One word...pacers!

I finally chose the marathon I want to run Feb. 19th and the winner is...the IMS Marathon in Goodyear, AZ!  It came down to one thing they had the other race didn't...PACERS.  Let me be clear, I have never used pacers before.  I try to do my own thing and it hasn't served me well in the past.  I make the classic mistake of going out too fast only to hit the wall at mile 20 in every marathon.  My goal is to beat 4:30 and with the help of a pacer I'm sure I can meet that goal.  The Lost Dutchman race is more scenic and a little more expensive, but they do not offer pacers (I even emailed the race director to be sure).  Since I have a running buddy doing the IMS with me, I won't have to go it alone.  Even though he is WAY faster than me, I like to ride down to the race with someone to get through the pre-race jitters and then have someone waiting for me at the finish to rehash our experiences.  It should be noted I'm not one of those people who can go to movies alone either ~ I hate being alone ~ I am a social creature and like the sense of community running provides.  At any rate, I am in week 9 of my training and all is going well.  My pace seems on track so I just need to play with hydration and nutrition as I mentioned in previous posts.  Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas Running Moms!

It's that time of year again.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or nothing at all there's a feeling in the air.  New season, new running gear ~ YAY!  I'm still training for my "non" marathon since I yet to sign up for either race I am contemplating.  I have until December 30th and am taking my time.  The training has been going well ~ no injuries.  This is a new approach for me, waiting until the last minute to sign up for a marathon but I'm glad I've waited.  It's given me a whole new mindset which is what I'd hoped would be the case.  I'm not putting any unnecessary pressure on myself and am in week 8 of my 16 week training program.  I did my first 17 miler a couple days ago and the first 12 miles was fine but I'm trying new hydration/nutrition methods and needless to say I had some tummy troubles the last 5 miles!  My buddy, John Vaupel (mentioned in previous posts) has given me some wonderful advice on how to play with the science of my own body and figure out what I need when I need it.  Not an easy feat let me tell ya.  On top of everything going on with the holidays, I've just been offered a part time job!  I'm thrilled because I've been a stay-at-home mom for nearly 12 years and feel completely out of touch with the work force.  This will not only enable me to earn a little extra income, but to get out of the house and mingle with grown-ups too.  The downside, of course is how much more difficult that makes it to find time to run.  Plenty of you moms find the time with FULL time jobs so I am not complaining :-)  Either way, I'm looking forward to this new chapter in my life and actually using my brain during the day instead of attempting to reason with my 3 year old since that's pointless!  Have a wonderful and safe holiday season and we'll catch you in 2012!

Marathon season is here!

I'm still on the fence about which marathon to do.  Both are on Feb. 19th, are very small, are local but the courses are VERY different.  One is scenic and hilly the other is flat and boring.  Basically, since these races are small and don't fill up quickly I am taking my time to see how my training goes.  If I find I'm plagued with injuries and struggling, I plan to do the flat, boring race.  If I feel strong and remain injury-free, I plan to do the other race.  Tina and I have managed to continue to do our long runs together even though her race (Carlsbad Marathon - Jan.22nd) is a month earlier than mine.  Most of the time, her runs are about 3 miles longer than mine at this point so she will run 3 then meet up with me to do the rest.  I'm running faster and stronger lately so I hope it continues.  I'm working with John Vaupel (my 100 miler buddy mentioned in my previous posts) on my hydration and nutrition.  We agree my problem in past marathons when I hit the wall at mile 20 is from my lack of proper nutrition.  I was religiously taking in one GU every 45 minutes and drinking water only.  This time around, I may take a GU every 30 minutes and supplement my regular water with NUUN tablets.  This will hopefully keep my electrolytes where they need to be to help me finish stronger.  I'll keep you posted on how it's going.  Until then, enjoy marathon season (or just racing season ~ no matter the distance)!

John's 100 mile quest a success!

