RnRLV-The infamous Las Vegas Half Marathon

This was to be my second half marathon and the first one I was to run with Nikki my 14 year old daughter.  She had run a 10k with me a few weeks before and struggled a little so I was just a bit concerned about her making the whole 13.1 miles.  I told her we'd just incorporate a few set walking breaks into our run. (I HATE to walk in my runs, but knew that it would probably help her get through it.)

So we went up Saturday and headed straight to the Expo.  It was too crazy to even find parking, so my husband dropped my daughter and I off and took off to find somewhere to wait.  We made our way through the expo and had a good experience.  No complaints there, we even easily changed our coral.  He didn't feel safe in the car though and wasn't happy to be left waiting for so long.

That night we had  a good pasta dinner with a group of friends that were running as well.  No drinking, and early to bed.  Next morning we headed out for pancakes and eggs.  Being a later race, we figured a good, big breakfast would be the right thing to do.  One pancake (big) and two scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee.  For my last meal, I just grabbed a wrap at Starbucks at the Mandalay Bay.  It was nice and light.

We said goodbye to Sarah when she headed out for the full!  Waited around until it was time for us to head out and find our coral.  We lined up, excited and ready to run.

Me, Lisa and Nikki!

The energy at the starting line was great!  It was cold, but not unbearable.  We were ready to get started though.

Finally we moved along and were released to start!  It was so exciting.  But that was the end of the excitement.  I felt just like cattle.  It was 4-5 miles before we were moving at even close to a 10 minute mile. (Generally I run about 8:45, but with my daughter was aiming for 9:30.)  So we were way behind target pace.  But the problem was trying to get around people.  It was dangerous.  We were weaving, running on the back side of water tables (thankfully not drinking from them!) and kept losing each other. Around mile 8 we saw a lady fall.  It was my biggest fear.  She got tripped up from another runner and landed on her hands and knees.  Luckily she was running with a guy who scooped her up and got her to the side.  I felt so bad for her, it had to have hurt!  But we kept running.  

Since we were so far behind our pace, we decided to skip the walking breaks I'd planned.  Between mile 8 and 9 I told my daughter I wanted her to eat some fuel and get some water.  So we each had a Stinger Waffle and grabbed a water at the water station.  It had finally thinned a little bit, but we were still having to jump into the full marathoners lane to pass people.  I couldn't believe it wasn't going to ever break free!  Around mile 12 was when my daughter spotted the naked runner!  

No that's just Nikki at the Expo!

We even found out later that my husband had given the naked guy a high five!  He said he was looking for us and giving people high fives and didn't realize he was naked until the last minute!  Only in Vegas!

I'm not sure where she found it, but the last three miles Nikki found a burst of energy.  I was surprised at how fast she was going, but wasn't going to be one to slow her down.  We crossed the finish line and came to a complete grid lock.  It was a mass of people that wasn't moving.  I knew we were going to start cooling off fast and I wanted to get her inside as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately there wasn't a quick way to move.  We had to just shuffle along with everyone else.  After about 20 minutes, we finally made it to get a "blanket".  It was definitely a matter of luck to grab the ones being thrown through the air.  But thankfully we each got one and were able to keep moving.  We took a short cut through the gates and headed into the hotel.  At this point, both of our stomachs started to hurt.  Nikki tried to go into a bathroom but the line was long.  The lady in front of her told her, "The line isn't moving because everyone is pooping."  She decided she couldn't stay there.   We decided to try to make it back to New York New York, where we were staying.  We walked to Luxor and tried to catch the tram there thinking it'd be faster.  It was outside though, so it was FREEZING.  When the tram pulled up, it was jam packed.  Bill told Nikki and I to just squeeze in and he'd walk back.  We did. And then two others tried to as well.  That pushed a lot of people over the edge since the doors wouldn't close.  People were freezing and wanting to move.  

