My First Half Marathon

Can I get a woop woop? That's what I was saying in my mind. I was thrilled and so proud of myself this past Sunday because I completed 13.1 miles. I haven't been leaving trainings out of this blog, I really haven't been training. Prior to Sunday, the most I had ran was the 5k at Thanksgiving. I needed to test out my plan for the marathon and even though the course I did was flat I knew the distance would give me an idea if I'd be able to do the full marathon or not.

I've done some reading online and there are plenty of people that have done a marathon with little to no training. I also found out that there are some snobby runners that don't consider people who walk during a race to be marathoners. Obviously I don't agree since I'm one of the people that they are referring to but really, this country has a huge problem with obesity and heart disease and Type 2 diabetes and all kinds of other problems because of an unhealthy lifestyle. I am all for encouraging exercise. The people that are struggling hard but still doing it are more inspirational to me than the people finishing in record time. That is why the night before my half marathon I watched The Biggest Loser. I only weigh 102lbs. I have 1/3 the weight they do to carry across the finish line. If they can do it then I need to suck it up and do it too. I also found that most of the people that are saying that people like me don't belong in a race are not the elite runners but the ones in the middle. Well, as someone pointed out, if it weren't for the slow people those snobby runners wouldn't be finishing ahead of anyone. I respect anyone that chooses to run a race for whatever reason, even the ones that don't respect me and my reasons.

As I've mentioned, I'm doing the Oakland Marathon on March 28, 2010. There is a full marathon course and a half marathon course. This past Sunday they did a practice run and there were two options: 1) Do 20 miles which starts at mile 10 of the full or 2) Do the complete half marathon course. I took the second option. I didn't want to push myself so hard to the point of injury and possibly not be able to do my event. The day before I made sure to drink a lot of water and I had a large serving of pad thai for dinner. I also took Thermolyte pills which are electrolytes. In the morning I had breakfast and more electrolytes and made it to Oakland. Even though I used the restroom before leaving the house and again before starting to run I had to go shortly after we started running again. Luckily I was able to go into a Starbuck's but that's an annoying part of running. After that I was afraid to drink. I met a really cool girl my age that I started running with but it wasn't before long that I felt my heart was going too fast and wanted to slow down. She said she's a beginner and slow but I guess I'm just slower. I met people here and there and I liked everyone I met. I hope I see them again at either the expo or race day. One lady that I was really impressed with was running with her eight month old baby. She had her in one of those running strollers. Occasionally she would stop to breast feed her or to change her diaper. Her husband was also doing the run but finished earlier and then ran back until he caught up with her and then let his wife run ahead to the finish without the stroller. I loved to see that. It's going to be really awesome when I do the race alongside my dad.

The streets were not closed and the course was not marked. They gave us turn-by-turn directions on a slip of paper which I wore as a bracelet. There were a lot of turns and Oakland is pretty confusing and foreign to me so I knew that I was going to have to finish no matter what because otherwise I wouldn't know how I was going to get back to my car. It would have been pretty humiliating to have to call a cab. Since the roads were not closed I had to wait at a lot of stoplights when I didn't feel I needed to rest so that right there could have lowered my time. Also, a lot of the time I was running alone. I had never done that before and I found that it wasn't as boring as I thought it was but I still prefer to have people around. At the end of the run, when I was on Telegraph my calves were sore and my feet were hurting and I was walking, there was a random guy riding his bike and happened to have a pretty big boom box blasting very high energy music. That pumped me up and I ran the rest of the way to The Marriott which marked the end of the course. On race day there's going to be a lot of music and people and cheering so I know that will also carry me through more. Not only that, my dad will be there and he's why I'm doing this. I want to make him proud. I figure that the only way I'm not going to make it to the finish line is if I'm carried off the course from collapsing or something. Even if I have to crawl, I will make it. Before I said that all I cared about was finishing in under seven hours since that's the cutoff well if I don't keep a 16 minute mile I will just move to the sidewalks and unofficially finish. It's the first ten miles of the full marathon course that is intimidating me now since that is all uphill. I know what thirteen miles flat feels like now so next I'm going to try out those ten miles uphill to refine my plan for when to walk and when to jog. I might even do some actual running. There really were some moments on Sunday that I was feeling good and I was running. I was even kind of singing to myself, "I'm doing it, oh yeah, oh yeah, I'm running, oh yeah mmhmm". Kind of like, "Go Sarah, it's your birthday." It is my birthday next week and I'm so glad I'm finishing out 30 on a high note. This was a big accomplishment for me. Thanks for reading and being part of it with me.

