10k Time Trial

2/19 - I took the day off from work to use up some of my vacation hours I've accrued and to attend the Pasadena Marathon expo. My lower back had been feeling better so I decided to run an impromptu 10k time trial at the Rose Bowl before going to the expo. I parked at my usually spot at the aquatic center (old TNT habit). I jogged over to the Rose Bowl loop. The first loop was a little faster than I'd expected. But it felt ok and I was not pushing it. Just to be safe, I walked for about 2 minutes and jogged the beginning of the second loop. The second loop was more of a fartlek run. There were portions where I was definitely running in the low 7's because the right hamstring was getting tight so I had to back off.

• 1st loop in 24:34, 7:55 pace.
• 2nd loop in 27:25, 8:50 pace.

After I cooled down, I sat in my car reading my Runner's World magazine. I had an hour to kill before heading over to the expo. I finished my magazine and still had time, so I headed over to Petsmart to buy a new filter for my poor fish at work. Then I headed back to park at the Paseo. I got my ticket validated at Macy's and headed across the street to the convention center.

I bumped into a bunch of Marathon Maniacs at this expo... Howard, Silver, James, Charles, Mitch, Dane, and Yolanda. I might be missing some people. While leaving the expo, I bump into Louis. We picked up our bib and race packet, but they did not have any shirts! They kept promising that they're on their way, but the ETA kept getting later and later. Finally they started taking down names and bib numbers for those that cannot wait. We can then pick them up on race day or they'll mail them. As a frequent marathoner, this did not bother me because I have more shirts than I know what to do with them. I've donated so many of them to GoodWill and I still have enough to outfit a small village! Anyways, whether due to being a young race or circumstances out of their control, this race really cannot catch a break!

I ended up signing up for the Carlsbad all day 25k again. They did not have a shirt in my size. Hmmm... that must be the theme of the day. The girl tried to give me a large. I said no thanks. So she was going to check back at the office and mail me a medium if she finds one.

Back Spasms + Running = Ouch!

2/13 - I woke up with a very sore back. But I went out for a short run anyways. The lovely back spasms really slowed me down... 3.4mi in 29:28. 14:37 out, 14:51 in... which comes to approximately a 8:40 pace. That was about as fast as my body would allow. Whenever the back bothers me, it makes me feel like a 90 year old.

Year o' Fun
This is just going to be another fun year of running for me before I get serious in 2011. I'm sure I'll still have fun when I run faster races. Maybe I'm just toughening myself up mentally by slogging through these marathons with practically no training. Speaking of which, the Pasadena Marathon is coming up this Sunday. This might be the last time that I run this race. I already have 3 (maybe 4) marathons that I have set to run every year. I will probably sign up for 1 other out-of-state marathon in 2011 to work on completing a marathon in all 50 states. But the primary goal for 2011 is to work on qualifying for Boston.

1. LA
   
2. San Diego
3. New York (if I get in)
   
4. Honolulu

Strategy for Pasadena
I'm hoping to finish Pasadena in about 4:30. I'm going to run it the same way I run most of my marathons. Go out as comfortably fast as I can and hang on for dear life! That will translate to about a 8:20 - 8:40 pace. I'm going to try and abandon my usual 2nd half walkathon strategy. But if I'm feeling horrible, I will back off since I have the Mardi Gras Marathon the following weekend.

Pictures
My blog is practically void of pictures. Pretty much only my FB friends get to see my race photos. But I'll try to liven up my blog with pictures in the near future. I'll just have to remember to bring my camera to the races.

Rewards
I got this "triple crown" medal in the mail for running in 3 Rock n' Roll events in 2009. By the end of this year, I'll get the "rock legend" medal. It's so much easier to do now that the Competitor Group has gobbled up so many races.

