Chicago Marathon 10-10-10

I flew from Ontario to Midway on Southwest. I hate flying Southwest. It's always a cattle call flying with them even with their current boarding system. From the airport, I took the L to the Roosevelt station to take a shuttle to the expo. The shuttles were actually yellow school buses with seats designed for youngsters.

Welcome to the expo!

The expo was excellent. I hope the LA Marathon was there taking notes. So many booths and I only bought arm warmers and a long sleeve 1/2 zip shirt. I did not sign up for any races. I'm still sticking to the plan to ride out the races and take a break.

Wall of marathoners

Took a while to find my name

After going through the expo, I took the bus to the Fairmont Hotel and walked over to my hotel on State and Lake. I stopped by a CVS to pick up some supplies. After checking in at theWit hotel and dropping off my stuff, I went back out to eat. On my way over to the Billy Goat Tavern, I bumped into Paul Frank Maniac Dave and his friends. We wished each other luck in the race tomorrow. I had a double cheezborger and a Coke. It was pretty quiet inside since I was there at an odd hour between lunch and dinner. Afterwards I went back to my room and relaxed while getting my gear ready.

Double cheezborger and Coke

2 weeks out from the race, I was unable to run more than a mile without excruciating pain in my neck/shoulder region. I didn't know then if I would be able to run the Chicago Marathon. But I was still planning to make the trip at the very least to be a spectator. My goal before I hurt myself was 3:55 or bust. Well I was able to recover enough to run about 12 miles without relative pain. So I resumed my goal of 3:55 with a backup goal of 4:30.

I left my room at about 6:15am to walk over to the starting area. It was a bit crowded and I missed the Marathon Maniac photo op. But I did see the few lingering maniacs which included Dave, #1, and #2. I was hoping to bump into irungirlSD from RWOL but I couldn't find her or her husband. So I went to use the portapotties and checked my gear bag.

They have lots of portapotties in the starting area but somehow I always end up in the slowest line. I dropped off my bag as soon as I got out and headed for the corral. The corral entrances were a little hectic near the start of the race. You can enter from the sides like the Marine Corps Marathon, but you can't really tell from the back. I eventually made it to the 9 min pace section of the open corral. It was a zoo inside the corral. I think NY does a better job at moving the masses because spectators aren't allowed at the starting area. But it's just tough to move that many people without it getting a little bit crazy.

First Half
I don't remember much of the race from the half marathon and on. The first 10k was fine. I was running by effort and I kept trying to slow myself down to a 9 min pace. For about 8 miles I ran with the 3:55 pace group. But I dropped off because my right ankle was bothering me. I knew it wasn't something I could push through. It has been hurting me in every race since I hurt it right before the Seattle RnR Marathon back in late June. When I got to the half way mark, I kind of knew it was going to be a 5 hr day. Then the weather just kept getting hotter and hotter. I switched to a strategy of "let's not pass out. Please finish in one piece."
1: 8:33
2: 8:39
3: 8:54
4: 9:12
5: 9:04
6: 8:49
7: 9:24
8: 9:17
9: 9:51
10: 10:14
11: 10:01
12: 10:19
13: 10:40
13.1: 2:04:01

Second Half
I started taking an increasing amount of walking breaks. Somewhere near mile 23.5... right before we made a turn on Michigan to head for the finish line, I saw two middle-aged women sitting at a bus bench. I was so pooped. I just sat down right between the two of them and asked when the bus is coming. They laughed and asked if I was alright. I said it's hot and I just needed to take a break.

As we took the final turn onto Columbus, boy that finish line was a sight for sore eyes, legs, ankle, etc. I tried to run as fast as I could which was not very fast. The guy on the PA was telling us not to sprint... to take it easy since the heat alert was at red.
14: 12:04
15: 11:59
16: 12:24
17: 12:30
18: 15:08
19: 14:20
20: 14:51
21: 15:56
22: 13:27
23: 14:18
24: 16:34
25: 15:50
26: 14:58
26.2: 2:07
Finish: 5:09:20

After the race I developed a really mean stomach ache. I just went straight back to my hotel room to rest. I couldn't eat or drink anything and just sat there. I've never had this sort of pain after a race. When the pain finally subsided, I took a shower and kind of zonked out watching TV. I think it was the Giants vs. Braves. My brain felt fried after the 26.2 mile romp in the heat. After a while I dragged myself out to eat something at Harry Caray's. I had a Caesar salad, a 23oz medium rare bone-in ribeye, and a Pepsi. Holy Cow! Good times.

