First Date with Garmin

yesterday i met up with mia and she has generously offered me the use of her Garmin. i'm interested in technology...but wary. but i'm also curious to find out just how far and how fast/slow i really am.

i want to run trails but i need to run on the road.

so,we'll see....................

T and M have agreed to go into the city and help me preview the 1/2 marathon route. i'd like to run the whole course before race day. i'll need to prepare better for that next time, today was a preliminary review of the lay of the land and a lesson in needs and need nots.




getting to the route starting line was an event itself. a cold sunny day in san francisco had drawn everyone and his cousin out and about. by the time i actually started running it was already 1:00 pm.

while i have a slighty better sense of the route now i was only able to run just under 5 miles of it. i needed to meet T at a certain spot within an hour and i kept getting turned around. funny how much longer it takes to run a just few miles when your in a new place.

over accesorized!!!

i felt a bit bogged down between the hydration belt, my ipod, the garmin, multiple layers and a phone. i immediately had to pee a soon as T dropped me off near the pan handle and the first order of business was finding a public restroom. i took awhile fumbling with all the gear. i must've left my zipper pocket opened and noticed later that i managed to lose 16.00 bucks. made somebody's day i'm sure.

i met up with a couple of other runners who knew the route and they were able to tell me that the section i was on was only three miles from where T and I would meet up later (i told T i'd call him in an hour but that we'd meet at 41st and fulton if something happened...dead cell etc.).

luckily i took a few wrong turns before I got to 41st and stretched things out to just under 5 miles (4.79 to be exact in 45ish minutes...i started messing with buttons and accidently added time while trying to figure stuff out...) anyways i was disappointed at the outcome mainly because it was tricky coordinating with T where and when to meet. next time i'll go solo, maybe take my bike along and scout out the route some more.

sections of golden gate park are closed off to traffic on the weekends which made it hard to find the start. it's a beautiful place to run and i'll definitely return before race day.

first date with the garmin...a bit awkward... but i'm looking forward to our second one real soon.

dazed and confuzed

i know the past few posts i've been hemming and hawing on whether or not i'll be ready for the half mary on 2/4/07. to further undermine my decision it appears that i may have signed up for the wrong race. when i tried to confirm my registration my name was not to be found. i know i signed up some time in november and i've turned my house upsidedown trying to find the old statement and the printed confirmation page . wtf?

i am totally capable of finishing and it sort've pisses me off that i'm geting all hung up on how long finishing will actually entail. it's such bullshit . running makes me feel good and it's fun. but every so often the need to do well overshadows the fun, ya know?

right now my main concern is finding something to confirm that i signed up for this race. what did i actually sign up for? i'm not sweating the entrance fee but damn i am ticked at losing track of the confirmation form. i'll try looking for an old statement and work from there. am i pathetic or what?

No Shortcuts

i decided to reverse the wildcat canyon run today. i did this for a couple of reasons, none of the least which was i had my fill of hills this week and wanted to make this run easier by avoiding several of the steep ass climbs.

ha ha ha.

seems i forgot about a few others in the opposite direction and failed to appreciate the challenge posed by going down said steep ass hills.

oh my knees!!!

there ain't nothing easy about running these trails.

high on the ridge the view was stunning. well worth the effort. a couple of baby cows watched me curiously... scooting away only once i was very close. i spotted a few equestrians and was impressed by a man's unleashed dog that heeled until they passed. my brandy is not so well behaved around horses..

yesterday mia and i were talking about how easy it is to go out too fast during a long race. i tried really hard to pace myself (sans technology) and when it felt slow i slowed down more. per usual the first 2 miles sucked, but then it got better. 2 hours into the run i felt like i had loads of energy still. the last half hour however took it's toll and my mind scrambled on how i could shorten the trek. instead of shortening it i opted to take a longer flatter route vs the shorter but steeper way back to the car.

the 2.5 hour long run left me feeling tired and content. i claimed a picnic table in the sun and stretched for a long time. a woman hiker coming off the trail first sat down on a bench but then saw me sprawled out like a gecko sunning itself and claimed her own table to stretch too.

so, the week ahead looks as unpredictable as last week...i will need to fit runs in as the opportunity presents itself. i actually enjoyed a run after work this week. maybe the adaptability factor from working in so many other buildings this past month is rubbing off. whatever the reason, if i plan on actually showing up for next months race while remaining gainfully employed adjustments in the training will need to be made.

