Sunday, January 6, 2002
Workout: easy/recovery to Camino
Time: pretty fast (5:50-6:00 last mile) Weather: sunny, warm

At the beginning of the run on the trail, I wasn’t sore like some other runners from the 4-Cities Run, so I went a little faster with Ray. He told me it was going to be a hard run, so I wasn’t surprised at the pace he was running at. I also had in mind the day before, the really bad run that I didn’t even finish. However, I finished up before Ray, but just by a little. We started running back and caught up to another runner at Longden (he already ran and went again to Longden). So the three of us ran back and at Live Oak, Frank asked if we were going to run a killer last mile. I said no, but Ray gave no response. I knew what he was thinking though. Frank and Ray ran together while I straggled behind and ran next to them, dying. But at about the wood intersections, I began falling back and when we went down the hill at the finish, I was going so slow it took a while to finish. But I started to pick it up near the end, and it reminded me of other races I have ran. I would always kick at the end (when it was pretty much useless). I still finished behind Frank and Ray, but not as far back as I thought I would be. So this run sort of made up for yesterday’s disappointment of a run.

I wanted to cap off this pretty successful week with a good hard run today. Unfortunately, it was not quite what I had in mind. Fernando’s last minute workout was very similar to the dreaded 4 cities workout a couple of months ago. The 4 cities workout is what the name is, a run through 4 cities. I forgot what 4 cities they were, but included Sierra Madre and Arcadia. It was a really bad workout for me, just because the conditions were not the way I was used to. Some of the things I didn’t like about the run: it was very long (I have always liked shorter distances), I didn’t know where I was going (there were no reference points, except a lot of phone booths), this was an ad-hoc workout, so my coach just named the streets we probably should have turned on, and there were no mile markers (so I had no idea what pace I was going at..probably really slow though).

The warm-up lap around the park wasn’t that easy to begin with, so I was already running behind the pack. Because they started off with a faster pace than I was used to, I was already running at a disadvantage. So I had to run alone the whole time, behind the pack as they were drifting away. If anyone has run alone before (without music), they should know how hard it is to do, it’s very discouraging when you know you could have been running in the pack. To make things worse, I didn’t even run the whole workout. I had just turned the street after Santa Anita and I was looking for the next street to turn on when I saw Fernando running back already. I asked him what’s up and he said that it was getting late (it had already been 50 minutes) and he told me to turn back with him. So I barely did half of the work out. However, all of the other guys were able to complete the whole workout. This was a really bad workout, and I hope there aren’t any more like these.

Today’s run on the trail was supposed to be a stick-together, fast and relaxed run. It wasn’t supposed to be a killer run because tomorrow, we were going to have to have a very tough workout. However, this doesn’t mean that we should dog the workout, because every run still helps out in the long run. So coming up on the trail, we pretty much stuck together, more or less. At the beginning of the run, Frank took off, like it was his hard workout. But he either started to slow down or we picked it up a little more. Toward the end of the first half of the run, it was Felipe who was leading it. So we came up with Felipe first and then me right behind him.

We all rested on the trail for a short period and then headed back, with Fernando telling us fast and relaxed. I started off a little slower, so I had a small gap between the pack. However, after each street, I surged to get a little bit closer. Then at Longden, we were running in a straight line: Frank, Ha then me. For some reason, I was thinking to myself that you shouldn’t be running behind people like this, so I surged past Ha to run next to Frank. At Live Oak, Frank and Fernando took off a little, which sort of left me in the dust. So now there was this gap between them two and me. But at the dirt downhill of the trail (about half a mile left), Fernando slowed down and stayed on the dirt trail, while I stayed on the cement path up top. From where I was running, I could see Fernando, because I was much higher and I could see myself slowly passing him. Lately, I have been making the decision to stay up on the cement trail instead of the dirt downhill trail just to be able to run faster on the cement and not let other runners pass me. I hope I continue working as hard as I have been and continue to improve. I should be able to run well tomorrow, even though it’s going to be a tough one.

Today was supposed to be an easy or recovery run on the trail after running intervals from yesterday. However, I guess because he didn’t run yesterday, Andrew decided to go harder. Coming up, at Live Oak, he was running pretty hard. Ha, as usual decided to stay with him. I decided to keep up, since I had a goal of not letting Ha beat me. Raymond also came along to keep things fun. His first day coming back to running and he’s keeping up with us, smiling to the person next to him trying to race. The person who came up first to Camino was Pat, who knew. Coming back, Fernando said we “should” stick together coming back.

