Two Halves

Two halves make a whole right?

 

Does it work that way if you're trying to be a 50-stater? 

 

Unfortunately, I'm sure the answer is no, but if it were yes, Wisconsin would be crossed off my list!

 

I had an amazing weekend at home and wish I had time to write more.  The bullet-point recap:

 

• I worked from home on Thursday (home where I was born!).
• Finished up around 1 (I had an early flight and had worked on the plane).
• Went to my grandpa's house to see him and borrow his car.
• Grabbed lunch from my favorite build-your-own salad bar.
• Ate salad in the car on the way to Chicago.
• Horrendous traffic the last 10 miles of the drive.  70 miles in about 60 miles, then 10 miles in about 60 minutes.  Ugh! 
• Got to meet my new 6-week old niece! 
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• Went out for dinner with my baby bro, his wife, and the baby. 
• Awesome pizzas.
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• Hung out with them most of the night, got to give my niece a bottle.
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• Worked all day Friday.
• Dinner with family (including next youngest bro, his wife and their 3 kids).
• Saturday morning tracking my friends running St. George.  Amazing results, tons of PRs.  3:03, 3:10, 3:20, 3:23, 3:24, 3:44, and on, and on!  They had great weather -- cold at the start, gradually warming up as they descended. 
• Saturday morning at my nephew and niece's football game, which they won 50-0 or something, and during which I sat freezing in a chair, covered in blankets and coats, remembering why I'm so glad I don't live in Milwaukee anymore.  The best part was my niece who wasn't playing football -- she likes to play dog (who I've named Scout), and after she'd gotten her shots, barked, growled, eaten treats (pretzel sticks), gotten a ??? in her paw, and played fetch, she curled up on my feet for a little while.  I lamented out loud how maybe I'd have to go to the shelter so I could get a lap dog, she curled up in my lap for a long time.  It was warm (she's a little furnace) and I can't get enough of her hugs.  It will be 2.5 months until I see her again.  She just turned 6 a few weeks ago and I worry the "playing puppy" stage will end soon. 
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• Picked up my friend at the airport.
• Expo (small, but well-organized) (best part was seeing 35 years of shirts and medals -- though they didn't have medals the first few years, then it was more like medallions for a couple years, then by the early 90s it was medals that have steadily improved over the years). 
• Naps!
• Cooked dinner at home, pasta and garlic bread, a little for me, a lot for my friend who was trying to break 4 hours the next day.
• Early to bed, $hitty sleep all night.  I have no idea why.  I usually sleep like a rock when I'm alone back in that bedroom of my childhood (different story if my husband is there, it's a smaller bed than we're used to, and a creaky floor, so I hear when he gets up to pee).  I totally zonked out every other night, but the night before the race, as is usual for me, I was up almost hourly.  Either getting up to pee or just looking at the clock and worrying it was time to get up. 
• Alarm was set for 4:50, and I woke up for the last time around 4.  Tossed and turned and then gave up on trying to sleep around 4:30. 
• Drove back downtown and we took the shuttle bus from the hotel to the start in Grafton.  We ran into a friend from our training program in Dallas and got to ride with him on the bus. 
• Pre-race inside the high school.  Bathroom lines were manageable, and there was no line outside for porta-potties for anyone who didn't care about indoor plumbing.  Sat on a staircase in the high school and we got organized and chilled out in the warmth. 
• Race started.  The weather was thoroughly perfect.  Low 50s, overcast, amazing. 
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• I walked and after a mile or two, was almost at the very back.  I realized my plan of walking for a couple hours might not work since I could see the police car behind the last runner, and I realized maybe they enforced the 14:52 pace minimum from the outset. 
• Tried to jog, realized I definitely cannot run, but found that I could do a 100% pain-free shuffle kind of thing, that was faster than walking.  But still allowed me to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
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• Caught up to 2 guys talking and they said something about Texas.  That was all I needed.  I just invited myself into that little party.  They were doing 3-1 run/walk intervals, and their run was very close to the shuffle pace I found comfortable.  It was about 6 miles of awesome with them.  A first timer named Kimberly joined us for a couple miles of it. 
• Around mile 8, just after we started on the Concordia University campus, Arthur stopped for the bathroom, Matt surged ahead to catch a few other friends, and Kimberly slowed down to walk more, so I was alone again.  I stopped to take some Lake Michigan pictures, so beautiful. 
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• Continued on solo about half a mile, then started talking to another person who was staying around my shuffle pace with no walk breaks.  Kathleen, a music teacher from Crystal Lake, Illinois.  We talked for miles and it was great.  Finally around mile 12, I was worried I was holding her back, so I took a walk break and wished her well.  She was hoping to break her 2014 time of 5:40, and I looked her up -- she did!  5:34!  Matt finished in 5:09, which was faster than I think he planned, but I'm guessing he felt great.  And Arthur finished in 5:48!  And he's 68!  I wasn't able to look up Kimberly, but hopefully she was also happy with the day. 
• I made it to the halfway point, and while I felt good (and my ankle felt 100% the same), I dropped out.  The wisdom of friends (real world, blog commenters, FB friends) and my husband had sunk in -- keeping my mind on the big picture (future races, being healthy and able to move around in Europe later THIS WEEK (eeeeeek!!!!)).  I had been carefully watching my step (and I mean every single step, I spent most of the race looking mostly down), and part of me thinks I could have finished, but I respect the distance.  There's a big difference between a half and a full.  I think I was around 2:50 for the half, so if I'd stayed around the same pace, I would have finished around 5:40 (and therefore beaten my very first full ever!).  But of course, it was far from certain I'd stay around the same pace, and the idea of being out there for about 3 more hours did not sound fun.  I warmed up at times, but at other times, especially along the lake, it was cold and windy.  I'd pitched my long-sleeve shirt around mile 1, and about 10 seconds later, I went back to pick it up, realizing I might need it later -- good decision! 
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• At the half, there was a sweet girl named Allie who'd dropped out.  Felt dizzy, weird numbness, and her parents were coming to pick her up.  She was so disappointed in herself, and really down in the dumps, all kinds of friends and family had come to watch her and she felt like she'd let them all down.  Her parents were nice enough to pick me up as well, and we all drove to the finish together.  I tried to help her feel better, reminding her there would be a lifetime of races if she wanted, but that if she didn't want, there's no requirement to race to be a runner, or she could do races other than the marathon, or she could just do activities other than running, she has tons of options, and for her family, finishing 13.1 miles still seems like quite an accomplishment, even though it wasn't what she wanted, and they were still undoubtedly happy to have been there to see her run some and to support her. 
• At the finish, I found my family and then joined the finish line crowd to wait for my Dallas friend.  Unfortunately, I saw the 4:00 pace group, and then 4:10, before I found her.  She finished in 4:12 and was a bit bummed about missing her sub-4 goal, but in great spirits anyway to have finished with one of her top 3 or 4 finish times.  She'll get it eventually, and she knows it. 
• Quick showers, then we went out to Lakefront Brewery for lunch.  Beer, cheese curds, fries, and a grilled cheese sandwich.  I ate like I'd run the full!  Oops...
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• Then a trip to Leon's, for Wisconsin's best frozen custard.  I went with 2 dips (all summer long, during marathon training, I thought about looking forward to having possibly my first 5 dip cone ever, but alas, half the distance, half the scoops...).  Vanilla topped by mint.  Divine. 
• We went to visit my grandpa one more time.
• We went to see my brother and my niece "Scout" (who was acting like a human on Sunday). 
• Then we went to the airport for pizza and beer, then flew back to Dallas.  My ankle and foot felt a little tight sitting on the plane, but I think my brace may have been a bit too tight, particularly since my foot may have swelled some in the air. 

