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Archive for August, 2011

Aug 29

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Running With Joy Book Review

Running with joyRunning With Joy is Ryan Hall’s daily running log between January 9, 2010 and April 20, 2010 with his personal thoughts about his training for Boston Marathon. Since he is one of the fastest American marathon runners today, I wanted to learn from his training and hoped to get inspired. While there are some good advises/thoughts and I learned about Ryan as a person better, I did not finish the book inspired.

What I did not know was that Ryan is a very dedicated Christian and he is very outspoken about his faith in Christianity. This is apparent throughout the book and is repeated very frequently, which made it harder for me to read.

What I found interesting is that he went through very similar problems to what I go through during my training. As a professional elite runner, I thought he had everything figured out: From his running pace, everyday diet, conditioning, etc., but that is not the case. He went through some emotional ups and downs, good running days and bad running days, suffered from digestion problems, got sick, frustrated about the weather, etc. He is only a human after all!

One of the take-aways from this book is ‘Take your easy days seriously and allow your body to recover.’ I have read this somewhere before but have not practiced it for no reasons. Running too easy on hard days and too hard on easy days is not the way to go. I can use heart rate monitor to check whether I am running easy enough or hard enough.

In addition to above, Ryan offers good advices and his thoughts in many different aspects of training in sidebars throughout the book. These sidebars are useful and I would like to read them again.

Overall, this book is a bit too dry to read through. But if you are training for a marathon seriously or if you are interested in knowing exactly how elite runners train, it might be a good read.

Ryan holds the American record for the Half Marathon in 59:43 and he ran the fastest marathon race ever by an American in Boston 2011 (2:04:58), though Boston times do not count as American records, due to its point-to-point course and the large elevation drop per kilometer.

Aug 26

San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon Training

San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half MarathonOK, San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon is fast approaching and I need a program to follow; otherwise, I will screw up the race. This past week, I started to train with the Half Marathon in mind, but I need to develop my own program, so here is what I am going to do. I know there are only five weeks left, so it is not going to be a full-blown Half Marathon training program, but oh well. I am assuming that my summer track season has given me enough base for a Half Marathon, so that whatever I am lacking in this program is hopefully not an issue. The race is on Oct. 2, which is a Sunday that comes immediately after the last Saturday training in the below table.

Week
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
8/28
5 miles EZ
Cross training
8 miles tempo
10 miles tempo
Track
Cross training
16 miles
9/4
5 miles EZ
Cross training
8 miles tempo
10 miles tempo
Track
Cross training
12 miles
9/11
5 miles EZ
Cross training
8 miles tempo
10 miles tempo
Track
Cross training
17 miles
9/18
5 miles EZ
Cross training
8 miles tempo
10 miles tempo
Track
Cross training
10 miles
9/25
5 miles EZ
Cross training
5 miles EZ
Rest
Track
Cross training
3 miles

Tuesday and Wednesday tempo runs include 3-mile warm-up, 1-mile build-up and 4-mile or 6-mile LT pace. Thursday track work out should be speed training with the track team. Since it is a team work out, I don’t have control over the actual work out, but it should be something like 5 x 800m or 3 x Mile at near 5K pace. Saturday long runs will be done at 8-minute/mile or slower, and EZ runs should be done at about 8-minute/mile pace. I am not doing any hill training because of my Iliopsoas Tendonitis and that the San Jose course is pretty flat.

I feel much better now that I have something that I can follow. Yay!

Aug 26

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What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Book Review

What I talk about when I talk about running What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir, by Haruki Murakami, about his passion toward running and his work. I picked up this book and read it in Japanese and English at separate times, a few years apart. Originally, I wanted to read this book, because I am a big fan of his work and I read it in Japanese first. I was mildly entertained but not anywhere near I was by his other books, such as Norwegian Wood, Kafka On The Shore, or 1Q84. The second time, I started to read it, without really remembering if I had read it or not, and I decided to read, because I wanted to know what he had to say about running. Obviously, the story had not stuck in my mind, and to be honest, it is not much of a story.

