seewilmarun's Xanga

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Tue, 18 Jan 2005 19:36:05 GMT

Week 19... 17 miles????

I actually don't know which week we're on.. Just know that we have 5 more weeks of training before we do this marathon! So crazy.

This past weekend was a gorgeous run! It was pretty much the same as the 20 mile run so I was mentally ready for it. Only one girl from my pace group came but we ended up tagging along with some other people.

It was a pretty slow run since we slowed our pace even more and stopped more frequently. To keep a buddy company after mile 16, Val and I started walking. We walked about 2.5 miles in the sunny but freezing cold weather.... at about 18.5 we started running again, but by then my legs were super stiff and I couldn't finish off the 23... and just stopped at 20.. hey - still an accomplishment - yeah?

YAY and a shout out for my good friend who went from a crazy 4.5 to 16 miles.. :)

The life lesson that I continue to learn:
At the beginning of this training, I was determined to run this race solo. I thought - I'll just train with the group and then go on my own on the day of. I didn't even want to use the run/walk training method because it seemed to take away the awe of running a marathon.

So twenty so weeks in the program, I'm still learning to be a team player. I don't know if it was all the acadmically competitive schools I went to in HS and college, but I can be so competitive! Going to berkeley really does bring out that individualism nature and taught me to fend for myself. I would rather rely on myself than on others because at least I know what i can do (even if i'm wimpy). I'd rather run on my own than train with others and often I'd rather just do things myself.

Even with this training program, I'm still learning to put the pace groups' needs before my on. If someone in the group is tired and injured, we need to stick together.. Even if they tell you to go on without them..... I learned this when I ditched a group member on the 17 mile run and have learned my lesson ever since!

God really designed us to work together, to be one team. Its "OKAY" to depend on others and even ask them to stay with you. I have always been one of those people that don't like to inconvenience and bother other people. For example - when I go shopping with friends - i will rarely buy stuff - i'd rather window shop and not hold up my friends and just go back and get it later. Or i would rather take the bus even though wonderful friends offer to drive me. I dont like to "ma-fan" other people. However, while I may appear at times sacrificial, I hate admitting that i can be so selfish too - wanting to ditch the group and go on my own, or conveniently slipping out of the house so i don't have to help my mom with housework....

Sigh...Training for this marathon has reminded me of a lot of how much my character still needs to be refined..

On a side note: I think i would run another marathon in the future.. Its been more fun than I thought. Even though I love training with others, I think the next time I'd train, i'd train for a faster time.. This time around - i just wanna finish! Anyone game?

Still interested in sponsoring me?

Sponsor Wilma!

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 06:31:02 GMT

WARNING.. .EXTREMELY LONG ENTRY :)

It's been so long since I last wrote about running... I"m still alive though...

Beware... long entry.. but I want to be able to remember this journey :)

Week 12. 17 miles.

I think i'll remember this one because it was the day after my birthday. :) I was feeling pretty tired the morning of the run (after watching my friend Denise in action as she prepared scrumptious desserts for my party - from cheesecake to chocolate frosting cake to chocolate chip cookies. Anyways.. so off my group went....

We had some visitors from the Berkeley group and so it was a new mix of people, which is always fun but can be difficult as everyone has different running styles. I was delighted to run with 2 fellow bears :) Unfortunately, we lost 2 people during our run. Our fearless pace leader had some issues and had to take a break after mile 1 :( and then at mile 10 (i think) we lost another one.

We just seemed really off the whole time and the 17 miles took us almost 4 hours to do (with all the potty breaks and walking ).. The run didn't feel very satisfying because we were all spread out by the end and I finished off the last mile on my own ...but heck - still felt great to finish 17 miles!!!

Week 13. 5 miles.

I decided to keep SL company for her run so I ran to her house (it was so easy since it was all downhill and now i know in an emergency I can run to her house in 30 minutes!) We ran 2 miles and walked a lot. It was good catching up with her and even though I know she's struggling to catch up, I know she can do it. Heck - she's one of the people that got me to do this whole marathon in the first place!!

Week 16. 0 miles. Supposed to be 20.

I went snowboarding instead. I felt sad to miss the run with my group but at least I got some good cross training - my arms and butt sure got a good workout.... Snowboarding is awesome and was a terrrrific way to end my extremely busy semester.

Week 17. 8 miles.

