Unbreakable!

The Santa Barbara Trail Runners and the Santa Barbara Athletic Association set up a screening of the film Unbreakable this week. If you haven’t heard about Unbreakable it is a documentary just recently released about the Western States 100 and the four main competitors in the 2010 race that ran themselves into the ground to claim first place. I’ve been eager to see it since I heard about it in December.

One hundred mile races fascinate me and capture my imagination. I’ve always dreamed of running one. I guess you could say it’s on my bucket list, but of course, I need to survive a marathon first! I hate going to movies alone, so I almost didn’t go. All my none running friends had no interest in sitting through a running documentary and most of my running friends were busy, including Daddio. Which reminds me, I’d like to give a shout out to my awesome parents, it’s their 37^th wedding anniversary!

At the last minute, I decided to ask my coworker Gina to see if she was going and she was! She invited me to tag along with her, her husband and friends. I gladly accepted the invite and I’m sure glad I did. The movie was inspiring and kept me on the edge of my seat. I had purposely avoided reading anything about the Western States 100 2010 race, so that I wouldn’t know who won. I loved seeing how they handled the distance, how they reacted to up hills and down hills, how they coordinated their aid station stops and how they handled the heat. It was a lot of fun to see. I have so much to learn about ultrarunning!

I do have to say that the highlight of the night was when Anton Krupicka walked into the theater. There were rumors that he was flying in for the screening, but his original flight was canceled, so I really wasn’t expecting him to show. I have to admit I got a little fan girly seeing him in person. Our screening had a Q&A session with half a dozen accomplished trail runners, including Anton and the creator of the file JB Benna. It was an awesome night!

If you are even considering seeing it or buying it, I recommend that you do. It is totally worth it. 

http://www.ws100film.com/index.html

Sock Review

I know random, who wants to hear a gear review concerning socks?!? Runners of course! You’d actually be surprised how many sock reviews I have been reading lately. I get terrible blisters right below my big toe and I’m ready to be done with them. They are a painful irritation after four miles. I have tried two different types of socks over the last couple months, one good and one not so good.

The first sock I tried was Wrightsock, a double layer, friction free running sock. They came highly recommended and I read review after review about how great they were. They claim to keep your feet blister free or your money back. I want my money back… I can’t speak for the double layering affect, but I can for the big fat seam along the front of the sock. The socks are my size and fit snug, but the seam is insane. I got blisters where the seam wrapped around my big toe and little toe. I don’t know what they were thinking. I highly recommend you give these socks a pass.

The second sock I tried was actually a Christmas gift from my bro and his wife. They are the Injinji toe socks. I have been wearing them almost every run since I started running again on January first. My big toes are blister free! No taping, no popping, totally fine. I’d be in love with them if… it wasn’t for one little thing. Since I started wearing them, when I do long mileage, I get a terrible cramp/soreness on the top of my left foot, I know weird. My little toes also get a little sore. For me, my little toes are very close together, so I think the strain of them being forced apart make them unhappy. So blisters gone, but other little oddities. I’m going to try and find a balance. Maybe try another type of Injinji sock. Overall, I give them a thumbs up and would recommend giving them a shot.

Hope that helps someone out there!

Good luck on your running!

Swimming! Who knew!

So I’ve been talking about getting a membership to the YMCA for way too long, but wasn’t doing it. I’m a little cheap when it comes to having to pay for monthly services… well I’m a little cheap when it comes to money. So one day, my manager who is also a very good friend showed up in my office with a week guest pass to the Y. How can I pass that up?!? If I stall on something long enough my friends and family tend to give me a little push every now and then.

I started the pass on Monday. After working a full day, I went to the Y for four hours! First, I did an hour and a half class of yoga followed by my originally planned run for the day. I have to say, treadmills are kind of… well… boring. I guess I needed someone to talk to or something. I did four miles on the treadmill and was heading down the hall to say goodnight to my friend when I got sucked into going to the Master’s swim class. What a challenge and somewhat embarrassing experience that was.

Swimming has never been my strong suit. The last time I was in the pool was seven years ago and it also happened to be when I learned to swim. I’ve never been comfortable in the water and I have never done laps. The coach started me nice and easy in the “slow lane”. I would swim down the pool, get in the corner where I would huff and puff for a minute or more and then try to make it back down the pool. My form and breathing were terrible, I knew that without really knowing anything about swimming and I was trying my best to stay out of the way for the other people in the lane, who were also amazingly supportive. The coach gave me great advice and suggestions and the lifeguard kept a close eye on me. I was pretty sure I was never going to show my face there again.

When I stepped out of the pool, the first thing I noticed was that my foot didn’t hurt! Not even a twinge and I’d run just before class! I was suddenly thinking the embarrassment might be worth it. The next scheduled class was Wednesday. I was there ten minutes early, this time running five miles before. Foot hurt before class… foot was pain free after class! It’s like I found a miracle cure! This time I was able to make it up and down the pool several times without having to rest. The coach was really starting to push me and started setting little goals for me. Except for the terrible calf cramp that had me crawling out of the side of the pool, I’m really starting to enjoy it. I feel like I’m starting couch to 5k all over again, just with a lot more water.

Sorry running, I think I just found a second love!

Bringing in the New Year Running!

Two 5k’s in two days! Ok, I only ran one of them, but I was at the other one cheering on my cousin. She was running her very first organized race and I really wanted to be there for it. The race my cousin ran was on December 31^st in the evening. It was called ‘Til the Sun Goes Down and it took place on the Ventura beach front. The race was fun and had a great atmosphere. People were wearing silly 2012 hats, crazy feathers and there was even a fake afro among the runners. 

Start of 'Til the Sun Goes Down

I was disappointed that they wouldn’t give my cousin an event shirt because she’d signed up that day and the shirts were for the people that had signed up online. The race coordinators ended up taking a whole box of leftover shirts home with them. They also announced at the beginning that the route was not closed or marked other than a traffic cone at each end to let the runners know to turn around. That was a little disappointing, but the run seemed to go off without a hitch. The sun set as the runners made their way up and down the beach. It was a beautiful evening. I was so proud of my cousin!

My cousin at the finish!

The next morning I ran the Santa Barbara New Year’s Resolution 5k. We left the house at 6:30 in the morning in order to get the free parking. I’d woken up with a cold the morning before, so I was congested and had a terrible sore throat the day of the race. On top of that, I’d been battling a migraine for close to a week and it hadn’t let up. I still felt confident I could pull off a good race.

When Daddio and I started to warm up, that confidence started to disappear. My foot instantly made itself known! Three weeks of rest and it starts pinging at me as soon as I started jogging. I really hope the podiatrist can give me some good news about how to train on it. I was feeling rough and my breathing was horrible. I’m hoping it’s just the cold and not the fact that I’ve gotten that out of shape in just three weeks!

I knew at the half mile mark that I was going to have a terrible race, but I was determined to enjoy the experience. Daddio later told me we started too fast, which I tend to do during races. At the halfway point they had water, so I grabbed some, my throat was killing me. I took one big gulp and it went down the wrong pipe. I felt like I had water bouncing up my throat for the rest of the run. We finished in 30:43 making that my 5k PR since I’ve never run a 5k race before. Unfortunately it’s not nearly as fast I was hoping (it’s a slower pace than my half marathon!), but I’ll have a chance to beat it next month at another local race.

Daddio and I about half a mile to the finish.

It was a gorgeous morning and watching the sun rise over the water was breathtaking. I loved bringing in the New Year with my Dad doing something that we both love. To top it off, I got to see a couple of my local running friends doing the event and yelled out for one at the finish line. I hope I didn't embarrass her! Even sucking air and getting a "meh" time couldn’t ruin the fun experience.

Looking Back on the Year

It has been a rocky year with injuries, running, amazing travel, good memories and even a little drama. I ran my first race and my first half marathon. I started this blog and I ran consistently most of the year, covering over 450 miles (I hope to at least double that number in 2012). I ran a total of three races, starting with the Gladiator 5k Mud Race and ending with Santa to the Sea. I’d like to average at least one race a month in the New Year, but that will depend on my foot.

I’m going to be bringing in the year with an Indiana Jones marathon (movies not running), cheering on my cousin who will be running her first 5k and running a 5k bright and early on the first.

Can’t wait to see what the New Year will bring!

Foot Update

I haven’t run in ten days, five hours and fifty three minutes… ok I’m really not that obsessive, but it’s been pretty darn close to that. My foot held up relatively well in Santa to the Sea, but I was convinced by some very intelligent people that I needed to rest my foot before it got worse and as a result took much longer to heal.

Plantar fasciitis seems to be the verdict. I was told I could do biking, swimming and the rowing machine. I immediately started riding our stationary bike in the garage only to determine that it was irritating my foot (apparently reclining bikes are bad). I switched to the rower and faced the same problem. So that leaves buying a bike, getting a gym membership or finding a pool. I haven’t decided which.

I am treating my foot with heat and cold, Aleve for any swelling, I stretch before putting my feet on the ground in the morning and I never walk around barefoot. I’ve gotten heel cups for my shoes and I haven’t worn high heels in months… well except for my company’s fancy Christmas party. You can’t wear a cocktail dress with running shoes or so I’m told. I don’t do that many strengthening exercises I’ve found online. They were making my foot worse and I only stretch in the morning because stretching it more then that was making it irritated.

I see the podiatrist on the 9^th of next month. I couldn’t get in sooner *sad face*. He will be able to tell me what I can and can’t do.

On a side note, I am going to run the New Years Resolution 5k on January first. With three weeks off, I’m not expecting to PR, but I’m hoping my foot will be good as new by then and hopefully I can jump back on my marathon training!

Santa to the Sea

I did it! I conquered the half marathon! I was starting to wonder if I ever would. As you could probably tell from my last post, I was kind of feeling down about running. My foot has been giving me problems and with words like plantar fasciitis being thrown around, I was starting to get a little worried. I decided to keep training, but keep the mileage low and slow as the race approached. I didn’t want to loose all of my hard work, but I also didn’t want to do anymore damage to my foot. After my last visit to the doctor, I was even considering selling my number, but I was having some great runs with minimal pain, so I didn’t have the motivation to pursue that. I really wanted to run.

The night before Santa to the Sea wasn’t anything like my last race. I knew with the state of my training and the way my foot was, I wouldn’t get a great time, so there was no reason to worry. I had my alarm set and my gear out and hit the hay prepared for a fun run with my Dad the next day.

Santa! The land mark for the beginning of the race and where we dropped off toys for the toy drive.

Daddio and I arrived an hour early to the starting line, it was cold by southern Californian standards, so we were standing against a wall shivering as we waited. I wore a festive bright pink and zebra stripped Santa hat and knee high snow flake socks, Dad was in his normal running gear. A lot of fun costumes and Santa hats were worn by our fellow runners. Even with the cold, I was already starting to have a fun time. We checked our warm clothing with fifteen minutes till start and went and lined up in the 2:20 section.

The start, early in the morning.

The fog horn blared and we were off. The large crowded group of a thousand plus runners and walkers slowly passed over the starting mat and set their own individual paces. Dad and I planned on running together as long as one of us didn’t get hurt, so we fell into step together. He joked about going on without him if he face planted or cramped up, I joked about my foot. He kept glancing down at his Garmin and announcing that we needed to slow it down, so we would try for a few steps, but somehow find ourselves back at a 9:45 pace. I was determined not to check my own watch except for mileage. I didn’t want the pace or total time to disappoint me.

About a mile in we got passed by a penguin with a pounding boom box and a girl with a pine wreath bouncing around her hips. I winced for her, ouch! Around mile three we caught a girl in a big snowman costume and ended up pacing with her. Our original plan was to start intervaling at mile three but I was feeling super good, so I asked to put it off.
 

The snowman/girl. An example of me trying to get out of the picture.

