Monday Intervals

6:30pm @ Santa Monica High. Brought along 3 friends running SF w/ me.

Interval training. 800m repeats. Recovery runs in between.

Heart felt like it was about to explode out of my chest at times. Legs are shot.

Some terrific Brazilian BBQ post-run. Helped my friend Cody edit his running documentary. Gonna shower now and get some much needed shut eye.


Post run on the track, standing on very tired legs.


6 x 800's @ varying paces.


Our coaches, the dynamic father + son duo Bill & Andrew.

Another Sunday Trail Run

I ran with my trail running group again this fine (but warm) Sunday morning. And again, we ran the Westridge trail with some varying routes to make it about a 13-mile route. There were a couple of incidents (of which I'll detail in a bit) but today made for a great run because of the company I ran with and as usual, great scenary.

Aside from the normal cast of characters, Stuart (or SLB to you) met up with us for the first time as did Kenna, another first-timer running with us. The 3 of us immediately bonded from the onset and began running together.


We ran the Westridge fire road which was mostly on an incline for almost 4 miles until we hit the Nike Station. Then it was down Mulholland for a few miles with gorgeous views of the valley off to the right and canyons to our left. In the midst of our chatfest however, we missed a road that was supposed to loop us around and lead us back the way we came.

Instead, we ended up going down some pretty steep hills where I actually slipped and ate shit for the first time ever (see pic of my hand). After all of this, we realized that we hadn't seen arrow markings that the lead guy leaves in awhile and it dawns on us that we might've missed a turn.

So after all of that, we decided to turn around and trudge back up the hills we came down. At this point, the legs began growing weary from the climbing and I was running low on water on this hot morning. Once we made it back on more level ground, our running picked up again and we made it back to the Nike Station where we took a break and filled up our water bottles.

The rest of the run was not easy and at some point, Stuart fell back a bit. But Kenna and I pushed on and after some intense climbing, Westridge Road began descending to make the remainder of the run a bit easier on these tired old legs. It was nice running with people around my speed on these trail runs and they made for really great company making the time fly by. Here's Kenna and I feeling strong at the finish:


All told, it was about a little over 12 miles with an overall pace somewhere in the 10 min/mi range I would imagine (I didn't turn off the GPS at the finish and there were those parts where we got lost). In typical trail runner's club tradition, we all gathered around a fold-up table that was filled with Gatorade, cookies, lemonade, bananas, etc (thanks Jes!) and socialized for a little while before bidding adieu. It was a great morning...and to Kenna and Stuart, hope to see you guys again soon - you guys are a great addition to the club!

Sunset...Ride

No running today.

I sought relief from the stress of the day with a nice motorcycle ride up to Malibu on the famed Pacific Coast Highway during sunset. My 'Bonnie' definitely missed the beach.

Subsequently, I crossed over the 10,000 mile mark tonight on that bike!

Beautiful scenary...beautiful night...a beautiful ride.

That One Thing

After spending the early part of the evening having dinner and walking around lovely Brentwood with my friend, I told her I needed to go home to change so we could head out to another friend's going away thing at a bar.

Funny thing though - I came home and started feeling...off. Can't quite put my finger on it but I was just not feeling right. Rx usually calls for a run but I told myself I'd take today off because I had already racked up a lot of mileage for the week, with more still to come this weekend.

But I couldn't resist.

So a little after 10pm when people were just getting ready to hit the bars/clubs, I laced up and decided to go on a run. It was just what the doctor ordered.


While the right shin was still smarting a bit, the rest of the usual aches and pains in the legs were gone. And before I knew it, I was in the middle of quiet suburbia running on empty streets with just the glimmer of street lamps guiding the way.

I wish I can articulate just how great it felt to be out there. Maybe the video can sum it up a bit (my apologies for the shoddy visual/sound/camera work/everything):



When the night is still and all you can hear is the sound of your breathing, you sort of fall into a hynotic trance where you feel at one with the road and the miles feel virtually effortless. I swear, I felt like I could have run for 20 miles tonight.

But I did refrain and stopped at exactly 7 miles when I hit my front door after spending a shade over an hour on the road. Average pace = 9:09 min/mi.

Here's to hoping you can find that one thing in your lives. Have a good night folks.

Might As Well

Accepted the open tag by SLB. Here are my (brief) answers:

How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

Um...in a word, nonexistent.

What is your best and worst run/race experience?

The best is a tie between my first ever race, the then Pacific Shoreline Half-Marathon followed by the last half I PR'd in, the City of Angels Half-Marathon back in December. I felt I ran it pretty strong and had the added bonus of running with my friends.

The worst is another tie between the first time I set out to the Malibu Creek 14-mile trail race and the Napa-to-Sonoma Half. Cramped like crazy on both and struggled to the finish line.

Why do you run?

