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September 30, 2004
Ct running
we took a red eye to ct last night...i think i may have gotten about 5 hours of sleep TOPS... on the last leg of the flight i got a terrible sinus headache... i forgot to take some medicine before the flight and boy did i pay for it...
once we got home (to my parents house) we met up with my mom, my sister who will be married saturday and her fiance. we caught up a bit... and then my mom and sister went to the hair sylist to preview some wedding day hair styles... and i took off with my Future brother in law and went for a run.
we went to wadsworth falls... this is a little park adjacent to the high school i went to. it's a beautiful new england park full of oaks, maples, streams galore and two waterfalls...the trees were so inviting and the dampness of the park was so refreshing (compared to dry california)...hearing the RUSHING water and smelling the decaying leaves was awesome... i ran for 45 minutes via the trails with my brother in law
and then i did a "tempo" pick up run home...4.1 miles on the roads in 27:48...it felt really smooth and easy...and was a nice way to end a run...
i felt so lucky running with the soon to be groom and hearing all about his pre-wedding day "jitters"...actually there are no jitters with this guy...he's ready ...& saturday will be his day and my sister's day to shine...i can't wait...
tons more later
Posted by liz at 10:13 AM | Comments (1)
September 29, 2004
marking the course...
this morning i got up early and drove out to tennessee valley to mark our high school home xc course. (this afternoon our team has their first and only home meet) it was a beautiful morning. i ran into 4 deer, lots of hikers, a few runners and 1 horse. the course is 2.95 miles...the first half...runs out to the pacific ocean on a single track ...the second half...you follow a fire road back to the starting line. i took 10 pounds of flour with me, 2 water bottles and chalk...and used up about 6 pounds of flour to mark the course and 1 small piece of chalk.
being out by the ocean at such an early hour in the day was so relaxing...i didn't want to come into work...i just wanted to sit by the ocean and hear the tide roll in and out all morning long.... i was thinking...for sure another day...i'll have to come back and do just that (& really do it too...i think it would be a good way to relax a little!!!!!!!!!)....
after i marked the course (i jogged/ran while i marked the course) ...i ran for about 20 more minutes....i figure i got in about 5 easy miles. i felt better than i expected after yesterday's workout...i thought for sure i'd be beat up and tired and stiff... well more later
Posted by liz at 09:27 AM | Comments (3)
September 28, 2004
tuesday workout
well...the alarm went off this morning and i wasn't able to get up for an early morning workout with my brother in law. our border collie kept me up most of the night...he was having some digestion problems...and just whined, tossed and turned and wreaked havoc on any chance of getting sustained sleep last night...
luckily our xc practice with the high school students was short (pre-meet day)...we just ran a couple miles and then had root beer floats (carbo-loading?)...and called it a day...
so i took the opportunity (getting out of practice pretty early) to run over to the local high school and do my workout. i ran 6 x 1 mile repeats. the plan was to run 6:20s with a 1 minute break in between each repeat. i was dreading the workout ... i felt like it ought to be easy but it would be hard. and indeed the first interval was tough. i trudged through it in 6:26. i wondered...if i'd even make it through 3 intervals... i did. the rest i ran in (6:25, 6:19, 6:15, 6:11, 6:01). after about four intervals i felt pretty good... my legs were a little tired but i felt like i should keep working hard...the same effort for the 5th and 6th interval produced much faster times. i was really happy with my workout... it can be hard to do this type of workout alone...but i managed to run negative splits the entire time, stay smooth and not give up...!
tomorrow will be a light day of training for me. i'm so excited for our high school xc meet...i can't wait to see how everyone does. late tomorrow night i will take a red eye to the east coast...for my sister's (not mary's) wedding.... i am looking forward to seeing my family and participating in the wedding...i'm also eager to catch up with my twin Mary and run with her and hear all about her new masters program in person...!!! :)
more soon!
Posted by liz at 11:44 PM | Comments (1)
September 27, 2004
monday morning
this morning i got up early and ran with my brother in law and larkspur friends. we all seemed a bit tired so we took it easy and turned around early at the stop sign. we ran for about 55 minutes. (7 miles) it wasn't as cold as i thought it would be and it felt like a good recovery run.
more later...
Posted by liz at 09:09 AM | Comments (1)
sunday update
i ended up running about 5.5 more miles sunday afternoon with one of the girls on our xc team. we ran over in china camp....the temperature was great....running along the single tracks was so much fun. the girl i was running with...is running high school xc for the first time. she ran track the last couple of years and has improved so much... it was an awesome run ....a great way to end the weekend.
after my run i met two other girls on the xc team...at school and i pool ran with them. i just went really easy...b/c i was tired from all of my running and just a long weekend. the water felt great despite the cool breeze in the air.
Posted by liz at 09:07 AM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2004
weekend update
friday afternoon we (16 girls, 1 boy) left for mendocino for a weekend school outing. we drove for 3 hours and pulled into van damn state park 2 miles south of mendocino around 6:15. we unpacked the vans and then cosmo (my whippet ) and i took off for an easy 3 mile jog around the park.
the next morning 8 of us woke up and ran through the redwood/pgymy forest. it was awesome. the air was crisp, the creek was running swiftly, scrub jays were singing and making their noise and all of us were in good spirits. about half of the students who went on the run were runners on the xc team. a few of them were possible new recruits...they were so at ease with the pace and the distance! three of us went a total of 8 miles and the rest of the pack ran about 5 miles. this park is absolutely gorgeous...with its tall pine trees, beautiful redwoods, campsite galore and well maintained trails. i recommend this area to any avid outdoors person/runner. just across the street the pacific ocean is turning its tide day in and day out...you can extend your run and head out to the ocean and run along the bluffs ...with an amazing ocean view the entire time...and run all the way up to the headlands and town of mendocino. this is a must for any running couple. stay at a b and b , enjoy the shores, bluffs and trails....and just endulge in relaxation!
