Quinto Sol

What is a Meme?

2010-09-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

I had to look that word up... first time I have been memed... I doubt anyone would care to read my answer but I'll go ahead and play.

1. Answer this question: if you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?
2. The second thing you have to do is, pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award.
3. The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award.

1. The proverbial change... funny, the older I get the more things I wish I had done differently... the optimist sees the wisdom I have gained; the pessimist calls it poor decision-making. But I have yet to answer the question. Here it goes: I would have shown more affection towards my Mom.

2. Michelle the speedy journalist/photographer. Frank the patents engineer. Kyle the adventurous one. Seebo the speedy Professor (2:35 marathoner). Mindy, truly the one person who always manages to bring a smile to my face when I read her blog. Kenny the commuter journalist.

3. TK- Thank you for giving me this award. You described me as being kind, but really, I pale in comparison to you. Your eloquent writings should be published in a major running magazine... if nothing else in the New Yorker. I look forward to reading more about your next PR... and the next, and the next.

Now if I could only figure out how to make the *right* decisions so that I won't have to look back in the future and say: "I could have been this... or that, if I had only done that, or the other."

Happy and healthy running to you all...

Ooo La La (Anatomy of Two Races)

2010-04-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Funny how life turns out. I had set a comfortable (semi-confident) goal of sub-3:30. Why the lack of confidence you ask? After all the year had began well with a 1:33:XX half mary. Not much later though, I ran into a wall while "pacing" the 3:40 hopefuls. It was at mile 22 where, due to severe dehydration, I threw in the towel; my spirit was defeated as my legs failed to produce. Fortunately there was a co-pacer who carried the few remaining soles to the finish. I slogged my way to finish in 3:44:XX... feeling sorry for myself.

Paris is one of my favorite destinations. Alas, my memory was mired as I had ran this race (slightly different course) back in 2001, in a PW of 4:05:57. I was foolish then... no real sense of what it took to perform at this distance. A sub-3:30 would be more than redeeming to this battered soul.

I left LAX at noon on Thursday, and arrived at CDG on Friday at 9 AM local time. Somehow I managed to get some sleep during the flight even though it was against my circadian rhythm's logic.

After I checked in, I managed another 1.5 hours of sleep. Nice. Went to pick up my bib number and called it a day. That night, I took a sleeping pill, an iron supplement and my allergy medication. Result: close to 12 hours of sleep. Jet lag be damned. Did a bit of sightseeing and heading "home" early the following day. Drank 16-oz of gatorade and, again, took a sleeping pill and an anti-histamine. Slept for close to 8 hours. Felt as rested as I have ever felt.

Race morning had me so relaxed, it seemed I was getting ready to go for an easy stroll rather than a 42.195 Km journey. I was wearing a long sleeve T over my singlet and decided to wear the plastic poncho provided by the organizers. I also wore cotton gloves that not only kept my hands warm, but also were used to store three hammer gels. A bag of jelly-beans was going to be a new thing for me; they were to be ingested 15 minutes pre-race time. I quickly ate half a banana and I was on my way. My Nike Zooms only had 17 miles in them and I worried that they had not been broken in; what's more, they felt a bit too snug. Too late.

The subway trip took just about 25 minutes. Amazingly, the CDG Etoile [Arc de Triumph] exit was not crowded; I guess runners who took the subway took it in waves. I had about 20 minutes to spare. I promptly made my way into my corral (3:15) and lined up way in the back, next to the 3:30 corral [3:15 was my goal when I signed up in October]. Jelly beans were quite tasty. The temp was coolish, 40s... perfect.

The horn goes off (no national anthem sung here, nor a fancy flyover) and we're off. No. Wait. We walked. It was a cluster-f*ck. We did not start running until we crossed the starting mats. I immediately got into a nice easy rhythm. At one K I checked my watch and it was just over 5 minutes. Perfect. Champ Elysees had never felt flatter. At 2K, and while rounding the Place de la Concorde, I tossed my throw-away long-sleeved T. Two kilometers of cobble stones conquered.

[2001] At two K I begin to feel pain in my knee;
not a good sign. The pain does not subside. Rain started to drop. It was
not strong, more like a drizzle.

The back top feels surprisingly soft; my Nikes are light, they make my feet feel fast. We continue by the Louvre and the pace feel just right, unlike in Berlin where I had trouble breathing. I hit the first 5K in 24:59. Perfect. The first aid station is on the right and I am on the left side; a swarm of runners shift to the right and I stay put, thinking that there MUST be other tables on the left. Thankfully I am right, but I practically came to a full stop as we had to pick the 12-oz bottle from the tables. I grab a piece of banana as well. A fellow runner slips in front of me. Banana peels and half-eaten orange quarters litter the road.

The 3:30 pacers pass me and I let them go, but I keep them close. I keep a sustainable effort and keep up. The second aid station would only be on the left side. I missed it. 10K in 50:01 (25:02). I bent to pick up a half-full tossed bottle; I do not want to go through premature dehydration; I don't care who drank from that bottle earlier. The crowds are feeling a bit claustrophobic and I subconsciously pick up the pace while running on a dirt path. I pass the 3:30 group. It was nice that the group was more of a line than a wall. At around 12K I decide to make a quick pit stop that would eat 20 seconds off my final time. The 3:30G passes me again. I see a split that does not make sense, 4:45. How could I have sped up that much without feeling it? Hmm. 15K, 1:14:39 (24:38).

It was here where I chose to pass the 3:30G for good. I am running on an adjacent running path, taking full advantage of a tail wind. 20K, 1:38:14 (23:35) WTF? I'll take it. Somewhere around the next 5K I started feeling a head wind and I went back onto the road, drafting off of others.

Right where we go under a tunnel by
the Seine river, I decide to favor my injured leg; this appears to work.
Everything seems to be ok until the half way point where I feel like hanging
up my shoes. My knee had flared up again, and it was quite frustrating
seeing people pass me; I felt helpless to do anything about it. I
crossed the half-marathon marker at just over 2:02, or 9:20 mpm.

By K24, the pain in my knee was so overwhelming, I had to stop to massage
the culprit area

25K, 2:02:12 (23:58), still running and feeling strong. We go through a seemingly endless tunnel that really had me praying it would soon end; it was dark, warm and noisy. The under-passes felt no different than the flat areas, signaling that I had done well tapering. 30K, 2:26:12 (24:00), the splits keep on giving me positive feedback. There were some that I must have lost concentration as they trickled too close to the 5 minute mark. Right around this point, my left calf begins to cramp. Shit. Not now. Not when I am having one good day; what am I saying? I am having a GREAT day. I lower my knees hoping that the electrolytes in the hammer gel I just had will soon kick in. The cramping does not last long, thank goodness.

At just after 30K,
I stopped to stretch and massage my calf and to release my bladder. Lo and
behold when I tried to continue with my shuffling, I cannot even move my
left leg, for the pain in my knee is overbearing. For a second time, I want to quit so bad it batters my already wounded ego.

35K, 2:50:32, (24:20). Damn, I am slowing down. I need to pick it up if I want to go sub 3:25. I do the math and it is well within my ability. I push the pace on what are now tired legs. Thankfully, I am left with plenty of energy to finish strong. The splits are getting faster and faster. I try to stay with a female runner who's running splendidly. I can't keep up; she has the better fitness. I relax. 40K, 3:13:46 (23:14) and my fastest 5K of the race [7:29 pace people!!!]. 41K, 4:38. I try to sustain that pace. 42K, 4:24... WTF? Where did that split come from. Last 195 meters in 45 seconds. I cross the finish line feeling elated. 1:43:24/1:40:09 =3:23:33 with a very satisfying 3:15 negative split. And a 42+ personal course record. How do I like 'em apples? ;-) On this day, j'adore them!!!

The last K went by quicker than I thought possible while chasing another runner (4:48) and from somewhere I managed to get some race-like feeling that took me to the finish banner in 47 seconds for the last 195 meters. My stop watch read 4:05:53. Almost even splits.

One benefit that has been the rule, rather than the exception, is that the recovery time is minimal when I have ran negative split 'thons.

I was limping badly after the volunteer clipped my chip. I guess the rush of endorphins had stopped a few seconds after I crossed the finish line.

Thanks for reading and may your next race be as satisfying as this one was for me.

One Tequila, Two...

2010-01-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

I decided to run this race because it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit the town… and at roughly $20 the entry fee, it was a bargain.

I flew into GDL a couple of days before the race. My brother was kind enough to pick me up and we headed directly to buy churros-con-cajeta from a street vendor. Oh the memories of a long, lost childhood. Then he took me to a couple of liquor stores (as I have been in the hunt for rare and/or discontinued tequila). Found one bottle of Casa Noble Gold… Alas, it was corked; it tasted like water with wood cuttings. Nasty.

The following day I asked my brother to take me to pick up my bib. I had asked him if he knew how to get to the host hotel; and my brother, who does not shy away from a challenge, quickly said yes. We got lost. We were in the right general area but made three circles in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I was all stressed out after almost an hour of maddening traffic. Finally we made it there. Picked up bib and headed to have something to eat..

Race day comes and I am ready by 6:30AM. I had figured it would take us approximately one hour to make it to the start from my brother’s house (about a mile south of Tlaquepaque). My brother’s phone rings… it’s my nephew… brother agrees to pick him up so that he can join us… hmmm, not liking this at all… we’re pressed for time. After getting lost, yet again, we finally connect with my nephew. It is now 7:10AM. Not looking good. Surprisingly, I am not stressing.

My brother drives like a maniac for the next 45 or so minutes and make it to the edge of town where the Police had blocked the road. I look at my watch and it is 7:56... I start running towards the start (about .75 miles from where we parked) hoping that the race will start late… nope, about 400 from the start I see a whole bunch of people exploding towards me. Now, I was running on the sidewalk so I was not in their way. I run around the barricades and cross the mats just over two minutes after the gun. Some other late comers were trickling in as well, but I can safely state that I was one of the last to start the race.

I quickly started passing slower runners. My breathing is not where I wanted it to be at this time; it is labored; is it because of the ~4000 foot elevation? Or just me who is in denial at losing so much fitness. To put things in perspective, I ran a 1:31:03 in January ‘09... Then I had the abysmal 1:47 half at the Nike Women’s Half in October. A month later and I was adamant about running what I thought was a realistic time, or a sub-1:40. I ended up running the first km on pace. I managed to continue the race effort up to the third km where the climbs began. My lungs began to burn; my legs did not complain so much. I slowed down to 8:20 mpm pace. I do not worry. Much. I think I will get the time lost back on the impending downhill stretch. The climb seem to be never ending. Finally a descent is on my view.

All through these climbs we have been running on an access dirt road, with fields of agave to our left and to our right. The smell of the leftover agave fiber/mulch used to fertilize the fields is quite pungent; so pungently potent that I mistake it for black water. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the sights and smells.

After what seemed like a rather short descent, we start climbing again. Damn. Finally, just after km 9, we turn right into a paved road and a screaming descent begins. I thrive on down hills and start passing quite a few runners including a group of triathletes who had passed me on the climb. I running about 7mpm; I am getting the runner’s high.

Then I see an upcoming hill. Damn. When I start climbing it, my legs begin to feel like jello and my lungs once again burn. I ease up on the effort as I still have more than 7kms to go. The tri-athletes pass me like if I was just standing there. I do not respond. The downhill continues but I can not get my feet to turn over fast enough. I am struggling. I see my brother and nephew. My brother screams words of encouragement… in English… and I give him the finger for I felt he was mocking me. Five more Ks to go… I should be able to finish strong.

Not today. I can barely keep pace with two masters women. The kilometers seem to be longer and longer. My mind is totally in disarray. I want to walk so badly. Negative thoughts cross my mind as if the end of the world was nearing. It took enormous amounts of will to NOT walk. I knew I would finish. After what seemed to be an eternity the finish line was in sight. I gunned it with whatever reserve I had and crossed in 1:43:XX… felling like crap.

I had to stop for about 15 minutes inside the chute to recover. Then after exiting the chute, it took me about an hour to feel back to normal.

My only guess is that I was dehydrated by 10 miles even though I hydrated well during the race.

The Fall in New York

2009-11-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

My less than adequate result at the SF Nike Woman's Half had me searching for answers. I completed that half in 1:46:57, with several walking breaks beginning on the second or third hill. When I took these breaks, my heart was racing; definitively atypical for me. It was just plain weird considering that my first two miles were clocked at 7:30 pace and I was feeling fine. The problems started during the hills. I should note that I have run this course before and the hills, while challenging, have not humbled me as much as they did this time around.

Fast forward to November 1st. ... and my last day on antibiotics.

I take the ferry to Staten Island. I arrived at the athlete's village at just after 9am. I see that runners with green bibs are heading to their assigned corral. Damn. I still have to take my clothes to the UPS truck. It's announced that wave one is closed, same as last year. I grabbed two eight-oz water bottles as I felt thirsty. Drink one. Hold on to the other one as I do not want to have to go again prior to the start.

I head to the green corral even though it's supposed to be closed. I am allowed to enter it; I move my way forward as much as possible. It's not nearly as windy as last year. I spot Dean Karnazes; he looks thinner than I remember. I ended up waiting 30 minutes.

The horn sounds and it takes me 1:20 to cross the start mats. I plan on running as easy as possible while maintaining a decent pace. First mile is as expected due to the incline, 9:10. The second mile is mostly downhill and it should be faster. Right before the two mile marker I find myself in front of a tossed out white plastic trash bag. It's quite large and I decide to set my right foot on the middle of it. Big mistake. As my other foot landed firmly, the bag somehow wrapped itself around both of my feet and down I went, landing mostly on my hands, with my right hand scraping badly enough that it burned for two miles. Interestingly enough, I bruised my left arm and hand, scraped my left elbow and knee but did not notice it until after the end of the race.

As I was tumbling around, I saw the wall of runners forming the 3:30 group. As I quickly made it to my feet, I heard two or three people asking me if I was okay, to which I replied yes. Mile 2, 7:38. 8:24 pace so far and feeling good in spite of my right hand bleeding more than it should have as the loss of skin and the cut were not that bad. I will try to finish this "thing" in around 8:20 pace as I do not want to crash as badly as I have done in three of my six previous stints at the course.

Mile three is in Brooklyn and I am handed two band-aids; I struggle to place them on my hand while still running. Missed hitting the split button. I turn into the wide avenue and now the three corrals have merged. My right hand keeps on burning and I keep on glancing at it. Why? I don't know. Instinct I guess. Miles 3 and 4 in 16:43. Still feeling good.

I continue the easy pace; the effort coincides with the pace. The stupor from the fall has faded and I am able to clock an 8:07 for the fifth mile; I might have subconsciously upped the effort. Cool. Mile six confirms that as my watch shows 8:05. Time in the bank. Mile seven is an 8:08 and I contemplate averaging 8:10s instead of the original 8:20s. Mile eight brings me back to reality as the split is an unexpected 8:18 (10 seconds slower???). It was at this point where my feet began to ache; not badly, mind you, more like a dull ache than painful; but I saw it as my body telling me to revise my "race plan." I decided if the aches continued, or worse, got painful, that i would quit at the half.

[Mile nine has a mild incline that has wreaked havoc with my mind in my failed NYCMs as I have always got a much slower than expected split. Add the Poulansky bridge midway and you have the final nail on my coffin.]

So I decide to try Gallo-breaks (TM) in this mile. I make sure to be on the side as I do not want to be a hindrance to those who are running well. Almost as soon as I start walking I feel a gentle but firm slap on my butt. I am naturally startled. It was a European woman whom I guess wanted to encourage me to man-up and continue running. I could not help but to smile. 50 secs later I resume my running. Not surprisingly the split is slower, 8:37. I decide to skip the break during mile 10 as it has a mild decline and I am rewarded with an 8:01. Wow, I might just be able to complete it in 8:20 pace after all. It's nice to be an underachiever :-)

I take another walking break at mile 11, 8:33. Mile 12, 7:52... woohoo, nice ego boost. The Polansky bridge is coming up and I cannot help but to feel anxious. Mile 13, 8:12 and I walk the incline of the bridge, or at least for a minute. I cross the midpoint in 1:48:42. I do the math and even splits will bring me in with a not-so-bad 3:37 and change. Mile 14, 8:20.

Now in Queens, mile 15 is one of the least enjoyable in the course as the area is mostly industrial and it includes the upslope of the Queensboro bridge. Again, I follow what has proven to be a "wise" strategy, walking the inclines, and picking it up on the declines. Mile 15, 8:29. Mile 16 has a very nice decline and I expect to bank some time; I also expect not to take a break. But I wasn't counting on spotting what looked to be a bill stuck at one of the expansion gaps in the bridge. I look to my sides to make sure that my u-turn will not result in an accident. I pick up what ends up being three folded bills (2-$20s and 1-$10). Even with this slight "detour" I manage an 8:01 (I expected it to be faster- oh well).

I am now in first avenue where both sides of the road are lined with huge crowds screaming their lungs out. I spot a pair of arm warmers and I bend down to pick them up without losing stride. Mile 17, 7:41... damn, to run this kind of split at this stage was a good omen. I take a gallo-break but start picking up the effort when I am running. My left knee begins to ache (later on I figured the pain came from the bruise I sustain in the fall). Mile 18, 8:02. Mile 19, 8:17. Mile 20, 8:20. These three miles had a moderate headwind, so I expected to see faster splits once we headed back into Manhattan. Mile 21, 8:20; this mile includes a brief stint in the Bronx.

I was proven right once I entered Manhattan. Mile 22, 7:50. I am tired, but not nearly as tired as I was last year at this mile. Note: I am still taking gallo-breaks in the inclines. Mile 23, 7:50. Mile 24, 8:20... I can only guess that this was steeper than how I "saw" it.

I now am running in Central Park. I seem to remember that once I crest Cat's Hill that it is downhill until turning on Central Park South. Mile 25, 7:50. I am weaving in-and-out to avoid fading runners.

I turn on CPS and I struggle to make a decision whether to take a break this close to the finish. I chose what has worked so well so far. Mile 26, 7:50.

At this point I was under the impression that I was going to be able to break 3:34... I run as fast as I can for the last stretch. It is a net gain of elevation with moderate rolling hills. I complete this section in 1:32. I am spent but more than satisfied. I have just ran a 3'18" negative split in the NYCM. Not bad; not bad at all.

Monthly mileage 16 weeks before NY: July=128, August=133, September=95, October=92. Coincidence that my volume and fitness dropped quite a bit right after I was bit by a tick? I think not.

Thanks for reading and keep on running.

The Gravity of the Downhill

2009-10-06T13:55:00.001-07:00

The decision was made. To evaluate on the course whether or not to chase another BQ. This course has been good to me with two BQs (3:12:32 and 3:14:XX), both with HUGE negative splits; I knew the second half was much faster than the first. If I "felt" it, the goal was to run around 1:41:30 for the first half and negative split the second half by two minutes or more.

The day dawns cool... it's in the 50s in St. George. It can only be much cooler at the start, some 2500 feet higher. It is: 39F. It feels cooler than my other two BQs. I made sure to hydrate well the previous day. No need to repeat Berlin. I learned my lesson.

I somehow land too close to the start. And we're off more than two minutes early. I am wearing a long-sleeve throw-away shirt and gloves. I am breathing-in through my nose as I remembered that it helps to warm up the cool air... my nose hurts from the cold air... after five minutes, I switch to breathing-in through my mouth... much better. First mile is clocked in 7:33, what? It felt way too easy. I feel the need to reign in the pace. Next mile is a 7:40; much better, methinks. It is still dark and my body is warm enough to throw away the LS T.

I miss the third mile marker, but I am still running by feel and the pace seems easy enough to sustain for 26+ miles. The fourth marker approaches and I hit the lower-right button on my nike watch. It reads 14:39... WTF??? Gravity is really helping this ol' legs. Breathing could not be better. I feel elated. Sustain even effort, mile five: 7:27. Perfect. Mile six, 7:15... shit, too fast. Will I pay for it later? Mile seven, 7:17, even after consciously trying to slow down. I dream of crossing the line in sub-3:16. Ha Ha Ha!!!

Ahh, but doom looms not far from here. The Veyo hill... this is the most difficult mile in the race; thankfully it comes at a relatively early stage. Even so, it does humble me. My heart rate goers up considerably; some runners pass me. I smile as I see a decent 8:35 split for this mile. If memory serves me right, the next mile, even though not nearly as tough will be a slow mile. I am proven right as I clock an 8:15.

The next mile was a surprise as I did not think I was running THAT slow: 8:10. No matter, I banked plenty of time in the early miles; or so I think. Mile 11 comes in at a disappointing 8:22. I keet the faith and plod on. Mile 12 is a sub-8, 7:51. Close enough. Mile 13, 7:36... YES!!! I cross the half-way point exactly where I pictured myself being, 1:41:30.

I am feeling strong. Nothing can stop me now. I know this course; AND I know it well. Ha! Mile 14, 7:50.... hmm, not what I expected to see. Mile 15, 7:26, much more like it.

I seem to remember that mile 16 is screaming fast. Again, I am right: 7:11 (my fastest split of the morning). It was during this mile that the 3:20 group passed me and I let them go. I did try to stay close to them though.

Mile 17, 7:28... and I am feeling the pace; my heart feels stressed. I pushed the effort a bit to stay close to the 3:20s. Mistake? Maybe. Mile 18, 7:30, but the effort was too great. My breathing is labored. My mind is struggling. Soon after the 18 mile marker I see a decent pair of hills in front of me. My weak mind suggests to take a walking break. After all, walking is human no? Ahh yes, but running is divine!!! (stole that from a T-shirt). The 60 second break feels wonderful to my tired mind. I continue running. BUT wait, now my my legs are aching BIG time, particularly my toes and my quads. True, my knees had been hurting for most of the first half, but the pain was nothing compared to this. I am pushing it, really. Before I crest the second terraced hill I decide to take another walking break. This time it only lasts 30 seconds. Deep inside I know I am done. I continue on. Mile 19 is a not too slow mile at 8:13, but the damage is done. I am done. FINITO. I walk again. I try to jog but even a slow jog is quite painful to my lower body. I calculate that I can slog 10 minute miles for the rest of the "race." My legs refuse to comply, and my walk/shuffle gets me an 11:15 for the 20th mile. Where the f*ck is the shuttle van. Please come and pick me up. Poor me.

I continue the death march while what seemed to be the entire field passed me. Mile 21, 13:25. I am actually surprised it was that fast as even my walking was slow. I ask a volunteer at an aid station if the have any codeine... morphine will do nice thank you. Alas, they didn't even have aspirin. Mile 22, 12:56 and I finally see the shuttle. But at this point I am too damn close to hitch a ride. So I plod on.

The 3:30 group had passed me long ago. Now it was the 3:40 group to do the same. I start to "run" and surprisingly my body is cooperating. I no longer feel the unbearable pain of yester-moment. The three slogging miles must have been enough that my legs recovered. Mile 23, 8:34... Damn, I never thought I would feel good at seeing such split; well maybe at the Veyo mile, but not here. I take another walking break. My legs feel revitalized. I give chase to the 3:40s. I catch them and then some. Mile 24, 7:50. Another walking break, and the 3:40s pass me... AGAIN. I push the pace... manage to pass them and feel like screaming to the group to follow me of they were feeling good. I don't. Mile 25, 7:56. No walking break this time. My foggy mind thinks I can come in below 3:37, not realizing I need sub 7:15 pace to achieve this.

I am passing people left and right. The mile seems LONG... finally I see the 26 mile marker, 7:15, WTF??? I guess I am fully recovered. I would close with a 1:29 for a final time of 3:36:58.

AFTERMATH

I am standing by the finish and I see this guy who is beaming with pride so I ask him how he did. He says: 3:38, and you? That is great; I ran 3:37, I respond. He says: congratulations. I say: thank you, but I was aiming for 3:20. He says: don't be ashamed. I say: I am not ashamed; I am disappointed.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

My guess is that because I have not done all that much speed work, I was not efficient with my stride, particularly for a downhill course. I was not light on my feet. IOW, instead of landing and quickly pushing off with the ball of my foot, I was landing with my heels and rolling the plant of my foot and finally pushed off with my toes. Oh well. Lesson learned :-]

Thanks for reading.

Das Kapital

2009-09-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

No this post has nothing to do with Marx. I just wanted a clever title :-)

On Tuesday, I arrived in Berlin's Tegel Airport not knowing that the exit was just a few feet away after leaving the plane. The luggage carousel was right next to the gate. I happened to connect in Frankfurt and the passengers were mostly businessmen; they just had carry on luggage... and I made the mistake of following them. As it was, I had to wait until my bag was transferred to the lost-and-found to retrieve it. Aside from the inconvenience of waiting an extra 45 minutes, the minor mishap was not all that bad.

I had a full night of sleep. Awesome. Jetlag? What is jetlag?

On Wednesday I went to Postdam for a few hours. Nice little town. Ran 6 miles in the evening with two at ~7:30 pace. Still sleeping pretty well.

On Thursday I took a 2.5 hr train ride to Dresden... came back to Berlin at 9:20pm.

On Friday I ran four easy miles. Then I picked up my bib. The only thing worth mentioning is that the t-shirt was not included. If you wanted one, you had to buy it in advance. I have way too many t-shirts; I did not get one.

Saturday, I did very little walking and rested as much as humanly possible.

********

On Sunday morning I feel fresh and alert, ready to tackle my conservative goal of hitting sub-3:30.

I make it to the start with about 20 minutes to spare. I take one of four hammergels. I feel thirsty so I have about 10oz of water. The mass of runners is pretty amazing. European runners are faster than the average American runner. I am in the fifth corral(3:15-3:30) and it takes me close to three minutes to cross the start.

My breathing is easy; I am relaxed. I had figured that I needed just under 5 minute klips, but a "whole" five was much easier to keep track. I expected to make up the few seconds during the last 2.2 Ks. After all I was not really racing it this time and expected to have plenty of energy at 40K.

By the third K I was about 28 seconds behind and was rather close to the 3:30 pacers. Even though I would cut the deficit by a few seconds, the 3:30 group managed to inch further away from me. I just could not get into a rhythm that allowed me to stay closer; in fact, the two times I tried widening my stride, I felt the effort was too great and went back to the LR-effort.

The race was so crowded, it was difficult to get to the aid stations w/o slowing down significantly or stopping all together. I am used to getting the cups from the volunteers and keep going at the same speed as I approach the station. Not here. I was forced to grab a cup from the table. And the fact that the cups were made of plastic, made it impossible to squeezed them w/o breaking them.

By the 16th K, I knew that I was not feeling it on that day. I blame it on a rookie mistake. I blame it on poor pre-race day hydration. I should know better than that. Sure, the crowded aid stations probably took away a minute from the final time. Sure it was relatively warm. But what I feel made it tough was that my legs felt fatigued. A fatigue that I suspect was due to under-hydration.

At this point I had to make a decision. Do I keep on running or do I use a strategy that some purists may frown upon, and that is to take 60-second walking-breaks. I decide to salvage what could turn out to be a death march past 30K and opt for the breaks. They will start at 22K, and continue every three Ks.

I did stop at 22, 25 and 28. But I was feeling too tired so I cut the distance to two Ks. I was losing about 35 seconds from the original pace; acceptable to my tired body and mind. Breaks at 30, 32 and amazingly... after taking hot tea (yes, the Germans have hot tea at aid stations) I felt this boost of energy so I decided to go an extra klip to 35; it must have been the sugar in the tea. I think it was around this time that I saw this man with his legs bathed in blood (really bad chafing???); and the guy just kept on going; needless to say, I was inspired.

However, my feet were aching. And 35K is a long distance so the breaks became every two Ks once again. Even though I was still taking the same 60-sec breaks, I was running faster as my 2-K splits were very close to 10 minutes. I struggled whether to take a break at 41 or not. After all the finish was so darn close. I wussed out and took a walking break. Funny thing is that I still managed a 5:48 for the last 1.2 Ks (7:48 pace, including the 60 seconds walking).

I was so tired when I finished. But I was in one piece. No discernible injuries. Interestingly enough, the piriformis has not bothered me of late. Probably because of trigger-point therapy. I did get three separate bouts of PF flare-ups; fortunately, they did not lasts more than 10 seconds.

The following day my legs were in fairly good shape. Very little soreness, if any. Were the walking-breaks the reason? Probably so.

**********

The numbers: 45th Marathon completed. Chip time=3:33:57 Splits=1:45:33/1:48:24 +2:51 split; Fourth Major (missing London)

Sundry

2009-08-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

I caught the Phantom a couple of weeks ago; it was just as good as I remembered it; or it might have been better as the special effects were definitely improved. Grade: A

On Saturday I went to see Julie and Julia, more so because I love any movie with Streep than because I love cooking. Meryl was her usual self, outstanding as Child, even while she let slip a personal quirk here and there. Who would have thunk it that she could play a much larger woman than herself (as Child was quite tall, who incidentally was quite sexual- something I would have never guessed). This was achieved by filming her with much shorter women... and men. The juxtaposition of the two Js worked quite well. Amy Adams mannerisms reminded me so much of Meg Ryan, there were times I was confounded to "see" a different face. The movie focused on their lives, lives that were almost opposite yet shared a common bond: great food. If you haven't seen it: what are you waiting for? Grade: A-

Running has been hit or miss; more miss than hit. I have been averaging low mileage as it relates to marathon training. My long runs have been non-existent and my legs are taking much longer to recover. Any speed I had seems to have evaporated into thin air. I often find myself fatigued, which leads me to rationalizing not running for that day. Still, I remain optimistic that I can do a decent showing in Berlin (3:30-3:35) depending on how I feel that day. I do know that these "ruts" tend to hit me from time to time; they run in cycles. The difference now is that the rut is lasting longer than average. Grade: C-/D+

On a positive note, it was suggested that the soreness may be due to the low mileage... and Fran just may be spot on. So as he aptly put it: just run! And I will. I intend on running at least six days a week with a mini-taper week before Berlin.

Cheers

Only in LA

2009-06-29T13:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, on my way to the beach, I casually look to my right (on the 10 FWY) and I see five cyclists riding on the freaking FWY!!!! WTFX3??? Now this was definitely not a sanctioned ride, and although the traffic was stop-and-go I could not believe my eyes... those guys had some major iron b*lls...

OAN, and after my last rather unsuccessful run, I had trepidations about today's run... even while I was aware that these "bad" runs come in cycles, I could not help but feel sadden... especially when one considers the impending three marathons looming in my not-too-distant future...

On to today's run... I started slowly and had a 9:10 split for the first mile... hmmm, not THAT slow... the second mile was a blistering 8:30 [insert your favorite ironic emoticon]... then the next .75 of a mile was run at low 8ish pace... I suddenly had a stroke of genius; I decided to go sub 7 for a half mile... boom, 3:29 (right on target)... ah, but I wasn't done... I kept the effort and completed ONE mile at sub-7... aren't I wonderful??? :-) I fully recovered; well not really, but my HR was ALMOST back to normal... stretched, as I old age has taught me an important lesson: and that is that my aging muscles NEED to be stretched :-)... I start running, and pick up the pace; this time I am hoping to run 1.5 miles at sub-7 pace... 3:25 (half mile split) and I am feeling PREETTTYYY good... THANK YOU... then I note a 3:26 for the next split; still well within my goal; but the effort is becoming labored... the third half-mile split is a not-too-shabby 3:27 for a 6:52 overall pace... Boy do I LOVE running FAST (relatively speaking of course) :-)

The workout: 7.5 miles (7:55 pace) with a one tempo mile in 6:53 and 1.5 miles @ 6:52 pace. Ended it with a cold Sierra Nevada...

