Smells of San Diego

This is what one does after running 14 miles. 

I’d have had a beer with me, but I was alone (well, Cori was with me. She took the picture), and I really don’t like drinking alone (especially at noon on a Saturday. It seems rather desperate).

I also took some really excellent pictures of Cori eating some oranges off our tree. These are juice oranges...really yummy, and one series of photos which show her just getting frustrated with me and the iPhone camera...I love have a pre-teen daughter to harass and entertain :-)



Of course, I’ve also put the obligatory link to today’s course Yes, I know you can look at almost the same thing at the RnR site, but it makes me happy to map out the run. I will say that while the RnR called it the “Wind and Sea Run,” I wanted to call it the “Smells of San Diego Run”...lots of funky drainage, sewer, sea water, bacon, ocean smells as we ran today, some not as pleasant as the others.

I have to say that I’m pretty darn surprised at myself, this running 14 miles thing. I had moments today during the run (listening to my own Nano, thank you very much) when I thought, “yes, I can see how, in two months, I will be able to run 26.2.” Of course, I had other moments when I thought “I don’t think I’ll be able to run 26.2...EVER!” Where are my legs....ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Betty will appreciate this after my walk uphill of mile 11 of the AFC last August (and my refusal to do any hill training whatsoever before the run)...I even ran the hills today! Nothing like running up 6th street, although I think I’ll be able to run it this summer...geez, I’ve become a monster haven’t I? What am I doing? Thinking of running a 1/2 marathon in August and I haven’t gotten through this next little event yet...Who AM I?

I also sincerely told all of the guys at the last two water stations that I loved them and that they were definitely making a difference in my life! Gu and Gukinade never tasted so good!

Since I once again ran without benefit of my companions, I had time to compose my top 10 list of things I miss about running with you all.

1. Pancakes at World Famous (ran by it today - twice - and nearly cried).
2. Did I mention mimosas?
3. Picking up Betty at 6:22 and exchanging the “Tell me again why we are doing this?” look
4. Hearing Elsie flirt and make other random comments
5. High-five-ing BBJ on the out and back loops
6. Sharing digestive issue stories w/Alberta and Edith
7. Not being able to tell Clarence that I know who the lady who runs like Pheobe is now (she almost ran into a random sign-post today).
8. And that I’ve also had a conversation with the guy in black tights (that’s what it’s come to...)
9. Listening to Betty’s monologues on the way to and from the run
10. A complete dearth of new-funny stories to share

OK...so next weekend, we get to take the train from Solana Beach to somewhere. Paul was explaining it, but I was looking for Alberta, who is probably still suffering from Bronchitis, so I missed which way the train was headed, but I think we end up going North to some point, then run the 16 miles back to the train station at Solana Beach...who wants to carpool?

Both Betty and Elsie promise me they’ll be at track practice Tuesday...school starts for us on Monday. June 1 is about 2 months out...Then summer. Now THAT makes me happy!

Oh...and check your bank statements. I see a $100 charge from Active.com. I think that’s the Nike Women’s Marathon...I’m pretty sure that means we’re in!

Alice

3 Comments

betty

I'm so proud of you!!!!! I'm jealous also!!!!
I can't believe how great everyone is doing. I think it is only 63 days till the big day.... I'm hoping I can get prepared in 60 days.

Cindi - I don't think it is desperate to drink alone.. is it? Shit - I'm in big trouble! I think I want a pix of you and your guy in black tights running together!

Saturday, March 29, 2008 - 08:13 PM

Clarence

I am so proud of you Cindi... you have no idea. I am also very jealous. I actually wish I was running with you all. However, now that my heel spurs have healed it seems that what ailed me in Tahoe is once again visiting me, and has been with me all 2 weeks of break. Yesterday and today were good days. I was able to get into a car and go somewhere and not feel light headed or panicked! :) It's the little things. I have a Dr's apt. Tuesday, but I think I need to see a nutritionist- there is something off balanced going on- and no, I'm not pregnant!

See everyone Monday! Miss you guys.

Saturday, March 29, 2008 - 09:22 PM

Alice

Does 5 hours of shopping count as "active recovery?"

