Shit We See While Running

Shit I Saw After A Run

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:51:00 -0800

Spotted this toy car after a run, parked in a legit parking spot. Kudos, jokester.

Better late than never.. or let's be honest, I've been a slacker

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:49:00 -0800

So Nike came and gone, and I figured I would jump right onto tumblr within hours after finishing the race, then Halloween passed,then Anya updated everyone on our races, our Winter/Spring season with TNT officially started, then Thanksgiving passed, I ran the Walnut Creek Half Marathon, suddenly I hear my Grandma wishing me Happy Hannukah, and then its Christmas, followed by New Years, and oh shit- It’s now January 26th at 5:59 in the morning and I am getting over a bad chest cold that involved a fever so I am missing our morning track practice and cannot sleep due to being anxious about my lack of commitment not only to this blog, but my training.

So HELLO!

Let me do a quick recap of at least Nike. I will save another post for Walnut Creek. I wish I could say I’ve seen a lot of fun shit while running, but I have not found nearly as much fun stuff as I would have liked.

NIKE- The marathon was very interesting to say the least. I was so happy to have my mom and cousin Dana there from out of town. Tom was amazing and organized all of my friends meeting up with us throughout the race and then after for photos.

The first half of the race was absolutely beautiful, but a complete clusterf***. The lack of organization made the first 13 miles very slow. There were pseudo-corrals that no one actually followed.Walkers and runners were not separating to their designated sides. People not from the Bay Area would be running strong and then suddenly just stop when they saw a hill, causing a traffic jam behind them. The hills were no joke. I was very thankful for our training. I ran with Jumin for the first 14 miles whose smiles and jokes kept me motivated to keep running. Unfortunately Jumin did have a slight setback, and needed to go to the medical station and I lost her for those final 12.2 miles.

On race day I did post a video of a guy I met dressed as Caesar who did not know what he was going to do with his Tiffany’s necklace when he finished. He was pretty awesome and I thank him for making me chuckle in the middle of my first full marathon.

The second half of the course was much more open since 18,000 people had turned to finish the half marathon. I embraced the openness and tried to pick up my pace a bit. While the course itself was much more boring, I had some nice distractions along the way. Right past mile 14 was my friend Jess who was waiting for me because she had just finished the half, so I ran to her and hugged her. It was a very welcomed and happy break :).

Between miles 15 and 16 there was my loving mentor- Erin (Who is now pregnant!!! And actually was a few weeks pregnant during Nike.. ahh!). Erin knew exactly what I needed to get through my last 10 miles. I ran over to her (she had also just finished the half) on the side and she held out the Tiffany’s necklace. I was very pleased to see that IT WAS NOT UGLY!!! I had seen past designs and kept thinking, damn, I’m going to be annoyed if this necklace after all the hype is actually ugly. So I got a good look at it and screamed. “OH, IT’S CUTE!” and then sprinted away. You know, it’s the little things that will keep one going when their bodies don’t really want to go anymore.

Mile 16- The boyfriend ran onto the course and kept me company for a few blocks. He was not wearing running sneakers, and I insisted for his feets sake, that he stop running and he gave me a kiss and a bunch of girls aww’ed and then I was off on my own again. Mile 18 I was pleasantly surprised by my friend Vicky and she ran with me to mile 19. I saw Coach Kim and Kate for about 2 minutes as well, so this mile was filled with lots of happy people.

Miles 19-20 I do not have a lot to say. I thought about how I might feel if I hit a wall. I kept thinking about how I’d fight it. Surprisingly it never happened. At Mile 20, I saw Coach Louie with a big smile on his face. I am telling you all, seeing people you know during the last 10 miles is totally clutch. It really helps get you through. Coach Louie was amazing and checked up on me asked how my feet were feeling. I told him I was getting a little bored and was ready to finish this race up.I think it was Mile 22 they offered us Chocolate and I appreciated how nice the volunteer was, but to the race organizers I thought- SERIOUSLY?? I don’t want chocolate right now!!! That sounds awful!!! I grabbed 2 pieces and put them in my pocket for after the race.

