Whew is it hot today. It's not even the hottest it's been this summer (it's maybe 77F whereas it has been over 90 as recently as a couple of weeks ago!), but it's apparently enough to make me a little, I don't know, less tolerant of assholes. Some days, I *believe* that I can brush them off and happily go about my day--now, though, I can't get over just how many exist and how I'm tired of being polite to them.
Sometimes you just gotta say it in order to feel a little better!! Let's hope the virtual venting works!
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I haven't been keeping up with any blogging of late as it has been remarkably busy--needing sleep seems to be a problem! Anyway, I ran a marathon this year because...well, I don't know why. The last time I ran a marathon, I was so beat by mile 20, I vowed I would never run that distance again. But, the prospect of a local race was one I just couldn't pass up...I guess!
I trained for this one, too. I mean, I followed a training plan to run a sub-4 hour marathon. It only included one 20-mile distance run and then there was a whopping 2-week-long tapering period. I'd never tapered for that long before...and for the previous 2 marathons, I ran multiple 20+ mile runs (though none of the runs exceeded 22 miles). I felt a little like I should have been running more during those last couple of weeks leading up to the event, but I decided to Trust in the Plan.
The Plan did include a lot of interval training, something I have since come to really enjoy! Not only did it break up the monotony, I could feel that I was getting stronger and faster. My improvement led to a new PR of 1:46:08 in this year's Santa Cruz Half; I beat my previous PR by about 5 minutes, which is pretty significant.
So, for the marathon, I really paced myself from the start, knowing that there were plenty of little hills I needed to make it over! The first 13 miles felt great and comfortable--and this was just about where I hit the Wharf and the uphill leading to West Cliff. By the time I got to Swift St., I was beginning to flag. Mile 18 was out on the bluff in Wilder Ranch (this course had us loop around the horse barn) and an older fella passed by me with a "we're on our way home"! I was relieved and yet dismayed. It was hard to believe that I was still so far away from finishing! I think the last 6 miles I walk/jogged.
I was walking along W. Cliff when I spied Tom and the kids. I immediately perked up! I definitely was almost done and there they were cheering me on and jumping up and down all excited for me! I managed to hobble along to the finish line. With a finish time of 3:55:23, I made my time target, but I was still disappointed that I had to stop and walk so much! But, overall, I am content. New Marathon PR set (beat the last one by about 6 minutes, I think).
Anyway, final stats for both SC Half and Surfer's Path are as follows:
SC Half:
Div Place: 275/2219 (12.3%)
Gender Place : 70/1284 (5.4%)
Age Place (F 40-49): 13/297 (4.3%)
Elapsed Time: 01:46:08
Pace: 8:06/mi
Surfer's Path:
Div Place: 83/519 (15.9%)
Gender Place: 23/253 (9%)
Age Place (F 40-49): 5/68 (7.3%)
Elapsed Time: 3:55:23
Pace: 8:59
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Resolutions and predictions are peppering the internet right about now (seeing as it is the first day of 2015!). I read through a few and wondered if I could come up with my own.
I haven't really thought these through, but for what they're worth, here are my seat of the pants notes on resolutions and frail predictions for 2015.
1. Wearable will be better than bearable. Last year, wearable tech started flooding the market--smartwatches, fitness trackers, improvements to Google Glass....But, the aesthetics are poor and the functionality is still limited.
I predict that in 2015, smart watches will shrink to a more fashionable size to the point where I might actually want to wear one. Then, of course, integration with third-party services will expand. Beyond that, more health information will be available within a single device--heart rate, hydration, step count, sleep tracking.
I'm eager for better wearable. Right now, I have a TomTom Cardio Runner that I use to track my heartrate and record my runs, but I don't have access to heart rate monitoring any time I want--it only records heart rate while I'm in run/workout mode. While I can use an app to determine my resting heart rate when I wake up, I'm required to reach over and grab my device from my side table, fire up the app, and then make sure it's detecting my heart rate before I can settle back down to let the app do it's work. I would love a device that would allow me to check heart rate with less fuss--something I wear on my wrist like my TomTom, but smaller and more comfortable.
2. The internet will not die, it will continue to thrive. As a UI engineer, I'm attentive to news about the future of front-end development and, for a while, there seemed to be quite a few dire predictions that device apps would kill web apps. But, with the amount of self-quantification going on these days (and data in general), I don't see a decline in web apps at all, but a resurgence of them as folks' desires to slice and dice mashed-up data grows. There is really only so much one can efficiently and comfortably manage on a small(er) screen and with a virtual keyboard.
3. While smart watches shrink in size, smart phones will get bigger. This increase in screen size still won't be enough to entirely eliminate the need for a laptop or desktop computer.
4. The percentage of women in engineering will remain virtually unchanged (http://www.ngcproject.org/statistics) and so will the wage gap.
Resolutions?
I'm not sure I really have any resolutions. But, I do have a huge to-do wishlist: there are lots of household projects I'd like to get done and many more hobbies to which I'd like to devote more time or improve on (photography! various projects with kids including teaching programming concepts). I'll update here if/when new inspiration on resolutions and/or predictions hit!
