Lochness Monster

Last weekend, with the sun still having a few more hours of shut eye left, I was ready to go out for a six mile run around my neighborhood. Because I wasn't too familiar with the route, I printed it out and slid it into a Ziploc bag so my sweat (or rain) wouldn't disintegrate it. I was running a route I had run before but I still needed my directions because I never know where I am. I get lost driving with a GPS.

The first mile and half or so was fine. I knew the route up to this point, but when I entered this particular neighborhood (Loch Lohmond) I had to consult my directions. It seemed like there were a lot of turns and I didn't want to end up getting lost and doing never ending loops in there.

It was dark and the street signs were difficult to read and I think I made a wrong turn as soon as I entered this place. The street I was looking for never appeared and when I saw my wife and her three friends running towards me, I knew I was lost. She told me what to do next to get me back on track - two lefts and a right and it would lead me out. Credit the darkness or my faulty internal compass, but I felt like I was running in circles.

Finally, I found the street that would lead me out and when I did, I saw my wife and her buddies taking a little water break. By this time, I should have been out of there, so to say they were surprised to see me again is an understatement. I ended up doing about four and a half miles in Loch Lohmond, when I should have only done a little over three.

Luckily, the sun was beginning to rise and I could see the streets better now. After all was said and done, I ended up running about a mile more than I had to because I got lost. I was worried I was going to have to call my wife to come pick me up in Loch Lohmond and that would have been a problem because I didn't have a phone.

Yesterday, I ran a very similar seven mile route and didn't get lost! So I conquered seven miles and the "Lochness Monster."

Trick or Treat

I signed up for the Miami Beach Halloween Half Marathon, my fourth half. I couldn’t resist signing up for this one because the medal is so different and cool looking.

After taking a few weeks to recover from the San Francisco Half Marathon, I recently started running again. I’m happy to have a new race to train for because I was beginning to get used to relaxing and kicking my feet back. I’ve read that for every mile you’ve run after a race, you should rest that many days. I took an extra eight days, but sometimes you need the mental rest as well as the physical rest.

Since this race is on Halloween, a lot of people run in costumes and my friends want to also. As Smurfs. Yes, the little blue munchkins with the white hats.

I’ve never run in a costume before and I’m not sure how it's going to feel, but I hope it’s DryFit because this Smurf is gonna sweat! Does that mean I have to paint my skin blue? I can just picture this now.

How can I take this race seriously running as a Smurf? This should be a fun, easy run, but knowing me, I’ll probably try to beat my time of 2:15 instead of just enjoying what should be quite an entertaining run. With the majority of participants in costumes, this race will definitely be the strangest one I’ve done.

Last year, my friend Omar ran it as Mr. Incredible, but he may just outdo himself this year if he goes blue.

It’s been nice to rest and relax these past couple of weeks after training for so long, but it's time to get back to business. My new schedule is on the door and my registration is complete, so it’s official. I just wish the weather could be as nice as it was in San Francisco. And that I could be, say, a Jedi instead of a Smurf. Hmmmm, a Jedi Smurf?

San Francisco Vacation Part 2

SONOMA

NAPA VALLEY


MUIR WOODS


PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY


MONTEREY


SAN FRAN

San Fran 1/2 Marathon & Vacation-Part 1

I’m back! The SF Half Marathon was an amazing race – my favorite so far. My finish time was 2:20:39 and although I didn’t PR, considering this was my first course with hills, I am very happy with my results. It was also my best run in terms of how I felt during the race and after I crossed the finish line. Unlike the Miami ING where I was hot, felt miserable and had to walk several times, I ran straight through this one and I felt solid throughout. I definitely credit this to my preparation, but also the temperature.

I knew it was going to be in the 50’s at the start, so at the expo I bought these pants and a jacket called Sheddable Shells. They help keep you warm while you’re waiting for the race to begin and they’re made to be easily torn off before you start. I planned on ripping them off once I started running and felt a bit warmer and it turns out I ran with them the entire time. I may have been the only participant that finished the race in his Sheddable Shells (Jeanette ripped hers off around mile 3).

Looking tough in my Sheddable Shell

Our pre-race ritual: Port-o-Potty line

Running across the Golden Gate Bridge was spectacular even though it was covered in a dense fog. We ran the entire bridge and on my way back, I encountered the mother of all hills. This was probably around mile 9 or so. It was so steep that I felt like I was climbing, not running it. To help me get through it, I yelled, “Now THIS is a f-ing hill!”

I heard a few people laugh and one guy said, “Watch your language.” I couldn’t believe it, but I didn’t care because he was behind me, right where he belonged.

The last couple of miles had about three tough hills in succession that I had to get through before the very end. As soon as I finished one, another one appeared. This slowed me down considerably, but after those hills it was the home stretch. There were volunteers yelling out, “half marathon this way, full marathon this way” indicating the direction with their hands. I was a bit perplexed or delusional because I stopped and yelled, “which way is the half?” The guy pointed to the left and when I looked up, the finish banner was just a few hundred feet in front of me. I kicked it into overdrive and still sporting my Sheddable Shells, I picked off a few people and crossed the finish line triumphantly.

The race went by quickly and it was a beautiful course to run, even with the hills. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to do a new half.

Now that the race was over, it was time for our vacation to begin! To be continued....