Victoria Marathon...CRUSHED

Dateline: Friday, 10/8/10, 6:55am, Victoria Marathon Weekend
Location: Above California

Beverage: Strong Starbucks cuppa joe with ample steamed half 'n' half
Playlist: David Holmes / U2 / Coldplay / Cake

Company: TNT peeps extraordinaire with more to come on the following flight. Family at home waking up to get ready for school. Thinking about them often.

Me: Getting mentally psyched up for my third marathon. First was....my first. A "Get-'er-done" experience. A meeting of the Run Girls. Second marathon was an injury ridden horrendous experience of frustration and elation. Did it, done. Marathon #3 is a "I am physcially healed, body stong, mind prepared and ready to push it -- but maybe not as hard as my body is really capable of running. It's all good. Cause there will be a marathon #4. However, today is about today.

Today: fly, arrive, coffee, marathon expo, high tea at the Empress, marathon expo, dinner, sleep. It's a day without stress. A day of getting ready to get ready.

Tomorrow: strategy session with Wolf-Pac and its honorary members. It's a Running Den of 5 (plus others) who have been training together on long runs for this marathon weekend . Strategizing with charts, graphs, pace charts, an airing of the "what ifs" to prepare for all possible outcomes. Knowledge is power. Only later do you free the mind, so the feet will follow.

Dateline: Monday, 10/11/10 -- Day after the marathon

Beverage: water

Playlist: One Tree Hill, U2...and others

Marathon #3...done. 5:05:21 (PR by 52 minutes)

Marathon Day Re-Cap

The Wolf-Pac starts out scouting the grounds and, by mile 1, converged into full Wolf-Pac-Five formation running together high in spirits, working in rhythm, pumping each other up mentally to boost the physical while sticking to the 8 min run/ 1 min walk.

Interacting with other runners, supporters on the sidelines, and each other. Maintaining a steady solid pace within range of a most amazing time goal for us all. Running by streets with names to inspire, and names reminiscent of friends and memories from childhood far away from Victoria. All of this helping to remove the numbers from the miles.

Coach Tim comes upon us while in positive form, smiles, laughs, encouragement. I hope we gave to him, what he gave to us.

As early-starting friends and teammates approached us, while making their way to the finish line-- we formed a line of high fives, passing each other by with heart-felt "GO TEAMs!". The elites began sprinting by, erupting more cheers from our group.

As the miles pass the words between us become sparse. I wasn't expecting this to happen this early on in the race. By mile 14ish, I sense each of us beginning to retreat into our own heads. I know this course from last year and call out to our Wolf-Pac Den of Five -- "We continue straight for a bit, and make a left. There's a water stop -- then we turn around and make our way back." Okay. Get my water bottle ready, refill, recap, make my u-turn. I know Ilya is right behind/beside me. And yet, upon my return, I see Jen...and Juana slightly further back..... Marc following even further back. My heart sinks, feels broken. We had set ourselves up to run together as a Pac of Five up to mile 20. It isn't happening. As Ilya and I continue, the others fall further behind. I can't look back to see who was behind -- I ask Ilya to take a glance and I see disappointment on his face. I think to myself, "We all agreed - if one stops, if one slows down, the others.....continue. It's race day. It's what you do."

Mile 18. Tough. The chant through my head echoes, "I'm here to run. I'm here to run. I'm here to run." Pace slows...picks back up while maintaining a 8 min run/ 1 min walk with a little bit more walk on occasion. At mile 21ish, we slow dramatically as Ilya and I see a swerving Cortney (Wolf-Pac) -- give her salt -- tell her to take the salt -- force her to gu. Chatting to check her head while checking mine. We tell her when we see the Coach, we'll send him back. Ilya and I reluctantly continue. Running with new mantra, "Gotta get the Coach. Gotta get the Coach. Gotta get the Coach. I'm here to run. I'm here to run." One mile to go and we see the biggest smile on the Team - Jesi. "Please run with us...but don't talk." We tell him about Cortney, and he says he'd find her. We run, we run. Mike Z appears with the code word I gave him...."Marrrrcia." "Please run with us...but don't talk." We run, we run. Take a walk break......we run. 500 meters to go. I see Coach Tim along a turn. I gently lift my index finger to my mouth giving the universal symbol for "quiet please". (Note: At the Victory Party, Tim dramatically re-interprets this moment as, "WOW! Great to see ya Coach,...but, shut the F** up!")

A few moments later I take a 15 sec. walk break and Ilya continues. Why, WHY am I walking?!? I pick it back up....400 meters...Z and Coach leave me as I make my way through the final shoot for finishers only. I hear Ilya's being announced as he finishes ahead of me. Then...the Announcer's words pace me through the final approach which lifts my spirits and my arms to and carry me to the final finish...."Janine Penney....from San Jose....running with Team in Training....has finished her marathon....in 5 hours.....and 5 minutes." I crushed that marathon....we all did.

Erin Go Bragh! J9 runs in Ireland!

Three glorious, sunny weeks vacationing in Ireland. A time to visit family in Dublin, sightsee in Kerry, relax on sandy beaches (yes, it's true), and run the Strawberry Festival Half Marathon in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford (pic taken along race route) .

I was fully trained for this event and ready to PR by 10 minutes or so. The half marathon was scheduled for a week and a half into my trip, allowing lots of time to recover from jetlag. We booked a room at The Old Bridge House B&B just a few blocks from the 10am race start. (Now a word about the B&B's link -- the picture of the Redmonds is probably 10-15 years old. They are much hipper in real life. The couple made our family of 4 feel so welcome, comfortable, and relaxed. We would go back in a heart-beat.)

So Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The race sounds soooooo perfectly planned. Lots of build-up to the perfect drama filled race -- but there was none. This was the first race I have run where my family got to see me off at the start, AND watch me cross the finish line! There was just enough rain in the beginning which made a brick hill a little too slippery for my liking. Soon the sun broke out creating a rather warm and humid run. Generally speaking, the runners were fast and by mile 2, I was close to being a solitary runner. I did have my eye on one woman's back -- we all do it. Spot someone ahead and focus on that person's back. Don't lose 'em! If I could just catch up....and I did.


At mile 4, I met this lovely lady from Wexford and asked her if she wouldn't mind me running with her for a bit. She said sure, but that she may need to take a walk break here and there. That was fine with me. We ran...chatted...walked....chatted....ran...chatted about walk breaks....this was her first half marathon....her son was running ahead with a goal of 1:30......not in my life-time....ran.....chatted, and before I knew it, we had been running together for 8 miles with only one mile to go. I took off for the last mile, because my legs needed to. That's her on the right, as I took off for the last mile.I ignored my pace during those 8 miles. Those easy, conversational miles felt good and were fun. I took more walk breaks than necessary, but it was nice chatting with this lovely lady from Wexford whose name I have forgotten and can't even recall by looking at the race results. When at last I approached the finish line along the river Slaney, there was my family, cheering me on.

I didn't PR this race, and it didn't matter. I enjoyed the run, I enjoyed the company, I enjoyed the journey. The final post-race destination -- a cooling leg bath in the Slaney River.

"How windy? The puddles had white caps." - Robin Podesta

Santa Cruz Half Marathon
An unseasonable storm had been predicted for half marathon day, with rain and winds of up to 20 mph along the coast. And where was the run? Along the coast. Thankfully, the rain gods held tight to their clouds for my first 10-11 miles, and as I rounded the final descent toward the finish - they released their clentch. What a fantastic run -- yeah, there was wind and rain. But I felt great, I started at an easy pace then picked it up. For the first time in a long time, I ran a long distance full of joy. During the final 2 miles, I ran right along the coast -- at times with a head wind, at times the ocean mist spraying on my face, all the time the rain, and all the while a smile upon my face. I loved it. The sound of the rain, the wind, the ocean spray created a rhythm for running that felt easy. I probably could have pushed it more....I'll save that for the next one.

Yo...Spondylolisthesis. Kiss my Psoas!

Well…it took me a while to recover from the marathon -- physically and emotionally. I was physically and emotionally pissed off and fed-up about my (lack of) physical recovery.

Long story short – after being born with a lack of confidence in the chiropractic field, I figured it was time to give it a shot. Several running friends gave high accolades to one particular chiro who practices ART – active release therapy. I made an appointment, retold my year-long injury story and mentioned that I was leery of chiropractors. She recommended a back x-ray based on my medical history. When I was about 12, I was diagnosed with spondylolsis – small fracture in my vertebra which caused hip pain. I thought, yeah, I should get another back xray to at least see how things had changed since I was 12. The xray revealed something interesting...I am now diagnosed with isthmic spondylolisthesis– I may have had this for years. Now, I don't require surgery, but I’m still not sure how I feel about this. Check out this link for an animated explanation http://www.spine-health.com/video/spondylolisthesis-symptoms-causes-and-treatment-options-video

I will tell you what I’m doing about it. I am NOT resting. Through strength training, I am getting my core and upper body stronger than it ever was before. Dr. Carley is working out my piriformis, psoas, lower back and things are finally getting loose. My body works symmetrically now and I no longer run on my toes. This happened naturally, didn’t even have to think about it. Next on my list is to get into yoga.

In terms of running, I am registered for two half marathons – one in April, and one in June. I ran 12 glorious miles last weekend without pain before, during, or after the run. I’m running my fourth season with Team In Training – not sure if it will be a half or a full. I really feel in the game. In fact, I wrote a little poem...

an ode to a tale of woe
by runJ9run

Oh calf with pain!
To what do I attribute thee?
Shin splints, stress fracture I did not see.

One blamed the sacroiliac
To be out of place
I wore a funky belt, which caused some disgrace.

It took one who listened, to finally see.
A vertebra set ajar
Caused this leg pain…when I ran too far.

My muscles compensated
As I ran upon a right toe
I’d like to think, it’s why I ran slow.

Sooooooo many issues
Tight piriformis, psoas, IT
Caused Doc Carley to dig into me

All hail core! Strength training and more!
You may have kicked my ass.
But you indeed, improved my perform-ance.

And to whom do I thank?
Why ME!
For becoming an advocate of my medical his-tor-y!