Personal Record!

Did my tempo run today and hit my new PR! It's only a matter of time before I break the 8:00 pace mark.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
4.00 miles - 0:33:36 - 8:24 pace

Turn my workout into an RPG? I'm listening

http://www.fitocracy.com/home/
This website serves like any other online workout journal. What makes it special is that it gives "points" for working out that can be used to "level up" and show off prestige. It even has an achievement system and quest line so you always have something to accomplish besides the daily grind.

In my opinion, this seems like a good way to keep my runs and lifts interesting. For people who like video games and can sit down for hours doing repetitive tasks just to beat the next boss, this seems like a good way to shift that unhealthy lifestyle towards something more productive.

24 Hour Fitness
4.00 miles - 0:34:46 - 08:41 pace

Just got back from Berkeley...

and the first thing I did was go to the gym! I was hoping to get home earlier so I can run outside at the park but that didn't happen so I did a treadmill run instead. Oh, well.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
8.00 miles - 1:11:06 - 08:53 pace

PS. I'm re-evaluating my training routine. I figured running 12 miles EVERY Sunday would be too much (it like running a half-marathon every weekend). Instead, I'll dial it down a little and make up for the lack of distance with a lot more speed-work.

I spoke too soon about that sports band

Apparently, the website that handles info for the Nike sports band is fraught with problems. The reason why I bought the Lunar shoes was to use the band. Today, I returned those shoes and picked up another pair of Asics Cumulus 12. Gonna run in then tonight and try to break them in.

Update:
First run with these babies and they felt great!

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
3.47 miles - 0:30:00 - 08:39 pace

About time

Just got home from work and saw these at the door steps. Can't wait until I run in them tomorrow!

First run all week

I went hiking to the Holy Jim waterfall in my Asics running shoes. I figured, "with almost 450 miles on these things, I think I can spare a hike with them and then run the next few days until I receive my new shoes." Turns out, I was dead wrong considering that I ended up stepping into one stream after another, essentially compromising the cushioning provided by the insoles. Anyways, I decided to take a couple rest days on Monday and Tuesday before I got guilty enough to run this morning. Today will be the official day where I will retire my Asics Cumulus-12 running shoes. I will reserve those for hiking and off-road stuff and do my future runs in Nike LunarFly+ 2 running shoes.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
4.00 miles - 0:34:36 - 08:39 pace

My little brother is back for the week

He just finished his semester at UC Berkeley so now hes back for the week to kick back. He used to be a cross country runner in High School so I always egg him for tips and tricks when running long distance. When I told him I ran a marathon, he was impressed because he has never done a marathon (let alone the training distances) himself.

Anyways, I went hiking last Sunday up a really beautiful creek towards a small waterfall. My soon-to-be-retired running shoes got wet and some sand got stuck underneath the in-soles. In effect the shoes are now "officially" retired and I will never run long distances in them again. I'll probably keep them as shoes that I can abuse. Anyways, my new shoes arrive on Wednesday so I won't be running until I get them. Until then, and for the foreseeable future, I am starting a strength training routine in addition to my generic runs. For now, here's my planned workout schedule.

Sunday- 12 miles
Monday- 4 miles and weights
Tuesday- 4 miles tempo
Wednesday- 4 miles and weights
Thursday- 4 miles repeats
Friday- weights
Saturday- 8 miles

-This equates to 36 miles a week with room for speed work, strength building, and endurance stacking.
-Tempo is where I start easy for a while, then gradually speed up to a fast pace, then slow to a cool down.
-Repeats are where I run a mile at a pace below race pace, then rest, then do repeat for a total of 4 separate but fast miles.

Something is wrong with me

I tried doing my mid-distance run today and failed after 4 miles. Normally, I would be able to do 5 miles easy but this is ridiculous. I've recently read that it takes about 2 weeks for an ELITE athlete to fully recover from a marathon. Obviously, I might be rushing things a little bit, considering that my "easy" runs aren't so easy anymore (which is a sign of over-training by the way). I think I'm just going to dial it back a little and take the marathon recovery training before beginning my next training schedule. If I do the full four weeks of the program, I will have to start the marathon training at week 11 to make sure I finish the program by race day on July 31st.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
4.10 miles - 36:53 - 9:00 pace

My thoughts on barefoot running

Yesterday, as I was doing a short 3 mile run, I saw another athlete running barefoot. I've heard of the theories and alleged advantages to barefoot running but I figured that it would only take a small nail or sharp rock to injure the sole of his feet for weeks (regardless of how tough his callouses have developed).

