What the marathon felt like

I did it! I ran 26.2 miles and I only stopped to walk when my quads seazed up and forced me to watch. I set a new PR and I completed it pretty much on my own. It took me 5:04:48 (11:38 pace).

This is how it felt.
Pre-race: I was nervous but excited and highly caffeinated. A bit lacking in sleep.
The gun went off!
I jogged as slow as I thought I could and still ran mile 1 at a 10:13.
That was okay but I should have started slower. My goal was a 10:18 pace.

Mile 2 - 7: My running partner and I booked it downhill at a 9:40 average pace. I would feel and regret this later.

Mile 8 - 14: Was an unforeseen hilly section of the course. I knew it was rolling hills but it felt really hard. I struggled to stay ahead of 10:20 and my pace dipped to 11:00. By the half marathon point I was on pace at 2:14 BUT I could tell I had used up a lot of my legs endurance on the hills.

Mile 15 - 20: I spent these miles looking desperately for my family. I needed some encouragement as my pace kept slipping and the 4:30 pacer caught up with me and passed me at mile 16. I struggled to keep an 11:40 pace

Mile 20: It was awesome to see a huge crowd at this point and my family and most importantly my brother Eddie (who joined me to pace me home). The next three miles I talked to him about how my legs were dead and he encouraged me to just keep moving forward. I'm amazed I eeked out two 12 minute miles at this point.

Mile 23 - 25: Low point for sure. I was running 15:00 and stopping every .25 to stretch my quads which would just stop working all together. When I stopped I felt pain in every last inch of my body. I struggled to keep the shuffle moving forward.
At this point a school bus was trolling the race for the wounded and it kept slinking past me (and folks inside would yell, "come in here for margaritas!") This wasn't fair. I was emotional and yelled things to myself and sought encouragement from the crowd and from Eddie and from Kat (a friend who passed me and said keep going). The bands the last mile were really good and helped me have a sense of humor. I tried to dance along as passed each one.

Mile 26: I did this last mile in 12:38 or so, which was fantastic! Considering I had NOTHING LEFT! The last .25 I picked it up to a 10:30 pace at points. I was SOOOOO ready to be done. In the last 50 feet I sprinted past 5 women!

End of race: When I tried to lift my foot onto the chip timer step I couldn't do it.
My brother Eddie came up behind me and caught hold of me and helped me walk to a space to sit down. I could hardly balance and I was immediately freezing. I had left it all out there in the race and Eddie had to guide me to a place to lay down for 10 minutes before I could really even sit up. I had also spent most of the race with a tummy ache, afraid of throwing up, but thankfully I never did.

I came home with a beautiful medal which I am going to show the kids at church tonight. And I'm proud of how I trained for this race and completed it 97 minutes faster than my last marathon.

My thanks go out to my fam anf friends

Patience

I believe in God.

I believe that I'm NOT God.

But sometimes I try to run faster then God.

This week I'm hardly running at all. I'm resting. My marathon is four days so this is called a taper. When you hardly run at all and store up food and water for the hardest run yet. I feel a lot of pent up energy. I want to go out with a bang.

But even when the gun goes off I will have to run slow. Slower then I will want to run.
In order to finish at a steady pace instead of slowly walking to the finish line. I will still be waiting. Through mile one to mile 20 to really let my legs go the pace they want to go.

Spiritually...I also get impatient with God. I want to go and with God make things right with people right away. I crave unity. I hate conflict. And I rarely enjoy waiting for resolution.

So this week I'm trying to practice waiting. Being patient with myself, others, and with God.

At some point I will run with all my might...just.......not.........yet.........

One step after another

When you start out intending to run 20 miles without stopping for any reason the task ahead of you can feel daunting. You wonder if you can really make it the entire way, do you have the resources to draw on, or will you fail. These worries are not unlike the ones you might experience when facing a large decision that you know will have lasting consequences on my life. You start to lean towards saying yes to something new and as you gain momentum the thrill of that new change charges toward you along with the fear of what it will bring.

This is not unlike the fear of the marathon, you take your first step and before you know it you've run a mile and then two and then three. Once you turn around at the half way point you realize I'm almost there and perhaps you speed up like horse searching for the stable. But then the stable scares you by how far away it is and how unattainable that goal is and you slow down greatly doubting your ability to keep this pace all the way home.

Recently my feelings of fear, hope, excitement and anticipation that I feel during a my long runs (which last over 3 hours) mirror my self-doubt as my life approaches drastic changes and choices. I interview for a job tomorrow that would return me to work and out of my comfort zone of staying at home with the kids. My husband and I are also being certified to be foster/adopt parents through the county and may have kids in our home somewhat quickly.

I anticipate the new lessons I'll learn when my life changes often for the better. I'm so blessed to run. So blessed to even live in a country where I can work, run, adopt children, and feed them all. So worrying about these changes isn't more than just stretching my legs in the first few miles of a marathon. Isn't it?