Happy to reunite with my pace group even though it was the day after Christmas and very few people were there. The 8 miles was a quick and easy. I still love how i can say "ONLY" 8 miles :)

Week 18. New Years Eve. 19 miles. Supposed to be 20.

Well, I was supposed to run 20 but i'm enjoying telling everyone that I ran 20 but cheated 1 mile :)

So, M was supposed to run with me but since we thought it was going to rain, we decided not to run. But when I woke up on Friday morning, as i was lying in bed, I just KNEW it was not raining. I got up and peeked outside the curtain and sure enough, t he sky was blue. I called M but she was already out and about and so i decided I was going to do it. Ate my high fiber cereal and waited for my tummy to rest.

10:15 AM - left the house with 2 bottles of water, 2 Clif bars and 1 expresso gel pack.

I had emailed our coach for the 20 mile map, so i drove to the starting point and off I went. The run went pretty well for the 1st 2.5 hours and then I started feeling my legs tightening up a lot. When I got to mile 12, it started raining. So there I was, on Sunset and Ocean, wondering if I should go on. I decided to go on and ran a few more blocks to Taraval. But I was starting to freeze in my shorts and long-sleeved tee and... there was a bus stop on Sunset. I knew i could take the bus straight to my car. BUT i had already done 12 miles.. What's another hour of running??? Well, my weaker side got to me and I ended up waiting for the bus and figured I'll take the bus and then get off if it stops raining (I could see a trace of blue sky coming towards us from the ocean). At the bus stop, this Chinese grandma looked at me and definitely thought I was a nutso for being out in the rain with shorts, a long-sleeve shirt and a runner’s pack. I started to tell her how I “needed” to run one more hour. And while we were waiting for the bus, I was just watching to see if the rain would stop. It seemed from the direction of the ocean, things were looking like it would clear up for a bit... But alas, the bus came and I decided to get on. (at Taraval and Sunset) Of course I carry my MUNI pass with me, so i hopped on and everyone on the bus thought i was a weirdo for being dressed the way I was. But i walked to the back of the bus and sat near a window. I watched carefully to see if the weather would lighten up and i even opened the window a smidge to check the cars on the road to see if their windshield wipers were going. After 3 blocks, it seemed like it was still raining.. I couldn’t really tell if it was raining or not anymore, so I decided to walk to the exit in the middle of the bus. At least the next stop I could hop out and hop back in and still check on the weather. So we got to Noriega and I hopped out and it wasn’t raining!!! So I jumped off the bus and started running again! I ran back towards the park and another 5 miles.

At around 19 (really 18 since i cheated a mile on the bus), my legs were incredibly stiff. and I had to stop more frequently than before just to let my leg muscles relax. Never had i been so happy to see the buffalos in Golden Gate Park. :)

So, I survived my 19 miles. It was a great way to end of the year. ML said i ran off a pound.. Awesome. and I really did feel like Forest Gump. I kept telling myself the whole time “RUN WILMA RUN!”

I arrived home at 3 PM. With ½ a bottle of water, 1 Clif Bar and 1 Gel left.

Anyways, this was a long journey but i’m sure I’ll laugh about how I went running in the rain on the last day of the year.

Below is the course that I ran. I’m actually scared of the 23 mile run which i’m missing and the next time i run, it’ll be the 26 miles... Anyone want to come volunteer during the next few Saturdays? Anyone want to sponsor me still?

COURSE DIRECTIONS:

