tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28379950125732098152024-03-04T20:27:30.486-08:00Run Geek Girl RunA geek girl's journey into the world of running.Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-52103652817460629802015-08-09T18:29:00.001-07:002015-08-09T18:29:30.221-07:00New site!Run Geek Girl Run has a new home! You can find me at <a href="http://rungeekgirl.com/">http://rungeekgirl.com/</a><br />
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This has been a long time in coming. I hope you find it new and improved!Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-79246899289406485702014-03-30T20:10:00.002-07:002014-03-30T20:10:44.662-07:00Great Race of Agoura 10k<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I know I keep saying this, but I have been extremely busy between work, training and social life, so I'm not getting posts up like I want. I ran the LA marathon earlier this month and hope to get a report up on that soon. Last weekend I ran the Great Race of Agoura 10k and wanted to get a quick little report up on that.</div>
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The Great Race of Agoura has been on my wish list for a couple years now. Late last year, my cousin and his wife contacted me to let me know they would be running it and invited me to tag along. The cool thing about the Great Race of Agoura is that they have two half marathons taking place on the same day. One of the halves is a trail run and the other is street. I've always wanted to do both for various reasons, but it has never worked in my schedule. When they told me they were doing it, I got pretty excited. </div>
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For once, I decided to play it smart. I knew I would most likely be doing the LA marathon, which takes places 13 days before, so instead of doing one of the half marathons, I decided to do the 10k with my cousin. This was his first race and longest run ever! How can I pass that up!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful scenery! </td></tr>
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They picked up my packet the day before, so I can't report much on that, but it sounded like it went relatively smoothly. Race morning we got there an hour early and had no problem getting parking. It was a little bit of a hike to the start line, but nothing too daunting. We got to watch one of the half marathons start and then we lined up for the 10k.</div>
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Everything went pretty well. I enjoyed a lot of the course! Lot's of neighborhoods, a tiny bit of trail, some hill work and even horses! Although the horses meant that we had to dodge some horse poop (a new experience for me)! My cousin did awesome and finished smiling, which is always a good sign!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line! </td></tr>
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At the finish there was all kinds of festivities and free food. We got the free pancakes and wandered the expo booths for awhile before calling it a day and heading home. </div>
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The race offered free event photos (all the ones in this report with their name in the corner) which I thought was super cool. The only problem with the race that I noticed, was that a lot of people's times were missing. I think most of them were resolved a week or so later, but it was disappointing for my cousin to not have an official time with everyone else until later.</div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-65866860078753532472014-01-14T20:09:00.000-08:002014-01-14T20:09:27.637-08:00Santa to the Sea Half Marathon (third time's a charm)
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I always look forward to Santa to the Sea half marathon. It
has become a Christmas tradition for me and it doesn’t feel like the Christmas
season till I’ve run it (it takes place at the beginning of December). Daddio
and I ran it together in 2011 as my first half marathon and it’s always felt
like a special race. It was also my half marathon PR race until mid 2013.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful morning, but cold!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My boyfriend won a free entry for the race and decided, due
to a foot injury, to run the 5k. Daddio also wanted to run it, but due to
continual injuries, he also opted for the 5k option. I unfortunately didn’t get
to the see the 5k race since the half marathon was taking place at the same
time, but I got to hear all about it afterwards. Daddio placed first in his age
group! Way to go Dad! He won a nice Santa to the Sea sweatshirt. My boyfriend
set a new 5k PR! Not bad for two injured dudes!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and Aldous getting ready for some 5k action</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My race started out cold! Since Daddio needed to get to the
start of his race, I got dropped off at the start of mine an hour early. I
didn’t want to deal with a drop bag, so I left my sweats and jacket in the car
(stupid idea). It took just a few minutes of standing in shorts and a long
sleeve tech shirt for the cold to really set in. Apparently it was 36°, a
little cold for a southern Cali girl!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’d been saying all year that I was aiming to PR at this
race, but I’d just set two new PR’s in my last two half marathons and I didn’t
think I had another one in me. My boyfriend told me that I was race faced the
week before and I probably was! I didn’t know how I managed to set my last PR
and wasn’t sure I’d be able to break it anytime soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I did a little warm up and then lined up at the start. I
stood in the sub two hour section feeling optimistic. The race started and as
usual I dodged walkers who had lined up in the front. Things were crowded and
the road was torn up due to work, so everyone was being careful of their steps.
Thankfully at this race, people get spread out pretty early on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I felt rough right from the start. You know, some days
running feels amazing and other days it is work. This race was work every step
of the way. I had planned on doing intervals of 14 minutes of running and 1
minute of walking starting at mile 5, but I started it up at mile 3 instead. Like
last time, I didn’t carry water, so I had some quick stops at aid stations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I enjoyed the spectators, the decorations, high fives and
the abundant amount of holiday costumes. I believe there were even more runners
in costume this year than in the past! I played Christmas music on my
headphones and stayed pretty focused. I was working hard, but not hurting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since I’ve run this race two other times, I know the course
pretty well. I know a lot of the twists and turns and when an aid station is
coming up. Strategically, this makes for a great PR race, since I can plan
where to stop and predict if I can skip an aid station. The route is basically
flat except for a couple overpasses, so I can plan my walk breaks to take place
on the hills or at the aid stations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Around mile 6, I chatted with a guy that caught me walking
up an overpass. He joked about how we had been playing tag for the majority of
the race and seemed curious why I was intervaling. Some people are completely
against intervaling races, I personally have no problem with it. Eventually I
would like to move away from it, but right now I am having more success setting
long distance PR’s intervaling then I am when I run flat out. It is hard to be
seen walking, but I do what I have to in order to get the best results. When I
started pulling away, the guy called after me “See you next mile”, but he never
caught up to me again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A mile and a half from the finish, my boyfriend joined me. I
was excited to see a familiar face and he got to experience a different side of
me. I can sometimes get a little intense at the end of the race and I admit
that I got a little cranky with him when he asked innocent questions. My brain
function was pretty low at that point and my tank was almost on empty, but I
was on course for another decent sized PR. I think I mostly kept mumbling about
needing to keep the pace.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aldous to the rescue!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line smile or grimace...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The hardest thing about Santa to the Sea Half Marathon is
that you can hear the finish line from over a mile away. It makes you want to
push through, but it also seems like you will never get there! Eventually I did
get there, setting a new half marathon PR of 1:54:17! Daddio and Mom were at
the finish, ready to congratulate me and my boyfriend pulled out air freshener
bling for the three of us that had run. It was a really fun morning! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3W6IAfPa-dgu1D1KjdC-U7-bn7iGeDdOQuf6fWE0HIqhFpTxzixCBfQkj01uIXDXtNT2FNvITRTm0ejJrQXZ2wFnvRdUdnKoyEsRm2Enh5kJhVNEiRhwWs_V20ntfjHo5FMcGzfIzAXy/s1600/santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3W6IAfPa-dgu1D1KjdC-U7-bn7iGeDdOQuf6fWE0HIqhFpTxzixCBfQkj01uIXDXtNT2FNvITRTm0ejJrQXZ2wFnvRdUdnKoyEsRm2Enh5kJhVNEiRhwWs_V20ntfjHo5FMcGzfIzAXy/s320/santa.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two pieces of bling!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I always recommend this race and will continue to do so!
Santa to the Sea is a wonderful Christmas themed race and it is always a lot of
fun! I’m already signed up for 2014! Since this post is coming up late, I hope
everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-22727347127780863872014-01-06T19:15:00.000-08:002014-01-06T19:15:02.623-08:00New Year's Resolution 5k<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and are off and ‘running’
with their New Year resolutions! I started the new year exactly how I wanted
too…. setting a new 5k PR! I ran the Santa Barbara New Year’s Resolution 5k
bright and early on the 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>. I ran this race two years ago, with
Daddio and really loved it even though I had a rough run. This year went much
better and did not disappoint!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I set out with the crowd at an intimidating pace
(intimidating for me!). I held an 8:04 average pace for the first mile. It was
hurting, but nothing like the Thanksgiving 4 Miler. I backed off around mile 2,
only hitting an average pace of 8:15. At that point, I had half convinced
myself that I was out there ‘just for fun’ and that any good pace would beat my
previously held PR. The size of the crowd also had me convinced that I wouldn’t
be able to place in my age group.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH_xcbPpAj7eIJDIELMF5qQ_7MgXU4ov1uU12W74wZdtj9j7DLy7IbbGo8BBYfr83bDWbUfrKddFA39dv7cQU7KXwntE1Otx-U6_96MKefCt5gmvlb0X-EIi4mxEKzlYduEEZhl1Fjhod/s1600/1534830_10153642868750562_523003047_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH_xcbPpAj7eIJDIELMF5qQ_7MgXU4ov1uU12W74wZdtj9j7DLy7IbbGo8BBYfr83bDWbUfrKddFA39dv7cQU7KXwntE1Otx-U6_96MKefCt5gmvlb0X-EIi4mxEKzlYduEEZhl1Fjhod/s1600/1534830_10153642868750562_523003047_o.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't beat Santa Barbara running!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">During mile three, I saw my boyfriend who was all decked out
in his biking gear and had his camera up and ready for some pictures of me. He
followed me to the finish, stopping to take several pictures of me (I’m a
spoiled girl). I picked up the pace and averaged 8:01 for the mile. With about
a quarter of a mile to go, I saw one of my boyfriend’s running friends ahead of
me, and I picked up speed. She was looking strong and the distance between us
was daunting, but I knew she was close to my age and probably in my age group,
so I grabbed on to the budding motivation.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IPBBYyZpGMjxLN12pmGpMkh6necfMjJt31KBTy9NXhFZW9eoi9_E8p63FVQazv8J1Um5j1AAht-c-eTIuqiimPCEiQqjsR1oe6R-u2yWcTaiSrTpvZp16eGq_5OlBXRImtz0nblAPYnU/s1600/1489601_10153642868665562_775867089_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IPBBYyZpGMjxLN12pmGpMkh6necfMjJt31KBTy9NXhFZW9eoi9_E8p63FVQazv8J1Um5j1AAht-c-eTIuqiimPCEiQqjsR1oe6R-u2yWcTaiSrTpvZp16eGq_5OlBXRImtz0nblAPYnU/s1600/1489601_10153642868665562_775867089_o.jpg" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I caught her right at the finishing stretch. I hesitated
just a second, feeling a little guilty about blowing by her, but my competitive
nature won out and I finished strong. I finished with the time of 25:02, beating my previous PR by 1 minute, 22 seconds and surprisingly placing 4th in my age group.
And it’s a good thing I did push past! She ended up signing up for the 2014
Grand Prix season and she is in my age group for the season! Bring on the competition! It will
be fun to run against someone I know this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aBvd_4CKIcfKoW6X4CIXCoAK3KceTvHsCoO8TD8JBicLCA9-lTOE6MNoNu4-tWGO0EfJfu-pg2sW94RRuAo7dod5SZ7SIzKeFfhXJDKYRhgqNPDJkiLmjSOFmcYIX1LAg9dy1QMv1FuG/s1600/1487767_10153642868765562_187609518_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aBvd_4CKIcfKoW6X4CIXCoAK3KceTvHsCoO8TD8JBicLCA9-lTOE6MNoNu4-tWGO0EfJfu-pg2sW94RRuAo7dod5SZ7SIzKeFfhXJDKYRhgqNPDJkiLmjSOFmcYIX1LAg9dy1QMv1FuG/s1600/1487767_10153642868765562_187609518_o.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I survived!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoIXgFwGQdK2089l0B5VoVAvf0EOgs0p09ZmvZwE1ZLyoKeImHKvSN4-K_NujL7sgGUF9wIRzo4FdjI5Tr5dQ3i53bxLbb4KD6wSYW7hc-_mCZxRuOQ8ukATctUS1HOISnnYYUp2w7Hxc/s1600/1523885_10153642868535562_1710728293_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoIXgFwGQdK2089l0B5VoVAvf0EOgs0p09ZmvZwE1ZLyoKeImHKvSN4-K_NujL7sgGUF9wIRzo4FdjI5Tr5dQ3i53bxLbb4KD6wSYW7hc-_mCZxRuOQ8ukATctUS1HOISnnYYUp2w7Hxc/s1600/1523885_10153642868535562_1710728293_o.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddio and I sharing some smiles after the race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-67790285143338611192013-12-16T20:16:00.003-08:002013-12-16T20:16:55.668-08:00Santa Barbara Thanksgiving 4 Miler
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I’ve been crazy busy
with Christmas events that I haven’t even had a chance to blog about it!