My friend, John Vaupel officially completed his first 100 mile race yesterday!  I went out to cheer him on and couldn't believe the atmosphere at the race.  You must understand the only races I've ever done are marathons and shorter.  This 100 mile crowd is a whole different animal...they have so much more stuff they need it's amazing.  I was with John's wonderful wife, Laura and their darling kids Sam and Grace.  This was their 3rd trip out to see him so they knew what to expect unlike myself.  Once John came around the corner, he was all smiles - see the photos I've attached - and seemed really happy to see us.  Keep in mind this is after he completed 45 miles so to say I was impressed is an understatement.  His wife turned immediately into "pit crew" mode and began to get him whatever he needed.  He gobbled up half a sandwich, grabbed some sports drink, Ibuprofin, Sudafed, gum, and his head lamp because the next time he came around it would be dark then he was off.  I have to say watching him take off was heartbreakingly difficult.  I can only imagine how Laura felt.  To think of how much further he had to go and the punishment he was about to take was unfathomable.  I remembered preparing to take on our first marathon nearly 4 years ago and to see how far he's come (pun intended) was such an inspiration.  He completed his race in 23:46 with his goal being under 24 hours!  I am beyond proud of him.  Please read his blog http://www.johnvaupel.com/ as it really puts you in the mindset of what he and his family had to sacrifice to run this great distance.  Until next time, stay happy, healthy, safe and running.

Fall racing!

Hello moms! 
I ran my first race in months last Sunday and had a BLAST!  A buddy and I did the Phoenix 10K doubleheader which is a 5K timed race followed by a timed 10K.  The weather was spectacular, the planets aligned and I PR'd by over a minute in the 5K!  I was 5th in my age division, but was happy nonetheless.  The 10K went well too even though I didn't PR I felt strong and quick which is a welcome change from my summer blues.  I'm still on the fence about my next marathon.  With Tina doing Carlsbad, I was contemplating running the Lost Dutchman full on Feb. 19th but my other running buddy told me he knows a fast, flat marathon the same day.  I've officially started a training program (I'm a huge believer in the FIRST program where you get in 3 quality runs a week and crosstrain 2 other days) but haven't signed up for either marathon.  I'm trying something new where I'm going to train and sign up at the last minute.  You can't do that for the larger marathons, but these small ones you can so I'm going to see if that clears my head.  I tend to sign up, get stressed out and train too hard.  I'm hoping by delaying signing up and just taking the training one week at a time I won't put too much pressure on myself. 
On another note, in regards to my previous post about my friend John Vaupel, he will be doing the "Javelina Jundred" tomorrow!  I bumped into him at the gym yesterday and we had a good talk.  He seems ready and his biggest fear is not going out too fast.  I reminded him of the Tortoise and the Hare - slow and steady wins the race!  Especially when you are running 100 miles...I can't even wrap my brain around it.  He is such an inspiration.  I can't wait to let you all know how he pulls through!  He's promised to help me figure out my nutrition (my biggest marathon obstacle) for my next race and if there's anyone who knows his stuff it's John.  Until next time, take care, stay safe, be healthy and keep running!

Javelina Hundred!

A running buddy of mine, John Vaupel is training for the upcoming "Javelina Jundred" on Saturday, November 12th.  We used to run a lot together (even doing our first full marathon together in January 2009) but he's been going WAY too far for the likes of me :-)  Please check out his fascinating blog.  It's an up close and personal account of what he's gone through to train for this grueling 100 mile race.  I wish him the best of luck for a great race and speedy recovery!

http://www.johnvaupel.com/

Have any of you moms ever done a 100 mile race?  If so, how in the world did you find the time and stamina to train for it?  You're my hero if you pulled it off!

Feelin' Alive!

