The Great Race of Agoura- Chesebro Half Marathon

5 years ago I ran my very first race. I feel very lucky to be able to celebrate that by running not only the same race, but the farther distance of that race, a race that sells out very quickly.

I've wanted to run the Chesebro Half Marathon for a long time now, but either miss the chance or have other plans/races the weekend of the race. This year it landed two weeks after the LA Marathon and gave me the chance to keep running after I finished the marathon, instead of taking a month off completely. Win-win!

5 years ago: 

Today: 

There's not a lot I remember from the race because most of the time I was just trying not to twist an ankle and just wanted to make it to the finish line. Reminder- do not run a trail race without doing at least one trail training run. Whoops!! 

This was by far the most physically demanding race I have ever done, but I am so happy to be able to say that I did it and can cross it off of my race bucket list.

It was an amazing course, with trails from approximately mile 3 until about mile 10.5, including an intense elevation increase. I used my 50:1 intervals until around mile 6 when the trail narrowed and it became difficult to pass people. That, plus the uneven trail made it difficult to continue running. Then the uphill started and I chose to walk when I needed and run when I could without using any set intervals until I reached the top of the big hill, then I started the 50:1 intervals again. 

M1- 12:10

M2- 12:56

M3- 13:08

M4- 13:21

M5- 13:21

M6- 14:06

M7- 15:25

M8- 17:21

M9- 14:17

M10- 13:35

M11- 14:28

M12- 12:43

M13- ???

Total distance- 13.16 miles

Total time- 3:01:01 (official)

Avg pace- 13:49 (official)

The course time limit was 3:30, so around mile 7 I started to hit my "wall" thinking if the course continued the way it was then the sweeper may not be far behind me, but that thought didn't last long. 

I decided to wear a new tank top that I found at Kohl's and thought was pretty clever.. 

I've been blessed in the back side and have embraced it. Between the people who got it and the people I had to explain it to, I still think there were more people who called me Becky. 

On to the next!!

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving

Last year on my 29th birthday I made a "Thirty for 30" list. A list of thirty goals I wanted to accomplish before my 30th birthday.

Here's the list: 

1. Learn to drive a stick shift
2. Take a pottery class
3. Complete a cross stitch
4. Get out of credit card debt
5. Complete a coloring book
6. Take a cake decorating class
7. Organize photos into albums
8. Go to dinner by myself
9. Take a yoga class

10. Ride Lex Luthor's Drop of Doom
11. See Ingrid Michaelson in concert
12. Complete Jillian Michael's Body Revolution
13. Make our apartment feel more like a home
14. Complete the "Dopey Challenge"
15. Complete a 50K

16. See the Harlom Globtrotters

17. Reach my goal weight
18. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
19. Clean out my closet
20. Find a new job
21. Send Christmas cards to family and friends
22. Go on a weekend alone

23. Paint a canvas
24. Go GoKart Racing
25. Spend a day at the beach

26. Run intervals all the way up Erbes Rd (1 mile straight uphill)

27. Finish a blanket (crochet)

28. Read every book by Jodi Picoult: Songs of the Humpback Whale, Harvesting the Heart, Picture Perfect, Mercy, The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, Salem Falls, Perfect Match, Second Glance,  My Sister's Keeper, Vanishing Acts, The Tenth Circle, Nineteen Minutes, Wonder Woman, Change of Heart, Handle With Care, House Rules, Over the Moon, Sing You Home, Lone Wolf, Between the Lines, The Storyteller

29. Run a half or full marathon in another state

30. Go on a spontaneous road trip

This is what I accomplished:

1. Learn to drive a stick shift- didn't really learn to the point that I could drive on the streets, but Patrick did give me one lesson and was impressed.
4. Get out of credit card debt- getting out of debt was doable this time last year but then we made a huge purchase and that changed. I'm highly impressed with the debt we have paid off though.

11. See Ingrid Michaelson in concert- Twice :)
13. Make our apartment feel more like a home- big time fail.. Because I made our house feel more like a home!!
14. Complete the "Dopey Challenge"- finished.

16. See the Harlom Globtrotters- saw them in February

19. Clean out my closet- a few times.
21. Send Christmas cards to family and friends- sent!

29. Run a half or full marathon in another state- Vegas Baby!!!

Not bad, but I definitely didn't get close to completing the list. Which got me thinking.. 

Why do I keep doing this to myself? I mean, I get the point of goals, but clearly I don't get how to actually do them. That's not going to stop me though, because one day I will set a goal that I stick to.

The idea of turning thirty has been on my mind for a while. I'll admit to having a mini meltdown shortly after turning 29, but that didn't last long when I realized how awesome my thirties are going to be. 