An all-around wonderful weekend, even if it didn't include the highlight marathon that I imagined it would as recently as 3 weeks ago when I finished my 22 miler.  Oh well, better safe than sorry!  And if I'd kept plodding along as I'd considered, of course it's possible I would have hurt my ankle more, but it's definite that I wouldn't have had enough time after the race for the couple final family visits. 


And good news yesterday -- even though I got home late and got to bed very late, I woke up for boot camp Monday morning, and my ankle felt the same!  I had some very mild soreness in my quads (totally normal for me after a long run; while 13.1 wouldn't ordinarily be long, it probably is after 2.5 weeks off).  And now I'd say I'm totally back to normal.


If only Sunday's unofficial half (my time registered at the half mark, but I think the online results are only finishers; thankfully I got a results print-out at the finish line so at least I have my own little documentation), could be paired with my decade-old half time from the Journeys Marathon in Eagle River to count as one Wisconsin full.  Oh well, someday (assuming I go for 50 states, and possibly even if I don't, just for the convenience of racing near family), I'll be back. 


The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon only had 3500 runners registered (it was capped), and only 2300 finishers.  Not sure if that's normal, or if maybe less than 3500 registered.  It was very well-organized.  The race director was walking around inside the high school before the race start, checking to see if anyone needed anything!  And as I feared, being toward the back of the race, the participants were very far spread out.  Normally, that might make me a bit concerned about staying on course.  However, for this race, at I think every single street that was not a private driveway, there was a volunteer with a flag, making sure we all stayed on course.  It was absolutely incredible course guidance.  And so many of them were encouraging, calling us by name (printed on our bibs), and telling us how great we were doing!  I still feel a little teary thinking about it.  So many nice people.  The course was pretty.  I wouldn't say it was flat, but there weren't any significant hills in the first half (and my definition of a "significant" hill probably encompasses things people in hilly places wouldn't even notice).  There were a fair number of spectators who'd come out from their houses to cheer us on, lots of cowbell!  The weather was a dream.  The pre-race buses were flawless, ample, easy.  Waiting inside the high school was great.  Looked like there was lots of food for the finishers.  I'll definitely consider it for my legit Wisconsin full some day! 

August as Usual

I hate complaining about the summer weather here.  I mean what exactly would one reasonably expect from Dallas in August?  And I do complain bitterly when I'm miserably cold, and I don't feel like anyone should complain about both heat and cold, but yeah, it's pretty much what everyone does this month here. 

So we've had some awesome things like this:

Note that this was at 4:33 a.m. this week.  And I'm smack dab in the middle of Dallas.  So 89 degrees at the start of my run. 

Yow!

And I definitely wanted to quit yesterday.  I considered turning around at the first water stop, which would have given me about 5 miles round trip.  But we had 9 on the schedule, and I stuck it out.  And then I negative split that bitch!  I was running with my new-ish running friend Bobby and we were egging each other on.  By the last quarter mile, I was seeing 7:30s on my watch, which hasn't happened on in August on a weekday run in longer than I can remember.  It made me feel really good to be done and I tried to really soak in how it felt so I can remember pushing through and kicking butt when it comes to race day. 

