First...congrats to the 2006 American League West Division Champions Oakland Athletics---WOOHOO!!!
I had to miss part of this game because tonight was a buddy run! Nothing interesting to report. Ran with my mentee around the lake once. It's getting dark very early now. Good thing I had my headlight.
My first run after Disneyland was this past Saturday morning. I didin't feel like going because I was still recovering from a cold. However, I decided to just get out there and see how I felt. I made my way to the 6:30 am run at San Leandro Marina and met up with Mentors Rudy and Sandra to lead the run for the 11 other participants. The team was doing anywhere from 5-8 miles. I opted to do around 5 miles as a taper. I kept much of the run at my mentee's pace since she was coming back from a few weeks of non-running. She had some big problems with her shoes. It was slower than my normal pace, but I didn't mind because I wasn't feeling 100%. Next Saturday, i'll look to do 8 miles....which will be a week before the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.
I’m back and all I can say is…I’m exhausted.After running 13.1 miles, I’m almost certain we walked another 2 full marathons within 2 days.
The trip began with me waking up at 2:30 am on Saturday morning.After picking up Karen and Rocky, it was off to meet up the rest of the gang at 5:00 am.We hopped in one car and it was a 6 hour ride down to So Cal.It went pretty smooth until we hit traffic in downtown LA.Then in was a slow go from that point to Anaheim.After grabbing lunch at what seemed like the slowest service ever, we headed to the expo.Thank goodness it was small and we were out of there quickly.We pretty much chilled and napped.Got to bed early (8:00 pm) and was quickly awoken by fireworks going off for Disneyland at around 9:45 pm.It sounded like a war zone.Fortunately I was tired enough that I fell right back to sleep.
Race Morning - 9/17/06
I woke up 3 minutes before the alarm went off at 3:00 am.Got my running gear on and had some yummy toasted breakfast (courtesy of Cappy) and we were off to the shuttle bus at 4:00 am.Arrived at the start and pretty much hung around and did nothing…oh except go potty.Got into our corrals (or for me, snuck into a different one) and waited some more until the official start at 6:00 am.Since Cappy and Olivia are near my pace, my focus was to stick with them for the entire race.Greeting us at the start line was a pyro-spectacular where all the Disney characters were waving to us high above inside the parked monorail train.
Mile 1-4
The first mile took us through the streets surrounding Disneyland Resort.After passing the first mile marker, there was already a water stop.The first thing I noticed was that they were serving bottled Dasaini water. YES!...no disgusting fire hydrant water!I didn’t take any water because I wanted to go into this race as it was a training run.I’ve never drank water after the first mile and wanted to wait for the next one, which figured would be around the 3rd mile marker.Anyways, after the water stop, we headed into California Adventures.The park was empty, but all the lights and music were going off, so it was not boring one bit.All the Disney characters were out and some runners took a detour to take pictures with them.All the employees were out in full force, smiling and cheering the runners on.Honestly, I’m not sure how any runner could not be smiling while running through the parks.Some runners dressed up in full Disney gear.
By mile 2.5, we cut through into Disneyland.Somewhere past mile 3, we lost Cappy and Olivia and I were on our own.We exited the park and around mile 4, we stopped at the port-a-pottie; however, it was only a 2 minute detour and we were able to make up that time during the next mile.
Mile 5-7
This is where the race got really uninteresting.When you think of Anaheim, you associate it with OC (OrangeCounty).You think of the TV show or you think of Laguna Beach.Where we ran was a complete opposite.I guess it was so bad that I don’t recall anything about it. I do recall passing by a 24-hour mexican restaurant. Somewhere during this time, we found Cappy again....so that's one positive.
Mile 8-10
The three amigos hung together again where we ran through the Anaheim Pond (where the Anaheim Mighty Ducks Hockey team plays.).All I remember here was that it got really hot and I knew I needed to fuel like crazy on electrolytes.After the pond, it was mile 9 and we were on our way to enter through Angel Stadium.At this point, Cappy had to use the potty and we forged ahead.As we entered the stadium through the right field wall, it felt like the movie Gladiator where Russell Crowe and the rest of the warriors looked up to see the coliseum as they prepared to fight.I have never been on a major league baseball field and to look up…I was in awe.Unfortunately it was Angel stadium, but we did make sure Oakland was well represented in the house of the enemy.I even got “boo’ed” by the cheerleaders dressed in Angels gear. Whatever...I had to represent the 510....cuz the EAST BAY ROCKS!
