This month the weather started out gloomy and ended up scorching!
I continued with my short rides of 18 miles during the week and have worked up my long rides to just over 30 miles.
I slack off at the gym and my running in the second half of the month. Gotta get back into that this month.
Summary:
June Bike Miles: 218 Miles (Most Miles in a Month)
June Running Miles: 9 Miles
June Fitness Workouts: 4 workouts
On the plate for July is more miles on the bike and getting more consistent with the running.
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Friday, July 1, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
12th Annual Northgate Market 5k
Today was my third 5k race of the year. After feeling good about my last race I wanted to improve on that. This race was the 12th Annual Northgate Market Gonzalez Downtown Anaheim 5k.
The race packet pick up was early in the morning before the race. I headed down there about 6am to be sure I had plenty of time. The pickup was quick and easy and the parking was really close so I was able to keep everything in the trunk of the car.
 |
| My Bib |
I put my garmin, road id and fitness belt on then headed out of the parking lot. I did some stretching and light jogging. Had to warm up the thighs a bit cos they were feeling a little stiff from my bike ride on Thursday.
About 7:45 I made my way over to the start line and killed time chatting with an elderly man about various local races. At 8am on the button they started the race. I wished the man good luck and off he went, he was fast! I started running at a decent pace to start getting past the walkers who'd started at the front and once I was free of the crowds just focused on my breathing and keeping a steady pace.
 |
| The T-Shirt |
I make a rule of not checking my garmin while I race so I was keeping an eye out for the mile markers but didn't see any. I just kept plugging away at it. The course was really flat and smooth, I felt good so picked up the pace. Before I knew it I had looped back towards the start/finish area so I picked up the pace some more.
 |
| The Finish Line |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Training Summary - May'11
This month the weather was weird, it still hasn’t really settled down into a nice warm period. We even had more rain!
I clocked a few more miles on the bike this month. I have started changing my short rides to 18 miles during the week as I build up my long rides on Saturdays. I managed to do a 28 mile ride with some different hills, I really need more hill practice as it was brutal! My legs were tender afterwards and I was expecting to pay for it the next day. To my surprise my legs felt good the following day.
I’m still only managing to get out for one run a week but I did make sure it was a 5k run weekly, I need to get myself out and run more. I ran a nice race at the OC Wahoo’s 5k to start the month off, only a few minutes away my personal best. You can see my race report here.
Summary:
May Bike Miles: 109 Miles
May Running Miles: 10 Miles
May Fitness Workouts: 7 workouts
My plans for June are to run in the Northgate Market Downtown 5k Run in Anaheim on June 11th and hopefully set a new PR! I want to run at least twice a week for this month and do at least one ride over 30 miles.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Essential Gear: Road ID - Awareness
A few weeks ago I posted an essential gear blog for Road ID. Today I got their e-mail newsletter and saw a request to help spread the word to first responders about looking for and using Road IDs.
The information contained on a Road ID can assist first responders greatly when needing to assist an someone in distress. We should all know where to look for a Road ID on a runner or cyclist.
The common locations to find a Road ID are:
- On the wrist
- On the ankle
- Around the neck
- On the shoe
At the very least first responders will have a number to contact someone in case of an emergency. If there is an interactive id then there is even more information available to first responders and medical teams. They can log into the road id site with your serial number and pin they will have access to:
- Your name
- Your home and work address
- Your medical information such as insurance, primary doctor and blood type
- 5 emergency contacts with both home and cell contact information
As you can imagine this information is vital in being able to get you the help you need as soon as possible!
We all should be encouraging our cyclist and runner friends to invest in a Road ID. This small investment could help save your life or that of someone you know. I often see and hear people ask what can I give as a gift to my runner & cyclist friends. The answer is a Road ID.
If you ever come across an accident involving a runner or cyclist be on the lookout for a Road ID and point it out to first responders. If you know anybody that is a first responder be it a Police Officer, EMT, Fireman, Forrest Ranger let them know about your Road ID, show them it and tell them about roadid.com. If could save someone’s life.
Road ID have even made these great flyers we can all share with family and friends who are first responders to spread the word.
You can download them here:
The information contained on a Road ID can assist first responders greatly when needing to assist an someone in distress. We should all know where to look for a Road ID on a runner or cyclist.
