Weeks until Mountains 2 Beach Marathon: 14
Week seven has come and gone, and it was a really good one. My workouts during the week went well, and I finally PRed in a distance on Sunday! I’ll do a whole recap of the Rose Bowl 10k, but let me just say that I’m still excited about it. AND I placed second in my age group (25-29) and had my named called and received a second medal. I haven’t set a PR in a while and haven’t pushed myself to train this hard ever before, and it’s really paying off so far. Let’s just hope I can break two hours at the San Diego Half Marathon in three weeks!
Monday – 5 miles easy @ 9:38
This was the first run in my new Mizuno Wave Creation 16s… and it wasn’t great. I have been running in the Creations for the past year or more, and I loved the Creation 14 and 15. This new version feels less cushioned, stiff, and just clunky. They feel heavier too, although I don’t think they actually weigh more than the other versions. I’ll do a review of them soon, but this first time using them was not too successful.
My new Mizuno Wave Creation 16s
Tuesday – rest
Lots of stretching, foam rolling and icing my knee.
Wednesday – November Project (5 miles total)
I wore my new Saucony Triumphs and whoa mama are they great. They are super light, cushioned, and just feel like I’m walking on clouds. I ran two miles in NP mixed in with burpees and pushups, then three miles afterward at around 9:40 min/mile.
The group is getting bigger and bigger!
Thursday – 5-mile Progression Run
Splits: 9:23, 9:48, 8:36, 8:48, 8:11. I wore the Sauconys again, and I was amazed at how much lighter they felt than the shoes I’ve been wearing the past year and what a difference it made in speed.
Friday – November Project (4 miles total)
I wasn’t going to go to NP so I could rest my legs up for Sunday, but of course they decided to meet near my house and I had to go. I ran two miles to meet up with them, slowly ran up and down some killer hills and stairs a couple times, but overall took it really easy. It felt weird not going all out like everyone else, but I’m glad I held back so my legs could feel fresh.
One of the hidden sets of stairs in the neighborhood.
Sunrise ninjas.
I feel kind of bad I’m the only one not doing the heart-shaped thing with my hands…
Saturday – rest
Valentine’s Day was spent driving to Pasadena to pick up my race packet for the 10k, driving to Venice to pick up food for a picnic, then driving to Santa Monica to eat the picnic on the beach. In theory, this doesn’t sound like much. But as Jeremy and I are slowly realizing, things like this take a lot longer than you think in LA. We left Pasadena around 1pm (we found a taco place to get chips and guacamole and the hugest horchatas I’ve ever seen – road trip fuel to get across the city) and by the time we stopped in Venice to get food then made it to the sand, it was almost sunset. It was crazy. It must have been more crowded because of Valentine’s Day, but we were dead-stopped on the Pacific Coast Highway for like an hour and we finally just pulled over on the side of the road and parked and climbed down to the sand. It literally would have been quicker for us to drive up to Santa Barbara to go to the beach instead of stay in LA. But the food we got from Gjusta in Venice was incredible, and the sunset was beautiful, so all in all it was a success.
Oh yeah and the morning started with a pretty cappuccino from Intelligentsia.
Huge cups of horchata for our ‘road trip.’
Finally made it to the beach.
Our spread.
It had been way too long since I’d been to the beach.
Sunday – Rose Bowl 10k – 49:37 official time
Oh no big deal, I just PRed this race by like six minutes and came in second in my age group. And ran the last mile in 7:28 (?!?!). I am way too proud to not brag about this.
A well-deserved beer at 9:30am.
After the race, Jeremy and I went to Guisados for my favorite tacos, another big horchata, and some more beer.
Then we went to a place called Donut Friend in Highland Park and got donuts. Their whole thing is that all their donuts and sundaes and desserts are named after emo/indie bands. They also cut their donuts in half and put pretty much anything you want in the middle. We got the S’Morrissey and another one named after Sufjan Stevens.
The S’Morrissey – a chocolate cake donut filled with toasted marshmallows and topped with chocolate glaze and graham cracker crumbs.
Some of their other awesome flavors.
We did it up big this weekend, and now I’m detoxing this week by eating lots and lots of veggies and salads and fish. I haven’t been experiencing super bad runger yet, but it does seem to hit me at night if I’ve had a light dinner. I get painfully hungry as I’m going to bed and it keeps me awake until I have to get up and eat some oatmeal. I feel like full-blown runger is on its way though… any tips?
