California International Marathon

November: 121.62 miles

October: 120.27 miles

Runaway Pumpkin Half Marathon

Portland Half Marathon

September: 136.21 miles

August: 109.77 miles

Every Girl's Half Marathon

July: 97.20 miles

I've started running with a new group in Corvallis.  As always, these runners are friendly, inspiring and encouraging.  Several have signed up to run CIM this year (as have I).  I'm looking forward to being pushed and improving these next few months especially.

June: 54.75 miles

Yikes. Moving has completely messed up my regular routine.

Camp Pendleton Mud Run

Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon

 a dork at the start line -- oh wait! that's me

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 cool "recycled materials" finisher's medal that doubles as a bottle opener

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that bike path is the course!

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at the finish with friends

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This morning friends and I ran the Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon.  The race starts in the mountains of Ojai, runs along the bike path for much of the course, and ends 700' lower at the Ventura Pier.  It is an amazing race!  The first half is almost all downhill.  Not a steep decline but a beautifully slight downhill that feels awesome.  Around mile 15 it flattens out and remains pretty flat all the way to the finish line.  The first 5 or 6 miles are run around Ojai and the last 5 or 6 are run along the beach.  This morning it was lightly misting at the start and around 53*.  It continued to mist until around mile 10, stopped, and began again when we were closer to the ocean around mile 19 or 20.  The temperature around the finish line at 10am was about 57* thanks to the marine layer.  Perfect race conditions all around!  My race was a good effort.  I held back initially because I didn't want to start off too fast.  The bike path's downhill sped me up a bit but I was still doing great until my right leg began to cramp.  Not just the calf or the quad, but the entire leg from quad to my toes.  Ouch!  That started near mile 24 and continued with me until the finish.  I had hit 20 miles at 2:57 so I was hoping to finish under 4 hours even at a slow pace but my pace got slower and slower until the cramping left me doing a run-walk to the finish.  I missed a new marathon PR by less than a minute!

Finish Time: 4:06:00

Average Pace: 9:23

Overall Place: 478 out of roughly 1000 (the race is capped and had sold out)

Sex Place: 191 out of 409

Division Place: 61 out of 132

I'm pleased with my effort.  Being so close to a new PR and not getting it is heartbreaking but that's what makes the challenge fun.  I knew I'd be somewhere in the middle of all places.  This year's race was only the second running and there were twice as many runners this year as last year.  It's a Boston Qualifier and I know competitive runners with Boston on their minds will be flocking to this race in the years to come!  There was definitely a more serious crowd here today than in other races I've done recently. 

May: 128.02 miles

Vista Strawberry 5K

This morning three friends and I ran the Vista Strawberry Festival 5K.  I hadn't heard good things about the race and hadn't even thought to run it until one of these girls sent me a Schwaggle for the race.  The deal was $13.  No other fees so a flat $13 to run a local 5K complete with technical tee, finisher's medal and fresh strawberries at the finish.  I couldn't say no! 

And I'm glad I didn't.  The race itself isn't terribly exciting.  A long stretch, some hills, several turnarounds, nothing special... but the finish through the festival booths area was really fun!  It reminded me of finishing at the Chicago Marathon when you run through the finish area with so many people on either side cheering you on.  This was like that, but a much smaller version since there weren't hundreds of spectators but a few exhibitors instead.  But they were so great!  It was a fun way to finish a race! 

My PR for a 5K race is 22:50.  With the Ojai Marathon coming up next week I had planned to run this race at a comfortable pace and just have fun.  I ended up running it at a comfortably hard pace (7:10s) but slowed on the downhill stretch to an 8:06.  Ugh.  I really need to work on my downhill running.  I can crank up the hills and pass people, but I'm always passed on the downhills.  I don't know why I brake like I do.  Anyway, after that there were a bunch of turns that slowed my pace, too.  When I came into the final stretch I could see my time was close to 23 minutes.  I sprinted as fast as I could to get in under 23 but missed it by 2 seconds.  Heartbreaking!

Overall, very pleased with my effort today!

