Running in the Cornfields - The Final Chapter

Disclaimer: This is the last part of a three part story. If you haven't read the first two installments, I recommend you read them first (Part 1 and Part 2). This is the story of when my awesome run went bad. I'd hate for that to be your only reference to an otherwise great run!

Dad and I returned to the house and to my great delight my sister and two of my nephews were there visiting. 

My nephew Mike (I still like to call him Mikey even though he’s all grown up) is a tri-athlete. He is just a super-fit superman. I love hanging out with him because he can talk endurance sports for hours and not get bored. (Unless he is just being nice to his old aunt). 

Something I have noticed about athletes is they just don’t make big deals about big athletic feats. For instance, athletes may say, “Yeah, sorry I’m late. I climbed Mt. Everest this morning and my flight back to the US left late.”

“OMG! You climbed Mt. Everest???!!!! How do you do that??”

“Oh you could do it,” they say, “You just have to train for it.”

So when I walked in the house and Mike exclaimed, “Oh my God you WERE running in this heat? Geez, when they told me I was really worried about you.”

Did I mention Mike lives in Arizona?  He knows heat. So I was a little surprised he was concerned. 

I drank some electrolyte and took a shower. I heated up a microwave lunch and was pooped! So I laid down on the couch to rest.

Soon I felt a headache creeping up on me and all of a sudden everyone’s voices were getting so loud! My parents are hard of hearing so the family is used to talking loud. But it sounded like everyone was shouting and it was growing louder by the minute. 

So I dragged my body off the couch and laid down on my parents bed. I wanted to fall asleep so bad. But I couldn’t. I hate that! I couldn’t get comfortable and I couldn’t fall asleep. 

My sister came in to tell me goodbye and I could barely see her. She was fuzzy and my head was in a full-fledged ache-mode. I hope I was making sense when I was responding to my sister but to be honest, I don’t remember much about it. 

When she left, I laid back down and I’m pretty sure I finally fell to sleep because I woke up to a SPLITTING head ache. It hurt so bad! I kept trying to get comfortable but I just couldn’t. 

I got up and I was so hot! I sat down in front of the air conditioning vent. Then I was too cold. Grabbed a blanket off the couch and had to arrange it just so until the temperature right. Then I could only focus on my head pain. I was writhing! 

Dad and Mom was starting to get worried. Dad asked if Advil would help. IB Profin is the only thing that works for my regular head aches. So Dad went out to get me some. I kept writhing on the floor. Mom was talking about taking me to the emergi-clinic. Then she mentioned, “They’ll send you to the hospital.” 

That freaked me out. I was in a lot of pain and on the one hand, would like to do anything to get the pain to stop. But the thought of going to the hospital upset me. 

“I don’t wanna go to the hospital!!!!!” I whined like a two year old. 

My head ache was unbearable so I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and put it on my head. It made it hurt more! Dad came back with the IB Profin and immediate scolded me. 

“Honey! Don’t do that! That’s very bad for you!!”

I had forgotten that’s how my grandmother died. She had a headache, put an ice pack on her head and a blood vessel burst. Oops. 

Dad would only give me two tablets!!! I usually take three just for a regular headache! Why wouldn’t he give me six today??!!! 

We were debating going to the emergency clinic. (Which I equated to going to the hospital). They would close in about 20 minutes so we had to decide fast. I was getting more and more upset and agitated. I can’t remember who decided to call Kris. But I remember my dad talking to Kris for a minute and then handing me the phone. 

I remember crying and trying to tell Kris what was happening. He just asked one question: “What have you eaten today?”

Diiiiinnnnnggg Dooooong! The bell went off. 

I had had less than 750 calories all day and ran long distance in the heat and humidity. 

“Love, you’re bonking.”

I was bonking.

That explained everything. The head ache, agitation, not being able to regulate my body temp, befuddled thinking and being emotional. I HATE bonking!

I got off the phone and looked at my parents. 

“I need carbs and salt.”

“What?” 

“I have no glycogen in my blood. I need carbs and salt.”

“What do you want?”

“An apple and the salt shaker.”

While I ate my salted apple slices, my dad mixed another bottle of electrolytes. Ironically, it was apple-flavored. 

My parents watched me eat like they were watching an exhibit

at Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. I don’t think they believed an apple was going to make me better. 

I spent the next couple hours eating fruit and drinking fluids. An hour or two after that we were playing games at the kitchen table. 

Dad noted, “We were about to send you to the hospital. Now just a few hours later you’re back to normal.”

That’s when I gave my parents a brief lesson in endurance fueling and the dangers of massive calorie deficits. Before the lecture, my mom would exclaim, “You’re eating again???!!!” (And this was four hours after we ate breakfast).

I’d think, “I’m training for a marathon and I haven’t eaten for hours. Yea, I’m eating again!”

So after my little ‘lecture‘ she had a greater understanding and she started asking me, “Have you eaten everything you need to so far today??”

I can honestly say I didn’t take advantage and say things like, “Why now that you mention it, I haven’t reached  my ice cream or french fry quota Mom. Drive me to Dairy Queen. Stat!”   