Trying my best

I ran a local 1/2 marathon on hilly terrain and my coach is saying this terrain is similar to the hills of my marathon. My stamina really fell after mile 10 but I'm still proud of the fact I ran 11 miles at 9:35 pace on those hills.
I borrowed a Garmin from my friend Francis since mine was destroyed this weekend in a freak motorcycle accident. I love knowing my pace. The Garmin ran out of juice the last two miles though but here is the breakdown.
1 8:49

2 8:58

3 9:11

4 9:48

5 9:08

6 9:33

7 9:46

8 10:06

9 9:46

10 10:05

11 9:44

12 11:24

13 11:24

2:09:26 (9:54 pace)


I was 42nd in my age group out of 121 women ages 30-34!


350 out of 838 women!

Oh and my favorite is that I ran the race alone and beat 37 of the 81 three-person relay teams!

If I can run a marathon still posting sub 10 minute mile pace overall, so around 4:20 I will be amazed. I will push my pace hard this weekend when I run 18 - 20

Thanks for your support everyone!

Sarah

5 minutes of Running

My last country run was down a lonely road into the small town of Jacksonville.
I wasn't sure where I was running to or towards. I knew I had a few options. Grandmom's first house, or the house she recently died in, or her new gravesite. I ended up on the back porch of the house she had most recently lived in. Around me were the various gardening tools and whimsical decoration ideas she'd left behind her. Shells in a glass jar. A red necklace on a stone grasshopper. A metal toy bike in a flower box. A wind compass on the roof.

I couldn't really cry at the funeral, or when I found out she had died, but after running 2 miles to this porch I could cry here for 5 minutes and then suck it up again to run back. I left the 5 minutes on my watch as they were a part of my run.

The ability fo fuel

The next six weeks I'll be running longer and longer on Saturdays. I feel slow right now on these marathon training runs because I often approach them improperly fueled due to my upset stomach issues.

However, last Saturday however was heavenly. I ate a large dinner late at night of bland rice pasta. My stomach was relaxed and happy.

I awoke after a good night of sleep, relatively, and with a settled tummy and legs full of energy. My run felt easier then it has for weeks. I ran around 14 miles all at a pace I could be proud of.

So I keep hoping that my tummy troubles are lessening even though today something has made my tummy unhappy. Was it the coffee? Or the ketsup?

Here is hoping that the next few runs will be easier and easier as long as I stay VERY strict on my diet. Oh, and I am loosing a bit of weight each week so I do need to really refuel carefully as I'm craving protein a lot after these runs, but meat can also aggravate my tummy. Especially spicy sausage.

Next up 16 miles, then 18, then 20 then 22 (I will attempt these on Saturdays in November) so hopefully that week is full of great refueling and a steady tummy.

16 minute miles to 7 minutes miles - How to get there

My most recent running journey is as old as my 18-month-old daughter. Although I've been a runner since my youth, the pregnancy and then birth of a child is a touchpoint in both my athletic as well as spiritual life. With the birth of my second child, Zoe, I entered a new realm of motherhood. This is one where I can't have all my ducks, or children, in a row. I've always been I think calm as a mother, even with my first. People used to comment that I was so calm with Lincoln as he tried out his legs and independence it was as if this was my third child. But with the birth of my 2nd I am in a place that requires even more patience and resilience.

I'm at home providing daycare for my kids and their two cousins and sometimes some extra friends thrown in for good measure. The kids often make me laugh but they also make me yell out, "OH NO!" They are especially happy if I get down on the floor with them instead of towering about them bossing them around. But when you are a busy adult with a house you need to keep in order it can feel painstakingly slow to get down and talk to a child. Teaching them something new can take even longer but it can be so rewarding in the end when they look up to you with that smile.

So last night, I was running with my running group around the track and for the first time in a while my running and my mothering worlds collided. Nate actually had a night off from work and so he appeared track side with the kids mid-workout. My kids started hollaring, "Go Mommy!" each time I came around their side of the track. When I finished an interval and walked by they both ran onto the track to hug me, like I had won the race. They pushed me to my fastest mile ever in my life (7:38) and that was in the middle of a long hard workout of mile intervals. I felt like I'd run two races, my physical one with myself and the mommy race (trying to raise good kids who still love me in the end).

My new mile time also was cause for me to stop and reflect on how far I've come both as a runner and as a mother, since 18-months-ago. I'm sure a blog post talks about my first run AFTER giving birth to Zoe. I remember it as a long slow slog at a 16 minute mile, which is really a creative walking pace. I was pushing Lincoln in a stroller and had left Zoe with Daddy and finally gotten myself outside after 6 weeks of full-time newborn mothering. Since then I've learned a few things that helped both my mothering AND my running to get me where I am today. Here are a few.

