Vegas, Natural Childbirth & 18 Miles on a Treadmill

Since the San Dieguito Half Marathon there has been quite a lot of excitement around here.

Let's start with last weekend.  I was in Vegas for a friend's bachelorette party.  Let me start by saying, this was my first trip to Vegas and it was instantly apparent that it's not exactly my kind of place.  The partying all night, expensive dinners, sleazy guys, and bottle service would be better suited for the 21 year old version of myself.  I swore I would get a run in while in Vegas, and I held true to that promise.  Granted, it was only 5 miles on the hotel gym treadmill - but hey!  It was something.  

I was supposed to fly home Sunday morning but when you stay out until 5am, it's pretty unlikely you'll wake up at 7am to catch a flight.  I slept right through my alarm and missed my darn flight.  I ended up having to buy a whole new flight for a whopping $200.  Needless to say, I had fun with the girls, but am financially in the hole after that weekend.  Luckily, I had Monday off for President's Day so I had a second chance to get a long run in.  Angela and I ran 16 miles in Mission Bay and I was still feeling the affects of the alcohol.  Whenever I drink, it makes me realize how clean my system is because alcohol acts like a poison and I feel sick for days. 

Work is my primary focus right now and to be honest, I haven't even thought about Boston in the last few weeks.  I am already supervising about 25 advocates at this point which equates to 50+ foster children and I still have so much to learn.  I worked until 9pm a few nights and visited with Angela's family that is visiting from Illinois in my free time.  Somewhere in there I ran.

Cut to this weekend.  I woke up early Saturday morning to head out for an 18-20 mile run but instead received a phone call that Dana (an amazing woman I babysit for) was going into labor!  That meant I had to throw on some clothes and head over to their house.  Dana was having an at-home tub birth and wanted me to take care of their 2 year old while she was in labor.  I spent the day with their little one going to the park and taking walks while Dana worked through contractions.  I was given a few hours of a break around 5:00, so what did I do?  I decided to attempt to squeeze in my long run.

73 laps on a treadmill.  Not my sanest moment but I have to say, I loved it!

Now, if only that calorie count was accurate!

I did it!  I managed to get in 18 miles in a few hours and headed straight back to Dana's without even taking a shower.  Gross, I know.  I returned and put little Miss Isabella to bed and chatted with Dana who was almost fully dilated.  I woke up to a text this morning saying their baby girl was born at 12:10 am.  Congratulations to the both of them!  She was so strong and calm and it was unbelievably inspiring.  Childbirth is the real marathon.  It makes 26.2 miles look easy.  I wish I could have been there for the actual birth because I find it so beautiful, but she had a very intimate at-home birth with her husband and midwives by her side.  

With my new position fully underway, Angela's family in town, a trip to Vegas and a baby being born, life has been anything but normal lately.  Marathon training definitely takes a backseat in situations like this but I find that doing what I can, when I can is sufficient.  When life is so busy you just have to squeeze in those runs whenever possible, even if it means running until 8pm and not showering for hours.  I don't feel like my training has suffered at all and I am determined to keep it that way.  

San Dieguito Half Marathon - For Sherry

** I was a very bad blogger and didn't bring a camera or a cellphone or any picture taking device before or after this race.  There are no pictures to even prove I was there, but I stole a few pictures from the website to show a very limited view of the course.  

Sunday marked the 44th Annual San Dieguito Half Marathon in Rancho Santa Fe.  We woke up at the crack of dawn, drank some coffee, ate some toast and hit the road.  It rarely rains in San Diego but as our luck would have it, it began down-pouring on our drive.  I started to get nervous about running this hilly course while being drenched, but as soon as we arrived in the parking lot, it stopped.  It was a race day miracle!

We hopped aboard the shuttle and seconds later, my friend Luke, from work, walked on and sat behind us. It was perfect timing!  We were able to enjoy his and his partner's company the entire way and for the entire hour before the start.   We all warmed up together and Luke got psyched for his very first half marathon.  It was an exciting moment for him.  I was pleased to be a part of someone's "first".  I reminded everyone that this run was for Sherry, and moments later saw a couple with their Sherry bibs on.  It gave me chills.

You probably heard me drone on about the hills on this course and how terrified I was of them.  They were just as bad as I anticipated but, I did it!  I made it through.  My quads and calves were screaming by the end but I survived.

The course winds you through a very scenic residential area in Rancho Santa Fe, which is an extremely wealthy area of San Diego County.  We were definitely running in the territory of the 1%.   It smelled of fresh flowers and eucalyptus the entire way.  Because the course is a residential area and the roads are blocked off, it is nearly impossible for spectators to be on the course.  So it was a very quiet run and by far the most peaceful race I've ever done.  It was the perfect time to think of Sherry.  I didn't know her, but I bet she would have loved this run.  From stories that Beth has shared, I bet she'd enjoy the crisp air and the fresh scent of flowers, being a "country" girl and all.

