Wandering Dawn

A California girl exploring the world

marathon

I’m a Marathon Finisher!!

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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!

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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!

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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

43 Miles of Running

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Marathon Outfit

Last week was my peak of marathon training.  I had my longest run of the season (21 miles) and clocked the most mileage in one week (43 miles)!  By the time recovery week rolled around, my legs were begging for mercy.  While I’ve learned to incorporate marathon training into my busy schedule, I’m definitely ready for the race to just be here already.  It’s definitely a lot to keep up with, no matter how much I love running.  My highest mileage week looked like this:

Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 1.5 mile warmup + 1.5 mile lactate threshold + 3 miles of Yasso 800s
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: 21 miles
Sunday: rest

The next week we began to taper, and my first run back was the most painful run I’ve had all season.  I was afraid I was injured!  Our first taper week looked like this:

Monday: 6 miles (I only ran 5 because it really hurt.)
Tuesday: 6 miles lactate threshold + 1 mile of 400 sprints
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 9 miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: 13 miles + 4 miles lactate threshold
Sunday: rest

I’m honestly surprised with how well marathon training has been going.  San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is only 2 weeks away!  Getting injured was the one thing I was most afraid of when I started marathon training.  I’ve heard way too many stories of Achilles nightmares, IT band injuries, and everything in between.  So far I’ve been lucky.  Yes, I’ve had some aches and pains but nothing that ibuprofen and willpower couldn’t cure.

What have I taken away from all this?  Here are my top 5 tips for marathon training.

1. Be persistent with your training, and follow your training program as closely as possible.
2. Listen to your body.  Pay attention to warming up and stretching, and don’t run with an injury!
3. Hydrate.  I stop at every aid station and have at least 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sports drink.
4. Pay attention to your nutrition 7 days/week.  Don’t skimp on calories and carbs, but don’t fill up on empty calories either.
5. Try strength training. I worked out 8x/week which is excessive if you’re not already doing a strength training program, but for me, 4 days of P90X + 4 days of running = increased speed and stamina.

P90X Day 90

Countdown to Rock n Roll Marathon

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San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon Start

I’m a mere 5 weeks away from running my first marathon!!  Saturday I ran 16 miles, my longest run to date, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t completely miserable!  It was tough, and I definitely felt like I was running for a VERY long time, but with the help of my running buddies, I made it.  Jeremy ran 18 miles and said it was an entirely different ballgame.  He had a tough time cranking out the last two miles, and I’ve heard that from other people as well…Is this “the wall” people talk about?  I’ll definitely report back on that next weekend when I run 18 miles.  I’m nervous for that one.

What am I doing the next 5 weeks?  Today I finished P90X for a second time, and now I’m a Double Grad!  (Jeremy has suggested that we’re P90X “Masters,” but I’m afraid to go as far as to say that. I’m not sure if anyone but Tony Horton himself could ever truly master that program!)  I’m going to post my P90X results very soon, so stay tuned!

May is time to decrease my P90X workouts and continue my 4 days/week of running.  It has been tough to keep up with P90X and marathon training thus far, so I’m ready to modify things from now until the marathon.  This means no more double workout days if I can help it!  The next 5 weeks I’ll focus on my running and sprinkle in 2-3 P90X workouts per week as I enter the home stretch of marathon training.  Here is what I anticipate…

Monday: Run
Tuesday: Speed work run
Wednesday: Plyometrics or Legs & Back (or rest)
Thursday: Medium Long run
Friday: P90X upper body workout (Chest & Back or Back & Biceps)
Saturday: Long run
Sunday: Yoga (or rest)

Let the new workout schedule begin!

P.S. What am I doing after the marathon? I have a couple of ideas that I’ll fill you in on soon!

My Longest Run EVER

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I just got back from the longest run of my life – 14 miles! Woo hoo!  It felt so great to pass the half marathon mark and see that my legs were still moving!  This was my last long run before I take on one of the hardest half marathons in the U.S. – The La Jolla Half Marathon. We did part of the course today, including the super steep hill that I blogged about earlier, and I was feeling good the entire way.  I had great company too.  Nicole, Allison, and I kept the same pace, and wanted to take it easy so we wouldn’t push it too hard 1 week before the race.  While I am very excited about this race, this is merely the halfway point to my end goal – the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon.  I can’t wait to say I’ve run 26.2 miles.  Only 1% of the American population can say it, and I want to join them.  Yes, it’s on my “bucket list,” but I think I’m going to want to push myself even more after the race.  What’s next?  Maybe a triathlon.  We’ll see.  Until then, I’m going to keep up the marathon training, P90X, and maybe even some other Beachbody fitness programs to keep me strong and motivated. I’m thinking of starting Insanity The Asylum next. It was just released TODAY, and it looks like one intense fitness program!

In closing, I can’t imagine my life without workouts.  They have become a part of me.

