Holy smokes, that was one crazy but fun marathon! The race had excellent course support and it was a very scenic route. I'd definitely run this again in the future preferably without a sore Achilles. It would be fun to run this race hard instead of just trying to survive.
Travel/Expo/The Last Dinner
When I was buying my plane ticket for this race, I knew I had very little wiggle room. I was stressed out the whole day hoping that there was no flight delays. I even hopped on an earlier flight at my layover in DFW. But when we arrived at the Reagan National Airport around 3:25pm, it was foggy and rainy. We circled the airport several times but the pilot was unable to land eventually running low on fuel. He flew us down to Richmond to fuel up. We waited in Richmond until the weather cleared up in DCA. By the time we flew back up to DCA and landed, it was already 6pm. I needed to get to the expo by 7pm! I took the Metro yellow line straight to the Convention Center. I got there around 6:30pm and walked as fast as I could to expo. My Achilles was already very sore at this point which was a really bad sign. I was able to pick up my bib on time. But when I went to go pick up my goodie bag, all I got was an empty bag. Then when I went to pick up my long sleeve shirt, it was one size fits all... all they had left were XL shirts. I went up and down as many of the rows as fast as I could. Many of the booths were already being torn down. I said hi to Dane. I bought a nice MCM singlet and then headed over across the street to check into my hotel. As soon as I checked in, I got a bucket of ice and iced my ankle and Achilles. Then I walked over to eat at the Kanlaya Thai Restaurant in Chinatown. They have pretty good spicy duck curry with basil. I'm salivating just from typing that. Too bad I was flying solo, but I'll have to remember that this place is a good date place. I stopped by a convenient store to buy water and orange juice.
Pre race
I couldn't really fall asleep but eventually I got in a few hours. I awoke before all of my alarms and got ready. I ate my Powerbar and drank my orange juice. Then waited until it was time to head to the starting line. I took the Metro over to the Pentagon and walked about a mile to the baggage drop area. After hitting the line for the pottapotties, I jogged over to the starting line. There was a lot of people out there! I tried to make my way into the 4 hour area, but somehow I ended up in the 3:30 area. But it was so packed, no one was going to be able to run 8 min miles from the start. I kept reminding myself not to chase anybody because my Achilles would probably snap... and that's no joke! My strategy was to finish the first half in around 2 hours and see what I have left from there.
First Half
The first 3 miles were mostly uphill and I sort of just ran with the flow. Then the next 3 were downhill. Then we had the last major climb of the race starting at mile 6 ending at mile 8. During this climb, my right Achilles was very sore so I had to really slow down. I knew at that point I was not going to make it to the half under 2 hours. The whole time I was repeating in my head, "New York City", to get my mind off of the pain as well as to remind myself to keep the pace slow so that I could run New York the following week. When I got to the halfway mark at a little over 2:08, I knew I would have to begin taking my walking breaks for the 2nd half.
1: 9:20
2: 9:02
3: 8:31
4: 8:22
5: 8:47
6: 9:19
7-8: 19:39
9: 10:07
10: 10:45
11: 10:11
12: 10:33
13: 11:41
13.1: 2:08:07
Second Half
I would walk for about 2 minutes and run to the next mile marker. After about 3 miles this proved to be even too much for my sore Achilles, so I increased it to about 4 minutes of walking. I just wanted to keeps things under the pain threshold. I don't remember much of the 2nd half even though we ran by several of the major monuments. I just remember lots of people out there cheering. I was happy when I got to the bridge cutoff at mile 20. From the beginning I just kept telling myself to get to mile 20 and it'll all be over. I got in line for the portapotties at mile 22. It was a steady climb to the finish line from here on out. I veered off the course at mile 24 to use the potties again. My legs were starting to cramp so I had to keep drinking Nuun to get the electrolytes back in my body. I thought I was going to snap my Achilles at the last hill for the final .2 miles. I walked it a little and all I kept hearing from the crowds was, "you're almost there!" So I had to appease the crowd and ran it in.
14: 12:01
15: 12:04
16: 12:29
17-18: 28:04
19: 14:16
20: 15:36
21: 14:37
22: 17:03
23: 13:21
24: 15:14
25: 14:37
26.2: 17:44
For those that prefer measurements in 5k increments:
5k: 27:19
10k: 55:18
15k: 1:26:13
20k: 1:59:32
25k: 2:37:00
30k: 3:20:22
35k: 4:06:15
40k: 4:54:05
Finish: 5:13:34
Post race
Then they herded all of the cattle to pick up their finisher's medal and food. I picked up my finisher's coin while walking over towards the Rosslyn Metro Station. When I saw how packed it was, I turned around and walked towards the Arlington Station. A handful of people had the same idea. There was no wait at Arlington and you got to see and cheer on those that were still heading towards the finish line. Once I got back to my hotel room, I cleaned up and got a foot long Subway sandwich. Then I just relaxed, took a nap, and woke up to watch the Yankees/Angels game.
