The Expotique
Whose idea was it to drive to San Francisco? Oh yeah. The I-5 must be the most boring, ugliest stretch of highway on the planet. Arrived in SF and checked into the hotel. Had to valet park (I detest paying someone to park my car when I am perfectly capable of doing so myself). Walked the 1/2 block to the expotique and could not figure out where the heck to pick up my race packet. That place was crawling with moronic nonsense like manicures. The day I part with my hard-earned cash and my precious time to have some bimbo paint my nails for me is the day I blow my head off. I had to ask some dude where the packet pick-up was, only to find out that you had to exit the expotique and re-enter on the other side. Of course, why didn't I think of that? Got my stuff and got out.
Friday Night
My DH and I headed to Fisherman's Wharf to get him some seafood and sourdough bread. We had to walk through Chinatown, which was the most congested little area I have ever had to deal with. There had to be at least a million people walking aimlessly around and dang if some of those little stores didn't stink so badly I wanted to puke. Getting out of Chinatown was literally a breath of fresh air. Made it in one piece to Fisherman's Wharf and found a pro-sports retailer where my DH found a KC Chiefs sweatshirt. Don't ask me why he is a Chiefs fan. I guess we both love to root for teams that suck (Go Chargers!). We settled on a seafood restaurant that had a few burgers and sandwiches on the menu (I hate seafood). Note to self: never eat a hamburger at a seafood restaurant - it is cooked on the same grill as the seafood and therefore smells and tastes icky.
Saturday
My DH's Birthday! We celebrated by heading out to Alcatraz. Unfortunately, this involved yet another romp through Chinatown. My DH has only been to SF once and never made it to Alcatraz, so this was a major joyous occasion for him. I took lots of pictures of him in a cell, including a great shot of him sitting on a prison toilet - oops sorry about the TMI! We found a nice pizza joint on the way back to the hotel and loaded up on yummy carbs!
The Race
As I've mentioned ad nauseum, my hip has been a huge problem since last August. I have struggled through many of my races, but I love the bling, so I continue to race. My strategy here was to walk the uphills (uphill seems to aggravate my hip more than anything) and run the flats and downhills. I also just started taking the granny drug Celebrex for the arthritis in my hips, which is just aggravating the hip flexor/piriformis issue.
I got into the start corral at 6:45 and immediately noticed this was not like any of the other races I have run. Not a male to be seen. And I haven't seen so much badly applied pancake-batter make-up since the $1.98 Beauty Show went off the air. Seriously, who the heck wears that much make-up ever, let alone to run a marathon? I didn't think that's what they meant by "run like a girl." I was 1 corral ahead of where I belonged, but I had a pretty good feeling I was going to blow right by most of these bimbos at the start and never see them again.
The start was crowded and it became immediately obvious that most of these bimbos had no clue what to do. Uh, run like forward or something. I think quite a few people were perplexed by the timing mat at the start line. I had to jump over a bunch of bimbos to get through the start and then, at my slow-poke 9 min/mile pace proceeded to pass mobs of painted up bleach-blondes, running in groups of 4 or more, for several miles.
The first hill came around mile 3 and I pulled off to the right and walked it. I was enjoying the scenery along the Embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf, but never got a view of the Golden Gate Bridge due to the fog. The big hill came around mile 6, and I walked it like a good little soldier sticking to the game plan. Somewhere after this hill, the 4:10 marathon pace group caught me. I was thinking to myself, "Whoa, you mean I could be looking at a 2:05 with all this walking? Woo-hoo!" Then came another big hill around mile 9 and there went the 4:10 pace group, along with my little delusion of finishing with a decent time. Oh well. I enjoyed the long downhill at mile 10 and thought I was going to keep the momentum going and finish this one feeling good. A bit more incline at mile 11 and I started feeling a little pull in my piriformis and hamstring, so I had to walk a little more. I was approaching the 12 mile marker and decided no more walking, just go BTTW to the finish.
Crossed the finish line and got my Tiffany necklace from some dude in a tuxedo, then got the heck out of that mess ASAP. No idea what my official time is, but my Garmin says 2:18, which sucks big-time, but is the best Half Marathon time I've managed since the hip first went on strike last summer, so I'll call it a victory!
