Tonight was filled with happy thoughts about my future.
I am so glad I am pursuing this career in nursing. I know I have a long way to go, but I really feel like this is what I was supposed to do with my life. I never felt this positive or good about getting my journalism degree all those years ago. I am definitely excited about nursing school (when I get in -- still have two pre-reqs to go) and I can't wait to be an RN so I can truly help people. What a change in perspective from the world of journalism, where everyone is convinced you, as a reporter, are out to get them and make lives miserable.
Anyway, I had lots of warm fuzzy thoughts while using the elliptical tonight. Maybe it's the endorphins talking, but things look bright for me and my family. It's a nice feeling. :-)
We're going to a birthday party in the morning. It starts at 9 a.m. and it's a 20-minute drive for us. Geez, that is unnaturally early for a Sunday party! They'd better have cake!
Oh, and anyone needing a good laugh should check out David's blog entry about farts. Seriously. It's a gas. ("Boo!!! Hiss!!!! Get the hook!!!")
Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes (body toning program)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
False promises
I know, I know. I promised vacation pics, yet it's now FRIDAY and I still haven't delivered the goods. I keep getting sidetracked and haven't really made time. Plus, I hate how horrifically long it takes to upload pics to Blogger. I seriously feel like my life is ticking away as I sit and wait for the stinkin' thing to process.
Well, I am making time right now to get these pics up! The kids are both napping (RARE event!) and I just finished an hour-long workout, so I have nothing better to do right now. LOL!
So here we go!
Our motel, which was right across from the Disneyland resort:
The Tower of Terror as seen from the street:
Entering Disneyland:
Main Street and the horse-drawn carriage:
Tim looking on with the Matterhorn in the distance:
The Haunted Mansion:
Waiting in line for the Finding Nemo ride (yes, the seagulls actually say "Mine? Mine" while you're waiting in line -- too funny!!):
Mickey's Toon Town:
Has Tim been working out?:
I love Mickey Mouse:
The Mad Hatter Tea Party. Tim's not a fan of spinning rides, but he humored me and we did go on it once:
Sleeping Beauty's castle at night (so pretty!):
OK, that took FOREVER! Seriously, it took me 40 minutes just to get those stupid pics uploaded! I will post pics from California Adventure, the newest Disney park that's literally steps from Disneyland, sometime this weekend.
Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 37:50
Elliptical:
Time: 25 minutes
Well, I am making time right now to get these pics up! The kids are both napping (RARE event!) and I just finished an hour-long workout, so I have nothing better to do right now. LOL!
So here we go!
Our motel, which was right across from the Disneyland resort:
The Tower of Terror as seen from the street:
Entering Disneyland:
Main Street and the horse-drawn carriage:
Tim looking on with the Matterhorn in the distance:
The Haunted Mansion:
Waiting in line for the Finding Nemo ride (yes, the seagulls actually say "Mine? Mine" while you're waiting in line -- too funny!!):
Mickey's Toon Town:
Has Tim been working out?:
I love Mickey Mouse:
The Mad Hatter Tea Party. Tim's not a fan of spinning rides, but he humored me and we did go on it once:
Sleeping Beauty's castle at night (so pretty!):
OK, that took FOREVER! Seriously, it took me 40 minutes just to get those stupid pics uploaded! I will post pics from California Adventure, the newest Disney park that's literally steps from Disneyland, sometime this weekend.
Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 37:50
Elliptical:
Time: 25 minutes
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Pics coming soon....
I will try to post some vacation pics tonight. I just need some time to do it.
I actually had a few hours today to myself. I ended up doing yard work for hours (blah) and I took the garbage to the dump. Now I'm all itchy and sneezy and need a shower -- BADLY.
I ran after I did my yard work. My legs certainly didn't feel fresh like yesterday. I am calling today a recovery run.
OK, I will be back later.
Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 34:18
Pace: 11:26 minute/mile
I actually had a few hours today to myself. I ended up doing yard work for hours (blah) and I took the garbage to the dump. Now I'm all itchy and sneezy and need a shower -- BADLY.
