Wednesday, December 9, 2015

California International Marathon (CIM) 2015

California International Marathon (CIM) 2015
December, 6, 2015




The marathon went well for my 5th (4th official) CIM.  I had three goals:  (1) beat my last year's time; (2) break 5 hours; and (3) have fun.  I met all three goals with a finish of 4:48 (beating last year's time by about an hour).  I had a lot of fun running the whole thing with my friend Cathy.  I ran some parts with other friends too and saw many friends along the course (either in the race, volunteering, or just out cheering).  I ran a lot more than I expected too (thought I'd walk more) but it helped having Cathy's company with me.  And, at mile 26, my sister-in-law handed me my baby, who I carried the last 0.2 mile to the finish.  I do enjoy sharing special finishes with her!

3 favorite moments:
(1) Heading to the start with my husband and running friends.  Diane, Cathy and I have done this together five years in a row and nice to see our CIM group has grown.  Also, nice having my husband Craig with me at the start (he ran the relay).
(2) Stopping at the "unofficial" FTR cheering spot (set up by my friend Clint and Matt) at around mile 16.5.  Seeing so many friends there wearing silly costumes and/or hats brought a big smile.  Clint gave me a Coke here, which gave me the perfect boost to get me through the terrible teenage miles.  
(2) Carrying my baby the last 0.2 miles.  Even though, we walked that last part, it was fun seeing her excitement at the cheering crowds and carrying her across the finish line.


3 things I did right: 
(1) ran a steady even pace throughout the race.  I was happy I did not go out to fast and maintained a pretty consistent pace throughout the whole race (not counting the 0.2 at the end).  I ran even slightly faster in the second half than the first half -- a surprisingly negative split.
(2) did good with fueling.  Ate gels about every 4-5 miles.  Around mile 15, felt a slight pre-cramp twinge in my leg and immediately took a gel.  And, I was fortunate that no cramping happened and my legs felt great.
(3) went with my older comfy shoes rather not than the new ones.  I had ordered new road shoes, which arrived a little later than expected.  They were the same brand as my older road shoes so figured it would be fine.  However, I did a test run on the treadmill for a mile the night before and they just didn't feel right.  I went with my gut and wore my Altra Superiors instead.  Even though it's a trail shoe, they feel comfy and have an extra big toe box.  For the race, I had no feet issues so I'm glad I went with my gut on what shoes to wear.

3 Things I Learned:
(1) I've got to do a lot more road specific training if I want to ever get back to my old marathon speed.  While I was happy with my time, it crossed my mind many times that my marathon PR (3:48) is an hour faster.  I have a hard time imagining how I used to run that fast.  I know running on the trails has slowed me down (not to mention having a baby six months ago).  While I have my endurance back, to get my speed back, I will need to do more road-specific training.
(2) Need to remember to eat after a hard run.  Went a bit too long after the race before getting food and definitely was feeling it in the afternoon/evening.
(3) Motherhood is way harder than running a marathon.  Before the marathon, my baby kept waking up crying throughout the night (she normally sleeps through the night).  After finishing the marathon, on my drive home, my baby started wailing in the car.  So, I pulled over into a parking lot thinking she needed her diaper change.  I found out that she had an enormous poop explosion all over herself, her clothes, and her car seat.  While she was screaming at full on level 10 melt down, I was scrambling to clean that all up.  Then I worked to console her enough to get her back into the car to drive home.  Motherhood is like a marathon in that there are many ups and downs. However, in a marathon, I can tell myself how much farther to go.  At 20 miles, I know there's only a 10k left.  Motherhood, there is no end and no knowing when things will go up or down.


Thursday, November 12, 2015

My journey from having a baby to finishing RDL!


My journey from having a baby to finishing RDL!    

At five months postpartum, I finished the Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Run (RDL) in 29:41

Labor/Delivery
A few days before my baby was due, I went into what I thought would be a routine prenatal appointment.  My blood pressure was concerningly high so I was admitted for induction.

The next few days would be filled with various complications before (high blood pressure leading to pre-eclamsia, painful swelling), during (vomitting, two hours of pushing, tearing), and after (excessive bleeding, blood clot, blood transfusion) the birth of my baby.  While there were many complications, I did manage to have a vaginal birth to a healthy baby girl.  All the complications were mostly with me, not the baby.

Labor was very long.  I went in on a Thursday afternoon and my baby was born just after midnight on Saturday, June 6, 2015.  And, I wasn't released from the hospital until Monday.  My body was put through the wringer with the whole process.  I feel fortunate I was already an endurance athlete as the whole experience was certainly a test of endurance.

Postpartum Running and Training for RDL
After my name was pulled in the Western States lottery last December and I had recovered from all the heartbreaking tears as to not being able to train or race in the 2015 Western States, I signed up for Rio Del Lago 100 in my early pregnancy knowing the race would be the last Western States qualifying race for the 2016 Western States.  I was (and still am) determined to run and finish Western States some day.  I knew that I would have five months after giving birth to my baby to do RDL.  I believed that would be enough time for me to train and fortunately, the race was local.

The training was harder than anticipated.

First, I thought I would be running sooner than I did.  I waited nearly two weeks before my first attempt to run.  I was taking a walk with my baby in the stroller around the neighborhood.  I decided to run down the street a little bit to see how it felt.  After only a few strides, I felt so weird that I immediately stopped and walked.  I did not feel pain. I just felt like everything down under was so loose and ready to fall out.  After that, I chose to wait a bit longer before starting to run.  I wouldn't begin to really run until after a month postpartum.

However, I did do a lot of hiking around as it was easy enough to bring along the baby.  I frequently hiked on Stagecoach trail near my house.  The trail is two miles long with a decent, steady incline (or decline if you're running down).  Hiking on Stagecoach made me feel like I could get a little hill work done.













Western States 

At three weeks postpartum, I would go to Squaw Valley for the start of Western States.  The day before the race, my husband, baby and I did the Montrail 6k Uphill Challenge.  We hiked three miles up the mountain to high camp.  The elevation really kicked my butt.  I also found I no longer had my cardio.  That experience along with a "talk" someone had with me earlier in the day about starting the race as well as my baby having some feeding issues made me decide to not toe the start line as I had originally intended.  Instead, I watched the start and the following day, I watched some of the finishes including an amazing finish by a 70-year old woman within seconds of the cutoff.



After Western States, I was determined to get back into ultra running shape.



Treadmill Running 

I invested in a quality treadmill (PROFORM 995i) knowing that having a baby would make it difficult to get training runs done. The treadmill has a fan (while it is helpful but I still sweat like crazy), quick speed buttons (which I love, especially when doing intervals), quick incline buttons (great for hill workouts), speakers, and other bells and whistles I haven't quite figured out yet.  The treadmill ended up being very key to my training.  I put a few hundred miles on it training for RDL.

Around one month pp, I did my first run on the treadmill.  I walked for a bit and did a few one minute runs.  From there, I built up my time running.  My cardio was very weak initially so I did a lot of walking and running.  And, when I was running, the pace was fairly slow.  When I tried to run a little faster, even at a 10 minute pace, my heart rate would skyrocket and my lungs would burn.  My legs felt like they could still run fairly well but my heart and lungs struggled during my workouts.