However, Eli and Brandon just took off. I was a little ahead of the pack, but when Raymond surged and passed me, I had to try and keep up. It seemed the finish would be Eli, Brandon, Raymond then me, but at Live Oak Raymond stopped for cars. Some were coming, but I just ran across the street. He said he was trying to catch me but was too tired. So once again, I turn an easy workout to a tough one. On a happy note as we were doing strides, I guess Fernando saw me do one and on the other side he told Raymond and the others that I will be good at (or will do) the 800 in track. That felt pretty good having my coach say I will be important in a race. I just hope I can run to his highest expectations.

Wednesday, January 2, 2002
Work-out: 2 Perimeter warm-up, 4 1200 meter intervals @ 6 Min/Mile Pace with 3 Min recovery
Time: 4:30 on all 4, 69 second last lap, Weather: Sunny, little warm

The Workout - Running Intervals
On the warm-up run, I felt pretty good and I finished first and still felt good to have a great workout. I guess when the coaches told us what the workout was, I felt kind of relieved because it wasn’t as hard as I expected. Running the first 1200 meters of the workout, I felt alright but by the end of it I felt kind of tired (which is expected I suppose). I was happy that we hit the mark for the first interval run, but I didn’t like the way everyone was saying how easy it was and how good they felt. If it is easy, just keep it up, no need to tell everybody how great you feel. We finished running another two 1200 meters, feeling the same thing. However, after the third one, Frank asked the coach if we could do the first two laps normal and all out the last lap of the run. Even though I usually do have a kick at the end of runs and races, I was kind of tired and didn’t really want to. He said that I would beat him anyways, but I was tired and didn’t want to go all out. Well we did the first two laps of the interval at 3 minutes and went all out for the last lap of the interval run. On the final lap, Frank took the lead and I was right behind him. But at about 150/100 meter mark, I took off. The main reason why was because I heard the Coach yelling and cheering for me first and then at Frank when I passed him. I finished dying of course, but the last lap of that interval was about 69 seconds. Overall I guess this workout was pretty good and successful.

Running Tips I Learned
The length of time between running each interval should be long enough to let your heart rate drop down to about 65%. This number seems arbitrary, but if you do not get enough rest in between the intervals, you may have to cut your workout short. But if your recovery is too long, it is also not optimal.

Since workouts vary according to runners, the recovery time depends, but a good rule of thumb is rest 50% to 90% of the time it takes to actually run the interval. For example, in my 1200 meter repeats, our goal time was 4:30, so the recovery jog should have lasted 50% to 90% of this time or between 2:15 to 4:00, which is what we did.

Our coach always told us not to stand bent over with your hands on your knees after a running an interval or while resting. Research has shown that you recover the quickest when you jog during your recovery, because doing so helps to clear lactic acid from your blood. If you’d rather not do more running during your recovery, you can always just put your hands behind your head and just walk slowly.

Why Do Running Interval Workouts?
Intervals are one of the best ways to help increase your max VO2, and give you more speed that is needed during a race, or improve the speed that you already have. On the flip side, it may also be the hardest workout you’ll do because as you improve, the workouts will just get harder and harder, with shorter and shorter recovery times. But in the end (your next race or competition), it’ll all pay off and will show in your improved times.
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Race Stance/Ready Position
When you run, you are alternating between right arm with left leg and left arm with right leg. So when you are about to start a race and you lead your right leg out, do NOT have your right arm out. Try running with your right arm and right leg and vice versa. It is very awkward and does not work. So when you position yourself to do that, you just slow yourself down in the beginning adjusting. It may not make that much of a difference, but it’s still good to do it the right way from the beginning.

Lead the Race with ATP
It’s the first six seconds of a race, what do you do? Run like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t really know the science behind it, but when a race starts, you have about 6 seconds or so of ATP, which is stored in your muscles that gives you more energy than you normally will have (I guess it’s like a rush of adrenaline). You can only use this in the beginning of a race and it will have no affect on the rest of the race, but you cannot “save” it for the end or anything. Once that 6 seconds of ATP runs out, run the pace you would normally run in a race. This helps you gain an advantage on your opponents who do not use their ATP efficiently and get a better position in the race.

Race Lineups
It might be better to have a diagram, but the concept is pretty simple. When we raced in high school in big invitational races, teams had to be in one line behind each other at the starting line. What we tried doing was position ourselves so that as many runners on our team were in front of the other teams.

So we had our #2-3 (or lower) runners in front of our #1 runner in the line and using the ATP that we had at the beginning of the race, we #2 would run in a diagonal and get in front of the #1 runner of the team to the left, and #3 would do the same to get in front of the team on the right. This would clear the path for our #1 runner with an opening straight ahead.

I don’t know if this is a proven strategy, but I always thought it was an interesting game plan.

