Saturday, February 24, 2007

Rodeo Run 2007, 4Wheelin, Human Salt Blocks and Overall Fun Day!

Jesus it was HUUUUUUUUUUMID out there today, now I like it warm, but I dont like it humid as hell...but I still managed a PR thanks to Marianne, SteveB and HSteve! More on that later!

About 7:30 my phone rang and it was Marianne! She had indeed made it to register so she was running! Swung by and picked her up and we were on our way...just sprinkling rain so it looked good...We were hurrying to make it there in time to catch SteveB for his costume contest!!! As we neared Texas Ave...we were stuck in freaking traffic, and thankfully HSteve called again and told me what to do to get past it all. Little did I know that it would have us 4-wheelin over the curb, grass and a wheelchair ramp to slide into the back parking lot while everyone else was just gridlock!

Hopped the shuttle and ended up having to run before the run to make it time but we did!!! And SteveB won FIRST PLACE!!! He looked great!! Since he became an instant celebrity and was being interviewed by all the news stations, Marianne and I set off to to portapotty lines...and then finally meeting back up with SteveB; somewhere along the way we lost HSteve, but he was waiting for us near the start as we finally got close. Took forever to cross the start!

It had started raining but not too terribly bad and then it stopped. It didnt rain the whole race until we were actually leaving. I mean a sprinkle here and there but nothing to complain about.

I think we started out too fast, not sure what the first mile was because well, in the laughing so hard about the 4wheelin incident I left my Garmin in the car!

They paced me well, but I was having a bit of situation with my knee and after the first up over the Elysian my hams were crying...I didnt eat well yesterday or the day before, I hadnt slept much either...but I kept on and they kept me going when I didnt want to. You see I hadnt run this distance without intervals before. EEK!! If I had to guess I think I might have walked 4 minutes of the entire thing. Mostly during water stops. I cant be sure though. HSteve kept me at 30sec walks here and there until he left us at the start of mile 5. The headwinds the last couple of miles were brutal too especially having to come back over the Eliysian. I swear there were just too many factors today...but I still did it (PR'd) , and I am happy about that!!

I think I am more proud of that fact (the no intervals) than I am about the PR. Hard to say.


SteveB was the highlight of the run though because he had so many people cheering him on as we would pass crowds of people. And thats another thing, there were alot of people out today, throughout the course! That part was great. I am sorry but I just dont know how he ran 6.2 miles in that thing!! And still had so much fun, mostly egging me on with annoying whoops and hollers and "june's gonna PR! june's gonna PR" ... Way too funny but there were times I f'ing wanted to smack him. ;o) ;o)

I don't have an official time, but unofficially (according to Marianne's watch) I did it in 1:08:54; thats a 4 minute PR from the same race last year, and 3 minutes from the Turkey Trot. I can live with that. I picked it up at the last .2 but there were so many people in my way that it was hard to manuever that last .1 as I was trying to stay on the inside. Eh, whatever.

I didnt see many Striders, but I did see Pony at the finish and ended up running into Jessica too!! Saw John "pizza man" Yoder too as he was kicking some serious ass on the way back in. And I think we talked Jessica into joining Marianne and I at the cookoff later! Yay for girls going out!!!

Highlight for me was seeing Drew (without a shirt) in the number 2 spot bringing in it (behind Sean)...That Drew is one fine, fine male speciman. :o) There were others, but well, we'll leave it at Drew.

And you know when you REALLY just want a beer, an O'Douls will do in a pinch. At least it tasted like beer ;o) Went really well with all the salt caked all over my body by the time it was said and done. Too bad they didnt have tequila....Oh wait thats for later....Watch out cookoff here we cooooooooooooooome! The rain has stopped and the sun is already peeking out... Whoop!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Crossing the (Finish) Line in the Sand....




Its just my most favorite new running skirt...

