I think when other people know about your race, it just to add to that pressure. I never talked to my old boss that often, but one day he asked me what I was doing for the weekend. Other than races and visits back home, I never have anything eventful planned. But my boss happened to ask the week before my first half marathon, so I told him. He wasn’t necessarily a runner, but he had ran a marathon the year before and he did work out pretty often. So knowing that my boss knew about the race and would most likely ask how I did made me feel pressured to do well. The same for my upcoming race. I just found out one of my new co-workers is a frequent runner and was training for her first marathon, got injured but still managed to run a half while training for the full. So the Friday before my race, out of nowhere she asks me when my next race was. I mean, what are the odds? So I’ll be going into the race with more pressure than I would have wanted.

That’s why when I read about runners who ‘had so much fun’ at race xyz, I’m thinking, ‘Really? Was it really that fun running so hard, being so tired?’. But I think that’s just the pessimist in me thinking out loud. Or else, why would I keep doing it? Why put yourself through so much pain for months at a time all for one moment, one event, which itself is no picnic? Because I can. And I will keep doing it until my legs give out. End. Rant.

Update: Apparently the pressure didn’t get to me and I rocked my Half marathon the next day, 1:28:53, 6th AG, 102 Overall. Full race report of the Carlsbad Half Marathon.

My 2009 year end report according to DailyMile.

I took a couple of days off to recover from my half and then didn’t really follow any training plan after that. I have been trying to continue to run so that I didn’t get out of shape and maybe even run more miles to build up my base. What I learned from my first half is that I definitely have the speed, but not the endurance. To compensate for that, I have been trying to run more miles than I did from my last training. One way to help is by running 7 days a week, instead of 6. Another thing I did was just have a regular run instead of intervals since that is usually 3-4 miles total.

Since I started my new job, I have had the opportunity leave for work later since the office is just down the street. But instead of sleeping in, I actually wake up earlier to get my run in for the day. I have gone back and forth about running in the mornings and running at night and although I do prefer to run in the evening, it just makes sense for me to run in the mornings. I’ve noticed that my runs have been a lot slower lately, which is probably because I’m not fully awake in the morning and because I don’t have any food in me. I’m hoping that if I continue to run in the mornings, I’ll just get used to it and finally be able to pick up my pace. My goal for my next half (1:35) is slightly less aggressive than my first half (1:30). I’m not completely sure if I would have been able to run that time (1:35) in my last half (when I was actually training hard for it), what makes me think I can hit it now? There will be a pacer there again, so all I can do is try my best to stick with them and see how long I can hang on.

Just looking at my calendar, I noticed that the half is in a little over two weeks away. I know I have not prepared for it as well as I should have, but it was a very stressful time for me. Practicing and preparing for interviews for a new job and then making sure that all of my current work was completed at my old job took up a lot of time. Although I was still able to run during most of that time, really focusing on the runs was really difficult. I guess we’ll just see what will happen come race day.

Runners I Met And Liked

Writing about this book gave me the idea to talk about running in 2009. I ran for a short time in 2008, but it just got too hard and I wasn’t really motivated or had much support. I tried again early this year and was on a running forum and someone mentioned a website where you can post your runs and talk to other runners. Runners on DailyMile were very supportive and provided me with that bit of motivation needed to keep me running. That, integrated with Twitter really got me into running and racing for the first time in years helped push me over the top. Since then, I have ran 3 5K’s (including an AG win), a 10K and my very first half marathon. That half marathon was my greatest achievement to date; I never thought I would be able to race that many miles. With that under my belt, I know that a full marathon is just around the corner (Rock n’ Roll San Diego). I have quite a few half marathons planned throughout 2010, admission into the Brooks I.D. program and like I just said, my first full marathon.

I’m not necessarily going to name runners that I met and liked, mostly because I haven’t really met any runners, per se. I have gotten to know, received support, and talked to many runners in 2009 from: DailyMile, Twitter, blogs, forums, Meetup.com and Nikeplus.com. I probably wouldn’t still be running today if it weren’t for all of the people from these great places. I have also received many running products from some generous companies for me to test and review. Although that is very nice of these companies, I have to say that getting to know all the runners is the best gift I can ask for. I feel very thankful this holiday season; I know not everyone can say the same. It has been a very tough year (economically) with so much happening around the world; you’d think it’d never stop. 2010 is a new decade, which can mean many things: a new year, new job, new running season and just a fresh start all-around. Hopefully everyone enjoys their Christmas and New Years to get 2010 started off right.

Keep on running!!

SDrunner

After my first year of running cross country, I had one of the senior XC captains (also a friend of my older brother) sign my yearbook. What he said was pretty encouraging and got me to train really hard that summer and improve that very next cross country season.

My old high school cross country coach did this thing at the end of the season where he got a picture of each of the runners from a race, wrote something about that runner, framed it and gave them as gifts during our cross country banquet. And behind that frame, he wrote a more personal note that only the runner got to read, I decided to share what my coach said to me.

I’m hoping I could think of more of these types of quotes, if not, at least put up some other ones that I remember from high school cross country or even now. I do get daily running quotes from Runner’s World, it shouldn’t be too hard.

Maybe this will help encourage others to either start running again or continue to train and work hard at whatever they’re trying to achieve.

This is what my business card would look like if running was my job.

If running really was a job that I got paid for doing rather than just a hobby/obsession that I do on the side of my actual job, then I would be able to do all the things that professional athletes and coaches suggest to do as a runner. What I mean is, there is so much great advice from other runners and articles in magazines and online that will give you tips on how to be a better runner, but who really has the time to do all of that? From what I have read from runners on twitter, DailyMile and on blogs, it does seem like a fair amount of people do dedicate a lot of time to running, but for others (like myself), it’s hard to be able to follow through on all of the great advice that other runners provide. With that being said, if I actually got paid to run and could focus on it 24/7, I would do/focus all of the following:

• How you run: form, stride/cadence, breathing, workouts (how hard, what pace, when to hold back/push it) – all of this is important to focus on, if only I had a coach to tell me what I’m doing wrong.
• Get enough sleep: it’s recommended to get 8-9 hours for proper recovery of the muslces – I’m lucky if I get 6.
• Eat right/healthy and at the right time: before, during and after a run – I sort of try to eat healthy, but not really
• RICE: ice/heat injuries, ice baths, stretching – I don’t really do any of this, but should.
• Running Gear: shoes, socks, shorts, shirts, garmin/nike+, etc – Although it seems like running is a pretty cheap sport compared to others, if you actually go out and buy all of the stuff mentioned, it adds up!

But I seem to be getting by with the amount of time and effort that I have been putting into running. Hopefully in the near future, I will be able to dedicate even more time to running, but for now I can’t complain.

Here is the quote that I got from my daily Runner’s World Quote of the Day:

“Nonrunners cannot see how they can afford the time to run every day. But runners cannot imagine getting through a single day without it.”

Kevin Nelson, The Runner’s Book of Daily Inspiration

…yeah, that shut me up

Image courtesy of Zazzle.

This is a tiny little cabinet where we store random stuff that we don’t use anymore.

Can’t be any more obvious than that. This box previously stored a bunch of Star Trek: First Generation trading cards (my brother’s not mine!)

There is quite a variety of cross country and track and field medals in here, including huge invitational meets, league championships and more. There was a track meet that our high school ran called the “Meet of Champions”, it was a fun race!

In my post-high school running career, I have accumulated 1 medal so far, which I am very proud of, since it was for winning my AG. I know most half and full marathons give a participatory finisher medal, so I should be expecting more as time goes on. I’ll keep them around my room as a reminder and inspiration as I’m training for my next race. But I’m sure once I’m old and grey and can’t run anymore, those same medals will go in a box just like this one. Hopefully that won’t happen for a long time!

