See Diva Run

Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon & Half Marathon
November 16, 2008
San Antonio, TX
http://rnrsa.com

I watched the weather in San Antonio for weeks before the race. It was always sunny with highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s. Even though I was concerned about what 13.1 miles was going to do to my recovery, I was anxious to spend a few days in the sun. I tossed some t-shirts, shorts and running skirts in a bag with my running shoes, and we headed for the airport. I checked the weather from my phone before boarding the plane, and saw a severe weather alert for the Los Angeles area, with winds up to 75 mph. I was glad we were going to Texas. We hit some turbulence along the way, but the pilot assured us it would clear up after the Continental Divide. It did, for a while. By the time we were descending into Houston, I thought we were flying Rock n Roll Airlines. We were going faster than usual and the jet was twisting in the wind. I wondered if one of the wings was going to touch ground before the landing gear. When we finally touched down, we were going faster than any time I can remember. We disembarked and started walking toward our connecting gate. There were little trams zipping about, hauling people from concourse to concourse. They kept inviting us to hop on. Eventually we did.

We got to our gate and met up with runners from around the country. The departure was not quite as dramatic as the landing, but it was still pretty turbulent. By the time we got to cruising altitude we were about 10 minutes from beginning our descent. Continental sure gives a lot of value. We got food, a movie and a 6 Flags quality adventure ride. We finally got into the terminal, claimed our bags, and headed for the rental car shuttle.

Did I mention that it was windy? On the shuttle I checked my phone and found a severe weather alert for San Antonio. The wind was expected to last until 4am. The temperature forecast was also updated. Highs in the 60s, lows in the 40s. That’s OK, as long as the wind stops blowing. We picked up our car and headed for the hotel. I should say we thought we headed for the hotel. The GPS was having a problem, and kept having us drive in a circle. Eventually we figured it out on our own. We got to our room about 2am. The man at the desk welcomed us, and assured us that everything was within walking distance. I took a moment to be happy that I was paying $25/day plus tax and another $22/night to park, for a car that I wasn’t going to need.

The next morning we got up and got ready to walk to the Expo. In the lobby there were people with packets. I asked for directions and was told that it was too far to walk. Good to know. I stepped out the door and the wind had died down, but was still brisk and cold. Mr Diva got the car while I ran back upstairs for the only jacket I brought. The Expo was in the Alamodome, a huge venue well suited for the large crowd. It also had many large parking lots, but they were all roped off for post-race activities. We circled the area, passing the many entrepeneurs who were offering to let us park for $10. Eventually we found a $5 lot. The timing was excellent. One more lap and the kind of hostilities that sometimes break out between married people in a car would certainly have erupted in our rental.

The expo was huge, and as with Rock n Roll races, the good shirts had to be purchased separately. After showing my driver’s license twice, they finally decided to give me my packet. I admired the cool merchandise, but limited my shopping to gifts for my friend Gladys who had to miss the race because of a broken foot. The race day forecast had been revised again. It was now expected to freeze. Mr Diva looked for a jacket. I looked for the Sub 4 booth, to get a pair of tights. After 2 laps I went to the information booth and learned that Sub 4 wasn’t there, but that the other vendors would like to sell me a pair of tights. 13.1 miles in strange tights that you haven’t even tried on sounded worse than freezing. We headed back to our hotel for a cup of soup. Who knew that in Texas, a cup is 16 ounces? We rested a while, and then headed out to meet friends from the LVM21 club for dinner. Dinner photos on Kodak Gallery After dinner we visited 2 Target stores, and I bought the only pair of running tights available. They fit, but were not flattering in the back. Knowing it would be wrong to make people stare at that for 13.1 miles, I opted to wear them under the running skirt.

Actual race report starts here
I didn’t sleep very well that night. We got up at 6, put on our running clothes, pinned on our bibs, and headed downstairs to catch the shuttle outside our hotel. I took it as a good sign that there were runners lounging in the lobby. I was wrong. The line for the shuttle hadn’t moved in 15 minutes, and they were defrosting. Some were trying to get a cab, and a group of nice ladies invited us to share their cab. Unfortunately, with all of the road closures, the cabs couldn’t get to the hotel. One of the ladies persuaded a hotel guest to drive us in his rental SUV. Unfortunately, road closures stopped us after just a few blocks. The only option was to walk the 2 miles to the starting line. I felt pretty good walking, but was concerned about how many miles I could cover. We made it to the start, and wished our new friends well as they headed for the gear drop. Next we went to corral 2, to give well wishes to our fast friends, but we didn’t see any of them. We headed back to corral 19 and proceeded to stiffen up in the cold. In the corral we met these nice ladies from California.

The race started a bit late, as they were still bringing people in on shuttles. About 30 minutes after the race started, we finally made it to the starting line.

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The course wandered toward downtown San Antonio, and at mile 2 we passed The Alamo.

After passing the Alamo, we passed this lady. I spoke to her as we passed, and she told me that everyone was being so kind, it was starting to overwhelm her. As we talked, several more people ran by and congratulated her. This is where I remembered the one huge benefit of running in a big race. You meet the nicest people.

To be honest, The Alamo was the only “memorable” location along the course. San Antonio is a lovely city, the course ran through a lot of neighborhoods that were pretty unremarkable. I missed the beer stop at mile 5, and wasn’t willing to back track. We had been jogging up to this point, but between mile 5 and 6 we switched to walking. I started looking for a portable toilet, but didn’t find one until mile 9. It was quite remarkable, but not in the good way. While I waited in line, I saw the ladies from our corral passing by. We caught up with them, and decided to walk in together. My foot wasn’t really bothering me, but I didn’t want to invite trouble. We enjoyed their company as we strolled through older neighborhoods that reminded me of New Orleans’ Garden District.

We passed this father daughter duo a couple of times along the way. I love it when families run together!

I kind of tuned out for most of the last half of the race. I chatted with Stephanie, while Mr Diva chatted with Lisa and Kristine. Stephanie had to walk the race because of an injury. Her friends agreed to walk with her. If you are used to running, walking long distances takes its toll. Lisa & Kristine were hurting. Stephanie was feeling good. We jogged ahead, and then stopped and waited for them to catch up. They advised her if she crossed the finish line ahead of them, she would be walking home! Finally we could see the Alamodome ahead. We rounded a corner and were surprised to see a hill on what had been a pretty flat course. When we saw the finish line, Mr Diva and I sprinted for it. Yes, we are those obnoxious people who drag their butts for 13.09 miles and then suddenly decide we are in a race. To my delight, I kept up with him and we crossed at the same time.

We collected our medals and a bottle of water, and headed for the finishers area. It was quite the mob scene, but there was plenty of food and drink for all. We grabbed a banana, some pretzels and assorted other snack foods and headed to the reunion area to look for our friends. There were so many people, but no familiar faces. We decided to keep walking toward our hotel. It was a little less than 2 miles, but that is when my body said “Enough!”. By the time we go to our room I could barely hobble.

San Antonio is a lovely city, and the people are extremely nice. I would love to go back if an excuse came up, but I would not care to run this race again. As much as I enjoy meeting the nice people in the back of the pack, I still prefer smaller races. Although I wouldn’t do it again, I am really glad that I did it this time. It was great to spend time with our friends, and also great to make new ones. Between the good company, and discovering Emuprofen, my enthusiasm for running is completely renewed. Enthusiasm is something that I haven’t had much of this year. I’m glad that it is back.

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Scenery/location: OK
Spectators: Quite a few
Course: Flat, with only a couple small hills
Aid stations: Good
Volunteers: Good
Bathrooms: Insufficient in the middle (and disgusting)
Shirt & medal: white cotton t-shirt, typical Rock n Roll medal
Post race food: Bags of pretzels and cookies and fruit, but plenty of it

I”ve been thinking about this all day, but as usual, it didn’t become clear until I was on the treadmill. Isn’t it amazing how your feet power your mind? As I started my cool down, Joe Walsh shuffled up on my iPod. How perfect! I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the most traditional way, but I do try to spend it being thankful. This year, there are many things to be thankful for:

• Our son-in-law Nate is home from Iraq, and though he can’t be with them for Thanksgiving, he will be with Cassi and the boys for Christmas.
• Our beautiful new grandson, Dominic, who had a bit of a rough start, but is thriving now.
• We are healthy, and gainfully employed. In difficult times, it is important to be thankful for things you might otherwise take for granted.
• Jasmine is doing pretty well, considering her overall prognosis. I’m thankful that I have a job that allows me to be home with her most of the time, and a husband who doesn’t complain about my moving to the bottom floor of the house to take care of her.
• I’m running again!

It is Take it and Run Thursday at The Runner’s Lounge, and this week we are sharing our Thanksgiving wishes. Mine are a little offbeat, but so am I.

This Thanksgiving, my wish for you is that you should experience:

• Just enough pain to appreciate what it is like to be pain free.
• Just enough sorrow to appreciate the joy and wonder in even the smallest of daily events.
• Just enough solitude to appreciate the gift of friends and family.
• Just enough deprivation to appreciate what life has given you

May you fall asleep tonight and every night thinking, “life’s been good to me so far”.

Best wishes from “the Divas”.

Related post: Giving thanks

Would you believe that I flew to San Antonio for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon, and forgot to take the Flector patches? If you haven’t been following the blog, I’ve been suffering from plantar fasciitis (The Fascist) for a year, and the Flector patch is a topical treatment I apply to my foot every night. The patch makes such a difference, that I noticed immediately the first morning I woke up without it. I limped around the expo, and bought a pack of Salonpas patches. I also picked up a sample pack of something called Emuprofen, which is an Ibuprofen cream that also contains emu oil.

After the race, the walk back to the hotel was more than a mile. By the time we got to the hotel I was barely hobbling. I iced my feet for a long time before showering. After the shower I decided to use some of the Emuprofen cream. I applied it to the soles of my feet, my calves and my sore toenails. We finished getting ready, and met our friend Kevin down in the lobby to go for dinner. I was still not feeling great, but Kevin observed that I was walking normally. That was an improvement. We picked up another friend and then drove to Mi Terra for a fabulous dinner. We were in the car for at least 30 minutes. When we parked I went to ease out of the car, expecting the worst. To my surprise, it didn’t hurt. We walked a block to the restaurant, and then wandered the open market while waiting for our table. I didn’t hurt at all. I couldn’t believe it. Not hurting has been a rarity for the last few months.

We sat down to dinner, and were there for at least an hour. When I got up, I hesitated, waiting for the pain that was bound to be there, but it wasn’t. Everyone was tired, so we made an early evening of it. I applied a little more before bed. The next morning I felt better than I had when I woke up the morning of the race. How crazy is that? We wandered up to the Alamo and around the downtown area, then walked the entire Riverwalk, including a section of trail that runs along the river but is not part of the Riverwalk. We must have walked at least 5 miles, if not more. By the time we got back to our room, I was starting to feel a little achy. I iced my feet for about 20 minutes, and applied more Emuprofen. I was still feeling a little achy on the walk to dinner. We had a 20 minute wait, which was mildly uncomfortable. After dinner when I got to my feet, there was no pain at all. We had a pleasant walk back to the hotel.

The really amazing part is that I still felt good the next morning, even though I had used all of the Emuprofen the night before. I tried ordering it online at Emuprofen.com before we left San Antonio, but I never got a confirmation e-mail. On Friday, when I was starting to recover from my stomach problems, I gave them a call and asked if my order had gone through. It hadn’t, but they took it over the phone. It arrived today, and I swear I was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning. It is more effective than the Flector patch, and at $29.95, it costs as much as my co-pay for the patch. I’m using it for the inflammation in my neck & shoulders, too. Tonight, I’m a very happy diva. If it hadn’t been for the amazing results I saw in San Antonio, I wouldn’t be contemplating the Tahoe Triple.