Praise Other Runners
It is common courtesy to cheer others when you are on a run, maybe not during a race just because of the nature of the event. But when you are training, it should be pretty easy to tell someone “good job”. It’s even better to do a little more cheerleading if you have completed your run or race and really cheer your friend/teammate to the finish line. Think about it: “Do not do unto others as you would expect they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.” How encouraging is it when you are tired and want to stop, but you have others keeping you motivated?

Group Runs
When you are running in a group, try to make room for everyone. The trail that we ran on was literally a horse trail, but from years of running there was a hardened path along the middle of that trail. The sides were reasonable to run on as well, so we were able to fit three wide. Don’t be selfish and hog the running lane to yourself.

If it is really necessary to spit, please do so to the side where an innocent runner will not be vulnerable for an attack. The last thing you want is to be spit on during a run.

Pedestrians USUALLY have the right of way
If you are running on a route that has stop lights for cars, make sure you do not get hit by any cars. The trail that we ran on crossed streets, but had no street lights, so it was important for us to look both ways before we crossed. I have to admit there have been days where I have been honked at, but from my perspective, I knew I was far enough ahead as to not get hit. This is probably a situation for many runners out there.

Learn to Tie your Shoes
Most runners follow the double-knot rule, but even using those precautions, your shoelaces get untied once in a while. If that ever happens, do not stop dead in your tracks, for obvious reasons. There may be someone right behind you without enough time to react or you will cause runners behind to have to move out of the path to avoid you, which is just like a hurdle in a race.

If you don’t want to lose your group, you can try to speed up for a little bit and stop ahead of everyone while you tie your shoes and hopefully that gap is enough to keep you within range to catch up.

Be Aware of Others
In any big race there is a high chance of some trample action going on, I know I have seen it in my years of racing. This is why it is important to be aware of other runners (especially in the beginning of the race). Yes, you may be in the “zone” and everything, but with any situation, you need to be aware of your surroundings and what is going on.

On a similar note, do not try to cut people off during the race, or during the finish. You may be dying and about to get outkicked, but it is not cool to try and cut them off. You will likely get disqualified too. This is more prominent in track, just because everything is shorter, but still happens in longer distance races as well.

Don’t Tailgate/Follow Too Closely
You may try to get as close as possible when you are drafting someone, but if you aren’t careful, you may get kicked with the bottom of the runner’s shoe. And if they are wearing spikes, it will sting and definitely ruin any rhythm you gained.

Also watch your elbows when you run, you may end up running next to someone who is not as forgiving as you hope. And if an official sees, you may also get disqualified. And you look like a fool, see the video for more information.

These are just some tips and advice that I picked up while running and training for high school cross country. Some of these rules may not be applicable to any running situation that you encounter and you may have tips of your own that you’d like to share. Please do so, as I am not the official running etiquette commissioner.

                Coming up, I tried staying with Fernando. The first mile I pretty much hung with him, but it killed me. He said he was going up medium and coming back fast. So if he went up medium and I was dying, then I wonder how I would feel coming back with him? Evan and Ha ran up to Duarte while Fernando went to the Railroad. Evan and Ha were resting at Duarte when I got there. We waited pretty long, I was planning on stopping for about a minute, but they ended up staying longer. Then when we started heading back, there were going pretty slow. Ha said it was a “good” (as in easy) pace, but it was supposed to be a medium day. I guess they were hurting so much they had to go that easy. However, at Live Oak, we turned around and saw Fernando waiting to cross the street. He caught us even though he went one street further! So the rest of them decided to pick it up so he wouldn’t catch us. At the half mile mark, I guess Ha was trying to make his “move”, but I surged to keep up with him. I surged a little every now and then and then finally passed him. Right before the downhill, I started to pull away, but still felt good. Again, I still had enough energy for a kick.

Tuesday, January 1, 2002
Work-out: 4 Miles Easy/Recovery to Camino
Time: Pretty fast for easy, Weather: Cool & hot at the end

                The Cabreras didn’t show up today, but it was no surprise, seeing last night was New Year’s Eve and all. It was fine though, we knew what we had to do. Coming up, Frank was going pretty hard to Duarte. He turned around and stopped for me at Live Oak. We ran together and he asked me to go to Duarte with him. I couldn’t do it though because I was dying just keeping up with him. So at Camino, I turned right back and a little bit later, I saw Ha. Similarly to Saturday’s run, I surged ever once in a while and passed him. After each street, I would turn back to see how far behind me he was. At Live Oak, I turned around and saw that he was pretty close. But when I finished he was barely at the end of the downhill which is a pretty big gap. The real test will be tomorrow, when we finally start doing intervals on the track. That is the real time to show how much you improved and I hope I do well and run my times.

