Never again...for reals this time

I said, "Never again" three years ago when I finished the La Jolla Half Marathon, and here I am saying it again after crossing the finish line only a couple hours ago. The running part actually went well. Really well. However, I hereby swear (with you as my witness) that I will not run this race again. I concede that the course is beautiful, the time of year is usually good and the location couldn't be better. However, there are many reasons to never put yourself through this race.

Most people dislike (or fear) this race is because of the hills. Rightly so. They are gnarly. Seriously, seriously consider this before deciding to sign up for this race on a whim. I saw four ambulances taking people away...and one very disturbing scene at Mile 12. People have died--and every year many people get ill from this course and end up in the ER. However, hills are hills and you can't fault them for being what they be. The challenge of conquering them is rewarding...even if they are bad. Bad. Mean. Evil hills.

So the hills are bad--you get it. But that's nothing new. Something else that's not new is the annoying process of picking up one's race bib. The race organizer must have some old, POS computer system, because apparently it's impossible to find a runner's bib number using proof of ID (like EVERY SINGLE other race does). So for this race, the organizers send out a "postcard" to all participants which you are supposed to bring to the expo. If you don't have said card, then you're sent to wait in a line (a loooong ass line) to get a new "postcard."

I don't believe there really is a postcard... when I did the race three years ago I didn't get anything in the mail. The same is true of this year. Needless to say, I was angered by this pointless hassle. It's almost like they just want to mess with us--that's the illogicalness of this pick-up system (and yes I did make up a word back there. that's what i do).

Oh, and if you wanted to check the race website for any last minute information (as I had to do on Friday--two days before the race), forget about it... they already put up next year's race information. Info for 2010 was obsolete 48-hours before the gun went off! (what's that about? seriously.)

Don't even get me started on the participant t-shirt. All other major races in San Diego (and the modern world), have switched to the technical t's. It's pretty lame to still hand out the old fashioned cotton ones. It says to the participants, "Yes, we're cheap and cheesy and obviously know nothing about running which is why we are giving you this uncomfortably stiff t-shirt with a gaudy logo on it. And oh-- we're going to skimp on the water stations too. Have fun!"

And then we come to race morning.... The organizers sent out these emails warning us to get to the buses by 5:30 AM. These emails stressed that if you weren't in line by 5:30, they couldn't guarantee you a place on a bus, and therefore, you might not get to the start line. Great. So, I show up before 5:30 like I'm supposed to and then get dropped off at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, where there is NO COFFEE, and have to sit around for two hours, smelling the port-o-potties and listening to "Eye of the Tiger" blaring out the sound system.

The needless wasting of my precious time is the number one way to tick me off-- which is why I don't let my students ask questions (just kidding. sort of. no, i'm kidding. sort of.).

While I did well in today's race and enjoyed myself--even the running uphill for 2 miles was OK-- I do not recommend the La Jolla Half Marathon. I may sound like a diva, but come on La Jolla! After 30 years of hosting this race, is it too much to ask that you get your act together?? (You might be thinking, "But at least it's for a good cause." Well...sort of. The proceeds of this race go straight back to La Jolla...)

Since I want to end on a positive note, here are some San Diego races I recommend.
In order of my likefulness:

America's Finest City Half Marathon, August
Carlsbad Marathon and Half Marathon, January
Silverstand Half Marathon, November

Voice Blog: California's Standardized Tests

How to Boost Test Scores: Accountability
Thank you Voice of San Diego and Emily Alpert for letting my voice (and thus many teachers' voices) be heard.

Upcoming Races in San Diego

I signed up for my first-ever trail race a couple weeks ago. I never considered doing trail races until recently...don't know why it never crossed my mind. I like trails. I like running. I like races. Combine=happy.

A friend and I will be doing the Cinco de Mayo Trail Run 10K at Lake Poway on May 8th... (maybe they should change the name since May 5th obviously will not always fall on a Sunday. just a thought.) Since my last experience at Lake Poway was a bit...precarious...I want to use this an opportunity to make some good memories there.

And just in case you live here and are looking for a race this Spring or Summer to train for--or if you are somewhere else and looking for a reason to come to San Diego this Spring or Summer-- here are some upcoming races in which you might be interested:

Trail Races:

Run for San Diego River 5K Trail Run and Walk (May 8)
Location: Lakeside

Mission Gorge Trail Run 5K, 15K (May 30)
Location: Mission Gorge

Dirt Devil Race Series 5K, 10K, 15K (Race 3: August 1, Race 4: October 10)
Location: Mission Trails (Equestrian Center)



Road Races:

The Navy's 24th Original Bay Bridge Run/Walk (May 16)
Location: Gaslamp Quarter downtown and over the bridge to Tidelands Park in Coronado

Riverfest Run 5K, 1K Fun Run (May 18)
Location: Qualcomm/River Trail

America's Finest City Half Marathon and 5K (August 15)
Location: Cabrillo National Monument to Balboa Park

Free To Breathe Lung Cancer 5K Run/Walk (August 21)
Location: Liberty Station, Point Loma



ONLY IF YOU'RE CRAZY (like Ultra Runner Will:

San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run (June 12-13)
Location: Descanso

The Problem with Freedom

So, I've mentioned before that my 12th graders are reading 1984 by George Orwell. If you're unfamiliar, Orwell creates a dystopian society in which "Big Brother" is watching all. The party slogans run: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength." If you've never read it--you need to. It's a staple of the educated.

On to my point: I've been doing a Big Brother Simulation with my seniors in which an unknown "Big Brother" is running the class and doling out punishments and rewards arbitrarily (The Secret: I'm Big Brother...and any friends I talk to for ideas are BB too. The kids all think it's a fellow student.) The goal is for the students to figure out who Big Brother is and form an overthrow. It's been quite fun. I've learned a few things about teenagers over the course of these last two weeks:

1. They love boundaries
2. They love rote, brainless repetition of words--even if they don't know what they're saying and why they're saying it.
3. 1 out of every 30 kids will always rebel--even if they don't know what they're rebelling for.
4.They love "unfairness" because it gives them something to be mad about. And teens love to be mad.
5. They also loooooove having a pre-set, rigid schedule: (AKA: things to do "when the timer goes off.")

And it's helped me realize a few things about myself (and some of it is a little too much like all of them). Warning: This post will now go in a different direction. A direction facing ME and my workout schedule. If you're bored already, skip to the last paragraph and leave your thoughts.

Now that I'm no longer training for a marathon, my schedule is soooooo oooooopen. I can actually see people and hangout with friends again! However, that means going out to dinner more...drinking a bit more than usual...and in general taking in more calories than I'm burning.

Without the rigor of a tight training schedule I am more free and more flabby. Thus, my link to 1984: Freedom is Slavery...To My Thighs. I tried on two pairs of trousers for work today and decided they were too tight and thus inappropriate to wear in front of the classroom. I haven't been on Daily Mile in over a week--even though I have random miles and workouts to log--nothing with real purpose. I think it comes down to discipline and routine for that too.

So my question goes out to the blogosphere:

Do you have any tricks for keeping to a healthy workout routine in your "off training" time? What are some of your favorite recovery/crosstraining workouts that maybe helped you improve as a runner? (i.e. I think my spin classes and outdoor cycling is improving my turnover rate.)

Jogging and Teaching...at the same time?

So Anne guessed it-- I am finally going to get a paycheck for writing something! WOO HOO!

I'm writing an article for a San Diego travel magazine about "quirky tours." So one tour I checked out yesterday was a brand new company called San Diego Jogging Tours. As our handsome, sprightly, and toned tour guide jogged us around Old Town, I thought to myself, this would be a great job for me... I'd get to jog seven days a week while doing what I do best... telling people what I know (aka teaching). And then I realized the major flaw in this plan...

The beauty of jogging is the escape from work it provides. Running allows the weight of the school day to bounce of my shoulders as I bounce down the road. If I were to make jogging my job, I might start to dislike it...as I, on principle, dislike anything labeled as such. And that simply can't happen. If I had to run the same routes 7 days a week plus teach about them? Forget about it.

However, it was a pleasant tour. We did some good hills, I learned some new fun facts about San Diego and all-in-all I highly recommend San Diego Jogging Tours if you are an out-of-towner wanting be an around-the-towner. I'm doing the 6-mile Coronado tour on Saturday. This will be my longest jog since the marathon-- hope the hip is still my friend at the end of it.

You Spin Me Right 'Round...

baby, right 'round
like a record, baby
right 'round, 'round, 'round.

Damn that's a good song. And it's the one my spin instructor started class with this evening. I knew I liked her the moment I saw the pink bandana around her head. The song sealed the deal: Monday night is now officially spin night.

No joke, though, she kicked my ass. KICKED it. The last "uphill sprint" we did during the last two minutes of the workout almost did me in... I was about 5 pedals away from jumping off the bike and having to run for the trashcan. That. Close.

Why work so hard you may ask. Well let me tell you. Spring Break stands for:

Stone Brewery's IPA
Pistacio Cupcakes
Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
Ice Cream
Not Running. Not even a little bit.
Gravy and Biscuits (spring doesn't end with an "m" or it's would say, "Mom's biscuits and homemade-sausage gravy." We don't mess around at the ranch. )

Baskets of Chocolate and more chocolate
Rice Krispy Treats
Eggs-- deviled of course
Apple Crisp with REAL vanilla ice cream (not the lite stuff)
Koffee (I know, I cheated a little on the spelling) "drinks" (Starbucks' Dark Chocolate Cherry... yeah right, it's a drink)

Every thing on that list is something I ate (or drank)--in copious amounts.

But that ends today. I ate healthy all day and ended it drenched in sweat and feeling just as happy as if I had eaten an entire coffee cake. That's the crazy thing about working out; it has the same "happy" effect as sugar, except after exercising you don't get the sad "crash"--as they call it. And the double bonus is that exercise helps crush your sugar cravings because your elevated endorphins make you happy and feel satisfied, thus you don't need the sugar to feel that way. It's a crazy biologically backwards world we live in, but at least it's beautiful to run or bike through.

I got some good news today as well... I may be able to check off one of the "To Do Goals" I set recently... Can you guess which one it is? See the list HERE. (Scroll to the bottom of the post to see it.)

OH! In all my spin-class-happitity, I almost forgot. Today is the first day you can enter the lottery for the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon or Half Marathon. Go get 'em.