Zombie Runner Half Marathon

Trail race in San Francisco, June 18, 2011

What a challenging race for my first trail half marathon. I didn't see the elevation chart until a couple of days before the race. If I knew what it was going to be when I found this race a few months ago, I might not have signed up!

I drove from Aptos to San Francisco very early this morning. I ended up making pretty good time, getting there at 6:45 am. I had to sit in my car for a little bit until packet pickup opened at 7. When I got out of my car, I saw that Jen and Jenni (two other half fanatics) had just arrived too. We picked up our gear, then hung out near our cars for a bit. After a couple of photos, I went in search of a bathroom. They had just 3 porta potties for us, but it was a small race. I am glad I went early, because as I walked to the race start at 7:50, there was a huge line.

The race director gave us some instructions about looking for flags before starting the race. We headed south for a little bit, then turned around and headed back towards the Golden Gate bridge. About a mile into the race, a large group of runners merged in with us. It became hard to see who was part of the race and who was just out running. I've never had that in a race before!


Around mile 3, I was running along at a great pace and enjoying the nice flat, gravel surface, when I realized I hadn't seen a course marker for a while. Lots of people running in front of me, so I kept going toward the base of bridge. I get towards the end when I discover that it's a dead end. Lots of other racers were in the same boat as me. We started running back the way we came, figuring we missed a turn some where. As other racers came towards us, we would tell them to turn around. A lot of people who had been behind me caught up to me. :( This detour added half a mile. Bummer. Around Mile 4 we started to climb up the mountain. Steep dirt trails and steep steps. Great views though. At the top, we ran through a path right under the bridge to the other side. A bit of flat trail for a while until we encountered more steps. There was a stretch for about a mile or so that was single track (very narrow) that didn't allow passing. I got caught behind some runners here. It was frustrating not being able to get around them! It was also scary because there were parts were there were no bushes or trees on the right side of us. Just steep cliff.

I'm a little hazy on some of the descriptions at certain mile markers. We did encounter about half a mile of deep sand that we had to run through. This ended at the first aid station. I thought we would turn around here, but no. Only the 10K runners headed back. The half marathoners continued on. A climb up a hill lead us to a neighborhood. We stayed on the paved streets for a bit until we entered the Lands End part of the Coastal Trail. Many, many up and downs for the next 4 miles. Very steep climbs and downhills that I couldn't even run down because they were so steep. We turned around just before The Cliff House and then ran all the wonderful steps and hills again. :)












When I got back to the aid station near the sand. I filled up with water and grabbed a handful of M&Ms. I walked the sand portion back. Just didn't have it in my legs to run it. I ran the short, flat part, then had to walk the next mile that was all up hill. I managed to run at a good pace all the rest of the flat parts. A few people passed me on the steep down hill leading from the bridge, but I managed to catch up to the during the last mile, which was nice and flat. :)


Time: 2:41:40 for 13.6miles (extra .5 because of the wrong turn)
127 out of 156; 11 out of 16 in age group

Overall I am happy that I ran this race. The time is no where near my normal half marathon time, but as I understand it, most people are slower on trails. I would like to run another trail race one day, but I'll train for it next time! :)

3rd Annual Sammy's Run 5K

May 28th, 2011

What a great 5K this morning! It was hot and humid out, but that didn't stop me or a few other hundred runners from having a great race. This race always brings out the fastest runners from throughout the county. I started off pretty fast, but I was trying to keep Gina and Linda in sight. Soon they were both way ahead of me, so I just decided to run my own race. I finished strong and with a PR! 26:11 was the official chip time. Very happy with this. More than a minute faster than last years race and about 25 seconds faster than my last 5K PR.

Official stats: 12 out of 47 in age group.

8:27 pace per mile.

