Happy birthday babe!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Happy 30th Sara!
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in wishing my girl Sara a very happy birthday as she rings in her 30th birthday today (and enters a new age group!).
Happy birthday babe!
Happy birthday babe!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Progression Run: 10 Miles
Finally, I have a run where I felt like my legs and conditioning are catching up with my...let's just say gumption, for lack of a better word.
Upped my wakeup time from 5:12am to 4:45am this morning to squeeze in a planned 11 miles @ GA pace according to Pfitz. Needed to get this run in before 8am, when my day officially begins.
After coffee, I was out the door by 5:30am where I was greeted by the morning chill and darkness. Set off west towards the beach at an easy pace with my iPod Shuffle this time. Today would also be my first run in my custom orthotics that I've been slowly breaking in for about a month. Finally got the go-ahead to run in them by my podiatrist yesterday.
I chose a fairly hilly route to the beach in anticipation for Malibu Creek (in a week!) and because the Santa Barbara Half's topography is hardly flat. I started picking up the pace after the 2nd mile and cruised along in the 8:20-8:30's for the next few miles. My initial plan was to run an out-and-back after hitting 5.5 miles, but decided to cut it a bit short and turned around at 5 miles to ensure I got back in time.
The rolling terrain and hills were a bit brutal on the way back but I attacked them pretty hard. And I was nearing home, I gradually picked up the pace and finished off my last two miles at 8:11 and 7:26 respectively and ended up completing 10.1 miles at an 8:35 pace overall.
Considering what I've been going through in my last few runs, I'll take it. Oh, and I barely noticed my orthotics after the initial mile which I see as a good sign.
Upped my wakeup time from 5:12am to 4:45am this morning to squeeze in a planned 11 miles @ GA pace according to Pfitz. Needed to get this run in before 8am, when my day officially begins.
After coffee, I was out the door by 5:30am where I was greeted by the morning chill and darkness. Set off west towards the beach at an easy pace with my iPod Shuffle this time. Today would also be my first run in my custom orthotics that I've been slowly breaking in for about a month. Finally got the go-ahead to run in them by my podiatrist yesterday.
I chose a fairly hilly route to the beach in anticipation for Malibu Creek (in a week!) and because the Santa Barbara Half's topography is hardly flat. I started picking up the pace after the 2nd mile and cruised along in the 8:20-8:30's for the next few miles. My initial plan was to run an out-and-back after hitting 5.5 miles, but decided to cut it a bit short and turned around at 5 miles to ensure I got back in time.
The rolling terrain and hills were a bit brutal on the way back but I attacked them pretty hard. And I was nearing home, I gradually picked up the pace and finished off my last two miles at 8:11 and 7:26 respectively and ended up completing 10.1 miles at an 8:35 pace overall.
Considering what I've been going through in my last few runs, I'll take it. Oh, and I barely noticed my orthotics after the initial mile which I see as a good sign.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tempo = 1, Me = 0
Have you ever had the dream? You know - the one where something/someone is chasing you and you know you need to haul ass...but the legs inexplicably won't cooperate? Like they're stuck in cement or weigh about a 100 lbs each?
Well, that was my ill-fated LT interval run today in a nutshell. As soon as my Garmin set off and I took my first step towards running at a faster clip, I knew I was in for a long session. Legs refused to cooperate and fire, breathing became labored and the will to keep churning forward at times seemed insurmountable.
Here are the details of this morning's run:
2 miles warm-up
Mile 3 - 7:24 (Avg HR = 172)
Mile 4 - 7:29 (Avg HR = 174)
2 minute recovery jog
Mile 5 - 7:31 (Avg HR = 178)
Mile 6 - 7:26 (Avg HR = 179)
1 mile cool-down
Yikes.
I've semi-recently hit these paces somewhere between 6:55-7:15 with less effort. And with my goal of running a 1:35-1:38 half, I'd need to hit paces in the 7:15-7:30 range. Needless to say, today was a rude awakening.
Have I really fallen that far back in conditioning in such a short amount of time? Or is there something else at play? Best case scenario, I just had an off day. And my overall mileage has been down while I was off the program.
For now, I'm going to assume it was the former and just keep at my workouts, hoping for the best. But it sure seems like this has been the norm for the past month or so. If so, I'm in for a very long training cycle.
/bitching.