this morning...i got up early and ran 2 hours with my brother in law and larkspur running pal. we ran our alpine loop. as we were making our way down one of the last single tracks my brother in law took a big fall ... we stopped to check on him....as we did so...a little bee took this opportunity to sting my hand...just below my pinkie finger...i screamed and went on and on for quite a bit..but kept running..wondering how much my hand would swell up. it reached it's maximum swell size and at about the same time the painful stinging feeling wore off. i felt pretty good on the run. (as we started the run my hamstrings felt tired and i couldn't figure out why...but as we continued i felt better and better.)
more later
Posted by liz at 10:49 AM | Comments (1)
September 23, 2004
pm run ...day almost complete
phew...running the ma dipsea w/the team really took a lot out of me. i felt like it was a bit hot out... plus i was dehydrated...and tired from my tempo run earlier in the day...
we ran an easy pace ~55 minutes (54.55). i was glad to be out there running hills, the roads and the trails...but my mind kept worrying about the evening presentations...we had open house...and usually i fret over these events and plan what I'll say and do, etc...we often will do a mini demo or lesson plan for the parents...but this year i feel so busy...and i guess i also feel like i've been doing this for awhile...(over 8 years...) that i just didn't prepare much (until the last minute)....it turned out fine...and i tend to do well "Live"....so another one down...more to come in the future
i'm about to be picked up from work now...we live very close by...but i'm just so tired...i m craving a ride home... i can't wait to fall into bed and sleep...tomorrow afternoon i leave for mendocino with 15 high school girls and 1 high school boy...it's going to be tons of fun...it's supposed to be a beautiful weekend....but it's going to be tiring....!!!! we're only away for one night...so we shall see...!
more later
Posted by liz at 09:15 PM | Comments (1)
am workout
this morning we (my brother in law and I) left for the track at ~6 am. i was tired from a rough night's sleep and just restlessness. often when i'm most busy i have a hard time sleeping & winding down... at times like these sometimes actually getting up out of bed can be a good thing, a relief from the desperation of trying to garner a few more minutes/hours of peaceful sleep...
our workout was 5 miles at tempo pace. the plan was to start off w/6:45 and work down to 6:30s. (1.43, 1.41, 1.39, 1.41, 1.42, 1.40, 1.37, 1,36, 1,37, 1.36, 1.37, 1.35, 1.33, 1.34, 1.35, 1.34, 1.36,1.34,1.32,1.28). we went a bit faster...it felt good ....the one thing i was worried about was that i'd be running again this afternoon w/the team...i'll probably take a group of kids on the ma dipsea...which is a hard course even when you run it easy...so during the entire tempo run i just kept saying you have a lot left in the bank...stay relaxed...this is just a cruise...and it felt like that...although at the end we did pick it up...to kick it in...
i'm glad i got up early...we have open house tonight at our school ...so i won't be home until 9:30 or 10:00...so there really won't be any time for anything else today....so i'm feeling good to have this workout completed.
more later
Posted by liz at 07:56 AM | Comments (1)
September 22, 2004
dog park "workout"
on my way home from work tonight...all i could think about ...was getting the 3 dogs to the dog park (2 blocks from our house). i called my husband and said...hey get the dogs ready for the park; we are going to tire them out early tonight...no more of these dogs running our life bit...
anyhow...once we were at the dog park...i felt so beat. i was just throwing the frisbee around for the dogs and running after them...but boy was i tired...i felt like i had just competed in the 400 m dash! phew!
this is just a silly short blog entry. i'm going to sleep now...
more later...
Posted by liz at 10:05 PM | Comments (2)
am run
ran early this morning w/my brother in law and larkspur running pal. we ran the bike trail course. out and back to phoenix lake. there's maybe 1 mile total of trails, 7 miles of bike path/road. 62 minutes and change...for our total time... it felt nice & easy...i was a bit tired...we're puppy sitting...so now there are three dogs in the house...our border collie is obsessed w/this lab puppy....they are constantly up in one another's noses...it's cute but a bit crazy too...
more a bit later
Posted by liz at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)
September 21, 2004
wed runs
today i went on two runs
i did my workout...but i changed it a bit...due to a few changes (no one to run it with and not being able to get to a track...). i ended up running 8 x 800 on Center street. a street that cuts via my neighborhood. it's relatively flat...a few gentle rolling inclines...but nothing significant. one direction proved to be a bit easier than the other. my splits were consistent every time. i ran four of the 800s in 2:53 and 4 of the 800s in 3:00. despite going into the workout feeling tired (from the 5k and work and just my usual malaise before every workout i think will be hard) i actually felt ok and pretty good throughout the workout. i was proud of myself for doing the workout on my own...and being so consistent with my times, etc. I took only a 1 minute rest interval in between 800s...a few times i might have taken up to 75 seconds...but no more than that.
i also ran the home xc course w/the team today. it's out in tennessee valley. it goes out on a single track and back on a fire road. the turn around is literally the pacific ocean...it's actually a pretty amazing xc course. sometimes when we host meets at this site the fog is rolling in and the air is extremely cold...the setting is just surreal...today the temperature was in the 80s...no fog and a bunch of the runners actually commented on how hot they were...
here's a random blog note...tonight i made an old favorite for dinner. we used to have it growing up...in fact it was one of the few dinners i really looked forward to...there were 8 kids in my family...so dinners were more economical than gourmet productions...anyhow...this dinner falls into the comfort food category... i made a few changes to the recipe my mom used to use...(my husband is giving up BEEF (thanks C) for a year..) i switched the ground beef to ground lamb and i didn't include green beans. in the end the shepards pie came out pretty well i think... the one drawback is that it takes longer than i expected to prepare... (mary-- i was thinking since it's getting cold back east...this might be the perfect dinner...you can use ground tofu meat substitute...and i bet it would be very good on a cold night...! maybe we can have it in october when i visit!!! :) )))
more later
Posted by liz at 10:14 PM | Comments (1)
September 20, 2004
A recovery day!
