Back to Competitive Exercising

It's been a while since I've posted here so I figured I was long due for an update.  A couple years ago I came down with some hip injuries and decided to get them treated (details are found here and here).  I went through with my surgeries (ended up getting both treated) in April 2016 and after what seemed like a super long rehabilitation, I am back to competitive exercising.  Rather than boring words, I thought I'd just post some pictures from some of the races (and a running trip to Switzerland) from the past few months.

SoCal Summer Trail Run 12K (7/21/17)

Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim (8/6/17)

Blacklist LA HBDLA 5K (9/3/17)

Malibu Triathlon (9/16/17)

Switzerland (9/22/17-10/2/17)

Manhattan Beach 10K (10/7/17)

Palm Springs Tram Road Challenge 6K (10/28/17)

Updates from Past Two Months

I have not posted here in a while, so I thought I'd post some updates on what I've been up to over the past couple months.  

Peru Surf Vacation

In mid February I took a 1.5 week trip down to Mancora, Peru for a little surf vacation before the race season got underway.  The trip and surf break were awesome.  The only bad thing is I got sick about half way through the trip which had lasting effects for over a week after I got back to the States.  This threw a wrench into my training and early season race schedule.  Regardless of the sickness, the experience in Peru was awesome.  Here are some pictures:

Mancora Strip at night 

Mancora Beach Early Morning

 Mancora Beach Mid Afternoon

Sunset in on Mancora Beach

Mancora Surf Break (this was a small day)

Race Schedule Change

Because of my vacation and the fact that I was sick for quite a while, I decided to not race two of the early season races that I had earlier planned (UCLA IronBruin and Superseal).  Instead, I decided to focus on preparing for Wildflower and added a couple later season races to my schedule.  The updated and likely to change race schedule can be seen here.

ITU Short Course World Championships

Through the 2012 rankings qualification criteria, I recently earned a spot to travel to London in mid September and race with Team USA at the ITU Short Course (Olympic Distance) World Championships.  I'm still mulling over whether I will accept the spot (of course I want to but it will cost me quite a chunk of change), but I'd say at this point I'm really leaning towards accepting. 

St Patrick's Day 10K

After pulling out of Superseal I decided to travel down to San Diego to race with my buddy Kosuke in a 10K race on St. Patrick's Day.  Because I was racing on about 2 weeks of training following my vacation/sickness, my plan was to simply take it easy.  Of course I took it hard when the gun went off because I don't know how to do anything other than that in a race situation.  I managed a decent time on a fun and flat course.  The best part of the race by far was the beer garden. Unlimited Stone IPA = best beer garden ever!  Here are some Garmin data for you geeks:

Team TriSports.com

This is a little late, but I am happy to announce that I will once again be racing with Team TriSports.com for the 2013 triathlon season.  TrisSports.com, based out of Tucson AZ, is one of the leading online multisport retailers. I encourage you to read about the unique culture at TriSports.com by visiting the link here.

Please, if you can, help support me by using the coupon code MTRIPP for all purchases made at TriSports.com and you will receive 15% off of your order. Yes, that is a whopping 15% off!  Go get your shopping on!

Redondo Beach Superbowl 10K

My first race of the season is in the books.  It wasn't a triathlon, but a 10K running race, the Redondo Beach Superbowl Sunday 10K. Because I am still in the building phase of my training, I didn't quite know how this race was going to go.  I assumed I would not get a PR, but had hoped to be near the 35 minute range.

I have spent a lot of time over the past few years trying to determine the best triathlon pre-race routines so that I can go as fast as possible once the gun goes off.  When I showed up for the race this morning I realized that my pre-triathlon routines don't really apply.  I had no idea how to properly prepare for a running race.  So, I decided to look for fast-looking people and copy what they were doing.  I first stretched and then went for a little jog.  I then skipped around...the fast looking guys were doing it, so I decided I should as well.

I eventually got bored with skipping and headed over to the start line.  I arrived there about 10 minutes before the gun time.  There was a lot of elbow room, so I positioned myself right at the front of the pack.  About two minutes before the gun went off, a large group of elite runners came and jammed themselves right at the starting line.  I ended up about 5 people deep.  Oh well, so much for trying to get a position right up front.