The next day I tried to sleep in, but couldn't. I'm too much of a morning person. I checked out of the hotel around 10am and went on a tour of DC. My Achilles was still very sore... so I got to sit on a lot of benches during my tour. I saw the White House, the Washington Monument, the WWII memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the US Capitol Building. It actually felt okay to walk around. I was glad that I ran the race semi-injured because I got to tour DC for just the second time since high school.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Accidental Birth of a Marathon Maniac
How I ended up on the Maniac Bus
I have been hampered by a bad right hip, chronic lower back aches, and occasionally ITBS. They were mostly aches and pains that I got from playing tennis and skiing. After I got my body well enough to finally run my first sub 5 hours marathon in San Diego, I wanted to start training and improving so that I can qualify for the Boston Marathon. But first I thought maybe it would be a good idea to qualify for the Marathon Maniacs. So I decided to qualify at the lowest level by running Long Beach, Pasadena, and Honolulu. I got destroyed in Long Beach (see last year's post below) and Pasadena was canceled due to poor air quality caused by nearby fires. That delayed my plan. I finished Honolulu with a then PR but had to deal with lower back aches all week leading up to the race. Then I figured I would qualify for MM by running the Carlsbad Marathon and the Surf City Marathon on back to back weekends.
Step 1: Back to back marathons
So my first race for the new year was the Carlsbad Marathon. I wanted to improve to a 4:15 marathon, so I ran with the pace group. It was surprisingly more difficult to run at a 9:40 pace vs a 8:40 pace. The right leg quit on me before I even got to the half. I struggled to a 4:59 finish. Around mile 15 of that race, I really wanted to quit running marathons for good. But a lot happens during 11 miles of suffering. I got the idea that quitting is not good. So I decided to abandon my plan of running quality marathons. I decided to go for quantity instead and see if I could stay relatively healthy while running 3 marathons in 1 month.
The following weekend I ran Surf City. I didn't want to repeat what happened in Carlsbad, so I ran with the 4:30 pace group. I ditched the pace group very early and just ran at whatever pace my body felt like running. My legs seemed to like that better. I finished in 4:38. Was actually on pace for about 4:20 until I started cramping late in the race. I was surprised that I actually ran faster. It was at the race expo that I met Dane Rauschenberg where I bought his book documenting his quest/adventure of running 52 marathons in 52 weeks.
Step 2: Filling in the gaps with marathons
So I had ran a marathon in December, January, and February. Pasadena was rescheduled to March which I ran a PR in 4:21. My goal for 3 marathons in 1 month was in May. So I needed a marathon in April to keep the streak going. Here's where I got the idea to run at least 1 marathon per month for the rest of 2009 hopefully all of them at sub 5 hours.
Step 3: 3 marathons in 1 month
I ran Palos Verdes in 4:51 while suffering severe cramps. I went out to destroy the PR that I got in Pasadena, but it was too hot and I hadn't figured out my electrolyte problem yet. I then ran Los Angeles in 4:24 feeling pretty super. The following weekend I ran San Diego in 4:27 wondering how my body is holding up. I still remembered when I could not for the life of me finish a marathon under 5 hours.
Step 4: Continuing the streak while gaining weight
I gained about 15 pounds because of overeating and lifting weights. I overate because of stress and I lifted weights because I couldn't run as much as I would like. In June I ran Seattle in 4:50. It was fun but I had a hard time dealing with the heat. In July I ran San Francisco in 4:55. I had too much beer with friends the night before and was surprised I even broke 5 hours. Then the lack of discipline caught up to me when I ran the difficult but fun ET Midnight Marathon in 5:28. I was becoming more and more out of running shape since I was in the weight room more than I was running.
Step 5: Sign up for a hard 50k
I was not ready for the Montaña de Oro 50k. It was about a week before my birthday and I thought I could just hike it if I was tired. Boy I underestimated the distance and the course. I DNF'd while only covering 33k. About 5k of that was just getting my useless body off of the mountain when I reached a point where I could not continue. This was sort of the wake up call that I needed to get back on track in preparing myself to become a Boston qualifier. I had to give up my distractions: bowling, lifting weights for upper body mass, succumbing to work/life stress. I will be back to MdO next year to have my revenge!
Step 6: Let's go for some altitude training!
Since my streak of sub 5 hours was broken, I thought I'd go run a fun marathon in Big Bear. I was sort of traumatized by MdO in that I couldn't run this race the way that I normally do. Anyways I was destroyed by the hot weather, altitude, and poor electrolyte replacement. I didn't bring enough salt caps. I cramped my way to a 5:53.
