Cleveland Rocks...

For a while, I knew I had a work presentation in Cleveland, OH. I was going to be there during the third week of May. During the last week of April, I found out that Cleveland had a marathon the same weekend I was supposed to be there. I knew someone who was going to run it so I thought about cheering them on during the race. The more I thought about it, I was like hey, I could easily run the half marathon. As I dove into it a little bit more, I contemplated about running the full marathon. I asked around to see what everyone thought. Most of the responses were encouraging. I eventually said sure why not, let's do this and signed up.

With my crazy running month in March, I had a decent base. I also normally run at least a ten miler once a week. I had four weeks of training to get ready for the race, but I had only three long runs with no tapering to get close to 26.2 miles. When we were out of town in Lubbock on that first Saturday, I ran 14 miles. I felt like I ran all over the city. The following weekend I ran 18 miles through our neighborhood. It was downright boring. When I ran 22 miles the weekend before the race, it was tough and hot. As the miles piled up, the temperature and the sun got hotter. I struggled to the end because of the heat. I did the best I could to get ready for a marathon with less than a month of training.

Because I had trouble sleeping the night before my flight to Cleveland, I only got in about four hours of sleep. My flight was at 7 am so I could get in early enough to have time to pick up my race packet at the expo. I was able to sleep a little bit on my flights. After I picked up the rental car at the airport, I headed straight to the expo. At the expo, I met up with a person I knew from my facebook running group. It is cool to meet other runners in other cities. I grew up in the Cleveland area so I was familiar with it. I drove by our old home and took a picture of it. I stopped by an old friend's house. Her mom had worked with my mom and her dad had worked with my dad back in the day. I had dinner with her and her family which was nice, and we caught up and reminisce. After dinner, I went to check into my hotel which was across town. I am not a fan of the speed limits because it was 60 mph on the freeway and 25 on the side street. Because I am a speed demon, I am glad I do not live there.

I woke up the next morning on my own at 4:30 am. It was a good thing because I had set my alarm for 4:40 pm. I ended up only getting about three hours of sleep. I had a granola bar for breakfast, but the hotel was also gracious enough to get me a bagel and a banana. I drove downtown and found parking in between the starting line and Progressive Field. I was going to the Indians game after the race. Some of you know I hate to pay for parking, but shelling out five bucks was worth it this morning. I did not have to worry about finding a spot plus I parked at one location all day. It was about a mile walk to the start line, and once I got there, Mother Nature called at the right time. I also used gear check for the first time ever. I did not want to run with a giant key chain from the rental car in my pocket.

With a short training regimen, I had no idea what my goal for the race was. At the expo, one of the pacers said I should just shoot for 4 hour marathon and maybe 3:45 at best. When I got to the starting line, I lined up with the 3:30 group. I am pretty stubborn and felt like 3:30 would not be out of the question. The weather was overcast and a little bit humid, but it felt pretty nice at the start. The first few miles of the race were pretty uneventful. We ran along the lake and through some nicer neighborhoods. Some parts of the course were familiar to me, and it definitely jogged my childhood memories. There were a lot of people out cheering for the first half of the race. I gave a little bit of gas around mile 6 and decided to catch up to the 3:25 pace group. Around mile 11, the sun started to peak out. I had a feeling this was not going to be good. Training in Texas is definitely good practice for the heat and humidity, but you never hope to race in that kind of weather though. I was checking the forecast all week before the race, and the highs and lows were around 50/30. Of course the starting temperature was around the mid 60's this day.

At the split where the half marathoners and marathoners went their separate ways, there were a lot of people cheering. I like it when there is a big crowd because there is so much energy in the air. After the split, the crowd was nonexistent, and the energy was zapped. Houston was my first marathon, and I loved the crowd support there. I need to run the Chicago and NYC marathon soon. I heard it is one big giant party along the course. The next stretch of the race was really boring. We ran by industrial areas and warehouses. I started to pass people who were walking at this point. It was disheartening to see this because most people put in a lot of training to then get defeated by the sun. I noticed my pace was starting to slip so I picked it up a little. I took a quick pit stop at mile 18 which is strange because I normally have to go around mile 10. The next few miles were through a nice shaded park. I had no idea this park existed when I was growing up. The shade definitely helped me because after the park, the sun was starting to get to me.

There was an underpass at mile 22 that I felt like I was walking up it because I was running so slowly. I swear I am allergic to the sun. I fought the urge to walk. At this point of all of my marathons, I start to doubt myself. Why do I choose to run marathons? Did I go out too fast? Is this my last marathon? The way this race was going for me was similar to the Lubbock marathon. I started too fast and faded in the sun. I did not feel like I hit a wall though. I took 3 gels along the course, and that was enough energy for me. The race volunteers were hosing people down with water at every water stop. I normally would not want to get wet to avoid blisters and chaffing, but I did not mind it all this day. I was still passing people as the miles racked up. In past races, my calves would tighten up towards the end. Today it was a different story. Before the race, I bought some compression calf sleeves. I wore them for the first time on race day, and they felt great. I felt no fatigue or tightness in them during the race. You could see downtown Cleveland starting at mile 22.5. It felt so close, but yet so far away.

At mile 25, I drank some water and knew the finish line was so close. I got water at every water stop during the race to make sure I was well hydrated. I was hoping to get some kind of sports drink at a couple of the stops, but they had blueberry blast Powerade each time. I am not sure why they had that because that is a terrible flavor to drink during a race. At every stop at the end, I grabbed a cup hoping it was something else. Nope. As I started to see the crowd pick up, I felt a third wind come on and sprinted for the finish line. I was passing people left and right and felt fast for once. I crossed the finish line with a respectable time of 3:31:44. I told everyone my goal was to run under a 4 hour marathon, but secretly I wanted to PR. None of my miles were over a 9 min/mile pace. Given the amount of training I put in and the weather conditions, I was happy with my results.

