Posted on Mar 11, 2010 under running, Trail |
I have been hoping to finally run on some trails for the past couple of months, but things kept getting in the way. First, it was training for my first half marathon and my incessant need to stick to the schedule. Then, it was a matter of actually finding good trails to run on, which is a task in itself. Once I finally figured out worthy trails to run on, out of nowhere, it rained every weekend for at least 3 weeks straight. And this is in San Diego, where it never rains! I finally found a weekend where rain was not forecasted. Actually, it rained later that afternoon, but I had finished just before it started. It may have been perfect timing since it is just a few weeks before only the 2nd trail race I’ve ever ran, the Black Mountain Summit 7K. What I’m hoping is that combining these trail runs before and after racing the 7K, I will be more than prepared for my next half marathon, the La Jolla Half Marathon (2nd half of the Half Marathon Triple Crown). This half, I heard, has a few daunting hills within this scenic 13.1 mile course.
So the trail I found is called the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, which has (at least) two main entrances to the trail. You actually have to pay ($3) to park at the lot by the entrances, but there is a park just down the road that is free to park in. I didn’t want to pull a muscle while running the trails, so…I chose to park down the road and ‘warm up’ to the entrance (good excuse, right?). What I learned at the end of the run is that there is actually a path to get to the same point from the park! Anyways, once I got to started, I noticed that the trail is very wide, which accommodates walkers/runners, bikers as well as equestrians. Because of the rains, there were not many people on the trails that morning, which was OK since there weren’t really any forks in the main road that would potentially get me lost all alone. There were a lot of side trails that led to to what looked like steeper, funner, hilly trails. But again, the rain had caused these paths to temporarily close; definitely piqued my interest though. The only problem with veering off to these trails is I have NO idea where it’ll lead me. The main path is supposed to be about 5 miles East to West and about 3 miles West is supposed to be a fun stop at a waterfall.
It was nice being able to run to a destination as opposed to just doing one big loop. However, when I got to said destination, I was a little disappointed (only a little because I read other people’s account of this majestic waterfall and they were not too impressed either). It looked more like a rapid flowing river with lots of rocks surrounding than a Niagara Falls-esque waterfall. What was cool was if you wanted to cross the ‘river’ to get to the trail on the other end, you had to very carefully walk across the rocks that were laid across. That would have been quite an adventure (if I did it)! Check out the photos below as well as the secret bridge/path to the park that I took back to my car. I’m hoping to take another stab at this trail in the future, and if I’m daring enough to follow “the road less traveled” 🙂
Posted on Mar 08, 2010 under Reviews |
An important running accessory that I’ve started using in my daily routine is the Marathon Stick, a very simple and easy-to-use self-massaging tool to help alleviate sore muscles and speed recovery. There is actually a variety of different Sticks that vary in length and firmness depending on a person’s size, muscle density, and pressure preference. The Marathon Stick was the perfect one for me, a runner, and it is named appropriately. “Measuring 20 inches with 10 (1-inch) spindles, this model was made popular by world-class distance runners. Most flexible of the small models, it is preferred for those with lean muscle mass.”
