Overall Place: 4 out of 33
Time: 49:16
Avge Pace: 7:56 min/ mi (averaged over 6.2mi)
Next official race will be the Arroyo Creek HM on Aug 10th! and will likely be a scorcher. No PR expectations there!
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Summer Dash 10K - Santa Monica, CA
Race #5 on the 2014 list, check! -- was dehydrated from beach volleyball (which also gave me a blister in my foot) and then got an awesome 3 hours of sleep on Sat night (before the race) from having too much fun! -- still wasn't the slowest 10K race time of the year:
Overall Place: 4 out of 33
Time: 49:16
Avge Pace: 7:56 min/ mi (averaged over 6.2mi)
Next official race will be the Arroyo Creek HM on Aug 10th! and will likely be a scorcher. No PR expectations there!
Overall Place: 4 out of 33
Time: 49:16
Avge Pace: 7:56 min/ mi (averaged over 6.2mi)
Next official race will be the Arroyo Creek HM on Aug 10th! and will likely be a scorcher. No PR expectations there!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Shoreline Half Marathon - Ventura, CA
Ran the 4th race on my 2014 list and my first half-marathon distance for the year. The heat definitely got to me on this one (was 67F at 7am and likely in the high 70s/ 80s during the race that started at 8am). Need to focus on training in warmer weather and mixing it in with hills on the next one. Official results here.
Overall Place: 53 out of 356 Finishers
Age Group Place: 24
Chip Time: 01:51:51
Avge Pace: 8:30
The race itself was well organized with enough water stations but the course wasn't very creative (they made us loop the start/ finish line twice for the half marathon, so it got a little monotonous). There were also some rolling hills, so wasn't the perfect race for the PR.
Overall Place: 53 out of 356 Finishers
Age Group Place: 24
Chip Time: 01:51:51
Avge Pace: 8:30
The race itself was well organized with enough water stations but the course wasn't very creative (they made us loop the start/ finish line twice for the half marathon, so it got a little monotonous). There were also some rolling hills, so wasn't the perfect race for the PR.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Summer Fun 15K - Santa Monica
Race #3 on the 2014 list ... CHECK!
Ran this (9+mile) distance after a long time today. Came in at #3. Felt kinda out of energy to start with (probably the slight sleep deprivation from the week).
Overall Place: 3 out of 30
Time: 01:16:15
Avge Pace: 8:07 min/ mi (averaged over 9.35mi)
Splits: 7:38; 8:11; 8:49; 8:17; 8:19; 8:45; 8:32; 8:33; 7:56
Splits were all over the place on this one --- Need to do a couple more 15Ks to (re)learn how to pace myself on these!
Ran this (9+mile) distance after a long time today. Came in at #3. Felt kinda out of energy to start with (probably the slight sleep deprivation from the week).
Overall Place: 3 out of 30
Time: 01:16:15
Avge Pace: 8:07 min/ mi (averaged over 9.35mi)
Splits: 7:38; 8:11; 8:49; 8:17; 8:19; 8:45; 8:32; 8:33; 7:56
Splits were all over the place on this one --- Need to do a couple more 15Ks to (re)learn how to pace myself on these!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Spring Bliss 10K - Huntington Beach
Ran the second race on my list. Wasn't planning to race on consecutive weekends but the opportunity came up so I got tempted. It was a long (60mi) drive to Huntington beach, so had to wake up super early -- but made it to the start with time to spare. Was second among the 10K runners up until the 5K turnaround point but the 1st runner was significantly ahead of me and so I didn't pay attention to the where he turned around and ended up overshooting the turnaround by a bit. Lost about 2 mins, running an extra quarter mile but still ended up at 6th place overall.
Overall Place: 6, out of 42
Time: 49:28
Avge Pace: 7:48 min/ mi (averaged over 6.3mi, not 6.1)
Splits: 7:29; 7:51; 8:04; 7:50; 7:51; 7:43
Still need to work on being consistently under 8min/ mi on every mile. On to the next one.
Overall Place: 6, out of 42
Time: 49:28
Avge Pace: 7:48 min/ mi (averaged over 6.3mi, not 6.1)
Splits: 7:29; 7:51; 8:04; 7:50; 7:51; 7:43
Still need to work on being consistently under 8min/ mi on every mile. On to the next one.
Sunday, June 08, 2014
Spring Celebration 10K - Santa Monica
Ran my first race of the year as planned in the previous post. This is was also my first time running with A Better World Running. Love the concept of keeping the races low-key and low overhead.
Surprisingly I managed to end up at position #1. Waiting for the official results to be posted to know how many ran the 10K (they usually limit it to 100) but here are the numbers:
Overall Place: 1, out of 23
Time: 48:05
Avge Pace: 7:54 min/ mi
Splits: 7:37; 7:59; 7:32; 8:29; 8:08; 7:50
Got to the start line about 5 mins late and so was trying to catch up to "the pack". Once i did, I began to chill out and then towards the end, the very last mile, I started to push hard again. That is clearly reflected in the splits. Got to try to be consistently under 8min, on the next one (hopefully will make it to the start on time!)
Surprisingly I managed to end up at position #1. Waiting for the official results to be posted to know how many ran the 10K (they usually limit it to 100) but here are the numbers:
Overall Place: 1, out of 23
Time: 48:05
Avge Pace: 7:54 min/ mi
Splits: 7:37; 7:59; 7:32; 8:29; 8:08; 7:50
Got to the start line about 5 mins late and so was trying to catch up to "the pack". Once i did, I began to chill out and then towards the end, the very last mile, I started to push hard again. That is clearly reflected in the splits. Got to try to be consistently under 8min, on the next one (hopefully will make it to the start on time!)
Saturday, May 31, 2014
2014 Running Plan
I only ran two races last year and even those were pretty unplanned and untrained. I'm hoping to do a better job this year and run a bunch all over the LA area (and many by the beach!). This is a tentative plan for now, if I learn of more interesting races (even outside of the LA area) I'll replace some of these with them -- let's see how far I get with this ...
SM=Santa Monica; HB=Huntington Beach; SV=Simi Valley; V=Ventura; VN=Van Nuys; LB=Long Beach; DTLA=DownTownLA; O-Oxnard
Low Key Races (with better world running)
BIG RACES
Date | Event | Volunteer? | Race?
============================================================
6/1 Beach Bash — SM Y
6/8 Spring Celeb — SM 10K
6/14 Spring Bliss — HB 10K
6/15 Father’s Day Run — VN Y
6/ 22 Summer Fun — SM 15K
7/13 SHORELINE HALF - V Half Marathon
7/20 Summer Time Run — SM Y
7/27 Summer Dash — SM 10K
8/9 Summer Breeze -- VN Y
8/10 ARROYO CREEK HM - SV Half Marathon
8/16 Summer Break -- SM 10K
8/23 BULL DOG - Malibu Creek 25K (ULTRA)
8/31 Rockin' Summer -- SM Y
8/31 Summer's End -- SM 10K
10/12 LONG BEAH HALF MARATHON Half Marathon (PR Attempt)
10/ 26 ROCK ’N’ ROLL - DTLA Half Marathon
11/8 CATALINA ECO MARATHON (Tentative) Half Marathon
11/15 REVEL CANYON CITY (Tentative) Half Marathon
11/16 MALIBU INTERNATIONAL MARATHON Half Marathon
11/23 A Better World Run — VN Y
12/14 SANTA-TO-THE SEA - O Half Marathon
12/21 Reindeer Run — VN 15K
1/3/15 NEW YEAR’S RACE - DTLA Half Marathon
SM=Santa Monica; HB=Huntington Beach; SV=Simi Valley; V=Ventura; VN=Van Nuys; LB=Long Beach; DTLA=DownTownLA; O-Oxnard
Low Key Races (with better world running)
BIG RACES
Date | Event | Volunteer? | Race?
============================================================
6/1 Beach Bash — SM Y
6/8 Spring Celeb — SM 10K
6/14 Spring Bliss — HB 10K
6/15 Father’s Day Run — VN Y
6/ 22 Summer Fun — SM 15K
7/13 SHORELINE HALF - V Half Marathon
7/20 Summer Time Run — SM Y
7/27 Summer Dash — SM 10K
8/9 Summer Breeze -- VN Y
8/10 ARROYO CREEK HM - SV Half Marathon
8/16 Summer Break -- SM 10K
8/23 BULL DOG - Malibu Creek 25K (ULTRA)
8/31 Rockin' Summer -- SM Y
8/31 Summer's End -- SM 10K
10/12 LONG BEAH HALF MARATHON Half Marathon (PR Attempt)
10/ 26 ROCK ’N’ ROLL - DTLA Half Marathon
11/8 CATALINA ECO MARATHON (Tentative) Half Marathon
11/15 REVEL CANYON CITY (Tentative) Half Marathon
11/16 MALIBU INTERNATIONAL MARATHON Half Marathon
11/23 A Better World Run — VN Y
12/14 SANTA-TO-THE SEA - O Half Marathon
12/21 Reindeer Run — VN 15K
1/3/15 NEW YEAR’S RACE - DTLA Half Marathon
Sunday, September 08, 2013
Race Day - Ventura Half Marathon 2013
Decided to run a half marathon after a 3 year hiatus. The last time I did 13.1 was back in July 2010 - the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. I had originally planned to train really well for the Ventura Half and signed up 2 months in advance so I had enough time to do so. I also picked a fast, flat course with the hopes of earning a new PR (possibly a 01:40 finish). Unfortunately, a ton of traveling and several other things (including slacking) meant I trained very little. The total number of miles I ran in September was 3.2miles and in the whole of August was 42.9miles. The longest training run I did between the day I signed up for the race and the day I ran it was just 8.4 miles.
With all that in mind, I had set myself a really low bar as I drove up north on the 101 on Sunday morning. I would be happy to just finish (and hopefully without injuring myself). So, in some sense I really surprised myself with the following finish (limited stats on the website)
Overall Place: 250 out of 1195 Finishers
Age Group Place: 24
Chip Time: 01:51:38
Avge Pace (First Half): 8:37/mi
Avge Pace (Last Half): 8:25/mi
When I started the race, I had the mindset of wanting to "just finish it". As I got to the turnaround point, that changed to one of "being able to keep my sub 2hr half marathon finish streak alive" and finally, as I got to around mile 10, I really started to think I might be able to come in at under 1:50! - And I think that is pretty evident from my average pace splits above.
Overall I was quite happy with the results for what I trained (nearly none). The race itself was absolutely beautiful. It was an inaugural race so there was no darth of excitement, the course was scenic, flat, fast and the weather was great too. Definitely recommend it!
