Malibu International Marathon

A

     Zuma Beach, in Malibu, CA, has a very special place in my heart. It is a beautiful place where I had planned my first A race, where I first got panic at open water swim, where I first noticed my bike strength was not enough, where I will always be able to watch the ocean without people interrupting my view.

     That is essentially why I was mesmerized by the idea of running a marathon through PCH finishing at Zuma Beach. I knew there would be hills at the last half, and without proper training this would not be a race to get a personal best. But as usual, being this the first event there was a special attraction. And I had to run another marathon for 2009.

     It was a chilly morning (43-45F), and parking was available near the finish line, with shuttles to take the runners to the start. My wife was running the half, and would start at the middle of the full course, two hours later, so we had to go separate ways. There was a small number of racers for the full marathon (331 finishers), and the sun came out right before the start.
      Following my training on forefoot running, I decided to make this my first marathon on flat lightweight shoes, my old pair of Asics DS Gel Racer that I used on my sprint triathlons throughout 2009. Addionally to that, I was three weeks on my low carb diet, lighter and feeling more energetic. My watch battery had died, so there would be no time monitoring, what contributed to decrease my anxiety.

       I felt really good at start, and decided to leave behind the 4:30 pace group, as I was able to run confortably at 9 min/mile pace. When we reached the Pacific Coast Highway there was a strong headwind for about two miles, what required extra energy spenditure. But I kept the 9 min/mile until mile 15, when everything came down, as I started to climb the hills. Probably I had muscle fatigue resulting from the current diet mixed with the different running technique. I had to do walk breaks, mostly on the hills, as I did not have a watch to rigorously follow a schedule. At that point, it became a fun run, and I started to chase the other marathon maniacs and interesting people.

      To help me finish the last three miles, I met a runner training with Galloway using an interesting device to time the run/walk/run schedule. That tiny box with loud beeper really pushed me forward, and we finished the marathon few minutes after 4:30, without being passed by the pace group (that or I was really short of oxygen).

       I ran Malibu more than two months after my last marathon (Kauai Marathon, 09/06/09), and a month after I burned out after Magic Mountain Man (10/10/09), so it was my secret pleasure to finish it. I was finally reclaiming my running form back, in time for Baton Rouge Beach Marathon in 12/05/09, and a happy 2009 closure.
      To have the same result as previous marathons was reassuring, with the new diet, the new technique and the new year to come. I was finally going back to my roots, becoming a better runner and triathlete.

Before I forget...

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GUILTY AS CHARGED!

I have to apologize for all these months without posting.

Major part of it is that I have been very busy at work, thank God. I have accomplished many steps in my career, and have made the plan for the next few years, so that was worth. Now I can pay more attention to my wife, my life in details, and my blog. I have done many races, as you may see on the sidebar. I promise I will bring details in further posts, at least I will never run out of topics. Probably will not write a lot about Giants and Trojans, as it seems they will not do very well this season.

Another reason for my absence is Twitter. Most of my need to communicate with the Earth and its inhabitants was satisfied by using those 140-character microposts. And you can see them all on the sidebar as well.

I promise I will continue this blog, as I am alive and well (see the picture of me and a friend at my last race). Even happier on giving continuation to my blog. And doing Yoga more often. And eating healthier low carb diet. And having moved to Beverly Hills adjacent. And having started a small garden in my balcony. And planning my first Full Ironman Triathlon distance.

Talking again about the sidebar, please notice my insatiable hunger for challenges keeps me registering for races.

I am guilty as charged for not giving attention to my blog, but as you can read, I am still the same impulsive, elegant hard worker-but-bad-schedule-follower as before. I love my wife, my life and this blog. I love triathlon, endurance sports, children and puppies.

More Road Work Ahead.

Vineman 70.3: Lessons to Learn

Going for bigger challenges, I had on Vineman 70.3 my second half-ironman triathlon. It was my first registration, my A race, while Wildflower was to be my rehearsal. Vineman was special because of the M-dot logo, I should say.

It taught me a lot of lessons, I am happy and proud to say. First lesson was never to travel on the previous day of a long distance race. Trying to save time and money, I went from LA to San Francisco on the morning of the previous day, spent hours driving and dehydrating, wasted my lunch time at the expo, and ended having lunch at a supermarket at 4PM, about fifteen hours from the race start. Bad plan.

Driving back and forth along the bike course, still made to have dinner with colleagues from LA TRI, at a place to have a pizza "to die for", with an old ambulance for deliveries (see picture).

