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Archive for February, 2013

My 13.1 Mile Virtual Run for Sherry

Posted in Inspiration, Running, tagged , , , , , on February 9, 2013| 5 Comments »

For today’s Second Annual Virtual Run for Sherry, runners from across the United States and various other countries run together in spirit to remember Sherry Arnold, the 43-year-old mother of two who was abducted and killed while on an early morning run in 2012.

Before I headed out the door on my run, my 10-year-old snapped this photo of me:

Ready with my virtual race bib on.

Ready with my virtual race bib on.

After yesterday’s thunderstorms and HAIL, today the weather smiled on my run with sunny skies and about 50 degrees in Southern California. Everything came together and I had the best run I’ve had since the Santa Barbara International Marathon last November. This is the end of week 1 of my training for the Mountains to Beach Marathon, and my Run Less, Run Faster training schedule called for 13 miles at 9:05 pace. About three miles into my run, another runner caught up with me and paused to chat. He paid me what I consider the ultimate compliment by asking, “Are you training for a marathon?” LOVE IT when another runner recognizes me as a peer! This guy had run the Long Beach Marathon in 3:19 and was training to go for a 3:15 BQ at Los Angeles in March. He looked in great shape for it and I told him so before he picked up his pace again. We met again around mile 10 of my run and talked training plans. What a joy to encounter a fellow runner and encourage each other along the way!

Sherry, these miles are for you.

Sherry, these miles are for you.

I finished the run in just under 2 hours, hitting an average pace of exactly 9:05 as planned! On my cool-down walk I called ahead to my husband and put in an order for hot chocolate (to be consumed in my recovery ice bath) and his signature egg sandwich (whole wheat bread, two fried eggs, avocado slices and melted Italian cheeses). I feel fantastic and I can’t help but get a little emotional when I think that participating in the Virtual Run for Sherry for my 13.1 miles had something to do with that. All I could think on my run today was: “I am so lucky to be here doing this.” I don’t take any moment for granted.

Did you run today? If you’re going out later, will you print and wear a bib for Sherry?

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SkiForFree.com Review

Posted in Family life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

After Mike and I started dating in high school, he taught me how to snow ski. Fast forward a whopping 24 years and now we have three daughters who ski with us. Yes, even the four-year-old, who was first on skis when she was two and skiing on her own by the time she was three.

Ballerina Skier rocks the slopes!

Ballerina Skier rocks the slopes!

That ladybug can really fly down the bunny hill!

That ladybug can really fly down the bunny hill!

For the past couple of years we’ve had annual ski passes for Snow Valley, but this year we decided to forgo the passes and spend the money on a bigger trip at a different resort (to be decided). We still like to go up for the occasional day at Snow Valley, and that’s how we got interested in SkiForFree.com (this is not a sponsored post). I was skeptical when I heard there was a place to get discount ski lift tickets for five different California ski resorts: Snow Valley, Mammoth, Homewood Mountain, China Peak and Mt. Baldy. Frankly, I thought it was a scam. After researching it further though, I discovered it’s legitimate. The only thing to be aware of is that the site charges an additional facility fee per ticket (last time I checked it was $5), and a ticketing fee ($3) so the total discount for Snow Valley is a little less than the stated 50% for weekend and holiday tickets or 60% for midweek, non-holiday tickets. You need a promo code to purchase the tickets. The promotion code can be found at the Ski For Free Facebook page (last I checked the promo code was “board”). If you want the best possible deal on discount ski tickets, make sure you compare prices first by checking the ski resort’s home page and Facebook page for any deals, and other discount ski ticket sites like Liftopia.com (which offers discounts at resorts around the United States and Canada — the tickets might be cheaper there (without charging facility or ticket service fees) but the catch is that the tickets are date-specific: you must buy them at least one day in advance and purchase them for a specific date, whereas Ski For Free tickets can be bought the same day and are good any weekend/holiday/weekday depending on the ticket type).

I found the Ski For Free website to be easy to navigate. I added the tickets to my order, paid by credit card, and printed out the receipts for the tickets. I took those receipts along with my photo ID and credit card to the ticket booth at the resort and had no trouble redeeming the receipts for lift passes for a weekend day. For four tickets (my youngest daughter skis for free), we saved about $74.

My four-year-old and Mike on the ski lift at Snow Valley.

My four-year-old and Mike on the ski lift at Snow Valley.

Do you snow ski? Have you ever tried SkiForFree.com or any other discount ski ticket site?

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How I Ended up Back in the Pool

Posted in Marathon, Swimming, Triathlon, tagged , , , , , on February 6, 2013| 3 Comments »

During the last two and a half months of “off-season” I’ve been following a loose plan of running three days per week and cross-training at least two other days. During triathlon season, my cross-training would consist of a mix of swimming and cycling. Ever since the Nautica Malibu olympic distance triathlon though, I’ve wanted a break from swimming. Maybe it was all the work I did on open water swimming, but I simply burned out on spending time in the water. What is an off-season for if not to recharge and ready oneself to get back to training as usual?

Me entertaining myself with the old cell-phone-photo-in-the-mirror trick, showing you how my Nautica Malibu tri cap happens to match my favorite TYR reversible swimsuit.

Me entertaining myself with the old cell-phone-photo-in-the-mirror trick, showing you how my Nautica Malibu tri cap happens to match my favorite TYR reversible swimsuit.

Somehow, fate conspired to get me back into the water. Last week I helped my fifth grader get ready for her “Famous American” oral report on Clara Barton (founder of the American Red Cross). My daughter and I shopped at the thrift store for a long skirt in keeping with the Civil War era clothing. She tried on several skirts with a white blouse we also found on the rack. I asked her if we should buy the white shirt too, but she insisted she had a blouse at home already. “Does it still fit you? Do you know where it is?” Yes, yes. In reality? No, no. That’s how, the day before the report was due, I found myself back at the thrift store, plunking down $3 for that darn white blouse.

What does all that have to do with swimming? Well, the outdoor pool is just down the road from the thrift store. If I was going to drive to that part of town, I might as well stop in at the pool. Fate had spoken: Angela, GET IN THE WATER. So I did. And it felt great! Outdoor swimming in the winter in California can be a fun treat (really!) The weather was sunny and in the 70s, but cool enough that the pool water felt warmer than the air so it was easy to jump in the pool. I made up my own swim set for a simple 40-minute workout:

Angela’s Don’t Get Bored in the Pool, Completely Random Swim Set

200 yards freestyle
200 yards breaststroke
200 yards backstroke
200 yards freestyle kick with kickboard
repeat above
plus 1 lap your choice to make it a full swim mile (33 laps).

I swam at a leisurely pace with no rest intervals in between. I suppose I should start throwing some speed work in to my swim workouts sometime soon. I don’t have a triathlon on my calendar right now but I do like to stay in shape in the pool. I plan to start picking from some of these 50 Swim Workouts. That requires printing out the workout and putting the paper in a Ziploc bag so it doesn’t get wet poolside, but I trust that someday I will be organized enough to plan ahead and do just that!

Do you cross-train with swimming or train for triathlons? What’s your favorite workout in the pool?

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Peters Canyon Regional Park Trails

Posted in Running, Trails, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 5, 2013| 1 Comment »

Guess who is a happy happy girl when she gets to run on new-to-her trails! Last week I had to go to the dentist to get shiny clean teeth. A while back my dentist had the nerve to move his office away so it’s half an hour from my house. That drive is a giant pain in the patoot, but it presented an opportunity to try out some nearby trails at Peters Canyon Regional Park in Orange, California.

Peek-a-boo view of the lake on the Lake View Loop Trail

Peek-a-boo view of the lake on the Lake View Loop Trail

The wide dirt trails at Peters Canyon make for excellent beginner trail runs. I started out with the easy Lake View Trail, which provides nice views of both the lake and the mountains.

I just love the contrast of the palm tree with the view of snow on top of Mt. Baldy in the background!

I just love the contrast of the palm tree with the view of snow on top of Mt. Baldy in the background!

Soon I veered off onto Peters Canyon Trail and then linked up with the East Ridge View Trail and the Gnatcatcher Trail. “Easy” became “difficult” in a hurry!

You call that a hill? Just wait until to get to the top of the East View Ridge Trail!

You call that a hill? Just wait until you near the top of the East View Ridge Trail! Photo by OCParks_CA.

By the end of my meandering I had run 6.2 miles in 1:07. I love how hill work is another form of speed work, even when you’re not going very fast! Some of the hills along the East View Ridge Trail were so steep that I could walk up faster than I could run.

I would definitely go back to Peters Canyon Regional Park. Enough people utilize the trails on the middle of a weekday that I never felt unsafe. The beautiful lake and mountain views alternate with interesting views of the surrounding homes — I mean, mansions. Wow there are some spectacular estates tucked into Peters Canyon! Tip #1: bring double the amount of water you think you’ll need! The park entrance features two drinking fountains but the rest of the park does not have any water. With the exposed trail in sunny conditions, you can become dehydrated very quickly even in winter. I took 20 ounces of water in my bottle and should have carried another bottle. Tip #2: grab a park map at the entrance as the trails get a little confusing in spite of the trail signs. I took a nice unintentional detour on the Basin Trail. Tip #3: Parking costs $3 at the main entrance at the north end of the park, but if you park at the south end you can park for free on the street. Tip #4: bathrooms are located at the main park entrance and porta potties are available out on Peters Canyon Trail.

Do you run on trails? I haven’t done many trails but I find I love it when I get the chance! Question: At what point should I invest in trail running shoes? Do you have a brand that you recommend?

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January Miles and February Goals

Posted in Family life, Kids, Marathon, Miles Log, Running, Triathlon, tagged , , , , , on February 4, 2013| 7 Comments »

January represented the last month in the off-season for me. I took it relatively easy as I tried to heal from shin splints and an adductor magnus groin strain injury.

January Miles

Note that my triathlon training positively requires me to write up the miles in swim-bike-run order, followed by other miscellaneous workouts.

Swim: 1 mile in 40 minutes in 1 workout

Bike: 98.12 miles in 7.5 hours in 8 workouts

Run: 82.55 miles in 14 hours in 14 workouts

Weight training: 2.67 hours in 11 workouts <— That is a new personal record of strength training workouts in a month

Snow Skiing: 4.5 hours in 1 workout

House cleaning: 11 hours in 2 workouts <—- Not just your average light housework

Yardwork: 40 minutes in 1 workout <—- turning the compost and shoveling in the garden

If you count the one yardwork and two big housework days, that constitutes 28 workout days out of 31.

Random January Photo

My husband celebrated his 42nd birthday in January and I threw him a surprise party at our house. If you’re a loyal reader of this ol’ blog you know my philosophy on birthday cakes: grab any nearby children to help you decorate your homemade cake so that no matter how it turns out, it is “cute” and “fun” and, at a minimum, what could kindly be called “remarkable.”

Are you shocked that it only took me 30 minutes to shape, frost and decorate this cake? No? Come on, you know you want to hire me for all your future cake-baking needs.

Are you shocked that it only took me 30 minutes to shape, frost and decorate this cake? No? Come on, you know you want to hire me for all your future cake-baking needs.

Random fun fact of the day: the hole in a guitar is called a “sound hole.” If you want to be accurate in your cake decoration, the sound hole should be placed in the upper portion of the sound board. If you want children to help you make a sound hole out of yellow Smarties 15 minutes before the guest of honor is expected to arrive, then you let them put it wherever it fits on the cake. And then you order your guests to help cut yellow guitar “strings” out of licorice. Again, do not feel the need to be accurate in the number of strings that belong on a guitar (typically, six).

February Goals

Eat less cake.
Run the Brea 8K and earn a PR at that distance.
Start training for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon.
Do not injure myself (a perennial goal).

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Brea 8K 2012 Race Recap

Posted in Race reports, Racing, Running, tagged , , , , , on February 1, 2013| 1 Comment »

Brea 8K 2012 logoWith the 2013 Brea 8K coming up on Sunday, February 24, I’m flashing back to my experience at last year’s race. To give you some context, I’d been running for 11 months at that point. I was 40 years young. I’d done a few 5Ks, a sprint triathlon, and an Olympic distance triathlon. I had just started training for my first half marathon, and I was recovering from a groin strain injury in my right leg.

I went to bed at 10 p.m. and got up at 6 a.m. to get ready to race. I left the house at 7:15 and got there at 7:30 for an 8 a.m. start time, cutting it a little close given the line at the porta potties! But I had time to make it to the start line with a few minutes to spare and I happened to meet up with my half marathon running coach Stephanie. She is so nice. She chided me for running the full 6 training miles yesterday and said I only should have done two. 🙂 She also coached me on how to protect my pulled groin muscle from further injury — she told me not to lengthen my stride when I went up the hills — to keep my stride quick and short and not overtax that muscle. Good advice. I felt great during and after the race.

There were 4,500 people registered for the race [2,853 finishers I found out later] and even though I stood with the 7-8 minute mile starters, there were tons of walkers and beginning runners who stood there too and should not have been there. I did a lot of passing for the first two miles of the race. Frustrating. I made a mistake trying to pass someone too, totally my fault but she made me feel bad about it. She was listening to her music and couldn’t hear me overtaking her on the right, and while it’s my duty to keep out of her way as I overtook her, I thought she knew I was there. My bad. I said, “Sorry, sorry!” and she said, “Yeah you better be sorry.” I didn’t feel quite so sorry after that!

The course starts on a straightaway and makes a loop through a business district by the Brea Mall but then turns into the suburban neighborhood. There were some slight hills but I would not call the course challenging (aside from the fact that an 8K is 4.97 miles of course!) There were plenty of spectators and some funny official race sponsor signs.

I was cheered on by Mike and the girls. They showed up to surprise me on their way to go skiing for the day. First they drove by right around mile 2, and then they pulled over and stood on the sidelines to cheer for me. That was so nice! Mike saw a couple of his co-workers too.

My chip time was 41:55 for a pace of 8:21 per mile and an average 7.17 miles per hour. Not bad for an injured, tired woman!

Place overall: 689 of 2853
Gender place: 181 of 1618
40-44 Female division place: 17
Of 40-year-old females: 5th of 39
Of females from my city: 1st of 8 (hey, I’ve got to celebrate my “victories” where I can get them!)

At the end of the race someone called my name and I turned around to see Mike’s co-worker Jennifer. He didn’t even know she was running the race so I was surprised to see her there and so very glad I remembered her name. 🙂 We enjoyed the post-race food — quite the spread of vendors. I had a banana, oranges, water, a slice of BJ’s pizza and a small Jamba Juice strawberry-banana smoothie. I started to get really cold as the sweat evaporated off my running shirt, and I took that as my cue to drag myself away from all the free finish line goodies and head home.

All in all it was a great experience and I’m glad I signed up for the race again this year! Who’s in it with me? If you’re interested in the 2013 Brea 8K, take advantage of the 10% off discount code from the Race Grader coupon code page (scroll down to the Brea 8K entry and create a free Race Grader account if you do not already have one)!

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