Cupcake Run Half Marathon race report

The goal of this year's much more sane 13 in 13 project is to run a half marathon every month... plus the bonus one in January. We waited until almost the last minute to get in our March race, but it was well worth the wait.

I had heard about the Cupcake Run last year from my pal Mara. It's a small race, run on a shoestring budget, and all proceeds go to a charity. This year's charity is Miracle 4 Matthew, in honor of Matthew Sheppard:

Twelve year old Matthew Sheppard suffered from head pain at school on June 15, 2012 and was airlifted to Harborview. Doctors were conflicted on his diagnosis, but the outcome is that this vivacious, headstrong 12 year old (now 13) spent 98 days in Children's Hospital and is in a powered wheelchair and has a lot of healing ahead of him.

I love a no-frills event... especially at a no-frills price. And I loved that the vast majority of my $40 registration went straight to Matthew's family.
On race morning we drove up to Arlington, getting only slightly lost in the dark and fog. As we approached the address for the parking area (.4 of a mile from the start), we saw a car stopped in the road. We slowed down, and then saw the person was talking on the phone, so we just drove around them.They immediately started driving after us -- a little alarming, given that other cars were also following us and the yellow car cut them off.
When we got to the parking -- a sports field complex -- the gate was shut, so we were at a bit of a loss. Yellow car drove up and started shouting that she had been waiting already 15-20 minutes and there was NO ONE THERE and SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. It was a bit much for me, that early in the morning. We said that this was the place listed as the parking area, so we were just going to park at the side of the road. She just kept shouting at us, so we drove off and parked. Other cars soon followed.
Fifteen or so minutes later, it was light enough to see -- but we and several other runners just sat in our cars keeping warm. We figured out where the actual start line was, and comtemplated trying to drive there, but I was just as happy to walk. We were amused to see angry lady walking with someone to the start... still angrily talking about signs, etc.
To be clear: both the trailhead and the sportsfields were EXACTLY where they were described, and both had signs. It was just dark.

We got to the start, picked up our bibs, dropped off a dozen cupcakes for the post-race party, and then milled around. We didn't have long to wait before Tory gave us a course overview (look for turnaround signs drawn in chalk, don't forget to turn back down to the start as it's an OUT AND BACK) and then Matthew and his family arrived. It was nice to see them, albeit briefly, before we headed out.

Waiting for the start.

Wil and I set off at a relaxed pace. We hadn't really run since our previous half marathon, and weren't sure how we were feeling. To add to our concerns, Wil had a small bike accident on the day before the race, which left him with a sore knee and roughed-up Achilles.
The course followed the Centennial Trail -- another one of the fantastic rails-to-trails conversions we are so lucky to have in Washington State. Rail trails mean a nice gentle run -- no steep hills in either direction. Sweet!
Well, it turns out that most of the first half of the half was a slow, gentle uphill. As the miles ticked by, I kept hoping that we would keep going up, so we wouldn't lose some of the precious elevation we'd gained.
There's really not much to tell -- other than that, about 10 minutes in, Wil realized that he hadn't started his interval timer, so we decided to just run till we needed a break. We took our first one at the water stop around mile 5 -- mainly so we didn't have to little the cup, we just stood there and quickly drank and snacked on a few pretzels. Then I took a very brief -- literally 10 seconds or so -- walking break at the turnaround, more so I could mentally reset than anything else. And then we stopped again at the water stop on the way back.
At one point Wil needed to adjust his knee brace, so he sent me on ahead. Apparently I started sprinting to the water stop, which would explain why I felt so woozy when I got there. Ah, to be able to pace myself someday...
I admit that i got a bit snivelly toward the end. I was tired, weirdly tired of carrying my gloves, tired of not having the mental breaks when we walked. I realized that we were going to be close to a PR for Wil, if not for both of us. I told him he should go on ahead, but of course he wanted to stick with me. Go Team Wil-Sun!
I was so freakin' pleased to see the turn off to the trailhead... even if I couldn't remember how much farther it was to the finish. Darn dogleg meant I didn't see the finish line till we were almost on top of it -- oh well! As usual, we held hands, picked up our pace as best we could, and crossed the finish li
Our watches said we had run in 2:14 and change; the official time was recorded as 2:12:40.8, good enough for 17th and 18th places overall. I'm a bit skeptical, so that's why I'm not crowing over a new PR. :)
The last sprint left me really queasy -- not sure why -- so I needed to walk away from the crowd and, well, make a break for the woods if needed. But after a minute or so I was fine. We collected our super-cute medals, helped ourselves to an amazing homemade cupcake (carrot cake for Wil, s'mores for me), and stretched a little.

