weekend mission

My mission this weekend is simple... I hope. Look. Search. Find. Rediscover.

Post-race blues? Possibly. Nike Women's Half Marathon was been in the works since March 2008 (because we didn't get selected on our first try), and just like that it's done.

I came home to issues that are difficult but that need to be worked through, draining me emotionally.

Fall is my favorite season, I love the changing of the leaves, the crunch as I run over the ones that have already fallen to the ground. But. I'm missing triathlon season, open water swims, longer daylight hours, meeting up with my tri-friends for group rides.

The time difference between San Francisco and home is only 3 hours... but since coming home, I've been exhausted! Trouble sleeping, even harder time waking up. I'm tired all day long. This morning, in fact, I was so tired, I forgot to make my morning cup of coffee! It wasn't until about 11am that I realized it! Not sure how I didn't have a pounding headache!

I'm only running 3x/week... typically Wed, Fri, Sun. I met with my group on both Sunday and Wednesday for short runs, just.could.not.get.myself.together.today. I skipped my run, not bothered by it at all. I won't be running tomorrow, as I've already committed to running with my group Sunday morning and still not doing back to back days (as recommended by my ART/chiropractor).

This is so unlike me.

I think I know where I'm going to start... the first place I'll look. The gym. I bet that bugger is hiding out in there. I cheated on the gym when I started triathlon training. Just not enough hours in a day working full time, being a single mom, finding time for swimming, cycling, running AND going to the gym. Something had to give.

I now have a location within minutes. No car necessary which will be perfect on those snowy, stormy mornings when getting out for a run outside aren't ideal or possible. I can walk across the street to the safety of a treadmill.

I think I just need to start getting back into the weight training, get back to routine and following a training plan. A base building triathlon plan that'll take me through the winter.

If you have seen my mojo, or know of any other places it may be hiding, please let me know.

I'm sooo behind in blogs, I think the above explains it all. Sorry. I will catch up. Good luck with all those racing NYC Marathon (and all other races) on Sunday! Go time!

Yes, I have!

A conversation taken from the airing of The Biggest Loser last night...

Dane: Every week at the ranch we had the weigh in, and that was the reason that we had to train, and then, what we’ve been doing lately is finding other reasons, you know triathlons and other things like that, so I actually have a triathlon in the morning in San Francisco that I’m getting ready for.

Alison: Just you, or some other old faces?

Dane: A total of 12 former contestants of the show

Bob: It’s the best feeling in the world to know that i had a part in that, I had a part in these 12 people that were morbidly obese, now all of a sudden they’re doing a triathlon. Have you ever done a triathlon? I haven’t?!

Proud that i can say, "Yes Bob, both my son and I have!" :)

planner or waiter?

Seems that we're all doing the same thing. 2009 race season is pretty much done (well, for us in a northern climate anyway) and we're looking ahead to next year.

What do you do? Sign up early to take advantage of the reduced race entry fees? Making sure you're registered for the 'must-do' races before it sells out? Or wait to see how your training unfolds and hope for the best when you're ready to register?

I've been bitten by both. I'm a planner... so I tend to be thinking about redoing the same race minutes after crossing a finish line, or skipping it and trying something new.

While eating breakfast one morning last week in SF, the girls and I were throwing out ideas for spring races. I mentioned the TO Women's Half on May 30, 2010, which I know Marlene ran last year and enjoyed. Necklace style race medal (no, not Tiffany... that will be tough to beat... but it's still cute), chocolate aid stations, and firemen at a water stop ;) We decided not to hop on the registration site right away as not everyone was there...

Emails were flying around yesterday morning about this race... while it sold out in November last year, they have allotted more spots this year, but got great reviews from participants in their inaugural year last year... I registered yesterday morning and got my confirmation.

When I checked my email while leaving the pool last night, two of the other girls had tried to register after work, but had since sold out!

