8th year up and running...

Yay... I'm so excited to be doing this race AGAIN... for the 8th year in a row. It has turned into more about the weekend with the girls than just about the race... which is why I think I love it so much. Oh, and the Tiffany's jewelry you get at the finish line doesn't hurt .

Sorry, again...

Haven't felt much like blogging lately... my anxiety has returned and I am just trying to take it one day at a time. I will try to post some pics soon. Overall the concert was great... and it was great to see it with Tina. I do feel like I am getting too old to be standing on the floor, battling it out for a better position at these concerts. From now on I think I will opt for a seat.

The Nike race was most excellent too. It was so much easier to do it this year, not being 6.5 months pregnant! It was a breeze... ha ha. It was nice to spend the weekend up in San Fran and just chill out. However, being alone, my anxiety got the best of me and I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. Moving on.

Salt Lake City, Utah Marathon- by Alicia

Running in Utah....with snow capped mountains in the background!Having been disappointed not running in Little Rock, AR back on March 2nd due to Pneumonia (especially having gone all that way) I knew I had to come up with plan B. My goal has been since Carlsbad 2006, (my first Marathon!) to do 10 Marathons before I turn Golden (50 Years old to you youngin’s!) on July 31st of this year. To my credit, Little Rock would have been my 9th Marathon and San Diego Rock n’ Roll would be my 10th. However, we crazy runners find a way, some how, somewhere to make it work. After I started feeling better and got cleared to run, I started running back with the group on March 22nd and a light bulb lit up in my brain. “Why don’t I find another State to run in before Rock n’ Roll?” Well, I went on the website and found the Salt Lake City, UT on April 19th. Was I crazy? I hadn’t run in 3 weeks and in less than 5 weeks I was going to run a Marathon? But I remembered something that Natalia mentioned and that was, we have MUSCLE MEMORY IN OUR LEGS! Now, sometimes what our brain thinks and what our body can do are two different things. But I was up for the challenge....that’s what makes a true Infrared!The only concern I had at this time was the Elevation. Having lived and trained at Sea Level for all of my life, I thought this might be the run that would do me in. Salt Lake City’s Elevation is 4200 and the start of the race which is at the University of Utah is at 4800. I had heard that you need to either train in High Elevation and drink lots of water. Well, I didn’t have time to go up to Palomar Mountain or Lake Cuyamaca to do any running. Most of the race was to be going down hill with several little “inclines” along the way. They said it would be hard if you’ve never run down hill before. They said it would be harder on your calves because you tend to extend your legs out further when you run down hill. They said most city folk don’t do well in elevation. Well, they haven’t met an INFRARED!The weather called for a high of 62 and a low of 42 on Saturday, Marathon Day..I think that has something to do with SLC being a very Mormon town. I found Buca di Beppo and had the Cheesy Garlic Bread and the Fruitta Di Mare (Seafood Pasta) along with a glass of Chianti. Yes, I challenged the Elevation God’s with that one! But, I also had a glass of water along with the wine. They said it’s good to walk around and get the feel of the atmosphere and elevation and drink lots of water. So, by the end of the night I was tired and I had an Airborne before going to bed. I slept from 9:00 p.m. Until 3:00 a.m. And stayed up for 10 minutes and went back to bed until 7:45 a.m. There, they said it’s good to get in an 8 hour sleep at least 48 hours before a Marathon because chances are, you are not going to sleep well the night before. Friday I got up had another Airborne, drank more water and lazed around the room. I headed back over to the Expo and got a 35 minute table massage on a Migun? Have you ever had that done? It’s AWESOME! It’s a bed that has these “Jade Balls” that heat up and go up and down the back of your body. Anyway, as I was heading back to the Hotel I noticed the wind was picking up. It was blowing pretty good and I thought well, it’ll be over by tomorrow. I went back to the room (limping like jello) drank lots of water and watched a movie. About 5:00 p.m. I headed out to Dinner and then headed back to the room to get a “good night’s sleep.” I set my cell phone alarm, hotel phone alarm and hotel clock radio alarm to wake me up at 3:30 a.m. I was good and ready and by 9:30 I tucked myself in bed.Well, it was the worse night sleep ever! I never did get more than an hour sleep at a time! I kept getting up, looking at the clock thinking I was late drank more water, then went back to bed. This went on for 6 hours! Finally at 3:30 I got up and got ready to catch the Traxx (shuttle) at 4:45 to get to the start of the race at the University. The Marathon starts at 7:00 a.m. And I thought why couldn’t we get there at 6:00 instead of 5:00 a.m.? Well, with 10,000 Marathoners, Half Marathoners, 5 K’s and Cyclists and they had to get people set up early.The University was cool probably about 55 degrees and very, very windy. Most of us took shelter around a building where the wind wouldn’t find us. That wind found us! We huddled and talked Marathon stories and I had my clear pancho on to keep the warmth in and my cheap $2 pair of gloves on. By 7:04 a.m. I was off and running down hill, down hill fast, it was like a stampede I had to keep looking at my Garmin and it kept saying 10:16, 10:02, 9:36 and I had to keep slowing myself down. This went on for about 3 miles....not a good way to start a Marathon as you are suppose to start slow and do a negative split. Which means start the first 13 miles slower then the last 13.2 miles. The wind started to pick up and you were running into the wind. I tried to run behind someone to have them block the wind but that didn’t help. Then the wind continued for the next 10 miles until finally about mile 13 it tapered off just a little until mile 16. Then from mile 16 through the end the wind got worse. It was whipping hats off and small sand gravel through the air beating upside your legs, in your eyes and everywhere. I finally started to walk, just walk because my battle with the wind the first 13 miles took it’s toll. Then I ran a little and walked a little alternating passing every mile marker telling myself, “keep going” by mile 20 I was at 4 hours and 6 minutes which was pretty good considering. I thought to myself hey, it’s just 6.2 miles left, just pretend it’s a Saturday run. I saw this family along the way that was starting to cheer me up. Then 2 miles down the road I saw them again and they rooted for me again. Then about mile 22 they can tell I was spent. All I wanted to do was finish, get my medal and go back to the room and shower and pack up and get the heck out of dodge! I finally finished with 5:38:23. It was my 4th best time out of 9! Still can’t believe I did good considering. This was a very good course had it not been for the wind. Lot’s of beautiful houses and great people along the way. A young couple had a “buffet” of items on a table along the route which they had oranges, bananas, pretzels, bugles, twizzlers, fig newtons and some other stuff. I should have stayed there a while and indulged a little longer as I think that would have helped me through the end. Would I do it again? Sure, just in another state. I hear St. George Utah is a better course if anyone is interested.Thanks for listening and run well my friends, run well!Infrared Alicia!

