This won't be long because I skipped cross-training this week and I didn't take any pictures. I still went to Woodland Hills Physical Therapy on Monday but since I had to work it was just too much to consider Cardiobarre after.
Tuesday I joined my teammates at Fleet Feet Encino for an 8 mile hill run. It wasn't quite 8 miles but it went pretty well because I paced myself behind a couple girls and didn't let myself push ahead when I had the energy. Still, later in the run, they were able to pull away and I couldn't keep up which was pretty disappointing since I felt like I had been very disciplined by slowing down early. This doesn't bode well for my upcoming race. No, not that one, the Pasadena Rock 'n' Roll Half! I'd really like to finish under 2 hours but don't think I have the pace to pull it off. After the run we stretched out and did ab work, then had a meeting with our Ragnar Relay team. It was really exciting to talk about the different legs, how hard they are, and whether they'll be run in the dark or not. I haven't decided which runner I'll be. The most I would have to run is 21 miles over two days which I feel comfortable about, however many of my teammates are much stronger runners so I may just let everyone else choose and I'll pick up the slack.
Wednesday I absolutely could not fathom running if I had any hope of preparing the house for our Superbowl party so I chose instead to run Thursday morning. I went to bed a bit later than I meant to but "only" had 6 miles on the books so wasn't too concerned. I was pretty lazy when I got up Thursday morning and at one point even considered going back to bed (after eating a bowl of oatmeal and getting dressed - I'm a really good sleeper) but knew I wouldn't have time to make up the distance and was afraid skipping it altogether would sabotage Saturday's long run. I chose to run two approximately 3 mile loops so I could stay close to home and not have to go too deep into the hills or city. I didn't quite complete a full 6 miles but was near my house so cut it short and I'm glad I did because I ended up being 20 minutes late for work! I think this will be my last morning run because the mileage just gets longer for the next few Wednesday runs and I clearly can't be trusted to wake up early enough.
Thursday night was yoga at Fleet Feet with Ko. My balance was really off but I was still happy I got to see my twin (not biologically, but we have so many of the same possessions it's almost scary)!
Friday was a day I should have been doing everything in my power to prep for Saturday's long run but instead I hardly ate much (and what I did eat included cupcakes and wine), didn't drink enough, and went to bed late! The only saving grace was my trip to WHPT where Joe kindly avoided anything too strenuous and used ultrasound on my right arch that has been bugging me lately.
Saturday was the big day, the big 2-0! Since I was already going to be on the Westside Friday night, I suggested to Sarah that we run along the beach instead of with the group. This would also give us the opportunity to start our run later since we were out late (for us) Friday. We got to the beach around 8:30 a.m. and were off. It was nice and warm and since I hadn't trained in shorts at all so far, I donned a pair on the off chance that I needed to wear them for the marathon. I would never consider wearing something that had not been tested on a long run. While the Southern California native in me relished in the warm weather, the runner in me cursed it around mile 10 when I succumbed to a walk break. Sure it could have been any of the other factors leading up to the run but I think the weather was the most significant. We had to stop very frequently at water fountains due to the heat and the fact that I refuse to carry water. This wasn't so bad, I would rather lose a few minutes on water fountains than be weighed down the entire run, but once we ran out of boardwalk and headed into Marina Del Rey we quickly realized that we had no idea where our next water break would come from. It was pretty worrisome at one point and we again chose to walk until we could assess the situation. Luckily we found a path and a nice family assured us water was just ahead. This actually got us to run at a decent clip since we were really thirsty by this point. We finally finished the run and on my suggested took a quick dip in the ocean! If you don't live in LA you probably think I'm just trying to show off that we go to the beach in February but you should know the ocean is still about 57 degrees, not pleasant at all. However I was determined to get an ice bath immediately after the run and thought we should take advantage of our surroundings. Walking on the sand was a nice little massage for our feet and even though the water was freezing, I was really glad we got it done.
Another great accomplishment this week was reaching my goal of raising $2,000 for the Center for Assault Treatment Services! That doesn't mean I'm done though, that just means I can officially increase my goal to $3,000, an idea I'd been toying with for a while. I've got six weeks til the race which isn't much time to raise $1,000 but I still have plenty of friends and family who haven't donated yet so maybe it's not so crazy. If you would like to help me reach this seemingly outlandish goal, please contribute here: http://www.crowdrise.com/crystalarrieta
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