Saturday, March 19, 2011

Days 20 & 21



Well, I rested on Friday as per the plan. But this very rainy & stormy morning I dragged my tired self out of my warm bed and over to Rodeo Beach for the Pirates Cove 8k. I was so happy that I did not sign up for the 20k (some even did 30k and others 50k). And it was a rainy morning. It poured before start time but for the distance that I ran, it barely rained at all. It was sloppy but nothing like the last rainy trail race that I did. This was actually pretty fun and I felt strong doing it. I was in my car with the heat blasting trying to warm up and dry off after getting soaked while picking up my race number. And I was getting out of my car when I heard the race start. Oops. I wasn't very far and caught up to the field and then slowly started to pass people (not a whole lot of them, but enough to make me proud of my work). The course started at Rodeo Beach and went up Coastal then over to Wolf Ridge and down Miwok ending at the start. The stats are: 4.8 Miles in 55:05 at an average pace of 11:27. Super hilly for the first mile or two. Really fun run.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Days 16-19


Well, I've been a bit lazy when it comes to posting but not when it comes to running. Monday was a rest day so I did. And though Tuesday was a 4 mile day, I had bosses in town & didn't have time for a run so I did Tuesday's 4 mile run on Wednesday. The stats are: 4.02 miles in 41:26 and an average pace of 10:18. This was a slightly hilly run where I drove to the open space and went out from there so I didn't have to climb the big hill from my home to get to the open space but there are ups and downs along the route. And then today was another 4 mile day so I decided to tackle the hill from my house to the open space. Stats are: 4.0 miles in 42:34 and an average pace of 10:37. I have to say that I felt very strong today. I did stop to walk in a few spots but I still felt really good and strong. I hope I can keep this feeling up!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Day 15



Last night was Daylight Savings time and I had a tough time sleeping because every time I wanted to shift positions, I woke up because I am so sore from yesterday. Funny enough, it is mostly my butt. I guess because there were two climbs up and over Miwok. Despite that, we didn't sleep in this morning because we wanted to get Uli out to play ball so we did that and came home and had delicious waffles. I should have mentioned that I have been pretty good about following the South Beach Diet for the past three weeks with a few big exceptions: this morning's waffles, last night's ice cream with hot fudge, yesterday's toast and pizza snack, Friday night's pizza dinner and ice cream with hot fudge, Thursday's rice cracker snack and glass of wine and last weekend's deserts and wine. So I guess I should admit that I have not been good about following South Beach at all. OOps.

Despite my sore body, I had 5 miles to run today so that is what I did after the waffles had a chance to digest. I drove to Fort Baker and ran up and over the Golden Gate Bridge. I had my rain jacket with me but left it in the car because it looked like the rain would hold off for a while. Silly me. It started raining the moment I arrived at the bridge and has not stopped yet. I was soaking wet and the wind was blowing pretty hard. But it was a great run. I felt strong. 5 miles in 52:12 with an average pace of 10:25. I have to say that I was disappointed when I saw that time because I thought I was running much faster than that. Oh well.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Days 13 & 14





Day 13 was a rest day and I didn't do anything more active than take Uli out for a few walks. But Day 14 made up for yesterday's laziness. I signed up for the Run for the Seals. I did the 4 mile run and it was so much fun. I ran it with Sophie & Rob and we did the 4.05 mile run in 42.28 minutes at an average 10:28 pace. It was not very hilly but there were enough to slow us down. The best part was that we started about 20 minutes late and it was fun to run with no people around. We did catch up with some of the slower ones but it was a fun/easy run. The race is a good one because it is a fundraiser for the Marine Mammal Center and that is a place that is dear to my heart. When I was less crazy at work, I volunteered there. Anyway, they said that the roads would be closed until noon and I didn't want to be stuck there for hours after the race (it started at 9:30am - even though we didn't actually start running until a little before 10am). So I parked at Tennessee Valley parking lot and I walked 3.8 Miles to the start of the race. I didn't think it was that far of a walk. I knew that there would be a big ole hill to climb but I expected it to be a 2.5 mile walk. Oops. After the race, it was a 3.5 mile walk back to the car. So...I propelled myself just over 11 miles today. I think it's nap time. The photos are from the walk to/from the race and I also have one of some of the four legged participants. The race is very dog friendly and some dogs even wear costumes. Sadly, I couldn't take my buddy. He can definitely do the distance but he's not good around other dogs when he's on a leash. So...I told him all about the race and how much I wished he had been there with me. Tired legs. Time for a nap!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Days 11 & 12


