Week in Review (January 31 - February 6)

Tuesday (12,978 steps) - Barre class at noon with Laura. She changed up the formatting a bit and I'm sad to say that I just did not like it as much as I usually do. Which is sad, she is my favorite instructor! It was Jackie's last day, so that was super depressing. And THEN, I got an alert that my credit card number had been stolen. GRRRR!! Took A to gymnastics, she had testing again and will remain in Level III. She has improved a LOT (especially her form in handstands) and she wasn't too upset about where she is at. Quick stop at the store on the way home since we are out of food. Womp. Made some spaghetti and it was fabulous. Of course we didn't even sit down to eat until 9:00, so it was a crazy late night. Again.
Wednesday (20,082 steps) - Not nearly as warm as it was supposed to be today. Went to run club and ran alone with Colfax since Heather decided to just hang out at the store. The run was pretty exciting because we saw a fox!

We ended up running 3.5 miles and it wasn't terrible. A sold some cookies and by the time we left the weather had taken a turn for the worse. It was SUPER icy and cold when we left, and of course I had to stop and get gas. Another late night for dinner.
Thursday (15,903 steps) - Woke up feeling OFF. I think I have finally come down with the cold that everyone else has been passing around for months. On the way to A's school we almost got in a nasty wreck. The roads were still incredibly icy and my car would just NOT stop. I pulled the e-brake and Bee Rad slowed down... but turned perpendicular into the fast lane. Thank goodness no one was behind us and we managed to safely get where we needed to be. Stupid winter. Spent the morning taking cold medicine and sneezing. Run club at Lakewood - which was a special event with Anton Krupicka.

Prancing on the grass - the sidewalk was literally a sheet of ice!

He is one cool dude! A and I skipped going to Rocko's because 1). we are trying to save money and 2). decided to have chicken noodle soup instead. Again, not eating until 9! We did at least manage to get most of our packing done for the weekend.
Friday (13,673 steps) - Tossed and turned ALL NIGHT LONG. This damn cold is miserable. Actually got my taxes back, which was MUCH sooner than expected. Since we are trying to "minimalize," I didn't even spend any of it, other than to pay off the credit card. Picked up A and took her home so I could take a barre class right after work. I wasn't optimistic, but working out actually made me feel better. We had some last minute packing to do, tried to go to bed early.
Saturday (13,687 steps) - Drove down to Heather's to get there by 7:00 to drive to the Centennial airport. H2 drove with us and we got there right after Mo, Jandy and her daughter Mady. We left a few minutes late and arrived in SoCal with no issues.

Went straight to the house on Newport Beach and then walked over to Starbucks (although I just wanted to get out, didn't want coffee).

We later went to Woody's Diner for lunch and then later to the expo. In the afternoon everyone else went to the beach, but I felt terrible, so I stayed back and took a nap instead. No real recollection of how the night was spent, but we ordered some delicious pasta for dinner. The portions were ginormous and me and A shared an entree and still had some left over. In bed early-ish.
Sunday (33,126 steps) - Actually slept, but was woken up when Lisa and Jandy left for the race - they were running the marathon and H2 was driving them to the start since they had to be there more than an hour before we did. Perks of staying at a place right down the street from the race start! After Heather G. arrived we went headed over to the start. Ran Surf City half.

We actually brought our IDs, so we got some beer at the finish line. It was chilly and overcast and we decided to just go back to the house to shower. The Heathers picked up In-n-Out for lunch and we prepared to watch the Super Bowl. I dozed off on the couch on and off throughout the day.

At least A made it out onto the water for a bit

Watched the game, which actually turned out to be pretty exciting. Picked up pizza and beer for dinner. Passed out on the couch EARLY.
Monday (13,414 steps) - Stupid gloomy morning. It was windy and rainy all day, so all of us were in pretty terrible spirits. A was upset that we would not be going to the beach. We ended up going to the mall and walking around, which is especially boring when you don't buy anything.

Team picture - Year of the Rooster!

Late lunch at Yard House and ordered food to go. Plane ride back was bumpy and we arrived a bit late.

By the time we got to Heather's house to pick up Bee Rad and get home, it was almost 10:00. Super late night and long/short weekend.

Stats:

• 110,563 - I'll blame this on being sick most of the week. I just could NOT get motivated to try and get more steps.
• 17.9 miles run
• 2 barre classes. Being sick plus being out of town lowered this from my usual 3-4 a week.

