Combatting the Cold

I just verified that it has been 18ish months since I contributed to the blog. That is far too long…my
apologies.

Since my last post, I was diagnosed with a left femur stress fracture, moved across the country, and have  run a total of 5 races (4 in 2015 and 1 in 2016). The road to recovery has been a fickle web, woven with depression and self-doubt. While it has taken much longer to return to decent shape than it has in the past (I know, I know, I am getting older), I think I am almost there.

The intent of this post is not to review the failures of 2015 (there were many), but instead to provide
some helpful tips for combatting cold weather while you run.

As I mentioned before, my husband and I relocated from the land of perfect weather (the Bay area) to
Boston.  With the exception of the occasional east coast visits, it had been a long time since I have run regularly in cold weather. I grew up on the east coast and have vivid memories of training through the winter months. I remember early morning training runs when I could not feel or open my hands without assistance. I suffer from Reynaud’s phenomenon, something I am sure many of you are familiar with. Basically, when the temps are low and there is moisture in the air, my hands and feet lose circulation and hurt like hell. So when winter rolled around again, I feared for a very painful training cycle. However, cold weather gear has improved so much since I last lived on the east coast that I have found running in the cold to be much more enjoyable. I am sure you are all thinking LAYERS, and you are not wrong, but there are specific articles of clothing that I have found essential to combatting the cold. The key components I like to run in when the temps are lower than or hovering around freezing (from the inside outward) include the following:

The Base:
Top:  Typically I will use UA Cold Gear  or Craft Crew Neck as my base layer, the layer that comes in direct contact with my skin.

Bottoms: I use a lined pair of running tights. My current favorites include a pair of Asics Thermopolis Tights and a pair of random tights I bought from TJMax.

Socks: I highly recommend Smartwool or socks to keep your feet warm and dry.

Insulation Layer: If the temps are below freezing, then I will use an insulation layer such as a thin fleece. My favorites are actually old race swag from the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler and the Oakland Running Festival.

Outer layers: The Shell: I wear my hybrid full-zip jacket from Title 9. This jacket has been a life saver for me for sure. It is wind resistant with a plush fleece interior. It even includes thumb holes to provide extra insulation for the wrist and palms.

Gloves: Gloves are an essential component of running comfort in the cold. I love my Saucony convertible mittens. Admittedly, my hands are almost always cold, especially when the temps hover around 20 degrees or lower, but with the help of these gloves, they eventually warm up after a few miles.

Headgear: My choice in head warmth is temperature dependent. At temps above or around freezing, I
will opt for ear warmers; they typically provide enough warmth and ear protection to be comfortable.
However, when the temperatures drop below freezing I opt for a hat and an ear-warmer/headband.

Safety:
During the winter months, we get less than ideal sunlight for training. In addition inclement weather can make for some pretty awful visibility conditions. That said, I like to wear a high visibility running vest outside of my jacket. I am more comfortable knowing that a car will spot me at greater distances when I am wearing the vest. In addition, I wear my high visibility bracelet.

Sub 30 degree - running gear

What do you prefer to run in when you run in the cold? I have been considering a face mask lately for colder and windy conditions, any suggestions?


Upcoming races:
Smuttynose Palooza 5k
Hyannis Marathon

Pre-Race Thoughts

Tomorrow, Will and I will be running in the 46^th annual Paavo Nurmi Marathon. The race was named after, the Finnish athlete/Olympian and 7x gold medalist Paavo Johannes Nurmi, aka the “Flying Finn”.

I have to say that I love small races! In a lot of ways, Hurley reminds me of Monte Rio; the small town feel is great!  The packet pick-up and expo were held in the local high school, in addition to a pasta feed for runners their families/friends. We opted not to join in the dining experience in the high school cafeteria. I should also mention that the 5k runners and the half marathoners were able to pick up their shirts at the expo, but we will not get our race shirts until we FINISH the marathon.

A picture says a thousand words...

 

Race Expo

 

Pasta Feed

While the race website promises beautiful scenery and great spectators, I am somewhat skeptical. We drove along the course and all I can say is that I hope the clouds show up in full force tomorrow. The forecast call for highs in the upper 70’s L.

