Running Challenge: Day 16-18, a recap

Oh goodness! It’s been a weekend, I’ll tell ‘ya.

Friday: I took the afternoon off of work for no other reason than I needed to use the PTO before the end of the year and I thought having an afternoon to do whatever I pleased sounded perfect. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon! I went for a 6 mile trail run… in the day light! Amazing. I really hate these dark days of winter. It’s tough to maintain motivation when it feels like a challenge to even get out the door. Going for a brisk trail run in the day was a much needed reset after an intense week. But you know, it’s been insanely cold here in Portland. There was a thick layer of frost on the ground even into the afternoon.

Photo by "Patrick D" of Portland

Friday’s run started out so cold, but as I ran up the hill and away from the creek the air got warmer, and so did my legs. Not a bad way to start the weekend, I’d say.

Saturday, the BIG running day: My running friend Eric picked me up at 8AM.  We drove out to Hagg Lake for an epic trail run. Hagg Lake is never super high on my places to go, but both Eric and I will be competing in the Hagg Lake 50K in just a few months. It seems appropriate to do some training runs on the course.

I’m so sad that I didn’t take any photos of the weather or us. It was SO cold. Are you noticing a theme? Thick frost covered just about everything. Our plan was to complete on lap of the lake (14 miles) and if we were feeling awesome, we’d tack on an out-n-back hill climb that would round out our run to 17 miles.  We found a place to park and shivered while we readied our affairs. Once we were all set, we took off down a field and found the single track. The run started out awesome. We were both so full of energy. We chatted about this and that, and kept commenting on the low temperature. It was really cold! Eric had gigantic gloves on in the beginning, big wooly things that I got a big kick out of. Apparently Eric doesn’t like cold hands.

We put in the first 4 or 5 miles in high spirits. Then the trail got harder. We continued our journey around the lake and with every passing mile our chatter decreased. We were just doing one lap, but for the 50k we’ll complete 2 laps. It’s a very big lake and two laps around it seems a bit silly, but that’s what we’ll do.

It seemed like we took forever, but eventually we completed the lap and headed out for the uphill out-n-back. It was lethally steep and a total gut buster. We finished the run in silence, both exhausted and hungry.

We decided to refuel at the McMenamin’s Grand Lodge. Despite the weather, we both agreed that milkshakes were in order.

Yum.

 

Sunday: “Recovery” run with dog! It took a lot of motivation, but we did get the 25 minute run in and we both feel better for it.

 

Running Challenge Day #13 and #14

Day 13: Run to work with my dog

Day #14: After three years of running, I still think it’s amazing how much running balances me. Bad day at work? Troubling hair day? Confusing talks with an ex-boyfriend. All of that melts away during a good run. Of course, it can be extremely difficult to actually get out the door on those rough days, but I’ve very rarely regretted going for a run, even on terrible, terrible, no good days.

Today’s run was certainly awesome for two reasons:

1. I ran 8 miles in 1:04 (8 min/mile, give or take).  I haven’t been wearing my GPS lately, so nothing is very accurate.

2. My hat and shirt matched totally matched! Wow!

Matchy matchy hat and shirt. This never happens.

Running Challenge Day #12: Short

Really short post today. It’s Monday and it was one of those Monday’s where it took 3 cups of coffee and 3 trips back into the apartment for things I had forgotten.

Day #12: 26:00

Terrain: Frosty

Thoughts: Glad to fit this run in. Almost didn’t happen. It turns out  that you really can fit in 25 minutes of exercise with a bit of will power.

Running Challenge: Day #11 Long

When I woke up this morning I realized I had a problem. It was solvable but significant problem. No coffee beans. I would not be able to start a long run until this problem was addressed.  It wasn’t all bad because I had a punch card for Stumptown that was full, which meant that if I could get myself to the Stumptown, my beans would be FREE! Whooppeee! I returned from the  coffee beans excursion, started up the galaxy’s best burr grinder and promptly prepared a gigantic pot of coffee. Nothing gets me ready for running like a bloodstream full of caffeine.