Post-Race
Made my way to the shuttles back to the start at Union Square. Thanks to the walking and the Celebrex, I was not very sore at all after the race. I was able to do a bit more walking and sight-seeing with my DH. I will never run this race again. Too many people, too many newbies, too many bimbos. I got my Tiffany necklace and I am done!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Long Beach Half Marathon
The Expo
What expo? It took about 1 1/2 hours to drive the 35 miles to Long Beach. Checked into the hotel and headed out for the short walk to the expo. I picked up my bib, tech-t, and goody bag and got the heck out of Dodge. I hate crowds! Remind me not to sign up for any more of these massive races.
The FE
Met up with PYTM, Charlie and BIL Kevin, JHong, DaTortoise, Roccco and Renee, Kwikkchic, OCMom and OCDad, and the wonderful Pony at Nino's. This was my first time officially meeting JHong, DaTortoise, and OCMom and OCDad. My husband and I split a pizza, which was surprisingly yummy.
The Race
I was hoping to run this as hard as I could. I knew my elusive sub-2 was not going to happen, but I figured sub 2:10 was doable. I started in Wave 1 because I was there and I felt like it. I knew I'd never find Wadia in the huge crowd anyway. I hit my 9 min/mile pace and was cruising along comfortably. I saw Charlie flying the other way on the first switchback. Then came Mile 2. There was a major clustersmurf at the first water station, but I was already off to the right as far as possible. The 3:40 pace group nearly trampled me (did I mention I hate these huge races?) and there was a short, not too steep hill that managed to take out my hip. I was thus reduced to 10+ min/miles for the rest of the "race."
I saw the traveling cheer section featuring PYTM and Renee at about mile 4.5. I was still able to "run" at this point, and was hoping to get a second wind. Then came the concrete. To make a long story short, I spent miles 5-9 looking for a way to cut over to the other side of the course. It really sucked being able to see all the fast folks heading back along Ocean Blvd. while my 80-year-old granny hip was suffering along on that dang concrete! I briefly considered running in the sand, but I am a total neat-freak and couldn't bear the thought of all that sand in my shoes. I resisted the urge to cheat and finally made it back onto the wonderful asphalt. At the Marathon/Half split at Mile 10.8, I pulled off onto a little grass area and stretched the heck out of my stupid hip. I was trying hard to resist the urge to walk the rest of the way, when along came two crazy women on a bike honking a horn and screaming. I laughed so hard I nearly ate the asphalt. It was just what I needed to keep me going.
I made it to the 12 mile marker and knew I would run this one in. As I approached the final turn to the finish line, my own little motorcade came along to give me an escort. OK, I know it wasn't for me, but a girl can dream! It was the marathon winner! He flew past me on the final 100 meters. I got my medal and a mylar blanket, then jumped over to the marathon side and got the heck out of there. I found my husband in front of the Convention Center and headed back to the hotel for a hot shower.
Post Race
This was not my day. My hip was not into it, but at least my mental game seems to have come back, thanks to the Ojai Half last week. And now, I have no idea what will happen next weekend at Nike Women's, but as long as I've got my mental mojo back, I know I will HTFU and make mincemeat of all those hills, if only in my mind.....
What expo? It took about 1 1/2 hours to drive the 35 miles to Long Beach. Checked into the hotel and headed out for the short walk to the expo. I picked up my bib, tech-t, and goody bag and got the heck out of Dodge. I hate crowds! Remind me not to sign up for any more of these massive races.
The FE
Met up with PYTM, Charlie and BIL Kevin, JHong, DaTortoise, Roccco and Renee, Kwikkchic, OCMom and OCDad, and the wonderful Pony at Nino's. This was my first time officially meeting JHong, DaTortoise, and OCMom and OCDad. My husband and I split a pizza, which was surprisingly yummy.
