Pasadena Marathon 2011

Pre-race stuff
Back when they decided to move this race from February to May, they sent out an "in training" shirt to those that opted to run on the new date. It worked out for me since I sustained a pretty nasty injury back in early February.

In Training shirt

A lot of my "training" consisted of resting and eating lots of ramen. Also there was a lot of limping through a bunch of races.

Anyways May rolled around and I took Friday off from work to attend the expo. I parked at my usual spot at the Paseo Colorado parking garage. I made it over to the Pasadena Convention Center. I was about 30 minutes early so the expo wasn't open yet. There was already a bunch of runners milling around.

It seemed like the entire expo was not ready to be open at noon. Most of the vendors were not ready. More importantly, there was not enough volunteers to deal with the initial rush. The few volunteers that was there were really stressed out trying to pass out bibs and shirts.

I talked to the guys at the Team in Training booth about joining IronTeam. It seems like they didn't have any idea about the group training for an Ironman.

Race shirt and bib

I bought another Ink n' Burn shirt where a portion of the proceeds go to support the disaster relief in Japan. This would make a great shirt for the Honolulu Marathon or the Tokyo Marathon.

Gaman!

On my way out, I got a bunch of Soy Joy bars from the Soy Joy booth. They were giving out one of each flavor.

The next day, I drove out early to volunteer at the Palos Verdes Marathon. Almost all of the Marathon Maniacs I cheered on during the race, I would see in the Pasadena Marathon.

Race day
I ignored all of the parking directions provided to us. I took back streets that got me to the parking structure without seeing one other car. Good thing I used to go to PCC. I took a quick nap and then went out to the starting line to watch the start of the bike tour. I took a quick picture of the starting line and felt a few drops of rain. I saw Maniac Lan in the VIP tent and she snuck me in. In there I bumped into Maniac Dale and @spectorjosh. I wished everybody a great race and went back to my car to get ready. I grabbed my stuff and headed towards the starting area. I bumped into my old TNT friends at the portapotty lines.

I bumped into more Maniac friends as I got into the starting corral. The national anthem was sung and right on cue, it started to drizzle.

Goal was to finish around 5:30.
Backup goal was to just finish however long it took.

First Half
The drizzle turned into a steady light rain. The first mile was very congested but it felt good. It was the first time since February that I've ran without any discomfort. But I knew it wouldn't last. Mile 2 felt great. But after I saw my split, I kept telling myself to slow down. I saw Maniac Mitch spectating at the mile 4 marker. My bro's friend passes me on the way to mile 5. Mile 6 had a huge downhill so I wasn't pushing the pace. My lack of fitness really caught up to me on my way to the Rose Bowl. I pretty much hit the wall at mile 8. It did not help that my right hip flexor was hurting. I walked a bit to alleviate some of the pain. We Rock Andrea passes me, but I would see her again around mile 10 since she stopped for a potty break. Even though my race had become a big struggle, I loved this portion of course as I got to see some of my faster friends run by on the other side. The rain pretty much started to let up by the time I exited the Rose Bowl and reached the halfway point. I got there in about 2:18. The climb out of the Rose Bowl is a long steady one. It slowed me to a crawl this year. Maniac Rocco passed me around this stretch.
1: 9:00
2: 8:24
3: 8:46
4: 9:33
5: 9:44
6: 8:22
7: 10:07
8: 10:18
9: 12:02
10: 11:11
11: 13:22
12: 11:35
13: 14:17

Mile 4 from Maniac Mitch

Second Half
The 2nd half was tough. It got sunny and I had to walk and jog the whole way. I was passed by a few more of my maniac friends. Some tried to help me out, but I hate holding people back. Once I got through miles 20-22, I knew that the worst was over. The rest of the way to the finish line was mostly downhill. My ailing left leg started to feel tender and sore which kind of had me worried. I backed off a bit at mile 25. At least everything felt okay when I walked. I love the finishing chute for this race. I was cramping up but I tried to just jog as fast as I could. Number 60 overall was in the books!
14: 13:56
15: 16:17
16: 15:10
17: 14:12
18: 13:29
19: 16:26
20: 16:27
21: 13:32
22: 14:07
23: 14:50
24: 14:43
25: 16:02
26.2: 16:23
Finish: 5:32:16

