Have you ever thought about why we run long distances? Why we keep pushing that envelope? Well I guess it's probably no secret, but I'm realizing that it's come in handy in many life situations that seem to push you to your limits and never end.

I'll write a quick recap of the past month, since finding any time to post updates seems to be scarce. About a month ago, we got notice that our landlords wanted to sell our house. Like just about every other person I know that resides in the bay area, we were booted out and left frantically searching for an affordable place to live. I thought it was hard enough having two dogs...one being over 70lbs, but throwing six chickens in the mix? Nearly impossible. Our rent in our 2 bedroom house was manageable, and while it did go up a couple times it was still surprisingly low for what it could be going for. If were were to look for a similar place it would have cost us easily $1000 more a month.

We decided it was in our best interest to look for a house to buy since throwing thousands of dollars each month into the black hole of rent didn't seem appealing. The market in the bay area is insane and moves at lightning speeds. If you're searching, you've got to be ready to throw down some money (at least 500k) in order to grab a place. It boggles my mind that I can spend longer deciding on a pair of running shoes than I can for a house that costs over half a million dollars.

It was after the SF Rock N Roll race that we decided to check out open houses in Concord. Everyone always asks...WHY CONCORD? I'll admit, it's not our first choice to move way out to where every commute is an hour or more...but we really didn't have much of a choice since we needed a larger yard. I would have loved to find something in the peninsula but it wasn't happening in our price range.

I limped pathetically through all the open houses since that was the race that I fell on the Golden Gate Bridge. Some people like to dress to impress, but I like to go in sweaty gym clothes and bandages.

Long story short, we found a house that we loved and the past couple of weeks we have had our hair on fire trying to close on the house and move almost simultaneously. We literally closed the day before we had booked our movers to move us out.  Did I mention that we're getting married in...two weeks?

And that weekend, my friends, was the first weekend in a very long time that I have not ran. I didn't need to! I was sore from head to toe from carrying box, upon box, upon box. We had movers but since I had no idea where I wanted things, I had them drop them all in the garage and I later moved them all myself to their designated rooms. We are still living out of boxes...

Since moving two weekends ago, we've ran three times around Concord. Amazingly, we are less than a mile away from some incredible trails. I am pretty sure some of them take us straight to Mt Diablo, a mountain that we have summited a couple times via hiking and running. I'm a little scared of the rattle snakes in the area. Any snake can inspire a shriek and 10 foot leap from me, but I guess rattle snakes are kinda dangerous. :P And there were a couple of sightings on the trail we regularly go on.

On the first of May I also ran a marathon. It wasn't the best circumstances, and I promise that I'll write a proper race report soon, but I can proudly say that I DID come in under four hours which was really all I wanted to do. Of course it would have been nice to hit my goal of 3:45, but the weather was hot and I have been way too stressed out to put running as a priority.

This last weekend, I spent the most epic weekend in Yosemite with mah girls! I've never been much of a girly girl, nor have I ever had many girl friends...but I guess I've accumulated some over the years since I had so many present at the party. They are all truly amazing in so many ways, and I'm really happy I was able to bring them together to meet. :) We squeezed in an 8 mile hike on Saturday up to see some spectacular water falls, and a 13.1 mile run the next day! I'll try to write a special post for that too, but I might be getting a little ambitious.

Next weekend we head to Michigan and then the next weekend we're getting married! Running is still a lower priority to me right now, but I plan on getting back into it as soon as this chaos dies down. Wish me luck cuz the next two weeks are going to be crazy!

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The ultra ultra ultra ultra ULTRA marathon I've been going through...

HeatherIhn 1

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Remember that whole spiel about writing about your good and bad races? Well lucky for you guys, I have another bad one to share! They do make interesting stories at least. The whole...I did everything completely as planned and PR'ed story is booooorrring!

Ladies and Gents, I present the Rock n Roll San Francisco Half Marathon. I wasn't intending on doing it. In fact, I was secretly laughing at my friends' misfortune that signed up for it last year to get the good deal (sorry guys). I imagined myself cozy in bed, maybe rolling out for a flat and comfortable long run whenever I pleased.

