Becoming a Hero!

      I have been working hard on my resolutions. And so as in my job.

      That means I have been taking somewhat good care of myself; I have kept my weight around 173-174, have done Yoga almost every day, and slept better.  I have run more often than last year, not yet every day. At work, I have been doing a lot, and that has brought a lot of contentment and new tasks. I have been busy for these first months of 2011, but I still have in mind my future races, with the big event being Ironman Arizona.

      Talking about big events, I have been involved with St. Baldrick's Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding childhood cancer research. Everything started on 2000, with a head-shaving event to benefit kids with cancer on St. Patrick’s Day; today the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is the leading non-governmental organization funding research in childhood cancer. From their website:

“The St. Baldrick's Foundation has made more than 250 grants totaling over $55 million for childhood cancer research since 2005, its first year as a foundation. In 2010 alone, over $14 million was funded - more than by any other foundation making grants for research to cure childhood cancers. The St. Baldrick's Foundation has made more than 250 grants totaling over $55 million for childhood cancer research since 2005, its first year as a foundation. In 2010 alone, over $14 million was funded - more than by any other foundation making grants for research to cure childhood cancers.”

      On March 12, 2011, LAFD and LAPD come together to host a fundraising event to support St. Baldrick’s Foundation, in North Hollywood. It will be a beautiful morning with music, magicians, free IHOP and Starbucks breakfast, family fun, and, of course, head shaving! Up to now I have counted 82 shavees, myself included  :) !!!

       For more information and donations please go here.

       In preparation for this great event, I am growing my hair, and have started team “Bold Baldrick”, a team for everyone who believes all kids should have the opportunity to be silly, to laugh loud, to play all day long and be happy, instead of being scared by devastating diseases and fearing nurses and doctors. I am going to “baldly” race a series of events this year to honor our brave young cancer fighters: LA Marathon, Pasadena Marathon, Magic Mountain Man Half Distance Triathlon and the Ironman Arizona Triathlon.

       St.Baldrick's Foundation is working hard to save kids from cancer, and I am doing my part giving my hair, sweat and support to their cause.

Welcome 2011 !

      Happy New Year!

      I was raised with the belief that everything you do on the last day of the year will be repeated throughout the next year. And as an endurance athlete, I live by the motto that happiness requires sacrifice.

      I wish I could run a race today, but with the bad shape I am right now I probably would bring a very frustrating 2011. Right after ten days in Brazil, eating delicious home-cooked meals and killing my homesickness, my current weight is about 5 pounds higher, and my muscles are stiff of many hours of airplane trips. But my spirit is the same, and over the last week I have spent hours on planning the next season, and pondering the near-misses of 2010.

      I cannot complain; I was able to finish my first Ironman distance triathlon (Full Vineman), and did not have any major injuries. I have discovered Yoga, low-carb diet and Total Immersion, successfully started a new and promising job, and I live in a beautiful place, with blessed weather. Oh, and I was able to register to Ironman Arizona this time!

      Still savoring the bitter taste of my first DNF, I am carefully planning the new season, now taking into account the new job. Of course, the goals are to improve my personal records, and for that probably I will not be able to race as often.

       Right now I am cleaning my desk, catching up on the Yoga routines, and tuning up my bike. Just bought my first formula at Infinit, and renewed my contract with Sugoi Brand Champions. Finally had time to post in my blog and check my racing plans. Yeah, 2011 will be an awesome year...

New Marathon PR!

After a rushed weekend I have the pleasure to tell I have achieved a new marathon PR: 4:22:15. This and the fact that I ran NYC Marathon for three times probably may turn it into my favorite marathon, but it is still debatable.

I had forgotten how rough New York is, and that was for sure reminded in a three-day-stay. It all started with a crowded train from Newark to NYC, and people kicking your bag and pushing you to the side at Penn Station. At the marathon expo, rushed people trying to conquer space on narrow walkways and expensive merchandise and food were additional slaps on the face of a tired jet lag sufferer. At the hotel, twenty minutes of waiting at the front desk, staff people screaming at the corridors and windows facing brick walls.

Do not get me wrong: New York has its own charm; the abundance of convenience stores and Starbucks on almost every corner, the exotic foods from all over the world, the Central Park, and the lights of Times Square. But to appreciate all of that requires to overlook ugly people on dark clothes, avoid hundreds of smokers on the sidewalks and forget people stepping on your neck to run the blocks.

Getting to the Expo on Friday, left Saturday for rest, and we took opportunity to watch Run for your life, a documentary about New York City Marathon and its greatest architect, Fred Lebow. It was a very inspiring movie, perfect for few tears and fueling for the race. The pasta dinner was another perfect New York postcard, with a long line, rushed people and crowded tables, but the best was to eat and leave early.

For about a week I was dreaming with the race, but the two nights before the marathon I was so tired I slept deeply straight. Buses took us to Staten Island for the start and then the real marathon began. The morning was cold and windy, about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, with people squeezing together under tents for about four hours and a half, wearing plastic bags and trying to relax. Unnecessary to say that Port-a-potties ran out of paper.

The NYC Marathon will always be a wonderful spectacle because of the crowds of spectators and its course. The weather was warmer from the start, and the organization in corrals made possible to run your own pace in middle of a sea of runners. Once again my compression socks helped my stride, and the right combination of gels, energy bar, Gatorade and water made possible my journey without hitting the wall. I crossed the half point at 2:05:10, but started to slow my pace. About mile 18 I thought I would just be able to break my NYC Marathon PR (4:28:13), and stopped looking at my watch. When I crossed mile 25 at 4:12 it gave me new life, and finished strong summing up a pace of exact 10 min/mile, achieving a new Marathon PR.

