Big Dance is one week!!!

It's my final Sunday before the Honolulu Marathon. I thought this day would never come and suddenly it's here!!!  I am still in totally EXCITED mode but will soon be in total freak out mode for sure!!!

The plan from here on out is to try and stay HEALTHY, relaxed, and to figure out our plan for Sunday morning.  Running with 35,000 others on a tiny planet is sure to spell HEADACHE!!!

For my final Sunday Training Run the plan was to get an early start, park at Ala Moana then run the start of the Honolulu Marathon Route to Kapiolani Park.  In all my training I have yet to run this route.  I was supposed to get up at 4:30 am, leave the house by 5:15 and start running at 6:00 am to get to the park by 7:30.  It's about a 7 mile run.  

Well, due to a long family day yesterday I snoozed twice and by the time hubby and I were on our way we were already behind schedule.  

This was hubby's first run back since injury the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  We weren't sure how he would hold up.  Turns out he did pretty well, however, our pace was a good 1:30-2:00 per mile off our normal pace and we were way behind schedule. So, I had to abandon my plan of running the first 1/3 of the route and we jumped in the car, skipping the two miles between Ala Moana and Kapiolani Park and drove to our destination.

At 7:30 Dr. Scaff, founder of the Honolulu Marathon Clinic, and author of, "Your First Marathon — The Last Word in Long-Distance Running" would be giving his annual talk about preparing for the marathon.  I am sooo glad that I went as I learned a lot about nutrition leading up to race day and things to do to make my finishing picture look super awesome!!!  Hearing Dr. Scaff talk was very inspiring and encouraging and was exactly what I needed to hear this morning!  I am so glad we made it.

After his talk I decided to conquer Diamond Head one last time and set off running up the great hill.  My plan is to be mentally tough about own this hill as ascending it at mile 24 will be sure to be a challenge.  I ran up the hill hard, down the hill nice, turned around, and ran back up the hill hard again.  During this run I saw Gladys, the woman in her 90's who holds the record for oldest female Marathon completer, and Daniel Dae Kim!!!!  With that done, I felt a little more ready for next Sunday!!!

With 8.5 miles done today it was time to have  a nice breakfast and we joined our favorite running couple to fuel our bodies.  

Tomorrow is December!!!

I cannot believe that tomorrow is December.  December holds so much significance for me.  For one, Christmas is my favorite holiday.  It seems that the world is so much happier at Christmas time. The malls are open late, it's okay to shop all the time, there's get togethers with family and friends, and the main focus is giving to others.  I love giving gifts that put smiles on other's faces.  I love spending time with people I love. I love seeing houses decorated.  And now that I am a mom, I love making Christmas time special for my kids.

Aside from Christmas December also signifies and end and a beginning.  It is a time to reflect upon all that has happened throughout the year, to look at where you were, what you have become, and where you want to go next.  Every year in December I think about the goals I set at the beginning of the year and whether I flaked on them or worked hard on them.  Once this assessment has been done, it's time to set new goals to create resolutions for January.

I have found that in my old age I have been much better about creating goals and working to achieve them.  This December is especially exciting for me because it's the climax of all the goals I set for myself 11 months ago and the anticipation that I may be able to achieve them.

My 3 main goals for 2012 were:

• Run at least a mile for every day of the year
• Run 1212 miles total for the year
• To complete the Honolulu Marathon

I have one month to make these goals a reality.  I have worked very hard all year, committed myself, made sacrifices and have become an entirely different person than I was 11 months ago.  To be able to look back at how far I have come and to realize that it was my determination that made it all possible is pretty amazing.

As November closes, and I stare 26.2 miles in the face I cannot help but be crazy excited.  Bring it December!!!!!

You're not in Oregon any more!