When I finished the race, the temperatures were in the high 70's. That's definitely warm for me. They say when you are running, it feels 20 degrees warmer. Yikes. I drank a bottle of water and ate a popsicle after the crossing the line. I changed and got my finisher's beer. I am not a fan of Miller Lite, but today, it tasted so good. I was crunched on time so I ate some fish and chips at an Irish pub along the way to the ballpark and washed it down with a local beer. My seat was behind home plate which was awesome, and it was not expensive at all. +Amber McGee and I are a fan of Leininkugel's Summer Shandy. I got one at the ballpark, and it was so much better on draft especially on that warm day. I am pretty sure most beers are better on tap.

As of right now, I can officially say my race season is over. I have said that like three times in the last couple of months. I am sure Amber is happy to hear that. I will keep running my usual 100 miles each month. The Austin marathon entry fee has been taken care of so I assume that will be my next marathon. I have few races leading up to that in the fall.

Until next time, happy running.

Fill in the blank...

I am going to try to close the gap with this post. I ran the Austin Marathon back in February. Three months have gone by since then. After every marathon I have run, I get/feel depressed. I am on this high after the race that I do not want to come back down from. I love the feeling of racing and accomplishment. I wish I could bottle up that feeling. I always have an itch to run another marathon right away. Also after each marathon, I tend to put on a little bit of weight because I stop running as much.

For the month of March, I set a goal to run ten miles every day to avoid weight gain. On the second day of the month, the goal was put to the test. I heard a 5K was being put on in BCK (Big City Kyle, that's what +Amber McGee refers to our town). I looked up the results from last year and thought to myself that I could actually win this race. I am not a big fan of 5K's and 10K's because I am so used to running the longer distances, I do not know how to pace myself in the shorter races. I also do not think I am as fast in the shorter distances. Thinking I had a chance, I signed up for it. This was going to my second 5K race ever. At the beginning of the race, I thought I needed to hang with the leading pack and lay down the hammer at the end to win. When the race started, I had to avoid running over the kids who were also participating. They sprinted as far as they can and then ran out of gas. Right off the bat, there was a guy in front of me. I was like crap, I am going to have to work for this victory. I finally passed him around mile 2, and the only thing between me and the finish was a slight hill at the end. I love inclines and powered through it without any issues. I crossed the line first without any other runners in sight. I WON! I actually f-ing won a race with a time of 21:05. It was a pretty cool feeling. In between the finish of the race and the awards ceremony, I actually ran another seven miles to get my ten in for the day.

Waking up every day to run ten miles was tough. Some mornings I just wanted to stay in bed. One Saturday, I had to wake up at 5:30 am to get the run in because we had early SXSW plans. Because I won the 5K, I won a free month to Camp Gladiator. Camp Gladiator is an outdoor boot camp. So with that, running, and my usual pickup basketball games, my legs held up pretty well throughout the month. My IT band was a little bothersome in the beginning, but it got stronger as the days past. I finally made it to the end of the month without any major hiccups. I ended up running more miles than what Amber put on her car for the month of March.

In the month of April, I ran two more 5K's. I finished second in one of them and first in the other. I was a little bit disappointed on the second place finish because I was hoping I would win three races. After winning the second 5K, I was not that excited. It was cool that I won, but that was about it. I was not a fan of that race because a part of it was through a park on trails. Running on trails just eats up your energy. I think I am going to stick to running the longer races from now on.

After those races, I thought my racing season was over. I was wrong. One of my friends wanted to run a ten miler because she had just turned 30. She had actually run a half marathon before I did. Well on her last long run, she fell and hurt herself. I felt bad for her, but I was able to run for free under her bib (Thanks, Eileen). In the first part of April, I did not log that many miles. I guess my body was little bit tired from my mileage in March. I was not ready to race a longer distance. The race was Austin 10/20, and this was its' second year. The race is pretty flat and is held in the Domain area. Going into the race, I knew I could not set a personal record. I just went out and ran the entire race at a comfortable pace. It was overcast that day and a little humid, but other than that, it was good racing weather especially for April. I ended up running a respectable time of 1:13. You got a free beer at the end of the race which was pretty cool. I started a running group on Facebook with members all over the world last August. After the race, I met a few of them who lived in Texas.

What's next? Is my racing season officially over? I told you I was going to try to bridge the gap...

Until next time, happy running.

Round 3

Last time, I wrote about my disappointing results from my second marathon in September. Running is supposed to be fun and healthy. It was my point to make it feel that way. I did make a commitment to myself to not to run slower than a 9 minute mile anytime soon. There has been a lot of racing and running since then. I will now try to bring everyone back up to speed. This might end up being a novel so get ready.

I was not training with Rogue after the Panhandle Marathon (Lubbock, TX). I will be back though. Running can be an expensive sport. Training programs, race fees, multiple pairs of shoes, and apparel can add up pretty quick. I was just going to run/train on my own for the time being. I have been running on average 30-40 miles a week. I planned on ending my running season with the Austin Marathon. My wife and I had thought about moving, so I wanted to run that just in case we do end up leaving. I would have regret moving away without running the full here. I should have signed up for the Austin Distance Challenge because I ended up running 4 of the 6 races anyways.

On my 32nd birthday, I ran the Run for the Water 10 miler. It was a cool and brisk morning which is the perfect running weather. The course was a tad hillier than I thought it would be. When you run with Rogue, you run on streets you would have never run on otherwise. You get familiar with the streets and know where all of the “hills” are. Sometimes your memory fails you though. I went out a little too hard in the beginning because the hills came into play in the middle of the race. The hills felt like they were hiding at every turn. I love hills during training, but not on race day. I was glad once the course took us back to Lake Austin Blvd. Overall, I was happy running a 1:11. Every year, Red Lobster runs the Endless Shrimp promotion. So to honor my time, I ate 111 shrimps.

The Formula Run was not a part of the distance challenge, but I ended up running it because I won a pair of free entries. I brought my buddy Dave with me. We were fraternity brothers at Texas, and we trained and ran our first half marathon (2011 3M) together. The race was at the new Circuit of the Americas course. The race track setup is awesome, and facilities looked world class. I did not get tickets for the US Grand Prix which I was a little bummed about, but I will not miss out on it next year. The course length was a little bit over a 5K. I really do not like running short races. I have no idea how fast I can go for a short period of time. I do not even remember what my time was. Also when you “run a race with me,” I am more than likely to leave you. I am just too selfish and competitive when it comes to races. I feel like I only push myself really hard during race day. During training, I would push myself but never to my maximum potential.

In the month of December, I started to increase my overall mileage because the Austin marathon was only two months away. I started to increase my long run distance and started to incorporate speed and hill work into my running schedule. I used 3M Half Marathon to gauge how my “training” was going. Because I have lost quite bit of weight since running, I had a lot of clothes that did not fit. I had compiled a bunch of long sleeve button downs, perfect to wear to the starting line on cold mornings. It was f-ing cold the morning of 3M. I do not think I have ever raced in weather like that before. At times along the course, you had to run into a headwind, and that did not feel great. This was also the first time I ran a “long distance” race without fuel. I had some Gatorade along the course, but I had no gels or chews with me. My goal was to run an even pace throughout the race. The course was set up a little bit different when I ran it in 2011. The finish had a few more hills. I ended up with a time of 1:31, an 8 minute PR, so I was pretty happy with the results.

The Rogue 30K was coming, and I had no interest in it. I live in Kyle, and the race was in Cedar Park. That is a long drive early in the morning. I was now a full time Beef Team member which meant a portion of my race fees would be reimbursed. I saw that Rogue had a discount code for members, and then all of sudden, I was on board. I was bumping my long distance run by two miles each week. I was supposed to run 18 miles that week, so it just became a win-win situation. 30K is unknown racing distance for me. I did not want to push the pace too hard because the marathon was in three weeks. The plan was to meet up with another Rogue Manny at the start of the race, but I never saw him at the start. My friend Michelle was also running the race. I started the race with her, but left her pretty quickly. I always feel rude when I do this. She was doing all of the Austin Distance Challenge races so she can get her jacket. I wanted to keep the pace under an 8 minute mile because I had no idea what the course had in store for me. It was a really humid day. Once again, I forgo any fuel during the race. The course was also hillier than I expected. It was the story of my life. I kept a steady pace and finally ran into Manny during the run. I ran with him for a few miles and picked up the pace in the end. I finished with a time of 2:26. I really enjoyed the race and saw parts of Cedar Park I would never see otherwise. I think it is my new favorite distance. You would have to train a little bit for it, but nothing like you would do for a marathon. I run all the time so I feel like I would not need to train for a half marathon. It is like the perfect distance. I wish there were more 30K’s out there. Kudos to Rogue on the inaugural race.

I am typically a late registrant for races. I always think I will get hurt and wait till the last minute to register. I am okay with paying the extra cost as oppose to me losing out on money if I cannot make the race. For once, my procrastination paid off. The Austin Marathon was offering a buy one entry this year and get one free entry next year. Before the marathon, I only planned one 20 mile run. In my prior training, I would do 4-5. I felt crappy after the twenty mile run, and I also took no fuel again during the run. The confidence I had after the 30K was shattered. The following week I had a taper run, and race week was suddenly upon us. I ate out all week that week. Most people would advise against this. I wanted to change it up this time around. My throat felt weird on Valentine’s Day, and I felt like I was getting sick. I was like oh no, this cannot be happening. I knew I could not drink Saturday night so we went to happy hour at Moontower Saloon on Friday evening. It was co-owned by a fraternity brother. The place is pretty chill, but it is mostly outside. It was cold that night, and I forgot my jacket at home. I would love to go back once the weather is pretty.

On Saturday morning, I felt like crap. I was achy, coughing, running a fever, and had chills. I napped and watched Teen Mom 2 all day with my wife, +Amber McGee. I tried to keep it really low key and not over extend myself. I loaded up on Costco pizza and Wingstop’s wings for dinner. It took me awhile to fall asleep, but I got a solid six hours of sleep in.Cereal was my go-to breakfast on race days. Because I was sick on Saturday, we did not go to the store. Crap! We were out of milk. I ended up eating pancakes with syrup and Greek yogurt before the race. Lol. That is the breakfast of champions. I was feeling a little bit better this morning. After breakfast, Mother Nature was right on cue. You guys do not want to hear this, but I am glad I am regular. If not, my races could be literally crappy. Amber dropped me off near the finish line. She got me some Lululemon running shorts for Christmas so I was sporting those. They are awesome because they have a zipped pocket big enough for my iPhone and also side pockets too. I wish they had built in compression shorts though.

The race temperature was ideal. It was cool enough that I had to sport a button down to the starting line. I must have looked funny. My wife calls me a trickle runner. I am not fast so I finish behind the main pack of runners. I wanted to run around a 3:20, but there was no pace group for that. I just started a little behind a 3:25 group. I ran with a plastic water bottle to avoid the crowd at the first few water stops. I saw Ruth England, my Rogue coach, and Amber around mile 7. Because I ran the Austin Half last year, the first ten miles were pretty uneventful. I did eat a whole bag of chews within the first ten miles. I have been avoiding any fuel during my long runs so during race day, my body would hopefully treat the food as rocket fuel. When the half and full marathoners split, the vibe changed. My mentality at that point was all business. Right after the turn on to Enfield, it was an uphill climb. I was like what I am getting myself into; this is not going to be easy. The crawl along Exposition was tough, but I got a quick break when I had to stop at a port a potty. Going in, I knew the course was hilly, but I did not expect to see so many inclines.

My wife is awesome. She is always out there in whatever weather Mother Nature throws at her. I always tell her that she can stay home. I always appreciate it when she is out there supporting/cheering me on. I saw her again at mile 14, so I was able to get rid of my gloves and arm warmers. I sucked down a gel right after that. I took on some kind of liquid every water stop to insure I did not cramp. The run up Great Northern was not bad at all, but I did not expect to see anymore inclines expect for the ones on Duval and San Jacinto. I was wrong again. I ate one more gel around mile 20 and was gearing myself for the home stretch. I started to slow down a tad when I turned on to Duval. I struggled up any incline, but I was able to recover pretty well after the peak. I wanted to turn it up along Duval, but it never happened. My pace slowed down noticeably the last 2 miles. I just wanted to finish this thing. Walking crossed my mind a few times, but I am too mentally tough to succumb to do that. The last climb on San Jacinto was terrible. I felt like I was walking up it. I turned on to 11th and was able to give it little bit of gas towards the finish line. When I crossed the line, I was relieved. I ended up running a 3:24:09, a 7 minute PR. I was definitely happy with my result. The pace over the last few miles was never over a 9 minute mile. After races, I normally hit up a brunch buffet like Trudy’s or Iron Cactus. I was still sick so I thought a little soup would not hurt. We went to Pho Saigon, but it was nothing amazing. I have had better.

So what’s next? I might enter a local 5K in March, but my racing season is pretty much over. I will keep a 30 miles running week. I plan to start up with Rogue in September because I plan to do the Austin Distance Challenge next time. The entry fee for the Austin Marathon is already taken care of so that will probably be my next marathon. I hope one of my partners in crime, Cassundra, would get healthy again so she can push me. Amber and I have some big plans for the future so running marathons might take a backseat to that.

Until next time, happy running.

When faster is not enough...

No one ever said this would be easy. Running my first marathon is the easiest thing I have done at this point. I was about to run my second marathon, with a a different goal the second go around. My goal for my first was to finish under four hours and not walk any of it, and I ran a 3:35. My ultimate goal is to qualify for the Boston marathon, which at my age is a 3:05. Going into my second race, I thought could reduce the gap in half; anything less would be unacceptable.

I wanted to do the Panhandle Marathon in Lubbock because my wife’s family lives there, so it was killing two birds with one stone. I found out about the race at the end of April during the middle of my soccer season. I started to train at the end of May when soccer was over. My first time with Rogue I ran at a beginner level, and this time, I ran at an advanced level, cramming 800 miles into a four months period. Running 50 miles a week is definitely tougher than running 40; it is obviously a bigger time commitment. During training, I stayed relatively injury free. I had some inside knee pain on both legs. Icing them down helped a lot. I also developed this weird pain in my right foot that felt like I had jammed my pinkie toe. In August, we went on a no alcohol, white starches/breads, dessert, and cheese diet, and it definitely helped with training. I felt great. The only bad run I had during training was the 24 miler, but other than that, I had a lot of confidence going into the race.

We got to Lubbock on Thursday. When you are out of town, it is hard to eat healthy. I had lived in the Lubbock for a little bit so we ate at some of the familiar places. Lubbock has so many restaurants, and most of them are chains. On Friday, I was anxious to get the iPhone 5 that I had preordered and shipped to Lubbock. I was hoping I would not miss the UPS guy because if I had, the phones probably would have been reshipped to Austin. It finally came at 6pm after I waited around all day. I tried to keep Saturday low-key. I picked up my packet with our friend, Ginger. I am actually proud of her. She had never run further than a 5k, and I convinced her to run the half marathon. I can only imagine training for it with two kids when you are not a runner in the first place would be tough, but she did it. My wife and I then hung out with her mom, grilled out, and watched football. I actually took a nap during the visit. For some reason, I never napped after my long runs on Saturdays. I was always doing something. We went to check in at the hotel and met up with the Beef Team (a great group of people who love running and beef) for our pre race meal, then went to bed around 9:30.

Sleeping Saturday night was a struggle. It took a while to fall asleep, and I kept waking up. I got out about at 6am before the alarm would go off. I had a bagel, and Mother Nature was right on cue. The hotel was a mile away from the start line, so I walked there. I actually need the “warm-up” because my right hamstring was sore from kicking a football with Ginger’s kid, Hunter. The race started at 7:30 which I thought was kind of late. It was the inaugural race, and there were about 150 marathon runners. When the field took off, it spread out thin fast. There were a lot of turns within the first three miles, and right about then, I was running by myself. I had no music with me, so it was just the sound of my shoes hitting the pavement. It was a brisk morning, and I felt great in the beginning. I signed up thinking the race would be flat because Lubbock is so flat that if you stood on a penny, you could see Dallas or at least that is what they say.

Around mile eight, I made a quick pit stop and lost about forty seconds. In the first ten miles, the race included every hill in Lubbock. I did not even know these hills had existed. Thank goodness I train in Austin and attacked them with ease. For some reason during training, every time I see a hill, I always sped up it. It is speed work in disguise. When I finished the first half of the race, I was sitting at 1:35. I knew I was making good time. When I started the race, I had two packets of chews and three packets of gel. I tried Accel Gel for the first time, and I really liked it. The first 18 miles were pretty uneventful. The course took us through Mackenzie Park, Texas Tech, and Greek circle. Things started to go downhill at that point when my legs started to cramp. I had the same issues with cramping at the Houston marathon around the same mileage. However in Houston, I was able to turn it on the last six miles while I was trying to chase down Cassundra. This time I had no Cassundra, it was getting hotter, and I was starting to slow down. I feel like the sun is my kryptonite.