As I exited Angel stadium, I could feel my right calf tighten up.Perhaps it was karma for all the stuff I did in Angel stadium, but I’ve had right calf problems throughout all my races.I was just surprised it happened this early.Then again, I hadn’t trained more than 10 miles and we were approaching the 10 mile marker.In fact I think hit the half marathon “wall”.At mile 10, I turned to Olivia and said, “I’m tired, you wanna walk it a bit.”We did it for about a minute and we were back up running.Unfortunately my right calf was acting up again, but this time it pulled me back.I stepped off to the side to stretch it off.I decided to take a salt packet as it was likely I needed more salt because of the heat.
Mile 11-13.1
From mile 11, it felt like a blur again.I don’t remember much except that it felt like I was going extremely slow and my calf was occasionally pull me back.I was able to run at a consistent pace, but it seemed as if it was a minute slower than my normal mile pace.I have to say Olivia helped me get through the remaining 2 miles.If I was alone, I think I would have just stopped and walked it.She was running so I tried to keep up with her.By mile 12 we’ve entered into Disneyland again and had to make our way back to Downtown Disney.Approaching mile 13, I could see my sister and her boyfriend.They gave me high-fives and I was picking up the pace to reach mile 13.
My calf was locking up at this point and it felt like I was limping the rest of the way.I was sprinting, but Olivia reminded me there was still .1 left.I held back until I made the turn to see the .1 and could not resist sprinting it a bit to the finish line.All I remember was me going “Ouw, Ouw” the rest of the way because my calf was pulling me back.I looked over and Olivia and I crossed the finish line.Official chip time was 2:34:54.That’s my first ever PR!I beat my old time by 15 minutes.It’s a pretty good feeling.
Later in the day, we headed out to California Adventures and Disneyland the next day.My feet and legs have never felt so tired…hehe.But it was a fun race and trip.It’s definitely worth going back next year!
Here's a video (courtesy of cappy) of me and Lindsay in the tea cups. Watching this again is making me nauseated. Look how much faster we are spinning than everyone else.
I was at work and got the call from Coach asking me to lead track tonight. Unfortunately, some mean people broke into his car, so he had take care of it and could not make the workout. I'm sure Coach ran down his entire list before he got to me, nonetheless I was still honored he trusted me to lead track. He gave me the workout instructions and I headed out to track to relay them to the 5 eagerly dedicated participants present....hehe. hey..it's not quantity, but quality right?
I pretty much chilled (literally) and kept time while everyone ran one mile at a warm-up pace and the second mile at "run your ass off" speed. Everyone looked good. As long as no one gained aggravations, I think I did my job...hehe
Have a great weekend and come back to read about my Disneyland run experience!
Tuesday night ~~~>buddy run night! I was really thinking it was going to be a solo buddy run night and a mentee showed up! It's bizarre how each week it's a different mentee. I was just happy there was someone to run with. About 2/3 around the lake we heard a honk and it was Coach Al. Not sure where he was going, but I shouldn't be surprised we bumped into him...afterall the lake is his "office." We went around just once, but it was a good tune-up run for me. I like how the sun set during the run because it got nice and cool. Weird how I haven't bitched about the lake in a very long time. I guess our relationship is getting better. I suppose my frustrations with it in the past was all mental and I used to use it as a cop-out for my poor performance. I'm glad i'm finally growing up.
My last "long run" before Disneyland was yesterday. This one started out as a toughy. I've noticed my previous 3 long runs, that i've had a lot of trouble starting up or warming up. It takes about a good 1-2 miles to finally find my rhythm. Before that, my legs...particularly my calves feel sluggish and tired. It's not until the 3rd mile is when I feel really comfortable and "in the zone." I contempleted doingn 6 miles, but felt good and did a total of 8 miles. The last 4 miles, I did with my mentee. During the run I finally tried out the Cliff Shot blocks I purchased over a month ago. All I can say is "yuck!" Not only can I taste all the salt in them, but it's so difficult to chew three. The gummy texture sticks all over the teeth and it's frankly too much hassle for me. I'm better of sticking with the GU gels. It's easy to take and i'm done with it in about 10 seconds.