The interview is linked at the top of my blog, but click here to read the running interview.

Running in the Rain

I just got back from a run this morning and I’m hoping this will be my first post right after a run. I’ve always been a fan of running in the rain and feel that there are many positive benefits for many reasons. Now don’t get me wrong, it is never safe to be running in the rain when it is pouring outside. Even though today was just drizzling, my New Balance 768’s weren’t gripping to the road as well as I would have wanted them to. In fact, there were sharp turns on the road where I felt like I was going to slip a little. So you definitely need running shoes that will be able to grip the slippery roads. And you need to know when it is raining too hard to run because running with soaked clothes and shoes is just like running with added weights. But other than that, I think that the benefits of running in the run outweigh the disadvantages.

Why you should run in the rain:

• You Run Faster – Seriously, I almost always run faster when it’s raining, probably because I’m more focused on the rain than how tired I am.
• You Won’t Get Heat Exhaustion – It is way harder to run in the heat than during cooler temperatures and the rain will help you keep cool too.
• The Sun Won’t Bother You – Hasn’t there been more than one occasion where you finish your run to find awkward looking tan lines around your ankles, arms, neck, etc?
• It’s Refreshing – Unless you live in an area where it rains all the time, rain won’t happen too often. So when it does, take advantage of the change in weather.
• It’s Fun – Don’t we all wish we could go back to when we were kids and would run and jump in puddles like there was no tomorrow?

I thought I had more reasons than this, but that’s still more than enough for me I think I like running in the rain almost as much as I like running in the dark, which I’ll talk about next time.

UCSD Campus Loop: 4.01 Miles: 32:08 (8:02 min/mile)

The other night I was watching According to Jim on TV and his sister-in-law bet him that he could not beat her in the marathon, let alone finish. So what his plan was to start off ridiculously slow and trail off and hide somewhere while everyone else was running the race. He would then re-emerge back into the race and finish just ahead of his sister-in-law. Well, he dozed off during his pedicure (lol) and thought he wasn’t going to make it, so he started running to the finish. As he approached the finish line, he noticed the tape hadn’t been broken through; he was leading the race! The “real” first place runner was right behind him, obviously a lot more tired, so they battled it out and Jim won!

I recently experienced a situation very similar to that, but unintentionally, of course. I was running the campus loop (route that the shuttle takes) and noticed that there were people standing around the trail where local cross country races take place. So I assumed they were having a race on the trail, but I noticed chalk arrows on the cement on the route I was running. Then I noticed a couple of other runners ahead of me and people standing at the corners wearing some type of volunteer t-shirts. I accidentally jumped into a race and were passing people ahead of me and having the volunteers cheer for me!!

Now this was only in the first half mile of my run, so I felt perfectly fine (not tired) as I was passing what looked like high school runners. Of course, I felt very bad about it and I wasn’t intentionally trying to pass them. So during this time I kept thinking to myself: “Can I get away with it? What if I’m where the front-runners are and I could medal? Would they notice if I have a bib or not or ask for my name after the finish?” Was this something that I could really do and not feel bad about it?

I literally came to a crossroads at one point in the run because I noticed volunteers pointing the runners to go straight, but the route for the Campus Loop that I originally planned to run was to turn right. And it was here where I knew that it was not right to go straight and just go back into my run. There was a part of me that was hoping that one of the volunteers would catch up to me and tell me that I was going the wrong way. But that never happened..

Back to the real run: I tried to run that loop about a month ago and didn’t think that I would run it well, so I did about half of the loop and just cut across the campus. This time, I kept thinking to myself that I knew I could do it, so I just kept running. The time was not my fastest (I used to run this when I went to school here and would go a lot faster). But this is a good starting point for me to improve upon the next time I run it. Hopefully I won’t crash into any other races next time, unless it’s one that I’m supposed to be running in. 

Best Week Ever!

