Tomorrow, (Sunday, October 25th) Hal and I are participating in a fundraiser walk for the Los Angeles branch of the ALS Association. It is a two mile walk, and it’s being held in Pasadena, CA. Hal is going to walk it with me and other family members. The logo on the T-shirt says “We walk because we can”

This morning I did a tempo run workout with Rusty and Mike. We ran a total of 13.5 miles – although only 7 of that was at tempo. That is a long distance for me. I almost did my usual bit – start hard, and finish early. But instead, I hung in and completed the whole thing. Because. I. can. I run because I can.

And afterwords I felt great. What a gift – to be able to run! And walk. To be able to trainl And get stronger. To be able to overdo it sometimes. And recover. To be able to plan for the future.

I run because I can.

No more challenges. Please. Unless they are related to races and training.

Tomorrow is the Carpinteria Triathlon. One of my very favorite races. I signed up for it back in May. Too bad. Can’t do it. So frustrating! Here’s why:

My dog Elsa had puppies September 30th. She is with them now, at Camp Canine in Santa Barbara, and will be until mid-October. I try to visit her frequently.

On Tuesday, September 15th, at noon, I drove to Camp Canine, intending to see Elsa and her pups during my lunch break. Parked my car in front of Camp Canine. Released my seat belt, and proceeded to open the car door. To my horror, I saw a huge cement truck barreling down, looked as if it was heading straight for my vehicle. Quickly twisted myself back into the car and attempted to slam the door shut. The door was wrenched out of my left hand. Boom! Boom! The car exploded.

When the banging stopped, I saw a huge truck driving away. To my horror, the front driver door of my new car was completely bent forward, against the front fender. The collision was so loud, people came pouring out of buildings along the street. I sprung out of my car in a rage, screaming “Stop! You hit my car! Stop! Stop!” The huge truck ground to a halt. The driver seemed stunned. He admitted he had not seen my car, was busy trying to avoid another truck that was parked on the opposite side of the street. (See picture below).

I calmed down enough to get my camera and some paper. At that point I felt my low back seize up into a vise.

To make a long story short, insurance was contacted. The truck driver was found to be 100% at fault. My car is still in the shop. My back is still painful. It is really hard for me to put on or pull off socks and shoes. I tried “racing” the Goleta 4-miler last week. Big mistake. So this morning I sadly pulled myself from the Carp Triathlon tomorrow.

Oh well. I have Unlike Hal, I have many years of racing ahead of me. It’s just another race.. . .

Elsa’s puppies, 3 weeks old

I am done!  Literally! Tried to race the Goleta 4-miler today. Tried.

I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of the Disneyland Half-Marathon for 2 weeks. Hal, please  remind me about this next time I decide to gimp my gait for 7 miles on a paved surface. Partway through the half marathon my left big toe started to complain every time I landed on it or pushed off –  so I adjusted my running – landing on the outside of my left heel and pushing off the midfoot for the last half of the race. Not a good plan. The left outside of my heel and achilles are still screaming at me. I still can’t wear my regular running or working shoes without limping. And 5 days ago, my car was hit HARD by a cement truck. (I”ll be posting about that!) Result of that accident? My car driver door was totaled. My back seized up like a vise. (The truck driver and his huge vehicle? Unscathed.) So what am I doing trying to race when I can’t walk? Being stupid. What else is new?

At home, now, icing my sore ankle/achilles/heel. Back is stiffening up again. Congrats to the many racers who did so amazingly well today.  I enjoyed seeing others run. Can’t say I enjoyed my own race. Hurt waaay too much!  And now, I really am feeling it! Ouch! ! !

Stupid me.

I have not blogged for a while.. Life’s been weird. Hal was diagnosed with ALS at UCLA on August 4th.  Although we’d been forewarned by our local Neurologist that this might happen, it actually came as a total shock to me.  Ever since, I have been living in a fog, with periods of disbelief, anger, terror, despair, and semi-acceptance.

