Finishing with a savage kick- let’s finish this rainy parade of runners
On Saturday, February 10th, I completed my 17th marathon in 4:02:57 with a big kick and smile at the finish line.
I am very lucky when it comes to having good running weather, but on Saturday, the rain came down steadily for about three hours out of the four hours that I was running the marathon with zero stops for fear that I wouldn’t want to keep going.
My mantra during the entire race was to keep going and never stop, which I accomplished and felt good the entire time, but not as speedy as in other marathons. Yet, the farther I ran, the less interested I was in quitting, which reminded me of our teachers back in Romania, who used to repeat this phrase to us whenever they sensed that we were about to quit:
“You better keep going and not drown right when you’re about to reach the shore.”
As a child, I despised this expression, but as an adult, I appreciate it and practice it with my family, in my business, and in all the sports I do.
Why do I value this so much?
The answer is simple: “We don’t always see the shore, which is why we have to keep swimming, running, or whatever we’re doing.
A Short Course Analysis
My friend Youa absolutely loves this course, which is part of the Mesa-Phoenix Revel downhill course and is considered fast. She keeps hitting a PR every year that she runs this course, but she still needs to hit or break 3:30. Inspired by her and other runners, I signed up to run this marathon hoping to break 3:28:48, which is my PR at Mt. Charleston marathon, the fastest course I have ever run followed by Big Bear in Southern California.
Being a strong downhill runner, I figured that the PR could happen, even though I had a two-month training setback at the beginning of my marathon build-up due to my peroneal injury. However, January was a strong training month, so I was becoming even more hopeful until I got to run the course, and my inner monologue changed.
The start was delayed by 30 minutes, which meant standing in the rain and getting our shoes and clothes wet. After about 20 minutes into the delay, runners were allowed to start after about 20 minutes. I was still in the bathroom, so when I came out, I jumped to the start and started running with joy while trying not to run too fast my first mile. I only hit 7:59 pace in that first mile, after which I dropped in the low 8s.
The course was not crowded at all, which I liked. The course is supposed to be very fast in the beginning, after which there are two hilly miles from miles 5 to 7. During the course preview, we were promised all fast downhill after mile 7 till about 17, but I kept waiting for those downhills to appear and felt like Waiting for Godot, as all I got was a slight downhill and mainly flat course, which didn’t feel that fast to me.
I decided to settle at an easy pace and to take in all the spectators. To my great delight, I saw a family who held up signs written in Romanian just as I was thinking of my dear father who smiled and cried with joy through the raindrops that day.
I ran towards them and greeted them in Romanian, which made them cheer loudly for me. How awesome was that?
As I kept running in the cold rain, I tried to take in the scenery, but there was a long stretch of an industrial-type neighborhood – more than five miles, so I didn’t think the course was beautiful other than in the beginning with the saguaros dotting the road and looking eerie in the morning darkness. I always do better when the course is pretty like the London Marathon, which I consider the most beautiful marathon I have done so far with Big Sur following.
I didn’t know if it was me not feeling those downhills but at the end of the race, my good friend Tiffany Stratton Moreno and I found out from different runners that they also didn’t feel those fast downhills that were supposed to make this course speedy. Tiffany encouraged me to write a detailed race recap, as runners tend to perceive the course sometimes based on their PRs and not the true topography of the course.
Things that went well
My nutrition on the course was right on point. For this marathon, I followed the advice of many elite runners and took a Huma gel every 3 miles, which worked out very well, as I never hit the wall, but I also didn’t settle in my high 7s paces for whatever reason. It could have been running through the rain for so long, or simply not my day.
With the sparse scenery, I focused on the few but wonderful spectators, who were out there standing and cheering for us in the rain.
Every time, I shouted: “Like a savage,” they cheered loudly and laughed.
The fun interaction with the spectators kept me going – soaked with raindrops and the thrill of running another marathon – feeling good and even happy to welcome some fatigue but no real pain in my body due to my good training, a mixture of my own and coach Paul Carmona. I purchased his downhill advanced plan, which was very good and helped me run strong, although I will revert to my training plan next time and run a marathon six to seven weeks before running the marathon that I wish to PR.
Why? You might ask?
Because I am an advanced runner, know my body and all my three fastest marathons from 3:28 to 3:33 came six to seven weeks after I ran an easy marathon, except my first 3:30 Mountains to Beach marathon, which happened after I ran my first 50-mile race seven weeks prior. The marathon felt like a breeze!
Back to the Mesa-Phoenix marathon
As I ran in the rain that came down relentlessly and only stopped in the last mile of the marathon, I looked forward to inching closer to the finish line so that I could change clothes and celebrate another marathon.
The finish line of the marathon was slightly downhill, which helped me finish with my characteristic savage ninja kick and run at a 7:45 pace coming through the chute while shouting “like a savage.”
The spectators were having a blast and cheered me on as if I had won the marathon.
The marathon ended at Riverview Park, which is a large open space park with water features, playgrounds, and a stage, where they played music for us.
As soon as I crossed the finish line, my wonderful friend and Arete teammate Youa Xiong called me and we met up. To my great joy, she told me that she PRed for the fifth year in a row in this marathon, but due to the heavy rain we had, she didn’t hit 3:30 or faster, as she had hoped. She ran it in 3:33, which was so close.
“You seriously did amazing,” I told her while having someone take our picture.
Youa and I at the end of the marathon! Super proud of her! A shiny new medal and a PR!
My celebrations continued with my friend and wonderful roommate Tiffany. We even went on a short hike to see the Hole in the Rock by the Zoo, which was beautiful. My husband joked with me that apparently, I didn’t run hard enough if I was in the mood for hiking.
“It was just a short hike to get some blood flow into our legs,” I told Catalin, knowing that he liked to tease me.
Tiffany and I on our way to the Hole in the Rock- showing off our new shiny medals.
This marathon is still in the top 10 of fast marathons to run and it can be a good course on not such a rainy day.
A million thanks to the organizers of this Revel race for doing their best to make it a positive experience.
And when in doubt, remember that you’ve come so far, and quitting will feel like drowning by the shore, as my teachers back in Romania used to tell us. Let’s persevere!
Whether you’re interested in running or real estate, Running for Real Estate is a great place to learn more! Questions? Call 916–342–2446.
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide you, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or any other of my books.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916–342–2446.
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Feeling happy after a great run in Flagstaff, AZ, Photo by Drew Wartenburg, Kim’s wonderful husband, chauffeur, and chef
“No one expected me to make an Olympic team. I wasn’t a standout high school or college athlete, but I have always loved to run and valued a disciplined work ethic. I have been fortunate throughout my career to have wonderful coaches who fostered my desire to seek continual improvement, and a PR streak eventually landed me among the country’s best athletes and in a qualifying position for the Olympic Games.” – Kim Conley
Jumping from 5K and 10K favorite distances, US Olympic runner Kim Conley is moving up to the marathon distance this year. Although Conley used to live in Sacramento, she now lives and trains in Flagstaff, AZ. A two-time Track and Field Olympian in the 5000m and two-time national champion, Conley grew up in Santa Rosa, CA, and went to college at UC Davis where she ran cross country and track. Conley is a professional runner for Nike and coaches adult runners with McKirdy Trained. In her free time outside of training and coaching, Conley enjoys reading, hiking, mountain biking, and exploring the beauty of Northern Arizona. Personal bests1500m — 4:07.17 3000m — 8:44.11 5000m — 15:05.20 10,000m — 31:35.88 Half Marathon — 69:44Her lovely mom Melanie Conley is British and emigrated to America in 1987. Melanie lives in Santa Rosa, CA, where she is a home health wound, ostomy, and continence nurse for Sutter. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, swimming, and spending time with family—including her three grandchildren. As 2020 rolled up all its sleeves with a worldwide pandemic, Kim Conley has embraced the ever-changing circumstances and has learned some valuable lessons:
Being adaptable to life’s swift changes in a way that the Olympic athlete has never been before.
Being prepared to be disappointed, such as a race being canceled at the last minute, made her embrace life’s disillusionment with equanimity and serenity.
Being open to change and welcoming it as a catalyst toward personal growth. For instance, one of the things that Conley changed in her training was to move to Flagstaff permanently in the middle of 2020, which allowed her to train at altitude full time. Additionally, Conley stopped going to the gym. Instead, she uses the developed at-home strength routine based primarily on the KBox Trainer by Exxentric.
Kim Conley and her mom Melanie Conley, Photo by Drew Wartenburg, Kim’s wonderful husband, chauffeur, and chef
“Dreams can change if you want them to.” – Melanie Conley
Kim and Melanie Conley share a few multigenerational pieces of advice for athletes of all ages and abilities and anyone who wants to increase their resilience.
Kim: keep going and keep adapting.
Melanie: when things get tough, carry on as usual.
Kim: learn to become more nimble and welcome changes in your lives.
Melanie: being supportive and not putting pressure on the kids will help them enjoy the process and be successful.
Kim: having the parents’ and grandparents’ blessing to reach high and believe in becoming an Olympian.
Melanie: have audacious dreams and be ready to change them, if you need to.
Kim: the endeavor should be less about the outcome, and more about enjoying the process.
Melanie: find something positive every day.
With so many lessons in resilience that Kim Conley learned from her parents and running, working hard to accomplish big dreams is all just good fun when doing what we love to do.
And yes! Dreams are adaptable as well!
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For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon.
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Boston 2021 was the fastest marathon in her career so far
Photo by the race photographers. Jenny Hitching crossing the Boston Marathon finish line, 2021
Whether you are a runner or not, there is a magic marathon revered and appreciated by many: Boston.
With the Boston marathon taking place on April 18th, 2022, let’s hear some wise advice from Jenny Hitchings, who lives in Sacramento, CA with her husband, Andy, and their dog, Mia. Hitchings is the world marathon record holder in the 55 to 59 age group.
“And now at 58, I am still getting faster and still running PRs. My time at the Boston Marathon on October 11th, 2021 of 2:45:32 was a lifetime PR. This is where people ask, how? I wish I had an easy answer that I could deliver in a box with a bow. But I don’t.” — Jenny Hitchings in an interview for Run in Rabbit blog
A five-time Age Group (55–59) American Record holder in various race distances and an Age Group World Record holder in the marathon, Hitchings is also a running coach for individuals, youth, and middle school cross-country. Besides her exciting running and coaching career, Hitching has two grown girls, Molly and Maggie, and is a newly crowned grandma to Olivia (Molly’s baby).
Hitchings’ advice on training and running a strong Boston marathon
Doing harder workouts within her long runs with her fast runner friends and teammates from SRA Elite team has helped her be well-prepared for Boston. Some of Hitching’s favorite workouts were: long runs with fast finishes to practice picking up the pace even though legs are feeling tired, progression runs where the pace starts slower and gets faster with every mile, as well as running GMP (goal marathon pace) tempos and longer GMP mile intervals, such as 3x 2, 2 x 3, 2 x 4.
2. Running many 20-mile runs, or longer. Occasionally, Hitchings tried to run on courses that mimicked the Boston course hills by starting on a slight 3-mile downhill and returning on the same hill around mile 16 to simulate the challenging Boston course. She also advises running on rolling hills to strengthen the quadricep muscles that need to help you transition in downhill and uphill running, which can also be done on trails.
3. Do NOT go out too fast, as Boston starts with downhill running. “If starting too fast or beyond what you know is reasonable, your legs will fatigue and cramp by Newton hills and beyond. Try and run effort based on the inclines, and let it flow on the declines,” advised Hitching.
4. And last, but not least, enjoy the crowds! Smile, pump your fists, and hands in the air, as spectators will scream and cheer louder, which can carry you a long way.
Photo by the race photographers. Jenny Hitchings running with joy at Boston marathon, 2021.
Improving running and athletic longevity
“I have been running since college (for fitness) and more competitively since I was 40, so I don’t have all the wear and tear on my legs like if I had been running at a high level in high school and college,” said Hitchings. “I have a flexible schedule that allows me to run when I want. I have a coach. I train hard, and I have good genes,” she added.
Hitchings’ advice to women runners of all ages, but particularly women over 50 regarding running the best races of their lives:
The first and most important thing is to love running because it makes it easier to be consistent and do what it takes to get out the door, instead of making excuses about why you can’t run or train.
Success has nothing to do about comparing yourself to others, and everything to do with being the best you can be at any given point in your life.
As far as reducing injuries and increasing your running longevity, Hitchings can’t say that she has stayed injury-free over the years. She had an Achilles/heel surgery and a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma injections) procedure on her glute/upper hamstring. Hitchings added that running with no pain felt enlightening! Although she admits to not being great at doing strength or cross-training — Hitchings does enjoy riding outside or on her Peloton — she regularly sees her sports chiropractor doctor and gets deep tissue massage. She also thinks that walking her dog 1.5–2 miles after runs helps her stretch and feel loose.
Hitchings pointed out that getting good or better at running (or anything) takes time: practice pacing, fueling, hydrating, running on different courses and terrain, and adding mileage. “In the end, your training doesn’t lie,” she said.
Sometimes, Hitchings watches dogs run and thinks, “they have it right. They just do it organically. Warm up with a trot, run fast and chase things to get the energy out, slow down because they’re tired, find a stick and chew on it in the shade, because, why not? Then get up and repeat. Interval training at its best without getting injured.”
Photo by the race photographers. Sacramento, CA
Although Hitchings is not running the Boston Marathon this year, she hopes to see her granddaughter Olivia at her next Boston, wearing a T-shirt that says:
“My nana is FAST as AF.”
Meanwhile, happy tapering for Boston, and don’t forget to wave at the crowds!
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
The lessons they have learned from the Raramuri people
From left to right: Sacramento endurance athletes Lorena Van Rein, Norma Faubert, and Martha Rodriquez Photo taken by a bystander at the finish line
“Perhaps all our troubles — all the violence, obesity, illness, depression, and greed we can’t overcome — began when we stopped living as Running People. Deny your nature, and it will erupt in some other, uglier way.” — Christopher McDougall
Meet Sacramento residents Lorena Van Rein, Norma Faubert, and Martha Rodriquez who have completed the famous Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco on March 6th, 2022, a race that was first started by Micah True, whose nickname was El Caballo Blanco (the white horse) for runners from all over the world to run and experience.
True was fond of saying, “While they are at war, we come together to make peace here in the bottom of the canyon,” which cannot be more meaningful and powerful nowadays in the fight against the Coronavirus and the Ukrainian war. True fought against the Mexican drug cartel to maintain peace in the region.
After the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall came out, runners from all over the world descended upon the town of Urique, Chihuaha, Mexico to experience the mystique of the Caballo Blanco ultra marathon. Norma Faubert is one of the runners who has dreamed of doing this race and running with the Tarahumaras people. An endurance athlete originally from Mexico City, Faubert is a middle school Spanish teacher and a mother of a 14-year-old son.
Norma Faubert ran the ultramarathon with joy. Photo taken by the race photographers
This year, for instance, runners ran next to over 600 Raramuri people on a hot day with temperatures in the 80s, which to Van Rein felt like 100 degrees. The Tarahumara people, or Raramuri, are indigenous people of the Americas. Raramuri means “runners on foot” or “those who run fast.”
Their strength comes from their ability to run in huaraches, their traditional form of sandals, or what US minimalist running circles call Tarahumara sandals, for 200 miles (320Km) over a period of two days through their rough canyon country for inter-village communication, transportation, and hunting.
Lessons learned from running the Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco
“Just move your legs. Because if you don’t think you were born to run, you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.” — Christopher McDougall
Van Rein, who first started running in 2013 after one of her best friends invited her to run, has completed 16 marathons, two 100-mile races, and many other races. She mainly runs to socialize with other people and to challenge herself. As the co-owner of Wild Rooster Restaurant, a family Mexican restaurant that serves delicious and fresh meals (I eat there often whenever I am in the mood for a burrito), Van Rein was excited to have completed the marathon this year after two years of the pandemic when races were put on hold.
Lorena Van Rein ran the ultramarathon with joy. Photo taken by the race photographers
“This event is a very unique race not only because you have to fly to this destination, but there is also another 12 more hours spent driving to Urique, where the event took place,” said Van Rein. “Roads are not easy to drive, but the views on the way to get there are impressive that no pictures give them justice.”
After meeting the Ramirez Family (Maria Lorena Ramirez finished second female overall in the 80Km), Van Rein knew that running the Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco had to be on her bucket list.
Her heart was full of joy for having completed this difficult but beautiful ultramarathon because she had experienced the rugged beauty and splendor of Copper Canyon, a whopping four times larger than the Grand Canyon with a depth of over a mile. The canyon rim sits at an altitude of 8,000 ft and is full of rocky outcrops and sheer drop-offs.
Copper Canyon, Mexico Photo taken by Lorena Van Rein
Running as a way of life
It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” — Christopher McDougall
Van Rein said that running this race was a hobby for her, whereas for the Raramuri people, running and walking everywhere is their way of life. They do it naturally without thinking about it, and the distances are pretty far. For instance, kids who need to get to school from the village need to run/walk for about three hours each way, which is why not everyone can go to school. For example, in the Ramirez Family, only the two older brothers were able to go to school and because of that, they can speak Spanish. The daughters couldn’t go, as they needed to stay home and help with the daily chores.
Faubert added: “The Raramuri people live in a remote place. It’s not uncommon to just run over to see a friend … And that might be 10–20 miles away.” Imagine having to run that long to see your friends, which shows us that we have no excuses for making and maintaining those important human connections.
The Raramuri women running in the traditional sandals. Photo taken by the race photographers
Kindness and trust are given openly and freely
“The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other, but to be with each other.” — Christopher McDougall“
People were nice, polite, humble, and so welcoming to everyone,” Van Rein remarked. They were also trustful when she asked for coffee. They told her to go ahead take the coffee and pay later.
Being surrounded by these kind people has taught Van Rein that we can learn to trust one another and offer simple gestures of kindness, such as a warm cup of coffee. Not only did Van Rein enjoy the race, but she also made many friends with whom she chats every day online.
Van Rein was also impressed how well she did drinking Pinole served at the aid stations ( a drink made from corn and the powder mixed in the water). For inspiring, homemade, and wholesome pinole cookies and oatmeal, check out some recipes here. The aid stations also served oranges, bananas, bottles of water, and tortillas with beans, which ran out by the time she got there.
The necessity of running for food
“You don’t stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running.” — Christopher McDougall
According to Van Rein, hundreds of Raramuri people of all ages — some of them in their 70s and 80s run the 80K distance because they receive a voucher to exchange food worth $350 Pesos about $17.50 dollars. “Unlike me, they could not run only the 42Km (26.2 miles); they had to run the 50 miles to receive food, which is why everyone wants to finish the race regardless of how long it takes,” Van Rein clarified.
Faubert also felt transfixed and transformed by this race.“The Raramuri people proved that we all have reservoirs of strength and untapped potential inside us,” Faubert said.
Photo taken by the race photographers. The Raramuri women running in their traditional clothes and sandals
Although Van Rein has done many hard races, the Ultra Maratón Caballo Blanco would always be in her heart because she had a running epiphany during this event:
“While my running is simply a hobby, the Raramuri people run for food,” Van Rein said. “I totally recommend this race. You will leave part of your heart there.”
Final Takeaways
Besides being born to run, we cannot let the simple joys of movement and freedom ever escape from us. When we run with other people, we learn to forge deeper and more meaningful relationships, which I hope will transcend any unnecessary destructive acts against one another. I also pray that we will all learn to make peace in the bottom of the canyon, as Micah True said, or wherever we are in the world.
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide and uplift you during these uncertain and crazy times, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
Photo taken by the race photographers – Running with joy next to the guy in red over the Tower Bridge
After the London marathon got canceled twice last year due to the pandemic, I finally had the opportunity to run my fourth world marathon in person on Oct. 3rd. Not only did I take part in the largest marathon in the world with about 60,000 in-person and virtual participants, but I also rejoiced being cheered on by the best, most supportive, and loudest spectators in the world.