Thanksgiving morning I woke up bright and early to run the Santa Barbara
Thanksgiving race, which is our version of a Turkey Trot. This race had a lot
of issues last year, but I couldn’t help but be excited about it. A new Turkey
Trot was being held downtown, but I decided to support the local one that has
been held on Thanksgiving for years!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tp_fUZx6_3i4ewV7KvJnKlj-JPoQfz-qrOsjSVj-Wv_tBtDHWTElCNjOGQfd-fHka9ZDRXB9KcrVBLxpzzy8rWjQxuovJPlWiKeZKHVKzfMz4Mxr58tLTtH5etTYl1UnVBJy6ge5JpWL/s1600/IMG_1821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tp_fUZx6_3i4ewV7KvJnKlj-JPoQfz-qrOsjSVj-Wv_tBtDHWTElCNjOGQfd-fHka9ZDRXB9KcrVBLxpzzy8rWjQxuovJPlWiKeZKHVKzfMz4Mxr58tLTtH5etTYl1UnVBJy6ge5JpWL/s320/IMG_1821.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute race t-shirt (although it is cotton)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the crowds of last year, I was happy that they offered
packet pick-up the day before and the course was changed from the out and back
of the year before, to a large loop that they had done in the past. It seemed
like they learned from their mistakes and were eager to make up for them!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wanted to get in a couple miles before the race, so I
decided to jog to the starting line which made for a great warm-up. I passed
other people on their way to the race and even got some … possibly sarcastic
cheers. I knew I had a PR in me, I really did, but I didn’t know if mentally I
did. I PRed at my last 4 miler on tired legs and a half hearted effort, but the
pain of the last few miles of my PR half marathon was still very fresh in my
mind and making me anxious. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKw6AbjKMIFdaZK8H3-NOF3aEIEl39WdyaPKiMeUZRj0JIYeto3DVJWLvL7qyAqfEVciDZyOeyv4B1vIRCJR94lCeGFKGKNmv2K0Auzt7N4wHgsyYysEaSYTP77f0zSxMsc8Ka29TWcVRK/s1600/Thanksgiving2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKw6AbjKMIFdaZK8H3-NOF3aEIEl39WdyaPKiMeUZRj0JIYeto3DVJWLvL7qyAqfEVciDZyOeyv4B1vIRCJR94lCeGFKGKNmv2K0Auzt7N4wHgsyYysEaSYTP77f0zSxMsc8Ka29TWcVRK/s320/Thanksgiving2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good turn out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Daddio had acted like he was going to let me fly this one solo,
but sure enough, there he was at the starting line to cheer me on. It’s amazing
how much support he gives me! A girl couldn’t ask for a better father!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxej_I-ClUCruf7HHFyL6rzAssxM0sy9BvYv1WZtU2wBWg4uQ8ASi_LqeTxeWtR-hlPH2DPym82OLBCh3gB4x2rqy90M7u_xfAAB2H6OHJ7v8fm7oAqozWnOXdTjOmqLrX_-VvhOqMwNb9/s1600/Thanksgiving.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxej_I-ClUCruf7HHFyL6rzAssxM0sy9BvYv1WZtU2wBWg4uQ8ASi_LqeTxeWtR-hlPH2DPym82OLBCh3gB4x2rqy90M7u_xfAAB2H6OHJ7v8fm7oAqozWnOXdTjOmqLrX_-VvhOqMwNb9/s320/Thanksgiving.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey hat! I had people checking Targets all over for one of these!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For once, I started near the front of the crowd… mostly by
accident. I didn’t realize the person sending us off was about to say “READY…
SET… GO!” until it was too late. Ends up, we started almost five minutes early,
so a lot of people were scrambling to get into place (the only complaint I
heard all day!). I started with the crowd, hitting about an 8:12 pace. It felt
fast and I was worried it was too fast, but I was also hungry for that shiny
PR. What had caused anxiety before the race, felt like uncontrollable desire
the second I heard magical word “GO”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I held 8:12 for the first two miles and was starting to
question my sanity. Instead of focusing on the effort I was exerting, I started
focusing on catching whatever ladies that I could see. I didn’t count how many
I passed… that would have been too much for my over taxed brain, but I passed a
lot and managed to only let one get passed me in the last mile. I finished mile
three at an 8:09 pace and I felt like I was ready to throw in the towel! It
hurt so much and a mile is a long way to go when your heart feels like it’s
jumping out of your chest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I said a prayer of thanksgiving. Thanking God that I had the
ability to run when so many people didn’t and that I was running faster than I
ever thought I could. My focus returned and I zeroed in on the next person
ahead of me. I finished the last mile with a 7:53 pace, setting a new PR for
the 4 miler with an overall time of 32:28!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDVIDPrvFl6RN8vAjvGpEvlutwjRzR0q1xncCDe1VruZF2X2fs3ot-HFgsmOAhDGHWv93YBRJcoQKBZgvqxTahqtALh6MwJLZI9R14U4b2F8FlTfoD4LxVWDXkH9wLDFyqOOokMOYHoe2/s1600/Thanksgiving1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDVIDPrvFl6RN8vAjvGpEvlutwjRzR0q1xncCDe1VruZF2X2fs3ot-HFgsmOAhDGHWv93YBRJcoQKBZgvqxTahqtALh6MwJLZI9R14U4b2F8FlTfoD4LxVWDXkH9wLDFyqOOokMOYHoe2/s320/Thanksgiving1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming up on the finish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Daddio was there to greet me at the finish and walk with me
as my heart rate dropped. Studying my Garmin data later that day, I learned
that I was at or above my max heart rate for the majority of the race. Yeah…
that hurts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I ate doughnuts and animal cracks hanging out to find out my
age group placement, and was happy and disappointed to find out I placed 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
out of 101. Yay, awe moment. And to show how lazy I am, I took Daddio up on a
ride home instead of running the two miles back as I had originally planned. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy holidays everyone!</span></div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-45235256913889974912013-10-29T20:26:00.000-07:002013-10-29T20:26:49.656-07:00Marla Runyan Half Marathon
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you didn’t already know, I am a huge race promo code
shopper! Some people clip coupons and I browse for discount races. It’s rare
for me to pay full price for a race and often I’ll run a race just because I
got it for a good price. This last race I ran was one of those! Earlier this
month, I ran the Marla Runyan Half Marathon that benefited the Boys and Girls
Club of Camarillo. Thanks to Groupon, I got this race for $30 when the regular
price was over $60. An added bonus to running this race is that it is part of
the Gold Coast Run Series, which puts me two races closer to receiving the
jacket!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As per usual, I went into this race with the mentality that
it would be a training race. I did just about everything wrong if I had planned
on racing it. I didn’t taper until I realized halfway through the week that I
was tired and tried a halfhearted taper (I’ve been hitting some high mileage). I went out with friends the night before the race and ran around a
maize maze followed by gorging ourselves on Yogurtland (yum yogurt)! I slept
terribly because my bro was having a going away party/thing (they didn’t
consider it a party) that didn’t end up finishing until 3:30am. But none of
that mattered, because I was just going to run it as a training run.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTAOEhjviHCEFkFTbmCOgoHOMzmjKEuc7reeW0axIwg3azokoglyzUJrnsWKgzazhV8SAOaCEPCCVjRu5GLLUTTDEg7Ic4R2eLVPcOHRQwOZ1IR4pQUdhOpdu-hZknRNhe1o4Xeqcofh6/s1600/IMG_1745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTAOEhjviHCEFkFTbmCOgoHOMzmjKEuc7reeW0axIwg3azokoglyzUJrnsWKgzazhV8SAOaCEPCCVjRu5GLLUTTDEg7Ic4R2eLVPcOHRQwOZ1IR4pQUdhOpdu-hZknRNhe1o4Xeqcofh6/s320/IMG_1745.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maize mazes are cool... but creepy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tried to talk Daddio out of going with me because I didn’t
want him to lose a morning of sleep to wait for me to finish a training run,
but he insisted on tagging along (my Dad is awesome). So we left the house a
5am to get down to Camarillo for the race. This race had the option of getting
your packet race morning and I took advantage of that. So we got down there in
the dark, I got my packet and we huddled in the warm car till race time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About ten minutes from the race start, I followed a group of
sleep deprived runners as we tried to find the starting line. We were soon
directed by a voice from above (bullhorn?) and we found the starting balloon
arch that was still being pumped up as it lay on the ground. Surprisingly, the
race only started a few minutes late.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehIfhxzLST4X2c3S26ZSEYgnZh951N7jRtOKSeKEcHVG7P_EwM2SOJxfgiB2p2VU0VSWxp7DGAs7ZjE9vOGZByk52NC8CZ4oVGJiOWRVPlScvUSa84AmDu8qlEJ_W82ADDLb-jFhYWZjx/s1600/IMG_1746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehIfhxzLST4X2c3S26ZSEYgnZh951N7jRtOKSeKEcHVG7P_EwM2SOJxfgiB2p2VU0VSWxp7DGAs7ZjE9vOGZByk52NC8CZ4oVGJiOWRVPlScvUSa84AmDu8qlEJ_W82ADDLb-jFhYWZjx/s320/IMG_1746.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for my training race!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We set out in the cold foggy morning and I set myself a
decent pace. My goal for my last race of the year (Santa to the Sea Half
Marathon) is to break the two hour barrier. So I started my pace around a nine
minute per mile. I wanted to see how well I could hold it over the long
distance (again, just a training race). It felt good! The morning was chilly
and the other runners were quiet. All I heard in the beginning was a horde of
feet hitting the ground, one of my favorite sounds.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRXDyQyEZg3LqJ7I8SvT0OrDGTtRP088cYmF3Pt-BB5pJojmvHLDb1ohGjneK2fP8Esln5H57Zj5a7E7LorW4O_LMsO-PKQxqCy1WDWnotgkLKLxAWGGo867IRqWFD_yMdtUlxG9RrYQ4/s1600/IMG_1753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRXDyQyEZg3LqJ7I8SvT0OrDGTtRP088cYmF3Pt-BB5pJojmvHLDb1ohGjneK2fP8Esln5H57Zj5a7E7LorW4O_LMsO-PKQxqCy1WDWnotgkLKLxAWGGo867IRqWFD_yMdtUlxG9RrYQ4/s320/IMG_1753.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watched the sun rise as we ran</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the first time in a while, I didn’t carry my own water,
instead deciding to rely on the water stations. I rarely do this, but I needed
the practice and once again, this race was just training. The volunteers were
amazing and the police traffic control was wonderful. Everyone seemed so happy
to be out there helping! There were plenty of aid stations and several even had
gels! My only complaint, and it’s not really a complaint, just a suggestion, is
don’t place the trash cans right by where the runners get cups, place them down
the street about twenty feet. I hate throwing cups on the ground, so I stopped
to drink each time I needed water (I know, I’m weirdly considerate like that).
Also don’t use plastic cups, runners can’t fold those for quicker drinking as
they run. Otherwise, awesome job!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This race was a very weaving out and back, so I got to see
the lead runner as he passed. I cheered him on and he actually smiled and
thanked me. Usually the person in the lead is so focused that they don’t
acknowledge the cheers of others. That was a pretty cool moment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5QJKZfbOyfDmTw1V1vRURY6PnMHHlkMlQ_Qd9zgKedfLZ4uIpMAC7JrtMqISeqUkkam_hydUhIHrqebweTn0HstnEYk2cNDYoP5dVFxXLnLyvpAG6hxosVFkYl4nUfT3Hpb0oWgSxhed/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5QJKZfbOyfDmTw1V1vRURY6PnMHHlkMlQ_Qd9zgKedfLZ4uIpMAC7JrtMqISeqUkkam_hydUhIHrqebweTn0HstnEYk2cNDYoP5dVFxXLnLyvpAG6hxosVFkYl4nUfT3Hpb0oWgSxhed/s320/IMG_1755.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lead guy picture taken by Daddio at the beginning of the race. <br />
Same mile markers as last month's race!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was trying out some longer intervals during this race,
running for fourteen minutes and walking for one. Even with this, I was holding
a great pace around 9:10 per mile. I have to hit a 9:09 per mile to hit the two
hour barrier. I was feeling so good around mile six and seven that I started
picking up the pace, trying to get my pace where it needed to be. Slowly the
pace starting dropping and by the time I got to mile ten it was around an
average of 9:06. At this point, I was thinking “Wow, I can do this right now,
why wait two months!” so I decided to hammer on.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Miles eleven and twelve were when things started to unravel.
To that point, I felt like I was flying, everything was just cruising along and
the pace was easy to hit. These two miles it turned into work! My feet started
hurting due to a bad taping idea I was trying out that ended up causes massive
blisters and my hips started to feel tight and sore. I just kept telling myself
that I was almost there and tried to distract myself by talking to each runner
I passed, because guess what, I was passing a lot of people (crazy, this
doesn’t happen to me). Anywhere past eleven is where you start seeing people
losing steam and slowing down. I like to dib it the zombie zone, this is the
time in the race I get most chatty (got to love endorphins!). And this time I
was gaining speed!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The last mile was brutal. I was now around an overall
average pace of 9:04, so I knew I was going to make it unless I fell down dead.
My Garmin had been right on at every mile marker, so I knew it was accurate.
Each step was hard, but also exciting! I wanted to tell every person I passed
what I was about to achieve! As the finish came into view, I passed the last
person that was between me and my goal. Shortly after, I hit the thirteen mile
marker and my Garmin was off by a tenth of a mile! I was about to have a heart
attack! What if I didn’t make it that last tenth in time! What if I missed a
sub two hour time by mere seconds! Thankfully what was left of my exhausted
brain kicked in and reminded me that I could finish a tenth of a mile in less
than two minutes. I decided to jog it in…. which lasted about a second before I
heard Daddio yell “Now sprint!” so that’s what I did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMQU71FFTZXPHzuUd7MtMm0VXnCBQJ-Ur1A-9ouoHwk32OHJ48d_w4Qb2XynOWa3wdiz-VACcsOuqpfPG6DYZPRvk2YVA6ulcpU17ArGcV8PWoz2ZNhOWr42DoP0_6Mjqzn_9RZb0FjJn/s1600/MarlaRunyanHalf2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMQU71FFTZXPHzuUd7MtMm0VXnCBQJ-Ur1A-9ouoHwk32OHJ48d_w4Qb2XynOWa3wdiz-VACcsOuqpfPG6DYZPRvk2YVA6ulcpU17ArGcV8PWoz2ZNhOWr42DoP0_6Mjqzn_9RZb0FjJn/s320/MarlaRunyanHalf2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finish line! It felt teasingly far away!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7lHtSNEX5oz585kbfrlyqjpr8XKpvvF5LpdZs4p1wEOwcLeKLGP2JEVbAto5wZy3MFKMSHyapnNYFJjSmC9zfpKZaQEd-iIt2aDbrPcjHeRKYizzg3gkfJwPHSv0zC6xDxAGizOIJUQ_/s1600/MarlaRunyanHalf1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7lHtSNEX5oz585kbfrlyqjpr8XKpvvF5LpdZs4p1wEOwcLeKLGP2JEVbAto5wZy3MFKMSHyapnNYFJjSmC9zfpKZaQEd-iIt2aDbrPcjHeRKYizzg3gkfJwPHSv0zC6xDxAGizOIJUQ_/s320/MarlaRunyanHalf1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final sprint!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I crossed the finish at full sprint, stopped my watch and
threw my hands up in the air. I’ll admit, I shed a tear or two and stumbled
over to get my timing chip removed and to receive my medal. I kind of stumbled
around trying to figure out what to do with myself next until a wonderful
volunteer approached me and pointed me to the water and the after race goody
tables. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What an after race spread! There was water, sports drinks,
cookies, croissants and chocolate dipped strawberries to name a few. I reached
the large plate of cookies and stared. The server asked me which type of cookie
I wanted… I think I may have mumbled something incoherent, because even I
didn’t know what I was saying at that point. I couldn’t figure out what kind of
cookie I wanted! I finally just said “something from the middle”, since
apparently I couldn’t say sugar cookie. It went just as smoothly when I was
offered a croissant and I called it bread. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZiPkoQVPqt3zHCty_cEQWrqTeow_fipUKpO-rCQGcDIM3i3a1ntBwyhM2JIJZITojQo6pA9STSugpJIBilzq2hztcnG48CAT4lbHOeZYGDofd0Z4KFHje8tOyNWLPgQg6FtRkXoaClgZ/s1600/IMG_1747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZiPkoQVPqt3zHCty_cEQWrqTeow_fipUKpO-rCQGcDIM3i3a1ntBwyhM2JIJZITojQo6pA9STSugpJIBilzq2hztcnG48CAT4lbHOeZYGDofd0Z4KFHje8tOyNWLPgQg6FtRkXoaClgZ/s320/IMG_1747.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited that I took a picture!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Daddio took a paparazzi style picture of me stuffing
croissant in my face before I spotted him. He congratulated me excitedly and
pointed out that I had just shaved another four minutes off my half marathon
PR. He pointed me to the beer area where the results were being posted on TV
screens. I quickly weaved my way over to find out my official finish time of
1:58:33 and to my complete surprise I discovered that I finished third in my
age group! </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uD1-SnfOa-9CG00fUACgYJKTYJikA5zKv0pI7NnqmGy0LhGbaCuw7zbvaTAUNTtDn0JViqqDPFxuEBtV6YHWjPvw1PNufa-mEYW_a5UWGJNnuXK6p9WEZf7O5uvGtf5IwHPsBS_m0tTO/s1600/MarlaRunyanHalf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uD1-SnfOa-9CG00fUACgYJKTYJikA5zKv0pI7NnqmGy0LhGbaCuw7zbvaTAUNTtDn0JViqqDPFxuEBtV6YHWjPvw1PNufa-mEYW_a5UWGJNnuXK6p9WEZf7O5uvGtf5IwHPsBS_m0tTO/s320/MarlaRunyanHalf.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dad, the only paparazzi I have</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_zC3X6YyGNBJJ2s1Y1HiUcfWxJ5sFGHtHI7nIpER2H1ZcSexbsyja-r4fSIFXGObR1Apl7JZB4jdjG0aFwC8_ej5JbyXzK3mGNXyvkqtoB4PCiU8EYy_ZBej0rxK5zFMJ9xei4LnTqph/s1600/IMG_1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_zC3X6YyGNBJJ2s1Y1HiUcfWxJ5sFGHtHI7nIpER2H1ZcSexbsyja-r4fSIFXGObR1Apl7JZB4jdjG0aFwC8_ej5JbyXzK3mGNXyvkqtoB4PCiU8EYy_ZBej0rxK5zFMJ9xei4LnTqph/s320/IMG_1749.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please ignore the boob sweet, this geek girl worked hard.<br />
Note to self: never wear this shirt to a race again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We hung out till the award announcements and I exuberantly
ran up to receive my $20 gift card to Tri Running and my blue plastic cup. So
once again, I proved that I’m terrible at just running these as “training
runs”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Marla Runyan Half marathon is an awesome race, but I might
be slightly bias now!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSqGq_eyK4EwQn0KwwhaUc2GKS3Iu4Oilrocvn_K-OFtRZZZzxbwkIcqzKDJS2fFt7UdCuI_3J3WhyaMhwwJ_hi-JRQ7j3VfI27yfLaNfPlHDIqxQKnDG9f5yR3CVJ0Vw3rSbxIR6Zgqo/s1600/IMG_1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSqGq_eyK4EwQn0KwwhaUc2GKS3Iu4Oilrocvn_K-OFtRZZZzxbwkIcqzKDJS2fFt7UdCuI_3J3WhyaMhwwJ_hi-JRQ7j3VfI27yfLaNfPlHDIqxQKnDG9f5yR3CVJ0Vw3rSbxIR6Zgqo/s320/IMG_1756.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cup that proves I'm a winner... or something...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-23720177121653926962013-10-06T17:45:00.000-07:002013-10-06T17:45:57.545-07:00Feeling Fantastic!
