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My Goals for 2013

January 2, 2013 by Asia

Happy New Year!!

“Studies show that about 20% of resolutions are cast aside within a month, and fewer than 50% last the whole year. The high failure rate might be due to the fact that we set the bar too high, vowing to make major changes in short periods of time. Make it a happy new year by choosing realistic, attainable goals and practice until they become part of your daily routine.” (Source: Sonic Boom Wellness)

Ringing in the new year in style

A NYE Wedding

I’m back in San Diego and slowly getting into the swing of things again. I thoroughly enjoyed my 11 day vacation from work, and a month off from Ironman training. I was able to spend more time with family and friends, and sleep in!

Seahawks Game

The downside? There was also poor eating, a lack of exercising, and overspending. Woops! After reflecting on 2012, it has become clear to me what I need to focus on in 2013. Having a tendency to over commit myself to things, I have chosen 3 main goals to focus on.

So, here are my 3 new year’s resolutions/commitments/goals/whatever you’d like to call them!

1. Focus on running, and qualify for Boston marathon.

I am VERY excited about this goal. I love running and can’t wait to do more of it. Last year was the year of the triathlon; this year will be the year of the marathon. I haven’t decided exactly how I’m going to train for a BQ time or when I’m going to go for it. I hope to continue to work w/ Coach Trevor, and I’ve signed up for 1 marathon so far (Eugene)! This will be the primary focus of my training this year, so you can bet I will blogging all about it! Got tips? Please send them my way!

My current marathon PR is 3:49, and I need to go sub 3:35.

2. Cook more meals at home.

This will allow me to:

– eat less processed foods

– eat more of a whole foods, plant-based diet

– eat vegan

– save money

I was a pescatarian and vegetarian for 15 years, and then in July I decided to give veganism a try. I eat about 90% vegan now and feel much better because of it. Eating out, however, does not help me stay vegan or do anything I outlined above. I was really bad at going out to lunch and dinner in 2012 because Ironman training and work consumed my life. The Whole Foods bar became my best friend, and I’m sure we gave them thousands of dollars because of it. Continuing with that habit won’t help me achieve goal #3…

Suzy Homemaker

3. Set a budget, and follow it.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, in 2012 I was a little reckless and spent way too much money on Ironman training and didn’t reserve money for anything else. Whatever started off as a budget was quickly gone when I realized how expensive triathlon can be. ($700 race entry fees, $X,000 for a new bike, etc. There’s a reason why the average income of Ironman athletes is $160k!) Now that I’m not doing an Ironman this year, and will be eating more meals at home, I should be able to be more financially responsible like a real grownup.

I won’t need to buy another one of these this year.

Achieving these goals will definitely take dedication and work, but they complement each other nicely and are attainable. I could write a laundry list of other things I want to work on and achieve this year, but I don’t want to overcomplicate things. I still need to map out the steps of how I’m going to get there, and I can’t wait to get started. So raise a glass (of something you’re drinking at home), and CHEERS to a great 2013!

What are you committing to in the new year?

My First Ice Bath

April 16, 2012 by Asia

Preparing the Ice Bath

After a weekend of tough endurance workouts and a dinner conversation on recovery and overtraining, I decided I would attempt my first ice bath. (Saturday I did a brick of 12 mile run + 45 min bike. Sunday I biked 75 miles with 3,700ft of climbing.) I’m not injured. I just wanted to recover faster, and ice baths are supposed to help reduce inflammation.

According to Runner’s World, here are some other benefits that you can get from an ice bath:

– offset the risks inherent to long bouts of running
– don’t only suppress inflammation, but helps to flush harmful metabolic debris out of your muscles
– cold-water immersion generally produces a greater and longer lasting change in deep tissues and is more a more efficient means of cooling large groups of muscles simultaneously (vs. using ice packs)

If you’re contemplating taking an ice bath, I would highly recommend it! I woke up the next morning with minimal soreness and ready for another week of Ironman training. (Note: There is some controversy around taking ice baths, so please do your research before giving it a try.)

Here’s a quick guide of how I prepared my ice bath and the supplies I used.

