Sorry if the motions and sound don't match up perfectly. I have no idea why it's doing that.
But the fact remains that the SPIbelt is pretty darned cool. I know there are a lot of other fanny pack type products out there, but I think the Spibelt reigns supreme. I mean, this thing was invented by this girl who's a personal trainer, and I just love stories about young women entrepreneurs. Totally inspiring.
image from spibelt.com
I think I pretty much summed it up in the video, but I didn't mention that SPIbelts come in different sizes as well as different colors. You can get a dual pocket belt, a belt with a inner pocket, etc. The website even lets you customize your belt. How baller is that? There's one with a "26.2" logo on it too!
To reiterate, I think the SPIbelt rocks. I wasn't expecting it to be so stretchy and so comfortable. This belt will come in handy especially on those long runs when you need to carry a whole bunch of nutrition with you. It's also fun for races when you want to have a phone or a camera on you. I bet you could even carry your dog in there if he gets tired halfway through the run.
...ok that's probably a stretch, haha, but you know what I mean :)
What kind of bag/carrying device do you/have you used? Are there any other ones you would recommend? Please do share your experience!
And coming soon... a much belated Nike Pegasus shoe review.
The Healdsburg Wine Country Half was by far one of my most favorite of races! It was definitely worth the 14 hours of driving....! Yup. 14 hours of driving in 72 hours.
So..... let's start from the beginning!
James and I took off early Friday morning for our seven hour drive up the 101 to Santa Rosa. I have never been that far up North in CA before, and I was excited to explore a new city.... and drink some wine!
Upon arriving in Santa Rosa, we headed straight to the race expo. Though the expo was small and quite boring, it still is the coolest expo I've attended because..... they were serving wine! Awesome. Can't think of a better way to kick off a wine country race. Another highlight of the expo are the free massages being offered. I got a great 5 min massage. Saturday: Race Day
We woke up bright and early cold and dark on Sat morning, ate, and drove over to the bus pick up for the race.
Holy Moly.
Nor Cal is cold.
And dark.
And cold.
We had to wait around for an hour before the race started. It was so dark and so cold I could not feel my thighs or any of my fingers/toes. And my goodness! The sun didn't come up till 7 am! Though... when it did, it sure was pretty! I am so spoiled by the warmer climate in Santa Barbara. I have NO idea what you are supposed to do when your toes go numb. Or how to pee in the porta pottie without freezing your you-know-what. I just couldn't wait to start running already so I could finally warm up!
The Race: I was so thankful to start running and get the blood pumping again.
Wrong!!!!!
Holy crap!
I seriously don't understand how this cold weather thing works!
For the first three miles, I couldn't feel any of my toes or any of my fingers! I mean.... how the heck is the whole concept of RUNNING supposed to work when your toes, an essential component of the sport, are numb?
At least there were a whole bunch of funny costumes to look at! I was impressed at how some people went all out for their costumes. I saw a whole team of "The Incredibles", Raggedy Anne dolls, Lady Bug, Ultimate Warrior, Big Booty, pumpkins, men in tutus, a banana, and my favorite:
na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na Bat Man!
Yes, I made sure to sing that theme for them as they ran past. Actually, I sang it to them multiple times while simultaneously crying out "Bat man!!!" I hope I didn't annoy them! haha
The course was absolutely breathtaking. It was 13 miles of rolling hills through the vineyards in Healdsburg. It was sooooo beautiful, with the sun coming up over the horizon and slowly burning off the morning mist. The vineyards were amazing; we ran past merlots, zinfandels, and all sorts of other grapes.
The rolling hills made kept shit interesting, and I didn't mind them at all. There were no major climbs, and each uphill was followed by a downhill. I heard a bunch of people complaining about the hills, but I really didn't mind them.... and especially since I was always able to pass people on the climbs!
The highlight of the race came at mile 6 when we approached what I thought was an aid station... It was the best surprise ever! A wine aid station! I tried one of the white wines, and sampled two spoonfuls of their grape compote.
It was hella delicious. (hey I'm in Nor Cal so I'm allowed to say that :) )
The race was going really well until about mile 7. I had been running super conservatively trying to nurse my left knee/calf. But by mile 7 I started having sudden, sharp pains. The pain was honestly quite horrible.