23oz of beefy goodness

This course was extremely flat. This was definitely a PR course if the conditions were favorable. I would really love to come back and run this race when I'm healthy. I rank this race just below the Marine Corps Marathon on my short list of favorites:

1. New York City
2. Honolulu
3. Marine Corps
4. Chicago
5. San Diego

Monday morning, I checked out of the hotel and headed down the Magnificent Mile to Niketown to buy a finisher's shirt. The store wasn't open until 9am, so I bought the Chicago Tribune from a CVS and walked up to the Hancock Observatory. They weren't open until 9am and it costs $15 to go to the top, so I went back out to take some pictures of buildings. They have some very nice buildings in Chicago. I ended up buying a long sleeve finisher's shirt with a map of the course on the front. Too bad I left it on the train when I went to the airport. I had already left the station when I realized what had happened. Someone out there has a nice finisher's shirt.

Chicago Theater

Marina City "Corn Cob"

Chicago River

Chicago Tribune

Water Tower & Hancock Observatory

A year to forget!

So far this year has turned out to be a year to forget! I entered the year dealing with Achilles tendinitis. Just as I thought things were headed in the right direction when I ran a comfortable 4:30 at the San Diego RnR Marathon, I took a bad step on a training run and the right ankle has been pretty gimpy ever since. I have been taking things very easy. Resting 5 days a week and running only on the weekends. Instead I have been doing sit-ups, dips, and bent over row exercises. But this past week, I aggravated an old upper back/right shoulder injury. I cannot turn or tilt my head without being in serious pain. I tried to do my regular run this Saturday morning and the pain became just unbearable a little past 1 mile into the run. I stopped dead in my tracks. Turned around and walked back home. Talk about confidence killer less than 2 weeks away from the Chicago Marathon. Looks like I'll need to revise my goals.

Even though I was in some pretty good pain, I managed to drag my invalid body out to eat endless shrimp with my friend for his upcoming birthday. I actually felt a little bit better stuffing myself with shrimp.

Red Lobster's endless shrimp - garlic grilled

Whenever I eat a buffet I usually skip the next meal, so I skipped dinner. It hurts to lay down, but I took a nap and woke up at around 11:30pm to watch the Berlin Marathon. It took a while to find a live feed of the race. There was one point last year where I was planning to run this race. Good thing I didn't. Too many setbacks this year. Also I don't want to run a big city marathon until I stop being a marathon maniac and let my body heal up. Running races while injured is not entirely fun. Anyways well... not too many people can say this, but I really enjoy watching the elites race the marathon. I can stay glued to the action from start to finish. It was a rainy race and Patrick Makau won the race in 2:05:08. It was pretty insane that the top 3 all ran a sub 2:06. The Boston Marathon winner this year finished sub 2:06. Looks like there's a new standard for the men.

This Sunday morning, still in pain I woke up to watch the 5th Avenue mile race. There are some pretty nice races in New York. I might go out there for a half marathon one of these years. I still kind of wish that I was running the NYC Marathon this year. I'll get to run it by 2013, hopefully sooner.

Chicago Marathon preview

Ever since my gimpy PB (1:52:28) at the Disneyland half marathon, I feel as if I've lost my running mojo again. I was kind of blue because I knew if I had 2 good legs, I would've easily made it under 1:50. A week later I was in Kansas running the Patriots' Run Marathon. It was a very cool patriotic event, but my legs were gone and the heat really made it tough. Running 26 1 mile laps in a mall parking lot really taxed the mind.

