Wine Country

The Napa to Sonoma Wine Country half marathon was absolutley amazing! I know I will never experience anything like it again. I had no idea where I was, or where I was going. All I could see was mountains in the distance and vineyards on either side of me. I highly recommend this race!!!!!!!!

It's not the most well managed race out there, but for the location, it's worth it. I was extremely disappointed with the organization of the water stops and the post-race layout. I think I walked about a mile just to to retrieve my bag from bag check. But shortly after finishing, there is wine tasting, so I quickly forgot about my disappointment with the race organizers.

Personally, I did very well on the course. I ran without a watch and there were no pacers on the course, so I literally had no idea how I was doing during the 13.1 mile journey. I ended up getting a PR by four minutes. If there had been Gatorade on the course and not this HEED crap, then who knows how much better I could have done.

Minus my few complaints, great race!

Class has taken over my life

I would say until July 9, you should read my class blog. I'm working on a project for CCFA's Team Challenge, so you can still catch up on my running (sort of). I've also been pretty good about posting my weekly training updates on my active site.

I'll be back on this site before the race, don't worry!

Two Blogs... ahh

I had to start a blog for class - The Business of New Media, so it's going to get more difficult to update this site. My class ends just before the race, so you should get a full post-race report.

Only four people showed up for the group run this week, but it ended up being one of my best long runs. I ran a 9:48 pace and did just over nine miles. I felt good. My foot bothered me a little bit, but nothing major. I felt like I could have run a couple more miles at that pace. Haven't felt that good about a long run in a while.

I've been really stressed with school, so running hasn't been as fun for me. I think this week's run may have rejuvenated my spirit a bit. Looking forward to the week ahead.

Catch-up

Okay, so I clearly haven't posted in a few weeks. But I've been updating my fundraising page with little teasers about my run. So you should know that I've been traveling the past couple of weeks. I also started summer classes and re-joined the gym. Life has been hectic. I am back to my summer flex schedule at work, which is nice because I can spend one day a week devoted to my school work (fun huh?).

I should probably talk about running, since that is what this blog is about. Two weeks ago, Ben and I did an hour and 30 minute base run in Cleveland. Honestly, it was hard. This was our first truly long run in months. Even before we got to the hour mark, I was tired. I forgot how to pace myself. But I got through it. The following week, we were in New York City for an hour and 45 minute base run. This run was much better. I was sore before we started, but that didn't seem to bother me as much as I had thought. I didn't tire out early and managed to comfortably make it through the entire run. It was also nice to be something somewhere different. The west side of NYC is beautiful, I highly recommend this trail if you are visiting or live there.

This week we are back in DC. I'm trying to find somewhere new to run because part of getting through these long runs is about staying interested in my surroundings. We will be running for two hours. I almost tried to find a half marathon we could sign up for, but could find nothing in the area. Stayed tuned to see if I complete the two hour run tomorrow...

Pike's Peek 10k/Week 7

This week, I added a speed workout to my training schedules. I've never incorporated speed into my training in the past, so I'm hoping to see some positive results.

Instead of participating in my normal Team Challenge training run, Ben and I ran the Pike's Peek 10k. This race is a point to point run down Rockville Pike in Maryland, with a great post-race party (mmm ice cream). I remember this race being mostly downhill last year, where I "PRed" on the course. Not so much this year. And it was 90 degrees. Oh and did I mention that I feel the day before and hurt my ankles and knees. Yet, despite the conditions, I still managed to run a 9:22 pace.

This marks my first race for 2009. I'd love to run something else before Napa, just not sure there will be time with all the trips I have coming up (Cleveland, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas).

If there are any good pictures from the race today, I'll make sure to post them later this week.

And, finally, on a fundraising note, I made it to the half way point - $2,000, yay!

Weeks 6 and 7

Okay, I'm trying to play catch-up, since I've been way too busy this month to post about my training. Week 6 was passover. So that was a wash. Who can actually run well with Matzo in their stomach?!

This week's long run was a team scavenger hunt. I was a little apprehensive about this because of the different running skills within my team. Dani (our fearless leader) divided us into two teams, DC/VA vs. MD residents. Each team was given 12 clues and had to take a picture at each of the 12 locations. This was a great speed workout. We dashed from place to place, getting all 12 pictures (which I'll be posting in the next week).

By now you must be wondering who won...

Of course it was my team...duh! We rocked! And I only got yelled at by one capitol police officer and only bruised myself once hopping over a bench.

Link to photos http://picasaweb.google.com/Rachel.Sanderoff/TeamInTraining41809?feat=email#5329564113134316354

Week 5

It's Cherry Blossom time in DC, which means lots of tourists. I only took out a couple of them during my group run this week. We met at Haines Point at 8 a.m., by then there was absolutely no parking left anywhere in down town DC. I cannot believe how dedicated the tourists are this year to seeing trees.