For therapy, for fitness, for the memory of loved ones I've lost, for the people incapable of enjoying the freedom of running like I am.

What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

Stay in the moment. One foot in front of the other.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

I was once picked out of a crowd during a fashion show to walk down the runway as a last minute replacement.

Tempo Thursday

Just came back from a tempo run with my running buddy Natalie.

6.63 miles total with 3 @ tempo pace. The first 2 miles, I paced her at her speed since this is just her 2nd time doing speedwork (roughly about 8:20 min/mi) and then ran the last mile @ my tempo pace which came to 7:38 min/mi.

Legs are still sore (especially my right one) but felt decent overall.

Gotta keep it short. I'm absolutely STARVING!

The Stick

The Good: ran a very easy 7.77 miles tonight (between a 9:15-9:45 pace).

The Bad: legs are still feeling crummy - both of 'em.

At the start of the run, it was my right shin. Then it was my right knee. Then it was my left knee. Then the right foot. Then my shin again. And so on and so forth..

I think it's time for new shoes. And I think I need to start icing more. But I did make one very significant purchase this morning - The Stick!

Haven't been able to put it down yet. I'm having a lot of fun touching myself.

Er...massaging myself. Er...with the stick.

Anyway, hope it helps.

Sunset Run

Let me tell you two things that will never get old:

1) fart jokes (we can all agree they transcend age)

-and-

2) running on the beach in LA (especially around sunset as I just did)

Now that the stifling SoCal heat wave has come and gone, I was really looking forward to running again. I had decided on an easy 10-miler from my gym down to the beach and back.

Only thing that shook my confidence a bit was my mediocre performance on Sunday and the nagging pain in my right leg. I even contemplated running with my iPod shuffle tonight (which I rarely do these days) but decided against it at the last minute.

It was the right decision.

After changing at my gym, I was all set to go right around 6pm. I decided to take it easy at the beginning which is always hard to do for me. For the first few miles, my leg was bothering me again. I was kind of limping/running at points because at times, it hurt to put weight on it. But I pushed through and as the miles wore on, the leg started to feel better.

The weather was also near perfect tonight. During that initial almost 4 miles down to the beach, the temps were probably in the high-60's with the occasional ocean breeze and a setting sun guiding the way. When I finally hit Venice/Santa Monica Beach, I went north towards the pier deciding to run until I hit the 5 mile mark.

The walkers/runners/bikers were all out in full-force on the bike path and all smiles from our collective endorphin highs. By the time I hit 5 miles, I was just under 45 minutes (or roughly a shade under 9 min/mi). I hit the brakes and did an about face to run back the way I came. My mile and a half of running along the bike path came and went much too fast and before I knew it, I was back on Ocean Park Blvd heading back east towards my gym.

Things got a little bit harder obviously during the second half of the run, but I felt that I was still running strong. After overcoming a series of hills that I took for granted running down when I was coming towards the beach, it was relatively flat the rest of the way and just concentrated and maintaining my pace.

Hit mile 10 as soon as I got back and finished tonight's run in just a shade under an hour and a half, meaning even splits and even pacing. Here is the mileage breakdown:

Mile 1 - 9:05
Mile 2 - 8:52
Mile 3 - 8:54
Mile 4 - 8:59
Mile 5 - 8:49
Mile 6 - 8:41
Mile 7 - 9:20 (uphill portion)
Mile 8 - 8:51
Mile 9 - 9:15
Mile 10 - 8:39

It was a near perfect run I thought. Ya really gotta love LA sometimes.

Sunday Long Run

Southern Cali's in the middle of a pretty intense heat wave right now. It's been in the 90's for the past fews days and thus, affecting my running. Thankfully, it should start cooling down starting tomorrow.

But today was another story.

I needed to start the long run portion of my training. With expected temps still into the 90's, a compromise had to be made on my end. I would have to start early - waaay early.

I set my alarm for 4:45am (after about 4 hours of sleep) and was out the door by 5:15am. I went to pickup the lovely Miss Sara to join me on my long, masochistic adventure on foot. The run started a little after 6am on The Strand near Pier Ave on Hermosa Beach. On a mostly concrete surface, we made our journey northbound towards Dockweiler Beach. Apparently, more than a few had the same idea to get their daily exercise in before the height of the heat set in as many runners, walkers and bicyclists littered the path at this ungodly hour.

We were only a couple of miles into the run when my right leg started bothering me. Not just the chronic shin issue I've been having, but all along the lower half of the leg from the knee down started hurting. I needed this run today so I just tried my best to ignore the pain and push through it.

The weather was a major factor from the onset. The morning started off humid and as the sun grew higher with each passing minute, it became more and more difficult to ignore. For the first 6 miles or so, I was pretty miserable - from the pain and from the weather. I tried my best to keep my spirits up for the sake of company and god bless her, Sara tried her best to keep me distracted with some unorthodox running conversation. But the funk I was in just would not lift.

