Rock n Roll Pasadena Half Marathon 2013

Friday
I left work early on Friday to attend the expo in Pasadena. The expo was at the Pasadena Convention Center again, so I parked across the street at the Paseo Colorado mall. Since the parking validation was only for a couple of hours, I didn't have too much time to waste at the expo. I picked up my race packet and signed up for next year's race for $70, a pretty good bargain. In the bag, I saw a promo card with me and my friends on it. I guess when you run a whole bunch of races, it's bound to happen. :)

Expo

Register for next year

My friends and I on the promo card

I then walked over to the nearby Dog Haus Biergarten to eat a late lunch. My friend had told me about this place having craft beer and good dogs. I thought I'd check it out. I had a Populist IPA, a bratwurst with sauerkraut and sweet peppers, and an order of tater tots. It's hard for me to pass on eating a bratwurst, but next time I would skip on the peppers and just get it with sauerkraut. I love tater tots. They remind me of my childhood.

Populist IPA

Bratwurst topped with sauerkraut and sweet peppers with tater tots

Sunday
I drove out early and parked at the Parsons Federal Credit Union parking lot at around 5am before the parking attendant was ready to collect the $5 parking fee. Again they did not have signs directing people to the entrance on Fairs Oaks Avenue. So again people were trying to enter on Walnut Street. I got my stuff ready and started my hike to the Rose Bowl. It's always about 10 degrees colder at the Rose Bowl, so it was somewhat chilly. Some girls in a car headed to park at the Rose Bowl probably felt bad for me offered me a ride. Although it was a nice gesture, I declined. I wanted to walk to see how my legs and hip were feeling after having to drop out of my last race.

Once I got to the Rose Bowl, I found a nice place to sit down and wait. I bumped into one of my TNT friends while waiting near the UPS gear bag check. Eventually I checked my bag and headed for the starting corrals. The race would start at 7:30pm.

Rose Bowl

Starting line

My goal was to finish around 2 hours. But I also wanted to use the race to incorporate some speed work. I had to be careful since I had just recently hurt my gimpy right hip again. I also wore my cotton McDonald's t-shirt to make sure that I don't take the race too seriously.

If I'm not mistaken, the course was identical to last year's so I was pretty familiar with the hills and turns. The first mile felt ok. I could feel that my lungs were beginning to catch up with my legs, but having them run sub 8's were still asking too much. So I dialed it back on the next couple of miles as there was a couple of nice climbs before the course flatten out a bit. I had planned to run the first 10k at a good effort and then cruise in to the finish. And that's what I did. It was fun seeing all of my friends on the out and back sections. Even though I had slowed down in the last few miles, my right leg was getting pretty sore. Good thing we finished with a loop around the Rose Bowl. I knew exactly how far I needed to cover before reaching the finish line.
1: 7:48
2: 8:17
3: 8:27
4-5: 16:32 (8:16)
6: 8:32
7: 8:28
8: 9:31
9: 9:22
10: 8:34
11: 9:47
12: 10:47
13: 9:55
13.1: 1:00

5k: 25:22
10k: 51:21
10M: 1:25:33
Finish: 1:57:02
Pace: 8:56

I pretty much executed my race the way I wanted. Still making some progress. The volunteers along the course were amused with my McDonald's shirt. One of them even sang the jingle to me as I jogged through their aid station. My time for this race was good enough to beat my time at the LA RnR Half Marathon (2:05:16), so I'm wondering what they'll send me in the mail this time. So far, I've received two nice Brooks items, a cap and a drawstring bag.

Finisher medal

After picking up my finisher medal, I headed over to get my gear bag. I ran into my friend wearing a huge afro. He was pacing his friend. I then headed over to the beer garden to meet up with my friend and drink my free diet beer. We traded race stories. This year they didn't allow you to take your beer to the stage area. But the music was loud enough that you could still enjoy it in the beer drinking section. After I finished my beer, I made the walk back to my car.

Excellent afro pacer!

My friend and I reconvened at the Dog Haus Biergarten for a post-race meal and to drink a real beer. This time I ordered the Grand Slam dog, a slider, and a Rare Vos Amber Ale. The slider was a bit disappointing, but the dog was good! I would order this one again. I need to come back here and try their other sinful menu items. We had to leave shortly after eating our meals since I was parked at the Paseo again and my friend had parked in one of the metered spots. On my way home, I stopped by the supermarket and ran into a bunch of girl scouts selling their precious cookies. How could I say no... I had to buy a box of Tagalongs and Thin Mints.

Rare Vos Amber Ale

Grand Slam dog and slider

Tagalong and Thin Mints

You Only Get 1 Shot

This was one race that I probably should not have run. But it was my friend's birthday race, so I had to at least show up. And if I show up, you can bet that I'm giving it a go. The race began and ended at a restaurant called The Point in Dana Point. It was one of those low key Charlie races, so the size of the field was very small and consisted mostly of Marathon Maniacs.

Pre-race photo

The turnaround

I was really trying not to wreck my body so I started the race off slow. Everybody ran the first loop together for the most part to learn the course. The course was marked earlier in the day, but the rain washed it away. About 2/3's into the out portion of the first loop, the group was running at a faster pace than I would like during the hillier section of the course, so I fell back. I would catch up with them at the tequila station on the way back after making the turnaround. I then picked up the pace a bit and ran a little in front of the pack until I was unsure of the course. We all made it back to the restaurant together.
Loop 1 out: 30:47 (9:23)
Loop 1 in: 33:08 (10:07)

Aid station: 2:06

For some stupid reason, I decided to pick up the pace again when I went back out on the course. I ran fast enough that I ended up ahead of the runners that could run under 4 hours for a marathon. Before we got to the hillier section of the course, I slowed down and let the real runners pass. As I was walking, I came across some shirtless deviants that were smoking stuff while riding on their skateboards. I thought to myself, "it's getting dark and I wouldn't want for something bad to happen when it gets too dark." I was already thinking that I should drop out at the half. What sealed the deal was when I was running through the part next to the golf course, my right hip started to hurt. The pain would not go away, so I stopped running and walked it in. I dropped out at the half marathon.

Loop 2 out: 34:18 (10:28)

Loop 2 in: 47:59 (14:39)

DNF: 2:28:19 (11:19)

I guess it was good thing that I was forced to drop out as the storm rolled in shortly thereafter. I took a finisher's shot of the tequila and ordered my meal that came with the price of registration. I got the Point burger and a Dos Equis Ambar. It was getting pretty chilly outside, so I hung out just inside the restaurant until all of the runners had finished their races. The Point looked like a nice place to hang out after work. After shooting the breeze with my friends, I wished the birthday girl a happy birthday before making the long drive home. I had a fun time even though I was unable to finish the race or stay for the post race pajama party. It was way past my bedtime! :)

Time for a shot!

The Point Burger

The "normal" folks

Surf City Marathon 2013

Friday
I had been pretty sick all week. I couldn't take any time off from work either, so I was actually considering not starting the race. Instead of chicken soup, I was pounding the pho and ramen all week to see if my body would rebound in time for the race. By Friday afternoon, I had finally regained my ability to breath through the nose, so I started having some hope of running this race. After work, I rushed over to the expo at Huntington Beach. The traffic actually wasn't too bad. After picking up my race packet, shirt, and legacy club stuff, I bumped into a few of my Marathon Maniac buddies. After shooting the breeze with everyone, I headed up to Ramen Yamadaya in Costa Mesa to eat dinner. I then headed on home to get some rest.

Expo time

Mile marker

Longboard legacy club

Maniac friends

Saturday
Rest day. Did nothing but watch TV. Got my race gear ready before going to sleep.

Race gear

Sunday
I left the house around 4am to get to my usual parking spot on Beach Blvd. I parked and got my stuff ready before making the trek over to the Hyatt Regency. I usually wait inside here until it's time for the Marathon Maniacs pre-race photo across the street at the end of the bridge. After taking the photo, I jogged over to the starting corral to meet up with a few of my RWOL friends. We talked a little about each of our race strategies. It was good to catch up.