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18 miles today! Hilly! Click the link to check out the profile.

Running in Mammoth

Terrible wind. But kinda of funny the way I am trying so hard to be heard. Watch if you'd like a laugh!

Running in the Cornfields Part 2

My dad was walking toward me from the end of butterfly alley. He had a fresh sweat towel for me. Boy did I need it! My original one was weighing me down! It was soaking! 

I felt like a pro runner, I mean I had my own personal towel guy to meet me on the trail! Dad handed me the towel and walked next to me (I was still ‘running’ but much slower now). 

When we made it to the car, I handed all my empty bottles to dad and tried to do a stretch break. I drank every last bit of water he had. I finally had to get back on the trail. Dad asked me if I needed anything else. I just said, “More water.”

“Just plain water?” 

“Yeah, just water.”

I took off down the trail. Dad was going to meet me at the next cross street which was only about the length of three large city blocks. I wasn’t sure how he was going to get all the way to the nearest store and back in time. Then I realized how slow I was moving. He’d be back with time to spare!

I couldn’t believe how slow I was now moving. I thought, “I can’t believe how bad this heat is effecting me!” 

I reflected back on other times I was cycling or hiking in the heat. I felt different this time. It wasn’t the same. What was different today? Humidity? Yeah. But it wasn’t the usual heat sickness I was feeling. 

I thought back to fuel. FUEL!!!! I didn’t fuel!! OMG!!! I was so worried about getting out as early as possible, I didn’t have my usual pre-run breakfast of 300 - 400 calories. I just grabbed my electrolyte mix which is great to counteract the heat. But it will not give your body enough calories to go far. I didn’t bring bars or gels either. What was I thinking??!!?? 

“Why did I tell Dad I only wanted water?” I thought, “I am an idiot!”

I saw his car come down the road back from the store. I was still several yards from the trail head. I saw Dad jump out of the car and run like a bat out of hell across the four lane road. Two bottles in his hands. He dropped them at the foot of the post at the end of the trail and high tailed it back to his car. 

“Why isn’t he waiting?” I thought. 

He turned back to me waved and yelled, “Can’t park! Can’t Park!! Meet you later!!”

(My dad and I are spooky like that. We can read each other’s thoughts. I’m not kidding. It’s freaky.)

He jumped in his car and sped off. Damn! I was going to politely ask (and beg if I had to) for him to go back to the store to get me some carb loaded drink. Too late now. 

I made it (barely) to the post and bent down to grab the bottles. Holy holy holy!! My dad had left one bottle of water .....and a bottle of carb loaded drink!!

Thank God my dad doesn’t listen to me. 

I told you we were freaky!

I didn’t stop because I was worried about getting started again. So I grabbed both bottles and chugged the carbs down in almost one slug! AHHHHHH........I could feel my body just absorbing the carbs like a sponge! Oh thank goodness!

I kept running. I knew I was only about two miles out and I always say, “You can suffer through two miles of anything.” But I was ready to be done! 

Dad met me one more time on the trail. He didn’t have any more carb drink. But he had more water. I handed him my empty bottles and kept plugging away. 

I was running past landmarks now that I knew was leading up to the last piece. Finally I saw the traffic wizzing by on First St which marked the end of the trail and my run for the day. 

I saw my dad walking from his car toward the end of the trail. I was still at least a quarter mile out and I knew dad had always walked down the trail  to meet me at our past meeting places. I was so wore out (mentally and physically) that I knew I would stop running where ever I was when he met me. Regardless of if I was at the end or not. I know I was only a quarter mile out. But I always finish the distance to the last foot. It’s a ‘thing’ with me. 

I started chanting in my head, “Stay up there. Stay up there.”

Dad stepped onto the trail and walked over to the stop sign on the right side. He turned and faced me from afar, took off his hat, waved it at me and then plopped it on top of the stop sign and waited patiently.

I told you, we hear each other’s thoughts. 

I managed to tap the stop sign as the official end to my long run in Iowa. I was spent! Dad held another water bottle out to me and said, “Need some more water Jill?”

“No, thanks. I think I’ll have some later.”

“You look like you need more now!” And with that he squeezed the chilled water bottle and just doused me from head to toe!!! Yeowwwww!!!!

Boy it felt good! What a happy ending to quite an adventure. 

However, I didn’t realize at the time, another adventure was brewing and this one was not so happy....

Burning up the route

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Great pace tonight! And I ran about 2 miles with a bag of poop! Heather decided she had to leave a deposit a long way from a public trash can!!

Fast and Furious!

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Rough day at work. Got started on my run late. I was grumpy. So I was running angry and it really helped my time! :)

Running in the Cornfields Part 1

First let me admit the title of this post is inaccurate. I didn’t actually run “in” the corn fields. I would NEVER run IN the corn fields! 

I watched “Children of the Corn” in the 80’s. I have been afraid of those damn fields ever since! The trail I ran laid a scant twenty feet from the fields on either side and that was close enough for me! I still kept a sharp eye peeled for ol’ Malechai  as I ran. I bet it helped me keep my pace brisk knowing at any time psycho children could come out of the corn and drag me back in never to be seen again......

The start of my eight mile run was actually great. I felt fresh and strong! I had left early (8am) and was confident the heat wouldn’t get bad until after I was back in at around 10 ish. I mis-judge that a little bit. That wasn’t the only thing I mis-judged......

The trail was where the old railroad tracks had been taken out. So they ran a fairly straight shot threw neighborhoods and then through farmland when the trail left town. 

In the first couple miles I ran past large houses with carefully landscaped back yards. Many of the home owners built bridges across the ditch that separated their yard and the trail. With all the rain that comes in the summer, the residents will actually need the bridges to cross the ‘river’ that will appear. 

One yard was particularly delightful. The owner had placed a lot of objects of interest on their back property line so they actually lined the trail as I ran along. It was really fun to see the cute set ups they did. My favorite was a little bench with a pinic basket next to it. Just behind the basket was a sign that read: Picnic menu and listed items like “Hot Dogs”, “Soda Pop” “Chips” and there was a bright red phone right next to the sign for you to call up to the house and place your order. So cute!

There was also a Tic Tac Toe game set up using rocks with “X” and “O” painted on them. The game was at its end where there was only one square left to play and I noticed that either the “X”s or the “O”s had the potential to win the game.

One of my favorite features was a miniature 1960ish t-bird toy car with a big teddy bear sitting in it. The big teddy bear was holding a small teddy bear. Very cute. All the little scenes cheered me as I ran along. But that wasn’t all. 

At the end of the property was a large shed with a mural painted on it. It was a painting of the trail itself with a biker and a runner on the path with the phrase “Find joy in your journey” at the top. How appropriate! That property was a joy in itself!

I had a long way to go and I was already feeling the heat. It was going to be a long time before I’d see my Dad at the first agreed upon checkpoint. (My dad was SAGging my run for me). 

 And then I saw him..a few hundred feet away. He was wearing a red t-shirt, so he was easy to spot. He had parked at the nearest street that crossed the path from where he left me. 

At first I thought, “Aw, he’s checking on me.” Then I realized, he must not have thought I could make it that far! I hadn’t even gone two miles yet!

When I reached him he started jogging beside me for a few yards. How cool! Dad and I have ridden bikes together a lot. But we’ve never ran together. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen my dad run. Ever. But he jogged with me until he was back where he left the car.

The run to the turn around point seemed long.  I was not used to the humidity! Breathing was so much harder than in California! The air was like, not chunky, that would be LA. But wet and heavy. Like you’re breathing syrup. 

I was getting wiped! I couldn’t wait for Dad to meet me at the first ‘rest stop’. I needed a break! Then he called me. 

“Jill, I’m at 100th street and I don’t see you.” 

“I’m south of 100. I’m at 110.” I shout into my handsfree set.

“110 isn’t south. It’s north.”

So a long discussion ensued regarding the odd layout of the roads and where my precise location was. 

“Ok, Jill. I’ll meet you at 26th. I think that should be the next cross over you’ll reach.”

There was a ton of bikers on the trail that day. We later learned there was a sponsored ride. So at least I wasn’t alone as I struggled my way to the meet up. A few minutes later my phone rang again. 

“Jill, where are you?”

“I’m almost to 24th.”

“What? How did you miss 26th?” 

“I didn’t see you. Are you sure you’re at 26th?”

“Yeah. I’m at the intersection with all the old farm equipment.”

“Farm equipment??”

“Yeah. It’s right next to the trail. You had to have run right past it!”

“I didn’t see any equipment.”

“Gosh Jill! Where ARE you?? Maybe you aren’t as far south as we thought.”

“I don’t know Dad. I sense I’m south of you.”

“Me too but I should have ran into you here.” [Frustrated pause]

Some more bikers passed me heading north. 

“Dad, you want to try to meet me at 24th?”

“Ok.”

Five seconds later my phone rings again.

“Jill, you are south of me. I stopped some bikers and they confirmed they had seen you south on the trail.”

“Yeah I’m just now crossing 24th.”

“Ah, I missed you!”

“Dad, remember the farmhouse on Irvinedale?”

“Yes.”

“Meet me there.”

I kept running. I was so tired! The heat and humidity was just KILLING me! The farmhouse was way out there. It was within the last two and a half miles of the finish. That was a long way to go before getting my bottles refilled. But I kept plugging along. I was afraid my dad was going to have a long wait before he saw me coming down the trail. 

Finally, I reached what I call “Butterfly Alley”. It was a piece of trail right across the street from the farm house. It was a long stretch. But I knew a break was at the end. 

Running With Diana

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So tired tonight. But I called my best girl Diana and she talked with me for 5 miles. Easiest 5 I've ever done! :)

16 Miles

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16 miles tonight. It was one of my slowest times. But I covered the mileage fair and square!

