Operation: Run a Marathon

My Past
To understand how I have come to the decision of running a marathon you must know the backstory.  I used to say "I don't run.  If you chase me I will turn around and give up".  My few experiences of running were not pleasant. I decided to join some friends and run the First Run - which is run that starts at 12:00 AM on January 1, 2009.  I was totally unprepared.  I wore too many layers and cotton.  Afterwards I was miserable, freezing and sore.  I vowed to never do that race, ever.


I really started running in fall of 2009.  My friend Mary asked me to run with her.  She started going to a women's run/walk academy and was planning to do a half marathon.  When she told me this as we were running around her neighborhood, my competitive nature kicked in.  I thought to myself 'if she can run a half marathon, I can run a half marathon'.  


That fall I joined the Portland Running Company Run-Walk Academy for women.  The RWA was led by Kelly Bither.  I remember distinctly my first run with the group was 3 miles.  I had missed the first week and was already running occasionally at best one day a week.  So off we go....run three miles....and then post run, back at the store, a woman asked me "How do you feel"?  I answered truthfully with the following response:
     "I feel like hell.  That was horrible".  
I then thought to myself Oh God. I don't know this woman and she is probably wishing that she never even talked to me.  


Lucky for me Kari was that woman and talks and runs with me still today.  


So I started running.  Ok well lets face it I was not a runner, at best I was jogging.  I ran every Thursday night with RWA.  On the weekends, I would watch people lap Siobhan and I on the Nike campus.  Then I decided to sign up for a 15K, the Shamrock Run.  I began running with a core group of women every Saturday (Steph, Angela, Karen and Siobhan) starting at Duniway park and up Terwillger hill past OHSU, VA and the Chart House.  The race was one of my best runs and my worst, as that is when my right knee started bothering me. After the Shamrock I continued running with Steph in support of her half marathon training.  


Longer Runs and Pain
Long runs....so the long runs began.  Each week my knee started to bother me and on that fateful day, somewhere around mile 8, my sock slipped.  I had a blister forming but that was not as bad as the pain radiating along the outside of my right knee.  My running form changed to a limp, then to a walk.  Steph asked if I should wait in Cook Park and she would come get me.  I refused...I walked or I should say limped the last two miles.


My pain was related to my IT band.  I  then did Bridges to Brews and had my worst run.  I had to walk part of it.  I took time off of running, did a lot of stretching of the IT band and worked on building my gluteal medius, since my periformis was allowing my foot to rotate out while running.  This created tension on the IT band which was pulling on my knee and voila I have experience pain. Besides working on strengthening my glutes, I changed my gait to keep my foot from turning out.  I ran very little between May - August and focused on recovery.  But bit by bit I came back running more and more.  By February 2011 I was back.  I started running with Kelly and her run clinic.  Then Diana and I began running together.  We were well matched, about the same pace.  Diana and I would even text each other while out of town about our runs to keep each other on track.  We have a good combo of supporting each other in running and as friends.


I signed up for my first ever half marathon Hippie Chick.  A month later I did another half marathon, Helvetia, with a more difficult course.  Part way through the race I saw Kelly's balloon, she was the 10:30 pacer.  I caught up to her and ran with her.  She said to me "You need to go." and off I went.  I had a personal record (pr) and shaved almost 2 minutes off of my previous half marathon.  Over the summer I ran Hood to Coast, where I strained the fascial tissue in my left foot.  I decided to go to physical therapy.  All of my runner friends, raved about a physical therapist, Dan Morlan.  He informed me that the pain in my foot was caused by my hips being tilted and my sacrum was curved to the left.  I now can self adjust my hips to neutral and have been able to maintain them in the neutral position with exercises.  

Hippie Chick 2011

Hood to Coast 2011

I then ran another half marathon, Girlfriends Half.  I was not in peak performance.  I had been sick and then was out of town for a regional competition for work.  I attempted to run through the wheat fields of Cheney, WA.  I knew this would be an ok race for me, but not my best.  Kelly grabbed me the morning of the race and said get up here, you are starting out with a 10 minute/mile pace.  I ran with her and Martha for roughly 4 miles.  They stopped for the bathroom and I kept going....I picked up my pace through mile 10.  At mile 10 I knew I only had 3 miles left so I pushed hard.  Another PR and my best pace ever, even better than Shamrock.

Event Name & Course		State	Date	Plc A	Plc G	Plc O	Pace	Final
	2011 Jingle Bell Run/Walk - Downtown Portland	OR	12/4/11	97	725	1185	10:40	33:10
	Girlfriends Half Marathon 2011 - Run-Half-Marathon	WA	10/16/11	145	495	496	9:35	2:05:38
	Pints to Pasta 10K 2011	OR	9/11/11	107	587	1175	9:38	59:52
	Helvetia Half & Widmer Brothers 10K - Run-13.1Mi	OR	6/11/11	135	631	1335	10:15	2:14:27
	Hippie Chick Half Marathon	OR	5/8/11	194	763	763	10:23	2:16:14
	Susan G Komen 5k Race for the Cure 2010	OR	9/19/10	74	448	791	9:56	30:52
	Bridge To Brews 10k/8k 2010 - Run-8K	OR	4/18/10	39	274	552	10:18	51:16
	Adidas Shamrock Run Portland 2010 - Run 15K	OR	3/14/10	204	1117	2653	9:41	1:30:22
	Give N' Gobble 2009 - Run*10K	OR	11/26/09	22	117	244	11:15	1:09:55
	Portland Komen Race For The Cure 2009	OR	9/20/09	68	447	710	11:08	34:36
	First Run & Walk 2009 - Run-5K	OR	1/1/09	33	224	495	10:22	32:14

***Jingle Bell Run/Walk I did with a friend and her daughter. I paced with them and had the best time!  Missing is data from Hood to Coast and Project Fit Kid where I did a sub 30 5K.




I was still having foot pain but not as bad.  Then I did the Jingle Bell Run/Walk with a friend and her daughter.  It was important for me to run with them and have that experience.  It was at a pace that was much slower.  The next day I went on a run date.  That goes in the same category as First Run.  He ran much faster than I did and I pushed to keep up.  The combo of slow, less than efficient running and then pushing myself too hard affected my foot.  The next day I was limping and then could not bear weight.  I took some more time off and worked on the flexion of my foot.


2012
January 2012  - my foot still is bothered by runs, but no means does it hurt.  I have been cleared to run 4 runs a week and Dan says I'm looking good.  Meanwhile my trainer, Brodie,  has been hammering my glutes.  In fact, he says that I haven't had a good workout unless I have a sprawl...which means lying in heap because I have pushed to failure and more than likely done an ungraceful dismount off some ball/trx or whatever functional training tool he is torturing me with.  (I may be embellishing to be dramatic for effect in my descriptions).  


Setting a goal.  Create a plan.  Act upon it.
Below is my training plan for the Eugene Marathon and in purple is the training for a sub 2 Portland Rock -n- Roll Half Marathon.  One cannot be successful without a plan and accountability.  My accountability is publicly acknowledging my commitment to make this goal a reality.


My races for 2012:  February ~ Pasadena Rock -n- Roll Half, April ~ Eugene Marathon, May ~ Portland Rock -n- Roll Half, July ~ Ragnar Relay, Sept/Oct ~ either Race for the Cure or Girlfriends Half, Dec ~ Vegas Rock -n- Roll Half.


My runs are always done with my run buddies (the regulars are Diana, Shelly, Kari, Laura, Sharon, Peggy & Cyndi).  Rain, ice or shine we meet at the track at night and for early 5:30 am runs.  I appreciate the commitment we have made to each other to crawl out of bed at 0'dark thirty to meet up for a run.  In addition, it is important to run safely in numbers.  


