Sycamore Canyon 30k

This race felt more like Buns of Steel workout part 2 for me. It was easier than Malibu Creek, but not by much. Coming into this race, I've been feeling really tired mentally. I can deal with physical tiredness, but my mind was just not 100% there. It was like this as well at the Pasadena marathon. Good thing I really love running or else I would just bag it and stay home.

The reason I ran this race was because my friends were going to be there. Hard to believe, but I had initially planned to take this weekend off so that I could rest for the upcoming weekend where I'll be running the Carlsbad 5000 five times for an all day 25k. Also I like being around trail runners. I think they are a completely different breed of runners, probably very high on endorphins.

On to the race... it starts promptly at 8:30 and I started off at a modest pace. I just wanted to take in the views and run a relaxing trail run without caring about the finishing time. But my natural tendency kicked in when we started our first climb. This one girl aka The Bunny takes off and I just followed. She must have gotten tired of me following her because she ditched me a few times, but I caught up to her on the inclines. About 9k later, I reached the first aid station. PB&J's are the best!

The next 12k section was not my favorite. There were sections where it's just climbing. You just didn't have the option of running. It was pretty scary coming back down. Somewhere in the middle I caught up to The Bunny again. But she took off with a group of 6 runners that came up to us. I could not keep up. This was when the race got pretty lonely for me. I crossed this huge grassland area with no one in sight, no one in front and no one in back. The single track was a hard V-shape. I must have rolled my right ankle at least 5 times. I just said to hell with it and walked. I was then passed by a bunch of people. The rest was kind of a blur. I was also in a bad mood because I had ran out of my fluids. Looks like I really do need 2 handhelds. As I was closing in on the aid station, my friend Rachel passed me. I'm pretty sure she knew I wore myself out early on chasing The Bunny. The right ankle was not feeling so hot and the quads were trashed. I hit the restrooms right before reaching the aid station. While the nice folks filled up my bottle, I ate a bunch of PB&J's and a bunch of potatoes. I must have looked like crap because this one old couple that I passed on the way to the aid station offered to drive me to Sycamore Canyon. I said I may look horrible, but I'll get there... it's only 9k more.

For the final 9k it was getting hard running the downhills so I ended up walking the downhills and slogging the uphills. Right before I crested on the final uphill, I passed a girl that asked if I was Pony. It turned out to be Renee. My mind at this point was already on a search for a boulder to sit on, so I welcomed the company. It was nice of her to pace me to the bottom. My quads were not liking the downhill, but our conversation kind of distracted me from the burn. Before I knew it, we were at the finish line. I was kind of spacing out. I just remember Lori telling me to stop eating the food for the 50k people.

I finished close to the bottom at 4:10:45, but I didn't care because I had fun. One thing I've got to do if I want to continue doing trail races is that I really need to get some trail shoes. I don't feel very safe in my road shoes. I know I have pretty strong ankles and pretty quick on my feet, but I don't want to push my luck. My right hip did not bother me. I really hope it will just work itself out. When ever it starts bothering me, I immediately going into the Gallow-walking mode.

One final note: the day that I sign-up to run a trail ultra race is the day that I've completely lost my sanity. No amount of runner's amnesia will get me to sign up for one. :D

Inaugural Pasadena Marathon Redux

Leading up to this race, my coworkers have all been sick and I don't know why they were allowed to come into work and infect everyone else! Send them home! It's also Spring time so my allergies were acting up. I don't like running races while sick or feeling under the weather. There are a couple of things that I tried new in this race. I have been training to run for 30 minutes and taking 1 minute walking breaks. I followed that plan for the first 20 miles of the race. I never really know what to expect for the last 10k. But to better implement that plan, I carried my own drink, which lasted me for the majority of the race. The size of the marathon field was just right. There was absolutely no crowding at the aid stations. I easily ran through since I had my own drink. It was nice that some of the stations had GU. I really need to continue to rehab my right leg so I can do more long runs. It hasn't felt this good for a long time. But I still can't push as hard as I want on the uphills, but it is a lot more manageable now.

During this race it was cold, somewhat windy at times, and raining for a good portion of the race. I wasn't able to park as early as I had hoped. I then was not able to hit the port-a-potties before the start. I just hopped into the starting area and hoped for the best. As is the norm, I started off with an aggressive pace. For me that would be a sub 4 (3:50) pace. I did not hold that for very long. I ended up getting to the halfway point a little past the 2hr mark. The mile markers were off, therefore I am not listing the splits. It's times like this that I kind of wish that I'd owned a Garmin. It was really nice to run through areas that I've trained on in the past. It's much easier when you know what to expect. Just right before the 19th mile marker, I stopped for a much needed potty break.

