Early Bird

In spite of going out last night for my friend's birthday, I was able to successfully pry myself away at a reasonable hour (after nursing one Fat Tire beer the entire night) and get to bed before midnight. Reason?

A 6am date with my running shoes this morning.

It was tough, but not the usual bitching and moaning to myself when the alarm went off. After a quick stop across the street to my local Coffee Bean and a little perusing on the internet, I set out in the darkness about 45 minutes later for 10-12 miles (depending on how I'm doing on time).

The skies had just some stopped drizzling by the time I was off so while the streets and sidewalk were a little wet and slippery, it also heightened the olfactory system and helped me remain very zen throughout the run. I also finally saw this 'sunrise' thing that all you morning runners rave about and all I can say is...wow. I actually had to stop running to take some pictures and gaze in that direction for a minute.


Other than that, nothing spectacular to report. Legs felt heavy at times but I got through it just in time to shower and get to work by 9am. I managed to cover about 11.4 miles at 8:33 pace.

Happy Halloween everyone...be safe out there!

Two-a-Day

I've been feeling a little down on my running lately.

Yes, the last two races I've run netted PR's by significant margins - but starting this training program was first and foremost about preparing for CIM. And in that regard, I've lagged in the past couple of weeks. It was time to get back on track in the few remaining weeks remaining until the big day on December 7th. For the immediate future, I had a 51 mile week to look forward to.

Unfortunately, I stumbled out of the blocks yesterday (my first running day of the new week) as a combination of day-to-day activities plus my cousin being in town from Jersey caused zero time to run and thus, zero mileage. My solution? Run yesterday's run this morning AND do my scheduled workout at night. Only problem was they weren't exactly the easiest runs to combine. But I said to hell with it and created my new proposed workout day:

Morning - 8 miles @ general aerobic pace
Evening - 9 miles w/ 5 x 1000m VO2Max runs (w/ 2 mins recovery jogs in between)

Telling myself that the quality of my evening speedwork hinged on my morning run, I did my best to take those 8 miles easy. It was difficult however as over 48 hours had passed since my last run and I was revved up and ready to go. Still, I managed to hold myself back somewhat and completed my morning 8 miles (@ 8:44 pace). The rest of the day would be all about recovery for tonight's workout. Items consumed: a PowerBar Recovery Bar, some Gatorade, and a sensible lunch.

Fast forward to tonight...after tying up loose ends at work, I finally got into my truck and headed west towards Santa Monica High around 6pm to do my speedwork. Unfortunately, this coincided with the LA Running Club doing their track workouts (probably about 20+ people). I'll spare you the long rant on their lack of track etiquette (stay out of lane 1 if you're standing around or doing a recovery lap!) and instead, focus on my workout.

Things started off fine enough...I ran 3 miles to warmup and once it was time to get my first 1,000 meters in, I stripped off the shirt and tore off for the grueling 2 1/2 laps around the track @ VO2Max pace. The track got dark, cold and foggy in a hurry but that probably aided me more than anything. I was sucking wind but feeling relatively good at the finish of the first set and went to hit the lap button, only...I FORGOT TO START THE TIMER! UGH..

I know it may sound somewhat trivial, but this REALLY ticked me off and was a demoralizing start to the workout. I eventually settled down and just told myself it's ok and to finish the workout. Pacing was difficult to gauge and uneven for the most part, but I got them all in and finished on some pretty tired legs.

Here was the breakdown (goal was between 4:16-4:25):

1,000m I: undocumented
1,000m II: 4:00 (uh oh, too fast)
1,000m III: 4:15
1,000m IV: 5:51 (forgot to hit the lap button when I started)
1,000m V: 4:15

Once completed, I did about another 3 miles cool down to finish at 9 miles for the evening - 17 for the day!

All I can say is thank god that tomorrow's a rest day, otherwise I would have never considered trying to pull off double duty today.

Race Report: LA Cancer Challenge 10K

I decided at the last minute yesterday that I would be running in the LA Cancer Challenge - 10K. Since online registration was already over, I had to go over to the VA grounds in Brentwood where the race was being held to sign up. I didn't see too much of the course that we would be running through, but what I did see were some hills. Yessir...this would not be a fast course as I would soon find out..

Fast forward to this morning...in the hopes of duplicating my PR-effort in Long Beach, I stuck with what works: same pre-race meal, same race outfit and brought along my belt w/ my bottle of Cytomax. I've only run a couple of 10K's in the relatively short period that I've been running and my PR stood at 48:00 from the Brentwood 10K I ran in May. I was pretty confident that at the very least, I would beat that time. Question was...by how much?

Also for the very first time, Miss Sara and I would be running in a race together, which I was excited about. She has a 10K PR time of 44:XX, so I would be hard-pressed to keep pace with her.