Spent $80.00 today on new running clothes (because I don't have enough of them from the last sale) at Road Runner...also exchanged shoes for 1/2 size larger...Jaime, you were right. My new shoes were too small. I love that Road Runner will exchange new shoes.

Sunday, March 30, 2008 - 08:33 PM

Jimmy, Mojo, and Me

You all missed a fabulous Coronado run this morning (yes...you read that right...ALL OF YOU missed it)..except for me. Here’s the course map which shows the route. You may notice that it’s not a perfect loop. I took a wrong turn at after 9 miles, but eventually found the rest of the group. I figure the good thing about running in Coronado is that you can’t get too lost. At some point you’re going to run into either a) the Naval Training Station or b) the bridge. I shared this outlook with the woman who was running with me, but she didn’t look so convinced. (not sure why she followed me anyway. I must have looked like I knew where I was going).



To be honest, I was a little sad to be running solo this morning. No familiar smiling faces to keep me going...nothing to write about on the Blog (I feared), but I figured I’d be OK because one of the things I did in the car on the ride home was put together a new playlist for running.

Then I looked and noticed, alas, that I had Mike’s Nano with me...not mine.

Drat!

Now Mike and I have somewhat different tastes in music. I happen to enjoy a variety of tunes, including songs that have been released within the last couple of years. But Mike’s Nano pretty much contains the same music he’s been listening to since his adolescence and young adulthood. Yes, he has some Jimmy Buffet (thank goodness) on his Nano, but mostly its late 70’s and 80’s music from Foreigner, Boston, The Kinks, The Eagles, Joe Jackson...that sort of thing...

Oh yeah, he also has tons of Mojo Nixon. Now if you don’t know who Mojo Nixon is, you really need to check out the link and next time he’s in town, I’ll take you to one of his shows... We NO DOUBT will hear his almost-hit “Elvis is Everywhere” at some point during the race. I was singing along (really) at 10 miles...at least I was laughing about how appropriate it was. (Seriously, you should listen to it.)

So, I ran 10 miles with Jimmy this morning and the last two with Mojo.

To be certain, Mojo isn’t everyone’s cup of tea...Some of his other songs include:

“Debbie Gibson is Pregnant (with my two headed love child)”
“I Ain’t Gonna Piss in No Jar”
“Gin Guzzlin’ Frenzy”

and then there’s Mike’s personal favorite (I am not making this up),

“Louisiana Lip-Lock” a song which contains the line: “She had a Louisiana Lip-Lock on my love porkchop.”

Yes, Mike took me to a few Mojo shows when we were dating, one at The Belly Up and another show at some dive bar up in San Bernardino. Yes, I married him anyway.

So, let’s just say that between Buffet and Mojo...I was entertained...although I still missed you all!

Alice

PS, If you want a copy of “Elvis is Everywhere” for your iPod, let me know.

Getting Lapped by Elvis

At the moment it happened, I knew it would be the headline...actually, I knew several miles before that moment. It crossed my mind at about mile four when I noticed that each time Elvis was headed toward me, I was just a little bit farther away from the turn-around point. Then at mile six I thought, “Sweet Jesus (as opposed to Dear Jesus) I think he’s gonna lap me.”

But it was as I headed toward the mile 8 turn-around when Elvis, in his shiny white, sequined, and very sweaty Elvis-in-Vegas style running suit, lapped me. And that is when “I got Lapped by Elvis” flashed in my mind as the perfect headline for me this week’s post. Of course, I also got lapped (twice) by the 6 minute mile guy in the orange San Diego Track Club suit...and there were others, but it was when Elvis passed me, I began to wonder how he could possibly run in a wig and sequins. It looked so incredibly uncomfortable, and I also began to consider the possibilities as we begin to think about what we should wear as our marathon “uniform.”

So, that was part of the scene this morning when BBJ, Alberta and I ran for two hours on the San Diego riverbed (back and forth 5 1/2 times for me, almost 6 for Alberta...I have no idea how far BBJ ran...he was long gone by the time I finished).

The least painful part of the run was when we ran away from hospitality point, with the wind at our back, and the sun overhead... In all honesty, the first 6 miles felt pretty good.