Attempt #1 to get in the ice bath

Supplies:
1. ICE – I used 4 (7 pound) bags of ice, but Jeremy and I agree that 3 bags will be enough next time. We don’t want to break the bank each time we take an ice bath. The water will get cold enough, but it’s impossible to keep it all from melting unless you have massive quantities.
2. Bathtub filled with cold water just deep enough to sit in it and hit below your belly button. If you need to submerge more than that, fill it up more.
3. Sweatshirt to stay warm on top & swim bottoms to stay more comfortable below. (Tip: If you have a two piece wetsuit, you can wear the top half to stay really warm!)
4. Timer – I’ve read and heard that you should never stay in an ice bath for more than 20 minutes. 15-20 minutes is the ideal timeframe if you can handle it. (Why waste more time freezing when you don’t need to?)
5. Optional: Swim booties to keep your feet warm – I swim with these in open water conditions to make the cold more tolerable, and it also worked here. If you need to soak your ankles, try to find something that won’t cover them so you can get the full benefit of the cold water. Jeremy did the bath without anything on his feet. His stung. Mine didn’t.
6. Optional: Hot beverage, reading materials, your boyfriend, anything to keep your mind off the fact that you’re sitting in a tub full of ice-cold water. I had Jeremy in the tub with me. He’s 6’5″ so it was tough squeezing both of us in there, but he kept me warm!

Attempt #2: My butt is shocked by the cold!

How To Draw and Ice Bath:
1. Fill a tub with cold water that will cover your legs and hips, but no higher than your belly button so you can stay warmer on top. (Adjust water level if you need to soak other areas.)
2. Put approximately 20 lbs of ice in the tub. Water temp should be in the 50s farenheit.
3. Get in quickly (bundled on top!) because the ice will start melting, and you don’t want to psyche yourself out. Melted ice is OK. The water will still be cold!
4. Soak for 15-20 minutes, but not a minute longer. Try to relax! 🙂
5. Wait 30-60 minutes before taking a hot shower (optional). I needed this because I was quite cold after my ice bath. All the socks and blankets couldn’t keep me warm enough! It’s also a good way to relax the muscles.

Success! It takes a few minutes to adjust to the cold...

Alternatives to an Ice Bath:
If an ice bath isn’t for you, you can also use what mother nature has to offer. A quick dip in the ocean, lake, or river can provide the same benefits after a tough training session.

In summary, I had a great first ice bath experience and plan on incorporating it into my Ironman training each weekend. (I think a 100 mile bike ride definitely warrants one!)

Have you ever taken an ice bath? Do you have any other tips to share?

Surf City Marathon Race Report

March 21, 2012 by Asia

6 weeks later, I am FINALLY completing this blog post! Excuse me for my blogging laziness, but I still remember this race like it was yesterday, (and this post has also been sitting in my drafts). That being said…

I loved Surf City Marathon!! It was a fast course, well-organized, and I got a personal record! I even had my driver’s license returned to me in the mail after I lost it somewhere along the course! The Surf City staff was very responsive on Facebook to all questions and concerns.. My only complaint? The 3:50 pacer slept in (or quit. I don’t know what happened to him.) Luckily, Nicole and I used the combined power of our Garmin and Timex watches to break our 3:50 goal without following a man with a stick. Here’s how it went down.

Saturday afternoon my race buddies and I drove to Huntington Beach to go to the expo and get situated for the race. The expo was well organized and buzzing with pre-race energy. I quickly picked up my bib, race shirt, and bought some last minute GU. (You can never have too much GU! Peanut butter is my new fave! Sometimes I have it for breakfast!) The expo was small compared to the Rock n Roll marathon expo I attended in June, so it was easy to collect my things and go.