Ridiculously Out of Shape Surf City Marathon

Expo
I left work early on Friday to attend the expo. I got there a little before 3pm where I stood in a rather long line in the rain waiting for them to let us in. While in line I met maniac#376. Interesting fellow. We were the 2 best dressed in that line for sure. We were both wearing our shirt and tie. Once inside, I saw my RWOL friend Ray while picking up my bib. The Longboard Legacy Club and California Dreamin' Series booths were a zoo situated right next to the other zoo, the race shirt pickup. I said a quick hi to super-volunteer Kathy while picking up my 2nd California Dreamin' jacket. It was definitely better looking than the 1st one that I got last year. The only thing I don't like about it is the armpit mesh thingie. I decided to come back later for my legacy stuff because they looked overwhelmed. I had to go back through the expo to get around the half marathon shirt pickup. There was just too many half marathoners. They need more room. The race has outgrown their current expo site. When I came back for my legacy stuff, there was still a line. But it was less chaotic.

FE - Operation Jack Pasta Dinner
The next day I drove back out to Huntington Beach to eat pasta at a charity dinner for Operation Jack/Train4Autism. It was great seeing a bunch of the RWOL folks and meeting a few new people. There was more than enough pasta for everyone there. Definitely a marathon pasta party done right. I think I ate something that did not agree with me because the next day, I had to keep dealing with extra bowel movement. It could have been nerves as well. Even though it was my 39th marathon, I still get pretty nervous and super excited.

Pre-race Stuff
I parked in the usual Beach lot around 5:30am. As I was eating my usual Powerbar, I saw my friend Louis walk by my car. I chased him down to say hi. It was pretty windy. I got back into my car, but didn't stay inside too long since nature was calling again. So I jogged to the Hyatt to take care of business. I had the 5 star restroom all to myself. I hardly ever use the portapotties at this race. I jogged back to my car to take off my layers. I then hit the portapotties just to complete my marathon experience. I saw Sam getting into position to pace the 3:30 group. Then I saw Rachel. She said she was going to stick with me since it was a training run for her. I told her, "yeah, right... I'm planning to be out there for about 5 hrs!" The plan was to get to the half at around 2 hrs and then slog my way in for the 2nd half. I knew my endurance was barely ready for a 10k let alone a full marathon. But no matter how much I'll struggle out there... this year I've vowed to no longer disrespect any charities by doing the gun-to-the-head poses while I'm wearing their shirts. I kind of regret doing that so often in my Worldvision and Team in Training outfits.

1st Half
Rachel and I started off in wave 4. She takes off like a rocket. I didn't catch her until somewhere after mile 2. Eventually I caught and hung around the 3:50 pace group. She did the same thing. But at around mile 8 we hit a decent hill. I took one step on my "bad" ankle and it did not feel right. This happened right after I told her how it was easier for me to run up hills. How ironic. I immediately slowed down and Rachel kept going. I saw her looking around for me, but she was already beyond shouting distance. The hill and the ankle completely drained my spirit. My energy level felt ridiculously low. I told myself, "good job bonking at mile 9!" But I knew I had to take it easy for the ankle to recover for the 2nd half "cooldown". Howard catches me just as we're coming to the halfway mark. I got to the halfway mark around 2 hrs even so I set myself up to finish around 5 hrs.
1: 8:27
2: 8:25
3: 8:23
4: 8:51
5: 8:26
6: 8:53
7: 8:43
8: 9:16
9: 9:06
10: 9:08
11: 10:10
12: 10:33
13: 10:01

2nd Half - the death march
Roccco passed me during my walk break. I decided to run up to him and hang with him for a few miles. But eventually I had to let him go since I was going to burn myself out trying to keep up with him. My plan was to try and keep every mile under 15 minutes. When I walked, I walked slow. I didn't even bother power walking. The last 10k reminded me of Frodo slogging his way up to Mt. Doom with the ring of power weighing him down psychologically... except I didn't have a Samwise Gamgee to carry me. I tried to run at a faster pace at mile 22 and almost immediately every muscle began to cramp... so I resorted back to shuffling the rest of the way. During mile 23, I felt like I had been run over by a truck. Since I was hurting pretty badly, I decided to visit the restroom. I'm glad we didn't have to run down to the pier and back this year. Both of my calves were cramping up as I tried to run with a decent stride coming up on the finishing chute. I out hobbled a lady to the finish line. Death march over.
14: 10:36
15: 10:59
16: 12:30
17: 12:26
18: 13:50
19: 13:57
20: 13:43
21: 13:34
22: 14:02
23: 17:50
24: 16:18
25: 13:32
26: 13:11
26.2: 2:12
Finish: 4:57:12