I am feeling unprepared and scared. On paper, my training plan says I am good to go. In reality, the past two shake out runs and my current state say differently. Let’s hope the race gods are on my side tomorrow.

The plan is to race smart AND negative split. I would like to go out at 7:50 – 8:00 miles and see where the race takes me. I hope that Will plans to stick with me for the first 10 or so. However, if you have read about his recent training, you may not think that’s the best idea.

The ceremonial torch. We saw the lighting ceremony parade from inside the restaurant :).

Stay tuned for the race report. 

Race Report: Alameda Mayor's 4th of July R.A.C.E.

Posted by Sandi

Last Monday, on a whim, I signed Will and myself up for a 4^th of July 5k. While it wasn't a tough call to make, there were some pros & cons to consider:

Pros:

• Local & convenient location
• Cheap -$25

Cons:

• Late race start (9:45 AM)
• Advertised as a 5k following the 3.3 mile parade route?
• Parade starts immediately after the race – parking and driving could be an issue
• Neither one of us has trained to race a 5k 

While, the cons apparently outweigh the pros, I decided we would do it anyway. We planned to allow for extra time before and after the race.

Will and I were happy to find other runners from our running club before the race started. We were able to warm up with them and also get a quick breakdown of the course. During our warm up, we were informed that the official course marker did not have time to mark the course, so we would be relying on other runners and our Garmins for guidance and pacing.

 I repeatedly asked Will if he wanted to run with me, but he said his goal was to break 21:00 and that he wanted to start conservatively. My goal, on the other hand, was to break 20:00. I really wanted to PR (19:53) but decided I would be happy with a sub 20:00.

The great thing about 5k’s is that they are short! You may feel like you need to vomit but they are over quickly!

My splits:

6:12
6:41
6:35
6:14 (.1 miles)

I came just short of my goal with a 20:04, but I am still happy with my finish! Although there were some incredibly fast runners racing with us, I still managed to place 1^st in the Female 19-35 age group.

Look at that, the race route is on the shirt...genius!

Will and I celebrated immediately after the race with mimosas!

Race Report: Monte Rio - "Lessons of a Newbie" (sorry this is so late)

I must apologize for the long-winded recap of my pre-race training and race day experience.  Hopefully, it will help me and fellow amateur triathletes better prepare for future races.

Two weeks prior to my first attempt at a tri, I had a strong and promising week of training. While I had skimped on the biking, I hit running and swimming pretty hard. Instead of a detailed recap, here’s a quick summary of the week:

Monday:              First (ever) open water swim
Tuesday:              Morning Barre Class + evening track workout
Wednesday:      Morning run + evening Master’s Swim Class
Thursday:            Fast Tempo Run
Friday:                  Morning run + evening 1 mile continuous swim
Saturday:             15 mile run with crazy head wind
Sunday:                Second open water swim and 4 mile run

It was a great week and Will made us this awesome dinner on Sunday. Why? Because he loves me and because we both knew I had a rough week ahead.

Macaroni and cheese with sauteed  brussel sprouts and carrots

The following week (prior to the tri) started out okay, but went downhill FAST. Brief recap:

Monday:              10 hour work day  + 7 mile run
Tuesday:              10 hour work day  + track workout
Wednesday:      13 hour work day  – no workout
Thursday:            3 mile run + 14 hour workday
Friday:                  4 mile run + 14 hour workday

I should clarify that my work days were spent standing in the field in either a flame retardant jump suit or in 90+ degree weather (no shade).  To top it off I was also wearing steel toed work boots and a hard hat…safety first!

It may have been hot, but at least I had a great view while I worked.

After the excessively long work week, I really wanted to go home and relax…but instead, I had my first triathlon EVER ahead of me. So I drove the 1+ hour drive from Morgan Hill back to home, loaded the car quickly (hoping I had everything I needed in my pre-packed race bag) and rode with Will and Colt (our dog) up to Monte Rio. Fortunately, Rachel and Travers are super understanding and did not seem too annoyed with us for showing up at 11 pm.

Thanks to Rachel, we stayed at a prime location for the event. We had a nice private deck area, an outdoor kitchen and fire place and private access to the Russian River. The best part was that we were only about 2 to 3 blocks from the packet pickup/expo/transition area/race start!