Saturday, February 10, 2007

The Low Down On Surfside

Clute, Texas. La Quinta. Not Spanish for anything other than horrible sheets! I'm an one spoiled puppy when it comes to my sheets dammit! Ugh, we didn't sleep solid for more than an hour + at a time I don't believe...But you know, it was cheap and it was close to the race...

We headed out to scope out where we had to go in the morning so as not to get lost. Good thing. I still ended up calling both Erica and SteveB for information and finally we knew what we had to do the following morning. I don't think Surfside has enough money for street lights. Its really dark there, hard to get your bearings, but we were close enough to know what was what.
We drove 'around' Clute looking for food. We ended up at a taqueria and DAYUM GINA if the food wasn't freaking awesome. We did wonder 'hmmm, should we be eating this the night before? Eh. Sure we should!!



After getting back to the no-tell mo-tel, I needed chocolate. I walked out to the truck knowing I had a stash in my book bag. As I was in the truck I heard a wail!! JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNEEEE!!! As I rushed back in, there was Suzy, crap sprawled all over the room, with the exception of............are you ready? Shoes. Yes. Shoes.....Panic set in. We are in the middle of NOWHERE I tell you...thankfully I am one smart cookie, picked up my cell phone and called information begging for any sports related place in the vicinity of 1/2 hour or so..it was getting late. The nice dude told me there was an Academy in Lake Jackson!! Whoohoo! Lake Jackson? Thats like 5 miles from here!! So me in my pjs freezing my ass off, and Suzy take off for Lake Jackson. Shoe crisis averted...

We made it to the pavilion way too early but at least it was warm in there, they had food, but we both had had our pre-race nana's and I had a mini Clif bar as well, so we just sat around, talked to her Bay Area Fit folks and I ran into quite a few Striders that I actually knew!! Yay for Striders!!! We ended up missing the photo op at the beginning; you had to walk about 1/4 mile to the start, but whatever. And then we were off!



The first 2.5 miles were fine. Wind at our back and our first mile was 10:42 which I was shooting for 11:30's till mile 9 or 10 then I wanted to pick it up. Suzy and I ran together through mile 10 I guess, maybe just past that before I said my goodbye and went on my way. At that point I thought I had a chance at breaking 2:30 but it would not be. At the 2.5 we turned to run the opposite direction, and thats when the wind was bad. Coming at you, against you one way, and then it would switch. This went on until the 9 mile turnaround to head back. Lord oh Lord I was so happy to turn back at 9!!!


It was weird because then it felt LIKE NO WIND..where's the wind? Why isn't it PUSHING me now? Stupid wind. :o) I made up some of the time I lost on that long stretch and I was pulling in 10:50 and 11:00..but then as I said at the start of mile 13 I knew that the sub 2:30 would not be.

But you know that run, as afraid of it as I was, I felt damn good the whole freaking way and pulled out some miles that I was proud of today. At the end, I waited for Suzy to bring it on home, we took some photos and headed inside for the bbq...no beer. Seriously? Beer. People. Beer. :o)

All in all a GREAT run today for me. I am very pleased with my time and effort, and really thought I was going to come in like 15 minutes behind my PR due to the conditions. I will tell you this much...It obviously took alot more out of me than I thought. My body hurts like a muther.... Oh and can you guess who got herself a new camera?? Expect more photos from here on out! I know how some of you looooooove your pictures!

Total Distance: 13.24 Time: 2:32:11

Surf and Turf

I'm home.

Wasn't as hard as I thought, but 7 mile-ish (the longest stretch) of it was into the wind which made for some tougher times.

I didn't PR but I didn't really expect to given the sand and the wind. Garmin said 2:32:11 and 13.24 miles. I believe Suzy's Garmin was close to that as well as far as the extra distance.

Clock said 2:33 and some change. No chip timing. Wasn't happy about that but whatever. I must have missed that on the sign up, not that it would have made a difference if I chose to run or not.

I'm taking a nap then Marianne and I are out for beers. Full report later.