For the first time in months, I feel alive running again!  With the cooler temperatures, I've been steadily increasing my mileage and speed with relative ease.  Being born and raised in Arizona does NOT make me immune to the higher temperatures.  Many of the people I run with say it affects them too, but I can see not as badly as it affects me.  Once the morning temps dropped into the 60's (my ideal running temperature) I was shocked at how much better I ran!  I'm still tossing around the idea of doing the Lost Dutchman marathon on Feb. 19, 2012 but can't seem to commit quite yet.  For now, I'm doing some solid 10 mile runs on the weekend with my usual speed work and 5 mile tempo runs.  Life is good!

No visit to Beantown

Poor Tina didn't get into the Boston Marathon.  She's pretty bummed, but turned right around and signed up for the Carlsbad Marathon to be held January 22, 2012.  She's going with her whole family and has invited me and my husband and two girls to go along.  We're not sure financially if we can make it work or if my 6th grader can miss two days of school since that will be the end of the grading period but we'll see.  If I don't run Carlsbad with her, I have my sights set on the Lost Dutchman Marathon to be held February 19, 2012.  I have run the half marathon there before and really enjoyed it.  Plus, it's local and cheap - only $80 registration! - with a cap of 600 runners (my kind of crowd).  I'm torn because I want to train with my BRB (best running buddy) but am not sure if I can go to Carlsbad with her.  After looking at what the training schedule would be for her and I if we ran two separate races a month apart there are quite a few runs we could do together.  Even one of our 20 milers would fall on the same weekend so I think I'll be okay going it alone the last month.  I'll let you all know what I decide but it's gotta be soon because October 9th marks 16 weeks to Carlsbad so we would need to officially start training then.  We'll see!  Until next time, keep your sanity by staying in the moment and running!

Boston anyone?

Hey running moms!  My BRB (Best Running Buddy), Tina has qualified for Boston and now has to find a way to get in.  I say "find a way" because registration is extremely difficult this year more than previous years - it will be on a "rolling admission".  For the first time, registration opens today to those who have qualified by 20 minutes or more, on Sept. 14th it opens up for those who qualified by 10 minutes or more, and on Sept. 16th to those who qualified by 5 minutes or more.  If (and that's a BIG "if") space allows, they will open it up to the rest on Monday, September 19th.  This is where Tina falls...
It will be a huge deal for her to get in.  She only qualified by one minute and if she doesn't get in this year, she has to qualify again and by 5 minutes FASTER next time since they are increasing the times again.  What does all this say about the running community?  To me, it says we have become faster and more efficient.  Runners today are more educated and are taking running more seriously.  We read up on nutrition, training, injury prevention, etc. and it's paying off with faster times and more marathoners than ever before.  For those of us who don't have the dream (or, let's face it, ability) to qualify for Boston it's a non-issue.  For the rest of you, keep up the hard work and you'll get there!  I'll keep you posted on September 19th to let you know if Tina was one of the lucky ones.  If not, she and I will run another local marathon early next year.  Keep your fingers crossed for her!

Different Breed

Yikes!  Has it really been nearly 3 weeks since I last posted?  Sorry about that...it's been hotter than hell here in Arizona with temps topping out at 116 degrees so it's hard to blog about running when I can barely run!  As I mentioned in a previous post, the treadmill calls to me this time of year.  I feel like a lab rat on that thing, but my water stays cold, the A/C blows cold and I can usually watch a movie so the good outweighs the bad.  The girls just went back to school, my oldest started 6th grade and my 3 year old is going to preschool 3 mornings a week so I get some freedom again!  You moms know what I'm talking about :-)  With the new school year comes the crowds at the gym.  It reminds me of New Year's because all the moms who couldn't get to the gym during the summer find they now have the time to get a workout in.  I hate to say it, but just like New Year's, the crowds die down after a couple weeks.  I know these women start out with the best intentions, but just can't stick with it.  Why is that?  It's because we runners are a different breed.  I work out 4 or 5 times per week.  My ideal schedule is:  Long run on Sunday, swim Monday, speed intervals, weights and Pilates on Tuesday, Wednesdays off, spin and weights on Thursday, tempo run and yoga on Friday and Saturdays off.  My friends (including my husband) who aren't runners think I'm nuts.  When I run a marathon they say, "Your knees are gonna give out."  To which I respond, "Who cares?  I'm enjoying myself while I can!"  I don't think of them as "haters" they just aren't runners.  They can't get into my mind set.  I agree we running moms are a little nuts but the exercise we do keeps us sane.  Imagine how "nuts" we would be if we DIDN'T work out?  If that makes us a different breed, then thank God for that.

