My final foot surgery is over. Now begins my IMAZ journey

Finally yearend has arrived and it is time to complete my bunionectomy journey so I can continue the journey to Ironman!  My right foot bunion surgery was on Thursday Nov 14.  This second round will be easier than the left because I don't have any hammertoes on the right foot. Three days after surgery, I will attend a speedpass volunteer shift at IMAZ on Sunday from 10-11:30pm. I was fortunate to have been offered a switch to 8-10pm shift instead!

The surgery was faster and I was very calm since I knew the routine.  There were only two differences.  This anesthesiologist didn't like to put you out.  In all my outpatient surgeries, I was told "you will be awake but feel nothing" and I black out instantly. This was the first time to be asleep yet hear conversations in the background.  It was so strange..a little creepy too but still a pretty good rest! I was in the recovery room less time too.  In fact, I kept being awakened by the HR monitor alarm which sent nurses charging in when my HR dropped below 40 beats a minute!  It would scare me and my heart would jump over 40...Oh, false alarm.. the nurse would leave, I'd sleep 5 minutes and the alarm would go off again!  Apparently my Resting HR is about 37!  I told them I was a triathlete and that 40 was normal so that must be where they set the minimum! If you want further information about Dr. Berenter, here is his website . He also has a video on a REAL surgery without any blood! Check it out here!

I had no extra bleeding, so no extra bandage changing, and  just some throbbing a couple nights. It was pretty uneventful. We drove to Tempe, Arizona on Sunday morning with my right foot in an aircast resting on the dashboard.  I iced Thursday to Saturday.  This time I did take one pain pill at night the first two nights because the throbbing woke me up.  But otherwise I was pain free. I was completely ready for the aircast by Sunday with no pain whatsoever.  I knew that standing for my IMAZ volunteer shift wouldn't be any problem.  I was so grateful to get a speedpass.


The speedpass wristband is earned by working a volunteer shift that specifically states SPEED PASS in the description. You have to sign up on the first day volunteer slots open which I did on July 1 at noon.  It typically is a "hard to fill" position.  Earning it means I am not waiting in line at 3am to buy my entry for IMAZ 2014 on Monday morning.  I have head of line privileges so I basically just walk up and get my ticket in front of thousands in line.  All I need is a green band, my ID, my credit card, my USAT card. In return, a get a little piece of paper!

Pretty cool! My shift actually only lasted from 8-9:15pm because my water station #1 was the cutoff mark at 9miles for 2nd loopers.  After the dreaded headlights arrived, we knew there were not going to be anymore runners.  I was so thankful runners were pulled off the course just before our station so I didn't have to witness that horrible scene.

Monday, I awoke at 7am, and was registered by 7:30am. SWEET! Let the training begin...

 

I know the foot routine..ugh.. no water on the foot for first 2 weeks until  my stitches are removed. Then, I wear the aircast another 2 weeks which means 100's of miles in the lounger spin bike at the gym in the meantime.  Another 2 weeks later, I will begin running again.  It also means basically soup and salad for months to lose this extra 10 lbs I have packed on with two vacations in 6 months.

So, fast forward 3 weeks from surgery...my hopes are coming true and this recovery is faster than my left foot which had the hammertoe fusion.  I have far less swelling and don't even ice it, so I'm pushing much harder and sooner.  I couldn't swim until the knots were removed BUT I started on the elliptical by week 2 and it felt great. I'm also out of the lounger bike and now in the upright spin bike in week 3.  I feel almost normal with bike, elliptical and swim workouts now. The timing is perfect for removing the stitches because Dec 1 is the beginning of the NCC USAT 3 month challenge.  Julie, my coach, headed up a 100x100y swim on Dec 1 to kick off the swim miles and I achieved my first 5k in a pool on Dec 1!  That is 2 weeks 3 days post surgery! Granted I was tired after the long swim but my foot felt amazing since it was soothed in the water for 2 hours!

