Pre-race
Ever since I got humbled at Montaña de Oro and Big Bear with severe cramps, I wanted to run another difficult marathon asap and see if I can figure out my salt intake. So I decided to run this race at the very last minute. Plane tickets had gone up so I decided to just drive it. I even mapped out a Japanese restaurant (Futami) that I could eat at in Sacramento. When I got to the restaurant on the way up for lunch, I found out that it didn't open until 5pm on weekends so I decided that I would stop by on the way home. Instead I ate a six dollar burger combo at Carl's Jr. By the time I had gotten into South Lake Tahoe, I had practically lost my mind. I was pooped... the lights were on but nobody was home!
Packet Pickup/Expo
The bib was weird. The number was smaller than usual with a picture of Inspiration Point next to it. We got a wind breaker instead of the usual t-shirt. I'm glad because I have way too many race shirts. I have donated so many to Goodwill.
I bought the Power Balance bracelet. The little 15 second demonstration convinced me that it works. The Phiten necklace did not have the same effect. They were going to give it to me for free in exchange for my Phiten. But I gave them money instead since they said that they would just throw away the Phiten.
FE
It was nice hanging out with Loosh. We ate at a sushi restaurant called Naked Fish. I love seafood more than I love steaks! That's a lot of love since I really do love steaks. It was hard reading the menu because my brain was still fuzzy from the long drive. Runners tend to be the coolest people on Earth. It was the first time meeting in person, but it was as if we had been friends for a long time. I love having small FE's.
First Half
On the bus ride up to the starting area, I sat next to Marty, who was running the Tahoe Triple. Those people are nuts! Once I get a handle on the cramping, I'm going to do the triple. I was practically paced by Loosh for the first 6 miles. The first half was the much easier half, so my plan was to run the first 10k at around 9 min/mile pace and just cruise until I get to that "little hill" in the second half.
1: 8:54
2: 9:02
3: 8:46
4: 9:26
5: 9:03
6: 9:09
7: 9:49
8: 9:44
9: 9:40
10: 10:13
11: 10:05
12: 10:27
13: 10:46
Second Half
The fun started when the hill from Hell began around mile 16. That "hill" lasted a couple of miles. I walked with Erin, a half marathoner, for a while. She was having side stitches. Once that got better she took off. She used to be a heptathlete. Her best event was the hurdles. I would see her again around mile 24 when she was dealing with foot cramps. There was a lot of rollers in the 2nd half and it got quite toasty. I was taking a salt cap every 30 minutes and drinking water like it was going out of style. This staved off the cramps. I did a lot of walking because my right Achilles was still feeling weak, my stamina still sucked, and I still have many marathons to run in the weeks ahead. There was a lady crewing for someone that was playing lots of country music. I've seen her drive by several times during the race. I told her that she was the best crew member out there.
14: 12:06
15: 9:49
16: 17:39
17: 18:27
18: 16:03
19: 12:09
20: 15:51
21: 10:35
22: 14:09
23: 12:47
24: 13:47
25: 13:52
26: 13:45
26.2: 1:56
Finish: 5:08:10
Post-race
I had always thought that the shotbloks were adequate, but apparently they were not. In this race I used a combination of either shotbloks or gels with salt caps. This prevented the cramps that would normally kick my butt on this kind of a difficult course plus warm temperatures. I'm going to try Nuun at my next race. If this solves my ongoing problem with cramps then I'm going to start kicking some butt and run harder because my mind is getting tired of these jog-a-thons. If there is a next time, I'm going to fly regardless of the airfare. The drive back home was much harder than the drive there.
In case you're wondering, I ate yosenabe at Futami when I got into Sacramento on my way home. The lady spoke nothing but Japanese to me. Good thing I knew enough to know what she was saying.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
HIMYM Marathon
When I first watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother, I didn't think it was very funny. But between then and now, I've since gone back and watched it from the very beginning. The jokes are very clever and funny although sometimes very crude. Now you may be wondering how is this a marathon? In the span of a week, I've gone through almost 4 seasons' worth of episodes. I have 10 more episodes that I'll try to watch before tonight's season premiere episode.
This video is freaking hilarious: Robin Sparkles
This marathon came at a pretty convenient time since I've been waking up anywhere from 1:30 to 4:00am in the morning without the aid of my alarm. There's nothing but crap and depressing news early in the morning, so a sitcom is perfect for the situation. The alarm now serves to tell me when I need to stop watching so I can get ready for work... SUIT UP!
It may be an awesome show. But all truth be told, I would like to cut into this marathon and go out to run in the dark but my right ankle has been feeling somewhat weak during my runs this weekend. So TV it is!
Saturday's run: ~11.8 miles with lots and lots of hills at ~9:17 pace
Sunday's run: ~3.4 miles at ~8:40 pace (easy)
This video is freaking hilarious: Robin Sparkles
This marathon came at a pretty convenient time since I've been waking up anywhere from 1:30 to 4:00am in the morning without the aid of my alarm. There's nothing but crap and depressing news early in the morning, so a sitcom is perfect for the situation. The alarm now serves to tell me when I need to stop watching so I can get ready for work... SUIT UP!
It may be an awesome show. But all truth be told, I would like to cut into this marathon and go out to run in the dark but my right ankle has been feeling somewhat weak during my runs this weekend. So TV it is!
Saturday's run: ~11.8 miles with lots and lots of hills at ~9:17 pace
Sunday's run: ~3.4 miles at ~8:40 pace (easy)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Big Bear Lake Marathon
In a nutshell
Holy Snikes! That did not go very well. The course time limit was 6hrs, I used 5:53:55.
Pre-race
The best part of the race was driving up to Big Bear Lake. I left the house at around 4:15 and got there around 6am. It was fun taking those corners in the Mini Cooper. It was kind of chilly when I went to pick up my race packet, but that changed really quickly as the sun came out and warmed everything up. I waited in the car listening to my tunes on my iPod. It was nice and toasty already when I left the car to head for the starting line.
