San Antonio Rock n Roll 2010 - Turning 30 and my 16th Race

This past Sunday marked a few notable milestone for me. Not only was it my 16th racing event, but it was my first race in the 30-34 age division. I keep telling myself that the next 4 years could be my fastest, so I have plenty of time to prove it. Unfortunately for me, my pie in the sky dreams of getting a PR in San Antonio were derailed, quite literally. Before we had finished the first mile of the race, we were stopped by a train crossing. A train crossing! I first noticed it when I heard some booing just ahead of me. I looked up and noticed the train crossing arms lowering, blocking an already large crowd of log jammed runners. And with more runners coming up from behind us, the crowd was only going to grow larger.. I exclaimed my utter disbelief aloud. I simply couldn't believe that the organizers hadn't planned for this. We were delayed anywere from betwen 3 to 6 minutes as we waited for the entire train to pass. Considering the large group that had been jammed up there, I knew that the delay had completely erased the wave start and that we would have to start up a dense crowd all over again. I turned to my cousin Peter and told him that we could forget about PR'ing. But you know what, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all.

One of my side goals for the weekend was to help get my cousin over the finish line in under 2 hours, a feat he has never accomplished in his many years of racing. Six weeks prior, I had told hiim that if he commits to training with me in the weeks leading up to the race, that I would personally guarantee him a PR time for him. To my pleasant surprise, he stuck with the training. Our confidence was boosted even more after we had a great training run the week prior to the race. Things seemed to have just clicked in my cousin. He has unlocked the technique that I used to call "the magic stride!" (It's basically the well known running technique that a lot of veteran runners use that maximizes distance running efficiency in your running gait.) I had discovered this technique several years back and I had been hyping up all this time. So it seemed as though Peter had finally discovered the power of it to help him run faster. It worked so well for him that we agreed to rename the technique "Texas Boots" as an homage to one of the greatest side scrolling brawling games of all time, River City Ransom. Also, it just seemed appropriate. Anyway, so back to the weekend of the race. At dinner the night before the race, I start telling Peter that I felt that a 1:45 finish was in the cards. I could tell he was nervous about that idea. A 1:45 finish was much faster than even my current PR of 1:49. The 4 minute difference may seem minimal but the difference in pace to achieve that is pretty significant. So in my excitement I had set some pretty insane expectations for both of us. I could have potentially set us up for a big letdown really. You see, my original goal was to post a solid run under two hours. Now all of the sudden, I wasn't just talking about beating my old PR, I was talking about completely annihilating it. All that talk about speed records might have unnerved Peter. Mind games can really ruin a runner's pysche. So maybe the train delay was kind of a blessing in disguised. I told him he could relax now, because the pressure is off. It must have worked because he put in a great run and finished well under 2 hours for a new personal best. I was really excited for him because I knew how big of a milestone for him that was. You see, although he had been running for many years before me (despite being just 26), he had told me that he hasn't ever had a race that he was really proud of. I was determined to help him change that and I was thrilled when I saw that he did. Congratulations Peter!

As for me, I posted a solid 1:56:30. (That's before the time adjustment for the train delay, which I still need to officially calculate and submit to the organizers...)

Also, I have to once again thank my amazing wife, who is my biggest supporter and my greatest inspiration.

Busy Signal

The last couple of months have been the busiest in recent memory. My work load has at least doubled. The pressure to grow professionally seems to be greater than ever. Duties at home are a constant. I'm being pulled in a million different directions. I suppose it's not a terrible thing to be busy. My work days fly by. I'm learning new things. The downside is the feeling like you're constantly treading water. It's both overwhelming and rewarding. The real surprising thing is that I don't feel completely burnt out (yet). Maybe it's that there's just enough exciting things on the horizon that keeps me motivated. Or maybe it's that I've started to find that elusive balance in life. I haven't figured out which it is, but for now I'll continue to attack each day with everything I have got.

2010 Texas Independence Relay

Team 1 does it again! Robot style!!

