Runners don't always like to go run...

Let me clear up a misconception. For as excited and disciplined of a crowd as we are - Recreational Runners - we don't always like to go run.

Case in point. My 5:30AM alarm went off, my skylight was pitch dark. My 6:00AM alarm went off and I managed to turn it off. At 7:30AM my sister Facetimed my iPad, and I pretended not to hear it, so she Facetimed my iPhone.


Okay, I was up and contemplated staying in the flannel sheets a little longer on this average winter day. But finally after much consideration, I got my butt in running pants, grabbed a sweatshirt from the clean laundry got my shoes on, and was grudgingly out the door.

Because it was late, I could only do a short run, which means it had to be faster than a longer leisurely run...

It is true that runners love running but the act of having to go on a run: getting out of bed, getting dressed and out the door is a whole different story from time to time. Or am I wrong?

Santa to the sea

Dear fellow runners, this is the blog about my latest 13.1. The entries were made and saved as a mobile post, with a retrospective summary. Hence, the interesting tenses. Last time I blog posted immediately, I didn't like the way it looked- created a new entry every time- but the microblogging (i.e. Twitter) was odd too. Let me know if you have any feedback re the style.

6:18 am Bus ride from harbor blvd to the start. In life in general I'm not known for being overly enthusiastic ever, but I often seem under- enthused on the races bus rides, in comparison to many hyper 30 some year old women...I'd say they seem the most excited. Least excited "looking"group I would say older men, but that was to be expected.

Overhearing first timers- wondering if they'll finish the half, certain they will never train for a full, but maybe if all goes well...

I don't know what makes somebody decide to run a full. For me it was the lower percentage of finishers than a half- especially women. (The second time it was for a better experience). The half though is an optimal distance. I still am aiming for a full once a year or every other year- if anything for the training, and the marathon weekend. The challenge of the marathon doesn't really get easier, it's just approached differently and with more experience every time.

Interestng start location, but at least I caught the sunrise

Why am I at the start time so early? On a random thought, a case can be made to race directors for technical race shirts because in addition too people actually wearing them (as opposed to tshirts, they are great conversation starters among runners).

7:39 am The worse part about races? Port-a-potties and even worse waiting in line for it.

7:42 still in line- seeing vibram fivefingers a lot more. Have any of you tried them? Any feedback? I want to try them but I don't want to spend $100+ and wear them once to find that I don't like them

12/13/10 The race was fun. My overall time did not improve although, my 10 mile time did. Weird, I know. My overall time was 2:42:21 which is just 9 seconds less than the SB Half last month. (and 10:23 more than the Disney half, and 19:00 minutes more than my PR of the first SB Half).

My first mile was a 10:06 mile, the second was a 20:20 mile, the 3rd, was at 32:00 so I was running between a 10 and 11 mile pace for the 5k. At the halfway point I was at 1:17:00 so an 11:50 mile. So far so good right? A little while after mile 10 I looked at my watch and it had been about 1:52:00 so at that point I was doing 10:58 pace, but it was all downhill from there. I was exhausted. The last 2.8 miles more or less took me 44 minutes :p yikes!

So, lesson is, again I went out way way too fast. I did find a guy that was running a nice pace and followed him from mile 4-6, but then he ran past where I could see him. ( I was following his foot turn over, and when I mirrored it, my pace got steady). But then he stopped at the halfway point to get water. At mile 7.5 he caught up to me and asked if he could run with me, cause he liked my pace...lol...go figure. Eventually he passed me though. I find that I need to be able to find my own pace, and maintain it. I had a good time, and the course was flat. The people were fun. I was a little dissapointed about the end result, mainly because it looked like while I might not have PRed, there was no way I would come in at a 2:30 or more...and then I did. Oh well, running is a sport where you live and you learn.

The one cool thing about this race is the guy that I was following, at some point was following me, and we were shooting for 11 min pace. And there were 2 other guys that were pacing me! First time it either happens, or I notice it. Which means, I can't be that bad of a runner.

Oh yea, and did I mention it was in the mid 70s? Who would've thought a blazing sun in December. Next up- Santa Run 5k this Saturday...no reason why I should not do well. Heck, if I just go out as if it were a half-marathon, or a long run, I could even PR.

Huntington beach 1/2 marathon- what an experience (as a spectator)

This past weekend, I didn't run due to a funky schedule-partly because I tagged along with two of my friends to Huntington Beach, where they ran the half-marathon, and I watched.

I didn't race with them, because I hated my 08 Huntington marathon experience, and there was no way I was going to risk another race, in really crappy conditions!) Not surprisingly, although Saturday was pouring, and the expo tents were faulty and everything was flooding, Sunday was a PERFECT day for a run. The morning was crisp and the day, cleared beautifully. I might one day again consider Huntington "Surf City, USA".