Speaking of kicking butt...

The last two weeks have had two races.  The Badass Brazos half-marathon down in Waco this past Sunday, and the San Francisco Marathon that I ran two weeks ago.

Remember how I thought it was kind of crazy to do a half in Texas in August?  Well, the weather did not disappoint:

I was amazed at the parallels between the two races.  They were surprisingly similar, but Waco was half the distance and twice the temperature!  (That's kind of a lie, San Fran was about 55 degrees when I started, and I finished before it hit 106 here this past weekend.  Details, details...)

There were some crazy steep hills in Waco that I was not expecting.

There was some walking involved.

San Fran also had some hills, but given the city's elevation profile, they absolutely could have made it worse.  It was "not bad for San Francisco" but that's enough to nearly kill me! 

They actually put the elevation chart on the inside of the medal ribbon, which I thought was pretty cool. 

The white part is the first half, the navy part is the second half. 

I ended up running my basic plan -- ran the first 11 miles, then walked to mile 18 (though if we were ever going downhill, I tried to jog or run that part, which seemed like it was about 30% of the time in those miles), and then I ran it in.  I had grand plans of running marathon pace or something the last 8 miles, but my legs and spirit were tuckered out.  I ended up finishing in 4:36:07, which was fine with me.  Marathon 22 was in the books, and state number 11 checked off the list. 

I worried the race did some serious damage -- during the marathon and afterward, my right hamstring seemed really tight.  I stayed an extra day in San Fran (went to Sausalito and hung out drinking wine with my brother) and came home late Monday night/early Tuesday morning.  Given the timing, there was pretty much no chance I could run on Tuesday, which was good.  I ran a bit the next few days, but it hurt.  I tried foam rolling, taking it easy, stretching, and it just wasn't getting better.  I was a bit worried I'd really mucked things up. 

Last week Saturday night was a friend's bachelorette party and we had a ton of fun, but ended up staying out until after the bars closed (actually got stuck in horrendous traffic in uptown, crowds of people in the street, impossible for my beastie's husband to drive through (which was fun for him with about 8 drunk women piled in the car, sitting on laps and in the trunk, all trying to tell him how best to drive and get out of the traffic, haha, he's a saint!)).  So Sunday morning, given that my leg still hurt and I was probably still drunk at 5:30 a.m., I skipped my long run, but I did go get it checked out by a chiro.  He recommended a sports massage and said easy running was fine if it didn't hurt, and advised me not to stretch it since that seemed to aggravate it.  Well, I went to Philly for work (oh, that's a good excuse for not blogging lately, I've had a ton of work travel), and ran there, and by the end of the run, I couldn't remember which leg had been hurting.  So 9 days later, all back to normal (well, except the toenail...). 

And now things are just ticking along.  It's Restaurant Week here, so eating out a lot.  Wedding this weekend, then back to Philly! 

Three minutes

For reasons I will never understand, this past weekend was a big local racing weekend.  In mid-July.  Why?  As I was heading to my Sunday race, I heard it was going to be our first day at or over 100.  I can't really complain, usually we hit 100 earlier than this. 


Anyway, my plan for the weekend was to do a slow and easy 5k on Saturday, and then push for a triple negative split at a 15k on Sunday. 


Planning was not my strength. 


Saturday morning I ran a very short warm-up and then hung out with friends.  Definitely not planning to race.  I ran my first mile at a fairly comfortable pace, pushing just a bit just so I could get out of some of the crowd.  But then I picked it up a bit through the U-turn.  And passed a friend shortly thereafter.  I thought maybe I'd run hard for to have a solid second mile time.  And then somehow I kept going.  My third mile was my fastest, more than 30 seconds off my first mile. 

It didn't feel great, but it also wasn't death.


I checked my time and realized I was almost exactly 3 minutes off my 5k PR.  That's just one minute per mile.  And that was with a not-death-effort first mile.  Wow.  Does this mean it's feasible to 5k PR still?  I mean, I feel like given that first mile, I easily could have shaved 30 seconds.  And take away temps in the 80s and sun, and there's another 30-60 seconds.  And lose ten pounds, there's another 30 seconds.  And work my @ss off, there's another minute? 


That's insanely exciting!! 


Unfortunately, running faster than planned on Saturday did not bode well for my results on Sunday. 


I managed an easy first 5k, and I picked it up for the second 5k.  But unfortunately, mile 6 was the mile of the day.  After that, the wheels came off, though just mildly in reality -- it felt like they were coming way off.  It took so much effort not to just walk.  One of my friends was supposed to double back and run me in, and when I hit mile 9, I was so pissed off that he hadn't come back yet that I almost decided to walk until I ran into him.  Thankfully I didn't because he was just standing around at the finish line, waiting.  He said he was catching his breath and about to head out to get me, but I have my doubts.  Either way, I managed to fight off the walking and that meant I managed a negative split, which I am happy about, but unfortunately, it wasn't the triple negative split that I wanted, trying to have each of the 5ks be faster than the last. 


Technically, I think my splits went like this:


1st 5k:  moderate pace
2d 5k:  one minute and 10 seconds faster than 1st 5k
3d 5k:  30 seconds faster than 1st 5k


So not horrible, but not what I wanted.  Definitely could have been worse!


