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October 31, 2005
halloween running
am:
went out to crown road to set up today's xc scavenger hunt run. i hid 5 containers (each with a different type of candy) on a 2.5 to 3 mile course (hoo koo ko). i ran w/my backpack and just hid the containers behind trees, in bushes, and at major intersections. running out on crown road at 7 am was so peaceful and calm. i didn't run into anyone. it was cool and bright. the temperature was perfect (i was in shorts and a tshirt).
pm:
acted as the sweeper during xc practice. the kids were instructed to run the hoo koo ko trail and look for the 5 hidden halloween containers. after they passed each container i picked it up and put it in my backpack. it was another beautiful run. the temperature was perfect. the atmosphere was very fun. i think everyone had a good time.
my legs in general were tired today. it was nice to do two easy runs.
Posted by liz at 06:56 PM | Comments (1)
October 30, 2005
Sunday fun run and mt. home inn run
Sunday:
fun run: ran in a local school fun run. the course is pretty brutal but beautiful. the views from the top of san rafael hill are very nice. you run from campus straight up to the top of san rafael hill and back. it's about a 500 to 600 foot climb with some steep climbing at the top. first half straight up, second half straight down. we were lucky. the weather was amazing. i felt SO much better today. i didn't take any of my pain relievers, which helped a lot. not only is my pain decreasing but my headaches are gone. so that was just wonderful. my plan wasn't to race this. i just started off with a few of the runners on my team. we went via the first mile (2nd half uphill) in 7:40 and then the 2nd mile was nearly all uphill. right before the top of the hill, i passed our top female runner. i figured she would come right with me and we'd finish together. (the 2 mile was 16+++) but i got ahead of myself and really cranked down the hill. i finished 3rd overall. 22: 30++ or so. one of the boys on our xc team won. he ran low 20s. and a local young runner finished about 15 seconds ahead of me. i was sort of chasing him the last mile. however, i ran faster than i expected. i was so happy my tooth and head and body felt better. the kids on the team ran really well. it's such a tough course so i was glad they all came out and ran or walked the course .
mt. home inn run: met a friend to run on mt. tam. ran for 1:16. ran the matt davis loop. we ran nice and easy conversational pace. we talked the entire way. the temperature was perfect. we had gradual uphills and downhills the entire way. the single track trails through the redwoods were so nice. i felt really good.
Posted by liz at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2005
catching up...
wednesday:
ran the lyons loop @ 5:45 am. it was raining. a nice cool, light rain. the ground was a tad slippery, but not bad. we had an adventure this morning as we cut via san anselmo into the graveyard. as we were entering the fire trail that takes you into the graveyard we were struck by the sight of a white line in a black object. Oh no, a skunk! sure, enough it was one. well, we waited a minute so it would move on and not run into us. after what seemed like a long time standing in the rain waiting for a skunk to move on we continued our run up the fire road. only to discover at the top of the small hill, the skunk was looking right at us and getting ready to run down the hill in our direction. i screamed and pulled and pushed my friend as she instructed the skunk To go that way. i was impressed with her command of the skunk language. the skunk did indeed get around us, but not without startling both of us. since it was still dark when all of this happened it made the adventure that much more exciting. who knew such adventures were to be had at such early hours of the day. we ran ~ 63+ for our loop. & the graveyard gate was open...thanks to the skunk delay. (when we run a bit faster we have to hop the fence, slower days the gates are open for us! :) )
thursday:
my wisdom tooth pain begins. due to a sleepless night (wisdom tooth woes) and a sore hamstring i decided to only pool run today. i pool ran for an hour with a few friends. we talked the entire time. the pool water was warmer than the night air. it was a very nice time.
friday:
my wisdom tooth pain continues. i'm guaranteed a spot at the dentist's office on monday and on call (if someone cancels) today and saturday. i'm taking lots of pain relievers...which helps, but then when the pain picks up it's just miserable. i'm not a great patient at all. it helps to do something, rather than just sit and bear the pain. though the pain relievers make it a bit hard to feel sure footed on the trails, so i opted to only run around lake lagunitas today at practice with the team. this is a very short but beautiful fire trail around a wonderful lake. i ran with some of the kids i don't usually get to run with. towards the end of the run the rain began. it felt great. running w/the kids really took my mind off my misery (relative tooth pain).