Have a great week y'all!!!

Musical Chairs

2009-06-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have always tripped out on people who prefer vinyl records... I always dismissed them as being "stuck in the past." Apparently I am wrong (not the first nor last time). There is indeed a difference as transcribed below. Apologies to Dave for "borrowing" his most excellent explanation...

***My problem, WRT digitalization, comes more from recorded music. And the world of recorded music provides us with an opportunity to foresee the problems an all-digital distribution system of literature may have.

When the CD was first introduced by Sony and Philips in the 1980's, it was touted as having "Perfect Sound Forever". It was an immediate success. And yet many people (such as myself) still prefer to listen to LPs, in spite of the extra effort and expense required to do so. Why?

Well, first I'll bore you with the technical details. The standard CD uses a sampling rate of 44kHz, or 44,000 samples per second. But keep in mind that this is the *sampling rate*, not the frequency response. Take the standard orchestral tuning pitch of A, which is 440 Hz. This pitch is used because it's in the range of virtually every instrument in the orchestra. At a sampling rate of 44kHz, you have 100 pixels to draw this sound wave (with all its attendant overtones) in such a way to distinguish a bassoon from a violin from a human voice. Now, for reasons I could explain much more simply with pictures, electrically amplified and distorted instruments (electric guitars, voices through microphones, etc.) produce much "simpler" wave shapes (due to electronic "clipping", or cutting off the top of the sound wave) than do acoustic instruments. SO for most commercially produced popular music, digital recording is adequate. But there is a reason that whenever Sony (which owns Columbia Records) came out with a new audio format (CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, etc.) the first two recordings they trotted out were Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" and Bruno Walter's stereo recording of Beethoven's 6th - those two 1958 recordings are the best recordings Columbia ever produced in terms of sound quality, and intervening technology has only made recordings cheaper and easier to distribute, not better sounding.

But then the ubiquitous MP3 format came along. The absolute highest sampling rate of an MP3 file is 32kHz (less than 75% of a CD), but most MP3 files streamed on the internet are in the 12.8kHz - 19.2kHz range. At these rates, you're down to 30-40 pixels to draw an A(440) wave, and far less as you listen to higher frequencies (pitch increase is exponential instead of linear - going up one octave doubles the frequency). This just makes most treble clef instruments sound screechy.

The result of this is that most people who listen intently to recorded music find digital recordings quite fatiguing. I can listen to my classical LPs as long as my attention span lasts, and then throw on some jazz LPs for dessert. By contrast, my limit on a CD is approximate a Mahler symphony. But I will admit that I listen to music differently from someone who uses music as a soundtrack to their run, so while LPs are my preferred music format, I don't view that preference as universal.

At first the recording industry loved the new CD format - production costs went way down while at the same time retail prices went way up (remember in the mid 80's transition a CD would be priced at twice what the same LP would cost, even though the CD cost less to manufacture). CDs required less retail space in a store. Playback equipment was cheaper and required less maintenance. Profits soared - for a while. But then something happened.

Not only can LPs produce more accurate sound, but they used to be distributed with great covers and liner notes. Glenn Gould's liner notes on Bach's Goldberg Variations are as good as any published in those journals Chuck complains about. The RCA 1956 recording of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe is embossed with a 16 page booklet about the ballet illustrated by a young Andy Warhol. The stereo set of Brahms symphonies conducted by Bruno Walter and issued posthumously in 1963 contains an illustrated biography of the composer written by his daughter. And I've found some LPs (Otto Klemperer's Bach Orchestral Suites and two symphonies by 20th C Dutch Composer Henrik Andriessen) which came with full orchestral scores. Meanwhile, with a CD case you got a little pamphlet with abbreviated notes in microfiche that anyone with eyes over 12 years old would need a microscope to decipher, which is still a far cry above the MP3, which is usually just a sound file with no extra material. And the RIAA wonders why they cannot achieve the level of sales and profits they had a generation ago. To me, it's quite obvious - they've devalued their product and turned it into a commodity.

How this relates to the publishing industry remains to be seen. Newspapers are already on life support, and for perhaps good reason (why wait for stale news to arrive at their whim when you can get it fresh online)? And clearly, many people like the immediacy and portability of digital books. Then again, the same arguments can be made in favor of MP3's. And for popular light summer reading this distribution method might work (people rarely complain about the sound quality of MP3's when listening to rock or pop music). But what about those books that you would want to take a bit more seriously; that you would prefer to read in bed or in your favorite chair without interruption? I'm not so sure I would want my only access to James Joyce to be electronic (if nothing else, it would make it difficult to use "Ulysses" as a door stop). But industries like economy and efficiency, so they will eventually prefer to move all of their publishing to a single channel, and digital is cheaper and easier for them. What will we lose? I don't think we know yet. For the vast majority of people immersed in popular culture, probably nothing (just as all but a few people consider the CD's replacement of the LP a good riddance). But for connoisseurs, there is a tangible loss that is hard to explain.

Dave Frederick***

B2B Redux

2009-05-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking big time on my running... supposedly because of my PS (piriformis syndrome)... more on that at the end...

So I signed up for Bay to Breakers early hoping I could break 50 (as I ran 51:16 in 2008)...

BUT, I was not counting on being injured... suffice it to say, that the injury has improved (meaning it does not hurt nearly as much)...

I had a very conservative goal (7 to 7:10 pace)... ALAS, the day dawned warm... warm enough that my 1.5 mile "jog"to the start had me sweating...

I start right behind the elites and the centipedes (the fasts ones any way)... BUT there is this 70ish looking woman in front of me (WTF?)...

There must have been about 200 runners in front of me... BUT when the "gun" went off, I must have gone through that many people... Did they jump in? Most likely... so I found myself weaving for the first mile, 6:58 (6:48)... parentheses show last year's splits... I find myself in oxygen debt, NOT A GOOD SIGN...

I am already hurting and I try to slow down to "feel" tempo effort... find myself at mile two in 7:17 (6:53)... and I am okay as I think I can recover to have a decent showing... then the Hayes terraced hills hit me and I struggled as I never have struggled before in a race (and I am being conservative)... I want to walk so badly, my EGO hurts... I see what appears to be the end of the hills and I "jogged"it in... BUT there is one last slope, one that is so short I know I can take...

THEN, there is this short sharp downhill, that my legs are not ready for and the third mile split comes at a disappointing 8:24 (7:52)... ahh, but the terrain can only get easier, right?... no, there is a mild upslope on mile number 4... so I just "sustain" the effort... BUT my legs are spaghetti by now... mile four in an embarrassing 7:46 (7:05)... I plod on as my legs and lungs are begging for mercy... a few runners pass me... BUT I hold my place... mostly.

Mile 5, 7:43 (6:53)... WTF? I am not recovering as much as I should be... I am really hurting... was it the lack of strides? METHINKS so....

Mile 6 is a slowish 7:17 (6:28)... and I think that I should be able to knock a "noble"sub-7:15... BUT no, I can only muster a 7:24 (6:28)... and I want to give up right there and then... my EGO screams at me, telling me that there is less than half-a-mile to go... so I muster any left-over energy and finish with a 55:55, 3:06 for the last stretch (2:49)...

It takes me about 30 minutes to get back to normal as I left everything I had on that day behind...

I am NOT disappointed as I did not have it that day... MAYBE I can redeem myself on another race...

Thanks for reading...

PS: it appears that the injured muscles were the aBductors along with the piriformis... I have been stretching the culprits, and the pain is almost gone :-)

Kara and Me

2009-05-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Last year I signed up early for NYC... who decides to run HER first full Mary there? Yep. KG.

Then on impulse I sign up for Boston... who decides to run HER second full Mary at B? Yep. KG.

I signed up for Berlin early this year... who's also running it? Yep. KG.

Coincidence? I think not. She's stalking me. No.Doubt.About.It.

Carlsbad 5000

2009-04-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

This race bills itself as the fastest 5K... The course itself is fast but is not flat, and it does include TWO hairpin turns.

As stated before I wanted to run sub-20... and the way I was going to do it was to wear my garmin to avoid a fast start and a potentially season ending injury.

I wake up at 3:30 as I have to drive some 90 minutes to the start... NOT to mention that I had yet to pick up my bib number. I had paid $20 at an expo...

I ended up making it to the town center right around 6AM... plenty of time before my scheduled race, 7:05AM...

Picked up my bib and T-shirt (nice design, BTW)... warmed up for one mile easy...

30 minutes before the start I do another w/u mile... this one including four striders at perceived 5K effort... my piriformis gets massaged... and I am ready to roll.

I line up four rows back. And the gun goes off.

After a few steps walking we're off. It's crowded. But it's controlled. I look at my Garmin and I am running sub 6. Hmmm, relax. Adrenaline pumping, my legs want to turn over quickly. About 200 runners are ahead of me and even if I wanted, I could not go faster. My pace slowly drops. The effort feels more like a short tempo run. We turn left and Garmin says 6:16. Hmmm, I expected it to be slower. The course is full of mild inclines, and there is a mild wind that will be on my face for the second half of the race.

I cross the one-mile marker in 6:21. Damn. A bit fast. Will I implode? FI, if I do, I do. I maintain the effort. We are running by the ocean. Also, I am beginning to pass runners. I am feeling good. The first hairpin turn approaches. I turn wide as suggested by a RunnersWorld Forum member (13th OA, 52-years, 16:40). I keep on passing runners here and there. The pace begins to feel harder to sustain. I am still following Garmin. Mile 2, 6:20. How can I be running a 5K in such even pacing? Will the third mile drop off dramatically? I tell myself that I just have to endure the race for about seven more minutes.

We are now on another slight incline and the second hairpin turn appears. There are two other runners close to me. I decide to go a couple of meters ahead to avoid getting in their way. I also swing wide. I would end up passing these runners. I feel nauseous. The puke-meter is redlining now. I try to relax to see if the feeling will go away. It doesn't. My Garmin has been showing the pace is getting faster. I turn left and I see the finish line. Mile three, 6:15!!! I complete the last stretch in 39"... for a final time of 19:35(chip)... matching my gun time of my 19:34 (watch) PR.

To say the least I am extremely happy with the result. To think that I almost PR'd with no race specific training... Apparently my aerobic fitness has stay put. We'll see how my endurance is come April 20th.

If you are only going to race ONE 5K in your life, it has to be the Carlsbad 5000. Awesome race. The best $20 I have spent on ANY race.

Down and Out

2009-04-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

Training was going well for B*ston. I had averaged 50 mpw for the first 10 weeks of the year. Then I read about the POSE form and decided to try it on my scheduled 18-miler. Damn me for doing it on a long run. By seven miles my right piriformis was in flames. I stopped and stretched; the pain in the @ss was lessened. I continued until the end but could tell my arse was in bad shape, figuratively and literally. Managed to run 50 miles for the 11th week.

I was scheduled to fly to Europe during the 12th week and knew that running would take a back seat. The day I was to fly I decided to do speedwork. Made up the workout as I went along. Decided on 5X1-mile at ~6:45 pace. I ran the first one in 6:29. I knew I was toast. Next one (after a 75-sec standing recovery) is done in 6:32. Still too fast; my heart rate was too high and needed 1:45 to recover. As I was doing the third repeat I knew I would have to cut it short as my form was falling apart. Decided to cut it at 1/2 mile, 3:16. Rested for two minutes and ran another half-mile in 3:12. Obviously my "fast" miles did me in. On the cool down, and just about .6 miles from my house I start getting a really bad stitch. So bad I must have looked like Quasimodo. Miles for the 13th week: 19.5.

On the beginning of the 14th week (Sunday) I happen to find myself in Rome, conveniently I might add as it is marathon day. I decide to bandit a portion of race (I did pay for a walk/run bib :-)) and I jog to the first K marker. There where about 25 locals waiting to do the same I was about to do. Damn bandits!!! The 3:15 pace groups approaches fast on the cobble-stone downhill and I try no to crash into the mass of runners. The first K seemed easy and I felt I would not have trouble holding this pace for 10 miles. Alas, I found myself struggling and dropped the pace a bit little by little. I then eye a guy with a Mexican flag and start talking to him. He was fading fast. His goal was to run 3:40 (and he had been running with the 3:15 group!!) and knew he was in-and-over his head. Then my hip flexor started to flare up and I started hobbling. Quit the course having ran 7:40s for 14Ks... I jogged back to the Colosseum. Then walked to the hotel I was staying to watch the end of the race.

Three days later finds my worn out shoes on the bridges of Venice where I attempt to keep up any fitness I had built up. I don't know if it was dodging locals and tourists but my hip felt a lot worse at the end of the 5-miler (8:20 pace). I knew that rest was not an option. No more running for a while. 16 miles for the week (14th).

It is Wednesday and six days have passed without running. I am back in Lala Land. I want to try an easy five. Not even a half mile into the run and my hip is quite painful. I stop at two miles and stretch. I turn around knowing that it is better not run the extra mile. Four miles at 9ish pace. I am walking lopsided; my body seems to try to balance the tightening of the hip flexor. I am now worried that Sunday's 5K should not be run at all. I am bummed because the Carlsbad 5000 has been one of those races I have been wanting to run for a while.

I rest on Thursday. But I have accu-pressure on the sore piriformis/hip flexor and sore hamstring.

The next day I feel energetic. I want to run an easy eight. I start the run and I notice my stride is fluid. First mile in 8:01. Faster than I have ran a first w/u mile in quite some time. Again, I change the easy run into a workout run, since I am feeling good. I am thinking 3-4 miles at previous MP (~7:25) would be fun. The second w/u mile is clocked at 7:15... wow, I have lost all sense of pacing. I don't stop to stretch but decide to continue the effort. Mile three in 7:04. Damn, this is very close to my long tempo pace. There is a slight headwind too. Mile four has me struggling a bit, 7:16. Back to life, back to reality. I make a hairpin turn. The headwind is now a tailwind. It helps. I run this mile in 6:54. I stop after this mile to get a full recovery and to stretch, paying particular attention to the injured muscles/tendons.

After I few minutes I take off thinking mile six would come in at MP... nope, the first quarter was 1:45 and it felt easy so I just held on, 6:54. Ran the last two at 7:26 and 7:22. Overall pace for the eight miles: 7:15. Not too shabby. It confirms what I have known for a while. I like to run fast (relatively speaking). I will step on the starting line on Sunday. Sub-20 will be my goal. Even when I have had very little speed w/os.

Saturday is a recovery run. Four miles at 8:50 pace. I threw in an extra quarter at 5K effort, 1:41. 6:45 pace??? Damn, sub-20 may be a bit lofty of a goal. I come up with a plan: 6:30, 6:30, 6:20 and hammer the last stretch for a sub-20. But I will be happy with beating last year sole 5K, 20:27. It is so easy to pen a plan; the issue is to execute on race day.

Mileage for the last three weeks before Sunday's race: 19.5, 16, 16. If I fail, I will not be able to blame it on fatigue :-)

Next: Carlsbad 5000 Race Report

Running and the Law

2009-03-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I was supposed to run long, 19-20 miles. I did not plan on including a 10K "time-trial" in the middle of the punishing workout, but Mindi challenged her readers to a "virtual" 10K "race." She did magnificently; read her report here.

I start my run at a very conservative pace. The first six miles averaged 8:18, and I could feel the fatigue in my legs. Damn. Was it the three miles I ran on Thursday with 40 seconds on, 70 seconds off? I did average 6:57 for those three miles. A sign that my legs might have been on the verge of over-training was when my recovery run on Friday had my legs protesting a bit. Naturally, I just did not feel "it." But I got ready to run at least the pace I ran on my last half-mary (6:57).

The first half mile is too conservative as I glanced at my watch and I saw a 3:36 (7:12 pace). I have to pick up the effort. I do. The first mile is a not-too-bad 7:05. The bike trail is fairly flat with a couple of grade-separations (under-passes). The second mile comes in at a more "decent" 6:56 and I have thoughts of negative splitting the race. I continue the same perceived effort but I notice the stride is shortening. Mile three, 7:05. Shit. I tell myself that 7:05s are not that bad, especially on beat up legs. I desperately want to quit. It's just a workout. I am supposed to run long steady pace, :-) I decide to hang on and take one mile at a time. It also helps that Mindi had much worse circumstances and she did it; and did it rather well. Mile four 7:04, thank goodness I have not slow down. I concentrate on my form. I am not hurting as much as if I was racing others, but it is very close. Mile five, 7:02. Yes. Only one mile and change to go. I know I can finish this thing. Mile six, 6:53. One last quarter. I cover it in 1:45, or 1:30 for the .215 of a mile. Final time is 43:35. And I am so exhausted. I know I will not be able to do the 7-8 miles left to complete the scheduled run. I compromised on doing 15 total miles. I rationalized that the quality of the 10K should more than make up for the lack of distance.

On another related note: it had been thirteen straight days of running and the month of February had me averaging 57 mpw. My legs are definitely tired. I had arranged to meet a former co-worker for an easy Sunday run around the Rose Bowl (RB), but I was hoping he would cancel as I felt I needed a day off.

I meet him at 10AM sharp. He is wearing sandals and cargo shorts. WTF? He tells me he has to be elsewhere at 10:30 so we would have to postpone the run. I say fine, I'll tag alone. We come back to the RB and the day is just gorgeous, maybe a bit too warm. We run a route that is rather hilly. Luckily, we are running easy. Still, the hills were tough.

I finished feeling good about my 14-day running streak. We then make our way to re-hydrate. An hour later we decide to drive but a block away to have a bacon burger. We are in separate vehicles. I park and I look on my rear-view mirror and what do I see? A patrol-car with its lights on. Shit. I promptly go for my wallet and pull my license. The Officer comes over my side and asks me for license, registration and insurance. I hand him the license and look for the insurance and registration. I fumbled the two and he notices that I do not have a current proof-of-insurance. I assure him the insurance is current. He asks me if I know why he stopped me. I say no; and I didn't. He tells me that I made an illegal turn, a "no-turn-on red."

He walks over to his car and gives my info to his partner. I am upset that I did not see the signs forbidding my infraction. All along I have been calling the Officer Sir.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he comes back. No pad on his hand. Good news? Yep. They decided to let me off with a warning as I was some 20 miles from home. I was so relieved. But the anxiety stayed with me for the better part of the remaining day. That combined with several restless nights and the mileage accrued made for one extremely tired old dude....

May you all have a wonderful week!

Start Spreading the News...

2009-02-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Alejandro ,
We are pleased to confirm that you have been accepted for entry into the ING New York City Marathon 2009. Our records have been updated to reflect your acceptance.

Big grin on my face :-D

Yesterday I found myself racing my first 8K. Not having done much speedwork of late had me guesstimating a 7 mpm pace. I warm up for two miles and do two strides at perceived goal pace.

I lined up about four rows deep. There are a whole lot of pre-teens and sub-18-year-olds. The "gun" caught me off guard and I just follow a rather large mass of runners. I hope to reel most of them in. The first mile is a smallish loop that has some challenging rolling hills, 6:37. I can only dream I can average this pace. The "fade" is expected to come later. Mile two is a straight away that appears deceivingly flat; it is not, 6:49. Then we work our way around a larger loop and a monster hill is just in sight. [It might not have been that big, but my legs definitely complained] I set my sights on three sub-teens. I finally catch them after cresting the hill, 7:08.

For some reason, I tend to run better in downhills and the next 1.97 miles had a nice gradual decline. I start passing a runner here and there; I am still running strong, 6:20. The last stretch is practically mile two, but in the opposite direction. I am running next to a bearded runner. Exchange a couple of sentences. He is fading a bit. I get an adrenaline rush. I push the pace a bit more. The gag-meter is redlining. I force myself to lower the effort, as I know I would have to make a full stop to toss my cookies. The gagging feeling stays with me. One younger runner passes me as we make the turn into the parking lot where the finish is. I tell him to "bring it home." He thanks me. I increase the effort for I do not want anyone else to pass me, not this close to the chute, 6:01 (6:12 pace). 32:55 by my watch, 32:57 official tag time.

I am quite happy with the result. It shows that I am not as slow as I think I am.

The food provided at this event is the BEST I have ever seen. Pizza from BJ, brownies from ClaimJumper, salads from Cali-Pizza Kitchen, breakfast tacos, smoothies from Jamba Juice, and more!!

A 12-year old beat me by more than FIVE minutes!!! He ran 27:43 (5:36 pace)... Amazing...

Have a nice week!!!

One Good Run

2009-02-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

I have been hesitant to post a goal for Boston. And my ol' legs just don't seem to have the same pizazz they once seemed to have. I went so far as to join the Boston sub-3:10 thread at runners world. But then the sysop changed the look and feel of their forums. And magically, there was no record that I had ever boasted I could run sun 3:10; I mean, I had a hard time running a sub 3:18 in 2006 on much younger and readier legs; what on earth was I thinking? On top of that I am not following ANY structured plan; I am just trying to get at least two quality runs and sustain the weekly [read weakly] mileage in the 50s.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon. I had 15 on the menu. 8 mpm seemed about right, but I would not worry too much if I ended up 20-30 seconds per mile slower. I started a bit fast [for me] as it was a bit cool and windy. I had a tailwind for the first 1.7 miles, then as I entered the man-made channel the wind was suddenly on my face. Not too strong but it kept me honest [whatever that means]. My stride felt fluid and quick. I hit the three mile mark in 24:15. Can I sustain this pace? Even with a headwind?

The bike trail is clearly marked every quarter-mile. And I notice that the pace is getting a tiny bit faster. Next three mile segment is completed in 23:28, or 7:52 pace. WTF? I am dreaming or what? I also feel really strong. I kept on wishing I felt like this during race efforts.

On the next quarter I check my watch and I am now running 7:40 pace. And this with a headwind. That means that I should be able to run 7:20s on the way back. I hit the hairpin turn and now the headwind is a tailwind. Nice. In an effort to drop the pace to 7:20s I notice I am working a bit harder. This three-mile segment is run at 7:30 average pace, 22:30.

Then the unthinkable happened. The notion of working harder went away and my breathing was as relaxed and even as it has ever been. My pace dropped to 7:10s. It was short of amazing. Where was this coming from? Two days earlier I had to cut a tempo run short as I could barely survive three miles in just under 21 minutes. Penultimate three-mile segment, 21:34 [7:11 pace]. The runner's high was just beginning. I exit the bike trail with a low 7 mpm pace. And I hit a headwind. No matter. I am on a natural high. One mile to go. My left knee ached a bit but not enough to slow down. I finished the last segment in 21:05, almost the same pace as my tempo run two days ago. 1:52.52, roughly 7:31 pace. Needless to say I was on cloud nine :-)

So what? I had ONE great run... what does this mean in the bigger scheme of life? It means I will go for a sub 3:15, which would qualify me for London 2010. Incidently, I signed up for Berlin 2009 and will sign up for NYCM 2009 [as I already have a qualifier].

I leave you all with a picture from the Surf City Marathon. Happy running.

Pacing 3:30 Surf City Marathon Runners

2009-02-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

I was feeling a bit anxious as this was my first attempt at pacing. This time it was not about me; it was about those runners who wanted to tag along and run 3:30 or as close to it as possible.

My ride had Frank (a team member who was carpooling and who was pacing the 4:10 group) and I a bit nervous as the cars did not seem to move and it was already 6:30. We were a little less than a mile from the start. Marathon was to start at 6:50. I asked Frank if we should start jogging to the start and he said yes. On our way there we had to make a pit stop. We left that pit stop with about three minutes to go. We could hear the Anthem being sung. As we approached the start, we hear that the wheelchairs are given the green light. I wish Frank good luck and I head to meet the other 3:30 pacer... with only 30 seconds to spare.

Right away the pace felt surprisingly easy. I tried to maintain an 8 mpm pace. At 10 miles I was a bit ahead with 24 seconds banked. At twelve my feet started feeling tired (wore shoes w/ 250 miles on them) and my left knee was bugging me. At this point I was about 10 seconds behind the other 330 pacer. Then at 13, this kid tells me that he intends to run with me for the rest of the race. He was a god-sent savior as my mind was beginning to struggle (I have only ran longish once since the NYCM - 17 miles at 8:24 pace). Travis and I hit 20 miles in 2:39.43 or 17 seconds ahead of the intended pace.

I just stayed with him and finally around mile 21 I was given a zip-lock with orange wedges that did the trick. I felt renewed. I had taken three hammer gels at 5, 12 and 18.5. So nutrition-wise I was fine. Maybe the high humidity in the first half dehydrated me too much.

In the latter miles, the other pacer and I encouraged two runners to pick it up as they looked strong. We ended up finishing in 3:29:54. Not too bad says I.

It felt really good to have been able to "help" two runners achieve PRs and to encourage Travis as he was fading at the end. Would do it again in a heartbeat. One negative was the misplacement of mile markers. They threw me off a couple of times, but was able to adjust.

I must note that running a marathon is so much easier on the mind as on the body; racing is tough, really tough.

Temps were cool and foggy during the first twelve miles and they warmed up a bit after 13. 50F/82% at 6:50, and 60F/53% at 10:20.

SoCa Half Mary

2009-01-15T14:49:00.001-08:00

I signed up for this race mainly because it was relatively inexpensive, $34 (a $4 club discount included). It also took place about 30 miles from home.

I got there about 40 minutes early. A brisk jog later, I pick up my bib and a sucky cotton T-shirt. Still warming up, I head back to the car to drop off my warm-ups and the "goodies." I then jog to the start with about 10 minutes to spare... enough time to stretch very tight hip flexors and piriformis. I line up very close to the front; maybe about three rows back.

The MC lets the sole wheelchair participant take off first. Two minutes later it is our turn. It's a bit crowded but I welcome it as I don't want to go out to fast. Mile 1 in 6:52. My A goal was to run sub-1:30; B is to average 7 mpm, and C a very conservative 7:15 pace.

The course is billed as flat and fast. It may be flat, but the several turns "cost" me at least 15 seconds. The Santaanas are strong and screw up my planned even-pacing. At one point a monster gust hits us and I just let go; I almost stopped altogether and walked; I did manage a jog. This female runner who had been trading places with me back-and-forth says something, but I can not discern it. I just uttered that I hated the wind.

This runner seemed to have targeted me as someone she was not going to allow to get ahead of her. Really. She would pass me, breathing rather heavily- like one would breathe when running a short tempo. Then she would fade and I'd be forced to pass her as I did not want to draft off of her. Then a couple of minutes later, she would pass me again. I was more amused than anything else. Finally around six miles, while we were running on a bike trail (more than 80% of the race took place here) I dropped her during a mild incline. Clearly she was running a bit too fast for her current fitness. She would finish about 2:30 behind me.

By eight miles I was really tired, particularly my arms. I just tried to hang on. After this mark more runners passed me than I was able to reel. I was trying really hard to catch up to a bare-foot runner (I got as close as 20 meters) but he slowly gained distance.

It's now the last mile and I am hanging on to this one guy. I am hurting as much as I have hurt in a half. I hang on though. We are now running on the sidewalk. It's the home stretch. We make one final turn and the finish banner is there. The guy in front of me picks it up; I follow through. Now he really guns it. I finish just a second or two behind him. Oddly, the official results have him seven seconds ahead of me. No matter. He helped me push myself at a point where I was running on fumes.

Five meters into the chute, I get really nauseous and I thought I was going to toss my cookies. Final time: 1:31:01. Sweet. I am pleased with the effort as I came to this race without tapering. I give myself a solid B+.

Splitville: 6:52, 7:02, 6:52, 6:37, 7:12, 14:01 (6&7), 6:56, 6:53, 7:05 [1:09:29], 7:12, 7:02, 7:16 for the last 1.1

Nice way to start the 2009 year...

Happy running!

Purple Rain

2008-12-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays you all...

Today was raining. The astute runner that I am, I checked radar pictures to figure out a good time to run and not get soaked. At 2:30PM, the sky cleared and I knew I had to take advantage of the gap. Alas, by the time I was ready the sky was overcast.

I took off without really fearing the impending rain. The pace was aerobic, easy on the legs.

Two days before I had had a wonderful run where I turned it into a fartlek. In that run, I pushed the effort on a couple of challenging hills; I accelerated a quarter, then a half (after a recovery slog)... I was feeling great, even after the half-mile pick-up wearing me down. I recovered with a 7:25 mile. Yeah, I know; that is very close to my GMP. The icing on the cake for this run was the last mile where I accelerated two blocks, jogged one (these blocks are small); I ended up with 7 pick ups and the final split was a 6:50. Needless to say I was very pleased with the result.

The following day was wisely slotted as a recovery run. But no matter how slow I tried running, the pace ended up averaging 8:15. Not fast, mind you, but much faster than the 8:45s I wanted.

Back to today. As I enter the Rio Hondo River, I feel a strong headwind (I guesstimate 11 mph) and my legs are feeling tired as if they were climbing a not-too-steep hill. Not to mention that I was drenched by this time. I stopped worrying about where my foot would land as the shoes were already soaked. I turn around and now I have a tailwind, but I take it easy. I am thoroughly enjoying the rain. I exit the man-made channel and hit local streets. The few stragglers look at me as if I am nuts. I am averaging 8:30s. One more mile... now half a mile left. I decide to do four accelerations. My knees push forward driving with a force I did not know they had. The muscles on my legs contort into shapes seen only in elite runners. I finish this mile in a not-too-shabby 7:39. Totally wet. And with a big goofy smile on my face. Life is good. Indeed.

[Today's mileage puts me at 1972. I should break 2000 by Monday. Yup, another 2K year for me.]

Last, but not least, may you all have a happy and prosperous new year.

Soccer Players

2008-12-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

What is it about former soccer players being such speedy runners? I'll tell you what "I" think is the reason: drills, drills, drills. Maybe Seebo or Tom can answer this question as they are both former soccer players and both can run 5Ks in the 16s. As for me, I tried out numerous times when I was a kid to make a team with no success; I just sucked at all sports, period. I was one of those kids who was picked either last or next-to-last.

This reminds me of an incident a few years back, when I felt I was in good aerobic shape; I was asked to play an informal game of soccer. And while I was able to run back and forth in our smaller than regulation playground, I endured soreness for the next three days... ouch.

The reason I bring up soccer is that yesterday while running in ovals on my local dirt track, a soccer game was going on. The players were teens. From time to time I would peek to check out a play. At one point, the ball exited in front of me and the kid who had kicked it out had it in his hands. One of the other team's players stretched his left arm for the ball. The kid with the ball tosses the ball away from the other boy. I was flabbergasted. No, I was pissed. I felt like cornering that insolent kid and lecturing him to boredom what it means to be sportsman-like. Alas, his coach did not seem to share my view as the kid continue to play sans being "educated."