They missed out on it this year by waiting just a little too long, but I missed out on it last year because I had this one planned out so far ahead, and ended up injured weeks before the race during my marathon. Speaking of the marathon... that was not a race I had planned well in advance. After a great 30k race at the end of March last year, I figured why not just continue train from there and carry on for a full marathon a month and a half later. Planned months in advance? No. Smart decision? Obviously not, given the outcome... for me.

My goal for 2010 is distances no longer than half marathon, perhaps 2, and triathlons, sprint distance, and working my way to a fall Olympic distance. I'm looking forward to seeing what every one else is planning!

Anamoly

A team has been formed! Let me back up a bit...

I have to be very honest with you guys... I'm so thankful that the half marathon is done. It's like a huge weight has been lifted. I was nervous about the race because I knew I wasn't properly trained for it, and really scared of not being able to finish.

When Ann, one of the girls in my group mentioned that she was also recovering from injury, and was going to finish the race, even if it meant walking the whole damn thing, we agreed to stick together. She's exactly what I needed in a running partner that day. We had been out for a group run a few weeks ago, our paces were similar, and figured we could motivate each other to the end. We also shared a room at the house.

We stayed together for the whole race... the professional race pics prove it! (yaya, i still have the ghostly white legs. lol)

Somewhere around mile 12 or 13, a lady was standing on the side, a microphone in hand, cheering on the runners. Looking right at us, she shouts "Way to go Anna and Molly!" We turned to each other and laughed. Ann and Melanie. Anna and Molly. Sure. Close enough. We later told the group our new respective names.

While running Nike Women's, we were talking about what's next... where do we go from here! We are both similar in that we both need something on the horizon to keep us motivated. A race to train for. Last year, she had convinced us to do Around the Bay, the oldest road race in North America, a 30k race. However, she got hurt, and wasn't able to run it. When it turned out to be awful weather that day, she felt terrible! I had felt particularly awesome that day, and enjoyed the race a lot! We talked about doing this race again, but neither of us really too keen on upping the distance to 30k again risking re-injury and feeling the pressure of the distance, so I suggested we run it as a relay! 15k each, and since she has yet to do the course, I'd let her choose which half to do! She chose the second half, which has the hill tee hee.

When I noticed that we needed a team name, I suggested ANAMOLY... she loved it! So that's what's next :)

I got home from SF late last night... it was an incredible trip. I accomplished my goal, saw some unbelievable sites, met 4 amazing bloggers! It's going to be difficult to top this one, but it's also nice to be home.

Are You Indoors?

That's the question that appeared on my Garmin as I powered it up yesterday... Interestingly, I've never been more OUTDOORS than at that very moment!

I'm so happy I extended this trip to be a full week -- we've been shopping, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, been on a Trolley, walked down the crookedest street in the world (Lombard St.) and been over the Golden Gate bridge. Of course, I also finished Nike Women's being able to walk!

This trip wouldn't have been complete without yesterday's experience though. I read blogs partly to see the world through someone else's eyes, to learn and to dream and to be inspired. Since following JoLynn's blog, I've always been in awe of her surroundings, her passion for the trails, the pictures of her and Boomer and just the awesome person that she is! When we started making plans to meet during this trip, I knew that whatever we'd end up doing, it would be a blast!!

We made final arrangements Monday evening that I'd take a bus and train out closer to her area, where she'd meet me. A hug from JoLynn, and kisses from Boomer before I even sat down in the car! We drove a short way, and even then I was amazed. Hey JoLynn, were you counting how many times I said WOW! lol

The smell, the sights, the sounds! All my senses were on and loving every minute of it! The trails, the air around me, it was all so wonderful!

After a few hours of hiking on various trails (and lots of chatter...) we stopped to enjoy the picnic lunch she had packed for us, so delicious!

Even Boomer had a plate of his own to enjoy!

Thank you again for sharing your passion and a little piece of your heaven with me. I totally get it now. If I had that around me, I'd be out there too :)

I Ran Like a Girl - Nike Women's Half Marathon 2009 Race Report

This may be a little long, so make yourselves comfortable!