Until mile 7.

That's when we decided to turn around and head back. Almost immediately, I started to feel better and stride started picking up a bit. The sun was definitely a factor by this point in the run and the ocean water a couple of hundred yards away continued to tease us. But we pressed on retracing our steps back towards the Hermosa Pier.

By the time we hit our original starting point, I was gassed and done. Still a couple of miles short of our goal, I was all set to give up and call it quits at a little over 14 miles. But this is when having a running partner comes in handy. With some words of encouragement (and some goading), the fire under my ass was re-lit to get in the final 2 miles.

Final tally:

Time = 2:29:46
Total miles = 16.15 mi
Pace = 9:16 min/mi

Considering the conditions that we were running in, I'll take it. And treating ourselves to that long-awaited dip in the ocean and a hearty breakfast made it all worthwhile.

A Reminder

I've been guilty of not doing this lately. As the mercury continues to rise (it's in the 90's here in LA today!), this is something us outdoorsy types must remember.



The other stuff's pretty helpful too. Have a great weekend everyone.

Why I Love RW.com Message Boards

A special thanks to my SoCal peeps on Runner's World (especially Joltin' Joe).

__________

My Question:

I've unfortunately been nursing shin splints in my right leg and have been going off how they feel.

Which raises the question: should I be taking some days off? Or continue to ice and train on them? Keep in mind that I have the SF marathon in a few weeks...

Answer:

Hi Billy,

I don't think that you have anything to worry about. First of all, I doubt that you have shin splints. Unfortunately that is a catch-phrase for all problems with the shins.

My best guess is that your shins are faitigued from over-use. That is why they only bother you during the first 2 miles.

Because of over-use, your shin muscles tighten. Ergo, for the first 2 miles your shins are trying to loosen up. By the 3rd mile they have loosened up and you can then run pain-free.

I had this problem 30 years ago when I was doing 100 mile weeks. The best solution is to warm up very slowly.

If you plan on running a series of 9 minute miles, then take the first mile at a 12 minute jogging pace, or slower if necessary.

Rather than run the first 2 miles in pain as you have been doing, just use those 2 miles to warm-up (very slowly). If it means jogging at a 13 minute pace, then do that. Eventually, your pseudo-shin splints will disappear.

I also had this problem last winter when I ran 4 marathons in 6 weeks. But, I didn't fret. I just made sure that I did an ever so slow warm up for 1-2 miles.

How slow should you run those first 2 miles? Slow enough where you can't feel the tightness in your shins. If you feel tightness, then you are going too fast.

Also, stay off concrete. And, for awhile avoid hills, especially downhills. The more forgiving the surface, the better.

If you do power-walking, then stop. Fast-walking or power-walking are brutal on the shins.

Finally, get the "STICK" and massage your calves.

I hope this helps.

JJ

How Badly Do I Want It?

Started the work day off early so that I could squeeze in a mid-afternoon tempo run before the big (and hopefully not final) Lakers game tonight. Plannned on doing 7 miles total, with a mile warm-up/cool down and 5 miles at tempo pace in between. I went to the nearby park where I usually run them in laps.

The run began a little after 3pm and immediately, the soreness in my right shin came back. With the pain still lingering after the first mile, I decided to get another warm-up mile in.

I'm not one for excuses but today was a pretty hot day (in the 80's). Although parts of the park were shaded by trees and there was an occasional breeze, the sun was just oppressive today. I should have run it early this morning or a little later in the day now that I felt the conditions out there.

Anyway, after the first mile into running at tempo pace, the heat + the sun started affecting me. I steadily drank my Accelerade and kept a watchful eye on my heart rate throughout but there's just no way I was going to give my optimal output in this heat.

With labored breathing and sweating buckets towards the end (I weighed 178 lbs when I got back!), I cut a planned 5 miles at tempo to 3. Better safe than sorry. Total came to 6.25 miles. Here's the mileage breakdown:

Mile 1 - 9:20
Mile 2 - 9:15
Mile 3 - 8:01
Mile 4 - 7:39
Mile 5 - 7:57
Mile 6 - 9:30
Mile 6.25 - 2:38

The answer to the question is posed in the subject line is: I do still want it. It was just another bad training run. They'll be better ones to come.

Now it's time to jump in the shower then off to my lucky pub to root on the Lakers. Game 6. They win tonight, they live to fight another day. They lose, they go home and Boston wins the championship.

I may have to go on another run tonight to recover if they lose. God forbid.

Zilch. Zippo. Zero.

For me today.

And it was great.

Batteries recharged.

Let's go tomorrow.

On Father's Day

Before I begin, if you find yourself going oh god...not another post about your dad, I completely understand and will try to keep it succinct.

But it is Father's Day and he's really been the impetus for what's been driving me the past 3 and a half years or so - in life and in running.
_____________



The 2nd chapter of my life started after my dad passed away.