Then I notice that this other kid, who had been playing basketball appears to be racing me. I did not notice this until he had stopped. But on the next quarter, his brother (about two years younger) is ready to race me, so I say: bring it on. I sprint as hard as I can and I manage a small lead on the boy, but I am hurting. I expected him to fade quickly as I was going all out and he is staying put. Damn, he is going to beat me. I taunt him by saying that he is not about to let this ol' guy beat him. Finally he stops (after about 150 meters) and I am so grateful as my lungs and legs are totally exhausted. I am heaving and puffing as I try to recover and the oldest boy wants to race me again, this time with me being aware. So I try to sprint again but he gets in front of me and I cannot pass him. I yell at him to move over as I want to pass him. Obviously I should have gone around him, but I was still hurting from the previous sprint and I needed the inside all to myself :-) He promptly cedes way and slows down. I continue the quarter at a crawl and meet the family again. This time it is a ~seven year-old who wants to challenge a man who could be his grandfather. He immediately gets in front of me. I pretend to go all out but stay just behind him. I start to exaggerate my breathing to let him know that I am "working." He stops and I go over to congratulate him on beating me :-)

The run ended up lasting for six miles and even though it averaged only 8:06 pace, it took me a couple of hours to get over that nauseous feeling you get when you overexert yourself. That sprint really did me in; I am just glad I did not get injured.

Have a wonderful week!

Spirit and Wounded Knee

2008-12-09T09:02:00.001-08:00

I finally got to watch Spirit of the Marathon. As many of you know, it takes place in 2005 and culminates in the Chicago marathon. The docu-movie was quite enjoyable. It was heartbreaking to see Njenga finish third, but that's life in the elite's world.

Now, I happened to have been there as a participant and on my second viewing of the movie (not having been able to spot me the first time) I decided to freeze the screen a few seconds after the start of the race. Wham! I am there, right in the middle. Kind a cool [what a running nerd I am].

OAN, my left knee, the one that ached a couple of times during the NYCM, continues to bug me. The pain is rather dull but noticeable. So I decided to use a brand new pair of running shoes for yesterday's run. Lo and behold, no pain... at least in my knee. Alas, my left plantar was flaring up for the first couple of miles. The shoes I have been wearing (both pairs in the low 100-mile usage) seemed to be the reason. Or so I thought. Later on in the evening, while laying on my bed, the knee started aching; same kind of dull pain I had been feeling during my runs.

I began massaging the usual suspects for tender-spots (i.e. the ITB, Vastus medialis, the top of the gastrocnemius) and nothing discernible. Hmmm. Looking up at the symptoms of knee ailments narrowed it down to ITB Syndrome. But the core of the band seemed okay; until I followed it to where it connects to the knee. Yup; there it was: tender to pressure. I concluded that I have a mild case of ITBS. Oh well; I am glad it doesn't appear serious.

I will have to run easy for the next few weeks... it is what it is :-\

Cheers!

Snail

2008-11-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Because I committed to pace the 3:30 runners on Superbowl Sunday on behalf of the "A Snail's Pace Club" it only made sense to become a member. And I did.

Sunday last, I joined five other members for a run and it was quite enjoyable. It's no wonder that running with others makes a huge difference.

Yesterday I had one of those days where I felt amazing pounding the asphalt. My legs had that magical spring and my lungs seemed to have an excess of oxygen. I went out easy and by the end of the first mile I knew I had to take advantage of the euphoria my legs and lungs were feeling. My stride lengthen naturally little by little and the run ended up being a progression run. Splits: 8:37, 7:57, 7:52, 7:40, 7:23, 7:19 and (drum roll please) 6:49. I had not run a final mile this fast during a training run in ages (I used to consistently do it in another life). The runner's high stayed with me well into the night. I just wish I felt like this during a race :-) Or have more of these runs at the very least...

Last but not least, my love for the theater can only be surpassed by traveling. About 10 days ago I went to the theater to see By the Waters of Babylon starring non-other than Demian Bichir of Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas and Weeds fame. I definitely enjoyed the story as well as Demian's acting. But Shannon Cochran was short of perfect. She played her role so well she almost made me cry. At the end, I stayed behind to steal Demian's John Hancock. I should note that I am not normally star struck; I guess in this instance is that I have liked Demian's acting since I first saw him in one of those cheesy Mexican soap-operas.

Have a great week!

2009 Committments

2008-11-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

I have committed to pace the 3:30 group, Surf City Marathon on Feb 1, 2009.

I have also signed up for the 113th running of the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2009. Six days later, I am supposed to toe the line at the Big Sur Marathon; I know, stupid is as stupid does.

Cheerios,

A

Finally

2008-11-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

PRELUDE

Marathon “weekend” started well enough. I was to take the late red-eye to JFK on Thursday. When I checked on Wednesday my itinerary had changed. The flight I was on was gone; I was re-booked in the earlier red-eye. That meant that my “new” flight might be oversold. I should note that I have learned to dislike red-eyes and the chance of avoiding one during this critical race made it all the more appealing to “volunteer” to fly the following morning.

Sure enough, United was asking for volunteers. I jumped at the chance. I asked the clerk if he could upgrade me as well. He said to take the upgrade or an upcoming free flight. I went for the free flight. He re-booked me for the 8:20AM flight and I notice the seat-number is rather low. Business class maybe? I was also given meal and hotel vouchers. Not bad, huh?

I ended up sleeping a peaceful six hours or so. The hotel shuttle dropped me off an hour before the plane was to take off. I noticed that my ticket did not have a group number so I lined up with the vips. It was a business ticket after all!!! Man, oh man can I get used to flying this way. The flight went by so quick! Kevin Bacon was in my flight; yet another celebrity I have seen.

I “quickly” made my way to the Javits convention center to get my bib. The place was not crowded at all at that time, 6:30PM. I then went to my hotel by LGA. I know it was quite a way from the action but I have to watch my expenses.

I ended up sleeping 10 hours that night. After coffee I showered and went to Manhattan. Walked for a bit around times square then made my way to 72nd Street and CP West and kicked it for a while. I then realized I could go kick it by Tavern on the Green, the finish of the NYCM. As I am getting close to the already enacted finish banner I notice a running clock and it reads 3:18:XX… Was that an omen? I thought so. Things were looking up indeed. While kicking it, who runs by but the speedster Ryan Hall. Then Mary showed up to do a rehearsal of the awards ceremony. I was going to stay put but I was getting bored so I decided to visit Columbia U. That burn up some time and went back to Tavern on the Green to carbo load. I met some nice folks from Great Britain and learned that I can get a guaranteed entry to the London marathon if I can run a sub-3:15. This means I may have to travel to Tucson and make an attempt next month.

I finished rather quickly and I bid goodbye to my temporary friends. Hit the sack relatively early. I woke up at 5AM, having slept seven hours. My body and mind felt well rested. The weather was to be marathon perfect. Niiccceee!

I chose Royal blue for the top and light grey shorts. I had struggled the week before on which shoes to wear. Supernova classics have been good to me in marathons; but the ones I had broke in seemed too stiff, no energy-return whatsoever. The other shoes I considered were air-max nikes as they had what felt great energy return. I settled on the tried and true, supernovas.

It was really cold for this so-Cal boy. I am glad I took the ferry as this meant I only had to spend an hour or so in Staten Island. I was just about to take off my warm-ups when it was announced that wave one was closed. It did not take me too long to take a couple of puffs of albuterol and to drop my bag off at the UPS truck. It was 9:10AM. There were still 30 minutes to wait. The wait seemed long. Guys were peeing wherever they could, without remorse. It felt windy and colder than it was.

THE RACE

I felt good. I had a plan. The horizon looked bright.

The cannon sounds and we’re off, or rather we start moving. It would take me a couple of minutes to cross the start. I did not want to run the first mile too fast; or too slow. The wind was strong but I tucked in behind other runners. Mile one, 8:28. Time for the downhill, 7:08. Great. So far, so good. I enter Brooklyn and could not be more excited. Mile three had me already at MP, 7:24. Mile four is flat and somehow I slowed down a bit, 7:34. Mile five is an identical split, 7:34; the road is still flat [38:10]. The crowds are out in full force. Oh no. The 3:30s form a human wall and “threaten” to hold me back. I run on the median and sprint past them. How do you like me now? :-) Mile 6, 7:20. Mile seven, 7:27. Perfect, right where I want to be.

The merging of the three starts was approaching quickly. Mile 8 was a disappointment as I did not feel I had slowed down the effort, 7:48. This split did not bode well. I pick up the effort a bit, mile 9, 7:41. Damn. It is just not clicking. MP effort is there, not so the pace. I make one last push knowing full well that too much push can be disastrous in the latter stages of the race. Mile 10, 7:10. Huh? It sure did not feel “that” fast. Maybe a misplaced marker? [1:16:37] Well within goal.

I think it was in this mile where I went by the Hasidic neighborhood. A Hasidic Jew wants to cross the street but there are so many runners out there. He starts running diagonally, wisely avoiding runners. A couple of runners behind me found him to be funny as he was in his customary outfit and carrying a briefcase as well and could not stop laughing; I did not think it was funny at all; on the contrary, I thought it was very thoughtful of the man as I know how opposed to the marathon the Hasidic neighborhood is. Mile 11, 7:41. It was right here that I knew I was NOT going to meet my goal; I was going to keep on trying though. Mile 12, 7:28. Damn rolling hills had me second-guessing my eventual “failure.” Mile 13, 7:34. Halfway split, 1:39:11. Hmmm, I can still go sub-3:20 if I can achieve a no-worse-than 90 seconds positive split. Ah, but I the fade was waiting for me; I was just hoping it’d be a gentle fade.

In previous NYCMs I was done by the Pulaski Bridge. Not so this time. But it was not rosy as my left knee began to ache. Now that I think about it, I consciously slowed down the pace to prevent a full-blown injury. Mile 14, 7:37. Mile 15, 7:44 [1:53:42]. Yup, it was the knee. Thankfully the pain went away. The Queensboro Bridge was in my sights- a humbler of men and women. Mile 16, 7:51. If I can hold a 7:45 average for the next ten miles I’ll make my goal. Definitely doable.

Mile 17 aided by the downhill and the crowds on First Avenue is clocked in 7:29. A bit disappointing considering that it was downhill. Then the aguish began. It was harder to sustain the turnover needed for 7:30s. At mile 18 the knee pain came back, 7:41. By the mile 19 marker my knee felt fine, 7:52. I am fading steadily. Right after this marker I see the Reservoir Dogs Running club and Elyssa ready to snap a photograph. I start yelling at her: where is my cookie, where is my cookie? She was too focused on capturing a teammate of hers and did not hear me even though I almost ran her over. :-)

Time to cross into the Bronx. A runner behind me slips. A friend of his quickly goes to help him get up. Mile 20, 8:09 [2:32:42]. Time to kiss my goal goodbye; time to steal a decent time from the race that owns me; time to rise to the occasion and keep those mile splits as close to eight as possible. I cross the gentlest Bridge of them all, mile 21, 8:11. I am now back in Manhattan. A few quick turns and I can see the empire state building. The crowds have not stopped being supportive. Mile 22, 8:10. I guess I had been favoring my left leg as my right piriformis started to stiffen up. It’s all guts from here. My legs are done. Finito. I start using my arms; they are now doing most of the work. Mile 23, 8:03. The crowds create a funnel and my tired mind and body make me feel annoyed at them; so selfish of me. I toss my gloves. Mile 24, 8:16, ouch. The pace is supposed to feel easy but it is taking enormous amounts of energy. I turn into Central Park. 2.2 miles to go. Piriformis is still quite stiff. I am in deep concentration; I barely notice the crowds. Mile 25, 8:01. Time to exit the park and hit CP South. I actually feel as if I am racing. I pass dozens of fading runners. I reach Columbus Circle in pain but knowing that the end is near. Mile 26 shows that I really was spent, 7:43. I make an effort to break 3:25 on the clock and the last segment split is 1:32 [3:22:38].

I cross the finish line really tired but knowing that I gave it my best shot on a windy day. To be fair, I drafted off other runners for the first 16 miles. Then I braved the cross winds. But really, the wind was not a factor in my not meeting my goal. It was the knee. Fortunately, I am feeling fine today.

I am pleased with the outcome in spite of not meeting my sub-3:20 goal. It was an 18-minute course best after all.

While watching the online taping of the race, I can be seen walking visibly fatigued while Miss America 2008 was being interviewed.

Oh---and on Monday, while having lunch at a bench in CP, I saw Howard Stern jogging with his trainer. I should keep tabs of ALL the celebrities I have seen.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading… if not, thank you for stopping by.

Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind. (Leonardo da Vinci)

8305

2008-10-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

It’s funny. This Sunday past, as I started my planned eight at MP, my breathing was labored, even though I started running at just under 8 mpm pace. You see, I ran around the rosebowl; it’s marked every quarter of a mile. The first quarter was a disappointing 1:58, and I got ready to cut the workout short as I thought I was getting exercise induced asthma. I continued the same effort and I missed the one mile marker. I did get a 1.25-mile split: 9:29, meaning that taking the 1:58 out, I had ran the uphill mile (~2%) in 7:31, or MP. Cool. I went on to complete the loop in 7:18 pace, and the eight miles in 7:19 pace. The effort was a bit harder than I would have liked but it was 80˚F after all (with low humidity). I was pleased but the workout left me totally spent. No matter. My legs felt strong and I felt confident I could break 3:20 at the NYCM.

Then came today. I had three measly miles at MP. Easy right? Right. I warmed up for 2.5 miles and I felt fine (8:30, 8:02, 4:00) with the exception of the two accelerations that had me gasping for air. Damn. I fear I will not have an easy time doing what should be an easy workout. The first MP mile comes in at exactly 7:30, and I don’t feel too bad. Half a mile later I turn back (3:47). Hmm, I need to pick it up slightly to get back to MP. The second mile split reads 7:32. Well within the acceptable margin of error. The next quarter would break my heart in two as I was really struggling to breathe, 1:55. I gave up right then and there. I slowed down to a slog, 2:20 [4:15]. Then I seemed to recover and the next quarter was a more adequate 2:06 [6:21]. It was here that I commanded my legs and arms to go all out on the next quarter, hoping to run a 1:20 and rescue a “lost” mile. I gave it my all; I suspect my form was nonexistent, flailing really. Final split was 7:50. WHAT? I can only run a 90 second quarter? Not only that, my chest was hurting, my breathing was rapid and I had to walk for a few steps. I almost walked the 2.5 miles home. Luckily I convinced my fragile legs to continue at a slog, 9 mpm pace. The positive outcome out of this workout is that I definitely suffer from EIA. At least I have an answer to my less than spectacular workouts. Oh well. Hey, now I can say Paula and I share the same medical condition.

Regardless, I have a race this Sunday and I still intend on meeting my goal. If I do not get an EIS episode during the marathon, I feel confident I can cross the finish line with a big goofy smile.

The plan is rather simple: go out easy and achieve MP by the fifth mile, 38:30. I hope to gain some time in the next five-mile segment, 1:15:30. And chip away a few more seconds in the third five-miler, 1:52:45. The fourth segment will be the critical one, and I expect to do it in 38:00, 2:30:45. The last five-miler should slow me down a bit, 38:30, 3:09:15. If I meet my forecasted splits up to this point, I should be able to run the last 1.2875 mile in less than 10 minutes. We'll see how it goes.

Should you feel like following my anguish, err race, my bib number is 8305. If you add all the digits, you get 16, or 4 squared, my “lucky” number.

Book Review & Sundry

2008-10-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

A Race Like No Other by Liz Robbins

One of the several blogs I follow is the most excellent Pigtails Flying and in one recent entry, she offered this book to whoever answered a question correctly. I did. And I am glad I did.

I have mentioned many times the love-hate relationship I have with the New York City Marathon, and it was rather refreshing to read about the personal stories of some of the entrants: your everyday joe-six-pack and hockey-mom (TM by Lying-Palin).

The reader gains access to the elites from behind the scenes. I learned that Ramala is smart (or dumb) enough to coach himself and how difficult it can be to train in crime-ridden Johannesburg.

Ramala was by far the one elite I identified the most. Paula is Paula; she is expected to win; and she did (in 2004 and 2007). Wami was courageous to race a 'thon at her level just six weeks after winning Berlin. And of course there is Lel who apparently has the most devastating kick among the elites.

The author also explores the lives of those that are affected by the marathon: the residents, the merchants, the volunteers, the race directors, the politicians and many others.

All in all a good read. The book will make the previous NYCM-participant reminisce about the race; and it will make the runner who has yet to pound the streets of NY the first Sunday in November to yearn the day he does it.

My Last Entry...

had me wondering what the hay was wrong with me. After two bad runs, I laced my shoes for an easy 10-miler (Thursday, October 9). I start at a moderate effort and my stride is choppy, my legs feel weak. Damn. This would make the third day in a row that would find me struggling, cutting a run short. I ran for only five miles; my chest felt heavy; I also felt a bit disoriented. I knew then there was something not right. Being an MD (Google University, thank you very much), I decided my airways were partially blocked. I have access to Qbar and took a poof that night.

The next morning I wake up feeling anxious. I wonder if the medication will do the trick. I start my run and my stride is fluid and long. The effort is relaxed. Just after 1.5 miles I choose to do on-and-offs, quarter miles. I won't bore you with the splits, but I will note that the 4.5 miles of on-and-off were completed @ 7:11 pace. Nice. The medication worked; or was it the psychosomatic effect? The eight miles I end up running average 7:28 (without stopping), woo hoo!!!

Long Long-Run

The plan is to run the first three easy and then run 10-13 miles at MP (7:30), with the remaining miles easy. The course is pretty fast with insignificant climbs. I have support. The weather is mild but it is expected to get in the low 80s. The first mile is run in 7:48, and I am a bit worried because I feel the heavyness in my chest. I have not taken any more poofs of Qbar. I should have. Next mile is within the acceptable range, 7:53. The third comes down a bit, 7:46 [23:27]. Time to pick it up. I lengthen my stride. Surprisingly, it feels fluid. Great. Mile four, 7:21. Ooops, a bit on the fast side. I try to lessen the effort; it does not work. Mile five, 7:22. WTF?

I must have really ease the effort as the next split was a bit dissapointing, 7:37. I concentrate on the effort, I try to quicken the stride rate. Mile 6, 7:30. Hmm, I seem to be working a bit harder than I would like, not much mind you. Mile 7, 7:29; I was hoping to see a 7:25. Oh well. Mile 8, 7:31. Jeez. Now I imagine the 3:20s are in front of me. And they are four runners deep. It will be hard to break through that human wall. I will have to make my move when they go through the next aid station. I use up more energy but I do not want to be holed up, 7:18 [1:15:35=7:33 pace]. I am back on MP; mile 11, 7:27. The next mile, for some strange reason, finds me feeling really, really good. Can I keep this pace for 26.2 in NY? You betcha! Mile 12, 7:23. Wait a minute bucko! Mile 13, 7:33.

Two more miles and I will start running easy; I am beginning to feel tired. Mile 14, 7:20. One more mile at MP; the heat is beginning to wear me down. Thank goodness it's only a training run. Mile 15, 7:28 [1:52:47].

I dream of being able to complete the last 11 miles and change at 8:00 flat. Mile 16, 8:12. Hmm, I don't think so buddy. Mile 17, 8:14. Definitely not. I am running easy; it feels like a jog. The 3:20s pass me and I let them go. Now I have to go number one. I step off the course to relieve myself. I must have lost at least 30 secs. Mile 18, 8:55. I just keep the nice easy pace as all I want to do is "run" up to the 20-mile marker. Mile 19, 8:23. It's getting harder to keep this pace. Mile 20, 8:22 [2:34:53].

Great now I can begin the walking breaks as I want to save myself for my date with NY. I walk for 90 seconds and then I "jog". I grab a 20oz water bottle and I carry it for a while. I feel really thirsty even though I have drank gatorade and water at most of the support stations. I start walking once again (not in the original plan). Mile 21, 11:23, ouch. I want to drink more as I still feel thirsty but my stomach feels full. Mile 22 finds me "recovered" as I did not need to take a walking break, 8:20. Better. Another walking break, another jog. Mile 23, 9:08. Damn, it seems like I may have a hard time with the last 5K and change.

I decide to start cutting the walking breaks by 10 seconds. Mile 24, 8:40 [3:12:24]. Much better. My foggy brain tries to do the math and it's hard. Me figures I need to average 8 mpm to come under 3:30. I don't think so. Sub 3:35 will be fine thank you!

The next walking break takes "only" 70 seconds. Mile 25, 8:33. I hit the 25.2 and the one mile to go "sign." I go for it; I try to pretend it's the last mile of the NYCM. Mile 26, 8:08. The 385 yards are covered in 1:29; not too bad considering I was pretty tired. The last mile with the only significant hill in the course (from 25.2 to 26.2) was clocked in 7:25!!!

To say that I am pleased with the outcome is an understatement. I ran 12 miles at 7:26, which combined with the first three average-out to 7:31... and the last mile at 7:25 makes 16 miles at MP!!! Three more weeks and I'll find out if the monkey left the building.

Huge THANKS go to Arcane who made this training run possible.

The end.

Keep on running y'all!

Sometimes...

2008-10-09T09:14:00.001-07:00

running is not as simple as putting one foot in front of the other... repeat as fast as the schedule prescribes. On Tuesday I was to run 10 miles with eight of those at MP. I start the first mile at a brisk 7:53. I feel a bit taxed but I blame it on "it" being the first mile. I am confident I will get to pace on the next mile. And so I did, 7:28. My lungs seem to be working a bit too hard for the pace. I would struggle on the next mile but manged to run it in 7:30. Alas, my body hit a wall; it shut down. I turn around instead of continuing to the five-mile turn-around point. I want to stop and walk. My upper body feels tired; it feels weak. I feel sorry for myself. I shuffle my way for the next three miles. At the end, I am dumbfounded. I don't know what happened. Had it been marathon day, I would have crashed and probably would not finish.

I am glad it happened during a training run.

My brilliant mind suggested I made up the missing six miles at MP the following day. The weather is cooler, 67F. It's a good opportunity to find out if it was the heat on Tuesday (although I had already discarded that idea as I have run faster times in similar conditions without bonking). I warm up for a mile. The MP portion will begin with the second mile. I run it on target, and I feel much better than the previous day. My breathing is more relaxed, not so my arms. I turn around at the four-mile point, and I have ran three miles at MP, but I am feeling tired. Not good. By the end of the fourth MP mile I "know" I can only do one more at this pace. Soon after this I have to stop altogether as I am gumption-less. What is up with me? Did I just go through exercised-induced asthma? Are my allergies really working my immune system to the point of exhaustion? Will I have to adjust my NYCM goal to a more realistic time?

Too many questions. Not enough answers. Or at least answers that satisfy my ego.

This Sunday I am running the full marathon distance as a training run. I wanted to run 10-13 miles at MP. I am hoping my lungs will show up.

Good luck to anyone racing this weekend, particularly those doing Chi-COW-go.

Half-Mary and Where I am.

2008-09-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

I was looking at this half as more than just a training run; I was looking at it as the affirmation I need to take the monkey off my back come November. That would mean I would have to finish in a time no slower than 1:33:10, or 7:07 pace. You see, I have made it a goal to cross the finish line in sub-3:20, and a 1:33:10 half would predict a 3:16:30. Yes, I am leaving some room for a positive split.

When I signed up for this race, I was only thinking I wanted to see where I was six-weeks out. I did not know how many runners would turn out, but I certainly did not expect to see only 79, several who chose to start a half-hour early as they were walking. Actually, only about 60 runners toed the line with me. I looked around to see if I could spot the really fast folks and I could only make out one with a Navy singlet (he would go on to win it in 1:18).

There was this other guy who had asked if the course was flat. He was slim, and had a long sleeve. He had what I mistook for cross-trainers for they were all black. I did not think he would be fast as I questioned his choice of top and shoes.

The three of us formed a small pack that would dissolve quickly. I am running third and before I can settle in, a woman passes me. I say: go get them. No response. Not a minute later I get passed by another runner, this time a guy.

They slowly widen the gap. He passes her. I wonder if long-sleeve guy, now running in second place, will last; if he is for real; mefigures that if he is, he will last past three miles at that position; he is.

I won't bother with the splits only to mention that the mile-markers were misplaced so they will not offer a window into my even pacing. By three miles I can no longer see long-sleeve guy and the third place guy is only 20 secs ahead of me. I keet the same gap up until eight, when he speeds up a bit and I slow down a bit.

The course is as flat as a course can be. The cool ocean breeze is refreshing. The temp was 58F at the start and 65F at the end. Almost too good to be true. It was up to my old legs to do the rest.

My breathing is controlled. My form feels smooth and fluid. I have not felt like this in a race in a long time. Will it last for the entire 13.1?

He's going the distance.
He's going for speed.

I am about four minutes ahead of the number six runner. I don't think he can make up that much time in the next 5K. My watch reads 1:08:40. Damn. There is a chance that I can break 1:30. My legs are beginning to feel stiff. My form no longer feels fluid; it feels awkward. Number three guy (4th OA) has a minute on me now. No way will I catch him.

The miles are getting longer, if you know what I mean. I keep glancing at my watch. Did I push the pace too much? I did not think I could run 7mpm pace, much less sub 1:30. I dig as much as I can, but I am inevitably slowing. It's hard to know how badly I am slowing as I can't trust the markers. My watch reads 1:28:XX and we still have what appears to be more than 500 meters. I concentrate on my form and try to relax the shoulders.

The right hip-flexor, the one that has been given me so much trouble the last year only ached for miles 2-5; it also seemed to affect the right piriformis. Overall, I ran sans major discomfort.

I make the last turn and my legs start turning over quicker. I thought they were done. It wasn't much of a kick but it felt like it :-) I cross the finish line in 1:30:12 (6:53 pace) in fifth place OA and second in my AG.

Where did this come from? I think it came from everything going well in a race. From the cooler weather, to the flat course, to better trained legs. Interestingly enough, the 50 miles I ran last week (including this race) averaged 7:32... essentially my goal MP.

After the race I got to talk to long-sleeve guy (Dan). And boy was the guy for real. He ran a flat 5K not too long ago in 16:43 (six weeks ago), and is training for guess what race? NYCM! He is looking to run sub 2:55. His shoes ended up being all-black asics trainers. And his final time was 1:22, even with a detour -- as he missed a turn that must have cost him two minutes.

41 days and counting.

Keep running y'all!

Marathon Du Medoc

2008-09-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

To call this a race is a mistake; at least for those of us who chose to slog it rather than race it as there were some really fast folks who race it well. It is really a marathon inside a party. And what a party it is. If you ever get the chance of doing it, you will not regret it; I guarantee it.

On to the race. The already stated goal of a sub-5-hour finish was half in jest as I did not think it would take me that long to complete the distance. And I did complete it in less than that, but let me tell you: it was not easy. The course itself was a bit more difficult than I expected as it contains several rolling hills, most notably leading up to the Chateaus. The over 7000 runners and the narrow roads made it all that more difficult to get a rhythm. But I did not really care. I was there to have fun. And fun I did have; lots of it.

I lined up about half-way and it was a minor mistake as I found myself practically walking for almost the whole first K. No matter I said to myself. I will pick it up to 9mpm pace as I also want to get some training benefit, for at least 30K or so. And I did pick it up. Methinks that I was running 8-8:30 pace when I was "running."

The culprits for my brief stops were the 23 wine stations. You see the organizers have the support from all these Chateaus who willing give away their wine to any runner who wants it. And they don't really mind how much wine you consume at their expense. My guess is that the wine itself is of the Chateaus' lowest quality, albeit still tasty.

As soon as I saw one of these stations I had two servings, not realizing its future cumulative effect. I was also spending more energy than the pace I was doing as I was dodging participants left and right. Finally, around the 7K marker I have some "breathing" room where I don't have to zig-zag. My splits get progressively faster, even with the wine stops. Ah but it was not as rosy as it should have been. I started feeling dizzy by the 17K marker and I knew I was close to being drunk. If I continued as I was doing until then I would not finish. I had to change my original strategy. I started drinking more water and just taking a couple sips at the wine-serving Chateaus. It helped as I felt back to normal 5K later. Alas, my mind was not okay as I started walking short portions. I continued the gallo-walking for the rest of the party, err I mean run, with the exception of the last two+ Ks.

For most of 30K I was frog-leaping position with this guy who had a Sumo-wrestler costume, and I just could not let him beat me. Finally, the weight and the overheating got to him right after 30K. I would not see him again.

At around 35K, there was this wall (see pic) whose bricks were made of wooden wine crates. Nice touch :-). It right around this point where I was expecting the oysters and the ham and the steak. I would have to wait until the 38K for the ham, the 39K for the oysters (where I had two chased by what else but white wine) and just before the 40K marker I had three cubes of medium rare beef; again, chased by wine, this time red. Boy was it good!

I was really glad I was about to complete my 39th marathon as I was really, really tired. Even when I was taking my time. I reached the 41K, running mind you (or at least it felt like running), and a volunteer hands me ice cream. Nice.

I try to pick it up for the last K and change. I spread my arms mimicking a plane. I complete the "best" 26.2 miles of my life in a pedestrian 4:24:16. But who's keeping score; not me.

When I crossed the finish, I was handed a nice duffel bag, a bottle of bordeaux and a poncho. And of course, a finisher's medal.

My only complain is that I probably will not do it again. But one never knows what awaits in one's life :-)

For a nice pictorial check this link. This is where I borrowed the pictures I used. It is worth visiting it as the pictures really tell the story.

Now to resume my training for the NYCM.

I am Old, Fat and Slow

2008-08-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

I don't particularly like the Pitz-Douglas program as it has not improved my fitness as rapidly as the FIRST program did. Maybe it's my old body's fault. We'll see as I will switch to the more demanding FIRST workouts. Ironically, I was never able to hit the prescribed times for the FIRST repeats in the two cycles I followed in the past, and always ended up lowering the target times. P-D do not introduce repeats until well into their training cycle.

The benefits of repeats (VO2Max - done at 3-5K pace) are well documented. I wanted to remind myself why I was to subject my body to such punishment. I decided to read Noakes. In his book, Noakes claims that one can only gain 10-15% improvement from repeats (done right). He goes on to say that if your average Joe wants to improve much more than that (other than the usual gains from increasing one's mileage) is to have better running economy; IOW, drills, drills and more drills.

One positive aspect of this training cycle is that my tempo runs have steadily improved. Last week I managed six miles at 7:01 pace. If I can get them to 6:50 mpm, I will be in good shape to meet my goal come November.

Alas, I have been plagued with injuries here and there. Nothing significant.... yet. Knock on wood. The most nagging injury right now is liopsoas tendinitis; I am hoping the flexors will hold up until after the NYCM.

Speaking of which, NYCM 2008 will be the last marathon I race. Training for a 'thon is just too hard on my aching body. I will still run 'thons, but at a more relaxed pace. I may concentrate on shorter distances. Who knows? I feel I am in running limbo.

On another somewhat related note, I too thought that Wanjiru and the lead pack would fall apart before the 30K mark. Boy was I proven wrong. Even though the guy had a 90+ second positive split, he still kicked some major arse. And he's listed as being only 5'4".

Had Ryan kept up to his apparent plan of running his-own-race, I believe he'd probably have won bronze. He was quoted as saying: "Mentally, it's tough to convince yourself that it's possible for those guys to come back."

And how about Kenisa Bekele? Again he impressed the heck out me with his last lap in 54 seconds in the 5K... I am sure he could have ran it faster as it was pretty obvious he slowed down after he built up a significant lead. He ran a 52-second last lap in the 10K in Athens.

Last, but not least, I fly to France next week. I intend on tasting each and every wine offered at the 23 "aid" stations throughout the Marathon Du Medoc. Vive la France!

NYC Nike Half-Mary

2008-07-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

My last post was a six-word prediction to follow up on Flying Pigtails
request. Being that I tend to follow trends (as I have seen these kind of 'requests' posted several times) I continue the trend with my race report in a 'concise' six-word sentence: It is definitely not the shoes!