As a competitive runner who strives to earn my six-star coveted medal by running all the six world marathons, getting accepted into the London marathon was a dream come true! To my surprise, the times I ran during the Chicago and New York City marathons that I completed in 2018, had earned me an invitation to participate in the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championships. Knowing how hard it was to get into London marathon, I jumped at the unbelievable occasion. I felt honored and extremely fortunate to get invited.
Anticipation was high. Elations and emotions. Trials and tribulations. A solo international travel to Europe during a pandemic fully vaccinated but still masked and cautious.
The start of the marathon
After a well-organized packet pick-up on Friday two days before the marathon, I rested all day on Saturday to have fresh legs on Sunday. Luckily, it was a rainy day, which made it easy to stay warm under the covers, reading The Daily Telegraph newspaper that I picked up that morning at The Waitrose neighborhood market.
The morning of the marathon, we were blessed with no rain, clouds covering the sun in gray wisps of wonder, and a staggered start of our marathon due to Covid restrictions. Like most of the runners, I took the tube following crowds of excited and masked runners. I immediately became friends with a couple from Florida. We stuck together, as we had the same corral and start time.
The first thing I saw, as we got off at Blackheath, an area of South East London, England, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham was a church built out of solid rock greeting all of us runners. I felt piety and serenity envelop me warmer than my jacket that I was planning to dispose of on the course.
Photo taken by Carmen Micsa. All Saints’ Church in Blackheath Common, London Borough of Lewisham
To me, this was a great sign, as I always say prayers before each race and ask God to guide my steps during each mile all the way to the finish line. I also feel at peace, knowing that my dear father will watch over me from heaven, helping me when I need him most.
My new friends and I checked in, showing proof of our negative Covid tests (I had to test negative four times during my 10-day London trip), after which we lined up to the portaloos, The British word for porta-potties. The wide-screen TV showed images of regular runners like us, as well as the elite runners warming up.
Photo taken by Carmen Micsa. The wheelchair runners getting ready to start the London marathon.
We hung around for about an hour before our wave started, which gave me plenty of time to use the bathrooms, but it also made me stand instead of resting my legs.
Selfie taken by Carmen Micsa. My new runner friends and I found Robert Wang. He is gracious to keep us all informed on the World Marathon Majors Challenge.
Running the streets of London
Around 9:40 a.m. we did a short walk to our designated start line — there were multiple starting lines, but only one finish line, and off we went.
My goal was to run the first three miles at an 8-minute pace, or so, which due to the many runners on the course worked. We ran through Charlton and Woolwich for those miles and the crowds were already cheering on us. After mile three, I tried to pick up the pace, but by the time we merged with the other runners, there was barely any room to run around people. I decided not to weave in and to wait a little more till the 10K point.
Photo taken by the race photographers. Running through Cutty Sark by this ship
I remember thinking during the marathon how strange it was that we were running by a ship and that I wanted to find out more about this since I love to research and learn, or what my kids call me “being curious Mom who strikes again.” From what I read, Cutty Sark was a British clipper ship, one of the last and fastest tea clippers to be built that now sits on the dry dock in Greenwich for public display. What a treat to run through history and be surrounded by indelible sights and architecture!
At this point, I started to run at a 9-minute pace and relaxed into it, realizing how blessed I was to be there — running through historical neighborhoods and relishing the sights and sounds of London that had already stolen my heart from the first day I lay sight on it.
The second half of the marathon
Before I knew it, I was crossing over the River Thames and running across Tower Bridge. This was already about the half marathon point. I was mesmerized by the energy of the runners around me, and especially the spectators who were treating us like superstars. The only world marathon that comes close to London in terms of spectators’ density and support is New York City marathon.
Photo taken by the race photographers. At this point, I felt like crying with joy and gratitude for running, for being alive, and moving.
Photo taken by the race photographers. I am smiling and running sandwiched between runners. The spectators were three rows deep.
I could not help smiling and taking in the sights and the spectators. The volume was perfect. I felt exhilaration at every step and turn. My body did not want to move at the planned 7:50 pace, but I felt amazing and did not want to break this running spell.
Everything was magical and magnificent. My heart glowed with gratitude.
Miles 20 to the finish line
For some reason, I felt that I was covering London so quickly. I wasn’t even looking for mile markers, or for the dreaded 20-mile wall. As I ran along Tower Hill and Victoria Embarkment Parliament Square, I continued to be amazed by the crowds who had huge balloons arrangements representing various charities, such as ovarian cancer, Parkinsons’ disease, and so on.
I also started to take more Buxton natural mineral water bottles offered to us on the course. As London is such an environmentally friendly city even the water bottles are made from 100 percent recycled material and are 100 percent recyclable.
Photo taken by Carmen Micsa
I also started to thank the Londoners for their incredible support by shouting: “I love you, London.”
The crowds went wild for me, which made me float through the streets of London elated and energized.
I kept running relaxed, keeping a steady 9-minute pace, for I realized that I would finish my fourth world marathon in under 4 hours.
As I came around the final corner in front of Buckingham palace, I picked up my pace and ran in the 8s. I kept raising my index finger to declare my love to the spectators that kept screaming: “way to go!”
They were jazzed up for me, and I kept on running strong all the way past the finish line.
Photo taken by the race photographers. Electrifying finish and backdrop. I was all pumped up, as you can tell!
Photo taken by the race photographers. Crying with joy past the finish line
The gentleman in blue next to me was so nice. He asked me:
“Why are you crying? You finished so strong!”
I’m crying with joy,” I replied. “I cry at the end of each marathon,” I continued.
Crying is so cathartic at the end of a marathon, and running all the 26.2 miles cleanses my soul and heart. The tears just trickled down my cheeks and I let them roll, as I crossed the finish line of the London marathon and started to stroll to the bag check area.
My awesome friend and Arete teammate Katie Koning ran into each other on the course and at the finish line.
We both have competed in the Wanda World Age Championships, so we got two shiny medals to display. We also finished super close to each other and shared impressions of our races while taking in the vibrant atmosphere of the finish line — being surrounded by London’s old, beautiful, and well-kept buildings.
One of the big highlights of the London marathon: having the honor to see Shalane Flanagan blaze off on the other side of the road.
And were there any moments of doubts and physical challenge?
Yes! The last 10 miles of the marathon got pretty warm (I ended up drinking close to two liters of water) and blood came through my right shoe, as my toes bled towards the end squished by the Nike Vaporfly shoes, which I will not wear again in marathons, but these small challenges never stopped my eternal smiles through all the London miles.
Wishing you all to run the London marathon with joy, gratitude, and no bloody toes unless you’re a savage ninja like me, my nickname in the Sacramento running community and my Arete women only running club!
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide and uplift you during these uncertain and crazy times, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is going to Girls on the Run Sacramento chapter organization.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
Bryn and I during our fun 20-mile run with 18x400m at the beginning of each mile starting at mile 2.
I have run 12 marathons in the last six years as a runner, and I am about to run my lucky 13th one in three weeks at London, where I am participating in the World Age Group Championships.
We all know how taxing marathons can be on our bodies and how strong we need to be to run a faster marathon or to achieve a PR (personal record). We also know that long runs are the holy grail of marathon training and that practicing our GMP (gross marathon pace) is super important in having a successful marathon, but how about speed, hills, and other workouts?
The number one myth that we need to get rid of is that a marathon is just about strength, stamina, and endurance. However, we should not neglect to do the weekly speed workouts, whether they are Fartleks, hill repeats, or track.
With these important workouts in mind, I will share with you my very three favorite marathon workouts that will turn all of you into marathon beasts! And speaking of beasts, this short form piece published by The Daily Cuppa matches my first hill workout. It was inspired by my Fair Oaks Chicken run 5-mile race this year, where I got first in my age group.
However, let’s not get down the rabbit hole, or the chicken one, since this story is about the yearly chicken five-mile race. Runners not only race the roosters roaming the streets, but they actually have four infamous hills to climb: Grand Daddy hill, Hernia hill, the Beast, and The Last Gasp.
I ran this race for the first time and enjoyed running over hills, through rocks by the river single-track path, and on a gravel road.
As I finished the gravel section, one of the volunteers cheered on us to run strong on the Beast hill.
My response to him: “I am the beast.”
Workouts
Hill repeats mixed with two miles of GMP. After a 2-mile warm-up, run 4X800m hill repeats ( I like to do Pennsylvania hill repeats). You can run hard uphill and use the downhill for recovery, or you can run pretty hard both ways with a full minute rest at the bottom. After the four repeats, run two miles at GMP pace, or faster on the bike trail, or a more flat surface. Then come back to the hill and finish the workout strong with another 4X800 meters. Cooldown for a total of 8 to 10 miles.
Running uphill in Ancil Hoffman Park with a smile. Photo credit: Bryn Mumma
2. A tough workout perfect for marathon training is the dreaded Michigan workout. This workout is a combination of fast track repeats on the track and tempo miles on a bike path. The paces will vary based on your fitness level and goals. To avoid injuries, start with half of the workout, or only do it as an advanced runner. My awesome friend and amazing training partner Bryn and I did this workout for the first time about a month ago. She is training for the Boston marathon and I am training for London. We were both surprised that we could still run our last 800m and 400m repeats fast and that the tempo miles didn’t feel too taxing or daunting.
The flying savage ninja – ha!ha! Photo credit: Bryn Mumma
3. And last, but not least, the 400m during your long run to break the monotony and to practice speed on tired legs. Bryn and I just recently did 18X400m starting at mile 2 all the way to 20. At the beginning of each mile, we ran 400 meters hard, but not as fast as doing it on track, but still hard enough that we ended up with some faster miles. It was a challenging workout, but it made our long run go by so much faster and our legs got some much-needed speed. Once again, this workout is pretty advanced, but it can be tailored for every runner since you can choose how many 400m repeats to do in each mile. The main goal is to shake up your tired marathon legs and to have fun with it.
These workouts seem daunting and hard, but doing them with a partner will make them more fun and less intimidating.
To sum things up, marathon training doesn’t have to be only about tempo runs, GMP mileage, and recovery runs. You can spice things up and have fun while training, and I guarantee you that your marathon results will be impressive, too.
Enjoy speed, hills, and mixing up workouts, as you might want to run more marathons when having so much fun. Happy feet, and remember that YOU ARE THE BEAST!
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide and uplift you during these uncertain and crazy times, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is going to Girls on the Run Sacramento chapter organization.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
Crossing the finish line in 3:28:48, my 12th and fastest marathon time so far with my biggest smile ever! Third in my age group, too.
“Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” — Steve Prefontaine
Let’s be honest: running marathons gives us a huge sense of self-satisfaction and achievement. Running a strong marathon and hitting a PR (personal record) in Covid times, when most races had been canceled, is sheer joy. After I had Tokyo and London marathons cancel their races this year, I decided to run London virtual marathon together with my awesome friend and Arete team mate, Bryn. We trained conservatively for this marathon, as the devastating California fires put a wrench into our training, but we also knew that we weren’t trying to run a fast marathon. However, just a few weeks before running London Virtual marathon on Oct. 4th in San Francisco due to poor air quality in Sacramento, one of our team mates posted about a Covid limited edition marathon happening in Las Vegas, so Bryn and I decided to sign up, knowing that we will have six week in between marathons, but thought running an easy marathon for our long run might work well for our in person marathon, where we wanted to give it our best shot.
As soon as Bryn and I finished our London Virtual marathon that had about 1,700 ft. elevation, we took four days off, and started running easy on the fifth day, as we knew we didn’t have much time to train for Revel Mt. Charleston Limited Edition marathon, but we also needed to stay healthy. Although we were able to use our awesome Arete coach Mary’s training for London Virtual marathon, for Mt. Charleston, I created our schedule based on the six-week window that we had to train for a marathon that started at 7,633 ft. elevation and ended at 2,507 ft., which meant doing workouts and long runs downhill. I created my own workouts for our marathon training schedule, but the bulk of the training came from the book Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas, who had a six week marathon training schedule for runners like us. A big change to our regular marathon training was doing most of our speed workouts running downhill, instead of hitting the track.
Bryn and I during a 10-mile hilly run on the famous Johnny Cash Trail. We ran up the hills easy, and ran the downhills hard to shred our quads and be strong for our marathon. It worked great, as I was sore two days after this 10-mile run.
1. Train on the downhills for speed workouts.
Neither Bryn and I have ever run a Revel marathon race, or a true downhill marathon like Mt. Charleston before, but we figured it should be easier to run it strong, especially if we did our weekly speed workouts on the downhills to get our quads prepared so that we would not experience what other runners call “knives in the quads” when running downhill for a long time. A great workout we did was 6X800 meters running up the hills very easy, and then running at 6 minute to 6:20 min pace on the downhill. We also tried to do most of the strides downhill during our easy runs that had six to eight strides included, which was another excellent way to practice fast turnover on the downhills.
Bryn and I running downhill happily at the beginning of the race, wearing the warm gloves kindly provided by the race organizers.
2. Long Runs on the Downhills
Bryn and I have done about four long downhill runs, and the last one was 12 days before our race. We ran 18 miles mainly downhill from Sugar Pine to Auburn with a few hills at the end (many thanks to my awesome friend and team mate Christina Nokes, who ran twice with me on this route in her home town Foresthill). We ran on the main road, which was not too busy, and it resembled our marathon course. Besides the fact that we were able to run many miles at GMP, or faster (goal marathon pace) during some of these long runs, Bryn and I also got stronger and faster for this marathon. According to Runner’s World, runners should incorporate downhill workouts, even when running a flat, or hillier marathon, because it will increase good leg turnover and make us faster.
Besides doing long weekend downhill runs, three weeks away from the marathon, I was excited to participate in our Arete team’s two-day 30-mile Yeti challenge. I ran 12 miles of GMP downhill on Saturday and 18 miles on the trails at an easy pace on Sunday, which was great training and perfect timing before the taper. Doing two long back to back runs is what ultramarathoners do a lot for their races. I like to apply this kind of training to the marathon, as it teaches us to run strong on tired legs, which works great for me, but one has to be careful if injury prone.
Running down Mt. Charleston during the marathon felt amazing, because the long downhill runs prepared me physically and mentally! This marathon was organized safely with less than 50 runners per wave and capped at 262 runners total per day, so there were not many people to pass, but here I was flying down the hill and passing one of the runners.
3. Recovery Runs on hilly terrain
One of my sneaky ways to get stronger even on easy days is to do what the Kenyans do: run on hilly terrain for recovery. This approach does three things for me: it keeps me slower for my recovery run, running uphill, or on rolling terrain gets me stronger, and I get my run and strength training done at the same time. Running hills is great for runners like me, who are not too keen on lifting weights. One thing that I was great at during this marathon training cycle was doing my kettlebell swings every day ( I have been doing a kettlebell swing streak for four months now), so that coupled with running hills kept my glutes happy and stronger for the marathon.
4. Take your marathon taper even more seriously than your training
I hear so many runners saying that taper is hard. To me, taper is the sweetest marathon term ever, as it allows my body to fully reap all the training benefits while getting the much needed and well-deserved rest necessary to run a strong marathon. Taper is not the time to gain any fitness by pushing hard and not respecting your body. On the contrary, a taper done wrong can break your chances to run your best marathon. One thing that Bryn and I are really good at is enjoying our taper. We took days off the week of the marathon, did a short and sweet speed workout on Monday, since our marathon was on Friday, which included running two miles at faster than marathon pace and 4×200 meters. Additionally, I changed to my old way of training, meaning no running/shakeout the day before the marathon; instead, we did our two mile shakeout with 4×30 sec strides two days before the marathon, so that our bodies were rested. We did some walking down the strip the evening before the marathon just to get some blood flow going and to admire the beautiful Las Vegas lights.
Enjoying the red, white, and blue lights in Las Vegas the evening before our marathon.
5. Train to run faster than your typical goal marathon pace, as banking time in a downhill race is legit.
At mile 20, I was on pace to run a 3:20 marathon, but the last six miles of the race are more flat, although the elevation chart still shows a good downhill grade, but tired legs tell a different story, and there is a long uphill from mile 23 to 24. Not only did I bank time, but I also let my body run freely on the downhills, which meant running in the low to mid 7s for the first 20 miles effortlessly, which felt amazing and smooth. Coach Paul, who trains athletes for the Revel marathon races, kept saying in his videos put together for us runners that we need to let the terrain dictate our pace, and not try to break, or slow down to chase our typical marathon pace. That was salient advice, and I highly recommend to all runners doing a true downhill marathon to let the body run freely without pushing too hard, as the terrain is there to help you run in a state of faster flow.
Flying towards the finish line.Thank you, Revel Races Limited Edition for the free pictures. Such a treat!With my awesome friends and Arete team mates right after the marathon. From left to right: Bryn Mumma, who ran a sensational PR in 3:20:29, Carmen Micsa, or the savage ninja, who ran a 2-minute PR , Tamara Torklason, who ran her first sub 3-hour marathon and a great PR, and Elysha Costella, who ran 3:04, and a huge PR of more than 40 minutes. Such an honor to have these badass women as teammates, friends, and training partners.
Not only did the organizers put together a safe Covid compliant race for all of us runners, but they also let us stay on the warm bus till five minutes before the race started, which was the biggest treat ever, since it was 30 degrees at the start. The theme for my 12th marathon was to run with an attitude of gratitude, which I had totally accomplished, as I could not stop running and smiling, smiling and running.
Although 2020 was not a regular, or ordinary year, Bryn and I enjoyed going with the flow, training together, laughing, and running two marathons six weeks apart, resulting in PR marathons for both of us at Mt. Charleston, our second marathon of the year, but the first official and in person marathon. Training for this race meant being flexible, adaptable, and learning to relish the pure joys of running and the fiery sunrises, as we did not put pressure on ourselves, and yet, have accomplished a great feat while staying healthy and happy. Looking forward to 2021 and to running more races!
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide and uplift you during these uncertain and crazy times, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is going to Girls on the Run Sacramento chapter organization.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs), or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
Keep chasing the things in your heart, even in the midst of disappointment and uncertainty.” Sara Hall, second place finisher at London Marathon this year.
Bryn and I at the start of our London virtual marathon in Golden Gate Park.
Between the pandemic, uncertainty, and California’s devastating fires, our marathon training and the completion of London virtual marathon in San Francisco felt like an incessant fight with the same windmills that Don Quixote fought, and yet never lost hope of changing the world. We had to be creative and flexible about getting our long runs done during our training due to summer heat, but especially the fires and the bad air quality.
As we ran passed the Dutch windmill, I could not help thinking of Don Quixote, as if predicting the tough, hilly marathon ahead.
10 LIFE LESSONS LEARNED WHILE TRAINING FOR LONDON MARATHON
ADAPTATION – Dr. Dennis Godby with Sacramento Naturopathic Medical Center, said about me that I am “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience. Dr. Godby is my naturopath doctor and an amazing human being. Talking about adaptation, we all know that being adaptable is a key survival quality that not only keeps us alive and well, but it also enhances our flexibility and turns us into nimble gymnasts, so to speak, who can tackle life’s challenges with more ease and comfort. For Bryn and I, training meant weekly changes and adaptations to our running schedule, routes, and workouts. We ended up doing many of our long runs in the middle of the week because of the fires.
Tough track workout on a Wednesday that turned into a 14-long run to avoid the weekend’s bad air quality.
2. INSPIRATION can work on many levels when someone dedicates time and attention to achieving a goal. Bryn and I documented our weekly runs and journey on social media, and, according to our coach and Arete team mates, we together with other team mates training for Boston marathon and other virtual races, became inspiring to our Arete competitive running team. We also inspired our children, our families, and co-workers due to our devotion to running and exercising.
3. RESILIENCE did not only apply to practicing grit, but it mainly meant rolling out with all life’s punches that came to us on a weekly basis up to the last day before running London virtual marathon, when mother nature gave us a weekend of smoke from the fires raging through Napa Valley. That’s when Bryn had the great idea to move our marathon to San Francisco, where the air index quality was at healthy levels.
After a smooth 1.5 hour drive drive to San Francisco, we reached Golden Gate Park. We easily found parking and bathrooms. We took a quick picture with our bibs on at the start line, and then we were off. During the first mile of our marathon Bryn said: “I could see a bright spot in the sky and thought the fog might burn off quickly, but was happy to have it for as long it would last. After a summer of training in the harsh Sacramento sun with early morning runs during which we raced against the rising temperatures, being enveloped in a blanket of cool fog with steady temps was soothing.”