Cupcakes!!! Look at all the cupcakes!!!

We knew there wouldn't be any other finishers for a few minutes, so we pretty much just said our thank yous to Tory and then headed back to the car.
Possibly the nicest part of the event was seeing so many familiar faces -- lots of Maniacs and Fanatics we saw so often last year. It was pretty cool to feel like part of the "in crowd", to get nods and waves of recognition. But I guess that's why small events are sometimes better than the big events.

2013 Cupcake Run Half Marathon Medal

The reason for the run!

The "Roxanne" workout

Today in boot camp, the very awesome Kerry (from Vast Fitness) took us through a warm-up, then a 4-station circuit, and then, when we were pretty much wrung out, gave us the "Roxanne" workout.

What's that, you ask? Well, it's simple.

Play the song "Roxanne" by the Police. Then the music starts, get into a straight-arm plank.

Every time you hear the word "Roxanne", do a push-up.

Every time you hear the words "red light", do a jackknife (while keeping your legs and arms straight, jump your feet to your hands and back).

We were a little giddy and punchy at the start of the song, so imagine a group of sweaty folks laughing while trying to hold plank position and remember which movement to do at which cue. Yeah, it starts off slowly, but then the chorus repeats forever...

The result? Three minutes and fourteen seconds of strength and cardio.

I've embedded a video of the Police playing "Roxanne" live -- now get into plank position!

Thanks to Kerry at Vast Fitness for another fun workout!

 

Altering Gravity again!

Went for my first Alter-G session in several weeks -- and was LATE so I had to cut it short. Still, I squeezed in a quick 2.5-mile run and was happy to be back at it. Of course, because I was late finishing, I rushed out of there without stretching... silly, silly Sunny.

Spent the afternoon feeling stiff and sore, but not hurt. Looking forward to boot camp again tomorrow!

Back to Boot Camp

Today I went to my first boot camp in a couple of weeks. I was nervous -- weirdly nervous -- about going back. Would I be able to keep up? Would I hurt my eye?

In the end, it was fine. We did quite a bit of jump roping -- probably more than I have done since childhood! -- and some partner work with a medicine ball. I did have a slight worry that I could catch an 8-pound medicine ball in the face and dislodge my new lens... but it didn't happen. I think I'll be sore tomorrow, but overall I am happy to be back at it.

Runner's Bookshelf: "Do Life" by Ben Davis

I remember the first time I saw the video. I don't know where I heard about it -- maybe someone posted it on Facebook, or maybe I heard about it from someone at work. I watched the video at my desk at work, and -- like many people -- was crying pretty darn hard by the end.

Ben Davis's "My 120 Pound Journey" video was so moving, so touching, that I immediately sent it out to my Marketing colleagues. Within a few minutes, I could hear people crying all over the office. I noticed that in some of the video clips, Ben was wearing a pair of Brooks shoes. I looked up his Tumblr account, found an email address for him, and asked if we could send him a fresh pair of kicks -- it looked like he needed them.

He seemed thrilled by the offer, so I sent him some shoes, and that was kinda it. Well, except for the fact that, when I needed a bit of inspiration, I'd go back and watch the video again.

I was always happy to spot Ben somewhere -- when we appeared on the cover of Runner's World, for example, or when he was on the Today show. And I was sorry not to have known when he was in Seattle as part of his "Do Life" tour -- I would have liked to actually meet him.