A more painful part, for me, began with miles 7 & 8 when we were running toward the ocean, into the wind, which seemed especially cold at that point.

But the really painful part was

that last mile (again, toward the ocean and into the wind)...when I found myself, having run 2 hours (2:04 to be honest) at the 11 mile point, with still a mile more to go to get back to Hospitality Point. I guess everyone else had already turned around because for the most part I was all alone! Where did everyone go?

I didn’t see the virtue in going all the way back to Hospitality Point, then turning around and walking back to my car, so I decided to walk straight to my car.

I figured an 11 miles in 2 hours (ok, ok 2 hours and 4 minutes) run, followed by a 3/4 mile walk was enough.

I wonder what the most painful part of the run was for BBJ. He admitted to being pretty hung-over following Friday’s HTA event, which he stayed at until the free food and beverages were no longer offered. Both Alberta and I (again, discussing our digestive issues) agreed that fried food before a long run was a very bad idea.

I may have annoyed Paul (who makes a difference in our lives, and who we love). I think he was trying to be encouraging at the six mile turnaround point. He was shouting something - through the bullhorn - as I ran by like, “YOU SHOULD BE FEELING REALLY STRONG AT THIS POINT...YOU’RE JUST GETTING STARTED!” To which I responded with a sort of involuntary combination snort/laugh. Which he heard, looked me straight in the eye, and said (off the bullhorn, thank God), “seriously, you’re just starting.”

Yeah, I’m with you Paul in spirit and know you’re being a good track coach...but I didn’t feel so encouraged, just distressed, because while I felt OK at that point, I, in no way, felt like I WAS JUST STARTING TO RUN!

Running six miles still feels like a long way to me. And while I’m hopeful that since we started training in January and I’m now able to run 11 miles, that by June I’ll be able to run a marathon, Saturday’s run made me feel less confident about this if after the first 6 miles I should feel as if I’m JUST STARTING!

I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I’ve just started running after I’ve run 6 miles.

Ah well...

ANYWAY, hope all of you injured, vacationing and otherwise missing RnRers check in soon and that you’re having a fabulous spring break in NYC or Cancun or wherever you are. I’ll be skiing at Mammoth the first part of this week, so I won’t be at Tuesday night’s track workout, but I’ll be at Tideland’s Park on Saturday. Hope to see you then.

Take care,

Alice

“I ALWAYS run My Marathon Pace!”

Betty’s BACK! after a month of missing both the long runs and the Tuesday night track runs, she made it to both this week. Now we’re just waiting for Clarence’s return, which we know is imminent because she got to wear flip-flops last weekend without crying.

The run down the Silver Strand yesterday morning was lovely (you can view the map of the run that Betty and I did by clicking...I decided not to embed the map this time because it sometimes takes too long to load).



It did get a little warm toward the end there. I’m going to have to consider wearing running shorts (the horror)...Still having chafing issues. Who has an opinion (ladies...although you’re completely welcome to chime in BBJ) about whether or not to wear underwear. I know there are special “runner’s underwear.” Is this something worth considering?

I will say that when Mik tells me that her legs are getting tired at mile 7, I get really worried! I know I ran the last mile on complete faith that I had legs below me that were moving, because I really couldn’t feel them.

So Paul (who we love, and who makes a difference in our lives) was making a big deal out of next weekend’s run. Apparently we are going to run back and forth from hospitality point to some point, about two miles, down the San Diego riverbed for 2 hours at our “Marathon Pace.”

Ya gotta laugh...as if I have different “marathon pace” than I do for any other time I run...My comment to Mik (and hence this week’s headline) was “I always run my marathon pace...slow.” Is a marathon pace run supposed to be any faster or slower than other runs? I don’t get this... I suspect my “marathon pace” will be decidedly slower than my usual sprint. Your thoughts?

I do love how we all look so happy in this week’s (pilfered) group of photos from the RnR website. These were taken around the last water station (I think). For me, it was at roughly mile 9 of this week’s jaunt. Are we really that nuts to look so happy after running 9 miles?, or is it that we know we are almost finished?, or is it that we’re still vain enough to make sure that we smile for the camera?