In the first few miles, we were reminded of the hidden treasures in Golden Gate Park – the Conservatory of Flowers, Rainbow Falls, Spreckels Lake, the Bison Paddock, and the Dutch Windmill with a lovely “HOPE” flower display. After about five miles of smooth and controlled running, we hit Ocean Beach, ran up past the Cliff House and Sutro Baths and onto the rocky cliffs of the Coastal Trail. We then dipped back onto the roads past the Legion of Honor and Sea Cliff mansions to rejoin the trail in the Presidio.
I have never seen the bison in Golden Gate Park before, but maybe because I didn’t get to that side of the park. I snapped this picture while running and was delighted.
Hope never fails, so when the running got tough, Bryn and I kept on going.
“Running in the fog felt like home.” Bryn Mumma
Bryn enveloped in fog, running across the Golden Gate Bridge.
After we ran across the Golden Gate bridge twice, we had finished the first half of our marathon, but the hills kept coming, as we hit the stairs in reverse. By now there were many people on the trails, most of them wearing masks. I had slowed down by more than a minute per mile, but I kept moving forward, while Bryn navigated the hills with agility and looked like she was ready to run an ultramarathon, not just a marathon.
Hills, stairs, and a little knee pain, but what a scenic and incredible tour of the city!
“Running on a soft trail, overlooking the bluffs, up and down the hills, with the scent of eucalyptus in the air, was heaven.” Bryn Mumma
Returning to Golden Gate Park for our final few miles, we noticed that the park had come alive with children and families. We passed playgrounds and picnickers, as well as Stow Lake and the Botanical Gardens before reaching our 26.2-mile finish.
Throughout our marathon, Bryn couldn’t help but feeling like running in the fog was like coming home, because it was where her now-husband and her got engaged and married, while they both finished their studies to become doctors. Much of time in San Francisco was spent in the Sunset, running through Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach.
For me, the highlight of the marathon were the windmills and the Pacific Ocean that made our extremely beautiful, scenic, but hard San Francisco marathon course with 1,730 feet elevation an adventure to remember. Bryn seemed to glide on all the hills, whereas I struggled with knee and calf pain, but continued my run and finished my 11th marathon, relishing the fog, the ocean waves crashing onto the shore, the Dutch Windmill, running across Golden Gate Bridge twice, the sight of a beautiful heron at the end of the race, and the wonderful time spent with my friend Bryn, who ran this marathon with ease and indelible joy.
Bryn finished the marathon ahead of me, as I struggled with pain from all the hills and possibly my thyroid acting up, but I mixed running with walking at the end and got it done. As I finished, I thought about our celebration picture, which, of course, was with the Dutch Windmill.
Bryn knew I wanted a picture with the windmill, so we drove close to it, parked, and captured the joy of completing our first virtual marathon with no spectators or aid stations.
I fought hard and ran my slowest marathon since I became a runner, but had defeated the windmills and have learned valuable lessons about life, such as:
4. POSITIVITY – Bryn and I tried to find a positive in every negative.
5. PERSEVERANCE – We constantly found ways to push each other on the track, or during a long run, and never gave up.
6. CREATIVITY – We had to constantly find ways around the pandemic, the weather, our busy schedules, and I even composed a rap song for our marathon.
7. DEDICATION – Without dedication, we can’t achieve much in life. Every single week, Bryn and I communicated with each other. We both set time aside for our speed workouts and long runs, which we did together and thus made our marathon cycle feel easier than usual, more enjoyable, and fun.
8. MOTIVATION – Once I convinced Bryn to do the London virtual marathon with me, both our motivation has increased, as we stayed focused and kept each other accountable.
9. FLEXIBILITY – With Bryn being an emergency physician and myself the CEO of my Dynamic Real Estate company, we both had a little more flexibility in our schedules, which proved to be quintessential to our successful and fun training schedule that I created for us mixing most of the workouts that Mary, our team’s coach provided part of the Chicago marathon training, with some of my own training, including weekly rest and strength training.
10. ENTHUSIASM –Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” and Bryn and I had plenty of it. Chasing each other on the track was the highlight of our training, which made us run faster and stronger.
With races being canceled all around the world, now, more than ever, we have goals of becoming better human beings, helping others, lifting each other up, and just striving to be the best version of ourselves. Running goals are important, such as PRs, but the most important PR is what I call in my poetry book the pace and rhythm of life, which means being entuned with life, living in the now, and being grateful for every breath and stride we take on the trails of life.
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide and uplift you during these uncertain and crazy times, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion on Amazon, by clicking on the link. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is going to Girls on the Run Sacramento chapter organization.
Let’s be honest: when every single race we were supposed to run this year (I was supposed to run Tokyo and London marathons) gets canceled due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, we get upset, frustrated, and even depressed when we feel that our training has gone to waste, even though we all know that our health and safety come first. Our inability to race this year seems unfathomable and surreal, as in previous years we have had way too many races to run and not enough time to properly train for all. And now that we cannot race, how about a shift in perspective? We have no races to run, or a very limited amount, mainly trails and small road races, but we finally have more time to train and to be intentional about the sport that brings us so much joy.
1. The Simplicity of Running
As some of you know, I became a runner in 2015 after having played soccer as a kid and competitive tennis for 20 years plus. However, as soon as I became a runner, I was hooked by its purity and simplicity. I didn’t have to plan my tennis matches by finding friends to play with. All I had to do is put my running shoes on and take off down the street from my house till I hit Ancil Hoffman Park, or what I call my slice of Paradise. What a simple way to experience the world as poetry in motion! What tremendous joy to let my feet take me places while feeling the gentle summer breeze against my neck, my arms that moved in perfect unison with the world, and my legs that, at first stomped around like a sumo wrestler, after which they learned to caress the ground and be gentle and quiet. Not only did I relish the simplicity of running and the tremendous joy that suffused my soul, but I also started writing poetry in my head and I continue to do so. I hope to publish my poetry book at the end of this year, so stay tuned.
Therefore, one way to deal with all the race cancelations is to go back to basics and to the simplicity of running by finding more time to relish our breath, stride, and euphoric feelings induced by running.
PC: Bryn Mumma, my friend and Arete team mate The simplicity of running, but not so much of doing hill repeats- ha!ha!
2. Gratitude
In 2018 when my husband and I finished building our home, I threw a big party for the runners in the Sacramento community. Lisa Limcaco, one of my runner friends, brought a housewarming gift, a small decoration piece that said gratitude on it. She told me: “You always say how grateful you are in your posts, so I thought this would make the perfect gift.” I was grateful to Lisa for being so thoughtful, as well as thinking of me as someone who lives life with gratitude, as I never want to come across as ungrateful or entitled. To me, life is a constant opportunity to practice gratitude, not only during good times, but especially during hard and nebulous times. As Deena Kastor, who is the American record holder in the marathon, said in our Zoom meeting with my Arete team mates: “We need to practice gratitude, patience, and solution seeking.” Optimism, she added, helps us put the bad days in perspective quickly. And if you wish to become a more grateful and joyous runner, according to Kastor, then write three things you are grateful for every evening and you cannot repeat what you wrote the previous day. I also highly recommend reading Deena Kastor’s memoir memoir Let your Mind Run, which will transform your relationship to running and to the world around you.
Due to the precarious stage we are in with this pandemic, I feel gratitude can propel us forward, as well as make us more appreciative of our strong runner bodies and lungs. The fact that we are healthy and that we can run while others are fighting for their lives in hospitals, with some of them not making it, should give us the strongest dose of gratitude ever and dissipate any complaints about races being canceled. Racing will return one day and we will be even more grateful to run next to our friends and competitors, but for now we all need to find joy and gratitude for being alive and able to run.
Grateful to run faster even though I have no races in sight.
3. The Joy of Running
To me, running is pure joy as sweet and gooey as honey pouring down my soul every time I lace up my shoes to go on a run, solo or with friends, but in these times more solo. During our quarantine in March, I ran solo around my neighborhood for two months, missing my friends, but knowing that I had to do my part in flattening the curve of this contagious virus. I kept running through Ancil Hoffman Park and all the hills around my neighborhood, writing poetry in my head and composing a few rap songs. I started to relish the tranquility of my morning runs and found joy in my solitary running, because that was the only known constant in my life and it made me happy to be out in the fresh air, while social distancing. Not only does running make me elated and more content with life, but it also adds inner peace and the realization that we already have everything we need inside our souls to be joyous, as I expressed in this poem I wrote.
Jumping with joy during a solo run
Jumping with Joy
When I run around Ancil Hoffman Park,
my
magic place and slice of Paradise
where
I first became a runner
I sometimes
stop running
and
simply jump with joy
as my
way to greet the day
on
the trail.
To
salute the sun
and
kick up my heels
towards
the Heavens.
4. Health and Nutrition
We all know that when we eat healthy and focus on eating more fruit and vegetables together with high quality protein, such as wild-caught salmon, organic chicken, and less processed foods, we have a better chance to beat Covid-19 and stay healthy, besides running stronger. One thing we can really do while not having to rush from one race to another is to focus on our minds and bodies by eating healthy and clean, avoiding processed foods, and paying attention to what our bodies need, especially when we demand so much from them when we run an average of 40 to 50 miles a week.
As our focus is to stay healthy and not catch this virus, nutrition plays a big role in our overall health, as studies show that runners cannot outrun a bad diet.
In my case, at the beginning of the year when running didn’t feel great, I had to reevaluate my vegan diet and decided that it was too restrictive and not giving me all the vitamins and protein that my body needed. Test results showed I had various vitamin and protein deficiencies, so I decided to adopt more of a plant-based diet and after adding wild-caught salmon and some bison meat, my iron levels have improved and my running has never been stronger. The moral of the story is that we all have different bodies and nutritional needs that are different for women and men and that having many bad runs can mean that our body needs more vitamins and nutrients, which is why checking our iron levels and thyroid is key for runners.
5. Freedom
The fact that most races have been canceled left us with sadness that we cannot run together and compete against one another, but it also gave us more freedom to work on our speed, endurance, or just to run for the joy of running. When not preparing for races, we can devote more time on proper rest and recovery, cross training (I have biked and done more strength training), and just rediscovering the main reason why we run, which is the ultimate freedom, as we stride through time and space. As a sports enthusiast, I have never felt as free as when I run, because running allows us to move freely and to be ourselves. Running is thus the ultimate form of simplicity, gratitude, joy, health, and freedom, and until we race again safely, let’s all hold these truths close to our hearts, because in the end, it will be worth it and we will come out stronger, kinder, and maybe even faster. And last, but not least, let’s wear our masks and show others that freedom also means caring deeply about one another and doing our part to protect our fragile planet.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
As a runner I am in tune with my body, which is why when I started to feel tired and exhausted on every run last year in December, I knew that something was wrong. Even my Strava running app was telling me that every run was harder than my usual effort. As soon as January 2020 rolled around, I asked my primary doctor to run a full blood panel, which is what I like to do at the beginning of each year. To my surprise, my thyroid levels were out of control and I got diagnosed with Graves autoimmune disorder with a hyperactive thyroid. After having seen the endocrinologist and getting more tests done, I was put on Methimazole with no explanation why I got the Graves. My philosophy about healing a chronic condition that doctors tell patients that it might be lifelong is getting to the root of the problem. My next step was to research my condition by reading articles and two books on curing the thyroid and even reversing my Graves autoimmune, which was exciting and promising. Since both authors pointed out that one should seek out the care of a naturopath, I did some research online and that’s how I found Dr. Dennis Godby, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor with Sacramento Naturopathic Medical Center.
Gov. Bill Clinton giving Dr. Godby the “Arkansas Traveler” award on his cross country run through Arkansas, from SF to DC, in 1985, for peace in Central America during the Reagan years. The name of the run was the “Central America Emergency Run.”
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
According to Dr. Godby, Naturopathic Medicine is a unique and distinct system of health care that emphasizes the use of prevention, natural therapeutics, and helping each patient attain their best health possible. The doctors who practice naturopathic medicine, called naturopathic doctors (NDs), are trained to serve as primary care general practitioners who are experts in the prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of both acute and chronic health conditions. Naturopathic doctors are trained at accredited, four-year, post-graduate, residential naturopathic medical programs. The training consists of comprehensive study of the conventional medical sciences, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, immunology, clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology, etc, as well as detailed study of a wide variety of natural therapies.
Naturopathic doctors are guided by six principles:
1. Do No Harm
2. The Healing Power of Nature
3. Find the Cause
4. Treat the Whole Person
5. Preventive Medicine
6. Doctor as Teacher
Dr. Godby’s run from Corvallis, Oregon, 1978, where he attended OSU, as an exercise physiology major, running 39 miles a day, solo, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to raise awareness of exercise and nutrition when most adults didn’t exercise or even know what healthy food was. This picture was taken in the Canadian Rockies.
Why is it important to combine conventional medicine with naturopathic in many chronic illness and other health conditions?
Article from Anniston, Alabama, from the CA run in 1984-1985.
For most patients with chronic illness, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hypo/hyperthyroidism, autoimmune diseases, and many others, it is typically not necessary for the naturopathic patient to also be treated conventionally. Most patients of Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) present to the Naturopathic clinic already under the care of an MD/DO. Since patients do not have a disease because of a pharmaceutical deficiency, but, more than likely because of issues related to lifestyle, the solution does not lie in Western/Conventional/Allopathic Medicine, but in finding and treating the cause of disease, which can be addressed with lifestyle change. Sometimes, conventional medicine is helpful and/or necessary for having another opinion, for testing that naturopathic medicine doesn’t do, such as referring a patient with extremely elevated “liver” enzymes that may lead an ND to ask the patient to get an abdominal ultrasound from their doctor.
While also using scientific methods and arriving at many of the same diagnoses as MDs, naturopathic doctors take a more holistic approach and try to understand causes behind a patient’s diagnosis so these can be effectively managed. So, for example, an ND may use herbal or nutritional substances to relieve pain and reduce inflammation in a patient with arthritis, while at the same time use therapies to support healthy joint function and restore damaged tissues. Using a more holistic model, the ND may also look into the role that food intolerances or gastrointestinal health may play in the patient with arthritis. Uncovering these clues can be important in helping patients understand the causes of their conditions and empower them to take a more active role in improving their general health while managing their current “diagnosis.”
Dr. Godby’s Recommended Test for Runners and Everyone Else Wanting to Determine Overall Health
One of the things that Dr. Godby recommended for me to get to the root of my thyroid problem was the hair follicle test to determine overall nutritional deficiencies, environmental challenges like toxic metals, radiation, bodily systems under stress, microbial picture, and even electromagnetic radiation exposure. Once the causes are identified, action can be taken to improve one’s body’s chemistry and cell functioning. This test is nutritional and toxin exposure. Blood tests are very important tests, but they show different things than the hair test. Both are important. One thing to point out is that the blood panel at their office is much more comprehensive than what an average MD primary care doctor will do. For example, Dr. Godby would like to have a standard thyroid TSH around 1-2, instead of a 0.3 to 4.5 range of many doctors.
Runners like myself and Dr. Godby strive to excel and have overall great health, not just get by. This test will reveal how to have that extra edge in determining your nutrition and removing the obstacles to being at your best, like exposure to toxic metals, like mercury, lead, etc., or electromagnetic radiation like cell phones, or radiation.
Additionally, some key points to remember when every run feels hard and you are exhausted is to check your health, your iron levels, thyroid, and any other vitamin deficiencies. As of now, I feel great and my Graves is under control, because of the prescription medicine, vitamins prescribed by Dr. Godby, and my diet change from vegan to adding some organic animal protein to my diet to heal the thyroid. Taking a holistic approach to our health is more beneficial and will speed up the healing process.
For more information on Naturopathic medicine, please visit:
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
After I ran California International Marathon, my first marathon, in 2015, I started playing with my speed doing all kind of creative workouts. I lowered my 9-minute pace to low 7s and I PRed in three 5K races that I ran in three months with two 5K back to back races. I am still working to break my 21:56 minute PR from Run to Feed the Hungry that I ran in 2016 in preparation for my second CIM marathon.
I dedicate this blog to my awesome trail runner friend Jeremy Payne, who recently asked on FB how to get faster on his own before hiring a coach. I highly recommend doing two speed workouts a week, but starting with one depending on your goals can work, too. For advanced runners looking to run faster, short distances from 5K to half marathon race, I recommend three workouts a week, especially because some are much shorter and not as intense. Advanced marathon runners can also swing three workouts, as they will have some included in their long runs, too, but ideally due to mileage volume, I suggest keeping the speed workouts to two a week.
1. Track Intervals and Ladder workouts
When I was a new runner, I discovered that I was 2.5 miles from a high school track and I started copying workouts from my runner friends that they were posting on Strava. The first time I hit a sub 7 minute in my track workout, I was elated and simply fell in love with running around the track, while I kept pushing the pace and tried to catch my breath during recovery between intervals. As far as track workouts and intervals go (click on the link to get a mix of intervals to use in your next training), we can always do them on our own, but it’s better with friends who can push us.
When it comes to track workouts, there is no reason to ever get bored, or to keep repeating the same ones. In addition to our typical interval workouts, such as 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,200, 1,600m, we have pyramid workouts, which start from low to higher and come back down (e.g. 200, 400, 600, 400, 200), and ladder workouts, which are my favorite, as they keep me focused, excited, and motivated (e.g. 400, 800, 1,200, 1,600).
My best friend and training partner Andrea Brizendine and I doing a jumping picture at the end of a fun ladder track workout on a rainy winter day.
Some of my favorite track workouts are:
10x200m with 200m recovery in between.
8x400m with 200 or 400m recovery.
5x300m, 5x500m, 5x400m ladder, which is one of Desiree Linden’s favorite track workouts, according to Runner’s World Magazine.
4×600, 400, 200 starting at 5K and ending at 1-mile effort with 200m rest between the distances and 400m rest between the sets.
800m, 1,200m, 1,600m, 2,000m, 1,200, and 800m. with 400m recovery. The 800m are done at 5K pace and the rest are done at 10K pace.
At American River College track after 6x400m at 5K pace, as I am working on speed and to PR in a future 5K race. I am wearing my RADrabbit top and proud to be part of the RAD rabbit community of runners around the world, as well as my amazing Sacramento team Arete.
2. Fartleks
When I was a new runner and I first heard about Fartleks, I laughed out loud, as it was too close to another word that is not associated with speed at all, but something that we all do every day in private or public- ha!ha! However, from the first time I did Fartleks, I fell in love with the workout and the sheer exhilaration that they brought to my running. Doing Fartleks is my most favorite workout, because they bring out the inner child in me. Fartlek is a Swedish word meaning “speed play.” It is applied to a relatively unstructured form of training over natural terrain. It originated in Scandinavia where structured training during the snowy months of winter is difficult.
Super important note to all runners: Fartleks are best done for up to a month before starting intense Interval training on the track. They will increase your speed and endurance and will prepare the body for more intense and structured workouts.
Some of my favorite Fartlek workouts:
Running 10×1 minute faster than 5K pace at about 90 to 95% full effort with 1 minute recovery in between.
Running 8 to 10×2 mins with 1 min recovery in between at an effort of about 80 percent of full speed.
Running 8×3 mins with 2 mins recovery in between.
Running 4×5 mins with 3 mins recovery in between.
My very favorite Fartlek workouts that my awesome coach Jenny Hitchings makes me do at the beginning of a training cycle: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 minute with speeds varying from half marathon pace to faster than 5K pace, which is usually 6:30 for me. Recovery can be 2 minutes in between.
Best place to run Fartleks is on the bike trail, or any flat and not busy road. I love running on our American River Bike Trail.
My coach Jenny Hitchings does most of her training runs on our beautiful American River Parkway, a place where runners, bikers, and walkers share the trails. I am always running faster when I see her on the trail. Super happy to have her as my coach to keep me accountable and help me reach my goals to break 3:30 in my St. George Marathon in Utah that I will run in October, if I stay healthy and everything goes according to plan.
