June 3, 2007 - I finished the Rock n Roll Marathon (my 10th marathon overall) in 2:57:41!! I could not believe it. After the injuries that sidelined me this year I didn't expect much from this marathon.  If you want to see the race photos you can click here and check me out on the course at various points including the finish line. Below was my training log for the 2007 Rock n Roll Marathon, which will took place on June 3 in San Diego. Last year, I accomplished my ultimate running goal and actually broke 3 hours in a marathon with a 2:59:07 finish at the 2006 Boston Marathon. This year I was hoping to go back to Boston and defend that time. I was on my way, but a tendonitis injury in early February sidelined me for a few weeks. I lost a lot of training. Instead, I decided to run the Rock n Roll Marathon since it would allow me have more time to train post-injury.
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Training Weeks
| Date | Time | Estimated Mileage | Observations |
| Dec. 4, 2006 | 40:18 | 5.5 | I didn't know I was going to start training this early but figured I had 19 weeks until the marathon. I've had a base of 20-30 miles throughout the fall. |
| Dec. 5, 2006 | 34:35 | 4.6 | I ran at lunch and did not go that fast. |
| Dec. 6, 2006 | 32:30 | 5.12 | I did this on the treadmill at the gym. It came out to 6:20 pace. I had to work hard but was glad to get through it. I need a lot of work when it comes to speed. It will come with time and I will feel better and improve. |
| Dec. 7, 2006 | 40:01 | 5.4 | I took is easy and did not feel good. |
| Dec. 9, 2006 | 1:17:31 | 11.0 | This was a hard run. I was not feeling good as it has been about a month since I ran over 9 miles. My watch is slow so it said I ran like 7:22 pace or something like that for 10.5 miles but I did a Gmaps and it came out to 11. |
| Dec. 10, 2006 | 30:00 | 4.2 | Recovery run. |
| Week Ending Dec. 10, 2006 | 35.82 | GOAL - 40 | I didn't make goal but I wasn't sure if this week was going to count. It's ok. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Dec. 11, 2006 | 6.7 | 48:30 | A run during lunch. I felt ok. |
| Dec. 12, 2006 | 6.0 | 38:37 | A speed workout at the gym on the treadmill. A very fast 13:36 warm up and then switched and went to do 25:01 (4 miles). |
| Dec. 13, 2006 | 4.3 | 31:05 | I didn't have much time today. Took it easy. |
| Dec. 14, 2006 | 6.7 | 48:22 | I did another daytime run. I had lower energy but pushed it at times. |
| Dec. 15, 2006 | 12.0 | 1:22:17 | It said 12.1 on gmaps but my watch screwd up at around 9.6 miles or there abouts and reset. I felt sluggish on the run for about half and then sped up. It took a while to get warmed up and then I really turned it on. If Gmaps is accurate then I did 6:51 pace, which would be great. |
| Dec. 17, 2006 | 5.5 | 41:00 | I took Saturday off since my friend was here and hadn't had a day off yet. My legs definitely needed it. I ran much slower and struggled. |
| Week Ending Dec. 17, 2006 | 41.2 | GOAL - 40 | I just made goal. It was a tough week but was glad to get it in. The speed workouts are slowly but surely helping. I need to maybe go a bit slower on the long runs. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Dec. 18, 2006 | 6.5 | 41:31 | I did a speed workout on the treadmill at the gym. I did a 13:50 2-mile warm up and then 1X2 miles @ 6:07 pace. Then .25 and into 1X1.5 miles at 6:03 pace then slight cooldown. It was a very tough workout. I was dead afterwards. Then I did weights like a lunatic! |
| Dec. 19, 2006 | 6.8 | 48:30 | I ran on my lunch break. I had some energy but it still was not great. I ran faster in the middle toward the end of the run. |
| Dec. 20, 2006 | 6.5 | 46:44 | Happy 31st BDAY to me! I ran at lunch again and did not feel too great. My legs were very heavy. |
| Dec. 21, 2006 | 6.2 | 40:10 | A mini-speed workout on the treadmill. Started at 6:48 pace, then 6:40 for a bit then up to 6:27 and final miles at 6:18 and 6:10 pace. |
| Dec. 23, 2006 | 11.6 | 1:18:26 | After a much-needed off day my watch said I ran 11.2 @6:59 pace on watch but gmaps pedmoteter Web site said the route was 11.8 miles. I adjusted to what I think was the real pace because I am not confident I did 6:40, more like 6:50, but I could be wrong. I really need to re-calibrate the damn watch. I ran down through park and around University Heights. |
| Dec. 24, 2006 | 6.1 | 41:14 | Gmaps Web site said 6.1 miles. My legs were not fresh but just ok. |
