April 2015: SF Rock n Roll Half-Marathon
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| Paid for this pic, haven't scanned it in yet |
I headed over to the expo to pick up my bib and check out all the vendors.
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November 2014: US Half-Marathon San Francisco
So running a half-marathon might have fueled some of my candy-related
choices... You probably know my training for this race never really got
going and I considered flaking on the run altogether. But then I
remembered that 1, I like running, 2, I paid $75 for this and 3, I really liked the medal. Besides, if I pace myself I'll probably be fine but if not, I can always walk.read more...
May 2014: Guest Post - Jackie's Race Report from the Urban Escape Half-Marathon
I woke up early to participate in the Inaugural Urban Escape Half Marathon in Novato. My running clothes and gear were laid out the night before, so I quietly got myself together and made my way to the kitchen. I sat down for my typical pre-run meal; two packets of instant oatmeal and a couple cups of coffee. I probably should have loaded up on water as well but was more concerned about pit-stops than dehydration. Then I successfully made my way out of the house without waking the kids.
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April 2014: Guest Post - Mira's Race Report from The Hapalua, Hawaii's Half-Marathon
Back
in November of 2013, before I had even run my first
half-marathon, I received a notice of a half-marathon happening in April
in
Honolulu. My husband and I always take a trip around our anniversary so I
texted him “how about heading to Hawaii for our trip and I can do a
half-marathon on the same trip?” Naturally he agreed to go to Hawaii for
pretty much
any reason. After I struggled my way through the Berkeley half-marathon
in November 2012, I decided to hire a running coach. I was really catching this running
bug and even though I was still slow and feeling like it was a lot of work, I
was starting to find the joy in it. read more...
March 2014: Across the Bay 12k
Up at the crack of dawn to drive into the city. I parked near Ghiradelli
Square (where the race ended) and caught the shuttle over to the
Sausalito start. Some of my mom/runner friends crew were also doing the
event but I couldn't find them before the race got underway.I'd done all my morning stuff right, took an allergy pill, used my inhaler, no GI problems. The day was off to a promising start.
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October 2013: Nike Women's Half-Marathon San Francisco
6:30 in the morning and there are 30,000 runners. Add organizers/volunteers/spectators and the massive number of people was intimidating. But when BART (local transit) went on strike I started to panic. So I reached out to everyone I knew running the race and/or living in San Francisco, and I do mean
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September 2013: Santa Cruz Olympic Triathlon
An alternate title for this post could be: A Fat Girl Picked Me Up. Read on, you'll get it.What: Santa Cruz Triathlon, Olympic Distance
SWIM (1.5K) A brisk ocean swim around the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. Water temperature is usually in the mid 50’s, so wetsuits are strongly recommended.When: Sunday, September 29th, 2013
BIKE (40K) A challenging out-and-back ride via city streets and coastal Highway 1. The turnaround is located in the historic coastal town of Davenport.
RUN (10K) A flat and fast out-and-back course along the ocean on beautiful West Cliff Drive
Where: Santa Cruz, Ca
The alarm went off bright and early at 5:30am.
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July 2013: 4 on the 4th, Fourth of July 4 miler
Up and at 'em and ready to face the miles. I wasn't quite sure how the
run would go, given that I'd barely run even 1.5 miles in the last few
weeks. But I reminded myself it was a "fun" run and to just enjoy
myself. As soon as I got there I ran into a slew of mommy friends also
doing the run. Now we're really talking fun!read more...
June 2013: See Jane Run San Francisco Half-Marathon
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April 2013: The Guardsmen San Francisco Presidio 10 Race Report
And on Thursday evening a friend posted on my FB page about a bib for a 10k this Sunday that her friend couldn't use (Thanks Danielle!). Did I want to take it? The bib was for the Presidio 10k in San Francisco (put on by The Guardsmen, an organization that raises funds for kids to go on adventures - so cool). I did a quick review of the race, noted the route includes a trot over the Golden Gate Bridge and I was in! Here's the course. They don't show the bridge on this map for some reason.
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April 2013: Rock n Roll San Francisco Half-Marathon Race Report
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March 2013: Escape from Alcatraz *Volunteer* Report
What a day! I volunteered at my first event, the Escape from Alcatraz
international distance triathlon. I had an amazing time! Seriously, I
had so much fun I'd almost pay to do it. My day started at 3am when I
rallied myself out of bed to get ready for my 4am shift start in San
Francisco's Marina Green. I didn't allow for walk-time from my car and
ended up arriving closer to 4:30am but I didn't miss anything.
I was shown to my area in transition and told we'd be running a hydration station. So we got busy setting up water cups and mixing the Cytomax. It was pleasant out when I arrived but a couple hours later, as daylight broke, we were freezing our butts off. Normally this event is held in June but due to conflicts with the America's Cup they held it early this year. Next year it's going back to June. I had four layers of tops on plus a light jacket and my teeth were still chattering (people who live in the snow, I'm sorry, I know we Californians are soft).
