HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Grand Rapids Zombie Walk 2008.

Hope you have a spooktacular day!

BACK TO BACKS.

Years ago, when I was running and training with a group, we often did back to back workouts. We might have an evening 5k or 10k race, and then meet again in the morning for a long slow run. I was always amazed at really how good that felt--after a hard run at night, a nice slow long run felt relaxing and was actually a good recovery workout.

But I'm not talking about back to back workouts. I'm talking about back to back trials here in the office. Its almost ridiculous how this happened, but suddenly I realized about mid-October what the end of the month and the beginning of the next month would be like--working 10 hour days most days, and constantly being in high gear.

Somewhat like training for a big race, where you do all your prep work (training) up to two weeks before the big event, the same thing happens in trial prep. Unlike training for a big race, where you taper the last 2 weeks before the big event, in trial prep you gear up more the last two weeks. Lucky for me I only have a small part in both of these, so that shows how much more is required of the attorneys. Everything is so technical now in court also that you have to get the techies on board to work along with you, and that's not always an easy task. They have a totally different idea of what "I need it now" means. The usual no help from the helpless desk.

Anyway, such has been my life the last few weeks, changing my running plans for the next month now. Which actually might be a good thing since this hip thing is really getting to be a nuisance and a mystery at the same time. I suspect its a tight hip flexor muscle, but none of my usual therapies are working.

Saturday, after the deluge of rain stopped, it cleared up enough for me to consider getting outside. It was brisk and partly sunny, requiring me to bundle up a little more than usual. But it felt good to be outside again after spending all week inside or not doing anything but working. The plan was to just do my 3 mile loop, and if all went well to go longer on Sunday.

All did not go well. It started out okay however. I have 3 checkpoints on this route, where I check my time to see how I'm doing: if I hit my average times, I feel okay with that. If I'm slower, I know I'm not ready to be running. And if I'm faster, then woo hoo, I'll take that. I was only slightly faster than average so felt okay with that. I was having no hip tightness or pain. There was one scary moment when I saw something dangling from a tree and realized it was a huge spider dropping down from its web! It was Halloween horror, for sure.

All I could imagine was what if I'd been running in the dark like usual through here??? It would have gotten in my hair!! Shudder.

But I was still good on time at the next checkpoint and was really enjoying the day, especially since the all day rain predicted was not happening.

Right around 2 miles it happened--suddenly that hip flexor muscle tightened right up, almost like a vice grip, and I had to stop and start walking. Then it was sore and stiff and I ended up walking the rest of the way home. I could not run any more. I was actually limping somewhat and off balance. Using the foam roller when I got home was excruciating, actually taking my breath away, making it impossible for me to tolerate that torture for only a few minutes. Then I iced.

It was sore all day, achey sore, and Sunday I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and it was fine. Today I did a spin class and it was fine. So I have to figure this thing out. I do not want to have to stop running for any length of time and rebuild my base--again--but I may have to take a week or so off. Any ideas will be welcome, but I've probably tried everything!

Hope everyone had great weekends!

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE ELLIPTICAL It really is much too early to begin thinking of indoor workouts, even if it is getting down to the 20s in the mornings. But I have been giving the hip a rest this week and decided to try an elliptical day for a change, since I forgot the spin shoes. And of course I did not have my earbuds to listen to music, but even if I had, the music station was on opera and someone actually was listening to it. Hard to believe. And then the earphones available in the gym aren't the best and actually don't even stay on my head they're so stretched out, and somehow I managed to get my earring caught up on them and was stuck for a while. So, I just decided to forget it and go solo without music or TV or anything else. I'm tough! I could stick it out for 30 minutes!

But that always gets my mind wandering, and here are some random thoughts about the gym:

1. Why would anyone listen to opera while working out??
2. Why would anyone listen to opera anytime??
3. Why is it the one day in months I go to the gym at lunch time the place is packed and everyone wants to use the ellipticals??
4. Why is it the one day in months I go to the gym at lunch time, the 7 women in the locker room all have lockers next to each other??
5. Why do the locker room attendants (all male) pick lunch time or 5 pm to clean the women's locker room??
6. Why does the treadmill repair man come to fix the equipment at lunch time?
7. Why does the old man come to the gym dressed in dockers (pants and shoes), a sweater, and button down shirt and walk on the treadmill at 1.5 mph??
8. Why do they still have Schwinn Airdynes with seats the size of manhole covers??
9. Why does someone actually use the Schwinn Airdynes with seats the size of manhole covers (while listening to opera)??
10. And last but not least, why does one person have to monopolize every TV and the one on their elliptical just to watch 6 different news stations all at once??

I could go on probably indefinitely, but my 30 minutes were up. That was enough inside working out for one week for me! The hip is also feeling better, so I'm hoping to continue outdoor running at least for now. Working out indoors is definitely going to take some slow adjustment time.

THE SHIRT THAT RACES! Race Report

Grand Rapids Marathon, October 19, 2008

Prerace photo. I've got on the Shirt that Races, and my number. Post-race in the Shirt that Races, my medal, and number.

The Shirt that Races with Race Director Don Kern.

Neil Sauder, doing the marathon on stilts to raise awareness for United Cerebral Palsy (he has CB and actually cannot walk without braces/crutches).

Race day, the weather was about 40 degrees, more than 10 degrees warmer than last year. The Shirt that Races went over another long sleeve wickaway shirt, but I do not like being cold so also had to wear my vest over both. Jan and I decided it was too warm for headbands, so I came up with a bandana and folded that down so I could still cover my ears. I'd had some sinus problems all week and I didn't want the stabbing ear pain I'd had for a few days. I also wore my Grand Rapids Marathon hat and gloves.

Jan picked me up from the gym at 7:20 and her dear husband drove us the mile or so to the race site. We had met up with Chiarunner at the expo the day before, and she had said she was going to walk to the start from home. I was worried more about her having to walk home after the race, so I was surprised to run into her within a few minutes of lining up. She said she had driven, which was a smart move. Its one thing to run 26.2 miles in one day, but quite another to have to walk another 2 or more after!