| Week Ending Dec. 24, 2006 | 43.7 | GOAL - 40 | I ran over what I should have done but that was ok. My legs are getting stronger and stronger. I do need to get new shoes soon. I still have a few weeks left on these. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Dec. 25, 2006 | 6.4 | 45:34 | I ran in the morning on this Christmas Day. It was ok and about 70 degrees. I felt strong at times and tired at times. I was dehydrated since I was not used to the warmth and ran too late in the morning. |
| Dec. 26, 2006 | 6.2 | 44:04 | I ran after work. It was a mild night so I didn't mind it as much. I felt pretty good. I was going to do speed but figured I would tomorrow. |
| Dec. 27, 2006 | 6.6 | 37:00 | I ran at the gym and did 2.1 miles in 14:20 as a warm up. Then I had to change treadmills since it would not go faster than 8.9 mph. Then when I changed I did a speed workout that consisted of 1X1 mile at 6:08 pace. Then a 1/4 mile slow down period put down to 8.3 mph, then back into 2 miles at 6:07 pace. That was hard. I was dying. I did another mile or so at around 6:45 pace. I kept changing the pace during that cool down, which really wasn't much of a cool down since I was still slighly pushing it. I did chest and back weight work afterwards and had absolutely no energy. |
| Dec. 28, 2006 | 5.5 | 38:17 | I ran during my lunch break. My legs were so achy from yesterday's speed workout. |
| Dec. 30, 2006 | 11.5 | 1:18:09 | I was only going to do 10 but ended up doing more. I ran around University Heights into Normal Heights and back. I was tired but kept the intensity up. I had to stop once around mile 4 to stretch my left calf for about 20 seconds. It was very tight. I need new shoes. It's time. The watch said I did 11.1 at 7:02 pace. I know it's slow so I estimated a bit longer for a 6:47 pace, which is probably why I felt very tired throughout. I ran too fast. |
| Dec. 31, 2006 | 31:11 | 4.6 | I was going to go easier but felt good and ended up with a 6:46 pace per the Gmaps Web site. I felt like I worked that hard and did pick it up hard on a few spots. |
| Week Ending Dec. 31, 2006 | 40.8 | GOAL - 40 | It was a tiring week. I made the goal but honestly I was exhausted half the time. Maybe I just need to eat more before I run. Often, I ran on a very empty stomach. Other than that, I am at the paces I want to be at, but it's so hard. I know it will get easier in time, but I am so low energy. I need new shoes and have ordered them. I have to wait another week or so. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Jan. 1, 2007 | 6.6 | 45:15 | Happy New Year! I ran around 11:30 AM. I don't know if the Gmaps thing is accurate. It said I did 6.69 at 6:45 pace. I could have been doing that but it seems a bit high. I'll have to research with other to see if it is indeed accurate. I went online and heard it does not take into consideration elevation changes and will most likely read short. With that said, I am for now on going to trust that what it says is accurate and maybe even less than what I actually ran. |
| Jan. 2, 2007 | 6.75 | 43:30 | I did a speed workout on the treadmill. A 2-mile warm up followed by 1X1miles at 6:08 pace. Then I did 1X3 miles at 6:10 pace. I felt pretty good on this. I wanted to do 3 miles at once. The total time after warm up with the small breaks was 33:05 for a 6:14 pace. |
| Jan. 3, 2007 | 5.4 | 38:17 | I did an afternoon break run. It was my last day at work. I just wanted to have time after work to do social things. I felt ok. |
| Jan. 4, 2007 | 7.7 | 55:15 | I ran during the day since this was the first day I did not have to work. I am unemployed baby! It was ok. I felt like I wanted to do a longer-ish run but knew that tomorrow I would most likely do my long run of 10+ miles. I have to start throwing in an 8-miler here and there. |
| Jan. 5, 2007 | 11.35 | 1:17:33 | My watch said 6:59 pace and 11.1 but Gmaps said 11.35 for a 6:49 pace. I really tired. I was supposed to do 4 tempo miles within this run. I did about 1.5. I couldn't do it continuously. My legs had nothing really left in them. I did push it harder at the end. It was dry and crisp out today but sunny. I did drink all my water bottles. I still have 3 and need a 4th one. |
| Jan. 6, 2007 | 3.2 | 23:30 | I was supposed to take today off but in order to meet mileage this week it was either a 7.2 miler tomorrow or break it up. My legs are definitely sore but the new shoes will take care of that. |
| Jan. 7, 2007 | 4.3 | 31:11 | I was tired but got this in. I ran around 11:00 on this sunny and warm Sunday. |