But I was in such a good mood I honestly didn't care too much. I wasn't racing this time, and I didn't give a hoot about my finishing time. I was just having a fun time chatting with James, looking at all the pretty vineyards, stopping to take photos, looking at people's costumes, and just enjoying the run.
Soooo beautiful!
I even had time to take a couple of videos during the run as well. I took my camera along with me, in my brand-spanking-new Spibelt. (this thing totally rocks my socks off, btw)
Here's a taste of the Healdsburg HM:
Although my knee hurt like hell all the way to the finish line, I truly enjoyed this race. I LOOOOVED being able to run the entire thing with James. I know this totally sounds tacky, but we finished the crossing line holding hands. I can't wait to see the photos!
And the funny thing is, even though I ran this thing super conservatively, stopped to take photos, go to the porta pottie, slow down to take movies, I still finished only a minute slower than my first HM. I couldn't believe it. Have I become that much faster/stronger as a runner? On a hilly course???? :) It was a huge confidence booster.
The best thing about the race is the wine festival at the race. A whole bunch of wineries from the area come out, and you are allowed to taste as much wine as you want! It's put on by the same people as the Santa Babrara Wine Country Half Marathon that I ran in May. Seriously. Knowing you can have wine at the end is a HUGE motivator :)
I loved James' costume. He had a bloody knife and a severed foot. He got quite a few laughs.
I really truly enjoyed this race. I definitely want to do it again next year!
My knee/calf still hurts like a b!tch, but I think the problem is that my ITB is tight. It's just been super tight and tense since the 20 miler. I think a couple of sessions on the foam roller and taking it easy this week should do the trick. I'm staying hopeful.
Look at the views of San Fran/Golden Gate Bridge we saw on the way back:
It was a whirlwind trip, but every moment of it was fun :) What were you for Halloween?
And thank you so much for all your kind words last week about my cat Mii-chan. It really cheered me up to read your comments. I'm glad I was able to run as a cat, and I feel at peace now. But honestly. Thank you so much. It means a lot to me.
I'm still here... but this week has been a difficult one for me.
On Monday afternoon, I got a call from my mother in Japan, that my beloved cat Mii-chan has passed away, after 13 years of being with my family.
She was a simply stunning gorgeous cat, so wonderfully feline and delicate. I have so many memories of growing up with her. We actually got her in NYC; we were there visiting my grandma, and my mom and little brother were exploring the city and walked into a pet shop. There at the pet shop, my brother discovered this tiny little kitten, this beautiful, darling kitty, and he knew in his heart that she needed to be with our family. So there we were, halfway around from home when we welcomed the newest member into our family.
We flew home with her all the way to Tokyo, and since then I have had so many wonderful moments with her. Mii-chan will forever be in my heart surrounding some of my most favorite memories; like taking her on walks and feeding her sea weed from my rice balls. Oh how she loved the sea weed!
As I've said before, I am a total sucker for cats. The news of her passing was devastating to me. I've never had the experience of losing a pet before, and it really made me sad that the last time I saw her was over a year ago. And to think that in two months, I was gonna be able to go home and see her and hold her!
So here's to you, my favorite little Meat Ball. I love you so so so so much. The thought of you will forever put a smile on my face. You were always such a cute, dainty little cat. We will all miss you, including Skipper, Dr. Evil, and Choco. I like to think that you are in kitty heaven now, full of cat nip, tuna, warm blankets, mice, and sea weed.
It's so hard for me to write this Meat Ball, and I will cry for a few days more. But I will remember you with the fondest and dearest of memories.
Rest in Peace Mii-chan, I love you forever.
isn't she beautiful?
In honor of Mii-chan, I will be running as a cat for the HM this Saturday. _________________________________________________
I have been in a funk all week. I could not muster the energy and will power to run on Tuesday. I was just too sad, so I did a solid 75 min of yoga. That helped to center and refocus my energy. I did manage to run last night.... just 4 painful miles on the treadmill. My left knee and shin are in quite a good amount of pain right now, and I am hoping it will be gone by Saturday.
Despite all this, I am glad I have a trip and a HM coming up this weekend. It has helped to have something to look forward to. Otherwise, I probably would have curled up in my bed and cried all week. And I know it sounds silly, but I think running as my cat (I've got ears and a tail) will help with the healing process.
