Best & Worst Films of 2011
I finished up the year with seeing a few more movies than last year. A lot of movies came and went before I got the chance to see them. But I did get to attend the SXSW Film Festival this year and saw a lot of good (and bad) movies there. Here’s my list of the best and worst movies I saw this year.
Best 10 Movies of the 54 I saw in the theater
The Artist (2011)
Beginners (2011)
Drive (2011)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Hugo (2011)
Margin Call (2011)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Moneyball (2011)
Tabloid (2011)
Take Shelter (2011)
Worst 5 Movies of the 54 I saw in the theater
Another Earth (2011)
The Future (2011)
Hesher (2011)
Robot Monster (1953)
Separado (2011)
Best 5 DVDs of the 29 I saw
Easy A (2010)
Hanna (2011)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Peeping Tom (1960)
This Is England (2006)
2011 Austin Marathon Race Report
Just 10 days after finishing my first marathon last year I signed up for the 2011 Austin Marathon. The next day I got a text from Bill wondering if he it would be crazy to sign up for the Austin Half Marathon. No way I said. Neither of us can resist Austin, TX.
I hadn’t been this nervous before a race since my first 5K back in September 2008. The days leading up to this race, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to run, let alone finish due to the injury that popped up three weeks ago.
This time around for my second marathon I chose to use a higher mileage training plan, the up to 55-miles/week 18-week plan from Advanced Marathoning. I had read enough about this plan to know going into it, it would be a big step up in my training. The mid-week medium long runs were my biggest challenge. Trying to fit in a 2-hour run before or after work was tough. But I was able to mostly stick to the plan pretty closely, even through the holidays. I’m now a big fan of Uncle Pfitzy!
I noticed as the plan went along, my running felt stronger. And the 20-mile runs didn’t feel as exhausting this time compared to training for my first marathon last year. Things were looking great. I did my last 20-mile run on a Saturday three weeks out from the race, and it was a really solid run. I felt ready. But I had missed a 10-mile run that week, and tried to make up the mileage the next day on Sunday on top of my already scheduled run. Looking back, bad idea. I knew it. The following Tuesday’s run I was still incredibly sore. And by Thursday I knew I had hurt myself.
My left leg, mid-shin, had constant pain with every step I would run, beginning to end. By the end of the weekend, even brisk walking caused pain. The next Tuesday run was cut short and I was terribly sad. Less than two weeks before the marathon and I wasn’t getting better. All that work and I may not make it to the starting line. I wouldn’t get to run with Bill (his first half marathon). I cried, a lot. And the next day I went to get an x-ray. I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was injured.
Work had been getting increasingly crazy and I had been working overtime for a couple of weeks now. My stress level was close to maximum and I wasn’t even able to run to help relieve any of it. I felt like I was going to burst. It was Thursday and I was looking forward to the weekend, catching up on some work, getting some extra rest, and trying to get my stress level back down. Then something happened that shifted my focus completely.
I got a call from the mother of a good friend asking for my help. My friend’s health had deteriorated to the point where her husband could not care for her and their 1-month old daughter. They needed help with the baby. This was probably just about the worst time for me to be gone from work. But their situation sounded desperate. A few hours later my friend called asking for help. From the sound of her voice I knew I had to go. 24-hours later I was on a plane to Tulsa.
These were some of the toughest three days of my life both emotionally and physically. It was hard to see my friend in so much pain. I was already sleep deprived when I got there, and the first night I only got 90 minutes of sleep. Their daughter is wonderful, but it was a big change to suddenly be caring for a baby 24 hr/day. And my back was telling me that I really wasn’t used to carrying a baby so much. By the time I had left Monday afternoon, my friend was in worst shape than when I had left.
My x-rays had come back normal, and my doctor said to take it easy for a few days. Tulsa wasn’t easy, but I didn’t run at all and only got to go on two short walks, still feeling pain in my leg with walking. Back home I only had three days to squeeze in as much work as I could before leaving for Austin. Still no running or even time to get on my bike for some easy riding.