If you've only known me post-December 2004, I'll sum up what I was like. Before he passed away, I was basically a chain-smoking, selfish, lying, womanizing, and irresponsible boy. I did what I wanted and worried about consequences later. In hindsight, I fully realize and accept that I had not quite grown into a man yet.

Life became so much more immediate once the shock of his sudden passing subsided. I learned about meditation and embracing the present moment. This philosophy and a change in attitude spawned a slew of new interests that I'd either never considered before (see running), or was afraid to embrace because I was too chicken shit. And in turn, my life came into focus, murky waters turned clear, and I was reborn.

This is not to say that I'm anywhere near complete. I remain a horribly flawed human being with bad habits. But the difference between then and now is that now, I try to change those damaging tendencies. I also strive to be as honest with people as possible (especially those closest to me). And if I want something bad enough, I'll never give up trying. This goes for something as trivial as trying again and again to get the hang of wakeboarding, to constantly striving to achieve certain career goals I've set out for myself in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

This may sound ridiculous but there are times I feel like his life may have been sacrificed so I could lead a better and more meaningful life. Of course this isn't the case, but he was certainly selfless and loved me enough that he would do this 100 times out of a 100 if presented as an option.

In a heartbeat.

So with that, I want to thank him for shaping/molding me into the person that I am today and am only sorry that he wasn't around to see certain accomplishments realized. I love and miss you dad. With every hour of every day. Happy Father's Day.

This has been very therapeutic. Thanks for listening everyone.
____________

Oh and before I forget, I want to say that I owe a great deal to my former teacher/now mentor, Richard. I would remain lost without you and am forever indebted to you for your continuing counsel and guidance.

Happy Father's Day Richard. And to everyone else lucky enough to have someone to celebrate it with.

Trail Run: Westridge/Sullivan Canyon

Grrr...

About 4 hours of sleep before the alarm went off. It was NOT easy to get my ass outta bed this morning. Ah, but what one will do for love. Especially when it involves the trails.

Due to training for the San Diego Marathon that took place a couple of weeks ago, I have not been able to meet up and run with my trail club on Sunday mornings. Today was my first run with them in over a month and our path today was good ol' Sullivan Canyon (again).

Nothing too exciting to report unfortunately. It was one of those run-of-the-mill runs with pretty good but unspectacular views (I think I've been spoiled by other trails).


We started off on a fire road that ascends to the Nike station perched on Mulholland Dr. I quickly broke from the pack since most were recreational runners while I had a marathon to run in about 7 weeks. The shins were still bothering me at the early part of the run but I just said to hell with it and ran through it. It was a steady climb up about 4 miles or so until I hit Mulholland.

After a couple of miles on Mulholland, it was a quick descent down into the canyon where it was shady and cool. Quite the contrast to the sun-drenched fire roads on top of the canyon, even in the early morning hours. There were a couple of small brook crossings and lots of rocks but it was a fun part of the run and thankfully, mostly downhill.

The planned route then called for an abrupt uphill climb up this tiny - and I mean TINY goat trail that must've been designed for kids and small people. Tree branches, shrubs, bushes mostly left about a 3-4 ft clearing up this steep and narrow trail. This left me relegated to hiking up hunched over like I was in Being John Malkovich and that resulted in a lot of lower back pain for this old fogey. What turned out to be a little over 0.5 miles felt like an eternity.

Finally, it leveled off and I was back on the fire road that we initially took and from there, it was a meager mile or so back to the beginning of the trail where everyone eventually trickled back one by one and shared stories and refreshments. In the end, the route registered about 9.65 miles in total. I was tired and dirty but happy to be back on the trails again!


I thought about you a lot during that run dad. Have a Happy Father's Day everyone.

Kids N' Play

-Today I consumed: a hot dog, fried chicken strips, french fries, a Drumstick ice cream, and later, a chicken burrito.

-I started the day off so promising too with just a banana and yogurt.

-I forgot how much fun go-carts, batting cages and laser tag can be.

-Kid grime. Kid cooties. Kid germs. It's all over me. Need a shower. Hope I didn't catch anything.

-FINALLY FINISHED FIXING 'THE BONNIE'! Oh, how I missed you so..

-Am I really gonna get up at 5am to go trail running??

Day 5: SF Training - Green Day

Today, I managed to go to the gym, go to work, back over to the gym, then back home - without starting up my SUV once.

It's been far too long since I had my 'green day' - or getting around the entire day using just my Trek road bike. But with gas prices going nowhere but up and after three straight days of eating unhealthy, I figured today would be a good a day as any to burn some calories as I commuted (although I should be doing it far more frequently).

Also at the gym tonight, I met up with my running partner Natalie again. We covered exactly 7.15 miles at an average pace of 8:53 min/mi through some nearby neighborhoods. The first couple of miles, my right shin was still bothering me. Too many miles? Time for new shoes? Can't figure it out.

