Finding Your Mojo

I have spent a couple of months looking for my running mojo.  I've been feeling a little lost with my running.  I've still enjoyed it, but I've been feeling off.  I was starting to wonder where my love for running had run off to.  Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed running, I just wasn't wanting to run as often as before, I wasn't really into the training for Goofy.  In a word, I was struggling.  I was starting to wonder if Goofy was really a good idea.

But, in the past couple weeks I have slowly been starting to love every single run again.  I have been loving lacing up my shoes and getting out there (part of that might be that I got some sweet new shoes - Saucony Kinvara 2's, they are so fun).  I feel like I've gotten my running mojo back.  How did this happen?  I don't know I just kept going out and running, no music, allowing myself to feel the run.  If I didn't feel like it, I didn't run, I didn't force it.  I want to enjoy it.  If I'm not enjoying it, why continue doing it?

So, I kept running.  Then I went to the track a couple of weeks ago for my first ever Yasso 800s.  And, I had fun. I did a short run in my neighborhood and enjoyed myself.  Then I did a long run, and really enjoyed it.  I had three runs in one week that I loved.  The next week I went to the track again, and enjoyed it, a lot.  Then I went to hill repeats, and actually enjoyed that too! (I usually despise hill repeats.)  Then I felt awful on Saturday morning and skipped my long run.  And, I missed it.  I was really sad that I didn't get in my long run.

I went for a short run in the neighborhood with my roommate on Monday and ran the first mile fast.  Much faster than I normally do.  My roommate runs faster than me, so I was essentially chasing her.  That first mile was under 9:30.  Holy cow! How did that happen? I was tired, but I managed to sustain my normal 10:30 pace for the next two miles.  Awesome.  So, maybe I can run faster than I thought I could.  (I got a tweet the next day, after posting my mile time from Heather, saying the most encouraging thing, and it's been in my head all week, it's going to be my new mantra: "You totally have The Fast in you.... Let it come out and play!"  Awesome mantra, right?)

Then on Tuesday I went to the track and did Yasso's again.  I ran them faster than I had the previous couple of weeks because I realized that the pace I had been running them at was conversational, so not fast enough.  I took them from 5:00/800 to 4:40/800.  I rocked them.  I was tired, but I was killing them.  I actually ran one in closer to 4:30.  Holy moly!  And, it was fun. 

Then, disaster.  I felt the pain coming on during the third one, and by the fifth it was unbearable.  I had an awful pain in my shins.  I could've kept running, but probably not at that pace.  I decided with Long Beach just a week and a half away I shouldn't push it.  So, I stopped.  I know why it happened, while I was running faster I was so much more focused on my speed instead of my form that I was landing funny.  I need to focus on both at the same time.  The only way I'm going to get faster is by running faster.  I just need to pay more attention when I'm running faster.

My shins are feeling much better.  I took last night off as a rest day, and babysat instead.  I'll probably take tonight off from running too, just to be safe, plus I'm tired, I didn't get home from baby sistting til almost 3am.  Yikes! But, that's a whole other story).  I've got a long run on Saturday, and I'm going to try to get in a run tomorrow morning as well.

I might be sidelined for a couple of days, but I have definitely found my running mojo again.  Yay!!  Have you ever felt like you lost your mojo?  How did you find your way back?

Now, I'm back on track for Goofy training, and feeling excited about it again!  And, on that note, I'm still fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Please consider making a donation, every dollar helps, even just $5 (think about giving up your Starbucks just once this week).  A cure is close.  Check out this article for more info: New Treatment Exceeds Wildest Expectations

If I can raise at least $250 by Monday, 10/3/11, I will randomly pick someone who donated any amount (including everyone who has already donated) to win a super awesome goody bag, filled with some super fun stuff.  What's in it?  Well, you'll have to donate to see! But, I promise, its AWESOME!  Filled with stuff to help you find or keep your running mojo, stuff that helps me with mine.  (And, I'll match every donation dollar for dollar up to $100 - and that will put me at 25% of my fundraising goal! Yay!)

Please consider donating to LLS and supporting me in my slightly insane effort to run 39.3 miles in one weekend!  You can make a 100% tax deductible location via this link:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/wdw12/ewallersco

Thank you!



Names and news!

