2/1/15: Surf City Half Marathon (Half Marathon #20)

This makes half marathon #20 for me. I can't believe that I have ran 20 of these darn things! After seeing the new Beach Cities Challenge medal I decided to sign up for this race at the last minute. I swear I will do just about anything for some nice bling. I have one more race to run in the series before this bad boy is mine!

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a cyst in my left knee that has been causing me all kinds of running problems and pain. I have been in physical therapy for two months and I know that I have lost my endurance and the ability to run at the paces I have in the past. My running confidence has been in the dumps but I knew that I had to pull myself out of this funk and just go and run a race.

I went to the expo on Saturday morning right around the time it opened. There were no lines so we were in and out of there in no time at all. The long sleeved shirts were really nice this year so I has to put in on a take a fun picture with my running buddy!

I had no idea how this race was going to turn out. I didn't want to set any goals for this race because I didn't want to put any pressure on myself and I didn't want to be disappointed either. My other half asked me what my plans were and I told him that I would be lucky to cross the finish line in two hours. Having said that, this is how it went.

I ran this race back in 2013 and I made all kinds of weird mistakes. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to run it again but the medal made me do it! This is a local race for me and the half marathon starts at 7:45 am which means that I can still wake up an hour later than I do to go to work to make it to the race on time.

I woke up at 5:00 am and left the house by 5:45 am. There was no traffic but the parking for this race is kind of crazy. Most of the parking is taken by the marathoners since the marathon starts at 6:30 am versus 7:45 am for the half. Parking is basically on residential streets and you have to walk about a half mile to get to the start. All of the streets were full by the time we arrived but I got lucky and a resident who was parked in front of his house happened to be leaving. He was not happy about all of the parking on his street.

We made our way to the host hotel and used the bathroom and hung out until about 10 minutes before the start. There were so many runners in one place. It was awesome to see all of them from the balcony of the host hotel.

It was 55 degrees at the start with the sun out and shining brightly. I started in the 2:00 hour corral and just ran my own race. I wore my Garmin but told myself not to stare at it but just to find that comfortable pace and stick with it. The first 6 miles flew right by and right around Mile 7 my knee started to feel a little off. I slowed down a little but kept going. It was right around Mile 10 that my knee really started to bother me so I started walking through the water stops from this point on and I slowed down a lot too.

The last 5 miles of the race were tough. It is a straight 5 mile shot to the finish while facing the sun the entire time without any shade whatsoever. I don't wear sunglasses when I run so this part of the course always gets to me. My visor did not do much good and I was feeling pretty warm out there. There were definitely those moments that I felt like giving up but I just told myself to suck it up, run a comfortable pace and finish the darn race. This race was definitely not about the time. It was really about finishing and gaining some confidence back that I have lost over the last few months.

I did better than I expected to and I am grateful that I was able to finish the race. This was also a course PR for me by a whole 6 seconds!! Woohoo! I finished in 1:53:20 (8:39 average pace) and earned my cute little surfboard medal.

After I race I spotted Emily (Haute Chocolate Runner) who I met on Instagram. I went over to introduce myself and chat for a little bit. The girl ran another BQ and is pretty humble about it. She is super nice and I am glad I had the chance to finally meet this pretty lady in person. She didn't even look like she just ran a marathon. I was a sweaty mess from just running the half!

After chatting with Emily for a while, I took my son to play in the ocean. He had a blast with my running buddy who also ran the half marathon! This was his treat for waking up early and waiting for me to finish the race.

I didn't bring any clothes to change into so I just wet my feet a little and then watched them from a distance...and played on my phone.

Anybody else run Surf City? 

Tell me about your race :)

1/10/15: Citrus Heritage Run Half Marathon

So I finished my first race of 2015 but the truth is that I almost didn't. I had all intentions of running this race but as race day approached I started feeling like I didn't have it in me to finish it. The longest distance I had ran in the last couple of months was 9.5 miles and those miles were at a really easy pace due to my knee issue. I do have some answers on that but I will talk about that in another post.

