2013 Lou Gherig's Disease 10K

Today, I ran the Lou Gherig's Disease 10K to benefit the ALS Foundation.  I have done this race five times and it has always a big race for a good cause.  It includes a 10K, a 5K run and a 5K walk.  It is always hot, humid, and hilly, and today was no exception.

This was going to be my first 10K without albuterol and the last race distance I had to conquer without it.  With the last two 5Ks done without albuterol, I knew there was a great chance to race this without medication.  It was also my first 10K since this race last year where I had two asthma attacks during the race at miles 2 and 4.  So, it was clear I had to race one without medication on this course to see that I could.

Since I ran the marathon in Puerto Rico last week, I knew my legs were not ready to push a good pace.  It was also going to be mid 80s and humid, and this course is tough.  There is no way to explain why the course is tough.  Yes, it has rolling hills but they are not too bad.  Yes, it is usually in the mid 80s and 80-90% humidity, but I have run other races as hot and as humid.  But just to give you an idea, I have only broken the 1 hour mark on this race once in the five years, my PR is 51:25 from another race and my average 10K pace is 54:XX.  So, I usually run 5-10 minutes slower here for some reason.

With all of that mind, I put 60 minutes worth of music in my iPod and made my goal to break 1 hour for the second time.  Nothing to write home about but I knew it would be a challenge to even run this fast in this course with this weather and a week after a marathon.

I woke up 20 minutes before the alarm at 5:30am and got ready.  Got my coffee and drove to the starting line, 30 minutes away.  It was already 79F when I got there and the sun was just coming out.  Picked my packet, said hi to my friends from the running, got our pics taken, and warmed up.

Before I even started the warmup, I was soaked.  I started coughing by 6:30am which meant asthma was closing in.  In the humidity we had, it was not surprising.

I did 2 miles warmup (too short for me but I ran out of time) with the last mile including strides.  The first 3 strides were slow but the last one was on pace so I knew I had a chance to run faster than normal.  We started promptly (miraculously) at 7:32am, which is too late, BTW, down here for a race and were off.

Mile 1 - I tried to slow down so that I wouldn't get an attack so quickly in the race and settled for 161HR, slightly slower than the 170 I wanted. Part of this mile is flat but after 0.50 it starts climbing.  The mantra at each mile is don't walk, don't get an attack, and be conservative.  Split: 9:11.

Mile 2 - This is the point where I got my first asthma attack last year, just before the downhill.  Today, I passed the spot, stuck out my tongue and ran a split of 9:07.

Mile 3 - This mile brings us to the toughest part of the race.  Usually, by Mile 4, I walk a bit since the temps have climbed a lot and the sun is horrible.  We head into the weird turnaround throughout the neighborhood and ran an uphill and several minor rolling hills.  Split: 9:18.  This would be my last fastish mile.  HR has remained steady at 170 now.

Mile 4 - The hard section commences and I know I want to walk like so many others are doing but refrain from doing so.  I high fived all of my running group members as they run by and concentrate on continuing my pace whatever it is and not to let the 60 minute pacer who is far behind me pass me at any point.  Split: 9:49.  Oh, I passed the point of my second asthma attacks, stuck out my tongue and realized I'm not even breathing hard.

Mile 5 - As I passed the Mile 4 marker, I see a water station.  Prior to now I've been using the water to throw it over my head, but my stomach is rebelling at the humidity and I need to put something in it, so I walked the water station while getting some Gatorade in me.  The fact that the water station is at an uphill helped me conquer the worst uphill of the race.  Split: 10:11.

Mile 6 - As I pass the Mile 5 marker, I noticed the place where I stopped last year to quit the race.  If you remember, I stopped my Garmin, took my bib off and jogged to the car, only to be duped by the friend that ran by me into crossing the finish line.  I passed it with just a look and continued on.  At this point, we join the 5K walkers and start weaving around them.  This is the only part of the race I believe they need to change, as the walkers are walking in tandem and enjoying the day but we are trying to pass them.  Not their fault as it is after all, a walk, but maybe the RD needs to divide us until the finishing chute so the cluster fuck lessens.  Split: 9:42.

0.20 - At this point, the sun is a killer, the humidity has my top almost as down as mid thigh, and my hair is dripping from the sweat.  I'm not fast by any means since most of the last three miles have ups more than downs, but I keep pushing one foot in front of the other and know that I'm close to the 1 hour mark but that I'm safe and can do it.  I rush through the finishing chute and I'm done as the clock hits 1 hour.  Final time: 59:33.

Even with my slow time, I was 16th in my AG, with the AG winner a slow 45:XX.  It was a hot and humid day and it was not even close to my best or even average 10K pace but my performance was strong, my lungs only coughed once and I knew I left time on the course in order to be careful about my asthma.  Before my asthma, I ran a course PR of 53:XX, a weird time considering I always run 1:11, 1:02, and 1:12 on this course.  This year, I ran it better and felt better.  Now all I need to is to break this 59:33 next week while looking at Hula Boys and I should be fine!  