Marathon Expo

We went to Macaroni Grill for a good carboloading and coloring session. (For those of you that have never been there, they have white paper tablecloths and crayons for your doodling pleasure.) Restaurant Tip: One part of their menu is fully customizable. You select your noodle, sauce, veggies, and protein. I felt like this was a safe choice, and I didn’t have any stomach problems that night. It took a little over an hour to get seated, but I was told the wait was an hour and a half at Olive Garden, so I guess it could have been worse! We should have known better. 20,000 hungry runners invaded Huntington Beach that night! Only 2,000 of them were full marathoners like me, but there were 18,000 half marathoners. This is a big perk of being a full marathoner at this race. Smaller number of participants means a less crowded course AND you get to start 1 hour before the half marathoners!

Race morning began at with a 4:15am wake-up call. We had no trouble getting to the free parking lots and shuttles, so we were at the race start 1 hour early. I was very nervous and went to the bathroom 3 times. Luckily the bathroom lines weren’t bad at all. I didn’t even have to use the port-a-potties because there were plenty of public beach restrooms available. If you’ve ever run a marathon, you understand how important this is! I just wish I didn’t have nervous stomach problems before the race, but I’m glad I got it out of my system because the nervous jitters went away once I started running. (That’s why I think it was just nerves and not my dinner from the night before. This happens to me often.)

The first wave of marathoners (sub 3:50 pace) took off two minutes before my wave, so Nicole and I got to start at the front of the second group. We looked for our pacer, but he wasn’t there! I’m convinced that there was supposed to be a 3:50 pacer, but we only saw times faster and slower than our goal. Not part of the plan! We had a backup plan though, so that was OK. I was still SO nervous waiting for the signal. My stomach was upset; I already felt like I had to pee again; my heart was racing (definitely not at my resting heart rate)! I felt good once we started running, even though the feeling of having to pee never went away…I was determined not to stop and use the bathroom because every second counts in a race. So, I learned that I can hold my bladder while running for 3:49:30. (No, I’m not one of those gross hardcore runners that can pee on themselves.)

So nervous!

Nicole and I worked together to stay around a 8:45 min/mile pace for all 26.2 miles. I kept my watch on the current pace per mile, and Nicole kept hers on the overall average pace. This strategy worked for us, and our pace was very consistent for all 26.2 miles. Most of the course was very flat which made it easy to pace. The first few miles were on the 101 which is a straight shot. Then we veered right into a neighborhood and then into a nice park which had welcoming patches of shade and windy pathways. This kept it interesting, and there were a lot of local middle schoolers on the course to cheer us on. The one short, but steep, hill fell around mile 8 and it was over with very quickly. About mile 10 we were on the 101 again where most of the supporters were located and I got to see Jeremy, my love, who wasn’t doing this race with us due to an injury.

The out and back on the 101 was my least favorite part. No shade. Minimal crowds. But it’s early enough when you can definitely power through it, and it’s flat and fast, so I can’t complain too much. There were also plenty of port-a-potties with no lines on this stretch, but I told my bladder it would have to wait. Again, every second counts!

Out and back on the 101

The final section of the course is out and back on the boardwalk. This is where it got a little crowded since apparently you can’t close that off to pedestrians, but it didn’t faze me. I was in the zone. Miles 18-26.2 were tough, but Nicole and I were still on pace as much as we could be, and we were dusting people! We passed countless men and women who had hit “the wall”. It felt good to know that we still had some juice left in the tank, but it was getting much harder and I made a comment along the lines of “This is getting hard.” That’s when Nicole told me “We only have 1 hour left in the pain cave! We can do it!” I later told her that wasn’t a helpful comment. The look on my face when she told me that probably looked something like this…

This is getting hard.

…Some time later, mile 25 appeared and I started to run with every ounce of energy I had left in me. I picked up the pace all the way until I hit the finish line. There was no stopping me. I started yelling “on your left!” as I passed people who were in my way. I think I even elbowed a couple of people on accident. I feared that I wasn’t going to break 3:50 (even though my Timex assured me I was on track). Needless to say, this was a much stronger finish for me vs. my first marathon in June. At mile 25 of that race, I wanted to walk SO badly. At mile 25 of Surf City, I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me, and it was totally worth it because I reached my goal of a sub 3:50 marathon by 30 seconds!! (Nicole was only 5 seconds behind me!) Imagine what my time would have been if I had stopped to pee or decided to walk at any point. Every second counts!! Next year I want to run this course again to qualify for Boston! That means my next goal is a sub 3:35 marathon….That sounds fast.