Everything Else:

• Girl Scout cookies are upon us - and taking over!! 
• I mentioned it in a previous post, but A and I are taking steps to eliminate all the "unnecessary" clutter in our lives - which also means cutting back on unnecessary purchases (of course). This will be a time-consuming process, but we are looking forward to life on the "other side."
• I'm having SO MUCH trouble getting motivated! I was doing so well with my training at this time last year and this year all I seem to want to do is sleep. I haven't even picked my "A" race for the year yet.

Surf City Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, February 5
Huntington Beach, CA
Half marathon #159
Weather - overcast

The Wednesday before the race I suddenly came down with one of those terrible colds. You know, the ones where it feels like your head might explode, hot/cold flashes, tons of congestion and insomnia (even though I was exhausted).

We arrived in SoCal the day before the race and I still hadn't gotten any quality sleep and still felt like crap. Heather had purchased the VIP package again, so when we went to the expo we again parked super close to the entrance. Last year I remember it being super crowded and stuffy. Well, it was still super crowded, but thanks to it being overcast and colder, it wasn't was miserable as last year. I didn't buy anything, but there were tons of vendors. We managed to run into Dave and Stacy at the expo - how crazy is that?

Race Day

I woke up earlier than I planned, but the good news is that I SLEPT. I still didn't feel great, but sooo much better. Heather G. arrived just before 7 and we headed over to the start. It is SO nice staying at a place so close to the start line and then the VIP parking is just the cherry on top. Heather G. and I planned on "running" together (she was also recovering from a cold), teammate Heather actually planned on "racing," and Maureen was going to be walking the half. Obligatory team picture before Heather headed to the start and the rest of us used the bathroom line again.

Maureen had gotten permission to start in an earlier wave and I agreed to start with Heather in her wave. The race start is pretty congested, but the signage was easy enough to figure out and we started about 15 minutes after the gun. David, my coach, had told us to listen for a "shout out" at the start - and I heard it! Pretty cool to hear your name and your team in a crowd of tens of thousands of runners.

Start line pic, only one I apparently took during the whole race

The plan was to run when we felt like and walk when we felt like - so nothing scientific. I was breathing better, but the general fatigue from being sick for 5 days had sent in and I was just really fatigued. We caught up to Maureen around the first mile and talked with her for a minute before getting back into running.

The things I remembered about this course was that there were tons of aid stations and and it was pretty much flat. We walked all the aid stations and Heather stopped to use the bathroom around mile 3 - which is about where we saw the other Heather for the first time. I was going to stop too, but the lines were a bit long so I figured I would wait. We walked a bit in the hilly section in the neighborhood.

We were both feeling "okay-ish" and were passing the time by catching up. Somewhere around mile 6 we encountered the weirdest crazy person on the course. I was passing him on the right and he was flinging his arms around and almost smacked me. I was like "oh shit!" and then he proceeded to curse at me and yell "you're in my perimeter!" Strangest thing that has ever happened to me in a road race - especially one of this size. He also said - "just wait until I pass you at mile 9" - spoiler, he did not catch us.

Perimeter guy - I did look at your bib number... Interesting that there are no results listed for that bib number...

Caught up to Stacy around mile 7 (?) - she was walking the marathon.

And this is why I normally wear sunglasses

I stopped and used the bathroom too at some point since there wasn't a line, but I don't remember when/where. Coming up the last hill at mile 10 I got to hit a gong, which actually did revive me a bit. We had a really good last mile, running the fastest split of the day.

Luckily, we weren't running the marathon - I would have been pretty upset with only oranges and bananas in the finish area. We met up with Heather in the beer line, got our long sleeves out of the car and then went back into the beer garden. A second team picture to include Lisa and Jandy, who ran the full.

Heather, Me, Jandy, Lisa, Maureen

Bib #10916
Official Time - 2:38:03
Official 5K - 38:08 (lol)
Official 10K - 1:16:13
Official 10M - 2:00:52
Overall Place - 6613/10305
Gender Place - 3473/6138
Division Place - 558/916
Garmin Time - 2:38:06
Garmin Distance - 13.24 miles
Garmin Pace - 11:56
Mile 1 - 11:15
Mile 2 - 11:56
Mile 3 - 13:26 (bathroom)
Mile 4 - 12:23
Mile 5 - 11:45
Mile 6 - 12:05 (bathroom?)
Mile 7 - 11:14
Mile 8 - 12:05
Mile 9 - 11:46
Mile 10 - 11:44
Mile 11 - 12:45
Mile 12 - 11:41
Mile 13 - 10:53
Mile 13.2ish - 9:45 (see, I had SOMETHING left)

Thoughts:

• Lots of people really love this race. I can't say that I feel the same way. I mean, it's very well organized and there is a lot of "energy," but it is kinda blah.
• Shirt - long sleeve and gender specific. However, I don't love the fit and I'll be donating. Arms are too short and tight.
• Medal is big - overall fantastic.