Changing My Approach to Training

My approach to training for the Oakland Marathon has changed. I joined Team In Training before I started my new job and at that time the schedule would have worked but now that I have a very long commute and don't get back home til close to 9:00pm every night, it just doesn't work. That's one excuse and I know it's an excuse but the fact is there...I haven't been going to the training or buddy runs.

I still am committed to doing the marathon and I am still committed to raising the money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with Team In Training but I'm going to have to find a way that works for me while I am finding my new routine.

While I haven't been running I have been doing other things that hopefully will get me where I need to be. The last time I went to a track work-out with Team In Training I felt completely out of shape because of how hard and fast my heart was pounding. That leads me to believe that I need some serious cardio training. I've always been very thin so I've never felt the need to exercise. Unfortunately, my heart is not in shape because of that. The last couple of weeks I've been going to dance cardio classes because if I'm going to work out it's going to have to be fun. Running is just not fun to me right now and neither is any other cardio machine at the gym. I've also gone to a couple of Qi-Gong/Tai Chi classes.

Tomorrow I am meeting with a personal trainer. I'm scheduled to meet with her once a week for the next five weeks. I need someone to push me because I don't have it in me to do it alone right now. When I start to feel uncomfortable running or on the elliptical I usually just stop and I feel lost when trying to do a routine on the machines.

I just got back from the gym and I did 3.11 on the elliptical machine.  It's a modest attempt at trying to get back into training but at least I did something. I had gone intending to run on the treadmill but they were all taken.

I know that I am very far behind in my training if I'm trying to run the entire 26.2 miles but the goal I originally set is to finish the marathon and to do it to support my dad. I may be completely insane to think this but on that day I know I will have the determination to cross the finish line with my dad and I feel like I will be able to do it even at the rate I'm going now. I think I'll walk the uphills and walk/jog the rest. I am going to step up my training and the personal trainer and the cardio classes is my way of doing that for now. If anyone out there thinks my theory isn't making sense...please let me know, I'm open to suggestions. I have 67 days to go.

My First 5k

Exactly one month ago today I completed my first 5k.  It was Thanksgiving morning and I did it in 00:34:37.  I was feeling absolutely amazing after that race.  I screamed as I crossed the finish line.  I wasn't tired, I wasn't in pain, I think I might have been able to do the 10k that day.  I really liked all the energy and excitement.

Up until the day before the race dad told me that he had given up on running and wasn't going to do the Turkey Trot but the morning of he changed his mind.  He didn't do the run that he registered for but he did another one spur of the moment.  My mom saw it advertised in the newspaper and told him about it.  He went over there to watch and found out it wasn't going to start a couple hours later, at 10:00am.  He had time to go home and decide to do it.  He brought my mom and their dog back in the camper and he did the race.  And this is what he had to say about it:

I did it! 7th out of 8 in my age group and 170th out of 185 overall. Not bad for no training. Now I will start training. Have a happy Thanksgiving. Say hi to everybody for me. Love you,

Dad

The run he did was a trail run so it was a little bit more difficult than the pavement I did and he completed it in slightly more time than me, about one minute more.  I was so happy to hear that he did it.  My race started at 8:00am and since his started at 10:00am we were running at the same time.  I'm on Pacific time and he's on Central time is why.  When I crossed the start line I felt a little emotional, slightly choked up.  It was a great day.  I didn't find out until afterward that dad had decided to run so I think it's pretty cool that on my first running event dad was doing one too.

I got a t shirt for him from the race and the brochure and I'm going to save it for him.  I also bought a Blogger t shirt for him since Blogger is where I'm keeping track of this story for him.  I'm going to save memorabilia and give it to him after our marathon in March.  At that time I'll also share the link to this blog where he'll be able to not only read everything I've been going through but also all the comments that my readers have left for us.  Thank you for reading and thank you for the kind words that you've shared with me on here, DailyMile.com, and my Team In Training page.

Noticing A Difference

I've had a few more runs since the last time I posted.  I have more details on http://www.dailymile.com/people/sarahkala.  The run that I am happiest about was my track workout with Team In Training from last night.  After stretching we did two laps around the track.  I was able to jog the entire time.  This was the first time that I did not run/walk.  This past Saturday I went to the coach led training which also happened to be at a track and I followed the run/walk team and ran the straights and walked the curves.  I did two miles that way and don't know if I could have done as much if I had only jogged but the half mile that I did yesterday without needing to walk was an improvement. 