Initially, I tried running on the treadmill while the baby was napping or sitting in the car seat next to the treadmill.  Those workouts started out okay as my workouts were fairly short in time.  However, it eventually got frustrating as the baby would always cry and interrupt my run.  I'd stop and go change her diaper and get back on the treadmill.  A little bit later, she'd cry and I'd have to go feed her and/or get her to nap.  I'd get back on the treadmill for a little bit and she'd cry.  And so the cycle continued.

Later on, when my baby started sleeping longer in the night, I started doing my treadmill workouts shortly after I put her to bed.  I'd put the baby monitor screen on the treadmill so I could see monitor her while running.  These night runs were much better as the baby would generally not interrupt me.  I ended up developing a good night time routine of putting baby down to sleep, running on the treadmill, showering, tidying up the house, and going to bed.  While treadmill running isn't that appealing generally, I did start to really enjoy my night time treadmill runs.  It was the time of the day where I could get my "me" time. I'd like escaping from mommy-hood for a bit to listen to my podcasts and just run. I also found doing my night time runs regularly helped give me more energy and definitely helped me unwind.

As RDL got closer, I started focusing on more quality workouts on the treadmill.  I did a lot of speed work.  I liked doing intervals on the treadmill.  I did slowly get some speed back but I'm still a ways from being as fast as I used to be.  I did a few long runs (2+ hours) on the treadmill too.  Those long runs were really tough mentally but I stuck them out believing it was really good mental training for the late stages of an ultra.  My longest treadmill run was 12 miles and I think it was harder than running 20 miles outside.  But, I felt like this is what is going to make me mentally strong 80 miles into a 100 mile race when I want to quit but I keep grinding it out.  I did a few hill workouts too including just hiking at steep inclines.

Stroller Strides and Stroller Running 



Around 4 weeks postpartum, I started going to Stroller Strides classes at a park in Auburn.  This is a boot camp-like class done with your little ones.  These classes were great workouts, working the whole body.  It was also really fun meeting other active moms with babies.  I also found the strength exercises done in the classes were helpful to my running (I was not good about doing strength work before with my running).  When I went back to work at 12 weeks pp, I wasn't able to keep going to Stroller Strides due to my schedule, but I continued doing strength exercises at home.

Around 6 weeks pp, I joined the Auburn Moms Run This Town running group for their summer running event.   I pushed my baby around in the stroller for our first 5k run together.  Auburn is not flat and pushing a stroller up a hill is quite the workout.  Running with the stroller also worked additional muscles (the core and arms) that normal running does not.  I was super sore from this run.  Some postpartum bleeding came back after this run so I had to ease up a week before I went back to running.

 At 9 weeks postpartum, I ran pushing the baby in the Stroller around Lake Natoma (11.5ish miles).  Being able to complete a lake loop was a big milestone of my return to running. In my early days of running (especially when I was training for my first marathon), I did a lot of running around Lake Natoma.  To me, a lake loop is a good foundation to my running training.  Getting my first postpartum lake loop was a good feeling.  Now, running that long with the baby was not so easy.  She does initially enjoy being outside and checking things out as I run.  Sometimes, she'll nap.  But, she fussed a few other times.  Towards the end, she was tired of being pushed and had to be carried back to the car.  After this run, I kept my runs with her for shorter distances.

Building Up the Miles

At 7 weeks postpartum, I ran Blood Sweat Beers 10 miler.  This would be my first double-digit run.  I was nervous since I had a few not so great runs beforehand.  The race would go on some Auburn trails that I have run a lot on pre-baby.  When I started the race, it was as if my running legs remembered those trails and I felt wonderful being out on the trails again.  I even felt strong running up the hills.  However, I only felt great for about 9 miles when I started cramping and bonking a bit.  Luckily, I only had a mile to the finish.  But, I realized that I would need to re-learn how to fuel on the long runs.

With the help and support of my amazing husband taking on daddy duty, I got more long training runs out on the trails after that.  Most of my weekday running was on the treadmill but I could usually get one long run in on the weekend.  Planning some of the long runs was challenging with the baby.  I couldn't go to many group training runs as they usually started around the time I would need to be feeding my baby.  So, I did do a lot of training alone.  I did a lot of my long training runs later in the morning, or in the middle of the day.  I continued to struggle with cramping and fueling as I built up my mileage. But, it usually happened when I started going farther in my distance.

At 10 weeks pp, I did my first 20 mile training run on the RDL course.  I pumped in my car mid-way through the run.  This would be my first run where I pumped during the run.  I used a manual pump and pumped in the backseat of my car (usually with the car -- and AC-- running).  As I built up my mileage, I not only had to figure out when to do my long runs that would work with my husband/baby but also pick locations where I could loop back to my car to pump.  The good thing about these pump breaks is that I could refuel at the same time.

At 15 weeks pp, I ran a 26.2 mile training run, my first pp marathon run.  Things were progressing along, a little slower than anticipated but I was feeling good that I was getting some longer runs under my belt.

FLUT

At 18 weeks pp, I lined up for my first pp ultra -- the Folsom Lake Ultra Trail (FLUT).

For the first 20-something miles, I felt great running on the trails.  I was going faster than I had anticipated I would be going but wanted to put a little extra in my pace knowing I would lose some time pumping at the aid station.  Around mile 20-something, I pumped (with a double electric pump) at the aid station.

After that, the course got a lot harder, the day got a lot hotter, and the wheels started to come off.  I started cramping around mile 26.  My calves, quads, and hips were screaming in pain going up and down all the hills.  My feet started to blister too.  And, I didn't carry enough water so was just wilting in the heat.  A few friends who volunteered at the aid stations were fantastic in helping me keep going through this tough section.

I made it to Cool, 40ish miles in, to see my husband and baby as I pumped again.  Seeing my family gave me a bit of a boost as I continued on.

As I left Cool, my legs cramped up some more.  I knew I was getting close to the cutoff.  I debated whether I should just call it quits in Auburn.  My legs had been cramping for nearly 20 miles and not getting any better.  I didn't want to compromise my legs for RDL.  I knew a part of me is stubborn and didn't want to quit and wanted to keep going.  But, another part of me felt said my legs are SO done and I needed to remember that this is not the A race.

After No Hands Bridge, as I climbed up to ADO (not the usual way but another crazy route that goes down some steep technical trails to the river and back up a brutal climb), I decided I was done.  13 hours with nearly 50 miles was a good long day on my feet.  This was a good training day for RDL.  So, I slowed down to get there just after the cutoff.  I probably could have made it there before the cutoff if I had wanted to.  But, I knew if I got there before cutoff, I would have been tempted to keep going.  So, I arrived two minutes after the cutoff happy to call it a day.

I did not feel disappointed in FLUT.  It actually made me feel good about RDL.  A friend told me the bad training runs or races you have before a hundred are great training for the big day.  You put yourself through some suffering and you learn what things need to be adjusted for the A race.  Before Zion 100, I DNF'd two races and I thought they helped me get the finish at Zion.  So, I looked at me getting a DNF at FLUT as a good sign for me being able to finish RDL.

Also, I took a number of lessons learned from FLUT with me into RDL: start SLOWER, carry more water/fluids, eat more, do a little more strength work, and take care of blisters/feet issues early on.

After FLUT, I tapered down my running.  I would run the Overlook 30k as my last long run.  I started doing more strength exercises (squats, planks, lunges, push-ups, etc) and yoga more frequently in the weeks leading up to RDL.  And, I continued getting my massages at Massage Vudoo, including getting one the day before RDL.  The massages helped keep the body was in good working order.

