Week 13: Lucky 7 Goes 7 in My Lucky 13

It was another cutback week for the LA Roadrunners.

This week was a lot different with totally overcast sky and a lot fewer people, perhaps due to it being a mere seven miles?

Anyways, Running Group Lucky 7 (Magnificent 7) was soon off and headed north to California following the usual Santa Monica Pier departure route. I felt fine, which was a relief after a meal of turkey, potatoes, and champurrado at Knights of Columbus Christmas party the night prior! My running partner came quite late; but, it was alright and we went back to the caboose position prior to the group starting. Lots of Tiger Woods jokes and comments could be heard. Despite not much sleep due to neighbors being loud at 3 a.m. - 4:30 a.m., I was still alright, and happy with Servite's playoff win!

Due to the short route, we turned back at California and headed back and into Venice. It seemed quite a short run, even if seven miles was unthinkable in April. My knee did act up a bit after the second water station; I think I need to keep moving!

Since it was no one's longest run, there was not exactly the sense of accomplishment and the group acted normally (my old Group 8 had a big group outing to go eat breakfast this morning ...)

Still, it was good, even with a dodgy knee. The motivational speaker helped me a lot. She made a lot of good points, even though she is not a runner, for marathoners. It has been a harsh year for me and this may have been a big help to refocus. I have been doing this for a lot of reasons and will be reflecting on them a lot tonight. Also, interestingly, she mentioned God ... frequently! In marathon training? Who would have thought it?

Anyways, I am glad I did the run. Another day closer, Diosmediante, to the Los Angeles Marathon ....

Time of 1:25.34 for 7.19 miles at 11:54 pace!

Night Run

Last night, I did something different for the scheduled Los Angeles Marathon training run; I ran at night. Running in the dark was nothing new since I have been doing most pre-dawn. I did it for two reasons: one easy one of wanting an extra hour of sleep in the morning and one not so easy ... there was yet another fatal shooting in my neighborhood Tuesday night at about the same time as I headed out Thursday night.

My neighborhood in Santa Monica has seen a lot of violence in the 10 years I have lived there. Teens and young men being killed, four being very, very close (as in within a block). I have basically become accustomed to vigil candles and stunned teenagers. It is not pleasant obviously. Murders are not.

So, I decided to run because I needed to and also because I wanted to. I wanted to show that the vermin who cause this mayhem and tragedy can not rule the streets.

Off I went past the basically and eerily deserted Virginia Avenue Park. Normally there would be basketball games and such; but, not Thursday night. It was noticeable how many police cars were patrolling the area.

I headed down the side streets, trusting my Garmin electronic conscience to keep me on pace or close to it. I then headed south to Ocean Park Avenue and a niceish commercial area, even with a lot of empty offices. I ran down a sidestreet and towards Santa Monica Airport.

While running past I noticed the business jets, including a Gulfstream G-IV which costs well in excess of $20 million.

It was just a strange run. I felt a bit sluggish, perhaps because it has been a hard week on many fronts. Still, it felt good to be on the Night Run.

They're Watching Me ...

Today was another pre-dawn mid-week run. It was another clear, star-filled, well relatively, sky as the wind was actually blowing a tad.



I brought out my Garmin GPS unit and decided to try to run to now run to pace goal as I learn more of the ins and outs of it. After having it locate satellites (rather nifty feeling knowing the thing on my wrist finds satellites!), I started off determined to add the new tool to the training. This proved a tad frustrating, especially in the dark.



I set off on what felt like the pace I wanted; but, the unit would say too fast, too slow ... and then there were traffic lights, etc. It got a frustrating trying to adjust to speed and I found it a lot less enjoyable to run with "watch the clock" joining "watch for bad drivers" and "watch for fallen tree limbs" as goals. I just wanted to get the McCourt soap opera out of my mind!



Finishing was a bit disappointing as the unit said I was 30 seconds too fast per mile; so, I slowed down and then halted for a traffic light ... Soon, I was way OVER the goal. In the end it was a run of 45:12 for 3.39 miles of aerobic running.



I am just placing my faith in this system as the aerobic concept and not stretching prior to starting is so foreign to sprinting. The Roadrunners sent an article about how humans are actually designed for long-distance running; but, modern surfaces and shoes (oh, oh) lead to problems.



Still, I hope I will become more accustomed to the unit and running with it and make the training better. Anything that helps me finish the marathon ...

Week 7: Into the Fog of ... Running

The new training week for the marathon began and with it was a new distance ... nine miles!

So, it was off to the school to begin and energy revved up as the chant started.

Mile 1 ... It's Just For Fun

Mile 2 ... It's Good For You

Mile 3 ... It's Good For Me

Mile 4 ... Give Me Some More

Mile 5 ... I'm Still Alive

Mile 6 ... No Tricks

Mile 7 ... I Think I'm Running to Heaven
Mile 8 ... I Feel Great
Mile 9 ... Doing Fine
Mile 10 ... LET'S DO IT AGAIN

Then there is an ending about "We Are The Roadrunners" ... although in my head it has been, is, and always will be, especially after last night, "WE ARE SERVITE!"

Next it was rally with the group and head to the strand. Group 7 tends to arrive earlier than most; so, we get some information before then waiting our turn to launch. Today there were no clipboards; so, no sign-ins!

Soon enough the group was on its way. It was semi-eery with some fog. I try to notice some new landmarks each time; today is was an Australian barbecue place; I resisted the urge to make prisoner jokes or suggest it move next to Men's Central in downtown Los Angeles.

The last time I ran nine miles it was around a track at Santa Monica College; I was alone and I felt a bit drained a well as isolated. This time it seemed so much easier! I was happily chugging along, even if it felt slow. Up hills; down hills. Up the Santa Monica Pier; down the Santa Monica Pier. I still turned my cap backwards for the Ocean Park to Santa Monica Boulevard stretch.

After the new habit of visiting the Totem Pole, the group went past San Vicente into a rather affluent neighborhood in the northern Santa Monica Hills on Adelaide Street before turning down to 7th and then on to San Vicente and returning to Ocean Avenue. By then the sun was starting to emerge from the fog and it was getting warmer; but, I really had no problems at all with energy. I have started eating the little nutritional supplements while running, which helps. It is certainly a different mindset from an 880 or a 2-miler.

Then it was back down Ocean Avenue and heading for home base. Towards the end the group went past the rally point and onto the sadly named Speedway, where I still feel the urge to sprint. Then it was back onto the Venice Boardwalk and to the rally point.

It was a good run; it set a new distance mark for me ... 9.17 miles in 1:48:29 according to the new Garmin 305 GPS tracker which got its first use. It does seem odd knowing satellites are locking in on this little gadget!

I had never run that far; so, for me it was progress and it felt good. So far, this really seems doable. I hope it is March 21 .... when the old sprinter goes for the Los Angeles Marathon.

Patron Saint for Runners ...

Being a Catholic I thought I would try and find out who the patron saint is for marathons, runners, running, etc. There are patron saints for so many causes and reasons I thought surely there would be one.

Anyways, it seems there IS NOT! Wow. The closest suggested one is St. Sebastian, who is patron saint for athletes; but, not sure a saint known for being shot with arrows is may be the ideal choice for a marathon.

So, I looked at some choices. St. Jude, the patron of desperate causes? St. Joseph, the patron saint of workers? St. Christopher, the patron saint of travellers (but he is now on a semi-retired saint list)? St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things (as in Where the bloody bleep is Mile 26?) ? Joseph and Anthony get bonus points for being my middle names as well. I was born at St. Jude's; so, that has some backing as well.

Anyways, since there is no designated one, I think I will stick with my main patron saint, St. Michael, patron of battles! Hey, he has a nice big sword for the struggle, wings to really keep moving, and fleet-looking footware. He has the scales to remind me to keep everything balanced and sound, well until ít is sprinting time. That sounds like a winner. I need all the backing I can get!

Come March 21 .... St. Michael the Archangel, Defend Us In Day of Battle!

Video Time

Inspired by a beautiful pre-dawn So Cal with a star-filled sky, I thought may be a link would work well.

Not a bad video ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYrB1tlhug



Plus, starting at my beloved Dodger Stadium and finishing in good old Santa Monica ... not bad for a first time marathon!

Week 3: No Pain, No Gain

It has been a bit odd being back in a sports uniform. The Roadrunners shirt is not exactly like being a player; but, it is kind of nice having that athletic team/club feeling again after so long. I have played in pickup and intramural games; but, nothing like the team feeling, that seems to be returning. It was almost exciting when I saw another runner last week at Clover Park in the same shirt! The GR8 Pace Leaders had suggested writing names on the shirt (I doubt mine would be too legible) or ... embroidery (Uh ....). I think that will wait; I do have an idea for March 21 ... old school method.

Well, I completed the third marathon training session, running five miles Saturday in a higher group, The LA Roadrunners Magnificent 7. It was a bit odd as the group ran at about the same pace as Eighth Army/GR8 had been running; but, it was probably a break for me as my knee was a bit sore and I have not been sleeping well. In the end, I managed to do pretty well and kept up easily and felt there was plenty of energy left. The group is a bit more subdued than GR8; but, they have some very knowledgeable coaches who are also ready to answer questions, just like GR8 ones. I will probably stick with Magnificent 7 for a bit and see how I fare. May be Pick Six will come; may be it will not.

This week's run started to the familiar north turning around just south of Santa Monica Pier. It was also the first run with two water loads (same station, just once outbound and once inbound). The new addition was heading past the start and south then through some alleys surrounded by condos and apartments, and hence quietly as possible, and towards the Venice Pier.

It was then back up the boardwalk to the start for stretching and also information on various running gadgets. After the now routine Gatorade, water and bananas, it was an interesting lecture on shoes (Zola Budd obviously not involved). I then spoke with the senior pace leader of Magnificent 7 a bit afterwards, particularly on how to move arms in distance running (answer being pump them like in track, just not as pronounced!).

I was fairly happy with the result. I had been sore all week and despite some actually decent times in midweek felt sluggish and struggling. My knee has been a tad bothersome and even quadriceps seemed tight. Yet, I got going and it all came together, which was a welcome relief.

I also thought a bit about the year just how it has been shown in of all things ... piers! There is Santa Monica Pier where I have been going a fair bit. There was the March trip to Wigan Pier, a place so very different and yet so very meaningful to me, despite its and the time's challenges. There was the pier on the Salvadoran coast I saw from my flight into San Salvador, a place I never quite reached, but at least could see from a distance. Now, there is Venice Pier, a new place for me, a place I have to find a meaning for as well.

It has been a year of change and challenge for me. Many things happened and caught me by surprise; yet, I have managed to go on, sometimes not knowing how. I hope these experiences will help me with the running, being able to go on despite "The Wall" or physical pain. The pain is not fun obviously; but, I am hoping God will keep giving me the will and enough health to make this happen March 21 at the Los Angeles Marathon. CREDO.

Week 2: Running Four Miles is Fun!

Well, they say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Perhaps a marathon begins with getting proper shoes? With that in mind, I went to a running store and was fitted. They were quite helpful, despite my lack of knowledge on distance gear. They watched my gait and even they said, "Sprinter." Oops. Anyways, I am not equipped with some Brooks shoes that I will be breaking in and using next week.

Saturday marked the start of the second week of training with the LA Roadrunners. Because of a slightly tender and bruised knee and also not sleeping much the past week, both due partly to the festival at my parish, I decided to stay with Group 8 (a.k.a. GR8 Pace as it has been dubbed or for me, the Eighth Army). It was quite overcast; but, it is still nice to see the waves as you head off from the start. I quite quickly felt very comfortable at the pace (target 11:00 per mile) and my knee fears disappeared.

I just had a really nice, relaxing time running. The group leaders are so friendly and funny. Soon, some of the stresses in my life were at least temporarily relieved and I was cruising. The group only had to do a bit further than last week (4 miles vs. 3.77 actual); so, it did not seem daunting running to just south of the Santa Monica Pier.

Soon enough, it was back to the rally point and some stretching. I felt like I could have gone much further for the second week in a row, which was a good sign. The group ran a 11:05 pace which is a shade faster than last week and apparently works for the pace leaders.

Afterwards, I spoke with the pace leaders and asked some questions. They all said I definitely can be in the run-only groups (yeah!) and should give Group 7 and may be even Group 6 a try.

I felt so relaxed and at peace out there, as well as happy with progress since May. It turned out the four-mile run was the easiest part of the weekend, vs. the endurance contest that is the parish festival. I am hoping the running continues to yield that sense of calm and may be even happiness and achievement.

Meanwhile, I think I have my theme song. It will get some trials ... It will not be the old standby metal or hard rock. I guess may be it is kind of a good song for change and needing to change.

When You're Born to Run ....

As I woke up this morning, I turned the radio dial and locked in on an "oldie," Steve Winwood's "Back in the High Life Again." Even though it is quite mellow, I have always liked it and the lyrics struck a chord with me this time with talk of life going on too fast, doors that had closed, and eyes no longer watching.

Now that I am on a proper marathon, training regimen, I am trying to really improve. The Roadrunners' Group 8 pace leaders sent a nice email and I realized I am apparently classed at "Intermediate" level (based on days off they said to have and comparing it to the schedule. Yeah!

So, it was off to Clover Park for another day of training the Roadrunners way. I set out and tried to really focus on not being a sprinter ... running flatter and with shorter strides. A funny thing happened .... my first lap was fast, very fast. I was flying and actually had to in aviation-speak derate the thrust to follow the training manual for my remaining time on the run. It was a beautiful morning and for some reason despite some various pains, it felt like all systems were GO!

Wednesday had also been a solid day as well. Despite some physical and mental exertions the last few days, somehow my body got the idea it would like to run and run well.

Anyways, it felt great! Despite being "work" and exerting, it just felt so nice to be out there and giving it a go despite everything else at the moment. In fact I completed the assigned 30 minutes and had a little bit of a lap to complete and saw a nice, inviting open straightaway free of walkers, dogs, bicyclists, etc. and ... got off a very nice and fun all out sprint to finish the session. It was just such a welcome and needed rush.

Meanwhile, I am starting to look for a theme song. I tend to pick songs for things, especially retreat talks and sports. So, I would mark sprinting days with "Danger Zone" and intramural hockey ("non-contact" ...) was "Lunatic Fringe." I need one for this whole increasingly interesting journey. Gone are the days of playing "Back in Black," "Black Celebration," "Paint It Black," "Hell's Bells," etc.; I have an idea and will test it out Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, I am still working to adjust as Steve Winwood says, "When you're born to run, it's so hard to just slow down."

Adjustment Time

Today, I have been looking at the training manual the Roadrunners program provides to the participants. It is quite detailed on everything from the coaches to stretching to hints on the actual day, to obviously the training schedule for every day of all 27 weeks. It is broken into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Interestingly I actually am to reduce my weekday training at the start! I have been running sessions of 45 minutes (or more) each three days a week, some days of walking/other exercise, and then a longer run on Saturdays at the Santa Monica College track. Now, the first week has two off days, the first run is a slower 30 minutes, etc. The longer weekly runs scale up from three miles (last week), to four, five and then six miles and then it cuts back to three, which surprised me. I would have thought you just keep adding distance each week. Even more shocking was maintaining the pace alongside someone the entire way; I had been finishing with a good old fashioned sprint while running on my own.

I also received some very helpful information after the first long run from a pace leader. I had been talking about which group to be in and she asked about my running background. When she found out I shared a similar background, namely high school track, she mentioned that in marathon running the old mantras of stride long and run on the balls of your feet are gone! The goal is shorter strides and flatter steps. For a sprinter-mentality, this is really a shock; for my sprinter thighs, it is definitely new!

This has me again thinking beyond the marathon and about life. Sometimes may be we need to think beyond our prior experiences. Sometimes may be we have to realize others are smarter, or in my case most people are smarter, than ourselves, particularly on certain subjects new to us. With the situations in my life right now, this is starting to become more obvious.

I have sprinter instincts. I think of running on a 1/4 mile track of dirt, mud or synthetic material. I think of running on that track in terms of fractions of it (like a 220 ... 1/8 of a mile), a whole trip (a 440), or multiple trips ... my beloved 880, the mile or two mile. I think in terms of start lines, baton passing lanes, cut-in points for laps, attack angles if I need to make up ground on a relay leg, starts, blocks, listening for the gun, strong kicks for the end, and the other parts of being a track runner.

My mindset for a sprint is power and speed. Start fast and hard. I used to try and "get in the mood" before a race. In the morning I would get up early and watch the opening scene of "Top Gun," with the F-14 Tomcats along with A-7s and A-6s (sorry, too much defense aviation background) being launched by catapults off an aircraft carrier. Power. Speed. Go. After school or on the bus to a meet, I used music listening to heavy metal or rock songs and always finishing with "Danger Zone," also from "Top Gun." If it was a short distance, I would focus on that end point. For a longer run, I focused on moving from straightaways to turns and back to the straightaways. For the relays it was a focus on making sure I was literally IN THE ZONE (the passing area) and focusing on the STICK!

Now, I need to adjust my mindset. I now need to think of a flexible, different, not always flat course. The whole distance perspective is different. Water breaks? Nutrition? Constant pacing for the entire way? Running alongside someone deliberately? This is really new to me. No balls of the feet? No power strides? This is going to take a bit of practice!

Still, I believe I can still do this and make the necessary adjustments. Hopefully, I can also do this with life in general; I need to.

But, while there is obviously a need for change in my mindset and approach, may be, just may be, come March 21, when I see that Los Angeles Marathon finish line in view, may be just then ... I can go back to running on the balls of my feet, feeling the power strides, and like the old Servite days FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED!

Week 1: Where do I belong?

Well, this morning was the first Saturday of training.

It was initially a bit like being a freshman the first day of high school. There were the upperclassmen who knew everything and were veterans and then the sophomore-types and then the people like me who were totally new. After completing registration and getting a nice battleship-grey shirt, it was a bit of hurry-up and wait; but, still it was interesting seeing the incredible variety of people in the school hall. There was a real Marine Corps-type cadence/chant given by Leroy (?), which got me going ... ah, this is like the Servite days!

A key question is what pace group to be in, at least for the week. I frankly had no bloody idea, besides avoiding the semi-Kenyan-section (a.k.a. the really fast runners). One man was a bit discouraging when he said I should go to the run/power walk group, and not even the fastest of those! On the other hand, I had run a relatively decent time in a 5k in August (my first 5k).

I decided to go for it and stay in an all-running group, Group 8 (or in Chad Johnson-speak; Grupo Ocho). Once the registrations had been completed, the leaders introduced themselves and spoke a bit about the process and were very encouraging. They also gave the happy news that the marathon will end in Santa Monica! The groups (runners, run/walkers, and walkers) all headed out to the Strand and soon with surprisingly basically no stretching (Servite coaches would have been in shock), we started.

It was a decent day to run, a bit overcast. There were people on the Strand paths and other groups as well. There was also the still striking images of poverty (homeless people, some mentally-ill people), urban issues (litter, empty stores, graffiti), and affluence (the luxury hotels). I got into a decent rhythm fairly quickly and felt pretty good (it was only supposed to be 3 miles; but, a few months ago, this would not be really viable).

Group 8 made a semi-organized turnaround away from the Pier end and headed back towards Venice. The group's pace leaders were fun and energetic, which helped. (I must say the walking groups seemed to be having the best time!) It was a large group of 74 runners and some began to falter and/or tire; but, we made it back and stretched more than at the start, which apparently is the norm for distance running (Note to self: Stop thinking like a sprinter/middle distance runner!). Then it was back to the school for bananas and water and a bit of a sense of "Hey, I can do this." I also spoke with a pace leader about some group questions. We found out they had missed the turn and we actually did 3.7 miles (the horror!); but, at a good clip. Not a bad run and actually less than I had been doing Saturdays; but, it is nicer with people, the ocean view, ...

So, I am not sure if this is the group for me. I may try a faster group (the pace leader said Group 7 or may be Group 6). I definitely think I can do the running and not have to go for power walk/run.

On the way home, I began to think about the morning and the marathon. May be this is more than just trying to get into shape or trying to do a crazy physical challenge. May be it is going to be a journey for me far beyond just miles. I started thinking about how in so many other parts of my life right now I am trying to figure out, "Where do I belong?"

Why Am I Doing This?

Tomorrow, I start my first official training session with the Los Angeles Roadrunners http://www.laroadrunners.com/ which I hope leads me to completing my first marathon in just 27 weeks, the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon!

Why am I doing this? I am not sure there really is a specific reason.

Inspiration? I know a few people who have run marathons and they seem to be still inspired by the challenge.

Exercise? I definitely hope to be in better physical shape, and may be even mental shape, after the first one. I have had a few pains while just doing conditioning since April; but, I already am seeing positive results.

May be it is because I enjoy running? In high school, I ran for the Servite track team and ran a huge variety of races: the 110 and 220 sprints, the 440 (1/4 mile) challenge, the awesome and mighty 880, the long-haul 1-mile and 2-miles and then the 4 x 110 and 4 x 440 relays with the legendary "STICK!" calls. Something about running just has always made me excited, even if my previous longest run was 5.8 miles around Anaheim and Fullerton in Hell Week.

Challenge? It has been a difficult 2009 for me for many, many reasons. The goal of preparing for, running in, and completing a marathon has become a bright spot.

Some other reason? The last few months have been diffiult and made me reflect on life. I am thinking of my all-time favorite movie, "Chariots of Fire" and the quote by Eric Liddell on running: "I believe that God made me for a purpose ... , but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."

I hope that is why, ultimately, I run.