Post-race stuff
I cramped up pretty badly after crossing the finish line. I grabbed a can of FRS and after drinking it everything started feeling better. I also mixed a bottle of Nuun just in case. I was very happy with finishing number 60 with relatively no major discomfort. Since I pretty much met my goal, I am more hopeful that I can get through the rest of my races this year. I seriously didn't think that I would have completed this many after running my first one back in 2003. I'll be at 100 before I know it.

Finisher's medal

I walked back to the corner of Hill and Colorado to cheer on my friends. Maniac Fancypants Ed also was there when he finished his race. After cheering for awhile with Ed, I walked back to my car and headed to my favorite restaurant in the area, Steer n' Ale, to eat a steak.

Super-stockyard steak

Palos Verdes Marathon 2011

After being forced out of the Point Fermin park, this year they had a new course. It is a shame. I loved that course. However Palos Verdes is a nice area, so I'm sure there were nice views along the way.

PV, an awesome place to run a marathon

I love this race so much that I couldn't stay away even though I'm on the disabled list. So I volunteered. Most of the volunteers were high-schoolers. I parked at the city hall located very close to Hawthorne Blvd and Palos Verdes Dr. I then boarded the shuttle for the starting area. On the shuttle I ran into the track/cross-country coach from the university that I work at... talk about coincidence. He had brought one of his runners to attempt an A standard qualifying time for the marathon at the NAIA nationals. He needed to run a 1:14:xx.

When we got dropped off, I wished them well. I headed over to the volunteer tent and picked up my t-shirt. I wasn't given much direction since I was an unattached volunteer. So I wandered over to the registration tables. I was then pulled by the Prime Time folks to help with late registration. Fun stuff.

Volunteer shirt

Maniac friends

I saw my fellow marathon maniac friends, including some I haven't seen in awhile. I left the registration tables to see the start of the race. This year, the half marathoners and marathons started together. Also they had timing chips this year which allowed them to combine the start of the 2 races. After shooting some pictures and a video of the start, I went back to the table to help with the 5k registration. I guess I was meant to volunteer since a lady was short $2 and I covered it for her. Good investment. We were still registering people as the 5k race was underway. After the last person, I got up and walked down to the little expo. I talked to the ladies at the Team in Training booth. I calculated the time and I went up to the course to see the first runner from the half marathon/marathon come through.

Starting line

Star Spangled Banner

On your mark... get set... go!

1st male half marathoner from CUI

1st female half marathoner

Expo

After cheering on the runners for about 3 hrs, I walked over to the shuttle line. The line was very long and everyone was grumbling about it. I have a feeling that logistics is going to force them to change the course again. I took the shuttle back to City Hall. After a morning of volunteering, I worked up a pretty good appetite. I headed over to the Mitsuwa in Torrance for a late lunch. I ate some delicious chicken katsu.

Katsuhana - chicken katsu

Country Music Marathon 2011

Before the race
I left early Friday morning out of LAX. Landed in Nashville around 2pm. I picked up my rental car and headed over to the convention center in downtown to attend the expo. I parked in the same parking structure as I did last year near 2nd and Commerce. It was a couple of blocks from the convention center. I picked up my race packet and headed over to the stage next to the Nutrilite booth to see Kara Goucher. All of the seats were already filled. It was standing room only.

Expo

Guest Speaker List

Kara Goucher on the stage

I thought I was pretty quick in lining up for Kara's autograph, but there was already a pretty good size line. When it was my turn with Kara, I thought I'd give others a chance to meet her so all I did was take a quick picture, had her autograph my bib, and wished her well in next year's Boston Marathon. It was about 30 seconds tops. I'm sure I'll see her again at some other race.