Thankfully, it felt a little better as the miles clicked off and by miles 6 and 7, I was running right around 8:30 min/mi pace. Nothing spectacular, but given my feeble attempt at a tempo run the previous night, I'll take it.

Actually cooked dinner tonight for a change. Now trying to avoid the temptation to go out tonight since I have an early work day tomorrow followed by my 'little brother's' birthday party at Mulligan's. Peace.

That's Life.

Drown in self-pity? Or accept it and move on?



Cause hey...shit happens. Thanks Ol' Blue Eyes.

My Conscience = 1, Me = 0

The Lakers lost.

Yeah, so?

So I feel like shit.

You should...you forgot to wear your lucky Lakers jersey to the bar tonight.

I'm 31-years old. I think I'm getting kinda old to be wearing a jersey.

You sure? Cause you sure do remind me of a 13-year old right now.

Fine, kick me while I'm down.

I think you need it.

Just let me be miserable for a second, ok?

No - this is ridiculous. Besides, it's not like they lost the series yet.

Yeah, but NO team in the history of the NBA Finals have come back from being down 3-1 in a series.

Are you serious? It's BASKETBALL. Regardless of whether or not they win the series or not, your life won't change one iota.

You're right...so how do I snap out of it?

Do what you always do when you're feeling down and out.

Go for a run?

Go for a run.

But it's 10pm at night.

So?

And I had a couple of beers at the bar.

So?

AND I had half a pizza and a order of chicken wings.

Your point is...?

You're right. These are all lame excuses. Let's change.

(10 minutes later)

This was a bad idea.

You always say that at the beginning of a run.

No, but it's particularly true tonight. I don't feel well.

Oh, quit your whining. Just get past the first mile...you always feel better after the first mile.

There's no way I'm going to do 7 miles tonight.

Oh, yes you can...just take it one mile at a time.

Stop with the cliches already.

1 mile warm up. 5 at tempo pace. 1 mile cool down. Done. Bam. You're home.

Sure...it sounds easy enough. But saying and doing it is completely different.

Just do it.

Again, with the goddamn cliches.

(Mile 1)

Ok, warm-up over - let 'er rip!

This isn't feeling right.

Why not?

I feel heavy. Like I swallowed a bowling ball.

Weren't you supposed to be eating better?

Really? You're gonna bring that up tonight of all nights?

Sorry. Concentrate on your breathing.

Then stop talking to me.

(Mile 2)

Ok, this was clearly a bad idea.

I'm inclined to agree at this point.

Really? We're really gonna cut this run short?

Listen, the way I see it is that you can go ahead and finish this workout to the best of your ability, but you're gonna feel like shit at the end of it.

Right. And I think I'm close to barfing too.

Right, so just live to fight another day.

Cliches.

Sorry.

(Mile 3)

We're done.

Yeah, we're done.

We're fucking failures.

Speak for yourself.

Actually, I'm speaking for the both of us.

True. What was our tempo pace? Like 8:15 per mile?

I dunno...but it wasn't good.

So we're going home?

We're going home.

Maybe we would've finished if you decided to follow up on your resolution to eat better.

Go fuck yourself.

Actually..

Dedication

There is someone I want to dedicate the following song to..



I'm thinking of you and hope you can get through this difficult period. Your father is in a better place now. Stay strong for your family and honor his memory with each day you're above ground.

And even though I may not know what to say all the time, my offer still stands - I'm here for you anytime you need someone to talk to..

Undefeated!

So, uh...remember when I told you guys that I was abstaining from bad, fatty foods? One in particular - 'pub food' I think I cited?

Yeah, well...

Fuck it! It was all in the name of watching the Lakers play in the NBA Finals! Probably one of the most stressful games I've seen them play in awhile. Won't bore you with the details, but it was just a sloppy, poorly played game from start to finish.

BUT WE WON!

I met up with JD and Greg to whoop and holler our boys on from our lucky pub, where we are STILL undefeated!

From 6 - 9pm, it was a non-stop barrage of "FUCK"s "SHIT"s and "GODDAMN IT"s. Our mutual friend Laura then shows up in the 3rd quarter and proceeds to ask a million different questions about what's going on. Thankfully, JD calmly indulged and answered her cause I was in no mood most of the game.

Whew - that was exhausting. And we have to do it all over again Thursday night!

Day 2: SF Training (and Other Things)

Changed my workout schedule around to this morning because I promised my boys JD and Greg that I'd join them @ our lucky pub to watch the Lakers play Game 3 tonight (currently down 0-2). It's not like I've been avoiding the games (been watching on tivo), I just feel like I get too stressed out and let it ruin my night if they lose. It's silly I know, but I ain't apologizing for it.