The common locations to find a Road ID are:
- On the wrist
- On the ankle
- Around the neck
- On the shoe
At the very least first responders will have a number to contact someone in case of an emergency. If there is an interactive id then there is even more information available to first responders and medical teams. They can log into the road id site with your serial number and pin they will have access to:
- Your name
- Your home and work address
- Your medical information such as insurance, primary doctor and blood type
- 5 emergency contacts with both home and cell contact information
As you can imagine this information is vital in being able to get you the help you need as soon as possible!
We all should be encouraging our cyclist and runner friends to invest in a Road ID. This small investment could help save your life or that of someone you know. I often see and hear people ask what can I give as a gift to my runner & cyclist friends. The answer is a Road ID.
If you ever come across an accident involving a runner or cyclist be on the lookout for a Road ID and point it out to first responders. If you know anybody that is a first responder be it a Police Officer, EMT, Fireman, Forrest Ranger let them know about your Road ID, show them it and tell them about roadid.com. If could save someone’s life.
Road ID have even made these great flyers we can all share with family and friends who are first responders to spread the word.
You can download them here:
Sunday, May 1, 2011
2011 OC Wahoo's 5k Run
This was my second race of 2011. After my disappointing race at Angels stadium I wanted to perform better this time around. I've done a better job of training since my last race so felt I was better prepared for this one.
I went down to the expo on Saturday afternoon to pick up my race packet. The set up was pretty good and I sped through the whole thing. The goodie bag was disappointing, not sure why they call it a goodie bag when all that was in it was flyers. Some of the sponsors really need to step it up for items they donate for goodie bags!
My bib for the race!
The nice t-shirt!
On Saturday evening I got all my stuff ready as I had to get up early. The good thing was I picked up pre-paid parking so I could avoid the wait in the morning. I got up at 5am and jumped in the shower and had a quick breakfast.
The freeways were quiet but I did hit an unexpected delay as part of the freeway was closed. After a wee detour I got down to the race venue about 6:45 am.
I walked around and did some warm ups to keep warm. It wasn't too cold so a slow walk around was able to keep me warm. My goal for this 5k was to run it all. My last one was horrible and I had to walk quite a bit of it.
There was a little bit of a wait in the coral to get started and I didn't even hear them start the race. I walked slowly toward the start line and then as soon as I crossed it I started running.
It was crowded at the start as the walkers had decided to bottleneck it by starting from the front so I spent the first quarter mile moving through the crowd. Once I got passed the first mile it opened up and I was able to enjoy the run.
The weather was perfect, nice and sunny and it wasn't too cold for that time in the morning. I kept a pretty steady pace up for the entire race. I really liked this course as it was nice and flat and only had a couple of bottle neck areas. The one downside to the route was a tight u-turn to head back towards the finish.
As I passed the third mile marker I picked up the pace. I like to finish strong so pushed myself all way the till i crossed the line. They gave me my medal and then a bottle of water and some much needed snacks!
The medal is really nice! I like the ribbon on them, it's a nice touch rather than the usual red or blue.
I checked out the finish line festival for a little while and checked out some potential future races.
I was pleased with my result. I ran the entire race and felt good the whole time. I didn't get a stich for a change as I have been focusing on my breathing while I run.
My official time was 28:05. I am happy with completing another 5k in under 30 minutes. Now I need to focus on getting a new PR. Next up will be the Downtown Anaheim 5k in June.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Training Summary Apr'11
This month the weather started getting more consistent and I had some great morning rides and sunset runs across the dam.
I even managed to get to the gym more. I switched up to a new routine that I found online. I was getting bored with my old gym routine. I didn't feel I was in the gym very long, especially as I know do the majority of my cardio outside.
I didn't get out and run as much as I'd planned so I gotta get cracking on that.
I also completed the three week intro program on EA Sports Active 2 on the PS3, I really am liking that. I will post a full review of the intro program soon. I have just started on Phase 1 on 9 week program.
Summary:
April Bike Miles: 103 Miles
April Running Miles: 9 Miles
April Fitness Workouts: 19 workouts
My plans for May are to run in the OC Wahoo's 5k to kick off the month. I am aiming to get more runs in, at least twice a week and to continue building up the miles on my bike.
I even managed to get to the gym more. I switched up to a new routine that I found online. I was getting bored with my old gym routine. I didn't feel I was in the gym very long, especially as I know do the majority of my cardio outside.
