The price of coolness!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

I had a rubbish running weekend. A splendid weekend otherwise, but rubbish when it came to running.

I intended to do 12 miles, alternating fast/slow miles. But then I couldn’t get out of bed early enough and then I had mojitos at a Eurovision party and then and then and then…and then it was 5.30pm on Sunday night and finally cool enough to run and I knocked out seven very lacklustre miles as a sign of commitment to the San Francisco Half. Hardly the focussed, slick long run I had planned. But better than nothing. 7.1 miles in 1.05 at 9.11 pace.

So therefore today’s long run mattered. It’s been really hot here in the past few days, so I dropped the Dude at pre-school and drove over the mountain to Half Moon Bay where I was guaranteed cool weather. It was almost chilly…I loved it. I ran north, up the coast and that’s when I realised what the price of cool temperatures and flat miles with no traffic lights would be.

Headwind.

A ridiculous headwind that almost stopped me in my tracks sometimes. I tried to alternate mile-speed but my ‘fast’ miles were negligibly faster than my slow miles.

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Windy but beautiful!

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Lovely yellow wild-flowers

I literally felt gleeful when I turned round to head south, and the final 6 miles were notably easier. But my legs were already tired from fighting the wind, so they weren’t as easy as I’d hoped. I kind of gave up trying to push the pace and just ran as fast as I comfortably could, loving it every time the wind gave my back a little push. I ended up doing 12 miles in 1.51 at a 9.15 pace, and I don’t feel like those numbers reflect the amount of effort I had to put in. Hopefully the workout will stand me in good stead!!

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Surfers finally getting some waves!

What else? ONE OF YOU put a note on FB about the extra 20% off the Oiselle sale…and before I knew it, the pink long Rogas were mine. They should arrive today. It remains to be seen if pink running shorts are an unmitigated fashion disaster with my solid British legs…but you never know. I might look amazing.

And this is the final week for Juli and I to work on our Another Mother Runner Ragnar application. We’re nearly there and we think it’s hilarious and awesome and bound to win. Obviously! I’ll post it when it’s finished so you can giggle too.

And that’s about it!

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A week in my shoes….May 17th

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

So, as I said on Wednesday, this week was the start of Buckling Down – the last 32 days before the SF Half Marathon, where I would love to PR. I’d had two easy weeks – shorter mileage, no pressure, stopping to take photos. It was fab. But now, it was time to start training.

Tuesday - 11.4 miles

I meant to run 10 miles, alternating normal/fast miles. That worked beautifully for the first seven miles, maybe eight. My splits were nice, running was lovely, I’m going to crush SF. And then it wasn’t nice, the last few miles were very hilly, it got very hot….you can imagine the fun. It was a (much needed) reminder that I can hand-write all the training plans I want, and stick them on my fridge, but it’s not going to be fun and games all the time. The death march also went on longer than I’d anticipated! Darn! 11.4 miles in 1.42 at 8.59 pace.

My legs were tired ALL DAY!

Thursday - 6 miles tempo

Oooh, several new things today. 1) Rain in May. 2) A new route. 3) A new workout. I aimed to do 2 sets of ’1 mile normal speed, 2 miles fast’. So that’s what I did. It was unsuprisingly quite hard – that second fast mile was tough, both times round. But I pushed on, repeating Page’s mantra of ‘Baby or Warrior’ which I LOVED and somehow did my fastest ever 6 miles.  6 miles in 51. 56 at 8.38!!

In other running news…if you need a new running blog to follow and a new running heroine, I’ve just found this blog – Zoe Goes Running. She’s going to run the entire Tour de France route. Running, cycling, France and TdF in one blog? It’s my idea of heaven.

Also, the Husband read an article which recommended foam rolling for his Achilles Tendonitis. So he asked me to go to a running shop and buy one. With pleasure, my love. I have NEVER foam rolled, although it seems like an obsession with other runners. I am a little dubious, have to be honest.

So now we’re the proud owners of a very orange rolling thing. The Dude and the cat are fascinated. The cat is excited it’s the same colour as he is. And it already has some Christmas tree stickers on it!

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You look away for two minutes and your new roller is feeling festive!

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Everyone insisted in posing with the roller!

Yay or nay for rolling?? What should I roll?

I also made the mistake of going into Lululemon and trying on the running skirt with the ruffles. My word, it’s gorgeous, I felt like a total fox. But I can’t stand Lululemon. What to do? Ethics or ruffles??? Aaaagh.

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Controlling the controllables!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

Today, it’s 32 days until the San Francisco Marathon, where I’m running the 2nd Half Marathon and am hoping very much for a shiny new PR. My current PR is 1.55.34 set at Healdsburg and I’d really like to run 1.54.