I signed up the Los Angeles Rock n' Roll Half Marathon just as I had planned. I got a pretty nice "free" shirt for signing up. Somehow I also signed up for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon... not how I had planned. I guess my leg is feeling much better. I got out of the expo before I had the chance to spend any more money.

Free shirt

Getting out of the parking structure was a pain. There was a huge line. It ended up costing $10 to park there. I'll have to look for a new parking place if I come back to run this race.

On my way to eat, I stopped by a Walgreen to pick up some snacks and drinks. I then drove to the Longhorn Steakhouse right across the street from the hotel.

I ordered a Bass Ale and the filet with shrimp and lobster. I love surf and turf. Lately I've been opting for more surf and less turf. I love southern hospitality... I had about 5 different people check up on me during my meal. I almost wanted to shoo them away. :)

Carbo-loading!

Filet with shrimp and lobster

I drove across the street to my hotel. This year I stayed at the Crossland Suites near the airport. This was about the cheapest suite you can get. But I didn't pay much and I definitely got what I paid for. I knocked out watching the TV.

Race day
Woke up, got ready, and drove myself the the LP Field by 4:30am. I took a nap in my car before walking over to the shuttle stop. The bus took us over to Centennial Park. I had on my windbreaker, but it really wasn't that cold.

Shirt and signed bib

While waiting for the start I ended up talking to Dennis, a 72 year old running the half marathon. Runners are cool. He finished in 1:48:36. I hope I'm in such good shape when I'm his age. Actually after I heal up, it'll take a while to build back up to that shape. I used a couple of portapotties to empty out the bladder. As we got closer to the start, I checked my gear bag and headed for corral 3. On my way there, I ran into The Endorphin Dude. We snapped a photo and wished each other well in our survival race... my legs aren't working and he had another marathon the next day. Crazy darn maniacs! :)

My conservative goals:
Get to half at 2:30.
Run 2nd half in 3:00 - 3:30.
Finish between 5:30 - 6:00.

First half
I got into Corral 3 which was for people planning to run a 3:30 marathon or a 1:45 half marathon. I hung out at the very back so I wouldn't get in anybody's way. At the very back there was a blind runner being guided my poles, one in each hand. Shortly after the national anthem, we were released about 3 minutes after the first wave was released. Even though I started at the very back of my corral, there were people going slower than me. I was jogging and it just felt awkward. There was discomfort but nothing that I would count as painful. My plan was to run 3 miles before taking a walk break to take my gels and S cap. I was able to move much better on the uphills, but they felt like mountains. As I approached mile 13, I slowed down a bit as I saw that I was going to be ahead of schedule.
1: 9:36
2: 9:27
3: 9:59
4: 10:53
5: 10:50
6: 10:32
7: 11:02
8: 11:32
9: 11:58
10: 11:53
11: 12:16
12: 14:15
13: 13:53

Second half
During the 2nd half, I just felt like walking the rest of the way. It was getting quite warm. I really had to force myself to jog. One TNT coach insisted on running with me for almost 2 miles until we got to Shelby Park. I had a beer around mile 24 after taking the loop around the lake at Shelby Park. I couldn't believe how badly I bonked here even though I was jogging the whole time. My legs were cramping really bad in the last 3 miles, so I walked most of it. I knew I had a cushion to get it done until 6 hours but only if I continue at the 15ish min/mile pace. Too bad I used it all up. :) I stopped briefly to encourage and take a picture with The Endorphin Dude. On the home stretch, I just could not get the legs to work. I hobbled to the finish line and was very glad to be able to finally cross Tennessee of my list.
14: 14:15
15: 16:23
16: 14:52
17: 15:13
18: 16:06
19: 17:06
20: 16:51
21: 15:37
22: 15:56
23: 15:39
24: 17:29
25: 17:38
26: 16:10
26.2: 2:46
Finish: 6:00:07

After the race
After a long walk around the stadium, I found the UPS trucks to pick up my gear bag.
It was another long walk to my car. I had to hurry up and change out of my race clothes. I had to make it back to the airport to return the car. I made it with about 5 minutes to spare. Good thing Nashville doesn't have crazy traffic.

