Long Beach Marathon after 7 months off....

Four days before Long Beach Marathon I decided I would go and help Kool n Fit at their booth at the Long Beach expo and sign up for the Long Beach marathon....

Just a little hiccup in the plan was that I was not marathon trained after 7 months of dealing with a back ailment and recently having a back procedure done which gave me a pain free life again I thought why not its only 1 mile 26 times with change!

After my slowest long beach marathon all smiles with a 4th place out of 79 Women 50-54

So my pre race taper never really happened I coach HS swim and also teach scuba diving and had a full schedule even the day before the race I was scuba diving at Lake Perris!!

up at 5am to get ready for a scuba dive at a local lake...

 The Marathon Expo I helped Kool n Fit with their booth as they are sponsors of the LBM I helped with spraying athletes with their conditioning spray and answering questions

Renate from Kool n Fit

All these men have run every Long Beach event!!!

 Getting to the Race
I was very stressed out I would not make the race never mind get home from the expo, but I had recently met a remarkable group called the So Cal Pacers who gracefully allowed me to car pool from the expo and then to and from the race which let my stress level drop very much!

RACE DAY

Oh my were do I start I helped my two friends with their bikes and ran to the start line of the marathon. Once the gun went off I began to run I thought just keep a steady pace no expectations of time just to finish to find were I am at in my recovery ...then KABOOM every thing went wrong in the first 6 miles....

Spraying my shoes.

Sun Care by Ocean Potion

In our corral all smiles...

Lots of smiles...

1. My fuel belt would not keep around my waist... I was devastated as I tried to hold one hand over the velcro I could not make tighter and it would just come apart at Mile 6 I saw a friend of mine Mark and asked him to take my belt I stopped and took my Id and Hammergel... I took off again but needed the bathroom... then I ran into the expo area to give my phone to Renate..I ran back on the course....

2. As we snaked along the bike path with the Ocean on our right hand side... I had forgotten to add water to my Hammer gel and had to undo the top of my bottle to get my fuel... I remembered 8 years ago doing an aquathon on the same path... I kept a smile and kept a nice pace....

3. At mile 10 I saw Ralph from Kool n Fit and was sprayed. I kept taking my endurolytes every hour as the sun was very hot . At mile 11 I stopped to help a cyclist whose chain had come off it helped me mentally get my mojo together..

4. At the mile 13 mark the marathon makes an out and back course I was grateful to be half way I just hoped I could keep moving forward as I was feeling fatigued... I made it to mile 16 were I had to use the Porta potty AGAIN!!! I composed my self I only had 10 more miles I got this I thought.

5. I ran through the University of Long Beach always love this part I had to walk a few sections but I knew I had to keep going forward.... it was hot and I did not want to be out in the sun ALL day! My back was not hurting but my feet were!!!

6. The last 6 miles were interesting, I did take a few walk breaks and talked to other marathoners...although I felt tired I was glad I only had 6 miles to go and not 12 miles like the runners on the opposite sire of the road had! I handed out a few high fives and stopped at each mile to drink water.

The last 2 miles were LONG!!! and only a mile left I helped a runner who had severe cramp medics were there pretty quickly and then gave motivation to a much younger marathoner.... then I was turning left and heading towards the finish line I was SO DARN HAPPY!! My slowest Long Beach Marathon ever a 4 hours and 3 mins BUT with very little problems other than a belt that would not stay on and 3 bathroom breaks....No cramps, No dizziness and no back pain...yes tired but Happy!!!

I finished 4th our of 79 women in my division not bad for my lack of conditioning and sleep!

I truly love Long Beach Marathon my 8th time running the event. And my eighth time representing Kool n Fit.

Thanks for getting me to and from the race!

Happy its over with my bling.

 Kept fueled my Hammer Nutrition ; Loved my Launch shoes by Brooks;  grateful for the sun care by Ocean Potion; and my eye care by Rudy Project!
Here is my relive by my Polar V800
https://flow.polar.com/training/relive/243265699

Grateful to be running again....

May... ...Relays....

May 31st

Wow I cannot believe it is the last day of May ..it has been exactly a full four months to recover from lower back injuries and a total of 11 months since my last Ultra tri or Ultra run.... now it is time to train and build Onwards and Upwards as they say....and not look back in the review mirror.