The morning was fairly chilly and while Sara was miserable trying to get comfortable pre-race, I was lovin' it. After milling around for about half an hour, we positioned ourselves about 20 feet from the starting line. I talked strategy with her saying we should start off fairly conservative (7:15-7:30) and then speed up in increments with each mile. It sure sounded nice on paper at the time. The horn finally went off at 7:30am and the 10K-ers were off!

So much for taking it easy on the pacing early. Sara almost immediately started to sidestep and blow past people. She quickly realized she was starting out too fast and slowed it down. The start was tough...upon making a right several yards out from the start, the road immediately began to climb. Cursing under my breath, I chugged along the best I could but this left my heart rate high when I had hoped to take the start fairly easy. After the mile mark, the road started to descend and I started to pick it up, leaving Sara running behind me. I knew I was going out fast and repeatedly saw that I was running a sub-7 minute pace. I tried to slow down but I thought...what if I can hold this pace? I can PR by a lot!

Dumb move.

I crossed the 5K mark (which was back to the original starting point) and I was already spent. My Garmin read 22:XX which was about a half minute to a minute faster than my 5K PR and my legs were starting to feel dead. I was a little surprised at this point to be overtaken by Sara but not too surprised given her speed and my overzealousness. I tried my best to pace her, not giving a damn about my mile splits at this point, just trying to hang on for dear life until the finish.

The hills and the up and down just made for uneven pacing and breathing for me...I really started struggling. A 10 ft lead by Sara turned into 10 yards, and 10 yards swelled to 20-30 yards. Still, I figured if I could still keep her in my sights, I'd be ok. I thought the 6 mile mark would never come, but when I finally saw it, I did the best I could to use what little energy I had left to push myself to the finish. Upon glancing at my Garmin, I was about a minute out and saw the finish line at a distance so I just gave it everything I had for the final .2 left in the race.

Final chip time = 44:46...a new PR!

Mile Splits:

Mile 1 - 7:15
Mile 2 - 6:46
Mile 3 - 7:20
Mile 4 - 7:38
Mile 5 - 7:05
Mile 6 - 7:29
Mile 6.2 - 1:11

Sara ran strong to the end, finishing 11 seconds faster and placing 2nd in her age group, 4th overall female! I immediately hugged her at the finish, both of us sweaty but only one of us spent. I was really proud of her especially given her disappointing finish in Chicago a couple of weeks back when she was hoping to BQ. She also PR'd in this race by a few seconds which is amazing given that her previous 10K was run on a completely flat course.

Me on the otherhand...well, I think I realized about halfway through that I'm not a fan of this distance (or its sister, the 5K). But a PR is a PR and in spite of the uneven splits and hilly course, I was happy with the results.

I also decided that this would be my last race until CIM. No Santa Clarita Half, no Santa Barbara Half...I'm done. I'm just going to focus on getting the rest of my mileage and long runs in on my Pfitz plan and hope for the best come December 7th!

Random Friday

Perhaps it has something to do with Halloween coming up, but I had a nightmare last night about...zombies. Zombies.

I know, right? It's so unoriginal and trite, I almost felt embarrassed when I woke up. But I tell ya, it was pretty frightening at the time. And then randomly, there was a point in the nightmare when I was peeing next to 'Darrell' from The Office and he inexplicably kept peering over the urinal stall divider. ???

I'm such a weirdo, I know.

____________________

Yesterday, I finally got around to watching "Run Fatboy Run".

Um...wow.

It relied mostly on slap-sticky, over-the-top humor to illicit laughs...and failed miserably. Unlikeable characters, very minimal charm and the impetus for our protagonist running a marathon was unconvincing at best.

I stuck with it hoping the climactic marathon scene would redeem this movie somewhat, but only added to the miserable experience that was watching "Run Fatboy Run" (how in the world are we to believe this guy can outrun elites, however brief??). Do yourselves a favor and skip this one. You'll thank me.

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With an increasingly busy schedule, I am absolutely determined to become a morning running convert (these days limited to my Sunday long runs and races).

My first crack at it this morning? = FAIL.

I think my biggest problem(s) is a combo of general fatigue from marathon training and my inability to go to sleep earlier. I'm sure the nightmare I had last night didn't help either (see above).

I tried to get to bed by 11pm last night with my alarm set for 6am, but didn't end up falling asleep until well after midnight.

And come morning...let's just say I hit 'snooze' enough times to end up getting up about an hour and a half later and thus, missing my window to run. Oh well...I'll keep trying.

____________________

My Halloween costume idea:

Only problem is...where can I buy an Oregon singlet on short notice?? Ideas anyone?
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I'm 50/50 about running this 10K on Sunday. Stay tuned..

Speed Kills

Track workout tonight. Pfitz called for 8 miles + 5 x 600m @ 5K pace (with 90 sec recovery jogs in between sets). Another excuse to bust out the Mizuno Wave Elixir's for just the 2nd time - the first time was a long tempo run nearly a month ago. I found out tonight that they work much, much better on the track.


I picked up my buddy Charles and headed over to Santa Monica High School and upon arriving we saw....darkness. It was nearly 7pm, dark out and no lights to aid us on the track. Eventually our eyes did adjust and after a couple of miles warm-up, off we went. I started out a little too fast and ended up running at nearly a 5:30 mile pace. I eased up at the tail end of my first set and while I wanted to run my VO2Max session hard, I also wanted to leave myself with a little something by the end of the workout.

All I know is that I could not wait until they were over. Just brutal. Not only that, but we had to share the track with a running club that had people walking in the first lane repeatedly. Ugh. The Santa Ana winds however were a nice touch. While today was a very warm day, the night was very comfortable...nice out even. I definitely enjoyed that aspect of it.

Ended up running the 5 x 600m between 2:24-2:33. Ate a pretty hearty dinner along with some fantastic beer at Charles' after our workout and now I'm off to bed. Only 5 1/2 weeks left of this marathon training cycle until CIM. In the meantime I have to decide if I should squeeze in one final 'tune-up' race before December 7th (and what that might be), as well as finalize my Jan-Feb race schedule.

Oh, decisions, decisions..

6 Things...

Oh, why not - got nothing better to write about today.

I was tagged by Chic Runner, so without further adieu I present to you my quick and dirty list of 6 things in life I value and do not:

6 Things I Don't Value:

1. Smoking. It may be hypocritical coming from an ex-smoker, but I cannot stand to be around smokers now. When I'm forced to breathe in their smoke due to close proximity and I'm in a situation where I cannot move, it infuriates me. Also was completely oblivious to how much they reek immediately post-cigarette. My retroactive apologies to ex-girlfriends and former colleagues forced to share a conference room with me.

2. Narrow Mindedness. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a big, liberal city and as such, I've been exposed to different ethnicities, cultures and P.O.V. growing up. So it's difficult for me to grasp some of the ignorant, hateful and negative things I've heard coming out of certain parts of the country stemming from this current Presidential campaign. I'm not saying we're completely void of this, but seriously...the stuff I've heard coming out of places ranging from Alaska to certain parts of the midwest is downright scary.

3. Heidi and Spencer. Bill Maher said it best, "I don't know who Heidi is, I don't know who Spencer is, I don't know what they do, or why they're in the news...I just know I want them to die."


4. Crappy drivers. I've ranted about this before and I'll continue to do so. As a runner/motorcyclist, I cannot tell you how many idiots I still see out there on the road talking on their cell phones (yes - sans handsfree) or turning absentmindedly without looking both ways for pedestrians. Until you change your ways, I will continue to give you the finger and smack the hood of your car.

5. Plastic Surgery. Ladies, you're perfect in your imperfections. Don't change a thing.

6. Lists. Just kidding. I'm just not very good at 'em.


6 Things I Value:

1. Running, obviously. It is my primary form of exercise, my therapy, and lately...my life. Sad, but true.

2. My family. Ever since we tragically lost our father nearly 4 years ago, my siblings and I rallied together in incredible fashion to take care of the family business, finances and our mother. We grew as a family in the direst of times - from putting together his funeral, to sitting through the grim trial. We are a stronger unit as a result.

3. My Motorcycle. This clip says it all for me (especially the line at 1:45):



4. A good cup of joe. My favorite every day coffee comes from Starbucks. If I could have any cup from any place at any time - it would definitely be from here.

5. My dear, quirky, eccentric friends. From Dopey, Sleepy, Happy to Grumpy.

6. Every day I have above ground. Enough said.

Not going to 'tag' anyone, but should you feel like chiming in and making a list of your own, be my guest!

Long Run Sunday: 22 Miles (!)

Today's long run was supposed to be 20 miles according to Pfitz. However, due to a lackluster week in which I missed a couple of key runs, and a little unspoken (but friendly) rivalry among some fellow So Cal forumites at RunnersWorld.com also shooting for a sub-3:40 at CIM (yes, I'm talking to you Rachel and Ray - hey...Rachel Ray!), I too decided to up the ante to 22 miles.

It was a fairly cool morning when I awoke but knew by the forecast that things would heat up. So after my morning cup of coffee and Performance Bar, I was out the door and westward bound as usual towards the beach. The goal was to run 11 miles out and 11 back, with negative splits. I cruised down a different street to add about a mile to the usual 4 miles down to the beach. About two blocks from the main Santa Monica bike path, I see that one of the streets were closed to traffic. Then I see a couple of runners go by wearing bibs. Ah, that's right...it's the Santa Monica 5000 today!

