The Napa Valley Marathon was held the morning of March 2nd. The course was scenic with a fair amount of rolling climbs. I saw Karno on the course and was debating whether I should run along side him and shoot the breeze. I decided against it for this event because I had a goal of running this event sub 3:30. Despite his openness and alacrity to speak to his fans, I really wanted to meet my goal. My decision certainly paid off. I had to pee two times during the event which was irritating to say the least. There was no way I could hold it (each time) and had to release accordingly. I could have saved a couple of minutes if my bladder wasn’t being overly sensitive. I completed the event in 3:29:42.

Last week, the gang and I completed the 2nd annual San Ramon Run Like the Wind Half Marathon. The event was held the same month as Napa. Kelly and I felt pretty good physically (since the Napa 26.2 occurred a few weeks ago) and we signed up last minute. Like I said last year about this course, it is not flat and has a few decent rollers. The course itself isn’t scenic or exciting but it is the locality, the friends, and the camaraderie that makes this event so much fun. I completed the half marathon in 1:32:27 (over 5 minutes faster than last year). After the race, we just kicked it for a bit enjoying each other’s company, the fruit, beverages, and other post race snacks. I even ran into an old buddy that I haven’t seen in a very long time. For me, running in events is not about winning (whether it be the entire race or your age group ) - It is all about inclusion and motivating each other to push ourselves past our limits. Furthermore, you get to run new terrain instead of your set courses that you run on day in and day out.  I have no idea what our next event will be. Any suggestions (perhaps the Brentwood Spring to Life 5k)?

Tonight (1-24-2008) only at select theaters, there will be a viewing of the movie “Spirit of the Marathon.  Go check it out and be prepared to be inspired…

I have been on vacation since 12-21.  It is amazing how much more energy I have when work is out of the equation. Last weekend I went on a nice/intense bike ride with the Delta Athletes and 2Real riding crew.  On Christmas Eve, I ran over to Club One to meet up with the Club One Run Club for their annual Christmas Eve 3 Miler. (totaling 11 miles that day).  On Christmas, I ran seven miles and I just ran 13.1 miles today.  I also was able to do a spin class at the gym yesterday. To top off all this cardio, I have been pumping iron as well as doing intensive core exercises. Kelly has been belting out all these workouts as well.  I do not know if it is because work is out of the equation, but my running has been much faster with no discomforts.  I just hope it stays this way for the Napa Valley Marathon.  It may sound like a lot of work but realistically this only took an hour or two out of my day (depending on mileage).  Instead of sitting on that couch watching TV and eating snacks, get your ass out there for 20 minutes (at the very least) and do something active (you can also pump iron, do crunches/push-ups while watching the tube).

As I mentioned, I did 13.1 miles this morning.  For me, that is usually my workout for the day.  Well, at 7:30 PM this evening, myself and a few others will be meeting up with a personal trainer at the club (a friend of ours) who will take us through the controversial CrossFit training workout.  I have a feeling I will be aching tomorrow morning (and the days to follow). We will see.

I have to admit that I am competitive with myself when it comes to running. At the same time, I am not overly harsh on myself when I complete an event below my expectations. I look at all my runs as a learning experience and apply what I have learned to my future runs. With that being said, I ran the CIM well below my expectations. The CIM course is tagged as a “fast, net downhill course”. I have never run this marathon before and automatically assumed that this course would have a lot of descending grades giving me a speed advantage.  Based on my assumptions, I was shooting for a 3:15:59 – 3:25:00 finish time.

I ran a fast first half. At around mile 15, the wall started to present itself. There were no major downhill descents during the last half and I was pretty much out of gas. I completed the marathon in 3:34:24. Here are the major lessons that I have learned:

1. Do not assume course topography based on a description. If you really want to know what the course is exactly like, drive through it (or run parts of it) before the race.

2. No matter how “fast” the course is, I must convince myself to run a slow first half and give it my all the second half.

I think the Napa Valley Marathon is the next one on my list (March of 2008).

Last Tuesday, a handful of us had our running gait analyzed by a certified physical therapist.  Coach Tony organized this for the members of his running club. This is something that I have always wanted to do and I must say it was quite enlightening.   When it was my turn to be analyzed, Lindsay (the PT), conducted an informal interview about my running history including past/current injuries.  I did my best to provide her details about my running with absolute accuracy.  The essence of what I told her is that when I hit mile 15 during a marathon at race pace, I usually start to feel discomfort in my IT Band (on my right leg).  However, when I run at a regular training pace, I rarely feel the discomfort (even when I run a marathon distance at a training pace).  After the interview I hopped on the treadmill and ran close to “race pace” speed.  She had a video camera pointed behind me from the butt down.  I ran for around five minutes. Afterwards, she played back the video tape and discussed my running gait.  She stated that my gait and form was great but noticed something interesting.  She explained that both of my feet land on the same spot when I run (as if I were walking on a tight rope). When she played back the video tape in slow motion, I saw exactly what she talking about. She went on to state that because of this, my hips and glutes are working extra hard to support me.  This could be the reason why that I feel discomfort during the latter half of a distance run (at race pace).  Lindsay suggested that when I am out on my training runs that I work on correcting this naturally (not forcefully).  It is hard to explain but if you force your legs to change the way you naturally run, you are likely to injure yourself.  In essence you need to be in your zone and let your body do its thing. She suggested that I picture a straight line and that my left foot lands on the left side of the line and my right foot lands on the right side of the line.  Tony who is a trainer and running coach will also be providing me with some drills to help me with this. All runners should get their gait analyzed.  You will learn the root cause of your running discomforts as well as the way your feet hit the ground.  I have a neutral gait, while others may pronate, supinate, toe land, etc.  Most running specialty shops do gait analysis. Based on your gait, you will have a better idea as to what kind of running shoe to purchase (stability, cushioning, motion control, etc) and will lessen your chances of receiving an injury! 

I took a week off from running and hit the road today. I ran eight miles at a comfortable pace (8 minute miles). It felt good to be out in the open with myself and my thoughts.  While running, a sickening memory from the Silicon Valley Marathon presented itself that I completely forgot about. During the first 10 miles of the marathon, I was playing leap frog with this one guy (He was ahead of me at times, I was ahead of him at times). He was around 50 years old and breathed as if he were gasping for air (he basically sounded like he was dying). Every 20 seconds or so, he would let out the most disgusting cough, followed by distinguishing whatever it was his cough produced. It was so nasty and quite frankly, it barfed me out. The dude didn’t even have the courtesy to cover his nasty mouth while he hacked away. The only reason I knew this person existed was because of his nasty cycle of hacking and spewing. It was like clockwork. At around mile seven, I decided to pace up and try to get him out of sight and sound. When I thought I was in the clear, I paced down. Well, that plan didn’t work. Within a matter of minutes, I heard the hack and spit at a distance behind me (it was a frickin’ nightmare). I paced up again, and that was the last I heard from that guy. I admit that I spit from time time; however, it isn’t a constant pattern. I don’t think I spit during this particular marathon. Whenever I have to spit, I ensure that my surroundings are clear and I let it out as subtle as possible. I also run to the side where there are no people and let it out.

Yep, it was a nice day today for an eight mile trot…

I reached San Jose at around 4:00 PM on Saturday (11-3). I had a busy Saturday morning/afternoon in the east bay and ended up zooming over to San Jose to pick up my race packet. Marathon expos are usually exciting because you feel the energy from the other participants. Furthermore, you are usually surrounded by running and health related booths that offer freebies and samples of their latest products. In the case of this event, the expo was held on the lower level of the Hilton, and it was rather bland. There weren’t that many booths and there wasn’t much to look at. I didn’t last ten minutes in there. Once I received my race bib and timing chip, I drove off to the Mariott and checked in. After I settled in, I walked around downtown San Jose. I caught the Body Worlds exhibit that was showcased at the Tech Museum. I personally thought it was educational and was well worth the $22.00 fee.

The marathon start time was at 7:00 AM (Sunday morning). I set my iPhone to wake me up an 5 AM. I woke up, looked at my watch and saw that it was 6:15 AM! I recited some words of profanity, jumped out of bed and quickly got ready. I usually wake up a few hours before a marathon to fuel up appropriately and to ensure that everything is in place. As I was about to head out the door, I looked at my iPhone and noticed that it was 5:40 AM. Like the door knob that I can be at times, I completely forgot about “FALLing Back” and did not set my watch an hour back before going to bed. Jeez. Anyway, when I did arrive at the starting line, the announcer mentioned that many people showed up an hour early (at least I wasn’t the only door knob). Overall, the marathon lived up to my expectations (same as last year). The SV Marathon is a low key event with a small number of participants (as far as marathons are concerned). I took on this marathon as a training run and did not race it. It was nice doing my long run in a different location with hundreds of other people. It did get warm as the morning progressed. I completed the marathon in 3:49:48. The following is a summary of the marathon captured from the event’s web site:

Number of Finishers: 762

Number of Females: 220

Number of Males: 542

Average Time: 4:40:20

How can I say no to a 26.2 mile run? I ended up signing up for this marathon last minute (as well as booking a room in San Jose). I am going to treat this event as a training run and take it easy (training pace as opposed to race pace). I didn’t do much running this week. I ran a 15 miler last Sunday and a 5 mile (and change) run on Halloween. I also did spin three times this week. I am looking forward to this training run. It will certainly take away the monotony of doing a Sunday long run by myself on my usual course.

I was bummed that I wasn’t able to run in the Tarantula run last year. From what I understand, the Tarantula Run is a brutal 5k or half marathon through the intense hilly trails of Los Vaqueros. We frequently cycle to the dam, and it is a definite workout. I love climbing on foot or on my road bike and was looking forward to the event this year. Well, it appears that the Silicon Valley Marathon will usurp this event. I have always wanted to participate in a marathon where I am not intent in beating my best time. The Silicon Valley Marathon is the perfect event for this. I have a high level goal of qualifying for Boston through the upcoming California International Marathon on Dec 2 (but no biggie if it doesn’t happen). The SV Marathon is the perfect training run for CIM. It should help with my endurance (and maybe a 3:15:59 Boston qualifying time). For one, I get SOOOOO frickin’ bored running 20 + miles by myself. The SV Marathon will allow me to run this long distance with thousands of people (and friends) making the time go by fast. Its always nice to run in new territory as well. Furthermore, this event is affordable ($65). I ran the SV Marathon last year and it was a fairly flat/fast course. Again, I cannot let myself race this course. I need to keep my ego in its place and only run at a training pace (vs. a race pace). So far Jovino, David, and moi are possibly in. Join us!