Handling the Heat

For the third straight year, I competed in the Too Hot to Handle 15k this morning.  Every year after immediately crossing the finish line I swear I'm not going to do this race again.  Let's be honest, despite it being part of the Run Project race series, I probably would have signed up anyway as some how the miserableness fads away when it's time to register for the next year.  It's like childbirth, you don't recall the pain until you have to do it again.

Running 9.9 miles in the oppressive heat is just that, MIS-ER-ABLE, but if you waited for optimum running temp around here you would be waiting forever.  Apparently I enjoy an extremely red face and sweating profusely as I have absolutely nothing to report other than that I finished.  Finished at 1:31....bettering my goal of 10:00 pace with a 9:50 pace and finishing an entire 5 minutes faster than I did last year.  After a celebratory patio (patio, why not?  If I can run in this temp I certainly can sit in it!) lunch where I washed down my lunch with 3 glasses of Chard, I'd say I'm handling the heat just fine!

Editor's Note:  There are no pictures of this event because apparently handling a camera, watching a toddler, and trying to see when someone is crossing the finish line is too much multitasking for some people.  No we will not be naming names but I do appreciate Adam, Maison, and my mother coming to watch me finish.  Some of these people may or may not have had cameras with them...just saying.

I Heart Water Violators

I realized this morning while running 8 miles that I could never be a runner in Dallas if it weren't for the sprinklers.  Since we have been in a severe drought and under water restrictions for over a year there is nothing more pleasing than running through the nice cool water when you are sweating to death.  Our neighborhood is on alternating watering days so depending on your side of the street you either water Mon/Thurs or Tues/Sat, which means there is no watering on Wed, Fri, or Sun. 

Anyone watering on a non-watering acceptable day is considered a water violator and is subject to fines by the COP.  I personally LOVE the water violators and it has nothing to do with their defiance in order to achieve lovely green grass.  There are studies that show that water restrictions actually lead to more water usage than times without restrictions  Apparently everyone wants their water ration like Sally from A Charlie Brown Christmas, "All I want is what is coming to me.  All I want is my fair share."  Even if that means gaining their share on a non-sharing day.

So on Wed, Fri, and Sun you can find water violating sprinklers to run through but you have to be very good.  It's an art, I must admit, to be able to hear a sprinkler running from a block away.  It's a very special art considering I can't hear Adam in the room next to me but I can hear a sprinkler a block away over the pitter patter of my feet and with Britney blasting in my ears.  An art indeed!

Not Dashing

I should be logged in to give you my race report for the Dash Down Greenville but I'm not because I didn't run. No, not because I hurt myself again. Poor Maison has bronchitis and has literally not slept through the night the entire week. She coughs herself awake and has coughed to the point of vomiting. Besides breathing treatments there is not much they can do for her since she still can't take antibiotics.

So driving to Greenville in the St. Patrick's day crowd was not high on the to do list at 6:15 this morning. Considering it's a 30 min drive normally and running a 5k would take less time than the drive down, I decided to sit this one out. More time to nurse my sweet baby back to health!

Should have scratched

All signs the last few days have been pointing to not doing the Hot Chocolate 15k today. Of course it started last week when I had a minor accident that rendered my knees useless, followed by not having time to do any sort of short run to see if my knees would hold up for 9+ miles. Then yesterday Adam came home at 2:00 so that we could go to Fair Park to pick up my race packet and avoid rush hour traffic. We BOTH had crisis at work and ended up not leaving until 4:30. Traffic was so bad the usual 45 min drive took 1 1/2 hours. It literally took less than 5 minutes to pick up my packet so we were heading back north in the thick of Friday rush hour traffic. We got back to Plano at 7pm. Wow, we could have been almost to Austin in the amount of time we drove 30 miles downtown and back.

I'm committed to a fault, so I was not even deterred when we got an email late Friday night from the race coordinator saying the weather was going to be so bad that if you could not keep a 12 min pace you would have to switch from the 15k to the 5k due to risk of hypothermia. Yes, this race in DALLAS had a risk of hypothermia because the starting temperature was 28 degrees with a 15 degree windchill. 17mph winds in 28 degrees is just an awesome race forecast.