Late 4 miler

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First day back from vacation. Stayed late at work. Didn't start running until 8pm! It's bed time now!

My First Ice Bath

14 Miles!!

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My first 14 miler! It went really well! I think the tough training in IA was really helpful! Yeah!

Seven Miles in Iowa

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I was better prepared this time. I even started an hour earlier than my 8 mile run. But it was still burning up in the second half. There were a lot of runners out too. Don't know how they do that long term. This was my last run in Iowa. Next run 14 miles back in cool CA!

Four Miles in Iowa

I haven’t blogged about my longest run in Iowa yet (8 miles). I want to take a little time with it. It’ll end up a two-parter as my ‘adventure’ didn’t end with the run itself. 

I also want to go back to the route and collect pictures of the interesting sites I saw. (Unlike my amazing husband, I don’t take good pictures as I run).

So today, I’m going to blog about this morning’s run. It proved both challenging and fun! 

I only had 4 miles to go today so I thought if I started at 8am, I’d be back before it got too hot. I checked the temperature before I left the house and it read “71”. That sounded great!

I got outside and it felt like 80! Amazing what a little humidity will do! But it was much cooler than my 8 mile run and I was loaded up nice and good with electrolyte fluids. I was good to go. So off I went. 

I made sure I covered myself from head to toe with bug spray. Yuck! That stuff smells awful and tastes worse! I felt weird using it while I am running to raise funds for cancer research. I can’t imagine the chemicals in the bug repellant being good for me. But the flip side is getting so many mosquito bites that at worse I get malaria or at best too many itchy bumps that I am too miserable to run. So I took my chances. 

As usual, I headed through my parents’ neighborhood on my way to one of the trails that snake all over the area through beautiful wooded areas. I love running in the woods. But today I decided to by pass the woods. Even though I had the bug repellant, we had such a storm that came through last night, not only would the bugs be particularly plentiful but they’d be angry too! Besides that, there would be low spots where there’d be standing water and I wanted to run rather than wade today. 

So I decided to do a loop around the neighborhood near the wood trail. It was fun because I didn’t know exactly where the road was going to take me.  The doubt and the attention needed to keep me on course made the run more interesting. 

I was feeling the heat more in the second half of the run. But I finished just a little slower than my usual “California” (i.e., non-heat, non-humid, no-bugs conditions) pace. :) 

Due to the unplanned route I finished several blocks before my parents’ house. Which was fine with me as it allowed me to do a great cool down walk and that’s how I met Buster and his mom. 

I was rounding the last corner and I saw a lady in a bright pink top with a super cute boxer in toe. (Actually, she may argue the boxer was toeing her)!

Those of you who know me know I had to stop to say “Hi”. I found out the boxer’s name was Buster. What a perfect name for a Boxer! He was quite excited to meet a new person. I could only imagine what I smelled like to him with the awful sweat and bug spray combo I had going on. But I guess he liked what he smelled because he gave me lots of doggy kisses! :)

His mom was super nice and I forgot to ask her name (some day I will learn my manners). So I know her now as ‘Buster’s mom’. :)

We chatted and she was kind enough to ask if I was training for something. She must have noticed my “Team in Training” hat. That, or she knew that only people who are training for something important would be running out in that heat! :)

So I filled her in on my marathon and why I was running. She mentioned her and her husband was considering a half-marathon in January. (I assumed she meant a ‘destination run’ as it is near impossible to run in Iowa in winter! Check out my post from Dec 15, 2008 for some insight on running in Iowa in the winter!) 

We also chatted about running with the TNT group. I so enjoyed chatting with her. I could have chatted all day with her if it wasn’t for the fear of melting. 

I sure hope she goes for the half. I could tell she could do it no problem.  And I’d love for anyone to experience the joy I have training for something bigger than they’ve done before! 

Go Buster’s Mom Go!

Dad was waiting for me on the lawn when I finally made my way back home. Sweat was literally RAINING off me! I could tell by the look on my Dad’s face he was grossed out! 

“Hey Jill?”

“Yeah Dad?”

“Can you promise me to take a shower before you sit on .... or touch anything?”

“Sure Dad.” :)

4 Miles in Iowa

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Did another warm run. This one was only 4 miles. It was hot again even though I started at 8am. Met a super nice lady and her dog Buster at the end. :)

Tough Run in Iowa.

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I had 8 miles to do today so I started out at 8am thinking I would beat the heat. The heat beat me up but not out. I finished! It was good training in suffering and the importance of carbs. I will need to know how to manage both during my marathon. :)

Click the link if you want to check out the link and the stats!

Morning Run in Iowa

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I actually got up this morning to "run". (Kris managed to get me out of bed). I walked almost half of the run since my calves were still screaming from the hike at Ledges Park. But ran the second half.

Iowa Run #2

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It's hot running in Iowa! I waited until 8pm to try to run when it was cooler. It was still hot and humid. I got in just after dark with a decent pace on a short 3 miler. THis is very good training for me. I won't be running in the heat in San Francisco! :)

Ten With the Team!

