The hardest thing about running is getting started. I just don't mean the physical act of taking the first step on a long run but also the idea of starting over again after you have finished. For a couple of weeks there I was basking in the glory of another marathon completed, but with the San Diego Marathon as a possible race, I had to start up again. I allowed my body to recover for a couple of weeks, but now I have to step it up if I'm going to be in shape for San Diego, and this time I won't be part of Team in Training. If I do San Diego, it will mark my first marathon outside of the TNT family. So far, I've found it hard to get motivated to wake up at 6:30AM on a Saturday morning to go for an extended run. Not only do I have to motivate myself to run, I also have to motivate myself to show up at the trails. I have made myself some promises for this year, not quite resolutions, but goals or points of action, and chief among them is to be more proactive about many, many things. One of them is being proactive about improving my speed and fitness. With school ending soon, I can't really blame that any more for taking focus away from my training.
With all of that said, I ventured out on my longest run since the marathon--13 miles. I've done regular four mile runs in the last couple of weeks and two six mile runs, but nothing topping double digits. My goal was to run a 9:00/mile pace, but by mile 5 I was already laboring at a pace that was slightly above 9:00/mile. I didn't expect to shave off any time for the next three miles because it was all uphill, climbing up to Angeles National Forest past the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Once I reach my turnaround point perhaps I could make up some time on the downhill. It was a pleasant day with some cloud cover. It helped that I was shaded for most of the uphill portion and the lovely view of the stream running along the trail helped distract me. Still, when I got up to the turnaround point with only five mile left, I was exhausted. I couldn't believe I ran twice this distance only a month ago.
On the way down, I ran into FJ, my running partner from last fall. We had been planning to run together in the future, but as it turned out yesterday, we just missed each other by about 10 minutes. He ran 14 miles. It would have been nice to run with someone because it does get lonely and taxing trying to motivate yourself to keep going. If FJ had been there, it would have helped a great deal.
I ran the remaining four miles after chatting with FJ at a sub 9:00/mile pace. I cancelled all walkbreaks but two and got to the finish line at 2:07. Shave off about five minutes I spent catching up with FJ and that makes for a time of about 2:02 for 13 miles. Not too bad for my first long run in four weeks.
Next Saturday the goal is to run 16 miles. Hopefully FJ will be free to do so on Saturday and we can catch up on music and reality TV while we run.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Josh Ritter
If you're a Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen fan, pick up Josh Ritter's The Animal Years and thank me later. It may just be the best album of the year.
Friday, April 07, 2006
horse race
I've been watching what I eat the last couple of weeks, except for last night. I had dinner with a friend and gave in to my craving for a big, fat burger. I've been good for so many days that I think I earned one good/bad meal. I may have lost a couple of pounds since starting this "diet," and I would love to be at about 155 by marathon time in June.
Speaking of running, I'm running a 5K tomorrow at Santa Anita Park. The race finishes in the infield of the horse track and afterwards we get to stay in the park and watch the races. It's a tough finish since your feet sink into the dirt, but it's also exhilarating as you enter the park and feel the inner racehorse in you gallop to the finish. It has only been three weeks since the marathon, so I'll try not to push myself too much, but it's tough to do when I see others passing me. The competitive fire just starts burning and next thing I know I'm no longer running an "easy" 3.1 miles. After this week I'm going to amp up my running. The longest run I've done since the marathon was six miles last Sunday, which felt really good.
In other news, work really drains me even though I really don't do much. I'm getting burned out with school and work. School wraps up next month, so that will free up more time, but I'd prefer if work wrapped up. If not for the money I would have been long gone, focusing instead on school.
Speaking of running, I'm running a 5K tomorrow at Santa Anita Park. The race finishes in the infield of the horse track and afterwards we get to stay in the park and watch the races. It's a tough finish since your feet sink into the dirt, but it's also exhilarating as you enter the park and feel the inner racehorse in you gallop to the finish. It has only been three weeks since the marathon, so I'll try not to push myself too much, but it's tough to do when I see others passing me. The competitive fire just starts burning and next thing I know I'm no longer running an "easy" 3.1 miles. After this week I'm going to amp up my running. The longest run I've done since the marathon was six miles last Sunday, which felt really good.
In other news, work really drains me even though I really don't do much. I'm getting burned out with school and work. School wraps up next month, so that will free up more time, but I'd prefer if work wrapped up. If not for the money I would have been long gone, focusing instead on school.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Back on the saddle
I'm taking my plan to run the San Diego Marathon seriously, so after taking a week and a half off from running, I started up again. I ran three miles on Wednesday and Thursday, taking it easy for now to prevent any injuries and allow my legs to recover from the marathon. San Diego is in two months, so I have to start getting some longer distances in once again. I'll start with six miles tomorrow, bump it up to 10 the following week, and perhaps a twenty miler 3-4 weeks before the marathon. Geez, there's not a lot of time. I think the main thing is to maintain my level of fitness while I recover, and in a couple of weeks I can start doing speed workouts again.
