Vancouver (Non)Marathon

My BMO Vancouver Marathon experience was a lesson in letting go.  I held on tightly to so many hopes, goals, and expectations for the run.  I'd been very dedicated to a rigorous training plan and had already completed the most difficult requirements (including 2 20-mile runs).  I looked forward to the marathon with optimistic excitement and envisioned a race that would improve on my Portland performance.  But I soon had to accept that it wasn’t meant to be.  I had to let go of the Vancouver Marathon that I’d visualized and come to terms with the Vancouver Marathon of reality.
 



I bought so many different braces, bands,
and wraps-- hoping that they could work miracles
in the short time before the race.

Three weeks before the race, things started to go awry.  I’d completed a very hilly 20-mile run on a Saturday and set out to complete a simple 3-mile run a few days later.  Just 1.5 miles into this short run, my IT Bands were so painful on the outside of my knees that I had to stop.  I rested and stretched for a full week before running again, but then everything seemed to be out of whack!  My IT bands still hurt, and I had pain in my shins, left hamstring, above my left knee. 

I desperately searched for a solution as the marathon date approached.  I got a 1.5-hour sports massage (which helped the IT bands but didn't fully solve my problems); I saw a drop-in physical therapist (who noted lots of swelling on the side of my left knee); I attended several yoga classes; I followed YouTube videos about how to heal all of my miscellaneous leg injuries; I iced and took Ibuprofen incessantly; and I rolled my legs out on the foam roller multiple times per day. But, as difficult as it was for me to admit, my legs were rebelling… and there was nothing I could do about it!  26.2 miles of pain would not be a pleasant experience.  I held out until the day before the race, when I switched to the half-marathon at the expo.  I knew that it was the right decision, but I was still quite disappointed nonetheless.

 

Here, Issac, Luis, and I pose at the end of the
race.  We had difficulty reconnecting with
everyone in the huge crowds at the finish line,
 and we were freezing and absolutely drenched.  I also
was hobbling about and couldn't keep my teeth
from chattering.  Not a shining moment for me!
 

Race day was cold and rainy (although not nearly as bad as the miserable Nookachamps race).  I had taped up my legs to help them through the 13.1 miles, and (remarkably) they didn’t start hurting until several miles into the run.  I was proud that I didn’t walk at all (yet didn't over-exert myself TOO much), and my stats were as follows: time= 1:51:52; place out of all females= 651 out of 6,112; and place in age/gender category= 145 out of 1,069.  It certainly wasn’t the pinnacle of my running career, but it could have been a lot worse.



Vancouver is a fun city, and we got to do a bit of exploring
during our time there.  This photo captures one of the few
moments when it was not raining.

We had a great time in Vancouver (with my aunts as spectators and several friends along to run or support the race), but I was limping and very uncomfortable (in my left leg) after the race had taken place.  I used the hotel’s hot tub to soothe my aching muscles and vowed to start a new recovery regimen.


Since our return to the USA, I’ve been fully committed to getting better.  I am cross-training; I’m attending lots of yoga classes; I’m seeing a Sports Medicine Doctor (who is most concerned about my hamstring, which may have not ever fully recovered from my original injury oh-so-long-ago!); I’m working on strengthening muscles in my glutes, core, and hips; and I’m taking a break from running.
I am hopeful that I’ll be back to normal soon.  I still plan on completing a 10K run in June and serving as a pacer in the Seattle Rock ‘N Roll Marathon on June 21st, but I’ll take it easy as I get there. 

This experience has taught me a lot about the body’s need for balance, and I am now more cautious about avoiding overuse injuries.  Perhaps another full marathon will be in my future, but I will try to be grounded and prudent as I get there.



One more half-marathon medal to add to the collection!  It
is my seventh one.

Rainman Triathlon

Once upon a time, I was training for a sprint triathlon and had a horrible bike crash that left me unconscious, covered in road rash, recovering from bone fractures in my wrist and face, and traumatized.  Thus ended my triathlon career… or so I thought!   I gave up triathlons for several years until I decided to compete in one last Sunday.