Other great news:

I am a sponsored athlete with Team MARATHON® Bar for 2011! So happy to represent this brand. Keep a look out for me at races. I should have some tasty samples for you to try. :)

Florida International Triathlon – Sprint Duathon

1 mile run/ 13 mile bike/ 5K run
May 14, 2011
Race morning started off early. I got up at 4:45 am, got dressed and had a cup of coffee while I watched a little t.v. I headed out the door at 5:45 am and got to Siesta Beach just after 6am. They had people directing cars into lanes and parking spots for this race. It made parking much easier than previous races at this location without help. I got a great spot just one row over from the bike racks. I sat in my car for about 10 minutes drinking my coffee before deciding to head over to check on my bike, get my chip and see if I could trade my shirt. So happy I could trade in the medium sized shirt they gave me at packet pickup on the day before. It was skin tight! The large is still a little snug, but much better fit. While setting up stuff next to my bike, a guy came over and started touching my bike and checking it out. I asked him if I could help him with something and he tells me that I had been missing an end cap (?) and that he was just checking that one had been placed in the handle bars. Wow! Never noticed the race officials being so official at the past races before! I then headed back to my car to finish off my coffee, eat my cliff bar and check the internet on my phone for another 20 minutes. A little after 7 am, I made a trip to the bathrooms and then sat on a bench on the beach to watch some of the triathletes start their waves. The duathlon participants were not scheduled to start until 8:05 am. I finally headed over to the waterfront were I had to wait until 8:20 to get going. We were all ready to go!
The tide was almost at high tide, so there was very little hard packed sand to run on. The run went by quick and before I knew it I was running into the transition area.
1 mile run (really only .9) - 6:28!!

I got on my bike pretty quick and got out on the road after dodging a few people who were slow getting their bikes moving. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to pass here, so I held back until we were on the main road. I was very worried about the officials DQing me for some violation! The ride always stresses me out. I worry about getting a flat tire and then missing out on the rest of the race. I saw 3 people in the first couple of miles walking their bikes back! I managed to keep up a pretty good pace on the ride. Passed a lot of people and I was also passed by a lot of people. The ride went by very fast and before I knew it I was turning into the parking lot and headed for the transition once again. I had a little trouble racking my bike, but finally managed to shove it in and then grab a drink of water, put on my visor and head out.
Transition and Bike - 47:37

I wasn’t feeling to great right off. It was HOT. I loved the little bit we had in the shade before heading on to the beach. The beach was brutal. Tide was all the way up at this point. There were many spots were we had to run to the left to run around a large area of water. Some people just ran through it, which was a straight shot down the beach. I added distance on by running around the water. The turnaround was tricky. Two people just ahead of me passed the small sign. They turned to look at it again just as I came up to it. We all stopped and looked at it again and wondered if we do turn there (the Olympic distance runners ran past the sign). We turned and headed back. There was a water station just after we turned around, so I asked to make sure we had done the right thing. They should have had a volunteer there! I struggled big time on this run. I slowed down a lot in the last mile. I did run through a couple areas of water because I didn’t want to use the energy to go around them anymore! I was so happy to see the area where we turn and start to run off the beach. At the “200 meters to finish” sign I passed 2 women and then just a few yards before the finish I passed a guy!

I stuck around for a while to see how I placed. I hadn’t been able to tell before the race who might be in the Athena category with me. I ended up placing first! If I had stayed in my regular age group, I would have taken 4th. I was 4 minutes behind the 1st woman.
Transition and 5K – 28:15 (the 5K must have been very short. I spent up to a minute in the transition and there is no way I ran this fast!)

Finish: 1:22:18
Garmin shows a total distance of 16.36 miles ( did not hit the split buttons between run/bike/run)
Total distance should have been 17.1 miles (not including running through transitions)

Clearwater Iron Girl Half Marathon

April 10, 2011

Race morning started off early. I got up at 3:45am, got some coffee and computer time in, then grabbed my race bag and purse and headed out the door to meet up with Gina and Charlotte. I picked them up near the interstate, then we headed to Clearwater. We got to the parking lot at 5:45 and saw Brenda heading to the super long line of women waiting to get on the trolley to take them to race start. I yelled "hello" out the window and then managed to snag one of the last few spots in the parking lot. We waited in line for almost an hour! Charlotte and I used the disgusting porta potties in the parking lot just in case we didn’t have time when we got to the race start. It’s a good thing I did, because we got off the bus to hear the National Anthem playing. Yikes! Gina and I speed walked toward to starting area. It was all blocked off on the sides, but Gina had the great idea to pull down one of the mesh like barriers so we could climb over and get in the starting area. 2 minutes to race start! I stretched a little and before we knew it, we were off.