saturday:
despite my persistent tooth pain i ran in a local xc race. it's part of the pa xc series. at the end of the season your best 5 races plus the championship race are tallied, scored and ranked. at the start of the summer, it was my goal to be in the top 5 at the end of the season. the top 5 runners get comped the following season. it's kind of a strange prize. here you ran so well you get to do it all over again next fall for Free! well, it's compelling enough to inspire me to go for it. so with this in mind, i was wishing i had already run my 5 races so i could skip this morning's race. (of course if you win 4 races 150 points per win, 135 second and so on down the ladder you probably only have to run 4...but i haven't won any this fall or ever So...). alas i didn't. so i decided to head over to china camp and run the race. i went into the race with a different strategy. usually i go out pretty hard from the start and just try to hang on. this time i tried a new tactic. i went out "slower" and moved my way through the pack. this turned out to be perfect for the type of day i was having. i was tired from the lack of sleep the last few days, i had a headache from all the pain relievers i've been taking and my tooth was a constant reminder of that dull pain in my mouth. i went out in 6:22 or so for the first mile. from this point on, i just decided to pick off as many people as i could. i picked most of the runners off in between miles 1 and 2. and then caught two more between 2 and 3. and was passed by 1 person, a teammate the last 1 mile. i was 9th overall. and ran about 26:54 for 4.25 miles for this xc race. i'm glad it's over. my headache was worse afterwards but my tooth pain was the same. relief will come soon!
Posted by liz at 04:48 PM | Comments (1)
October 25, 2005
mon/tues
monday:
(am): ran lyons loop @ 5:45 am w/my larkspur running friend. it was not as cold as i expected. it was darker than i expected. the sun was still down by the time we finished (6:50 am or so) our run. we had to hop the graveyard fence again, b/c we were dying to get out... and finish out run. we ran our loop a bit faster this morning (1:02+). i felt pretty good. i was still a little tired from sunday's run & saturday's race. but the company and early morning quiet really make the run fly by.
(pm): ran 400s with the xc team in piper park. ran a great loop that cut across the soccer field and curved around the cinder track. the loop included some sharp turns and tinie gradual hills. i paced a few of our girls through the workout in 88s to 91s. the pace felt very good (to me) but my body just felt a bit stiff. ran 10 minute warm up, 6 x 400s,10 minute cool down.
tuesday:
(pm1): ran phoenix lake from the parking lot with the team (24+). ran w/a large pack. pre-meet run for the xc runners. we ran nice & easy and talked the entire way. we talked about race strategies for their race tomorrow, school things and crazy running stories from my past. the run flew by. it was a beautiful, warm afternoon. the trails were very nice.
(pm2): track workout in san rafael. didn't go into the city for the workout. decided to stay in town and save a little commuting time. the workout was hard, but good. two of my teammates from the city showed up; that helped a lot in terms of pacing. there was a HUGE group at the track tonight. maybe 30 or even 35 folks. huge packs. i biked to the track as my warm up. then ran a little bit. then we started. 400 (77), 800 (2:44), 1200 (4:18), 1600 (5:55), 1200 (4:17), 800 (2:42), 400 (75). although i felt tired going into the workout, especially going down the ladder i started to feel like i was opening up and i was more stretched out and i felt relaxed and smooth. it was hard, but it also felt controlled. so that was good. for my cool down, i biked home.
Posted by liz at 07:58 PM | Comments (2)
October 23, 2005
lake tour
sunday:
ran ~12+ miles around the lakes with my larkspur friend. started in ross commons. ran out towards phoenix lake. ran up the single track trail called tucker. from tucker took eldridge up to lake lagunitas. ran around lake lagunitas, then around bon tempe lake, across the dam, over to shaver grade. ran down shaver grade to phoenix lake and then out shady lane to ross commons. it was a beautiful morning. the views along the run were amazing. the reflections in bon tempe lake were just fabulous, the oak trees and mt. tam, were all silhouetted against the sparkling lake water. the cormorants in the lake almost looked like the were perched in oak trees due to the great reflections. it was really cool. as we finished the run and ran down shaver grade (500' descent) we had one of the best views of the day, mt. tam's peak, surrounded by a bright green forest, with a bright blue sky filling half the landscape and huge rolling white clouds filling the other half. although i felt tired from yesterday's hard efforts, the views and nature's wonders kept me rolling...i could have stayed out there longer just to enjoy the scene. 1.44.07 total time. we kept the pace nice and easy and talked the entire way and at times almost paused (at least acknowledged and gasped) in front of the best scenes.