Thanks for reading!

Puerto Rico Marathon RR

When you leave your country of origin nine years prior to make a better life for yourself and a Maniac tells you that your country is holding its first marathon ever, you sign up within 5 minutes, right?  And that is basically what I did a few months ago.

Then, five minutes later, the following conversation occurred:

Docket: Mr. Docket, PR has a marathon and we're going.

Mr. Docket: Awesome!  When?

Docket: May 5.

Mr. Docket: Did you say May?

Docket: Uhuh.

Mr. Docket: Who the fuck holds a marathon in PR in May?  It's going to be hot!

Or what I call:

Truer words have never been spoken.  Yesterday, I ran the hottest and most humid marathon I had ever done, with a heat index of 100F and a dewpoint of 79!!!!  I am surprised I didn't have an asthma attack because that dewpoint is almost the highest you can have.  And I cannot wait to do it again!

This is the current data for marathon day as taken by my husband.  Look at the current data below the forecast:

Notwithstanding that, I was very excited for running the first marathon in PR.  It was going to be a hilly marathon and a hot and humid one, but who cares?  I was going to PR!

I took pictures of the typical elevation of most of PR:

To give you an idea.  Overall, it would be a challenging course for sure.

We left for San Juan on Thursday night and we ended up arriving after midnight since all flights out of Miami were delayed by at least three hours.  We were staying at the Sheraton by the Convention Center, which is a new hotel and only 100 meters from the starting line.  That way, I could sleep until 4am for a 5am start.  We managed to sleep a bit but the room they gave us was located near the service elevator so we heard a noise all night.  The hotel changed us to a better room after which I slept well.  We were also given a car that had been used by a smoker but we had to switch cars after I almost got an asthma attack from all that smell.  Overall, by Friday morning, things were not looking up.

This is the Convention Center and starting line.  Gorgeous, no?

Driving around on Friday, we realized how bad the humidity was.  We both grew up there but the week was full of bad humidity, sun and heat.  I was starting to wonder how bad the marathon would be and how much suffering I would have to take, haha.

We visited my parents and DH's mom and we also had dinner and drinks with friends. We had a great time.  I was able to go to bed by 11:30pm and got ready for the race.

Race:

I woke up at 4am, got dressed and picked my coffee and Gatorade and left.  My stomach was bad that day, so I only drank the Gatorade and left the coffee untouched to improve the chances for my stomach to stay healthy.  It was 81F at 4am with a humidity of 80% (75 dewpoint) and it only got worse from there.

It was very touching to hear both National Anthems before the race (the ones for PR and the US) as it's typical for PR.  We also had a moment of silence for the Boston Marathon victims and we were off at 5:04am.  I settled on my easy HR and tried to keep up.  The humidity was palpable and sometimes visible but overall, I felt OK.  The first 11 miles went by quickly and I got to see some nice sights of San Juan, Isla Verde and Pinones at sunrise.

The paces there were all at easy pace even though the HR had climbed to marathon HR.  I was already throwing water over my head at every water station and maintained my Gatorade/water combination.  I took my first gel at Mile 7 and overall felt fine with my second gel at Mile 14 before I stopped taking them.  Miles 8-10 were horrible as we ran towards Pinones with the sun in front of us already high in the sky.  Most of the course was shadeless.  At Mile 4-5 I saw a couple of Maniacs, Paul and Mary, said hi as they kept going.  I met Paul again as we headed to the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge, where they filmed the car chase scenes from Fast 5 and we ran/walk a mile or two together.  We knew the weather was horrible and we took it easy.

Paul ran ahead at around Mile 12 as we headed to Rio Piedras to head towards Downtown San Juan, used in Fast 5 and The Losers movies.  That part of the course was a slight downhill instead of the uphills from the bridge and the other highway portions, so I was doing well.  I crossed the halfway point at 2:29-2:31, exactly where I wanted to be at that point.  My goal was to run 5-5:17 but by then I knew the heat and humidity would suck the life out of me.

At this point, I'm running and having a great time and I'm even singing Daddy Yankee out loud.  There is a cop at an intersection and as he hears me he starts smiling and dancing, after which I said: if you're not having fun, why do it, right?  He agreed completely.

I caught up with Paul and Mary again as we headed into Downtown San Juan and we are all having fun, walking the uphills and running the downhills, throwing water over our heads, getting ice at the water stations and begging for beer, LOL.  We headed to my hotel at around Mile 21 and I see my dad and my husband on the side of the street cheering us on.  DH asks me how much longer and I told him around an hour or more (I had already been running 4:17 so I knew it would be closer to 5:30).  They started walking to the finish line which was half a mile away and as I pass them again at Mile 22, my husband yelled, we are walking faster than you guys are running!  LOL.