But desperate times calls for desperate measures - and at our lucky pub, the Lakers are unbeaten when we've gone to see games there (won 7 outta 7 times). Coincidence?

_____________

The right leg is still bothering me. What should have been an easy run to and from the gym from my home (about 2.25 miles each way) was more arduous than I had hoped. I'll grit it out and hope it'll get better, but will try to be smart about it at the same time.

Speaking of my gym, apparently Ian Ziering is a regular there during the daytime. There he was - 'Steve Sanders' in the flesh, just working out with a female trainer. Didn't say anything to him however - I might've 15 years ago.

As much as I hate to admit it, I was a huge 90210 fan growing up. I used to watch all the time during junior/high school and got all wrapped up in the Brenda/Dylan/Kelly love triangle.

And I'll only admit that to you guys.

_____________

What is it about girls on beach cruisers that makes them so cute?

_____________

I'm giving serious thought to doing the Malibu Tri (Olympic Distance) on September 13th. This is not to be confused with the Malibu Tri that celebs partake in the following day. Much less fanfare and the Olympic distance is slightly longer: 1.5K swim, 40K bike ride, 10K run.

Unfortunately, this would not leave me a whole lot of time to train - especially for the swim part. But when has that stopped me before?

(Thanks Jes for putting this idea in my head. But if I do sign up, I will definitely take you up on training for the swim together..)

_____________

I'm determined more than ever this time to get down to 175 lbs by race day. Current weight at weigh-in today was between 180-182 lbs.

Goodbye for now: McDonald's, Inn-N-Out, pizza, pub food, ice cream, carne asada burritos...etc, etc

Day 1: Training for SF Begins!

Bought my plane ticket to San Francisco today! Was debating between a 3 day/2 night or 2 day/1 night weekend but the former won out. Might as well make a weekend out of it in one of my favorite cities. Lots of people to see, lots of things to do including, oh yeah - running 26.2 miles on marathon Sunday.

With that last piece of detail finalized the only thing that's left for me now is of course, the training. The SF Marathon is in a mere 8 weeks so that leaves little time to waste. Must keep moving forward.

I'm was still tired and actually a little grouchy all day from the lack of sleep and sun exposure from this past weekend. At work, I was literally counting down the seconds til 5pm when I could leave and change into my running clothes. It could not come soon enough.

Met up with Natalie at my gym around 6pm and we took off on our usual 6.75 mile route. Legs are starting to feel a little better although midway through the run, my right leg felt a little sore (shin + foot). Poor Natalie hasn't been in the best running shape as of late but gamely hung with me through the faster paces and a couple of hills. Although not signed up yet, with some persistance, I think I can get her to join me.

I'm also thankful that it's still relatively cool around these parts (high's in the 70's). Given the temps I've seen in certain parts of the country today, I will relish every day under 80 degrees between now and August 3rd. Especially the days that calls for running, which granted - is virtually every single day!

Lake Isabella

Hey all. Back from camping in Lake Isabella. Weekend with my closest friends. Sunburnt and tired now.

Very windy the first day. Ran about 6 miles, but strong gusts and headwind prevented me from going too far. Grilled some great steaks and had too much beer, Campari and margaritas.

Much better conditions today. Went sailing, wakeboarding, and other water related activities.

Can you tell that I'm exhausted and in no real mood to write a drawn-out post about my weekend excursion? Sometimes, pictures can be worth all the words. So here are just a few - I'm going to bed:

I Should Be Packing

I'm getting ready to go camping in Lake Isabella this weekend for one of my best friend's birthday. It's looking to be a fun weekend under the sun with some boating, wakeboarding, kayaking and for me - running. My camping/swimming/running gear should have been packed by now but I've been putting it off all night.

All day I was feeling lethargic. I had one too many glasses of wine with dinner last night, stayed up too late watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals on my tivo (the Lakers lost) and had to get up really early for work in the morning today. After putting in a lo-o-ong day, I left work almost immediately at 5pm and met up with some friends for some Brazilian BBQ (yes, again) which only left me in a self-induced food coma.

Running wise, today was supposed to be a rest day for me. However, my body's been used to running every day since the marathon and the abrupt break was starting to bother me.

The night temps were near perfect - nary a breeze and in the 60's. Legs/head/heart were pleading for activity. The streets beckoned.

So I strapped on my GPS/heart monitor, clipped on my iPod shuffle and ran out the door sans shirt just donning a cap, shorts and running shoes.

I decided to do a condensed version of a tempo run. So I ran at moderate pace for the first 0.5 miles and then turned it up to tempo pace. Legs felt surprising good (somewhere between 75-85% recovered, I would say) while I ran around a local park and neighboring streets trying to push myself to run faster and harder.

Mile 1 = 8:21
Mile 2 = 7:58
Mile 3 = 7:35
Mile 3.5 = 4:47

At 3 miles, I slowed my pace down to recovery speed and trotted the remaining 0.5 miles back home.