Slept well, but worried through the hot night for have forgotten to check again the race course, with no Internet or IPhone access to do so at bedtime. That was my second lesson: study carefully the race course, months and weeks before.

Transition area and swimming start were crowded, with many colorful distractions and loudspeakers, and I almost missed the start of my wave. The Russian River is a beautiful place, and its warm calm and shallow waters were a pleasure to swimmers of all levels. At mid-course I regretted to wear full wetsuit, sweating while touching the bottom with my hands. At the end, I regretted not to have trained better: 57:32, in such ideal conditions. Of course, transition area was half empty. Little problems packing everything, and T1 was 4:19.

Best bike ever was followed by my worst run ever; cooking under the hot sun, I had foot cramps over the first four miles, followed by excessive fluid intake up to mile 6 and consequent abdominal cramps and nausea over the last six miles: 2:44:20. Last three miles were
a slow long nightmare, watching the minutes fly over my tired legs and dizzy head.

Packing everything under the hot sun and my burning rage, recovering from nausea and abdominal cramps, I felt the bitter taste of dissatisfaction. 7:16:50 was my time.

One last lesson was still to be learnt from Coach Brian Melekian, at the exit of transition area.

"Hey, are you OK?"-he asked.
"I am upset because I did not break seven hours."- I said.

"DID YOU have FUN?"- he returned.

Yes, ideed. It was fun, probably even when I was hurting.

That's why I love Triathlon. And that's why I will come back to Sonoma.

"A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it." - Anonymous.

Race Week!

Vineman 70.3 is one week ahead, and finally I can take a break in the push for training (or the guilt of not training harder).

This time I cannot say I did not peak my training. And I have seen myself faster, more confident and more comfortable, at least on the bike. Of note, training for my second half distance race I did two marathons in six days (LA Marathon and San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon), happily completed my second Century (LA River Ride), and was able to conquer hills with the group rides. I can proudly say now I do not stay last in the group rides.

Hungry all the time, now I can indulge on ice cream and bananas and cake at night, and eat as many times as I feel hungry. I had sports massage two days ago, and now I can feel my body without awkward posture or tightness. I go to be earlier, and sleep until late evertime I can. This time I am enjoying race taper.

Worried about the forecast of 95 F for Sonoma on race day, I have spent time exposed to the hot weather, doing short runs or half hour walks. That is a real threat.

As part of the taper, I am catching up on my movie going activities. Yesterday I went to a documentary festival, and I watched Beauty Mark and Bicycle Dreams. It may be I am in a sensitive mood theses days, but I have to declare my love to these two movies.

Beauty Mark is centered on Diane Israel, a world-class triathlete and psychotherapist, discussing body and self-image, and athletic bulimia, with interviews with many former champion athletes, including Dave "The Man" Scott.

Bicycle Dreams is an award-winner documentary that follows the epic Race Across America, touching the souls of all endurance athletes, showing cyclists in search for their inner truths struggling in this challenging race.

Training is complete, I am completing another big step in my life, and I am happy. Looking forward the next challenge.

Wildflower !!!

Wildflower long course was my first Half-Ironman Distance in my short life of triathlete. One should expect months of hard training and commitment, and so did I.

But life came on the way. Months coming to this race I was having a hard time at work, not able to eat, sleep or train accordingly. All I had was the thrill of the first Half distance, and the challenge of beating the course closure times. Truth to be told, I registered for Wildflower as a rehearsal for Vineman 70.3, certain that I needed a wake-up call. With all the bad schedule, that was the right decision, and I came to Paso Robles, CA with the goal time of less than 7hours and 30 minutes. Talking about rehearsal, this was my first race on a Sugoi trisuit, and I have to say: it was more comfortable than wearing pajamas.

After touring the bike course by car, on race morning I set up my transition time almost certain that I would not be able to climb Nasty Grade all along. I just did not do my homework, and I knew I missed precious training hours over the last few months.

I was not nervous, I knew what I could do thanks to my previous races and my training. But again made the mistake of not avoiding anything new on race day: worried about foggy goggles, I tried the anti-fog spray on my Aqua Sphere goggles; by the second buoy I had water on my goggles, and since then my sight was blurry, and at the turn around I missed one corner, being instructed by the officials to turn back. After that, I lost my confidence, and my pace was jeopardized by more often blurry sights. I finished the swim in 57:58 and with a red eye that lasted two days to heal, possibly a chemical conjunctivitis. It was less than one hour, as expected, but probably I could have finished the swim leg in less than 50 minutes. I need new racing goggles, that is for sure.

