Flyin

Look at how high in the air she is! She was flying and I was hanging on for dear life! We were both watching the finish line clock, pushing hard to make the 30 minute mark.
We hit the finish at 29:49

Walnut Festival 5k, 2011

Just popping in to say it was a great morning!
I will do a full recap later when results are posted and I can see how things played out, but as of right now I can report that I had another 29 minute run....the big news is that it was along side Emma!! I hit the turn around and headed back and saw Em about 30 people behind me, maybe 30 seconds back. I was so surprised to see her that close, it was not a hard decision to pull off the side and wait for her. What's 30 or so seconds in the grand scheme of things, anyway?? I knew she was on track to break 30 minutes, and I wanted to be with her when it happened! Once we were together, she gave me a run for my money!! Both girls blew last years times out of the water, and one of the kids got to go up on the podium to receive her age division medal in the awards ceremony! (the other kid got to pick a special lunch spot - Cheesecake Factory, so both girls won!)
And, I take back what I said about this being a "small, hometown race"....that can no longer be said. All the fast locals were out in full force, including the local running groups and teams. For those of you who know Brian C. (the super fast dude who wins all the brazen 10ks), he had a strong run finishing pretty far ahead of anyone else in his predictable 34 minutes. The Forward Motion team took most all the top spots. It was a fast day, and a large race. I saw a few Brazen shirts in the crowd, too!!
There were some timing issues as they were using a new system. It added about 30 seconds to our times on the results, however my watch and the clock at the finish line were perfectly in sync, so that is what we are going with. I will post results, rankings, and pictures, once I see them.

Goals for Tomorrow

Sometimes I like to see things in writing, helps me to visualize.
Here are a few goals that will play out tomorrow morning -
Sophie is aiming for under 47 minutes.
Emma is aiming for under 33 minutes.
Papa is aiming to push Sophie to have her meet her goal w/o making her cry. Its all about being encouraging while pushing her past what she thinks is her limit...that is his job for tomorrow. Last year I had this duty w/Em, who wanted to hit 30 minutes, you can read about last years WC 5k here.
Beth's (that's me) goal is under 29 minutes, above 9th in her AD.
The families goal is to help Myles have fun and feel included in the excitement.
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I am wondering how many of you visualize your race? Do you study course maps and where aid stations are so you can use that as a gauge as to where you are on the course? For instance, I know that tomorrow, when I reach the aid station, I am at 1.8 miles, just a hair over half way. When I reach the turn around I am near 2.3 miles and have under a mile left. When I come back to the aid station, I have to turn left in front of oncoming runners, then it's 2 super fast right turns and the finish. I have it broken down into sections, know that at at the start of each section I need to re-evaluate and make sure I am still pushing as hard as possible, try to surge again at the start of each new section. Sounds like a lot of work and stress....but its not, that's just how my mind works when I am attempting to reach a goal and am not running w/a kid. No music or camera with me tomorrow on the course. I have been finding myself running to the beat, whether it's fast or slower. Don't want that distraction tomorrow.

Ok, well, I feel better now....on w/the evening!

(you know, this whole blogging thing is really for me to get things out of my head....but I appreciate those of you who do read it!)

Pictures, I know, I know.....

Yeah, still haven't gotten up the vaca pictures, but soon, I promise!
I have been busy getting into a groove that does not involve as much computer time!
It has involved two 5 milers, an 8 miler, and 3 Jillian M. workouts ( and a house scrubing from top to bottom)!!! I know that used to be a normal week for me, but it hasn't' been for a while, and it felt great!! Also, lots of water drinking and lean eating!
Last night we picked up our race packets for the WC Festival 5k this Sunday. To my delight, it seemed that most people were picking up bibs for the 10k, not the 5k. Yes, I am still rooting for less competition in my age division. Lets face it, the smaller the race field, the better chance I have. At least I am honest. I will actually be happy with just finishing with a faster time than my Summer Breeze time. So my 1st goal- faster then 29 min....2cd goal - better than 9th in AD, preferably in top 3. To be totally up front, this is a small, home town run. The serious runners do the 10k. Last year, 75% of the 5kers were walkers, if not more.....so if I'm ever going to stand a chance, this is the run. But, the reality is it only takes 3 ladies in the 30-34 division who are faster than me, though. Whatever goals I set, I know I always give 110% anyway, regardless of the outcome, and that is what makes a good race for me.
In other news, I picked up a Fuel Belt for the upcoming Diablo half. We had one already that holds two large water bottles and has a large pocket, but I wanted us both to have the ability to carry as much water as possible w/o going the Camel Back route. So, although not a flattering look and it's not my favorite thing to have a fuel belt strapped around my waist, it is somewhat comfortable, and I know I will have water and fuel with me. NTL pointed out that there are two 5 mile sections w/no aid stations, one on the climb up, and the same stretch on the way back down. It is an exposed section, so if we have no cloud cover, it bakes.
One of the reasons we love full marathons is the fear/anticipation/anxiety/excitement of what the day holds and how it will all play out.....I can honestly say I have all those feelings about this upcoming half. It is a completely knew type of race for us. 3420 ft is a lot of elevation gain! It will be an interesting day!!
Keep checking the photo site, I promise to try and get the pics up today!
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Pictures are posting now, there are 540, so it'll take about 5 minutes to get them all up.

