Archives for Race category
Posted on Jan 19, 2014 under Race |
Looks like I’m making it a habit to run this race ever other year. When I ran it in 2010, it was my 2nd half marathon and it is still my fastest half to date at 1:28. I ran it again in 2012 and ran a decent time of 1:34:08. I just realized now that I just barely beat that time today at 1:34:01! Here are the official results: Miles 1-7: 51:43 (7:23 min/mile), Miles 8-13.1: 42:19 (6:50 min/mile), Finish: 1:34:01 (7:08 min/mile), AG: 21/304, Overall: 217/7,256. The strategy was pretty simple (although still hard to accomplish): run with the 1:40 pacer for 7-8 miles and then pick up the pace for the rest of the race. But the last time I ran a half was in June 2013 and then I broke my hand and stopped doing anything for about 2 months before getting back into running. Like always, the training program wasn’t very focused; just run as often as possible (mostly 3-milers 3-4 days a week) and get some long runs in. I never really broke 8:30 pace during any of those runs! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Oct 14, 2013 under Race |
This is my first official race after breaking my wrist during 4th of July weekend which resulted in surgery and 6 weeks in a cast. Although I was technically able to run with the cast on, I was also transitioning to a new job and I didn’t want to be ‘that’ guy with the stinky cast. So I really just limited myself to short walks and a few visits to the gym. I was supposed to run another 5K with my friend at the end of July because he wanted a rematch after I beat him at the Santa Anita 5K. So we finally found another race that we both could commit to, the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon (which also included a half, bike ride and the 5K). In hindsight, we probably should have found a smaller/local 5K, rather than one that was dedicated to the half/full and bike ride, with a 5K on the side. Traffic and parking was pretty bad and I didn’t start the 5K until 5 minutes after because my friend took the bus to the start which kept getting detoured because of road closures from the half and full marathons. Aside from the logistical issues, I actually ran very well, 2 seconds off my 5K PR to be exact! Results: 3.02 miles, 19:00, (6:18 min/mile), placing: Gender: 7/575, AG 2/42, 7/1632 overall. I’m still waiting to confirm the official placing because there were a lot of 0:00 results, which probably means I did not place as well as it currently says. But the time is correct since I timed it myself. That itself is very strange. When I ran 18:58 at the Carlsbad 5000 in 2010, I felt like I was in really good shape and running pretty fast. This morning’s race was completely different. Because I started late, I spent the first half mile or so weaving through walkers and joggers. But like other races I’ve ran in the past, that may have been one of the reasons I ran so well, which I’ll get into below.
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Posted on Jul 27, 2013 under Race |
Couple of weeks late with this post as usual. The Old Pros Scripps Ranch 4th of July events include a 2 mile fun run, 10K, as well as 12, 28 and 50 mile bike ride. For the past four years, I’ve been running the 10K, but this year decided to try out the 28 mile bike ride. Unofficial results: 29.00 mi, 1:55:09, 15.1 mph, max speed: 37.0 mph. It took you through quite a few different neighborhoods, so I’m hoping I can use this route on a long ride in the future. Like my other bike rides, I did a few long rides couple of weeks before. It seemed like it was enough for me to complete this ride. I hurt my hand in a dirt biking incident, so I haven’t been able to run for the past few weeks. Now I’m in a cast so I’ll be out for at least another month or two, which has been really hard to do. Hopefully I’ll find something else to keep me busy.
Posted on Jun 09, 2013 under Race |
Hopefully this race report is even more ‘brief’ than the last one. It should be too, it was only a 5K; not even a week after last week’s half marathon! Because the race was so short, the slightest difference in results made a huge difference in pace. The results I got from my phone were 2.93 miles, 19:47 (6:46 min/mile). But since the official results assumed you ran the full 3.1 miles, it was saying my pace was 6:23 min/mile, which again is a big difference. The course did feel pretty short, but almost .2 miles? Maybe. Placing wasn’t bad, 61/1852. I have to admit though, running with a bunch of college kids (almost 10 years older) was tough, they were crushing it! And they were running a week before finals week too, better than procrastinating, I suppose. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jun 09, 2013 under Race |
I always say I’m going to be brief but end up writing way too much for anyone to be interested in reading. So I’ll get straight to the point, here are the official results: 1:37:56, 13.01 mi (7:32 min/mile). Placing: AG 107/1071, overall 688/18,072. If you look at the splits graph below and the following milestone split, you can tell what type of race it was: 5K 21:47 (7:01), 10K 44:36 (7:11), 10 mi 1:14:07 (7:24), 13.01 1:37:56 (7:32). As always, I can’t complain with the overall results, it just hurt like heck running it, for a number of reasons. So if anything, this can be a post about how NOT to run a race! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 15, 2013 under Race |
