A New Year: Kaiser Half-Marathon

So a new year has started and now I'm aiming to get my 2010 running schedule. This was also the year that I was finally going to run my fist full marathon. Also the challenge for the first few months of the year was balancing my running schedule with busy season, as I was set to work 60-75 hour work weeks. Initially I did have a good balance going on, however I quickly learned to find out that it became more challenging with tight deadlines that were set with each job. So with my first race in 2010 coming up in February, the biggest thing was to maintain my level of fitness prior to the Kaiser Half.

Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon 2/7/2010

This was a long long day as my race and the super bowl coincided at the same day. So with that I woke up around 5 to make sure that I had breakfast and hydrated well prior to the race. Pretty much the race took place at Golden Gate Park and parts on the great highway. One good thing I had been doing prior to race was getting in a couple of runs at the park prior to the race so that I had an advantage in knowing the course well. It was pretty easy for me to find parking since I knew my friend lived a few blocks away, so I wouldn't park close to all of the runners where it could get crowded. It also made it easy for me to get my warmup run in just to get to the starting line. So the starting gun went off on time and there we go starting through the park, into the panhandle, and back into the park. For the first few miles I was going at ridiculous pace at around 7:00/mile. I knew that there was no way I could keep this pace for the next 10 miles, so I let off the pedal and got back into my groove. One of the challenges of this course was that there were a couple inclines that kind of threw me off, so it was taking a toll on me a bit. The biggest thing was that I made sure to push through it and regain my composure once we hit the decline portions of the course. So towards mile 7 and 8, we headed out to the great highway alongside ocean beach. It provided some awesome scenery with the ocean and the beaches and it was also a clear sunny day. As we looped around to come back, there was another slight setback: the headwind coming from the ocean. It pretty much slowed me down, so I had to push harder just to maintain my goal pace. As I got closer to the last two miles, I looked at my garmin forerunner and noted that I was well within my goal of breaking 1:40. So when the last half-mile approached, I started picking up my stride and kicked hard towards the finish.

Final Half-Marathon Time 1:38:40

I was so stoked when I saw my time since I was pretty close to breaking under 7:30/mile pace. I felt really good but pretty sore at the same time since I ran that race pretty hard. However I had to find the shuttle to get to my car ASAP since I had to drive over to SFO to pick up my roommate who was coming back from Vegas and then drive back to the house and get it ready for the super bowl party. We threw such an awesome party with some beer pong, friends, drinks, food and a pretty exciting game. It was an awesome Sunday to have!!

After this race, I was pretty confident for all of my future races and was on good training program prior to running my first full marathon. However like everything else in life, there were setbacks and motivation issues that I will face.

Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half-Marathon

So now it's December and getting ready to leave to go fly out to Vegas with my running buddy. The week before, I decided to buy a new pair of running shoes and wear them for the upcoming race. Generally it is not a good idea to change shoes right up to the race, but I felt that the cushion in my old shoes were gone and need something to keep me comfortable for 13.1 miles. I did however run in them prior to the race (did an 8-miler a few days before the race). So off to Vegas we go having some beers before, during, and after the flight just to relax and enjoy the trip. When I got to the expo to grab my racing packet, I was amazed of how many exhibits and booths were at this place. Ranging from Shoe companies to sports gear to nutrition and to other items, it had it all. Plus it was right next to the rodeo convention so we got to see a lot people in cowboy hats as well.So when we decided to cut ourselves off of drinking around 4 we headed just in time for the expensive pasta at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, apparently at the same time there was a Metallica concert going on that night as well. It was a huge room we entered into with thousands of people so knowing right off the bat that this was going to be a big race. Pasta was decent but definitely not worth what I paid for, but enough for a carbo load and we headed back to our hotel at the Hard Rock. Went to bed super super early so we can make it to race time at 6:15. So as we got up at 4 ish and got ready to the lobby, I realized that there people that were either coming back from partying all night or are still playing on the casino floor. I'll admit it was pretty funny seeing that scene while trying to catch a cab for us to get to the starting line. Unfortunately they blocked off a good portion of cars to get into the Strip so we did our warm up jog just to get to the starting line. Mind you it's 35 degrees as the starting time is approaching. Another thing to keep in mind is that they closed the whole strip down just for this race, which I don't think has ever been done before in the history of Las Vegas.