3. Tempo Runs
Tempo runs are the ideal workouts for any kind of distance, but they are especially beneficial to runners doing half marathons and marathons. Tempo runs are run at sub-maximal pace and done as anaerobic threshold workouts made popular by coach Jack Daniels, Ph.D. Tempo runs should be done at 20 to 30 seconds slower than 5K pace and for a minimum 15 minutes all the way to 60 minutes for advanced runners.
Types of Tempo Runs:
Sustained Tempo done with no break or recovery for 3 miles to 9 miles, depending on the runner’s experience.
Tempo repetitions can be done slightly faster, as they include recovery, which will help clear more lactate.
Tempo Circuit, which I have only done once with coach Henry Hawkins, the head coach of Total Body Fitness Training – click on the link to see what a tempo circuit involves and why it gets us stronger and faster. The workout I have done included 400 meters followed by push-ups, lunges, squats and dips at different stations off the track. I ran one of my fastest intervals that day and it was so much fun.
4. Hill Repeats
Running the hills around my neighborhood in preparation for Boston marathon, which I ran on April 15h this year.
As we all know, hills not only make us stronger and faster runners, but they improve our running form. I love running hills to get stronger and to avoid injuries. I have a great running route through Ancil Hoffman Park that I like to do on my recovery days, as it has some hills and the trails keep me slower.
My awesome, speedy SRA vegan elite runner friend Jedidiah Soliz and I running through our slice of Paradise, keeping the pace easy, but also running the hills.
My awesome friend and Arete team mate Christina Wills jumping with joy at the end of a hilly long run, which included the Johnny Cash trail.
Some of my favorite Hill repeat workouts:
Warm up for 2 to 3 miles and then do 6 to 8×30 seconds sprints uphill.
6×60 seconds sprints at the end of a 3-mile tempo run, which I am excited to do soon, curtesy of my coach who put it on the schedule for me.
Long hill repeats, which are great at building aerobic and muscular endurance. They should be done at 10k, or faster pace depending on your goals.
Long hill runs, which I do quite often, as I created up to 20 mile hilly route around my neighborhood.
Downhill running, which increases quadriceps strength through eccentric contraction. Open your stride, lean forward, and don’t fight the gravity!
5. Progression Runs
I need to thank my good friend and Team Remo coach Robert Ressl-Moyer for turning me into the progression queen last year when I had my best marathon so far that I ran in 3:30:56 at Mountain 2 Beach. I used to run 10 to 18 miles progression runs, starting in the mid 9s and getting down to 7:40 pace, or faster. The purpose of progression runs is to teach us to run fast on tired legs and they can be done for 3 miles all the way to 20 for truly advanced runners, but ideally shorter so that you don’t burn out.
Another way to sneak in a short progression run is to run the last mile of a regular, shorter run at 5K pace.
Both Robert and I ran the Chanoako 50K race last year and I finished third female overall, running it in under 6 hours, which was my goal. Robert won the race and was very nice to wait for me at the finish line.
6. Strides
New runners should start with strides at the end of their easy runs before doing interval workouts. Strides should be done for about 20 to 30 seconds at about 90 percent running ability, but they can also be done at a lower intensity. According to a recent article I read on Runner’s World it is great to do strides the day before a tough track workout, which I did this week and I had a great speed session on Wednesday, so give it a try. Try to incorporate strides into your easy runs about twice a week and you will reap the benefits.
And when you have exhausted all these speed workouts, why don’t you take your long run on the trails, where the hills are ubiquitous and you will immerse yourselves into nature, soul bathing, or posing for a great picture on top of some rocks like my awesome friend and best training partner Andrea and I did just recently.
Andrea and I are soul bathing and posing during our trail run on the Foresthill Divide Loop.
Now that summer is here, I have special incentives for buyers and sellers, such as money back towards closing costs and reduced commission when selling, so please mention this blog and you will also receive a free market analysis of your home, no strings attached.
To search free listings, please go to http://www.dynamicsacramentohomes.com. For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446.
“Boston City and its people stole my heart, while Boston marathon stole my legs.” Carmen Micsa, aka ninja
Before Marathon – Exploring Boston
What I love most about out of state marathons is the exploration of the city. I feel that the energy, excitement, and the pure spiritual aura of a city unveils to us runners from all over the world in a unique light that shimmers inside our souls and sticks to our memories forever. However, after having run Chicago and New York City world marathons in 2018, which I totally relished and treasured, I feel that the Bostonians are the friendliest, the most invested in their marathon, and welcomed us runners with open arms and hearts.
The people of Boston were treating us runners like rock stars the entire marathon weekend. The locals cheer on us and talk to us everywhere we go, whenever they see us wearing our marathon jackets/clothes. Such an indelible feeling!
Little did I know that the course outline behind me was so accurate. My coach and my friends back home told me that the first 6 miles are downhill and that I need to hold back and not go too fast, but I would soon find out that the hills start cresting from the very first mile.
My first day in Boston was taken by the Expo and by exploring Boston Common, the oldest park in the United States dating back to 1634. The history, the brick buildings, the friendly people all welcomed me, making me grateful and honored to run my eighth marathon, but my very first Boston.
Boston Common Park and its gardens.
I even got to meet Blanca, the white albino squirrel that was as friendly and cheerful as the Bostonians.
On Sunday before the Boston marathon, which is the oldest continuously running marathon, I was excited to run down Boylston Street to the finish line to do my easy shakeout run. My Airbnb apartment was a little less than a mile away from the finish line and only a quarter mile from the buses taking us to the start line. My good friend Kaoru Cruz who had run Boston the previous year told me about the blessing of the athletes at the Old South Church, so I was excited to get my run in first and then go to church. To my great joy, many of my Sacramento runner friends were also by the finish line, strolling and taking pics.
With Kaoru Cruz and my awesome Sacramento runner friends at the finish line.
With Lisa Limcaco and Joanie Murakami.
Boston Strong, Sunday before the marathon.
Another finish pic with my awesome Arete team mates, Karen Kunz and Debbie Zakerski. To me, taking all the pics by the finish line meant that I had to finish the next day and be strong and ready for the real finish line pics.
Following my short run with a few strides, I had a bagel with hash brown potatoes. A few minutes before 11 a.m., when the second blessing of the athletes happened, I went to Old South Church – my soul already elated and humbled to be there.
Designed in the Gothic Revival style, the Old South Church is a historic United Church of Christ. Having a church by the finish line of the marathon is a 26.2 mile and beyond spiritual journey.
Before the service started, we were all given a palm leaf. In John 12:12, the crowds used palm leaves to greet and welcome Jesus as the king of Israel. I sat next to a lovely lady, who lived right outside of Boston on her own and who immediately started talking to me about the marathon and treated me like a celebrity. Once the service started, I felt the sacredness of Palm Sunday, surrounded by the people of Boston and other marathoners like me from all over the world. The service was touching with special prayers and wishes for us, such as “May you mount up with wings like eagles. May you run and not grow weary. May you walk and not faint,” but what got me was the special hymn for the runners entitled Guide My Feet.
As we all started to sing this hymn that went like this: “Guide my feet while I run this race, (yes, my Lord!) for I don’t want to race this race in vain! Hold my hand while I run this race, I’m your child while I run this race, Search my heart while I run this race,” I wept uncontrollably. I sang and cried. A purifying and cathartic sobbing and crying that percolated all the way to my runner’s core. My new friend consoled me and held me around the shoulders in a maternal embrace. At the time, I just thought I was emotional, but after the marathon, I interpreted my weeping as a foreboding sign to the tough marathon awaiting for me that would fully challenge my physical and mental abilities.
My new Boston friend from Old South Church, who consoled me when I cried filled with emotions before my first Boston marathon.
The Morning of the Race
On Patriots Day, the morning of the marathon, I woke up to a roaring thunder and stormy fickle New England weather. The dark clouds floating in the sky, reminded me of Haruki Muraki’s quote in his memoir What I Talk About When I talk About Running that clouds always come and go, but we can always count on the permanence and immanence of the sky. While I was getting dressed and prepared my bag with my good Nike Flyknit shoes, I checked the weather app. It looked that the rain would be over by the time I started at 10:50 a.m. wave 3, corral 2. Nonetheless, I wore my bad shoes that I was going to discard at the start line and a disposable weather poncho.
Before boarding on the bus to Hopkinton. Most runners were clad in garbage bags and old clothes to discard at the start line.
The ride to the start line took about an hour. Once we got to the Athletes Village, I lined up to use the porta potty. It was muddy, so I was glad I wore my bad shoes that I was going to discard right as we started to walk to the start line. After going to the bathroom twice, I ate half a bagel and then they called wave three, blue bibs to start walking. It was happening and I needed to go to the bathroom again, but I was told there were porta potties right before the start line, so I was relieved.
The Race
Before I knew it, I crossed the start line at Hopkinton to run my first Boston marathon. As my wonderful coach Jenny Hitchings, warned me, the first three miles of the marathon were quite busy and I was not able to hit even the 8-minute pace that she suggested for my race strategy, but I was around 8:10 minute pace. I refrained from weaving around people, as I wanted to conserve energy. I was also told that the first six miles were downhill, but I found out quite the opposite. After about half a mile, a long hill loomed in front of us. A gentleman running next to me joked and asked me: “Is this Heartbreak hill?” I laughed, but I was already put off by the early hills. I could also see runners in front of me trying to get into a rhythm and go around other runners. It was also hard for me to hit my 7:50 to 8 minute pace right from the start of the race, which never happens to me; quite the contrary, I have to hold myself back, because it feels so good to run. At the 5K point, I was only 1 minute off from what Jenny wanted me to hit, so I reassured myself that I would soon get into my groove and my 7:50 splits should come to me, as they always did in my training, which has been solid due to the outstanding guidance and support of my coach.
The spectators lined up on both sides of the rural towns we ran through from Hopkinton to Ahsland first. I high fived many kids cheering for us and thought to myself that by the 10K mark I should be on track. However, as we kept running through the next town of Framingham, I kept noticing more and more hills and hardly any downhill. My pace by the 10K mark deteriorated, but I kept on running and smiling. I was looking forward to hit the half marathon mark. I noticed quite a few churches on our way and the spectators who cheered on us from the side of the road, from balconies and anywhere they could find a spot to show their enthusiasm for us and supporting us the same way crowds in Chicago and New York City world marathons did.
The heat and humidity were a factor for us runners. I felt sluggish and knew I had to stay on top of my hydration and fueling. I took more Huma gels than I normally would to be strong and not get cramps. As soon as I hit the half marathon mark by Wellesley, I was 10 minutes off my recommended pace. I had to acquiesce that I would have to dig deep to finish my first Boston marathon and that it was not going to be a PR day for me. I was starting to feel my glutes lock up on me and not allowing me to run smoothly, which is why I almost missed the super enthusiastic and loud cheering from the Wellesley college students, but then I saw runners stopping for kisses and remembered my friends who told me about this incredible experience. I did not go for a kiss, but tried to use the crowds’ energy and good vibes to continue running and smiling.
Still smiling.
Digging deep on the hills.
Running by the famous Newton Fire Station on the infamous Newton hills.
My pace kept getting slower into the 9s. At this time, I only hit one GMP mile at 7:55 pace, which was unusual for me, as I perform much better in races than in training. My left calf muscle was tight and tense. My running felt labored. I even had to do a short walk on Heartbreak Hill. I ended up walking for a very short distance three times during this marathon, which had never happened to me in any other marathons I had previously run.
The crowds kept cheering for us loudly, but at this point, it wasn’t working for me, as I was in deep pain and mad on this crazy Boston marathon course. I told myself that I would never come back and that one time running this iconic race is more than enough. My emotions during the race matched the New England weather: I vacillated between joy, smiling, waving to the spectators to talking to myself, hating the course, and not understanding why runners keep coming back to run Boston marathon. Between miles 16 to 21, I was in a dark place, not enjoying the marathon and wishing this torture to be over. My left calf kept putting its brakes on my running, so I understood that I had to be gentle on my body, while trying to adjust my stride and just move along at whatever pace my body allowed me to run that day.
The Finish Line
From miles 22 to the finish I just willed myself to keep moving. The majority of the miles were on flat terrain, but I was still exhausted and stopped one last time. I walked and cried. A very nice lady told me that we are almost done and gave me her hand. We ran hand in had for just a little bit till I stopped crying. I often get emotional running marathons, or ultras. The crowds kept cheering for us to propel us to the finish line. I tried to absorb their energy, but it didn’t work the same way as it did for me at New York City marathon in 2018. However, once I saw the big Citgo sign, a landmark for the Boston people associated with Kenmore Square and the Red Sox in the distance, I knew I was getting close. I could taste my victory of completing a tough marathon under warm and humid conditions.
The turn on Boylston Street was incredible and so was the purifying and cooling rain that had started. Most runners felt cheerful and spread their arms widely to welcome the rain that never felt better. I felt rejuvenated and tried to do my kick at the finish line. I crossed over the mat, not realizing that the race was over. I did it!
The pure ecstasy of crossing the finish line and completing my toughest marathon so far in 4:10:22, which was my second slowest marathon since becoming a runner, but a finish in the iconic Boston marathon is a finish.
My rainy finish before getting the medal.
The Boston Medal! A race like no other!
Post Boston Celebration and New Perspective on the Marathon
Right after the marathon, I walked back to my apartment wrapped in the shiny, silver thermal marathon blanket. To my surprise, my calf felt great now that I stopped abusing it. I knew that I was not injured and I was happy. My post Boston celebration included meeting with my awesome Arete team mates and our coach Mary Wright, my wonderful friend Robin Miotke, who happened to be in Boston, and my speedy and amazing friend Karen Clark. As I heard more marathon stories and how mostly everybody struggled that day, although some of our team mates ran super strong races and even got a personal record, I became more and more content and grateful with my finish and accomplishment.
The Boston 26.2 beer sure tasted good with my Beyond meat burger dinner after the marathon at the Granary Tavern, where I met with my Arete team mates to celebrate and share our trials and tribulations.
With our awesome coach Mary Wright and my team mates from Arete’s different chapters.
With my amazing long-time friend Robin Miotke. I loved hanging out with Robin and her husband Rob and share lots of race details as well as my second dinner for the evening.
The following day, I woke up with hardly any soreness, or pain, so I joked with my hubby, friends, and coach telling them that I apparently did not run hard enough out there. On my way to the airport, I was super happy to connect with my wonderful friend Karen Clark, whom I had met during a 20-mile race in preparation for the CIM marathon in 2016 and we had stayed great friends.
Posing with my friend Karen Clark by the Boston marathon sign.
Appreciating my journey as a runner and grateful for having completed the Boston marathon.
Final Thoughts, Reflections, and Advice on the Boston Marathon from Carmen, aka Ninja
The hills are real and when I come back to run Boston, I will make sure to include a lot more hill training and even some close to GMP miles on hills. I had some great Boston simulation hilly long runs that my coach had me do and they were great. I also tried to do most of my easy runs on hills, but hitting long hills during a marathon between miles 16 to 21, when the body is already tired is tough.
Last year before I ran Mountains 2 Beach, which is a much easier marathon, but still had some hills after the half marathon mark, I had run two hilly 50K races and one 50-mile race. I will not run Boston without doing at least one 50k race on the trails about 4 to 6 weeks out. Doing a 50-mile race like I did last year is a little much, but the 50K races will prepare my body and mind for those steep and long Newton hills.
Doing more long runs on the trails will be ideal and key in my humble opinion, especially during January and February to build endurance and strength. This is especially important for me to do, as I constantly have glutes issues and experience pain during long runs and marathons.
Using the sauna at the gym more often, as early spring weather can bring heat and humidity that our bodies are not used to.
Doing two days of strength training, instead of one that I did this training cycle, two days of hot yoga/ Pilates a week on top of the regular running will make my body stronger and faster.
As this wonderful sign by the finish line of the Boston marathon says: “What gets you to the finish line?”
Great question! We all have different reasons and motivations. Let’s find them!
Once I had finished Boston Marathon, my gratitude level increased, and as this sign that I walked by on my way to the celebration dinner says, rebounding and resilience are one of the key lessons that we learn as runners and human beings. For these reasons I would like to dedicate this blog and the Boston marathon to my mom Cezarina Gramatic, who is quite resilient herself.
Life and marathons are about rebounding and resilience!
Now that spring is here, I have special incentives for buyers and sellers, such as money back towards closing costs and reduced commission when selling, so please mention this blog and you will also receive a free market analysis of your home, no strings attached.
To search free listings, please go to http://www.dynamicsacramentohomes.com. For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
Let’s be honest! Who doesn’t want to be faster as a runner? And aren’t we willing to try new ideas to enjoy this incredible sport of running road or trail races? As some of you know, I have been pesco-vegan for four years and fully vegan for three years, but in this blog, I have the honor to introduce local sub-elite runner Jedidiah Soliz, aka Jedi, or the Vegan Jedi athlete on Instagram, who runs for Sacramento Running Association elite team. He is also my amazing friend and training partner on recovery days, or when I have to do a tough workout and he is great to pace me. I have also paced him on my bike and barely kept up with him – ha!ha!
Jedi and I run together through Ancil Hoffman Park on the peaceful trails, where we get to see deer, turkeys, and coyotes while talking about running, nutrition, podcasts, and books we read.
Introduction
Jedidiah Soliz, aka Jedi, or @theveganjediathlete athlete on Instagram, is 36 years old and has his own business as a Landscape Gardener and Designer. He has been vegan for about seven years and has been a competitive distance runner for almost 15 years. Jedi started out doing cross country in college back in 2004. At that time, he was only doing short 4-mile races, after which he attempted the 800m in track during the spring season. Jedi thought that was fun, but unfortunately, he got injured. Since then he has worked his way up to the marathon distance and has also done one 50k race.
Jedi also got accepted onto the Altra Running Red Team at the beginning of 2019. He is a big believer and promoter of the Altra shoes that he wears for all of his running and most casual outings as well. They are the best brand of running shoes in his opinion and Jedi believes in their philosophy whole-heartedly. The Altra shoes have a signature wide toebox and Zero Drop technology that makes for a more natural, efficient, and injury preventive experience.
Jedi believes that his true purpose, calling, and mission in life is to be an ambassador for a vegan lifestyle. He is proud to have been featured in Vegan Health and Fitness Magazine and Sacramento News and Review.
Jedi’s Running Accomplishments
Jedi running Boston last year (2018) in the worst weather – rain, wind, and very cold conditions.
Jedi completed his first marathon California International Marathon in 2:50.52 in the craziest storm of the year. He was 30 years old and turned vegan that year, experiencing renewed energy and increased sports’ performance.
In 2018, Jedi ran CIM marathon in 2:39:25, which is his personal best so far in marathons.
His half Marathon PR is 1:13.34.
His 10 mile best race is 55:45, the 10k 33:24, and his fastest mile is 4.27.
In 2019, Jedi is working to break his 5K PR, which 15:58.
Jedi has just won the Davis Stampeded 5K race on Feb. 24th, 2019 with a time of 16:43.
Winner of the 5K Davis Stampede, 2019
Why Should You Consider Turning Vegan and How it Can Change You as an Athlete and Human Being?
Jedi running CIM last year and setting a new PR of 2:39:25.
Jedi offers 10 reasons to become vegan:
For health reasons to combat cancer, diabetes, heart disease, for weight loss,and to become the best version of oneself.
For better skin and combating acne, which he had growing up.
To inspire others just like his sister Vanessa Dawn who became a raw vegan with the help of a friend of hers. Jedi was completely mesmerized by his sister’s transformation and knew that he was desperately ready for a change.
To counteract the destructive industry of animal agriculture.
To spread kindness and compassion.
To protect our environment and to live our lives as vegans, or what is considered World Peace Diet.
To change our planet by being conscious of our food habits.
To promote peace and harmony.
To appreciate the synergistic component of veganism, because what’s best for the planet is also best for our health, the animals and visa versa.
To improve our running, or any other sport’s performance, as well as reduce injury and improve recovery.
Picture from Santa Rosa Marathon, 2018.
Jedi’s Advice on Becoming Vegan
Focus on fruit, vegetables, and whole foods!