 Ben's new book, not surprisingly called "Do Life", is like getting to spend a few hours with Ben. He tells his story with honesty and humor, starting with childhood disappointments (Amanda Gray, how could you?} and the food addiction, gambling, and other destructive behaavior that he indulged in until he hit bottom.

"...bottoming out can be a positive thing, because there's only one direction you can go from there. But the truth is that you only bottom out when you decide that this is your bottom. If you let yourself, there will always further to fall."

A moment of inspiration, provided by his grandmother, led to Ben and his brother signing up for a 5K 17 days later, despite the fact that Ben had only ever run a couple of tims in his life, and he had no idea what a 5K was. "Sometimes in life you just have to jump in."

Ben completed that 5K... and then kept on running, eventually completing marathons and even becomeong an Ironman -- somethinig I don't know if I even DREAM about doing. The book recounts his story, with plenty of laughs along the way. But this book isn't just a mini-biography. Ben peppers his tale with plenty of advice for runners who are just starting out, or even runners who have just fallen into a rut. Possibly my favorite part of the book was the chapter called "Turning the Corner", which is about getting back on track:

"Don't sit around and worry that you'll never get your mojo back. Trust that it's going to happen. Simply buckle down and push harder than you've been pushing. Get mad and get strong. Use your frustration and disappointment in yourself to your own benefit."

Ben also incluldes training plans ranging from 5K to Ironman, nutrition advice, and even a 25-week running journal. Though I won't use running journal (I prefer journalling electronically), I can imagine that I'll dip into this book every now and again when I need a little inspiration.

Fear

Last night I dreamed that I was on board the icebreaker ship steaming toward Antarctica for this year's Antarctica Marathon. Our friends John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield are aboard--but in my dream I was talking to someone I didn't know. I was telling her that I was frightened -- not that I would get hurt, and not that I would die or anything like that. I was frightened that I wasn't prepared -- didn't have the right gear. I mean, I imagine one would wear snow-shoeing sorts of clothes... warm, but not so warm that you'd get too hot when exerting yourself. But then again I have seen pictures of the Shackleton expedition -- and even when they were pulling the sleds, they were pretty warmly dressed.

But more importantly, I was afraid I wouldn't have the strength to finish. I'm not even talking about physical strength here -- I'm talking about mental strength.... that is, that I wouldn't be strong enough to SUCK IT UP and keep going through the cold, the discomfort, the unhappiness.
This troubles me greatly. I mean, I'd like to think that I'm strong enough to get through things. After all, I am proud to know that I know I can get through a half marathon, pretty much no matter what. Torrential rain? Been there. Borderline hypothermia? Check. Crazy wind gusts? Done that, too. I've walked through an injury just to finish. I've sniveled my way through a race that I only finished because a) it was in a new state and b) my hotel was next to the finish line and I didn't know how else to get there if I didn't just finish the damn race.

But would I be able to get through a marathon in Antarctica? Running on ice and snow? I just don't know.
I know fear is useful -- it's a survival instinct. But I don't want to let fear limit me -- especially if it is fear of failure, rather than fear of harm if you see what I mean.
I remember the night before heading out into the highlands of Irian Jaya, how I was so scared I kept throwing up. I had been traveling around Indonesia for several weeks, and at one point had mentioned to my well-connected aunt that I would like to see the Dani tribe in Irian Jaya. Before I really knew it what was happening, she had contacted an old school friend who had become the bupati (mayor? governor?) of Wamena, the largest town in the highlands... and within a few days I was on a flight to Biak.
I stumbled through my time there -- I was met at the airport in Biak and settled with a family for a night. The family owned the local Toyota dealership, but I'm not sure how they really fit in to this equation. The young people who worked for the family took me out for an evening in Biak which involved karaoke. You haven't lived until you've sung an Elvis song ("Suspicious Minds", of course) in a room full of people who don't understand the lyrics or how the song should sound.
The next morning I met the bupati, his wife, and staff, and we went to the airport where we boarded a plane that was half-filled with barrels that stank of oil and gave off groans and clanks and metallic whines as we took off for the highlands. The flight seemed endless... but I'm pretty sure it was only about an hour long.