Running alone will not allow me to achieve my goal.  I am doing training twice a week with Brodie and Bootcamp RDFT.  Bikram yoga 1-2x per week, massage and pt every other week.  To add to that I'm stretching multiple times per day and doing my pt exercises most days.    


When I first started running I couldn't imagine running a half marathon let alone a marathon.  How my view has changed.  I am focused and ready and looking forward to injury free and performance based season.

MARATHON AND SUB TWO TRAINING
DATE	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOTAL
01/16/12	XT/REST	2.5		5	XT/REST	11	XT/REST	18.5
01/23/12	XT/REST	3	4	5	XT/REST	9	XT/REST	21
01/30/12	XT/REST	4	7	4	XT/REST	14	XT/REST	29
02/06/12	XT/REST	4	7	4	XT/REST	15	XT/REST	30
02/13/12	XT/REST	4	7	4	XT/REST	Rest	Race 13.1	28.1
02/20/12	XT/REST	4	8	4	XT/REST	XT/REST	12	28
02/27/12	XT/REST	4	8	4	XT/REST	17	XT/REST	33
03/05/12	XT/REST	4	8	4	XT/REST	18	XT/REST	36
03/12/12	XT/REST	5 3 miles @8:54/mi	8 10:30/mi	5 10:30/mi	XT/REST	13 10:30/mi	XT/REST	31
03/19/12	XT/REST	5 2x1 MR 8:24/mi	5 10:30/mi	5 10:30/mi	XT/REST	20	XT/REST	35
03/26/12	XT/REST	5 3 miles @9:09/mi	8 10:30/mi	5 10:30/mi	XT/REST	12 10:30/mi	XT/REST	30
04/02/12	XT/REST	5 4 miles @9:00/mi	5 10:30/mi	5 10:30/mi	XT/REST	20	XT/REST	35
04/09/12	XT/REST	4 2 miles @9:09/mi	5 10:24/mi	5 10:24/mi	XT/REST	12 10:24/mi	XT/REST	26
04/16/12	XT/REST	3 3x1 MR 8:20/mi	4 10:24/mi	4 10:24/mi	XT/REST	8 10:24/mi	XT/REST	19
04/23/12	XT/REST	3 @8:54/mi	2 10:24/mi	Rest	Rest	2 10:24/mi	Race 26.2	33.2
04/30/12	XT/REST	REST	2 10:24/mi	6 5 miles @9:00/mi	3 10:24/mi	XT/REST	7 10:24/mi	18
05/07/12	XT/REST	4 4x1 MR 8:15/mi	3 10:18/mi	3 10:18/mi	3 10:18/mi	XT/REST	11 10:18/mi	28
05/14/12	XT/REST	3 10:30/mi	3 10:30/mi	5 3 miles @8:54/mi	3 10:30/mi	XT/REST	Race 13.1	27.1

Some of you may want to know where this great group of professionals are and how to contact them....so here is my plug for them because without them I could not complete these goals without their expertise and support.


Kelly Bither, Runner Chick Training Club, http://runnerchicktrainingclub.com/index.html
Brodie Goheen, Personal Trainer, TriD Fitness  http://tridfitness.com/
Casey Mitzel, Bootcamp RDFT, http://www.bootcampresults.com/
Dan Morlan, PT, Active Edge Physical Therapy, http://activeedgept.com/

Crabs 1 - Sonya 0

I went to the beach over the weekend with my friend Kelli and Ken.  Kelli needed help with some repairs to the shed at the beach house.  This gave me an opportunity to pull out the crab traps I bought on black Friday.  


I have never been crabbing.  I have no idea where to go, when to go or even what I'm doing.  So I inquire with friends who have been crabbing about bait, length of line, when to go and where to go.  Everyone has a different idea about crabbing and what I should do.  Which for me as a novice, left me even more confused.