Step 7: 3 in 3 consecutive weekends
I was really unhappy with myself at the Big Bear race which led me to sign up for the Lake Tahoe Marathon at almost the very last minute. I brought more salt caps this time and I ran as hard as my legs would let me. The views were definitely worth the long drive, but next time I'll be flying. I finished in 5:08.
I could feel the difference in the elevation when I ran the Sacramento Cowtown Marathon. 8:20 pace was feeling like 9:30 pace from last weekend. This was the first time trying out Nuun. I got really sick when I ran out of Nuun/water late in the race, but I was able to recover and finish in 4:48. Nothing new on race day is still the smart thing to do! Kind of hurt my ankle in this race.
My ankle/AT was sore going into the Long Beach Marathon... my dreaded nemesis. Truth be told, I always go out at a pace that would get me a sub 4. By the 10k mark, I make my adjustment and again at the half way mark. In this race, I considered a DNF when I reached 10k. My ankle/AT was just not feeling good at all. I had to jog/walk the 2nd half and finished to 4:49. Using Nuun during a road race was quite hectic.
Step 8: 4 in 4 consecutive weekends
Now comes my final challenge for the year. I'll be running the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend, followed by the New York City Marathon, followed by the Fresno Marathon, and ending with the Malibu Marathon.
Step 9: 5 in 5 consecutive weekends???
I might run the Santa Monica Mountains 50k. I should be fine now that I've started using Nuun. But first I will need to get past step 8.
Hopefully I will be physically able to enjoy the Las Vegas Marathon in December!
I will end the year with about 20 marathons. I still marvel at the fact that Dane finished his 52 uninjured while holding a full time job with nobody sponsoring him!
I have been hampered by a bad right hip, chronic lower back aches, and occasionally ITBS. They were mostly aches and pains that I got from playing tennis and skiing. After I got my body well enough to finally run my first sub 5 hours marathon in San Diego, I wanted to start training and improving so that I can qualify for the Boston Marathon. But first I thought maybe it would be a good idea to qualify for the Marathon Maniacs. So I decided to qualify at the lowest level by running Long Beach, Pasadena, and Honolulu. I got destroyed in Long Beach (see last year's post below) and Pasadena was canceled due to poor air quality caused by nearby fires. That delayed my plan. I finished Honolulu with a then PR but had to deal with lower back aches all week leading up to the race. Then I figured I would qualify for MM by running the Carlsbad Marathon and the Surf City Marathon on back to back weekends.
Step 1: Back to back marathons
So my first race for the new year was the Carlsbad Marathon. I wanted to improve to a 4:15 marathon, so I ran with the pace group. It was surprisingly more difficult to run at a 9:40 pace vs a 8:40 pace. The right leg quit on me before I even got to the half. I struggled to a 4:59 finish. Around mile 15 of that race, I really wanted to quit running marathons for good. But a lot happens during 11 miles of suffering. I got the idea that quitting is not good. So I decided to abandon my plan of running quality marathons. I decided to go for quantity instead and see if I could stay relatively healthy while running 3 marathons in 1 month.
The following weekend I ran Surf City. I didn't want to repeat what happened in Carlsbad, so I ran with the 4:30 pace group. I ditched the pace group very early and just ran at whatever pace my body felt like running. My legs seemed to like that better. I finished in 4:38. Was actually on pace for about 4:20 until I started cramping late in the race. I was surprised that I actually ran faster. It was at the race expo that I met Dane Rauschenberg where I bought his book documenting his quest/adventure of running 52 marathons in 52 weeks.
Step 2: Filling in the gaps with marathons
So I had ran a marathon in December, January, and February. Pasadena was rescheduled to March which I ran a PR in 4:21. My goal for 3 marathons in 1 month was in May. So I needed a marathon in April to keep the streak going. Here's where I got the idea to run at least 1 marathon per month for the rest of 2009 hopefully all of them at sub 5 hours.
Step 3: 3 marathons in 1 month
I ran Palos Verdes in 4:51 while suffering severe cramps. I went out to destroy the PR that I got in Pasadena, but it was too hot and I hadn't figured out my electrolyte problem yet. I then ran Los Angeles in 4:24 feeling pretty super. The following weekend I ran San Diego in 4:27 wondering how my body is holding up. I still remembered when I could not for the life of me finish a marathon under 5 hours.
Step 4: Continuing the streak while gaining weight
I gained about 15 pounds because of overeating and lifting weights. I overate because of stress and I lifted weights because I couldn't run as much as I would like. In June I ran Seattle in 4:50. It was fun but I had a hard time dealing with the heat. In July I ran San Francisco in 4:55. I had too much beer with friends the night before and was surprised I even broke 5 hours. Then the lack of discipline caught up to me when I ran the difficult but fun ET Midnight Marathon in 5:28. I was becoming more and more out of running shape since I was in the weight room more than I was running.
Step 5: Sign up for a hard 50k
I was not ready for the Montaña de Oro 50k. It was about a week before my birthday and I thought I could just hike it if I was tired. Boy I underestimated the distance and the course. I DNF'd while only covering 33k. About 5k of that was just getting my useless body off of the mountain when I reached a point where I could not continue. This was sort of the wake up call that I needed to get back on track in preparing myself to become a Boston qualifier. I had to give up my distractions: bowling, lifting weights for upper body mass, succumbing to work/life stress. I will be back to MdO next year to have my revenge!
Step 6: Let's go for some altitude training!
Since my streak of sub 5 hours was broken, I thought I'd go run a fun marathon in Big Bear. I was sort of traumatized by MdO in that I couldn't run this race the way that I normally do. Anyways I was destroyed by the hot weather, altitude, and poor electrolyte replacement. I didn't bring enough salt caps. I cramped my way to a 5:53.
Step 7: 3 in 3 consecutive weekends
I was really unhappy with myself at the Big Bear race which led me to sign up for the Lake Tahoe Marathon at almost the very last minute. I brought more salt caps this time and I ran as hard as my legs would let me. The views were definitely worth the long drive, but next time I'll be flying. I finished in 5:08.
I could feel the difference in the elevation when I ran the Sacramento Cowtown Marathon. 8:20 pace was feeling like 9:30 pace from last weekend. This was the first time trying out Nuun. I got really sick when I ran out of Nuun/water late in the race, but I was able to recover and finish in 4:48. Nothing new on race day is still the smart thing to do! Kind of hurt my ankle in this race.
My ankle/AT was sore going into the Long Beach Marathon... my dreaded nemesis. Truth be told, I always go out at a pace that would get me a sub 4. By the 10k mark, I make my adjustment and again at the half way mark. In this race, I considered a DNF when I reached 10k. My ankle/AT was just not feeling good at all. I had to jog/walk the 2nd half and finished to 4:49. Using Nuun during a road race was quite hectic.
Step 8: 4 in 4 consecutive weekends
Now comes my final challenge for the year. I'll be running the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend, followed by the New York City Marathon, followed by the Fresno Marathon, and ending with the Malibu Marathon.
Step 9: 5 in 5 consecutive weekends???
I might run the Santa Monica Mountains 50k. I should be fine now that I've started using Nuun. But first I will need to get past step 8.
Hopefully I will be physically able to enjoy the Las Vegas Marathon in December!
I will end the year with about 20 marathons. I still marvel at the fact that Dane finished his 52 uninjured while holding a full time job with nobody sponsoring him!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Long Beach Marathon 2008
I dug up this report from the Runner's World forum. This was where I became the bus bench inspector! I can't believe I came back for more!
I survived... barely. Looks like Slow-Mo, my alter ego, made an appearance today! My right foot has been bothering me lately so I haven't been putting in the miles since the Disneyland race. My plan was to run around a 2hr first half and go from there.
1 - 9:22
2 - 8:57
3 - 8:55
4 - 9:32
5 - 9:35
6 - 9:12
7 - 9:07
8 - 9:14
9 - 9:38
10 - 9:36 Both ankles felt sore, most likely due to running on concrete. Right foot felt sore too so I decided to slow down the pace earlier than originally planned.
11 - 10:24
12 - 9:59
13 - 10:15
I reached the halfway point around 2:08. At this point I knew that I was in for a long day.
14 - 10:37
15 - 11:16
16 - 11:15
17 - 12:21
18 - 17:31 Wheels came off, everything started falling apart.
19 - 23:53 Everything cramped up. I could barely walk at this point. Sat down at the curb a few times to massage my legs. If this was a horse race, they would've shot this horse to put him out of his misery. =) But thank goodness to the people at the aid station they gave me a bottle of Gatorade and sprayed my legs with analgesic spray.
20 - 17:26
21 - 14:33 Was able to start running a little bit. I made a mental note to work on replenishing my electrolytes for my future races.
22 - 15:22
23 - 12:15
24 - 14:23
25 - 17:57
26 - 21:59 Everything cramped up again. Every time I sat down at a bus bench, people asked if I was waiting for the bus
26.2 - 4:01 Could not even run to the finish line. Usually I can summon up some energy to at least trot across but this time I had to limp across the finish line. Both calves were knotted up and my right groin was cramped up. It was definitely not a pretty ending.
Finish: 5:28:42
I'm starting to think it was a bad idea to join the marathon maniac club. Hopefully I'll do a little bit better on my next race. But I will still need to run conservatively if I want to show up to Hawaii in one piece.
I survived... barely. Looks like Slow-Mo, my alter ego, made an appearance today! My right foot has been bothering me lately so I haven't been putting in the miles since the Disneyland race. My plan was to run around a 2hr first half and go from there.
1 - 9:22
2 - 8:57
3 - 8:55
4 - 9:32
5 - 9:35
6 - 9:12
7 - 9:07
8 - 9:14
9 - 9:38
10 - 9:36 Both ankles felt sore, most likely due to running on concrete. Right foot felt sore too so I decided to slow down the pace earlier than originally planned.
11 - 10:24
12 - 9:59
13 - 10:15
I reached the halfway point around 2:08. At this point I knew that I was in for a long day.
14 - 10:37
15 - 11:16
16 - 11:15
17 - 12:21
18 - 17:31 Wheels came off, everything started falling apart.
19 - 23:53 Everything cramped up. I could barely walk at this point. Sat down at the curb a few times to massage my legs. If this was a horse race, they would've shot this horse to put him out of his misery. =) But thank goodness to the people at the aid station they gave me a bottle of Gatorade and sprayed my legs with analgesic spray.
20 - 17:26
21 - 14:33 Was able to start running a little bit. I made a mental note to work on replenishing my electrolytes for my future races.
22 - 15:22
23 - 12:15
24 - 14:23
25 - 17:57
26 - 21:59 Everything cramped up again. Every time I sat down at a bus bench, people asked if I was waiting for the bus
26.2 - 4:01 Could not even run to the finish line. Usually I can summon up some energy to at least trot across but this time I had to limp across the finish line. Both calves were knotted up and my right groin was cramped up. It was definitely not a pretty ending.
Finish: 5:28:42
I'm starting to think it was a bad idea to join the marathon maniac club. Hopefully I'll do a little bit better on my next race. But I will still need to run conservatively if I want to show up to Hawaii in one piece.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Long Beach Marathon
Packet pickup/Expo
I left work early on Friday to pickup my race packet and attend the expo. I first went to Costa Mesa to eat some ramen. Then I made my way up to Long Beach. I parked at the meters for 75 cents... good for only 30 mins so I knew I had to hurry. I used about 10-15 minutes just from walking to and from the expo. I picked up my bib and t-shirt and then proceeded to rush through the expo. I picked up a wristband for Train4Austism. I'll be wearing it at all of my future races. I said hi to the girls at the Rock n' Roll booth, Dane signing/selling his book, and Dennis at the Surf City booth. Then I hiked back to my car. The meter had just expired as I got back to my car.
FE at Nino's
I kind of wanted to control my diet so I had a solo dinner at Shinsengumi in Fountain Valley. That place is over-hyped and over-rated. The ramen was good, but not even close to being the best. Then I made my way to Nino's for the FE. At the FE were Vixen (+1), Ingrid, Charlie, Kevin, James, Mae*, Roccco, Renee, Cindy (+1), Kwikkchik. I believe I got everybody. It was fun chatting with folks about running that can appreciate the sport.
*I knew I was missing somebody! Sorry Mae!
Pre-race
I pre-paid for parking this year which was something new. It was painless getting to my designated parking structure. I got in a quick nap listening to Snoop Dogg, quite fitting since the guy came out of Long Beach. When it came close to the start, I jogged out to the starting area. My right Achilles felt sore. I headed for the portapotties and was immediately spotted by James. Yes, I was wearing my orange Worldvision shirt. Then when I came out of the potty, I was spotted by Howard. Again the shirt made me stand out like a brightly lit Christmas tree in the middle of summer.
James and I headed to the starting area to catch the start of wave 1. We wished Howard a good race since he wanted to run with the 4:15 pace group in wave 2. While waiting for the start in wave 1, Sam and Tiffany spots me. It seems that all of us were planning to run in the neighborhood of 3:40. We spotted Dane Rauschenberg, a fantastic runner. He started with us to provide some comedic relief for about 200 meters and then took off to run his race. He would go on to run a 3:06 while claiming to be out of shape.
1st Half
I ran behind James for the first couple of miles. Then somehow I lost him and ended up in front of him. Then he zoomed by on a downhill. Later I saw my friend Lori up ahead, so I chased her down to say hi. I ran with her for a little bit but I realized that we were right behind the 3:20 pace group. So I wished her a good race and dropped back. I reached the 10k mark at exactly my 8:30 target pace, but my Achilles was not feeling good at all. If I pushed on, I would probably end up causing real damage. I considered a DNF, but I decided to slow down and try to get to the halfway mark in one piece. It was weird filling up my handheld and putting in Nuun on a road race. It felt like everybody was in a hurry to get somewhere. Mile markers for 7 and 9 were definitely off. I felt like hell after getting off of the concrete bike path. Concrete 3 Me 0. I was able to see James, Sam, and Tiffany as I was heading towards the mile 13 turnaround. Then shortly after the mile 13 turnaround I saw Chicrunner. She would catch up to me and pass me later. I got to the half in about 1:59:30, but I was toast.
1: 8:24
2: 8:15
3: 8:13
4: 8:56
5: 8:32
6: 8:42
7: 10:37
8: 9:44
9: 7:15
10: 9:37
11: 9:48
12: 9:21
13: 10:54
2nd Half
It was like driving a car with a flat tire. And what do you do when you have a flat? Pull over, slap on the donut and drive 35 mph to the nearest garage. Since I'm not a car, I jogged as much as I could at maybe 4 mph trying to get back to my parking garage before the 5 hour mark. I had to rest the Achilles with lots of walking especially when going uphill. I got to see Dane and Lori heading home while I was still going out to visit Cal State Long Beach. Howard and the 4:15 pace group passes me. At around mile 24 all I heard was a loud speaker playing domoarigato mister roboto! There was a guy dressed like a Hotdog on a Stick employee. Yes, he was wearing a cap that was red, blue, and yellow along with a matching outfit. I was for sure that Howard would hang on to the pace group and finish at 4:15, but around mile 25 I caught up to him. We walked together a little bit and he took off. I continued to jog here and there. Walked to and fro... but I didn't open up my stride until I saw the 26th mile marker. It was one of those crisis control marathons, but I was glad that I didn't have to literally crawl across the finish line like I did the 2 previous times that I've ran this race.
14-15: 21:31
16: 12:12
17: 12:38
18: 13:28
19: 12:12
20: 12:29
21: 13:18
22: 13:23
23: 15:44
24: 13:42
25: 14:27
26: 13:58
26.2: 1:50
Finish: 4:49:21
Post-race
I am through with Long Beach. I've consistently had horrible racing experiences at this marathon. It might just be coincidence, but this will probably be my last time running this race. Nuun prevented the cramps again but since I was only jogging the 2nd half, I had to keep using the portapotties. It was really cool to have people you know cheer for you... thanks Billy, Renee, and Ingrid! Now I have to go fix my flat tire before the MCM, NYC, Fresno, and Malibu fiasco... 4 marathons in 4 consecutive weekends. This race pretty much sealed the deal and decided for me that there will be no Death Valley-Las Vegas double marathon this year. I aggravated the same tendon earlier this year around the time that I ran the Malibu Creek trail run.
I left work early on Friday to pickup my race packet and attend the expo. I first went to Costa Mesa to eat some ramen. Then I made my way up to Long Beach. I parked at the meters for 75 cents... good for only 30 mins so I knew I had to hurry. I used about 10-15 minutes just from walking to and from the expo. I picked up my bib and t-shirt and then proceeded to rush through the expo. I picked up a wristband for Train4Austism. I'll be wearing it at all of my future races. I said hi to the girls at the Rock n' Roll booth, Dane signing/selling his book, and Dennis at the Surf City booth. Then I hiked back to my car. The meter had just expired as I got back to my car.
FE at Nino's
I kind of wanted to control my diet so I had a solo dinner at Shinsengumi in Fountain Valley. That place is over-hyped and over-rated. The ramen was good, but not even close to being the best. Then I made my way to Nino's for the FE. At the FE were Vixen (+1), Ingrid, Charlie, Kevin, James, Mae*, Roccco, Renee, Cindy (+1), Kwikkchik. I believe I got everybody. It was fun chatting with folks about running that can appreciate the sport.
*I knew I was missing somebody! Sorry Mae!
Pre-race
I pre-paid for parking this year which was something new. It was painless getting to my designated parking structure. I got in a quick nap listening to Snoop Dogg, quite fitting since the guy came out of Long Beach. When it came close to the start, I jogged out to the starting area. My right Achilles felt sore. I headed for the portapotties and was immediately spotted by James. Yes, I was wearing my orange Worldvision shirt. Then when I came out of the potty, I was spotted by Howard. Again the shirt made me stand out like a brightly lit Christmas tree in the middle of summer.
James and I headed to the starting area to catch the start of wave 1. We wished Howard a good race since he wanted to run with the 4:15 pace group in wave 2. While waiting for the start in wave 1, Sam and Tiffany spots me. It seems that all of us were planning to run in the neighborhood of 3:40. We spotted Dane Rauschenberg, a fantastic runner. He started with us to provide some comedic relief for about 200 meters and then took off to run his race. He would go on to run a 3:06 while claiming to be out of shape.
1st Half
I ran behind James for the first couple of miles. Then somehow I lost him and ended up in front of him. Then he zoomed by on a downhill. Later I saw my friend Lori up ahead, so I chased her down to say hi. I ran with her for a little bit but I realized that we were right behind the 3:20 pace group. So I wished her a good race and dropped back. I reached the 10k mark at exactly my 8:30 target pace, but my Achilles was not feeling good at all. If I pushed on, I would probably end up causing real damage. I considered a DNF, but I decided to slow down and try to get to the halfway mark in one piece. It was weird filling up my handheld and putting in Nuun on a road race. It felt like everybody was in a hurry to get somewhere. Mile markers for 7 and 9 were definitely off. I felt like hell after getting off of the concrete bike path. Concrete 3 Me 0. I was able to see James, Sam, and Tiffany as I was heading towards the mile 13 turnaround. Then shortly after the mile 13 turnaround I saw Chicrunner. She would catch up to me and pass me later. I got to the half in about 1:59:30, but I was toast.
1: 8:24
2: 8:15
3: 8:13
4: 8:56
5: 8:32
6: 8:42
7: 10:37
8: 9:44
9: 7:15
10: 9:37
11: 9:48
12: 9:21
13: 10:54
2nd Half
It was like driving a car with a flat tire. And what do you do when you have a flat? Pull over, slap on the donut and drive 35 mph to the nearest garage. Since I'm not a car, I jogged as much as I could at maybe 4 mph trying to get back to my parking garage before the 5 hour mark. I had to rest the Achilles with lots of walking especially when going uphill. I got to see Dane and Lori heading home while I was still going out to visit Cal State Long Beach. Howard and the 4:15 pace group passes me. At around mile 24 all I heard was a loud speaker playing domoarigato mister roboto! There was a guy dressed like a Hotdog on a Stick employee. Yes, he was wearing a cap that was red, blue, and yellow along with a matching outfit. I was for sure that Howard would hang on to the pace group and finish at 4:15, but around mile 25 I caught up to him. We walked together a little bit and he took off. I continued to jog here and there. Walked to and fro... but I didn't open up my stride until I saw the 26th mile marker. It was one of those crisis control marathons, but I was glad that I didn't have to literally crawl across the finish line like I did the 2 previous times that I've ran this race.
14-15: 21:31
16: 12:12
17: 12:38
18: 13:28
19: 12:12
20: 12:29
21: 13:18
22: 13:23
23: 15:44
24: 13:42
25: 14:27
26: 13:58
26.2: 1:50
Finish: 4:49:21
Post-race
I am through with Long Beach. I've consistently had horrible racing experiences at this marathon. It might just be coincidence, but this will probably be my last time running this race. Nuun prevented the cramps again but since I was only jogging the 2nd half, I had to keep using the portapotties. It was really cool to have people you know cheer for you... thanks Billy, Renee, and Ingrid! Now I have to go fix my flat tire before the MCM, NYC, Fresno, and Malibu fiasco... 4 marathons in 4 consecutive weekends. This race pretty much sealed the deal and decided for me that there will be no Death Valley-Las Vegas double marathon this year. I aggravated the same tendon earlier this year around the time that I ran the Malibu Creek trail run.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sacramento Cowtown Marathon
Packet Pickup
This was a fun well-organized race. I love the Cowtown Marathon! It was a good size race... not too big, not too small. There was no "expo". Just a race packet/shirt pickup. No frills. I was out of there in about 3 minutes.
Pre Race
I bought some water, juice, and spicy garlic shrimp crackers at Raley's. Then I ate lunch at a Japanese restaurant called Akebono. I had the katsudon and ika geso. Good stuff. If I'm in the area, I'll probably stop by again.
Later that night I revisited Futami and ate their teishoku, beef teriyaki and sashimi. Good stuff. The waitresses kept speaking Japanese to me. I had to force out some phrases and words that I learned about 13 years ago! The younger waitress told me that I could come back and practice Japanese with her. Yeah, too bad I only live 400 miles away. I went back to my hotel to rest. I ended up watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor.
First Half
I lined up between the 8 and 9 min/mile corrals. The ~8:30 pace that I was running felt comfortable. The miles flew by. I ran with a girl from TNT for a few miles. She said that she had been sick and was planning to run between 2 and 2:05. I told her that at the pace we were going, she was going to hit at worse a 1:55. I think she finished around 1:53. By mile 9 I knew I was going to be under 2 hrs for the first half so I started to cruise.
1: 8:56
2: 8:18
3: 8:20
4: 8:52
5: 8:24
6: 8:15
7: 8:41
8: 9:07
9: 8:46
10: 9:29
11: 9:25
12: 9:22
13: 9:35
Second Half
I was feeling like I was going to have a shot at lowering my PR until my right ankle and Achilles started feeling weak at around mile 17. Then I started taking longer walking breaks at 19 and 20. Then the wheels really came off when I ran out of fluids and started feeling dizzy, nauseous, and borderline wanting to pass out at miles 22 and 23. When I finally reached the aid station and took in some more Nuun + water and a gel, I felt better. While I was zoning in and out of consciousness the word, scree, kept popping in my head. The last 2 miles was pretty fun, to go from such a low point to rallying and finishing with a semi-strong stride to the finish line.
14: 9:59
15: 10:01
16: 10:21
17: 12:20
18: 11:27
19: 14:15
20: 14:01
21: 12:47
22: 15:29
23: 18:24
24: 19:08
25: 12:00
26: 10:22
26.2: 1:52
Finish: 4:48:08
Post Race
I'm thinking I should just carry 2 handhelds with me during my marathons. I'll just be a trail/ultra-runner doing speed work on a road race. Nuun worked great... when I had it available to drink. But I must have skipped an aid station fill-up because I thought that I had enough to reach the next station.
I had unexpectedly bought 2 gallons of water. I only drank 1 during the weekend. So after the race I was looking to give away the 2nd gallon. Near the start/end of the Cowtown marathon, I found an old couple sitting at a golf course bench eating sandwiches. I asked if they could use a gallon of water and the old guy thanked me and prayed for me. When I was leaving, he told me that he'll see me in heaven. I guess it must have been a divine appointment. God sent me to Cowtown to run a marathon and deliver water to this couple.
Since my flight home was delayed, I ate a salad at the airport... my celebratory "white wine spritzer". I couldn't have possibly eaten a steak with that kind of a performance.
This was a fun well-organized race. I love the Cowtown Marathon! It was a good size race... not too big, not too small. There was no "expo". Just a race packet/shirt pickup. No frills. I was out of there in about 3 minutes.
Pre Race
I bought some water, juice, and spicy garlic shrimp crackers at Raley's. Then I ate lunch at a Japanese restaurant called Akebono. I had the katsudon and ika geso. Good stuff. If I'm in the area, I'll probably stop by again.
Later that night I revisited Futami and ate their teishoku, beef teriyaki and sashimi. Good stuff. The waitresses kept speaking Japanese to me. I had to force out some phrases and words that I learned about 13 years ago! The younger waitress told me that I could come back and practice Japanese with her. Yeah, too bad I only live 400 miles away. I went back to my hotel to rest. I ended up watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor.
First Half
I lined up between the 8 and 9 min/mile corrals. The ~8:30 pace that I was running felt comfortable. The miles flew by. I ran with a girl from TNT for a few miles. She said that she had been sick and was planning to run between 2 and 2:05. I told her that at the pace we were going, she was going to hit at worse a 1:55. I think she finished around 1:53. By mile 9 I knew I was going to be under 2 hrs for the first half so I started to cruise.
1: 8:56
2: 8:18
3: 8:20
4: 8:52
5: 8:24
6: 8:15
7: 8:41
8: 9:07
9: 8:46
10: 9:29
11: 9:25
12: 9:22
13: 9:35
Second Half
I was feeling like I was going to have a shot at lowering my PR until my right ankle and Achilles started feeling weak at around mile 17. Then I started taking longer walking breaks at 19 and 20. Then the wheels really came off when I ran out of fluids and started feeling dizzy, nauseous, and borderline wanting to pass out at miles 22 and 23. When I finally reached the aid station and took in some more Nuun + water and a gel, I felt better. While I was zoning in and out of consciousness the word, scree, kept popping in my head. The last 2 miles was pretty fun, to go from such a low point to rallying and finishing with a semi-strong stride to the finish line.
14: 9:59
15: 10:01
16: 10:21
17: 12:20
18: 11:27
19: 14:15
20: 14:01
21: 12:47
22: 15:29
23: 18:24
24: 19:08
25: 12:00
26: 10:22
26.2: 1:52
Finish: 4:48:08
Post Race
I'm thinking I should just carry 2 handhelds with me during my marathons. I'll just be a trail/ultra-runner doing speed work on a road race. Nuun worked great... when I had it available to drink. But I must have skipped an aid station fill-up because I thought that I had enough to reach the next station.
I had unexpectedly bought 2 gallons of water. I only drank 1 during the weekend. So after the race I was looking to give away the 2nd gallon. Near the start/end of the Cowtown marathon, I found an old couple sitting at a golf course bench eating sandwiches. I asked if they could use a gallon of water and the old guy thanked me and prayed for me. When I was leaving, he told me that he'll see me in heaven. I guess it must have been a divine appointment. God sent me to Cowtown to run a marathon and deliver water to this couple.
Since my flight home was delayed, I ate a salad at the airport... my celebratory "white wine spritzer". I couldn't have possibly eaten a steak with that kind of a performance.
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