T1 was a little bit more than five minutes, due to a mix of run/walk on rough cement and dizziness at wetsuit strip.

For the bike leg, the challenge was to finish before the course closure, what meant to be completed in less than five hours. I was not sure about my abilities, and for that reason I was a bit anxious for about three-fourths of the course. I had lumbar backpain, probably because of the swimming efforts followed by the climbing right at the beginning, and that contributed to my almost despair. I did not stop, until the last few yards of the Nasty Grade, when, as expected, I had to walk my bike. I was not alone at that point, but I swore I will never do that again in a race. Another valuable lesson. Nutrition was not a problem, and I was able to keep myself up-to-date with pieces of Triple Threat Powerbar and gels. To my surprise, I did the bike leg in 4hours and 5 minutes, a nice surprise to myself, not before feeling angry on seeing people finishing their run while I still had the whole half-marathon ahead. Those made my T2 about 2 minutes, not bad for such a large transition area.

I really enjoyed the run, at least the first 11 miles, because of the trail course, and because I did not bonk. But I was rushed to finish, and forgot nutrition. Took only three gels during the whole leg, and paid the price; at mile 10 there was a long hill, and I had to walk. Even running the last mile and a half, I finished the run in 2hours and 24minutes, not enought to beat my goals.

I finished in 7 hours and 36 minutes, happy to be able to complete a Half distance, but upset by 6 minutes on my expectations. But I will never forget my fond Wildflower memories, and I know what went wrong, and I am ready to improve. That is all that matters.

Long Time No See...

I have been very busy at work, so many things happened, so few hours in the day...

Let me start reporting that I had a real Catholic Lent: for about six weeks I worked hard, almost completely keeping myself away from serious training, eating badly, and sleeping 4 to 6 hours a night. And as a real resurrection, I had my birthday on Easter, finally (but late) resuming my training for Wildflower Long Course.

Not that I had some fun and endurance challenges during the last months... On March 1st 2009 I took part in the Gran Fondo, a challenging ride at San Diego, my first Century. Let's say a century hurts more than any marathon. And it was a good lesson: I did not take enough fluids for a Tmax of 75F, and started cramping at mile 35, and had to walk my bike for many points of elevation. But I really wanted to finish, and did it, in 10 hours and 15 minutes, right when the finish line was being disassembled. Result: I earned unforgettable memories and experience, and up to today I did not receive my medal (promised to be sent by mail) and my jersey (also promised to be sent by mail by the organizers).

All that effort brought unexpected results: on 03/21/09 I ran the Stand for Hope 5K race around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (see the first picture) and got a new PR, 21:10. On the very next day I ran the Pasadena Marathon and also got a new PR, 4:13:32. Better than that, I was able to run the first half few seconds less than 2hours, in a hilly course, in a happy preparation for Wildflower.

Aware of my urgent need to increase my hours on the bike, on 03/28/09 I took part in the Spring Metric Century organized by the Orange County Wheelmen, on the Santiago Canyon, happily finishing 66 miles in 4:18, less hurt, without cramps or dehydration.

Still in the same spirit, I went for a ride with experienced LaTri athletes on the Santa Monica Mountains, and of course got left behind in a 50+ hilly course, but got home sure that I was able to tackle a harder course than the real Wildflower Long Course.

Joining LA Tri Club and USAT meant the beginning of my mature age as a triathlete (not to mention all the perks and discounts). Last weekend I had another beautiful bike ride on Palos Verdes, at a very mellow pace, followed by a short run at the beach and a barbecue.

Of course, with maturity comes accountability and hard reality; I could be "more ready" for Wildflower. An unrealistic goal of 6hours and 30minutes came down to a threatening attempt to at least beat 7 hours and 30minutes. But I am really having fun, achieving new PRs and exciting experiences. Considering Wildflower will be my first 70.3 distance, I am going to enjoy the most.

And still have time to prepare my redemption at Vineman 70.3.

Experience is not what happens to a man.

It is what a man does with what happens to him.

Aldous Leonard Huxley

Marathon #20

Sarasota Marathon (02/15/2009) was a fortuitous finding for a business trip. After a week in a conference, to take the opportunity to run my first marathon in Florida was an easy decision. Moreover, this was my eleventh state to run a Marathon, completing my qualification to join the 50 States Marathon Club. I had to do it, even with broken legs.

As usual, it could not be easy. Two weeks after Surf City USA Marathon, in midst of Triathlon training, with a jet lag of three hours. And I had to finish it fast, in order to be able to have time to take a shower and still catch my flight.

