We’ve Come So Far, Haven’t We?

The International Athletics Federation, the sport’s governing body, has passed a motion to change the standard by which female athletes achieve world record performances in road races.

According to The Sun the ruling would be retroactive meaning that the IAAF will be stripping Paula Radcliffe of her 8 year record!

WHAT?

Radcliffe had male pacers. If you’ve ever had a pacer, you know that having a pacer does help you push yourself but doesn’t guarantee anything. Race Directors from some of the top races in the world: London, Boston, and New York have stated that they won’t adhere to the IAAF’s decision.

I only know of one all women’s marathon and that is the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Fransisco. When I Googled: All Women’s Marathons I did get results.

In my opinion this is a step back in history: women competing against women. In ultrarunning you see women like Pam Reed win events like Badwater that allow women and men to compete against each other. I enjoy running races with men. I competed in a triathlon that was all women. It was fun but seemed odd. We work with men, go to school with men, shop with men, get our hair cut by men – why shouldn’t we compete against them? Hopefully the IAAF will change their minds and allow racing to stay in the 21st Century.

Portland Trail Series

I signed up for the Portland Trail Series to supplement my training for the Sisters to Bend Marathon. We start in Forest Park at 6:15pm and run anywhere from 5-8 miles. You get points, there are raffles, etc. Many of my friends from the PDX Running Chicks group have signed up so its pretty great to see so many familiar faces.

Some of the lovely ladies from PDX Running Chicks

Last night we ran 6+ miles starting from Lower Maclay and ran up Wildwood toward Birch trail. I had never been on Birch trail before. This is my peak training week for the marathon which is very hilly (yep. I keep saying it!). So I’m running as much as I possibly can and not get injured. Earlier in the day, I ran two other workouts to get as much mileage in as I could. By the time the trail series rolled around later in the evening, I was running on some tired legs.

I ran the 6+ hilly miles at a 13:02 pace. I was shooting for at least 12 minute miles. But it wasn’t to be. I alternated between being angry at myself for not running faster, being thinner, and basically being better and telling myself it was okay. This was a training run to prepare me for a larger more important goal. I reminded myself that this was probably the first run of the day for most of these people. And lastly, I told myself at least I was out there running.

I know I’m making some great progress on my training. I see it in my times and endurance. But I cannot help but wish that the results were better. And I cannot help but wish that I was better. The farther you dream, the farther you need to go to get them. All told, I ran over 13 miles yesterday. That’s pretty good for a midweek run that was split into 3 different sessions.That’s pretty good, right?

Run complete!

Smokey

We went up to the Sisters/Bend area today to scout out the marathon course. Due to a nearby forest fire, it is smokey over there!

No haze just smoke.

We stopped off at Deschutes Brewery for a few beverages before driving home:

As we entered the Warm Springs area, it started raining. The sky was really interesting. There were thick clouds of smoke and then thick rain clouds. It almost looked like a scene from Hell. Unfortunately the pictures didn’t capture the dramatic nature of the sky. I guess it was one of those – you had to be there moments.

Running MoJo

Sometimes we wake up early in the morning and just don’t feel like running. So we might move our schedule around to take a rest day. Then the next day we still don’t feel like running so we might get on the trainer or go to Zumba. The days get away from us and before we know it, we haven’t either run in several days/weeks or the past few runs have been lacking in that spark that kept us running through the rain, snow, and heat in previous years.

Here are a few resources to help you get your running mojo back!

Videos:

Books:

Second Wind

Inspirational Books

Born to Run

Running Through the Wall

Movies:

“Without Limits”

“Chariots of Fire”

“Running Brave”

“Endurance”

“Running on the Sun”

Quotes:

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” Steve Prefontaine

“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.” Lowell Thomas

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” Booker T. Washington

“The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do.” Walter Bagehot

Sister to Bend Marathon Training

October 1st I will be running the Sisters to Bend Marathon. I have less than 59 days to get my body into top shape for this adventure. The first ten miles of the course looks to have some nice rolling hills. But after the ten mile mark, but the next two miles there is a steady elevation gain of over 200 feet. Then a half mile of running downhill (wheeeee!!!) Then there is a steady even patch followed by another downhill part. In most races, if there is downhill running there is usually a pretty nice hill waiting for you and your tired legs. This race is no different.

At 19.2 mile mark runners will hit the lowest point of the race. The next 7 miles will test the resolve and fitness of every runner on the course. The course goes from 3225 feet and finishes up at 3766 feet. So in order to prepare for this, I’ve been running at Forest Park each Wednesday as well as on Sunday. I’ve increased my weightlifting as well as incorporating two days where I workout 2 times a day. I’ve also been practicing my incline walking as well as using the stairmill. I’m also paying very close attention to my diet. You gotta feed the wolf. And the legs feed the wolf.