The only downside to our location was that I could not escape the race; there was no pretending that this was just a relaxing weekend with great friends.

Monte Rio is a beautiful little town with super laid back and friendly people. Saturday morning (the morning before the race), we had breakfast at this local (dog-friendly J) place with outdoor seating that had an outdoor cooktop/grill/hot rod and dog park…awesome! Our breakfasts were buttery and delicious! So good, in fact, that Will wanted to stay until he became hungry again (he made the mistake of facing the grill and watched the chef make a ginormous breakfast burrito). Will even joked about ordering a breakfast burrito to put in his bike cage instead of water :p.

After breakfast, Rachel and I took our bikes out to see how they rode and to make sure no pre-race adjustments were needed. We went for a relatively slow two-mile ride from the resort and then turned back. My legs were TIRED and sore from the crazy work week of standing in the sun for hours on end; this was NOT how I wanted to feel the day before our race. So when Rachel asked me if I was ready to turn back, I was all over the suggestion. So we were about a quarter of a mile into our ride back to the resort when I got a flat. I took off the tire and tube and tried to put a new tube on (tried is the key word here). Meanwhile, Rachel had made it back to the resort before she realized I wasn’t with her. She doubled back to help and we struggled with the tire for a while before a friendly biker stopped to help us (this was not the first time we have needed help from fellow cyclists). My bike computer clocked the tire change at 29+ minutes, and that’s when I told myself that I would just bail out of the race if I got a flat in the middle of the bike.

I was super discouraged by the way that my legs felt and the failed tube change (I pinched the tube and Will had to re-do it for me), so I decided a short shake out run might help.  In preparing for my run, I realized that I had misplaced my Garmin and I began to panic. I have never felt more unprepared mentally, physically and emotionally for a race in my life. After searching for 20 to 30 minutes, I was totally relieved to find my watch (in a bag that I am sure I checked 5 times). So I set out for a short 1.5 mile shake out run. I felt much better when I got back, showered quickly and then we headed out to the Sonoma coast for lunch.

We had lunch in Jenner - it was so beautiful with cool temperatures that it almost made me forget about the race ahead.

After lunch, it was time to get serious about the tri. The four of us headed over to the check-in and expo to pick up our race packets. Unsure of how secure the facilities would be, we planned on making two trips, the first to get our packets and the second to set up our bikes.  After our second trip over, we walked down to the swim start and transition area. Initially the transition path followed along a rough road that turned into a finely-graded sand with angular gravel (A.K.A. bad news for the feet). Rachel and Travers waded in the water while Will and I scoped out the surroundings.  All I kept thinking was how on earth am I going to make it up to the bike transition without shoes?

Swim entry, exit and transition.

After a few minutes we headed back to the resort to relax by the river before dinner. On our way back, I made the best 7 dollar investment ever …on a cheap pair of sunglasses (since I had forgotten mine in the Friday night frenzy). Hanging out by the river was great! We saw a river otter snacking on crayfish and then we saw race officials set up the buoys for the upcoming event. The start line had been moved closer to where we were staying due to shallow river waters (in fact the start buoy was right behind the resort).

The rest of the day flew by and (thankfully) I passed out early.

RACE DAY

I was up and moving just before 6 AM. I took Colt out to do his thing while I assessed the weather conditions. When I came in, I ate a bagel with peanut butter with a banana and washed it down with as much water as I could. Rachel was up with me eating a bowl of lucky charms while Travers was just getting up and Will was trying to get as much rest as possible.  Then we started packing our gear and planning out our nutrition for the bike and run. 

We decided we should go to the transition area to set up our gear and then come back to put on our wetsuits before the race start. Before we left, Rachel gave me some helpful tips about undoing the Velcro on my bike shoes and loosening up my laces to minimize my transition time. She also added that since this was my first tri I should try to have fun and not stress about the transition.  I let her words sink in and started to feel a little bit better and then kept telling myself not to panic during the swim.

With my gear lined up under my rear bike tire in the order in which I would need them, I was ready to go back and put on my wetsuit. I should mention that “my” gear included a pair of my husband’s (Will’s) running socks and the pair of sunglasses I bought the day before.