So I bought line, bait and a bait bag.  All of this needed to be assembled.  So Kelli, Ken and I make an attempt to attach a nylon rope to the traps.  What we learned quickly is that you cannot just tie a knot with nylon rope.  Ken of course zip tied pretty much everything together, including his knots.  What can I say, he is a true 'handy man'.  When in doubt zip tie, duct tape and paint over it!  I on the other hand, have become an expert on how to tie a knot with nylon rope.  Whether it is correct or not is another thing, but it works!  I think some of my dad's skills from being in the Navy may have been passed down to me.  Well it's a stretch but it goes along with my ocean adventure.


This is what I have learned about crabbing, however I do not claim any of the information below is accurate.


Bait

• use shad + chicken
• use tuna fish in oil + chicken
• use chicken that has spoiled
• use herring

Chicken, I have been told, is to keep away the seals.

Where to go

• Jetty Fishery before getting to Wheeler
• Off the docks in Garibaldi
• Netarts (which has a great restaurant called The Schooner)
• You need a boat (I think this is not in my budget)

When crabbing off the docks, it must be in an area that has salinity.

Traps vs Rings

Traps can be left in the water for a period of time, whereas rings must be pulled up every 10-15 minutes because the crabs can escape.  The Jetty Fishery charges a fee to use their private dock and only allow rings (which you can rent).  However, I bought traps.  At the docks at Garibaldi you can use traps and there are no fees.  You can have three traps per person

Keepers and limits

You can only keep male dungeness crabs and they must measure 5 3/4".  To identify a male crab you must look at their belly and the shape and structure is like a U.  A female dungeness crab has a V shape.  The daily limit per person is 12 dungeness and 24 red rock crab, however for red rock crab you can keep either sex.

When to crab

• An hour before and after high tide
• Incoming tide
• Low tide because there is no current

When is high tide or when do the tides come in?  That's a great question.  When I bought my shellfish license they were out of tide tables.  Looking up the tide tables online through my phone proved not to be very fruitful.  So we put in a call to a couple of friends who gave us completely different times.  Needless to say the time we went, the tide did not come in and the traps were empty.

Can I check this off the list of completing one of my 39 experiences?  Technically, I went crabbing but came up short.  I know more about crabbing than I did prior to a week ago. But the experience of crabbing with the result of crabs in the traps, whether they are keepers or not is what I'm looking for....so the long answer is no.  I will go crabbing again.  The crabs may have won this round and I may have lost, but I'm ready to come back strong and armed with a tide table!   In addition, I have received offers to go crabbing again, with a friend who has experience and success in crabbing.  Another friend of mine has offered to take me in his boat.  So my win-loss record may be changing soon.

2012

The start of the new year brings birth and renewal.  Often people make resolutions that are not kept.  I thought it would be fitting on the first day of the year to write about a few of my own personal goals.

One of my goals is to run a marathon.  Unfortunately in the process of becoming a runner I have faced some physical issues.  I have actively taken steps to ensure ways to prevent injury and to recover.  I had taken a break from running because of issues with my IT band in 2010.  I have worked on  tightening and strengthening muscles. Since 2010 I have not had any pain. Currently, I'm dealing with pain in my left foot after running.  In early December I could not walk or bear weight for two days.  Through my great PT and trainer I am doing exercises and stretching to work through this....but I had negative thoughts cloud my view.  I thought to myself 'how can I run a marathon if I am limping after a three mile run'?

Then my dad called me.   

On my dad's birthday at Mt Hood

My dad is my best supporter and hero.  After I ran my first half marathon he asked me "When are you doing a marathon"?  You must have some background about my dad.  He is not a talker.  When he does say something it is either because it is very important to him or he is joking.  In addition, my dad can shoot a look across the room that will make you cower and I have inherited this ability to give you "the look".  Which may come in handy some day as a parent.

My dad had heard there was a half marathon in Vancouver and wanted to know if I was running. He wanted to come down and "boo and hiss" at me as I ran by.  Again here is my dad's sense of humor of offering support and paying for breakfast afterwards.  I told him I was running but with friends through the Runner Chick Training Club not in a race.