The Grand Rapids Marathon has celebrity pace teams, and Chia decided she was going to try to stick with the Al Gore team, running 4:58. Those pacers are great. They are so right on with their timing its unbelievable. And when the race started, off she went with her group. Jan and I had decided to run 8, walk 2, a little more aggressive for Jan than she had planned, but I really wanted to do better than last year and also didn't want to be out there longer than I had to. My hip had started really bothering me on Thursday, going from a sharp ache to a dull one, but still noticeable. And as I had said about the sinus thingy going on all week, Saturday I woke up with my left eye itching so bad I could hardly stand it, and then spent the rest of the day with a dull headache as well and I was exhausted. I had been getting up at 4:30 am all week to get to work early for preparation for a trial that starts today, so I guess it caught up with me on Saturday. I was still feeling fatigued Sunday as well and I had this post nasal drip thing going on to the point where I constantly felt like I had a clogged throat. So all in all, I wasn't feeling that great but we were here and we were going to run.

The race started at 8 am, and sunrise was at 8:01, so by the time we actually crossed the start line, it was finally getting light enough out to see where we were going. I had been comfortably warm at the start of the race while Jan was cold, but now my fingers were almost numb with cold. Fortunately that didn't last too long. But I did have to go to the bathroom, something we had been unable to do before because the lines were so long. We passed the first portajohn and I thought it was occupied but realized too late it wasn't or I could have ducked in and out quickly and been on our way. Instead, I was forced to stop at the second one, and there was a line there, eating up about 3 minutes extra of time. I knew I wouldn't make it the whole way without having to stop, so it was a necessity. It was here too that I first noticed my hip was aching if I stopped, but I said nothing. I didn't want to think about that right now and was hoping for the best the rest of the race.

Because of this stop, we altered our walk breaks to catch up the lost time. I'm not sure whether that was a smart move or not because at this point we were approaching the only hills on the course, from miles 3 through 5.5. I had brought my own water bottle this time so I kept going at the water stops, but Jan stopped, walked through, and ran to catch up with me. By the time we were in the hills, I was realizing I was not having a good breathing day. Not my chest, but through my nose. It was dripping so bad I had to constantly blow my nose, so by the end of the race, my nose was bright red and almost raw. But we still were doing okay with our time, coming close to our predicted mile pace give or take 30 seconds each time. You enter the park at 6 miles and hit 7 miles before leaving it, because they have you wind along and around the paths. Its probably the most scenic area of the whole race route. Here they gave out gummy bears instead of Gu or something else. Just another nice touch about the race.

Once we left the park, we came across another woman from work, and she had started her walking. She had said she was only going to run 6 or 7 miles and walk the rest. Still, we were surprised she was so far ahead of us during the first half of the race. We weren't that slow, and we constantly played catch up with a younger woman who seemed to be doing run 5, walk 1--first she'd pass us on our walk break, then we'd pass her on hers. This went on until we reached the turnoff point for the marathon. But we did come across 3 or 4 other groups doing the same thing: first we'd pass them on their walk breaks, then they would pass us on ours. We were all together until mile 10 when things started falling apart for me somewhat.

My legs actually felt okay on the run intervals, but my hip ached on the walking. Still I said nothing, but it was obvious I was holding Jan back and I felt bad about that. I told her this repeatedly, but she kept saying don't worry about it. But I did! Shortly after 10 miles, the first marathoner was coming through. This was almost a mile sooner than last year's winner, but I still had no concept of what his time would be.

Miles 10-12 were a real struggle, both mentally and physically now. Jan tried to talk me through it and was talking about this and that, but it just wasn't helping. I knew we would not make our goal time now and really didn't care almost, but like I said, I felt bad for holding her back. Now our walk breaks were becoming more frequent, but I was having trouble focusing mainly. By the time we got to 12 miles I was so relieved to know it would be over soon! And for the next 1/2 mile or so, there were cones, so I suggested to Jan that we run 10, walk 1, which actually stretched to walk 2, but it got me through that part of it by giving me something to focus on other than my own discomfort.

After that, it was light post to light post. I could not catch my breath for more than a minute or two, and I felt bad here again, knowing Jan could do better without me. Finally I told her, you just go, I'll be alright. She was reluctant to leave me, but I could tell she wanted to keep going. So she trudged on ahead, and I continued sprinting almost to one light pole, and walking to the next, right up to the last 200 yards, where I picked up the pace and headed to the finish line. It actually felt good to be running fast, and think it helped. I think Jan was surprised too that I was almost right behind her when she finished! We both ended up with almost the same time: 2:44:43 for me and 2:44:40 for her.

A funny thing about Jan though. She had originally signed up for the marathon but deferred down to the half because of her collarbone. But they didn't change her number, so she still had a marathon number. We talked about the fact that when she finished someone was going to think she was the first woman marathoner, and sure enough! The TV cameras were there rolling and people were clapping and whistling as she came down the finish chute. I actually heard someone say, "it couldn't have been the first woman or she would have stood out more," meaning obviously she would have more fanfare approaching the finish line. The race director even asked her, "did you do the marathon?" We had a good laugh over that, and I think that made her day.

So the Shirt that Races made it through its innaugural run on a bright, sunny, crisp autumn day in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Who is wearing it next??

THE SHIRT THAT RACES--Grand Rapids Marathon, Oct. 19, 2008--Short Version

The shirt and I finished! A couple of minutes faster than last year. Woo hoo! Faster than Toronto too. Woo hoo! Thanks to Jan. Unofficial: 2:44:48. More later. Sore hip now.

THE SHIRT THAT RACES.

Its here! It arrived in the mail yesterday! NikeMom came up with the idea to wear the shirt in a race and then pass it on to someone else.

Here are the rules:

Shirt that Races Official Guidelines:

1. Shirt must be worn in an official race [i.e. 5-k, 10-k, half marathon, maraton, etc.].
2. Picture must be taken with the official race bib pinned on the Shirt That Races.
3. Shirt can be worn by any participating female or male [if they dare].
4. Shirt must be washed before mailing to the next runner (this goes without saying!).
5. Runner must create a race report including a picture of their race in the Shirt That Races.
6. Shirt That Races must run in every state, including Canada.
7. Race info must be recorded permanently on the Shirt That Races. [use fabric ink/marker, permanent marker, etc.].

