Monday, May 31, 2010

Saddleback Memorial Half Marathon

Every post race shot you see has me smiling ear to ear. What you don't see is the grimace on my face when I cramp up at mile 11. You don't see the frustration when I wake up at the crack of dawn to exercise. You don't see the tears of pain as I push to climb hills in training. Running is difficult, and I work damn hard. It may seem that I make these races look easy because I do so many of them and have so much fun, but I can assure you that they are not. No false modesty here. Running is hard and I surprise myself every time. Thank you Laguna Hills for making #16 oh so sweet. Thank you to Suzy and Brian again for being such gracious hosts and awesome friends.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Mission Bay 5k

Another 5k done! I'll be spending the rest of my day on my butt. Long drive to Laguna Hills!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Horseshoe Lake Half Marathon

15th half marathon done! This was my first trail race, and it was my toughest race to date. The elevation gain was 2250 feet, and the terrain was rocky. These were mountains, not hills. It was quite a feat to complete this course, but what makes it even sweeter is that I did it 24 hours after running the Vacaville half marathon. Slowly but surely, my body is getting goofitized. I need to spend some quality time with Mr. Bubble now.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Vacaville Sunrise Rotary Club Fiesta Run Half Marathon

Most Dramatic Finish EVER!!


Half marathon #14 was a nail biter. In preparation for The Goofy Challenge, my task at hand this weekend was to complete back to back half marathons. So, I decided to take the Vacaville half slow and steady. My goal was to walk/jog a very easy pace all the way through and finish in 3 hours. My master plan got derailed at the 10 mile mark, when the sag wagon began to tail gait me! I had to run for my life because I didn't want that bus to DQ me!! Amazingly enough, I didn't collapse at the finish line!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Avenue Of The Vines Half Marathon


I reached a milestone today. I ran my 13th 13.1 miler. What a crazy race it was. I had a colossal melt down at mile 4, and it didn't look like I was going to be able to recover. Endorphin Dude was looking more like Endorphin DUD. I kept thinking to myself, "uh, the San Francisco Marathon is 10 weeks away and you're giving up at mile 4 of a half?!" Unacceptable! Thanks to a change in music, a Cytomax shot, and an unexpected visit from my marathon guardian angel, I was able to find what I needed to finish the race.



Running is not easy, and you have to do what it takes to cross the finish line. Fortunately, I was able to find the mental fortitude to complete this race. I finished somewhere in the neighborhood of 2:40:00, which is about 15 minutes off of what I'm used to getting, but I'm proud of myself for getting through the rough patches. I could have easily given up this time, but I fought through.



Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day Marina Green 5K

After walking 15 miles all around the city yesterday, I ran a 5k this morning in 33 minutes. I took it slow and steady, and my body held up just fine. I will complete The Goofy Challenge!!!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Stern Grove 4 Miler

A day after running a half marathon, I ran a turtle slow 13:00 pace 4 miler. Slow, yes, but very good training for the Goofy Challenge. Feelin' Good! Now it is time to recover.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

End Of The Trail Half Marathon

I ran my 12th half marathon in Visalia, CA, this weekend. I figured, why not, I can visit my mom and run a race. I managed to bounce back from my dismal showing in Nashville last week and improve by 20 minutes! This was a tough race for me, as I thought I was going to pass out at mile 9. I really hit the wall. Luckily, there was a Gatorade station right there. I crossed the finish line at in 2:30:50. Yay!