Recap (may be boring) & Munchkin Pics

Week Recap:
Running: 5x (1 brick run) Total: 17.7 mi (all in holy hills land, minus brick)
Swimming: 2x total: 3600 yards
Biking: 2x (1 60 min spin + 22 mi road)
Other: Nadda! NO weights, no yoga- bad alisa!

I had a good training week, not great. With moving and our anniversary, my eating went to pot this week and it showed on the scale (1lb gain UGH). I did get in 2x of running, biking and swimming-GO ME! Sadly, no long run or long swim. I have no excuse--I was just plain lazy yesterday! My bike ride on Saturday afternoon went well, 22 miles, that’s far for me. I decided a couple of things on this ride:

1) I need bike gloves, I have blisters;

2) I need sunglasses (other than my “rockstar” large frame ones- no I didn’t wear these riding, I didn’t wear any sunglasses and ended up with bugs in my eyes-YUCK);

3) I still need to work on getting comfortable on the bike (i.e. re-learning to drink and ride);

4) Bike shorts make a world of difference!

In an effort to stay positive and not berate myself for no long run/long swim, I’ll recap my big triumph for the week –my bike ride! I didn’t want to deal with the downtown riders so I opted not to start the Springwater trail at the waterfront instead I went to the Johnson’s Creek Trailhead. I’ve run from here before, it’s a little ghetto to begin with and there are quite a few stop lights/crossings but after about 6 miles, it gets really pretty. It was an absolutely gorgeous day- about 80ish and not a cloud in the sky-PERFECT! I was busy in the morning taking Mr. Pi to the airport, unpacking more of our stuff, and taking the dog for a long walk so I didn’t get out on the trail until about 2ish. Being the smart rider that I am, I texted Gazelle to let someone local know I was going out on the trail. (Note to self: Order a Road ID.) I chose Springwater because it’s flat and I didn’t want to attempt a long bike ride in holy hills land (at least not yet). My goal was to ride longer than I did a few weeks ago with Mr. Pi (i.e. longer than 14.5 miles). When I hit 8 miles, I figured I could go another 2 to make it an even 20. I must have been in a groove because before I knew it I looked down and Geoff (my Garmin, who I just learned has a bike setting) said 11.1 miles. I stopped to stretch for a minute or so (I wish I had taken pictures, it was sooooo pretty) and hopped back on the bike to ride back to the car. According to Geoff, my average pace was 12.2 MPH, I didn’t hit pause for lights/crossings, I have no idea if that’s fast or slow. I wasn’t really pushing it but I wasn’t going super easy either. My goal for this ride was to get some distance on the bike. Jen, my Tri Guru, said to train 2 x the distance of the tri. My sprint tri is 12 miles on the bike so I'm working my way toward 24+ miles. My other tri guru mentioned adding sprint intervals, I haven’t done these yet on the road but do them a lot in spin class. I have 5 more weeks to step it up on the bike overall, I was happy with my first solo longish ride.

As for runs this week, I am disappointed I didn’t do a long run. I’ve been hitting the hills hard which has slowed my average pace and also started to bother my knee a little. I’m hoping to run in flatland this week. I’m actually leaving for the Dunlap family vacation either Tuesday or Wednesday. My sister-in-law is preggers so the trip was moved closer to her home and hospital. I’ll be heading out to the mountains of Utah to a Chateau by a lake- sounds peaceful and hopefully, perfect for training (no, I'm not Mormon). I’d like to get in a couple of open water swims. Utah is at altitude so while I may find some flat stretches there may be the challenge of running at altitude. Since I’m driving out, I’m hoping my bike (it needs a name, suggestions are welcome) will fit in the car. I decided to change up my goals for the week a bit since I’ll be out of my normal routine and hopefully with a little more time to train. I will be spending lots of quality family time so this may be a little ambitious.