Finish Time: 23:02
Pace: 7:25
Division Place: 5
Sex Place: 17
Overall Place: 107

April: 164.85 miles

Last night I realized I was just under 5 miles to reaching my highest monthly mileage ever.  If you know me at all, then you know I thought long and hard about getting in those miles last night on the treadmill.  I had run a solid 9 in the morning, but came close to doing a double with the extra 5.  In the end, I decided it had been a long day and a certain book was calling my name...  Maybe next month I'll take another stab at it.  Excellent month for running!!

Carlsbad 5000

Me in the middle, just where I belong: somewhere between a tortoise and a hare!

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Yesterday I ran the Carlsbad 5000.  The race touts itself as "the World's Fastest 5K" and it is.  There have been 16 world records set on this course.  It's relatively flat (gradual hills both up and down that are small), most of it is run along 101, the weather is always great, and there's a slight downhill to the finish.  At yesterday's race, there were 4 or 5 elite men finishing faster than 13:17.  Holy cow!  It's an amazing event that everyone from the first timer to the elite can participate in and have fun. 

At this event, the runners are put into divisions by age and sex.  Those are the people you run against.  Not all thousands of runners, but only those in your specific division.  For me, that meant running with the Masters Women this year (40+ year olds).  Oh, but don't be thinking the older ladies can't run because let me tell you, they are wicked fast.  It's unbelievable how speedy these women are.  I find it very inspirational to toe the line with 55 year old women who can outrun me.  Amazing!  

My Masters race started at 8am.  I picked up a friend and we headed down to the race start early.  We ran a few blocks to warm up and then settled in towards the front of our race.  We ended up being three women back from the start which was perfect.  There's no running around slower people and there's also the excitement of being in the front of the race.  About a 1/4 mile into the race I looked down at my Garmin and saw I was running a 6:33 pace.  Holy smokes!  That's way too fast so I backed it off a bit but continued to push it.  I hit mile 2 in 14:22.  I knew this was fast for me but kept telling myself to hang in there, the finish is around the corner, it's a downhill finish, you got this, etc.  The last mile was tough though because of the pace and I must have slowed a bit because I crossed the finish line in 22:50.  However, this is a shiny new PR for me -- by a full minute!

My friend came in steps behind me and together we walked through the finisher's chute and then on over to the beer garden.  Yes, my race started at 8am.  Yes, I was having a beer by 8:30am.  Every finisher gets two free beers from a local (awesome!) brewery.  In the past I've been in a later race start (30-39 year old women) and by the time I was done at 11am, the beer garden would already be packed and the line to get in too long.  That's not the case when you run the 8am race so I was going to enjoy it for once!  I had my two beers while chatting with friends and other people who had run that morning.

Fantastic event and a fantastic day yesterday.  Many friends also walked away with new PRs and some fast times!  Definitely a favorite race of mine!!

March: 131.83 miles

LA Marathon

I ran the LA Marathon yesterday. I'm trying to focus on the positives about this race and my effort but I'm having a hard time doing that right now. Maybe later this week or next weekend I'll be in a better place but today I'm not happy with it. I know it was the best I could do yesterday. However, it was my 7th marathon and my 7th disappointing finish that was 4+ hours. I can't seem to get in under that 4 hour mark and I find that incredibly disappointing.

One positive about the LA Marathon was their tracking system for the runners. Both my husband's and my cell phone received five texts over the course of the event. These were the texts received:

• 10K in 0:57:40. Pace: 9:17. Est: 4:03:23. ETA: 11:37:44.
• 20K in 1:53:17. Pace: 9:07. Est: 3:59:01. ETA: 11:33:23.
• 30K in 2:54:42. Pace: 9:22. Est: 4:05:34. ETA: 11:40:07.
• 40K in 3:57:54. Pace: 9:34. Est: 4:10:49. ETA: 11:45:22.
• Finish in 4:08:19. Pace: 9:28. At 11:42:44.