The plan was simple: to do run/walk/run, goal time 4:30, 4:40 at least. I knew it would be hard, with tired legs and mind.

It all started in the dark, and sunlight came just when most of the runners were at mile 5; but it was warm and humid: funny as it seems, everybody was drenched in sweat at mile 2.

It is for a reason they call Sarasota Marathon "A Run with a View". Everywhere we ran there was the beach town atmosphere, and most of the places the course interrupted long lines of cars going to beach. At mile 11 there was the hilly point, going over a bridge, to cross back again at mile 20. And that was exactly after mile 11 I knew it would be hard to achieve my goals.

The humid and hot weather made my tired legs feel heavier, and even the compression socks could not make things easier. Negative thoughts came then to my mind, and everything looked ugly. But I kept the pace at about 10min/mile, doing 3min run, 1min walk. It payed back at mile 19, when I saw myself strong and steady, still able to keep the pace.

It was hard to finish the last miles trying to stick to the pace, but that was the first time I noticed my legs were running on their own, just following the watch. I finished at 4:35:23, proud of my feat, limping to the car, from the car to the shower, from the shower to the airport.

Chinese Thigh Destroyer

One week after Surf City, I had a busy weekend on February 7-8, 2009. With the rainy forecast, it was exciting and exotic to have a Saturday bike ride followed by a Sunday 10K race in Chinatown.

I can tell I have learned my mature bike riding skills in group bike rides. After buying my bike in April/08, I only did long rides in fun crowded groups: City of Angels Fun Ride (35Miles) and LA River Ride (70 Miles). That was why Firecracker Fun Bike Ride 20 Miles was attractive, over a well-known course to me. I rode about 5.9 miles to the course and back home, increasing the total mileage.

Because of the wet previous night, just about sixty riders came to the start, but it never rained during the ride. It was a blast to run over wet and muddy streets, with police motorcycles closing the streets. At the finish I had my first Chinese post-race meal. I took the opportunity to get the race packet for the next day’s race.

That afternoon I slept extra two hours to ensure recovery.

Next morning I came to the start line with tired thighs and mildly sore hamstrings, and I knew it would be hard to achieve the goal time of less than 50 minutes. The course had a surprising uphill over the first two miles, for what I was not prepared. Total number of runners for the 5 and 10K was more than five thousand, mostly students, making this event a huge party with strong smell of tiger balm. It was drizzling, creating a cold start and a muddy course.

I can say I had the best views of Los Angeles, running on Elysian Park around the Dodgers Stadium. All runners should come at least once to have pictures, but be warned about the uphill. Afraid of creating an injury a week before Sarasota Marathon, I had to slow my pace in the ascent and descent.

Finish time was 53:05, not bad for all my concerns during the race.

That afternoon I slept extra three hours.

Pictures: I am getting better on the Iphone!

Honored to be part of SUGOI Brand Champions Team

It is an honor to have been selected as SUGOI Brand Champion; I have to say, one of the reasons I became interested in Triathlon was because of the looks of the SUGOI apparel.

You can follow my blog posts at Sugoi website at http://brandchampions.sugoi.com/.

The word SUGOI is a Japanese term for “Incredible”.

With my new apparel I will certainly be faster and look prettier in the pictures.

Fresh start for 2009

First marathon of 2009, overt triathlon training, my wife running the half-marathon, and completion of the California Dreamin‘ Series. Surf City USA Marathon (02/01/09) started with multiple commitments, and I was eager to face the challenge. To be able to continue my marathon addiction without interruption of my Half Ironman training, I decided to use the Galloway’s run-walk-run method for the first time in an official marathon. Actually, with my busy schedule I have Sarasota Marathon two weeks after Surf City.

It was still dark and cold (48 degrees F) when we got to the beach start, at 5:30AM. There was a lot of people, mostly running the half-marathon with wave starts about an hour and a half later. Because of all that, this was my very first car-in-the-parking-lot-start. About twenty minutes from the start I left the car and ran about a mile to the start line, just in time for the gun.

I ran straight for the first four miles, in order to warm-up, then able to remove gloves, arm warmers and headband. My run-walk-run technique was then to run for four minutes and walk for one, targeting pace between nine and ten minutes. My ambitious goal time for Surf City was 4:15, realistic 4:20 and acceptable 4:30. I tried to use the iPhone and iMapmyrun to get GPS documentation of the whole marathon, but the cell battery finished before the end, creating unreliable data.

