The TriathleteNut

I’m officially considering myself a slacker… but wait… just because I haven’t ridden or swam in like forever… and I ONLY did 10 miles of running last week… I actually ran my longest run ever!

12 miles!!

Yes… 12 miles.

Actually it was more than that. It was 12.16 miles all together. And believe me, if .10 miles feels like alot after a 3 mile run, trust me, .16 miles is torture after 12 a mile run! I did it in a 11:25 minute mile pace.

I actually ‘pushed’ it more than I should have. I ran UP HILL for the majority of the run going from my house to Sports Chalet in La Cañada. The total elevation gain can be seen on this map:

Almost 800 in elevation gain from my house to La Cañada which is 6 miles away.

This all started on Sunday morning – after the time change of course. I got out of the house at 7:00 AM and had a goal to finish in two and a half hours. It was nice and COLD! I should have worn at least some running gloves as my hands were FREEZING!!! My arms, hands and legs were cold but eventually my legs would warm up, eventually my arms get used to the cold… but my hands NEVER adjust well. I should have been more prepared. The sun eventually warmed me up but my hands were cold all the way through.

So up, up, up I went. I was going to run to Jacob’s school, round it and turn back home then find a mile or three to make it a full 12 miles. Jacob’s school is only 4.5 miles away so I would be off by three miles if I did an ‘Out & Back”.

But as I got to the Montrose area I figured the road up to Verdugo Hills Hospital would be a great challenge for me. So I took it by the horns and kept up with some road cyclists as they slowly made it up the hill. Eventually they were faster, but I felt like my pace was pretty strong especially after running four miles.

I was really tempted to run to the Rose Bowl but thought wisely and decided to hit Sports Chalet in La Cañada at the 5.5 mile mark and turn back for home. I went back past Verdugo Hills Hospital and down the hill then ran through the Farmer’s Market that was being set up on Honolulu, hit Jake’s school and finally headed back home. It was an ‘Out & Back” home to Sports Chalet to Jake’s school run. A perfect 12 mile run if you have the guts to run up hill for 6 straight miles!

My pattern was this. I ran 2 miles then walked a minute, ran another 2 then walked a minute then did another 2 and walked. After that I ran a mile and walked a minute after each mile. I tend to believe that my 2 mile runs were a little too much this early in my Long Slow Distance training and should have backed off and did the 1 mile 1 min walk deal.

But I survived. And next Sunday (11/5/2006) I might have to go out there and do 13 miles. That is after I run 6.2 miles hard because I’m signed up to run…

· The KOST 103.5 and KCAL 9 Yule Log Jog

at the Rose Bowl.

This means I run the race then have to fit in another 7 miles sometime later that day. Maybe I’ll run home. Yeah! What a not so great idea… but what a way to get my mileage in for the day right?

Donna will be running the 5K race, the kids… I don’t know what they’ll do. Maybe they’ll be pushed on the stroller by Donna during the race, who knows.

So there you have it. I’m slacking on Triathlon training, but I’m putting in some serious miles for my LA Half Marathon training which, believe it or not, is only a month and a few days away!

Oh, and after my 12 mile run I had to stand in the heat and coach Jacob’s baseball team for two plus hours… and then I did Pumpkin carving later at Liza’s house.

Was I tired?

Ah… yeah.

Here are my splits:

MILE - SPLITS:
Mile 1: 0:10:49
Mile 2: 0:10:39
Mile 3: 0:11:19
Mile 4: 0:11:35
Mile 5: 0:11:46
Mile 6: 0:12:06
Mile 7: 0:11:18
Mile 8: 0:12:22
Mile 9: 0:11:19
Mile 10: 0:11:01
Mile 11: 0:10:32
Mile 12: 0:10:53
Mile 12.16: 0:03:04

Total: 2:18:43 for an average of 11:25 min mile pace.

Not bad, eh? 12.16 miles in 2 hours and 18 seconds? This is extremely close to the pace I wanted for the LA Half Mary!!! I predicted a 2:30:00 half marathon finish which is an 11:27 min mile pace and I’ll probably run it faster than that!