It's pretty cool to see my race like this. My plan was to stay under 9:00 until Mile 20 and then pick it up to finish in under 4 hours. Obviously, that didn't happen. Too much jockeying for space for many miles, too many bigger-than-I-was-expecting rolling hills in the first half, some severe calf cramping late in the race... it all adds up to a disappointment for me. I had plans to sign up for another marathon soon -- either Ojai (Ca) in June or the Foot Traffic Flat in Portland (Or) in July -- but now I'm rethinking marathons. I don't know that they are really for me. I love the sense of accomplishment, I'm just tired of the disappointment. I don't think adjusting my goals is the answer either. I always have trouble late in the race. I've got some major blues happening today.
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The Start Line at Dodger Stadium.  The City of Los Angeles Mayor and the owner of the Dodgers were both there.  A woman from the band the Pussycat Dolls sang the National Anthem.  Another group of singers sang something else.  Three helicopters flew overhead since the race was being televised locally.  It was cool but dry.  I thought I was in the Corral start, but apparently I wasn't and I ended up starting behind the 5:00 runners.  I eventually caught up to the 4:00 group about mid-race, but a few miles later things spiraled out of my control and I lost them...
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The Finish Line along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.  The headwind gusts that we experienced for some of the race seemed to disappear in Brentwood but then roared its ugly head at the finish.  It isn't a long finish along Ocean, maybe a full mile total, but the winds were crazy strong.  No one was hanging out in the finish area longer than absolutely necessary, which is unfortunate because I would have loved to have laid out on the pavement and taken a nap.

February: 155.95 miles

I blew February's mileage out of the water.  Love that!  And yes, I did briefly consider making a go at netting my highest mileage yet in one month a few days ago.  It would have meant several long runs on already tired legs, but I did think about it.  Yes, I'm that crazy.  Instead I decided to be smart - there is a little thing called a marathon coming up in two short weeks! - and settled for making this month my 2nd highest mileage in a single month.  Ever.  Yay me!

January: 107.83 miles

Ouch.  Not nearly enough miles this month to be on track for my 2012 goal.  The first 10 days of January were tough to get runs in since my kids were on their holiday break.  Hoping to pick it up in February.  I already started today with a great long-ish run!

Carlsbad Half Marathon 2012

pre-race: no nervous energy, just excitement!

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I love the Carlsbad Marathon and all of its events.  We moved here in February '08 so I had just missed it that year but swore I would participate in this awesome hometown event every year that we are here.  I almost missed it this year due to timing of other races, but I'm glad I found a way to participate at the last minute!  This year, I ran the Half Marathon event.  It was my second time and, as always, it proved again to be my favorite race distance.  The day before I had run the Kids Marathon Mile through Legoland with my children.  I love that it's a fun, family weekend of running!

I felt comfortable going into the race and knew it would be a solid effort but definitely not a PR race for me.  The course is primarily up and down Pacific Coast Highway which is just that - up and down.  The hills aren't terrible but there are enough of them that a PR was not in the books for today.  However, I knew that going in and had my goal set on beating my previous time at the Carlsbad Half (1:52:30 in 2009). 

The day before the race it poured.  It also poured the day after the race.  For Southern California, these were "stormy" days and it really was quite heavy at times.  Yet, by the luck of the draw, race day for Carlsbad was absolutely perfect.  It didn't rain, the sun stayed away for most of the race and there was no wind worth mentioning. 

I was in Wave 2 for the Half Marathon and ended up starting in the back of that wave due to getting to the corrals late.  The first few miles were a bit congested and I had to do a lot of passing.  It forced me to start at a slower pace; the first few miles were run at an 8:30-8:45 pace.  Miles 3 to about 10 were picked up and kept steady at a 7:50 to 8:00 pace.  I felt pretty good, not working terribly hard but pushing it a little.  The last few miles felt harder than my pace reflects.  I knew I was starting to tire and the course at that point was climbing to get over the 5.  The finish was as fast as I could muster.  It's a little deceiving because once over the 5 you begin to descend and people will often push it.  However, you're still more than 3/4 of a mile away so it's way too soon for me to push.  If I do, the flat finish feels extra hard.  I waited until the last turn (under 1/2 a mile) to give it all I had.  It felt great to finish having met my goal for this race!

2011 mileage: 1505.50 miles!

Whew.  I was a little concerned making the 1500 goal would be difficult with these last two weeks of December being such a busy time.  Fortunately the weather in Portland was cool but dry so I could get in some great runs.  It sure feels good to set a goal, work towards it all year long, and then actually see myself achieve it.

December: 105.50 miles