I ran after I did my yard work. My legs certainly didn't feel fresh like yesterday. I am calling today a recovery run.
OK, I will be back later.
Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 34:18
Pace: 11:26 minute/mile
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Slacker
I had intended to do a nice long post today, complete with pictures from our vacation. Yeah, that's not gonna happen tonight. I just got Matty into bed and it's 11 p.m., so the vacay pic post will have to wait until tomorrow.
But I will say I had a record-setting run this evening following my elliptical workout. It was my first run in 15 (!!) days, and I ran a lot faster than I thought I would. I have a two-mile race in less than two weeks, so I wanted to see if I could set a new PR for the distance (my goal for the race is a sub-20-minute time). Well, I started off slow for the first 1/4 mile or so, but turned it on and ran two miles in, get this, 19:58! That may not sound fast to a lot of people here, but for me that is smokin'! I know now a sub-20 is VERY possible for this race.
I will probably do one more "race pace" run before race day. And I will probably run tomorrow, since the kiddies will be at school in the p.m. and I don't start summer school until June 16. Yes, a few hours of "me" time!
Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 20 minutes
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 19:58 (PR!)
Pace: 9:59 (first sub-10-minute overall pace EVER!)
But I will say I had a record-setting run this evening following my elliptical workout. It was my first run in 15 (!!) days, and I ran a lot faster than I thought I would. I have a two-mile race in less than two weeks, so I wanted to see if I could set a new PR for the distance (my goal for the race is a sub-20-minute time). Well, I started off slow for the first 1/4 mile or so, but turned it on and ran two miles in, get this, 19:58! That may not sound fast to a lot of people here, but for me that is smokin'! I know now a sub-20 is VERY possible for this race.
I will probably do one more "race pace" run before race day. And I will probably run tomorrow, since the kiddies will be at school in the p.m. and I don't start summer school until June 16. Yes, a few hours of "me" time!
Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 20 minutes
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 19:58 (PR!)
Pace: 9:59 (first sub-10-minute overall pace EVER!)
Monday, May 26, 2008
I'm back!
And I'm beat!!
We drove home today, and what a long day it turned out to be. I am just wiped out. I will probably head to bed in a few minutes so I can be nice and rested for my workout tomorrow. I haven't run in about 10 days and I miss it. We did walk everywhere while at the Disneyland Resort (and it certainly is a resort now), so I did get some exercise (along with sore legs).
I'll put some pics of our trip up later. :-)
Good night.
We drove home today, and what a long day it turned out to be. I am just wiped out. I will probably head to bed in a few minutes so I can be nice and rested for my workout tomorrow. I haven't run in about 10 days and I miss it. We did walk everywhere while at the Disneyland Resort (and it certainly is a resort now), so I did get some exercise (along with sore legs).
I'll put some pics of our trip up later. :-)
Good night.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Adios!
We are leaving for vacation tomorrow morning.
Chances are REALLY good that you won't see me here until after May 26.
Good luck to all my buddies who have races coming up!!! Can't wait to read all the race reports when I return!!
For now, the Magic Kingdom is calling....
Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 20 minutes
Bike:
Distance: five miles
Time: 19:39
Chances are REALLY good that you won't see me here until after May 26.
Good luck to all my buddies who have races coming up!!! Can't wait to read all the race reports when I return!!
For now, the Magic Kingdom is calling....
Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 20 minutes
Bike:
Distance: five miles
Time: 19:39
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Can't wait!
We leave for our vacation on Saturday morning!! Yay! I have almost finished washing the ginormous pile of laundry, so tomorrow will be focused on packing our stuff. I can't believe it's almost time! :-)
Today was the hottest day we've had here since we moved back almost four years ago. We live very close to the coast, so we usually average summer temps in the 60s to low-70s. On a rare occasion we'll get to 80. Well, today got to 95 here in Fortuna!! Holy crap! It was so hot the kids couldn't play outside after 11 a.m. until after 7 p.m. Poor Matty was just hot and cranky as anything. Kara does a little better in the heat, but after a while she wanted to go inside, too. Oh how I wished we had a kiddie pool today! Tomorrow is supposed to be hot, too, so there will probably not be any running happening then. I used the elliptical tonight after the sun went down (we have no A/C in our house, since you normally don't need it, so indoors eventually became oven-like after several hours of sun beating down on us).