I had signed up for the Disneyland race in July.  At the time, I knew something was wrong with Hal, especially after what happened when he attempted the Los Angeles Marathon in May. I had it in the back of my mind that this might be his last race – or that he might need me – so, even though I have not been able to run on paved surfaces for much of a distance without aggravating my left, semi-fused big toe, I decided to take the plunge and join Hal.

In retrospect, I am really happy I ran the race with Hal. The course was very interesting.  I ran it slowly enough that I was able to really take in everything. I completely cherished every moment – the opportunity to experience the run with my very best friend at my side.

My strategy for running 13.1 miles on a paved surface was maybe questionable.  I attempted to minimize the affect on my problem left big toe my shifting my gait early on to a heel strike on the outside of my foot. And ended up with an annoyingly uncomfortable peronius longus tendinitis/plantar fascitis. My bad.

But, sore or not, it was a race I shall hold dear in my memory forever.

Approaching the finish line

Finally - we did it!

The Disney Half-Marathon

Hal running toward the finish line, a very hot August, 2007.

Triumphant finish!

Okay.  I’m a short distance gal.  A sprinter. A high effort but not for very long kind of runner. I know it. My body knows it. My left big toe really knows it. Most of my training runs  are either fast and under 5 miles or slow and on trails. So how did I get myself signed up for another paved surface half marathon?

Well, I did it.  I signed up to run the 2009 Disney Half Marathon with Hal. In six weeks. OOOH boy.

Almost as if he knew of my plans, Rusty had us doing a worlout all on paved surfaces yesterday. Mountain and Gibralter. About 12 miles total, counting warm up and cool down.

I arrived at the workout. Worried. How would my stupid big toe handle this?

Warm up was a couple of miles up Gibralter, turn around, run back. So far so good.

Then the tempo part: 4 miles up Mountain.  Two miles into this, my left big toe went numb.  I felt my gait shift.  I slowed slightly. (Tried not to, but it’s hard to run fast when you’re worried!)  Then my arch went numb.  By the 3 mile mark,  the entire front half of my foot was numb and felt limp. I finished.

During the break up top, the foot woke up.  The big toe started to complain.  Shut up, toe!

We trotted the 4 miles back to our cars. That would have been really difficult for me on my own. Thanks to my stupid toe. But Maggie and Jana kept me company – and the distance went by.

Drove home and babied my toe for the rest of the day.

Woke early this morning –  and I think I got away with it! Disney Half – here I come! (ready or not?)

Addendum: Later same day, after walking dogs, shopping, etc.: Big toe is now swollen, red, and touchy. Walking hurts. Darn it! Hope to be back to running in a couple of days, if I’m lucky . .stupid toe!

After the race: a happy, relaxed couple of runners

Last year’s race was a test of agility and balance. (see my report at http://franfinney.wordpress.com/2008/06/22/chucks-steeplechase/ )

This years event was entirely different.  Perfect weather, wonderful tide conditions. Pure pleasure!

Hal and I both decided to do Chuck’s beach run this year. Hal is planning to do the SB marathon – if his health allows – and is looking for a way to curtail his frequent injuries. He is trying out a new running technique. It’s called “Chi-running” – and my understanding of the technique is that it involves short, quick strides, a forward lean from the feet, and landing on the midfoot, with push-off at the forefoot. He ran 10 miles at an easy pace yesterday, and was using the race today as further testing of this technique.

I decided to use the race as a tempo run, to practice my pacing.

Boy, do I need practice!

I started off at what felt tempo-ish to me.  At the turn-around I had averaged a 7:13 per mile pace.

But – second half of the race was waaay slower.  My speed (and energy) gradually faded and the second half averaged only a 7:55 pace.  7:33 average overall, with a time of 43:15.

Ouch!

Hmmmm – Rusty –  help me here!  I just suck at this pacing thing!

Meanwhile, Hal breezed in, cooly Chi-running, about a minute behind me. I was so happy to see him doing so well, at much less than his highest effort!

