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Perfect way to start the day, no?

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Beach Cities Challenge x2: LB Half 2011: 2:26:49 SC Half 2012: 2:37:48 OC Half 2012: 2:11:58 OC Half 2014: 2:32:29 LB Full 2014: 5:24:13 SC Half 2015: 2:19:34 #runsurftcity #runlongbeach #runoc #running #longbeach #surfcity #beachcitieschallenge

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Surf City Half Marathon -- My Nike+ GPS calculated all the weaving in and out of traffic I had to do along the way, subsequently tacking on an additional. .09 miles for the race. Relatively tiny, in comparison to some other races. 

Mile 1 -- Warmup mode. Half a mile in I realized I was going at a 10:00/mi pace and needed to slow it down so as to not burn myself out by mile 5. Accomplished, finishing the mile in 10:43.

Mile 2 -- Feeling comfortable in my pace I didn't make any adjustments. Plenty of people passed me and I let them, opting to stay within myself and run my race. Maybe stayed a little too comfortable, finishing this mile in 11:01.

Mile 3 -- Just trying to stay comfortable and not overdo it at this point. I noticed my 5K pace was a bit slow, but opted to stay comfortable, knowing there was a bit of a hill coming up in mile 4. Finished this mile in 10:52. 

Mile 4 -- I like to believe hills are kind of my thing. Or at least, that I don't let them slow me down. Proving myself right, I finished this mile in 10:52 to match the previous mile's pace.

Mile 5 -- What goes up must come down! By far my favorite mile of the course, offering a speedy downhill pace and a view of the ocean. I meant to take a photo to share, but I was too busy enjoying myself. Thanks to most of this mile being flat and downhill, this one got done in 10:22. 

Mile 6 -- Back to a normal, flat grade I settled back in around my goal pace for the race and finished this mile in 10:48.

Mile 7 -- Feeling like it was time to pick it up a notch and taking advantage of the slight downhill, I let some adrenaline into my stride and finished this mile in 10:27.

Mile 8 -- Last mile with the ocean on my left, I kept pace for most of this mile, slowing down for the sharp turn-around and then almost running over a runner who stopped in front of me going into the turn. I know better than to take the sharp part of the turn—let this be a lesson to you for turn-arounds: take the wide turn; it's easier on your body and you'll go faster than those who are practically crawling around that sharp turn. This ended up being a 10:37-mile as a result of my faux pas.

Mile 9 -- Ocean on the right, let the slight uphill begin. I found a pair of runners to keep pace with and kept them in my sights until I passed them, then picked another runner to pick off as I finished this mile in 10:37.

Mile 10 -- This is the mile where it's time to remember you really don't need to save anything for the end of the race. I wasn't about to pick it up to my 5K pace, but it was time to finish strong if I wanted to meet my goal of finishing in under 2:20:00. This slightly uphill mile got done in 10:32.

Mile 11 -- My pair of "pace" runners ended up in front of me during this mile and I decided I needed to keep up with them, afraid I was falling behind. Still headed slightly uphill, I felt the effects of pushing myself a bit more and was rewarded with a 10:18 mile.

Mile 12 -- Last mile with my pair of "pace" runners in plain sight. They were moving at a clip a bit faster than I was prepared to keep up with, in wanting to still have enough steam to finish strong. I din't back off much, though finishing this mile in 10:23.

Mile 13 -- Final mile. This one is always a struggle for me to pace myself properly—turn it up a notch, but not too soon, lest I run out of steam for that last tenth of a mile. Got it done in 10:21. 

Mile 13.1 -- I figure this is my last minute to run. If I run at a 10:00/mi pace, I run it in 1 minute. With the GPS vs. chip time discrepancy, though, it's difficult to gage just how fast this last stint truly ended up being. What I can say is that according to my GPS, the last .19 miles of the race was done in 1:44, which is an 8:48/mi pace. Not bad. Not bad at all. 

Final GPS Time -- 13.19 - 2:19:36

Final Official Time -- 13.1 - 2:19:34

Final Thoughts -- This was a really great race for me. The fastest since my PR in May 2012 at the OC Half, where I finished in 2:11:58. The truth is I could have gone faster, but that wasn't the goal. The real test for me here was to come in right at my goal time, rather than trying to push myself faster for some arbitrary reason. When I push myself too far, I get hurt. When I push myself just enough, I feel accomplished. When I push myself not enough, I feel let down. This was that wonderful middle ground where I was able to push myself and maintain a presence that had me actually feel and enjoy every part of this race. 

The real takeaway for me here is not the finish time (although I'm proud of myself for coming in under my goal), it's that I worked hard and felt good about myself the entire way. And that's how the finish line should feel.

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Mile 13.2 -- this is what it's all about. 

Pink Visor -- My tiny reminder of a runner and charismatic soul, Jen King. She died in August 2011 in a freak lightning strike while on vacation. Her favorite color was pink, so I decided to get this pink visor and wear it during the OC Half Marathon in May 2012. I've worn it in every road race I've participated in since. 