Make sure that the bulk of your calories comes from high carbohydrate, whole, plant-based foods. It is far too easy to become a junk food vegan these days, but you need to fight that urge, because your performance depends on it. Not to say that you can’t treat yourself to some delicious vegan treats and fatty, filling foods now and then, but it is best to keep it to a minimum and time it out right so that you are mostly only eating that way after a race or hard workout.
Proper timing of nutrition is very important!
Also focus on low fat, but make sure to get enough calories, which can be one of the biggest pitfalls that most unsuccessful vegan athletes experience.
Getting plenty of fiber and an easy way to do so is by making big fruit and green smoothies. Jedi makes himself a big smoothie every morning, which powers him through his workouts and his job until lunch time.
Jedi’s Smoothie Recipe
Jedi’s favorite fueling breakfast before and after a run is his famous smoothie that he is kind to share with us.
Jedi’s advice on how to make the smoothie: “Put the water and dates at the bottom first to soak. You can play around and tweak this recipe some to your liking. You can swap out the fruit for other seasonal fruit of your choice if you’d like. This is just a standard recipe of mine, but it definitely varies for me as well! Also the amount of liquid you need may change, depending on the size of the smoothie. I recommend adding a little bit extra at a time if need be.”
Final Thoughts About Being Vegan
Jedi running the Break Free race, which he has won a few times.
Becoming a vegan is a big lifestyle change and you should also consult your physician, but as Jedi points out we all have the potential for greatness within us. For Jedi, being vegan is a bigger cause that is near and dear to his heart and it makes a huge difference in his life as an athlete and his ability to push himself to the limit. Moreover, Jedi’s questions for all of us are: “Do you have the will power, self control, and courage to join me on this journey into a life saving and world changing movement and rise up to your inner greatness by doing what’s right and fighting for this cause? Life is short and we will all die one day, but it’s what we choose to do with our time here that really matters. Do you want to be part of the problem of cruelty and destruction, or do you want to be part of the solution towards compassion and peace?”
I am always busy during the winter months, selling my listings, or helping my buyers buy the right home, so please mention this blog and you will receive a free market analysis of your home, no strings attached.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“When you run hills, ideas surge their dormant heads and inspire you to pick up your mental pace.” Carmen Micsa, aka ninja
How many times do we see other runners brag that they had hills for breakfast and what does that mean to us runners looking to improve our form and racing times?
I just did this 16.8 mile run on Feb. 7th, two days before Valentine 4-mile race, where I PRed by 14 seconds, running it at 7:20 pace. My long run had various hills, which helped me practice my uphill and downhill running. My focus while running downhill was on keeping the legs under my body and not over striding. Photo Credit: A guy named Dave who was walking on this hill.
Hills Improve Our Running Efficiency and Form
After my Mountains 2 Beach marathon, which I ran in 3:30:59 in May 2018, I had a month of easy running, which for me due to my hilly neighborhood and love of hills, meant running hills short and long. A few of my friends and running partners remarked that my form has improved and that I looked like a strong runner with very little upper body motion and great form. I seemed surprised until I read some articles about how hills make us stronger runners, as well as help us improve our running efficiency, economy, and our form.
There is also a technique to running uphill and downhill:
When we run uphill, we need to pump our arms and fists towards our chins, as if executing powerful uppercuts. Our legs don’t need to do much, as pumping our arms will do the climbing.
Running uphill, I lean forward and don’t use my legs very much. Instead, I do uppercuts with my arms to propel myself at a steady pace and not consume more energy than necessary. Photo Credit: A guy named Dave who was walking on this hill.
When running downhill, we need to lean slightly forward, as well as exaggerate our kicking and pretend that we are kicking our own butts. Over striding downhill will result in fatigue, poor form, and possibly knee pain, as our legs need to stay underneath our gravity center.
This is a video I took while running on our beautiful Auburn, CA trails.
Specific Hill Repeats to Incorporate in all our Training Runs
According to Runner’s World, there are four types of hill running workouts to increase speed and endurance.
Longer hill workouts One way to practice hills is to do our long runs on a hilly course. I am lucky to live in a neighborhood where hills come in all shapes and sizes, so I run them often.
Valentine 4-mile race, which has some rolling hills for which I have overprepared this week, doing a 16.8 mile super hilly long run, since the main goal is running a strong Boston marathon. Happy to run and represent the Arete Women’s Running Club Sacramento Chapter this year, making me a happier runner to have the support of so many amazing women runners who strive and stride for more. Photo Credit: Heather Sims
2. Hills for speed
To increase speed, practice running 30-second hill sprints at 5% to 10% incline on any type of terrain nearly all out. At first, start with 5 to 8 repeats and work up to 12-14. Jog 2 minutes in between repeats. Always warm up and cool down when doing hill repeats.
3. Hills to improve the running biomechanics
To practice better biomechanics, find shorter hills and do 10-15 second sprints 5 to 20 repeats, depending on your fitness and running level with jogging in between.
4. Specific hill workout for hilly courses, such as Boston
When preparing to run a hilly course, do a 2 mile warm-up, do 6 to 8 hill repeats at an effort of 7 out of 10, then run 1 to 3 miles at GMP (gross marathon pace), followed by 1 mile to 2 miles cool down. I did this workout a few times, doing the Penn hill repeats out in Fair Oaks, or doing the Hazel hill repeats close to the Fish Hatchery followed by 2 miles at marathon pace. It is a hard workout, but it certainly prepares the body to run strong on a hilly course.
No description needed. Too much joy and exhilaration running through my slice of Paradise with hills of various inclines. Love running there and finishing the run with more hills, as it is my recovery hilly route.
I remember the year I ran my second California International Marathon we had a woman in our pace group from Florida who was cursing the hills as often as we ran over any kind of hill. She was totally not prepared for the hilly marathon, which is why you want to do your homework ahead of time and avoid hill disasters.
While hills are as good for runners as eating our veggies and fruit, Jack Daniels, PhD named world’s best running coach by Runner’s World, advises to gradually add hills to your training regimen in order to avoid injuries. He also recommends doing a 20-mile long run on rolling hills five weeks out from a marathon and to stay away from downhill training during the final couple of weeks before the marathon.
And now that we have our hill workouts cut out, here are some popular races with net downhill that give high hopes of securing a PR or BQ (Boston qualifying time):
Date / Race / Net Drop / Info Oct. 3 / St. GeorgeMarathon, St. George, UT / 2,560 feet / stgeorgemarathon.com
Oct. 4 / Wineglass Marathon, Corning, NY / 220 feet / wineglassmarathon.com
Oct. 10 / WhistleStop Marathon, Ashland, WI / 510 feet / whistlestopmarathon.com
Oct. 11 / Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon, Susanville, CA / 1,100 feet / bizzjohnson.com
Oct. 11 / Steamtown Marathon, Scranton, PA / 955 feet / steamtownmarathon.com
Dec. 6 / Cal-International, Sacramento, CA / 340 feet / runcim.org
Dec. 10 / Tucson Marathon, Tucson, AZ / 2,200 feet / tucsonmarathon.com
Apr. 19 / Boston Marathon, Boston, MA / 450 feet / bostonmarathon.org
I am always busy during the winter months, selling my listings, or helping my buyers buy the right home, so please mention this blog and you will receive a free market analysis of your home, no strings attached.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.” Paul Ryan
This quote strongly resonates with my progress as a runner and athlete due to the fact that I joined various teams and running clubs right after becoming a runner. I felt that running with friends gave me more strength, endurance, tenacity, better performance, and it was simply more fun that running alone.
I run with many friends and running groups, but Andrea and I are best running buddies and have logged thousands of miles together. We are fortunate to live close to each other and enjoy each other’s company.
SHORT HISTORY OF MY RUNNING JOURNEY
1. My greatest appreciation as a runner goes to Fleet Feet Sacramento training groups, as they helped me so much as a new runner. I could hardly wait to go to their Sunday long runs in preparation for California International marathon, when I started running in 2015.
2. After training for my first marathon, I got into trail running by joining Folsom Trail Running group and Trail Mix on Facebook. That was amazing, as trail runners are the friendliest people and so supportive.
3. In the summer of 2016, I joined Fleet Feet Fit program, where I met more wonderful runners and I did more track workouts, which improved my speed. After one season, I had enough fast races and qualified for the Fleet Feet Sacramento racing team. I have raced for them for the last two years and had great success and performances.
4. While on the team, I hired my own coach Robert Ressl-Moyer, who helped me PR in two half marathons, two marathons, and one ultra marathon. I also continued to run with Trail Running Adventures, Trail Mix, and Folsom Trail Runners, as well as the Fleet Feet Roseville racing team, as I enjoyed meeting new runners and running in various locations.
4. In 2019, I’ll be joining Arete team, as I feel they are an amazing supportive group of women (it is a women only team) and their training will challenge me more as a runner and help me grow. I am also training with SRA elite Jenny Hitchings (for more info, read the blog I wrote a few months ago on her huge accomplishments), amazing runner, coach, mother of two, who holds four age group National records in the 5K, 10K, 10 mile, and half marathon distance, and who checks in on me to make sure I am not doing too much, as I used to overtrain and race too much. Very excited about working with Jenny and looking forward to hitting some new PRs when the timing will be right.
OVERVIEW OF RUNNING CLUBS AND RACING TEAMS IN THE SACRAMENTO REGION
With 2019 around the corner, I wanted to give the running community an overview of the majority of our running clubs and teams. I was not able to reach everyone, or get info from all existing groups, but I have done this analysis to help you decide where you belong next year, as running with others is more fun and will likely get you stronger and faster.
1. ARETE
E-mail interview with Tamara Torlakson, who is Sacramento’s team leader of Arete.
– Arete was started in Santa Cruz by two best friends who wanted more from running teams!
– Arete is coached by Mary Wright, sub 3 hour marathoner and Mom of three! She posts awesome workouts weekly and gives great training advice. But if you have your own coach or like to follow your own plan, that is totally fine! We welcome all.
Super Sunday race. Arete team is cohesive and extremely supportive.
HOW TO JOIN THE CLUB
New members can join starting on January 1st through the website, www.runarete.com. We will have a formal 2019 season launch party on Saturday February 2nd at 2pm at one of our teammates homes. This is a chance to pick up new Rabbit uniform tops, meet teammates, Arete coach and co-founder Mary, and get any last minute questions answered! You can also sign up there, but we encourage you to sign up in advance if you can!
WHAT MAKES ARETE UNIQUE IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHER CLUBS OUT THERE
Arete is the only all women’s running club in the Sacramento region. While we love running with men and they often join us for runs – we are open to all, we feel that having an all women’s team offers a safe space for open dialogue and a very supportive and positive space.
WHAT RUNNING MEANS TO YOU OR THE ARETE TEAM
Leading the Sacramento chapter of Arete has been such a joy! I love all the women that have joined us who have never been on a team before. Seeing them form friendships, find running partners, and improve their running is really fulfilling to see!
Info about Arete
This all women’s intermediate and advanced running team is fast with a side of fun. We are an environment that welcomes authenticity, grit, sweat, and fun. We believe that when women come together to support each other, they will get the most out of their running and their lives. We started Arete because we believe that running strong and joyfully is one of the best parts of life, and we know that women who share these values and goals exist in every city town across the country.
If you are wondering if it’s a good fit, we recommend you can run 6 miles without stopping– not to exclude anyone but to foster a space where no one is left behind and everyone feels encouraged. We also encourage you to start your own chapter or join our Remote team if an Arete team doesn’t already exist near you. (TT adding: In addition to the Sacramento chapter, there are chapters in Santa Cruz (where Arete started), Oakland, San Francisco Peninsula, Colorado Springs, and a Remote team – you can live anywhere – there are small groups in Chico, Santa Barbara, and Bend, Oregon.)
We understand that our lives are busy and your schedule may not always allow you to make every workout.
We look forward to gathering Arete groups from all over to race together, explore new trails, and meet people you may not have normally crossed paths with.
We all have a passion for this movement, for self-improvement, for being a part of something bigger than ourselves. There is something very special about a team.
2. TRAIL MIX
E-mail interview with Brad De Luchi, a great group leader who even creates training schedules for Salmon Falls 50K and AR 50 mile races.
Trail Mix was born out of one person’s desire to keep in touch with people and to keep running in between Fleet Feet Sacramento trail training sessions. It is not a racing team or running club; it has always been a loose collective of people who want to run together. It is a secret group on Facebook, meaning that you can’t look for it. You join by having an existing member add you. There is no expectation or requirement that members volunteer although it is encouraged and Trail Mix does host aid stations at a few races, most notably the Horseshoe Bar aid station at AR50/25.
What makes the group unique is that there is a penalty for falling while on a run. The original penalty, back when the group was small, was that you bought pancakes for those running with you. As the membership increased and the number of people at a run bigger the penalty switched to donuts. The fall penalty is taken very seriously and there are rules around what constitutes a fall and situations where fall rules are suspended. The rules have been amended over the years as new scenarios are discovered.
The photo I am attaching is not from a race but from one the best days out on the trail. We crossed a raging Hastings Creek near Cronan Ranch and in true Trail Mix fashion, we all worked together to make sure everybody got across safely. There is now a bridge over that creek so that day can never be repeated.
Trail Mix adventure run crossing the swollen, raging river after the rain. I skipped that run, as I was too chicken to go due to the wet conditions.
Running with Trail Mix has always meant friendship, support, connection.
3. TRAIL RUNNING ADVENTURES
E-mail interview with Carina Kool and Hassan Aboukhadijeh, group leaders.
Trail Running Adventures is a group of people who love to have fun and motivate each other as we all embark on our own unique running journey. Our motto is simple, “no runner left behind”.
The founders of Trail Running Adventures and one of the members. This year they also created their team hats, visors, and T-shirts. Looking great!
If you want to join the group, it’s easy! We have runners of all ages and paces so you’ll be sure to always have a few people to run with.
As part of this group, we’ll introduce you to all sorts of incredible trails/races that you’ve likely never even heard about. In addition, the social component of our group is very important to us and thus we regularly host potlucks, movie nights, and even coordinate our travels together.
Oh, and we love taking pictures, so smile!
Happy runners!
Volunteering:
We love giving back to the running community and volunteering. We love encouraging & supporting other runners. By being a part of our group, you aren’t required to volunteer though, but if you can, that’s great.
E-mail interview with Robert Ressl-Moyer, coach, ultra runner, and founder of the group.
Team ReMo in action with amazing runners. I love being part of this awesome group led by a terrific coach and wonderful human being Robert Ressl-Moyer.
Behind Team ReMo is Remo Fitness founded by Robert Ressl-Moyer in 2018. He offers personal training, group classes in partnership with Dai Endurance and personalized run coaching. His services are open to everyone regardless your club affiliation.
How to join?
You can started with us through personalized run coaching, personal training, or small group training. Once started you are part of the ReMo family. www.remofitness.com
What makes ReMO unique?
ReMo is open to everyone. I am working with runners from run/walkers, injured runners fighting their way back, to runners dreaming of an Olympic qualifier. There are no prerequisites to join ReMo. You bring the passion and I got your back while pursuing your wildest dreams.
What does running mean to ReMo?
We face our fears, build our strengths and find joy in challenging who we are.
5. FLEET FEET ROSEVILLE/FOLSOM
E-mail interview with Rob Schmidt, passionate runner, assistant coach, and supportive friend and wonderful human being.
Rob said: “Yeah, we have a pretty cool team. Jocelyn, my daughter, is enhancing it this year by including four structured (approx 1/2 marathon) training programs that are included: two trail races and two road. It addition, we’ll have team events that support the local community, such as Folsom Turkey Trot, Folsom Firecracker, and other East Sac area races. Basically those are races that we’d like team members to participate in, but that is totally optional.”
What’s unique about the group?
The neon pink and green jerseys that their members wear and make them stand out at a race.
The team accepts and has runners of all levels. Their group isn’t about being the fastest; they rather focus on team support and recognition for those who like to run and participate in group activities be that local or across the country. The group also celebrates AG winners along with those who simply PR in any given race.
The team’s end of the year celebration party is about all the runners in the team, as FF Roseville/Folsom has male and female “Athlete of the Year” Awards, race AG wins, and participation/volunteering at team events. They also have Boston Qualifier Award, Rookie of the Year, and Pink and Green contribution awards. Some of the prizes were embroidered backpacks given to runners who participated in six of the eight selected team races, as well as plaques.
Volunteering
Fleet Feet Roseville/Sacramento asks for volunteers at team sponsored events, tent monitor, aid stations, and other duties, but it is requested and not demanded.
What does running mean to Rob Schmidt?
“I believe that running has helped build new friendships, enhanced my health, and provided a venue of positive support and encouragement. Running with a team that embraces those values makes exercising and accomplishing goals a lot of fun. I run everything from road 5ks to ultra trail 50ks, and everything in between. I enjoy the side benefit of running outdoors in this wonderful environment we are lucky to live within. NorCal has a lot to offer and running allows me to experience it at a higher level.”
INFORMATION NIGHT: Join them on Thursday, January 3rd at Fleet Feet Folsom at 6:00pm for our kick-off meeting and first workout of the year!
What is the Racing Team all about?
Our Racing Team is driven by passionate coaches who lead weekly runs, and experienced mentors to help facilitate workouts. Through our Fleet Feet Racing Team, our coaches will facilitate year-round runs for participants to meet up, gather, and run together.
Team Details
Year-round program
Training plans for goals races
4 goal races strategically placed quarterly:
Lost Trail Half Marathon, Granite Bay, CA (Trail)
Parkway Half Marathon, Carmichael, CA (Road)
TBD
TBD
Two coached workouts:
Thursday @ 6pm
Saturday @ 8am
Meetup locations will primarily be in Folsom with occasional workouts closer to our Roseville location
Facebook private group access
Monthly emails with upcoming training schedule and updates
Printable event calendar featuring Fleet Feet Events and training
Team challenges and social events year-round
All racing distances are welcome!
Program fee: $150
6. FLEET FEET RACING SACRAMENTO
Having been a member of this group for two years, I will provide the information.
Info about Fleet Feet Racing Sacramento
As opposed to Fleet Feet Roseville/Folsom, runners who want to join have to meet the qualification standards to be accepted. To find out all the details, go to the team’s website http://www.fleetfeetracingsacramento.com/.
Having been part of Fleet Feet Racing, I grew as an athlete and I enjoyed giving back to the community, as well as making wonderful friends for life. However, unlike all the other teams in Sacramento, Fleet Feet Racing Sacramento requires their team members to volunteer at least three times a year, which is not hard to do, but for those runners who barely find time to run, they need to take into considerations the following commitment as presented on the website:
Commit to be active in Fleet Feet Racing practices, racing events, and social events. Membership does not preclude individuality. We recognize that each member has a specific set of running goals that may direct him or her to different races. However, visibility in Sacramento-area races with a focus on Buzz Oates RunSac Race Series events and attendance at team practices are an important part of membership.
Minimum number of races per year: 6
Support Fleet Feet Events Management events through volunteering a minimum of 3 times per year.
What’s Unique about Fleet Feet Racing Sacramento?
The competitive spirit, the drive to accomplish more as an athlete and human being, as well as good team support and strong runners who will inspire you to become the best version of yourself.
The Power of FOO at the Super Sunday race, where the energy and the support were amazing.
2. The power of orange, or FOO. New Balance has been a generous and wonderful sponsor to our team. Runners receive discounts on the New Balance shoes and merchandise.
3. Great end of the year party at a nice restaurant, celebrating the runners who have volunteered the most, but we did not have awards for the top athletes like Fleet Feet Roseville/Folsom. I think that would be great to have those awards added in the future to recognize our outstanding runners.
7. THE RIVER CITY REBELS, OR SIMPLY THE REBELS
E-mail interview with Andy Harris, founder of the group and with Bobby Carpenter, a passionate runner and the owner of Hot Yoga at Sunrise, during a trail run together on the bluffs by Hazel.
Info about The Rebels and How to Join
For info on this awesome group of runners who are one of our region’s best cross country male team, please visit their website at https://rivercityrebelsrunning.com/.