1) 2 long runs (9 + miles); 1 tempo; 1 brick (15-20 min) = 4 runs
2) 1 long bike (22 + miles); 1 interval bike; 1 medium “get comfortable ride” = 3 bikes
3) 2-3 open water swims (20-60 minutes)
4) Non weight circuit (i.e. pushups, abs, squats, lunges) = at least once!
5) Couch to 5k (One of my sister-in-laws, not the pregnant one, is thinking about starting this plan. I’m super excited that someone in the fam, other than Mr. Pi, is thinking about running. The plan starts with a walk/run, which she can totally do! I’m so excited to head out with her—YAY!)

Probably a bit ambitious but I didn’t get the nickname AO (ambitious one) for nothing, right?!?!

Since my munchkin picture on Friday was such a hit here are a few more:

Posing in her new collar, same car ride with all the boxes!

After her long walk to the dog park and back on Saturday.

Cuddling on Sunday morning, awwww!

Photo Friday

Been too long since my little munchkin made an appearance on the blog. Here she is riding in the back with a bunch of boxes--yes, we are still moving crap! Isn't she the cutest doggie ever?!?!?!

Keepin' it short and sweet today. Workout recap sometime next week. Let's just say Week 3 of "rogue" has been kick ass. Continuing a "green" commute today and running home from work. (Cheated this morning, slept in and Mr. Pi dropped me off.)

News

It's official, I finally picked one! I took the plunge and I'm officially registered for:

I'll be trying a Tri in 5 weeks! Along with this girl and these girls. Since it's an all-women's event, I'm hoping Mr. S Pi will be there to be our cheerleader.

I'm excited but quite honestly, pretty scared! I know I can do all three legs of the thing but all together that's another story. I've touted my love for the pool and have been putting in some yardage in the pool, definitely need to ramp up my speed sets in the pool again. I've done marathons so I think I can handle the 5k, though, I haven't done a 5k in 2 years and I'm not a fast runner. The leg I'm most freaked out by is the BIKE! I love spinning but I also know I'm not going to fall off the spin bike (or hopefully not). I'm not all that comfortable on the bike out on the road, need to work on that! Especially getting used to having other people right next to me.

In the next 5 weeks I'm going to swim, bike and run my little heart out (doing whatever I want on any given day, I'm not abandoning going rogue). I'm also going to learn all I can from the Tri blogs I've recently found and from my good friend and Tri GURU Jen!

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In other news, Mr. S Pi and I had a great anniversary dinner last night at this little Italian restaurant next to our new place. It only took one Holy Hill to get there =). We also continued our tradition of opening a bottle of our wedding wine. It has aged nicely and was DELICIOUS! Sadly, we didn't take any photos!

Going rogue is still going well. I've gotten a couple of great workouts in this week already. I was planning to spin/run this morning but decided to sleep in after our celebratory night.

Happy Hump Day peeps!

A night to remember

June 23, 2007 Mr. Speedy Pi and I were hitched at Young's Winery in California!

Two wonderful years have gone by and we've been on many, many, many fun adventures together! Last year I posted a list of some of our "top 5 lists" a la High Fidelity-style. I also posted a few pictures. Unfortunately, my laptop crashed and I don't have too many other pictures saved on this computer but here are a few.

And a few from our wonderful honeymoon in BoraBora.

Memorable moments from our second year of marriage:
::Running 2 more marathons, including a return to San Diego

::Getting ZOEY!

::Becoming a houseful of Masters (Mr. Speedy Pi just earned his Masters degree two weeks ago)

::Moving for the 5th time together

::Several small trips together to Cali or around Ore

I am so lucky to have such a supportive husband! He's there for me at every finish line (and we all know he sometimes has to wait HOURS) and there for me on a daily basis. I'm so proud of him and all he's accomplished. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in life. Here's to many more years of fun adventures for Mr. & Mrs. Speedy Pi!

It's not easy being green...

Actually, it is! But I'll get into that in a minute. First a recap of last week.