Friday we arrived in Austin, sunny and beautiful. But the one piece of luggage we checked (which included all of our toiletries, my gels for the race, and most of my clothes) somehow made its way to San Francisco instead. I had made sure there were a couple of key things not in the checked bag such as my running shoes and Garmin. It turned out that we didn’t get our bag until late the night before the race. So we spent some of Saturday buying a few things that I wanted for the race. I would have rather been sitting somewhere with my feet up, relaxing and knitting. Next time, I will make sure I have everything I need/want for the race plus a change of clothes not in a checked bag, lesson learned. This was more stress that I wasn’t looking for.
Friday before dinner I was ready to test my legs to see if it was going to be possible for me to at least start the race. I did an easy 4.5 miles around the neighborhood at dusk. My leg pain was still there, but it never got worse or better as I ran. And it felt better than my last run which had been 10 days before, by far my longest not running since I started running. It felt so good to be able to run again, despite the pain, good to sweat and good to move. That night I finally slept really well. It had been awhile.
Saturday afternoon we dropped off the kids at a friend’s house. That evening Bill and I ate at an Italian restaurant with our friend Katherine and some of her friends that were doing the half marathon. It was a nice, relaxing evening. Before bed I set out what I was going to wear for the race: Mizuno Wave Elixir 6 shoes, Injinji socks, Zensah Calf Sleeves, Atalanta Commitment Skirt, Moving Comfort Alexis bra, Asics Ecoline Sleevless top, Brooks Mesh Cap, and of course my new Garmin 310XT. I got to bed by 9:30, but didn’t sleep well. I knew I was going to start the race, but I didn’t know if I was going to turn right at 10.8 miles and follow the half marathon course to the finish or turn left and follow the full course, hopefully to the finish.
The next morning I was up by 4:30, eating and drinking my usual cereal and chai tea. But I forgot my banana. Bill couldn’t find coffee filters and had to find a 24-hour place to get his coffee. I knew drinking his coffee this close to the start time meant he’d be stopping at a porta potty on the course. Once we parked and got out of the car I noticed how windy it was. I grabbed my throw-away shirt to keep warm. Dropped off our gear bags, stopped at the porta potties, and made our way to the start area. I was nervous and excited. It was probably around 63° at the start, a little on the humid side, but cloudy.
We were in the middle of the 4:30 pace group, and it took us over 18 minutes to get to the starting line. And then we were off. I love the excitement of the beginning of the race. My leg hurt some, but nothing I couldn’t manage for now. Bill immediately was looking for a place to pee. I told him that when he stopped I would continue to walk until he caught up again. I had noticed from my run the other night that my leg hurt more if I started up running from standing still compared to starting from a walk. Half a mile in he found some porta potties with lines that didn’t look too bad. He caught up to me shortly after his 5-minute pit stop. We made our way through downtown and across the Congress Avenue bridge. The first 3 miles had some hills up and down, but mostly down. (Miles 1-3 splits: 12:42, 11:23, 10:15)
Now we began our 3-mile ascent up S. Congress to Ben White Blvd. This race had many water stops, and my plan was to alternate with water/Gu Chomps and Gatorade. Plus I would take a Mint Chocolate Gu about every hour. With 6,000 marathoners and 13,000 half marathoners, the water stops were really crowded. Bill and I didn’t have much of a plan as to how to stay together as we moved through the water stops. We lost track of each other at the 3.5-mile water stop and definitely lost some time trying to meet up again. The plan after that was to assume that I would keep moving through each water stop staying by the side of the road until we were together again. This worked out well for the remainder of the water stops. I was surprised how easy the hills were and how good I was feeling. When Bill asked what my plans were about how far I was going, I was still not ready to commit to the full or half. The next 3 miles felt like they went by quickly too. Making the turn from Ben White onto S. 1st meant we were almost done with our first big incline. Things were going well. (Miles 4-6 splits: 11:38, 10:17, 10:20)