I sometimes wished I had run more miles but I couldn't change that.  I think I did enough quality training.  I was as ready as I could be.

RIO DEL LAGO



In the wee hours of the morning, I wake up and get ready for the race.  My baby must have known something was up as she woke up early too.  I breastfeed her and get some morning snuggles before I head out to the race.



At the start, there are many friends gathered around ready to start on our big adventure!  There's a lot of excitement in the air!


Lake Natoma Loop - first 19 miles
5 am, everyone takes off from Beals Point.  I run a little bit with some friends but watch many of them drift off ahead.  I learned my lesson from FLUT that I would not start out too fast.  This first section is dangerous for people starting out too fast as it's mostly on paved bike trail and relatively flat terrain.

I run mostly with Edd but do see a few other friends too (Samantha, Patty, Gail, and Lisa).  Edd jokes that he is a smart guy as he's with all the girls at the back of the pack.

Other than a few chilly patches, this first section goes by fairly easily.  I have some good laughs with Edd.  We see a few non-racing friends out along the way, either out on a morning run or just out spectating.  

I arrive back at Beals Point around 9:30ish in 303rd place.

Theresa (my super star crew person) has set everything up so I can pump (with the double electric pump).  I pump while chatting with Theresa and my husband.  My baby is asleep in the baby carrier so I don't get any baby snuggles. :(

Beals to Rattlensake Bar (Mile 35.8)
I leave Beals running alone and continue at my conservative pace.


My feet had blistered badly at FLUT and the skin on the bottom of my feet has not quite recovered so I can tell my feet are ready to blister again.  When I arrive into Granite Beach, I change my socks.  The feet feel much better in the new socks.  I also see many of my FTR friends at the Granite Beach aid station too and that gives me a little boost.

I continue running along and run a bit with my friend Lisa as we head through Granite Bay dodging many mountain bikers zipping by us.  We eventually get into the meat grinder where there are no more mountain bikes.

In the meat grinder, I get a little ahead of Lisa and run alone for a bit.  It's very quiet and peaceful out here.  I think about how I was out in civilization earlier running around Lake Natoma and now, I'm all alone in nature.

As I'm moving along, I catch a glimpse of Edd so I scramble to catch up to him.  Happy to have his company again, we get through the rest of the meat grinder and most of the way to Rattlesnake Bar together.

I arrive at Rattlesnake Bar around 1:36 p.m. in 282nd place.


At Rattlesnake Bar, a lot of people are there.  Theresa has set up my breast pump for me again.  However, I see my baby with my husband.  She's awake this time.  So, I take her and breastfeed her as it's much easier to breastfeed her than to pump.  It's also nice getting to hold and snuggle with her.

Theresa helps me to get fueled up and prepares me for sundown as I won't get to the next crew stop until dark.

After feeding my baby, I tape up my feet with duct tape trying to get ahead of my blister problem.


I head out a little bit later feeling happy to have seen my baby.  











Rattlesnake to Cool (Mile 52)
From Rattlesnake, I continue my way towards Auburn running mostly alone.  I see Lisa occasionally ahead or behind me.  But, Edd has disappeared ahead of me (he didn't take as long at the aid station as I did).

I arrive to the bottom of Cardiac and start climbing the bypass.  I see one guy sitting on the ground slowly picking himself up.  I ask if he's okay.  He says he's feeling light headed.  I climb up to the Last Gasp aid station and tell the volunteers there about the guy.  A couple guys go running down to tend to him.  I hope he is okay.

At the Last Gasp aid station, there's all kinds of food.  I eat part of a grilled cheese sandwich and part of a breakfast burrito.  I know I haven't been eating quite enough (mostly munching on peanut butter crackers and gels so far) so try to eat some more food here.

I then climb my way up to Auburn.  Here, this is home turf for me.  While I know the entire course, here in Auburn, it is where I have spent the most amount of time running since I live nearby.  Being back in Auburn is comforting.

I hike fairly briskly up to the Flint Gate, next to the Auburn Overlook.  When I arrive up there, I see a whole slew of posters my FTR friends have put together for all the FTRs racing.  Each poster is a picture of each one of us but on silly drawings.  My face is plastered on a flower.  All the posters give me a big smile and laugh.  I am grateful for having such amazing friends!

While heading down to No Hands Bridge, I start seeing a few of the front runners starting their way back to Beals Point.  The sun starts to set and it's nearly dark by the time I reach the bridge.


From the bridge, I power hike my way up to Cool.  It's three miles there but nearly all uphill.  I want to get up there in less than an hour so I power hike away in the dark.  I hear some rustling in the trees/bushes near me and this makes me a little anxious but I keep powering on up.  Try not to think about.  Just get to Cool.

I arrive in Cool at 6:32 p.m. in 262nd place.

A lot of people are at Cool so it is fun to see a whole village of runners have gathered in Cool.  My crew as well as many of my friends' crews are there as well and everyone is ready to help each runner out.

My husband and baby are there as well.  I take my baby and breastfeed her while I eat a burrito my husband has gotten me.  He wants to make sure I eat enough.

After baby and I have eaten, I layer up. The temperature is dropping and everyone is getting cold.

Olmstead Loops 

I leave the Cool Fire Station with David pacing me.  We walk and shuffle along as best as I can.  My feet are blistering on the pads of my feet so it's starting to get uncomfortable but I am still able to move at a relatively decent pace.  David and I chat about various things from travel, food, our friends, running, etc. . . . I always enjoy David's company and it's nice having him with me now.  David trips a number of times on the trails (loose rocks, tree roots, etc).  He doesn't fall but each time he trips, he fumbles a little that it makes me laugh.  He's so graceful.  Hehehe

In the race, you do the Olmstead loop twice but in opposite directions.  So, you get to see other racers on this section, which I normally enjoy.  It gets a little tricky trying to move off the trail for incoming runners but it's nice as I get to see a few of my running friends.  There are a number of people who run by saying "Hi Helen!" but it's too dark for me to see who it is.  Fortunately, I do recognize some (some I recognize by their voice).  About half the people who passed me and called out my name, I have no idea who they are.

As we loop back to the Cool Fire Station, it starts to get even colder.  By the time I return back to the aid station, I am freezing and ready to put on my fleece sweatshirt and sweat pants over my running clothes.  My pacer Adam is there wearing some interesting knit shorts.  He says they are warm.



After bundling up and eating more, I drink some of my Starbucks frappicino as I can feel myself getting tired.  Paulo lets me hold his white mocha which feels so warm in my hands.  He lets me take a sip and it's the most wonderful, warm tasting white mocha I have ever tasted.

Adam and I head back out to the Olmstead Loop (in the reverse direction).  We move along at an okay pace.  I knew I would slow down at night but I am feeling decent as to my time.  I've been going almost exactly to my projected times and I had anticipated slowing down at night.

Adam and I chit chat about various things from babies, the holidays, future races, etc. . .  At some point, he comments on how cool the stars look and just as we are looking up, we see what we think is a shooting star (it is later determined to be something else, a rocket maybe?).

