Rock and Roll LA 13.1 freakin' recap

I ran the Rock and Roll half marathon LA on Sunday!  Here, my friends, is the long (not) awaited recap.

I woke up at 5:00 AM and wanted to pretend that I'd slept through my alarm.  But I was the bigger person and got my butt outa bed.  Unlike just about every race I've ever done, I actually had stuff laid out that I'd need.  Including mah bee costume!  I ate a random sample of a Lara Bar (I'd never had one before...breaking race rule #1 right there!) and some grapes.  I got some black coffee and water, and started the hike up to LA.

This morning - probably due to the fact that I had a pretty much non-existent training last few weeks - I didn't feel as nervous as I usually do.   Usually I want to throw myself off a balcony on race morning from nerves.  This time, I just wanted to listen to NPR and chill.

Twin bees!  Kristee ran like a 5:12 mile in high school..  Ridic. 

I  parked in a sketch part of town (BUT FREE!) and walked to the start.  I felt a wave of relief, when I saw my twin bee (and high school XC buddy!), Kristee.  THERE IS ANOTHER ONE LIKE ME OUT THERE!!!

This race was ridiculously well organized!  I didn't have to push anyone over to use the bathrooms (there was no line!) and we slipped into corral 1.  At some point, some dude came up to us and asked us if we were going to be running sub 1:30.  We said no, and he looked confused.  I'm pretty sure he was trying to politely tell our ridiculous bee butts outa corral 1.  Can't say I blame him.

The race started on time (more ridiculously good organization) and off we went!

I was really nervous about even being able to finish this race.  The past couple times I've tried to run close to my limits, I've ended up doubled over in pain from some weirdly damaged side muscle.   I was determined to go out conservatively in the interest of seeing the 13th mile marker.

Miles 1-5 were relaxed and normal.  All around 7:30 pace.  Kristee is a smart racer, so I knew that with her pacing, and the Garmin going, I might avoid going out at a 6:00 pace or something stupid.   The race clock was completely off for the first couple miles, and because I still have no idea how to use my Garmin in an intelligent way, I had no freaking clue what our real time was.
At some point, I realized I was pushing the pace beyond what Kristee wanted and started feeling a little douchey for making her go out too fast.  So at mile 5 we agreed to split off. I yelled back "I HOPE THIS IS NOT A STUPID MOOOVVEEE".

Miles 5-8.  I just hoped I would continue feeling normal.  And I did.  I knew I wasn't going to break any records, but I felt light on my feet and steady.  At some point, I saw another girl in a bee costume who I think was running the mini marathon.  I ran over to her and shouted hi, but she had her dang headphones on.  This is why you should never race with headphones.  You might miss another bug just like you.

I took a Jet Blackberry Gu (that I got from Mallory a while back!) at mile 8.  mmmmmmm.

Miles 9-11:  A sort of hilly portion of the mostly flat course.  I don't really mind hills that much.  They spice it up a little.  It was a beautiful day out!   I tried to keep the pace steady and two things went through my head:
"Omg you are spending like 10 seconds on the ground with each step.  LIGHT ON YOUR FEET!  Spend your time moving forward not stomping like a freaking fat giant".

"OMG WHAT IF MY SIDE CRAMPS UP?!?!?!  It won't!  Remember that thing you heard on NPR about your brain being able to control your muscle impulses?  Just think reelllaaxxxeeeeddd....relaaaxxeedddd...ahhhhhhh"

No one really cheered for me in my costume the whole way.  I figure they either thought 1) I was an ugly troll who does not deserve cheers or 2) Sort of a dbag target for wearing wings and a half tutu and being somewhat far up in the field.

By the last couple miles, I figured I was home free!  I tried to pick it up a little bit, but I wasn't about push my luck and sprint and end up walking the last bit!  My beautiful running form and grace impressed all of the people around me:

As did my relaxed face

And then I finished!  (So so thankful to have finished!).  I had no freaking clue what my time was because I figured the clocks were still off by a minute or two.  Turns out the finish clock was on the money.

