Trail Running.. another addiction?

A number of my running friends have been trying to convince me to run trails.  My main concern with the trails is my (then) weak ankles and how easily I roll them.  After almost 3 months of training in the NB Minimus shoes, though, I feel like my balance and ankle strength has improved.  I ran the PQ canyon last Saturday at glacial speeds and yesterday and today at a slightly (but not much) faster pace.  Trails definitely offer a different running experience, with the unevenness of the ground, the elevation changes, rodents.. makes it feel more like you're out in nature without cars zooming past or honking at you.  I enjoy feeling the rocks beneath my feet with the minimalist shoes.

I thought of ways to improve my trail running pace:

1. Keep running trails - probably the most obvious solution.  

2. More hill training - Normal hills kill me.  Add rocky/slippery terrain and I become overly cautious going up and more so going down.

3. Run with people - This has been my biggest issue with running.  I'm greedy, I like running alone.  I have successfully upped my pace with some dedication and my Garmin, but I think with the trails, I'll need someone to push me.  

Time to step outside of my comfort zone.

2012 and January is nearly over...

The first event of the year was the Carlsbad half marathon this past Sunday (22nd).  A personal goal of mine is to run all my half marathons under 2 hours.  The beginning of the training was promising and then I got sick for 2 weeks in December and then took way too many trips in January.  The Friday right before the race, I got whacked on the knee by a snowboarder who fell dismounting the ski lift.  THEN I decided that drinking a few beers the night before wasn't going to affect my performance... and neither will sleeping through burning plastic all the while inhaling in plastic soot.  Yes, the odds were stacked against me, but I still ran the Carlsbad half marathon and I still finished in a decent enough time.  My next race (Surf City USA) is coming up in less than 2 weeks and again am hoping for a sub 2 race time.

While out running today, my legs felt heavy, it was hot, and I was grumpy.  Yet, I knew that no matter how shitty and slow of a run it would be, I would feel infinitely better when I was done.  With that in mind, my mood improved, I was enjoying the sun baking my skin to 5 shades darker and the breeze cooling it down.  The chirping of humming birds resonated in the slight valley by the Pepper Canyon apartment at UCSD.  My breathing was easy even though my Garmin was registering me at 180 bpm. I finished the run and I was right, I did feel a lot better.  More relaxed, lungs expanded and happy, and re-centered and focused.

Running is my therapy and it makes me happy.  This is why I run.

2011 San Francisco Marathon - Worth the hurt!

"Worth the Hurt" is the tag line of the San Francisco Marathon.  The Wall Street Journal has been quoted in saying that the San Francisco marathon is "the race even marathoners fear."   So was it worth it?  Hell yes!  The 2 days of muscle soreness in my quads and calves was worth the experience of running over (and back) the Golden Gate bridge in the early hours of the morning, through Golden Gate Park, and along Haight St.  This was probably one of the best course that I have run (I think, even slightly edging over the NYCM), in my not so lengthy marathon career.

The WSJ had one thing right, the SF marathon was certainly one that I had feared the most.  Not because of the hilly route or the early start time, but because I had felt that I was truly unprepared and improperly trained for it.  Between the SD RnR and the SF marathon, I only logged in one 20 mile run, and ran 2 to 3 times a week and those runs usually felt very blah at best.  A few days before the race date, I was seriously thinking of not running it and opting to cheer Joe on on the sidelines.  I was scared shitless.

Up until race morning, I was bouncing between the idea of not running it.  My wave did not start until 6:22am (the first wave starting at 5:30am!  Joe's started at 5:52am).  After a few more minutes of arguing with myself, I decided to get corralled up with my wave.  I was going to run, have fun, and just enjoy the course and the enthusiasm of both runners and spectators alike.

I was expecting the course to be hilly (after all, it IS San Francisco), but not as hilly as it actually was.  SF's idea of "rolling hills" is much different than what I had in mind.  After a while, I didn't mind the hills so much because I told myself that I could stop and walk if I needed to once I reached the top.  Once I got to the top, however, I felt that I could keep going and didn't really stop to walk during the course until about mile 22 or during the water stations.  My favorite parts of the course was running across the Golden Gate bridge and passing the waterfall within the Golden Gate Park.  It was an absolutely phenomenal experience.

Official time is 4:29:32 - barely making my goal time of under 4:30!
2011 SF Marathon Garmin Stats