Of course, New York still had to give its message: it took me an hour just to get out of Central Park, and when I got to the hotel I barely had time to take a shower before being expelled from the room by the manager in order to get future guests. After I met my wife, who also ran the marathon, it took from us twenty minutes and a walk for four blocks until we could get a taxi cab to JFK Airport to come back home.

Today I have just passed the usual tiredness and post-marathon depression, still treating a very painful shin splint. Inspired by my recent achievement, I have registered for Vineman Ironman 70.3, in July 19th, 2009. Now things are getting faster and more exciting. Just when I started thinking I was becoming too old for new records...

Talking about achievements, Dean Karnazes has finished the Sahara Race in second place. His feats always give me inspiration and strength.

Next races: Turkey Tri (11/30/08), Vineman Ironman 70.3 (07/19/09).

Hero of the week: My wife. She is my strength and my comfort. Without her I would never have the confidence and the boldness to face all these challenges. She is the one who allows me to throw myself in uncountable hours of training and racing, and hears all my complaints about hunger, soreness and race results. Without proper training, she went ahead and ran her second NYC Marathon with me, not able to enjoy New York the way she likes, going on shopping and dinning. And even after all of that, she had to take the flight back to LA without a shower, due to the hotel problems and the departure time.

Quote of the week: "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." Michelangelo

Long Beach International City Bank Marathon

I really had to run this race. I did not properly train for it, and just have passed my peak at triathlon training, so a marathon out of nowhere surely would be painful, but I have a list of reasons.

reason #1: I had to catch up my marathon running. This was my sixth marathon in 2008, and my goal is to complete at least eight, as last year.

reason #2: I am a member of Marathon Maniacs (http://www.marathonmaniacs.com) marathon running club; that means I am addicted to marathon running, trying to complete as many as I can, hopefully at least one in each state. With this, I have ran sixteen marathons and one ultramarathon. That does not mean I trained for all of them, but I have earned the bragging rights.

reason #3: After running San Francisco Marathon, with completion of Long Beach Marathon and Surf City Marathon I will get an exclusive medal and a jacket for completing the California Dreamin’ RACING SERIES(http://www.caldreaminracing.com/).

reason #4: Long Beach is a beautiful and flat city. I just had to see it again.

reason #5: I needed to shake things up and tune up my training for New York City Marathon, in three weeks.

reason #6: It was my participation in the Phidippidations Worldwide Half Marathon Challenge (http://www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com/cgi-bin/home). For those who do not know, it was a free worldwide event of people running together.

reason #7: I had to test running compression socks.

reason #8: I had to test a better nutrition approach for the marathon.

reason #9: October 11th was my mother's birthday. I had to celebrate this date, specially because she lives abroad and I miss her.

reason #10: As usual, Trojans won again (10/11/08, over Arizona State, 28-0) and I had to party.

reason #11: I had to run a marathon with the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles uniform.

reason #12: I love running marathons.

reason #13: I am addicted to marathon running.

reason #14: I had to face the challenge of running this marathon after intensive sprint triathlon training.

reason #15: It was a beautiful day.

But it does not matter how many reasons, but how you perform, and there comes a list of all mistakes I did:

mistake #1: Proper training: I did not train properly.

mistake #2: Do not increase your weekly mileage more than 10%: I do not even have the math...

mistake #3: Periodization: I ran a marathon right after peak training, and three weeks before an A race.

mistake #4: Proper pacing: I forgot my wristwatch, and they did not have any clocks on race course, so as expected I ran too fast in the first half, and wore myself off.

mistake #5: Nothing new on race day: I tried running compression socks for the first time in that race.

As expected, I did not PR: chip time was 4:47:30. But I was able to prove myself that without training I can finish a marathon in less than five hours.

The day started with mildly cool 66F, but during the race the temperature rose to 76F, with about 5-8 miles directly under the sun. As usual, I started the race with arm warmers and gloves, but warm-up was complete at mile 3.

I ran the first 10K at 9:17 pace, and the half was completed at 9:35 pace. At mile 13 I was passed by the 4:15 hours marathon pace group, and at mile 14 I started to have bilateral calf cramps, being forced to start run-walk pattern. At mile 18 I was passed by the 4:30 hours marathon pace group, and then the challenge was to finish in less than 4:50 hours.

Probably this was my second most painful race, but I was happy to finish in less than five hours, with accomplishment of the socks and nutrition testing. The socks really worked in improving my running form, but I can not tell about speed. My nutrition consisted in using water instead of sports drinks, using gels every three miles; this way I avoided abdominal cramping, but the cramps in my legs could be due to electrolyte deficit. Now it seems it is time for salt capsules.

Mission accomplished, one more medal in the wall, one more race in the journal. I have learned a lot, and now I have to evade the post-race depression planning my training until NYC Marathon.

I really had to run this race.

Next races: LA Cancer Challenge (10/26/08), ING New York Marathon (11/02/08).

Hero of the week: Chrissie Wellington, Ironman champion 2007 and 2008, finished more than ten minutes ahead of her fellow competitors at 9:06:23, even with a flat tire.

Quote of the week: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein