Boston Again Or Die Trying!

Brunch at Norma's

2012-01-21T16:28:00.002-05:00

Fruit smoothie shots

Every now and then, some culinary experiences are so unexpected they just have to be shared. This was the case with Norma's. I went with high expectations and left severely disappointed. I've seen shows with glowing reviews on their food, but what Sara and I ordered was just ... not very good and definitely not worth the exorbitant price.

http://www.parkermeridien.com/normas.htm

Mostly sweets bread basket

Crispy French Toast

In the meantime...

2012-01-07T23:26:00.000-05:00

Still dealing with achilles tendinitis, so while I'm recovering, I've been posting photos to stock sites. Here's my mini gallery at Shutterstock...

My latest images for sale at Shutterstock:

My most popular images for sale at Shutterstock:

Got Achilles Tendonitis

2011-11-20T16:43:00.001-05:00

There's nothing runners and other athletes want to wish away more than injuries. I've had right achilles pain for at least a couple of months now and it's grown progressively worse, especially after the NYCM. Like all other injuries, it seems the only thing I can do is to not do too much (running) and stretch it. So I'll follow orders and keep my running to about 10 miles per week and get back to core and functional strength development...next month.

I May Have Just Become a Fruit Lover

2011-11-16T17:17:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that I dislike fruits. I put up with some for nutrition and health, but in general, I much prefer vegetables. If you must know why, it's because I grew up in the tropics surrounded by an overabundance of rotting mangoes and papayas. My favorite ways to consume fruitin pie form or as smoothie ingredients. I especially dislike sour fruits. That said, I think I may have found a cure to my fruit revulsion.

Enter the Miracle Berry.

Synsepalum dulcificum

After seeing it on the Dr. Oz show, my wife and I had to give it a try. We found a place in NYC that sells them at $5(!!??). When my wife came home today with 4 miracle berries and a basket of strawberries, grapefruit, kiwis, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, lemon and lime, the party was on. We started with the a miracle berry each, chewing the berry and the seed and swishing it for a couple of minutes. Then began the fun.

strawberries - OMG. Were these just plucked from the Garden of Eden?? So good, I had to have another and another. Then...
lemon wedge - I still taste a little bit of sourness, but more sweetness.
lime wedge - Same as the lemon, but slightly sweeter
grapefruit - I'd never had grapefruit in my life, but I was spooning it and slurping like a starving mad man.
under-ripe kiwi - Best kiwi ever!
pineapple - sweetness!
cantaloupe - heaven!
honeydew melon - WOW!

I continued to devour fruits for another 10 mins or so, when the berry effects wore off.

I love my sweets and usually get them in the form of baked goods, but with this miracle berry, I think I can now actually eat a little more healthily by cutting out some processed sugars in exchange for fruits. The best thing about it is that it doesn't mask any of the natural flavors about the fruit. It just enhances them, so a strawberry still tastes like a strawberry.

If you're skeptical, check out a few of the links below. Or find a fruit purveyor in your area and give it a try. It's about as much fun as you can have eating fruit.

Links
- CNN
- NY Times
- Doctor Oz show

Off-season Plan - Vibrams!

2011-11-13T21:23:00.001-05:00

The main goal this off-season is to take it easy. Three marathons this year (Disney, Chicago, New York City) is what I'd usually do in three years. Going to take a couple of steps back this and I'm going to enjoy it so come next season, I'm ready to tackle the next goal: sub 5 minute mile. Don't know if it's possible, but I won't know until I try. My current PR is 5:22 without specifically training for it.

There is one unorthodox element I'm introducing into my life this off-season - Vibrams. I've run barefoot on the treadmill before and actually enjoyed it. And with my wife wanting a "monkey foot" partner since she's been wanting to wear them for her lower back ailments, now was as good a time as any.