With your muscles loose, stretching will be a lot easier, and will benefit you in many ways. Stretching is definitely important: first of all, as a preventative measure. Runners pull muscles all the time by not properly stretching. Keeping your muscles loose will also help in keeping your form while on a run. Your body won’t be tight and allow you to really focus on your run.

After a quick water break, we would gather around in a circle and perform our daily stretches. The following stretches will help you avoid pulling a muscle and allow you to have the best run possible.

Note: All stretches should be performed for about 10 seconds or so.
           Arm Stretches

1. Stand upright and try to reach the back of your left shoulder with your right hand. Use your left hand to help push your right hand farther back. Do the same with your other hand/arm.
2. Put your right arm in the air and bend it so that your elbow is behind your head. Grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull left. Switch.

   Hamstrings Stretch
   

3. We call this stretch “hang”. Standing upright, simply bend over forward and let your arms hang down. Your knees do not have to lock, but make sure to keep your legs straight. If you have never done this stretch before, you probably won’t get close enough to touch your toes. But if you hang long enough, you will get closer (and by doing this stretch more often, you will become a lot more flexible). Repeat with your right leg over your left leg and then with your left leg over your right leg.

   Quad Stretches
   

4. We call these “Flamingos”. Standing upright, bend your right leg back and hold your right ankle with your hand. To help maintain your balance, find a nearby wall or a running partner, or grab your ear with your free hand to counterbalance. Repeat with your other leg.
5. We call these “Squats”. Stand with your legs apart and bend down, as if you were performing a squat. Place both palms down on the floor and use your elbows to stretch your legs outward. You will definitely feel the burn.

   Groin Stretch
   

6. We call these “Butterflies”. Sit on your butt and place the soles of your feet together, so that they are touching and stick your knees out to the side. Try to move your feet as close to your groin. Initially, you will not be able to get as close, but will with time. It will also help to try and bend down to touch your nose to your feet too, but definitely more advanced.

   Hip & Lower Back Stretches
   

7. We call these “Hurdles”. Position so that you are going to do a butterfly, except straighten your left leg and using both hands, try and touch your left toe. Do the same with your right leg.
8. Sit on the ground with your right leg crossed over the left. Grab and hug your right knee, so that you feel the back of your leg stretch. You can also put your left arm over the right knee and twist your body clockwise. While stretching your lower back, you can crack your back as well. Switch to stretch your left leg.
   
   Calf Stretch
   
9. Get in a push-up position, but place your right foot over your left foot and stick your butt up in the air and flatten your left foot. Depending on how high in the air you stick your butt, you will feel your calf muscle stretch. Make sure you don’t pull your calf muscle this way, but also be sure that you do feel a burn in the first place. Do the same with your left calf.

If you follow these stretches (more or less in that order), you will help lengthen and strengthen your muscles, allowing a better range of motion for your arms and legs. All this, in turn, helps you perform better at runs and races, without doing much else.

This is probably not an extensive list of running stretches, but what I learned to do when I first started running. What other stretches do you do before a run?

I saw this article on Yahoo about how to choose the right pair of shoes for your sport and it reminded me of all the different running shoes I have had over the years. I can’t remember what years I had what shoes, but I have had almost every brand you can name: Nike, Adidas, Asics, New Balance, Brooks? In the beginning of the article it says that a pair of shoes will not make you better at any given sport, but it will prevent any unnecessary injuries that bad shoes will do to you. I have had quite a running few injuries in my day, including shin splints, as well as knee and hip injuries. But I never drew to the conclusion that one particular pair of shoes caused that particular injury. And that’s because I don’t think it’s true. I do believe that certain brands offer different features when it comes to running shoes. Some brands are more focused on weight so they lack a little in support and the other way around. Other shoes are made for specific types of feet shapes and sizes.

I remember back in Junior year when I got some really cheap racing flats. My feet would be burning so much that in a three mile race, my feet would be on fire by the first mile! I made the mistake of continuing to race in them, thinking, ‘oh it was a one time thing, it should be fine in the next race.’ It never was. And then one day one of my teammates offered an extra pair of flats that he had and they were also cheap too. But it felt so good running in those, it ws the greatest feeling ever (in a race). He was nice enough to let me keep racing in them. The ironic thing was my other teammate raced in those same flats that burned my feet and he had no problems with it.

Every runner is different, and this story shows it. While one shoe may be terrible for one runner, it will be okay for another. This is why you test out shoes before you buy them, maybe run around in them if possible (some stores actually let you do that).