About a week prior to the race, it dawned on me. MAYBE, just maybe I should check to see if I had signed up (it is a sold out race), since I have a habit of doing the same thing. So I did. And...I did. I had signed up. Actually, my friend signed up FOR me so I wasn't getting the routine flood of race emails.

So like cramming for a last minute test at school, I did all my last minute research on what the course is like. Turns out it is drastically different than the first Rock n Roll SF I did. 

I smelled trouble. Or maybe it was the horrible gas one of my dogs is passing lately. This course looked even hillier than the notoriously hilly US Half course it initially took over. It also had the awful start time of 6:30am and started in Ocean Beach. I was beginning to doubt that I could actually try to get under my 1:48 time from earlier this year. I wanted to make an attempt though...

The day before the half, I went to visit the expo. Rock n Roll Expo's are probably the best ones in my opinion. They are ran like clockwork, and they have it all down to a science. It was at the North Moscone Center in San Francisco. Jon and I hate venturing into the city, and this really wasn't an exception. 

We were steered through the aisles like lost cattle, and meandered along the well-placed temporary walls. I grabbed my goody bag which was just a transparent plastic bag with some vitamin samples and a few other random items. Then I got my t-shirt which I personally think is kind of "meh" but Jon really liked it and it made him jealous which was worth it.

To Jon's dismay, I decided to slowly visit every aisle and pay close attention to every booth. There were so many vendors! I walked away ALMOST empty handed but managed to find some sunglasses that were nearly identical to the ones I have cherished for years that are literally falling apart every time I go to put them on. $40, polarized, super light and they don't hit my cheeks! I also managed to pick up a pace band for 1:45. Who was I kidding?

Enough about the expo. The following morning I peeled myself from bed at 4:30. My friends graciously gave me a ride up to the city with them, and we sat in the Safeway parking lot on Ocean beach to stay warm. It was brisk out, but I can't complain since a group of runners from the running group I'm a part of in NY were running in an actual snow storm. Seriously, sideways snow, complete white out. Kudos to them.

I decided to take my chances on going to the Safeway bathroom, but I wasn't alone in this decision. The line for men was short, as usual, but the women's was trickling down the applesauce and cereal section. Maybe trickling was the wrong word.

Okay, mini rant here, but MY GOD, WOMEN...why do you need to spend so long in the bathroom!? Even with the gigantic line that you CLEARLY SEE, every woman that went in spent at least five full minutes in there. I seriously have no idea what you're doing in the bathroom for so long, maybe you need to eat more fiber.

The line barely budged in the 20 minutes that I was there for. My friend convinced me to hop over to the men's line and wait, in which I was able to get in and out of in less than 10 minutes (including the line waiting part). I inspired other women to hop over as well, and at least some of us were able to make it to the start line in time.

And to the men out there...please aim better. The pee smell was thick and suffocating, no wonder you don't linger in there. It's safe to say that I was probably in and out in 30 seconds.

My friend and I walked to the start line that was near the old windmills by Ocean Beach. It was still super dark out, and since it was so early the race start was unusually quiet. I found the 1:45 pacer, and my plan was to stick with him for as long as I could.

Turns out, that wasn't for very long. We started out at a slow trot, and a quarter mile in I realized that we weren't making any moves forward to go faster than the current 9:30 min mile. I was in Corral 2 which is supposed to be a pretty fast one, so I was surprised at how slow we were going. It seemed like everyone else was confused too, and a little further in, the pacer decided to just completely gun it at a 7 min mile.

Angry at the pacer... lol

I think normally I would have been able to keep up despite his mistake, but it quickly turned right into the hills. Steep hill after steep hill after steep hill with not much relief. I knew I was in trouble when I found myself gasping for air and hadn't even hit the 1 mile marker. The pacer bobbed out of sight almost immediately and he dropped the majority of us that were running with him.

The inclines weren't CRAZY steep, but since I hadn't been training for hills at ALL this entire season, it was really rough for me.

After the first hill was complete, we went down and back up another one that was even bigger. I was able to maintain a steady jog, but was finding it hard to get under an 8:30 min mile. I wasn't sure whether I should just give up since I was feeling really nauseous from my fine meal of fish and chips with cocktails the night before. You would think I would have learned by now...