Final time:  1:38:02.  6th in Age Group, 40th Woman Overall.  


Here are the Garmin Stats.  Clearly I am the worst at running tangents ever as I recorded a 13.39 miles.




Generally pretty happy with the race!  But what I am really happy with is Brightroom for taking this gem post race:

In the words of Sarah:

It's true.  What can I say.  

Final Thoughts:

1) Costumes are so fun and so is running with friends !

2)  I am pretty much all healed after running that race!  Advice for all injured people - go race 13 miles!

3)  I feel encouraged about running and racing.  I've been pretty down on all of this lately, and this was a great time!  Being unable to run much has made me remember how much I love it.  

The buzz about the RNR Half marathon (har.har)

I'm planning to run the Rock and Roll LA half marathon this Sunday.

My goals?
Aw jeez...can I not have any?  I wanted to run a 1:35.  Ambitious goal even at my best.
And now...I've probably logged about 50 miles in October total.  
I'm still kind of injured.  But...I'd be lying to say that I just "want to have fun" on Sunday.

I want to run well.  And it probably won't happen.   But uhhh...hope springs eternal ;).
I am going to try my damnedest to have a good time and here is how!

bzzzzzzzzz..........bbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's bumble bee costume time!  My friend Kristee and I will have twin wings, antennae, and possibly tutus.  I'm not sure.  It's was a 15 dollar child's costume!    That's why the wings are so small.  Due to my requested time I put down months ago(1:37), I am also in corral 1 out of 20.  Pretty sure everyone else will be like "who is this jackass in the bee costume?".  And then proceed to kick my butt.

I'm sorry this is a pretty lame entry for not posting for a week.  But yeah...I'm enjoying slowed blogging!  It's allowed me to drink more wine and be a better girlfriend.   I've also started watching Battlestar Galatica.  It's not as bad as it sounds, promise.

Happy Saturday, y'all!

Margot-lock Holmes and The Case Of the Running Munchies

My friend Christina told me she is getting bored and needs a new post.  So here it is!  Accolade me.

If you're wondering about my running updates well....I'm coming back...slowly :(.  I'm running about every third day.  This morning I finally finished a workout...8 miles at half marathon-ish pace (7:18).  At this point, I'm scared that I won't be able to complete my half marathon, but more likely it's just time to adjust my time expectations!  That's life, right?

The Mystery Of The Hard Training Weight Gain...

During the past week, I've crossed trained, but have taken a big step back from training.  For a few weeks before my injury, I'd been gaining weight like I owned a Ho Ho factory.  A couple days ago, after not running for a week, I tiptoed onto the scale in fear.  I was down 2 lbs.   Great, but whhaatttt?  
Why did I gain weight while running hard..and lose it when I stopped ?

Here's the story of the case of the running munchies: 

1:30 PM.  At work.  Just ate lunch 30 minutes ago.  And I'm hungry again.

Embarrassed, I look around at my coworkers and hope they don't hear my stomach growling.  And then...I go get some Cheez-its.  Delicious cheesy crackers!  

Will they notice that I've been snacking all morning and have no intention of stopping?    

I think to myself, "Whatever, dude, I'm a runner, I ran 10 miles - 6 tempo this morning, and I freaking deserve it. " 

Then at some point, after eating like this for weeks I think:

OMG WHY R MY PANTS SO TIGHT!?!?!

So what is the right way to fuel on increased training...where you have energy but don't gain weight? 

For me I can eat slightly more when I'm training more, but still need to be healthy and not think "increased mileage = increased cookies".  I know...it kind of sucks...but it's not like a giant bag of snickerdoodles is the key to my half marathon PR.   This is especially hard for me, because the longer and harder my workouts get the less I feel like cooking healthy after one.  My life is so hard.  