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been having a couple of really great running months
lately and have been achieving a lot of new personal records. It’s amazing what
you can accomplish when you stay injury free for more than four months! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This last week, I finished my first thirty mile training
week. It doesn’t sound like much, but that is huge to me. I’m always excited
when I get back up into the 20’s and I’ve gotten extremely close to the 30’s before,
finishing one week with 29 back in 2011, but have never made it till now! I’m
probably in the best running shape of my life and have so much further I want
to go! I'm just now starting to believe that another marathon may just be in my future!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hO9AchqY1_60nIij-yHuJWsvtWD2Iksnqlb7t_oSgL5SQjvGXvrI88y-CL30JJmdEDTH6sPeGX1pmzQsvXG4wPmaDLeYhKLplFbxn-7-pqQyEWKp1vCmqNeCmA7oFG8aMFG3FI3CuYbn/s1600/30.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hO9AchqY1_60nIij-yHuJWsvtWD2Iksnqlb7t_oSgL5SQjvGXvrI88y-CL30JJmdEDTH6sPeGX1pmzQsvXG4wPmaDLeYhKLplFbxn-7-pqQyEWKp1vCmqNeCmA7oFG8aMFG3FI3CuYbn/s200/30.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have made a lot of changes to my training this year and
they seem to be paying off. I slowed my increases down to a painfully slow
progression, but my body seems to be handling it much better. Some people may
be able to follow the 10 percent rule (increase your weekly mileage by 10
percent from the previous week), but my body couldn’t handle it. Last year was
dominated by injuries where this year I only experienced a few minor problems.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another change that I have made was incorporating some
treadmill runs into my schedule. I added these just over a year ago after
recovering from a stress fracture. I’m not sure just how beneficial these runs
have been, but the dramatic decrease in injuries speaks for itself. I also
invested in a pair of Hokas. I never wanted to pay more than $100 on a pair of
shoes, but these are well worth it! I bought these back in May when I was
struggling with some pain in my left foot that disappeared as soon as I started
doing all my high mileage in these shoes (I still run my shorter runs in Nike
Vomeros). I've run 240 miles in these babies and they still feel fantastic!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCanI1YzpptFkgUqzk9a9MHVlJ79OrMi3d6N8RuesQNOx7KDGelyErFZfK4Wa0b8cbFxBMlrXvEeHIgnFH5ATImiUIDYi_ghuFsniJ28fN9ETFwfaNwANez2Xc1zKwoyXDOmVMDazxBdjD/s1600/tumblr_lyjurkBvlv1qdckuu.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCanI1YzpptFkgUqzk9a9MHVlJ79OrMi3d6N8RuesQNOx7KDGelyErFZfK4Wa0b8cbFxBMlrXvEeHIgnFH5ATImiUIDYi_ghuFsniJ28fN9ETFwfaNwANez2Xc1zKwoyXDOmVMDazxBdjD/s1600/tumblr_lyjurkBvlv1qdckuu.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Doctor says it best!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last month I started calorie counting and food tracking
which I’ve never done while trying to increase my mileage. The first two weeks
were rough, but these last two weeks have been fantastic! I’ve dropped more
than six pounds and been having some awesome long runs. I’m an idiot when it
comes to nutrition, so I’m always learning something new. I usually have a
natural cycle of one awesome week of training followed by the next week of
fatigued training. As of today I’m just entering my third week of energetic
runs. It’s too early to tell if this is diet related, but I have high hopes!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you are plagued by running injuries, switch things up, try something new. I have no doubt that you can be a runner, you just need to find what works for you.</span><br />
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-11312784413325426342013-09-22T16:59:00.000-07:002013-09-22T16:59:48.390-07:00Slacker Half Marathon<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On June 22<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> while on vacation in Colorado visiting
my brother and his wife, I decided to take on the most challenging race I have
ever done, the Slacker Half Marathon. I knew this race would be a challenge,
but I didn’t realize just how challenging it would be! This one had ended up on
my wish list when my sister-in-law had mentioned it to me the year before. When
organizing our visit, I tried to arrange the dates to coincide with the race and
it worked out! Mom and Dad also got on board and signed up for the 4 mile race
taking place at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So race morning, we got up bright and early, heading out
from Denver and driving up the mountain to the town of Georgetown. What a
beautiful little town that is! All around us was picturesque views! We picked
up our race numbers and t-shirts by a little lake and parted ways for our
different shuttles. My shuttle took me up to Loveland Ski Area which is at
10,660 ft, not exactly easy for a sea level running wimp like me!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl51efHie1Z2zSy7C0WTHkRX3WXxH_SHzWmFz3HZ10AdkrZVyzCi5DjsmIzs4Fuurx-l2XcFMUKCOObx7e7dcyJS1v0VJuhWBbyBc0dboZYchS8Q-J4fvrAX3lmO3JrDjBBiyKvQ20nyul/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl51efHie1Z2zSy7C0WTHkRX3WXxH_SHzWmFz3HZ10AdkrZVyzCi5DjsmIzs4Fuurx-l2XcFMUKCOObx7e7dcyJS1v0VJuhWBbyBc0dboZYchS8Q-J4fvrAX3lmO3JrDjBBiyKvQ20nyul/s400/IMG_1372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from packet pickup!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The drive up gave me more views to admire, waterfalls, forest
and snow! I was nervous about the spots of snow on the ground since I was in a
tank top with arm warmers due to the predicted heat later in the day and I was
more than a little chilly waiting for the race to start, but things warmed up
pretty quickly.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOChlIMEfC0AhG-vOVLin4MZOQxZfT9rV-HTXif4Yy_fERtPZCp_1sj3GKCJTuqNYkTlVl3LZj4KlA_Tw5N5IQ8sb0Dc60P71N0d-mTIBOVSLpYhfD_5Z3nmf8uy-OZeRmMjA8DTu1ROH/s1600/IMG_1377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOChlIMEfC0AhG-vOVLin4MZOQxZfT9rV-HTXif4Yy_fERtPZCp_1sj3GKCJTuqNYkTlVl3LZj4KlA_Tw5N5IQ8sb0Dc60P71N0d-mTIBOVSLpYhfD_5Z3nmf8uy-OZeRmMjA8DTu1ROH/s400/IMG_1377.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow! This So Cal girl doesn't see that white stuff very often!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIoAizW_C0-bBPFeYFLsD-bQOvpX9_lfQsjTWya60Hx0Mr_xPk3pmgSpphTCmal60vItCSEYGCYTe2h27L-U1dxkIv_IBjV_KGXBk2JljRDGFDyc7KTOVI1lBZTTiBnZAhLFMwgsajcBmv/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIoAizW_C0-bBPFeYFLsD-bQOvpX9_lfQsjTWya60Hx0Mr_xPk3pmgSpphTCmal60vItCSEYGCYTe2h27L-U1dxkIv_IBjV_KGXBk2JljRDGFDyc7KTOVI1lBZTTiBnZAhLFMwgsajcBmv/s400/IMG_1379.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This race is advertised as the highest downhill half
marathon in the country, but I didn’t let that fool me. I knew the altitude
would be a big issue for me and I had looked at the elevation chart and had
noted how rolling the course really was. This race was all about having fun and
enjoying our vacation, so I didn’t even pretend to think I could PR this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BdkpYW7kKIvc7r4ypAdrDfBWLlDWffoRH8NaSta3pDuTLwGo4ONKCmFqppJP0pZ1AizPatAQ0_dF0B9_yuW0tZqjVycXrn9L8yohJzJE42uBn2fKSUfZbIXhrx9oSxGa8gBrYqHxT6Ti/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BdkpYW7kKIvc7r4ypAdrDfBWLlDWffoRH8NaSta3pDuTLwGo4ONKCmFqppJP0pZ1AizPatAQ0_dF0B9_yuW0tZqjVycXrn9L8yohJzJE42uBn2fKSUfZbIXhrx9oSxGa8gBrYqHxT6Ti/s400/IMG_1381.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign behind me says "Fast" and another further back said slow. I started in the slow section.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first mile or so of the race was extremely dusty! We
started out on trails and since we were still so closely grouped together, the
dust was flying! I started at a conservative pace, surprised that I didn’t
notice the altitude more. My breathing was a little heavier than usual, but other
than that, I didn’t hardly notice it in the beginning. Last time I visited my
brother and went for a run in Denver (where they live), I felt like I was
sucking air like crazy, so this was a nice surprise.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t have any intervals planned, just went with the flow.
I walked the hills and some of the flats and took lots of pictures. We ran on
trails, roads and bike paths. We were surrounded by trees and beautiful
mountain views. Every turn brought on new “Oh wow” moments. We were along a
river for a while and more than once I slowed down to admire small waterfalls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPtval2Gu8w8KFkvhO1jwLhN4Z8zc462pQhdVVQ__rVZ2T5kO7DXTI3I1VvYFfGwQWgnau0pGGbV2LZOaNHcknOM0Oa7T50rf6KFSd0VYqGjuF__uGm0B0hl7vB8u8ohNE1y1Z79EtIlc/s1600/IMG_1382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPtval2Gu8w8KFkvhO1jwLhN4Z8zc462pQhdVVQ__rVZ2T5kO7DXTI3I1VvYFfGwQWgnau0pGGbV2LZOaNHcknOM0Oa7T50rf6KFSd0VYqGjuF__uGm0B0hl7vB8u8ohNE1y1Z79EtIlc/s400/IMG_1382.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdf6xM_7IFsKKZP2z4GnCoYt4SA7draE3IyEE3OVFc7CsghbtlLIDxIXNTsggSMn4RxjfH71_RAI1Rs0PkvwoF-MLjdffLCgHCGUAuxRxUgA4fr_o2Elt6z4bXyJIwW1Fc4YlOLyxLzTB/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdf6xM_7IFsKKZP2z4GnCoYt4SA7draE3IyEE3OVFc7CsghbtlLIDxIXNTsggSMn4RxjfH71_RAI1Rs0PkvwoF-MLjdffLCgHCGUAuxRxUgA4fr_o2Elt6z4bXyJIwW1Fc4YlOLyxLzTB/s400/IMG_1386.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OaECdcLMt3ymNkLXL_cFfqGbY-NMvY1h3rR2heKj_f7KxLV4YBv_djNH1wIyiS0pFCBqOCB2Unr9KNK6UwF4B8vvIibRa3cZhIRtkNm2FKmtJY8GyZhY3IWtGNXCk0XE_AtmaDxzo-G4/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OaECdcLMt3ymNkLXL_cFfqGbY-NMvY1h3rR2heKj_f7KxLV4YBv_djNH1wIyiS0pFCBqOCB2Unr9KNK6UwF4B8vvIibRa3cZhIRtkNm2FKmtJY8GyZhY3IWtGNXCk0XE_AtmaDxzo-G4/s400/IMG_1389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were a few aid stations, but not as many as I’m used
to, not that it mattered since I had on my hydration pack. Only one aid station
had port-a-potties and the line made it not even worth slowing down for. A lot
of people were ducking off trail to take care of business. Thankfully, I never
had to!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloNRcVuebRPhWq0mS6kd-PNHbqdLagOmAHzKUJbMa39AIXBngqnEsR5dEPbjnqV-A8HR1JIJlen62K0O2q8L1NHNVxVpPzQwsg76GkXS8N4QbQeLhgOraXfR0iFX0Bcl9mqWlBQ888CDM/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloNRcVuebRPhWq0mS6kd-PNHbqdLagOmAHzKUJbMa39AIXBngqnEsR5dEPbjnqV-A8HR1JIJlen62K0O2q8L1NHNVxVpPzQwsg76GkXS8N4QbQeLhgOraXfR0iFX0Bcl9mqWlBQ888CDM/s400/IMG_1394.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfX2u57Vk7HPGp2gPkShVPHWI8cDtMAu2OAlvk3YPauE6Zu-O0BbxoTmby5zCqBNzxgWqM4yYeQoPB51BcJ8QE87TEKHXTwHax96K8rcjhPClDPkF84rrqFvzNeHPyGgCGwf0Wlb2nmERD/s1600/IMG_1398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfX2u57Vk7HPGp2gPkShVPHWI8cDtMAu2OAlvk3YPauE6Zu-O0BbxoTmby5zCqBNzxgWqM4yYeQoPB51BcJ8QE87TEKHXTwHax96K8rcjhPClDPkF84rrqFvzNeHPyGgCGwf0Wlb2nmERD/s400/IMG_1398.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The race finished in Georgetown, but not before we got to
run overlooking a railroad and then later getting to run under it. Kids and
adults on the train cheered us on as we passed below. I ran through town
feeling spent, but managed to muster enough energy to do my customary finish line
sprint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right at the finish, they gave us little printouts of our
finish time. That was a really nice feature! Daddio found me and we went and
found Mom. It sounded like they had fun, but were pretty tired. We got free
hotdogs, sodas, snacks and power bars! This race had more free stuff at the end
then I think any race I’ve done previously has had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Dy0OdpXyv1OeJuhOH_FPY2DqU-T4VRS08KK-WiaOQYhDe2iVL4guKhyphenhyphenicKZF1-Y-vneP0BFL59SUbnYzaWJz1K0E0X4KWmH2ZZaSCe6oSujPSb0otxCZPvWyK3dMEVitrl8R4d1pGwxR/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Dy0OdpXyv1OeJuhOH_FPY2DqU-T4VRS08KK-WiaOQYhDe2iVL4guKhyphenhyphenicKZF1-Y-vneP0BFL59SUbnYzaWJz1K0E0X4KWmH2ZZaSCe6oSujPSb0otxCZPvWyK3dMEVitrl8R4d1pGwxR/s400/IMG_1402.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2oGi07V9ANQ5oWv5pFLrPTHZgfRFtkQTyyGvYPPAjDtFS94MsyKMOwDYIDw3WknV_Fy9li1GkX2AYJfS1ns0Z86CQp2uDPpm3JyRnmju0FYlGcNxKaHCHrheefN85I-eT6qMsu9Ixzk6/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2oGi07V9ANQ5oWv5pFLrPTHZgfRFtkQTyyGvYPPAjDtFS94MsyKMOwDYIDw3WknV_Fy9li1GkX2AYJfS1ns0Z86CQp2uDPpm3JyRnmju0FYlGcNxKaHCHrheefN85I-eT6qMsu9Ixzk6/s400/IMG_1421.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting close to the finish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While waiting in line for food, I suddenly got extremely
dizzy and my vision started to tunnel. Dad had me sit down and I figured I hadn’t
hydrated enough, so I worked on getting some water in me. As soon as things
evened out, feeling self-conscious, I got back up and joined Dad in line. My brother
and his wife joined us and we all piled into one car to head further up the
mountain. The higher we got, the sicker and dizzier I felt. I grabbed an empty
bag and started dry heaving into it. Dad pulled off the road and I got out,
walking around, trying to get things back in balance. My head was pounding and
I had no desire to get back in the car, so I sent them up the mountain and
camped out on a rock with some water to wait for them. Not to get into too much
detail, but I ended up throwing up several times and experienced the worse migraine
of my life. I didn’t feel better till we got back down the mountain, which lead
me to believe later that I was experiencing altitude sickness.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t even know what altitude sickness was at the time,
but now I do and never want to experience it again! I guess I’ll have to be
more careful when picking races in the future or get there a few days earlier,
so I can adjust to the difference! Be careful when doing a race under
conditions you aren’t used to!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljYNjhi13ZcOCepdAE6H-JaZTR1ER2kksM4ysJ4pJOwIftD0KG1mI-l4Kj-GUgPYLEbOjfv9RlZ5SBkNot_J3p0bp1WMoAObZCMTJgfsoq_Ml6npqBr-W6CY_P4cWfdm7kRFYBIYHtACd/s1600/IMG_1404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljYNjhi13ZcOCepdAE6H-JaZTR1ER2kksM4ysJ4pJOwIftD0KG1mI-l4Kj-GUgPYLEbOjfv9RlZ5SBkNot_J3p0bp1WMoAObZCMTJgfsoq_Ml6npqBr-W6CY_P4cWfdm7kRFYBIYHtACd/s320/IMG_1404.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the three slackers. Man, I look tired!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8imxM-NCqQnQtU_x_lgbgpmLN5F_j-mZ0kH5KhQO2dogCTObD5aNUt1fBOGLdij0LhhzAybd4SKjyRAf1cLSRBiGUIy344VD-apGjTFDyk4yI6daezWIYk7GlYkS7-xhyphenhyphen6Tll4zb825S/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8imxM-NCqQnQtU_x_lgbgpmLN5F_j-mZ0kH5KhQO2dogCTObD5aNUt1fBOGLdij0LhhzAybd4SKjyRAf1cLSRBiGUIy344VD-apGjTFDyk4yI6daezWIYk7GlYkS7-xhyphenhyphen6Tll4zb825S/s320/IMG_1405.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bling!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The race was fantastic and I highly recommend it! It was
gorgeous and well worth the extra effort from being at that altitude!</span></div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-76651751208135351152013-09-15T19:27:00.000-07:002013-09-15T19:28:55.012-07:00Goleta Education Foundation 4 Miler 2013<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This lazy bum hasn’t hardly run all week since the Ventura
Beach Party Half Marathon. My legs have been pretty tired and my knees have
been sore! I wasn’t sure if I was going to run the Goleta Education Foundation
4 Miler with it being so close to the half. I had a good run Friday, so I went
to register online and discovered I was a day late! They had the option of
registering in person on Saturday in the running store, but I was going to be
out of town with a friend. So I printed out the forms, wrote a check and my
awesome mom took it up for me and got me squared away.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I ran this race last year and enjoyed it, staying well after
the race to enjoy the music and the raffle. This is a Grand Prix event and I am
currently holding onto first place and I want to keep it that way, so any extra
points would make me happy. Support the schools, get some Grand Prix points and
exercise, sounds like a good morning to me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was so lazy, I didn’t even want to warm up. I wasn’t
racing and I wasn’t aiming for a PR, so I sat in the warm car chatting with
Daddio till he said with five minutes to go “if you are going to warm up, you
need to do it now.” I jumped out of the car and did a half hearted lap around
the neighborhood. This running geek girl was tired!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixiZkUxOhknzR2-lMaElH718XtJWPEc82Q692wWbKDXKPNbDn8KjH12zIeDBvlo2vg7A2BuuuzrylyRxr36c4UWzmAvzUGbQjAac2XDONDz0ZhdqUcRqz_JjXaiz6pBExLte9_KmJtNPN/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixiZkUxOhknzR2-lMaElH718XtJWPEc82Q692wWbKDXKPNbDn8KjH12zIeDBvlo2vg7A2BuuuzrylyRxr36c4UWzmAvzUGbQjAac2XDONDz0ZhdqUcRqz_JjXaiz6pBExLte9_KmJtNPN/s400/photo.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This just never gets old</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all lined up at the start and the excitement slowly
seeped in. I don’t think I’ve ever lined up and not gotten excited! When they
said “Go”, I took off with the crowd, getting pulled along at everyone else’s
pace. The first half mile was tough! My legs felt like lead! To my surprise, before
the first mile was even finished, I felt like I broke through a wall and things
were suddenly easier. That happens sometimes, but not enough for me to expect
it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the rest of the race I was on cruise control, feeling
good, thanking volunteers and police officers, striking up conversations with
random people in pace with me and just enjoying the race. I celebrated
finishing mile three with a complete stranger that just happened to be next to
me as we crossed the mile line. I caught a girl that I thought might be in my
age group and only let one person get past me in the last two miles. I sped up
on the last hill overtaking a few more people and debated with myself about
flying down the final downhill to the finish or just taking it easy on my
knees. I opted for flying and took off at top speed, soring into the finish line.
