Suzanne’s Race Recap: 2010 San Francisco Half Marathon

Wow, I can’t believe that I finished my first half marathon! It feels good to type those words. I won’t lie…the San Francisco half marathon was tough. The hills, inclines and more hills made it tough on someone like me who hates hills and wasn’t in the top shape I would have liked to have been in, but I was determined to finish.

My morning started with a 4 am wake up call to eat, stretch and get going. At 4:30 am I headed to the course and meet up with my “big sister” Judy. It was COLD. I guess that was a blessing in the end as even as we warmed up I was never hot.

At 6:17 am our wave finally started. It was exciting to cross the start line.



The run started off fine and we were off to a good pace. Didn’t officially start thawing out until mile 4. Then the lovely hills started and they were no joke. Since I didn’t do any hill training and wasn’t sure what my stamina was going to be like I power walked most of the hills to conserve my energy. Honestly, I probably power walked faster than I would have ran.

The Golden Gate Bridge was next and that was pretty cool to run across. We returned from that to guess what? More hills! The steepest in San Francisco according to the signs posted – 31.5 percent incline grades (whatever that meant but believe me it was steep).

Finally started going downhill for once which was a relief. Then we get more to a residential area and I’m praying for flat running but no…we had to climb up into the Golden Gate Park area. I honestly was not sure at that point how I was going to make it mentally. Who’s idea was it to put hills at the end of a half marathon – seriously?!

Cardio wise I felt great but my legs felt heavy like I had extra weights attached to my knees. Fortunately I had no pain in my hip or anywhere else…just tired legs.
Music wise here is who pulled me through: Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, Muse and Eminem. They rocked and kept me going. Thank goodness for music!

I was relieved to finish and managed to try to muster enough energy to actually try to sprint (it definitely was not a sprint but as much as I had left in my tank) to the finish line. I was very excited, relieved and proud to have finished 13.1 miles…something I wasn’t quite sure was possible just a few weeks ago.



I’m happy that I finished and am proud, but wished I could have had a few more weeks to properly train. Those last few miles I had to really dig deep and gut it out. As for whether I’ll do this again….while I don’t see a full marathon in my future I definitely think I will continue to run 5ks, 10ks and even half marathons. I’d especially like to do another half marathon when I’m 100% healthy and had the proper training.

A special thank you to my “big sister” Judy who decided at the last minute to run the half marathon with me. Judy you made the run fun, you kept me going and I’ll always remember my first half marathon because of YOU! Thank you thank you for all you did – I truly appreciate it.

Thanks to my Mom and Dad for accompanying me on my half marathon adventure today! Bill – you too for supporting Judy!

And to my bestie Jenn who inspired me to try to run a marathon. This blog has been a fun way to document this process and share the experience with everyone. Thanks for always being there and so supportive - even though we're miles apart. Now I'm excited to cheer you on as you train for the Chicago marathon! Go Jenn go!

Thank you to all of you - family, friends, co-workers, fellow bloggers and runners - for all the support and encouragement as I took on this challenge.

It was fun and I learned a lot about myself and running. We’ll see what will be next on the running calendar for me and I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated.

SF Half Marathon 2010 Complete!
Suzanne

OMG, I’m Running the SF Half Marathon on Sunday!

It’s almost here. On Sunday, I will be running the San Francisco Half Marathon. My start time is 6:12 am and I’m running the first half which goes across the Golden Gate bridge.

This morning I completed my last long run of 8 miles. It was an interesting run as the first mile did NOT suck (it usually does for me), I didn’t hit my runners high until the 4 mile mark, and afterwards I felt really good. I’m glad I got up early to get the run in because it is HOT here…the last few days have been in the 100’s.

The plan is to get two more runs in this week – 4 and 3 miles – before the big day.

Here are some new songs that I’ve added to my playlist:
Muse – Neutron Star Collision (I LOVE LOVE THIS SONG!)
Enrique Iglesias – I Like It
Katy Perry – California Gurls
Taio Cruz - Dynamite

This weekend will be fun. On Saturday we will go to the expo to pick up my race packet and go to dinner with the family. We’re staying overnight at the official race hotel which is at the starting line which should be convenient. I’ll definitely post a race report and try to incorporate some photos too.

And a special hello to all my Idaho relatives that I saw this past weekend and asked about the blog and Jenn and my training! We appreciate your support.

SF Half Marathon Here I Come,
Suzanne

Why I Love and Hate to Run!

Okay, this should be fun and we definitely need participation from all of you. Below I’m listing reasons why I both LOVE and HATE to run. Please add your suggestions to those listed below in the comments section. Jenn will add in as well.

Why I LOVE to Run
1. I always feel better after I’m done running no matter how tired I may be before starting a run
2. Being able to just think through whatever is going on in my life while on a run. To think in silence is huge for me as a working mom as I don’t get many opportunities to do that.
3.There is nothing better then when you get that “runners high” and you feel like you can run forever
4.It’s a major stress reliever
5.Running makes me feel better about myself
6.When I’m running consistently, I really enjoy it - especially the mental toughness and competitiveness of it all
7.While I have only run one competitive race so far, that race was the most fun I’ve had exercising since playing basketball in college
8.Running (and exercising in general) sets a good example for my girls.
9.The benefits of running makes me a better person because I feel good, have more patience, less stress and more.
10.Playlists – I love music so I enjoy putting together lists that will keep me going during a run
11. When you run a personal best...it's an awesome feeling!
12. Eating pizza guilt-free after a long run (thanks for the reminder on this one!)