Tonight's run has to be one of the most comical runs ever. I wasn't feeling it tonight even though I had 6 on my schedule. The fact that I had already run my 1 mile for the 2012 running streak also served to quell any inspiration to run.   So, I got in bed all freezing cold and snuggled under the covers.  After a few minutes guilt got the best of me so I changed into my running clothes. Since I was so cold I put on: compression sleeves, Luluemon Dance Studio Pants, Lululemon Long Sleeve Swiftly, and a running vest over it. I was cold and didn't really expect to run long. A few miles would get rid of the guilt.  I ran out the door without any gels or water which I always bring when I run long since I have issues with blood sugar levels. My body and feet were also still sore from Power Yoga and the hole I stepped in.  I planned on taking it nice and slow and easy.  Out at night, it was so peaceful and it was the serenity I had been craving all day.  I felt good physically the first 2 miles so I decided to run 4. I was chugging along nice and easy but at 2.5 I thought I was going to pass out from heat! I was sweating so bad with all the clothes so I stopped and took off the puffy vest. I bunched it up like a football and ran with it tucked under my arm like a running back.  At mile 3 I was sure I was going to get heat stroke so I stopped, took off the long sleeve, tied it around my waist and put the vest on over my sports bra. I laughed at the idea of running in just the bra because even in the darkness it could turn a human to stone.  I also thought about either calling the hubby to pick up my clothes and bring me a tank and shorts or ditching the clothes behind a bush and picking them up on my way home.  But I'm not that dumb, it's Lulu after all!   At mile 3.5 I stopped and pulled up the legs of my pants as high as I could. My legs were sweating so bad and I scolded myself for not wearing boogie shorts or something under the pants.  But, at this point although I was sweltering I decided to run 5. At mile 4.5 when I was really close to home I saw a huge pitbull running around loose. I stood there and watched it, not sure what to do. Chance it or not?!! I thought about every option, wondered whether I could out run the dog.  With the luck I was having I knew I didn't have luck on my side so I turned around and took the long way. Somehow I ended up with the 6 miles I was supposed to do and a whole load of stinky soaking wet sweaty clothes! Even a nutty run is better than the best day working!!!

Honolulu Marathon Clinic Turkey Trot 11.22.12

Woke up this morning and my running partner was limping.  Apparently he was running in a Turkey Trot with the highschoolers and stepped in a hole.  His foot is a mess and it doesn't look good. I am not a happy camper.

I tried not to let this throw me off and went out to run anyway.  I arrived at Kapiolani Park and was excited to see how many people turned out for this little low key run on Thanksgiving morning!  Some peeps were dressed up in costumes and I saw many familiar faces.  When it was time to predict my time on my popsicle stick I wrote 1:37.41. I came up with this number by looking at my previous times for similar length races and with the help of the mcmillan calculator:

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/calculator

After using the bathroom I met up with our favorite running couple Glenda and Clyde then enjoyed the opening festivities, including a fabulous a capella song created just for this Turkey Trot race.

The race was put on by the Honolulu Marathon Clinic which is the group we've trained with for the marathon.  More info about this wonderful group here:

honolulumarathonclinic.org

The premise of this non-race event is that the mistakes you make in your first 10 miles of a marathon haunt you in the last 16.  Thus, running at your pace without the aid (maybe crutch, maybe devil on your shoulder) of gps watches/timers, etc is stressed.

I very rarely run without my Garmin or Runkeeper, and in fact I put my watch on when I was getting ready this morning then remembered that I wasn't supposed to use it!!!  Since I have been working and training hard and making vast improvement each week I wasn't really sure what my pace would be and with the marathon two weeks away I am not really sure what pace I should be running.  So when the cannon went off (and I screamed) I took off running just trying to be in sync with my body.

It was weird not knowing my pace but since the route was familiar I knew what mileage I was at at pretty much the entire race. It was nice to be running on my marathon route yet again and to have more practice on the Diamond Head hills.  Being that I just ran my Half Marathon here a few days ago I felt pretty confident.  I was also happy that the heaviness from the Half that I felt in my legs in my last few runs seemed to have disappeared.  By mid race, looking around I saw many of the same faces that I usually run with at all of the other races and I knew I must've been close to the pace I had put down (9:42).  When we were about 3 miles out near Kahala Beach Park I got to talking with the other runners and they all said that they put down their times in the 1:35-1:38 range.  Again it was a good validation for my prediction.

At Triangle Park, the two mile to finish line mark I mentally prepared for the hill. In a "real" race this is where I would begin to increase pace.  I reminded myself that the  idea was to stay even and in tempo and I pulled back.  At the base of the hill I put it into gear and ran hard. Once at the top I cruised down nice and steady and headed to Kapiolani Park.   As I made the turn toward the Finish Line I told myself to hang on and take it easy.  At this point I honestly wasn't sure if I was ahead or behind.  As I passed the line and handed my popsicle stick to a volunteer I heard that my time was 1:35.45.  I was excited at my great time (9:34 pace) and thought it was pretty cool to be only 2 minutes off!! However, when I talked to other friends I was stunned to learn that Korwin was only 1 second off and Nikki only 2 seconds off.  CRAZY!!!!!

All in all I was pretty happy with the way I ran today.  I didn't run at race pace and was easily able to sustain a 9:34 pace for double digits.  It does put a kink in my Marathon strategy and I will have to really think things through.

This was a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving.  I was able to eat all day with no guilt, get my exercise out of the way nice and early, and be with people who shared my love of running! Same time same place 2013!!!

True Love

November 16, 2012 was a milestone day.  It marked 25 years since the day hubby asked me to be his girlfriend.  Call me a giddy little school girl but I still remember the moment and the events that led up to it like it was yesterday!!!

