few fun facts: *Dried Apricots = good fuel! This may be my new favorite! * I did not pee once. * Total elevation gain (according to Garmin) = 5000 ft (can that be right?) * Elevation loss = 4860 ft *Fastest time = 2:56 (M) and 2:59 (F) * From my loose calculations, about 3% of the people in this race BQ (compared to 35% in the Santa Rosa Marathon) *

Tell me how you feel about firemen. What is your favorite type of dried fruit? Have you ever seen footage of yourself running?

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10 Running Tidbits

Yes, it's another list. I am uninspired this week. Plus, last night I got last minute tickets to the A's game, which they lost, so I put a lot of the things on my to do list off until tomorrow. I stole this from Nancy. I haven't really talked a lot about it, but I will be running the Nike Womens Marathon on Sunday and will need all the help I can get, so I appreciate any good juju you can send my way!  

1. FUEL: Shot Bloks, GU, Energy Chews, Candy or Other?

I like Honey Stinger Chews and Gummy Bears.  I can make do with the chocolate raspberry Roctane or the regular chocolate Gu if need be.  

2. Race Length: 5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other?

Like seasons, each race has it's ups and downs. I love the feeling of speed and total energy drain that I get from a 5k or a 10k. Half marathons are probably my body's best distance, physically. However, I love the feeling of strength and accomplishment that I get from a marathon and from Ultras.  

3. Workout Bottoms: Skirts, Running Shorts, Capris, Pants or Other?

Nike Tempo shorts OR this old pair of black pants that I used to wear under my ski pants when I was a kid. I found them when I was going through and cleaning out my stuff and I put them on and they still fit, so now they are my running pants!  

4. Sports Drink: Gatorade, Powerade, Cytomax, you stick to water when you run or Other?

Water. I only drink water. I can't stand the sweetness of most of the drinks. From time to time, I will have a Nuun before running, but usually it's water all the way. 

5. Running Temperatures: HEAT or COLD?

Cold. Any day. Heat, and especially humidity, really drains my energy!  

6. Running Shoe Brands: Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, Brookes, Asics or Other?

Asics have been my shoe forever. Until this year, when I won a pair of Saucony Kinvaras. They are awesome! I may have to invest in a real pair someday.  

Saucony Kinvara

 
7. Pre-race meal: Oatmeal, Bagel, Banana, Eggs, Cereal or Other?

90 percent of the time, I have oatmeal with fruit and one cup of coffee. The other 10 percent of the time, I have Cheerios instead.  

8. Rest Days: 1x per week, 2x per week, never ever ever or Other?

All of the above. Normally, I run 4 times a week. Lately, my schedule has been hectic and I have been running 3 times a week. This week is taper week and I will run twice. I would rather do one 10 miler than a 4 and a 6. 

9. Music: Have to have it or go without it?

When running alone, I need Marshall Mathers to keep me company. If running with others, I am happy to talk your ear off or listen, whichever floats your boat.  

10. #1 reason for running: stress-relief, endorphins, you love to race, so you can eat all the cupcakes you want, weight-loss, love running for social reasons or Other?

Yes! No, really, the number one reason is that it makes me feel strong and happy and in control. 

If you run, answer one of the questions in the comments! If you don't run, answer anyway! What's your go to breakfast? What's your favorite brand of shoes? 

Don't forget to stop by Jills for Fitness Friday and link up! 

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