Persistence.
If you get out and run every other day or so and try running a little faster or harder each time you will get faster. Also with kids if you set a boundary or teach a new lesson or get up and hold them tight in the middle of the night, this persistence will lead to happy children and a system that works well. If I get down on my kids level and open my arms they know they will get a hug. If I start counting down from three and I get to one before they have listened they know they are going to the bedroom.

Joy.
Does what you are doing give you joy? Persistence can really knock the joy out of my running or my mothering so I need rest to refuel and come back again. I also need to remember the good and easy runs and the good and easy days mothering so that I can keep plugging along with them. I recall the giggles between siblings playing in the other room as I get some cleaning done or the sunrise over the American river as some Canadian geese fly over our running trail. Both these moments refuel me and remind me what I love about running and mothering. If I don't feel the joy then I need a break.

Friendship.
Sometimes to find my joy again I need the company of friends. One of my dearest friends comes over at least once a week with her two children and we don't sit around complaining about our lives. We instead invite each other to help us recount the joy in our lives. We fuel the smoldering flames under our joy for mothering, and other pursuits. My friend said to me just yesterday, "I'd rather have my kids be cranky here then at home with me by myself." Just like my running partners who often say, "I couldn't have run today without you." There is joy in the moment in the act of running and mothering when you have a friend by your side.

Pride.
On that day 18-months ago I felt weak, overweight, and trapped in a body and new life that were so heavy and challenging. But even in that moment I felt the sense that I could accomplish anything. I sensed that if I could climb up out of that weakness into strength I could be proud of myself and that would be a great challenge to conquer. When I'm around friends who have no self-worth I feel drained. I try to fan the fires of, "you can do it!" beneath them to start up their joy again but they don't have any self pride to start with. If you want to become something different you can, but only you can convince yourself. You have to believe in the end product before you will ever get there. I believe that someday I will run the Boston Marathon. I also believe that someday my kids will grow up loving each other, the world, and their families. I can see the mountain top and will reach for it.

Running Relays

Early on in our overnight relay race, our 12-person team decided it would be a great goal to actually beat 24 hours to travel 187 miles by foot. That is the neat thing about these crazy relay races, is that others depend upon your performance both mentally and physically. Whenever the baton was handed to me I felt the surge of responsibility to do my best to get through my run as fast as I could so that we could meet our time goal. In the end I performed a lot better then I would have on my own.

My first leg was a rather hilly 10k course with lots of shade and glimpses of the Pacific Ocean. I finished it in a 9:06 pace per mile which was way better than a flat and hot 10k I'd completed a month earlier in 9:50 pace. I then helped with other tasks of timing, driving, and guiding my teammates to and from other handoffs as the sun set. We passed of the baton to team 2 and tried to get some sleep on a creaky gym floor which runners kept walking on. It was impossible without some serious earplugs so I just gave up.

My next run was only 2.7 miles at 3am and I wish I had taken this run faster. It was over before I knew it and at the same pace too. I could have run this faster but i got a bit disoriented in the dark streets of Anacortes, WA (no street lights).

Pushing the team forward by driving the old Vanagon up steep hills from 3am on till 6am was the hardest part of the race for me. It was harder then running for sure. Staying alert while driving and making sure you follow directions are really hard tasks at this stage.

The middle of the night logistics as well as proper hydration, fueling of the car and yourself, and containing inflammation are all key parts of making it through a relay safe, sound, happy, and a winner.
A sense of humor is key at this time of the race as well as a high tolerance for smells and crowds.

My final leg was looming after one hour of sleep and a pile of pancakes. It was a 7 mile trek up some serious hills and down a steep backside. Each hill slowed me to a 11 minute mile pace, as I raced down the other side at sub 7 minute pace. In the end I ran this last leg in 9:40 pace (still faster than that flat 10k back home). My personal finish was down a steep downhill to the ocean and to some awesome music my husband was playing for me on his dulcimer.

Our team finished just below 24 hours and in 16th place out of around 200 teams. My overall pace for 15 hilly miles was 9:20, a lot faster then my 11:10 pace of two years ago. Relays definately have a way of kicking me into gear.

Running intervals in heat

I'm in the heat of the summer, not my own female heat or something, and it is the dog days of that heat down here in Sacramento. My local running race team that I joined has a crazy 67-year-old coach who does NOT care if it is 100 degrees out we should still show up to the track to run intervals every Tuesday at 6pm (rain or shine and boy does it shine). SO I thought i was prepared with my water and electrolytes, but I put too much of it in the water which made it like I was swallowing cotton balls. I borrowed water like a mad woman. Not even asking some team members and gulping down a kids water like it was mine.

I ran 4 X 1200 meeters in that heat in something like:
6:15
6:01
6:38 (jogged around high school to find a bathroom to cool off in for 5 minutes and stuck my head in the sink)
6:22 (I ran this last one only because my coach gave me a hard time when I returned to the HOT track).

