My Cat's Turds

I don't normally have the pleasure of posting anything about my cat. I feel the need, today, after coming home this morning to one of his tremendous turds, to give Norm a shout out here. This blog was started in my quest to break a 4 hour marathon and has since been about different running journeys.. So it may be odd to some that my cat weighs 30 lbs and is what some might call "obese" when I might be what others call "obsessed" with running/working out.

What Norm does best
Photo courtesy of FB friend: Nathan Stewart

Compared with a child
Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Thorne

I adopted this hunk of love 2 years ago when I heard he was going to the pound. He was 10 years old and a dog lover, I was told. I brought my dogs over to introduce them and he ran up to them and started sniffing their butts right away. Love at first sniff. 

He has since become a neighborhood  downtown phenom. There are 2 annual parties thrown in his honor and they've brought together neighbors in a peaceful, animal-loving way. I'm currently working on Norm Pub Crawl to benefit one of the local non-profit animal shelters. He will attend in my dog's stroller (yes, I own a doggie stroller). 

Gracie's always preferred the finer things

So the initial point of this post was to mention Norm's turds. He has man-turds. I should have taken a photo of the one I came home to this morning but usually I'm just so preoccupied with getting that thing down the toilet as quickly as possible. I then had to light a candle to help with the buttscent that was left lingering. No wonder Norm ran, okay maybe it was more of a waddle, out the door when I got home. He can't even stand the smell. 

This is his buddy, Six. He initially came around about 1 year ago looking for food. I think he was abandoned because he's not too skittish and will even come inside once in a while. He is a regal looking cat but has gained a bit of weight... With all the visitors coming around I think they get their fair share of treats. 

Six
Photo courtesy of FB friend: Stephen Orihuela

If you're not already his friend check him out here: Norm Lopez 

Not his best angle

2012 in review

The year had quite a few last minute detours for me and I've learned this is how I like to live. Sporadic, unconventional. It also seems this year I realized that since I started this whole running/fitness thing 2.5 short years ago, it's become so much a part of my life I have no idea where or who I would be without it. Similar to when a dog comes into your life and you have no idea what it was like before you had to take care of him. Here are the fun adventures of the year I never had any intention embarking on January 1st, 2012:

1. AR50 - I decided sometime in February or March I might as well put myself on the waitlist not really thinking I'd get in. 
2. Pacing the last 22 miles of Western States (after running the first 30 for safety patrol in the morning) 
3. Running the Tahoe Triple (and even placing 1st for female under 40 on the first day! I know... low competition races are awesome) - this was physically taxing and rewarding. Completing it and feeling as well as I did ultimately lead me to putting my name in the WS100 lottery.

Adventure lows for the year:

1. DNF at Skyline to Sea 50K due to ITB flare up that I couldn't run through (my car DNF'd on the Martinez bridge on the way home. And then we waited for 6 hours for a tow truck.)
2. Being attacked by a raccoon 2 times in the last month

That last one isn't race related but it induced some adrenaline similar to that of finishing a hard race. I've never wanted to hurt anything fuzzy but I had to go mama bear on the turd after it went after my dogs. We all managed to get away unscathed but I'm terrified of leaving my house after dark now. Guh. 

This last month my fitness has dropped post CIM. I've been eating and drinking too much and although I haven't gained any noticeable weight I feel like crap. I told myself December I wasn't going to beat myself up about it but how can I not? I'm whining for this self-inflicted rut I've gotten myself into. I'll get over it. 

I've signed up for Sonoma 50 and lottery chose me for Way Too Cool 50K. I also signed up for the Steep Ravine 50K end of January and I'm still toying with the idea of signing up for Bishop 100K. As with most things, it will be a last minute decision fueled by some sort of inspiration I usually get when I've been running for too long and I'm lacking sugar to make rational thoughts. And it'll be great. 

Happy New Year Friends!!!

xoxo

CIM 2012 - A Wet One

26.2 of wet wet wet. 

HK and I around mile 23-something 

The day started with howling winds and rain. You could feel it on the bus on the way up to Folsom. I kept thinking it would die down as soon as the sun started to rise. When the bus arrived at 6am I quickly found Jeffrey, the first of the 3 men gracious enough to rally a relay around my effort of sub 3:35 -  "T-Lo's Mojo". I knew going into this race that a BQ was going to take a perfect day. Not necessarily meaning perfect weather but a perfect mental/physical day coupled with weather being favorable. The 2 mile run before the race started got me feeling that a BQ was likely out of reach. I felt like a ping pong ball when hit with a gust of wind and I never really knew where it was coming from... It was mostly a side and headwind. 