First, our super awesome Ragnar teams need names!  If you don't vote we're gonna wind up with something totally not creative and boring....  So, go vote for our team names over on Sarah's blog:

http://oual.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/our-lives-are-in-your-hands/

Regular team (team I'm on)

 

Ultra team

In other news, I got a new job!  Woo hoo!!  I'm starting in just under two weeks.  I've been looking for a while and I'm really excited for this new opportunity.  A special thank you goes out to my wonderful roommate, who had a connection at the new place, and found out about the job for me.  Remember, always use your connections, you never know where they are going to get you.

And, on the roommate topic, I am now looking for a new one.  Roommate is moving in with her boyfriend.  This is very bittersweet for me.  I am really happy for her, but at the same time, sad for me.  She is a great roommate and Rocky and I will miss her (and I'll miss Max and Chanel, even if Rocky won't).  But, she is staying close by, like super close, like still in the same block, so I'll still get to run with her (which is good cause she makes me run faster and gets me motivated to get my butt out the door) and hang out and see the pups!

Speaking of running faster, every time I run with Sheree I wind up sorta chasing her.  She naturally runs a faster than I do.  I wind up running faster whenever I run with her, because she runs faster, which means I can actually run faster too.  Hmm.  Basically, I think this means I haven't been running to my potential.  Shockingly, I've been taking the easy (aka lazy) route.  Time to step it up a notch.  I want sub 5 in my next marathon (Goofy).  So, it's time to get on that.

And, in the world of racing, I am running Long Beach half on October 9th.  I have a goal for Long Beach.  I want to finally break the 2:30 barrier that has long been standing in my way.  I've done it many times in training, but on race day I always miss it.  It's starting to get on my nerves.  Based on my training 2:15-2:20 is not an unreasonable goal, its actually quite reasonable.  So, that's what I'm going for.  I will be happy with anything under 2:30, but I really want to push myself for 2:15 and I know I can.  I have had some silly issues with the half marathon, but I'll save that for another post.

After Long Beach I have two more 1/2 marathons in October, Nike Women's the next weekend and then RnR Los Angeles the last weekend of the month.  (I was supposed to run the Marine Corps Marathon that day, but deferred to next year to focus on Goofy training).  After RnR LA I don't have anything until December, RnR Las Vegas and then Goofy at the beginning of January.

And, on the topic of Goofy, I need to rearrange my travel plans for that trip.  Because of the new job I'm not going to have a lot of vacation time accrued at that point.  So, I'm gonna have to leave on a red eye Thursday night and return on Sunday night.  I need to find an affordable plane ticket for those days.  Which, hopefully won't be too expensive.  I still really want to run Goofy and I want to make this work, its just a matter of figuring it all out.  I wish I could stay longer and go to Disney World and stuff, but that's just not an option right now.  It'll be a fast trip but still totally worth it.  So, if you have any tips on airlines, booking tickets, etc, please let me know!

And, I really need to get on top of my fundraising for Goofy.  I've been lagging a little bit recently.  So, if you want to donate and support me hitting my fundraising goal please use this link:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/wdw12/ewallersco

Consider giving up a cup of coffee at Starbucks this week and donate.  I'm setting a goal for myself, and only allowing myself to go to Starbucks once a week (max) until I hit my fundraising goal.  And, every time I don't go I'm going to save that money and donate it.  All I'm asking is that you give up one Starbucks trip.  Please consider donating and supporting me as I go run for 39.3 miles in one weekend!

Exciting new things!

A couple of exciting things are going on....

First, and most exciting, this came home with me over the weekend...

Yes, that's a fancy bike (aka a road bike).  I don't have lots of money, so I purchased it used, I figure if I decide I like cycling I'll then invest in a new bike, for now, this is a good starting point.

The second exciting thing...

The bike can only mean one thing... a triathlon is in my future.  I've got a race in mind, two actually, and I keep flip flopping about which one I'm gonna do, when I decide for sure I'll share (that decision is coming soon, I promise).  What I will say, is I am of the mind "Go big or go home," take that for what its worth.  Hopefully the bike doesn't mean that I will be falling over and hurting myself, I mean, I know I'll fall, I'm just hoping I don't hurt myself, at least not badly.  (I fell on my run last night and skinned both knees and got road rash on my left hand, awesome.  I have a feeling this means there will be plenty of falls on the bike.)

