Back in May, I started training for the San Jose Rock n Roll Half Marathon as part of Team in Training - My Run to Save Lives. I have been with the training program for almost 2 months and it has been a unique and rewarding experience. As we are train, we always remember the cause we are supporting, which is to find a cure for cancer and support the millions of people who are impact by it by being there for them.
I have several friends and family who have generously donated and are supporting me in this effort but I would like to call upon my readers to extend your support for this great cause and help me, my teammates and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society find a cure, support those who are struggling with these conditions, celebrate those who have survived cancer and inspire us on a daily basis to make a change in the world we live in.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Fuel Up before Training...A key to surviving long distance
I have been away from the blog for a couple of weeks. After the Jungle Run event, I was sore for a whole week. I guess walking/running 16.5 miles over that weekend was not a great idea. You can store that one under those "rookie mistakes" that people always talked about. I am glad I did not injure myself in the process. I need to be more careful in the future.
With that story behind me, I have started training long distances over the last 2 weeks. I have been keeping up with doing at least 16 miles over the entire week with completing double digit distances on the weekend. I got a couple of great tips from my coach which I thought will be very useful for walk-runners planning those long distances. Most of them are common sense tips but practicing them every time you go to cover long distances will help you go the full distance.
- Eat a healthy breakfast but something that is easily digestible. Do not train on empty stomach ! That would definitely be counted as another "rookie mistake"
- Drink 16 oz of water a couple of hours before you start training
- Avoid stuff that can make you dehydrated the night before the training (i.e. alcohol)
I have kept with these rules and they truly work. I am looking forward to start hill training this weekend at the Stanford Dish.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Hurray! I crossed the finish line
Gosh..It feels like I had been waiting for this moment all my life..I was a little emotional crossing that finish line which was a feeling unlike anything I have experienced in a long time...and all I can say is I wanna go out and do it again.
I was able to complete the race in 1hr:20mins:50sec at the pace of 13.01 mins/mile. I am so happy that I was able to finish under 90 mins (my original target). Now, that I have a personal best for a 10K race, I look forward to breaking that time with my next 10K race..I have to admit this walking/running business is addictive.
The day was perfect for the run..It was a little overcast, a slight cool breeze and the sun was trying hard to shine its way through. We started at 7:20 AM. Now, this course had a hill to climb right at the beginning, which was absolutely cruel..But, there were a couple of downhills which help balance that out. The course is absolutely gorgeous through Vasona Park. I had a rough start for the first 2 miles partly because I came into this race after having run 10 miles the previous day as part of my training for the marathon in October. So, my legs had not recovered fully. But, after we crossed the 3 mile mark, I was able to pick up pace and was able to run certain miles @ 9/10 mins per mile which helped me in the overall time.
Pacing, eating energy bars and keeping myself hydrated all helped in completing the race. The post race scene was awesome...Whole Foods had a large assortment of food. I tried 2 new products, Activate and Muscle Milk, both developed to help athletes recover post race.
This day is engraved in my memory forever and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. I do not have the official race photos yet. I will share them as soon as they become available. For now, here is a picture with a couple of my team members from Team in Training.
I was able to complete the race in 1hr:20mins:50sec at the pace of 13.01 mins/mile. I am so happy that I was able to finish under 90 mins (my original target). Now, that I have a personal best for a 10K race, I look forward to breaking that time with my next 10K race..I have to admit this walking/running business is addictive.
The day was perfect for the run..It was a little overcast, a slight cool breeze and the sun was trying hard to shine its way through. We started at 7:20 AM. Now, this course had a hill to climb right at the beginning, which was absolutely cruel..But, there were a couple of downhills which help balance that out. The course is absolutely gorgeous through Vasona Park. I had a rough start for the first 2 miles partly because I came into this race after having run 10 miles the previous day as part of my training for the marathon in October. So, my legs had not recovered fully. But, after we crossed the 3 mile mark, I was able to pick up pace and was able to run certain miles @ 9/10 mins per mile which helped me in the overall time.
Pacing, eating energy bars and keeping myself hydrated all helped in completing the race. The post race scene was awesome...Whole Foods had a large assortment of food. I tried 2 new products, Activate and Muscle Milk, both developed to help athletes recover post race.
This day is engraved in my memory forever and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. I do not have the official race photos yet. I will share them as soon as they become available. For now, here is a picture with a couple of my team members from Team in Training.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Excited about the Jungle Run
So..tomorrow is the Jungle Run on the Los Gatos Creek Trail in Los Gatos, CA. I am very excited about my first event. I had a great workout this morning. I did ~ 10 miles on the Los Alamitios Trail starting in Lake Almaden Park. I maintained a speed of 13.5 mins/mile which I was happy about.My goal is to finish the 10K tomorrow within 1 hr. 30 mins, which is about 13 mins/mile. I hope my legs cooperate and I look forward to sharing my first event experience. Wish me Good Luck!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Good Gear is Key to Training
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Happy 4th of July
I have been absent for a few days from my blog...Well, it was the 4 of July weekend and I have been training for the upcoming Jungle Run. I hope you all had a wonderful 4th.
Well, I did not want to be the person who came back to work on Tuesday and when asked what did you do the weekend, replied back "We just decided to stay local AGAIN!". So, we decided to take a trip to a local beach in Santa Cruz County. Well, when we left home, it was nice and sunny so we decided it will be perfect day to go down to the beach. By the time, we got there, the fog had rolled in and it was freezing close to the water. I have to admit that I had the moment of feeling like the tourist from out of town who comes to San Francisco thinking they are going to be a California Beach town and then freeze their @#*&* off.
But, that did not dampen our spirits. We still found a quiet little spot on the beach, played with my little one in the sand, tried to fly a kite (definitely need some lessons in that department) and tasted some local food, which was delicious. It was a wonderful 4th of July weekend.
On a different note, I also found time trained this weekend. I completed 8.8 miles on the Los Gatos Creek Trail @ 14.17 miles/minute. This was not as good as last Saturday's walk/run, could do better but hampered a little by shin pains. I am working on my stretches to reduce the pain.
Looking forward to the Jungle Run on July 11th.
Well, I did not want to be the person who came back to work on Tuesday and when asked what did you do the weekend, replied back "We just decided to stay local AGAIN!". So, we decided to take a trip to a local beach in Santa Cruz County. Well, when we left home, it was nice and sunny so we decided it will be perfect day to go down to the beach. By the time, we got there, the fog had rolled in and it was freezing close to the water. I have to admit that I had the moment of feeling like the tourist from out of town who comes to San Francisco thinking they are going to be a California Beach town and then freeze their @#*&* off.
But, that did not dampen our spirits. We still found a quiet little spot on the beach, played with my little one in the sand, tried to fly a kite (definitely need some lessons in that department) and tasted some local food, which was delicious. It was a wonderful 4th of July weekend.
On a different note, I also found time trained this weekend. I completed 8.8 miles on the Los Gatos Creek Trail @ 14.17 miles/minute. This was not as good as last Saturday's walk/run, could do better but hampered a little by shin pains. I am working on my stretches to reduce the pain.
Looking forward to the Jungle Run on July 11th.
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