Posted on Nov 05, 2011 under Race |
The thing I hate about registering for races early is that when I finally realize that I have that race coming up, I’m always surprised and feel unprepared. I think I registered for the Long Beach Half Marathon in June at another race expo. I did occasionally received emails about the race, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when the day finally came, I was still pretty excited to run this course, since it’s another beach city, so hopefully I’d have an advantage there? I was able to run once while in New York the week before and managed one more run the Friday before this half and biked to work once or twice. So if anything, I was well rested for this race. The time is now becoming my average half time and probably won’t get any faster unless I dedicate more time to build (any) quality miles. Results: 13.22 mi, 1:36:55 (7:20 min/mile). Placing: 33/564 AG, 289/10715 Overall. It was relatively flat course which is a welcome considering most of my previous races had at least one hill present. And unlike most of the SD races I’ve ran, the majority of the course took place along the beach, which was a nice distraction from the pain from all that running! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Oct 24, 2011 under Race |
I ran this race last year when it was Max’s Ring of Fire 5K, but this year they teamed up with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to become Max’s Ring of Fire Lemon Run. Both organizations were created in honor of a child that died from cancer, and was created to help research and prevention of childhood cancer. Although Lake Miramar is a 5 mile loop, the race was 4.6 miles, in honor of the 46 children who are diagnosed with childhood cancer each school day.
There were no real goals for this race other than showing up, considering how rare I have been running lately. It’s sad that the only way to force myself to run these days is not wanting to waste x dollars. But it was for a good cause, so it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if I missed it since I had already registered. And for the most part, that’s how participants were treating this race, a fun time with their kids helping out a good cause. And since there weren’t many people competing, the chances of placing were a lot higher. And the story of how I came at the outcome is a good one, but first the results: 29:41, 4.54 miles (~6:30 min/mile). Placing: 1st AG and 3rd overall. This is by far the best placing I have ever had in any race, of course the asterisk is that it was a very small race (120) with even fewer real runners to compete against. But it was a hard fought award which I’ll go into detail below. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Oct 17, 2011 under Race |
This was an interesting and thoroughly difficult race to run. What’s cool about the race is that it’s actually inside Camp Pendleton military base, which I’ve never been to before. It was about a 40 minute drive and even longer wait to actually park once we got in. We were told to bring our ID and car registration to get through security, so I thought they were going to inspect my car for weapons and whatnot (like in the movies!). But they were pretty casual about it and just looked at my ID. What was also cool was that almost half of the runners at this race were people from the military (assuming active and non). They also marked our legs with our division (civilian vs military) and age. I’m trying to think about how this was a good thing, but am stumped. The night before the race, I looked at the previous year’s results and noticed that the top times for my age group weren’t too fast compared to my PR. I knew that this trail race had a few hills, but I was optimistic. Once the race started, all I was looking at was the back of runner’s legs! If it was a running not in my age group (it varies so pretty much anyone NOT in their 20’s), I’d let them pass me without even thinking twice about it. But after the first couple of miles, I was already getting exhausted from the hills, so I didn’t put much of a fight when someone in my AG did pass me..such a sad race strategy. Anyways, I was able to survive the race with a reasonable performance: 1:39:56 (7:19 min/mile), 7/38 AG, 117/1442. And I just now noticed the AG placing, I’m never satisfied! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Oct 06, 2011 under Race |
There are a couple of reasons why I decided to run this race. My previous race (SF Half) was 3 weeks ago and my next one (Heartbreak Ridge Half) wasn’t scheduled for another 3 weeks. I know I wouldn’t have stayed motivated enough to keep running without knowing I had something to prepare for. So the only race available was this 5K. They actually have the AFC Half, which I ran last year, but the only reason why I ran it was to complete the triple crown series of half marathons. I did however run this 5K two years before when I first started running again. I said it then and I’ll say it again, because all the ‘elite’ runners ran the half, the competition for the 5K was pretty slim. I remember the announcer telling us that we were the smart ones running a 5K instead of the half. Anyways, this was the race where I won my age group for the first time! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Oct 06, 2011 under Running Tips |
If you are having a hard time getting the most out of your running program maybe it is time you take a peek at some of the best abs exercises we found for runners. While the rectus abdominus muscles, also known as the ‘six pack’, may look pretty and well toned, they are the least important part of your middle as it relates to running. The deep abs (transversus abdominis), muscles along the spine, the spine-pelvis connector muscles, external, and internal obliques combine to be the key to core stabilization. You need more than just crunches to train these parts of the core; you need the best abs exercises if you want the best results. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Oct 04, 2011 under Random |
Believe it or not, I am still alive. But I’m barely getting by without much running these days. I’ve been super busy with work and other things, I just haven’t had time (or found myself too tired or unmotivated) to run in the mornings. I’m lucky if I can get 1 or 2 runs in a week now. Flash back to a year or two ago when I was doing 6 or 7 runs a week, that’s a big difference. The good thing is that I’m still racing, I just haven’t had the time to actually post about it. But I did just come back from a near-week long trip to New York and had some time to kill at the airport and plane ride. So I was able to write up (as well as I could remember) the race reports for my last 3 races. Although most of it is typed out, for some reason formatting and touching up always takes longer than I expect. So I am going to post the oldest race report first and see when I have time to post the rest.