The rest of the weekend consisted of shopping for more new wheels for the husband.  In addition to the new car we finally got a couple weeks ago, he also got a bike.  Four wheels just wasn't enough...


Sunday was his first ride and it was a mess -- he overestimated his ability, and underestimated the temperature, the distance, and the amount of water he'd need.  He rode to the finish line of my 15k race and found a bunch of my friends, but never found me.  I stayed for a beer after the race and still beat him home.  Yow.  But he's still excited about it. 

The End of an Era

Sad news for me this past week.  After resounding success for years, after winning the women's title and then defending it THREE times, I have lost my dominance at the local beer mile.  Second place female last week.  The 1F bib is gone.  Out of my reach. 

Sadder still?  It was with a PR.  But just not enough. 

It's not surprising.  I'm seriously out of running shape.  I don't think I could run a 7 minute mile to save my life -- and I haven't even tried.  It just sounds unattainable, so instead, I get out there and poke along.  It's okay, I'm dealing with it.  But when it comes to the beer mile, at this point, it's finally caught up to me.  And given how the beer mile works, the bursts of speed are critical.  You need to run hard for a short time, and then you get a breather.  Even if you can't run an X minute mile straight, if you can run shorter intervals at that pace (or faster), it works in the beer mile.  Can I go faster than a 7 minute mile pace if I only have to do a quarter mile and then get to breathe?  Um, based on last week, I guess not though I don't have my splits broken out by running and drinking. 

I've mentioned before that at least a few of the women who run the beer mile are much faster than me.  One of them just pulled the trigger and is committed to running St. George in October.  We have trained together for several years, but in the last year or so, while we start runs together, we never finish together.  She has pulled ahead by leaps and bounds.  She ran Boston this year about 5 minutes faster than my dream pace (and that was 15 minutes faster than my PR pace).  Boston.  This year.  When it was rainy and got windy.  When I heard last week that she was in for St. George (one of my favorite marathons), I asked her about her goal time.  A very personal question, but we've run together long enough that it felt okay to ask.  She's admitted she's going to target 3:15, which she'd tried to do a few years ago and narrowly missed (a goal I'd never undertake).  That boils down to a low 7:20s MP.  Honestly, I don't think I could do that for a 5k right now.  We aren't in the same league.  It was pure fluke (and chugging skill) that allowed me to beat her as often as I did in the beer mile in the past. 

Before the race, I told her this was the year she was going to beat me.  She replied, "you always say that."  And in the back of my mind, I might have agreed.  I might have been overly confident.  I'd beaten her by at least 30 seconds all 4 times I've competed in this race, frequently by more than a minute.  Little did I know, she'd switched to Fat Tire beer, which she apparently found to be more "chuggable." 



I was first female to start running, but she passed me on the track.  That's happened before on the first lap.  But this time it was different.  She passed me on the track every single lap.  One of the three later chugs we started together (she didn't so much pass me on the run as caught me), but on the other two, she started chugging before me.  And I finished chugging before her every single time.  I can still beat her on the chugs.  But no longer enough by enough time to offset the run pace differential.  After each solid strong chug, I got out there running, and she'd pass me.

So disappointing, but it was inevitable.  I cheered for her as she passed me on the last lap with about 150 meters to go.  She pulled ahead and out of sight.  I lost motivation and eased up a bit, reminding myself that if I ended up hurling and had to do a penalty lap, I'd have my worst time yet.  Since the title was out the window, relax and hold it together.

After I finished, I told her she might have to fight me for the title in December, I might try to reclaim the title.  But maybe it's time to gracefully step back. 

Just writing that made me laugh.  Nothing graceful about the beer mile.  Lots of belching. 

But maybe in December, when I have to wear the 2F bib for the first time, I'll be able to get back the 1F.  I really should fight for it.  Train, get serious, drop some weight, chug harder, chug faster, run faster, push, push, push. 

And based on how the men's race unfolded, there might be one person who also fights hard in December.  For the guys, the one who wins most frequently has been aiming for a sub-6 for a long time and he's getting closer.  I looked back at my recap from my first beer mile, 2 years ago.  He ran and won with a 6:15.  Last week, it wasn't his race.  He finished with a 6:07.  So I could see him working hard to trim 8 more seconds in December. 

I feel like I can relate to how Shalene felt in Boston last year now (overly dramatic much?).  She trained to run a 2:22, which she thought should have been fast enough to win it.  And she executed.  She ran the 2:22.  But a few women went faster than 2:22 so it wasn't enough.  She executed perfectly and ended up seventh. 

During the race last week, I felt like I was going pretty strong.  I can't really look at my watch during the race because the idea of remembering splits is out of the question, it's hard enough to remember how many beers I have left.  But it didn't seem slower than usual.  The beers seemed to be going down pretty easily, and I felt like I was pushing myself. 

In the end, I guess maybe just like Shalene, I had the wrong goal.  Instead of targeting a time, I should have geared off the competition more.  Easier said than done.  I tried to run my own race, thinking in the end, the woman ahead of me would fall back. 

I finally broke the elusive 8:40 barrier, getting into the 8:30s which seemed so unattainable before.  I managed to get a PR by 10 seconds, but I ended up losing by 17 seconds.  What now?  I really do think I need to double down.  Train hard for December.  Hard! 

