Monday, February 8, 2010

Surf City Half Marathon

This race meant a lot to me.

Not only was it the 1 year anniversary of my first marathon, but it would also be the first half-marathon, for my friend and co-worker, Martha.

I was not even planning on running this race, since I will doing the LA Marathon, in just over 1 month. However, after Martha decided that she wanted to do a half, I quickly agreed to run with her, and be by her side each step of the way.

Martha’s Story:

Martha is currently maintaining a 45 pound weight loss.

She lost the weight by following Weight Watchers, and slowly beginning exercising.

Before:

Before_

At the time when she started Weight Watchers, she was taking medication daily for fibromyalgia. She was constantly experiencing pain, and was not at all active.

She knew she had to make a change for her health. She started tracking what she ate, and walking every day.

After:

After

She stayed consistent with her healthy eating and activity, and the weight continued to come off. She rarely takes medication anymore, and her health has vastly improved, because of her healthy lifestyle.

I am so proud of her!

Martha starts running

Last year, after I finished my marathon, Martha wanted to try running.

1 week after the marathon, we went on our first 3 mile run, after work.

She was so excited to complete those 3 miles! We did our 3 mile loop a few times, then we slowly started upping the mileage.

I encouraged her to register for a 10K, and at that time, 6 miles seemed intimidating. She did not think she could run that much, but, we registered for The Bunny Run 10K, and slowly added the miles on, in training.

She took 1st place in her age division, at The Bunny Run!

10k Bunny Run

She continued running, and rocked The Mission Inn 10K, back in November.

11/8/09

She started increasing her mileage, and I told her she could definitely work up to a Half.

She continued to think that was too hard of a goal to attain, and doubted herself, but finally, she realized she could do it, and we signed up for Surf City!

I was honored to run the race with her.

We headed out to the expo, in the rain, on Saturday, and worried about the next day’s weather.

We carb loaded at BJ's, and headed back to get to sleep early.

We woke up to clear skies on Sunday (thank goodness!) and headed out to the start line.

Surf City 2010

We followed the crowds to our packed corral, and prepared for take off!

This year there was a wave start for the half. It went pretty smoothly, and soon enough, we were running!

The first few miles flew by. We maintained a pretty steady 11:30 pace. We stayed on track with our walking breaks and continued to feel strong.

The weather could have not been more perfect! The skies were clear and there is nothing better than running right alongside the ocean.

Around mile 10, she started losing a bit of steam. She stopped to stretch, and we slowed down a bit, for the last few miles.

Surf City 2010Surf City 2010

Even feeling tired, she still finished strong!

We crossed at 2:39:47. An awesome time, for her first half-marathon!

After the race, we met up with her family. Her kids followed us along the course, on bikes. It was very encouraging to hear them cheer us on, along the way.

Surf City 2010Surf City 2010

I am so proud of my friend!

There were many Mondays, were we would talk about our weekend, and I would tell her about how much I had run, the previous Sunday. She would remark that she could never imagine running that much, or say she could never do that, and now, she did it!

Surf City 2010

After Martha and her family left, I waited around to see some of my other Lopers, finish the race.

I was super excited to catch L.B. coming in!

He rocked this race. His training paid off, and he came in right on pace, at 4:42:26.

His story inspires the hell out of me. He wore this sign on his back, throughout the marathon.

Surf City 2010

He tells his story, much better than I ever could, so to find out how this guy…:

thankgodidontlooklikethisanymore

…ended up a Marathoner, click here.

Surf City 2010

I took my token surf board picture, and made the long trek back to my car.

Surf City 2010

I must have walked about 2 miles back to my car. I should have turned my Garmin back on, to see how far I went, because it felt like forever.

When I finally arrived, my alarm would not disarm, it would not do anything, in fact. I looked at my clicker, and saw the lights flashing, so I knew my alarm was working, but….yup, I had done it again. My battery was dead.

For the millionth time, I left my lights on that morning, and killed my car battery. I do this way too often.

Unfortunately, this time, my keys were in my car (I only carry my alarm clicker, when I run), so I could not open it, to ask someone for a jump. Oh, my wallet and cell phone were also in the car. What a winner.

I stood there pathetically for a bit, cold, tired and hungry.