First half
Here's a video of the start: link. It's not too hard to spot me! I went out running as comfortably as I could. There was a big downhill at mile 2 followed by a bit of a climb at mile 4, but I was still feeling ok. But by mile 6 I had to start taking walk breaks just to catch my breath. I knew I could've pressed through it, but mentally I just wasn't there. The course kept rolling up and down. I was taking 1 Endurolyte salt cap every hour along with the shotbloks that I normally take. I just wanted to finish this marathon without any trouble. It took me longer to get to the halfway mark than I had planned, but everything was still feeling manageable. I got to see Vixen from RWOL twice as she was close to finishing her half and I was turning around for my second half.
1: 9:39
2: 8:44
3: 9:37
4: 10:57
5: 9:37
6: 10:20
7: 10:27
8: 10:54
9: 11:16
10: 11:33
11: 11:26
12: 12:09
13: 11:30
13.1: 2:21:16
Second half
I took my last salt cap around mile 15, but apparently I wasn't replacing the electrolytes fast enough because the legs were beginning to cramp at every hill that I climbed. After about mile 19, I kept cramping when I tried to run or jog. At this point, I was out of salt caps and my brain was fried, so I just called it a day and walked the rest of the way. This was pretty much déjà vu from Montaña de Oro. I was just trying my best not to have both legs lock up on me like last time. Tony from Pasadena caught up to me around mile 22 and decided to walk with me. He could've ran it in but he decided to call it a day as well. On the very last corner, I finally convinced him to run it in and that I would see him at the finish line. That turned out to be a lie since I could barely force a jog and went straight for a chair as I hobbled across the finish line. The ladies from the medical tent came by and treated me for my leg cramps. I think I've figured out the cramps, but man I just ran out of salt caps since I clearly underestimated the heat, elevation, and the time that it would take for me to finish. I should just carry a whole bottle with me next time until I figure out how many I need to prevent the cramps.
14-15: 27:11
16: 16:04
17-18: 30:08
19: 15:57
20: 17:12
21: 18:23
22: 17:35
23: 17:51
24: 16:48
25: 17:41
26: 17:19
26.2: 3:25
2nd half: 3:32:38
Finish: 5:53:55
Post race thoughts
I love the medal and the shirt. I really had to work hard for them. I must say that the aid stations were fantastic! The volunteers wore vests that said what they're handing out, so there was no guesswork in what they were offering. Anyways I need to train harder. Guts and determination is not getting me very far anymore. My fitness is barely good enough for a half marathon right now. I should not have been messing around with a marathon at elevation on a sunny day.
Holy Snikes! That did not go very well. The course time limit was 6hrs, I used 5:53:55.
Pre-race
The best part of the race was driving up to Big Bear Lake. I left the house at around 4:15 and got there around 6am. It was fun taking those corners in the Mini Cooper. It was kind of chilly when I went to pick up my race packet, but that changed really quickly as the sun came out and warmed everything up. I waited in the car listening to my tunes on my iPod. It was nice and toasty already when I left the car to head for the starting line.
First half
Here's a video of the start: link. It's not too hard to spot me! I went out running as comfortably as I could. There was a big downhill at mile 2 followed by a bit of a climb at mile 4, but I was still feeling ok. But by mile 6 I had to start taking walk breaks just to catch my breath. I knew I could've pressed through it, but mentally I just wasn't there. The course kept rolling up and down. I was taking 1 Endurolyte salt cap every hour along with the shotbloks that I normally take. I just wanted to finish this marathon without any trouble. It took me longer to get to the halfway mark than I had planned, but everything was still feeling manageable. I got to see Vixen from RWOL twice as she was close to finishing her half and I was turning around for my second half.
1: 9:39
2: 8:44
3: 9:37
4: 10:57
5: 9:37
6: 10:20
7: 10:27
8: 10:54
9: 11:16
10: 11:33
11: 11:26
12: 12:09
13: 11:30
13.1: 2:21:16
Second half
I took my last salt cap around mile 15, but apparently I wasn't replacing the electrolytes fast enough because the legs were beginning to cramp at every hill that I climbed. After about mile 19, I kept cramping when I tried to run or jog. At this point, I was out of salt caps and my brain was fried, so I just called it a day and walked the rest of the way. This was pretty much déjà vu from Montaña de Oro. I was just trying my best not to have both legs lock up on me like last time. Tony from Pasadena caught up to me around mile 22 and decided to walk with me. He could've ran it in but he decided to call it a day as well. On the very last corner, I finally convinced him to run it in and that I would see him at the finish line. That turned out to be a lie since I could barely force a jog and went straight for a chair as I hobbled across the finish line. The ladies from the medical tent came by and treated me for my leg cramps. I think I've figured out the cramps, but man I just ran out of salt caps since I clearly underestimated the heat, elevation, and the time that it would take for me to finish. I should just carry a whole bottle with me next time until I figure out how many I need to prevent the cramps.
14-15: 27:11
16: 16:04
17-18: 30:08
19: 15:57
20: 17:12
21: 18:23
22: 17:35
23: 17:51
24: 16:48
25: 17:41
26: 17:19
26.2: 3:25
2nd half: 3:32:38
Finish: 5:53:55
Post race thoughts
I love the medal and the shirt. I really had to work hard for them. I must say that the aid stations were fantastic! The volunteers wore vests that said what they're handing out, so there was no guesswork in what they were offering. Anyways I need to train harder. Guts and determination is not getting me very far anymore. My fitness is barely good enough for a half marathon right now. I should not have been messing around with a marathon at elevation on a sunny day.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Disneyland Half Marathon
Expo/Packet Pickup
The expo/packet pickup was somewhat confusing. It seems as if they were trying to address the crowding issue from the prior years, so they moved the bib pickup to the underground parking structure. Then you walk back up to the expo floor to pick up your shirt and goodie bag. It was standing in one line after another. But I suppose we were at Disneyland... lines are to be expected. I did a quick sweep through the aisles and stopped by the Competitor/Elite Racing table to say hi. One of the girls that I see all the time introduced herself and told me her name. We shared a few good laughs and we'll see each other again in Vegas. I had to let her go back to work.
