San Francisco Half Marathon 2012

*The one that felt really, really good. 

Brandon and I woke up at 4:15am to prepare for an early 5:30am start. We knew our corral wouldn't cross the start line until later, but we wanted to at least be in the vicinity just in case. 

I was a complete wreck inside my head. "OMG My last long run was a DNF. These hills are going to be brutal. I should have started training at least a month or two earlier than I did. We shouldn't have walked so much yesterday. I doubt I can even run a few miles OMG!!!". But on the exterior, I was calm and collected, determined to have a good time and see the beautiful city. 

Despite all of the negative thoughts going on in my head, I felt pretty good at the start. The weather was a crisp 55 degrees with a light drizzle, and I quickly pushed all the negativity out and started to have fun. That was the purpose of this race, after all. 

Miles 1-3 were easy and uneventful, with the exception of one short but steep hill that I ran halfway up and then walked the remainder. Mile 4 and 5 I was desperately trying to find a porta-pottie with a short line, but I finally settled for one that was 1/10th of a mile away from the road. This was incredibly frustrating, but emptying my bladder made me feel so much better that I quickly forgot about it. 

Around mile 5, we started our first climb up the hill to the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge. 

This is the reason we flew across the entire country to run this race. Well, that and to escape the heat and humidity for a few days. 

It was a foggy day, so we couldn't even see the top of the bridge. Or anything on either side of the bridge, really. But that didn't phase me one bit. Running across the bridge was so amazing that I completely lost myself in it. Before I knew it, I was halfway across on the way back! 

I looked at my watch and realized I was almost at 8 miles and I still felt amazing. This is the point in the race where I expected to start struggling- but instead I took off and ran faster.

Around mile 10, I had ran out of water, and the brutal hills began. I walked up most of this one- it was pretty long and steep. The next water stop (which were few and far between IMO) was out of cups- I literally thought about just grabbing and entire jug and taking off with it. But I politely cupped my hands and tried to get as much into my mouth as I could. 

At this point, I REALLY expected to feel terrible. But I didn't. So, at the top of the hill, I took off again, and was rewarded with this beautiful view. 

The hills continued, and I surprised myself by running up the ones that seemed easy or mediocre. On the ones that were incredibly steep, I slowed to a walk to make sure I had enough in me to get to the finish. Again, I kept expecting to feel terrible, but I actually felt pretty great. (Despite the fact that I REALLY needed more water and there were not more water stops to be found.)

I crossed the finish line in 2:52:00, which is a tiny PR for me. Most importantly, I crossed the finish feeling strong and happy. And also thirsty. 

I am so happy with how I did during this race- especially taking into account the short training schedule that Adam threw together for me. If I can improve this much after following his plan for just a few weeks, I can't wait to see what I can do after 4 full months of following his training plan for the St. Jude half. 

I really am proud of myself- but for the first time after a race, I have the feeling that I could have done more- should have gone out faster at the beginning, walked less, pushed myself more at the end. I definitely could have- but I was so terrified of bonking before the finish line. I guess that's always a thin line that runners are constantly trying to walk. Or run, in this scenario. :) 

In short- confidence boosted, lessons learned, motivation skyrocketed, medal earned. 

P.S. Brandon started in the back, but ran separate from me. He hoped to run quite a bit faster, but starting at the back forced him to weave, then got stuck on the bridge and wasn't able to pass people. He ran a 2:26:xx, had a blast and enjoyed the weather and the sights!

Some Running Firsts

Good Morning!

Today is a fun day for me- as I transition from a casual runner to a semi-serious runner that is actually training for a half-marthon, I've had the opportunity to experience a few things for the first time.

I had Gu for the first time.

I've tasted a tiny amount of Gu before- enough to know I didn't care for the texture. Today I actually ate some for the first time- and it wasn't so bad. I didn't actually need Gu for my run today, but since I will need to take one on my LR this weekend to practice for my half-marathon, I decided to take one today to practice for my LR. Makes sense, right?

I really didn't want the first time I actually ate it to be in the middle of a hot, sweaty, long run since I knew I might throw up. I don't need anything jinxing my long runs- I've had enough bad experiences and anxiety attempting those in the past. Luckily, after my practice round this morning, I think I will survive taking one on my run this weekend.

Today was my first tempo run! Sure, I've read about them, I even know people who have done them... but I've never successfully completed one until today.

Last week, I kind of did one, but my pacing was erratic and there was a 15 second break when an old lady thought it would be a good idea to tell me how old all 5 of her dogs were while I was in the middle of a run. I felt like I cheated since I stopped to listen to her, and I wasn't happy with my pacing in the first place.

But today.... Today I did a lot better. It feels good to run fast (at least fast for me, anyways) and not die afterwards. Also, running fast during a 4 mile run? That has never happened to me before. In my past running life, running fast = 1 or 2 miles tops.

I'm grinning from ear-to-ear with endorphin induced happiness.

Today is the first time I've almost murdered someone over coffee.

I've seen coffee-less frenzies and rants on Twitter, but I experienced first-hand what it felt like today. I just started drinking coffee about a month or two ago, and I haven't graduated to grown-up coffee yet. I must have a good helping of soy milk in mine.

Yesterday, I woke up to no soy milk in the house. This means no coffee for Allison. (It also means no granola for breakfast GRRRR) I settled for a Diet Coke and went on with my day.

Today, there is STILL no soy milk! My husband is lucky to have survived the morning.

Lucky for him, I'm all happy and proud of myself after my run, I got ready early and had time to stop and get some coffee on my way to work.

(He was still rushing out the door to the grocery because he knows I can not go 2 days without cereal or granola.)

Yay! Coffee for Allison!


Somehow I also ended up leaving Starbucks with this.....

This is why I don't let myself go places!

I walk in for an already overpriced cup of iced coffee and get distracted by this red, white and blue (Olympics!) bracelet.

Oh, well. I guess it's for a good cause and I feel the need to express to everyone I see how much I love the Olympics, so we'll just go with it.

We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort.

Jesse Owens, American track and field athlete and Olympic gold medal winner

Rest Days

I'm usually working at least a 10 hour shift or am incredibly busy on my "rest" days, but yesterday I found myself with only an 8 hour shift at work and a complete rest day on the calendar. Being strong-willed and stubborn, I of course woke up wanting to sweat.

Since I'm following Coach Adam's training plan these days, I decided to use the extra time in the morning to make myself presentable.

I needed some yellow in my life.

I'm not used to getting off of work so early, which made the fact that it was a rest day even more torturous. I was a bit restless and cranky, but some Fruit Punch fat-free dairy-free sorbet and an episode of Law & Order later, I was a happy girl.

Having extra play time with my Phoebekins wasn't so bad, either.

That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.

Kara Goucher

Running allows me to have time to relax, time to think, a chance to get out any frustrations. Running first thing in the morning makes me happy for the rest of the day, and makes me realize how much I love my life.

And Adam is denying me of this happiness.

Kidding!
Sort of.

Thank goodness for my other "rest" days this week, Adam is allowing me to ride my bike. I need to be outside in this gorgeous (but hot) weather, I need to sweat, I need to use up some energy, and I need to try out my new Lululemon cycling shorts.

Maybe It Was Magic

I had the best run that I can remember for a long, long time this morning. I felt amazing, like I could go on forever without being tired or out of breath. I ran 6 this week at a faster pace than I ran 4 last week- and it felt so easy.

I must document everything that could have played a part so that this magic can happen more often.

Maybe it was the preparation. 

I had some good ole fashioned carb loading for dinner last night (ahem, left over pasta, a breadstick, and a small bowl of cereal for dessert...), and stayed hydrated all day long. I set out everything I would need to get ready this morning. This really helps me feel in control instead of scrambling around in the dark to grab all of my things. 

I set out for 5 miles, but Adam gave me the go ahead to run 6 if I felt really good. 

Maybe it was the music. 

I listen to audiobooks 95% of the time when I run. For some reason today just felt like a music day. I love to listen to Eminem when I'm running as much as the next person, but sometimes a happy song like this is just what you need when you feel like you are flying. O.A.R.'s Hey Girl came up right as I hit 4, and at that moment I knew I could do 6 easily. 

You should probably just go ahead and hit play so you can listen to it while you read. And add it to your iPod so you can experience the magic. 

Maybe it was in my head.

I went out with a very calm mindset. I've had some anxiety in the past when my long runs got up to 7 or 8 miles and it felt overwhelming. I knew I could definitely do 5, and a 6th mile was just a bonus. 

I told myself from early on, "If Amy Hastings can finish her 10k in that much pain and kick that much butt, you can too."

Source

Maybe it was confidence.

I can't really explain it, but something about having a plan that I know will work, makes sense, and isn't called "Allison makes this crap up and changes it to fit her fancy" makes me feel good about what I am doing. 

I have a plan. And I'm following it. (That last part is really important for training. Plans don't do you any good if you don't follow them, FYI.)

Maybe Adam actually knows what he's talking about.

Speaking of my plan, something made me trust this guy to come up with it. 

The Boring Runner

I think that was a good decision. He's smart. He lets me rest, and I don't even feel guilty about it! Which may have been a key part in today's magic. My legs felt like they could have kept going and going.

 I felt so strong. 

Maybe hard work pays off. 

I've been really trying to take care of my body lately. I've been sleeping well, paying attention to what I put into my body, hydrating, resting, and running exactly what Adam tells me to. 

 I know not every run will be this great, but today gives me hope that I can survive San Francisco, and possibly even make the little kiddies at St. Jude proud. 

St. Jude Marathon, Half-Marathon, Relay, and 5k

Tomorrow's Potential

Sometimes it's easy to get frustrated with running. You can't go as long or as fast as you'd like, or it feels more difficult and hurts more than you think it should. But that is today.

What about tomorrow, or the next day, the next month, the next year- after you have put in the work? So much can change with hard work.

I've been reading The Lola Papers (which I highly recommend BTW), and the following passage really stood out to me:

I don't know about you, but I've definitely used that excuse before.

"It doesn't come easy for me."

"There is no way I could ever run that fast"

Who does it comes easy for? Shalane Flanagan? Kara Goucher?
Sure, they have some amount of natural talent, but they still work at it. They work very hard.
They've put in the time, and the miles.

It's exciting to think about. Today, it's hard for me to imagine being able to run a half-marathon as fast as I'd like. It's hard for me to imagine running a marathon at all.

But I haven't put in the time, or the miles.

Who knows, with a few months, and eventually years of hard work- after putting in my time and my miles- what I can do?

Only time will tell. 

My 5 Gold Stars

As I mentioned in my previous post, "training" is a new thing to me as a runner. Sure, I made a training schedule for each of my half-marathons. They were based off of Hal Higdon's training plan, but modified by me to fit into my work/life schedule. And then I proceeded to procrastinate on getting started. And then I skipped a few runs... or cut them short. I officially named the plan "Allison makes this crap up and then changes it to fit her fancy". Needless to say, that whole plan didn't work very well for me.

St. Jude Hero! Yay!

Last Sunday when Adam e-mailed me my training plan, I was pumped and ready to go. I've always been a bit of a goody-two-shoes when it comes to teachers, coaches, and authority. You know, the little brat who still had all 5 of her gold stars at the end of the week for "good behavior"? Yeah, that was me. A suck-up in the presence of authority, but when the teacher turned her back I was launching erasers across the room with the contraption I had made from my supply box and pencils.

Me at the peak of brattiness. You want me to smile? Well I'll do it, but I might not be happy about it. 

When Adam sent me the plan, I was absolutely determined to do exactly what he said.
 I had no intentions of loosing my 5 gold star status in the first week.

For example, Monday, he told me to run 2 easy miles. If I couldn't say "Why did I hire stupid Adam as my coach?" in between breaths, I was going too fast. I headed out the door, checking myself at least every two minutes to make sure I was running at the right pace.

As I was trotting along, I noticed a huge black cloud that looked like it would be over my head at any minute. Then suddenly, the wind picked up majorly and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. Before I knew it, some hipster stopped his car right beside me and yelled, "You better run home, there is a (*flipping*) tornado on Poplar!"

This was the storm above me as I was running. 

I was about 0.5 miles from home, but had looped around the neighborhood and was at exactly 1 mile. Since I'm not stupid, I turned around and headed back towards my house. However, since I am a goody-two-shoes and refused to tell Adam I had wimped out of a lousy 2 mile run because of the weather (how lame would that excuse sound?), I didn't go home.

I ran up and down my street, back and forth, until my Garmin vibrated that I had hit 2 miles. Sure, I looked over my shoulder every 15 seconds to see if the tornado was approaching, and when a tree branch fell and hit a truck right behind me I think my heart rate jumped to about 500, but I finished out those 2 miles, dang-it.

See? Branches in the street = danger. 

Turns out, I think the hipster was being a tiny bit dramatic. There was no tornado.

The rest of the week, I continued to surprise myself with how much better I was running when I went out with a plan. The thought of having to report that I went slower than expected for no reason other than I just didn't feel like it made me actually TRY. (As opposed to just giving up when I get bored or when it gets even slightly difficult. )

There wasn't an option to cut a run short unless my femur cutting through broken skin or something. There was no way I was going to get anything less than an A+ on my weekly report card, so I pushed myself.  I give myself 5 gold stars.

If you haven't heard, neon shoes + training makes you faster and stronger. 

I'm thinking I could get used to this thing you guys call "training". I did a smart thing, hiring Adam as my coach. I absolutely need to push myself more physically, but what has prevented me from doing so in the past is what goes on in my head.

The fact that he knows what he's doing and wouldn't tell me to do something I can't gives me the confidence to get out there and just do it. At some point I'm sure I will honestly mean it when I mutter under my breath, "Why did I hire stupid Adam as my coach?", and possibly even launch virtual erasers at the back of his head. But for now, he gets an apple for being a good coach and teacher. 

I think this is completely logical and normal. Or it might be hoarding.

You know those products that you can't live without? The ones that you are always afraid of running out of, or fear that they will be discontinued and you will never find anything like it, so you stock up on it to decrease that anxiety?

No? You don't do that? That's just me? Ok.

Well, these are the things that I'm stocking up on right now.

Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. I eat this EVERY day with my apples. Stockpiling commence- I signed up for a subscription for this on Amazon and got 15% off for it.


This isn't really news- and I think it's completely normal. When I find running gear I like, I stick to it. And I stock up on it in every color I can. Also, I need enough duplicates to get me through a few days without having to do laundry

I love these Nike tanks, because they are loose fitting and long enough to cover my bum. Plus, they are made of dri-fit (essential) and they come in pretty neon colors. Neon is a must for me when I run, because everyone knows neon makes you fast.

These Lululemon shorts are my first big purchase from there via their website, and I'm pretty sure I could live in them. Lululemon has now been added to the stores that I am obsessed with, and will forever stalk their website and stores for new products and sales.

Nike Frees are my one and only love when it comes to running shoes. If I can catch a pair on sale, they are mine! I am too embarrassed to admit how many pair I own at the moment. In my defense, many are retired from running and now only serve as work shoes.

After a eye-opening visit to Urban Outfitters this week, I've finally faced the fact that I'm preppy. I've actually known this for a while but I'm just now admitting it to myself. J. Crew sales have been outrageous lately, and I've scored several AMAZING deals. I never pass up a classic Jackie cardigan on sale, and picked up this one in a powder blue, and another in retro lemon.

This may or may not be hoarding, but at least it's hoarding electronics and not cat figurines. I posted this proof of my love for electronics last night to Twitter. They come in fun colors, tell you all kinds of cool information, and let you over-share lots of information to strangers on the internet. I need most of them close to me at all times or I feel naked, but some are just for funzies- for example....

This is completely ridiculous and unnecessary. But I had a gift card that I was ready to get rid of, and it sure does get some good laughs. Also, it's perfect for when I do coaching sessions over the phone and need something way cooler than a bluetooth headset.

This Situation Is Getting Serious

My training situation, that is. 

I've been running for 2 years now, and for the most part, my only goal has been to have fun and get some good exercise. For my half-marathons, my goal was just to finish. And I did finish. Yay me!

We are running the San Francisco Half-Marathon at the end of July, and since we'll be on vacation my goal, again, is just to finish and have fun. Problem is, since my goal is so relaxed, my running has been relaxed as well. A little too relaxed. While I do want to have fun running the beautiful city of San Francisco, I would also like to finish strong and with some dignity. 

Coming up in December is another St. Jude Half-Marathon, and I want to give that race all that I've got. I've finally gotten everything else in my life situated (meaning I graduated school and have a job that I'm happy with), so it's time to really dedicate myself to this 100%. 

Lucky for me, I have a new running BFF. (Fine, I hired him to be my BFF but that is beside the point) His name is Adam, and he is highly qualified for the job  privilege of telling me when to run and how fast to run for the following reasons:

1. He runs marathons. In less that 3:05. Which is very, very fast. 

2. He is a fun person. And I like to have fun. 

3. He likes to talk about running. A lot. + He has to listen to me talk about running a lot, especially after my husband, my sister, my technicians and even some of my patients get tired of hearing me talk about it.

Grandmom, even though this photo may not instill an overwhelming amount of faith in him, I promise he is legit. Don't worry. 

Here goes week #1 of serious training! 

 

Slathered in Sunscreen

I stopped tanning in a tanning bed after high school. I hardly ever layout in the sun (read: once a year maybe?), and my face lotion always has sunscreen in it. I try to be smart, but I'll admit- when I go out for a run or a bike ride, I don't put on sunscreen like I should. 

Oh, you don't either? Bet this will change your mind. 

This man was featured in the New England Journal of Medicine after doctors were amazed at the difference in either side of his face. He has been a truck driver his whole life, so the left side of his face has always been more exposed to the sun, while the right side was in the shade of his cab. I know we are always told that sun exposure always causes premature aging, yada yada yada... but this is something you can't ignore. 

Now, I know tanned skin usually looks better than white skin, but smooth skin ALWAYS looks better than.... extremely undamaged skin/ prematurely aged skin/ that. So, I will no longer be bitter about the fact that I don't tan well and have to spend 15 extra minutes putting on self tanner. I will not longer be lazy about wearing sunscreen. There is just no excuse!

Inspiration

The Newbie Chronicles in Runner's World Magazine is always one of my favorite articles. Probably because even though I've been running for 2 years now, I still feel like a newbie. 

This month's article is about getting out the door and running. 

Don't you want more time on this planet? I sure do! And I definitely want to do it feeling good. 

Running can do that for you. 

 

"The first person you have to inspire every day is yourself." 

Who am I to preach to my patients about eating healthy and exercising if I don't take care of myself? I have to get up, get my blood stream all loaded up on endorphins, and then I'm able to go and talk about how wonderful exercise is, and encourage them to take care of themselves. 

This is what I really struggle with- if I feel like I didn't have a "good run" it makes it harder to go again the next day. But it's true- "It doesn't matter how (fast) you do it, it only matters that you do it." 

And even if I didn't have a "good run" I have never, ever regretted running. 

Change of Heart

We celebrated National Running Day in a big, big way.... we bought a treadmill!

I have always hated treadmills. But I think I finally found one I could have a relationship with. 

Looks like true love to me!

Honestly, when we thought of an entire summer of trying to schedule our runs around the 95 degree weather and brutal humidity, we started talking about buying a treadmill. I trained for the Chicago half-marathon last year during a  Memphis summer, and it was a challenge to say the least. Having an option to run inside at any time of day with air-conditioning and unlimited cold water makes this purchase totally worth it.

Just think of the advantage in winter- it gets dark at 5:00pm- but we can run anytime we want!

Plus, I get to watch TV or movies on my iPad... I'm not sure life could get much better.

We actually got the treadmill yesterday, and my sweet husband got it all set up and ready to go by himself. I jumped straight out of bed this morning and onto this while my husband slept in the next room undisturbed. I know it's easier to run on a treadmill, but I actually ran quite a bit faster this morning than I have been running lately- and man it felt great!

I kind of wanted to run again when I got home from work, but I decided to wait and channel that energy and excitement into tomorrows run. 

Happy National Running Day to us! 

And you, too. :)