Although I didn't spend too much time at IMAZ13 this year, I did REALLY get the tri bike bug...Black Friday sales were already boasting their screaming hot deals.  So, my Honey awarded me an early Christmas present and we drove straight to Moment Cycle Sport after I bought my IMAZ14 ticket!  My tri bike fitting said I really fit better in the Cannondale Slice vs Cervelo so I bought one on sale with deep discounts, used my Reynolds and Quarq powermeter, and applied the savings to upgrade all the components to Durace.  My little beauty has been appropriately named RACHEL ROCKET because I gave Rachel, at Moment, the go ahead to make it the best it could be as if it were her own bike.  Rachel has supported me since the first day I inquired about triathlons at the Moment shop. She is an awesome mentor! Now I can only hope she will give me her incredible endurance and speed as well!  I will be taking my RR for a 20 mile spin only 3 weeks 3 days after surgery!  Then Sunday, I will go a little further as I adjust to the Tri position.  Isn't she a beauty??!!!

I had my 4 week (minus 2 days) check up this week and Dr. Berenter is very happy with my fast progress.  I learned that he is one of the few podiatrists that uses dissolvable hardware and he has been using it for 18 years now with fantastic results.  Maybe that is why I have had virtually no pain. The screw material is made of the same product as dissolvable stitches, but just poured into a mold. I am ready for a spin class now that I can fit into bike shoes.  My next goal is to begin running at the 5 1/2 week now. For now, I am pushing myself on the elliptical, hoping that I haven't lost too much of my running base.

So I reflected on my goals for 2013 since my year is basically over. In 2012, I decided after IMAZ volunteering, that I wasn't ready for the Ironman journey.  Mentally and physically, I knew it wasn't the right time.  I decided to train smarter, build confidence, and repair both feet in 2013.  I accomplished a lot in 2013, besides two successful foot surgeries/recoveries. I completed 2 Ironman 70.3 races, 1 marathon, 8 half marathons, 3 Olympic tri's, an inaugural race called Jump Aquathlon and 2 cycling events - a metric century and a 50miler in Mexico. I am so happy that I improved greatly in all three disciplines.  It's been an awesome building year.  2014 is looking even better with a great job, a coach, a true tri bike, 3 70.3's, a couple marathons and hearing Mike Reilly tell me: YOU ARE AN IRONMAN on November 16, 2014!

November 2013 Lessons Learned

I seem to have a pattern now...It's called" Find your physical limits in November". Last November 2012, was 6 half`s in 16 days.  I already have Nov 2014 plans to nearly die trying to finish my first full ironman at IMAZ! Here's' my November 2013 journey:

This month included Borrego Springs climbing the Montezuma grade within a 50 mile ride and 4500 feet of total climbing, 4 Disneyworld theme parks in 4 days with a half marathon on day 3, and my 2nd foot surgery with a volunteer shift at IMAZ 3 days later, so again; this means do as much as possible in the shortest time frame in case you can't do it later!!

Let's add one more kink is this craziness...a total wrench in my life...I started my new job October 28...bittersweet and chaotic emotions ensued. I couldn't turn down great benefits and my highest salary to date and an actual path to promotion..more than I have ever been offered in my career but... I had just planned my next chapter after 18 months of unemployment.  I had accepted it with the destiny of full time Ironman training for IMAZ Nov 2014.  I had one last interview to go and then I expected my final rejection.  I had decided to return to school full time.  I wanted an AS. My BA/MBA had none of the sciences. I wanted to go into the medical field; maybe Cardio technology, maybe nursing?  I had to start from the beginning of science regardless so I ordered all my transcripts and talked to counselors at National University and Grossmont College.  I need 2 more GEs?? oral communication and a PE class since my degrees are old ?? fine... I added it to the science pre-req list.  They waived Algebra for my chem class because I took Calculus..haha like I remember that from the 80s!!!  I registered for Bio and lab courses starting the end of November.  oh YEA!!! I love a good plan.

oh NOOO!! a full time job with a 25 mile commute each way?  that wasn't expected at all. Hell the puppy wasn't even 4 months yet so she didn't have her rabies shot so she could go to daycare when Marcus travelled!  When are we getting her spayed now? What about foot surgery planned Nov 14? What about our 5 day Disneyworld vacation planned and paid for!! OMGGGGG!!  Seriously I felt like I was hyperventilating around the clock.  My job said.. no problem with the time off!!! wow my brain hurt trying to reconfigure my future.  Here's my list of things to do in November.

