Sunday, March 29 - 14.5 miles

Because I missed my group's 18 (!) mile run yesterday due to a work-related event, I was determined to run 17 miles on my own today. Nope - only managed 14.5 miles. It's so much harder to stay motivated on a long run without the group - can't wait for next Saturday's run. I'm feeling a little behind should be able to catch up. Legs, don't fail me now.

March 27 - 7 miles

Sore ankles and lower shins - otherwise a decent run and not plagued by the weakness of recent runs. Not feeling quite up to snuff, however.

March 25 - 6 miles

Really awful run - felt tired, weak, and sore. At one point, thought I'd have to walk home (didn't, though). Bleah.

March 24 - 5 miles

Legs were sore from Sunday's race but the five miles felt fine. Slow to moderate pace.

Pix and results

Woot woot! Here's proof that I was really there - and my results were finally posted on the Pasadena Marathon website as well.

Bib:
4543
Name:
Eva Mitnick
Gender:
F
Age:
43
Hometown:
Venice, CA
Overall:
670 out of 2974
Women:
185 out of 1654
F 40-44:
33 out of 224
Age/Grade:
58.51% Place: 408
Finish:
2:00:31 Pace: 9:12
Tag Time:
2:00:31
Gun Time:
2:31:05
10 Km:
57:15 Pace: 9:13

Sun, March 22 - 13.1 Miles

I popped an Ambien Saturday night at 8 pm, which threw me into a hard sleep until 4 am Sunday. Got up, ate a leisurely breakfast, put on my running gear, shoe chip, and bib, and headed out to the car at 4:40 am.

Damn. Flat tire. And I had to be in Pasadena by 6:30 am for my half-marathon.

AAA came quickly and I zoomed off on a temporary tire to Pasadena. It began to pour rain on the way - argh. But I made good time, taking a circuitous route from the 110 to the 210 as the Pasadena Marathon planners dictated - and then I spent almost an hour trying to get off the freeway at the designated offramp. By the time I got to the start line, I was at least 30 minutes late and the place was deserted.

I duly went through the start gate and ran the first 8 miles at a moderate pace, picking up slightly toward the end and really chugging the last mile or two. It poured rain - I mean really bucketed - during several points in the race, leaving everyone with soggy shoes.

Managed to put off a pit stop until Mile 10 - an achievement for me and my walnut-sized bladder.

I think I ran really well - but I can't prove it. When I looked up my time, it showed all zeros - except that my 10K split was up (57.15, with an average pace of 9.13). All I can assume it that my shoe chip wasn't read at the finish line. It's really frustrating - I think I ran better than my 2 hour 7 minute finish at the City of Angels, but unless I get an official time, I won't know (because I stupidly forgot to note my start time - which must have been 30 minutes or so past the official start. I did notice my end time of 2.31 - so I very likely did break 2 hours).

Anyway, it was a great day despite the flat, the rain, and the lack of an official time.

Thurs. March 19 - 7 miles

This was a slow and unpleasant slog - was tired, thanks to our incredibly noisy neighbor, and somehow had no energy. I'd much rather be having invigorating, fun runs in this pre-Pasadena Half Marathon week, but at least I'll have a two-day rest before Sunday.

I'm looking forward to the Half despite my aches and pains. The racing high I experienced during the City of Angels Half was so exhilirating that I felt strong and fast the whole way through, and I'm hoping for a similar experience on Sunday. It'll make up for getting up at 4 am that morning!

Wed. March 18 - 6 miles

This was a fairly fast-paced run, but I was plagued by stitches. All went away, but it's a worrisome trend.

Mon, March 16 - 5 miles

I really should have taken a nice long walk Sunday to stretch my legs, as they were still fairly stiff on Monday. Jogged with Dan, so my pace was a bit faster than usual. Felt fine.

March 14 - 15 miles

This is the longest I've ever run! It was a nice overcast morning, which really helped. Legs still felt a bit sore, but they carried me through all 15 miles with no problem. Woohoo! Of course, I completely cramped up the next day, but now I feel fine.

March 12 - 6 miles

Still a bit sore, but not too bad. Steady pace. Gorgeous day, with some wind to blow me home. 15 miles this Saturday!

March 10 - 5 miles

Bleah - sore ankles, felt weak and tired.

March 9 - 7 miles

To the Santa Monica pier and back. Felt graceless but strong.

March 7, 2009 - 14.41 miles

This is the most I've run, EVER!! And it wasn't so bad - felt about the same as 13. Woot! After a bad week, this was such a relief. We (group 7) ran from Windward north along the Boardwalk to the totem pole, east along Adelaide to 7th, back down San Vicente, then all the way south to the jetty, to Bora Bora and down to the end of Bora Bora, then back to Windward. Was sore all day but feel fine today (an off day, as we went to see Rent).

March 5, 2009 - 6 miles

I ran my approximately 6-mile Marina route (Lincoln to Venice to the Boardwalk, south to the jetty, then along Admiralty Way (turns into Ocean) to Venice, back to Lincoln and home.

Bleah, another dorky dorky running day. Legs felt heavy and weak and I had no impulse to pick up my pace - kept up an unhappy medium pace the whole way.

Today is an off-day and then tomorrow we Roadrunners will run 14 miles. Hope I feel perkier by then!

March 3, 2009 - 5 slow miles

My legs were sore from Monday's quick run, so I went slow and steady (but not slower than our 10 minute 30 second race pace!) and completed five miles without undue exertion. Had no impulse to pick up the speed however.

Mon. March 2 - 5 miles

I ran my 5-mile counterclockwise loop - more or less Palms to Walgrove to Rose to the Boardwalk to Venice to Lincoln and home. I hadn't run since Thursday due to being under the weather, but luckily it was just fine. As usual I forgot to check what time it was before I left so I have no idea how long it took, but it was definitely faster than the 10 minute 30 second Saturday pace.

Had a stitch for the first mile or so and legs started to feel sore, but nothing too bad - lungs and heart felt great, and I knew I could have run much longer.

It would have been 26 miles today...

This would have been the day of the 2009 LA Marathon if the religious leaders of LA hadn't managed to bully the city into changing the date to a holiday Monday. After city leaders determined that too many people have to work Presidents' Day, that left - Memorial Day! All the more time to train.

I've been training seriously since early September, when I joined the LA Roadrunners. We meet every Saturday at 7 am at my old elementary school Westminster Ave. and then head down to Windward and Ocean Front Walk, where we set off in pace groups. That first day was 6 miles, and we added a mile a week until we got to 13 in late November. Right about then was when they set the late date for the marathon, which changed our training plan radically. Rather than continue to add a mile a week, we have been running between 10 and 12 miles every week.

Now, however, the pace is about to pick up. Yesterday was our first hill-training run at Dodger Stadium - I missed it due to illness (shucks). Next week we'll run 14 miles, and it'll increase steadily from there.

I have been wearing a pair of Mizuno shoes - Wave Alchemy 7 - but I prefer the pair I had before - Wave Nirvana 3. When I next need a new pair, probably in early to mid-April, I'll go back to the Nirvana.

I started with pace group 8 at a race pace of 11 minutes a mile, but after I did the City of Angels Half in December in 2 hours, 7 minutes, I moved up to group 7 at a 10.5 minute pace. It's still pretty slow - my shorter weekday runs are much faster - but with our miles about to increase, it seems sensible to keep it slow and steady.