Pre-race
I am not where I should be with my fitness. The only recent run I have done was my 5 mile run on Monday. The run left both of my calves very sore for the next couple of days because the route was hilly and I attacked it. But with a bad half marathon at AFC and a DNF at Montaña de Oro, I really didn't know what to expect out of this race and to make things interesting my lower back has been sore. Given the circumstances I knew one thing and that was that I still love running this super expensive race because I am a big time Disney fan! My goals were still the same.
Goal A: sub 1:50
Goal B: sub 1:55
Goal C: sub 2:00
I carbed up with karamiso ramen on Friday and with pho and spring rolls on Saturday. Those foods always work for me. I tried to sleep early, but I ended up watching Tyson. Love him or hate him... believe him or not... it was a good intriguing movie.
Race day
I got to the parking lot at 4am where I relaxed and ate my Powerbar while listening to my tunes on my iPod. The parking fee had inched its way up to $12. There is no recession when it comes to Disney. Around 5am I stripped down to my race clothes and headed out to the starting area.
I went out conservatively making sure I did not overtake the 1:40 pace group. They stayed about 5 secs ahead of me and eventually pulled away from me. I think more races should emulate Disney and place people in corrals based on previous race results. Even though it was crowded during the first mile, it was good enough that I didn't have to keep adjusting my stride and not once did I pass a walker that had no business being in the front. The pace that I wanted to hold was 8:30 min/mile. The first 5k was easy as most of it was inside the 2 parks.
1: 8:38
2: 8:25
3: 8:20
5k: 26:23
I still stuck to my run/walk plan. I would take a 1 minute walk break for every 30 minutes of running. I used to do that to prevent injury, but now I think it's more for me to take a mental break. Here we ran through the streets of Anaheim. I was feeling ok after 10k.
4: 9:00
5: 8:19
6: 8:31
10k: 53:05
I tried to pick up the pace after a slow mile 8, but I knew that I was getting close to my limit. There was a small series of short climbs. I took my Hammer gel at the 1 hour mark.
7: 8:52
8: 9:17
9: 8:23
15k: 1:20:41
Going through Angel stadium was ok. This time we ran on the "warning track" in front of the dugouts and the home plate. I was starting to fade and could not get the legs to turn over any faster. The cheerleaders right before the tunnel were loud and the energy was much needed. I tried to muster up a faster pace for the final mile, but I was gassed and unmotivated since I knew the PR was out the window after 3 consecutive slow miles.
10: 9:01
11: 9:15
12: 9:11
13: 8:35
13.1: 0:48
Finish: 1:54:40
Post-race
It was so great to see a lot of my friends at this race. I was actually surprised to get a 1:54 out of my legs this weekend... only 23 seconds off of my PR. I was expecting something bad to happen. I really need to get off of the marathon maniacing so that I can start training for quality races. If I get healthy and start putting in the miles, I should easily be in the 1:40s. But that'll have to wait because it's on to the next race, the Big Bear Marathon on Saturday!
The expo/packet pickup was somewhat confusing. It seems as if they were trying to address the crowding issue from the prior years, so they moved the bib pickup to the underground parking structure. Then you walk back up to the expo floor to pick up your shirt and goodie bag. It was standing in one line after another. But I suppose we were at Disneyland... lines are to be expected. I did a quick sweep through the aisles and stopped by the Competitor/Elite Racing table to say hi. One of the girls that I see all the time introduced herself and told me her name. We shared a few good laughs and we'll see each other again in Vegas. I had to let her go back to work.
Pre-race
I am not where I should be with my fitness. The only recent run I have done was my 5 mile run on Monday. The run left both of my calves very sore for the next couple of days because the route was hilly and I attacked it. But with a bad half marathon at AFC and a DNF at Montaña de Oro, I really didn't know what to expect out of this race and to make things interesting my lower back has been sore. Given the circumstances I knew one thing and that was that I still love running this super expensive race because I am a big time Disney fan! My goals were still the same.
Goal A: sub 1:50
Goal B: sub 1:55
Goal C: sub 2:00
I carbed up with karamiso ramen on Friday and with pho and spring rolls on Saturday. Those foods always work for me. I tried to sleep early, but I ended up watching Tyson. Love him or hate him... believe him or not... it was a good intriguing movie.
Race day
I got to the parking lot at 4am where I relaxed and ate my Powerbar while listening to my tunes on my iPod. The parking fee had inched its way up to $12. There is no recession when it comes to Disney. Around 5am I stripped down to my race clothes and headed out to the starting area.
I went out conservatively making sure I did not overtake the 1:40 pace group. They stayed about 5 secs ahead of me and eventually pulled away from me. I think more races should emulate Disney and place people in corrals based on previous race results. Even though it was crowded during the first mile, it was good enough that I didn't have to keep adjusting my stride and not once did I pass a walker that had no business being in the front. The pace that I wanted to hold was 8:30 min/mile. The first 5k was easy as most of it was inside the 2 parks.
1: 8:38
2: 8:25
3: 8:20
5k: 26:23
I still stuck to my run/walk plan. I would take a 1 minute walk break for every 30 minutes of running. I used to do that to prevent injury, but now I think it's more for me to take a mental break. Here we ran through the streets of Anaheim. I was feeling ok after 10k.
4: 9:00
5: 8:19
6: 8:31
10k: 53:05
I tried to pick up the pace after a slow mile 8, but I knew that I was getting close to my limit. There was a small series of short climbs. I took my Hammer gel at the 1 hour mark.