I think part of what's throwing me for a loop is that I really do not feel like I'm about to be 30. Early to mid 20's? Sure! 30? No way. I guess that's a good thing though.. 

Maybe it's because my life hasn't played out quite how I imagined. Although it never really does for anyone I believe. You can make plans but it doesn't mean it will work out that way. What's important is looking back and being thankful for the experiences you did have. 

So, with that, I am making one goal for my thirties. One thing that I want to accomplish, and get in the habit of, is taking better care of myself- mentally, physically, emotionally, financially. 

I need to find the things that make me the happiest and do them, get them, be around them. The things that bring me down? See ya!! I don't have time for that negativity in my life.. 

I'm excited to see what is in store for me and my family. 

5 Year Runnerversary

Tomorrow is a very important date for me. It marks 5 years since I completed my first race, a 5K on my 25th birthday..

I hated every single second of it, right up until I crossed the finish line. After that, I was hooked. 

Here I am, 5 years later and I have a history that I am very proud of. 

5Ks- 12

10Ks- 5

10 milers- 1

Half marathons- 23

Full marathons- 5

To make this anniversary even more special, the same race I ran 5 years ago, The Great Race of Agoura, is being held the day after my birthday this year. 5 years and 1 day after my first 5K I will be running the Chesebro Half Marathon at the same event. 

I've been working on setting up and decorating my gym area with all of my running motivation. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures once that's all set up. 

Here's to another 5 years of running, to turning something I hated with a passion into something I can't live without.

Month to Month Comparison

Miles

January: 142.19

February: 145.71

March: 141.97

Bike Minutes

January: 435

February: 445 

March: 425

Strength Workouts

January: 4

February: 5

March: 1

Total Steps

January: 435,563

February: 480,718

March: 513,906

Longest Run Streak

January: 4 days

February: 2 days

March: 2 days

Longest Workout Streak

January: 12 days

February: 13 days

March: 8 days

Weigh In

Starting weight: 183.8

Goal weight: 163.8

Last months weight: 182.4

Current weight: 192.6

Current +/-: +10.2

Total +/-: +8.8

BMI: 28.4

Body fat %: 28.9%

Measurements- starting 

Bust: 40"

Waist: 35.5"

Hips: 44.5"

L thigh: 25.75"

L arm: 12.5"

Measurements- current 

Bust: 41 (+1)

Waist: 37 (+1.5)

Hips: 45.5 (+1)

L thigh: 26.75 (+1)

L arm: 12.75 (+0.25)

I'm not proud of what happened this past month, and I'm not going to make excuses.

MyFitnessPal and have started the day with a healthy breakfast and lunch. I am going to focus on my self control and not mindlessly snack when I get bored. It's an ongoing battle for me and I can only take it one day at a time (at least, that's the only option I know of).

I wish that I could be a success story. That I could set my mind to doing this and actually follow through. I am so tired of starting over to only make it a day or two before I fall off course.

But, I'm not going to get anywhere by wishing. I have to get to my goal by doing. Doing the tracking, the better choices, the workouts, the positive thoughts, the self kindness. I can't change this past month. I can't make myself go back and make better choices or track the foods that I ate. I can, however, look forward. I can see that I'm making a change now. Whether it sticks this time or not is not up for me to worry about. I just have to do my best now and see where it takes me.

I can look at the positive points and see that even though I do keep re-starting, I am re-starting. I'm not giving up completely. One of these times it will happen for me. I just have to be ready for it..

Lego Themed Birthday Party

I really didn't think I could pull off another birthday that would match the Frozen party of last year.. Although there were no visits from the characters of the Lego movie, I would like to think that this years party held up pretty well compared to last year.

With that being said, next year I may have to consider going into the party store and finding a theme that has all the supplies ready to go. Then again, since Isabel is already thinking of her 8th birthday, it appears as though I'll be piecing together a Teen Titan's Go party, and there's really not much of anything out there for that! 

I do this every year. I get nostalgic and think of Isabel's birth story and I look at my favorite picture of the two of us from that day. Isabel really enjoys hearing the story and about how she was placed on my chest on the operating table and I touched her nose and said "I know you.."

We started our morning off pretty early at a work function. A 5K that we decided to run together. 

Unfortunately, she fell just after mile one and I needed to carry her back to the start with a scraped up knee and elbow that were bleeding. She refused a bandaid though. 

But she was fine just in time to go out to breakfast. 

Next stop was the convention center in LA, where she helped me navigate my way to pick up my race packet for Sunday's marathon. 

And then it was straight home to decorate for her party. 