On non-running related news, I went to see Rhett Miller play a show in Santa Ana. Wow, what a show. It was worth risking my life driving through a storm and the local freeways. Miller played in a venue called the Galaxy Theater, which is a dinner-theater-ish establishment. I've only seen one show there before, and it's an OK venue, but they really need to put in for repairs. There were leaks on the ceiling, including one that dripped right onto the stage. I feared electrocution for Rhett and his band. Thankfully the show went on without any fatalities and the band played a heck of a set. Miller played a lot of songs that were pretty evenly split between his solo albums and stuff from Old 97's, including a punked out version of "Barrier Reef."
I've been seeing a lot of shows lately. Last week was Josh Riter/Band of Horses, the week before that were Arctic Monkeys. Next week will be The Boy Least Likely To at the Spaceland. After that I don't have another one scheduled until Josh Ritter returns in June.
Oh, I almost forgot, I passed my comprehensive exams! It looks like I'll be graduating. The only thing left is to pass my classes, which should not be a problem. =)
On non-running related news, I went to see Rhett Miller play a show in Santa Ana. Wow, what a show. It was worth risking my life driving through a storm and the local freeways. Miller played in a venue called the Galaxy Theater, which is a dinner-theater-ish establishment. I've only seen one show there before, and it's an OK venue, but they really need to put in for repairs. There were leaks on the ceiling, including one that dripped right onto the stage. I feared electrocution for Rhett and his band. Thankfully the show went on without any fatalities and the band played a heck of a set. Miller played a lot of songs that were pretty evenly split between his solo albums and stuff from Old 97's, including a punked out version of "Barrier Reef."
I've been seeing a lot of shows lately. Last week was Josh Riter/Band of Horses, the week before that were Arctic Monkeys. Next week will be The Boy Least Likely To at the Spaceland. After that I don't have another one scheduled until Josh Ritter returns in June.
Oh, I almost forgot, I passed my comprehensive exams! It looks like I'll be graduating. The only thing left is to pass my classes, which should not be a problem. =)
Sunday, March 26, 2006
my L.A. Marathon story in pictures
I give up! =)
Laser-like focus.
Still happy and relaxed.
Brad and I.
Less happy and relaxed.
I think I can...
Ouch! It hurts!
Finally!
Thumbs up for L.A. Marathon v.2
Thursday, March 23, 2006
The Report
Four days after the marathon and the soreness has faded away. As glad as I am to be able to walk down the stairs without any pain, I miss the soreness because it was a reminder of what I had accomplished. Now that the pain is gone, it's just a memory, but it's one that also is beginning to dissipate. Right now I'm in a post-marathon funk, elated by the experience but a little out of place wondering what to do next. It's like an addiction, really. There's the anguish, then the high, followed by a craving for more. I can't think of a better thing to be addicted to.
As for a race report there really isn't much to report. While I thought, regardless of the final time, Nike was an easier run for me, fewer things happened to my body in this marathon than the previous two. Mostly that has to do with the fact that I've been running for over a year now. Also, I don't think I pushed myself enough early on. I held back a little bit. My goal was to finish the first half in under two hours and try to at least maintain the pace for the second half. I wound up running the first half in 2:04, the fastest first half I've done, but it meant that I had to run a 1:55 second half to finish under four hours. While that wasn't beyond the realm of possibility--my half marathon PR is 1:49--there was the fact that I had already run a half marathon that day. Still, I felt good after the first half and was ready to speed it up a bit. Again, I think I was too cautious because while I did speed up, I did it ever so slightly. In the back of my mind I worried that if I use too much energy at that point I was going to cramp up by mile 18 or, worse, hit the wall. I have to get over that fear of hitting the wall. While no one wants to hit the wall, part of running a marathon is hitting that wall yet finding a way to get around it. I didn't hit a wall on Sunday. All I felt was good old-fashioned fatigue and nothing more.
The fact that I allowed my training to lapse in the last few weeks hurt me on Sunday. My last run longer than 10 miles was over a month and a half before the race. By mile 15 I was beginning to feel tired, which should be normal, but it was a fatigue that didn't set in until mile 19 in San Francisco. What saved me was being smart about taking in fuel throughout the race. The oranges at the sideline were incredibly scrumptious. I'm sure they weren't, but when you're in the middle of the race, anything tastes great.