The course plan was excellent, avoiding a crowded course diverging the half marathon start times. As promised, we had a glance of the ocean in more than 60% of the course. It was a nice pleasure to run again in Huntington Beach Central Park, where I did 21 laps last December 27 running the Big Cat Challenge. In fact once more I felt how comfortable it is trail running for me, running at the park and on dirt path at the beach.

Nutrition went well, with a gel every 30 minutes, and sports drink for most of the run. Usually I run marathons with a water bottle in my hand, so I have freedom of choice of when to drink, avoiding the crowds. I can say I never really hit the wall, but at mile 20 my pace was a little slower, mostly feeling the heat (72 degrees F) and I had to pick up a little over the last four miles. Finish time was 4:28:50, making up a pace of 10:16.

I got two medals this time, with the completion with the California Dreamin’ Series (San Francisco Marathon, Long Beach Marathon and Surf City), a nice running jacket, and reassured a new running technique.

Next day I was able to hit the bike trainer for a nice hour.

Precious assets

I have never been faster and more dedicated. Since I got my Iphone on January 1st I earned an exceptional personal trainer. In the midst of training and planning for 2009 season, this device has made me a better athlete, all by allowing me to follow training principles that I have neglected in the past.

Time. It all starts with better time management. More organized, I am finally able to plan my days and save more time for training and rest. Now I do not have to choose between my different activities. I even have more time to watch tv!

Training Journal. I have kept an account at Buckeye Outdoors for the last few years, mostly to keep track of my races. Now I can log my workouts instantly and analyze my week from anywhere. During my rest I can compare my performance and engage on challenges with other athletes in the website.

The third training principle I have met this month is "what can be measured can be improved". I can use GPS technology through Imapmyrun and Imapmyride apps and have detailed and reliable info about my outdoor workouts, even for walks. I can even send a Twitter update of those activities.

Nutrition. I can finally keep real-time track of my food intake, using the app from livestrong. I am still making daily mistakes, but at least I can control my calorie intake and my weight pattern.

Dedication. I recently found many friends who care about the same goals and ideas, with whom I can talk endlessly about running, triathlon and endurance sports, joining Runcast.TV and Racenation online communities. They help me to stick to training, and give me energy to push forward, by telling their stories or challenging me. Twitter keeps me online with my friends, during training or rest. To keep this blog has also helped me to organize my ideas and goals, at least once a week.

It was really a good resolution to have started listening to my body, my mind and my friends at the dawn of 2009. Those are my most precious assets.

Hero of the week:

Lance Armstrong, putting public his life and sweat, defending a noble cause.

Quote of the week:
“Don't feel entitled to anything you didn't sweat and struggle for.” Marian Wright Edelman.

Happiness

This week I took a day off training because I felt tired, and the next morning I was very upset to myself after seeing somebody running on the sidewalk. In a stessful week at work, the question came to my mind: What makes us happy?

With so many people not able to swim, bike or run, for health problems, money or time constraints or psych blockage, should we be happy on being able to finish a race, or be ready at the start?

Always moved by adrenaline and endorphines, we push ourselves week after week, collecting miles and hours in training logs, worn off shoes and race bibs. Many times we loose the focus, because of tiredness, hunger or pain. My reaction to work stress invariably throws me to find new challenges, the crazier the better. Is happiness the absence of injuries, or a busy race schedule?

Permanently planning for the next race, days, months and years go by with stubborn preparation. We chase results, racing our peers. Can we train to be happy? If results matter, is an elite athlete happier than an age-grouper?

Science and Medicine more and more bring evidence that physical activity and wellness are intrinsically related and dependent on each other.

To be an athlete is not a profession, a badge, or a status; it is a state and a way of life. It takes dedication, sweat and pain, but so it is life and all pleasures.

Are we happy because we're athletes, or we are athletes because we're happy?

Hero of the week: Haile Gebrselassie won the Dubai Marathon yesterday in 2:05:29. Because of the rain, he could not break his own current world record of 2:03:59. “I’m really pleased with this performance,” he said at the press conference, “this is my best time in this sort of weather. (...) This is better than Dubai last year (2:04:53) for me, so I’m happy.”

Quote of the week: "If you want to be happy, be." Leo Tolstoy

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Movie Break

After watching "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" a lightning struck me. Unnecessary to say, the movies that become our favorites always bring reflections of our inner truths or beliefs, but I could not avoid another opportunity to learn to live with myself: what are the favorite movies of an endurance athlete?

