October 2nd Half Lessons

October 2nd Half:

Brookline MA

My 2nd half of October started with a mini vacation to Boston and New York... it was hard to take a break but looking back it was worth it and the perfect time.  I ran/jogged around Brookline for 5 miles just taking in the most beautiful Fall scenery.  I think I had forgotten what autumn leaves looked like because I could just stop and stare and ooohhh and aaahhh repetitively! So wish I had taken a picture of the baby boston terrier so happy to be on his puppy run!

 

 

We visited the World Trade Center and Memorial and ran 5 miles around Central park and went to the ballet in NY. The crisp air was incredible and the scenario made me want to run laps forever... ok jog and take pictures! Sometimes running really slow can be a really special experience because you really SEE what you are passing.  I love destination runs!

 

New World Trade Center

9/11 Memorial

Central Park NY

Central Park NY

Upon our return, Saturday, Oct 20, I decided to set my base for my monthly Oceanside brick ride/run. I showed some friends the course as we biked from the pier out and back to Camp Pendleton for 40 miles in the misty rain (very similar to race day conditions 2012). I made up a 5.5 mile run route to cover the majority of the first loop of the race. We included the difficult sections of the run which are the ramps up and down the pier, running up Wisconsin, and then the dreaded concrete hill from Morse to Eaton. I hate this section because it is like you are in a tunnel of concrete with garage doors on one side and a beige concrete wall on the other side while running on an incline.  UGH! but I will train to love this route since I plan to extend the distance once a month. My ironman goal is to try my very best to run this entire 13.1 route March 30, 2013!

 

Oct 21, 2012: SheROX volunteer and Swim Buddy

I've really enjoyed working with the Newbies preparing for SheROX Sprint and Supersprint. I set up a facebook page so we could exchange support and it became a big hit! the SheROX Mentor/Mentee group was led by Bobbie Solomon and she offered free clinics for 3 months prior to the race. I had so many races that I could only attend 2 clinics for the bike and run preview so I didn't feel super close to specific people but I knew the mentees appreciated the FB page which I religiously supported daily.

 

I did feel super appreciated at the course preview with all their questions and thank yous.  It was very rewarding for me. I was reminded quickly about my first triathlon and it brought back a lot of memories and helped me realize how much I have learned in the last year.  It felt great to offer advice and calm nerves! 

 

 On race day, it was drizzling rain but I arrived at 5am and was able to offer swim wave info and bodymarking and then was asked to be a swim buddy because there were not enough.  I've always considered myself a weak swimmer and never capable of being a swim buddy but I grabbed my gear and ran down to the dock just before the race began.  I really didn't know what to expect.  I was in a large group of males but a lady weeded through them all and looked at me with saucer eyes and asked "will you be my swim buddy? I said sure... Will you stay with me?... I said sure... No I mean stay on my right side the entire time?.. I said YES... (omg what have I gotten into?)"  This was the Sprint division..750 meters almost 1/2 mile so " you know how to swim right? oh yes in the pool" hmmm???

 

We get in .. umm put on your goggles... can you put your face in the water... can you reach out with your arms?... can you freestyle?...NO I can only doggy paddle!  WHAT?? In 15 minutes...we were almost at the end of the DOCK...maybe 100 yards?  I looked underwater and it was like she was on a unicycle - no forward motion.... I tried to teach her to swim with every trick and tip I knew... alas not much forward motion.  I know we are not supposed to touch them but this was going to take hours... so i grabbed her leg and thrust her forward repetitively to the first buoy...finally I said grab my ankle and you kick and I will pull.  I literally towed her for almost 1/2 a mile.  I started thinking...omg I don't think I have ever sweat during a swim before!  I thought maybe we should get a lifeguard, maybe we should cut through the middle... No way, I wasn't letting her quit because she was a fighter and I was going to fight for her finish.  It took all I had to get around the buoys with her in tow.  After the last one, I had her lock her leg and I pushed against her heel as hard as I could to get her going forward.  A lifeguard came by to rescue her and I said HELL NO not NOW!  SHE IS FINISHING!!!  I kept grabbing her thigh and pushing her heel forward until she touched ground... she almost made me cry with her exhileration!  she hugged me tight, I unzipped her wetsuit, and she was off to bike/run... I then swam another lap with a couple more newbies which thankfully was all verbal support.  I was starving at that point!

                                   

After the race, I saw her again.  She was with a group of her friends and apparently she had told them about our experience!  they all hugged me and said I had no idea what I had done for her.  She had quit last week and wasn't going to race. The swim was too hard but she knew she could bike/run.  After the swim she felt so amazing and it was the greatest experience ever... wow... volunteering was far more rewarding than I ever expected.  I'm so happy she was able to earn her SheROX medal racing the very best she could and going home a successful triathlete! I will forever remember Sri! Paying it forward is just priceless. :)

 

 

 

Oct 27 Awesome 80's 10k Fun Run

Running 8-13miles 3x a week has pretty much become a way of life for me so to pay to run a 10K really needs to offer something special. Well running with a bunch of crazies in costumes was pretty special!  Not to mention the BLING medal was spectacular (replica of a cassette tape) and running 2 loops of Fiesta Island made it totally worth it.  We decided to make this into a reverse brick event so after the 6 mile run, we rode 20 miles of hills in La Jolla.  The view from on top of Mt. Soledad is just breathtaking on a clear day!