What makes a good running buddy?

If you're anything like me, you need to do your long runs with someone.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my alone time just as much as any other mom, but when it comes to the long weekend run I feel going it alone makes it much more difficult.  Yes, it's harder when you have to keep up with someone faster and yes, it's harder to run when you're trying to carry on any sort of coherent conversation but it's more than that.  Meeting up with someone whether it's a large group or just a buddy makes you accountable.  It's hard to sleep in knowing people are waiting for you!  I'm one of those people who never met a stranger she didn't know.  This is to say, if I strike up a conversation with someone (man or woman - I'm an equal opportunity social butterfly!) I will inevitably ask if they are a runner.  If I'm lucky and they are, I always ask them along for our Sunday run.  It's a great ice breaker and immediately makes people feel welcome.  Sometimes I get lucky and find someone fun!  At any rate, my dear friend Tina has been my running buddy for 3 years now.  I have and will run with others in my life, but for now I am honored she has chosen to spend nearly every Sunday morning with me.  We call running on Sunday mornings our "church" and it feels that way to us.  We do it religiously.  What makes her a great running buddy is that she is always strong and up for anything.  Even when she is sick or run down or just plain tired, she is strong.  When I feel weak, her strength inspires me and this keeps me going.  I don't want to let her down.  She is also VERY easy going.  Nothing riles this chick up!  I've seen her upset, but nothing near the red line I can reach.  She is my travel buddy for races and is quite the minimalist.  She barely packs anything and whenever I ask where she wants to go or what she wants to do she usually leaves it up to me to make the plans.  Some people would be bothered by making all the plans, but I love this about her! She must get something out of our Sunday runs as well because she keeps showing up!  Those are the qualities I look for in a running buddy.  Someone who makes me want to be not just a better runner, but a better ME.  What do you think makes a good running buddy?

10% Physical, 90% Mental

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  I've been dealing with this miserable Arizona heat and not running nearly as much as I would like (do us mom's ever get to run as much as we'd like?).  At any rate, the kids will be returning to school next week (yay!) so I should be back on the horse - or treadmill - very soon!  I have been reading a book called "Run Like a Girl" by Mina Samuels.  It's a lot like "Run Like a Mother" by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell.  I haven't finished "Run Like a Girl" yet but I can tell you "Run Like a Mother" is much better.  I like the fact that "Mother" was written by two friends - one who is highly competitive and the other more relaxed about her running.  I can honestly say I am the more relaxed one in my group.  What's wrong with that is they are all becoming much faster than I!  What I need to do is push myself harder in training instead of complaining about the heat and saying things like "Oh, she's just faster than me.  Lucky with the gene pool."  I've come to learn that when we race it is only 10% physical ability and 90% mental.  Us women love to criticize ourselves.  I reflect on some of the times I have really fallen apart in a race and it is always mental.  I am physically fine, I just cannot continue (or so my brain tells me so).  My last marathon, I simply ran out of gas at mile 20.  Now, you could argue that is because I could have taken an extra GU or drank Gatorade instead of water.  Who knows?  Bottom line is, I wasn't hurting anywhere I just couldn't make myself run any further.  Yet, when I came to the last mile and heard the crowd, I was able to run quickly and with a smile on my face.  What does that tell you?  The 5 miles I walked and complained to other runners how this was so harder than I remembered didn't help me mentally.  What got me through the last 1.2 miles was, quite simply the excitement of being finished and not letting down that crowd.  I need to work on my mental race so I can start keeping up with my friends or risk being left in the dust.