I woke up on race day and told my other half that I wasn't going. He said "Yes you are. Get ready. Just treat this as a training run and do what you can." I figured that he was right so I got dressed and out the door we went.

I ran this half last year and I really liked it. It is a local race, offers same day bib pick-up, long sleeved shirts, super nice medal, free parking, real bathrooms and a course is a little challenging. It is a small race but it is well organized and I think I only paid a $50 registration fee for signing up right after I ran it last year. The race director happens to run with my running club so I wanted to support her as well by signing up.

Bib pick-up started at 6:30 am so we arrived right at 6:30 am. I picked up my bib and my shirt and then went back and sat in my car since it was 46 degrees.  The parking is super close to the start so it was nice to actually be able to go back to the car and stay warm until it was time for the race to start.

The event offers a 5K and a half marathon. The half marathon started at 7:30 am and the 5K started at 8:30 am. I saw Megan when I arrived at the start and then I lost her. I started towards the back of the pack and once I started running I spotted Megan. She was running faster than I had planned on running so it took me a bit to finally catch up to her. The girl is getting faster and I can see that she is become a stronger runner! We stayed together for 12 miles of the race and talked the entire time. It was nice catching up with her and having some company. This girl is down to earth and is the real deal so I kind of like her.

I think it was right around Mile 7 that Megan noticed that we were about .4 miles ahead of the mile markers. I thought someone had moved one of the mile markers but I found this out after the race. 

Last year I picked the race up at exactly 13.1 and the course was the same this year so the extra distance kind of messed up our time. I guess we did better than we thought we did :) Megan had already ran a few miles before the race to get her marathon training miles in so we were both decided to stay in comfortable mode. The course is challenging but I like that it offers all different types of terrain. We ran in the dirt, trail, sidewalks and streets so mixing things up was kind of nice.

The last 2 miles of the race are a straight stretch and I just wanted to be done. I ran the last mile or so of the race on my own to see what I had left in the tank. I counted about 8 runners directly ahead of me and I told myself to try and pass as many of them as I could. This kept me distracted and helped me get to the finish. It felt good to finish the race strong.

I finished in 2:07:18 but with the extra distance I think my overall pace was a little better than 9:43.

My Garmin shows the following so I am going with this :)

The spinning medal is so nice! I am so glad that I decided to run this race because I was able to run it with a friend and sometimes that is better than a PR! Thank you Megan for letting me tag along and putting things in perspective. I will definitely be back to run this race again next year.

Have you ran any races in 2015?

What is your favorite distance?

12/16/14: Las Vegas Rock "n" Roll Half Marathon

We really enjoyed the race because it was our way of celebrating our 15th anniversary. We were looking forward to the little getaway even if it was just for a few days. We arrived in Vegas on Saturday afternoon and headed over to the expo right at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We picked up our bibs and quickly found the KT Tape booth. He got his calf and ankle taped and I got my knee taped. We were both kind of a mess so this made life a little bit easier.  I will talk about that topic later. Overall the expo was an easy and fast pick up and very organized.

We had originally signed up to run the full marathon but my other half changed his mind. We tried to change to the half a few weeks before the race but they told us to just run the half and the timing chip would automatically pick us up as running the half. It did so I guess it works. 

This was my first night race and it was a different experience. I wasn't sure how to fuel before the race so we had lunch around 11:30 am, had a small snack in between and then ate bananas right before the race started at 4:30 pm. 

It was cold at the start. We had to take a potty break at Mile 3 because we were cold. It was also a little windy at times during the race. 

There were like 4o corrals and they counted each one of them down and released them one at a time. We started in corral 14 so it took us about 20 minutes to cross the start. By Mile 3, we were pretty warmed up and we ended up taking off our jackets for the remainder of the race. The course has a small incline from Mile 9 to the finish so I slowed down a bit because I was worried about my knee. We kept a 10:00 pace for most of the race and that felt comfortable. 

The course was pretty crowded the entire time. We were weaving around runners the entire time and I was surprised at how many people who started in the same corral as we did were actually walking. It made it difficult for others. I am not sure why people do not start in the correct corral. The time went by really quickly because the course is never boring. Most of the race is on the strip and there is lots of lights, lots of crowd support and bands for entertainment. 