Here's what tends to work for me  (not that I always follow this...clearly)
- Staying hydrated.  I think that's key to decent performance in workouts / races.  Not cookies.
- Whole food > Processed stuff.  Yeah...I know....bars and gels are tasty, but I feel those should be more of a last resort rather than a go-to food.
- Have healthy and appetizing stuff ready to eat when I am done with a workout.   Nothing healthy ready to eat = lots of post workout ice cream consumption.
- Protein.  I could eat pasta and fro yo exclusively.  But it never makes me feel as good as a normal meal with veggies and protein does.
- Getting a grip:  An extra two miles = 200 cals = one small snack extra.  Ie...not that much.
- Performance first.  Sure, usually the best runners are not huge.  But I've been passed by a billion people bigger than me.   If you're gaining weight but still being healthy and having improved performance, ..go with it.  No one's going to question those extra 5 pounds when you pass them in the last mile of your marathon.

Do you gain or lose weight during higher than usual training periods?  
Have you found that your weight is correlated to your racing performance?  


Happy Friiidddaaayyyy!

The slowing of the Faster Bunny

I might need some time off, y'all.  

Not off running because...well I already am doing that.  But from blogging.  

I've been running, (mostly as a casual runner) since 1997.  Until recently, I always avoided training very hard or giving it my all for the following reasons:

1) In the whole grand scheme of things, I'm not elite, and I never will be.  Maybe I could win a tiny 5k on a really good day, but I'll never be one of the best, and because of that, I'm not sure it makes sense for me to devote so much time and energy to one hobby when there is so much else in life to enjoy.  

2) (More importantly) I get wrapped up in stuff very easily.  I suspected that training harder and reading / writing a blog would bring out the ultra competitive and compulsive person in me.  And guess what...it has.  Not a good thing.  

A couple examples of this compulsiveness were running while injured until a workout made it so that I essentially I couldn't walk or... when I'm on vacation or visiting the BF, I'm constantly reading blogs or checking my traffic.  

It's not really the person I want to be.  

At the same time, I love love love the blogging community.  Good girlfriends are hard to come by, and there are so many awesome people I've met and talk to through my blog.  I also have had experiences such as the Nuun HTC relay that were a once in a lifetime opportunity.  

What are you trying to say exactly?

Right now, I need a break.  Something's gotta give.  I'm not saying I will never post again, but I want to get away from the feeling that I HAVE to post.  I'm gonna try to spend some time in the real world for a bit.   I gotta find the person I want to be again.  

Imagine  :)

Gimp Day 2: Adventures in Garmin #fail!

Remember how the evil running gods sent me a Garmin 405 and injured me on the same day?

Well...I'm still injured (although feeling better each day.  est. time of running again is hopeful for Monday??? Gah.  Stab me now please.  It could honestly be 2 days or 2 weeks, no idea).   But...I still got to try the Garmin by doing...

GARMIN BIKING!!!!

Doing this meant I actually had to take the Garmin out of the box and learn how to use it. =)

I'm not a fan of reading instructions.
Most stuff you can figure out if you just fiddle around with it for a while.  While this philosophy has gotten me a lot of Frankenstein looking Ikea Furniture, I ain't changin'!

In the words of Rihanna, "I break the rules and I don't care".  :)

So this time, I turned the Garmin on and was greeted by a screen that said:

Kaipasin sinua paljon!


Actually that is "I missed you" in Finnish - thank you Google - but it totally looked like that. 

How did I JUST turn this on and already the language is wrong?

After a few button switches, I was back in America and ready to go on my bike ride.

The problem with the Garmin is there are some settings that set on default.  Such as the one that determines "running mode" and that my goal run is 3 miles at 9:15 pace.

No problem, I thought...I'll just bike and it'll record whatever I do.  Right?
Wrong.  The thing stopped me at 3 miles, beeping victory about 10 minutes into my ride.

Attempt 1  (Oh Hai 3 mile bike ride!)

