End of March already...

I find it had to believe that it's the end of March already. It still feels like there are tons of stuff that I need to accomplish before April hits.  Winter ended and not only did I manage to reach my half PR time (back in November) but I finished the Seabrook Trails back to back half's feeling quite strong. My run schedule has been a little slow the past few weeks since Seabrook but I have earned some rest, not to say that I am slacking. This past weekend I got out there and ran a good 11 miles on Sunday, and finishing up the month on a good long run felt amazing. Total miles for the month 88.59.
As April starts I am adding back in some speed work to help keep momentum up as the warmer weather starts to creep slowly in. I have 2 new races (new for me anyways) on the calendar in April, the Blue Bell Fun Run (10k) and the Brazos Bend 50 (25k). The 25k will be the farthest I have run yet. I do have my concerns but the reality is, it's about 1 1/2 miles longer than my longest run so I hope that is enough to ease any runner's doubt in my head. I am really excited to see where my running is going to go as the weather warms. April and May are the last two months before racing drys up around Houston. Most runners use this time take a break and start thinking about fall/winter schedules, along with getting training programs in place for winter marathons. I am no exception to this, this year at least. The goal, as it always has been, is to do a marathon when I am 40 and August starts that count down. Since there are no races on the calendar for June I am going to use it for a month of semi-slow down, heat acclimation and to pick the path I will follow to 26.2.

Healing from Running

Early last week an old friend on mine posted on his facebook status that after four trips to the hospital, they have finally found out what is wrong with him. Cancer. Large tumor in his hip and 4 smaller ones in his lungs. Stage 4 cancer. Well. Hell. Back in the day (you know those days, premarriage and kids, when life was uncomplicated) I regarded him as a brother. Even tho over the years we have drifted away from each other he still occupies that position in my heart. I do not know about his prognosis but from everything I have read (the internet is a valuable tool as long as you are choosy about who you consider a reputable source) he maybe has the rest of the year, more or less. I felt so helpless to all the feelings this news had brought up in me. What if this were my last year? What would happen to my kids? What's going to happen to his girls? What about my family? What about his family? His parents have already buried one son and now to have to watch him die. As a parent I could not imagine the strength it would take to do that. In the end I did what I came naturally, I laced up my shoes and went for a run.

For the first mile or so all those thoughts still bounced in and out in my head. Soon I found myself balling my eyes out. My emotions finally got the better of me. As I pushed on, I was no longer running thinking of my friend and his situation but of my own morality. One day I would too would die and even tho I am not ready yet, too much still to accomplish. Too many places I still want to go, so many things I still want to do. All this life I still want to live but here I am being stagnate in my life. Going thru the motions every day but not getting any closer to where I want to be. All the stops here and now. I can continue to dwell on the "if and when" or get on with the here and now. While I was running I realized my reaction to his post was really so self-centered. "What if it were me." My reaction is not what I would have wanted to hear from people. I came in from my run and I simply replied to his post "I love you." Here and now all that I really felt was love for someone I will truly miss, someone I have truly missed in my life for a number of years.

Will my running take on new focus now, ABSOLUTELY! Through my running I have found a way to clean up my thoughts and bring front and center what is really going on in my mind. Running has brought me to an entirely new way to focus my inner self, which in the end will help me to become the person I still want to grow up to be.