START: GHWY and Fulton........... Go south along GWHY path with ocean on right
GHWY and Lawton........... 1M
GHWY and Santiago........... 2M
GHWY and Sloat........... 2.5M Turn around – return back north toward park
GHWY and Santiago........... 3M
GHWY and Lawton........... 4M
GHWY and Lincoln........... 4.5M Turn right then immediate left into park (east) onto MLK
East on MLK – through Bernice Rogers........... 4.8M
MLK crosses Chain Of Lakes Dr........... 5.0M
Veer left from MLK onto Middle Drive........... 5.3M Go up hill on the road (no path/sidewalk) pass Polo Field (on left)
Polo Field Bathroom........... 5.5M turn right at Stop sign on narrow bike path
Right (west) on MLK........... 5.55M
Left (south) on Sunset (leaving park)........... 5.75M trail is on the right (west) side of road. Head 2.6miles south on Sunset to Lake Merced
Sunset and Judah........... 6M (15M on return)
Sunset and Rivera........... 7M (14M on return)
Sunset and Ocean........... 8M (13M on return)
Sunset runs into Lake Merced........... 8.3M Get on the trail on the lake side of the parking lot and run east along the length of the parking lot to begin one complete clockwise circle around Lake Merced. Stay on the trail along Lake Merced for the next 4.5miles. The name of the street will change at various points.
Lake Merced Blvd end of parking lot........... 8.5M
Lake Merced Blvd intersects Winston........... 9M
Lake Merced Blvd........... 10M Half Marathon Finish! at right hand parking lot immediately after Brotherhood Way Intersection
continue clockwise around lake – Lake Merced Blvd becomes John Muir Drive
Porta-Potty Option........... 10.6M
John Muir Dr........... 11M at 35mph sign/start of metal fence on right
John Muir Dr becomes Skyline Blvd........... 11.5M (slight right turn, just stay on path along lake)
GWHY runs into Skyline........... 12M
Lake Merced Harding Park........... 12.1M bathroom .1M to the right on Harding – this stop has included in the mileage for the course. Go to bathroom then return back to trail on Skyline
Skyline becomes Lake Merced Blvd........... 12.5M Herbst Rd is also part of the intersection
Left back onto Sunset path........... 12.85M leave Lake Merced and head back south on Sunset toward GG Park the same way you came in

29. Sunset and Ocean 13M

Sunset and Rivera........... 14M
Sunset and Judah........... 15M
Enter GG Park & right (east) on MLK........... 15.3M Polo field bathroom option is to your left down bike path. Return to MLK path if you use bathroom and continue east.
MLK and 25^th Ave (on right)........... 16M
MLK intersects with Transverse........... make left (north) onto Transverse
Transverse and Middle Drive........... 16.5M stay right, on Transverse
Transverse and JFK........... 16.7M cross intersection and right (east) onto JFK path
JFK and Stow Lake entrance ........... 17M
Pass Rose Garden on left........... 17.35M Turn around – at stop sign at de Young museum construction site. Return to ocean by heading west on JFK path.
JFK and Transverse........... 18M
JFK and Buffalo Field........... 19M at middle green park bench
JKK and training site........... 19.8M continue to Fulton/GHWY intersection then loop back to site
JFK and Windmill........... 20M Full Marathon Finish!

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 02:12:47 GMT

week 11. 6 miles. 58 minutes and 22 seconds!

I was a slacker last week and only ran one maintenance run. The back of my knee started hurting a lot and I wanted to rest it..

I overslept and missed the Saturday run, but fortunately, SF had a short 10K run called Run to the Far Side. I "celebrated" one of my high schooler's birthdays by making him run with me in the morning. It was a fun run - the first time with so many people. We even started near the front, with all the serious runners! It was fun to run on the streets and to be cheered on by random people along the streets. And we got some free stuff for finishing too!

I finished that run in less than an hour. Awesome :) Of course, afterwards, the back of my knee hurt even more and I could barely walk. But i've rested for the past few days and i'm ready to run again. Good thing too as I'm going to be doing 17 miles in a few days. 17 miles... so crazy....so crazy.... Almost there.

Monday, November 22, 2004

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 23:02:22 GMT

Week 10. 14 miles.... I think?

I went to visit a friend at Cal Poly this weekend so i missed my usual training run on Saturday. I actually missed my group. When my friend and I were driving around, I kept telling her I wanted to go running and whenever i would see a runner, I'd wish I were running. I couldn't b/c I had forgotten to pack my running shoes :( Anyways. so we went to the beach and all I could think about was running. Hmm.. crazy!

During the ride back to the city, I decided to map out in my head where i would run on Sunday morning. (Since i was going to run by myself) I also realizd that I would have to get up at 6 AM to eat breakfast so I could run from 7-10 AM, with enough time to freshen up and go to church. So, after I got home, as i was talking to my mom, I started to prepare my breakfast for the next morning. I got my box of cereal with one banana and a spoon.. Luckily our family has a fridge downstairs so i even poured milk into a tupperware.. I was all set.. :)

So at an insane hour - 6 AM- like someone in the military, i woke up to my alarm and brushed my teeth and prepared my breakfast. I finally left the house around 7:15 and began running.

Running on my own wasn't so bad. But not having mile markers was a challenge - as a result, i don't know how much i really ran. .But at least now I can say that I can run from my house to the beach!

Pretty exciting... I am now officially halfway towards my marathon training goal.

