Running and Eating

I know, I know. It's been a while since I last posted anything here. I didn't go anywhere, really, I just haven't had time to blog or snap photos. Here's why: reading, writing, class, tutoring, class, reading, writing, tutoring, class, some more of the same and running when I can fit it in. Well, I'm back to write and post a few photos.

If you look above this blog you'll see a slide show of the 18 mile training run in San Francisco on Sept. 12th. This was a run to remember because there was rain, thunder, lightning and in some parts hail! The rain washed away some of the chalk marking showing up where to run in Golden Gate Park but my group and I managed to find a way out back down the Great Highway and around Lake Merced.

The team ran 20 miles this pass weekend along the beautiful Monterrey coast. Was I there? Nooo. I was a good girl and attended my Mainstreaming (Special Education) class from 9 am to 4 pm that day. I did run 20 miles yesterday, though. Captain Mike Z. lead the make-up run for four TNTers along the Los Gatos Creek Trail starting from Campbell Park. When I arrived at the park at 6:15 am a small TNT cheer team showed up. Coach Tim, Captain Steve S., and mentor Ilya showed up to send us off. Coach Tim ran with Monica, Latoya, and Lindsay part of the way, too! How awesome is that?! And Captain Rich H. was there to run us in at the end while Cap. Mike rode his bike up and down the trail supplying us with water. What a great team! Thanks for all your support guys!

The run was lonely at first but once I broke up the run into four parts and got into the rhythm and pace I did well. I find that breaking up a long run into manageable portions make the run go by faster and doesn't wear me out mentally. But lets get down to a very important aspect of running, something Mentor Jen loves, eating. Everyone runner knows the sooner you're done with a long training run the sooner you can eat, you know, for recovery purposes, and eat I did.

My husband has had a hankering for dim sum lately and his cravings were finally satisfied after my run.

From the top left hand corner going clockwise are the first items we chose off the dim sum carts. Tender marinated chicken feet, so delicious; bean curd, a.k.a tofu, stuffed with vegetables; tripe marinated in ginger, garlic, and dressed with jalapenos, has a great snap to it and a tremendous flavor; steamed pork dumplings; steamed BBQ pork buns; and shrimp stuffed eggplants. But wait, there's more.

Okay, not that much more but two extra dishes. A plate of Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce and a large bowl of rice porridge with 1,000 year old eggs, a fermented black egg. It was all washed down with hot Jasmine Tea and as Alton Brown would say, it's good eats. Now I regret not ordering honey walnut prawns and a sweet beans for dessert.

As every long distance runner knows, your stomach is like an endless pit after a training run. I hate to admit this but I actually ate two Taco Bell tacos two hours later and ate a bowl of seafood pasta from Frankie, Johnnies, and Luigi's for dinner. Not including the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, oranges, and banana I ate directly after the run. Or the bowl of oatmeal and banana I ate before the run, and the great deal of water and other fruits I consumed throughout the remainder of the day. I feel gross just thinking about the amount I ate but it was so worth it.

Now back to reading and homework.

Runners Brain + Math = Doh!

The results of this equation are at the end of this entry via photos.

The alarm goes off when the whole world is snoring in a deep state of slumber way before the sun rises, and here I am getting out of bed. As soon as I'm standing my husband of four and half years whose back was towards me rolls to my side and clasps onto my pillow. I need to get ready to make up the Team In Training Coach led run I missed yesterday due to class.

Fully dressed to run 16 miles, I eat my instant oatmeal and banana. My fuel belt it fully loaded with my favorite GU, Outrageous Chocolate and Tri-Berry, along with Lemon Gatorade. Out the door and at Campbell Park before 7 am. Ten minutes worth of stretching and I'm off.

Along the trail I run to Willow Glen and back to Campbell. Five miles done, great, 11 miles to go. Here is where things become a little tricky, by mile six on my way to Los Gatos the back of my foot above the heel is being scratched and burns. The top of the sock falls below my ankles leaving my bare skin exposed the high back of my shoe. Now to run ten miles while my shoes rub the skin off the back of my feet. Ugh. Ignore the pain. It's not there. Listen to the whistle, is what I tell myself.

The whistle is new to my running regimen. It's an ordinary whistle with a ball inside that I hope to never use to ward off attackers. But the ball, is bounces inside the whistle with every stride. It sounds like I'm running with a rattle. There's no way I'm sneaking up behind anyone. Dogs in the surrounding neighborhoods bark as I approach and pass their homes. You can hear them barking several yards away. People walking or running their dogs look behind them to see where the rattle is coming from. A couple of dogs whimper and a few lunge for me. Some passersby leer and seem annoyed. You try running so many miles listening to this.

I'm tired and need to use a restroom bad when I reach mile ten. Luckily I know a little league field is quickly coming up complete with restrooms. I rejoice and smile with the little sign points to the field. I stop my watch and go. Hmm, mile 10.48, I'll need to turn around soon. This is where the Doh! part of the title comes in.