Feeling better now. Head's cleared up. Time to get things done before getting some much-needed Z's.

Best of all, therapy session was free.

On the Road Again

Day #3 post-marathon.

Finally ditched the godforsaken contraption we hampsters commonly refer to as 'the treadmill' and hit the streets again. I met up with my longtime running partner and former colleague, Natalie @ the gym around 6pm. From there, we set out on our usual 'short route' of 4.25 miles.

We got some small talk out of the way before talking about our respective running goals and ambitions. Natalie's been going through some intense, personal stuff lately so running's kind of taken a backseat in her life. Tonight however, she sounds recommitted and even talking about joining me up in San Francisco for the marathon. Good for her - the more the merrier!

(*I feel like all I've been doing lately is trying to recruit friends and forum members to run it with me - the race directors should really give me a cut for each one that signs up!).

Anyway, our running effort ranged in the 9 - 9:45 min/mi pace as I'm still recovering from San Diego. But it felt good to get out there again.

And you know what - I'm actually looking forward to doing speedwork/tempo runs again!

No Rest for the Weary..

Day #2 post-marathon.

I'm over the funk of falling short of my goal. If anything, it's made me more determined than ever to go after it in San Fran. So as of a couple of minutes ago, I am officially registered for the full marathon on August 3rd (bib #4678).

That leaves me two months to recover from this race and pick up where I left off in my training. Not a whole lotta time.

It all re-started yesterday when I did about 2.5 really difficult miles on the treadmill at my gym to remove any excess lactic acid build up in my legs.

This afternoon, I got a couple of hours of reprive from work so I went into the gym and ran about 3.25 miles. They were definitely easier, and I even hit a couple of miles at 8:30-9 min/mi pace (albeit, still on a treadmill).

A trainer buddy of mine at the gym is pushing me to sign up for this trail half-marathon this Sunday. And ya know what - I'm actually considering it.

So this is where all my money goes - races and sneakers. Oh, and gas/airfare to get to races. Fuck, this is getting to be an expensive hobby..

The Day After..

A lot of you may have already seen this video, but this is the most accurate depiction of how I'm doing today.

Race Report: San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon

Well, I just rolled back in from San Diego.

Gimpy and sore? Check.

Dead-Tired? Check.

Meet my marathon time goal? Umm...not quite.

As much as I'm tempted to shower, eat and crawl into my bed, I should do this while it's still somewhat fresh in my head.

The Day Before - Expo & Runner's World Forum Dinner:

My friend Cody, his wife and I arrived in San Diego around noon. Already famished by then, we opted to eat first and attend the expo second.

The expo itself was pretty standard fare. About as big as the LA Marathon Expo but with seemingly more people packed in the center if that's possible. After packet pickup and a brief stop to see Dean Karnazes talk, I spotted my favorite running shoe company's (Mizunos) section and promptly left with a new tank and shorts. With nothing else left to do, we left before more merchants could take our hard-earned money.

After a quick dip in the pool followed by a shower, I borrowed my friend's car and drove over to meet approximately 40 or so fellow runners (via Runner's World) that were running in the marathon over in Little Italy. We spent the next couple of hours talking (mostly about running) and stuffing our faces with pasta and bread. It was nice to not only be able to meet some of these good folks in person, but also to pick the brains of Boston qualifiers and hopefuls alike to discuss training and race-day strategies. Everyone was great (Charlie..Susan..Willis..Shacky, et al)!

I left the dinner feeling much better about the race. From the restaurant, I took off to my brother's house which is where I would be spending the night. Unfortunately, I found out on my way over there that they wouldn't show until after 10pm. So I just went ahead and prepared my race gear and planned to go to sleep without seeing them. Right around 10pm however, I heard the little pitter patter of feet and in comes running in my adorable little nephews, Jeremy and Joshua (also met new nephew #3, Jaden for the first time!).

Since they were inquiring so much about what everything I had out was for, I laid out the course map and explained that I would be running that entire length. They became really intrigued. I also showed them YouTube videos of previous San Diego Marathons. This really got them excited and they started emulating some of the runners they viewed. They are seriously the cutest little things. Hey - and I think I might now have future runners in my nephews!

Pre-Race:

After going to bed around 11pm, I was up by 4am. After packing and doing the pre-race ritual of Body Gliding myself up, putting bandages on my nipples, etc, I went over to pick up my friend at his hotel at 5am. You would think that with a starting time of 6:30am, this would leave us plenty of time to park and shuttle over.

Nope, not really.

While the lot may have been big enough, the traffic into it was poorly managed as we sat bumper-to-bumper for over 45 minutes. Eventually, we were able to park and hurriedly caught a shuttle over to the starting line. 6:26am...6:27am...

I wished my friend luck and I power-walked up to Corral #5 where I made it just in the nick of time as the gun went off about a minute later. Whew - talk about cutting it close!