this morning i bailed on my early morning run. my brother in law left the house @ 5:45 am w/o me. every day this week i'll be getting up early...and i just thought i want to start the week off w/at least 7 hours of sleep and set that as the bar for the week (in terms of minimum sleep).... on friday i am taking a group of students on an outing to Mendocino for the weekend...so i'll definitely need to gear up (energy wise, sleep wise, attitude wise, etc) for this particular adventure!!!! (thet school i work at..is known for experiential learning, outdoor education and the arts...indeed this kind of focus and emphasis is really a perk of the job...but it definitely can feel exhasuting on top of the rest of the things i do in my life...!!!)
my only workout for the day was running with the xc team at practice. we parked at peacock gap (a community park) and ran into china camp state park. china camp is a great little park that's known for single track mt. biking trails...mt. biking got started out here (apparently...) so tons of bikers head out to these trails to brave the downhills, turns and climbs. it can be very hot during the summer...but on a cool fall day (like today) the setting is perfect. the park is full of live oak trees, deer and flanked by two four mile single track trails; one that runs along the bay on the flats and one that runs along the ridge with a great view of the bay and the east bay land.... most of the team ran out and back on the flat bay single track trail...and about 10 of us ran a 5 mile loop that goes up to the top of the ridge and down a steep fire road and then rolls up and down back on the single track bay trail. i felt tired from my race yesterday...and just tired from being in school already for 5 weeks...!!!...but the run turned out to be rejuvinating...i ran w/the 2nd pack...pretty slowly...but we talked and chatted the entire way. we saw 4 deer, a few hawks and felt a cool breeze the entire way. at the end of the run we ran 4 striders.
tomorrow ...i have a workout on the track. 6 x 1000m repeats at 10k pace. i figure i should err on the cautious side and run my 800s at about 3:05 pace...i'd hate to start off too fast on this workout. we're only supposed to get 1 minute rest. later on this week i have a 7-8 mile tempo run...starting @ 6:45 pace and dropping down to 6:20 pace. the rest of the days...are just easy days...
more later!
Posted by liz at 05:55 PM | Comments (3)
September 19, 2004
The Jamba Juice 5k
I woke up this morning and it was actually raining. Sometimes we don't get rain in Northern California until December. The sounds and smells (of the rain) were definitely refreshing but the thought of running a 5k all the way in the city in the rain was not very motivating. The one thing that kept me on task however was the fact that I had to pick up some of my high school athletes at the school...to take them to the race... I couldn't call them up and cancel b/c of the rain...what kind of wimp would i be then?
Overall I felt like I had finally caught up on my sleep. On Saturday I got in a 3 hour nap...which felt great and I was able to sleep well last night. I definitely felt tired from the week's mileage though. In 6 days I ran 61+ miles not counting the pool running and x training....so I really had no idea where i'd be at for this race. I certainly wasn't peaking for this race...but i seldom taper too much for races these days since I tend to race often (i use races frequently to get myself into shape!!!).
i picked up the three high school athletes at 7:30 am and we made it into the city by 8 am...we found parking at Kezar stadium...right where the start of the race is....picked up our #s , went to the restroom and warmed up for about 1.2-1.3 miles. the entire time...my runners hit me up with tons of questions about the race...their curiousity and enthusiasm was exciting but also a tinie bit draining...usually before races i run really really slowly and i'm pretty quiet... but i always think back to my high school days and my coaches...who encouraged me on all the time and inspired me...plus being with the kids helps me keep everything in perspective (it's just a race...there are many more) and reminds me how fun the sport is...so in the end i was glad i had them with me...b/c it became both an outing and a race! we made one last stop at the car...to put our warm ups away...and then we hit the bathroom did some striders and made it to the starting line.
the starter took his time starting the race. the runners were getting a bit antsie. the starter/announcer kept saying Be Honest with yourself. If you are an 8 min/mile runner head to the 8 min/mile sign. many of my impala teammates were out for the race. i saw most of them on the starting line (usually i warm up with them...but since i had my athletes with me...i didn't join them this time for our usual warm up) our impala team was loaded. i knew at the starting line..that 10 of us on our team alone had the potential of running sub 19...this would be a Fast race!!!
(the course went into golden gate park and then did a hair pin turn and ran down fell street back up oak street and then into kezar stadium...this is a different course than the past three years...they are doing major reconstruction work in the park ....so a course change was needed--the course is 99% on the roads...and the last .1 is on the track)
the gun finally went off...and the runners were off. this race ALWAYS goes out fast...i tried to hold myself back...i felt like i was but i still hit the mile mark at ~5:49... by this point the rain had stopped, the roads were still wet, but the sun was shining brightly and burning down on us...i actually felt a bit warm...even with my racing singlets and shorts on... i wanted to run the 2nd mile in 6 minute pace...and amazingly i did just that...approaching the 2 mile mark the course starts to head uphill slightly...so that actually helped me...the final mile is a slight slight climb and then the race finishes in kezar stadium...right on the track...it's a fun fast 100 m. finish. i felt like potentially i could have caught a few (up to 5) women in front of me the last mile...i passed 2 women...none passed me...but my last mile...was 6:14...ouch...so not too good...i finished in 18:45. that's kind of what i predicted for myself. I was the 6th women on my team...! our team is soooo good..i have to get out to more workouts with them...i think that'll help me a bit with my speed... one of the high school guys i coach ran a pr and ran 17:56...he was really happy...he went out hard and held on (similar to me) , one of the girls i coach...a freshman ran 19:31....(she ran a more even paced race) and the third girl i coach...was having some hip trouble..and turned around after a mile...she cheered us on at the finish line.
somebody said the woman who won the race ran sub 16...! that's smokin! two of my teammates ran sub 18....!!! the competition is just so good. the results will be posted later on today...maybe i'll put a link to the results up on my blog when they are posted...
all in all i'm glad i made it into the city for the race. at least now i know where i'm at...and it was fun...and on the way home...the high school runners and i chatted the entire way...everyone kind of had a runner's high...the satisfaction of a feat accomplished i guess...
my next race will be in two weeks...the folsom 5k ...a xc course. i'm going to actually taper a bit for that one...and then the following week i'm running the humboldt 1/2 marathon...!
more later...