Surprisingly, this is the first race I ever attend, as a spectator and not as a participant. I had a great time, I had no morning stress when you wake up at 4/5 am, and instead of working hard, I wandered around what was left of the expo and then headed to the finish line where I watched the first Marathoner finish! I also, waited patiently, and used the restroom at the Hilton- instead of the ubiquitous porta potties.

There were 20,000 participants in the half-marathon, 64% of which were women. I cannot say for sure, but I am pretty certain marathons, have a higher percentage of male participants. There was a national anthem at the start, and of course, brief speeches by the Congressional rep of that district and their Mayor. (I for one, love this!)

I did observe things about runners that I have always know, but can call out or praise (because it comes from a place of self-improvement).

1. Amazing determination and drive- time and time again as runners passed the finish line, they did so, to achieve a goal, personally or competitively, in their own way and with their own pace, no runner decided to ditch the running with only hundreds of meters to the finish line, and amble to the goal. The heart that goes into what they do is admirable. I've never watched those few super "ambitious ones" that run past that line come despite everything else, and coming up to the line the color on their face is gone, and as soon as they pass that line they puke, and or in cases just collapse right there past the finish.

While that sounds self destructive, and it might be- can you imagine what goes on in the mind to say, no matter that I feel these symptoms, I have to finish (at a certain time). The mind really has some amazing powers over the body. Then there were the pace groups. I saw so many "influxes" of runners periodically, and I realized they were the ones that stuck with a pacer, for example right before the 2 hr mark, there were TONS of runners, and again at 2:10, 2:20 and 2:30. Clearly they had a goal and maintained their efforts the entire way.

2. Little recognition of accomplishment- One guy at some point crossed the finish line and gave a little, "oh yea!" shout. Those close by chuckled. A woman turned to me and stated, "I'm surprise more of them don't do that." And that made all the sense in the world to me. Most runners, I think have found some really valuable traits in pursuing this sport (even if just recreationally). There are goals that are set, and they are either met or not. I for one, always beat up on myself when I don't fulfill a goal, and just accept the accomplishment of a goal, but I'm thinking now, that's the wrong attitude. Finishing a race, with a strong finish, (hopefully completing a goal) is not only the end of 13 miles, it is the end of hundreds of training miles! So, an "oh yea!" is the minimum self- recognition each runner deserves. Why not?

3. No recognition of emotions- children, unlike us recognize all their emotions, they skip they have tantrums, and one girl probably around the age of 10 maybe a little older or a little younger, cried upon finishing a the race with her dad. In response her dad picked her up and he hugged her. This is beyond the recognition of acomplishment, this is the awknowledgment of full emotions. I found it interesting, as adults we no longer skip and throw tantrums, but have we entirely muted our emotions? I doubt that's the case, but it might not always be a mistake to show them.

I am midway through training for the LA marathon, after a bad training week, but a good experience as a spectator, I am re energized for the last haul. I hope that I heed some of my own advicefrom my observations as I continue these last 5.5 weeks and race day.

Being a spectator who knows the running culture was fun. The running culture is really a funny one. And once you "get it" then hearing from those on the outside is amusing. I remember, coming back from a marathon, and my grandma asking, "did you win?" I though, Yea, I didn't quit, but I was very tempted to do so, that's kind of like winning. In a conversation someone asked me yesterday, how long the Huntington marathon was...all marathons are 26.2 miles (42 Kilometers) and all 1/2 are 13.1 miles (21 kilometers)- pretty standard, anything more than 26.2 is called an ultramarathon, and those can also either be road races or trail races.

I was happy to join my buddies, and after the race we headed for the beer garden, where we had a beer to running & good friends. They both had a good race, my friend Amy came in at 3:29:03 and my friend Hafiza came in at 2:22:22 (which is exactly 1:01 minutes faster than my half PR).

My mom, who comes to any and all of my races, has often questioned the sanity of runners. because of what we do, how we train, what we eat, drink etc. We're sane, we're just a little...

Cut back that effort, kid!

Here is the short downtown loop I'm doing. It's a good enough distance to feel accomplished.

Brought the pace down to a 10:49, which is no accomplishment on its own, but it is for me, for this time.

I thought of a habit of a bad runner (that I sometimes have) and wonder if we are prone to it in life outside of running. I'm sure that we are.

It is embracing mediocrity not for its own value but rather to not raise the bar high enough where we will not be able to reach it again without extraordinary efforts.

In other words, when we take on new routes and use them for training, for the most part the first time will be the slowest and we cut time from there on, but on the third run do we cut back the effort just so that the challenge is incremental and so is the achievement, so that today we wont give 110% not because we don't want to, but because in order to beat it, we will then have to give 120% and that is too much tomorrow, so the 110% today isn't worth it.

I would say I'm guilty of this in my running life, and maybe outside of running too, but I'm uncertain. How about you?