I recently decided to register for the Tri-Freaks Rainman Indoor Triathlon, which seemed like a good baby step to get my feet wet with triathlon-ing again.  It avoided the intimidating/freezing open water swim by hosting the swim in an indoor pool, and it replaced the scary road biking with cycling on a trainer. This looked like the race for me!

THE SWIM: The swim was the most disappointing part of the race for me.  I think I could have pushed myself more, and I swam more breaststroke than I should have done.  I think I got a bit nervous because I couldn’t hear or see anything (with foggy goggles and earplugs), so I started swimming breaststroke because it made me feel more in control.   However, it is clearly a slower stroke.  It was also a bummer because I was in the midst of a lap when they announced that we had a minute left, and I decided to go all out and complete an additional lap (out and back).  I was just two seconds away from the wall when they called time, so that entire lap (both ways) doesn't count.  I was kicking myself because I know I could have gone faster on the way out (which I completed using breaststroke).  Oh, well!  I now can strategize better for next time.   I also have to say I felt like I was going to vomit during most of the swim, so perhaps the old adage about eating 30 minutes prior to entering a pool is true!

THE BIKE RIDE: Once time was up for the swim, we quickly collected our things and changed for the run (as the clock doesn’t stop for transition times).  The volunteers were amazing in having all the bikes ready to go by the time we were out of the water.  I had rented a nice racing bike for the event, and I got on it pretty quickly.  I tried to find the right resistance that I could maintain for 30 straight minutes, and I think I maintained a pretty good pace (a little over 8 miles in 30 minutes).  I have to admit that I hadn’t trained at all for the biking, so I was satisfied with it. But boy—my bottom was definitely sore after sitting on that rock hard seat for so long!

THE RUN: My legs felt a little bit wobbly after I got off the bike.  I got outside fairly quickly for the run and discovered that it was a lovely, sunny day outside. I completed the 3 miles at a pace of 7:42 per mile as I darted in and out of people enjoying the sunshine at Green Lake.  I was pleased with the run, and (to be honest) 3 miles felt like nothing after all of the marathon training I’ve been doing.

THE RESULTS: I was very pleased with the outcome of the race -- I finished in the top 10 in my first triathlon! The distances completed in the 15-minute swim and 30-minute bike ride were converted to the time it would have taken an athlete to finish a true sprint distance triathlon (800 yard swim and 13 mile bike) and then added to the actual time it took that competitor to finish the 3.1-mile run.  My overall time was 1:26:53.  I finished in 38^th place out of 173 male/female participants, 10^th place out of all 114 female participants, and 6^th place out of the 45 female athletes in my age category.  Sixth place is not too bad!

It was quite the struggle to get the rented bike into my car!

Here I am with Sarah, Amina, and Rachel as we showcase our beautiful swim caps before the race started.  We all registered for the same start time to share the triathlon experience together.  I was able to cheer them on at the finish.

This provides a visual of what the bikes looked like as they were in the trainers at the side of the pool.  I am on the left end.

I felt very strong and happy as I finished the run.   Issac, his mother, and his brother were at the finish line to support us.  

I can finally say that I’m a triathlete!!  I don’t plan on doing any hardcore races ever, but  perhaps this fun indoor triathlon has provided me with the confidence and encouragement  I need to participate in more triathlons someday.   

Destination Long Runs

The last few months have been a flurry of activity.  Any time I look at my calendar and discover a small block of spare time, poof!  It soon disappears and is filled with another commitment.  Anyone who knows me understands that I enjoy being busy, but this full calendar has (once again) made it difficult to keep up with a stringent marathon training plan. 

I traveled twice to California in the last month: once to Los Angeles/Long Beach to visit Issac’s family and once to Sacramento to visit my sister.  I was very proud of the fact that I was able to squeeze in all long runs scheduled for these timeframes without interfering with the tours, events, gatherings, and explorations planned for these travels.  My legs got quite fatigued after such long/eventful days, and my shins are still on strike, but I was so pleased that I didn’t let these trips ruin my strict running schedule.

While in Long Beach, Issac and I completed a 17-mile run that took us along the waterfront.   We passed a crew regatta (which caused me to reminisce about my college rowing days!) and lots of beach panoramas.  There were several downpours during our stay, but, remarkably, it didn’t rain at all during our run!  The stormy clouds were slightly ominous as we looked out over the water, but we had a lovely run.  Here are photos that I took on our way:

My first run in Sacramento was perhaps one of the most amusing ones that I’ve ever had.  As luck would have it, I had mapped out a route that precisely mirrored the course for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon on the American River Trail.  I found myself out on the course ahead of the runners of this race (as I had started prior to their 8:00AM start time), and many of the police officers, course volunteers, and bands thought I was in the lead of the run!!  They cheered me on, and two of the bands started playing when they saw me coming up around the bend.  I was actually quite embarrassed but had no alternative route planned, so I kept running along and announcing whenever I got the opportunity, “I’m sorry, I’m not in the race!”  Some of the kids volunteering at one of the water stations responded, “You still are doing a great job!” and continued to cheer me on anyway.  It was very cute.

Eventually, I reached a point where the course turned onto crowded Sacramento streets with many spectators lined up on both sides of the road.  I clearly did not have a bib number, and I felt uncomfortable completing a training run through such large crowds.  I had only finished about 7 miles, but I called Erica and asked her to pick me up and take me home.  I enjoyed this taste of what it would be like to be out front in a race, but I was ready for the adventure to end!

I also realized that I would have to run the opposite direction of the Shamrockn Half’s 5K event for my last 9 miles.  I certainly didn’t feel up for having a “fish swimming upstream” experience, so that was another reason to end my run early.

My second attempt to complete an 18-mile run in Sacramento went much more smoothly. 

I passed the sunrise over this bridge on the American River Trail.

I encountered several vocal wild turkeys as I ran.

I had finished the entire run by 10:00AM, which gave us plenty of time for our programmed culinary walking tour of downtown Sacramento. 

I don’t have any more trips planned within the 6 weeks between now and my second full marathon, but I’m looking forward to many other scenic and memorable runs!

Lake Sammamish Half Marathon

Ladies and gentleman, I have proof that I am getting faster!  I completed the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon in 1:44:46 on Saturday.  For frame of reference, my time for the same race in 2013 was 1:58:22.  That’s an improvement of 13 minutes, 36 seconds.  Not only is it a personal record, it’s also validation that my hard work is paying off!

The weather cooperated perfectly for the race.  It was a beautiful sunrise as we drove over to Redmond at 6:00AM (lovely shades of purple, pink, yellow, and orange over the water and mountains), and it didn’t start raining until we were driving home afterward.  The course was flat (hooray!), and it took us from Marymoor Park to Lake Sammamish State Park with pretty scenery surrounding us for most of the way.   About 30% of the run was on gravel surface, and 70% was on pavement. 

The Lake Sammamish Half Marathon came right in the midst of marathon training for me—with my most recent long run spanning 17 miles.  I’ve been having shin pain recently, but my shins gave me surprisingly little trouble during the run.  My legs (especially my quads) started to feel tired near the end of the race, but I felt really good overall.  Issac and I ran the first 9 miles (or so) together, which is another sign that I’m getting faster because he used to leave me in his dust!  My fastest miles were 6 and 7 (7:52 and 7:54, respectively), and my slowest mile was 12 (8:34). 

Here are my stats for the race: official finish time= 1:44:46, pace per mile= 8:00 (8-minute-miles right on the nose!); place in my division= 48 out of 426; place out of female finishers= 110 out of 1,150; and place overall= 327 out of 1,785 finishers.  Rumor has it that the course was 0.2 miles too short, which would mean my actual pace would be 8:07 per mile.  This would still be a 13.1-mile PR for me by several minutes, so I’ll take it!