The blisters on the bottom of my feet start to bother me when I run downhills but I push through the pain and keep trudging along.  I can tell my feet are starting to swell up and starting to press up against the side of my shoes.  It is usually at 60-ish miles when my feet start to go south.  I can feel the duct tape is somewhat holding things in place.  At least keeping things from getting worse.

We get back to Cool at 12:11 a.m.  I am in 242nd place.

Theresa asks if I want to pump.  I am too cold to pump and don't want to lose time to pumping so I tell her to not worry about it the rest of the way.

Clint helps changes my socks and shoes (the new shoes are the Altra Superiors which are bigger than my Altra Lonepeaks).  I drink more coffee as I feel the sleep monster coming to get me.  I feel so tired and rub my face trying to wake up.  I think Clint thinks I'm upset (like I'm about to cry or something) as he mumbles "uh-oh" or something.  I see his look of concern but I can also hear his voice from previous conversations we've had telling me how I'm mentally tough.  I am tired but I tell myself I can do this.  Just keep going.  Theresa gives me a baby wipe to wipe my face down, which helps.

I get back up and head on out into the toughest part of the night.

Cool to Rattlesnake Bar (Mile 84)

When I leave Cool, the wind blows and my face starts to freeze.  I tell Adam how my arms and legs are warm but my face is so cold.  Adam runs back to Cool to get my buff for me to cover my face.  There is a very cold chill in the air.  I'm glad I have a lot of layers on.  At times when I am running, I feel a little warm but when I hit the cold sections, I am grateful to have all the extra layers.

When I did RDL a couple years ago, I ended up falling asleep on my feet and sleep walking at a very slow pace for a few miles.  As it gets later into the night, I can feel myself getting tired and I try my best to keep focused so I don't fall asleep.  I cannot afford to slow down too much.

The run down from Cool to No Hands goes relatively quickly.  I am able to get a good shuffling run going and we make it down there in a relatively decent time.  I drink some hot chocolate and continue my way up to the Overlook.

I start paying more attention to the time.  I do a lot of thinking ahead as to how fast I can do each section and what the cutoff times are.  I make goals for myself as to when I want to reach each aid station.  I tell myself I need to get to Flint Gate by 2:30 a.m.

My feet are hurting so that's making me cranky.  Adam tries to push me to run at times and sometimes I go, sometimes I tell him no.  He tells me that Clint told him to make sure I keep moving.  Adam starts to kind of annoy me.  He keeps saying "You're doing great" which I am tired of hearing.  So, I tell him to stop.  I tell him to read me facebook messages to help motivate me.  He reads a few which is nice but I wish he would read more.

The climb up from No Hands back to Flint Gate gets tough.  At 70 miles, climbing is hard.  I know they say the new RDL course is "easier" but is it really?  I'm doing these climbs later in the race on much more tired legs.  I try to keep moving as best as I can but climbing is really exhausting.  The good thing is I know this climb to the Overlook like the back of my hand, even in the dark.  So, I just keep looking at little things to mark my way, knowing I am getting close to the top.

Right before getting up to the Overlook, my headlamp dies.  Luckily, I have my other headlamp which Theresa had put new batteries in me for.  I remember my headlamp dying at Zion and having to go in the dark for a couple miles to the aid station.  Glad I was prepared this time.

We make it to Flint Gate sometime after 2 am.  They have already started packing things up.  I quickly grab more gels and move quickly through the aid station wanting to get to the next one as quickly as possible.  I briefly think about how my house is nearby and how nice it would be to be back at home.  But, I continue moving down to Last Gasp.

From there, we mostly run (shuffle run) down to Last Gasp since it's mostly downhill.  Adam asks me if I feel excited that we are heading back to Beals.  I say no.  Beals is still a long way to go.  He talks about how it must feel good knowing I'm on my way back and I get very upset at him that I can't think about how far Beals is.  To him, it doesn't seem that far but to me, it is.  While I have gone 3/4 of the way there, 25 miles is still too far to wrap my brain around right now.  It is too much to think about.  I think how far away 11 a.m. is and that's over 8 hours from now.  It upsets me to think that I have to be out here for 8 more hours.  I go back to focusing on getting aid station to aid station, bite sized portions.

I get to the aid station, eat a little pizza and move quickly out of the aid station again.  No time to waste dilly dallying.  I am thinking about the time a lot.  I start doing time calculations as to where I want to be the rest of the race.  Doing these time calculations (which I did in Zion) are good in keeping my mind focused so I don't fall asleep.  I want to get to Rattlesnake Bar (in 6 miles) before 5:30 a.m., then to Horsehoe Bar before 6:30 a.m., to Granite Beach by 9:30 a.m., which should give me enough time to finish before the 11 am cutoff.  I think about these things and think if I can get a little ahead of these times to give me more cushion at the end, that will be good.

Adam runs a little bit ahead of me when we hit the single track.  We aren't talking too much now.  I kind of just want my own space and he seems to be getting that.  He does annoy me sometimes as he will slow down and I will get behind him and have to snap at him to "Move!" or he'll run too fast and disappear ahead of me.   I am shuffling along fairly well considering I have blisters on my feet.  I pass a number of people as I really want to get to Rattlesnake as far ahead of 5:45 am as possible.  I know I can make the cutoff but I want to have some cushion as I know the stretch from Horseshoe Bar to Granite Beach (almost 9 miles) will be a long one.  Luckily, if I am running, I can run at a decent pace.  Almost the same pace that I was running during the start.  I just happen to walk a little more now.  But when I walk, I try to walk briskly.  I make a goal to get to Rattlesnake and be out of there by 5:30 a.m.

We run what seems like forever to get to the Powerhouse.  There's a port-a-potty there which I am making myself get to.  I feel like it's getting close but each bend comes and it still isn't here.  I argue and whine with Adam as to where the hell is the Powerhouse!  I am getting so frustrated.  I am so tired.  I just want to get to Rattlesnake.  I want to see Theresa who will comfort me.  I want to see Cathy who will find a way to make me smile.  I want to see Clint who will give me the pep talk that I need.  I can hear Clint's voice in my head urging me to keep going.

After awhile, we finally get to the Powerhouse.  I take a relatively quick potty break and we continue on.  I know Rattlesnake is nearby.  I argue with Adam some more when I think the aid station should be here by now but I don't see it.  He chuckles at me, amused at my grumpiness.  That annoys me more.  I think I have reached my limit of my time with Adam.  I am ready for my next pacer.

We eventually arrive at Rattlesnake Bar at 5:19 a.m.  I am in 227th place.    

I get here and with the help of Theresa, I take off some of my layers preparing for the morning. Theresa restocks my pack and Clint offers to help with my feet but I tell him there's nothing to be done to make it better.  It is what it is.  Painful but tolerable and I don't want to mess with it to make it worse.

I get some food in me including a cold pancake that Clint managed to find at the aid station.  Theresa and Clint being there give me the comfort I needed.  They just seem to know what I want or what to say to make me feel better.

I get up to head out.  There's no more crew from here to the finish so I tell my friends I will see them at the finish.  I am determined to get there.

Rattlesnake to the Finish (101.4 miles)
Cathy and I climb out of Rattlesnake Bar back onto the trail.  Once back onto the trail, I am able to get a good run/shuffle going on the flatter sections.  We get into a pretty decent running groove with a few walking moments.

I am happy to have Cathy's company.  You can never be really that grumpy around Cathy.  She's such a happy, sweet person.  We talk about various things from our friends, cooking shows, food, funny race moments, etc. . . .and we have many laughs.

The sun begins to rise as we near Horseshoe Bar.  I feel more energy as the sun rises and able to run a little more than before.  But then, we hit the meat grinder.  And what a grind it is!  My time really slows down through this section but I push through as best as I can.  I really want to get to Granite Beach before 9:30 a.m.

My husband texts me in the morning asking for an update.  He sends a picture of my baby saying "Go Mommy Go!"  This gives me a nice boost.  I get a little emotional thinking about seeing my baby at the finish.  I must get there.    

As we near the Granite Bay aid station, which seems to take forever, I start losing energy.  I start getting drowsy again.  We run a little less and walk more.  But, time is still looking okay.  I tell Cathy how I look forward to getting to the aid station as Steve will be there and he will give me some shit, as that's what he does.

We finally arrive at Granite Beach around 9:15 a.m. and sure enough, Steve is there yelling something at me.  I can't quite hear him but I know he's giving me some shit of some sort.  I get into the aid station seeing some more friendly faces of fellow FTRs.


Seeing my friends peps me up a little but I end up forgetting to grab more gels.  As I head towards Cavitt, I realize I forgot to grab more gels.  My energy is fading but I keep pushing on knowing the finish is near.  And, this last section, I know all too well.

I let my husband know that I am getting close and he tells me him and the baby are waiting for me.  Cathy and I trudge along the last couple miles.  I slow down more, not really in a hurry anymore.  I know I can get there in time so I don't feel compelled to push anymore.  I actually think it'd be kind of fun to be DFL.  I let some folks pass me as they head to the finish.

It begins to rain on us, just lightly.  The rain does not bother me.  It's quite refreshing.  But, this makes me worry about my baby being out in the rain.  I still hope to see her.

I climb my way up to the last levee and there is my husband with our baby in the stroller (nicely covered from the rain).  He had dressed our baby in her giraffe costume as I had suggested since it's warm and fuzzy and has a hood.  I'm so happy to see them, especially my little girl.  A few other friends are there on the levee too to cheer me on.

I push the stroller across the levee running and walking a bit.  As I near the end of the levee, I start running more thinking again this is like the old course where you just run to the end of the levee and down into the finish.  Nope, I reach the end of the levee and I am told I still have to do a loop around the parking lot.



Good grief.  Do you really need to have this extra loop?  Does the course really need to be 101.4 miles?  Can't you just leave it at 100?!

My husband, baby and I go around the parking lot.  My husband takes the baby over to some covered picnic tables to change her diaper.  I slowly walk and kind of wait for him to get back to me.  I've got more than enough time to finish so am really taking my time now as I want to finish with my baby.

My husband, baby and I come along the final stretch (the real final stretch now).  We are walking along but I can hear my friends at the finish line urging me on.  So, I start pushing the stroller towards the finish chute.  When I get to the finish chute, I take the baby out of the stroller and carry her across the finish line while my many friends cheer!



And, I feel overjoyed that I did it and got to share in the special moment with my wonderful baby girl.  :)


Official Finish Time 29:41:48

After Thoughts

For my third 100 miler, I think this one went as well executed as I could have hoped.  My pace was mostly right on par with the pace chart I had put together.  It's been tough accepting that I am slower than I used to be.  But, I am glad I played it smart and started slow, which did pay off later in the race.  I moved from 303rd place to 227th place from the beginning to the end so that makes me feel good I paced myself as I should have.  

I am happy I did not cramp at all during the race.  I think doing the extra strength work and yoga the weeks leading up to the race helped a lot. I am glad I finally got my fueling down.  At least I managed things better.  I was surprised how well my stomach held up during the race.  GI issues is usually my biggest struggle in ultras.  I started eating more gels and less of the snacky foods so who knows if that's the case or not.  

My biggest issue was the blisters on my feet, which I knew were going to happen.  I used duct tape like I did at Zion.  It didn't work quite as well as Zion but I think it helped keep things from getting into a bigger problem.  I managed to still move at a relatively decent pace.  

Pumping and breastfeeding didn't end up adding too much time to my race as I tried to be more efficient at the other aid stations.  I did enjoy breastfeeding more than pumping as that's me getting to be snuggled up with my baby.  It was an interesting element to add to my racing.  

Finishing RDL, I qualified to enter the lottery for Western States again.  I put my name back into the hat and we will see what happens in 2016.  I hope to get in as I dream of taking my baby across the finish line at Placer High School.  If I don't get in next year, I will continue to qualify and keep at it until my day comes.  :) 

 Acknowledgements

As always, I am grateful to the trail running community for all their love and support.  I am grateful to everyone who's extended kind, supportive words to me before, during, or after.  

And, I personally want to thank:

-NorCal Ultras, all the organizers and volunteers for putting on a fantastic event as always.  The course was marked well.  I really liked the giant "NO" at the bottom of Cardiac making sure you did not go the wrong way.  The aid stations all were fantastic.

-Java Joggers - You were the group that made me into a runner and have remained always there to support me.  It was great running with you when I was working on getting my running base back.  And, thank you for all the love and support you have always given me.  

-Folsom Trail Runners - Love our FTR family!  Thank you to those who put together those great posters for us FTR runners.  Thank you for those working the aid stations, especially Steve Godfrey for organizing the Granite Bay aid station.  Thanks for all your support in everything I do, both in the ups and downs.  I also thank you for the wonderful finish line cheer I received from you all!  

-Congratulations to all the race finishers especially Edd, Jerry S, and Roger who I was grateful to share in this adventure with you guys.  Thanks for your encouragement during my training and during the race.  You were part of my last two hundos and glad you were there in my third hundo. 

-Thanks Edd, Samantha, Lisa, Patty, and Gail for sharing some of the miles with me.  I enjoyed being able to run with you and chat with you for some of it.  

-Thank you to Theresa for being an awesome crew person and tending to my every need!  You are the best!!  You always knew what I needed and anticipating what I might need ahead!  Love you!  

-Thank you Clint for your treadmill advice.  I followed your example with my treadmill training.  Also, thanks for reminding me that I'm mentally tough.  Your voice definitely helped me keep going through some tough parts.  And, thanks for your help during the race, be it changing my sock/shoes, finding me a pancake, etc. . . 

-Thank you Rebecca, Paulo, and Zena for helping me out in the middle of the night as well.  

-Thank you David, Adam, and Cathy for pacing me.  The night part is not easy for me and having your company was helpful (even if I did get annoyed with you Adam =P).  I'm grateful to have shared my adventure with you!  

-Thank you Tom for all the awesome massages that keep my body in working order so I can accomplish these amazing events.     

-Thank you MRTT (Mothers Run This Town).  The running while pregnant and/or nursing group has provided a lot of inspiration and support.  And, the Auburn chapter has been a wonderful group cheering this mama on!  I hope to be able to run more with you all in the future!  

-Thank you ultrarunningpodcast, Talk Ultra, Ginger Runner, and Trail Runner Nation for your awesome podcasts.  I spent many many hours listening to the podcasts while on the treadmill or out on a long training run!  

-Thank you Liza Howard and Jennifer Benna, elite female runners who ran while pregnant and after having a baby, came back stronger.  I am inspired by all elite runners but you two were ones I read more about when I was pregnant.  I read your stories and gained a lot of inspiration from you and women like you.  Stories of how you still kicked butt in your races where you had to pump really made me believe I could do RDL while pumping/breastfeeding.  

-Thank you Paul for driving my car back home after the race.  Glad to have seen you out there on the course!  

-Thank you Carolyn for helping watch Ellie after I finished the race so I could take a shower.  

-Thank you Valerie for helping watch Ellie during the race day/night.  

-Last of all, thank you Craig for being an amazing husband and father to our baby girl.  I could not have done this without all your support.  You stepping up with the daddy duty so I could get my training in and race really made it possible.  You bringing our baby to me during the race made things extra special.  I am so lucky to have you and love you so much.  Thank you for everything!







Monday, May 11, 2015

36 Weeks Preggo - Super Swollen Feet and Run Like a Mother 5k

Into my 36th week of pregnancy.  The final stretch!  Baby can technically pretty come at any time now.  I definitely feel bigger and I think my baby has dropped a little as I've been feeling more pressure in my pelvis.  I think I sometimes feel Braxton-Hicks contractions but I'm not too sure.  Nothing consistent to make me too concerned.

I'm still able to kind of run but it's definitely getting harder to do anything too long.  Things have been especially hard this past week because my feet, ankles, and calves have been getting crazy swollen.  I start the day off okay but by the end of the day, I definitely have gianormous feet!  My ankles and feet ache to move when they get so big.  The walking and running does help with some of the circulation and help relieve some of the pressure in my feet but they remain pretty fat.  

I can feel the extra weight I'm carrying in my calves again.  I try to take it easy and have easily been keeping my outings relatively short these days.  

I did start swimming again this past week hoping the water would help.  The swimming has been nice but it only mildly reduced the swelling.  But, I do enjoy being in the water.  Will try to swim a little more from here on out.  The tough part is the pool I swim at is in Rocklin and after a long day of work, especially when I have super giant feet, I don't feel like driving anywhere.  

A lot of people have been giving me advice, whether I ask for it or not.  And I've tried it all and nothing really makes it better.  I've been drinking tons of water.  I put my feet up when I can.  I soak my feet in my foot spa.  I've taken epson baths and even soaked my feet with apple cider vineger.  I've gone swimming.  I've run.  I've walked.  I've tried compression socks (which is the worse as I end up with muffin top legs).  I've iced my feet.  Some of the stuff kind of sort of helps but for me, there's
no real remedy.  Swollen feet is just something that some pregnant women get.  I sometimes feel like all the symptoms one could get while pregnant, I've gotten.  I think it's just the way it is and I just deal with it as best as I can.  

Mother's Day



On Mother's Day, I went to Davis to run in the Run Like A Mother 5k.  Sounded like an appropriate race for me to do in my late pregnancy.

I got to Davis and ran/walked a warm up which I'm grateful I did as it does take awhile to get my legs warmed up.  During the race, I ended up being able to run the whole race.  It wasn't fast but I felt good being able to run without walking for the whole race.  And, the last mile, I was able to pick up my pace and have a good finish.  I was glad the race was only 3.1-ish miles as I am not sure I could run much more beyond that.

I had set a conservative goal of trying to finish under 45 minutes, anticipating some walking during the race.  I ended up finishing in 36 minutes.  My finish time amused me as I am 36 weeks pregnant.  Not too shabby.

Not sure how much running I have left in me until the baby's born but I'll keep trying to get out and at least walk.  I think I may be pretty much done with the running races from here on out.










Monday, May 4, 2015

35 Weeks Preggo - Volunteering at the Canyons 100k & First Run with MRTT

Hit 35 weeks pregnant.  Feeling myself getting bigger.

Felt pretty good after doing the Miner's Revenge Trail Run.  Did a little more yoga at home this past week and that was helpful.  I enjoy doing the yoga stretches.  Always feel good after doing yoga but I'm not as consistent as I would like.

I put in some good miles in this past Wednesday and Thursday so I could reach 100 miles for the month of April.  I continue with my run/walk streak since the start of the year where I get out every day and run and/or walk at least one mile.  There are a lot more evenings of me just walking the dog for about 20-ish minutes.  But, it's  good to get out for a little bit every day.

Volunteering at the Canyons Race

On Saturday, I spent about 12 hours volunteering at the Canyons Endurance Runs 50k/100k.  I worked at the finish line inputting runners as they finished into the timing system.  It was a long day but fun watching the various runners.  I had fun day hanging out with the various runners and the UltraLiveTV folks, who were recording the race and providing race updates right next to me all day and evening.








I got to see Rob Krar have an amazing win, completely blowing the field away.  Sometime after he finished, he came over to my area and sat down and hung out for a bit chit chatting with me and other folks.  It was exciting for me to get to talk to him.  He even sat in my chair for a bit!  What I love about ultra running is that the elites aren't like elites in other sports.  You can interact with them and see that they're really ordinary people (putting aside their amazing athletic abilities).  You can have a normal conversation with them about running and stuff.

Other than seeing some elite runners finish strongly, I had fun watching the middle of the pack and the back of the pack finish a pretty tough race.  I stayed until late at night and watched some really tough folks endure through a long day and pull off a finish.  I met this one guy who said around mile 18-20ish, he had decided to quit since his foot was bothering.  He sat at the aid station for about an hour and a half waiting for a ride back to the start.  After a bit, he got bored of waiting and said to himself "Fuck it, I'm going to get going" and decided to continue on the course.  And, in the late hours of the night, he finished the 100k.  That story really amused me and was happy he didn't quit and ended up with a memorable finish.

The race is on much of the Western States course so naturally, it got me thinking about States coming up next month.  While I am excited about my baby coming in a few weeks time, a part of me just yearns for States.  And, I know some other year will be the year I get to really run it (and finish it).  Many friends think it'll be cool if I tow the start line.  I am hoping for a smooth labor and delivery and that I might be able to tow the start line.  To be there for the excitement and energy of THE big dance!

Run with MRTT
On Sunday, I had my first run/hike with the Auburn Chapter of the Mothers Run This Town running group.  Had a nice morning run with two ladies out on the trails by the Auburn Overlook.  We chit chatted about pregnancy, running, and various other things.  It's been nice meeting more moms who run and getting input with them about things.  I look forward to many future adventures with this group!  :)




Monday, April 27, 2015

34 Weeks Preggo - Swollen Ankles and the Miners Revenge Trail 25k

34 weeks pregnant now.  Hard to believe that the baby can come in the next 6 weeks.  She's been moving around pretty good.  I feel myself getting bigger with each passing day.

Things went fairly well this past week.  Earlier in the week, I took it easy with just evening/night walks with the dog.  After a couple long days in court, I started to notice the swollen pregnancy ankles.  My right foot swelled up so badly that the side got bruised from being pressed up against my shoe.  They were soft cushy running shoes even.  I was not too pleased with having the swollen ankles though the swelling didn't bother me at all.

I took it easy during the week so that I could still run the Miners Revenge Trail 25k that my husband and I signed up for.  He was very nervous about me doing the race in the aftermath of my fall.  When rain came the day before the race, he got a little more nervous for me thinking about the trails getting slippery and asked me to make sure I was extra careful out there.

On Saturday (race day), we went out to Cool for the race.  It had rained quite a bit during the night but the rain had stopped by morning.  The weather was perfect running weather.  50's to 60's in temps.  Cloudy.  Not too cold and not too warm.

Before the race started, the race director, Anthony Brantley, came up to me and excitedly commented on my pregnancy and me being out at the race.  And when he did the race announcements before the start, he mentioned to all the racers how there was a pregnant runner in the race and pointed me out.  He told everyone to be nice to me out there.

The race went fairly well.  I ran/hiked a good portion of it with my friends Ralph and Shannon.  They were great in making sure I crossed some of the tricky creek crossings safely.

I took it extra easy on some of the technical and/or slippery downhill sections.  And, I just enjoyed being out on the trails on such a lovely day.  Everything was extra green from the rain.  It was fun to splash through creeks and puddles too.  I did learn that my Altra Lonepeaks do drain very well.




During the big climb around mile 10-11, I wasn't paying attention to the ribbons and went off course for about half a mile but I got a nice pretty view of the canyon.


Everyone (other runners, the volunteers, spectators) was super nice to me and cheering me and my preggo belly on.  I enjoyed all the encouragement out there.  Even though I was going slow and towards the back of the pack, it was nice to get a lot of positive energy from the other folks out there.

The end of the race had a lot more climbing, which I prefer to downhills.  So, I ended up finishing pretty strong and passing a few ladies towards the end, which I kind of enjoyed.  While I've mostly accepted my preggo-ness has slowed me down significantly and I'm generally okay being in the back of the pack at these races.  However, I still have a little competitive side.  

Running the race reduced the swelling in my ankles so they were back to normal size after the run.  I was pretty happy about that. Everything felt good out there.  My legs had no issues.  I am glad I don't really have the tight calves like I did on many runs in my second trimester. :)

In the end, I finished 16.5 miles in under 5 hours.  My goal was to finish under 5 hours so I was pleased I met that goal.

My husband finished feeling good too.  It was his longest trail race to date and he had only started hitting the trails again a few weeks ago, after getting fed up with bike racing.  He did great out there and I was a super proud wife!  I've been amused as to how he just dove into trail racing.  I do enjoy sharing trail adventures with him and really happy he enjoyed himself during this race.  I hope it is the beginning of many family trail running adventures we will share together!

  

So, baby and me finished another race together.  We had fun at this one.  I did greatly appreciate the support from the race director and everyone out there!  It made for a really fun day out on the trails.   Of course, I appreciate the support from my loving husband who doesn't stop me from doing crazy things like run a 25k while 8 months pregnant.  After the race, my husband said that our baby won her age group in the race.  Hehehe.

I do think I will probably cut back from doing the double-digit runs and keep my runs and races on the shorter side (< 10 miles) from here on out. But, you never know with me. . .;-)


Monday, April 20, 2015

33 Weeks Preggo - A Fall!

33 weeks pregnant today.

I feel so much bigger and my ankles are starting to get swollen.  Was hoping to avoid the preggo ankles .  No such luck.

I'm still recovering from my cold.  The cough was pretty rough to deal with this past week as it's hard to cough when there's a baby pressed up into your diaphragm and rib cage.  Every cough makes the side along my ribs ache and of course, the cough is the last part of the wretched cold.

I took it easy for the first half of the week, mostly just doing evening walks.

On Thursday, I was feeling well enough to go out for a run so I went out to run the Stagecoach trail.  On the way down the hill, about a mile down, I tripped over a rock and went down.  Mind you, I'm not that fast of a downhill runner in general so I was going easy but I guess I just wasn't paying enough attention.  I tried so hard to catch myself but you're not quite as agile when you've got a big preggo belly going.  I landed mostly on my side so not directly on belly.

I picked myself up okay and walked a bit to shake things off.  I finished running/hiking down the hill (about another mile) and then did the two miles hike back up.  My friend Jesse and my dog Lyla were with me.  I was feeling fine.  I didn't feel any cramping or pain in the preggo belly region.

I finished up and sat for a little bit and eventually felt baby moving like normal so that was a good thing.  I did not feel any of the symptoms of concerns when you fall (cramping, bleeding, contractions, etc. . . .).  I texted my husband letting him know that I was okay but had taken a fall.  He insisted I call the advice nurse at Kaiser.  So, I did and they said I had to go in.

I went into the hospital and sat in triage attached to a fetal monitor for a couple hours.  They eventually brought in the ultrasound machine and saw that baby and placenta were looking fine.  I was hopeful to be out of there soon.  But, they had some concerns that I was dehydrated and had some contractions (though I didn't feel anything).

Next thing I know, I'm being admitted into the hospital for 24 hour watch just to be sure.  They certainly emphasized multiple times to me that baby is looking great (not that I was really worried as she was squirming and moving around like usual).  However, I had to stay to be monitored, just to be sure.  And for the night and into the next day, I had an IV pumping me full of fluids and a fetal monitor attached to me at all times.

The fall left me pretty bruised all over.  It looked worse than it actually felt.  My knee got scrapped up good and my right side pretty bruised up.  But the pain was not so bad.  Most of my discomfort and pain was just dealing with my cough.  Between the cough and the fetal monitor and/or other machines beeping at me, it was hard to really get any rest while in the hospital.  But, the nurses were super nice in trying to make me as comfortable as possible.  And, my husband did a great job taking care of me too.  It's nice someone worries about me as I probably don't worry about myself as much as I probably should.

I eventually got to go home on Friday evening and finally got to take a much-yearned-for shower and go for a nice walk with the dog.

I was feeling stupid about the fall and not looking forward to dealing with the judgy people that say I shouldn't have been running in the first place.  But, I posted to my pregnant runners facebook group and got a lot of posts from fellow running moms or moms-to-be about how falls can just happen anywhere at any time.  So, that helped me feel a little better about it.  I knew I was fine and was pretty sure baby was fine too (doctor had told me long ago that even if a fall happens on accident, you're pretty well cushioned).  I thought it was just such a big fuss afterwards.  But, I know it's good to be safe and have everything checked out as you never know for certain.

For the weekend, I took it easy and only did short 20 minute-ish walks with the dog.

I did enjoy a lovely baby shower hosted by my sister-in-law.  And, one of my presents is the Bob Stroller (from my in-laws!) so I'm super excited to have that and look forward to running adventures with my baby....rather adventures with her outside of the womb.

Earlier this evening, I volunteered with my Up and Running Again group and did my first post-fall run with them.  We ran on flat street and I ran easy in the mid-pack of the training group but it felt so good to be up and running again.  It's also fun running with the group and seeing them progress as runners.  Two weeks ago, we were doing 5 minutes of running and now they are running 15 minutes straight!

Anyhow, falling hasn't stopped me from getting out there.  I am just going to be more careful while I'm out there.  :)





Monday, April 13, 2015

32 Weeks - Fighting Colds and Climbing K2!

32 weeks now!

Baby is growing.  She's been moving pretty frequently.  I like feeling her movements as it assures me thing she's doing well in there.

This past week has been a busy week.  It was a bit tough as I developed a cold and the congestion in my head and chest has been tough to deal with.  I spent most of the week taking it easy and for the most part, only doing my short walks with Lyla.