1st. I hate commuting. It is such a waste of time.  Let's move. Well let's sell the house.  Ummm crap there's a lot to do to get it ready.  Got our realtor on board and he gave us the to do list. Marcus cancelled his business trip and we hired contractors  which turned into a living nightmare and drove us nearly to drink.  We packed our "clutter" day and night and pushed the contractor to work faster. We decided on an open house Nov 8 while we were at Disneyworld and the dogs were at my parent's house.  We did our best in 7 days and we kept our Nov 2 plans for Borrego Springs.  It's a ride I refused to miss.



Quark Riken compact powermeter

2nd on the list.  I couldn't sleep over my baffling mess at SOMA 70.3. How could I have been more efficient?  How do I bike stronger and still have something left to run, .....really RUN?  I decided the only way to keep my IMAZ goal was to hire a personal coach.  I felt the power meter and coach combo would get me to the next level and relieve my stress of preparation while working fulltime. I did some research, ordered the Quarq power meter, and hired Julie Dunkle . Did both before the BIG Borrego ride so I would have great Garmin data for Julie.   Here's Julie's website http://www.dontgetdroppedcoaching.com/Home_Page.html




3rd was the Borrego Springs 50  ride which had been planned for a month. It was a ride I never would have completed without the group.  I am so grateful for the last 6 months I spent riding every Tuesday with Steve's Valle Velo group ride.  He showed me North county and now my job is center in this area! It was meant to be! The 2 hour climb was brutal for me. It really strains my neck and knees to push that hard for so long.  My cadence is far too slow. The power meter worked well and proved I have a lot of work to do so I am more efficient.  However, my altimeter did not work at all so this is the 2nd 910XT watch that has broken in 13 months.  Unbelievable..why do things break on the most important days?  Had to order a new Garmin before DW and had no elevation for my big climb.  Marcus showed 4500 feet of climbing.  It was a great accomplishment for me mentally, although we lost half a day of prepping the house.

4th was to see as much of Disneyworld as possible in 4 days.  OMG I didn't realize this was nuts at the time.  We arrived Wednesday night, dropped our stuff at the Shades of Green resort and took a bus to Downtown Disney immediately that night.  It was 11pm and one store was open but at least I got my breakables and didn't need to get stuff later at the park.

Day 1: We woke at 6am (3am SD time) and spent the next 15 hours at Magic Kingdom.  When we left, I felt like IMAZ couldn't feel much worse on my body. In fact I welcomed the thought of a 7 hour bike ride in the middle of the day  just to get off my feet! It was well worth the magical fireworks over the castle that night!

 

 

Day 2: We woke at 7am and went to Epcot all day for 12 hours plus the race expo and returned fully exhausted again. We walked the entire park and the international food loop.  This was a great decision although we didn't know it at the time.  The half marathon ends here.  We thought the food was included in the after party but it was not.  We had no incentive to walk this loop again after the half marathon at 1am.

Day 3: We woke at 8am and spent half the day at Animal Kingdom.  We rested at the resort for 5 hours until we left for ESPN Wide World of Sports at 7pm.  I really regret this decision.  We missed two of the big shows because we left early and it was Saturday too.  the lines were ridiculous and we just didn't have the stamina to endure more than about 5 hours.  We saw the Bug Life show but missed the Lion King and Nemo shows sadly.  We were so tired that we decided on a sit down lunch where the wait was double the expectation and the food was just ok.  I wished this had been a hotel day and then we could have done this park fully on another day.  The tree of life is so beautiful although man-made. It was totally lit up during the race as well.  The animal carvings in the trunk are spectacular.