I did a little web searching today, and found that I wasn’t the only person who picked up a sample in San Antonio. Check out Jill’s product review. I also found out that you can by Emuprofen from Amazon.com, and get free shipping. I paid $3.95 for priority mail. It was worth it!

Emuprofen Topical Ibuprofen Cream

One of these days I might even write a race report!

Now that I have survived the half marathon in San Antonio (which I will tell you about some day), I have not been able to get the idea of the Lake Tahoe Triple Marathon out of my head. I know it is crazy, but I need to get back on a regular training program, so I might as well have a goal. I’ve run 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons & marathons. I need something different, and this is definitely different. Mr Diva is on board, but he probably won’t train, and he will be mad at me if I leave him behind, so I don’t need to put much effort into speed work. I just need to work on my endurance. My plan is to work on distance for now. Once I can run a slow 15-20 miles, I’ll start adding long walks the next day. When we get closer, I’ll follow the long walk with another long walk/run. Once my endurance is a little better, I’ll add a day of hill work during the week. I’m hoping this plan will lead to lots of hiking and trail running next spring and summer.

It was a perfect day for running. Clear skies, cool temperatures and a light breeze, and yet I opted to start the journey to Lake Tahoe on my treadmill. Why? Because my best friend and former running partner, Jasmine the Dalmatian princess gets stressed out when I leave her for too long. The treadmill sits in front of the patio door, so after a little doggy jog up and down our block, I tossed her a pig ear, opened the door and started jogging slowly toward the trees in my back yard. 56 minutes later I’d covered 4.5 miles but was no closer to the trees than when I started. It was getting very warm inside, so I finished with a jog/walk around the block, for a total of 5 miles, plus a little extra walking. The air was fresh and crisp. My legs were starting to go weak, and things were a little achy, but it was perfect. There is more to life than sitting in your comfortable chair. It’s like John Mellencamp said, “Just because I’m middle-aged that don’t mean I want to sit around my house and watch TV.”

The first 5 miles are done, but it will be a long slow journey to Tahoe. I’m excited about it today, but most journeys include a few bumps in the road. For now, I’m training as if this were a done deal, but I haven’t registered, or reserved a room yet. This gives you time to talk me into or out of it.

Jasmine was still chewing her pig ear when I got back from my lap around the neighborhood. We went back out for a little walk with the camera, to share with you the glory of fall in the Northwest, when the sky is clear enough to see it!

Speaking of journeys, I need your help with something. The Pink Envelope Project is a fundraiser for the Making Memories program, which grants wishes to women who have been diagnosed with stage 4 (usually terminal) breast cancer. If you know me well enough to be on my Christmas card list, you can expect a pink envelope. I’m also passing out pink envelopes to my friends and family, and asking them to contribute instead of buying me a birthday gift. I have everything in the world I could possibly want: a wonderful family, good friends, and good health. A young mother in Oregon just wants to take her 2 young sons to the Magic Kingdom while she still can. It might be the last happy memory those little boys will have of her. I know times are hard, but if enough of us can scrape up a dollar or two, we can make this happen. Use this link if you would like to help.

I just surfed into this on the Brooks web site, and it is so cool, I just had to share. Brooks is a local company, and if you read the November issue of Runner’s World, you know about their efforts to make a more environmentally friendly running shoe. They are a class act, and now they are donating 5 cents to the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center (up to $25,000) for each view of this video from November 13 - December 21, so share the link, OK?

This one doesn’t raise money for charity, but it is still awesome! Listen carefully to the words ladies. The Diva closet is full of Brooks shoes & clothes.