I still got up at 5:45am and put on a bazillion layers and started to make the trek back to Fair Park...I honestly felt like I had just left. It was smooth sailing until I hit the ramps that you must choose I-30 or I-45. I-30 is the only way I know to go to Fair Park so I sat and sat and sat in the horrid traffic. Surely, there weren't this many idiots that were out in the "feels like" 15 degree temperature to run. Then I saw the stalled car that was causing a gawkin backup and had high hopes I'd be in the fair grounds in no time. Nope, barely moved. Then there was a 4 car pile up about 3 cars in front of me = AWESOME! It's approaching 6:50 and we were to be in our corrals by 7:20. I was panicking to say the least. Then here comes the 3 fire trucks, 2 ambulances, and 2 police cars. Wow, that was fast...they are coming to help all these poor runners standing out in the "feels like" 15 degrees in the 4 car pile up in front of me. Unfortunately no, they were going to help the apparent massive wreck ON the I-30 exit bridge.

Uh, screw this. I bailed onto I-45 at the last possible second. No idea where the hell it goes other than to Houston which didn't sound quite so bad at the moment. So I called Adam and said, "I'm about to exit Martin Luther Kind Blvd. which I know is not a good idea in any city so can you please help me figure out how to get to Fair Park from 45?" I wasn't about to pull over in the worst part of Dallas and try to figure out the navigation system in Adam's new car or on the iphone. Besides I can't read a map while driving and I wasn't about to do it in this area. And then there it was, a car with a marathon "26.2" sticker on the car in front of me. OMG! No marathon runner would be in this area of Dallas before 7am on a Saturday unless they were headed to the fair grounds to run. Thank you hallelujah!

I followed the marathoner and pulled into the parking lot at 7am. Made a last minute decision to ditch a top layer and not do a 'drop bag' because at this point I didn't have time to deal with anything more than a bathroom stop and finding my corral. They let the 5k-ers start before us. If it "feels like" 15 degrees why should people running 3 miles get to start before those running 9 especially when the race coordinator themselves had warned us of the risk of hypothermia yet they are the ones keeping us outside from 7:20 until 7:55 waiting to start. After all this, I'm still not thinking "I shouldn't have come." It didn't hit me until the first mile...

Right before I left home, I made a snap decision to wear two pair of socks. The ones I ALWAYS wear for long races with a pair of Columbia liner socks for warmth. This was the "I shouldn't have come." mistake. The first mile I stopped not one, not two, but THREE times because one of the Columbia socks was a quitter. Really a quitter sock is going to do me in after all of this?? A "quitter" is a sock that won't stay up and it bunches up in the arch of your foot. It is literally the worst under normal circumstances but MUST be addressed when you are about to run 9.3 miles on it. So each time I stopped I tried to pull it up so it would stop slouching down and nothing worked until the third stop when I sat down, pulled off my shoe and two socks and literally started over. I pulled that Columbia sock up to the point it hurt my toes and some how folded it over the top sock so it wouldn't slouch back down. This mistake cost me a precious amount of time.

My first two mile pace was 10:30 putting my 5k split at 9:54 pace. I tried my best to make up the lost time and improved to 9:31 pace for my 10k split and then 9:13 pace for my 15k split. I finished at 1:28 which was only 1 min slower than my last 15k so I'll take it. As I crossed the finish line, they handed me some water and Ghiradelli chocolate and I walked straight to my car. I did not go to the post-race party. I didn't want the hot chocolate or the chocolate fondue. All I wanted to do was puke followed closely by burning a pair of Columbia socks. I called Adam and my Mom to tell them I survived, sat on the heated seat until my butt thawed out, and then started to make my way back to I-30. The only thought I had as I pulled on the highway was "I should have scratched." no amount of chocolate is worth this!

Editor's Note: "Scratched" is a term that is used in track and field, horse racing, dog racing, etc when at the last minute you do not compete in the race.

More than a flesh wound

I had high hopes that my minor mishap on Thursday would turn out to be just a flesh wound...but it's now Saturday and my knee is still swollen about 5 times it's normal size and I can't bend it without excruciating pain...

and I still have a palm full of rocks and debris

You would think leading an accident prone life I would not be surprised by these setbacks, but I think God is trying to tell me something when they keep happening right before races I have already signed up for. Hot Chocolate 15k is NEXT SUNDAY. Yes, I have ONE week to not only be able to bend my knee but to run 9.3 miles on it. If I have to miss the race, I can at least take my gimpy butt down to Fair Park and eat my registration fee in chocolate!

Minor Miss Step

This is what you look like after running at dusk and missing an uneven sidewalk that sends you flying into the air, shortly followed by sliding on cement on your stomach.

