Mileage chart

Signed up to run with the North County group, with Coach Brian. A few of us are aiming at the LJ Half in April; many others will be running (or walking) the June races, including the Anchorage Marathon and the SD Rock'N'Roll Marathon. The spring training program gets underway at the end of the month.

New shoes Turns out I was still over pronating, and my old shoes were too small. My new shoes feel like boats, but I have lots of miles to get used to them. I'm sold on Movin' Shoes.

Actually, we didn't get started till well after 8am for this first group run: 4 miles around East Del Mar, cleverly chosen by Brian so that the last mile was all uphill! Runners are divided into A(novice), B(intermediate) and C(experienced) groups, and further divided by the race distance and date for which they are training (full or half marathon; in April or June). I'm running with the April half B's, and I won't be setting any speed records.

Also, I earned my jacket! The bright teal and purple warmup marks one as a full member of the team, having raised the minimum amount of money required for the event. This was accompanied by the weekly spirit award (purple and green Mardi Gras beads, license plate frame, and TNT running socks) for being one of the first to reach this milestone. Have I mentioned that TNT feels like a college club? But much more friendly and inclusive--after all, no sports team in college would have welcomed a non-athlete like me so warmly. So, many thanks to Terrific Teammates and Generous Sponsors--I'm wearing it with great pride!

Honored teammate picnic, with the entire team--North County and San Diego running groups, plus the triathalon, walkers, and cyclists. I got to meet Dylan, as well as his mom, his older brother Luke, and his sister Savannah. They are a great family! We all enjoyed the potluck, the water balloon toss and other fun events. Check out the photos on the gallery page.

Despite all this, a convoy of us came to the Salk Institute for a tour of my lab. Picture Dave took photos--check them out! We'll be doing more of these for the other members of the North County and San Diego teams to see some of the science they are funding.

Fundraising update: Although the stream has slowed, we crossed the $5500 boundary today. Only $500 to go by April. We can do this!

28 April 02
Race Day

I got up at 4.30am and looked at the sky and saw stars. Bad sign; the forecasters had predicted a "marine layer" of clouds, which keeps the weather cool for running. Stars mean no clouds, which means sun, which means heat. (You'd think the forecasters would get it right; we're right on the ocean and they can see the weather coming!)

The purple wave of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training assembled at the Del Mar Fairgrounds at around 6.30. Although the actual TNT competitors doing the La Jolla Half as their "official" TNT event were relatively few, lots of the full marathoners were doing this as a training run (in fact, they ran about 5 miles past the finish, quite deliberately!) so we had a big crowd of purple singlets. A TNTer wrote everyone's name down their leg with indelible marker to facilitate cheers along the way.

The race got off at 7.30 and it took some time to cross the starting line. The sun was already high in the sky and felt warm; gorgeous, but not a good day for racing. I felt good for the first two miles but unfortunately took them too fast, doing a 10-min mile pace. This works for a 5k, but not for a long run; my training pace is about 11m 30s and that's what I was hoping to make for this race. Even so, the first 10K went fine; I flew down the grade on highway 101 leading to the Torrey Pines Hill (see the picture) and had several minutes stored up so I could walk up the hill quickly.

Coach Brian was working the hill, jogging down to meet each runner and going part way up with them. I felt great. A TNT cheering group ( Mentor Jen and NC Coordinator Kristin) was at the top of the steepest part. I've done this part of the run many times, and I know that at the top of the hill, the terrain levels out for what is usually a lovely run. Unfortunately, when I got to the top I found I no longer had my "legs". I couldn't find the rhythm. By about mile 9, I was starting to cramp in the calves and was dropping further behind my time. I went from several minutes ahead to many minutes behind my target. (I knew this because I had a pace chart with me, which told me how fast I had to go at each mile to finish in 2h 30m).