Last year, Haile ran the course record wearing the same shoes I wore this past Sunday. He ran a sub-one-hour time. Because I had the same pair of shoes, I figure at the very least I could run my current fitness. Having ran a four-mile tempo run in just under 28 minutes the Wednesday prior suggested I could run "a" half in 7:11 pace. Alas, I knew the weather was going to be less than ideal so I adjusted it to 1:35 total time; I was confident, I thought it was doable.

Four weeks before the race had me running a mere 4.5 miles. The following week I ran a whooping 3.5 miles (sarcasm intended). Then I suddenly ramped up the mileage and ran 54 miles. And 54 miles the week before the half-mary. Two weeks of 54-miles back-toback. In fact, I was to run 5 recovery miles on Saturday, but I decided to not run them at all as I had only slept one hour on the red-eye on my way to the big apple on Friday night.

On Saturday night I slept a not-too-shabby 6.5 hours, as I woke up at 5:30 AM local time (2:30 to my circadian rhythm). I showered, had a banana to prevent cramps and was on my way to Central Park. I made it there with just 20 minutes to spare. On my way to my corral I spotted Uptown Girl who was chatting away with a couple of her teammates. I stood there for a few seconds not knowing whether to say hello or just let her be. I decided to call out her name and introduced myself. I felt so foolish afterward for not introducing myself by my Christian name, but such is life. I also felt awkward since she was obviously enjoying the conversation with her teammates, so I made it rather short.

I moved right along and placed my self in the 1000s corral. I look to my left and who do I see? The speedster Chelle, who was talking to a friend. I though of walking over to introduce myself but stayed put; after all she seemed to be enjoying her conversation. It is worth mentioning that she is a sub-1:25 half-marathoner and I call myself a sub-1:30 halfer. Originally, my goal was to finish NOT more than five minutes behind Chelle. We happened to be lined-up between the 1:30 and the 1:37 pacers.

The race starts and less than half-a-mile later the 1:37s pass me with so much ease it was ridiculous. At this point I knew it was not going to be a good race. I tried to push the pace but my legs were just not cooperating. My breathing was fine; in fact it felt too easy; it would only get labored at the hills, particularly the Harlem hills. At the one-mile marker I lost sight of Chelle and her friend. I plod on feeling sorry for myself as I just could not pick up the pace. I kept telling myself that it was just too crowded; but that was just silly, I did not have any legs.

I actually felt I gave the race a good effort and tried several times to lengthen my stride to no avail. At four miles I sighted Chelle and her friend once again and gave chase only to lose them once more half a mile before we exited Central Park. I had been averaging just under 7:30s for the Central Park miles and was hoping to drop them to 7:10s once we got into the flatlands. I did get a minor boost when we went onto 7th Avenue but it was short-lived as I felt 'lost' once we passed times square. At ten miles I was still in sub-7:30 pace, but soon thereafter I felt so tired, my legs felt made of lead and wished I could keep a sub-eight minute pace for the rest of the 'race.'

As it turns out I only lost 30 seconds in the next 5-k as I concentrated on my breathing and my shuffling gait. Right around the 11-mile mark, I spotted Chelle and her friend once again and tried to catch up to them, but my legs where not there. I guess I left them in La-La Land. I crossed the finish line in 1:38:32, 7:31 pace, feeling so tired I skipped the five miler cool-down I had planned as I was supposed to run 18 for that day.

As I was 'recovering,' I see Chelle jogging and called out her name. We chatted for a few minutes and I headed to the subway station nearest me. I was in my hotel by 9:30.

While in New York, I ran four days: 13.1 on Sunday (7:31 pace), 6+ on Monday (9+ pace), 10 on Tuesday (7:43 pace- all in Central park, with five sub 7:25), and 7.5 on Wednesday (~8:10s). All I can hope is that come November 2, I can run close to the pace I ran this past Sunday as that is the one monkey I still have on my back: five NYCMs and NOT one under 3:40.

Have a great day you all.

A

NYC Half-Mary

2008-07-24T20:51:00.001-07:00

I will run my heart out.

Chihuahua Bites the Soap

2008-07-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

It was three weeks ago on a Thursday night (June 26). I was to take the red eye to Mexico City. The prospects for running in Mexico were not good and thus my desire to get in one more run before my departure.

Not even half a mile into the run and these two midget dogs (Chihuahuas) start chasing me and barking at will. Normally I would not give my back to a single dog, but these were Chihuahuas for crying aloud. One of them manages to get really close to me, but I think nothing of it; they will just get tired and leave me to my running. Boy was I wrong. He sinks his incisors into my left calf and pain shoots thought my nervous system immediately. I turn around and start chasing them while they keep barking at me. They don't come back and I continue my run. The bite was significant enough that my calf bled and pain accompanied me for at least a quarter of a mile before the endorphins took over.

I ended up running eight miles without any more incidents. The following 14 days would have me pound the pavement only once for 4.5 miles. The question was not whether I lost fitness with such low volume, but how much.

Last week, on Monday to be precise, I came down with food poisoning (FP). It was probably the worst FP I have ever got. I was bedridden for a whole day. On Tuesday I felt fine with the exception of feeling hung-over (without the benefit of having been drunk). Wednesday came and foolishly I had a rather big meal that had me losing fluids a couple of hours later. You see, I was ignorant to the fact that one is supposed to eat light after getting FP. After taking yet another imodium, I felt fine on Thursday. Alas, I had another large meal on Friday, and again back to losing fluids.

I wake up soon after 5AM on Saturday as my left calf was turning into a bar of soap; man was that painful... and I consider myself to have a high tolerance for pain. I massage it and walk around for a bit. I head back to bed. A few minutes later it is my RIGHT calf that decides to turn itself into another bar of soap ARGH! One is bad enough...

Obviously, a week of losing fluids and electrolytes left me in bad shape.

This Sunday the Pitz-Douglas (how come when referring to this program Douglas is never mentioned?) called for 15 miles... and that was my intention. But as soon as I hit three miles I knew it was not to be, so I decided to cut it to 12 and run three more at night. It was wise. I even had to take a shade brake as I was really close to heat exhaustion just after 10; I almost walked the remaining 1.75 or so miles.

Where am I right now, as far as running fitness? I feel I am about 7:40 MP, which would forecast a 1:35 half on the 26th. And that my friends is my goal, give or take a couple of minutes (more likely give as it's supposed to be in the low 70s). I am also counting on dropping 15 seconds from my current MP at the end of this cycle. That is all... for now. :-)

Carry on,

A

It's the Humidity Stupid!

2008-06-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to push the pace in 90F degree weather... It went better than I expected... 8:14, 7:58, 7:53, 7:41 (31:46), 7:30, 7:36, 7:45*, 7:24 (30:15). Interesting how yesterday's run, while cooler felt harder; my guess is that the humidity was the culprit.

Yesterday's run started with me feeling really sluggish, then the humidity/heat got to me (or maybe it was GERD as I felt heaviness in my chest)... managed to push it for the last mile. 75F, 63% humidity. I averaged 8:31 pace for seven miles.

Today's humidity was only 37%.

Some tidbits

On Tuesday I had an interview for Structural Engineering Associate... did not go too well as I have not done structural calculations in eons. I still have hope I will get picked though.
Next week I leave for Mexico for two weeks; I am hoping I will be able to run while there.
My next race is the Nike NYC Half... since I am not in racing shape, all I am hoping is for a good time... AND maybe run in the 1:32s... or better :-) It will be up to the weather gods.
Good luck to Bridget on Saturday.

To an Athlete Dying Young

2008-06-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields were glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

A.E Housman

One More Time

2008-06-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

I have owned Pfitzinger-Douglas' Advanced Marathoning for several years but had not read it, just skimmed through it. Now that I have read it, I will give its 18-week schedule (70 miles or less) a try.

When I was training for CIM, I used the FIRST program and it worked for me. I really liked the flexibility of the schedule as I could switch days or move workouts forward or backward and fill the other days with easy runs or x-training. The problem is that the quality runs are really tough and take a bit too much from me.

Sooo... right now I am concentrating in building up volume. Take today as an example. I tried running the eight miles without looking at my watch for feedback. I did peek at the turn arund point (33:18) and was mildly disappointed at the slowish split. I tried really hard maintaining the same effort as in the out section but I may have subconsciously picked up the effort without being aware as the second half; and I had, as a result, a more gratifying split, 31:16 (7:49 pace) - with the last mile run in 7:34. One thing I did like about this run was that I thoroughly enjoyed it; suffice it to say that I will try more of these runs where I will not look at my watch and run by feel.

Happy running you all.

Moo City Marathon

2008-05-27T08:05:00.001-07:00

I was to run with Andres for the duration of the race. Or so was the plan. We started right next to the Capitol with just over a 1000 runners making the full marathon field. No-one fighting for position. There was plenty of room for everyone. Andres looks at the 3:50 sign and likes the 8:48 pace, as his 3:30 goal has wisely been thrown out the window due to lack of training; his longest run was 10 miles. "I" think he can run 3:40. We are in between the 3:40 and the 3:50 groups.

The horn is blown and I take off at what feels like an easy stroll. Andres lags behind a few feet. I slow down so that he can catch up to me. He still lags. I have to stop and wait for him to catch up to me. First mile in 8:25. The 3:40s are just in front of us.

The next couple of miles are run in an average of 8:20 and now Andres seems to have settled on a nice pace. I am enjoying what would turn out to be a very scenic route. Right after six miles, Andres starts picking up the pace and I am the one lagging now. We are getting closer to the 3:40s and I have to push the effort to keep up with Andres. We pass them right after mile 7. He looks strong and I tell him that we're running sub-8:10s and he says that he's feeling good. We pass by his brother's house (right after mile 10) and we're offered brats but Andres just plods along.

A challenging hill right before the UW-Madison Campus humbles me, and a couple of female runners pass me. I would re-pass them on the way down. Now I am the one feeling good. Strangely enough, my legs felt pretty tired at the beginning but they feel okay now. I clock a couple of sub-8 miles and Andres is hanging on. We are running on a well-packed dirt trail now and I continue to pass runners.

We cross the halfway mark in 1:48:01. Negative splits should be a slam dunk. The thought of dropping out (as I did in Boston) hunts me for a few minutes, but once I reach mile 14, I know that the worst is now behind me. Andres drops back a bit. I continue the same effort; I don't want to slow down. I try to stay with a relay runner but he drops me fairly easily. I am still feeling good and passing a few runners here and there.

At about mile 17, there was this longish hill that slowed my tempo. I did get back on track on the downhill. We enter the arboretum area. Man this course has way too many turns :-( I skip the GU station as it does not agree with me. I have had two cliffshot gels and I will have my third and last one right after 18. The sporadic crowds are quite supportive. Some call out my name. Some hesitate and think better of it. One spectator even cheers me on in Spanish. Wonderful spectators.

At 21 I hit the wall. Not the wall that stops you point blank, but the wall that whispers that it is okay to walk. I know I will slow down, it is just a matter of by how much. I look at my watch and see that 8:30s will bring me at close to even splits. I think to myself that the last five miles will be a cool-down jog. It seems to be working. I am running next to a lake and the winds are fierce. Another runner starts a conversation. I comply and mutter that I just wish that I was at the 26 mile marker instead of the 24th we just passed. He says that I am a "lean mean running machine." I take it in jest. He asks the spectators to cheer the lean mean running machine. I manage to feel a bit embarrassed. The fact that you can see runners (more than a mile) ahead makes it a bit tough. I plod on.

I reach this tiny little hill that almost makes me walk, and as soon as I crest it, a female with a lime green singlet passes me. I had passed her a couple of miles before. Not a good sign. She is gaining on me. I try to keep her close. I pass a struggling runners who is walking and I encourage him to at least jog. He must have done so because he shook my hand when he crossed the finish line.

I am closing in on lime-green female. Where is the darn 26 mile marker. I know I missed it once I see the 13 mile marker. Only a fraction of a mile to go. I speed up a bit but my legs are done. Finito. I cross the finish in 3:35:33, and barely a 28 second negative split. Andres would cross it in 3:42:06.

In as much as I would like to say that I could have run faster than the 3:35, it is safe to say that not this day; this day I gave it what I had. My endurance is not where it was in December. I have a lot of work to do.

I really like this marathon; it was comparable to the NYC marathon with some challenging hills and a bit too many turns. The only disappointment I had was that while I was there I did not see ONE single cow. What's up with that? :-)

Bay2Breakers 2008

2008-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

I had wanted to run this race for the last ten years. Something always seemed to get in its way though. This year was going to be different. So I signed up early, lest the race filled up quickly. Not being familiar with their registration procedures, I did not know I could have ‘applied’ for a sub-seeded number. Alas, that meant I would have to weave though the partying hordes. This was okay since I was not there to punish my body.

But when I went to the expo to collect my bib, I saw a sign pointing to the solutions desk and decided on the spot to see if I could exchange the bib for a sub-seeded one. Lo and behold, it was a lot easier than expected and I walked away with number 611.

On Sunday morning, I left my hotel by Fisherman’s Wharf at 6:40 and jogged the two miles to the start. The weather-nauts had predicted headwinds from 7 to 14 mph, ouch.

The sub-seeded area was just behind the seeded and the elite areas, with plenty of space to walk around or to get a warm-up jog. Perfect.

Now that I was to have no revelers to blame for a slow time, it was only me and the demons who have haunted me of late. One of those demons is extra weight as I am 7-8 lbs heavier from my optimal weight. But there is very little I can do at this moment in time.

Not being able to hit some training benchmarks, I came up with a rather tentative goal of 7 mpm pace. I add an extra 30 seconds, ‘just in case.’ The goal is definitely on the conservative side as a lighter me should be able to run 6:45s for this distance; but that is just that, a what if? To break 53 minutes it is… and to beat my bib number.

I line up right behind two female centipedes and all the members look fast. To my right, Spiderman-one has running shoes that match his outfit. They all would leave me behind in their dust.

I start running at what feels tempo, and promptly I feel heaviness in my chest. Is it GERD acting up for having consumed a pizza full of jalapenos for dinner two nights ago, or the curry chicken I had for lunch the previous day, or both? I definitely cannot run for over 50 minutes feeling like this, so I must have backed off subconsciously. I hone in on a stocky female who is running strong, just a few steps ahead of me. It was in this first mile that I sighted the first of several naked revelers/runners. Mile one, 6:48. Cool, I banked some seconds.

I had devised a plan of running two seven minute miles, then run as slow as eight for the third mile and come back with 6:45-6:50s for the remainder of the race.

Several spectators are jumping into the race, some with bibs, some without them, many had customs. At this point Spiderman-two passes me. I momentarily think it was the seeded spider, but this one had white running shoes. The stocky female is getting a few steps farther away from me. Up until now the course is fairly flat. Mile two, 6:53. I am still within goal range.

We are now in Hayes Street and I can see the top of the last terraced hill. The Autodesk centipede is cresting it. Damn, those guys are fast; they have already put five minutes between us. I begin the hills and while the average incline is 11+% they are a bit steeper when you consider the flat intersections. My quads start to whine and scream at me. I actually gain some on stocky female. The hills are definitely tough and I struggle in spite of my short stride. I am using my arms. Fortunately, the crowds are fantastic. Several people are drinking and it is tempting to walk over and join them for a beer. I see two females covered with rep paint. That’s all they were wearing… and running shoes. I have drilled my body into not looking down at the pavement when I am struggling. But these damn hills force my head into submission. I really have to dig deep to not walk. I am almost to the top. The problem with these terraced hills is that it seems that you’re about to crest the last one, and ‘thump’ there is another one on top of this one.. and another one. Argh! Mile three, 7:52. I know; they royally kicked my arse.

The road flattens out to my delight. A female wearing a Hawaiian dress is running by my side. I welcome her company. We do not converse. The hills have left with us with beat-up quads... and egos. The pace seems right but I am a bit disappointed as I see I have ran the fourth mile in 7:05.

We are now inside the Golden Gate Park, on Lincoln Avenue. Hawaiian woman is still running with me. I shift to a higher gear as I need to get into the 6:45s. In the process, Hawaiian woman is dropped. So is Spiderman-two. Mile five, 6:53. Finally a sub-seven minute mile; not what I wanted to see but I am okay with it.

Luckily, miles six and seven have very nice down-hills. It is here where I can get back some of the time I lost in the Hayes hills. I manage to pass a few runners. Only one would pass me. I continue gaining on others. Spiderman stays behind me as I hear spectators cheer him up. Mile six, 6:28. That’s what I am talking about.

I pass a struggling bronzed-runner and encourage him to stay with me. He has very little in the tank and does not respond. I am feeling elated. The road seems almost deserted as only a few runners are pounding the pavement. The really fast folks have already finished and only some of us mid-packers occupy the road. I am feeling stronger by the minute. Mile seven, 6:28. Funny, both six and seven ‘felt’ identical, the splits confirm it.

There is just a tad less than half a mile to go. We exit the park and have a clear view of the breakers as we turn into the Great Highway; the finish banner is so close, yet so far. I increase the tempo a bit. Spectators cheer on Spiderman-two and I can hear him panting, getting close to me. Damn. The competitive instinct in me kicks in and I increase the effort even more. I manage to hold him off and the last 0.46 miles is clocked in 2:49! (6:05 pace) Final chip time= 51:19 (6:53 pace).

As I am walking to grab a water bottle a volunteer hands me a white hat. It would not be until later that I would notice it had ‘top 500 finisher’ embroidered on the back, right below bay-to-breakers 2008. Nice.

Now, from the last 2.46 mile splits one can see I still had gas in the tank. I believe the reason for that is that it took two miles for my quads to recover from the infernal Hayes hills. All in all, B2B is an excellent race. I had a blast and cannot wait for next year and perhaps a sub-50 minute finish. And being that this was the first 12K I have ran, it was also a PR :-)

By the numbers: 290th OA, 35th AG. Nude runner sightings: twelve Males, three Females.

HRM- Part Deux

2008-05-08T10:53:00.001-07:00

So I have given up on using the HRM as a guide. Lemme 'splain. Two days ago while attempting to run 10 miles at a 'decent' pace (read: 7:10) the damn thing, or really the chest strap restricted my thorax from expanding fully, forcing me to slow down prematurely; so I have decided to drop the darn thing. That's my story and I am sticking with it.

Now for more important factoids. When I raced CIM I sort of promised Andres that I would run the Green Bay marathon. I did not fully commit because Bay-to-Breakers was that same day, and I have been dying to run that race, if not to get the HR up, to check up all those weirdos who run sans clothes :-) What to do with the quasi-promise you ask? I called him and told him I could run the Madison 'thon the following week if he was up to it. He said: of course! And that's how I booked my flight to MOOdison, wisCOWsin. HIS goal is to run 3:30; we'll see how he does :-)

Cheers!!

HRM

2008-05-03T14:25:00.001-07:00

My running has a tendency to hit snugs from time to time. As such, it is time to look for something different that will spike up my training. A few years ago I was given a Polar 625SX and I have decided to put it to good use, sans the foot pod. I want to build up mileage and run a few quality runs here and there, trying not to burn out using the HRM as a guide.

Last Wednesday I tried 24X20 seconds with 60 second-recoveries in between and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The run ended up lasting for 12 miles. I want to do this kind of workout once every two weeks; we'll see how it goes.

As for the pain outside my left foot during the B*ston marathon, it appears that it was caused by a lose fitting shoe... stupid is as stupid does... it just goes to show you that sometimes the most basic things in life can inflict pain if not done right.

So what's in the horizon for me? The marathon du medoc for one as I already bought a non-refundable flight to Bordeaux. This race will be run for fun with no time goal, just to have fun and to drink as many different wines as possible. Can you say: Alkie? :-)

A First

2008-04-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

Prologue:

I took the red eye from LA on Friday night. The lady behind me had a really awful sounding cough. I prayed I would not catch a virus.

Sunday morning I went to see the trials. It was definitely the highlight of the trip. I could not believe how exciting it was; I got to see the runners eight times and was very impressed with the gutsiness of Lewy Boulet, but knew that Kastor would eventually catch her.

The "Race":

There was something about this day I just could not shake. I just did not feel like running a marathon, much less racing one. I actually hoped to miss the buses. Ah, but it was meant for me to start it... The ride took a LOT longer than I expected; it took just under two hours. Runners were exiting the buses to release fluids et Al. We finally arrived at the athlete's village and it was already 9:30. I grabbed a water bottle and headed to the baggage buses. It was still a bit nippy on my way to the start. I am carrying three gels with me and I am wearing a skull cap, arm warmers and gloves. Just before the start I need to pee for a second time in a half-hour span. I don't feel the usual excitement that I feel before a marathon. It was kind of cool to see the fly over by F18s??? but it was still cloudy. Then the clouds broke and it felt a bit warmer than I'd like for a good marathon. I decided I would still try to hit my A goal. Foolish.

First mile passes by in a not-too-bad 7:31. I am okay with it. Several runners are leaving me behind. Mile two in 7:17. That's what I am talking about, bank some seconds for the eventual slow down in the Newton hills. Mile three in 7:28. Hmmm was hoping to see sub 7:20s. The effort feels a bit easier than MP but I am not concerned. The desire to press the pace is just NOT there. I cross the mile five marker in 37:40, and I KNOW that I cannot sustain this pace for the entire race, so I go to goal B (sub 7:41). Mile six in 7:31. Great some seconds in the bank. I know I am slowing down but when I see a 7:52 for mile seven my inner demons come out strong. A 7:42 eight mile brings me back closer to B-MP. My body is fine. My legs while a bit shaky at the start have settled down. Mile nine, 7:52. Damn. Mile 10, 7:47 (1:16:26 - 7:36 pace).

I know in the current mental state I am, I cannot fulfill goal B, so I contemplate thoughts of dropping out. Yes, this would be my first DNF. I go into easy pace mode. I start high-fiving every single kid I see to my right. The outside of my left foot is beginning to ache. Could it be the onset of PF? Not surprisingly mile 11 reads 8:14. The pace feels more like a jog. I go though the Wellesley tunnel of screams and I give high fives to as many women as possible. I am having fun. The pain in my foot disappeared for this stretch. As soon as I exit it, it comes back. Damn.

It looks like this will be the day. I will DNF. My first. Hopefully my only one.

Mile 12, 7:59. Can I run this pace for the rest of the race? The pace does not seem like a total melt down. Mile 13, 8:13. No. I call it quits soon after the half-way point (1:41:42). No need to battle my demons for another 13 miles. They won today. By a big margin. There will be another race to exorcise them; and I will, you can count on it.

Beantown Prediction

2008-04-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

It’s funny- after running 37 marathons- I can safely say that I respect the distance. What's more important, the experience I have gained allows me to set realistic goals; this is directly proportional to the quality of the training cycle. Having ran B*ston four times also gives me added edge in prognosticating a finishing time.

For the 16 weeks before the race this has been my weekly mileage, with only one longish run: 42, 45, 31, 31, 42, 37, 29, 22, 36, 30, 9, 53, 47, 47, 45*, 30* (*projected). You may remember that my original goal was to break 3:10, but that was assuming a 60 mpw training cycle. As seen from the weekly mileage it would be asinine to even dream of it. However, I think I can sneak in a sub 3:16.

What really makes this prediction interesting is a run I did on April 1; I had planned on running easy for five miles and coming back at goal MP for a total of 10. I was feeling good. There was a slight head wind I and I was getting tired too easily and at the turn around point I knew I could not run ~7:25s for five so I backed off to only three. I was able to only run two and I called it quits. I finished that run with three easy miles and felt totally demoralized. The effort was there, but the springiness in my stride was nonexistent.

Two days later, my schedule called for a tempo run. The previous week I ran eight miles with three miles sandwiched at 6:50 pace. I figured ~7mpm for four miles was doable. So I head out and immediately my legs sprung to life. I hit the 2.5 miles w/u in 19:20 (7:44 pace). Right here and then I knew the tempo would be completed satisfactorily. And I wasn’t wrong. The splits were as follow: 6:42, 6:53, 6:45 and 6:38!... The best part was the c/d where my legs really felt fresh and strong. I ran the 2.5 miles c/d in 18:31, or roughly 7:24!!!

What did I do differently? I had a deep tissue massage the previous night. I believe the massage loosen up the tight tendons, thereby allowing the working muscles to do their job.

The revised A goal, as noted above, is sub 3:16 (incidentally, I I hit this time, it will be a course PR). The B goal is sub 3:21. There. I said it. The C goal is just to finish with a smile in my face :-)

Happy running.

One...

2008-04-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

of the several reasons I LOVE the Rome Marathon... having your picture taken in front of historical monuments... while running :-)

Trevi

I am surprised photo5 was able to assign this photo as my bib number is not visible.

Piazza Popolo

Here's where I started struggling.

Colosseum

I just LOVE this one taken with a fish-eye lens.

Cheers.

Corro Ergo Sum

2008-03-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

And that was the theme that the Rome Marathon organizers used... loosely translated to: I run, therefore I am. Cheesy, I know. But I like it.

Having had trouble breathing in a failed attempt at a long run two weeks earlier had me humbled and I consequently lowered my expectations for what was originally planned as a training run for B*ston. I managed to run a couple of times in Madrid, once in Barcelona and once in Venice. All four runs were completed sans breathing problems and this brought the sub-3:30 expectation back onto the table.

I had planned to do one last run before the big day, but the ten days in Europe was full of sightseeing and my feet saw a whole lot of work and me figured that it was not going to help any; I was just too tired on Friday. That was too bad as I was really looking forward to run in the circo massimo which happens to have what appears to be a .7 mile loop.

On Saturday, and as I was playing tour guide to my brother, I took him to the Vatican Museum, where I separated as I did not want to spend too much time on my tired legs. I waited for him outside; people watching... sitting down. Two hours later he came out. I took him to other sights while using public transportation as much as possible. I think I did a fairly good job of staying off my feet... on Saturday anyway.

Race day is here and I wake up a bit earlier than planned. I shower and have a banana. I don my ipod shuffle and head out the door just before 8 am. My brother and I make it to the starting control area with about half an hour to go. He was to run the 4k that was to start 15 minutes after mine. He wishes me good luck. I smile, hoping that luck does indeed help my lungs.

I sit on the curb right next to a 60ish woman. She asks me in Italian what I expect to run. I reply: three thirty. She wows. I smile. She expects to complete it in 4:30. I can only hope I will be in similar shape when I hit that age.

It's five minutes to go. I stand up and start getting mentally ready. I have packed three hammer-gels in the backside pocket of my shorts; they feel a bit heavy. This guy decides that he has to make his own porta-john out of an empty water bottle, even though there were four female runners in close proximity. Only in Europe.

The race starts and it only takes me about 30 seconds to cross the starting arch. I am right behind the 3:30 pacers and I intend to keep them close. The weight of the gels are pulling on my shorts. I reach behind and pull one and decide to leave the other two. We turn left around the monument to the unknown soldier. The road is paved with cobble stones. My breathing is cooperating. Right before the first Km marker I get bumped on my arm and my ipod comes out flying. I immediately stop and go back to pick it up. I almost get run over by two runners, one who looks really annoyed; I don't blame him. It costs me about 20 seconds. No matter, the 3:30 pacers are 'carrying' blue balloons so they easy to spot. I slowly reel them in before the 3rd Km. I am feeling good, yet a bit timid about the sub 3:30 goal. First 5K goes by in 24:35, with a few seconds banked. My confidence grows.

I get to the first aid station and I make sure I grab enough gatorade. I drop back a few seconds. This would repeat every time I would reach aid stations. Because it was a bit warm for a 'thon I used the soaked sponge provided at 7.5Km to cool my body by poring quite a bit of water on my head. The water soaked my top and bottom. I could feel my shorts ride up-and-down. I fear I will get chafing but I plod on. The plan is to ingest the gels at the 10, 20 and 30 Km marks. I reach the 10K mark in 24:51 (49:24).

I am still feeling good. I know once I go over the distance of my longest run (14 miles) I will feel even better. The course is fairly flat with a few inclines. I play with my gait from time to time to ensure I use different muscles. 15K, 24:32 (1:13:58)

The half way point would come in another 30:31 (1:44:29), or roughly 30 seconds faster than last year; and I feel stronger this year. I think I can break 3:29; all I need is a one second positive split or faster. Definitely doable. I can feel chafing around my wait, on my back... and right below my armpits; the chafing would only get worse.

The next segment would have me see something I never expected to see. I casually glance to the right and I see a female runner taking care of business... mind you it was not number one. I might have seen it all now. 25K, 19:00 (1:53:29)

I was slowly slowing down, but I stayed right behind the pacers. 30K, 25:13 (2:28:42)

It was getting harder and harder to keep pace with the pacers. I am holding on though. I hit the 20 mile mark and I know I only have a 10K to go. Alas, my legs start feeling heavier, and my quads are really tight. I just try to hold to pace as much as possible. I notice I am hardly bending my knees: the marathon shuffle. The 3:30 pacers drop me. I try to keep them in sight. I am really struggling. I think the culprit is all the walking I did sightseeing. I do the math as to what would happen if I slow down to 9 minute pace and I can live with a sub 3:35. It's a training run after all. Interestingly enough, the last seven Ks are the most scenic ones, together with the first two Ks.35K, 24:57 (2:53:39)

I reach 40K feeling really, really tired. The chafing only makes it worse. I now know that I will not run sub 3:30. 25:39 (3:19:18)

I make it to the final hill of the course, on a cobbled road, right by the Colosseum. I try to pick up speed by the legs are not responding. I know this last stretch as I pick up speed on the decline. I look at my watch and think that I may be able to break 3:30 after all. 600 meters to go and I hammer it as hard as i can. Too bad I am not a sprinter. I see the clock and it reads 3:30:30... I know it's over; I have not been able to break 3:30. I run the last stretch in 10:52 (3:30:10). I am not disappointed though. I am pleased. No discernible injuries. It was a succesful training run where I miss my goal by a mere 11 seconds.

Ciao Roma.

How not to run long distance

2008-03-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

Today's long run was supposed to be 'easier' than normal because it would take place during the LA Marathon. A friend of mine would provide fluids at predetermined mile markers. Even with the support, it was a total disaster. I planned on 18, and had to quit at 14 (17 mile marker). I jumped at the three mile mark and started running the first five miles at 7:35 pace; my breathing felt a bit out of sync, but I had hopes to continue at this pace for ten miles, ease up for five and speed up for the last three. My legs did not cooperate. I am not sure if it was the speed work on friday, or the upper respiratory infection I believe I have or just that I am not in shape to run long decently. My longest run during this cycle has been 14 but even those have not felt as 'hard' and I did not have trouble breathing as I did today.

This run does not predict a good result in two weeks, in the Rome marathon; it would be asinine to even attempt a sub-3:30, my original goal. Why sub 3:30? Because the three 'thons I have run in Italy have been sub 3:30 and I would hate to run slower than that, but at this point I have to accept I am not ready; I will take a 3:45, I am that desperate. Argh. Boston will have to be run at substantially slower than I had hoped. Hopefully by then I will be in able to run sub 3:21, but I may be setting myself up for disaster.

On another somewhat related note, there was an event that took place this morning; it was a relay for an LAPD SWAT member who recently became the first casualty since SWAT was created. I happened to catch up to them and as they were carrying a torch, and its fumes were causing me discomfort, I sped up a bit. Right before the 13 mile marker, there were about 50 (wo)men in blue standing right next to each other on the sidewalk. As the torch carrier was a few steps behind me, the (wo)men in blue all stood at attention and proceeded to salute the incoming relay member. This sight caused my skin to immediately get goose bumps. It was quite the sight.