It was a really busy one so my workouts did suffer. I started off Week 2 of Going Rogue with a couple of kick ass workouts.

Monday- Rest day

Tuesday- Swim/Run (swim 1750 yards/run 2 miles)

Wednesday- Brick + Weights (1 hour spin, 15 min run/1.48 mi/30 min weights)

Thursday- Run (3.5 miles, on Terwilliger, i.e. HILLS)

Friday- Rest

Saturday- Moving (does this count as weights and a stair workout?)

Sunday- More Moving! (same Q)

My overall totals aren't great. I didn't get in a long swim, bike or run. I didn't hit my 2 of each but Saturday and Sunday I did do a lot of sweating and lifting. (I have the sore arms from boxes and legs from all the stairs to prove it.)

Operative Svelte: I was on target all week, this weekend was a bit rough and I didn't log anything Saturday. (Which included some wine and a lot of chips at Amy's awesome Summer party. Amy, your guac was freakin' fantastic!) Wednesday we'll find out how I did.

As I mentioned, we moved this weekend. I LOVE our new place. Well, maybe not the place itself (it has bitchin' 70's wood paneling) but the location! I have deemed the new area as Holy Hills land for two reasons:

1) There are a crapton of churches around!

2) There are also a crapton of HILLS! (SF I am going to rock u on 7/26.)

The best part of the place is its proximity to my work. It's about 3.5 miles which means, I have options for commuting. Today, I tried my hand at a "green" commute. I ran to work! Actually, since I didn't get in a long run yesterday, I ran past work to make it a little longer and will be running home too. Last week was a little soggy, as Oregon "summers" can be poor Jen got stuck out in the rain a lot last week, but this morning I woke up to a gloriously sunny morning. I'm kicking myself I didn't take pictures of my commute! (I took one and have a few from the good ol internet.) It's about a mile to Terwilliger, which is a really nice (hilly) parkway with a large running/walking path on one side. To get to the hilly pathway I had to run up a HUGE hill (I took the photo below). Can you say perfect hill for hill-repeats?

Once on T (i.e. Terwilliger), it's about 2.5 miles of hills to work. I tried to keep a 10:00 or less on the downhill portions and a 12:30 or less on the uphills. I mostly succeeded.

(Stolen from the internet)

I was feeling so strong as I passed my turn to work and continued down the hill, knowing I'd have a hard mile on the way back. I went down to the track at the bottom of the hill, decided against adding a few laps there and turned around to head back UP the hill I just ran down. (Maybe in a few weeks, I'll want to add a few track laps but today was all about making sure I could do the run.)

(Stolen from the internet)

On the way up I blasted the new Black Eyed Peas album (which I LOVE, download it peeps, it's fantastic)! I did have to take one break on the way back up but overall I ended the 5 miles in 1:01. GO ME, I wonder what the mile splits were, I'd imagine the downhills were rockin' but the uphills need some work! I made it to my office (where I stashed my work clothes last night) and was all ready for work by 7:45 am.

(Stolen from the internet)

I think on the way home, I'll probably just run straight home without adding extra mileage, which will bring my daily total to 8.5 miles. I haven't done a double run day in a long time! Never done a hilly double day.

I'm hoping to get in my 2-3 runs, bikes and swims this week. It's another busy week but I'm hopeful! Now that my commute is so short I think it'll be easier to fit in the workouts in the morning.

I'm hoping one of the other PBRs (apparently we've changed our names to Portland Bloggers and Runners) will have photos of Amy's party sometime this week.

Happy Monday! Tomorrow I should have a special post, stay tuned!

Bathroom Saga con't...

Awhile back I made a comment about how weird the bathroom is at my work. I thought in an effort to not talk about my awesome "rogueness" I'd continue my bathroom rant.