Well, that was my ill-fated LT interval run today in a nutshell. As soon as my Garmin set off and I took my first step towards running at a faster clip, I knew I was in for a long session. Legs refused to cooperate and fire, breathing became labored and the will to keep churning forward at times seemed insurmountable.
Here are the details of this morning's run:
2 miles warm-up
Mile 3 - 7:24 (Avg HR = 172)
Mile 4 - 7:29 (Avg HR = 174)
2 minute recovery jog
Mile 5 - 7:31 (Avg HR = 178)
Mile 6 - 7:26 (Avg HR = 179)
1 mile cool-down
Yikes.
I've semi-recently hit these paces somewhere between 6:55-7:15 with less effort. And with my goal of running a 1:35-1:38 half, I'd need to hit paces in the 7:15-7:30 range. Needless to say, today was a rude awakening.
Have I really fallen that far back in conditioning in such a short amount of time? Or is there something else at play? Best case scenario, I just had an off day. And my overall mileage has been down while I was off the program.
For now, I'm going to assume it was the former and just keep at my workouts, hoping for the best. But it sure seems like this has been the norm for the past month or so. If so, I'm in for a very long training cycle.
/bitching.
Video: Josh Cox
Check out this awesome new inspirational video put together by the new American 50K record holder, Josh Cox:
ps - he even used music by Cody!
ps - he even used music by Cody!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Trail Run: Canyonback Trail
Now that I've started the Pfitz 12/55 program, the Sunday long run mileage will quickly start to build up in the upcoming weeks. So I wanted to take advantage of running with the Trail Runners Club while the scheduled mileage was still relatively low. Also, I wanted to get some trail runs in anticipation of my first 50K in Malibu Creek. After that, it'll probably be more pavement than dirt unfortunately.
Which leads us to today's run. I did not know what to expect other than that it would be a mixture of fire roads, dirt and asphalt. It was to be roughly 11 miles (I had 13 on schedule...but whatever) through the canyons and neighborhoods about a couple of miles north of Sunset Blvd at the end of Kenter Ave. I was among the first to arrive before the main caravan rolled in and people converged at the trailhead...must have had upwards of, if not more than 20+ runners! Wow.
Perhaps I've been spoiled by other trail runs, but I would put today's run near the bottom of the ones we have on rotation when you factor in scenary + the variety of roads we had to run on. Basically, it was fire roads, paved fire roads, some residental areas (more pavement), and paved single track roads (wtf?). Probably did not help that it was gloomy and overcast out.
The group invariably spread out after starting out together and I found myself running solo for the most part. I did however, manage to snap a few shots and the run itself was a mixture of fast running and hiking. I probably wanted to get it over with sooner than later and then hit points where I just did not want to continually run up a steep incline, so hence the hiking.
To new members (and we had a couple today), they probably would have appreciated the change of scenary and the panoramic views of this great city we live in. But like I mentioned, I'm a bit spoiled by some of the better runs I've experienced with this club.
Anyway, we ended up covering about 11.05 miles and had the usual post-run snacks and drinks while we chatted away, made jokes and took turns catching up with one another. This was probably the best part of the morning.
Which leads us to today's run. I did not know what to expect other than that it would be a mixture of fire roads, dirt and asphalt. It was to be roughly 11 miles (I had 13 on schedule...but whatever) through the canyons and neighborhoods about a couple of miles north of Sunset Blvd at the end of Kenter Ave. I was among the first to arrive before the main caravan rolled in and people converged at the trailhead...must have had upwards of, if not more than 20+ runners! Wow. 
Perhaps I've been spoiled by other trail runs, but I would put today's run near the bottom of the ones we have on rotation when you factor in scenary + the variety of roads we had to run on. Basically, it was fire roads, paved fire roads, some residental areas (more pavement), and paved single track roads (wtf?). Probably did not help that it was gloomy and overcast out.
The group invariably spread out after starting out together and I found myself running solo for the most part. I did however, manage to snap a few shots and the run itself was a mixture of fast running and hiking. I probably wanted to get it over with sooner than later and then hit points where I just did not want to continually run up a steep incline, so hence the hiking. To new members (and we had a couple today), they probably would have appreciated the change of scenary and the panoramic views of this great city we live in. But like I mentioned, I'm a bit spoiled by some of the better runs I've experienced with this club.
Anyway, we ended up covering about 11.05 miles and had the usual post-run snacks and drinks while we chatted away, made jokes and took turns catching up with one another. This was probably the best part of the morning.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
New Morning Routine
Now, I must preface this by saying that it's still way early and I may crash and burn soon enough. But I made a resolution to myself that I would become an early morning riser at the start of this new training cycle no matter what.