Last week I actually had a good running week. I only ran 36 miles but they were relatively fast. I averaged 7:40 pace. Two of the runs left me quite pleased. One included a five-mile segment ran at 7:08 pace, the other had 3X4X400 with a 60 second standing rest between repeats and they averaged 91 seconds on what I consider a slow dirt track. Alas, today's run brought me back to reality. :-(

Tomorrow I am scheduled to fly to Madrid along with my brother. It will be difficult to run during the trip, but I will attempt to run a few times before the actual marathon. I don't want to bonk as badly as I did today. The moral of the story? Do your long runs... and... make sure they are long enough though. :-)

Saludos.

Nada

2008-02-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

I am gumption-less. No desire to run whatsoever. So much for concrete goals.
Last week I ran a grand total of 29 miles in three outings... yikes. This week, I have yet to go out and hit the ground once.

I did get to visit the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum yesterday. It was not as well designed as I had hoped. It does have this large elevator with glass/plexi-glass?? walls that was nice to look at, but inside it gave me a feeling of claustrophobia. Go figure. The 'temporary' exhibit was a-okay. Nothing to get excited about. I did enjoy three stained-glass-like pieces made of butterflies, and with almost perfect symmetry.

I hope y'all are doing better than me. In fact I know you are :-) The end.

Cheers!

Superbowl Sunday

2008-02-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was to be one of my 'goal' races for the year. Coming into this 5K I knew I was not ready for a 19:15, so I came up with a lesser goal.

I drove to the site in light rain, hoping that it would subside before the start of the race. I parked the car less than 1/2-mile away from the start and it was still raining. It was 6:30, an hour to go. I still had to go and pick up my bib. I decide to wait until 7:10 to retrieve the T-shirt and the bib/chip envelope. All this time I struggle deciding whether to run it or not. I almost left. The rain was not the issue, it was waiting until the race started 'in the rain' that did not appeal to me.

I exit the car and head to get my bib, jogging the distance. The envelope is handed to me and I make my way to get my long-sleeve shirt, getting my shoes completely soaked.

Five minutes or so to go... I have to go relieve my bladder. No one is lined up at the porta-potties; a rare sight. I come out with three minutes to spare. The start is but a few steps away. The new, more conservative goal is just to break 20. It should not be that difficult.

I get myself right behind the first row. I am ready to run. The light rain keeps on dropping. It is annoying the heck out of me. Sound the darn horn for crying out loud. Then it is announced that America the Beautiful will be sang. The singer does a wonderful joy. Then I come back to reality. I am getting cold. It's only 48 degrees, so it isn't that bad.

Finally, the horn is blown. I take off with a bunch of teens. I reach the quarter mile and I ask this guy what he's thinking of running. 18, was his response. I immediately back off. I make a turn and get passed by one runner. The effort feels too close to tempo, but I discard the idea that I am not running 5K-effort (BIG mistake) and continue. The first mile marker, I hit the split button and my watch reads 6:30. Shit. I am already behind as this mile should have been not slower than 6:20. The next one is the most difficult of the three and I know it will be slower. I try to raise the effort, and I only slow down 12 seconds, 6:42. I am 15 seconds behind schedule. I need a sub-6:10 to make it close. My shoes keep getting soaked in the cross-gutters. I pass a couple of more runners, including a teen. I am on a nice descent, but my stride feels short, choppy. Sub 20, is not going to happen. The effort is just not there. I turn and see the third mile marker, 6:31. Damn. I don't even kick the final stretch, where the teen I had passed just after 2.25 comes roaring and gets in front of me inside the shoot, 0.44. 20:27 by my watch. 20:30 official time. I guess the rain impeded on using the flat-chip system and they went with bib tags. 42nd OA and seventh in my AG. The top three in my AG ran in the 16s; damn, they're fast. The winner did it in 15:01. Bastard.

At the end I was in disbelief. My mind could not fathom how I could run such a slow race. Two years ago, I ran this race and ran it almost a minute faster. I was in similar shape. I kept on feeling sorry for myself for the rest of the day. The Superbowl was a nice distraction to an awfully ran race. No effort, no guts... no glory... just disappointment.

In the afternoon, I rooted for the Patriots; I wanted them to get a perfect season. Besides i am not a fan of the Manning brothers. Eli because he dodged the draft (San Diego Chargers)... Payton because he is just too darn good. I have to hand it to Eli though; he held composure and drove his team when it was needed the most, during crunch time. I thought the pressure was going to be too much, and that he was going to be intercepted. Overall it was an excellent game, particularly the second half.

Priceless

2008-01-28T06:56:00.001-08:00

"Start spreading the news, I'm leaving [in November]
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York"

Hotels and Rental Car = $400

Air Fare to Austin (from LAX) = $220

Entry to Austin 3M Half-Mary = $50

Qualifying for the NYCM = Priceless*

One of the reasons I picked this half was that I have been contemplating buying a home outside of the LA area and Austin was a contender. The fact that the course drops ~300 feet (net) did not hurt.

Unfortunately, I did not 'memorize' the elevation profile and 'that' ended up playing havoc with my mind.

The route is practically a point-to-point. I drove to the start with plenty of time before the race. I warmed up for two very easy miles with four strides at perceived half-mary effort.

After the brief warm up, I made my way to the start and went through the barricades to secure a place a few rows behind the really fast folks. There was this woman who looked to be in her 60s in front of me and I decided to move up a bit as I did not think she could run 7mpm or faster. A local high school choir sang the star spangled banner and they did a brilliant job.

Then it was time for the countdown... and the horn was blown. I immediately reached perceived effort. There was a brief time where my breathing became labored, like in a 5K, but I backed off back to pace. The first mile was a 6:53 (-1), and I was ok with it. There is a man in his 50s wearing orange shorts whom I target, but he slowly leaves me behind. The pace feels slow; it also feels hard. The lack of race specific training is making its mark. I am struggling. Yes, this early in the race. Mile 2 goes by in 6:58 (+7). Damn. I was hoping to bank time early on in the race. I did remember that the first mile or so was uphill. The slower second mile puts a dent on my fragile hopes.

I just keep reminding myself to go "one more mile." If all else fails, I will have a nice tempo run. The weather has been perfect. There seems to be a slight headwind but it is not so. It is just air resistance as two flags I happen to notice are as still as wood. Even the few turns are not that bad. My hip flexors are behaving, product of the core workouts I have been doing. Mile 3 is clocked in 6:41 (-4)... thank goodness. It gives me a brief, but needed boost. I have also managed to bank a few seconds. The course appears to be descending. I ran mile 4 in almost the same time as mile 3, 6:42 (-14). My confidence is growing, yet I am starting to feel tired. The reality of racing. I much rather 'run' 13 miles than 'race' them. Racing is hard. Racing is painful. Mile 5 includes a couple of 90-degree turns. I hit the split button in my watch and I peak to see what it reads... 6:18 (-48) WTF!!! It did not feel THAT fast. I suspect that mile to be short.

The next mile would support my suspicion as I did not think the course got much more difficult, 7:04 (-36). My struggling mind comes up with a plan: to run the next five miles in 7mpm and hammer the last two. I do not execute it though. My quads feel a bit sore; my right calf threatens to cramp. No way can this happen in a half. I am in denial. Mile 7 would bury any last hope I harbored, 7:09 (-21). I am even having trouble doing the math. All I can figure is that I have about 20 seconds in the bank. Not nearly enough if the 'race' continues like this. To make things worse, more than a few runners pass me. This was really tough as I am fairly good at sustaining my place; heck, I am supposed to pass runners, not the other way around. I try my last gear in an effort to get back into the race.

Mile 8, 6:44 (-29)... the added effort pays off. Right after 8, we turn east and the rising sun is right in front of us; it would remain this way for about 1.5 miles; not pleasant. I have been carrying my shades, but every time I put them on, they would fog up. This would be my last attempt as they fogged up again. The brief high I experienced at the end of 8, does not last long. I am sure I lowered the effort in the next mile as I was really tiring. Mile 9, 6:52 (-29). Damn. I beat myself up as I am running. I should have done this; I should have done that. An inner voice, however, tells me that it's okay, that this is just not my day, that there will be another race where I can race my goal, a day where I will show up better trained. Mile 10, 6:57 (-24).

At this point my mind is fried. I am done. I am toast. I press the display button in my watch to see the total elapsed time, and I press the split button instead. My feeble mind does not register the mistake and I keep on pressing the split button. It dawns on me that I am pressing the wrong button and I finally press the right one and see the cumulative time. I don't even try to do the math; all I know is that I still can manage a miracle.

Again, I did not remember that the last 5K was a nice downhill, otherwise i would have felt better, much better. Mile 11, 6:42 (-34). I also pass guy-with-orage-shorts. My watch reads 1:15:00 flat, and I know I am well within my goal. I could run the next stretch in just a tad over 7 mpm and still make it. My whole body is tense. I can not get it to relax. I am cutting the tangents. Mile 12, 6:43 (-43). I decide to cruise the last mile and not risk a cramp. Mile 13, 6:45 (-51). The last 0.1 is a continuation of mile 13, effort wise, 0:39 (-53). I raise my arms in triumph.

As I am approaching the finish line, I hear my number being called. The announcer does not follow up with my name. Hmm, that does not sound right.

I hang out to check the results. They are posted and my name is nowhere to be found. WTF! I come all the way over here and to not have an official time? I don't think so. If the NYCM was not on the line I would not have cared. I go over to the awards tent where I explain my situation. She takes my info and I am told that it will be fixed. An acquaintance tells me that these things do happen as he has worked the timing himself. He and I head over to the truck where the guy who works the computer is and tell him what happened. He tells us that he has already been told and that my time is in the system. Gun time: 1:29:15, Chip time: 1:29:07.

I'll see you in NYC :-)

Alas, I have a bunion on my left foot, on the fifth metatarsal. It hurts :-(

*I am assuming that the NYRRC will continue to use the same guidelines they have used in the last couple of years; but you know what happens when you assume... Oy!

Lastly, a few interesting bits about my last two races:

1.- They, both, were held at Capital cities.
2.- They, both, qualified me for other races.
3.- They, both, dropped ~300 feet in elevation.

Sundry and MMM Half

2008-01-25T16:06:00.000-08:00

The other day I went on a 10-mile run and as I was coming down the ramp from the top of the dam, I see what I think are two kids sitting by the top of the man-made channel; the odd thing was that it has a chain-link fence and I just did not see how they could be sitting on that 'wall.' As I got closer the silhouette resembled a 50-lb dog. But as I got to about 30 yards I was finally able to see what it was. It was a HUGE eagle... the biggest one I have seen, even bigger than the ones in zoos... and this happened in an urban setting. The sad reality is that my eyes are going... :-(

One run of late that deserves to be noted happened on Sunday. What made it noteworthy was the fact that I did not look at my watch once during the run. I have attempted to do this several times but have failed. Not this time. It felt liberating; not bound by what pace I might have been running. I am, admittedly, a slave of time. When I run, I am in constant need for feedback, and my watch does that. I think it is insecurity. Surprisingly, the seven miles went better than I expected as I stopped enjoying running on the dirt track half a block from my house; too many loops. The splits got progressively faster and averaged on the faster side of easy pace, or about 30 sec slower than MP.

Music has always helped me through rough patches during a training run. I have been training with an ipod regularly. I don't carry one if I am to race though. I will wear one if I will use the race as a training run. On Monday, I actually left without the ipod and was a thoroughly refreshing run; it reminded me why I run. I enjoyed the sights and sounds of this mega-polis unimpeded.

I am currently in Austin as I hope (pray really) to break 1:30 on Sunday during the 3M Half. I am one of those guys who second-guesses himself quite often. In fact, I almost did not come. I had bought my plane ticket in early December, before I would be scheduled for an interview for a Structural Engineering position hours after my plane was to depart. Instead of paying for the change, I decided to standby for a later flight.

I guess the fact that I was to be interviewed and my knowledge of SE is minimal, as it has been a long time since I took SE courses, had me worried and I failed to check my registration before leaving LA. When I went to pick up my race packet today, the volunteer tells me that I am good to go. I ask: where is my chip? She said: "you're using your own chip" and looks at me like if I am retarded. I look at the envelope and realize it has the number of my personal timing chip. I had to go see the trouble desk and get a black chip; I was issued a new number; all because of my negligence... argh! The volunteer had to, essentially, re-register me. I hope that this is not a prelude of what will happen on Sunday. Better yet, I hope I am wearing shorts :-) I will be wearing my favorite shoes, Adidas Rats...

Of Mini and Me

2008-01-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

It's funny how I draw inspiration from that book, Of Mice and Men... after all it is such a sad book...

My running, as mentioned in my last post, has hit a snag and I barely ran a pitiful 31 miles last week... and this week is not looking much better :-(. I am ashamed of such low mileage, particularly when I 'screamed' to the world that I would run in the 60s... ha, wasn't that laughable.

This blog started more as a photo-album back in 2005... before flicker (at least I was not aware of it)... for a while, and for good reasons (take it from me)... I stopped posting photos... then in 2007, and after reading a couple of really good running blogs I attempted to do the same, albeit unsuccessfully :-]

And so I post a couple of pictures of Iris and Me :-)

Iris and I in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Iris and Moui

Now to the astute observer it will be noted that I am wearing a Georgetown-Law sweatshirt, and on the second photo I am wearing a plain dark-blue G-Shirt. I swear, that was a coincidence. I have been to G-Town U twice and having been one of those hobbies of mine (that is to collect College memorabilia) I bought them in two different occasions. I have sweaters/T's from Harvard, MIT, Cal, G-Town, Columbia, NYU, Yale, Princeton, UCLA, USC, Northwestern, and others.

But in order to make sense of the title of this post, you have to look at the picture below... my newest toy :-)

Mini Me :-)

Echo Mountain

2008-01-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

My running has hit a rut of late. So much that I have trouble getting my arse out the door, even though I have concrete goals. Methinks the reason is that I do most of my runs along the same route... and obviously it gets boring.

On Sunday, attempting to break the spell, I drove to Altadena at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The streets were full of cars and I had to park a few hundred yards away from the start of a single-track trail that leads to the 'top' of echo mountain. The trail is full of switch backs and gains 1600-feet in elevation and it is purported to be 2.7 miles long. It ended up being a 'blessing' that I parked about .15 miles down the road for the trail ends in a straight-away that is at least .15 miles. The round trip would be a nice six-miler as I am annal about running distances that result in integers.

As I was making my way to the head of the trail I hoped/prayed I would not regret wanting to change sceneries. I used to 'run' this trail regularly with an ultra-friend and got to do the ascent in just over 30 minutes. It was pure hell then. It is still pure hell now. I made it to the one mile marker in blistering time, 11:25 (insert ironic emoticom here)... my lungs had began burning half-a-mile before, and my quads were tightening. The irony is that if you were to hike it, the trail does not seem all that steep; in fact, it averages to an 11% grade. And I was 'forced' to take a walking break. I would 'run' the mild climbs/flat sections and I would 'hike' the steeper, shorter sections. From the moment my lungs started complaining to end of the trail, the unpleasant feeling that one gets during the third-mile of a 5K was ever present. I made it to the top and was elated to see the mild straight descent. I stopped my watch in 36:03. At 3200-feet, the top of Echo Mountain rewarded me with a hazy but still beautiful view of the Los Angeles Basin.

One would think that the return would be a breeze. And while it was a breeze to my humbled lungs, it was not easy. The narrowness of the single-track trail, the switchbacks and the uneven terrain all combine to make it quite hazardous if you venture to speed up. I managed just under 9 min pace as I found myself constantly breaking.

All in all I am glad I did it; however, it was a vivid reminder why I hate hills so much.

The Core of the Problem

2008-01-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Actually, this post should have been tittled: The Problem is the Core. Lemme 'splain. I have been 'suffering' from sore hip flexors and from the thorough research I have done (thank you), it appears - no, it is due to a weak core. You see I do not do sit-ups, crunches or any strength exercises. I just run. For crying out loud, I don't even stretch (I know, this is part of the problem)!

The obvious answer to my 'problem' is to strengthen the abs, and so I have vowed to do a daily routine that will see me do alternating sets of crunch/sit-ups and push-ups. Nothing harsh, 10 reps each but non-stop for 10-minutes.

My wishful mind hopes that a strong, I mean less-weak, core will help me drop my 'thon time into 3:05 territory, and why not? my 5k time into submission- I mean sub-19 :-)

On another related note, I am hoping to do a double today, as that is the only way I can see 60 miles per week.

Ciao Mon Ami

1999

2007-12-26T19:17:00.000-08:00

Back then I was running barely above 1000 miles per year. I dreamed of one day being able to accumulate running miles to match the year. Much more so when several runners made their pledge to run 2000 miles in 2000. Well folks, that day has finally come. Today I ran eight, giving me 2007 miles for the current year. It is not an achievement in itself, but rather it is one running milestone that I can say I have reached.

The interesting thing about today's workout is that I have been plagued with strained abductors (probably strained them in the CIM) and have been hesitant to start speed work knowing how tender those suckers are. In fact, last week I attempted to run six 400s on, six 400 off. The "on" sections were ran at barely half-mary pace... and I was struggling. At the time, I chalked it off to having lost some fitness since the 'thon. AND to the sore hip-flexors.

Obviously, that work out did not bode well for my already published intent of running sub 3:10 in Boston. The thought of just maintaining fitness, and thereby scratching Boston as a GOAL marathon, started sounding as the plan to follow. As luck would have it, today was another BEAUTIFUL day in southern Cal and my three-mile warm up was rather enjoyable. Somehow I knew my legs were ready to be tested... and to break the already committed Boston training cycle... or not. Eight repeats of 1/4-mile with 90-seconds rest seemed reasonable. I aimed for anything under 90 secs, hoping for 88s. I run these repeats on a marked paved bike trail. This trail is fairly flat and rather straight; and it is relatively fast.

The first four would have me running into a ~10 mph wind. I motored on for my first repeat. Boom. 82.1 secs!!! WTF? Too fast. I am NOT going to be able to complete the work out. Second repeat: 84.3, much better but still too fast. Next one: Boom. 82.1, AGAIN - WTF? Have I lost sense of pace? Now, you have to consider that I am running against the wind so taking the wind out, I am 'running' them around 81, or so I think. I force myself to slow down on the next one. 86.7. Wow, this one felt slow. I rest for the 90 secs and change directions. I will be having a tailwind this time. Boom. 80.8!!! Either I am in much better shape than I thought or my watch is playing tricks on me (It's the wind stupid!). This one, incidentally, felt tough the last one hundred meters or so. Sixth repeat, 84.7 and I feel much, much better. Seventh one, and consciously trying to control the pace, comes in in 82.9. Damn. I am dumbfounded. Or just dumb. Last one is clocked in exactly 82.9 secs, just like the previous repeat. Wow. The runner's high is HIGH! I averaged 83.3 s/quarter, which translates to 82.8 s/400... I cooled down with three easy.

Interestingly, before this calendar year, the most I had ever ran was 1537 miles... and that was last year :-). My most successful marathon (before CIM) was Boston last year with an average mileage of 42.1 (I had ran faster 'thons but they were gravity aided). For CIM, I averaged 49.3. It is clear that volume makes one faster... but to what extent? It is also clear not everyone "responds" the same. My question is: what can 60 miles per week do for me?

I think one of the things I did wrong prior to 2005 was that any running I did was HARD. If I did an easy run, I would always try to speed up as I went along; IOW, I would race against myself. And I would often find myself injured. Now I do NOT run more than three quality runs per week. The other runs would be considered "junk" runs. But those junk miles have been proven to aid the aerobic process in the cellular level. What's more, they have helped me avoid injury... and that my friends makes "junk" miles be worth GOLD.

Finally some interesting numbers from my last 'thon.

Splitsville: 7:31, 7:29, 7:17, 7:08, 7:20, 7:22, 7:22, 7:30, 7:28, 7:08, 7:09, 7:23, 7:14, 7:14, 7:32, 7:21, 7:17, 7:24, 7:10, 7:19, 7:23, 7:18, 7:15, 7:13, 7:13, 7:07, 1:25

I don't remember where I read it, but this guy liked to 'analyze' the race in chunks of five-miles because he claimed 'true' even efforts should not spit out even splits; on the contrary, they should have some variance; he was a statistician and I am sure could explain it better than me. Here they are: 36:45, 36:50, 36:32, 36:31, 36:22... One word comes to mind: Amazing. Amazing how close they are.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas, Hannukka, festivus, or whatever holiday you celebrate. And may you have a happy and successful new year.

Sideways

2007-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Right after the CIM, I went to Napa and Sonoma Counties. The drive, albeit short, was tiring. Got to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of Sunday's evening.

Next morning woke up quite sore and decided on three very, very easy.

After that I went wine tasting to three different wineries in Napa and one in Sonoma. Now, I am basically a beer kinda guy, but I do enjoy a glass of wine here and there. Surprisingly, my taste buds are leaning towards wine more and more.

A few years back I tried a rather inexpensive pinot noir by Castle Rock and really enjoyed it. I had forgotten all about it until I went to Florida early November. While there I saw it and bought a bottle. The flavors, even though from a different vintage, were all there, berries, prunes, caramel... AND I knew I had to get more of it, but how to get it back to Cal-ee-fornia... I figured I could find it here. BUT I was wrong, I could not find it anywhere.

So, being that Castle Rock is in Sonoma, I headed - with the help of my GPS - to the Castle Winery (as it was the only one that popped up on the system). But it was not the one I was looking for; it was a so-called boutique winery, meaning that they produced less than a 1000 cases, or so the guy said. I chatted with the fellow there and he stroke my ego by telling me that I seemed to know about wines, to what I responded: the only knowledge I have about wines, I learned in sideways - with a smile.

I then added how Miles hated Pinot Noir, and this fellow corrects me saying that it was Merlot. He then tells me that he read the book and that the movie left out a lot (as is often the case). He went on to explain that the reason Miles hated Merlot was that his ex-wife LOVED it. And I just went, AHHHH, that explains it (duh!). I enjoyed the conversation so much, I ended up buying a bottle of their syrah (which did not really taste like a syrah - it was too oaky)

And there it is... if you liked sideways and you wondered why Miles hated Merlot :-)

2008 Agenda and Running Goals

2007-12-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

I don't like to state goals too far in advance for fear of 'jinxing' them. In this case I will break with my protocol.

January 27 - Austin 3M Half - To break 1:30 and qualify for NYCM

February 3 - Superbowl 5K, Redondo Beach, CA - sub-19:15

March 16 - Rome Marathon - Training run, sub-3:30

** I found a terrific fare to Madrid (one week in Spain) and coming back from (one week in Italy) Rome in Lufthansa... $550!!!

April 21 - Boston Marathon - Sub-3:10

May 18 - Greenbay Marathon - Training Run, 3:30-3:35

September 6 - Marathon du Medoc - Fun run, sub 5:00 (two weeks in France, of which five days will be in paree`)

October 4 - St. George Marathon, Utah - Sub- 3:21 (subject to lottery acceptance)

November 2 - NYCM - sub-3:20 (having ran five NYCMs and not being able to break 3:40 makes this the GOAL!)

And... drum roll, I intend to ramp up mileage into the 60s.

Where is the Champagne?

2007-12-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

I arrived at my hotel just before midnight on Friday. Slept for about six hours, showered and drove to the Expo where I was to fix a couple of discrepancies; mainly my name was misspelled and to register my own chip.

I collect my bib number and although I am not superstitious, I have a tendency to believe I will have a good race if the number rings true – I know, I am a running nerd. The number printed was 3443, a nice number as it is almost symmetrical and it has two fours (four is my ‘lucky’ number).

Coming into the expo I knew that the weather was going to be almost perfect, with the exception of a SSE wind of 13mph, with gusts up to 25mph…. Ouch! Knowing that the course ran SSW, it meant that we were going to have crosswinds, that –as some of you know- is not nearly as bad a headwind, but it would slow us down nonetheless. Being the insecure runner that I am, I wanted to back off my A goal – once again- and try to stay with the 3:15 pacer for the whole race rather than pick it up at ten as previously planned.

After we picked our bib numbers, Andres, his girlfriend (they had started their journey on Tuesday… from Madison, y’all, over 2000 miles of driving… Ouch!) and I headed to the Spaghetti Factory where we had a delicious lunch, which included – of course- a cold Sierra Nevada. There happens to be a Noah’s NY Bagels across the street from the restaurant and I bought a bagel for further carbo-loading. I am not sure if they have these bagels in your area, but they are GOOD; so good, I recommend you go out and buy a dozen as it will probably increase the price of the stock, which I happen to own thank you (just kidding).

The young lovebirds and I bid farewell right after lunch. Andres and I agreed to meet at the host hotel at 5:45 so that we could ride to the race together.

I drove back to my hotel and just kicked it for much of the afternoon. But I was antsy. I wanted to take a nap, but just couldn’t. So I decided to drive over to a local market and buy a gallon of spring water, two bananas, another bagel (and a muffin) from Noah’s and called it a day.

I drank half a gallon of water during the evening, as I wanted to be well hydrated in spite of the cooler weather expecting me. Water and Gatorade were alternated and I felt I was good to go. I was so well hydrated I ended up getting up THREE times… argh!

Having taken a couple of benadryls, I slept pretty well. The alarm went off at 4:30 and I quickly got up took care of John, and showered. My clothes were all lined up; I decided with a short sleeve neon lime Asics tech shirt (this shirt feels so smooth against the skin that you almost don’t feel it), black Adidas shorts, socks and shoes (supernova classic), black NB fleece gloves, and a black Nike cap.

I drove to downtown and parked close to the host hotel. I waited and waited for Andres and did not connect. It was close to 6:00 when John called me yet gain. Now, being a veteran marathoner sure helps, as I knew this was a good opportunity to take care of business rather than wait ‘till I got to the start.

The bus ride was inconsequential. When we got there, only with about 15 minutes to spare, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was unprepared for the distance; that I had not run long enough; that I had not run enough longish runs; that I pushed the faster workouts too much; man, do I have respect for the distance?

Enough nonsense. Lets get into the race details.

I line up close to the 3:15 pacer. We are packed; so packed that I felt I was inside a crowded elevator. And we are off. I just hope that my decision to use my own chip will not backfire on me as when I went to register it, the volunteer did not seem to have much of a clue as to what she was doing. If my chip was not registered correctly, it would mean I would not have an official chip time.

As the crowd was rather large I could not tell if my chip beeped. The pace feels right and I am just behind the 3:15… but he is ahead of the 3:10 guy, WTF? Soon after the 3:10 pacer passes us with his herd, but our guy stays right behind him… for close to FOUR miles! These four miles went by so quick I almost did not feel them, but I felt this guy was a bit aggressive with his pace. He was ahead a good 30 seconds at this time. The course was rolling, but was full of mild rolling hills. In fact, they were so mild it felt as though we were descending. At this point I knew it was going to be a good race. The opposite is true when you’re running a flat course and it feels as though you’re constantly climbing.

The advantage of running in a pack, particularly during windy conditions, is that the pack blocks the wind quite nicely.

I stayed about 15 meters behind the pack and the forecasted wind was not present or it was well blocked by the 3:15 group. In miles 7 and 8 I felt the pace slow down a bit, and next thing you know, I found myself close to the front of this pack. It was here that I decided to make my move. We had been averaging 7:21s, and I wanted to drop to 7:15s. I try passing them through the right but the pack is too tight. Then I see a curve coming up and start making my way to the left, trying to cut the tangent. But the pace leader had the same idea and before I could exit the pack, they had boxed me in gain. Bummer. I then started running on a heavily cambered portion of the road as runners tended to avoid it.

I finally exited right after mile marker (MM) 9, and the course has open space for the first time. I run the next two miles in just under 7:10. Now, winds don’t behave linearly; they shift direction from time to time, and sometimes they stop. During those two miles father wind (or is it mother wind) was kind to me that I can almost bet I had a mild tail wind. But then I started feeling a not too strong wind – this in itself would be enough to slow me down about 10 seconds per mile, but coupled with a couple of challenging rolling hills saw my pace drop into the 7:30s. I am okay with that though. It was either that, or sit back and relax behind the 3:15. I crossed the halfway point in 1:36:08. All I need to do to accomplish my A-goal is to run even splits. Easier said than done.

The second half is purported to be faster as it drops most of the course’s 300 feet in this half. I am feeling sporadic crosswinds and I’d like to draft off of someone, but that would mean running at his pace, or constantly shift positions, neither one appealed to me.

Right around 14 I notice a female runner who’s running strong and about my pace so I ask her if she wants to work together, shielding the wind one mile and tucking in for the next. She is not sure she can sustain the pace though. I insist and she gets behind me. Half a mile later the winds subside and I drop back right next to her. She innocently asks me if it is her turn to block the wind. I say no, there is no wind to block. We chat for while and find out she want to run sub-3:20. I tell her we’re on pace for 3:13, to which she responds with: ‘I better back off then; it’s too fast for me.’ I tell her that her body can do more than it thinks it can. I keep on blabbering and it must have gotten on her nerves as she pulled ahead at the next water station and I decided to skip it, so I ended up dropping her.

The course is pretty wide open now. I notice more yellow (relay) bibs than white ones.

I feel the wind from time to time and wish, again, I could draft off of someone, but the field is so sparse it not worth pursuing. I reach mile 20 in ___, and I am feeling tired but in control. My hip flexors have been tight for the last couple for miles and I hope they will loosen up. They don’t. I have a painful blister in my right small toe; I try to ignore it. 10K to go.

At this point it is more psychological, at least for me, than physical. I tell myself I can run 7:30 miles and I will be happy with the result. I pass MM 21 and it is now just over five miles. I am passing thousands, hundreds, okay – dozens of runners per mile and the adrenaline stays put. I reach 23 and the hip flexors are not protesting anymore. The pace now feels closer to half-mary pace. I am working; but this is what it’s all about, no? Hard work.

Mile 24 comes and goes. About 16 more minutes to go. I can keep this pace for that much longer. Mile 25, and contrary to those times when I struggle at the end, I am not looking at my watch every minute or so. One more mile and change. I can see the Capitol and I know I am close. The 26-mile banner is on my sight. I concentrate on form. I run this mile in 7:07!!! This almost makes me tear; I feel choked up with emotion. It looks as if I will meet my A goal. I run the last stretch passing a few more runners. As I make a couple of more turns I encourage the crowds to cheer louder. Damn it, I am going to get a PR! I hear my name; the choked-up feeling comes back with a vengeance. Whoever said macho-men can’t cry? :-)

I cross the finish in 3:11:32 by my watch; a one-minute PR. I hung out a couple of minutes and see Allyson come in 3:14 and change. She was full of emotion and I go over to congratulate her. I give her a hug. She takes it and returns it with sincerity; because we runners have that connection, we understand what it means to breaks PRs --- even if we’re total strangers.

CIM - Update

2007-12-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

A quick cliff-notes result for all my loyal readers (and I mean A.L.L. of you... well you know there are at least two or three :-)

My watch time: 3:11:32, negative splits (44 seconds), qualified for B*ston... :-D

This is definitely a FAST course... details to come later on.

QS

Sacramento - here I come...