 I grabbed water at each aid station, managing to get a few sips down and get the rest all over myself. Around mile four, I grabbed a chocolate GU (a flavor I absolutely love) and took in the calories. Daddio consistently took down GU about every forty minutes or so. Around mile five, I finally agreed to start intervaling, afraid that I’d run myself into the ground. So we started walking for one minute and running for nine. I later found out that our pace picked up big time at that point. We were playing tag with the snowman, falling behind, catching up, falling behind, catching up, until around mile eight we left her behind and didn’t see her again. Which was a relief, I was tired of trying to get out of the way of people taking pictures of her (the costume really was cute). And honestly, who wants to loose to a person in a big snowman costume.

We ran through decorated neighborhoods and waved at the neighbors that had come out to cheer us on. I made a point to thank volunteers and police officers that had given their time to work the event. Everything was running so smoothly and seemed so well organized that all the runners had to do was focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

I could tell we were doing well. We were tag teaming people, splitting apart to go around people, each of us on either side of them and then coming back together when we were further ahead of them. We were moving at a good clip and catching people we hadn’t previously seen. I received a text message from a good friend that made me smile and carry on. We had kept the 2:10 pacer in sight from the beginning and we were starting to wonder if we might catch him.

Around mile nine, I could tell Daddio was feeling very confident. He kept expressing how happy he was with our progress and throwing strategies out for the end of the race. We decided that at mile ten, we would walk for two minutes and then run it in from there. I was feeling good and ready to bring it in strong. That feeling didn’t last.

I hit the wall at mile 11 almost on the dot. My legs weren’t tired, my breathing wasn’t heavy, I just suddenly had no energy. At this point, we were weaving through the beachside neighborhood and I could even smell the ocean. I really wanted to be at the finish. A volunteer told us we were on the finishing stretch and I wanted to yell that two miles wasn’t anywhere near the finish. All the distance we had crossed seemed like nothing compared to those last two miles. And on top of it, we’d lost sight of the 2:10 pacer in the twists and turns of the streets.

About a mile and a half out I got a little schizo. I kept telling Daddio I needed to slow down and then I would speed up. At one point I told him “I don’t know why, but I’m just so tired”, he responded with “Well we are going a 9:20 pace.” We caught a glimpse of the 2:10 pacer about a quarter of a mile up on a long stretch. We discussed trying to catch him, but my tank was dangerously empty. Daddio was chomping at the bit to finish fast and I kept encouraging him to take off, but he wanted to finish together. I’ve got the best dad!

The 2:10 pacer was leaving carnage in his wake. We were passing people left and right that looked like they were dying. I kept telling myself, that at least I don’t look that miserable. We found ourselves running by the sand with the ocean just about 50 yards away, I joked about stopping, we were at the sea after all, but there was no way either of us was going to even slow down this close to the finish.

Finally I announced that I didn’t think I could go much further and Dad responded “The finish is literally just around this corner”. Suddenly I could hear the blasting music and the finish line announcer. I was sprinting! Well till I realized Dad was getting left behind and then I slowed down a touch to let him catch up. He later told me that one second I was there and the next I was gone.

We crossed the line together, big smiles on our faces. The announcer proclaimed that the Hopwoods were in the house. We were done! I felt giddy and zombiefied. I had to literally tell myself to stop running. I tried to lift my leg up on a chair to get my chip snipped off my shoe and almost fell on my face, my legs were done. Someone handed me my medal and I smiled even bigger. A minute later I remembered to stop my watch and was shocked to see 2:09 glaring back at me. What the heck happened to the 2:10 pacer?!? My official time turned out to be 2:08:31, which I was more than happy to get.

Hopwoods in the house! We finished together smiling.

I ate some fruit with Sean Astin, dropped my brownie bite AND mini cinnamon roll and tried to coordinate with mom where to pick us up. I didn’t come out of my zombiefied state until I had a nice fat juicy tri tip sandwich and then I suddenly felt wide awake. It was at that moment that I realized what I had done wrong! I didn’t take in enough calories! DOH! I only ate one GU in the first 45 minutes and nothing after that. I could kick myself! Another newbie mistake for the books.

Daddio looking great and me zombiefied

My stylish outfit.

Overall the race was fantastic! I would highly recommend this event to anyone that is interested. It was very well staffed, tons of volunteers, a flat and fast course and great atmosphere. I’m seriously considering running it every year.