We've gone out walking in them only two times so far for starters. Today's 5 mile walk around the city to Central Park, LeVain Bakery and Trader Joe's felt more taxing than usual. And I guess that's a good thing. I felt like I got a better workout below the ankle today than I would have in regular shoes. I don't like walking on asphalt and hard surfaces with them, but love walking on Central Park grass, dirt and trail. At this point, I definitely can't imagine running more than a few miles in these. But I know the body will adapt, and I hope it'll translate to a few seconds faster for my mile time next year.

2011 New York City Marathon - Expo to Finish Line

2011-11-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

2011 New York City Marathon spectating - 5:35:24

2011-11-06T21:28:00.000-05:00

My 3rd slowest marathon ever, but among the top 3 in terms of sheer enjoyment. My big audacious goals for this race were to have fun, take lots of photos, and meet and talk to people along the way, which was probably the most difficult. It certainly helped to have left the Garmin at home.

Here's a quick rundown of highlights that come to mind right away...

Briefly chatted up Mario Lopez and his 2 running partners if this was their first marathon without recognizing them. Didn't realize it until a half mile into Brooklyn when so many women were screaming his name.
Met an older gentleman whose fastest time was 2:25, but was now running in the 6hr range in his 70's
Ran for a while with the NYRR in-race videographer photographer, who I ended up giving a pair of my change socks because he was blistering
Walked with a friend from about miles 16-18 who just couldn't run anymore and decided to pull off the course.
The fandom throughout this marathon is utterly spectacular. Best marathon strips have to be awarded to 1st Ave. Manhattan and Brooklyn's Greenpoint. I give Brooklyn the edge.
I soaked in the atmosphere approaching the finish, and stood about 100m from the finish taking photos and congratulating people. All the while, people were imploring, "DON'T STOP! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!" I smiled at them and took their photo. When I resumed, I couldn't help but have a huge grin on my face. I resumed my run with a jump and a heel click to screaming cheers and high-fived everyone I could the rest of the way.
No gels or gu on this marathon, and I don't miss it.
And lastly, jog/walking a marathon still hurts at the end of the distance, although not quite as much.

If there's any gripe about today, it's the same I've had year after year - why don't they let runners with no bags to pick up on 72?

Now to the photos. I have to work tomorrow so I didn't get a chance to export a lot, so I'll continue tomorrow. Here's a few for starters....

I've always caught the bus from midtown. This was a first for me this year.

Goodbye Manhattan. See you in a few.

Mario Lopez and his running partner

One of my favorite shots today

New York City Marathon Photos - Packet Pickup

2011-11-05T20:34:00.001-04:00

As I wrote in my previous post, my only intention for tomorrow is to have fun with the camera. It started this afternoon with the packet pickup. More to follow....after the race :-)

Jacob Javits Conference Center. Usual packet pickup location.

High-end marathon charms, anyone?

The Off-Season

2011-10-26T22:52:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my wife and a friend, I briefly considered racing the NYC Marathon because it's only four weeks after Chicago and I'd still be in pretty decent shape to retry for 3:10. But with NYCM only 1.5 weeks away, I think I'm just going to stick with my original plan and make it a jog/walk and start enjoying my off-season with a camera.

Speaking of which, with my photo-a-day project done, I've missed taking photos. Luckily, I've found something to keep me motivated this off-season - submitting photos to stock sites. Starting to build up a library at Fotolia.com, Dreamstime.com, and upon acceptance, IStockPhoto.com and Shutterstock.com. My goal in all this? To see if I can get a few hundred photos on each site. This is not a race so there's no time frame. It's just another layer of enjoyment and motivation for a hobby that's become incredibly addicting, much like running.

2011 Chicago Marathon recap

2011-10-10T09:37:00.002-04:00

I had only one goal for this race: run a 3:10. You see, I've grown tired of training for and running marathons, and I just want to do end this year with a bang with plans on taking off next year. That said, I carried a 24oz water bottle as opposed to 16oz, and filled it with ~2tsp salt. Also carried 6 Roctane's and picked up an additional clif shot at mile 17. I logged the most training miles I've ever done for this race. I missed out on tempo and speed mileage until the last month of training because of a twisted ankle, but I thought the additional miles and the multiple Tabata sprints addressed that. So come the day of the marathon, I was ready for battle.