Today's stats:
Elliptical (I need to add a stats box for this exercise):
Time: 30 minutes
Program: Body toning No. 1
Today was the hottest day we've had here since we moved back almost four years ago. We live very close to the coast, so we usually average summer temps in the 60s to low-70s. On a rare occasion we'll get to 80. Well, today got to 95 here in Fortuna!! Holy crap! It was so hot the kids couldn't play outside after 11 a.m. until after 7 p.m. Poor Matty was just hot and cranky as anything. Kara does a little better in the heat, but after a while she wanted to go inside, too. Oh how I wished we had a kiddie pool today! Tomorrow is supposed to be hot, too, so there will probably not be any running happening then. I used the elliptical tonight after the sun went down (we have no A/C in our house, since you normally don't need it, so indoors eventually became oven-like after several hours of sun beating down on us).
Today's stats:
Elliptical (I need to add a stats box for this exercise):
Time: 30 minutes
Program: Body toning No. 1
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I did work out today!
Just posting my stats now. It's too late for any real thinking tonight.
Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes
Jump rope:
Time: 30 sec. of jumping, 30 sec. rest, for a total of five minutes
Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes
Jump rope:
Time: 30 sec. of jumping, 30 sec. rest, for a total of five minutes
Monday, May 12, 2008
Untitled
I'm not feeling particularly inspired to blog today.
I got a few miles under my belt this afternoon, but the right leg/hip still aren't 100 percent. I can't wait to see the chiro later this week!!!
Vacation is coming up soon. We are leaving Saturday morning. I still have a ton of stuff to do, mainly laundry. Did I mention I HATE doing laundry?
Off to pick up the kids from preschool. It was awesome to have them go to school today knowing I didn't have to! Those few child-free hours were awesome!
Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: four miles
Time: 44:59
Pace: 11:15 minute/mile
**MOD TO ADD**
I added an elliptical workout tonight. Love that machine!
Elliptical:
Time: 20 minutes
I got a few miles under my belt this afternoon, but the right leg/hip still aren't 100 percent. I can't wait to see the chiro later this week!!!
Vacation is coming up soon. We are leaving Saturday morning. I still have a ton of stuff to do, mainly laundry. Did I mention I HATE doing laundry?
Off to pick up the kids from preschool. It was awesome to have them go to school today knowing I didn't have to! Those few child-free hours were awesome!
Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: four miles
Time: 44:59
Pace: 11:15 minute/mile
**MOD TO ADD**
I added an elliptical workout tonight. Love that machine!
Elliptical:
Time: 20 minutes
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Happy Mother's Day to all my wonderful running mommies!
Hope you had a great day!
I didn't run this weekend. My right hip is bugging me again and I didn't feel the need to suffer through a run. If it feels better I will aim for one tomorrow. I see my chiro on Wednesday and I hope an adjustment helps.
Until later....
Hope you had a great day!
I didn't run this weekend. My right hip is bugging me again and I didn't feel the need to suffer through a run. If it feels better I will aim for one tomorrow. I see my chiro on Wednesday and I hope an adjustment helps.
Until later....
Friday, May 9, 2008
Spring semester is OVER!!!
And I am sooooo excited!
I found out this morning that I scored 102 points out of 100 on my final practical exam! There were three bonus questions, which helped. I even emailed my teacher after I saw my grade to make sure it wasn't a typo. She said it wasn't, that I got all the bonus questions correct and only missed a "tiny tiny bit on the exam." She followed it with "You star!!!!!" That made me feel good! :-)
So my overall percentage in that class is 94.6, which is an A (below 93 percent is an A-). I only needed 90 points on this last test to secure my A. We get to drop one test score (and two quiz scores), so that pathetic 83 I got on the first practical is history. I can now relax and enjoy our vacation (which we're leaving for on May 17). My next class is physiology, which I will be taking in the summer starting June 16. I fully intend to kick ass in that class, as well.