We're Back! (with an added PS)

We had a great time at Disneyland! We were able to hit all the rides at least once before the park got really packed on Monday. Saturday we had the 5k go right by the hotel, and Sunday we had the half marathon go right down the road our hotel was on. Both started very early with the music being pumped through the area starting at 5 a.m. I will say that I have never seen as big, pretty, or shiny a medal as the Disney Half medal!! It was a beauty. The 5k "medal" on the other hand....well it was foam. Really, it was like a cheap, plastic foam key chain pretending to be a medal. Registration for these Disney races is not cheap and that "medal" was a piece of....well lets just say if it ever came to our house to hang on our medal hook, it would have serious Brazen medal envy!!
It was hard to be there this weekend and see so many runners, walking around w/their race shirts on and medals, and not be a part of it. I have never seen so many Brooks, Mizunos, Sauconys, and Nikes, or fit people (lets be honest, the Disney crowd, well, not known for being athletic in stature) in that park all at once. It was pretty cool.
The kids had a blast, although Myles has developed some ride fear that we aren't used to. He's been going on these rides since he was one, and to be honest, it was annoying. I know I'm a mom and not supposed to say that, but it was. We made him go on everything once, and if he was still terrified, then he didn't have to anymore. One of us sat out or found something else for him to do. Unfortunately, Pirates and Big Thunder were on the scary list. So was World of Color.....after paying $80 for lunch to get good seating for the show, waiting an hour for it to start, and holding him on my shoulders for 15 minutes so he could see....he decided he needed to go potty. He was scared. I'm sure its a phase....please let it be a phase!!
So we are home now and determined to establish some sort of a routine. Things have been pretty hectic/chaotic w/Brian being home since August 1st. My daily routine has been out the window, including workouts and running. I used to have a set schedule that was not negotiable. If something was on the schedule, it happened. Well, I am making it a priority to re-establish the schedule and the mentality it takes to make it happen.
Today I ran 5 with 'the Beast' (if she ever reads this blog and realizes I refer to her as that, she will probably not love it, but I mean it in the best way possible). She is amping up mileage for Portland Marathon in October. I also did my Jillian workout, and to be totally honest it has been a long time since I have done it and it was hard. I know it will come back fast if I stick to it, though.
We have the Walnut Creek Run for Education this Sunday morning before meeting. Hoping its faster than Summer Breeze was, but we will see.
If you've been wondering where the Long Beach pic on the side went, well we dropped that full. The kids are still doing the kids run, and Brian will attack the half marathon, so it's still a go, just not the full. It's just too close to San Fran and neither of us felt ready to amp up training again.
Other than that, nothing on the calendar. We need to get on that. I'm thinking CIM, or maybe Napa again??? Or maybe making a huge switch and doing a trail 26.2, focus on the beauty and the distance, throw time out the window??? Sounds great to me!!
I should have Disney pics up tonight or tomorrow on the photo site.

-PS-------------------------
After reading NTL's comment below, I quickly registered us for the Coastal Trail Run's Diablo Half Marathon Sep 17th. Quickly because if one takes the time to think logically, registering for it would not happen. She sports 3,420 feet of elevation gain, and what goes up must come down, people......that means some serious quad thrashing.
Seriously, though, we have had our eye on this beast for a while. It is in our back yard, we could run to the start from home (although that would be stupid considering the course), and its just too close to not do it.

Mission - Pack

Secretly packing with a 4.9 year old in the house requires skills I probably should not posses.
You know, like sneaking around, lying, hiding things, planning elaborate schemes to keep him occupied and work around him. Maybe watching Spy Kids 100 times paid off!
He thinks Brian just left with Kona to drop him off for a hair cut, but really he's heading to the kennel. He thinks I just started collecting Disney greeting cards, but really inside the card it says "We are going to Disneyland", and Sophie will be reading it after school today. He thinks my room must be really messy because I have been in there cleaning all day, but really I've been packing. He thinks I keep a bag of his favorite food next to my bed and wont share any with him, but its really the kids favorite treats that we keep in the hotel for snacks. He thinks Brian and I really like listening to the 50th Anniversary Disney music disc because we really really love to sing The Tiki Room song and It's a Small World while driving the girls to school in the morning, but really....oh, wait....we actually do love to do that.
4 hours left of pretending I don't actually love sneaking around in my own house, then we blast off!

Running Pictures - Summer Breeze 5k

I finally found us in the thousands of pictures the awesome Brazen volunteers took!
Not hard to find Emma, she's always right in the front of the pack. She is wearing my blue top.
I was about 20 people back from the start and thought she was behind me, I didn't realize she was ahead of me!
No fear.

I love this one above of her and the lady next to her sizing each other up, too cute!

Above is our family with my mom (in pink) and a friend/sister/runner.

I realized from the above pictures that Soph and I make the same face when we are tired : )
And also that my husband has amazing legs!

I thought maybe I got off this run w/o any photos being captured, but nope, they got me at the finish.
Dead tired and afraid of passing out before I crossed the finish.
Nice.
(for those new to the site, I am not the strong runner in blue w/the great stride. I am the tired lady in pink behind her.)

There you have it, Summer Breeze in pictures!

We are heading out of town for the long weekend. We will be here, although it is sold out, so just cheering, no running. The kids don't know.(Em knows but has managed to keep the secret so far)
Because I am a nice blogger and want you to feel some of the happiness...here's a little ditty to get stuck in your head:

"Its a small world after all, It's a small world after all, It's a small world after all, Its a small, small world".

You know you are still singing in your head : )