It'll be interesting to say the least.  I'm excited to become friends with this guy.  His name, when I got him, was Max. It might still be, although there is already a Max that lives at my house.  See yellow lab, (he gives a really good pathetic face):

And, my parents have a Max that lives at their house.  See super fluffy, temperamental cat:

So, a new name might be necessary, maybe Max can stay as part of the name.   Suggestions are welcomed!

And the last exciting thing...

In case you missed my post yesterday, the other big thing that's going on, well, I'm gonna be on a Ragnar team next April, there are actually two teams, one 12 person team (which I'm on) and one 6 person ultra team (I'm not quite that crazy).  Check out this post about Ragnar and how you can name our team!  Your name plastered across our chests and vans.  You know you want that!  (Plus if we pick your name you'll win a bunch of stuff too.)

And, lastly, when I include a picture of the other animals I feel like I must include a picture of Rocky as well.  So, here's some cuteness overload.

Thanks for reading!

What's in a Name? A lot, I think.

A couple of weeks ago, during some serious Hood to Coast envy, a twitter conversation started about Ragnar So Cal.  Don't know what Ragnar is?  Well, it's a relay, 12 person teams or 6 person (ultra) teams, run 200 miles in about 36 hours.  It's super fun, I did it this last year - check out this post for my fun Ragnar experience.

Anyway, within 24 hours, after much twitter discussion and a few email exchanges 2 Ragnar teams had been formed.  One 12 person team and one 6 person ultra team.  18 people! Almost all blog and/or tweet.  A little Hood to Coast envy, the magic of twitter and email, a bunch of women bloggers and voila, we are Ragnar bound.

First things first, here are the teams:

12 person team:

Me!

Heather

Rose

Kat

PrettyFittie

Kate & Ang

Monica

Broke Runner

Madison

Danica

Becka

6 person ultra team:

Sarah OUaL

SkinnyRunner

ChaCha

Margot

Haute Running Momma

Pam

So, what does all this mean for you?  Well, we need two team names.  And, we want our readers to pick the names for us.  I'm definitely not clever enough to come up with a good name, I mean when I was little I had two teddy bears, both named teddy.  Super creative of me, right?  (You can also see the lack of creativity in names with my twitter name - ewallerscott - first initial, last name.) So, that's why I need your help!

Leave a comment or ten here (or on any and all of my Ragnar cohorts blogs) and then we'll pick the best names from there.  AND, not only will we be running the duration of this event with your name choice plastered across our chests and vans, but you will also receive some awesome free stuff if we pick your name choice!  Win win.  

So, comment away.  And, go check out all of my teammates blogs, they're all awesome and funny and clever and smart.  And, if I talk about Ragnar too much in the coming months, just tell me to shut up, and I promise, I'll try.

Disneyland Half Marathon Race Recap

This past Sunday was the Disneyland Half Marathon.  Long story short, I didn't register for this race in time this year (and was sad I wouldn't be running it cause I had so much fun last year) but managed to get a bib the week of, and I got one for my roommate as well. Yay!

The day before I drove down to the expo.  Packet pickup is a little weird if you've never been to this one before.  The bib pickup is actually separate from the expo and in a downstairs area.  But, it does make things quick.  You pick up your bib downstairs and then head upstairs into the expo to get the goody bag and t-shirts and explore the expo.  The tech tees you get with your bib are not cute, unisex, and ill fitting. 

Side note: The tech tees are the one area of this event that I think really needs to be improved.  Unisex shirts don't look good.  The medium is seriously gigantic.  Make them gender specific, unisex is no good.  I will probably never wear this shirt.  I have never worn my shirt from last year and this year's shirt will go in the unworn tech tee pile.  Some good fitting shirts, in case any Disney people want to know: San Francisco Marathon - last year and this year were both great fitting, last year was short sleeve, this year long sleeve, both fit well and are gender specific; OC Marathon - also gender specific and good fitting; Nike Women's Marathon - of course at a women's race run by Nike the shirts will be good.  Take note Disney, your races are pricey, at least make your tech tees a little better.  Just a tip.

I wandered around the expo and wound up registering for Rock n Roll LA 1/2.  I was going to run Marine Corps Marathon on that date this year, but with Goofy training I decided to defer to next year.  I wasn't planning on running RnR LA, but for some crazy reason I registered.