The River City Rebels are a Sacramento-based club formed in 1994 by a handful of local runners who liked training and racing together. The name “Rebels” fits both the club’s founding spirit and it’s ongoing philosophy of training hard, racing often, and always having a good time.
Info from their website: “We are the LEAST EXPENSIVE running club in Sacramento that has the most FUN! ONLY $25.00 to join and $40 for a family membership!
Your River City Rebels membership automatically enters you in the RunSac competitive division for 2019. Entering the RunSac series on your own would cost you $35, so membership is a real bargain!
You can also to fill out and mail the membership form with your dues by downloading it HERE. If you choose this option, please mail the form to: River City Rebels, P.O.Box 189667, Sacramento, CA 95818.
The Rebels after another successful cross country race. Lots of fun, great support , and camaraderie.
8. Buffalo Chips
Info about Buffalo Chips and how to join
I was not able to get an e-mail interview, but as most of you know, and according to their great website, the Buffalo Chips, are Sacramento’s oldest running club. They are a diverse group that includes competitive and casual runners, short-distance, marathon and ultra-marathon runners.
As George Parrott pointed out, the Buffalo Chips also supports a strong youth program with a separate youth coach and training series. The Tuesday night workouts for the Chips started in 1980 ONLY for women. The Chips was and still is strongly supportive of women’s fitness and excellence in sport with women’s marathon teams that have WON the team title at Boston 3X in the open and 2X in the master’s division and the National Championship at the marathon once. In the 1990’s Runner’s World named the Chips “the best running club in the United States.”
To find out more about the club, click here. Questions about Buffalo Chips Membership? Please send an email to membership@buffalochips.com. Click here to join or renew your membership. Make sure you are current to continue to receive all the benefits of membership. Don’t forget to renew your PAUSATF membership as well, at http://www.pausatf.org
Cross country race
“The members of the Buffalo Chips Running Club consider ourselves active participants in the local running community and the overall Sacramento metropolitan area through our contributions of energy and resources to promote a healthy lifestyle and positive changes in the lives of its vibrant population. Each year, we dedicate a portion of the proceeds collected from our membership dues, race revenue, and outside donations to promote activities and organizations that contribute to the well-being of our neighbors.”
Indeed, I have many friends belonging to this wonderful group of runners, and I can say that I am impressed by their friendliness, kindness, great attitude towards life and running, and their commitment to helping our community. Their 10-mile Buffalo Stampede yearly summer race is one of the best in our region.
9. Run4EVER
In 2015 after having completed CIM, my first marathon, I set up Run4Ever group as a way for us to keep in touch with each other after having met through the amazing Fleet Feet CIM training group. Please feel free to join it on FB and enjoy weekly inspiring posts about running, life, nutrition, and being a ninja- ha!ha!
You also can see at least two runs posted every week, especially trail running. As the name of the group says, I wish everyone to run 4 ever with joy.
Elisia de Bord was my first friend I started running with in the CIM training group. The funny thing is that we reconnected through running after we had gone through Graduate school together taking our Masters degrees in English at Sacramento State University. So grateful for the friendship.
Holly Macriss has also been one of my very first and dearest friends I started running with. Our first run together was a half marathon on the bike trail on a Wednesday, as I sometimes could not make the long weekend runs.
10. Other FB running groups
If you are a trail runner, you sure are covered.
Here are a few more running groups that you can easily find on Facebook and join: Folsom Trail Runners, Auburn Ultrarunners, Norcal Runagades, Rogue Runners, Ultra Training, Trail Whisperers, Auburn Area, Sierra Foothills Trail Runners, Canyons 100K , and Moms Run this Town, which has many chapters all around Sacramento and is focused on both road and trail running.
11. SRA Elite – Sacramento Running Association, which will be a separate blog.
How to join: only open to elite runners. Outstanding organization and Sacramento’s premier racing team!
After this thorough analysis of teams and clubs, if you are still not sure whether you wish to join a team, here are five reasons why you should choose a team/club in 2019:
The most compelling one is the camaraderie you will develop with the runners in your team, which gets you through fun and tough times so much easier.
Doing speed workouts and long runs together with your teammates is huge, especially when running a 20-miler and you feel like throwing in the towel and questioning your own sanity. Instead, running with others will confirm your craziness and even make it cool!
Giving it your best and running with passion and dedication in racing events while wearing your team’s apparel.
Having a coach, or a team leader you can check with regarding your progress, your injuries, or anything else that you wish to ask.
Staying motivated, inspired, and challenged for being part of a team that believes in you and supports your goals and dreams.
This blog does not contain all the clubs and racing teams in Sacramento, but the author Carmen Micsa has tried to give a detailed picture of the majority of teams and clubs out there.
Questions on joining any of these groups, organizations, teams? Please comment on the blog.
“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge,” Nick says, “is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world”.F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Running two marathons in one month is not something we should do, but since I qualified and got accepted to run Chicago and New York City marathons, which are both world marathons, I went for it, excited to run the largest marathon in the world.
I took this picture the evening before the marathon, as it amused me. Indeed, New Yorkers are busy and seem in a constant rush, but they sure were the warmest and most amazing spectators on marathon day. They melted my heart with gratitude for the sport and sure carried me through tough moments.
Before leaving for New York, I have read as many articles about how to run well New York City marathon . Since I loved running hills, I thought I would be ready for New York and I was, but not as strong as I had imagined.
Two Days Before the Marathon – How to Enjoy New York Before the Race
Like most of my other friends from Sacramento, I opted for the red-eye flight, even though I can’t sleep on the plane. After a lot of fidgeting around and trying to keep my eyes shut, I had finally landed in New York, which brought back sweet and exciting memories from 23 years ago when my husband and I first came to America from Romania and landed in New York. I remember how we were both craning our necks, trying to capture New York City rise out of the clouds with its grandiose Statue of Liberty greeting and welcoming us to the greatest country in the world. This time just like 23 year ago, I could not resist the views and kept stretching my neck to capture New York City’s grandeur from the airplane. A canopy of clouds drifted and sifted over New York, but I could still see rows and rows of homes with small patches of grass and trees in the front.
As soon as I landed, I took a Lyft to my hotel to leave the luggage and head to the Expo, where I was meeting with my Sacramento friends and doing the narrated bus tour of the entire course. I was soon going to find out that the bus tour would take longer than actually running the whole course, especially for those runners making it under 4 hours, but it was great to sit back, relax, spend time with my friends, and taking pics of the five boroughs to add to my blog.
Meeting with my awesome Sacramento runner friends at the Expo.
After the tour, I got to spend time at the Expo, enjoying the energy, the international runners chirping in French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and so on, and all the vendors. No matter of the languages spoken all around us, we all had one thing in common: crossing the finish line of the largest marathon in the world.
Finding one’s name among thousands of others is always exciting and humbling.
Running teaches us to spread our wings wide and high and reach for the sky. Shalane Flanagan as the winner of last year’s New York city marathon.
It was getting late, so I went outside to get a Lyft to my hotel, which was close to Central Park and the finish line. The first day in New York went by quickly and I can say that the New York bagels are the best.
The Day Before the Marathon – Carb Loading and Exploring New York City
Saturday before the marathon, I slept in, since I was tired from the flight and all the excitement. Around 9 a.m., I took off on an easy 3-mile run with strides through Central Park. As I ran through Central Park, not knowing which direction to go, I ended up by the finish line, which was exhilarating and brought tears of joys and gratitude to my face. I even found the Romanian flag, which made it special.
Born and raised in Romania, I will never forget my roots and I am proud to be a Romanian American.
Seeing the finish line the day before the marathon helped me visualize my own finish of New York City marathon.
On my way back to the hotel, I took New York’s fall colors all in, being mesmerized by the bright colors set against the backdrop of New York City’s skyscrapers. Runners ran in circles around Central Park and I was once again reminded how fortunate I was to run another world marathon.
Fall splendor in Central Park.
Fall foliage, which made many friends back home remark on the true colors of autumn on the East coast.
After my morning explorations of Central Park, I went back to the hotel, showered, and had lunch. The plan was to explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the afternoon for just a couple of hours, since I needed to keep my legs fresh for the next day.
The Metropolitan Museum is a must. I loved the Delacroix exhibit and the Egyptian one, but all the art is exquisite and giving so much joy to the onlookers.
I spent the evening in Madison Square Garden and Rockefeller Plaza, enjoying my pasta dinner, but mainly taking in the sounds of New York, the constant buzzing, the excitement, and the flashing lights all around me. I took another Lyft back to my hotel (I only took the bus once and the rest of the time, I relied on the shared Lyft riding with others, as Lyft services are more expensive).
From what other runners had told me, I didn’t need to go so early to catch the bus or the ferry to the start line. Although in the beginning, I signed up for the ferry, I learned that the bus was the faster option and that I didn’t have to take both the ferry and the bus. I changed the ferry option at the Convention center and opted to take the bus from the New York Public Library, which was only one mile away and easy to get by Lyft. As you can see, my travel to New York should be called Carmen’s uplifting Lyft experience of getting around places – ha!ha!
Marathon Day Race and Logistics
Even though I went to bed by 10:30 p.m. on Saturday after talking to my hubby on the phone, I still decided to sleep an extra half an hour and only get to the bus at 6 a.m. instead of 5:30 a.m., as I did not want to wait so long before my coral’s start time of 9:55 a.m. Once I arrived at the library, I was greeted by a long line of runners and had to wait at least 30 minutes to get on the nice warm bus that had no bathroom, so be prepared for an hour to 1.5 hours ride and of not going to the bathroom. Also for those anxious of not making it on time, don’t be too creative and just follow the time written on your wrist band, which nobody checked, as they only wanted to see our bibs.
The line for the bus at 6 a.m. on November 4th, 2018, the big marathon day.
On the bus, I became friends with Jaszver, a smart and super athletic guy in his 30s. We kept talking for the entire ride to Staten Island, which took an hour an a half. My glutes were getting a little tight from sitting so long, which is why it felt good to get off the bus to another long line that funneled runners to their corresponding coral.
As soon as we got off the bus, soldiers with guns greeted us. They were serious and they even had to step in when some runners tried to cut the line and run to their corals.
After waiting in line to get to my coral and passing by runners who were wrapped up in heavy bathrobes to keep warm, which others were sitting on the ground on blankets, I made it to my coral exactly an hour before the start. The bathrooms were plenty and I had time to go multiple times to make sure I don’t have to stop on the course, which I have been fortunate to never need to go. Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York song was playing through the speakers and they soon started to announce the elite women runners first. I felt elated to be surrounded by runners from all over the world and experience the joy of running on a beautiful, sunny, chilly November day. The weather was perfect to run a marathon.
Right before the start of the New York City marathon before we started to walk on the Verrazzano Bridge where the start line was.
Before I knew it, we started to walk towards the Verrazzano Bridge, a double-decked suspension bridge connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn and then we were running on the lower part of the bridge with expansive water views all around us. The first mile is hilly, so I didn’t have to put effort into holding back my pace. The bridges and overpasses are long and pretty steep. As soon as we got off the bridge, the spectators started cheering on us. I was surrounded by runners, but I did not feel crowded. After my first mile was in the mid 9s, I started to ease into my 8 minute and high 7 minute pace. I felt great and enjoyed the sights of Brooklyn and all the old brick buildings.
I loved seeing different style buildings and running through New York City’s five boroughs. A unique and indelible experience.
Brooklyn
The spectators continued to treat us like rock stars and I felt good all the way till about mile 10 when I started to fall off pace by about 20 seconds, but I decided to go with it and enjoy this amazing marathon that kept me entertained and on my toes at all times. My left calf muscle that gave me trouble at Chicago felt great this time and gave me no issues- it was my glute muscles that tightened up on me, making it hard for me to keep my faster stride. I kept digging deep, smiling, and looking forward to go over another super long and steep bridge, the Queensboro Bridge , which is the first entry point to Manhattan during the New York City Marathon. This bridge comes at mile 15 when the legs are a little tired, but at the end of the bridge, the spectators were thunderous, cheering us on and making the next miles pass by quicker. My pace was already in the low 9s, but I realized that my body gave me all it had, especially since I was running two marathons in one month.
An online picture of Queensboro bridge.
Around mile 19, I heard my name called loudly, but I thought I was delirious, or the spectators saw my name that I scribbled on my bib. Only after the marathon, did I learn that my friend Elizabeth was tracking me and cheered me on. We met at Mountains to Beach Marathon earlier this year and kept in touch through Facebook. She even took my video and thought that I was running strong, when I felt that I was barely moving trying to get to Central Park and six miles closer to the finish line.
The next miles getting to Central Park felt hard, as if invisible hills kept popping out of nowhere.
I smiled a lot to trick my body and that helped a lot besides the most amazing spectators on the planet.
As you can see here, I am ahead of the woman from Sweden, who is probably thinking just like me WTH about all the rolling hills. Pic taken by the race photographers.
I was so excited when I finally got to Central Park running the same paths that I had run the previous day on my 3-mile shakeout run. My legs were tired, so around mile 25, I had a breakthrough and an idea to make myself run faster the way I finish most races. As the spectators were right behind the barricades cheering us on, I started talking to them and shouted: “I love you, New York,” and the crowds went wild for me. My pace starting to pick up, not minding the rolling hills that kept coming our way like ocean waves that we had to climb on. I kept shouting “I love you, New York” all the way to the finish line, when I finished happy and not in too much pain in 3 hours and 54 minutes. I also found out later that I was 11,000 out of 53,000 runners who finished, so not too bad for such a large marathon.
Crossing the finish line with enormous joy. Pic taken by the race photographers.
Celebrating with my medal and text messages coming through from my friend Andrea and other friends. I called me husband and told him that I finished and was alive and well.
We had to walk another mile to get to our fancy marathon ponchos and to the food bag that they handed out to participants. All the walking around after marathon helped the recovery of my muscles.
New York City marathon was an indelible experience that solicited my physical, mental, and spiritual strength and gave me faith in humanity, as the spectators are like no others. My seventh marathon and my second world marathon were complete, leaving me transformed and with an eternal love and gratitude for the Big Apple City.
How about you? Have you run New York City marathon? Is there something you wish to share, or comment on other than “I love you, New York?”
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
Pressed by time and not wanting to be away too long from my family, the same day I ran New York City, my seventh marathon, I flew back to Sacramento, which did not give me enough time to have a proper meal afterwards. Luckily, a kind, blonde-haired flight attendant , realized how hungry I was and gave me double the snacks and some food I ordered. Yet, nothing seemed to satisfy my insatiable appetite that stretched as long and steep as the bridges I had run over during the marathon, so the flight attendant’s final offer was two bags of popcorners, which inspired me to write this flash fiction. Let’s not delay things. Pick up your own popcorners, sit back, and enjoy reading.
Popcorners made me so happy after the marathon on my flight back home to Sacramento.
“Sweet and salty kettle corn never fried,” pops out at me in capital letters on the red and black package that the flight attendant kindly handed to me. I opened the bag quickly and popped them into my mouth. The sweet and salty flavor of the chips transported me back to New York’s five boroughs when my sweat mixed with the sweetness of the spectators cheering on all the runners. As I turned over the package, I came across this message: “We believe your best self begins when you decide to do one better – whether that’s running a little farther, laughing a little louder, or snacking a little healthier.”
“Hmm! How did these cunning marketing people know that I wished to run a little farther?” I asked myself, feeling a little stronger and well-nourished.
My answer: the same way the flight attendant knew to give me two bags of popcorners with the first three words on top of the bag reading: “Do one better.”
“Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, Chicago is work.”
Actor Michael Douglas
Chicago marathon is a big deal for the windy city and the spectators were cheering for us despite the rain. The approximate number of spectators: more than 1.5 million.
Although Chicago marathon was my sixth marathon that I ran in the last three years since I became a runner, this was my first world marathon and I could only guess what to expect from it before I toed the start line on October 7th, 2018. Some things about Chicago marathon were pretty clear to me just by reading the official program and information on the website. For instance, I learned that the Chicago marathon uses 1.1 million Gatorade cups on race day and 1.3 million water cups. I also learned that the warmest race day was 89 degrees, coldest race was 21 degrees F, and the last time it snowed during the marathon was in 1993.
My goal was to try to break 3:30:59, which I had accomplished at Mountains 2 Beach Marathon held in Ventura, Southern California on May 27th this year. I put in the work, but I also had to ask my coach to redo my schedule in September, as my left calf muscle was constantly aggravated by all the mileage and long runs. Everybody told me how much they loved the flat and fast course at Chicago, but I had my doubts , since running on flat terrain is not my cup of tea. My neighborhood is surrounded by hills and I love the energy and bounce that I experience when running up and down the hills, but I tried to believe in the flat course.
BEFORE THE MARATHON – WALKING AND EXPLORING CHICAGO
Besides running my first world marathon, I was excited to travel with my awesome friend and best training partner Andrea Brizendine. We were going to stay with my good Romanian friends Magdalena and her wonderful family, which was another highlight of my trip. The Friday before our marathon was a little rainy and our plan was to go to the Expo to pick up our racing numbers and soak in the atmosphere of a world marathon, as well as explore Chicago. At the Expo, there were lines everywhere, but especially at the Nike store, where everyone wanted to buy the official merchandise, since Nike was the sponsor. Even trying to take pictures with iconic signs meant standing in long lines, but we were excited to be surrounded by runners from all over the world who had to travel so much farther that us. The energy flowed in waves through the large room filled with merchandise, vendors’ booths, and big Chicago marathon signs, which added to our excitement, emotions, and gratitude of having qualified and running a world marathon.
Our picture at the Expo right before entering the huge room, where we needed to pick up all our marathon goodies.
Wearing the Chicago marathon T-shirt at the Expo.
Around noon time, we made it to the Art Institute of Chicago located in Grant Park, which was also the start of our marathon. We loved exploring the museum and enjoyed the exquisite art exhibit.
Fiberglass dog statues like this one in Grant Park close to the start line are part of the campaign to pay tribute to the canine unit, honor fallen Chicago Police officers.
Andrea and I loved walking around Chicago and relished the unique and diverse architecture, as well as the Chicago River. By the end of the day on Friday, we had walked 10 miles, so we knew we had to stay off our feet on Saturday, the day before our marathon.
On Saturday, we had to say good bye to my wonderful friend Magdalena and her family, but not before they took us to Benedict’s, a neighborhood restaurant where everyone is familiar, as the advertising says. The warm family atmosphere, the fresh food, and the attention to details made our breakfast together special. I also had the best vegan Quinoa pancakes and gobbled up all three of them, since I needed my carbs for the next day’s marathon.
With my wonderful friend Magdalena the day before our marathon. Staying at her house was quite special and we felt at home.
We spent the rest of our Saturday taking the architectural river cruise, walking by the river, and learning about the unique and eclectic Chicago architecture. In the evening, we got our marathon clothes ready and we both created flat Carmen and flat Andrea, which is something we runners do, as we prepare our marathon clothes, shoes, gels, race number, etc. We also did our carb loading at the hotel’s restaurant and admired Chicago at night with its twinkling lights spreading shear magic across the Chicago River. The many bridges arched their backs across the water and filled my soul with infinite dreams. They also made me think of the transcendence nature of each bridge and how they connect us to the other side of what’s truly possible when we believe and put in the work. I felt peaceful and not nervous about the next day’s marathon, but I did not feel any strong vibes about my race, which meant surrendering to race day with the ever-changing weather prognosis that constantly turned rain to sun and sun to rain. We also got to talk to our wonderful coach Robert Ressl-Moyer who called my cell phone to wish both of us good luck and go over some strategy with us, such as tucking in behind other runners to shield ourselves from the rain and wind. We both found out that this was not easy to do on the course, but that’s what racing a world marathon means: adjusting and learning.
Chicago at night as viewed from our Holiday Inn newer hotel right by the water.
RACE DAY – SIXTH MARATHON AND FIRST WORLD MARATHON
Although Andrea and I had a large room with two spacious queen beds, we did not sleep very long or well, but we woke up ready to greet the cloudy, overcast marathon day that had a new weather forecast for us: rainy and temperatures in the low 60s. We both decided to call a Lyft due to the rain and not wanting to walk in the dark, even though our hotel was only 1.2 miles away from the start line. The Lyft took about 10 minutes to get to our hotel. Runners filled the hallways and the elevators. Most of them had their luggage ready and some had their children with them. We had decided to hold the hotel hostage, so to speak – ha!ha! and planned to return to our rooms right after the marathon to take our showers. Our Lyft driver was very nice and dropped us off right in front of Grant Park, where Police cars roamed around to direct traffic and oversee the security of the marathon and its participants.