Upon hitting the bike path, I headed north towards the pier and I already see some finishers walking by me. From the pier, I went up the ramp to Palisades Park which ran adjacent to the finish line and a couple of miles of the tail end of the course. With some of the last of the 10K runners going past me on the street, I started to cheer them on as I ran on the path next to them going in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, about 95% of the remaining runners had on iPods so it was unclear whether they heard me or not. But I clapped, whooped and hollered anyway and got an occasional 'thank you!' back. At the end of the park, I turned around and ran back in the same direction of the remaining runners back down to the beach path, but stopped to take some pictures of the race and the coastline along the way.


Back on the bike path, I kept proceeding north towards Will Rogers State Beach. At the 11 mile mark, I gave the calves a good stretch while I took in a GU (one about every 10K) and a quick bathroom break. From here, I turned around and ran back south towards Venice Beach but at slightly faster pace (target = 8:30).

If you'll recall an earlier post, I came out and admitted that I'm not a fan of the long run. Absolutely shameful, I know - but it had to be said. Along with the confession however, I vowed to find a way to love it as it is a very necessary evil. So I did my best to snap myself to attention when I found myself falling into a funk and repeated a silly mantra to myself: "love this...love THIS!"

I did smile on occasion and despite the PR in distance (yes, this was my longest training run to date) - it wasn't my toughest long run. The sun did eventually come out and what started out as a cool, slightly overcast morning, quickly turned into a typical sunny and warm Los Angeles day. After running up and down the bike path, as soon as I hit mile 17, it was time to head back home. I did suffer up some steep climbs (where I took occasional walking breaks) but once the streets leveled, I told myself to HTFU and turnover the beat up legs. About a mile or so from home, my right hamstring started quivering as if on the verge of cramping, but I staved it off my shortening my stride and mercifully, completed the run at 22 miles, running at an overall average pace of 9:11 mins/mile.

After stripping off my soaked dry-fits and changing into something dry, I staggered across the street to retrieve a couple bags of ice to give myself a much needed ice bath. Followed by a quick shower, it's now time to get something to eat.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

A Wrench

For the first time on this Pfitz cycle, life is starting to get in the way of getting some of the workouts completed. And it's a little worrisome.

This week was to be another max mileage week at 55 miles.

Wednesday - on schedule: 12 miles w/ 7 @ LT pace.....actual: 6 miles
Thursday - on schedule: rest day.....actual: nada
Today - on schedule: 12 miles.....prospect: not likely

I really wanted to put in the 12 miles early this morning before work, but a late night of eating takeout and drinks with my friends ruled that out. After work, it's immediately off to pick up the kid I mentor and take him Halloween costume shopping. Then it's back to my place where we we're gonna hang out and watch "Ironman" and eat some pizza while I go back and forth to do laundry at the same time. By the time I take him back home (in Watts), it'll be late and doubtful that I'll have time to run the 12 (!) miles.

Frustrating. But I'll definitely get in my 20-mile long run this Sunday.
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My Long Beach Half-Marathon photos came out and one thing is clear: my thighs are screaming for a tan!



...and you see what I meant about the squinting?

Around the Horn

I hate taking more than one day off from running. I feel out-of-shape, lethargic and not quite right in the head. After having yesterday to gorge, rest and bask in my half-marathon PR glory, I am ready to dive right back into my Pfitz marathon program. First run of the new week calls for 6 recovery miles + 6 x 100m strides. Unfortunately, I'm picking things up in a week that calls for max miles @ 55 total. Yikes.

Wanted to share with you what some other bloggers are writing about today:

...unfortunately, our last interviewee Ron, fell short of making his qualifying time in Chicago. He still ran a PR time under harsh conditions. Read his full race report here.

...can running with an iPod really improve performance? Scott Dunlap explores it here.

...congrats to Danica for running a great time at Long Beach too! For her race report + pics of her first half-marathon, click here.

...on his road to recovery from a stress fracture in his foot, Willis hit the pavement for first time - coughs and all. Pretty sure now would be the only time I could beat him in a footrace - and it'd still be close.

This Halloween 10/31, will mark 3 years since I officially gave up smoking. To think I'd end up where I'm at now back when I was still sucking on cancer sticks...I'd have called you crazy. Not quite sure what I have in mind to mark the occasion, but I'll have to think of something.

Have a good week everyone!

Race Report: Long Beach Half-Marathon

Well, I'm back folks! What a beautiful day in Long Beach it turned out to be...probably around 60 degrees, cool ocean breezes and sunny.