P90X Phase 2 Results

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Day 60 Flexing

Phase 2 has come and gone, and I’m continuing to see improvement!  My pull-ups and chin-ups are starting to increase, and I’m back up to 30 push-ups per set.  I really hope that Phase 3 puts me over the edge and makes me fitter than ever before!  I’m not sure if I’m going to reach my goal of a perfectly defined six-pack or 10 pull-ups, but I’m going to continue to do my best and see what happens.  P90X is still challenging, and I am loving my marathon running group.  I’m definitely enjoying the journey! 

Day 60 Side View

Day 60 Favorite Pose

Staying Fit on the Road

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I love my job!  As an Assistant Brand Manager, I get to travel a lot for work.  This means trying to find balance in work, travel, fitness, and healthy eating.  While this isn’t easy to do, it can be done.  Read on for some tips I’ve picked up in the last couple months of business travel, and feel free to share your own.  This is definitely a learning experience for me!

Workouts
1) Wake up early!  If your business trips are anything like mine, you don’t have any free time.  Even if you have a 730am meeting, try waking up at 5am to fit in a workout.  You’ll be glad you did.
2) Spread the word!  Tell your coworkers your plans to workout in the morning and encourage them to join you.  Even if you’re in the gym solo, you can bet that your guilt stricken coworkers will ask how that workout went.  Case in point – I was in Florida for a 4 day business trip and had 3 workouts buddies at 515am on day 2.  When my alarm went off at 5am on day 3 (which felt like 2am PST) I really wanted to hit snooze and catch up on some sleep, but then I remembered that I had already told my coworkers that I’d be in the gym again and didn’t want them to think that I wasn’t dedicated to my workout plan.  So, with this thought in mind, I made my way to the hotel gym and worked out solo.  Apparently no one else had the same feelings as me that morning…
3) Workout immediately before and after your trip.  Even if I have an 8am flight, I make a point of getting a 5am workout in before I hop on that plane.  The same goes for when I get home; I will workout ASAP.  If I get too comfortable and realize how exhausted I am after all that traveling, I will never get off the couch.
4) Be flexible!  You never know what kind of gym you’ll have waiting for you in your hotel.  Most likely your company isn’t choosing a place based on their free weight set or treadmill collection.  On my FL business trip, I planned to run 5 miles one day and to do P90X Back and Biceps the other day.  I soon discovered that our gym consisted of 4 treadmills and not much else, so I wasn’t able to do P90X full-out.  I still wanted to workout, of course, so I fit in another day of treadmill running, and P90X was still waiting for me when I got to the comfort of my own home and pull-up bar.
5) Do your research!  I haven’t done this yet, but after reading over this post it occurred to me that a lot of ambiguity could be avoided if I just called ahead and asked the hotel what kind of fitness equipment they have.  I’ll have to try that next time!

Nutrition
1) Bring your own snacks!  Some of my favorite healthy foods to travel with include apples, raw trail mix and/or almonds, and a lot of protein bars.  You can never be too prepared.  I never expect people to provide me with healthy, vegetarian food, so I always travel armed with nutritious options.  Next time, I think I’ll bring individual servings of protein powder so I can mix it up with water when needed.
2) Keep bottled water on hand!  Stay hydrated and full on water to prevent unnecessary snacking.  A lot of people mindlessly munch when they think they’re hungry, when in fact they are just dehydrated.
3) When you find something healthy, stock up! During day two of my business trip, the hotel provided us with cookies as a nice, fattening snack.  Luckily for me, there were 2 bunches of grapes and thinly sliced strawberries scattered across the cookie tray!  To be fair, I only took 1 bunch of grapes and half the strawberries at first, but when they didn’t get eaten by anyone else, I went in for the rest.  I couldn’t let that beautiful fruit go to waste!
4) Don’t skip breakfast.  I know you’re heard this a million times, but I truly believe this is the most important meal of the day.  Definitely take advantage if you can stock up on eggs and fruit.  From what I’ve seen, the meal choices only get less healthy as the day progresses.
5) Share your plan with your coworkers.  People rarely offer me cookies or cake at office gatherings anymore (unless they want to tease me) because they know I won’t budge.  They’ve seen how I stick to my nutrition plan and how much I love to talk about P90X and the amazing things it has done for me.

Group Runs

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Tuesdays and Saturdays we have our group training runs.  Monday and Thursday we’re supposed to be running on our own.  Our running group has multiple levels to choose from – Beginner Run/Walk, Intermediate Half Marathon, Intermediate Full Marathon, Advanced Marathon.  My friends and I categorized ourselves as Intermediate Full Marathon runners, so our program includes 4 runs per week and 1 day of optional cross training.  Of course, we are turning our 1 optional day of cross training into 3 days of strength training, yoga, and possibly more with P90X!  Our coach is advising us not to strength train more than once a week, but I’ve heard success stories where people have trained for a marathon while strength training multiple times per week.  As long as we are careful not to overwork ourselves, I think this will only make us stronger!