At least I was a good 1 1/2 miles from home and had no cell phone to call for help. When Maison saw me she said, "Mommy needs a bandaid." Yes, yes I do.

40 degrees and 10 minutes

Too Hot to Handle, Too Cold to Hold. Yes, it's a saying but it's also two very popular 15k races in Dallas at White Rock Lake. The Too Hot to Handle is held in mid-July and is usually close to 95 at the beginning of the race and 100 degrees at the finish. Too Cold to Hold is in late January and could be freezing or 80. You never know....

But after competing in the "cold" version I now know:

1. 55 degrees (today's race starting temp) is about the best racing temperature there is especially when compared to 95 degrees.

2. 15 mph winds when running around a lake in 55 degrees feels like someone shoved ice in your sports bra

3. Water stops are optional and misters don't exist

4. If you drink too much water you have to whiz out your ear as urine doesn't evaporate in 55 degrees as it does in 95+

5. I run exactly 10 minutes faster in 55 degree weather than I do in 95, setting a PR on this course of 1:27.

Just after crossing the finish line:

Mais loves hydration systems as much as Mommy:

Looks like to me I should do a little more cold holding rather than hot handling but due to signing up for the runproject.org (7 races over 2012) I've already signed up for the Too Hot to Handle...and I'm already praying for low 90s...

A Hot Hustle

Adam, Mais, and I headed out at 7:45 this morning in the 35 degree weather so that I could run in the Hotcake Hustle 10k in Addison. I felt warm and snugly in my winter running gear as I was lining up. At mile 2 I had already shed my gloves and ear warmers and was majorly rethinking my decision to wear 3 layers on top. I decided to tough it out since it was only a 6 mile race I didn't want to waste time losing a layer or two. Then at mile 3 I saw my parents cheering me on and realized I was at the 5k point a lot sooner than I thought I would be. The race was 5k and 10k combined so the 10k-ers had to run the entire course twice. I think I was thrown off my pace because the 5k runners were going so much faster. I ended up running a 9:05 pace the first 5k which is A LOT faster than I normally run. When I got in the car after the race, the temperature was 42. I was TOTALLY over dressed for low 40s but I guess it didn't deter me too much. I finished at 57:25 and placed 14th in my age group...the highest place finish I've had running since I placed 1st in my age group in the Plano Balloon Chase in 2000. Yes, it took me 12 years to crawl back into the top 15.

Of course there are pictures of my big finish but it seems someone (hheehheeemm) left the infared setting on the camera while they may or may not been taking pictures of christmas decorations so the best one looks like this:

Not sure if I'm even in that shot but it looks like a top 15 finish to me!

Missing the "Lake"

I left this morning at 5:45 am in the 38 degree pouring down rain to go run the Dallas White Rock half marathon. Given that Maison is sick again and I haven't done any athletic events since spraining my ankle, this really wasn't the best idea. I missed my last training run of 10 miles due to Mais being sick so on top of everything else, I wasn't sure I was prepared.

If I didn't have doubts on the drive down, I definitely had doubts after lining up at 7:30am in the pouring rain and not crossing the starting line until 8:13am. It literally poured the entire first 5 miles. It was raining so hard the water dripping off the bill of my hat was blurring my vision.

This race is referred to as "Run the Rock" in reference to the course which follows White Rock lake. I think today's race should been referred to as "Run the Lake" or "Running through White Rock Lake" because that is more what it felt like.

This is the first race I have ever done where I did not remove something that I was wearing. I was so wet and cold I kept every stitch on until the bitter end. I ended up finishing in 2:10 which was a PR for me. I guess the freezing rain moved me faster than the heat I normally compete in.

After wringing water out of my sports bra which was my 3rd layer down and seeing Andrea (friend I ran with) ask for pancakes post-race so that she could use them for warmth, I thought I should have listened to my gut and sat this one out....but then I remembered I was thinking about me and unless I'm physically injured I don't ever sit one out! Besides a little rain never hurt anyone...

459th Reason Why...

The 459th reason why I live in Dallas...

It's Nov. 13 at 9:04am and it's a gorgeous 70 degrees. I just finished an 8 mile run that started at a perfect running temp of 64 degrees. Despite the 17 mph winds, I set a PR at this distance of 1:17. For those of you that are bad a math that's a 9:38 pace, well below my goal of 10 min miles at any distance over 5 miles.