THE RACE:

My strategy I decided the night before was this: start out slow and conservative and finish strong. Negative splits were the goal. Based on the course topography, I decided that up to 10K or 10 mile mark would be sufficient before really hitting marathon pace.


While the skies were overcast this morning (thankfully), I noticed that it was fairly humid out. Something about the weather felt off, but it took me awhile to put my finger on exactly what that was.
True to my plan, I started out slow and was mindful of making sure the legs were running light as I know I'd need them later. This is actually tougher than it sounds because having streams of people passing you can be demoralizing after awhile. I wondered how long I would be able to keep this up.

Run smart, I just kept telling myself, run smart..

Hit the 5K (3.1 mi) mark at 28:55 according to my Garmin. I knew this was well below what I was capable of but still forced myself to hold back. Meanwhile, the crowd support was fantastic as there were scores of cheerleaders, rock bands and spectators to keep the energy flowing.
The 10K (6.2 mi) was hit in 57:24 and I would have used this point to really get going except I remembered according to the topography that it was around this point that we'd begin a slow, gradual uphill climb until around mile 10. So I kept things on cruise control and continued at the easy pace I was running.
Mile 10 finally came and I upped the intensity at bit to my ideal marathon pace of 8:30 - 9 min/mi. I still felt pretty good and the skies were still overcast save for a moment or two here and there, so I kept the legs churning at a decent click. At the 13.1 mile mark (half-marathon distance), I was right at 2:00.
Did I not leave enough room for error, I wondered?

I continued to run around 8:30 - 9 min/mi and right on pace to finish just under 4 hours. A few were starting to walk by this point and stretching or massaging out leg cramps.

I had been pretty steadily taking my Endurolyte tablets (about one every 4-5 miles) and shot blocks. Also made sure I was as well-hydrated as possible by keeping my water bottle filled with a sports drink and taking in water during stops.

Miles 17 and 18:

I think around mile 17 is when I experienced what's commonly referred to as the 'runner's high'. Since I started cramping around this time in the last marathon I ran, I was a little bit fearful for what this point would bring. But when I still felt strong and no signs of cramping presented itself, I got giddy and ran the next two miles in some of my fastest mile splits.
I started passing tons of people, many of them sporting with '4:00 finish' bibs on their backs and even a couple with '3:40'. Spectators saw me running strong and began urging me along. It was basically all smiles throughout these two miles - felt absolutely invincible and confident that I would shatter the sub-4 hour mark I'd set for myself.
I even began to wonder, could I possibly finish in under 3:50??....

..Mile 19 and On:

Almost as soon as I passed by the Mile 19 mark, things started to fall apart. Initially, it was a gradual twitch in my right hamstring. Trying not to panic, I simply changed my stride up a bit and slowed down my pace by 15-30 seconds. I tried thinking positive to see if that would hinder the onset of cramps. It just would not go away however.

My speed dropped by a minute in pace from the previous two miles and I started swallowing down more tablets and drinking more in shorter increments. But it was too late...my body was fatigued and by this point, the sun was out in full force to emphasize the true difficulty of finishing a marathon course.
I overheard someone say earlier that the marathon is split into two races - not equal halves sharing the 13.1 mile distance as the separating point. No, rather it's the first 20-miles followed by the remaining 10K distance. How true this is.

More walkers and people stretching out their legs on the side of the road. No more chipper chatter going on between racers. No, this was when everybody had to dig down and really see what they were made of.

It was around mile 23 that I started getting emotional. It was a combination of running in my dad's memory to the difficulty of the past few miles. Several factors all hit me at once and I actually began to cry. This lasted about a couple of hundred yards before I collected myself and refocused on the task at hand.

Around mile 24, I hear a familiar voice catching up to me. I turn my head and I see good ol' Charlie (from the RW dinner) who graciously offers me a cold, wet towel along with some brief words of encouragement. His support at that time was sorely needed.

Mile 25 is when the first full-on seizure hit me. I was just about to round a corner for the final mile or so when it felt like someone shot my right calf with a shotgun. In excruciating pain, I forced myself off the road so I could stretch it out. Fellow runners and spectators alike came rushing over to check on me with one gal even offering to massage my calf for me. I would have gladly accepted had I not been on a bit of a time crunch.

I continued on down the home stretch and glancing at my Garmin for the last time, I saw that it at 4:02 and counting with several hundred yards to go. I would not make my goal time, but that would not deter me from finishing as strong as I possibly can.

The straightaway to the finish line was magnificient with hundreds of spectators gathered to witness the agony and the ecstacy that comes with running a marathon.



Final time = 4:04:34

I gave myself a couple of hours to wallow in disappointment before looking ahead and planning for San Fran in a couple of months.

Another marathon down, another PR set, another finisher's medal to add to the collection.
It was a good day overall - it just could have been better.