One Foot in Front of the Other

My running hasn't been up to the same speed as it was last year. I took a short brake after I completed my marathon and really didn't get out there on the road again util January. My brake was less than a month but it doesn't take long for the body to fall out of good habits.

I started 2012 with the same race I started 2011 with. The Lou Gehrig 5K in early January. Last year I finished in 40 minutes, 36 seconds and while that wasn't a great time, I was still in my first twelve months of running (again) and I had taken all of December 2010 off. Besides, the way I see it, the first race of the year is a chance to start fresh. However, this year I finished that race even slower than in 2011. My embarrassing time was 41 minutes, 40 seconds. It took me over a minute longer on the same course and in even better running conditions than the year before. I was not happy, even if it was the first race of the year and I was starting fresh.

My finish time bothered me a lot and I didn't seem to be improving during my training runs. It routinely took me 45 minutes to get through three miles. I don't know why I had gotten so slow (not that I was ever fast to begin with-I wasn't) but it made me second guess everything I had been doing. I decided I needed to get my act together. I started taking Body Pump classes again at the gym to build up some muscle and all of that good stuff that comes when you torture your body in the name of health and wellness. I started pushing myself through some of my training runs and getting to the gym more frequently than I had before January.

Yesterday was my second race of the year, the Super Bowl Sunday 10K. I was really uncertain about this race in the weeks and days leading up to it. It was twice the distance of my January race and I had been dealing with tendinitis in my right foot but, other than that, I felt stronger and I had some successful training runs. I think what  made me nervous the most was the fact that I hadn't be able to get in a solid long run all month.

The day before a race I can usually get a feel for how I'm going to do. On Saturday I was really excited about the race and I made all good prep decisions that day. I slept in a little, skipped my Body Pump class hoping to rest up. That was really hard. I kept looking at the clock and thinking, "If I hurry I can still make it" or,  "I'll only be a few minutes late". I ran some errands, picked up my race packet and went to visit my dad before coming home and watching movies while folding laundry.

On race day I got up, got ready and got out the door. I always try to get to my races an hour early and yesterday wasn't any different. About fifteen minutes before the race started they had Grant High School's drum line out there performing and they were amazing! I wish they had played a little longer. We followed them to the start line and waited patiently in the cold. Once the race started and the crowd thinned out a little I was able to think of something other than, "Don't trip on the runner's foot in front of you, you will be stampeded to death".

Every race starts out this way. First I try to be really careful not to fall and then once the mass of bodies thin out and everyone is able to actually run I wonder, "Why do I continually do this to my self? This is hard." The first ten to fifteen minutes are always like this but once I find my rhythm, my pace and get my breathing on the right pattern I'm fine.

My breathing pattern is my secret to success. (Success being not passing out and/or being rushed to the hospital.) If I don't get my breathing under control early on, the whole race or training run will be a disaster. I'm pretty sure it's more in my head than my lungs but it works for me. To really understand, you should know that I'm a chronic asthmatic and have been since I was an infant. If I think I can't breath I start to panic. When I panic like that a true asthma attack is almost always guaranteed. So, to avoid that outcome I count my breathing. It's not always the same count. Sometimes I breath in for three counts and out for four counts. Other times is three and three or two and three. It all depends on how I'm feeling at that moment. My counting pattern sometimes changes during a workout or race, sometimes it stays the same throughout. Either way it's important for me to find my pattern ASAP. The biggest downside to my breathing strategy is it make me a very loud breather. If you're in a race and you can hear the person ten yards behind you breathing in short loud puffs, it's probably me. Sorry.

A few days before the race I had to figure out what my goal was. If I ran the same pace as January's race I would finish in about 82 minutes so my goal was to finish in 80 minutes. I figured out what my time should be at each mile so I could tell if I was on pace to meet my goal or not. As I came up on each mile I was ahead of my plan. This was really good. I was running for one minute then giving myself 30 seconds for a walking break. That ratio worked well for me. When I got to the first 5K mark (half way, 3.1 miles) my times was 38:38! I was pretty shocked.

The second half was harder than the first and I knew I wasn't going to be able to pull of a negative split but I didn't slowdown too much. I was getting fatigued and grateful for my lifesavers (I never run a race without them). When I came into the finish shoot I kicked as much I could and passed everyone in the shoot that had been ahead of me. I checked my time and I had finished in under 78 minutes, two minutes faster than my goal, and the second half was only a minute slower than the first! Over all, it was about a four minute improvement in one month! I can't complain about that.

I spent the rest of the day with my daughter at my dad's house watching the game and enjoying the family that was there. Jeremy was  working and Nevyn decided to spend the day with his other grandparents. It would have been nice if they could have been with us too but we still had a good time. Sami and I loved the halftime show.



Well, that's my Sunday. I hope your Super Bowl Sunday was as super as mine was!

 

         

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday but all I can think about is baseball. I love baseball and it's been on my mind for a couple of weeks now. I'm looking forward to going to Raley field to cheer of our AAA team, the Sacramento River Cats and hopefully going down to the bay for a couple of Giants games.

Home of the San Francisco Giants

Home of the Sacramento RiverCats

I have so many great baseball memories. When I was a teenager my dad and I would sit up late listening to the Giants play extra innings while snacking on cherry tomatoes. We talked baseball all the time and he teased me about my huge crush on first basemen, J.T. Snow. In fact, he still does. 

When the Giants won the 1997 West division title I was over joyed. I had spent the whole season cheering on some of the best ball players I would ever see play. Not just J.T. Snow but also Barry Bonds, Jose Vizcaino (retired with St, Louis in 2006), Rich Aurilla (retired as a Giant in 2009), Jeff Kent (yes, he was a Giant for 6 years before playing for Houston and then eventually for LA), Bill Mueller (retired as a Dodger in 2006), Shawn Estes (now plays for San Diego), and Rod Beck (died in 2007 after retiring as a Padre in 2004), just to name a few. And of course, their skipper, the sunflower seed king, Dusty Baker. He left San Francisco in 2002 to manage the Cubs and is now in Cincinnati.

He's a hero! After scoring, Snow saved Dusty's
boy from get stampeded by home plate 

In 2010 my the Giants, for the first time since they moved to the west coast in 1958, won the World Series. What an aweseom time to be a baseball fan. I had San Francisco Giants signs posted on all of my windows in support for my boys. I downloaded the video below to my phone and played it daily.

It was a great year. I only wish Bobby Thomson had lived to see it. He died in August of the same year. His home run in the 1951 pennant race against the Brooklyn Dodgers the sent the New York Giants to the World Series and would go down in history as The Shot Heard 'Round The World. 

I have a great feeling about the upcoming season. It looks like Buster Posey will be back catching behind home plate after getting clobbered injured while covering home plate last season. The Giants had a lot of injuries last season but held it together pretty well. They ended the season second in the National League's West division, eight games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (the division leader) and three and half games ahead of the LA Dodgers. I can't complain about that.

I hope you all enjoy you Super Bowl Sunday and look forward to spring training.    

My Bobby Thomson bear my bro-in-law,
Daniel gave to me in 2010

Pablo, the pillow pet I got for Christmas

         

Ready for Super Bowl weekend?

Today is a beautiful Friday! I hope this weather sticks around for the weekend. Unless you live under a rock you know that this isn't just any weekend. It's Super Bowl Weekend! This doesn't mean much to me or my family. None of us are huge football fans but I am excited about Sunday. I'll be running the Super Bowl Sunday 10K this year. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. 


I am a runner so naturally I have bad knees and feet. I have a tracking issue with my knee caps that cause me a great deal of pain when it flairs up and I have tendinitis in my feet. Most of the time I'm fine but when I get a flair up it can be ugly.The tendinitis in my right foot has been bothering me since I ran the Lou Gehrig 5K last month. I've had to keep my mileage lower than I wanted in preparation for Sunday's race but I'm still experiencing some foot pain. Bummer. 

Saturday is free museum day so I'm hoping to take my kids downtown to the Crocker art museum after my body pump class. A friend of mine has an exhibit there on display. She and her class formed a walkway of colored string. I can't describe in a way that would want you to go but if you are in the Sacramento are on Saturday you can check it out for free. I'm really looking forward to it!

After the museum I need to drive out to Carmichael to pick up my race packet for Sunday's 10K. I'm hoping to also go see my dad since I'll be out in his area. Maybe while we're in Carmichael the kids and I will go spend some time by the River. We loving going to Ancil Hoffman Park. I think it might be our favorite river access. Jeremy and I used to go there a lot way back when we were dating. He even proposed to me there. 

I mentioned before how the weather is so nice today. I wish I wasn't working and the kids weren't in school. Today is the perfect day for a bike ride or a run through the neighborhood. Not to mention out on the lake on a paddleboard. There are so many things I would rather be doing right now. It reminds me of those beautiful spring days my senior year in high school. It's nice out, your almost done with school but stuck inside a classroom. TORTURE!



I would love to take the day care to the park this afternoon but I'm not sure if we're going to be able to get there. One of my kids is being picked up by her grandfather today but no one knows what time he'll be here. Normally I just leave a note on the door when we go to the park or for a walk but this grandfather doesn't know the neighborhood and we would have to bring all of her stuff with us in case he came while we were there. (She's staying the weekend with that park of her family.) I think it would be best if we just stay put. 


Jeremy has agreed to cover the last half hour of day care for me tonight so I can make it to a body pump class. I don't usually go to the Friday class but my race will prevent me from going to the Sunday class and I really want to fit three classes in a week. (My workout weeks run Monday through Sunday.) I'm pretty excited about it. Starting next week I will be adding some weight to my routine. I love that I'm getting stronger. Hopefully I'll fit in a little run tonight too. Not too long though. I want to rest my foot as much as possible before Sunday.