I spent the day being taken around the village by the bupati's aides. I bought fruit, water, and noodles at the local market; visited a museum, and met my guide and porter. How charmingly Victorian, I thought -- I can go for a 3-day trek, having to carry nothing but my water bottle.
But the night before we left, I was seized by fear -- would I be able to get through it? It was a long, sleepless night, so we set off with me feeling pretty wretched. We were driven to a small village, and set free.
In the intervening years, a lot of this trek has become hazy. I remember hiking up a steep hill, on a track cut so deeply by footptrints that I got mud on my shoulders. I remember crossing a ragin river on a bridge made of vines and sticks. I remember seeing my first Dani tribesmen, and being honored by being "introduced" to their mummified elders. I remember meeting the family I would stay with, and the lovely little piglets who would be sharint a hut with us. I also remember being so terrified of the latrine in the first village we stayed in that I basically stopped peeing for three days. Yeah, i know, not so smart. And, a little shamefullly, I remember being ridiculously happy to come out to the trailhead at the end of the third day to find the bupati's aide, leaning on his jeep in a crisp uniform, holding a lukewarm bottle of Coke and waiting for me

It's like when we were on the Carros de Foc trek -- we were both afraid a few times, but I guess we knew that we would be so darn proud of ourselves when we finished. I guess that's the same way I would get through something like the Antarctica Marathon -- a mix of terror and looking forward to being happy to be finished.

TTT: arms & core, walking meeting, and a snow day

I don't often do a real "three things Thursday", but...

1. Arms & Core

This morning -- since I haven't worked out since the surgery -- I decided to do a workout from one of the ones I have been pinning to my "You Better Work (Out)" board on Pinterest. I wanted to do something with a bit of cardio, but then decided I could take it pretty easy by working on strength instead. Of course, doing bench dips always gets my heart racing!

I was able to do all of it in under 8 minutes, but it made my arms feel nice and firm all morning. Yeah, I check out my own biceps... don't you?

That last thirty seconds of up-down plank was super, super hard... but I always need a bit of help with my plank skills...

(why don't I work on them more often? yeah, I don't know either)



2. Walking Meeting

When Meredith came back from maternity leave, she was on a "sitting = death" kick -- she even rigged up a way to stand at her desk, and has set up "walking meetings" with each of us. Such a great idea -- especially as the weather will be getting nicer and nicer!

I miss seeing my pal Dre now that our team has moved to the south building (trust me -- we're in isolation now!), so I proposed that we go for a walking meeting once every other week. Today was our first one. We were both a bit late, but then we bundled up and set out and had a 45-minute brisk walk around the neighborhood, talking about work and future projects. I came back with new ideas and feeling revitalized and refreshed. Of course, then some chaos got into my new work laptop, which essentially kept me offline all day. And to think I nearly brought my iPad in to work to play with...

3. Snow Day

Okay, it wasn't like a blizzard or anything, but the weather today was nuts. Sun, wind, torrential rain, hail, snow. Shuffle, repeat. When I went out to my car at 4:00, there was about 1/4 inch of snow, and lots of slush around. Within a couple of blocks, no snow at all. Weird. But Nikki had been wanting a snow day, so there you go.

St. Pat's Dash Race Report

On Sunday Suz and I ran the St. Pat's Dash in Seattle. It was my time running the Dash in years -- not since it was my first ever 5K! - and not since the course moved from the old Viaduct point-to-point.

We were supposed to run it a few years ago -- but it snowed that day, so breakfast at Vera's easily won out.

But this year -- when the race actually fell on St. Patrick's Day -- it was a cold but sunshiny morning in the Emerald City, so a perfect day for a run.

Suz picked me up a little before 7:30... which was lucky, because I set an alarm for 7am on a watch that I had forgotten to "spring forward". Oops. But I had everything laid out, so I was able to get dressed quickly and we were on our way only a few minutes after 7:30.