My min pin Hammer ready to rock...

So May found me with a sponsor booth at Bonelli Park, a lot of fun was had as I swam the 300 meters while Al my husband cycled with no training at all on a road bike 7 miles then Hammer my min pin dragged me around a 5km run course it was an amusing morning at the Bonelli Triathlon and I was able to hand out Ocean Potion and Bull Frog, I also was on hand to give over all winners and lucky athletes of the raffle Polar Loops and Polar blue tooth H7s. The icing on top of the cake was our little relay team took first place on the podium! Good day representing Polar USA, Hammer Nutrition and Ocean Potion.

At the finish line with Aquaman wetsuit and my triglide

on the Podium as first place mixed relay team. Hammer looks good up there!

Hammer brings home a 23 minute 5km run! human in tow!

Hammer always ready to lend a paw...

Cancelled a few events in May so was good to be out on the athletic arena representing the companies that help me so much with my sport and coaching.

loved my new Brooks Launch running shoes.

#BostonStrong

There is a gazillion ways I could write about the 119th Boston Marathon; which was my second time at Boston every one would have the same message just differently phrased so I am going for the version which most readers will relate to....

At the race expo ...that is how I spent my 51st Birthday!

Phew .... Boston Bound amazing what a few days of stretching and therapy does for the body and soul! or soles in this case too!!!! I probably should not have done the marathon considering I am rehabilitating from lower back maladies, but I really thought I could just jog it nice n easy.....

7am at Hopkinton...before the crowds.

Now I had arrived at Hopkinton start at 6.50am a full 4 hours before my blue wave was to go off....a good thing as I could use any of the porta loos all well stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer! I took a few pics before the first buses from Boston Common arrived and suddenly there was 1000s of runners competing for a little bit of real estate with their plastic bags, and throw away second hand clothing and blankets!

the line for the portaloo

I had my spot and did the stretches to warm up my lower back, making new running friends was not difficult as we were packed like sardines in a tin as it began to rain and every one wanted shelter under the teepee!

 90 minutes before my wave I ventured out into the cold to use the toilet and was pretty much in line for 70 minutes! I barely made my wave start arriving in my corral with 5 minutes to spare!

awesome friends Brian and Kathy Laska.

The starting line is the CHALLENGE....
It is not just a start line... it is the beginning to the end of the journey which got you there in the first place... it represents the commitment and I had barely made it there... so many set backs but my vision was Boston... I cancelled race after race in 2015, I jogged walked the LA marathon just to see if I could remember how to do that distance. I was at Clientrainers San Dimas gym two times a week working on strength and flexibility... just one week prior to the marathon I woke up with muscular pains in my lower back.... but I MADE THE START LINE! more thanks to my hosts Kathy and Brian Laska who lived 20 minutes from the start line but I made it.....and then it would rain...

laying out my gear

The Race

Yup pretty much sums up the 26.2 miles the short version is the gun went off just before 11am.... the heavens opened to give us all rain and head winds..delightful..now my problem was not so much finishing but do I keep the plastic bag on? do I run in the sweats and top which were throwaways... I thought keep the gloves, toss the sweats and keep the garbage bag! Every mile that past I hit my V800 Polar monitor,,,as slow as they were I was running (jogging) Boston Strong!

race pre

 The longer version was it was pretty much unbelievable despite the miserable conditions to run in (which in hind thought is only miserable to those runners who live and train in warmer and not so much rain climates...) was the crowd! The roared BOSTON STRONG! through all the different towns we went through the volunteers all lined up with water and power drink their smiles were welcoming the high fives I gave out were numerous...   to young children lining the route. The entire 26.2 miles gave you the runner a reason to keep going forward.
Highlights
Mile 15
The dreaded Porta a loo