And, since it fits into the color scheme of my running ensemble anyway, I thought why not??

Anyway, this is just the prerace picture of the shirt (lifted from NikeMom's website). The innaugural run will be this Sunday, October 19, 2008, at the Grand Rapids Marathon/Half Marathon, where once again I'll be running the half. Stay tuned for a race report and photos of the Shirt that Races!

ONE OF THOSE WEEKENDS...

you never want to end. The weather was so perfect, it was unbelievable.

It all started with running a little 10k race Saturday with Jan. Jan had decided after the Toronto half, with the prospect of the GR half coming up, that maybe she would practice more running while wearing her sling, to see how much she could do. She's got about 10 more days with the sling. We did a practice "run" on Tuesday, putting in about 5 miles, using different run/walk ratios starting with 6 min. of running with 4 walking, ending with 8 running, 2 walking. She did pretty well and we decided to see what we could do at the race. I couldn't help notice though that her running intervals were somewhat faster than mine, so it would be a challenge, I knew, keeping up with her, despite her handicap. And then there has been my back problem lately. I thought I would start up with yoga and pilates to get some more intense stretching back in my routine, and wouldn't you know it, I strained it again at Thursday's class! So I was glad we were going to be taking it "easy" at Saturday's race.

Saturday morning turned out to be perfect weather for running--upper 50s, slightly breezy, and sunny. Couldn't beat that. We decided to start in the back, but then realized it wasn't a chip start so we hustled over the start line and started our run/walk. I was more than ready to walk when we hit the first hill, but Jan decided she felt okay to keep running, so we crested the hill and were on the downside before we did our first walk. I realized my mouth was very dry but realized there would be a water stop at the first turnaround. Before I knew it or was ready, we were off for the second run interval. Jan was starting to half joke about being at the back of the pack, but again, I couldn't help but think I'd be there anyway without the walk breaks.

But we did hit the first mile under 12 min., so we were still well within the time frame I had predicted for us. Before we even hit mile two, however, the first place 10k runner was coming through. We were headed over one of the bridges we would cross in the race, and there were a lot of walkers and very slow runners here. We picked our way through and headed to mile 3. Most of this race is along the river, on a route I take frequently, so it all was very familiar to me. But, when we came off the river path and headed out to the street, crossing another bridge over the river, it wasn't as obvious where we were going. We finally saw the chalk lines ahead but realized no one was in front of us any more and only one woman was behind us. Oh well, we never said we'd be fast.

By now my mouth was very dry and I had had only a tiny bit of water at the first water stop, not realizing we wouldn't have another until past 4 miles. And I know Jan picked up the pace between miles 3 and 4, so now I was really trying not to gasp or spit dust I was so dry. If the chalk lines had not been down, I'm not sure I would have known exactly where to go. No matter which street we had gone down though would have been the same distance, but they did keep the streets closed the whole time, which was very nice.

When we got by the fish ladder (the dam), there is another narrower path along the river and here we met up with another walking group,with strollers,dogs, and kids on scooters and tricycles, so here again we had to pick our way through this mess and back across the river again. The route is very circuituous, winding one way, then back, across one bridge, and back across it going the other way. But it was all familiar, so easy enough to know how much farther we had. By the time we got to 5 miles, I was extremely happy to be coming to the end of the race though. At this point, the walk breaks were definitely more for me than Jan. She could have easily finished this thing ahead of me, but stayed with me, pacing me through the running portions.

When we hit 6 miles, we picked up the pace, finishing in 1:11:35. Not bad for taking so many walk breaks. And the funny thing was? We both medaled in our age groups! I got second, Jan got third. So almost our worst 10k times ever and we both get a medal. And checking the results, I could have won my age group if I'd done the 5k!

After the race, I again went to another orchard, meeting up with my son and his girlfriend and her child. This is the orchard where I am not kidding there were probably 5,000 people there. Its almost like a circus, with elephant, camel, and pony rides, a petting zoo of tortoises, llamas, donkeys, rabbits, goats, pot belly pigs, and even a flying squirrel. The goats and pigs had no interest in eating the treats you could buy to feed them. Instead, the goats were chewing and licking on the side of the barn, and the pigs just rooted around in the dirt. They did have a corn maze, pumpkin patch, apple picking, and a huge assortment of other activities, but after about 3 hours of walking through the dusty fields in the very warm temperatures, with bees swarming everywhere, and the baby squawking almost the whole time, I had had enough and we all left to go home, with me vowing to never go there again. Its a nice place, but its not something I feel I need to do again in my lifetime!

Sunday's weather was 85 degrees, and a perfect day to go for a long bike ride. Don and I rode 31 miles, taking in all the changing colors, and listening to the chorus of all the insects in the trees and fields, most likely singing their last songs of the season. Even if we get more nice days, its unlikely we'll have this warm of weather.

After, we again went to the farm market. They still had a huge abundance of tomatoes, corn, peppers, pears, apples, etc. I wish I had found this place earlier in the season! And much more reasonably priced than the grocery store or even our city farm market (where if you didn't know, they jack the prices way up) (I got 6 years of corn, a 1/2 peck of HoneyCrisp apples, a dozen pears, 3 large tomatoes, a cabbage, and a half gallon of cider for $14). A nice color tour to the country, and you've got a great farm market with great quality produce. Then it was back home in time to spend some relaxing time on the sun porch reading.

Hope everyone had great weekends too! Congrats to all who ran marathons this weekend!

TRYING NOT TO WORRY.

Too much, that is. With the stock market tanking out day after day it seems, I'm afraid this will be me one day, working well into old age, to make up for the losses I (and everyone else) is facing. One more reason to keep up with the running, pushups, core work, etc. to (hopefully) live a long and healthy life. I don't want to have to go through old age and be dependent on anyone. I have a feeling I'm going to be working a loooong time.