| Week Ending Jan. 7, 2007 | 45.3 | GOAL - 45 | I was another tough week but I made the goal. I need to start to do more 7-8 mile runs in the middle of the week instead of 5-6. I don't want to do doubles just yet. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Jan. 8, 2007 | 8.3 | 1:01:00 | I ran around 4:15 and had light most of the run. It was a Santa Ana day so temps during mid-day were in the 70s. It still is very dry. I think it was about 65 when I ran. I felt weak and needed more water. |
| Jan. 9, 2007 | 7.5 | 50:30 | I did a 19:00 warm up followed by 6 half mile repeats on the street. I was very tired. My legs did not feel fresh by any means. I tried to get the repeats at a 5:55 pace. Most were on. The last few I was probably 6:10 pace. I just didn't have anything left. I then did a 2-mile cooldown. |
| Jan. 10, 2007 | 8.0 | 58:46 | I was absolute dead on this job. I was very tired. My legs were like lead blocks. I definitely needed to take today off so I will not run tomorrow. I was so hungry on the run as well. I ran in the middle of the day. |
| Jan. 12, 2007 | 13.3 | 1:30:00 | I did my long run today on Friday instead of tomorrow since I had the time and I took yesterday off. My legs were a lot fresher but still not the greatest. It is taking forever for my running store to get in my Mizuno Nirvanas. It's a week longer than expected and I am paying the price with very tiring runs that take a lot out of me. This was not easy. I was able to keep a 6:52 pace or faster. The watch said 12.9 miles but I think it was off slightly so I think a 6:46 is what I actually did, which is great. Last week it was only off by .35 so I have not done a Gmaps yet on this route. I am too lazy. |
| Jan. 13, 2007 | 7.3 | 54:20 | I knew I had to do 13.1 miles in the next two days to make 50 so I decided to do this one a little longer. I wanted to not have to do over 6 on Sunday since it was going to be speed. |
| Jan. 14, 2007 | 6.02 | 39:00 | I did a tempo-ish run on the treadmill at the gym. I was not feeling good. My legs are dead. Still am waiting on the new shoes. I did this at 6:28 pace overall. I did it faster in the middle and at the end. |
| Week Ending Jan. 14, 2007 | 50.42 | GOAL - 50 | It was so hard to make goal this week but I did it. My shoes need to be replaced! I am so frustrated with my running store. Anyway, other than that, I hope next week will be less painful. Most of my runs felt so hard. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Jan. 15, 2007 | 7.9 | 57:02 | I don't have the new shoes yet but I found a pair of Asics Empires that sufficed since I had not used them that often. They actually weren't that bad. I felt better but still very sore in the quads. Tomorrow is speed work again. We'll see what happens. |
| Jan. 16, 2007 | 7.5 | 49:26 | I did a 19:30 warm up and then did 3X1 mile repeats on Madison Ave with a 2-2:30 min rest/recovery in between. I was exhausted and my legs were not fresh. I did the first one at 5:51, second in 5:53 and third in 5:53. I then did a cool down. It hurt really bad. I really need to get those new shoes. |
| Jan. 18, 2007 | 7.7 | 57:07 | My quads were really sore. I did speed up about half way through the run. |
| Jan. 19, 2007 | 41:20 | 6.5 | This was a very hard run. I did about 6:45 pace for two miles as a warm up (!!) Then I went into 6:18 pace for one mile. Then 6:07 pace. Then I upped it to 6:03 pace for the third hard mile. Then finally 6:00 pace for the last mile. I was SPENT at the end and barely held on to the 6:35 pace as a slight cooldown. I need to do these harder tempo runs every week. I averaged 6:21 pace overall so not bad. |
| Jan. 20, 2007 | 14.5 | 1:41:07 | I was spent on this run. My quads were a little better but halfway through I was hurting. I slowed down a bit the last 3 miles. I ended up with a 6:58 pace. My watch said 14.1 but I know it's off. I ran though University Heights and into Normal Heights to Kensington and back. I am sick of this run and next week I think I will do Mission Hills. |
| Jan. 21, 2007 | 4.4 | 31:30 | I knew I only had to do 3 to make my total this week. I took it easy then sped up. My quads need a break. |
| Week Ending Jan. 21, 2007 | 48.5 | GOAL - 45 | This week felt better since I wasn't under the pressure of doing 50. I was close in any event. My quads were still not fresh. Next week has to be arond 55 so I will see how it goes. I am happy with how my tempo runs are becoming easier. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Jan. 22, 2007 | 9.0 | 1:04:19 | I know I have a 55-mile week ahead of me so I wanted to get some good miles in. I ran during the day (still unemployed) so it was nice to run in the sun. It's annoying that my left headphone went out. I pushed it at times but tried to run at a more relaxed pace. |