My plan all along had been to start with 8:30s for three miles and then work down to 8s and hold. The first 6 miles worked out well in that fashion. After the turn onto Fair Oaks it became brutal... I held pace but the gusts were coming straight at me and even with Jeffrey directly in front of me I was starting to feel beat up from the wind and that it might come back to haunt me in later miles. I landed at the half mark right on pace at 1:47 and picked up Kevin (HK). 

I was pretty grumpy. I think it was the fact that I heard it discussed by Jeffrey and HK that they would meet "around the corner" after the exchange to avoid the crowd. Well, as I ran past the exchange I see HK. I yell at him "KEVIN" and point that Jeffrey is up ahead. Then  I see Jeffrey up ahead and I tell him that HK is behind me somewhere. So I'm immediately a little annoyed because HK wasn't where he said he was going to be. Which he argued that he was where he was supposed to be. ** DON'T EVER ARGUE WITH SOMEONE YOU'RE PACING** Even if you're right, you're wrong. 

HK: “What’s in your water bottle?”

Me in a condescending tone “WATER!!?”

At about mile 15 or so the 3:35 pacer is about 100 feet ahead of me but I'm losing steam, fast. 

“3:35 is getting away from you. You wanna pick it up?”

**SCOWEL**

Miles 15 - 20 are really nothing but a blur of me staring at the ground ahead of me and moving forward.. I was doing about 8:30s, I think. This was my 3rd time doing CIM and if you've done it before or at least you know the Sacramento area, then you know that after you pass mile 20 - Lohman's Plaza you start heading into downtown on J Street and its the "final phase" of the race and the most fun typically because there are bars and coffee shops and a lot of people. We picked up Glen and HK gave the relay chip to him but stayed with us through the finish line. 

Glen was very nice and offering encouragement. He was the only of the three that was doing this consistently and I really appreciated it. I was moving the slowest miles 23-25 hitting 8:50s. 

HK: “You wanna go for 8:15s the last 3 miles?”

Me: “No I’m good right here with this pace”

Glen: “ You're doing great Tyler!!”

Me: “REALLY? Because I feel like SHIT” “I’m gonna get sloppy drunk after this” “Oh look, mile 24, that’s how many beers I’m having when this is done” 

Glen encouraged me to pick it up after the 25 mile marker and I did... My last mile was 8:19 and that was giving everything I had. 

The best signs of the day were "Watching you run is making me wet" (it was raining the ENTIRE time) and "Smile if you've peed yourself today". 

Afterwards I proceeded to drink beer and eat bacon. 

3:38:16 was my final time. 3:16 shy of a BQ but 12 minutes better than my last CIM so I can't complain. I see a BQ in my future. 

My pacers were great.. They all brought something different to the table. Jeffrey didn't talk too much but has a great energy/vibe to him and it was nice just knowing he was there. HK for as much shit as I give him is fun to run with. He's energetic and makes a party of it talking to people on the course and having fun. Glen also has a great energy to him and was very encouraging when I needed it the most. It's hard to talk when you are running at a race pace so I was never talkative on this run which was much different from last year. I felt like Mitch and I were chatting it up most the way through mile 15 before it got super quiet and the mental work took hold. This year's CIM the mental endurance started immediately... I think it had more to do with the weather which gives me hope for my next BQ attempt. 

And how about all those spectators still out there during this storm to watch the worst parade ever?? Love all of them! 

Clarksburg Country Run

1:41:56

See my run


Derrick is the man! With his MOvember stache he is on a roll signing up for 50 milers and pacing lil ol' me to a PR. This was unintentional.... I told him "I want to run a smart race..go out with 8:15s and then after a few miles start to pick it up". So naturally I leave the gates and hit a 7:45 for mile 1. I tried to back off but then its like whatever, if a 7:30 feels good let's just stick it out... I knew it was too fast but I didn't care. I felt like my rookie self again running Urban Cow for the first time just 2 years ago (and vomiting immediately after). Our half mark was at 50:00 and at mile 8 I started feeling it... I was struggling to keep it under 8 minute miles and that became my goal for the next 5. Just keep it under 8s and I did! 

Check us out!!!

This run was much more enjoyable than the first time I did it, 2 years ago, when my IT band flared up and I came through the finish at 2:16 with tears in my eyes thinking that I was not fit for running. That was when my ART love affair started with the pros at Elite Spinal and Sports Care.  


I told Derrick early on that my overall goal was to keep it under 8s and perhaps that will give me a confident boost for CIM. My initial goal for CIM was 8 minute miles (3:30 finish)... I'm now thinking that I'll go out with the 3:40 pace group and just hang with them and see if I can pull away at some point before the half. 

