Trail Running Blog

LA Chinatown Firecracker 10K Race Report

It’s actually been a while (almost 3 months!) since I ran a race/wrote a race report. And it’s been even longer since I’ve run a smart race and paced myself properly. Sunday was the LA Chinatown Firecracker 10K, a race that I decided to run on Saturday, September 4, 2010. Why do I remember that exact date? Well, my brother had just bought a house and was throwing a house warming party for some friends and family. While I was waiting for my brother to heat up a hot dog, one of his friends came over and we all start to talk. Apparently, a few of my brother’s friends started running and actually ran a few marathons already, which was pretty impressive (I had barely run my first one 3 months ago!). Anyways, we were talking about upcoming races and they mentioned the Firecracker 10K, one that they have been running for a few years now. So they told me I should run it too and then we started talking about who would beat each other. I left that party stuffed with food, but also determined to compete come race day. Read the rest of this entry »

Max’s Ring of Fire 5K Race Recap

Not calling this a report since I don’t see it being that long. This was a local 5K that I decided to run a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t have any races planned for September, so it was a nice break between training. And the race was just a couple of miles away from my place, so I didn’t have to worry about traffic (or parking since I actually biked to the start). Talk about timing: my friend asked if we wanted to hang out Friday night so, since this was a no-pressure race, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I ended up getting only 3.5 hours of sleep, definitely not recommended. I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t even going to wake up in time, but did. The week of the race I actually thought that winning the race would be a possibility. I imagined going head to head down the final stretch with another runner and outkicked them in the end. I even told a coworker about the race and how I thought I might win it. I ended up running a decent ~19:12 and placed ~5^th overall, not bad for 3.5 hours of sleep. Like always, it was not paced very well: 6:08, 6:19, 6:27. I was in 2^nd for a while at the start, but got passed soon after. I would have felt 10x better if I ran the opposite splits (and may have had more energy at the end too). It’s just when I see people in front of me, I feel like I should be up there with them, even though I know that I will eventually catch up. It will definitely take more time to learn how to do it properly.

AFC Half Marathon Race Report

Another weekend, another race. Like I said in a previous post, I have had a race every other weekend since July 4^th; I think I’m in need of a break. The good news is that it doesn’t look like I will have any races for the next couple of weeks, which is good. So the America’s Finest City (AFC) Half Marathon is the 3^rd race in the Half Marathon Triple Crown. It wasn’t as tough as the La Jolla Half Marathon, but I wasn’t able to beat my PR that I got when I ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon either. Here are the results: 1:32:08, 32/425 Age Group, 188/6646 Overall. As I was driving home from this race, I was trying to figure out how I felt about my overall performance. The time is technically my 2^nd best half marathon time, it’s just looking at my splits, I felt like I could have gotten a lot closer (or even beaten) my PR, even with the dreaded ‘6^th Avenue Hill’ at mile 11.5. This race felt very similar to my first half marathon. I ran it a little too hard at the beginning and ran out of gas toward the last few miles. However this time, it was more like the last 2-3, rather than 5-6, which is a definite improvement. But now that I have had time to reflect (and sleep!), I realize that it was a very solid effort, nothing to be sad about, then again it feels like I say that about all of my races. I heard that this race a couple of years ago was terrible because of the heat. I couldn’t have asked for better race conditions today, you could even say it was perfect racing weather! It was also well organized and I got my ridiculously big Triple Crown medal, really not much to complain about. Read the rest of this entry »

San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon: Race Report

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 »

Race Report: Carlsbad 5000 5K

The Carlsbad 5000, the “World’s Fastest 5K”, celebrated its 25^th anniversary this past weekend. This fast and scenic course was the perfect place to PR for my 5K. And what better place to PR in the 5K than the same city I PR’ed in the half marathon? Official results: 18:58, 6:06 min/mile; 122/1250 overall; 95^th male. As happy as I was to break 19 and PR, I was not too pleased with the way I paced myself for this race: 5:47, 6:13, 6:29, :27. But overall, it was a fun experience. It was a really big turnout and some elite world class athletes running too. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Photos: Black Mountain Summit 7K

Found some cool race pictures from the Black Mountain Summit 7K. There were definitely some nice views, too bad there was no time to enjoy it during the race! I’m going to have to come here on my own one day and hike (not run!) this very scenic trail. Like always, comparing my race pictures from the beginning of the race to the end is like day and night. But of course, it’s always better that I look like that at the end rather than the beginning!

Black Mountain Summit 7K Race Report

In only my second trail race in less than one year back from running, I ran the Black Mountain Summit 7K. And it is also only the 2^nd time in my ‘running career’, that I won my age group! Results: 31:08, 1^st in AG, 7^th overall (only 159 runners..) The splits make sense knowing that it’s an out and back course: 18:19 uphill, 12:47 downhill. It was definitely a surprise win for me considering I was not all that prepared to run such a tough course. But I did have the opportunity to get a few hill workouts in a couple of weeks before and I got some inside information about the course, so I was not too surprised on race day. But going into the race, I did start doubting myself thinking, ‘how am I going to run uphill continuously for over 2 miles?!’ Fortunately there were a few downhills and some flat trails on the way up, which allowed me to rest my legs as they were shot soon just after going up the first few hills. Read the rest of this entry »

Race Pictures: Carlsbad Half Marathon

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 »

Race Report: 2010 Carlsbad Half Marathon

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 »

Pressures of Racing

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.