Post-race
I talked to a couple of my marathon maniac friends in the finish area for awhile. Then I made my way over to the California Dreamin' booth to pick up my extra medal. Boy I had to work hard for this one... beer-handicapped San Francisco, sore Achilles Long Beach, and ridiculously out of shape Surf City. I tried to get a beer at the beer garden, but they announced that the next shipment was going to take another 20 minutes. I wasn't dying to have a Michelob Ultra, so I walked back to my car and drove myself to Garden Grove to eat some Korean BBQ with my church friend. The drive was horrible... where are all of these Vietnamese people going on a Superbowl Sunday? I didn't eat very much. It was still a lot of beef, but not the usual amount that I normally consume. I was just too tired.

The Future
I think there was more "damage" to the right ankle than just the Achilles. Thankfully that doesn't hurt anymore. I was feeling some discomfort on the medial side of the ankle during the race starting at mile 8ish. I told myself before the race that I would have to at least finish Surf City under 5 hrs to consider signing up for Chicago. As of right now it is about half filled, so I still have time to decide. I might wait until after Pasadena to make my final decision. But seeing how this is my last year as a full fledged marathon maniac, I'll probably sign up for it by this Sunday.

Well... it's not much, but at least I'm headed in the right direction:
Malibu 11/15 - 5:22:44
Las Vegas 12/6 - 5:15:05
Carlsbad 1/24 - 5:11:57
Surf City 2/7 - 4:57:12

Reverse Goofy Challenge

1/31 Sunday - 3.4 miles in 28:06 at approx. 8:16 pace. 14:10 out, 13:56 in.
Legs felt fresh. Haven't felt this good in awhile. It was a tad colder today so I wore long sleeves. I started off slow, but decided mid run to try and match yesterday's run. This time I didn't feel winded coming up that last hill.

1/30 Saturday - 3.4 miles in 28:04 at approx. 8:15 pace. 13:58 out, 14:06 in.
It was a very foggy morning. It felt great to be running in somewhat cold weather with gloves on. I felt winded coming back up the last hill. Still no discomfort in my Achilles or any body part. Since I felt so good, I decided to sign up for the Disneyland and La Jolla Half Marathons. I would not miss Disneyland since I've ran it every year since the race came into existence. The La Jolla Half Marathon will be somewhat harder since I'll be running the Country Music Marathon the day before.

Carlsbad Marathon

Restaurant & Hotel
Sorry, no restaurant or hotel reviews since this was a "local" race. I still had to drive over an hour one way just to get to the expo and again for the race.

Before the Race
I had a bout with nasal allergies leading up to the race, but what was worse was coupling that with gastritis... probably from stress. Definitely not something you want to deal with when you plan to run a marathon. Needless to say, I had to visit the portapotties quite a bit before the race. The official race drink was Ultima. Um, yeah, no thanks. I'm glad that I always carry my own fluids and only take water from the aid stations. The night before the race, I carbo-loaded with Spam fried race... my comfort food. It seemed to have worked as the stomach calmed down. I got to the parking lot around 4:25am and it was cold. I bumped into my friend Louis, who also knew the best parking spot. I wished him a great race and advised him to run a sub 2 half marathon by running every mile at 9 min pace, which he did. I'll take credit for his sub 2 PR. :) While heading to the starting area, I ran into Gymgirl and later into James and his friend that he was pacing.

1st Half
Just like last year, the race started in the dark at 6am. But this year they gave the marathon their own separate start which really eased the congestion at the start. We did not get any light until about mile 2. I made sure to keep myself in check. Of course I wanted to run the first few miles harder, but I made sure to keep things slow since my weekly mileage leading up has been a whopping 3 miles a week and 19 total miles since the Vegas Marathon. Early on the 4hr pace group was in sight, but they slowly but surely crept away from me. Then the 4:15 group ran past me later and I had no interest in staying with them. The climb at miles 7 through 9 really drained me. The downhill at mile 11 though 12 was most welcomed. But I was exhausted. I completely bonked and smashed into the wall at mile 13! I was hoping to reach at least mile 18 before that happened.
1: 9:30
2: 8:50
3: 9:23
4: 9:32
5: 9:30
6: 9:35
7: 10:00
8: 9:42
9: 10:17
10: 10:28
11: 9:09
12: 9:50
13: 10:57

