The snatch

Since day 1, this movement has been my least favorite. I sometimes wanted to pretend having a rest day when I would find out the WOD included the snatch.  I even complained about it on this blog to the five of you readers. One day, I even left the box in tears because I couldn't get it. I sat in my car and cried out of frustration.

After being called on it a couple of times indirectly, I stopped. I needed to get better. It's been five months. With much coaching from the awesome people at LAX CrossFit, I finally look like I know what I'm doing. Looking at these photos makes me want to cry, this time because I'm proud of myself for not giving up. 

Today is also my late baby niece's birthday. She was a fighter at only 5 weeks old. I can at the very least do what I can with my own abilities.

another one bites the dust

About two weeks ago, while frolicking around my house, I strained my calf. I couldn't walk down my stairs, I couldn't put my foot down and I was walking on my heel. I immediately thought, well there goes the marathon.

Since August, I have been training with a group of high school students where I work to complete the LA Marathon.  The runners start off running/walking two miles and slowly increase mileage. Every Sunday until March is spent together running, increasing mileage and getting ready for the big day. To think I wouldn't be able to run was more devastating to think about than the actual pain that was shooting through my leg at that moment.

After many ice packs, acupuncture, massage, Aleve, doctors visit and kinesiology tape, I got to that starting line. I thought to myself, if I was going down with this calf strain, I was going down during a race and not at my house. The kinesio-tape gave me a sense of security that my calf would be protected from whatever I would put it through. Since this was my first injury, ever I had no idea what to expect my body to do.  Before the injury, I was setting my goal to finally breaking my 5 hour marathon that I have been hovering around for the last four races. After the injury, my goal was just to finish the race.  

Even still, the optimist in me went to the MyMarathonPace website to print out a pacing plan for the race. I modified the pacing for a negative split (to finish faster than I start) and to allow for easy hill climbing, just in case. I set my goal for 4:56:00.   I taped the pacing chart behind my bib for easy access along the run (I hate wristbands).

As much as I would have loved to sit and meditate before the race (wishful thinking), I still had to keep thirty five teenagers within my line of sight.  The adrenaline in their bodies had them asking to use the bathroom and to check out the stadium every five minutes. We stretched as a team and then about twenty minutes before the start, we disbursed (some of my kids run sub-4 hour marathons while others sub sub-7 hours).

I had to force my body to start slow and even still, I ran a 11:30 first mile. Yikes, it was about a minute faster than the pacing chart allowed for so I slowed down during the second mile. I blame the playlist of Rock-It! Scientists mixes that elevated the adrenaline pumping through my body.  The mashup/mixes are perfect to keep me moving and the eclectic mix of songs keeps me on my toes.

The first several miles  flew by. I didn't stop to take pictures the way I usually do. Cindy (a fellow marathoner) gave some tips for the LA Marathon on her blog that included enjoying the sights, and so I did.  I enjoyed the sites chomping on my baggie of dates (my new favorite food for distance running).  This was the first time I didn't bring out my phone to take photos of anything (except for one photo of an amazing Army rucker). I forwarded my calls to my cousin that met us at the finish line and just enjoyed the race. I was, of course, checking my pacing at every other mile to be sure that I was on track to finish under five hours. 

By the time I was coasting down Sunset Blvd, I realized that I was two minutes ahead of pace and started to worry about whether I was using too much energy too soon. Going downhill was also causing some discomfort in my right knee. I popped another Aleve and sent out positive vibes into the universe. At the marathon expo, my runners recorded a quick "cheer" video for me to be aired at about mile 17. Although I only heard it (I ran by before I caught it on the screen) the familiar screams definitely gave me a jolt of energy. That, and I knew I would see Cindy soon.

I didn't see Cindy initially, but I saw her husband.  I stopped for a bit and grabbed some pretzels from them. What a relief from the sodium craving I was having. At about mile 17 is where the course becomes home turf. Our team runs on the west side of Los Angeles and I make it a point to have them run along the marathon course to get comfortable with the neighborhood and streets.  It's the psychology behind the training.  When I got to mile 19 and a kool-n-fit station, I thought to myself,  it's time. I was either going to give it all that I had left for the next seven miles and risk my calf getting more injured, or play it safe and still beat my goal.

I picked up the pace. Just a bit.

On Santa Monica Blvd, near Sepulveda, I saw our school's librarian. She was out with her iPad taking photos. I knew she supported the marathon every year, I just never found her along the course. I waved and said thank you for being out there and sped along.

At mile 22, I got a chance to see our program coordinators cheering us on.The energy in that tent was so contagious and Rosny seemed so excited to see me that I left that tent feeling energized, like I hadn't just run 22 miles.  I zipped down San Vicente blvd, shattering any pace that my chart had for me, rounded the corner to the finish line and it hit me. I was going to PR.

I started to hyperventilate as I got to the finish line. I saw the clock above the finish line and it read 5:06:53 clock time (different than chip time) and I knew it. I broke the five hour streak, finally! My leg felt fine and the tears just came. I haven't been more proud of myself. My official time is 4:52:56, twelve minutes faster than my previous fastest marathon time.