A YEARLY TRADITION.Going to the apple orchard, that is. Its hard to believe its that time of year again! Apples, pumpkins, donuts, cider--a day out in the country.

This place is about our favorite, although there are dozens of orchards around. This particular one is busy, but not so over crowded that all you do is walk elbow to elbow with hundreds of others, like a few other places we've been. Each place has its own unique activites and specialties, but they all seem to have the best apples, cider, and donuts.

Every year, there is a batch of kittens. I don't know where they go once they are grown, but they are always in abundance.
And of course, each year they have new ducklings. So cute!


And then there were the baby goats this year. Also very cute as they frolicked around, begging for treats.

And then there were the rabbits. The kids actually have a rabbit just like this, a Himalayan. You can always tell when cold weather is coming because its nose and ears turn dark. In the summer months, they are almost white or a very pale gray.

And one of those "fun" kid activities--milking the cardboard cow. You can tell he's thrilled.

And no photo op is complete without the farmer and his wife cardboard cutout pic. (Again, thrilled, you can tell.)
Now this looks like fun! A ride around the orchard in the moo train.


Then it was out in the pumpkin patch to find that perfect pumpkin.

And finally, the best part of the day, donuts and cider!

We were also able to buy fresh produce right down the road from there--sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, green beans, pears, etc. You could also have picked a peck of peppers if you were so inclined, since they had bushels and bushels of every kind of pepper you could imagine! I've never seen that many or that many varieites at one time.

And the best part of this time of year is baking those pies, cobblers, and muffins with all the delicious fresh picked produce. Last night it was a peach cobbler. Yum. Soon it will be apple pies and anything else I can come up with for apples,pears, and plums.

I'm off now to go look for some good recipes.

WALKING v. RUNNING--Early Morning Walk/Run.

To avoid the dog and pony show and 3-ring circus of one of our presidential "hopefuls" holding a rally that is taking place on the plaza next door to where I work today, I headed to the gym early--5:45 a.m.--to get around the blocked off streets and be sure I got into my parking lot. Before I go on about my day, let me rant first about the necessity of this politician to hold a rally in an open public location--for the masses--so that first, the crowds look huge and second, that it disrupts the whole downtown/financial/business district of this town. People will come after work too so why at 9 am?? Its hard enough getting around all the construction zones in our town from April until November without this added hassle.

Now, to get on with my thoughts on recovery from the half marathon and trying to get my back issue cleared up. And a note on that also: this was a chronic problem from years ago, and I only have occasional (maybe twice a year) flareups. I pretty much felt it coming on with my big numbers month in August and didn't really give myself a chance to recover fully in September, and then with letting the shoes get a little too far gone, I was asking for trouble. I know what I have to do, and it doesn't usually last too long, and its not necessarily a running "injury," just a little overuse.

I got to thinking with Jan being able to walk/run the half marathon and coming out pretty good, why not do a week or two of recovery by walking and running? Yesterday I put that plan to work with very little to no stress on my back, and today was a follow-up.

I had to start very early when it was very dark today, but already due to the rally, the downtown was bustling as early as 6:15 am. Yesterday, I realized while walking I felt more vulnerable in the dark than I do running, and today it was even worse. It was darker longer because I started earlier and there were people everywhere I don't usually see. But I kept to the lighted areas and just had to circle around to get in some mileage. Both days now I have done 3 miles right around 40 minutes, with 8 minutes of walking and 2 of running, and by the time I got to the running, the legs felt good. By the time I got to the 3rd set, the legs felt real good. I was also much colder wearing the same thing as if I were just running.

My only complaint? Waling takes longer than running. Now I know why I started running.

FOOD, FUN, AND FRIENDS: TORONTO SCOTIABANK WATERFRONT HALF MARATHON, SEPT. 28, 2008 Some good dinner pics, for sure. Top: Jan, Anne, Laurel, me, all enjoying our meal and some adult beverages the night before the race. We kept things under control, sticking to just one glass of relaxing wine. Then it was off to bed early and hopefully a good night's sleep.

Below: Jan, race morning, all ready to go. One thing we learned, being outside of our own country, was how metrically challenged we were! Kilometers! Celsius! We had no idea what to wear race day until that morning. Example: it was 15 degrees. Celsius. Fifteen degrees to us means cold and snow. Celsius means about 60 degrees. So we were confused at first (maybe still!).

Post race: Can't tell if you can see the name of the celebratory wine Anne bought. It was called "Girl's Night Out." How appropriate!

And here we were, post race, enjoying more adult beverages (Laurel, Anne, Jan). Danny the Dolphin, at the kiddie pool/hot tub/water slide area. The hotel had made a very bad decision scheduling a cleaning of the adult pool/hot tub the day of the race, so we were forced to hit the kiddie pool. Below: Anne at the hot tub.

Two pics of views from our hotel. We had a balcony room, but the door was jammed, so these were from the inside. Not bad actually.

Its hard to sort out and put into words the wonderful weekend we had! Toronto is a beautiful city. I can see why so many people immigrate here. Not only is it beautiful, but seemed very clean and safe.

Jan and I flew into Toronto, via Grand Rapids and west to Milwaukee, and then back east to Toronto. Not efficiency travel, but that's what you get when you have to look for cheap fares. It was a long day of travel, but we chatted about everything you can imagine, and the time passed fairly quickly. It also proved to be one of the most uneventful air travels I have experienced, so it never seemed exhausting or annoying.

We arrived at the hotel much later than we had anticipated, and I was anxious to call Laurel (Lily on the Road) and have our long awaited meet up. Fortunately, she and Anne, her roommate for the weekend, were still up at 10:30 when we called, and they invited us to their room. We then chatted again until almost midnight! We found we enjoyed each other's company right away, and planned a dinner meet up the next day. I reluctantly decided we needed to say good night so they good get some sleep, and Jan and I headed to the bar for a nightcap.

Jan, with her broken collarbone wearing a sling was an open invitation for conversation and questions everywhere we went. Most people assumed she had a broken arm, so we just went with the flow on that. Basically, we closed the bar down (they closed at 1:30 am) and then went to the room and to sleep, with me waking up at 7:59 am the next day.