And I know I'll always have a kitty looking out for me from above.
Still can't believe we actually friggin' did it. And boy oh boy. 20 miles is that much harder than 18.5 miles.
But man, we ran 20 effing miles! Boo-ya!
As always, the run in bullet points:
Friday night: Force James to eat a ginormous plate of pasta.
Wake up Sat morning. It is already frigging HOT outside. Like 85 degrees hot. Eat a huge breakfast.
Drive to mile 26 of the marathon, at Shoreline Park.
Drive to starting point, (mile 6 of marathon) right by UCSB. Drop off two "runner's bags" filled with water, gummy bears, GU gels, other food items in two locations.
Start the 20 miles!
The one memorable thing about this run was that it was HOT outside. Like, seriously, damagingly hot. WTF? It's October! It's supposed to be cool! At several points it was so hot and so bright I felt nauseous. I was deadly afraid of dehydration. So I ate way too many shot blocks and drank way too much Gatorade. Because of this, I was puking up little pieces of gummies and Gatorade for more than half the run. Ick. Having stomach issues for 20 miles not bueno.
Also, I was tired even before I began the ran. As soon as I took my first step of the run, I knew it was going to be a struggle. My legs felt sooooo tired, and heavy as logs. My survival strategy for the run was to NOT think about it, and concentrate on talking with James.
But by mile ten, I was seriously ready to call it quits. I was hot, I was tired, my legs were beat, and my tummy hurt. But I kept this all to myself. I didn't want my negative energy to affect James at all. And I knew that as long as he kept going, I would keep going as well.
My strategy at this point was to just NOT think about the run. I begged James to keep telling me stories. He told me all about sleep cycles, Kafka's short stories, some Ben Stiller movie, theories on relationships.... anything to keep my mind off the run. I am so thankful he was there, because I know without a doubt I would've quit somewhere around mile 15.
At around mile 16, my right calf muscle started to get really tight and knotty. It got so bad that it yanked at my achilles tendon. At one point, I yelped in pain and had to stop to stretch it out for a bit. That seemed to do the trick though, and though I needed to stop one other time, my calf was fine.
Miles 17.9 - 18.35 was a KILLER uphill. Staring up at the top from the bottom, the hill looked so massive and so daunting. Oh, did I mention it was 85 degrees out?
But for some miraculously odd reason, I was able to Kill the Hill, (rhyming unintentional) and it honestly did not feel bad at all. Maybe the thought of having a challenge was motivating? And the fantastic thing was, from Mile 18.5 to 20 was basically all downhill. The downhill hurt my joints after a while, but it was more than welcome after more than 3 hours of running!
And then Dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng. My Garmin finally let out the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.
Beep beep beep!
and there you have it. 20 miles. Donezo. Phew!
I literally collapsed onto the grass at Shoreline Park. But James reminded me to "walk it off." I was waddling and moaning and groaning in pain. People definitely were looking at me funny, but I just wanted to gloat at them and shout "I just ran 20 effing miles! boo-ya!" :)
As we were stretching at a bench, this guy came up and we struck up a conversation.
Guy: "did you guys just finish a run?" James: "Yeah, we're training for a marathon. We just did a 20 mile run." Guy: "Oh, only?" James and Julia : "............?"
Obviously, the guy was being sarcastic, and was beyond amazed we ran that far, but at that moment, we were both so tired and so out of it we didn't quite get his sense of humor. But I did manage to talk his ear off about marathons and training. We made him promise to come out and cheer on M-Day!
All in all, I am still amazed we ran 20 miles. It was way slower than I would have liked, and it hurt a LOT more than I thought it would. I was soooooooooo tired all of Sunday. My usual spunk was gone. My legs felt tattered. My knees were super tender. I took a nap. I was only able to do one hour of yoga on Sunday. I was hoping for a swim too, but had NO energy and NO motivation. WTF? I really didn't think it would be that much worse than a 18.5 miler, but it was. 20 hurt.
But I conquered it!
I am so glad I only have to run 13 this weekend! I am sooooo excited for the Healdsburg wine country HM this weekend! yay yeah!
Recently, I read a blog post on Runner's World called It's Not About the iPod. It talked about a woman who got a DQ at the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon because she was listening to her iPod, even though she was aware of it being against the official rules. This piqued my interest not because I like my iPod, but because much of the conversation centered around following rules...or not. Mark Remy, the author, asks
I mean, is it just me, guys? Am I the only one who finds this creeping disrespect for rules, this sort of "Up Yours, I'll Do What I Want," "Me First" attitude just a little alarming?
Or should I crank up some Jay Z and just... tune it all out?
Now yesterday, I mentioned I've been told I'm like Angela from the Office. I have to admit that its not only because I like cats. I too like to follow the rules. I grew up in Japan. Enough said. And when I moved to America a few years ago, I too, like Mark Remy, found the disrespecting of rules here quite... different. Let's just say it was a pretty huge culture shock. I mean.... people wanted to fight the rules about everything... even small petty things like the color of the T-shirt they were assigned to in a group activity. (really? Is your free t-shirt so important to you that you need to go complain to the supervisor about it...?)
I'm digressing a little here, but you get my drift. Last night, I mentioned that I was going to the ballet. The ballet was amazing, and I truly enjoyed the show. But I wouldn't be writing this post had a not seen this one particular thing.
A guy (most likely a college student) wearing his headphones and listening to his iPod/iPhone through the performance.
WTF...??? Seriously? Seriously? You go all the way to see a ballet, and you listen to your iPod? While these people on stage have worked thier butts off to perfect the art to deliver a feeling of magic, a feeling of spectacle? The precise dance, the impecable Tchaikovsky music, the dedication to the art.... it all meant nothing compared to the Jay-Z or Linkin Park or Miley Cyrus or whoever it was he was listening to.
I just think it was so disrespectful and distasteful. I don't have anything against iPods. Like the Runner's World article said, the issue at hand isn't even about the iPod. It's about having respect for the organization that's making the event possible and trying to provide everyone a great experience. I don't know... it just makes me feel sad to think about how some people believe their own immediate pleasure/gratification is MUCH more important than anyone else's, and disregards the fact that thier actions are offensive/disrespectful to others. Yes I know I am a little naive. But still....it makes me sad.
I know this has nothing to do with running, but I just really wanted to talk about it and throw it out there. I think having respect is a really important topic for running though, and especially racing. And I also know that runners tend to be very introspective, reflective, observant, and intelligent people, so maybe you can share your wisdom with me. But you can totally feel free to disagree with me too, and tell me I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture. Please do enlighten me. Oh and yes, you can call Angela.
Ok so I've been told I'm like Angela from The Office. Wha...?
.... Hopefully its just because I like cats... and not because of all the other things...! And because I think we can all use some mid-week laughs, I thought I'd share some of my recent favorite internet finds. Prepare to smile.
Seriously, every time I see these, I completely crack up! These are all from my new obsession; icanhascheezburger.com. I've spent waaaay more time on this site than I'd like to admit. :) Clearly, I've been super productive lately. Daydreaming my time away? who, me?
Ok so I guess I should mention running somewhere in here too :)
Really, not much. I was super sore after running 18 miles on Sat and doing an hour of yoga and an hour of weights on Sun. Last night was a quick 5.5 miles. I full on expected it to be a crappy run, but turns out my body was Craving it. It was fast, it was easy, and it felt good. Sometimes running can surprise you like that; out of the blue you get this run where everything just clicks: it feels effortless, freeing, invigorating, and just plain old fun. I wanted to go longer, but it was already dark, and I don't feel comfortable running in the dark.
Have you ever run in darkness? It's quite the trippy experience, I'm telling you. I once (unintentionally) ran in total darkness. When you can't see the ground, where you're headed, or where your feet are landing, it feels like you're almost hopping along, kind of like you're gonna take off flying or something. It feels... weightless somehow. It's super strange. If you wanna know what I'm talking about, try running with your eyes closed. Seriously. Try it.
I have a fun date night planned tonight: I've got free tickets to the ballet! I danced for over ten years, so I'm so excited to go to a fancy show and get all dressed up :)
I am sending you all sorts of humpday-licious vibes through the interwebs! Adios
Dude. Trying to get out of bed when both halves of your a$$ is tight and sore is quite the challenge. First, there's the sleepy "I don't know where I am; who am I; what am I doing?" moment, then the "oh crap gotta get ready," and then "whooooa Nelly how the heck am I gonna swing my legs over the bed?" moment. And then there's the whole having to sit down on the toilet thing.