I will update later after my workout. Planning on a run tonight.
**UPDATE**
I ran two miles tonight. It felt pretty good, all things considered. I am hoping to run the 10K on the 10th virtual run organized by the awesome Nancy tomorrow, but I will likely make that decision based on how I feel when I wake up. I also ended up tacking on a 30-minute workout on the elliptical. It was one of the body toning programs, and man, was it a butt-kicker!
Oh, and here is today's latest knee pic (yes, I have a Disney princess Band Aid covering my stitches):
Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 22:19
Pace: 11:09 minute/mile
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes
I found out this morning that I scored 102 points out of 100 on my final practical exam! There were three bonus questions, which helped. I even emailed my teacher after I saw my grade to make sure it wasn't a typo. She said it wasn't, that I got all the bonus questions correct and only missed a "tiny tiny bit on the exam." She followed it with "You star!!!!!" That made me feel good! :-)
So my overall percentage in that class is 94.6, which is an A (below 93 percent is an A-). I only needed 90 points on this last test to secure my A. We get to drop one test score (and two quiz scores), so that pathetic 83 I got on the first practical is history. I can now relax and enjoy our vacation (which we're leaving for on May 17). My next class is physiology, which I will be taking in the summer starting June 16. I fully intend to kick ass in that class, as well.
I will update later after my workout. Planning on a run tonight.
**UPDATE**
I ran two miles tonight. It felt pretty good, all things considered. I am hoping to run the 10K on the 10th virtual run organized by the awesome Nancy tomorrow, but I will likely make that decision based on how I feel when I wake up. I also ended up tacking on a 30-minute workout on the elliptical. It was one of the body toning programs, and man, was it a butt-kicker!
Oh, and here is today's latest knee pic (yes, I have a Disney princess Band Aid covering my stitches):
Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 22:19
Pace: 11:09 minute/mile
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes
Thursday, May 8, 2008
First workout since Sunday
Yeah! I was able to work out for the first time today since my HM/fun fall on Sunday.
I am still a bit sore (getting better, though), so I used the elliptical for 20 minutes this afternoon. Man, what a great workout! I really like this new elliptical already. It has several different programs to choose from, but I just adjusted everything manually today. The stride felt really fluid and it was easy to use. I will still be using the bike, but I think I'll like using the elliptical more.
My knee still looks messed up. I showed it to a family member today (one who doesn't see me every day like Tim or the kids) and she cringed and said "Ewwwww!!" That makes one feel good. It doesn't feel that bad, surprisingly. The rest of me still aches a bit (probably since it turned into a full-body flop), and that kinda stinks.
I plan on doing a VERY short, VERY slow run tonight. I want to get out there so badly again and start getting over the post-race blues I am facing. Anyone else have that issue? It's like a day or two after a race is over, I start feeling sad and down. I've heard it's common.
Today's stats:
Elliptical!:
Time: 40 minutes (total from original post and update portion)
**COMING BACK TO ADD**
I ended up scrapping the run in favor of another 20 minutes on my elliptical. I don't think my knee is ready for the pavement just yet. I hope to get out for a short run tomorrow.
I am still a bit sore (getting better, though), so I used the elliptical for 20 minutes this afternoon. Man, what a great workout! I really like this new elliptical already. It has several different programs to choose from, but I just adjusted everything manually today. The stride felt really fluid and it was easy to use. I will still be using the bike, but I think I'll like using the elliptical more.
My knee still looks messed up. I showed it to a family member today (one who doesn't see me every day like Tim or the kids) and she cringed and said "Ewwwww!!" That makes one feel good. It doesn't feel that bad, surprisingly. The rest of me still aches a bit (probably since it turned into a full-body flop), and that kinda stinks.
