2010: A Year in Review

...and what a year it was!
2010 was by far my busiest in terms of running and triathlons. I raced in every month except April and May and in some months, raced multiple times. Here is how 2010 broke down: 1-Full Marathon, 4-Half Marathons, 2-10K's, 1-5K, 1-18 mile race, 1-Marathon relay, 3- Sprint Triathlons.

My Year in Review Video...




January
Walt Disney World Half Marathon
February
Firecracker 10K
SRLA 18 Mile Friendship Run
March
LA Marathon
June
RnR San Diego Marathon Relay
July
Castaic Triathlon I
August
Castaic Triathlon II
Hansen Dam Triathlon
September
Disneyland Half Marathon
October
RnR Los Angeles Half Marathon
November
Burbank YMCA Turkey Trot 5K
December
Say No to Drugs 10K
Santa to the Sea Half Marathon

In terms of training, here is 2010 by the numbers:
Running: 756 miles
Biking: 198.5 miles (does not include time on the trainer)
Swimming: 30.1 miles

As for 2011, I have trimmed down my schedule quite a bit, partly to focus on 3 big races next year including my first Half Ironman (Vineman 70.3) and to set a new PR in the marathon.

So on this last day of 2010, let me say Thank You to my family, my friends, to the many people I have met in 2010 that are my new friends, ...you are all a great support system...and I appreciate each and every one of you. Here's to a fantabulous 2011!

Happy New Year!

Bob

Gear Review: New Balance 1226

A few years ago when I decided it was time to get "real" running shoes, I headed over to Sports Chalet and was fitted with a pair of New Balance 768's. The first time I ran in them, I thought they were the greatest shoes ever, but to be fair, I was wearing "big box" running shoes. I loved the 768's and then one night at my local running store, A Runner's Circle, the New Balance people came out and let us "test drive" their new shoe...the 1224. I did 5 miles in them that night and bought a pair of them that night. They had lots of cushioning and support and felt so good running in them. About 9 months went by and I was very happy until the 1225's came out and I got a chance to run in them. New Balance really messed with the design and comfort of this shoe in favor of a lighter shoe. When I found out the 1224 were being discontinued, I had the running store and my son, who worked at Sport Chalet, find me every pair in a 10 2E that they could. I ended up buying 4 pair and putting them away.

Back in October, I was able to run in a pair of the new 1226's one Thursday night at A Runner's Circle fun run. New Balance really did a nice job with this shoe, not only is the cushioning back, but it feels (and is) lighter than the 1224's. I was able to get a pair of my own and have been testing them for about 6 weeks now and have about 65 miles on them.

New Balance 1224 (Left) and 1226 (Right)

 The 1226 is definitely a bit lighter than the 1224, approximately 2 ounces per shoe, which doesnt seem like a lot, but over 26.2 miles, it can add up. The toe box area is covered in a light weight mesh that allows air movement through, which in the winter means cold toes. The 1226 uses N-ergy® in both heel and forefoot and provides NB's most advanced shock absorption and cushioning. The Stabilicore® medial support system provides an extremely smooth transition from heel to toe-off.

Stabilicore

 

 

I have done several runs over 10 miles in these shoes and they are just as comfortable at mile 13 as they are at mile 1. New Balance did a nice job on this shoe by maintaining the cushioning and support and shaving a few ounces off. I look forward to putting more miles on these shoes and wearing them for the LA Marathon in March. Now the issue is...do I buy a few pairs of the 1226's and put them away? I still have one more pair of the 1224's...I guess they are now considered "vintage" and I should probably put them up on ebay.

LA Marathon Training Week #6

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas...
Week #6 on my LA Marathon training plan saw a twist in the schedule as I moved Saturday's (Christmas Day) long run to Friday and took an additional rest day on Thursday. I will do the same this week as well. I did try and get back in the pool last week, but when I got to LA Fitness, I was informed that the pool was closed for repairs until this morning.

Here's how this week looked: (Actual)

Week 6:
Monday: 3 miles (Rode 30 min on bike trainer)
Tuesday: Rest (rest)
Wednesday: 7 Miles  (Rode 60 min on bike trainer)
Thursday: 6.75 mi 5 x 800 (Rest)
Friday: Rest (10 mi long )
Saturday: 10 miles long  (Rest)
Sunday: 7 miles (marathon pace)  (6.2 mi Marathon Pace)


Here is what week #7 looks like:

Week 7:
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 6 mi, 5 x hill
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 16 miles long
Sunday: 8 miles Marathon Pace

Today's weight: 208.8 Up a bit this week, but considering all I ate and drank over the last couple of days, I'm surprised it wasn't more.

Coming later this week...
2010 My Year in Review...and what a year it was.

Gear Review: New Balance 1226

LA Marathon Training Week #5

Week #5 on my LA Marathon training plan is finished, here's how it looked by the numbers. I am still having trouble with the mid week runs, but will try harder after the first of the year. This week, I had to run in the rain twice, which I don't mind except when you get completely soaked and the wind picks up.

Here's how this week looked: (Actual)

Week 5:
Monday: 3 miles (Rode 30 min on bike trainer)
Tuesday: Rest (rest)
Wednesday: 6 Miles  (Rode 30 min on bike trainer)
Thursday: 3.5 mi tempo run (4 mi tempo run)
Friday: Rest (rest)
Saturday: 14 miles long  (13.66 mi long)
Sunday: 7 miles (marathon pace)  (4 mi Marathon Pace)


Here is what week #6 looks like:

Week 6:
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday: 6.75 mi, 5 x 800
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 10 miles long
Sunday: 7 miles Marathon Pace

Today's weight: 208.0 Up a bit this week. I'm going to try and be really good and stick with my points plan over the next few weeks.

Santa to the Sea Half Marathon Race Report

December 12, 2010

We arrived in Oxnard about 6:30am and met up with Penny, Kristy, Jordan and Stuart in the parking lot. We rushed of to catch the shuttle buses to the starting line with toys in hand. The drive to the starting line took about 20 minutes through the farmland of Oxnard. The starting line was on an access road adjacent to the 101 freeway where there is a large Santa on display. For history about the Santa Claus Statue click here.

Stuart, Jordan, Penny, Kristy, Bob

We snapped a quick picture then hit the port a potty's one last time. The race started without much fanfare and off we went. We started about 1/2 way back and spent the first 1/2 mile dodging some of the slower runners and walkers.

Penny and Kristy had on green and red tutu's and Penny was sporting bells on her shoes (see video) which concerned me at first, but after a couple of miles, I didn't even notice them.



The first thing that we all noticed was that it was hot and it was going to be a tough race. Kristy, Jordan, Penny and I stayed together for the first 6 miles or so, but after the mid-way point, where they offered pretzels and sweet rolls (they were good, I had 2), Kristy sped up a bit and was out on her own. About the same time Penny and Jordan started to slow up and walk a bit due to the heat. I decided to catch up with Kristy and run the rest of the way with her. We ran and talked and kept hoping to get close to the beach for some of that cool air. We finally made it to the beach and it was still hot as we were running in the direct sun and there was absolutely no shade at all.

On the beach and it was still hot!

 We finally got some relief around mile 12 when a nice resident had his hose out and was spraying everyone with water. I must say...it felt great. We made the final push and headed for the finish line. Official time: 2:45:59...It was officially my slowest half marathon ever, but from the get go, I always said it was going to be a fun training run with friends, not a race. Sometimes, it's not about the time, it's about the people you are running with, and for me, this was one of those times.

Bob, Melissa, Adam

 After we finished we got in a line to get some water and food, met up with Melissa and Adam and waited for Jordan and Penny to finish. When they finished, they were informed that the race was oversold and they ran out of medals. Their names and bib# s were taken and have been promised the medals will be mailed to them. We headed back to the car and Penny and I took part in a celebratory "adult beverage" before heading out to Eggs N Things for a fantastic breakfast.

Kristy, Jordan, Penny, Bob - Post race

Bob and Penny with our post race "adult beverage"

Penny and Kristy in festive tutu's

Jordan

This was my first time running this race and other than the unusually warm December day and that they ran out of medals, it was a well run event and they collected a lot of toys. The volunteers were fantastic and very supportive. I think the only thing I would change would have been to have a couple of extra water stops since it was so hot.

LA Marathon Training Week #4

Week #4 on my LA Marathon training plan is finished, here's how it looked by the numbers. I swapped Saturday's long run with Sunday's mileage since I was running the Santa to the Sea Half Marathon on Sunday.

Here's how this week looked: (Actual)

Week 4:
Monday: 3 miles (Rode 30 min on bike trainer)
Tuesday: Rest (rest)
Wednesday: 6 Miles  (Rode 30 min on bike trainer)
Thursday: 5.5 mi 4 x hill (7.25 mi Hill run)
Friday: Rest (rest)
Saturday: 13 miles long  (6 mi marathon pace)
Sunday: 6 miles (marathon pace)  (13.1 Half Marathon)


Here is what week #5 looks like:

Week 5:
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday: 3.5 mi, tempo
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 14 miles long
Sunday: 7 miles

Today's weight: 207.6 lbs , gained .80 lb. Not sure why I gained but I will have to try harder this week.