One thing I did think about was I've realized that as now that we are running so frequently, I struggle with focusing too much on running and this whole journey. I hate to admit it, but i think i've somehow become more disciplined in running than spending time with my Creator - the One who actually gave me the ability to run!

Something for me to think about.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 23:47:17 GMT

Week 9. 6 miles!

Last week i was really lazy because i knew I had a short run..and only did one maintenance run... "Just 6 miles" I told everyone. Everyone in my pace group was really excited to run only one hour. (like the nice picture i have up?) Everyone (besides my pace group) kept saying, "whaddya mean... ONLY 6 miles...."... Well - after 12 miles, 6 miles did seem really nice and easy :)

next one up: 14 miles. Since I can't run on Saturday, i'm going to meet some new runners in the Berkeley group - and run all along the Marina. I haven't been to the Marina since we had a fellowship bbq. Should be fun!

So, bad news from last week's run - my new ASICS are not happening. I gave them my best chance but in the end, they gave me a fat blister on my left foot. So i had to go to Sports Basement to return them.

Since i really need to get a replacement for my running shoe - i started frantically looking for my old NB 716 to no avail. They are a 2003 model and i guess they didn't make it back this season. So I went to Sports Basement before they closed and was planning to just return the shoes but since I had 10 minutes, I figured I'd just walk around. The shoesalesman asked if he could help me. I asked him if he knew the equivalent of the NB 716, but he didn't know.. So i just walked around and the next thing i knew, he said, "what's your size?" I was like 'why - do you have my shoe?" I struck GOLD! They had my old shoe (but a not so pretty color but who cares!) and my size!!! I was so so SO excited and went to the register to pay. To my total surprise, it rang up $35... ... WHAT A DEAL!!!! i almost wanted to get an extra pair, but held back.

I'm excited... got my new shoes... even got a replacement for my water bottle (which i lost last weekend)... and a long sleeve t-shirt :) Now i am truly prepared for this crazy marathon run!

thanks to all the people who have supported me. Interested in spnsoring me? Click here: http://www.aidsmarathon.com/participant.asp?runner=SF-6254&EventCode=NO05

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Sun, 07 Nov 2004 08:35:42 GMT

Week 8. 12 miles. 2:34 minutes.

I was reminded about something from today's run - that I tend to be more motivated when I have something to prove. I guess that's my personality - I'm strong willed so if I feel like I can do something better, I can be one determined girl. :) So, after my weak-sauce 7 mile run (though I'll still argue we really ran 7.8 miles :)), the 8 mile one was great. After struggling through a 10 mile run last week, this 12 mile was not bad. It was killer in the beginning because they had us running almost all uphill for the 1st mile, but after that, it was okay. I admit, the last 2 miles seemed so long and my legs are tired, but I survived.

It was fun to run all over the city today. There is just something exciting about running on new territory. I should really mark on a map all the places we ran.

Next week, we get a treat. Only 6 miles! Did I just say that was a treat? :) It definitely is because week 10 of training - we're going to pass our halfway mark and run 14 miles. It's insane! Yet, so much fun!!

I've been obsessed with eating/drinking things with calcium. I've never been so devoted to drinking milk before. And recently, for variety, I've started eating yogurt. Last Saturday, Mel told me it was the last day to buy Yoplait for $.50 cents at Safeway. I asked her how many she bought - 22!!!!!! So I decided to go that night to stock up. When I got there, I tried to outbuy Mel, but only left with 12 Yoplaits..YUM.

Sunday, October 31, 2004

Sun, 31 Oct 2004 05:54:05 GMT

Week 7. THE BIG 10! YAY :)

I have to admit - i thought the 10 miles would be easier than they were. Last weeks' run wasn't so bad so i thought - "just 2 more miles!" But after we started - 2 miles into it, I knew it was going to be a tough one..But thank God we have pace groups to keep us going! We did manage to finish the 10 miles. I was "designated driver" so if anyone is falling behind, I'm supposed to stay with them. That worked out really well because today I was practically the slowest one!