We rested at the hotel about 5 hours and then went to ESPN to enjoy the pre- race dancing festivities and started the half marathon at 10:15pm.  My legs were very tired and my GI track was very pissed off from eating crap for days and not enough water.  I had 2 bathroom breaks during the run which considerably slowed our overall time but I just could not help it. I hate stopping during a run, however, it was required!  Our pace was about 10:30 without the 2 stops so I guess that's not bad considering 3 days of walking and pictures.  We finished about 12:45am and tried to enjoy the after party but we were so tired and so we didn't walk much of the giant Epcot loop with international foods since we had done this the day before.  The prices were all the same which gave you basically  a 2-bite tapa for $3-$6 each after waiting in line for a long time.  Try getting a meal out of that and you are looking at $20 over a couple hours, after finishing a half marathon at 1am. We were less than thrilled.

I loved running through 3 theme parks and the difference in the Disneyland half and DW half is that DW owns about 20000 acres so there is electricity everywhere, even between the parks, so we were entertained even if we were not inside the park.  Lights were everywhere, huge megatron TVs showing cute cartoons, music, loads of volunteers..it was absolutely gorgeous and entertaining for the entire 13 miles.  DL doesn't own the property outside of the theme park so there are dead zones although they do their best with antique car shows and cheerleaders along the way to the Anaheim baseball park. DL half is in August so it starts at 6am in total sunshine.  Tinkerbell starts in January so from 6-8am it's totally dark and without owning the land, the electricity is only available in the park so I felt Tink was too dark and would recommend Disneyland half over Tinkerbell on the west coast due to daylight savings time. 

There was a fun dancing warmup to lots of funny songs before the run which I really appreciated since it was 10pm. We ran from ESPN to the Animal Kingdom park 1st,which was like running through a forest with little lights hidden in the shadows..just loved it.  Then it was a few miles to reach Hollywood Studios but it was my favorite section because the park was so lit up and the Spectacle of Lights made me slow down just to take it all in...It was incredibly beautiful.  There were billions of lights everywhere.

We then ran into Epcot.  This was a bit irritating and needs to be rerouted somehow.  You go through the center path but the party is the opposite direction.  You have to walk all the way to the end of the park (where you just entered) but are blocked by the runners still heading to the finish line.  It's a huge backlog of people trying to crossover the runners' path.  They let finishers go a few at a time which caused  huge delays and no one wants to be packed like salmon swimming up stream with a bunch of stinky runners at 1am.

We stayed a little while, had a snack, and walked the longest route possible to the shuttle to take us back to a DW resort where we had to walk another 1/2 mile to get to our resort.  We arrived at our door at 3am to find our door key did not work.  I collapsed in the hallway while Marcus walked back to the front desk, (not close to us by a long shot), to find keys could not be reprinted at that time because they were doing an audit (at 3am???? seriously??)  Marcus and I waited for who knows how long for security to arrive to let us into our room.  I did the Julie Moss crawl from the hall to the bed and THAT was my IM DW finish...I was absolutely delirious. Lesson Learned:  BRING BOTH KEYS. No alarm was set for the next day!  I hoped that I would never wake up. Our Coast to Coast medal with Walt and Mickey is beautiful although it probably cost us a small fortune to earn.

 

Day 4...it's 9am...with one eye open, we decided to eat a good breakfast buffet at the resort before starting our final day at Hollywood Studios.  We stayed for about 8 hours seeing as many shows as possible.  If there was a line or we couldn't get a fast pass, it was skipped. This was one of my favorite parks because I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Walt Disney's Dream, the history of inventions and how Oswald The Lucky Rabbit became Mortimer the Mouse to all the Mickey versions that followed.  It was beautiful to

see the Princesses of Disney all in one place!

We took great pictures each day and tried to enjoy each park but it was tough on the body to cover it all in 4 days.  We really shouldn't have done anything on marathon day.  I have a new level of respect for nutrition and taper week before an endurance event.

I have 2 days of work, and workouts, before my foot surgery on Thursday Nov 14.  I have a fast pass shift at IMAZ on Sunday from 10-11:30pm so we will just drive to Arizona on Sunday.  I get my entry for IMAZ 2014 on Monday morning and we drive home.  Let the training begin...oh, after 2 weeks when I get my stitches out. Then, I keep the aircast another 2 weeks which means 100's of miles in the lounger spin bike at the gym in the meantime.  It also means basically soup and salad for months to lose this extra 10 lbs I have packed on with two vacations in 6 months. UGH vacationing is HELL!!! Training for tri`s is so much easier!  I am so looking forward to handing off my Ironman training to Julie Dunkle!