For reference:
Second beer mile:  http://carinaruns.blogspot.com/2013/12/defending-my-title.html
Third beer mile:  http://carinaruns.blogspot.com/2014/05/beer-mile-3-peat.html
Fourth beer mile:  http://carinaruns.blogspot.com/2014/12/untouchable-beer-mile-iv.html

I can't even look back at those posts really.  See that word "untouchable" in my last recap's title?  So cocky, so confident.  And now I wear the 2F. 

Sigh. 

Race Report: Fairview Half

Ran the Fairview Half Marathon this past weekend, and figured I'd share my thoughts for anyone local.

Overall, it was a pretty good race, but not likely one I'd consider doing again.  Fairview is a suburb that is really, really, really far away from Dallas.  The drive up there in the morning didn't have much traffic, but it felt like we were in the car for hours.  My husband went with me to keep me company and to cheer.  That was a big bonus, but he was also surprised at how far away it was and I am not entirely sure he would have joined the fun if he'd known before we set out at 6 a.m. 

My biggest complaint was that a few stretches were run on the shoulder of a very busy road that was not closed to traffic.  This made it tough to stay with a pace group, since at most, they could run two abreast, and then one person was kind of running on the gravel. 

I didn't like the course very much overall.  It was hilly (for Texas), and fairly boring -- like running through the residential streets of some random suburb.  Not very exciting.

The best part of the course by far happened twice (the course was not exactly out and back, but a large portion of it was).  There was one stretch where we ran past some fields with cows, horses, and longhorns.  That was really cool and not something you get in your average Dallas area race. 

There was some shade along the streets, but it was somewhat confusing since there were not cones (except on the busiest of the roads), and a vast majority of people were running on the right side of the road, but it was not closed to traffic, so cars would come up behind you.  I didn't like that part at all. 

The best parts of the race don't really have anything to do with the running. 

First, ample (and free) parking at the start (it started at what I guess is like a suburban outdoor mall, and city building?).  Either way, short walk to the start, indoor bathrooms available, seemed well organized. 

Second, the race started at 7:30.  That's relatively early, but since our weather in mid-April can already get ugly hot (even though it didn't this year), I think the early start was very smart. 

The other thing I really liked was one of the treats at the end of the race.  Mini bundt cakes.  Yum!  I wish I'd taken a picture.  They also had bananas and water, and maybe muscle milk?  Can't remember. 

Another favorite part about the race, though I have not actually looked at them yet, is that they offer free downloads of the pictures.  I think I saw two photographers, but I know that the first one didn't get any pictures of me -- a minivan was coming the opposite direction at the exact time my pictures would have been taken.  But I'm betting I got a few from the other photographer.  And since I wasn't racing this one, there's a chance any of those pictures could be decent.  But even if it didn't work out for me, that's a very nice feature to offer runners. 

And the last thing I loved about this race, the medal:

 

Unfortunately you can't really tell from the picture, but the little thing at the top of the oil rig (?) spins.  Love it! 

The shirts are technical, average quality.

Here is the back:

And two shots of the front (tried to do a closer one so you could see it, and one further back because the shirt is actually fairly long, which I think is nice).  I don't like how the 5k is more prominent in the logo (especially since a vast majority of people were doing the half), but it's fine. 

 

My "race" itself was good.  The weather was good, overcast, in the upper 50s or low 60s.  It got sunny later, and that was pretty gross when you were also getting exhaust from the trucks on the road, but no real complaints. 

 

My running buddy and I were pacing one of his co-workers and her friend.  All 4 of us stayed together until about mile 8, then I pulled slightly ahead with the friend, and we finished about 90 seconds ahead of my buddy and his co-worker.  The two we were pacing were both thrilled with the results.  They both apparently slowed down a bit in mile 11, and my friend and I both had to "talk tough" right around mile 12.  I basically told the woman I was pacing that all this great running she'd done so far was about to go down the $hitter if she didn't get it in gear and hold it together for the last mile.  I told her to stay with me, and we were going to move.  I asked her to give me 8 more minutes of hard work.  She gave me 2 more minutes of hard work and about 7 minutes of medium work, but it was enough.  We finished 62 seconds ahead of her A goal (which I only found out about around mile 4; in advance of the race, I'd only been told of her B goal, which we beat by 6 minutes and 2 seconds).  Then all 4 of us went out for beer and pizza afterward.  I was very happy for them and really enjoyed the morning. 

Special Street

As I mentioned, this past weekend was my favorite 5k of the year.  Even the more uneventful years are so fun -- so many friends run this race and it has a great atmosphere.  This weekend, there was someone walking in front of me during the last half mile and she was struggling, I told her to come on, and she did and thanked me.  It's an encouraging and fun atmosphere.  Possibly because some people start drinking before the race?  Haha.

I have tons of awesome memories from this race:

One year, I had an amazing pacer, and I remember feeling like a dog because she kept turning around and saying "Come on girl" to me.  She also kept my watch during the race.

One year, I pushed my godson in a stroller.  I think I shared this story before, but I ran as hard as I could with him, and on the big hill of the race, halfway up, I realized that directly in front of me (and therefore directly in my godson's face) was the butt of a guy wearing nothing but green boxer briefs. 

One year, it was the day of my bridal shower and my mom did the race too, pre-festivities.  It was a PR at the time and one of the happiest days of my life! 

One year, one of my dearest friends was in town for the race and a day of fun following. 

