Ojai to Ocean Marathon ..... Stage 7 of My Journey

The 2nd Annual Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon and Half Marathon takes place on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Starting in beautiful Ojai near Nordhoff High School, the marathon course begins at 700 ft. altitude and gradually descends to sea-level finishing near the historic Ventura Pier. Lot of beautiful mountain and ocean scenery. The course is a fast, USATF certified Boston Marathon Qualifier.

 Ojai is a vibrant place with so much natural beauty that it gained fame decades ago when the area was photographed to represent Shangri-La in the 1939 movie, The Lost Horizon.

 

Finish Line in Ventura City,  half mile from this Wooden Pier

Training:

So far, I only logged 47 miles since the OC Marathon(May 6).  My LSD was a back to back 10 miles.  Also, I was able to squeeze 8 miles of rolling hills ran while bonding with grandchildren at Walnut Creek.  The nasty uphill and downhill will surely help me on the June 3 race.  

Ice water foot bath after workout,  ice pack on my knees and 20 minutes spa after workout are some of the stuff I been subjecting my body to keep it loose and ready for my next Journey.

 

OC Marathon .... Stage 6 of My Journey... Result

Race day started at 3:30 am when the alarm clock woke me up.  Everything been ready before I went to bed so by 4:00 am, my wife and I were on 405S freeway heading towards OC Fair, Costa Mesa.  Arrived at the OC fair parking lot by 5:00 am, grabbed my breakfast bag(cereal and banana), hydration belt, told my wife to lock the car and go back to sleep.

A shuttle bus took runners to Newport Beach Fashion Island where the race started. The OC marathon passes through 4 cities( Newport Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa).  Went to my assigned coral and stayed behind  the 5 hr Pacer.  The race started at around 6:00 am, 30 minutes late. I ran with my group until the HM runners caught up with us.  Got carried away by the fast HM runners that I caught up with the 4:55 hr pacer. Ran with my new group up to Mile13 where I had to stop to check what causing the pain at the bottom of my right foot( point #9 ........ no wonder my shoulder also hurt, tight and as if I was carrying 10 kilos sack of rice. The wonder of Internet ..... instant expert). 





At first, I thought the cushion of my Brooks Pure Flow shoes moved and causing the pressure.  The cushion was in placed but the point where it hurt was swollen, same also on my left foot.  Blisters , one of the  dreaded runner injuries came to mind. Sprayed the areas with "Kool N Fit Sport conditioning Fluid".  Resumed running and was able to catch the 4:55 pacer,  stayed with the group up to Mile 19  where I had to stop again to check and spray my foot.  No skin breakout but the pain was getting intense. and started to limp.  I was already on a  walk mode when the 5 hr pacer caught up with me. Pride and stubbornness took over me and I kept up with them up to Mile 22 where pain and poor stability have taken control.

Walked for 3.5 miles where  the 5:10 hr pacer passed me, but as a consolation to my bruise ego, I passed a 4:10 hr pacer who I think  also got injured. Kudos to him though for carrying the pacer banner up to the finish line.

During the 3.5 miles walked, my body got used to the pain and I was able to adjust the landing of my foot and strides that I was able to jog the last .75 mile.  Crossed the finish line fresh and with smile. 

Split Times:
5Km:      34:40     Pace: 11:10
10Km:    1:10:18  Pace: 11:19
7.5 Mi:    1:2557  Pace: 11:28
 Half:       2:29:17 Pace:11:24
20 Mi:     3:48:14 Pace:11:28
26.2 Mi:  5:14:07 Pace:11:59

Your OK if you can smile and look fresh after 26.2 miles

OC Marathon - Stage 6 of My Journey ..... Expo

May 4 ... First day of the OCM expo at the Fairground.  The door to the expo was just opened when I arrived. The line to get in was too long , fortunately, the full marathon registrants were allowed to cut in. Got my  swag/bib and shirt in 3 minutes.  Plenty of time to browse  around (wifey had to join the line and took her 30 minutes to get in). 

Good Luck to me and all the OCM runners !

What's In at  the expo?

For Cramp & Pain

Coconut water

 

 

5 Hour Energy

A guy thought I was a fast runner because of the low bib #.  Told him that I got the number because of my age. Actually, members of the Legacy Club were assigned low bib #.

My Journey Status

Stage 6 - May 6 ....... OC Marathon

Training is going good. Logged 78 miles since LA Marathon. Longest LSD - 15 miles.  Will run an 18 to 20 LSD before taper week.  Knees and calves getting stronger. Sooo lazy..... do nothing but run, workout and rest. Got to get back to my exciting life ..... dancing, drinking, target shooting and fishing.

Stage 7 - June 3 ...... Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon

This is a fast course, a knee buster and BQ.  Took time to decide to register on this event. After 5 hrs the course will be opened to traffic and hydration stations will be closed. Runners can continue up to 6 hrs on their own.  Will take my chances on this, beside got 50% discount for being a medal finisher last year.