Picture stolen from Heather

• The price tag is high - $134 signing up in November. The VIP package, obviously substantially higher. 
• Would I run again? Well, the other ladies are already about talking about coming back next year so we can be legacy runners... so maybe.

We took a picture of all of us in our finisher shirts after we showered.

Week in Review (February 2 - February 8)

Tuesday (21,783 steps) - Impending Snowpocalypse meant sleeping in. I did a quick yoga video and then dropped A off at a friend's house since SHE got a snow day and I had to work.

Not sure why anyone thinks we should drive in this much fresh snow!

While I was at work, A made her Valentine's Day mailbox

6ish miles on the treadmill during my lunch break. Went out briefly to sell Girl Scout cookies, hoping for some sympathy sales (yes, we got a few, but WOW, it's COLD and people don't shovel their driveways or sidewalks!)

Wednesday (18,588 steps) - Tried to brave heading outside since two days on the treadmill was TOO MUCH. It was a freezing cold terrible 3ish mile disaster. The snow was super deep, but at least it wasn't icy? Nothing had been plowed yet.

Skipped run club.
Thursday (21,710 steps) - Thought (incorrectly) that the sidewalks would be plowed/better. NOPE. 4 miles of terrifying ice mess.

After work I picked up A and we headed up to Louisville Runners Roost for an ERS ambassador meeting. It was an incredible event! Food, beer, and TONS of merchandise from vendors/sponsors.

2016 ambassadors, our local Hoka rep, and the race director for ERS

The gear (not pictured, Native sunglasses!)

By the time we got home it was a crazy whirlwind of trying to get everything packed for our trip. I haven't really mentioned the trip, but basically, Heather and Maureen had plans on running Surf City in Huntington Beach, California. I was already registered for the Ralston Creek half marathon and didn't have the funds or resources to bring A with me, so I declined the initial invite. After Heather was able to secure the family jet and beach house for the weekend, INSISTING that A was welcome to come and could hang out with her non-running friend that was coming while we raced, I of course decided to join in the "Girls Only" weekend.
Friday (12,946 steps) - Last minute packing, dropped A off at school and then I went to work, but only for a few hours.

One of my attorneys went to Voodoo! Excellent start to a racecation!

Left work just before noon to pick up A and head over to Heather's house so I could follow her and the other Heather (we called her "H2" to keep confusion at a minimum) to Centennial airport for our flight to SoCal. We made a brief stop at Einstein's for lunch to eat on the plane. I have never flown on a private jet... what an experience this all was! We literally parked (or got the car valeted) about 12 feet from the plane. I sat in the back with H2 and we had a great time getting to know each other. The flight went by super fast.

Thank you for the flight!! Landed in the California sunshine!

We were picked up by a limo service (a big van/bus) and the drive to Heather's place in Newport Beach only took maybe 20 minutes.

View from the patio!

We had a quick tour of the house, and then we decided to get dinner.

We stopped at Inspiration Point to watch the sunset and then to Yard House at Fashion Island where I had a delicious grilled cheese sandwich and sweet potato fries. We stayed up pretty late playing Apples to Apples. Because, California.
Saturday (22,363 steps) - Up fairly early (all things considered). Tried to go to a French restaurant in the harbor, but it was closed. Instead we went to a diner that had the most amazing cinnamon french toast. I #ateallthethings.

Oh. Did I forget to mention the skillet I also ate?

We went to the expo in the morning before heading over to the beach in the afternoon.

We had a great time doing a barefoot run and playing in the water.

Stopped at the store to stock up on groceries for the weekend and the Super Bowl extravaganza. H2 made a delicious salad and pasta dinner for all of us. In bed fairly early after playing Scattegories for a bit. Ever played it? So fun.
Sunday (31,470 steps) - Surf City half marathon.

Heather, Jandy, Me, Maureen

We headed back to the house and found that A and H2 had prepared some fresh cut fruit for us to snack on while A made us all breakfast. (Seriously, she made a menu and made toasted bagels and omelettes for us all).

After we all showered and ate we got ready for the big game!

Pre-game!

The Super Bowl was the most fun I think I have ever had. We screamed and yelled at the tv, drank beer, and ate the most food ever. It was the most exhausting day of my life and I think I went to bed at 9.

DENVER WINS!!!

Monday (16,784 steps) - Up fairly early to meet California BFF Heather for breakfast!! She found an awesome place called Pancakes R Us. She had to go to work, so she dropped us off at the house. We immediately left for one more day at the beach (and another barefoot run).

We had just a short amount of time before the limo came to take us to the airport (although we had the driver stop at In N Out burger on the way). Flight back was just as (if not more) fun than the way out.

A got to be a co-pilot for a bit - she "helped" fly over the Grand Canyon!

When we landed, our cars were waiting for us (heater running and trunks open). I may never be able to fly commercial again... By the time we got home we barely had time to do some homework and unpack. Most fun girl's weekend EVER.

Stats:

• 145,644 steps
• 30.7 miles run (recovery week in training - worked out perfectly!)
• No cross training
• 14 minutes of strength/stretching (oops)

Everything Else

• Did I mention that the next month of my life revolves around Girl Scout cookies?

Surf City half marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, February 7
Huntington Beach, CA
Half Marathon #143
Weather - Sunny and HOT

Heather had made the best decision EVER when she purchased the "VIP" registration for the Surf City half marathon. We went to the expo on Saturday around lunch time. The VIP got us a parking spot right next to the tent. We spent an hour or so in the HOTTEST venue ever. Seriously, tents on the beach get super stuffy. Anyway, picked up some merchandise, said hi to my former Ragnar teammate at her booth (Bic Bands) and then headed out.

Race Day

I was planning on running with Maureen. Thanks to Jandy joining us, I hoped that she and Heather would run together (so Heather could run faster than my pace). Maureen's wave was scheduled to start at 8, and being right down the street with our super special parking pass, we decided that leaving at 6:30 would give us plenty of time. Our only issue was actually making the turn into the lot. Our spot was even closer than the one we got at the expo. Bathroom lines were slow so we hit them up first. We wandered down the beach path to get some pre-race pictures.

Teammates!

Heather, Jandy, Me and Maureen

Heather and Jandy waited in the corral for me and Maureen while we made one more pit stop.

Most baffling? All the people wearing pants and long sleeves!!

Best sign of the race!

Sure enough, right after our wave started Heather and Jandy took off. I had a great time running with Maureen, and I was surprised by the number of people I recognized on the course. I had studied the course map the night before, and other than the first aid station being at mile 2, it looked like most of them were only 1-1.5 miles apart, so I had decided to not carry a handheld, even though it was sunny and eleventy billion degrees. I stopped at every single aid station, taking water and the electrolyte drink when it was available.

The course was extremely crowded. It did thin out a bit after the first few miles, but it was definitely more people than I am used to running with. Maureen and I chatted the whole race, and both of us felt good the entire time. I cannot remember the last time I ran a race where I actually felt good the whole time, did not take unscheduled walk breaks, and STILL had a kick at the end. Obviously not anywhere close to the speed I had years ago, but I will take a race where I feel awesome the whole time over being speedy.

Official Time - 2:19:00
Garmin Time - 2:19:02
Garmin Distance - 13.18 miles
Mile 1 - 10:52
Mile 2 - 10:48
Mile 3 - 10:42
Mile 4 - 10:49
Mile 5 - 10:20
Mile 6 - 11:00
Mile 7 - 10:09
Mile 8 - 11:10
Mile 9 - 10:30
Mile 10 - 10:28
Mile 11 - 10:33
Mile 12 - 10:33
Mile 13 - 9:42
Mile 13.18 - 8:03 (FLYING)

Awesome medal - the center spins AND it has a fold out stand!

We found Heather and Jandy, discovered the beer line was way too long to bother with and headed home.

Thoughts:

• Virtually no shade. We were lucky to enjoy a slight breeze on the way back. It was unbearably sunny and hot (especially coming from single digit temperatures in Colorado!
• The course is very flat, with the exception of a small loop around a neighborhood around mile 5 and an overpass.
• Plenty of aid stations. It was a billion degrees and I did not ever feel like I was desperate for water. They also had gels and shot blocks.
• Some of the aid stations had trash boxes in the middle of the course. Awkward, especially when you are running with tens of thousands of people and can't always see them... I almost tripped over one.
• The marathon course looked SUPER confusing, based only on the signage I saw for it. No first-hand knowledge of course.
• The expo was not my favorite. Way to hot and crowded.
• Shirt is cute - of course no picture, sorry!
• The race branded merchandise was actually pretty affordable. I didn't buy any because I already have way more running clothes/items than I'll ever wear out.
• The finish area was a CLUSTER. I did not care for any of the "freebie" food items, and it was a bummer that the beer line was so long since we had 2 free beer tickets on our bibs.
• If you are running with a group, SPLIT THE VIP COST and buy it with one of the registrations. I cannot stress enough how awesome it was to have this! Totally worth the money at a race this size. We did not have to mess around with the shuttles and we got super close parking for both the expo and the race.