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Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under Reviews |
I was sent a package of Sof Sole insoles and performance socks many months ago after complaining about how my old running shoes had given me massive blisters after running my first half marathon. They were kind enough to send quite a few products for me to try out, hopefully eliminating any more blister breakouts on my next race. By replacing the worn out, paper-thin insoles on my running shoes and wearing real running socks, I have not experienced any new blisters and it may have also played a vital role in keeping me injury free as well, which is important for all runners. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Feb 17, 2010 under running |
Why you should join DailyMile 🙂
It has been a while since I wrote a running update. The reason for that is because I haven’t had any breakthrough runs since my race over 3 weeks ago. My typical routine after a race is to take a couple of days off to rest and recover, then just continue running so that I don’t get too out of shape when it comes time to start a new training program. It’s strange because weeks prior to my half marathon, I was not really running very fast times, but I ended up running my fastest half ever. That trend has continued after my half, and I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m running in the mornings. It has become apparent that I am not a morning person. I never want to get out of bed in the mornings and am tired throughout most of the run. I don’t eat breakfast before my runs, so I think if I woke up a little bit earlier, the time I spent eating breakfast would help me wake up. But waking up earlier would involve sleeping less (technically), which I hate. I know people who wake up at 4 AM to run or have to endure ridiculously horrible running conditions (i.e. snow), so I don’t really have much to complain about. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Feb 08, 2010 under Race |
Here are some race pictures from the Carlsbad Half Marathon a couple of weeks ago. There were actually more, but they were either very similar or really bad pictures of me..But if anyone is interested or daring enough, from Brightroom. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jan 30, 2010 under Reviews |
I was contacted on behalf of thriv many months ago asking if I was interested in testing out their new and unique fitness apparel brand. It sounds like a new company using a grassroots campaign to get word out on their new products. What sets them apart from other companies is how their apparel is made: eco-friendly bamboo and cotton. Who would have thought that it was possible to wear bamboo? Anyways, the combination of the two creates a natural and light-weight solution as opposed to other synthetic polyesters. The fabric is able to wick sweat a lot better than the mega-giant brand Under Armour and has a higher SPF. It doesn’t hold odor in which is nice and it’s extraordinarily soft, which I can vouch for after washing it numerous times. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jan 30, 2010 under Reviews |
I was asked to test and review the iSkin DuoBand silicone skin and armband for the iPod 5G, except I didn’t even have a 5G. I do have an iPod 4G, which I got for my birthday (2 months before the new one came out..talk about timing). Anyways, when I got the product in the mail, I didn’t know that it was for the 5G and just went ahead and tried it on my iPod.
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Posted on Jan 25, 2010 under Race |
My high school cross country coach told me that you see your biggest improvement in the second year of running. I could definitely understand why, unless you are just a natural born runner, which most people aren’t. But I would never imagine that I would see such a huge improvement after running my second..half marathon. In the Carlsbad Half Marathon, my first race of 2010, and first one as a proud member of the Brooks ID program, I ran one of the smartest and fastest races I could have ever imagined. Official results: 1:28:53 (PR), 6:47 min/mile; place: 6/143 AG, 102/7105 overall. Flashback two months ago after my first half marathon: 1:38, almost 10 minutes faster! My goal for the first race was to break 1:30 and I was on pace to do so for the first 7-8 miles, but flopped. My goal for this race was to break 1:35, much more reasonable. What happened instead? Not only did I shatter my goal of 1:35, but I reached my goal from the first half. I think there are a lot of factors that contributed to my success, which I will get into below, but some of the things that helped was: not getting discouraged from a disappointing first half, ‘getting back on the horse’ and just running, longer runs with less speed work, and of course, being encouraged by runners from all over. As always, I’m very grateful for the last part. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jan 22, 2010 under Random |
I’m sitting here, a little over 24 hours before my half marathon, reading about race information I need to know so that I don’t have to worry about something as trivial as logistics before the big day. But what I should really be doing is focusing on the upcoming race. Unlike many other runners that I’ve known or read about in blogs, I get pretty tense around race day. The pressure just seems to build up, and it’s always been like this even back in high school running cross country and track. Before and during each meet, I would see my teammates joking around having fun, while I’m sitting down, listening to my CD-Player (iPod not invented yet!) trying to concentrate on the upcoming race. Maybe it’s because I was never as talented as them or they just didn’t care as much as I did about doing well. But the truth of the matter is, that’s just the type of person I’ve always been. Even for other things like tests, I would always be nervous and not want to do anything ‘fun’ until I got the test over with first. It’s sort of like that saying, ‘work now, play later’.
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.
Posted on Jan 09, 2010 under Reviews |
I was asked from Invigorators to see if I was interested in testing and writing a review of the Invigorators Compression Socks. It was a great opportunity to test out and review different types of compression socks to find the pair that best fit me. I had previously tested and reviewed a pair of Zensah compression socks and was very pleased with the product. When asked to review the Invigorators Compression Socks, I needed to give my height and shoe size. The Invigorators came in a more custom fit, which is very helpful when you want to get the most of out your compression socks.
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