| Jan. 23, 2007 | 7.75 | 52:30 | Today was speed. I did a 20:30 warm up. Then rested for 4:00. Then I did 2 miles at a tempo pace (6:20 or so). It was really dry out today, but sunny and relatively mild (temp about 60). I was spent after that. I did another mile and figured it was about a 6:10. I was exhausted. |
| Jan. 24, 2007 | 9.3 | 1:09:00 | I ran a more relaxed run today. I still don't feel 100 percent. I am tired and my legs are tired. I think I will take off tomorrow and then do my 16 miler on Friday morning since I am still not working. |
| Jan. 26, 2007 | 16.4 | 2:00:20 | I did not have a good run today. My body was aching, my knees hurt and my calves were really tight throughout. I had to stop several times to stretch and just rest. It said I ran 7:26 pace so I think it was more like 7:06-7:10. Still, at one point around mile 12 my heart hurt. Not good. I will take tomorrow off. I am trying to run too much. The pressure of 55 miles is getting to me. I need to scale back. I will re-evaluate my training plan and do less miles. Quality is better than quantity. |
| Jan. 28, 2007 | 3.2 | 26:30 | I did elliptal at the gym. My knee hurts still. It was around 3.2 miles on the elliptical. I will not count that as miles. |
| Week Ending Jan. 28, 2007 | 45.65 | GOAL - 55 | Since my knee was huring I ended up taking another complete day off the day after the 16-miler (Sat) and then only did elliptical on Sunday. That meant I was well below goal. Next week may be a complete wash. I think I really need to rest it. I am going to count the miles on the elliptical machine |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Jan. 29, 2007 | 5.0 | 40:00 | I did 5 miles on the elliptical in 40:00 at level 12. It was not that hard but my body was tired. I will try to run tomorrow to see how the left knee feels. |
| Jan. 30, 2007 | 6.5 | 45:30 | I started out slow with the first mile at about 7:25 pace. My knee actually felt fine. I steadily increased the speed ending the last mile at 6:39 pace. I think my knee just needed rest. It is not completely healed, but good enough. I may or may not run tomorrow. I may just do every other day this week. |
| Jan. 31, 2007 | 7.2 | 52:54 | I ran outside. It was ok. I did not go too fast and kept about a 7:20 pace I estimated. I will take tomorrow off and then try a long run on Friday. My knee felt better. It seems to be getting better each day. |
| Feb. 2, 2007 | 15.0 | 1:42:09 | The first 8 miles were tough. I was tired and started this run at 9:50 a.m. I wanted to go earlier but kept hitting snooze on my alarm. I did get up to eat around 7:45, but should have got up at 6:45, but hit snooze for an hour. So everything was delayed. I struggled to maintain pace, but then something miraculous happened. I upped the pace and then I felt fine around mile 8 or 9. I had tightening in my left calf at first. I stopped to stretch twice and then it seemed to get better as time progressed. I felt really strong the last 6 miles or so. My watch said 14.5 miles at 7:02 pace so I think it was more like 15 miles at 6:52 pace overall - right where I should be. I was doing about 6:30 pace for a few miles and just kept pushing. My left knee did not really hurt. I am glad I escaped this without injury. The days off really helped. I have to try to do my miles in 5 days rather than 6. If I need to do doubles in order to have an extra day off then so be it. |
| Feb. 3, 2007 | 6.8 | 50:00 | My legs were not fresh and they were just tired for this run. My knee hurt slightly but nothing like before. I will ice. Tomorrow I may just do 5 miles and call it a week. |
| Feb. 4, 2007 | 5.4 | 40:00 | The legs were still not too great. I felt sore all around. No real pain, just soreness. I ran slower, took it easy. |
| Week Ending Feb. 4, 2007 | 45.9 | GOAL - 45-50 | Minimum I wanted to do 45. If you don't count the elliptical on Monday, then I really only had 40.9, but I am going to count it. Screw it. Why not count it? It's still miles? It's still moving my legs, just not on the road or a treadmill. I felt better this week. The long run went a lot better. I have not done speed though since Jan. 23. I will do it this week. My knee is healed as far as I'm concerned. I am also trying to eat more "Superfoods" so I can get more anti-oxidants. Those types of foods (spinach, soy, walnuts, salmon, blueberries) are supposed to help with inflammation, especially the oils in most fish. I remember last year I was eating salmon about 2-3 times a week and also tuna almost 5 times a week. I have to start doing that again. It helps my running. Less inflammation = less pain = faster running. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Feb. 6, 2007 | 8.02 | 54:00 | I took Monday off since I had no time after my interviews to run since I had to get ready to go to a catering gig. I did speed on the treadmill. After a 2.5 mile warm up I did 1 X 2 miles at 6:15 pace. Then I did a .25 recovery job and into 1 X 1.25 miles at 6:07 pace. It was hard but I made it. I did another 2 miles after for a cooldown but still at a good pace. |
| Feb. 7, 2007 | 9.6 | 1:10:00 | I decided to do a longer run since I need the miles after taking Monday off. I started out fast and slowed down somewhat. It was sunny and cool temps in the upper 50s. |
| Feb. 9, 2007 | 15.0 | 1:45:00 | I did a long run today. It was hard. I averaged I think 7:00 pace but my watch said 14.6 miles at 7:15. So I was considerably slower than last week. I had to stop once to stretch. My left quad was hurting and my left knee a little. I also noticed that the top of my right foot was hurting. I may have a torn ligament. I may take the rest of the weekend off and call it a week. I need to listen to my body. I did not run yesterday but had to stand for almost 7 hours doing a demo. And since I had done almost 10 the day before, I certainly did not have fresh legs. |
| Feb. 10, 2007 | --- | --- | I may have tendonitis in my right foot. I can feel that "vibration" when I move it. I know this feeling when I had posterior tibial tendonitis. This is probably the same thing but on top of my foot. I will take 800 mg of ibuprophen 3 times a day for the next week and see if it goes down. I am not going to run at all today. I will see if I can run tomorrow. Maybe it will go away with icing and the anti-inflammation drugs. |
| Feb. 11, 2007 | 1.5 | 15:00 | I used the elliptical machine at the gym. |
| Week Ending Feb. 11, 2007 | 32.62 | GOAL - 45-50 | I didn't run for two days straight. I have to let the tendinitis heal. I'm way off the goal but that was to be expected. I have to let my foot heal. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Feb. 13, 2007 | 5.0 | 35:11 | So it was my first run since Feb. 9's 15-miler. I had 3 rest days plus taking the 800 mg of ibuprophen 3 times a day. I did use the elliptical on Sunday for 1.5 miles though. I felt ok. My foot wasn't bad and didn't hurt. |
| Feb. 14, 2007 | 6.63 | 46:02 | I was at the gym and did this on the treadmill. I felt fine. It wasn't hurting too bad after. I upped the speed here and there but kept it around 7:00 pace. |
| Feb. 15, 2007 | 6.2 | 42:33 | I did 3.1 miles on the treadmill at work and then another 3.1 on a different machine. It was hard. My legs were ok. My right foot felt ok, it didn't hurt but I was worried. It felt a little sore after. |
| Feb. 17, 2007 | 14.4 | 1:44:51 | This run did not go well at all. I had to stop at least 4 times to stretch. I started around 9:15 a.m. and it was very sunny (not a cloud in the sky) and at least 70 degrees. I knew it was going to be a Santa Ana day but I didn't think the dry and warm conditions would be here until at least the afternoon. So right off the bat I was thirsty. I think the problem is I am not hydrating enough in the days before a longer run. My left calf was burning. My right foot was hurting a little but not that bad. I tried to run fast on portions but had no luck. The heat was just too much, plus my hip flexors felt sore as well. My body was basically a mess. My watch said I did 14.0 at 7:29 pace. I know it's off so I added .4 to it for a 7:16 overall - my slowest training run yet. If things don't get better I won't run Boston this year. I have to somehow let my foot heal. I am going to not run for 7 days. I know it will be hard but I have to do this at this point. I will just do elliptical and weights and bike and take the 800 mg of ibuprophen 3 times a day and HOPE that it heals. I may not run for 10 days. I will then try to gradually get back but it seems I will lose 2 weeks. I have 8 weeks left. I will sign up for Boston but may have to injury defer. I have a flight on hold until March 4. I won't book anything until then. I should know if I will run by then. I am sad that I may not get to run this year. I have trained hard so far. I guess if it wasn't meant it be, it wasn't meant to be. I'm pissed since all those demos I did for EmergenC were the likely cause of this tendinitis. If I hadn't been on my feet for all those hours, my foot would be a lote more rested. I do remember favoring my right foot since my left knee was hurting so I put all my weight on my right. I am pretty sure that is why I have the tendonitis. Not good. |