I felt like I'd overslept or something! I hardly ever sleep that late. I decided to head to the adult pool for a swim. My back had been bothering me all week, since the 10 mile race the week before, and while it was considerably better, I was still having enough discomfort to be reminded of it constantly. I should have hit the hot tub after but felt like I should get back to the room and get ready for breakfast before we totally missed that. My stomach was growling, and we had not really had a dinner meal the night before, so I didn't want to go too long without food the day before a race.

After showering and dressing, we headed to the Market Square restaurant/buffet in the hotel. Jan wanted pancakes, but we got the impression the chefs didn't know what that was, and it soon became apparent that pancakes are not a continental breakfast food in Toronto. We decided on the "Chelsea Breakfast," which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast, and juice. All good, except we got enough bacon for 3 breakfasts!

After breakfast, we decided to head to the expo. I stopped at the concierge desk to get a map and we bumped into Laurel and Anne! They were headed out to take Laurel's dad to lunch, so we said our goodbyes and headed to the expo.

Once outside, we found it was drizzling rain. I had my umbrella, so we crammed ourselves under it and started our hike to the convention center. We had a general idea of where to go from Laurel's directions, but we soon forgot where we were supposed to turn and instead started following a couple of guys who "looked like runners," figuring we could find our way from them. However, we lost them when they turned off somewhere. For all we knew, they were headed to a strip club or something! So then we did the smart thing and actually looked at the map. We figured out where we were and where we needed to go and all was good again.

Once we got down to Front Street, which is where the convention center is, we noticed a considerably bigger number of people everywhere, reminding me somewhat of NY City, but not that crowded. By now the drizzle had let up, so we didn't have to fight our way through the throngs of people with that. We finally got to the convention center and made our way to the packet pickup area first, got our shirts, a cool tote bag, and our numbers. Jan needed to get her corral color changed from the speedster corral to the slower moving runner corral. She was now going to be walking most of the race, throwing in a little jogging here and there.

This was a great expo, and I spent way too much money here, something I wasn't going to do! Jan was drooling over all the medals of upcoming races at the booths set up for this. It looked to us like race organizers are finally getting the message that its not the race but the bling that draws more crowds! So many races! So little time.

After hours at the expo, my back was really bothering me, to the point where I knew if I didn't get off my feet soon I was going to have some serious problems later in the day. It had gone from a dull ache to almost numbness and pain, so I was hurting. And we still had, we found out later, 1.5 miles left to get back to the hotel. It was raining again, so we waited for 10 minutes and it cleared up, but it was enough for me to take some pressure off the back.

The plan later in the day had been to meet up back at the expo with Anne and Laurel and three other bloggers, Marlene, Tiggr, and Emily. But once we got back to the hotel, there was no way I was going to be able to walk down there again. That would have been a total of 6 miles of walking for the day. Before a race. So I had to beg off, and I'm sorry I didn't get to meet them, but that's the way things go sometimes. Hopefully they had great races and I'm anxious to read their reports.

We did agree to meet up with Laurel and Anne at a closer restaurant, Little Anthony's, but it still mean another 1.5 mile walk to and from the hotel. So we still probably covered almost 5 miles that day, probably closer to 7 counting the expo. Not smart for me that day.

Dinner (pics above) was great. The restaurant had linens on the tables and real silverware. Its nice to treat yourself whenever you can! We had more good conversation and then headed back to the hotel calling it a fairly early night. I took pain medication, used ice and a heating pad on the back, and fell asleep and slept good.

Morning came early, 5:15. As soon as I got up, I could feel the back was mainly tight, tight enough where it was hard to get in any type of decent stretching, which I desperately needed. And of course we faced the weather dilemma. After getting the correct temperature and going outside briefly, I totally changed what I was going to wear. It was about 60 degrees with 94% humidity, like a Florida morning just like Laurel said.

Our hotel was only about 1/2 mile from the race site, so we headed down around 6:45 and got right in the corrals, since they were no where near full yet. I'm sure everyone was in the porta john lines, but having come straight from the hotel, we didn't have to deal with that. I did feel like I could go, but didn't want the hassle of the long lines.

Standing around waiting for the race, my back was tightening up, so I sat on the curb for a while and stretched until the corrals started filling up and it was getting close to time to start running. I'm not exactly sure of the participant numbers, but I never felt jammed or crowded waiting in the corrals for the race to start. I was concerned about Jan getting knocked around, but she even said it was very civilized, and she never had a moment of panic of getting jostled.

Once the race started, Jan dropped back and to the side. Laurel took off like a canon, and Anne and I hung back. I wasn't feeling 100% with my back, but it didn't really bother me to run. I had hoped to run 2:40 or better and feel I have that in me, so when I came upon the 2:30 pace group, I stuck with them for a while, almost thinking it was too slow. But after 30 minutes, I started slowly dropping back, without being able to do anything about it. We just separated, and I never saw them again.

Here too is where I felt unable to do the math, being used to miles and not kilometers. I know the usuals, 5k, 8k, 10k, but the ones in between were what had me confused so I decided to focus on only the ones I knew and figure my time when I arrived as to maybe what I could do overall. By 10k, however, I was really tight and starting to actually get a pain going up my hip flexor area into the side, almost like a side stitch but not really. So I shortened my stride more than I already had, and that helped ease it. This though meant I started slowing down more and more, and by the time I got to 12k, I knew I was losing time badly. I saw Laurel on the return portion (it was almost an out and back for the half marathoners) and determined she was at least 15 min. ahead of me then. When I got to the same place later, I saw Jan, and realized she was only about 15-20 minute behind me! Way to go Jan!

We had our names on our bibs, so it was encouraging to hear your name called out as you would go through the aid stations. A very nice touch! It surprised me the first time someone called out my name though because I was thinking "Who do I know handing out water??"

But that too meant I was really slowing down. Still, I could only do what I could do and decided to just keep up my 8.5 minute run/1.5 min. walk pacing. The weather was fairly nice, with sun and clouds and wind, and by the time we were at 13k, we were running close to the water, so even though the breezes coming off Lake Ontario helped keep things cool, I was sweating pretty good, and my hair was almost soaked. It was obviously the humidity.