Finisher's medal

This was definitely a survival git-r-done marathon. Last year's race was cut short due to severe storm. So this year I just wanted to finish, cross off TN, and hopefully not hurt the left leg too much in the process. The left leg didn't really bother me much in the pain department. It just felt awkward. The right hip flexor was a little sore, but definitely did not hurt as much as it did in my other races. The heat made it tough and the S caps that I was taking helped but I've been so out of shape since the injury. I guess everything is healing up since I didn't have a limp the day after the race.

Sycamore Canyon 04-23-11

Those who can't run, volunteer. I love it. I've been feeling pretty good lately, but I'm pretty sure that the left leg will hurt if I run 1 step. I left pretty early for the long drive out to Sycamore Canyon Trailhead. Good thing I did, because a car had crashed into the freeway median. All of the freeway lanes were held up until a tow truck removed the car. I got to the park a few minutes before 7am. I helped unload the vans and setup the canopies and tables.

Countdown to the start

I started off helping out at the registration table. It was pretty cool when you end up recognizing so many people. A Korean lady even started speaking to me in Korean. Sorry, I'm not Korean. :) This happens to me quite often.

Registration Table

The 18k, 30k, and 50k runners all started at 8:30am. The 8k runners start 15 minutes later. After all of the runners took off, we setup the food table.

8:30 Start

Race Directors, Sarah and Michael

Big Dogs

Race Start!

The Finish Line

I later worked the 30k aid station for the 50k runners. There was a kid runner that really loved the oranges. We later had to ask him to leave or else we would have none for those running the 50k.

30k aid station

LA Runner (Billy) coming in for his finish

It's always fun to volunteer. I left shortly after 12pm. I don't think I eat enough when I run marathons or ultras. I was pretty hungry after just volunteering. So I stopped by the Mitsuwa in Mar Vista to eat lunch. I got the chicken katsu curry at Misasa.

Lunch at Misasa - chicken katsu curry

La Jolla half-stroll-a-thon 2011

Before the race

Everyone has their own race to run. A slow race for me still beats sitting at home. But it has to be done within reason. I had skipped a marathon 2 weeks ago because my leg was just hurting too much for 26.2 miles. If I'm not confident in finishing within the race time limit, I will not start the race. Too much damaging pain is also an issue.

I was hesitant in running jogging the La Jolla Half Marathon. After the painful 2:40 at the NYC half, the smartest thing to do would be to continue with the rest. But I wanted to see if everything was getting better. The thing that bothered me more than the hurting left lower leg was the very painful right hip flexor.

The day before the race, I decided to give it a go. I had purchased VIP packet pickup, so I could get my race packet at the starting area on race day. The pickup table opened at 6am and I got to the Del Mar Fairgrounds around 5:30am. It felt okay when I walked around, but I knew it's the pounding from running that causes the discomfort in the left leg. My plan was to see how it felt and if it was too much, I would drop out. The first mile was a loop around the parking lot so dropping out would be very convenient.

About 30 minutes before the race start, the announcer announced that their national anthem singer backed out and that they were looking for a volunteer. It turns out there was a couple of runners that were professional wedding singers. So they harmonized the national anthem which was pretty good.

Starting Line

The race

I don't usually for a half marathon but I brought my camera because I planned on jogging the course. This was the first time I've attached my bib to the iFitness belt. They released us in two waves. The second wave was for leisure runners and walkers, so I started near the back of the first wave. The first mile was uncomfortable because it was mostly cambered. I tried to land as softly as possible. After a while it felt better especially as we hit a small hill. The downhill sections causes discomfort in the left leg. If I concentrate on the form, the right hip flexor did not hurt. It got a little sore near the end, but it was nowhere near the pain I felt in NYC. I pulled over to the side near mile 4 to take a picture of Torrey Pines.