I’m going to make a live post today, rather than going to my journal. The only reason for doing so is because I actually had a race-like run the other day and I really wanted to say something about the current events that are going on. Feel free to read the first part and ignore the rest, which is my little rant.

So this past week was the first time I ran 3 days in a row, which is quite an accomplishment for me, considering how I used to run so many miles 6-7 times a week back in high school. The first run wasn’t that special, I didn’t even time it because I wasn’t try to break any records or anything, just put in some miles and break a sweat and get used to waking up in the morning. During the 2nd day though, I ran the fastest time (only three laps around the block which is the only place I can run considering the time constraints) since I started doing this route. WalkJogRun says it’s a little under 3 miles, but I have a feeling it’s not, looking back at the times. The final time was about 9 seconds faster than my previous best. Why did I run so fast on this particular day?

I ran into another runner half way through the first lap, which is rare because the only people I see during these runs are high school kids walking to class. The runner was ahead of me by like 10 feet or so for a while and I guess he heard me running behind him, so he actually jumped off the sidewalk and motioned me to pass him. The pace he was going at wasn’t bad at all, but I felt obligated to do so, even though I would have been just as happy running behind/next to him. So I sped up and passed him, but I didn’t want to slow down and have him pass me later on, so I kept running at the faster pace I ran when I passed him. There was a slight hint of fear of him passing me which caused me to run the fastest first lap ever, 30+ seconds faster! I kept up a good pace on the second lap, (which is surprising I wasn’t too tired from the first lap) and then finished strong on the third lap.

I don’t know how or remember why, but I ran even faster the next day. I knew that I always run the first lap slow, so I consciously tried to run a little faster the first lap, so that I could run a more evenly-paced run. The first lap was a lot faster than most of my first laps and again, I kept it up the second and finished the last lap very strong (best last lap ever!). So I finished over 30 seconds faster than the previous run (which was just yesterday).

Personal Challenge: Me vs Mile

I wanted to see where I stood compared to when I ran everyday in high school. The only way I knew how to do that was to test myself and see how fast I can really run. I don’t think I’m in shape to race (well) on anything more than a mile, so that is exactly what I did. I tried to make the mile feel as much like a race as possible. So I warmed up (only two laps around the track though) and then did some running stretches. I didn’t want weigh myself down, so I decided to wear my watch rather than hold it, as ugly and bulky as it is and hide my keys (link to future post about where to hide keys while running) under some grass/bush area by the side of the track.

Side note: When I first got to the track there were a couple of people there including one guy who was using those parachute things! I’ve always wanted to try it and for some reason, I was hoping he would ask if I wanted to try it out. That didn’t happen though. And when I hid my keys, that guy kept walking in that direction and the paranoid person that I am, I thought something was going to happen. But he was just drinking water (fountain was 5 feet away).

There was also a group of guys and young boys sort of messing around the high jump area, 2 athletic men in tights doing some type of sprints or just jogging after a workout, an older woman doing laps and a younger woman who looked like she was doing 400’s but not sprinting or anything although she was timing it.

Because there were others around the track, even though they probably weren’t looking at me, I felt more compelled to try even more and run the fastest I could. They were like my audience

Back to the “Race”

So after the warm-up and stretching, I finally started the ‘race’. I was listening to my iPod during the run, which I’ve never really done in a real race. I don’t think it helped much, but during the final 100 meters, it did start playing Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” (another future post about running/inspirational music). I tried to remember how to start a race, but I didn’t start as fast as I usually do for a race, however my first lap overall was a lot faster than I should have ran it (1:20, which would have equaled a 5:20 mile..waaay too fast for someone in my current condition).

My next two laps slowed down significantly (1:32 and 1:43). I think my coach told us that the third lap is usually the slowest and that is the mile that you should be pushing the hardest and where you will be able to pass the most people. My last lap was faster than the previous two, thanks to the kick at the very end.