I actually registered for this race months before, but as it got closer and closer to race day, I still wasn’t sure if I was going to do this 31 mile bike ride. That’s the problem with signing up for a race so far in advanced, you never know what plans you’ll have until a few weeks before. But at the end of the day, I was able to do the race and attend the other commitments I had afterwards. And since there was a chance I was going to do this ride, I prepared as much as I could for it. The weekend before, I completed an 18 mile ride so 31 would not feel as bad. In between those rides, I was still running as often as possible as well as working out at the gym. The race wasn’t even timed, since it was a ‘tour’ of the city. But I like to time everything, so here are my unofficial results: 30.42 mi, 1:49:46 (16.6 mph). The course was very straight forward, basically a giant square around the downtown area, which consisted of four terrains: dedicated bike path along the Los Angeles River (didn’t know this existed, not like the typical river you expect), backside city streets, down a similar dedicated bike path along the San Gabriel River (again, did not know this existed), and finish up along the Long Beach boardwalk. The problem I had when I did the 40 mile bike ride a few months ago was that because it was a smaller race, I ended up riding along for a lot of the race. This time, because of the big turnout, I always had someone to ride with and never worried about going the wrong way. The problem with these tours and fun rides is that I’m not really competing against others, it’s more casual to them. Then again, I don’t think I’d be prepared to really compete in a real bike race, I mean I don’t even own the proper gear (I wear basketball shorts, running tech tee and sneakers with my toe clips). Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Apr 22, 2013 under Race |
I’ve wanted to run this race for a few years now, mostly because it’s literally next door to the mall by my parent’s house in LA. I wasn’t planning to run it again this year, but my friend told me that he was going to run it and told me to do the same. We were actually old high school cross country teammates, but he stopped racing once he graduated. I stopped too, but as I’ve said before, I started to race competitively a few years ago. I knew running with old teammates wasn’t really going to be a fun run, so I wanted to be prepared for race day. I actually ran a lot faster than I had expected, which is great. Results: 19:42 (6:20 min/mile), 8th AG, 71/3735 overall. My friend, who accidentally forgot to put his timing chip on before the race, ran about a 21:25, which is actually pretty good considering he had pulled a groin muscle and had to stop running for a few weeks. The problem he had was that he tried to run with another alumni who was in shape and hit a wall after the low 6-minute first mile. I had just run a 5K about a month ago but couldn’t even break 21 minutes, so this was a huge improvement. It’s actually one of my top 5 fastest 5K finishes, which is awesome. It’s sad because the one thing that contributed to this improvement was just running more often, but of course that’s easier said than done! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Mar 23, 2013 under Race |
Two weeks ago, when we lost an hour due to daylight savings, I decided to start waking up early to run before work. Even though it was just 3-4 miles a day, it was more running that I had done in quite some time. Those two weeks of miles under my belt really made a difference in today’s results: 46:49 (6.05 mi, 7:44 min/mile), 2/7 AG, 16/72 overall. The course was pretty tough and it was literally a sprint to the finish, which worked out since I beat the 3rd place runner in my AG by 1.202 seconds!
I ran this race a little bit slower last year but I forget how much I was running at the time. I do remember that a few of us ran a little bit longer because the turnaround was poorly marked. This year, the course was chalked at important crossroads and intersections and had volunteers throughout as well. As you can see in the course map below, there were a lot of confusing turns, fortunately I didn’t get lost this year. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Mar 04, 2013 under Race |
I won an entry to this race but wasn’t sure if I was going to sign up, even though it would have been my first organized ride. What I was afraid of was being the only male in this ‘beautiful ride for women’; fortunately they had a ride just for males or what they called ‘rico suaves’. I signed up for the shorter, 40-miler distance instead of the 60. They clarified a few days before the race that the actual distance was 42 miles, but for some reason, my ride came out to over 45 miles! Although the ride wasn’t actually timed or offered place awards, I was happy with my personal time and unofficial placing. Results: 45.13 mi, 3:06:14 (14.5 mph, 34.9 mph max), total ascent: 1513 ft. I was very surprised to find only about 5 other riders at the finish line when I got there; I’m sure if it were a competitive ride, I would have been a lot farther back. The ride was tough at times, those uphills were particularly painful. It was a scenic course that rode up and down the coast with views of the ocean and various beaches. I did find it hard to ride on highways and main streets since we had to share the road with cars and stop at red lights on multiple occasions. But in the end, it was a great ride, a good workout and fun day overall. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go on more rides this year. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Mar 02, 2013 under Race |
Finish Chelsea’s Run is a race I’ve wanted to participate (or at least support) since they started it back in 2010. This race is dedicated to Chelsea King who was sadly taken during one of her runs in that same year. A group of runners were so affected by the news that they planned to meet at the same park and ‘finish Chelsea’s run’. “Word quickly spread and on the morning of March 20, 2010 more than 3,500 community members joined together to run and walk in solidarity with, and in honor of Chelsea, who they adopted as one of their own.” It would have been nice to join in that run, but for one reason or another, I couldn’t. They moved the run down to Balboa Park to accommodate more runners and had as many as 7,000 runners this year and I am glad I was able to join this time around. Results: 21:34 (6:57 min/mile), 12/57 AG, 84/1978 overall. Before the race, I was hoping to run somewhere between 21 and 22 minutes, so I’m definitely happy with the results. I’m already starting to feel sick from this race, but I won’t have much time to rest, I have my first ever cycling race tomorrow morning and it’s a 40-miler at that. I’ve rode a couple of 20-milers before, but I am definitely not ready to ride competitively. Hopefully, it’s a scenic ride and I can finish it! Read the rest of this entry »