I was up by 5am, warmed up a day old cup of coffee and ate a Performance bar while putting together the race gear I laid out the night before. I was out the door and on the road by 6am as I made the 20 minute drive down to Long Beach. Traffic had already built up on the Long Beach Freeway and I probably spent about 20-30 minutes waiting and wading through. I settled for convenience over practicality and paid $10 to a pretty shady looking guy to park in his small lot. Debated about whether or not to bring the camera but ultimately decided not to go with it as my 22-ounce bottle of Cytomax on my belt would be plenty.

I made it to the start with about 15-20 minutes to spare and inched my way up to Corral 'A' to be near the 3:30 marathon pace group (1/2 that time = 1:45). Along the way, I got to meet fellow Runners World forumite Joe who recognized me when I stopped by to say hello again to his pace leader, Star. He traveled down from San Francisco to run in the full and after wishing each other luck, I finally found myself positioned exactly where I wanted to be. The "Star Spangled Banner" played (to which I teared up a bit) and then we were off!

Running with the 3:30 pace group lasted less than a mile, as I felt that I had more in my legs than the sub-1:45 goal I was shooting for. So I decided to run ahead vowing that I would NOT let them pass me. Along the early miles, I also ran into fellow forumite Ingrid who I had previously met before running the San Diego Marathon back in June. After wishing each other well, it was time to focus and run my race.

Thanks to my handy 3:30 pace band from the day before, I made sure I was running at or ahead of the 8 min/mi pace needed to come in under 1:45. For the first 5K, I ran at about 75-80% effort, making sure I got my rhythm and breathing down - not to mention making sure my body warmed itself up properly. I started to pick up my effort a bit as the miles clicked off and was running at a consistent sub-8 minute pace or somewhere between 80-90% effort. There were a couple of minor uphills and downhills but for the most part, it was relatively flat.

I hit the 10K mark around 48:17 - just a few seconds above my 10K PR! The pace really did not leave me feeling too fatigued so I kept pressing at my current speed. We hit some concrete as the road shifted to the bike path and that lasted a few miles. I kept telling myself to tread lightly and to work on leg turnover. As another bit of motivation, I also looked down occasionally at the "BTTW" I had written on my knuckles earlier this morning to remind myself to run "Balls to the Wall".


The one mistake I made this morning was forgetting my sunglasses at home. And it was BRIGHT out. Not to mention, almost the entirety of miles 5-10 were in direct sunlight. I'm sure when the race photos come out, most of them will be of me squinting (insert Asian joke here _________). Kidding.

Between miles 9-10, I saw my buddy Cody who came down for support and to do a time lapse capture on his camera of the runners going by. After a quick slap of the hands and words of encouragement, I continued on. One of the strategies that worked out well for me this morning was carrying my own bottle. I probably ended up grabbing just a couple of cups of water and a Powerade throughout the duration of the run, shaving valuable seconds there.

From miles 10 on, I was definitely feeling fatigued. The second Gu that I took at mile 8 had helped but I was still running on fumes by this point. Things also got interesting when a 'loud stepper' decided to use me as a rabbit and pace behind me for about a mile stretch. For a second, I thought it was just my imagination so I weaved here and there to be certain. Sure enough, Mr./Miss Clown Feet kept pounding away right behind me, irking me to my very core. What else to do but hit the gas until they can't keep up, right? And that I did.

At mile 12, my time was exactly 1:33:00. Shit, I thought...could I possibly exceed my expectations and come in under 1:40?? Knowing I've thrown down sub-7 minute miles in the latter stages of my tempo runs, I went for it - heavy legs and all. I started picking runners off left and right (also got passed too), determined to see what I could do. Guess someone forgot to remind me about the '.1' mile attached to the '13' and realized that a sub-1:40 was an impossibility at this point. Dang...so close.

Still, I hauled ass during the final stretch and crossed the finish line completely spent. I immediately doubled over, hands on knees trying to suck in air. Final (chip) time = 1:40:44, which worked out to a 7:42 min/mi average.

Mile Splits:

Mile 1 - 8:32
Mile 2 - 7:33
Mile 3 - 7:42
Mile 4 - 7:25
Mile 5 - 7:17
Mile 6 - 7:08
Mile 7 - 7:15
Mile 8 - 7:42
Mile 9 - 7:40
Mile 10 - 7:30
Mile 11 - 7:44
Mile 12 - 7:44
Mile 13 - 7:27
Mile 13.35 - 2:05

(Tried to run in tangents during this windy course as much as possible..)


I was pretty happy with the results, trying to shut that part of me up that was dwelling on how close we were to a sub-1:40 time. To say I ran a 1:39:XX just sounds so much sexier than 1:40 and 44 seconds. It just does. You know what I'm talking about...

ANYWAY - after meeting up and hanging with my friends for awhile, we made our way to a post-race lunch at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles! We were all famished and enjoyed some good post-race conversation to go with some equally good fried chicken. My stomach thanked me...my heart and arteries - probably not so much. Now I'm home, desperate for a shower and nap. Will have to settle for 1 out of 2 for now.