In addition to the ultra crunchy granola ladies who won’t turn on the damn lights, there is also a random urinal near the back of the restroom and a weird trough looking thing under the window. Why are their urinals in a women’s bathroom? (Yes, I am in the right bathroom, there isn't a men's restroom in that hall.) Also, the toilet paper sometimes only lets one square off the roll at a time. I don’t need a whole lot but really, one square??!!! I secretly think the crunchy granola lights-off ladies also rigged the toilet paper to conserve paper products.

Speaking of conserving paper products, someone left a sticky note on the paper towel dispenser asking to: “please use one sheet only.” I’m fine with one sheet IF it was quality paper towels. This stuff is el cheapo and super NON-absorbent! Sorry ladies but I’m using two sheets.

Lastly, the soap. It’s foaming soap, which I enjoy. It's also in an automatic dispenser so no pump is required BUT it smells like a hospital. It’s that very strong smelling antibacterial stuff. I do technically work for a hospital but I don’t work IN the hospital. Is it too much to ask for non-doctor’s office smelling soap? Rant end.

In true, Marcy-style (so sad she is retired) I'm now going to post some photos of weird bathrooms. The 4th one isn't so much as weird in a gross way, just weird in a layout sort of way. (These count as photos right Kristin?)



(P.S. Yes, I have looked for another bathroom solution. Unfortunately, the others are even further away and when you’re drinking 2-3 Nalgene bottles of water a day you want the shortest path to the bathroom.)

Still going rogue

AND...LOVING IT!

I finished week 1 of operation svelte and "going rogue."

Totals:
3 runs (3 mi, 5 mi hills, 10 mi long run) + 1 brick run (1 mile) = 19 miles
2 bike (1 hour spin, 1 road ride 14.5 miles) = ?? miles (anyone know how many miles you ride in a spin class?)
1 swim (200 wup, Emily's SKIPS x 2) = 2200 yards
2 weights (30 minutes from Mr. Speedy Pi's Pfitz book + pushups and abs, 40 minutes at the gym, mostly free weights some machines)

I think "rogue" is agreeing with me. I did only manage 1 swim, which is lame b/c I love it! This week starts week 2 of rogue/svelte. Mr. Speedy Pi and I are likely moving on Saturday so I may not get in the long weekend workouts this time but am still hoping for:

2-3 run, bike, swim (1 long of each)
1 strength session (already have this planned with Gazelle for Wednesday...yes, I did plan something!)

Speaking of long weekend workouts. Gazelle and I did an awesome workout yesterday. We swam (I did 2200 yards) then we went out for a 10 mile run. I guess I should caveat the run since we did do some (lots) of walking but we still covered 10 miles! (Note to self: Eat breakfast before embarking on a double workout, bring more than 2 bottles on the fuel belt since you know you'll get sucked into going whatever distance your friends are going and bring two Gu's so you're not so hungry at the end you want to eat your arm.)

Saturday, Mr. Speedy Pi and I went to the Banks-Vernonia trail and rode our bikes. This was the first time in a LONG time that I've been on my bike. I didn't really have a goal for this ride, just to get comfortable on the bike again. I didn't figure out how to set Garmin for a bike until we were almost done. We did stop a few times but overall I felt good, especially since the first 7ish miles were uphill (not a huge grade but still uphill). This also means the last half was downhill. I'm not a huge fan of going fast so I really tired to make myself be comfortable with the downhill and not ride the breaks the whole way. By the end of the ride, I felt like I could keep going but also felt accomplished that on my first ride I completed a longer distance than a Sprint Tri.

Operation Svelte is also going well. I only went over my calories (according to DailyPlate) once this week, I splurged a little on Friday. I weigh-in Wednesday to see how the first week and a half went.

Here's to another week of rogue/svelteness!

I'm in the mood to...

kick a little ass! (Who can tell me what movie that is from?)

More like get my ass handed to me. It's been quite the workout week. Going "rogue" is agreeing with me. Monday I did a quick 3 mi run (went out a little fast 9 something but slowed it down and finished strong). After the run I proceeded to do 30 minutes of weights which included a GAZILLION (read- 50ish) walking lunges with hand weights. I was sore for two days! Note to self: continue doing these!