Honolulu Marathon- by Alicia

And now for Alicia's story! Okay! Details from this race: When I first went to the Expo I really thought I was in a different country. There were Japanese EVERYWHERE! They had different Organizations (like we have Team in Training, Team Diabetes, etc.) but I was as tall if not than most :)! The Honolulu Marathon decided to use this new technique of chip timing. Rather then having the customary chip, they had a strip about 4 inches long with a chip encased in it. You tied it to your shoe and it would track your times throughout the race. Anyway, I got a room in Waikiki the night before to play it smart to get to the start. Shuttles only run from 2:00-4:00 a.m. I had the front desk wake me up at 1:30 a.m. Of course, nervous as all get out about getting up in time, I hardly slept because of the "Nite Life" in Waikiki. But I read somewhere that as long as you get an 8 hour sleep in 24 - 48 hours before the Marathon, you will do good. I was wide awake at 1:05 and decided to stay up. Got my things ready and took a look outside from the Lanai (Balcony) at the sky to see if it was raining (it had been down pouring the week up until Saturday Morning). I had a cheapo rain poncho with hood and figured if I didn't use it, I only lost out on about $3.00. Well, I didn't see any clouds so I left the pouch in the room. BIG MISTAKE! I walked towards the shuttle pick up and it started to rain, heavy at times and I kept hearing my Brother's words of wisdom, "It's better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it." As I walked faster towards the pick up area, I passed clubs along the way in which people were still up and partying. I found out later that the clubs don\'t close until 4:00 a.m. And this was now 2:00 a.m. The rain started coming down heavier and I hopped on a bus. The bus got us to the area (in about 10 minutes) and it stopped raining. I thought to myself, "Cool, no big deal now about leaving the Poncho behind." I found my starting "corral" marked 5-6 hours. It was still hours before the race started and I was dressed in my USA FIT tank top with the "No Whining" symbol on the back and the weather felt tolerable. I found a bench near Ala Moana Shopping Center and thought I could get in a few more winks. Not even 5 minutes later I hear footsteps and a guy came by and sat on the other bench and started to smoke a cigarette! Imagine that! I go 50 feet away from the Corral and found a secluded bench to have a smoker find me! 10 minutes later 5 more guys show up and smoke...BTW, these are runners too! Anyway I check out the place and they have NO food at the staging area. No Bagels, Hot Water, doughnuts, Banana....nothing! So far I've learned to always be prepared by bringing some food with you (I did have a Banana with me) and bring a throw away jacket whether there's any chance at all of you needing it. About 4:30 I make my way back towards the restrooms and I thought how nice that they marked the Porta Potties Men / Women. There I was 3rd in line when suddenly it started to rain, rain very heavy. Where's my Rain Poncho? No one in line moved. No one wanted to lose their spot. Then the wind started to blow and it was starting to get cold. Okay, not cold but when your wet it doesn't take much wind to make you feel colder. After about 5 minutes it let up. Then about 4:50 p.m. We all started to line up down poured again...everyone headed under the parking garage at Ala Moana for cover. We looked like a bunch of rats running for cover. Then it stopped and we lined up again and then the fireworks happened. This is what I was waiting for! Then about a minute before the start it started to rain and this time it wasn't going to let up. We all started the race in the dark, in the rain and we all just kept going. What else can you do? Running in the rain isn't so bad, it wasn't cold but the only thing was it was dark and you didn't know if you were going to step in a pot hole until you were in it. There were flooded streets and everyone was slowing down because you really couldn't see to well. Nothing like running with soggy shoes and socks. I found out later that the starting temperature at 5:00 a.m. Was 72 degrees with 89 percent humidity. After about 15 minutes the rain let up and we headed towards Waikiki racing against the sunrise because you were running towards it and wanted it on your back before it warmed up too much. Coming up on Diamond Head incline wasn\'t so bad and it was probably due in part because it was early in the race. I saw neighborhoods that I never would have seen before if not for running through them. I saw the Hawaii Film Studio and saw the back drop of the clouds against the mountains as the sun started to come up. Everything was beautiful and GREEN! The Japanese runners kept stopping to take pictures of the sights and even pictures of other runners. Then I noticed a bunch of them stopped and tied their shoestrings. I later found out that a lot of them had not peeled the timing strip off their Bib and attach it to their shoe. One time running through Waikiki (8 miles into the race) a Japanese guy poured Gatorade on himself thinking it was water. I'll bet he was waiting for it to rain again soon. It wasn't more than about 5 minutes when it started to rain again. About mile 12 I was still feeling pretty good and the GU was working, the Banana I ate during the 3rd mile was kicking in and I felt good. Soggy shoes and socks, but I still felt good about my pace. Then I came around an area called "Hawaii Kai" which is a loop run and you can see people coming back from the other side. I was on mile 13 and I turned and saw the miles on the other side (don't do this, it will only discourage you) and it read 18 miles. That was kind of a let down because you saw people for miles before you know you could get to where they are. Then it hit at mile 16 the sun came out and it was HOT! The sun was up and I wished it would rain. They were handing out sponges and it felt good then it started to rain and I grabbed someone's throw away and put it on. But I forged ahead and I saw two ladies I started out with on the "other side" where they were just beginning. I kept my pace going until I came back towards Diamond Head from Kahala and it was warm and the hill was not forgiving. This was about mile 24 and I started to "hit the wall" I started to walk a little bit and the hill kept going and going. Finally we were coming down the hill towards the end at Kapiolani Park and I was about 1/3 from the finish when this Japanese woman stopped in front of me. I touched her shoulder and I said, "No, let's keep going, your almost there, we'll finish together" I don't know if she understood my English but I know she knew what I meant. She nodded and started back up and we ran through the finish line with our hands up in the air together and she told me, "Arigato!" I saw the picture, we finished together! They gave me a shell lei at the finish. I was disappointed as I was looking for the medal. Wobbling my way through the muddy park I found my sister and (you know that first 10 minutes after running you are so disoriented?) I had a cup of water in my hand and waved at her and threw water on her at the same time! Anyway, I wanted to get back to the room to shower and check out but realizing I didn't cross the started until a half hour later, I was already running into about 11:15 a.m. I got my finishers shirt and THEN I was handed my MEDAL! Woo hoo! I was about a half mile from the room and started to head back and started to run (yes, again) and people kept telling me you can stop running now.....but I wanted to get back to my room before Noon! It was a great run and of course I said immediately after, I will never do this again! But now I know where I can improve on and I WOULD DO IT AGAIN! I later found out that about 7,000 runners didn't get properly timed because they had the timing strips on their Bib and not on their shoes. My time was 5:47:45. Looking at the whole picture I did well in my group considering rain, humidity, heat and hills. Would I do it again? Oh yes, and I will do, "Better than EVER!"..... Alicia......Infrared Forever!