Around mile 21, I saw my wife. I had seen her a few times along the course, and it was good to see her out there supporting me. At this point, I thought about walking, but I did not want to let her I know I was hurting. The cramping and heat was getting to me. I almost cried thinking about how much work I put into the training, and I was blowing it on race day. The last five miles I kept thinking I could turn it on any second, but as the miles past, I was going slower. At mile 24, two people actually passed me. Normally I am the one passing people at the end. I finally crossed the line pissed off at 3:31. I told myself anything short of a ten minute PR would be disappointing. I somehow ended up finishing seventh, but I knew I could have done so much better. If I ran the race I had in mind, I could have finished fourth or fifth. Ginger finished her half before I finished. We were supposed to celebrate at brunch, so we went to Blue Mesa where I had a few mimosas. Later, we celebrated with some friends by shot-gunning beers in the front yard. Classy.

I have been mad at myself for the last week or so, but I am over it now. During the race, I thought about never running a marathon again, but I am ready to run another marathon. So what is next? I am planning to do the Run for the Water 10 miler for my birthday. I will probably run the 3M half with a 1:30 in mind, and have a little fun running the Austin marathon. All of us have goals in mind, but at the end of the day, running is supposed to be fun, healthy, and something we enjoy. So just go out there and run and do not worry about anything else.

Until next time, happy running.

Back for more!

Oh man, it has been a while. This post I promise will be not a novel, merely an update about my next chapter in my running “career.” Last time, I had recapped about the Austin half marathon, and since then I have only run one race, the Statesman Cap 10k, at a respectable 46:07. This was my first 10k race. It was very hot that day, and I also ran it without a running partner. My weekly mileage has also dropped off ever since the Houston marathon. I felt like I had lost some of my fitness level. At times during the race, I actually felt like stopping. Did I lose my passion for running?

After the race, I took a “break” from running. I was still running, but without a true purpose. I felt sort of lost. My goal for 2012 was to run 1k miles, but I was nowhere on pace. I was only running a few times a week to stay in shape. In January I ran 105 miles, 80 in February, 65 in March, and only 30 in April. It was a disturbing downward spiral. Amber and I did a lot of traveling in April, and most of my runs were in different cities. I was in Cleveland for work and ran in 40 degrees weather which felt awesome. I was able to sneak a couple of runs in Vegas. One run was colder and the other was warmer. The run in Baltimore felt like a nice brisk morning.

After the Houston marathon, I started doing a lot of weight training. I started putting on muscle weight and ended up 10 pounds heavier; I’m pretty sure my terrible diet plus my lack of running did not help. I also joined a soccer league. I have never played organized soccer, but I loved it. Sure I was not the best player, but on the field, I can run all day and could get to balls faster than most people. I stopped had playing basketball a month before the marathon to avoid getting injured, buyI have been playing basketball about 4 times a week as well.

When the Philly group was announced, I was slightly interested. It would be cool to train with familiar faces again and with Ruth as the coach. After my crazy travel month in April, I did not think we would able to swing a trip to Philadelphia. If we were going to go, we would have to make a vacation out of it. I thought about San Antonio, but considering what happened with the weather last year, I was not going to take my chances. Somehow I found out about the inaugural Panhandle Marathon in Lubbock, a place that I survived for three years and where my wife’s family still lives. As it’s something of a home away from home, it was a good pick.

The soccer season was not going to be over till Memorial Day weekend so I could not start with Ruth’s group until June. I had to build the mileage quickly. I went from running 4 miles the second week of May to 28 miles the following week. I am surprised my IT band was not bothering me as much. When I started marathon training last time, it was always sore. So going into the first week with Rogue this time, I ran 35 miles the previous week with the farthest long run of 10 miles.

My goal time coming into training is somewhere between a 3:35 (what I ran my only marathon at) and a BQ. We will see how training goes…

Until next time, happy running.

From Houston to Austin to…

I promise this entry will not be a novel this time. After my first marathon, I was on a running high. I wanted to run the Austin full marathon. My coach, Ruth, advised against. I figured with all of my training that I have done, I would be easy to keep up the mileage and run Austin with a simple goal of finishing under 4 hours. My partners in crime, Cassundra and Manny, were doing the half. So with a little of hesitation, I signed up for the half marathon. I knew with running half, I did not need to keep a 40+ miles running week. I scaled everything back and was running about 20 miles over 4 days a week. Some of the runners from Team Veggie joined the advanced 10k group, but I was not interested in running as much after the marathon. I know it builds speed, but I will find a way to improve my speed in the future. It could be me being stubborn thinking I can do it on my own, but we will see.

The last month of marathon training I had scaled back extracurricular activities. I normally play basketball at work during lunch. I stopped that just in case I got hurt for some reason. With the race over, I started playing basketball again. The running definitely has helped with my speed and stamina. My game was off when I got back so it has been frustrating. When marathon training started, I only had time to lift weights once a week for about 30 minutes. Without the strict schedule or the time constraint, I am now able to lift weights twice a week for an hour each time. I have always wanted to be jacked, but as a runner, is that possible?

The time between the Houston marathon and the Austin half marathon felt like forever. I guess I like the feeling of racing because you get a sense of ccomplishment. Good thing I did not thoose to run the full. I started to lose interest in running just a little bit before the race. Going into the race, my only half time was 3M in 2011 where I ran a 1:58. I knew that I could beat that easily. I wanted to run a 1:30, but I figured I was out of my mind. I met Cassundra, Manny, and another Rogue, Becky at Rogue at 6 am. We warmed up by running to the start line. I got a pace band from Ruth to run it under 1:45, but I knew I was going to leave the throttle wide open. It was a cooler morning so it was great race weather. I was once again sporting my Beef Team shirt. One of these races I will finally wear a Rogue shirt.

We started off running an 8 minute pace. It felt fast, but great on my legs. It was definitely crowded even though we started out in the 3:20 pace group. I saw my wife at mile 2. It is awesome that she shows up to the race to support me although I tell her she does not have to. I do not recall that Congress Avenue is a gradual incline. I started to pick up the pace and left my running buddies around mile 4. I was thinking uh oh. I am on my own at this point. Cassundra caught up with me around mile 7. She is a great partner although I secretly think she is faster. We always have a good pace going when we run together. We passed through the Beef Team cheering section around mile 8 which was cool. I saw my wife again with our friend, Lauren, at the turn in front of city hall. The Livestrong section
along Cesar Chavez was awesome. I love it when the crowd provides energy to the race. We made a quit pit stop shortly after. After that, there was a steady climb towards Mopac. I was not a big fan of that. I was starting to feel sluggish. I was thinking to myself, was I out of shape?

Along the feeder of Mopac, I was like this sucks. It was a little hilly, and I was starting to doubt myself of my time. Cassundra started to pull away somewhere along Enfield. I ran by a supporter who said in a very monotone voice, “Make this race your bitch.” I laughed out loud and heeded her advice. The “big” hill at Lamar was not big at all. I raced past everyone up the hill and even passed Cassundra. At the top, I was like I should be able to coast to the
big finish along San Jacinto. It was nothing like that. You had to deal with a few more hills before San Jac. At that point, my claves started to tighten up. I was like this is the worst timing.

Cassundra and I were side by side when I decided to sprint with 800 meters left. With about 400 meters left, my calves tighten up even more, and I laid off the gas just enough for her to finish a second ahead. One of these days I will get her. My time was 1:39:44. It was an 18 minute personal record, not bad at the end of the day. I also learned that I am pretty decent hill runner. I, however, was disappointed with the crowd support. It was thinned out and not very loud. Houston’s crowd was absolutely incredible. I fed off the energy.

I have one more race before I am done running races for the season. I did not plan to do the Capitol 10K because it is so crowded, but my half marathon time was good enough to qualify for an earlier wave so I went ahead and registered. I am starting to replace my Saturday long runs with soccer. I figured with all the running I do, it can help me with my stamina, and I think soccer can help with my speed a little bit. What’s after that? I know I will run a marathon in the fall or winter. Where is the question? I like Ruth a lot as a coach so I might end up with whatever group she will be with. At the start of this whole running process, I never thought I would say this- I want to qualify for Boston. It is probably going to take either a few more races or for me to get older to jump into the next age group. I might have to get to Cassundra to try to run a 3:10 one of these days. LOL. I think it would be an awesome experience to run Boston.

Until next time, happy running.

The first time

I waited two weeks before the big day to find a good pair of running shorts. I have plenty of pairs, but they either have mesh pockets or a back pocket that holds barely anything. The mesh ones do not work well because one time I ran with some Honey Stingers in them, and the bag rubbed my leg raw. I searched all over town and even called the manufacturers directly. I needed one to hold everything I was planning to carry. I found one online, and it was delivered just on time, and it was even on sale. It was funny because during the race someone thought I was wearing basketball shorts. They are a longer pair with compression shorts built in. My other issue was to balance my eating that week before so my digestive system will be on a routine. I cut down the junk food and sugary stuff. Everything worked out, and I did not have a “crappy” race.

My wife and I left for Houston early Saturday morning. I missed the trials because I thought for some reason they were going to be in the afternoon. I guess they were televised in the afternoon so that is what probably threw me off. When we got there, I ran my 20 minutes shake out and then ate Vietnamese food with my parents in Chinatown. There are so many bad drivers in that area. I do not know if it is the stereotype or what, but it gave me a little bit of anxiety. I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible and headed to our hotel to check in. We stayed at the Double Tree downtown. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a little bit closer to the expo/starting line, but it was over a mile away.

We drove to the expo and picked up my packet. I was assigned to the open corral. There were two corrals, A and open. When I registered for the lottery, I put down that I was going to run a 4:30 race. Training went well, and I was going to beat that time easily. I was a little nervous that I was going to run into slow runners when the race started. Ruth told us to avoid spending a lot of time at the expo. We were supposed to relax and get off our feet. I heeded her words and spent some time picking up the free stuff and not shop for any running gear. We stopped by HEB closest to downtown and picked up some waters and milk/cereal for my breakfast. We went ahead and went to dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse at around 5. I avoided beef all week, but ended up eating lasagna with meat sauce with chicken parm. I was stuffed, and we headed back to the hotel room. We caught the end of the Saints/49ers game which had a crazy ending, and then the first half of the Patriots/Broncos game. I hate Tim Tebow with a passion and was glad the Broncos were now out of the playoffs.

I went to bed just before nine. I slept terrible the night before. I woke up every hour. This night was no different. It took me at least an hour to fall asleep, and I kept waking up. I did get to a point where I was able to sleep three hours straight. On the Saturday long runs, I normally get about 5 hours of sleep so it was not that much different. The alarm was supposed to go off at 4:50, but I was up before than because of Mother Nature. I was off to a good start already. I ate my usual bowl of cereal, and also a granola bar for a little bit more fuel. I left the hotel and headed for the convention center. I gave myself about 25 minutes to walk that mile. It was a cooler morning so I had some throwaway gloves I got at the expo and some arm warmers. I met up with another Rogue in my training group, Cassundra and headed to the starting line. Mother Nature called again, and I was hoping this was not going to be reoccurring theme. Was it nerves or something I ate the night before? I had a GU while we were waiting. I had the strawberry banana one. Is there a GU out there that tastes good? Every time I have one, I feel like I am going to puke.

After 30 minutes or so, there were some cheering, and we were off. For some reason I did not recall hearing a gun. It was packed the first few miles. There were a lot of slow runners in the left lane. I even saw some walkers in the marathon lane. I guess some of the half marathoners crossed the median and were on our side. I was zigzagging around slower runners and bursting through creases like a running back. I probably did it more than I should. I ran with a water bottle the first 9 miles or so of the race so I did not have to deal with crowded water stops. I started eating energy blocks every mile starting around mile 6, something I learned and mentioned in my previous post. I did finish all of my water right around where the half marathoners turned back. That is also the point where both of us could not hold our bladder any longer, so we had to make our only pit stop the entire race. I normally stop 2-3 times during our long run. Ruth gave us a pace band before the race, and we were on pace or slightly ahead at every split. After the half marathoners split off, crowd support was not as thick and the energy of the race dropped a level.