I have no idea how to take this setting off, so instead I put the goal on "distance".  At least this way, it would allow me to bike for 27 minutes.

27 minutes later, the Garmin gave me a victory beep and stopped recording.

Gee thanks Monsieur 405.

Although...I gotta say...this thing is AWESOME.  It even knew exactly where I went biking.  No wonder y'all trust this thing more than the measured race distances ;-)  (I tease I tease..).

Any adventures you've had with the Garmin?  I am way excited to play this thing more, and even more excited to run with it when I'm better.

Happy Friday!

Gimp Day 1: The Epsom Salt Muscle Miracle...

Thank you so so much for your sweet comments and suggestions on my injury.  I am trying to come back as soon as possible!  Hopefully soon!

In fact, today, I lifted my gimpy self out of bed and headed to sell my soul use the elliptical.  To me, there is no more boring form of exercise, or other form of exercise where you feel like you are doing absolutely nothing like the elliptical.

..........zzzzzzzzzzzzzz ......

But that's ok.  It was actually kind of refreshing to not try at all.  I could get used to this!  And it didn't barely hurt!  60 minutes later, and I am much more up to date on the hard hitting issues from morning TV (thank you, Today Show...PS: why is Star Jones a business commentator again?). 

But the reason I feel a ton better isn't just because I used the elliptical....

Yesterday, my friend Anisa told me to use Epsom Salts.  

Now...I had no idea what those are!  They sound like something you'd have on the Oregon Trail in 1850. 

But...desperate times call for desperate measures, my friends. 
=)

So last night, I stopped by the Target and bought a ton of drugs:  Aspirin, Cortozone, and Epsom Salts. 

When I got home, my roommate laughed at me as I told her I was going to prepare my salt bath.  But I was on a mission....I dumped a few cups of those suckers in the bath and soaked away.

OMG, Y'all....
 Let's just say those people in the 1850s knew what they were doing.  I felt SO much better.  I did another soak this morning as well.  No shame. 

The only problem is that Epsom Salts relax ALL of your muscles:

 

Um yeah.  Sorry...kind of gross....Totally worth it though.  =)

My side felt so much better afterwards and I am now a fan for life!  Plus it was only 3 bucks at Target. 

Do you have any random cures that you use and swear by?  Besides drinking Ginger Ale when I'm sick (thanks mom), this is my new one! 

Annnddd...I am officially injured.

Dear Running Friends,

I'm hoping this is short lived.

My apologies for not blogging about something more fun, but I can't think about much else in this moment.

Remember how I said I crashed my bike and some guy landed on top of me?
Well my side has been hurting on and off since.  I figured I could run through it, but the time trial I tried to do on Friday completely spazzed (is that even a word) out the muscle that felt almost healed previously.

I figured..."no problem, I'll just run easy over the weekend and get back to it Tuesday".

Nice try, Margot.  

I tried to run 4x2400m at 6:58, 1.5% incline today.  .85 miles into my fourth repeat, it happened again, only way worse.   A crazy muscle spasm.  And I had trouble walking back to my apartment.

And here I am, typing with a bag of frozen peas on my side.  Yup, I'm using them as an ice pack, and yes, I AM going to eat them later :).

Ridiculous.  A non-running related, running injury that isn't even in my legs.

I know I should have just taken a few days off earlier, but I figured that I was in my peak "training" for this half and could run through it, and recover during the taper.

Crazy thinking?  Sure.  But as someone who almost never gets injured, I'm still using the injury thinking of someone who hasn't yet learned the hard way.
So...even now, I'm hoping 3-4 days off will be enough.

So...a couple questions.
1) How do you maintain intense workouts if you can't run.  Is it even possible?
2)  How do you heal a weird freaking injury that isn't even if your leg?
3)  I am pretty bummed/sad about this now.  Any words of encouragement??

Gratzi!

Your spastastic but sad friend,
Margot