David's run

Just so you know, the title of this post was originally "David's rum."  I should have just left it:)

David ran in a 10k on the morning of the 4th of July! Ila and I walked up to the finish line to meet him. This was sort of a practice race for the half marathon he's planning on doing in Wisconsin in August (after the move).

The family shot. Amazingly enough I don't look obviously pregnant here!

And the one where Ila actually smiles...

Report on David's Half

So I just realized I never posted after David's half-marathon.

Here he is, after getting home:

Ila stole his finishers medal, naturally.

He did good. But he didn't stretch, and limped for several days. Scold scold! I want to say his time was like 2:30 or something. DH can comment with his real time. He's going to do another in the spring.

Santa Run

David and I ran in a 5K on December 1st. Ila came too. The great part is that for the race we all had to wear a santa suit! (Except Ila got away with just a hat and beard). I'm including the pictures we took in this post too.

 Ila is the cutest. She kept the hat/beard on the whole time! We were impressed.

My sister pointed out that facial hair does not cover the nose. Yes, I am aware of that. But having never worn a beard in my life, and pulling it on seconds before the flash went off, I ended it up doing it wrong! Whoops. Oh well. Hope you get a laugh.

This was the first race I've ran since my half-marathon last June, and only the third time I've run at all since then. My running habit has converted into stationary bike, which has been more flexible with a baby around. But I finished in 36 minutes, which isn't too bad for hardly running at all, and David did 31 minutes. We're rockin.

for kt. :)

David's half

David is running the Provo halloween half marathon a week from saturday. His first race. Woot!

Next year I think he'll do a marathon. He has taken to running pretty well, for all his protesting in previous years. One day last spring he came home and suddenly said he thought he should run a half marathon. I think this was the result of seeing all his BYU colleagues have such active lifestyles. I'm excited for him though, I think he'll do running long term now.

race recap

So last Saturday I ran the Utah Valley half marathon. It starts in Provo canyon and ends in downtown Provo. It was downhill for several miles, so I'm sure that had some effect on my time. I did run the whole way, and finished in under 3 hours, which was my goal. In the half marathon I did last year I had some sickness/pain issues and had to walk a few miles, but this time luckily nothing like that happened. I was not in as good of shape this year. My time was 2:57, compared to 3:15 last year. For those of you who don't run, 3 hours to run 13 miles is beyond slow. Out of 2500 people that finished, I think I came in at around 2250. I think I could finish in 2.5 hours if I spent more time training. I only ran 3x a week this time (should be 4x) and my short runs were too short. I trained for 3 months, but before that I had not run at all for 4 months. I also weigh 20 lbs more than I did last year. But similar to last year, I got sick for a few weeks in the month before the race and did not run during that time.

Someday I might do a marathon if I had a plenty of time to train (like when all my kids are in school someday and I spend 4-6 months training). I know this time I could not have run even another yard beyond 13.1 miles, so running double that would take a lot more preparation.  I know now that pushing your body physically is as much mental as it is physical. The last 2 miles were especially hard on me, and even though my body didn't realize when I had crossed the finish line, my mind did know I could feel my body shutting down even as I crossed the line. The longest I'd ever run before the race was 10 miles, and I was running a lot slower than I did in the race.

Activity/food journal: The night before the race I was exhausted but could not sleep. I eventually took some sleep meds in desperation and got maybe 2 hours of sleep max. Then I was up at 3 am to catch a bus up the canyon. I ate some cheerios before leaving and didn't have any digestive problems. During the race, I ate some orange wedges at several aid stations and 1/2 banana toward the end. I also had GU around mile 6. That stuff is so weird. I also had a lot of water and a little powerade, especially in the second half. I don't think I drank any less this race than last. I had one bathroom stop halfway through the race. After the race I ate/drank whatever was at the finish line, walked around and stretched/cooled down, and then walked home (about 1.5 miles) where I took a cold shower and later put ice on my knees in the afternoon.