One year, a friend wearing a beer mug costume paced me and I clearly remember some spectator, a middle-aged guy with a belly, standing on the lawn of one of the apartment complexes as we ran by.  As we passed, he said, "ah, now here come the fun runners."  For an entire half mile I thought about going back to choke the guy and asking him how fun he thought a 7:xx pace was.  Can't even remember what pace I was running, but I swear, it was not fun (though it was a cake walk for the guy pacing me). 

Last year, one of my favorite running buddies who moved to California was in town and we got to hang out afterward. 

One year my middle little brother and his wife came to visit that weekend and we all ran it, watched the parade and spent the day hanging out at house parties. 

This is the brother who has been on my mind constantly lately with his new baby. 

So it was extra cool to go to my secret easy-in-easy-out parking spot for this race and realize the street has the same name as my new nephew! 

Untouchable, Beer Mile IV

Last night was my final race of the year -- another beer mile (the event here is twice a year, once after Boston, and then once after our local marathon). 

I think I can officially say that I am untouchable in terms of women who participate in this event in Dallas.  If it weren't so painful and so fun, I would consider trying to find another local version of it to give myself some more competition.  But with the group that does this event, I really am untouchable. 

I was kind of hoping for a PR, but who am I kidding?  I'm just not in PR shape right now running-wise.  But to compound the situation, we had a rainy day on Wednesday, so the track was pretty sloppy last night.  The upside to a sloppy track was that it was a smaller field competing. 

It was my slowest win yet, another 12 seconds slower than the spring race.  And I was nervous.  As I was finishing up my third beer, the second place woman had just entered the drinking zone. 

Cutting it close...

There is always one guy in this group who finishes way, way, way behind the rest of us.  Last night, after I finished and caught my breath (and high-5'd the male winner), I saw he was heading out for a lap.  I assumed it would be his last, but I wasn't really thinking about it much.  I decided to run with him as a cool-down.  100 meters in he told me it was his third lap and he was struggling.  He actually stopped about halfway through the lap because he wanted to burp, and I was like, well, at least walk and make progress.  I was trying to point him to drier and more solid parts of the track, but it didn't help much.  He finished portions of his final beer (I think he knew they wouldn't DQ him), and then pretty much all of us set out with him on his final lap.  Good times!

Then we all went back to the organizer's house for a small party.  I only stayed until about 10 since I had to get up before 4:00 this morning -- my flight home left DFW at 6:15 AM.  Yikes!  And since I was flying Spirit (which I'd never flown before) and checking a bag, I wanted to be there early. 

Good choice on my part!  The line to drop off a bag was HUGE.  And then security took forever because Spirit apparently doesn't participate in TSA pre-check, so I had to wait in the regular line and take my shoes off -- gross! 

I planned to work the whole flight so I could wrap up early tonight and have extra time with my family, but I was just too tired and I slept the whole way.  Feeling a bit better but looking forward to a solid night's sleep tonight.  Hubby is on the same flight tomorrow, so that will be good.

It feels crazy cold here to me so I think it's going to be a lot of time indoors.  Tomorrow will be a big day of wrapping.  Ugh!  And shopping for the last gift for one person and a majority of a gift for one other person.  I also have to write out and mail all our Italian cards and 4 others.  Unfortunately, I did my shipping yesterday during the day and mistakenly put two cards into the mail with absolutely no address -- just a first and last name.  I meant to look it up but totally spaced.  Wonder how long it will take for them to make their way back to me...

Tree

Well, I can't say much for UPS in keeping the shipping status current, but no sooner did I fret that our new tree hadn't moved from Buffalo where it was stuck in the storm, than the status was changed to delivered!  So we have a tree after all.  That's a big relief to me since I won't be home with my folks until Dec. 19, and since I probably won't see snow in Dallas before then, having our tree up and decorated is really the main way for me to get into the holiday spirit. 

Thanksgiving was lovely.  Our local Turkey Trot is 8 miles and it's my longest streak race -- this was year number 11 in a row.  Not a PR, but not bad.  I ran about 20 seconds per mile faster than the plan, but the weather was nice and I was running with a friend, so it was great.  And the race itself was a grateful experience -- running in general, Dallas having awesome running weather for a fair amount of the year, a great running community (it's one of the largest trots in the country, something like 35,000 people, counting the 5k), and perhaps most of all, my running friends.  For the first year since my husband and I have been together, we didn't meet up with my buddies before the race.  We just went to the start, but within minutes of getting into the corral, we were with friends.  First, I ran into a guy I ran with about 4 years ago, then one of my original best boot camp buddies (who had actually just gotten off night shift, was going to run the race, then going home to sleep from 11 until 5, then working that night), then more and more friends I love that I've met through running.  The race was more of the same.  Running with one of my buddies, but running into friends along the way, former coworkers, neighbors, everything, so much fun to share some miles (or fractions thereof, as the case may be) with them.  It was a new course this year that didn't highlight the prettiest parts of the city, but the streets were full, there were plenty of costumes, it made me get all teary right in the middle of the race -- I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratefulness and joy.  I'm a lucky girl and I know it. 

I've said it before, and in some ways it scares me -- I feel like life is so good it's just a matter of time before some shoe drops.  I suppose that's true actually, there is going to be a bump in the road.  It's hard to guess what it will be.  But I have to just enjoy this ride while it lasts.  Healthy, so in love, about to go visit my family next month, surrounded by friends who mean so much to me, a job I love, an amazing year wrapping up, all the material comforts I want, getting to see the world.  It just doesn't seem like it could get any better. 