Runner Chick Training Club - Pints to Pasta 2011

My dad wants to come to my next race that is local which will be the Portland Rock n Roll Half in May.  He also tells me that he thinks it's great that I'm running these races and is proud of me.  This brought tears to my eyes.  (I have not signed up for a marathon even though it is on my list of experiences).

Later that night I registered for the Eugene Marathon.  One cannot accomplish a goal without commitment and action.  With that I am going to continue my training and stretching daily to keep the flexion in my ankle, lengthen my soleus and hamstrings which is currently causing the pain in the fascial tissue in my foot.  I will run the Eugene Marathon in April.  I think his call came at the right time to give me the nudge I needed.

Today I celebrated New Years with my mom.  Oshogatsu actually begins before New Years with the cleaning and wrapping up of the last year and starting fresh with the new year.  In Japan, the Buddhist temples will ring the bells 108 times on the night before the new year.  New years day is spent with family and not working.  Children will visit family and receive envelopes with money.  

The new year is a beginning of many firsts.  Today I will be partaking in the New Years celebration by having traditional Japanese foods called osechi.  It will be my first meal of the new year with my mom.  This is my first blog of the year.  I will also be working on listening and talking with my mom in Japanese - another first for the year.  On my list of experiences is 11.  Improve my vocabulary and ability to speak Japanese This encompasses not only working on being able to communicate but my connection to my heritage.  Ultimately, it also it is my hope that I can pass this onto the next generation.

With my mom on her 84th birthday

How different can one's perspective be as they shift their thinking to this experiencing everything for the first time.  What delight one can have much as they did as a child....how will it change my view of the world?  

Changes

It has been a fantastic month for me. I have definitely made some changes to my life which has been for the best.  The first thing I have developed into a weekly routine is that I have been taking time for myself.  I feel this has overall been the greatest thing that I have incorporated in my life.  It has forced me to say no to social activities which is really difficult for me to do.  I now actually have time to do things for myself.  I didn't realize how important this was until I noticed how I was spread so thin and it was affecting me.

Another change for me is that I have been wearing a dress or skirt each week.  I believe this is #34 on the list. The first week I did this, I wore a dress or skirt for four days in a row.  I was asked at work if I had an interview.  No interview and it is fun to keep them guessing.  It definitely adds a level of professionalism to my wardrobe and it is fun to get dressed up.  With our cold and rainy weather I had to invest in some tights, otherwise the idea of wearing skirts would not be an option until summer.

I have begun buying myself flowers each month.  It guarantees that I will post one picture on the blog each month.  This time I opted for white tulips.  Tulips are my absolute favorite flower and I loved the idea of a white bouquet of 20 tulips.  At the holidays I think of peace and beauty.  I believe they are quite fitting.

Bouquet for December

Mission accomplished;  #6 on my list of 39 experiences is Travel some where I have not been.  I just got back from a trip to Cancun with my single girlfriends, Karen and Kelli.  No cell phones or lap tops were allowed.  I not only rested and dosed up on Vitamin D, but had some time to read (Malcolm Gladwell Outliers), get a massage and see one of the seven wonders - Chitzen Itza.  While learning about the historical and sociological perspective of Chitzen Itza and the Mayan culture, I decided that I need to see all seven wonders.  I have already seen the Colosseum in Rome so I have only five left.  The following are what is left for me to see:  

• Machu Picchu
• Statue of Christ Redeemer
• The Great Wall
• Taj Mahal
• Ancient city of Petra, Jordan

Below are just a few pictures from the trip.

Girls trip to Cancun

Chitzen Itza 

Watching the sunset from a hammock

As 2011 comes to a close and a new beginning will occur with the start of 2012, I find myself reflective, grateful and centered.  I am feeling ambitious and ready to take on new challenges.  At the same time, I am striving to enjoy each moment as they come.