Here I am at the crowded start line, excited to get moving!

Race photos are never flattering (how do they always manage to capture images at the perfect angle to make everyone look wiiiiiiiiide?!), but I like this picture of me and Issac because we are completely in unison with our stride.   Look at our feet-- we are in sync!



I was very content with the race.  In fact, I was so happy at the finish line that I snapped a picture of the computer screen displaying my official finish time.

Perhaps I’ll make Lake Sammamish an annual tradition.  Who knows—maybe next year I’ll have increased even more in speed?!

In the Limelight

I was recently asked to be the featured runner in the Weekly News Report of the Seattle Green Lake Running Group.  This may not seem like a big deal, but it was quite a surprise to me because the SGLRG has 3,273 members… And I have to admit I’m far from being the most involved, dedicated, or interesting of them all!  In fact, I felt a tinge of guilt because I only sporadically go to the many runs offered by the group each week and know of many other runners who might have been more appropriate choices.  With that said, I took the time to answer the questions and have pasted the article below.  Enjoy!

Membership Spotlight- For this week’s membership spotlight, we will have the opportunity to get to know Hilary Case a little bit better.

When did you start running and do you remember what got you started in the first place?  I got motivated to become a runner in the fall of 2012.  In addition to improving my fitness level, I really wanted to challenge myself and strive for new goals.  I’d been involved in other sports and recreational activities throughout my life, and I think I was seeking that same type of commitment to self-improvement.

How long have you been running with the SGLRG and how did you find us? I joined the SGLRG in the spring of 2013 after Rachel F. persuaded me that I didn’t have to be a world-class athlete to become involved.  I had been very intimidated by the group, but she was very encouraging.

Do you remember what you first event with the group was and how it went? I attended my first few events with the SGLRG as a guest because I was reluctant to start my own Meetup profile page.  I was concerned that I wasn't a "good enough" runner, so I was hesitant to officially become a member of the group.  I remember coming to a Casual Thursday run and pushing myself to run a lap around Green Lake much faster than normal because I was afraid of being the slowest person there.  I finished completely out of breath and realized that everyone else was so much more relaxed and social than me.  When I discovered that it wasn’t a race, I felt a lot less pressure!

What is your favorite thing about running? I love the sense of accomplishment that I get from running-- whether it’s getting a PR in a race or simply going for a run when it’s dark and rainy outside.  I just feel like I’ve achieved something!

Do you have a go to meal before a race? I eat a bagel for breakfast and homemade nachos the night before.  It has basically gotten to the point of superstition; I think I can’t be successful if I don’t eat these specific foods.

What does your race calendar look like for 2014? So far, I plan on running the Lake Sammamish ½ Marathon on March 8th, the Rainman Indoor Triathlon on March 23rd, the Vancouver Full Marathon on May 4th, the Shorerun 10K on June 8th, and the Ragnar Relay on July 18th-19th.  That should be enough to keep me busy.

Do you have a favorite shoe/model that you run in? I really like the Brooks’ Ghost 6 shoes.  I’m picky with my shoes because (in addition to running) I use them for teaching jump rope.  I need to find a lightweight trainer that provides a nice cushion to the balls of my feet and doesn’t have deep ridges on the bottom that could catch a rope.  I suppose we all have our shoe quirks…

If we wanted to track you down, which events do you currently attend? I most regularly attend the Saturday Morning Rise & Shine, although I’m hoping to come more often to the other weekly runs as well.  I feel a bit guilty that I’ve been so inconsistent lately.

Where is your favorite place to go for a run? I think that running is one of the best ways to explore new places while traveling… as long as I don’t get lost!  Locally, I enjoy running on the Burke-Gilman Trail.  It offers pretty scenery and covers a lot of ground.

