Best Things: Garmin GPS Watch

I have tried many different things to figure out my running pace -- various apps on my phone, pedometers, old-fashioned watches...but it was not until I got my Garmin GPS watch was I truly able to gauge and improve my times.

A year or so ago, I was somewhat pleased with the performance of one of my apps in telling me my time, distance, pace, and all that good stuff. However, I found that often times it had my route wildly wrong, the GPS having fallen out somewhere in the middle of my run, or I found myself constantly pulling out my phone (or wrenching my arm to see) what I was doing. I needed to find a different way.

I read a lot of reviews pointing me towards GPS watches, and my research landed me on the Garmin Forerunner 110. There are other models -- some more expensive, some that sync wirelessly to the computer, some that give a lot more details than this -- but this one hit had what I needed, and hit the right price point.

What did I need? I wanted to know how far I was going, and how quickly I was doing it. Added bonus of this watch was compatibility with a heart rate monitor, which helped me gauge my exertion at certain points in my run so I could adjust accordingly. This was definitely not necessary. The face was large enough for me to easily see things at a quick glance while I am running, and the wristband was small enough to fit on my wrist (I have rather narrow ones).

I'm Sold: SPIbelt

There are a few things I can't do without when I run: comfortable shoes, my keys, a ponytail holder, and music. I generally try to have an ID or insurance card with me, as well, since the drivers in my town pay little attention to things like people crossing the street.

For the past few years, when I am on a solo (i.e. sans doggie) run or in a race, I've used an armband for my iPhone, and shoved my keys & cards in a small pocket in my pants, or perhaps in my socks, depending on what I was wearing. This started to become a less-than-ideal situation, since my armband seemed to start outgrowing my arms, meaning I often ended up carrying the armband-wrapped iPhone in my hands.

I don't really care to carry things in my hands while I run.

My friend A had been a long-time proponent of a little belt worn around her waist -- almost a fanny pack of sorts, at least to me. I generally don't like anything around my waist, either, but had gotten rather used to it since running with my dog using a hands-free leash. After one last time of my phone ending up around my wrist because I couldn't get the armband tight enough, I caved and bought myself one of these belt doo-hickies.

And I love it.

The SPIbelt is a belt outfitted with a small, neoprene pouch large enough to hold a phone, car key, money, and an ID or card or two. It sits very close to your body, and, the best thing, it doesn't move while you're running. It was so still, in fact, I often forgot I even had it on.

The size out of the package is deceiving...it is so small it's hard to believe it will hold all your goods. But hold them it does. I even had space to spare. And, despite being weighted down with all the goods, it didn't move, at all. I wore it just around my hips, and there it sat.

So call me a convert. How I got along without this gem of an accessory for so long I am not sure.

Like, Gag Me with a Spoon

This past weekend, a group of friends & I tumbled out of bed far too early (well, rather, we had stayed out far too late the night before...rookie move) to head over to the park and participate in the first Awesome 80's Run.

Despite our moods, we were excited to get all dressed up in various shades of neon, put our hair in side pony's or pigtails, and head over to the event. As we rolled up, we could hear the 80's music pounding throughout the concourse, and we were ready to dance (and did...nothing like an 8am dance party).

We took our tutu-clad behinds over to the start line, and that's where things went downhill. The chute for the start was on the opposite side of the street, which meant crossing through folks running the 5K to get there. It also meant getting kind of yelled at if you found a break in the 5Kers to run across and get there. Because of this, we had to wait around 15 or so minutes after the start time to actually get going. It should be noted...it was important to go through the chute itself as that was the only timing mat on the entire route (until the finish).

Before I complain too much, I must say...people got REALLY into the costumes. I don't remember ever seeing so much neon in one place...there were groups of Care Bears, Pac-Man & his Ghosts, Double Dare participants, even dogs in hot 80s colors. At the start, everyone had a smile on their face and were ready to get down and have some fun.

You're the Best...Around...

Party and tutus, and party and tutus...

Yes, this is how my friends & I roll into a race.

No, this isn't the Bay to Breakers.

For the 4th year, I competed in the Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz. This 10k is billed as the "best little road race in California," and I have to agree. I have more fun doing this race than most.

This year (and last year, too), my friend A & I had a goal of finishing in under an hour. I thought I had PRed (for that course), but I was mistaken...The past three years, we'd gone in the 1.02 range, which...isn't bad, but we both felt we could do better. We had both achieved that time in other races, but W2W is a little tougher -- it's super crowded, and the first mile is clogged with people walking (seriously, people, start further back and MOVE ASIDE), so it's hard to get ahead.

5 for 10

5 years. Each year, the Presidio10.

see what I did there? I crack myself up.


It was a cool day, this April morning...a cool fog hung low over Chrissy Field, muffling the sounds of the announcer reminding us how to put on our toe tags (or, since that was too morbid for the guy who walked up, bent over, and fixed mine, the shoelace timer chip) and making sure we all were ready to start running, if only to keep warm.

After a...umm...stirring rendition of the national anthem, the countdown began and we were off running.

The course this year was super crowded. My friend A got a good lane and sprinted off ahead of us, basically kicking @ss on the race. We could see her running hard ahead of us and tried to cheer her on...but yells don't carry so far over the din of Golden Gate Bridge traffic. My friend R & I were left behind her, and some people who just would not let us pass -- including the woman who pretty much threw elbows to not let us pass her as we approached the finish line. I did appreciate the people who shouted, "On the left" as they bowled past us...I need to try that tactic next time!

Each time I run one of these races, and finish, I find myself a little amazed. Me. A runner. Not a very quick one, but as The Penguin said at a speech before my first half-marathon, it is about finishing to the best of your own abilities. I think back to the days spent struggling to run a mile at soccer practice, or the coach getting mad at me for perhaps cheating on a long run for lacrosse (or at least walking a lot of it), and if you had told that girl that she would be actually looking forward to a run, much less signing up for races, she would have smacked ya in the face in disbelief.

Of course, the carrot at the end of the stick was in the form of beer. Cold, delicious beer, served up by some handsome dudes. Can't beat that!

Ready Ready Ready to Run

Whoo-hoo, we finished!

I did my first half marathon in 2004 -- the inaugural Nike Marathon for Women, and probably the toughest I have ever done (the hills! more hills! never-ending hills!). Since then, I have done several others, averaging about one a year. Each time, I say this will be my last, that my body can't take it, my knees hurt too much, it's too far... Each time, hoping to go out with a bang at a really awesome race.

And, each time, finding myself finishing and already thinking about what my next one will be. Most recently, by the time I crossed the finish line at the Healdsburg Half, I was already looking ahead to the next time I could make my body hurt so good.

I chose the Oakland Running Festival half marathon as my next. I had heard really good things about it from previous years, including that it ran by Farmer's Produce -- by dad's business and what ended up being the launch pad to his next journey. This was a daunting prospect as I hadn't been anywhere near there since the summer of 2010. I was drawn to it, however, because it was close to home and perhaps I'd see some familiar faces, both on the course and at the finish line.

As the day approached, the weather reports did not look so hot. I spent at least two days trying to figure out how to best dress for 2.5 hours of constant downpour...and was none too happy. When the day rolled around to go pick up our race packets, we were greeted with an unpleasantly cold rain. People tried to tell me running in the rain was GREAT! THE BEST. I respectfully disagreed.

But, when the morning of the race rolled around, the sun decided to fight through the clouds and send its rays down on us. Unfortunately, due to the forecast, many of the route bands and spectators stayed away (couldn't blame them), but those that were out there were awesome. We especially enjoyed the unexpected brownie bites from Brown Sugar Kitchen in West Oakland. Those should be required in every race!

Running past the market took me by surprise...thankfully my running partner kept talking as we went by and didn't get too weirded out by my sudden tears and inability to breathe. I was sure glad to get that over with.

That all said...eventually we finished, with my mom & aunt cheering us on at the finish line. Not anywhere near the time I would have liked, but, oh well, sometimes thems the breaks. Half Marathon #8 in the books, and I am, again, trying to figure out when my next 13.1 will be run!

Running.

The other day I googled myself (as you do), and found that a lot of my results are times from races. This was rather cool...I can't remember all the races I've been in and certainly don't remember much about the times, unless I did really well (Santa Cruz 10K, I'm looking at you).

I am gearing up for my next 1/2 marathon, and really hoping to bring my time down from the last one. I feel like I have stagnated around the same time throughout my running days...however, finding these results, I can see there's been a definite improvement! And this has me totally inspired as I continue my training (ok, yeah, so I use training loosely).

The race where this is most evident is the Presidio10. I've participated in this race 4 times, with a 5th coming up this year, and loved it every time. Evidently, I've also improved my time!
2008 - 1:15.41
2009 - 1:08.56
2010 - 1:09.56 (the exception...I had arrived home from Costa Rica at about 1am that morning then ran...)
2011 - 59.51

Running is a solitary sport that, for someone like me, lacks the instant gratification of a team sport. I am never going to win first place, never break the ticker tape...so really my only gauge is how I do against my friends in the moment, and against the clocks of other races. So seeing these side by side is really a validation, for me, that whatever I am doing works.

Does this mean I'll do better in my upcoming 1/2? I have no idea...my friend Mark, who ran with me in Healdsburg, signed up to run with me again...he's a lot faster than me so hopefully that will push me like it did in October.

In just a week, I'll be racing in my 5th (or 6th...can't remember) half marathon, the Healdsburg Wine Country 1/2 Marathon (or "Wine Run," as I call it). Last weekend I did my last "big" training run...9 miles. Felt pretty good, I really had the legs at the end so am feeling pretty good going into next week.

This is the first time I have really trained (and I use that loosely) for a half since my first one. It dawned on me that I am not as young as I once was, and maybe trying to get some mileage in before the race would be a good idea and prevent some injuries. Imagine that!

This race will be a special one for me. I've always dedicated my races to someone -- usually someone who has passed on (except the one for my gpa, as he is still alive & kickin'.) -- this time it is for my dad.

The race starts at the Coppola winery, which is the last place I really spent time with him. It was also a place we loved to go together; we discovered it one very hot day when we decided to go wine tasting. My mom thought it was too hot to leave the river, and dad & I were too hot to stay there (and tasting rooms have airco!). We went up to hit another one of our favorites, Meeker, then Geyser Peak, then, as we were driving back to go to a few others, we spotted what at the time was called "Unnamed," now called Coppola. It is a beautiful property, and I remember standing outside, overlooking the vineyards, and telling my dad it was so beautiful, it would be one of the few wineries where I wouldn't mind having my wedding. (his response? "Let's work on the boyfriend first.") We stayed and tasted, and discovered the Sofia Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine, something he always made sure to buy me when he was there (and I will always have on hand here at my house).

When I signed up for this race, I didn't realize it started at this special place. Now, looking back, it seems pretty serendipitous. While I know he wouldn't be happy that I signed up for another half marathon ("Annie, why would you do that? You know it hurts your knees. Can't you just do a shorter race? Or just not race at all."), I know he'd be proud. The first half I ever did, with Team in Training in honor of my grandmothers, ended with him in tears as I stepped across that finish line. This one, a week before what would have been his 59th birthday, I know he'll be watching me start from the balcony where we once stood, arms crossed with a little cup of Sofia, smiling his "I'm really happy but can't show it too much because I am supposed to be disapproving of this" smile.

Earning the Wine!

This past weekend was the "big" wine tasting event up at the River.

I put big in quotes because, while this is probably the biggest weekend up there, the event itself is two hours, where we get dressed up cute and drink wine, possibly win a prize or two, and talk about how we can't wait for the dance. It is one of the most fun weekends of my year, and this year didn't disappoint!

For the first time, I did the loop with a few of my friends. I usually only run about 3-3.5 miles while I am up there -- breathing is tough with the allergies -- and I'll admit I was a little scared to do the full 7.5ish miles with them. I hadn't run that far in over 1.5 years!

Pretty excited that I completed it with no walking. And without too much pain in the hips (until the end). We chatted the entire time and the miles went by rather quickly...and, since we were on a highway, we had to be alert for the cars, too! 

This gives me great hope for the training I'll need to do for the half marathon at the end of October. I kept this pace pretty easily, and hopefully in the next few months can pick up the pace a tiny bit and up my distance. 10min/mile is my goal for the half!

Giving Up

The Catholic (I think it's only Catholic) tradition of Lent began about 2.5 weeks ago, and this year I decided to give something up.

I am not a practicing Catholic, and haven't really thought much about Lent in years -- though I do sometimes catch myself not eating meat on Fridays. But this year, I took a look at my life and some habits I'd been forming, and thought it might be a good opportunity to clean those up.

Despite what some may argue, this isn't a religious thing for me. Rather, it's about having a set period of time to get things back in line. I've often heard that when starting something new -- exercise, diet, etc. -- it takes about six weeks to make it habit. I venture there are some things that take less, and some more, but I like it as a general guideline.

So, for six weeks, I am only allowed to drink 1x/week, and eat junky food/sweets for 1x/week.

Yes, I know Lent is about giving things up altogether. But, like I said, this isn't a religious thing. And, it is something at which I would like to be successful. If I deprived myself completely of these things, I would not only go nuts at the end of six weeks, I wouldn't succeed at all. The point of this exercise, for me, is to reset my body's expectations and cravings. I had been craving sweets quite a bit, and indulging more than I needed to, and I'd like that to change. (the alcohol wasn't as big a deal, as I usually only drink once or so a week, anyway)

So far, so good. Though I can't believe it's only been 2.5 weeks, I am already craving the sweets a little less. I don't stop by my colleagues cube and mindlessly take anything from her little candy jar (though I'd like to!). I don't meander downstairs for a little something something from the vending machines at work, and I have fruit after dinner instead of ice cream*.

Will I last another 3.5 weeks? Who knows. I sure hope so!

* reading this you may think I am a sweets girl, and that is not the case...While I won't turn down a cookie or a bowl of Dreyers, I generally crave salty/savory items, which is why this sweets craving threw me and needed to get in check!

Early Morning Sunshine

Dateline: Sunday morning, 6.30am...the alarm goes off. I am scared for a moment; is it a work day? Why am I getting up this early?

And then I remember, it's a race day! I slowly get out of bed (I had done a core training class on Saturday, and man, my abs were killing me), and dig through my closet to find my running clothes. Luca is very excited, he thinks he, too, gets to go for a run. Instead, I take him for a quick walk around the block, and dash to make it to the starting line on time.

The Presidio10 starts at Chrissy Field, which can be a little cold and very windy. Start time was a bit of an exception - the sun was breaking through and the wind was dying down. The first group, running 10 miles, took off at 8am. As they left, the 10K-ers lined up to start a little warm up, a few stretches, and to stand close to keep warm!

At 8.30am, the gun sounded and off we went! This is one beautiful course. Most of the 10K takes place on the Golden Gate Bridge, which is one "tourist attraction" that never, ever loses its luster for me. It is epic in every way imaginable. Usually, it is really windy up there, but it was peaceful and rather quiet. On the return route, San Francisco was to my immediate left, and as we were crossing the sun was starting to burn off the fog and the City was coming to light. I dare anyone to look at that view of the City and not be in awe of the beauty. It has to be one of the more dramatic modern skylines.

I could see the finish line in the distance, but what a tease that was! There was still almost a mile to run. I finished in pretty good time - much less than I thought it would take me! Pretty good for being so sore and not having run in a long time.

Despite my unhappiness at having to get up, when the race was over, I was sure glad I did it. I accomplished more before 10am than most people would all day, and for a good cause (the race raises money for The Guardsmen, a local philanthropy group, and the Ashlyn Dyer Foundation for brain trauma). Overall, a pretty awesome way to finish up the weekend.

Just Did It!

Just Did It!

The Nike 26.2 Marathon & Half-Marathon was today, and I just did it! I did the half, and it was such a thrilling experience.

This was the third half-marathon I have completed in as many years. While this may not seem like a big deal compared to some (I met a woman yesterday who does at least one full marathon a month!), but it is to me. I was the person who swore she would never do an endurance run, couldn't even think about it, etc. Imagine my surprise when I was compelled to join Team in Training and do my first race, and then sign up for 2 more!

I didn't train really for this race - the longest distance I ran was maybe 5 miles and that was with a bit of walking when my knees pained me. I went in with the attitude that I would go as far as I could, then walk the rest. If I could run half of it, I would feel a-ok, and I wanted to finish in less than three hours.

The day started with a 5.45am wake up call. I was meeting a friend at 6.15am to walk down to the starting line. I had been hydrating for a few days as that was my biggest fear. We got to the starting area and were greeted by throngs of other women runners (the stats I read were 15,000 total runners, 150 of whom were men). You could feel the excitement in the air, especially from the many first timers. I remember that feeling when I first did this race, it is awesome.

There was music blaring and people scrambling to find their pace group. I personally never found mine...there were too many people to fight through so I just kind of stood where I landed. They had us count down, 10, 9, 8...then the gun went off and we were on our way!

The weather was perfect, probably high 50s at the start. I took off running and felt awesome. I got through the first two miles at a very quick pace; although I knew it wouldn't last, I was pretty impressed with myself! I stopped at about mile 2.5 to try to use the restroom, but the line was too long and I gave up. There were people cheering all over the course, and even though they weren't cheering for me, their cheers were encouraging.

I ran solid through mile 5, then took a quick walk and ran the rest of mile 6. Mile 7 introduced a mile-long hill, and I walked it. On my way up the turn, a woman slowed down and said to me, "You've got this, no problem." It was nice, and really encapsulates what I love about this race. I have said it before, I believe, that I am tired of seeing women tear each other down. We see it all the time in magazines, on reality TV, and in real life. And this race is about the opposite, it is women supporting and celebrating with one another. It is quite incredible.

By that time I was hungry and needing some energy. I had left my e-Gel packs in my bag, so they did me no good. Finally at mile 9 they gave us some Clif Shot Blocs, and I have to say, they were delicious! I walked a bit more and then we were on the downhill. YAY!!

Soon there were only 3 miles left, and I ran most of them. I couldn't believe I had that much energy left. I had a good talking to with myself, telling myself to suck it up, that my knees didn't hurt that bad and I could do it. I never saw a sign for miles 12 and 13, so I really wasn't sure where I was when I exited the park. Then I saw the finish line. It was right there, within my reach!

I picked up my pace the best I could and ran towards it. I thought of those that were with me throughout the race - both my grandmothers (who I had done previous races in memory of) and my Papa, to whom I dedicate this race. I got choked up thinking about them, and of all the others who were running beside my fellow racers. The pain of my knees was nothing compared to what those memories went through. It pushed me to finish strong, and finish below what my target was. And there was an SF Firefighter, dressed up in a tux, handing me my little blue Tiffany's box containing my finisher's medal.

It was a really wonderful day, and I am so glad I did it (even if it was just for the necklace). Ultimately, all the proceeds from this event go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and every little bit helps.