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