After those two laps we returned for some core work.  The training was held at night and it was actually really nice to lay there working my abs underneath the stars.  I really prefer outdoors to indoors and that is why I don't think I'll be doing much training at the gym.  I also do much better when I work out with people.  I still don't have my pace down yet so to make sure I don't go to fast I still find a group that seems to go pretty slow and then follow them.  After we finished the set of exercises the coaches sent us out for two more laps.  This time I was not following behind a group, I was talking to a team captain as we jogged together.  So not only was I jogging the entire time, but I was talking.  I think that's an improvement for my endurance and for my lungs.  These are good things because tomorrow I will be doing my first race.  I'm doing a 5k turkey trot.

This past Sunday I tried to follow the course but I couldn't quite follow it exactly.  I did do most of it though so I think I'll be able to finish.  Finishing is my goal.  There are some inclines that will be a little challenging and they are early on in the course so I'm planning on walking up those to make sure I don't exert all my energy there.  We haven't had hill training yet so I don't know the techniques in that area.  I did go to a run/walk clinic on Saturday though and received some tips on walking efficiently to decrease strides and lower times. 

At the end of practice yesterday an honoree spoke.  He told us his story with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and how the money raised by Team In Training directly helped him.  He is cancer free and a lot of that is because of a treatment he received which was possible due to research from Genentech, funded by Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  He had a long battle though.  He got to the point in the story when he found out that his bloodwork had come back perfect and he said that he was surprised to hear that because physically, he felt terrible.  If anything, he thought he was getting worse.  He had no energy whatsover to do anything.  He went on to explain that his physical symptoms had nothing to do with cancer.  He was diagnosed with clinical chronic depression. 

I am telling everyone that asks why I started running that I'm doing it for my dad.  I tell them that I want to show him that I love him and support him and that he inspires me.  All the aches and pains that I will experience from my training and my accomplishment when I cross the finish line will be a gift to him.  Team In Training is helping me make this a reality.  My fundraising will hopefully make living cancer free a reality for more people, like it has for the honoree that shared his story last night.  My dad does not have leukemia or lymphoma but he does suffer from depression and as this honoree pointed out, so do a lot of the people that have cancer.  Hearing this connection was really good for me.  I think that Team In Training brings hope to a lot of people because there are success stories even though there is still not a cure.  Team In Training says, "Saving Lives One Mile At A Time".  Here's to saving lives!  Cheers!

Catch Up

It may appear that I haven't been doing anything but it's just that I haven't made the time to sit down and write.  Not to say I've been working out so hard either though.  I started a new job last week and I've been adjusting to waking up at 5:30am and a long commute.

Last Sunday started out good.  I talked to dad and he was really motivated.  He was believing in himself and telling me all the ideas he had and where he wanted to go with his running.  He had talked to an old running buddy from back in the day and that man was doing good and was good enough to encourage my dad.  So as my dad was telling me that he knew that one day he could place in the Senior Olympics I was hoping that this time this feeling of his would last.  I wanted to bring this good energy and goal planning to the present and asked him if he planned on running any of the Turkey Trots.  He hadn't really thought about it and after we talked it all out he said that he would do one (he was looking them up as we spoke).  He even said that he'd order the XS and send it to me as a souvenir from his first race.  That made me really happy and I decided that I would do the local Turkey Trot here too.  I was looking at it earlier but wasn't sure I could really do a 5k (3.11 mi.) yet.  I want to do it though and I want to order the t-shirt in his size and save it for him.
Following this conversation I went to the gym and all was good.  Well, sort of.  I was supposed to do a 20-40 min. "easy run" but I haven't learned pacing yet and sprinted and lost my energy.  I only lasted 00:12:28 but did complete a mile and in less time than the previous one mile.

By Monday morning my dad had already lost any positive thoughts.  Unfortunately, this is the reality of Bipolar Disorder.  He has highs and lows and both sides can be extreme.  I won't go into the details of the conversation but for right now he has given up on running.  Hopefully he somehow changes his mind but I discovered he hasn't even gotten running shoes yet so that's going to be hard.  He bought a few pairs of racing shoes on Ebay though.  He bought them on Sunday.  When they arrive maybe he'll feel like running but no way of telling.  The racing shoes he bought are not shoes that he can train in though because they are for people that do good with no support so they're only good for sixty miles.

I wasn't able to do any marathon training during the week and I missed the track training because I was in training for my new job and very busy but as I get settled in I'm going to be able to make it part of my new routine.  I'm not just saying that, I do have a plan.

On Saturday I met my team at the Berkeley Marina for our first group run.  We met at 8:00am and it was cold.  I warmed up pretty quickly after I started though.  We could have run up to 4 miles but I did 2.  I'm happy with that though.  It is the longest that I've run so far.  I know I could have done more but I had to go to the bathroom so bad.  I don't think I'm going to be able to drink as I run.  I need to buy those gummy electrolyte things.  I'm also going to try and drink a lot of water the night before a run and see if that helps.  I also need to buy a better sports bra.  I wore a hat on my head to cover my ears but it made my head too warm and my ears still hurt.  So adding to the list of "to buy" is a sports head band that covers my ears.

Pacing was much easier for me on Saturday since I was running with a group.  I started off in a pack and stayed at their pace until I had to tie my shoes.

Oops I'm at work now....to be continued

Have a great day!

Exceed All Expectations

Today was Kickoff Day for Team In Training!!!

We met at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) for the official start of the season and we got a lot of good info, including our workout schedules.  We also heard from some honorees and their stories were very inspiring.  I know my dad will be proud of me no matter what distance I run for him but now that I have decided to run with Team In Training I have a lot of people counting on me.  I owe it to my team, my chapter, our honorees, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to do my very best at raising funds to continue to improve and save lives.

Our schedule didn't have us set to run until tomorrow but the stories I heard today inspired me to start today.  I went to the gym and I ran 1mi. in 12min 53sec. and then I biked for 1mi.  Mama Lisa said we shouldn't do more than what is in the schedule, especially if we are new to running but I thought 1mi. wouldn't be so bad.  As I ran I saw a large sign on the wall that said, "Exceed All Expectations".  I really liked that and decided that was going to be my motto.  That is a motto not just for my training, but a motto that's good to live by in all areas of my life.  I'm starting a new job on Monday where expectations will be high but I'm confident that I can even exceed expectations there.

This little trial run I did tonight was a good lesson for me.  I forgot to bring the sensor for my ipod Nano so that I could use Nike+.  I need to be sure to remember that for now on.  I also am thinking that when I run outdoors I'm not going to have to wear a ton of clothes because my temperature definitely did rise and that would have been uncomfortable if I hadn't been able to remove my shirt (I ran in my sports bra but it covered everything).  My music was also a little boring.  I think I might try listening to an audio book and see if that's any better.

The schedule tomorrow says:
Easy Run (20-30 min.)
OR
Cross Train
Stretch 15-20 min.

I'll do the 20-30 min. run tomorrow but I don't think I'm at the point yet where I'd call that "easy".  Right now, that's kind of my max.

An estimated 110,960 new cases of blood cancers will be diagnosed nationwide this year alone; some 55,100 patients will die.  Please consider sponsoring me by donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on my Team In Training webpage.   Become part of the cure!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/Oakland10/sharton

Thank you!

Not Looking Good for Dad

I received the following email today from my dad:

Good Morning Sarah,

    I know you don't want to hear it, but there will be no daily log. My depression is much stronger than I am. I'm tired of all these dreams I have only to lose out to the depression. I know that I will never be able to move out of this area and will never be able to focus on my health. Everytime I get a good start, something happens and I sink back into a deep depression. I seriously cannot handle anymore setbacks or failures. For now I am working on getting my weight down and maybe get some jogging in. I'm not going to think about the pressures of the spring marathons. If it happens, great. If not, it is just another failure and I will except it. For now it is day to day, crappy weather and no future in sight. Hope you can understand and not get on my case about it. There is nothing that can be done.

    I had to let you know why you are not getting a daily log. Sorry I started your day off with negative news.

    Love you,

       Dad

I'm going to call him and tell him that I love him.  It sounds like he's very down right now and like he said, there's nothing that can be done.  That's how his depression is.  I don't think there's anything anyone could say right now to make him feel any better.  At least his note didn't sound completely hopeless though.  He did make it seem like the marathon may still happen.

Originally I had said that if it got to a point where I felt my dad was giving up on running the Oakland Marathon that I would tell him that I am planning on running it with him as a way to maybe motivate him to keep trying.  I don't think this is the time though, it's too early.

I met with my Team In Training mentor today to talk about my fundraising plan and answer any questions I have about that or training.  We have our kickoff event this coming Saturday.  That will be the official start to my training and I'm really looking forward to that.

I am really determined to make this work.  I know my dad has a lot of regrets in life and there are things that he wants to do now that he's not able to because of his depression.  I do not have any diseases or illnesses that would prevent me from doing this so I want to do it for us both.  Hopefully we will be at the start line together on March 28, 2010 with our numbers on ready to run 26.2 miles.  

Thank you for reading this...you are part of my journey.  And thank you so much to those of you that have been emailing me and/or posting your comments in support of what I'm doing.  I really appreciate it.