7: 8:52
8: 9:17
9: 8:23
15k: 1:20:41
Going through Angel stadium was ok. This time we ran on the "warning track" in front of the dugouts and the home plate. I was starting to fade and could not get the legs to turn over any faster. The cheerleaders right before the tunnel were loud and the energy was much needed. I tried to muster up a faster pace for the final mile, but I was gassed and unmotivated since I knew the PR was out the window after 3 consecutive slow miles.
10: 9:01
11: 9:15
12: 9:11
13: 8:35
13.1: 0:48
Finish: 1:54:40
Post-race
It was so great to see a lot of my friends at this race. I was actually surprised to get a 1:54 out of my legs this weekend... only 23 seconds off of my PR. I was expecting something bad to happen. I really need to get off of the marathon maniacing so that I can start training for quality races. If I get healthy and start putting in the miles, I should easily be in the 1:40s. But that'll have to wait because it's on to the next race, the Big Bear Marathon on Saturday!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Montaña de Oro 50k
Pre-race thoughts
Going into this race, my confidence in finishing the race was extremely low. After a horrible race in the AFC half marathon my plan was to take it easy, go slow, and if necessary use all of the 9 hrs that they give you. I knew the course was hard, but I'm never known to pick the easiest race. I picked it because it was close to my birthday and I wanted a good challenge. But in the end the timing of the race was bad. I caught the flu a few weeks out, ran horrible marathons at SF and ET shortly thereafter. Follow that up with a lousy half marathon and I just knew it wasn't going to be smooth sailing for my first 50k.
FE/Carbo-load
I drove up on Saturday morning around 9am. When I got to around Santa Barbara, it started to rain and when there's a few drops in sunny California, accidents were sure to follow. I passed about 3 accidents before stopping off in Santa Maria to carbo-load at an Olive Garden. I met up with my friends there. I ate a little bit too much and I felt like barfing. I think from now on, I'm going to stick to ramen or pho. I stayed at the Travelodge in Morro Bay. It was a pretty run down motel. I was probably better off staying at a Motel 6. I didn't really want to eat dinner because my stomach wasn't entirely emptied of Olive Garden. But I went anyways to The Galley, which was highly recommended by everyone. I had the sea bass and 2 beers (Firestone Double Barrel Ale and Reissdorf Kölsch). I was carded for the beer... are you serious? I can count on 1 hand how many times I've been carded in my life. Anyways it turns out that the restaurant owner was also running the Montaña de Oro as his first 50k.
The 50k race was 4 loops: run the 25k route twice: 12k + 13k + 12k + 13k.
1 - 1:39 12k
This first loop wasn't too bad. You get to see a lot of the ocean at the beginning. I was very disciplined and didn't pass anybody unless they were walking. The only bad part was going up to Valencia Peak because there was a lot of loose rocks making your footing pretty bad. Oh yeah and it was a steep climb. Coming down from the peak was fun. I love downhills but I knew I was overworking my quads. During the loop, I kind of made a mental note of where the 8k loop breaks off from 12k loop. I guess I was just being prepared for the worst for when I get to cover the same loop again.
2 - 2:12 13k
There was a lot of steady climbing in this loop. By this point the course was pretty open since most of the people ran the 8k or the 12k. I was getting extremely fatigued because it was just non-stop climbing. When I got to flatter sections, it was very hard to convince myself to run. I was taking my shot bloks and gels every 30 minutes, but my legs were feeling way too exhausted to go another round! But mentally I felt pretty good when I came into the aid station so I thought I might as well give it a shot. If something horrible happens, I'll just bail out and run the 8k.
3 - 2:10 8k
I walked the entire beginning flat section just to give my legs some rest. It was here that I was passed by Larry Macon, now that's a true maniac! I went to the bathroom right before the climb started. The straw that finally broke the camel's back was probably when I ran when I got to the first downhill section. My quads were toast. Then as the climbing resumed, all of the leg muscles slowly cramped up, rigor mortis was setting in. Here's where the fun began. It got so bad that all I could do was stand. I took in whatever gels I had left on me. I limped around but it was too painful to climb. I kept looking around for people or something to lean up against but I was all alone. Eventually those behind me caught up and checked up on me. One nice lady gave me 2 salt capsules and massaged my legs. But in between my grunts from the pain, I was shooing them away. I didn't want to keep them from finishing their race. I was extremely dejected because I knew my day was over. Time to drop out. Montaña de Oro 1, Emil 0. Then I started to wonder, "how in the heck am I going to get my butt off of this mountain?" I couldn't sit down because there was nothing to sit on. I found a small little ditch and sort of sat in there for a while. But I just wanted off so I got up and started to climb again. The 2 girls that had stopped by earlier yells back to me that the turn off for the 8k was pretty close. Pretty close was all relative... it took me a while to get there. I knew I needed to park myself somewhere and wait for the salt to kick in. When I finally reached the top and saw the turnoff, lo and behold a most welcomed sight: a picnic table! But as soon as I planted my butt on the bench, the muscles cramped up so badly that it was almost unbearable. When they finally subsided, I just sat there not wanting to move. But eventually I got up and started walking down the 8k loop. Here's where I got the chance to roll on the ground because everything seized up again. I looked at my muscles, they were all knotted up or twitching like mad. But I got back up and forced my legs to keep on moving. The salt finally kicked in where I was able to walk down and end the misery. The legs were actually good enough to run, but I didn't care much for that at that point.