2007-11-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

Okay so I am less than five days away from a date with destiny. I know, I am a drama king, aren't I?

Training has been going well; too well, I'll say.

As for the trip up north, I was planning on driving, BUT forces of nature - not really - are making me fly. You see, a friend of mine was to help me with the driving, but she dropped out last week so I was to fend the I-5 by myself. Not that I am afraid of driving for just over five hours but I am running/racing a darn marathon for crying out loud. People have mercy on me, please ;-)

Being the engineer that I am (some people would call me a ding-ineer) I searched far and wide in the world wide web for a reasonable fare to the bay area. Now, gas alone would cost me roughly $50 each way, making it $100 roundtrip - as my basic math seems to be working fine - thank you! I found a SW fare for $98!!! I actually paid that much 20 years ago!!! Isn't life something???

The problem with not driving is that I am left w/o a car, so to speak. So the frugal person that I am, I went to priceline and bid for what else? an economy car for $12 a day, and lo and behold i got it. So I will be driving a Yugo to Sacramento at the ungodly hour of 11 PM... so it goes. Oh, and this is happening on Friday, BTW.

Wish me luck... as I will need it. I have done the training, but like anything else in life I believe that I could have worked harder... and so it goes.

Florida IS as flat as a Pancake

2007-11-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days since I last posted. Lemme 'splain: I was in warm and beautiful miami, fl. While there I had a couple of decent quality runs. [I ran in Boca Raton, Miami Beach, South Beach and other rather nice locales] The quality runs begged the question: what is my current potential time at CIM?

Back when, when I decided to run this 'thon, I envisioned running it in sub 3:10, but as I found out soon after, it is easier said than done. Shoot, I couldn't even run a couple of miles at the prescribed pace of 7:15, how could I expect to run 26 and change at THAT pace??? I was out of my mind. So I backed off the goal to a more doable sub 3:16.

Well folks, after this training cycle I am now in 3:10 shape, or racing calculators indicate so. I raced a half two weeks ago and my predicted time for the full is a NOT too shabby 3:08:XX... or a 7:12 pace. The training plan I am following, which it is worth noting - I often change, called for 13 miles at goal MP. I went at what felt MP pace and while I did struggle at the end I finished the run in 1:33:31, or just a hair under 7:12 pace. The struggle was due to the lack of rehydration during the long run. Simple.

Back to the question of what I plan on racing in less than 13 days... I just do not feel confident enough to aim at a sub 3:10. I have ran plenty of these suckers to be so wise as to know that I would be setting myself up for failure. BUT I think the sub 3:16 is a bit soft, so I have compromised with my wussy self and will aim for 3:12. Now, that will be my A goal. My B goal will be to break 3:16, and my C goal will be to break 3:20. The plan is to run the first 10 miles with the 3:15 pacer - from the elevation profile, those appear to be the hardest in the course. Then, depending on how well I feel, I will slowly pick it up to 7:15 pace and hold on, hopefully until I cross the finish line.

Stay tuned.

NYC was not to be, BUT...

2007-11-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

Because I was so close to NYC I thought it would be nice to spend the weekend there. I was bumming a ride from a fellow soldier; I had previously changed my flight from Sat morning to Monday evening. The logistics were not simple as I was to ride the train on my way back from Penn Station to as close to the Philly airport as possible. I tried priceline hoping to land a decent price and no luck. So I decided to visit NYC another time and re-schedule my flight back to Sat (one nice thing of having a govt ticket - as you're allowed to make changes sans any fee).

As I was browsing the web at the USO, I went to the United site to input my frequent flier account and choose my seat. While there I decided to try to upgrade to first class using miles.

It was nice to fly first class. Breakfast was pretty good and I probably drank a bottle of wine... the result of not being allowed to drink while on CBS. Suffice it to say that the flight was quite pleasant.

At 10 AM I was back in lala land. My feet were itching to run but I felt nauseous, part of it was jetlag and part of it was all that drinking I did. The week had been low in volume (25), my last run having taken place on Wednesday, where running four of the seven miles at 7:30 pace felt fast, but obviously not so. This 'forced' taper had my legs feeling fresh. I knew about a local half and full taking place today, so I checked their website and saw no race day registration, so I drove there - registered for the half and my itchy feet would get to race after all.

Many moons ago, seven years to be more accurate, I bought what i think are the best flats ever made, or Adidas RATS. These shoes fit my feet like gloves. I like them so much I only wear them for shorter races. I wanted to race the half wearing them but I could not find them. I had to run in brand new flats. I was not too happy about it so I kept on looking. You see, I have more than 10 pairs of running shoes (new in their boxes) and had to go through each box. Finally i found them. Things were looking up. Now it was time to repair the damage I had caused by drinking all that wine. I began to aggressively hydrate. Being that I was in EST I felt sleepy but could not fall asleep with the anticipation of my upcoming race. I ended up sleeping about four hours... not too bad.

Jumped in the shower and got dressed. Drove for 40-45 minutes to Santa Clarita and made it with half an hour to spare. It was surprisingly chilly and did a two mile warm up with some accelerations thrown in. McMillian's calculator predicted me running the half in 1:29:28... hmmm, sounds doable. So that was the goal, to break 1:30. To make it easy on my foggy brain, I figured 6:50s would be a slam dunk to keep track.

I line up in front and, as in many races, I see people who should not be there, but I really don't care, I just want to run well. A woman sings the anthem and sings it rather well.

The director counts down and we're off. I start at what feels like tempo pace. I look at my garmin and it reads 6:24 pace. It's okay, my breathing is not labored so I keep the effort. A nice incline is just ahead of us and I climb it strongly, the legs are fresh indeed. First mile is 6:40, right on target.

The next mile is downhill and I expect a faster split, and sure enough - 6:35. I am pleased to be banking some seconds. A few runners pass me. They're better runners; that is just the way it is. I don't worry about it. I am here to race the clock, not them. Third mile seems to be downhill and the thought of having to run uphill in the latter miles does not appeal to me at all. I did glance at the elevation and it seemed fairly flat. Fourth mile seems to be downhill and I keep on banking time. We are now running on a paved bike trail. The course has several turns that force me to slow down and turn my feet in awkward angles. My right foot begins to hurt on the outside. My stomach is protesting; jetlag? I feel nauseous. Will I be able to keep what to this point has been a really good race? 33:19, hmm, too good to be true. I'll take it.

I am still feeling strong in spite of the stomach issues. I do not lose my placing. Next mile is right on target 6:50. Then I get all demoralized as the next split is 7:15, WTF? I try to increase the effort while paying close attention to my breathing. 6:57?? And I am getting really tired and I am already hurting. 7:05, and I am really, really disappointed. It's just not in the cards today - or is it? Then we exit the bike trail and hit the road for about 30 meters, the we enter the other side of the river where, to my delight, I see that we had been going up and now it is time to hit mild downhills. This split brings a smile to my tired face, 6:44 -(34:51 for the second five - 1:08:10 cumulative). I am hurting but I try to hit 6:50s.

At nine this man who I was about to pass stays with me. It's good to have company. We give each other strength. We're both struggling. He is 50 years old and his stride is short but quick. His goal is also to break 1:30. I point out that all we need to do to break 1:30 is run 7s for the remainder of the race. We hit the next mile in 6:50 and pass a struggling runner. We continue and my legs feel weak, 6:47 and I am so glad we're still on a mild decline. The next and final mile would have one of those underpasses and I lengthen my stride on the short decline, and climb 'strongly', the short incline. I drop my partner, he struggles through the incline. I want to pull him but I have to run my own race. There are two bridges with minor uphills, but at this stage they feel like mountains. When I crest the short hills my legs feel wobbly and my pace feels soooo slow, 6:52. I am still holding pace... hard to believe. I now know I will break 1:30. I enter the final stretch. I make one last turn. I see the finish mats. The announcer says my name and my hometown. I open my arms as a sign of triumph. My legs don't feel tired anymore. Each stride I take is taken with conviction, with confidence; my legs feel stronger than ever. I cross the finish and I pump my right fist a-la tiger woods. 1:29:25 chip time, 1:29:26 clock time.

How about that McMillian calculator? The predicted time was within three seconds!!!

The Final Turn

Lucy...

2007-10-30T17:51:00.001-07:00

I am home!!!... Not really, I am in NJ... hoping to be able to go over to NYC to catch the NYCM over the weekend, then fly to lala land :-)

I left my soles in the Balkans

2007-10-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

There were times that I felt the day would never come, that the day to part would never materialize. That day is approaching quite fast and I am glad it is. 15 months of not being in my turf is TOO long.

You all have made this experience bearable during the past several months. Reading your trials and tribulations, your ups and downs, I lived vicariously through you. I even got inspired to run more than I have ever ran (Thanks Salty).

It all started when I was searching for a discount code for the US Half Mary in San Francisco. I googled it and found Mike's Running-with-Lydiard's blog and I was hooked. I started reading the comments section and 'found' Sempre Libera whom I instantly liked for her incisive writing and for her natural and easy-flowing running form.

While following Sempre, Uptown Girl came up and I had to read all of her posts, and I mean ALL. It took me a while but I did it. Her blog was instrumental in 'cheering' me up when life got insipid and I was feeling down.

I believe next was Chelle and I was so impressed with her progress in the marathon. She had just broken three at Columbus the previous October. It was in the comments section where I found the Salty One and again, I HAD to read ALL of her previous posts as her blog was/is full of witty comments and hilarious observations. Salty, you should write a book one day :-)

Love2Run is a frequent contributor to Running with Lydiard and while looking at his race times, I was instantly envious of SO many that were BQs. Another Canadian, and very astute runner is Fran who makes running a marathon look easy.

There is also Lance, who is in Uptown Girl's links. While Lance tends to write a bit too much about his sexual escapades, his posts make for some entertaining reading. Now, don't get me wrong; I have enjoyed his running related posts; I feel Lance knows quite a bit about running and regularly gives good advice. If anything I think he trains too hard, way too hard.

Ahh, and then there is the Professor who once weighed over 300 lbs and recently was able to race a 5K in the 17:30s. He did not come up with that moniker, I gave it to him. The reason is simple... he teaches English at UofA (better known as 'Bama). His blogspot is actually called Tuscaloosa Runner. This guy, man - this guy knows a LOT about running.

Of course, this post could not exclude Emma who is as hilarious as a person can be. Sure it takes a while for me to read... ONE post y'all. She definitely takes the cake. She is not a runner now, but she may be a cheetah-in-hiding.

To all of you... thank you for bearing with my un-insightful (is that a word?) comments and/or for allowing me to come into your homes. If I ever insulted you because I made a tactless observation, it was because I tend to be too eager to help and I often forget that I am not the best suited to give advice and I apologize for that.

May we get to meet one day... oh and if you're ever in the Los Angeles area, post a comment and when you get there, I'll take you out and I'll buy you a good, tasty, cold ale :-) Or, we'll go for a run and then have that ale.

Respectfully,

Quinto Sol

How to race the NYCM

2007-10-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have been quite busy of late, and have not had much time to post. However, I ran (pun intended) into this post that I think some of you will enjoy.

new-york-city-marathon-course-strategy

Cheers!

ATM- Camp Bondsteel

2007-10-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I cannot blame it on the weather as it was near perfect for the distance. Although it did have me worried when I did my one-mile warm up and I was sweating. I cannot blame it on not knowing the course as I was one of three who surveyed the course. Sure, the course was full of rolling hills but I even did 8X0.335 hills on Friday. No, I cannot blame it on those hills; I felt that they would not hinder me, even when they were done less than 48 hours from race time; in fact, I felt they would help me.

As I started with my warm up, there was this Belgian female soldier running strides... and she was doing them really FAST. I knew she would have a good race. 15 minutes to the start. An American soldier sings the anthem and does a decent job. The start is delayed because we're waiting for a flyover of two blackhawk helicopters.

The organizer says: runners - on your marks, get set.. GO! And this Belgian literally bolts to the lead. I start conservatively and my breathing is already a bit labored. I drop the effort a bit after .3 miles or so. I am running comfortably. First mile in 6:16. You are thinking I started too fast. Not really, let me 'splain, the first mile is downhill. I knew I was going to give some time back in the next mile which had a nice hill. Sure enough, the second mile was 7:16. Am I running a dumb race? Maybe. I am comfortably in 20th place or so. This Italian soldier guns past me. I just keep a good effort. I catch up to an American soldier from Ohio. He is a fast runner but has a head cold and I drop him rather easily. Third mile in 6:50 (20:23) and I am pleased as I am feeling strong.

I catch up to a group of four runners who are having trouble with another hill and I move past them; one of them tries to stay with me but I know he will drop back as his breathing is too hard for the distance. I reach the end of the road and I slow down as I hit the hairpin turn and grab a cup of 'rade. This portion is pancake flat and I thrive on it. Mile 4, 6:20 (26:43). I look at my watch and I wonder when the implosion will happen. I decide to try to maintain the effort. I catch up to two young American soldiers. One of them beat me badly on the half-mary a few weeks ago. Today is not his day. As we run together for about a minute, two non-American soldiers move past us and they look really strong. I would not see them again until the finish. The Belgian female is about .3 miles ahead of me. Reeling her in does not seem possible; running with her are two American soldiers. Mile 5, 7:00 flat. I'll take anything 7 or under. I am feeling good, but I know the hard part is yet to come.

I separate from the two young Americans and keep a nice rhythm. Mile 6, 6:28 (40:11). At this point I am glad I have given it a good effort. If I implode, it will not be due to lack of effort... and I will have ran a nice tempo run. Mile 7 has a nice flat first half, and then the fun begins. I catch up to a struggling slender non-American runner and easily pass him. Then after a challenging hill, I make a turn into a steeper hill. This is where two of the Belgian soldiers pass me. I do not chase them for I know this hill saps my energy if I take it too strongly. Mile 7, 6:45 (46:56).

I am a bit surprised by the split. I am still running strong. I do the math, this was a good sign [that is, that I was able to do basic math], and the next three miles can be ran in 7:30s and I would still meet my goal. The two Belgians falter and I decide to move ahead. We turn into a fairly flat section that would last about .3 miles. I make a turn into the hill where I did my hill repeats. I crest the hill and my legs feel heavy. The Belgians pass me. I let them go but not too far ahead of me. Mile 8, 6:53 (53:49). Damn, I could have a minor blow-up and still meet my pre-race goal.

We run on a flat section for a short while, then we have this rather steep downhill where I try to take it easy as I know we have this curvy challenging hill. I am still running behind the Belgians. They choose to cut the tangent. I go the long way as I know it makes the grade more bearable to run. I crest the last tough hill and I ma just a few steps behind the Belgians. Mile 9, 6:59.

Knowing what was waiting for me was crucial in me making the decision to give it my all. I pass them and they do not respond. I make another turn into a nice downhill where I have happened to pick it up countless times. This is QuintoSol's neighborhood and gravity lengthens my stride. I see the two American runners that were unreachable a few miles back. I also see the female Belgian. It does NOT dawn on me that I will catch them. But I do. I pass a young talented American soldier and he just does not respond. I make one last turn and pass the female Belgian AND the other American soldier. She does not pick it up, BUT he does. It's a short hill and I yell at him to go for it, that he has the younger legs. We are running mano-a-mano, right next to each other. I am just waiting for him to pull ahead of me. But he doesn't. He is breathing really hard. So am I. We crest that last one hill and the road is now even. My legs turn over a bit quicker, as if someone else is doing it for me. I am in disbelief that I am still ahead of this young buck. I cross the line in 1:07:22 (6:34) by my watch... and 1:07:08 by the official results. I ended up beating him by 26/100 of a second. It cannot get any closer than that... AND he was in my age group.

I finished 11th OA out of 250 and 3rd in my AG... yeah, I am one happy dude. Not only did I meet my goal, but I PR'd by three seconds (I am using my watch time rather than the 'official time')... Oh, and if you're following along, MAJ S who handily beat me by over five minutes in the half-mary, came in eight places behind me and 80-something seconds slower... life is sweet.

...Bring it on, CIM!!! :-D

That's what 26/100 of a second looks like

My Left Foot

2007-10-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

In my last tempo workout I noticed that my left foot got lazy and was not nearly as 'rigid' as my right foot. This would explain why it was sore after my last 19-miler. So I have been working on 'fixing' the lazy limb by concentrating on my stride as it lands.

Interestingly enough, in one of the photos taken of Kara Goucher dueling Paula Radcliffe, I observed that PR supinates her feet greatly. You may have seen her 'awkward' form when she races; if not, she bobs her head while she runs; she reminds me of a chicken pecking grains. It made me wonder how much faster she would be if she had a flaw-less form.

ATM - Not to Be Confused with Automated Teller Machine

2007-09-29T05:05:00.000-07:00

My last two weeks of training have gone quite well, in spite of a minor sprain. I ran 62 and 65 mile weeks. Both weeks had three quality runs, long run, tempo and speed-dork. The long runs were 17 and 19. In the 17-miler, I ran the last six a tad under MP and in the 19-miler I ran the last three 14 seconds faster than MP. Both times I ran them at what I 'felt' was MP effort. Maybe the fact that I was tired made my mind push the pace a bit more than MP because I have been known to slow down in the latter miles of a marathon race. Makes sense? I didn't think so. :-)

Additionally, my tempo runs have been in the 'right' range also. I have found myself holding back the effort as I tend to run them a bit hard. And from my opinion, this is good. Things are looking bright... bright, indeed.

Next Sunday I will have a big test as I will race the ATM (Army Ten-Miler), or its satellite version. I have alluded in the past as to how hilly the races held here are, but this time the organizers have gone out of their way to design a flat course. I was included in the 'surveying' of the course and while it is substantially flatter, it has some challenging rolling hills. However, my tempo runs are done on similar topography with the exception of one steep hill just before mile nine.

Taking the above into consideration, I will go out on a limb and state my goal loud and clear: sub 70 minutes. There, I said it. Watch me come back next week and spell out infinite excuses for not achieving my goal :-)

Broken Dream?

2007-09-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Last night, after 9 pm, I headed out for my scheduled eight-miler. This was to be a recovery run from the previous day's treshold run. I was holding back the effort and it was going really well, about 8:30 pace. Right after four miles, where the dirt road becomes a bit uneven due to rain-formed ditches and as I was turning a corner, all while thinking about what I had witnessed earlier in the day*, my right ankle rolled and I heard a loud pop, like the sound that bubble wrap makes when you pop the individual bubbles. Pain instantly shot through my nervous system and made me yell expletives left and right. I thought I had tore a tendon. I could barely put weight on the injured ankle.

I was going to head to the ER but recalled reading in The Purple Runner that it is better to jog it off to prevent significant swelling and further aggravation of the injury. So I attempted to jog, but was visibly favoring the right limb. After a couple of hundred meters, I was able to put full weight on the injured ankle without much discomfort. I was praying that it meant that the sprain was not a serious one. I was close to my barracks and made it there about five minutes later.

I iced the ankle and took an 800mg Motrin. This morning there was a third-sized golf ball lump on the outside of my foot, about one inch in front of the ankle.

My friend, the PT, gave me an ACE bandage and gave me directions on how to wrap my foot. Later on I attempted to run eight easy miles and luckily, the bandage held the foot in one piece and I ran sans pain. The dream remains intact and very much alive.

*What I was thinking right before the injury was how amazing it was to observe an orthopedic surgeon splint a broken humerus (in three pieces). What really impressed me was how calm he was while he cut the skin (nine inches), cut through the subcutaneuous tissue and carefully, very carefully cut along the flow of muscle fibers so as to avoid cutting through any vascular bundles and/or the radial and ulner nerves. He splinted the bone with two plates and 14 screws. The surgery took 2.5 hours.

Tempo, Et Al

2007-09-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Tempo in Italian is simply time.

After my lackluster performance in the half-mary on September 2nd and my problems sustaining an 8:10 pace for a long run a week later, I was nonplussed.

Because of this it was easier for me to bag a couple of scheduled runs, including a three-mile tempo.

Lo and behold, I had a satisfying interval workout last Friday where I managed to run 5X1000 (or thereabouts---I used my Garmin and .62 increments) with 400 recoveries (.24 mile). The pace of the 1000s was at 5K perceived effort, which ended up being 6:18. The workout with recoveries averaged 6:57 pace, and I was one happy dude. This was very close to my mid-tempo pace.

Then on Sunday, I had even a better run. The plan was to run 14 miles at 8 min flat and pick up the effort to MP pace for the last three (7:25). As I stopped to drink water and my own version of electrolyte solution at the 11 mile mark, I decided to push the envelope and run the last six at MP. Not only was I able to hit my milestone but I actually surpassed it by running a 7:21 average, with the last mile being the fastest.

Fast forward to today, and I had the three-mile tempo I missed last week on the menu. I decided to ditch my lightweight trainers (288 miles) and my 1023 trainers (361 miles) in favor of my fairly new nike air max (61 miles) to do this workout. Like Spike Lee used to say: 'it's gotta be the shoes.' I don't know what it was, but this workout totally and unsuspectingly exceeded my expectations.

The irony is that I almost bagged today's run. Man it would have been a terrible mistake. I started with a nice w/u of three miles (24:45). I stopped to drink water and to stretch lightly. Then the fun began (the goal was 6:50-6:55): the first mile goes by in 6:37, and I think I am going too fast for my current fitness, that I did not gauge the effort correctly; I may bonk on the second one; but no, I timed it in 6:20 (downhill) with the third a challenging mildly uphill mile coming up. As soon as I crest the mild technical hill by the flight line I begin to doubt I will finish the three mile tempo and I consider slowing down. But I refuse to give up; I concentrate on turn over and the effort feels more like a 5K. Time has slowed down; I seem to have slowed down to 7 min pace. I remember a quote from a commercial way back then that went like this: si las cosas que valen la pena se hicieran facilmente, cualquiera las haria, or loosely translated: if worthy goals were done easily, anyone would do them*. I plod on and find myself working quite hard. Finish the third one in 6:36, woo hoo!!! I am in disbelief that I just completed a not so easy tempo run in 6:31 pace!!! To put things in perspective, I ran the same three-mile tempo run two weeks ago in 20:35, 62 seconds slower!! I cooled down with two in 15:02.

One thing that I noticed in those two runs was that my cool down was not as slow as one would think cool down miles should be. I found myself running them with ease at very close to MP. They felt almost TOO easy.

*I love ipods and I just ordered a fourth-generation RED nano (and my fourth one) with that quote engraved on the back.

Doubts

2007-09-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

My goal race is quickly approaching. And, alas, my training program is quickly deteriorating. I have found cutting long runs short and not running tempo runs. The quality in my program is almost non-existent. Not only that, but I am having trouble finding the gumption to run 50 mile weeks. Obviously, it has me doubting I can achieve my goal come December 2, even when I already lowered it from sub 3:10 to sub 3:16. What can I say? - I am a published underachiever :-) Now, self doubt is one of them things that come up in my life quite often. To contradict myself, I think I may still get lucky and pull it off.

You see, the course is advertised as being fast. The first 10 miles are rolling, and the remainder of the course is said to have a mild descent for a net drop in elevation of 300 feet. OTOH, I have ran Boston four times and that course is not a 'fast' course even though it drops 500 feet in elevation. The Newton hills are to blame, and although the hills are neither steep nor particularly difficult, it has been written that it's their location that makes them 'tough.' I remember the first time I ran it and somewhere around 16.5 and after mostly mild downhill running, I hit the first hill and my quads quickly protested. It would not be until my fourth try that I would succeed in running through them without walking breaks.

I know the Boston course. I don't know the CIM course and profiles shown on race websites do not always tell the whole story. Am I setting an excuse up for not coming in at the desired time? Most likely.

CIM Course Profile

My plan is to run the first 10 miles in 7:30-7:35 pace, then picking it up to 7:20 and if feeling strong running the last 6.2 in 45 minutes. I know completing long training runs will be crucial to me being able to run faster while fatigued. Now lets see if 'I' can get over my distaste of long solo runs and get with the program.

Stay tuned.

Emergency 51

2007-09-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

A little bit of Balkans humor... If we ever meet, remind me about this picture and I'll tell you a funny story behind this picture.

BTW, any comments on the new and improved look of this site? :-)

R&R Update

2007-09-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

The Salty One suggests I went out too fast last week. And to be fair, the result backs up her assessment.

However, I felt the effort was 'right' on target. I felt I could sustain it for the duration of the race. What I failed to mention is that as I approached the first long and deceivingly tough hill, I backed off on the effort. I thought I could make it up on the downhills. The real problem was that I never regained any momentum I had during the first two miles. I even walked short sections of tougher hills, thinking - again- that I was saving precious energy I was going to need to finish strongly. Yes, I raced it poorly; but it was due more to indecision, or better yet, to the lack of better judgment than ability.

And if you're interested, the winner was a French soldier... in 1:22:XX... The highest US runner came in 14th.

This morning's long run had me gasping for air at the pedestrian 8:10 pace. I actually had to cut short the planned 17 to eight. It was ridiculous. I suspect it was the quick ramp up into the 50s. I ran zero miles four weeks ago, 46 the next, 30 the week before the race. If you do the math, I averaged 25 mpw in those three weeks. This week I ran 54... and I think it is my body's way of rebelling, or at the very least of telling me to not ramp up as quickly as I have. Regardless, it's too late. I will try to maintain the 50+ mile-weeks in the weeks to come.

Signing off... for now.

R&R Virginia Half-Mary

2007-09-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Trying to break 1:41

My goal for this half mary was not too liberal, sub 1:40. From looking at my training runs I felt I could run a FLAT half in the 1:31-1:32 range; because of the hills here I would have been more than happy to break 1:35.

It was just amazing the participation we had in this race. We had over 50 German runners, several dozen Spanish runners, and representation from Greek, Polish, Austrian and other soldiers from NATO. Knowing that the depth was stronger than our typical races in our Camp, I felt- rather I knew- I could break the top 50. I also wanted to take the monkey off my back from my lackluster showing at the DANCON a few months ago; after all running is MY event. Right? Right!

The weather was near perfect with some winds in the 10 MPH range. Somebody asks me what my age group is and I tell him; he says that I’ll probably win it. I smile. Then he says, oh but Major S is in that AG, he will probably win. I open my BIG mouth and say: I will beat him, but there are OTHER runners who may win it. [I have always beaten Major S in shorter distances, and I get better as the distance gets longer, so I reasoned beating him was a no-brainer. I guess I AM the one w/o a brain :-)]

A one mile warm up seems reasonable. I do some stretching and I am ready to go.

I start comfortably hard and the first two miles are relatively flat and I clock 7:08 and 6:56. Awesome, sub 1:35 may be in the cards today. Mile three includes a deceivingly hard climb and I slow down to 7:38, but in spite of the slow time I do not worry. The fourth mile comes in at 7:54 and Major S passes me. I envision reeling him in later in the race. I am confident; however, it was false confidence. The mile includes a nice descent and the split is a 7:29. Then I go through the meat of the hills and the first mile over 8 shows up on my Garmin, ouch.

I won’t go into the rest of the splits because it got ugly. A few more runners pass me and my ego gets bruised, really bruised; it’s becoming the norm. If I didn’t know better I would have walked the last 5K. I managed just under 8 mpm pace for the remainder of the race. Tried to pass one runner close to the end who passed me around 11 but the b*stard [smile] picked it up and actually extended his lead. I see the clock and it reads 1:40:46… I gun it hoping to cross before the zero becomes a one [see picture - which by the way, the grimace on my face was not from physical pain, but from disgust at my performance.] I muster a semblance of a kick, but not quite enough as I cross the finish and the timer yells 1:41 flat, a personal worst in the half-mary. And Major S kicked my arse handily, by over five minutes. My only consolation is that no female runner finished ahead of me :-)

Oh and I finished 49th overall... out of more than 250 runners. Ouch, says my ego. Bottom line, I had a nice two-mile tempo and 12 easy miles :-)

I have no excuses. I simply did not have course specific training [read: hills]; I cannot blame anyone but myself. I am too much of a wuss when it comes to hills, I have seriously become afraid of hills. And so it goes.

Lets see if I can redeem myself next month during our satellite Army 10-Miler.

Food

2007-09-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Some people have called me a snub when it comes to Mexican food... and they are correct in their assessment. It is quite hard for me to find a restaurant selling Mexican food that will meet my expectations. I should make it clear that the type of food I am referring to is that of the commoner, i.e. pozole, tacos dorados, enchiladas, menudo, gorditas and the like. I often end up inviting folks over to my place to try some 'real' 'authentic' Mexican food... yes, I can cook :-)

Spending two weeks in one of the most exciting regional cuisines Mexico has to offer such as GDL, makes me want to overeat, and overate I did. I must have gained at least three lbs; I blame most of the gain on the hand made tortillas and the cervezas that kept being open.

I should have gained more weight but fortunately my running picked up. I even did a 15-mile run with 11 of those at 7:25 pace, or my marathon goal pace. I was quite happy with that run as I was coming from a week of non-running and my fitness was iffy at best.

I then had to fly over to Germany. Once there I was able to run nine easy miles through interesting neighborhoods. One aspect that really stood out was how well most, if not all, 'hoods in this region are kept, manicured lawns, house paint in good repair, the absence of junk cars parked in the driveway... very little graffiti, and so on and so forth... simply nirvana like.

Today, back in the Balkans, I ran six easy miles to let the legs loose as tomorrow I am scheduled to run/race a half-mary on a difficult course. ...and back to life, back to reality.

Time flies

2007-08-26T15:25:00.001-07:00

It's interesting how time flies. I had not realized it had been over three weeks since I last posted. It all began one day when I received an email from my brother who resides in Guadalajara, Mexico. He tells me that it is time I make amends with the one who provided the seed to create me. You see my father and I have not been in the best of terms for two decades now. Suffice it to say that he was not a good father... to me.

Lo and behold, my current employer went ahead and granted me a leave. So five days after receiving that ominous email I was on my way across the pond to good ol' GDL. The anxiety and what not had kept me from sleeping well for a few days. I did not even run for a whole week. I did try one day and all I managed was 1:17... no, not one hour and 17 minutes, but one minute and 17 seconds; after 77 seconds I stopped and turned around as I just did not feel like running.

Unfortunately there are very few places to run in GDL (the code for the airport in Guadalajara) so not much running opportunities there. I did get to run nine miles in the center of town; you see the powers-that-be close one main street (Juarez) and allow only bicyclists and runners (albeit I saw very few runners out there) to encourage locals to exercise.

Since my dad was released from the hospital just five days after I arrived, I was able to do more running, but nothing worth mentioning, just that I did run 46 miles last week and that I lost quite of bit of fitness in just one week.

As for the estranged relationship with my dad, it remains the same. It is a bit late for me to pretend that nothing happened. Now, don't get me wrong, I have no ill feelings towards him. I did once; for a long time. But I forgave him and went on with my life. However, I just cannot pretend to respect him, much less love him. So why come? I think I came more for my brother who has begged me to mend our relationship... and so it goes.

P.S. A huge congratulations to Lorena Ochoa who looks in good shape to capture her third straight tittle. Which makes me realize that as proud as I am to be an American, I cannot fully let go of the fact that I was born in GDL and often root for Mexico. Go figure.

Boulder or Sands?

2007-08-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

I started pondering where I was going to live once my sabbatical is over. Now, if I am going to pay rent, why not own, right? As y'all know, it's not as simple as it seems to my ridiculously shallow mind [not true, I am neither ridiculous, nor shallow] I considered living in the big apple but my limited research told me that it was too expensive, that I could not afford to live there. On to the left coast you say... Los Angeles has always been good to me and its weather is unbeatable. But home prices are overpriced... not to mention the prices have peaked, and if I were to buy now I would be buying high... an obvious no-no.