Thankfully, I can now rest for a few da-...no, that's right. I have a 55-mile week of Pfitz' marathon training program to look forward to. Oh joy.

*Edited w/ mile splits added

The Day Before: Long Beach Expo + Race Goals

T-minus 1-day before race day.

Excited, but a little weary and fatigued as I mentioned from 9+ weeks of marathon training. But that doesn't mean I'm going to treat this race as a mere training run. No - as I told my cohorts over at RunnersWorld.com, I'm going to go BTTW (Balls To The Wall) after a couple of miles til the very end. That's the plan anyway.

The LB Expo was ok. No major purchases other than a new 'Stick'. I figured if I gushed enough to The Stick reps, they'd throw in a some kinda freebie or perhaps a sponsorship. I'm sure it was all he could do from laughing in my face.

I did pick up a complimentary 3:30 and 3:40 pace band at a Clif Bar stand, where I also met "Star" in person. She was featured in last month's Runner's World magazine article about pace groups (she's a pacer). After chatting briefly and getting a quick picture together, my friend and I decided there was nothing left to see so we left. From the expo, we went to get a carb-heavy lunch at a Japanese ramen noodle place he knew in Torrance where they'd refill your bowl with noodles for a measly 0.95 cents! I had 3 servings total and nearly passed out in my seat on our drive back to Los Angeles.

This will be my first "pure road" half-marathon since last December (I ran a hybrid trail/street half back in April). My current standing in a half has been 1:55 + change and while I have run faster than that in training runs since, I'm not just looking to set a new PR time here folks. I want to shatter by at least 10 minutes and come in under 1:45. If I don't, it will be considered a failure.

Tonight is my grandmother's 95th birthday (!) so I will forego a standard carbo-load dinner and just eat a smaller portioned dinner (thanks to my ridiculous lunch). Wish me luck...

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A special shout-out goes out to my girl Sara seeking her first BQ time of sub-3:40 in Chicago...wish I was there to cheer you on!

GOOD LUCK SWEETHEART!!!

Running Conversation with: Ron (aka Ex-Soccer Guy)

With cooler temps and changing color of the leaves (except here in LA apparently), it can only mean one thing. Yep - we are officially at the start of a runner's two favorite words: marathon season. And as far as marathons go, there are few as grand a stage for runners than the Chicago Marathon taking place this Sunday. It is famously flat and fast and thus, a very popular course for those attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

My girlfriend, as I mentioned in my last post, is there right now seeking her first Boston qualifying time. And so is fellow blogger and Runner's World forumite Ron, aka 'Ex-Soccer Guy'.

Ron is a 39-year old married lawyer and father of 3 currently living in Concord, New Hampshire. He is a self-admitted neophyte into the sport of running when he joined his brother-in-law in training for his very first half-marathon in October of 2006 (where he posted a very impressive time of 1:45 and change). After being bit by the running bug, Ron went on to train and run in various races, including the now infamously hot Chicago Marathon last year (where vicious cramps hit at 16.5 miles) and in the Vermont Marathon earlier this year (hip injuries after mile 20+). Both were marathons where he was on pace to run a sub-3:35, but the aforementioned injuries netted him times of 4:03 and 3:48, respectively.

Now, thanks to stellar training and a newed sense of purpose, Ron will be embarking on a goal to shatter his marathon PR in Chicago with a secondary goal of a 3:20 time, a Boston qualifying time for 40+ males (he will be 40 by the time Boston rolls around). With 3 days left on the big day, I spoke with him briefly to get in his head and gauge his thoughts about Marathon Sunday:

Share with me about your training program leading up to this race.

Ex-Soccer Guy: This training cycle has exceeded all of my expectations. When I got over my hip issues after Burlington, I was building my mileage base (only to) hurt my back at the end of June. I was out for a full week, started running very slowly and painfully thanks to sciatica which lasted about 3+ weeks. It felt like I was dragging my left along for the ride.


Did the injury alter your goal for Chicago?

ESG: I wrote off any notions of qualifying for Boston, to be run after I turn 40. I was training for a 3:30-3:35 marathon, meaning a goal pace of 8:00-8:12 min/mile. I consulted with an online coach, who gave me some tips about training and suggested making my 20+ milers into progression runs.

When I did my first one like 5 weeks out from race day, I was hitting sub-8:00 pace in the last 10 miles, with a final mile of 7:22. That was at the end of a nearly 65-mile week - my highest ever. My hip still bothered me, but just a tad. When I did a windy, mega-hilly 22-miler 2 weeks later, I was hammering 7:50's in the final 10 miles with some gas left in the tank.