| Week Ending Feb. 18, 2007 | 32.23 | GOAL - 50 | Another short week. I am still dealing with the tendonitis in my right foot/toe. It's not going to go away unless I stop running for at least 8-10 days. So I will do that. I plan to take this week and only do elliptical and upper body weights. That's all I can do at this point. I will then run every other day 4-5 miles and see how it goes. I have 8 weeks left to fit in a lot of training. I basically only have 6 weeks if you don't count the next two weeks. I don't know if I can train at the same level as last year. It all depends on this injury healing. If it comes back I will not run Boston and try to do the Rock n Roll in San Diego on June 3. I am sad but I have to take care of my body. I don't want to run Boston poorly and not re-qualify. I can injury defer it to 2008 so I don't have the pressure of re-qualifying at another marathon. I can run Rock n Roll without the pressure. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Feb. 19, 2007 | ---5.0 | 45:20 | I did elliptical today at the gym and chest and back weight work. My foot did not bother me at all. Just trying to stay in cardiovascular shape. |
| Feb. 21, 2007 | ---4.0 | 32:00 | I did elliptical at the gym at work. The machine is the Ironman brand and harder to use. It said I burned half the calories as the Lifefitness ones at Bally's. It said I did like 9.4 miles, so I think it's almost like a bike, but upright. So I estimate it was really 4 miles if it were on the road. |
| Feb. 22, 2007 | ---5.0 | 45:20 | I did elliptical at the gym. It was ok. |
| Feb. 24, 2007 | ---7.0 | 1:01:00 | I did elliptical at the gym for a longer period of time since I wanted to get some intense cardio in place of my usual long run on the weekend. I actually miss running. As much as I complain about it, I truly miss it. I have a orthopedic appt on Monday (three days). I hope to get more insight into this injury. I don't feel any pain right now, but I think it is there still and won't fully heal unless I actually take more time off. I think I will start running mid-week next week. I'll try to get three 4-5 milers in. We'll see what the doc says next week. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| Feb. 26, 2007 | --- | 31:00 | I did elliptical at the gym at work. It felt ok. Again it said I did 9.6 miles or something like that. |
| Feb. 27, 2007 | --- | 38:00 | I did elliptical at the gym. I was tired. The mileage said 4.5. |
| Mar 1, 2007 | --- | 50:00 | I did elliptical at the gym. I really tried to push it at times. I was tired and hungry. |
| March 1, 2007 | --- | UPDATE | I went to the doctor on Monday, Feb 26. He recommended I do physical therapy on it for 2 weeks at 3 times a week. He took an X-ray and it was negative. He did say there may be a small bone spur on the top of my foot that may have caused the tendonitis. He said best bet would be to rest another week and see how it feels. I'm not sure what I will do. This weekend I think I will try 4 miles. |
| March 3, 2007 | 5.2 | 41:23 | I am in San Francisco this weekend. I ran along the Embarcadero. I went 20:00 or so and then walked two minutes. Then I ran back down to the financial district. I felt energy. I did not feel pain in my right foot. Hopefully the 13 days off from running helped. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| March 6, 2007 | 4.14 | 30:00 | I ran on the treadmill at my work gym. I swear it is faster than normal. I felt like I was working so much harder to hold an easy pace. Still, it could just be that I have only run once since taking the 2 weeks off. My foot did not hurt, but I definitely did not feel strong. It will come with time. I will run every other day this week and next week start up normal again. |
| March 8, 2007 | 5.5 | 40:30 | I ran outside after work in the streets of Poway. Everything is so wide out there. It was nightime but it was lighted. I basically did some loops since I did not know where I was going. I was trying to avoid the montrous hills, but still had to do some of them. Poway is all hills so I stay mostly on the flat portions. I know that my company is at the top of one of the hills and it's somewhat flat, but I can't go too far so that is why I did the loops. My foot felt ok. I just didn't want to push it too hard. I felt like I had a lot of energy though. |