The Race
I was hoping to run this as hard as I could. I knew my elusive sub-2 was not going to happen, but I figured sub 2:10 was doable. I started in Wave 1 because I was there and I felt like it. I knew I'd never find Wadia in the huge crowd anyway. I hit my 9 min/mile pace and was cruising along comfortably. I saw Charlie flying the other way on the first switchback. Then came Mile 2. There was a major clustersmurf at the first water station, but I was already off to the right as far as possible. The 3:40 pace group nearly trampled me (did I mention I hate these huge races?) and there was a short, not too steep hill that managed to take out my hip. I was thus reduced to 10+ min/miles for the rest of the "race."
I saw the traveling cheer section featuring PYTM and Renee at about mile 4.5. I was still able to "run" at this point, and was hoping to get a second wind. Then came the concrete. To make a long story short, I spent miles 5-9 looking for a way to cut over to the other side of the course. It really sucked being able to see all the fast folks heading back along Ocean Blvd. while my 80-year-old granny hip was suffering along on that dang concrete! I briefly considered running in the sand, but I am a total neat-freak and couldn't bear the thought of all that sand in my shoes. I resisted the urge to cheat and finally made it back onto the wonderful asphalt. At the Marathon/Half split at Mile 10.8, I pulled off onto a little grass area and stretched the heck out of my stupid hip. I was trying hard to resist the urge to walk the rest of the way, when along came two crazy women on a bike honking a horn and screaming. I laughed so hard I nearly ate the asphalt. It was just what I needed to keep me going.
I made it to the 12 mile marker and knew I would run this one in. As I approached the final turn to the finish line, my own little motorcade came along to give me an escort. OK, I know it wasn't for me, but a girl can dream! It was the marathon winner! He flew past me on the final 100 meters. I got my medal and a mylar blanket, then jumped over to the marathon side and got the heck out of there. I found my husband in front of the Convention Center and headed back to the hotel for a hot shower.
Post Race
This was not my day. My hip was not into it, but at least my mental game seems to have come back, thanks to the Ojai Half last week. And now, I have no idea what will happen next weekend at Nike Women's, but as long as I've got my mental mojo back, I know I will HTFU and make mincemeat of all those hills, if only in my mind.....
Monday, October 5, 2009
Ojai Valley Half Marathon
A little background
I had this race on my radar for a while, but had pretty much decided to skip it because I have been racing way too much lately. Also, the event website had very little information, so I was afraid this race would turn out to be a big disaster. Then, last weekend's long run was a mental disaster and I felt like I needed to sign up for a race to get a decent long run done, so I went ahead and registered.
Pre-Race
I set my alarm for 3:30 am (?@*!) and was out the door for the long drive to Ojai just after 4:00. When I made the turn onto the Ojai Highway, there were no other cars on the road! It was still very dark and totally creepy. I arrived at Soule Park (the finish area and where the race director had recommended parking) a little after 5:30 and there was absolutely no one there! We were supposed to pay a $4.00 parking fee, but it took me quite a while to figure out that you had to get an envelope off of this weird little metal structure and place the money in the envelope and then drop it into a little slot. Weird set-up and the pathetic event website never mentioned any of these little details. Oh well.
A few other people finally showed up - some runners and a couple of ladies there to set up the finish line. The shuttle to the sart (a van!) arrived at 6:00 and off we were to the start! I picked up my bib, chip, and my seriously ugly tech-T. Just before the race was to start at 7:00, I asked a voluteer if there was a gear check. There really wasn't, but they did agree to take my ugly new tech-T and my warm-up sweatshirt to the finish for me.
The Race
My humble goal here was just to run the entire race with no walk breaks. I realized that I haven't actually run a Half Marathon since Santa Barabara Wine Country back in May! That is totally pathetic!
The race started late and I never really figured out where the actual Start was. I did get to meet Roccco from RWOL before the start, which was a cool little bonus! The course started on the highway and ran through the center of town before turning up into a hilly residential area. The scenery overall reminded me a lot of Santa Barbara Wine Country, with a suburban feel in the first few miles, followed by a more rural feel through the majority of the race. While there was only one major hill involved, there were plenty of lesser inclines that went on forever. I didn't care much about my pace, I just wanted to keep myself going. There were two other women I tried to keep in my sights. We passed each other several times along the way.