My goal slid from 1:45 to 1:50. I was trying to get back on track, and we headed over the glorious Golden Gate Bridge. What is unique about this race is that you aren't running on the sidewalks, but they actually close off a lane for runners to go on. I've ran over the bridge a couple times now, so it was nice to have a little more room this time. The view was obstructed from all the fog, but people still took plenty of dangerous selfies going over it.

Pre-Fall. On the Golden Gate Bridge

I made the turn around at the end of the bridge, and on my way back I saw two runners take hard falls (at separate times). There were these rubber "speed bumps" that covered parts of the bridge, probably so people wouldn't trip...but it seemed to backfire. I found myself so focused on not tripping on one of them, that of course, I fell on my face. Everyone gasped in horror and polite runners made brief stops to make sure I was okay.

It hurt...really bad. I got up and didn't see any blood and decided to keep going. I was really impressed that there was no blood for how painful it felt.

That's when I decided that I was not going to hit the 1:50 mark. I just gave up completely and decided to run easy since I was super scared of falling again. If I had fallen one more time, my knees would have for sure been done. I kind of wonder if it is the Claytons...two falls since wearing them is kind of bad luck. I think I am going to return them, but not blame them for my clumsiness.

I safely made it up and over one final killer hill that was at the end. I crossed the finish line just under 2 hours which was my new sliding goal time. The official time was 1:58:17, so I guess that's not too bad, especially since after the fall I was constantly trying to convince myself to give up completely and just wave the white flag. It had not been my week. I tried my best to smile for the photos...

The total elevation was somewhere between 1300-1500ft. My Garmin leans toward more elevation but Strava thinks it was around 1300. Still...pretty respectable for a road half marathon.

I went through the finish line, and didn't bother taking any of the food or partaking in the free watered down beer. I just grabbed my medal which was underwhelming, if I'm being honest. Usually Rock n Roll races have great swag with stand-out designs, but I was disappointed in this one.

I still had four more miles to knock out for my training plan, and I had to meet Jon so we could go house hunting.

The last four miles (which turned out to be closer to 5) to the meeting spot were BRUTAL. The adrenaline was slowly wearing off, my knee was really aching, and I thanked God for the stop lights that I had to rest at. I took a photo of the seal statue at the Giants stadium for old times sake and to stop running.

Once the adrenaline completely wore off while in the car with Jon, I was in some serious pain. I can't remember when I had hurt that much honestly. We made a prompt stop to another Safeway, where Jon played EMT and got me a cooler full of ice, a bottle of ibuprofen, alcohol pads, and bandages. After I took some ibuprofen and iced it, it seemed to subside but I'm still experiencing some issues with it. The car ride back at the end of the day hurt so bad that my arms are still sore from squeezing my water bottle so hard.

Overall...the race was okay. I am definitely not going to sign up for next years, even though the early sign up is only $45. I found the race to be too crowded, too early, too hilly, and I'm content to not run over that bridge ever again. I wonder how many other people fell. Also it was a point to point race, so a shuttle was required unless you're like me and want to get extra mileage in.

The post race "Finisher's Center" is kind of cool. They give you lots of stats and are really quick about putting up over priced race photos that no one buys (but that I intend to sprinkle through the post since I didn't take any photos...).

Add caption

I'm really surprised at how parallel my graph is to the Field. 

No idea what this means. But sure.

Okay now I'm just getting snarky. Probably time to go. But one more thing...we are buying a house!!! Turns out that trip we took house hunting worked out, and we found a great little place in Concord. I guess they really don't judge by looks since I smelled like sweat, had dirty flip flops, and a heavy limp. Now I just need to figure out that commute. Btw we took this picture just for future references, not having a clue that we'd actually buy it...

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SF Rock N Roll 2016 Recap

HeatherIhn 1

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The long awaited Clayton shoe has finally arrived and I've managed to get in three runs in order to form a somewhat respectable review. I know I should log a few more miles in them, but I can say I've done a 22 miler and two moderate 10k's.

I've been anticipating this shoe for a while after hearing rumors about the slightly larger forefoot area, slimmer profile, yet supreme cushion and lightness. It seemed too good to be true! I bought them at Running Warehouse for $150.

side by side with the Hoka Odyssey 1's

Out of the box, the shoe looks great. It's feather light, probably the lightest running shoe I've ever owned, coming in at 6.3 oz for a women's size 9 shoe, almost a full ounce less than the Odyssey 2. I wouldn't say it's their prettiest design, but it's okay. The way they built up the sole on the sides make them look much taller than they actually are, so you still kind of look like you're wearing moon shoes.

sorry...I got these a little dirty, not like this out of the box! 

The women's came in this bright orange and black color, or a blue/orange color. Neither of them were really screaming to me, so I just went with the bright orange since the blue wouldn't match with my already bright clothes.

The tongue design is great, and way better than their attempt at the Odyssey 2 tongue. It's flexible, not too rigid and not paper thin. The laces also appear to be just the right length, and I don't worry about them coming undone.

One of the features the shoe boasts about is the firmer forefoot and softer heel to enable a better push off with your toe. I personally didn't notice a firm forefoot, or at least the sensation didn't bother me.

my dog is bored with me

When I put them on, they immediately felt comfortable. They were truly more roomy in the forefoot which is something I've been dreaming for since Hoka's even came out. With all of their shoes I've always gotten blisters on either the side of my foot or the side of my big toes. It is a common complaint, and one that a lot of runners just deal with since they love the cushioning so much.

I took them on a 10k run with coworkers. They were great! I could tell that they were lower to the ground at 19mm in the forefoot and 23 in the heel, but they remain super cushy. One of my favorite parts about them were the lack of hard rubber in the bottom so the footfall was nearly silent.

The only thing was that I noticed my left foot was developing a blister under the arch where the insole meets the shoe. My right foot did not have this issue at all, so I'm not sure if this is anything to really worry about unless maybe your feet are wider.

The very next morning I had a 22 mile run scheduled. I tried to peel myself out of bed to catch the sunrise, which left me chaotically grabbing my running gear out of order to get out the door in time.

Since I figured the blister might flare up or get larger, I cut out a piece of moleskin in case I would need to use it.

Sorry for the gross foot photo, but this is where my blister formed

I did. I wasn't even a mile in before I started to feel it again, so I slapped a piece of moleskin on it. By the way, this stuff is AWESOME. I continued to run in them with absolutely zero issues.

The shoes are light and responsive. They are built to have a more firm forefoot and a cushioned heel for runners that start to lose form and heel strike. I know that I have a tendency to heel strike, I think because my gate is so neutral without any pronation.

Running 22 miles is never easy, but I was able to maintain a really good pace without a lot of effort. I'm not sure how much the shoes contributed, but they never got uncomfortable and my feet never hurt which has to be saying something.

Post-run, I did notice that my lower legs did feel a little more battered than normal. My shins were not sore but tight. These issues didn't carry over into the next day though, but I think your lower legs will get more of a workout with these shoes if you're used to one of the more highly cushioned Hoka's.

Finally, tonight I took them for another spin with my coworkers. They were great, and I did put another piece of moleskin on just in case. I'm hoping I can break them in so that part is less bothersome.

All was going well until I tripped over a rock and everything started to move into slow motion. My toe caught onto this medium sized stone embedded into the trail, and I accepted my fate and nearly face planted into the cement.

I was fine. I'm sure I'm going to get some pretty major bruising on my hip, and I have to get my phone fixed since I shattered the screen. I also ripped my jacket but hey, at least I was wearing the jacket or there would have for sure been blood!

That's when I got home and really looked at the size of the Claytons. The toe juts out a little father than I would like. I compared it to my Nike Wildhorses since they fit my feet like a dream and are my all time favorite fitting shoes in the same size 7, and the Claytons look a full size larger!

side by side with the Nike Wildhorse

I have a full thumbs width between my big toe and the top of the shoe, so maybe I should size down but I am not entirely sure since I am already getting some blisters on my arch. Usually size 7 is my go to for Hoka's, especially because of the blistering on the toes. I mayyy try for 6.5.