I didn't get out and run as much as I'd planned so I gotta get cracking on that.
I also completed the three week intro program on EA Sports Active 2 on the PS3, I really am liking that. I will post a full review of the intro program soon. I have just started on Phase 1 on 9 week program.
Summary:
April Bike Miles: 103 Miles
April Running Miles: 9 Miles
April Fitness Workouts: 19 workouts
My plans for May are to run in the OC Wahoo's 5k to kick off the month. I am aiming to get more runs in, at least twice a week and to continue building up the miles on my bike.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Essential Gear: Road ID
The road ID is a piece of kit you can wear on your neck, wrist, ankle, shoe or foot. The idea is that if you are ever in an accident someone can use the id to contact someone you know.
It comes with one of two types of info plates on it. The original has your name, address and number on it and the Interactive has website and pin on it.
The interactive id takes it a bit further. First responders can log into the site on the tag and enter your pin to access all your emergency contact information and medical information. You’ll need to be sure you keep it all up to date buy making changes whenever you change Doctor, Insurance etc.
I have the Interactive Sport id version. It goes on the wrist and has a velcro strap on it you can adjust to your size. I make sure I wear it every single time I go out the door for a run, ride or race. I find it pretty comfortable on my wrist but sometimes when I run I will put into over a sweat band cos it can start to scratch a little as you move.
They have various other versions and they come in several colors so you can tie it in with the wrest of your gear.
You can order the Road ID online at http://www.roadid.com/Common/Catalog.aspx?C=RoadID
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Mileage Tracking
I've been trying a few tracking options for my mileage for running, cycling & gym workouts. So far I'm using multiple ones but consolidating them into one main website. Here's what I'm using for each.
Running
Favorite - Nike+ GPS
www.nikeplus.com
I've decided to stick with Nike+ GPS for my iphone. It's a really simple to use app and I like their online communities at nikeplus.com & nikeplusactive.com. I wish they would merge the two so I didn't have to go to two places to participate in their online activites though.
The Nike+ app has a cool feature that will post to your facebook if you set it up. It will then let people know when you start a run and if anybody comments on the post it will read it out to you!
I have previously used the Nike+ sportband. The sportband is a basic watch that when combined with a sensor in/on your shoes can track your mileage/speed/pace. I have found it to be pretty accurate for my needs. After your run you plug it into the USB port on your computer and it uploads the run to the website. I now mainly use it on the treadmill. When outside I can use the GPS app instead. The other advantage of the sportband is the price, it was pretty cheap and great for a beginner to running. The online challenges and trophies add extra incentive and fun to running.
Nike just released their own GPS Watch with TomTom which looks really nice. It's $199 and functions as a watch. It's also got some nice features to remind you to get out there and run too. You can see more about it here. I think i'll probably pick one up later this year.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only.
Cycling
Favorite - Mapmyride
www.mapmyride.com
I'm currently using the mapmyride app for the iphone. The app has a nice user interface and is pretty simple to use. It will also post to your facebook/twitter if you want. I have mine set up to post to twitter once I complete a ride. It also uploads it to the mapmyride website.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only. Mapmyride allows you to make things as public or private as you want to. Be sure to read through all of your settings.
The mapmyride website is pretty good but is in transition mode at the moment from an old to new version. I find the best thing about it is the ability to find rides in the mapping tool. I'd like to use more functions but alot of them are not ready or working yet on the new site. The old site was horrible so I dont bother with it. The other downside to it is the stupid pay versions so you get annoying ads coming up alot. The features offered for the pay version are pretty useless so i'm stuck with the ads for now.
Gym Workouts
Favorite - Dailyburn
www.dailyburn.com
For my gym workouts I like Dailyburn.com's app for the iphone. The main reason I like it is that I can create my workout plans on the website and then access them on my phone while at the gym. I can log in my sets, reps & weight and submit it and it updates the website.
The dailyburn website has lots of other tracking tools for tracking weight, calorie intake etc but they aren't things that I use.
All in one summary
www.dailymile.com
My favorite website for keeping all my workouts together is Dailymile it looks great, it's really simple to use and has the added bonus that it can import from Nike+ and Garmin Connect. I only have to manually log my gym workouts into the site. It's got some nice charts and tracking tools also. Dailymile has a nice summary you can add to your blog too, check mine out on the right hand side of my blog --->
I really want to check out the Garmin connect import. I need to see if it will import for cycling, if it does i'm tempted to get a Garmin for my bike and ditch the mapmyride app. If anybody has used it please comment and let me know!