Knowing that Texas has a great running community suggested I look to Austin as a potential alternative. After all, Lance Armstrong lives there. Who knows, I may even get to run with the guy. Right. Austin was looking really good when I happened to browse the NY Times real estate section where they profiled three properties for $100K in different parts of the country. And what did they have? They had one in Boulder, Colorado. That particular property was not where I would want to live so I followed the link to Colorado homes and looked through several other properties.

Being a wanna-be artist, [and I use this term very loosely, as I have very little, if any, talent] I have always been enamored of lofts; I just love the open space. Lo and behold I found what I would consider the perfect living space. It is a condo/loft with just under 1000 sf. and what's best, I can afford it ;-) It was built in 2004 so it is fairly new and is close to trails and what not. Everything I would ever want in a place to live. As soon as I get to see the rest of the property, which I am sure I will like, I will make an offer... and who knows, maybe by late next month, I will be owning it. Wish me luck as such transaction from overseas does not lend itself to be a painless effort.

On other news, I was saddened to learn that one of my favorite bloggers has decided to make her blog 'for invited readers only' and I am not one of the selected few. And so it goes.

Since I think of this blog as a 'running' blog I have to include how my training for CIM is going. My mileage has dropped to the low 40s the last three weeks but I intend on getting it back to the 50s beginning this week. Next week I will attempt to run three three quality efforts: speed-dork, tempo and the always necessary long run.

Happy blogging.

Mount Duke

2007-07-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I was fortunate to hike the highest mountain in this region; we call it Mount Duke but the locals call it Ljuboten. It took us about 30 minutes to drive to where we were meeting the Polish Contingent, the sponsors of the hike. They then drove us in one of those large military trucks through rough terrain to where the hike actually started, Camp One :o) the ride took almost 30 minutes and it was quite bumpy and uncomfortable.

We did not start the hike until about 10:20, local time. The weather here has been quite hot. The past several days, the temperatures have hovered in the low 100s; it has been as hot as 110 F. So I was afraid it would be a sweaty mess. I also decided to wear the booney hat vs. the patrol cap. I seldom wear sunscreen because of my bronzed skin, but this time I decided to pour some on my neck, the area in my body that tends to get sunburned the most.

We started at approximately 6000' elevation. The length was not that bad, 4 Kms one way, 5 miles round trip with a net gain of about 2200' feet. Now, the hike was rather steep, but that was not what made the hike difficult. What made it difficult was the fact that there were no clear cut trails so we had to hike through boulders and rocks. In spite of my experience hiking [hiked Mt. Whitney twice, and half dome once --- if you have been in any of those two places, you know how well marked and cleared the trails are. Not here. I made the mistake of going vertical, and I found myself gasping for air. I had to stop a few times to recover. While it was hot, the strong breeze made it bearable. It got easier as I started zig-zagging, making my own switch backs and making it much more easier to climb. Even then, it took me 1:40 to reach the top, a whooping 30 mpm!!! How is that for slow hiking!

I spent 40 minutes at the apex, took a picture with the Polish flag and another one with the US flag.

It was time to climb down. I should be able to descend it much, much faster than ascending right? Yes, but it was not without cost. I was blistering, but not too badly. I wore my good boots this time :-) It was like climbing down through steep steps. I did make it down to Camp One in 50 minutes [20 mpm you all], but my quads felt trashed.

I waited for the rest of my group to descend. That time resting did me a lot of good. However, I did not stretch. Stupid is as stupid does. Two hours later we were all back where we had left our vans. There was this cafe right where we parked the vehicles and I ordered a machiato [similar to a cappuccino] and relaxed for an hour or so in the shade. We still needed to wait for one more guy.

The following day found me with sore quads. Not that sore though. Bagged the run.

On Tuesday, the quads were naturally tighter. Bagged the run.

On Wednesday I had had enough bags for one week and ran 10. I must have had a funny gait as I felt I was hopping rather than striding. It was painful but managed to run it sub 7:50. The next day the quads were less sore but still tight. The 10 miles were not as painful as the previous night [because it has been so hot, I end up running after 8 pm] but managed a decent pace even while including that hateful hill, 7:42 pace.

To say that I have been pleased with my last few runs is an understatement. I feel that the pace has been closer to my ability. I have ran several miles at my current MP goal, or 7:20ish and I have actually felt good doing it. Not like before, when those runs felt more like 5K efforts.

On an aside, I have always enjoyed reading John Grisham [probably because he's such an easy read], and I borrowed The Innocent Man from my roommate. Before I read this book I was totally pro-death penalty, but I am not so sure anymore. The book is non-fiction. The story makes you wonder how something like that can happen in the glorious U S of A, in small town America. I you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It will leave you thinking justice is neither blind, nor fair.

Carpe Viam... Seize the Road!

Beantown 2008

2007-07-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't earned my ticket to Beantown and I already booked my flight and my hotel. It's never too early to plan you know. Me figures that if I do not BQ then I can always have a good time rooting for fellow bloggers. Besides I had some miles that needed to be spent lest they expire.

Hope to meet a few of you :-)

Summer of Malmo

2007-07-12T04:34:00.001-07:00

I first ran across this concept as a member of the Dead Runners Society, whose motto is carpe viam, loosely translated as 'seize the road.' Then member Kevin Beck, and writer for Running Times, posted it to the list.

I since have 'googled' it and the credit for its creation is fuzzy at best. Regardless, the Summer of Malmo was created for High School runners. Naturally, it was designed to give them a strong base for their upcoming cross-country season. The program is very simple: to run as much, and as often as possible, with particular emphasis on doubles as they help increase the volume.

The program suggests to run only two quality runs in any given training week, 12X200s and a tempo run. It doesn't really go into specifics as to how fast the 200s are supposed to be done but I suspect them to be at 3K pace. It also fails to specify the length of the tempo run. While both of these quality runs are important to the program, the build up of volume is the real objective.

Now, I left High School many moons ago but I liked this idea. However, I never really tried it. My goal marathon is December 2, and my official training begins late this month, so I have been concentrating in mileage volume and decided to revisit the Summer of Malmo. The last eight weeks, I have averaged 52 miles per week. Not a lot, needless to say. But when my 'best' marathon program averaged 42 miles per week [which helped me run three marathons in a span of six weeks in 3:24, 3:17 and 3:22], and most of my 35 marathons were completed with training of 30 mpw or less, the 50+ weeks were expected to produce results.

Unfortunately I have failed to meet goals during my evaluation runs. Sadly my legs are slowing down. I still had hope that they had a few more PRs in them, but the horizon does not look too promising. Ah... the vicissitudes of an untalented runner :o)

Rut is in the air

2007-06-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been rather tough for me. It has been tough in the sense that I am having a hard time dealing with this sabbatical. It has been hard to adjust, even after so many months. If it weren’t because of ‘MY’ running, I would go insane. Literally.

Last week I was able to chain seven consecutive days of running. Now, that fact alone is not remarkable; what is remarkable is that I logged 70 miles. Yes. You read right, SEVENTY. The most I had run prior to this seven-day stretch was 55 miles. Not too bad, huh? What’s more important, I am injury free. Knock on wood. However, not everything is rosy. There is one side effect: I can’t seem to run fast. I seem to struggle to pick up the pace.

For example: Today I ran three miles in what felt MP at a snail pace of 23:01, or 7:40 mpm. Fortunately, the next three miles were clocked in 21:27, or 7:09 pace. That’s not too bad you say… It is bad when early last year I was able to run nine miles at 7:05 pace [mind you, in a flatter route] with the effort of today’s 7:40s. I’m sure that my lack of speed-dork has something to do with this slugfest; I’ll also blame the elevation, which is in the 1800s.

So what? It is time face the music. It is time to reassess my sub-3:10 goal. I feel that a sub-3:20 is more feasible. And a sub 3:15 should be a cinch if I continue to run the volume I am running. Throw in some quality work-outs and I am in business. Why set myself up for defeat when my recent training runs suggest I CANNOT sustain that 7:15 pace I want to race in the CIM? It is one thing to WANT to run 7:15s and another to be ABLE to maintain such pace.

Yes, I know. I am a certifiable WUSS.

Finally, here’s a picture of the MOAH. Now you know why I avoid it during my training runs and why I walked it all FOUR times during the Boston satellite marathon last April. Incidentally, all participants got a GENUINE 2007 Boston Marathon finisher’s medal; is that cool, or what? AND, we also got an official jacket [with the John Hancock signature and all]… from the year 2005, but it was brand new. Thanks to those folks from the BAA; those guys are awesome.

The Eternal City

2007-06-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

Right next to Fountain of Trevi. I was having a hard time focusing on my pace and I was slowing down a bit too much. I would manage to pick it up a few kms later.

The home stretch. I just needed about a mile to go. I focused on finishing with a decent kick. My all black attire did not help me run nearly as fast as Kanoucchi; but, I can dream, right? :o)

The Colosseum. What more can I say when such a historic icon is the background to one last pick up.

The end of another day at the office. I really like this picture as I am walking away from the finish as if I just completed a pleasurable stroll. Notice two or three finishers on the right are totally spent. I am by far the most relaxed of them all ;-)

Volume Boost and REM

2007-06-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

Its been four weeks since I started the mileage ramp up. So far, so good. I ran 48. 52, 51 and 47. Most so-called experts suggest increasing mileage for three weeks then running less on the fourth week. Repeat until reaching the desired volume. This cyclic progression seems to work for me. This week I hope to hit in the neighborhood of 60 miles. Stay tuned.

On another note, and before the volume boost, I had been feeling rather lethargic. After meals, my eyelids would weigh a ton and I had the extreme urge to fall asleep. I had never before experienced this, so being the hypochondriac that I am I started to dissect my symptoms looking for an answer. I read an article where it stated that long-distance runners tend to run low in iron because the constant pounding ‘squashes’ the iron out of red blood cells. Naturally, I thought I had found THE answer to my lackadaisical mood after eating.

The first day I took an iron supplement I ran a four-mile tempo run that averaged 6:56 mpm. Right where I felt I should be [actually I am lying, I think I should be in the 6:45 pace, but I rationalized the time difference to the hilly course I ran it]. Great, right? Not so fast ‘mi pequeño saltamontes’ [my little grasshopper]. I have been told that iron supplements, or mostly any supplement, take two-weeks to make a difference in the body. To make matters cloudier, I had another episode of drowsiness after an Italian meal full of starchy foods. So I went back to square one.

I pondered what I had done different since I left the states, more specifically since I arrived in Eastern Europe. It dawned on me that I have been taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplements during that period, so I used my highly sought-after investigative skills [grin]. Apparently, one of the side effects of Glucosamine is drowsiness; also, it appears to affect the insulin levels. I think I have now found the culprit. But it is a double-edged sword. I want the purported benefits of the supplement without the drowsiness side-effect. What to do? I have been taking 1500 mg, so I have decided to only take 500 mg and see how my body reacts.

Carpe Viam… Seize the Road…

Sweet Sixteen

2007-06-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

My running streak came to a halt when I spent a large part of the day riding a bus to the gulf of Kavala, Greece. I think the longest I have run continuously during any streak was six days. This time, the streak is a not-very-impressive 16, but a sweet sixteen nonetheless.

The hotel lies just steps from its private beach. A beach that under better weather conditions would be a dream. As it happened, the weather did change for the better the last two days there. Now, I have never been a fan of beach running, even when the sand is well packed. Alas, the highway fronting the hotel was WAY too busy and the cars just flew by. Not ideal. Definitely not ideal for an easy sixer.

I donned my retired classic response adidas and headed to the deserted beach. Deserted because it was cloudy and raining lightly. I start what I thought was running and slugged for a couple of minutes before checking my snail pace. It was a mind boggling 13:40ish pace. The sand is really lose and my feet sink almost to ankle level. My calves are protesting. I quickly readjust my goal of running six miles and hope to complete four. I reach the end of the beach and turn. As I am heading back to my starting point, I see a paved access road. I decide to follow it and thoughts of doing hill repeats are more appealing exponentially by the second. I ‘crest’ the access road and see that it changes into a dirt road that goes under the aforementioned highway. I follow it.

Now I am on the other side of the highway and the dirt road with its sexy curves is calling me. The only problem is that the road is ascending and my pace does not get faster than 10 mpm. Man am I slow or what? I question the sanity of setting a sub 3:10 marathon as a goal. I am having a hard time ‘running’ 10-minute miles for crying out loud. How am I going to sustain 7:15s… for 26.2 miles. Am I setting myself up for disaster? Maybe. So it goes.

I continue running in light rain and the views are rather beautiful. I run through some vineyards and my mind takes me back to the ONE marathon I want to run more than any other, and that is the marathon du Medoc. I actually was going to run it last year and did register, but had to cancel my plans due to my 'forced' sabbatical. So it goes.

I smell the salty ocean air, more like I gasp the saltiness, as I pass yet another vineyard. My infatuation with wine and olive oil would make a place like this a dream vacation home. The road is made up of fractured rock; it is no longer covered by lose sand like at the beginning of the trail. At one point, I can discern where the backhoe scraped though the weathered but still strong rock. I see a puddle that covers the width of the road and I sidestep it but manage to sink my right foot and it is now completely wet. On the way back I would sink my left foot for good measure. I am not worried about potential blisters for the obvious reason: it’s only a sixer.

I continue through more of the same and reach the end of the mountain road and turn right on another highway that appears to be less traveled. My Garmin ™ says 2.6 miles. I run on the lean shoulder against traffic for just over half a mile and I am rewarded with stunning views of a medium size village with mountains and the blue ocean in the background. I turn at, you guessed it, another vineyard.

I am now back on the mountain road and my legs are a bit more springy. They are moving with more ease. Yet, I am barely under 8 minute pace and doubts continue to linger in my mind about a sub 3:10. No matter. I am having the time of my life. The rain has stopped. But, I am doing the rain dance, or so it seems for I find myself skipping here and hopping there. This is to avoid a boulder, or a miniature creek, or a toad – or is it a frog?

The ocean is in clear view and memories of my runs in the Santa Monica Mountains come to mind. And I cry. Yes, you read right. I cry. But it is tears of joy. Slow ones. Pearly ones. I am having a climatic run and I am enjoying it one hundred percent. [I would say 110%, but I am not mathematically challenged :-P] I reach the bottom of the road and head toward the busy highway. I run for a short stretch on the shoulder while several vehicles zoom by me, including a couple of semis. No matter. I have just had one of the best running experiences of my life.

This run is only comparable only to those days when I would run as a child for the sake of getting to the other side of the street; for the sake of tagging a friend; for the sake of kicking a ball; hell, for the sake of running. Yes folks, that was running in its pure, unadulterated form. No Beantown dreams. No, just a smile on my then chubby face because somewhere, somehow I knew running was a gift. A gift only US can truly appreciate.

I finished my run in a less than stellar time. But, really… who cares? Life is good. So it goes.

ChiCOWgo and Army 10 - 2004

2007-05-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

In early June '04, my Command contacted me to see if I was interested in being part of a team that would participate in the Army 10 miler, because I was part of a team the previous year. In 2003 I happened to be the fastest runner in my team, not a good thing. I ran a 69:43, just a few seconds off my PR. This year, I told the COL organizing the running teams, I would shoot for a low 68, maybe even break it. I started training for this race about 12 weeks prior.

My training was going so well I even dreamed of running significantly faster than the low 68 I had ‘committed.’ I was running 24 miles per week, divided into three or four runs. Most of these runs were quality, which means they were either repeats, tempo or long. The core of this training was a four mile tempo. I progressively improved from an average of 6:53/mile to a 6:29/mile. However, soon after the 6:29 'peak,' my training would turn sour. The time I ran the tempo run in 6:29, my breathing, my form, my mind, were all one; everything was in sync. I should note that the last mile in these tempo runs was always difficult, but not during 'the' peak. BUT, one should peak in a RACE, and NOT in training as I did.

The week after my peak, I was barely able to average 6:51/mile… for ONLY three miles, mind you; I was so out of breath I could not complete the fourth mile. The next two weeks would see marginal improvements. My last tempo run was the week of the Chicago marathon. This time I was able to run the full four miles, and at 6:45 pace, with three miles of w/u and three miles of c/d for 10 miles.

Two days after this 10 miler, I had a very stiff back, painful really. I ran a couple of days later, and I was running lob-sided. Once my back warmed up I was able to run at a decent ‘tempo’ pace. I had hope after all. On Saturday October 11, the day before the Chicago Marathon, I ran a 5K; however, I believe it was not accurate, so I am not sure I should consider the 19:45 time a PR; my back hardly bothered me. The following day I lined up w/ some 33K runners from around the globe.

This was going to be my 26th marathon. Having ran slow times, for me, the last two ‘thons (4:43 and 4:12) I wanted to run around 3:30. I knew I had the speed, but I did not have the training. My longest run consisted of one 15 miler. So I approached this race as a training run for my upcoming 10 miler.

I started slow, 8:20s, for the first three miles. I settled into a comfortable 8 minute or so pace. The day before, I had tried this new energy drink, Monster, and I believe it was causing me to have stomach gurgling; I hoped I did not have to stop, or worse yet that I’d have an accident. Also, from time to time whenever I’d land a certain way, I’d feel pain on my lower back... sciatica, argh! Please don’t let it get bad enough where I’ll have to stop. Half marathon time 1:45:XX, right on target.

The lack of long runs would get me though. And at 14 I started feeling tired. BUT, I remembered reading that speeding up during a race often helped the feeling of fatigue. So I picked up the pace, 7:43, oops, a bit too fast. I slow it down a notch. I would run the next few miles in the 7:50s. At 25 I picked it up one more notch, 7:35. Mile 26, 7:21. Last 0.2 were ran in 83 seconds (my fastest 0.2 ever). Final time of 3:27:13, and second only to St. George where the course drops 2500 feet, and where I ran an obviously gravity-aided 3:14:28 [this was before I ran a 3:12 in St. George and a 3:17:56 in Boston].

I was quite pleased with this result, but I was afraid I had left too much in this race. I ran an easy three two days later. No injuries seemed to be present. Three days later I attempted speed-work; probably not a good idea, since I barely managed to run 4X400 @ 90 seconds with one minute recovery, and I did feel some pain in my quads and hamstrings. Did not attempt a tempo run until one week before the Army 10. Although, it wasn’t a tempo run, I had to take a break after 10 minutes, and another one five minutes later. I was getting worried I would not recover in time to run the 67:30 I believed I could run.

The day before race day, I ran an easy four. Let the chips fall where they may. No time for regrets or reflections.

Race day I woke up to rain on Sunday morning, more like a drizzle. I jogged the mile to the hotel where we were going to meet. My legs felt light and springy. Our group then walked a few blocks to the Pentagon. Luckily, the bag turn-in was on the way, but it was rather chaotic. Jogged to the start line for it was getting close to race time. As I was approaching the corrals, the National Anthem started playing. Stopped and took it all in. I made it to my corral just 15 minutes before. I jumped the concrete k-rail to try to run some strides. It was kind of crowded so my strides were 40 meters long. I did three of them. I was nervous but felt ready; as ready as I could be.

The race starts five minutes late. I take off with a bunch of runners wearing green bibs. First mile comes surprisingly fast and my watch reads 6:45, perfect. To this point the effort seems easy, too easy I think. I would miss the next mile marker. I press the split button and it reads 13:42, oops I slowed down. I now have to make up 12 seconds. In this two-mile stretch running continues to be smooth, with my breathing becoming labored during a couple of mild inclines (this would happen in ALL positive inclines). Right around this time I hear this guy playing the clarinet; he’s playing something patriotic and he’s keeping a good tune… while running. The next split reads 6:06 - don’t I wish! A tall and buff marine, carrying a rucksack, and a medium size flag, passes me [take that DANCON]. He is running strong and effortlessly; i guesstimate he is running 6:30s. I immediately HATE him.

The following split would confirm the fourth mile marker was misplaced, 7:30. So now I am 18 or 19 seconds off my target time. Time to pick it up. I start passing runners consistently. Mile 6, 6:44, good, I am feeling a bit tired but my breathing is okay. I miss the Mile 7 marker. Not a big deal. Miles 7 and 8, 13:28, or 6:44 pace, only 14 seconds behind. It’s now or never. I pick up the effort but this bridge has an incline that my legs are feeling. Even though the effort was more than the previous eight miles I only clock a 6:40. I feel strong during this last mile; I pass some roadkill… I make the turn into the underpass, the finish banner is visible. This guy and I go for it… we’re running neck and neck, we’re practically sprinting, yet my legs still feel strong. We cross the finish line together; I commend him for his efforts. My final chip time is 67:25.

I am quite happy; I met my goal. The cool weather certainly helped. My team did not figure in the awards, but there’s always next time, perhaps break 66 for me???. Or... break 3:10 in CIM come December 02, 2007? Which will it be? Stay tuned!

Inspiration and Sundry

2007-05-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Today I was to run 9 miles easy. My plan was to run at 7 pm, roughly two hrs after supper. As I am about to exit my room, the sky is falling and I decide to bag the run. I then started reading a couple of posts from The Salty One and got to read her Boston Report and after reading it, I was left with no option but to get off my big butt and run the niner I had on the menu, for I was so inspired I felt I could tear the asphalt into gravel.

I left at 8:30pm and I ran them in just under 8 mpm pace. Not terribly fast. So what's the big deal you ask? Lemme 'splain. I ran 40 miles three weeks ago, 18 two weeks ago, and only 4 last week. My weeks are from Sunday-to-Saturday. So far I have ran 27 miles and with this renewed inspiration I should hit 48 this week. Not bad, huh? I know, I know. This a recipe for disaster, but after reading Salty's gut-wrenching report, that is the least I can do. Next week, my weekly volume should hover in the 50s.

Now for the sundry part. I have been considering going back to school for some time. Having worked in the Civil Engineering field was fine until I moved into the Project Management area. I like solving problems; no, let me re-phrase that: I LOVE solving problems. BUT, I guess being a PM for a Public Agency was not the ideal place for me to be. So I quit one year before I was to go on my 'forced' sabbatical with the Army.

The good thing about my job with the Army is that my office is in the Hospital and I get to interact with Doctors. I am sure you know where this is going. Once I get back to the States I will be going back to school, complete the necessary pre-reqs and apply to Med School. That's right I want to become an MD. A running MD at that.

And.... if I get injured from the rather quick ramp-up, my office is right next to the Physical Therapist, who happens to be my friend ;o)

Cheers!

DANCON - May 13, 2007

2007-05-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

The march Director announces that there are 30 nations participating and over 2000 Soldiers. DANCON stands for Danish Contingency and the march is obviously sponsored by the Danish. Funny thing is that he makes his final instructions in English. The march is set to start at 0830.

I had previously agreed to march/jog with SGT D, but this was before I knew how carrying 25 lbs of extra weight meant; this on top of the combat boots that tend to make my ankles roll.

The march begins and we have a couple of hundred Soldiers in front of us. We start jogging on the right flank. It’s difficult passing people. We march on. We hit the main road. It’s black top, thankfully. We try jogging again but my heartbeat goes haywire. The temps are in the high 80s, in the shade mind you. I realize the heat and the extra weight will cause havoc on me if I attempt to follow our plan. He is young and wants to take off. I tell him to go on; I expect to reel him back; I use the experience of having run 35 marathons. Ahh, but this march is an entirely different beast altogether.

So he takes off and I am left by myself as the only US Soldier in the near vicinity. I am surrounded by Italians, Germans, Swedish, French, and other nationals. Up ahead, two Italians are handing candy out to the local children. The road is a mild descent and I am clicking 9:10 klips. If I can hold this pace I will break 4 hours. A far cry from what the eventual winner will do, 2:17. That’s right, the winner averaged 8:45 mpm!!! Humbling to the nth degree.

I manage to keep a steady pace and not too many Soldiers pass me. At the 6 Km marker a fellow CPT catches up to me and chats for the next three Ks. We reach the first aid-station and I grab two water bottles (500 ml) and head down a mild descent. I lose the Captain. The road is unimproved and I already feel the blisters burning the bottom of my feet. The friction between my feet and the boot is increased three-fold.

Have you danced with the Devil lately?
Have you marched with the devil lately?
Have you marched with blisters lately?

Two female Soldiers pass me. It hurts my male ego, but I accept the fact that they’re the better Soldiers. I rationalize that they’re full time Soldiers and I am just a part-timer. I wonder how we would match each other in a marathon.

No worries. I march on. The road is in poor condition. It’s hard to have a good footing. Then we hit Km 13 and the start of the only significant ascent. And what an ascent it is. It is quite steep and the disrepair of the road makes it more difficult. It will be roughly 2.5 kilometers of constant climb. Several Soldiers choose to take breathers by the shade. I keep on marching hoping to get over the climb, the sooner, the better. I pass more Soldiers. My heartbeat is in the 170s. The climb is not for the faint of heart. My lungs scream, kind of like in a 5K race. My ipod provides me invaluable company. I wish I had pain-killers, to make the soul forget what the body is going through. I want to separate the two entities. [take that Decartes]

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name…

We're beaten and blown by the wind
Blown by the wind

The views remind me of the Santa Monica Mountains. I get a little nostalgic. I reach the apex of the loop-course. The descent is awaiting me. I dread it because I know my blisters are getting worse by the minute. I wish I can use the pull of gravity to make up time lost in the climb. Several Soldiers pass me. It is quite humbling. The road seems to flatten. My ankles have rolled several times, but luckily none have resulted in sprains. At Km 17 my left ankle rolls once more, but this time I cannot keep my balance and I tumble to the ground. A Swedish and a German help me get up. They ask if I have been drinking water. It is apparent that they think I dropped due to heat stress. I tell them I am fine. And I am. I only bruised my hands and an already bruised ego.

I march on. 8.2 Klips to go. I keep repeating this mantra: pain is nothing [tm]. The music helps sooth the pain; it even seems to disappear. I pass another km marker. More Soldiers pass me. It's becoming the norm rather than the exception. We reach a village where black water is coming from practically every house; the foul odors are hard to bear. I breath in through my mouth. Children ask us for candy I surmise. I am not sure if they're speaking Albanian or Serbian.

I reach Km 21, and I know I am not too far from the finish. The road is even worse here. There are several puddles and I am forced to walk around them. I march on.

I am closing in on Km 24, and this female Soldier passes me. Damn. I am really losing steam, not that I had any. There is this made up bridge. After I cross it, there are only 1.2 kms to go. I decide to jog this last section. My feet are burning, my shoulders are sore. No matter. I go for it. No guts no glory. Pain is nothing, I remind my soul.

I pass the entrance to the Danish Camp. I can smell the finish. I make one turn. Another turn. Where the heck is the finish? Finally, there it is. I cross it with my watch saying 4:10, or 16 mpm pace. I am not done though; I still have to make way to the registration table where I will get my medal (military) and my certificate of completion. The end is so anticlimactic. No crowds to cheer you in. I then head to the medical tent where they will treat the dozen or so blisters. Ah, if I could only have a couple of brewskies. SGT D finished in 3:23, second US Soldier finisher and 47 minutes ahead of me. I sincerely congratulate him on a job well done. I head to our van to drop my backpack. I am so sore, and my feet are in so much pain it's hard to take a single step. My only consolation is that a fabulous Danish brunch is awaiting me.

Cheers.

Why do you run? & RAW format

2007-05-12T02:30:00.000-07:00

Why do YOU run? Do you run for yourself? I'd like to say that I run to feel alive. Sounds poetic doesn't it? I can't say that I enjoy it when I am hammering that last mile in a 5K and my legs are hurting and my lungs are burning, but one must admit that pain is proof that one exists, that one lives.

I, I'm still alive
Hey I, but, I'm still alive
Hey I, boy, I'm still alive
Hey I, I, I, I'm still alive, yeah

While I do believe that is the reason I run, the REAL reason I run is to keep unnecessary calories away. After all, I love pastries and beer :-)

Interestingly, Reebok came out with the 'Run Easy' campaign, brought to my attention courtesy of Sempre Libera, and I must admit I made premature comments on her blog. Then I googled for more info and I ran into this article in USA Today and the campaign made more sense. Now, I am sure the creators never thought they would end up insulting serious/dedicated runners. I also had forgotten about ADIDAS (my shoe of choice) owning Reebok. What an irony. It's almost like Good vs. Evil. Day and Night.

On a totally different note, while following some links I ran (no pun intended) into this guy, Luis Montemayor, who includes a tutorial to convert RAW images into highly creative pictures. Being the amateur photographer, I found them quite easy to follow. Now, I can't wait 'til I get back to Los Angeles and experiment with my Nikon D50. I highly recommend it.

P.S. The photo shows two german beers. They're non-alcoholic because I am in detox and am not allowed to drink. Just kidding! :-) BUT, what is true is that I am not allowed to have alcoholic drinks :-(

Cheers!

Speedwork for a Dork

2007-05-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

I had not ran since Saturday. The tight piriformis led to a tight hamstring which led to knee pain. At least that is my story and I am sticking with it. I was also feeling in a rut so I decided to give the legs a rest. A well needed rest.

I warmed up for two miles and headed to the 1/4-mile amorphous-shaped track. The goal was to hit repeats at 90 secs or thereabouts. The day was rather warm, 75 degrees. I started prudently with a 92. I like taking 60 sec rests in between the repeats. Then I ran the following times: 89, 88, 88, 89, 88, 86, 86. From this data I will shoot for 88 secs for 400 repeats, and 3:08 for 800s. It was nice to set the legs free after not doing any structured speeddork in over 16 months.

I cooled down with two miles. Went to the gym and did 10 pull ups. Afterwards, I was craving an IPA, Sierra Nevada. 5.5 more months. I love beer... and beer loves me :o)

Tomorrow I have 9 on the menu.

Cheers.

Te Dejo Madrid

2007-05-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Back in April 2005 I went to Madrid with the intention of, what else?, running the marathon. I ran well, negative splits and a 3:31 time. The day before I went to 'El Prado' and the Thyessen. I have always enjoyed the Thyessen and its impressionist art... it's a quaint, small museum.

The day after the 'thon I felt pretty good so I made my way to the Reina Sofia, to view arguably Picasso's masterpiece: La Guernica. I spent close to 30 minutes admiring this work of art.

While I had seen it in previous visits, it still made an impact on me. Little did I know that I was going to be more *impressed* with a Mexican exposition that was being held there. Of note was two tires that had Aztec inspired carvings. Then as I am about to walk away, I see this block of concrete, lying on the floor. I thought to myself, hmmm - WTF, how is that art? I get closer to the 3X5 card describing the 'work of art.' *It* actually had a fetus inside. I was mesmerized...I am sure the artist was aiming for the shock value rather than the artistic value, but what do I know? I wonder how the US would react to something like this. Read this article, if you know Spanish :o)

The Race

I tend to find excuses to travel abroad. Signing up for the Madrid Marathon seemed like a good idea, considering I had failed to qualify for Beantown by two minutes. Unfortunately, I had not had a decent base going into this race, much less decent training; I had ran hardly any from the beginning of the year, due to a multitude of upper-respiratory infections, until 6 weeks before the M; and then it was an average of close to 30 miles a week. The training, if it can be called that, included two runs of fifteen miles and one of seventeen. What scared me the most was the 17 miler [at the Boston Marathon - yes I bandited part of the course] which I ran just five-and-a-half days before Madrid; I actually ran the last five miles at faster than my intended marathon pace (7:35) and this gave me hope I could break 3:30. But then I ran four miles on Thursday morning (4/21) and tried to run the last three at 8 minute pace and while I was able to do it, it felt TOO hard. Did I leave too much in the 17 miler? Oh well. I would find out soon enough.

I left for Madrid later that afternoon with a brief layover at CDG. I arrived in Madrid at 3 pm local time. Took the subway to my hostal and took a shower. It was now 5 pm and decided to go pick up my *dorsal* or bib number. The expo was about 2 miles from the hostal and decided to walk there. Part of the marathon actually went by portions of my walk to the expo, and let me tell you, there were some rather challenging hills. Not good.

What I found at the expo was nothing spectacular. They charged 7 euro, but it was free for runners. In the runner’s bag, there was the official T, an FM radio and a singlet. Also, the organizers use single-use timing chips – wonderful idea IMO; if a runner owns a chip, he gets 5 euro discounted off the entry fee.

I had dinner and went to bed at 10 pm. I did not wake up until noon the next day. Slept for 14 hours!!!! I honestly do not remember when the last time I slept more than 8 hours. Obviously, I felt refreshed.

The pasta lunch was held on Saturday from 2 to 4:30 pm. It was free for the runner and one guest. Anyone else would have to pay only 3 euro. Nice. The pasta was simple; nothing fancy but it was enough to carbo-load. Oh and the beer was very cold and tasty; it was so good I had four pints ;-).

The start was for 9:30 and my hostal was located about a mile from the start so I felt 8 am was a nice time to wake up on Sunday morning (4/24). I slept for about 6 hours but felt good from having slept so much the previous night. Jet lag? What is jet lag?

The weather was supposed to be overcast and in the high 50s. But when I came out, wearing a singlet, the sky was clear and in the 50s. So I assumed it would get hotter as the day progressed. Not a good thing since I perform miserably when hot. So sub-3:30 did not look good.

I lined up with the 3:45 group. Again, I did not think I could run sub 3:30 but I still dreamed that if everything went to perfection I could eventually catch up to the 3:30 group. It was quite crowded even though there were only nine thousand runners, with men outnumbering women 8:1.

The gun went off and millions of confetti dropped from the sky. It would take me over two minutes to cross the first mats. Right away I knew I would have trouble passing runners, especially on the turns; this course has one too many turns. However, I also knew that races tend to thin out by the mid-way point and I was going to make my move then. Yeah, right.

The first couple of klips are on a moderate uphill and I barely average 5:30s and I my singlet is already moist; I take it off (I think I was the only runner sans shirt. IMO, Europeans tend to overdress - and what’s up with the bicycling-type shorts?). I guess a sub-3:40 is more doable and I am okay with that; that is, if I can do it.

I run the first 5k in 26:59, so much for the intended 25 minute 5Ks. Here I grab a 12oz bottle of water. Now, I am not used to drinking from a bottle during training so it took me a couple of aid stations to get used to it. I found myself carrying the bottle for a while and it just did not feel right. Once I figure something that worked for me, my gait felt more comfortable.

At around 10 miles, I was averaging about 8:20 and my mind started to falter. In the last few ‘thons, this has been the rule rather than the exception. I began to doubt if I could even complete the darn distance. I began to dread me being there. thankfully, it would not last long. I began to focus on the race and chugged along. Right before the 20K mark, we ran on a narrow local street that is paved with cobbles. This and the fact that the cobbles are wet, coupled with the sharp descent make for difficult running. To make things worse, the spectators are crowding too much into the road and I feel like I am going to crash into them anytime now. However, the crowds proved to be a moral booster. I begin to lengthen my stride; I begin to gain confidence in my ability to complete this distance. I crossed the half in 1:48:22. Not bad. 3:37 pace, that is if I can hold on. The weather is holding in the high 50s and it is now overcast.

I would hold on even though the wind seemed to be on my face at all times. In fact I got faster at the sixth 5K. I ran it in 23:20!!! Then the rolling hills would bring me back to reality and brought my 5K splits in the 25-minute range.

At the 37K-point a kid remarked to her Mom: look Mom, he’s naked! To which she responded, that’s because he’s warm.

All along the crowds have been supportive and call to us: campeones – venga campeones (champions, bring it on champions). I am feeling quite good but I know the last 5K is all uphill; or at least that’s what the elevation profile shows. It was uphill alright, and it was difficult for I was tired. I did manage to run the eight 5K in just under 25 minutes. I go around another glorieta [traffic circle]and the finish line is straight ahead. There are four arches and I get a bit confused for I don’t know which one marks the finish line. I cross 42K and only have 195 meters to go. Less than half a lap I tell myself but it seems closer to a mile. I cross one arch but I need to cross two more. Damn these are the longest 195 meters I have ever run. As I crossed the mat I stop my watch and it reads 3:31:38. A 4:44 negative split!!! I am really tired but I am quite happy with my performance and I seem to be okay. I am a little disoriented though.

I walk over and get a bag full of goodies. I head over to pick up my Adidas gift for wearing Adidas shoes. It’s a cell-phone holder. Not bad for being free. I then have a large piece of watermelon and it tastes delicious. I also have a beer but this time it tastes quite bitter and pass on a second serving. I eat a banana and start heading home. The mile walk will do me some good. As I am walking I realized I did not get a medal. Oh well. Not a big deal. I have 28 medals already :-). I arrived at the hostal and took a shower. Sprayed my legs with cold water. Later on, while going through the goodie bag, I find a metal rectangle or trophy. I got a similar design when I ran Barcelona. So the Spanish give these instead of medals… interesting.

The following morning I would wake up with no signs of soreness. I have never felt this good. Was it the 17 miler so close to the race? Was it the cold water? I don’t know. I will continue to experiment. I felt so good I actually spent four hours walking in the Reina Sofia Museum that afternoon.

5K splits: 26:59, 25:22, 24:59, 25:16, 24:33, 23:20, 25:16, 24:59
2.195K – 10:53

From the race stats, I passed about 150 runners the first half and I passed
over 1500 in the second half. Boy, did it feel good to pass so many
people :-)

A Very Significant Emotional Moment

2007-05-03T03:04:00.000-07:00

Because my running life here is rather boring, I will tell you something that happened to me Tuesday last. I had to go and help out giving humanitarian aid to the local population. Because the villages were rather remote, we were flown in helicopters. The flights went pretty smooth, except when we were about to land back *home*. The pilots circled around with some significant banking and I guess it was then that I dropped a *sensitive item* that contained 15 golden nuggets. I never heard it drop because I was wearing earplugs.

I exited the aircraft not knowing I was missing something. However, later on I was invited to go to dinner to a local restaurant. It was then that I realized IT was missing. My face must have looked ashen, even though I am olive skinned. I knew I was in deep sh*t. I had just experienced a VSEM, or very significant emotional moment.

I had to file a report and what not. Luckily, it was found in the aircraft later that night. Regardless, it made for a sleepless night. A night that had me thinking about running ads. Go figure.

One of the ads that I created has 50-cent performing 'Born to Run' by Bruce Springsteen, with a hip-hop tune in the background, of course. The ad is in black-and-white. There are two runners, one male and one female, cruising the streets of NYC. Chatting without a worry in their minds. They pass a huge billboard with the SHOE and its brand clearly in color. As they're running, the shoes are highlighted in a neon color. They stop and face the camera. I was born to run he says. So was I, she says. Were you born to run? They both ask in unison. The ad closes with the billboard and a question: Are you a runner?

Les Miserables, or should I say: Le Miserable

2007-04-29T02:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I was reminiscing about my first trip to Turkey a few years back. The trip was not planned well. I hadn’t even booked a hotel. All I had was a guidebook; I believe it was let’s go turkey. I boarded my connecting flight at JFK. I had one of those midsection seats. There was this rather obese guy, 'D,' seating in an aisle seat close to the left window; I snickered when he requested an extension to his seat belt.

Later on, as we are getting ready to deplane, I happen to stand behind ‘D’ and he starts a conversation. His tone gave him away as being gay [ not that there is anyhting wrong with that ], but then again I have met other guys who sound gay, but are straight. But I digress. He asks me where am I staying. I tell him that I don’t have a place yet, and that I will use my guidebook to find a hotel. He says, oh – you should try the hotel where I am staying. I say – sure, why not. So we share a cab. That year, the Turkish Lira had just been devalued and everything was ridiculously cheap. The ride from the IST to town was $8 and I offered D $4. He would not take them.

We arrive at the hotel and he talks the attendant to give ME the same rate he was getting: $20 for a single room. He takes me to the roof of the hotel where breakfast is served daily and I marvel at the spectacular view of the blue Mosque. D tells me that he has to take a shower and that if I want to visit the Grand Bazzar, and I say sure. We are within walking distance so we walk. He greets almost every vendor we encounter. Everyone seems to know D. We then make our way to Taksim where we ride this seemingly ancient ‘subway.’ Earlier, D had given me a small bottle of Dakkar cologne. All along he is buying me snacks, and I am thinking: oh sh*t, I think this guy is hitting on me. So I find a way to let him know that I am straight, or as Ted Danson in his Sam character would say: “I like babes and babes like me.” [not in those words] He looked disappointed but he took it well.

D tells me that he is meeting a local friend that night and that if I am interested in tagging along. I say sure, why not. His friend arrives with his girlfriend in a brand new Jetta, and takes us to this café overlooking the Bosphorus. We had tea (cay). Then he takes us to this really fancy Turkish restaurant [I tried finding it the second time I found myself in Istanbul with no luck]. As I mentioned before, the prices due to the recent devaluation were ridiculously low. I had a great time with D. He would leave the next morning.

I spent two more days in Istanbul where I visited the standard touristy places. Then I had planned on making my way south to Selçuk. I took a boat ride into the Asian part of Turkey. There I took a one-hour bus ride into what my guidebook described as a nice place to spend a day or two, Bursa. I did not find anything worthwhile there; I wish I had skipped it and just continued my trip south.

The following day I take a bus to Selçuk with a planned stop in Izmir. It is worth noting that Turkish buses are quite comfortable. They serve you soda and a liquid to sanitize your hands. It’s quite an enjoyable experience.

The bus arrives in Selçuk and I look for a hostal in the near vicinity. I find the “All Blacks Hostal." I thought it was rather racist to give a hostal that ‘name’ but little did I know that the owner had spent significant time in New Zealand and was an avid fan of its national rugby team which wear all-black uniforms. The owner even had a ‘kiwi’ accent. He was very nice. Charged me $6 for a room.

A whole bunch of backpackers arrived a few moments later. Most of them where from Canada and had made it there from Greece. They had spent close to 24 hours in a ferry. Ouch. I remember having a conversation with this really attractive girl about what else but running. We agreed to go out the next morning for a run. Sadly, I did not have the heart to wake her up and did not run.

That night the owner asked us if we were interested in going to this typical restaurant a couple of miles from his place. We all said yes. There we had pides (pizza-like snacks), flavored tobacco in one of them water pipes, and beer. We all pitched in and it came out to $5.

The next day, I was given a ride to the Ephesus ruins, still considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was beautiful; it was magnificent. As I finished crossing the ‘park’ I decide I want to go visit a house where the Virgin Mary and Saint John are purported to have lived. It was a paved road and it took me well over an hour. It was rather interesting.

Then it was time for me to go to Bodrum, which is supposed to be the party capital of Turkey. However, I did not take into account that I was going in the WINTER, hello there. Suffice it to say that the town was empty. I did get to run about four miles, my one and only run in the past three months. It would not have been a big deal if I had not signed up to run the Paris Marathon in a couple of weeks. It is a nice town nonetheless.

I then flew to Ankara for a day. Alas, there was not much to see in Ankara. Luckily, I was only there for a day.

The following day I took a bus to Goreme, in the Cappadocia region. I should note that not too many people speak English and it was quite difficult communicating with people. Without the guidebook I would have been lost.

Goreme was fabulous. The caves, the formations, the open air museum, the underground cities, they were all amazing.

I then went back to Ankara for I had to fly to Vienna on my way to Prague.

In Prague, I almost had a nervous breakdown. For whatever reason I choose not to book a hotel at the airport, costly mistake. Another mistake was that I did not have a Prague guidebook with me. While waiting for the bus to take me to the subway, I strike a conversation with this teenager. I ask him if it would be possible to spend the night at his parent’s house. He looked at me as if I was deranged. And I don’t blame him. Who in his right mind would ask such a request? Not too many I am sure. So as the bus motors away, I have this incredible urge to cry. Me? Cry? For what? A few minutes later I recovered and while looking at the subway map I remember one of the exits led to a hostal recommended in the guidebook I had purchased but failed to carry with me [and the reason was that the trip to Prague was a last-minute decision on my part; I bought my plane ticket in Istanbul]. As luck would have it I found the hostal, 20 Euro a night. I had a wonderful time the three days I spent in Prague. Beer is actually cheaper than soda.

Again, I made another unplanned change to my trip when I found out it would cost me more to ride the express train to Paris, than if I purchased a ticket with KLM stopping in Amsterdam and then CDG, returning to Prague. Of course I had no intention to fly back to Prague for I had a flight to catch from CDG to the States a day after the 'thon.

Having been in Amsterdam a couple of times before helped tremendously as I did not need a guidebook. I booked the Tulip Inn hotel at this last-minute reservations place; the hotel offred probably the best full breakfast I have ever had. While there, I went to the Anne Frank House Museum. Revisited the Van Gogh Museum, walked the channels, had a brownie, or two, or three :o) strolled past the red light district. I also had probably the best Falafel I have ever had, go figure.

Then it was time for me to go to one my favorite cities in the world: Paris. I had signed up to run its marathon but failed to train. I knew I was in for a long day but I felt I could still run it under four hours. The two days before the 'thon I went to Musee Picasso [First time I had seen an exhibition byHockney], Musee Rodin, Musee D'orsay, Musee Pompidue [ Fell in love with Rothko and modern art in general] and of course the Louvre.

The day was perfect for a marathon, the course was not technically difficult, but it was probably one of the worst marathons I have ever ‘run.’ Aside from the lack of training, knee pain hit me early in the race, at roughly two miles. I ran, more like hobbled, manipulated my stride, stretched, skipped, to no avail. I crossed the finish line in 4:08 and visibly in pain. I was one miserable dude. But as Forrest would say: stupid is as stupid does.

If you made it this far, my hat goes off to you.

NYCM Lottery

2007-04-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

On a whim, I decided to apply for the lottery. I felt that if I got in, great, even if I couldn't make it; I could always defer. Alas, it was not meant to be. I filled out the required info in the first pop-up, hit 'continue' and I got this message: 'An unknown system exception has occurred.'

I know it's silly, but sometimes I let unexpected events decide for me. This is one of them. It's like rolling dice. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. I guess I'll be visiting NYC some other time. San Francisco, here I come. :o)

Oh, and instead of picking Tucson as my BQ attempt, I have decided to give CIM a try. Ironically, they are both held the same day: December 2nd.

Cheers!

The Four Pillars of Running

2007-04-25T03:39:00.000-07:00

Training: Explore what works for you. Each individual requires tweaking with Daniels, Lydiard, the FIRST program, Galloway, you name it. Increase mileage slowly, to prevent injuries. Someone recommended not to do speed work until I had ran 10,000 miles! Do I agree with that person? Yes and no. The ambiguity of my answer is that it depends on the individual. What works for Paul Tergat WILL not work for me [genetics]. However, what works for someone of similar talent [or lack of talent for that matter] just MAY work for me. The bottom line, be conservative and at the same time don’t be afraid to try something new. Caveat: do know your abilities [see below]

Know Thyself: No, this is not a philosophical statement, but rather a simple concept to know what works for you. In my case, I have been known to train too hard and THAT has led to injuries and setbacks. Now I can safely say that I know myself, and I know what works for me. For example, I know that rotating THREE pairs of running shoes has held SOME injuries at bay.

In the past, 40 mpw seemed to be the magic boundary; once I ran more than 40 mpw, I seemed to get injured. In hindsight, the 40 miles were run too hard. Now, I try to run three quality runs and the rest of the mileage is purely aerobic. Ironically, I am currently suffering from knee tendonitis. Simply put, listen to your body; it’s okay to rest from time to time.

Fueling/Hydration: Self explanatory.

Enjoyment: If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, then why do it?

Patriots' Day 2007

2007-04-17T05:39:00.001-07:00

This satellite Boston marathon was to start at the same time as the men’s elite back in Boston. It started a few seconds behind but it was pretty nice nonetheless. The Star Spangled Banner was played. Two Apache helicopters flew over us and all 40 or so runners were ready to go.

The course was one small loop of about 1.1 miles, and four identical larger loops each measuring 6.1 miles and which included the infamous MOAH . This race was not in my plans. It was my intent to run half and call it a day, but I was pressured into running the whole thing. Now I use the term running very loosely because I knew I would walk the MOAH every single time. I knew it would cost me at least 90 seconds each time, but the enrgy conserved was much more than worth it.

I started slow, about 8:30 pace. This place is quite hilly and the course was brutal. My goal was just to use it as a long training run, particularly knowing well in advance that it was .8 miles short of a certified marathon. The first 8 miles were more like a warm-up; i knew I was in business ;-)

I was probably in 15th place when we approached MOAH for the first time. Two or three runners run it and passed me at the same time. I pay no attention, for I respect the distance, even when is short. The weather was in the low 50s with winds 10-15 mph and gust up to 22 mph. It was not bad at all. While the headwinds were a bit tough, I ran through them at the same perceived effort I had been running.

It is worth mentioning that I had always wondered how being well hydrated would feel like. I have tried in years past to drink enough the eve and morning of the race without much success. I have always felt a bit of tiredness during the early stages of ‘thons. Of course, it has not helped that I usually have three to four drinks the evening prior. So how could I ensure to be well hydrated? A thought crossed my mind [it doesn’t happen too often ;-P] what if I have a lactated ringer’s solution IV (1L)? So I had one three hours before the start of the race. And, drum roll, never have I felt better. The last two loops were run in 8 mpm pace. And the perceived effort running this course is about 30 secs slower. Oh and the elevation is 1800 feet above MSL. With the exception of knee pain for about two miles (12-14) I felt stronger as the race went on. Sure I felt fatigued after 22 or so. But I was able to pick it up the last .5 miles. I finished third over all in a time of 3:30:45, or 8:17 pace.

Once again, the day after the race (today) found me feeling fine. I will be doing some easy runs for the next couple of weeks and then start building up the volume.

A NYC Trip Down Memory Lane

2007-04-07T04:17:00.000-07:00

After mentioning to Uptown Girl about how I went to NYC for eight straight years, ~~all~~ most during the month of November, it ‘forced’ me to go down memory lane.

1997: I had been bitten by the bug of running a marathon, even though I had only run one race before, and it had been a total disaster for me. I had been running semi-consistently – read: 5 miles, three times a week. To test myself I decided to run 18 miles and see if I could complete the race. I think up to then, the longest I had run was nine miles or so. While the 18 miles were not easy, they were not hard either. I knew I could do one of those what-you-ma-call-them. What marathon did I choose? Certainly not Los Angeles … Boston ? I didn’t even know one was run there. It was NYC. Why? You ask. Because I was infatuated with tall buildings (still am).

The NYCM happened to land during the weekend of my BD. So I booked a flight and made reservations at the Hilton-Millennium hotel. I went to the City that never sleeps with one goal in mind: to run the darn marathon and to see one of the greatest cities in the world. BUT, I went unprepared; I went without doing ANY research. Stupid is as stupid does.

I managed to find out that the marathon expo is taking place across from Columbus Circle , so I make my way there, walking mind you. It took me almost two hours to get there. Can you see a pattern? I get there and the expo is HUGE. I make my way to registration and I am told the race has been sold-out for weeks, that the race is so popular that the NYRRC has to hold a lottery. Could my naiveté have been more obvious?

So I walk disappointed through the expo. I stop by the Disney marathon which was still in its infancy. Mickey is there as well as the then 100 m WR holder: Maurice Greene. I see the medal they give out and I instantly fall in love with it and I know I want one. The race is being held in two months and I fill out a registration form on the spot. They make me pay an additional $15 because they require me to be a member of USATF. No worries. [I ended up running a 4:02:3X. Not bad for a debut marathon, but I walked way too much.]

My flight was departing at 6pm and I head to the 42nd Station to catch the A-train for Rockaway. Not knowing how many times the NY-MTA changes schedules, I spend an hour seeing A-trains fly by me w/o stopping. Then I see a flyer stating that the A-train to JFK does not stop there. Argh, I fret I will miss my plane.

As I am about to head to the ‘right’ station I see this guy wearing a Mylar blanket and a medal. I ask him for his time and he says 4:XX proudly with a grin. Darn, I want to run the NYCM more than ever.

1998: Three of my friends and I decide to make a trip to the east coast in early spring. We visit DC, NYC and Bahston. NYC was a blur for we only spent two days. We did get to go to the top of the Statue of Liberty. i don't remember if I applied or not to the lottery.

1999: I go to NYC during the summer, just for the heck of it. I attend happy hour at TGIFs in Times Square . Have three draft beers and some appetizers, all within an hour. I am buzzing and head towards Central Park . My dream had been ‘till then to run in Central Park . So I run in jeans and a polo shirt. It must of have been quite the sight. I am sure people thought I was crazy. I must have ran 3 miles at about 8 mpm pace.

I also get to visit the restaurant on top of one of the Twin Towers . I keep a rectangular match box, with the skyline and a blue background. I still have that match box.

I also enter the lottery and actually get in. I decide to stay in Secaucus to save dinero. That decision almost did not pay off as I frantically searched for a bus route that would take me to NYC and then catch the train to the NYC Library; I was so stressed; thankfully, I made it to the busses okay.

This will be the only time I would run the whole distance. The next four times I would walk for significant periods of time, while wanting to quit every single time. I remember how cold I was and how much I hated it waiting in Staten Island for the start. Three hours there and with the bitter cold winds made it ugly. I did get to chat with a couple of Mexican Nationals, one who would run with me for the first eight miles.

I finished in a not-too shabby time of 3:47:25. Oh and two runners pushed me during the race, how rude? Oh and the end was just so windy and cold. Walking that mile to get out of CP was just added torture to an already tough day. I also had to catch a plane at 10 pm.

2000: Do not get into the lottery. Decide not to go to NYC and go to SF instead.

2001: Do not get into lottery, but get contacted about volunteering to run it with a disable athlete at no cost to me. I happily agree. I get to visit ground-Zero and the sight is unforgettable.

I get to ride with the Achilles buses and meet Saul Mendoza and five-time winner of the Los Angeles marathon, wheelchair division. I ended up ‘helping’ out two wheelchair athletes and complete the ‘thon in just over four hours. There is no official record that I ran the race as I did it as a volunteer. I think it was 4:03 and change. I am in pain because I ran the Marine Corps Marathon the week before. The irony does not escape me that I ran two marathons back-to-back in cities where terrorists changed the American way of life. America has not been the same since; 9/11 is forever engraved in our very souls.

This was also the year that I found the Chirping Chicken the best chicken in the world; I make sure I eat there at least once every time I am in NYC.

2002: Applied and got into the lottery. Best race yet with a 3:40:39. First time I take the SI Ferry to the start. Much, much better than the busses. I don't understand why locals don't use this service. Particularly because of the fact that those busses do not stop for bathroom breaks, and they do not have facilities in them!

2003: This year would be known as the P-Diddy Marathon, or as it was advertised: Puff Diddy runs the City. I had a very rough time and HE passes me somewhere inside the Queensborough Bridge. I managed to find some grit and make my way to a better-than-expected 4:01:46 beating P. Diddy on the way.

I passed him right about 20 miles. He was constantly grabbing his calves. Poor thing.

2004: I religiously applied once again and get in, AGAIN. I have dinner at Tavern on The Green to celebrate my BD.

This is by far the most painful of them all. I swear I will stop running the NYCM. It seems so masochistic of me to come back again and again. Finish in 3:42:19. But the time does not really tell the mental struggle I went through. Suffice it to say, it was more than tough. It was here that I decided to get serious with my marathon training. It was time to fulfill my endurance potential.

2005: I break down and apply but do not get in. Still, I find my way to NYC for marathon weekend. It has become a tradition to celebrate my BD here. I celebrate my BD at some burger joint that was recommended in an article I read; its name escapes me, but the burger is HUGE and quite tasty.

I end up cheering runners nonetheless and I have a ball. It was nice to be on the other side, but my feet itched to be hitting the blacktop.

2006: Again, I apply BUT when I find out that I will not be able to be there I send an email to NYRRC and ask them to withdraw my application. They oblige. I spend my BD in Heidelburg, Germany.

2007: Right now I am on the fence as I don’t know if it’s worth applying since I don’t even know if I will be able to be there. Besides, the fee alone is enough to scare me away. I’ll wait until the end of this month to make my decision.

The 'Mother of All Hills'

2007-04-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

One of my 'friends' wants to do a so called marathon. I refrain from calling it a 'real' 'thon because I suspect it to be short by at least a mile. The guy has not run more than 9 miles at a time, so I suggested to him that he needs a LONG run to get a taste of the distance, even if it's not a real marathon and it's only 25 miles.

Now, the course where this wanna be marathon is taking place is monstrous. It's four loops and change. Each loop includes a hill that, in my mind, is the mother of all hills (MOAH). It is about ~~1/3~~ 0.21 [see what I mean, thought it was 50% longer; I run it at 11 to 12 mpm ace and my legs and lungs are spent when I summit it] of a mile and it's STEEP.

For the long training run I have suggested we do a short loop (~4 miles), 'THE' loop, where I point out that we WILL walk the MOAH, then another short loop, and 'THE" loop where once again we will be walking the MOAH.

The run went better than I expected. He was real tired for the last three miles but he survived with a just over 9 mpm pace. We ran 17.5 miles according to my Garmin 205. Not too shabby.

I have also agreed to do a 15.5 march with him where each of us will carry a minimum of 22 lbs and the route has a significant gain in elevation. I am hoping to jog parts of it. This march will take place in May.

Oh and the 25 mile race will take place on Patriot's Day.

Challenge

2007-04-03T04:31:00.000-07:00

That's it. It is time for me to challenge myself once more in running. This time I intend on ramping up the mileage to 40ish mpw for the next two months. Then I am hoping to stay healthy and hover in the 55 mpw average for 5 months before I try to run sub-3:11 in what an acquaintance calls the stupidest distance on earth: the 'thon. That's right, you read it here first :-) I am also aiming at breaking 19 mikes in the 5K.

The plan is to mix Lydiard with the FIRST program and see what the outcome is. Stay tuned faithful reader(s). I know Mom, I won't forget to take out the trash. JK :-)

For Whom the Bells Toll

2007-03-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

I found myself in the eternal city a fifth time where I was to tackle their marathon a second time. Having a decent base (30 mpw) but only three medium-long runs (two 15s and one 16) suggested a sub-3:30 time. Of course, having averaged 3:21 in three marathons last year, I wanted to run sub 3:25. Good thing I have experience in these journeys and I settled for the more conservative goal.

The race starts promptly at 9 and it takes me a tad over a minute to cross the starting line. I am running quite easily, almost TOO easily. Again, my experience dictated I keep this easy pace, but I am being passed by tons of people including the 3:30 pacers. I let them go and decide to reel them in slowly but surely. First klip is run in 5:52… ooops, that is too darn slow. The 3:30s (they have blue balloons) have gained about 200 meters and I know I have to pick up my snail pace. I seem to keep them within sight and slowly reel them in. My pace seems more labored than the sub-five minute klips and I worry a bit since it is way too early to feel that way.

The chip is wrapped around my ankle with a Velcro strap and the fact that I tightened it too much causes it to chafe my ankle. I ponder where I should stop and remove it. I do it right after the 5KM mat (25:31). I also take care of business. I lose about 35 seconds; no worries. I place the chip in my shorts’ pocket. I do wonder if the chip will transmit to the receiver as I cross the following mats.

I seem to start getting into a rhythm BUT I can’t seem to gain much ground on the blue balloons and I really question the sanity of trying to achieve my modest goal. This portion of the course happens to be rather boring, but it becomes somewhat interesting right after the 16Km where we pass by the Vatican.

European races give water and electrolyte solutions every 5 kms, and the tables get quite crowded. The cups the organizers used were made of plastic, which made it quite difficult to fold and drink without making a mess. The volunteers were few and runners had to reach into the tables to grab the fluids which made it seem more chaotic. In between water stations, they provide sponge stations, which IMO is great, particularly during warm days.

I reach the halfway mark in 1:44:59, barely on schedule. Will I have enough ‘enjundia’ [energy] to run negative splits. Not the way I am feeling. I am hopeful though. I plod on. I concentrate on my gait for it has turned into the marathon shuffle. It seems to help. The course remains boring until we hit the 32 Km marker. 10 klips to go, or roughly an hour left. I can do this, I know I can. My secondary goal was not to walk and so far so good. Next I hear tolling bells and I wonder for whom are they ringing. The 5 minute klips are harder to sustain. I know it will be very close to run the sub 3:30 and quickly I am losing hope. I convince myself that anything in the low 3:30s will not be so bad.

We are now through the most scenic section of the course where I will run pass the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza Novona, and head back to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. It seems a lot harder to run on cobblestones.

Finally, I reach the 40Km marker and I know that at the very least I will complete this race without walking. My watch reads 3:19:29 and my foggy brain manages to do the math and I pick up the pace so that I can make up 30 seconds in the last stretch. I just hope I will not cramp up. I am passing several runners. I realize that my chip is still in my shorts and that I may not have an official time if the receivers have not picked it up so I take it out. I round the Colosseum and I am but 192 meters away. I will break 3:30 chip time, now I gun to break 3:31 ‘real time.’ My legs feel strong and as I cross the finish line I lower the hand that is carrying the chip so that I will have an official time. My watch is stopped with the chronometer reading 3:29:47, or 8:00.54 mpm. I barely achieved a negative split of eleven seconds but I will gladly take it.

The next day found me sightseeing without any muscle soreness whatsoever. A good sign; a good sign indeed. This time the bells did not toll for me.

Apocalypto

2007-03-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

I watched this movie last night. It was a very kinetic movie; my kind of movie. In as much as I'd like to take the Mayan culture as my own, I cannot. One may find traces of their greatness on my skin but that's just about it.

But I digress, as I often do. The movie was extremely interesting as it is seen from the eyes of a Caucasian... not that there is anything wrong with that. The truth is I am not as familiar with the Maya as I should be. I always complained about my fellow MECHA students for claiming to be part of 'la raza' and they did not know the most basic facts about the Mexica... so NOW I will do as much research as the web offers to become acquainted with a timeless culture.

Thinking about the Maya in general, and Mexico in particular, makes me yearn to go back and have some pozole, birria, carne en su jugo, or heck even tacos...

Ohhh, anxiety is setting in as my own Apocalypses will happen but 11 days from now: the Rome marathon. I wonder what my 30 mpw and lack of long runs will produce. Stay tuned... not that anybody reads this blog.

Wake up

2007-03-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

I have not posted in a while and today I felt inspired, so here it goes:

Wake up, wake up
Sweet flower of mine
Wake up, wake up
Open your petals to time…

Wake up, wake up
Sweet flower of Seine
Wake up, wake up
And see the sun shine…