I know that I was completely surprised to see the camera and that my facial expression before I saw the camera would have been either 1) deep concentration or 2)sheer agony. I do remember seeing the woman with a camera and thinking “oh shit, there’s the camera. Gosh I hope she hasn’t already taken a picture of me.” So I guess for me, the smile for the camera is complete vanity.

Where to put the Glide®

I learned so much about the virtues of Nip Guard (make sure you ask BBJ about his bloody nipples and beach-goer’s concerns about personal violence) and the best places to use Glide today! After running 9.3 miles, our list of places to use Glide included:

1. Nipples (of course!)
   

2. Feet
   

3. Under arms
   

4. Inner thigh
   

5. (for lack of a better term) Groin area (trust me on this one)
   

I wonder if I could purchase a tub of Glide and just dunk my whole body in it so that I don’t have any chafing issues.

We also discussed remarkable effects of Gu.

So, BBJ, Elsie, Alberta, and I showed up for and ran the Sue Kren 15K this morning. I was happy about the overcast morning since we ran part of the race on Fiesta Island. I ran on FI once last summer in the sun and it was brutal. Alberta told me that she found it peaceful...My biggest goal was to get off Fiesta Island before the race walker who was kicking my a$$ did. (I did, but he finished the race ahead of me...grrrr).

I loved how, at the end of the race, BBJ spent a few minutes explaining to me the calculation for figuring out one’s pace in a 9.3 mile race (really BBJ, I was just nodding. I have no idea what you were talking about). We all agreed that seeing the 9 mile sign was just depressing ‘cuz we still had some more runnin to do...

Really, my personal claim to fame today is that I almost beat Alberta to the finish. Of course, she hates me now, and she’ll never, ever allow me to be that close to her in a long run again,

‘cuz she’s so darn competitive...AND in all fairness, she’s had bronchitis for two weeks... but I’ll take whatever I can get. (Sorry Alberta...I just couldn’t help myself). I tried to sprint to the finish to beat her, but to no avail...although I think it’s funny that I call my finish today a sprint. Next time I’ll make sure I have Madonna or Britney to finish to.

Elsie again flirted w/the boys as she ran and finished the race, even though she didn’t think she could do it...just think, we ran more than 1/3 of the marathon today.

What was up with the roses at the end of the race? I didn’t get that.

For those of you who weren’t there...don’t worry about not having a bib that says “Sue Kren 15K.”

Mine says “Jingle Run 5K.” I also saw runners (including Alberta) wearing “San Dieguito 1/2 Marathon” and “End of Summer Fire Run” (I already have one of those). Some random guy walking his dogs asked me why we were all wearing different bibs...I can imagine what all these runners wearing different race bibs must have looked like...”What race is this anyway?” Not a big deal...but funny nonetheless. My response to random dog-guy was “low budget?” (not to be mean...but I thought it was funny...well that and he asked me at about mile 9--that I was able to shout out any answer, let alone one that was more than one syllable, is impressive).

My personal hygiene question this week is: Do any of you use any sort of make-up remover/face cleanser to-go wipe/thingy/product? I’m looking for something to use during the week when I run after work. I don’t like running in makeup, and washing my face w/ really cold water (why can’t we have hot water in the restrooms at Helix) is annoying. Any ideas?

My runner’s protocol question this week is: when sweat is running down your back and then to your butt, is it OK to scratch? When is it not OK? Hmmm, maybe that’s a personal hygiene question too.

Finally, my response to Edith’s email about her decision (after puking for four days w/the stomach flu) to not run this morning is that you athletes crack me up. If I’d been that sick for four days, I wouldn’t even consider the question (should I run today?), I’d just stay in bed...and wait for someone to bring me saltines. Hope you’re feeling better soon. Betty’s coming back from Dallas today. She might want to run with you tomorrow...or you can call my bro-in-law Dave. Then, maybe you’ll have dreams about Dave, Jamison, and you in pink shorts w/bows...can’t wait to hear more about that!

Alice

PS..Sorry Elsie, no photos of you (yet) on the RnR website for me to pilfer...