My official race splits

I was very pleased with my results, especially considering that I did this during Ironman training. I didn’t only run to train. I also had to bike and swim just as frequently. I had a lot more to balance this time, but it all worked out, even though I’ve heard that training for a full marathon while Ironman training isn’t recommended.

Happiness is setting a goal and reaching it. Sub 3:50 marathon goal achieved! Next goal: Finish Oceanside 70.3 on March 31, 2012.

Ironman Training Day 5

December 10, 2011 by Asia

Day 5 – Saturday 12/10/11

Morning
8:30am – 16.5 mile run around Mission and Pacific Beach. (My old stomping ground!)
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 2 waffles w/ peanut butter & agave nectar = 400 calories(?)
During Run: 2 vanilla Gus, 1 shot block serving, and 1 scoop Vitalite mixed with water = 340 calories
Post Run: Big brunch! Scrambled eggs w/ spinach, mushrooms, and cheese, potatoes, onion bagel, fruit, coffee

Feeling hungry after my long run!

Ok – So this run wasn’t exactly for Ironman training. It’s for my marathon in Feb. We’re really starting to get up there in miles! Many triathlon experts will warn you not to do a marathon before or during Ironman training because there is a high risk of injury and a long recovery time after runs lasting over 2 hours. I definitely understand that, but I hope to stay strong and healthy during my marathon training. I want to do another marathon to break the 4 hour mark. (I hit 4:01:59 on my first one in June 2011.) It’s a great challenge, and I felt so incredible crossing the finish line. I LOVE running. It’s my favorite part of the triathlon.

I felt strong on the run today. This was definitely my best long run by far. My average pace for 16.5 miles was 9:15min/mile which is getting close to my marathon goal time. My hip didn’t bother me today which was HUGE because it hurt a lot during my recovery run last week. I am trying to pay extra attention to my hip (or IT band?) because it has been bothering me for a while. Today, however, the “pain” was pretty standard after the 1/2 marathon mark – sore knees, ankles, hip flexors. Nothing limiting. I did finish with salt all over my face…My face was pretty white, so I need to take in more sodium on my next run. Nicole and I had a lot to talk about and were both feeling like we had a good long run day. Now I’m feeling very optimistic about the marathon which is only 8 weeks away! There’s still a few spots available for the Surf City Marathon if you’re interested!

Training Hiatus

October 3, 2011 by Asia

I can’t believe it has been 1 month since my last post! Shame on me! I guess that’s about the same amount of time that I’ve been taking a hiatus from training. I’m not sure what led to this, but I found my workouts slowly going from 10/week to 5 to 2 to nonexistent. Maybe I needed a break? Not sure, but I went from feeling happy to “sleep in” until 6:30am to having major anxiety about not working out at 5am or making my late night swims. I think not having another race to train for after my Olympic triathlon was the first culprit. My rest days turned into lazy days. My cheat meals turned into poor eating. I’m definitely not perfect! No more excuses, though. My 1/2 and full Ironman races are going to be here before I know it, and I’m ready to get back at it! Nicole and I have a running date tomorrow after work, and Insanity is calling my name in the morning.

I know, I know. I still need to post my results from the first time I did Insanity, and I will! That Beachbody program is amazing! Dare I say I enjoyed it more than P90X?? Tough call. Review to come soon, but let’s just say I’m looking forward to doing it again, and Beachbody has my before & afters in case they want to contact me. 😉

I heart Insanity

What I’ve been doing since my last post on 9/2…

9/11: Completed my first Olympic distance triathlon! There is a lot of room for improvement. More training needed!
9/12: Submitted my P90X Beachbody Infomercial video to the producers. I wonder if they’ll use my footage!?
9/16: First hair appointment since I started doing triathlons. My stylist was appalled! My hair needed some major TLC.
9/17: Submitted my Insanity before/after pics for a free t-shirt!
9/18: Girls brunch & birthday dinner with the fam.
9/19: 3 day business trip to TN. Shrimp & grits aren’t found on the Insanity meal plan.
9/24 AM: Moved into our new place in Encinitas Moonlight Beach & celebrated my bday again with my hizzy! Jeremy & I are new neighbors to our triathlon training buddies, Nicole (Fitness Fatale) and Mike. This is going to make all the difference in Ironman training because we’ll be going through it together.
10/3: Preordered P90X2! Definitely incorporating it into my triathlon training.