[ details to be filled in later ]

Finishing in just under 31 hours, we had the strongest running team we've ever had. Everyone on the team did an outstanding job. The runners were great and the supporters were equally amazing. My wife did an incredible job organizing the team this year. She has gotten it down to a science, I tell ya! A huge thanks to all!

2010 Austin Half Marathon

1:51:48

No PR, but I feel good about it. I knew topping my best half marathon time from a year ago would be tough, so coming in just 2 minutes shy of it is more than enough for me. I always look forward to the run in Austin. Aside from the enjoyable course and great crowd, I just really enjoy the Austin vibe. We stayed at the Radisson, which is situated right at the start line. It's impossible to beat that sort of the convenience. The only minor hiccup in our plans was that we had forgotten to pack bread for my pre-race breakfast. We ended up paying 5 dollars for two slices of toast! Oh well, it did the job. The weather was nice and crisp. The hills were nice and fast. I was moving along and a great pace until my first walking stop, which I took at mile 7. The next 3 miles were were just a hair slower than the first 7. Then at mile 10, I started feeling the cramps coming on. I slowed down and stretched it out a few times. I knew I had given myself some padding with the fast start, so I was just hoping to have a steady finish. It took some fighting through it, but I got there. The cramps came on pretty strong towards end though. I even took a full stop at the capitol building (less than .25 miles from the finish line) just to stretch out both calves.

The highlight of the event really came after I had finished. I hadn't done this in my last couple of races. I took some time to cheer on the runners approaching the finish. I find it so inspirational. You can so clearly see it in the faces of the runners fighting in that last quarter mile. Some look as though they're in complete agony. You see runners limping and hobbling. You see them grimace in pain with each step. And then you see the the look of determination. You see them fight for the last hundred yards as the crowd cheers them on. And then you see them finish victoriously. And that's exactly why I love the race.

P.S. A special thanks to my patient wife who is always by my side to support me!! That was my 14th race! Number 15 is next month. It's almost time for the TIR!

Chevron Houston Marathon 2010

Another one in the books! I came into this year's marathon with tempered expectations. My training was not nearly as consistent as I would have liked. I had only run one training run over 20 miles, instead of the three I had planned on. I didn't adhere to proper tapering schedules, I crammed a lot of long runs just weeks before. I felt so behind. I managed to string some solid runs together while training with my brother. I finished a 23 mile run the week prior just to give me some confidence (I know. I was supposed to be tapering!). We stayed downtown again, for the ease of getting to the starting line with a little extra sleep. The strategy paid off once again. I felt rested and ready to go. Less than a mile into the run, I noticed that my Garmin stopped tracking me. I fiddled with it trying to get it started again and lost about .60 miles of tracking. The malfunction threw my usual strategy for a loop. I couldn't rely on the pace slip as a reference and my readings weren't reliable. Then it dawned on me, this might be a blessing in disguise. Maybe it will be liberating to run without relying on the watch for once. It was. For the first 13 miles I kept between an 8:45 - 9:15 min/mile pace. I was with the 4:00 hr pace group for much of the race. Around mile 16 or so, I started losing them after some water breaks. I expected this so I wasn't worried. I was just happy that I felt as good as I did. My goal was to stay ahead of the 4:30 hr pace group which would bring me in around the same time as I did a year ago. After mile 19 I could feel my pace slowing. As I walked through a water station, a man with a Jamaican accent wearing an orange Hawaiian lei pats me on the back and says "c'mon, let's keep going. each step takes us closer." I smile and start kicking again. I say to him "alright. I'm with you, brother." I run with him for about a mile at an 8:00 min/mile pace, all the while knowing this could very well hurt my finish. I didn't care because I was having fun. After a mile, I decided I should conserve my energy for the remaining miles. I slowed back down to a conservative 9:20 pace. Around mile 21, I felt a hint of a cramp coming on in my right quad. I took a few breaks just to stretch it out. I hoped that it would buy me enough time to finish strong. Instead of stopping at only the water stations like I had been, I started stopping at each mile marker. I stretched each time I stopped. At mile 23, the cramps became more prevalent. My pace slowed considerably to a 10:30 min/mile. This is when the 4:15 pace group caught up to me. I ran with them for about a half mile before I had to stop again to stretch. With less than 3 miles left, I knew a PR was within reach. I just needed to hold it together for the final stretch. I pushed forward. At mile 25, I said a prayer as I usually do. I asked for strength and fortitude. I received it. At mile 26 I see my family. As always, it's the best feeling in the world. Their cheers give me what I need for the last .2 miles. I kicked hard to the end. My legs were like concrete at this point, but I kicked. In the end, I narrowly beat my best time by 11 seconds.

