Bowsie Boo Boo Part II

Bowser is just as vocal and stubborn as his parents!

1:58:09

The San Jose Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon was just as gratifying to run as my first half in May. I produced my very first Half Marathon PR: 1:58:09! Way better than the goal I had my sights on, as I stated in my last entry (“as long as I beat 2:07:38”). I nearly beat my old time by 10 minutes.

While my last half was partially motivated by running, partially motivated by my mom, I have to say that this one was all about running. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could put my nose to the grindstone and become a faster runner.

I just remember rounding the corner and seeing the finish line clock flashing 1:58 and I think I let out a squeal as I realized I was going to meet my goal of coming in under two hours, and crush my last time. Adrenaline kicked in once again and I went flying past a crowd of people with my arms in the air, celebrating another 13.1 miles conquered.

For my acceptance speech, (ahem) I just want to thank the course for being flat, the cytomax and water stations for being appropriately spaced apart, and GU for making a product called Chomps that tastes like fruit snacks instead of its nasty older brother, GU Gel. I also want to thank the lady who was giving out free bacon along the way, even though she was out by the time I ran by. It was still good for a chuckle, even if it messed up my breathing pattern. Oh and I can’t leave out the runner that thought it was okay to take his shirt off and show the 12,000 other runners his hairy back, which grew in the pattern of a t-shirt. That was just…interesting.

In all seriousness, I had a blast running it with my boyfriend’s brother, wife and my good friend/old Seattle running partner! We decided to make this an annual tradition going forward.

As for the bands, they were so-so. What was more motivating was the energy about the stages rather than the music itself. Blues Traveler was the final band which we didn’t stick around to see. But with that being said, I would love to do another Rock ‘n Roll race series. I have my sights set on Seattle next year, and I’m hoping that it lives up to its Rock ‘n Roll status as far as the music goes.

As for the next race, I’m definitely signing up for some turkey trots, and debating the Seattle Marathon’s half distance. Still, I have no desire to do a full marathon. I commend those that go there, but I can safely say, the marathon bug hasn’t bitten me…yet. 5ks and half marathons are my absolute favorite distances to race.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but adrenaline will carry you through the finish line.

The other half of the marathon

Let's hope I look better than Homer on Sunday

One more training run to go and then it's show time! My second half marathon is three days away in scorching San Jose, California. Temperatures have reached 100 this week, so hopefully I can beat the heat. I've been running in the rain and mist here in Seattle - my favorite running weather. Not sure how you prepare for heat when there is none, but I'll just do my best to stay hydrated.

The last time I trained for a half, I was training hard to ensure I could just finish. I didn't care about my time so much as just crawling past the finish. I got in really good shape and stuck to a pretty rigorous workout regimen.

Training this time was a reminder of just how mental running is. Because I knew I could do this race, I didn't train as hard, so I'm hoping I'm still able to pull through and nab a PR. Not sure if that's feasible, being as I reduced mileage just a tad and have done next to no cross training (unless you count the handful of times I popped in a workout DVD).

I'm counting on the flat course and race adrenaline to keep my legs pumping. I guess I have done a bit more speed work than my last race. I'm excited to participate in the Rock n Roll race series. Someone combined my two favorite things in the whole world (music and running) and is making money off it. There is a band at every mile. I'm a little irked that I didn't think of it first. While I'm interested in seeing the bands, I can't race without my ipod. Michael Jackson has a way of motivating me that cannot be forsaken. Unless they somehow have an MJ cover band. That would rock my world.

I'm just happy that I'm doing a second half marathon. At the beginning of the year, I wasn't sure if I could run this distance at all, nevermind do two of these. I think I more than exceeded my New Year's Resolution. 

Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I beat 2:07:38. When you're cozy in your jammies on Sunday morning, send me some good vibes!

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but you never know what you're made of unless you try.

Beware of the Garage!

I'm afraid to see what memories are bursting through this garage door...

Last weekend, I went to my parent's house to help clean out their garage (which looks like something out of a Hoarder's episode). I didn't have too much stuff in there, being as I haven't lived with them in years, but I did find a few items that caused uproarious laughter.

• Notes/cards: My sentimentality as a child caused me to save every. single. note. ever written to me. I'm not exaggerating. I found notes that were passed to me in middle school classes all the way to a bundle of 8th birthday cards. Reading a few of them, it's hilarious how big of a deal everything is to adolescent girls. The littlest thing starts the biggest rumor, and the slightest is analyzed to the point where it loses it's meaning. While I kept all of the letters from my cousins in Japan and my great-grandma who is no longer with us, the melodramatic, he-said-she-said, omg, notes (along with saved games of MASH and Lemonhead) went to the recycle bin.

• Work shirts: I found a bag of polo shirts that I wore pushing carts and boxing groceries in my days working at a local retailer. I had a lot of great memories with old co-workers in those shirts, but I also have a lot of memories being verbally harassed by people with nothing better to do than terrorize those that serve the general public. Some other poor soul at goodwill can have those memories.

• Old fiction stories: rather than hanging out with friends and running around outside as a kid, I sat in front of the computer and worked on my words per minute. I pumped out story after story fueled by my vivid and overactive imagination - the longest reaching close to 90 pages. I had a series going called Milo, which I believe I've mentioned before, in addition to others with melodramatic titles such as It's Okay to Cry (I just about peed my pants when I read that). I have yet to crack these open to read what I wrote, but I couldn't part with these. They came back to my townhouse with me. I'm sure there will be another blog entry to follow.

• Puberty Book: the worst find of them all. If anything marked me as a hoarder, this was it. I have no idea why I would save the poor book ("Growing Up and Liking It") they handed out to us in health class, but there it was, amongst old arts and crafts projects, and "what I want to be when I grow up" essays. I was laughing so hard about it that I shared the find with my family, who handled the book as if it had gotten VD for hanging out in the garage all these years. It gave horrendous tips such as how often to change your pads, what to do if you get blood on your underpants, how to keep a calendar of your "flow." It also included talking points for parents who couldn't quite bear to have this conversation with your kids. This book was written just as awkwardly as the I imagine the conversations that sprung from it. Of course, the cover has a scene of a meadow and a mom and daughter picking flowers. I can just imagine the design team picking this cover photo, "If that just doesn't scream menstruation, I don't know what does!"

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but you don't need to save everything to keep memories from your childhood...especially not a puberty book.