Long Beach Marathon- by Holly

First, seriously, Long Beach was BEAUTIFUL!!! Wow... had no idea! Of course, you look down in one direction and it's harbor beauty and the other direction is stinky oil refineries, so hey, you just look one way... ;-) No seriously---it was a GREAT place for a race. This race had MORE aid stations than any other race I ever did!!!!! They were so well supported, great energy, and the fans cheering were SO FRIENDLY! It will be my most "friendly" race! Even the TEAM IN TRAINING cheering folks were friendly? OMG, yes, that is what I said!! One of their coaches jumped on the course and ran a block or so with me to cheer me on at Mile 23ish.... never in my life would I have believed it if I didn't live it! And now for the gorey details... the first half was GORGEOUS for me! The second half???? Let's just say that I found new meaning to the word PAIN? And you guys know me... do I EVER stop and use the restroom during a race??? 13th mile sent me glorious side stitches, nearly hunched over... I had tummy probs from dinner before I went to bed the night before and they went away until about Mile 13... and then BAM... I blew about 15-20 minutes on pain and slowing down...grrrr... and it sent me running for the toilet. It really wrecked the midsection of my run... because I had about a 10:40 pace up until that point---ARGH!!!!! I was better by 16...and near perfect again by 18-19...and Mile 20+ was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!! So I got the majority of my miles under control...and we had a GREAT course, GREAT weather, GREAT energy from all those volunteers and fans... all those things helped me cope with the on-the-course problem, get over it, and get rolling again. so could I have cracked 5 hours?? I'm thinking I would have come closer... so what the heck did I eat the night before that rocked my world??? Not the regular pasta I always have----we did the pasta feed with regular pasta (instead of my whole wheat stuff) and the killer was 4 bites of a piece of pizza with friggin' GOAT CHEESE on it!!!!!! DARN IT!!!! aw man!!! between that, that usual excitement/anxiety of night before race...who knows. But I did still beat my PR (NYC/5:33) and did Long Beach at 5:25, so hey, every minute counts! But if I ever walked away from a race and was totally done, ready to stop, how would I ever be ready to set my next PR??? hee hee. Carlsbad---bring it!! With a vengence!!! But yes, I did sprint at the end and it was all downhill and felt amazing... seriously, Mile 23 on was great... legs felt great, no pain in the calf, no feeling of blisters, no nothing! side stitch was gone...and I was plowing forward, happy to see all those people, and all that beautiful sunshine, palm trees, blue water coastline...it was a gorgeous moment. One of my favorite finishes... and as soon as I stopped to take a breath, I looked up and there was Michael, who had finished 30 minutes BEFORE that... but he waited in that Medal area for me and that was the best hug I ever had!!!! And day after? or the day AFTER the day after? Doing ok... quads are definitely worked. I had backed off my trainer's sessions the last few weeks and I think I might have needed to keep up some of those lunges and squats... and shoulders/upper back are sore... Chiro is my friend! If I sit for a bit and stand up... it SUCKS.... but once I am moving, I feel pretty good... so hey, victory!!!! ;-)

New York City Marathon- by Len

OMG !! The experience of running the NY marathon is difficult to even put into words. For anyone that runs marathons, the NY marathon is a MUST !! I have been going to all kinds of sporting events all my life, and have never witnessed anything like it. There are THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE cheering you on, screaming your name EVERYWHERE (except the bridges - and the views, runners costumes, and camaraderie is soooo incredible you don't notice.) If you like crowd support, you'll love NY. If you like great bands during your run, you'll love NY. If you like diverse cultures, you'll love NY. If you like police officers and firefighters in full uniform cheering you on, you'll love NY. If you like running with 39,000 people who will motivate you and share the experience of a lifetime, you'll love NY. If you are a runner, you'll love NY. I got on a marathon shuttle (in my Infrared shirt) the morning of the race, and a city councilman from the Bronx who was running a marathon for the first time was seated in front of me. He was running with a camera crew that was videotaping HIS ENTIRE race. I started talking to him about how great the experience is of running your first marathon, and in true Infra-Read fashion, I told him to just enjoy himself. I also told him what Christine told me "you only get one first marathon, enjoy it !!" He loved that advice. The race starts off in Staten Island, where 39,000 runners from over 125 countries and virtually EVERY state are gathered in an actual Fort...Fort Wadsworth. I'm not sure what war it's from, but it's a pretty neat looking fort, and right away the uniqueness of the NY marathon begins. There's a band, bagels, donuts, gatorade and people walking up to you asking where you are from. Because it's cold (47 degrees), people are wearing clothes they are going to just leave at the site...therefore, nobody is worried about "looking good" in garbage clothes. A young good looking woman in her 20's from Europe took off her shirt and running bra right in front of me and started body gliding her nipples. I didn't know what to do or how to react, so I just turned my head and didn't look. I felt really awkward about it. I'm thinking about relaxing and preparing myself for a race - not how sexy the half naked girl in front of me looks. I bought a disposable white "shell suit" for $15 which felt like paper. I looked like the Good Humor ice-cream man. The wait was about 3.5 hours and I was told that I should put my name in paint on my arm - so I did. An announcement was made to lineup in preparation for racestart. Trish and I lined up way-way-way in the back - in true Infra-red form/style. I was told to try to run on the top level of the bridge because people on the bottom level get hit with pee from people peeing off the top level. Only in NY could you see people peeing off a bridge while standing next to a police officer and not get arrested. When I ran over the first bridge, there were 4 helicopters and a blimp flying overhead - I thought I committed a crime. There was a beautiful view of the NY skyline on my left and a river on my right. I tried to hold back my speed to save as much as possible for the end. We stopped and took a couple of pictures - something that was done by MANY runners - believe it or not. There was a boat on the river which shot three geysers of red, white and blue water as a tribute to the start of the marathon. It was an awesome sight. We ran at about a 12 minute per mile pace and had to step over hats, gloves, sweats, and and tons of clothes people ditched once they started racing. Some of that stuff seemed pretty nice - fuel belts, water bottles, cool max, you name it, people threw it away. When we got off the bridge, a police officer was there to greet us and said in a thick NY accent "welcome to Brooklyn.." We stayed in Brooklyn for a long-long time, and I wanted to stop at every pizzaria we passed to have a slice (but I stuck to gels.) There were people on BOTH sides of the street - 3-4 rows deep, screaming typical inspirational cliches like "you can do it.." "way to go," "you look great...,""only 24 miles to go..." There was a band playing "Eye of the tiger", later a steel drum band, a gospel choir, bag pipes, hip hop bands and lots of great rock and roll. There were over 100 bands on the course....it's CRAZY !! Someone offered me my favorite treat - a zeppolli, which killed me to have to decline - I LOVE ZEPPOLI'S. For those of you who don't know, a zeppoli is a fried dough ball with powdered sugar. Unfortunately, I got cramps the EARLIEST I ever got cramps (mile 9), and STILL had the time of my life. I enjoyed it sooooo much, even though my time was HORRIBLE !! I had to insist to Trish (my running partner) that she go on without me, because the pain shot from my calves into my knee, and I thought my running was finished. There were people with NO LEGS running on prosthetics, people dressed in costumes - Darth Vader, Chewbaca, Princess Leia, Wonder Woman, Superman, Blues Brothers, Buggs Bunny, a NY Met, and other fun outfits I'm sure I'm forgetting. If they could run, I could run - the pain was nothing compared to running with no legs or an uncomfortable costume/suit. When I got to Manhattan, the crowd support, which I thought couldn't get any better, actually somehow did. On 1st Avenue people were lined up behind barracades 5-6 people deep. I saw Elaine and Sydney at mile 18 and it perked me up. I listened to Billy Joel's "Keepin' the Faith" on my Nano, and it seemed to pump me up even more. I saw Elaine, Sydney and my Uncle at mile 24 with my "Go Daddy Go" sign and I knew I had the race conquered. Then I saw the single greatest sign in my life at mile 25. At mile 25, in typical NY fashion, someone had a sign that read "Finishing is your only Fuckin' option !!"I laughed about that for the rest of the race. I got inspired and sucked it up as I ran through Central Park in awe at the beautiful trees, ponds, and buildings. People EVERYWHERE !! I saw my picture on the jumbotron which was setup at mile 26. What a feeling...I could taste the finish line. I felt as if the crowd had carried me from mile 3 to the finish line. It was like a rock star who falls into the crowd and the crowd passes them around - the support is beyond articulation. I apologize for rambling, but I know my fellow marathon buddies will understand at least some of what I am feeling - I need to share it, but more importantly, I have to URGE YOU, BEG YOU, PLEAD WITH YOU, to RUN THE NY MARATHON !! It is a life changing event that will change your perspective about the world. I've never experienced anything like it, and I can't imagine I ever will again. Run NY, Run NY, Run NY, 2 million people are waiting to cheer you on ! I can't wait to see all of you and share my stories. Believe it or not, there's much, much more. See you soon, Len