Again, I am a big fan of his work, so I wanted to know what he is like, and I am glad I read it and that I was able to see his passion outside his work. I am also happy that I shared the same interest or sport with him. But if one does not know who he is or has not read any of his book, this book might not be very interesting, because, as I said earlier, this is his own memoir about his running and how his work has similarities with running. He goes into details of his training and why he trained certain fashion and how he did in his races. He has run many marathons and done a few triathlons, but he is not an elite runner who goes through grueling training or compete in the high profile races; therefore, there is no nail-biting parts that grabs readers’ attention for a long time. As I turned pages, I remembered I had read it before and the story became less interesting. Perhaps, something was lost in the translation.

Aug 26

Once A Runner Book Review

Once A RunnerOnce A Runner by John L. Parker, JR. is a fiction about a talented college Mile runner, Quenton Cassidy, and his becoming a world-class Miler in a rather accelerated fashion. The book cover quips ‘The best novel about running ever written. – RUNNER’S WORLD’. Though there are some moments that I was drawn into his training and racing, I disagree with the above-mentioned praise.

First of all, his vast improvement in his mile time over a short period of time seems unlikely. He was a good miler at 4:00.3 before he started working with Bruce Denton. Within less than a year after working with Denton, he clocked 3:52.5. I am no miler, but eight seconds is a huge improvement for runners at his level, and no matter how young and talented he was, I think it is too much (I could be wrong).

Secondly, I wish the author had Cassidy run more races instead of depicting characters that do not have major contribution to the story or talking about how tired Cassidy was after his training and meets. I enjoyed the parts where Cassidy went through hard training and raced against John Walton. Those parts really gave readers excitement and feel for what great runners go through. I think the author could not schedule any more meets or races during that short period of time.

Finally, the ending is not satisfactory after such a huge accomplishment. There is a big lapse of time between the big race and the ending, during which Cassidy apparently competed in the Olympics and won a silver medal. His quest to the Olympics and the process of getting the silver medal might have been an exciting and interesting story, but the author totally ditched it.

Overall, it is not a bad book. There are parts that kept me turning pages and characters are interesting. But for the reasons mentioned above, I hope this is the best novel about running ever written.

Aug 18

Pride Track & Field Meet 2011

Pride Meet 2011This past Saturday, San Francisco Track & Field Club hosted Pride Meet at Cox Stadium on San Francisco State University campus. This was the fourth year the Club put together this event, but this was my first Pride Meet. I had been involved in the organization of this event, but thanks to Drew and all the volunteers, I was able to focus on my events and do very well in each event.

It was a typical San Francisco summer morning with a thick fog coverage that kept the temperature down. The weather forecast suggested it would reach only 61F that day. I covered myself with a long-sleeve T and a sweat shirt, then left for Andy’s house at 6:05am. I had gone out to Front Runners’ event the night before and only went to bed at after 2:00am that morning, so it was tough getting up. We got to the track a bit after 7:00am. Michael did a fantastic job recruiting volunteers, so there was not much for me to do but check in and relax a bit before my event. I had decided not to run 5,000m, so I had time until 10:00am, which was plenty of time to talk to team mates and other participants.

800m
Pride Meet 2011 800mThis was my first time running 800m since high school. 800m was not my event even in high school, so I don’t remember what was my time then. From the 400m and 1,500m races I ran in Vancouver, I thought I could run in around 2:20, which is 70 seconds per lap. Last couple of times at the track practice, I tried to feel the pace, though I was not totally comfortable about me nailing the pace. I also read a few articles about how people run 800m. From what I read, runners usually run the first lap tad faster than the second. So, I thought I would try 70 sec in the first lap and see how I can manage in the second. The problem with running different distances, though, is I risk screwing up my pace. This summer I trained hard for 5K and 10K, so I know my pace for these races. But the shorter distances are pretty new to me and my pace is largely unknown. Anyway, I had my target and tried to stick with it.