In light of all this, I've decided I'm going to go for 3:20, an extremely pleasant "surprise" that now means that I have to execute a perfect pacing strategy in order to have a chance. With more demanding expectations comes more self-induced pressure.

Well since you brought it up, can you speak on that as well as your state of mind leading up to race day?

ESG: What's been going through my mind is a tad of frustration at the weather forecast calling for warmer-than-optimal conditions. Still, I'm going to run a 1:40ish first half, starting out at 8:00 per mile and then settling into 7:30-7:35 pace. As I run on, I will evaluate whether the heat is making me work too hard.

What I know is that I'm more prepared for this race than for any other in my short running "career", and that I should be poised to run a satisfying marathon for the first time, BQ or not. I am excited, a tad nervous, but mostly happy to be healthy and privileged enough to be able to undertake this sort of endeavor as a leisure pursuit.

I have written a 'B' on my left shoe and 'Q' on my right, a sort of cheesy thing to do, I realize. But, when that inevitable moment comes where one has to choose between giving into the discomfort/pain by slowing down or stopping, or at least trying to push through it, I think that those two letters may help me delay taking that first option. If I'm still "in the game" with 10K and then again with 5K to go, I'm going to give it everything I've got.

And what would it mean to you when you cross that line - or on the brink of crossing that line, and you glance down to your watch to see that Boston's a reality?

ESG: Hard to say, exactly. It would be the culmination of what started as a joke I made at my 30th birthday party: that maybe I'd run Boston when I was 40. I was not a runner then, and it was like talking about going to the moon or climbing Mount Everest, just an extreme thing to say.

I think I will be choked up with the sort of emotion that comes from having a laser-sharp focus on a goal, working towards it (in one way or another) every single day and turning all the preparation, effort, sacrifice and energy into the performance needed to make it come true. In other words, I think I'll likely cry - and laugh, and scream, and resist the urge for the next 5 to 500 days to work in the fact that I'll be running Boston into every discussion I have with anyone! (laughs)

What it would mean is that I know I can achieve virtually goal if I put my mind to it and am willing to pay the requisite price.

Thank you and godspeed Ron. Best of luck this Sunday in Chicago!

To find out more about Ron, you can read his blog here.

Best of luck to everyone racing this weekend, including my sweet Sara!

Quickly

Inspired by Stuart's fancy new layout, I decided to follow suit and play around with a new header for the ol' blog. Not nearly as cool, but it'll do for now until I can dig up/take a better picture.

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In other goings on...it is HOT in Los Angeles right now! Not nearly as bad as yesterday but still feels like it's in the high 80's/low 90's.

It's OCTOBER. What the eff.

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Just dropped off my girl Sara at the airport this morning. She is flying into Chi-town to run the BIG marathon on Sunday to (hopefully) qualify for Boston. Her qualifying time is 3:40:59 or better.

I predict (weather permitting) she will run somewhere between 3:32-3:38. Go Sara!

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I will be running the Long Beach Half Marathon this Sunday morning and am shooting for a PR time of sub-1:45.

Doing a mini-taper leading up to (Pfitz be damned) but still going to attempt my first VO2 Max workout tonight at the track.

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Legs are tired. I'm tired.

Got Gaunt*?

Ok, I'm finally starting to get a little self-conscious. Let me explain why.

On Sunday, I went with my roommate to eat at this really great Korean soup place that I've been going to for ages. I started going with my family when I was a mere grade schooler and so the lady that owns it has known me for a long time now. It has only been a few months since I last went but when I came in this time, she was startled by my appearance.

"Oh my god...you look so skinny!" she exclaimed in Korean.

"Oh, yeah...I've been training for a marathon", I replied (in my very limited Korean) thinking it as a compliment.

"Not good, not good...your cheeks are too sunk in", shaking her head.

"Wait - isn't losing weight a good thing?"

"Not with you. (beat) You look sick."

Ok - what the hell? The next day, I asked one of my employees about that conversation and asked for his impartial opinion. He immediately sided with her and told me that customers actually asked him about me concerned about my well-being.

WHAT?!

I told my buddy about this at the gym yesterday in my brief state of paranoia, pumping iron like a madman. He assured me that it's just the subtle contrast from how I used to look (bigger frame, fuller face), to my current - I like to call - lean and mean shape. And no, I did not look 'sick'.

I briefly entertained putting up a 'before' and 'after' picture on here but quickly nixed that idea. Last thing I need is validation of their perceptions. I'm gonna keep chugging away, try to eat reasonably well and hopefully, lose a few more pounds in time for CIM. If I happen to resemble an extra from "Schindler's List" in the eyes of others, fine - so be it.


*thanks SLB...that was obviously a typo - an embarassing one at that

Long Run Sunday: ..w/ a Twist

I'm at the tail-end of week #9 of Pete Pfitzinger's 18 week, 55 mile (max) marathon training program. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, I really tried to refrain from looking too far ahead. But every so often, a scheduled run grabs your eye and your immediate reaction is, "oh shiii...take mushroom". Today was one of those days:

15 miles total with 12 miles at "marathon pace".

A mere 2-3 months ago, this would not have been a problem. But somewhere along the way, my target pace went from 9 min/mi to 8:20 min/mi for CIM, the marathon I'm currently training for. Oh, 9 minute miles...you felt so comfortable and right. Why did I have to shake things up when we had a good thing going?

The plan was: mile 1-2 @ warm-up pace, mile 2-14 @ marathon pace and use the final mile to cool down. Target pace was between 8:05-8:20 min/mi.

Woke up at 7am to bright sunshine and by 7:30am, I was out the door. The weather was fairly cool and with scattered showers last night, there was some puddle and earthworm hopping on my 4 mile jaunt down to the beach path. Once I hit Venice Beach, I took my usual route up north along the boardwalk/bike path towards Santa Monica, passing a string of street vendors, the homeless and other Sunday morning runners along the way.

I wish I could say the run itself was easy, but it was pretty taxing. Towards the end, it felt more like a tempo run than a "comfortable" marathon pace. Did I set my sights too high trying for a sub-3:40 time? Should I be shooting for 3:45-3:50? I started pondering this during some of the tougher miles. This is not to say that there weren't miles when I felt strong and glided along without too much effort. I just wondered if I could hold it for the entirety of 26.2 miles.

Time will tell. I have another 9 weeks to go until December 7th. Yikes.

During the run, I consumed 2 Gu's (one at the start of the run, the other at the 7.5 mile turnaround point) and my 22-ounce bottle of Gu2o sports drink. Here were my mile splits:

Mile 1 - 8:57
Mile 2 - 9:46
Mile 3 - 8:06
Mile 4 - 8:06
Mile 5 - 8:11
Mile 6 - 7:55
Mile 7 - 8:03
Mile 8 - 8:08
Mile 9 - 8:08
Mile 10 - 8:02
Mile 11 - 8:08
Mile 12 - 8:08
Mile 13 - 8:13
Mile 14 - 8:06
Mile 15 - 9:51

Final mileage = 15.11 miles, 8:23 overall pace, 1,832 calories burned. Time to shower and start my Sunday!

The Michael Phelps Diet

There are three great loves in my life: running, motorcycles...and FOOD.

Yes, in case you haven't picked up on it by now, it's true - I love to eat. I'm famous for it. If you ask any one of my close friends what immediately comes to mind when asked to describe me, chances are they'll point to my bear-like appetite (and/or my ever-present sarcastic nature). Growing up, I was fortunate to be 'blessed' with a higher than normal metabolism. No matter how much I shoveled into my face, my weight hardly fluctuated. Alas, as I've been creeping up in age, my once hummingbird-esque metabolism has been slowly diminishing.

Enter my first love, running.

With the help of running, I'm probably the lightest I've been since my early 20's - without compromising my diet too much. Now, I'm not necessarily eating whatever I want, when I want. But I'm not counting calories either - that's too exhausting. I'm primarily listening to body. As my daily/weekly mileage count goes up, so does my body's need and craving for 'fuel'. It's just up to me whether to give it 'Regular' or 'Premium'.

Time unfortunately (or lack thereof), is also a factor in what I consume. Like most of you, I do not have a private chef at my disposal to cook a healthy meal for me so I mostly lead a bachelor life of take-out or pre-packaged meals.

Last night was a bit of an extreme example of this as I was scrambling home at 7pm after a full day to catch the VP debate (on tivo). Completely famished and pressed for time (as I had to get a 6-mile run also), I got an unexpected hankering for some fried chicken. Never one to deny my stomach, I ordered two breast pieces, fries and a biscuit and devoured it all while watching Senator Biden and Ms. Palin go at it. Near the end of the debate, I get a text from my friend Cody asking me if I want to meet up for yogurt. Dang. It was getting late and now I was wondering if I would ever get my scheduled run in. A 'medium' yogurt netted me about a pound of sugar-packed goodness and I ate it trying not to think about how many calories I consumed in that hour and a half window.

It became clear after all of this that I absolutely had to get the 6-mile run in, although to burn everything I ate it would probably require a 16-miler at the least. I quickly strapped on some gear soon after dessert and went out into the night a little after 10pm (!).

You know the 30-45 minute rule of thumb about swimming after a meal? Pretty sure it would apply to running as well. My stomach felt like one big cement mixer and even though I was running at a 'recovery' pace, I had to stop every now and again to burp out the effects of running so soon after eating. Pleasant, I know.

But when done right, I swear to you that this is the greatest diet in the world.