I still cannot believe I have a 7 year old. It always used to crack me up when people would say how fast time flies, but it is so true! It really does go by in a blink of an eye. 

I wouldn't change a minute of my time with her. Everything we've been through together has helped build our relationship and although I'm not the mom I thought I would be, I am a damn good mom. Not perfect (but no one is), and still learning along the way (anyone want to share the manual?!), but I have a really smart and pretty fantastic little girl. She absolutely pushes my buttons and makes me smile every day. When she hurts, I hurt and there is nothing I wouldn't do to make that hurt stop. She is the brightest part of my day and although it's not always easy, it is absolutely worth every frustrated tear or angry outburst. 

I will never claim to be a great parent. I make mistakes, and I make them often. I've done and said things I'm not proud of. I'm human. But I cannot love another person more than I love my Isabel- my bug. And I can only learn from my mistakes and be better with each day. And when all is said and done, I am a good parent, and I think that's pretty great in itself.

2015 Goals- Update March

2015 Goals: 

1. Run and/or walk 1702 miles- as of 3/31/15 I am at a total of 429.87 miles, which is 25.23% of my goal.

2. Bike 5000 minutes on the stationary bike- as of 3/31/15 I am at a total of 1,305 miles, which is 26.10% of my goal.

3. Half Marathon PR- I ran the Chesebro Half Marathon on March 28th. I went out with zero intentions to PR, as the race was 2 weeks after the LA Marathon as well as the fact that the race was mostly on trails and I am not a trail runner. In order to reach this goal I am going to have to put in some serious effort on speed training. My current PR is around 2 hours 33 minutes, so my goal time is 2:30. In order to reach that I will have to maintain a 11:30 or less mile for all 13 miles. My current fastest is around 12:30 and I can't maintain that. Time to train!!

4. Full Marathon PR- Done!!!

5. Complete Tracy's Dose of Dopey- Done!!!

6. Complete Body Revolution- still scheduled to begin July 6th. 

7. Work on getting out of credit card debt- Patrick and I were eligible for bonuses and received them the middle of this month. We decided to put a little away for some house projects we want to get started on and the rest went towards debt.

8. Volunteer at a nearby race- my request to volunteer in August has been emailed! I am hoping to volunteer at a water station. 

9. Read at least 24 books- as of  3/31/15 I have completed 7 books and am 29% towards my goal. I am also 3% done with book #8. 

10. Weigh less on 12/31/15 than I did on 12/31/14, have less body fat- my March weigh in definitely made this goal just slightly more difficult to reach, but I know that if I put my mind to it then I can make it happen!

LA Marathon 2015- Race Recap

I have been trying to think of the "right" words to describe the race yesterday, but there are no right words. The words that come to mind are hot, humid and amazing..

I have never been very good at recapping a race because by the time I get home I'm too exhausted to do anything and by the next day I've forgotten everything I thought about along the course. I need to remember to start recording my thoughts during the race..

I won't bore you with the details, not just because I can't remember what happened at what mile, but because it really wasn't that eventful of a race, other than the fact that it was the best marathon I have run to date. And not just because I (SPOILER ALERT) PR'd, but because it seemed to go by really fast.

So, instead of trying to rack my exhausted post marathon brain more than I already have today while at work, I will instead highlight what I remember from the course.

1. I forgot to put on sunscreen before I left the house. We got up early and left at 4:30 to drive to Dodger Stadium. On the way there I remembered the one thing I forgot to do that morning. With high temperatures in the near future I panicked a little because I did not want or need a sunburn. Thankfully, while sitting at the start I saw someone putting on sunscreen and asked for some. He explained that last year he forgot to bring sunscreen and someone helped him out, so he was paying it forward by bringing a bottle to the start, which he would then leave at the start, but he wanted to share with other runners if needed. It is now my turn to pay it forward..

2. It never fails to see a group of men standing on the hill as you exit Dodger Stadium using said hill as their personal restroom. Because, apparently, the hundreds of porto-potties are not enough. It's hilarious and frustrating at the same time, mostly because it also never fails that I have that urge around mile one and can't simply go to the hill.

3. My mom text me around mile 4. It was already warm out, but not nearly as bad as I was anticipating. She asked me to text her at every mile, and for whatever reason the miles were flying by and it felt like I was texting her a lot. She kept telling me that I was rocking it and to be careful. I love how much she cares.