Someone took pity on me, and let me use their phone. I called the hubby and he got AAA over there, to save my pathetic self.

Pathetic Self: Hi, I’m Angie. I have a Masters degree, but I can not remember to turn my lights off.

Surf City 2010

Hollerrrr for AAA. I only waited about 20 minutes. They quickly popped my door open, and charged my battery.

Besides my random act of stupidity, it was an awesome day.

Martha & L.B.’s stories definitely motivate me. I love the power of the human spirit to accomplish anything through hard work and determination. Neither of them are power athletes, with trainers and dieticians. They took control over their health on their own, and pushed themselves to accomplish an unthinkable feat.

I am proud to call them both my friends, and to support them in this prolific day.

Congrats to them, and all the other Surf City runners!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Surf City Half-Marathon Play-List

I am super excited about this race!

This race will always have a special place in my heart, because it was where I ran my first marathon, exactly 1 year ago.

I am also happy to support some of my running, who will be running their first marathon!

I am running this race with my friend Martha. We started running together last year, after I completed my first marathon. She has completed two 10k’s and this will be her first half-marathon.

I want to send big GOOD LUCK wishes out to my homie, L.B.! This is his first marathon! He has trained consistently since July and is going to rock this race!

Happy Running to all who are racing! (or roller skating, like Diane. smile_teeth)

Surf City Play-listSurf City Play-list

Friday, February 5, 2010

Flash Back Friday

Jackie at Lovely Little Shelf (an awesome book blog, check it out!) has started Flash Back Friday.

It is a chance for bloggers to post about books they loved, growing up.

Without a doubt, The Baby-Sitters Club defined my reading career, as a child.

BSCBSCBSC

I can not say that I have read every single book in the series, just the ones that I could get my hands on from all local libraries, and/or borrow from my cousin who actually got her own copies of the books. ( I am not bitter about that, not at all.)

I probably discovered the series around age 8, and for the next few years, it remained the main thing I read. I read quite a few of the books multiple times.

My favorite characters were Claudia and Dawn. I looked forward to the section in each book, that described the characters, because I knew there would be a detailed description of Claudia’s fun outfits. I also liked Dawn’s laid-back attitude, and the fact that she was from California.

I really wish I could go back and re-read some of the series. But, alas, I did not have any of my own copies, and they are currently out of circulation. My local library does not have any copies. I did find a few copies of used ones on Amazon, but they run anywhere from $20-40!

What were your favorite books as a child?

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

How Can I Improve?

One of my main goals for the year, is to increase my speed and improve my race times.

Specifically, I want to break 4:30 at the LA Marathon and run Run Through Redlands Half-Marathon, in under 2:00.

I want to be more methodical and goal-oriented with my running, instead of just getting out there, and hoping for the best. I know that requires more planning and research on my part.

I started looking up training plans today, and used some of the tools on the Runner's World site.

I used their Smart Coach tool, and was given this training plan, which outlines how to train for a 2:00 half-marathon.

training plan

It kind of overwhelmed me.

I have not ever given much thought to if I was doing a “tempo run” or “easy run” before.

The extent of my speed work, thus far, has been running speed intervals, on the treadmill.

I almost feel like I do not know where to start.

I know I need a training plan, in order to improve. Even though I have been running for over a year, I still feel ignorant on how to be a better runner.

Any tips, or references for further research, would be appreciated.

Monday, February 1, 2010

January in Books

In 2009, I set a goal to read 25 books, and ended up reading 38.

This year, I am shooting for 50.

Rather than do 1 fatty post at the end of the year, I may try to sum up my reads, each month. Hopefully, my readers enjoy the reviews. Feedback is appreciated. Would you prefer book summaries, or strictly be opinion? I try to steer clear of summaries, because I never want to give away spoilers.

I read 6 books, this month;

1. Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office; by Jen Lancaster.

This memoir of a self-described, “self-centered, smartass” was thoroughly entertaining.

Although, at times, I was appalled by Lancaster’s antics, views and the manner in which she treated others, she did show some redeeming qualities in the end.

There is no doubt that she has a way with words, and a knack for telling a story.

I am looking forward to reading her other works.

2. In the Woods; by Tana French.

I have mixed feelings about this murder mystery.