Tuesday I took a rest day. After work I went searching for a new apt. Mr. S Pi and I are looking to relocate. I spent a couple of hours driving around looking for places and found a couple of good options. I don't want to jinx it but we put in an application at one place and are hoping to be accepted there. It's not the best looking apartment (read- built in the '70s vs our current new diggs) BUT it's less than 10 minutes to my work, the neighborhood is cute and there is a dog park within walking distance for Zoey! Another fact about the neighborhood is it's HOLY HILLS land! I won't be able to go anywhere, including out of the complex, without climbing a hill. More to come on this if we're accepted.

Wednesday I had high hopes for doing a triple threat workout bike, run and swim. I met Jen for spin and we did a brick run right after. I got my very first leg cramp on this run. She said it's totally normal for that to happen when going from the bike to running. (60 minute Spinning + 10 minutes/1.01 mi run...going to start uping the run by a couple of min each week.) After the run I wasn't feeling a swim so I opted to do weights instead. Jen joined me through the upper body workout and I did leg weights on my own. (I'm not sure why I opted to do weights over a swim. I love to swim and I consider myself a pretty strong swimmer. Not sure what my deal is lately with swimming. Maybe I'm trying not to fall into the trap of always doing the exercise I'm the strongest at?) Again, postworkout there was lot-o-soreness...must continue to work on weight training.

Thursday was busy. The morning was pretty busy at work and in the afternoon I got to see my wonderful hubby Mr. Speedy Pi defend his Masters thesis. He did great and is officially a Master. We're a Masterful family =). After work I hit Terwilliger, otherwise known as my running nemesis (remember this post & this post)! Terwilliger is a beautiful parkway in Portland, offering gorgeous views of the city and Mt. Hood (on a non-cloudy day). It is also home to GIANT hills (giant, for me at least). My goal was to get in 5 miles under an hour (so under 12 min pace). Gazelle once told me that the secret to hills is to just keep moving, she also mentioned that she counts steps as a mind game. I did both of these things and really tried to enjoy the views and the 70 degree weather. I finished 5 in 58:xx. The worst part of the whole run, hill-wise, was the last .4 to get from the main road back to my office. (If we are accepted at the new apt place I may consider running home from work once a week. I've definitely been thinking about bike commuting at least once a week. It's approx. 3.5 miles of hills.)

Friday...that's today! Zoey, our little pup, got sick last night after eating some of Mr. Speedy Pi's white chocolate cookies. He was out celebrating his triumphant grad school finish with friends and I was up with the dog much of the night. Needless to say this morning was not the morning to try for an AM workout. I'm going to try to force myself to hit the pool after work tonight so I can officially say I'm on track to having a successful first week of "rogue."

Saturday and Sunday--I have a longish bike ride planned with Mr. S Pi, a long run of 8-10 miles and a long swim. Keeping with my "rogue" format not sure when these will happen I just know that they will get done.

Recap week 1 of"rogue" and Operation Svelte:

Operation Svelte. I've been diligently using TheDailyPlate and so far the net calories have always been lower than my recommended calorie intake for the day. I don't weigh myself until next Wednesday. I'm really trying to pay attention to the calorie breakdown too (i.e. fat, carbs, protein, fiber).

Rogue. Goal: 2-3 Run, Bike & Swim + one strength & one LONG of each R, B,S. On track to meet run and bike goals. Already did 2 strength workouts--goal met! Swimming is lacking but should be back on track after tonight.

Good luck to locals Jen, Zach, Emily, PDX Chicks and Backpacker on your Tri at Blue Lake this weekend!

P.S. Here's another reason why the blogging community is so fantastic. XCountry2 emailed me the photo below.

Thanks chica, now I have a finish line picture with the correct clock time!!!

