...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
Thursday, December 30, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| New Balance 1224 (Left) and 1226 (Right) |
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| Stabilicore |
Monday, December 27, 2010
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
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
Monday, December 20, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| Stuart, Jordan, Penny, Kristy, Bob |
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.
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| 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.
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| Bob, Melissa, Adam |
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| Kristy, Jordan, Penny, Bob - Post race |
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| Bob and Penny with our post race "adult beverage" |
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| Penny and Kristy in festive tutu's |
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| Jordan |
Monday, December 13, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
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.
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
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.
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| 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
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