I wasn't having a great race anymore, less so than when I started. When I started, at least I was still positive it would be a good enough day. Now, I wasn't so sure. Those stupid little doubts start creeping in and now I knew I was going to have to go kilometer by kilometer to keep myself focused. I also was able to do the math, figuring once I hit 16k I only had a 5k to go and I knew I could do that regardless of how things were going.

About 14k, I suddenly came up behind the 2:45 pace team, and here is when I really got disappointed. I knew I was behind, so decided to just stick with them, even though my watch really didn't indicate a 2:45 finish, but faster for me. But here again, by the time we got to the 15k mark, I was starting to lose them and drop back some, not intentionally, just because I couldn't hold their 10/1 run/walk ratio.

Between 15 and 16k, mentally I was losing control. I was disappointed I wasn't going to make my goal, my back was extremely tight and sore, and I was again having trouble doing the math. This went on until about 18k, when I regrouped and pulled myself somewhat together. I never stopped moving, just had started taking more walk breaks and trying to stretch out the back. But by 19k, I was almost beside myself again, and decided once I got to 20k I was not stopping again no matter what. And that's how I finished the race, taking shorter steps, going slower to avoid needing to stop.

Once we turned back onto Bay Street, where the race was to finish, they had divided the street into two sections, one for the half marathoners, and one for the marathoners, and they also had big signs indicating you were 500 meters, 400 meters, 300 meters, etc. right up to the finish. And running up Bay Street, you had the old clock tower ahead of you to guide you to the finish. It was a great finish area, and I heard my name called at the finish line for once, and not because I was last either! Finish time: 2:47:47. A PW so far this year but a great race otherwise.

I had planned to meet up with Jan, Laurel and Anne after the race, but not knowing what anyone had done, and only guesstimating what Jan would do, I finally left the finish area, got rid of my chip, sat down to recover my back, and the next thing I knew here comes Jan! She had done 2:55! That was almost 30 minutes faster than she thought possible. I might have done better walking/running with her!

We met up with the other ladies then, got some food, and attempted to work our way back from the race to the hotel. We all decided a bottle of wine and the hot tub were necessary to recover from the race, so Anne and Jan walked to a liquor store, with their race gear and mylar blankets, and bought us some wine. We went to their room, tipped a few, headed to the hot tubs, and then back to the rooms to shower and change for dinner. We all decided a good steak dinner was in order, so made a reservation at Hys, a very elegant restaurant (and very expensive, but what the heck, you only live once!). We had a wonderful dinner, and my back was feeling much better that evening after that hot tub soak.

After dinner, we ended up back in the bar, chatting with marathoners, and all too soon it was time to part company again, with promises of another meet up in the future. Great weekend!

TORONTO SCOTIABANK WATERFRONT MARATHON/HALF MARATHON.

That's where I'm headed this weekend. Jan and I will be leaving on a jet plane later this afternoon. The race is Sunday. Looks like the good weather we are enjoying here in Michigan right now will mostly follow us, with a low on race day of 52 and a high of 71. That means probably mid 60s finish time, similar to last weekend.

Its so hard to plan what to wear when you are going to be away from home. I tend to always bring too much, but I'd rather have a choice than have to scramble and buy something I probably don't need otherwise.

I'll be meeting up with Lily on the Road at some point tonight or tomorrow. It should be a great time! There are several others, so it will be a fun blogger meet up. Not bringing my laptop. I'll be acting as "valet" for Jan and hauling her stuff as well as mine, so that's one less thing I will have to drag around. I hate being cutoff like that though!

We'll be staying at the Delta Chelsea Inn, which is fairly close to the race start/finish. Internet here is not free either, running about $10.95 a day, so I'll be skipping the internet access.

Wish me luck, and I'll be back on Monday with details!

EVERYDAY FITNESS

Every day fitness is important to me, and I'm sure others like minded who read the triathlon and running blogs. To me, that means doing something every day. And by doing something, I don't mean running a marathon or doing a triathlon. I just mean something every day, for 10 minutes if that's all you want, walking around the block, walking up the steps instead of taking the elevator. Something.

Today we had another in a series of wellness seminars put on by my employer. I've attended all of them, not only out of interest but also because there is always an incentive for us to attend these functions. The majority of the people who go, do so only for the incentive. Today's topic was "Move it to Lose it." Some of the information learned (and which you may already know):

The Art of Weight Loss--Goal: Achieve a negative energy balance. To do so, you have to eat less and exercise more.

• You must exercise in order to lose body fat.
• Exercising all the time at a really high intensity does not guarantee you will lose weight.
• Its a myth that the more you exercise the more fat you will lose. Why? Because it does not factor in what you eat to make up for the calories and energy burned.
• Every year after age 25 you lose muscle mass due to a decrease in resting metabolism, up to 15* pounds by age 55. Loss of muscle equals gain in fat.

These are just a few of the topics discussed. The bottom line of course is that exercise is the key to long term weight management. So then I did the math (and correct me if I'm wrong) on that 15* pounds of muscle loss, multiplying 3500 x 15 = 52,500 calories. At this rate, I figure it would take 53 weeks to lose 15 pounds by eliminating 500 extra calories a week, by both diet and exercise. I might just want to take up that challenge!

"YOU INSPIRED ME."

Today was the day for that dreaded yearly physical. You know the feelings you get: is my weight good? Is my blood pressure satisfactory? How about the cholesterol thing? I worried all weekend about this. Not that I really was all that worried, but you know how you get. I can't get out of the car and go have my blood pressure checked without it being a little high. And the weight thing is always a work in progress--up and down and up and down. Not a lot, just enough for me to feel like I can do better, you know those 5 or 10 pounds you'd like to be done with forever. Definitely there had been an improvement in overall physical strength over the past year, and from what I can tell, my determination to always strive to be better and keep on going is probably as strong. But what I didn't expect to hear from the doctor?

