It was just about a year ago when I met some extraordinary ladies who have been a fixture in my life ever since. Last year around this time, I was signed up to run my first full marathon, but was having major doubts about whether I could do it and was seriously considering switching back to a half-marathon. That is... until a fateful run.
Waddell Creek is one of those trails that the South Bay team runs every summer--and I thought it was going to be just another run-of-the-mill run, until I found myself running some pretty cool chicks: Robin, Janine, and Beth (Dianne would join us later at a track workout :)). We became fast friends and these ladies convinced me after that run that I should stick with the full marathon.
And so I did.
From left to right: Dianne, yours truly, Janine, Robin, Beth
What can I say, Run Girls stick together ;).
This means, of course, that my fundraising is officially back on! I have raised $1550 so far--more than the minimum fundraising goal for Nike, but now I am shooting to raise AT LEAST $750 more. A challege? Yes. But one that I can and will meet? Most definitely.
Want to help make cancer a thing of the past? Please consider making a small contribution!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/RoyalVic09/jenibarra
Run #2 today. This week, our training was on a Sunday, instead of the usual Saturday, and I think most of us TNT old-timers got our body clocks all thrown off. That's ok, though, because we had all the new participants to keep us smiling!
Look--it's a whole lotta runners!Coach Tim and former Coach Ed gave their famous beginner's clinic before the run today, giving the new runners some very valuable advice, culled from years of marathon running. Between them, they've run over 40 marathons, so I'd say they have many important insights!
Ellen, one of our team Honorees, gave an incredibly inspirational speech after the run, about living with cancer and how it changes your life forever. I've had the privilege of getting to know Ellen better over the last few months and she is one of my favorite people in the world--she's also a person whom cancer needs to fear. This is a woman out on a mission to rid the world of this terrible disease, and I'm honored to help her in that fight.
Now, it's no secret that part of why I run is for the food--in fact, anyone who's ever run with me can attest to the fact that much of the conversation is going to be about (1) what I ate before the run, (2) what I will be eating after the run, and (3) what I would like to be eating during the run. So today was an extra special day for me, because Steve, one of our awesome captains on the team, hosted the team at his house for the famous "Waffle Fest" that takes place every season. It's just what it sounds, people: waffles, waffles, and more waffles, and yes, all of the things that normally go with them (berries, syrup, OJ, sausages, muffins, and I brought my famous banana bread as well). It was a post-run culinary delight and more importantly, it was a chance to mingle with my fellow runners and get to know them better. After all, we will be running together for the next 4 months, so it's good to know who these folks are you'll be running with :).
Hanging out at the Waffle Fest
Picture it: 6AM. Thursday. Campbell Park. The weekly Thursday-we-show-up-every-week-all-year-whether-during-the-season-and-offseason buddy run went off without a hitch this morning, and we had a full house--er... full park. The regulars welcomed the brand new Summer season participants, who bravely showed up at the crack of dawn with smiles and their spiffy white TNT shirts.
Always a great experience to run with folks in the early morning hour--nothing makes people bond faster than having to shake off the sleepiness together and conquer that trail. And occasionally, we even have a treat or two. I am known to bring my banana bread when we have someone to send off to their event, but today, Gabby brought yummy oatmeal cranberry cookies for us to try.
Let's just say that I asked for the recipe ;).
Great job everyone--see you all next week!
Picture courtesy of Gabby. Thanks, Gabby!!
The big day finally arrived--training #1 for the South Bay Run Team! This day is always a mix of excitement and nerves, as newbies come to the trail wondering what the morning will bring, and the veteran runners are eager to reconnect with old friends, as well as meet the new teammates, with whom they'll get to bond over many miles, ice baths, and sore muscles.
As always, the coaches divided the group into three different groups for the very first run: more experienced runners going 4-6 miles, less experienced runners going 3-4, and those completely new to running going 2 miles. As mentors, we're asked to lead these groups to make sure that no participant feels alone or overwhelmed.
I had the pleasure of run/walking with one of the people in my mentor group, Mayra, who isn't entirely new to running (she ran cross-country in high school), but has been away from it for a while and felt a bit apprehensive going into the first run. I'm happy to say she kicked but and looked great out there on the trail!
As did all my other "mentees," some of whom I met last week at the season kick-off, and others, such as Nicole, whom I met for the first time yesterday. I'm very lucky because once again, I've got some great peeps in my mentor group, so this looks to be a fun season ahead.
There was a very special ending to the run, though. Kendra, who happens to be Coach Tim's daughter, was celebrating her 18th birthday yesterday, and as she has every weekend for what seems like forever, she manned one of the water stops for us. What an extraordinary volunteer! We made sure to give her her props by surprising her with a cake and a chorus of "Happy Birthday." We're sorry to be losing her (as she is off to college very soon), but are grateful for the selfless volunteering she's done for TNT all this time!
Week #1 of the new Summer season is officially underway! I always have butterflies whenever a new season starts, but there seem to be even more of them this time around than before. Thanks to the numerous injuries (ankle tendonitis, hip flexor strain, hip pain, and last but not least, knee pain) I've been nursing for the last 3 or 4 months, I find I'm way more tentative than I usually am. Worse, not only am I tentative, but I'm SLOW.
Well, not slow in an absolute sense, but definitely in a relative sense. During Winter season--just a few months ago--I was coming off a high from my first marathon and focused on getting stronger and faster. I worked hard in our weekly track workouts and managed to move up into a higher wave group (runners are seeded into "waves" based on their pace--the faster their pace, the higher their wave), as well as set PR's in my 5K, 10K, and half-marathon events. I was on a roll!!
And then these injuries happened.
And now I find myself pulling back just a little bit so I don't reinjure myself--which is probably good on a prevention level, but not so good at helping me continue along the path I'd set for myself and riding on the momentum I was on.
There has to be some sort of delicate balance to all of this, though, which I am trying to find. Yesterday, I went out for a solo run, just to keep testing and finding how far I can push the envelope without hurting myself again. I was shooting for a 4 miler but ended up doing 3 miles--it became obvious rather quickly that the cold I had last week and the severe allergies that have been banes of my existence have taken a toll on my aerobic endurance, and I found myself sluggish and feeling blah within the first few feet.
But then a miracle happened. At the 3-mile turnaround, I decided that even though I was going to go for a shorter distance that day, I was going to push myself as far as I was going to go. If nothing else, it would end the run that much sooner ;). And so push myself, I did--and guess what? I started to feel better and better as the run went on! When I finally got back and looked at my overall pace, I ended up running an average of an 11:43-minute pace per mile. Not spectacular by any means, but under 12, which my usual pace per mile. And it is just a minute over my best 5K pace, which I set during Winter season. So all in all, not bad, even though I was still "pulling back" somewhat.
Small victories--I'll take 'em :).
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