So I was in corral #9 so that meant that I had to wait for the other 8 waves to start before we got to go. I had done my bathroom break and kept myself hydrated before the start so I was feeling pretty good in my race. Also I'm a little superstitious when it comes to race day gear, so if I'm wearing all black, it's my "blackout" gear which means that I will have a great race or even set a PR (personal record. So with my blackout gear on, I knew I was going to have a good race. So as they let us go, I remember how fast I was going to try to set my pace. My goal was 1:45 so that meant I needed to average 8 minutes a mile to accomplish this. So as the first few miles went by, I noted that I was averaging under 8 minutes per mile, so I was pretty happy of where I was at. As I ran through the step, I saw a good amount of people come out to support us, as well as some of the people who stayed out all night supporting us while drinking some beers (I think they were still drunk). So as we got past the strip, to downtown Vegas, and started to loop back, I kept looking at my watch and was very happy that I still maintained this pace. Then as I got to mile 10, I hit a mini wall where I was feeling a little dehydrated and my thighs were starting to burn up. But as I got past through that stage by taking my GU Energy and some Cytomax, I regained my pace and stayed relaxed up until I hit mile 12. Once I hit that marker, I started to lengthen my stride a little more and noted a sudden burst of energy. I can see the finish line over at Mandalay bay and more an more supporters, so I knew I was very close. Once I was with 100 meters, I sprinted towards that line and finished strong again. I was coughing pretty bad after wards since it was still around the low 40's making it harder on my lungs with the cold air. Then it hit me that I just finished a half-marathon and was stoked that I beat my goal time

Final Half-Marathon Time: 1:42:41

Yep it was really nice to beat it by a few minutes. Then I waited for my friend to finish so that we can grab our free beer at the MGD 64 booth. And yes beer definitely tastes better after running for that long. So we made our way back to the hotel, napped for a while, then went out afterwards to celebrate our run with other friends. Went had some buffet at the MGM Grand, went to a Karaoke Bar, and I won $100 playing craps. So all in all it was a good celebratory night.

One interesting note on the trip: So as we were having a drink in one of the lounges at the Hard Rock, we came across this lady who also finished the half-marathon. She had finished a half-marathon the previous day in death valley, so it was really cool to hear her running background. She had done half-marathons, marathons,ultra-marathons, and triathlons. And she even did the ultra-marathon in 28 degree weather. By the way she's 46, so for all those people in their twenties who say they're too out of shape to run long distances, that's a bunch of bulls*it. Hearing her stories inspired me to push myself running to the next level and even beyond. It's amazing of the kind of people you meet on these trips and what you get out of it.

So now that I got my half-marathon race under my belt, I did start having thoughts about running a full-marathon. The question is which marathon in 2010 will be my first one??

Lafayette Reservoir Race (10k) and Turkey Trot (10k)

Lafayette Reservoir Run 10/25/2009

So after signing up for the Las Vegas Half-Marathon, I looked for a few 10k's while training to get me ready for the race in December. The Lafayette Reservoir run looked ideal for me cause 1) I run around that loop almost every week (1-2 times per run) and 2) It was kind of a home field for me to run. What I didn't do the whole time I've ran at the reservoir was running the loop in the difficult direction (for those who run the reservoir you know what I'm talking about) since the course for the race revolved around running the loop in the higher incline direction. So race day comes around and it's 45 degrees and I'm not used to this at all on race day, so I was pretty cold since I didn't have any warm gear on me at all. Prior to the race starting, they held an invitational one-mile race with selected individuals. The guy who won had a time of 4:03, but holy crap it looked like these guys were sprinting out of their minds. That was pretty amazing to see and maybe that'll be me one day (not)!! The race starts and once again I start out fast (a recurring theme), and I was at 7 minutes at mile 1. Then as mile 2 came upon, we were entering the reservoir with had a pretty steep incline to get to the reservoir. That zapped a good amount of energy from me. Then as we got to the loop, I was struggling on each of the big and small inclines since I exerted a lot of energy at the beginning. But as I finally got around the loop and towards the exit, I cruised the downhill portion to get back onto the main road. I looked at my Garmin ForeRunner and noted that I was on pace to finish under 8:00/mile. So as I got to the final mile, I kicked it to another gear and widened my strides. As I saw that finish line come close, I took it to my last gear and finished strong.