I started the warm-up one hour before the race. I spent about 30 minutes jogging, doing dynamic stretching and striding. It was a cool morning, so I spent longer jogging. There must have been about 10 people running the 800m. I knew, from working on registration, that there was a guy, Terry, in my age group who ran 2:02 in the World Masters. But he decided not to run 800m. Other than that, I did not know anybody else other than my team mate Bryant. As I got to the starting area, I put on an extra pair of socks and spikes, then I did a few strides. I was ready. At this point, I was still trying to remember what the pace felt like. After pleasantry to fellow competitors, the officials lined us up and the gun went off. My watch this time worked and I needed to know the first 200m split. It was about 30 seconds. Too fast! I thought I slowed down and let Casey pass me before I got to 400m. I ran 61 or 62 sec the first 400m. I was in trouble. The next 400m was difficult. Casey kept on going (he knew what he was doing) and the gap widened because my pace went down quite a bit. 300m more to go. My legs were getting heavier. 200m more to go. I was grasping for air. 100m to go. I was running with my heavy legs and arms. I heard people cheering for me as I dragged my entire body toward the goal. I finished and died. Total novice mistake! But the time was 2:15.82! So, I ran 61 or 62 sec in the first 400m and 74 or 73 sec in the second. I don’t know when I will run 800m next, but with everything remained constant, I should do 65 and 70 to finish at 2:15 again. Lesson learned.

400m
I ran 400m in Vancouver, so this was much less worrying. Also, this is sprinting and it only goes around the track once. My time was 58.8 in Vancouver, so I’d be happy if I could repeat it. It was scheduled at 11:00am, which overlapped with Discus Throw. Luckily, there were quite a large group of Discus throwers and I asked them to put me in the second flight.

I did not spend too much time warming up, because I had run 800m not long ago. I just tried to stay warm by stretching lightly, walking, and jogging.

Terry was in this one, and Sean, Bryant, and Marcus were also in the same heat. I put on the spikes again. When the track was ready, I grabbed the starting block. As I did it in Vancouver, I practiced the block start a couple of times. Although 400m is a sprinting, block start does not make that much difference at my level. It was more of vanity than anything else… Anyway, the gun went off and I came off the block smoothly (I think). I was in the Lane 3 and Terry was in Lane 4. I saw Terry took off very fast and kept going. I knew his recent mark was 52, so I wasn’t even trying to keep up with him. I saw another guy, Brien, way in a outer lane, who was also going fast. I didn’t know who he was and wanted to see if I can catch him. After I turned the third corner, I thought he was still within a reach. But as I came into the fourth corner and started to lose my speed, I knew he was running too fast for me to catch and he finished after Terry. I came in third but the time was 58.30, which was my new PR by 0.2 seconds! Pretty happy about that.

Discus Throw
Pride Meet 2011 Discus ThrowThis was the event I really wanted to try this year but I didn’t practice much. After I had gone to our Throw Clinic in April and watched Youtube videos a few times, maybe I did two or three practice. This event was also canceled in Vancouver, so my motivation to practice was down. It would have been great to be able to do a turn and throw, but I decided to do a standing throw. In my flight, there must have been about 15 or more throwers. Aaron, James, Andy, Dave and Allen were in the same flight. A lot of throwers looked pretty good with a nice form, turn and trajectory. There were maybe three or four throwers like me, looking like a novice. Anyway, I tried to remember all the tips that I learned and hope I could throw as far as I could. After a few practice throws, the competition started. I was the third thrower. I had four chances to register a good throw. In the first throw, I focused on ‘Release and Block’ and ‘Keeping the arm behind my hip’. I threw 23.78m. Hmmm, way too short of 30m that I thought I might be able to throw… I watched others throw but I could not learn much, because they were totally at different levels from me. The second, third and fourth throws did not go as far as the first one. Allen and Andy said that I had a good technique but needed to learn some turns to be able to throw farther. Totally agreed.

Mile
As Discus kind of dragged into the afternoon, I was having second thought about Mile. Not sure if it was the 800m and 400m that took a lot out of me, or the lack of sleep the night before, or a lot of waiting time in Discus. Also, I had not eaten much after breakfast, either. When I was finishing up Discus, it was too late to eat something substantial. Bryant offered to pick up Subway’s sandwich and he did pick one up for me, but I did not eat until after Mile. I ate and drank some energy bar and drink that came in the goodie bag, which Aaron did a fantastic job of getting stuff from various donors.

