It's my parents' fault...

L--of course I will enjoy the California sunshine and the fermented fruit juice! But perhaps some family history will provide perspective on my urge to strive for excellence.

I can remember my Dad at the dinner table pronouncing, "I win!" gleefully, after he finished every evening meal before my mother, brother and I. I could never beat him.

When I was about 4, my mother and I were sitting on her bed looking through the childhood treasures which she kept in a cigar box. Among the saved items was a blue ribbon which she won as a girl at a County fair race in her native Selby, South Dakota. I was intrigued by that prize and asked to have it, but she said I would have to earn my own some day. Bummer! That set the stage for my competitive running career. Out of 200 plus races, there are fewer than a dozen times when I've gone home empty handed. If you aren't the winner, then you're first loser, and who likes that???

Stopping to drink the roses

I got off work early today (we always close at 3pm the day before a holiday) and took advantage of this to go for a run on the national mall. I hadn't been running outside here in DC for a couple of really cold months, but we're having an unseasonably warm spell. That combined with the days getting a little longer, and I was able to once again get down to the Washington monument in time for the sunset (and yes, this means that even though I got home at 4 I still didn't get my butt out the door until 6:00, and in fact it was seeing mom's post about winning every race ever that made me put on my running shoes and head out the door). Anyway, it really is spectacular to see the sun set behind the Lincoln memorial and mirrored in the reflecting pool and see the planes take off from Reagan once I get down there. The run back (especially on a Friday) is the leg that the view has to make up for: dodging people and breathing in secondhand cigarette smoke and smog, etc.

I'm trying to slowly build my mileage throughout February and March so that I can start a training program in April for the 1/2 marathon. And hopefully I'll have the Bridge Run and a 5k in Baltimore in between for some short-term goals.

I've noticed a trend...My mom's posts are all about win, win, win, go, go, go, and "training schedules," and discipline, whereas mine are always more about the visceral experience of running. I'm hoping she can stop to smell the roses (er, drink the wine?) a little in California and just enjoy it. You will mom, right?

Sold Out!

Just checked the Napa/Sonoma website and they reached their cap on the half marathon registration on Jan 28th. So it sounds like it is a popular race that will keep its unique character and not get overrun.

My Charlie Post 5K finish time was 24:46, exactly the same as the Resolution Run, with an excuse for not improving being that it was not a goal race and I "trained through" it. I was pleased to win the Grandmaster trophy, a cute little replica of the Sullivan's Island lighthouse, my 5th at this race. Owing to the natural physiologic slowing that occurs with age, most big races have a masters (fastest over 40 years of age) and grandmasters (over 50) winner for both males and females. Some really progressive races add a senior master category for those racers over 60. I'm waaayyy over 60. I got the GM award because a speedy 50 year old lady beat all the over 40 ladies, giving her the Masters award.

I am looking forward to the next race, an 8K (5 miler) weekend after next!

Training in the cold

Generally, I prefer cold weather running over hot, but the cold and dark of mostly night time training is killing my motivation. Having laid a decent mileage base, I am just starting the speedwork phase of my schedule which means back to the track on Tuesday nights. Maybe that will perk me up a bit. The track workouts mostly entail trying to avoid getting trampled by the much younger guys who show up to do the same thing, only faster. Much faster.

This month's Running Times has a page devoted to the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon which is what L and I are training for this summer. It is a HILLY course, worrisome when you hail from the Low Country. I sense some painful hill work in the future.

I have another 5K race coming up at the end of this month, so it will be good to see if I can trim a few seconds off my finish time. Keep plugging away on the treadmill, Laurel, stay warm and get fit!

Winners all!

Mom, Steph, and Me with our handmade plaques. While Steph and I were significantly slower than the Nance, we still posted a respectable time in the Resolution Run, especially for not having trained for a 5k, and, in my case, not having run much at all. (What was our time, Steph, just under 27:00?) Since other women our age are actually really fast and won the overall awards, Steph and I placed in our agegroup. The lesson here? Mediocrity pays off.

...
On that note, I haven't done so well keeping up with my running since I've been back in DC. I blame the weather (11 degrees on my walk to work yesterday, and that's not counting windchill) and the excitement over the inauguration.

Mom got me a subscription to Runner's World AND Running Times for Christmas, so hopefully that will inspire me to get going in the new year. I saw some people running outside from my 7th story view while on the treadmill at the Y, and they looked very, very cold. Nonetheless, they made me feel very very wimpy.

One final note: I have got to get around to calibrating my nike+ iPod thingamajigger. While it's nice to think that I'm running 8:30 miles on my easy runs and covering twice as much ground as the treadmill tells me I am, I shouldn't live under that delusion for too long.

The New Year

Laurel and I and her friend Stephanie and Steph's Dad, Chris, all did the 5K run at Hampton Park on the Saturday following New Year's. Running conditions were perfect, and the venue of Hampton Park, Citadel grounds and Joe Riley Stadium was flat and scenic. I ran a 24:46 which, although not stellar, was a good effort for the first race of the year and good enough to win my age group. There were awards all around, actually, as L and Steph took 3rd and 2nd in their age group and Chris ran off with 2nd in his. We won discount coupons at a sporting goods store and I also won two passes to an upcoming antiques show. The latter will be given away to a friend who has an appreciation for that stuff. The wooden plaques we won were a bit makeshift--no, make that cheesy--I'm hoping Laurel can post the picture of the two of us displaying them. They fed us red rice, beans and collard greens, a traditional Southern meal. While a nice touch, its appeal still mystifies me after all these years of living here, however.

Training secrets

Dammit L, quit divulging my training secrets!! This is all supposed to seem effortless, and um, easy. Let's preserve the illusion at least!

(The wires go through the holes, Sweetie, with the Ipod in the pocket.....)

....just kidding, I love you! Mom