Final 10k time: 48:20

I was pretty excited that I finished under 50 minutes and had a pace of 7:47 a mile. Now I'm making some serious progress!! After doing this race, I made myself a training plan to be able to run the half-marathon in December. I designed it so that during the week, I would wake up around 5:30-5:45 (crazy huh??) and do 6-9 mile runs. Then on Saturday or Sunday I would build my long runs to double digits until I reached the half marathon distance. Heck on one of my runs I went beyond that distance and went 14. I never knew it was even possible that I can sustain double digit miles without stopping. Thank goodness for using a water belt that I can drink water while running. Also this was when I discovered using GU Energy Gel's and how much it has helped me with my trainings and my races.

Walnut Creek Turkey Trot 11/26/2009

So I was debating on doing this race versus the Nitro Trail Turkey Trot run in Pinole since it looked like a fun race to do. But since I wanted to stay close to home and wanted to get done with my race, shower, and head out to Brentwood for Thanksgiving dinner, I chose to do the local Turkey Trot race in Walnut Creek. It was really a home field advantage for me since the whole race was done on the Iron Horse Trail. What I didn't know was that my Cross Country coach and one of my favorite teachers from high school was running the Nitro Trail Turkey Trot run, so I was kind of bummed out when I found out afterward.

As for the race, the first couple of miles I was going pretty good. We ran through thr trails towards Heather Farms Park and looped back towards the middle school alongside the trail in which we had to semi-loop before getting back to the trail towards the finish. Here's where the big problem of how the race was organized (done by Walnut Creek Sports and Fitness Club if you're wondering): Since the trails were pretty narrow, the amount of people to participate in this race should have been capped, but it was not. There were tons of people on race day signing up at the last second, hence the start of the race was delayed by thirty minutes. Towards the end of the course, they merged all of the 10k runners (who started first), with the 5k runners/walkers (started second) and the rest of the 1-2 walkers. It was so ridiculously clustered that you could not get around anyone towards the end of the race (came close to giving a forearm by accident). Oh yeah it also doesn't help that you're avoiding multiple passenger strollers and dogs that people can't control on a leash. I had to dodge a dog from tripping me over and almost kicked one and dropped an f-bomb on one of the owners for being negligent.


Final 10K time: 45:44

My fastest 10k to date and I was pretty happy about it, but at the same time was pretty disappointed at the organization and design of the race. Having everyone merge like that was also a safety hazard as well. I went on the active.com boards to give "constructive criticism" and shockingly one of the organizers replied apologizing and really making an effort next year to make it better. We'll see though, I may look into other locations for the next turkey trot run. Nevertheless at least I got to eat Thanksgiving dinner guilt-free since I earned it by running that morning. Now it would be only a few weeks before making the leap from 10k to half-marathon.

Next races: Bear Creek (brutal) and Susan G. Komen

So after running the wharf to wharf race I looked for a local race to do. So I ended up signing up for this race called Bear Creek Trail Run located in Briones Park (Martinez, CA) and do the 10k run. I was forewarned that were hills in this course and that I should REALLY practice running up steep hills. But I figured at the time that since I've been running at the reservoir that I should be capable of running up hills. So race day comes around and around 8 AM start time the temperature was at 85 degrees already. And it was getting hotter by the minute!! So at the start of the race and to the first mile, I was running faster than I should have but was making good time. I was sweating a lot more since the sun was already beating down on me and no shade in sight. As I past the first mile marker then that is when the major inclines started creeping in. As I got through one or two of these inclines I was slowing down ridiculously. By the time I got to the third major incline, my legs were literally burning on fire and was forced to walk. For the first 3 miles, I literally went up almost 750-800 feet in elevation. Until I got to downhill portion of the race, I walked up all of the inclines, and yes it was probably warming to 95-100 degrees by now. Even the declines I had to be cautious since one slip up on the trail and you're rolling down the hill with some scrapes and cuts. By the time I got to the finish, I never felt so dehydrated and exhausted from running in my life.