Right now the legs are feeling better. But there's still discomfort in the right ankle. When it starts to hurt, I tend to slow down which alters my normal running gait. It then leads to hip pain and lower back pain. During my last ~11.6 mile run, I focused on maintaining my form which helped. One good thing is that the bump on my anterior tibial tendon is finally gone. I might ramp up my weekly mileage a little in the next couple of weeks just so I would have some sort of fitness to complete the Chicago Marathon without it hurting too much.

Goal A: 4:00
Goal B: 4:30
Goal C: finish

While the mojo may be gone, I am quite excited to be visiting Chicago again. One thing I'm looking forward to besides the marathon is the food! I'm planning on eating at the following places while I'm in Chicago. Feel free to give me some suggestions.

• Billy Goat Tavern
• Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse

This weekend, I ate a bone-in ribeye at Cask n' Cleaver. Good stuff, but nowhere near as good as the one that I had in Kansas.

Cask n' Cleaver - The Cleaver, bone-in ribeye

Patriots' Run on 9/11

Pre-Race Stuff
I flew into Kansas City International airport on Friday. I've been to Missouri before, but this was my first time venturing into Kansas. It was hot, sunny, and pretty humid. I hopped into my rental car and drove down to Olathe. I stopped by a Target to buy some snacks and drinks. Then I ate dinner at LongHorn Steakhouse. I ordered the Wild West Shrimp appetizer and the Outlaw Ribeye Steak with fries. The shrimp was good and the steak was excellent. The steak was better than practically all of the steaks I've eaten in California. One thing was for sure, they knew how to cook a steak medium rare. The only other place I've been to that also knew how to do medium rare was Stockyard in Nashville.

Look at the bad boy hanging out at the top of the bar!

The 18oz Outlaw Ribeye Steak

After dinner, I stopped by the Holiday Inn to pick up my race packet. As I was driving to my hotel you could tell a storm was coming. Since I knew I was going to eat a steak on this trip, I booked a room at a really cheap 2-star hotel. It was actually kind of creepy since the building next to it was abandoned and overgrown with weeds. It was a Microtel hotel. They're very similar to Motel 6. Shortly after getting to my room, it was storming outside. It was definitely not one of those sissy Californian storms. It was a pretty big thunderstorm. The lightning was so bright and the thunder so loud, you would've thought that the lightning was hitting just outside my window.

Race Day
The next day I just hung out in my room until it was time for the race. The race started at noon. I drank some juice and ate a Clif bar. I drove across the street to the starting area which was a parking lot at the Great Mall of the Great Plains. As I milled around, Sam shows up. If you don't already know, he's that guy running only 61 marathons this year in what he named OperationJack in support of Train4Autism. We shoot the breeze for awhile. After some announcements and the Star Spangled Banner x2, we were off. It was about 80 degrees, high humidity, and no shade. Let the BBQ begin!

Proud to be an American!

The marathon had a separate starting line from those running laps. We had to complete a small .2 mile lap before joining everyone else in running the 1 mile loop. The first 2 laps felt rather ok. I originally thought that I would finish around 4.5 - 5hrs. But once I started on the 3rd lap, I knew it was going to be a long day. I kept slowing down because I was overheating. I kept dumping water on my head at the 1 aid station. Before I even got to the halfway point, my right ankle was bothering me. Eventually it led to right hip discomfort. I started taking my walk breaks earlier than usual to keep the discomfort at a minimum. It was kind of fun to see the same people over and over and over and over again. :) After a few loops, you get really familiar with every inch of the course. The crowd support was awesome. There were a few people out there tailgating and barbecuing... smells good. I was taking a salt cap every half hour, but I was having trouble taking my gels. The heat was making me want to puke every time I took a gel. I switched to oranges, pretzels, and Gatorade at the aid station which helped a little. Most of the 2nd half was running the laps exactly the same way... (walk through the aid station. Jog up to the corner. Walk the slight incline. Jog a little. Walk and wave to the guy carrying the flag. Run on through the timing mat. Repeat).
.2: 1:43
1: 8:21
2: 8:35
3: 9:10
4: 9:47
5: 9:41
6: 9:43
7: 10:22
8: 9:42
9: 10:11
10: 11:18
11: 10:47
12: 13:16
13: 14:17
14: 12:58
15: 12:23
16: 16:33
17: 15:01
18: 15:35
19: 18:08
20: 17:29
21: 16:23
22: 14:18
23: 13:23
24: 13:33
25: 14:16
26: 12:55
Finish: 5:29:47

Post Race Stuff
My brain was so cooked by the time that I was done. I stuck around for a short while, but left to crash in my room. I ate a tube of salt & vinegar Pringles while watching Aladdin. Then I was knocked out due to an early flight out the next day.

