New Garmin Forerunner 910XT

I bought a new watch and wrote a review of it on my blog.

Garmin Forerunner 910XT Review

James

memorial day run, 5/28

happy memorial day!  for those interested, we will be doing a run tomorrow morning starting at walnut canyon school.  we will be exploring some trails.  meeting time is 7:00 a.m.

saturday morning run, 5/26

hey all. for tomorrow's run let's do the wash. meet at the corner of l.a. and spring, across the street from the 7-11. meeting time is 7:00 a.m.

the impossibility of the boston marathon

last saturday night me, dave, and tom did the tierra rejada loop (it was sooo romantic). tom started us on a pretty good clip and kept pushing us throughout the run. for about the last mile we all picked up the pace (new york city!!) and averaged probably just over a 7:00 mile pace for that last mile. our final distance was 6.1 miles (i think) at a 8:27 mile pace. we were a little disappointed in the overall pace, but happy about the last mile. afterwards we began talking about what it would be like to be able to run fast. not like a 8:00 mile fast, but fast fast. we were guessing on how fast we could complete one mile and wondering if we could clock a sub-6:00 mile. that led me to start thinking about and doing some research on the boston marathon. for those who may not know, not just anyone can run in the boston marathon. you have to qualify and you have to be fast in order to qualify. below are the times for males and females from the age ranges most of us would fit under. i apologize in advance for the shoddy table.

	age range	cut-off time	average mile pace
male	18-34	3:05	7:03
female	18-34	3:35	8:12
male	35-39	3:10	7:14
female	35-39	3:40	8:23
male	40-44	3:15	7:26
female	40-44	3:25	8:34
Male	45-49	3:25	7:49
female	45-49	3:55	8:57

here are a couple thoughts after reviewing the information. first, so much for gender equality. looks like the men are being discriminated against on this one. second, i'm never going to qualify for the boston marathon. even if i really, really dedicated myself and had as much time and resources as i needed, i still could not qualify. i mean, i would have to run a WHOLE marathon at an average mile pace of 7:14. a couple years ago i completed the agoura great race 10K in 45:04, which i was pretty happy with. what was my average pace? 7:17. i would have to run a faster pace than that for over four times as long. i seriously can't comprehend how anyone can run that fast over that distance. i have an uncle that qualified for the boston marathon last year with a time of 3:09. i'm gonna e-mail him and see how he did it. do any of you think you could ever qualify? i think my best chance would be to wait until i'm 45, undergo a sex change (keep your jokes to yourself!), and then attempt to qualify.

SoCal Ragnar - We're #1 Again

I did it again.  We are team #1 for SoCal next year.  Wahoo!
James

Napa Ragnar Course Change

Those of us that are Ragnar veterans, we know there are always course changes.  New course maps were issued this week (see link on the left side).  I have updated the spreadsheet (see link on left side) and updated the assignments.  Some of you will be either happy or unhappy with the result.  The follow are the new assignments (I've also updated the side bar) and for reference what the old assignments were.

NEW
1 Barbara 12.9 (4M, 5.7H, 3.2E)
2 Cary 15.7 (2.7E, 4.7M, 8.3VH)
3 Carlos 15.9 (5.9H, 6.7H, 3.3E)
4 Alfonzo 16.4 (5.2H, 7.9H, 3.3E)
5 James 16.2 (3.1E, 9.2VH, 3.9M)
6 Christine 12.6 (3.9M, 4.8M, 3.9M)
7 Merideth 10.5 (4M, 3.4M, 3.1E)
8 Rebecca 11.5 (5.1M, 4.4M, 2E)
9 John 16.8 (4.4M, 4.3M, 8.1VH)
10 Dave 22.7 (6.6H, 8.3VH, 7.8H)
11 Wade 23.7 (9.7VH, 9.1VH, 4.9M)
12 Kenny 12.4 (2.8E, 4.1M, 5.5H)