Gear head

I was looking at my running gear the other day:  My Garmin, Camelbak, IPod Nano and arm band, etc. and realized these are all over 5 years old.  They have taken a beating but still work just fine.  I find the only running gear I buy regularly are shoes.  I am pretty religious about "retiring" a pair of running shoes around the 400 mile mark.  Some manufacturers say to get new ones at 250 miles while Runner's World magazine says you can get up to 500 miles from a pair of shoes.  Honestly, I feel it in my knees at about 400 miles so that's my personal number.  Like any girl, I enjoy getting a new outfit here and there but really, for me, it's all about the SHOES!  I get the same brand - Asics Gel Nimbus 12's - since I wear orthotics in my running shoes.  I have been fitted at two different running stores (each one recommended the same shoe) so it's the only brand I wear.  After reading articles in Self, Fitness and Runner's World about running gear I always get amped up to buy new stuff.  Then, I strap on my old Garmin, Camelbak and IPod  to go for a run and realize these are all I need.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Beat the heat

I just got back from another mini-vacation to try and beat this Arizona heat.  It was heaven!  I was staying at my sister's home in Show Low which is around a 5,500 foot elevation.  I ran twice in the 4 days there and could really feel the difference.  Let's just say it was like breathing through a coffee stirrer!  I was alone so I didn't get any pics but you will have to take my word for it - those pine trees are gorgeous.  The 4th of July wasn't the same without fireworks (they were not permitted due to the extreme wild fire danger) but all I cared about was being able to sleep with the windows open at night and running at 9:00 am instead of 6:00 am to beat the heat!  I hope you all had a happy and safe 4th of July holiday.  Did you go anywhere fun and, most importantly, did you RUN?

Kauai trip

Well, Kauai was everything I'd hoped it would be.  This is our 3rd trip to the island, but my first as a serious runner.  It was absolute heaven!  Our resort had a 4 mile cement path which ran all along the beach and I took full advantage.  Yes, Kauai is called "The wettest place on Earth" for a reason.  It rains a LOT there but the rain is so light and it goes as quickly as it comes.  Plus, in Arizona it never rains so it was a pleasant departure from the norm.  How are all you running moms doing?  Any fun running/vacation destinations planned?  Where is your favorite place to run outside of where you live?  Let me know and be sure to share photos too!

Summer runnin'

Hey there moms!  Are you surviving summer so far?  With the temperatures rising and the kids out of school it's really hard for me to find time to run unless it's at 5:00 am.  My 3 year old seems to be an extra early riser with the sun so I need to be home by 5:45 to get her going before she wakes the whole house!  It's this time of year I find I'm on the treadmill more.  Between finding time to run before it gets too hot and finding childcare which my gym provides, the treadmill is my best bet if I oversleep.  Here in Arizona, there aren't too many races this time of year so most people head indoors or go on vacation.  I, fortunately get to do the latter.  We are heading to the beautiful island of Kauai this Friday.  I will be sure to post some pics when I get back.  Until then, don't let the boredom of your kids keep you from doing what you love - keep running!

World Famous Camp Pendleton Mud Run!

What a blast my friend, Tina and I had this weekend!  We drove to Oceanside, CA on Saturday for the world famous Mud Run at Camp Pendleton Marine Base.  It was only a 10K, but the hardest one I've ever run.  I had been serious in the weight room for 3 months thinking the obstacle course would be the most difficult portion of the race.  Boy, was I wrong!  The run was mostly uphill in deep sand!  When I say "uphill" I mean serious hills here people.  Not at all was I was expecting.  Of course, my little Tina chugged right up and kept asking "Are you okay?"  I finally told her to stop asking because people would look at me every time she did.  It was as if they all thought I would keel over face first in a mud pit and give up.  By the way, the term "DNF" is NOT in my vocabulary and we finished together (which I KNOW bothered Tina, but I made her swear to do the race with me) with a respectable time of 1:13.  The women's first place time was 49:52.  All in all, we would do it again in a heartbeat.  I've attached some photos.  Keep in mind, they gave us baby wipes immediately after the finish which is why our faces look so clean :-)