Posted by liz at 10:59 AM | Comments (5)
September 18, 2004
friday running
oh man, was i tired this morning. after a long ride back from the east bay last night...the traffic on the east bay bridge was horrific (they have been doing major construction work in this area now for months...retro-fitting the bridge for earthquakes, etc.)... i got home and i realized i had to prepare an outline for the next unit we're teaching in sophomore biology (i of course did too much work )...and by the time i hit the sack it was close to 1:20 am.
i was meeting my coworker at 6:30 am at phoenix lake for a run. i thought i would never make it...but i did. we ran the same course i ran with the kids at practice on wed. (4.5-5 miles) we ran up eldridge over to the water tank and down fishgrade. the pace was easy...we talked the entire way and it was nice to run when the sun was up (the last few early morning runs all started in the dark...)
my friday was terribly busy. i felt like i was rushing and running from place to place all day at work. i had meeting/classes all the way up until practice. for practice the team went to concrete pipe. my co coach ran a tempo run , my brother in law came to practice and ran w/our top female runner who wanted to run "the pumpkin run" (a notoriously tough run with a reputation for just being brutal...), and i was going to run out/back with the main pack of runners...but then a few kids wanted to try the pumpkin run...but weren't sure if we'd have enough time, etc...so we ran a brand new loop...we ran out concrete pipe trail up to the ranger 's station along the single track trails by bon tempe and then we cut over to the pumpkin trail and ran the 2nd half of the pumpkin run. running with the 3 xc runners was so relaxing. i think they each were having different types of days (feeling good, feeling sick, feeling inspired...). all in all i think we all enjoyed the thrill of a new run, the winds were blowing slightly, the temperature was perfect and on the way back my brother in law & the top girl came stampeding down the trail...the boy i was running with and i looked back and we could see them coming...i said to him...ok we have about 1.5 miles left...let's work hard so they don't catch us....well 1/2 mile into our quest...they caught up with us....but we stayed with them...and it was an exhilarating way to finish up the run...i was proud of all three of the runners who ran the "alternative pumpkin loop". it was about 5-6 miles..and the pace was faster than usual...and they kept an open mind and pushed themselves...so what's not to be proud of!!! :)
by the time we got back to the school after practice...i was thoroughly beat. i couldn't wait to crawl into bed and hit the sack early..but i had already commmited to hiking up to the west point inn on mt. tamalpais (a ~ 2mile hike) to meet some friends for dinner...my brother in law came along...and it turned out to be tons of fun...!!! at around 11:00 we hiked back down to the car...we brought our friends dog with us...b/c dogs aren't allowed to sleep over in the cabins...it was a fun local mini get away adventure !!!!
i'm taking saturday off...i'm racing the jamba juice 5k on sunday. it's a PA race so the team i run with will field a team. i'm taking the top two runners on the high school team with me. i think they should run really well. i'm hoping to run under 19 minutes... ideally somewhere between 18:30-18:45...but i have no idea where i'm at... so we'll see. i'm feeling pretty beat but i'm anxious to run on the roads...on a relatively fast course with great competition. they'll be at least 20 women who will run faster than 18:30...i think...!
Posted by liz at 12:22 PM | Comments (5)
running w/my sis
this evening i went over to the east bay and met up with my older sister. we had so much fun procrastinating...waiting to go on our run...we sat around talking & relaxing...for awhile i thought...oh we might not even go for a run... no prob.
finally 7:15 crept around and survivor was on @ 8 so somehow we rallied and motivated to head out the door. we ran an awesome tunnel-creek trail run. we just ran out and back. macy my sister's weimerainer came along... she was able to run off leash for much of the run.
the pace was perfect and my sister and i just talked the entire way. we ran about 25 minutes or so...maybe 3 miles... the lighting from the sunset, the shadows casted by the trees, the trickling of the creek and the smells and sounds of oak tree leaves all around created the perfect evening run atmosphere...
i'm looking forward to another tunnel-creek trail run in clayton.
more later
Posted by liz at 12:16 PM | Comments (1)
September 16, 2004
thursday run
this morning i got up early (5:55 am) again and ran with my brother in law. we decided to do the same workout as last thursday ...only warm up at a faster pace. last thursday we ran out for ~20 minutes and then ran back as a tempo run. our warm up Last week was soooooo slow... So...last night...when we were talking about the workout...my brother in law...said...well i think we should at least warm up faster...so this morning i brought it up about 3 or 4 times...how's this pace?...hey we're not jogging right?...we're really moving, eh? etc
we ran up the ridge via elizabeth way which is a road ; usually we take the trail..taking the road at least helped me keep up our "fierce" warm up pace (no..i'm really just kidding about our fierce pace..we just didn't want to run 10 minute miles...we were thinking more like 8 minute miles or so...for the warm up..) the run up the road helped to jump start the morning and really did inspire me to run a little faster...
we ran out for 24 minutes and then ran the same course as last time back...it's about 2.7 miles...this time we ran it in 16:19. we started off slower than last time...but finished much faster. there was a cool breeze up on the ridge...which made the experience much more tolerable / better...
it wasn't as hard this morning to get out of bed... the last three mornings were brutal... kind of ironic too...since i didn't even have to get up for work today... oh well...maybe my body is getting used to the early runs?!
after the run...i did another 30 minutes on the stair master...i did the "downhill" profile workout...maybe level 6 ...it wasn't bad...the workout room (at the school) was very stuffy...and hot...but besides that it was a nice cool down after the workout.
more later...