Guinness -- This year I WILL make it to Dublin with my wife as our annual international trip. Last year we missed going international (for a number of reasons I won't get into here) and this year we're making it happen!

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Mile 4. Feeling strong. 

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This is what it looks like when 7K people are in front of you in line.

Wave 7, bib 11325.

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Race day started out with a pretty fantastic view. 

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It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become.

Dr. Seuss

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First run of pre-race week:

Warmup: 1-mi run + dynamic stretching

Workout: 5x 1/2-mi to 3/4-mi jog vs. sprint in-out intervals

This one felt really good. I mean REALLY good. 600+ calories burned good. Had I thought about how hard I was working during this workout I may have backed off a little, given the fact that there are only 5 more days until race day. 

Instead, I decided to trust my body. Do the work, and let the rewards be reaped on race day. Especially because these were short, intense bursts of work, where my risk for injury was minimal. 

The workout itself was just over an hour, warmup and cool-down included. 

Tomorrow is a rest day (although I'm tempted to get out there for an evening run--but I WON'T!), then a 5-mile slowish maintenance run on Thursday and two more slowish miles on Saturday, just to grease the wheels.

I feel pretty good about this race and am focused solely on racing well. Not pace, not finish time, not keeping up or staying back.

I will run MY race. No one else's.

In races past I've gotten caught up in details that no longer matter on the course, and it's had a negative impact on my run. But in each of the races I've run my best, the difference was that I just went out there and ran my race, pace, finish time, goals be damned. 

And yet, I walked away with a PR in each of those races. Now I'm not claiming a PR is on the horizon for Sunday at Surf City, just that I plan on feeling pretty damn good before ,during, and after that race.

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Some miles are more worthwhile than others. Like these from today in 81° weather. Which is 20-30° warmer than the temp I typically run in. These miles--the miles you're unaccustomed to--require you to dig deep within and answer the question, "So...who are you today?" And the answer is in how you choose to run those miles.

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Running makes me happy.

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Yesterday's afternoon run. I highly recommend sand to build leg, hip, and lung strength.

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Self Care / Run Balance

In the morning it can feel like such a chore to get up. It's all warm and cozy in bed, and it's all cold and harsh outside. And while I know that there is great satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment in walking in the door after running on a cold morning, while I'm under those warm and cozy covers, it's really difficult to connect to that desire for accomplishment. 

This week I've been pretty lenient with myself, opting to stay warm rather than get out there in the cold for a run. I'd like to say I'm okay with that, but after not running for nearly a whole week again, I'm feeling a bit sluggish in my regular life. 

My schedule tomorrow doesn't allow for a (safe) early morning run (and let's face it, after the glass--okay, fine, TWO glasses--of wine I've had tonight, a morning run is fairly out of the question). So I've vowing to you and to myself (most importantly) that upon arrival from home Friday afternoon, the rubber of my shoes will meet the road of my neighborhood, and with my feet all up in them. 

It's easy to get caught up in feeling like you're taking care of yourself. But you have to do a reality check to make sure you're not just letting your lazy gremlins get the best of you, and keep you from being your awesome, running self. 

At least, that's what I've had to realize this week. 

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Will run for view.

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Positive self talk is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

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20 miles this week: 3.49 bootcamp miles 4.51 speed work miles 12 LSD miles--which I ran too fast, right around race pace Average pace: 10:31 Time spent running: 3:30:25 This is one of the weeks I'm not feeling guilty about skipping my Sunday run. We spent the weekend in Paso Robles, wine tasting and enjoying life, and I've got no time for guilt! This week coming up begins tapering, so the midweek workouts will be a similar distance and just as intense, but the Saturday run will be a bit shorter, at 8 miles. The key to that 8-miler will be remembering that it's not a race--which means I'll need to set a goal pace and stick to it, rather than seeing how fast I can finish. My goal pace should be about 10 seconds slower per mile than my expected/intended race pace. Right now I feel pretty good and am hopeful that I'll be able to finish Surf City under 2:20:00. The bulk of the training is done, so now I just want to focus on staying healthy and my mental preparation for race day. More on that next time!

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Making the Time to RUN

This week I'm committing to make time to run. 

Last week I didn't run at all during the week, which kept me from doing the 10-miler I had on the calendar for Saturday morning. I ended up getting in 9 of the 13 miles I'd intended for the weekend, but if I want to finish Surf City in 2:20, skipping out on my midweek runs just isn't gonna cut it. 

So this week: 

Tuesday: 2-4 miles at LB Running Boot Camp Thursday: 5 miles Saturday: 10 miles Sunday: 3 miles (optional)

I've also decided that I'm making my Sunday runs optional. They're always 3 miles (except on race days), and they're meant to be recovery runs. But sometimes I'm out of town (like I will be this weekend) and getting 3 miles in isn't as easy as getting up and going. So I'm willing to give myself some grace around Sunday runs through the end of the quarter and evaluate whether or not I need to switch running days in order to accomplish my running goals for the year. 

More on those goals later ...