Operation Svelte & Going Rogue

It’s been over a week since the SD marathon. Here is a quick re-cap of my crazy week. I worked two 14 hour days last week then we headed back down to CA for a wedding. I ran a pathetic 30 minute run on Friday morning before the wedding, it felt good but my legs still felt a bit heavy. Mr. Speedy Pi and I spent Saturday driving all over NorCal to see family. Sunday was the dreaded 10 hour drive back. Got home Sunday around 4:30, I went to the grocery store and started laundry. After making lunch for both Mr. S Pi and I, around 7pm, I sat down on the couch and watched 2 hours of old, circa 1994, 90210 reruns. Since I’ve been a bit sleep deprived lately I was in bed by 9:15 and had one of the best sleeps I’ve had in ages.

Today marks the start of phase 1-Operation Svelte* and going rogue. Now that marathon training is over and I won’t be running 20 miles on the weekends, I need to re-evaluate my eating habits. I’m 100% committed to using TheDailyPlate.com for the next 7 weeks and getting back to the “moderation diet” (i.e. instead of a huge bowl, or two, of ice cream, ½ cup- which is recommended serving size in case you were wondering). “Going rogue” refers to my new training plan _____. That’s right, blank! For the first time in over a year I’m going sans a specific plan. This isn’t to say I don’t have goals for each week; I just don’t want everything planned out. I’m type-A so we’ll see how long this lasts but it sounds great (in theory).

My weekly goals are:
1. Run, Bike & Swim 2-3 times per week
2. One LONG run, bike & swim per week
3. One strength session per week

As you may have noticed, running/biking/swimming make up a triathlon. I have a WHOLE bunch on my buckeye calendar and sidebar. Obviously, I won’t be doing all of them! I haven’t picked one quite yet but my goal would be to complete one Sprint distance and one Olympic distance before the summer is over. I know I can complete the Sprint distance and the only thing of the Olympic distance that makes me nervous is the bike portion (24 miles seems far…but if I've run 26.2 I can bike 24.8 right?). With some training I’m hoping to gain confidence on the bike.

For the next 7 weeks (which is also the duration of phase 1: Operation Svelte*), I may add a 4th run to the weekly schedule since I’m running the 1st Half of the SF Marathon. I’m very excited! I’ll get to see the ROHO’s, RoadBunner, Audrey and Chic Runner! The plan is to line up with Julianne who is pacing the 4:45 marathon group. If I can hang through all the SF hills, I’ll end with a new ½ PR. (I’m hoping the lovely Gazelle will be willing to do some hill training with me since we all know she *hearts* hills.)

Despite being tired from the weekend, I’m jazzed to run tonight and hop on the ____ plan! (If I call it the "Rogue plan" that kinda contradicts me describing “going rogue” as sans plan, doesn’t it?)

*Phase 1: Operation Svelte = Getting eating habits under control and hopefully dropping a few (5-10) lbs.

Race Photos

I never like race photos of myself, these are really no exception. At least this time I don't totally look like I want to die. My "bunny arms" as Mr. Speedy Pi (thanks TFH for the new name, I think he likes it) calls them are out in full force. The one great thing about these shots is--my outfit! It rocked! I posted some shots of Mr.S Pi too, in one of them he even looks like he's struggling, guess even the fast peeps have rough patches. Enjoy!

This is near the start line. He's lookin' strong!

Still looking strong! I think this is still in the beginning miles. He's doing the Rocky fist pump!

Mile 21. I posed for the camera but I guess they didn't get that shot. Can you see me, I'm the bright one?!

This is the same location, mile 21. At least I mustered a smile!

Here's Mr. S Pi at the same spot, mile 21. No smile from him.

In the home stretch. Look my feet ARE off the ground!
This is my WTF, where is the finish line, face.
Mr. S Pi raises his fist in victory as he busted out another awesome PR!
Here's me, feet off the ground, arms in the air...I'm DONE!
(P.S. It annoys me that the clock time is different than my actual time...also bothers me that the clock is in my picture and NOT in Mr. S Pi's, the person actually jazzed about their performance!)