At this point, Paul and Mary run ahead and I stop to take a pebble out of my shoe.  At this point, the pavement is so hot, I sit on the sidewalk to do so and the next thing I feel is my butt on fire, LOL.  I head uphill all the way to the Capitol and run the hill at the Plaza Colón and head back down to finish.  This is around Mile 23-24.  By then, I have seen two people on the side of the street being treated and 3 emergency vehicles rush past me.  The weather is horrid at this point.

At around Mile 24-25, I head to a water station where all the volunteers are dumping gallons of water over the runners.  I get hit with 1.5 gallons and I am all wet and my shoes are squishy but I feel such a relief!  I pass Mile 25 and start heading home but I can only manage a shuffle.  Not because my legs are tired or I hit a wall, but mainly because of the heat.  Wow.  I live in Miami and I complain about Miami but I have never ever, not even during the Summer, run in hotter or more humid weather than I did yesterday.

As I enter the Sixto Escobar stadium, I see the finish line and crank it up.  I hear my dad and husband yell Go! and my name being called by the staff and head to the finish.  My husband and dad managed to take some great pics of me finishing:

Overall, I finished in 5:36:31 which is not even my worse marathon and this one was the hottest.  I had a great time and although I hated the weather.  I think I have trained for Badwater, LOL.

And before you ask, I spent the afternoon at the pool.  With some beers, family and friends.

(PS, you can tell how humid it was by my hair!)

This is what I was looking forward the most.  Some goodies and the bling (aka, trinkets, Lara, trinkets).

One thing I hope for my next: San Francisco better be freezing!!!!!!!!!!!

Doral 5K RR

So, a week ago I ran a 50K and ran for 8 hours on a tough trail.  I knew I had this local race planned for today but never in my life was I expecting to be in any shape or form ready to race this or even attempt the 5K as a speedwork session.

Then, on Monday, I ran a 5 mile recovery run and surprisingly, my pace was faster than recovery pace.  Same on Tuesday and Wednesday, and on and on.  By last night, I seriously starting thinking about doing this as a good speedwork session.  Remember, I did a 5K two weeks ago and came in at 27:22 with my first no albuterol 5K, phlegming and coughing the whole way.  I didn't want that to happen today, but I was going to give my best efforts without albuterol.

Albuterol helps my fast running. If I take it, my short and fast paces get faster and I don't get asthma attacks.  But getting off albuterol was one of my goals for 2013 and so far (knock on wood), I have felt no need to use the med while running.  I might be a tad slower than running with it but I don't like living life taking 5-6 medications a day, so I am now down to 2.  Also, all these inhalers have made me gain some weight but ever since dropping albuterol, my weight has been melting.  I almost couldn't wear my shorts today because they were falling down.  

So, repeating a good strong performance similar or better than my last 5K was more important than my time.  It was hot and humid again and the race started at 8am, way late so that ball of fire in the sky was super high and bright.  Typical Summer in Miami.  I mean, it is Summer, right?

I woke up at 6:20, drank my coffee and ran to the packet pickup area, 1.25 miles away from my doorstep.  I picked my packet and bag and dropped it at the Runner's Co., tent, our LRS.  I was wearing the LRS shirt, especially since my sunburn had turned into a peeling festival of my back and arms and I didn't want to get sunburn again (and down here, even a 30 minute run can leave you super tanned).  So, not only was I hot from the weather, but also from wearing a shirt instead of a bra.  Oops.  I did a 3 mile warmup with 4 strides at the end and my pace on the strides indicated that today was going to be a good day.

We start a little before 8am (we were early, WTF?) and off we go.  I had put the Garmin on HR only, so I didn't worry about pace.  As usual, I settled at 175 and held on for dear life.  The first mile went really easy for me and because we had the fiery ball of hell on our backs, it was not that bad.  Mile 2 is where I usually start having asthma issues but I reached the mile marker without any and was like say what?  If you remember by Mile 3 of my last 5K I was phlegming and coughing and congested.  It didn't happen today.  The only limit today was how tired my legs were after the ultra last weekend.  I finished the race without any substantial kick but after giving all my chest and legs had in me today.  Finished in 26:10.

Last year, I finished in 26:36 on the same course in better weather but with an asthma attack.  Today, I ran pretty even splits and felt strong throughout and without asthma issues nor albuterol.  I am very happy with my performance today.

The only negative of today's race was that I have always placed in my AG in the last 4 years even with worse times.  However, this race has gathered a following and is famous for being an easy race to place so today there were faster runners.  My time today would have won the AG last year, but today I finished 4th of 24 in my AG.  But I came out of this feeling that if I had not run the 50K last week, I would've PRd for sure today.  Not bad for somebody training for ultras.

Overall, I am very happy with my performance today.

Some pics:

And on to my next marathon....

DTR Endurance 50K: In Which Docket Finally Runs an Ultra

And apparently, because I need to keep my Bad Ass card, I decided to take on a very hard course, oops.

After DNS'ing my first ultra last year for asthma reasons and after having to DNS that same ultra again this year because I had a kitty in the hospital and very ill, I signed up for the DTR Endurance 50K, a tough trail race in Stuart, Florida.  While the other ultras were road races, this one was going to be on a trail.  A trail I had never seen until today (the park is 2 hours away from home).  A trail that ended up being tougher than advertised, even though the RD did a great job warning us that it was a tough course and an adventure.  It was both, alright.

As you know, I am going after more Maniac stars, so this race had to be official to count.  The only issue was that the race had an 8 hour limit and I was not sure I could finish it within that time.  The last trail HM I did was 2 years ago and I finished in 3:45 so I knew that if the race was too technical, I was toast.  So, I emailed the RD who is an awesome guy, and he explained the course, and also said that any finishers after the 8 hour cutoff could retain the medals and the race shirt but would not appear in the official results.  So, I assumed it would be enforced strictly.

I also asked about the course and I was told it was mostly packed sand with the worst part what he calls the Dunes from Heaven, and he said they were rolling hills.  LOL.  Dunes from hell are more likely and for 20 miles we had regular sand (meaning the one were your feet go into the sand 3-4 inches and cannot really run much) AND 10 of the miles were rolling hill sand dunes of up 5-6ft.  Talk about challenging, but I was glad I didn't see the course before the race or I would've DNSd, LOL.

Due to all of that, I targeted a modest 7:30 as my goal, but I really wanted to break the cutoff.

So, I registered for it and hoped for the best, especially after I had to DNS the Paris Marathon due to DH's work.  So, I needed a substitute race that could qualify and this was close enough to home for me to drive there.

This is what I wore, for half of the race anyway:

The first thing I tried was to get the afternoon off with a plan of driving with DH who does not work Fridays or Saturdays and stay there the night before.  I was very clear that my deposition availability was for 9am and 10am on Friday.  So, they scheduled the deposition for 2:30pm and 3:30pm.  Da Fuck!  So, I knew I had to drive the morning of since I couldn't miss the deposition.  And then on Friday, the attorney for the other side got stuck in court in Key West and we didn't have the deposition.

I went to the chiro to get an adjustment and massage and then bought the rest of the stuff I needed for the race (snacks and other things).  My plan was to change shoes at the halfway point if the shoes I selected did not work out (this is important for later on).  I went with the recommendations of my fellow ultra forumites and the normal convention that heavier shoes are better for grip and other reasons and wore gaiters (this is also important for later on).  So, I put my lighter Pearl Izumi Peak IIs in the turnaround bag just in case, together with another set of compression socks and most important, Coppertone (remember this too!).  I decided to use the Supernova Riots instead of my new Hokas because they got me through that trail HM so I knew how they feel for longer distances.

I went to bed at the ungodly early hour of 10pm (unheard of for me) and I was sleepy by that hour, which is also not normal.  Instead of my usual carbo loading, I did a quick vegetable minestrone for dinner and drank my pre-race martini.

I woke up at 3:20am (you heard that right) and was on the road by 3:45am.

Fortunately, the RD had same day packet pickup, something our longer races do not have, so I didn't have to be there until 5:30am to pick my packet up.  I got to the park at 5am (that does not sum to 2 hours of driving but I'm pleading the 5th as to how I achieved that), went to the restroom and picked my packet.  They had breakfast ready and I ate 1/4 of a bagel with cream cheese and drank some Gatorade, my coffee and a banana.  I really was not hungry.  I am actually not hungry now.

The forecast went from nice earlier in the week to shit.  From 80F as the high, the high now was expected to be 85F with a heat index of above 90F.  Most of our races are shadeless so I expected to be cooked at some point in time.  Hence the Coppertone at the turnaround point, which I estimated to be around at 10:30am, perfect for putting some Coppertone then instead of putting it at 6:30 and having it rub off during the first part of the race.

We started a bit late and we were off.  Miles 1 and 2 were dry and green grass with packed sand.  Very nice to run in it.  Then, we arrive at Mile 3 with the first water crossing (it has rained a lot this week so part of the course was flooded).  Small crossing, no issues.  I caught up with 3 runners and I was not last, so everything was working well.  Then I saw the older gentleman ahead of us come to a full stop to think.  I was like what is that?  Water?  As far as the eye can see?  Yikes.  The guy apparently thought fuck it and went straight for the middle, getting wet up to his thighs.  We went more conservative and got wet up to our shins on the side.

Mile 4 was the same.  Lots of mud and water.  By Mile 5 I said fuck it and was getting wet running side by side with the older guy.  Since there was barely any sand here, the going was tough with the 11oz shoes I chose but not overly impossible.  They now felt like 3lbs but I had the light ones at Mile 15ish in case.

At the water station at Mile 4, the HMers caught up to us (there was a 50K, HM, 10K, and 5K).  After running by myself or with the older guy for 2 miles, it was nice to see other runners.  We got to Mile 6 and there they were.  Sand dunes.  As far as the eye can see.  That's when the walking started.  The sand was so loose that it was close to impossible to run the uphills.  You had to be careful running the downhills too since you would be risking a fall on your face (remember this for later).  We got to the Mile 8 water station and I ate some M&Ms and filled my water bottle with a mixture similar to Gatorade.  I took a gel at Mile 6 and was planning on eating another one at Mile 13, 20, and 27.

We continued tackling the dunes from hell and the going was rough.  Fortunately the gaiters were working and I had no sand inside the shoe.  I had mud all caked over the shoe topped with lots of sand and the shoes weighed 15lbs by now but other than that, I was fine.  My legs started feeling super sore because of the weight of the shoe, so I knew it was a matter of time before I would change the shoes.  The RD offered to bring them to Water Station 5 but I thanked him and told him I would wait.  I wish I had taken his offer!

After the dunes from hell, came the dune hills.  Hills covered with sand going up and somewhat down but mostly up.  I tackled them by walking the uphills and running the downhills until I arrived at the Mile 11 water station.  I took some water and the most delicious Mountain Dew.  The sugar was welcome.

Miles 12-14 were a mixture of asphalt (yes!) and more loose sand.  Miles 14-15 continued the uphill until you crested at the turnaround point where I was glad to see my bag and switched my shoes real quickly.  Although I thought of switching the compression socks and gaiters, I decided to continue using the ones I had.  My feet were soaking wet but I knew that after the sand from hell, I would get wet again, so I let it go.  The other thing I did was to take off my top and ran the rest of the way in my bra.  Best decision I made, except it would've nice had I use Coppertone on my back and belly!  I got to the turnaround in 3:35 and spent 7-10 minutes there changing and , so let's say 3:45.  Still within the cutoff.  But by now my goal had changed to 8 hours since the dunes were horrible.

I started back and the gaiters said: oh, you changed shoes?  Well, we don't work with Pearl Izumi.  I didn't understand why I felt my feet swelling within 1 mile of putting the new shoes.  The Peaks were awesome and weighed half of what the Supernova Riots felt like during the first half.  So, I took off the shoe and discovered close to a lb of sand inside. Ugh.  I had to stop at every mile to clear the sand out.  The gaiters were working for the top and sides but the shoe is great because it breathes throughout the shoe.  Unfortunately, the sand fit within the breathing portions.  Having said that, they are awesome for wet trails.

At this point, I start getting attacked by horse flies or some other flies there (I was warned).  They were all over me, my abs (or lack thereof), bra, skirt, everywhere, even my neck.  I moved them out as they came in (just like the kamikaze bugs I get down here) but more would come.  I didn't feel them biting me but I have more than 30 bites in me now.  I had put bug spray before I started but I didn't retouch at the turnaround point.  Bah.

So, I was running along downhill and tripped.  Then said Phew, I didn't fall!  Next thing I knew I was on the floor.  I tripped again but it caught me off guard, and I went down.  In the sand.  Everything was covered in sand, the iPod, the waterbottle, the Docket.  Since it took me a long time to do this section last time, I didn't want to use all my water cleaning up so I cleaned the best I could.  I looked like I was covered in charcoal, LOL.

Anyway, I get back on the same sandy hills and then we go through a new part.  Imagine one of those RW Magazine pictures of a wonderful trail full of little cactus and other fauna (short trees and bushes) and lots of sun.  Add 100F and humidity and you got it.  Well, I felt I was in one of those pictures.  Gorgeous scenery.  Unfortunately, it appeared as if it would rain but as soon as I thought it's nice and cloudy, the noon sun came out.  I felt like I was in an oven getting burned to a crisp.  And in part, I got a little bit too tanned.

It was around Mile 21-22 that I got lost.  They told me at the water station at Mile 18 that the next one would be in 5 miles, so I drank my water by Mile 5.  Except I had not gotten to the water station.  Apparently, either the sign flew away or I didn't see it, so I ended up arriving to the water station from the other side and having done more sandy dunes that I should've.  Bah.  I was so thirsty, having gone 1-2 miles without water that when I saw the tent, I yelled, WATER!  A guy came running to me with a bottle, LOL.  I actually chugged a full 16oz water like it was a beer competition!  The volunteers were amazing.  I used Coppertone here although told them it might have been too late.  And I grew up in sun and water.  I know better!

So, now I'm still chugging Mountain Dew like there is no tomorrow and my last gel was at Mile 20.  I felt I didn't need them and the sweet and cold Mountain Dew felt awesome!  I don't even drink Mountain Dew!  LOL.

They told me I had 2 more water stations (there were in fact 3) so I knew I would have enough water as we headed back, filled my bottle for the gazillionth time and went off to walk some more dunes.  By the end of Mile 25 I was exhausted.  I couldn't run those dunes for the life of me.  Around that time, the guy at the water station told me, you only have 6.2 miles to go and I saw my Garmin and knew I would not be making the cut off.  I was already at 7 hours.  So, I took it easy and continued trailing along between sand and grass (getting back to those muddy areas) and got muddy and wet all over my legs.  Then, I arrived at the next water station and she said, you are almost there.  2.5 miles to go and I went REALLY?  Obviously the Garmin and the distance didn't match, but these are trails so it's understandable.  I was at 7:30 so all of a sudden I thought getting within the cutoff would be possible.  I proceeded to run like the devil was out to get me.  I passed 3 ladies that were ahead of me by 0.50 miles.  I did my fastest miles here.  Miles 29, 30, and the rest as fast as I could.  I saw some 11mm and I was like wow.  I'm knee deep in water and racing this finish.  I start seeing the camping area and the flags and I know I'm close and it's 7:58 and I thought, well, if I miss the cutoff I'll talk to the RD since I suspected the sign had blown off and would beg to let my time be official, especially if I came in within the next 3 minutes.  The ladies caught up to me (just two of them) and all of a sudden, I made the wrong turn and they with me but they were ahead of me when we corrected.  And off we see the finish line.  Except they didn't step on the mat but I did so I came in ahead of them at 8:00:44, neener neener.  Talk about barely making the cutoff!

I just checked and came in 4th in my AG.  And I was not last either!

The RD was really nice and yelled my name as I was heading to finish (we were three running but he yelled mine, neener neener, LOL!) and there were still a lot of people there.  I got my medal which is made of wood and handmade:

As soon as I got my medal, somebody said, would you like a massage?  Hell yeah!  I got a massage within 1 minute of finishing.  That helped for the 2 hour drive back (well, 1.25 hours, haha).  I am not really sore at all, so I guess walking the sand dunes and the different terrain (read that not asphalt) really helped.

I thought a lot about the Boston victims and of Jenny and carried her bracelet with me.  I also thought of our forumite Katrina since she was running another 100 miler and I knew she would be thinking of me.  You can see the Jenny bracelet in this pic.  Forget the model, she just ran for 8 hours and is a little dirty.

So I finally ran an ultra.  And I had fun every step of the way.  It won't be the last.  But next one will be an easier course, I can assure you.

And on to my next marathon....

SunSmart 5K RR

Today, I ran the SunSmart 5K, which is a race that benefits Melanoma Awareness, a great cause, especially for us runners.  They had a great section with doctors and other professionals doing melanoma testing and awareness presentations.  I had a 3 X 1600m workout today so I looked for a 5K and found a couple, but this one was both flat, closer to home, and for a good cause.  Score!

The weather was hideous, 84F and 74 dewpoint, which according to the chart posted in the "Does This Appeal to Anyone" thread is equal to 102F , and trust me, you could feel the mugginess in the air; in fact, you sometimes could see it.

I barely slept last night, as the kitties decided to fight with each other all night.  They were fine when I woke up at 6am and apparently made up and went to bed all together.  Thank you very much.

I got there at 7am and picked my packet up.  At 7:20 I went for a run.  Race started at 8am (Da Fuck?) which is too late for Miami, but at least it was cloudy when I started my run.  Of course, you know how this is going to end and it includes the sun.

I warmed up by doing the course route.  The course was single file for the first 1.5 miles and since it had rained last night, there were sections of water for 3 meters or so, so I started strategizing what to do in these sections to not get wet and not slow down.  There were only 400+ runners so the race was pretty small, but the single file section was going to be difficult to maneuver nonetheless.

I have not been able to race a 5K without albuterol.  In fact, my last 5K gave me a huge asthma attack in better conditions than today.  But I really felt better than December (when I used albuterol last) and I decided that, since this was not a PR attempt by any means (I am not stupid, you know!), I wanted to see if I could race a 5K without any medication whatsoever.

I finished my 3 mile warmup and went to the starting line.  We were late.  We started at 8:10am and guess what?  The sun made its appearance.  Thank you, sun, because the shadeless course, the headwind and the heat and humidity were not enough to make it difficult so what's a little bit of sun to add to that?

Off we went!  Mile one was super sunny and going to the single file trail.  At Mile 0.60 there was the first huge puddle but since the winners were not coming in yet, we invaded the return lane and passed it without issue.  The next one was at Mile 1.25 and the third one was this same one upon its return.  I was able to race the whole race without getting my new shoes wet.  Score.

The first water station was at Mile 1 and I took 2 cups and bathe myself in them.  It was so hot!  I saw that I had reached my 175 HR goal (I was not looking at the pace) and all I needed to do what hold on during Mile 2, where I usually have an asthma attack.  Moment of truth.

So, at Mile 2, after I passed the mile marker and doused myself with more water, I coughed,  and I coughed, and I coughed.  By Mile 2.50 I was not only coughing but I had so much phlegm in my chest, I felt I was drowning in it.  This is where I usually stop to use the inhaler to clear the chest, but I said fuck it, I'm slowing a bit but I ain't stopping.  The girl ahead of me pulled forward but kept looking back at me because I kept coughing and running.  She thought I was going to die.  For a moment, so did I, LOL.

We reached the Mile 3 marker and the girl had flown away.  She took the 3rd in my AG but my lungs were on fire and although my legs were like: come on, I could not breathe and I was risking an attack if I pushed.  I finished with an OK kick, but nothing worth writing home about.  I crossed the finish line and realized that my lungs had given me everything they had and I could not ask for more.  It was still slow but for my first no albuterol 5K, I did great at 27:22.  I finished 4th in my AG.  Maybe I should've coughed some more on the girl and scared her back?

So instead of comparing myself to my 24:57 PR, I looked at the last race I did in April 2012, the Pillbox Pharmacies 5K.  Similar weather and sun, and I finished in 27:35.  I had to use albuterol before and during that race to finish in such a time.  Looking at the improvement and the fact that I ran faster without needing any medication, I call my first 5K of 2013 a success.

I took the liberty to look at the winner's prior races.  He won the race in 17:36 and his PR is in the mid 16s, so I was not the only one suffering in this weather, ha.

Now if the cats keep me awake next Friday night and I do my 50K half asleep, I might spray them with water!

Thanks for reading!

LA Marathon Race Report

Last weekend, I finished the LA Marathon in Los Angeles, California.  This was my 14th marathon overall, and my 4th in 2013 and one more notch in the next Maniac level (3 stars).  I selected this race about a month ago while we were looking for a destination that we could visit for 5-6 days before my husband start his new position at the hospital.

My plan for this race was to take it easy.  After all, I have an ultra marathon on Saturday, so I didn't want to overdo it and attempt a PR.  Someone (who was probably on drugs at the time, LOL), told me this race was flat with a couple of uphills.  This course was NOT flat at all.  In fact, I didn't see anything flat until we hit Mile 26 at the beach.  As soon as I arrived in LA on Tuesday I knew this went from 4:45 as a goal to hoping to break 5 hours.

Since we arrived Tuesday, I had time for the jetlag and time change to be better.  Unfortunately, as you all know, I've been dealing with some nosebleeds and other issues that I'm sure are asthma related, so I didn't feel 100% when I boarded the plane.  That, coupled with the huge vacation extravaganza of amusement parks, long drives to San Diego, and lots of walking, made me exhausted by Friday.  Still, I felt OK and the nosebleeds had lessened.  Overall, I was ready to have a good time.

I wore a St. Patrick's outfit, an green Inknburn shirt they made for St. Patrick's and found green knee high socks at Universal City Walk that said BEER in them.  No matter how I felt, I was planning on having fun.

I didn't sleep much the night before, as the time change was making me wake up every 30 minutes after 3am all week.  I got ready and woke my husband up so he could drive me to the Dodger Stadium.  We were staying in Redondo Beach (great area), so the drive was going to be of 30 minutes or thereabouts.  He dropped me off at 6:30 and I went straight to the potties, where I spent the next 30 minutes in line.  Did my business and attempted to find the open corral.  Having registered after the deadline for corrals, I was assigned an open corral, behind the 5 hour and walkers.  However, the race was pretty disorganized so I had to line up at the pedestrian walkway in front of the open corral, because the traffic jam from all the runners was bad.

As I mentioned, the race was hilly.  The start is uphill followed by a small downhill, followed by an uphill, and more uphills.  The downhills did not make up for the uphills this race had.  LA is pretty hilly with most hills at 15% grade, so the smaller hills here were steep.  The hill at Mile 4 on the way to the Disney Theater was the worst, taking 1/2 mile at 15% uphill.  I didn't walk as I've had plenty of runs through the Rickerbacker Causeway which is similar.  I am still not fast on the uphills, though.

However, as soon as I crossed the start line, I noticed I was sluggish and I couldn't even run at easy pace (I now know it was a bout of severe asthma that has had me ill for this whole week).  One of those days where your legs feel like cement.  So, I switched my strategy from 5 hours to finish and enjoyed the ride.  It went fine until Mile 16 where my ligament in the left foot started hurting.  I torn a ligament 20 years ago there and it hurts from time to time.  It has been hurting all week so I knew it was a bother.  I walked/run the next 3-4 miles because the pain was bad.  Nothing I have not experienced before but I didn't want to make it worse (of course, today it does not hurt one bit!).

We crossed Mile 20 and my foot was still huting so I took it easy.  The annoying pain went away aroun Mile 22, so I started running in full.  By this time the only downhills came in.  The rest of the way is a 1% downhill from LA to Santa Monica with MIle 25 a flat finish.  Thankfully, LOL.

I finished 29 minutes slower than I planned but considering my foot pain, it went fine.  My husband was waiting at the finish line with my Maniacs jacket and a change of clothes.  We went straight to Rock & Brews for burgers and green beer.

The best part of the race was the many bands they had, the crowds cheering you on, and the signs.  Best sign was at the last water station, which said HURRY UP, I'M TIRED OF STANDING UP HERE!  Best snack was the Jolly Ranchers at Mile 23 and the oranges at every mile.   Best outfit was the Elvis crowd (two Elvis running with a cart full of beer) and the guy dressed like an Indian running and chanting for rain.  Oh, and the medal is very nice with a reference to St. Patrick's.

My socks were the talk of the race.  The photographers, officials and crowds) were asking me to stop to take a picture of them.

Overall, although a tough course, it was an awesome race.

And on to my ultra....

ADDED:

Some LOOK AT ME! pics:

Socks, as requested.

My Races for Jenny

As Jenny now knows (thelearnedfoot), a group of her friends, forumites, and complete strangers, decided to run for her.  I was one of the lucky ones to have participated in this endeavor and I am glad that I am able to talk about it after more than a month of secrecy, haha.

I ran many runs for Jenny.  Some alone:

and some with friends and fellow forumites:

I even asked a friend to create a headband for me to use during my Jenny races.  It turned out awesome!

But these two races were special, in the sense that I was doing them for Jenny.  She has inspired me to battle through my asthma attacks and my bad runs with asthma issues, and to push to do the best I can do under the circumstances.  So for that, I was going to run a marathon and a half marathon for Jenny.

A1A Ft. Lauderdale Marathon:

As you remember, I ran the A1A Ft. Lauderdale Marathon on 02/17 and here is the RR I wrote then:

http://www.runningahead.com/groups/BF_and_Beyond/forum/0a928d4b24044c60ba5947da28ac2ea7/0

But what Jenny didn't know was that I was doing the race with her, so the following parts of the RR were left for today:

So, knowing I might not be able to do the HM scheduled for 02/23 (I did it anyway), I decided to run the A1A Ft. Lauderdale Marathon for Jenny. The weather turned to freezing, so my original orange outfit was a no go, but I selected as much orange as I could. I took the sticker with me and wore my bracelet then head on to the race.

My plan was to run these miles with you. So every so often I would touch the bracelet and put the sticker out and run with it for a while. I tried to get it out whenever there was a photographer but I was unsuccessful in realizing the photographers were there until it was too late. But, you will see the bracelet on every picture.

As the miles went on, I ended up touching the bracelet every 1/2 or so and would talk to you for a bit. I have to say that you encouraged me through the worst of the wind and when my asthma appeared at Mile 25. I wanted to walk and relax my chest, but you told there was no stopping right now when I was so close to a PR. I felt you were with me those last two miles yelling at me to pull my shit together and finish. Even though I was getting slower because my asthma was increasing, I did. And I PRd!

I also put a sticker on my gear bag (picture somewhere below) and lots of people asked me what it was for. At least three of them said they were going to run some miles for you as soon as they recovered from the race. They do not know you, but they cared.

Thanks for carrying me through a tough windy race, Jenny!

West Palm Beach Half Marathon

The following weekend, I had the Sunshine State Race West Palm Beach Half Marathon.  I initially thought I wouldn't be able to do this race because the race was on a Saturday and there is usually no packet pickup on race day for HMs down here.  But this one had it, so I ended up going.

Since I woke up, I was not feeling good.  Little did I know that I was having the first symptoms of a major migraine.  I only knew that I was not my usual self and that my stomach was not very happy.

I got to WPB and do my packet pickup and ask a poor stranger to get my picture taken.  Orange was the name of the day:

The race didn't go the way I had planned.  After Mile 5, I had terrible nausea, cramps, etc.  Only Jenny got me through, oh I would've quit if it wasn't for you, Jenny!  I spent the next two days in bed with a huge migraine but the medal was all worth it.

So, today is Jenny's birthday and I wanted to show her how much me and hundreds of others care about her.  I wanted to tell her for months how inspiring she is, and how she got me through some bad asthma months, and how every time I struggle I think of her.  Or how I wear my bracelet every time I run even though it does not match, or of how I have her now permanently on my marathon gear bag:

So, happy birthday, Jenny.  Enjoy this wonderful day!