Marathon Maniacs

Starting corral

RW friends

The full marathon started at 6:30am. My legs felt better and my lungs were working so I went out comfortably hard. I ran most of the section in the Park with my friend Marathon Mitch. The hill at mile 8 really wiped me out. I couldn't recover to take advantage of the downhill miles that followed. My legs were falling apart as I turned onto the PCH. It was a pleasant surprise to see my friends here at this spot cheering. By the time that I got to the turnaround around mile 12, my legs were done. I coasted into the halfway point right around 2 hours.
1: 8:11
2: 8:20
3: 8:54
4: 9:14
5: 8:18
6: 8:38
7: 8:40
8: 9:20
9: 9:28
10: 9:06
11: 10:14
12: 10:18
13: 9:56
Halfway: 1:59:53

Headed to the finish line

I really tried very hard to keep all of my miles around 11:30 - 12:00 in the second half. After crossing mile 16 we turned onto the bike path. This is my least favorite part of the course. It's narrow and crowded with all sorts of traffic. Also several of the mile markers each year are in the wrong spot. There was a group of people grilling bacon and passing out Bud light again this year. They liked my Team Beef shirt and tried to give me some bacon and beer. I told them that I might take some on my way back. My legs were cramping up before I even got to mile 20. It was good seeing my barefoot running buddies that had set up a tent at around mile 21 to encourage runners and to pass out some snacks. I would get the legs to loosen up several times, but then they would just cramp up again. I had to take so many walk breaks. During my many walk breaks, I met one of my blog readers. You never know who is reading your blog! The final .2 to the finish was a little rough. I tried to run as fast as I could without having my legs lock up again. It was good to see my friend Casey cheering at the finish.
14: 11:28
15: 11:49
16: 11:40
17: 11:52
18: 12:19
19: 14:05
20: 12:57
21: 16:53
22: 10:54
23: 14:24
24: 14:44
25: 13:27
26: 12:39
26.2: 2:02
Finish: 4:49:58

I felt like crap after crossing the finish line. I got my awesome surfboard medal. Then I proceeded to got a banana, water, and a bag of goodies. I found a place to prop myself up so I could eat the banana which helped make me feel better. I then bumped into a few of my friends outside of the beer garden before I went in to get my free beers. Thank goodness Longboard Legacy members have their own express lane. I believe they were serving Kona Pipeline Porter and Fire Rock Pale Ale. They also had Michelob Ultra if you're into diet beer. Each person was allowed two beers. After grabbing my beers, I happened to find a few of my friends sitting near the fence. I hung out with them for a little bit before I headed out to eat lunch.

Surf board medal

Hanging out in the beer garden

I tried to meet up with my friends for lunch, but they had already been at the restaurant for a while already. With the traffic it wouldn't taken me close to an hour to get there. I didn't want them to wait around for me, so I told them that I would catch up with them at the next race in San Diego. So I decided to go eat at the all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, Korea House, in Garden Grove. I ate mostly boneless beef short rib and thin sliced beef brisket. I finished up by grilling a bunch of shrimp. I think I put more than enough protein back into the body. :)

Beef!

More beef!

Shrimp

Carlsbad Marathon 2013

Saturday
I ate at my favorite ramen shop, What's Up Men, before driving down to Carlsbad for the expo. I tried out their chuka soba ramen and beef bowl for the first time. The beef bowl was just like what you can get at Yoshinoya. The ramen was a bit too plain. But that was good since I don't want any GI issues for the marathon.

Chuka soba ramen and beef bowl

I brought a bag of about 6 pairs of shoes to donate at expo. That should make my room look like less of a shoe store. The expo was at the usual spot as always underneath a big white tent. The parking lot traffic controllers were a bit overzealous and definitely power-tripping. Once inside the tent, you pick up your bib first then you go to the back to pick up your race shirt, race jacket, and a drawstring bag. I went through the rest of the expo and thankfully found nothing to buy. I did see Meb selling his book, taking pictures with people, and signing autographs.

Meb!

After leaving the expo, I drove a couple of exits north on the 5 freeway to get to the McDonald's near my hotel. My spider sense was definitely tingling went I ate here. It was located in a not-so-nice area. The nearby Ocean's Eleven casino might have something to do with it being a seedy area. I quickly ate my Big Mac combo and left to check into my hotel just a few short blocks away.

Big Mac combo!

I stayed at the Ramada Oceanside. The parking lot was a little tight at this location. If you have a big car, you might have a hard time parking in some of their spaces. The room was pretty decent for the price. As I've mentioned earlier, it's a seedy area, so it's probably best to stay in your room.