OLD
#1-Carlos 14.1 (4.0,5.8,4.3-M,H,M)
#2-James 16.9 (2.7,5.0,9.2-E,M,VH)
#3-Christine 11.6 (3.3,5.1,3.2-E,M,E)
#4-Alfonso 16.5 (7.3,5.6,3.6-H,H,M)
#5-Cary 14.0 (5.4,3.3,5.3-M,E,M)
#6-Barbara 13.0 (3.8,5.4,3.8-M,M,M)
#7-Rebecca 16.2 (3.5,8.9,3.8-E,VH,M)
#8-Merideth 11.9 (5.5,3.5,2.9-H,E,E)
#9-John 16.4 (4.3,4.2,7.9-M,M,VH)
#10-Dave 20.8 (7.8,6.2,6.8-H,H,H)
#11-Wade 21.7 (8.5,8.3,4.9-VH,VH,M)
#12-Kenny 16.9 (2.7,9.0,5.2-E,VH,M)

James can blog too...

Not to be outdone by Rebecca, here is a copy from my blog.
SoCal Ragnar - Pushing through the pain

April 20th and 21st, 2012, I ran the SoCal Ragnar Relay with my two youngest daughters and some really great friends.  Ragnar Relays are a lot of fun.  Typically, they are 200 miles long and include 12 people and two vans.  Six people in each van leap frog each other three times during the 30 plus hour run through Southern California.  Running is traditionally a lonely sport, but Ragnar has made it into a 200 mile long party on wheels and on your feet.  This was my third Ragnar and my fourth 200 mile relay.  Last year my youngest daughter, Danielle, and I ran the Hood to Coast.  So much fun.  See the following post for a comparison of the SoCal Ragnar and the Hood to Coast Relay.

Rear leg extended too far (crud)-2012 SoCar Ragnar Relay. 

The photo to the left shows me crossing the starting line.  Unfortunately, it also shows I have more work to do on my gait.  My rear foot still extends too far back and creates a lot of inefficiency.  Argh!  The never ending battle for perfection.  Everything else looks good.  Front foot is not extended, body lean is slightly forward.  Arms arms are not flailing. Eyes and head appear to be focused forward.

About four weeks before this race, I ran the Cheseboro Half Marathon in Agoura Hills, CA.  I had a good race--a PR for the course and I had no blisters or injuries leading up to or as a result of the race.  I felt good.  After last year's Ragnar and having major blisters and suffering through achilles issues, I thought I was free of my prior persisting problems.  While my bone bruise on my heel was starting to bother me more, it wasn't anything like the achilles issues I had battled for two years, but ultimately vanquished in February/March.  I had been running a consistent 20 miles per week since February and felt that I was ready.  I was feeling better trained and ready to have a really Ragnar this year.

Unfortunately, a week before the Ragnar my heel really started to bother me.  In fact, more than just the bottom of the heel, now the tendons on both sides and the heel were starting to hurt so badly that I walked with a limp.  The entire race I was in tremendous pain.  On all three of my runs it took a few miles before I felt I could run with decent enough form and completely ignore the pain.  Whether it was due to the tendons becoming warm and more pliable or I pounded the pain into submission, I don't really know.

My wife wonders why I would run 20.5 miles in complete pain.  It's really simple.  If I set a goal to run, I intend to follow through.  Additionally, this would have been the first race I would be able to run with two of my daughters.  The second Ragnar with both of them.  It has been something I have been looking forward to.  Also, I'm so competitive that if I'm going to run, I might as well try to be the fastest too.  No matter how painful it is.  I didn't earn the fastest designation, but I still ran an average 8:30 pace.  Not great, but it was the best I could do and I'm OK with that.  I tied for third on my team.  As a side note, the two other fast guys (Wade and Dave) had pre-Ragnar injuries too and they had no intention of pulling out of the race.  Wade has had foot issues and Dave has had back issues.  Fortunately, they both were fine (as far as I know) for the race.

I sent several texts to my wife during the race:

"We are done with our first legs.  My heel is killing me."