Last Tuesday, I started a new session with Up and Running Again.  This is a program that works with at-risk individuals and trains them for a half marathon in 14 weeks.  For week one, we run 5 minutes, walk 5 minutes and repeat twice for a total of 30 minutes.   It was great to see a large new group of participants (and a few return participants from prior sessions).  I love volunteering for this program as it's great to see people progress from no running to running miles.  Being preggo, I ran/walked towards the rear of the pack this time and really fun to watch some of the ladies push themselves.  After my volunteering sessions, I always feel so happy and inspired by people's determination and that I got to help them a little.

Also, this past week, as a surprise, my wonderful husband got me (and our baby) a running girl doll.  I found out they make these sport's dolls to inspire young girls to be active and "Dream Big and Go For It."  This is definitely a doll I would want for my little girl!  I hope my baby girl likes the doll and I look forward to having her run those cute little kid races and cheer me on in my races.


My husband has also started trail running more again.  He's normally more of a cyclist but he got frustrated with the bike racing season and stopped riding the past few weeks and started hitting the trails.  He even asked me about finding a trail race to do.  So, we signed up for the Miner's Revenge 25k at the end of the month.

My husband and I attended a couple classes at Kaiser this past week including a birthing class.  The classes was informative but I get a little nervous about the birthing process. I  really hope for a smooth labor and delivery. And, that I'll be able to recover relatively easily afterwards.  They say women who are active are supposed to have "faster" and "easier" labors and recoveries. That's what I'm hoping for.  I am hoping to do a natural birth too as I believe that will help in a smoother recovery.  No epidural.  After the classes, I still feel assured in that decision but we will see how it goes once labor begins.  The instructors keep saying it's like a long endurance event ("like running 10 marathons" one lady said).  The funny thing is I am an endurance athlete so I wonder is it really like an endurance event?  I hope so.  I know it's going to be tough and hope that I can bear through the hard parts and look forward to the finish of holding my baby girl in my arms!

On Sunday, despite still having a bit of my cold, I went to do the K2 Challenge put on by Singletrack Running.  The event involved people doing as many K2 loops in 6 hours.  The loop is about 4 miles long and involves climbing up K2 (aka Training Hill) which is a steep hill going about 1 mile and about 1000 feet.  The rest of the loop is runnable including a couple miles of gentle downhill on the Western States trail.  For many runners, K2 is a beast of a hill and many despise it.  For me, it's a tough hill but I've done a lot of training on that hill and know it well and I love climbing it.  The hill is what made me stronger for some of my ultras a couple years ago.

For the event, we started at 6am, before sunrise.  During the first loop, it was fun seeing the sun rise up.  And, I'm glad it was an early start as things warmed up by the later morning.

I wanted to get at least 3 loops done.  The great thing about timed events with loops is that if I don't feel good, I can just stop.  I felt good for the first three loops.  So, I went for a fourth loop.  By the fourth loop, my quads were pretty much done with climbing and all the downhill running so was good with stopping then.  During the last loop, I knew Tom would be at the finish to help massage away some of the soreness.


I felt good during the event. The cold was not too bad.  In fact, it helped clear some of the congestion for a little bit.  My nose ran like crazy during most of the event.  And, the loops were fun to do and just right for my pregnant self.  For the climb, I just hike up it.  The downhill isn't too steep so I can easily run down it.  It's nice to have downhill running when I'm pregnant.  Flat running can sometimes wear on my calves but my calves felt great during and after (which was surprising as my calves are generally sore after many of my runs these days).

The fun thing about looped events is that I don't feel like it's just me at the back of the pack.  I get to see my faster friends as they pass me at various times so it was nice to not feel like it's just preggo me at the back of the pack.  My friends did more loops than me but we all finish around the same time and then I got to spend the afternoon hanging out.

In the end, I did 4 loops, 15.7 miles, nearly 4000 feet of climbing.  Afterwards, I had fun hanging with some of my friends the rest of the afternoon.  I had a great time doing a challenging event and hanging with my running friends.  No feeling of missing out this time!  :)


Monday, April 6, 2015

31 Weeks Pregnant - Volunteering at AR50!

31 weeks pregnant.

Felt nice and sore after the Knickerbocker half so took it easy for the week.  Most of my workouts this week have been short walks or easy jogs around the neighborhood with Lyla in the evenings.  On Sunday evening, I went for a little bit longer run and ran with Lyla along the trails by Robie to ADO.

March ended on Tuesday and I finished another month of run/walking every day for at least one mile.  I racked up a total of 127.75 miles for the month of March!  [I've been on a run/walk streak since the start of the year].  No matter how tired I feel, if I haven't run for the day, I take Lyla out for a night walk and we usually go walking around the high school.  I usually feel better afterwards.

One of my favorite things to do is after our night walk is to sit on my glider bench on my front porch.  It's very relaxing and Lyla likes getting out each night with me.

Last Saturday, I volunteered at the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run (AR50).  The finish line was at ADO, which is pretty close to my house.  So, I walked over there and spent about 7 hours working at the finish line helping mark down the finisher's, handing out finisher's jackets, handing out age group awards and generally cheering people on.


It was really fun volunteering for the day and feeling part of the event.  I've been missing ultras and had been feeling left out of the ultra season so this was a nice way to be in the ultra scene.  I had a great time watching the top finisher's down to the mid pack finisher's.  I especially like seeing the older crowds.  Saw a couple 60-year olds finish and that's super awesome.

Jennifer Benna got the female win and this was super exciting to watch.  She's been an inspiration to me lately as she's a elite runner and a mom.  I had recently watched a video of her talking about running while pregnant and running while being a mom which I appreciated hearing her story.  And, recently, her daughter got really sick and was in the hospital.  The girl is in doing better now but Benna had to focus on being there for the daughter, running being put on the back burner.  Yet, days later, when her daughter is doing okay again, she's out running the race and kicking butt and winning.  What an inspiration to runners and moms out there!


So, a lot less running this week but it was a good week.  Baby is moving a lot more these days and her movements are a lot stronger.  She's usually pretty calm when I'm out moving - be it walking or running.  When I'm sitting or laying, that's when she gets squirmy.  I love feeling her and can't wait to hold her in my arms.




Monday, March 30, 2015

30 Weeks Pregnant - Knickerbocker Canyon Trail Half Recap

30 weeks pregnant now!

I finished the Knickerbocker Canyon Trail Half Marathon yesterday and felt great out there.


I saw Tom at Massage Vudoo last week, before the race, and he helped work on my legs and the pain I've been feeling in my shin and calves.  I took it easy during the week and only did walks and/or short jogs with Lyla (my dog).

Race day, I wore compression socks and a buff (as a belly band). The buff has been working great as a belly band in keeping the belly stable during my runs.  The compression socks were definitely helpful as my legs didn't feel as painful as they did during my 10k the weekend prior.

During the race, I felt really happy that I had my running legs back.  The first 10 miles went fairly well.  Even my climb up K2/Training Hill went decent though I took it easier going up as my heart rate definitely goes way up on that climb.

The last three miles were tough as it was getting really hot out and the terrain was super tough.  The trails went all the way down to the river then on some super exposed trails climbing one's way back up to K2.

Less than a mile out, the hill gets super steep and I felt my legs want to cramp a little.  A little more climbing than expected but I kept pushing up and made it to the finish.

After my finish, I felt that wonderful post-race high for most of the afternoon.  So happy I got through the race with not too much pain.  I was pretty dismayed during my 10k when things got to be so challenging and was very grateful that things felt a lot better during this trail half!