Carlsbad Half

Christine and I did the Carlsbad 1/2-marathon today. It was brutally cold in the morning so I was glad to have my long sleeve shirts and Ireland-found gloves to walk in. There was incredible traffic and we showed up at the start line just as the race gun went off. No time to stretch. Not good. We had both set a goal to try and complete the race at 3hrs flat. This is my second 1/2-marathon. My time for the Rose Bowl one in December was 3hrs 8mins. I didn't push too hard on that one so I was confident I could improve my time, although 3 hours was pretty ambitious. To hit that mark, I needed to average a 13.43 min/mile. I can regularly cruise at 13.30 so I thought it was possible.

No stretching means that we started out more slowly than I would have liked in order to loosen up. I had also left my GPS watch on "bike" mode so I had to struggle with changing the setting while on the move. We warmed up after a mile or so and then tried to pick up the pace. We tried to make up time and were going at around a 13:20 min/mile pace for a large portion of the race. Around mile 9 or so, I started to run out of steam and my speed really started to slow down. I think pushing too hard early one really just wore me out for the last few miles. The last mile was an incredible slow 16:50ish min/mile!

Final time was 3hrs 6mins. It is still a respectable time for a walker but there is definitely room to improve. A couple of things that I will change for the next race:

1) More sleep! 5 hours of sleep before a race is not enough
2) Eat more on the course. I was lazy with my gels and lost energy on the way
3) Remember to eat salt on the course. I was trained better than this
4) No biking the day before. It was only 10-miles but my legs were tired out. I tend to put a lot of miles on them.

Next race is probably San Dieguito on February 10.

The next big thing...

is my new bike! I'm now the proud owner of a 2007 Lemond Versaille road bike. Christine and I tested a bunch of different models and brands while we searched for the perfect bike do our next TnT event. We are going to be riding our new bikes 100 miles at the, (and I quote) America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride. Take a look at this Map. Crazy. We looked at a lot of brands including Giant, Trek, Specialized, Scattante, and Bianchi. I also looked at Fuji and Schwinns. The Lemond was the one that I liked the best and it was on sale. Not bad when you can get a $2,100 bike for $1300. It's purty...see














I picked it up late Friday night after getting "fitted" by one of the bike technicians at the bike store. First step was to buy pedals and shoes. It's important because the height of the shoes and the position of the clips affects the position of the rider on the bike. Next step is to adjust the height and lateral position of the seat. Then they look at the position of the rider in relation to the position of the cranks. It's best to have your knee be 1 tiny centimeter behind the crank to be in the optimum driving position so that you don't waste energy pushing out on the pedal when you should be pushing down. The final step involves positioning of the handlebars and sometimes swapping out the top stem so that the rider isn't so stretched out reaching for the bars. Of course with so many variables, one item affects the others so it ends up being an interative process. After about an hour, I was all set but it was too dark to ride!

Christine and I got to the bike store way too late so consequently, she wasn't able to get fitted on her bike. I was pretty bummed because we had planned our first ride at Lake Miramar the next morning. Sadly it was not to be. So we ate some pho.

















I took my new baby out for a ride on Saturday afternoon. I had planned a ride around Lake Miramar because it is pretty flat and is exactly a 5-mile loop. Geared up and took a ride. It was awesome. The bike is so fast and light. Spec says that it is less than 18 lbs! Damn, my dumbells at home weigh more than that. Using the clip pedals and shoes took a bit of getting used to but not too bad. 5-Miles came too soon so I decided to take another 5, making a total of 10-miles.

Good times.

I would have kept going but the next day was the Carlsbad 1/2 marathon.

Some Images

It's hard to believe that it has been a months since I last posted. Life's been pretty hectic getting back from Ireland. I'm finally getting caught up at work. Over the next week or so, I hope to get all my photos finalized and start posting some images from the Marathon and the rest of my time in Ireland.

To start off with here are a couple.

I'm pretty proud of this one. I was the second highest fundraiser for our team, raising over $6,800 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I actually even raised a bit more than that getting closer to $7K!













Here is what the finisher's medal looks like. Cool, huh?















Really small version Dublin Marathon course map with quadrants cobbled together via Microsoft Paint.










Very small map from my GPS training watch.

Officially an Endurance Athelete

I did it! I am now officially an endurance athelete having completed the Dublin Adidas Marathon in just a few seconds over 6 hours and 30 minutes. A very respectable time for a first time walker. The conditions were perfect for the event. It was a relatively clear, cool day. The course was a 26 mile loop around and through the City including 5 miles is beautiful Phoenix park. We had a lot of support from the locals, lining the streets and cheering us and giving us a chorus of well done on as we passed by.

The last few miles were really tough but Coach Ellen hooked up with me and kept giving me short term goals to keep me on pace. See the red jacket up ahead? Catch them by Mile 24. I am so thankful to her and the rest of the coaches that joined me for a few miles on the course.

Physically, I made it through with just a few minor blisters. The feet were not a problem, which was a great relief. I had also been fighting a cold and had some stomach issues the couple of days before which was another concern but it all came together for me on race day.

After 6 days in Dublin, seeing the sights, I'll be spending the remainder of my time touring the countryside starting in Waterford and then continuing on to see the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula.

There's too much to tell right now but I'll be sure to fill in the details in future posts. I'm off to eat some fish and chips and drink a creamy Guinness!

Thanks everyone for your support.

Dublin Bound!

I'm Dublin bound, baby! In 3 short hours I will be in the air! It's been very hectic lately with me trying to get everything wrapped up so I haven't been keeping up on my blog. I'll try to post more regularly now that I am on VACATION.

Training Log (October 8 - 14)

After Saturday's 20 Miler, it's going to be a slow week training wise for me. I need to catch up on work, chores, etc to get ready for my upcoming trips the next 4 weekends.

Monday: 2.2 Miles at lunchtime. This is usually Balboa Park training night but the schedule only allowed a few miles of walking as we are supposed to be resting after Saturday's big walk. I decided to just do that during lunch and get a much needed evening off.

Tuesday: Picked up some Dr. Scholl's gel inserts to see if they would help my left foot. Did thesStandard 4 Miles around the neighborhood. Pad of left foot continues to be a problem.

Wednesday: Nothing

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Goal, Set, Match

I'm a week late reporting this but I have reached my fundraising goal of $6,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Thanks to everybody that contributed. I was officially awarded by purple and green Team in Training jacket. The San Diego/Hawaii chapter is the only one in the country that has jackets. I'm part of the club now.