Definitely a fun race, fantastic start to the day.

Afternote:  Just saw the posted results! http://www.sbrunning.org/Results/Chucks09.htm

Rusty took first place with a speedy 30:44, followed by Aaron GIllen at 30:45. Awesome, guys!!

The first NiteMoves GP 2009 was re-scheduled for today, as a result of the fire last month.

The weather was fantastic, and I think times were in general very fast.  Gae was smoking!  Here are a few pictures, courtesy of Hal:

Warming up before the race.

Nearing the finish

Closer. . .

Really close. . .

Finally!

21:23. I didn’t make my time and 5K PR goal (under 21 minutes) – not by a long shot! But I did beat my NiteMoves PR (best time in past 15 years  - 21:27) – by 4 seconds. Not bad for a long day!

That's me front/center with my Nordic Walking (and sometimes running) class

Today I took my Nordic Walking class to the beach at low tide.  In addition to training private clients, and doing Physical Therapy, I teach a class Nordic walking class at the Santa Barbara YMCA. Our class met this morning to Arroyo Burro Beach – to take advantage of the low tide. Weather was fantastic!  Ran into the SBAA Vieja Valley Sunday morning bunch – perfect day to get some sand running in – with or without poles!

Hal came along (he took the picture above) – and was able to get in an hour of Nordic Sand Running himself.

I like to use poles to vary my solo running, especially while out with the dogs at More Mesa or Ellwood. The poles become an extension of your arms – you can use them to unweight your spine and lower extremities while propelling you forward – and running becomes a full body experience. It took me a long time to learn how to use the poles like this - hours of trial and error/practice. Hal, who is by nature or genetics more coordinated than I, figured out how right away how to smoothly incorporate the poles while running.

I watched my husband disappear down the beach with his poles. A couple of women in my class commented on how strong, manly, sexy he looked.

The sand and poles  were kind to Hal. He got in a good run today – his back and hamstring didn’t bother him at all. And I was able to “Nordic run” without any knee or toe pain.

Can we do a marathon with poles at the beach?

Woke up Thursday with a bad stiff neck, cause unknown. (Stress/tension?) Spent all day at work trying to baby the neck. Avoiding lifting. Trying to to drive safely, without being able to turn my head. After work, tried all the usual self-treatments:  ice, heat, self massage, stretches. Woke up Friday with a stiffer neck. Friday at work – pretty much a repeat of Thursday. After work, I gave up on the self massage and stretches, and went for the hard stuff:  NSAIDs and Tylenol. This morning, woke up with a stomach ache, nausea, and  - yes – a stiff neck!

Off to the races. Realized that to beat my time from last year, I needed to do better than 1:40 per lap.  Hal had decided on a 1:38 goal. He would let me know if I was on pace for the overall race as I rounded each lap. I tried a warm up. Not too bad – but definitely didn’t feel like I was at my best. Far from it.  

Heat three started.  I could tell right away that this was not my day to set a PR.

 

Settled into a steady gait.  Jill, Desa, Rob, off in the distance. Oops-there goes Gae. She, too, now off  into the distance. Bye, Gae!  And there goes Wanda. Bye, Wanda! By the time I had covered a mile, I really was noticing my nausea. Hal was keeping me up on my laps ” You’re  8 seconds ahead.  You’re 4 seconds ahead. You’re right on. You’re 2 seconds behind. You’re 4 seconds behind.”  Yipes!  I just settled into a stoic gait, and hung in there as best I could.

“You’re 6 seconds behind.  You’re 10 seconds behind – last half lap!”  I tried to speed up – but I simply couldn’t.  At the end I was just trying, trying to match my time for last year – 12:28.  

And, miraculously, I did.  12:28.

After the race, I was chatting with Denis “DJ”, Jake Clinton, and Margaret Lafon. Denis, a stalwart of the SB running community for eons, asked me if I was new to running. I replied that I had had to take a bunch of years off – because of health issues. Jake mentioned that he had just run a marathon. He was happy to finish, regardless of time. Margaret said she felt so lucky to be able to run at all. I agreed. I feel lucky to be able to walk – and very, very exceptionally lucky to be able to run. We watched the Special Olympics crew jog around the track. And then the children.

