It's Official .....

I have my spot for Ironman Coeur d'Alene!! June 22, 2008 will be here before I know it so it's time to get serious about my training again.

Big Plans

I bought my plane ticket to Paris today. That's right, I'm going to Paris to run a marathon on April 6th! Don't worry, I'll have plenty of time to see the sites and eat croissants and drink wine :) The race comes at the end of my two week Spring Break so the timing is perfect. My friend and fellow teacher Jeanine is going with me. Actually, I'm going with her. She's a planner and has already worked out almost all of the details. Thanks Jeanine!

The other big news is that I signed up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene again!! Last month I made the decision to be a mentor with Team in Training. The team is training for Wildflower Long and Vineman. So, I had people to train with, but no race. Until now. I love having that goal out there. This year will be a little different. I know that I can do the distance, but I also know the sacrifice it will take to get there.

More about goals (one of which is to post more regularly) in another post ....

San Diego Triathlon Challenge Cancelled

I received this email on Wednesday:

*** Cancellation Announcement ***

Due to the massive, widespread wildfires that have devastated San Diego County since Sunday (and continue to burn in the Northeast and Southeast parts of the county) we have decided the best and most prudent course of action is to cancel the 14th Annual Sempra Energy San Diego Triathlon Challenge and the Frog’s Fitness Tour de Cove scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007 at La Jolla Cove.

The safety, well-being and enjoyment of all our event participants was the major factor in our decision-making process. At this point, we do not know what the air quality will be like on Sunday. We are also cognizant of the great losses suffered by many of our friends and neighbors across the county. We believe that after four days of severe disruptions that affected more than 500,000 San Diego County residents, and with an uncertain air quality forecast for Sunday, it is best not to proceed with the event at this time.

CAF thanks all our sponsors, friends and volunteers who have worked so hard to make this year’s San Diego Triathlon Challenge and Tour de Cove a success. Like you, we are very disappointed that the event will not go forward this weekend. However, we truly believe this is the right course of action. Thank you for your continued support of physically challenged athletes.

We will be in touch with further updates.

Yours in sport,

Virginia Tinley

CAF Executive Director

To say that I am disappointed is putting it mildly. I look forward to this event every year. It's better than Christmas. Particiants get a Nike duffle bag stuffed with goodies ... Nike running shoes, dri-fit shirts, t-shirt, sweatshirt, water bottles, Gu, goggles, towel, DVDs, Timex watch, etc. But even more important than the stuff I get, are the feelings I get. When I watch all those athletes with disabilities giving it their all, I get the feeling that ANYTHING is possible. I am filled with joy and admiriation; courage and humility; a sense that all is right in this crazy world.

Last year, 8 year old Jake attempted the hilly 13.1 mile run. He completed 8 miles and said that since he had already done the hardest part (the hills) he didn't need to finish. Indeed he didn't. I'm sure he will finish that run one day, but he is already a winner. He had the confidence and courage to start. That's more than half the battle.

I know that the good people at CAF made the right decision, and I know that I am one of the lucky ones. Yes, my favorite race was cancelled. Yes, the air quality was poor here and I missed a few workouts and my car is FILTHY. But I am alive, my house is still standing, and I am healthy.

"Race" Reports

So, I ran the Manhattan Beach 10k two weeks ago, and it was my slowest ever ... 1:03:56, but it was a beautiful day, I had fun, and I got a cool tee shirt. Unlike most race shirts that are filled with ads, this one always has a photo of the MB Pier and no ads. And it's long sleeve.

I have never been fast, but my goal in a 10k had always been to run each mile in under 10 minutes and thus finishing the race in under an hour. On this day though, I was happy to be keeping the miles at under 11 minutes. It seems that 11 has become the new 10!

I know what I need to do to get it back .... I need to drop a few pounds and I need to push myself a little harder in my training. During Ironman training, I got use to the LSD (long, slow, distance) workouts. My IM race was 4 months ago, and I have fully recovered. There is no reason I need to keep running at that snail's pace.

Thursday morning I pushed myself, and I actually "won" a 4.5 mile race. The woman, whom I'll call Racer X, didn't know we were racing. But still, I won :)

I've seen Racer X for years. Up until last year she was always walking with a man I assume is/was her husband. He walked a little bit faster than her so every few feet she would jog to catch up to him. And she was always talking ... it looked like he was trying to get away from her incessant chatter. He would say good morning to me, but she would never acknowledge my presence. And that bothered me. Lately she has been alone, AND she's been running. I have wondered what happened to Mr. X. Did she decide she liked those little jogs she took to catch up to him, and just kept going? Did he dump her, so she turned to running to work out the pain? I have wanted to ask her, but she STILL won't look at me. I smile, I say good morning, but I get nothing back from this woman.