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWQ-RtJVAeZWQqZwJBLtq8Rgpt317MOOf0EHbjGccfmbzp_HVhCxcUVvizmDE8Q2Z7DMQKGdP6gxAeFQ0NocgrI3Ww3Cf3c_VDhKG_Ly50OeagUm-I-9x1iYY2JHDdJDi1uCoEEKaza7b/s1600/GoletaFinish.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWQ-RtJVAeZWQqZwJBLtq8Rgpt317MOOf0EHbjGccfmbzp_HVhCxcUVvizmDE8Q2Z7DMQKGdP6gxAeFQ0NocgrI3Ww3Cf3c_VDhKG_Ly50OeagUm-I-9x1iYY2JHDdJDi1uCoEEKaza7b/s400/GoletaFinish.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official race finish and overall clock time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I finished with a time of 34:42, not too shabby. About ten
minutes later while looking at the official times and seeing that I had placed
fourth in my age group, it dawned on me that I’d just PRed! After that, I was
giddy and smiling ear to ear. Back to back PRs are epic! Later when analyzing
my Garmin data, I realized my heart rate had been in my max zone for the last
two miles and I’d somehow done some serious negative splits. You never can tell
how a race is going to go!</span></div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-83779137464602382582013-09-15T13:50:00.005-07:002013-10-06T17:48:41.184-07:00Ventura Beach (Birthday) Party Half Marathon<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I gave myself a super cool birthday gift this year…. ok to
be honest, I just used my birthday as an excuse. I ran the Ventura Beach Party
Half marathon last weekend, the day after my 29<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> birthday. I was
extremely excited to hear about this new race and especially excited that it
fell so close to my birthday (too bad they missed it by one day!). This race is
also part of the Gold Coast Run Series which consists of 4 half marathons, but
you only need to run three of them to receive a cool jacket at the end of the
year. Santa to the Sea is part of that series this year and since I was already
registered for Santa and this one, I went ahead and registered for the third
race which will take place next month. I’m looking forward to getting my new
jacket at the end of the year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve set my sights on Santa to the Sea as my goal PR race
for the year, so the night before the Ventura Beach Party I was talking over my
race goals for the next day with Daddio and we both agreed that I would just
take it easy. Well that didn’t exactly end up happening, but I’ll get to that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Packet pickup was pretty easy, showed up, grabbed my stuff
and headed out for a birthday dinner. There was no expo on Friday when I picked
up, but there was a small one on Saturday during pickup and on race day. There
were a couple running booths, but most were crafts, so we didn’t miss much by
going on Friday.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY92yAMjjGIxzaH0izhZV2Cw7MEZ7imgMFVzKt6Uy90J7Vy8jg5lbZ7OmT968oPxufulGNeR8nugGPe1nI4qfL2j8utxRugXrc8j5d3_EQB3Veoxh-GP6Nfpi-FcZPAFd30YDbV-OjBBLi/s1600/IMG_1699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY92yAMjjGIxzaH0izhZV2Cw7MEZ7imgMFVzKt6Uy90J7Vy8jg5lbZ7OmT968oPxufulGNeR8nugGPe1nI4qfL2j8utxRugXrc8j5d3_EQB3Veoxh-GP6Nfpi-FcZPAFd30YDbV-OjBBLi/s320/IMG_1699.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race morning, my parents and I got there an hour early to
snag one of the few free parking spots. We were actually surprised that the lot
didn’t fill up faster. The race started at the Ventura Pier, went out past the
Oxnard Harbor and back again. I’m not a big fan of out and backs, but this one
was hard to pass up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The atmosphere at the starting line was very enthusiastic.
From my understanding, there were</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">a lot of first timers there, which always
makes the experience more enjoyable. I started out at a comfortable pace, just
staying with the people around me. For the first mile I didn’t turn my music
on, just enjoying the sound of all our feet hitting the pavement and the smell
of the ocean on the breeze. I was already on a runner’s high.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstFez3506PDxol6L86K7o5vhfg4AS_v0yozFwEDkDL7aCGbEw4KNV_gHNsENzfbrlLBxa_mVyXRy-PF5GgNkE0-Xfa9g4JD2Nkuz1bCiPXoXd0J90kd51JQD_3-IX3X8KoSd8VbjbpyRm/s1600/IMG_1701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstFez3506PDxol6L86K7o5vhfg4AS_v0yozFwEDkDL7aCGbEw4KNV_gHNsENzfbrlLBxa_mVyXRy-PF5GgNkE0-Xfa9g4JD2Nkuz1bCiPXoXd0J90kd51JQD_3-IX3X8KoSd8VbjbpyRm/s320/IMG_1701.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's do this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I figured I’d ride out the high and slow down later. The
pace I was at, was faster than I am usually comfortable with, but I was feeling
so good, I just went with the flow. The weather was awesome for a half
marathon! It was a comfortable mid 60’s with a marine layer and a pleasant
breeze. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Around mile five, I was still feeling awesome, but worried I’d
run myself into the ground, so I started intervals of nine minutes of running
and one minute of walking. I ended up gaining a little speed by switching it
up. I felt comfortable, like I was on cruise control. At the half way point, I knew
I could PR if I didn’t hit a wall, but needed to be careful. You never know
when running high is going to suddenly disappear only to be replaced by a big
fat wall of fatigue. </span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYJDidG1EEUNxHiMX75R7ZbU3dARn5dsqxutYX7C6zvJ_QurckGl3u6e4rn8DntevPuond8RYPfEytB3QfRIOD66hTpqu7Q7ukhO01zx2lX4siSCDlikZOFf8alY0wG2nfhP6l2IBxNW3/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYJDidG1EEUNxHiMX75R7ZbU3dARn5dsqxutYX7C6zvJ_QurckGl3u6e4rn8DntevPuond8RYPfEytB3QfRIOD66hTpqu7Q7ukhO01zx2lX4siSCDlikZOFf8alY0wG2nfhP6l2IBxNW3/s320/IMG_1715.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race picture around mile nine. All smiles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was wearing a “Birthday Girl” t-shirt and spectators
started yelling “Happy Birthday” as I passed them, giving me a little more bounce
to my step. Around mile nine I went through a water stop and a little kid
volunteer, probably no older than five yelled “Take the water!” I almost did
just to make him happy, but I had on my hydration belt and didn’t need any. In
fact, a lot of people had hydration gear, so the poor kid might have been
holding out the cup for a while!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxoW8g7_3QVY8TcE3dDkdHipZi2YnwuSTlx5hietgqr6tPibDh2Unxqp2i5Ewva4MlR5jO6dwZXVP-aoxpK_HNiqC3yryeapolBij7U6KS3g2BzunJ6kRz7IHgZoVvhJwtpRQf1m145LF/s1600/VenturaHalfMarathon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxoW8g7_3QVY8TcE3dDkdHipZi2YnwuSTlx5hietgqr6tPibDh2Unxqp2i5Ewva4MlR5jO6dwZXVP-aoxpK_HNiqC3yryeapolBij7U6KS3g2BzunJ6kRz7IHgZoVvhJwtpRQf1m145LF/s400/VenturaHalfMarathon2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that fog! It stuck around the whole race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between miles ten and eleven, my heart rate started to spike
and a little fatigue started to creep in, but the clock was ticking and the PR
was looking really good. I figured if I could just beat my old half marathon PR
by just a few seconds, I would be on cloud nine. I’ve been craving a half marathon
PR for almost two years now!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I finished the race with a sprint and a goofy grin, with a
time of 2:03:19. I set a new PR, blowing my old one away by just over five
minutes! I never even imagined that I was going that much faster! My parents
greeted me with hugs and congratulations, my dad knowing instantly that I had
PRed. A friend from college also showed up to cheer me in at the finish line
and to tell me happy birthday. I’ll tell you something, if you ever want to
make a runner’s day, show up at their race and cheer them on! That’s one of the
many reasons my parents and my friends are so awesome!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiQEsPPP7vadZ64J1CnKNTwVhj7zvI13abhyhKab5bDsW7HK8X5hPNatILonfT1DsZM3gEo6-M60hKMuKiLhpt1mr4MYW8WummZS4syGHVDRDHhxJcVLfFQrGGGUadaRXWw2Y8owFA3-8/s1600/VenturaHalfMarathon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiQEsPPP7vadZ64J1CnKNTwVhj7zvI13abhyhKab5bDsW7HK8X5hPNatILonfT1DsZM3gEo6-M60hKMuKiLhpt1mr4MYW8WummZS4syGHVDRDHhxJcVLfFQrGGGUadaRXWw2Y8owFA3-8/s320/VenturaHalfMarathon3.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing strong</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This race was a total thrill, although I am a little bias!
The volunteers and race support was awesome! The after race food and snacks were
plentiful and everything seemed to run smoothly. I only have one complaint and
that was that there was no official photographer (as far as I’ve been able to
determine). There was one person along the course that did take pictures and
post them, but nothing official. Some finish line pictures have shown up, but
nothing of me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOF2SbBZ43zn91ze18Je-zl3aIK42kAVCOA5P4LqQ2dHNsCvyCq02ZPkqQO2o_-1B0rc8N1qoq4zdu0EB5m-lrgBVMrhcPx3zalUx45268nehGpFqzc4FGSDfro28JoVxOnQJLNgDxXqt/s1600/IMG_1705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOF2SbBZ43zn91ze18Je-zl3aIK42kAVCOA5P4LqQ2dHNsCvyCq02ZPkqQO2o_-1B0rc8N1qoq4zdu0EB5m-lrgBVMrhcPx3zalUx45268nehGpFqzc4FGSDfro28JoVxOnQJLNgDxXqt/s320/IMG_1705.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One happy birthday girl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the race, we went over to my Uncle’s house where we
shared a birthday BBQ (his birthday being that day). I ate too much and enjoyed
chocolate chocolate cake. Overall, great race and a day to remember! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QG7keckxigSmhGB7i_s8ziNOcMIzynRyDotWk6Y85PtLNBhtcg-bqbMz2ELj8DSMRXOE1EWhphHy_SQC90Vg6UtGkCdml5el_gDAqEod04YzSo3RYWVSXJ6dCzy5Doop-G2e1IB9a4yJ/s1600/cake.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QG7keckxigSmhGB7i_s8ziNOcMIzynRyDotWk6Y85PtLNBhtcg-bqbMz2ELj8DSMRXOE1EWhphHy_SQC90Vg6UtGkCdml5el_gDAqEod04YzSo3RYWVSXJ6dCzy5Doop-G2e1IB9a4yJ/s400/cake.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-70756453759012417132013-08-31T21:05:00.000-07:002013-08-31T21:06:44.653-07:00A Colorful Experience<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Earlier this month I got to run a super fun race called Run
or Dye. Run or Dye is one of those color races that showed up a couple years
ago. I’ve always eyed these races, but never wanted to travel just to run one.
When I heard Run or Dye was coming to Santa Barbara, I signed up right away! To
make things even better, I found a nice promo code that knocked the price down
even further.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVk9GHfzv0d38Fq9z8DEhg4m0uA6XR8r1hymb5N-T-Sgqj8rkGYYDXs8SnPRW769s24oOYY3TsIcDqzATC1Roo741MqEy_lEDSflZpuihyphenhyphenSJZ5F5Rblu68cknO9WnLBmLYYwADlG1fbKR/s1600/IMG_1642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVk9GHfzv0d38Fq9z8DEhg4m0uA6XR8r1hymb5N-T-Sgqj8rkGYYDXs8SnPRW769s24oOYY3TsIcDqzATC1Roo741MqEy_lEDSflZpuihyphenhyphenSJZ5F5Rblu68cknO9WnLBmLYYwADlG1fbKR/s320/IMG_1642.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before picture! Nice and clean!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My biggest complaint about this race is that it is
advertised as a 5k when it was not. I get extremely nitpicky about races being
the length advertised and get frustrated when they are not accurate. My Garmin
Forerunner 410 had awesome connection that day and mapped the race at 2.7
(rounding up), putting the race almost a full half mile short. I saw people
running as hard as they could and I hate to think someone paid for a 5k with
the goal of PRing and being robbed of that chance. They do advertise it as a
non-timed race, but I still don’t feel that that gives them the right to make
it shorter then promised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But complaint aside, it as a fun experience! A lot of my
running friends came out to this race, so I got to see a lot of people I knew.
To top it off, my best friend showed up and took pictures of me running it! My
Dad dropped me off at the race since I was a little concerned about the parking
situation, but when we got there, there was plenty of spots, so he got to hang
out and check out the excitement for a little while.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-sBOcxOFmmfiIBr9sH-aiUe_DbBbbJxCgdrVdQpWS_8u3WZutE3U9wS0dxqf7NpIj-GyxOyJfZqGIOnbmPw0No5FrCICHV-xa4PkfuAj3U1sM68rsEO4zVtE1gHm2w4-cTM5aJ7YpoLX/s1600/IMG_1647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-sBOcxOFmmfiIBr9sH-aiUe_DbBbbJxCgdrVdQpWS_8u3WZutE3U9wS0dxqf7NpIj-GyxOyJfZqGIOnbmPw0No5FrCICHV-xa4PkfuAj3U1sM68rsEO4zVtE1gHm2w4-cTM5aJ7YpoLX/s320/IMG_1647.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color zone right at the start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">They sent us out in waves and right at the start was a color
zone where we got covered in colored powder. The second they said go, I took
off like a shot. About a quarter of a mile down the road, I slowed down,
remembering that I had promised myself I wouldn’t race this one. There is no
race clock for Run or Dye, it’s all about enjoying the experience and that’s
what I had aimed to do.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There was something like four or five color zones along the
race route. I would time it so that I was passing through these zones with only
a small group of people to maximize the amount of powder that would be thrown
on me. I had it down to a science by the end of the run.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPjNlZMM1OYIIboIc2FQdISE6Zy7lZiJGU7TRwaIY2l85NtYMhjPp8AOlC93oihzk7jDXs66KBZk5_lgi1UfPg2LHOVWgqR_qJsM_JY1zu5vT2UbBiFWilMo8NOey2ZkvQP5U0FFIHW_f/s1600/IMG_1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPjNlZMM1OYIIboIc2FQdISE6Zy7lZiJGU7TRwaIY2l85NtYMhjPp8AOlC93oihzk7jDXs66KBZk5_lgi1UfPg2LHOVWgqR_qJsM_JY1zu5vT2UbBiFWilMo8NOey2ZkvQP5U0FFIHW_f/s320/IMG_1654.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last color zone at the finish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the race we were given a packet of colored powder
which we could use if we wanted. I joined some friends by the stage where
everyone was throwing powder into the air and rocking out. I was so colorful by
the time I left that area, that I couldn’t even tell that my shorts had been
purple when I had arrived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpTNBmudfYdNpU1VG_fHvhEE2B4jvOMG5R7OBGGwCPH3gpkUV50UEr6FmEkTm9baOczTu0nmsMpNrtkRzTRtdtODWW_e5kqA3kGNLZMo8iBScrtLuhc12UCr5WGyVBrwA1Z_nKEppA9DQ/s1600/colorrace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpTNBmudfYdNpU1VG_fHvhEE2B4jvOMG5R7OBGGwCPH3gpkUV50UEr6FmEkTm9baOczTu0nmsMpNrtkRzTRtdtODWW_e5kqA3kGNLZMo8iBScrtLuhc12UCr5WGyVBrwA1Z_nKEppA9DQ/s320/colorrace.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My after picture before I even went near the stage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The greatest part of the whole experience was my run home.