"Because of you, I became a runner. You inspired me." Wow! At least I know I'm doing a little something good in this world.

10 MILE BRIDGE RUN, Sept. 20, 2008---OR...10 MILES RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.

While I wouldn't recommend anyone else doing this, the best thing for me to do was wear the new shoes I bought Friday night for the 10 mile race on Saturday morning. You'd think I would know better, having run now for more than 20 years, that when it feels like I am running with boards strapped to my feet and my hip aches with every step that I don't just need new shoes, I am way past due for them. Some things you just never learn.

So after last week's 3 runs, all of which resulted in a bone jarring hip pain during and after each run, I knew I had to get the shoes. I planned to get them on Saturday AFTER the race, but after the misery I went through on my Thursday night run, I knew it was the shoes and not just something else going on. I had iced, stretched, and used the tennis ball all week, with some relief, but the hip pain was nagging and lingering, so I knew. Instead, I bought the shoes Friday after work Friday night, at the same store where they had Friday night packet pickup, brought them home, and wore them around the house for a while. At that point, I still did not really plan to wear them the next day, but after an uncomfortable night because of my low back/hip pain, even after ibuprofen, icing, and heat, I figured I would decide whether I would wear them in the morning.

Once I picked up my old shoes this morning, I knew I was wearing the new shoes, no matter the consequences. They felt stiff and looked really beat up. I figured the worst I would go through would be toe cramping, but that would beat 10 miles of my hip aching, and maybe having something get screwed up and lingering into next weekend's half marathon. I was going to take my chances.

It was a perfect almost fall day--upper 50s at the start, mid 60s at the finish. The only complaint about the weather was the high humidity, around 80%. I soon felt this in the first mile, where it was a little difficult getting the breathing under control. I purposely hung back at the start to keep from getting that out-of-breath feeling, but it was happening somewhat anyway because of the humidity. Soon, the pack ran away from me, as usual. The walkers had started 15 minutes ahead of the runners, so my first goal was to pass them. I stuck to a 8 1/2 run, 1 1/2 walk, because that seems to get me through runs of that distance or longer without much training and without totally losing pace sooner than I wanted to. I had really hoped to be running a little stronger by now, but it has only been less than 3 weeks since my virtual race run/bike/swim extravaganza, with two back-to-back 120+ miles on the bike and close to 20 mile weeks running. My long run last weekend did not go well because of the hip pain, so I was just going to have to back off a little and do what I could do.

The route is a very familiar route for me, because it encompasses most of my training run routes and winds through an older part of town that was my stomping grounds as a kid. The only complaint about the course is that about 50% of it is on rough, uneven pavement, making it feel more like a trail run on pavement than a road run. I am so prone to turning an ankle or tripping over cracks in the road that I was constantly zig-zagging around the worst parts. Only a couple of small hills, otherwise almost flat.

At the first mile marker, I was under 11:30 pace, and that of course included one walk break, so I was happy with that. Then I did something I NEVER do: hit the split button on my watch. Or at least I thought I did, and maybe I did, but the next time I looked at my watch, it still had the same time as the first mile split, so I must have stopped it. Dang! Don asked me recently what my splits were at Steelhead on the run. Splits? I never do that. I don't even know how to do that. He couldn't believe it. I am split challenged, and today proved my point.

I quickly checked the actual time on my watch and decided I had probably missed timing about 3 minutes or more, so then had to reconfigure my run/walk plan. I can tell you right now, I'm not doing that again. The biggest nuisance for me was to constantly see a "2" for split when I was trying to check the actual time in seconds. My watch switches back and forth, but still, it was just too annoying for me. Just give me the chrono time and that's all I need.

Just after the third mile, I saw Don being course marshall at one of the corners. This was also close to where we would enter Riverside Park, and run on the bike path along the river. I had managed to pass a lot of the walkers before 3 miles, so I was happy with that, but the first male runner was on his way back just after I passed 3 miles. Oh well, I never said I would be fast.

In fact, after this, you could see returning runners for the next mile and a half since the route through the park was out and back. Eventually I started seeing the women in my age group, all on their way back. This was my first race in a new age group, but I still didn't fare any better. These women are like hens--the older they get, the tougher they are. So I figured unless they went through at least 10th place with medals, I would be going home with nothing today except the pleasure of getting to run in such wonderful weather.

Shortly after entering the park, I could hear footsteps right behind me again. I had passed quite a few people before 3 miles, but now I could hear someone close behind. And the way the shadows were playing tricks with me, I kept thinking I saw two people coming up behind me. I finally turned and saw one woman, who apparently was running from one side of the path to the other. She said she was just pacing off me--and she was walking! Talk about feeling like a snail! But I still stuck with my run/walk plan. I was feeling fairly good but was hungry. I could feel my stomach growling. I had one Gu with me, figuring they would have more at the aid station in the park, but no such luck this year. I was glad I saved it then, and decided I would have to wait until I hit the 5 mile mark to use it.

As we ran through the park, you could still see evidence of flooding from last week's heavy rainfall. Most of the path itself is high enough to not get any flood waters on it, once the spring thaw and rains subside, but the playgrounds were like islands, with river water coming right up to the cork like material they use under the equipment. But they also rerouted us away from the river and up nearer the soccer fields, where again the road was rough, bumpy, and filled with holes. That made it more difficult for me too because again I had to run around all this stuff. And at this point, the only woman who passed me since mile one came by, and I realized there was no way I would catch her so put it out of my mind.

As we were finally nearing the turnaround, I could see that part of the parking lot, near one of the boat ramps, was completely under water still, so I think there was a course change and we had an out and back on the bike path instead. Here I finally passed some more runners, and at the 5 mile mark passed some more. Then I took my Gu and more water, but knew it probably wouldn't really kick in for another 20 minutes. I really wish I had had one more before this and one for after but this would have to do.

As I continued on through the park, even with my run/walk ratio, I managed to pass everyone in front of me on the bike path. As I headed off the path and back to the street, I was really starting to feel the whole race. Maybe if I had had a better run last weekend, I might feel better today. But who ever knows? I was doing what I could do. I passed Don again and said "You'll probably be out here longer than I will!" I know he was enjoying seeing all the people he knew--all in front of me, including the 80 year old guy from here who has run probably about 100 or more marathons.

