If you’re looking for a challenging obstacle race to check off your bucket list, then I highly recommend you consider the Spartan Race. Fair warning: it is one of the hardest obstacle races I have ever done (although I do not have much to compare it to). It was one of the most physically and mentally demanding events I have ever experienced in my life. I told myself that I would never do it again, but if the right opportunity arrived, I’d definitely think about it. For now, I will just go back, re-read and re-watch the very long race report and highlight video I created after I finally recovered from that day. Done? Motivated and inspired? Then sign up now and save up to $40 off! Using the code: MEMORIAL and save $20 off the Sprint, $30 off the Super or $40 off the Beast distance. Do it now, the offer expires Wednesday, 5/27.
As mentioned in my race preview, this was not your typical triathlon events. But I was still excited to participate in the run (since that is what I do best), the yoga (since I know it’s good for your core) and meditation (since I’ve heard that it’s a good way to relax and clear your mind). Unfortunately, due to other obligations, I only had time to do the run part of this event. The distance was supposed to be 5K, but my GPS had it much less. Even though it was supposed to be a fun run (no timing chips, medals, awards, etc.) I still tried to run it as hard as possible. Results: 2.84 mi, 18:03, 6:21 min/mile. I started the race way too fast at 6:12, but I was more focused on running around the other runners at the start of the race to notice. Once I get settled into the race, I only saw one other runner in front. So I caught up to him by that first mile and tried to run with him for a while. I had my headphones on, but when I took one out, the guy next to me said something like, ‘tempo run’? As in, ‘are you making this a workout run too?’, ‘uh…sure’ as I replied while breathing very heavily. It was definitely much faster than I would usually run a tempo run. I did lead the race for a short while, but only to get passed just before the finish. But I was happy with my overall time and pace (not sure if I would have been able to maintain for the full 3.1 miles, so I’m glad it was shorter. Read the rest of this entry »
The OC Half Marathon reminds me a lot of the races I’ve ran here in San Diego. The course takes you around Newport Beach, which is almost as nice as the beaches in San Diego. The weather and flat course almost guarantees that you’ll run fast. I’m not exactly sure how many years this race has been going on, but from the website as well as number of participants, volunteers and spectators, it’s fair to say it’s not their inaugural. I’ve actually heard of this race before, I ran the Long Beach Half Marathon a few years ago, which is part of a 3-race series (again, similar to a series for 3 San Diego races..) I haven’t ran a half marathon since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas half marathon in early November of last year. Since that race, I’ve done a few 5K’s and a 10-mile race. Because of that break, I dedicated the last 3 weeks or so dedicated to running, that meant waking up early to run before work. Because of that, I was able to run a pretty fast half. Results: 1:35:26, 7:17 min/mile, AG: 20/394, men: 144/3,603, overall: 170/9,069. It was a pretty tough race, but I am very happy with my performance. Read the rest of this entry »
At 5 years in a row, the LA Chinatown Firecracker 10K is now the longest I’ve ran the same race every year. Of course, it helps that it has been a tradition to run this race with my siblings and more recently, nephews and even better my mom this year! It’s a great reason to visit my family in LA for the weekend, run a race together with them and then eat together afterwards to celebrate. There have really only been a few years where I have been fully prepared to compete in this race, unfortunately, this year was not one of them. I didn’t do too bad, but definitely not my best performances (actually, I ran 1 second slower than last year!) Results: 42:54 (6:54 min/mile), 8/189 AG, 37/2473 overall. What used to be a very competitive race against my, my brother and his friends, is now just a fun run that only a few people that I know participate in. Hopefully, my family continues to participate and maybe some of those others that missed this year. Read the rest of this entry »
Benefiting the American Cancer Society, the California 10/20 is a 10 mile run along the coast feature 20 bands throughout the course. The California 10/20 is a fairly new race series, the other one taking place in Austin, which I bet would be fun to visit. Unfortunately, when I was reading the race program the morning of the race, there was a letter from the race director saying this was the last year. I know planning and organizing a race is a lot of work, so it’s not too surprising to hear when they do not last. I was actually quite pleased with this race overall, hopefully they will be able to bring it back next year. Just as a reminder, I had ran a sub-19 5K not the previous morning and had not trained to run 10 miles (competitively), so I was pretty happy with the results: 1:10:51 (7:05 min/mile), AG 7/68, 96/2720 overall. Like I said in the race report for that 5K, I started off way too fast (5:50) and was tired for the rest of the race. I really didn’t want that to happen this time since I’d have many more miles to run this time around. Fortunately, I was pretty even paced throughout the run, which you can see in the splits below. Read the rest of this entry »
This is the 4th Annual Jump Start Your Heart 5K. This is a non-profit event (100% proceeds) benefitting The Children’s Heart Foundation. The goal of The Children’s Heart Foundation is to bring health, hope and happiness to children impacted by congenital heart defects, the number one birth defect in the United States.