Andrea and I before the race while waiting in long lines for the bathroom. It was raining lightly and it was overcast, but the temperature was in the low 60s, so not too bad.
At the start of the Chicago marathon before checking out my bag.
Andrea and I were both in the same coral, but had to walk/run all the way to the Buckingham Fountains to check in our marathon bags with our jackets and other things that we needed at the finish line. While Andrea was in line for the bathroom, I went to check in our marathon bags, after which I texted her to go to our coral, as it was getting close to 7:20 a.m., when we had to be in our coral before the marathon started. I ran for about half a mile to make it on time and to position myself to start with the 3:35 pacer group. Andrea and I were separated, but we knew we would find each other either on the course or at the finish line, since we both had different racing goals.
THE MARATHON, THE RAIN, THE CROWDS, AND THE ANGRY CALF MUSCLE
Before I had time to fully prepare, I started to run. The marathon had begun and I already had the sensation that I had to go the bathroom, but luckily, it was just a false alarm. I kept the pacers in front of me, as I tried to stick to my plan of running slower at about 7:55 pace for the first three miles. I held myself back as much as possible and in less than two miles I lost the 3:25 pacing group from sight. The crowds were cheering and braving the rain with colorful and large umbrellas. As I ran and came close to the white lines on the road, I had immediately realized that they were slippery and that I had to stay away from them by all means.
As soon as I hit my 5K time, I felt a little bit behind with my gross marathon time, but also knew that the clock was not accurate based on our start time. However, I also realized that my GPS watch was quite inaccurate, as many runner friends had warned me. At one point before I even hit six miles, my watch was showing that I was running a 5:40 pace mile, which happened to my friend Andrea as well. I panicked a little bit, after which I had decided to relax and feel the pace, while watching my feet and paying attention to the aid stations to get my water cup and avoid slipping and falling.
With over 45,000 runners and approximately 1,700,000 million spectators, the course at Chicago marathon was flat and varied, as we ran through 29 neighborhoods. I looked around me, trying to recognize various parks, such as Lincoln Park, where I visited their free zoo exactly 11 years ago, when I first visited Chicago with a friend of mine. The crowds were ecstatic and cheering loudly for us. I tried to smile as much as possible, while trying to run under 8 minute pace per mile, but I had a few miles that were 8:10 minute miles and was not quite feeling this race. Yet, I kept on smiling and telling myself that I always get a second wind and that during my second half of the race, I should be able to pick up my pace. Well, it didn’t quite happen that way, but let’s keep moving on through the half marathon point, where the rain started to come down a little harder and I encountered some wind – nothing too drastic.
Amidst the spectators cheering for various runners from Mexico, Italy, Japan, Germany, and so on, I could not find the pace I needed, but I stayed optimistic and kept running and splashing through the puddles, or trying not to. Around mile 14, my left calf started to tense up and hurt me. I had run on a tight calf muscle for the whole summer during my Chicago marathon training cycle, and although I took my homeopathic cramping pills and I had put a special muscle cream the morning of the marathon, the pain and struggle were real. I slowed down my pace and hoped that the pain would leave my body, but it continued to bother me, after which both my gluteal muscles started to hurt and be painful.
By the time I reached Chinatown, my pace was in the mid 9s, which was definitely not what I wanted, but I had to honor my body and the fact that I did not want to get injured, since I had to run my second world marathon, New York City, which is so hard to qualify for. As soon as I hit miles 20-21, I felt relieved knowing that it would be over soon. The energy of the crowds in China Town was inspiring and invigorating. I started to cry with joy and relief that my father was there with me in spirit. The sign “Welcome to China Town” gave me the reassurance that I would finish this marathon with a little bit of a struggle, no PR (personal record), but with a heart full of gratitude for being able to run with joy and love for my father who was always proud of me and had taught me to never quit and keep on going. The Biofreeze area was on the side and I was sure tempted to make a quick stop like other runners and get a little bit of pain relief from their quick spraying, but I wanted to keep on running, as I was still hoping to qualify for 2020 Boston marathon based on the new faster time, which needed to be 3:50.
The last six miles of the race were not memorable in terms of the surroundings, but for some reason, I managed to stay steady and run at around 9:15 pace, or a little faster. The rain had stopped, but the roads were still slick and I could feel the hat and clothes sticking on me and keeping me cool. As soon as I saw the tall skyscrapers and the crowds cheering even louder, I knew that I was getting close to the finish line, so I focused on my form and ran over the last hill that had 400 meter sign next to it at a decent pace. By now, I could hear the crowds and knew that the finish was in sight. In most of my past races, I had been able to finish with a strong sprint, but that day, my body gave me just a little faster pace and no sprint. I crossed the finish line in 3:49:35 just enough to qualify for Boston. I could tell that my body was exhausted from all the pushing and coaxing I did, so I walked slowly towards the volunteers with the marathon finisher ponchos they were handing out and got mine.
At the finish line before getting my finisher’s medal.
Trying to smile through the pain and rain. I was grateful for another finish and the fact that unlike other runners who had issues, I did not have to stop or walk. I still ran a decent race.
Within just a few minutes, my friend Andrea had appeared next to me after finishing a strong race with a 3:45:06 time, which made me very happy, knowing that her body stayed strong, after she had come back from injury. We hugged and celebrated. She saw that I could barely walk and that I looked a little lost, She told me to wait for her while she would get our bags from the check-in area. I needed to go to use the bathroom right away, after which I grabbed the special Goose Island beer they had for us and chugged it all down. I was drained, drenched from the rain and I was thirsty and hungry. Andrea also told me that as I took off my wet hat, my hair was a mess sticking out in all directions, as if I had little antennae, but I did not care about my hair at that moment. I hoped my calf muscle would recover and we both wanted to get to our hotel, to take our shower, and check out.
The roads were blocked, as many runners were still out on the course, so we started to walk to our hotel. Andrea felt much better after the race, so she was walking fast, whereas I could barely drag my feet. We made it to the hotel and I sure felt better after taking a hot shower and changing into dry and warm clothes. The hotel receptionist was nice to us, even though we checked out at 2:45 p.m.
What an adventure my first world marathon was and here are the 10 lessons I learned:
World marathons are unique, large, and unpredictable, because the logistics are more complex than smaller marathons.
Don’t despair if you don’t hit a personal best time at a world marathon and have a back-up plan for a smaller marathon, as running with thousands of people is fun and scary at the same time.
My friend Andrea loves to strength train and due to an injury, she had to run less miles, did no GMP training runs, and she did only a few longer runs, but not your typical five-six 20 and 22 milers. Thus, running more is not always better, but making sure you do specific strength training, which for me it is for my gluteal muscles, at least twice a week, is paramount to having a strong marathon and a happier body at the finish. Less is more sometimes, even though running more miles gets us better prepared for marathons, but not if it means having no time to devote to strength training the body to last the entire 26.2 miles.
Prepare for the goal you want to hit in the race during training, but also let the day of the race tell you how to run and whether plan A for the race is feasible, or whether you need to go to plan B, or even plan C.
Soak in the crowds and the surroundings to enjoy your special world marathon.
Smile big and run with JOY and GRATITUDE, as runners from all over the world had to work hard to qualify for a world marathon race and know that you already are making your country, your town, your family/friends, and your coach proud.
Be prepared to wait in long lines, so arrive early to navigate the crowds and check in your bags if you have any, or you will be like a runner I saw on the course running with his marathon bag on his shoulders.
Follow the blue line, which is the line drawn on the ground used to measure the course to avoid running extra. My friend Andrea did this, as she heard some runners talk about it, whereas I kept my eyes ahead to see if the runners were making a left or a right. I did not add too much to my marathon distance, but I had to stay focused and run the tangents.
Announce yourself when picking up the water cup, as it tends to be crowded and runners can trip over each other. Also watch your steps, as there are cups on the ground and it is slippery, especially on a rainy day.
And last, but not least don’t forget to cherish your finish no matter of the time and to celebrate with beer to replenish those muscles with good carbs and some B vitamins.
My pictures during the race and the plaque of my first World marathon. My goal is to run all six world marathon and to get a plaque and the big six star medal for all. Happy feet!
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“Every race I do, whether it’s a success or a fail, I learn something.” Jenny Hitchings
Running Strong and with Joy at Any Age
Jenny Hitchings racing and winning the 2018 Susan B. Anthony 5K with a new age group American record of 18:05.
After having listened to Jenny Hitchings podcast on Rambling Runner during one of my mid-week long runs, I was totally inspired by her success story, her down to earth approach to running, her humbling attitude, but most of all by the fact that Jenny Hitchings seriously started running when she was 40 (I myself have started to run when I was 42 just three years ago, so that totally gave me hope that I have more to give and loftier goals to pursue) and that at 55, she has won Mountains 2 Beach Marathon and has set two American age group records in the Susan B Anthony 5K and Buffalo Stampede 10-mile races. Jenny Hitchings’ astounding success comes with hard work and a strong passion for running. To me, she embodies all the strong women runners out there who are willing to put in the work and not use the fact that they are 40 or 50 years old as an excuse.
Passion is the number one ingredient in life, running, and our careers.
Dedication and determination are not just two words starting with the letter “d”; they represent a mental aspect of running that can propel other women runners of all ages towards greatness and satisfaction with their strong performances.
Hard work is our way of reaping the rewards after being consistent in our training and daily commitment to achieving our highest goals.
Joy comes from many sweaty runs – a sprinkle of satisfaction, inner peace and harmony that we runners learn to find when pounding the roads and the trails.
Satisfaction is the frosting on the cake after all the hard work and follow through, which will show and make us shine when we hit that personal best, win our age group, or just win the race.
Victory is the cherry on top, so to speak, when the running Gods place that symbolic victory wreath on our heads.
Running as Identity
To Jenny Hitchings, running is part of her identity. Married to Andy, who runs a bit, but mainly loves to swim, Jenny is also a mother of two grown girls, Molly and Maggie. Jenny has lived in Sacramento for over 20 years, after moving here from Mill Valley. A running coach helping runners of all abilities, Jenny also coaches middle school cross country team and an elementary youth running program. Although busy with work and her family, Jenny usually runs six days a week, unless circumstances prevent her from doing this. A key ingredient to Jenny’s tremendous success is the fact that she always takes a FULL rest day. Her coach, Jenny Spangler, from Chicago gives Jenny her workouts, which tend to be one to two speedier workouts and a longer run during the week. Right now, Jenny’s weekly mileage is low 60s, but she will reach mid to high 70s as she approaches a marathon training cycle. Jenny has never been an extremely high mileage person, which is probably a quintessential element to staying injury free and running super strong in her 50s.
Jenny does most of her training runs on our beautiful American River Parkway, a place where runners, bikers, and walkers share the trails.
Running as a Passion, Joy, and Rival
Jenny Hitchings believes that running is a passion, a joy, an escape, a challenge, her own personal rival, and she is good at it. This multi-faceted aspect of running has translated into many successful races for Jenny. “I always take away something from a race, which is probably why I continue to race, as I want to put the lessons learned from a previous race into action…or at least try, ” said Hitchings.
With that being said, Jenny Hitchings’ most impressive races have been:
1. Eugene Marathon, 2011. She was 47 (soon to be 48) and ran a personal best of 2:46:10. A bittersweet race, as she wanted to qualify for the 2012 Marathon Olympic Trials (a big dream). She ran her best race that day, but missed the OQT by 10 seconds. It was a very long 10 sec!! She is proud of this effort, as there were nay sayers and doubters out there, and she really wanted to prove some people wrong. She also wanted to prove to herself that she could do it, or at least try.
Barely missing the qualifying time for the Olympic trials by 10 seconds, a very long 10 seconds, and yet Jenny’s best and fastest marathon.
2. CIM (California International Marathon), 2015 – Jenny Hitching was 52 and ran a 2:49, breaking a standing 30 year age group course record of 2:51. She tried for a couple of years to do this, as she wanted this bad!! This was a race where mental toughness took over, or really helped.
Jenny running the California International Marathon with poise and determination.
3. Boston, 2015 – Jenny won her age group at the Boston Marathon in 2:52 – What a thrill! All the press she received following this race was more amplified due to the fact that so many people know and care about Boston.
4. Susan B Anthony 5k, 2018 – Jenny Hitching ran a PR of 27 sec to win the race and get an American Age Group Record in 18:05.
5. Buffalo Stampede 10-mile race, 2018 – Jenny Hitchings set another American Age Group Record and a PR, finishing in 1:01:20.
Advice for Women 40 years and Older to be the Strong and Passionate Runners that They Can Be
According to Jenny Hitchings, the most important word of advice for women 40 and older is consistency. Jenny pointed out that as we get older and our lives get busier or more full, it’s so easy for us to put our own needs and goals aside and focus on others, such as our families, friends, careers, our homes, pets, etc. However, as runners, women should have specific goals – small or big, which means that they need to fit the runs and training into their schedule and make it a priority. There can’t be excuses! “Have a sniffle? Get over it!” said Hitchings. To her, having a goal and working consistently towards that goal is paramount. Running here and there won’t work.
For women in their 50s, running is crucial, as it regenerates bone density, according to an article published by Washington Post.
Another specific advice Jenny Hitchings has for women 50 and older is to have their hormonal issues checked out. For instance, if women 50 and older are having sleep (the worst), mood, recovery, and motivation issues due to perimenopause or menopause, Jenny recommends that women talk to their doctor about how to get back on track and feeling more like themselves. Taking supplements that are good for your joints, bones, skin, etc., is also good. In addition, stretching, rolling, doing strength training, as well as getting deep tissue massages to keep things loose are quite beneficial and good for runners.
Injury prevention is key, since most runners and athletes do get hurt at one time or another, which is why Jenny Hitchings advices runners to pay attention to the warning signs. Feel a niggle in your achilles? Should you stop your run? You know the difference between something minor or something that really doesn’t feel right. These little niggles can turn into full blown nightmares!
When it comes tonutrition, Jenny eats many things in moderation throughout the day. Although, she loves sweets, Jenny doesn’t eat large amounts in one sitting. She tends to eat things that make her feel good, but not creamy, fried, heavy foods that don’t sit well in her stomach. Jenny LOVES french fries, so this is an exception.
Strength and cross trainingare not high on Jenny’s priority list, as she generally just runs unless she is in a recovery mode or injured. She does like to cross train by cycling on her Peloton bike. Jenny also likes to see Tony Mikla at KIME Performance, for he helps her with stretching and strength work.
Jenny Hitchings’ Final Words of Wisdom for New and Experienced Runners
New Runners:
Enjoy running, or you will never stick with it.
Be patient, as it takes time to build fitness and feel comfortable.
Consistency, motivation, and following a training program will bring you results.
Experienced Runners:
Keep up the running.
Make new goals.
Challenge yourself.
Follow your dreams.
Mix it up and stay healthy.
And to all runners – think about hiring a coach. Sometimes we all need a supplemental brain.
Hope you all enjoyed this blog and that you got at least one good lesson to apply to your running. For me, running with consistency, purpose, and joy is what will continue to help me improve as a runner. I will also choose not to worry about my age group and instead just run strong and reap the rewards. How about you, my runner and non-runner friends? What is one lesson you took away from this blog? What other lessons do you want to add for all runners of all ages and abilities? Do you have any specific running or coaching questions for Jenny?
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“Marathons just like a full moon are circular, radiant, and too grand to comprehend until we learn to run a little slower at the start, steady ourselves during the race, and race it fast at the finish line.” Carmen Micsa
I qualified for Boston for the second time with a better time and I had to ring the gong.
When I ran my first marathon the California International Marathon in December 2015, I was terrified inside, but did not show anything on the outside. How can anyone run so long? Will I need to stop and catch my breath? Apparently not! I ran non-stop chasing that finish line and barely able to walk afterwards. With Mountains 2 Beach as my fifth marathon, which I finished in 3:30:59, there came a huge 43-minute PR from my first marathon and a 10-minute PR from my fourth marathon. I had run five marathons, since I became a runner and I am happy to say that I PRed in every single one. I am a marathon enthusiast and consider marathons as my very favorite distance due to the fact that I have more margin to beat my previous time.
IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE THE MARATHON – TOO MANY CREATURES AND RUNNERS WERE MOVING, BUT CARMEN WAS GENTLY STIRRING THE LEGS
On May 25th, 2018 my husband, our kids, and I drove to Ventura for my fifth marathon. I was happy that the marathon happened over Memorial weekend break, which meant my family could join me in my endeavor and give me their unconditional love and support. Due to the fact that my training cycle has been super busy with two 50K races and my first 50-mile race in April, my left calf muscle had been a little sore, which is why my coach Robert Ressl-Moyer and I have decided to take two days off before my marathon. I swam and walked around Ventura on Saturday, the day before Mountains 2 Beach, while preparing my mind, heart, and legs. I liked this a lot and will try to apply for most of my future marathons, as I am one of those runners who doesn’t need to shake up the legs. A gentle going is all I need, since running fast from the start comes natural to me, but my favorite marathon strategy that both my coach and I thought was crucial is to start 10 to 12 seconds slower GMP for the first three miles.
Walking around the harbor while other marathoners from all over the United States (New Jersey, New York, Texas, etc.) and other countries (Germany, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc.) were running, felt great and allowed my legs to be fresh.
Getting excited before my marathon while keeping my goals in mind and believing in the big day. First marathon run outside of Sacramento and I was ready for a change of scenery and a different, faster course.
After lunch, my husband drove me to the Expo, which was quite small and easy to navigate to pick up my bib and other goodies.
To match the writing on the podium I stood on with my marathon T-shirt, I was determined and ready to have an extraordinary race the following day.
Runner 2263 and the course map behind me, which is not as downhill as it looks, especially after the half.
In the afternoon, I got to hang out by the pool ( light swimming and the use of the spa is always great for my body allowing it to relax and feel refreshed) with my wonderful friend Karen Clark, whom I met during the Parkway 20-mile race in Sacramento that we both run in preparation for the California International Marathon. We talked and ran at gross marathon pace for more than 10 miles and we became friends instantly.
In the evening, my husband found a great family Italian restaurant, where I ordered a plate of spaghetti with mushrooms and red bell peppers. The plate was huge and I could barely eat half with a little bread. My husband joked with me: “I thought you needed to carb load and you have barely eaten half of your spaghetti.” “Well, yeah! This plate is big enough to feed the whole family,” I said already making plans to save my spaghetti for dinner after the marathon. As a vegan runner, I don’t just rely on the day before the marathon to carb load; I typically do it over three days, which I highly recommend whether you are vegan or not. Adding more carbs and cutting out the protein means that you will replenish your glycogen in your muscles and not get slowed down by the protein that is hard to digest and is really needed after the race to repair and recover the muscles. I also ate a lot of beets the week of the marathon to increase the nitric oxide and improve circulation to the lungs.
After dinner, I arranged my Fleet Feet racing singlet with my bib number, my Copper Fit shorts, and my fast Nike Zoom Vapor 4% Nike shoes, which are supposed to make one 4% faster in races and they delivered. I also organized my energy gels in my belt. We all went to bed at 11 p.m., as we had to wake up at 4 a.m., which was actually not that early in comparison with the runners who had to take the shuttle to the start line.
AT THE START LINE – LET THE FUN BEGIN
After a good night rest (I always sleep like a baby, or like a lizard, as I like to joke with my friends the night before races), I ate a morning round bread topped with a little honey, banana, dark chocolate, and a quarter glass of beet powder mixed with water for breakfast. After I ate, we left the room to meet with my friend Karen and her boyfriend David for all of us to drive to the start line.