THE END of Ironman Disneyworld

October 2013 Lessons Learned / SOMA 70.3

October was focused on wrapping up the SOMA 70.3 training and work on bigger bricks since September was about longer runs for the marathon.  I also worked with physical therapy for 6 weeks or so trying to breakup the scar tissue from the left foot surgery.  I didn't realize the strain in my foot arch was from tight scar tissue in my toe.  However, I have gotten much more flexibility in my toe and arch with UCPT help. Maybe I will get some of my run speed back soon.

While training on longer bricks, we found some odd weather in San Diego with Santa Ana hot winds and I found myself with another crazy lymph node infection which starts with ear pain, teeth pain, cheek pain, jaw pain, neck pain, temple pain...I'm dying pain...It's a mental nightmare to keep going.

Motrin 800mg every 6 hours and Amoxicillin 4x a day and finally about 10 days, it was mostly gone. Then shoulder blade pain came the entire week of taper leading up to the race and more pain meds, heating pad, deep tissue massage ensued.  All this time I watched the weather in Tempe continue to climb with heat.

Finally, it was race day and the high was going to be even worse than expected at 90 degrees.  I tried to prepare with a mini ice chest for transition which held a neckerchief with cooling beads for the bike and a cooling towel for the run.  Also I had a sponge and ice cold water bottle for the run.

It was surprising to set up next to Marcus. I'm used to being with my wave/AG but we were racked by bib#.  This would mean I would have no idea how I did in my swim because bikes would be everywhere when I arrived in T1.

The course layout was similar to IMAZ which is why I chose this race, but the bike course was crazy different with 45 turns including 12 Uturns within 56 miles.  The swim in the lake was 70 degrees and no salt.  It was odd to have COED first timers in my wave.  I had a my goggles knocked off twice in the swim but I just adjusted and kept going.  I think I lost satellite under the bridges but my Garmin said I swam 1.37 miles instead of 1.2.  My pace was a little slower than I expected but part of the extra time was that I swam to the left of the stairs because they were open and the far right stairs were backed up for swim exit.  Then when I arrived, I was told I couldn't exit there! no markings at all and I yelled in disbelief and the volunteer helped pull me up eventually so I could move on.  It was also FUN to experience STRIPPERS!!! So glad I remembered to prepare my wetsuit sleeve and pulled it over my watch for that. woohoo I was out of my wetsuit in about 3 seconds flat!

It was a little run to T1 which made my swim time even longer but I got my bike stuff together quickly, grabbed a GU and ice cold neckerchief for the ride and took off.  I held 18mph the first lap and felt good - so I thought.  I was cool and was prepared for 15 turns per lap but the Uturns surprised me because they were so tight, it scared me to almost unclip.  I didn't though and tried not to surge to pickup speed too fast but I know I did - I wondered how much I would pay for stop/starts.  I heard Jim Vance telling me to not surge...you will deplete your glycogen..I couldn't help it, I was trying to give my all on my bike... the course is relatively flat and I wanted a PR on the bike.  Lap 2 was a little more windy - felt more difficult for sure.  I was more confident on the turns but this time one guy crossed the line on a turn and nearly caused a head-on collision with me and a few other riders! Yikes, brakes on, surge repeat. By the 3rd lap, the wind was stronger, I could feel I was fatiguing and on the last little hill at mile 50, I stood up (NOTE: you know better!!! don't ever do that AGAIN!!)and my left thigh cramped and spasmed...I couldn't pedal with my left leg without tremors and spasms for 6 miles.  I yelled at myself for surging and there was no reason to stand on that hill. I know better.  I can pass people on a hill in my seat.  So I paid dearly for that mistake and dropped my speed considerably. All the extra effort up front was a waste...damn you! listen to the coaches!