As a side note. I've regained about 10 pounds this month of travel to Seattle and eating stuff like lattes, endless salmon, dolmas at Pikes Place, Crumpets with marmalade from Pikes Place, endless morning pancakes, pastries from coffee shops, an entire crab, wine, beer, hot dogs and bread.

So I'm reimplementing my food and training diary via Excel tomorrow morning and I hope to loose 15 pounds in the next two months.

A typical run in Haiti

While in Port au Prince I was lucky enough to stay in a real building with running water, electricity, and food. This building was protected from the masses of hungry Haitians by a concrete wall and large steel door. Whenever I felt fortified enough internally I would venture outside of our walls with my teammates to bring food, and what hope we have due to our Lord Christ, out to the Haitians.

Several teammates were college students from around the US who I just met when I arrived at the Apparent Project guest house. Thankfully, they were runners, as many friends and family donated $900 toward our relief efforts which required me to run 9 miles while in Haiti. I did this by running 2.5 miles four mornings while I was there. So as I was saying the college kids helped me for though I was 10 years their senior they were more knowledgeable about how to run in HAITI. They knew that 6am is a good time to start (before it is 90 degrees out)and by 6:30am it is too hot and the roads are crowded with tap taps (trucks converted into taxis).

After exiting our gate, we would take a left up the hill on the river bed like roads, and continue up hill at a 11 min mile pace for about 1 mile. Then turn left at a pile of rubble or a corn row or a goat. We would weave in and out of these hilly roads and then after another 1/2 mile we would turn onto the main road (which was just busier and full of tap taps and vendors). My guides would point out churches, schools, and mass graves.

To avoid the vendors (on the 2 foot dirt curb) or the tap taps competing for the one lane but coming both directions, we would often run on the only concrete curb we could find (a four inch precipice). My deft running partners, always ahead of me would jump onto this four inch wide path and run straight and sure and then hop over this toxic puddle and that pile of rubbish, dash around a vendor or some school children (to each we said, "Bonjou."). I'd always follow obediently. At times we turned heads in our tight running tanks and short shorts, and sometimes kids teased and ran with us in flip flops.

One of my running partners told me of a time when she was running up hill in her Nike gear and how a Haitian woman overtook her running in flip flops with a full basket of plantains on her head. In other words, the fact that you can even go running for fun means you are wealthy as I believe this woman was running for some other purpose than fun. Running in Haiti was a lot of fun for me and a lot of work but it was like all things in Haiti, it reminded me how thrilling it is this live and how blessed I am to have shoes.

Haiti might be a place to run to or with next. For you or for me. But since you are American, and you have the wealth and health to go running, get out and run. Even if that just means figuratively. The world needs you in some way to exit your gated community and hike up the steep dirt hills.

This week I was lucky enough to run on paved streets in the mid-80s of my California suburb and tomorrow I get to test my prowess in a local 10k race (unheard of in Haiti). Each step I hope to remember a few of the miles I ran through the streets of Port au Prince, with Ali, Molly, and Luis, and a few smiling Haitian children. I think I might miss the precipice, the rubbish, the goat, the obstacle course of Haiti somehow made me feel alive.

Reengage Weight Maintainance Plan

It has been almost two months since I was actively training for a specific race.
Due to this lack of focus over the last two months I've gained about 8 pounds. Without a race to train for I put my fitness goals and running self on the back burner and focused instead more on my other roles of mother and wife. These roles shouldn't be in competition but sometimes are when you can't find babysitting or a T-ball practice is at the same time your running group meets to run. But I'm starting to feel out of balance, no quiet time or space for me which I get when I run, since I've decreased my running from 20 miles a week down to 5 or less! This was also due to a bout I had with illness and a reoccurring tummy ache.

Here are the steps towards restarting a weight loss or maintenance plan.

Step One. Weigh yourself.

Nothing cuts through the denial than seeing your weight gain on the scale and staring it in the face. I'm up to 146 from my low of 137.

Step Two. Set a Goal.

Mine is to loose 6 pounds in 3 weeks while I train for my 9 miles I'll have to run in Haiti.

Step Three. Create a schedule.

Food diary and calorie counting must start again as well as a workout calendar.

Step Four. Enlist some help.

I've paid the $40 for the gym to watch my kids while I work out in May. I'm begging friends and family to help watch the kids when I run on Tues and Sats with my running group.

Step Five. Compete with friends.

I'm challenging other friends to loose 6 pounds in three weeks with me. Want to join in on the competition?

Interval Training

We ran three intervals of 1.44 miles around the park with my training group.
I'm not sure I would ever have the focus to do intervals alone. It is really hard to push yourself to run that fast by yourself.

I ran the first loop at 8:13 pace
The second in 8:35 pace
The final in 8:45 pace

It was windy and that made us feel a bit slow but I am pleased with my pacing. I am surprised my last loop around the park was still below 9 min mile pace since I was feel really tired.

