My New Goal... The Boston Marathon!!!!

There's one race that's always been on my "bucket list" of things to do.  That race is The Boston Marathon.

I ran my first marathon back in the summer of 2009 at the Rock N' Roll San Diego Marathon.  Later that year I would run my hometown marathon here in Fresno and set my pr of 3:28:27 in November, and then I would run the Sacramento California International Marathon (CIM) just a few weeks after the Fresno marathon in December of 2009.

In February of 2010 I ran the Woodside 50k.  This was my first ultra and also my first introduction to trail running.  After this event "Marathon Running" took a far backseat to trail running and ultra distances.  I started running 50 mile and 100 mile races very shortly after that first 50k in February 2010.

As much as marathons took a backseat, there's always one that has been in the back of my mind.  That race is the Boston Marathon.

 

The Boston Marathon... our nations most prestigious marathon.  Full and rich in history, it's race that every marathon runner wants to run. 

Getting into Boston isn't easy.  First you have to qualify.  For me this requires a finishing time of under 3 hours and 10 mins for my gender and age group. This means I have to run a marathon on a course that is deemed "Boston Certified" and run a 3:10 marathon, or better.  Then I will have qualified to run the Boston Marathon... if I'm even able to still get in. Boston is very popular and sells out fast.  Simply qualifying doesn't guarantee you'll get in.

After yesterday's events I now feel even more compelled to run the Boston Marathon.

When I woke up yesterday I was very excited.  I had 4 friends running the Boston marathon.  I sent some of them text messages asking them to let me know how they did once the race was over.  

I received a text from my friend Rudy.  He had a good race finishing in 2:58:03, and later I received a text from Mark saying he didn't run the race he wanted to, but he was done. 

After hearing from Rudy and Mark about their successful day at Boston I decided to go about my normal day.  My daughter and I went to Costco to get some stuff for the house.  I ran into my friend Travis at Costco and we started talking about local runs coming up, my pr last week at AR50, other running plans for the year, and just general running stuff.

While I was talking to Travis my cellphone started going off like crazy.  I didn't want to be rude while I was talking to Travis so I let my calls go to voice mail.  When I got to my car I checked my phone. 3 missed calls and 8 text messages, all about the tragedy that was going on in Boston.  At this time I had no clue about the devastation that had happened at the finish line of the event.

I couldn't believe it.  I got home and turned on the news.  The images were horrifying.

"How could someone do this?"  That's all I could keep asking myself.

Every Monday I go for a 6 mile run before I head out to train with all my Jiu Jitsu buddies. Normally I'll just head out the door and have a peaceful meditative run, but today wasn't your normal day.

All I could think about was Boston.  The images of the finish line, the innocent runners and spectators who's lives would now be changed forever.

As I ran I decided it was time to do something that I have been putting off... and that very thing is toeing the start line at the Boston Marathon.

There are so many reasons to run this amazing race, but the main reasons now are to support the community of Boston, my fellow runners, and those hurt in yesterdays tragedy.

Running has always been a very inspirational thing to me.  It's about pushing yourself to become a better you.  Almost every runner I know can tell you their personal best time at any given distance, I don't care if it's a 5k or a 100 mile race, we all know our personal best times.  I know that when I finish a race I'm happy if I get a medal,  but I would prefer to have a new PR over a medal any day of the week. When it comes down to it, the only person I'm really racing is myself.

The Boston Marathon is now a run, in my mind, that will be forever changed.  As a runner I will always remember what happened yesterday.

Runners are a very interesting group of people.  We all have different backgrounds, political views, religions, etc... but we're always there for each other, cheering each other on, and pushing each other.  I've made very close friends with people that I've met while running races.  I've ran out of food in the middle of nowhere during trail races and had complete strangers help me out, and I've done the same for other people.  Runners have a way of looking at a bad situation and going head first into it.  Let's face it, when you go into a marathon or an ultra, you expect to eventually "hit the wall" but you also know it's no big deal because it's something that you will overcome and push through.

Running teaches us to push when you normally wouldn't... to not give up... to dig deep... to keep moving forward... and to not give up, no matter what life throws at you.

Until next time...

Keep Running!!!!

American River Run 50 Miler 2013 (AR50)

On April 6th, 2013 I ran the America River 50 mile ultra marathon (AR50) for the fourth year in a row.  I've managed to cut around 30 minutes off my time every year.  This year my goal was to run the race in under 9 hours.

Going into the event I was a little nervous.  I was driving up from Fresno to Sacramento the day of the race.  This meant that I had to leave Fresno around 2:30a.m. on Saturday morning to get to the start area of the race on time to pick up my race bib.  Like usual I procrastinated on packing my gear and found myself doing a lot of last min running around.  I ended up getting about 2 hours of sleep Friday night, then another 90 mins of sleep while my wife Lori drove my niece Samantha, my parents, and I to the race.

My previous finishing times were 10 hours 54 mins in 2010, 10 hours 25 mins in 2011, and a 9 hour 55 mins last year in 2012.  I knew I could run an even faster race if I kept my stops at the aid stations shorter and if I just moved faster.   My event schedule for 2012 was light at the end of the year, and the start of 2013 was looking pretty empty as well.  I decided that this year I would do my best to train for the AR50 and once again finish a little faster than my previous years efforts.

This year at AR50 I wanted to cut down on wasted time.  The one spot at this race I tend to waste a lot of time is at the Beals Point aid station.  The first half of the AR50 is pretty much a road race.  There's a few short trail sections, but it's mainly road up until the Beals Point aid station at mile 26.53 of the race.  After Beals Point the race is all beautiful trails until right before mile 47 where the race goes uphill to the finish line.  

The reason I tend to waste time at Beals Point is because when I ran the race in 2010, 2011, and 2012 I wore road shoes for the first section up to Beals Point, then I changed into my trail shoes for the second part of the race.  Changing shoes always takes me a long time.  Once I sit down to change shoes I usually don't want to get back up.  I sit there and talk to my crew, I eat, and I lose my drive to run after awhile.

This year I decided to eliminate the wasted time changing shoes at Beals Point by running the entire race in my trail shoes and not wearing road shoes at all.  The beginning part of the race is on a paved road, but there is a nice compacted dirt shoulder along the road for most of this section and I decided I would just run on that with my trail shoes this year.

I wanted to hit Beals Point just before the 4 hour mark, pick up my friend Leigh who graciously accepted the job of pacing me, and then be back on the course running asap.

When I hit Beals Point I was right on schedule.  I saw the clock when I came running into the aid station.  I was around 3 hours and 55 mins into the race.  I found my crew (my wife Lori, my niece Samantha, and my parents) along with my pacer. We changed out my water bottles, they handed me some food, and Leigh and I were off on the second section of the race.

I was feeling really good and Leigh was making sure I kept pushing along at a decent pace.  I looked down at my watch at the 50k point (mile 31) and was happy to see my time of 4 hours and 45 mins.  My 50k pr was 5 hours and 28 mins, and I had just broken it while running a 50 mile race.

Leigh and I were pushing through the miles.  When we came to the aid stations we filled up on water and left as fast as we could.

At mile 40.9 we saw my crew at at the Rattle Snake Bar aid station. They filled one of my bottles up with ice and Dr. Pepper, and it was the most amazing thing I had all day.  I often drink Dr. Pepper during ultras.  I like it at the end of most events.  Sometimes I just need something other than water or a sports drink.  It's also an easy way for me to get some extra calories.

We came up to mile 46 I knew a sub 9 hours finish was possible, but I was cutting it close.  I told Leigh I was getting a little worried about the time and that we were going to have to do the uphill climb ahead of us at a decent pace in order to hit sub 9 hours.

Leigh pushed me through the last few uphill miles and when I saw the sign telling me I had 1 mile left I was incredibly happy because I looked at my watch and saw that my current time was 8 hours and 45 mins... and my legs still felt pretty good.

I ran that last mile knowing that I was on the course of beating my previous 50 mile pr by one hour.

As we turned the last corner I could see the finish line.  Leigh told me to take off and run it in.  I ran across the finish line feeling really good.  I found my crew, gave my wife a kiss, and everyone else a hug.  I was happy to see my long time friend Patrick had come out to see me finish the race.

It was a very awesome day.  I can honestly say I ran that race as fast as I could that day thanks to the help of my crew and my pacer.   They all did an amazing job of pushing me, keeping me moving, making my aid station stops smooth, and encouraging me to keep up my pace.

It's amazing to me that the older I'm getting, the better and stronger I'm feeling.

Five years ago would have never imagined running a marathon, 50k, 50 mile, or 100 mile race.  I guess you never know what the next day will bring.


Until next time...

KEEP RUNNING!!!!

Nutrition

About 2 months before I ran the American River I decided that I needed to start eating healthy again.  My diet is never really been "clean" when it comes down to it.

Around February I decided to clean up my diet.  I started eating vegetables and less meat.  I started eating meat only 3 meals a week.  Most of my coworkers were surprised to see me bring salads to work.  I typically eat a lot of meat... and by a lot of meat, I mean that I eat mostly meat.

Since I changed my diet to a mainly vegetarian diet I noticed that I generally feel really good.  When I eat meat it is usually fish.  I've started eating a lot of salads, nuts, fruit, and whatever non meat things I can get my hands on.

Well, after I ran the American River Run 50 miler last weekend I went off my pretty clean diet and I started eating a ton of junk food, fast food, and meat.  Right now I'm feeling slugish and I'm changing my diet as of right now.

Now, I'm not one of those "I can't eat junk food" types of people.  I'm a big believer in moderation.  I don't eliminate junk food, but I'll look at my calorie intake and ask myself if a candy bar is something I want to add to my diet on whatever particular day.  If it's a high mileage running day, I'm a little more liberal with my diet than non running and non workout days.

So, tomorrow morning I'll have my bowl of cereal for breakfast, some carrots and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and for dinner a baked potato and a salad.

I had a good run at AR50 last week (I will have the blog post with video of that run up by tomorrow morning) and when I run the Leona Divide 50 Miler on April 27th I want to have a good race.  So, healthy diet and exercise are high on my list of priorities once again.

Well... it's getting late, so I'm heading to bed now. 

Until next time,

KEEP RUNNING!!!!