Tag: postaweek2011

Posted in Race Reports, Running

Race Report – PAL Artichoke Festival 5k

Posted on by M Garcia

The PAL Artichoke Festival 5k/10k is run every Mother’s Day and benefits the Monterey County Police Activities League. It’s a small (about 100 to 200 participants) local run that goes through the artichoke fields.  The race is usually held a week before the Artichoke Festival and registered runners get an entry to the Artichoke Festival plus a t-shirt and, harvest permitting, a bag of artichokes for each finisher.

I was signed up for the 10k but ended up dropping down to the 5k. Physically, I could have finished the 6.2 miles. Mentally, it would have been a miserable 6.2 miles. I would have spent the entire time worrying about being a slow runner and being the last runner to cross the finish line. Because the 10k field was so small, I most likely would have won an age group medal even if I finished last! That’s the beauty of smaller races.

The crowd was a mixture of families, couples, moms and children, and friends. The check-in desk was staffed by children in the PAL program. All check-in issues were handled promptly and with a friendly smile. The event organizers might want to make sure they have more medium and small t-shirts on hand next year.

The course is an out-and-back course that starts with a stretch of paved road and then turns off into the artichoke fields. Once in the fields, runners are on agricultural roads, which are rocky dirt roads. Footing is a bit treacherous because the rocks are too big to be considered gravel and too small to be considered obstacles. The course runs along Highway 1 and then goes under the Highway 1 overpass and into more artichoke fields.

The race started on time and we took off quickly. I had to concentrate much more once we turned onto the agricultural road because I didn’t want to twist my ankle on the loose stones. It was a perfect day for a race – slightly overcast and chilly with the sun peeking out midway through the race. Once I turned to go under the overpass, I could see the 5k turnaround – a fire truck was parked on the side of the road and a water station was set up there.

I decided that I wasn’t going to get water and would just turn around and head back to the starting line. As I watched a couple of runners continue past the turnaround, I knew I had made the right decision in dropping down to the 5k. It looked lonely out there.

Post-race goodies included bananas, oranges, bagels, and water. Women were given a pot of petunias for Mother’s Day and all racers got a bag of artichokes (3 big artichokes in each bag).

I tried to wait around for the awards ceremony because, just like at my first race of 2011, I had a feeling that I had won an age group prize. I had watched the returning runners on my way to the turnaround and I didn’t see very many women who looked like they were in my age group so I was fairly confident that I would at least be 3rd in my age group. But, knowing that my mom had a great breakfast in the works won out over waiting for the awards ceremony. I learned today that I did win a prize in my age group but haven’t confirmed if it was 2nd or 3rd. Gotta love being older!

I was able to give my mom her traditional Mother’s Day gift – an entry to the Artichoke Festival and a bag of artichokes – plus a pot of petunias. This is a great little local race and I definitely recommend it.

Happy running!

Posted in Running

With a Little Bit of Luck

Posted on by M Garcia

On 16 October 2011, the 8th running of the Nike Women’s Marathon will take place in San Francisco. Over the years, the Nike Women’s Marathon has exploded in popularity so much so that you can no longer simply register to participate in the event. Registration is via random draw only.

On 11 April, I received an email from the Nike Women’s Marathon announcing that registration for the random draw opened. Knowing how popular the event was and still feeling good from last fall’s half-marathons, I decided to register for the event. I chose the full marathon instead of the half-marathon primarily because I didn’t think my name would be drawn. If I had thought it through, I would have looked at my race schedule and noticed that I was already registered for the San Jose Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon on 2 October 2011 and the Big Sur International Half-Marathon on 20 November. No one in their right mind would have put a full marathon in between those two half-marathons. Apparently I wasn’t in my right mind because I submitted my registration and then forgot all about it.

Tuesday the 26th of April was the day the Nike Women’s Marathon announced the winners of the random draw. I knew this not because it was marked on my calendar but because I saw some posts on Facebook from people who had registered and hadn’t been chosen. So I switched tabs to check my email and discovered an email from the Nike Women’s Marathon (NWM). I was in.

First excitement, then trepidation. Excitement because I was chosen. Trepidation because I truly believe that the half-marathon is my distance and I’m not convinced that I have the mental toughness to handle a full marathon. I know that physically I can finish the distance but my mental toughness is my challenge. Trepidation also because my fall race schedule already has two half-marathons, one two weeks before the NWM and one three weeks after the NWM.

The good news is that I have 5 months to work on both my mental toughness and my physical conditioning. It will definitely be an interesting journey.

Happy running!

Posted in Opinions and Thoughts, Running

To Cheer or Not to Cheer – There Is No Question

Posted on by M Garcia

When running on an out-and-back race course, unless you’re the Road Runner running from Wile E. Coyote or a Kenyan, you will meet the leader and the lead pack. Do you cheer for them? Or do you worry about conserving your energy, your breath, and your strength so do not cheer?

When I first started racing, I didn’t cheer. Part of me thought that they wouldn’t even hear me cheering either because they were in the zone or because they were going so fast that they wouldn’t be able to hear. The other part of me worried about conserving my energy, my breath, and my strength. I had such a hard time breathing that I honestly felt that yelling, “Way to go!” would make it impossible for me to finish.

Over time, I realized that cheering for the lead pack had no negative impact on my ability to finish the race or to set a PR. And I noticed that runners in the lead pack would smile when they heard someone cheer. That made me realize that these runners were just like me, that they appreciated encouragement especially as they were getting close to the finish of their race.

I started with baby steps, first just clapping for the lead pack and making eye contact and smiling. Eventually I was able to shout, “Way to go!” and “Woohoo!” and “Good job!” as the lead pack passed by me. And I always get extra noisy when the first woman makes her appearance along with the rest of the women in the women’s lead pack.

The Wahine Half Marathon last week was an out-and-back course and the slower runners did get an opportunity to see the lead pack. And despite being hot, discouraged, and tired (see my race report for the explanation), I cheered for the leaders. I clapped and yelled, hooted and hollered until the lead pack passed while I continued slogging away. The interesting thing is that I was the only one out of the other back-of-the-middle-of-the-packers who was cheering. I’m not exaggerating, either. It took some time before some other people started even clapping with me for the lead pack.

I do understand why other people weren’t cheering. It was hot. It was miserable. We were in a section of the course where there were no water stations. I’m sure we were all jealous of these women who were headed to the finish line where shade and refreshment were available. And I know that there were a lot of runners running their first half-marathon so they may have been unsure what the protocol was.

Here’s my advice – it’s always okay to cheer. Cheer for the lead pack when you see them. Clap if you can’t shout. Make eye contact and smile if you can’t clap. It will give the leaders a boost. But more importantly, it will make you feel good, too, because you will know that you’ve given someone else the encouragement they need to push to the finish. You’ll find that rather than detracting from your race, cheering for the leaders will put a spring in your step and give you a surge of adrenalin.

And when you’ve finished your race, go back to the finish line and cheer for some of the people finishing after you. That will really make you feel good.

Happy Running!