Camp Pendleton Mud Run

I won't be posting for a few days because I'm heading to San Diego with a friend this weekend.  We are participating in our first Camp Pendleton Mud Run.  In case you haven't heard of it, here is the link:

www.camppendletonraces.com

This is the original Mud Run.  There are many others out there now, but this is the famous obstacle course held at the Marine Training base.  I'll be sure to get photos and post them when we return.  Until then, keep running moms!

"Barefoot" running

I'm sure you've all heard of the latest fad.  The "barefoot" running shoe (if you can even call them "shoes") is taking the running community by storm.  From what I've seen, these shoes leave people injured and in physical therapy so I think I'll keep on wearing my heavy-duty, sole protecting running shoes.  When I completed my last marathon, the Marine Corps. Marathon in Washington, D.C. we were forced into corrals at the finish since there were nearly 40,000 runners.  While waiting for my medal in the corral, I heard two men talking behind me.  One said to the other, "What did you think of running in those?"  The other guy replied, "Not good.  I think I broke my foot."  At that, he could no longer bear any weight on the broken foot and we called for medical assistance.  They came and helped him out of the crowded corral and laid him (appropriately) on the Iwo Jima War Memorial.  The only other person I know who's tried these out is my Pediatrician's husband (who is also a Pediatrician).  At first, he said his calves hurt but that just meant the shoes were working new muscles.  After training for a full marathon and barely being able to run 15 miles in them, he ditched them and put on his regular running shoes.  He's glad he did because he now thinks these things are a gimmick.  I'm inclined to agree.  Your thoughts?  Do you know of anyone who has improved their running by wearing these "barefoot shoes"?

Outside vs Inside

I live in a hot climate so many times I have to suck it up and run on the treadmill.  It may be from oversleeping (which means it is too hot late in the morning to go outside) or childcare issues (my gym has a day care), there are occasions which call for a treadmill.  I use the treadmill exclusively for speed work and some people would consider that cheating.  The way I see it, I can go at any time of day and monitor my speed intervals and distance more accurately than outside.  While running on one the other day, I observed many other women around me at the gym doing the same, a thought occurred to me... What makes a runner?  Are you only considered a runner if you run outside?  If you sign up for races?  I see plenty of "runners" on the treadmills like myself and think if you run for fitness or just for the love of it, you are a runner.  I never considered myself a runner until I signed up for races though.  Once I started racing, especially distance races like the half and full marathons, I thought of myself as a genuine runner.    What do you think?

Exercise Bulimia

I was reading an article yesterday about something called "Exercise Bulimia".  It is generally defined as those who eat whatever junk they want (the "binge") without abandon only to work it off intensely right after (the "purge").  The thought process being  it's okay to eat crap as long as you burn it off.  I can honestly say I have subscribed to this ideology at one time or another.  What runner hasn't?  Does that mean we suffer from some eating disorder or an unrealistic idea of what exercise and running mean to us?  I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.  Have any of you ever eaten that extra doughnut (or BOX) only to think "Who cares, I'm a runner.  I run more than the average person out there so I can afford it."?  Let me know!

Starting Line - RUNNERS READY?

This is it!  I finally decided to take the time and create a blog for running moms.  Because I talk to so many other moms who run that I figured it would be fun to have a spot we could all just vent and let it all hang out.  Feel free to say whatever you want - I've probably heard it already, but many of my readers may find it helpful.  Speaking of which, I NEED READERS so please pass this on to any moms you know who enjoy running.  All I ask is you stay on the topic of running and how you busy moms manage to fit in your runs while trying to be the wonderful wives and moms I know you already are!  It is through each other we will find our strength and energy.  One cannot do it alone so let the posts come flowing in!