Torrey Pines State Park up ahead

I did most of my passing during the big climb up Torrey Pines State Park and the last climb up Torrey Pines Road to Prospect Place. Right before the steep cobblestone downhill there was a line of people looking for bandits. Among those bouncers was a lady wearing a shirt that read "WTF!" I told her "seriously, nice shirt". We were pretty fortunate to have an overcast for pretty much the entire time as the weather can sometimes get very warm for this race.

1: 9:50
2: 9:22
3: 9:40
4: 10:39
5: 9:58
6: 11:35
7: 9:42
8: 12:54
9: 11:33
10: 11:07
11: 12:05
12: 11:55
13.1: 13:07
Finish: 2:23:27

After the race

Even though it was my personal worst on this course, I'm glad it felt better than several weeks ago in NYC. I took 1 minute walk breaks every 3 miles and a S cap every hour. I also took 3 Hammer gels during my walk breaks. The water they were passing out at the finish line tasted horrible. It was tap water from a hose, which they used to fill up plastic trash cans. I liked the shirt and medal this year. They've been pretty ho-hum in the years past.

Bib, shirt, and medal

I took a picture of the cove before getting on the bus back to Del Mar. I love the San Diego area, especially La Jolla. I would love to come down here every chance I got, but this might be the last time I run the Triple Crown series. Well, at least until I rest up so I can at the very least run a 1:30 half marathon. I felt pretty out of shape in this race since I haven't been running at all for a while. My right calf was cramping really bad on the bus ride.

La Jolla Cove

Labor of Love Marathon

Labor of Love medal (picture taken from Marathon Mitch)

Shot through the heart and you're to blame. Darlin', you give love a bad name!

This past weekend, I was supposed to have been in Las Vegas running the Labor of Love Marathon. Instead I was at home with the dog watching Tangled and The Goonies. Two very good movies, but I wished that I was out there in the snow with my crazy friends.

It was kind of funny that I was carbo-loading this weekend like I was about to run a race. I ate a lot of angel hair pasta and a lot of loco moco. But it's all good since I've been lifting weights in the meantime. Even without the running, my weight has been steady at about 148lbs.

Yes, I know I have to rest. My leg will not get better until I give it at least a month off. This was my first time taking a DNS (did not start) for any race. It's probably the smartest thing I've done lately. When you can't run from the very first step without pain, it would've been insane to try and cover 26.2 miles with elevation and snow. But being the crazy person that I am... if I could make that choice again, I'd choose to walk the whole thing. Ultimately it came down to too many factors making it unfavorable for me to attempt the race. Here are the top 3 reasons:

1. 2 non-working legs: left tibia sfx and bad right hip flexor
   
2. price of gas
3. having to leave the dog by herself for 1.5 days
   

Carlsbad 5000 All Day 25k

Endurance athletes are definitely a different breed with varying degrees of insanity. I would look upon someone that runs a 50 or 100 miler to be insane. But I'm looked upon by fellow marathoners as insane for grinding through so many races while injured. I've managed to get through a bout of Achilles tendinitis early in 2010. But unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I won't be able to get through any more races with my current injury. I self-diagnosed myself with a stress fracture in the tibia. I've seen my doctor, but all I've gotten out of that doctor visit was have my blood and urine samples examined. Regardless if the diagnosis is correct or not, it hurts too much for me to run with my normal gait. My altered gait has caused my right hip flexor to hurt a lot.

However long it took me, I willed myself through the Surf City Marathon, Red Rock Marathon, and the NYC half marathon. After the Carlsbad 5000 all day 25k, I've had enough and I even cringe at the idea of trying to get through another event in my present condition.

I really love spending time with fellow endurance athletes, not just marathon maniacs and half fanatics. Runners in general tend to be good people with great demeanor. That's the primary reason why I can't stay away from races. While I'm on the sideline, I plan to volunteer at races as much as I can.

Ok, so here's what went down...