We arrived in San Francisco on Thursday evening, expo and touring around downtown on Friday, Fisherman's Wharf on Saturday. We have done a lot of walking, mix in the hills, and after only a few hours, 2 of us decided to head back to the house to rest up for Sunday's race. I'm happy I'm here until Thursday, it's hard being a tourist and resting up for a half marathon at the same time!

We arrived at Union Square at about 5:45am, still dark, and a few people were trickling in.

Imagine... me, a girl born in a small town, coming out here for my first time ever, just happened to turn around for a moment and seeing someone I recognize! Aron and Tara also got bibs for the race, and they were walking right towards us! Funny enough, I happened to see them leaving the porta-potty line next to mine about 20 minutes later.... small world!

I soon realized that there's a difference between warming up and warming up. The biggest race I've done had 10000 participants... this one was double that! No room to do any stretching, bending down to get my glasses from the ground when they fell off my head was a challenge! Regardless of the pace corral you were 'supposed' to be in, there was no where to move, we were stuck. At least all the body heat kept us warm! The energy with so many runners together in one place was incredible!

There were moments when I thought I'd...

when I saw hills like this! LOL

I love how running, whether in a familiar or a new city gives you a chance to see so many things! The scenery was amazing.

The signs on the course were so motivating and memorable!

Two of us stuck together, the whole race. I've been coming back from injury, and she's been on the cusp of a few, so we decided that doing 5:1 run/walk intervals would probably be best for us. Having travelled so far for this event, and being the event that it was, it was a perfect race to be out there to enjoy it!

Mile 12 was my favourite... the Chocolate Mile!

Now all that was left was to...

Which I did!

Passed the firemen...

and collected my necklace... LOVE IT!

Once I managed to get out of the finishing chute and collect all my goodies, we stopped to stretch before starting to search for the remainder of my group.

As luck would have it, I happened to be in the right place at the right time! Just as we were leaving a piece of curb we managed to squeeze onto for stretching, I saw someone pass me that looked familiar, I quietly, questioningly said "Alisa?!" She turned her head, it was her!! Again, out of all the people there, what are the odds!

Now it's time to continue to...

Tomorrow I will be getting a glimpse of JoLynn's passion of the trails! Looking so forward to meeting up with her tomorrow, more blog posts of this amazing week and post-race thoughts to come! :D

San Fran baby!

This trip has been in the making since we first put our names in for the lottery in March, and now I'm here! I'm actually here!

We walked downtown to the expo to get our race kits.

One of the coolest things was going to find our names on the wall! WOW!!

Most of the group!

After some shopping, we snagged a spot on the top of a double decker bus, and took a tour of the city, well worth the money and the time.

After some carb loading for dinner, we're finally back at the house, feet up, and relaxing. Tomorrow will probably be some of the same touristy stuff, and Sunday is race day!

Good luck to anyone racing this weekend, and am looking forward to some blogger meet-ups over the next few days!

getting my money's worth

Miss me yet? I hope to be back to regular blogging and commenting after my trip, but thought I'd give you an update so that my first post when I return won't be a mile long!

With 4 sleeps before I fly out to San Fran, and 1 week before my next half marathon, I'm getting excited! I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't also nervous. My pre-race jitters are probably different from all of you though; it's not in anticipation of a great race, a PR or a time to be proud of.

It's been an interesting year, to say the least, with the last few months sometimes feeling like it's spinning outta control (but I know it could be far worse...). My emotions have run the gamut, and while both Terron and I have made progress, and have started the process of healing, it will still take some time. It finally caught up with me last week, my body couldn't find the strength it needed anymore, and I caught a cold, which I'm still fighting to get over. I took an entire week off from any sort of training, again. Looking at my training calendar, I have huge gaps during these last few months for various reasons, all unplanned. Things happen.