Some other features I like about the Dailymile site are:
1. Events - You can create/join events and have them display in your race calendar
2. Facebook Connect - It uses Facebook to login so I dont need another username
3. Motivation - You can comment on friends activity and send them little motivational badges
Running
Favorite - Nike+ GPS
www.nikeplus.com
I've decided to stick with Nike+ GPS for my iphone. It's a really simple to use app and I like their online communities at nikeplus.com & nikeplusactive.com. I wish they would merge the two so I didn't have to go to two places to participate in their online activites though.
The Nike+ app has a cool feature that will post to your facebook if you set it up. It will then let people know when you start a run and if anybody comments on the post it will read it out to you!
I have previously used the Nike+ sportband. The sportband is a basic watch that when combined with a sensor in/on your shoes can track your mileage/speed/pace. I have found it to be pretty accurate for my needs. After your run you plug it into the USB port on your computer and it uploads the run to the website. I now mainly use it on the treadmill. When outside I can use the GPS app instead. The other advantage of the sportband is the price, it was pretty cheap and great for a beginner to running. The online challenges and trophies add extra incentive and fun to running.
Nike just released their own GPS Watch with TomTom which looks really nice. It's $199 and functions as a watch. It's also got some nice features to remind you to get out there and run too. You can see more about it here. I think i'll probably pick one up later this year.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only.
Cycling
Favorite - Mapmyride
www.mapmyride.com
I'm currently using the mapmyride app for the iphone. The app has a nice user interface and is pretty simple to use. It will also post to your facebook/twitter if you want. I have mine set up to post to twitter once I complete a ride. It also uploads it to the mapmyride website.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only. Mapmyride allows you to make things as public or private as you want to. Be sure to read through all of your settings.
The mapmyride website is pretty good but is in transition mode at the moment from an old to new version. I find the best thing about it is the ability to find rides in the mapping tool. I'd like to use more functions but alot of them are not ready or working yet on the new site. The old site was horrible so I dont bother with it. The other downside to it is the stupid pay versions so you get annoying ads coming up alot. The features offered for the pay version are pretty useless so i'm stuck with the ads for now.
Gym Workouts
Favorite - Dailyburn
www.dailyburn.com
For my gym workouts I like Dailyburn.com's app for the iphone. The main reason I like it is that I can create my workout plans on the website and then access them on my phone while at the gym. I can log in my sets, reps & weight and submit it and it updates the website.
 |
| Home Page |
 |
| Entry Choices |
 |
| My saved training plans |
 |
| Entry screen while at the gym |
The dailyburn website has lots of other tracking tools for tracking weight, calorie intake etc but they aren't things that I use.
All in one summary
www.dailymile.com
My favorite website for keeping all my workouts together is Dailymile it looks great, it's really simple to use and has the added bonus that it can import from Nike+ and Garmin Connect. I only have to manually log my gym workouts into the site. It's got some nice charts and tracking tools also. Dailymile has a nice summary you can add to your blog too, check mine out on the right hand side of my blog --->
I really want to check out the Garmin connect import. I need to see if it will import for cycling, if it does i'm tempted to get a Garmin for my bike and ditch the mapmyride app. If anybody has used it please comment and let me know!
Some other features I like about the Dailymile site are:
1. Events - You can create/join events and have them display in your race calendar
2. Facebook Connect - It uses Facebook to login so I dont need another username
3. Motivation - You can comment on friends activity and send them little motivational badges
Friday, April 1, 2011
Training Summary Mar'11
This month I started to get back my motivation! I got some more running in and even did a race. The final week of the month I kept to my schedule except for the Monday as it was after race day.
My cycling was disrupted a few times with the weather not making its mind up! It was nice for a few days then wet and cold for a few days. It finally warmed up in the last week and I'm on course to finally get my Tue/Thu/Sat rides all in one week.
I still didn't get myself to the gym enough, so I'm not happy with that. I have gone there this week and have my stuff to go today, once I get into the routine of doing after work I'll be happier.
Summary:
Month Bike Miles: 77.38
Month Run Miles: 8.42
Month Gym Visits: 3
My aim for April is to get more runs in, I signed up for a 5k race at the OC Marathon to keep me focused. The race is at the start of May, this should help motivate me. I also need to get into the gym more often. If the weather cooperates I will continue to clock the miles onto my bike.
I also ordered EA Sports Active 2 for the PS3. I've been thinking about it on and off for a while. It will give me a little extra twenty minute cardio workout (or more) and will give me no excuse to not do some kind of workout if I skip the gym. It comes with three "controllers" that you strap on to yourself. One on each arm and one on your thigh. It has a built in heart rate monitor too. It's dropped in price now so it was only $38, we had a gift card kicking around so I was only out of pocket $13. It arrives on Monday so I will drop a review once I've tried it out a few times. Here's some vids about it.
PS3 Trailer
This video someone compares the HR monitor
You can also find more about EA Sports Active at the official website here
My cycling was disrupted a few times with the weather not making its mind up! It was nice for a few days then wet and cold for a few days. It finally warmed up in the last week and I'm on course to finally get my Tue/Thu/Sat rides all in one week.
I still didn't get myself to the gym enough, so I'm not happy with that. I have gone there this week and have my stuff to go today, once I get into the routine of doing after work I'll be happier.
Summary:
Month Bike Miles: 77.38
Month Run Miles: 8.42
Month Gym Visits: 3
My aim for April is to get more runs in, I signed up for a 5k race at the OC Marathon to keep me focused. The race is at the start of May, this should help motivate me. I also need to get into the gym more often. If the weather cooperates I will continue to clock the miles onto my bike.
I also ordered EA Sports Active 2 for the PS3. I've been thinking about it on and off for a while. It will give me a little extra twenty minute cardio workout (or more) and will give me no excuse to not do some kind of workout if I skip the gym. It comes with three "controllers" that you strap on to yourself. One on each arm and one on your thigh. It has a built in heart rate monitor too. It's dropped in price now so it was only $38, we had a gift card kicking around so I was only out of pocket $13. It arrives on Monday so I will drop a review once I've tried it out a few times. Here's some vids about it.
PS3 Trailer
This video someone compares the HR monitor
You can also find more about EA Sports Active at the official website here
Sunday, March 27, 2011
2011 Angels Baseball 5k Run
This was my first race of 2011. On Saturday morning I headed down to Angels stadium to pick up my bib, chip & shirt. I was one of the first 3000 so I got nice tech shirt.
My bib for the race! Hate that they put a frigging x on it for picking up my shirt! You're supposed to do that on the back!
This is the timing chip for my shoe. This is the first time I've seen one like this, usually it's a tape one that you loop through your laces.
While there I went into the store to pick up some 50th Anniversary items.
This is the tech shirt i got, it fit pretty good and will come in handy for running in the CA sun this summer!
I got all my stuff ready the night before so I could sleep a little longer in the morning. When I got up it was raining, so much for it being cold and dry. I got down to the stadium about 6:15, there was barely any traffic and I was able to find a spot really quick. The rain had stopped by the time I got there and it wasn't too cold out.
I did a little jog to get warmed up and did some stretching. I made my way other to the start and tried to keep warm. The did their usual starting festivities, though i dont think they wanted to be out there in the cold!
Once we got started I started running at a 9 minute pace, I was feeling pretty good and soon warmed up. I got passed the first mile marker at just over 9 minutes and then my legs started feeling really heavy. I think it was the lack of training I had done. I then started getting a bad stitch in my side. I tried to do some stomach breathing to get rid of the stitch but it wasnt working, I decided to walk it off for a bit. Once i'd shaken the stitch I started up running again but my calves we really tight, I started walking again up to the 2nd mile marker.
Once I passed the 2nd mile I started running again and forced myself to not stop so i could enjoy the last mile. As we headed into the stadium I picked up the pace again. I was worried that the stadium would be mobbed, last year everyone was stopping to take pictures inside. This year they changed it so instead of coming out the same way you come in we came out the opposite side. Once we got out i started to sprint towards the finish.
I past the finish line and was glad i had ran the last part of the race. After the finish line they passed out water, fruit and a free Angels hat.
They had a small finish line festival so I checked out some other races they were offering. I then picked up my free tickets to an Angels game.