So far, so good. Here's a sampling:
Tuesday: 8.3 miles @ 8:33 pace (+ 10 x 100m strides)
6:01 am start. Heartrate/effort way high (did I really lose fitness that fast?). Hailed/rained towards the end of the run, experienced hot spots at the bottom of feet, most likely due to wet shoes and socks.
Wednesday: Gym - no running
6:00 am start. Chest + core workout. Never been to my gym that early before. Sure beats the 5-7pm crowd.
Thursday (today): 7 miles @ 8:22 pace
6:12 am start. Heartrate still very high for the pace I was running. The majority of the run was spent wondering if there was something wrong with me. Had 9 miles on schedule but cut it short due to time constraints. Sucks, but may have to use the start of this plan to merely get myself back into 'running shape'.
Goals for half-marathon may have to be scaled back a tad at this rate. We shall see.
So far, so good. Here's a sampling:
Tuesday: 8.3 miles @ 8:33 pace (+ 10 x 100m strides)
6:01 am start. Heartrate/effort way high (did I really lose fitness that fast?). Hailed/rained towards the end of the run, experienced hot spots at the bottom of feet, most likely due to wet shoes and socks.
Wednesday: Gym - no running
6:00 am start. Chest + core workout. Never been to my gym that early before. Sure beats the 5-7pm crowd.
Thursday (today): 7 miles @ 8:22 pace
6:12 am start. Heartrate still very high for the pace I was running. The majority of the run was spent wondering if there was something wrong with me. Had 9 miles on schedule but cut it short due to time constraints. Sucks, but may have to use the start of this plan to merely get myself back into 'running shape'.
Goals for half-marathon may have to be scaled back a tad at this rate. We shall see.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Pfitz Pt. II: 12/55
Tomorrow, I am officially launching into my 2nd training cycle using Pete Pfitzinger's marathon training program. Specifically, the 12-week plan peaking at 55 miles.
What exactly am I training for you may ask?
Well for the immediate future, I'm actually targeting a half-marathon falling on May 9th - the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half-Marathon. I realized somewhere between post-CIM and now that while the lay-off did my mind and body some good, I actually need to have structure in my training if I'm going to perform at a high level come race day. So I'm embarking on round two of Pfitz - only about six weeks shorter, with a greater emphasis on lactate threshold/VO2Max workouts.
I will be targeting very ambitious times (for me anyway) in the half with the following goals in mind:
Goal 'A': a sub-1:35
Goal 'B': a sub-1:38
Current PR in the half stands at 1:40:44, which came at the Long Beach 1/2 raced in the meat of my 18/55 en route to CIM.
Following Santa Barbara, it will be an amended 11-week path to the San Francisco Maraton on July 26th with an emphasis on endurance to hopefully resolve this cramping issue once and for all.
For now though, my eye remains on the main goal at hand...with some ultras sprinkled in for good measure. Let's do this.
Edited to add: currently at 185 lbs. Aiming for as close to a 170 lbs by the end of the cycle.
What exactly am I training for you may ask?
Well for the immediate future, I'm actually targeting a half-marathon falling on May 9th - the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half-Marathon. I realized somewhere between post-CIM and now that while the lay-off did my mind and body some good, I actually need to have structure in my training if I'm going to perform at a high level come race day. So I'm embarking on round two of Pfitz - only about six weeks shorter, with a greater emphasis on lactate threshold/VO2Max workouts.
I will be targeting very ambitious times (for me anyway) in the half with the following goals in mind:
Goal 'A': a sub-1:35
Goal 'B': a sub-1:38
Current PR in the half stands at 1:40:44, which came at the Long Beach 1/2 raced in the meat of my 18/55 en route to CIM.
Following Santa Barbara, it will be an amended 11-week path to the San Francisco Maraton on July 26th with an emphasis on endurance to hopefully resolve this cramping issue once and for all.
For now though, my eye remains on the main goal at hand...with some ultras sprinkled in for good measure. Let's do this.
Edited to add: currently at 185 lbs. Aiming for as close to a 170 lbs by the end of the cycle.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Trail Run: Morgan/Bear Canyon Trail
Yesterday was a special run with the Trail Runners Club in that we would be straying from the usual confines of the Santa Monica Mountains and venturing about an hour or so south down to San Juan Capistrano. It was also being held on a Saturday instead of Sunday, and we would also treat ourselves to a fantastic Valentine's Day brunch afterwards.
I picked up my girl Sara at 6am as we began the long morning drive south down the 405 and 5 freeway. We then exited and drove East into the Cleveland National Forest where we met the rest of the crew promptly at 7:30am, along with our blogger gal pal Danica, who would be running on the trails for her first time! The weather while cold, blessed us with rainfree skies. We all began together like a pack of ants marching up a hill (and it was a modest one at that).
We wound our way up the single-track switchback roads before coming into a clearing that revealed a lush valley of green as far as the eye could see. The sandpacked roads were a little soggy, but a far cry from the muddy mess of last weekend's trail run in Sandstone. I spent the first few miles of this out-and-back run with Danica, who seemed to be enjoying this unique change of venue and scenary. After a couple of miles, we found ourselves in denser woods continuing on the up and down single-track roads.
A little after 5 miles, we reached our turning around point which was an asphalt highway and a tremendous view of a cloud-covered valley floor on the other side. The group paused for a bit to snap a few pictures before making our way back the way we came. Sara and I pulled away from the group a bit and ran the majority of the way back. Since she is in far superior shape than me, I had to really push myself on the way back. Thankfully, the latter portion of the run was a downhill so I wasn't left gasping and wheezing when we reached the trailhead that we started from.
All told, we covered about 10.25 miles and we were grinning ear-to-ear when it was done. Once the whole crew was rounded up and accounted for, we made the windy drive back west into civilization and met up at Sarducci's for a most excellent brunch. We were all starving by that point so it was a much needed calorie-fest for this dirty but happy bunch. It was a great morning and a great way to start off this Valentine's Day.
After Sara and I bidded adieu, we came home to nap before cleaning ourselves up for a night out in the posh Hermosa Beach area. After grabbing some cocktails at a sushi joint, we made our way over to a french restaurant where we shared some wine and I attacked my filet while Sara had some ahi tuna.
It turned out to be a very good day.
I picked up my girl Sara at 6am as we began the long morning drive south down the 405 and 5 freeway. We then exited and drove East into the Cleveland National Forest where we met the rest of the crew promptly at 7:30am, along with our blogger gal pal Danica, who would be running on the trails for her first time! The weather while cold, blessed us with rainfree skies. We all began together like a pack of ants marching up a hill (and it was a modest one at that). 
We wound our way up the single-track switchback roads before coming into a clearing that revealed a lush valley of green as far as the eye could see. The sandpacked roads were a little soggy, but a far cry from the muddy mess of last weekend's trail run in Sandstone. I spent the first few miles of this out-and-back run with Danica, who seemed to be enjoying this unique change of venue and scenary. After a couple of miles, we found ourselves in denser woods continuing on the up and down single-track roads. 
A little after 5 miles, we reached our turning around point which was an asphalt highway and a tremendous view of a cloud-covered valley floor on the other side. The group paused for a bit to snap a few pictures before making our way back the way we came. Sara and I pulled away from the group a bit and ran the majority of the way back. Since she is in far superior shape than me, I had to really push myself on the way back. Thankfully, the latter portion of the run was a downhill so I wasn't left gasping and wheezing when we reached the trailhead that we started from. 
All told, we covered about 10.25 miles and we were grinning ear-to-ear when it was done. Once the whole crew was rounded up and accounted for, we made the windy drive back west into civilization and met up at Sarducci's for a most excellent brunch. We were all starving by that point so it was a much needed calorie-fest for this dirty but happy bunch. It was a great morning and a great way to start off this Valentine's Day. 
After Sara and I bidded adieu, we came home to nap before cleaning ourselves up for a night out in the posh Hermosa Beach area. After grabbing some cocktails at a sushi joint, we made our way over to a french restaurant where we shared some wine and I attacked my filet while Sara had some ahi tuna.
It turned out to be a very good day.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
On the Road Again
Monday: rest day
Tuesday: 8 miles @ 8:24 pace - general aerobic run
Today: 6.5 miles @ recovery pace + 10 x 100m strides
I'm trying to get my road legs back. It's been about 10 days since the Surf City Marathon and I'm ready to finally start getting into it again. If I found out anything between CIM and now, it's that for me to run at my best, I need to have the benefit of a structured marathon training cycle behind me.