After this run I decided to sign up for the White Rock Half in Dec. It's still 3 weeks away; plenty of time for me to blow an ankle, catch the flu, or other ailments that have sidelined me for these types of events over the last few months. Please pray that everyone is healthy enough for me to make this one.

I'm off to enjoy the rest of our gorgeous day that is forecasted to be in the low 80s. I may be hobblin' along but that won't be enough to ruin weather like this!

I could live in Seattle

Drip.....drop....drip....drop...what on earth is that? It's 6:30 am is that a leak? OMG!!! Is that? Could it be? NO WAY...IT'S RAIN!!! Yes, RAAAAIIIINNNN!!! It's seriously been about ONE HUNDRED days since we've seen rain. We are having about the hottest, driest summer we have had since 1980.

This morning as I was awoken at 6:30 am by the wonderful, wonderful rain, I could sit and listen and watch the rain or go running like I had planned. I know when it rains in Dallas the whole city pretty much shuts down but who could pass up the mid-80 degree weather and the glorious rain? So off running I went and it was A-MAZ-ING! I did not see a single person out but me. Not a runner, walker, biker to be had....but if people in Seattle run in the rain why shouldn't I?

Hot Project

This morning I ran the Too Hot to Handle 15k. It was a solo project this year because Kelly was injured and Jan wasn't arriving for the Britney concert until tomorrow. Running 9.3 miles by yourself is very long and boring even with Britney and Justin Timberlake as entertainment. I certainly missed my besties on this one!

My race report is pretty non-eventful...

- Left house at 6:25am.

- Parked and in port-a-potty line by 7:00am

- Out of potty line and at starting line at 7:25am

- Race started promptly at 7:30am

- Ran for 1:36

- Saw Adam and Maison right before finish shortly after 9am

The mid-80 degree forecast was a little too good to be true. 86 degrees was announced as the starting temp and it was 93 per weatherchannel.com when I finished. Even though it was hot it was nothing compared to last year!

Lovin the mid-80s

I'm all set for the Too Hot to Handle 15k. Forecast in the mid-80s!! Last year it was 85 when we left the house and 98 when we finished. Let's hope the mid-80s forecast is true...

Canyonlands Half ~ I've been exfoliated!

I did it! I finished the Canyonlands Half Marathon....barely. Let's just say that training in Dallas did expose me to the 40 degree weather, but did not prepare me for 40 degrees with 27 mph winds, steep hills, windy roads, or exfoliation. Yes, exfoliation! Apparently, when you are running through a canyon of red rocks in 27 mph winds you get sandblasted...literally! There was no sun in sight but we had to run in sunglasses to protect our eyes from the dirt.

Our resort was past the starting line so the resort provided us with transportation, which is great but had to happen 2 hours before the race began so that they could get off the road before it was closed. Standing outside in 40 degree weather for 2 hours does not rank high on my things to do list but add 27 mph winds and flying dirt/rocks and I'll go ahead and move that near the bottom of my list. I never thought I would be excited to run 13.1 miles but if it got me moving through this dirt storm I was all for it.

Jan and I had decided to run together because I needed her to pace me and quite frankly Jan is more entertaining than my iPod and I knew she would make the time fly by. At mile 2 I stopped for gatorade and lost Jan! I thought she was behind me so I waited for 5 minutes and she thought I was ahead of her so she was trying to catch up. I didn't see her again until mile 6. We all had on matching shirts but they were a pale pink and I kept seeing other brunettes with pink shirts. I finally decided to look for Jan's hot pink shorts and I saw her at the top of a hill that I was at the bottom of. I sprinted all the way up the hill and finally caught up.

I was so happy to find Jan but when I found her she was not doing well. She had hurt her foot a few days ago and after running 6 miles on it she was convinced it was broken and was unsure if she was going to be able to finish the race. I stayed with her for 2 more miles while she was trying to decide if she was going to the medic or if she would try to finish the race. I mile 8 she told me to go on without her.

I hit the killer hill at mile 9 and was surprised that I felt ok. I kept chugging along until mile 12 and then I...wanted...to...DIE!. It was all I could do to keep moving to finish at 2:31. My goal of 2:20 was shot but I didn't care. I was so worried about Jan, after I found Adam, Kari, and Lee we went straight to the medic tent to look for her. But she wasn't there...she ended up walking the last 6 miles so that she could finish the race! She headed straight for the medic tent and wasn't surprised to find us all there.

My not so big finish:

What you look like after 2 1/2 hours of exfoliation:

Check out Jan's race review and more pics on her blog: Duh! Winning!