My goal is to finish the marathon in less than 6 hours with a smile on my face knowing that I trained as hard as I could. No three mile an hour death march for me. I will work hard enough to meet my goals. I will do what it takes: use my lunch hour to train, continue to lift weights, do 2 interval runs per week, and do my incline training. I will train hard but also smart making sure I stretch as well as cross-train to avoid injury.

Stay tuned as the time starts to tick down.

Freedom Half Marathon

The Freedom Marathon and Half Marathon was the second in a series of 3 Independence Holiday fun runs. The race director was a super nice guy Steve Walters who is one of the most inspiring runners I know. Steve currently hold 8 stars in Marathon Maniacs. He runs a lot of marathons usually at least one a weekend. One weekend he ran two marathons in one day. Not only is he a serious runner but he’s a very, very nice man. So when he announced he was the RD for this race series almost everyone I knew signed up for at least one of the races.

Originally I was planning on running the full marathon. Between work and vacation, I wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to training as I needed to. In Europe, I spent a fair amount of time stressing about the race which was one week after we came back. Running is my way to help deal with stress. So if I’m spending a lot of time stressing about running, that seems really stupid. So I decided to drop down to the half. I sent Steve an email while in Europe and he graciously allowed me to change my race.

After we got back from Europe, I felt a lack of motivation to train. I did run several times in the week before the half marathon but not with the passion I have in the past. To be honest, there are just other things that have my attention right now. I’m thinking about grilling, camping, hiking, and traveling now.

Saturday was overcast and slightly chilly – my favorite running environment. The race took place on the Spring Water Corridor – which I’ve spent numerous hours on running and biking. I hung out with Jodi and Gina before the race. Jodi was running the full and Gina was there supporting the runners. Esther also showed up. It was great hanging out with the ladies just chatting and catching up on the latest news.

Esther and I ran together for a few minutes and then we split off. The first 6 miles went great. I felt really good. My iPod freaked out and the battery was suddenly dead. But that was okay because the birds were chirping. I was closely monitoring my pace and was hitting about a 11:20 pace. That was definitely going to help me PR this half. Mile 7 and 8 were at a 11 mile pace which made me really happy. I was chasing a group of people that had a nice consistent pace.

Then after that I really started to feel the mileage. My glutes and hips started hurting. Part of me couldn’t believe it. In less than ten months I had run four marathons and a 50k and here I was hurting at mile 9?!! But the other (larger) part of me knew this was the result of my lack of training.

I felt like I really struggled after that. Each mile was a bit slower but finally I saw the marker for one more mile. I really tried to speed up but just didn’t have a lot in me. I wish I would have had someone running with me to help motivate but at the end of the day, you have to motivate yourself and not rely on others. I ended up PR the race with a finish of 2:24:20. I really think that with a few weeks of hard dedicated training, I could run a half in 2:15. My dream is to hit a 2 hour race. Time to get on my way so I can get some stuff done so I can run a short recovery run tonight.

Cinco de Run

I celebrated the holiday by participating in a scavenger hunt hosted by FitRight NW.

Me, Andleeb, Christine, and Mary Jane

We ran around to different businesses and got tickets. We then turned in part of the ticket to qualify for the raffle. They gave away shoes, gift certificates, socks, and all sorts of awesome stuff. It was fun!

What a day!

Vernonia Marathon: Chafe – Behind the Scenes

Yesterday I ran the Vernonia Marathon. I have to say that this is my favorite race so far. The scenery was gorgeous, volunteers amazing, and I race a good race. I was the first runner to the race arriving at 6:11 am. At Hagg, we arrived with only 7 minutes until the starting gun. I didn’t want to have the same experience again. I got a chance to chat with some of the ladies in my running group: Rose and Esther after they arrived. We picked up our packets and waited to board the bus. This marathon was a point to point race. I actually didn’t know what that meant until this weekend. Lots of ladies from my PDX Running Chicks group showed up to participate.

Early group

I decided to take the early start as most of my friends were and I’m somewhat slow. We started at 8:30am rather than 9:30am. We took a forty minute bus right to the starting area which is a camp/retreat. We had a nice place to wait in until the start. It was great chatting with the ladies.

Still waiting

Finally we made our way to the starting line.I have to say that it was such a gorgeous area!

Ready, set, GO!

I decided to run with Jodi and Anna. Jodi is a very accomplished runner whom I ran Hagg Lake 50K with. Anna runs half marathons and her last marathon was several years ago so she decided she needed to run another one. Jodi has a Garmin (and I don’t) and I’m pretty horrible about maintaining a steady pace so I thought running with them would provide me a good steady pace and great conversation. Running races with other people is pretty awesome.

Me and Anna running

Around mile ten I needed to head out on my own. I was really determined to run this marathon faster than the Portland Marathon (5:45:35). My goal was 5:30. Vernonia Marathon is a pretty flat course and I knew that if I stayed focused, I could make my goal. So I had to run off on my own.

I ran pretty well until the halfway point. There you encounter a lovely hill that makes your quads scream in protest. Then you start the decent down. I let myself fly as I knew I would need the extra time at the end when I tend to really slow down. Metallica helped me through the miles and I trucked along checking my watch twice during every mile to try and stay on track.

Just before mile 19, I saw Deb who was waiting to meet up with Jodie and Anna to run the last 7 miles. She gave me a big hug and it was great to see someone I knew. I kept getting confused as to how much further I had to go. I thought I was a mile further than what I was. Which kinda sucks. At mile 21, I really, really started to feel the aching, burning, ouchyness. I knew I was working on some really bad chafe under my left arm. I walked for about twenty feet until I realized that it didn’t make me feel any better and would just prolong the amount of time I was out there. So I started running again.

After mile 22, my pace started to get slower and slower. I felt some blisters start to really hurt on both of my feet. This is about the point where I get religious. Really, really religious. I pray that my grandmother and best friend Stormy will give the energy I need to make it the last 4.2 miles. I thought about my race at Hagg Lake and how broken up I was during the last 4.2 miles. And how if I could finish that race, I could most certainly do this. During the earlier miles I passed between 7-10 people. As I got closer to the finish, only 2 of the people I passed earlier, passed me.

I was so happy to see mile marker 25. In fact, I stooped down and gave it a little peck. I saw a runner in front of me drop a glove or something. He looked so defeated when he realized he was going to have to stoop down and pick it up. He actually ran a little circle around it before leaning over to pick it up. For some reason this made me feel better.

I finally reached the junior high school where the finish line was. In order to get the last part of the race in, they had runners go around the track. One lap. I saw hurdles and for a second, thought ‘Sweet Jesus. They want me to hurdle this?’ I couldn’t hurdle on my best day. I couldn’t hurdle if I had a milk crate to jump on. You get the picture. I cannot hurdle anything taller than a dixie cup.

Miles 24-26 where done at a 15 mile per minute pace. Ouch. This made my finish time (by my watch) 5:33:26. As I limped off the track, I could feel every aching muscle and every blister. I felt the chafe burn with I can only imagine the fires of Hell feel like. One of the ORRC volunteers wanted to take my photo. She had to shout instructions like ‘lift up your arms’ and ‘smile’.

Done

They let us take showers and I have to say, it was incredibly painful. I bit my lips to keep from screaming. The chafe was bad. Really bad. Before you ask, yes I used lubricant before getting dressed. Yes, I wore the exact same outfit I wore in previous races. Not sure what happened. But I will definitely be evaluating my attire for my next race.

And here it is. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. My chafe. Part of it anyway.

Next marathon is in 3 weeks. I’m looking forward to the Eugene Marathon. Marathon number 2 in my quest to become a Marathon Maniac.

Lean, Mean Aleta Machine

So in an effort to become faster, healthier, and leaner; I’ve decided to drop a few pounds. Normally I keep these decisions to myself. I mean, c’mon. This is a blog, not a diary. I follow Christian’s blog and his post really struck a cord with me. Especially the part about training like a runner. Losing 30 pounds, running with people better than him, and swimming helped him become lighter, faster, and stronger than he’s ever been.

You see, I am slow. I do not run fast. By anyone’s standards. When I see my race photos, I don’t look like I’m running. Seriously. At best, I look like I’m walking fast. I will never be this:

But I can be better than I am now. I’ve had a nice break off after Hagg Lake. Now if I want to run a five hour marathon at Newport Marathon on June 4th. I need to be a lean, mean Aleta machine. Cut back on the junk. Run a lot. Do speedwork. Strengthen the weak muscles, Build the strong ones. And run. A lot. Swimming and spin class will help ensure that I don’t burn out or get injured. So. Here I go.

Post 50K Favorite Questions

I’ve gotten some great questions about my 50K. Here are my favorites:

1. Did you train for it?
I bit my lip pretty hard when I heard this one as it was from a woman who recently completed a marathon. Do people think you don’t train for something like this? I’m not being sassy but serious. But then again, the woman who asked the question thought she could have died running her marathon while I was very confident that I had a greater chance dying on the WAY to the 50k than during the actual race.

2. How are you still alive?
I honestly think that most people have no idea how much their own body is capable of with proper training and nutrition.

3. Are you crazy?
I don’t think so but I’m not a trained professional. This question came from my mom and makes me smile. Usually when she asks this I interpret it as “Aleta, I love you and please be careful.” Don’t worry, Mom. I am.

3. Why would you want to run that far?
To see if I could. I knew I could. But I guess I wanted to see what would happened if I was racing the distance rather than a training run.

4. How do you run that far?
Train for the race. Then on the day of the race you put one foot in front of the other until you are done.

5. Will you ever get all that mud off your shoes.
Doubtful.

6. Can you walk?
The day after the race it was slow going getting out of bed but once I got moving it didn’t hurt that bad. Yesterday was way better especially with all the stretching. Today is much, much better. I still have some soreness in my lower legs.

I was pretty sure after I finished Hagg that I wasn’t going to run for a month or so. But today I’m definitely missing being outside. But I’m going to rest up for a few more days and then ease back in.