The next three miles were down, down, down S. 1st Street, across Lady Bird Lake, and making our way down Cesar Chavez. I let gravity do its work and move my legs comfortably down the descent. I knew our pace had increased, but it still felt really easy, and Bill reminded me when we needed to slow down. Around mile 8 the sun started to come out. I was hoping it would go away. But it was out for a lot of the rest of the race, warming things up more than I wanted. Once we crossed the bridge, I knew I would continue onto the marathon course. So very happy. (Miles 7-9 splits: 9:43, 9:44, 10:06)
Between miles 9 and 10 was the Livestrong cheering section. They were so enthusiastic. It was awesome. Maybe it was a combination of them and that I knew I would probably be reaching the finish line today, but I started to get weepy. This never happens to me during races, so it caught me by surprise. I needed to calm down since I still had a lot of work to do, especially since I was approaching the hilliest portion of the course. After Cesar Chavez, we worked our way up Winsted Ln and started seeing the signs for the courses to split. At 10.8 miles I kissed Bill goodbye wishing him luck. I’m so proud of him and loved all the runs we got to do together during our training. I’ve got a great partner. The next couple of miles were going to be the hilliest so my plan was to just keep the pace nice and easy. (Miles 10-13 splits: 10:29, 10:26, 10:19)
Now I had gotten through the hilliest portions of the course. The next 6 miles were a steady incline heading north. I really got into a nice rhythm here, picking up the pace and feeling great. I also noticed my leg wasn’t really hurting much at this point. I knew I was going to finish now. The wind started to pick up at this point too. As I crossed over Mopac, a gust came up and blew my hat off. Amazingly I reached behind me as it came off my head and was able to save my hat. I liked this stretch of the run, winding through the quieter neighborhoods along the east of Mopac. Even the straight stretch on Great Northern Blvd that runs next to the train tracks was good. I was really happy with my pace going up this steady incline, feeling relaxed and not pushing it. (Miles 13-18 splits: 9:50, 9:51, 9:36, 9:49, 9:54, 9:37)
Shortly after the 18-mile mark we reached our most northern portion and turned right onto Foster Ln. After the next two miles, I would start the descent. Shortly after that I would reach the water stop where my kids were waiting with our friends. I knew they had some special items for me too. I was getting really excited now. (Miles 19-20 splits: 10:10, 9:40)
Turning the corner onto Woodrow was so exciting. I knew we would be heading south the rest of the way to downtown. But that is also when I turned into a terrible head wind. It felt good cooling me off a bit, but really felt as if it was pushing me back. I kept my head low and pushed through, trying not to let the wind whip my hat off again. As I reached the water stop on Arroyo Seco, I could see Ella and Liam enthusiastically passing out water to runners. 
I reached Liam first where he said “Good job!” and gave me water to drink. I walked through most of the water stops instead of running, but here I took even more time, hugging my kids, saying hi to my friends. They had some animal crackers and bagel chips in baggies; I chose the chips, something not sweet with crunch is what I thought I wanted. But even better was the cold, wet washcloth. I wiped my face and arms and it felt amazing. I even took the time for a picture with Liam. And then I was off again.
This is about the time last year at the Vermont marathon where I started to slow down and was losing steam. But this time I still felt good. And I had just passed the 4:30 pace group. Was it actually possible to get a PR? But looking at my watch, I think the 4:30 pace group was a little behind. (Miles 21-23: 10:05, 9:50, 9:49)
Turning the corner from North Loop onto Duval I was running through my old neighborhood. It was great to see the street numbers getting smaller and smaller, 45th, 38th… But the wind, humidity, and miles were starting to take their toll. I no longer felt I was running at a comfortable pace. I was pushing it now. But I was also so close to the end. The final half-mile was really tough. The two short hills here that I did easily at the beginning of the race now felt nearly impossible. 
Now comes the geeky number talk. My final Garmin distance was 26.48, a little off of 26.2 miles. Final marathon time was 4:30:33, just 43 seconds slower than my first marathon. Here are my mat splits and rankings. I love a negative split race.
Chip Time 4:30:33 Gun Time 4:48:21
Overall 2215/4796 Top 46%
Division Place 83/271 Top 31%
5K Rank 3618, 35:50
10M Rank 3665, 1:47:51
Half Rank 3303, 2:19:32
20M Rank 2577, 3:27:41
Final 10K Rank 2215, 4:30:33
Total Pace 10:20
For the Vermont marathon, my overall rank was the top 61% and age group rank was top 50%. No PR for me, but definite progress.