She responded, "Boo for your heel!  Is it going to get worse?  Do you have Advil?  How are the girls?"

Me and my girls.  I love them.  They are smart, tough and beautiful!

My subsequent texts say it all, "I have Advil.  We are having fun.  Once I get through my 10 mile, I'll be ok.  I just have to go to my quiet zone and zone out."  When the race was over, I sent her the following, "I'm done.  Danielle is done.  AMS is ready to do her last run.  Then the van will be done. Blisters minimal.  Winced and ran through the heel pain.  It's mind over pain at Ragnar!"

Last year, I ran my entire 20 miles on extremely blistered feet that got progressively worse with each step.  It was very painful and by the end my foot looked like hamburger meat.  There was so much trauma in my feet that when I cut all of the loose skin off and attempted to clean off my feet before applying gauze and wrap, my toes got stuck in a splayed position.  I was in excruciating pain as they cramped up, but all I could do was laugh, because I couldn't get them to relax.  Even AnneMarie was laughing at my freaked out toes.  I physically had to push them back into place and into a relaxed position.

Here is a great article I recently read from Active.com called 6 Tips to Push Through Pain.  The specific six tips are below with some of my commentary.

1. Remember your strengths (you did the hard work, now it's time to make it worth it)
2. Run with a purpose (i.e., if you are running, you might as well make it worth your while, pain or not)
3. Repeat a mantra (Remember, the little engine that could?  "I think I can, I think I can...")
4. Know it will pass (the scriptures are replete with the phrase, "And it came to pass"
5. Think of the payoff (you'll have stories to tell and you will show your kids that if you can do hard things, so can they)
6. Distract yourself (i.e., go to your happy place)

AnneMarie after her first run.

However, the article also goes on to say you shouldn't ignore the following.  I'll choose to ignore some of these anyway.  Especially, since I have already. :-)

Sharp, sudden foot, shin, or hip pain that worsens as you run

It's possible you have a stress fracture, says Heather Gillespie, M. D., a sports-medicine physician at UCLA. Take time oft from running and make an appointment for an x-ray.

Limping

This could be the result of a muscle or ligament tear. "Any pain that causes you to change your form should make you stop," says Lewis G. Maharam, M. D., medical director of the New York Road Runners.

Chest pain, extreme sweating, breathlessness

These are symptoms of a heart attack, says William Roberts, M. D., medical director of the Twin Cities Marathon. (OK, don't ignore this, unless it's gas!)

High body temperature; dry skin; vomiting

This could be heatstroke, which can be life threatening, says Dr. Gillespie.  (Not a good idea to ignore this either)

Severe stomach pain; diarrhea

These are signs of an intestinal problem called ischemic colitis, which tends to occur during prolonged exercise.  (Whatever!  Just find a port-a-potty! :-0)

Team #1 - Running from Responsibility

Danielle, AnneMarie, Me, Wade, John, Dave, Rebecca

Jen, Tiffany, Nikki, Amy, Tom

Danielle at her second exchange with Nikki.

AnneMarie after her second leg at Lawrence Welk's place.

Me, Danielle, Tom and Amy waiting for AnneMarie to finish.

saturday evening run 8:30 p.m., 5/19

hey all. since many of us are planning on attending the father and sons campout tonight, it's not going to be possible to do a morning run. however, some of us are planning on running tomorrow night. if you're interested meet at dave greding's house at 8:30 p.m. and we'll do the tierra rejada, spring, l.a. avenue loop. hope to see you there.

Rebecca's Ragnar blogged

Copied from my personal blog for your enjoyment . . .

I LOVE RAGNAR!!!

Another fun relay in the books.  This was my fourth Ragnar and my third Running from Responsibility with David.  This year we were Team #1 thanks to our very ummm . . . dedicated team captain, James!  I love the back of our van which read, "We're #1!  No really, look." with an arrow pointing to our van sticker.