So I was running with the team again this past Saturday. It was 10 miles this time. Double digits!! OMG! Just like before the 9 miler I was nervous as anything! I’ve never done 10 miles before. What makes me think I can do 10 miles??? But of course, that’s what you train for all week. Of course we were ready! 

So my running buddy Cindy and I were waiting to take off and I did the usual ‘systems check’. Nike+ Non-functioning since the last iPhone OS upgrade. Oh well, I have my Garmin right? Nope! It wouldn’t turn on for some reason 

So I call my tech savvy husband and I catch him while he is in the middle of his own run. He breathlessly gives me a few tips to try. None of which work. 

Damn! I haven’t ran gadget free before. Not a big deal since the TNT coaches plotted the route. So I didn’t have to watch the distance to ensure we did 10. But the Garmin beeps to let us know when our running intervals start and stop. Luckily my iPhone has a stop watch and timer. So I set the time for 9 minutes and the stop watch for a minute. So that allowed us to keep track of the intervals. But how are we going to watch our pace? The old fashion talk test? Gosh! How archaic and untechnical! 

I was annoyed and turned to one of the team mentors and said, “I can’t believe BOTH of my trackers are down! Can you believe that?! What are the chances??”

She grinned, grabbed my shoulders and shook me gently then said, “But you can still run!”

Yes I can. And I did. 

It was hilly as I expected. But we did good. It’s funny how the miles peel away when you have a good running partner. Except, we were fooled a few times.

First we saw Pete our SAG guy. Usually, he’s near the turn around point. But this time he was just at mile 2! Then we saw Coach April and I thought she was at the turn around. But we found she was at the turn around for the half marathon runners. Cindy and I still had a long way to go. 

But it was cool. We ran out through the AG pastures for the college and saw cute little cows. Then we ran across a local senior out on his daily run. He has been running in the area for over 25 years. So he knew the best routes out there. Lucky for us because we got turned around and had to ask him for directions. 

On our way back from the turn around point, we saw a gorgeous wood owl in a tree. He was magnificent!  

When we were back on the college campus we saw a bus doing its rounds. It passed us a few times as we ran through. We were the only ones out there. It was still early in the morning and summer. Not many students out.

At one point we had to stop and check out the route map. I didn’t mind because it was toward the top of a big hill that was kicking my butt! I appreciated the break!

As we were standing there huddled over our maps and me sucking air like I’m on top of Everest, the bus came down the hill and pulled along side us. The driver opened the door and I thought he was going to try to get us to skip the rest of the run and take a bus ride in!

I looked over and started to wave him off. But he said, “Hey Ladies, you go straight up this hill, turn left, go down that hill  and your team truck is waiting for you there.”

“Thanks!!”

He was exactly right! Pete was waiting for us right where the driver said he’d be. I was going to take us up the wrong street! Cindy was right about how she thought we were supposed to go. So as we were running down the hill toward Pete I told Cindy:

“That’s it. I’m gadget girl. I’ll tell us when to run and walk. You’re now the navigator. You tell us where to go.” :)

We had more hills all the way back into the park. But we cleared them and we cleared them in style! 10 miles. No problem!

Monday 4 Miler

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Not so fast today. But had a good run.

My Second 9 Miler

So last Saturday I had my second 9 mile run. The Team was running  a 6 mile sponsored race and adding 3 miles to it to make their 9. I opted to run ‘with’ my husband instead and avoid the long drive to the race site. 

Kris was running a  16 mile route. So he let me sleep in. Smart man. The plan was for me to run out the same route as Kris to the 4.5 mile mark and run back. That way we’d be sure to see each other on the run. 

And we did. We actually passed each other on opposite sides of the street. We waved to each other and then Kris grabbed his phone and it looked like he was texting as he was running. That takes talent. I wondered who he was texting. Oh! It was me! “I love you!” That kept me running! :) 

At the 5 mile mark I got another text “Run Jill Run!” That’s how I knew when Kris had finished his route. 

This second 9 miler was much flatter than my last 9 miler. I was running pretty good and staying pretty comfortable. I had seen a lot of bikers on the road this day and remembered it was time for the Tailwinds Windmill ride. The Tailwinds always put on a good ride!

I was at the corner to the entrance of my neighborhood. I hit the crosswalk button and heard, “Thanks” behind me. 

I turned and saw a cyclist waiting to cross the street too. 

I said, “Hi. How far you going today?”

“100 miles. (pause) and I have 38.5 miles to go,” he finished tiredly. 

“You can do it! You’ll make it just fine!”

“I hope so! So how far’s your run?”

I hated to tell him I was almost done with my work for the day, “I have 9 miles today.....I’m 8.5 miles in.”

“Good for you,” he grinned.

“You are so going to make it. You’re looking really strong. No worries!”

“Thanks. You know I was a runner before I started biking. I got a stress fracture so  started biking while it heals.” 

“That’s funny. I was a biker before I started running.”  

The light turned green and we crossed together. Then we went our separate ways. I’m positive he not only made his 100 miles, I’m sure he came in in style!