The best part about our new place (besides living next to our friends/training buddies)? We have a room entirely dedicated to FITNESS!! Once the boxes are unpacked, this is where all the Insanity, P90X, and spinning will take place! I sure hope those that move in below us are early risers.

Surprise waiting for me in our new place!

Summer Triple Training Program

June 28, 2011 by Asia

Last week I began my Summer Triple Training Program: Insanity, Triathlon, Half Marathon. Quite the ambitious training program, but I’m starting to feel like a machine! This is my first time doing Insanity, my first triathlon, and my 4th half marathon (so I feel the most comfortable with running.) One week into my program, I’m realizing how tough it is to keep up with all my desired workouts while still feeling rested, but I’m not giving up by any means. If anything, this has forced me to dig deeper and push myself harder than ever before. Now, I just need to make time to rest so my body can properly recover. Sunday is my only day off, and I did 10 workouts in 6 days last week.

Monday 6/20: Insanity Fit Test AM; Swim Technique Class PM

Tuesday 6/21: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit AM; 9 Mile Bike Ride on Fiesta Island PM

Wednesday 6/22: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance AM; Swim Technique Class PM

Thursday 6/23: Insanity Cardio Recovery AM; rest PM

Friday 6/24: Insanity Pure Cardio AM; rest PM

Saturday 6/25: 9 mile run with hills AM; Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit PM

Sunday 6/26: Rest! (Plus a little road bike riding to figure out which one I wanted to purchase…more on that later!)

Looking back, I probably should have gotten 1 more bike and/or run in, but I don’t think I could have done it without sacrificing any Insanity workouts, and as an Insanity newbie, completing all 60 days is very important to me. Want to learn more about Insanity? Let me know! Here’s a pic of me doing the Pure Cardio workout. You can’t see my face to tell how hard I’m working, and how much I’m sweating, so just take my word for it!

Insanity Pure Cardio

Thursday night I intended to bike or run, but my body was telling me differently, and I had to rest. (I passed out on my couch in my work clothes at 6pm!) My triple training program is definitely a work in progress. I can’t wait to blog again to tell you about my updated vegetarian meal plan to fuel all my workouts. I have to eat a lot!

World Famous Camp Pendleton Mud Run

June 25, 2011 by Asia

Mud Run Course Map

The Camp Pendleton Mud Run can be summed up in a few words: HARD AND HILLY…and I absolutely loved it! If you too love running and adventure, I highly recommend this race. (Registration opens on January 1st at 12:01am every year and sells out by the morning.) The official Camp Pendleton mud run was extended to 3 days this year, so it fit perfectly into my schedule. I ran the San Diego Rock n Roll marathon on Sunday, June 5, and then did this mud run 6 days later on Saturday, June 11. People said I was crazy. Maybe I am a little crazy (and competitive), but speeding up my marathon recovery time was well worth it to participate in this dirty and challenging 10k!

Pre-Race Pull-Ups!

We arrived at on the Camp Pendleton marine base a little after 6am, so we had plenty of time to get settled and warm up. I had my first pre-race coffee (black of course), and it was warm and delicious. I wasn’t especially nervous for some reason, so I guess I wasn’t concerned about a little caffeine in my system. I perked right up, and before I knew it, it was time to head to the start line!

Headed to the Start!

Almost Game Time!

The course was more challenging than I anticipated. Allison and I got as close to the front as possible, and were probably delayed about 5-10 seconds crossing the start line. This is important if you are competitive because there are no wave starts – just one clock at the start line, and one clock at the finish. We counted down to start and took off a little slower than anticipated and dodged the 10+ minute mile runners…Not sure why they were in the front? We didn’t have watches or clocks to pace ourselves, but once we were past the slower runners, we were FLYING! Immediately we were hosed down with fire hoses. Running in wet shoes is not so awesome, but I didn’t let me slow down. Allison and I grabbed water at the first aid station, and then continue to run on the dirt trails, through sand, through water, and then back on the dirt trail again. Note: Beach training would have been good for this race!

Jeremy's View of the Runners from Other Side of the Lake

We started to go uphill after about 1 mile…and it never ended. We kept going up and up the dirt trail on a steeper and steeper incline. Allison looked at each other wondering if it would ever end!? We were still going as fast and as hard as we could. We didn’t know what to expect our first time doing this race, but we really wanted to push ourselves. We were running with the big boys and were not about to slow down.

The hilly trail run went on until mile 4 or so. One of my favorite moments was passing a group of active marines watching us in the distance. We were on their turf after all. Allison smiled and waved. I looked over at them and yelled “OOH-RAH!” To which they shouted it back at me! That was a fun and inspirational moment to keep me going strong and pushing hard.

We hit most of the obstacles sometime after mile 4. There were a couple of mud pits with 5 foot walls on each side that we had to jump over (which we did no problem) with mud on both sides. When we got to the reservoir crossing that was supposed to be 4 1/2 ft deep, we were informed it was 6 ft deep that day! If you couldn’t swim, you had to turn back. I had sand, dirt, and rocks in my shoes, and now it was time to swim in them. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been swimming but didn’t give it a second thought, and jumped right in, using the rope on the side to pull me along more quickly than I could swim! Excellent strategy!

Get out of the water soaking wet definitely made the rest of the run more challenging. By the time Allison and I encountered the “slippery hill” I was beat! Slipper hill is a STEEP mud hill with water running down it because there are people at the top spraying you down with a fire house. One person sprayed me right in my face so I couldn’t see. Crazy hard but fun at the same time!

We had a steep downhill after that and then finally started to encounter the fans cheering for us on the sidelines. The final stretch was the infamous mud pit. Take a look at me diving in (and scraping myself pretty badly). This is the final stretch!

Allison crossed the finish line about 10 seconds ahead of me, and we both finished just under and over 1 hour!! Such an amazing accomplishment for the first time! When Jeremy met us at the finish line, apparently we looked a little amazed and out of it. He asked “Are you OK? Did you guys have fun? I can’t tell!” I think we were just really exhausted. 🙂

Just After the Finish!

Celebratory Cerveza

To top it off, I found out that I placed 6th in my age group! I’ve never come close to placing in a race before, so I was surprised and elated. Apparently 10k mud runs are my thing? I’m definitely doing it again next year with a goal of getting on that podium.

6th Place!

I’m a Marathon Finisher!!

June 8, 2011 by Asia

Rock n Roll San Diego Start Line (Competitor Group photo)

I DID IT! I’m a marathon finisher! It’s hard to find the exact words to describe how happy I felt when crossing that finish line, but let me try to capture the moment and take you on a journey of my first 26.2…Read on for my story and results!

3:30am – My alarm went off. After a night of tossing and turning, I couldn’t believe the time had finally come. I was feeling sleepy and very anxious at the same time.

4:40am – Jeremy and I got in my car and headed to the marathon. Luckily he drove because we immediately hit traffic, and I started freaking out! After about 20 minutes of grid lock traffic on the 5 South (never go that way from Pacific Beach), we turned around and took a nice shortcut through some local roads. Much quicker!

Pre 5am Marathon Traffic

5:20am – Parked in VIP parking right next to the start. (Thank you, Mike, for the VIP hook up!) Made a quick porta-potty stop (VIP lines are much shorter) and headed to meet up with our running group (Vavi) for a group pic. Notice how sunny it already is in the picture below, and it’s barely 5:45. We didn’t get spared on race day. The sun was out the entire time which added an additional challenge to the marathon. (Like we needed another challenge!)