It was my sophomore year and my math teacher, Mr. Matsunaga arranged his seating in alphabetical order by last name.  Pila...Padilla. I was stuck next to the football player.  Not so smart, he's a junior, I am sophomore and math is my worst subject...do the math. He was never ever prepared, would copy my work off my desk and was always fooling around.  A total clown, a star football player.  Of course I fell hard.

I was crushing on him forever and somehow it was the Homecoming dance.  I was waiting all night for him to ask me to dance and when it was finally the last song of the night he asked me to dance at the exact same time as another guy (that I had been crushing on all of 7th grade).  I said yes to him of course and it was all down hill from there.

I have no idea what song it was or what dancing with him for the first time was like but when the song ended and the lights went on he turned around and walked away.  Tpyical high school boy....and it gets more typical from there.

The next evening I got a call from a bunch of guys.  Hubby and his friends on the phone calling to find out what I thought of him.  I played it cool, beat around the bush and hung up.  I was sooo nervous for math the next day.

What did I do at school? Well, what any other 15 year old girl would do.  I ignored him the best I could.  Looked the other way in Math and didn't say a single word.  Oh, buy I was dying inside!

It was time for soccer practice and wouldn't you know, my soccer team and his football team shared the same field.  CRAZY!!!!  It was a rainy practice and I was covered in mud and a mess.  When it ended I went to the locker room to get ready to go home.  As I left I looked up and there he was standing by the  coke machine by the tennis courts.  He motioned for me to come over and I shyly did.  "Eh, you like go with me?"  He asked.

"I guess so," I replied and booked it outta there.  Ahhhh...true highschool love!!!

That first year was a typical highschool relationship.  Stops and starts.  Fights.  Proms.  Jealousy.  Somewhere in that year I drew him a picture of us in the future.  You see, I was certain I was going to marry him one day.  It would be me, him, a boy, a girl, a house with a swing set and a german sheperd for our pet.

Like most young love we were broken up more than we were together but somehow always found our way back.  We tried long distance when he was in college and I in highschool and again when we were both in college in the mainland, he in California, and I in Oregon.  But, by my junior year I had had enough and one night I called him on the phone, played Wilson Phillip's, "Release Me" and left him forever.

I escaped to Spain that year to rid myself of him for good and when I got back my best friend called me to tell me he was getting married.  I remember that call vividly and can still feel the hallow pain in my heart when she told me.  I thought I was over him and had no idea why it hurt so much.

So, I did what any other 21 year old would have done and threw myself into life with wild abandon.  His loss, right?!  Look at me, I am having way too much fun to get married!  And anyway, I can find another guy, stat!!!!

*********

Fast forward 9 years.  My mom and I had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen at Ala Moana and I had too much Diet Pepsi.  I am flying home on the highway at 90 miles per hour and she yells at me to pull over and use the bathroom. I have no idea why but I end up at Sport's Authority to use the bathroom.  As I am leaving I see him entering.  My heart is beating a million beats per minute.  I don't know what to do.  I call a friend of mine and she tells me to go back inside and find him.  I do.  It's like time has never left us.  I am feeling the same flutter in my tummy that I have always felt around him.  I am not sure how long we're talking in the store but I leave with his number and he with mine.


**********

Everything happens for a reason and sometimes things are meant to be.  Somehow I have ended up with my soulmate and love of my life.  It is never easy but it is always passionate.  He is my missing piece and my partner in life.   True love....

Marathon Readiness Series: Val Nolasco Half Marathon 11.18.12

After last month's disappointing cancelled race that we did not get reimbursed for or credited for I was really jonesing for a race!  The last race in the Marathon Readiness Series was a Half Marathon on a route I had run in May and which would be the middle section of our Marathon in 20 something days.  How exciting!!!

To be quite honest I have been suffering somewhat of a burn out the last month. Between stress, the heat, and mommy responsibilities I had been slacking on the week day training runs.  In anticipation of Sunday's race I made sure I got in an 8 mile run and a 6 mile run during the week.  The runs gave me the confidence I needed going into the race.

Normally I would come up with a pacing strategy for my races but for this one I didn't want to commit. With the marathon so close I didn't want to push too hard and I also thought that maybe rather than race I should practice my marathon pace (10 minutes per mile).  But, being competitive it's always hard not to try and improve on anything.  This would be my 4th Half Marathon.  I ran my first in 2:13, my 2nd on this course in 2:11 back in May, and my 3rd in September at 2:07.  Could I do better?  Did I need to do better?  Would my spotty training show?  And what was I going to wear?!!!

Well, hubby took care of the racing outfit, thank goodness.  The cutie pie got me a "Love Red" skirt from Lulu for our 25th dating anniversary.  The red is such a happy color and looks great with yellow.  Of course I had to get matching compression sleeves and everything else (see below).