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I can't remember when I really started to hustle towards the running mileage goal (850 miles this year), but when I finally came to the realization that I only had x weeks left and I'd have to run over 20 miles each week to make the goal, I was unsure if I'd make it. But, I committed to running 4x a week, with at least one long run every week. Luckily, Jenny was a willing partner for 2 of the 4 weekly runs and her company definitely motivated me to get out there on several mornings where I would have preferred to just stay nice and warm in my bed! We did the majority of our runs in the dark morning hours (often starting as early as 6am) and some in some pretty rainy conditions--soaking wet shoes, kind of rain.
I was worried I wouldn't find the time to run during holiday weeks, especially since we were traveling to LA. But, on the day that Tom's mom offered to watch the kids so we could head to the gym together, I just decided I would knock out the last 8 miles and be done with it!
So, the last 8 miles were broken up into 2 runs--4 miles while Tom was in the gym lifting and 4 miles with Tom back in his mom's extremely hilly neighborhood! I ended up with 850.6 miles on December 28th! But, for good measure and to try to remain somewhat consistent, I did another 4 miles in the gym on the 30th right before we headed home. And, once home, we did an end-of-the year Basic Loop with the kids! Dylan kept up a good pace the entire way and Cameron, who was prone to sprinting and then walking, fell back. We peeled off and went through the school which I thought would be a shortcut, but she still ran about 1.1 miles!
All told, that puts my final mileage at 855 for the year! Next year, my goals aren't terribly lofty. I have a goal of 875 miles with a stretch goal of 900. Let's see if I can make it....0Add a comment
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This year's run resulted in a new PR -- my first 10K PR since the 2008 Almaden Classic where I ran 50:23)! For the record, I wasn't really trying for a PR. The Turkey Trot is such a crowded race, I figured I'd be in a clump of runners and, therefore, slowed a bit by the crowd. But, I jack-rabbited out and tried to get ahead of the crowd...and then something funny seems to happen when I'm running with the "faster runners"...First, I lose track of who's mis-seeded themselves (the slower runners) and so I lose track of my own pace (I don't check my watch for my pace until I hit a mile-marker), so I just kind of get carried by the flow.
I was noticing that I was working hard (relatively high heart rate), but it wasn't too uncomfortable. I wasn't really thinking of a PR until I saw the clock at the finish line and I started to sprint!
I'm pretty happy with the results:
Overall: 897 out of 7880 (11%)
Women: 208 out of 3940 (5%)
F 45-49: 19 out of 379 (5%)
Age/Grade: 65.80% Place: 456
Finish: 49:29
Pace: 7:58
An interesting thing, too. The 2008 Almaden Classic recorded Age/Grades as well. Back then, I received an Age/Grade of 61.63% so I have apparently improved there as well.
Also, quite significantly, this was Dylan's first official "Adult" level race! Now that he is 8, there is no longer a kids run for his age group, so if he wants to run, he's gotta do a grown-up run...and he did! He got his own tech-tee and 10th anniversary medal! And, now we can also track his official race results!
From his account, he loved the race and felt like it was "easy." They even passed Yu-chen and Ellie (who were walking) on the course! He has plans to start in a faster corral next year (he started in the very back this year, but had to make his way through thick crowds with Tom and the double-stroller!).
His results:
Men: 3016 out of 5352 (56%)
M 01-09: 167 out of 363 (46%)
Age/Grade: 39.59% Place: 4947
Finish: 43:00
Pace: 13:510Add a comment
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Ok. Missed my PR by 7 seconds, but I started so close to the start line (took 9 seconds to cross start line) and I placed 4th in my division (F45-49) which is the highest I've ever placed in a large race! So, I'm happy. I think if it weren't so windy, I probably would have gotten a new PR. It was so windy, my hat not only blew off my head, but it was swept several feet in less than a second...I decided to leave it where it fell! Also, I was working hard not to get blown backwards....It was that windy.
Anyway, aside from the wind, it was a great run. I ran at a comfortable pace, the temperature was good and the course was flat...and new, actually--we approached Angels Stadium from the "other side", wherever that was, which made the run more interesting.
Not much to say beyond that. So here are my stats:
Div Place (F 45-49): 4/503 (~1%)
Gender Place: 68/6407 (1%)
Overall Place: 350/10449 (3%)
5K split: 26:42
10K split: 52:16
15K split: 1:20:18
Net Time: 1:51:22
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I am trying to make my annual mileage goal of 850 miles and I like inaugural races--it's always nice to start a new running tradition--so, at the very last minute (meaning, 13 mins. before Registration closed on the last day of packet pick-up), I registered for the Inaugural Surfer's Path 10K.
I had just run 12.5 miles on the treadmill on Friday night/Saturday morning (finished up at around 1:30am) and I was pretty sore this morning when I went on my run with Jenny. She was super nice and offered to head in our direction so I would be ever-so-slightly closer to the start line. But, of course, our neighborhood means hills! And, we did the hills. After .5 mile warm-up up and down the street, we started our ascent to the golf course, via the path that goes by a nice vista point overlooking the valley between our neighborhood and the Chaminade.