Thanks to Will, my mindset took a turn for the positive when we were putting on our wetsuits.  As I stood struggling to pull my wetsuit up over my legs without tearing it, Will sat on the futon and casually pulled his up to his knees before he realized he was still wearing basketball shorts over his jammers.  We all got a good laugh out of his self-proclaimed “rookie mistake.” I tried to body glide every body part that might potentially chaff and lathered on sunscreen before pulling up my wetsuit.

Finally, we were ready to head over to the race start. The guys (Will and Travers) went straight to the start line. Rachel and I went to the transition area to drop off last minute additions to our gear. We slowly walked down to the start of the swim.  As we walked I adjusted my goggle straps and tried them on- they were dirty and foggy. I frantically tried to wipe them clean as we traversed the unfriendly terrain. We were about 2/3 of the way there, when we decided that we would be much better off if we used sandals in the transition, so we turned back and grabbed our sandals and headed back to the start. We left our sandals at the very end of the carpeted section and walked along the carpeted aisle to the start. By that time, the race officials had directed the purple caps (i.e. under 34 year old men) to walk over the mat and through the water to the start line. We were told to wait on shore until we were directed into the water.  Meanwhile there were several green caps (a.k.a. men from the wave behind us) warming up in the water…frustrating. 

At the direction of the race officials, we made our way over the mat and through the shallow water toward the starting line. At this point even the rocks on the river bottom were hurting my feet and to my surprise I was looking forward to the swim. Rachel went to the front of the line with the other strong swimmers and I was content to hang back. The race official started us off with a verbal countdown from 5 to 1, and the race began.

At first I felt okay in the water. It takes me a while to warm up so I knew the first section of the swim would be slow going. I tried to relax as much as possible but as the orange caps around me swam closer to me, passed me or collided with me I began to panic. It seemed like it took me forever to get to buoys one, two and three, but eventually I began to relax and feel more comfortable in the water. To my surprise, I was still swimming near other swimmers in my age group. I had expected everyone to pass me early on in the race. Somewhere around buoy 9 the water was too shallow to swim and we all had to walk until it deepened. I grew confident at this point that I would actually finish the swim as buoy 10 was just a little further. As I passed buoy 10, I heard someone say “how many buoys are there?” I looked ahead and realized that the swimmers were not turning around, instead they were continuing onward. Thus, I experienced panic attack number 2 compounded by the aggressive green caps that were determined to swim through whatever or whoever was in their way. Finally I reached three buoys in a row indicating the turn-around. At that point I said to myself, “Okay, you are half way there; just get through this and get out of the water and on your bike.”

Now that I was officially warmed up, the way back seemed to go by a lot faster than the way out. There were a couple of shallow points where I was forced to wade through the water on the way back to the transition; however none were as long or as arduous as the stretch between the starting line and the transition mat at the water’s edge.  That stretch really took a lot out of my legs and I was worried that it would take away from the bike and the run.

Finally, I was out of the water and running along the carpeted aisle to my sandals. I slipped them on and tried my best to smile and wave at the spectators nearby. I ran up the hill towards the bikes when one of my sandals fell off. I bent down picked it up and saw a fellow (male) triathlete next to me struggling over the rocks. Inspired by his determination, I carried my sandal instead of putting it back on (half because I didn’t want to bend over and also because I thought if he can do it, then I can do it too). 

I was so excited to have the swim behind me and to get on my bike.  The excitement was short-lived; as I ran into the bike transition area I recognized my husband’s bike and began to panic. I have been training with Will for several years and I am acutely aware of his capabilities. Will is certainly a faster runner and swimmer than me.  Given the fact that he had a full 5 minute head start on me in the swim, he should have been on his bike by the time I got to mine. So I started to change as my imagination and fears went wild. As I was frantically pulling my bike shirt over my head and considering returning to the water, I heard the familiar voice I know and love say “Hi Sandi, have fun out there.” If you didn’t put two and two together, it was Will wishing me luck as he took off. Apparently, he was sitting down devouring a Cliff bar as I was freaking out. Now that I knew he was okay, it was time to get down to business. I had a mental check list going: 1) turn on bike computer, 2) put on gloves, helmet and shades, 3) slip on bike shoes and 4) grab the bike and GO. If you are reading this carefully, you may notice I skipped Velcroing my shoes…that happened as I was walking my bike down the aisle.