The prose and characters were beautifully written. I was drawn into the story pretty quickly and intrigued to find out what happened.

The author threw out tons of details, but failed to tie them all together in the end. There was questions left unanswered, and that drove me nuts.

It is speculated that she is leaving it open for a sequel, and I will happily look to have some loose ends tied up.

3. The Book Thief; by Markus Zusak.

Beautiful.
That is the one word in which this book can be summed up as.
Although the subject matter is far from light, the writing style, characters and relationships are all beautifully written.
The narration was unique and interesting. I loved the perspective it gave on the historical events of Nazi Germany.

Definitely a new favorite.

4. Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret; by Judy Blume.

I had never read this book before, so I figured I would give it a shot. It would be a nice, light read, after the heavy subject matter of The Book Thief.

I found the story to be very cute, and sweetly written.

5. Are We There Yet?; by David Levithan.

This book about two brothers travelling to Italy was a quaint read.

I think Levithan did a great job creating the complex relationship between the brothers.

I am looking forward to reading more of his works.

6. The Lightning Thief; by Rick Riordan.

This is the first book in the Percy Jackson series.

I heard this series was comparable to Harry Potter, and I can see the similarities, but, there is enough of a difference to make it unique, in it's own right.
The story held my attention well enough, although I hope to develop a deeper connection to the characters, in the ensuing books.
Percy is very likeable as a narrator, and all the allusions to Greek mythology have a witty twist on them.
I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

On Deck for February:

The rest of the Percy Jackson series:

The Sea of Monsters

The Titan's Curse

The Battle of the Labyrinth

The Last Olympian

~and~

Shiver

Sunday, January 31, 2010

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

One World Vegetarian is an all Vegan restaurant, in West Covina.

The first thing that struck me was the tropical decor. I loved it! It almost reminded me of the Tiki Room, at Disneyland.

My mom, sister & husband joined me.

We started off with some appetizers; French Fries & Pita Bread Pizza.

The French Fries were great, not too greasy or oily. The Pizza was light and flavorful.

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

I ordered a Carrot/Apple juice. Delicious and fresh.

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

The Husband had the SUPREME BURRITO; The ultimate vegan burrito with veggie protein, rice, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and mild salsa.

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

My mom had the PHILLY DREAM; French roll filled with thinly sliced teriyaki covered with sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, and onion.

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

My sister had VEGGIE TUNO; Homemade tuno sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard.

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

I had the PURE SUPERNOVA PASTA; Rainbow rotini with veggie chick-un, broccoli, and mushroom in a creamy alfredo sauce.

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

My food was amazing. I used to love alfredo sauce, and have not had in so long. I was happy to find a veganized version of it.

DESSERT!

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

One World Vegetarian Cuisine

I will definitely be back!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

LA Marathon Training Plan

Last week, I officially registered for the LA Marathon.

Once I have paid for race registration, it becomes so much more real, and I get a lot more serious, about training.

I started charting out my training plan, on my calendar, and I realized, it is coming up much sooner than I realized!

I need to start upping my miles, as early as this weekend, in order to get enough training in.

This is what I came up with, let me know what you think:

1/31- 15 (that is 5 more than I originally anticipated, but since I did 13 last week, it should not be too severe of a jump.)

2/7- Surf City Half Marathon 13.1

2/14- 18

2/21- 15

2/28- 20

3/7- 12

3/14- 10

3/21- MARATHON

I am a little nervous about this plan, because I do not have time for a 22 miler.

However, I think I will be OK without it, since I have done the marathon distance before.

Any feedback, or suggestions for my training plan, would be greatly appreciated.

After LA, I am strongly considering Run Through Redlands Half-Marathon. I am thinking that I may want to shoot for a Sub 2 time, for this race. This is definitely something I want to accomplish, by the end of the year.

Based on last year's experience, I know that it is a very hilly course, but, it would be an interesting challenge, that I just may be up for!

I have a lot of work ahead of me! I think these are attainable goals and I looking forward to the experience.

Anyone local up for running some of the long runs, with me?

My running group goes into more informal training, after Surf City. So, I may not always have people to run with, for the mileage I am looking to attain, over the next few weeks.