Those last 4.2 miles… Let me tell you. Longest 4 miles of my life. I was bored. I wanted the race to be over. I saw Coach Rudy for a hot second running the opposite direction to go get some water. After that, there was no one I knew, and I was not a happy camper. I kept thinking ” Why didn’t I run the half marathon? I could be eating breakfast right now.” At mile 24 a TNT Coach from I don’t know where kept me company for a few minutes. I told him I was bored and over it. And he asked me “which president was in office the last time these roads were paved?” At that point I was mentally not all there, and had no clue what president was in office at the time the roads were last paved, so I started laughing and that was just what i needed for the end of my race. I could see the finish line and I bolted for it. See that moron in the grey skirt? Yup, that is me bolting for it. I did cry a little, and then thought- oh shit they are taking photos and I am going to have to look at those the rest of my life, I better suck it up.

And that was it. Before I knew it, 4 hours and 38 minutes had passed, and I had now finished my first full marathon.

Now remember how I just said I was bored? 10 minutes after I crossed the finish line I am asked how I feel about fulls. ” Well, I don’t think I could run another one next week or anything, but I could definitely do it again.” - Am I bipolar? It’s amazing how quickly one forgets all the bad parts of the race.

I have a lot more to talk about, but I already know this entry is way too long. I’d like to end with saying that January has been an awful month for me physically. November and December after Nike, I started running with the Winter/Spring group and then getting longer runs with my teammates from the Summer team on Sundays. I was at the gym 4 times a week. I felt amazing. Walnut Creek- I was on 4 hours of sleep and had a drink the night before and still PR’d.

January- I got back from NJ with a weird hip injury. The injury is finally healed, and it followed with some sort of Flu/Cold that I’ve been battling now for 11 days. I have been anything but disciplined. Barely doing the minimum to keep up my mileage- and I must admit.. I feel awful. I know you have to get better and give your body rest- But the lack of weight lifting and cross training has gotten me super anxious. It’s guilt, but when your body is use to getting natural endorphins daily, and you just stop for a few weeks- it really gets to you. my chest is still tight from this cold/Flu, so at 5am I told Anya not to pick me up. But my head got to me, I should have used the last hour to sleep and get over this cold, but instead here I am writing. Because I want to make a promise that beginning Saturday, after my long run, I am getting back in the game. I have signed up to meet with my trainer who helped me get through Nike, and I will not miss a single TNT training session again this season. AND every other Wednesday, I am going to speedy demons (a workshop that Coach Al does), and I will become the strong runner I know I can be.

Now that confession and life-goal admitting time is over, I promise to get back to looking for more crazy shit to write about as I run.

-Sammie

Beauty And The Frump

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:03:00 -0700

I thought it would be fun to a quick picture recap of Sammie and I running Nike.
I am well aware that I look like a bull in a China shop when I run, and the Nike pictures have done nothing but reconfirm said reality.

Sammie, on the other hand, is not only incredibly graceful, but she’s able to smile, joke, and throw peace signs up while she’s running. I momentarily saw her at the race, and while I was heaving, cursing, and panting, she looked like she was out for a Sunday stroll.

I’ve run a couple races, but Nike was my first big race, and traditionally, I just take horrible, embarrassing photos. The first race I ever ran in was a Kaiser 5k in 2010. I prepared solely inside on a treadmill, and the idea of running 3.1 miles seemed like all of the miles at that time, so I was pumped up to run this bitch. Not realizing running inside is vastly different than running outside in February in San Francisco, I quickly learned that I had by no means trained properly for the 3.1 miles that were ahead of me. I also didn’t realize that my slow, slow running pace was considered a fast walking pace, so I grew increasingly more frustrated with the amount of walkers I had to maneuver around, most notably the stroller dads.

Long story short, the only two photos taken of me on that fateful February morning consist of me apparently trying to shoot lasers out of my eyes at a baby in a stroller. In my defense, this particular baby was being pushed by an insufferable (I’m assuming) father, who took great joy in zig zagging in front of me, clearly trying to disrupt my oh-so-stellar pace.

Nike, as you will see, was no better.

First up, let’s do a quick comparison between Sammie running in motion vs Anya running in motion.

Sammie looks amazing- smiling, twirling her hair, with a genuine look of excitement on her face, running her first full marathon!

I’m trying not to poop myself it would look like, or I’m hallucinating stroller dad, and still attempting to shooter lasers at him with my eyes.

Sammie literally striking a glamour pose, looking fresh as a daisy as she crosses the finish line, full of joy and elation!

….why?

Second, let’s compare our finishing photos.

Sammie at the finish line, throwing her hands up in celebration, as an accomplishment such as this deserves this pure, raw emotion!

Due to chumpness, this is the only picture of me finishing, and of course, I’m doubled over, panting, and cursing.

Now, the best part of my finishing story happened roughly 75 minutes ago. In anticipation of this post, knowing I wanted to do a Sammie vs Anya picture update, I came across this amazing gem.

This dude finished at the same exact time as me, and he did it in a red bra with his number taped to the right cup.

I’m not alone, you guys!!

Here’s to more horrible pictures from me- at least they make for semi-humorous blog updates.

How to Not Run A Half-Marathon

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:09:00 -0700

Well, the big event Sammie and I have been working so hard for has finally come and gone, the Nike Women’s Marathon. I’ve spent the last week recovering, rehydrating, and eating my face off, all while reveling in the fact that I completed my first ever half-marathon.

I’ve been reading other recaps over that ridiculous weekend, and while the majority of them are inspiring and filled with joy and elation, I think my experience was a little different.

This story may need to be told in three parts, so get your reading pants on, and join me on what I like to call How to Not Prepare for Your First Half-Marathon.

Act 1
Scene 1- The ER in Oakland.

October 12^th, Wednesday
I’d been feeling sick for a few days, and was fighting what I thought was a flu until I started experiencing stomach pains so intensely, I was doubled over unable to move in pain. My boyfriend and I realized I should probably get help immediately, so we drove to the ER in Oakland, which, truthfully, is already a hell of a place to visit, regardless of a medical emergency.
While we were waiting for the doctor to see me, I of course, start researching my symptoms which quickly lead me to believe I either have stomach cancer or a ulcer, and clearly only have a week to live.

Because of this, I am now banned from WebMD.

I’ll spare the gruesome details, but the easiest explanation for the pain was something trapped itself in my system, wanted to occupy my insides (see what I did there?), and use my intestines as a punching bag. We also discovered I was incredibly dehydrated, so my body sucked up the IV they gave me with a quickness.

This is five days before my first ever half-marathon.

Act 1
Scene 2- Work.

I went to work the next day, running on roughly 3 hours of sleep, and the pain wasn’t getting any better. I was still unable to eat solid foods, so I drank broth, hot water, and generally hated my life.

This was now the Thursday before my race.

Act 1
Scene 3- Home.

I stayed home, watching an SVU marathon, as the pain became much more manageable, and found myself stressing the fuck out over the fact that I had a half-marathon to run in the San Francisco hills in roughly 48 hours.

This was the Friday before my race.

Act 2
Scene 1- Getting to San Francisco.

Two of my friends and I took BART over to the city Saturday so they could pick their packets up. They were letting me crash in their hotel, which was provided by Team in Training, but through a series of unfortunate events, their reservation had been canceled not once, but twice. After five hours of running between hotels, dodging Occupy SF protesters , and still not really feeling well, we finally checked into the Westin, threw our things down, and headed to the Inspiration Dinner.

Act 2
Scene 2- The Inspiration Dinner.

I walked into the Inspiration Dinner knowing I wouldn’t be able to eat the pasta, as I’m allergic to wheat/gluten, so I settled for a banana. Keep in mind, in about 14 hours we would be running, and I was just beginning to reintroduce solid foods back into my diet after drinking broth and chugging ginger ale like an addict for three days. I knew this would be a disaster.

I asked my friends if we could find a place that served rice so I could carb up my own way, so we did, and I ate half a container of rice, drank a bottle of Gatorade and water, and tried to get a little sleep while mentally preparing myself to run 13.1 miles on a small amount of food.

Act 3
Scene 1- Race morning.

4:30am- Alarms go off. What the fuck am I doing? I can’t eat. My stomach pain has turned to pure nerves, and I know while putting my TNT jersey on, that what originally was my 2:20 goal time, has turned into, “get across the finish line, and don’t pass out”.

5:40am- I walk over the Union Square. It’s humid, which worries me, but as nervous and uncertain as I am, I’m excited. My determination to just finish started to override my fear and my anxiety, and I told myself no matter how much pain you’re in, and no matter how you’ll mentally trick yourself into thinking this goal is unachievable, you are going to finish. Or die trying.

That’s a little dramatic, but you get the point.

6:00am- Team Driven meets at Union Square, and I realize I didn’t pee after drinking a liter of water and Gatorade. But the scene at Union Square was a madhouse, so I figured I would pee somewhere along the course. Coach Al gives an amazingly inspired speech, we take pictures, and the reality that I am running a goddamn half-marathon finally sets in.

6:40am- I line up with my fellow TNT peeps, and start shaking. I thought I was getting the hunger shakes, but realize I am genuinely terrified.

What the fuck am I doing???
This seemed like a great idea in March when I asked to join out of sheer anger that blood cancer had taken the life of my friend.

I didn’t think this out.
I can’t do this.
Maybe I should just turn around-

7:09am- Well, I’m running across the start, so here we go…

The rest of these times are an approximation, because I mentally blacked out for three hours. Time no longer mattered, the only purpose for my existence for 3:03 hours was crossing the finish line at Ocean Beach.

7:09am-8:09am- I think I can do this. I’m running slow, I feel okay, and my nerves have calmed down. I periodically run into friendly faces, and people are cheering and yelling. Now I remember why I’m doing this.

8:10am-??????- Fucking hills.
All I see are hills. Miles and miles of hills, and inclines that never existed in San Francisco before this very moment, even though I’ve driven, walked, and drunkenly stumbled over these hills hundreds of times. I’m cursing these hills, running (barely) over them as diligently as I can. All the while, I see runners stopping to take pictures in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, smiling and laughing, while I’m mentally and physically spent, panting and cursing my body for failing me.
Finally I reach the Fort Mason Hill and decide to walk.

I was devastated.

I’mNotSure:30-??????:30- Everything hurts. I’m so hungry.
I know I was running, there are videos and pictures that prove it, but I was lost in pain shooting from my knees up to my hips that I was sure had turned into cement. I was shaking, miserable, but so determined to finish.
Am I SERIOUSLY running by a restaurant right now???
God, I want eggs. I think I can stomach eggs?

Why does every movement hurt?

9:????-9:30- I start seeing honorees running past me. These people are blood cancer survivors, and they are running, smiling, and not complaining, while I am a pathetic pile of slobbering, whimpering mess.
I need to get my shit together.
So what if I need to walk more of this than anticipated? So what if my knees feel like they are going to fall off my body? I’m over halfway done, and at this point, I need to make the most of what I can.
I put myself here- I trained for months, and I decided to run this knowing I was by no means at my full health.

So, I force a smile on my face as I keep climbing hills, and carefully trot down so as not to injure my already destroyed knees and quads.

9:31am- I search my brain to think of every distraction I can to deter myself from focusing on how much pain I’m in. Then it hits me- multiplication!
I start with 1x1.
Well, that’s 1.
1x2=2
1x3=3

This is getting me nowhere.

2x2=4
2x2=4
2x2=4

2x3=4- No, that’s not correct,
2x3=12…. That doesn’t seem right either.
2x3=8- You know what, let me just focus on that bagel that’s in my bag at the finish line.

9:40- I have roughly less than 2.9 miles to go, and I’m at a water stop where I see Erin Findley, her amazing dad, and her equally amazing aunt. They look strong, happy, and determined, so I zombie crawled myself over to them. The bits and pieces of a conversation that happened between the four of us are still fuzzy in my mind, but I force myself to try to keep up with them until my knees hurt.
I made it maybe 50 yards, and start walking again.

9:41- Out of the sea of runners, who do I hear?
Coach Al.
Coach Al who has encouraged, and sometimes discouraged, me over these last four months, and I have never been so happy, yet so scared to see him.
Happy because Coach Al has become a semi-mentor to me, whether he knows it or not, and scared because the last thing I want is to be pulled off this course when I have 2.1 miles left.
2.1 miles, something I can run with so much ease on a regular day, that seems like a lifetime at this point, but those 2.1 miles is what stands between me, and my goal, and as God as my witness, those 2.1 little pieces of shit will not get the best of me.

I start tearing up.
He sees me.
He runs up to me, throws his arm around me and asks me how I’m doing.

The only thing I can sputter out is, “My knees hurt.”
He pulls me off the course, gives me a quick pep talk, rubs some special athlete freeze things on my knees, and sends me on my way.

I feel invigorated. I can do this.

2.1 miles, 2.1 miles…

10:02- I see the finish line. I hear screaming. I see the ocean.

Fuck it, I’m sprinting.

10:03- I cross the finish line for my first ever half-marathon, and immediately stop, bend over, and force myself to breathe. My legs are screaming, my knees are sobbing, and I’m searching for a familiar face anywhere.

Apparently I looked so horrible I was asked several times if I needed a medic. I couldn’t mentally process what exactly what was happening, or what I had just done, I could only think of how I wanted to stretch and sit. It also finally hits me that I hadn’t peed.

Weird.

10:03-onward- I get my Tiffany’s necklace from a SF fireman, grab my finisher’s shirt, and sit down. I search for anyone I know, end up running into a teammate who is on her way home, and finally rest in a corner, stretching and looking at my necklace.

After an hour I finally see a Team Tibi teammate, followed by my amazing friends who got up so early to support Team Tibi and myself, along with a couple of my TNT teammates, sprinkled in 40,000 people at Ocean Beach.

All in all, it was a weird, crazy, ridiculous half-marathon. Finishing in 3:03 with little to no solid foods, dehydration, and underdeveloped running muscles doesn’t seem too bad in retrospect, especially on that insane SF course.

Truthfully, I did all of this for Team Tibi, and I’m thrilled I was able to run with Colleen, Angela, and Becca, in honor of our dear friend who’s life was taken due blood cancer.

I now have a PR I get to shatter next year in New York, and hopefully even more to come after that.

So, I thank you, Nike, for kicking my ass, but making me also feel like a BAMF, even when I whimpered, cursed, and screamed at the hills.

And most importantly, thank you Team in Training team!
You chicks are hardcore- especially Sammie who ran her first ever full marathon in 4:38, and I don’t think I could have finished without seeing your smiling faces along the course, while I was fighting off every urge to stop, sit down, and throw a tantrum.

That’s definitely some shit we saw while running.

End Scene.

Video

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 09:43:15 -0700

At the time I thought this was hysterical. After playing it...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:43:47 -0700

At the time I thought this was hysterical. After playing it back, however, I realize I’m not only boring, but I’m also a smartass, and possibly a little racist. So, you know, enjoy…
-Anya

Ragnar number, Ragnar wine class, and Ragnar medal which doubles...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:40:53 -0700

Ragnar number, Ragnar wine class, and Ragnar medal which doubles as a bottle opener. Safety first!
-Anya

Beautiful team photo in front of the Golden Gate, complete with...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:39:54 -0700

Beautiful team photo in front of the Golden Gate, complete with poo poo potties.
-Anya

Modeling beef jerky after completing one hundred billion miles....

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:38:50 -0700

Modeling beef jerky after completing one hundred billion miles.
-Anya

We used their van for shade, so clearly we make good decisions....

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:38:02 -0700

We used their van for shade, so clearly we make good decisions.
-Anya

Truth. -Anya

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:36:57 -0700

Truth.
-Anya

Nerds. -Anya

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:36:33 -0700

Nerds.
-Anya

The most interesting van in the world. -Anya

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:36:00 -0700

The most interesting van in the world.
-Anya

After K Fox’s naked run, she cuddled up next to the...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:35:22 -0700

After K Fox’s naked run, she cuddled up next to the Richard Simmons doll… as one does.
-Anya

Richard Simmons van. They had a megaphone, so i’ll let you...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:34:20 -0700

Richard Simmons van. They had a megaphone, so i’ll let you imagine the shit that was said.
-Anya

My teammate running 9.2 miles, nearly naked. Work it, K Fox!...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:32:43 -0700

My teammate running 9.2 miles, nearly naked. Work it, K Fox!
-Anya

A Scottish runner. Running in skirts is totally in. -Anya

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:31:25 -0700

A Scottish runner. Running in skirts is totally in.
-Anya

Viking van!! -Anya

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:30:19 -0700

Viking van!!
-Anya

Sup dudes. I, Anya, ran the Ragnar Relay this weekend in Napa...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:29:43 -0700

Sup dudes. I, Anya, ran the Ragnar Relay this weekend in Napa Valley. The Ragnar Relay is a 186 mile relay race starting in San Francisco through Calistoga. Teams usually consist of 12 people, 6 people in one van, and 6 in another. Each person runs 3 legs, each leg somewhere between 2.5-10 miles each. I ended up running 16.5 miles total, which was bonkers, but totally fun! My team was amazing- each person gave 110% and ran hard.
This was a sign on our van, letting wine country know we had arrived.

That head stayed on all 13.1 miles. Whatttttt

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:06:32 -0700

That head stayed on all 13.1 miles. Whatttttt