Posted by liz at 09:47 AM | Comments (6)
September 15, 2004
afternoon run with the team
boy, was it warm this afternoon. the heat just kind of took us by surprise... despite the temperature we didn't change our plans. we still took the xc kids to phoenix lake... they had three options...
they could do hill repeats with my co coach, they could run around phoenix lake and attack each hill or they could run a longer new loop with me. many of the athletes were sore from running along the beach on tuesday so they opted to run phoenix lake. a handful of runners surprised me and actually decided to do hill repeats... (i was proud of them..) .and then i ended up running with the top 3 girls on the team...for a 4.5 - 5 mile loop...up eldrige to the water tower and then back down fish grade...these girls ran so well...we had to climb quite a bit on this run and they ran the entire way...we talked nonstop and we had shade cover for almost the entire run...that made it feel so much cooler...it was a great run for this particular day.
no work/school tomorrow due to the jewish new year...
i'll spend the day...catching up on school work..., hopefully relaxing...and ...tomorrow night i'll head to the east bay to visit my older sister...
more later
Posted by liz at 09:27 PM | Comments (0)
Tues/Wed
Monday afternoon I ran the bay trails with the girls team. The top 5 runners ran together. It was so great...they were nervous about their first big meet...but they were running comfortably and having fun. The trails were so nice. Flat, single track trails right along the San Francisco bay. The weather was great too...cool and sunny.
On Tuesday morning I got up early again. My brother in law and I left the house @ 5:50 am or so and ran ~ 2 miles to the local high school. Once we got there we ran a few strides and then ran 3 miles of in/outs. Our overall time was 19:18. The goal was to alternate between 1:30/1:50 laps. We ended up running our fast intervals between 90 and 83 seconds and our tempo/slow intervals between 1:46 and 1:41. The workout felt pretty good. I was tired just from the early hour. I really like in/out workouts though...bc they are easy to approach and there is no rest (stop) interval so you get the workout done pretty quickly.... We ran an easy 2 miles back to the house after the run.
At lunch I went pool running for 30 minutes with some of the kids who are injured on the team. We warmed up 10 minutes. did some intervals...and then cooled down... the water felt great... but i felt a little rushed and pressed for time... i had a class right after pool running and then i had to hop on the bus for our away xc meet...
Tuesday afternoon was spent at Stinson Beach. Our team participated in the Stinson Relays. One of the longest standing xc races in Northern CA...the race has been going on for over 40 years...nonstop... Teams from all over Marin county participate. You create 5 member teams who each run 1.6 miles up and down the beach...the kids run right along the tide line so the course keeps moving up/down throughout the afternoon as the water level changes...it's pretty fun. It really forces the spectators to get involved in the event...(by moving w/the tide...,e tc). The kids run with no shoes, they run with flats...some run with their trainers...it's a free for all. The atmosphere is really great. As soon as the kids finish their leg of the run...they jump into the Pacific...or grab food, and cheer, sit , yell along the sidelines of the course.... it's just a fun day at the beach. Our girls team placed 3rd overall! We missed 2nd placed by only 1 second!!! For a school of only 400 students...our placing was very impressive...we were competing against all the large public schools in the area...I was so happy...I kept saying...And our school is so small...my co-coach made fun of that expression..and kept saying...I know Liz...the little school that could....yeah...that's a good one....I'm still excited....We're just such a small school! ; ) Our boys team...placed 7th. Our top guy on the team...was/is probably the 2nd fastest in the county but he and a bunch of the guys who ran 1st leg...ran about 400 meters longer than they should have on their 2nd leg of the course...they ran right by the flag...adding valuable seconds to their time...missing out on the coveted top 5 t shirts for the athletes with the fastest times of the day.... I felt bad about the mistake...but I'm very proud of our runner..he's improved so much and it's great to see him leading the county in the front of the pack!!!! So we'll see ..it's going to be an exciting season for sure.
This morning I got up early again...5:30...and ran with some friends. We ran the usual ~8 miles out to Phoenix Lake and back. I felt much better today than I did on Monday. On Monday I was just dragging my body along ....today I felt smooth and really strong. We ran 61:37.... It felt great to get the run in...
but it doesn't get easier ...waking up early...it's always a challenge for me.... but it's worth it at the end of the work day to already have my own workout in for the day....
I'm heading back to Phoenix lake this afternoon to run with the xc team....
More later...
Posted by liz at 12:05 PM | Comments (1)
September 13, 2004
monday workouts
this morning i got up early to meet my friends for a run. we met at 5:45 am. we all seemed a bit sluggish...we cut the usual route short...i suggested it...b/c before work/school started i had to run to the store to get supplies for a protein synthesis activity , find water striders in the stream behind my house.., i had to remember to get the celery out of the refridgerator and bring it into school .and i had to get the car back to my husband....and get to school all by 8:00 am...so i felt like i was under the gun in terms of time , pressure, etc...this morning.
in the end it all worked out. i got about 6 -7 miles in (56 minutes of running). we ran very very easy. i tried not to think about all of the things i had to do after the run while running b/c i really didn't feel like picking up the pace---at ALL. i was tired just from getting out of bed...i guess. after the run i only found one water strider. without a net...they are pretty tricky to catch. it still did the job... so that's good.
in between classes...at lunch i went pool running with one of the girls on the team. we warmed up for 20 minutes...then we "ran" 12 minutes hard....and then cool downed for another 5 minutes. it was refreshing to jump in the pool in the middle of the day.
in a little while i'll head out the door to run with the xc team. they have a meet tomorrow ...so today's run is an easy jog via the bay trails (flat single tracks...) and then a traditional pre-race trip to jamba juice.
the kids LOVE it....
more later
Posted by liz at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2004
Sunday Long Run
This morning I had my husband drop me off at a trailhead-- so I could do a point to point run. I got dropped off at the Corte Madera trailhead. I don't know these particular trails very well but I figured they would lead me to the lake district. Well the first fireroad took me about 3/4 mile uphill to a dead end. I turned around and decided to head toward the trails I was more familiar with. I ended up on Crown Road- a 2.9 ish flat fire road that's perfect for tempo runs. I decided to throw in two 15 minute pick ups (tempo runs) during this run. I figured it would help me out for the 1/2 marathon in October. My split on this first 15 min tempo was better than 1 month ago...so that 's good. I then continued running on single track and fire roads until I hit the road again. I ran via Ross and San Anselmo at tempo pace for another 15 minutes. This interval felt much easier...probably b/c it was on the roads. Less than 1 mile from home I ran via the local supermarket parking lot and saw my husband...I decided to get a lift home from him. All together I ran about ~12 miles. The temperature was much cooler than last week-- probably high 70s , low 80s.