Here is the course map for reference:

The gun went off and within about 40 yards the front pack started to spread out and I was able to find a clear path to run.  I noticed a few guys simply take off right from the beginning, but I had the discipline to ignore them and stick with the amount of exertion that felt correct for me.  At about 1.5 miles into the race, I found myself in a group of 4 people and there were about 4 others ahead of us.  As we headed South on Catalina I tried to settle into a pace that was pushing, but not too much such that I would blow up before I got half way through the race.  I felt pretty strong for the next couple of miles and began to pull away from the pack I was running with near mile 4. My confidence increased and I unintentionally put in a little kick as I started to head back on Esplanade.  I soon backed off slightly because at that point I was starting to hurt.  This wasn't the injury type of hurting, but the I'm tired as hell and want to lay down type of hurting.  From that point on I kept saying in my head "just two more measly miles are left" and then when I hit mile 5 it was "just over 1 more measly mile...about 6 minutes of pain". Thinking about how much distance or time is left in a race really helps me to mentally push through to the finish line.  Even though I sorta felt like I was going to die during the last two miles of the race, I felt fairly strong on the little climb away from the Redondo Beach Pier near the 5.5 mile mark.  It is good to know that I can push through hills late in a race, a skill that will be crucial this year at Wildflower. Once I got to the top of the hill, I knew it was mostly downhill to the finish.  I opened up my stride and let gravity pull me to the finish line.  At that point, I didn't really know where I stood within race pack, but my goal was to prevent anyone from making a kick and passing me during the final stretch.  I was successful in meeting that goal.

I ended up finishing 4th Overall and 1st in my Division (M30-34), with a time of 34:15.  Full results can be seen here.

Here are the Garmin stats:

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my results.  Finishing 4th in a race like this with a big field of real runners (not triathletes, there's a difference) seems like a pretty nice accomplishment.  I also exceeded my 35 minute goal and actually finished about 13 seconds short of a PR.  That's pretty good considering the fact that I would estimate my running fitness is only at about 80% of where it will be for the peak of the triathlon season.  I hope I can build on this race and put together a nice 2013 race season.  There's still a lot more ahead!

Sorry for the lack of pictures.  Unfortunately I did not have any friends or family spectating for this race.

As always, thanks to Trisports.com for their continued support.  Next race is the UCLA IronBruin on March 3rd.

MRI #2

I just got back from having my 2nd MRI taken this year. Back in February, it was on my right shoulder and that resulted in a laundry list if issues: torn labrum, impingement, arthritis. After going through several weeks of physical therapy, my shoulder is now feeling fine. The MRI taken today was on my right leg (tibia area).

Three weeks ago, I saw the doc because I was experiencing pain in my lower right leg during and following running. I had an x-ray taken and pointed out where it was hurting. Based on the location of the pain and lack of anything seen in the x-ray, he suggested that I had medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints) and that there was little chance that it was a stress fracture. I was told I could continue to run and to follow the standard practices to get rid of the shin splints (run on soft surfaces, stretch, ice, use shoe insoles, etc.). So, I continued to run and the pain started to go away but then slowly came back when I started to increase my distance for Vineman. When I went back to the doc for my follow-up appointment this Monday, I showed him where the pain currently existed, which was higher than previously...about halfway between my ankle and knee. He indicated that the location of pain carried more risk of being a stress fracture and advised that I have an MRI to take a better look. That explains the reason for my 2nd MRI procedure this year. Good thing I have a nice insurance policy!

I now have a follow-up appointment next Wednesday to go over the MRI. If it shows nothing, I'm good to go for Vineman. If there is indication of a stress fracture, it is likely that I'll be told to not run. At that point I'll have to figure out what to do for Vineman. Walk the half marathon? Just stop after the bike leg? Not sure...I'll cross that bridge if I have to come to it.

I haven't run since Monday and my leg is feeling OK right now. I think I'll test it out with a couple mid distance runs over the weekend. This is not an ideal situation two weeks before Vineman, but I guess that's life. On the bright side, my swim and bike are feeling great right now.  

Completely unrelated, but here's a pic of a turkey wrap I made while camping at Wildflower. Mmmmm...