Some other things to note: It did feel very much like a race in that: I was very tired after running the mile, I did feel like I had to puke after the run, and my arms were very tired from pumping back and forth so fast, and the kick, of course. In the back of my mind, I thought I would hit around 6 minutes, so I’m not that disappointed that I didn’t break 6. I’ll have plenty more opportunities to do that in the future.

My Rant…

I was reading the newspaper today and actually read the full articles rather than headlines like I usually do and realized how sad the world is right now (or still is). I used to like watching the local news at night, but they were almost always filled with stories about people dying or getting robbed or hurt, which just got depressing. Why would I look forward to watching an hour full of all this pain and suffering?

But it’s still important to be aware of what is going on with the world today and I’ve started getting the newspaper delivered to my place. In the past, I usually only read one or two articles before I got tired of reading the same, sad news. But today, I read almost all of the articles in the first section and it’s just amazing how much goes on outside your own comfort zone. When you think how bad you have it at any point in the future, just pick up a newspaper and read any of the articles.

Here is a quick summary of some of the articles I read in this one section of the newspaper alone:

• “Investors are duped in condo scheme” – Units investors financed are in foreclosure, their once stellar credit was ruined and they never received a dime from it.
• “Earthquake victims mourned in Italy” – During the ceremony, you’ll see tiny coffins of children that were placed atop those of a parent. Many showed color photos of the dead in the full bloom of life. One carried a simple note, written in pencil on a page torn from a diary: “I love you.”
• “Pirates foil U.S. captain’s escape attempt” – Got a breaking news email saying that the captain had been rescued, but reading this Saturday morning article… A separate piracy incident occurred during the same time with the pirates holding five people hostage, including a 3 year-old boy. During the recapture, the yacht’s owner and father of the boy was killed. The family had put all their savings into the yacht to leave most material trappings behind last summer to show their son that ‘you don’t need Christmas-present catalogs, magic cereals, Spider-Man and Dora to be happy,” according to messages posted on their blog about the trip (want to find that blog)
• “Judge orders man’s execution for killing yacht owners at sea” – Skylar Deleon feigned interest in buying a couple’s nearly half-million-dollar yacht and killed them during a test cruise out of Newport Harbour. Bodies were never found (supposedly tied to an anchor and thrown overboard). The son of the deceased said that he hoped that the Deleon’s two children would never know what their father did, or how he used his young daughter to help win the trust of the Arizona couple before heading out to sea.
• “Tornado kills mom, baby in central Tenn.” – Makes me happy and grateful to live in SD where it’s not as bad (other than occasional fires and very rare earthquakes).
• “La. cop’s slaying of man, 73, protested” – Two white police officers approached Bernard Monroe’s (black) home during a barbeque looking for his son who they claim was involved in a drug deal. His son was tasered and seeing the commotion, Monroe confronted the officer (he had been rendered mute after losing his larynx to cancer). Police said that Monroe advanced on them with a pistol and an officer in the house shot him through a screen door. Friends and family said he was holding a sports drink bottle. They accuse police of planting a gun he owned next to his body. Amazing how race is still prevalent in many states.
• “Huge excess of young men seen as problem in China” – China has 32 million more young men than young women – a gender gap that could lead to increasing crime – because parents facing strict birth limits abort female fetuses to have a son, a study released yesterday said.
• “Man meets heroes who saved him” – Two San Diego firefighters rescued Andreas Hess during the 2007 wildfires. He was trapped and thought it was the end, so he called his wife to say goodbye. At that moment, he saw the two fire fighters who were able to rescue him. They probably rescued half a dozen people that night. When they finally did meet again Andreas, 51, admits he was speechless. “You don’t know how to thank people for putting their lives on the line, for getting you out of a life-threatening situation. What do you do to show your appreciation? I thank them from all my heart.”

That last article was the only non-depressing one that I read which is good that I read it last. I run by a fire fighter station every morning and have even more respect for them now than ever before.

Image courtesy of mike warren