Run in rabbit

New year, new gear from the running apparel company, rabbit!

Since being selected to join the RADrabbit team last year, I've gotten to know (and race) with fellow athletes, locally and far. The thing that bonds us together is the encouragement for when training gets tough, and kudos when we do well, or even just finish a darn race (some of them can get reeeealy long....) It's nice when rabbits have your back!

rabbit just released their new PR racing collection, and I can't say enough about how much I love this racing singlet. It's lightweight, no hard edges on the seams, and has cool vents along the back.

As always, get 10% off rabbit here!

The Marathon Mindset

It's been a while...see, 2019 was a quiet year of running for me. I did races, and averaged about one per month, with taking the entire summer off. But I lost my competitive streak. In hindsight, 2018 was a big year - lots of miles - I fell 100 or so miles off of achieving my run-the-year goal, but it was my biggest annual mileage yet. I also completed my first 50-Miler and first marathon (and did a second marathon about 5 weeks after the first). Then...my hip started hurting.

I dialed back runs and took more days off (which, as those of you who know me), I really did not like. I missed the feeling of running, and with each inactive day I was concerned about the sharp decline in my fitness.  Biking, weight-lifting, swimming, hiking, all those are great substitutes to maintain fitness during a running injury or niggle but I had a hard time being consistent with those activities. However, I did win my age group on a December trail half marathon, so that was encouraging, then after that - I vowed to look into my problem.

Humbled by my surprise AG win for the trail half marathon

To sum it up, it's been a test of patience. But lots of hope and learning. The neat thing about running is that one can always shift their focus and goals. Aim for a 5K PR? Run for an hour non-stop? PR a marathon? Complete another ultra? Don't DFL another ultra? (Hehe, that was me on my first 50K - and I still would very much like to improve that!) Another fun side fact - I once DNS a race - and it was a 5K! Yep! Missed my 3am alarm to Hollywood. Which was a bummer because I also drove up the day before and pick up my shirt and bib and was pretty pumped about the run!

But there is the marathon that eludes me. I opened with a 4:28 at the LA Marathon - a carefully chosen one, after much research and thought. My aunt is a legacy runner for the marathon, and LA is a revered race and destination, and a not-so-hilly course. Those were the factors in my decision.  My goal was to just finish the race. But I also have tiered goals - where I aim for one thing, and if I find that slips, go for the 2nd goal, and then, if all else goes, settle for the last.

My tiers for my first marathon were to go sub 4:10, go sub 4:30, and then to just finish the race. I was on pace for the first half to go sub 4:10, but around mile 15 in Beverly Hills of all places, my knee and hip started hurting on the downhill. It was all literally downhill from there! I spent the next 11 miles trying to hang on, and eventually the 4:20 pacer passed me. I really struggled, and with the last 5K to go, I said make this one the best. I did not want the 4:30 pacer to pass me. That became my goal from then on. I tried to surge (which probably, to the many bystanders, looked like a haphazard shuffle at this point), and the 4:30 pacer did pass me once, and by sheer mental will power I hung on. And that is what got me my (rather painful) 4:28!

The finish line was emotional for me, but half of my heart knew I could do so much better. Because I was a first time marathoner, I was queued in the back of the pack. I knew if I returned next year, my finishing time would allow me to be corralled into runners of similar finishing times, so I'd avoid the hectic weaving in the first two miles of the race. Ok, 2019 it was.

Cue 2019. As I mentioned earlier...I was coming from a niggle, so my training was way off. On the positive side, I felt freer to enjoy the course - ate all the pretzels, had several gels (not that i needed them, but I felt it was also a good chance to test my stomach - and usually I am a fasted runner). Yes fasted, not faster haha. It was a difficult race to say the least, because I had more time on feet. Finished in 5:15. Oooyyy.

So - I still have the marathon to tackle. I don't consider myself a gifted runner; nothing in running comes easy to me and I have to work hard to get under 10:00 min/mile any day. But - I find so much joy in the process and in racing. I've been thinking a lot lately about the marathon mindset. What keeps me coming back? What keeps us as runners, coming back? Most of us don't run a sub 2:30 marathon, but why do we do it? We're not going to get that grand prize, much less get paid to do this. Why do we sacrifice our social life, our nights out late, passing up on those cakes and fries? And then get up at dark o'clock to pin on a bib, hopefully we've hydrated correctly and our legs are feeling fresh, we've prepaid parking or arranged transportation to and from the race...then deal with marathon recovery...why?

For me, I find the mindset of marathon running is about the art of tackling challenge. There are so many things to figure out and manage - because of what could potentially derail. First is the distance - 26.2 miles is far. What if your knee starts acting up? What if your stomach rumbles? Then add pace into the equation. How do you maintain 9:09 min/mile to go sub 4? What if the speed work you do in training causes another niggle? So you do strength training to counter that...how long is too long to hold a plank? It takes a while to work up to a 2 minute hold...sure, I'd love to do a 5-minute wall sit, but even sheer mental work won't get me there because my quad will fire off. (btw folks, I'm currently at 2 minutes; I can assure you I won't get to 3 tomorrow...because change. Is. Gradual.

Marathon mindset requires artful planning and patience. To change one thing is to be smart about it, and gradual. I should know, as a trained musician since elementary school. I can't learn a sonata overnight. I may be able to roughly read through it, but to get it to competition or recording quality will take months or years even. And the time factor should not be so important as to cause pressure, though we should be working diligently to get to our goal without wasting time.

So the steady state runs, interval training, long runs, all contribute to marathon success (shorter distances too, but that's another story for later), just as scales, arpeggios, metronome work on piano equate to smoother, artistic performances.

In a nutshell - nothing comes overnight; plan accordingly and be patient, plan for improvement by increments; and any fast improvement should be seen as encouragement, but not the real thing. 

Goals for January are to build good base mileage. Not doing the LA marathon this year; it's too soon. Do things when you're ready.

The Elusive Sub 2

In spring of 2014, when I realized I wanted to pursue running - I chose the Long Beach Half Marathon as my first race to train for.  Since it was in October, I would have a good solid 3-4 months of training. When I made this commitment, I'd been running for about 4 weeks, with my longest distance being 2 miles. Yep - novice.

Interestingly, I had no fear, no uncertainty, just total commitment. Coming from someone who owned more heels and fashion boots than running shoes, it seemed quite the irony. But the seed was planted when I arrived early for a group class at the gym, and decided to jog for 10 minutes.

Immediately, I had memories of high school PE, shuffling around the track and disliking every second of it. Back then we were timed, and I was also getting passed up by many of my peers. So this time, I was running with no time frame in mind. I didn't have one of those fancy gps-heartrate-tellmeyoursplits kind of watch. No distractions. No destination. With that, I felt a certain freedom, and was able to run how I FELT.

And it felt Fan.Tas.Tic.

So much so it left me intrigued for more. Running never felt this way before! I wasn't sweating. (Yet.) I didn't have a charlie horse. (Awesome.) I felt I could do more. (Um...what?!)

And that kickstarted my training. I gave myself a 12-week training program, which started on July 1. I printed out a chart with each week laid out with the dedicated training for that day. Some days were rest days - those were the easiest. Other days consisted of strength training, tempo runs, and the most important one - the LONG run.

Long runs turned out to be my favourite, because you just got out and ran at a slower pace but for a longer time. Time actually goes fast, once you get into the groove of it. Your breathing isn't hard, and as more time elapses it's a snowball effect - how much longer can I go at this? (Perhaps it's the mentally for ultra races in me). Speed was my least favourite - no matter how hard I pushed, or really kicked it with form - I was still the slow lane car on the freeway. Training went well, I hit most of my workouts, and made sure to consider resting as training. A few pointers from my fitness instructor friends and...I was off!

Race day, 2014. I was half excited, half nervous. To compare the feels of race day to other monumental moments in my life - it would be entering the classroom to teach high schoolers for the first time, and also stepping out onto the stage for a piano performance in front of 10,000 people. All three gave me the jitters, and all three moved me to tears - in a beautiful, good way.

On race morning, we parked in the dark, and made our way to the start line corrals next to the Marina. Being surrounded by so many other runners - not to mention the question of going the distance, was all very new to me. The place was buzzing with excitement. There was music and an MC, along with the beautiful sunrise that opened us up to a 7:30 am start.

The start - I am way back in my corral - 2:30 finish was my best goal guess

I had put the training in - many inclined treadmill runs, the weekly long runs outdoors, and committed to my fitness classes, and was feeling confident. A few weeks prior, I did my longest run at what I felt was 11-12 miles. (I just had a wristwatch that had a stopwatch function!)

So, as I toed the start line, I had one goal in mind: to finish the race, and to run it non-stop as an added-bonus. When you register for the race, they ask you to estimate your finishing time. I put 2:30:00. I figured it would give me a good buffer pace, and 10-11 minute miles seemed very reasonable, since that equated to the efforts I was putting on in the treadmill.

Somewhere between mile 8-9...I'm smiling!

I finished with an official time of 2:00:46.

I was elated. I ran non-stop. I was a tad nauseous. I wanted to hug my mom. I wasn't as tired as I expected. I wanted to celebrate.

But...2:00:46.

You know what I thought next?

Darn those 46 seconds.

Imma have to come back next year and try to break those two hours.

Still had energy to do a jump shot at the end!

So Long Beach Half 2015 was in the books again. However, running took an unexpected backseat to projects and new work prospects on the horizon. The only long run I managed to do was a 7-miler.
So guess what happened. During the race, right at mile 7 - I hit the wall. Go figure. The legs felt like lead, and I battled a lot mentally. I recall thinking at one point, this is one of the hardest things I've done in a long time. I kicked my mantra in, and it helped somewhat. I finished in 2:07:40.

I ran again in 2016, this time coming off an knee injury from completing my first ultra marathon earlier in May. It was probably the least pressure of all the halves, because let's face it, a sub-2 this time was laughable. So I decided to really enjoy the course and walk if I had to. I decided to stop at the aid stations for water and food. It was there I tried a new gel - and if it didn't sit well with my stomach, there was a port-o-potty at mile 12 somewhere -  had some coconut water, ate an energy bar, and got my leg sprayed with some cooling mist to help with the dull leg pain that I was having. I crossed the finish line in 2:17:12.

Well, time wise, you can see where the trend is going, and I'm determined to change it's direction.

After a glutton filled November and December, and a temporary break from running to let my knee really heal, going into 2017 was going to be different. I still struggled with balancing life and motivating myself to go run. At one point, I decided to run 5K a day for 10 days in a row. I did just that, but it didn't spark any new motivation in me. I even found I was warding off a slight metatarsal tweak.

But I reflected back to how I first started. Small steps. I'd have to bounce back from my lax days, but I knew I could not do it instantaneously. Gung ho attitudes do not work well for running, or you risk injury or disenchantment, and I tend to have a very enthusiastic gung ho attitude! To earn back the high mileage I needed for training, I'd have to humbly start from 1-2 miles.

So now, with the half a few days away, I'm using my taper time (riding off of 250-275K monthly training for the last several months) to blog about my journey. Running a sub-2 means averaging 9:09 min/mile. Given my last long training run of 15.25 miles, I'm confident I can run a sub 2:05:00. Yet, a 1:59:59 (or lower!) is still within reason.

Whether I crack it or not, I am still thrilled with the progress I've made so far. What sparked this goal was to see if I could transform myself into a better runner than I was before. And with recent PRs in both 5K and 10K distances are little fruits of the efforts along this journey.

I'm a bit nervous to toe the start line on Sunday. But, mostly excited. This race in particular is very close to my heart. Along with thousands of others, I'll be getting there pre-dawn, pre-loaded with carbs.

We'll line up at the start corrals.

And together we'll watch the sun rise.

*Good luck to all the 5Kers, halfers, and marathoners this weekend! Go get 'em!*

Global Energy Race - 5K or 10K

I have some exciting news for this year's Global Energy Race. I've been selected to be an Ambassador, which means I get to spread word about this great running event in hopes to get YOU to run it! The neat thing about this race is that it is worldwide - 28 countries and counting. So if you join and run, you get to be part of a cool international fitness event!

I ran this race last year - the 10K. The course, in Long Beach, was flat, near the ocean, and has cool views of the Marina. So if you're looking to PR, this could be the race for you.

Sign up and use the code "GOGLOBALLL" (3 L's at the end) and get $5 off for either distance. To motivate you even more, this race is known for cool swag and shirts as well. See you there!

Global Running Day

When I was a kid passenger riding around town, I remember seeing runners and thinking, W H Y???
Do these people like feeling out of breath? It's good exercise, but...why?

Why would anyone subject themselves to painful repetition? Were they trying to lose weight? But some of them already looked in fantastic shape! Could it possibly be fun for them? Why was it fun? Why run?

So many questions.

It's not that I was an inactive kid by any means. I loved sports, particularly swimming and tennis, so when high school PE came about, I was thrilled when we did those activities - except for the coaches words:

"Warm up on the track."

Or, "Run a mile on the track - you'll be timed."

The pebbly, crumbly graham-cracker colored texture on the track was a sight and sound I dreaded.

A few months into freshman PE, I began to have knee issues, and after repeated visits to the doc, I was put into physical therapy.  The most exciting part for me was getting the doc's note that I could not participate in PE. So I sat on the sidelines eating vending-machine bought twinkies three times a week while my classmates did their loops around the track.

I was told that running was bad for my knees. And I believed it. Whenever someone asked if I ran, or why I didn't - I'd just say those words. And then later realized, guess running isn't for me. But in retrospect, that excuse was a great teacher -- we are only limited by what we believe in. Meanwhile, not really grasping what physical therapy meant - as I was one of the younger ones there - I saw it as a specialized gym where people demonstrated exercises and then praised you a lot when you did it correctly.

Why am I even here then? I wondered at one point, as I moved from the squat area to the balance board area.

As I sat on the seated leg press, the PT said, "Ok, good. Your quads are getting stronger."

Fast forward a few years, during my senior high school year, my family and I signed up for a local 5K - a first race for all of us. Three miles seemed like a lot, but all I thought was, I'm doing this for a good cause for charity. 

Being newbies, we lined up close to the start. Maybe it'll be over sooner if we're up front? was the logic.

After the horn blew, I got passed up by about 99% of the people -- and I went out way too fast, getting myself a side stitch by the end of mile 1.

And Mile 1 was downhill.

That was 2001.

I never really owned a proper pair of running shoes since then, or decided to attempt a real run again...until 2014.

I'd been keeping up with cardio dance classes, and lifting small weights for a couple years, and felt peppy enough one day to set foot on the track that loomed nearby. But instead of having classmates and race competitors nearby, it was just me, my shoes...and the loop.

I could go at any pace I wanted.

So I just did a slow jog. I'm sure a turtle could have passed me.

But I kept going. I didn't let myself get winded, but instead just enjoyed taking step by step.

Step by step.

And so today, on Global Running Day, I think back to my journey, and how now, I enjoy running. I just might be one of those runners you see outside, and if you wonder...WHY? I invite you to lace up and maybe find some inspiration out there!

Whoos in El Moro 10K Trail Run

Trail running is a lot different than road running. I like to call it hiking with a huge hustle. Most likely you won't run it all, and instead power hike some of the inclines. And it's perfectly acceptable to walk - even the elite trail runners like Jim Walmsley, Magda Boulet, and Killian Jornet (ok, so he's more mountaineer and sky runner, which means his training enables him to float on the uphills as easily as you and I will sleep) power walk good portions of their ultra course. Aside from elevation gain and loss, other facets that separate trail from the road are the technicality of the terrain - how rocky or unsmooth it is, and the fact that your splits on trails don't mean much because every mile on the trail is different.

But what remains the same for any type of race: doing it in the least amount of time as possible.

So when I showed up to the beautiful Crystal Cove State Park for a 10K, I was nervous and excited. Nervous because it was my first 10K race this year. All along I'd been racing 5Ks. On flat roads. The worse anomaly you might see would be a pothole or a funny crack in the pavement.

I'd done the Whoos race last year - as a 50Ker. Is that even a word? So returning and doing the 10K seemed like a super short distance in comparison. We'd just go up that one big hill, surface out, and it was all downhill from there - hopefully literally, and not figuratively.

The weather was gorgeous, a breezy 65, and perfect for a trail run, with just the right amount of overcloud. I brought my dinged surfer hat just in case the sun decided to do what it does best. It's also perfect weather to whip out a beach chair and sit there all morning.

7 am view 

But I had rested up the day before, purposely restricting myself from running or any workouts of any kind. I like doing that so on race day, my legs feel fresh and fired up, and itching to run because I put them in time out for a day or so.

Unfortunately, I had a macchiato the day before, not realizing what the caffeine would do to me. I tossed and turned until 3 am. Playing a word game on my tablet usually invokes the snooze, but I was alert as ever, and even won a couple games, which only fueled the fire. Turns out I also RSVP'd to some events, and nearly bought something off my amazon wish list (the item remained in my cart when I woke up later). 

Two hours of sleep, a big hill to conquer, 6.2 miles to cover - this would be an adventure! I always say I'm not going to race but I was going to run those miles "comfortably hard," whatever that means. Usually the competitive mindset kicks in and I'm more about strategy more than I think. 

Parking was easy, bib pick up was super smooth, and even the shirts were cool. That's one cool perk about Whoos. I scanned the crowd, wondering how many opted for the 50K and 25K, which had already started an hour ago. Again, I felt relieved I was not in that group for today. Confidence for the 10K was firing up now. 

Looked like there were no more than 20 of us. People here looked like serious legit runners. They looked fast. Suddenly I found myself thinking a new goal: Just don't finish last! I mean, someone has to, and that was me last year for the 50K. I really did not want a repeat of that. You could hear all the watches beep as we were preparing for take off, as race director Molly made her announcements about the course. An aside, Molly is a hardcore ultra runner as well, doing 50 and even 100-milers. Just thinking about that made the 10K seem like a small slice of the pie.

"Ready, set....go!!!"

And the small pack of us were off. Usually I'm pretty good about pacing the first mile, not going out too fast, because I've hit the wall on some longer races and hitting the wall is one of the worse things you can do. It feels like suddenly you have magnets in your shoes that are sucking your feet to the ground. 

So I wanted to just enjoy the course, take in the scenery of the trails, and plan to tackle that hill coming up in mile 2.

Shaped like "M" for monster hill 

Even before the first mile was up, I was passed by quite a few people. I might be the caboose now, and that's ok, but things can change with the hill, I thought. Then, boom. Almost felt like you were going up an elevator, except you were breathing hard and found yourself turbo walking up parts of the hill. A lady in front of me in neon pink pants was steadily jogging up the hill. Miraculously, I managed to trail her the entire ascent, despite me doing a combo of running and walking. I felt like I walked at least half of it, and would run 10-15 steps and go back to walking. Finally after what seemed like forever, the trail curved and I could hear the two guys (the course guides) cheering us on. The enthusiasm helped but I was pretty winded and also felt my quads noodle out. Too early for noodles! 