For next time: don't cheat on the short runs in training. Make sure to eat something during the race, it helps. Sleep more before the race- go to bed a couple hours early.

this post

So clearly I have not been blogging. In the 3-4 or so hours in the day when Ila is sleeping, I am either sleeping, exercising, showering, reading, working, and even occasionally cleaning and cooking (though very rare). I probably clean as much as I used to. Which is hardly anything. The dishes when mandatory, the bathroom when mandatory. My cooking now consists of buying ready food or making semi-homemade things. Or nothing. I often do nothing. How do mothers cook and clean with a baby? I may never know.

I have been posting pictures of Ila on facebook once a month. Nothing much on the blog though. But here is a token cute picture:

Am I supposed to be blogging more about baby? I never wrote about babies before. I don't feel inclined to share her poop schedule though. I know some of you may be disappointed.

I am still training for a half marathon in June. Next week is mile 8. I do my long run on the weekends alone, and do short runs with Ila in the running stroller on weekdays. This races motto: I may run slow, but at least I am doing it.

Running as the pregernaut + ironman delight

So I kept up with my running schedule (with lower intensity/distance) until the end of my 2nd trimester (around week 27). At that point I started to get side aches and would have to slow to a walk. I wasn't even running that fast, just jogging and plodding along. I was hoping to run longer into pregnancy, but oh well. Being in good shape before and during pregnancy and having strong abdominals has made it so that I haven't had any lower back pain. I think having good posture has helped too.

After I stopped running I was planning on walking for exercise or going to a gym to use their machines if walking didn't do enough. Unfortunately I got really sick right after I quit running and that lasted for 2 months. I am finally well enough now to expend energy on exercise and so am wanting to start up again with something.

I am planning on running a half-marathon next summer sometime. I think I need a goal like that to help myself get back into the running habit and get back into shape. I am really excited to use the running stroller I purchased. I got it used and at a discount (yay!). It also has an awesome name: THE IRONMAN.

Woo!

wearin' o' the Ute

Today is the first day I feel semi-normal after the move.

I must say that I do not recommend moving during pregnancy. The phrase most commonly used by me in the last 10 days was: "my poor little feetsies." And they were oh so poor. I got to enjoy swollen ankles for the first time as well (which are finally back to normal, thank goodness).

DH and I were both so exhausted, with the peak occurring the day we had to drive to Utah, a week before last thursday. Not the best timing! You know you have had no sleep for too long when the sight of Sacramento turns you into a blubbering buffoon. (Although this might be normal for some people...)

Anyway. We were exhausted for a few days. Then when I was feeling better, I got stomach flu. David asked me, how do you know if it is stomach flu instead of pregnancy nausea? I'm not quite sure. Maybe because I only threw up once during the "morning sickness" bit? That was last wednesday. Then, yesterday, I was exhausted again from lack of calories. I figured out late on stomach flu day that eating popsicles didn't make me throw up, but they didn't make much of a dent in my intake for the day.

And finally, today came. I woke up. The sun was shining. DH kissed me goodbye. And I knew I was feeling good because I wanted to eat some leftover birthday cake with my breakfast. And I wanted to go running. And I wanted to wear one of my Ute running tops.

So there I was. Running down the street in my red sleeveless Ute shirt. I was hoping to get some dirty looks. But I didn't get a single one! Someone even said "hello" in a pleasant tone of voice. Granted, it was a bit late for the running masses and I wasn't out very long, but still. So then I decided to take my bike to get aligned (my poor little bike was abused by the moving truck) while still wearing my running garb. I walked over to a shop (Mad Dog Cycles), maybe half a mile. On the way there, a girl DID look at my shirt and grimaced ever so slightly. FINALLY. And I was not refused service at the bike repair shop for my wearin' o' the Ute. They did not even comment. And they fixed my bike in less than 5 minutes. Woot.

Maybe my expectations are a little off. Maybe I am imagining what would happen if someone ran through the University of Utah campus wearing a BYU top. And I was not actually running on campus, so had limited exposure. Or maybe I just need to run through BYU campus wearing it the morning of the BYU-Utah football game.

Yes. I am twisted and derive satisfaction out of ridiculous things.

bay to breakers race recap

So yesterday I ran in the 100th Bay to Breakers 12K. It was much tamer than in previous years, according to some of the people I met and spoke with. My race time was 1:43. It was really difficult to keep running the whole time--there was just no space to do it! By the time I got to the start line, at least 25,000 people had started in earlier waves. There were so many people walking that they took up nearly the entire road. I had to weave around a lot and nearly crashed into several people who suddenly stopped running. The race starts right by San Francisco Bay and runs west across the city to the coast.