Race Report: San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon 2009

Marathon #3 is under my belt. As always with race reports this is going to be a long post. However, I'll cut to the chase on results early so some of you can skip to the fun pictures. I did PR however, I did not hit sub-5 or sub-5:30. Official results say: 5:49:04, PR by 7 minutes from Arizona and a 12 minute course PR over San Diego 2008. In 365 days, I completed 3 marathons, each time with a new PR, I'm pretty proud of that!

Friday morning Mr. Pi and I headed out bright and early. We arrived in SD, not to sunshine but to clouds and humidity. Portland was actually having nicer weather (go figure). We hit the expo to pick up our race numbers and basically walked around the city all day. Friday night we met up with one of Mr. Pi's college friends and one of my college friends, who both live in SD; it was a fun evening out.

Saturday we slept in, trying to get as much sleep as possible! Mr. Pi went for a quick 4 mile jog while I waited for miss Chic Runner to arrive from the OC. She texted around 9:00am and I met her in the lobby. It was friends at first sight. She's an AMAZING chica! From there we headed to breakfast at the best little pancake and omelet joint in SD, Richard Walkers Pancake House. GO THERE! Only down side is there is usually a line.

After brunch, we went to the expo so Miss ChicRunner could pick up her race packet and see some of the expo before our blogger meetup. Before we knew it, it was meetup time. I've been fortunate to meet two of the ROHOs before but it was awesome to finally meet Maritza, Tara and Kristin! I also got to meet Amanda, Maddy and the 4 Feet Running Crew, Nik and Dan!

It was crazy to have so many of my "online" friends in one place! Mr. Pi, Maddy, Nik, Dan and I spent some time chatting after the larger group had dispersed. Maddy and I have been scheming a plan to run together for over a month! It was great to finally meet her! Meeting Nik and Dan was amazing. Mr. Pi and I have been listening to their podcast since they started it, in fact, it was the first podcast I ever listened to. Meeting them was like meeting a celebrity! They are just as fun as they sound on their show.

Saturday evening, we spent out with Mr. Pi's college friend and his little sister (who I went to college with). His sister was in town from DC, trying for a BQ. (Just to end the suspense, she BQ'd with time to spare, she even beat Mr. Pi!!) We went out in search of pasta but ended up with pizza. Eh, it's carbs right? I headed back to the hotel early so I could braid ChicRunner's hair and get settled. I hadn't seen much of my best friend Kristen and her hubby so I was hoping to see them back at the hotel too. Saturday night I got about the normal amount of sleep, in and out, up to pee twice. All in all, not to shabby for the day before a marathon!

Sunday morning, my iPhone woke us up bright and early 4:05 am! I started the coffee pot and the routine of bodygliding every possible point of friction. By 5:00am we were off to the start line. Here is Kristen, Danica and I with the "lucky banana" waiting in the port-o-potty line. Where we ran into the ROHOs! Couldn't believe it, out of all the thousands of people there we saw them. It was great to get good luck hugs from them.

Mr. Pi and I in a "before" shot!

After dropping off our check bags we headed off to our respective corrals. I was meeting Maddy at the number 14 sign. I didn't see her but I did see Nik and Dan! Soon after Maddy arrived and my nerves kicked in. It was humid and drizzly, not my fave weather. But I wanted that PR! The gun went off and so did we. Maddy and I's plan was run a mile/walk .05. I stayed with her until about the 10k mark and decided it was not going to be a sub-5 day for me. In fact, I was so sweaty, hot and queasy I contemplated a DNF around mile 7. Then I saw Dan and decided, nope, I'm going to PR today!