Since the race took place on a Saturday, which is usually a long run day for
me, I decided to run the five miles home. I’m actually surprised I didn’t cause
a car accident with how many cars were slowing down on the road to look at me.
I received a high five from a biker and a couple greetings for other everyday
runners.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-PknuoJmO9kSgI-GhIduRj8ix3x2p0o5RRpq7BevLs4f_DKmGAlacdR_q7nQC9Rj-0wpOUFwnqih4AIzKzoKklFd7FfBz-6tFtE15zFTg_FQd7DhoOQxby5uLvuOVb0ki4v9tYMZ5HxF/s1600/colorrace1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-PknuoJmO9kSgI-GhIduRj8ix3x2p0o5RRpq7BevLs4f_DKmGAlacdR_q7nQC9Rj-0wpOUFwnqih4AIzKzoKklFd7FfBz-6tFtE15zFTg_FQd7DhoOQxby5uLvuOVb0ki4v9tYMZ5HxF/s320/colorrace1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caught up with some of my old buddies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My white tank top is a goner. I’m trying to decide if I
should go buy some bleach or just toss it. Everything else cleaned up fine,
myself included after some serious scrubbing. Overall, I had a blast and
complaints aside, it was a great experience! I think everyone should give a color
run a chance at some point, they really are a ton of fun!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyIDmpmJ1TKdFvmRhRJbfqfm8awnMt5RdZmmJThURegiJkEmj7wMqdhMu4z-5hzUkFSEkW4g4lqE1zLWhVJvPRs1_YyQOWfsOe994si8dyQw0lOxuIGwUY1B6ejfRcYwi23V1MNnJvIcw/s1600/IMG_1651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyIDmpmJ1TKdFvmRhRJbfqfm8awnMt5RdZmmJThURegiJkEmj7wMqdhMu4z-5hzUkFSEkW4g4lqE1zLWhVJvPRs1_YyQOWfsOe994si8dyQw0lOxuIGwUY1B6ejfRcYwi23V1MNnJvIcw/s320/IMG_1651.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color runs are awesome!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-5749230966101364582013-07-28T11:07:00.002-07:002013-07-28T11:07:24.083-07:00Super Busy!I just wanted to post and say that I am still alive and running. I have run three races since my last post and I do plan on getting race reports up (two I've already started writing), but I have no idea when I'll have time to do them. I was on vacation for three weeks visiting my brothers in Colorado and Texas. I was home for a short time and then I was off at Comic con for almost a week. It's been a busy summer! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and getting some good runs in!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKElUnkZBmvh4MIQYR-01uEK8B-NUSRVBAc_2gBDvwNzc6A6sa3d8XOvSX0iQiyVqlPdV32WPAbnNufzWTJg__RBm05jFozsuBPYlYr2UCrYt7zNFf0O0YJC2Cr_mP35u2sk0g7R3_EXxG/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKElUnkZBmvh4MIQYR-01uEK8B-NUSRVBAc_2gBDvwNzc6A6sa3d8XOvSX0iQiyVqlPdV32WPAbnNufzWTJg__RBm05jFozsuBPYlYr2UCrYt7zNFf0O0YJC2Cr_mP35u2sk0g7R3_EXxG/s320/IMG_1363.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting my favorite little man in Texas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPg70-l4pOsjSzdB69zXwRndN_claRN531FHbXMbJNz6l2bMD0aflykYwgyBUBw1eoZxkPSIxio4x1Lx4WLYTCR-b2oh3ScWp6QuF_nbDgXFbNLkinTqxpQZ4X-jXtvm08weKkM2biep7e/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPg70-l4pOsjSzdB69zXwRndN_claRN531FHbXMbJNz6l2bMD0aflykYwgyBUBw1eoZxkPSIxio4x1Lx4WLYTCR-b2oh3ScWp6QuF_nbDgXFbNLkinTqxpQZ4X-jXtvm08weKkM2biep7e/s320/IMG_1381.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racing in Colorado</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUh9Kz0lrZFxxbHJezLxL6pvIZCIjujGPR-e8rCSkot4TMdoYel2QEVKHxAUxyShsaXJPBrztNeQFkp0s_KWGsPg5EbcloylJuhZQwhxbpJ4cDUrROoDIhSqtso2s2AseNfqS5SxtGl6p/s1600/IMG_1417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUh9Kz0lrZFxxbHJezLxL6pvIZCIjujGPR-e8rCSkot4TMdoYel2QEVKHxAUxyShsaXJPBrztNeQFkp0s_KWGsPg5EbcloylJuhZQwhxbpJ4cDUrROoDIhSqtso2s2AseNfqS5SxtGl6p/s320/IMG_1417.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitting tourist traps on the way home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDFVRGffPyxVBdK3AekfK0S6a84B-5ePkQpqcRUHbjGPX2ymAdii4HlcEPR4l4FMcY_PJKYoSgf_4Jm-ib3CPtku5leLTUboG3mJUq86ksMZH6FqCJiWZKqr1ns6Lzyv6fjYP5pI04QRI/s1600/IMG_1439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDFVRGffPyxVBdK3AekfK0S6a84B-5ePkQpqcRUHbjGPX2ymAdii4HlcEPR4l4FMcY_PJKYoSgf_4Jm-ib3CPtku5leLTUboG3mJUq86ksMZH6FqCJiWZKqr1ns6Lzyv6fjYP5pI04QRI/s320/IMG_1439.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comic con! Course of the Force!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViPdTogDYGs3pkIsdN7ezEran4QB7aCfWQgUYuBy4y82mbLWtkl85k2DxuM0TAS7dPxa9tqTCPUNnt4P7BhoS7r_dAseYQOkC1HIjw9-s0sut7KIKNqOvrQNAWPym9ugU2b4SOm2s5DLZ/s1600/IMG_1517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViPdTogDYGs3pkIsdN7ezEran4QB7aCfWQgUYuBy4y82mbLWtkl85k2DxuM0TAS7dPxa9tqTCPUNnt4P7BhoS7r_dAseYQOkC1HIjw9-s0sut7KIKNqOvrQNAWPym9ugU2b4SOm2s5DLZ/s320/IMG_1517.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partying like a geek at comic con with my bff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-86716628403839360152013-06-05T19:08:00.001-07:002013-06-05T19:08:14.882-07:00Spartan Race! We have a winner!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLykXyUyQa9MAJ94pLVfqYG0rg4Jq43UhbXnZRTHA35FDVbo8YVuKD4SuRIU7FQmMF-_h5tPIEqOrrjHi74dsjEewFkNcpDP4ZBRv1rDq3Jiqs9uISFjp3iDG0CJL4926d-j5cL7NtWn3/s1600/winner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLykXyUyQa9MAJ94pLVfqYG0rg4Jq43UhbXnZRTHA35FDVbo8YVuKD4SuRIU7FQmMF-_h5tPIEqOrrjHi74dsjEewFkNcpDP4ZBRv1rDq3Jiqs9uISFjp3iDG0CJL4926d-j5cL7NtWn3/s320/winner1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Congratulations Ryan Rollins, you are our Spartan Race winner! I will be emailing you your promo code soon. Thank you all (all three of you) for entering! I love my readers!<br />
<br />
Again, if you didn't win but are still interested in the race, you can get a 15% discount at this link:<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior"><span style="color: #336699;">http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior</span></a></span><br />
<br />
Happy National running day!Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-55815440692798762852013-06-03T21:04:00.002-07:002013-06-03T21:04:38.125-07:00State Street Mile<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On June 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> 2013 the 14<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> annual
Platinum Performance State Street Mile took place in downtown Santa Barbara. It
is a popular local event that raises money for the Crime Victim Emergency Fund.
I had a lot of reservations about signing myself up, but the cause and the
excitement won out. I registered to run in my age group race and my favorite
event of the day, the dog mile. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At this race there are several events to choose from. They
have the family fun mile, the dog mile, 7 age group categories and the open and
master’s elite mile. Once you register for one, you can enter a second for
free. I don’t currently have a dog, so I did a shout out to facebook to see if
anyone’s pooch would like to run with me. My cousin Stephen and his wife Barbie
offered their dog Chase, who I adore. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race morning arrived bright and early with a nice marine
layer hanging over the city. I was extremely nervous! I haven’t done any speed
work since last year due to my IT-Band problems and I was worried I was just going
to embarrass myself. No one ever wants to finish last, but I was excited about
finally participating in this event. I’ve wanted to do it the last few years,
but due to injuries haven’t been able too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9V1sssonbtNo_7gLO0XuvipBCCJWcNS_1AiruS_cpn57s1eTgPST_A8xj9uuRbkWAMnKxgzPXFHECGZLcm7XwEnvnJPAi3_vp8K8omsed6C7dJD6FySO7Se7QRpWb_83pikSiN6Ks1Mdl/s1600/IMG_1311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9V1sssonbtNo_7gLO0XuvipBCCJWcNS_1AiruS_cpn57s1eTgPST_A8xj9uuRbkWAMnKxgzPXFHECGZLcm7XwEnvnJPAi3_vp8K8omsed6C7dJD6FySO7Se7QRpWb_83pikSiN6Ks1Mdl/s320/IMG_1311.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family fun mile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stephen, Barbie and Chase arrived just in time to see me
line up for my age group race. Talk about dog delivery service! Daddio was
further ahead ready to take pictures. He’d told me to just try to stay with
someone near the lead unless they were going way too fast. As soon as the
whistle was blown, we shot off like a bat out of hell. Two guys and one girl
quickly took the lead (at the time I thought it was only one girl and one guy,
somehow I missed the second guy). I tried to latch onto them, but knew pretty quickly
that I wouldn’t be able to maintain the pace unless I wanted to be walking it
in or end up collapsed on the curb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMndtPiLWdsfITxUPMsp8S_u-I520398ygMwL5Gv40oU-uZLw5z9ZbwmTQ9w7nxALas_WPaK48CyUIGpB3QjDG6HGrCj2QT-Pc8Xna7DKsQOQFQ4gKs01vS4xWBkLLYhh1Fcd9FdZsJIJ/s1600/statestreetmile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMndtPiLWdsfITxUPMsp8S_u-I520398ygMwL5Gv40oU-uZLw5z9ZbwmTQ9w7nxALas_WPaK48CyUIGpB3QjDG6HGrCj2QT-Pc8Xna7DKsQOQFQ4gKs01vS4xWBkLLYhh1Fcd9FdZsJIJ/s320/statestreetmile.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quarter of a mile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The start gave me a great lead on the rest of the group. The
other three were ahead and fading, but the rest of the pack was behind by more
than a block. Each quarter of a mile, they would call out the time and I would
try to listen for the person behind me, but never could hear their time. I kept
glancing back, but no one was gaining on me, in fact they were falling further
behind. I did get a tiny bit lazy here, with them further and further behind
and the lead further and further ahead, I did slow my pace a little. When the
finish started to loom in front of me, I didn’t think I had anything left in
the tank for a sprint. Heck, I felt like I was sprinting! But the announcer
called out that I could pick up speed, so I did!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I finished in 6:40, which has to be a mile record for me. I
was hoping for low sevens, so I was stoked with my time. As I made my way
through the finisher's shoot, I was handed a second place plaque for being the second
woman in my age group to finish! I felt so blessed! I managed to make it through
the crowd in time to cheer in the next finisher and the rest of the group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3zlp59_BVoj3RnUGu-w3iY6d95ke_1N3H0i55XFb7IlbQK1Mbvj4H5Ot2WaendPPMXXu0ZZrwmxwOPEWgeTPMqij4A6rZBjl3oAEk0kDNDwpx10AsoC67U-uOxMIrJcwLemUA1hHWqmK/s1600/IMG_1313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3zlp59_BVoj3RnUGu-w3iY6d95ke_1N3H0i55XFb7IlbQK1Mbvj4H5Ot2WaendPPMXXu0ZZrwmxwOPEWgeTPMqij4A6rZBjl3oAEk0kDNDwpx10AsoC67U-uOxMIrJcwLemUA1hHWqmK/s320/IMG_1313.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second place!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I loitered for a few minutes chatting and then made my way
back up the street. I enthusiastically told Daddio the news when I met up with
him and together we met up with Stephen, Barbie and Chase. The dog mile was
more than an hour away, so we hung out, cheering on runners and talking. When
it came time for me and Chase to run, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to do it. He
stood stiff next to me watching his owners. I tried to give him a pep talk, but
all he wanted was Barbie.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GBGNVezxsDMh480_IvddtGQpRhJqSEAUzMMJUIUcTwlhPnZZ7DTGq4bOV4_2KgG2iI1AgINZ7l3bn2rZrtjL48_MQZ0Begg7ri4kZX1XUDnCQ13KR3esbSlJ6OUKLp2yDXT6hEtZM90-/s1600/statestreet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GBGNVezxsDMh480_IvddtGQpRhJqSEAUzMMJUIUcTwlhPnZZ7DTGq4bOV4_2KgG2iI1AgINZ7l3bn2rZrtjL48_MQZ0Begg7ri4kZX1XUDnCQ13KR3esbSlJ6OUKLp2yDXT6hEtZM90-/s320/statestreet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the whistle blew, dogs of all shapes and sizes shot
off, while I tried to drag Chase. He fought me for the first quarter of a mile
worried about his owners and then suddenly he jumped on my leg, licked my hand
and started running. We did a decent pace for his little legs for the next half
mile. He wanted to run over and greet all the volunteers and supporters who
were calling out and cheering for him, but I kept him focused. I was trying to
encourage him to try and pass a couple dogs ahead of us, but he wasn’t
interested. He started running out of gas around the last quarter of a mile,
but found some more energy when hearing the excitement coming from the finish line.