I went to dinner that evening with a group of lovely blogger ladies and their families, organized by the wonderful Heather (check out her blog, its funny and clever, and she blogged about the dinner with pictures!).  We went to Cheesecake Factory and I proceeded to stuff my face with pasta... mmmm... carbs.  And, I was peer-pressured into ordering a slice of cheesecake by Heather's oldest daughter, who is like 12, yep, a 12 year old peer pressured me.  Totally worth it, that cheesecake was delicious.  After dinner I drove back to the valley, and crashed early.

Unfortunately the dog decided at 1am to start growling and barking.  Ugh.  Finally he stopped and I eventually fell back asleep.  The 3:45 wake up call is never fun, but when the dog decides to wake me up in the middle of the night it's even worse.

He might look sweet and innocent here, but looks can be deceiving.

Roommate and I made a quick to-go breakfast - oatmeal with almond butter and chocolate hazelnut butter mixed in, in plastic containers, and we hit the road by 4:15.  (This turned out to be the perfect breakfast, and I was full for a while, no more bagels - or toast - and peanut butter for me!)

The only good thing about this race being so early is that there is no traffic between the Valley and Anaheim, making the drive a fast 40 minutes.  We parked in the Mickey and Friends structure, which would have cost $15, except I have the deluxe Disneyland annual passport, with parking included, and so I didn't have to pay.  Yay! (I didn't have to pay the day before either when I went to the expo).

Annual passport = free parking. Awesome!

Something else I liked about this race - no D-tag for the shoe.  This race had a B-tag on the back of the bib, no tag on the shoe.  I don't know why more races don't get on board with this, my first full marathon, LA 2010, also utilized the B-tag.  A shoe tag might not seem like a big deal, and it isn't, I just think the B-tag is great.  (The B-tag is on the back of the bib and also has your name, age group and bib number on it, I just edited them out of the photo)



Corral B - not appropriate for my slow self. Oh well.





We walked down to the start line and after a quick trip to the porta potties we headed to the corrals.  My bib, and my roommate's bib were marked for Corral B, clearly too fast for my normal slow poke pace, and definitely too fast for my current, under trained, super slow poke pace.  I suggested that we head to Corral C, cause D and up looked like a mad house.  We tried entering C, but they directed us to B.  Oh well, we tried.



Matching Minnie Mouse ears



Roommate (Sheree) dressed up in a tutu,
as Minnie Mouse! She even had
ribbons around hair buns for ears





Sheree and I, early morning, looking shiny and tired



Shortly thereafter we were off.  I lost Sheree right at the beginning of the race (I was able to follow her red Minnie Mouse tutu for a bit, but it was so crowded that I couldn't keep her in my sights), I told her to run her own pace and not to worry about me sticking with her, she already runs faster than me, and I didn't want to hold her back.



I stuck with an interval for the whole race, running 4 minutes, walking 1.  This seems to be my sweet spot.  And, my run pace seemed steady at about 11 min/mile, with my walks averaging me to closer to 12 min/mile.  Since I didn't have a goal time for this race I was just trying to run comfortable, which I did.  I enjoyed the race and the day.  I love running through the parks and I really loved running through Angels Stadium.  It's so fun.  I got close to the end and wound up walking most of mile 12.  My calves were on fire (not really cramping, but burning) from about mile 7 on, and starting at about mile 10, I got a terrible cramp in the arch of my left foot.  The only thing that made my foot feel better was walking, I ignored it as long as I could.  Not sure what that was about.  I still finished in 2:45, nine minutes faster than my previous race (second half of San Francisco Marathon in late July), on about the same amount of training (in case you didn't realize by now, I'm kinda slow).

Sheree with her giant medal and me  with my giant medal,
looking super sweaty and extra pale, yikes!

I got home and was showered by 11am, that's the nice thing about having a race so close to home.  That afternoon I discovered that my left ankle was kind of swollen and definitely not feeling right.  This is the ankle I injured at Nike, and I have had a couple of little issues with it since, mostly from running too much when I haven't trained enough.  Some ice, Advil, elevation and compression socks seemed to make the angry ankle and upset calves and foot arch feel 100 times better.  And, three days later none of these pains have recurred.  Although I also haven't run.  We'll see how I feel after my next run, tonight.  Hopefully the foot and ankle don't make angry reappearances.