Impossible Things

nothing like a new pair of running shoes to make ya feel all badass....which is exactly how I needed to feel as i tentatively considered taking on Strawberry this morning. as i've been mentioning the training has been sporadic for about the last month. which might explain why my period...which is usually barely noticeable........ paid a most unpleasant visit yesterday...i was crampy and nauseous all day....at first i thought i had the flu thats been going around at work...so I layed low all day.

sleep and hydration are wonderful things both of which i got plenty of and when i awoke at 9 am i felt great. i ate an english muffin and has some coffee. i then zipped over to REI to use the generous gift certificate T gave me for x-mas.

i tried on quite a few pairs of trail shoes...much to the dismay of the young man helping me ...it wasn't busy at all.... but he seemed a bit put out...normally i would be intimidated by this and just go with the first pair ...or get mad and leave...neither seemed like a good options and so i just asserted myself and reminded him that it wasn't too busy and asked him to bring a few more pairs. in the end i settled on montrail hurricane ridge trail shoes and i felt good that i didn't let poor customer service derail me.

i raced back home to change and then headed for strawberry canyon. it was well past 11 am at this point and the parking lot was full...luckily i spotted a gal coming off the trail...that familiar sweaty tired look told me she was done. i waited a few minutes for her to collect herself and pulled into her spot. it had been awhile since i'd been here and i was a bit nervous about big bertha and the other hills...as i haven't been doing much running ...even less so on hills. i silently reminded myself that it was okay to walk, it was okay to take it slow.

the new shoes felt new but good at the same time...and i managed to get the lacing right the first time...not too loose or too tight. as i approached big bertha, instead of being scared i looked her square in the eye and began to climb. normally i keep my head down and pump my way up...today instead i would look up to the top periodically and instead of dread i felt compelled to hold my head up and focus on the rising terrain.

when your standing at the bottom of this particular hill...it seems insurmountable...ridiculous to even try...most people walk it....my strategy has always been to keep my nose to the grindstone and don't look up until it levels off...to look up would just be too hard to take...but today despite my earlier doubts i felt suprisingly strong and looked big bertha in the eye and i was not afraid.

as i cleared the crest, my breathing labored but under control i kept going, in fact all the earlier negotiations fell to the wayside and i felt that familiar state of grace that i often feel here in this place...a sign if you will... that i was exactly where i needed to be. doubt and fear about my ability to run on this mountain were replaced by a warm welcome home.

pushing forward more climbing up ahead i ran past the bench and didn't stop until i reached grizzly peak. i noticed an ever so slight twinge in the rt. achilles and stretched a bit before turning around. i really noticed the difference on the descent. the new montrails are divine...form fitting not clunky like the supernovas AND a roomy toebox...i was able to run straight down the face of big bertha and not smash my toes.

todays run was yet another reminder of why i run. i have to. nothing else takes me to that place where i feel strong and humbled at the same time. nothing else makes me strive for impossible things.

Sacred Truths

GETTING UP AT 4:00 AM TOTALLY SUCKED.

WORKOUT FINISHED BY 6:15 AM TOTALLY ROCKED!

????????????

i'm really beginning to wonder why i signed up for a half mary in february. last winter i belonged to a small neighborhood gym and could trot over and be on the dreadmill in less than 5 minutes. now i need to drive 2 miles into town and uh basically have my shit together before 6am (no small feat believe you me.) in order to be at work by 8:30.

my training has absolutely sucked the past few weeks. saturdays run went fine...but my lack of training was evident and i was tired within an hour...i know i know i know...i wasn't going to pick up where i left off.

i absolutely have to drag my ass to the gym BEFORE work tomorrow....(i'll be at yet another new facility arg!) my facility's census is low and is having a serious case of the flu and there will be no new admissions for awhile so i get to go were the work is plentiful (and for which i am grateful......lord knows i could use the money now) but all this traveling is wreaking havoc on the training.

i know. quit yer bitcin and get up earlier. nuf said

Seasons Greetings

Peace to You and Yours
and May the New Year
be filled with
New Trails to Blaze
and
Love and Hope for all.

Warmest Wishes,
Christine, M and Brandy