I plan on doing a VERY short, VERY slow run tonight. I want to get out there so badly again and start getting over the post-race blues I am facing. Anyone else have that issue? It's like a day or two after a race is over, I start feeling sad and down. I've heard it's common.
Today's stats:
Elliptical!:
Time: 40 minutes (total from original post and update portion)
**COMING BACK TO ADD**
I ended up scrapping the run in favor of another 20 minutes on my elliptical. I don't think my knee is ready for the pavement just yet. I hope to get out for a short run tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Owie update
I am sore today. I actually feel more sore than I did yesterday. How is that even possible?
My knee is pretty. I love the purple bruise that is below my stitches. This picture doesn't really do the colors justice:
I am taking a few days off from exercising (big duh, huh?), which is a bummer because I finally got my new "baby" assembled last night:
I admit, I hopped on last night and tried it out (so did Tim). Very nice! I can't wait to do a real workout on it!
I am heading to school soon for one last big night of studying. Tomorrow is our last lab practical of the semester. If I do well, I will get an A in the class (we get to drop one big test and two small quizzes, and I have an 83 score I'd love to get rid of). If I bomb, I will still walk away from the class with an A-. Of course I would prefer the A, but an A- in this anatomy class, which is notorious on campus as being a butt-kicker, isn't shabby. ;-)
My knee is pretty. I love the purple bruise that is below my stitches. This picture doesn't really do the colors justice:
I am taking a few days off from exercising (big duh, huh?), which is a bummer because I finally got my new "baby" assembled last night:
I admit, I hopped on last night and tried it out (so did Tim). Very nice! I can't wait to do a real workout on it!
I am heading to school soon for one last big night of studying. Tomorrow is our last lab practical of the semester. If I do well, I will get an A in the class (we get to drop one big test and two small quizzes, and I have an 83 score I'd love to get rid of). If I bomb, I will still walk away from the class with an A-. Of course I would prefer the A, but an A- in this anatomy class, which is notorious on campus as being a butt-kicker, isn't shabby. ;-)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Official HM race results
My official stats from today's HM:
Total time: 2:45:24
Pace: 12:37 minute/mile (stupid potty break!)
Finished 642 out of 810 runners
Finished 400 out of 547 females
Finished 61 out of 76 in my age division
Total time: 2:45:24
Pace: 12:37 minute/mile (stupid potty break!)
Finished 642 out of 810 runners
Finished 400 out of 547 females
Finished 61 out of 76 in my age division
I DID IT! My first HM is in the books!!! **UPDATE AT THE END**
I can't believe it's over! I ran the Avenue of the Giants HM this morning and it was awesome! But I did have an incident on the race course and now have some battle scars thanks to the bumpy ground. Don't worry, I'll share what happened in a minute.
I woke up a few minutes before 6 a.m. today. I was so jazzed that I got a restless six hours worth of sleep. But I didn't feel bad or anything. I had put all my stuff together the night before so I knew exactly where everything was:
After a quick shower, I had an onion bagel. Man, I LOVE these things:
Then it was time to pack the cooler with some food, as Tim and the kids were going to meet me down at the course for the finish and we would eat lunch then (I made a lot of sandwiches in case I was severely hungry; we ended up not eating all of them):
Then I got dressed and was ready to go!:
It takes about 30 minutes to get from our house to the race course. I left early because I knew traffic would be an issue. When I got there, I had to sit in a line of traffic about two miles long to get to the parking area. But I finally got in and prepared for the race.
Time flew and before I knew it we were headed to the starting area. I stood near the back of the pack on purpose, knowing I didn't want to start out too fast. I had thought about my pacing all last night and knew that I would need to force myself to start out slowly to make sure I had enough left in the gas tank when I needed it.
The first four miles were uneventful. But at the four-mile aid station I HAD to use the potty. Unfortunately, it wasn't just a No. 1 I had to do, so I had to wait in line for NINE minutes. OMG, it was ridiculous! There were only five or six people in front of me, but there was only one potty. And for some reason they felt they had to take their time. The only reason I know it was nine minutes is because I checked Garmin when I stopped and I was 48 minutes into it. When I finally got back, it was almost 58 minutes. Ugh! So much for my "goal" time (although I know they say for a first HM you shouldn't have a goal time, just run to finish, blah, blah, blah).
