My planned races 2014

Races for 2014....

One of my goals this year is to run a half marathon each month. This month I am doing a full marathon so I will not be running a half marathon but I figure that it counts as two, right?

February 23: Seaside half marathon in Ventura (part of California Race Series)
March 23: Rock n' Roll Dallas half marathon (part of the triple crown)
April 5: Hollywood half marathon
May 10: Santa Barbara Wine Country half marathon
June 14: SoCal Wine Country Womens Trail half marathon in Temecula
July: still up in the air
August 10: Arroyo Creek half marathon in Simi Valley (part of the California Race Series)
September 21: Rock n' Roll Philadelphia (part of the triple crown)
October: OktobeRun in Redwood (part of California Race Series)
November 16: Rock n' Roll Las Vegas (part of the triple crown)
November 27: Los Angeles Turkey Trot 10K
December: 28: San Diego Holiday half marathon (part of the California Race Series)

http://calhalfseries.com/

http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/usa

http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/heavy-meda

My races

My races so far.......

2012

Disneyland half marathon, September 6.  Official Time: 2:34:16 (My first half marathon)

2010

Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad half marathon, January 24.  Official Time: 2:33:19

La Jolla half marathon, April 25. Official Time: 2:09:12  

Americas Finest City half marathon, August 15. Official Time: 2:33:12    My time: 2:27:11
(Above 3 completed a Triple Crown)

Indianapolis Monumental half marathon, November 6. Official Time: 2 :26:10

Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad

La Jolla

Americas Finest City (This completed the Triple Crown)

Indiana Monumental (Ran a for the first time with my sister)

2012

Rock n' Roll Pasadena, February 19. Official Time: 1:58:47  

Honda Los Angeles marathon, March 18. Official Time: 5:30:14  My time: 5:08:17
Baker to Vegas Relay, April (Ran leg 10, 5.6 miles)

Rock n' Roll San Diego, June 3. Official Time: 2:22:06  My time: 2:21:07

Rock n' Roll Los Angeles, October 28. Official Time: 2:17:57

Rock n' Roll Pasadena

Honda L.A. marathon (I got a surprise visit from my nephew and brother in law)

Baker to Vegas Relay

Rock n' Roll San Diego (I was really sick this day)

Rock n' Roll Los Angeles

2013

Santa Monica Beach Jam half marathon, March 9. Official Time: 2:14:56

Divas San Francisco half marathon, May 5. Official Time: 2:06:34

Delta Harvest half marathon, September 15. Official Time: 2:12:24

Surf City 10, 10 mile race, October 27. Official Time: 1:37:26

Santa Clarita half marathon, November 3. Official Time: 1:54:00 *PR

Los Angeles Turkey Trot 10k, November 28. Official Time: 51:22

Holly Jolly half marathon, December 15. Official Time: 2:01:39

Santa Monica Jam Blast

Divas San Francisco

Delta Harvest

Surf City 10

Santa Clarita

Turkey Trot Los Angeles

Holly Jolly 

Why yes, I do strike the same pose in all my post race photos. Thank you for noticing.

*My time is just running time. I pause my gps tracker when I use the restroom. 

Let's get this started

Let's get this started....

I have been training since September 30th, 3013 for the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad marathon that is on January 19, 2014. This will be my second full marathon. 

2012 Recap: My first full was in March of 2012, the Honda Los Angeles marathon. I thought I had put in enough training for it (even though I only got up to 15 miles). I even counted calories and weighed my food every single meal, every single day until the marathon. At mile 4, my IT band in my left knee started to hurt. At mile 6 my IT band on my right knee. I knew this wasn't good so early on. I kept running through the pain at the pace I wanted (around 10:30) so I could finish at a 4:30:00 (at least). My sister cheered me on. My friends cheered me on...true motivation. At mile 21, I saw my friends and started crying. I was in such extreme pain but I had to finish. At mile 22, I saw my sister and broke down again. She asked if I wanted her to finish with me. No, I could do this. For the last 4 miles, my body gave up. I tried to run, even one step but my knee kept giving out. I was forced to walk the last 4 miles. It was so beyond pissed. I felt great. I never hit a wall. I took in enough calories. I was running the pace I wanted. Everything was on track...even with the pain. WHY wouldn't my body let me run? I just wanted to run through the finishline. It was disheartening walking past spectators and them yelling, "you can do it." "you are so close". YES. I KNOW BUT I CAN'T RUN!!!! I crossed the finishline with a small limp eventhough it felt as though I just threw myself across the line. I was couldn't even smile. This surely wasn't how I imagined crossing the finishline. I couldn't even be proud of myself for completing a marathon. In my mind, this wasn't a completion. Official clock time was 5:30:14. My clock time (I pause for porto-potty breaks so that I get actual running time) was 5:08:17. I wish I could have been happy but I wasn't. This just means I need to run another full marathon to accomplish my goal of running a full marathon.