Before I started to warm up, I went to the massage table and got some rub-down for about 10 minutes or so. That helped me relax a bit and start warming up. By then, the sun was on the track and bringing the temperature up. I jogged and did a few strides before I put on my spikes.

Pride Meet 2011 MileMy target was around 5:08. I had run 1,500m in 4:48 in Vancouver. The pace was 76 – 77 seconds per lap. Andy said Phil’s friend, Daniel, runs Mile in sub 5:00. Brien who ran 400m in 56 sec was there, too. Also, Phil had said that there was someone who was going for an American record, though we did not who that was and how fast s/he was going to run. As we were lining up to start, I learned who he was. He was older and shorter than I was and sounded experienced. After a minute of debate on where the start line was, we were ready and the gun went off. Immediately, Daniel took off and Tom chased after him. I chased them for 150m or so but decided the pace was too fast and let them lead. The first 200m split was 37 sec or so. Still too fast. As Daniel and Tom went on, I slowed down a bit and passed the first 400m in about 75. Brien passed me and pulled me the next 400m, but he started to slow down at about 800m, so I passed him. By then, I saw Daniel and Tom about 200m ahead and Tom caught up with Daniel. I had no energy worrying about who, between those two, was leading the race and focused on my race and my pace. During the third lap, I heard Brien following me. I started to feel my legs heavier and so was my breathing. I heard people cheering on me around the third and fourth corners. 500m more to go. At that point, Daniel was still ahead of Tom and they looked like they were less than 200m ahead. I wondered if I could catch them if I sprinted. But I was out of gas by the time I went into the last lap. Though I tried my best to catch them, they were too far ahead and I did not have any legs left. I no longer heard Brien but wondered if he would be blasting by me, which probably helped me run faster and finish before Brien, which I did. It was a hard race and the time was 5:15.36. Slower than expected but I was OK with it considering I had done three other events earlier in the day. I congratulated Daniel, Tom and Brien, as we all tried to recover our breaths.

Shotput
Pride Meet 2011 Shot PutI did less practice on Shotput than Discus before the meet, but I did compete in Vancouver, so I knew better. In Vancouver, I threw 8.51m, so that was my target. There must have been 20 or 25 throwers in this event. Andy, Rick, Sean and Craig also competed in this event. Among Andy, Sean and I, we weren’t sure which shot to use: We could not tell whether one was heavier than the other. After trying to figure that out by feeling them, Andy went to weigh one and came back with the right one, which felt heavier than the other one that we were comparing with…

A lot of throwers, most of them Senior competitors, looked pretty good. They looked strong and they looked like a Shotputter, compared to us. They had much smoother turns and their shots went higher and farther than ours.

In Vancouver, I threw six times and my throw improved every time except for the sixth throw. Curtis was there with me coaching, and I think that was a big help. But this time, he wasn’t there and nobody really said anything about my throw. Also, we only got four throws this time. My first throw was 8.13m, and Andy threw exactly the same after me. Slightly feeling tired, the next two throws were 7-something. There were too many throwers to know who were in my age group, so I had no idea how I was doing against others. In the last throw, I focused on making an explosive kick and strong push with my arm behind the hip. Also, a grunt. It seemed, from the Vancouver experience, letting the big air and sound out of my lungs and mouth helped, so I did that as well and I got 8.62m. Another PR! Very good.

After the five events in six hours, I was exhausted and ready to call it a day. Aaron, Andy and Dave think I should try decathlon. As much as it sounds colossus and macho, I could not imagine doing another five events the next day. And of course, events like Hurdles and Pole Vault are off limits to a marathoner like me.

Anyhow, Pride Meet was a good success for the team and for myself personally. We had just under 100 participants and all 19 events were carried out as scheduled. I had 5 PRs (3 of them were first time) that produced 2 Gold, 2 Sliver and 1 Bronze medals. Now that my track season was done, I can have some rest and start training for the Half Marathon in October. It’s been a great track season and cannot wait till the next season.