Bear Creek 10k Final Time: 1:07:20

Yes, I ran a pace of approx. 10 minutes per mile, but I was thankful I finished that one. I never hated hills so much until that race, and ever since then I made sure I did some hill running for my training. One thing I learned from this race: Finish what you started, and I did, even if I was alive or not.



Race for the cure 5k 9/27/2009

So I needed a confident booster to ease myself back into running after withstanding the 100 degree and major incline race that I did. So through a work email, our company was going to help donate to Susan G. Komen Race for the cure. Since the was a 5k, I felt good about signing up and doing the race. I was the only one from my office to do the race and a few others from the SF did the race as well. When I got to the starting area, I had noted that there was a lot of booths and exhibits from sponsors and organizations supporting this cause. I was amazed and happy by the amount of women who came out to support this cause by running or walking the course. It shows a lot strength and compassion from people to take time out of their weekend to support a cause that hopefully one day there is a cure for breast cancer. It was unusually warm for SF at this time of year so I was a little unprepared for the heat on this run. As I started towards the first mile, I realize I was going a lot faster than I expected and ran it at around 6:45. As I got to mile two then I had a mini wall kicked in and noted I was slowing down a lot when I was getting passed by a good amount of people and my body is not used to running at a high intensity for a lengthen period of time. So this was my body giving me feedback that I should do some interval runnings in my trainings. As I got past mile two and for the final stretch, I digged down deep towards the last quarter mile and tried to finish strong.

Final Race time: 22:38

Not bad, but needed more practice in running at a very fast pace. This would be the first of a couple of SF races (and hopefully more) that I would do.

Afterwards, I was convinced by my friends to sign up for the inaugrual Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon race which takes place in July. In the meantime I looked for other 10k races to boost my confidence in making the jump to that distance.

How running got started

Before I describe in details of my first marathon that I ran on July 26, 2010 (which will follow in the subsequent posts), I just want to take this back about a year and a month ago of when I started running on a regular basis and started to do races. When I first started, I was running because I kept on seeing posts from my friend who was running at the Lafayette reservoir after work. So I decided, hey why not join in, get some cardio in and spend some time with some friends all at one. From there, that's when I had the idea that maybe I can start getting into doing some races around the area. I needed to do some cardio activity outside the gym since I was trying to shed the "get bigger" image that I was doing in the gym all the time. Prior to running, I had being doing jump rope which helped we dropped from 195 at the start of 2009. Plus I was looking for something in my life that I wanted to have a deep passion since my weekends usually consists of partying and sleeping which got a little old. So at the same time I was getting into running, another friend was doing a lot of running for the past year and had posted that she was signing up to do the Nike Women's marathon. Of course back then I thought a marathon would be too silly for me to even attempt since I thought running a 10k would be the ideal distance for my abilities (last time I ever undermine myself). So I looked for a race to do in the summer of '09 and found one that my family members and friends have done in the past: Wharf to Wharf (Santa Cruz to Capitola).

As I did the race, I noticed how packed it was with 15,000 runners and the crowded starting area. The biggest mistake that I made was not being towards the front of the starting area cause at the start of the race, all I was surrounded with were walkers. So pretty much the first mile I was walking forcibly. Then towards mile 2 I started to find gaps to get around people so that I can finally start running the race. One thing that I did love about the race was all of the fan support throughout the race and the amount of bands that played alongside the course. This showed that this race had a lot of spirit in it. As I got towards mile 5 that's when it started breaking up and I was able to go at my ideal pace till the finish line at mile 6. Though this race is not chip timed, I looked up at the clock and noted that I finished at 1:00 (put probably finished a lot faster). I felt great as I finished my first race and went to collect my shirt and goodies over at the sands in Capitola waiting for my friends to finish. Then we had some awesome breakfast at Auntie Mame's cafe in Scotts Valley (food never tasted so good after a race). From there that's when I really got into looking for races to run. Was the thought of doing a marathon rung into my head? Heck no, but in one year from that Wharf to Wharf race it happened.