We made it back to the hotel. Nikki went to the bathroom.  We found our other two kids and headed to the car.  As soon as I got to the car, I knew something was wrong with my stomach.  I've run plenty of runs at that length, so I knew it wasn't that.  I had been a little queasy all day and figured maybe I'd picked something up.  But Nikki was feeling really sick too.  I still just figured it was a bug or something.  Of course later after reading all of the posts, I realized it may have been something else.  I find it hard to believe that we would've gotten sick from drinking water at only one station.  But after seeing that volunteers weren't using gloves, I think it would've been very easy.  We were sick until Wednesday.  I couldn't eat anything until Tuesday.  (No recovery meal after the run at all) To me, it doesn't matter. That wasn't a run I'd enjoy doing again.  It was too expensive and WAY too crowded for me.  It was fun to run the strip at night, but not enough so that I'd ever do it again.

Our final time was 2:18.  I was very pleased with the time considering the crowds.  Beyond that, I was so proud of Nikki for getting out there and running it with me.  At fourteen years old, she can say she's run a half marathon and no one can ever take that from her!  I don't know if she'll ever run another one, but at least now she knows it's possible.

I decided to wait awhile before posting my recap of this race because I wanted to have some time to let the bad feelings subside.  It was a race I ran with friends and my daughter, and for that I will always have fond memories.  

Have you ever ran a race that you loved and hated at the same time?

10k Completed!

Today my fourteen year old daughter and I completed our first 10k!  We'd done a 5k before, but it was a difficult course and didn't leave us feeling very accomplished.  We're signed up for the RNRLV half in December so I wanted to run something prior to that race just to be sure she'd be able to complete the half.  The Beach Derby 10k seemed like a great idea.  They also had a 10 miler, but I was afraid if it was too hard, she wouldn't want to do the half in December.  So I decided to give this a shot.

We headed out at 6AM, arriving in Huntington Beach at 7AM.  We parked about a half mile from the starting line and walked over.  It was perfect timing.

We took a couple of pictures, then jumped in the starting chutes.  A boy from the local high school sang the National Anthem and off we went.  Unfortunately my Runkeeper didn't start when we did.  It turned out to be a good thing, because I was able to let my daughter pace us without worrying about going faster.  She did great!  She had to "pull over" twice to tie her shoes and needed a walk break twice.  But both were brief and we finished in 56:40.  The experience was positive, despite the weather.  I loved that it was a cool 50 degrees, but I DON'T run in the rain...ever.  Luckily it was just cool but beautiful when we began.  Then about mile 3 the drizzle started.  Ok I'm not that big of a wimp, I can run in drizzle.  But by mile 4, it was RAINING!  Hello, I don't run in rain!  At that point, if I'd been alone I would've sprinted just to get it over with.  But my daughter didn't have any sprint in her at that point and was just wanting to keep it at a slow jog.  So we continued along, trying to joke around as we went.  Finally we were close to the finish and were able to give a push to get there.  We were going to wait at the finish to cheer on a friend, but it was freezing.  We grabbed an apple and water and headed the half mile back to the car.  That half mile seemed like another 3 miles!  It was pouring, we were freezing and just wanted to get warm.  We stopped briefly to take a photo and then got to the car and stripped off our wet clothes! 

All in all it was a fun race and I think my daughter was happy she did it.  Now it's the wait for Vegas!  I hope that turns out to be just as great of an experience for her too.  Let's just hope for good weather!!

What did you do this weekend?  Have you run any longer races with your children or parents?  What was your experience?

Dieting in the Zone

Like most everyone else in the world, I've struggled with my weight over the years.  After having 3 kids, my weight was about 15 pounds more than I'd like.  Then I hit my late 30's and my hormones went a little (ok a lot) wacky and I'd gained another 10 pounds in a year.  That added no energy and cravings for junk to keep me going throughout the day.  I went on natural hormones, thyroid and started to feel like my old self.  That's about the time I was able to start doing Crossfit.  I did that for 10 months and started feeling stronger, but never lost any weight.  I decided to take a month off and focus on my diet.  I did ediets and had them deliver food to me weekly.  It was a great way to control the number of calories I ate, but the diet wasn't very healthy.  They were comfort type foods that I wouldn't normally even eat.  The good news was that after 8 weeks, I lost 15 pounds.