DNF - 6:01 33k
Post-race thoughts
... and that folks is my pathetic "race" report. Good game, thank you, come again. My first thought afterward was that I should just stick to road racing. It is rather unlikely that I'll give the 50k another shot, but I had just been completely and thoroughly humbled by Montaña de Oro suffering my first ever DNF, so who knows if I might change my mind later when I forget the agony that I went through. I really wanted that dang coaster, but it was impossible. Even if I had completed that 3rd loop, I would still have to cover the 4th loop. I will definitely have to go back to the drawing board and adjust my electrolyte replacement for hot/humid weather and hilly terrains. I've gone back and looked at all of the races where I suffered severe cramps and they were all hot, humid, and hilly. I will continue to cut back on the racing so I can let my body heal up. I will go from 18 marathons to about 10 in 2010. Then in 2011, I will further cut down to 5: Pasadena, Seattle, LA, SD, NYC/Honolulu.
Going into this race, my confidence in finishing the race was extremely low. After a horrible race in the AFC half marathon my plan was to take it easy, go slow, and if necessary use all of the 9 hrs that they give you. I knew the course was hard, but I'm never known to pick the easiest race. I picked it because it was close to my birthday and I wanted a good challenge. But in the end the timing of the race was bad. I caught the flu a few weeks out, ran horrible marathons at SF and ET shortly thereafter. Follow that up with a lousy half marathon and I just knew it wasn't going to be smooth sailing for my first 50k.
FE/Carbo-load
I drove up on Saturday morning around 9am. When I got to around Santa Barbara, it started to rain and when there's a few drops in sunny California, accidents were sure to follow. I passed about 3 accidents before stopping off in Santa Maria to carbo-load at an Olive Garden. I met up with my friends there. I ate a little bit too much and I felt like barfing. I think from now on, I'm going to stick to ramen or pho. I stayed at the Travelodge in Morro Bay. It was a pretty run down motel. I was probably better off staying at a Motel 6. I didn't really want to eat dinner because my stomach wasn't entirely emptied of Olive Garden. But I went anyways to The Galley, which was highly recommended by everyone. I had the sea bass and 2 beers (Firestone Double Barrel Ale and Reissdorf Kölsch). I was carded for the beer... are you serious? I can count on 1 hand how many times I've been carded in my life. Anyways it turns out that the restaurant owner was also running the Montaña de Oro as his first 50k.
The 50k race was 4 loops: run the 25k route twice: 12k + 13k + 12k + 13k.
1 - 1:39 12k
This first loop wasn't too bad. You get to see a lot of the ocean at the beginning. I was very disciplined and didn't pass anybody unless they were walking. The only bad part was going up to Valencia Peak because there was a lot of loose rocks making your footing pretty bad. Oh yeah and it was a steep climb. Coming down from the peak was fun. I love downhills but I knew I was overworking my quads. During the loop, I kind of made a mental note of where the 8k loop breaks off from 12k loop. I guess I was just being prepared for the worst for when I get to cover the same loop again.
2 - 2:12 13k
There was a lot of steady climbing in this loop. By this point the course was pretty open since most of the people ran the 8k or the 12k. I was getting extremely fatigued because it was just non-stop climbing. When I got to flatter sections, it was very hard to convince myself to run. I was taking my shot bloks and gels every 30 minutes, but my legs were feeling way too exhausted to go another round! But mentally I felt pretty good when I came into the aid station so I thought I might as well give it a shot. If something horrible happens, I'll just bail out and run the 8k.
3 - 2:10 8k
I walked the entire beginning flat section just to give my legs some rest. It was here that I was passed by Larry Macon, now that's a true maniac! I went to the bathroom right before the climb started. The straw that finally broke the camel's back was probably when I ran when I got to the first downhill section. My quads were toast. Then as the climbing resumed, all of the leg muscles slowly cramped up, rigor mortis was setting in. Here's where the fun began. It got so bad that all I could do was stand. I took in whatever gels I had left on me. I limped around but it was too painful to climb. I kept looking around for people or something to lean up against but I was all alone. Eventually those behind me caught up and checked up on me. One nice lady gave me 2 salt capsules and massaged my legs. But in between my grunts from the pain, I was shooing them away. I didn't want to keep them from finishing their race. I was extremely dejected because I knew my day was over. Time to drop out. Montaña de Oro 1, Emil 0. Then I started to wonder, "how in the heck am I going to get my butt off of this mountain?" I couldn't sit down because there was nothing to sit on. I found a small little ditch and sort of sat in there for a while. But I just wanted off so I got up and started to climb again. The 2 girls that had stopped by earlier yells back to me that the turn off for the 8k was pretty close. Pretty close was all relative... it took me a while to get there. I knew I needed to park myself somewhere and wait for the salt to kick in. When I finally reached the top and saw the turnoff, lo and behold a most welcomed sight: a picnic table! But as soon as I planted my butt on the bench, the muscles cramped up so badly that it was almost unbearable. When they finally subsided, I just sat there not wanting to move. But eventually I got up and started walking down the 8k loop. Here's where I got the chance to roll on the ground because everything seized up again. I looked at my muscles, they were all knotted up or twitching like mad. But I got back up and forced my legs to keep on moving. The salt finally kicked in where I was able to walk down and end the misery. The legs were actually good enough to run, but I didn't care much for that at that point.
DNF - 6:01 33k
Post-race thoughts
... and that folks is my pathetic "race" report. Good game, thank you, come again. My first thought afterward was that I should just stick to road racing. It is rather unlikely that I'll give the 50k another shot, but I had just been completely and thoroughly humbled by Montaña de Oro suffering my first ever DNF, so who knows if I might change my mind later when I forget the agony that I went through. I really wanted that dang coaster, but it was impossible. Even if I had completed that 3rd loop, I would still have to cover the 4th loop. I will definitely have to go back to the drawing board and adjust my electrolyte replacement for hot/humid weather and hilly terrains. I've gone back and looked at all of the races where I suffered severe cramps and they were all hot, humid, and hilly. I will continue to cut back on the racing so I can let my body heal up. I will go from 18 marathons to about 10 in 2010. Then in 2011, I will further cut down to 5: Pasadena, Seattle, LA, SD, NYC/Honolulu.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
America's Finest City Half Marathon
A recipe for disaster
I pulled into the parking lot at about 5:20 am. It was a little tighter than I had originally planned since the final bus takes off at 6 am. I was watching the IAAF Worlds and sort of lost track of time. I was able to find my friends in the starting area which was nice. I wore my old Asics DS Trainer 11, m
y "peppermint shoes". I wanted to log at least a sub 2 hr half marathon in those shoes before I retire them. Well I kind of knew before the gun went off that today was going to be a hard day. I had run a hard marathon last weekend and my breathing was labored in my shakeout run the day before. But that didn't stop me from going out hard from the start which ultimately led to a rather painful grind for most of the race.