I could not avoid its resemblance to Coppola's Youth Without Youth, and ancient Greek tragedies, showing men and women fighting against predetermination of their destinies. That is one of the reasons we cannot forget them. You can choose fictional characters (Birdy, 1984) or real people (Bird, 1988), journeys of self-discovery and life-changing stories are always inspiring, pushing us to our limits (if there are limits...).

Talking about life stories, we cannot forget epic movies like Gone with the Wind, Doctor Zhivago, The English Patient, endurance tests on themselves for time seated on hard chairs. I always think of them when I am swimming, running or biking large numbers.

Because of its obvious action appeal, all Indiana Jones, James Bond and Mission: Impossible series are always fun, even after the twentieth replay, but unconscious action is always dangerous, as depicted in A Clockwork Orange and Minority Report.

Looking beautiful in the picture (like The Matrix series), or dirty and dehydrated (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) we all try to be the heroes finishing our endurance tests, official or private, outdoors or indoors. We seek for our inner truths, challenging predetermination of limits, making our lifes a gift to our loved ones (if you did not watch it, Run for your Life).

It is not just about fun.

Love your bike

I have never written how much I love my bike (2007 Scatante T560). It is one of the closest things to my heart, together with my wetsuit and my sunglasses. It amazes me how far and how fast it can take you (with appropriate training). There is also the green appeal, with the bonus of avoid driving in crazy cities, like LA. And there is the nostalgic feeling from our childhood (but I have to say: this bike hurts A LOT more than all my previous ones...).

That is probably the main reason I bought a trainer. Of course it was a good idea for ramping up the Ironman training, without leaving my wife alone for many hours on weekends (she still does not have a bike). It is also a big bonus to be able to train at 11PM in a weekday. I really needed to increase my time on the bike.

Setting up the trainer in the balcony of my new apartment seems almost an unfair advantage for me to beat the competition. If it really does not help me with biking, for sure it will help me with my running, as it has already done.

Finally I am ready to take ahead more serious training. I probably will need to buy more bike shorts.

Sent from my Iphone.

Next races: Surf City USA Marathon (02/01/09), Pasadena Marathon (03/22/09), 27th Annual Avia Wildflower Triathlon Long Course (05/02/09), Vineman Ironman 70.3 (07/19/09).

Heroes of the week: San Diego Chargers on the playoffs. Support your local team!

Quote of the week: “Talk of nothing but business, and dispatch that business quickly." Aldus Manutius.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year for all of us!!!

It is a new year, full of hopes, promises and resolutions, and this is my first post from my Iphone. It is a wonderful gadget that I will talk about later,after learning a little bit more. First things first.

On 12/27/08, following great expectations, and after one day of carrying heavy furniture moving from my old apartment, I finally ran the Big Cat Challenge. Few running aficionados got together at Huntington Beach Central Park to run consecutive two-mile loops and complete, to their will, a half-marathon, a marathon, or as much as they could run in 12 hours. Of course I chose the 12 hour challenge, to finish 2008 with a high note. That was still part of me learning to live with myself... My plan was to use the run/walk technique, targeting a pace around 10min/mile, with run over 3min and walk for 1 min.. My primary goal was to beat my previous result in my first ultra of 37.28 in 12 hours, with secondary goal of completing 60miles in 12 hours.

The official clock was marking 7:32am and 38 F degrees at start. I set up a bag on the floor as my HQ at the first aid station, allowing me to avoid carrying too much weight and to keep my own food and fluids. First hour was completed at 9 min/mile pace, bringing hopes of a better than expected performance. First 13 miles were ran in 1hour and 58 min.. The marathon was completed in about four hours, a new PR. At mile 28 I changed my shoes from the Kanadia trail to wide mildly-wore Brooks Adrenaline, to prevent foot injuries. At six hours, 36 miles were completed. After that, I was not able to keep the pace, and the walk breakes became erratic and frequent. At 7:32:13 I stopped, after walking a whole lap with my asthma flaring up for the second time that day.

I was able to meet my primary goal, achieved a new marathon PR, learned how to run for many hours, and finished first in my age group. Not bad at all! And once again I felt how nice is trail running...

Now I really feel I am ready to face 2009, with a big smile and bold goals.

Next races: Surf City USA Marathon (02/01/09), Pasadena Marathon (03/22/09), 27th Annual Avia Wildflower Triathlon Long Course (05/02/09), Vineman Ironman 70.3 (07/19/09).

Hero of the week: Robert English, the man behind the Big Cat Challenge, on its third event on 2008; the first race had only three participants.


Quote of the week: “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin.