2010 Orange County Half Marathon Race Recap

I was pretty disappointed with myself for not preparing correctly for the 2010 L.A. Marathon and consequentially not running it. I had to make it up somehow, so I signed up for the OC Half Marathon which was only 6 weeks away. This way I could either train and run it, or lose the registration money. I've learned that I do better when the goals are set in stone.

The weekend of the race I drove down to Irvine and relaxed at Ryan's apartment with his girlfriend and roommate.  To give my legs some down time we mostly played video games and watched Adult Swim shows.  I went to bed kinda late and wasn't able to sleep well, but that's no surprise. I was pretty excited about running my first Half and getting an official time on it.  I like setting benchmarks.  They keep me on my toes and give me personal goals to break.  If there is anything I learned in school is that setting goals is the only way to get things done.

After waking up, showering and getting ready I headed to the OC Fairgrounds to park my car, eat my bagels with peanut butter and get shuttled to the starting line at Fashion Island.  I decided to wear my red Asics shirt since it feels good and it has a pocket on the shoulder.  I thought this was a great idea since I could put my car key in there and not have to leave my car open.  So I did that and headed to the bus.  As usual, I was early and had to wait for about an hour before the crowd started to show.  To relax a bit I talked to a couple of other runners who coincidentally were also running for the first time.  I like how this community is so tight, everyone is friendly and they're always so chipper.  As time moved on we started to get ready on the corrals and after the anthem and all the particulars, the race was off.  There were a lot of people running this event so it took about 10 minutes to get to the starting line and my personal time going, but after that it was 13.1 or bust!

Since I lived in Irvine for 3 years I was really excited to run this race.  After a couple of turns after the start the course took us pass Corona del Mar.  If you've never been there, you need to, its such a beautiful and secluded beach.  It was here when it happened.  All of a sudden I felt my car key drop inside my shirt, hit my leg and clank on the pavement.  I was really confused since I assumed that the shoulder pocket was secure and would keep my key safe.  What I didn't notice was a hole on the top of it that was big enough to make anything fall out of it but small enough so it can be easily missed.  this worried me much.  I put the key back in and continue running.  I made sure to check the pocket and felt the key about every 2 minutes to make sure it was still there. After that the course winded around some richy residential areas of CdM. By then there were a couple of people out waving and giving all the runners support. Seeing people out there supporting the runners always makes me smile.

But, of course, at about mile 4 my smile went to a frown when I reached for the pocket and didn't feel my car key.  Great.  I completely stopped.  I had a couple of thoughts: I could walk back and look for it, or I could keep going, finish up and then come back to the same area and look for it later.  I contemplated doing the latter but I figured that would simply be the stupid move so I started backtracking looking at the ground for it.  While I did this I heard a couple of people say "He's going backwards LOLZ"..... I really like how astute some people are.  The gods must have been happy with me because I was able to find the key in less than 5 minutes.  I grabbed it, quickly decided that I would hold onto it the whole run and try to forget about it.  At this point I was not feeling too great. The key issue coupled with sluggish legs were really keeping me down.

Somewhere after mile 5 my legs stopped feeling weird and my stride improved.  From then on the race went more or less without a hitch.  I keep my pace and enjoyed the scenery of the Newport Back Bay.  After a bathroom break at about the 8-mile marker I decided that I could pick up my speed somewhere between mile 9 and 10, but, somehow I missed those markers.  By the time I picked up my speed I was coming up to mile 11. The last few miles I was running way faster than I should have been able to if I had maintained a faster tempo the entire race.  Oh wells.  I finished in 2:11:55.  A bit short of the 2 hour mark, not to shabby but with a goal to break. Soon after I passed the finish line I heard Jillian and Ryan calling for me.  They made an awesome sign to encourage my running. How awesome is that?!



If I had noticed the markers I really believe my time would have been much better. But no matter, I have a goal to break and that's a Half in under 2:00!! Hopefully I can do that this year. Well see.



This picture makes me happy.

100% vs. Half Measures

The Marathon training program I abided by consisted of 16 weeks of gradual training. I began this plan on Feb 2nd and followed it to the T until April 1st. After that, a few personal snags and slight injuries slowed me down to the point where, at the beginning of May, I didn’t run for a whole week. With the May 25th date quickly approaching, I haphazardly began to run distances which I thought would help me reach my goal.

After the race I felt very accomplished. However, I know I could have done better. If I had continued following the training my finishing time would have been much faster, I most likely would have broken the 5 hour mark. Same with school, I barely studied a subject which really interests me and instead of As I was content with Bs. This has made me think about the potential I have when I put my all into something.

I have been lucky enough that circumstance has handed me very many things without much effort on my part. This has caused me to lack discipline most of my life. Now, I’m starting to see the value of putting my 100% into the goals I set my sights on.

Jim Roth said “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”. If I can achieve major goals not doing my best every step of the way, I’m sure I can excel at the same goals when I prepare myself 100% for them. Knowing this, I will focus my all into all my future endeavors. I will teach myself to be disciplined and to achieve my objectives the right way.

5 Hours and 6 minutes later…

Yesterday I achieved a remarkable feat: I completed the Los Angeles Marathon. I set this goal back in January and quickly embarked into a couple of months of committed training.

While I went on my conditioning-runs I found myself alone with my thoughts. They ranged from simply getting home to whether or not I would someday actually finish 26.2 miles. But mainly I thought about my grandma. I dedicated all the training and the race to her. I thought about how awesome she was to me and how the love she gave me made me the person I want to be. On Monday I went out for her. I know she is proud of what I did, but I wish I could have seen her smile soon after crossing the finish line. I miss and love you grandma.

Also, I had my music while training. I learned that the right songs energizing my stride and, most importantly, having the right state of mind would help me reach the finish line. I spent a good deal of time setting up my soundtrack for race day. It had to be all High and no lows. I think I got it right.

I knew this was going to be tough. It was not only a test of my body, which I was not sure would hold up for the long distance, but also of my desire to accomplish something. After getting over the morning nervousness and while getting rid of some water in the bathroom, the horn sounded and we were off! The adrenaline kept me going for the initial miles but it faded after completing ten. From then on I knew the rest was up to me. Being my first marathon (and also the longest distance I’ve ever ran) I thought walking the short but steep uphills would be a good strategy. After briefly trying this it proved to be a faulty plan so I decided to simply run until my body gave out. Having only completed a 17-mile run during training, which I finished dehydrated and with terribly knee pain, I was not sure I was going to be able to stick to my considered approach. When I reached 15 miles I felt great. My knees were not hurting, my lungs were holding, and I was still sweating, all systems were go. Even after miles 18, 19 and 20 everything was going perfect, my mind was not about to be weaker than my body. I cruised through the last 5 miles with absolutely no problem, I simply kept thinking positively and telling myself that there was nothing between me and my finisher medal.



Crossing the finish line is proof this last 3 months have not been in vain. To quote a great fictional man “When you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything” Dr. Emmett Brown, Back To The Future.



The most awesome people ever!

I want to thank my family and friends, first and foremost the ones that made it to the race, you gals and guy are amazing!! And to all those that encouraged me during my training and that messaged and called me on Monday and today. Thank you so much for the support!!!

This link encompasses exactly how I feel.