* All photos except the Pride Meet banner photo, courtesy of Alex Agbay. Pride Meet banner photo, courtesy of David Serrano.

Aug 17

The Front Runner Book Review

The Front RunnerPast 10 hours or so, having buried my face in The Front Runner, I felt as if I lived a couple of long intense years full of frustration that followed by anguish and joy. Those years were also filled with regrets, fear, tender love, and companionship, as well as running, a lot of fast running! I was drawn to and totally immersed with characters’ lives, so much so that the noise PG&E made tearing up the street in front of my house did not bother me at all. I almost did not realize the appropriateness and timeliness of music when my Pandora radio played the theme title from Chariots of Fire as Billy ran his 10,000 final at the Olympic Trials. The story and the characters simply overtook me. I could only obey to turn page after page that made me smile, chuckle, cry, and grieve. The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren is, as already known, a classic gay love story that I wish every person would read, regardless of sexual orientation or his/her athleticism.

The book took me to time and places that I appreciated reading about. New York in the 1960s and 70s when being out as gay was still a much bigger risk to personal safety and career, not to mention a threat to American society and history. I now live in a time and place when and where being out is much more accepted, which we embrace with pride. In such environment, we tend to forget how hard our Front Runners fought and how brave they were in those days.

It also took me to Europe where they toured and competed in many track meets. They traveled on a very tight budget, but that did not prevent them from succeeding in competition and having a great time. Though the level of competition is vastly different, I could not help but remember those days I visited Kölon and Vancouver, living and competing for the day, worries far away…

1976 – the year of the Montreal Olympics was both exuberant and devastating. Days leading up to the Olympic races that year were very calculated, in terms of training and dealing with politics. And it worked beautifully! It was exciting to read how Billy trained and ran so well, and it was heart-warming how Harlan did all he could to protect Billy. The races at Olympic Trials took my breath away, literally. As Billy sprinted his last lap in an anaerobic state, I felt pain and exhaustion similar to what I experienced when I ran 5,000m or 1,500m (No, I wouldn’t run 10,000m on track!). My palms sweated. It was also this year when they became more care-free about being lovers and enjoyed each other’s company.

But devastation awaited. I won’t go into details. Why the story had to turn that way – I don’t know. As if Harlan or Billy needed to be punished. It’s definitely not the way I wanted the story to end. Maybe it has more dramatic impact that way.

Regardless of my approval on the ending, this book is a must-read if you ask me. As a member of San Francisco Front Runners, I always wanted to read the book and am very glad I finally did.

Finally but not the least, Patricia Nell Warren is a beautiful writer. I had never read her books before but will definitely check out her other work.

Aug 11

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Iliopsoas Tendonitis

Injury sucks. There is nothing more regrettable, restrictive and frustrating than having been injured. This time, fortunately, I don’t have these strong feelings, because the pain I have is not severe. Yet, the prospect of full recovery from this pain seems to resemble this San Francisco summer weather: Foggy and not encouraging. Yes, this is frustrating.

My self-diagnosis of this pain is I have Iliopsoas tendonitis. This past Monday, I went to Psoas to see if they can figure out what’s been bothering me. My symptoms are:

  • Groin pain when I run without sufficiently warmed up.
  • Groin pain when I do crunches with my left leg bent.
  • Groin pain when I sneeze.

LongusThe groin pain is identical in all these scenarios. Rodney checked the alignment but he had difficulties pin-pointing the cause of my pain. When he found soar spots in my lower back, he suggested the tightness in Quadratus lumborum was somehow connected to the pain in Longus. His massage gave me piercing pain as he tried to loosen the tightness in Quadratus. It was so painful that I instantly believed his diagnosis without any doubt. However, looking at the anatomy diagram now, it does not seem to coincide with the area I am feeling the pain. Longus is a muscle that goes down further deep in legs, but my pain is near the top anterior side of the Pelvis. So I searched what could be bothering me other than still potentially Quadratus and Longus.

iliopsoasFrom what I read, my symptoms are consistent with those of Iliopsoas tendonitis. It is basically inflammation of Iliacus and Psoas muscles. Psoas is the stretch of muscle that is right next to the spine. Iliacus is the muscle next to Psoas. The location of Iliacus seems consistent with the location of my pain.