Another reason why I will eternally be jealous of guys.
But it's ok. Cause I couldn't be more proud of my accomplishment this weekend: I ran 18.5 miles!
So how did this adventure start?
Saturday morning 8AM: make some pancakes and bacon. Pancakes are the BEST pre-run fuel :)
9:30: Go to the store and pick up post-run protein bars, and lots of water and Gatorade.
10:00: Stretch, Body Glide, the usual.
11:oo: Drop off some "Runner's Goodie Bags" along our route. I packed some bottles of water, shot blocks, ets in brown paper bags, wrote "For runners. Please don't take," and left them in the bushes on the side of the street in two spots along the route.
Noon: James and I drive over to Elings Park (finish point) in separate cars. We drop off James' car, hop into my car and drive to the starting point. And we are off!
Miles 2.3 -3: we run through the Goleta Lemon Festival and the Classic Car Show. Hey, why not kill two birds with one stone, right? LSD and festival in one! It definitely made the warm-up portion fun!
Miles 3-4: It is h-o-t with a capital H. WTF? It is a good 20-30 degrees hotter than last week. It makes running way more difficult. I start to worry if we have enough water
Mile 5: My first running potty break! I feel like I am now a legit member of the Runners Club. :) Yes. I am proud of popping a squat. Don't judge :)
Mile 9: First pit stop. Phew! No one stole our "Runner's Goodie Bag!" It was nice to fill up on more water. Sun + heat + long run = thirsty thirsty. But only 9 more miles to go~
Mile 12-13: a very welcome downhill. At mile 13 I tell James "Only five more miles to go!" I can't believe just a few months ago I was training for my first half, and running 5 miles was a huge feat. Running 13 miles seemed like the gnarliest craziest idea to me then. But now, words like "we've already run 13; what's 5 more?" are coming out of my mouth. Dang. Who would've thought I would actually come this far?
Mile 14: Second pit stop. Refill water bottles, eat some shot blocks, and set off for the final 4 miles.
Miles 14-16: this portion was so tough; both mentally and physically. I know James was having a hard time. But like a true champ he kept trucking along.
Mile 16.7: James tells me I will have to run the last mile alone; he was gonna have to walk. I take a deep breath and head out!
Miles 17-18.5: Left foot right foot left foot right foot. I counted every step of the way there. The trance of counting was the only thing that kept me going. Thank god it was all downhill! No better way to finish a long run than going downhill :)
I was pretty effing happy to be done with this 3 hour run. Phew! I was sooooo tired! But I literally couldn't believe I had just run so far, and was beaming with pride. I got in the car and drove back to pick up James and we headed straight for the smoothie shop. We were quite the mess when we got there: moaning and groaning, unable to stand up straight, salt crusted on every inch of our skin. We probably stank like skunks too, but it didn't matter. The smoothie tasted so incredibly cold and delicious. Oh, and did I mention I just ran 18.5 frigging miles? :) I completed it with fairly minimal damage too. Just one swollen toe, under-boobage chafing, and some butt crack and inner thight chafes. Running is so glamorous, no?
I'm so proud of James too. He smashed is PDR by 2.7 miles! I know he was hurting for the last couple of miles; he says he had a bonk; he didn't have enough water, and he didn't eat enough of his shot blocks. I think he only had one packet of GU gel and a couple of shot blocks. I don't think that is enough fuel for him, but he says it's hard to eat those thing when he's not hungry. But my understanding is that you need to eat them regardless of hunger cues, right? Any advice for James you could offer?
I have only two more real "long runs" left before the marathon; a 20 miler and a 22 miler. There's also another HM next weekend, a turkey trot, and maybe another race before M-Day. I am terrified at the 20+ mile runs and scared sh!tless of the real marathon. 26 miles is sounding like a LOT to me right now. 18 was hard. How on earth am I supposed to run 8 more....??? GULP! I guess I will continue tackling it one step at a time.
Running away from a quarter-life crisis and hopefully towards my first marathon; Santa Barbara International Marathon this winter.
I love chocolate. :)
