Here We Go Again.

Hello World, I'm back. It's been awhile and life has gone on - in many directions. I'll have to play catch-up as I restart this telling of my running story. I'm going to have to go on a solo run to think about where to start - I do my best thinking that way and it will be an excuse to run alone. So, I'll be right back to get on with the story and fill in the gaps.

Beach Running!

Headed out for my beach run yesterday. It was a beautiful day; sunny, clear blue skies, warm but with that wonderful cooling breeze that comes in off the Pacific - my idea of perfect. I generally wear shoes or flops to run to the sands' edge, then slip them off and carry them across the deep sand. Yesterday I wore my running shoes so I sat on the bike trail curb to take off shoes and socks, then I did my best to jog to the water. As I approached I saw that it was high tide. Hmmm. I had planned on a longish run, but I knew that the tide would slow me down. Why? Because when it's high tide the sand near the water's edge is not the wonderfully firm yet giving surface that I adore, but rather a squishy foot-enveloping terrain that makes me smile, but also makes me work really hard for every mile.

So, as I was navigating through this part of the run, my mind began to wonder. I decided my beach runs were like a box of chocolates. You just never knew what you were going to get. At that point I heard an acquaintance's voice in my head, telling me I should start checking the tide charts before my runs. This also brought a grin to my face, as I recalled being at someone's house who offered chocolates as an after-dinner treat. Only, they had cut each chocolate in half so no one would be surprised by what was hidden inside the creamy exterior. I guess some people aren't as inspired and entertained by surprise as I am. I love not having everything planned and living in a rather serendipitous manner whenever possible.

So, my mileage was not as long as I had planned yesterday, but I got a terrific workout in - just a bit different than I had planned. But, like a box of chocolates, that was one of the best parts about these runs, and what keeps me coming back for more.

So, here's to beach runs and boxes of chocolate. You get what you get - enjoy it for what it is!

Sixty-Five-Year-Old Women!

Interesting thing about this relay.... before we started I met the only person on the team who I didn't already know - Wayne, Marco's boss. Well, Wayne and I seemed to hit it off immediately and when he heard I had run both Boston and New York he kept asking me questions about those races. When I was telling him about Boston and how, because I was coming back from injury I wasn't running at my BQ pace but was back with the 65 year-old women and 70-year-old men, he laughed. But then I kept going on about those da**ed 65-year-old women. They are amazing! They are fast and steady. There is always one in front of me during races who I think I'll over-take and then never do. Or, they breeze by me at mile 20. Dang them!! I also told him that I finally figured it out though. When I ran past the spot at mile 2 where the Boston Race director tried to remove Kathrine Switzer from the course in 1967 it dawned on me who these incredible 65-year-old women were. They were the Kathrine Switzers of their time. They were the ones who were running and racing despite people telling them they couldn't or shouldn't or mustn't. They were told they were too fragile, that those distances were for men, and that their uteruses would fall out. Really! These women were the ones who said too bad I'm doing it anyway. They were strong both physically and mentally. They knew they could, and they did!! I remember watching in 1984 when Joan Benoit won the first ever women's Olympic Marathon!! I was inspired! But I never, ever dreamed that one day, I too would run a marathon and join that group of women - not in speed, but in determination and perserverance.

Soooo, back to the relay. My first leg was paved, fairly flat with an over-all downhill grade, and sunny. I took off fast and held a sub-8 pace for the first mile. I felt good. There were two youngish girls in front of me who I thought I might be able to catch. Then, I heard someone behind me - gaining on me - figured it was some guy. No, it was a woman. She passed me easily and then I could see her grey bob hairdo and easy glide. She was 65 years old I'd bet! She had shifted into 6th and was just breezing past me. She passed the two young women with ease. Dang her! She was the only person to pass me.

When I came to the checkpoint and handed off our 'rock' to Elizabeth for the next leg, Wayne was the first of our group to walk up to me to say good job and such. After I caught my breath I told him that only one person passed me..... a 65-year-old woman!! We both laughed and shook our heads.

Here's to the 65-year-old women who opened the doors for women like me!! I'll just smile now when they breeze by me in races - but in my heart I'll be thanking them and hoping that one day I will find my 6th gear too. Maybe when I'm 65.

R2R 2010

After what seemed like nine months of constant rain, I woke up Saturday to silence. No rain on the roof. That was a good sign. By the time I had finished getting ready for the day, it was beginning to get light out. Not the grey dimness that we had become accustomed to, but a real brightness. It was clear skies out there. As I stopped at the light to turn onto the main street, Mount Rainier was showing off. She was perfectly silhouetted by the sun and surrounded by a vivid blue sky. One of her flanks was that bright pink that is only seen during perfect sunrises and sunsets. What a good sign that this was going to be a great day.

I was to pick up Dan at 5:30 and I arrived at 5:20. After a few last items were throw into his bags, we were off and headed toward the mountain. We had to stop at South Prairie for the pre-race checkin and instructions (they weren't sure until that morning whether they'd have to re-route the second leg because all this rain has greatly raised the level of the creek there). After that Dan and I headed to the start - past Carbanado. His race was to start at 7:30 so we had plenty of time. Temperature at the start was 38. Right before the race started he began to verbalize having seconds thoughts about his ability to run this thing. I did my best to convince him that he was ready, and that it was just a mind game at that point. Reminded him that the weather was perfect, and we had been escorted by a Bald Eagle for a portion of our drive out. Both good signs. We went over his bag drop preps and the fact that there were other runners out there who would be going his pace. Got him out there and took a few "before" pictures. The mood of the runners was good! They toed the line, the bell rang, and they were off.

My relay team showed up soon after the 50-milers started and our race started about an hour later. I was 5th leg so I had plenty of time. By the time my leg came around I had changed into shorts and the unshaded parts of my run were going to be hot. Nice!! Before my leg started though, I was able to meet Dan as he came in to the checkpoint at South Prairie (where my leg was) and I changed his shoes, socks, and shirt and got him going again. My handoff was 15 minutes or so after he left. I kept an 8:32 pace for my 5.2 mile run. I wish I could have done better (it was downhill most of the way) but I ran as fast as I could. I passed Dan midway, which meant we handed off at the next checkpoint before he arrived. We would stay ahead of him from here on out. His wife and kids were at the checkpoint three miles farther down the trail so I didn't feel too bad missing him there.

My next leg, #11, was on the access road next to Levee Road - down by the river. It's a sand surface there but it was pretty packed down from the rain. The problem was going to be the mud puddles that went from one side of the 'road' to the other. It's like a wide ditch down there and there was no alternative but to head straight through the water. If I kept to the center, the water was only up to my lower calves, but if I veered off even a little, it was 6 inches deeper or so and came up to my knees. I couldn't see what the running surface was either because the water looked like chocolate milk. I never knew what the next footfall would bring. By midway through the second puddle (think lake) I decided to walk through instead of run. We were not going to win the relay and I wasn't going to twist an ankle to save a minute or two. This portion of my leg lasted for a mile. After I came out of the water zone, my shoes squeaked for a good mile or two. It became somewhat entertaining as the sound changed as the water worked its way out. This leg ended at the glass museum and George actually ran the last 2.5 miles or so with me as I wasn't totally sure I'd see the arrows for the turns through town (and he knows the course well). We averaged 9 minute miles over this portion. Not bad considering the stops (waits) for lights and such.

There were only 4 miles left in the race after my run, and I handed off to Elizabeth (the junior-high student who was the captain of our team) . She ran well and came in strong and we all joined her for the finish. Fun!! As soon as we could, we took off in one of the cars to take me back to run in with Dan. I had a clean pair of shoes and socks for him. I was worried about his feet being in those 'lakes' and staying wet for miles. Not a good thing after 30 miles of running. We found him after the water portion and they had guided them to Levee Road at that point so he missed running through the 'lakes' anyway. He declined the clean shoes - he was afraid his feet were swollen too much to get them on. He was tired but still had quite a bit of mojo left in him. I ran with him for 7 miles to the finish. He came in 11 hours, 31 minutes after he had started. He was wearing my Garmin and it showed 53.3 miles.

Sooo, my total for the day was 9 fast (for me) miles, 1 mile of slogging through water, and 7 miles of a slow run mixed with a walk break every now and again. Perfect day of running and being with friends. Loved every minute of it - including the water!

Several Perfect Runs...

I still feel that I am 'coming back' from my injury and have that at the top of my mind every time I run now. With that in mind I decided that I was going to stick to my plan and just run 10 miles last Sunday and not a half-marathon as I was tempted to do. I was able to join Dan Pf. at the Y Run Club's (of which I'm a dues-paying member) 50k/Marathon/Half-Marathon. He was going to hit the official start time of 7am, but since I only needed those 10 miles, I slept in a bit before heading to the park. I got there and ran a little, one-mile loop with Rick before joining Dan in his 3-mile loops. I told Dan I still planned on going slow and taking it easy - my goal being to increase my distance, not my pace - and he said that'd work perfect with what his goals were for the day; he was taking it easy and walking the hills. Perfect. Really. It was wonderful running slowly and walking the hills; laughing out loud when Dan pointed out the Campus Center Ctr. Building in the middle of the community college we were running; and then checking out the Douglas Fir straddling the decaying cedar stump. We talked about the name choices for the baby he and his wife are expecting, and then diverged on to the names of his daughters and my sons and how and why those were chosen. The run was about 3/4 shaded but the 1/4 that wasn't made it feel like a spring day. Before we knew it, our miles were completed and it was time to stop. Perfect.

On Monday, the teacher who usually runs with me on Tuesdays texted to see if I wanted to switch to Monday this week. No problem (despite the fact that Monday is usually my no-run day) - the weather forecast was calling for 60's and sunny for Monday, and much cooler and rainy on Tuesday. That was an easy switch to make. I would be working at a nearby school so I packed my running gear and went to work. After work we ran in the sun on our usual route - the one we haven't run since my injury. It felt good to be back in the swing of things and we both noticed that we picked up the pace considerably in the last mile - but neither of us mentioned it until the run was over. It just felt too perfect.

Tuesday brought the predicted rain and grey skies. Those are always the toughest days for me. None-the-less, when the phone rang after work and it was my neighborhood running partner checking to see what time I could come out, I said without hesitation, "give me 15 minutes". I was changed and out the door without stopping to think about sitting down and snuggling with a book. We ran our usual Flat-4 route and kept our chatter up-beat. It was a perfect rainy-day run!

I had an 8-mile run written on my planning log for Wednesday. My neighborhood partner went 6 with me and I just continued on and did the last two on my own. Without trying, I increased the pace by 30 seconds per mile, and finished feeling like I used to when I ran. Like I did just months ago. Hey, maybe things are falling into place. Felt perfect!

I usually run with the group on Thursdays. OK, usually I run with my neighborhood running partner - and then with my group later in the evening. I decided that it was time to take a break however, especially since I had run 5 days in a row and was supposed to be honoring my two days off a week. Instead of running with the group, I went to the track and threw the ball for Juno, then Rick walked with us around the track several times. That too felt perfect.

Friday I ended up cleaning the house and doing some things for my sons. I was going to try to run a few miles but then decided that since it was my usual day off, and I was running short on time anyway, I'd just go with it and not run two days in a row. Felt like cheating!

That brings me to today. I had posted earlier in the week that I was looking for someone to run 12 miles with me and Ray responded. He wanted to run the Orting Trail and while that would mean that I'd miss coffee with the group, I was looking forward to the trail. I really love that trail. It's an old railroad bed so there are no hills to speak of on it. It has a very gentle, uphill grade going East out of town (which is the way we go to start) - which of course means that once you turn, you get to enjoy a gentle, downhill grade for the return. The path is rural and goes past several farms, through many wooded areas, and along the river. Like I said, I love it. We decided to start at 8am (I like to start when it's light out) and it was already sunny but the mist was rising all around us creating a dream-like setting. There is a farm with cattle in the field in the first mile and I looked at one of the cows and noticed she was about to give birth. I pointed this out to Ray and said we'd have to be sure to check for the newborn on our return. We continued on at a comfortable pace, chatting easily as we went. The buffalo and emu were out as usual at mile two, and the river was rushing by beyond that. The sun was glistening through the trees and it was fun checking out the different varieties of mosses covering the trees as we ran by; and listening to the birds singing as if it were already spring. I pointed out common mergansers, bald pates, and a kestral to Ray. Nice birds to see. In what seemed like no time at all we hit the 6-mile point and turned. It's hard not to smile when you turn on that trail. All of a sudden you realize that you've been running uphill, and it makes you feel full of new-found energy. The miles clicked by and we neared the original cattle pasture. Sure enough, there was the newborn bull calf, licked clean, a light, reddish brown, standing at his mother's side, both of them looking right at us as if to say, " hello, what a beautiful day". And it was a beautiful, magical, newborn-feeling day!

Swam Alone!

As part of my injury-recovery program, I've joined the local Y and have been meeting with friends at 0 dark 30, two days a week, for swim sessions. Right before I left for our session this morning, one of said friends caught me on Facebook to say that he was not feeling great and was going to have to cancel. No matter, I still had another friend who would be there waiting for me. I was running late so I was surprised when I got to the water's edge and didn't see my friend. No matter, I'd get started on my own. I swam a few laps, took a little breather, then swam some more. I took few breaks, concentrating instead on my breathing, and extending my stroke, and gliding, and counting, and somewhere in there I got lost in the movement of it all and felt like I do on a long run where the body is moving but my mind is in a sort of dream state. Wow - I thought that'd only ever happen on a run. Nice! I didn't even think about my friends not being there, so lost was I in the moment. Hmmmmm. I like this swimming thing.

Coming Back is Tough!

It was just a short little run - drop off the DVD at Hollywood Video around the corner, continue on around the block, go to the end of the cul-de-sac to make it four miles of relatively flat pavement. My running partner went with me and we took off joyfully talking and catching up on each other's lives. Then, around 2.5 miles I got tired - really tired. Needed to walk a bit. It never got easier after that and my wonderful partner proceeded to turn our conversation into a monologue - to keep my mind off the fact that I really, really felt like stopping. Wouldn't have finished four miles without her! Thanks Barb!