So I know I’m slacking… but I’m also right on pace!

Do you want to cry?

Every time I watch the 2005 Ironman Championships I get this HUGE lump in my throat. I can’t stop from tearing up at the end. In short, inspiration is John Blias, “The Blazeman”. He’s an Ironman LIVING with ALS.

Please watch this for me – it’s a short clip on John Blais and last year’s Ironman Championships..

http://www.tristatetrek.com/ironmanshort.mov
(20meg file to download so it’ll take long)

Thanks.

His website: http://www.alswarriorpoet.com/

As I ran in the heat today - and it wasn’t that hot, my thoughts were with all the Ironman Triathletes in Kona who were still on the course after nine hours… they still had 8 hours left to finish the race. This was 4:00 PM Pacific Time in which I ran. It was one of the hardest 4 mile runs - I struggled and struggled and needed water and took two really short walk breaks. I tried to make it up this hill and kept telling myself once I get up I can ease my pace and catch my breath and lower my HR… I couldn’t. And even on a slow pace on a flat area, my HR was up in the 190s. It was tough to run today and although it was only 4 miles, I struggled. The Ironmen in Kona were running in the heat as well. Hotter. And they had to do 26.2 miles.

Congrats to all competitors for being there and doing what so many of us hope to one day do!!!

Oh - I almost got NAILED by a car today. Just think, I could be in the hospital and not writing this.

You run a half mary when its dry…

I did it. I always get nervous when clicking on the button to register for a race. Its just a race. Running. A running race. I get nervous when signing up for Triathlon- even if its a short backwards one. Why is that?

Hopefully it doesn’t rain. I’d hate to run 13.1 miles in the rain. Well, I don’t hate it - I like running in the rain. I’m still nervous.

Anyway… $58 later and I’m paid and ready to run 13.1 miles. Although I’ve only done 10 so far but have two months to get ready for it.

Wish me luck?

Join me!

· City of Angels Half Marathon - Sunday December 3, 2006
- Half Marathon Run/Walk (13.1 miles)

It’s almost like “Harold & Kumar go to White Castle” without the marijuana or Doggie Howser and the burgers and cougar ride through the forest.

LSD… and I’m not talking about the mind-altering drug. I’m talking the running term: “Long Slow Distance”. It’s what you do once a week to build aerobic capacity or something technical like that. Steve can explain it. I just went along because I know its good for my training.

I’m trying to work in an LSD run into my schedule once a week. Sometimes it comes on a Tuesday or even a Wednesday. But Steve runs his LSD every Sunday. So this Sunday was my attempt to run an LSD with Steve every Sunday morning. I emphasize, ‘attempt’!

Since July I’ve accomplished four 7+ mile runs, one 8 mile run in August (Central Park) and two 9+ mile runs. I had yet to accomplish a 10 mile run. And it was about time I did it. So when Steve offered up a 10 mile run for Sunday, I didn’t jump on it, I kinda eased into it forgoing a BRick consisting of a 30mile bike ride and a 5K run. The 10 mile run would be harder believe it or not.

So after I debated and contemplated with myself, I agreed on a run slated for 8AM on Sunday morning. It was nice and cool and I was able to wear my winter running gear for the first time. A Brooks LSD light weight jacket and some gloves.

The goal: to run a conversational 11-12 minute pace and a minute walk after every mile.

We started at my house, worked our way to Mountain, hit Brand then ran up a short incline to Kenneth. Then we headed to Burbank. When we hit Grandview (3.83 miles into the run), we challenged ourselves with a .68 mile 277 foot incline climb. This led us into Brand Library. We ran through the parking lot, around the other side and back down to Kenneth where we made our way back home.

The run was mostly flat except for the run up Grandview and two small hills.

Steve and I were able to run side by side for the whole run and we talked pretty much through the whole thing. I haven’t talked to Steve for that long since we use to play D&D back in high school 20+ years ago. Come to think of it, I doubt anybody has talked to him for that long of a period of a time! Even his wife! LOL He’s kinda quiet. We kept the conversation up for 2 hours and didn’t need iPods. It was a good gauge of our exertion level and we were right on pace – conversational pace that is. We’ve come a long way since those crazy days of grade school and high school, which we rehashed, and it was great to run with him. Steve’s always been one my all time best friends. The brother I never had. He does practically everything I can get him into – from break dancing, comic books, D&D, paintball and Martial Arts! And I’m still working on the Triathlon thing with him. It’ll happen.

My winter gear didn’t make me too hot. It was comfortable – even with the gloves. I hate running with cold hands and I think it was just cold enough to wear the jacket and gloves. Any warmer would have been too warm. There was a slight drizzle in the morning but the run was relatively dry. Early morning mist was still lingering but other than that no real moister except for sweat. I could have run without the jacket, two miles would have warmed me up enough, but it wasn’t uncomfortable and now I know my clothing layers for future ‘cooler’ runs.

If you haven’t tried it, running with family or a good friend is a really GREAT way to start off a cool Sunday morning. Unfortunately for me, I still had to coach Jake’s T-Ball game at noon and with no rest, my legs were SHOT by the time I was able to get in bed at the end of the day.

Here are the per mile splits and average HR for me:
MILE SPLIT @ Ave BPM
Mile 1 0:11:34 @ 163
Mile 2 0:11:01 @ 168
Mile 3 0:11:15 @ 171
Mile 4 0:11:28 @ 173
Mile 5 0:12:09 @ 176
Mile 6 0:11:34 @ 165
Mile 7 0:11:29 @ 168
Mile 8 0:11:40 @ 169
Mile 9 0:11:12 @ 171
Mile 10 0:10:43 @ 168
Mile 10.37 0:08:43 @ 140 (cool down walk)

Low average heart rate means an excellent LSD!

So there you have it. My first 10-miler. 11 next week, 12 the next, maybe two or three 13-milers in the weeks to follow and on December 3rd I will run my very first half-mary – the City of Angeles Half Marathon!

I’m going to sign up for my very first Half Mary. The City of Angeles Half Marathon! This is the official prep race for the March LA Marathon.

· City of Angels Half Marathon - Sunday December 3, 2006
- Half Marathon Run/Walk (13.1 miles)

Join in on the festivities. Run, walk, do whatever it talkes to get through 13.1 miles going from Griffith Park to LA City Hall. Its a great way to see the city!

If you don’t want to participate in the race, be a volunteer! Its a great donation of your time to support all the hard working runners out there!!!

Let me know if you want to run together!

When do you stop watching your kids run and NOT get the feeling they’re going to fall? I’m tellin’ ya… my kids run and it’s so hard for me to watch. It’s not that they run poorly, have bad form or are just clumsy runners, (well Bella might be), it’s that they go all out and sprint and you figure its bound to happen – they’re going to wipe out.

I digress… The 1st Annual Saucony Three Point One was held at Bonelli Park. Bonelli Park is only a hop away from where I live. There are paved roads for running, trails for running, places to ride your road bike, places to mountain bike, picnic areas and a LAKE!!! Yes, a lake. And before my Triathlon in June (where I suffered through my first outside the pool swim) I never knew about Bonelli Park Lake. And its only a twenty minute ride from home to a beautiful place to bring your family. I’m planning a picnic in a couple of months.

Again… I digress… The turnout for the race was very respectable for a small, 1st Annual race. It was well organized, the announcer really set the tone of excitement, and they were able to draw a few elite athletes. I don’t know their names but one was a female who was on the cover of Runners World, there was another Male who just won some huge event and was like world ranked or something, and the number sixth ranked high school girl in the nation.

My race started at 8:15. I did a little jog with Jacob just to get warmed up. I was feeling tight. I ran a personal best 5K four days prior during training (26:19) and did a recovery run two days prior. I felt prepared but I wanted to warm up, get myself really ready, get my heart rate up and just go for it. I was hoping to run under 27 minutes and was not thinking about a Personal Best because it was such a struggle to do the 26:19 on a flat course. I was unsure about the course for this race, but under 27 minutes and I would be happy.

I made my way to the middle of the pack at the start line and as they blew the horn I took off. I maintained a decent pace but was getting passed by everyone who lined up behind me. Was I running that slow? I looked down at my Garmin, I was running a faster pace than I wanted and decided the right thing to do was slow down and don’t worry about other people. I figured EVERYONE was running faster than they wanted. I was. I checked my Garmin at a ¼ mile and was running a 7:00 minute pace. That’s bad. There was no way I’d make it to the end at that pace so I slowed down.

A mile in and I was faster than normal: 8:11 but I was feeling okay.

I decided that it was a good pace. I was really pushing it but that’s what you do in a race. You push it. I checked my HR: 194. Wow. I was really pushing it! What was I going to expect after mile two? Well, I decided to see.

Before I hit mile two I heard the announcer, from across the lake, call the winner. It was around 14 minutes into the race and someone had already crossed the finish line and I was a little more than halfway through. WOW!

Mile 2 split: 16:21: a 8:10 per mile pace.

Right on the money! Almost the exact pace from mile 1!!! My HR: 194 beats per minute. I’ve never sustained a heart rate for this long at Zone 5. But this is where you’re supposed to be when you’re racing so I was aware of what I was doing. It felt great.

Then the dreaded last mile and sure enough, I felt it. My legs were heavy. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I was struggling and the fast two mile split times proved a bad decision… maybe.

I made a turn and felt the tiny incline take its toll. And that’s when I decided to pick it up. Go for it. Torture myself for a mile and enjoy the rest of the day.

Yes, I started that last mile slow. But I finished it off well. I saw the finish line and a runner several feet away. I passed her. I was pumping my arms and had my sights on another runner 20 feet away.

I could have passed him. I had enough left in me. If I ran by him it’d be a real close finish and I decided to let it be and not blow by. The photographer was at the finish taking finish line shots and I didn’t want to get in the way of his picture. Yeah, stupid, but its just a recreational race and I wanted him to enjoy it as much as me. So I backed off from an all out sprint. But I was still going hard, mind you. I could have put the hammer down and pound it out hard and gave it everything I had. But I didn’t. I gave it 99% of what I had instead of 110% and finished 20 feet behind the guy in front and I was happy about it.

I figured to have run under 27 minutes. I figured it was a very, very decent run and I was extremely happy with my performance.

I ran the last 1.14 miles in 9:30: a 8:20 min mile pace. Yes, slower than the first two miles which was expected because of their faster pace – and I usually have negative splits. If I planned it better, I may have had negative splits and a faster race.

Final time: 25:51.

Did I say I wanted to run under 27 minutes? Well, I did. And I beat my Personal Best by 28 seconds. WOW! I did it. I ran a great race.

SPLITS
Mile 1: 8:11
Mile 2: 8:10
Mile 3: 8:28
Mile 3.1: 01:02

HEART RATE
Mile 1: Ave 181, Max 192
Mile 2: Ave 191, Max 194
Mile 3: Ave 195, Max 196
Mile 3.1: Ave 197, Max 198

Based on my HR data I really gave it my best shot. I was in Zone 5 for a total of 21ish minutes out of my 26ish minute run.

Awesome. It proves all that conditioning, the 9 mile LSDs, and ‘race day’ adrenaline is totally different than a training day all out effort for me. Consider four days prior when I ran a 26:19 5K Personal Best and my HR rate was in Zone 5 for under 10 minutes and I struggled more on that run than I did on this.

Training pays off in a 28 second dividend!!!

But that’s not the highlight of the day…

The 1st Annual Saucony Three Point One also had a Kiddie Run. Ages 5 and under ran ¼ miles and ages 8 and under ran ½ mile. The older kids ran 1 mile.

Bella was very, very excited to run this race. For weeks she kept asking, “Can I run the race now?”. I kept having to tell her, ‘not yet.’

Jake… excited about it, but really wasn’t demanding to run it “RIGHT NOW!” And on this morning, right when he woke up, he said he didn’t want to run a race. I gave him a two minute speech about saying something you’re going to do and doing it instead of saying something you’re going to do and NOT doing it. I reminded him about the word ‘courage’ and I ended my two minute speech with… “And you know Jacob, I guarantee that after you do the race you’re going to want to do it again and again. Just like, Papa.”

I left him in bed and if he didn’t want to run it after that little speech, then so be it.

One minute later, literally, as I poured milk into my cereal bowl, he came out in shorts and a shirt, slides with his socks on the hardwood floor into the dining room and announces, “I’m ready!”

“So are you going to run?”

“YUP!”

Yeah… that’s my boy. Courage, baby! Courage.

So here we are, Bonelli Park – their papa just ran a race and nervousness sets in for Jakey-boy.

Pre race jitters… at least for one.

Bella… no problem. She was ready and willing to go. Her race was first. I asked the Race Director if I could run with the kids and they said yes. Awesome. A cool down run for me!

It was an out and back. Bella got in a race stance and as the horn blasted in our ears she was out the shoot like a bat out of hell.

Her arms pumping, her little legs turning, her face was a face of determination, a face of a champion giving it their all out effort, a face of someone who was going to leave EVERYONE in the dust and cross that line the winner.

Well, she didn’t pass anyone. Everyone ran by her. She was the smallest, the tiniest little racer in the whole 5 and under field. And did it matter? Nope. She was still going to give it everything her little heart could possibly give.

Would she last 400 meters? Uh… probably not. I was behind her and called out, “Slow down… don’t fall!” It was hard to watch.

At 100 meters there’s a tiny tiny little hill. TINY. And that was her ‘wall’. Her feet slowed, her arms pumped higher and harder, she was struggling… she still had 300 meters to go. She was only a quarter done and she reached up to me and asked, “Can you carry me?”

“Uh… no, Bella, this is a race. Papa can’t carry you but I can hold your hand.”

So we held hands and jogged. We got to the turnaround point and her jog was as fast as her walk. 100 meters left and she was gasping for air and dragging her legs but then… when we saw the finish line and I told her that Mommy was waiting I let go of her hand and she started up on a good running pace. Not a sprint like she started, but a run, er… run/jog… well, a jog/walk. And she saw Mommy, Jakey, and Emo Vivian (Emo=’Auntie’ in Korean). She waved at them with 25 meters to go and the announcer says through the loudspeaker, “And she’s waving to the crowd!”

I ran ahead, crossed the finish line and squatted down with arms wide open. She ran into my arms and I kissed her and told her how proud of her I was. She got a medal for crossing that line. What a race.

And now… Jacob’s turn. He was nervous. But he was ready. And as the horn blasted once again, Papa, who just ran a total of 3 + miles already, jogged behind Jacob and his little legs. And yes, it was hard to watch. I’m so fricken paranoid. I called to him, “Slow Down, Don’t Fall.” SLOW DOWN DON’T FALL?!?!? That’s not how to race is it? Well, until they can handle running on their own without me following, I’m going to yell, SLOW DOWN DON’T FALL!

We watched another little girl bite it. And I mean bite it. When adults fall they tend to be able to catch themselves. They can fall hard, but they are strong enough to turn their bodies, recover during the fall and prepare for the hit in fractions of a second. This girl just BANG fell. And it was awkward, on her side, arms flailing, legs in the air kinda fall. It looked extremely painful. But full of proof - see… SLOW DOWN DON’T FALL!

We passed kids that took off way too fast and petered out. A quarter of a mile in at the turnaround and I was like, “damn I’m tired”.

Jake kept his pace, didn’t slow, we weaved around kids and parents, we went around slow-pokes, and we got in view of the finish line where Mommy, Emo Vivian and Bella cheered. Jake poured it on. I guess I could have sprinted ahead and let him run into my arms but I was tired. And he was doing fine on his own. He crossed the line, with papa behind him, and I grabbed him and kissed him and told him how proud I was of him. He got a medal for finishing.

And they wore their medals proudly. They deserved it.

Proud owners of Saucony Three Point One & Kiddie Race Medals!

I don’t know why I didn’t time their race. I totally forgot. But they did it and that’s all that mattered.

Now THAT was the highlight of the day. No times, no personal best goals, just two of my kids finishing their first race – with many more to follow.

I hope.

With Emo Chi-Chi (Vivian)

The running family…
Jake, Mommy, Bella and Papa

I did my first and only 5K race back in Decemeber, 2005.

I was nervous, I had about 10 training miles under my belt - most on the treadmill - and only three weeks running.

I suffered through it in a respectable 31:24. I remember feeling so burned out with a mile to go. The three friends I ran it with took off and I tried to stay with my wife’s cousin but just couldn’t hang on. I was huffing, I was puffing, I was miserable as I tried desperately to cross the finish line. It felt like an eternity run instead of a measly 5K run.

The finish was tough, the start… I felt like this…

Yesterday I went out with the intention to beat my personal best 5K time of 26:28 which I did on 9/21/06.

Before mile two I was burning up. My chest, my legs, everything! How can anyone get so fast unless they are built physically for speed?

As I checked my first mile split, 8:41, I realized I was off pace. I needed to average 8:32 minute miles in order to tie my 5K Personal Best. I had to make up 9 seconds. I picked it up.

The run started weird. My ankles felt stiff, my knees were tight, my breathing was labored. I did my long run on Monday evening. A 9 mile run. I took Tuesday off and knew I needed to run Wednesday or my next possible run would be the “Saucony Three Point One” on Saturday.

I wanted to do a hard run, then taper with an easy 3 today and/or tomorrow then run all out again on Saturday. Is that proper training for a race? Probably not.

Anyway, I picked up the pace. And as I hit the two mile mark I thought I had hit the wall. Thoughts of just slowing down crossed my mind. My 2 mile split: 8:27.

I had to do some math. I just made back 5 seconds. I was off a Personal Best by 4 seconds. If I maintained the pace I’d nail it. Barely.

So I tried to maintain the pace and sprint the last 10th of a mile.

Mile three… I was at 25:34 into the run. I had to sprint. I tried. I really tried. And even at this point I was thinking, “just slow down, there will be other days”. Its weird what your mind tells you when your body is going through a physically challenging test. One tenth of a mile to go, less than a minute to push hard, and your mind is telling you to stop trying? I don’t get it. And even these few seconds you’re thinking, “I’m not going to beat it anyway, so I might as well slow down. Why push it?”

I fought the urge to slow down, The last tenth of a mile seemed longer than a tenth of mile. Doesn’t it always?

I ran it in 45 seconds. I made a quick calculation in my head as I jogged it off for a cool down. I thought I saw 26:20 on my Garmin just as I hit 3.1 miles… I beat it. Barely, I thought, but I knew I beat it.

Officially: 26:19. A personal best by 9 seconds.

Splits:
Mile 1: 8:41
Mile 2: 8:27
Mile 3: 8:26
Mile 3.1: 0:45
Final: 26:19 – 8:29 min/mile

Can I repeat this performance on Saturday? It’ll be tough as I’ll be running on a trail with some ups and downs and uneven ground – I’ve run 2.5 miles on this trail for a Sprint Triathlon before. I’m not looking for a PB on Saturday, but I wanted to know how it would feel to go with an all out effort without hitting a wall and stopping. At least I know what I can do as far as a race pace is concerned. All the 5K races I’ve done this year were to start a Triathlon or to end it, so I have no real idea of what a 5K race pace should be since I’ve only run one 5K race.

And there you have it. A 5K personal best training run with two days recovery before a race.