Oakland’s 1.59 was disappointing. I went out too fast, it was hotter than expected and, being honest, my head wasn’t in the game. I knew I wasn’t as fit as I was at Healdsburg and I knew I was unlikely to PR. And – quelle surprise! – I didn’t.

I’ve been reading a biography of Bradley Wiggins, last year’s first ever British winner of the Tour de France, and his phenomenal Team Sky cycling team have a motto … ‘control the controllables’. I can at least do that. I can’t dictate the outcome on June 16th at the Embarcadero, but I can dictate how well I prepare.

Training

As such, when we got back from Hawaii, Monday marked the start of Buckling Down – the final few weeks’ training plan. It’s definitely a training plan as I made a copy in my best hand-writing and stuck it on my fridge! I am excited about the race – loads of local bloggers are doing and I’m looking forward to seeing friends and meeting new people. One of my friends from the UK is coming over to run it.  And me? I can’t wait to run.

A work of science and beauty!

A work of science and beauty!

Eating

I generally eat pretty healthily, but not always. I have a deep love for cake and poor self-discipline when it comes to portion control. So my guidelines for this training period are:

- One cake/dessert treat per week.

- Three glasses of wine per week.

- General mindfulness. (Bit of a cop-out clause)


So that’s the theory and the plan. No idea how it’ll turn out but I’ll do what I can do and wait and see what happens!

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Running in Kekaha

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

Where?

Kekaha is a tiny little town at the end of the road on the west of Kauai. There’s nothing there, except a beach with waves too vicious to risk swimming in…and a really lovely little rental house. We spent five nights in here and have had a lovely time.

In terms of running, it was considerably less fun than in Kailua. The town is much smaller and so the roads available to run were fewer and all residential so not particularly exciting. The ocean road was lovely but busier, although not ridiculously so.

On Wednesday, I meant to run in the morning but decided to hang out with my boys which was a decision I didn’t regret. So when it grew cooler in the evening, around 5.30, I headed out for 5 miles around Kekaha town. I ran through the residential streets. Kekaha is not as affluent as Kailua on Oahu and I felt a little conspicuous but not unsafe. The miles were unexciting but good to get done – I’d eaten too much during the day. The best bit was getting home and spending a good ten minutes running round and round the garden with a nekkid Dude through the sprinklers. They were ten of my best running minutes ever and it reminded me that one of the best things about running is being able to keep up with my favourite little boy! 5.1 miles in 46 mins at 9.01.

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Spot the nekkid boy behind me :)

And then on Friday, I ran in the evening as well. It was hotter than Wednesday and as such, I didn’t really love this run – even though I ran in all directions, I feel like I was running into the still-blazing, setting sun for 80% of the run. But the views…they weren’t bad at all! 5 miles in 46 mins at 9.12 pace.

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Looking west

We’ve had a lovely few days on Kauai. It is beautiful, although we both think Oahu is lovelier. Apparently there is fabulous hiking here on the island, we saw loads of trailheads, but we didn’t get to hike much due to the shorter legged member of our family. Here are a few things we’ve been up to.

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Westeros on Kauai – spot Kings Landing, seven noble houses and the Wall!

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Family foot-trait

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Ke’e beach…one of the loveliest beaches I’ve ever been to, despite the shuddery spiders in the loos!

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The jaw-dropping Waimea Canyon!

And finally, my mother’s day surprise…a flight over Kauai. Seriously amazing. Worth a 38 hour labour, emergency c-section and nearly dying for! As is the Dude.

Kauai plane

Nearly poo’d my pants during take-off but just incredible!

By the time this post goes live, we’ll be home again. I feel really honoured to have come here and seen these islands. It’s been a lovely week!!

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Running in Kailua

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Hi from gorgeous Hawaii! Oh my word, this place is amazing. We’re not big beach people and Hawaii wasn’t somewhere we immediately wanted to visit when we moved to California, but everyone raved…and so here we are. And the raving is totally justified,it is spectacularly beautiful.

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Speechless with the beauty!

I’m not going to bang on about our holiday, but I will talk running. I’ve squeezed two runs in so far. We’ve been staying on Oahu, in Kailua, a sweet little town on the East shore, in a rented little bungalow. It was a few minutes’ walk from the beach and perfect for us.

On Saturday, we were awake at a crazy hour, so I was out running by 6.30. I ran south along the road parallel to the beach and then looped around the residential area of Lanikai and back into Kailua. It was very humid and quite hot by 7.15 but oh so beautiful.4.2 miles in 38 mins at a 9.07 pace.

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Good morning, Kailua!

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Just a few minutes later and the sun had come out!

And today, Monday, I wanted to run a little longer. I ran north along the beach road, then looped through some residential streets and ended up on the marsh trail for a mile. It was busy with hikers (all women, alone or in pairs, so I felt very safe) and the views of the mountains, even in the grey, misty morning, were gorgeous. I ran on to the beach and along the beach for about two minutes before I decided that was waaay too much hard work, and returned to the road until I got home. 6.3 miles in 56 mins at a 8.57 pace.

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The Kailua Marsh trail on an overcast morning

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Kailua Beach

For the record, running in Kailua was fantastic. I felt totally safe, both in terms of traffic (cars are slow and very aware of runners and cyclists) and personal safety. I got some route ideas from walkjogrun.net and then changed them a bit. I’ve been running in my Nike Vomeros for the first time really – I’d done a couple of runs in them but am properly testing them out this week. They are SO plush after my Saucony Rides, it’s like running on pillows. I like it, I think. I’m not entirely sure, but it’s not unpleasant at all! So far, so comfy!!

Tomorrow we fly to Kauai for the rest of our trip. So here are a couple of snapshots of what we’ve been up to this week.

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A grey day at Pearl Harbor

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Jaw-dropping scenery at Kualoa Ranch
They filmed ‘Lost’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ here.

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TeamRamsden in Paradise!

See you on Kaua’i!

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A week in my shoes…May 3rd

Posted on May 3, 2013 by

How did it get to May? Seriously!

By the time you read this, I should be in the air, winging my way to Hawaii for a week. Oh, I’m excited. It’s our first time…if you’ve been to Oahu and Kauai and have some recommendations, let me know! I’ve been using walkjogrun for some running route ideas – I’m assuming everyone knows about this website but if you don’t, it’s a great resource for finding running routes around the world.

Running this week…not too bad.

Saturday: 6.1 miles Apple Hill Trail Race

Thanks for all your lovely comments…I’m still buzzing on adrenaline from the race!

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Happy to finish

Tuesday: Runday Tuesday…10 miles

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Thursday: 6 mile tempo run and 8 mins abs

It turns out that I’d rather cover my grey hairs, pack my bags and stay mildly sane than fit in an extra run. I feel a little slack, got to be honest, but never mind.

My target for May is 100 miles but for the next week or so, I’ll just be padding round an island, with a couple of shorter runs for fun. Aloha, everyone…

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A party and a trail run

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

Firstly the party! Last Thursday night, I had a very rare night out. My destination was Sports Basement, (a big sports/outdoor store) just under the Golden Gate Bridge where Another Mother Runner was hosting a party.

If you haven’t heard of Another Mother Runner, it’s a website primarily for mothers who run. (The clue is in the name).  It’s a good resource for running women, with a really interactive Facebook Page. It’s run by two incredibly tall women called Dimity and Sarah whose legs were longer than my entire body. They’ve written a couple of books and produce some super cool t-shirts such as this one.

Badass mother runners Juli

I was happy to go alone but happier when Angela said she’d come too, and even happier when I found out Aleks was going so I could say hi at last. The event was really nice. A great buffet table with fantastic cheese (hard to find in the US) and some good wine, a couple of readings by Dimity and Sarah and a seriously jaw-dropping raffle. In true Ramsden style, I didn’t win anything but the lady next to me did :)

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Dimity and Sarah

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Mother Runners

The funniest bit was when Angela found me and came over. Whenever we’ve met, it’s  always been after half-marathons when we’re sweaty, exhausted and grinning. We both had to do a double-take to recognise each other with make-up on and nice clothes. It was also really nice to meet Aleks, whose blog I’ve been reading for a while.

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We scrub up well!
Angela, me and Aleks

I bought one of the books and am enjoying its gentle humour. I have to say…the swag bags were AMAZING!! The three things I’ve loved best so far have been the Skinfare salve, the wonderful Kind bars (yum!) and the pack of Sofsole socks. I lost the Nuun to thieving little hands!!

Swag!

Swag!

And then, yesterday, I got a lovely run in. I was out last night and felt sick on the way home and all night. Not sure why. But I only had 3 miles to run to hit my April goal of 100 miles so I thought I’d aim for 3 and see what happened.

I dropped the Dude at pre-school and started running up the trail nearby (it’s very safe, packed with women of all ages walking dogs or out hiking alone). I was so happy at the top that I continued up a new single-track which was beautiful and felt fine. At the top of that, I found open before me a massive expanse of cross-country trails. I’d heard about them but not ever found them. I stood there, pondering the wisdom of this move, and an older lady walked past and told me she ran there all the time. So I ran on. I ran on a trail which ran next to houses, so I felt safe enough, and then I called it a day and headed back into residential streets for six more miles. Somehow I ended up running 10.3 miles in 1 hr 40 at a 9.45 pace. I had so much fun, it was a real feel-good run!

Heading uphill

Heading uphill

Trails with views...but no shade

Trails with views…but no shade

I would have LOVED to head down that trail. Next time, with company!

I would have LOVED to head down that trail. Next time, with company!

So April tops out at 107 miles! Good stuff.

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