He picked up speed, so I did too and we finished strong! I was proud of the
little guy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Idg4QDvEfsJhlUIVK_IMNtWwHtf6R_t8V8pUSn1SP73ZF4e8ee2-_FtnT_zYNg-w32zboGwsLqz9-E36yRJBMCn_PWt1W-FwpTWjLhv84Uvew2T_ZmVY3u9bF_HzAt_XlT9VZUgBHgtG/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Idg4QDvEfsJhlUIVK_IMNtWwHtf6R_t8V8pUSn1SP73ZF4e8ee2-_FtnT_zYNg-w32zboGwsLqz9-E36yRJBMCn_PWt1W-FwpTWjLhv84Uvew2T_ZmVY3u9bF_HzAt_XlT9VZUgBHgtG/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think he had fun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the way back to his owners, he seemed to have more energy
than I did. He was going up and greeting other dogs and energetically jumping
up on my leg and licking my hand. I think he had a good time!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall, it was a great event and a fun morning with friends
and family!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwQVBxt3fOzak4XkLBQFqoHsDry42L_0S2nVYUKf-1FkPsRILVX2pTXb1ATv38fmpHbBD4kuJ4YZqgYdb8RsFsii_hs36UraBVOFAcGgyThgUbvecq39PAgi6WbF7H4ySV7UM9NsnNNW_/s1600/chase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwQVBxt3fOzak4XkLBQFqoHsDry42L_0S2nVYUKf-1FkPsRILVX2pTXb1ATv38fmpHbBD4kuJ4YZqgYdb8RsFsii_hs36UraBVOFAcGgyThgUbvecq39PAgi6WbF7H4ySV7UM9NsnNNW_/s320/chase.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wore him out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-2827415850310615822013-05-29T12:35:00.000-07:002013-05-29T12:35:43.829-07:00Reebok Spartan Race<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5Ef3M_KhGOxLtj-YsqTrhjFkw82mG-m0iiHklcY5L6KIvXjYKvTtE7nNzbkU-gLipw3X4njx1TCLSBEskCjkgn44U_yrdvCfbA-Yldh0iMy5zjxbHFRxJeK4RrPs3emzYZJSmeetZ9-C/s1600/logo4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5Ef3M_KhGOxLtj-YsqTrhjFkw82mG-m0iiHklcY5L6KIvXjYKvTtE7nNzbkU-gLipw3X4njx1TCLSBEskCjkgn44U_yrdvCfbA-Yldh0iMy5zjxbHFRxJeK4RrPs3emzYZJSmeetZ9-C/s320/logo4.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back when I first started running I was very excited about obstacle
races and mud races. Since that time, I have changed my focus to road races,
but I still have a couple of these races on my wish list. One of these races
that I have always wanted to do is the Reebok Spartan race. The Spartan race
takes place all over the US, Canada and the UK and range in length from 3 miles
to 10+ miles. It looks epic!</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/M4aM0fpS0IU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was recently contacted by someone who works with the
Spartan race and was given a fun opportunity. I have been given a promo code
that will allow one of my readers to sign up for one of the Spartan races in
the continental US for free! It only works once and for one person! If you
would like the opportunity to win this promo code, leave a comment on this post
or on my related facebook post. I will randomly select one person who has left
a comment to receive the promo code. I will announce the winner next week, so let your friends know and check back!</span><br />
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="266" src="http://spartanracemedia.com/images/SR-BW-03b-JPEG.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you aren’t the lucky winner, you can go to this link and
get a code for 15% off any Spartan race: <a href="http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior">http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<br />Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-8314631433117962852013-05-26T15:48:00.000-07:002013-05-26T15:50:47.640-07:00Lakes of Love 2013<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday I ran the Lakes of Love 4 miler with my Dad and my
Uncle. I ran this race injured last year, so it was nice to hit the course
again and even set a PR! This was also my Dad’s first race back from being
injured and my Uncle’s second race since he took up running again. My Uncle and
I ran Stellar Nites 5k together back in March and had a lot of fun even though
it was a challenging course. I missed getting a race report up for it, so I’ll
just talk about it a little. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXTjt3C40E2AcS1BTfH1IneQ1orawL8nhBpT1Ggg5lnpAkqLYpf9FUD0a2tqCxcANORKruEt920dytvcZOPVJqJ8hvlAtQb1if_UcxapWdH9q5n0bv6CM8yg625C0DMEkApI6CoEX3t6A/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXTjt3C40E2AcS1BTfH1IneQ1orawL8nhBpT1Ggg5lnpAkqLYpf9FUD0a2tqCxcANORKruEt920dytvcZOPVJqJ8hvlAtQb1if_UcxapWdH9q5n0bv6CM8yg625C0DMEkApI6CoEX3t6A/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stellar Nites is a new Trail Series in Santa Barbara that took
place every Wednesday night from mid-March to mid-April. When I say it is a
challenging course, I’m not joking. The race takes place in Eling’s Park here
in Santa Barbara and the park has some very hilly trails. We ran the inaugural race,
so no one knew what to expect. While running it we came across a lot of people
on the course that were dragging their feet and mumbling about hills and sand…
yes there was sand?!? It was quite the experience, especially it being my Uncle’s
first 5k. I somehow managed to talk him into running Lakes of Love! I hope to
see the Stellar Nites series back next year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoq-4JMEj6qdNfnY5eZwELfX_DgpGQ9504hd660yMXkqjMhY3hXsGVgBSkiKhRIZ5nplj0sgVQ372IvyfJ2VJkrjyjGEQlmbBmbnFqMCwXJPCG7J08oVNuATP8aSBSLmBl-XbNeNfLUsPp/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoq-4JMEj6qdNfnY5eZwELfX_DgpGQ9504hd660yMXkqjMhY3hXsGVgBSkiKhRIZ5nplj0sgVQ372IvyfJ2VJkrjyjGEQlmbBmbnFqMCwXJPCG7J08oVNuATP8aSBSLmBl-XbNeNfLUsPp/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stellar Nites 5k</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lakes of Love was a little funky this year. The date was
first delayed at the last minute and pushed back a month later. Their site was
not updated with the new date, but I found out at the race that they have
another site that is identical, just with the new date. I ended up contacting
them the day before just to make sure the race was still taking place since
none of my local running friends knew what was going on. Thankfully, they
responded quickly and I was able to spread the word.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race morning my Dad and Uncle drove to the park while I
jogged over. I wanted to shake out my legs and test out my left foot, which has
been giving me a little trouble the last few weeks. Everything was feeling
good, but it wasn’t feeling like a PR day. The crowd of runners that showed up
was definitely smaller than last year, there was probably around sixty of us.
All the miscommunication probably led to the smaller number.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_yVE99udJ_0-KJ_CAElfYuH0bEwL6zUm8OIcrpiojVOcMXkPEnN8vX4edD_gfjTCPBYOTwUpAy83X8Gm3meCj3jXWHIy-BaPTHfh3VZ1QzUP6Ytte9DQkp5dEneNAhF_8ob6UgVrXAF7/s1600/LakesOfLoveDadandUncleD2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_yVE99udJ_0-KJ_CAElfYuH0bEwL6zUm8OIcrpiojVOcMXkPEnN8vX4edD_gfjTCPBYOTwUpAy83X8Gm3meCj3jXWHIy-BaPTHfh3VZ1QzUP6Ytte9DQkp5dEneNAhF_8ob6UgVrXAF7/s320/LakesOfLoveDadandUncleD2013.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddio and Uncle Doug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even with all the miscommunication, race day went off
without a hitch. The race started close to on time, the course was marked
clearly and volunteers were abundant. I’ve run this course many times, so I
could do it in my sleep. There was a water station and the usual well manned
finish line. The after race spread was awesome! They had bananas, muffins, ice
cream, watermelon and more! I finished the race out of breath, but with a new
four mile PR, 34:57 beating my last time by 42 seconds. It’s nice to see some
progress!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hung out about two hundred yards from the finish and
cheered other runners in till my Dad and Uncle came, then I ran ahead to try to
get some pictures of them at the finish. They seemed to being having a good
time. I hope we can talk my Uncle into running some more races with us in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptJtwy127b_v9ml4RA9DGm6kmP0Q9aRALl8SKboF8aMZI8Ad-JprRJ9hsLYpduAa_hpKcBKkD4G7PNV3QEH4Q2Oe_EAGyJoTqhrC1wpxSEx_anbYK0kY4WD7TZGiUhA_IIRy5-MsUWdbt/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptJtwy127b_v9ml4RA9DGm6kmP0Q9aRALl8SKboF8aMZI8Ad-JprRJ9hsLYpduAa_hpKcBKkD4G7PNV3QEH4Q2Oe_EAGyJoTqhrC1wpxSEx_anbYK0kY4WD7TZGiUhA_IIRy5-MsUWdbt/s320/IMG_1295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8wempWQgE8X67J_9Pxn6vFezYzYIeotUkTs5ivGQ8Yc_Ny8a3E8QfPR5BusfbpXpWyP4w8OnkeHcpAoJtmksYqUxpGqztxWwO_4FGcHq24x-_mJiyhwnRebPKuXe9WJqxmc8Ee84PoYl/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8wempWQgE8X67J_9Pxn6vFezYzYIeotUkTs5ivGQ8Yc_Ny8a3E8QfPR5BusfbpXpWyP4w8OnkeHcpAoJtmksYqUxpGqztxWwO_4FGcHq24x-_mJiyhwnRebPKuXe9WJqxmc8Ee84PoYl/s320/IMG_1296.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and Uncle Doug finishing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We decided to hang out and hear the age group winner
announcements and I was pleasantly surprised to place second in my age group! I
received a certificate and a cute little potted flower. So I guess that’s the
trick, find really small races and I might even place ;) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4Uc87ciw0YR-laxvW9PZSX27MELOwRgj0hQYtCXURrDakpno-EzEx_15cPgSmRFfKsMwTdDDdaiJjPs3BW1tN4l6ouHppLt2NkJkQt0zzGHGxmav0zq_G-93XZwk_92VM7-aZmpGNyPh/s1600/LakesOfLove2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4Uc87ciw0YR-laxvW9PZSX27MELOwRgj0hQYtCXURrDakpno-EzEx_15cPgSmRFfKsMwTdDDdaiJjPs3BW1tN4l6ouHppLt2NkJkQt0zzGHGxmav0zq_G-93XZwk_92VM7-aZmpGNyPh/s320/LakesOfLove2013.png" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a winner, the certificate says so!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall it was a great day and it was for a great cause.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRkO1jK8MJ4-XtRm_YRvFAypRFhHhNS2nZkn7JypsePnuCbC5skyPEgFaiFRw91lo49m8npOcg7GajGxUQc6_NULouqtKgA1IovnvnJHv9Sm2SS_iFy6xda4JvA6YmbarSxO6FKTb6nkb/s1600/IMG_1301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRkO1jK8MJ4-XtRm_YRvFAypRFhHhNS2nZkn7JypsePnuCbC5skyPEgFaiFRw91lo49m8npOcg7GajGxUQc6_NULouqtKgA1IovnvnJHv9Sm2SS_iFy6xda4JvA6YmbarSxO6FKTb6nkb/s320/IMG_1301.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running is fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Check in later this week, I'll be posting about the Reebok Spartan Race and I'll be giving something away! Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-60984620619248962312013-05-19T15:38:00.001-07:002013-05-19T15:38:17.833-07:00Look what I bought!Look what I bought! It's a pair of Hoka One One Bondi B! It feels like I have mini trampolines in my shoes! I'll post a full review when I've put some mileage in on them.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvQiEqFnsNh0xVIusq1ptEfIZEMZ-kMUkT2d8Rz02sH0bIPHroeU4l-nENfRkFE9h_mx85SemvVre9EfThABTIa-4MrrRx6TgFNzBFhDjT4tHeBfyd7SleCpaie1RwQXCWfrj1vzIQZyW/s1600/hoka.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvQiEqFnsNh0xVIusq1ptEfIZEMZ-kMUkT2d8Rz02sH0bIPHroeU4l-nENfRkFE9h_mx85SemvVre9EfThABTIa-4MrrRx6TgFNzBFhDjT4tHeBfyd7SleCpaie1RwQXCWfrj1vzIQZyW/s320/hoka.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-9603016037708545252013-04-30T20:05:00.000-07:002013-04-30T20:05:05.829-07:00Ojai Half Marathon
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Ojai Half Marathon took place this last weekend, making
my second half marathon of the year and my first one in almost two months. I
have been trying to be true to my 2013 goal of backing off on my racing and
focusing on my training. So far, it’s been a struggle, but I’ve seen good
progress in my running. I just have to keep resisting the register now button.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Elite Sports California put on this race and the Seaside
half which I ran in February. I’ve heard some rumbling complaints about them,
but I have had zero problems with them. The race was well organized, the aid
stations were well stocked and volunteers were plentiful. Bonus, it was a small
enough race that I was able to pick up my packet on race morning. This race as
well as with the last one were well priced and I managed to get them both at a
discount by keeping an eye on them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Predictably, the night before the race I could not fall
asleep! I don’t know why I get pre-race nerves! I wasn’t even worried about
this race, but then I usually don’t worry about any of them. The weather report
was predicting heat, but it ended up being a very pleasant day. The marine
layer didn’t burn off till a few miles into the race and it didn’t really warm
up till I was finishing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My Dad and Mom decided to come along and cheer me on, so we
all piled into the car around 5:30am for the hour drive down to Ojai. We got
there just as packet pickup opened, so I walked right up without having to
wait. The man working the table asked me if I was running the half and got me
my stuff. Two girls walked up behind me, both in bright color coordinated
outfits and he asked them if they were running the 5k, which they were. I love
that people at races now predict I’m there for the half marathon, but what
makes one person look like a half marathoner over a 5ker?</span></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pzZbjMm6QxD8MC6uAE9GxeGqdSocoLnwLj33nbMQ1J9XCuA_yJ_ejaDrhDG5cqVyXrW0ZJLR5_WmdHYY9Ztb9I4r_ErTS6eKEzkx9wJUzcxDjBVJG0VyQXhpCnHAhrVTsXoqlVJcbUz_/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pzZbjMm6QxD8MC6uAE9GxeGqdSocoLnwLj33nbMQ1J9XCuA_yJ_ejaDrhDG5cqVyXrW0ZJLR5_WmdHYY9Ztb9I4r_ErTS6eKEzkx9wJUzcxDjBVJG0VyQXhpCnHAhrVTsXoqlVJcbUz_/s320/IMG_1236.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Ojai along the route</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The start of the race was a little funny. They did have a
wave start, but since it was such a small race, each section for the waves were
pretty tiny. They sent each wave two minutes apart, but they really only needed
one. I joined the 10+ group since I wasn’t predicting a PR time. When they
released the 9 minute group, two volunteers yelled “Ok everyone go”, so we all
started going. The man on the microphone started yelling “No, ten minute group
stop!” I started laughing. It was too late, most of us had already gone over
the mat and I wasn’t about to stop when the clock was now going.</span></div>
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZ1583cw7rBJwM2JYTFhsLTFJov14NgApIXqIgOmI6Mowm5DDffKTQHFSStj3vJm7Lg-xBHVCl52UUOylsW_6f-rnItXOqjkiPJEUzDEeOiGBH9rVZ77CVn8wkuSMaCC_4kzrR9YSK-Cd/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZ1583cw7rBJwM2JYTFhsLTFJov14NgApIXqIgOmI6Mowm5DDffKTQHFSStj3vJm7Lg-xBHVCl52UUOylsW_6f-rnItXOqjkiPJEUzDEeOiGBH9rVZ77CVn8wkuSMaCC_4kzrR9YSK-Cd/s320/IMG_1235.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCvqOZ4ym3PZ_HaBzojMWVmz8_ymXxncGceaKYsEAenD4MgyBzaP72H7JmDKm1svW0lSH96kty4UQCOiCPrFKnfeHIKWMi0tanMx4I6aauj0n105CL62vYyb1IvHNylQsMhw3d70OICtL/s1600/IMG_1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCvqOZ4ym3PZ_HaBzojMWVmz8_ymXxncGceaKYsEAenD4MgyBzaP72H7JmDKm1svW0lSH96kty4UQCOiCPrFKnfeHIKWMi0tanMx4I6aauj0n105CL62vYyb1IvHNylQsMhw3d70OICtL/s320/IMG_1227.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lot's of bike path</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not even a half mile into the race, I realized I really
needed to pee! That never happens to me! Even during my marathon, I didn’t have
to stop even once. Well my bladder felt like it was going to explode, so at the
very first aid station, I hit the port-a-potty. I was in total panic mode. I
could feel the seconds ticking by. I absolutely hate having to loose time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWhSw4g1hZZV65ZOj0i-sebWeP0bll1nTcR-5zK2qpx6y6-DquC3QOEttIIYAbCeXr0b8eI9YdD-EUHYZFG1HQPIxN1OnkM60ni_1BHxp4AQDs-tERFIh5ThnEgolTYwkGcWO5aiHFr1C/s1600/IMG_1641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWhSw4g1hZZV65ZOj0i-sebWeP0bll1nTcR-5zK2qpx6y6-DquC3QOEttIIYAbCeXr0b8eI9YdD-EUHYZFG1HQPIxN1OnkM60ni_1BHxp4AQDs-tERFIh5ThnEgolTYwkGcWO5aiHFr1C/s320/IMG_1641.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For about the first three or four miles we were running on a
bike path, with runners going one direction on the right and runners going back
on the left. I can understand why they did this since they had a 5k and a 10k
running with the half marathon, but it made things very tight! When the 10k
quickies started catching my pace group it made things a little hard. I ended
up running up the side on some dirt and tweaking my ankle on a curb under the weeds.