I saw some of our alumni runners at a water station just before the finish line (but I missed their awesome posters). They were screaming their heads off when they saw me. I was happy to see them out volunteering for the race this year with one marathon under their belt. If I would have seen these posters, I would have started bawling while I was running. They make me so proud!

The season is over, I get my Sunday mornings back from coaching. Some of my runners PR'ed and others were just happy to finish. One got sick and had to be pulled from the race. Despite this, it is such a great feeling to share this accomplishment with others.


I made myself lemon pie bars to celebrate. A student of mine brought me a bag of citrus last week so I put them to good use in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened 
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (from fresh lemons)
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest (the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon but I think it's too much)

The full recipe is on allrecipes.com and it's super easy to make, especially for non-bakers like me.  The tang of the lemon goes well with wine...well I think so.

San Francisco marathon, I'm coming for you! But first, rest.

Solo Sports

I have frequently heard that distance running is an individual sport. True. I run with my own legs from start to finish. I use my own lungs and pump my own arms to get my body moving in a forward direction. It's true, a person can train for and compete in their own races with minimal human interaction. Like a big city, a runner can easily get lost in the crowds at immense races like the LA marathon. I understand that running does not require the intense teamwork needed from baseball or basketball to win a game.

In the literal sense, a runner can be out in the world, alone. With enough self discipline, a runner can train for his or her own marathon. I know, because I've done it. I created my own training schedule and got myself up  to 18 miles on my own, running the streets and hills of San Francisco with nothing more than my pedometer and my music. Training for the marathon was the only thing that helped me survive the loneliness I felt in the city. I was by myself on those runs along in Balboa Park, around Breaker Beach, through the Presidio, with my own thoughts, racing against the sunset to get home, running through sheets of rain, and hoping I didn't get hit by a negligent driver as I tried to cross the road at the same time as they did.  I did it, and I barely finished.

For the last seven seasons since I started training with the high school students and other adult leaders, I have learned that although running can be an individual sport, training with others can elevate a persons' performance more than they could ever do alone. From August until March, I can depend on at least thirty other runners to join me on the streets of Los Angeles. We will tackle the increased weekly mileage together as we train for the LA marathon, rain or shine, hills or straightaways. I don't know if I would be as consistent with my own training if I didn't have these runners.


On our team, some of the runners push themselves to keep up or stay in front of me in the same way I push myself to run a bit faster when I see another runner in close proximity.  I can push myself through the hills and negative split can serve as an example to others that continue to learn how to manage their endurance. The faster runners often run in a small pack to encourage and push each other in hopes to reach their goal of sub-four hour marathon (and so they don't get lost).

Within the team of high school students, there is a range of experience from seasoned marathoners training for their fifth marathon while others are training for the first time, determined to finish the season. We have coordinated pacing groups, lead by a runner that has completed the marathon at least once so that they can help answer questions or offer support and suggestions. These marathoners-in-training are certainly learning how to work together to tackle the task of completing twenty-six point two miles. Sure, each one of them could train for the race alone, but the vital information from seasoned runners would be missing and the runners would have to learn by making mistakes instead of learning from past errors of their teammates.

I have to admit, teaching teamwork in a traditional "solo" sport isn't easy. But I have learned from my fellow coaches and from the mistakes I have made in coaching distance runners in the past. I have modified the training based on the vibe of the group, incorporated team leaders in leading practice and relied on their input to create an effective workout. I have learned, through much trial and error, how to manage and increase mileage on our long runs to help the runners reach optimal performance on the big day.  I like to share my successes. Most take advantage, others like to learn the hard way.

I was thinking about this the other day as I stood with my family making our several dozen tamales for Christmas Eve dinner. Each year, many of the women in the Torres family organize on December 23rd to make tamales for the entire family. Over forty people to feed with nearly one hundred pounds of masa, several pounds of lard, beef and chicken later, we have seven pots of tamales on the stove for our families to devour and take home as leftovers. I usually make the sweet tamales solo on the morning of Christmas Eve.  Me and my "solo" sports.

Potato-Fennel Gratin

This year, my cousin suggested that I start on them in the evening while everyone was still in aprons and in tamale-making mode. Why not? I thought. I could make this a solo sport like I have been so used to doing, or I could use the help offered to me. I took the help and we finished another 15 pounds of pineapple masa, chocolate chip masa and raisin masa. It gave me a chance to make a potato-fennel gratin to share with my family on Christmas Eve (the local Coachella market didn't have any Gruyere cheese so I settled on an aged-Salvadorian cheese). They loved it.

I also was able to make a new flavor tamale, pumpkin-raisin tamales. I was inspired by Tamara's Tamales in West Los Angeles that also offer a pumpkin tamale on their menu. My family loved those too. I realized that there are a few recipes for pumpkin tamales online. I think that if I did some research, I could have used one of them. But I didn't. And my portions of spice came out pretty well in the mix.

On Christmas Day, I convinced my cousin and two aunts to work out with me at the local high school. Originally, I only invited my cousin Vince. Since we overindulged on tamales the day before, I knew I could get at least one of my aunts to come out. The other came begrudgingly.  We knocked out a modified crossfit.com met-con.

Cooking, like marathon training, is really about trial and error while using others' experiences as a guide to being better. Both can easily be a solo sport, but what's the fun in that?