After the trot, we came home to cook.  Our Thanksgiving contributions were mashed potatoes, olives and pickles, canned cranberry sauce, acorn squash halves filled with peas, rolls, and a dessert -- cranberry squares.  We had our big meal at my friend and her husband's house (he is my ex-boss).  One of his sons was there as well (just turned 16).  They made turkey (she's a vegetarian too, but neither of our husbands are), gravy, stuffing (in the bird and separate veggie stuffing for us), green bean casserole, glazed carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. 

The food was all amazing.  The downside to having been back from vacation for nearly a month is that our stomachs have returned to normal size and I wasn't able to eat nearly as much as I wanted.  I basically had a single plate full -- but it was very full.  And then two desserts.  We'd also had big bowls of greek yogurt with granola and blueberries after the race (plus a granola bar before and an orange in the car on the way home).  But then we had the big meal at about 3 and didn't eat again.  I was still full when we went to bed! 

In retrospect, it was funny because they really wanted to see our pictures from India and Nepal and Dubai so after we ate, we plugged the laptop into their tv and they looked at the pictures.  And they were both falling asleep.  It was like torture I bet -- here, look at 1,500 photos of India with an uncomfortably full belly and try to stay awake.  For us, it was kind of fun because it was the first time we'd really looked at the photos other than to pick out our Christmas card enclosure photos.  But they asked for it!  So we spent post-dinner looking at photos, sitting around talking, and then cleaning up the kitchen and packing up leftovers. 

Then Friday was spent primarily putting up the tree, and trimming it while listening to Christmas music.  Unfortunately for my husband, when we listen to our Christmas mix CDs, then it gets to be time to put on New Kids on the Block Christmas CD.  Oh, he hates it as much as I love it! 

I know CDs are so retro, but Christmas seems to be the only time I listen to them instead of digital music.

Anyway, as to the tree, I'm so glad we got it done.  We also ate two huge plates of leftovers, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving.  I think we each have enough for about 2-3 more plates, then it will all be gone. 

Our new tree was 6 inches taller than our old one, and I think we could have gone up another 6 inches, but it seems to fit pretty well.  Sorry for the iphone pic, but here it is: 

 

The plan for the rest of the weekend is to go for my "last" "long" run in a little while, write out our cards (at least half of which I've already addressed!) today, come up with a baking list for cookies, see a movie (hubby wants to see Foxcatcher) and get organized -- put away decoration remnants and pick up in general.   Then tomorrow will be a shorter run, breakfast with some friends, some online shopping, Chinese class, and packing -- flying out for work on Monday! So much better than having to travel on Sunday and having it cut into my weekend.

 

Europe Recap: Berlin Marathon Expo

Continuing tradition, while we are on vacation this year, I'm sharing some photos and details from last year's trip. Last year, you got to see China while we were in Europe. This year, you get to see Europe while we are in India! 

The primary reason for our trip in 2013 beginning in Berlin was for the marathon.

Part of me wants to do all the World Majors marathons, and Berlin is one of them.  I've now done 4, but since I started my quest to do all 5, they've added another (Tokyo), so now I need to run that one as well as London if I'm going to do them all.  Still an idea I'm considering.

I don't have tons of Berlin expo photos, but it was great. 

This Brooks guy was real!  He creeped a lot of people out, it was very funny:

BMW was the race sponsor, yet another reason I liked the race: 

 

Unfortunately, no photos of the overall expo.  The outdoor part was cool, with some stands selling beer and pretzels, which made it more fun than your average expo for the non-running spouse who might accompany you.  I liked the pretzels! 

An official race vehicle spotted the night before:

 

So I posted my race recap last year, but I spent about 2 or 3 hours the day after the race in line.  This was the line:

Filled with runners, all heading to the Adidas store:

Why?  Something called mi time:

In our race packets, we got these plastic yellow Adidas bracelets (like the LiveStrong ones).  And if you went after the race (and stood in line for hours), they'd burn your race time into yours!

Far and away one of the coolest race souvenirs ever (obviously, one million times cooler since I PR'ed, not sure I would have waited for a non-PR time): 

 

Another one in the books

 

So I think this past weekend marked marathon somewhere between 19 and 22. And sadly, it was fairly warm, humid, and very, very, very sunny, so not only did I not PR, I missed my RE-Q by more than 4 minutes, and I didn’t even manage to finish in my own personal top 3 records. Ugh. 

The weekend itself was fabulous. I went with one of my bestest friends and it was so great to get to spend the time together.   Friday night we went to the expo and dinner.   Saturday had a couple big highlights – Amy’s recommendation for breakfast that featured biscuits and gravy with a "hearty vegetarian gravy" that was the stuff of dreams, and a mini-high-school reunion lunch with two of my classmates who now live there.   I also managed to put together photo-heavy posts of last year's vacation to post while we're on vacation this year.  In the afternoon, we opted to see Gone Girl to keep us off our feet and chill. Neither of us had read the book, we both liked the movie, my friend did not like the ending but I think I did. Then we had a pasta dinner at the hotel (not the pre-race buffet they had, but off the menu and just right).

 

An expo photo, my friend and the Nuun rep had a huge discussion about the Miami marathon, which my friend and her husband are doing this January, which the Nuun rep had done about 5 times. 