So I had tossed out my gloves at mile 5 they were soaking wet and I thought counter productive to keep wearing...but as the miles ticked by the wind chill was relentless in its quest to change me into an icicle ... I was keeping well hydrated and needed to stop to use those awful things called Porta potties... As I opened the door the image that greeted me was like "Oh my goodness did some one have a fight with the toilet?" It was pretty disgusting but the urge to pee over took the urge to vomit .. the rain drops tinkled on the plastic roof as I tried to not inhale the air in the loo. after I had finished to my HORROR my fingers were so cold I could not redress myself... I put my hands under my arm pits to warm up my fingers.. death in one of there things is not how I want to leave this World. Finally after 5 or so long minutes it seemed a life time I was able to look descent to escape a toilet which clearly showed there was a runner ahead of me who is really suffering with the trots....and was thankful it was not me!
Escaping that loo was awesome but I was very cold and this time another runner would stop and ask me if I wanted her gloves! Oh a guardian Angel indeed. She assured me she did not need them and for that I was ever grateful/

Mile 18
At mile 18 was were my body could safely run to on limited training I still had 8.2 miles to go and then it became a mental game of mind over body while making sure I did not hurt my back ..walking was NOT an option. I played visualization I thought I was running on my old training grounds in Boqueron Puerto Rico along the playa the sun was out and I could feel sand between my toes.... after I had ran that I then thought of the High School Swimmers who at meets I clearly and loudly shout at...."kick kick kick" " come on keep moving" "you can do this..own the pool" I grinned at myself and could almost here Coach Joe s booming baritone voice shout "MOVE" "Come on pick it up!"

For sure the last 3 miles were on crowd support just amazing I would shout to the crowd Boston Strong and they would go into an up roar!

Finish Line
I cried! The emotion for finishing this Marathon, despite lack of training, for finishing and thinking of the bombing here a few years back...for finishing and seeing blind runners tethered to seeing runners ...just emotions for seeing determination....

the BLING

A big shout out to my husband this was my 51st birthday gift (spent at the expo) and to Kathy & Brian Laska for their amazing hospitality before during and after the marathon.

windy wet but happy

For fueling the marathon I was able to have an egg sandwich before I left the house....While on the run I had on my new fuel belt I had chocolate/ peanut butter gels in one bottle and Nocciolo gel in the other bottle I also had endurolytes every hour...and immediately after I had finished and being cocooned in an awesome Boston heat cape ate my Hammer chocolate Peanut recovery bar and went searching for hot coffee.....
Now I have to work on getting 100% fit again so I can run Boston next year on my actual birthday and do the projected time I want to do healthy and not just jog the marathon with lack of proper training due to set backs. I did 4 hrs 3 minutes but qualified again with a 3 36..
Here is my relive experience from my Polar V800
https://flow.polar.com/training/relive/79594105
Big thanks to the companies that support my racing Hammer Nutrition for race day nutrition, Rudy Project USA for awesome Fluros! Polar USA for helping me listen to my body, Brooks Running for running happy and Kool n Fit spray which I had all over my legs and feet. Ocean Potion for lip balm and Fuel Belt for helping me organize my race day needs. #howihammer #runhappy #rudyprojectfluros #V800 #listenstoyourbody #koolnfit #oceanpotion

at the Polar booth

hoping to make a getaway from the weather

Goofing at the expo at the Rudy Project booth!

AT the expo

What do you wear under your cycling shorts?

So here is the million dollar question... What do you wear under the bike shorts?...

Professionals ready to roll

HA HA I hear you echo.....well what do you wear? beside the Chamois Nadda....yup that is right no underwear allowed.....and the horror of squeezing your body into a pair of tight fitting yet huggable and flexible lycra!!..yet the more you cycle the less you will wear those big baggy t shirts to cover those cycling shorts!

Lycra clad cyclists and triathletes..

SO here is the skinny on bike shorts
1.A good pair of bike shorts will protect your privates....(your crotch) . They serve as a buffer between your privates and saddle...

2. I cannot promise zero discomfort as there is always a little discomfort sitting on a saddle for hours on end.

3. The chamois in the cycling shorts come in different thicknesses if you are a triathlete it is minimum padding as you wear them in the swim too.....

4. The chamois protects your skin from the threading /seams of the shorts......wearing underwear would be uncomfortable and cause a few problems.

5. Bike shorts must be washed ever time you wear them no matter if only an hour ..why? because you get bacterial build up on the chamois and yup you have to air out your crotch otherwise it could get funky down there....personal hygiene folks....