This event was a very patriotic event. It just couldn't be any more American. Even though running laps around a parking lot wasn't really my idea of fun, the reason for running on 9/11 trumps everything. I just might come back next year.

Disneyland Half Marathon 5th year edition

I look forward to this race each year. But I have no idea how well I would do this year. I've been dealing with injuries and niggles since October of last year. Things were getting better by June until I hurt myself on a training run. I've been resting and taking it easy. But since I've committed to running my paid races, I still run here and there to have some sort of fitness to complete these races.

I left work early on Friday to attend the expo. It was pretty painless. I bought a red tech shirt and 2 Disney pins to commemorate 5 years of running. I'm such a sucker for Disney products.

Race Day
I got to the parking lot at about 3:40am. There were huge lines. Instructions said that the lot would be open at 3:30 so I think they were having some sort of technical difficulty. This year parking was $15! I think back in 2006, it was $8 or $9. I relaxed in my car until 4:15 listening to my boy band music on my iPod. I walked over to the pre-race staging area. I bumped into a former coworker who will be running a marathon with Team in Training later in the year. Later I spot another Team in Training friend. I hung out with him for a little bit. Then I headed over to corral A. While waiting in the corral, I bumped into a couple of my maniac friends.

Goal A: sub 1:50:00
Goal B: sub 1:55:00
Goal C: sub 2:00:00

I started near the back of corral A. So for most of the first mile, I was trapped behind slower runners. For me, it was a good thing since my right ankle has been gimpy. But I got antsy and started following the flag runner. He's a pretty big guy and runs his half marathons in the 1:40s. So I let him clear the way. I stuck to my usual plan of walking 1 minute for every 30 minutes running. By the 10k mark, I started to feel discomfort in the right ankle. I knew my sub 1:50 wasn't going to happen today. The 1:50 pace group ran past me shortly. I gradually slowed down because the right foot started to hurt. I took a salt cap and a gel at about the 1 hr mark. I tried to concentrate on my form and sped up a little to see if I could improve on my personal best for a half marathon. It was fun running on the warning track at Angels stadium. The right ankle/foot was no bueno during miles 11 - 12. I started doing calculations when I reached mile 12. I knew I had a new personal best in the bag. It was a soft PB, but at least I'm headed in the right direction again.
1: 8:13
2-3: 15:11 (7:35)
4: 8:41
5-6: 16:48 (8:24)
7: 8:49
8: 9:04
9: 8:43
10: 8:36
11-12: 18:48 (9:24)
13: 8:50
13.1: 0:45
Finish: 1:52:28

Previous years:
2009: 1:54:40
2008: 1:55:07
2007: 2:06:38
2006: 2:02:37

Post Race Thoughts
Except for the extremely hot year in 2007, I've run faster each year. I think you have to be a pretty die-hard Disney fan to be a legacy runner.

5th year medal with the legacy lanyard

The first 6 miles felt great with a couple of sub 8 miles, but the right ankle was just not 100%. Seeing how I practically jogged the last 7 miles in this race and still set a personal best... I'll most likely go faster at the next half marathon, the Los Angeles RnR Half Marathon in late October. After the race, I ate at the Original Pancake House with a couple of friends. That place was packed. I had the Irish Omelette which included 3 pancakes. The omelette was pretty good with corned beef.

ET Full Moon Midnight Marathon

People do stupid things in Vegas. Here's an account of the stupid things I've done this past weekend.