I'll post the details on this in a few days, but I am about to start my 2nd Pfitz program and am anxious to start seeing the gains of hard running and hard work.
Finally, I received my new Marathon Maniacs singlet in the mail today!
You are now (officially) looking at Maniac #1342.
Tuesday: 8 miles @ 8:24 pace - general aerobic run
Today: 6.5 miles @ recovery pace + 10 x 100m strides
I'm trying to get my road legs back. It's been about 10 days since the Surf City Marathon and I'm ready to finally start getting into it again. If I found out anything between CIM and now, it's that for me to run at my best, I need to have the benefit of a structured marathon training cycle behind me.
I'll post the details on this in a few days, but I am about to start my 2nd Pfitz program and am anxious to start seeing the gains of hard running and hard work.
Finally, I received my new Marathon Maniacs singlet in the mail today! You are now (officially) looking at Maniac #1342.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Trail Run: Circle X/Sandstone Peak
After a few weeks away from the trails and with no road races on the horizon, I was hellbent on making it out to the weekly Trail Runners Club run this week. Of course, once I had it in my mind to join in on the weekly trail run, it started raining hard and wouldn't let up until this morning. Still as long as it wasn't a torrential downpour, I was going. Well thankfully, the weather cooperated and while there was light drizzle on the long drive up the coast, it ceased by the time we reached the trailhead. 
Today was just one of those days where I had a hard time putting the camera away. It would be my first time running this near-10 mile route and it turned into a click-a-thon the second my foot hit some dirt. We started out at Circle X Ranch and made the downward descent to the single-track trails that would lead us up to where Sandstone Peak Trailhead. 
While we would be spared getting wet, the morning was still chilly and I wound up running with my long-sleeve + t-shirt + gloves combo for the entirety of our outdoor excursion. The rain from the past couple of days also left us with very muddy surfaces on most of the roads. Perfect day to break-in a new pair of trail shoes I suppose. My left buttock and hamstring were still a little sore from last week's marathon, but when the pain flared up, I made it a point to ease back on the pace a bit. While still not a 100%, I didn't feel any other after-effects from running the 26.2.
After a mile plus out on the windy single-tracks from where we parked, we reached the base of Sandstone Peak. I was mostly running solo by now so I made the ascent up to the top for the next several miles, running when I could but also hiking when I had to. I hit the summit a little after mile 6 and it would be mostly downhill from that point. The sun also decided to poke its head out on Mother Earth which on a day like today, was very welcomed. I would let gravity do most of the work for me as I had to stay focused on negotiating the technical roads that laid out a healthy dose of rocks and mud. The new shoes - other than now looking like a slice of cake that fell head/frosting-first into the ground, head up beautifully.
A little before mile 8, I found myself at the base of Sandstone again and I crossed the paved back into the single-track roads that would lead me back to the rest of the group. At the end of the day, about 9.65 miles were covered.
With a couple of weeks off since the last marathon and no schedule to adhere to (yet), it was great to get back out there again and play in the mud a bit.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
My Running Playlist
First post-marathon run this morning...6 miles @ 9:37 pace.
I mentioned that I generally do not run with music but on occasion, I like to bring my handy iPod Shuffle with me if I'm not really focusing on pace, breathing and dodging LA traffic. So for my 6 mile easy run this morning around my local park, I brought some tunes along with me.
My playlist looked something like this:
U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
A Tribe Called Quest - Jazz (We've Got)
Keane - Bend and Break
Tom Waits - Dog Door
Arcade Fire - Rebellion
Black Sheep - Who Dat
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
The Velvet Underground - Waiting For The Man
Coldplay - Viva la Vida
Eddie Vedder - Long Road
Marvin Gaye - Right On
Snow Patrol - Run
Outkast - B.O.B.
Outkast - Speedballin'
The Verve - Valium Skies
I have a tendency to lean more towards 'pop' and 'hip-hop' when I'm running for some reason.
Do you have any songs you enjoy running to that you would recommend? I'm always open to suggestions. Please share in the comments section!
I mentioned that I generally do not run with music but on occasion, I like to bring my handy iPod Shuffle with me if I'm not really focusing on pace, breathing and dodging LA traffic. So for my 6 mile easy run this morning around my local park, I brought some tunes along with me.