My other half did really well. He never walked like he thought he was going to need to do and he felt strong the entire time. I think he could have done better without me but I told him that I didn't want to push it because of the knee pain that I have been dealing with for the past few weeks. My knee felt good the entire race but I grabbed some ice for my knee at the finish because I was afraid that if I didn't I was going to be in trouble.

The snacks at the finish line were great. They gave chocolate milk (my favorite post race drink), Gatorade, pretzels, beer, Justin's nut butter, Pure Protein bars and bananas. The food wasn't bagged so it was hard to carry it all if you didn't have a bag.

We finished in 2:13:22 and I was very grateful to have been able to run this race. My other half doesn't care about time so we were really able to enjoy this race. The medal is nice and heavy and I think it even glows in the dark. The race was well organized and had plenty of water stops, porta potties and course entertainment. We would definitely run the half marathon again but I am not sure if I would enjoy running this full marathon at night because a large portion of the marathon course is off of the strip and I heard it gets dark and lonely out there. 

It was about a 4 mile walk back to our hotel and it was cold. I was really glad that I decided to run in pants and not my shorts. I would have froze on the way back to the hotel had we not stopped at a Starbucks for a little break. I think the hot shower I took after the race was one of the best showers ever!

Have you ever ran a night race?

Do you run with your significant other?

7/26/14: City of Cypress 5K

This was my second year running this race. Last year I had a horrible race so I really wanted to run this race again with better results. I really like this race and the course is flat and easy. My only complaint is the start time. The race starts at 7:30 am and with the summer heat I think a 6:30 am start would be much better. I like that they offer same day bib pick up but I am sure they would not be able to offer this if they had an earlier start time.

I am kind of useless in the heat when it comes to running. I just don't feel right and I really have to work much harder than I really want to. I knew by the first mile that things were not going to be fantastic. My legs felt heavy the entire first mile so I think I kind lost confidence after that point and just hoped to finish with a better time than I did last year.

The last mile was tough. It was hot and we were running with the sun in our faces. I wanted to be done. It was pretty sad how I didn't push myself to finish stronger. I am still kind of mad at myself for giving up so easily.

Last year I finished in 23:57 and placed 5th in my AG so I was glad that I beat my time by 14 seconds and placed 4th in my AG this year. 

Official Time: 23:43 (4th Place AG)

I am sure I will run this race again. Maybe I will get lucky next year and the weather will be much cooler or I need to get brave and learn how to run in the heat!

ASICS LA Marathon: 3/9/14

The LA Marathon was my fifth marathon and my first big race with over 25,000 runners! I would also have to say that it was my most difficult marathon both physically and mentally. For the past few weeks I have been struggling with pain in my calf and shin which returns after every run. It all leads back to my shoe issues but that is whole different story. I had doubts that I would even be able to run this race. I didn't want to do anything dumb and end up feeling worse yet at the same time I did not want to settle for a DNS if I could still run. I thought about it for the week leading up the to race and decided that if I could run at a decent pace on the Thursday before the race and be pain free on race day then I would go for it. This was able to run 5 Miles@8:30 pace on the Thursday before the race which was encouraging.

I talked about it with my other half and he told me that I should run it and not be arrogant and worry about my time. I told him that I can accept a time that is not within my goal range but I did not want to be out on the course for 5-6 hours struggling in the heat that was expected on race day. The course is a point to point so getting back to the Start would not be easy so I had to really think about it. I knew that I could not get my money back for the race or my hotel room so I really wanted to run the race even if I did not finish it.

We checked into the hotel and immediately headed to the expo to pick up my bib and and to see the famous wall with all of the names of the runners. The expo was not all that great for such a big race. I did not buy anything and did not stay for very long at all.

There was still a 5o/50 chance that I would run. My niece and her friend were also running the marathon so we headed out there together. I was still going to go and cheer them on even if I decided not to run. We went to dinner together and boy did we carb load! I haven't had a cupcake from Sprinkles in a long time so it tasted pretty good!