I ran without any music. This was my first marathon, and I wanted to take in the whole experience. I saw plenty of funny signs that brought laughter or a smile to my face. Some were “Run a better race than Perry” and “You trained for this race longer than Kim Kardashian was married.” The crowd was amazing. I was wearing a Team Beef shirt, and people were yelling beef or my name. The crowd was very supportive especially when I needed it in the end. Our pace band had us running negative splits to make sure we do not go out too hard. We crossed the half point at 1:51:19 which meant I PR’ed the first 13.1. Starting in the back is not always a bad thing. We passed everyone and no one was passing us. It was a confidence booster. We saw Ruth and Steve around the Rice Campus so that was a pleasant surprise, also perfect for me to unload unnecessary items. Right around mile 14 we had to run up a bridge over some train tracks. I thought Houston was supposed to be flat? Thank god we train in Austin.

Around mile 19, my legs started to cramp. Oh no! Holding on to the water bottle was a bad idea. I probably needed to drink more water in the beginning, but I wanted to avoid the bathroom, a catch-22. I could have made up time if I had to make an extra pit stop. We only lost 30 seconds when we went, so it was probably better than losing 20 seconds or so every mile. The zigzagging was also finally catching up to me. Next time I will seed myself higher so I can be in the first corral.

Our splits were still consistent, but I could see Cassundra was starting to give a little bit of gas. She would get a few strides ahead. I felt like I was holding her so I told her to go. She hesitated and said we were running the pace she wanted to, but a few moments later, she was gone. Her leaving me in her dust was probably good thing as much as I wanted to keep up. I sped up a little and tried to keep her in sight, but once I got to Memorial park, my attempt was futile. The park was hard because there were hardly any spectators, and other runners were slowing down or walking. It was mentally challenging. I also saw people stopping and getting beer- interesting. I sucked down a Power Bar energy gel- it was a little bit better, not as thick and had a little caffeine. That gave me a little boost. After the park, it was a lot smoother.

The crowd picked up as I left the park. The smallest things can push you along. I saw Ruth and Steve again around mile 22, and they said I was on pace still. Whoever put the two Allen Parkway underpasses on the course sucks at life. It almost got me. You had to run down and back up around mile 24 and 25. Running into downtown was neat, but a little bit of windy. My legs were finally getting tired and sore, so I eased off a little. I was still passing people, and the crowd was still cheering along the route. It was such an incredible feeling and view. Am I about to join .1 percent? I got emotional towards the end and started to cry. With about half a mile left, I started to sprint which meant I had more in the tank- I just do not know how much. I was surprised to see my wife right before the finish. We were supposed to meet inside afterwards. I waved at her, turned the corner, and dead sprinted for the finish line. When I crossed the line, I looked at my watch. 3:35 and some change? WTF? That cannot be right. I started this journey 6 months ago and logged over 800 miles. I missed only 2 weeks of running at the beginning of training because I had strep. I was running beginner’s mileage and was trying to run my first under 4 hours. I guess everything Rogue made me do, paid off. Ruth gave me a pace band of 3:40 before the race, and I sort of laughed at that. There is no way I could run that. I think the best way I can sum it up would be- it was an awesome accomplishment. I am a pessimist so I keep thinking about things I could have done better. I just need to accept what I did and move on to the next race. All in all, it did feel like a normal Saturday run with a little bit of pace. That’s a testament to what Rogue does.

I picked up my finishing medal, grabbed a little bit of food which was not best considering HEB provided it, and then got my beer mug and finishing shirt. I met my wife and headed back to the hotel. I avoided doing ice baths the whole time during training. I felt like today would be the perfect time to try. I think that might have been the hardest thing I had to do all day, sit in ice for 15 minutes. We checked out of the hotel and went to Goode Company BBQ to load up on beef. That place used to be awesome when I was growing up in Houston. I would say it was borderline terrible. I guess we are spoiled by living in the Hill Country with all of the awesome BBQ around us. We grabbed some beignets, went shopping at Katy Mills Mall, and got some Mexican food with my parents and then headed home. When we got home, we celebrated with a glass of champagne. 

This is the perfect section to do this. Also I am sorry if this race report is like a novel, but hey it is my first marathon, so I took in everything I could. I would like to thank my wife, Amber. Without her support and understanding, I probably would have never run the marathon and would be divorced right now. Next up would be my Rogue coach, Ruth. She busted my butt and made run like I have never run before. I got to where I am today as a runner because of her. I like to give a shout out to my winter marathon group (Team Veggie) for being Awesome. I would also like to thank my Rogue running buddies, Manny and Cassundra. They got me through the long runs and the workouts. I feel like I was taken under their wings. I especially would like to thank Cassundra. She rocked the marathon. 45 seconds faster than I was at every mile, over the last 7 miles? Wow! Without her in the first 19 miles, I have no idea what the results would have been like. I am also thankful for the Rogue family. What a great supportive group! Running the marathon was the 2nd best thing I have ever done. It was an amazing experience. I would recommend everyone try to run one if you can.

What’s next? Find out in a few weeks…

Until next time, happy running.

Preparing for the first one

I won the lottery!

Actually I won the Houston marathon lottery, and this is going to be my first marathon. I grew up in Houston, and the course is relatively flat, so it made sense for me to run it. I joined Rogue so I would not get injured, plus there would be a structured plan to help me reach my goal. I decided on training at Rogue twice a week, which includes the long Saturday runs and the group workouts on Tuesday. I can handle the medium runs by myself. I had never run in a group before. The support and comradery is unbelievable. Everyone is so friendly and excited for you, and we are all ultimately reaching for the same goal, run faster and farther than before.