When the weight was under control, I started running.  I was hoping that would help me to lose more weight while eating more normal foods.  After nearly a year of running, I haven't lost any additional weight.  So now I'm on to try something else.  Most all of the crossfit community seems to endorse either paleo or zone diets.  The zone diet seems like a healthy and doable way of eating.  So this week, I've been following the diet pretty well.  We eat out a lot due to crazy kids schedules in the evening, but you can eat out and remain in the zone.  I haven't weighed myself this week, but I do feel good.

I'd love to hear from others that have done the Zone diet.  What are some of your favorite meals and snacks?

My favorite breakfast is: 1 oz of canadian bacon, 1 scrambled egg, 1 oz of shredded cheese inside of half of a whole wheat pita.  Along with half an apple and 3 macadamia nuts.

My favorite snack:  hard boiled egg with hummus

My favorite dinner:  chili- onion, bell pepper, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, ground turkey (or beef), 1/4 cup kidney beans, 1/4 cup black beans, 1 cup tomato sauce.  Serve with 1 oz cheese and cilantro to taste.  

10k This Weekend

I can't believe how busy my life has been.  I was in a good place and decided I really missed Crossfit.  So I committed to twice a week classes.  It's been great, but it has impacted my running.  I haven't done any long runs since I started back at Crossfit.  My hip had been bothering me, a lot so I've been a little hesitant to do a long run from that as well.  I finally started going to the chiropractor and I think the Crossfit has helped loosen me up too.

My 14 year old daughter and I are going to run a 10k this weekend.  We are running the RNRLV half marathon the first weekend in December and I figured this would be a good test for us.  Now I'm getting concerned about my ability to even run the half since I haven't been training.  I've never run a 10k and have been looking for one.  So when this came up, I jumped at the chance to run it.

This week I'd planned a run for Monday.  A friend asked if she could join me, so of course I took her up on the offer.  Unfortunately she isn't a runner so we only got in 4 miles.  But it was my first run with a friend and it was nice.  Today I got in 6 miles and felt good.  At least I know I can complete the run this weekend.  I think I'm going to tell my daughter that she's welcome to run ahead of me.  I don't want to hold her back and I think she could definitely do the 10k faster than I can.  I think for the half, she'll have to pace herself a bit more and I might be able to catch her, but we'll see.  I really want both of these races to be positive experiences so that she wants to do it again.  I think it'd be so amazing for her to be able to say she's done a half marathon at the age of 14!

How about you?  Have any of you run races with your kids?  What age is a good age for longer races?

Crossfit and Running

About two years ago I discovered Crossfit.  It's an amazing way of exercising your entire body, getting your weights and cardio both in at one time.  I worked out for about a year, loving all of it except for the runs.  I hated running.  So after a year, I decided to embrace the part I was hating the most.  I quit Crossfit and starting running exclusively.  I followed training plans for a half marathon and then actually ran a half marathon!  I was hooked!  I loved running and I love racing!

Fast forward 10 months and I've decided I need to add weight training back into my workouts.  I have been having some hip pain and even a bit of knee pain which I'd never experienced before.  I debated between yoga and Crossfit and decided that Crossfit offered me both range of motion and strength.  Plus the gym where I worked out is offering Crossfit Endurance.  It's a class built for runners!  They give you a program depending on your goals and it's all about, you guessed it, running!!  Woo hoo!  Now I  will be doing some form of Crossfit five days a week.  The Endurance classes focus on speed training, something  I hadn't been doing.

I did my first Crossfit class today after not lifting one weight in the past ten months!  Let's just say, Wow! I'd forgotten how it feels to be a beginner.  I know I'll be sore tomorrow, but I purposely scaled the workout down a little so that I'd still be able to run tomorrow.  But I am so excited to be doing something new again.  That is one of the things I've discovered about myself.  I will never be one of those people that can say I've been doing one thing for 5 years or 10 years.  I love variety.  I love trying something and feeling like I've mastered it enough to be ready to move on.  And I think that's why I was ready to add Crossfit back into  my schedule.  I don't want to burn out my love of running.  I want to have enough other variety that I still look forward to my running days.

How about you?  What do you do to keep things fresh?  Have you been running for years or are you a newer runner?  Do you do anything else or do you just run and are okay with that??

Your favorite running apparel?

As a fairly new runner, I am beginning to learn how something small can make a big difference in your run.  I have learned (for me anyway) the importance of a good playlist.  (thanks @katierRUNSthis)  I also learned that I'm motivated by hearing my split times as I run.  What I'm just now really learning though is the importance of good clothes!   I started running in January 2011.   At the time I was wearing knee length cotton shorts and a short sleeved cotton shirt for just about every run.  In fact, I even ran my first half marathon and a 5k wearing the same ensemble.  Now I'm beginning to realize that while I liked the fact that the shorts didn't ride up, the all cotton isn't the best choice for running.  I've now purchased a few pairs of cheap running shorts from @Target and a few pairs of great running shorts from @lululemon.  I also have several tech fabric tops now.  I can definitely feel the difference in my comfort while running!  I still haven't embraced running in tank tops.  I keep meaning to buy some @bodyglide but haven't done that yet.  That may be the answer, but at this point I get too much chafing under my arms when I'm in a tank top.  So what I'm looking for here are suggestions.  What is your favorite brand of clothing?  What are your favorite stores to purchase from?  Is there anything I'm missing or haven't even thought of in terms of clothing?

Frustrated over a 5k?

I have a few races coming up.  I've found that any race gives me motivation to keep running.  So I registered my 10 year old daughter, my husband and myself for a 5k in October.  I have a half marathon in December with my 14 year old daughter.  I was also planning to run a 5k this past Sunday with my son, but found out my daughter had a showcase soccer tournament that day that I didn't want to miss.  So when a friend called and said they needed one more person for their team for a 5k on Saturday, I told him I'd do it if my hubby could join us.  He's only done one other 5k, but he ran with our younger daughter and didn't feel like he got to run his fastest.  So I was looking forward to running this event with him.  I told him I'd stay with him the entire race and that it didn't matter if I didn't PR.

Well I was wrong!  It did matter!


Let's jump back to Friday evening.  We'd gone to our children's high school football game.  And we tailgated as usual.  Only this time, we never made it into the game.  There were at least 100 parents that stayed in the parking lot and ate and drank A LOT!  I only had one martini.  My hubby on the other hand enjoyed the evening immensely.  I still thought he'd be fine.  You know the old adage, sweat it out.

So the next morning we head out.  The race was less than a mile from our house but we drove over there. That should've been my first clue that something was up.   The race started and everything seemed fine.  The first mile was uphill, so I expected to go slow.  I was just really surprised at how slow.  I kept losing hubby and having to run back to find him.  Only to go a few more steps and lose him again.  When we crested the hill, I told him it was all easy from that point on.  But for some reason he just couldn't get into it.  By the final stretch I tried to get him to go a little faster and he said he was on the verge of puking.  At that point, I was getting angry.  I felt like he had let me down by drinking the night before and while I'd told him I didn't care about my time, it turns out I did!   Our official time was 31:16, but to me it felt like a total embarrassment.  I know it's completely lame, but we know most of the people that ran this race and I knew they'd log on the site and see my time.

Now here comes the bad part.  Wait for it...


Hubby said he felt sick the rest of the day.  Turns out the cold he'd had the previous week came back with vengeance.  He's been sick in bed both yesterday and today.  Now I feel really guilty.  Is it better to not run with spouse's, children or friend's?  Or is it better to enjoy the race and let go of the need to PR every time?  I'd love to hear about your experiences...