With all that in mind, I had set myself a really low bar as I drove up north on the 101 on Sunday morning. I would be happy to just finish (and hopefully without injuring myself). So, in some sense I really surprised myself with the following finish (limited stats on the website)
Overall Place: 250 out of 1195 Finishers
Age Group Place: 24
Chip Time: 01:51:38
Avge Pace (First Half): 8:37/mi
Avge Pace (Last Half): 8:25/mi
When I started the race, I had the mindset of wanting to "just finish it". As I got to the turnaround point, that changed to one of "being able to keep my sub 2hr half marathon finish streak alive" and finally, as I got to around mile 10, I really started to think I might be able to come in at under 1:50! - And I think that is pretty evident from my average pace splits above.
Overall I was quite happy with the results for what I trained (nearly none). The race itself was absolutely beautiful. It was an inaugural race so there was no darth of excitement, the course was scenic, flat, fast and the weather was great too. Definitely recommend it!
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Race Day - Los Angeles River Ride - 50 Mile Bike Ride
This was my first ever "official" bike race. I mean I have biked 50+ miles several times before but I never actually entered a formal event the way I've done for foot races (10Ks, Half Marathons). And in many ways it wasn't really a race - it had riders of all shapes, sizes, speeds and levels with all sorts of bikes.
I found out about the event while hiking the weekend before from a fellow hiker, during a casual conversation. I didn't think I would actually do it (because, I hadn't taken my bike out for a ride in months!). As the week rolled by I completely forgot about it, until it was Saturday night and I was sitting on my couch and suddenly remembered it! At first I thought it was already over on Saturday - but I looked it up and it was on Sunday (next morning). I wasn't sure if they would just let me show up so I went on Facebook and found them and posted a question there. Sure enough someone responded back in a few minutes and said I could just "show up and do it".
And so, there I was on a Sunday morning -- drove 30 miles with my bike in my car, paid up and registered on the spot -- and was all set to do my first ever bike race and first 50 mile ride in almost 6 months or so.
The ride was pretty flat and took us through some interesting neighborhoods. It started in Griffith park and rode along the LA river through central and then South LA. It was very well organized with more rest stops than I (or most people) needed.
I got to the 25mile turnaround point in under 2 hours and was feeling great. A little rest stop and I was on my way back. I was gliding along the bike path with oncoming bikers to my left and the LA river (whatever little water it had) to my right side with the embankment separating me from it. And I was feeling pretty confident I'd be able to finish it off in a couple hours, even before the clouds gave way to the sun -- and that't when out of nowhere I see this ride come out of nowhere into my bike lane and collide with me head on. And since I was on the side of the path closest to the river, the collision sends me flying off my bike and rolling off the embankment. I collected myself (and my two water bottles) and assessed the situation. A bunch of scrapes and bruises and likely a sore side after a days rest but nothing major. The bike was a mess though. Front wheel was a little bent out of shape and tire and tube were busted. Handle bar twisted too.
Spent the next hour fixing up my bike (thanks to the help of the awesome race crew and couple fellow riders) and then rode back the 20 odd miles back to the start line.
Overall it was an interesting experience but I decided I'm going to stick to foot races going forward or at least if I do enter a bike race, enter one that is specifically a "race" and not a "casual ride".
No regrets though - an interesting experience overall
I found out about the event while hiking the weekend before from a fellow hiker, during a casual conversation. I didn't think I would actually do it (because, I hadn't taken my bike out for a ride in months!). As the week rolled by I completely forgot about it, until it was Saturday night and I was sitting on my couch and suddenly remembered it! At first I thought it was already over on Saturday - but I looked it up and it was on Sunday (next morning). I wasn't sure if they would just let me show up so I went on Facebook and found them and posted a question there. Sure enough someone responded back in a few minutes and said I could just "show up and do it".
And so, there I was on a Sunday morning -- drove 30 miles with my bike in my car, paid up and registered on the spot -- and was all set to do my first ever bike race and first 50 mile ride in almost 6 months or so.
The ride was pretty flat and took us through some interesting neighborhoods. It started in Griffith park and rode along the LA river through central and then South LA. It was very well organized with more rest stops than I (or most people) needed.
I got to the 25mile turnaround point in under 2 hours and was feeling great. A little rest stop and I was on my way back. I was gliding along the bike path with oncoming bikers to my left and the LA river (whatever little water it had) to my right side with the embankment separating me from it. And I was feeling pretty confident I'd be able to finish it off in a couple hours, even before the clouds gave way to the sun -- and that't when out of nowhere I see this ride come out of nowhere into my bike lane and collide with me head on. And since I was on the side of the path closest to the river, the collision sends me flying off my bike and rolling off the embankment. I collected myself (and my two water bottles) and assessed the situation. A bunch of scrapes and bruises and likely a sore side after a days rest but nothing major. The bike was a mess though. Front wheel was a little bent out of shape and tire and tube were busted. Handle bar twisted too.
Spent the next hour fixing up my bike (thanks to the help of the awesome race crew and couple fellow riders) and then rode back the 20 odd miles back to the start line.
Overall it was an interesting experience but I decided I'm going to stick to foot races going forward or at least if I do enter a bike race, enter one that is specifically a "race" and not a "casual ride".
No regrets though - an interesting experience overall
Sunday, February 24, 2013
L.A Chinatown Firecracker Run - 10K
Ran my first official race after a 3 year hiatus. Decided to test myself with a 10K (http://www.firecracker10k.org/), and it was a good thing because, even though I signed up a month ago, I didn't get time to train at all. The course was a little tough, with a 600 foot climb in the first 2.5 miles. But, luckily the finish was the same as the start, which meant there was a 600 foot drop over the rest of the course. I realized how bad I am with downhill running (some shin issues in the left foot didn't help either). Overall, I wasn't disappointed with the results at all:
Time: 50:44
Overall Place: 216/2353 | 9.2%
Time: 50:44
Pace: 8:09/mile
Division: 10K
Overall Place: 216/2353 | 9.2%
Age Group Place: 33/208 | 15.9%
Sunday, June 03, 2012
The Importance of Feedback
It's been 1.5 years since I wrote my last post, and when I look back, I realize that I never got around to completing that one itself!
But, thinking about that post and my absence from blogging and many of the activities I used to do a few years ago, made me wonder how much things have changed, so, I thought I'd do some analysis.
I decided to start with one of my (or at least what used to be one of my) favorite activities - running.
When I initially started running somewhat seriously, about 4 years ago, it didn't take me long to realize that I needed to set up a baseline, some benchmarks and track progress against them if I was to know whether I was moving in the right direction. I initially did this passively by writing it up on a whiteboard on my fridge, followed by something a little more structured - the text entries on this blog, followed by attempting to map and track my runs using mapmyrun.com, followed by writing my own little app that would allow me to store by runs passively (a simple few ruby on rails pages that took user input and stored them in a mySQL database on my local machine)
And then, one day, I discovered that there are tons of apps out there that do a really good job of helping you track your runs (or bike rides, hikes etc ...) using your smartphone's capabilities. I ended up settling on cardiotrainer to track my apps and have for the most part of about 2 years now, been religiously tracking my runs and bike rides there.
So, this is where I have been tracking my running/ biking performance for a while now. Taking a random snapshots from that, reveals the following:
First link on that page - Run from Thursday (3 days ago): 6.29/ 57:26 = 9:09 pace.
Compare that to:
this run on Apr 8th, 2012: 9:45/ 1:23:19 = 8:49 pace (of course this was flat course on the beach sand)
this on Feb 19th, 2012: 7.68/ 1:08 = 8:53 pace (lot harder climb than this morning)
this on June 9th, 2011: 6.4/56 = 8:47 (same route as today).
this on Apr 30th, 2011: 6:31/ 52 = 8:22 (same route as today)
this on Mar 6th. 2011: 7.5/ 54 = 7:14 (same route as today, but, a little longer loop on the way out)
And then, there's my last official half marathon performance (Bryce Canyon on July 17th, 2010): 13.1/ 1:43:18 = 7:53 average pace per mile.
From that data, it is clear to see that I have basically been on a downhill, as far as cardiovascular fitness goes, the last couple years (without going into details, I'm just going to say that life's been "busy"). But apart from that, what's more interesting is that the Mar 6th, 2011 run (7:14 pace average over 7.5mi) is a clear outlier!
I'm beginning to wonder if just tracking my distance, time, pace and type course (elevation) over a period time has given me this much insight, would tracking some more data help even more? Further, could this be applied to other facets of life as well? For instance, if I somehow knew what I had eaten the night before that Mar 6th, 2011 run or how much sleep I had gotten, or what sort of week was it, would that help?
Am I taking this too far? Am i going nuts?! - I sure don't think (and hope) so!
Fortunately, research supports that too. For instance, some searching reveals that there are a whole bunch of people out there thinking about stuff like this. One such group happens to be Quantified Self or QS. I hope to research more into this topic in the coming days!
But, thinking about that post and my absence from blogging and many of the activities I used to do a few years ago, made me wonder how much things have changed, so, I thought I'd do some analysis.
I decided to start with one of my (or at least what used to be one of my) favorite activities - running.
When I initially started running somewhat seriously, about 4 years ago, it didn't take me long to realize that I needed to set up a baseline, some benchmarks and track progress against them if I was to know whether I was moving in the right direction. I initially did this passively by writing it up on a whiteboard on my fridge, followed by something a little more structured - the text entries on this blog, followed by attempting to map and track my runs using mapmyrun.com, followed by writing my own little app that would allow me to store by runs passively (a simple few ruby on rails pages that took user input and stored them in a mySQL database on my local machine)
And then, one day, I discovered that there are tons of apps out there that do a really good job of helping you track your runs (or bike rides, hikes etc ...) using your smartphone's capabilities. I ended up settling on cardiotrainer to track my apps and have for the most part of about 2 years now, been religiously tracking my runs and bike rides there.
So, this is where I have been tracking my running/ biking performance for a while now. Taking a random snapshots from that, reveals the following:
First link on that page - Run from Thursday (3 days ago): 6.29/ 57:26 = 9:09 pace.
Compare that to:
this run on Apr 8th, 2012: 9:45/ 1:23:19 = 8:49 pace (of course this was flat course on the beach sand)
this on Feb 19th, 2012: 7.68/ 1:08 = 8:53 pace (lot harder climb than this morning)
this on June 9th, 2011: 6.4/56 = 8:47 (same route as today).
this on Apr 30th, 2011: 6:31/ 52 = 8:22 (same route as today)
this on Mar 6th. 2011: 7.5/ 54 = 7:14 (same route as today, but, a little longer loop on the way out)
And then, there's my last official half marathon performance (Bryce Canyon on July 17th, 2010): 13.1/ 1:43:18 = 7:53 average pace per mile.