Today was the first day I had the energy to do anything physical, so I got on my bike for what might be one of my last outdoor rides this year. (I now completely understand why cyclists wear the little booties over their shoes, which I don't yet have) -- after a 40min ride out to Jay's football field to watch his tournament game, my toes were numb, and the boys thought I was crazier than they were having ridden in the chilly weather to watch them play! :)

I've mentioned this in the past; if it wasn't for getting selected in the lottery process, flight and accommodations already paid for, I wouldn't be training for a half marathon. But I'm grateful for the good running friends that I am going with, for the blogger peeps I will hopefully meet, and for getting lucky in the lottery, since we weren't last year.

I am not half-marathon ready. My mileage since returning to injury hasn't prepared me to 'run' this race. From June-Sept, I was training for triathlon, with the half marathon always in the back of my mind. But I was cautious, running only 3 days/week, never back to back days, increasing mileage very slowly, consistent cross-training, and not worrying about any speed. In the last few weeks, I've had a bit of mild discomfort in my leg. No knots, no sore-to-the-touch spots anywhere... more like little sporadic waves of pain on the front of my leg. I don't know what's physical or mental anymore. I can't possibly see how I'd have another stress fracture, having followed the above... (but if I do, I would be better served quitting running, seriously...) and looking for aqua-bike events.

I was hoping to get a bit of peace of mind prior to the race, it's not meant to be -- I'm so frustrated with our medical system. I was injured in May, got my requisition for an MRI the week after, which was finally done on Sept 30! Told a week for results... they're still not available. My Sports MD is only in the office on Thursdays. Guess what day I leave for SF... yep, Thursday. He also won't give me any info over the phone, I already inquired about that route.

My only goal is to get to the firemen at the end of the course get my finishers' t-shirt and Tiffany necklace. I'm travelling 3646 km for this event. I've been looking forward to this since April when we found out we were in. Never been to San Fran. I am in serious need of a vacation, a change of focus and scenery. I've figured it out. I will get my money's worth out of the course. That's right, I won't be fighting for a personal best, I will enjoy the moment, take in the sites, capture memories by stopping to take photos, and doing a whole lot of walking. I will be on that course for a long time, and I'm ok with that. Just out of curiosity, I checked Athlinks for last year's results... some over 7 hours for the half, I just wanna get to that finish line, and with 20,000 participants, I'm sure I won't be alone on the course at any point.

Don't think I've got it in me? Don't believe me that I'd walk most of it? I sorta did last year. I entered the virtual version of the Nike Women's lottery through Nike+, but once again, was coming off an injury. A few friends were running the Toronto Marathon that day, and I wanted to spectate, so I went downtown extra early, and walked. I accumulated just shy of 17km walking around before seeing them cross the finish line. Once home, I went out for a run of just over 4k to reach the required mileage. I was then shipped my finishers t-shirt and Tiffany keychain by mail. One of the other girls in my group was nursing a sore ankle... she said we can walk/run together.

So there you have it. No time goals, no expectations, just looking forward to a vacation with friends!

In other news, it's official. I will finally cross something off my bucket-list. I was supposed to go on a cruise in February with Jay and another couple. In light of Terron having just lost his father, I decided to cancel that trip, and have instead booked the two of us to go to Disney World in January (I've never been either!!). Seeing his face light up when I told him was nothing short of amazing, and I'm glad to give him something to look forward to :) 104 sleeps to go!

hiatus

Rather than being a downer and pouring my heart out on a blog that isn't intended to be my public online therapy, I'm going to take a bit of a break. September was a particularly difficult month, and I'm glad it's over, but I'm dealing with things I never anticipated going through and am being pulled in several directions, all at once.

I will be leaving for San Francisco two weeks from today for the Nike Women's half marathon... so hopefully I'll have plenty of positive things to blog about when I return. I'll apologize in advance for the lack of or sporadic commenting, but I'll be back; you can't get rid of me that easily ;)