2nd Half
I started taking more frequent extended walk breaks. At this point, I was grabbing a GU whenever one was dangled before me. I tried to jog as much as I could, but my legs were dead. They had not seen this much action in awhile and they were protesting. Mile 18 was brutal to me this year as it was last year. It's not that steep of a climb, but once you're done with the climb you know that every step you take will be one step closer to the finish line. I took a much needed bathroom break at the end of mile 18. I tried to revive the legs a few times, but it just wasn't happening. If I ingest too much of anything, my GI would let me know. I did get to see NYCJoe heading out when I was around mile 20. The rest was just walking/jogging with the back of the pack half marathoners. They did rope off a lane to the right for the marathoners which was a nice change from last year. I attempted to run as I got close to the mile 26 marker, but I started to cramp up on the homestretch. I just kept moving because I knew that the long day was finally over with a banana waiting for me.
14: 12:00
15: 12:14
16: 12:33
17: 12:58
18: 16:26
19: 17:39
20: 13:22
21: 13:15
22: 13:54
23: 15:28
24: 14:32
25: 13:36
26: 14:51
26.2: 2:11
Finish: 5:11:57

After the Race
I headed over to Bobby's Hideaway Cafe to meet up with my RWOL friends. I caught them just as they're finishing up their meals. I warned them that I'd take my sweet time out there. As planned, I didn't eat anything. I rarely can stomach anything a few hours immediately after sucking down countless GUs and whatnot during a marathon. It was good seeing everybody. I'll see some of them again at Surf City.

After snapping a few obligatory photos, I headed up north to Costa Mesa to eat my ramen. Sometimes it's better to travel solo, as I was able to bypass the usual waiting list to sit at the counter. So I had my ramen and thus concluded the Carlsbad Marathon. I might have to change the title of my blog since I've definitely increased my ramen intake and made a significant cut back on the red meat.

Feeling Better!

1/16 Saturday - I ran my 3.4 mile route at a comfortable 8:15 pace in 28:04. 14:00 out, 14:04 in. There was no discomfort at all with the Achilles before, during or after. I even wore my cheap shoes to make sure I do not run too fast. Because I feel almost 100%, I will attempt to run the Carlsbad Marathon next weekend. At first I was thinking of downgrading the race to a half marathon or even a DNS. I know my endurance will be really lacking, but the Achilles needed the rest.

I won't run this coming week to give the Achilles even more rest. My plan to run Carlsbad will be to run an even 9 min pace from start to finish. That might be a bit hard since the course is full of rollers.

Too Much Too Soon!

12/29 Tuesday - My ailing Achilles had been feeling nearly 100% so I decided to take it out for a little spin. I ran my usual out and back 3.4 mile route at a relaxed 9 min pace. It felt really good to be out running again. But on my way back, I felt weakness in Achilles. The same feeling that I felt during the Vegas Marathon. I figured that I really should not be running just yet, but if I did, 3 miles is the limit.

1/1 Friday - There was no soreness after the 3 mile run, so I decided to run the Rose Parade route with a bunch of other runners. Overall it was a great experience. Everyone should do it at least once in their lifetime. Again I was very eager to run. The route was about 5 miles. We were suppose to run to the starting area of the parade to view the floats. Then run back before the parade starts. So the total would be about 10 miles. I started off at a slow 9:30 - 10 min pace to warm up. Then I took off with a couple of runners that were running between 8 - 8:30 pace. It felt good, but then about 3 miles into the run I started to feel weird sensations in the Achilles. It was as if some was giving me acupuncture. Anyways, I made it to floats. Somehow I lost my Power Balance bracelet when I took off my gloves. On the return run, I jogged back with my TNT friend. We ran at about 9:30 - 10 min pace. I felt a little bit demoralized, but was glad to have a friend to keep me company. 5 miles, let alone 10 miles was definitely too much too soon! It was a bit sore after I took a nap.

1/2 Saturday - Today I'm able to walk without a limp so that's a good sign. But I'm definitely laying off running. I will have to find another form of exercise. Anybody want to go bike shopping with me?