Tuesday nights we meet in the Pacific Beach area for stretching and running.  With over 300 participants, we have to go out in waves for our 4-6 mile runs so we don’t take over the boardwalk.  Eventually we’ll also incorporate interval training.  Right now, the focus is on easy runs to build our base.  Easy runs mean you can have a conversation with your running buddy and never get out of breath.  You’re also running at no more than 60-70% of your maximum heart rate.  (See my previous post on how to calculate your maximum heart rate.)  Nicole and I did our first 4 mile group run together and let Jeremy stride ahead while we caught up on the latest details of our lives.  I wore my cute & tiny Stella McCartney for Adidas running shorts but was freezing in the nighttime cold.  I guess I keep forgetting I’m not on vacation in Brazil anymore!  Nighttime runs, like early morning runs before the sunrise, are chilly in the winter – even in San Diego.

Saturday morning runs begin at 7:30am and rotate around the San Diego area.  The first run met close to our house, so Jeremy and I only had to get up 1+ hour before our run to make sure we had time to eat a light breakfast and hydrate.  As the Intermediate Full Marathon group, we had the option of running between 5-6 miles (at an easy pace of course).  Jeremy and I ran together that day and decided to go for 6 miles.  Since we’re both really competitive, it was hard to turn around at 5.  We pushed through it together and finished 6 miles.

Where does P90X fit into all of this?  For the first 2 weeks of the dual training program, we are skipping Tuesday’s Plyometrics workout and Saturday’s Kenpo workout.  I plan to incorporate Plyo Tuesday mornings within the next couple of weeks because I think it is one of the BEST workouts for enhanced performance.  It definitely made me a faster runner last time around!  In November, I finished a 5k with a PR just over 24 minutes (a little over 8 minute miles).  Plyometrics means jump training, and Tony Horton says it will make you faster.  I know marathon training isn’t about speed, but rather, endurance…That doesn’t mean I don’t want to become a stronger and faster runner at the same time!  As for Kenpo, while I also enjoy this workout, it doesn’t make sense to run 6-20 miles and then add 1 more hour to my workout.  I just don’t need it. 

Incorporating P90X into my full marathon training is definitely a work in progress, but I know the benefits will be worth it in the end!

View of Lopes Mendes, Ilha Grande, Brazil

My 18 Week Fitness Journey

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Hello fellow fitness enthusiasts!  My name is Asia, and I’m a 27-year-old female living in San Diego, California.   I’m excited to share my fitness journey with you!  My current 18 week plan is two-fold: full marathon training and P90X!  Can you say Type A?  Here’s how I got there…I’ve always loved running but have recently gotten more into endurance training as a new challenge.  I’ve completed two half marathons, but this will be my first full…Yikes!  I completed the P90X program in November 2010 and had such amazing results that I’m going to do the full 90 day cycle AGAIN.  I will modify it slightly to incorporate the full marathon training.  Needless to say, these are going to be an intense 18 weeks!  Afterward, I’m sure I will come up with additional fitness goals for myself.  I never want to stop training!  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay hot and healthy, right?

Ringing in the new year!

Marathon Training
The San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is June 5, 2011, and I’ll be following an 18 week training program (that also includes a half marathon) to get there.  My boyfriend, Jeremy, and two of our close friends are also doing the marathon. We all signed up for the VAVi running club to help keep us on track and prepared for the ridiculous long runs of up to 20 miles at a time.  Our biggest training week is 40 miles total!  At the very least, I’m sure we’ll be grateful for the aid stations our group provides – I’m trying to avoid purchasing one of those ugly water belts if I can help it!  One of my friends just used VAVi for the Carlsbad Half and got her PR (personal record), and I’m ready for mine too!

America's Finest City Half Marathon, Aug 2010

P90X
P90X is an intense exercise program based on muscle confusion.  It has recently gotten a lot of publicity but has been around for several years.  Just catch a late night infomercial!  Tony Horton is the creator and celebrity behind the program.  There are three phases of workouts that map to three phases of nutrition planning – Fat Shredder, Energy Booster, and Endurance Maximizer.  My boyfriend and I followed the entire workout regimen and nutrition plan last year and saw great results.  I became much stronger now and almost achieved a cute 6-pack!  We are doing the nutrition plan again, but will incorporate more calories on the days we have double workouts (running and P90X), and won’t stay on the Fat Shredder phase as long since we don’t want to lose weight.  It’s important to have the proper amount of calories to stay fueled for these workouts.  You definitely don’t want to be calorie deficient because your performance will suffer!  I’ll dedicate more time to nutrition later, but you can learn more about the P90X program here:

 

Before P90X

After P90X

I’m not an expert by any means, but I do plan to learn a lot about endurance running, P90X, proper nutrition, and how all three of these elements fit together.  I’m curious to see how my body responds to all of this!  Hopefully you will learn something new too and share additional insights.

As Tony Horton, founder of P90X would say, BRING IT!