Similar to other conditions that stem from muscle inflammation, there is no quick treatment for this. Suggested immediate treatment is R.I.C.E., as they say: Rest, Icing, Compression, and Elevation. Two to three weeks of rest is usually suggested but more rest may be necessary, depending on the condition. Once inflammation stops, stretching and strengthening can help prevent the same inflammation from happening. When running, it is advised not to run on the hill, up or down, as well as less speed training.

This causes a problem to my training for the upcoming races. First of all, I am doing the Pride Meet less than two days from today. Then, immediately after the track meet, I am starting the Half Marathon training for the Oct 2 race. Then, I am hoping to run a Full Marathon before the end of this year. So, there is not going to be any rest between now and the Full Marathon. Three weeks or more rest is very restrictive to my training. After the Full Marathon, I will take a break for a couple of weeks before the training for Boston should start. It will be holiday season, so it is a good time to take the break. Can this condition wait until then? Would I make it worse by doing the track meet, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon? The reason injury is regrettable is because I often feel that I should have know better than getting injured. ‘I told you so’ moment is just waiting to happen, or would it go away without me knowing? It is true that I had the same pain in the right side of the groin, but it did go away after a while. I shall see. If it starts to feel worse, I will compromise.

Aug 4

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North America Outgames 10K Run

running appsMy last 10K race this summer was at North America Outgames 2011 that was co-hosted by Vancouver Front Runners for its 7th Annual Pride Run. There were about 250 runners and walkers participated in the event on a spectacular day on July 30 in the world-famous Stanley Park. I think majority of participants are local but there are a big contingent from New York Front Runners, perhaps 20 runners or so. They are great fun and very friendly people. Vancouver Front Runners did an awesome job putting together this event. I could see a lot of work went into organization of this event. There were some pre-race activities, such as welcome speech, singing of anthem, and group stretch warm-up. It was all done well and everyone seemed to have enjoyed these activities.

Vancouver Pride RunThe course was pretty flat but there were some twists and turns, and lots of tourists to dodge around. After two days of track competition, I felt some fatigue in my legs, but I was going to give all I had. I had good breakfast (blueberry muffin, coffee and banana), wore compression shorts and sleeves, and ran in Mizuno Wave Universe 3 racing flats. Similarly to 5,000m, I had no idea who runs how fast, so I was going to target my PR, which would be approximately 6:20/mile pace. Carlos who won 1,500m, Mikey who finished 5,000m after me, and Carlo from Houston were there. Marty from New York was running the 10K as well. From San Francisco Front Runners, Phil, Randy, Jeff, Stuart and Mark ran the race as well.

Vancouver Pride Run StartThe race started shortly after 9am and I started in a good position. About 10 people formed a leading group, which got dispersed rather quickly. I could not tell who took off. The pace was too fast for me, so I just stuck with my pace. I past a few people and formed a group of three with Mikey and Carlo. This group pretty much stayed together until the first 6K loop was done. After that, Carlo started to move ahead, then Mikey. I really wanted to follow them, but at the same time I was afraid that I could not keep up with them till the end.

In the second loop (4K), we started to pass 4K walkers and dodge more tourists. At one point, there was a big group of tourists who were taking pictures of scenery around and did not hear us coming at all! I wish I am not like that when I am taking pictures… At one point, Mikey caught up with Carlo but I was about 50m behind. My shin was getting tight on my both legs and my leg turn-over started to struggle a bit. After my watch told me I ran 8K, I increased the pace a bit and tried to close the gap but they were doing the same. The gap might have got smaller in the last kilometer or so, but I was not able to catch them. My own watch said it was 39:51 at the finish line.