I was shown to my area in transition and told we'd be running a hydration station. So we got busy setting up water cups and mixing the Cytomax. It was pleasant out when I arrived but a couple hours later, as daylight broke, we were freezing our butts off. Normally this event is held in June but due to conflicts with the America's Cup they held it early this year. Next year it's going back to June. I had four layers of tops on plus a light jacket and my teeth were still chattering (people who live in the snow, I'm sorry, I know we Californians are soft).
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November 2012: Marin County Turkey Trot 10k
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November 2012: Marin County Triathlon Sprint
I'd had a lot of reservations doing this triathlon on nothing but run training and in the back of my mind I was considering not doing it altogether, though I didn't say that out loud to anyone. By mid-week I hadn't rented a wetsuit. I tried on a friend's and I could get it on but it didn't feel right. So at the last minute I ran to Sports Basement to rent one, unless they had a deal I couldn't turn down to buy my own. Turns out they did! They had a Women's TYR Hurricane Category 1 wetsuit for...wait for it...
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October 2012: Livermore Grape Stomp Half-Marathon
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July 2012: 4th of July Fun Run
So 4th of July was Wednesday (yesterday). I registered, along with a
couple mom friends, for a local 4 mile race in the morning. I went to
bed way too late the night before and knew nothing about the course -
though I was assuming the route would be laid back (as in, flat), this
is a holiday run after all. My mom was over and could watch the kids so
Miguel decided to run it too. Fun!I had my normal Kashi GoLean and coffee/creamer for breakfast. I debated eating an AccelGel but in the end decided I didn't need it for such a short event. Anyway, here I am with my mom friends pre-race.
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June 2012: Tri for Fun sprint
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May 2012: Mud Factor Obstacle Course 5k
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April 2012: Marin Marathon 10k Race Report
I wasn't sure if I should go to the gym given that I had a 10k to run the next day but in the end I decided to just go for it. I did a 25 minute run at what felt like an easy-ish pace. Then I did chest/triceps/core for weight training. When I got home Marek was in a VERY bad mood. He'd missed his nap (too excited having grandma over to visit) and he was screaming/crying at the drop of a hat. Not his usual self. So to distract him and give Miguel and my mother some peace I took him to Costco. The two of us had hot dogs for dinner and shared a very-berry sundae (ff frozen yogurt with strawberry topping) for desert. I figured I'd just call it carb loading. Bad carb loading though.
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March 2012: Cinderella Classic Ride Report
We were driving along, pointing out how the sky looked pretty good and manifesting all the positivity we could muster about the weather when - clack, boom, bang! - something happened on the roof of the car. Oh no, a bike must have flown off! Please God, no!!!
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February 2012: Kaiser Half-Marathon Race Report
On Friday morning Miguel, the kids and I flew down to southern California. We spent the day getting ready for the funeral and I had a bit of respite while getting a pedicure. I was supposed to go with my mom but we were too late so I went solo. There was food everywhere I ate like a starving girl. I just didn't care. Friday evening was the viewing; I went first and then Miguel went - I didn't think it was a good idea to take the kids. Come bedtime I was exhausted.
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November 2011: Marin County Triathlon Sprint
What a day! I finished in around 1 hour, 41 minutes, give or take. I got a little teary at the finish line, which I was not expecting, I was definitely challenged but I had fun facing up to it and felt very grateful for my health and my body.
And now, for more details than are necessary.
I got up at 5:30am, a little later than I wanted (I didn't hear the alarm) but still with plenty of time to get there. I only had a few things to do before I left - get some coffee, eat breakfast, get dressed, grab my phone, grab my bag, put my bike on the car - I remembered most of them.
I did it again! The Pleasanton Tri for Fun was once again great fun. And this time I did it with a friend, which just added to the fun. We finished in 1 hour 59 minutes (good thing we ran that last 1/4 mile!), a time I can be happy with. I did this race last summer when in better shape and finished in 1 hour 35 minutes. When 3 months pregnant I did it again and finished in 1 hour 53 minutes. Now, 5 months post baby and I still finished in under 2 hours. But the most important thing is, I did it!
I had my triathlon today. This was the olympic distance Marin Triathlon. My husband's boss did the swim, a colleague of mine did the bike and I did the run.
And they're off! Even though I haven't done that many triathlons it was still a bit strange watching the swimmers go off without me.
My second tri was great fun. I can't really compare it to my first one despite the fact that they are the same exact triathlons. Reasons are related to the health type issues I'm in the midst of right now. I didn't focus on my finish time and in fact won't post my time here. All I wanted to do was finish...and I did! Miguel was with me to cheer me on so this report will be chock full of pictures. And I took my Garmin along this time so I'll post the maps too!
Summary...
I DID IT!! 1 hr 35 min!! I AM A TRIATHLETE!! I cried at the finish line.
Details...
That's the text message I sent out right after the race. Wow, the adrenaline and excitement at the end were just too much. But let's back up a bit...
I had been keeping a secret for a couple days. This past Wednesday I started getting a sore throat and it got worse every day. I woke up on race day and it was worse, swollen and hurting. But I did what I'd been doing up to that point - ignored it. A sore throat by itself is nothing, right? It didn't seem to be affecting my energy level or anything. Still, after the alarm went off I laid in bed thinking, "Why did I sign up for this? Maybe I'll just sleep in."
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