The first run of the winter marathon training was the Rogue to Rogue run. It was in Cedar Park which is a long drive for me because I live in Kyle. I woke up pretty early that morning just to get there. I decided to run the advanced mileage that day, and I ran the 7 miles without any hitches. My marathon goal was to finish under 4 hours. Why that goal? I have had friends who have run it slower and because I am a competitive person, naturally I wanted to beat their times.

My plan was to do run the long runs at the advanced level, but the other days to run at a beginning level. I was not used to the mileage I was about to do. It was a hot time of the year, especially to start training. I was supposed to have the group workouts on Wednesday, but it ended up being Tuesday which has worked out great. Those Tuesday night runs were not pretty. The heat just wears you down.

When I started Rogue, I was winding down from p90x and was also playing basketball during my lunch break at work 4 days a week. We had some friends with kids who came in town one weekend, and we went to Austin Park & Pizza. I will probably never step my foot in that place again. Because I drove go karts all day around a bunch of kids and their germs, I came down with strep. With all of the activities I was doing, my body never had a chance to recover and/or rest. It was absolutely terrible. The last time I was sick was when I had the flu my junior year of college. I was bed ridden at least one week and lost out on 2 weeks of training. I tried to do a group workout while I was sick, and I could only last 1.5 miles of the 6 that we were supposed to do. Once I got better, I only did weight training once or twice and also played basketball once or twice a week.

Also on Saturdays, I only ran the beginner distance. With all of the mileage I was doing, I was getting pains everywhere. The first thing that was hurting was my IT band, which I think is normal. Trigger Point is awesome. I know it is only a temporary solution, but it allows me to run with relatively little pain. As I got stronger, the IT band issue went away, but my soleus started to hurt more and more. After every run, they were so tender. Who came to the rescue? Trigger Point! My soleus for the most part has gotten better and better, but lately my feet are starting to hurt. I broke my left foot sliding into 2nd base when I was playing softball back in college. I never let it heal properly, and was still playing basketball and doing other physical activity while wearing a boot.

I do not know if it is the shoes that I am wearing or maybe the cold catching up with this old man. With strep and all of these pains slowly going away, I am starting to think that I can do this. As the weeks progress, I am running distances that I have never run before. It can be mentally challenging and physically demanding to run the longer distances and spending so much time to do so. There are a few runs that I do remember during training. We finally did our time trials when it got cooler. I have never had a reason to run as fast as I can for 2 miles. I ran the time trial in 13:30. Holy smokes, I did not even know that I could move that fast. I was starting to get confident. Maybe I can run the race under 3:45.

The Run from Hell is just that. I had to work that day so I only ran 16 miles, but the additional miles would have been flat. Ladera Norte, you are my enemy. I did not walk up at all, but at the top of it, I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. It made Mount Bonnell look like a wimpy kid.

The run a few weeks ago with the Austin marathon pacers was tough. We had to run 16 miles at MGP. I do not know if it was the pace or the fact I had to run 24 miles, I was totally out of gas. I ate a bowl of cereal when I woke up that morning and only had a bag of chews during the run. I have learned my lesson: pack some GU and an extra bag of chews/chomps on the longer distances.

After my run a few weeks ago, I am starting to evaluate my race plan. Running my first marathon under 4 hours should be an easy goal, but how much faster is the question. I started to run the advanced distances with my group so that has helped. With all of this work, I hope I do not let myself down by running a time that I deemed is too slow. We will find out soon. We are only two weeks away from race day. I will write more about the race in a few weeks…

Until next time, happy running.

The first step leads to…

Three years ago I was at my heaviest. I have been eating whatever I want with reckless abandon. When I started college, I gained the dreaded freshman 15. At the time, I would eat everything I could see in the dorm and drink as much as I could. The only exercise I got was weight training once a week and playing basketball 5 days a week for an hour or 2 my first year of college. My weight would fluctuate over the next few years. I would eat out all the time and never exercised.

My girlfriend at the time wanted to do weight watchers. I wanted to be supportive and did the program with her. I have done it in the past with another girlfriend so I was familiar with it. This time, I decided to add some time at the gym as well. I thought running would be a great cardio workout. It was tough. The farthest I had ever run was half a mile at that point. That took place many moons ago back in high school in physical education. They would make us run a mile so I would sprint the first 2 laps and walked the last 2. When I think about it, I am ashamed of myself.

It took a long time for me to build my distance. My knees did not like me trying to push myself. It took at least 5 months to get up to running 3 miles straight without stopping. It took a long time because I kept adding elliptical workouts because I would be sore all over from running. I was not stretching at all. With a change in diet and a workout regime, I dropped 30 pounds. With this new change in lifestyle, it has tremendously helped my heart. I used to have rapid heartbeats periodically where I would get exhausted by just doing laundry. It seems like it runs in my family, but cardiologists have never pinned it on anything, but stress. But with all of the cardio workout I do now, I do not get any of the heart racing episodes anymore.

One day when I was at the gym on the treadmill, I ran 7 miles. That was the farthest I have ever run up to that point and that was about a year and a half ago. I was hooked when I left the gym. I was on this high that I could not explain. It felt great. I told myself that day I was going to be running a half marathon very soon. I decided to run the 3M because it was a great beginner’s half to race. I made up a training plan and bumped up the mileage every week. I trained with a buddy who also had no previous racing experience. We somehow made it through uninjured. After finishing under 2 hours, I thought I would never run a marathon. Somewhere along the way I changed my mind and threw my name into the Houston marathon lottery.

I wanted to do Houston because it was flatter than Austin. I would think the hills would eat up my energy in the later miles. My wife thought it would be best if I trained with a running group so I would not get injured, plus there would be a structured plan to help me reach my goal. I heard great things about Rogue and gave it a try. My training did not start out great at all. I got strep throat within the first 2 weeks. The last time I was really sick was probably 7 years ago. It was terrible because I still wanted to run, but I could not. I tried a few times, but my body was weak. I lost 2 weeks of training, but I am up to speed now. I will write more about my training in a few weeks…

Until next time, happy running.