So what’s next for me? I’m not actually sure. I’ve signed up for a half marathon in July that I got a free entry to. Otherwise nothing is on the schedule. I know I would like to do another marathon in the fall. I’ve entered the lottery for New York, but assume I won’t get in this year. There are lots of more local marathons I can choose from too. I’m also toying with the idea of doing the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship in Burlington in August. It may be a stretch to qualify, and if I do I would be at the back of the pack. But it would be a lot of fun and an opportunity like this may not happen again. So until I get back from SXSW next month, I’ll take it easy and get my leg to heal fully.
I’d like to do a Half Ironman (70.3) someday. But I’d really like to do it under 6 hours. I have a few things I want to accomplish before I would sign up. I’ve already gotten my half marathon time under 2 hours, twice now, last time on a hilly course. I feel good about my run. For the bike I want to work on my overall speed. How I’m going to do that I’m not sure: cadence work, longer rides, and a lot more time on my bike? Betty still feels so new to me; I know there’s room for improvement. Attempting NCC B rides last year didn’t work out great. They were usually a bit faster than I was and I would always get dropped. So I need to try to do more this year. The swim is my weakest part of triathlon. I still don’t feel comfortable in the water. My endurance in the water is not good either. I think some swim lessons this year and a lot more time in open water will help a ton. I was actually really happy with my swim times last year, but I would love to feel a lot better getter out of the water. I would also like to do more Olympic distance races before attempting a 70.3.
I’m looking forward to spring, more time in the pool and on my bike. And I want to work strength training back into my schedule. I dropped it completely with my marathon training. With the higher mileage, I didn’t have the energy or time. But now that I belong to a gym again, it would be fun to work more of my body than just my legs. Once my leg feels good enough to start speed work again, I’ll enter a few local races. But for now I’m going to enjoy a little down, finish up some lingering knitting projects and relax. Then I’ll be able to jump into my next training schedule full of enthusiasm.
You can view photos and video (good and bad) of Bill and me on the Action Sports site.
Adding More Hexagons
So I’ve decided I want the hexagon blanket to be at least as big as our Pooh blanket.
So that means I have at least 50 more hexagons to make. I have plenty of yarn, so I might as well keep going. I just wish joining the hexagons didn’t take so long.
Fat Ass 50K “Race” Report
I had a 20 mile run planned for today so I decided to run The Fat Ass 50K in North Adams as my training run. I knew I was committed to running 20 miles. I cut off 6 miles from one of my runs this week in case I felt like doing another loop today, running 25.5 miles at the race. And hoped I wasn’t so crazy as to attempt to run all 50K.
Their website gave very little information. The start was across the street from the State Street “T” which I had no idea what that was. Turns out it’s a tavern, kind of a dive. But it did have a bathroom. You signed up by adding your name to a poster board where everyone’s loops and times were noted. As you finished a loop of the course, you checked off that loop on the board. When you finished running, you wrote down your time on the board. Some people ran one loop, some ran all of them. 33 people ran this race, by far the smallest race I’ve participated in.
They didn’t have a course map on their website, but said it was six 5-mile loops around the Curran Highway. The course was a little different than that. It started with an out-and-back to the first turn. Then you did five 5.5-mile loops, adding up to 31 miles. While waiting for the race to start, I tried to get more specific directions for the course. But it was a lot of directions like turn at this landmark, then turn at that landmark…not the kind of directions I’m good at remembering. So my plan was to keep up with everyone through the first full loop so I knew where I was going. But this meant that I ran the first few miles way faster than I should have been.
Once we did the first out-and-back I felt way overdressed. I stopped by my car and switched my jacket for my vest and felt much more comfortable. By that point though, most everyone was much farther ahead of me. But I remembered the key was to keep turning left, and with the help of my iPhone, I managed to figure out the course loop.
Their promised “primitive” water stations did not disappoint. There was one at the start and one half way around the loop. They consisted of some jugs of water and cups if you needed them. The water stop at the start also had some cookies. Nobody was ever at a water station. It was a free race so this seemed to be what I expected.
After about 5 miles, I rarely saw anyone else on the course. I passed one person, and got passed once. That’s it. And zero spectators. Well there were two fellows in the bar that said hello when I went in to use the toilet after the second loop. Otherwise this was a mighty lonely race. When I go out to run 20 miles by myself, I expect to be by myself. But in a race, it feels different. I did get to give a couple directions to the Wallmart. And someone in a car asked me what the race was. He said it wasn’t in the paper. I told him a little about the race and he gave me a nice “Girl, go for it. Good for you.”