It was such a crazy day! It started out on Caltrain. The brakes went out on the train I was on and it took an hour for us to transfer to another train. The train I was on was packed with costume wearing people on their way to the race. We had to jump from one train to another (though there were people there to help us cross). Then we finally arrived and I still had to walk about 1.5 miles to the meeting point. I was so late that the "corral" I was supposed to start with had gone 30 minutes before. So I went in with a later group. The later the group, the more people were walking. I'd have had an easier time running if I'd been in my own start group.

I counted 15 naked people running the race. Only in San Francisco! Not that I was seeking them out or anything, but they are hard to miss! And if I passed one, I did NOT turn around to confirm. I'm sure there were many more than 15 though, since there were 50,000 people there.

It was fun to see all the costumes people wore. There weren't any floats allowed this year, so it was less interesting to spectators. But I'm glad I got to run in the infamous race before we leave the area. The weather was great and it was extremely entertaining.

San Francisco Bay to Breakers

I'm running in my next race 4 weeks from now. It is only 7.5 miles (12K), much shorter than the half marathon I did last February. I think it is the perfect length based on my burn out at the 8-mile mark during the half marathon.

Bay to Breakers is a huge deal in the Bay Area. It is like this big (and notorious) party. This year is cool because it is the centennial race and so registration is *limited* to 50,000 people. In honor of the 100th race the security is being tightened and there are no parade floats or alcohol allowed. I did see beer being passed out at one of the drink stations during my half marathon, but I'm sure it was nothing compared to what has gone on at Bay to Breakers in past years.

Alcohol or not, I'm actually going for the purpose of running (and not partying) so I'll probably be ahead of most of the revelry.

teehee! I am excited.

This is the only picture I have from the day of my half marathon, taken after I got home from the race. I forgot to put it up before. J-the-magnificent, doesn't that watch look familiar?

race reflections

I ran my half marathon yesterday. It was a really beautiful race course. The race went through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and then down the coastal highway right next to the beach.

I did really well the first half of the race and was running at a good clip, but then I began feeling sick. I slowed down and ended up walking off and on for around 3 miles near the end, but ran the last bit. I felt sick for the rest of the day too. I want to blame it on the orange gatorade I drank at an electrolyte station, but I really have no clue why I felt so nasty.

I did learn a few lessons for next time.
1) Don't drink so much! There were more water/electrolyte stations than I needed, and I didn't plan very well. Around mile 6 there was a water station JUST before the electrolyte station, which I didn't realize. So I ended up drinking too much there and at a few later stations, so that had natural consequences!

2) Bring some kind of energy boost to eat at mile 7. I began to feel really tired at mile 8.

3) Practice running faster over long distances. I definitely ran much faster during the race then I regularly do, so wasn't sure how much water my body needed or when I would get tired. More experience and more time training would help.

I was amazed at how much litter is left on the race paths following drink stations. There were garbage cans on the side of the path, but most people just drop the paper cups on the ground as they run. It was strange seeing so much trash on a public street. I was glad not to have to clean up after!

I am definitely going to do another half marathon at some point, I think I just had bad luck getting sick. I think doing some 10K races would be fun in the interim.

P.S. My race time is not worth mentioning...:) No, it took me 3h 15 min. I am short and so can't walk very fast, so the time I spent walking added a significant amount to the total time. I was keeping up with the 2H 30 m group until I felt sick.

first half marathon

I am running a half marathon (13.1 miles) the first weekend in February. It goes through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

I registered for the race and have my "bib" so there is no going back! I am number 4183. I have not, as yet, come up with any special mathematical significance to this number. It is not a prime number, alas. But perhaps it will be special from now on?

This is my first real race. I've done church 5k runs in the past, but this is the first race that I've had to register and train for. I am excited!

I started training in early December and am using a training schedule from the race website. I have two short and one long run per week. It has been really interesting to see how my body reacts to running such long distances. I jumped into the schedule midweek in week 4 (or the week starting dec. 6) and did the 6 mile run. I was already used to running 2-3 miles 3x a week, but I was so tired after that first long run! I was very fatigued for the next couple days. Since then I have been taking naps on my long run days and that helps a lot. Unfortunately I have missed the last two weeks of training because I have been sick, but I am getting back into it this week.