It's not really fair to compare those two though since they are wildly different shoes, and when compared to the Hoka Challengers (Basically these are the Cliftons with additional tread for trails), they seemed pretty similar in length.

side by side with the Hoka Challenger

The Claytons are a little bit wider though. Since they are so wide and flat in the forefoot, it's hard not to think they feel very paddle-like. It doesn't bother me much but it would be nice to have more forefoot in the upper and less on the sole, they don't feel as nimble as I would like.

this is the overlap of the forefoot, the other side of the foot is flush.

Here's how it looks against my old Altra Olympus shoes. I really love Olympus uppers and the foot shape. They are wide and let my toes splay out but not too long so I don't trip over them. Unfortunately they are pretty friggen ugly, and the soles are super stiff and heavy. You can really see how pointy the Hoka's are in comparison though.

side by side with the Altra Olympus

side by side with the Altra Olympus

So...it's kind of a mixed review. I love them, but I think there is still plenty of room for improvement. I love how lightweight they are, and how they were able to maintain the signature Hoka cushioning with a lower profile and a SUPER light shoe. I wish they contoured my fit more and were a little more refined around the sides. It's certainly a step into a great direction, and I'll keep putting the miles in these to see if I warm up to them more. Probably going to be alternating between these and my Odyssey's from now on; let's just hope I don't take any more falls!

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The Hoka One One Claytons

HeatherIhn 0

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Everyone has good and bad runs. Most of us talk about our good runs, and kind of brush the bad ones under the rug. Not today!

Modesto was a bad one. Really embarrassing actually; kind of devastating. So, my friends, here is my race report for your amusement. If you have had any awful races, feel free to share in the comments section so we can all have a little laugh...

I was really anxious for this race. I had trained really hard for it, and wanted to finally get back under 4 hours and possibly sneak under 3:50. Everything in training had gone really well, my legs were feeling strong (for once uninjured), and in a way it made me more nervous since I wanted it to go well.

Jon and I left on Saturday afternoon on the long drive to Modesto. Traffic was light; I got to see a lot of open fields and wind farms, and my entire right side started to roast under the sun.

We arrived in Modesto, and it was hot. I was immediately worried about the race temps since I was not prepared for this kind of heat. Good thing the race started at 7am.

The expo was downtown and we meandered through the aisles after grabbing our bibs, shirts and fancy arm sleeves. The arm sleeves are really cool but even their smallest size were pretty large on me, and I would consider my arms to be borderline beefy for a girl (good luck squeezing them into a Hollister shirt). The shirt was great and had a drawn on cape on the back so it looked like everyone was walking around with capes. I ordered an XS and it fit really well.

There wasn't much to write home about at the expo, but they did have a lot of cheap Modesto Marathon branded items for sale. I was tempted to get a black Forever 21 jacket with the marathon logo embroidered in the back corner.

We walked away empty handed and made a bee line to grab our free bottles of wine (a red blend). So many perks with this race!

Jon and I drove around the block only to re-park in the same exact spot since we realized our hotel was visible from the expo. We stayed at the Doubletree Inn. It was a little bit pricey but worth it considering it's proximity to the start line. And free warm cookies!

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant that I found on Open Table, Verona's Cucina Italiana. It was surprisingly good but the Spaghetti Bolognese was pretty creamy so I ended up leaving a lot of it on the plate since I'm lactose intolerant.

Staying true to my typical pre-marathon behavior, we went to the Sprouts grocery store adjacent to the restaurant and loaded up on an absurd number of snacks and Odwalla's to nurse anxiously before bed. A box of berries, cookies, 4 Odwallas...it's safe to say I'm not doing the whole low carb thing anymore. We headed back to the hotel and I neatly arranged my running gear for the next morning.

I was up at 5:30 to brew some coffee, get dressed and be sure to hit the bathroom about three times to make sure I had nothing in my bladder (or intestines haha). I ate a couple pieces of bread that I had packed, and filled my pack bottles with some Tailwind. I was super mad at the Platypus hydration bladder I had just bought. Not only did it barely fit in my pack, but something was wrong with the straw and it was like trying to drink a thick milkshake through a coffee straw just to get anything out. Reading through the reviews, it looks like this is a common issue. I decided to ditch it, and just carry the bottles. I'll be returning the bladder this week.