Posted by liz at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2005
rrr, more recovering, rest & a race
thursday:
ran bon tempe with the xc team. a great run around a beautiful lake. about 9 of us ran together --all in a row--on a wonderful single track rolling, meandering trail. we talked the entire time. kept the pace very easy and enjoyed the amazing, fall, warm weather. after the run i ran out/back a bit more to catch up to a runner who was having a little knee pain. ~40.30
friday:
day off from running. biked along side the team while they ran a workout on the ridge. although walking around my legs have felt recovered from the RELAY...today on the bike i could tell i wasn't fully recovered yet. the uphills were more challenging than usual.
saturday:
ran a local 5k. shoreline xc race. ran as hard as i could today. went out hard and then had a hard time keeping up. halfway through the race i felt pretty tired. though, i felt strong. i knew i could make it to the line strongly, but i also knew i had no other gears and nothing to fall back on. so at the half way point of the race my goal was basically to maintain my position and try not to get passed and of course move up if i could. i think two people passed me but i got at least one person in the final kick. i ran 18:49, good enough for 13th overall. i really like the course. it's a good effort considering i've raced a lot lately. however, if i were to grade my performance i'd give myself an 80%. this week i'll work on catching up on my sleep, running really easy on the easy days and continuing to listen to my body.
Posted by liz at 06:59 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2005
Recovering....
Monday:
Ran up on the ridge w/the high school team. The team was running 3 x wake forest tempo miles. I ran in the middle/back of the pack. My legs were really sore on the downhills but felt ok on the uphills. I just ran on effort and used the time to recover and get my legs a bit stretched out. I encouraged the runners & talked a lot during the run which was nice.
Tuesday:
Yo loop. Ran the yolanda trail loop from the phoenix lake parking lot w/the xc team. We all ran nice and easy as a big pack. ~ 41 minutes. It was a strange afternoon. It was misting. Light rain was falling, the lightest of the lightest rain. Plus it was acutally a bit humid out. It's never humid out here, but it was. It was kind of surreal. We talked the entire run.
Wednesday:
Met my larkspur friend @ 6 am for an early morning run. We ran the Carlos loop. Out towards Phoenix lake and then out/around the Branson school. 56:45 We ran nice & easy and talked the entire time. It was nice. Although I've been tired from no sleep this weekend, it was actually easy to get out of bed this morning. Maybe that's b/c my body is used to my weekend running schedule. (gosh, I hope not. running at all hours of the night & day is rough!). I'll run easy tomororw and take Friday off. I'm feeling better everyday. Still tired. but getting stronger and feeling a little more recovered each day.
Posted by liz at 09:52 AM | Comments (1)
October 16, 2005
weekend update!
thursday:
am: ran ~38 minutes w/xc students at phoenix lake. ran around phoenix lake and then ran the tucker single track horseshoe loop. it was a beautiful day. very nice run. great group of runners.
pm: pool ran for ~45 minutes. always feels great on the legs and body.