I hunted down a results tent but couldn't find one so I had to wait until I got home to find the results. I headed over to the car to get changed so I could go to the Angels Fan Festival for some autographs!
When I got home I looked up the results, they were not posted! Took them several hours to finally get them online. I finished 30:50, disappointed to not finish under 30 mins, but know that i'll do better next time!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Training Summary - Feb'11
This month I slowly started to claw my way back into some kind of training schedule. I used my bike as motivation to get going again.
Summary:
Bike Miles: 25.54
Run Miles: 0
Gym Visits: 0
My goal is to do the following:
Bike: Tue/Thur/Sat (Short/Short/Long)
Run: Mon/Wed/Fri (Long/Short/Intervals)
Gym: Wed/Fri/Sun
Summary:
Bike Miles: 25.54
Run Miles: 0
Gym Visits: 0
My goal is to do the following:
Bike: Tue/Thur/Sat (Short/Short/Long)
Run: Mon/Wed/Fri (Long/Short/Intervals)
Gym: Wed/Fri/Sun
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Run Forrest Run!
This weekend was the 25th Long Beach Marathon. As part of the weekend they the full marathon, half-marathon, 5k and and a 1k kids fun run.
I was taking part in the the 5k which was sponsored by Bubba Gump Shrimp hence it was called the Run Forrest Run 5k.
I went down to Long Beach on Saturday and after suffering through traffic on four different freeways I finally got to Long Beach. I went into the Expo to pick up my bib, chip and "goodie" bag (there was NOTHING in the bag but flyers and one awful protein drink). I took the chance to take a look at what the vendors had to offer. It was a pretty small expo so there was not much there. I did find a few events to sign up for. I plan to sign up for the Surf City Half Marathon, Disneyland Half Marathon and the LA County 5k. I had a look at cold weather shirts cos I was thinking it might be quite cold in the early AM for the race but then remembered i'm from Scotland that it wont be that cold in Long Beach. I sampled some protein shakes but found nothing else so decided to head home.
I went online once I got home to scope out what I should be doing and where I should be for the race. Looked up alternate exits from the freeway as I read traffic was a pain in the ass! I sorted out my stuff for the day Shorts, Shirt, Socks, Shoes, Nike+, RoadID and warm gear just in case. Headed to bed for an early night as I need to get up at 5am so I could be out the door by 6am.
On Sunday morning I got up and had some brekkie, went with a whole wheat muffin with peanut butter, a cliff bar and some good old H2O. After that I grabbed a shower and got all my gear together. Then jumped in the car and made my way down to Long Beach. The roads were quiet so was able to get down there in great time until i hit the 710 at Long Beach, jumped off the exit before getting stuck and found my way to my prepaid parking spot (Great idea from the City!). Three things I learned from billboards on the way to Long Beach.
1. Circus Circus is apparantly the "best value in vegas", i doubt it, i prefer to call this place Cesspool Cesspool.
2. Bud Light is the "starter and closer" for the LA Dodgers. I wont be buying that beer ever again! (I'm an Angels fan)
3. There was also an adult con last weekend in LA.
I got down to the race site at about 7:15am so I dropped by stuff off at the bag drop then watched the marathon and half marathon runners starting off. It was pretty cloudy down in Long Beach but pretty mild. I walked around a bit to warm up and did some mild stretching and took in some water. At about 8am they called everybody forward for the 5k so I headed over to the starting line.
They had a guy doing a great Forrest Gump on hand to help give all the runners some advice about running and how it affects beard growth.
At 8:30 they fired the gun and we were off! I tried to turn on my Nike+ sensor but for some reason it was not working so just left it off. I decided for this 5k that my main aim was to run as much of it as possible and not worry about pace. I moved through the pack to get past the slower paced runners and felt pretty good. I hadn't done much road running as it's been too hot for me to run outside recently but felt pretty comfortable. The about a quarter of a mile into my run i was passing someone and stepped on some cracked tarmac and my ankle buckled! Thankfully I was able to keep balance and happily didn't damage my ankle.
I reached the one mile mark after about 10 minutes and was felling good so picked up a little bit of pace. They had bands playing along the route which was great as i did not bother to bring my shuffle to listen to. Instead I took in the sights of Long Beach. At the half way point the course looped back towards the starting area and i passed the second mile marker. I decided to pick up the pace some more for the last mile and once I saw the finish line i'd crank it up a notch.