I felt pretty good for the first couple of miles. I knew the big bridge was coming up quick, but was not afraid. I’ve run it at mile 12 of the Clearwater Halfathon twice. After the bridge, we ran south through a very nice neighborhood near the water. By mile 3 I was sweating like crazy and very happy that I decided to wear my belt with a couple of water bottles. I saw Gina a few times ahead of me for the next couple of miles, but then didn’t see her again until the end of the race. We had a short out and back on a side street around mile 4 that was just wrong. We ran down a small hill then had to turn around at the base and run right back up it. The next few miles consisted of beautiful big houses facing the bay and a few small rolling hills. I ate one cliff shot block at mile 4 and took 2 endurolytes at mile 6. Normally I eat 2 blocks, but with the heat, I didn't think it would sit well in my stomach.

Mile 1 – 9:12
Mile 2 – 9:34
Mile 3 – 9:13
Mile 4 – 9:41
Mile 5 – 9:53
Mile 6 – 10:03
Half way point: 1:03. I thought that even if I kept an 11 minute mile pace in the second half, I could make it in around 2:10. Nope.

By mile 7 my left periformis was showing its displeasure. I kept getting sharp pains that would strike my bum, then my leg would feel like it was about to give out. My left Psoas muscle was also acting up. I stopped around mile 8 to kneel down and stretch it out. I swallowed an advil in hopes it would help deal with the pain. When we turned the corner and headed west towards the next bridge I got a big surprise. I thought for sure that the bridge would be a drawbridge, which would have made it not much of a “hill.” Boy was I wrong! Another steep bridge greeted me. I made it up and almost to the bottom before I pulled off to the side again to stretch out my legs. While on the bridge I gazed off to the distance and noticed another bridge that I had forgotten about. I’ve run it a couple of times during the Clearwater Halfathon and knew I’d be running it again today. It was on the way to the finish! I tried to put it out of my mind, because I knew it was a steep one. At the bottom of the bridge I stopped once again to fill up my water bottles at the water station and ate one more (and last) shot block. From here on out, I started taking walking breaks often.

Mile 7 – 10:44
Mile 8 – 11:16
Mile 9 – 11:42

The last 3 miles were tough. I was feeling very hot. My feet were burning! My legs were cramping. I knew this was not going to be a finish time I would be happy about, so I decided to just finish and be proud of that fact. After each walking break, I would actually feel pretty good for a short time. I probably should have added regular walking breaks earlier. I swallowed 2 more endurolytes at mile 10(these help a lot!). Finally, just before mile 12, we came to the last bridge. I ran up about a third of it and then thought “screw it, I’ll walk it,” which is what I did. At the top I started running again. At the base of the bridge another Half Fanatic ran by saying “hi” as she passed. She motivated me to keep going. I stayed behind her for a bit, until her watch started beeping and she took a walk break. As I passed I introduced myself. She told me her name was Stephanie. Turns out she is Gina’s friend that we had tried to meet up with before the race started! The last mile went by quickly. I found some extra energy from somewhere and ran the rest of the race in strong.

Mile 10 – 10:46
Mile 11 – 11:42
Mile 12 – 12:16 (evil bridge)
Mile 13 – 9:58 (!!)
Mile .16- 1:25



I found Gina and Charlotte just past the finish line. A few minutes later, Stephanie came in. We all walked over to the food area, grabbed some grub, a table and dug in. Couldn’t eat the breakfast burrito or the muffin, but did enjoy a banana, yogurt and a bottle of Muscle Milk. We met a couple of other Half Fanatics and finally saw Brenda! The wait for the trolley was once again long. This time we were tired and standing in the sun.



Overall I am happy to have run my 28th Half Marathon. I wish my body would have held up better though. I think I could have managed the heat issues better if I didn’t also having to deal with the pain in my leg. I'll probably run this race next year. But I would either get there early or figure out a different way to get to the start. Maybe bring my bike and get a nice warm up by riding the 2.5 miles to the start. :)
Finish: 2:17:33 (official time is 2:17:30)
Age group 89/268. Overall 576/1640

Sarasota Half Marathon

March 13, 2011

Race morning started off with an hour less sleep. We had to "spring forward" our clocks before going to bed. I didn't sleep all that great and knew when I got up that I was in for a long day. Amy picked me up just before 6 am and we made our way to the race. We found a parking spot a couple of blocks away, which was great. There were a lot of cars on the road already looking for a place to park. We hit the porta potties (short lines) then looked around for friends that were running the race too. We talked with half fanatics Chester "Southernmost Walker" Kalb and Gerda Kalb for a little bit. Chester has completed an impressive list of races.

With 15 minutes to race start, Amy and I hit the porta potties again and then wormed our way through the packed group of runners in the corral. The closest I could get was to the 11 min mile pace. To slow. I had all my gear ready. Garmin, headphones plugged into my mp3, shot blocks in one pocket, Endurolytes in another. A last minute addition was my waist pack to carry water and my phone. Big mistake!

The race started just after 7am. It took about 2 minutes for me to cross the start line and then I had a lot of people to weave through to get out of the mass. Right away my waist pack was bothering me. I had worn it before with the running skirt I had on, but not with the tank I was wearing. The tank was to short, so the pack was riding up and rubbing my stomach. This was going to be a problem. As we came up to where we had parked I thought maybe I could toss the pack to the side and just hope it was there later, but my phone was to heavy in my pack skirt pocket. I took off my sweatshirt and as I ran to the side to toss it, I noticed Susan (my dentist's wife) on the sidewalk taking photos. I asked her if she would mind holding the pack for me and thankfully she said yes! So thankful to her! It would have been a miserable race if I had that thing on for 13 miles.

The next mile was a breeze. :) I ran up the bridge at a good pace and then took it easy on the downside. I didn't want to aggravate my hips. I grabbed a cup of water at the first water stop at the bottom of the bridge and then began the watch for familiar friendly faces of the runners heading back towards me on the other side of the road. At mile 3 we turned and headed back to the bridge. It was fun to see all my friends and call out to them as we ran by each other. I ended up running a bit fast during this time, but I slowed down again as we started up the bridge and into the headwind.

Mile 1: 9:43
Mile 2: 9:23
Mile 3: 9:24
Mile 4: 9:43
Mile 5: 9:52

From mile 6 to just past mile 8, we ran on one of the main north/south roads in the city. Very boring! It's also a big area for the local prostitutes to patrol. Only one Ho sighting. :) My hips and psoas muscles started to get tight during this stretch. At the next water stop they had a medical tent where I was able to get some tylenol and then was on my way again. The course moved off the main road and through a nice neighborhood near the water. The next few miles went by pretty smoothly. I slowed my pace a bit, but was still making better time that I thought I would before the race.

Mile 6: 10:10
Mile 7: 9:49
Mile 8: 10:05
Mile 9: 10:51 (stop for tylenol)
Mile 10: 10:08
Mile 11: 10:21
Mile 12: 10:11

With a half a mile to go, I noticed this woman ahead of me who I had been running near the entire race. My goal was to catch up to her. I did that by mile 12.75. I hung back a little, thinking I would pass her closer to the finish. But she slowed down, so I surged ahead. The last .1 to the finish was great. I had some speed left and turned it on. I passed a few people on my way in and passed 2 women just before we crossed the finish line. :)

Mile 13: 9:59
Mile .1: 55 seconds
Finish: 2:10:36

After finishing, I made my way back to the sidelines, so that I could look for Amy and cheer her on as she finished. She did great, breaking her previous record by over 20 minutes! We hung out for a bit after the race then headed back to the car. Luckily, both our tossed sweatshirts were waiting for us on the grassy area were we had left them earlier. Before taking off we had our photo taken with the Leprechaun from the Lucky Charms cereal. I can't believe he carried that box for the whole race!

Best shirt of the race: "Can't wait to finish... That's what she said!" :)

Beauty and the Beast Royal Family 5K

Epcot, FL February 26, 2011

This race was all about Aidan (my 7-year-old son) and keeping to a good pace for him to finish the race.

We got to the parking lot about an hour before the start. I gave Jodi( a friend from the WW marathoners group) a call so we could meet up. We hung out with Jodi and Kevin for a little bit before heading over to the start line. Aidan and I got in to the 11 to 13 minute per mile area.

Soon enough we were off! The huge crowd kept us from starting out to fast. Aidan was kinda frustrated with all the people blocking his way though. The first mile was mostly through the parking lot, but miles 2 and three were both through Epcot. We had numerous walking breaks, but they were quick and Aidan was soon ready to run again. We stopped for photos twice, when there were only a couple of people waiting. Some lines had at least 10 people in them!

When we reached mile 3, Aidan asked if he could run all out. I told him to go for it. He passed at least 20 people as his speedy little legs ran to the finish line. That was a very fun race. We have already talked about running it next year. Hopefully I'll be able to run the Princess half the next day too. :)

Aidan's finish time: 36:56
I was about 10 to 15 seconds behind him. :)

Cupid Shuffle 10K

American Red Cross Cupid Shuffle 10K, Tampa, FL
February 12, 2011

Amy and I headed out early for this race. It was a little over an hour drive up, so we left at 5:15 am. Registration opened at 6:30 am and Amy needed to register still. We got off on the correct exit and drove for a few miles but couldn't find the place where the race was being held. So we turned around and drove back to ask directions at a Circle K. Amy was told that we had to go the same direction we had been heading! We did find it and got a parking spot across from the registration area.

We got there way to early. They were still getting the registration set up even though it was after 6:30. So we hit the bathrooms in the clubhouse then came back out. I got my bib, t-shirt and goodie bag and Amy got registered. The webiste said it was chip timed, but the volunteers at the tables didn't know anything about it. We took our stuff back to the car and then settled in for a while to wait for the race. The 5K racers started at 8 am, so we got out to watch them start and cheer them on. We had one last porta potty stop and then headed to the start line. There were only about 50 people running the 10K. Most were running the shorter race. This is one of the smallest races I've ever run. It was super cold out, low 40s, so I pulled out the valentines long socks that Amy had given me that morning and put them on my arms. I was styling. :)

The race got started on time and we were off! I had no idea of my pace for the first two miles since I couldn't see my Garmin (covered by the sock). But I just went with what felt good. My legs felt a little stiff from the cold, but other than that I felt good. The entire course was on the road through the gated community and the road was brick. Not good on my legs, but I managed OK.

Mile 1: 9:07
Mile 2: 9:15

The socks came off after mile 2. It was still cool but the sun was out in force now. As we ran by the start again at the 5K, I got my first drink of water, tossed the socks onto the front of my car and carried on. The runners were very spread out now. There were only a few in my general area. One woman in a pink top passed me around mile 4. I thought she would be a good one to try and keep up with and pull ahead of. I ended up pulling past her at the water stop at mile 4.5.

Mile 3: 9:26
Mile 4: 9:39

Mile 5 and 6 were a little harder. I could feel my muscles tightening up like they have been latley. ITBand on my right leg was feeling tight too. In the last mile I did get passed by two guys and one woman, but managed to stay ahead of the pink shirt lady until the end! :D

Mile 5: 9:39
Mile 6: 9:23

Garmin time: 58:03



I can't believe I got 2nd in age group (40 to 49) with that time. That's what's good about small races I guess. :)
Congrats to Amy who got a PR for the 10K!