The Month in Pictures (and Oprah)

 Wow! The weeks have just been flying by. Where did we leave off? Oh, yes....

Taji 100

Taji 100 started February 1 and we are now on Day 19. 

So far this is how its going:

Pretty awesome:) If anyone would like to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project you can go here.

And how am I doing in the challenge? Glad you asked. Well, the first week I was doing ok and then a got a bit of a cold the second week. But now I'm back on track. I have done 60 miles so far. 40 miles to go. The hardest part is fitting it in around work and everything. It even seems harder than when I was training for the marathon. 

I did join a gym so most of the miles have been done like this:

On the treadmill watching Downton Abbey. I got all three seasons and now I'm completely addicted to it. 

I've also gone to Spin Class, Body Shred (like step aerobics), and Pilates. I think I like the Pilates the best :)   I live in such a tiny town the gym doesn't even have a Yoga class. Crazy, right? I joined this gym for three months and at the end  I might try a different gym . There are 2 others in town . I figure one of them should have a yoga class. 

I also tried to give up sugar for Lent. It  was the longest 15 hours of my life. Last year I gave up alcohol and sweets and was fine. This year I failed. :(

Here are a few pics to catch you up on the rest .

Skyped with my son and grandbaby. 

Rachel has her drivers permit. Yikes!

Walking to get my miles in. We've been having a beautiful weather. 

We did drive up to the snow for the day. Very fun :)

Beth got a bunny for her rabbit project with 4H. And we also got new baby chicks. 

I finally ordered my CIM jacket and I LOVE IT!!

We met this guy on our last walk. 

Ooh! I almost forgot!! So I recently joined Twitter. ( @SandeeK if you want to follow me). But I was watching the Super Bowl and when the Jeep commercial with Oprah came on we were all touched because it was saluting our military ( and I miss my son terribly). I just happened to check Twitter right when she mentioned the commercial so I just said thank you and guess what????? Yes!!! Oprah replied to my tweet!

I was so excited!!! 

Anyway. That's about it. I'll keep you posted in my final 40 miles. ( And my continued attempt at cutting out sugar.) 

PS- you can follow me on Instagram @midlifemarathoncrisis

Taji 100

 

So I finally signed up for something. 

Remember when I told you about the Chi Running Worksop I went to? Well the coach, Ed Malley, started a newsletter on running tips, events, etc. and in the last email he described the Taji100. 

Basically, in 2010 some troops in Afghanistan challenged themselves to run 100 miles during the month of February. (And it might have been Iraq but can't find it on their website...sorry).

Anyway, when their tour of duty was over they continued the challenge stateside. I think in 2011 they had 12 participants. Last year over 100. 

Now it is gaining in popularity. It is open to anyone and the rules are you can walk, run, jog, hike or elliptical  100 miles in 28 days.  Sign up is $20 donation to Wounded Warriors. You can participate as "non-competitor" for  free. You can also support the cause by either sponsoring or by a simple donation to Wounded Warriors. All miles are tracked through Daily Mile.

T-shirts are for sale for $25. All proceeds above cost go toward WWP. 

We ordered the shirts and we all recieved a pin, magnet, and sticker. 

According to the Wounded Warriors Bouchure beyond the hospital room they provide "Peer Mentoring, Combat Stress Recovery, and Warriors to Work to help serve the long-term needs of our dedicated servicemen and women.From educational opportunities to employment assistance programs."

As a military mama (my son Alex is proudly serving in the Army)  I do have a soft spot in my  heart for our troops that trully give so much  while they serve our country. I feel honored to help in any way possible.

Here is my son  reunited with Lacie and Abilene when he came home from Afghanistan

I'm also so grateful I was able to talk some of my favorite running pals into joining me. Thanks Maribel, Terese, Melissa, Brandi and my husband. 

If you'd  like to join the Taji100 please click on the link. 

(They don't have the sponsoring figured out quite yet but I will keep you posted. )

(PS-please feel free to share this link on any blog, Twitter, and Facebook)

A Year of Overcoming Fear

So, I've been reflecting on this past year and I realized I really did alot! Most importantly I did alot of things that really scared me. Last year was packed full of things things that challenged me and helped me grow, gain confidence and learn that I can do more than I realize.