Santa to the Sea Half Marathon Race Report coming soon.

LA Marathon Training Week #3, Still Making Changes and What a Surprise!

Week #3 on my LA Marathon training plan is finished but I am still having trouble getting some of the mid week runs in. I might try and split Wednesday's mileage up and do half in the morning and the remainder in the evening.

Here's how this week looked: (Actual)

Week 3:
Monday: 3 miles (Rode 30 min on bike trainer)
Tuesday: Rest (rest)
Wednesday: 6 Miles  (Rode 30 min on bike trainer)
Thursday: 6 Miles 4 x 1200 (6 miles, 2 x 800)
Friday: Rest (rest)
Saturday: 8 miles long  (8 miles long)
Sunday: 6 miles (marathon pace)  (10K race @ marathon pace)


Here is what week #4 looks like:

Week 3:
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: 5.5 mi, 4 x hill
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 13 miles long
Sunday: 6 miles Marathon Pace

Today's weight: 206.8 , lost 1.2 lbs.

Something fun happened last week, my running partner Melissa and my "Thursday Night Gal Pals" threw me a surprise, belated birthday party.

They made me wear the "Party Animal" hat.

We tried a drink that Melissa brought back from Argentina called Fernet...it was OK, but we then had to have wine to get that taste out of our mouths. Melissa surprised me with..."I'm running the LA Marathon with you!" Wow! I couldnt believe it, but we both signed up on Friday morning. I am so excited that she will be running LA with me. She is a true running partner, that's for sure. Maybe I can get her to do a Sprint Triathlon with me next summer....hmmm

Say No to Drugs 10K Race Report

This morning I ran the Say No to Drugs 10K at Universal Studios. I ran this race last year and had a lot of fun on a very hilly and challenging course, but this year was even more special...I got to run the race with my family. This is the first time that my son, daughter and son in law have ever run a race. My son, his girlfriend and myself did the 10K while the rest of the family and extended family walked the 5K.

The Family

We got to the race a bit early to avoid traffic and parking, so we wandered around the expo for a bit. I ran into tweep and fellow blogger Kristy and we talked for a bit. After the National Anthem, we headed down to the starting line. The race was delayed by about 10 minutes, but it gave us time to talk about strategy for the race. My training plan called for 6 miles at marathon pace, so I asked Ryan and Casey if we could run at a 10:00 per mile pace...the reaction I got was..."were gonna run that fast?" They gave in and agreed to run at that pace if I allowed them to walk up the hills. I said OK and the race started. The first 3/4 mile is downhill and the start can get a bit congested, so we took our time and got settled into our pace. We made it through 2 miles and then the big hill comes and we walked up that until we turned onto Wisteria Lane for quick out and back before climbing the rest of the hill. At the top of the hill is Whoville, the Psycho house and War of the Worlds set, which was fun to watch Ryan and Casey checking out everything including an actor dressed as Norman Bates holding his mother's corpse. (See picture below)

Lance, Norman Bates, his Mother, Nicole

We started the second loop of the 10K and it was not nearly as crowded since most of the 5K racers were off of this section of the course. I could tell that Ryan and Casey were getting a bit tired so I slowed the pace up a bit and we took an additional walk break. I did notice that one of the water stops that we came to on the second loop was already out of water and the workers had abandoned the station. Pretty sad considering there was at least 1/3-1/2 of the 10K runners behind us. We did start hitting a bit of traffic as me caught up to the back of the 5K pack. We continued the walking up the hill strategy and made it to the top. We rounded the final corner and made a push for the finish, even though it was uphill, I made Ryan and Casey run up the hill. We saw the rest of the family waiting for us as we crossed the finish line. We got our medals and met up with everyone up by the pancake breakfast. We didn't stay around for breakfast as we had some other commitments, but it sure smelled good. Unofficial time: 1:03:49

Ryan going for the big finish!

The girls in Whoville

 Everyone had a great time and they now want to make it a yearly tradition...I'm OK with that. It was fun to be able to run with my son and his girlfriend and they even talked about doing a half marathon with me in the future. One more race for me this year and that will be next weekend's Santa to the Sea Half Marathon with Penny, Kristy, and Jordan...should be a fun race.