I could feel the adrenaline take over as I was running through transition towards the bike chute. I have dreams of running and jumping on my bike one day like I have seen the professionals do…today was not that day. I carefully climbed on and clipped in and started my bike computer.  Some fellow bikers caught me and passed me early on and asked where the no passing zone was. Being passed early on made me a little worried that the bike would not go as well as I hoped, but I decided not to fret and let Rachel’s advice replay in my head, “Do NOT go out too fast on the bike too soon.”  It did not take me long to warm up and start passing people (including some of the people that passed me early on in the ride). I was about 3 miles into the ride when I caught site of Will. I figured it would be fun to catch up to him check in and ride side by side for a bit.  I was bit too ambitious and not only rode straight passed him but also startled him along the way.

The bike course was awesome…probably my favorite part of the tri overall. With the exception of the curving stretch on an isolated road which made me question whether or not I took a wrong turn. My goal on the bike was to ride comfortably fast and fuel enough for the run ahead. At about 10 miles in, I decided I should have a Honey Stinger Waffle (super tasty).  Of course I started eating it right around the time I met up with other bikers near a fairly sharp right turn, up a hill, with a timid slow moving car near us. It was too risky to ride with one hand so I held the waffle half in and half out of my mouth as I maneuvered the turn…I definitely inhaled some of the waffle but it worked out okay.

The route took us all out to the town of Jenner where we would turn back for the final stretch.  I started to wonder if I would ever see Rachel during the ride. A few miles before the turn, I saw her heading back to the transition. I was super excited to see how well she was doing so I saluted her. Why a salute…I have no idea or explanationJ. Just before the turn around I came upon the aid station on the bike course. Having only one cage with a bottle of water, the Gatorade seemed like an awesome idea, but I still wanted my water. So I took a bottle, drank some and then wondered what I should do with it. I struggled to put it in the back of my jersey and finally managed to stow it away just before the sharp turn around. Finally, I was on my way back to the transition and I was starting to look forward to the run ahead.  I passed Will once more going the opposite way as he approached the turn around.

I was warned that I would be disqualified if I did not dismount my bike before I got the transition area so that’s what I focused on when I got closer. Well that, taking a GU, and reviewing my mental checklist before the run.   I dismounted too soon and held up the people behind me a bit, but at least none of us were DQed, right?  I tried to run my bike back to my transition spot, but I think trotting is more like it.

Once I was back in my spot, I began my mental checklist for the run: 1) turn on Garmin and acquire satellites, 2) hang bike 3) remove helmet, gloves and bike shoes, and 4) put on and tie running shoes.  Check, check, check and check…and I was off on my run! The legs did not feel as good as I was anticipating, in fact they felt like Jello and my form was, well, lacking (my knees were knocking and I felt super slow). I was surprised to see my first mile was sub 7:40 and decided I would maintain the effort assuming (hoping) that I would warm up and feel more comfortable in the miles ahead.

For the most part, I was running with ladies and then I was passed by a middle-aged man. I thought he was going to pull ahead, but it seemed like he was going my pace. After the first water stop, he asked me what the pace was. I was happy to report that we were running sub 7:40s, and I guess he decided he liked the sound of that and stuck with me. Between miles 2 and 3, I saw Travers running back to the finish. I was so excited to see how confident and strong he looked so I said a quick hello and gave him a quick cheer. My fellow runner asked me if I was running with a team and I was more than happy to explain I was there competing with friends. Shortly after, I spotted Rachel who was also on her way back to finish.  Although the run felt hard at that time, I thought I was running downhill and should cheer Rachel on as she ran uphill. Again my newly found running buddy asked me if I was running with a team, so again I explained that I was there with friends.  J

The worst part of the run by far was the turn around, which was right in the direct sun.  It felt great to get back in the shade to finish up the second half. I had to laugh at myself when I felt the miles get slightly easier on the way back, meaning I was actually running uphill when I cheered for Rachel. I had less than 3 miles to go and I needed to keep up the positive attitude. I was hoping to see Will before I got back to the finish – I got my wish and yelled out “I love you!” and quickly explained (before the guy next to me could ask me again about racing with a team) that the man in the red jersey was not only my buddy, but also my husband. The run started getting harder, but soon enough, I had one mile to go (GO TIME). Although my new running buddy tried to stick with me I had to finish my own race. I saw the bridge ahead leading to the all-too-familiar transition area, and new the end was near. Imagine my surprise when I saw the runners ahead of me make a sharp left AROUND the transition and up a steep hill on the far side…WTF?!?!  Time to sprint and git ‘er done!