February-Together WIth Love 

5K/10K to  benefit Monterey Rape Crisis Center

This is a beautiful course right along the ocean. Super fun race ( my second 5K ) and I loved it!

March -South Bay Duathlon

This was a huge , HUGE deal for me. It was a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike ride, 2 mile run. Training for this caused hip pain in my right hip so by the end it was really bothering me. It was also very intimidating  because a lot of the participants are triathletes training for bigger races.  However,  we did it! Kinda sucked we didn't even get a medal though:)

April-Wildflower Run 5K/10K

I had signed up for the 10K but stepped it down to the 5K due to my hip problem. Doc said it was bursitis/tendonitis and said "no running". To me this translated to cutting back to the 5K. It was super windy that day I I realized that I HATE WIND!!

April - Tierra Bella

This was a bike ride. My first real, organized ride. There was a 60K, 100K, 100 M, 200 K. We did the 100K. It was brutal. I was not as prepared as I would have liked and not confidant at all on my bike. I basically walked up the steepest hill and  the ride took me forever. This was when I realized I really preferred running :/

May -Ranch Romp- 5K mud run

This was quite interesting.  I think it had 13 obstacles and mud pits. This was the first year for this run so it needed some improvements.  The obstacles we clogged, so you had to wait which kinda screwed up the timing. Also, there was not enough water to hose off at the end. Too many people waiting for tiny little sprinklers. We decided not to wait, which meant we were in the parking lot with water bottles trying to clean up. Hopefully this year will be better. ( Not sure if I'll do mud again)

June -America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride-Tahoe

"The 72-mile America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride circumnavigates the highways clockwise around Lake Tahoe in both Nevada and California. It includes a challenging 800 foot climb to a rest stop overlooking Emerald Bay and a 1,000 foot climb to Spooner Junction. There are also many short rolling ascents and descents totaling over 4,000 vertical feet of elevation gain! The altitude ranges between 6,300 feet and 7,100 feet above sea level and the ride is recommended for conditioned recreational bicyclist, not for beginners"

This was probably more terrifying to me than running a marathon. I still was not confident on my bike, still scared of falling on hills. In fact, I did fall. I have a small scar on my left knee. and that was from a fall at Emerald Bay just getting on my bike and trying to clip in. 

It was a beautiful ride, but exhausting and terrifying. Did I mention the part of riding on Hwy 50 with traffic? Thank God my husband booked us double massages right afterwards. 

July- Wharf to Wharf-Santa Cruz

This race was amazing!! So, so much fun. It is 6 miles starting at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and ends at Capitola. It was the biggest race at that point I had been in with 15,000 racers. Very well organized and had tons of music/bands on every corner and lots of spectators  . I will definitely do this race again. I was also so happy my husband ran it with me (and he didn't ditch me-he is much faster than me:)

August-Salinas Valley Half Marathon 

Great race! my Half PR 2:20 and I loved every second. Click on the link to read my recap.

October -Morgan Hill Half Marathon  

No picture of this one. This was tough for me. I was hoping for 2:30 because but I had a hard time with my left IT band. When it started hurting I started freaking out because  I was training for CIM so I really didn't want it to set me back. Here's my recap.

November- Big Sur Half

Another great race. So beautiful and right along the water. We expected rain but the sun came out and it was gorgeous.  Not a great race to PR due to a lot of walkers and picture taking opportunities but it was an awesome race. Another race I will do again. I might try to get in a better corral as to get away from the walkers.  Big Sur has such great events and all so well organized. 

December-CIM

And the perfect end of my year was my marathon. it didn't go as planned with the weather and with my shin splints but  it was the perfect end to a year of me overcoming my fears. 

Looking back I can't believe I did so much this past year and I'm excited to see what else I can do. 

 

I'm Back!!

       Happy New Year!!! It has been a busy couple of weeks with not much running involved so the blogging came to a screeching halt after CIM.  But....I'm back!! Here is December :

After CIM I went to the doc about my shin splints. Not much help. Basically her answer to all my woes is "Don't run". Its been a month and it still bugs me but not as much. I might go back or I might talk myself into seeing an accupuncturist (even though my insurance won't cover it.) . I'll let you know.

I went to Colorado to visit my son and daughter in law and sweet grandbaby. 