Ouch

I’ve been fairly busy as of lately which has caused me to neglect posting on this blog.  I wish I could say that part of the reason I’ve been busy is because I’ve been putting in extra miles of run training in preparation for Vineman in July, but that is not the case.  The fact is that my right leg has been bothering me over the past couple weeks and after extensive internet research and discussions with other runners, all signs are leading towards a tibial stress fracture.  I have an appointment with my Orthopedic Doctor tomorrow, so I should have a better indication at that point. Right now, things are not looking good for my participation in my next three races: Redondo Beach Triathlon this weekend, SDIT June 26, and Vineman 70.3 July 17.  I guess I should not speculate until I see a specialist tomorrow, but I’ve had hunches on several things lately and have been correct about all of them.  Hopefully I’m wrong about this one.  Stay tuned…

PV Half Marathon Race Report

This past Saturday I raced in the Palos Verdes Half Marathon. The PV Marathon is the 2nd longest continuously running Marathon in the United States, second only to the Boston Marathon. This years edition also served as the first race for yours truly at the half marathon distance. Going into the race, I was unsure whether I was prepared for this distance. I still think I wasn't fully prepared, but I ended up giving it my all and was happy with the results.

I might have jinxed the weather by posting pictures of the sunny PV coastline before the race. On race day the weather was cool and misty…ideal for the runners but not so much for the spectators. 

At the start I positioned myself near the front of the group. I didn’t know how fast people were going to take it out, but I wanted to try to pace off of some of the guys near the front. Can you see me in the picture below?  I’ll give you a hint…I am wearing a red shirt and white TriSports.com visor.

There were just over 1000 people racing the half and about 225 people racing the full marathon.  

Within the first mile, I settled in with a group of younger guys. They looked like they were high school age and one of them was wearing sandals and he was holding a pretty good pace. I'd imagine if I were to try running in those, my body would break. There were two runners ahead of the group I was in. I eventually broke away and caught up with one of those runners at mile 5. I thought I'd try to pace with him until I realized he was running the full marathon. While I was impressed with the pace he was holding, I decided I could try to push it a little more, so I broke away. I think he ended up placing 2nd in the full marathon

In the picture below I'm coming up to the mile 10 marker. At that point I was about a minute behind the leader and the rest of the pack was about 3 minutes behind me. I was pretty much all alone. I was feeling pretty good because I was reaching the bottom of a hill and the energy gel I had taken two miles earlier was starting to kick in. Running past the crowd at the starting line also provided some additional energy.

The course was an out-and-back for 10 miles with an additional 5K mini out-and-back tacked on to the end to complete the 13.1 miles.  The last part of the race was on the same course as the 5K race, so I had to do a lot of navigating through those runners.

I felt I had to post this photo from the professional photography website...sorry about the watermark. I wish all photos of me had me whipping out the shaka while middle age women were cheering in the background.  

Because this was the longest distance I have ever raced (previous max was 10K), I had no idea how I'd do. That being said, I'm pretty happy with my results.  This race was a critical step in preparing for my first Half Ironman in July.

2nd Overall, 1:15:15

Of course, I immediately went to get a post race massage.  I'd rank this as one of the best post race massages I have gotten...she worked me.

Then I went and had a post race pho recovery meal:

Special thanks to my good friend Chris for providing race support (cheering, holding my crap, and taking these pictures).  Next up is the local Redondo Beach Sprint Triathlon on June 12.

PV Half Marathon Preview

Tomorrow I will be racing in my first half marathon - the Palos Verdes Half Marathon.   Although I’m excited for the race, I don’t feel that I’m quite 100% prepared.  This will be my third consecutive weekend of racing, and as a result I haven’t had the opportunity to put in the distance over the past several weeks to prepare for a 13.1 mile run.  But, I’m still going to race.  I was previously signed up for a half marathon back in January, but missed that race because it ended up being in the middle of an extended ski trip I took to Utah and Wyoming (which by the way was well worth the DNS).  This time I am in town, so I have no excuse not to race.

My plan is to take it easy and not hurt myself.  My overall conditioning is definitely at a good place, but I am slightly concerned about how my legs will handle the 13.1 miles.  For this reason, I plan to leave my racing flats at home and instead wear my trainers for the added cushioning.  I am also going to try to hold back a little. I have a long season ahead and don’t want to overdo it at this point.  That being said, it’s likely that when the gun goes off my race instinct will kick in and my current idea of taking it easy will be long forgotten. We’ll see...

One thing that is exciting about this race is that it is in my ‘hood (sort of).  The race course will run along the shoreline of Palos Verdes, a route that I regularly ride during my triathlon training.  It’s a beautiful area with views like this…

And this…

Hopefully the morning fog will stay away, and the scenery will calm me when my knees start to hurt around mile 10 :/