Carlsbad 5000 starting line

My plan going into this race was to just run the first heat with the old guys and just watch the rest of the heats from the sidelines. I got into the train station parking lot at about 5:30 am. After taking a quick cat nap, I headed over to the packet pickup on Harding St. The registration tents weren't supposed to open until 6am, but there were lines already formed. After picking up my packet, I headed over to Jefferson St to pick up my race shirt. It was still dark and early so things weren't quite setup. I headed back to my car after I got my shirt. I like the design.

After pinning on my bib and attached the chip to my shoe, I headed over to the starting area. I bumped into the Galindos before the start of the first heat. Say what you will about the evil Rock n' Roll empire, but every year they improve on the 25k all day event. This year they sectioned off an area near the starting corrals and called it the "All day 25k lounge". They had drinks, food, electro-therapy, and portapotties reserved just for those running the 25k. They even had "bouncers" checking on people's bibs to make sure non-25kers do not get in.

All Day 25k lounge

Masters Men 40+: 29:37 (9:32)
1: 9:18
2: 9:54
3: 9:38
3.1: 0:48
I started off at what felt like a really really slow pace and it felt horrible. There was a giant green gnome giving out high fives. Galindo found me a little after the first left turn onto Carlsbad Blvd. We ran and chatted all the way to the finish line. I tried to run with my normal gait as we neared the finishing stretch down Carlsbad Village Dr.

break: 25:27
I felt like quitting and calling it a day, but for some reason I went back out to the starting area for the 2nd heat.

Masters Women 40+: 31:21 (10:06)
1: 9:04
2: 10:51
3: 10:39
3.1: 0:48
I had planned to jog this heat with Galindo. But the adrenaline definitely kicked in near the start of this race. I powered through some of the inclines, but I quickly faded. The discomfort was just too much so I kept slowing down. I lost sight of Galindo, but saw him up way ahead on the turn around. Again I was able to run ok down Carlsbad Blvd for the finish.

break: 52:37
I definitely wanted to quit. This was the longest break between heats. So I went back to my car to pick up my Carlsbad Marathon cap and my iFitness belt to carry my camera. I met my friend in front of the beer garden to give him the cap. We tried to catch the start of the wheelchair race, but they already went by.

Men 30-39: 36:51 (11:52)
1: 11:13
2: 13:05
3: 11:42
3.1: 0:51
Well, I felt like I might as well go out and complete my AG heat. I took it slow and the right hip flexor really started bothering me. It hurt so much that I walked a lot of mile 2. I tried to pick it up a little on the 3rd mile and on to the finish.

break: 17:21
Since I took so dang long, this was shortest break between heats. But it was ok since the next heat was for the walkers.

Women 30-39: 43:02 (13:51)
1: 13:29
2: 14:48
3: 13:42
3.1: 1:04
Well, since it's the heat for walkers, I could take as long as I wanted. I tried to jog as much as I could and walked whenever the hip flexor was hurting.

break: 28:51
My leg muscles were starting to lock up, so I looked for GUs at the lounge. But they had already run out. I ate an energy bar and drank some electrolyte drink.

29 and under: 45:01 (14:30)
1: 13:20
2: 15:05
3: 15:20
3.1: 1:16
The gnome was now mocking me. After giving me a high five, he or she starts jogging with me as my friends and I started way in the back. We were pulling up the rear. I had to walk a lot of this heat. To make matters worse, my legs were cramping by mile 2. As I was getting close to the final turn to the finish line one of the course marshals was encouraging us to hurry up and finish. The elite runners were ready to start their race. I gimped as fast as I could to finish line.

Total running time: 3:05:49 (11:58)
Total overall time: 5:10:09

Race shirt, bib, and medal

I seriously could not believe that I made it through all 5 heats. I grabbed a drink to try and ease the cramping muscles. My friends and I picked up our all day 25k medals. We then set out to watch the elite runners near the finishing stretch. I positioned myself near the train tracks and took some videos. This was a great event, but the all day 25k race is definitely not one where you want to run while injured.

Elite Men

Elite Women