Later on today I'll go pool running with some high school students.
More later.
Posted by liz at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2004
Wow! Another Mary 100k World Update
Wow-- Mary finished...! Looks like 3 American women (Laura Nelso, Mary Fagan, and Siri Terjesen) finished all together (92, 93, 94 overall men and women combined)...Rena Schumann wasn't too far behind ...she finished 105th! Mary ran 8:39 (8:21/mile) It looks like 2 of her 10k loops hit her hard...and were pretty slow, but other than that she was very consistent. Nikki Kimball the 2nd American finisher and 14th overall at this event finished in 8:27 (8:09/mile) and the top American woman, Anne Riddle finished in a blazing 7:56 (7:39/mile!!) to take 6th place overall!!! wowzers!!!!
It looks like Mary was 23rd overall. (I think) If that's correct...it's like making the ALL WORLDs team (Like ALL American team). That is awesome!!!!
Good job Mary. Again official results and news can be found at http://www.run.nl/index.html and another good site http://www.americanultra.org/olander/olanderframeset.htm
Congrats to all those Ultra runners. You all are inspiring !
Posted by liz at 04:41 PM | Comments (0)
Mary Update
Go to http://www.run.nl/index.html if you would like to see how Mary is doing in the 100k. It looks like she just had 1 very tough lap ...but is coming back strong. I'm really proud of her!!! :)
Posted by liz at 10:57 AM | Comments (1)
am run
this morning no xc race for me. there is one in golden gate park but my sister is having a jack and jill shower. she's getting married in october. this isn't my twin sister...this is my older sister who also runs and lives in the east bay.
i decided to go out for an easy dog run this morning. later on tonight i may do a tempo run or a long run or no run depending on time and how i feel.
i ran the extended graveyard loop...up via the neighborhood--with the steps--and out onto the ridge--down into san anselmo and then out via the graveyard. the dogs were very tired by the end. i felt good. we were just running very easy. it was the perfect early morning run.
since my husband is getting back into an exercise routine...he's swimming 5 days a week...i've decided to get back into my sit ups and push up routine. so after my run today...i did about 15 minutes of core body drills.
earlier i checked on the web and saw that at the half way point mary, my twin sister, who is running the world 100k ...was at something like 4:03 and she was running with niki kimball who earlier this year won western states. if she can hold maintain this pace she will be so excited. i hope her quad is holding up ok. she's had an injured leg for almost 1.5 years. she was worried about running so far on the roads.... we'll see... i'm excited and nervous for her...!!! :)
more later
Posted by liz at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
friday run
today i ran with the xc team. i ran with the "elites". the top guy and girl on the team , plus a very talented sophomore. we ran the ma dipsea. the sophomore was unsure if he wanted to run with us. knowing the course would be difficult and figuring the pace would be fierce he voiced his reservations and both the top runners reassured him, no no we'll go easy. i thought..wow, that's great..how mature.
but as soon as we took off...i figured out they were just being polite. our top male runner was definitely going for a new course record on this run. he knew what my brother in law and i had run it in. he knew what i had run it in ...and he remembered his time from the previous running.
on every hill we ran hard. on the downhills we ran hard and on the flats we would kind of regroup. i really couldn't believe how well these students athletes were running. we were probably running 7:15s easily...talking and hardly breathing (i couldn't hear any hard brething from them except on the hills...)
at the end of the run i yelled up to the top guy and said don't kick it in too hard...but before i could say another word he took off...( i think he thought i said..kick it in!?! there was still a mile to go)
the top girl & i waited for our sophomore who was taking a water break...and then he assured us he knew the way back. so we decided to
take off and try to get the top guy. by the last 1/4 of a mile we could see him up ahead... we needed 7 more seconds if we were to beat him... the course just wasn't long enough...
so...there you have it new MA Dipsea course records ----
49:10 (male) and 49:17 (female)... our last mile (the top girl who is only a freshman!!!! and me --who now feels like i'm really aging))) was 6:24...we were talking much of the last mile..i expected it to be more like 7:15...this young student athlete is really going to make an impact on the team and state this year. she is very talented. we just have to keep her healthy.
it was refreshing to run with the kids. before the run started i didn't feel good at all. i felt so tired...but running with the kids i just get caught up in their energy and enthusiasm and i forget how sluggish i fell. they just bring out a little strength in me...enough at least to hang on...
more later
Posted by liz at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2004
pool running w/the xc team
wow-- what a challenge-- pool running with 28 teenagers. the track and field runners knew how to pool run -- but most of the students didn't. trying to give instructions while in the pool myself with the kids was pretty challenging. i ended up giving up and just trying to go around and individually check to see if students were "getting it". for the most part they did. they all seemed to Love the change of pace - environment- etc. they asked if we could "pool run" all the time... after a 10 minute warm up-- the tide changed and many of them were already complaining that they were dying...it was so hard...we still had the workout to do... for the workout .we did 7 x 1 minute pick ups with a 1 minute rest. it was funny to see everyone moving hard...in the pool the waves were getting high and for the first interval the kids were actually serious and really into the workout. once we hit interval 3 the atmosphere changed and kids just started talking to one another again and just maintained enough effort to get through the workout...
after about a 35 minute workout...i called everyone out of the pool and called it a day, i am looking forward to the next pool workout with the team... but boy was it more tiring than i expected...just being so vigilent and watching that many people in such a small area...i kept of felt like a damsel fish...!
more later
Posted by liz at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2004
am run
this morning i got up at 6 am to run with my brother in law. we decided to go on the ridge for 25 minutes and then turn around and do a tempo run back. the great thing about the design is that the last 1.6 miles or so are all downhill (the first 1.1 miles there are a few climbs). when i first walked out the door i was pleasantly surprised to feel a breeze...it felt great. by the time we were running back i could feel the heat and had a feeling it would be another hot day...
we finished up the 2.7 mile tempo back in 16.33. all in all it was a nice way to start the day.
this afternoon i'm going to pool run with the xc team!
more later
Posted by liz at 07:05 AM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2004
pm run with the xc team
ran 26.49 with the team up and around phoenix lake and back down to the parking lot. since it was so hot we changed the workout a bit. instead of having the athletes do 2 sets of 3 --300 meter hill repeats... we gave the team the option to run around the lake and charge every hill (there are a number of rolling hills on the 2.7 mile loop portion of the run). nearly the entire team opted to run around the lake. only 4 athletes stuck with the original workout. my co-coach led the hill repeats and i ran with the group around the lake. i thought in light of the heat...the kids ran great!!!!! after the run we stood around chatting for 10 minutes... that's always a great part of practice...knowing you are done and just shooting the breeze.
more later...
Posted by liz at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
Tues/Wed. runs
The heat wave continues out here in California.
yesterday's run was a hot one. I ran with the kids at practice. We ran via Baltimore Canyon. I ran with my co-coach and 3 of the runners on the team. We ran somewhere between 4.6 and 5 miles... In order to avoid the hot open fire road...we took a steep road up to the king mt. loop and on the way we ran by my twin sister's old house... the run felt good. I was just overall tired from a long day at work and from the heat... I could have gone into the city after the run to do a speed workout (repeat miles) with the women's team that I compete/train with...but I opted not to...I'm still trying to figure out what my new goals are for the fall (training wise)
this morning I got up early 5:20 to run with a few friends (my brother in law--alas didn't join us this morning--he slept in...). we ran the crown road loop. I took cosmo, the whippet along...since she followed me out of bed this morning. running so early in the morning was nice b/c it was so cool.... however the first 20 minutes of our run were in the dark...on trails...so that made the run a bit more adventurous. we ran for 8 miles....and talked the entire way. later on this afternoon i'll hit the trails again with the xc team and run some hill repeats with the group.
more later!
Posted by liz at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2004
"Sunday" Long Run
Well today (Monday) I went out for a "Sunday" long run with my brother in law. We left the house at 10:45 am and it was already 95 degrees (dry heat--lots of sun). We were thinking about doing a 3 hour run , point to point, my house out to Stinson beach...but due to the temperature and our general sluggishness we decided to just run from my house and do a loop. The "best" long run I know is the "MA Double Dipsea". Before today I thought the run was maybe 11, 12 or 13 miles...I really wasn't sure. I've never been consistent on the course. One day I ran it with my twin sister, Mary...and she dusted me. I felt like toast the entire run. Another time I ran it solo and felt great...and ran about 25 minutes faster!!!...and I've also been in between those two runs on a couple of occassions.
Today I decided to take my GPS out on the run with us...in order to find out how far the course really is... In order to do this I had to leave one water bottle behind (b/c I like to carry my Timex GPS in my hand--when I clip it onto my shorts I feel like my shorts are going to fall off.) I ended up nursing one small water bottle the entire run and by the end I was sipping very hot droplets of water.
The GPS worked very well for the 1st half of the run. I discovered that the biggest hill on the course is about 1.5 miles long . I also learned that to the trail head it's about 3 miles from my house...and then you start the long 1.5 mile climb...Once you get to the top of the hill you have a great rolling hills stretch that runs all along the top of the ridge...with fabulous views of the bay and marin and the richmond bridge and the east bay... On top of the ridge I lost the signal a few times for the GPS...it's supposed to interpret the lost time and estimate your mileage...I think it did that?!!!
Overall my brother in law and I both were very hot and sluggish on the run. Our goal was to finish. It's been so hot lately ...so running in the middle of the day wasn't the best plan... Oh well---at least now it's over with...
According to the GPS the run is about 11.6 miles.
I'm looking forward to resting, doing a few errands and getting a good night's sleep tonight.
More later...
Posted by liz at 01:50 PM | Comments (1)
A day at the lake
Today (Sunday) I spent the entire day at the lake. It was a great place to be as temperatures climbed as high as 95 degrees. Lake Beeryessa is the largest (165 acres) man made lake in northern california. Most people recreate on the lake by rolling out their huge "souped" up motor boats and parking under the bridges and hanging out next to masses of other motor boats ...blasting music, drinking, chatting, people watching, etc...
We don't have a boat. Sometimes our friend brings his along. Today we just "hoofed it" and parked on the side of the road and found a nice spot along the edge of the water.
We spent our time relaxing in the sun, floating on inner tubes in the water, eating snacks and hebrew national hot dogs, telling stories and reading magazines.
Half-way through the day I took off for a run. There's a new trail that boarders the lake. It follows the exact perimeter of the lake so it's a pretty interesting trail...lots of things to look at. Lots of rolling hills, shady sections, open hot arid sections, the footing was a bit unpredictable-- sometimes it would be really sandy--sometimes it would be so dried out that the ground would break as soon as your foot stepped down on the trail (making it feel as though my ankle were trapped under the earth for a second...), other parts of the trail were hard packed and perfect for cruising on....the one constant was you had to be vigilant b/c not knowing the trail at all...it was important to keep an eye out for the changing terrain.
I ran about 3.5 - 4 miles out...and then turned around. I could have kept going, but I wanted to spend time with my friends and it was Insanely hot ( a very hot dry heat 95++++ degrees). On the way back...I picked up the pace a bit and couldn't wait to jump into the lake and cool off at the end of the run.
As I was finishing up the run-- my friends were down below me swimming around in their inner tubes cheering me on-- as I crested the last few hills above them... That egged me on..and I kicked it in and ran right down to the water's edge and jumped into the water.
The cool water felt very refreshing. I soon grabbed an inner tube and joined the group on inner tubes. At one point I started to put my legs up on my future brother in law's inner tube ...when a Charlie Horse hit my calf. Boy---was it a painful one...It's bad enough getting them in the middle of the night...but in the middle of the lake...It took a while to work out... I was making quite a scene...