It was around five miles that my body really kicked in. I felt great, I was getting faster and passing tons of people who had passed me while I waited in line at the potties. The course was gorgeous, and the weather was perfect. Not all that warm, and clouds and fog, which was great for running a faster pace. I came to the turn-around and headed back. Surprisingly, the race seemed to feel easier after the mid-point. I felt so good and didn't bonk at all. I took fluids from every aid station (even though I had my fuel belt) and ate two packets of Gu along the way. Everything was terrific and nothing could break my stride.
But then something weird and crappy happened not long after I passed the 10-mile marker. The road we were running on is quite "back country." It's narrow and covered with pot holes and strange bumps in the pavement. It really is a perfect road to hurt yourself on. I was trucking along, feeling great, when it happened. My right toe caught on a bump. You know how it is when you trip and are falling but you try and save it so you don't fall? It's like you think taking a million baby steps will somehow allow you to remain upright, even when you know damn well you are going to be tasting pavement in a few seconds. That's how it felt for me. My right toe hit the bump wrong, I took a million funky baby steps with my upper body parallel to the pavement, and I ate it. Hard. My right knee hit first and my upper body kinda spun so I ended up landing on my left elbow, with the left side of my head slamming into the ground for good measure.
"S#%@," I thought as I peered toward the sky through the redwood canopy. There was only person around me at the time (thank goodness I didn't have a huge audience), and she came to my aid. I got up, saw blood on the ground and realized it was coming from my arm. Well dammit, I had come way to far to let some stupid fall take me out of this thing. So I started running again. I was about half a mile from the aid station, and I stopped and the guy cleaned my elbow up. He offered me a bandage, which I took but didn't put on my arm, and he checked my head to make sure I wasn't bleeding (I wasn't; just had a big contusion that was turning into a goose egg). I thanked him and started the home stretch. Little did I know my knee was hurt worse than I thought, but in retrospect, it's probably a good thing I had running tights on and didn't know before I finished the race.
Despite the fall, that last few miles felt good. When I got to the 13-mile marker, I immediately started tearing up. I could see the finish area and it was just such an emotional thing. Then I saw Tim and the kids. Cue more waterworks. I probably looked like an idiot, crying underneath my sunglasses. Oh well, I didn't care.
I came to the finish line and they read my name over the loudspeaker. The timer said 2 hours 46 minutes and some change when I crossed (Garmin turned off after my fall and I didn't bother to turn it back on; it wasn't very accurate due to the redwood tree canopy and was reading off by 1/2 mile at one point). I don't know my official time yet, but I know I would have finished around 2:37 had it not been for the long potty break.
After it was over, I rolled up my pant leg to look at my knee. I didn't realize it, but my running tights were soaked in blood. Uh oh. As it rolled it up, I saw blood, a scrape - and then a disgusting gash. It made me gasp. I didn't realize I had actually gashed myself that bad. I headed to the first aid area, and two nice guys cleaned up the wound and bandaged it. I have to keep a close eye on it now for infection, and of course my knee hurts now.
Anyway, I have more pics to share. :-)
Me nearing the finish (if you look closely, I look very sad. That is because I am trying to stifle the tears):
Me and my medal:
The medal up close (so much prettier than last year's!):
My elbow owie:
This one is kinda gross, so I am warning you now. My knee owie, up close:
And a couple panoramic shots:
I will post my official time and place later this evening. I do know one thing: I will DEFINITELY be doing another HM in the future!! This distance felt perfect for me, as I'm not fast but have endurance on my side.