This race was on a Saturday but I had been training for and had planned to run a 10 mile race on Sunday. However, when my co-worker sent an email to the company about this, I couldn’t say no. It was for a good cause and needed as much support as possible. Since this was more of a fun run, there weren’t too many people taking this race seriously. Because of that, I got a spot at the very front of the starting line, which can be a good and bad thing. I didn’t have to worry about having to waste energy running around slower people, but that meant I would be running near some very fast people too. Here are the results: 18:54 (6.05 min/mi), 3/35 AG, 11/383 overall. Technically, this time would be a new PR, but according to my phone’s GPS, the distance was only 2.94 miles, which is pretty off of the 3.1 official 5K distance. And for some reason, I was put in the 30-34 AG, which makes it look like I placed 1st. But this was a local race, so they get a pass. Read the rest of this entry »
The official definition of a triathlon is a multiple-stage competition involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines. The most common events are the swim, bike and run, but I just learned about the Wanderlust 108: a 5K run, yoga and then meditation. Obviously, the training and preparation for these events are a lot lower. Die hard athletes may not want to participate in this type of event, but you never know unless you give it a shot. The organizers of the race emphasize community above competition, inner peace above power, and self-awareness above strength. You may not run your fastest 5K or place in your age group, but from the sounds of it, you’ll definitely have a good time and enjoy the company of others in an event like this. In addition to the 3 events, there will be live bands and DJs on the main stage, lawn activities like hooping, slacklining and acroyoga, as well as local food and craft vendors throughout the day.
Believe it or not, this is actually an event I am really looking forward to. I’ve been running for at least 10 years, but I have rarely taken a break from it. I’ve biked and swam every now and then as well as made visits to the gym part of my routine. I’ve always been interested in yoga and know it is a very beneficial activity for a runner like me. I almost never stretch before or after a run and have constant back pain and have heard that yoga is a great way to build your core. In addition, I’ve always wanted to get into meditation as I’ve heard it’s a great way to de-stress and help you stay calm in hectic situations. Working in my industry, stress really just comes with the territory, it’s unavoidable. But dealing with that stress is something I have trouble with and feel like meditation is a potential solution. I’m hoping that participating in the Wanderlust 108 will help jump start a routine of consistent yoga and meditation sessions. Learn more about Wanderlust 108 here and consider participating in one of the upcoming events this year!
What are the odds that this is the 2nd race in a row that the sponsor is Kaiser Permanente? Even though this was technically a destination race, I really did not plan to run it until a week or 2 (max) before the event. I knew I was going to be in San Francisco for a client meeting, but it wasn’t confirmed until the very last minute on a Friday. I decided to make a weekend out of it and since I would be in the neighborhood, I thought it’d be fun to run a race in one of the hilliest cities in the country! Fortunately, most of the race was downhill and I almost ran a PR because of that. Here are the results: 19:29 5K (6:17 min/mile), 3/71 AG and 27/2,253 overall. The last time I placed in a race like this, I chalked it up to all the faster runners doing the half marathon. But the time was pretty impressive, it was actually over a minute faster from the 5K I ran just a week before. I was able to run a much slower first mile and pace myself for the rest of the race, it definitely helped that the last mile in this race was downhill while the last race was uphill the last mile!
The official name of this race is actually the 3rd Annual Kaiser Permanente Carmel Valley 5K & Fun Run 2015. As the name states, this race actually benefits quite a few schools in the community, see the full list here. Most people start off the new year running more than other months, trying to meet some type of New Year’s Resolution goal. But since I was running a lot the last few months, training for a few half marathons, I went back to just working out at the gym. So I didn’t get to train as much for this race as I would have liked, but did well considering the circumstances. Results: 20:48 (6:43 min/mile), 4/15 age group, 32/937 overall. I actually looked at the past few year’s results and for some reason, there were never too many finishers in my age group. A part of me was thinking I could place in my age group, but there were a lot more people that ran in my age group this year (which is a good thing), and the runner who placed 3rd ran much faster, so at least it wasn’t like I just got edged out of placing. Overall, it was a fun race, well organized, but definitely challenging (totally didn’t expect those hills!) Read the rest of this entry »
Why be like everyone else and resolve to go to the gym again? Take it to another level and compete in a race or event. And if you’re feeling extra adventurous, consider one of the most extreme obstacle races like the Spartan Race. I am proud to say that I attempted and completed my first Spartan Race a few months ago and as I mentioned in my race report, it was one of the hardest races I have ever participated in. This race really appeals to all sorts of individuals: runners, fitness buffs (I’m looking at you CrossFitters!), bucket list goers, and individuals who do not like to compete but want participate in a fun and organized event. Fair warning: the Spartan Race is not like your typical mud run or color run, you’ll definitely need to train and prepare for this race. But as their slogan goes, ‘you’ll know at the finish line’! Read the rest of this entry »
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The official name of this race is actually the 3rd Annual Kaiser Permanente Carmel Valley 5K & Fun Run 2015. As the name states, this race actually benefits quite a few schools in the community, see the full list 