6. Like every sport there is specialized clothing and bike shorts are specialized for cycling.....so no matter your shape or size there is a bike short to fit every type of gut from a 6 pack to a beer gut....after a few weeks you will think you are a European Pro just by looking the part.

7. Know when to ditch them....as with everything they are not built to last......and when the Lycra starts wearing thin and you are not wearing under wear then things get interesting.....so always check they are not worn and see through!

8. Just to confuse you if you do not like having the bike shorts as you do not like the restriction around your waist you can cycle in bibs.....but they make it difficult to use the bathroom

AND the final point is never wear new cycling shorts in a competition always break them in...

I know there will be more on the subject of bike shorts to saddle issues but for now it is BAREASSRIDING.

Ride safe ride smart.

Are you getting rest?

January so far has been fairly exciting, although today I had a melt down...not sure how to explain this other than when your alarm goes off at 4:15am and you are on 4 hours of sleep you should really roll over and go back to sleep...but I actually felt guilty as I was not sick, and thought to get the workout done and then the rest of the day would flow nicely...wrong.

Taking time to enjoy a day at Anacapa Island!

Stress and rest and somewhat different but when you put too much stress be in physical or mental and not enough rest it is a recipe for disaster. I need to get quality sleep ...I can function on a few nights of lost sleep but when you add other factors I become some what ....mmm down? I get emotional and irrational add to being Obsessive Compulsive and my whole world explodes!

So to be a good athlete is not about how much you train, how many miles you put in etc there is also how to balance family and other commitments, jobs etc... eating healthy and quality rest.

I should have Listened to my body better...My resting heart rate according to my Polar V800 monitor was elevated I just needed a few days to play catch up on letting my body and soul catch up and harmonize together. #listenstoyourbody

Life is awesome and I live by the creed day by day... I am grateful for my health, grateful for my husband and my family, grateful for friends and coaches and my four legged buddy Hammer, my awesome running min pin.

So I am at the moment relaxing my mind, drinking more water and vowing to get a few more hours of shut eye... there are plenty of exciting paths to travel in 2015.... I need my health and sanity!

Life is rich and rewarding...

relaxing with my Min Pin Hammer.

2014 in the review mirror...

So 2014 is history and every one is happy to clean the slate some people say thank goodness that year is gone! 2015 will be so much better....Then there are the New Year Resolutions? me no I did not make one, for me it is a time to reflect and even though 2014 had some negative stuff there was still awesome things that happened due to bad stuff happening....

Reflecting..

I only did one big triathlon and that was in Oregon the Anvil Double...it was an awesome experience and I hope to repeat in 2015, but a week after getting back home I had my Cannondale Synapse Stolen ..Seriously thought my world had ended as that was my transportation....but out of the negativity the love and support of friends, family and strangers I would be able to get a new racing bike.....While I did not have a bike I had my Saph Vein removed by ablation it was a medical necessity so with no bike seemed a good time to have the Vein removed. And to add to that we moved our home from Covina back to Glendora were we are much happier and in a better neighborhood.

My first ride on my new Racing bike was of course up GMR

I did a few marathons, ultra runs and double bike centuries, did a few triathlons and was a guest speaker for several different groups.I had some awesome moments scuba diving and really enjoyed going to Las Vegas with Al and Montana over July 4th.

I also became a US Masters Swim Coach level 1&2, as well as a RRCA Running Coach in 2014. I also became a US Resident !

I also had a LOT of medical stuff done, a full medical for my resident papers, I also have my heart thoroughly checked after a negative reading at the docs, a vein zapped and the biggest thing was finally having all my dental work completed....may be now I can resume my sport again as my dental work has been a project which has come with a hefty price tag!

As always the year is made fun by my favorite running partner Hammer Wiscovitch Degazon. He is a crack up and so loyal his love is unconditional and he has proved time and time again he is Mans best friend! Or in this case Ultrawomans best running buddy ever!

Hammer with his new M400

SO looking back I had a fantastic year it had its high and its lows but in general a pretty blessed year...I wonder what new adventures I will have in 2015! One thing is for sure I have an amazing husband and we have our health so let the year roll on!