It was so awesome to have Travers and Rachel cheer for me as I ran up the hill and across the finish line. In addition, they gave me the best cold cup of water I have ever tasted when I was done! Of course we gave Will the same VIP treatment when he finished too J.

What an amazing day and race. Somehow I managed to finish my first Olympic tri in 2:49! 

Race Report: Boston Marathon (Part 2)

Posted by Sandi

As I had mentioned in my last post, Will and I arrived in Boston on Thursday afternoon, leaving me with a few days for a couple of short shake-out runs and final race day preparations. In consideration of last year’s horrific events, this year’s Boston Marathon held greater meaning for all of the runners, volunteers, and spectators. On a personal note, this is the first marathon that my family planned to come and spectate. My parents arrived on Friday evening, Chen arrived on Saturday morning and my sister and brother in-law arrived on Sunday afternoon.

After Chen arrived on Saturday, we met up and went together to the marathon expo. With our runners passports in hand we entered the cordoned bib and packet pickup line. We waited in anticipation as a friendly volunteer went over a detailed recap of the course with the runners immediately ahead of us. Once we picked up our bibs, packets and shirts, we headed into the largest, most amazing and overwhelming expo I have ever seen. First, we wandered through the official Adidas race gear section and then headed over to the other merchants. There were so many vendors and so many people! Yes, I should have expected the large crowd, but it was busier than I could have imagined. I have to give a shout out to Brooks for their set up with mechanically operated running manikins elevated above the expo and faux port-a-potty fitting rooms (super cool). Attempting to exit the expo was an experience similar to exiting Ikea (no joke).


Chen and me infront of the Boston Marathon banner.

 On Sunday, Chen and I went out to get pre-race food, fluids and additional throw away clothing. We checked out with two loafs of bread, bananas, apples, half-sour pickles (which I am told are quite rare) and vitamin enhanced water with what we thought were sports bottle tops. We were planning to fill the sports topped bottles with diluted Gatorade for the beginning of the race. Then we headed over to CVS in search of cheap throw-away (donation) clothing, where we found $6 sweatshirts!

Once we got back to the hotel we prepared our race attire. We each had brought outfit options for race day knowing the weather forecast could change. I planned to wear Boston booty(ish) shorts I bought for the race, which have one small pocket for nutrition.  Knowing this, I had picked up a Nathan’s fuel belt at the expo for the race. Chen and I both put on our race day attire and went for a jog down the hotel’s hallway where we met friendly hotel staff who were kind enough not to laugh at us and even congratulated us and wished us luck for the upcoming race. Next step was to drink the vitamin water so we could reuse the bottles. Unfortunately, what we thought was a sports bottle top was actually a vitamin powder filled capsule that released its contents into the water when you twisted it. The enhanced water tasted like medicinal, citrus flavored vodka…yuck. We engineered sports tops by poking a hole in the cap with a safety pin!

Chen modifying the bottle cap for a make-shift sports bottle.

Fast forward to race day morning. My alarm went off at 6 am. Shortly after, we adorned our race day attire and started our pre-race carb feast. Will stayed in bed with pillows shielding his face from the lights as Chen and I continued readying ourselves for the race ahead. Once Will awoke we turned on the TV for live coverage of the race start in Hopkinton. Just before we left for the South Street lot, my parents came over to wish us luck before the race.

 After we were dropped off at the South Street lot, we entered into security checkpoint lines. The security guards were armed with a sensor that, oddly enough, was set off by GU…go figure. We were glad to get out of the cold and onto the heated bus that took us over to Athletes’ Village. On our way to the Village, we overheard the man across the aisle from us telling the runner next to him that he is an Ironman…so awesome. Neither of us wanted to admit that we were eaves dropping, so we did not ask the many questions that we had for him.