Stage 8 - July 29 .... San Francisco Marathon

The end of My Journey???????.  SFM will be my 8 marathons in 10 months and will be the most challenging course in My Journey.  It will also be the most memorable and significant run for the following reasons:
1. Run SFM since 2010 with my son.  It's a bonding event for father and son.
 2. Run the First Half in 2010, the 2nd Half in 2011 and the Full come July. For my effort, I will receive a   hoodie.

3. Will receive a commemorative medal for having run the LA Marathon and San Francisco Marathon consecutively.

After the Journey
Maybe an ULTRA.

OC Marathon ....... Stage 6 of My Journey

On May 6, I will be running my 6th marathon since October 2011.  I participated at this event since 2010 and for being registered this year, I am now a member of the legacy club.

I did well in my previous half marathons at this event and hopefully,  I can finish strong come May 6.

Training:
The Journey had taken toll on my knees and calves.  It's been a struggle finishing each stage of the journey. Instead of getting  stronger as the Journey progresses,  I been saddled with injuries that requires REST.

To increase/sweetened my chances of finishing My Journey, I devised a training program.
1.  1 mile run: 1 minute walk intervals at a 5+ hrs finish pace(approx . 11 minutes/mile).
2.  2 miles run: 1 minute walk intervals for the 1st 10 miles
     1 mile run:  1 minute walk intervals for the 2nd 10 miles.
     1 mile run: 2 minutes walk intervals from mile 20 to the finish line.

 Last Monday, I did the 2m/1m/10m  at 10:30 pace.  Next LSD will be a 16 miler.

Honda LA Marathon ........... Great Event!!!!!

Great Day for Running though it didn't start this way.  Weather forecast was cold, wet and windy.

My race day started at Santa Monica. At 3:45am, I walked from the hotel to the shuttle pick up station. The shuttle took us to the starting line at Dodger Stadium. After picking up a banana and water, I went to one of the empty expo tents for shelter. Body heat from other runners inside made waiting a bit comfortable.... 3 hrs wait for me.  Plastic garbage bags were available in anticipation of rain.

During the starting ceremony, the elite runners, who are from Kenya and Ethiopia, were introduced. Some City officials were also introduced. The Mayor of Los Angeles got the cheers and the former owner of the Dodgers got the boos.  At this time runners were taking off their jackets, sweaters and etc. Lots of runners are smart to leave their jackets by the side of the street and some are plain stupid to leave their shits in the middle of the street. All these discarded jackets and etc will be collected and donated to charities.    

I joined the 5 hrs group and stayed with the pacer till Mile 23 where my right calf tightened and in pain but no cramp. Fell behind but didn't panic and able to recover and finish strong at the last 2.2 miles.

Course was pretty good, challenging, passing through well known landmarks(Hollywood, China town, Little Tokyo, Beverly Hill, etc.) and lined up with enthusiastic supporters/spectators. Hydration stations at every mile manned by students  and entertainment at strategic locations.. 

Strong gutsy wind greeted runners at Mile 23 and it came at the worst stretch of the run where most runners, like me, are running/walking on determination and guts. A left turn at Ocean Blvd/Highway 1/Route 66, runners were greeted by thousand of  spectators and smell and cold breeze from the ocean signaling  that the finish line is near.  Runners gave all they got (NOT RECOMMEND) and with cheers and motivations crossed the Finish Line.

Shore Hotel Lobby. Tired but Happy to Finish Stage 5 of My Journey

Performance
Finish Time: 5:02:10
AG Place:   11 out of 81

Split Time:
10K - 1:10:06
20K - 2:19:27
30K - 3:30:29
40K - 4:46:29

				Actual Pace
Mile 1	-			10:51
Mile 2	-			10:36
Mile 3	-			11:01
Mile 4	-			10:48
Mile 5	-			11:36
Mile 6	-			11:25
Mile 7	-			11:16
Mile 8	-			10:54
Mile 9	-			11:15
Mile 10	-			11:03
Mile 11	-			10:58
Mile 12	-			11:02
Mile 13	-			11:28
Mile 14	-			11:29
Mile 15	-			11:01
Mile 16	-			11:20
Mile 17	-			11:31
Mile 18	-			11:07
Mile 19	-			11:13
Mile 20	-			11:33
Mile 21	-			11:10
Mile 22	-			11:40
Mile 23	-			12:21
Mile 24	-			14:35
Mile 25	-			11:38
Mile 26	-			12:01
0.2 mi	-			11:00

Honda LA Marathon ........... Training Update!!

This morning, I ran my farthest LSD since SurfCity Marathon(2/5), a 16 miler. Calves seems to be alright. It tightened up at miles 7 and 12 but didn't develop into a cramp. This will be my last LSD and will just do gym workout and lots of stretching till the LA Marathon (3/18). 

Mile 1	-		10:39
Mile 2	-		10:57
Mile 3	-		10:49
Mile 4	-		10:55
Mile 5	-		10:57
Mile 6	-		10:53
Mile 7	-		11:06
Mile 8	-		11:20
Mile 9	-		11:19
Mile 10	-		10:45
Mile 11	-		10:49
Mile 12	-		10:59
Mile 13	-		10:58
Mile 14	-		11:28
Mile 15	-		11:34
Mile 16  -	11:26