If you could pick any one person to go for a run with, who would it be? This is a long story, but here is my short answer: I would run with Judy Fisher-- a local senior running legend.  Judy is 70-years-old and can still crank out sub-4:00 marathons.   I’ve never met her, but I’ve come across her in several races.  She wins first place in her age category without fail.  I find her to be very inspiring and would love to hear more about her running journey.  Maybe there’s someone out there who can make this happen!  :)

West Seattle Fat Ass 25K

My Super Bowl Sunday started at 5:15AM as I prepared for the West Seattle Fat Ass 25K/50K, a self-described "no fee, no shirt, no aid, no whining fun run" that started and ended in Lincoln Park (with donations covering the costs of the event +  the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society).   Many members of the Seattle Green Lake Running Group were there for support, camaraderie, and carpools, and it turned out to be a lovely morning along the Seattle waterfront.  

I really appreciated the relaxed, low-key atmosphere of the run; it didn't have the normal nervous tension that often accompanies races.  People were treating it as more of a training run, and I chatted with other runners the whole way.  I have to admit that my legs got tired the last couple miles, but it was still a lot of fun.

25K converts to 15.53 miles (my GPS calculated the course at 15.54 miles, so it was very close!).  My official time was 2:18:19, but it included a couple stops to chat with people and one for the bathroom.  That is about 8:54 per mile, but this run was definitely not about times.

The view of downtown Seattle was exquisite at the start.
Look for the 12th Man tribute!

Members of the Seattle Green Lake Running Group gathered
for a 7:00AM start-line photo as a ferry passed 
by in the background.

The Space Needle was picturesque with clouds on the
 water beneath it.  Jamie stopped to take a picture of Morgan
and me as we ran by it, but I almost crashed into that pole
 attempting to run backwards!

I ran with Jamie for almost the entire course.  Like lots of others, she
was clad in her best Seahawks gear.  People shouted "Go hawks!"
as we passed.

Here I am with fellow members of the SGRLG after we'd reached
the treats and drinks at the finish line.

After the run was over, we were able to watch history in the making as the Seahawks became Super Bowl champions.  What a glorious day!

Nookachamps Half Marathon: The Ultimate Battle

Here we are with our fellow running group members
in the comfort of the gymnasium-- before heading
out into the elements.

I had really looked forward to the Nookachamps Half Marathon.  I’d been feeling faster and stronger; I’d noticed my mile times getting lower and lower.  For the first time in my life, my Runkeeper app was showing me mile split times on long runs of 7:42, 7:46, 7:48, and 7:54.  This was my chance to show the world that I’m getting speedier!  I was incredibly eager to get a time in the 1:40’s.


Here I am near the finish line.  I'm
trying hard to conceal my misery!

However, it just wasn’t meant to be.  I came to this realization as I heard the rain pouring and wind howling the night before the run.  As I got out of bed on race day, I felt very congested (yuck!) and became apprehensive about the adverse weather conditions.  I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.

As we traveled to Mount Vernon, we got a false sense of hope when we saw a patch of blue sky … But it soon disappeared!  The race was undoubtedly the most unpleasant run of my life.  We ran into a headwind for probably about 95% of the course, and the winds were so strong that I noticed that the people ahead of me had an awkward sideways lean to their gait. Gusts of wind felt like they were body-slamming me as they reached 50mph, and I was soaked to the bone.  It seemed to take twice as much effort than normal to go anywhere.   I tried to engage in positive self-talk to convince myself that I was having fun, but I couldn't deny the fact that I was absolutely miserable.

With that said, it was still the best half marathon time that I have on record!  My official finish time was 1:51:31, which is 8:30 per mile  (my last half marathon time was 1:52:13).  I finished in 97th place out of 300 male/female runners.  In spite of being so cold that my teeth were chattering and so wet that my shoes had about a half inch of water at the bottom, I really did have a strong sense of accomplishment.

I am optimistic that all future runs will have more enjoyable conditions, and my fingers are crossed that I'll continue to make great strides with my running!