By the end of the day I was beat. I was still tired from Saturday's race/workout...and just being out in the sun all day...running a bit and traveling in the car...put me over the edge.
I slept really well...last night so I think that helped a lot. I'm ready to face this week and hopefully find my stride again...and hopefully not feel so slugglish this week. I'm going to do one track workout...and some pick ups on Thursday. We'll see how the week goes.
More later.
Posted by liz at 10:27 AM | Comments (6)
September 04, 2004
Catching Up...
This week has been very very busy. I am wiped! I think the start of the year (school) takes a big toll on me (I'm feelin' my age..., maybe?). On all of my runs I was beat ... I thought...ok..it's been a "good run"...maybe it's time for me to officially become a recreational runner now. Get up , run for fun every day. Some days run hard...some days waddle... jump in a race now and then... with no expectations...etc... I was ready to give up entirely on competitive racing...
I also learned toward the end of the week that the weekend I was planning to run the CAL international marathon... I will be in Miami for a conference... so now I don't know what I'm shooting for... I'm still planning on running lots of xc races... (for fun) but I don't have a big picture/plan yet... It can be terribly unmotivating... I decided to make this week my "easy week". No speed workouts, no tempo runs... nothing hard -- except the xc race at the end of the week and even that I would approach as a workout vs. a race. I was hoping a week of easy running and rest would inspire me and restore my body/mind... (Unfortunately the rest (extra hours of sleep) never came..)
Here are my runs this week: (All of them were on trails)
Tuesday:
am 4.5 miles with my coworker (easy)
pm 5.5-6 miles with the xc runners (easy)
Wednesday:
pm 4 miles w/hill repeat: ran with the xc runners. hills felt fine--just ran with the B/C group and tried to encourage, motivate and help the pack out...
Thursday:
pm 6 miles with the xc team (VERY HOT!!!! 90+++ degrees) ran easy, talked the entire way, felt fine
Friday:
pm 6+ miles with the xc team (Very Hot!!!! 89+ degrees) ran easy, talked the entire way, at the end kicked it in with a few of the guys on the team.
Saturday:
am 9+ miles / XC race. Ran a very hilly 4.1 mile xc race in Santa Rosa, CA. Temps were very high. 27:24 Ran the first half of the race conservatively as a practice tempo run and then used the second half of the race to try to negative split and catch runners.
Quick Race atmosphere update:
Note: due to the hot temperatures and current climate in california there have been many wild fires burning. on saturday there was a wild fire burning a ~ 1.5 hours north of where our race took place...
(The wind/clouds were blowing ashes our way and throughout the morning ashes were falling onto the xc course. The sky was full of reds, oranges, blacks, greens...the lighting was wild...the light that came through the tree branches was incredibly discreet and poignant and colorful. A photographer would be in heaven in this setting...(I thought...))
I felt better during the race than I did all week. My legs were rested. Compared to years past...this is 40-60 seconds slower than I 've run the same course...although the conditions were never this hot...I've always raced the course from start to finish...but in general I've never felt quite this sluggish in September.. Typically in years past I've started off the fall racing season...very fast...and then slowed down markedly as the season progressed. Maybe this is a hopeful sign and maybe I'll actually peak at the right time this season...and get faster as fall sets in?!???
By truly looking at the race as a workout...I felt so relaxed and I could enjoy the experience. At no point did I try to imagine myself dropping out of the race due to a turned ankle or sick stomach, etc... I just had fun with the run. It was a good experience. Usually when I tell myself I'm going to take it easy in a race...I take off like a bat out of hell...and pay for it big time at the end of the race...but I feel like I approached this race honestly and accomplished what I set out to do...
Since the marathon is now out of the picture...I'm not sure...what my next big goal will be...maybe the Quad. Dipsea (~28 miles out and back, out and back on the famous Dipsea course in Marin County...9,200 feet of climbing are included in the course)in November (I've run the race twice--placed 2nd and 1st and I would love to try to break 4:40...)...but once I run the quad I would need at least a week off...and then what? It's a great race...b/c no matter how slow/fast you feel it's always always a challenge and I've always felt so humbled running this course in such a beautiful place...I mean to have the luxury of 4, 5, 6 hours...to just spend getting your butt over a mountain...back and forth ...back and forth...man--that's pretty lucky---it's so tempting...especially if i'm Physically Able to run this race and I don't have any other big races that'll conflict with this race..I don't know.. I'm not sure...I can always use the time to go fight for equality and justice ...can't I... (sometimes I get into personal debates with myself...about my running...how much is enough...if i run for 2-3 hours at a time every single weekend/ or day or week...is that terribly selfish...how can I better use my time...but then...the flip side ...I love it...and I feel so great doing it... and i feel so much more productive if I've gone for a run already in a day...and I gain confidence via my running...and one day I'll have kids..and maybe i'll only be able to run for 2 hours at a time for awhile...who knows...so maybe i should get in all of my runs now...while i'm young and able to...and maybe running actually allows me time to self reflect and think about things...so that I can be a more thoughtful, well rounded, civic and socially minded person...??!!! I don't know...for now I'll keep running... :) )
I guess Vegas, Napa and San Diego (January) are all options for future marathons... I'd love to do the Women's San Francisco marathon this October...it looks like it's going to be an incredible event...but I've commited myself to running THE RELAY (Calistoga to Santa Cruz--12 runners--200 miles...24 ish hours...) on that very same weekend with a bunch of people from the school I teach at....
Oh well...hopefully some needed rest (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz), maybe a few more runs...and time will give me more clarity in terms of what i'm going to train for now... become a full time recreational runner...still sounds tempting... no...i don't know..
Well I better take off...
Tomorrow I am going to head up to the lake all day... to relax (that's on my check list)... I can't wait. I'll just float around on an inner tube and look around and smile...
more later
Posted by liz at 05:42 PM | Comments (1)