the race, the lottery and the fires... the good, the bad, and the ugly...

whew... what a spectrum of events going on... flying back home last night we flew over LA and I saw a bird's eye view of what was going on down below. Bright orange flames licking the mountain ridges. A lot of them and in like 10 different spots. I land and Tony picks me up and I ask... "is that smoky smell coming all the way from LA?" Well... it was immediately obvious that I didn't see the news all day (as we were busy with the race, details later) and that San Diego was once again on fire. It has been said that this set of fires (there are many "sets" of fires all around...) is worse than the Cedar Fires that happened a mere 4 years ago. The winds are high right now which is causing the fires to "jump" around. The embers from one fire float up into the air, and are blown into another area and start a whole new set of fires. What's scary is that is happens so quickly and really no one is safe, because of the winds and the floating embers. VERY SCARY! I am due to leave for Michigan tomorrow morning and right I am thinking... do I pack up the stuff I would want saved, just in case my neighbor has to grab the box for me? Do I fall into the trap of "oh, it won't happen to us?" Tony's making fun of me for wanting to be prepared. He's making me so mad because of it. Like WHAT WILL WE BE ABLE TO SAVE WHEN WE'RE IN MICHIGAN? Ugh. I'm putting stuff aside and my neighbor promised to grab it in the case our area is evacuated while we're away. I'm not too worried about my safety... hell, I'll paddle out into he ocean and camp out there until stuff chills out. It's my STUFF I WORRY about. AAAGGHHHH!

OK, I'll stop... people at this very moment are having to pack up and evacuate... those are the people to worry about right now. Prayers for Southern California would be greatly appreciated right now.

The lottery... for CE... my application is "still pending" at this moment... UGH.

The race.
tres cool as usual. I love going to San Fran. That is one crowded city sister! Anyway... the hotel we (my mom and I) stayed at was cute. Old, but cute. That is until the keeper was a jackass and wouldn't let us stash our lugagge for a while so as to allow us to grab a bite to eat before we left for the airport. So here we are lugging our luggage through the city and trying to eat some pizza, in the crowded eatery.
The race course didn't change much from last year. It was a perfect race day. The weather was just perfect. The morning was not cold at all... so there was no need to be all bundled up in trash bags, etc. The views are spectacular, as usual, and although that mile 6 hill is horrible, it didn't seem so bad this year. The time flew by!!! Joyce, Mabelle and I ended up doing the race together... my mom hung a little behind, but still made great time and completed the route like a champ.
The necklace this year is AWESOME! I wasn't too happy with the design the last two years, so this was a very pleasant surprise. Everything else was pretty status quo... great ending, good organization... whew! 23000 women (well, maybe a few men mixed in there) rasing a TON of money for a great cause! We kicked some cancer ass!