When I hopped off the bike at T2, my thigh was shaking and I was limping with a trot.  I ignored it.  I switched to the cooling towel, grabbed 2 salt pills for the heat, a little PBJ and icy disposable water bottle.  I ran out of T2 prepared for a dry sauna.  I ate about half the sandwich and slowly drank the ice water over the next 2 miles.  My goal was to only walk through the aid stations.  I felt pretty comfortable with the cooling towel but my thigh didn't relax for 2 miles.  I drank the Gatorade at each station, poured ice water over my head, and poured ice into my shirt and towel.  I still just could not pick up my pace and the slower I ran, the more negative talk crept into my mind.  My thighs were just empty.  All this planning for heat and no thought about a flat bike course?  No coasting/no recovery time for the thighs...bike pacing is critical for this course. Mental training is the most difficult for me.  I thought about Jeff Galloway and he said the hotter the weather the slower you will run so adjust your goal.  I tried to accept the slow pace as out of my control but I knew it was the bike surging that got me.  The first run lap wasn't too bad but by mile 10, I was seeing stars.  I had stopped 2x before aid stations already but I knew I would be ok if I added some calories.  I had a GU at mile 6 but had only a couple orange slices with all the Gatorade.  I decided to eat a piece of banana and cola and instantly felt better. 

I was able to round the corner of the lake and finally see the bridge and knew the finish line was approaching soon.  It was wonderful to see Marcus waiting for me at the bridge to run with me to the finish line so we could get a picture together. I finished in 6:45 and was 15 minutes past my goal time (all due to bike surging, not run heat!) and 13th place of 26, but I learned some lessons during this race about pace and I was not prepared to ride hard for 3 hours without a break.  I ride hills a lot so it is hard up but recovery down.  There was no recovery time on this course and I need to work harder on intervals in the wind on fiesta island to be stronger for IMAZ.  I have decided I really need a power meter so I know my limits on the bike so I have something for the run. The bike segment is my best discipline but it ruins my run which is already slow.  This needs to change for IMAZ.  I don't want to cramp at mile 50 with 62 miles left on the bike and face 26.2 miles of a death march to the finish line...nope this must improve.

The goody bag was pretty good with a water bottle, visor, medal and shirt.  However, black is never my first choice and I was disappointed there was no mention of the date or distance of the race on the shirt. Overall, I think I would do this race again.  It was good to race out of my comfortable neighborhood.  I have a lot of work to do to prepare for IMAZ 2014.

September 2013 Lessons Learned

I had two main events this month squeezed between training for SOMA 70.3 in October. For Marcus' 50th birthday, we traveled to Malibu for the Olympic International Triathlon, instead of the SD Classic Olympic.  We train a lot around the SD Classic route so Malibu was a nice change and included an ocean entry, riding up the Pacific Coast Hwy 1 with gorgeous views, and running down HWY 1 with the ocean breeze keeping us cool.

 There are not "inexpensive" places to stay nearby so we opted for a 20 mile drive at the Marriott.  The good news is that they called us and said we had been moved another 10 miles further away due to construction!  Sounds horrible but it actually meant staying at Thousand Oaks Marriott for FREE and they gave us $100! We had great restaurants within walking distance and found the best gelato EVER at a nearby mall.  We had to get up really early anyway because parking was limited so the extra mileage wasn't a big deal.  I was in the last wave with a very long wait so I wasn't too happy that we arrived at some awful dark hour but at least we were some of the first ones to rack our bikes!  There was virtually no expo for the Olympic racers because all the hoopla started after our race so the sprinters on Sunday would get all the attention. There was a special celebrity division in the Sprint race for about 20 celebrities like Jillian Michaels and John Cryer from 2 1/2 Men but we didn't stick around for another day to watch their race.   I enjoyed the course tremendously but a few things could have been improved. I think the volunteers on the bike course needed to know their importance.  There were not many signs so if there is a U turn coming up or turn off..SPEAK UP!!  I missed the last turn off and had to circle back against traffic to get back.  The volunteers were just standing there chatting it up when I whizzed on by!  Also the announcer at the pre-course talk that everyone was required to listen before start NEVER mentioned two no pass zones on the bike route.  Thankfully I had studied the bike course. All of a sudden I'm passing when I see the sign...whoops...