Pre-race
I drove up Saturday morning. Took my usual pit-stop in Primm. I stopped by the Rei in Henderson to buy some reflective gear and just to waste time before the restaurant opened for lunch. I ended up buying a Sprigs wrist wallet as well. I didn't wear it for the race because I brought my shorts that had a pocket. I then headed over to eat all-you-can-eat sushi at Sushi Mon. Their sushi was pretty good for a buffet. I ate maguro, hamachi, amaebi, uni, tako, ikura, salmon, albacore, tiger roll, spider roll, hamachi kama, edamame, shrimp tempura, misoshiru, and strawberry mochi ice cream. I stopped myself pretty early, but still I ate too much. My stomach was just not used to it anymore. I vowed never to eat at a buffet ever again.

I checked into my hotel, the Doubletree by the airport. I didn't know that they give you cookies when you check in. I relaxed while watching The Dark Knight. The more and more I watch this movie, the more I think the movie sucked! The only thing good about it was Heath Ledger's acting. At about 4pm, I drove over to the Hard Rock hotel to pick up my race packet. It was my first time driving through the airport tunnel. I try very hard to stay away from the Strip when I'm in Vegas. I saw a few of my maniac friends: Marcia, Mitch, and Don. I drove back to my hotel to relax. Didn't even bother with dinner.

When it got close to 8pm I got ready and headed back over to the Hard Rock to catch the shuttle to the starting line which was about 2 hours away. Casey spotted me in the parking structure. Looked like we had the same idea and drove to the top of the parking structure instead of trying to find a spot in one of the lower floors.

It was pretty crowded inside the hotel. It was full of people running one of the ET races. You could tell that the regular patrons were somewhat annoyed by the runners crowding the corridors. I rode one of the quiet buses with some maniacs: James, Don, Marcia, and Casey. Once we got there, we all kind of split up.

I sure could've used an ET powered flying bike this past weekend!

Goals:
A: 4:30
B: under 5
C: beat last year's time 5:26:33

The Race
It felt warmer than last year. No headwind this year at the start. I heard a bunch of mooing cows this time. I slowed down gradually from about the 5k mark because I kept feeling like I was overheating. The right ankle started to bother me at mile 8. The first half was one big steady climb. I got there in about 2:20. Hip discomfort started at around mile 14 during the downhill section to A'le'inn. It was mostly a brisk walk coupled with some jogging to the finish. You can see the A'le'inn from far away, but it was tough since it seems like I wasn't getting any closer. Having ran it last year, I knew the inn was at mile 20. It was windy during the last 10k. Again this section was hard mentally since it's an uphill 5k climb to the tiki torches where we turn around. James caught me near mile 21. Once I reached the turn around, it was a downhill 5k to the finish line. The hip did not like the downhill. It was good to see some of my friends on the out and back. Most of them were doing the 51k. Near the finish line as I passed a guy finishing the ultra, he was confused as he couldn't see the finish line. So I told him to follow me and make a right turn up ahead. The finish line was improved from last year. The sign was a nice touch, but it was blocked from view by one of the buses. They should probably move that bus next year so people can see the finish line from the road.

Splits:
1: 7:21*
2: 10:25*
3: 7:28*
4: 9:32
5: 9:53
6: 10:41
7: 12:07
8: 10:01
9: 11:02
10: 12:17
11: 12:24
12: 13:22
13: 12:47
14: 14:13
15: 13:12
16: 13:28
17: 13:59
18: 14:33
19: 15:24
20: 14:21
21: 16:24
22: 16:04
23: 16:47
24: 17:11
25: 14:09
26: 13:36
26.2: 2:01
Finish: 5:34:44
*The first couple of mile markers were most likely off because I ran at an even effort for the first 3 miles which was about an 8:20 per mile pace.

Post-race thoughts and stuff
I took my first salt tab 1 hour into the race and 1 every half hour. I took a gel every 30 minutes to an hour depending how my stomach felt. Hammer Heed and gels worked better for me. I don't know if it was the sushi or the fuel that was causing the occasional flatulence. Sorry fellow ET runners. :)

The Nathan reflective straps cut into my skin. I'll have to wear it over clothing next time... if there is a next time. During the race, I thought about giving up my attempt at ultras. If I'm having such a hard time with a marathon, I should stay away from ultras. This also might be the last time that I run ET. It's just too hard for this morning person. I was unable to meet any of my goals.