Take That Cancer!

I just got word that the Nike Full team alone is about to cross the $50,000.00 mark in our fundraising efforts!!!!!!!!! And we're only about half way through the fundraising time!!

Plus that's just ONE of the teams!!! There is still the Nike half and the Disney half teams. Imagine what all three groups will be able to raise by the end of the season! So you know: cancer can just suck it!!

If you haven't donated yet, please do! There is a link in the upper right corner of my blog and there is a link on my Facebook profile page (half way down on the left side).

If you have donated THANK YOU. Please pass on my information to anyone you think may like to donate. Every little bit helps! And you can donate as many times as you want! :)

Mid-Week 5

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This was my longest mid-week run to date in my marathon training. Went pretty well. Decent pace pretty comfortable over the whole route.

The Ice Cream Man Stalks Me

So I was out on a regular run one day and feeling tired but good. I hear the familiar jiggle of the ice cream truck. Do do dododoo da da doodaloo!

“Ah, ice cream,” I think.

I kept jogging expecting the truck to pass me but it didn’t. I just kept hearing the music “Do do dododoo da da doodaloo”. I looked over my shoulder and low and behold it is crawling right behind me. 

There were no kids around. There is a park just a couple blocks up but he’s not heading that way. He’s rolling behind me. Do do dododoo da da doodaloo.

I speed up and I make a hard right onto a side street. I hear the truck behind me. Do do dododoo da da doodaloo

About half a mile up there was an entrance to a trail that ran between the houses. So I tried to ignore the truck and kept running until I hit the trail. Do do dododoo da da doodaloo

So I jumped onto the trail as soon as I could and while I could still hear the ice cream music, it was muted Do do dododoo da da doodaloo

I enjoyed the trail until I had to turn back onto the street. And saw the truck WAITING for me! Do do dododoo da da doodaloo

It was waiting at a stop sign. It could have turned left or right to make a loop around the park (where all the kids are). But it just waited. To see which way I would go. Oh great!

I slowed down just to see if it would turn. Nope. It just waited. So when I went to the left, I was not surprised to find that it turned left and followed me. I know Ice Cream Truck was just waiting for me to crack! He had been following me for four blocks now. I was sweating and slowing down. He knew it was just a matter of time. :) 

Luckily my house was only half a block away. I did a final “Hail Mary” sprint, flew through the front door and locked it behind me! And I heard the disappointed Ice Cream Truck pass on by.  Phew! 

Quick 3 in the Park

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It was my short run tonight. Kris was running Heather on his own. So I took to the park! :) Good pace again today (for me). :)

Running for Dinner

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I was hungry and Kris was making my favorite dinner. I couldn't eat until I got done with my run. Had my best pace tonight!

Flat 9 Miler

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My Second 9 Miler. This time on a flat route. I'm tired. But really enjoyed it. I'll blog about it soon.

I Wonder If the Team Notices I'm Missing?

I haven't ran with the team in a couple weeks as I've been running with my husband on Saturdays. 

The 9 mile run a couple weeks ago was amazing! We ran up Pt. Sal road for 4.5 miles and back. It took me part of the way up Pt. Sal itself. So I got some hill training in. But the coolest thing was a coyote ran out in front of me on the road! I have never seen one that close before. It was so neat! We also saw a HUGE gopher snake when we got back to the car. I almost stepped on it!!! It was at least 4" in diameter and a least 6' long!! Holy cow it was like Wild Kingdom out there that day!!!

But the best part was that I finished the 9 miles! I couldn't believe it!! It seems so long! So there I was running back down the route watching my Garmin count the distance 7.76 mi, 8.10 mi, 8.5, (OMG I think I'm going to make it), 8.74, 8.81, 8.90, 8.92, 8.94, 8.97, 8.99 .....9.00!!!!! I made it!! I was so excited I threw right arm up and punched the air in enthusiasm and then I pumped both of my arms above my head "Rocky" style and I heard beside me, 

"How far did you go?"

I look over and I see a couple cyclists (who I had seen earlier on their way up) grinning at me. I was so embarrassed they had seen my display. "I uh, did 9 miles. ...I've never ran that far before"

"That's great!!" "Good for you!" They said. They rolled along side me for awhile chatting about running and biking and they were so nice and enthusiastic for me. So I wasn't so embarrassed after that. :) 

Kris of course was back at the car by that time and shortly after that is when we 'discovered' the snake. 

I've also started focusing on running negative splits each run and while it's hard to stay slow in the beginning of a run when you feel fresh, it seems to really improve my over all pace and I run more comfortably over the course of the route. So I'm going to keep that up and see what happens. 

5 Miler in the Park

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It's hard to run 5 miles in Waller Park because it is just so small. See the route by clicking the link.

Restful 6

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I really tried to focus on going out slow. It worked! I ran a negative split and my overall pacing was good on the run. I have to keep practicing that so I'll be ready to pace correctly over the marathon distance.

This was the 'long' run for our rest week. Back to the hard work next week!