Well, that's my Friday and weekend plans. I hope you all have a great Super Bowl weekend! 

P.S. Please say a little prayer for my foot. I'd really appreciate it. 

My Selfish List of 10

Today's blog is a list. I list of all the things I'm "saving up" for.

They are numbered but there really isn't any order to this dream list. 

[1]

The America River Parkway parking pass. My family and I love to spend time on, near and in the river. I also love to run on the bike trail so a parking pass would save us money in the long run.

[2]

This parking pass is good for Cali state parks! We don't go to state parks very often but I think having the parking pass would be an extra intensive to go.  

[3]

This is the Mahina by Boga and I really like this board! I feel pretty sturdy on it without being too sturdy. I LOVE SUP!

[4]

This woul be necessarily for my board. 

[5]

I really need to get a bike. It would be so much fun to go on bike rides with the kids. Also, having a bike would make it so much easier to do triathlons.

[6]

A sweatsuit would also come in handy for triathlons. I would use it during the winter for paddleboarding too. It's been a pretty sunny winter but the water is still cold-brrr. 

[7]  

 I saw this the other night at the gym and kind of fell in love with it. I do need to get a new day pack for hiking and this one has all the right pockets in all the right places. (I have a thing for pockets)  

 [8]

I totally need this for all of my medals (currently 3) and the ones I'll continue to earn. 

[9]

At first I was going to add a double jogger to this list but since I'm dreaming, I may as well make it a tripple. Beside, it's more likely to have three day care kids once in a while than two. (I normally have five.)

[10]

A Hawaiian vacation. Need I say more?

And The Mother of the Year Award Goes to... Not Me

My daughter, Samantha, is a ballerina. I don't mean she wants to be one when she grows up (she does of course) but she is one now. She's been dancing, training and studying ballet with the Sacramento Academy of Dance since she was four years old. She's now 11 (and a half), has tested and passed with high marks twice and has performed in fifteen shows. In addition to her success with the studio she has performed self choreographed solos for her school and church. Samantha is a ballerina.

I'm not sure where she first learned, heard about or saw ballet but when she was two she told me she wanted to be a ballerina. We talked about it and agreed that if she still wanted to learn when she turned three then we would find a class and sign her up. I foolishly thought she would forget about  this request over the course of the year but when I woke her up on her third birthday the first thing she did was ask when she would start ballet class. And I got started researching ballet classes.

I went to our local dance shop and asked about classes. They had a list of schools and classes that was a few pages long. It was a little overwhelming. Thankfully the woman working the counter had a few suggestions that helped me decide on the Sacramento Academy of dance. I called the following Monday and spoke to the director/owner of the school, Janelle Sebren. She said she didn't enroll kids younger than four year old but suggested other activities before stating dance the following year. Sami was disappointed that she couldn't start ballet right away but Jeremy and I were a little reveled that we still had another year before  the official dancing began.

The day Samantha turned four she again asked when she would start dancing. I told her she had to wait a little longer because the new semester didn't start until September (she's a June baby). Before we knew it, it was September and we were out shopping for her first pair of ballet slippers, leotards, tights, pretty ballerina skirts and a pretty ballet bag to hold them all.

Miss Tia was Sami's teacher for the first few years. She was a great teacher and worked really well with the younger kids and they all loved her. Samantha was the smallest girl in the class and she had a ton of fun from the moment class started till they were released into the hall. Once that door opened after class it was like a loud, low pink cloud of glitter and giggles coming right at you.

Over the years Samantha's passion for ballet grew and grew and so did she. Just guess what was at the top of her Christmas list this year? A free standing ballet barre and a new ballet bag. She got both. Now she plans on becoming a professional dancer and is already looking at the different dance programs offered at different colleges.

Months ago (I think it was October), Sami was racing a bunch of her school friends on wet grass and ended up slipping and fell. She hurt her foot and had a hard time walking for a few days but seemed fine. Every now and then she would complain about some foot pain but it was hit or miss. Finally we made an appointment with her doctor thinking she had a bone spur (it's pretty common for dancers to develop them). The x-rays showed, however, that there was a break in her foot. She had been walking, running and dancing on a broken foot for months... Yep, it's only February and I have already been eliminated from the mother of the year award.

Sami now has a bright pink cast for the next five weeks. At that point she'll get have new x-rays done and if the break isn't healing they will try "bone stimulation" (I have no idea what that is but it sounds a little Harry Potter-ish) and as a last resort, surgery. Poor Sami. The worst, in her opinion, is the time off from dancing she's being forced to take. She still wants to go to her classes to observe. That's how passionate she is about her art.    

    

In other Tuesday news, I again made it to my body pump class and enjoyed Biggest Loser with the kids before going to bed. I then spent the night tossing and turning. I think guilt over not taking Sami's foot injury more seriously and getting her into see the doc sooner is what caused such an awful night's sleep. Of course it could be a combination of Sami and the dog form Monday night. Forgive me if I'm not overly excited to see what Wednesday brings.