The aid stations were a little sparse - I think the last one was just before mile 10 - but the volunteers were all very friendly and went out of their way to be as helpful as possible. Many of the volunteers were from the local high school, which could have been a scary disaster (ala the aforementioned Santa Barabara Wine Country Half), but this group of kids was really into the race. A huge thumbs up to those kids for taking the job seriously.
I managed to run all the way and finished in 2:20:46, my 4th slowest Half Marathon ever, but I will take it. Mission accomplished!
Post-Race
After I finished, I spotted Roccco and went over to see how he had done. I also got a chance to meet one of the women I had been running with. The medal is really cheap and totally lame, but I'm not as into the bling as I was back when I only ran a few Half Marathons a year (this was my 10th Half this year). I asked a volunteer where the gear pick-up was and she had no idea. I sort of stumbled upon my stuff by accident, just when I was about to give up and leave it there. I liked this race because it was so small (only 188 finishers). If there had been many more runners, I think the little glitches would have stood out a lot more. Anyway, I was home by 11:30 and ready to settle in for a nice relaxing weekend with my husband and our little Vixen!
Next up, the Long Beach Half Marathon on October 11!
I had this race on my radar for a while, but had pretty much decided to skip it because I have been racing way too much lately. Also, the event website had very little information, so I was afraid this race would turn out to be a big disaster. Then, last weekend's long run was a mental disaster and I felt like I needed to sign up for a race to get a decent long run done, so I went ahead and registered.
Pre-Race
I set my alarm for 3:30 am (?@*!) and was out the door for the long drive to Ojai just after 4:00. When I made the turn onto the Ojai Highway, there were no other cars on the road! It was still very dark and totally creepy. I arrived at Soule Park (the finish area and where the race director had recommended parking) a little after 5:30 and there was absolutely no one there! We were supposed to pay a $4.00 parking fee, but it took me quite a while to figure out that you had to get an envelope off of this weird little metal structure and place the money in the envelope and then drop it into a little slot. Weird set-up and the pathetic event website never mentioned any of these little details. Oh well.
A few other people finally showed up - some runners and a couple of ladies there to set up the finish line. The shuttle to the sart (a van!) arrived at 6:00 and off we were to the start! I picked up my bib, chip, and my seriously ugly tech-T. Just before the race was to start at 7:00, I asked a voluteer if there was a gear check. There really wasn't, but they did agree to take my ugly new tech-T and my warm-up sweatshirt to the finish for me.
The Race
My humble goal here was just to run the entire race with no walk breaks. I realized that I haven't actually run a Half Marathon since Santa Barabara Wine Country back in May! That is totally pathetic!
The race started late and I never really figured out where the actual Start was. I did get to meet Roccco from RWOL before the start, which was a cool little bonus! The course started on the highway and ran through the center of town before turning up into a hilly residential area. The scenery overall reminded me a lot of Santa Barbara Wine Country, with a suburban feel in the first few miles, followed by a more rural feel through the majority of the race. While there was only one major hill involved, there were plenty of lesser inclines that went on forever. I didn't care much about my pace, I just wanted to keep myself going. There were two other women I tried to keep in my sights. We passed each other several times along the way.
The aid stations were a little sparse - I think the last one was just before mile 10 - but the volunteers were all very friendly and went out of their way to be as helpful as possible. Many of the volunteers were from the local high school, which could have been a scary disaster (ala the aforementioned Santa Barabara Wine Country Half), but this group of kids was really into the race. A huge thumbs up to those kids for taking the job seriously.
I managed to run all the way and finished in 2:20:46, my 4th slowest Half Marathon ever, but I will take it. Mission accomplished!
Post-Race
After I finished, I spotted Roccco and went over to see how he had done. I also got a chance to meet one of the women I had been running with. The medal is really cheap and totally lame, but I'm not as into the bling as I was back when I only ran a few Half Marathons a year (this was my 10th Half this year). I asked a volunteer where the gear pick-up was and she had no idea. I sort of stumbled upon my stuff by accident, just when I was about to give up and leave it there. I liked this race because it was so small (only 188 finishers). If there had been many more runners, I think the little glitches would have stood out a lot more. Anyway, I was home by 11:30 and ready to settle in for a nice relaxing weekend with my husband and our little Vixen!
Next up, the Long Beach Half Marathon on October 11!
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