The ocean entry was easier than La Jolla Shores.  It was super calm but we did swim up stream and as usual, I went a little long by 100 meters.  It was a nice idea to have water sprayers after the ocean entry but it was more mist than anything so it didn't help at all.  My swim was also slow because the last wave got the worst deep chopped up sand to run up the beach to the bikes My left foot toes aren't flexible so this was a bit painful for me and the sand run seemed forever.

Since my swim was a bit slow, I really pushed hard on the bike.  I noticed the best thing about being in the last wave of swimmers is recognizing how many bikers I passed that swam faster than me.  I started picking off all the 40 and over women as I rode those hills with all I could give.  It was so nice that other women were cheering me on as I passed them. I went from 19th/25 on the swim to 6th place after the bike!  But...they always catch me on the run!  I didn't push too hard on the run.  It was gorgeous and I really enjoyed the sea breeze. I have been feeling pretty tight in my foot and arch and so it's been a bit uncomfortable to push speed on my run. However, I was happy with my 10th place finish for the day.  I have to give my compliments to the finish line food.  There were bars, muffins, and bowls of cut up fruit which was really refreshing!  We loved the medals, shirts, and hats as well. I would definitely recommend it.

 

 

So for my 50th celebration, we flew to Half Moon Bay which is 20 miles south of San Francisco.  I also worked in 3 physical therapy sessions to loosen scar tissue in my foot and it felt much better during this race. This was my 2nd full marathon and Marcus ran the half hoping for a PR.  This is the race's 3rd year. I picked it for the weather and the course.  As I showed last month, the 1/2 is flat but the full is 6 miles of hills at the beginning.  I was trying to make 4:50 to 5:00 by practicing 5/1 Galloway after the first 13 miles.  I wanted to have a fast recovery so I didn't stop my SOMA training so I felt the 1 minute walks were more important than speed. Well, there were 2 sharp hills at the beginning...and they flipped the course so 6 miles of hills were at the end.  I was not prepared for the sharp rollers.  Had I realized the course had changed, I would have run to mile 19 and then given myself more time on the hills at the end.  I also would have run up and down Iron Mountain for quad work! Alas, my quads are shot and my SOMA training is disrupted for some recovery time. Looks I'll be in some pain this week trying to keep up with plan since the race is in 3 weeks.  I was also disappointed that the expo was merely a bib pickup and they had run out of shirts!  They also ran out of coconut water at the end of the race and I was lucky that Marcus found the last one for me.  Since the race was sold out, I don't understand these problems. There was another hour of runners still arriving! I can agree the scenery is beautiful but it's not heavenly to run the last 6 miles through MTB trails and sharp rolling hills.  Thankfully the weather was absolutely perfect which I guess was shocking because the first year, it rained and the 2nd year, it was totally fogged in!  The website bragged about this being the perfect time of the year in Half Moon Bay. I guess we were lucky.

Many of the dirt trails were hard cracked clay just waiting for a turned ankle.  It totally slows your cadence due to the fear of falling with an injury. This is a picture of some of the dirt paths that were not too bad unless you were trying to pass someone.

Well in the end, I calf cramped running down the last hill into the home stretch and had to hop around before I could continue.  At 26.22 my watch said 4:59, but I officially crossed the finish line at 26.38 and 5:01.  I still wish I had understood the course a little better but I'm not sure that would have helped the lactic acid build up in my thighs over the last 6 miles.  I really felt great until mile 20 and I hope enough complain so they change the course back to the previous year's route.  I hope to have a better result when we both run the Mountains to Beaches Marathon in May.  This course is a gradual decline from Ojai to Ventura Beach. I'm on the fence to recommend the HMBIM race. There are a lot of risks involved with weather, terrain, and traffic.  Reasonably priced hotels are at least 30 minutes into San Mateo. However the location is really quaint and pretty.  Well, it was a good month of training overall and I'm glad to have another full marathon under my belt.  I still have a lot to learn on pacing for 26 miles! I'm ok with landing 10/21 finishers in my age group! Maybe others had a surprise with the last 6 miles too!