One thing that I've noticed wrong with the logistics for this race is the parking. I was able to cut through the back way and enter the parking structure at Hill and Del Mar. But everyone was being directed to the other parking structure on Bonnie. It was a shame that there was only a handful of cars parked where I was, when the place can hold thousands of cars. This undoubtedly caused a lot of people to be late for the start of the race. But this is the race's first year, I'm sure it'll get better in each subsequent year.

The course felt easier than it looked on paper. It was hilly, but not terribly bad. I finished in 4:21:25. A new PR, which is nothing spectacular, but good enough to beat Oprah's marathon time back when she was "skinny" Oprah. She's one of the reason why there's lots of recreational marathoners these days. I swear Oprah can get anybody to do anything. Anyways, I went for a steak afterwards. Surprise surprise! While I was eating my steak, my left pectoral muscle was cramping for what some unknown reason. The waitress came by and asked if I was alright when she saw me massaging my chest. If I could read her mind, she probably thought I was having a heart attack! :D To be honest, I did not really enjoy the steak... *gasp*! But it's true. I haven't been really enjoying red meat as of late. These days I crave seafood more than anything. Seafood, pho, and ramen.

Well that's 3 marathons down. At least 9 more to go for 2009. I seem to be getting better which each race and at this rate, I should go sub 4 by the middle of this year! But somehow I wouldn't bet money on that! :D

What's wrong with me?

Since the time that I've decided to take running more seriously, I'm finally beginning to make some progress. The first 4 years or so I've done really bad result-wise, but I've learned the most about my body.

• My lower back used to give me serious problems. So I've been working on my core a lot more diligently and it has paid off. It still bothers me a little, but nowhere near how it was in the past.
• My right hip is a mess. I cannot power through when it starts to hurt. If I back off on the pace, some times it'll go away. Running hills has been helping somewhat.
  
• I've discovered that I do not enjoy running flat courses. I like the course to have uphills and downhills. My legs become retarded when I hit flat areas. I tend to slow down and have a hard time concentrating. I think it's a mental thing.
  
• I need more endurance. I seldom run past 12 miles on my long runs mostly because I'm afraid of re-injurying my IT band. I hope to be able to work my way up to at least 20 miles. When I'm racing my paces should be in the 7:30 - 7:45 range. Instead I run in the 8:30 - 8:45 range to compensate for the lack of endurance.

Okay, I have a lot to work on in 2010... if I survive 2009. Either I will break the bank, my legs, my will, or all of the above. No, I will not be an ultra-marathoner in 2009. I need to feel comfortable with the marathon first before I tackle anything longer.

The Pasadena marathon is coming up soon! I can hardly contain the excitement! I need to come up with a strategy soon.

Malibu Creek 25k

Super Butt and Thigh Workout/Hike-a-thon 25k recap...

So I signed up for this race because I knew a bunch of the people running it and I wanted to train for the hills that will be in the Pasadena marathon. This race was pretty brutal. It was definitely overkill and not what I had in mind for my hill training. The only other trail experience I've had was the Cheseboro half marathon in Agoura Hills. That was a cake walk compared to this race. I practice on pretty steep hills in my neighborhood, but nothing would have prepared me for miles and miles and miles of climbing. The first half of the "race" was almost pure hiking for me. Then the second half was a quad-thrashing downhill romp to the finish line.

I was able to hang with my faster friends at the very beginning stages. But once we hit the first big climb, I could not keep up. I also fumbled and dropped my shot bloks which I paid for later in the race. We even got to cross a creek... that made me feel like a real trail runner. You could tell that a good majority of the people did not enjoy it. I have no problem getting my shoes or feet wet while running. That's probably because I like running in the rain.

The next 10k was the hiking portion for me. When it wasn't too steep, I ran as much as I could handle. I had to hold off because my left Achilles was bothering me. I really had no choice. If I continue to push harder, I was running the risk of hurting my Achilles even further. So backing off and swallowing my pride was the smart thing to do. I was trying to be patient and waiting for the downhill portion. I also realized that if I want to keep doing trail runs, I need to invest in a handheld bottle. Time to stop being cheap and using regular water bottles. Friends have bought me 2 fuel belts but I do not like wearing them. If anyone wants them, let me know.

The next 5k or so was the sometimes scary downhill portion. I'm a pretty good downhill road runner, but trail running is very different. I could not get a rhythm due to uneven terrain. The quads were screaming before I could cover all of the 5k. Again I had to back off near the end because I needed to keep myself injury free so I can complete my long term goal of running at least 1 marathon a month for this year.