With cute outfit set, I felt a little better.  Call me crazy but I run best when I feel cute!  Haha.  Silly girl, I know.  But whatever works.  Since we were low on funds we opted to do our carb loading dinner at home and I re-created my favorite Bravo's pre-race meal.  Pasta (whole wheat at home) with spinach, artichokes, asparagus, and chicken.

I was able to get to bed early for once.  Thankfully the tired kids went to bed on time and I took a muscle relaxer for my sore back and conked out at 9:00 pm.  

We woke up early and got to the race way too early, 4:20 am!!  It was windy and chilly but luckily the rain that had poured all week did not show up.  We chilled and waited for the start.  We were happy to see one of our favorite running couples C and G and talk story with them.  Always good to ease fears and nerves!!!

Mike and I got up close to the front of the line.  We don't usually get up front but for whatever reason for this one we did.  When the horn sounded the crowd moved and it was tight.  There were about 1800 runners for this race.  We moved along with the crowd and tried to get a good position.  The crowd was moving pretty fast and we settled into a pace that was quicker than our normal start.  We are very slow starters and it usually takes us a few miles to warm up and settle into a comfort pace.  As we rounded the turn and headed toward Diamond Head (the dreaded hill) I felt my lungs tighten up.  I attributed it to the cold air and vog and tried to push it out of my mind.  As we began our incline up the hill I told myself to hold it in this gear and not to let up.  I made it up the hill, no problem and just kept pushing on.

In most races I check my pace constantly but for the first half of the race I barely did. I saw that we were at about a 10 minute pace and was fine with it.  If we were able to sustain 10 minute pace for the entire 26.2 of the marathon we'd be in great shape.  10 minute miles are our FRIEND!!!

I ran along the route that I know by heart without really thinking.  I drank Gatorade and water and took my first gel at the 6 mile mark (gas station).  I didn't feel any pain in my feet, didn't feel tired, was just in a zone and running.  I just kept telling myself to run strong and not let up.  As we entered Kalanianaole Highway the pace motorcycle approached. This is part of the race I love!  Seeing the leaders coming down the stretch.  I looked for familiar faces, and especially Brigette who is usually the first woman.  She really inspires me.  To see a woman who is in her 40s like me me, a mom, a woman who has known hard times running fast and easy is a shot of adrenaline!!  When I saw her it pushed me to run hard.  Running down the highway I saw a lot of friends and cheered them on if I made eye contact.  

The turn around came very fast and as I glanced at my Garmin I saw that a PR was in reach.  At the halfway point we were just over an hour.  I didn't want to worry about PRs so I just kept pushing at the pace I was and told myself not to let down.  After the turn we saw more friends and it made me smile.

As we exited the highway I got myself mentally ready.  This stretch through Kahala is never an easy one for me.  I get bored at the monotony, the heat is killer, and the incline a bitch.  I tried to block all of that out and just focus on running hard.  I reminded myself that I was feeling strong, had no fatigue, no aches and pains (I love my Feetures socks, makes a world of difference), and that I run this route all the time.  I got this!  I own this!!!

I have to mention that this is usually where I lose hubby on most races but he was keeping up pace for pace and running strong.  I kept asking him if he was okay and he was looking really good.  That also helped me not let up as well.  

Before I knew it we were to our last hill. I looked at my watch and knew that if I were to keep this pace I would have a new PR.  I wasn't quite ready to run hard to break 2 hours so I told myself to keep an even pace and finish strong.  Hubby and I killed the last big hill. I usually ditch him on this hill but we both ran up super strong, passing people as we ran.  When we got to the top we flew down.  Quads were feeling super strong and minimal impact was put on the knees and feet.  When we got to Kapiolani Park to finish the last half mile we were doing great and ran in strong.  Admittedly I didn't have the kick that I normally have at the last half mile but I attribute that to the fact that I ran strong and hard for all 13 miles and I was okay with that.  Hubby and I sprinted in hard and crossed the line together.  2:05 baby!!!!  PR by 2 minutes for Half Marathons and by 6 minutes for this course!!!!

ELATION!!!!!

After the race we talked story with friends then had a fattening breakfast and Big City Diner.  I told hubby how proud I was of his race and began talking to him about goals for next year.  :)  Not sure if he is "all in" or what at the moment but I am sure I can convince him to run faster and farther next year.  

As we approach our first marathon I am excited. I have worked hard for this all year and am ready for the Big Dance.  This year of races with friends and my soulmate has exceeded all expectations. I am not the same person I was a year ago and I am proud of myself, my hubby, and all of my friends who have come such a long way.  The hard work has been done and from here on out it's time to stay healthy and ENJOY!!!!!