Anyways, the most commonly alleged advantage to barefoot running is that it strengthens the ankles of the runner because it forces the athlete to change his landing patterns. For those who are not aware, endurance runners tend to land on either the heel or the mid-foot between steps. From what I've noticed, barefoot running forces the runner to land on his mid-foot and have the ankle absorb the impact because landing on the heel without some form of cushioning will send the shock straight up his shins (potentially causing shin splints). By utilizing the ankle for this purpose, the ankle gets stronger over time.

Now consider this: a runner who always lands with his heel (ie. heel runner) decides to train barefoot to strengthen his ankles. By doing so, he will land mid-foot and his ankles will grow ever stronger; however, by running barefoot, he risks injury to the soles of his feet which will send him out of commission for a long period of time. Furthermore, when he shifts back to running with his shoes, the strengthened ankles will never be utilized because his running pattern doesn't require ankles!

Now consider the alternative: a runner who always lands with his mid-foot (ie. mid-foot runner) who considers barefoot running. As a mid-foot runner, he is utilizing both the cushion in his shoes AND the impact absorption of his ankles to reduce injury. As a result his ankles are already developed and running barefoot is an unnecessary risk.

In conclusion: I suggest that those people out there who insist on running barefoot or insist on purchasing "barefoot-inspired" shoes to simply change landing patterns. It may take months of training to shift styles but it beats the alternative of a buying new pair of shoes or missing a race because of injury.

PS. The blog was down so I wasn't able to post yesterday's run so here it is:

Mile Square Regional Park
3.0 miles - 0:25:55 - 8:38 pace

Starting a new regimen

For the last marathon, I jumped into a training program that was already twelve weeks in; I struggled to keep up but I stayed true to the letter. This time, I'm going to jump into the program at week 7 so that I can finish the 18 weeks with the San Francisco Marathon on July 31st; which I will be doing with my youngest brother!

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill

3.45 miles - 0:29:33 - 8:34 pace

4 mile attempt at a fast pace and failed. I'm going to try again tonight at a much slower pace so that I can. at the very least, finish 4 miles non-stop.

Friday was and will be the last time I donate blood

I tried doing a tempo run for 3 miles but failed (miserably). After about 20 minutes of my routine, I just ran out of gas and stopped. My initial speed wasn't even that high to begin with! Oh well, next time the blood bank calls me in, I would have already qualified for platelet donations which I will be more than happy to give up.

FYI: when donating platelets, the staff takes your blood, extracts the platelets, then puts the blood back into the host so there should be (theoretically) no effect in athletic performance.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
2.24 miles - 0:20:00
Tempo
Start at 6.5 mph for 10:00 minutes, then increase by 0.1 mph for every minute afterwards.

Not quite 100% recovered

I just ran 4 miles today and got winded after 2. My running shoes are running over the mileage so my feet began to hurt as well. I also donated blood last Friday so that didn't help things either. Overall, it was nice to be outside and to enjoy a relaxing stroll through the park.

I just placed an order for new running shoes as well as a running gadget that automatically records my running distances. The shoes are semi-cushioned but are extremely lightweight. The low weight is perfect for racing or doing PR attempts but the lack of cushioning increasing the risk of injury. I might have to buy another pair of shoes depending on how these feel.

The watch is a Nike accelerometer that gauges gait patterns to determine distances over all types of terrain. With  this gadget, I no longer have to critically plan out my routes and can take detours knowing that every step is recorded.

Nike Lunarfly+ 2 Men's Running Shoe

Nike+ SportBand

Mile Square Regional Park
4.0 miles - 0:36:27

First day back!

First run since the marathon. I was supposed to do 2 miles but got caught in the moment and kept going for a little over 4 miles. The run was tough but it was nice to be on my feet after three days of complete rest.

Results

Marathon Runner Details Race Results Bib: 2588 Name: Daniel Tran Gender: M Age: 23 Hometown: Westminster, CA Overall: 1327 out of 1657 Men: 842 out of 982 M 20-24: 59 out of 71 Age/Grade: 37.71% Place: 1515 Finish: 5:31:17 Pace: 12:39 Tag Time: 5:31:17 Gun Time: 5:39:15 Split Times 5 Km: 28:58 Pace: 9:20 10 Mi: 1:36:31 Pace: 9:40 11 mi: 1:47:43 Pace: 9:48 Half: 2:10:21 Pace: 9:57 15.5 mi: 2:36:16 Pace: 10:05 18.6 mi: 3:26:22 Pace: 11:06

The first half of the marathon was beautiful. We ran by the pier, the beaches, the hills, the neighborhoods, the mall and the trails. The crowds were cheering us on with their posters and chants. The 18 mile mark is where things began to go downhill. I started getting leg cramps and hip flexor pains. At the 20 mile mark, I slowed to a crawl. The only thing that kept me going was realizing that I had about 10 km's left in the race, a distance that I run almost every day during training. About 20 meters from the finish line, my left thighs cramped severely, forcing me to stop dead in my tracks. Knowing that I was so close and with the crowd cheering me to finish, I limped past that finish line.