I didn't start badly cramping until mile 25 and the finish. My legs just started feeling like lead by mile 19 and I had to practically drag them for the last five miles. It may have been psychological but I just couldn't get myself to move faster. Thanks to Kate running with me from miles 22 to 25, I probably would have slowed down even more. Thanks to her she kept me at a sub 10 minute pace. When she left me at mile 25 I was in good shape. I had a cramp on my right quad, but I was still moving well. At about the 25.5 mile point, my calves cramped up. I can't understand why my calves cramp up together. One at a time, I can understand, but both inevitably cramp up within seconds of each other. It must be because once one cramps I wind up overcompensating on the other. It's ridiculous. I'd love to run a marathon without cramps in my calves. I doubt it will happen, but it's something to shoot for.
So, at 4:15, I have fifteen minutes or so to shave off to get to four hours. Looking back on Sunday, I don't think it was meant to be. I wasn't in the best shape, but I think I could have shaved a few more minutes by pushing myself a little harder. Well, when I put it that way, if I just pushed myself I could be sitting at four hours. I'm happy with my time and wasn't too disappointed that I missed the goal. I still set a personal best and erased the horrible memory of my first LA Marathon. Besides, this is not the end. There are more marathons to run, maybe a couple more this year alone, and I'm sure by this year, if I put in the work, I can break through that four hour mark. I'm not that far, really, I can see it. Fifteen minutes! Fifteen minutes!
This week I'm taking it easy. I haven't done any exercises and I'm getting very antsy. I did walk a lot last night in Hollywood prior to the Josh Ritter/Band of Horses/Earlimart show. I actually didn't make it through the Earlimart set because 1) I didn't care for their music; b) A 7+ foot giant (I'm not kidding) planted himself near the front of the stage and blocked my view along with many others, and c) My legs were aching after standing around for 2.5 hours.
So, what's next? San Diego is a possibility, and I'm trying to figure out which marathon to run in October. Portland, Chicago, and NYC are possibilities. Any suggestions?
As for a race report there really isn't much to report. While I thought, regardless of the final time, Nike was an easier run for me, fewer things happened to my body in this marathon than the previous two. Mostly that has to do with the fact that I've been running for over a year now. Also, I don't think I pushed myself enough early on. I held back a little bit. My goal was to finish the first half in under two hours and try to at least maintain the pace for the second half. I wound up running the first half in 2:04, the fastest first half I've done, but it meant that I had to run a 1:55 second half to finish under four hours. While that wasn't beyond the realm of possibility--my half marathon PR is 1:49--there was the fact that I had already run a half marathon that day. Still, I felt good after the first half and was ready to speed it up a bit. Again, I think I was too cautious because while I did speed up, I did it ever so slightly. In the back of my mind I worried that if I use too much energy at that point I was going to cramp up by mile 18 or, worse, hit the wall. I have to get over that fear of hitting the wall. While no one wants to hit the wall, part of running a marathon is hitting that wall yet finding a way to get around it. I didn't hit a wall on Sunday. All I felt was good old-fashioned fatigue and nothing more.
The fact that I allowed my training to lapse in the last few weeks hurt me on Sunday. My last run longer than 10 miles was over a month and a half before the race. By mile 15 I was beginning to feel tired, which should be normal, but it was a fatigue that didn't set in until mile 19 in San Francisco. What saved me was being smart about taking in fuel throughout the race. The oranges at the sideline were incredibly scrumptious. I'm sure they weren't, but when you're in the middle of the race, anything tastes great.
I didn't start badly cramping until mile 25 and the finish. My legs just started feeling like lead by mile 19 and I had to practically drag them for the last five miles. It may have been psychological but I just couldn't get myself to move faster. Thanks to Kate running with me from miles 22 to 25, I probably would have slowed down even more. Thanks to her she kept me at a sub 10 minute pace. When she left me at mile 25 I was in good shape. I had a cramp on my right quad, but I was still moving well. At about the 25.5 mile point, my calves cramped up. I can't understand why my calves cramp up together. One at a time, I can understand, but both inevitably cramp up within seconds of each other. It must be because once one cramps I wind up overcompensating on the other. It's ridiculous. I'd love to run a marathon without cramps in my calves. I doubt it will happen, but it's something to shoot for.
So, at 4:15, I have fifteen minutes or so to shave off to get to four hours. Looking back on Sunday, I don't think it was meant to be. I wasn't in the best shape, but I think I could have shaved a few more minutes by pushing myself a little harder. Well, when I put it that way, if I just pushed myself I could be sitting at four hours. I'm happy with my time and wasn't too disappointed that I missed the goal. I still set a personal best and erased the horrible memory of my first LA Marathon. Besides, this is not the end. There are more marathons to run, maybe a couple more this year alone, and I'm sure by this year, if I put in the work, I can break through that four hour mark. I'm not that far, really, I can see it. Fifteen minutes! Fifteen minutes!
This week I'm taking it easy. I haven't done any exercises and I'm getting very antsy. I did walk a lot last night in Hollywood prior to the Josh Ritter/Band of Horses/Earlimart show. I actually didn't make it through the Earlimart set because 1) I didn't care for their music; b) A 7+ foot giant (I'm not kidding) planted himself near the front of the stage and blocked my view along with many others, and c) My legs were aching after standing around for 2.5 hours.
So, what's next? San Diego is a possibility, and I'm trying to figure out which marathon to run in October. Portland, Chicago, and NYC are possibilities. Any suggestions?
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Splits
| MILE | SPLIT | ELAPSED |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 11:29:03 | 11:29 |
| 02 | 09:55:50 | 21:24 |
| 03 | 09:22:13 | 30:46 |
| 04 | 09:31:24 | 40:17 |
| 05 | 09:41:19 | 49:59 |
| 06 | 10:22:12 | 1:00:21 |
| 07 | 09:16:07 | 1:09:37 |
| 08 | 09:07:64 | 1:18:44 |
| 09 | 08:59:19 | 1:27:44 |
| 10 | 08:47:14 | 1:36:31 |
| 11 | 09:16:59 | 1:45:47 |
| 12 | 09:10:39 | 1:54:58 |
| 13.1 | 09:43:83 | 2:04:42 |
| 14 | 08:51:06 | 2:13:33 |
| 15 | 08:40:33 | 2:22:13 |
| 16 | 08:54:88 | 2:31:08 |
| 17 | 10:22:96 | 2:41:31 |
| 18 | 09:28:15 | 2:50:59 |
| 19 | 10:36:50 | 3:01:36 |
| 20 | 10:49:78 | 3:12:21 |
| 21 | 10:47:28 | 3:23:13 |
| 22 | 09:47:16 | 3:33:00 |
| 23 | 09:51:34 | 3:42:51 |
| 24 | 09:50:61 | 3:52:42 |
| 25-26.2 | 22:52:40 | 4:15:34 |
I'm still working on the race report, but I think you will get a sense of how the race went based on my split times, courtesy of my Timex IronMan watch, which appears to need a change in batteries. I forgot to hit the button on mile 25, so the time for miles 25 thru 26.2 are combined. Overall I was a good time keeper. My time per my watch was only off by four seconds, and I think that's due to not wanting to look stupid in the finish picture.
NOTE: I have no idea why the entry is leaving so much white space. It must be my HMTL formatting. I have no idea what I'm doing.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Foot Update
It's 12:30PM on Saturday and my foot feels worse today. I'm kind of disheartened that I'll have to pull out tomorrow. I think the chances are good that I won't run unless my foot feels a lot better. I tried running on it right now and it hurt. Strangely, I'm not as frustrated as I expected. If it had been my first one and had put in all this time and effort I would be angry, but it's my third, so the significance of running it is less. I'm bummed that I might not get to try for the sub-4 hour time, but at the same time San Diego is less than three months away. I can train for that and go for it there.
I'm not going to make the call right now. I have a few hours to decide, and if I wake up tomorrow morning and the foot isn't considerably better then I won't run.
I'm not going to make the call right now. I have a few hours to decide, and if I wake up tomorrow morning and the foot isn't considerably better then I won't run.
Friday, March 17, 2006
walking a little funny
I've developed a pain on my foot. I've had it before and went away after a few days. I thought it might be plantar fasciatis because it's worse in the morning and goes away as I walk around a bit. However, doesn't P.S. run down the middle of your foot from heel to toe? The pain is only on the ball of my foot. I still intend to run on Sunday, but I might be less comfortable than I'd like.
The good news is that the weather is cooperating. We have showers today and tomorrow, but Sunday ought to be cool and partly cloudy. I'm still not nervous. I feel like I ought to be, but maybe it's quickly becoming old hat. The plan is to run an easy first half in around two hours, hopefully just a bit under. I'll then pick up the pace from miles 13.1 through 20. I'll stop taking walk breaks after mile 20 and try to run a 10K pace for the remainder. Again, it's a plan. We'll see how well I stick to it on Sunday.
I took a two-hour lunch and picked up my bib. I would have liked to walk around a little more, but it's just as well. I need to get off my feet and get back to work. I did buy a hat for $8 just in case it rains and to block out the sun. Look for me. I'm #3175.
The good news is that the weather is cooperating. We have showers today and tomorrow, but Sunday ought to be cool and partly cloudy. I'm still not nervous. I feel like I ought to be, but maybe it's quickly becoming old hat. The plan is to run an easy first half in around two hours, hopefully just a bit under. I'll then pick up the pace from miles 13.1 through 20. I'll stop taking walk breaks after mile 20 and try to run a 10K pace for the remainder. Again, it's a plan. We'll see how well I stick to it on Sunday.
I took a two-hour lunch and picked up my bib. I would have liked to walk around a little more, but it's just as well. I need to get off my feet and get back to work. I did buy a hat for $8 just in case it rains and to block out the sun. Look for me. I'm #3175.
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