Onto the results.  I finished in 1:42 and some change and 7th in my age group.  Angela finished 9th in our age group and it was a PR!   Now that Ang and I are in the same age group, we are competition!  ;-)  Luke survived his first half and nearly collapsed at the end.  I was a little worried about him and so were a few medics that came over to check on him but he was okay.  He was just so thrilled to have finished.

They served homemade chili after the race which is perfect once your sweat turns ice cold.  I loved this race!  Being around for 44 years sure makes for an organized event.  The course was scenic every step of the way.  The start was right on time.  There were plenty of fluids along the course and the post-race food and beer tents were fantastic.  It was perfect Boston training too!  I would do this hilly half again in a heartbeat!  San Diegans, if you haven't already run this race, you are missing out.  Get on it!

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

This week I have been training my replacement at work and slowly transitioning into my Advocacy Supervisor role.  I have switched places in the office, attended my first training and soon I will have cases assigned to me.  It's a big week!  I am thrilled to be starting a new chapter in my career and to truly make an impact in the lives of foster children.  What more could I ask for, really?

Outside of my work world, Prop 8 was declared unconstitutional yesterday (yipee!) and now it goes to the Supreme Court.  I am crossing my fingers that marriage equality returns to California.  It was an exciting day, but as always, it's a waiting game.  Angela and I so badly want to get married and to celebrate our love in the presence of our family and friends.  We don't just want to have a ceremony for a union that is not recognized by the state of California.  We want, and deserve, the real thing.   I hope that day comes soon. 

On top of my transition at work I have been training as always.  I ran on Monday, which is typically my day off and woke up Tuesday morning before work to squeeze in a run.  Tonight I work on my speed and I plan to watch some Glee to get me moving.  This Sunday is the San Dieguito Half Marathon and I'm crazy nervous for those hills still (no matter what anybody says).  I have Monday off of work for some court holiday and I'm going to brunch with girlfriends and shopping for some new suits since I'll be in court pretty frequently now.  I love having an extra day off on the weekend!  It makes the next week that much brighter. 

Who else has Monday off?  What will you be doing?



Girls' Getaway and a Winner!

Last Friday night (cue Katy Perry) my girlfriends and I went on a little staycation.  We're lucky that we live in a vacation destination because staying close to home is still tons of fun.  We booked a hotel room in Del Mar and went out for dinner and drinks.  One of our friends is knocked up -- like ready to pop! -- so she called it a night while we stayed out dancing and having a gay old time. 

I have gotten so used to not drinking that waking up the next day was a challenge.  I had a headache and felt like a waste of space.  We went out for breakfast in Solana Beach and then walked around and did a little shopping.  Every bench or chair we saw was instantly occupied by one of us hungover girls.  It was hard just to move. 

I'd say we look pretty chipper considering the night before...

When I eventually got back to my apartment I immediately slipped into bed for a nice long nap.  It was such a beautiful day but I spent my late afternoon under covers catching some Zs.  I was supposed to run that day and I never skip a training run.  Ever.  Until now.  Running the day after drinking is rough.  I don't know how some of you people do it.  Luckily, it was a cut-back week so I was supposed to keep my mileage low.  Thank goodness for that or I would be having some major training guilt right now.  I don't drink often for this very reason, but in all fairness, it was worth every sip.  We had a great time and staycations with good friends are a darn good reason to drink up.

I redeemed myself on Sunday when Ang and I went on a beautiful 10 miler up at Torrey Pines.  We discovered some new trails by UCSD so we finished up our run somewhere brand new and beautiful.  That's the great thing about running -- even when you think you've seen it all, there are always new places to discover.  

Miss Angela

The new trail!

****

And the lucky winner of a HUGE Box of

PopChips is...#58

***

Deanna G.

And she loves Sea Salt & Vinegar flavor

**E-mail me with your home address and I'll get those in the mail ASAP.



Pop Chips Giveaway!

It's not everyday you come home to 2 huge boxes packed with Pop Chips sitting at your doorstep.  I practically jumped for joy when I saw these bad boys.

That is A LOT of Pop Chips

Even Frida wanted to eat some!

Although I wasn't hungry, I couldn't resist digging into a bag of the sweet potato chips.  They were delicious and one bag will only cost you 100 calories.  These aren't yo mama's potato chips!

Their slogan is "love. without the handles."  I love it. 

What are Pop Chips?

never fried. never baked.


delicious, all-natural, healthier. that’s popchips. when they said it couldn’t be done, we raised the snack bar. how do we do it? well, first, let's talk about how we don't do it. we never fry our chips. that just puts a lot of stuff in there that we could all do without. we never bake our chips either. that just takes a lot of flavor out, which, as snackers, we simply can't do without. so we came up with a chip like no snack aisle has seen (or taste bud has tasted). thanks to the magic of popping, we found a way to pop all the flavor in while keeping fake stuff and more than half the fat of fried chips out.