Posted on Aug 04, 2011 under Race |
What a weekend. Here are my official race results: 1:37:11, 7:25 min/mile, 21/624 AG, 66/2,708 Males, 81/6,255 Overall. My pace for the first couple of miles were a lot slower (by accident), but worked out. I was able to tackle the hills later on and have enough energy for a strong finish. The race seemed to pass by pretty quickly, and it was a very scenic course. Like everyone has been saying about the race, it was ‘worth the hurt’!
This was the first race that I traveled for since high school, which ironically took place near San Francisco (Half Moon Bay). I still remember that race and the trip. It was only for the Varsity team and we got to skip (at least) a day of school and it was my first time flying too! A couple years back, they had one of the runners jump in the JV race and he won it by minutes (only a 2 mile trail race). So when I heard that they wanted me to run the JV race that year, for some reason I felt pressured to win it as well. I was actually in the top 5 for a while, but ended up finishing 7th, which is still good. We tried doing some sightseeing stuff that night after the race, but I remember all the shops were either closed or closing. We tried walking the Golden Gate Bridge, but that was also closed? But despite all of that, I still remember having a great time with my teammates. But that’s all in the past.. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jul 22, 2011 under Trail |
This is a guest post from Jennifer at Health Training Guide:
Trail running as a sport differs from other forms of running, such as road running and track running. Trail running is distance running that typically takes place along hiking trails, especially single track trails that are not easily accessible by road.
The environment differs for trail runners, too. Hiking trails tend to traverse various terrain: hills, mountains, woods, and deserts. In addition to the physical challenges, there is often a spiritual component to trail running. Trail runners tend to enjoy a sense of freedom in typically serene, forgiving surroundings. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jul 11, 2011 under Race |
The Sidewinder 10K Trail Race was less than a week after the Scripps Ranch 10K. But the distance is so short (relative to a half or full marathon), I rarely get sore now. Quick recap on results: 5.98 miles (this one was shorter, while my trail half was 13.62 miles!), 45:15, HR: 181/200, AG: 9/17, Overall: 31/183. I would have been very happy with low 40’s so I was very pleased with the results and how I felt during the run. Splits: 7:09, 7:34, 8:26, 7:49, 7:35, 6:53 (elevation profile seems about right when comparing with the splits.) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jul 04, 2011 under Race |
This is my 3rd year (most for any race) running the Scripps Ranch 10K and I’m hoping I can keep that streak alive for many years to come. I’ve PR’ed each year, so maybe in a couple of years, I’ll be able to run low thirties? Probably not. But I did almost break 40, which would have been cool. I didn’t even know I was that close until I was the finish line, which was too late by then. But 40:38 is still a pretty good time and I’m super happy with it. Specific details: actual distance, 6.14 (no weaving and bobbing for me + tangents!), pace: 6:37 min/mile, 747 calories, HR: 182 avg, 199 max. Placing: AG: 16/63, Sex: 100/812, Overall: 106/1552. Not too please with my semi-positive splits though: 6:31, 6:46, 6:40, 6:49, 6:51, 6:15, :42. But really, I don’t have much to complain about, I’ve been doing 2-3 runs a week most of which were pathetically slow (9-9:30 pace max?) So yeah, I’m very fortunate to have been able to run as fast as I did. Read the rest of this entry »