My playlist looked something like this:
U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
A Tribe Called Quest - Jazz (We've Got)
Keane - Bend and Break
Tom Waits - Dog Door
Arcade Fire - Rebellion
Black Sheep - Who Dat
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
The Velvet Underground - Waiting For The Man
Coldplay - Viva la Vida
Eddie Vedder - Long Road
Marvin Gaye - Right On
Snow Patrol - Run
Outkast - B.O.B.
Outkast - Speedballin'
The Verve - Valium Skies
I have a tendency to lean more towards 'pop' and 'hip-hop' when I'm running for some reason.
Do you have any songs you enjoy running to that you would recommend? I'm always open to suggestions. Please share in the comments section!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Race Report: Surf City Marathon
As I mentioned in my post from yesterday, this was not about me. If I ran a great race, that'd just be icing on the cake. But I wanted a BQ for my girl Sara more than anything. And with a time of 3:36:XX - she nailed it (also placed 4th in her age group)!
Boston 2010 baby...so friggin' proud of ya!
On to the other happenings from this weekend...
Pre-Race Pasta Dinner:
After a late run down to Huntington Beach for the expo and packet pickup, Sara and I drove to a nearby restaurant for a pasta dinner with our good running friends from the California Runner's World forums, as well as our favorite blogger Miss Danica.
This was quite frankly, a blast. I wished halfway through that it was the night after the race and not the preceding night (primarily because I wanted a beer). Still, we got to see familiar faces as well as meet some new ones while carbing up and sharing war stories.
A grand time, BUT - we had a super-early wake up time so...back up to LA and to bed we went.
The Race:
Here's the skinny from this morning's race:
Got up at the ungodly hour of 3:15am. Picked up Sara and made the 40 minute drive down to Huntington Beach. Had about an hour and a half to kill so we basically just hung out in the car and took turns using the loo. It was cold out at the start, with some ocean gusts and a cloud cover from the gun til about mile 8.
It was a horrendous race for yours truly. I was clearly out-of-shape or operating with dead legs and in no condition to try to run a PR for a marathon. But I wanted to get my girl her BQ time so I started out with her and the 3:40 pace group. It was more strenous than it should have been but I can now concede that I was not in good shape.
Dropped back around mile 14.5, started walking sections between mile 15-22, and picked things up for the last remaining miles til the finish. My spirits were out of this world when I saw my friend Charlie between miles 25-26 and he yelled out to me that Sara got her BQ!
Anyway, I crossed the line at 3:55:51. Considering how much I walked and how crummy I was feeling, I guess I'll take it. Leg muscles, while on the verge in the latter miles, never fully cramped and spasmed.
Other personal accomplishments: completed the California Dreamin' Race Series (got a special medal + jacket) AND am now a member of the Marathon Maniacs!
Boston 2010 baby...so friggin' proud of ya!
On to the other happenings from this weekend...
Pre-Race Pasta Dinner:
After a late run down to Huntington Beach for the expo and packet pickup, Sara and I drove to a nearby restaurant for a pasta dinner with our good running friends from the California Runner's World forums, as well as our favorite blogger Miss Danica. This was quite frankly, a blast. I wished halfway through that it was the night after the race and not the preceding night (primarily because I wanted a beer). Still, we got to see familiar faces as well as meet some new ones while carbing up and sharing war stories.
A grand time, BUT - we had a super-early wake up time so...back up to LA and to bed we went.
The Race:
Here's the skinny from this morning's race:
Got up at the ungodly hour of 3:15am. Picked up Sara and made the 40 minute drive down to Huntington Beach. Had about an hour and a half to kill so we basically just hung out in the car and took turns using the loo. It was cold out at the start, with some ocean gusts and a cloud cover from the gun til about mile 8.
It was a horrendous race for yours truly. I was clearly out-of-shape or operating with dead legs and in no condition to try to run a PR for a marathon. But I wanted to get my girl her BQ time so I started out with her and the 3:40 pace group. It was more strenous than it should have been but I can now concede that I was not in good shape.
Dropped back around mile 14.5, started walking sections between mile 15-22, and picked things up for the last remaining miles til the finish. My spirits were out of this world when I saw my friend Charlie between miles 25-26 and he yelled out to me that Sara got her BQ!
Anyway, I crossed the line at 3:55:51. Considering how much I walked and how crummy I was feeling, I guess I'll take it. Leg muscles, while on the verge in the latter miles, never fully cramped and spasmed.
Other personal accomplishments: completed the California Dreamin' Race Series (got a special medal + jacket) AND am now a member of the Marathon Maniacs!
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