From that data, it is clear to see that I have basically been on a downhill, as far as cardiovascular fitness goes, the last couple years (without going into details, I'm just going to say that life's been "busy"). But apart from that, what's more interesting is that the Mar 6th, 2011 run (7:14 pace average over 7.5mi) is a clear outlier!
I'm beginning to wonder if just tracking my distance, time, pace and type course (elevation) over a period time has given me this much insight, would tracking some more data help even more? Further, could this be applied to other facets of life as well? For instance, if I somehow knew what I had eaten the night before that Mar 6th, 2011 run or how much sleep I had gotten, or what sort of week was it, would that help?
Am I taking this too far? Am i going nuts?! - I sure don't think (and hope) so!
Fortunately, research supports that too. For instance, some searching reveals that there are a whole bunch of people out there thinking about stuff like this. One such group happens to be Quantified Self or QS. I hope to research more into this topic in the coming days!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Bouldering, MBA and "Cardiotrainer for Android"
What do the three items mentioned in the title of this post have in common? Not a lot - in fact, nothing at all, besides the fact that I've used or been involved with all of them this year!
Its the start of a long weekend and I'd normally be on a road trip of sorts by now, except, it's been raining cats and dogs all over California (golden/ sunshine state you say?) this whole week and I have tons of errands piled up from a crazy few months of work and school.
It occurred to me, during a conversation today, that it's been a while since I wrote anything here. I thought I'd work on a set of New Year resolutions like I did a couple years ago , but unfortunately, I haven't figured them out yet! So, I figure I'll get back to blogging, by blogging about a few of the things that have caused me to not blog as much - how's that for ironic?!
I'll start by writing about Bouldering in this post and try and address the other two in subsequent posts -
I've known about rock climbing as a sport for a few years now - but, my reaction to it was always "why would anyone in the right mind want to climb a wall?". I finally tried it about a year ago and as it turns out, it is actually a LOT of fun!
There are a bunch of types or forms of rock climbing out there - there's Traditional (or "trad") climbing, Sport Climbing, Top Roping and Ice Climbing. But the way I see it, there's Bouldering and then there's all the other climbing! :-)
So what makes Bouldering so special (to me)?
For starters, it is more minimalistic than the other forms of climbing. In theory, you need no gear except your own limbs. More realistically, you'll need some decent climbing shoes, some chalk and a crash pad to arrest your fall, and that's it (no major ropes, carabiners, harness or pulleys that other forms of climbing demand).
Next, it's a lot more intense and athletic (in my opinion, at least) - if you don't believe me, walk into any climbing gym and compare the fitness level of the boulderers vs the "others"! What makes bouldering so intense is the simple fact that you are "own your own", so to speak. What I mean by that is, unlike other forms of climbing, where you have the liberty of stopping or taking rest at any point, bouldering does not give you the liberty of "letting go", midway.
Third, bouldering is all about problem solving. Yes, that's right - I said "problem solving". There are routes or problems that must be solved and what's interesting is that there are many ways to solve a given problem - some do it a lot more efficiently and gracefully than others. To me personally, bouldering is very contrasting to long distance running (one of my other passions). While long distance running allows you to "zone out" and reflect on various things (issues at work, life whatever), to be successful at bouldering, you must completely focus on the problem at hand (leave out any other problems in your life)!
Finally, while most people tend to associate bouldering (and rock climbing, in general) with raw strength, the truth is that, the sport is just as much about skill, technique, presence of mind and being able to plan moves in advance (a little bit like chess)!
So, that's my 2c on bouldering - I figured I'll spare you of the usual description of rock climbing and bouldering, since there are tons of websites and books on the subject, and instead give you my perspective on it! - hopefully, this has motivated you to "hit the wall" sometime!
oh, and here's what I got for coming in at #4 in the UCSD Boulderdash earlier this year! :) -
Its the start of a long weekend and I'd normally be on a road trip of sorts by now, except, it's been raining cats and dogs all over California (golden/ sunshine state you say?) this whole week and I have tons of errands piled up from a crazy few months of work and school.
It occurred to me, during a conversation today, that it's been a while since I wrote anything here. I thought I'd work on a set of New Year resolutions like I did a couple years ago , but unfortunately, I haven't figured them out yet! So, I figure I'll get back to blogging, by blogging about a few of the things that have caused me to not blog as much - how's that for ironic?!
I'll start by writing about Bouldering in this post and try and address the other two in subsequent posts -
I've known about rock climbing as a sport for a few years now - but, my reaction to it was always "why would anyone in the right mind want to climb a wall?". I finally tried it about a year ago and as it turns out, it is actually a LOT of fun!
There are a bunch of types or forms of rock climbing out there - there's Traditional (or "trad") climbing, Sport Climbing, Top Roping and Ice Climbing. But the way I see it, there's Bouldering and then there's all the other climbing! :-)
So what makes Bouldering so special (to me)?
For starters, it is more minimalistic than the other forms of climbing. In theory, you need no gear except your own limbs. More realistically, you'll need some decent climbing shoes, some chalk and a crash pad to arrest your fall, and that's it (no major ropes, carabiners, harness or pulleys that other forms of climbing demand).
Next, it's a lot more intense and athletic (in my opinion, at least) - if you don't believe me, walk into any climbing gym and compare the fitness level of the boulderers vs the "others"! What makes bouldering so intense is the simple fact that you are "own your own", so to speak. What I mean by that is, unlike other forms of climbing, where you have the liberty of stopping or taking rest at any point, bouldering does not give you the liberty of "letting go", midway.
Third, bouldering is all about problem solving. Yes, that's right - I said "problem solving". There are routes or problems that must be solved and what's interesting is that there are many ways to solve a given problem - some do it a lot more efficiently and gracefully than others. To me personally, bouldering is very contrasting to long distance running (one of my other passions). While long distance running allows you to "zone out" and reflect on various things (issues at work, life whatever), to be successful at bouldering, you must completely focus on the problem at hand (leave out any other problems in your life)!
Finally, while most people tend to associate bouldering (and rock climbing, in general) with raw strength, the truth is that, the sport is just as much about skill, technique, presence of mind and being able to plan moves in advance (a little bit like chess)!
So, that's my 2c on bouldering - I figured I'll spare you of the usual description of rock climbing and bouldering, since there are tons of websites and books on the subject, and instead give you my perspective on it! - hopefully, this has motivated you to "hit the wall" sometime!
oh, and here's what I got for coming in at #4 in the UCSD Boulderdash earlier this year! :) -
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Race Day - Bryce Canyon Half Marathon 2010
Ran the BCHM -2010 two weekends ago. This was my first experience running a half marathon outside of San Diego and I absolutely loved it. The results are in, and I'm happy to say I achieved the half marathon PR goal (sub 1:45 finish) I set for myself, along with my other new year's resolutions for the year:
I thought my training for the race was pretty decent. I varied my training a little this time - instead of doing really short runs (3-5mi) twice a week and fairly long (8-12mi) runs every weekend, I did 6.6mi (10K) runs, 3 times a week and hardly any weekend long runs (most of the weekends got spent hiking, biking, camping, climbing, road tripping etc, as you can see on my outdoors blog ). The one thing I did do though, was run the same 10K (6.6mi) loop over and over again and try my best to beat my time every time - which meant, running each one like a race!
Now, for the screwing up part: I decided to go play 2 hours of ultimate Frisbee, followed by an hr of soccer (which, I hadn't played in over 10 years) the very last weekend before the race. I was amazed by how different short fast sprinting is from steady long distance running. My Achilles heels were sore following that and I also ended up with a nice blister under my right foot. To top it off, I didn't get much chance to rest my legs before the race, because, we decided to do a bunch of hikes in Zion NP, on the way to Bryce Canyon.
As a result, I practically limped to the start line, with feet feeling like crap, at 5am on the race day (after hiking 11 miles the day before and getting an awesome 4 hrs of shut eye time). I would have probably bailed on the race, if they hadn't told me, there were medals for all finishers ;-). I stretched for a good 45 minutes before the race, but was nowhere close to being in my regular running shape. I finally told myself - since I had come this far, I might as well start it -and so I did. My legs (just the ankles and bottom of my feet, everything else was perfect) hurt with every step, right from the start! I decided I was going to run a couple miles and then pull to the side. I get up to the 1 mile mark and realize I ran it in 7:56, so I change my mind and decide I'll somehow try to keep it up until the 1/2 pt (~6.6miles). After I get to that, I decide, I'll try to make it to the 8.5 mile mark, at which point I would pass the motel we were staying at (and a couple friends cheering me on), so I could bail and go crash on the soft bed. When I get to the motel, I realize I just clocked my fastest 8.5miler (1:04), so there was no way I was going to let my PR goal slip away now. I eventually hobbled into the finish line and could barely stand or walk - but, it was all worth it - not just because I achieved my goal, but, also because, I passed one of the greatest mental challenges I've faced to date!
Overall, I thought the race was very well organized, the scenery was beautiful, there were way more water stops (~10) than we needed (with both water and Gatorade at each) and the T-shirt is the best race shirt I've gotten to date (and all that for a $35 registration). Definitely recommend running it!
| Overall: | 152 out of 1141 Finishers |
| Men: | 107 out of 419 finishers |
| Age Group: | 16 out of 87 |
| | |
| Finish: | 1:43:18 Pace: 7:53/mi |
| Chip Time: | 1:43:18 |
| Gun Time: | 1:43:26 |
I thought my training for the race was pretty decent. I varied my training a little this time - instead of doing really short runs (3-5mi) twice a week and fairly long (8-12mi) runs every weekend, I did 6.6mi (10K) runs, 3 times a week and hardly any weekend long runs (most of the weekends got spent hiking, biking, camping, climbing, road tripping etc, as you can see on my outdoors blog ). The one thing I did do though, was run the same 10K (6.6mi) loop over and over again and try my best to beat my time every time - which meant, running each one like a race!
Now, for the screwing up part: I decided to go play 2 hours of ultimate Frisbee, followed by an hr of soccer (which, I hadn't played in over 10 years) the very last weekend before the race. I was amazed by how different short fast sprinting is from steady long distance running. My Achilles heels were sore following that and I also ended up with a nice blister under my right foot. To top it off, I didn't get much chance to rest my legs before the race, because, we decided to do a bunch of hikes in Zion NP, on the way to Bryce Canyon.
As a result, I practically limped to the start line, with feet feeling like crap, at 5am on the race day (after hiking 11 miles the day before and getting an awesome 4 hrs of shut eye time). I would have probably bailed on the race, if they hadn't told me, there were medals for all finishers ;-). I stretched for a good 45 minutes before the race, but was nowhere close to being in my regular running shape. I finally told myself - since I had come this far, I might as well start it -and so I did. My legs (just the ankles and bottom of my feet, everything else was perfect) hurt with every step, right from the start! I decided I was going to run a couple miles and then pull to the side. I get up to the 1 mile mark and realize I ran it in 7:56, so I change my mind and decide I'll somehow try to keep it up until the 1/2 pt (~6.6miles). After I get to that, I decide, I'll try to make it to the 8.5 mile mark, at which point I would pass the motel we were staying at (and a couple friends cheering me on), so I could bail and go crash on the soft bed. When I get to the motel, I realize I just clocked my fastest 8.5miler (1:04), so there was no way I was going to let my PR goal slip away now. I eventually hobbled into the finish line and could barely stand or walk - but, it was all worth it - not just because I achieved my goal, but, also because, I passed one of the greatest mental challenges I've faced to date!
Overall, I thought the race was very well organized, the scenery was beautiful, there were way more water stops (~10) than we needed (with both water and Gatorade at each) and the T-shirt is the best race shirt I've gotten to date (and all that for a $35 registration). Definitely recommend running it!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Training Tracking SD RnR 2010
So, I finally decided to start doing some planned training for the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon in June, this year. I haven't signed up for the race yet, but, I figure I'll try to push the miles and see where I am in a month or so and then decide, accordingly.
I haven't figured out my complete training plan either, but, I know it is going to be a lot of running, so I figure why not start tracking so I can keep it real.
I have been keeping a log of my runs in a simple text file on my phone (yeah, talk about low-tech!) for the last couple months, as I trained for and ran the San Dieguito Half Marathon. I'm going to add them here, so that I can get a total count for the year too, in the process :)
2009 Dec Runs:
Sat (12/5) 7.0mi MM Lake
T (12/7) 4.0mi Telesis Ct
Th (12/9) 5.6mi Sorrento/ Lusk ~45min
T (12/22) 5.5mi Lopez Cyn 55min
Th (12/24) 5.7mi UTC 52min
Su (12/27) 7.0mi Rose Cyn ~60min
T (12/29) 5.0mi UTC ~48min
---------------------------------------
Total: 40mi
Total for 2009: ~550miles
Will I top that in 2010? Let's see... :)
2010:
Sat (1/8) UCSD 6.6mi
T (1/11) UCSD 5.5mi
Th (1/13) trail 4.7mi 46min
Sat (1/16) UTC 10.0mi
Sat (1/23) UTC 10.5mi
Thu (1/28) UCSD 6.0mi
Sat (1/30) UTC 12.6mi
W (2/4) Lopez Cyn 5.0mi
Sat (2/6) UTC 6.6mi
Th (2/11) UTC 6.0mi
Sun (2/14) San Dieguito Half 15.0mi
Sat (2/20) TP-Del Mar + Hill 8.0mi
Th (2/25) UTC 6.0mi 48min
Sat (2/27) TP-Del Mar 7.1mi 58min
T (3/16) UCSD 6.6mi
Sat (3/20) UCSD +Rose Cyn 8.6mi 74min
T (3/23) Lopez Cyn 4.6mi
Th (3/25) UCSD + LJColony 9.6mi 78min
-------------------------------------------
Total So far: 140miles
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T (3/30): UCSD + LJ Colony 9.6mi 78min
Sun (4/4): Miramar lake 5+5+3=13mi in 1:45 + 2min breaks between loops (my own little MIRAMAR LAKE HALF MARATHON, if you will ;-)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (4/6) 6.6mi UCSD loop
*****Found out that the SD RnR 2010 is already Full (first time in the 12 year history of the event) and decided to slack off for a few weeks :)******
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (4/20) Gilman 6.6mi
Thu (4/22) UCSD 6.0mi
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** Bought new Asics Piranha's (trainers/ racing flats), from now on "P" indicates runs with these so, I know if they're doing any good or not! *****
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fri (4/28) Gilman 6.6mi (P) 55min
Sat (4/29) Rose Cyn 5mi (P) 43min
Sun (4/30) 50mi Bike Ride from UTC to Carlsbad and Back!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (5/4) Gilman 6.6mi 57min
Thu (5/6)Gilman 6.6mi 58min
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon (5/10) Gilman 6.6mi 56min
Wed (5/12) Rose Cyn 6.0mi (P)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sat (5/22) UTC<->TP 10.2miler
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon (5/24) Gilman 6.6mi 54min
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I haven't figured out my complete training plan either, but, I know it is going to be a lot of running, so I figure why not start tracking so I can keep it real.
I have been keeping a log of my runs in a simple text file on my phone (yeah, talk about low-tech!) for the last couple months, as I trained for and ran the San Dieguito Half Marathon. I'm going to add them here, so that I can get a total count for the year too, in the process :)
2009 Dec Runs:
Sat (12/5) 7.0mi MM Lake
T (12/7) 4.0mi Telesis Ct
Th (12/9) 5.6mi Sorrento/ Lusk ~45min
T (12/22) 5.5mi Lopez Cyn 55min
Th (12/24) 5.7mi UTC 52min
Su (12/27) 7.0mi Rose Cyn ~60min
T (12/29) 5.0mi UTC ~48min
---------------------------------------
Total: 40mi
Total for 2009: ~550miles
Will I top that in 2010? Let's see... :)
2010:
Sat (1/8) UCSD 6.6mi
T (1/11) UCSD 5.5mi
Th (1/13) trail 4.7mi 46min
Sat (1/16) UTC 10.0mi
Sat (1/23) UTC 10.5mi
Thu (1/28) UCSD 6.0mi
Sat (1/30) UTC 12.6mi
W (2/4) Lopez Cyn 5.0mi
Sat (2/6) UTC 6.6mi
Th (2/11) UTC 6.0mi
Sun (2/14) San Dieguito Half 15.0mi
Sat (2/20) TP-Del Mar + Hill 8.0mi
Th (2/25) UTC 6.0mi 48min
Sat (2/27) TP-Del Mar 7.1mi 58min
T (3/16) UCSD 6.6mi
Sat (3/20) UCSD +Rose Cyn 8.6mi 74min
T (3/23) Lopez Cyn 4.6mi
Th (3/25) UCSD + LJColony 9.6mi 78min
-------------------------------------------
Total So far: 140miles
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T (3/30): UCSD + LJ Colony 9.6mi 78min
Sun (4/4): Miramar lake 5+5+3=13mi in 1:45 + 2min breaks between loops (my own little MIRAMAR LAKE HALF MARATHON, if you will ;-)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (4/6) 6.6mi UCSD loop
*****Found out that the SD RnR 2010 is already Full (first time in the 12 year history of the event) and decided to slack off for a few weeks :)******
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (4/20) Gilman 6.6mi
Thu (4/22) UCSD 6.0mi
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** Bought new Asics Piranha's (trainers/ racing flats), from now on "P" indicates runs with these so, I know if they're doing any good or not! *****
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fri (4/28) Gilman 6.6mi (P) 55min
Sat (4/29) Rose Cyn 5mi (P) 43min
Sun (4/30) 50mi Bike Ride from UTC to Carlsbad and Back!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (5/4) Gilman 6.6mi 57min
Thu (5/6)Gilman 6.6mi 58min
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon (5/10) Gilman 6.6mi 56min
Wed (5/12) Rose Cyn 6.0mi (P)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sat (5/22) UTC<->TP 10.2miler
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon (5/24) Gilman 6.6mi 54min
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Race Day - San Dieguito Half Marathon 2010
Just ran the San Dieguito Half Marathon this morning. It was a very interesting experience (both the race and the day overall), and I hope to capture the details here, so I can look back at them later (something I put off doing right after AFC half, and never got back to it and now I've forgotten all the details... so, no slacking this time). But, first off, here's my performance:
Although, I didn't meet the goal I had set for myself after I finished the AFC Half last year -- which was a "sub 1:45" finish, on the next half -- nonetheless, I am pretty happy overall, for two reasons:
1. This is my best time of the 4 half marathons I've run to date (PR yay!!)
2. I have reason to believe that the above numbers don't necessarily reflect my true performance on today's race, due to some major mistakes I made (keep reading to see if you agree!) (.. and let me know through comments ;-)
OK, so here are the details. Starting off from the night before... I got myself a nice meal and stayed up a little after that, to set up my iPod Playlist and figure out my mile splits. I finally crashed on the bed around 11:45 pm, shortly realizing I forgot to set my morning alarm, I quickly "resurfaced" and set my alarm clock in the dark for 6am (race start was 8am) and went back to sleep, reassured I was all set (or so I thought!). Felt like I barely closed my eyes and the alarm went off, showing 6am. I opened my eyes, peered out of the window right above my bed and noticed it was unusually dark for 6am... so, instead of getting straight to "businesss", I decided to check the main clock in the living room and sure enough, it was an awesome 3:55am!! (a quick mental recap made me realize, that I had advanced the actual time on my clock by a couple hours, while trying to set the alarm in he dark... dang!)... retreat back into the sack, reset the clock and shut eyes again... before I know it, the damn thing is going off again (and this time the correct 6am!).. I shut the alarm and decide to rest a little before waking up... and without realizing slip into a nap... and finally come to senses at 6:24am... from then on it's a race against time... I change... make a quick cup of tetley masala tea and head out, banana in one hand, red bull in another... get in the car, start moving, and the "reserve" light comes on (dang!)... quick pull into the gas station and it's 6:55am, when I actually start heading towards the race venue. I figured I was still in decent shape (but, no!)
Driving up the I-5 N, I notice a stream of red lights from Villa De La Valle (the exit 4.5mi before the exit, I was supposed to take!), on up... I keep telling myself, it's not what I think it is, but, deep down I know, I'm screwed. I sip on my red bull and hope that the endless line of cars in front of and behind me are all hopeful of actually making the race. I spend a good 40mins, going bumper to bumper at 5miles an hr (one of the rare moments where I feel like kicking myself for buying a sports coupe with a "manual" transmission :P)... finally make the exit and, guess what, now there's another line of cars (the champions that exited from the I-5 S) merging into our already endless line... awesome, just what we need. One signal down, I realize, staying in the car and trying to drive closer to the start isn't going to help... I decide to take the first right an park in the strip mall. I jump out of the car, ditch the jacket, the phone and the wallet and start running to the start line. Now, per the race brochure, I remember reading that the entrance, to San Dieguito County park (the start of the race) was the first 3-way stop after turning right from the exit. What it didn't say, is that, that 3-way stop, is a mile from exit and uphill!)... so, I quickly realize, I'm running a race, just to get to the start of my race. I finally come up to the San Dieguito county park entrance and guess what, there's no start line in sight... I see people walking down a trail. I assume that's the way... and soon enough, I'm going downhill for about a mile and half on a dirt trail (still unsure whether I'm actually heading to the start, or some place else, or I'm already running the half!). My watch at this time was a little past 8am, so, I knew I was late... I just didn't know how late. I finally see the yellow "start" banner and hear the guy say "folks starting now are 5 minutes and 20 seconds behind the official start"... aah, perfect!
So, I quickly make a decision to ditch the usual "stretching" ritual runners go through before any long run (oh, blasphemy!!)... just hit the lap timer on my trusted Timex (7 years old and going strong) and hope for the best. Now, a little comforted by the fact that I was finally in the race... I tried to block out the negative feelings of all the energy I wasted sprinting a quick 5K before my race and the fact that I was potentially going to run ~16miles without proper stretching. I come up to the 1st mile marker, check my stop watch, look at my mile split sheet (I staple it to my bib number, upside down, so I can read it at every mile) and am happy to see that I am on track. Alright, things are looking good, time to pull out the iPod headphones and get that custom playlist I set up the night before, going. Some cool new beats (like this one , I discovered a couple days ago) and I'm "cruising" along. The one thing that was bothersome was, that because I started at almost the end of the pack, I was faced with several "walls" of runners, running at a pace 2-3minutes, slower than mine. Which meant, I was constantly breaking, turning, running off trail... just to keep my overall pace in check. It almost felt like I passed half of all the runners on the race today!
I finally reached the point where you enter the "turn around loop" and noticed the first group of runners, returning. I took a quick peek at my watch and realized that a mojority of the first wave, was about 7-8 minutes in front of me at the half way point (which made me feel good, because, it meant, if I had started on time, I could easily be among the top 100 on this race!). I finally reach the turn around point (around 7.5miles) make my first water stop for the day, empty the single powerbar gel, I had carried, stretch a little, untie and tie my laces and continue on. Soon enough, I am at mile 8 and a quick check of my mile split sheet revealed,I was trailing my target by about 2mins (which meant, I was potentially looking at a 1:47 finish, as opposed to my planned 1:45). I kept at it, going up and down the rolling hills (the course is constant rolling hills, with only about 2 miles of flat running, on the whole course.. but, thankfully the gradient isn't too bad). Thanks to a couple of hills between mile 8 and 12, by mile 12, that gap had widened to about 5 minutes (oooh... veering dangerously close to 1:50 territory :( ). I realized at this point, that I had to finish the rest of the race in 8minutes, if I wanted to avoid ending into the 1:50s. Just as that thought goes through my head, I see the final hill of the race.. phew.. but, I kept telling myself that it was downhill after that all the way to the finish and finally crossed the finsh line with the "official time clock" showing 1:54: something)... I looked at my stop watch and it was 1:49:something.. which seemed to agree with the 5:20, delay at the start of the race.
It was a pleasant surprise to see two of my running buddies (Bharath and Chaitanya) drive up to meet me at the end of the race and made all the tiredness disappear as I met them and told them about all the excitement earlier in the day. It also made me realize how much difference it makes to see a familiar face at the end of a long race. So much that, I hereby make a resolution to try to attend any race that even one of my friends runs (no matter how long or short) as long as it is within commuting distance and I have the time to do so.
Overall a very unique experience!
Time to take that rare mid day nap now :)
Finish Time: 1:49:29
Avge. Pace: 8:18
Other Info : N/A
(NOTE: race did not feature, timing chips :(.. so, above time is, as recorder on my wrist watch's lap timer)Although, I didn't meet the goal I had set for myself after I finished the AFC Half last year -- which was a "sub 1:45" finish, on the next half -- nonetheless, I am pretty happy overall, for two reasons:
1. This is my best time of the 4 half marathons I've run to date (PR yay!!)
2. I have reason to believe that the above numbers don't necessarily reflect my true performance on today's race, due to some major mistakes I made (keep reading to see if you agree!) (.. and let me know through comments ;-)
OK, so here are the details. Starting off from the night before... I got myself a nice meal and stayed up a little after that, to set up my iPod Playlist and figure out my mile splits. I finally crashed on the bed around 11:45 pm, shortly realizing I forgot to set my morning alarm, I quickly "resurfaced" and set my alarm clock in the dark for 6am (race start was 8am) and went back to sleep, reassured I was all set (or so I thought!). Felt like I barely closed my eyes and the alarm went off, showing 6am. I opened my eyes, peered out of the window right above my bed and noticed it was unusually dark for 6am... so, instead of getting straight to "businesss", I decided to check the main clock in the living room and sure enough, it was an awesome 3:55am!! (a quick mental recap made me realize, that I had advanced the actual time on my clock by a couple hours, while trying to set the alarm in he dark... dang!)... retreat back into the sack, reset the clock and shut eyes again... before I know it, the damn thing is going off again (and this time the correct 6am!).. I shut the alarm and decide to rest a little before waking up... and without realizing slip into a nap... and finally come to senses at 6:24am... from then on it's a race against time... I change... make a quick cup of tetley masala tea and head out, banana in one hand, red bull in another... get in the car, start moving, and the "reserve" light comes on (dang!)... quick pull into the gas station and it's 6:55am, when I actually start heading towards the race venue. I figured I was still in decent shape (but, no!)
Driving up the I-5 N, I notice a stream of red lights from Villa De La Valle (the exit 4.5mi before the exit, I was supposed to take!), on up... I keep telling myself, it's not what I think it is, but, deep down I know, I'm screwed. I sip on my red bull and hope that the endless line of cars in front of and behind me are all hopeful of actually making the race. I spend a good 40mins, going bumper to bumper at 5miles an hr (one of the rare moments where I feel like kicking myself for buying a sports coupe with a "manual" transmission :P)... finally make the exit and, guess what, now there's another line of cars (the champions that exited from the I-5 S) merging into our already endless line... awesome, just what we need. One signal down, I realize, staying in the car and trying to drive closer to the start isn't going to help... I decide to take the first right an park in the strip mall. I jump out of the car, ditch the jacket, the phone and the wallet and start running to the start line. Now, per the race brochure, I remember reading that the entrance, to San Dieguito County park (the start of the race) was the first 3-way stop after turning right from the exit. What it didn't say, is that, that 3-way stop, is a mile from exit and uphill!)... so, I quickly realize, I'm running a race, just to get to the start of my race. I finally come up to the San Dieguito county park entrance and guess what, there's no start line in sight... I see people walking down a trail. I assume that's the way... and soon enough, I'm going downhill for about a mile and half on a dirt trail (still unsure whether I'm actually heading to the start, or some place else, or I'm already running the half!). My watch at this time was a little past 8am, so, I knew I was late... I just didn't know how late. I finally see the yellow "start" banner and hear the guy say "folks starting now are 5 minutes and 20 seconds behind the official start"... aah, perfect!
So, I quickly make a decision to ditch the usual "stretching" ritual runners go through before any long run (oh, blasphemy!!)... just hit the lap timer on my trusted Timex (7 years old and going strong) and hope for the best. Now, a little comforted by the fact that I was finally in the race... I tried to block out the negative feelings of all the energy I wasted sprinting a quick 5K before my race and the fact that I was potentially going to run ~16miles without proper stretching. I come up to the 1st mile marker, check my stop watch, look at my mile split sheet (I staple it to my bib number, upside down, so I can read it at every mile) and am happy to see that I am on track. Alright, things are looking good, time to pull out the iPod headphones and get that custom playlist I set up the night before, going. Some cool new beats (like this one , I discovered a couple days ago) and I'm "cruising" along. The one thing that was bothersome was, that because I started at almost the end of the pack, I was faced with several "walls" of runners, running at a pace 2-3minutes, slower than mine. Which meant, I was constantly breaking, turning, running off trail... just to keep my overall pace in check. It almost felt like I passed half of all the runners on the race today!
I finally reached the point where you enter the "turn around loop" and noticed the first group of runners, returning. I took a quick peek at my watch and realized that a mojority of the first wave, was about 7-8 minutes in front of me at the half way point (which made me feel good, because, it meant, if I had started on time, I could easily be among the top 100 on this race!). I finally reach the turn around point (around 7.5miles) make my first water stop for the day, empty the single powerbar gel, I had carried, stretch a little, untie and tie my laces and continue on. Soon enough, I am at mile 8 and a quick check of my mile split sheet revealed,I was trailing my target by about 2mins (which meant, I was potentially looking at a 1:47 finish, as opposed to my planned 1:45). I kept at it, going up and down the rolling hills (the course is constant rolling hills, with only about 2 miles of flat running, on the whole course.. but, thankfully the gradient isn't too bad). Thanks to a couple of hills between mile 8 and 12, by mile 12, that gap had widened to about 5 minutes (oooh... veering dangerously close to 1:50 territory :( ). I realized at this point, that I had to finish the rest of the race in 8minutes, if I wanted to avoid ending into the 1:50s. Just as that thought goes through my head, I see the final hill of the race.. phew.. but, I kept telling myself that it was downhill after that all the way to the finish and finally crossed the finsh line with the "official time clock" showing 1:54: something)... I looked at my stop watch and it was 1:49:something.. which seemed to agree with the 5:20, delay at the start of the race.
It was a pleasant surprise to see two of my running buddies (Bharath and Chaitanya) drive up to meet me at the end of the race and made all the tiredness disappear as I met them and told them about all the excitement earlier in the day. It also made me realize how much difference it makes to see a familiar face at the end of a long race. So much that, I hereby make a resolution to try to attend any race that even one of my friends runs (no matter how long or short) as long as it is within commuting distance and I have the time to do so.
Overall a very unique experience!
Time to take that rare mid day nap now :)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Race Day - AFC Half Marathon 2009
Got my HALF MARATHON TRIPLE CROWN MEDAL and it looks pretty cool!
Now, as for my AFC half performance. Well, pretty abysmal, as I expected (see previous post):
Before I go about describing the events that led to the above disaster, add "staying up all night on the night before the race" to the list of wrong-doings I had mentioned in my last blog post :)
Overall, I am not too disappointed, though. Over the last 4 months I went from, feeling confident about a sub 1:45 finish on this race (this confidence was right after LJHM) to all the way down to not being able to run all of it :). I don't really regret all the wrong-doings either, because I've learnt from a few of them... and the others? well.. they were to much fun, to not do :)
I'm too groggy to type out the full race report right now... so, it'll have to wait till I "robot walk" myself to a shower and some food ;-)
am
PS: Just realized that all my bib numbers have the numbers 3 and 4 in them.... will have to make some sense of that, as well.
Now, as for my AFC half performance. Well, pretty abysmal, as I expected (see previous post):
| Overall: | 2031 out of 7021 Finishers |
| Men: | 1400 (almost double that of LJHM) out of 3257 finishers |
| M 25-29: | 224 out of560 |
| Finish: | 1:58:00 Pace: 9:01 |
| Tag Time: | 1:58:00 |
| Gun Time: | 1:58:40 |
Before I go about describing the events that led to the above disaster, add "staying up all night on the night before the race" to the list of wrong-doings I had mentioned in my last blog post :)
Overall, I am not too disappointed, though. Over the last 4 months I went from, feeling confident about a sub 1:45 finish on this race (this confidence was right after LJHM) to all the way down to not being able to run all of it :). I don't really regret all the wrong-doings either, because I've learnt from a few of them... and the others? well.. they were to much fun, to not do :)
I'm too groggy to type out the full race report right now... so, it'll have to wait till I "robot walk" myself to a shower and some food ;-)
am
PS: Just realized that all my bib numbers have the numbers 3 and 4 in them.... will have to make some sense of that, as well.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Mental Run!
The AFC half is this Sunday and it's been a while since I updated anything here. Browsing over past posts almost makes me feel like the training I was doing for the first two halfs this year, was something out of a different life (and although, it didn't seem too disciplined or rigorous at the time, it sure as hell does seem so, now, considering my AFC training!):)
Well, this ones going to be nothing short of interesting. I've done everything wrong this time...
1. Ignored a tender tendon right before the La Jolla Half (Heck, I thought I had hit my foot on a lab bench) and ran the half like I couldn't care less (well, at least I didn't do too bad!).
2. Took a long break and went on vacation, right after the La Jolla Half, with no running and lot of junk food binging.
3. Returned and attempted long runs without a slow build up (worsening an already sore tendon)
4. Had to stay off running to avoid limping while not running... until I figured that changing my running style helped "disguise" the tendon issue... yeap... this lead to experiments with forefoot striking.
5. Experimented with forefoot striking with a bad tendon, except the experiments were anything but that (they were more like through and through 10 milers, while what I was supposed to do was intermittent forefoot runs within the main long run :)
6. Overcompensated for the Tendon and agitated the IT Band in the process (yeah, that arch enemy of mine made a comeback after 2 years).
7. (And, final nail in the coffin) - Went camping the very last weekend before the half (instead of running and checking out the course) and did one 7mi hike on Sat and a 10+ mi (3)peak bagging hike on Sunday... and got rewarded with a nice blister on the right leg (hey, I had to balance out the ITB and Tendon issues on the left leg, right?:P)
So, here we go... there's no way I'm bailing out of the AFC (There's that Triple Crown Resolution I made earlier this year, remember?)... so, yeah... this one's going to be a veeeery interesting race and a test of mental strength just as much as of physical (or maybe more?)
am
PS: Wish I had a half marathon version of the T-shirt that reads "Why couldn't Pheidippides have died at mile 20" :)
Well, this ones going to be nothing short of interesting. I've done everything wrong this time...
1. Ignored a tender tendon right before the La Jolla Half (Heck, I thought I had hit my foot on a lab bench) and ran the half like I couldn't care less (well, at least I didn't do too bad!).
2. Took a long break and went on vacation, right after the La Jolla Half, with no running and lot of junk food binging.
3. Returned and attempted long runs without a slow build up (worsening an already sore tendon)
4. Had to stay off running to avoid limping while not running... until I figured that changing my running style helped "disguise" the tendon issue... yeap... this lead to experiments with forefoot striking.
5. Experimented with forefoot striking with a bad tendon, except the experiments were anything but that (they were more like through and through 10 milers, while what I was supposed to do was intermittent forefoot runs within the main long run :)
6. Overcompensated for the Tendon and agitated the IT Band in the process (yeah, that arch enemy of mine made a comeback after 2 years).
7. (And, final nail in the coffin) - Went camping the very last weekend before the half (instead of running and checking out the course) and did one 7mi hike on Sat and a 10+ mi (3)peak bagging hike on Sunday... and got rewarded with a nice blister on the right leg (hey, I had to balance out the ITB and Tendon issues on the left leg, right?:P)
So, here we go... there's no way I'm bailing out of the AFC (There's that Triple Crown Resolution I made earlier this year, remember?)... so, yeah... this one's going to be a veeeery interesting race and a test of mental strength just as much as of physical (or maybe more?)
am
PS: Wish I had a half marathon version of the T-shirt that reads "Why couldn't Pheidippides have died at mile 20" :)
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Training Tracking - AFC 1/2 '09
As I did for the last two half marathons I ran this year... I will be tracking all my training runs for the America's Finest City Half marathon, to be held on Aug 16th, 09...
The start is slow this time, because, my achilles tendon started to bother me, right before the La Jolla Half Marathon, and still hasn't recovered.
Just for some motivation, these are my total miles in for half marathon training, this year:
Total Miles for Carlsbad Half (including half) : 153
Total Miles for LJHM (including half): 174
Total miles run this year (well technically since, Nov '08): 402
Let's see if I can do better continue to improve that number on the AFC 1/2 training!
DAY | DISTANCE | TIME | PACE
==============================================================
Sat (6/6) ~5.0mi (Time not tracked)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thu (6/18) ~2.0mi (time not tracked) (T)
Sat (6/20) ~5.0mi ~50min ~10:00 (T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (6/23) ~2.0mi ~17min ~8:30(T)
Sat (6/27) ~7mi ~ 1:05 ~9:15(T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (6/30) ~4.0mi ~37min ~9:15(T)
Thu (7/2) ~3.0mi ~27min ~9:00(T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (7/7) ~3.5mi ~30min ~8:36(T)
Thu (7/9) ~3.0mi ~25:30 ~8:30 (T)
Sat (7/11) ~10.4 ~85min ~8:10 (T)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon (7/13) ~2mi ~19:00 ~9:00 (T) - Recovery run
Tue (7/14) ~5.5mi ~52min ~9:30 (T)
Thu (7/16) ~3mi ~25min ~8:30 (T) (Jumped over Rattle Snake!)
Sat (7/18) ~10mi ~1:30 ~9:00 (was supposed to be a 11mi run, but I walked the last mile because my IT band started to act up, out of the blue!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some very intermittent running due to ITB issues :(
--------------------------------------------------------
AFC HALF!!!!
==============================================================
The start is slow this time, because, my achilles tendon started to bother me, right before the La Jolla Half Marathon, and still hasn't recovered.
Just for some motivation, these are my total miles in for half marathon training, this year:
Total Miles for Carlsbad Half (including half) : 153
Total Miles for LJHM (including half): 174
Total miles run this year (well technically since, Nov '08): 402
Let's see if I can do better continue to improve that number on the AFC 1/2 training!
DAY | DISTANCE | TIME | PACE
==============================================================
Sat (6/6) ~5.0mi (Time not tracked)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thu (6/18) ~2.0mi (time not tracked) (T)
Sat (6/20) ~5.0mi ~50min ~10:00 (T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (6/23) ~2.0mi ~17min ~8:30(T)
Sat (6/27) ~7mi ~ 1:05 ~9:15(T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (6/30) ~4.0mi ~37min ~9:15(T)
Thu (7/2) ~3.0mi ~27min ~9:00(T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (7/7) ~3.5mi ~30min ~8:36(T)
Thu (7/9) ~3.0mi ~25:30 ~8:30 (T)
Sat (7/11) ~10.4 ~85min ~8:10 (T)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon (7/13) ~2mi ~19:00 ~9:00 (T) - Recovery run
Tue (7/14) ~5.5mi ~52min ~9:30 (T)
Thu (7/16) ~3mi ~25min ~8:30 (T) (Jumped over Rattle Snake!)
Sat (7/18) ~10mi ~1:30 ~9:00 (was supposed to be a 11mi run, but I walked the last mile because my IT band started to act up, out of the blue!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some very intermittent running due to ITB issues :(
--------------------------------------------------------
AFC HALF!!!!
==============================================================
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Race Day - The La Jolla Half Marathon 2009
OK, First off, this post is way past due (over a month since I ran this race!), and the reasons for that are contrasting - first a work overload and then a vacation overload (went to India for a month). So, anyways, without further ado and, like I did for the Carlsbad Half , here are the results of my LJHM '09 performance:
So, apparently I clocked in exactly the same time as my Carlsbad Half time , a couple months before this (heck, I'll even go so far as to say, I was about 45 seconds slower, this time). And, as much as people keep telling me that La Jolla was a much tougher course than Carlsbad, and even I was expecting to be slower by up to 10mins, compared to Carlsbad, I still would have loved to "make the numbers" :).
As for the race itself, the weather was quite nice on race day, unlike what I was warned by many runners who ran this race in the past (they warned me about dreading the heat that has caused runners to collapse on this course, in the past). The day started out cloudy and in the 65F range, temperature-wise. The sun did come out about half way through the race, but, it didn't affect runners too much.
The course is definitely more challenging than the Carlsbad half (which is flat for the most part). The La Jolla half starts out in the Del Mar Race tracks area. There is a huge parking lot near the start, that is empty at the time of start. I used that to do some quick warm up runs and I think that was a good idea coz it allowed me to start at an 8:30 pace as opposed to the 9-9:30, that I usually do for the couple miles, which in turn, helped me make up time, that I lost later on the hills. You start out by running on Villa De La Valle to the 101 (flat, and then little downhill). You turn left and run along the 101. The course does not go all along the 101, but instead jumps into ocean blvd. close to the ocean (this was something my running buddies always did on training runs, so I was totally at home). The little surprise came when the course, turned left at 4th St and climbed back up to the 101, instead of continuing downhill on coast blvd and joining the 101 later, when it is easy. Anyways, after joining the 101, we pretty much continued down to the entrance of the Torrey Pines State Park, for the biggest ascent of the race. I grabbed my first drink here (around mile 5) and headed up the hill. As I was climbing I could see some folks that had passed me earlier slow-down/ stop. I also met a woman who was cheering on anyone that she felt was tiring or giving up. I joined her in the encouragement for a while, and found out that she was running the La Jolla Half for the first time as well. There was a strategically placed water station at the top (mile 7), where I got my second drink and some gel to get re-energized after the climb. The remaining part of the route, before you exit the Torrey Pines state park, is a very slight, but long and steady, incline. Once you get out of the park and turn R on to N Torrey Pines Rd, the route is mostly flat, with some small rolling hills (max change 50ft). When you turn onto Torrey Pines again and continue, you are feeling a little upbeat because you passed the 8mi marker and you know that the downhill isn't too far off. A fairly flat mile gets you to the downhill, that leads you to La Jolla Shores (and no matter how much of a hurry you are in, you can't help admire the beauty of the views from here). And this slope was where I realized how bad my downhill running was (basically, I was being passed by more people than any other time of the race) (Note to self: Gotta work on downhill running). Once you get off the hill, it is basically a straight flat 2 miles till you get to the La Jolla Shores parking lot. This is where I hit upon the second surprise - for some reason, the route turns into the parking lot and runs along the beach (yep, the concrete walk-way, by the sand) - although that wasn't anything to be worried about. It was great to see some of my running buddies (that were not running this race) standing there to cheer those of us, running it - AMAZING MORALE BOOST!. The last (and most dreaded) surpise came at mile 12. Where you hit this small hill that brings you back up to Torrey Pines. Now, ordinarily this hill is no big deal at all, but after running 12 miles of the La Jolla Half course, it just gets magnified - and no matter how much past runners tell you to dread this, nothing describes, actually experiencing it. The final mile winds into Prospect St (the downhill can be a pain after all the climbing and running), for a beautiful finish by the cove!
One thing to note about the La Jolla Half is that it is a relatively "low-key" event (unlike, what many people are used to associating "La Jolla" with, which is "grandiose"). For some reason, the event organizers don't seem to want to spend a lot on either the expo or the race itself. Not sure if this is because of the lack of enthusiasm on their part or the fact that they are trying to save as much as they can for donation to causes (I sure hope the latter). Overall, I didn't have anything to complain about, though!
Looking forward to the final Half in the SD Triple crown (the AFC HALF) this august!
| Overall: | 1056 out of 5414 Finishers |
| Men: | 791 |
| M 25-29: | 168 |
| Age/Grade: | 52.5% |
| Finish: | 1:52:47 Pace: 8:33 |
| Tag Time: | 1:52:47 |
| Gun Time: | 1:53:13 |
So, apparently I clocked in exactly the same time as my Carlsbad Half time , a couple months before this (heck, I'll even go so far as to say, I was about 45 seconds slower, this time). And, as much as people keep telling me that La Jolla was a much tougher course than Carlsbad, and even I was expecting to be slower by up to 10mins, compared to Carlsbad, I still would have loved to "make the numbers" :).
As for the race itself, the weather was quite nice on race day, unlike what I was warned by many runners who ran this race in the past (they warned me about dreading the heat that has caused runners to collapse on this course, in the past). The day started out cloudy and in the 65F range, temperature-wise. The sun did come out about half way through the race, but, it didn't affect runners too much.
The course is definitely more challenging than the Carlsbad half (which is flat for the most part). The La Jolla half starts out in the Del Mar Race tracks area. There is a huge parking lot near the start, that is empty at the time of start. I used that to do some quick warm up runs and I think that was a good idea coz it allowed me to start at an 8:30 pace as opposed to the 9-9:30, that I usually do for the couple miles, which in turn, helped me make up time, that I lost later on the hills. You start out by running on Villa De La Valle to the 101 (flat, and then little downhill). You turn left and run along the 101. The course does not go all along the 101, but instead jumps into ocean blvd. close to the ocean (this was something my running buddies always did on training runs, so I was totally at home). The little surprise came when the course, turned left at 4th St and climbed back up to the 101, instead of continuing downhill on coast blvd and joining the 101 later, when it is easy. Anyways, after joining the 101, we pretty much continued down to the entrance of the Torrey Pines State Park, for the biggest ascent of the race. I grabbed my first drink here (around mile 5) and headed up the hill. As I was climbing I could see some folks that had passed me earlier slow-down/ stop. I also met a woman who was cheering on anyone that she felt was tiring or giving up. I joined her in the encouragement for a while, and found out that she was running the La Jolla Half for the first time as well. There was a strategically placed water station at the top (mile 7), where I got my second drink and some gel to get re-energized after the climb. The remaining part of the route, before you exit the Torrey Pines state park, is a very slight, but long and steady, incline. Once you get out of the park and turn R on to N Torrey Pines Rd, the route is mostly flat, with some small rolling hills (max change 50ft). When you turn onto Torrey Pines again and continue, you are feeling a little upbeat because you passed the 8mi marker and you know that the downhill isn't too far off. A fairly flat mile gets you to the downhill, that leads you to La Jolla Shores (and no matter how much of a hurry you are in, you can't help admire the beauty of the views from here). And this slope was where I realized how bad my downhill running was (basically, I was being passed by more people than any other time of the race) (Note to self: Gotta work on downhill running). Once you get off the hill, it is basically a straight flat 2 miles till you get to the La Jolla Shores parking lot. This is where I hit upon the second surprise - for some reason, the route turns into the parking lot and runs along the beach (yep, the concrete walk-way, by the sand) - although that wasn't anything to be worried about. It was great to see some of my running buddies (that were not running this race) standing there to cheer those of us, running it - AMAZING MORALE BOOST!. The last (and most dreaded) surpise came at mile 12. Where you hit this small hill that brings you back up to Torrey Pines. Now, ordinarily this hill is no big deal at all, but after running 12 miles of the La Jolla Half course, it just gets magnified - and no matter how much past runners tell you to dread this, nothing describes, actually experiencing it. The final mile winds into Prospect St (the downhill can be a pain after all the climbing and running), for a beautiful finish by the cove!
One thing to note about the La Jolla Half is that it is a relatively "low-key" event (unlike, what many people are used to associating "La Jolla" with, which is "grandiose"). For some reason, the event organizers don't seem to want to spend a lot on either the expo or the race itself. Not sure if this is because of the lack of enthusiasm on their part or the fact that they are trying to save as much as they can for donation to causes (I sure hope the latter). Overall, I didn't have anything to complain about, though!
Looking forward to the final Half in the SD Triple crown (the AFC HALF) this august!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Training Tracking - LJHM '09
Alright. So, I finally, "formally" registered to run the 2009 La Jolla Half Marathon (LJHM).
As I did for my first half marathon (the carlsbad half), I plan to track all my training run data for this one as well. The only difference, instead of creating new posts, every time I update the data (which is typically at the end of every week). I will just keep one blog post and keep updating it and bumping up the date, to keep bringing it back up.
As for the Training Plan, I am going to try to change things up a little. I will still be running 3 times a week(+weekend) (I might run a "warm-up" mile on other days, but significant miles will be only 3 times a week), but each run will be "special".
What do I mean by that? Well...
1. The weekend run will be long and I will not drop below 8milers (preferably stay 10mi and above) and definitely not restart from 4-5mi runs like I did the first time around.
2. Since all the weekend runs will be extra long, the Tue run will have to be a sort-of recovery run (I say "sort-of", because, I am hoping my body should be conditioned to not be as hammered after a 10mi run as I used to be in the past). For that reason, the Tue run will be a trail run (easier on the legs) and will range from 2-6miles, depending on how badly hammered the legs are.
3. Thurdays run will alternate(one Thu this, one Thu that) between hill training (to conquer that big torrey pines hill) and Interval Training or Fartleks.
For #1: The routes will vary, since I run with a running group on the weekends.
For #2: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-diego/900805585783
For #3: For hill training: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-diego/197949449764; for fartleks: Either UCSD tracks or treadmill.
Alright, so, here we go, again!
DAY | DISTANCE | TIME | PACE
==============================================================
Tue (2/3) ~6.0mi ~51mins ~8:30 (Accurate)
Sat (2/7) ~10mi ~1:32 ~ 9:12 (Accurate, Did first 5mi in 44min and next 5 in 48)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed (2/11) ~1mi
Thu (2/12) ~3.0mi ~24mins ~8:00 (Fartleks on the Treadmill)
Sat (2/14) ~10mi ~1:30 ~ 9:00 (Accurate, Did first 5mi in 44min and next 5 in 46)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skimped out on the running this week, but I did do a couple miles here and there and did a nice hike on the weekend
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (2/24) ~6mi ~47min ~7:48 (Accurate)
Sat (2/28) ~9mi ~1:25 ~9:30 (First 7.5mi, before TP hill, at 8:30 pace)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/3) ~5.8mi ~47min ~8:10 (Accurate)
Thu (3/5) ~4mi ~33 ~8:15 (Treadmill)
No weekend run... slacked off coz I was out of town
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/10) ~5.8mi ~47min ~8:10 (Accurate)
Thu (3/12 ~5.5mi ~40min ~7:30 (Speed Training at Lake Miramar, not accurate)
Sat (3/14) ~8mi ~1:08 ~8:30 (first 5mi in 45mi, next 3 in 22min)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/17) ~6mi ~51min ~8:30 (T)
Thu (3/19) slacked off (legs weren't feeling the best :( )
Sat (3/21) ~11.3mi ~95min ~8:30 (one of the hardest, but most scenic route runs, to date http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/-san-diego/516123783491630305)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/24) ~4mi ~33min ~8:15 (T)
Thu (3/26) slacked off
Sat (3/28) ~10mi ~84min ~8:30 (two rounds of Lake Miramar!) (T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/31) ~5.5mi ~52min ~9:30 (T)
Thu (4/2) ~3mi ~24min ~8:00 (T)
Sat (4/4) ~11mi ~1:42 ~9:15 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (4/7) ~5mi ~41min ~8:10 (T)
Thu (4/9) ~5mi ~43min ~8:36 (T)
Sat (4/11) ~12mi ~1:48 ~9:00 (T)
==============================================================
Tue (4/15) ~5mi (Did not track time) (T)
Sat (4/18) ~9mi (Did not track time) (T)
==============================================================
Minimal running this week (Achilles Tendon Issues)
Sun (4/26) - La Jolla Half Marathon!! - Good luck to me!
==============================================================
==============================================================
Total Miles for LJHM (including Half Marathon): 174 (75mi on T)
Total Miles for Carlsbad Half (including half) : 153
Total for year : 402
As I did for my first half marathon (the carlsbad half), I plan to track all my training run data for this one as well. The only difference, instead of creating new posts, every time I update the data (which is typically at the end of every week). I will just keep one blog post and keep updating it and bumping up the date, to keep bringing it back up.
As for the Training Plan, I am going to try to change things up a little. I will still be running 3 times a week(+weekend) (I might run a "warm-up" mile on other days, but significant miles will be only 3 times a week), but each run will be "special".
What do I mean by that? Well...
1. The weekend run will be long and I will not drop below 8milers (preferably stay 10mi and above) and definitely not restart from 4-5mi runs like I did the first time around.
2. Since all the weekend runs will be extra long, the Tue run will have to be a sort-of recovery run (I say "sort-of", because, I am hoping my body should be conditioned to not be as hammered after a 10mi run as I used to be in the past). For that reason, the Tue run will be a trail run (easier on the legs) and will range from 2-6miles, depending on how badly hammered the legs are.
3. Thurdays run will alternate(one Thu this, one Thu that) between hill training (to conquer that big torrey pines hill) and Interval Training or Fartleks.
For #1: The routes will vary, since I run with a running group on the weekends.
For #2: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-diego/900805585783
For #3: For hill training: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-diego/197949449764; for fartleks: Either UCSD tracks or treadmill.
Alright, so, here we go, again!
DAY | DISTANCE | TIME | PACE
==============================================================
Tue (2/3) ~6.0mi ~51mins ~8:30 (Accurate)
Sat (2/7) ~10mi ~1:32 ~ 9:12 (Accurate, Did first 5mi in 44min and next 5 in 48)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed (2/11) ~1mi
Thu (2/12) ~3.0mi ~24mins ~8:00 (Fartleks on the Treadmill)
Sat (2/14) ~10mi ~1:30 ~ 9:00 (Accurate, Did first 5mi in 44min and next 5 in 46)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skimped out on the running this week, but I did do a couple miles here and there and did a nice hike on the weekend
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (2/24) ~6mi ~47min ~7:48 (Accurate)
Sat (2/28) ~9mi ~1:25 ~9:30 (First 7.5mi, before TP hill, at 8:30 pace)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/3) ~5.8mi ~47min ~8:10 (Accurate)
Thu (3/5) ~4mi ~33 ~8:15 (Treadmill)
No weekend run... slacked off coz I was out of town
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/10) ~5.8mi ~47min ~8:10 (Accurate)
Thu (3/12 ~5.5mi ~40min ~7:30 (Speed Training at Lake Miramar, not accurate)
Sat (3/14) ~8mi ~1:08 ~8:30 (first 5mi in 45mi, next 3 in 22min)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/17) ~6mi ~51min ~8:30 (T)
Thu (3/19) slacked off (legs weren't feeling the best :( )
Sat (3/21) ~11.3mi ~95min ~8:30 (one of the hardest, but most scenic route runs, to date http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/-san-diego/516123783491630305)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/24) ~4mi ~33min ~8:15 (T)
Thu (3/26) slacked off
Sat (3/28) ~10mi ~84min ~8:30 (two rounds of Lake Miramar!) (T)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (3/31) ~5.5mi ~52min ~9:30 (T)
Thu (4/2) ~3mi ~24min ~8:00 (T)
Sat (4/4) ~11mi ~1:42 ~9:15 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue (4/7) ~5mi ~41min ~8:10 (T)
Thu (4/9) ~5mi ~43min ~8:36 (T)
Sat (4/11) ~12mi ~1:48 ~9:00 (T)
==============================================================
Tue (4/15) ~5mi (Did not track time) (T)
Sat (4/18) ~9mi (Did not track time) (T)
==============================================================
Minimal running this week (Achilles Tendon Issues)
Sun (4/26) - La Jolla Half Marathon!! - Good luck to me!
==============================================================
==============================================================
Total Miles for LJHM (including Half Marathon): 174 (75mi on T)
Total Miles for Carlsbad Half (including half) : 153
Total for year : 402
Friday, February 20, 2009
Does Success Retard Itself?
First off, let's get the IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, aside. I just made good (or at least started to make good) on my last new year's resolution for this year. Yep, the new blog is up and Running - here , so, watch for some exciting stuff there in the coming weeks and months (and don't forget to help me keep myself honest, by posting comments :)
OK, now let's get back to the topic at hand. Why the touch of philosophy on what is seeming like a perfectly logical and analytical blog by an Engineer on things like running and how to improve performance as an athlete? Well, it has to do with one (or both) of the following:
1. An unfortunate side effect of being stuck to the OUTLIERS for about 2 weeks (and before you say "whoa, what a slow reader!", keep in mind, my time gets multiplexed between a lot of things like running, blogging, hiking, ubuntuing, sleeping... and oh, let's not forget, "bit-flipping", that pays for the others!).
2. This video that showed up on CNN a few weeks ago, from a Obama Townhall in Florida, to sell his stimulus package (which, by now, is a law)
The first time I saw that video, I was without doubt amused and amazed. Amused because, I think that had to be one of the gutsiest moves I have seen in a while and amazed because it is not everyday that you get to see a lowly McDonalds worker getting a chance to speak to the most powerful man on the planet (or one of them, at least), 1-on-1. Now, I may not be much of an economist, but, something about that video tells me this country might be heading back in the right direction.
Anyways, getting back to the topic, as much as the video amused and amazed me, it wasn't what got me thinking about "success in life". What did was probably some combination of the aftereffects of that video on Julio's life and all the "reading" I've been doing.
To understand what I am saying, you might want to take a look at some of the latest news coverage on Julio and another similar case of a distressed common American by the name of "Henrietta Hughes". As this article descibes, "... Hughes broke down in front of thousands when she told the president that she and her son have been homeless for more than a year and living in a pickup truck. Obama hugged her after she asked her question and said his staff would help...".
Well, I'll save you the effort and summarize it for you - As it turns out, Mr. Julio now got approached my multiple radio stations, right after his little stunt, for broadcast gigs and a local minor league baseball team has offered Osegueda a job as an announcer for the Class A Fort Myers Miracle, the Twins' affiliate in the Florida State League. Not bad for going from working at Macky D's to landing a broadcaster job, within a matter of days, huh? As for Ms. Hughes, apparently, she was was later offered a home by Chene Thompson, wife of Florida State Representative Nick Thompson, who heard the homeless woman’s pleas. Isn't that amazing? Both super inspiring stories and not to mention, it almost seems like Obama is delivering on his message of change without even trying too hard! Great!
But wait, that's not what this post is about!
Time to regroup... alright... so, the reason for all that build up was to try and put you in the frame of mind I had when I decided to write this post. What all this reading and watching and thinking has got me wondering is... does getting more successful in life make you progressively less likely to attain success?!
Before you say "WHAAA.... ??!!!", let me elaborate...
Let's say you are in a position, similar to one of the folks above (and I for one came kinda close to that, when I landed in a country with a currency rate 40 times that of my home country, to go to Gradschool :-), would you do anything you possibly can to get yourself out of it? For most people, I think the answer is going to be a "HELL YEAH". And, it sounds about right, doesn't it? The amount of fear you experience in life is usually inversely proportional to the amount you have to "loose" (meaning, if you have nothing to loose, you aren't afraid of anything, not even death itself!). Let's say you walked into work tomorrow, and found out that you no longer have your job, would that affect the tone you use when you speak to your boss? Would it relax it at least a tad?
I guess the point I am trying to make (or question I am trying to ask) is... do we start being more and more "fearful" as we start to achieve the initial goals we set for ourselves, thereby limiting the number of new goals we set for ourselves (read, take fewer and fewer risks) and achieve even fewer of those and so on,goes the vicious cycle... catch my drift, here?
And now, to finish up, I will attempt to tie in the "BIG ANNOUNCEMENT" I made at the start of this blog post, into all this discussion!
Am I trying to beat or fight the tendency I just described above, by starting that blog and setting myself up for failure? :)
There, got it out of the system... just in time to hit the sack!
OK, now let's get back to the topic at hand. Why the touch of philosophy on what is seeming like a perfectly logical and analytical blog by an Engineer on things like running and how to improve performance as an athlete? Well, it has to do with one (or both) of the following:
1. An unfortunate side effect of being stuck to the OUTLIERS for about 2 weeks (and before you say "whoa, what a slow reader!", keep in mind, my time gets multiplexed between a lot of things like running, blogging, hiking, ubuntuing, sleeping... and oh, let's not forget, "bit-flipping", that pays for the others!).
2. This video that showed up on CNN a few weeks ago, from a Obama Townhall in Florida, to sell his stimulus package (which, by now, is a law)
The first time I saw that video, I was without doubt amused and amazed. Amused because, I think that had to be one of the gutsiest moves I have seen in a while and amazed because it is not everyday that you get to see a lowly McDonalds worker getting a chance to speak to the most powerful man on the planet (or one of them, at least), 1-on-1. Now, I may not be much of an economist, but, something about that video tells me this country might be heading back in the right direction.
Anyways, getting back to the topic, as much as the video amused and amazed me, it wasn't what got me thinking about "success in life". What did was probably some combination of the aftereffects of that video on Julio's life and all the "reading" I've been doing.
To understand what I am saying, you might want to take a look at some of the latest news coverage on Julio and another similar case of a distressed common American by the name of "Henrietta Hughes". As this article descibes, "... Hughes broke down in front of thousands when she told the president that she and her son have been homeless for more than a year and living in a pickup truck. Obama hugged her after she asked her question and said his staff would help...".
Well, I'll save you the effort and summarize it for you - As it turns out, Mr. Julio now got approached my multiple radio stations, right after his little stunt, for broadcast gigs and a local minor league baseball team has offered Osegueda a job as an announcer for the Class A Fort Myers Miracle, the Twins' affiliate in the Florida State League. Not bad for going from working at Macky D's to landing a broadcaster job, within a matter of days, huh? As for Ms. Hughes, apparently, she was was later offered a home by Chene Thompson, wife of Florida State Representative Nick Thompson, who heard the homeless woman’s pleas. Isn't that amazing? Both super inspiring stories and not to mention, it almost seems like Obama is delivering on his message of change without even trying too hard! Great!
But wait, that's not what this post is about!
Time to regroup... alright... so, the reason for all that build up was to try and put you in the frame of mind I had when I decided to write this post. What all this reading and watching and thinking has got me wondering is... does getting more successful in life make you progressively less likely to attain success?!
Before you say "WHAAA.... ??!!!", let me elaborate...
Let's say you are in a position, similar to one of the folks above (and I for one came kinda close to that, when I landed in a country with a currency rate 40 times that of my home country, to go to Gradschool :-), would you do anything you possibly can to get yourself out of it? For most people, I think the answer is going to be a "HELL YEAH". And, it sounds about right, doesn't it? The amount of fear you experience in life is usually inversely proportional to the amount you have to "loose" (meaning, if you have nothing to loose, you aren't afraid of anything, not even death itself!). Let's say you walked into work tomorrow, and found out that you no longer have your job, would that affect the tone you use when you speak to your boss? Would it relax it at least a tad?
I guess the point I am trying to make (or question I am trying to ask) is... do we start being more and more "fearful" as we start to achieve the initial goals we set for ourselves, thereby limiting the number of new goals we set for ourselves (read, take fewer and fewer risks) and achieve even fewer of those and so on,goes the vicious cycle... catch my drift, here?
And now, to finish up, I will attempt to tie in the "BIG ANNOUNCEMENT" I made at the start of this blog post, into all this discussion!
Am I trying to beat or fight the tendency I just described above, by starting that blog and setting myself up for failure? :)
There, got it out of the system... just in time to hit the sack!
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