Why I HATE to Run
1. The first mile always sucks no matter how great of shape you are in
2. It’s HARD work – physically and mentally
3. It’s a mental fight to even start a run and then to keep going
4. Whenever you think you’ve got it down and it’s getting easier….a run kicks your ass
5. When I want to run outside, it sometimes can be a major challenge to fit it in with work and family schedules. And when it's really hot outside!
6. It really sucks to get injured – I should know!

In making these lists I found out that I really do love running. There are just some days when it kicks my butt. But I suppose that’s the allure of it all and why I keep doing it.

Looking forward to hearing what all your reasons are for why you run!

SF Marathon Here I Come,
Suzanne

Three Weeks to Go Until SF Half Marathon!

And we're down to three weeks to go! I just received the official email to let me know I was officially changed from the full marathon to the half marathon. My start time is 6:12 am and I'm starting to get excited.

This week I did my runs and felt good. My long run was 6 miles - yes I changed it from 8 miles after I did some research and they said to do 10 miles as your longest run prior to the half marathon. I felt OK and more importantly I had no pain in my hip. Was a little sore the day after and it was minor. I'm just hoping I'll be able to physically hold up these next few weeks...just three more weeks please!

It continues to be a "mental fight" as I'm still not used to the mileage like I used to be. Five miles used to be nothing and now it's a challenge. Funny thing is that in the end I'm physically able to do it but my brain thinks otherwise. Very interesting conversations to say the least...ha! I'm hoping the next few weeks will change that.

This week the plan is: 3-4-5-8-3

The next week will be: 4-5-4-10-3

The next two weekends we have trips planned so that will be a scheduling challenge but I'll make it work.

Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!

SF Half Marathon Here I Come,
Suzanne

4 Weeks to Go!

Four weeks to go and I can’t believe it. Where has the time gone? How am I feeling? A little nervous to tell you the truth because I’m still recovering from my injury and I need to build up my mileage to run the half marathon successfully.

Last week I did complete my running schedule and I feel OK. My hip is still a little sore but it’s not painful. Planning to go to the chiropractor this week to get worked on to see if that helps now that I’m running again. And I’m still using a styrofoam roller – thanks Judy – that I affectionately call “Dr. Pain.” I can’t take credit for that name I read it somewhere online and it’s absolutely accurate.

This week’s running schedule is: 3-5-3-8-3

You’ll notice I’m increasing the frequency of runs as I need to get my mileage built up in a short amount of time (4 weeks!). I just added a short 3 mile run which should be doable. It’s really heated up this last weekend – it was 106 yesterday – so I need to make sure I run really early now or run on the treadmill.

And, I wanted to say a special CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin Liz and her husband Ken who completed their first half marathon “Seattle Rock n Roll” this past weekend. Good for you and hopefully in four weeks I will have done the same!

SF Half Marathon Here I Come,
Suzanne

Been awhile

So sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. Let's just say life has been pretty busy for both myself and Jenn.

Just returned from nearly a week long business trip and I'm trying to recover. Simply put I'm exhausted and am realizing that writing a blog entry right now may not be the brightest idea?!

Was not too good on keeping with my running schedule while travelling but I'm back on track this week - I promise!

Ran 3 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday. Felt OK and surprisingly my cardio was good. The rest of the week I will run 4 miles, 3 miles and 6 miles. For the first time I walked without any hip pain and/or aches last week.

And, I was able to officially change my registration from the full marathon to the half marathon. I'm going to do the first part of the SF marathon as everyone told me it's the best as you get to run across (and back) the Golden Gate bridge. So I'm looking forward to that.

I've also decided that I will continue to run after my half marathon adventure and I'm starting to look for races(5k, 10k)to sign up for that will give me something to look forward to. We will see how I feel after the half marathon if that is something I want to do again or if I somehow feel inspired to do a marathon someday (I'm thinking that is highly doubtful after this whole hip injury thing).

This weekend I promise to blog about how my running is going and how I'm feeling. In a way it kind of feels like I'm starting over with training. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing but I'm ready to go.

Hope everyone is having a good summer!

SF Half Marathon Here I Come,
Suzanne

Suzanne Makes an Important Decision

As the title indicates I’ve made a major decision. After a lot of thought and careful consideration, I’ve decided the smart and sensible thing for me to do is to run the SF half marathon instead of the marathon on July 25th.

Obviously, I’ve had to start considering this when my hip did not immediately heal. I really didn’t want it to come to this as it makes me feel like a little bit of a failure as this was not the original goal. However, I’m starting to come to terms with it and am slowly realizing that completing a half marathon is still a major deal and accomplishment! It just so happened that the deadline to make any changes to your registration was this past Friday.

Had I not run into my hip problem I think I could have done the marathon. However, I’ve basically lost almost 3 weeks of training (where the mileage is intense now) and I don’t have enough time and am not physically healthy/strong enough to safely train and prepare for the full marathon. Maybe one day…we’ll see.

This week I went to the chiropractor – my first time ever – and it is helping. The pain isn’t constant anymore. She asked me to rest this week to let it fully heal and I’ve been good and have done so. It does feel better everyday and not sure if it’s due to the rest, my visits to the chiropractor or both, but I’m thankful nonetheless.

Now that I’ve decided to do the half I need to revise my training schedule and it’s on my to do list tonight. The plan is to resume running Wednesday of this week, which coincides with my travelling for work. Basically, I have 6 weeks of training left.

This week’s training is: 3-4-3-6

Thanks everyone for all your support and advice. Let’s just hope that I can get healthy again so I can complete the half marathon. That’s still an accomplishment in itself and I hope I can indeed achieve it.

And good luck to Jenn on her first week of marathon training!!

SF Half Marathon Here I Come,
Suzanne