By the time I hit 7 miles, I was seriously wanting this to be over. I was worried I would fall apart too soon, and my goal was 2 hours or less. Because my chrono time was messed up, I really wasn't sure where I was timewise, but could only guesstimate. I held on through the next water stop and around the corner from that, but that's where mentally and physically I just had to walk off my break time. I could see two people far ahead on the street, one walking, the other shuffling, and I wanted to at least pass them. However, that didn't happen until almost mile 8, so I held on for another block or so and then had to walk again. I really wasn't feeling that great but knew I had to keep going or I wouldn't make my goal time. So on I trudged, finally passing another guy who was at a walk, and continued until after one of the last bridges on the route. Here, I took in some gatorade to see if that would help, but I think it was too late for that. I held together until I got around the corner, almost missing the turn, and then walked out of my interval time again. I was calculating my time and started figuring I wouldn't make it but would be close. So then I allowed myself to just relax and forget about it.

I was getting a little crazed here though and wanted to see that 9 mile mark in the worst way. Then it was run/walk, run/walk through the last mile. I was pretty spent, even though I knew I did not finish in 2 hours. Actual time: 2:02:27. Even if I had run 2:27 faster, it wouldn't have changed my place (last in AG) and the next closest was 1:40, so there would have been no catching her anyway.

So hopefully this will be a good training run for the Scotiabank Toronto half marathon on Sept. 28. That's all I wanted from this anyway. And the good news was not one minute of hip pain and no toe cramping either until after the race!

FEELING THE PAIN

How do you know when its time for new running shoes? For me, its hip pain. Not the kind I've had with ITB, but pain during and after a run. It eases with stretching and icing, but its there, nagging at me day in and day out, a sure sign its time for new shoes. I've been to the chiro recently but haven't had a massage in a while. Still, I'm sure new shoes are needed.

Got that birthday gift card just in time, and this weekend will be scouting around for my favorite pair of shoes, Brooks Adrenaline.

I've been wearing these now for a few years and they seem to be a good choice for me. And the good news is they haven't changed much year to year. How much longer they'll make this shoe is anyone's guess. Hopefully I can find my size at the running store! It would be great if they were actually on sale too!

I doubt I will be able to wear them for my race this weekend or the Toronto half next weekend, but they certainly will make the runs in between more comfortable. It almost amazing how once I get a new pair of shoes, something that's bothering me goes away almost from the first run.

I'll be reporting on my success in finding the shoes and having pain free runs again!

A BIG FAT ZERO!

Nothing much going on, nada, zero. Nothing much to say, nada, zero. Been busy at work, blah blah blah. Too much birthday partying last week. You all know the story. Trying to keep up with blogs here and there but neglecting my own.

I have been training: running, doing pushups, swimming, biking, etc. This weekend I do have this race coming up, which is a 10 mile race, and then next weekend, I have this race, which is a half marathon in Toronto with blogger Lily as well as a couple of her friends and my friend Jan, who as you remember is recovering from her bike accident. She still won't know until next Tuesday whether she will be needing surgery, but she figures with a 3 hour 40 minute cutoff for the half that she can walk the whole thing. Either way, she says she's still going, whether she can walk/jog or not.

I'll be updating on how the 10 mile run goes. I can't say my long runs have felt that good, so there's no way to know how this will turn out. I almost can't believe it might be easier to do a 25 mile or longer bike ride first! Its been since June that I've done stand alone long runs, meaning without a bike ride first. I might just have to ride before the race to get the legs primed!

I'M A SCREAMER!




When I get startled, I scream. Doesn't matter what causes it, I scream. Always have. And yep, that happened at about 6:15 this morning when this jumped out at me! This ginormous moth has been hiding out in the house for days. This morning I looked around the windows and curtains to see if it was still there, didn't see it and breathed a sigh of relief. Not only has it been in the house, but it has been totally elusive when trying to catch it and put it outside again. I'm not afraid of these things, just don't want them flying around in my face scaring me to death!

So there I am, packing my lunch, getting ready to leave, putting the lid on a food container when all of a sudden that creature flies up in my face! Apparently, it was under the food container lid when I picked it up and decided to escape just before I put the lid on him.

OMG did I scream bloody murder! I honestly can't believe someone didn't call the police thinking someone was getting murdered! I think I actually scared the crap out of the moth too! Knocked a cup of coffee over and everything.

So that pretty much was my cardio workout for the day before my swim! (3/4 mile in 31 min.)

Hope everyone stays dry this weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Must be the birthday fairy was listening. I got a gift card to the local running store which I will be using for new shoes! Just in time.

ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN.

Someone else posted on a similar subject of being somewhat lighter in the wallet from buying shoes recently. However, hers referred to running shoes, not work shoes.

With the cooler weather bearing down on us a little too fast, it was time to put away the toeless shoes and sandals from the summer and begin that exhausting chore of finding work shoes for fall. I would be perfectly happy wearing shorts/jeans and sandals all year long if I could get away with it. But walking through the snow and cold isn't that much fun when your toes and legs are freezing off. Even in the office, it sometimes gets so cold my feet are freezing, and I had resorted some days to wearing pantyhose just to keep my toes warm in my sandals.

But office protocal requires regular "shoes" as well as proper dress, so yesterday was spent trying to hunt down the perfect pair. The perfect pair isn't necessarily anything in fashion at any given time, but it does require some work on my part to not end up with something orthopedic looking while at the same time being comfortable enough for my finicky feet. My feet have gotten better the last couple of years, just from finally getting my running stride corrected and finding a decent pair of insoles.

And how often does this happen, when you actually are forced to go shopping for "regular" clothes, all you want to look at is workout stuff?? In reality, there isn't anything I need for running, biking, or swimming right now, no matter the weather, other than new shoes soon. But of course, after spending over $100 on required clothing and shoes, the running shoes will have to wait another few weeks. They really should give us a clothing allowance!