Anyway, enough about tourists. The group run ended up being great. We did 7.5 miles, weaving in and out of crowds while passing the Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington Memorials and all the museums. One month in, I'm finally feeling on target with my training.

Week 4

I'm feeling a lot better about training this week. I'm cutting out my Wednesday runs to help my legs recover. Yesterday, I was able to run with a couple people from my group. I was in a lot of pain from the week, so I had to run a bit slower. I was actually pretty disappointed with my time for the group run, but at least I had company. My goals for the week include stretching a lot more. One of my coaches said I should stretch every night while watching TV, not just after runs. I'm going to try and fit this into my weekly routine. This week, I'm also going to focus on nutrition. My group met with a nutritionist after the run. She reminded us the importance of getting enough calories and the right mix of carbs, fats, and proteins. Even over the last 24 hours, I've been able to adjust my diet to include all three each time I eat a snack/meal.

Week 3

Oops already skipped a week, but I'm back now! Week two was very unproductive, I was both sick and out of town, so sticking to the training schedule was hard. But onto week 3, which was much better. I got two weekday outdoor runs in and went to my weekly group run. I'm a little disappointed with the group runs. It seems like the entire team is walking the race, so I run with one other girl, who is much faster than me. I was only able to keep up with her for half the time. By the time I got back everyone had already finished.

Having run two half marathon's before, I think my training schedule is moving way too fast. By next Saturday I will be running close to 9 miles and the race is still over three months away. Yet, I feel like the walkers training is moving slowly, since I never see them start or finish. Just disappointing to me that my coach doesn't really give the runners in my group much instruction or stick around once the walkers are done.

My disappointment in the training part of the program has not stopped me from my ultimate goal, raising $4,000 for CCFA and crossing the finish line in Napa. Instead, I've brought back my amazing coach from the past two halves (my terrific boyfriend). He will be attending the Saturday long-runs with me.

Fundraising is going a lot better than expected. I thought that would be more difficult than the training. Thanks to everyone I know, I'm close to $1600 in just three weeks! I cannot express how thankful I am for all the support! Every little bit counts.

Finally, I would like to make a shout-out to a new runner. My best friend JoJo in Chicago started running this past month and has even signed up for a 5k. While, I'm so excited that she has found the passion for running, I'm so disappointed we don't live in the same city. But I hope to run with her during Passover and figure out a race we can do together. YAY JO!

Team Challenge: Week 1

I began my training schedule for Napa this past week, which officially started with a group run Saturday morning. I woke up at 6:30 am, which was hard since JoJo was in town, but I was good and did not go out the night before. Team Challenge divided us into groups based on our past running experience. Only one other person from my group was there, yay Andrea, so we ran with one of the mentors. Twenty-nine minutes later we were done.

For those of you that know me, 29 minutes is not a workout... so on the way back, I had Ben drop me off at the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin and I ran the rest of the way home.

I think my group is really going to push me. From what I can tell in one week, their longer distance pace is a bit faster than mine, basically anything over a 10k at their pace will be pushing myself. Having run two half marathons before, speed is something I'm looking to improve upon, so if I don't kill myself training or drink too much wine before the race, this experience should help me get a PR on race day.

P.S. Help me reach my goal of $1,000 by my birthday (March 13!!!!!)
http://www.active.com/donate/napa09dcvirginia/napa09ESudow

Pre-Week 1

I am happy to report that I ran outside twice this past week before work. I was able to take advantage of some pretty decent weather in the district. I also met my team this weekend at a fundraising workshop. Everyone is very nice and I look forward to our first training run next weekend. Some of the people I spoke to were a little nervous about the running. After telling them that I had run two half marathons last year, if definitely gave them some hope about being able to do it themselves.

It has also been interesting for me to meet people my age with Crohn's disease and hear their individual experiences. No one has the exact same experience with this disease, but it's nice to know there are people out there who understand what I go through on a daily basis. I'm really going to enjoy getting to know my teammates over the next 16 weeks!

Team Challenge

Last night I signed up for CCFA's Team Challenge. This summer, I will be running my third half marathon (in beautiful Napa) to raise money and awareness of a disease that I have lived with for over 19 years.

I'm really excited to meet my teammates and begin training/fundraising. I know it will be a big time commitment, but in the end, the experience of a lifetime.

The plan is to post every week, once my training begins on March 7, so that I can share this amazing experience with everyone.

Don't forget to check out my fundraising page! - http://www.active.com/donate/napa09dcvirginia/napa09ESudow

Happy New Year!

I haven't posted in a while because frankly, I haven't been doing any running. I'm starting to really miss it. Which is good, because in a little over a month I start my half marathon training program. I'm a bit concerned about being able to participate in all the activities/training runs because of school.

In addition to the actual running, I'm really excited to meet people who are raising money for a chronic illness that affects me everyday.

I'm sure I've posted it before, but here is the training program I will be participating in. Can't wait to get started!