The gun went off with Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run on the loudspeakers to amp up the runners, myself included. My goal was to run the first 10k feeling easy. It felt easy even though I may have gone out a little faster than planned. After 10k, I planned on running at about 7:00 - 7:10. My next checkpoint was 13.1 @ about 1:35:xx to have a shot at my goal. Check. Next was mile 20 @ 2:25, which would leave me with ~45 mins for the last 10k. Check. I had still planned on gutting out at least 1 or 2 sub-7 miles in the 20's. Then the wheels started to fall off.

I felt the initial cramp twinge around mile 17-18, but shrugged it off and drank more water and gatorade. I didn't want to pay it any respect because I had a very specific goal that wouldn't accomodate cramps. I tried to pick up the pace to get the sub-7 miles as planned, but both legs now were telling me to stop or they'd lock up. Still didn't listen. By mile 24, the twinges started to become knots and I had to take walk breaks. At about mile 25, I was reduced to a stiff legged walk for several hundred meters. My entire right hind leg just locked up. Attempts to stretch the hind muscles caused the quads to cramp up. I hadn't experienced that since my first marathon. Gracious spectators rooted me on with looks of pity and encouragement. I almost felt bad for making them feel bad for me. Some of them offered me a beer for comfort. I was almost tempted.

In the end, I could only smile and be thankful for the battle as countless runners passed me by on the final 800. I armed myself well and gave it my best shot, but it wasn't meant to be. I was also very happy and excited for my friend and colleague and long run training partner Craig who passed me at about mile 26. He set a PR by 10 minutes. How awesome is that?

Note: Prayers and thoughts to the family of the North Carolina fireman who collapsed 500m from the finish and died 2 hrs later in the hospital. I saw at least a couple of runners in the last 3 miles being treated with IV drips and it reminded me of how tough this event really is.

Mileage splits:
1- 7:17
2 - 7:01
3- 7:08
4 -7:04
5 - 7:17
6 - 7:21
7 - 7:06
8 - 6:55
9 - 7:05
10 - 7:02
11 - 7:01
12 - 7:02
13 - 6:52
14 - 6:38
15 - 7:12
16 - 7:07
17 - 7:12
18 - 7:19
19 - 7:24
20 - 7:32
21 - 7:42
22 - 7:57
23 - 8:15
24 - 9:11
25 - 12:35
26 - 9:11 (.73 miles)

11 pure miles...back to basics

2011-09-15T23:15:00.001-04:00

In the span of 6 hrs and, all because of running, I experienced:

- GUILT because I missed a lunch run
- ANGER because I had to make it up
- BARGAINING because I didn't want to
- DEPRESSION because I had to
- ACCEPTANCE because I needed to

In the end, acceptance made me realize the only cure for my afternoon anguish was the sickness itself. I just needed to go out and enjoy a run. So I did. And I was treated to a vibrant magenta sunset along the reservoir, cool breezes throughout the park, and on the way home, I stopped to enjoy Andrea Bocelli's performance at the Great Lawn from a distance. What an evening.

2011 Portland Maine - Operation Escape Irene

2011-08-31T00:16:00.001-04:00

2011 Portland Maine - Operation Escape Irene, a set on Flickr.

Short weekend trip to Portland, Maine, coincidentally to escape Irene. Topped off the week to 60+ miles while on the trip :-)

Heal!

2011-07-28T12:44:00.000-04:00

It's not like I've been inactive, but starting to feel like a marshmallow just because I haven't been running consistently. Also starting to reconsider my Chicago expectations. Approaching 3rd week of ankle healing and it feels like an eternity.

Photo walking tour 2011.07.23

2011-07-24T22:33:00.001-04:00

Photo walking tour 2011.07.23, a set on Flickr.