My Goals:
A: sub 1:50
B: sub 1:55
C: sub 2:00
First 10k
I ran out as hard as I could with the idea of trying to maintain a 8 min/mile pace which is faster than what I normally run. That was ok for the first 3 miles. But the huge downhill on mile 4 really done me in. My right hamstring started tightening up. Apparently it had not recover from last weekend's romp on the Extraterrestrial highway. Since I have my birthday 50k run coming up next weekend, I backed off on the pace. Periodically I would speed up to test it, but the hamstring said no. No means no and thus began the slow grind. Even though things were coming apart pretty early in the race, I'm glad that I'm still able to run some sub 8 min miles.
1 - 7:44
2 - 8:01
3 - 7:52
4 - 7:29
5 - 8:57
6 - 8:49
6.2 - 50:51
The rest
I was losing my legs really fast. I tried to regroup and speed up, but the only thing that happened was my left hip started to give out on me. It became increasingly harder for me to put weight on that leg, so once again I backed off on the pace. I did some quick math to make sure I get in under 2 hrs. I never had to work so hard just to come in under 2 hrs. After I climbed the 6th avenue hill, I saw my friend Ryan. I was able to muster up a faster pace and ran for the finish line. Good thing my left hip and right hammie allowed me to finish strong.
7 - 9:01
8 - 9:32
9 - 9:25
10 - 9:39
11 - 9:58
12 - 10:36
13.1 - 10:15 (9:19 pace)
13.1 - 1:57:25
Post race thoughts
Wow, that was not fun. Well... being at a race and seeing my friends was fun. The grind from mile 5 to the finish was rather demoralizing... definitely a "gun-to-the-head" experience. I felt like I was giving a piggyback ride to a small child. I need to be a little more wise on when I decide to run an aggressive race. I was begging for an injury running faster than I've ran in a while as well as coming off of a hard marathon. I really thought that I might have had to drop out when my left hip was dying on me. Oh well, I hope I saved enough of my legs for next week's 50k romp through the mountain of gold!
I pulled into the parking lot at about 5:20 am. It was a little tighter than I had originally planned since the final bus takes off at 6 am. I was watching the IAAF Worlds and sort of lost track of time. I was able to find my friends in the starting area which was nice. I wore my old Asics DS Trainer 11, m
y "peppermint shoes". I wanted to log at least a sub 2 hr half marathon in those shoes before I retire them. Well I kind of knew before the gun went off that today was going to be a hard day. I had run a hard marathon last weekend and my breathing was labored in my shakeout run the day before. But that didn't stop me from going out hard from the start which ultimately led to a rather painful grind for most of the race.My Goals:
A: sub 1:50
B: sub 1:55
C: sub 2:00
First 10k
I ran out as hard as I could with the idea of trying to maintain a 8 min/mile pace which is faster than what I normally run. That was ok for the first 3 miles. But the huge downhill on mile 4 really done me in. My right hamstring started tightening up. Apparently it had not recover from last weekend's romp on the Extraterrestrial highway. Since I have my birthday 50k run coming up next weekend, I backed off on the pace. Periodically I would speed up to test it, but the hamstring said no. No means no and thus began the slow grind. Even though things were coming apart pretty early in the race, I'm glad that I'm still able to run some sub 8 min miles.
1 - 7:44
2 - 8:01
3 - 7:52
4 - 7:29
5 - 8:57
6 - 8:49
6.2 - 50:51
The rest
I was losing my legs really fast. I tried to regroup and speed up, but the only thing that happened was my left hip started to give out on me. It became increasingly harder for me to put weight on that leg, so once again I backed off on the pace. I did some quick math to make sure I get in under 2 hrs. I never had to work so hard just to come in under 2 hrs. After I climbed the 6th avenue hill, I saw my friend Ryan. I was able to muster up a faster pace and ran for the finish line. Good thing my left hip and right hammie allowed me to finish strong.
7 - 9:01
8 - 9:32
9 - 9:25
10 - 9:39
11 - 9:58
12 - 10:36
13.1 - 10:15 (9:19 pace)
13.1 - 1:57:25
Post race thoughts
Wow, that was not fun. Well... being at a race and seeing my friends was fun. The grind from mile 5 to the finish was rather demoralizing... definitely a "gun-to-the-head" experience. I felt like I was giving a piggyback ride to a small child. I need to be a little more wise on when I decide to run an aggressive race. I was begging for an injury running faster than I've ran in a while as well as coming off of a hard marathon. I really thought that I might have had to drop out when my left hip was dying on me. Oh well, I hope I saved enough of my legs for next week's 50k romp through the mountain of gold!
Monday, August 10, 2009
ET Full Moon Midnight Marathon
In a nutshell
It was more than I had bargained for... the marathon itself was very challenging and difficult especially for this morning person. My body was thoroughly confused starting with a big meal at 8 in the morning and the fact that I was asking it to run a marathon when it was ready to go to sleep. I did like the atmosphere and the sheer craziness of this event. During the race I got to see lots of shooting stars, but sorry... no aliens! It was pretty much for the most part a very surreal experience. Most of the time I was running alone... just me, my thoughts, and the darkness.
It was a race of several firsts. It was my first time...