We drove up to Queen Anne, got street parking a few blocks from the start, and enjoyed sitting in the warm car until a few minutes before the start.

It was funny to join the throng of green-clad runners -- and to recognize no one. We arrived just in time to hear the last lines of "When Irish Eyes Were Smiling" and the start of the first wave. A few minutes later it was our turn, so we took off at a gentle clip down Mercer.

I'm not a fan of the revised course -- basically on to 99 and up to the bridge, then back down. But it was fun to be surrounded by so many happy folks out for a good time. I liked the group running with a giant rainbow -- I really should have gotten a picture of us under it!

We ran some, walked some, and got to the turnaround -- which meant we were now essentially all downhill to the finish. As we rounded the corner I reminded Suz to leave nothing in the tank, which made her laugh and say she didn't have anything left in the tank. :) But she pipped me at the finish by a second and one place to finish in 51:31: still a 14:10 pace, despite the fact that it was her longest run ever! Yay Suz!

After the race we picked up some water, threaded our way through the crowd, and decided to just head back to Ballard. Despite being just after 10am, of course the Old Pequliar was open... and populated by other Dashers. Wil came down and joined us... and then the noise got a little out of hand, so we decamped to Molly's by our house.

Things got a bit fuzzy after that... but songs were sung, we witnessed a successful proposal, and had a great day. Thanks to Suz for being my running buddy for the Dash!

Wine and Dine Half Marathon!!!

So.... since we're "taking it easy" now that the 40@40 project is complete, we have talked about running one half marathon per month in 2013 -- a "13 in 13" sort of idea, given that we ran two half marathons in January (WDW and Tinker Bell). So I had started to think about what races we'd do in which month, and had come up with this:

Month	Race
January	Walt Disney World Half Marathon
"	Tinker Bell Half Marathon
February	Birch Bay Half Marathon
March	Cupcake Run Half Marathon
April	Earth Day Half Marathon
May	Rock 'n' Roll Portland Half Marathon
June	Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon
July	??
August	??
September	??
October	??
November	??
December	??

While looking at the Half Fanatics race calendar, I noticed the Wine & Dine Half Marathon in Disney World in November... the weekend before our anniversary. Everything seemed to make perfect sense: because the race is a Saturday night race, we could fly down on the Friday, go to expo on Saturday morning, race Saturday night, play on Sunday, and fly home on Monday evening. We already have passes to Disney World, and we have a $99 companion fare on Alaska Airlines that we have to book by June 1, with no particular other place to go. 

One problem: the race is the same weekend as Designer Con in Pasadena, which we went to last year and had a blast. But we were both a little worried about D-Con being extended to two days, and I started to worry about spending two days shopping -- rather than a weekend enjoying ourselves. 

When registration opened the other day for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, however, we had to make a decision.... and decided in favor of the race. Wil had one stipulation: that we shouldn't just stay for a long weekend, but should stay for a week. This serves two purposes; it gives us a proper holiday, and it means that we'll spend our anniversary in Disney World: two perfect things, if you ask me. So we booked our flights and registered for the race. Wine and Dine is a race I have always wanted to run, so I'm excited to finally get to do it. I love that we'll run through Christmas decorations... even if it is in early November. But I think we'll get our holidazzle on and come home ready to get into the Christmas spirit. 

Now, I don't think I'll ever really need to run the Princess Half Marathon, so this may well be our last Orlando event for a long while... but I'm excited to "pin our bibs on" and run our first nighttime half marathon this November!

So... let's make the revised 2013 plan:

Month	Race
January	Walt Disney World Half Marathon
"	Tinker Bell Half Marathon
February	Birch Bay Half Marathon
March	Cupcake Run Half Marathon
April	Earth Day Half Marathon
May	Rock 'n' Roll Portland Half Marathon
June	Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon
July	??
August	??
September	??
October	??
November	Wine and Dine Half Marathon
December	??

Tomorrow...

So, I'm having surgery on my eye tomorrow.

Wish me luck.