Present Day: I am less than 6 days from my marathon. This time around, I stuck to my training schedule and only missed 8 days of training. I also started going to the gym and taking classes for strength training. I did not however change my diet. I didn't even track what I ate. I lost 6 pounds and got a whole lot leaner in 3 months. I even made it to my 20 mile training run. Then I got the stomach flu and was out for a week. At least it was a tapering week. This week, the week before the big race, I have three runs. I have two, three mile runs and a two mile walk. THIS is killing me. I would much rather run longer since I feel like just picking up with 26 miles will just drain me if I run these short distances. Everything I read though says I will be okay and it's needed for the body to recover and heal. UGGGGG. 

Side Note: I also decided I wanted to see what all the hype was about with Kinesiology Tape. I saw a sports chiropractor at the end of October, two days before my Santa Clarita half marathon. He taped up my right knee and sent me off running. I ran a PR two days later and had no pain. No stiffness. This tape was AMAZING. I must now wear it on all my long runs greater than 8 miles...and so I did.

My Goal: My main goal is to finish the full marathon RUNNING the whole thing. My secondary goal is to come in under 4:30:00. With the way I have been training, I think I could easily come in 4:15:00 or faster but I'm giving myself some cushion.

Am I crazy? During this training I told myself and everyone else that this was my last full marathon. The training is just too much. It consumed my life...so it felt like it. Today, I read a blog on Facebook of a girl who did the Disney Dopey Challenge last weekend. This is a weekend long race consisting of Thursday: 5K, Friday: 10K, Saturday: half marathon and Sunday: Full marathon. I ACTUALLY looked into it and thought it might be fun. AM I CRAZY? Let's just see how this full marathon goes okay?!

This is me after the 2012 Honda L.A Marathon. I know I look happy. I'm not, it's all for the camera. I can't wait to post my 2014 Carlsbad Marathon picture.

Who is this girl?

Well.....it all started when I was 30 in 2007 with a Revlon Run/Walk 5k in Los Angeles. After that, I had an interest in running but didn't run my next race until September 2009.

In 2009 I ran my first half marathon. I didn't really train (when I say I really didn't train, I really didn't. I think I ran maybe three times and maybe five miles was my longest run) but knew I could do it. My best friend, Julie and I signed up and ran the Disney half marathon.

In 2010 I wanted to do the San Diego Triple Crown and I ran the Carlsbad half marathon, La Jolla half marathon and the Americas Finest City half marathon to complete my first triple crown. Disaster struck and I injured my knee during the La Jolla half marathon and my IT (illiotibial) band was on fire. Despite my painful knee, I continued to run. To finish off 2010, I flew to Indiana and ran the Indianapolis Monumental half marathon with my sister. It was the first time I had ran with my sister and it was so great to cross the finish line with her. My knee was so painful that I decided to take a break from running in 2011 to go through physical therapy and to let me knee heal.

In 2012 I was in full stride again.This year I wanted to complete a triple crown and run my first marathon. I started out the year not so great. In January, I  was signed up for the Carlsbad half marathon and the morning of the race my appendix decided it was going to become inflamed and it kept me in the hospital well past the start of the race. I did in fact make up for it. I ran a triple crown in the Rock N Roll race series (Pasadena, San Diego and L.A) and in March I ran my first full marathon in the L.A Marathon. I ended 2012 with my first sprint triathlon, the San Dimas Turkey Trot.

In 2013 I had no real goals, just to run and throw in a couple sprint triathlons. I ran the Santa Monica Beach Jam half marathon, Divas half marathon, Delta Harvest half marathon, Surf City 10 miler, Santa Clarita half marathon (PR), Los Angeles 10k Turkey Trot and the Holly Jolly half marathon.I completed two sprint triathlons (Castaic and Hansen Dam). I also started training in October for my second full marathon in January 2014.

....and so 2014 starts with new goals and a running blog to track my accomplishments. #1:  I am going to run my second full marathon on January 19th in the Carlsbad marathon. #2: I am going to run twelve half marathons in twelve months. In those twelve runs, I am going to run a triple crown with my sister (Rock N Roll Dallas, Philadelphia and Las Vegas) and also complete the California race series runs (4 races for a special medal). And so my journey begins........