friday:
day off
saturday/sunday:
The Relay. 199 miles from Napa to Santa Cruz. I ran leg 11 in van 2. I had much more fun than I expected. These relay events really drain me. The lack of sleeping and running hard at all hours of the night and day make it a tough event. However, the full moon, great weather, nice company and adventure of it all, make it a memorable, much better than average event! my first leg ran via petaluma. i cut through the town and then i hit d street and ran gradually uphill for many miles. this portion of the course was beautiful. the light of the full moon guided me. i was surrounded by beautiful california golden hills that were highlighted by the moon's light. the air temp was cool and comfortable. i ran 7.1 miles @ 6:34 pace. not a bad start. i ran around 10:30/11:00 pm. my second leg was run at 6:00 am . i ran along the crystal springs reservoir. the moon was still out. it was still dark. i was hoping there would be a little light by now, but alas no light. this leg was short. 3.7 miles. i had a lot of downhill for this leg and uphill. the first 2 miles were a thundering downhill, at least 300 feet to fly down. then i had about 1/2 mile of climbing and then rolling all the way into the finish. i felt ok on this section. i think i went out way too hard on the downhill. i ran 22:33 (6:05) for this leg. finally, my 3rd leg. i was getting really tight by this point in the relay. there were 7 of us in a small minivan. we had 1 driver and 6 runners. my last leg was 6.5 miles at 12:50 in the afternoon. i started off in a hot quarry and then ran via a beautiful redwood forest and then made it out into the exposed city of santa cruz. the first 1 mile climbed 300 to 400 feet. the next two miles were rolling, more climbing with some short downhills mixed in, the next 2 miles included a screaming downhill with at least a 600 foot drop in elevation and finally a long flat, rolling section into the town of santa cruz (this part seemed to last forever) where i handed off to our anchor runner. my last leg was an internal struggle. i was really tired. i kept trying to push myself and look ahead and focus on passing other runners. the heat of the day was getting to me. my tired, sore muscles were getting to me. my hips were tightening up. i was aware of everything uncomfortable during these final minutes of the race. for this 6.5 mile section i ran 39:43 (6:06). i was really surprised with how fast i ran overall in this relay race. i think all my track workouts are paying off. now i just need to recover from this event so that i can use some of this fitness for an upcoming race or two!
Posted by liz at 09:18 PM | Comments (3)
October 12, 2005
tues/wed. running!
tuesday:
pm (1): ran ~ 21 minutes w/the high school team up on the ridge. ran nice and easy, out and back lollypop at the end. ran w/a large group of students. talked the entire way. nice & relaxed. pm (2): ran track workout with my racing team in the city. it was a bit cold in the city. ran 3 x 2000 w/middle lap at 5k pace and all other laps at LT pace. followed by 4 x 200 @ 1500m pace. 2000 paces : 93, 93, 84, 93, 92, 2000 (2): 93, 92, 83, 93, 92, 2000 (3): 93, 92, 81, 92, 92. 200s ran on effort (~39 -40 seconds). cool down & warm up. the LT pace felt nice and relaxed. At the end of the workout my hip was a bit sore, but I felt good. We had a huge pack to run with. There were about 7 of us all running the same pace.
wednesday:
am: ran the lyons loop @ 5:45 am with my larkspur running friend. we ran 1:03:54. it was a bit cold out, but warmed up by the end of the run. it's a great loop. for the most part very flat. one gradual uphill -- up forest ave. followed by a downhill out to deer park and then it's a very flat run back via fairfax, san anselmo and down into the graveyard/san rafael. although it's always hard to get up so early, it was a great run and it's wonderful to have the run in for the day.
Posted by liz at 11:08 AM | Comments (4)
October 10, 2005
monday long run
(am): today i met up with a few friends and ran the larkspur/crown road extension loop. the pace was nice & easy. we talked the entire way. we ran up king mt. to crown road and then down to corte madera via the bike paths and back to larkspur. 1:17+. i then added on 2 more miles and ran w/a xc runner on the team. she was running in/outs . we ran on the track and shifted between 2 min. laps and 1:48 laps. by the end of all my running, i was glad to call is quits. it was a beautiful morning/day to be out there.