| March 10, 2007 | 5.7 | 40:00 | I ran on the treadmill at a gym at my hotel since I was in a Anaheim for an expo for EmergenC. It was a good treadmill. I felt I was pushing it at times. Still, my foot did not hurt. |
| Week Ending Mar. 11, 2007 | 15.34 | GOAL - 15 | I wanted to run every other day and I did. I didn't want to over-do this week as it was a build week. I feel strong when I run now. I hope I can maintain this and build back to a long run. |
| Date | Estimated Mileage | Time | Observations |
| May 28, 2007 | 6.5 | 47:01 | I ran at a decent pace but felt awful on the run. My stomach was doing weird things and I had some indigestion from a pb sandwich I had about 2 hours earlier. I am running two more times this week then it's rest, rest, rest! |
| May 29, 2007 | 5.5 | 40:15 | I felt a little better on this run but my legs felt tired. I am so looking forward to not running at all tomorrow and then Thursday being my last run before the marathon on Sunday. |
| May 31, 2007 | 5.1 | 35:09 | I felt great on this run. I think not running yesterday really helped. I did it on the treadmill. I started at 7:13 then went to 7:03 pace for a half mile. I then kept it at 6:58 for a while. Then I ended up going faster. I had a lot of energy. I hope this is a sign of good things to come in the marathon. This was my last run before the big race. I take Friday (tomorrow) and Sat off completely. I averaged 6:53 and it felt almost effortless. |
| 26.2 (Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon) | 2:57:41 | Overcoming adversity is basically the theme of this marathon. I overcame a 2 injuries during what seemed like an endless 25-week training cycle - a half a year! I missed Boston in April due to recovering from tendonitis in February. Then in April I had a soft tissue tear in my arch tendon. I didn't think a marathon this year was possible. I was wrong. Well, the tenth time is certainly a charm. On the day of my 10th marathon I was able to pull out yet another sub-3:00 marathon effort, this time at a 6:47 minute per mile pace. Other stats: 110th place out of 15,958 people and 20th place in the 30-34 age group out of 1,358. I just kept relaxed throughout the entire race and focused on calm thoughts. I kept repeating in my head "stay in this state" and "focus on now". It really helped. The first few miles were standard. I tried not to go out too fast. I was at 6:42 at the first mile and 13:30 at mile 2. I don't remember much about the next few miles. We headed downtown and I really didn't like this part of the course. It smelled like a dumpster and was just not appealing. As I passed by the 10K mark (6.2 miles) I got this sense of dread. I had 20 more miles. Was I going to be able to keep up the intensity? I actually had a thought of just dropping out. Then I realized how ridiculous that was. I knew I could pull out at least a sub-3:10 effort if I really wanted to. So I kept on. Mile 7.5 began the 2.5 mile climb up Highway 163. It was strange being able to run on the highway. I knew about this hill from my 2004 race. I knew it was going to be tough, but it was early enough in the race that I only slowed about 10 seconds per mile. My mileage watch said I was doing 7:20s mostly. I knew at the top I had to step it up. I had taken a Cliff Shot block at the start that had caffeine in it. I think that gave me a little surge. At mile 10 the Front Runners had their water stop. It was great. They announced my name on the microphone as I ran by. I felt great for the next 7 miles. I knew I had to put in a good solid chunk in the middle of this marathon to have any chance of a sub-3. So I glided down to mile 11 - all downhill. It was great. I felt relaxed. Then I got to the half marathon 13.1 miles at 1:27:14. I knew that I had some time in the bank. I could run the second half in 1:33 or so and be right around 3:00. I saw this guy Myles who had been running with me at the start but I let him pull ahead. I asked him what he was trying to maintain. He said 6:40 pace. So I kept with him for a few miles and around mile 15 I surged ahead. I still felt pretty good. I was totally zoning out. I was in a groove. It felt effortless at some portions. I tried to just keep my pace around 6:45 or so. My boss Rich and co-workers Heidi and Charity were right after mile 16. They had a large sign with "Go Anthony" and my face blown up on it. I was so surprised. It was great. I then got the bottle of Gatorade I had asked for. After mile 17 I took another Cliff Shot Block. I wanted to do it around 2:00 or so but decided earlier. I knew I had 9.2 left. I did slow here. I was not feeling great but not bad. I knew I just