Once again, David and I found ourselves in Van 2.  This picture was actually taken after we finished our race, but it's the only one of all six of us, so . . . here we are: Runner 9, David; Runner 12, Rebecca; Runner 8, Jen; Runner 10, Tiffany; Runner 11, Amy; and Runner 7, Tom.  I was really looking forward to hanging out with Amy, one of my best friends and a great running partner (/slash/ therapist!) for her first Ragnar.

Our team in Van 1 started things off in Huntington Beach at 6:00am, about the time we left our house in Moorpark.  The early morning hours were busy: pack the van, write love notes to the kids, last minute instructions to Grandma Greding, pick up the 15-passenger van, meet up with the rest of Van 2, drive to exchange 6, park, sunblock, sign waivers, safety meeting, find Van 1, cheer as Van 1 finished and cheer for Tom's start, eat a complimentary Krispy Kreme and head out to our first exhange.

Friday was hot.  It just was.  I was Runner 12 so I had hours and hours to watch the sun and the temperature rise.  I remembered last year how miserable I was running my first leg, literally wishing for a car to hit me - just enough to end my run but not actually kill me.  The heat this year was possibly worse than last year.  Runners became walkers and walkers became ambulance passengers.  I prepared for my first run, which began where my run last year ended in Corona, by foam rolling, stretching, and clipping my toenails!  He he.  I forgot to do that ahead of time.  Candid photos by Jen.

I planned to take it easy.  David told me to not try to run the whole thing, it was too hot. Easy advice to take in 97 degrees!  Here I am at 3:04pm, all ready to sprint out of the blocks!  Not really.  Once Amy slapped the bracelet on my wrist, I took off at a very conservative pace.

I forgot to wear my watch, which was probably a good thing since this leg was not about speed.  I felt surprisingly good as I ran along for 4.6 very hot miles.  I kept thinking about how training makes such a difference.  I was very under trained last year (thanks to my knees) and that first run was literally the most miserable run of my life.  This year, despite the heat, I felt good and finished relatively strong.  The best part was my knees didn't hurt for one single second.  Yay!  Also, I didn't wish for a car to hit me and I didn't end up with soggy shorts! 

My van gave me awesome support during this leg.  I love this picture taken by Jen: I'm drinking water from the Camelback I borrowed from Tiffany while David is spraying me down with ice water.  At one point, Amy put some ice cubes down my back.  Ahhhh, thanks, Team!

At Exchange 12 I hugged James and slapped him the baton, finishing our team's first round of runs.  In three years of Running from Responsibility, I have handed off to James or he has handed off to me every time.  That has been unplanned and the streak will end with our next Ragnar coming up . . . more on that later . . .

So our tired and sweaty Van headed off to eat.  Side note:  it is very hard to eat a Subway sandwich with braces!  I had to use a knife and fork which made me feel like Miss Manners.  Also, this is the most awkward picture ever taken of David and me, but I must include it for laughs.  Photo credit to Jen again.  You sure know how to capture a moment, sister!

After filling our tummies, we headed off to our hotel for the evening.  This is the first year we stayed in a hotel.  In the past we've always had someone who knew someone along the way who let us rest and shower and eat.  We thought it was hilarious that the hotel was called the Ramada Limited because it was, in fact, quite limited.  But it was all we needed and it was cheap.  We were able to shower and relax and even sleep  for a couple of hours.  Before I slept, I called and talked to the kids.  It's funny how much I miss them and their silly stories and adventures after such a short time /slash/ how happy I am to have a break from the chaos and literally run from responsibility!!  It was cute to hear their little voices and all the "I love you!"s.  Oh how I love them.

This would be a good time to pause and mention my awesome mother-in-law.  We try to not hurt her too often with watching the kids, but when we do, she is always happy and willing.  I'm grateful to her for giving us time away, and I'm happy the kids have a chance to spend some time with Grandma.  Grandpa shows up a little bit too, with pizza and lolipops.  There's nothing wrong with buying their love, right?

Ok, back to the race . . .