Fast Night

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I really didn't feel like running today. So I decided to try to get it 'over with' as fast as possible. Boy my pace was good tonight! :)

Tonight's Run

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Not a stellar run. But my pace was a little faster than last week and my calves dint' hurt hardly at all tonight! :)

Post Run Video

You can see the route, stats and hill profile by clicking on the link in the previous post. :)

9 Miles today!

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Great run today. I was intimidated going out because I had never ran so far, my legs have been hurting this past week and we picked a hilly route. But I did just fine! My legs stayed pretty comfortable and my pace didn't take too much of a beating. Very happy with this run! :)

Painful 4 Miler

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Sluggish 3

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Feeling sluggish this week.

Things I Hope I Remember When Running the Marathon #1

If it hurts now, it probably won't hurt in 10 or 15 minutes. So just keep going.

Introducing My Running Partner

Kris' 18 Mile Run in SLO

Kris did a 18 mile run in San Luis Obispo, CA yesterday and shot video along the way! Enjoy!

8 Miles with TNT

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I suffered a little in the middle of the route. Some challenging hills. Hopefully, my body will recover quickly because I have to run again soon. Wish me luck!

(Video to come soon)

THis one is for my Dad

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I wore my heart monitor for the first time in a long time. Took it easy this run. Short little 3 miler. Got a thumbs up by a driver. That was cheery and much appreciated!

Kicking Ass, Making Friends and Lovers in the Park

First of all, my pace is increasing by leaps and bounds! I’m not really trying. I just get out and run. But I’m getting faster! My average page tonight was under a 13 minute mile!!! (12:58)

I felt great too! I think my shoes are shot. But that can be fixed. 

As I came back to my car all nice and dripping with sweat I saw a guy getting out of his car obviously about to start a run. He caught my eye and I said, “Have a good run!” He stopped and asked me if there was a running trail in the park. I answered him brilliantly by saying, “Kinda.” Then I tried to explain how he could run through the park and catch the multipurpose path. I think I just confused him. But he thanked me and off he went. 

I continued to my car and saw several young couples lounging and cuddling around the pond. It was so cute! I also saw a young dad with two kids. One was an infant and the other a toddler trotting around. Sweet. 

It was a crisp summer evening. It was perfect!

I broke 13! I broke 13!!!

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I broke a 13 minute mile over a 4 mile route tonight!!! Wahoo!

Evening Flight

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My pace was great tonight and even included about 10 minutes of walking warm up. Which means, when I was running, I was running FAST (for me anyway).

Why I Love My Husband

Tonight I casually asked my husband, "Do you think I should count my calories and look at what I am eating while I'm in training?" His response:

"I will do everything in my power to see that you don't."

Good answer.

Kris went on to say that he thinks if I 'dieted' while training, it would cost me the marathon. "You wouldn't get enough calories and your body would break down and you wouldn't finish the training."

I agree that I wouldn't make it through the training portion either but for a different reason.

Those of you who know me well know that dieting is a dirty word with me. Dieting is so emotionally charged for me that it absolutely does me more harm than good. If I tried to count calories and fat intake etc I would go crazy. Seriously. It would just pile additional stress to an otherwise exciting experience. And I have more stress than I need already thank you.

I have become so focused on my training. It has been so enjoyable and exciting to watch my progress. Not to mention the great feeling you get during a run. But I am also having fun planning the runs, plotting routes, and running with the team. It's all I want to think about. And think about it I do! A lot.

So I can't help but think what impact my eating might have on my performance. I think "what would happen if...." But that is a very slippery slope for me. I definitely can't afford to slip off the edge. So, I'll just try hard to listen to what my body tells me. If I'm hungry, of course I'll eat. If I'm craving french fries I'll have them. If my body is telling me it needs a gallon of Chunk Money ice cream then hand me the spoon and get out of my way!

I'm curious as the mileage increases how my body will respond. I expect I'll get hungrier.  I mean, I'll be burning some serious calories along the way! But I wonder if I'll have cravings. I expect to crave sugar and salt. But I wonder if I'll crave fried foods like I do now. Fried foods and running don't seem to mix. The thought of that heavy food in my stomach doesn't make me feel light on my feet. So I wonder if I'll stop craving that as the mileage  progresses. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, please pass the ketchup. :)

Hilly Run in Atascadero

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I feel like this was our first hill training run. There were some good rollers on this route. One hill tried to kill me. But it didn't. :)

One Month Into Marathon Training

Well, it’s been a whole month since I started marathon training with the Team In Training. Today our ‘long run’ was 7 miles. It was my running partner Cindy’s longest run to date. She did great! She’s a better runner than I am. She doesn’t even break a sweat!   She will have no trouble with this marathon! 

Next week is 8 miles. That’s the farthest I have run before. So after that, I’ll be in uncharted territory for me. I am curious how I’m going to do as the mileage increases. The mileage during the week is increasing as well. 

I have a fear that as the mileage increases all I'll be doing is going to work, running and sleeping. I have noticed I need a lot more sleep now than usual. I chalk it up to the extra physical activity and work stress. Ironically, the running helps manage the work stress. 

So: work, run, sleep, repeat.

I burned it up tonight!...Almost hurled...but I burned it up!

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I had a 13:13 pace tonight. I think that's my best pace yet. And I was tired tonight starting out. But I alway feel better after a run!

Quick 2 Miler in the park

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a Cold 3

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Four Miles In SLO

This was a great route in SLO with the Team In Training.

At one point I turned a corner and was faced with a long straight away on a beautiful residential street. I tried to capture the quaint beauty in this picture. However, I don't think it gives it justice.

Great Run in the Park!!!

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I had a great pace for me today! I cleared 3 miles in under 40 minutes and it felt good too!!

Heather Kind of Freaked Me Out

Heather seemed to be dragging a little bit around the 2 mile mark on our run today. It was a little warmer than usual so I was worried she was too hot. So I stopped in the shade to give her some of my endurance drink. I usually don’t bring a lot of water on a 6 miler but thought I’d try it today to see if it improved my performance (it did).
So I wondered if Heather would drink it. She didn’t. I didn’t know if she didn’t drink it because she wasn’t thirsty or if it was because it wasn’t her regular water. But we kept running.

I had taken her to the vet for a check up before we started taking her on our runs to make sure she was ok to start running and to make sure I knew what I needed know to be a good steward of her on the road. We discussed the fact that Heather is a long haired dog and may have more trouble with heat than short hairs and reviewed the symptoms of over heating and exhaustion.

We usually don’t take water on our runs because they are relatively short. But I was second guessing myself about not bringing water specifically for Heather since it was slightly warmer than it usually is when we run. I started looking for a water fountain on the trail we were running. But there wasn’t one.

I saw a puddle and let her sniff it in case she wanted to drink. I don’t normally let her drink out of puddles. But I thought if she needed it, it was better than nothing. She was not interested. I kept my eye out for other symptoms of over heating (heavy panting, diarrhea). No signs. Good.

But I wondered why she was dragging. Kris thinks she gets bored running. She’d rather run all over the place sniffing every leaf and blade of grass. I can believe that. So we kept running and I kept my eye on her.

As the mileage crawled by, the day heated up just slightly. At the four mile mark
we ran past another puddle and this time she stopped to drink. I let her. When we had just a mile to go, I felt like the temperature had creeped up again. I stopped for a drink and Heather looked at me like she wanted some. I had half a bottle left. I unscrewed the cap and I poured some of the drink into it. It’s my usual way to share my water with Heather. This time she drank it up! So I kept pouring more in as she lapped it up. I was really happy she was drinking. I took one big slug and let Heather drink all the rest. I guess she just wasn’t thirsty the first time I offered.

We had less than a mile to go. I knew we’d make it just fine. But Kris and I talked about it later that day wand decided a 10k is as far as we should run her, especially now that the weather is getting warmer. She can still go on the short mid-week runs. But as our mileage increases on the weekends, Heather will hang out at home and we’ll take her out for a shorter outing to the dog park or some other fun place. :) But until I can discuss her running program further with her vet, I’m not chancing it.

My Own 10k

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I Hate Running at Lunch

I hear people talk about running at lunch. (Mostly men). And I can’t understand how they can get changed into running gear, run a decent distance, shower, get back into work clothes AND get back to work in an hour! If your a guy you probably run 5 miles in half an hour and you don’t have to blow dry and re-style your hair and put on make up. Lucky ducks!! So maybe it’s plausible for you.

While we’re on the subject, I’ve never understood men who cross dress. Why go through all the trouble if you don’t have to? I think it’s such a waste of time. Why can’t I just go all naturale? My husband would love it if I did. But I can’t bring myself to go to work without my game face on.

I have some cross-dressing friends and have posed the “Why?’ question to them and the best answer so far has been “Because it makes me feel pretty.” Yet, I just can’t relate. And by the way, my cross-dressing friend, you are pretty! Even without make up. Bitch. :)


So this whole week, running in the morning has not been working out for me. So I have been running at night. But, because I’m on the late shift at work now, that gets me home very late after my run and I barely have time to eat let alone keep up with the fundraising activities I need to stay on top on. So today, I just HAD to have some down time after work.

So I arranged to have a two hour lunch so I could run and get home at a decent time.

So I had to pack and schlep all my running clothes and gadgets and girly gear to the gym. After running, I had to take an abbreviated shower. You know how after you work up a great sweat you keep sweating! And if you are in a locker room it is already humid. So I hate putting on clothes when I know I won’t stop sweating for another hour! And has anyone tried to put on makeup when your face is sweating??? Ugh!

So that was my lunch. I BARELY made it back to work in my two hour time frame!

I think I’m going to have to manage the morning runs ... even if it kills me.

2 Miles in the Park

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Ran a quick two miles in Waller Park tonight. Quite enjoyable! :)

Running: it cures what ails ya!

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My right knee was hurting BEFORE I started running. But it didn't hurt during the run. Yeah! Icing it now.