Fun day with the new 7-14mm lens! Not much running, but lots of walking.

Race Report: Run for the Parks

2011-04-17T19:47:00.004-04:00

What a difference a week makes. Last week before the Scotland 10k, I felt age catching up with me and my fastest running behind me, especially for the 10k and shorter distances. But breaking my 4 yr-old PR after the 10k though changed my outlook 180 degrees.

I carried the confidence into today's 4 mi Race for the Parks. Just like last week, I warmed up for about 2.5miles before the run, only I didn't do any fast warmups today. Opted instead to catch up with an old friend.

My strategy going into the race was to take it easy on the uphill first mile, make up time on mile two, eke out what I could in a very hilly mile three, and balls out in the final mile. Also decided to reward myself with stuffed french toast (best french toast every!) at the Eatery, IF I PR'ed today, breaking my non-dessert and processed sugar consumption. My splits were as follows:

Mile 1 - 6:31
Mile 2 - 6:20
Mile 3 - 6:44
Mile 4 - 6:28
Mile .06 - 18s
Garmin time: 26:27
Official time: 26:21 @ 6:36/mi

Missed my PR by 7 seconds! Nice little reality check and worse, no stuffed french toast. Still, it was a good race. It just wasn't another PR day today.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79728561

Race Report: Scotland Run 10k

2011-04-10T12:48:00.007-04:00

I'd been dreading this race since I signed up for it. I've developed a distaste for the shorter races, especially 10k's. Of all race distances, they seem to hurt the most. Additionally, I've been mired in a running funk of self-doubt and I had not raced a 10k since last year's Scotland Run. To relieve some pressure, I decided to treat this as a baseline race for the year. It would be a reflection of the cross-training and the treadmill intervals I've done this brutal winter.

It was great Scottish weather today. Warmed up jogging lightly to the bag check, and when I couldn't find my colleagues, I decided to do something different. Instead of going directly to the corral, I did some warm up hill repeats on the bridle path to get my heart rate up. I thought it might be good to get my heart rate up before the race so I could settle into pace easier.

I headed to the corral, stretched for a little bit, then waited a couple of minutes for the race to start. I was placed in the second corral this year so when the race started, I did quite a bit of dodging and weaving.

My Garmin splits for the race were as follows:

Mile 1: 6:39
Mile 2: 6:34
Mile 3: 6:26
Mile 4: 6:45 - Bottom of Harlem Hill to Engineer's Gate, hardest stretch on the course.
Mile 5: 6:31
Mile 6: 6:37
.31: 1:56
-------------------
41:32 Unofficial

My official finish time was 41:28. Woohoo! A PR by 19s. I'll take it. Completely unexpected. I remember feeling like I was going to fall apart after 4 miles, and at the same time trying to outrun a loud and heavy breather who, just by being around me, was draining me. Luckily he faded back. And the one thing I can't forget today - I was outkicked by a girl the last 10 meters. She came out of nowhere and I didn't have time to react.

After the race, I brunched with some friends and colleagues, one of them a first time NYRR racer. Whole wheat pancakes with strawberries and pecans. No syrup for this (mostly) sugar-free month.

Lessons learned today:
- age hasn't quite caught up with me yet as I've feared
- strength, speed and stretching training works for me as an alternative to lots of miles
- raising the heart rate before the race helped to settle into a pace quicker
- I think I can get faster

Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/78414227

Manhattan Half

2011-01-22T17:11:00.005-05:00

I was not an official race entrant for the Manhattan Half. I was out there to help pace a friend, CK, and to log some miles since I haven't been running much. I could not have picked a colder morning - 12F when I stepped out the door. Luckily I anticipated it so I made a stop at Sports Authority last night to pick up some new warm socks and gloves with a gift card. The socks actually worked really well. The gloves didn't work as well as I'd hoped.

The race itself I consider a success. Although CK didn't hit her goal time, she did great considering the morning conditions. The sunshine provided token warmth, but for the most part, it was the coldest race I've ever done to date. And yet, there was a guy out there with shorts and a sleeveless shirt. My face went numb. Probably had snot lines on my face and I couldn't feel it. My fingers get a burning freezing sensation in these temperatures. And about eight miles in, my feet felt like ice blocks attached to my ankles. I think I crossed the finish around 1:51:xx, just behind CK, but I don't know the official time since I stepped out of the race path and jogged to the finish in the pedestrian area.

Besides the cold, one outstanding thought I have about this run is this: it hurt just as much as when I ran a PR in Philly. I'll attribute it to the cold conditions and that I ran Disney 2 weeks ago.

All in all, it was a great new cold experience today to pace CK, log a few miles, and get my last long run done for the rest of this winter. To finish off the morning, I headed to Sullivan Street Bakery and treated myself to a chocolate almond croissant and a couple of bombolinis which I enjoyed with milk and finally some hot tea.

First time I've seen plastic bags over shoes for warmth...

Vibram's in these conditions

This guy's head isn't generating enough heat to keep the sweat from freezing, or it's just plain cold.

First loop, sun still coming up.

Snowy sheep's meadow morning

A Five Year Report of Activities (2005 - 2010)

2011-01-16T20:24:00.006-05:00

It's time for another look back at another year in activity, now that it's finally over for me. But instead of looking at just one year, why not a quick look at the last five years.

2005:
Most balanced year in terms of training. Did two goal races this year - The Tinman Triathlon and the Honolulu Marathon. Course consists of 750m swim/40k bike/10k run. I finished at 19:58/1:07:27/48:09) respectively, for a total 2:19:17 including transition times.

I did the Honolulu Marathon this year at 3:33:14. I was about 3 years into running at this point and remember how tough this race was for me. I had a goal time of 3:10 to BQ. Was 1:36 at the halfway point, and totally cramped up the second half. Was really just learning how tough it was to qualify for Boston.

Moved to NYC from Hawaii around August of this year.

2006
Did a lot of stationary biking first winter because I didn't care too much for running in the cold. A few races in Central Park and a couple of NYRR half marathons, otherwise, it was a year to transition into a new living scenario.

2007
Decided to do try for the NYRR Grand Prix in 2007 just to get the silly certificate. Logged most running miles this year (Also did my first NYC marathon. What an experience! Results were as follows:

Manhattan half - 1:35:52 (coldest race ever!)
Bronx half - 1:36:21 (another brutally cold race)
Brooklyn half - 1:34:39
New York City Marathon - 3:28:17 (first sub 3:30! At this point, I realized how far I was from qualifying for Boston, and I had to make a serious commitment if I was going to get to 3:15)

Didn't mark the other two half marathons, but I know it was in the mid 1:30's.

2008
Buckled down more on run training this year to see if I could qualify for Boston in the NYC Marathon, logging 1590 miles for the year. My strategy to run the qualifying time was to do lots and lots of running without much speedwork Result? 3:19:46. Still nearly 5 minutes short of qualifying time.

2009
Frustrated by my BQ failures, changed my strategy two-fold. First, I decided to do more speedwork by introducing Tabata sets into my workouts. Second, I decided to try to qualify on a flatter course in New Jersey. Result? Success! Qualified with a 3:14:23.

After finally qualifying, I wanted to try something different instead of running, so I committed to the P90X program. At the same time, I trained and did the 2009 NYC marathon. Results for the marathon were not very good. My heart was not into it. The P90X program, I think, helped me out quite a bit. Never been able to do so many pullups in my life! See results post here.

2010
Finally ran the Boston marathon, and it was worth every trying effort to do the race. Of all the marathons I've done, including NYC, this was probably my favorite race to date. After the race, I really wasn't sure what to do with myself running-wise. Also had a couple of half marathon PR's, finally breaking 1:30 in the Philly half.

