Posted on Aug 05, 2010 under Race |
I was hoping to run the Dirt Devil Race Series as a training run for my half marathon in two weeks. But what I got instead was way more than what I asked for (in more ways than one). Here are the results for the 15K: 1:28:23, 9:30 min/mile, 11th overall (only 73 runners). Although it may look like a bad race, it’s necessary to preface the report with the fact that this trail race was riddled with hills that you would never have imagine existed before. It was one of the toughest races I ever ran (might even top the marathon debut in June).What’s even worse is within the first couple of miles, I tweaked my neck and although the pain wasn’t as bad during the race (or I just didn’t notice), it is in so much pain right now, I can barely move my head! What I hope I got out of this whole ordeal is even more respect for trail runners and more experience and knowledge on how to run hills. When I get to the ‘tough’ hill at the end of my half marathon in two weeks, I’m hoping I can picture running this race again and think to myself, “it’s not as bad as ‘The Widowmaker’” Yes, that was the name of one of the hills!! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jul 20, 2010 under Race |
The title of the Playa del Run 5K is a play on the location of the race: Playa del Rey (neighbor to the better known, Marina del Rey). I couldn’t have asked for a better location for a race, literally steps away from the beach! What better way to top off running in this awesome location than a very impressive finish on said 5K. Well here you go: 19:09, 3rd AG, 8th overall! If this race had been 3 days before (my birthday), I would have won my AG instead, that’s what I get for getting older, right?
Marina del Rey is 122 miles away from San Diego. I would never drive that far just to run such a small (~250) race. I was looking for races to do before my half marathon in mid August and happened to find this one. My cousin lives just miles away from this race and I had been meaning to visit him in his new place and it was on the weekend I was already planning to visit my parents in LA for my birthday. It was literally the perfect race (with the perfect ending)! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jul 11, 2010 under Running Tips |
Note: this was written January 31, but stuck in my drafts this whole time, what’s up with that? Anyways..
I didn’t even have a full week to celebrate my terrific showing at the Carlsbad Half before I had to get sick with a cold. On Wednesday morning after my run (just three days after my race), I noticed my nose running a little. It got worse when I was at work and was sneezing all day (and I’m a loud sneezer too!) I also played about 2 hours of basketball that night, which probably wasn’t the best idea, especially since I haven’t played in almost 6 months. I was already sore that night, so I had planned to just sleep in the next morning since I would be extra sore and getting extra sleep should help my body recover. I was still sneezing the next day at work and I started to get the ‘cold voice’, which I personally like. I was coughing a little too, but not to the point where I got chest pains every time it happened. I decided to take Friday off as well, just to be safe. But by this time, my legs were itching for a run already. So on Saturday, despite having to endure a never ending runny nose, I decided to go out for an easy trot. And it went surprisingly well. My pace may have been very slow, but I was happy I was out sweating off all the calories I didn’t get to burn off for the past two days. My breathing felt very normal and heart rate looked fine too. So I’m sitting here now wondering if the day’s run helped my body get better or just made it worse. So I decided to read what others had to say and their experiences with running while being sick, specifically with a cold.
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Posted on Jul 04, 2010 under Race |
I must admit, the Scripps Ranch 10K is becoming one of my favorite races, if not, then at least my favorite race distance. There are no finishing medals or cool race schwag, but it’s a great atmosphere and very well organized. The 10K distance requires more endurance than a 5K but isn’t as taxing on your body like a half or full marathon. I don’t need to worry (much) about hydration or nutrition during a 10K, I didn’t even bother getting any water at the two water stations that were available. And as long as I pace myself at the beginning, I’ll have enough to pick up the pace at the end. Race Results: 40:48, 6:34 min/mile, 14/71 AG, 125/1500+ overall. Splits: 7:08, 6:42, 6:30, 6:38, 6:35, 6:07, 1:05(.2 miles). It’s an improvement from last year, but I was hoping for better (I’m never satisfied..) I am happy with the way I paced myself this year compared to last though: 7:04, 6:51, 6:50, 7:04, 7:00, 6:22, 1:18. With this race I think it is imperative to disclose the fact that the last mile+ is all downhill, I usually do not have that much energy at the end to pick it up like that, although I wish I did! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jul 01, 2010 under running |
So the month of June has had its fill of both highs and lows. I ran my first marathon on the 6th and had a lot of mixed feelings. The rest of the month can be summarized by the following:
- Post marathon thoughts: definitely harder than I had anticipated, even though I knew it was going to be a grueling 26.2 miles. The feeling can never be explained quite as well as actually running it.