On our return from the golf course, we took the trail at the end of Park and then did a cool-down before heading home. All told, we did 4.17 miles with a total reported climb of 1195 feet!
I knew, starting out at the event, that I wasn't sure how well I'd do in the 10K. I knew my legs would be tired and I knew the hill run would fatigue me even more, but I also knew that I would enjoy the run. I hardly ever run on the east side, but I still think it is stunningly beautiful. I'm also familiar enough with the route that I knew most of it would have a view of the ocean. Plus, the weather was phenomenal (just under 60F at start time--8am!). I went out there because I knew I'd like the course and it was a fun way to get in more mileage towards the annual goal.
I'm glad I did it. It was so pretty, I ran with a big smile on my face. I wasn't shooting for a PR, but I actually came very close. It's my best 10K in recent years, but apparently, I hit my fastest 10K back at the Almaden Classic in 2007 (8:06 pace with a total time of 50:23). Today's stats are as follows:
Div Place : 66 of 436 (15%)
Gender Place: 22 of 291 (7.5%)
Age Place: 6 of 140 (F 40-49) (4.2%)
Start Time: 08:01:33
Elapsed: 00:50:31
Pace: 8:08
I wasn't sure if I'd see Tom and the kids at the finish, but there they were! As always, I loved seeing them and seeing them gave me an extra burst of energy to finish especially strong (and happy)!
Hoping to do this event again, for sure. It was so nice to do much of the Wharf to Wharf course without the crowds!
As for my mileage goal, today's run with Jenny and the event put me at 81% complete...I still have 156 miles to run to make it. With only 7 weeks left in the year, it's a tough target, but I'm not ready to give up trying.0Add a comment
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We were in the middle of a heat-wave during this year's Rock 'n' Roll, so I already bet from the get-go that I would not be getting a PR. And so it went!
I started out in corral 5 and Tom started with me (though he was assigned to Corral 4). Actually, we were so late in getting to the corrals, we couldn't fit, so we ended up starting with Corral 6. I was a little miffed by this as I felt that every minute (getting hotter and hotter) would ultimately matter, if even just psychologically.
I started out too fast and knew it, so I tried to slow myself down, but caffeine was coursing through me, pushing me to go a bit faster than usual (I have been drinking green tea rather coffee for quite some time now)! It was uncomfortable and for the vast majority of the race, I actually felt like throwing up. I'm not sure if this was due to my speed, the heat, having eaten a bagel right before starting, all of the above...or other?!
I obviously managed to carry on, but this race was definitely tough both physically (due to nausea) and psychologically. I was unhappy for most of the race, dwelling all too much on how hot I was and how it was too much like Disneyland. I let myself walk at every aid station and pour water down my back.
At about Mile 10, I realized that, for sure, I would not be getting a PR (and,honestly, by this time, I just couldn't care less), so I walked a significant amount.
In the end, I wish I could have just pushed myself even just a tiny, tiny bit harder. I'm not good at being uncomfortable!
I do wonder, however, if I have hit my peak. Perhaps I'll do better at the inaugural Disney Avengers Half in November. Perhaps I can defy my age one more time....And, for the record, Assaf and Tom did not get PRs this year either; they finished in 1:46:48 and 2:00:53, respectively (and, interestingly, despite Assaf's time, I did better within my age/gender group than he did--guess gals are just generally slower...!).
Here are the overall stats:
Total Time: 1:53:43
Pace: 8:40
Overall Place: 1358/8362 (16%)
Division (age): 30/491 (6%)
Gender: 307/4234 (7%)
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No PR, but I'm happy with my results. I think this is the first time I've come in within the top 5% in a large race--but, of course, the Disneyland Half demographic is probably skewed more towards beginning or "casual" runners, so I'm sure it's a slower group overall. Still, I walked a lot. It was hot at 5:30am already and, by 6-ish or so, I was already pouring water down my neck!
Heat and walking considered (and taking into consideration the fact that I walked about 30K steps while in Disneyland the previous day), I was able to maintain about an 8:30 pace.
So glad I could take a screenshot of the results rather than having to type 'em all in (if it's still hard to see, you can always click on the image to see the larger size)!0Add a comment
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Oh, yes. I found this hideous old picture from some Halloween years ago. I'm a bicyclist who has apparently fallen off her bike (note the band-aids??)! It's a pretty cheap and lazy costume, but it beats out the laziest of costumes: going as my twin.
I have to admit, I'm not terribly fond of dressing up on Halloween (in case you couldn't tell already), so I look for the easy outs. This year, the kids are already discussing "Frozen" as this year's theme. Cameron, of course, wants to be Elsa; Cameron and Dylan want Chloe to be Anna, and Dylan can be flexible although Olaf and Sven are winning out.
It would be great if he were Sven, then I can be a carrot. I have also suggested being an icicle. I just want something easy...and cheap. Maybe I'll get away with being my twin again!
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