2011
Started off with the a personally disappointing Disney marathon, which has motivated me to train hard this year. Will revisit 2011 about a year from now.

All-in-all, I can't believe I've been in NYC for over five years now. It's been quick, I'm still enjoying myself, and I'm looking forward to coming adventures with friends and my wife.

2011 Disney Marathon Race Report

2011-01-14T08:51:00.016-05:00

Tardy on this race report, but friends and family on an Orlando vacation trump the recap any day. So here it is...

Among runners, I wonder sometimes if I'm abnormal in that I don't enjoy running multiple marathons per year. In 2009, it was NJ and NYC. This past year, even though the Disney is in 2011, I consider it in the same year I did Boston since almost all the training was in 2010. This is an important consideration for me because I've realized that in doing two marathons per year the last two years, I've never performed well and consequently never fully enjoyed the second race. My Disney finish time was 3:18:52.

Training for this marathon was not quite as minimal as last year's NYC. I was just hoping to continue my string of PR's on minimal training. It's in my blood to be optimistic.

The race had an announced 17000 participants, but didn't felt like it was more than that. Race morning was nice and cold. I gave my wife my one long sleeve to help keep me warm, so thank goodness for the crowd to provide general warmth during the half-mile walk to the starting corrals from the check-in area.

After a few interviews of runners doing the Goofy challenge and other runners dressed in their favorite characters, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy sent us on our way at around 5:38 AM. I positioned myself all the way in the back of corral A to ensure a slower start. My wife, by the way, was dressed as Minnie Mouse, and being the actress that she is, she was true to her character throughout the race.

The best part about the course was running through the parks, particularly Magic Kingdom. I approached the Cinderella castle just before dawn, and the combination of the sunrise and the castle lighting was, dare I say, "magical." Besides that, the course itself was flat and rather uninteresting. Lots of highway and backroad running, including running by a sewer processing area. I'm thankful for the many Disney characters interspersed along the way between the parks to keep us entertained. I saw a couple of runners pull over to take pictures with some of the belles. The longest empty stretch was between the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, so I chatted with a few other runners.

Strategy wise, mine was pretty straightforward. Go out slow the first few miles, make up the time in the middle, and give whatever I had left the remaining 10k. My finish time was reflective of the training I put into it. I was hoping for a 3:15, but I think not enough training, over-indulgent holiday season and the all-day amusement park outing the day before the race ultimately did me in. All along, I saw this marathon as something fun to do in support of my wife and my best friend doing his first marathon. They both smashed their race goals. In the end, with the usual body pains of a marathon, I lamented that I didn't give the event more respect.

There are lessons to be learned in every race, and I believe I was due mine. I've been spoiled this past year with less mileage yielding better results. It was good to be humbled and reminded that I need to work to get better. And that sets me up for this year nicely. The race was less than a week ago, but I definitely feel more motivated now than I have since Boston training last year. I feel like it's safe for me to wave goodbye to my lack of motivation and say hello to a new season. And I will go on record to challenge for a new PR at the NYC marathon in November, my only marathon this coming training season.

Some photos
Happiness at around mile 11, out of the Magic Kingdom.

Still feeling alright going the Animal Kingdom with a Mt. Everest model in the background. I wish this part of the race was longer. It's on my bucket list to at least hike up to base camp on Mount Everest.

Worst. Race photo. Ever!

Obviously caught immediately at the moment that I'm springing up and everything else is still going down.

Race Report: Philadelphia Half Marathon

2010-11-21T23:37:00.003-05:00

This race was all about grit to break 1:30 for the first time in a half marathon. And I feel like I almost sabotaged myself...

enjoyed way too much of a late dinner the night before
depending on maintenance running in favor of hard training

So when the race started, I knew I just had to go and get it. Drawing on my Pain to Paine trail half, I figured I could maintain the same hard effort for the distance but with a better time on a street course. My Garmin mile splits and thoughts along the course were as follows.