I struggled through miles 6-9 trying to run at an 11:00/11:20 pace with minimal walk breaks. I was just so dang thirsty and sweaty! Everyone complains about the freeway section of the race, I personally didn't mind it. Once I crested the top of the freeway hill, I decided to let my legs go. The downhill freeway section clocked in at 10:01 pace. I didn't even care that I was going too fast to sustain. I was getting my groove back.

I hit the half marathon split on pace for a 5:30 finish. I was a little re-charged but knew I had a long way to go. I tried to Gu at mile 16 but could only choke down about 1/2 of one. My stomach wasn't feeling so great, I was again really HOT and queasy. I love the heat, I do, I never complain about being hot. It was the humidity that killed me. Last year, the weather was sunny but not humid, I'd take that any day!

By mile 17 I was ready to be done and had thrown in the towel on sub-5:30, I was just going for a PR. I had forgotten about all the "little" hills in this race. Each one seemed to get a little tougher. Around mile 18, I got a boost. My good friend from college who lives in PB was waiting on the corner. I saw her and my face lite up, my pace quickened and I re-gained some of my confidence. She and her friend had jamba juices and kindly let me have a swig. It definitely put a little pep in my step!

A little further down the road I saw the RunningSkirts otter pop stop. I happily took one, it was soooooo good. I even made their facebook page. Here's the shot from their photographer.

Miles 20-26.2 were hard, as they usually are. I did break down and cry (which I totally expected) at 24ish. I called JM! She was such a boost. She kept telling me that I was almost there, which I was! I hung up with her when I saw the mile 25 sign. 1.2 miles, I knew I could do it, the end was in sight! When I entered the MCRD, I was overwhelmed with emotion especially when I saw that we were on Dunlap Street! My legs were tired, I was tired but I kept chugging along. I saw the ROHOs on their way back to their hotel. It was nice to get a cheer. I knew Mr. Pi was going to be waiting for me somewhere, my eyes were peeled. I saw him and ran over for a pre-finish kiss! I turned on whatever I had left and finished, hands in the air, with a new PR.

My best friend Kristen and her husband were also waiting for me. I totally lost it and started balling. Really, for no reason other than I was so happy to be done and to see her at the finish. I weaved through the finish area, I didn't even stop to have my photo taken. I just wanted my Mr. Pi hug! And it was amazing! My husband is amazing! He finished with a new PR of 3:25:XX (which as Dan pointed out was only minutes behind Dean Karnazes...no matter that Dean ran down from LA before starting the marathon). I am so proud of him and so lucky to have him be patient enough to wait over 2 hours for me. Thanks honey! Here we are in the "after" shot. Mr. Pi's eyes are close but it's still a cute photo.

Here is the whole crew, Mr. K, Kristen, me and Mr. Pi. All smiling after 26.2! I am so proud of Kristen. She and I have been best friends since elementary school and it was amazing for me to be there for her first marathon! Way to go Kristen!

Sunday night Mr. Pi and I had dinner with Maddy, Nik and Dan. It was a great way to spend our last night in SD. I hope I make it out to Florida for a Disney race with Maddy sometime and next summer we'll be on the east coast and maybe we can squeeze in a run with Nik and Dan.

Post race reflections: I am really proud of myself for pushing through a tough race and finishing with a new PR! 26.2 miles is a long way. I think my body is ready for a rest period, I've been in marathon training mode for over a year now. 3 marathons in 365 days is small peanuts for some but for me it was a HUGE accomplishment. I'm ready to do some cross training and maybe try a TRI. I wouldn't say my marathon career is over but I'm not even going to think about it for at least 6-9 months. I'd like to set a new 5k and 1/2 PR in 2009 (I haven't run a 5k since '07). I'd also like to try out the 10k distance. I'm all about having fun and working on improving my speed at shorter distances before I tackle another marathon.

I want to give a BIG shout out to everyone that cheered me on through twitter, this blog, email or text. Special thanks to JM for helping me through that rough patch. Uber special thanks to Mr. Pi for always being my biggest cheerleader and inspiring me to keep running.