We were able to find parking easily for David and my hubby to come with us to the start line and then meet us on the course. I used the bathroom twice before the marathon and I met with Marina and Joanie, my runner friends from Sacramento while waiting in line. I was calm and felt no excitement, other than the pure joy of running another marathon with some clear goals in mind. My calmness before races sure matched my dear father’s way of being in all situations. As a watchmaker, I felt that my Dad had some magical powers to control time and use every second judiciously, which is I was hoping he would show up and watch over me during this marathon as he had done it in other races. My father passed away at the young age of 53 of a heart attack caused by his type one diabetes, but he sure smiled upon me from Heaven, especially when I needed him the most, so I was hopeful and looking for signs.
My friend Karen and I at the start line. All ready for another marathon. Karen got to run Boston and Big Sur this year. So proud of her!
Meeting Laura, Karen’s friend. Three strong women ready to run!
The race was not too crowded. We were able to locate the 3:30 pacers and we positioned ourselves behind them to start a little slower. And then the countdown from 10 seconds to go happened. Off we went!
THE FIRST 13 MILES OF SMILES AND DISCLIPLINED, STEADY RUNNING
My legs felt great and wanted to run fast, but I held them back with the dexterity of a horse trainer taming a wild horse. I kept a close eye on my watch and did not allow myself to run under 8:10 pace for the first three miles of the race. Both my friends Karen and Laura took off from me, but I was not ready to chase a faster pace this early in the race. I needed to run smartly and stick to the master plan. I relished the fresh cooler air (this marathon starts at 6 a.m.), the mountains that encircled the runners with warmth, the small wineries we ran by, the horses grazing with purpose and intent to make the best of their food, and the soft sound of my feet against the road.
At mile 6, we got to come back to the start line before heading down the mountains to the beach. My hubby took this pic of me and waved at me, smiling and cheering. I felt amazing, but did not try to go too fast on the downhills, meaning I held myself back once I hit 7:45 pace, since my goal was to finish with a 7:58 to 8:00 min pace.
This is a pretty and flat portion around mile 11 that we ran on a bike path. I was heading towards my husband to exchange my water bottle in which I had Scratch containing electrolytes mixed with water. My running and breathing were smooth, my legs, glutes, and left calf muscle were all happy and content. I was having a blast, but my dear father has not showed up yet, sending me a sign that he was there in spirit.
And then mile 12 arrived. A younger woman caught up with me. I greeted her, after which she said: “I have been watching you! You are as steady as a rock,” said Rozy, a woman in her 30s who used to live in Vancouver, Canada, but now lived in Southern California with her husband and their beautiful baby girl. I thought to myself: “Is she talking about me? Steadiness in pace did not use to be my strength. I was even told one time that I ran like a kid, doing fartleks, running slower, then faster. Yet, consistency is definitely key to the running economy and to hitting faster times. We started chatting and I realized that we were running at a 7:18 min pace, which was much faster than what I needed to run, so I told her. She said that it was great running with me and that she felt good, so she took off. I smiled and said good-bye. I kept on running and smiling. I passed the half marathon mark in about 1:43 minutes and stayed focused, while hydrating well, as it was getting a little warmer. I even took the homeopathic cramp little pills that they passed out at the Expo, as I did not want to take any chances.
THE MIDDLE MILES OF CLIMBING HILLS MORE THAN DESCENDING THEM
I felt great and kept on running till I hit mile 16 when I started to cry softly. It suddenly dawned on me that my father sent Rozy my way to tell me that I was as steady as a rock. Her kind words have become my mantra and I smiled big to the skies, realizing that my dear father had sent such a powerful message my way. How come I needed four miles to realize that my father was talking to me through Rozy? At least, I got it and my soul filled with joy and confidence that I would keep running strong and steady especially through the middle miles that were hillier and tougher to conquer, but I kept my pace. When things got a little tough, I kept reminding myself that I was as steady as a rock. These words will become my Mountains 2 Beach marathon mantra that I kept chanting to myself every single mile till the finish. My daddy was there! He did not forget me and showed me that patience, perseverance, and perspiration were key in life. Moreover, my dad believed in me as always.
THE FINISH LINE WITH THE PACIFIC WAVES CRASHING AGAINST THE SHORE
Around mile 22, our Fleet Feet racing team mate Greg Anderson wan on the side of the bike path cheering. I was so happy to see him and immediately picked up my pace, especially because the 3:30 pacers were next to me, even though I ran ahead of them all this time. I kept going strong, but my gluteus felt the miles at this point in the game, so it was not as easy to keep the pace. Soon I came around downtown Ventura and the hills were steep this time, but I was resolute to keep pushing forward with a little over a mile to go and 9 minutes left on my watch to hit the magic number. A few runners walked the steep hills, but I kept going until to my left I could see the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the sandy and rocky beach. I picked up my pace, smelling and feeling the finish line. This time it tasted salty, but not from crying. It was the ocean smell that reminded me of all the beautiful places I get to run.
I saw David first and he took this great picture of me.
Photo credit to David. One of my favorite pictures in action. Who let the dogs out? I knew that if I made my 3:30 marathon goal time, I did not have any seconds to spare, so I pumped my arms and let my legs carry me to my 3:30:59 best marathon I have run since becoming a runner. It was awesome to see my husband and our kids cheering on me and taking pictures.
And then there was my sweet husband cheering on me and telling me that the kids were at the finish line. I kept pumping my arms and felt the lightness in my step. I knew I picked up my pace. Shortly I just crossed the finish line with the clock showing 3:32 minutes, which was not the correct time, since I started in the second wave. Alex and Sophia hugged me and took pictures of me. Soon I got a text message from my friend Mark showing that I finished in 3:30:59. I did it! How freaking awesome I felt that moment! My coach Robert Ressl-Moyer texted me and said that he was super proud of me! I could not have done it without his guidance, training, and all the progressive 10 to 14-mile long runs that turned me into the steady runner who had just run her best marathon with better ones to come.
Photo credit to our son Alex Micsa. Crossing the finish line is like crossing the ocean: it takes time and practice.
Coming to the other side where all pain is left behind.
To my great joy, as I was looking for my family, I came across my new friend Rozy at the finish line who finished in about 3:24 minutes and felt great.
I will never forget Rozy’s words to me during the race: “You’re as steady as a rock.” I will also keep believing that she was the angel my dear father sent to me during the race with a very special message. So grateful to have met her and so happy for her outstanding marathon.
I expected to be hungry, thirsty, or needing to use the restroom, but I felt amazing and not needing anything other than to bask in the sun and my amazing race, while surrounded with the love and support of my family.
On the podium.
By the ocean right after the race with my husband and our sweet daughter Sophia. Loved that backdrop.
Needless to say, my body never felt so strong after running a marathon due to my amazing training or running up and down the hills back home. This marathon stole my heart and I highly recommend it with the caveat that there are uphill portions, too. Happy feet! To more running adventures.
Please share your amazing marathon stories and the wonderful friends you met during the race.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“You are as steady as a rock,” said my new friend Roz, who ran next to me around mile 12 and who told me she was originally from Vancouver, Canada, but she lives in Southern California now.
Preparation for My Fifth Marathon
Although running helps me live in the NOW and stay grounded, the moment I accomplish a big goal, I am already thinking of the next PR and I jump into action to make that happen. Last year after running my fourth marathon The California International Marathon and qualifying for Boston with a 3:40:41 time, I immediately set my sights on a faster time and goal. I told my awesome coach Robert Ressl-Moyer that I wanted to run Mountains 2 Beach Marathon in 3:30 minutes, even though I was planning on running 50K races and my first 50-mile race in April before this marathon.
“Carmen, I will be honest with you and let you know that it will not be an easy task to accomplish after doing ultramarathons, but if someone can pull it off, that’s you,” he told me. “Besides after running a 50-mile race, a marathon will seem short and if you stay uninjured, you will build some great cardio.”
The winter running schedule was packed with long runs, a marathon training run on trails, and two back to back 50K races. To my great surprise and delight, I finished third female overall in my second ultramarathon race The Chanoako 50K, put together by Total Body Fitness, which meant that I was ready to run my 50-mile race that I was training for by running back to back 50K races.
On the podium! A million thanks to my coach Robert Ressl-Moyer who prepares me for all my races and who waited for me two hours at the finish line. So lucky to have him as my coach and my motto in races is “Make Robert proud.”
My 50K races went smoothly, but my 50-mile endurance race took me 12 hours to complete running in heavy rain and mud. Yet, I persevered and recovered quickly, even though my left calf muscle was tight on me and hurt after tough workouts. I rolled, stretched, but the sports massage helped me the most to continue running and complete tough workouts and GMP (gross marathon pace) miles. A million thank you to Natasha and Terasita with Active BodyWorks who worked on my muscles and made them happy the day of the marathon.
10 Key workouts, habits, and routines that helped me achieve a PR of 10 minutes at Mountains 2 Beach Marathon with my official finish time of 3:30:59 and a pace of 8:04 overall:
Weekly 5:20 a.m. track workouts with ReMo Fitness led by our coach Robert Ressl-Moyer. My favorite workouts are ladders, such as 800, 400, 200, and my least favorite one is the Bart Yasso 800s. I did not make the goal when running them, but I knew I could sustain a pace of 7:50 to 8 minute during the marathon, so I did not worry.
Last track workout the week of the marathon went extremely well for me with my body starting to feel great. Although I was supposed to run mile repeats at 7:50 pace, I ran one mile repeat at 7:13 pace and felt like walking on clouds. It was smooth, effortless, and as coach Robert pointed out, my form and forward lean were great. That Tuesday, I felt that my goal of finishing the marathon in 3:30 was definitely achievable. I was starting to get excited!
Long progressive runs ranging from 10 to 14 miles. These were the absolute key workouts that helped me run Mountains 2 Beach as steady as a rock, as my new friend Roz remarked during the marathon. My focus when doing these workouts was to keep the miles seconds away so that I didn’t end up running too fast at the end, as my body was pretty tired from running six days a week, but resolute to achieve that PR.
I did not feel like doing a progressive run on my own that Thursday, but my friend Andrea Brizendine encouraged me to get it done. I also stayed focused on having super even splits so that I didn’t have to run too fast at the end; it worked out.
3. Weekly strength training prepared for me by my coach and geared to make my gluteus stronger. He even designed workout A and B when I had to do them twice a week, but being so tired, I ended up doing about 10 minutes of Romanian deadlifts, kettlebell swings, planks, and so on. I also received a free hour coaching at CalFit and learned all about the machines that would work my gluteus muscles and make them happy. Running and strength training need to be balanced carefully, as a few of my friends and myself got injured from running too much and doing too much strength training. For this marathon, I was barely able to do my strength training once a week, twice with the shorter versions, but my body stayed strong all the way to the finish line. I also passed a lot of runners from mile 20 to the finish.
Learning how to use the machines at California Family Fitness. This one was my favorite.
My coach Robert teaches this strength training for runners class at the Dai Endurance studio in Sacramento, so I took the class and loved it.
4. Stretching, foam rolling, and doing Pilates class weekly were instrumental to my bouncing back quickly from one day to another to sustain 50 to 65-mile weeks. The gentle Pilates class was instrumental in allowing my body to stretch and be ready for more running. Kate Muir, our fun instructor, loved picking on me when she heard me moan and groan during different stretches. She said: “There is our runner friend Carmen. She can run 50 miles, but is so tight on this one.” Kate has been a passionate runner as well and was excited to hear about my running journey. Any time she drove towards the club and saw me run down the street, she would honk and waive at me.
I do Pilates once a week, as I love the combination of core exercises, stretches, and breathing techniques. I like it better than Yoga and highly recommend it. The Gentle Pilates class is easier on the body and includes more stretches, which made me feel like brand new after the class.
5. Doing two of my long runs, a 20 and 22-mile run, on a downhill course running from Auburn to Loomis that replicates Mountains 2 Beach marathon closely. These runs got my quads strong and marathon ready. Although my 22-mile run went very well, as I hit my GMP for seven miles and finished strong, my 20-mile run two weeks before the marathon that was supposed to be 23 miles did not feel good, as my calf muscle hurt and was tight. With the shorter time to prepare for my marathon after my 50-mile race, I only did a half marathon at 7:50 pace race, where I placed third in my AG, one 18-miler, one 20-miler, and one 22-miler. I loved that I did not have to do too many long runs. I feel that a combo of 16, 18, 20, 22-mile runs suit me and prepare me well for the marathon. Although I bounce back quickly after running a 20-miler (I take a day off to swim, stretch, use the foam roll, and do Pilates), I feel that less is more when it comes to the long runs, especially because I do another mid-week medium run of 12 to 14 miles. I have done five 20-mile runs before to prepare for marathons and did not feel that they helped me as much towards the end of the race. The progressive runs and practicing my half marathon pace that made my marathon pace feel easy were quintessential to my ability to maintain a strong pace at the end of the marathon and pass a lot of runners.
My failed 20-mile run from Auburn to Loomis on the MandaRun course, where I had set my PR the previous year running the half marathon in 1:41:21, which also qualified me to run New York City marathon this year. That day my left calf muscle and my gluteus were quite angry at me, so I had to stop about eight times and only hit one mile at GMP pace. Yet, I stayed positive and did not worry about this long run on tired legs. I knew that on race day, with fresh legs, I would rise and shine ready to run from Ojai to Ventura.
6. Swimming, using the spa and sauna as recovery and conditioning tools. My body loves the water and I feel like a mermaid in the swimming pool, regenerating my tired body and preparing it for more mileage.
Water is my therapy and favorite recovery.
7. Eating and hydrating well. There are no shortcuts to these two. Also as a vegan runner, I made sure to up the intake of protein on my heavy days of running, by eating beans, tofu, and drinking 20-gram organic protein shakes.
Carbs are great for runners and any athletes! My vegan pizza made with Trader Joe’s crust. Super easy to top with yummy veggies.
8. Sleeping 6 to 8 hours a night. Sleeping regenerates our bodies overnight and allows us to train harder. We should all make it a priority. Even when I had to wake up early for our Tuesday morning track workout, I made sure I took a 30 to 40-minute nap in the afternoon, especially if I didn’t have appointments with my clients.
9. Being in tune with my body and shortening workouts if my calf muscle was tight. For instance, my last two long runs got shorter, as I had to run 20 miles instead of 23 with about eight stops during my long run and only one mile at GMP. The last 14-mile long run was reduced to 12, although I felt much better on this run, especially because I ran with my friend Tracy who kept me good company. Most runners would have agonized about a failed long run with only 1-mile at GMP, but I knew in my heart how much better I performed in races as opposed to training runs, especially solo runs, so I continued to believe in my goal and ability to keep my 8 minute pace, or lower for the entire marathon.
10. And last, but not least, being on the Fleet Feet Sacramento Racing team. My coaches and teammates inspire me to reach higher and higher. We are all proud to represent Fleet Feet in races, as well as give back to the community by volunteering.
The three musketeers as we call ourselves. Adam, Andrea, and I after running Urban Cow half marathon.
Super Sunday 10K race with my Fleet Feet racing team mates- 2018.
As I look back to my training for my Mountains 2 Beach marathon, I can say that it was quite a ride that started in December of last year after I ran California International Marathon and continued with many long trail runs in the weekend, two 50K races, my first 50-mile race that took me 12 hours to complete because of the poor weather conditions, and my returning to speed and road running at the beginning of April three days after completing my grueling 50-mile race. Will I recommend this to anyone? Heck no! As a matter of fact, don’t try this at home- ha!ha! However, if you have the chance to run a 50K race (31.2 miles) two to three months before a marathon and you are comfortable running on trails, I highly recommend it.
7 Reasons to run a 50K race as one of your long runs for your marathon:
It builds great cardio.
It builds tremendous confidence to run a marathon and be strong at the end.
Trail running works different muscles in your body and makes you stronger.
Although you will run slower on trails, all the hills and challenging terrain will make you stronger and faster on the road, especially if you keep doing your speed workout at least once a week during the trail running season, which for me it is in the winter.
Trail running is so beautiful and allows your mind, body, and soul to recharge from all the pounding on the road.
Meeting new friends and having company for the long runs, as I belong to a few trail running groups, such as Trail Mix, Trail Running Adventures.
Recovery after a 50K race or long run is the same as running a 20-miler just one day, as the soft trails are gentler on your body.
I hope you can take away at least one tip that you can implement into your running and that you will always reach for more while appreciating the journey to the runner you have become today. Follow your heart and be open to the miracles and meaningful coincidences that running brings into our daily lives. One step at a time! One breath at time! We all have different journeys, but they do share one thing in common: running miles with big smiles!
Running strong towards the finish of M2B marathon with a big smile on my face. Running with joy!
Please comment back what other tips you have for running faster and steadier marathons, as well as which of the tips you will incorporate in your own training for a chance of winning a $10 Starbucks gift card. Everyone who comments on this blog will be entered into the drawing. Winners will be announced on June 15th! The clock is ticking!
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
We all know how much dedication and hard work running a marathon or ultramarathon require. This year, I am training for two ultra marathons, Salmon Falls 50K and AR50 mile, which is my first 50-mile race. I also have to log in 50+ miles every week to run these races strong and not get injured. Every single week, I start adding my check mark next to the miles I ran all the way to Sunday when I write in the total mileage with a big smile and satisfaction of a work well-done. Then Monday comes along and both my paper schedule and my Strava running app stare back at me with a big 0 MILES. No big deal, right? I just need to start over and enjoy the cycle of life and the joy of logging in the miles week after week till race day and then find another big boulder to roll uphill just like Sisyphus.
Sisyphus and his rock.
In his book The Myth of Sisyphus Albert Camus sees the futility of Sisyphus carrying the boulder up the hill over and over again as a triumph, for Sisyphus knows himself to be the master of his days. Are we thus runners the modern Sisyphus logging in our miles through our smiles? Are we looking at our running as a huge reward and not a punishment as in the case of Sisyphus? Is there joy, satisfaction, and a sense of hard labor achieved at the end of climbing a hill, where we are rewarded with breathtaking views?
The views at the top of a steep hill that I climbed with my trail running friends Rob Schmidt and Nicola Elliott.
Climbing a steep hill on the lake loop around the Folsom trails – no boulder, although it felt like we were carrying one.
Lesson from the first hill
Before climbing this hill, our friend Rob asked us if we wanted to take the steeper route, or the flatter one. I deferred making a decision to Nicola, who said that she always makes herself do the hard things that she is not so fond of, or as good at in order to get stronger and better at things. Life’s wisdom while running, I thought to myself grateful for the moment of joy carrying ourselves up the hill. Unlike Sisyphus, our actions had meaning, purpose, and satisfaction, knowing that we didn’t have to keep running up and down the hill. We could just relish the breathtaking views on top of the hill and continue running until we achieved our mileage and called it a day.
Lesson from the second, longer, and much steeper hill
During our 22-mile run, my friends and I climbed K2 hill in Auburn twice, which is a long steep hill comprised of five sections, as my awesome ultra runner friend Keather Kehoe, who ran 45 miles that weekend, explained to me. It felt long and hard the first time we did it, but the second time, it felt much easier, which reminded me that our attitude towards the difficult things we do is everything. This bad-ass hill taught me this: it is easier to accomplish hard goals when you surround yourself with like-minded people, you surrender to the task at hand with joy, and when you feel confident that you have what it takes to conquer challenges.
This long, steep hill brings many trail runners to despair. Hiking up the hill replaces running in most cases.
Experiencing a sense of joy, pride, and satisfaction during my climb of K2 famous and infamous hill.
Despite his scorn of the Gods, Sisyphus had a tremendous passion for life and an intense hatred of death. While carrying his boulder up the hill, Sisyphus knows himself to be the master of his days, which is how I feel as a runner, too. After I get my run done, whether it was a short or long one, I triumph and revere in all moments of joy and desperation when tiredness sets in. I also smile remembering the man with the rock, as my friend Rob calls him. We saw him recently at the end of our run. He was walking across Sunrise foot bridge with a big, heavy rock that he hurled around from one hand to another. He made me think of how we all have to restart our days carrying our rock with the same joy and gratitude that he displayed.
Just like Camus’ essay concludes: “The struggle itself is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy,” so does my journey as a runner continue with elation, resilience, perseverance, and hope for a bright future, in which I can carry my boulder up and down hills and mountains with the purpose of getting stronger, happier, and healthier.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