My 9/11 Run

I'd planned to do a 10 mile run this morning, and was looking forward to some cooler weather.  Before heading out, I grabbed my phone to clear my emails and check my texts.  Of course I got sidetracked and felt the need to see what was happening on The Twitter :)  That's when I came across @luau 's post about his run today.  He ran 9.11 miles at a 9'11 pace.  I thought that was an amazing tribute to this special day and decided to make that my goal.  Now my usual pace with this hill I was planning to run is about 9'40, so it was going to be a push.  Also when I run this hill, I usually only go 5-6 miles.  But then I thought about the sacrifices so many people made on this day, 10 years ago and decided if this little push was too much for me to do one day out of my life than I shouldn't call myself a runner.  So off I went.  My first mile and a half was downhill, so I knew I could keep pace.  From there it was relatively flat, with one small hill towards the end of the 4.5 mile turnaround.  The last 1.5 miles uphill were going to be where I would find out if I could pull it off.  Guess what?  I did it!  In fact because I couldn't adjust my pace just right, I ended up with an average pace of 9'10 after 9.11 miles.   It wasn't perfect, but it was better than I thought I could do and that's all I can ask of my body.  What run did you do today?  And did it feel any different than your regular runs?

How many races?

In my last post I said I need races to keep me motivated.  I guess it's karma...I now am registered for:

9/24/11-Megan Savage Memorial 5k
9/25/11-Susan Komen 5k
10/23/11-Race For The Rescues 5k
12/4/11-Rock N Roll Half Marathon

Plus I have two more halfs scheduled in 2012.  I'm not sure about doing two 5k's in one weekend? I think it'll be fine, but wanted some feedback.  How many races have you run in a month and is doing back to back short races a good idea?

Upcoming Races

I did my first and only half marathon on June 5, 2011.  It was the Ojai to Ocean (O2O) and I couldn't have asked for a better first half.  The only other race I'd participated in was a 5k with my husband and two daughters.  The next race I had scheduled wasn't until December.  It is the Rock N Roll Vegas Half Marathon.  So I had several months of running without any scheduled races.  And guess what?  I completely lost my mojo!  I've had no desire to run any long distances.  I blamed it on the heat, but I think it really came down to the fact that I wasn't training for anything specific.  So I had to find some races!

I found a 5k in Pasadena benefitting animal rescues.  My 10 year old daughter wants to be a vet and would do anything for animals.  She ran the first 5k with us and swore she'd never run one again.  She really struggled to get through it and hated it.  But when I told her this was a flat course, benefitting animals, she agreed to do it.  So now we've got a 5k scheduled for October!  Woo hoo!

Then the next day my 14 year old brought home a flyer from school for a 5k in Newport Beach for Susan B. Komen.  A huge group from her and my son's school run it together.  So I told her we were all in and just like that, I have another 5k on my calendar for September!

Why is it just knowing I have some races coming up motivates me to get running?  Is it because I'm still a newbie to running?  I've only been running since January of this year.  Or do veteran runners feel this way too?

Finally got in a long run

It's been a tough week.  My grandpa died after not eating anything for over 3 weeks.  The heat and humidity suck.  So when a friend asked me to go down to the beach for a long run on Saturday, I decided a long run was just what I needed.

If only life worked the way we plan it.  Friday night my 14 year old daughter and 16 year old son had planned to invite a few friends over.  Of course that kept me vigilant until just after midnight.  So by 12:30 or so I finally got to sleep.  Then the dog was bugging all night to go in, out, in....So needless to say when my alarm went off at 5:45 I questioned my plan to go run 10 miles.  Our friends arrived promptly at 6:15 and off we went.

The guys brought their bikes and Lisa and I ran.  We parked down in Bolsa Chica and ran to the Huntington Pier and back.  It felt so good to get a run in where I didn't have to stop for lights or watch for cars.  And it was fun to run with a friend.  So glad I went!  We definitely have to make that drive a bit more often.

Breaks from Running?

I've been running since January.  I've never been a huge fan of running.  I would do it as required in a crossfit workout, but have never in my life thought it'd be fun to just "go out for a run".  While in Hawaii the summer of 2010,  I didn't want to lose my fitness so I got up every morning before anyone else and went for a run of at least 5 miles.  Well of course the scenery combined with the fact that I came home without gaining any weight had me hooked.