Although Disneyland is a half marathon, I will still treat it with the respect it deserves. 13.1 miles is still an endurance event. If I disrespect it, I have a funny feeling that i'm going to have a horrible race. So i'm going into Disneyland with all the anticipation and excitement of a challenging race because it is. Exactly 7 days left....can't wait!
I like Labor Day Weekend and all, but I feel like Jabba. I had BBQ 3 of the 4 days and I feel so damn unhealthy. So I was so glad tonight was buddy run night! It's a little disappointing that we only get 3-4 people to show each time, but it's actually nice because we can spend some one-on-one time. Such is my mentee who is unable to make weekend long runs; therefore Tuesday nights are her longest runs of the week. Tonight I ran with her and after conquering her first time around the lake last week, it was time for her to go a little further tonight. I tacked on another 2o minutes after looping the lake and we did about 5 miles. I can already see the improvement in her endurance training and cannot be more prouder. Besides kick-off, she really hasn't been around to feel the "team" atmosphere, but she's still very enthusiastic about the program. That's awesome.
Saturday morning was a YOYO running day for me. Well, sort of. I along with O met some of my mentees at the Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal to run. O and I got there at 7:00 am to squeeze in a few miles in our attempt to follow the Disneyland training schedule. The goal was to run 4 miles before the others arrived and do 6 miles with everyone else. We headed south towards the Raider's headquarters and due to time constraints, we ended up doing only 3 miles. Kind of bummer since I think the last 3 weeks we had set out to do 10 miles, but we always ended up short. This week looked to be no different.
The rest of the group joined us at 8:00 am and we headed up north towards the main island. To my surprise, those who originally set out to do 4 miles, felt great and decided to do the 6 miles with us. Having been short each week, O suggested we do an extra 1/2 mile more for our out and back course so that we finally get the 10 miles we had desperately been waiting for. We did and we dragged everyone else along with us. They ended up doing 7 miles and we got our 10 miles!
Saturday's running felt okay. Much like last week's weekend run, I was sluggish the first 3 miles. I eventually warmed up and felt great. I really think circuit drills have something to do with it. Next week, we'll be tapering down as Disneyland is now only 2 weeks away!
Location: Alameda Ferry Terminal Weather: Overcast - 60s Time: 1:46:08 Miles: 10 miles Pace: 10:36 <~~~~hmm...not sure about that
BOSTON (AP) -- Boston Red Sox rookie left-hander Jon Lester has a form of lymphoma and will start treatment in the coming week, the team announced Friday.
Enlarged lymph nodes were identified when Lester, 22, was tested to determine the cause of back pain that sent him to the disabled list last Monday. The club said Friday he has a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
Manager Terry Francona visited Lester on Thursday morning and several players commented later that day, before the diagnosis was announced.
Pitcher Curt Schilling referred to the melanoma his wife dealt with several years ago.
"Having been in a situation where cancer was an operative word, it's an incredibly scary thing," Schilling said. "You're talking about a kid at the beginning of his life."
Lester is 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 81 1-3 innings.
Lester was called up to the majors for the first time June 10, when he started in a 7-4 loss to Texas. He wasn't involved in the decision. He improved to 5-0 with a 1-0 victory at Kansas City on July 18.
On Thursday, reliever Mike Timlin said baseball pales in significance to Lester's health.
"It's his life. It's not him not being able to get out of the sixth inning," Timlin said. "He's 22. That's a long future not to have if you come up with an illness that you can't get rid of so we are praying for him."
"Winning baseball games, yeah, that's great. Losing baseball games, no, that's not very much fun. But dealing with horrible things in human life, that's a whole lot worse than losing."
Lester, from Tacoma, Wash., was Boston's first pick in the 2002 draft. In his first four minor-league seasons, he had a 24-22 record with a 3.38 ERA in 73 games, 69 of them starts, and was considered one of the Red Sox top prospects.
Last year with Double-A Portland he had an 11-6 record and led the Eastern League with a 2.61 ERA.
This season with Triple-A Pawtucket, he was 3-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts before being promoted.