6:47
6:37
6:47
6:53
6:48
6:41 - First 5 miles done at above goal pace. Let's see if I can keep this going. Latched on to 3hr pacer who was slightly ahead of pace.
6:23 - Great crowds along Chestnut provided lots of energy. Good to bank time.
6:50 - Slight uphill took an effect.
6:34
6:51 - Left bending uphill seemed never ending. Needed to use arms to get up the hill.
6:31
6:41 - Time to get going, but not much left in the tank.
6:45 - WTF? Why is this mile taking so long? And where is the finish line??
2:03 (.33 miles)

---------------------

Garmin time: 1:29:11

Official finish: 1:29:12

My previous personal best was 1:31:45 this past January. I felt like 1:30 was mine for the taking today after the Boston training and the maintenance work I've continued in the past few months. I just had to not be afraid to go out and get it. I kept that in mind in the last couple of miles. It wasn't easy, but I didn't expect it to be.

Race Report: Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon

2010-10-03T20:12:00.003-04:00

Some quick 411 about the race before...

URL: http://www.painetopain.com/
only it's 3rd running this year
Paine in URL refers American revolution figure Thomas Paine (Wikipedia entry)

It was a terrific morning for my first trail race: cool, crisp, hardly a wind nor a cloud in the sky. We even had a revolutionary figure travel from the past to fire the musket to start the race. Race strategy? I had none. No previous experience trail racing.

Before the race start, I took about a 3/8 warmup jog with RK and EM (the same EM I couldn't catch last week) just to warm up. The musket fired and we were immediately greeted with a half mile climb on asphalt. I think that was a way of spreading out the 375 or so runners because the trail was a lot of single file running. Nice move by the race coordinators.

Trail running is nothing like pavement or running on the bridle path in Central Park. It was rocky, uneven, muddy...all the things that make trails trails. Furthermore, there were a lot of short steep climbs and quick fast descents. Rolled my ankle a couple of times and saw some spills. It was also difficult to pace because of the climbs and rapid descents, so I tried to race by my heart rate.

Around mile 7 or so into the course, I managed to take the lead in my group. I wasn't comfortable because I didn't want to get lost (again) and I don't like being anyone's rabbit. Thankfully, a couple of other runners that I had not passed earlier caught up with me. Only problem was that I couldn't keep up with these newer guys.

Mile 8 on was a series of struggles. It was a struggle to keep up with the guys that passed me, to keep my legs moving on the soft surface, to stay focused on the trail. I stumbled quite a few times as fatigue started to set in. The fast start started to take it's toll, but I dug in.

Somewhere in mile 10, I was passed by another couple of other runners I hadn't passed earlier. I was impressed by how easy they seemed to be running. "I'm slowing down quite a bit," I thought. I was passed again around mile 11 by an older gentleman I had passed earlier at a stream crossing. At that point, I thought I must have slowed quite a bit. I was having a hard time keeping up with everyone that had passed me. I didn't always check my watch and pace my eyes had to be on the trail.

My finish time was about 1:38:05, if I remember correctly. I was just so glad to have finished the race. I felt I had gone out fast and just tried to keep the effort the whole way through.

After I settled down at the finish, I checked my pace times and I was surprised to have found that my fastest miles were actually the last 4 miles. I didn't slow down at all. The 5 total that passed me were just fast. Also, my fast start wasn't fast at all. In the end, my arms were up so much to help me in balance that my shoulders had a pretty good workout themselves.

My splits were as follows:

Garmin details can be found here.

Wrapping up, I had a blast with RK and EM doing this race. I can definitely understand why people get into trail running. The miles passed by so much faster I had to be so focused on almost every step. I definitely see more trail races in my future.

Race report: - 5th Avenue Mile

2010-09-26T19:49:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I've composed a race report. That's because I haven't raced in a while. I had originally intended on foregoing the 9 + 1 because I thought I wouldn't be interested in doing the marathon. Now I find myself scrambling to finish minimum just in case I decide to do it. The 5th Ave Mile is a fast, furious and fun qualifier and a must for anyone doing the 9 + 1.