We talked about our race plans for the next day and the plan was that I would call my niece and her friend in the morning and let them know what I was going to do. Our hotel offered shuttle service to and from the race so we were planning to catch the shuttle at 5:45 am. The seeded corrals closed at 7:00 am so I needed to be there on time.

I did not sleep well that night because my mind and thoughts were all over the place. I was also nervous about the time change. I set my alarm but wasn't sure that my phone was going to cooperate. The clock in the hotel was not going to change and upon check in the front desk gave us a memo telling us not to rely on the clocks inside the rooms. I must have woken up every hour to compare the time on my phone to the time on the hotel clock. I woke up at 3:30 am and never went back to sleep. I stayed in bed for an hour thinking and decided that I was going to run the marathon and just accept the outcome no matter what. 

I called my niece and told them the plan and when it was time to head down they were not ready. I ended up catching the shuttle alone because I didn't want to be late and get shut out of my corral. It was a short walk to the get to the shuttle bus and the line was pretty long. It took about 20 minutes to get on a bus and there was standing room only. 

The race was just a few miles away so the ride was quick but crazy. The bus what about half way to Dodger Stadium when a car cut the bus off and the driver slammed on the brakes! Those who were standing lost their balance and pretty much fell into the person next to them. The man next to me slammed into my back and stepped on my foot so hard I wanted to scream.

The bus arrived at Dodger Stadium around 6:30 am. The lines for the porta potties were so long so I decided to skip the bathroom and head straight to the security check since it closed at 6:45 am. There were so many people and it took me a while to figure out where the seeded corrals were located. 

I was in Corral B and it was not crowded at all. One could easily find a spot to sit, stretch and eat until it was race time. Once I found my corral, I sat and ate my bagel. I said a prayer before the race and left it in His hands. Before I knew it the wheels chairs were off, the Elites were off and then it was everyone else.

The race starts in Dodger's Stadium so the first .40 miles are at an incline. Once you exit the stadium there is a short downhill and then a series of never ending climbs with small areas of flat roads in between. Some of the climbs were steep and some of the climbs were gradual but lasted for a while. If hills were not a big part of your training, it was going to be tough race for you! So yes, it was tough for me. I won't lie to you!

Mile 1: 8:30 (very crowded)

Mile 2:8:02

Mile 3: 8:34

Mile 4: 8:37

It did not help that the weather was 57 at the Start and about 85 at the Finish. I have never ran in this type of weather so I was really nervous about it. I ran into Monica at Mile 2 and we ran together and chatted about the race and the weather for about a bit. I looked at my Garmin and our pace was 7:45 so I told Monica to have a great race because I knew I could not keep up with her. The weather wasn't bad at all for the first half of the race so I had this crazy idea that I would try to maintain an average pace of 8:35-8:40 until the weather dictated otherwise. I was feeling good and only had minimal pain on the inclines. The hills at Mile 4-5 were a little tough but didn't last too long.

Mile 5: 8:49 ( hill)

Mile 6:8:55 (another hill-crap!)

Mile 7: 8:23

Mile 8: 8:31

I basically ran the course according to the elevation. When it was flat or downhill, I used that to make up for the times on the uphill. I did not push myself too much the first half since I knew that I would pay for it in the end. This was the first race that I did not wear my hydration belt which was a big change for me. The course had water every mile so I carried my hand held and refilled it as needed. The course was scenic and there was tons of course support which included the media, cheerleaders, Mickey Mouse, the Pope, hot dogs, oranges, pretzels, Vaseline and drag queens. The course support is the most amazing part of the LA Marathon!

Mile 9: 8:31

Mile 10: 8:28

Mile 11: 8:40 (refilled my water bottle)

Mile 12: 8:28

Mile 13: 8:45

Mile 14: 8:43

I knew that Mile 15 was going to give us a break since it was downhill so I could hardly wait. I needed a small break at this point and it felt great to not see a climb ahead. I swear that all of the mile markers were sitting on top of hills when you spotted them.

Mile 15: 8:16 (downhill!)