I'd love to run the 5k run on May 15th at the Running Zone in under 8 minute pace (or even to just maintain that 8:13 that I kept up for 1.44 miles!). That would be a 25:30 time and would keep me on the fun honor board they have for age divisions at the back of the running store (I'm 3rd place for age 30 - 34 with a time of 26:04 right now).

New 10k Personal Record

Today I got up at 6am to drive to a race at our city zoo. I spent the morning by myself cheering on the 5k racers. Trying on new Saucony shoes that they let me run in for free and waving at baby ducks in the pond. I saw lots of local elite racing teams warming up and winning this local race, those people are fast! I'm still waiting to see the results posted on-line.

I felt good the first three miles but faded due to lack of fuel. They weren't handing out Gatorade (just water) and I didn't have any gu to eat to keep my legs movin. Nevertheless I still ran it in 54:54 (8:50 pace).

Mile One: 8:19
Mile Two: 8:32
Mile Three: 8:56
Mile Four: 9:00
Mile Five: 9:13
Mile Six: 8:59
Last .2: 1:50 (I didn't have much kick left)

Last year I ran a 10k in around 66 minutes or a 10:40 pace so 8:50 pace is much faster for me. My goal is 8:30pace or less (I'll get there some day). I felt actually rather slow especially since I ran pretty much this pace for my half marathon on March 14th. My training has really slowed down since then though so I think therefore I am slower than I was on March 14th (or for sure I have less endurance). This race also shows how amazing my half marathon showing was since I ran the first 10 miles of that race at 9:12 pace and then the last three at 8:45 pace to make it under 2 hours. I kept telling myself to run three 8:45 miles at the end of this race, since it was much shorter (but without proper fueling they wouldn't comply). Perhaps I was just missing my brother Eddie motivational phrases to kick it into a higher gear near the end like, "You are an endurance athlete! Look at you! You are amazing sis! You are doing this for your kids! Look how fast you are!" I think each sentence takes like 5 seconds off my pace.

It is funner to run a race when your friends and family are running with you or cheering for you. But lots of races are held on Sundays so that is hard for our family. I did make it home, then to the shower, and then to church in time (which really was the real race).

Keep running!
Sarah

I'll run a mile for $100 donated ....and I'll run it in Haiti!

Our Haiti relief team leaves on June 5th to help the Clay's who run the non-profit organization "The Apparent Project" in Port au Prince. While there, we will deliever relief supplies directly to needy single mothers who need resources such as: tents, tarps, baby formula, baby food etc. We will also be doing a daily school for street kids helping them process the trauma of the earthquake through artwork, song, reassuring Scripture telling them that they matter to God, and also a daily meal and medical care.

In order to do these tasks we still need to raise around $5000 for these relief supplies and for the cost of feeding and housing our team while we are in PAP.

I've contacted my dear friends Corrigan and Shelley Clay about my crazy idea to run one mile through the streets of Port-au-Prince in the high temps and humid conditions in June for every $100 you donate.
They said they know where I can run safely.

You can give less than $100 to pay for a partial mile if you like too! Whatever you give helps.
$1 pays for a meal for a street child
$3 pays for a tarp for a family
$5 pays for a bottle of infant tylenol
$10 pays for a case of baby food
$25 pays for a tent for a family

$100 pays for lots of these necessities.

So if I can commit to doing something that terrifies me - that being running in extreme temperatures and through streets of rubble in Port au Prince, will you commit to donating funds to help Haitians?

To donate go to this link (http://www.apparentproject.org/)
and make sure when donating through paypal to type "Sarah Runs a Mile"
That way the Clay's will tell me what has been given toward our efforts and how much I need to run.

If you want the money to be used to specifically buy supplies you can mail it in check form to:
Sarah Woodward
Attn: Cornerstone Church
9625 Gage Street
Elk Grove, CA. 95624

Write the check to Cornerstone Church with the note "Sarah Runs a Mile" on the memo line.
Write me a note saying what supplies you want purchased with your check.

Thank you already for your generousity. Every dollar you spend will go right to the needs of Haitians. We can't wait to post pictures showing you how your donations will be helping rebuild Haitian lives and dignity.

How to spell ennui

I guess I'm bored or maybe just satisfied after my successful half marathon on March 14th. I then caught a two week slight cold that was just tough enough that I only went running twice in the last two weeks. I quickly gained a few pounds and now feel a bit out of it with my running.

Thankfully my brother is rescuing me again by coordinating 5k run this Saturday that I must run in this time since it is actually starting at my front door. I also have a legitimate shot at winning the women's division AND coming in 2nd or 3rd place overall. So I better get myself running sometime today.

Another bummer is that my gym is adding child care fees to the mix (I knew it was a matter of time). If I want childcare for Lincoln and Zoe so that I can get a treadmill run in during the evenings I'll have to pay around $40 a month. Sigh. Or I could just start getting up earlier in the morning and going to the gym before Nate leaves for work.

We also just got some rough family news and it just makes me sick thinking about it. One of those things that just swirls around in your head and you wake up thinking why am I sad, oh yeah that. So now I could really use a run. Thankfully time with kids can also make me feel better too.

I'm running a 10k race on April 11th and then won't train for another race until our family relay race on July 23rd (after Haiti). Our whole lives are being planned pre and post Haiti at this point.

Amazed and Delighted - sub 2 hour half marathon

Last week I blogged, "I would be amazed and delighted to run this pace for the half marathon, finishing at a total time of 1:59."

And here I am having done just that. I finished a half marathon in 1:59:32 (9:07 pace).
This completely blew me away and I did it with my brother Eddie running with me illegally handing me fuel and words of encouragement. The last three miles I ran negative splits!
8:40, 8:50, 8:40!

My brother Eddie coached me through the whole race by my side and really helped me push a consistent pace all the way to the end. It felt great to finish so much faster than my last race in Sept, which was 2:27!

Just goes to show you how much faster you can get when your train consistently and have great support around you. Now what should I do next?

8 miles again

Today I felt great and pushed hard for 8 miles.
By mile 5 I was right on a 9 minute pace at 45:00.
Things got a bit dodgy and confusing when I followed some training partners past a turn off. But my final time was somewhere near 73:00 (9:07) and by last mile was the fastest!

This was four minutes faster than I ran this distance just a month ago.

Next week is a light week as we rest before our half marathon on March 14th.
I would be amazed and delighted to run this pace for the half marathon, finishing at a total time of 1:59.

There will be a pacing teams there so I guess I'll start with the 2 hour pacing team and see where that leads me. If I fade at the end of the race at least I'll start with being hopeful. I know you are supposed to start conservatively but I know I can run this pace for almost 9 miles (might as well hope the last 4 I can maintain this pace). We shall see!

Rest Day

When you run to stay in shape you often only keep track of your mileages, since numbers are fun and your speed. But I should really also mention how often I just rest from running. Life is all about balance. So I try to go running when I feel like running. If I don't feel like it I try to rest that day.

After running 10 miles on Sat, and then racing in a speedy 5k on the next day, I did nothing on Monday (except garden a lot). My back was sore and my legs fatigued on Tuesday and that along with a rainstorm led my training team to cycle indoors instead of run. I was relieved to not push my legs with another run. Today, Wednesday, I might still rest from running as I feel fatigued.

I'll save up my energy for a run on Thursday morning when Nate can help watch the kids.

I plan to keep running my 20 miles a week...but that includes days of rest which are relaxing and allow my legs to recover their vigor.

10 miles - how to plan

Today our training group of about 50 runners/joggers/walkers ran 10 miles through the vacant subdivisions left half built during the recession. We ran past the vacant mall (it's a skeletal half built structure) and on into the country (which was really only a block away). Lots of streets built that start and then end in the middle of fields. Some real estate moguls dream of where to turn country into the suburbs that ended in the middle of a cow pasture when real estate value plummeted. So the slick and vacant suburban streets to nowhere turn into old country roads where motorist speed by at 60 mph and we diligent job on the left side of the road so that we can see them coming.

It was an eerie experience jogging along such a landscape and then out into the wineries and chicken farms that dot the highway. When you run 10 miles you actually get to see a lot of territory even if you are running an out and back course.

Our trainer asked us to consider whether we associate or disassociate while running in order to push ourselves to go the distance. To associate you think of your body and how it's performing and focus on technique or even on the pain to push to through it. Or to disassociate you might plug in a IPOD or play mind games with yourself so that you DON'T focus on your body. I spent my run noticing how I use both these tools while running and how overtime they have helped me speed up and go longer.

Some tricks I use:
Music on the IPOD - disassociate
Speeding up my hand turnover - associate
Gliding my feet forward (not up and down) - associate
Counting down from a high number - disassociate
Pushing the pace hard during a specific song - associate

Important Tools:
Fuel - ShotBlocs, water, Gatoraid
Socks that don't rub
Dress down so that the first mile feels cold
Watch (timing is key)

Today some folks were running ten miles for the first time in their lives.
They struggled near the end with fueling problems or getting lost because they didn't track how they ran the out portion of the course. Training is both mental and physical and I guess I had forgotten how many tools I use unconsciously or consciously to stay focused, fueled, and on track. I messed up a bit with fueling
by forgetting my fuel and had to rely on some stale gummy fuel that our coaches provided.

10 miles took around 1:35 for me to run (but I forgot to start by watch right and left my Garmin in my purse) So we can all make mistakes. Running 10 miles takes preparation and sometimes I forget things, but the more I do it the more confidence I have that I know how to complete the distance despite the mishaps.

A One Year Old Child

Today we celebrate Zoe's birthday a few weeks before the actual day.
This time last year I was fully pregnant waiting to meet my baby girl and weighing about 75 pounds more than I do now.

Right now, in my life, I can really say I am truly happy. Each day I get to celebrate my children and my home, and my husband, and my health. I live in the land of plenty and I do not want. Zoe is walking, flirting, giggling, and is such a joy to be with and so is Lincoln and my nephews Joel and Ned.

Yesterday I was presented with a full-time job offer to return to work. It would add some serious money to our family income. However, I'm finding, my heart is just happy doing what I'm doing. I feel crazy with delight. Perhaps even crazy enough to say, "No thanks." Crazy.

So my run this morning was spent pondering these things. I have until Tuesday to make up my mind. But is my mind already made up?
Not sure. I can be flexible.

It felt great to run 9 miles this morning in the following timeframes.
Mile 1 = 9:23
Mile 2 = 9:19
Mile 3 = 9:07
Mile 4 = 9:20
Mile 5 = 9:42
Mile 6 = 9:46
Mile 7 = 9:40 (66:19)
Mile 8 = 9:43 (76:03)
Mile 9 = 9:00 something
Total = 85:00 (9:30 pace)

I definitely couldn't have done this a year ago!

A Speed Ladder

Tonight our group did a fun workout that was different than the long run or tempo run, it was speedwork around the track. Each lap around the track is around 400 meters.

The workout and my pace is below:
800 meter warmup
400 meter run (1:50)
1 minute walk
800 meter run (4:00)
1:30 minute walk
1200 meter run (6:10)
2 minute walk
800 meter run (4:10)
1 minute walk
400 meter run (1:50)
800 meter cooldown (4:20)

So we ran around 3.25 miles and I ran on average near an 8 minute mile.
I can't believe how much faster I am getting. It just is amazing to me. Whenever I look down at my watch and see my pace lingering around 8 or even 7:50 pace and I feel good I just say to myself, "if feels good keep at it."

My teammates are real encouraging and told me today that I am one of the fast runners, no longer considered a jogger. I remind them that for seven plus years I ran around an 11 minute mile on my regular runs and that this new pace, which puts me at the head of the crowd surprises me. No one really believes me when I say this, least of all myself.

Anyways, I recommend the workout we did today. It was fun and it forces you to try and maintain a fast pace the entire run. And Jenny I think you will just get faster and faster as your body gets healthier. Track work like this can do wonders too.

8 miles - getting faster

Yesterday I ran 8 miles in around 77 minutes, at`around 9:52 pace.
This is slower than I'd like to go but I am faster than before.

Some past 8 miler training times are below:
August 2005: 105 minutes
August 2010: 86 minutes
Sept 2010: 90 minutes (in half marathon)
Feb 2010: 77 minutes

So it is good to see that I am getting faster.

Mile Aug-09 Feb-10
1 9:46 9:44
2 9:51 9:31
3 10:30 9:23
4 11:11 9:38
5 10:22 10:23
6 11:37 9:51
7 11:07 10:04
8 10:41 10:00

I can run 8 minute mile pace when I'm only running for say 4 miles.
I find myself holding back my pace and taking it easy on long run days.
I'd like to push the pace to more like 9:15 next week when we run 9 miles.

My goal isn't just to finish another half marathon but to set a strong PR at that distance which means to run fast as well as long.

A long distance gets in your head and you think if I go out to fast I'll not have enough left at the end. This can be wise but sometimes I think it can also make me complacent. I will try to start out with the 9 min/mile pace group and stick with them for 9 miles.

Speedwork...legs hurt

We were supposed to run a warm up 10 minutes, than increase our speed every 5 minutes until the last 5 minutes were at 5k pace. Instead I went from my car to the start of our speedwork without warming up and ran the first mile at 8:49 (my 5k pace) the second mile at 8:55, and the third mile at 8:49. So I ran fast the whole time and didn't really pick it up that fast in the end. We were supposed to run for 30 minutes and I really kicked it in the last minute to get to 3.29 miles in 30 minutes (8:57 pace). Not bad but not great. I like seeing that 8 though instead of 9 minute pace. I have a few runners that are close to my pace and we seem to really treat each group run like a race which helps me move faster than I would on my own. I keep looking over my shoulder to see if anyone is trying to pass me.

But now my left chin and right knee hurt because I think I did all that with shoes that were just too worn out for me. I'm trying to decide whether or not to run the 5 miles I'm supposed to run tomorrow before my long run on Saturday. Perhaps I could cut that run short too to let my legs recover (or I could cross train at the gym now that I once again have a membership)! They say 50 minutes of hard biking does the same good for maintaining your cardio endurance as does running the same amount of time. I think I'll try to run, and if my legs hurt at all, I'll go bike at the gym. That way I'll still have the legs to do another 7 miles this Saturday and hopefully beat last weeks time of 66:30.

Improvement

"A not-bad rule of thumb is that half as much year-to-year improvement is the best you can expect. So if you improved 9 minutes for 10K in 2009, improving by another 4.5 minutes would be maximal improvement in 2010.
That's the MAX, not the average. If you can get under 27 for 5K, under
56 for 10K, and under 2:05 for half marathon, you'll have had a great year."

My brother-in-law is a great wealth of training information and has helped me set more realistic speed improvement goals for this upcoming year. Right now I'm training for the half-marathon improvement (which sort of feels like working backwards). Should I just start the year trying to get faster in my 5k, then move on to the longer distances afterwords? Oh well, too late now.

I ran 7 miles at 2:04 half marathon pace yesterday. Now if only I could maintain that pace for 13.1 I would meet the half marathon goal no problem.

My back is hurting which is the first time I've had this problem so I think I might have to go see a chiropractor for an adjustment. Perhaps I am pushing myself too hard lifting kids all day long on one hip and then rushing out the door for a run. Today I'll rest and hopefully get an appointment scheduled with the chiropracter for Monday sometime.

Running Away from Questions

I know my life is easy.
I know that I'm spoiled getting to worry about losing weight...not gaining it in order to survive.

With the Haiti earthquake, I'm spoiled sitting here in my comfy house with the time, energy, food, comfort, roof over my head, and Internet in order to type this nonsense about my fitness routine. My selfishness sickens me.

Today I'll go running and pray for my friends the Clays and their many street children they loved and cared for who are in Port Au Prince. I pray they will find food, shelter, and safety. Visit to donate.

I will also be running away from my three-year-old sons questions.
"Why do we live on this ball that wiggles and makes houses fall down?"
"Will our house fall down?"
"Where is Jesus when the houses fall down?"
"When you type on the computer will no more houses fall down?"
"Can the orphans come to our house so that they can have food?"

Good questions son. I can't answer them. All I can say is that I love you and we will do all we can to help the children in Haiti together. And I'll go running to just blow off a fraction of my feelings (which are nothing compared to what Haitians are feeling.

Training Team for early Spring Half

So I've joined a training team in order to train for the Shamrockin' Half Marathon here in Sacramento. The trainers are a couple who own the running store in town. At the orientations all the questions that were asked were ones I could have answered. I think it left me going...oh...I know how to train myself. But I really signed up for the comraderie and am now trying to recruit my Mom to join me.

This Saturday our first long run as a training group of around 50 people is a 4-6 mile long run. Our trainers want us all to run slow and easy. I think I will run 6 miles as fast as I can! I won't get injured doing this since that distance isn't that long for me. And if I'm going to really train for this Half Marathon I want to train my long runs at the pace I hope to accomplish, which is under 10 minute miles.

I know right now I can already run 7 miles at a 9:20 pace.
If I could maintain that for 13.1 miles that would be a 2:02 half marathon, or a 122 minute. For now I'll just say around 2:10 (which is less than a 10 minute mile).
Therefore, on Saturday long runs, with my training team I plan to run sub 10 minute miles. At least that is my plan.

someday I'd love to run a sub 2 hour half marathon (which would require a sub 9:10 per mile pace). That will be a long range goal. When left to just enjoy a run I like to run 9:30 pace right now. I only push it faster when I'm running a quick 2 miles. I could probably run 2 miles in around 8:40 pace.

Sorry to ramble numbers. But when I have a goal ahead of me I am much more motivated to run. I also need to decide on my pace ahead of time if I want to be growing.

Relay Results

Hello “Frutchey Clan” team and friends:



We did great this morning running a family team relay in Sacramento freezing weather (it might snow tonight)!

We had lots of fun developing a unique team strategy for finding each other at the relay exchanges (Eddie invented a bird call). We also had a great time cheering on all those fast marathoners, some who were trying to qualify for Boston by running our local marathon (which has lots of down hill).



Meanwhile, together we ran 26.2 miles in a final chip time of 4:31:50!

Our pace was 10:22 per mile.

“Frutchey Clan” finished 55th out of 90 teams in the Family Team Division (in the top 61%).

177th out of 249 Overall Coed teams (71%).

And out of all teams we were 611th out of 910 (67%)



And we beat ALL TEAMS that didn’t even show up for the race at all!



Our handoffs and approximated individual accomplishments were as follows:

Karen ran the first 6 in 78:12 (12:35 per mile)

Eddie then ran from mile 6 to around 13.5 in 63:18 (8:20 per mile)

Sarah then ran from 13.5 to around 20.5 in 67 (9:22 per mile)

Betsey ran the final 5.7 in 61:50 (10:51 per mile)



Thank you for running with me friends and family. If it wasn’t so cold I’d definitely say lets run this one again next year. For now, let’s just defrost and perhaps keep our eyes peeled for other relay opportunities in our area in the future.