Finished!

I finally finished my first marathon! No words can describe what I felt when I crossed that finish line. Here's me and my completion medal =)

I find out about my results tomorrow. Can't wait!

Tomorrow's the big day. I did 2 miles today without a watch so I didn't time myself. I kept a very nice, relaxing pace with my cousins as we ran back and forth down Mile Square Regional Park.

Mile Square Regional Park
2.0 miles - (no time)

I just have to rest up today and sleep early. Once I wake, I gotta eat a light breakfast and get myself to the starting line by 6:00 am. For all intents and purposes, I am ready!

2 more days

I just picked up my running bib at the expo. Tomorrow is a short and easy 2 mile run to loosen up before the big race. Only a matter of time now before I get a chance to prove to myself that I am capable of a marathon!

I don't remember where I read this but there is truly nothing like laying out your clothes before a big event. Whether it be an important interview, a first date, or the race of a life time, laying out your clothes helps you realize that everything you've experienced so far has only prepared for that one defining moment.

Almost there

4.0 miles today at an easy pace. Tomorrow and the day after are "no running" days which I am not looking forward to. So far, I've pretty much stuck to the training schedule (and included a few extra runs for myself) so I guess taking these days off before the race won't hurt.

Mile Square Regional Park
4.0 miles - 0:33:21

5 more days...

I did 3 miles today at a sub-9:00 pace and I felt great the entire way. A few months ago, 3 miles used to be very difficult and maintaining a pace faster than 10:00 was almost impossible. I'm just going to continue carbo-loading this week. Five more days til the race...

Yesterday
24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
3.00 miles - 0:24:34

Today
Mile Square Regional Park
3.0 miles - 0:26:38

I might start reflecting on my progress this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday since I won't be running at all.

Did someone say, "carbs?"

5 miles today at a very slow and easy pace. Not my best time but I don't feel bad about it either so its a good thing. The marathon is only a week away so I need to start eating a diet that is high in carbohydrates. That means cereal, bread, rice, pasta, and fruits. Everything I have done so far leads up to this moment. In the words of my old high school AP World History teacher on exam day, "if you're not ready now, it's too late."

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
5.00 miles - 0:44:50

OUCH!!!

Since today was a short 3 miles, I decided to go for a PR a week before the marathon. Sure enough, I got a side stitch at the 1.5 mile mark. I tried running through but the pain got worse and I thought it was best to avoid an injury this close to event day.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
1.75 miles - 0:14:00

Not the best day of my life but this is better than not running at all.

9 more days til the OC Marathon!

9 more days til the big race. I'm already getting pre-race jitters. Right now, though, I'm more worried about the organization than the actual event (who's going to drop me off/pick me up and where). Oh well, I'll figure it out as the day gets closer.

Anyways, I forgot to log yesterday's run on this blog. It was my fastest 4 miles ever and I felt great knowing that I could have gone even faster if I decided to give it my all.

Yesterday:
24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
4.00 miles - 0:32:29

Today is a rest day that I am going to take very seriously. No running, no calisthenics, no weights. Tomorrow is an easy 3 miles with a new running partner. I'm looking forward to this!

11 more days!

Yesterday, I ran 4.0 miles (down from 5) and today, I will be doing 5miles (down from 8). It feels so weird running such short distances. Anyways, I have about 11 days to go and I'm already feeling the pre-race jitters.

Yesterday
Mile Square Regional Park
4.0 miles - 0:36:00

Today
Mile Square Regional Park
5.0 miles - 0:41:03

Update:
Almost beat the US Army Ranger Physical Fitness Requirement for a 5 mile run. The upper limit is 40:00 minutes.

Tapering continues

Just did 3.00 miles today at a very fast pace. For the rest of this week and next week, it'll be nothing but short, easy pace runs.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
3.00 miles - 0:24:18

2 more weeks!

12 mile run today. This time, it wasn't as bad as the first 10+ mile run I did. It was pretty much an upwind run in both directions but I think of it as training for possible weather abnormalities during the actual race day.

Home to Huntington Beach Central Library and back
12.0 miles - 1:52:30

Happy Birthday!

It was my cousin's daughter's 9th birthday today so we all pitched in for a celebration at "Endless Food and Fun." It's like "Chuck E Cheeses" and "Dave and Busters" all rolled into one because there was stuff for both adults and kids. Food was a buffet line so there was great restraint coming from me. I chose to load up on rice, bread, and plain pasta so I can get my fill of carbohydrates for the weekend (tomorrow is a 12-mile run).

Anyways, I just finished 3 mile run on a treadmill. I was going for 4 miles until I got hit by a sharp and painful stitch above my left abdomen at the 2.90 mile mark. My time, though, is decent for a tempo run but yesterday's was better. It might be because running outside allows me to experience the freedom and joy of true running, rather than the feeling of confinement to the monotony of a treadmill.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
3.00 miles - 0:25:00

I'm still allergic to freshly cut grass

I was running my 3 miles today at Mile Square at a "faster than race" pace when I became to wheeze heavily. Apparently, the gardeners cut the grass earlier that day and the dry heat and wind kicked up enough pollen to cause some of my air passages to shut down. It was a gruesome 3 miles but I finished at a decent time.

Yesterday
5.00 miles - 0:42:38

Today
Mile Square Regional Park
3.0 miles - 0:24:27

Busy as of late

I ran 5.00 miles yesterday but didn't post because I was swamped with other duties. Anyways, those 5 miles were very difficult, probably because I was still fatigued. Today, I'm going to do 6 miles (yay!) as part of my tapering weeks. I used to do 8 miles on Wednesday but I'm trying to follow this program to its letter so I have to stop at 6. About a month ago, 6 miles used to be a pretty long distance to run; now, its just another day =)

Yesterday
5.00 miles - 0:44:23

Update:
24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
6.00 miles - 0:52:48

You know that discomfort long-distance runners feel? (If you don't know what I'm referring to, then you haven't been running enough!) I was hit by it after the 5th mile. The last mile was a struggle to finish quickly while trying to not embarrass myself in front of the whole gym!

No running today

I still feel physically and mentally fatigued from Sunday's run so I'm going to make today my rest day. According to Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guide, this and the next couple weeks will be be filled with progressively shorter runs so that I can recover for the big day. Quality, however, will not change so my pace will stay the same throughout all these runs.

Ran out of gas

Yesterday, I had a 20 mile attempt. It was fun for a good 12-13 miles until I ran out of gas at the 14 mile mark. My mind said go but my legs wouldn't listen so I had to give my brother call to pick me up along my route... I going to try again this weekend and change my diet a little over the week. Hopefully, I'll have more energy this time around. I might also pack a few snacks to take with me during this long run.


Home to PCH and Main
14.0 miles - 2:16:36

Ants on Vacation

Perfect post-run food: full of protein, healthy fats, and plenty of dietary fiber =)

5.00 miles - 0:43:38

Tomorrow is my 20-miler. It will take me from my home towards PCH and Main Street. I'm actually looking forward to this!

No running =(

Since I'm doing a 20-miler Sunday afternoon, I decided to take my first rest day seriously. Every other time, I tried to blow it by doing some type of cross training like calisthenics or cycling. Anyways, I'm resting and being lazy while pigging out with high carb/protein meals and drowning them with some diet Snapple.

Code Blue

I just finished my run at the gym today when the manager called a Code Blue. I immediately rushed to the site and helped monitor a woman who had just fainted from either dehydration or over-exertion. I stayed with her and monitored her consciousness and her breathing until the EMTs arrived to take her away by ambulance. Interesting day for what would have been another boring treadmill run. Now time to shower and head off to my first appointment of the day.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
5.00 miles - 0:43:45

Failed

I attempted to do my 8 mile run today before work and gassed out at around the 4 mile mark. I really need to eat more complex carbs because this happens a lot. I guess I'll finish the last 3 miles later tonight.

5.00 miles - 0:45:09

Update:
3.0 miles - 0:26:16

Late night run

Finished a long day of work and just got home about half-an-hour ago. It's too dark and cold to run outside so I guess I have to suffer the monotonous treadmill for 5 miles. Of course, it is still better than the alternative of freezing my ass off or getting run-over by stupid drivers.