But right then and there, I realized this is the kind of race I was waiting for. One that pushed me cardiovascularly, and muscularly. Might sound strange, but on road races I don't really get to that point - I do run out with good effort, but as a distance runner you can't just go all out from the start. 

I had to walk several steps at the top of the hill. Seemed like a waste because the land was now flat! But I had to catch my breath. I jogged a few steps and felt a new wind of energy, and felt my feet picking up again - and in a race, that is one of the best feelings ever. I continued to run to the aid station at mile 3. The trail was relatively flat but still looked like a mini roller coaster. By mini, I mean give or take about 20 feet in gain and loss. In other words, tiiiiiny.  My body was able to charge through it after summiting the monstrous one we just finished. And good news - it was all down hill from here!

Downhill running technique is something quite different. I increased my turnover and focused on feeling light in my feet. I actually had a lot of fun, and could feel the obliques firing up, trying to keep the torso inline with all the rapid pounding. I was scanning the trail for rocks to avoid, but even so, felt like a large barrel rolling down the side of the mountain. I even clocked in my fastest pace ever in a race (7:07 a mile). But just as I was feeling so light and good and having fun, I was passed up by another racer. Her running style looked effortless, and she was soon out of sight. I have to laugh, getting passed up on a downhill does not happen often! 

I kept focusing on my form, but I was having so much fun. Imagine running fast and not getting winded! Once I got to the bottom, I checked my watch: 52 minutes in. Hmmmm, with a mile to go, maybe I could finish a sub-hour? I was feeling pretty good and had a new reserve of air. 

The final mile was on a slight decline, and I was trying to push it. I could see hikers coming the opposite direction. I was smiling from having so much fun. They smiled back and it was just a nice warm vibe. It made the finish line feel like it came sooner than I expected. With that kick in my step, I hurried through to the end and stopped my watch.

1:01:01.

A new PR! Smashed my old one of 1:27:36. 

Time for some stretching and beach relaxation

Just Run

After a day of meetings, work, and teaching; then eating and grocery shopping (the most important errand for runners, amirite?) I faced a fork (ha!) in the road: to run or not to run?

I was super hungry, and decided to call it a rest day and run tomorrow (probably the most overused excuse).

So I sat and read up on running speed, so I could feel like a part of me was still..."running."

But let's go back for a second, to when I started running, nearly 3 years ago, when all I cared about was finishing my mile. Keep your goals reasonable, they say. And with running, nothing could be further from the truth. Once my feet hit the track, I was not stopping, but I sure was turtling along. I was not going for time.  After the final loop, I was amazed I did it, that I almost forgot to stop my watch. Beep! 

09:45.

But even more amazing -- I felt like I could run more.

Soon that task became easier, so I upped it to 2. You can see where this is going.

Eventually, I settled into a routine of running. Two miles in - boom. Done. Three, four miles if I had the time - I was also heavily cross training and dancing then. Unlike the high school PE days, I now enjoyed running. Several months later, I began to wonder...how fast could I run a mile? Another question in the back of my mind was also...how far? 

Essentially, speed boils down to a simple equation: stride length and cadence. But it's hard to increase both at the same time (and also highly risk injury!) Overstriding is a common issue, which happens when you try to reach your foot out but it lands in front of your center of mass, and causes a chain reaction of foot/knee/hip problems, plus it's just poor form. I'm no expert here, but I can say from my own experience that I'm more natural at cadence (metronome musician training side effect!)  I find that my stride falls on the rather short side; that even during sprints and when I'm really pushing, I can make 1.2 or 1.3 metres.  My cadence around 171-174 can feel like a nice jog, but maintaining 180 feels much more difficult.

And what if you're a runner who can make 180 steps per minute, but still are running 8-9-10 minute miles? Food for thought...and the art of training. Seems easy to put one foot in front of the other...or is it?