I ate some delicious garlic shrimps at an Ohana Hawaiian BBQ Restaurant before leaving Vegas. Good stuff, but I want some from the truck in Hawaii.

America's Finest City Half Marathon 2010

Pre-race
The alarm went off at 1am. I rolled out of bed about 15 minutes later. I got ready, left the house around 2:45am for the drive down to America's Finest City... San Diego! This year I decided not to follow the directions given to us in the final instructions. I took the 163 and got off at Washington and took University over to Park Blvd. I parked in the small parking lot near the zoo. Ate my Powerbar and took a quick nap before boarding the bus a little after 5am.

Once we got dropped off at Cabrillo, I walked over to the visitor center and sat down against a wall to get out of the wind. Later I got up and walked around so the legs wouldn't get stiff. I ran into my San Diego friends: Charlie, Adam, Louis, and Jackie. I went to make one last visit to the portapotty and made my way to the starting area where some friends of my college friend Joe recognized me from the La Jolla half. Shortly thereafter, the national anthem was sung, we moved up to the starting line, the gun went off, and the race was under way.

Goals for the race:
Goal A: 1:49:59
Goal B: 1:55:00
Goal C: go home

Strategy: Run "hard" for the first 10k, cruise the next 5 miles, and survive the 6th Avenue hill.

First 10k
For the most part, it felt fine. The first 10k is fast, but not easy. There are huge descents but some pretty good size rollers. I was kind of feeling sick in the stomach around mile 5, so I pulled it back. Besides, I knew there was no way I could keep that kind of pace for another 9 miles. I think this was the first time that I've gotten to the 10k mark of any race including a 10k in under 50 minutes. Here was the only time in the race that I felt that I had a shot at goal A. I just needed to cover the next 7 miles in 1 hour.
1: 7:38
2: 7:49
3: 7:31
4: 7:15
5: 8:44
6: 8:26
6.2: 49:01

Mile 7 to the Finish
Then I got to Harbor Island and things just began to fall apart. I took my salt cap and gel between miles 7 and 8. The right foot started to get sore at mile 8. I knew goal A was out the window. I really wanted to walk starting at mile 9. But I just kept slowing down until the foot wasn't hurting as much. Mile 12 was the huge 6th Avenue hill. It's a hard climb, but every year that I've ran it, it has gotten easier. As I crossed the bridge with all of the flags, I finally convinced myself to just take off and finish the race! I must have passed at least 50 people except for 1 shirtless guy with a safari hat who was really hauling butt. After I stopped I really felt the soreness in the right foot.
7: 8:35
8: 9:19
9: 9:06
10: 9:22
11: 9:47
12: 10:38
13.1: 10:07
Finish: 1:54:17
Course PR
Tied my half marathon PR, but I actually ran 13.1 miles faster during SD RnR Marathon in 2010 (1:53:32). I know I can run much faster, but first I need to fix the flat tire. :)

I had to work hard for these 3 items: 1 fugly shirt, 1 big triple crown medal, and 1 finisher's medal

Post-race
This race was a good mental training run. I was successful at resisting the urge to take unscheduled walk breaks. At one point it was interesting where I had an internal debate going on. One voice said to dig deep... no stopping until I cross the finish line. Another voice said the more you dig, you're just digging yourself a deeper grave! I settled the argument by running slower and fooling myself into thinking that I would save the walking for the 6th Ave hill. I ran that entire hill. The foot doesn't hurt as much when I run uphill.

I bumped into my faster friends near the exit after picking up the triple crown medal and my fugly race shirt. We chatted a little about our races, took some pictures, and reconvened later for lunch at Louis and Jackie's house. I couldn't wait that long for food, so I stopped by Santouka to eat some ramen and natto gohan before going over. It was fun hanging out, but man I was a zombie. Definitely not used to staying awake for that long. I was dozing off a little on my drive back home. Once I got home I showered and drove up to Arcadia for Red Lobster with some old church friends. I love seafood!