Athletes’ Village was remarkable! There was a large tent in the center of the Village with bagels, coffee, and water made available to the runners. Thankfully, the Village was surrounded by port-a-potties. The wait for our wave and corral seemed endless, but eventually we headed over to the race start. One of the unique aspects of the Boston Marathons is the start; you walk up to the starting mat and just start running.

Chen and I started the marathon together, and initially the make-shift bottles were promising.  It was strange to be surrounded by runners all running the same pace. The first four miles or so were net downhill with some unexpected climbs. Every time we went downhill you could see what looked like an unsurpassable wall of spectators and runners (in a word, daunting). Too many splits to recap so I will provide check point updates and average paces.

24:30                     5k                           (7:53)

49:53                     10k                         (7:57)

1:14:17                  15k                         (7:58)

1:39:30                  20k                         (8:00)

This is about the time when Chen ghosted out on me. What does this mean? It’s a term Chen created to describe the act of intentionally blending into the crowd so your running buddy cannot find you.

1:44:50                  13.1m                    (8:00) 

At about 14.3 miles, I spotted my husband and family! It was so great to see them as I neared the dreaded Newton hills. 

Picture of me as I continue onward.

Family Cheering Squad.

2:03:58                  25k                         (7:58)

2:29:27                  30k                         (8:01)

2:55:48                  35k                         (8:05)

At the top of heartbreak hill I recognized the cheers from my college friends who came to cheer for the marathon! Unfortunately, I heard them after I passed so I had to turn and wave to say a quick hello and thank you. This was also about the time when I opened my third GU and quickly realized that I was in trouble…my body started rebelling and refused to take in nutrition and fluids. I resorted to pouring water over my head to cool off. 

I thought the hills were over after 21 miles, but I was wrong.  As I climbed yet another hill just before the 23 mile mark, I acquiesced and gave myself a 30 second walking break.  The 30 seconds went by all too quickly and I started running again…3.2 miles to go. 

3:21:59                  40k                         (8:08)

3:33:17                  26.2m                    (8:09)

Finally, the race was over and all I wanted was to find my husband, but I had to get through the finish chute first. Glad to be walking and not running, I made my way over to the volunteers handing out medals and capes. Once I had both, I stopped to stretch my calves, and that’s when my breathing became shallow, I started shaking and my lower legs started cramping. I must have looked like death because one of the volunteers came up to me offered me water and a wheel chair ride to the medical tent.

Fast forward, after some necessary time in the shade and some electrolytes, I made my way towards my family and friends.

In closing, I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to run in the 2014 Boston Marathon!  All in all it was an amazing day, and if you didn’t pick up my hints at my current condition, I am sick and a bit sore. The week ahead will be filled with work, rest and some light cross training. 

Post-race lobster roll, fries and celebratory glass of Zinfandel from Anderson Valley.

 -Sandi

Taper Time!

Posted by Sandi

In a few days, I will be running my first Boston Marathon! I am excited, anxious and nervous about the upcoming race. I think the excitement part is easily understood, but the anxiety and nervousness may need a little embellishment. I have TERRIBLE pre-race anxiety, no matter the distance or importance of the event. Heck, I even get nervous before intense track workouts and time trials. My pre-race anxiety starts as butterflies in my stomach (accompanied by self-doubt), and generally evolves to frequent trips to the bathroom L.  Hopefully the BAA has planned for the extra 7,000 or so participants this year.

I attribute my nerves to my training choices leading up to the race. As my training buds know, I ran the Oakland Marathon (dubbed my nemesis) about four weeks ago. Fingers crossed, this is the third time I have run Oakland, but the FIRST that I finished without injury! I should probably thank Rachel for keeping us under control-Thanks Rach! After running Oakland in 2011 and 2012, I spent most of the spring and early summer months cross-training and rehabilitating from tibial stress reactions and hip flexor strain/pelvic misalignment, respectively. The injuries were more than likely due to overtraining…something Chen and I are notorious for.  So with my previous mistakes in mind, I was determined not to overdo it before Boston.