Pop Chips come in a wide variety of flavors, most of which are vegan and gluten-free!

Vegan flavors include:

• Sweet potato
• Sea salt & vinegar
• Original
• Salt 'n pepper

All of them are delicious!

I love Pop Chips because they satisfy that desire for something salty and crunchy without all of the fat and calories. 

GIVEAWAY TIME!

One of you has the chance to win a WHOLE stinkin' box of these goodies delivered to your doorstep!  Trust me, it's exciting.

All you have to do is:

• Follow my blog - leave a comment telling me you follow
• Tell me your favorite flavor of Pop Chips - leave a comment
• Tweet, Facebook or Blog about my giveaway - leave a comment

You get one entry for each of these so do as many or as few as you like, but please share because this is a super duper delicious giveaway!

Good luck!  I'll pick a winner next week.



Run-Fit Classes and Choosing a Race

I am part of the Brainfood Committee at work, which is a subcommittee of the Workplace Excellence Committee.  My workplace thrives off of meetings and committees, if you can't tell.  Anyway, I put together a Fitness and Nutrition Lunch 'n Learn and brought in Justin Robinson from Rehab United (Physical Therapy & Sports Performance Center) to give a talk. 

He was funny, engaging and he's extremely qualified with all of these letters after his name: MA,RD,CSSD,FAFS,CSCS   <- I have no idea what those mean


What I am most excited about is that I learned there is a Rehab United facility just 3 miles down the street and they offer a Run-Fit class every single week!  I had no idea.

Run-Fit addresses the specific needs of runners: it enhances strength & dynamic flexibility to prevent knee and low-back pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and other injuries. Every session includes running drills to improve form and low-to-moderate intensity plyometrics to increase power and agility.

Run-Fit will make you feel strong and fast for your training runs and races and is ideal for runners of any distance – from 5K’s to marathons.

Run-Fit Class

Have you ever been to a running specific class?

How did you like it? 

Rehab United is where many pro triathletes in San Diego get their fitness and rehab on and I've known about it for quite awhile, I just had no idea how extensive their services are.  In fact, there is a whole article about Rehab United's role in injury prevention on the Triathlete magazine website:

Operation: Injury Prevention

I am excited to try something new that might enhance my training.  I am even considering using a training plan or coaching services through Rehab United for my next marathon -- which will be my "A" Race for 2012.   

Classes at Rehab United

Speaking of "A" Races, I am contemplating running Long Beach or Santa Barbara for a PR.  Boston, unfortunately, is more of a race for the experience rather than the record books.  I want to continue to train post-Boston and increase my speed and endurance before running a killer race somewhere else.  Rock 'n Roll San Diego is in June, but that won't give me enough time to do really well. 

I need your help -- which race should I run? 

Have you run either of these?  Let me know what you think!

OR

16 Miles of Bliss

So the title makes it sound like I was running on clouds of cotton candy this weekend -- and in my mind I was.  For the first time in ages (or ever) I woke up at 6am for a long run.  Angela and I hopped out of bed, sucked down some coffee and peanut butter toast and off we went.  We headed to Mission Bay Park which was already occupied by some early birds.  I finally felt like one of those hard core runners, out at the crack of dawn.  It felt fantastic!

The sun was barely risen and it was still pink on the horizon.  Other than our shoes hitting the pavement and birds chirping it was quiet.  Peaceful.  Perfect. 

I was supposed to run 14 miles.  However, I've already run 14 miles a few times now and I thought it was time to progress.  I decided I'd wait until I hit 14 miles to decide if I felt up to running a couple more.  When I reached my jeep at the 14th mile I was not done.  I wasn't fatigued, my legs felt good, so I went off alone for a couple more. 

By the time my run was complete, De Anza cove was packed with runners, walkers, cyclists and an array of Boot Camp classes.  I kind of wanted to pull a Bridesmaids move and just copy what they were doing.  But I restrained myself.

I was so grateful to have been able to enjoy some peace and quiet before the whole place was crowded.  When I finished, I stretched for a good 20 minutes then headed home to do some foam rolling and functional exercises. 

The next day, I wasn't stiff or sore.  In fact, I felt rested.  I think I made the right choice to run the 16.  We went for a 5 mile recovery run on Sunday in Santa Monica since we were in LA for the weekend.  It was hot and the air was still.  I was so glad we only had a few miles to run because the heat takes it out of me.

Today, I rest.  Tomorrow I do a tempo run and the next day, hill repeats.  I am feeling stronger and more determined than ever.  The San Dieguito half is only 2 weeks away!