I have a feeling depending on how this goes and how I feel will determine if I'm going to sign up for Napa and go for BQ there..... 

November Rain

Today I'm not feeling myself. I'm in a slump. I think its created by feeling fat, not running quite as much as previous months. I guess its a case of the mean reds (SEE:  Holly Golightly) 

Sometimes I feel like I'm screaming in my skin. Maybe its excess energy from not running? Or maybe it stems from looking on one side of my closet the other day and realizing that I haven't been to that side of the closet in months and I should just throw all that stuff out. Which then gets me on a train of thought on living simply and how I can go about doing this more efficiently. Actually while I'm on this tangent I'm sure another source of my ill-at-ease is the fact that I've been eating Halloween candy and enough sugar lately to kill a donkey. And I don't even like candy. I also don't like my job. I'm dealing with a dumbass that owes me money and with the help of a friend have been able to eloquently put pressure on him without losing my shit. I'll get my money one way or the other. I just hope that my next blurb here isn't "How to take someone to court". But I admit I think it'd be kind of fun.. hee hee. Its fun when you know you can't not win. 

I'm still on track to PR at CIM. I'm really not sure at this point how well I'll do and if I'll hit the BQ promise land on this go - I guess that's the glory of running. We never know how we are going to do.. that's why we see how hard we can push. I really got used to and started liking the long slow slogging that Tahoe Triple granted - and that I will be granted if I get into WS100 next year. It's just a different mentality than being focused on numbers. I like both. Typically runners will end up choosing one or the other in the long run (that pun was not intended). Road/Speed vs. Trail. I hope I can hang on to the fundamental challenges and enjoy both for a while. 

I should also get back on my bike. 

Speed-o

I had a super sweet speed workout last night. Felt good. My obliques are sore. I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to speed workouts and such... 

15 warm up
4 x 3:00 all out with 2 min. in between
2 miles cool down at 8:30 pace 

I'm sweeping the Golden Hills marathon this weekend... My intentions were to just go and see my friends run Firetrail 50 because, let's face it, it's fun to watch your friends suffer. But somehow I roped myself into sweeping the marathon course. I really really hope the back of the pack isn't pushing the allowable 20/min pace otherwise it may turn out to be the longest day of my life. Running 26.2 trail miles is hard. Walking it will just be all out brutal. 

In other news it looks like a zombie threw up in our office. There is Halloween everywhere. It's awesome and awful because there are Butterfingers 2 feet from where I sit. But there are also a variety of masks that I get to put on and go incognito when I feel like it. I know people still know who I am but for some reason it allows me to start dancing and acting like a fool as if I've been waiting my whole life to have different face to hide behind so I can start shaking my hips and behaving like the 5 year old I feel like sometimes. 

Happy Halloweeny!

Back to life. Back to reality.

I'm suffering from post race depression bad today. So I'm going to re-hash the last 4 days of my life in agonizing detail. 

Friday/Marathon 1 - Emerald Bay to Spooner Lake:

Kevin, Derrick, Dennis and I were standing around waiting for  the start. We wished one another luck and in the middle of a sentence the gun goes off startling all of us! "Oh I guess we're on!" The first few miles is all descent and I'm just focused on keeping my feet underneath me and keeping her easy. Run your own race was the advice of the German speaker the previous night at pasta dinner and record holder of the triple. "Don't run too fast, don't run too slow. Run how you trained and run your own race". This stuck with me those 3 days and I always had in mind to just keep it comfortable - the goal was always to finish in 1 piece (and to share Derrick's goal: no pooping of the pants). 

Derrick found me within the first half mile and to my surprise we actually ran the entire first day together - well minus the last mile or so when he had more gusto in him to kill that final hill and bring it in. Derrick is a much stronger runner than I am so I fully expected him to take off that first day. Day 1 was a nice ease into this stage race. I had someone to chat with when needed and laugh and joke about what the hell we were doing out there. As soon as I caught a glimpse of the lake I knew exactly what I was doing out there. 

My mom was the best support anyone could ask for on day 1. She had the Gracie and June Bug (JB) with her and leap frogged us the whole time. We were self sufficient as far as GU and water but it was so nice to see her face every few miles camera in hand. 