Thankfully it didn’t fully roll, so it didn’t bug me till that evening.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ8URQlntaxEn1F8kAqxUTrLEGZz37YVK-46genB3jy7tNNhxD6fIGV_eJMo88E06bcoBWjdDSFzUv-Rqho8vN4BasilJmLFIqmNI_EXt_Q96I-kqTEtnJZV4NPD833Z4txVdg_u82dx_/s1600/IMG_1229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ8URQlntaxEn1F8kAqxUTrLEGZz37YVK-46genB3jy7tNNhxD6fIGV_eJMo88E06bcoBWjdDSFzUv-Rqho8vN4BasilJmLFIqmNI_EXt_Q96I-kqTEtnJZV4NPD833Z4txVdg_u82dx_/s320/IMG_1229.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As soon as the 10kers peeled off things spread out and
became much more comfortable. We continued mostly on bike path, but sometimes
on the street. At one point we ran past a Wendy’s and I got a ginormous craving
for a chocolate shake! Around mile six we came up along Lake Casitas and wow,
what a view. The marine layer was hanging out just above the water and the sun
was shining! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIenRgkTby6WaZv4KHi0lem4Xfvb2UpbrvlobMoNwMk0ZCjsSwKyamFUUqobNSC0yu0nGvcAqnmIxlu5kthl4iFrxs-hW8NdPbKQgFbq15ANTlSZhy9TXcQyjcKV7rFDEWnte22GLy5P-W/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIenRgkTby6WaZv4KHi0lem4Xfvb2UpbrvlobMoNwMk0ZCjsSwKyamFUUqobNSC0yu0nGvcAqnmIxlu5kthl4iFrxs-hW8NdPbKQgFbq15ANTlSZhy9TXcQyjcKV7rFDEWnte22GLy5P-W/s320/IMG_1231.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Casitas from the route</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IJ1v2SmvseosrDmKc2aCgVe6QC5C-ETQR2X2PfNhS13gbVCK2j1QoRjaY7ruqQD6uOw7ruNy9_n2HJ0-xGnO127-ztHH-MzPTuc_dB8uBlzR2QBIZcMeAl0ZD9TvUuOSFMfrtaZ05bKx/s1600/IMG_1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IJ1v2SmvseosrDmKc2aCgVe6QC5C-ETQR2X2PfNhS13gbVCK2j1QoRjaY7ruqQD6uOw7ruNy9_n2HJ0-xGnO127-ztHH-MzPTuc_dB8uBlzR2QBIZcMeAl0ZD9TvUuOSFMfrtaZ05bKx/s320/IMG_1233.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Around mile seven we hit the one major hill of the race and
it seemed to go on forever! Up, up, up! I then understood the jokes about mile
seven I had been hearing at the starting line! I thought, “just around the next
bend it will end… no, just around the next one.” I ended up chatting with a lot
of runners in this section of the race. I started the conversations usually
asking if they knew how long the hill was and then it usually ended with us
joking about the evil of hills for a while. I was power walking and easy
jogging my way up, my original plan had been to walk it, but that was before I had
known how long it was. One guy told me that since we kept passing each other,
he felt like he was going backwards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lsUxNBeEeePyQaT2HAQuRGZgvXKQNqjynLWSfCSMEnhMZz1F_dDx2FscRMscEpVLM_iRnYP1ANZ4Lf1o-SVccBg3xjqfzx6ZasNztah42qLNRbYKIRPWovyFyEdtPwR8MXM9sUW94UrP/s1600/IMG_1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lsUxNBeEeePyQaT2HAQuRGZgvXKQNqjynLWSfCSMEnhMZz1F_dDx2FscRMscEpVLM_iRnYP1ANZ4Lf1o-SVccBg3xjqfzx6ZasNztah42qLNRbYKIRPWovyFyEdtPwR8MXM9sUW94UrP/s320/IMG_1228.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hill buddies powering up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Up to the killer hill, things had mostly been softly
rolling, after the killer hill, things were seriously rolling. At four miles
out, I was feeling so good that I wanted to run it in, then I’d come around
another bend and then there would be another hill. My intervals got a little sporadic
at that point. I’d walk the hills if they were short and run however far was in-between.
I was making great time, in fact, till the evil hill I’d been making PR time,
but I was never able to make up the time I lost to that sucker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZOWVH_4VHJubFIzIIQMZsQU_tWQJ-tDXNMlgZ9DquMgEJCv7JVFTEt4qcD-dM4EA_Og1G_9TFmVZne0-eCxqFrlh-uDBee_o_NWE67oqMAciUJUYs2J54QIV3EDnmpTQywYf8FlpBOPR/s1600/IMG_1238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZOWVH_4VHJubFIzIIQMZsQU_tWQJ-tDXNMlgZ9DquMgEJCv7JVFTEt4qcD-dM4EA_Og1G_9TFmVZne0-eCxqFrlh-uDBee_o_NWE67oqMAciUJUYs2J54QIV3EDnmpTQywYf8FlpBOPR/s320/IMG_1238.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsYdwVbzhSw03UbiMsrgWge5Peq94DtTySnTrPjebWbDNHmWaKApLz9f9E_S0hlWWvxt-S01BACX_AYrk7grQLSQ_FsoR-USi6OfiJdeaMEZIfZ7GuMkbey9a9w42CigZpFE6y1hwyZpM/s1600/IMG_1650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsYdwVbzhSw03UbiMsrgWge5Peq94DtTySnTrPjebWbDNHmWaKApLz9f9E_S0hlWWvxt-S01BACX_AYrk7grQLSQ_FsoR-USi6OfiJdeaMEZIfZ7GuMkbey9a9w42CigZpFE6y1hwyZpM/s320/IMG_1650.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost done!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A mile out, I started leaving my friendly pace group behind
and started catching people I hadn’t seen before. I started picking people off
till I realized that I was just around the corner from the finish! I caught a
girl just in front of the school where the finish was and then dug deep and
sprinted, catching one more girl just feet from the finish line. I finished
with a chip time of 2:13:52, making it my third best half marathon time. If I hadn’t
taken that pit stop at the beginning, it probably would have easily been my
second best time! I can’t wait to get on a flat course and blow my PR away!
Must resist the shiny register now button!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwYRhEH_6SsH8WA2FB15jsiJTMZeiFDAL6a7kElu_EZRp8Jf2wnKPdyVstVV5BoBThXTAF5CvoW2P5U7tOTimIrPBAPUc-ayiC8cAUZzbciN8YS4Zhk0P9HTSrFPz8mMo0h5A1ocOpJTv/s1600/IMG_1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwYRhEH_6SsH8WA2FB15jsiJTMZeiFDAL6a7kElu_EZRp8Jf2wnKPdyVstVV5BoBThXTAF5CvoW2P5U7tOTimIrPBAPUc-ayiC8cAUZzbciN8YS4Zhk0P9HTSrFPz8mMo0h5A1ocOpJTv/s320/IMG_1237.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool bling and my favorite color!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My awesome parents were several places along the course
taking pictures of me and my mom bought me a chocolate shake on the way home. I
maybe an adult, but I still feel spoiled to have such wonderful parents!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq6cJJlgNgSWHmGXvliQ42BkrZjVbZGGNylYuuB0nRZcZrIyQpA4y3PoxLC8mEbpJi1DDPmZJ3YpGMw_wKJ4LQivVwGgg4o4AF5DkcS1N56vbA20wWmSutHImT7H4nPKLKRLP-YD31zDU/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq6cJJlgNgSWHmGXvliQ42BkrZjVbZGGNylYuuB0nRZcZrIyQpA4y3PoxLC8mEbpJi1DDPmZJ3YpGMw_wKJ4LQivVwGgg4o4AF5DkcS1N56vbA20wWmSutHImT7H4nPKLKRLP-YD31zDU/s320/IMG_1646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddio wondering what's taking me so long</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-2513434826453592022013-02-25T19:45:00.001-08:002013-02-25T19:50:14.864-08:00Pictures from Seaside Half Marathon<div style="text-align: center;">
I'll get a race report up soon, but I wanted to post some pictures from this weekend's Half marathon!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN8gDJ55L1lgTFj-QyGb6bkOvT79LmSMF3O4yzgUioS-AUH39QyLecwuCBNystYUu0SHfRv-_d2EaZp09nXGM6T4fpYFF3nuxPzPdcPx23k1hmjSxMEyVh_sU_K0GZkxfiLbpbp8mtGKr/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN8gDJ55L1lgTFj-QyGb6bkOvT79LmSMF3O4yzgUioS-AUH39QyLecwuCBNystYUu0SHfRv-_d2EaZp09nXGM6T4fpYFF3nuxPzPdcPx23k1hmjSxMEyVh_sU_K0GZkxfiLbpbp8mtGKr/s320/IMG_1117.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Yeah, it was a gorgeous day!</div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-65150196389649982912013-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:002013-02-10T18:06:19.989-08:00Super Bowl 4 Miler 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--> Last year on Super Bowl Sunday, I ran my first four mile
race. I set a PR that held for the rest of 2012. This year, I decided to run
the same race again and I set a new PR! The Super Bowl 4-miler is one of my
favorite local races. For one, it’s on Super Bowl and the second, it’s a great atmosphere.
This year they even had medals for all finishers!
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I went into the race not expecting to PR. Due to my IT band
injury in December, my training took a big step backward. I hadn’t even run
four miles nonstop before the race since my injury occurred. But man, I was
hungry for a PR. On Thanksgiving, I ran the Santa Barbara 4 mile Turkey run and
would have PRed if the race hadn’t been a quarter of a mile short. I felt
robbed and was eager to improve my time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmHl6ysJUIJ_fLzCABF8HX3c26etjNNlMFnV0BLLOAbQEzxs4YlVc7Fz6dhpR88rXFfGoQtkQva-KeXo-CHoE6eAJdjuhCKEZm_JAFlG6WHTigz2wmnDePSC9mdhq2r1iGR1ncJxWxM0z/s1600/IMG_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmHl6ysJUIJ_fLzCABF8HX3c26etjNNlMFnV0BLLOAbQEzxs4YlVc7Fz6dhpR88rXFfGoQtkQva-KeXo-CHoE6eAJdjuhCKEZm_JAFlG6WHTigz2wmnDePSC9mdhq2r1iGR1ncJxWxM0z/s320/IMG_1109.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I rocked a pink Tebow jersey!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started the race easy and relaxed. I was running solo, so
I was chatting with runners around me. During the first mile and a half, I got
passed by a lot of other runners. I just kept my pace consistent and focused on
enjoying the run. Around mile two and a half, I stopped getting passed and I
started passing those who had shot ahead. Around mile three, I was starting to
loose steam, but was determined to keep my pace. At that point, I could tell a PR was well within my reach. I chatted with a nice kid in a Bronco’s
jersey who was eager to tell me all about his favorite player and team. I
encouraged him to keep the pace up, but unfortunately had to drop him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxF53u015HfCVedoA15xUqZLKatMLcoktKVoYL_NX5KTs7XIajmNiDJlgev7V5jN4_vblEgpWSx-EolKx1LeSg5gbWK6M8sEGvA6l4qMYuhqXtDWxBNcJ2Nd96AToQbE0jqq9vpfxK1Cc/s1600/superbowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxF53u015HfCVedoA15xUqZLKatMLcoktKVoYL_NX5KTs7XIajmNiDJlgev7V5jN4_vblEgpWSx-EolKx1LeSg5gbWK6M8sEGvA6l4qMYuhqXtDWxBNcJ2Nd96AToQbE0jqq9vpfxK1Cc/s320/superbowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Action Pro Picture of race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PiFxYvAI7J-NfnhpGomhTOwpqkSl5U8ZA7yEGogCp6WPC7KIr-8fa1M0vcOeGJUJZXxoaNrvkGTDYiLTPWqz9v8WHdlSf7HySCnwBdGlFM5fyiN6qdYHwI_p3odw-15tFQMiKaPHR-Ed/s1600/superbowl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PiFxYvAI7J-NfnhpGomhTOwpqkSl5U8ZA7yEGogCp6WPC7KIr-8fa1M0vcOeGJUJZXxoaNrvkGTDYiLTPWqz9v8WHdlSf7HySCnwBdGlFM5fyiN6qdYHwI_p3odw-15tFQMiKaPHR-Ed/s320/superbowl2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddio came out to cheer me on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Down the home stretch, I was just about out of energy, but
saw I’d easily PR. I had a woman right ahead of me and instead of my usual
sprint to the finish, I let her beat me and finished at a relaxed pace. Thankfully
she wasn’t in my age group! Haha! Should have thought of that before being so
casual about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHtpz__HNKL1mPTfvIWEUmd8nOQEgNvArkmBUDi2IH8QVUNX9rMaEHuNA1Xn92a8NPWBZuVo_rjkLwXp0_8skYiW_iEjm0QESUkFVYw2Vh0wI25xvi0CjL1ebiSXaGllIyvJ2E_IixSoa/s1600/photo+2%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHtpz__HNKL1mPTfvIWEUmd8nOQEgNvArkmBUDi2IH8QVUNX9rMaEHuNA1Xn92a8NPWBZuVo_rjkLwXp0_8skYiW_iEjm0QESUkFVYw2Vh0wI25xvi0CjL1ebiSXaGllIyvJ2E_IixSoa/s320/photo+2%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running with my new Bronco buddy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I finished with a time of 35:38, beating my old PR by over a
minute! I was all smiles! First race of the year and I start out with a PR! Ironically,
I’d just announced that I wasn’t going to focus on PRs this year! It’s a week
later and my legs are still fatigued, but my IT band is still pain free! I hope
everyone had a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday and are enjoying a new year of
running!<br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0q98uW7YeucKEEpn97tw970b5Zo3crpCyzpH5CPVpByLdPaJ0jPrNDoqFlM0Kll35ztyzndCxbK-lqEianN-u3K3Kc_7sfJKtZhAQ0NLBpD0zs82rWl2HQG8wUUGzhWlJ0ueF45uhPbpU/s1600/IMG_1110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0q98uW7YeucKEEpn97tw970b5Zo3crpCyzpH5CPVpByLdPaJ0jPrNDoqFlM0Kll35ztyzndCxbK-lqEianN-u3K3Kc_7sfJKtZhAQ0NLBpD0zs82rWl2HQG8wUUGzhWlJ0ueF45uhPbpU/s320/IMG_1110.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surprise bling!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-87572609496229974252013-02-06T20:13:00.000-08:002013-02-06T20:13:35.774-08:00IT Band<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I have injured my IT band twice now. The first time occurred
on my right side during my training for my first marathon. The second time was
on my left side when running Santa the Sea Half Marathon in December of 2012. Injuring
the IT band is called iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). It’s usually due to over
training. In my case, it was probably due to a combination of overtraining and
muscle imbalance. If you have pain on the outside of your knee, the usual
suspect is ITBS.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The time it takes for ITBS to heal depends on how badly it
is inflamed. On my right side it took over three months. When it occurred the
second time on my left side, I had it well under control in five weeks. The
first time I didn’t know what it was and tried to train through it and then
being so close to my marathon, I decided to run through it. Very bad idea! Mine
was so badly inflamed, that walking was painful and I ended up in physical
therapy for several months. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAaN9p5Bt6YhevOr84IPnBUg5e9d4SSP7nTYBM_OaRFlgQCpPQNOdV_961XlqpCLnUgRuvThGwNrB8nswV4O68qilVbx7NzNyuvmZ5BWrrv2uUq3m2VWx4eJSQaxrEsCWTTz4s-KxNeDc/s1600/ITBand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAaN9p5Bt6YhevOr84IPnBUg5e9d4SSP7nTYBM_OaRFlgQCpPQNOdV_961XlqpCLnUgRuvThGwNrB8nswV4O68qilVbx7NzNyuvmZ5BWrrv2uUq3m2VWx4eJSQaxrEsCWTTz4s-KxNeDc/s320/ITBand.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from crossfitsouthbay.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When ITBS occurred the second time, I knew exactly what it
was and how to handle it. The moment you suspect ITBS, STOP RUNNING! If you
catch it early enough, you may only loose a week of running. With the second
occurrence, the moment I identified the pain, I stopped running for a full
week. The inflammation went down and I was pain free. I was able to start easy
slow interval runs within seven days of the initial injury. Listen to your
body, don’t ever run through the pain. If it still hurts after a week, you need
to take more time off. If you push through it, you will only make it worse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most important thing to do when you have ITBS is foam
roll and stretch, stretch, stretch. The IT band will become extremely tight and
the only way to get it healthy is to get it to loosen up. I was stretching and
foam rolling several times a day while injured. I’ve now integrated it into my
daily routine. I also extensively stretch the IT band before and after every
single run.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is possible to train through this injury as soon as the
inflammation goes down, but you will have to drastically back off the mileage
and the speed. I did intervals of four minutes running and one minute walking
at a comfortable pace. You will need to find what intervals are comfortable for
you and what distance you can run pain free. I could only run a mile and a half
before I started getting warning pains. If I went further than that, the IT
band would get irritated again. The second you feel any twinges from the IT
band, stop your run. As your body slowly heals, you will be able to increase
your distance and your intervals. Always listen to your body. You will have to
be extremely patient. All it takes is pushing it too hard one time and you will
be back to square one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
This video demonstrates my favorite IT band stretch: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/M0e8FPL787E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During my injury, I was able to stationary biking as a
substitute for some of the running I was missing. Some people have had success
swimming with ITBS, but I did not. In my case, swimming only made it more
inflamed. Visit your doctor to conform that it is ITBS and if possible, visit a
physical therapist to identify why it occurred so you can prevent it from
occurring again. I got lazy on the exercises my physical therapist gave me and
I believe that is why mine reoccurred. As usual, I’m not a doctor, this is all
just advice!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good luck!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-71814043596697184952013-01-27T15:29:00.000-08:002013-01-27T15:43:45.767-08:00Santa Barbara Athletic Club<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2012 I decided to join Santa Barbara Athletic Club. I had
never joined a running club before and wasn’t really sure what to expect. SBAA ended
up being a great group of friendly runners who were always very welcoming. I
was happy that I had decided to join and I encourage all runners to join their
local running club. It is a great way to meet other local runners and to get
plugged in on local running events. This year I also plan on joining, but the
online registration is still currently under construction. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
SBAA also organizes a series of races called the Grand Prix
series. To join Grand Prix is an extra $10 and somewhere around twenty two
local races are part of the series. Once you join, you compete against people
in your age group. In my age group, I needed to complete four of these races in
order to qualify. I ended up completing six races. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZWULii7uCMcaZJNe3pFOnO0K3Jl4qtm_73-ezXK8IX0KKt6Ek-akMFxv2jOKcfowzK32f3-FIMJEHP133KtmrN0LMovr6Jvk1njZNfByRLh5z59Lr6JVT0u4nO0CVK1lFWGHsEKLMZbP/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZWULii7uCMcaZJNe3pFOnO0K3Jl4qtm_73-ezXK8IX0KKt6Ek-akMFxv2jOKcfowzK32f3-FIMJEHP133KtmrN0LMovr6Jvk1njZNfByRLh5z59Lr6JVT0u4nO0CVK1lFWGHsEKLMZbP/s320/IMG_1029.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacket and pint glass!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Surprisingly, I held first place in my age group for the
first couple of months, but then a very fast lady joined and kicked my butt! After
getting injured, I expected to loose my second place standing, but managed to
hold it when the lady in third place didn’t run any of the GP events during my
down time. To my surprise, I managed to finish the year in second place! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had started out the year thinking I would just do the GP
series for fun. I’m not fast, but I am consistent and this year consistency paid
off. In December when SBAA held their annual banquet, I received a nice GP
running jacket and a second place pint glass! I was thrilled! It’s not often I
actually place in a running event!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgq7SZsnmszPgNsTfh1QpGyo1ZWIVU_7ZRBwKZ6_U3t7t6H4Zi0C7_iM2bGK0D24TRI_O6AtEemLRQN763mRsn_7GsbQTBvAT-lyY6fKW-DqkEK5fAkSKlnJTsf2rqViSitvFAX9RpoMb/s1600/IMG_1028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgq7SZsnmszPgNsTfh1QpGyo1ZWIVU_7ZRBwKZ6_U3t7t6H4Zi0C7_iM2bGK0D24TRI_O6AtEemLRQN763mRsn_7GsbQTBvAT-lyY6fKW-DqkEK5fAkSKlnJTsf2rqViSitvFAX9RpoMb/s320/IMG_1028.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't drink beer, but this is pretty cool!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If your local running club holds a series like this, join
it! You never know how it will turn out and you might just end up surprising
yourself. It’s a great motivator to get out there and run!</div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-16859019319177570932013-01-21T20:04:00.001-08:002013-01-21T20:04:51.339-08:0050 State Challenge<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Who doesn’t want to run in all 50 states?!? Ok so a lot of
people wouldn’t, but I do! I want to see the world in my running shoes, on
the streets and trails. With only two states completed, it’s a little premature
for me to be announcing that I am taking on the 50 states challenge, but
whatever! I’m going to do this!<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My goal is to run a half marathon or longer in each state. I
hope to knock off a few states each year, but I’m not rich, so this is going to
take some time. Last year I completed Texas with the San Antonio Rock’n’Roll
Half Marathon, boom done! And California has been in the bag for a year now. So
two states down, only forty eight to go! Piece of cake! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have a tab at the top of my blog where I will be keeping
track of my progress!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJWCX577c0bap8bdyy8dZihQwitIYG16WfOfWtscrWkF3xg_DxaZRTJ7foq2P0k3t8VJsUTt-Bx-_oG3EtonNsYPQMaBgNPw923VeXNqII2AiTCOfhGptO_aI3foNZrQ5m8Lzb0g2qFUT/s1600/map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJWCX577c0bap8bdyy8dZihQwitIYG16WfOfWtscrWkF3xg_DxaZRTJ7foq2P0k3t8VJsUTt-Bx-_oG3EtonNsYPQMaBgNPw923VeXNqII2AiTCOfhGptO_aI3foNZrQ5m8Lzb0g2qFUT/s320/map.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-32967079251729575732013-01-07T16:20:00.000-08:002013-01-12T20:58:06.737-08:00Looking Back and Looking Forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope everyone’s New Year has gotten off to a great start! Anyone
set any exciting running or fitness resolutions for 2013? I’m doing something
different this year. I’m not setting any mileage goals or number of race goals,
I’m keeping it simple. 2013 is going to be about getting healthy and staying
healthy, building a strong base and preparing for 2014. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am once again down with ITBS (<span class="st">Iliotibial </span><i><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">band</span></i><span class="st"> syndrome), this time on my left leg. I irritated it running Santa to
the Sea a little too hard. I thought I had my muscle imbalance under control,
but apparently I don’t. So I’m getting back to the basics and easing off on my
mileage and speed while it heals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st">Achievements for 2012 included running my
first marathon, completing thirteen total races for the year and beating my
previous year’s mileage. Not too shabby. I spent almost half the year injured,
so I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons which has led to my decision to push
my goals off to 2014. I’d like to run another marathon and beat some of my old
PR’s, but my base needs some serious work, so I can avoid some of these injuries.