Update:
24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
5.00 miles - 0:44:02

Although this is my fastest 5 miles (and I wasn't even trying), it was the LONGEST 5 miles of my life. Anyways, I ran into two high school classmates while I was at the gym. I haven't seen them in well over 6 years!

Day is over with plenty of time to spare!

My last appointment canceled on me upon arrival and the mom insisted that I charge for the full hour. According to my student, I should do what the mom says or there will be "World War III."

Anyways, I now have some time to refuel with some simple carbohydrates (a banana should suffice), then do a short tempo run on my scheduled "cross-training" day. I always do my tempo runs on either a treadmill or a track because it's easier to gauge my speed.

Update:
24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
3.00 miles - 0:24:19

7.0 mph at a 1.0 degree incline for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, increase speed by 0.1 mph for 1 minute.
Continue to increase by 0.1 mph for every minute afterward until pre-determined time or distance.

My running buddy flaked...

My running buddy never got back to me about the Sunday run so I did 12 miles on my own. It was a nice change to look down on this distance rather than up, considering that I ran 14 miles last week. Next week, its my first 20 mile run, the longest I will ever do before the OC Marathon.

On Goldenwest Street from Trask Avenue to Yorktown and back
12.0 miles - 1:51:11

Santa Anita Food Truck Festival

Pics:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2680385&id=6028739&l=780c40121d

Why did I eat so much? Because I deserve it!

Early run, then its Food Truck Galore!

I'm heading to the University of California-Irvine to drop of my little brother with his friends so they can go camping. Since the Santa Anita Food Truck Festival doesn't start until 11a, I'm going to run laps around the main campus of UCI. The outer ring (Ring Road) is about 1 mile in circumference so I'll do 5 laps of that, then head to a nearby gym to shower and change before going to the festival.

Update:
UCI Ring Road, 5 laps
5.0 miles - 0:45:57

I forgot how many hills there were around the campus...

(Almost) Full Recovery!

Just did 8 miles today in 83 Fahrenheit weather. During the run, I felt almost no pain in my left foot; after the run, however, there was an acute pain that went away after a while. Also, the strangest thing happened during my run. During the last mile, I ran past a guy walking in the opposite direction holding a bag of plastic bottles and cans. I didn't think much of it at the time but, allegedly, he took my water bottle (I usually put my water bottle full of ice at the start/end points of my runs)!

Mile Square Regional Park, 2 laps
8.00 miles - 1:11:39

Long day of interning and no running

I tried to cancel my two shifts (8 hours) of interning a couple days ago by emailing my department coordinator; she didn't get back to me until the early afternoon. By then, I had already started my shifts because she never confirmed the cancellation. Too little, too late I suppose. Anyways, I would have gone hiking this afternoon had the cancellations been cleared.

My foot still hurts a little when I walk so I'm just icing it right now. I'm going to lay off running today and cycle instead. I'll make it up by doing 8 miles sometime tomorrow and 5 miles Saturday morning before attending a food truck event in Santa Anita Park. Come Sunday, I'll be ready for a 12-miler!

No appointments! Free day!

Turns out, I have nothing scheduled for today except a birthday dinner with my cousin later tonight. I'm going for another 6 mile run later this afternoon. Right now, I'm treating some foot-arch pains that I woke up with. Supposedly, ice should be more than enough to keep the swelling down.

Update:
The pain got too unbearable; I had to stop at 4 miles with a very horrendous pace. I'm going to look into purchasing some new running shoes. My current ones are approaching their end.

Mile Square Regional Park
4.0 miles - 0:36:17

6.0 miles at Mile Square Regional Park - 0:51:44

My Running Blog

Hi, my name is Daniel. My family calls me Danny and my friends call me Dan. A good friend suggested that I keep a blog of my runs so that I can share my thoughts and, hopefully, inspire others to run. I guess this will be the start of something new.

I started running my freshman year in college. At the time, though, I never took it seriously (took long walking breaks, never increased my distances, went for weeks without a run, etc). After I graduated from college in the June of 2010, I realized that I was overweight, unattractive, and unhappy. I wanted a change so I decided to change the way I eat and began to run on a regular basis.

It has been almost 10 months since I started running seriously. Since then, I have lost about 50 pounds, lost 6 inches off my waist, and down 2 shirt sizes. My original motivation to run was to lose weight and attract women. Over time, that changed to simply looking good. At this stage in my life, I run only for myself.

This Blog will log most (if not all) of my runs from now to the OC Marathon which I am currently training for. Race day is May 1st, 2011.

Wish me luck!