Thanks to all of you for your support!! It means so much to me!!! :-)
***UPDATE***
So my knee wound was pretty deep and wouldn't stop bleeding, so I went to the ER. Got three stitches and an antibiotic. Wanna see a pic? Sure ya do:
I woke up a few minutes before 6 a.m. today. I was so jazzed that I got a restless six hours worth of sleep. But I didn't feel bad or anything. I had put all my stuff together the night before so I knew exactly where everything was:
After a quick shower, I had an onion bagel. Man, I LOVE these things:
Then it was time to pack the cooler with some food, as Tim and the kids were going to meet me down at the course for the finish and we would eat lunch then (I made a lot of sandwiches in case I was severely hungry; we ended up not eating all of them):
Then I got dressed and was ready to go!:
It takes about 30 minutes to get from our house to the race course. I left early because I knew traffic would be an issue. When I got there, I had to sit in a line of traffic about two miles long to get to the parking area. But I finally got in and prepared for the race.
Time flew and before I knew it we were headed to the starting area. I stood near the back of the pack on purpose, knowing I didn't want to start out too fast. I had thought about my pacing all last night and knew that I would need to force myself to start out slowly to make sure I had enough left in the gas tank when I needed it.
The first four miles were uneventful. But at the four-mile aid station I HAD to use the potty. Unfortunately, it wasn't just a No. 1 I had to do, so I had to wait in line for NINE minutes. OMG, it was ridiculous! There were only five or six people in front of me, but there was only one potty. And for some reason they felt they had to take their time. The only reason I know it was nine minutes is because I checked Garmin when I stopped and I was 48 minutes into it. When I finally got back, it was almost 58 minutes. Ugh! So much for my "goal" time (although I know they say for a first HM you shouldn't have a goal time, just run to finish, blah, blah, blah).
It was around five miles that my body really kicked in. I felt great, I was getting faster and passing tons of people who had passed me while I waited in line at the potties. The course was gorgeous, and the weather was perfect. Not all that warm, and clouds and fog, which was great for running a faster pace. I came to the turn-around and headed back. Surprisingly, the race seemed to feel easier after the mid-point. I felt so good and didn't bonk at all. I took fluids from every aid station (even though I had my fuel belt) and ate two packets of Gu along the way. Everything was terrific and nothing could break my stride.
But then something weird and crappy happened not long after I passed the 10-mile marker. The road we were running on is quite "back country." It's narrow and covered with pot holes and strange bumps in the pavement. It really is a perfect road to hurt yourself on. I was trucking along, feeling great, when it happened. My right toe caught on a bump. You know how it is when you trip and are falling but you try and save it so you don't fall? It's like you think taking a million baby steps will somehow allow you to remain upright, even when you know damn well you are going to be tasting pavement in a few seconds. That's how it felt for me. My right toe hit the bump wrong, I took a million funky baby steps with my upper body parallel to the pavement, and I ate it. Hard. My right knee hit first and my upper body kinda spun so I ended up landing on my left elbow, with the left side of my head slamming into the ground for good measure.
"S#%@," I thought as I peered toward the sky through the redwood canopy. There was only person around me at the time (thank goodness I didn't have a huge audience), and she came to my aid. I got up, saw blood on the ground and realized it was coming from my arm. Well dammit, I had come way to far to let some stupid fall take me out of this thing. So I started running again. I was about half a mile from the aid station, and I stopped and the guy cleaned my elbow up. He offered me a bandage, which I took but didn't put on my arm, and he checked my head to make sure I wasn't bleeding (I wasn't; just had a big contusion that was turning into a goose egg). I thanked him and started the home stretch. Little did I know my knee was hurt worse than I thought, but in retrospect, it's probably a good thing I had running tights on and didn't know before I finished the race.
Despite the fall, that last few miles felt good. When I got to the 13-mile marker, I immediately started tearing up. I could see the finish area and it was just such an emotional thing. Then I saw Tim and the kids. Cue more waterworks. I probably looked like an idiot, crying underneath my sunglasses. Oh well, I didn't care.
I came to the finish line and they read my name over the loudspeaker. The timer said 2 hours 46 minutes and some change when I crossed (Garmin turned off after my fall and I didn't bother to turn it back on; it wasn't very accurate due to the redwood tree canopy and was reading off by 1/2 mile at one point). I don't know my official time yet, but I know I would have finished around 2:37 had it not been for the long potty break.
After it was over, I rolled up my pant leg to look at my knee. I didn't realize it, but my running tights were soaked in blood. Uh oh. As it rolled it up, I saw blood, a scrape - and then a disgusting gash. It made me gasp. I didn't realize I had actually gashed myself that bad. I headed to the first aid area, and two nice guys cleaned up the wound and bandaged it. I have to keep a close eye on it now for infection, and of course my knee hurts now.
Anyway, I have more pics to share. :-)
Me nearing the finish (if you look closely, I look very sad. That is because I am trying to stifle the tears):
Me and my medal:
The medal up close (so much prettier than last year's!):
My elbow owie:
This one is kinda gross, so I am warning you now. My knee owie, up close:
And a couple panoramic shots:
I will post my official time and place later this evening. I do know one thing: I will DEFINITELY be doing another HM in the future!! This distance felt perfect for me, as I'm not fast but have endurance on my side.
Thanks to all of you for your support!! It means so much to me!!! :-)
***UPDATE***
So my knee wound was pretty deep and wouldn't stop bleeding, so I went to the ER. Got three stitches and an antibiotic. Wanna see a pic? Sure ya do:
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Race night thoughts
I'm sitting here, in my pre-race haze, thinking about everything that might happen tomorrow. I always have jitters the night before, but for some reason I feel more nervous this time around. Guess it's the HM distance that's scaring me.
I got my race packet today and drove the course. It's on a different road than the 10K I ran last year. But it is so beautiful. Huge redwood trees butt right against the road in spots, and there is a lot of shade. Being next to those trees makes one feel mighty small. Thankfully, the course is pretty flat, so that shouldn't be an issue.
I bought yet another sun visor today at the race's "expo." I use that term loosely, as it is still a small race and the expo area consists of about seven tents. But our local running shop (which I where I buy my shoes) had a tent with running goodies to buy, and I found this neat blue visor that I couldn't resist. I've been wearing it all day and it's soooooo comfy! I will take a pic of it soon. I also bought some Gu for the race, so I feel ready.
I had some pasta for dinner and I really, really want some dessert. I don't allow myself treats often anymore, but I feel like I'll earn it tomorrow. I have to run to the store soon to get a couple things, so maybe I'll buy a small treat. ;-)
That's all for now. I need to turn my brain off tonight. The more I think about it, the more I stress.
I got my race packet today and drove the course. It's on a different road than the 10K I ran last year. But it is so beautiful. Huge redwood trees butt right against the road in spots, and there is a lot of shade. Being next to those trees makes one feel mighty small. Thankfully, the course is pretty flat, so that shouldn't be an issue.
I bought yet another sun visor today at the race's "expo." I use that term loosely, as it is still a small race and the expo area consists of about seven tents. But our local running shop (which I where I buy my shoes) had a tent with running goodies to buy, and I found this neat blue visor that I couldn't resist. I've been wearing it all day and it's soooooo comfy! I will take a pic of it soon. I also bought some Gu for the race, so I feel ready.
I had some pasta for dinner and I really, really want some dessert. I don't allow myself treats often anymore, but I feel like I'll earn it tomorrow. I have to run to the store soon to get a couple things, so maybe I'll buy a small treat. ;-)
That's all for now. I need to turn my brain off tonight. The more I think about it, the more I stress.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Bib number change
So many people have entered this year's Avenue of the Giants HM that the organizers had to change bib numbers today.
They had started with the number 3000. The number 4000 is the first number in another race. Well, more than 1,000 people have registered so far, so they had to change the start number for the HM bibs to 2000.
Therefore, my NEW bib number is 2644. :-)
Works for me.
They had started with the number 3000. The number 4000 is the first number in another race. Well, more than 1,000 people have registered so far, so they had to change the start number for the HM bibs to 2000.
Therefore, my NEW bib number is 2644. :-)
Works for me.
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