Usually Racer X is going in the opposite direction I am, but on Thursday, as fate would have it, she was going my way, and she had stopped to tie her jacket around her waist. This time as I passed her I said nothing, and as my friend Laurie would say, "I put the hammer down!" I heard foot steps but never looked back. She was NOT going to pass me. At one point, I thought maybe I should slow down and get the story. But I didn't think she would talk to me, and I'm just a tad bit competetive. I don't know when or where she turned around, but I never saw her again. I had a GOOD run though. I ran 10 minute miles and was about 3 minutes faster than I have been in recent months.

Next up: The San Diego Triathlon Challenge, which I'm doing as relay this year. I'll be running 13 hilly miles for this one. It's not too late to donate :)

You DO love hills, Trisha!!

I ran hills this week! Tuesday morning I did some hill repeats in the neighborhood, and this morning I ran 8 miles in Palos Verdes with Maria. It was so nice to have company, and I felt like I was running faster than I have been. But it turns out we ran an average of 12 minute miles. Not so fast after all. But I felt good and there were hills :)

I love hills ... they make me stronger. Years ago, my God daughter, Lucy, called a meeting with me to discuss sand. She was about 3 years old at the time. Her parents were very active in a local organization called Neighbors Against Garbage (NAG), and they took Lucy to many meetings and various protests. Lucy was a pro. We were at the beach, and she asked me if I liked sand. I said no, and calmly voiced my reasons for not liking it. But she would hear NONE of it. She became a bit agitated and said, "You DO like sand, Trisha!!" and she wouldn't let me leave the tent until I agreed that I did indeed like sand.

I have often told myself that I love hills when clearly I don't, but they do make me stronger. I don't know what my "love" of sand has gotten me, but maybe this strategy goes back to that fateful meeting with Lucy. Thanks Lucy!

Why I Don't Do Hills

This is where I get to run! And it's just two short blocks from my house. Today was exceptionally beautiful because we got our first rain storm of the season Friday night/Saturday morning. To the right of the sand is a running/bike path. This morning I saw my neighbor walking his dogs, a coworker walking her husband, a woman I met in a volleyball class 9 years ago, and my friends Dee and Ted playing volleyball. Not to mention all of the regular runners I nod to and smile at. I felt like a minor celebrity. It's perfect. I could run over 20 miles on this path, and there are water fountains and restrooms strategically located along the way. And except for the occasional pervert, I feel very safe, comfortable, and happy running here. But it is FLAT, and I have some races with hills approaching.

Usually I don't think about the fact that I should be running hills until AFTER the race. So I guess I am making some progress ... I am at least thinking about it now. I am going to run the Manhattan Beach 10k on Octber 6 (my birthday!), and there are a couple of decent hills. But the run in the SD Triathlon Challenge is HILL - LY! I know I need to start running hills, but it is difficult to tear myself away from the beauty of my home turf. Maybe next weekend!

She Drinks Skim Milk and She's Still FAT!

My dear old grandmother said these words about me at the dinner table over thirty years ago, yet they still haunt me. I don't run to my bedroom in tears like I did when I first heard them, and I can laugh when I tell the story now, but still they haunt me. I had a converstion about this with my brother Jim a couple of weeks ago, and he asked if this is one of the reasons I have pushed myself to physical extremes that I have. And yes, it is a part of it, a big part of it.

About 10 years ago I joined Weight Watchers for at least the third time in my life and lost 55 pounds. I had been jogging 3 miles a few times a week at that point, but as I neared my weight loss goal I felt like I needed another goal to keep myself on track. My friend Tomie was beginning to train for her first marathon and dragged me on an 8 mile run. I was so sore after that run (I remember it like it was yesterday), but I did it! I signed up for the marathon too.

But the words of my grandmother still lurk in the recesses of my brain ... "She runs marathons, and she's still fat!" and "She's an Ironman and she's still fat!" The other night, or morning I guess it was, when I couldn't sleep, I finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Liz spent a year in Italy, India, and Bali in pursuit of pleasure, devotion, and balance and chronicled her experiences in this wonderful book. She tells of a time when she was on a tiny island east of Bali. After 9 days of silence, she dropped into a long (we're talking several hours!) meditation in which she faced everything in her life that had caused her sorrow, anger, and shame. She examined each one, and accepted, forgave, and loved it.

Now, I can barely sit for the 5 minutes of meditation at the beginning of my yoga class, but I CAN forgive my grandmother for uttering those hurtful words, I CAN forgive myself for believing those awful words, and I CAN accept and love my body as it is right now. And with that said, it is DONE!