Next came a somewhat technical portion... lots of rock and puddle hopping for me. A frog even croaked at me when I ran by. That was cool. I felt like I was travelling through some place exotic. I was pretty much running solo at this point.

About 2 miles from the finish line I was starving and wishing I had stopped and picked up my shot bloks that I dropped early in the race. I also saw a lady riding a horse and was entertaining thoughts on how to get a ride to the finish line. People started passing me, but I didn't really care. Mentally I was done. I hate it when that happens. Mind pretty much said we're out of water... no shot bloks... we're walking. It wasn't until someone on a bike told me that it was just a dip and a left turn to the finish line that I started to think about trotting. Then I cross paths with my friends going back out for another loop. I was so glad that I was done and not going out for loop number 2! I finished in 3:05:21 according to my watch, but somehow they missed me crossing the finish line and put me down as unknown runner #2 at 3:06:22. That was weird because I wasn't moving very fast at that point. Also it did not take me a minute to cross the starting line. I had hoped to finish in under 3 hrs but that was close enough for me.

Temptations

Resistance is futile. But I must resist the temptation to sign up for yet another race. Indeed it is a very good race, the Great Race of Agoura Hills. But it will be 6 days after the Pasadena marathon and a week before the Carlsbad 5000 x 5. I better be smart about this and pass this race for this year or else I'll run out of money and run the risk of hurting my Achilles or another piece of anatomy. My left Achilles more specifically has been tender and feeling weird lately. I've cut back on the running and I'm hoping that I have enough "stuff" to get through the upcoming Malibu Creek 25k. It's only about 15.6 miles, but that distance can become a bear when you show up with some gimpy wheels.

Is anyone else running the LA marathon? I'm hoping to get some revenge at this old course. I thought I would never get this chance when they changed the course 2 years ago but lo and behold they bring it back! I have clocked my 3 slowest marathons on this particular course. Granted I was dealing with injuries due to my stupidity each time, but I still would like to run a decent race through the streets of LA. I'm hoping the weather will be favorable and to run it around 4:30. I will need to save enough in the tank for the San Diego Rock n' Roll marathon the following weekend! These are the two marathons that I would like to keep running until I finish the other race that we call "life"! This year will be my 6th LA marathon and my 7th SD RnR. Somehow I think it's going to be super hot at both of these races this year. I hope to be ready, but first I must exercise some level of restraint and not sign up for anymore races! :D

2009 Race Schedule

My upcoming races for 2009:
03/08/09 - Malibu Trail Run 25k
03/22/09 - Pasadena Marathon
04/05/09 - Carlsbad 5000 x 5
04/18/09 - Salt Lake City Marathon
04/26/09 - La Jolla Half
05/02/09 - Palos Verdes Half
05/25/09 - Laguna Hills Memorial Half or LA
05/31/09 - San Diego Rock n' Roll
06/27/09 - Seattle
07/26/09 - San Francisco (maybe)
08/16/09 - AFC Half
08/22/09 - Mesa Falls (maybe)
09/06/09 - Disneyland Half
09/13/09 - Erie, PA (maybe)
10/11/09 - Long Beach (maybe)
11/01/09 - New York
12/06/09 - Las Vegas

Look for me if you're going to be at any of these races. I have a few races marked as maybe because I'll have to make sure that I have the money to pay for the race/travel, good enough legs to complete the race, and that the race does not interfere with work. The race that I'm most looking forward to is the New York marathon. I really want to meet some of those elite runners and it'll be my first time running a major marathon.

New Challenge

After surviving the back to back weekends on marathoning, I've decided to run at least 1 marathon per month for the rest of 2009. I'll have to be smarter with my training and not hurt myself like I normally do. Below will be the marathons that I plan to run. I'll be running a bunch of half marathons here and there in between. I know that immediately after the Surf City marathon, I sort of vowed never to run back to back weekends. But when the pain wore off, boy did my mind change rapidly! Now I'm pretty certain that I'll have no problem running both the LA and San Diego RnR marathons. I suppose I'm doing my part to stimulate the economy.

Why do I run? I run for the sake of those less fortunate in the world... www.worldvision.org/team

01/25/09 - Carlsbad 4:59:49
02/01/09 - Surf City 4:37:59
03/22/09 - Pasadena
04/18/09 - Salt Lake City
05/25/09 - Los Angeles
05/31/09 - San Diego Rock n' Roll
06/27/09 - Seattle
07/26/09 - San Francisco
08/22/09 - Mesa Falls
09/13/09 - Erie
10/11/09 - Long Beach
11/01/09 - New York
12/06/09 - Las Vegas