4. I also consistently text Patrick, my sister and my best friend along the way.

5. My sister text me around 9:30 asking how I was doing. I told her I was at mile 11 and she asked if I could see the El Capitan theater. I didn't think anything of it and told her I was approaching Highland. Little did I know that she and my niece had come out to cheer me on. I passed by as she recorded me. I yelled out "What are you doing here??", grabbed the bag of pretzels she brought for me and went on my way. I later text her how much it meant to me that she had shown up to support me, but I regret not saying it to them when I was there. I guess the finish line was calling my name at that point and I wasn't all there mentally. However, it meant more to me than words can ever express. Seeing her there to support me and the hobby that she introduced me to really gave me an extra push and I am forever grateful for her.

6. Spectators and volunteers are amazing. High fives from random strangers and people cheering for you that you have never met before can help when you aren't physically or mentally there to keep pushing forward. Little acts such as calling out what was on my running shirt (Run Free) or giving out handfuls of ice were amazing acts of kindness that will not be forgotten. At some point I need to be a spectator and will hopefully be volunteering soon!

7. Running by the Veterans Hospital is a very special experience because of how important it is. This is not forgotten as I complain about the heat during this very unshaded part of the course that had me doubting myself and my ability to finish.

8. I really thought I would hit my wall at mile 17, like I did last year. Instead I feel as though I didn't quite hit a wall, but had some mental toughness to break through between miles 20-23 with the heat. The people spraying us with hoses and providing ice helped cool me down and I continued to stay as hydrated as I could through each water station.

9. Turning onto Ocean Avenue is quite an experience. You're almost to mile 26, but you can't quite see the finish line yet. There are a ton of spectators as you approach the finish and they are all cheering. It's such an incredible feeling to know you are so close to being done and to think back to what you just did.

10. Walking another half mile or more after finishing 26.2 (or 26.57 per my watch) miles is NOT enjoyable. I understand your body needs to keep moving, but it's so ready to stop that at some point you are sure you're just going to forget how to walk.

I knew that in order to PR I would need to maintain 13:20 minute miles consistently throughout the entire race. I had told myself last week to back off the idea of a PR and to just run the race at a comfortable pace, but Saturday night I decided that if that comfortable pace happened to be at or under 13:20 then I wouldn't be holding back and I would attempt for the PR. I knew pretty early on that if I was able to continue the way I was going then I would definitely achieve the PR and reach the goal of a finishing time of 5:50 or earlier. Either I was wearing lucky clothes or the stars were aligned, or the 45:1 pace pushed me, or something...

M1- 13:01

M2- 12:46

M3- 13:07

M4- 12:46

M5- 13:17

M6- 13:07

M7- 12:50

M8- 12:39

M9- 12:47

M10- 12:53

M11- 12:45

M12- 13:07

M13- 13:00

M14- 12:48

M15- 12:58

M16- 12:54

M17- 13:06

M18- 12:59

M19- 13:05

M20- 13:20

M21- 13:08

M22- 13:27

M23- 13:44

M24- 13:47

M25- 13:28

M26- 13:11

Total distance- 26.57

Total time- 5:47:19

Avg pace- 13:04

I finished my watch and text my family that I had finished when my sister text me back with the following: 

I didn't know before the race that she had been tracking me, but she had text me at the 30K point with my estimated finish time and average pace. It was a good push to see what I could do. At the 30K point my estimated finish time was 5:44:15 and my pace was 13:08. I'm pretty impressed that I was pretty darn close to that estimation, considering I slowed down a bit between miles 22-25.

Overall, I have to say that I'm really glad I chose to complete this marathon even though my motivation wavered for a bit. I had told myself that if I PR'd at the LA Marathon then I wouldn't have to do either of the upcoming marathons I had signed up for if the training proved to suck the fun out of running again.

Training for this race really made me realize that my distance is a half marathon. It's a lot less of a commitment when it comes to training and a lot less time away from my family. It's also a lot easier on my body.

I am still riding the runners high from yesterday, so no decisions will be made in the near future regarding the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon in May or the Santa Barbara Veterans Day Marathon in November. I have made no decisions on either of them and do not plan to make any decisions until much closer to race day. Just knowing the pressure is off regarding speed/pace and the fact that I am not committing to them 100% makes it easier to imagine myself completing them, just on my own standards. It feels doable and enjoyable.

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures from the race and I really hope that they got a good shot at the finish line. I know they have photographers at the finish line, but with 22,333 finishers it's difficult to get everyone. Here's hoping there's at least one good shot from some point in the race.

Today will be a "rest" day. No planned workouts, however I do want to spend a short amount of time working my muscles on the treadmill at a SLOW pace as well as a short amount of time on an easy setting on the stationary bike. Just to keep moving and not allow my legs to stiffen up as they tend to do when I sit all day at work.

And in 12 short days I will be participating in the Chesebro Half Marathon. I promise to not attempt a PR on this one..