Overall I'm really happy with the race and how it went.  I didn't have any time goals, and I'm happy with how I did.  I finished faster than expected, and, despite the calf pain, arch pain and angry ankle, I felt strong.  I know that seems weird, but I do feel strong.  I was super worried going into this event about things I have coming up, mostly including Goofy.  I know its still four months away, but I'm nervous and finishing this event and feeling fine the day after makes me feel better.  All that calf/ankle/foot pain was gone by Sunday evening and I have felt fine since.  I wouldn't have wanted to run a full marathon on Monday, but I think with the proper training I'll get there.

So, another race is in the books and I'm excited to properly train for Long Beach and race it, and hopefully get a PR.  Just 31 short days.  Bring it!

I am still fundraising for the Goofy Challenge with Team in Training, if you want to find out why and support me follow this link: http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/wdw12/ewallersco

Thanks!

10 Years

Do you know what you were doing ten years ago? I know 9/11 was 10 years ago, and I'm sure you remember what you were doing that day (I remember that morning in very exact detail), but do you remember the weeks before?  I remember Labor Day weekend ten years ago quite well.  Ten years ago my sister and I had just moved in to a great apartment at the beach, in the Jungle, a neighborhood in Playa del Rey.  We were both still in college, attending LMU, less than a 10 minute drive from that apartment. 

Labor Day weekend was just a couple of weeks after we had moved in, and that weekend we made friends with some of the neighbors.  I was actually coming home from picking up some necessary apartment items at Target, when a bicycle with two guys on it (one pedaling, the other standing on the pegs on the back wheel holding on to the shoulders of the pedaler) pulled up in front of my place and introduced themselves.  They had just graduated from LMU, they were having a bbq the next day, they invited me and my sister.

When I got inside my sister was curious about what she had just seen through the window.  You have to understand, the two of them on that bike looked very silly.  We talked and decided it would be good to go over for a bit.  If it sucked, we would bail.  We went to that bbq and had a good time.

Fast friendships were made.  Hours melted into days, weeks, months...years, and now ten years have passed, and sometimes it feels like it was just moments ago...

I don't really know how to describe the past ten years.  It wasn't just one chapter of my life, it has been many.  All equally important.  I was a very different person ten years ago.  Some of the friends that I made that Labor Day weekend have had a huge impact on my life, inspired me, and helped me get to where I am today.

Ten big things that happened in the past ten years:
1. I graduated from college (it took me 5.5 years and 5 colleges, this was a big deal)
2. I bought a car and it was repossessed (yep, that sucked, my own fault, but it still sucked, and was a huge lesson for me to learn)
3.  I got sober (I have been sober since December 2006)
4.  I was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder (this was massively life changing for so many reasons, see this post for more on that http://thisisme-elisabeth.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-other-birthday.html)
5.  I got a dog - Rocky, my fur baby, who in many ways helped save my life (thank you Alexis, my wonderful sister, for convincing me to get a dog)
6. I moved home with my parents for a year (moving home with your parents when you've been out of the house for 10+ years is not easy, but I am grateful that they let me move home with them and get back on my feet)
7. Watched friends grow up, get married, have babies (some of those babies are old enough to be in school now... man, time flies!)
8. Many new friendships were formed, and, sadly, a few lost...
9. I became a runner
10.  I found myself

And, ten things I learned in the past ten years:
(I have learned WAY more than ten things but these are some of the most important things)
1.  I am capable of anything I put my mind to.
2.  I am not capable of having just one drink, which is why I quit drinking
3.  I love to run
4.  "Go big or go home" has become my motto (I mean, I ran a marathon before I ever ran a 5k, why start small?)
5.  I love a challenge
6.  I still haven't figured out what I want to do with my life, and I'm okay with that
7.  Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, the most important thing is your reaction to that curve ball
8.  Its important that you share your heart and love with the world and those around you (I knew this before, but it has been recently reinforced)
9.   There is nothing more important that family and good friends.
10.  Life is short, precious and delicate, live it to the fullest.

I hope you all have a great Labor Day Weekend!  This Labor Day Weekend I will be running the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon! YAY!  (Only race goal this weekend is to have fun!) And, that, is something that ten years ago I NEVER even would have considered... Its funny how much things change...