I left for Vegas at around 4:30 am. There was little traffic at that hour. I made a little pitstop in Primm and arrived at the Rio Carnival World Buffet at a little past 8am. I ate about 4 plates. My favorite item was the Peking duck. So weird to be eating so much so early in the morning. I made my way over to my hotel to see if I could check-in early, but the rooms weren't ready. So I walked across the street to a CVS and bought water and OJ. I waited in the lobby reading my book and eventually took a nap. The guy at the front desk then woke me up saying that my room was ready if I didn't mind being on the first floor. Of course I didn't mind. I got my stuff from the car and went to my room. The room was pretty huge. I could've fit about 5 Ryans comfortably in this one. I took everything that I needed for the race and laid them all out. I took a nap for a few hours and woke up to watch some TV.
Packet pickup
I went to pickup my packet at about 4:30 pm. The race director sent us an email telling us not to wait until the last minute and it looks like everybody was there at the same time. I was in and out of there in about 5 minutes. There was a long line of people buying reflective tape for $3. But since I was going to run with a headlamp and wearing my orange shirt, I bypassed the line and went back to my room.
Last minute stuff
I attached the bib to my shirt and the timing chip to my shoe and resumed the TV watching. After lounging around for about 2 hours, I got ready and went out to board the bus at about 8:15 pm. It was a 2.5 hr uneventful bus ride out to the "black mailbox" on the ET highway. I was greeted by somewhat cool temperature and plenty of wind when I got off the bus. They gave everyone a glow necklace. As I was in line for the portapotty, I was spotted by my marathon maniac friend Mitch. He said that it's always easy to spot me because of my orange shirt. I'm becoming a permanent fixture at marathons. I kept going back to the potty because I was a little anxious to get going. We lined up at the stop sign, which was the starting line and right at midnight we were off.
First Half
I had taken a peak at the course and elevation profile before the race and realized that the first half would be a steady climb, but I thought it would be good practice for the AFC half marathon next week. Boy was I surprised! I definitely was not prepared to run that uphill section into a very stiff headwind. The sustained wind gusts blew me all over the place and made my mouth really dry. I tried to stay behind a couple of guys and a girl, but it barely helped. After I hit my first walk break, I was sad to see my windshields go. I was surprised to only see a few people pass me during my break. I realized that even though my pace was slow, I was going too fast for the conditions and my current level of fitness. My right hip would remind me to slow down when I was around mile 10. Also I was having GI issues. It felt as if my guts were doing somersaults and back-flips. I kept thinking that I need to use the next portapotty or find a spot to do my business, but the urge would subside. I think it was the spicy shrimp I ate at the buffet, most likely a poor choice for carbo-loading. I made it to the half right where I wanted to be in order to give myself a chance at finishing a tad under 5 hrs.
1 - 8:07
2 - 9:21
3 - 9:25
4 - 10:11
5 - 9:26
6 - 10:15
7 - 11:27
8 - 10:20
9 - 11:33
10 - 12:05
11 - 12:53
12 - 12:40
13 - 13:06
Second Half
I was pooped by the time I got to the Coyote Summit, the highest point of the race. It was all downhill from this point, but I had to walk a lot more than I had planned. The GI issues was pretty much taken care of when I ran out of my Gatorade and switched to Heed. I'll have to look into that. As I reached the town of Rachel, I started to feel the onset of the leg cramps. I took a potty break when I reached mile 20. This was where the half marathoners turn left and finish at the Little A'le'Inn restaurant. It's somewhat demoralizing to see the finish line and then have to cover another 6.2 miles before you see it again. My legs were locking up at this point, so I decided to walk the next mile. That's when Mitch caught me. He said that he had trouble breathing in the first half due to the altitude. I guess that was another thing that was working against me. We were running at an altitude between 4000 and almost 6000 feet. The recovery walk alleviated the leg cramps. Anyways, the turnaround point was at around mile 23. During this stretch, a girl with knee high white most likely compression socks kept leapfrogging me. She must have been using my orange shirt as a target. Anyways I kept alternating between walking and running until I was about half a mile from the finish. I took off as fast as I could and crossed the finish line just at the break of dawn. I could not eat any of the breakfast spread after having sucked down Gatorade, Shot Bloks, Heed, and GU for the past 5.5 hrs.
14 - 13:10
15 - 12:21
16 - 12:03
17 - 12:31
18 - 14:47
19 - 13:21
20 - 15:18
21 - 19:25
22 - 15:13
23 - 13:35
24 - 13:55
25 - 13:52
26 - 14:05
26.2 - 1:54
Total: 5:26:33
Post race
After I cleaned off my face, it was another 2.5 hr bus ride back into Vegas. Once I got back to the hotel I took a shower, packed up, checked out, and headed back to the Rio Carnival World Buffet for round 2. This time I had about 6 plates. I was really craving the duck. Next time I'm back in town, I'm going to have to look for a new buffet restaurant. From this race, I discovered that I like Heed. It's not as sweet as Gatorade and if I can avoid GI issues, that would be swell. I like visiting Las Vegas. It's a fun place even if you're not there to enjoy its vices. There are a lot of running destinations in the surrounding areas. You come across lots of different walks of life since it's a tourist town. But next time I'll probably fly instead. The car ride home was not fun: little sleep + marathon + post-race buffet... you do the math. :D I pulled over at Primm just to get a bottle of Coke. I might come back to run this again next year, but I want to run some of Calico Racing's other events... in particular, The Running with the Devil.
It was more than I had bargained for... the marathon itself was very challenging and difficult especially for this morning person. My body was thoroughly confused starting with a big meal at 8 in the morning and the fact that I was asking it to run a marathon when it was ready to go to sleep. I did like the atmosphere and the sheer craziness of this event. During the race I got to see lots of shooting stars, but sorry... no aliens! It was pretty much for the most part a very surreal experience. Most of the time I was running alone... just me, my thoughts, and the darkness.
It was a race of several firsts. It was my first time...
- eating a buffet at 8 am. I love the Rio Carnival World Buffet, but the quality has gone down a lot since I've last eaten there.
- running a Calico Racing event.
- running a marathon at midnight.
- running with a headlamp.
- running with my hand-held.
- practicing drinking from my hand-held while running. I'm so done with drinking from cups.
- not gambling at all while in Vegas. I usually would at least drop a few coins in the slots.
I left for Vegas at around 4:30 am. There was little traffic at that hour. I made a little pitstop in Primm and arrived at the Rio Carnival World Buffet at a little past 8am. I ate about 4 plates. My favorite item was the Peking duck. So weird to be eating so much so early in the morning. I made my way over to my hotel to see if I could check-in early, but the rooms weren't ready. So I walked across the street to a CVS and bought water and OJ. I waited in the lobby reading my book and eventually took a nap. The guy at the front desk then woke me up saying that my room was ready if I didn't mind being on the first floor. Of course I didn't mind. I got my stuff from the car and went to my room. The room was pretty huge. I could've fit about 5 Ryans comfortably in this one. I took everything that I needed for the race and laid them all out. I took a nap for a few hours and woke up to watch some TV.
Packet pickup
I went to pickup my packet at about 4:30 pm. The race director sent us an email telling us not to wait until the last minute and it looks like everybody was there at the same time. I was in and out of there in about 5 minutes. There was a long line of people buying reflective tape for $3. But since I was going to run with a headlamp and wearing my orange shirt, I bypassed the line and went back to my room.
Last minute stuff
I attached the bib to my shirt and the timing chip to my shoe and resumed the TV watching. After lounging around for about 2 hours, I got ready and went out to board the bus at about 8:15 pm. It was a 2.5 hr uneventful bus ride out to the "black mailbox" on the ET highway. I was greeted by somewhat cool temperature and plenty of wind when I got off the bus. They gave everyone a glow necklace. As I was in line for the portapotty, I was spotted by my marathon maniac friend Mitch. He said that it's always easy to spot me because of my orange shirt. I'm becoming a permanent fixture at marathons. I kept going back to the potty because I was a little anxious to get going. We lined up at the stop sign, which was the starting line and right at midnight we were off.First Half
I had taken a peak at the course and elevation profile before the race and realized that the first half would be a steady climb, but I thought it would be good practice for the AFC half marathon next week. Boy was I surprised! I definitely was not prepared to run that uphill section into a very stiff headwind. The sustained wind gusts blew me all over the place and made my mouth really dry. I tried to stay behind a couple of guys and a girl, but it barely helped. After I hit my first walk break, I was sad to see my windshields go. I was surprised to only see a few people pass me during my break. I realized that even though my pace was slow, I was going too fast for the conditions and my current level of fitness. My right hip would remind me to slow down when I was around mile 10. Also I was having GI issues. It felt as if my guts were doing somersaults and back-flips. I kept thinking that I need to use the next portapotty or find a spot to do my business, but the urge would subside. I think it was the spicy shrimp I ate at the buffet, most likely a poor choice for carbo-loading. I made it to the half right where I wanted to be in order to give myself a chance at finishing a tad under 5 hrs.
1 - 8:07
2 - 9:21
3 - 9:25
4 - 10:11
5 - 9:26
6 - 10:15
7 - 11:27
8 - 10:20
9 - 11:33
10 - 12:05
11 - 12:53
12 - 12:40
13 - 13:06
Second Half
I was pooped by the time I got to the Coyote Summit, the highest point of the race. It was all downhill from this point, but I had to walk a lot more than I had planned. The GI issues was pretty much taken care of when I ran out of my Gatorade and switched to Heed. I'll have to look into that. As I reached the town of Rachel, I started to feel the onset of the leg cramps. I took a potty break when I reached mile 20. This was where the half marathoners turn left and finish at the Little A'le'Inn restaurant. It's somewhat demoralizing to see the finish line and then have to cover another 6.2 miles before you see it again. My legs were locking up at this point, so I decided to walk the next mile. That's when Mitch caught me. He said that he had trouble breathing in the first half due to the altitude. I guess that was another thing that was working against me. We were running at an altitude between 4000 and almost 6000 feet. The recovery walk alleviated the leg cramps. Anyways, the turnaround point was at around mile 23. During this stretch, a girl with knee high white most likely compression socks kept leapfrogging me. She must have been using my orange shirt as a target. Anyways I kept alternating between walking and running until I was about half a mile from the finish. I took off as fast as I could and crossed the finish line just at the break of dawn. I could not eat any of the breakfast spread after having sucked down Gatorade, Shot Bloks, Heed, and GU for the past 5.5 hrs.
14 - 13:10
15 - 12:21
16 - 12:03
17 - 12:31
18 - 14:47
19 - 13:21
20 - 15:18
21 - 19:25
22 - 15:13
23 - 13:35
24 - 13:55
25 - 13:52
26 - 14:05
26.2 - 1:54
Total: 5:26:33
Post race
After I cleaned off my face, it was another 2.5 hr bus ride back into Vegas. Once I got back to the hotel I took a shower, packed up, checked out, and headed back to the Rio Carnival World Buffet for round 2. This time I had about 6 plates. I was really craving the duck. Next time I'm back in town, I'm going to have to look for a new buffet restaurant. From this race, I discovered that I like Heed. It's not as sweet as Gatorade and if I can avoid GI issues, that would be swell. I like visiting Las Vegas. It's a fun place even if you're not there to enjoy its vices. There are a lot of running destinations in the surrounding areas. You come across lots of different walks of life since it's a tourist town. But next time I'll probably fly instead. The car ride home was not fun: little sleep + marathon + post-race buffet... you do the math. :D I pulled over at Primm just to get a bottle of Coke. I might come back to run this again next year, but I want to run some of Calico Racing's other events... in particular, The Running with the Devil.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)