I don't have any great aspirations for running speed or time, I just want to do a race and train for it. In fact, I'm more worried about getting to the race then running it! Driving in San Francisco is one of my least favorite activities, but parking in San Francisco is worse. I do have moderate goals for the race though. I want to run the entire race and finish in under 3 hours. We shall see!

intervals + super awesome watch

While visiting Janie in Seattle 3 months ago, I witnessed the use of a miraculous devise.

It is known as the Ironman Timex Ladies watch.

And now I have one too. yes. YEEESSSSSSS. Before this purchase, I was not in possession of a single functional wrist watch. They all lay in my watch graveyard, gathering dust.

It's all about the interval setting. Janie was doing 4 minutes run/1 minute walk. I do 30 seconds sprint/30 seconds jog.

It rocks. And so does my work out.

ps. It was 34 (F) degrees during my run last monday. I was always in awe at people who could run in the cold...like my uncle Craig. Except he's like 40 years older than me. So that makes him even more awesome. But I am excited that I can handle the cold temperatures, especially since I have asthma. So yay for me.

sprinting

My Vibram FiveFinger shoes sold on ebay recently. I was glad they could find a new home. It was actually the first time I've ever sold something on ebay. I think I've sold textbooks on half.com, but nothing on ebay. Now I can say I've truly lived.

I went to Fleet Feet in Menlo Park to buy new running shoes. The staff do a great job at helping you pick the right shoe. Oddly enough, I ended up buying the exact same shoe that I already had (except a newer version). I went from Saucony Hurricane version 8 to 11. And now my feet are happy again.

I finally convinced DH to get real running shoes as well. The shoes he used to run in when we got married were dismal at best. Over the past two years of our married lives, with each new shoe purchase I have managed to persuade him to get higher quality shoes. And now he has graduated. Congrats DH. Your knees will be grateful.

We've been trying to do weekly sprints around the neighborhood so he can increase his speed for ultimate frisbee. It is a 1.5 mile loop. I try to maintain full speed the whole time but it is just not happening. It is even harder that the first half is slightly uphill. I can keep up with DH for about a third of the way and then start lagging behind. How is it that he can run faster/longer than me when I have been running regularly for over a year and he has barely run at all?

Alas.

running the distance

Here begins the story of my runners heart (beware the long post!!). Growing up on a mountain in a steep neighborhood with freezing snowy winters and boiling summers, running was not something I considered for a long time. Though I walked up that hill many times after school, running up that hill (like Kate Bush!) in the heat never entered my mind.

Here is a glimpse of my life through the runners lens:

1. Summer before 8th grade: I went to a fitness camp. I think I worked up to running about 2 miles each morning by the time I left.
2. 8th grade. I was the orchestra nerd who did zero sports. But then I decided to become awesome and be a track star. I joined the track team and was so excited. I was there for the track team photo that would end up in the yearbook. Then, in the first week of practice, I pulled my quadricep during a 100 meter dash warm up. I could barely walk after that and limped off the field, never to return. I think it took weeks before my leg felt ok again. I never tried out for track again either (that was lame on my part though). Thanks to the yearbook photo, at least I could pretend I was cool and had an extra page listing under my name in the yearbook index.
3. High school. I have this vague memory of running on the treadmill while reading "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." I think that was senior year. J, is that right? Anyway. Around that time, I tried to run a few times a week on the treadmill. It didn't last. Most books require hands to keep them open. My parents had a treadmill with a tv above it in their bedroom that I also tried using. The tv would shake a lot if I started running though. Lame. Super lame. Hence, my brilliant running career was postponed.
4. College. Behold the indoor track at University of Utah. Fear it not. The last two years I was at U of U I ran on the track for about 40 minutes 2 or 3 times per week. It took a while to work up to running steadily the entire time. There were three lanes. The (clockwise) outer lane is for slow people. The middle lane is for passing. And the inner lane is for the non-stop I-rock-and-you-don't runners. They even run counter-clockwise so you can admire them more frequently as they pass you by. I wanted to be cool like them. I did eventually achieve semi-coolness and began running on the inner track, yet I was still frequently lapped by the speedy ones.
5. Then I moved to sunny Bay Area, land of perfect weather year round. I started my masters degree and began stressing. I actually did homework on saturday nights. (I somehow managed to avoid doing homework on friday and saturday nights until this stage in life.) One saturday night in October I got really mad and decided to storm out into the night and run. Not the wisest thing to go out running in the dark alone, but I ran the 4 mile campus loop for the first time that day. And I kept doing it several times a week for the next two years. It wasn't always consistent, but I tried. I ran in the rain. I even tripped and rolled into a bush once. I rock.
6. Meanwhile during #5 I bought a pair of running shoes I saw in a magazine. (Probably the most I've ever spent on a pair of shoes..but money well spent.) I still run in them 5 years later. I am seriously overdue for new shoes. But I have tried and failed to find the perfect ones as yet. My pair of Vibram FiveFingers which had so much promise turned out to be too big. I should have worn them for a few miles on the treadmill to be SUPER SUPER sure about the fit before taking them outside and rendering them non-returnable. I am trying to sell my pair. If successful, I might try again with Vibram. Next, I purchased a pair of Adidas at Nordstrom Rack. But it turns out they make my feet hurt. Serves me right for trying to buy running shoes at a discount price.