Vancouver Pride Run Medal CeremonyI was super happy that I finished all the events without getting injured. This one alone is an achievement! At the same time, I was really tired. I walked around a bit and watched runners come in. I had not known who won the race, and actually I could only see Carlo and Mikey in front of me, so I had no idea how many runners finished before me. I decided to stick around for the medal ceremony in case I won something. It took a while for them to tally up all the times. While it was being done, there were some more announcements from various people, including other Front Runners and sponsors. I chat with Ian Fisher while we waited for the results. Carlos, who won 1,500m, ran 36:08 and won the entire race. He is in his 30s and in a great shape. In my age group, I ended up winning the bronze medal after Mike Atkinson (not Mikey, 38:47) and Carlo (39:44). My official time was 40:00 but I think it is not correct. But I don’t care.

Overall, I did well in North America Outgames and am very happy I was able to compete in it. I don’t know if I will be able to compete in another event like this (International Outgames will be in 2013 in Antwerp, Belgium) any time soon, but as long as I am healthy, I would like to participate and compete. Once again, I’d like to thank all who were involved in organizing Outgames, including all the volunteeers and Vancouver Front Runners. I could not have had as much fun as I did without you. Thank you!

* All photos courtesy of Stanley Ulmer

Aug 4

North America Outgames 5,000m

running appsMy second 5,000m on track this summer. I had run 1,500m and 400m the day before, so I might not have been totally well-conditioned, but I felt pretty good before the race. I was a bit worried that it would be too warm. If it was like the previous day, it would have been too warm. But on the race day, there was some cloud coverage and it must have been maybe 80F or so. I warmed up properly, and I did not eat too much before the race (lesson learned from the World Masters). I had my compression shorts and sleeves on. I wore Mizuno Wave Universe 3 racing flat. I knew my pace and wanted to push harder than I did in the World Masters. So, I was definitely going after my long-sought-after PR.

There were about 20 runners competed in the event, male and female of all age groups. My team mates, Phil and Randy were in the same race. Other than that, I did not know who would run how fast. Carlos, who won 1,500m the day before, was not there. Bernie and Cindy from New York Front Runners ran. The first two laps, Phil led at 85 sec or so. He slowed down at the third lap, so I took over. After that, I basically ran 90 sec every lap and led the race. Leading a race does not happen very often to me, and I am not well-equipped with strategies of how to keep the position, because I don’t really care about the placement but the time.

*Video shot by Thomas Kevin Dolan

When I ran past 4,600m and 4,800m, I did not hear the split, which was a bummer, though it should not have made that much difference at the very end. My time was 18:40. Better than the World Master, but still not PR… It’s really playing hard-to-get, but I know what I am going to do about that. So, next year, I will dump the old time and laugh aloud with my new PR to be. BTW, I was going to run 5,000m at Pride Meet next Saturday, but I am not going to. I am sort of tired of running 5,000m track. Instead, I will try 800m and see what sort of time I get. From my 400m and 1,500m time, I’d be happy if I can do it in 2:20. Let’s see…

Aug 3

Road to New York City Marathon

New York City MarathonOne of the quickest way to run New York City Marathon is to beat its qualifying time standards. In my age group, it is either 3:10:00 in Full Marathon or 1:30:00 in Half Marathon. A lot of marathon races, even Boston, allow extra 59 seconds but that is not the case for NYC. Because this year’s registration has already been closed for the Nov 6 race, I am going to try to qualify for 2012. Application for 2011 NYC Marathon had to be submitted by April 30. Assuming the same will be true for 2012, I have quite a bit time to train and try to beat the standards. The first try is San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on October 2.

I ran a Half Marathon in 2006 in San Francisco – US Half. I ran it in 1:53:39. This was before my running craze started, and actually this Half gave me assurance that I could do a Full Marathon. Since then, my time has improved quite a bit. In Boston, my Half split was 1:35:07 this year, and 1:33:00 a year before. So, I think it is reasonable to assume 1:30:00 is within my reach. Peter Riegel’s Performance Predictor thinks I could run in 1:26:10 (based on my 5K time). While 1:26:10 might be pushing a bit too much – it is 6:34/mile, I can pace at 6:45/mile, which would give me about 1:28:30.

Of course, I need to get back to distance training to get closer to this target time. Hopefully, I did not lose too much endurance during the speed training this spring and summer. The Half Marathon training starts after the Pride Meet next Saturday!

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