Sometimes you need to take a step back in order to move forward. I look forward
to what the new year will bring!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1_SAsV6dt_LbRvPGvsRRNjm7FXlDJWH6pdzNZtK37s-kpb0OOm40QJk2GLXv6Emou8VEIiCFGCkidG8S3TWJr9LDSan2lgcQTDfXtn3d3SNbzx-QbBuV0QCYAOGrZSQxeA7wpRoTqRjD/s1600/100_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1_SAsV6dt_LbRvPGvsRRNjm7FXlDJWH6pdzNZtK37s-kpb0OOm40QJk2GLXv6Emou8VEIiCFGCkidG8S3TWJr9LDSan2lgcQTDfXtn3d3SNbzx-QbBuV0QCYAOGrZSQxeA7wpRoTqRjD/s320/100_0258.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first marathon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837995012573209815.post-88385683043772686082012-12-09T18:07:00.002-08:002012-12-09T20:17:10.629-08:00Santa to the Sea on Repeat!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->I loved Santa to the Sea half marathon last year and this
year did not disappoint! I had a wonderful time and I can’t say enough positive
things about this race. Maybe I’m just biased, since I’m such a big fan of
Christmas and this race was also my first half marathon back in 2011, but I
really enjoy it and will continue to recommend it.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2BLQ5BHpHJp4W9EUDlNnmlTWZSKV0emrZNpMZeR89u2ueBUTnY_uEBBQxIYNBHxi9uui3GsihYZbcXD1dKE00dMgFi34HoKVMSl3W4AwwnK05WTGaiWFbDYCwPZNflzYujmv23-Onfjc/s1600/481899_10150929212490887_1983688419_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2BLQ5BHpHJp4W9EUDlNnmlTWZSKV0emrZNpMZeR89u2ueBUTnY_uEBBQxIYNBHxi9uui3GsihYZbcXD1dKE00dMgFi34HoKVMSl3W4AwwnK05WTGaiWFbDYCwPZNflzYujmv23-Onfjc/s320/481899_10150929212490887_1983688419_n.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official logo from their site</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Packet pickup was quick and easy. There is no expo before
race (at least not at the location where I picked up my stuff), so I was in and
out and ready to do some Christmas shopping. Two days before the race, I woke
up with a cold! I prayed that it stayed a head cold and wouldn’t move down into
my lungs and thankfully it did just that! Race morning I dragged myself out of
bed, not feeling very optimistic about my ability to put in a decent time. I
took some Dayquil, Sudafed, vitamins and stuffed my running shorts pocket with
Kleenex. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSVhiSAzALLCwM6yyQEHwzBw-tevYa61QK0NfxGu3I1DHDF3q5GCfbJWKE5EciQzO35pTp0CUBqQM3nr677hZy-Ix37oICwDn7iCtEy99ziTOXy-ghW1W0nDw5Qc5FHMNuMcgqonGpcMc/s1600/IMG_1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSVhiSAzALLCwM6yyQEHwzBw-tevYa61QK0NfxGu3I1DHDF3q5GCfbJWKE5EciQzO35pTp0CUBqQM3nr677hZy-Ix37oICwDn7iCtEy99ziTOXy-ghW1W0nDw5Qc5FHMNuMcgqonGpcMc/s320/IMG_1006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the start, I dropped off my cool toy at the toy drive and
ran into my friend Nick. I was super excited to see him at a race. We hung out
chit-chatting for awhile, before I moved back to the 2:20 pace section. I had a
feeling Nick was going to totally destroy my PR and he did! He ran a 2:03! How
awesome is that?!?</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-_gR1jhLpldSwcXqNTO0u8pyWTlofvWzUIC6AeojkVSYI6MF2B9GIZLEQt23Bgcxw0xc3KYCtFgfGunvibmnOM4mZNsDTy-F1G3a-N6woo-aZrcAqgumUWsewse1P5rXZkgGAQbtlJKO/s1600/IMG_1009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-_gR1jhLpldSwcXqNTO0u8pyWTlofvWzUIC6AeojkVSYI6MF2B9GIZLEQt23Bgcxw0xc3KYCtFgfGunvibmnOM4mZNsDTy-F1G3a-N6woo-aZrcAqgumUWsewse1P5rXZkgGAQbtlJKO/s320/IMG_1009.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick and I at the start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The start definitely wasn’t as packed as last year, but I
think the corral sections were bigger. Just down the street from the start was
a cheer crowd and a Santa on a horse! My level of excitement grew (this may
have been neighborhood #1)!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Around mile three I glanced at my watch to see where we were
at and was surprised to see we’d already knocked out a 5k. I felt like my legs
were just eating the miles! I had mixed a peppermint GU in my little water
bottle and was so glad I did. It was extremely soothing on my sore throat. I’ll
have to remember that when I’m racing with a cold again in the future.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-picasa-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iJCNnKXkUEmKTKZKF0YDH9EKfz68CBlsDJNbKzuj-xnsRm_AiCD2gJ5p2k7vacntk4PzDmrmDBFaoTgzZiOTM_vjkQxNXgW2azuOO9vVL5rv2m1gqePc-WYokz3q-HkrnaH7-2wBmlND/s1600/IMG_1012.MOV" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D4f706d5a9f60c375%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1357694321%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3DAC81F94BC6DDDAE9B481F67A0BA4D6CC6C17A1D8.C6A9B3D8DDEE6A88D5795454EC2C8042A75CFC39%26key%3Dlh1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D4f706d5a9f60c375%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1357694321%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3DAC81F94BC6DDDAE9B481F67A0BA4D6CC6C17A1D8.C6A9B3D8DDEE6A88D5795454EC2C8042A75CFC39%26key%3Dlh1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This race has a neighborhood competition, where the runners
vote afterwards for the best neighborhood. Neighborhood #2 was very
enthusiastic, but I didn’t get all the Halloween décor? Neighborhood #3 blew
them all away, with a huge turn out, a Santa and Mrs. Claus giving high fives
to runners and balloon arches stretched over the street. Neighborhood #4 was a
very excited group with banners and neighborhood #5 was elementary school kids
giving out leis. Yes, I got leid around mile 12. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5qWuiA5djm0E6yEYPWaYeIHtZNVAcOudTPgdSYdrKSeaCLeq3vMi1rDUepHkgPljEaOePMik-iJps03JG3uL_GUI95l1whbbQQnnnF7WcbVQKDVDihTRdqmWWQL7ADT42ONXZwETVvmS/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5qWuiA5djm0E6yEYPWaYeIHtZNVAcOudTPgdSYdrKSeaCLeq3vMi1rDUepHkgPljEaOePMik-iJps03JG3uL_GUI95l1whbbQQnnnF7WcbVQKDVDihTRdqmWWQL7ADT42ONXZwETVvmS/s320/IMG_1022.JPG" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The message on my lei! How cute is that?!? Thanks Charles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first half of the race I was able to keep the 2:10 pacer
in my sights, but lost him somewhere around the half way point. I was just
grateful to not be seeing the 2:20 pacer!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I interval ran most of the race and I noticed another lady
intervaling that I kept passing and being passed by. Unfortunately, she was a
spitter and I kept having to dodge it (no fun!). I’ve never seen someone spit
so much! I did chat with her and she was very friendly, but I didn’t have the
heart to say anything about the spit.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODqIpQItr1Mmh3i4P1nijskKJ0DDQIGyvhrp7vIFblXN8xNX7i9X4uKjV0t-tMHk733qYLTEdfWq3YPX_0U-S25v-h-CM6s3qSZulkHSAfCNNXHEYRXRhRgiXW8znmEXJDCo9wzLuT-Xr/s1600/IMG_1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODqIpQItr1Mmh3i4P1nijskKJ0DDQIGyvhrp7vIFblXN8xNX7i9X4uKjV0t-tMHk733qYLTEdfWq3YPX_0U-S25v-h-CM6s3qSZulkHSAfCNNXHEYRXRhRgiXW8znmEXJDCo9wzLuT-Xr/s320/IMG_1013.JPG" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only real hill on the course is an overpass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Around mile 10, I passed a girl dressed as a gingerbread
man. I saw her at the start of the race when she blew by me, so I was excited
to catch up with her so that I could snap a pic and honestly, I didn’t want to
be beat by a gingerbread man! She was very cute! I hope she won the costume
contest or at least placed in it. I don’t think there were as many full
costumes as last year, but it may have just been my pace group.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJoFNddHFs2BDFwLyl_kpA-oaarXfLi_WapxKySrt8sm3gFmy5_QaHy0Qa__ABCh8aVn2bgZhlKQkFf3jludkzakK3gPgFaH5b0QqZsiMNEQsNQpm4PpassO3Z84ojNiIRu1XjbVMMcux/s1600/IMG_1015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJoFNddHFs2BDFwLyl_kpA-oaarXfLi_WapxKySrt8sm3gFmy5_QaHy0Qa__ABCh8aVn2bgZhlKQkFf3jludkzakK3gPgFaH5b0QqZsiMNEQsNQpm4PpassO3Z84ojNiIRu1XjbVMMcux/s320/IMG_1015.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gingerbread man!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U3_NpjNvp3aLlnjMs12atu3xH6eoH7DUfnFsqMM4YMMWnnEU6kmnSgLCONRew2578lBygYwhmgcnhXtF8JELP2qokGmjDTi0B450Ig6OnCzGWQX5Y_65lB5i8Pm0Zt-8lI-OqPiXffeZ/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U3_NpjNvp3aLlnjMs12atu3xH6eoH7DUfnFsqMM4YMMWnnEU6kmnSgLCONRew2578lBygYwhmgcnhXtF8JELP2qokGmjDTi0B450Ig6OnCzGWQX5Y_65lB5i8Pm0Zt-8lI-OqPiXffeZ/s320/IMG_1016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The race ends along the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I kept telling myself I’d run it in starting at mile 10, but
each time my interval came to an end, I’d take my quick walk break. I had a
similar experience at the end. I kept telling myself I’d sprint it in, but
wasn’t able to dig in and sprint till I was coming around the corner to the
finish. I passed a guy in my final sprint and he gave me a look and started
sprinting too. I must have had more in the tank than him, because he stuck with
me for a second and then I pulled away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYEdgS3ujWe970YSLdoXSVg05q6b_usvdmV-4QJS5ZTSotsNVrgaq_VFMRpO0CTizvcV79MUTPox-Lt8V1RAgf8npcwI9XtoPG_vzDnf6FwEp5PGvNy1Mgw4VQNqHhZ2porRDwqPACRps/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYEdgS3ujWe970YSLdoXSVg05q6b_usvdmV-4QJS5ZTSotsNVrgaq_VFMRpO0CTizvcV79MUTPox-Lt8V1RAgf8npcwI9XtoPG_vzDnf6FwEp5PGvNy1Mgw4VQNqHhZ2porRDwqPACRps/s320/photo(1).JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line sprint!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I finished feeling ecstatic about my time and totally beat!
2:12:09! My second best half marathon time so far. My best time being 2:08:31,
last year at this same race! It really is a PR course.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo8Bp3XfGvYX7bT2nvFbw0uOZr6KOWHCUaHto6S7fQ1L5uH_8V9d0_KnAWRNTC0mCmJjDyarKKkO4jhPuD2DTn1BwS_suuJ1HTarlKgQ1u7KIxab4EaerSgcogyH2ZyI_0FBedK_Apbw8/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo8Bp3XfGvYX7bT2nvFbw0uOZr6KOWHCUaHto6S7fQ1L5uH_8V9d0_KnAWRNTC0mCmJjDyarKKkO4jhPuD2DTn1BwS_suuJ1HTarlKgQ1u7KIxab4EaerSgcogyH2ZyI_0FBedK_Apbw8/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired but happy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Afterwards, I congratulated Nick and went in desperate
search for water. I grabbed some cookies and mini-cinnamon rolls and then
walked the small expo and farmer’s market. I was feeling some discomfort from
my knee, so I didn’t hang around too long.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This really is a great event. The neighborhoods, volunteers,
costumes and toy drive make it one of my favorite races. I definitely recommend
it to anyone looking for a Christmas themed race.</div>
Kelly "GeekGirl" http://www.blogger.com/profile/07945300748948168117noreply@blogger.com6