Ramada Oceanside

I drove down to Kaito Sushi in Encinitas to eat an early dinner with my coworker. He was held up in a little bit of traffic so I stopped by the Ralph's across the street to pick up some drinks before heading over to the restaurant. In Southern California where it's inundated with fusion "sushi" restaurants, I prefer to eat at a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant. If you are looking for fancy rolls drizzled with a bunch of various sauces, go elsewhere. We stuck to mostly sashimi.

Needle fish

Orange clam

Chu toro

Tako

Soft shell crab

Conch

After getting back to my hotel room, I went through the expo haul and laid out my race gear. I brought along my waterproof gloves, arm sleeves, and calf sleeves just in case it would rain during the race. I only wear sleeves to keep warm when the weather forecast calls for low temperatures or rain. I'm not sure if the calf sleeves help at all with my cramping issues. As I was relaxing while watching TV, I felt under the weather. I knew I had caught something and was just feeling tired and lethargic.

Race swag

Race gear

Sunday
The first thing I did when I woke up was to check the weather. It looked like we would luck out and not be rained upon for the race. The race did start with a little drizzle but it would clear up quickly. I checked out of my hotel and drove down to the starting area before 5am. I tried to park at my usual spot, but ran into weirdo parking attendants. They forced us early birds to park in a lot so far from the starting line. But for some reason they all left to control traffic at the closer lot that I had originally wanted to park in. So I fired up the car and moved it over to my usual spot.

Starting line

I wanted to try and keep my miles around 8:50 - 9:10 for the first half. This was a course full of rollers so I ran based on effort. Things were going pretty well for the first 8 miles. I tried to follow up the hill at mile 9 with some faster downhill miles, but my left calf started aching more than I would like so I slowed the pace a little to try and alleviate the ache. It was a little disappointing to be going slower on the downhills, but with my achy lower legs I didn't have much of a choice. I got to the halfway point at a little past 2 hours.
1: 8:57
2: 8:18
3: 8:54
4: 9:07
5: 9:12
6: 8:50
7: 9:26
8: 9:12
9: 9:50
10: 9:31
11: 9:13
12: 9:25
13: 9:24

Rocco the pacer

Mile 23

For the second half, I targeted to keep my miles between 11:30 and 12:30. Except for mile 19 where I took a potty break, I was right on target. For most of the miles, I just took a one or two minute walk break when I reach a mile marker. Then I would run as comfortably as I could to the next mile marker. Rinse and repeat. It was a bit hectic when we merged with the half marathoners. Out of the thousands of runners, somehow I was able to bump into one of my friends running in the half. A little after mile 16, we were by ourselves again as the half marathoners had reached their turnaround point. Having run this race multiple times, I knew that we would be heading back to the finish line once we reach mile 18. For me, this was the hardest part of the course as it was a decent climb up to turnaround. Miles 23 and 24 had some gentle steady climbs. As I was headed to finish line and rounding the final corner, I could not run very fast as I was cramping up.
14: 11:58
15: 11:42
16: 11:44
17: 11:57
18: 11:36
19: 13:47
20: 11:44
21: 12:08
22: 11:54
23: 12:09
24: 12:23
25: 11:28
26: 11:32
26.2: 2:05
Finish: 4:37:29

If you run enough, eventually you can pace yourself without a GPS watch. This was one of my better paced races.

I picked up my finisher medal which I liked since I always prefer a classic circular medal. I was feeling pretty nauseated and dizzy as I was exiting the finishing chute after picking up a banana, a bag of snacks, and a bottle of water. I walked over to find a seat to sit down for a bit. I'm sure it was not very wise to run a marathon when the immune system has been compromised. After feeling better, I went over to the expo souvenir area to pick up one of those Triple Crown stickers.

Finisher's medal

Triple Crown sticker

I then had to hoof it down South to Casa de Bandini to meet up with my friends from San Diego. They all ran the half marathon, but they usually will wait for me. Just like every year, the traffic heading towards the 5 freeway was horrible. Once I finally got to the restaurant, I still had no appetite to eat a meal, so all I had was a Stone IPA. We accompanied the girls to check out the Lululemon store in the same Forum plaza. On my way back home, I stopped at the same favorite ramen shop to eat a bowl of ramen. This time I tried their Aka spicy miso ramen and chashu bowl for the first time. It was good, but spicy food doesn't really agree with my stomach these days.

Stone IPA

Aka spicy miso ramen with egg and chashu bowl