I actually felt pretty good running until that last loop. The temperature was starting to drop and the wind was picking up. I was getting cold. My legs started to feel tired and my feet felt sore. I stopped remembering to eat and drink as often as I should have. By mile 18, I had stepped in a few puddles and had wet feet. And my Garmin just gave me a low battery signal. Stupid watch isn’t taking a charge like it used to. I decided this would be my last loop. 20 miles was going to have to be enough for the day and my mileage would be short for the week. My time for 20.16 miles was 3:25:56, a 10:12 pace. I turned off my auto pause on the Garmin, so the time included all of my stops: bathroom, water, changing clothes, waiting for stop lights.
Next week isn’t an easy week so it’s probably good that I didn’t push it today. Actually I don’t have another recovery week in this plan—4 weeks of race preparation, then 3 weeks of taper. 7 weeks to go until the marathon.
Austin Marathon Training – Weeks 4 & 5
It’s been a solid 2 weeks of marathon training. Week 4 I ran 41.22 miles, finishing with a new half marathon PR of 1:57:02 at the Monson Memorial Classic Half Marathon. I was just planning to have this as part of my 15-mile training run, but I couldn’t help myself and really pushed it. This was a mighty hilly course and I finished feeling like I couldn’t have gone any faster. This was also the first half marathon where I broke the 9:00 min/mile pace which feels like a huge milestone for me.
Week 5 I ran my first 46+ mile week and I turned 40! I loved my party last night and I even got to blow out candles.
I’m continuing to run with Ella 3 times a week as she gets ready for the Hot Chocolate Run. She’s doing great and ran the first time for 20 minutes straight. I joined Bill today for his 9-mile long run which was the end of my 17-miler. It was nice to have the company and easier to keep going when I was getting cold and wanted to be home eating birthday party leftovers. I passed a house today on the run that I’m now lusting after. This is the problem with covering all the roads in town. I’m seeing houses and streets that I’d love to live.
It’s getting colder now and I’m wondering how I’m going to get through this winter running again. Last night I ordered my first running jacket. I was waffling between a soft shell or a lightweight jacket. I decided on the Brooks Infiniti Jacket and got it for a great price at Running Warehouse. Love my Active.com discount.
I figure I can wear my thermal hoody under the jacket when it gets really cold. But the Infiniti Jacket is water/wind proof yet breathable and should be a great addition to my winter wardrobe.
Next week is a recovery week of only 37 miles. I’ll be doing a turkey trot on Thanksgiving with my friend and her family like we did last year. Should be a lot of fun.
Austin Marathon Training – Week 3
40 miles running this week and I’ve only logged this many miles in a week once before. Everything else is going to be new territory for me in this plan. I’m still feeling really good considering my miles ramping up. But I could be doing more stretching, and more strength training. It was another week of no strength training and no cross-training on the bike.
I did take 7+ hours of a bike maintenance class at Pioneer Valley Bike School. Sure I don’t need to know right now how to take care of my bike, but I fit it in my schedule. I was the only student so this was all one-on-one time which was awesome. I worked on my old Novara hybrid which needed some work. I got new tires, replaced some cable housing, and basically learned how to take apart the bike and put it back together. I learned so much and I’m not sure how much I will retain. I’m hoping to get some basic tools and a repair stand soon and work on Bill’s bike which is the same as my hybrid. This will be a good test to see how much I really did learn.
Even though I didn’t get on my bike this past week, I did clean up Betty, installed the cadence sensor, and put it up on the trainer. Plus I figured out how to install the iPad on my handlebars.
Ella is planning to run the Hot Chocolate Run this year and I’m running with her during her training which started this week. I’m running these as my recovery runs which is still way slower than my recovery pace, but I love spending this time with Ella. It’s a great opportunity to check in with her and talk. 
One thing I’m doing during this marathon training which I haven’t done before is keeping track of where I’ve been running on a map. I’d love it if I can cover all of the roads around town by the end of training. It’s been a great way to discover some new routes and fun places to run and to explore neighborhoods I’ve never been in before. This is what the map looks like after 3 weeks of training. I’ve been marking where I’ve been in pink.