8 miles of death

"8 miles of death" does not just describe how I felt after running 8 miles this morning after a night out drinking for the first time in weeks, but yet describes what I encountered on this morning's run. At 1 1/2 miles a dead bird, at 3 1/2 miles a dead rat (eeewww!), and at 8 miles a dead baby bird. If these animals were in the road I might have not been so disgusted but these were right in the middle of the sidewalk where I was running.

Does the C.O.P. not have to clean these up? Does the "road kill" staff only have to take care of animals in the road? Are these animals just supposed to sit here and rot because no one feels it's their responsibility to dispose of them humanely?

Lessons learned after today's run:

1. Don't drink profusely and expect to feel good running 8 miles

2. Don't drink profusely and expect to not want to hurl up your breakfast when you see multiple dead animals

3. Don't run 8 miles...no qualifier necessary just don't

I'm going to Canyonlands ~ 1 month to go!

I know the saying is "I'm going to Disneyland" but I've never been to Disneyland, nor do I plan to go to Disneyland because I'm going to Canyonlands...and I'm going one month from today. What is Canyonlands? Only one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Gorgeous red rocks, topped with brilliant white snow. No other way to describe it than A-MAZ-ING.

Adam and I went to Moab in 2007 for his birthday in March. While we were there we saw the Canyonlands half marathon. I don't know why, but when I saw the runners leave our resort the morning of the race, I knew that I would some day do it. Me, run a half marathon? Now that's funny. I'm NOT a runner, never have been a runner, nor have I ever really planned to be a runner. When I was younger (much younger...hhheeem) I thought of myself as a sprinter. Trying to turn a sprinter into a runner is quite the ordeal. But if I am ever to become a runner...now is the time. This race will be worth every painful training mile run...

I was going to post some breathtaking pictures from our last Moab trip but we have seemed to misplaced all our pictures from 2007-Aug 2008. So weird. Anyway, instead I will show you my "golden ticket" my entry confirmation for Canyonlands. Now if I could just muster up the energy to wave it over my head and sing "I've got a golden ticket. I've got a ray of light." ala Charlie from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory you would get the idea how excited I am to be doing this race.

Wreck of a Day

This morning I had my post-op appointment for my gum surgery. I was running late, of course, and when I was ready to leave I couldn't find my keys anywhere. Adam had driven my car yesterday and he rarely puts keys in a logical place, so after 10 min of looking I started to call him...and call him...and call him. I became furious after about 10 calls and no answer. And then he answered, I rudely asked "How many times do I have to call before you answer? 50?" and when he responded that he was on the phone with 911 when I called I quickly changed my tone.

Adam got into a wreck on his way to work this morning. Luckily he was on the side streets so wasn't going very fast but he was the last car hit in a 3 car pile up. He says he's ok and his truck just has the bumper shoved up under the bed of the truck, but we know from my mom's wreck just 5 weeks ago that you may seem ok now but be very sore in days to come.

As if that wasn't a great enough way to start out the day, I still had my post-op appointment and an ortho appointment to go to. My post-op was pretty non-eventful. I did have to deal with Rookie Amber but she removed the remaining stitches with minimal pain and no bleeding for once. I'm not exactly where I should be in the healing process so still have to watch what I eat (no chips or crackers...UGH!) and have to have a follow up in 4 more weeks....awesome.

To top off this wonderful day, I had to go back to the orthopedic surgeon regarding my plantar. My feet are feeling ok after switching to the custom orthodics but my knee was killing me after running on Sunday. Apparently, having my gait corrected has resulted in putting too much pressure on my IT band. I have to do non-impact activities until the pain subsides and take an anti-inflammatory. Just when I need to drown my sorrows in a robust cabernet I can't drink due to taking an anti-inflammatory, but I did cheer myself up with a 44oz from Race Trac...sometimes you just have to give in to your addictions.

Hot...Handled!

Today Jan, Kelly, and I did the Too Hot to Handle 15k (~9.3 miles) race in Dallas. It was in the high 80s when we left around 5:45 am and was a balmy 98 degrees when we finished. It was a VERY HOT, slow, sluggish race but we all finished around ~1:50 and no one needed a medic!

6:00 am - Parked and ready to go

9:45 am - We did it! 9.3 miles and 1 hr and 50 min later.

This afternoon Adam set up Maison's baby pool with jumping sprinklers. She loved it!

So though this mid-July day was super hot...we handled it!