I saw the finish line and ran toward a waiting Forrest Gump and a giant shrimp that were high fiving people at the finish line! I passed the line and my time was 28:19. I was really pleased with myself for that as 1. I did it without walking and 2. I did it under 30 minutes. I collected my medal and then headed into the finisher's area were they had food from Bubba Gump's on hand.
After that I wandered around the finish line festival. Grabbed some Cliff Quench water (yuck) and some granola. I even managed to avoid the free beer tent! Once I had cooled down some I headed back to the car and for home! All in all it was a fun day and I'm already looking forward to doing the Half Marathon at Long Beach in 2010 so I can work toward the California series medal.
I was taking part in the the 5k which was sponsored by Bubba Gump Shrimp hence it was called the Run Forrest Run 5k.
I went online once I got home to scope out what I should be doing and where I should be for the race. Looked up alternate exits from the freeway as I read traffic was a pain in the ass! I sorted out my stuff for the day Shorts, Shirt, Socks, Shoes, Nike+, RoadID and warm gear just in case. Headed to bed for an early night as I need to get up at 5am so I could be out the door by 6am.
On Sunday morning I got up and had some brekkie, went with a whole wheat muffin with peanut butter, a cliff bar and some good old H2O. After that I grabbed a shower and got all my gear together. Then jumped in the car and made my way down to Long Beach. The roads were quiet so was able to get down there in great time until i hit the 710 at Long Beach, jumped off the exit before getting stuck and found my way to my prepaid parking spot (Great idea from the City!). Three things I learned from billboards on the way to Long Beach.
1. Circus Circus is apparantly the "best value in vegas", i doubt it, i prefer to call this place Cesspool Cesspool.
2. Bud Light is the "starter and closer" for the LA Dodgers. I wont be buying that beer ever again! (I'm an Angels fan)
3. There was also an adult con last weekend in LA.
I got down to the race site at about 7:15am so I dropped by stuff off at the bag drop then watched the marathon and half marathon runners starting off. It was pretty cloudy down in Long Beach but pretty mild. I walked around a bit to warm up and did some mild stretching and took in some water. At about 8am they called everybody forward for the 5k so I headed over to the starting line.
They had a guy doing a great Forrest Gump on hand to help give all the runners some advice about running and how it affects beard growth.
At 8:30 they fired the gun and we were off! I tried to turn on my Nike+ sensor but for some reason it was not working so just left it off. I decided for this 5k that my main aim was to run as much of it as possible and not worry about pace. I moved through the pack to get past the slower paced runners and felt pretty good. I hadn't done much road running as it's been too hot for me to run outside recently but felt pretty comfortable. The about a quarter of a mile into my run i was passing someone and stepped on some cracked tarmac and my ankle buckled! Thankfully I was able to keep balance and happily didn't damage my ankle.
I reached the one mile mark after about 10 minutes and was felling good so picked up a little bit of pace. They had bands playing along the route which was great as i did not bother to bring my shuffle to listen to. Instead I took in the sights of Long Beach. At the half way point the course looped back towards the starting area and i passed the second mile marker. I decided to pick up the pace some more for the last mile and once I saw the finish line i'd crank it up a notch.
I saw the finish line and ran toward a waiting Forrest Gump and a giant shrimp that were high fiving people at the finish line! I passed the line and my time was 28:19. I was really pleased with myself for that as 1. I did it without walking and 2. I did it under 30 minutes. I collected my medal and then headed into the finisher's area were they had food from Bubba Gump's on hand.
After that I wandered around the finish line festival. Grabbed some Cliff Quench water (yuck) and some granola. I even managed to avoid the free beer tent! Once I had cooled down some I headed back to the car and for home! All in all it was a fun day and I'm already looking forward to doing the Half Marathon at Long Beach in 2010 so I can work toward the California series medal.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The First Of Many
Finally decided to give in and create a blog.
This Sunday marks my first(ish) 5k and as I plan to do more I figured I'd set up a blog to post Race Reports. This way it's all in one place!
This weekend I'm running the Run Forrest Run 5k as part of the Long Beach Marathon weekend. This will be my first 5k race for this year but second ever. I ran the Angels Baseball 5k a couple of years ago (They need to bring that one back!!!).
Here goes nothing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)