Week 4 has only 42 miles planned, so it’s not much of a jump up from this past week. I might do a half marathon in Monson this weekend as part of my long run, but only if I’m up for it and time allows. I won’t be racing it though.
Running in the dark
It’s been tough getting out of bed lately in the mornings to run. It’s cold and so very dark. Fortunately I have a few things to help keep me visible when I run in the dark.
If I head out just before dawn I’ll grab my Blackburn Flea. I bought this for my road bike in case I get caught at dusk still out on the road. It’s super light and tiny and put my finger through the velcro loop when I’m running. Once the sun is up, I’ll put it in a pocket. Plus I love the USB charging. If the bulk of my run will be in the dark, I’ll wear a headlamp. I love my new Tikka Plus 2 headlamp. On a recent run, it was so comfortable I thought I had dropped it. But it was on my head.
As far as reflective gear goes, I love the Brooks Nightlife collection. I have the Essential Run Vest (over a long-sleeve shirt keeps me warm enough down to 30°), Reflective Vest (good if I need more reflectiveness when it’s above 45°), and the Nightlife Hat (with blinking red light in the back).
I usually find myself running in the dark when it’s colder. My favorite reflective tights are a pair from Golite which have been discontinued. The have cute reflective flowers on the front and back of the tight. But when it gets really cold or biking in the cold, I’ll wear my Sugoi SubZero Zap Tight. These tights are awesome with wind too.
One thing I may invest in this winter is a good running jacket. Jackets I’m considering are the Sugoi Zap, Brooks Nightlife, and the Saucony ViZiPRO Ethereal.
I’ve Finished the Hexagons
I’ve finished crocheting all of the hexagons. Now I’m just doing bonus ones so it’ll be bigger. I have plenty of yarn to make it twice the size it is. We’ll see what I can complete in two weeks before the class that covers crocheting the hexagons together.
Austin Marathon Training – Week 2
This past week was a stressful one at home and work. I could only manage the minimum in my training, 4 runs and one yoga session after my long run. Tuesday’s run was not good at all. It was strangely hot that day and everything felt off. Fortunately the rest of the week of running went much better. Though a few hours after my long run yesterday, my right Achilles tendon started to hurt, which is a new pain for me. I’ll need to keep an eye on it. The highlight run of the week which was also the run I was least looking forward to was the recovery run Friday night after work. I ran with Bill through Look Park in the dark getting to see all of their spooky lights. It was super fun.
It’s been a month since I’ve been on my bike. I’ve got to get it up on the trainer so I can take advantage of it for recovery days. I think that will help me recovery faster. My plan this week moves up to running 5 days a week. I’m not sure which days to do strength training on. I read conflicting things about which you should do. So I’ll just have to experiment to see what works for me. Only new workout in the plan this week is a Lactate Threshold on Tuesday, 8 miles w/ 4 mi @ 15K to half marathon pace.
Soccer is done for the season, so life will be a little bit simpler. Here’s hoping for a much better week!
Austin Marathon Training – Week 1
This week went pretty well running-wise. As I’m increasing my mileage, everything is still feeling good. 32.85 miles this week. And I’ve started doing some strength training again. I’d like to fit in two sessions this week and finally get my bike up on the trainer so I can add in some nice recovery rides. I’m getting used to this new plan and still not quite sure what a general aerobic pace is for me which is listed in the book as a % of your max heart rate which I don’t know. I tried to figure out my max heart rate by doing a really fast mile on the treadmill and got it up to 181. I’ll try again this week at the track to see what I can get there. I managed to get my 9-mile run done mid-week. But as these mid-week runs get longer, I’ve got to get up earlier to fit it in. The highlight of my running week was doing 8 miles of my long run on Sunday with Bill. This is the longest we’ve run together without kids. It was really nice catching up.
I kind of feel like these two first weeks of the plan are just practice weeks gearing up for the 3rd week where it switches to 5 runs a week with a total of 40 miles. My last marathon plan peaked at 40 miles, so everything beyond that will be new mileage territory for me.
A few pictures from my week of running. It’s getting colder, darker, and the leaves are dropping fast.