The “agony” of that race – a privilege to experience. I am a very lucky woman.

The Marathon and the Mile. Both start with M. Both are races. You train for them. You run them. There is a start and a finish.

Hal signed up for the Los Angeles Marathon over 6 months ago. I signed up for the State Street Mile over 6 days ago. We both dreamed. We both trained. We both ran.

Hal is a very methodical guy. Having competed in 4 half-marathons, and finally recovered from last year’s back injury, he was ready for a new challenge. He searched online, read about many different races, and carefully decided on the Los Angeles Marathon – choosing it over San Diego because that one conflicted with the State Street Mile, which I intended to run. Six months before the marathon, he started his focused marathon training. He planned. Each week was different. He varied the weekly mileage, in a cyclic pattern: moderate, long, longer, longest. He carefully planned a specific variety of  runs within each week: long and easy on Saturdays. Short tempo run, or intervals at race pace, or semi-long distance at a moderate pace during the week. Sundays off. He carefully built his mileage. He planned each run out meticulously.  He tracked everything – distance, pace, effort level.

I continued to follow my random running schedule. If it hurts , ease off. If it feels good, keep doing it. If you have time, do more. If not, do less. I added the Sunday morning Vieja Valley runs to give me some distance. Four weeks before the State Street Mile, I started training with Rusty.

I really admire my husband. He has so much persistence and self-discipline. He sets goals, and then proceeds to plan out how to achieve them. For six months Hal trained. Methodically. Consistently. A week and a half  before the Los Angeles Marathon, he was ready. He even said “I wish I could run the marathon now!“

Then it happened. During his taper, exactly one week before the race. Monday, May 18th. His right hamstring seized up on him. Bad. While he was walking the dogs. The pain behind his leg did not go away. It continued to burn and tingle – and got worse with stretching. Hal took the entire week off. Resting. Heating. Icing.  NSAIDs. Massage. Jacuzzi. He tried an easy 2 mile jog the day before the race. Not too terrible, tolerable. He attempted the race. Got through to mile 13 – but then had to stop. Could hardly walk at that point. Did not finish the race.

Waiting for the start of the LA Marathon.

To make a long story short, we still don’t know exactly what happened. His doctor says he has a pinched nerve coming from his back.  And he recommends Hal take some time off running. Grrrr!!!  At any rate, the leg is still bothering Hal quite a lot.

That was (and is) the Agony.

Now for the rest of the story.  A little over a month ago, I started training with Rusty, joining the SBAA coached track runs.  What an eye-opener!  Runners would be instructed to run at a specific pace and they could do it!  Easily. Without constantly checking a watch or GPS. We would go for a distance at a very challenging pace. Then repeat it. Again. And again. And again. Change it around a little – maybe make it more challenging.  Then go for those repeats. Rather different experience from my typical solo runs: Singing to myself, maybe doing some free-form fartleks if I felt good, then picking it up toward the end of my run. . .

To my amazement I was able to keep up with the track workouts. I decided to try a Saturday morning coached run.  I was able to do that too!  Fast, strong, hold it, there! (It was really challenging, but also fun at the same time.) So I did it again. Even more fun!

Then, last Sunday, I did the State Street mile.  I ran that race last year. My memories of the experience were of starting strong, and progressively dying as the race went on. Sucking air. Battling to stay moving at the end.

Not like that this year!  It was a total high. I didn’t die at all!  I felt strong and good to the finish. The ecstasy!  I improved my time from last year by 15 seconds – from 5:53 at age 53 to 5:38 at age 54. Cool! Reverse aging? (I wish)

Only a few yards to go!

Hal was waiting at the finish, camera in hand.

Next marathon, Hal, I’ll be at your finish. Camera in hand.