And now we have reached the near present. Last spring (09) I started running three mornings each week. It became a habit. Yay! I love to use gmap-pedometer to design running routes of sufficient distance. I am trying to gradually increase my mileage and have several routes to choose from for variety. Today I ran 4.25 mi. Hooray!

the hardest year

So far, the hardest year of my life was my first year in graduate school at Stanford. I have never felt so stupid, defeated, and stressed out. But I came away from it having learned much.

1) to run

I never studied on friday or saturday nights in high school. Nor in undergrad (except for once when I had a big math project, but that was secretly fun so it doesn't count). But that stopped in grad school. I studied. I remember one saturday night about 9 pm I got really mad--at my homework and that I was stressed enough to be studying on a saturday night. So I decided to run to let off steam. I ran the campus loop, which is 4 miles. In hindsight, I realize it was stupid to go running in the dark late at night, alone. AND stupid to run 4 miles when I hadn't run at all for at least 6 months. But it made me feel better. I kept on running the campus loop while in grad school. I love running. And it all started one saturday night.

2) to read

I read in high school in undergrad. But I didn't read all the time. And I certainly didn't read feverishly. Stanford taught me to read feverishly. The most beloved item I purchased for my room at Stanford is what I call my medusa lamp. (Below). I could twist each section to point wherever I wanted. And I put flourescent bulbs in it so it would be SUPER bright. I love lots of light to read. I read 150 books that year (which was a lot for me!). I read mostly in the middle of the night. I would do homework until I felt like stopping, and then would read until 3 am to escape. I really needed to escape. Some nights I didn't get to bed until 4 or 5 am, and I think 6 am once. And then I would sleep:)

(I've often thought that if I slept from 3 am to 9 am NOW, I'd get sick. I can't believe I managed that sleep schedule without getting sick at the time.)

3) to use itunes. And to discover Miles Davis.

I never used itunes until I moved to Stanford. I lived in a graduate apartment building on campus with everyone on the same network. Thus, I could listen to music that was shared on the network through itunes. I listened to Snow Patrol a lot, but the thing that I really loved was Miles Davis. I never listen to him now. And I never listened to him before. But for that first year at Stanford, I listened to him every night for hours and hours when I would do homework. I found it soothing, and it helped me to focus and get through many long nights. In junior high, I would listen to music while I did math (and I also used pen. As if I would need to erase:)). But in high school, math got a little more complicated and I needed all my concentration (and a pencil)--so turned the music off. But I discovered that it was just the words that were distracting. And so itunes helped me to discover Miles Davis. No words. Sort of jazzy. Good memories. Maybe someday I'll listen to Miles Davis again, but for now I prefer to think of him as a blanket that I no longer need.

the importance of alphabetized street names

It wasn't until I started running in the Terrace that I noticed something of exceedingly great importance. Something I can't believe I never noticed before. Something so important that I once begged my mom to drive to the outer limits of The Avenues to know the extent to which the alphabet was adhered--YES. The streets in College Terrace (and The Avenues) are named in alphabetical order!