It took us about five minutes to walk to the race starting line. I was shocked at how few people there were, I was expecting the turnout to be in the thousands. I settled somewhere between the 3:42 pacer and the 3:52. I was disappointed that there wasn't a 3:45 pacer, but the times were very specific to Boston Qualifying times, since this race prides itself in its fast and flat course. Incredibly, I turned around and immediately spotted a friend that I had only ever talked to on FB. It was great to finally meet her!

Photo courtesy of Jenny Iskander

I was off and as usual had a fast start. I was averaging somewhere between 8:15 and 8:25, focusing more on running the tangents since there were a lot of turns in the first bit, and then we settled on a more flat and straight road cutting through almond tree fields. Despite peeing about 3 times before the race, I still had to go and ended up going around mile five. Such a bummer to lose that extra thirty seconds!

Around mile 8 I noticed a fork where the half marathoners go one way and the marathoners go the other. I was trying to keep my eye on the 3:42 pacer but with this turn he kind of vanished. I continued...focusing on consistently hitting around an 8:30 pace.

one of the free race photos

There was this chick that was being unusually competitive with me and I didn't understand why since it was so early in the race. She was constantly yo-yoing from falling behind me to running ahead. I can't stand these types of people! I just wanted her to go away and was annoyed by her labored breathing and competitive glares.

And then came the point when I overheard some spectators shout "You're almost there! Only a half mile to go!". I panicked and spun around to look at other peoples bibs. I realized I was in a pool of orange bibbed half marathoners and dread started to sink in. I had taken the wrong turn in the fork.

I pulled over to talk to the volunteers. They all kind of stared at me in horror when they realized my mistake, and we all tried to brainstorm how I could get back on track. There was no way. I was way too far at this point, and there was no going back. I accepted my fate to be a half marathon finisher and stormed angrily to the finish.

saddest finish photo ever...

"Ooh's" and "wow's" were audible as I crossed the finish line at a 6 min mile. I was ushered in, and didn't really understand why until I realized everyone thought I had actually WON the marathon. The horror. That is when I looked into their awe-inspired eyes and then burst into tears. I'm sorry, you poor volunteers. But seriously, a sub 2 hour marathon? lol...

I finished in just over 1:56. I think I spent at least 5 minutes in the last mile trying to talk to the volunteers into driving me back to mile 8.

They still handed me a marathon medal even though I was close to just tossing it into the trash or throwing it on the train tracks. I spent a good couple of minutes weeping in a corner before forcing myself to do a couple extra miles around Modesto. I did manage to find the famous "arch" which was listed under Modesto's "Things to do".

I made it back in time to dry my eyes and watch Jon finish his marathon. He finished around 3:35 which was chopping over 25 minutes off his marathon time. It was incredible!

It turns out that my friend at the marathon made the same exact mistake but realized the mistake much earlier than me and still had hope to turn around and only tack on an extra mile. I can only blame myself for what I did, but some things that I think could help for the future would be to have separate colored signs (both were orange and in the same exact font), and volunteers at the forks kind of separating the runners, and potentially a different race start time so that not everyone is going at the same time. The entire way to that point were the same large orange signs telling traffic to stay on right and marathoners to stay on the left. So when the fork came, the marathoners actually were supposed to go right but my brain was kind of in autopilot to stay on the left.

Oh well, water under the bridge. I was really embarrassed and I still don't want to hang my medal. It's a race I'd rather just forget about. I signed up for the Pony Express Marathon in Sacramento on May 1st to hopefully redeem myself.

In other news, I also forgot that I had signed up for the SF Rock N Roll half marathon next weekend, so I'll be doing that. I am not sure how hard I want to go. It's a pretty hilly course and my legs aren't used to that anymore.

I also got the new Hoka One One Claytons! I'm super excited about them, and actually am going to write a post about them but will keep it separate so we don't take the spotlight away from my crappy race.

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My Modesto Misfortune

HeatherIhn 3

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