I didn't have any expectations going into today's race. Actually, I did. They were mostly negative. Did 800's 3 weeks ago and my best time was a 2:51. Haven't done any Tabata sets, and I was sick last week. I felt that my warm-up jog confirmed that today was going to be a mediocre performance at best.

When I got to the race start, I didn't expect to see some of my friends and colleagues since they were in the 30-34 age group. Lucky for me, they decided to hang back and run with my heat. Even luckier, one of the guys, EM, is a fast youngin' that I was hoping would play the rabbit. And thank goodness he did.

The gun went off and I remember thinking go easy, but run strong. During the 1st quarter, I made sure to stride strong but tried to stay relaxed. Time at .25mi - 1:25

The 2nd quarter was a long gentle grade. EM had pulled away by about 15 meters, but I was able to reel him in within 5 by keeping a constant effort. Still tried to maintain strong strides going up the grade. Time at .50mi - 2:51.

(Halfway point check. I should be able to do 5:45 since the second half should be faster. Tiring, but the rest is downhill and flat. EM is only 5 meters ahead.)

The 3rd quarter goal was to maintain the effort on the downgrade or even start to speed it up a little. I think I was successful at it, but EM was pulling away again. Darnit! At .75mi, EM was about 12-13 meters ahead. I needed to start picking it up.

(3/4 mile check: Tired? Yes. Behind pace? No. EM too far? Yes. Are you going to be happy not giving it your all. NO! 400 meters remaining. GO TIME!)

At the 3/4 mile marker, I looked for EM and he looked impossibly far at about 10m. Just in front of me was a guy with a funny stride. I had to get past him first. Done. Now to EM. At 1500m, I squeezed out every last bit of effort and tried to hold on for as long as I could. I caught EM's back shoulder at about 10 meters to the finish, but I couldn't quite get past him. I was one second shy of his time.

Unofficial clock finish - 5:29.

Official time: 5:24. YEAH!!! PR!! First sub 5:30!!!

Insanity - Day 2

2010-07-08T19:46:00.001-04:00

Only day 2, and I'm already questioning my commitment. Meh. The great thing about these workouts is that they're short. Heck, 15 of 40-45 mins is warm-up and stretching, albeit a very tough warm-up. It's the last 10-15 mins that seem to take F O R E V E R. The workouts are not impossible, just intense. And I'm starting to hate every form of jump squats.

Insanity - Day 1

2010-07-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

I now understand why some friends used to call me swimming pool. After this workout, it wasn't just a puddle on the mat.

Insanity workout 1 was a cardio/plyo circuit. Wore a heart rate monitor to stay honest and saw it go up to the high 170's repeatedly towards the end of each circuit. That's my heart rate when I'm running hard repeats. It might have gone higher, but I was too exhausted to check.

The interesting about this video is that as a runner, my cardio and physical movements know how to behave when my heart rate is that high. I've adapted to an efficiency at the 80% max HR when running, so it doesn't feel as hard. When I'm doing other activities though, be it cycling or this Insanity workout, 170's and anything higher feel much tougher. But I guess that's good so I learn how to employ the rest of me in non-running extremes.

Plunging into Insanity

2010-07-07T00:17:00.003-04:00

I've decided on an impulsive plunge into Insanity. Not crazy, just mostly bored. Cycling is fun, but I sort of miss the structured schedule I followed when doing P90X. Cycling doesn't also promote the quick, efficient burn that I get from running, i.e. I have to bike ~30mi to get the equivalent of a 6mi run.

Anyways, I'm going to fall back into the mode of training when doing P90X, except that Insanity is only 60 days, and the workouts are about 35-50 mins. Short enough for me to continue cycling and other workouts.

Here are my initial fit test numbers. Oh by the way, the fit test was tough. Even the warmup felt like a workout. This series is going to be tough.