(As an aside, my mom and I were driving through the Avenues for some reason (in my early teens), and we were playing that alphabet game where you have to find each letter in the alphabet on a sign or a license plate, in order. I was at once captivated with the prospect of going to the end of the avenues, and begged my mom to Drive! Drive! Keep going! It turned out that it goes to V. A street, B street....T street, U street, Virginia street. And then it stops. Alas. I was so hoping it would go all the way to Z.)

College Terrace has but one unfortunate blight upon it. The original landowner, Alexander Gordon, named the cross streets in alphabetical order after the names of universities. It goes like this:

Amherst

Bowdoin

Columbia

Dartmouth

Hanover

Harvard

Oberlin

Princeton

Washington

Wellesley

Williams

Yale

In 1925, College Terrace was annexed by Palo Alto, and was forced to rename streets that were duplicates of existing Palo Alto street names. There was only one street that was renamed. Washington. Poor, long lost Washington street. Can you guess what Washington was renamed? Anything between between Princeton and Wellesley would do--there are scores of colleges that would fit alphabetically between those two! But NO. Some twit renamed it Cornell.

Thus, Cornell is a blight upon the terrace. According to me, anyway. The beauty and order of the alphabetized streets was thrown away by one careless person who didn't know the alphabet.

PS. My mom and dad named their kids in alphabetical order too:) (though by accident).

on the run

For the last two months, I've gotten used to running three mornings a week around my neighborhood. I live in College Terrace, which is basically 3 long streets and a lot of cross streets that connect them. It is a quiet residential community that has beautiful, unique homes that cost a lot of money. It's great for running since there are lots of interesting things to look at, and it is much prettier (in my opinion) than the ever popular walk/run locale: the Dish. The Dish trail covers hilly terrain, however, which I admit is an attraction considering most of Palo Alto is flat (except for the gentle downward sloping to the east, which makes biking to and from Stanford campus to be a lopsided affair).

When I run, I go up and down the cross streets. I have discovered fun things hidden in the Terrace. First--a tennis court. It's totally hidden, and totally free to use! Second--a drinking fountain. This is always appreciated. Then there is this mysterious two-seater car that pops up in random spots in the neighborhood. Sometimes it is parked in front of my apartment in the morning with a person waiting in it. Oooga booga.

DH comes with me much of the time. And my legs are getting bigger. I wonder when they will stop?

iblank

I've become an iblank. It was inevitable.

iblank: one who has an association with ithings.

ithings: things including but not limited to: itunes, ipod, iphone, imac, etc.

But it was not always thus. I used to use windows media player. But then came a series of events which led me to itunes. Apparently, I have been living in a graduate apartment complex for a whole year without realizing I had access to the music collections of my neighbors. I owe many thanks to "Weminuche National Forest" for his extensive collection of jazz and my subsequent discovery of Miles Davis. I have found Miles Davis to be very good homework music.

I did wonder how I managed to avoid discovering itunes until last autumn, and I realized the answer last week. I never owned an ipod. Since I never owned an ipod, I was never forced to download itunes in order to upload music to the ipod. Yet...I have succumbed. I finally quit resisting and bought an ipod shuffle, for the sole purpose of being able to listen to books on tape while I run. Sigh. I have become an iblank, and there is no going back.

the stanford smugglers

And so. I began running again today, after several weeks hiatus. I came back to my apartment, and witnessed a brown bag drop off. Apparently, sweaty joggers stretching are invisible. Van drives up. Short guy with backward cap and low-rider jeans runs up to a bench, and puts down a bag. Then he runs back to the van and it seems to drive away, but I wasn't sure. I couldn't see. I then realize I have seen a brown bag sitting on that bench several times. I just thought it was the same bag. I thought somebody left their moldy, disgusting, decaying lunch in a sack on a bench. But no. The bag changes. I thought about waiting around to see who picked it up, or sneaking over to look in the bag, but decided not to play detective. The van man may have been lurking...

I wonder if the bag will be there tomorrow. Ooooo.