Lily Runs the World 
Congrats on your PR and 2nd AG place!!!! You knocked it out for the last mile.
I love horchatas. Best drink ever. Nice spread (and weather) you had for Valentine’s. Enjoy the glorious weather in LA. I miss CA.
Thanks! We’re so spoiled out here with the weather, and I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂
Wow congrats on an awesome 10k! Your training is definitely paying off!
Thanks, I was so excited!
Congratulations Lily! That’s a super time! You should feel very proud 🙂
I hope this also gives you some real good added confidence going into your next half. You’re really killing it with your paces and times!
Thank you so much! It definitely boosted my confidence, I’m excited to find out what I’m capable of in the half!
Congrats again on your 10K PR! I look forward to the recap 🙂
I’m actually moving to California next month but I’ll be up in the Bay Area. I’m eyeing M2B for next year so I’m especially looking forward to hearing about your experience with the race!
Those donuts are hilarious. I would definitely have to get the S’Morrissey as a long-time fan of The Smiths.
Thanks Jess! Oh man, that’s so exciting! I LOVE the Bay Area. I’ll make sure to do a very extensive recap of the M2B, hopefully it’s a good one!
Woohoo on your PR!
I must admit I have switched from the Creation to the Wave Rider and am really loving the Wave Rider 18.
I’ve been wanting to try out the Wave Rider 18, I may exchange these Creations for them. Seems like the overall consensus is good!
You’re totally killing it with the improved pace, Lily. You are going to have a fantastic race at Mountains 2 Beach!
Remind me to introduce you to my friend who does the November Project in LA. I think I told you about her when we met up in SM, right?
I hope you’re right! There’s just still so much time between now and then, anything could happen! I’m trying not to get ahead of myself and just focus on the week ahead of me.
I actually met her yesterday morning at NP! Laura, right?
Wow amazing time!! Congrats on the PR!! You WILL break 2 hours in the half marathon! 😀
Thanks I hope so!!!
Congrats on that awesome time! You are killing these workouts! I admit to being a boring donut eater- to me there’s nothing better than fresh glazed donut. 🙂
I am not a big dessert eater, but I agree, a fresh glazed donut is delicious!
Girrrl, you are killing it! Such fun adventures and congrats on the PR! You are a force to be reckoned with! By the way, LOVE that doughnut place and the doughnut names! 🙂
I knew you would! You should look at the whole menu, there are so many good names.
what was the sufjan called?? I saw him in concert like 6 years ago.. love him
I had to look it up because I couldn’t remember! It was the Sufganiyot Stevens – bismark donuts filled with Laura Ann’s Jams and covered in powdered sugar. I saw him in concert a couple times too, and he’s touring again soon!
You are killing your training and it shows in that 10K PR. Congrats! And normally I’m not a donut lover but they look amazing, and the tacos and the beach……..
Thank you! Tacos and the beach are two of my absolute favorite things. Next time I need to combine the two…
Woohoo!! Congrats on your PR! That’s awesome. Great week of training! That last mile on your progression run…wow!
Giant cups of horchata = win.
Thanks! I know, I don’t even know how that happened. Pretty sure I blacked out.
Congrats!!!! Ya know, we visited the Rose Bowl once and they were closed, I tried to sweet talk my way in for a quick glance, but was denied. Very cool you got to race there. I’ll admit, those tacos look pretty good!
It was pretty awesome to finish the race inside the stadium! And I’m not even a football fan. Maybe you can get in next time you’re in California 🙂
FANTASTIC!!! Congrats on that enormous PR and the AG win too, girl! That’s so awesome!
Thank you thank you!!
Like I said before, killing it in my hometown race! That really is awe some 🙂 I absolutely love the idea of a picnic on the beach and one can never go wrong with too much Horchata.
Agreed 100%! I think tacos and horchata are the things I miss the most when I’m not in California.
Mmmm so much good food pictured. 🙂 I personally can’t sleep if I am hungry and like to go to bed feeling full. If I have a hearty dinner and then dessert later, closer to bedtime, that usually covers it. Some people prefer not to eat dessert so close to bedtime, which I understand. So maybe eat your oatmeal right before bed as a preventative measure?
That’s a good idea! I do that sometimes, but lately I’ve been eating bigger dinners later (which is not ideal) and I haven’t had the hunger problem, thankfully.