At this point I had fallen behind the main pack. A TNT mentor on a bicycle cruised by and chatted. He waited while I stretched out my calves to be sure I was all right. A little further on, Jen and Kristin honked and cheered as they drove by. Another TNTer was yelling cheers at mile 10. The group around me was quite thin by now; I was in the long tail of the distribution. About every 10 minutes, an ambulance drove by "just in case". Running down La Jolla Shores, I couldn't take advantage of the grade--I was too sore, and stiffening up. Along the boardwalk, a small family was waiting for the woman behind me. "HI MOMMY" they shouted, then in some disappointment, "Mommy, you're supposed to be RUNNING!" I knew how she felt... it was just that part of the race.

I passed TNTer Robyn on the hill and stayed ahead of her. Later she told me, "I was so mad at you. You'd stop and stretch, and I'd think, I'll catch her now, but then you started running again!"

At mile 12 we started up the last, steep hill on the course. And then, there were Mentors Scott and Kimberly waiting for me by the Marine Room! They broke into a run and "ran me in" the last mile. This literally kept me going--it was amazing. The last hill down into The Cove is a blur of images. I remember focussing on the slippery bricks on Prospect Street and the sudden feeling of the sea breeze. Kimberly commented on a swimmer in the water. Then I was trying to see the finish in the crowd of people. Scott ran on ahead to take a picture, and Lisa, my training partner who did the 5K, was there also with a camera. Then it was clip off the timing chip on my shoe, and start drinking water. I went to the TNT tent and was given my 13.1 TNT pin, a medal, and a bag with the best-tasting peanut butter and jelly sandwich you can imagine.

I came through in pretty good shape: nothing hurt that hadn't already. I've had shinsplints and tendinitis in my left leg for several weeks; I still do (later note: I was too optimistic. This turned out to be a stress fracture diagnosed a few weeks later--see below for the follow-up). My quads were a bit stiff for a day or two. Overall, I learned a lot. I learned that running a 5K is NOTHING like running a Half. I learned about strategy, and electrolytes, and how to combine sufficient water with gels. I learned about motivation and the need to control my own pace in my own space. I learned about forgiving myself and ignoring mistakes and focusing on the finish. In sum, I learned all about the "endurance" in "endurance running".

But the question is, would I do it again? And the answer is, in a heartbeat. My application has already gone in for my next half marathon, in August. After all....I have PR to beat.

See you on the road.

24 Oct 02
6 months later....

The aftermath started with a diagnosis of a stress fracture a few weeks after the La Jolla race --I literally could not run a stride without pounding shinsplint pain in my left leg. (That upper dot on the bone scan marks the spot). Then there was 6 weeks in a brace. Following that, still suffering from tendonitis, I went to physical therapy all summer (I have a great therapist, if you need one in San Diego. She's a marathoner.) I overpronate badly, which was really inflaming my posterior tibialis tendon, and it became clear that good shoes are not enough, so the therapist sent me to a podiatrist (he's great too but doesn't have a web page) who eventually fitted me in custom orthotics.

I have had those for about a week now and my first three runs have been pain free -- for a change! I've even thrown in a 5K, with respectable time. My tendon still flares up a bit, but the therapist and podiatrist are crossing their fingers that with very careful training and very slow distance increases, I will be able to go back to distance running.

In the meantime, I do a lot of cross training. Early on, it was the exercise bike and pool running; then after the brace came off, I started with the elliptical trainer. I have been doing at least 5 workouts in the gym each week with 45 minutes hard time on the elliptical. Using the heart rate monitor, I make sure to get my HR up to where it is when I'm running --which has led me to realize that a lot of people on the elliptical trainer are not working hard enough! The strange thing is, I think I am more cardiac-fit then ever. Lisa, my running partner, has pointed out rather acerbicly that on our few short runs, I am faster. We did our first mile in a 5K last week in 9.35. (Okay, so we died in the 3rd mile, but 9.35??)

Of course I have advice for other middle aged, recreational runners. First of all, make SURE you get fitted in the right shoes. I would have been in real trouble had I not gone to Movin' Shoes here in San Diego, where they recognized my pronation problem and fitted me in good stability shoes. All things considered, it's amazing I did as well for as long! Second, don't overtrain. I ramped up the miles way too much at the end of the TNT program, since I was worried I had lost so much at the beginning. That was really stupid. Third, cross train! I could have replaced one or even two of my shorter runs each week with the elliptical, without compromising my cardiac training, but sparing my legs and knees a lot of pounding. I'm not a lightweight, and this would have been smart. Needless to say, it will be a big part of my future. Fourth, stretch. Stretch again, then stretch some more. Do some of those strengthening exercises for legs and core. By building up strong supporting muscles, you can help improve your form and mechanics to reduce the chance of injury. Fifth, learn to pace yourself in training as well as racing. I'm still working on that one! Listen to your body: if you are hurting (I had severe shinsplints before the race), back off.

What's next? Well, in two weeks I captain the Salk Institute Team for the 5K Komen Race for the Cure (I do this every year). I'll be working up the miles s-l-o-w-l-y, and trying to do 5Ks every month. If all goes well, by winter I should be looking at a 10K. My target race for the spring is the Tilden Tough Ten, in my home town of Berkeley. Then, I hope to try for the AFC Half Marathon in August. And, I want to run again with TNT, because it is such a rewarding experience. We'll see!

17 Aug 03
16 months later.

My new running program was as follows: first, I stayed at a consistent long run distance for 2-3 weeks. Then, I took a backdown week, before a modest increase to a longer long run. Again, I stayed at the new level for several weeks, throwing in a backdown, then a modest step up. First 3 miles, then 4, then 5, then 6-7, then 8, etc. Sounds great although of course it's been less rigid than the plan, because of travel, scheduling, and so on. For any run over 5 miles, I run a 10-1 interval (10min run, 1min walk). This has made a great difference in stamina and comfort.

By July 2003, my long run was almost at 10 miles. (As I said, I've taken it very slow--starting at 3miles in October). Fortunately for me, Coaches Brian and Michele started getting together with some TNT alumni for friendly Saturday morning runs--folks like me, who want to keep up our distance running, but can't always commit the time to a TNT program. This was ideal! First of all, some low key friendly coaching from Brian and Michele at the crucial final stage. Second, some low key friendly runners to run with (10 miles takes a looooong time by yourself). Third, that mental lift and encouragement that comes from hanging with other just-average athletes who know how hard it is to do distance. Overall I was pretty pleased with the results of my own training plan, but it certainly helped to have reinforcement from my experienced friends.

At this stage, for the first time I was starting to get the little twangs and ouches, especially in the left calf, posterior tib and foot. What I need is a permanent massage! The main thing was to keep doing Therapist Cindy's exercises, and keep stretching. It was vastly better than last year's major aches and pains. I worked every night rolling my foot on the golfball, doing toe crunches, and heel lifts. Also, with about 5 weeks to go, which I estimated to be more than 40 miles, I picked up a new pair of shoes to break in. My podiatrist wants me to change out my shoes every 300 miles; my old pair of Brooks Addiction V were up to 280 miles by mid July. I figured that the new ones would be almost perfect by race day, and the man at Movin' Shoes told me he'd wave from the 11-mile aid station!

Problems also in my long runs at the end of July: I couldn't find my rhythm, and so every mile was a real effort. I think that part of this is due to dehydration. After a fairly cool early summer, the weather started to get humid and warm. I need to actively hydrate not just during a run, but in the days ahead of it, so I am working hard to drink more water and focus on my diet.

Of course, the race ended up taking place on a grueling hot day, one of the worst of the summer. After the first 10K, I think I started to melt. I didn't do so great time-wise, but on the other hand, I wasn't in pain the whole way as I was the last time, and I got through it healthy (at least I think I did...!). For a runner's eye view of the 2003 AFC Half Marathon, check out my AFC photo page.

epilogue