I was excited for today’s long run for 2 reasons:

1. It’s a long trail run and I love those.

2. I’d get to test out a new pair of shoes. The Montrail Rogue Racer

Montrail Rogue Racers - the cleanest they will ever be

I tidied up my place, procrastinated for 20 minutes and then hit the trail. I live about 45 seconds from a trail runners paradise. Which means that I can get to 30+ miles of singletrack and never even have to get on a paved street! There are literally no excuses for not getting out there and enjoying it at least a couple of times a week.

Anyway, me and my Montrails hit the trail. It didn’t take long, I would say about 7 minutes, for me to realize I was completely pooped! Between yesterday’s race and my slow accumulation of miles, today’s run was pretty lackluster. It took a good 45 minutes to even convince my legs to get working. That is a long time to suffer through a bad run. I did turn it around eventually and the second half of the run was better than the first. I came home exhausted but satisfied.

Run #11: 2:09, 13.5 miles

Terrain: Firelanes, single track, forest service roads.

Thoughts: This felt like the slowest run ever. Will I ever be fast again?

Ridgefield Holiday 10k 2011

This morning I raced the Ridgefield Holiday 10K.  My neighbor raced too which made for an extra fun day.

I was pleasantly surprised by my results. Certainly I wasn’t breaking any records, but I ran a nice race nonetheless!

Happy Holiday Fun Run Runners

 

Age Group Winner

Results: 45:25, 7:20 min/mile pace

Fourth woman overall, first in my age group (!)

Thoughts: There were mighty fierce women out there today! So nice to be racing and feeling like I’m going to barf with nervousness. Love that feeling! Oh yeah, the 10k also counts for day #10 of my holiday run challenge. Keeping the streak alive.

 

Running Challenge: Day #9 TGIF

Last night I didn’t even bother with dinner. I went straight to bed where I curled up with a mug of tea and my dog. Really a lovely end to the evening. I ignored my alarm clocks this morning and slept in pretty late. No time for a run or even a lengthy dog walk. It wasn’t a big deal because my neighbors watched her today (because they are awesome and they love my dog, rightly so!).

Today was whirlwind between client meetings, a brown-bag lunch presentation and a bunch of other little project-y stuff that kept me rocking at work. There was no time to sneak in a lunch-time run. So, tonight I squeezed in a run around the block and to the co-op. I picked up some juice and a bunch of quarters for laundry. See, I said I’d do some laundry finally.

It was a short run, but that’s A-OK. I’ve got a 10K race tomorrow and a long run on Sunday. Let the holiday running streak continue.

Day#9: 20 minutes. Easy

Terrain: Dark, cold, pavement

Thoughts: You know what’s really great about being single? I can eat as much pickled garlic as I damn well please. And that’s what I’m doing right now, along with a plate of sauteed chicked and veggies.  Perfect pre-race dinner.

Holiday Run Challenge: Day #8

It is sooooo chilly in Portland these days! I kind of love it, but I really really hate that I tried to go running this morning without gloves. Total fail on my part. I vetoed the run and decided to make coffee instead. It was that cold.

When I got home tonight, the conditions were very similar to this morning. Dark. Cold. Cold. Dark. Can you believe that we have another 3 weeks of even more darkness before things start to get better. Really looking forward to the Winter Solstice!

Tonight I ran downtown around the bridges. Hardly anyone was out and about. I was happy to get the run done. This weekend I have much to look forward to. I’m going to race a 10k with my neighbor. And I’m going to do laundry. I promise.

Day #8: 7.75 miles in 64 minutes

Terrain: Bridges and asphalt

Thoughts: Good socks are a must. I recommend SmartWool and Swiftwick

Running Challenge Day #7: Early and Doggy

Seven days down in the Holiday Run Challenge! If you’re unfamiliar, my original goal was to run everyday between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But yesterday I found out that Runners World is doing a similar thing, but instead of Thanksgiving, they are motivating runners to keep up a running streak from Thanksgiving to January 1.  Well, I’m up for extending the challenge. I’m seven days into it, a whole entire week, and feeling pretty positive about the whole thing.

Today’s run was pretty damn fantastic. I woke up at 6:15 and rolled around in bed for far too long. Finally, I hefted myself out of the covers and got myself and my dog ready to run.

This is my dog by the way. Her name is Abby.

We look too similar in this photo!

This is her again. And me.  This is how we go to work on mornings when it’s not raining

Dog and Bike Commuter

Anyway, as you can see she’s tiny, but also beefy. She needs at least an hour of exercise before going to the office. Yes, Abby is an a full time office dog and we try to commute to work by bike if we can help it. Today, I decided to take us for a run in Forest Park. Running with Abby usually end up being pretty frustrating for me. She gets distracted by little birdy things or chases after squirrely scents. This morning though, she was relatively well-behaved. We finished a 40 minute run in the misty, foggy forest.

Run #7: 40 minutes

Terrain: Forest, slippery leaves. Some puddles

Thoughts: There is really nothing better than running in the forest before work. I love you, Forest Park.

 

Running Challenge: Day #6. Cold

Well, tonight I went out to get my run done as soon as I got home. How about that? I deserve a gold star. Also, I chose not to overdo it. I have all month to go crazy, tonight’s run was about relaxing and letting the day melt off of me. Success! 6/6.

Run #6: 40:00

Terrain: Urban

Thoughts: Will I ever be warm again? Will I ever run in the daylight again?

 

Running Challenge: Day #5, Treadmillin’ It!

Today started out as any hectic Monday should.  I couldn’t seem to locate the zillion things I need to get out the door; cell phone, keys, jacket, blah, gloves, dog, coffee, blah, blah, dog leash, dog jacket, apple, blah, blah, blah! 

I was scurrying around my apartment when I got an ex-text. You know, a text message from the recently ex-boyfriend. The text was totally normal and nothing about our break up was terrible other than the regular terribleness that comes with breaking up when you’d rather it not be like that. So a text message from him shouldn’t have been at all weird because it was just a logistical note. But for whatever reason it sent me into a tailspin! A tailspin, I tell you! So, of course it took me another precious few minutes to collect myself and get myself out the door. End result? My anxiety levels were much too high for 8:29AM.

The rest of the work day followed a similar theme. Lots of work, lots to keep me busy. I got home around 7, took the dog for a short walk and then had to make probably the most important decision of the day. Should I run outside in the bitter cold? or should I go to the gym and suffer through a boring but relatively warm run? It was a hard decision to make but I had just finished a 30 minute bike ride home and the thought of being outside in the cold darkness just didn’t appeal. So off to the gym I went, along with the rest of Portland, apparently. The gym was packed!  During my seemingly endless time on the treadmill I had the opportunity to stare at the gigantic “Exceed all Expectations!” sign on the wall. More importantly though, despite a truly frazzlish Monday, I got to exercise it all out on the treadmill! Whoop!

Run #5: 60 minutes; 6.5+ miles

Terrain: 2% on the treadmill.

Thoughts: Treadmills do suck all joy from running. But they do have their place in the world, especially when the world is cold and dark outside and I don’t have the courage to deal with the elements.

Running Challenge: Day #4

Mud Fun

It’s day four of the running challenge. Last night I went out with my dear friend Traci. We enjoyed a few glasses of whiskey from Clyde Common and as anyone can tell you, neither Traci and I can handle our liquor! We ended up walking home from Clyde’s, giggling the whole time.

Therefore, today’s run was not nearly as long and quite a bit more arduous than I would have liked. Also, the weather was terrible. But I did get it done. So there’s that.

Run #4: 1:06 minutes

Terrain: Forest Park

Thoughts: Whiskey, you’re not such a friend after all.

Everyday a new run

It’s been a tulmultous 2011. There was a break up not too long ago and it is crazy how difficult can be to put your life in order after that kind of emotional roller coaster. However, I’ll be damned if I let 2011 finish badly. Why wait until January 1 to start things fresh? Why not start now?

As part of that fresh start, I’m recommitting myself to running and writing. Two things I love dearly that I’ve let slip in the past months. Concretely, that means I’ll be running everyday between now and Christmas and I’ll let you know how things go here and on my twitter feed.

pdx_heatherbeth

Silver Falls Half Marathon, or a Return to Awesomeness

This morning I raced a cold, misty trail half-marathon. (more on that later!) After the race I found myself standing next to someone whom I hadn’t seen or raced with in a very, very long time. This person is just a great, all around runner-athlete, and he said something that apparently I needed to hear. He said, “Heather, I check your blog every so often and it seems like you haven’t written anything in a really long time. What’s the deal?” I did a little song and dance about being very busy, and then I said,”You know, I really miss writing. Maybe I should update my blog soon.” And he said that I should, and that this race would be a perfect starting point. For whatever reason, that was just the little push I needed to actually sit down and write something. So thanks, EL! I needed that.

First, The Race:

Friday I was sitting at work, going through my email, when something occurred to me. Was I supposed to have plans for the weekend? Wasn’t there something big I needed to do? To be more precise, was there something important I needed to do other than laundry, dishes, and bills? I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew that there was something about November 5th that was important. And then it hit me. I was supposed to run a trail 1/2 marathon on Saturday… Well, CRAP!!

How does one forget something as important as a half-marathon?? It happens when one is particularly feather-brained when it comes to scheduling. In my professional career I am a project manager where so much of my job revolves around dates and deadlines. When it comes to my personal life, it appears that I can’t be bothered with such trivial things such as dates.  Way back in July, one of my running buddies told me about the race and said that there entry was limited to 500 runners and the race fee was only $25. I signed up on a whim and promptly filed the information about the race to the very very back of my brain. There the thought lingered for months and only surfaced in fleeting, rare thoughts I had about the future. Weird how that happens.

So, that is how my race prep went. By that I mean that there was no race prep.  My training has been terrible for months (more on that later). I’ve been running, but I’ve been pretty lazy and unfocused.  But instead of bowing out of the race I decided to go for it. Training be damned, I thought, this race was only $25 and they said there would be waterfalls. Training or no training, I decided I was in.

Race Morning:

I woke up at 5:15. Took a shower, brushed my teeth, made a bucket of coffee and prepped my gear for the race. I was out the door by 6:15 and on the road. Of course, I got lost twice on the way to Silverton, but no matter. That is why I like to carpool.

I arrived at the race venue with an EXTREMELY full bladder thanks to my bucket of coffee. I bee-lined right for the ladies room. There was no electricity in the building  so I had the luxury of peeing in the dark. Awesome. At least there was soap in the dispenser! I grabbed my race bib from the table and beelined in right back to the relative warmth of my car. I didn’t warm up. I didn’t stretch. I pinned my number on and called it good.

The Race:

My expectations for the race were modest to say the least: have fun, see some waterfalls, don’t die. The description of the race was tantalizing. It was a trail race through some of the most epic of Northwest waterfalls. In all, we would run by, through, around, behind, and over 10 or so waterfalls. With such a description I couldn’t be anything but excited. The race director lined us up, gave us some last minute instructions which I didn’t listen to. The air gun went off and the pack sprang forth.

Miles 1-3: Easy Peasy! The first few miles were on pavement so that we could spread out before hitting the single track. My early miles were awesome, considering my lack of training. 7:30’s all around!

Miles 5-6: Things were a bit harder. We hit the single track where we raced through mild up’s and downs. Weren’t there supposed to be waterfalls?!

Mile 6.5: First gigantic waterfall. Did not disappoint! It was huge and very waterfall-y. The trail glided downward and I had to pay more attention to my footing than the awesome scenery.

Mile 7-10: More waterfalls. More awesome

Mile 9ish-10… Staircase to hell. Seriously. Stairs forever!!

Mile 10-12: Yay. No stairs, but also no waterfalls.

Mile 12.5: Last big effort up the last big hill which kills all hope of finishing “strong”!

Finish!

Results:

1:46:03

Avg 8:03/mile

As a side note: EL ran an impressive 1:39:34. Must try to run again with him soon!

Epic Race Weekend Report

I just completed an epic weekend of back-to-back racing. If racing twice in two days sounds like a foolish use of one’s weekend I would ask you to reconsider. I mean, just imagine how good it feels right now to put my legs up and NOT move. It is an exquisite feeling and my only regret about this weekend is that I can’t take tomorrow off to recover from it. Here’s a report on my back to back weekend extravaganza that included a 1/2 marathon on Saturday and 33 mile bike race on Sunday.

Weekend Portrait that describes it all:

Weekend of Muddy Exhausting Fun

Did you see the dirt in my teeth?

Here’s the recap:

I like to count Friday as part of my weekend. So we’ll start there. On Friday morning I actually got out of my bed when the alarm went off at 5:45. Victory! OK, maybe I pressed the snooze twice, but at least I did get up and out of bed. I don’t know about you, but this whole daylight savings time thing has ruined my morning routine. I dragged myself out of bed and got in my workout.  I did a 10 minute warm-up followed by 15 minutes of running drills (high knees, skipping, jumping. etc), followed by a 45 minute easy run. It was great pre-race workout and I felt almost jovial upon completion. I returned home, drank some coffee and got ready for work. Not a bad way to start a Friday in my book.

I went to work with Saturday’s race on my mind. I was scheduled to run the Wheatfield 1/2 marathon in The Dalles, Oregon. Originally my plan had been to give the 8K a go but I consulted with my coach (Coach Anne Linton, who is fantastic!) and she suggested the half.  You can see why I like Anne. Her thinking was inline with my own. Why do an 8k when you can do a half marathon? So, OK. Half Marathon it was.

Saturday: Wheatfield 1/2 Marathon:

I drove The Dalles on Friday night so I wouldn’t be stressed with an absurdly early morning drive in the morning.  I didn’t have much of an appetite but I knew I needed to get something in before the race. Breakfast was a combo: cup of coffee, half a bottle of Odwalla Super B fruit juice and a cookie. Not stellar but certainly all the major pre-race nutrients were there: carbs, carbs and some caffeine.  I was a bit skeptical of such a breakfast but it seemed to sit OK in my stomach. With breakfast in hand I motored out to the race start.

I knew that the Wheatfield 1/2 Marathon was going to be on the small side. I had only heard of the race from a local running blog and some friends. The race didn’t even have a website (!).  While the race was small it had attracted some very fast runners. I spotted Wendy Terris who qualified for the Olympic Trials in 2008. I also spotted and chatted with several ultra marathon acquaintances before the race.

The race really was an informal thing. The race director called us all over to the start line. It was raining a bit and I chatted with some girls next to me about The Garmin 410. The director said some more things which I couldn’t hear and then, just like that, we were off.

RACE:

The race was an out-and-back with a gradual up hill climb on the way out. I started out a bit too strong and then settled into a good pace. I spent the first four miles worrying too much about how fast I was going and whether or not I was going fast enough. It was a sad attitude. It took me awhile to realize that there was no reason to stress and no reason to be hard on myself. Why was I feeling regretful when the race wasn’t even over? Why was I worried – I should be enjoying the thing I love doing. With my attitude re-adjusted I made the turn around and headed back toward the finish line. There were three fierce ladies up ahead of me – I wasn’t sure I’d be able to catch any of them so instead I concentrated on running the best race I could.

The last 4 miles were difficult but I felt strong. Lately my training has focused on intervals and strength training. I feel like the work is starting to pay off. I was able to maintain a good strong form all the way to the finish. It was a great effort.

Finish Time: 1:36:10 1:35:51

Pace: 7:26 min/mile 7:18 min/mile

4th woman overall

2nd in my age group (20-29)

Race #1 of the weekend complete! I helped myself to a donut (so delicious!) and drove through Hood River and back to home base. It was almost 6pm when I got back and before I knew it was 10PM and I needed to ready my affairs for Sunday’s bike race.

Banana Belt Bike Race #3:

I haven’t blogged about it at all, but I’ve been flirting with bike racing. My first race was 4 weeks ago where I made my debut in the Cat 4’s  Banana Belt Race.  The Banana Belt Series is a favorite amongst local bike racers. It consists of 3 races that take place on consecutive weekends in March. Coach Anne suggested I give them a try. I signed up and completed the first two. My performances weren’t stellar in the first races. I dropped my chain in the first one and I was dropped in the second. Having never raced bikes before I was totally unprepared for how stressful bike races can be. Everyone is so bunched up and things happen so quickly. So different from running! Anyway, Sunday was Banana Belt #3. My goal was to go out and not have any mechanical errors or make any big mistakes.

The weather for today’s Banana Belt was not good. In fact it was terrible. It was rainy and cold and awful. I started the race and immediately felt exhausted. This might be a very very bad idea. I thought. Fortunately the group started slow and I found much needed gumption in those first few miles. During the first big climb I started to move up to the front and then just like that there was a break  and wham… I was in the break! So exciting!! I was able to follow the break and ended up in the lead group for much of the race. I was passed by many of the riders in the final sprint but I was so pleased with my performance.

Conclusions: The only thing that was missing from this weekend was more cookies.

Garmin 410 Review

Last week I broke up with Phil, my Garmin 405. We had  been together for over two years but I’ll be the first to admit that our relationship was never healthy. My main complaint with Phil was that he was unreliable and suffered from severe performance anxiety. The GPS was always about 10% off on my trail runs. He’d often black out or freeze in the middle of my runs. Sometimes I’d leave the house with a full charge only to find a totally non-functional screen within 30 minutes. WTF, Phil. Why so selfish? I took to the habit of wearing two watches. Phil would hang out on my right  wrist and my regular Timex sports watch would ride on the left. And I never, ever ever wore him in races.

Things came to a head a few weeks ago and I decided to swap Phil the 405 for the Garmin 410. And I’m SO, SO, SO happy I did!

The Garmin 410 looks almost identical to the Garmin 405. The difference being a small red line around the face of the watch. I have called this the Red Circle of Truth.

There are a few other key differences in the Garmin 410:

1. Option to change out for a flexible watch band.

2. A smaller, more ergonomic heart strap

3. Better, faster satellite detection

4. More accurate GPS functionality

So in a nutshell the Garmin 410 is more accurate, more comfortable and more awesome than the 405. If you wear a HR monitor you will immediately notice and appreciate the improvements Garmin has made in this department. The old HR monitor consisted of a large stiff band that always felt too big and heavy. The new one  features a small plastic rectangle and a softer elastic chest strap with small, flexible nodes/patches. Lick the nodes before putting on the HR and you’re good to go. It’s so much more comfortable, especially on those long, long runs or bike rides.

Another big improvement in my mind is the flexible  velcro watch strap. I’m a small-wristed lady and the old watch always cut into my arm and felt simultaneously too loose and too tight. The Garmin 410 comes with two flexible watch bands (one large, one small) and the most adorable little tool to remove the hard plastic piece and to install the comfortable watch band of your choice. Huge improvement, Garmin! Well done.

Lastly, the Garmin 410 just seems more accurate and more reliable. I bought the first generation Garmin 405 and probably dealt with some of the issues that come with purchasing any first generation technology. It was frustrating but I stuck with it because it was so much better than anything else I could use. The Garmin 410 blows the 405 out of the water. It’s accurate, precise and locates satellites quickly. No more waiting around in the cold while the Garmin 405 locates, locates, locates the satellites. The Garmin 410 does it in a matter of seconds and most of the time seems to be able to do this if it’s near a window inside (score!).

Who Should Buy the Garmin 410 in my opinion:

• Serious runners who like to geek out over data
• Runners who are sick of wearing their iPhones on their arm
• Trail runners
• Enthusiastic runners like myself who can’t resist gadgetry