wanted to get to 20 and then re-evaluate my options for breaking 3:00. Now we were in the Crown Pointe area of Pacific Beach. I took my e-Gel Electrolyte Energy gel around 18.5 miles. I saw someone who worked at SDRI (the running store I frequent) and he gave me a bottle of water to wash it down with. I ate half and waited to get to 20 miles before ingesting the other half. I saw the clock, it was 2:14 or so. I knew I had 46:00 to run the last 10K (6.2 miles). I knew in my mind that I could do that if I did not have any major cramping. At that point it was a hill since we crossed a bridge. I really pushed hard up it, as I was not going to slow for any reason. I heard a guy next to me grunting in pain as we ran up. I yelled "Come on, let's do this" to him. I kept on. I kept on pushing and pushing. I wanted it. I knew I could do it. Still, I had doubts though. As I passed mile 21 I saw Trevor (a pacer) who was waiting for the 3:00 pace group to arrive. He looked anxious for the group to come. Then he yelled out to me, "You are way ahead of the 3:00 group, keep it up!" That was cool and I felt pumped. My confidence soared. As I arrived at mile 22 I told myself I have a Khoury's Run left in me. Khoury's was a 4.13 mile run my old running group Somerville Road Runners did every Thursday night starting and ending in front of this small pub called Khoury's in Somerville, Mass. I saw that the clock read 2:28 so that meant I had 32:00 to run 4.2 finish in under 3 hours. I knew I could easily do that. I upped my pace in the next mile and made it to mile 23 around 2:35 or so. I now had 25:00 to do 3.2 miles - a piece of cake, right? Then, all of sudden, I got a small twinge in my right calf muscle. SHIT! It was a small cramp though. I slowed slightly and told myself that I was not going to cramp up until AFTER it was over. I drank extra water. I got through that scare and was at mile 24 at 2:42 or so. I knew I had 18:00 to do the last 2.2 - that would very easy. I just kept pushing and pushing. I got to mile 25 at around 2:49:50 or so. I knew I had it in the bag as long as the cramping did not start up again. There was 1.2 left and I had 10:10 to do it. I could surely do that. As soon as I made the final left turn into the front gates of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot I knew I only had less than a half mile left. I pushed as hard as I could. I was in so much pain. My hip flexors were burning as well as my calves. My lungs were burning as well. Still, I did not feel dizzy, which was great - a sign I was well hydrated. I heard the announcer's voice in the distance. I was so close! Then I saw a guy cramping up bigtime. He was hobbling his way with the help of his friend. I felt so bad. It could have been me. I didn't even look at my watch at this point. I didn't want to know what the time on the clock said. I knew I was going to break 3 hours, but by how much? Finally, during the last straightaway, I glanced at my watch and it said 2:55 and change. I knew I could feasibly finish in under 2:58. I just sprinted. All out sprinted. I was ecstatic. As I passed the 26-mile mark, the last .2 miles were a complete blur. I did not notice anyone around me. I had a narrow vision to the clock. 2:56:30, 2:56:50, 2:57:20...tick, tick tick... At last, I ran through with both hands raised up high and smiled into the camera. I was well aware they were cameras up above the finish banner so I struck a decent pose. Then it was over. Was it really over? In my excitement I tried to do a cartwheel unsuccessfully and fell to the ground scratching both my palms in the process. Still, I was excited. This guy Dennis from Front Runners was right there as a crossed. He said that I would be on the front page of the GL Times. I laughed. I didn't even expect to see him right at the finish as one of the volunteers. After my breakup over a month ago, I think I gained extra motivation to focus on my running. I did this marathon for myself. I wanted it so bad. I'm glad I was able to run a PR after the struggles I had this year. I couldn't be happier. And this is why I continue to do this. I can't let go of the high of running a great race. I have no regrets about this one, that's for sure. | |
| Week Ending June 3, 2007 | 43.3 | GOAL - 40 | What can I say? I kicked some serious ass! I'm so happy it's all over. |
How awesome, Anthony! I would have done cartwheels too! Yes, I am definitely going to call you Anthony "El Maquina" .Thanks for sharing your experience. I truly enjoyed reading it.
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