 

 

 For some reason at the expo I was enjoying weighing some California races.  Did I mention that I'm getting a new niece or nephew in San Fran in March?  Some of these might be good excuses to visit:





Some pictures from the lovely and amazing Gravy:

 

Long story, but she's been one of my best friends for a long time and during one bit of joint single despair more than a decade ago, we bought matching sparkly rings (the "diamonique" bands) and decided that even if never of us found Mr. Right, at least we'd always have each other when we grew old.  (For the record, I think my hands are the oldest-looking part of my body.)

A massive breakfast.  Biscuits with gravy, vegetarian sausage, and oatmeal brulee with berries:

The menu at Veggie Grill (maybe legible if you enlarge?):



Running statue made of a tree trunk that was in a running store we visited on Saturday:

Amazing little statues all over downtown:

 

But despite the relatively crappy weather and finish time for the marathon, oddly enough, I loved it. My favorite parts were the proximity of the hotel to the starting line (we left the hotel at 6:30 for a 7:00 race, and there was plenty of time), the starting line logistics (they announced 3 or 5 minutes until the race or something, I realized I needed to pee again, made a bee-line for the portapotty, waited for 2 people to go, then it was my turn, and was back at the start with time to spare), and the scenery for the most part (some industrial, warehouse stretches, some running along railroad tracks, but overall, pretty).   And perhaps the best race shirt ever, a long sleeved lovely blue technical finisher shirt, that fits so well and looks amazing on everyone I saw wearing it, including my friend (and me) and dozens of others at the airport.   

The weather meant I went out pretty much on track, but I knew that I’d only hold the pace as long as possible and then I’d dial it back. I actually started off too slow anyway. I had a few good miles in the first 10, but overall, I was averaging slower than I expected. By about mile 10, I started slowing down, and by mile 12, it was starting to show. There was a horrible hill in between 16 and 17, climbing up onto a bridge, and then crossing the bridge. That was rough. But then it really went downhill – literally and figuratively. I have no good explanation, but on the bridge, starting at about mile marker 17, I was dying to find a portapotty. My stomach was NOT cooperating! I ducked in one right after I got off the bridge (no wait, fortunately). But then within 1-2 more miles, I had to stop AGAIN. Ugh. I’ve definitely had to stop before in races, but it’s usually been on total fun runs where I really didn’t care about my time.   While I knew going in that the weather would be bad and I had no shot at my goal time or at a PR, I was hoping at least for a re-q.  So I tried to eat pretty good and ordinary stuff the week before the race in order to avoid any stomach issues.   

But those miles with the stops and general lollygagging did me in. There was no way to recover, even though the course was largely an amazing downhill run from about mile 21. There was one more notable uphill to go up another bridge, but it was nothing like the bridge between 16 and 17.

My biggest complaint was that somewhere around mile 25, we merged in with half marathoners. Sorry, let me clarify, we merged in with 3:30 half-marathoners, i.e., walkers. And the course was not divided. I attempted to run as straight a line as possible, but there was still tons of weaving around them, or calling ahead to try to run in between.

The good news about running more slowly is that I felt pretty solid afterward and I don’t think I’ll be walking funny at work. A bit stiff, but nothing like the usual Marathon Monday March.

I got some snacks at the finish line but pretty much kept a steady march back to the hotel. My friend and I had decided to leave the luggage in our room since checkout time was at noon, and I was hoping to be able to finish the race, get through the finish line and get back to the room for a quick shower and change before we had to check out. That worked out amazingly well. I got back to the hotel and had more than 45 minutes to shower, wash my hair, and get reorganized (and to text my running buddies, my blogging/boot camp buddy Megan, and my husband). Before I knew it, my friend was finished and she took some time to get cleaned up.

We stashed our bags and went out to lunch for a second stop at a West Coast chain restaurant that was like a dream to us – Veggie Grill. Sooooo many choices, all vegetarian or vegan. It was a bit overwhelming for our first meal there, but after the marathon, I was hungry enough that I pushed myself to decide.

Then, we made the trek to Voodoo Donuts. I decided I’d get one donut for every 5 minutes we waited, so that worked out to an even half-dozen. I hope they’ll be good for a couple mornings. Since this week is going to be complete and utter chaos at work and leaving for vacation (did I mention I haven’t packed A THING??? And we leave on WEDNESDAY?????!!!! AS IN THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), I think donuts for breakfast are in order.

 

I ate the dirty donut right away – a raised donut with a creamy frosting topped with crumbled oreos (first photo below). And for the coming days (including later this morning), I have blueberry cake, vanilla cake with sprinkles, mango tango, lemon crème cruller, and raspberry romeo. Is 6 donuts too many after a marathon? I also indulged in some candy that was part of my good luck gift from my boot camp buddies. Oh well, I’m not thinking I’ll have the typical Italian vacation weight gain on this vacation, so 6 donuts it is…

 

 

The worst part of the trip: flying back the night of the race on the red eye. We actually just landed around 2 a.m., and I got to bed not long after 3, which is less than ideal considering the cluster that is going to be my life for the next couple days, but it was really the only option since I absolutely could not take a vacation day (they’re all being used on our real trip). I couldn’t tell you how many hours we were in the air, 4? 5?, but it was WAY too long to sit with even not-really-sore legs. My knees were aching and I was dying to stretch out. Finally got home, got to bed, and woke up way too soon. Oh well, I am about to have a 14 hour and 45 minute flight on which I can do all the sleeping I want!