                           

My DIL is pregnant and suffering with hyperemesis gravidarum. It is horrible and when I went out there she had lost a lot of weight, had been on IV treatment for weeks and had been hospitalized for 6 days.  And even needed a feeding tube. Poor thing.My son was trying to care for her and their 2 year old and work. It was a mess. I had a wonderful time helping out. Mostly by playing with Abi (my favorite thing thing to do ). But I also got to go to the ultrasound and found out it's another girl!! Yay!! I was there about 5 days and just played, played, played and cooked a little for my son. 

I am happy to report that Lacie is now 20 weeks pregnant, and feeling better. Still has some sickness but not nearly as bad as it was. Her spirits are better now that she is feeling that baby kicking around,too. :)

After Colorado, I came home with a cold that lasted about a week. I didn't feel all that bad, just run down and I sounded awful but I powered on....it was the week before Christmas and we had cookies to make....

and parties to attend....

ok...one more of Christmas...

I was very impressed this year because the day after Christmas ( and this NEVER happens) I suggested we take down the tree.  My husband about fell over and immediately started taking things down before I could change my mind. I was so glad we cleared it all out because we were leaving for SoCal!!

First we went to Newport Beach for 3 days just to relax.

And we had to celebrate Rachel's Sweet 16!!

I also went on my last run of the year :)

On New Year's Day we headed over to DISNEYLAND!!

It was the perfect way to start the New Year. 

(Follow me on Instagram @MidlifeMarathonCrisis)

I have a lot of goals and plans I have been working on so stay tuned. 

CIM and the Magic From the Back of the Pack

  Well. I did it. It was the craziest experience ever. I don't even know where to start.

We left on Saturday to head to Sacramento to pick up my bib at the Expo. I was so thankful for my family going with me. Their support was so important. Each time I would see them during the race I got choked up and so grateful to have them believe in me and cheer me in. I don't think I would have made it without them. 

The weather was already starting to rain. I had been diligently checking the weather about every five minutes. Dreading the incoming storm. 

We got to Sacramento and walked around the Expo a bit. Bib pick up, t shirt pickup, bag pickup. And I also wanted to buy some body glide knowing that chafing would be a problem with the rain. I also bought a CIM t shirt because I didn't like that one I got. (Icky green color).  I kinda wish I had been able to attend the expo longer as they had speakers both on Friday and Saturday.   Oh well, maybe next time. 

We left the expo and headed for Folsom to check into our hotel. We stayed at Larkspur Landing, the same place we had stayed for my husband's Half Ironman in August. I had been second guessing the decision to stay near the start of the race instead of the finish but it turned out to be the perfect decision. You see if you stay in Folsom you get a VIP sticker that gives you access to a VIP warming tent and private porta potties at the start. This would be a God send the next day during the torrential rain and wind. 

We checked  in and had some time to kill before dinner so we watched The Holiday. My daughter, Katie, and I love, love love this movie. Then it was time for our dinner reservations at Viscontis. Some friends of ours live up there and met us for dinner. I was so thankful to have a great distraction as I was getting more nervous as the day went on.

Back at the hotel I took a nice hot bath and checked and double checked everything. I knew I wouldn't sleep well but I was thankful the night before I had slept great. 

The next morning the alarm went off at 3:50. I ate some breakfast, had some coffee and got ready.  I was ready a bit early so I just watched tv for a bit before the bus got there. The bus pick up was 5:15 and I knew the start wasn't that far. We had to stop at one other hotel for more people but we got to the start at about 5:40. 

I thought I would go straight to the warming tent to keep as dry as possible before the start. Ha! The second I stepped out of the bus I was drenched. Even my shoes were drenched. Are you kidding me? 

I had been dealing with shin splints for 2 weeks and had readjusted my goals big time. Ideally I would have liked to have a goal of 4:40 (doubling my best half time). Then I added 20 minutes  so I was hoping for around 5 hours. I read about the pacers and the 5:10 pacer sounded like he would be fun to run with. He said he liked to laugh a lot had have a good time. Perfect . I figured I would like to have a good laugh during this.  So I found the 5:10 group and fell into  place. 

The first 6 miles were ok for my legs. The rain was just a downpour. My plastic garbage bag basically allowed rain to run through the neck hole down my top, and I was completely soaked. We had several flooded intersections where the water was about mid-shin we had to wade/run through. Saw a police car in an inter section with water up past it's door.  Saw some flooded porta potties (ick). 