I have cut back on running the past three weeks, with weekly training mileages of 35.2, 34.7 and 33.2; and for this week so far, I am at 16.2 miles. While I am confortable in cutting back on my weekly mileage, I am nervous about how much I cut back on my weekend “long runs,” which peaked at 12.5 miles. Sure, I threw in some swimming, spin classes, and a long or hilly bike ride to compliment the running, but I can’t shake these nerves. Here is a breakdown of my training since our “Tour de Bagel” last Saturday.

·         Sunday:              12 miles at 8:28 pace (3 miles of climbing)

·         Monday:              8 miles (4 miles at goal pace of 7:47)
                                1 mile swim time trial (just under 40 minutes)

·         Tuesday:             45 minute spin class
                                5 miles (3 miles at goal pace)

·         Wednesday:        3 miles (2 miles at goal pace)

Today is a rest day! I am travelling to Boston and have no workouts planned. With a couple of shake out runs standing between me and race day, I hope my anxiety will begin to dissipate.  If not, then I will have to rely on my customary pre-race (the night before) margarita to do the trick!

Be sure to check in for a race report.

-Sandi

Fairytales on Wheels

Posted by Sandi

Today Rachel and I participated in a metric century ride known as the “Cinderella Classic.” We rode with our friend and speed work (for track workouts) mentor, Jeanine. Despite Rachel’s initial hesitation in taking on the mileage after a few 20+/- mile training rides (and our 38+ mile wine tasting tour), I think we both had a blast. The cool thing about the ride is that it is hosted by men for women riders.

After parking and prepping our bikes, we headed over to the check-in area. It was COLD! Fortunately, the check-in area was inside. We picked up our bike bibs and wrist bands, and then grabbed some pre-ride fuel. They provided quartered bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter or jam and coffee.  

It took us all a while to warm up once we got on the road. The route was pretty awesome with great views of gently rolling slopes and the vineyards of Livermore.  While the wineries and vineyards we passed were inviting, there was no wine tasting today during today’s ride.  There were some decent hill climbs in the route, which really highlighted our climbing skills. The unfortunate thing about the ride is that I realized how much we need to work on the flats and down hills; although we passed several riders on the uphill efforts, we got passed by the same riders on the down hills. 

We had to deal with a few repeat mechanical issues including flat tires and locking breaks, which did not help the passing issues.  In addition, there were several back to back traffic lights in the route that made using higher gears and momentum difficult.

While this may not have been the best training option in preparation for the Boston Marathon, I think (and hope) I will still benefit from the aerobic effort.  There was an option for to add mileage and elevation, but I thought that would be too much to take on today. I would definitely ride this route again during our official IM training.

I am pretty sure Katie is skiing up in Tahoe this weekend, and if so I am sure she is having a blast! Finally, best of luck to Chen in her half marathon tomorrow!!

Goal pace running on a treadmill

Posted by Sandi

Let me share a little more background information about the group. As previously mentioned, we get to train in an amazing region with an ideal climate. However, the majority of us grew up on the east coast, so theoretically we should be accustomed to training in all types of weather. This is not the case!

I had planned on a track workout this evening, but the today's forecast was meek with a 100 percent chance of rain and a high of 51 degrees. I realize I shouldn't complain as the east coast has been hammered with a nasty winter this year, and the northern midwestern states are still covered in snow. But, sadly, California has made me soft. In addition, I have been pretty exhausted from our group training ride this weekend. I spent most of the day dreading the workout and ultimately opted for a goal pace training run inside. While I am not a huge fan of treadmill running, sometimes it's necessary.

I went straight to the gym after work with the goal of running 8 miles total; 1 warm up, 6 at goal pace, and 1 cool down. Thankfully, there was an open treadmill in my favorite area of the gym where there is a single row of treadmills with good air flow. The workout started great! It had been two days since I last ran and I could tell that I had benefited from the rest. I was nearly half way through the workout when things took a turn for the worse. Although there were at least half a dozen empty treadmills in the row, a heavyset man decided to run on the treadmill right next to me! I grew more anxious and uncomfortable as time went on. As he stomped his way through his workout I felt more and more claustrophobic. I couldn't tell how fast he was going but he seemed to be matching my cadence.  I struggled to clear my mind, determined to finish the workout. Somehow, I was able to divert my focus and successfully finish the 8 miles.

Tomorrow is a swim day!