Vavi Running Group Before the Marathon

6:00am – Gear check and final porta-potty pit stop. National anthem. I didn’t take off my hat, but I had my hand over my heart, and was trying to take deep breaths to stay calm. All I kept think was that this was REALLY HAPPENING. Final group shot before we split up into two separate corrals.

My Running Buddies!

6:15am – Official race start! Corral 1 (the elites) was off and running. I kissed Jeremy goodbye and saw him off to his corral (5). Then, my 4 running buddies and I waited to jump into our corral (10 – but we somehow ended up in 9). There were at least 42 corrals with about 26,571 total participants!

Back of Corral 9 - Walking to the Official Start Line

6:21am – I’m off and running! I quickly poured a salt pack on my tongue and jumped into the back of corral 9 with my 4 running girls. Next thing I know, I’m crossing the start line! I was off to a somewhat shaky start. Honestly, I felt very overwhelmed, and I didn’t even notice our guests at the starting line – Ali and Roberto from the Bachelorette! After a couple of minutes, I thought I was having trouble breathing and I felt all the blood rush to my head. I momentarily felt light-headed but told myself to calm down. I knew it was just nerves! I started chatting with Jen and told her I was kind of freaking out. I was on the verge of a panic attack. Talking to her about the course kept my mind busy and my anxiety went away. I was feeling really steady after the 5k split.

Miles 3-8 – Nice and easy run through downtown San Diego. My friend snapped a pick of me at the aid station around mile 7. I didn’t even see him. Sorry, Alex! Guess I was really paying attention to my hydration!

Grabbing water after mile 7

Miles 8-11.5 – Running got slightly tougher on the 163 Freeway. There was about 2 miles of steady uphill (very low incline) but the road is not even. It’s quite slanted, and this surfaced my foot pain. The top of my right foot started hurting which worried me a little bit, but it definitely didn’t slow me down. Pain is temporary. Pride is forever. My inner mantra begins.

About to get on Highway 163

Miles 11.5-15 – I am feeling pumped! I charged up the freeway off-ramp hill and past hundreds of cheering fans onto Friars Road. I felt great, and hitting the halfway mark – a HALF marathon – almost felt, dare I say it, “easy.” Every time we passed large crowds of cheering fans, I’d get emotional and feel a great sense of pride an accomplishment. I think the endorphins were getting to me! Those feelings definitely kept me running. The pic below shows me sometime after the halfway mark. The runners on the far right side of the pic on the other side of the cone are the half marathoners. Part of the course only kept the full and half marathoners apart by cones. At times it was a little confusing, especially when you’ve been running for so long and are far into the zone.

Mile 13-14

Miles 16-19 – It’s getting much harder. We passed 1 of our group of 5 girls and unfortunately left her behind. She wasn’t feeling too great, but we knew she’d finish not too far behind us. We never did catch up to Jen. I grabbed a watermelon slice from a young boy standing on the street with his family handing out fresh fruit. I couldn’t eat the entire slice, but it kept me distracted for about 1 minute.

Miles 20 – 21 – I spotted a group of friends at mile 20 and their cheering gave me a significant boost! It felt great to have support on the course, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Our pace picked up to a sub 9 minute/mile …

Mile 22-23.5 – …until the aid station around mile 22. The 3 of us walked through it slower than we had gone through any other aid station. We started running again, but apparently our pace slowed to 9+ minute miles again. I was just happy to keep moving at that point, and since we were still passing a lot of people, it didn’t feel like we had slowed down that much. This was the hardest part of the marathon for me. I think I hit a “mini wall.” I was able to joke through it and try to make light of it by saying things like “What would you be tweeting right now? I’d say I’m breaking through the wall!” and “It could be worse. We could be running this marathon at the end of an Ironman!”

Allison was our cheerleader. She was feeling stronger than me, but she stayed with Nicole and me, encouraging us every step of the way. Every stride hurt my hips, but there was glory in pushing through that pain. I kept repeating my mantra “Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.” I had to say it a lot to keep me going.

Around mile 22 or 23, Running Skirts was handing out Otter Pops. The cold felt good on my fingers, lips, and throat since it was definitely heating up outside (and inside my body!), but I wasn’t able to finish it. I was nauseous at this point, but again, I definitely appreciated the thought of the Otter Pops, and it helped keep me going. The group was excited to see me in my Running Skirt and snapped a couple of pics of my outfit.

