With 2010 coming to a close, I feel very accomplished with 4 major races completed and empowered to continue running races in 2011. When there year began, I had no expectations to run long distances, yet alone complete a full marathon! I've learned that being grounded in my faith can make the impossible very possible and give me strength to go the distance .... I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13.
Here is a list of the 2011 races I'm planning on running:
Surf City Half Marathon, Huntington Beach, 2/6/2011
LA Marathon, Los Angeles, 3/20/2011
Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon, Irvine, 5/1/2011
San Francisco Half Marathon, San Francisco, 7/31/2011
Disneyland Half Marathon, Anaheim, 9/4/2011
Long Beach Half Marathon, Long Beach 10/9/2011
Nike Women's Marathon (Half), San Francisco, 10/16/2011
Marine Corps Marathon, Washington DC, 10/30/2011 OR
ING NYC Marathon, New York City, 11/6/2011 (pending lottery entry!)
So that's EIGHT races planned for 2011 and the Dreaming California Racing Series!! Wish me luck! :) I can only pray that the Spirit continues to drive in me and my legs remain healthy! ... Merry Christmas an Happy New Year!!!!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
It's raining, it's pouring ...
Nhat is snoring because she rather be in bed than out running in the rain! ... Ever since the NWM and running the last 10 miles it in the rain, I have had NO desire to run in this "holiday storm" we've been experiencing the past 5 days. Instead, I've taken to the treadmill at the gym to get in a few short runs and challenge my competitive nature w/ the person running on the treadmill next to me. Haha! For the 20 something year old girl glancing over, I can run faster and longer than you any day. And the 30 year old douche bag trying to run faster than me, I'm a marathoner and I'll out run you. Usually the girl to my right stops at 2 miles and I'll up the pace as she glances over one last time, and the douche bag to my left stops after half a mile huffing and puffing before calling it quits. YES! I win :)
Most of the time, running is a race within me and all about me. But there are times - especially at the gym, my competitive human nature gets the best of me. There is no medal awarded for running faster or longer, nor does it make me a better person. It's just FUN :) ... As much as I enjoy the rain and my yellow raincoat, I'm ready for it to clear up so I can pound the pavement outside and get a good run! I'm also afraid I'll end up hurting myself on the treadmill trying to beat the person next to me.
Most of the time, running is a race within me and all about me. But there are times - especially at the gym, my competitive human nature gets the best of me. There is no medal awarded for running faster or longer, nor does it make me a better person. It's just FUN :) ... As much as I enjoy the rain and my yellow raincoat, I'm ready for it to clear up so I can pound the pavement outside and get a good run! I'm also afraid I'll end up hurting myself on the treadmill trying to beat the person next to me.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
And the next marathon is ...
LOS ANGELES!!!! Yes, less than 6 months from my 1st full marathon this past October I will run my 2nd one in LA this upcoming March - my own backyard. Why, you might ask? Is she crazy? I <3 running!! I am very thankful to be healthy and able to take on this challenge of the mind, body, and spirit - so why not?! Never did I think I'd voluntarily sign myself up for a second one (especially when I hit my wall at mile 18 in the NWM), but after a lot of thought and prayer I remain driven so I signed up for the LA Marathon. Mark the calendar for Sunday, March 20, 2011 ... less than 100 days away!
I picked this race for the following reasons: It's a scenic course that will take runners through 26 different landmarks in LA starting at Dodger Stadium and working our way down to Santa Monica Pier. (Being a California native, this will probably be the first and only time I see these LA landmarks. Ha!) It's a relatively flat course with no crazy elevation. This race will be close to home so my family and friends will be able to come out and support me - I'll be looking for HUGE signs w/ my name on it! Haha! Lastly, I'm on a marathon tour of the major metropolitan cities in America ... San Francisco - check. Los Angeles - in progress. New York - lottery bid in progress. Chicago? DC Marine Corps? ... Praise God for my healthy knees and ankles! His spirit keeps me running, so sign me up!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Half Marathon Part 2
Race day began with a 4am alarm going off and a lingering bout of indigestion . Without any desire to snooze, I woke up to my cousin's very quiet house, got dressed, hydrated myself with electrolytes, and fueled up on a Luna Bar breakfast. (Regular pre-race routine) ... The day before my cousin had generously fed me at his restaurant Bambo Bistro and I think I ate a little bit more than my stomach could handle - pure gluttony, haha! Fighting an upset stomach, my biggest fear of this morning were GI issues during the race! Thank you Jesus for keeping me healthy during the race!
It was a short drive to Mandalay Bay (starting point) from my cousin's house, and before I knew it I was absorbing in the pre-race energy while waiting in my assigned race corral at the starting line. The temperature was about 40 degrees outside and the sun was barely rising in the desert. Runners were jogging in place and in circles to keep warm. Psyching my body out to run before the race starts makes me nervous; instead I relied on the body heat from other runners in the corral to keep me warm.
One of my favorite things to do before a race is to meet new people. On this morning, I met a handful of runners with their own stories to share. One gentleman from Riverside was running his first official marathon and was very proud to share he had lost 40 lbs and lowered his bad cholesterol level. He said his wife didn't like how skinny he got but he's not ready to give up running. I congratulated him and encouraged him to keep on running! Then there were the good looking cousins :) - they were Vegas locals and originally from Los Angeles. One cousin was running the full marathon and the other one said he was going to decide whether to run the full at the 12 mile split. They were very laid back and somehow we ended up talking about running shoes. Lastly, the experienced marathoner - he was a lot older than all of us and offered to take pictures for everyone in our corral. He kinda reminded me of Mr. Rogers ... As I was gathered my thoughts and got into my zone, there was a huge BANG!! Yup, it was an actual gunshot start! One of the cousins I had met said it sounded like a drive by shooting - haha! He would know, he's from east LA! haha!
Standing in Corral 10, it took about 10 minutes after the gunshot start until we actually got to the starting line. Once at the starting line I was ready to run and ready to have fun! The course took us from the new end of the Strip down to Fremont Street (aka Old Las Vegas) and back. The first 6 miles went by quickly with the slight elevation loss. It was a VERY entertaining course w/ bands staged along the way. More so, it was like a run down memory lane for me :) Running by all the different hotels, I remembered all the Vegas trips dating back to my childhood and vaguely recalled some of the late nights/early mornings partying in Vegas. Rum Jungle at Mandalay Bay ... Pure at Caesar's Palace ... Tao at the Venetian ... the crazy babysitter when we stayed at Circus Circus, and the list goes on! Around mile 4 there was a run through wedding stage at the Venetian Hotel. Yes, couples actually got married and some renewed their wedding vows. Women wore white running gear and pinned white veils to their running hats, while the grooms wore tuxedo printed t-shirts. Only in Vegas could we do such a thing ...
I was surprised by the lack of supporters along the race route. Not as many as I expected for a race w/ 28,000 runners. Since it was Vegas, I did run by some ladies taking their walk of shame along the street in Saturday night's short black clubbing dress. There was also an inebriated guy aimlessly crossing the race route w/ a beer and cigarette in hand. He seemed clueless at the fact that a stampede of runners were charging towards him. Only in Vegas, right? ... Around mile 6, the route took runners into the old downtown Vegas area. The local bar staged a beer station and handed out cups of beer. Surprisingly many runners embraced the spirit and picked up a beer ... or two!
About an hour into the race, I fueled up on Sports Beans and all the electrolytes offered along the course. After my experience w/ the full marathon, I know these water stations are there for a reason and I'm gonna drink up! The last 6 miles proved a little more challenging b/c of the slight elevation gain coming back up the Strip. Even though it was slight, my body noticed the change. I was on pace to run a sub 2 hour race and was feeling good. At one point I got a little greedy thinking I could set a PR, but I had to remind myself to keep it healthy and enjoy myself! At the 12.5 mile mark the race course split - half marathon runners to the left and full marathoners to the right. Without any hesitation, I charged straight ahead and to the left w/ a huge smile on my face - haha! Maybe next year I'll rear right?! ... The finishline was in sight!! I sprinted the last 1/4 mile and crossed the finishline at 1:58:42 ... Mission accomplished!
Soon after crossing the finishline, I felt an awkward pain in my right ankle. Not sure what I did to it during the run, I headed over to the medical area and had it iced immediately. My biggest fear was I pulled something in my last 1/4 mile sprint and I didn't want to take any risk and wait the pain out. After the icing and stretching the pain subsided and I was on my away having accomplished my 4th race of the year ... Overall a great race experience, good weekend getaway, and maybe one year I'll do it again to run through the wedding stage!
It was a short drive to Mandalay Bay (starting point) from my cousin's house, and before I knew it I was absorbing in the pre-race energy while waiting in my assigned race corral at the starting line. The temperature was about 40 degrees outside and the sun was barely rising in the desert. Runners were jogging in place and in circles to keep warm. Psyching my body out to run before the race starts makes me nervous; instead I relied on the body heat from other runners in the corral to keep me warm.One of my favorite things to do before a race is to meet new people. On this morning, I met a handful of runners with their own stories to share. One gentleman from Riverside was running his first official marathon and was very proud to share he had lost 40 lbs and lowered his bad cholesterol level. He said his wife didn't like how skinny he got but he's not ready to give up running. I congratulated him and encouraged him to keep on running! Then there were the good looking cousins :) - they were Vegas locals and originally from Los Angeles. One cousin was running the full marathon and the other one said he was going to decide whether to run the full at the 12 mile split. They were very laid back and somehow we ended up talking about running shoes. Lastly, the experienced marathoner - he was a lot older than all of us and offered to take pictures for everyone in our corral. He kinda reminded me of Mr. Rogers ... As I was gathered my thoughts and got into my zone, there was a huge BANG!! Yup, it was an actual gunshot start! One of the cousins I had met said it sounded like a drive by shooting - haha! He would know, he's from east LA! haha!
I was surprised by the lack of supporters along the race route. Not as many as I expected for a race w/ 28,000 runners. Since it was Vegas, I did run by some ladies taking their walk of shame along the street in Saturday night's short black clubbing dress. There was also an inebriated guy aimlessly crossing the race route w/ a beer and cigarette in hand. He seemed clueless at the fact that a stampede of runners were charging towards him. Only in Vegas, right? ... Around mile 6, the route took runners into the old downtown Vegas area. The local bar staged a beer station and handed out cups of beer. Surprisingly many runners embraced the spirit and picked up a beer ... or two!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon Part 1
Winner winner chicken dinner!! ... This past weekend was the Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Half and my 4th major long distance race of the year! After all the planning that went into the NWM and coordination to get 5 ladies to run a race, I wanted to find a destination race for just me, myself, and I :) ... Currently, I'm still recovering from a stomach bug (un-race related) and the horrid 6.5 hour drive back last night - so I'll blog my overall race experience and post pictures later this week!
Here are my stats for all my tech-y readers! :) Overall, I'm pretty pleased w/ the split times and race considering I was very lazy about my training after the marathon in October! haha! ... This has definitely given me momentum to start paving the pavement again in training for my next full marathon in early 2011 (TBA!)!
Here are my stats for all my tech-y readers! :) Overall, I'm pretty pleased w/ the split times and race considering I was very lazy about my training after the marathon in October! haha! ... This has definitely given me momentum to start paving the pavement again in training for my next full marathon in early 2011 (TBA!)!
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