Seabrook Lucky Trails Day #2

I think I must have woken up every hour to see what time it was before the race on Sunday. I finally gave up at 3:30 and got up for good. I did a little yoga and felt pretty good actually, just hungry. AW that runger. I hadn't planned on runger and at 4 am I was very hungry. I powered in some pizza and a cup of coffee and got dressed. I had planned on getting a later start but I know I was fooling myself and was out the door at 5:30, just as I was for the Saturday race. I got to the race area and after a quick change back into my road shoes, I thought my trail shoes would be better since my feet would stay dry longer on wet trails but it was going to rain 2 miles in so I went for comfort. I then rushed off to the start to cheer the 6 am marathon walkers off. After, I sat down under the pavilion and noticed something. Marathoners are serious runners. Saturday costume runners were everywhere, today not so much. I kind of felt like a fool in my sparkle skirt. I ended my warm up and the end of the street where the marathoners were getting ready to start off and then there is the warnings "Folks were going to "potentially" get some rough weather, rain, hail, thunder and lightening, but we are still set to go. If condition get bad use your best judgement." Last words from the announcer were "Stay on the gravel and you'll be fine."  The marathoners lined up and Pharrell's "Happy" was blasting and then the horn sounded and off they went. Next was us halfer's. As the street filled there were noticeably more dressed up runners. It's always so much better for me when I don't start a run feeling like a complete ass.

The race itself was fine. Rain happens and in Houston this past year it has happened a lot. I would bet 50% of my races this past year have had some sort of wetness. The mud on the other hand is a bit different. There was only one part of the course that seemed particularly muddy and that was around mile 4 and again in the 10-11 mile part of the loop. As soon as you crossed the bridge from one side of the trail to the other it got slick. I don't think it would have been so bad if the volunteers who were at the aid station had not been kids. Kids seems to make the best of these types of situations and not really knowing were the trail ended and the bayou bank began and just their pure excitement for being out there they managed to rough up a good 1/4 mile of trail.

The after party was in full swing by the time I crossed and got my medals. Everyone in a happy place. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and the green beer flowing. Music blasting, runner high fiving other runners that they don't even know. RAS puts on really great runner oriented races and I was not let down by one thing they did this year. I can proudly say after finally running all of their races that they are really a series of the most well organized races in Southeast Texas!

One for Saturday, one for Sunday and one for completing the Pelican Challenge. 

These next few things are really related to the race but...

On day one there were these two girls running (I'm going to be a bit mean here but it's kind of necessary) that were wearing completely matching outfits. I would not have given them much notice, lots of friends like to coordinate outfits for races, but their tops were a size or two too small. They ended up lined up right behind me and then I hear "don't worry, she just gives us someone to pass at the finish." REALLY!! Well I paced around them, back and forth for the 3-4 miles but once I passed them I passed them with no further thought. Then came day two, I came across them at twice, once after my first loop when I was heading back up to the turn around spot and one of the shouted "holy crap you're way ahead of us" and then again as I was heading to the mud spot across the bridge between miles 10 and 11 as they were heading to the turn around spot and the looked so defeated at that point. What I would like for people to take from this little tale is that no matter what, you have to run your own race. Often we get out there and we pick a rabbit and aim to get past them but whether we do or not you can't be out there running and letting yourself get defeated because of where someone else is in their race. The only time you should be worried about is your own, the only race you should be running is yours.

Not sure where this one goes in the whole racing scheme, but can someone please tell volunteers how to cut oranges so that they easily come off the peel. From point to point not from the middle. PLEASE!

So where am I at now. A few days post races and all is good but a blister or two and maybe a broken toe but since there isn't much that can be done about it, I'm not doing anything to confirm or deny it. Monthly mileage is 60.29 with nearly two weeks still to go. Next race is Blue Bell 10k on 4/12, next big race is Brazos Bend 25k on 4/27. Going to give myself the rest of the week for recovery and then work towards that 25k.

Also I am looking for fun summer races, know one? Please give me your suggestions. 