The final 3 miles of this first marathon are up hill about 1,000 feet or so. The last mile was probably the hardest mile I've ever done. I never stopped running, I just kicked it into a very low gear and said to myself "chug and lug - chug a lug". I find keeping my eyes down helps. The final turn into the parking lot at the top of the hill my mom was there with the dogs. I ran it in with JB: 

And actually received 1st place in open women's division with 4:21:53 :D

Saturday/Marathon 2 - Spooner Lake to Tahoe City:

Brooke came up the night before to help with support on Saturday since my mom was riding her bike around the lake. She dropped us off and today was a 7:45 start time. The first 6 miles or so are mostly downhill. I was worried about my IT bands since they've given me issues in the past and things were sore today. Again, nice and easy I told myself. Around mile 5 or so the view opened up and I saw the entire lake. It was so beautiful. I also saw in the FAR distance the casinos at the North Shore stateline that I knew we had to run beyond. It looked eons away.

After the halfway mark when all the half marathoners cleared the course I thought to myself this is where my race begins. And with that thought was an arduous climb up a very busy street. The cyclist were all passing by now from their trip around the lake. This was awesome. They were all encouraging and I was happy giving them all a thumbs up as they sped past. I also hit a euphoric 2nd wind here (which cannot happen without its polar opposite, I'll get to that). At this point I was waving at cars and having a great time chatting with the spectators as I'd run past. And then I spotted my mom coming around the bend on her bicycle. This was another great boost! She cheered for me and a couple others around me and said she loved me before pushing beyond. 

I was then blasted with fatigue and soreness around mile 16. But I pushed on. I never walked on this course, I just put it into a very low gear. This day was the hardest of the 3 days for me but it was also the fastest (a faster course, mostly downhill). 

On the first day I developed a little 10K and 5K left dance, just some minor wiggling and finger shaking. When I had 10K left on this course I mustered up the dance with all my might. When the 5K left mark came, I was shattered. I pointed my fingers out for about .5 seconds and then pushed on. I was mad and sad and hurting. I figured I'd cross the line and start crying immediately. 

Then there was another hill. And all that was left was my will to live. I was talking to myself in short sentences mantra like. I knew I would finish but it was taking it out of me. I finally heard Derrick's voice scream at my sighting and new I was done for the day. 

Big smiles, no tears:

4:20:14

Sunday/Marathon 3 - Tahoe City to Pope Beach (about 6 miles beyond Emerald Bay)


5:00am Sunday morning I awoke with nausea. I got up for the normal routine of coffee with half and half and oatmeal and found that my stomach immediately said no way, not today. I had my coffee black and a Mojo bar instead. I rolled a bit and yawned about 40 times on the 45 minute drive up to Tahoe City for the final race. I couldn't be bothered to stand in line at a porta potty so went pee in a parking lot in front of a car with a little stick tree right beside me. I gave no shits this day. We saw a pale and distressed looking Dennis at the start and took a few photos. The gun went off and we hobbled on. Dennis was right behind Derrick and I for a couple miles and he dropped off. "He said he ate yogurt and a banana for dinner, Derrick" I said worriedly. Dennis is the fastest marathoner of all of us I think had the biggest breakthrough this weekend in testing his limits. 

Derrick and I ran together for the first half or so seeing Brooke and my mom along the way. Its great to have support in races, especially stage races or ultra-endurance events. And its a pain the ass for them so I really appreciate it. 

The first 8 or 9 miles was flat. I was grateful and we were easily doing 9:40s or so. Also, as soon as I started the race my nausea and fear of what lie ahead was instantly gone. I thought it funny how the thing that was causing trauma to my body was also the only thing that was making me feel better. Anyhow, as soon as the hills started I slowed a bit. This is where I lost Derrick and just went at an easy peasy no rush pace. I enjoyed the scenery and the energy from the half marathoners when they started at the half point. At Inspiration Point I grabbed some grapes, pretzels and Ultima to choke them down with. I walked and just looked out at the lake and I experienced so many emotions. I was calm and happy eating and I was also sad that in 6 or so miles it was all going to be over. So I enjoyed those 6 miles the best I could. I chatted it up with several people. And around mile 21 or so Dennis caught up with me! I told him to go catch Derrick after he explained he was just numb to the sickness he felt and pressing on. Way to go, Dennis! 

After I rounded the final stretch where my mom and Brooke stood I was drawn in by the cheers of onlookers. What a great day! The 4 of us here at the end doing our final post race soak:

4:36:28

These were probably the most amazing 4- 5 days of my life thus far. I've experienced far ends of the emotional spectrum and I feel lucky for all of it. And I especially feel lucky that I can eat this and not feel the least bit guilty about it:

Next day chillin with JB (and the rest of the gang) at Kiva Beach - I wanted to run another marathon but we went to apple hill and ate pie and fritters instead.

 Bye Bye for now Lake Tahoe!