Day 11 was a rest day and I rested. It was a bad day at work so I just sulked. But day 12 was a 4 mile day so that is what I did and even though work was still a little on the not-so-great side, going on a run made everything better. Especially when your running buddy is back from injury and ready to run. We did a 4.02 mile run in 56:28 with an average pace of 14:02. Ridiculously slow but keep in mind that my running buddy has quite a few stops to make along the way. First of all, there are bathroom needs. Lots of them. And then there are things to sniff. And don't forget about getting on your back and rolling around on the wet grass. And he also enjoys eating some of that grass too. How much better would the world be if we could all get out for a run with a dog named Uli.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Days 9 & 10


Day 9 was a rest day so I did a few Nike Training Club workouts (arms & abs). Day 10 was a 4 mile day which I knocked out before the morning's conference call. It was a bummer to do it without my running buddy but I think I'll bring him out on the next one to see how his paw does. Today was a 4.01 mile run in 43:15 with a 10:46/mile average. Yes that is slow but keep in mind that I'm running up a hill. Today's photo is of my running buddy looking like a giant.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Day 8



Rain and drizzle for the 4 miler but it was actually quite nice. I felt strong and enjoyed playing in the rain. The stats follow: 4.01 in 43:22 with an average pace of 10:48. Slow, I know but it was hilly. And sloppy. Hello dirty brand new shoes. The trail photo is from the only single track section of the run.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Day 7


Today was a 3 mile day. It seems almost like a waste of time to get all dressed for a run and only do these short distances but I have to be patient and trust the plan. I'm going to start posting my stats for my runs because knowing that I'm going to be doing that might make me run a little faster or walk a little less up the hills. I am planning to do all of the 12-14 mile runs and under in the hills and anything 14 and up in the flats. Of course there will be some hills in my flat runs but they won't be as many as in my hilly runs. So what that means is that my pace is going to look super slow, well, for most of my training. But my goal is to do the marathon in 4 hours. I know that it is do-able but if I'm able to do that, it would be a huge improvement over my 2005 New York Marathon time of 4 hours 22 minutes and 26 seconds and my 2007 Nike Women's Marathon time of 4 hours 28 minutes and 17 seconds. That said, I have done a half marathon in 1 hour 59 minutes and 7 seconds so if I can really really train well and keep many of my training miles in the hills, I think that running a flat course over 26.2 miles in 4 hours is not unrealistic.

I was going to go to the headlands for today's 3 mile run but I decided it wasn't worth the 10 mile drive just to do 3 miles so I drove to the entrance of the Terra Linda/Sleep Hollow Open Space and started from there. It's a bit hilly but not too bad. Today's time was 31:38 with an average pace of 10:21 for the 3.05 miles. The photo is from today's run. The only thing I don't love about the open space out here is that it's not very big and you have to run on a road through a residential section to get to another Open Space area. It's not a big deal but I guess that is why I love running in the headlands so much - because you can link together trails and fire-roads and go for many many uninterrupted miles. Overall, I have no complaints. I think that this is probably one of the best places I could live when it comes to weather and terrain for running.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Day 6


This one is going to be super short because it's another rest/cross-train day. So I did another Jillian Michaels workout dvd. I think this one is called No More Trouble Zones. We will see. My training buddy did his job by kissing my face when it was a little sweaty and then making himself comfortable on the mat during the workout. That's my boy!

This is an old photo but I still like it. He's about as miserable now as he is in the photo since we have not been running for a few weeks. He has a lot of energy. I think he will have another week of just walking and then week after next we will get back out there together.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Day 5


Last night I spent at least an hour transferring my training plan into a calendar. And it made me think about how many short runs I will be doing for the next few months. The longest run I have until late April is 6 miles. I do want to follow this plan because I haven't been running much over the past few months and I really don't want to get injured. That said, I know that I could do a 7 mile run right now and not suffer too much from it. But I also know that I might be pushing it if I just start off doing my normal 6 mile standard runs. Patience.

Today was a 4 mile run and I decided to go to the Open Space which is along the route of my normal/standard run. I just turned around at the 2 mile point. It is a 370 foot climb from my house. Not too bad. I usually have my running buddy with me though so it was different from normal. My running buddy is injured and won't be able to join me for a few weeks. Oh well, I got to listen to music instead. Thank goodness for Blondie and Arcade Fire and the National!

The photo is of part of the climb to the top. But I have to say, it does not look very steep at all. Trust me, it's steeper than it looks.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Day 4


So what in the world happened to the Font option? Blogger can be so weird and inconsistent.

Today is a rest or cross train day so I broke out the Nike Training Club App and did the Ab Burner and Butt Blaster. And my training buddy did what he does best. Take a nap on my mat while I'm exercising. It's pretty nice to have this little fella around because when it's cardio time, that is when his training muscles are flexed. He chases me around the house for warm-up and cardio exercises with a wagging tail the whole time. And who doesn't want to smile when you're blasting your butt or burning your abs?

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Day 3

It was a 3 mile day. Pretty short distances at this point so I'm challenging myself a little by incorporating a good climb into the runs. So today I ran to the top of a neighborhood street (Clorinda) and discovered that it dead ends at a woody section that is open to the public. I normally have my dog with me on my weekday runs but he is injured and can't run at the moment. Especially in rocky/hilly spots. So I was on my own and I couldn't help but remember an article that I read on the Onion that made me giggle. I'll paste it below for your enjoyment. The trail was super woodsy and a bit creepy. Which is what triggered the memory of the Onion story. The photo above is from the trail. Beautiful. But completely isolated so I'll be sure to go back with my dog the next time around.

Have a great night!

Nation's Joggers Sick Of Finding Dead Bodies

FEBRUARY 12, 2007 | ISSUE 43•07

CHICAGO—Citing the sobering statistic that over 10,000 of the 12,800 slayings in the United States in 2006 were reported by joggers, a national coalition of fitness enthusiasts called upon government officials Tuesday to impose measures that would reduce the likelihood of runners discovering lifeless bodies.

Enlarge ImageJoggers at a press conference in Chicago.

"We joggers have lives outside of finding violent-crime victims," said jogger Elizabeth Riccardi, who recently stumbled upon the remains of a double-pickax homicide while jogging around the Bartlett Reservoir near Scottsdale. "We're willing to cooperate with law enforcement, but we don't all have the time to be consoled with a blanket and a cup of coffee while some cop asks us the same tedious questions."

Riccardi said that some joggers have become so fed up with the dead-body encounters that they've been forced to run only on busy sidewalks, to the chagrin of pedestrians.

"I don't run through Lincoln Park after 6 p.m. anymore, I steer clear of that alleyway by the liquor store, and I definitely do not jog by the river at all," Chicago resident Chaz Montgomery said. "But, without fail, every few months I make another gruesome, routine-disrupting discovery."

"I just want a good cardiovascular workout," Montgomery added. "I never asked for this, not during an intense incline push or even a slow cooldown."

Enlarge ImageLEADING FINDERS OF CORPSES

Sacramento-based runner Keith Stafford said the problem has gotten so bad for him that after he happened upon his latest body, an unidentified newborn girl, he considered "leaving it there under the park bench for someone else to find for a change."

"Why must runners bear this burden?" Stafford said. "My brother's a baker, but he never opens his oven to find a severed head inside."

To help remedy the problem, the American Joggers Association has proposed creating special police jogging units in major metropolitan areas. The units, active chiefly during the early morning and late-evening hours, would patrol parks, beaches, docks, vacant lots, factory grounds, and other common dumping sites for grisly murders.

AJA President Nancy Staudenmeyer said that the problem now affects more than just recreational joggers. "[Kenyan marathoner] Evans Rutto would most likely have won last year's Boston Marathon had he not come across an execution-style murder during Mile 19, and been detained and questioned for over an hour," Staudenmeyer said. "And because the victim's hysterical mother barged in on his interrogation, Evans wasn't even able to finish the race."

The AJA has created a support network for corpse-finding runners, establishing a toll-free hotline and holding a series of 5K "fun runs," all held in sealed-off, freshly cleaned, well-lit gymnasiums. The AJA also produced a series of print and TV public service announcements depicting an exasperated jogger discovering the body of a mutilated prostitute and immediately text-messaging his congressman.

"The PSAs have been very effective for raising awareness," Staudenmeyer said. "There were a lot of joggers out there who thought they were the only ones finding bodies. Once they learn they're not alone, we can all work together to find a solution to this major inconvenience."

Still, many have given up running altogether, saying that the prospect of finding a naked body cut up with surgical precision has sapped whatever enjoyment they used to derive from the activity.

"I wanted to find something to replace running, so I took up fishing, " former St. Paul, MN jogger Derek Janowitz said. "That is, until my canoe bumped into that floating [strangling] victim."

"I finally just gave up and bought a Stairmaster," he added.

Public officials have not yet addressed joggers' concerns. Some privately admit that having joggers find dead bodies is a more effective and vastly more cost-efficient crime fighting alternative than using local law enforcement.