Here is where being in Van 2 was an advantage for once, timing-wise.  Our wake up call from Van 2 was not painful at all.  It was early in the night and we had a short drive to the exchange where David and I enjoyed some yummy pasta.  Then all of our night runs were so short - mine was the longest at 4.7 miles with the shortest being 2 miles - that we were only up for a few hours and back to the hotel for another shower and a few hours of sleep.  I didn't experience sleep-deprivation-induced anger or grumpiness as I have in past Ragnars. But I'm getting ahead of myself . . . .

So we have a pretty good idea about when to expect our next runner to come in based on their estimated pace.  As we were waiting for Amy to arrive, somewhere in Carlsbad, before my run, we were all sitting in the van sharing a few favorite funny videos on YouTube.  This is when I was introduced to The Key of Awesome's spoof on Walk off the Earth's cover of Somebody That I Used to Know.  Obsession!  Anyway, we wrapped up our YouTube binge when we thought we had plenty of time to wander up to the exchange.  As I opened the van door, I heard several voices yelling "Rebecca!" and "Where's Van 1?"  Oops.  So I took off running up like 100 stairs from the parking lot to the start of my run at exactly 2:30am.  Nice pace, Amy!  And sorry!  He he.

My night run was great.  I had my watch this time, but forgot my music in the rush.  At first I was wishing I had some tunes, but I could hear frogs in the cool night and immediately was glad to have left my iPod behind.  My run was peaceful and easy.  I felt a couple of twinges in my left knee, stretched it out once or twice, but felt fine for most of the run.  I didn't see many people, runners or otherwise, along the way.  My van came by a few times to cheer me along, but other than that, I was pretty much alone.  One thing I love about running is the time alone with my brain.  I end up thinking a lot about running when I run, but I also think about solutions to problems in my life, or come up with ideas for changes I want to make in my life.  This was one of those contemplative runs.  I really enjoyed it.    

So as I mentioned, our night runs were all pretty short so we were able to get back to the hotel and shower and sleep again.  That second block of sleep felt so good!  We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast in the morning, then headed back out to run again!

Being Runner 12 means lots of waiting around.  And when Runner 11 gets lost (along with dozens of other runners!) the wait is even longer.  Poor Amy!  Her final leg was supposed to be 4.9 miles, but she ended up running about 8.25.  I admire her fortitude and attitude!  I would have just fallen over and cried if that happened to me!  When we finally saw her back on course, she literally had a smile on her face as she "yelled" the phrase, "I'm so angry!"

Being Runner 12 also means the glory of the finish!  My final run at 3:14pm was my longest at 6.3 miles.  It was easy and flat but my knee hurt slightly pretty much the entire run.  (Is anyone else tired of me complaining about my knees?!  I am.)  This was a "dig in and keep on keeping on" kind of run.  I felt fine, but I was also really looking forward to that finish line!

Here I am, coming through the final tunnel to the beach on Coronado Island, San Diego where my team was waiting!

Victory!!!  We did it!  Danielle, AnneMarie and James Sloan, Wade Altom, John Stewart, David and Rebecca Greding, Jen Jossie, Tiffany Pratt, Nikki Fenske, Amy and Tom Omer:  Running from Responsibility 2012.

I can't express how much I love racing with David.  I love that we share this hobby of running and especially when we get to run Ragnar together.  We have so much fun together and the experience does wonders for our marriage!  Which is why I'm so excited for our next adventure: the Napa Valley Ragnar in September!  Well that and the "Gold Rush" medal we'll acquire for running both CA Ragnars in the same year.  Yeah!  We can't wait!

saturday morning run, 6:30

for tomorrow's run we will again be meeting at mammoth park. we'll be doing roughly the same route as last week, except in the opposite direction. meeting time is 6:30.

saturday morning run, cinco de mayo style

for tomorrow's run we will be meeting at mammoth park at 7:00. trevor k. and jason m. are gracing us with their presence and are taking us on a special trail run. if you don't want to run, just come to see trevor and jason, even if it's only for a few minutes. it will still worth your time.