 

October Workout Summary:

Swim 29,984 Y = 17 miles

Bike 438 miles

Run 102 miles

Total hours 65.5

Weekly Avg 16 hours

 

I focused on running a little more in October because of training for my November goal of running 6 halves in 16 days to attain EARTH 6-moon status with my Half Fanatics running club. I will also volunteer at Ironman Arizona to determine if next year's goal will be to achieve Ironman status or wait another year.  I have decided to postpone my foot surgery until after Half Ironman California March 30, 2012.  I just don't want to take a break in the middle of training and my footpad seems to be tolerating 13 miles ok but it definitely needs repair before I run a full marathon....maybe I need to focus on full marathons before full ironman... just not sure yet but I'm still excited to be part of the energy at IMAZ Nov 18, 2012!

October 1st Half Lessons

October will be interesting.  I've changed my goals which adds great intensity this month to prepare for November's new goals.  I only have one half run in October and a fun run 10k in costome for Halloween.  However, I've decided the 10miler is now the new 5miler.  I have raised my base run again.  I will be increasing my mileage in October to prepare for November's 6 halfs in 16 days.  Achieving this goal allows me to attain Earth status  (6 moons. 10 moons is the top level) in my Half Fanatics club. My bigger goal is always feel like I could run another half marathon right after I finish one.

I definitely have a hiccup in my personality. When I achieve something, then I have to make a new goal that is harder than the last goal... this has been leading to my family believing I am approaching a new level of insanity.  What's really happening is that part of me is just happy to be in control of something positive in my life.  The unemployement situation is so negative, so depressing that I've been using Swim/Bike/Run as my therapy.  Sure thing interviews have continually fallen apart at the last minute.  However, the more I exercise, the better I get and it makes me happy.  I'm also 5 lbs thinner which I thought would never happen.  So of course now I have a new goal weight too.  The cycling magazines suggest 2 lbs per inch so I should weigh 128.  I have weighed 135 for years. Today, I'm 2 lbs away from my goal weight.  I have certainly exchanged fat for muscle over the last year but the net has been the same number.  Now I'm finally seeing the fat # drop as I get stronger.  Which leads me to another goal dilemma...

Do I continue 15 hrs a week raising it to 20 hours a week and race to fulfill my goal of being an IRONMAN while I am unemployed, since I have the extra day time hours?   To give my all to Ironman training, and still have a life with Marcus, I feel I need to workout mosly during the day.  I am at a good point in training to step up further, we are financially secure without my income since my kids will be independent by the summer 2013, and I will be 50 years old by race day.  So I am not getting any younger and that's a pretty awesome way to celebrate my half century BD - of course with an M-dot tatoo as my BD gift. (This is nearly a requirement for every Ironman Finisher).  So I have taken the first step towards Ironman 2013 and that's volunteering at Ironman 2012.  I will watch the 2500+ mass swim start; I will check out the weather, the head winds, the terrain of the bike route; I will volunteer 3-7pm at the Dry Clothes Pickup near the finishline; I will watch those Ironmen throw themselves over the finishline after hours 12 - 17.  I know 11pm- midnight when the most exhausted racers arrive, will be the moment I will know if that WILL be me next year.  I have to KNOW I will make it through 1 yr of training and 140.6 miles in 17 hours or less.  If the answer is yes, I will stand in line Monday morning and buy my $600 race entry for 2013.

I will know my answer on Nov 18, 2012

October 7:  Long Beach Half Marathon - 2nd leg of the Beach Cities Challenge Triple Run.

 

I'm pretty sure this will be my most favorite half in the series.  I'm definitely considering running the full marathon next year.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  We were near water almost the entire run and we were rarely running just boring straight. We stayed within walking distance of the start line so we didn't fight in traffic with the other 20,000.  They even had a Bike Tour with 1000s cycling 26.2 miles.. ahhh how cute... cycling a marathon distance! hahaha! Anyway they had a race for every level of athlete and age. I loved the shirt, the medal, the volunteers, the cheers every mile, the course, the weather, and downtown Long Beach is just gorgeous.  Although warmer than SF Half, I definitely vote this as tied for 1st place of my favorite halfs run in 2012.  The water works show and running over the bridge with beautiful views and the Queen Mary were just awesome!



 

I have loads of training runs, miles of swimming with Dory , and have added a stationary cycling class for 90 minutes  for bike strengthening skills in additon to the 100+ miles I bike every week. 

 

Therefore, I will have plenty of thinking time to figure out my dilemma.