Seabrook Trails Day One

I had a GREAT run today, 2nd best time for a half marathon EVER! 2:38:34. Even with it being warm out, 60+ with 100% humidity and a decent chance of rain. In fact it did sprinkle quite a bit but the clouds never let the sun thru so it didn't get any hotter as the day went on.  The trails are awesome, crushed granite. The warning that the trails are narrow is very correct, they are not meant for large crowds of people. When the race gets on a bit and the faster runners take off and the slower runners slow down the groups of people thin considerably. Yes it's a looped course but the nice thing is when you start the second loop is starts from a different point which kind of varies the course a bit. Now on to the problems. I got a huge blister on my little toe. I have never had a blister in the shoes I wore so I thought it quite odd, that is until I went to re-lace them for tomorrow. I had put the wire ties for the timing chip on in such a way that cause my laces to tighten up on me. AH HA! no wonder. Sometimes the smallest thing can make a big impact. Today I ran 1 mile to 1 minute intervals but with this blister I am going to have to walk more. I think day #2 will be 4:1 intervals.

Here's me at the beach, because that's what you do when you're in Seabrook for the weekend. 

Ok, more about these two races and pictures in my next post.

Seabrook Weekend

The Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon weekend is upon us!!! I am so excited! This year I am running the half marathon on BOTH DAYS!! That's right this girl is running back to back halfs! The excitement starts today! Packet pickup! Check out this swag.

2 bibs, a hat, tech shirt, socks and blinkies for my shoes!

These are my season ending (winter) races. Spring starts next week and with only a handful of races until summer I am going to get out there are give these two my all. Fanaticly this will moon me up to Jupiter!! WOO HOO!!

Bayou City Classic

Still having a slow running week because of the cold weather. Thankfully it has finally past and I had the Bayou City Classic to get me back in a runner's mind. The race is put on by HARRA which is the umbrella group for the Houston running community. This is the only race 100% put on by HARRA so there is a really good turn out. I like to think of it as Houston's answer to SF's Bay to Breakers only there is no Bay or Breakers and I have yet to see a naked runner but it still has that groovy vibe to it. It is really more of a traditional kind of race, packets consist of bibs and sponsor flyers, nothing more. Sadly for you bling whore's there are no medals, but you do get a tech finisher shirt (and one year maybe they'll have them made more true to size but they do run small).

You also get a really tough race. After the first mile around some buildings downtown you head out down Allen Parkway which is rolling up and down to Sheppard and then more up and down and up to the finish. Water stops are plentiful but if you require more than water for a 10k I would advise you to bring your own. The 5k starts after the 10k and then merges into the 10k about the 8k mark and about 1/4 to the finish they separate the road so each had it's own finish line. Spectators are pretty nonexistent but they do have dj's along the route, this year Other Brother was blasting some of my 80's favorites in 2 places. My goal for this race was to finish before the slowest centipede. As they all past me I figured my goal would have to be just to finish but after the turn around I saw that there was still one behind me and then I came across a lady who was part of another that it seems left her behind and then when I came to the last two turns I found the rest of her centipede and booked my butt past them. I finished in a new 10k PR time of 1:10:24.  Tips for next time, parking - the garage @ Bagdy and Rusk yellow section, just a short walk up the stairs and you are within a block of the start and finish lines. For the finish stay in the street and walk to the next enterance into the park, this allows you to get past the running club tents which are now crowded and puts you right next to the tents for your finisher shirts. Food is plentiful but the lines are long however the band makes it an easy wait.

Up next Seabrook Lucky Trails weekend. Wish me luck. 

GU Energy Labs

If you run you know what GU's are, for those of you who don't they are different flavors of goo that provide carbs in packets that are easy to carry. They can be hard to digest but most runners use some sort of GU while doing longer runs. GU Energy Labs is having a promotion where if you buy boxes of 8 or 24 of their Salted Caramel (tastes like burnt butter) and find a "Golden Yeti" you win a box of 24 and a chance to win a trip to San Fransisco (going home for 3 days and 2 nights would be nice) but anyways. I FOUND A GOLDEN YETI!! Thank you GU for fueling me into the summer.

