Virtual 12athon: Month 2

So begins month 2 of the 12athon! For this month I decided to tackle the:

Masquerade: Run in a costume based on a holiday in that month. Photo or video evidence mandatory! 8 POINTS. 4 more points if you run as Cupid on February 12! (I did not run as Cupid, because I didn’t want to deal with wings…but I did dress up!) and,

“That Guy”: Sign up for a 10K, cross the finish line, turn around and run the course in reverse (stopping at the 12th mile is optional). 8 POINTS (I didn’t stop at 12…ran 12.4!)

 

We headed down to Tidelands park for the race start at 8…after the bathroom line, I had about 2 minutes to make it to the start. This picture was taken before I dashed off and shouldered my way through the walkers. Note the candy colored outfit, and the Valentine’s Day socks I found at Walgreens at 10pm! My husband had planned to run with me, dressed in similar colors, but due to injury, he became my bike crew/film crew for the day.

The race started with a run under the Coronado Bridge, then we ran by the golf courses until we reached the Strand, before we turned around and came back the same route.

I tried to reign my speed in for the first 10K, and came in at a 1:03.14. I can’t wait until I can do another 10K and see how far I can actually get under an hour.

I got my timing chip cut off, so I didn’t confuse the poor computers (or race officials), picked up my medal (because they were awesome, and I didn’t want them to run out) and headed out on the course again! I got several yells of “wrong way!” as I ran off, but it was hilariously run to run against the stream of people. The course got pretty sparse, and race officials were actually breaking it down, but Coronado has huge, safe, quiet streets, so it was pretty easy to stay on the same course.

My second 10K wasn’t too far off the pace of the first, and aside from my break at the 10K and one stretch break, I didn’t walk at all. A first for me! You can also see in the video below that I managed to beat 2 people during my 20K journey…I wasn’t last. 🙂

It was one of the best run races that I’ve ever been a part of, and one of my best races…both ways. 12athon month two DONE!

 

Unbreakable: The Western States 100 @ the Santa Monica Public Library

Two of my favorite things: ultrarunning and libraries.

While in class one evening, I was surfing the web (yes, I multitask during class sometimes), and I found Anton Krupicka’s blog. I’d been hearing a lot about him, ever since Leo started his January experiment, since he’d done a lot of research into ultrarunning and ultrarunners. So I was curious to read back through some of his entries to learn about his training and mileage. I was scrolling through when I noticed that he’d written that he’d be in Southern California that weekend for a screening of Unbreakable: The Western States 100 in Santa Monica.

I’d heard about Western States through several running blogs, and I’d seen the trailer, but I hadn’t been paying attention to when the film was coming out. So I did a little internet digging and found a link to buy tickets to the screening, which just happened to be held at the Santa Monica Public Library.

As a library student, I’ve been hearing about SMPL since I started my grad program. It’s commonly looked upon as one of the best libraries in the area, and I was dying to take a look around. So I surreptitiously got my credit card and bought tickets (ok, that’s probably stretching the limits of multitasking during class).

It was a great event. We showed up early and wandered around the library for awhile. They have some cool shelves for their new book displays that really showcase the books, and are more inviting than regular shelving. I’d really like to see if they ever had older shelving, and compare the circulation numbers, because I’d bet money that the new shelving helps. The teen and children’s areas were also really well designed, with a top-notch collection and great technology integration.

The screening was held in an auditorium off the main library. We got started right on time, and the film was fabulous. Great soundtrack, great cinematography, and a good balance on the background of each runner and race footage. It was amazing to see people actually racing a 100-miler, as opposed to just surviving one.

The Q&A afterwards was also really interesting. The filmmaker answered some questions, and so did Anton and Scott Mills (Race Director of the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run, and ultrarunner in his own right). Unfortunately, there was no one to ask my questions to (seriously, what do other female ultrarunners do for underwear? sports bras? bathroom stops?) but I loved the general information nontheless.

I managed to space and forget that my iTouch is also a camera, so no pictures, but I definitely want to get a copy of the movie and watch it for inspirational purposes. Nothing like watching someone run 100 miles to make your 10K look like a piece of cake.

Workout Week Wrap-Up: Week 5 (January 29-February 4)

Sunday (1/29): 6.2 mile run (Beach Party 10K)

Monday (1/30): 1.5 mile run with fitness challenges

20 burpees

20 star jumps

20 pushups

40 mountain climbers

50 high knees

20 tuck jumps

20 squats

Tuesday (1/31): 6.0 mile run on the treadmill in 1:05.00, 4.1 miles run at home in 55:00

Wednesday (2/1): Day off

Thursday (2/2): 1.5 hour dance class

Friday (2/3): Day off

Saturday (2/4): Day off

Weekly Mileage: 17.8

Year Mileage to Date: 100

This week, my singleminded goal was to reach 100 miles in the month of January. I had known I was getting close for awhile, but towards the end of the month was the first time it actually became a tangible goal. Tuesday was packed, but I managed to bang out 6 miles on the treadmill at school before coming home to finish out the month. I was really excited to hit the 100 mile milestone (ouch) and I can’t wait to see what my total mileage for 2012 is going to be.

Of course, after that I took several days off, but I needed a break from the insanity of January. I’m going to try to keep my nutrition going well, even though I’m running less. so that I can get back into it easily.

Oh, and no real race recap for the Beach Party 10K. It was a pretty small race, and not my best pace wise, so I wasn’t feeling the write-up.