Otter Pops!

Miles 23.5 – 25.5 – The dreaded Fiesta Island. I was counting down each mile at this point. Less than 3 miles to go. I can DO this. As we approached the entry point of the 2 mile desert-like loop, a man was shouting words of advice and encouragement over a mega phone. “Don’t forget to relax your shoulders!” Good point. I made sure to shake my arms out as we entered Fiesta Island, the San Diego Rock n Roll course nightmare. All you want to do is run off the course and jump into the water. It is hot, there are hardly any spectators, and there is no shade in sight.

Ariel View of Fiesta Island

Miles 25.6 – 26.2 – The final stretch! We were finally off Fiesta Island and I pushed with every ounce of energy I had left to have a strong finish. I’m not sure how fast we were running, but I felt like I couldn’t keep the pace up much longer. I relied on the power of the massive cheering crowd to carry me to the finish line. Just before we crossed, Allison, Nicole, and I grabbed hands. We raised them as we crossed the finish line together. Teary-eyed, we all hugged after the we were on the other side. It felt amazing. WE DID IT!! I can’t wait to do it again!

Celebrating our Finish with Meb - A true champion!

My Results
Pace: 9:14 5km: 29:06 10k: 57:24 Half: 2:00:40 20 miles: 3:04:21 26.2 miles: 4:01:59
My Division: 146 out of 1,029!
Females: 541 out of 4,012!
Overall: 1,767 out of 8,267!

Map of the course: SD_11_Course-Map_05-12-11_vweb
Official Race Pics and Video of My Finish: http://www.asiorders.com/go.asp?101669184

Marathon: 2 Days Away and Counting!

June 3, 2011 by Asia

After work I’m headed to the San Diego Rock n Roll marathon expo and then to my running group’s pasta dinner! So excited! Tip – Try to go to the marathon expo TODAY to avoid even larger crowds tomorrow. There will be a Padres game tonight and tomorrow afternoon, so either way, plan your travel time accordingly. You will probably be sitting in traffic and have a hard time parking, so try to get there at least 2 hours before game time.

What do you think of my race day outfit? I wanted something feminine and colorful, and I think this does the trick. Just wanted to share a quick post to get some of my pre-race jitters out. Back to carbo-loading!

Marathon Outfit

5 Days Until My First 26.2!

May 31, 2011 by Asia

The San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is only 5 days away! I am so excited, nervous, and ready for it to be here. This will be my first full marathon, and I can’t wait to experience crossing that finish line 26.2 miles later.

What am I doing to prepare for the race? Tapering, carbo-loading, and resting (mentally and physically). Some of these items are easier said than done. Resting, for example, is not a normal state for me. I am very Type A and always on the go or doing something. On top of that, I am a very anxious person in general, so getting my mind to turn off for a bit can be challenging. Still, it’s important to get rest leading up to race day because most of us won’t get much sleep the night before. (I’m pretty sure we need to leave by 430am!) Carbo-loading might sound easy, and trust me, I love carbs as much as the next girl, but our running coach just told us that 75% of our calories should be from carbs! I eat roughly 1,800 calories/day, and generally 600 of those calories (1/3) are carbs…I guess I need to find ways to more than double my normal carb intake this week! I’m already eating them 3 meals/day, but I guess I need to get a little more creative. In other words, it’s time to prepare myself for weight gain, which is apparently a good thing leading up to a marathon.

: Unnecessary Carbo-Loading

A little more on tapering, courtesy of my running coach, Blake, from Vavi Running club.

. Decrease mileage & intensity to rest & repair the body.

. Rest your mind to prepare for the long haul.

. Keep frequency of workouts the same.

. Increase carbohydrate intake to load fuel stores.

I feel like the tapering plan for my most recent half marathon went really well, so for the full, I’m going to continue to follow my running coach’s advice and taper, rest, and carbo-load!

Running buddies after we all PR'd at La Jolla half marathon