February Recap

On 2-16 I ran the Run the Line Half-Marathon in Texarakana TX and AR. The hook for the race is that the state line dividing the 2 states run down center of Texarakana. The race starts in Texas and after a few minutes you are running in Arkansas for 6 miles and then you cross back into Texas and as the route loops around it takes you to the finish line in Arkansas. I LOVED IT!! Only...well for you small race lovers this is perfect. For you semi-trail runners this is for you. For you 'I love to run hills' this is for you. BUT for you back of packers it may be a bit of a head game. First off this year only 619 people ran it but that did not make it a small race. No aspect of what a runner needed was left out. Water stops were every 2 miles, which is a bit further than most races but not a issues for those who bring there own. There were also porta potties at most stations up to I want to say mile 8 but I could be wrong, I stopped looking for them once I hit the one at the half way mark. Which was great and well stocked with things other than water, I couldn't help but grab an orange, fresh orange while running is a big bonus. Just before 8 was also a GU stop. They even had an official chocolate stop stocked with Hershey's miniatures. The course in Arkansas was a paved path along a bayou until mile 4 and then out into a neighborhood. As is wound into Texas there came the biggest hill in the race but not the last hill. After mile 6.5 it felt to me as if the race was now being run in a camp ground, only it's not, this is a beautiful well planned neighborhood with lots of trails and open space. My only true problem was that I have been running in Houston and have not had a true hill workout in some time, so the up and down of this little neighborhood was really hard on my pace. The course does come to this point where you can see it seems like the rest of the run is all down hill. At mile 12 it turns out on the Stateline where you get to run around a post office that is literally in the middle of the road. Once you round the post office you can see the Justice Building that was at the starting line, just a few blocks and your done. The volunteers were absolutely GREAT! The last half of the course was winding thru, left turn, right turn, left turn and there were no less than 3 people at each turn making sure no one goes off course, I have been in bigger races that would have just left you to figure out the signage on your own. Ok, now for the back of the pack issues. This is a 3 wave start race, any one 3+ hour finish time can opt for a 30 minute early start, and then there is the usual faster runners who start when the double shot guns sound and then a 3rd wave for everyone else. So for me what happened was about 200 yards into the race I was the last woman and there was a gentle man about 50ish running about 10 feet behind me and behind him, the sag wagon. He said something to me that help calmed my nerves,  "they are already out there, you get to pass them on your way in". Which was really kind of an odd feeling. By mile one a lady from BGR dropped back to chug her 5 hour energy, she was #1 at mile 2 the first water stop, a couple stopped to use the porta potties, #2 & #3, so slowly I passed after about 8 people I stopped counted and just started going. I guess that was a better mental game than the opposite, starting early and then having all these people pass you. I really enjoyed this race and will keep it in mind as a will do again in a few years. It will be interesting to see how this one grows.

I also ran the Buffalo Wallow - 6k - Spotts Park Houston. First off it wasn't a 6k but it was more than a 5k and they let us know that at the start. There was no start timing, only when you finished but with only 36 runners it wasn't like your time was compromised. It was 3 loops of the park with a water stop at the start so you passed it twice. Very HILLY, equal ups and down with 2 good climbs each loop.
Pros: You get your hill workout and for $16 bucks I got a pretty decent hat (that wasn't white, I'm afraid to wear the white ones). No t-shirt
Cons: Parking, this has to be where all the inner loopers get their hill workout and there were tons of groups not just running in the park but running the clover leaf's on Memorial and cross-fit groups too which made parking hard but the streets around the park seemed accommodating. I did end up walking about 1/2 mile.
 It was the first in the HARRA Spring series and this year I am scheduled to do all but one, I think, the Law Week 8k would be tough to fit in but I know what I am missing from having run it last year so not too disappointed about it, not to say it's not a good race, only it does violate my "No race from the previous year" rule.

The weather has kept me pretty much in doors only logging in 75.95 mile for the month. Look ahead in March I have the Bayou City Classic, which I am anxiously wanting to run having missed it last year and it rained the year before so I have something to prove this year. Also coming up is the Seabrook Marathon weekend in which I will being running the half both days.