Mile 16: 8:33

Mile 17: 8:59 (gradual uphill climb)

Mile 18: 8:51 (gradual uphill climb)

Right after Mile 18, the heat was really starting to set in and I was stopping at every water station to drink and wet my head to stay cool. Shade was scarce so things started to get tough right about this point in the race. I knew that it was time to bring the pace down because I knew that I could no longer maintain sub 9 miles in the heat without crashing.

Mile 19: 9:00

Mile 20: 8:59

Mile 21: 9:29 (uphill and hot)

At Mile 20, I realized that I could run 10:00 miles and still come in under 4 hours and I was good with that. It was hot, I was tired so I told myself that I could ease off a little bit but no walking! 

Mile 22: 9:54 (uphill, hot and serious calf pain..oh crap)

Mile 23: 9:57 (worst mile...hot, tired, salty mess, painful, losing hope and all of that good stuff) 

Mile 24: 9:48

Change of plans! At this point I had to stop and walk even though I didn't want to. The hills were becoming more painful and it was just getting tough out there. I massaged my calf and kept on walking for about a minute or so until the pain lessened. I really wanted to quit but I was so close to the Finish. I saw a friend of mine who was supporting his running group and he gave me that extra push to keep on going. Thank God I saw him. His wife later told me that he said I looked very focused. I guess he was being nice.

From Mile 24 on, the course starts to head downhill but I couldn't really feel it until about Mile 25. I had a good talk with myself, pulled myself together and sucked it up. I knew that I was not going to be done until I hit 26.45 miles because I did not run the tangents properly. I tacked on an extra .25 miles by dodging back and forth to find the shade. This probably cost me a couple of minutes but I had to do what I had to do to survive out there.

Mile 25: 9:15

Mile 26: 8:53

.45 (8:19)

I finished in 3:53:40. That finish line never looked so good! It was not a PR but I was not disappointed with my time since I was secretly praying hoping for a 4:00-4:15 finish. I did my best on what I would not consider an easy course for me. Lots of runners had a hard time out there due to the heat so I have a lot of respect for every single one of  them who went any distance of the the LA Marathon! It was really about hanging on and finishing the race and not about the time for most of us.

The medal is really nice and I feel like I really earned it more than any other medal that I own. Running a big race is a tremendous experience! The crowd support is awesome and the event is very well organized. This is a perfect race for a first time marathoner. This marathon taught me what mental toughness is all about. It taught me how to push myself when the conditions are not ideal.  I will take these lessons with me to my goal race in May to push myself to fight for that BQ!

Did you run the LA Marathon this year? Any other year?

Thoughts?

Brea 8K Classic: 2/23/14

I haven't seen a PR in a while so it was nice to have a guaranteed PR today. I have never ran an 8K before so I knew it was going to be a PR no matter what! Since an 8K is right under 5 miles, I liked the idea of it being right in the middle of a 5K and a 10K!

This was a pretty local race for me which offered same day race bib pick up which is always a plus! The real reason why I wanted to run this race was because of the food sponsors at the finish line. I know..that's kind of a wrong reason to run a race, right? 

 AND

Packet pick up started at 6:30am so I headed out early to pick up my packet and still had some time to prepare for the race which started at 8:00 am. Packet pick up was well organized and there was no wait at all. There were plenty of porta-potties and the wait was just a few minutes until it got closer to the start of the race. Parking was free and super close to the Start. This race did it all right!

The course was not flat and had a few hills that really challenged me. I started out conservatively since starting out to quickly is a mistake that I always avoid. I had to take it easy on the hills because of the lingering pains that I have been dealing with due to my major shoe problems. Mile 3 was the toughest and is known as "Heartrate Hill." I was okay with my pace because I am keeping my eye on my long term goals and did not want to risk an injury with two marathons coming up in the next few months.

I finished in 38:24 (7:42 pace) and that was good enough for 5th out of 174 in my Age Group. I felt strong the entire time and just kept telling myself to relax and let my legs carry me to the finish line. Here are my splits for those who are interested.

I loved the race and it was well organized. I will definitely be back next year and not just because of all of the awesome food sponsors (hehe!).

Have you ever ran an 8K?

I think this is my new favorite for a short distance!