The math here is simple. I ran five miles, two and half miles out and two and half miles back is five, subtract from 16 and you're left with 11 miles left. Divide 11 by two and you have five and half. From Campbell to Los Gatos I need to run out five and half miles and turn around. Easy, add five to five and half to get ten and half. I need to turn around at mile 10.5, at the little league field, but that's not what I do.

No, I continue south bound deeper into Los Gatos. Pass the little league field, crossing Highway 17 on a bridge painted with murals from the local children, pass Los Gatos High School and towards the Lexington Dam. Why did I do this? Because I added 5.5 to 6 rather than 5. Why? Runners brain. There's a point when a runner is tired and stops thinking other than running and finishing. That was me. I ran an extra mile after my turn around point. Of course I realize this when I turn around. Now I'm in for 18 miles. Wah!

I cut corners where ever I can which is hardly anywhere. I stop at mile 16 and walk the remainder two miles. I am not going to run 18. My bleeding heels, back of my feet, whatever you want to call that part of the body hurts. My legs are sore and my knee is bothering me. And the heat? It's climbing. Yesterday it was in the 90s by 10 am, today it's a lot cooler but still warm. I'm tired and just want to go home.

After completing my 16 mile run and two mile walk I immediately call my husband. I was suppose to call him when I was done but told him to call me if he didn't hear from me by 9:30 am. I left my mobile phone in the car. By the time I call it's nearly 10:30, an hour late.

I go home and before I prepare myself for an ice bath I show him my boo-boos. Take a look for yourself.

Yep, it hurts.

How was I able to run 10 miles and walk 2 miles like this?

As of today these shoes are retired. They are blood stained and surpassed 300 miles.

Not looking forward to this...

because it hurts! My husband heard me howl at the other end of our apartment.
I've retired these socks too!

Coaches' Order

Running without my running buddy is hard sometimes. There's no one there to joke with, no one to rant and rave with, to keep our spirits up, and to help pull each other at the end of a long run. Yep, it's hard. Running by myself is even harder when a coach pulls you aside and gives you a very slow pace and forgets to tell you're running buddy.

"Gabby, you're pace should be 10:30 but I'm going to have to start off at 12 minutes a mile."

"What?! Are you sure?" I question back in disbelief.

"Yes, this is for your own good. Every mile decrease the pace by 15 seconds until you hit 10:30 minutes a mile. Trust me, you won't be tired at the end of your 14 miles," my coach says with a smile.

I snap a few photos of my running group and head out with the fast runners only to be left behind in the dust, literally. None of them are following the coaches pace he gave them and he forgot to give most of them their paces! Here I was, the last one in my running group, basically walking the first few miles in the heat, by the drying stinky sulfurous marshes of the Baylands Park. (An entire region of the Baylands are used to produce salt. When the water evaporates the only living creature/bacteria that lives in the saline water dries up and stinks the whole place up.)

I don't know what was harder, running slowly by myself or seeing my group run by me and finish before me. I did though, I stuck with the pace Coach Hao gave me and I wasn't happy at all. When I finished both Coach Tim and Coach Kris asked what was wrong with me. "You didn't smile once out there. Are you OK?"Coach Kris asked with a concerned look on her face.

I explained what Coach Hao had said and the only thing she kept saying is, "that's too slow for you."

Word got out to Coach Hao and he promised to pick up my pace. He was just being conservative with my time. He then told Victoria what had happened and told her that we must run together and maintain our pace. There's an order that made me happy.

Trail Running!

Running and preparing for my quickly upcoming classes and a tutoring gig at my old high school I've neglected to update my blog!

Saturday I ran with my Team In Training group at Waddell Beach/Rancho Del Oso/Big Basin. It sounds like I ran everywhere that morning but it's one huge interconnected California State Park that stretches from the coast inland towards the Santa Cruz Mountains all the way to Saratoga, California. It's huge, it's beautiful and in my backyard. It's only an hour drive to the beach and well worth it. Beaches, rivers, wild blackberries, waterfalls, and enormous redwoods filled with critters, hikers, runners, and a couple of cyclist-as you can read there's something for everyone here. As an amatuer photographer it's a rich with all kinds of materials but tired me forgot to charge my camera! I did manage to take a few photos, though.

The day started off early and was plesantly surprised to see how most of the morning fog burned off before 8 in the morning with the sun quickly climbing into the sky. To our surprise the beach was balmy, too. The typical summer pattern for northern California at the coast and bay is cool and foggy. The temperature ranges in the early 60s to low 50s with a lingering fog. Warm and balmy means beautiful beach day, too hot to run in. Thankfully we were trail running along a creek and between the redwoods. The shade and cool temperatures made it perfect for running.

In spite of the beautiful surroundings, or maybe despite of it, many runners looked up to view it and tumbled over roots, rocks, and little dips in the trail. In fact two women I ran with fell, including my running buddy Victoria and Marnie. To top it off another woman sprained her ankle seven miles into our 12 mile run! Poor Pim, luckly she was able to walk to the water stop three miles away. No, the group didn't leave her alone to walk by herself. I walked Pim to the water stop where she was driven the rest of the way back while I ran the last two miles in. I have to say it was hard for me to start running again. I was running at a great pace, stopped and walked several miles and started running after emerging out of the shady woods into the dry dusty trail leading back to the beach, but I did it. Yay for me!

Click here or view the slideshow at the top of the page for photos. I can't seem to post photos on my blog for some reason. :-(

The Iceman Cometh

I can hear the car pull up and park. The hot engine roars and is promptly turned off. I can hear the driver open his door and lug something heavy out of his truck. The man accidentally drops his cargo as he slams the trunk shut. I hear a large crash on the pavement. He grunts.

How much time do I have before he reaches the door? Locking them won't keep him out. His heavy footsteps slowly ascend the staircase. I hide in the kitchen.

I hear him at the top of the stairs followed by a slushy noise as he sets his package on the floor. The enters the lock and a loud resonant clicked throughout the entire apartment. He's here. He's in!

With a loud booming voice he directs me,

Come out, come out wherever you are...

No, no, can't we postpone this?
Get in. Start the water.
Must I?

With a scary grin,

This is for your own good. Now get in. Now.

I do as directed. I climb into the tub clothes and all. He drops the large 2o pound bag of ice next to the tub and leaves the bathroom.

I don't hear the water running.

When he returns he's glad to see that I have obeyed him. My legs are nearly submerged in cold water and rising. His creepy grin is now stretched from ear to ear. And with a baby voice he softly asks,
Are we ready for the ice now?

No.

Well too bad. Here is comes.

The man instructs me to shut the water off. As soon as I sit back the ice has landed on my lap. The cold water splashes everywhere. The large shards of ice slowly brush up against my bare legs. The man finishes pouring the entire bag in the tub and disperses the ice all around my legs.
We don't want the ice to concentrate on one area, now don't we? We want it everywhere.

Before he leaves the bathroom he sets a timer for ten minutes and says,
Remember, this is for your own good. You want this, I'm only here to help.

I shiver and shake uncontrollably. I can see every hair on my legs stand on end. My toes are freezing despite wearing wool socks. At least the man lends me a heavy sweatshirt to wear while in the tub.

He comes in with a individual carton of soy chocolate milk and tosses it into the bath.

Drink up.

How much longer do I have? When will this end?

As I slowly drink my chocolate soy milk the ice has melted but the water remains cold. The timer goes off and the man walks in with a goofy grin.

Oh, it's OK now. You can stand up. Wasn't that good? Don't frown like that, this was your idea, remember? It's good for you! You're going to thank me when your legs aren't sore tomorrow. Good job on running ten miles, Sweetie. Here's a bag for your wet clothes. Now go ahead and take a nice warm shower. I'll prepare your lunch.

Yes, it was my idea. Everything time I run any double digit amounts I take a ten minute ice bath. When I get out the blood rushes to my legs and removes all the lactic acid build up that cause soreness. My husband "helps me" in a very loving I'm getting you back kind of way.

After running 10 miles and taking the cold soak my legs were not sore the next day. Thank you, Sweetheart.

Double Digits!

At Columbus Park, underneath the whooshing of incoming 747s, the early morning sun quickly burns off the last of inland fog. A small group of TNT runners meet dressed for the heat. Novice runners are delighted to see that the low hanging clouds are around exclaiming that the run won't be hot. "Oh, just you wait. The fog quickly burns off and the sun will be out in full force before we start our run," I tell them braking their spirit as I spray on my sunscreen.

"Can I borrow some of that?"

"Sure, I come prepared. Did you bring your water bottle or fuel belt?" I question them as I hand over the spray.

Coach Tim flails his arms around in the air and yells for running waves. He debriefs the group on the twisty running route we're about to embark on, where the water/aid stations are located and the turnaround spots. Despite his careful and intricate details of the run it is perhaps the reason why a couple of runners did take a wrong a turn here and there making their runs a tad longer, and in some instants shorter.

Running through the Guadalupe Heritage Rose Garden we were greeted with the sweet scent of roses intermingling with lavender in the rapidly growing warmth of the sun. Running through Guadalupe River Trail up along the trail by San Jose International Airport. The first turnaround leads the group back towards the start line and into downtown, a more shady part of the park.

Following the river's path carved through the cities heart, under freeway overpasses, by the HP Pavilion aka the Shark Tank, through the Children's Discovery Museums' meadow and back to the start at the Heritage Rose Garden.

The run ended with excellent Spanish tapas prepared by our Spaniard Sandra Cifo. Along with our great food Honoree Mike H. shared his story with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chemotherapy, being in remission and his recent marriage! His treatments were all possible from research funded by many generous donations.

Training for either a half or full marathon, the runners are ran between five to ten miles. Many running the furthest they have ever run before!

By the way, I ran 10 miles in 1:36:48! I'm improving.

Photos:

1. Coach Tim gives confusing the first run wave with the twists and turns of the run.
2. Victoria running with a participant across from the San Jose International Airport.
3. Entering downtown San Jose from the Guadalupe River Trail.
4. The view of downtown from the Children's Discovery Museum.
5. My mentees Katie, Sparsha, and Brandy after completing their first nine miles!