Posted by liz at 12:58 PM | Comments (1)
October 09, 2005
running, running, running / nothing too grand to report...
wed (pm): ran from ross commons up to phoenix lake and out a bit and then turned around. we (my co-coach and I) dropped our xc team off at the lake. there was no parking, so we decided to do an out/back run. we didn't run w/our team at all, but we found them all at the end of their run, so that was good.
thursday: (pm1): ran ~ 3 miles at lunch w/my coworker who was tapering big time for the chicago marathon. we ran nice and easy via town. it was a great run. a bit warm out. (pm2): pool ran for 40 minutes. running in the pool felt great. pool ran w/two friends. we talked non stop.
friday: am: ran w/three students on mt. tam. we ran from mt. home inn. along troop 80 , up to bootjack, and then followed matt davis all the way to hogsback and back to mt. home inn. it was a beautiful morning. ran nice & easy. it was great to be on the mountain.
saturday: i was hoping to run a 5k...but after my run on friday, i felt sick for the rest of the day. i was nervous about driving almost 2 hours for a race on saturday when i was feeling so badly friday, so i skipped the race and took the day off from running. felt better on saturday but not super.
sunday: ran 1:04 on the ridge in the morning w/my larkspur friend. we ran nice & easy. i felt much better than i did friday afternoon and saturday. i was relieved to feel good. after this run i met up w/a xc runner on the team and added on another 47 minutes and ran around phoenix lake/tucker/eldridge. ran nice & easy. it was warm out but we had lots of wonderful shade and the views were just amazing. a warm beautiful northern california day!
Posted by liz at 03:16 PM | Comments (1)
October 05, 2005
more running...
monday (pm):
ran w/the high school team, over by hall middle school, in the park. ran 1 mile warm up. paced the girls pack via 8 x 400s @ 92-95. there were about 5 girls all running together on a cinder trail via the park. they did a great job. i was a little tired from my am run but the pace felt fine.
tuesday (pm):
track workout in the city. warmed up a few miles. then ran 4 x 800s. we had a pack of about 6 women all running the same pace, which made it so much easier. 2:50, 2:48, 2:45, 2:43 cooled down a few miles and called it a night. compared to michigan miles a few weeks back, i feel like i'm getting a little faster. it really helps to have so many fast women to run with.
wednesday (am):
ran at 5:45 am. ran the "marina" loop. ran out/around domenican college. then ran up the hill to 4 points. & then followed the long downhill all the way out to the marina. ran back towards sr high school, then ran the tues. night warm up loop backwards and then headed back down mission ave. back home. ~56.38. felt a little tired, but overall good.
Posted by liz at 06:49 AM | Comments (3)
October 03, 2005
the lyons loop
got up at 5:30 to run the lyons loop w/my larkspur running friend. the loop is almost entirely on the roads. this time of year that's a good thing b/c it's so dark outside. this morning we didn't run into all of the dump trucks. last wed. morning we pretty much played a game of cat & mouse as we ran our route... we'd get ahead and then the dump trucks would get ahead and so on. it wasn't too cold out this morning. in fact, it was a great cool temp, perfect for running. the course is pretty flat. at the end of our run we cut via the graveyard. the gates were not open, so we had to hop the fence. that was a bit of an adventure. i had to tell my graveyard joke while we were jumping the fence...why do graveyards have fences around them? b/c everyone is dying to get in....1.04 for the run. more later!
Posted by liz at 09:13 AM | Comments (2)
October 02, 2005
catching up... (again!)
thursday:
ran out/back crown road w/the xc team. ran very easy. ~ 43 mins. or so ++ it was a very warm day. beautiful up on crown road/trails.
friday:
just biked alongside the xc team. they ran adams state miles. i rode up / down the ridge with them as they hammered through their intervals in the hot hot weather.
saturday:
ran the presidio challenge. 3.55 miles. ran my slowest time on the course. i think i've run the course 4 times. i ran 23:58 or so. i felt ok. but not strong at all. my legs felt very tired. it's a hilly course. i really like the course. but unfortunately my tiredness overall outweighted my toughness/love of the hills. i hung in for 8th place overall. the pack was within 20 seconds of me the entire time, i just couldn't turn it over and run w/the lead runners.
sunday:
ran on mt. tam w/a friend. it was a beautiful run. we ran out matt davis to the dipsea trail to coastal to pantoll to boot jack camp out along the ridge and back down to mt. home inn. it was a beautiful morning. the first half of the run my legs were very tired. i feel like i'm getting a cold. i just had a hard time breathing and my legs felt heavy. the second half of the run i felt much better overall. ran for 68:33.
Posted by liz at 09:59 PM | Comments (1)