Miles 6-10 was getting harder to keep up with the pace group as my lower legs were very tight.  I stopped to uses a porta potty and stretched while waiting in the short line. As much as I loved the 5:10 pace group I fell behind and knew I wouldn't be able to catch back up.  What a fun bunch though and the pacer was sooo funny. 

Miles 10-13 was when my left shin pain started to radiate up my IT band. I was heartbroken.  I saw my family at 13.1 and  started crying my leg hurt so bad I didn't know if I could finish. But I kept going.

I saw my family again at mile 16. I decided I needed dry shoes and sox. My family quickly helped me swap out my chip and I also ditched the garbage bag and changed into a dry shirt. Wow. I felt so much better. And off I went.

After this things changed. By mile 18 the sun came out. Hallelujah!  I also saw photographers for the first time.  I realized I was smiling. I almost felt  giddy. I kept thinking "Look at me! I'm doing it!" 

This is also where I saw the magic from the back of the pack.  Several things came into focus for me. I had been so bummed at my pain, and how my time was going to suck. I kept thinking I didn't want to be last. Now I realized...who cares. Even the person that comes in last is still amazing! And still a "marathoner".  Awesome. And soon I would be too. 

I know magic was also happening at the front with the elites and the BQers and the people PRing.  But I really  felt so blessed to be there. I appreciated how beautiful the course was. The beautiful terrain, the pretty houses decorated for the holidays. Every kid I saw trying to high five, I went out of my way to high five them and thanked them for cheering for us. I thanked every volunteer that gave me water.  I guess I tried to just embrace it. 

At the back of the pack I heard other stories. A man with the 5:10 group was running something like his 94th marathon! Amazing!   Everyone in the race has a story. First time. Trying to BQ. Overcoming an injury. Trying to PR. 

There was a point where we ran by a nursing home and I looked up to see a man in a wheelchair watching from the window. I waved, he waved and cheered us on. Almost made me cry. I was blessed to be able to run. A few miles later there was another nursing home. Same thing. A man in a wheelchair on a patio with his caregiver so excited when I waved to him and he kept cheering and smiling. I was blessed to be running. 

After that I knew I would finish. It hurt. I was in more pain then I thought it would be but I could do it. I was blessed to be finishing. 

This experience was amazing. The weather was crazy. The training was long and grueling at times. It was harder than I could have imagined but the feeling at the end was more than I could have hoped for. 

I DID IT!!!!

 Well......I DID IT!!!

I'M a MARATHONER!!!!!!!

Recap to come. I'm exhausted. And very, very sore. 

Any tips for good recovery ?

CIM and Stormaggedon

  Less than 2 days to go. As I look out my window I see my future. And it includes grey skies and down pouring rain. I have heard our storms described as Stormaggedon and an Atmospheric River. Prepare for flooding, gusting winds and power outages. Perfect. I am trying to stay optimistic. Really I am. But I do find it ironic that when I found CIM I thought it was perfect. Mostly downhill, and over 30 years the weather is close to perfection. Well jokes on me. Ha!

My husband came home yesterday from his business trip and tried to cheer me up. He said I should view running in this storm like Lt. Dan in Forest Gump. Remeber him yelling "Is this all you got!?" So that will be me on Sunday, yelling to the heavens "Is this all you got? Bring it!"

Well...it is what it is. 

So in a perfect world, my best case scenario goal would have been to double my best half time (2:20) and my goal would have been 4:40. But I was realistic, I knew it was my first full. I'd get fatigued, so I would add some time. So my next goal would have been under 5. Sounded reasonable and obtainable. Even 4:55 would make me happy. 

Now with Stormaggedon upon us, (and my left shin still feeling wonky) my new goal is to be alive. Yep. Just finish. Maybe finish before they take down the porta potties and finish line. 

Just kidding. My goal is still is to just finish but hopefully right around 5. Give or take 15 minutes.  I plan now to meet up with a pace group. I might find a Clydesdale to draft behind :) Maybe they won't notice I'm back there. 

I was looking for motivation today and I found this. It's awesome. 

http://m.youtube.com/results?q=how%20bad%20do%20you%20want%20it#/watch?v=XbZnCGyPneo

I especially loved the kid in the bike helmet.

My new mantra will be " Look up. Get up. And never give up."

That, or "Which way to the arc?"