4 hours 19 minutes 41 seconds

Another one in the books. :)


P.S. I forgot to blog about my San Antonio run back in November. I finished the Half in 1:53. A few minutes slower than my Half PR.

P.S.S. A special thank you for my awesome family and wonderful wife for supporting me! I love you all!

Quick Update: Happy New Year Edition

My resolution is to stop making empty promises on my blog...

Here are the highlights since September:

- Asics DS Trainer 14 impressions - Pretty solid so far. I've probably run 200-300 miles in them so far and haven't had any problems. They feel a lot like the DS 13 with a little more polish. We'll see how they do in the next marathon (two weeks from today!).

- Batman: Arkham Asylum Review - Awesome all-around! The game exudes smart design and polish. It's rare that I play a game that is paced so well that I feel compelled to keep playing it to finish the story. This is how adventure games should be made. Ironically, it wasn't a game that was on my radar until the near it's release, but I'm sure glad I picked it up. I'm looking forward to finishing it on Hard.

- Scribblenauts - Clever game filled with charm and replay value. It has not disappointed, though I admit I haven't picked it up much since (mainly due to a blitz of huge releases though the holiday season).

- DJ Hero - Easily my favorite rhythm/music game now. The playlist is packed with great mixes that totally suite my music sensibilities. The gameplay is familiar but the interface breathes new life into the flooded genre. Unfortunately, it hasn't sold very well at all. Get out there and support this game!

- New Super Mario Bros. Wii - What a welcome entry into the Mario Bros. lineup. Classic 2D platforming at it's best. The cooperative mode is a great new twist although be warned if you're planning to play with your significant other. I can't tell you how many times my wife and I got mad at each other for causing the other person to fall to their death. And every time, we're just sooo certain it was done on purpose. (I swear, honey! I don't care how it looked, it's always accidental!)

- Left 4 Dead 2 - I had no intentions of getting the game, but then the trailer got me really hyped. I've played the first campaign twice and they're definitely not kidding when they say the difficulty has been amped up from "tough" to "ridiculous". I'd be playing this a whole lot more right now if it weren't for the next thing on this list...

- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Ahh, here's the where all my gaming time has been spent. Man, Modern Warfare 1 blew me away and I wasn't completely sold on all the new locales that was to be featured in this game, but now that I've experienced it I can honestly say it's the best CoD yet. The campaign is nearly as thrilling and twisted as the first Modern Warfare, though I'd probably give the edge to the first one because it impressed me so much. The campaign is equally short, but that's not where the game truly earns its keep. The multiplayer is fantastic! The new gameplay elements and tweaks have totally rebalanced things, particularly the addition of the Death Streak perk. I've logged about 30 hours in multiplayer so far and I can see no reason why this game won't dominate my 2010.

- Ireland - My wife and I went on a wonderful vacation to Ireland in December. We had an amazing time filled with castles, waterfalls, Guiness, blood pudding, and ghosts!! (more on that later) It truly is a gorgeous country and a place I'd highly recommend visiting.

- Other new game purchases - Lego Batman, Pure, Stranglehold, Quake Territories, Frontline, Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero: Van Halen.