I continued with my crossfit workouts through December.  Then in January, I decided to focus only on running.  I trained and ran my first half marathon in June.  It was great!  I thought I'd be hooked forever.  But then I experienced the letdown of no race to train for.  My next race isn't until December.  I continued to run, but haven't been motivated to do any longer distances.

We took our family vacation at the beginning of August.  I knew I wouldn't be able to get any runs in as we were going to the lake, where the low was 90-95 degrees, and we wanted to get out on the lake early.  So I gave myself the two weeks off and didn't worry too much about it.  Now that I'm back, I'm having such a hard time.  I ran 4 days this week, but only went 3 miles each day.  I couldn't believe how sore I was after the first day!  My quads were sore, my knee hurt, my hip was tight and my endurance was in the toilet.  What the heck?!  I figured since I have plenty of time to train for my next half, I can get back to my usual mileage slowly.  But I'd love to hear from some of you experienced runners.  Do you ever take breaks from running?  How do you stay motivated when you aren't training for a race?  How do you get your mojo back after a break?

Lululemon Review

Okay this is a follow up to my post about my freebie shorts from Lululemon.  They had given me a pair of Willpower shorts to review.  I've now worn them enough to give an accurate review.  I would say that they are my new favorite shorts for everything except running.  They are a bit longer and roomier than most of my running shorts.  I thought that would be good because they were so comfortable.  But unfortunately the extra fabric just bunches.  It seems like they only ride up on one leg or another but it is enough to be annoying.  I have worn them on hikes and bike rides and would wear them to crossfit or any other class.  I absolutely love them for everything else.  For shorter runs I still wear them as the annoyance of bunched fabric doesn't overwhelm me, but I won't wear them on longer runs.  The strange thing is that when I went on their website to review the shorts, I can't even find them anymore.  Here's a photo:

Now the run speed shorts are amazing for running!  I purchased those that day too and love everything about them!  Definitely recommend those for a great run!  What are your favorite running shorts?

Group Running

I've only been running since January and have come to love my time running alone.  Occasionally my hubby will join me on short runs.  Usually he'll bike while I run.  He has done a couple of 3 mile runs and even one 4.25 mile run.  He tends to run just behind or just in front of me.  It's been fine because I'm not really sure I'd be up for conversation while I run.  Group runs sound like they would be fun, but I'm just not sure.  I'd like to hear some feedback on what the benefits of a group run would be.  I get running with people faster than you to help push you.  But if I'm pushing myself I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be up for small talk.  Fill me in, how do these group runs work and are they a good idea?

Lululemon Rocks!

So today my two daughters were coming back from camp after 12 days.  My husband works in the city they were being dropped off, but I wanted to be there to welcome them back too.  So my son and I drove out, had lunch with the hubby and then had about an hour to spare.  I'd been drooling over one of the tops at Lululemon but wanted to try it on before buying it.  So we headed over there to browse.

Of course I couldn't stop at just looking at the top.  I love their stuff!  Being that I now consider myself a "runner" I felt compelled to look at all of their runner wear.  I tried on a couple of styles of shorts, the run speed short and the willpower short.  I also had the top I wanted, the short sleeved willpower and a badly needed sports bra (loved the name Ta-Ta Tamer).  The salesgirl was totally helpful, offered opinions and grabbed sizes for me.  Then while I was still in the dressing room she gave me a shocker.  She said that even though I'd chosen the run speed shorts, she was going to give me the willpower shorts for FREE!  I said, "What?"  She said she'd like to give them to me to promote.  I think I still had a look of shock on my face so she further explained that they'd like me to run in them.  And then give feedback to them as to what I like and don't like.  I said if they were going to give them to me for free I'd wear a sign on my back promoting them!  It was so awesome.  Things like that NEVER happen to me!  And I don't even feel bad that when I looked at them online after getting home, they said they were for people with larger, more athletic legs.  Still don't care!  When I got home and tried everything on again, I actually like those better because they are a little longer.  We'll see when I go on a run.  But woo hoo, what a way to start the holiday weekend!!

Front View

Back view with cute little pocket

These are truly great shorts!  What unexpected freebies have come your way?