We finished in 2:02 hrs instead our expected 1:57.. OH well - Its awe some to say I RAN 10 MILES! our coach toby said we are official Long Distance Runners.. Its a good feeling :)

Running Shoes. I've never shopped for running shoes before. Last year - I was fortunate to have found an awesome pair of NB shoes on a clearance rack at Nordstrom's. They turned out to be really good running shoes. Well, we're only supposed to run 500 miles with them so sadly, these shoes won't make it to the marathon. So, recently I went to Sports Basement to get my feet examined :) The shoe salesman watched me run and walk and told me I had pretty flat feet and then went out this whole spiel about overpronating (I think he knew I didn't understand what he was just talking about but i'm sure it made him feel smart ). I tried on 4 different pairs and finally picked an ASICS ones. I have never spent so an hour at a shoe store but it actually kind of cool to have something close to a personal trainer! In the past, I've always picked shoes because of their "appearance" and I have to tell you - running shoes just aren't as cool looking. But its all about my feet right now :)

So i got a pair of new shoes. But I'm one of those people who love old things - so i don't know if i can bring myself to ever let go of my NB ones! I kept my old NIKE HUARACHE since 8th grade- and finally gave it away recently (should have sold it on EBAY!) Anyways.. Its nice to have new shoes. I'm sure i'll learn to love them too.

Sunday, October 24, 2004

Sun, 24 Oct 2004 14:47:41 GMT

Week 6 - Running in the Rain - 8 miles!!

As I was driving to the running site, I started to wonder if I would be able to finish 8 miles in the rain. But our coach had told us that we're going to run regardless of the conditions.

The only complaint I had frome running in the rain was I needed some windshield - wipers for my glasses. Either that or i'll have to resort to wearing contacts. By the end of the run, we were soaked. I was surprised that the run actually seemed better than last week. I think everyone ran faster because it was raining. Our group also thinks that the coach may hame misplaced the mile markers last week because someone who had a GPS said her watch told her we did 7.8 miles. So at least our group, who died on last week's run, felt better :) Running is such a mental sport that these little tidbits if of information really encouraged us.

So, this week was a good run. Next one is the milestone run - 10 miles!

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Sun, 17 Oct 2004 05:33:44 GMT

Week 5 - 7 miles! (a hard one but my new longest run!)

This , was the hardest run yet. I don't know why.... Maybe I was too proud after 6 miles and I thought one more would be easy... Or maybe I shouldn't have run the lake on Friday, knowing Saturday was a longer run. Or maybe cuz the lower part of my cav was feeling really tight from Friday's run.

Our whole group seemed off track today. I guess i should have seen that coming since I was a little off track this morning since I had a squabble with my dad on my way to the training site. Anyways... we started out okay but when we finished the 2nd mile, we were much slower than we were supposed to be... Our group felt discouraged but kept going. We tried to make up for lost time by taking 30 second breaks instead of 1 minute ones. I guess in the end, we finished at a decent time.. But we were definitely struggling today. I tried to stay positive the whole time, encouraging my group to not think about our slow run but that its more important that we feel okay running or that one bad run doesn't mean anything.

Well, after we finished and we were walking around, one of my group members said thanks to me for staying so optimistic and positive throughout the run. i was surprised because i was struggling the whole time too, but knowing that running is such a mental thing that i had to stay positive. I'm thankful for the opportunities to be optimistic and hope to have more chances in the future to share where that optimism and joy comes from :)

Sunday, October 10, 2004

Sun, 10 Oct 2004 15:14:53 GMT

Week 4 - 6 miles! WooHoo! I did it! My longest run ever. I'm excited about my latest accomplishment. Of course, in my mind, my real milestone will be when I hit the double digit run - 10 miles, but that's still a few good weeks away..

For our 6 mile run, we ran around Golden Gate Park. Our runs always start at 9 in the morning, and i admit, i'm starting to take a liking to these morning runs - it's refreshing and inspiring to see so many runners in the morning. I was fortunate to catch a ride from my mom in the morning and i've been telling her about these group runs we have each week. In her mind, she probably just imagined 4-5 people running together.. When she dropped me off, she was stunned that there were 50+ people training together :) I think seeing all those people running made the marathon more real for her.

I bought a juicer! Also, since I've started training, I'm trying to be more careful about exposing my skin to the sun. Besides the physical running, and the support raising, my health concern is regarding my dry skin (eczema). Lucky me - i've gotten a lot of advice on how to take care of it and my latest attempt was to make a drink that my friend found from a Chinese newspaper :) So, i got my new juicer yesterday and this "magical" drink consists of bittermelon, cucumber, celery, a bell pepper, and a granny apple to make it a little sweet. hopefully this will help heal my skin faster.