Interlaken Icicle Dash

 

Yesterday, my daughter and I ran the Interlaken Icicle Dash 5K in Interlaken Park in Seattle. I sometimes amazes me that we have these pockets of wilderness and trails right in the middle of our city!

 

 

It was a brisk day, but no precipitation! The course was 2 laps and included some hills. My daughter seems to have just one speed and it doesn't matter if she is going up hill or down--she keeps going the same pace. I was breathing pretty hard trying to keep up with her on the up hills. So, on our second lap she asked me if I was going to make it to the finish because it didn't sound like I was. She followed up by saying that she was going to make it.

 

This race was put on by Northwest Trail Runs and they always do a wonderful job. The trails are well marked and they have lots of race food at the finish. And, they give away tons of raffle prizes at the end! We didn't snag any prizes this time, but there is always next time . . . 

Deception Pass 25K Trail

The good news is my right foot injury is gone! And without taking the 2 months off that my doctor recommended!! The bad news is my left foot now hurts, in a different place. It's the top of the joint on my big toe. I tried on every pair of running shoes I own and it hurts too much to run. So, I took an old pair that I'm about ready to retire and I cut a hole in the top to relieve the pressure on that joint. It worked like a charm.

Today, I ran a 25K trial run. I only felt the pain when I was running downhill.

This race is one that I highly recommend. It was a beautiful course, challenging, and well supported with volunteers. And the food (and beer) at the end was plentiful, including wood fired pizza.

Before the start of the race.

 

View of the Deception Pass bridge.

 

Views from the Deception Pass bridge.

 

 

 

 

The trails took us along the water . . .

 

 and on bluffs above the water.

 

Quadzuki - 4 Halfs in 4 days

I went back to my podiatrist to get new orthotics. He had advised me that I would need to take 2 months off from running to recover from my foot injury. The new orthotics will help prevent me from getting the injury again once it is gone. I told him I would take January and February off.

Meanwhile, I've got some runnin' to do. I signed up for 4 half marathons in 4 days over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving Day) - Widdle Waddle along the Burke Gilman Trail in Seattle. I ran this one with my dog. It seemed to be the season for squirrels to gather their nuts. They were everywhere, and Hero wanted to chase after each one of them. It was really warm out!

 

Nov. 28 - Wishbone Run along the Green River Trail. I ran with friends, Tina and Sarah. It was a nice day for the first 11 miles. Then it began raining really hard and I got cold. Thank goodness it was just the last 2 miles!

 

Nov. 29 - The Ghost of Seattle along Lake Washington Blvd. It snowed over night and there was a little white on the ground at the start but it quickly melted. The gusts of wind coming off of Lake Washington were brisk, to say the least.

 

 

 

 

Nov. 30 - Seattle Half Marathon. Such a big race compared to the first 3! I ended up having digestive problems on this race and walked the last 7 miles. What a bummer. I'd love to do this again next year to see if I can be more successful. But I won't. These races took a lot of time away from my family on a holiday weekend and I don't want to do that again.

 

 

And the weekend ended with a nice blister from my new orthotics.

 



 



Mud & Chocolate 4.5 miles

My daughter and I signed up for the Mud & Chocolate 4.5 mile trail race. This is a popular race and it filled up. We entered early to be sure we could get in.

 

They serve everything chocolate at the end of this race. My daughter was motivated!! She did a great job of holding a steady pace. At one point, we turned at an intersection and I knew we had a long hill ahead. I remembered it from the Reindeer Romp race I did last year. I shouted ahead that she should take it easy to get ready for the hill. Her pace never changed and she motored up that hill. I struggled to keep up!

Obstacle!

Chocolate cupcake.

A little bit sad

Boy, I have reached my running goals (52 half marathons in a year, and 2 marathons in 2 weeks). I am injured. And I am depressed. I didn't expect this . . . .

Dog Lake Marathon

Dog Lake Marathon - what a beautiful course! It started just east of White Pass on Hwy 12 and headed east, downhill. I ran in my new Hokas (shoes). I know it is not smart to try something new in a race, but I felt like I didn't have a choice. I could run in my old shoes and I was sure not to finish with my foot injury, or I could run in the Hokas and maybe have a chance to finish. This was one of those rare times that trying something new worked! I was able to cross the finish line, but not without some issues. The shoes rubbed my feet in new places where I didn't have calluses--superficial, no big deal.

The hardest thing for me was dealing with Hwy 12. The road is canted and my right knee hurt. I tried to go to the part of the road that was flattest without running down the middle of the road. The next best place was as far off the road as possible and next to the guard rail. I was afraid that I was doing some lasting damage to my knee, but it didn't hurt the next day. Luckily, we detoured off of Hwy 12 for a few miles on some back roads and that was nice.

The views along the course were picture-worthy!

 I met the youngest aid station volunteer.

 

With this race under my belt, I qualified for the Marathon Maniacs! I am not sure when I'll be ready for another marathon though. My injured foot started hurting again a few days after the race. I am back in the boot for a week of rest, taking anti-inflammatories, and icing several times a day.

Leavenworth Marathon

My first marathon in almost 2 decades. I was a little nervous. Recently, I finished a half marathon and I thought to myself that I couldn't imagine doing it all over again!

I was hurting in my joints around mile 20 and really feeling it around mile 23. But this race ended up being very fun! I ran with some really entertaining women.

I remember doing the Disney World Marathon sometime around 2004 and it took me over 5 hours to finish. Beyond that, I don't remember what my other past marathon times were exactly. I ran the whole way on this one and finished in 4:34. I think it might be a PR!

Before the start of the race, (left to right) Sarah, April, Tina, me. We loaded onto school busses in Leavenworth at 6am and drove 10 miles up Icicle Creek Road where we were dropped off in front of these port-a-potties.

 

The sun was just about to rise when the race started at 7am.

 

Running down Icicle Creek Road.

 

Santa was on the course to direct us at a turn.

We crossed bridges.

At the finish. This was Sarah's 7th marathon in 2 weeks! Tina set a new PR by something like 20 minutes! And April (not pictured) qualified for the Boston Marathon! I was in good company.

 

I am now a Marathon Maniac!

 

 

Two days after the race I developed a pain in the ball of my foot. I visited my podiatrist and learned I have an inflamed metatarsal joint. I am now taking an anti-inflammatory, icing a lot, and resting. I guess I won't be running the 30K trail run at Point Defiance this weekend! I want to be ready for Dog Lake Marathon in less than 2 weeks. 



"Resting" in a boot, and my new Hoka running shoe. I am hoping the Hokas will provide cushion so I can run while I am recovering.