- What I’ve been doing: swimming, biking, basketball and some running.
- What I want to do: improve my swimming technique and endurance to attempt my first triathlon.
- What I will most likely do: coming to the realization that I do NOT swim anything remotely close to a fish, I may have to abandon the tri, for now. But I still have a 10K, trail race, and at least 2 half marathons to look forward to, so I’m not too sad about that. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jun 13, 2010 under Race |
Race pictures were up for the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon a lot faster than I expected. I would have thought that sorting through pictures of 30K+ runners would have been very time consuming. It wasn’t until reading a few other race reports that I realized how boring MY race photos are (and have been). If you think about it, photographers will take pictures of you while running your race. But to be honest, why do you really want to see yourself running every race? I mean, the only thing that changes is what you wear (although I usually wear the same outfit) and the expression on your face, depending on where you are in the race and how difficult it is. The other race reports I read had pictures of the scenery and race atmostphere, which is something I would like to remember the most from each of my races. Not what I wore and how tired I looked. I SO made everybody want to see these pictures now, right? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jun 06, 2010 under Race |
After all of the talk, preparation and training, I finally completed my first marathon. And what better race to make my marathon debut than my local San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon? I had the opportunity to run the LA Marathon back in March with my brother, but I only had 2 half marathons under my belt and I knew I would not have been prepared to run it very well if I did do it. Also, the registration fee for that race is pretty ridiculous (although I may consider doing 2011). But I’ve heard great things about the SD RnR and people seem to really enjoy it (I think the Rock ‘n’ Roll series in general is fun). Although I did not run quite as fast as I was hoping/planning, I am still satisfied considering it was my first attempt at it. Results: 3:47:59; 61/357 AG; 1,043/10,625 overall. You’d think I gained enough race experience by now, but I ran the same way I ran my first half marathon (pace too fast to start, couldn’t hang and slowed at the end). But I think the biggest issues I had during the race was the weather and just not preparing my body to run such a great distance. So as long as I take something away from this race, it is definitely worth it, and I did.. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 19, 2010 under Trail |
Happy to say that I survived my first trip to Midwest 🙂 There was some dead time after arriving in Des Moines and dinner with my colleagues, so I thought I’d check out the local trail about a mile away from our hotel. Although it is called Des Moines Trails and runs along this winding river surrounded by forests, it actually is more or less a narrow bike path made for walkers, runners and cyclists alike. However, running in a new environment was definitely exciting and I couldn’t wait to see what I would find during this 9-mile stroll (actually hit 1:10, 7:49 min/mile..not too bad).
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Posted on May 04, 2010 under running |
This is a recap post of what I did for the month of April; there is a lot of data to look at 🙂 Although I missed a couple of key workouts throughout the month, I was still able to run the most miles I’ve ran since I started running again back in early 2009. I also squeezed in 2 races, which was nice. I think May will even top April in terms of mileage, but we’ll see what happens. I have a trip to Des Moines, Iowa in a couple of weeks. It’s gonna be tough, but I really want to try and get a run over there, just to see what it’s like and get a change of scenery.
Love looking at these cool graphs from DailyMile!
April
Total Miles: 154.46
Time Spent Running: ~20:18:00
Average Pace: 7:53
Total Calories: 18,510
Average HR: 152
Avg Max HR: 172
Total Pushups: 1,791
Total Races: 2 (Carlsbad 5000 5K, La Jolla Half Marathon)
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Posted on Apr 27, 2010 under Race |
For some reason, I thought I would be able to run as fast or close to the time I ran in my last half marathon, even though the La Jolla Half Marathon is much more difficult with quite a few tough hills. I did my best to read past race reports and even ran into a runner on my way to the expo the day before and got some really helpful advice. He was a 44-year-old who’s been running for years, and he’s actually faster than me! I’m hoping I can grow up to be like him 🙂 Anyways, here are the official results: 1:33:45, 9/162 (AG), 102/5839 (Overall). Given the difficulty of the course, this is probably a decent time, but I’m sure I could have done better and I’ll make sure I do for next year’s 30th Anniversary. Read the rest of this entry »
