the ING weekend

Once again, the last days of January are dedicated to Miami, the ING weekend! Yes, this time I remained at 'home' down here in Miami to compete, instead of travelling, to fulfil my desire & destiny of being an athlete for life.

Saturday agenda-tropical 5k

I stuck to my tradition of using the tropical 5k as a tune-up for the main event the following day. That means I had to pass on other races. Like last time, I wanted to help pace Leo, Gene if necessary, since both were in attendance. However, this year, I got left behind & just hoped to finish well enough to place. I wanted only to do enough to make the top 5 in my age group but since they got stingy by not offering a master title and reduced it to only 3, my 5th place age finish didn't make the podium. If it hadn't been a finishers medal, I would've walked away empty handed, or neck, if want to be technical. To add insult to injury, the post race refreshments were pathetic, with only bagels & bananas (no oranges or sweets). Afterwards, I went to the expo to pick up my packet & met up with lots of fellow athletes, most of whom were planning on running tomorrow. I met with current 'old' friends, such as Courtney, Louis Best (at race) & some newer ones, like Allan W, Tamara, Lisa Dorfman. I had the honor to speak to & cool down with the legendary coach GP (3rd overall @ 5k). The second, also a legend, was Lisa Dorfman.

Sunday agenda-main event!

The main events are distance races, the half & full marathon. Having completed the first five as marathons, I am satisfied & now choose the former on my quest to a decade with this event. I dub it as the main event because #1, the marathon and half are the feature events and #2, we're talking about distance, which requires endurance. I am on par to get the ten year jacket so other races (like the Ocala marathon) have to wait.

It started off a decent 70 degrees with not much rain in sight. It remained cloudy throughout keeping the heat down but, it was seemed humid and a bit windy. This is my 3rd half of the year (& month), and coupled with the fact that this course is not exactly flat & forgiving, I didn't expect a great race.

I had a great start and made some personal accomplishments, such as being with Leo till 5k point, Gene & Leo in sight on ocean dr, still within target range through 10k, in front of Louis M till near 15k; it went downhill from there. Fortunately, I escaped without any serious physical harm, even though my pinky toe hurt like the dickens. I have officially completed all ten of their events! Now I gotta fight to get my jacket, like 5 years ago. The post race refreshments were 3 1/2 star (no oranges). The finishers medal was by the far the best ever. No official mylar blankets were given out.

Congrats to all runners who finished, especially runners depot teammates .

E nair row

E nair row, that's the closest i can sound out the Spanish word for January.

Saturday agenda-race!

I had 3 on my radar, although more were available if travelling:

1. everglades ultras
2. boca christian torch run 5k
3. the race to walk

#1 is a little too much distance for me, especially considering my struggles with the half. I enjoyed & intended to do #2 but plans fell through. besides, it was kind of far, considering that's in palm beach county; #3 wins!

I'm gonna break it down Clint Eastwood style:

The good: won age group; top ten performance
The bad: failed to break 20,  generic medal (some info)
The ugly: I was dusted by nearly 3 minutes by the master winner; no one between us.

Sunday agenda-race!

3 events sparked my interest:

a. key west half marathon
b. an angel among us 5k
c. bal harbor 5k/10k

For me, the choice was simpler. When #2 above failed, I picked #3. I enjoyed a. but based on my previous 2 halves this year, coupled with the travel to get there, I passed on it this year. b. was held at tradewinds; I didn't want to race at the same park as I did yesterday so c. wins.

Although the 6th annual, it was my first time there. It's time for the famous Clint Eastwood synopsis:

The good: beat yesterday's time & won master title; top ten performance
The bad: failed to break 20, generic medal (no info), hot (late start) with bridge
The ugly: 2 kids beat me, time improvement was only 2 seconds, late start (8:10).

MLK jr weekend

MLK jr weekend is upon us! Also, this is my first mid month crisis of the year.

Saturday agenda-race!

I had the following on my radar:

1. the Honda classic 5k
2. 5k 4 kids 5k
3. JFS 5k
4. Miramar 5kk/10k

I selected the race most logistically located toward my next event destination; #4.

I was a return to a race I did in the past & enjoyed. This is my tune up race for the main event (half). I did what I could but thanks to the running Gods (I say that knowing there is only 1), I won the master title. I wish the best to the one who would've won (Ralph), but after 2 miles, pulled over for health reasons. I discovered after the fact that a competitor ran stealth in an attempt to defeat me but by the grace of God, failed; he took 2nd. I love the awards given out (except the medals for 3 in age groups). Gene tagged along to carpool with me to Naples. I was a little peeved he didn't run since he couldve placed.

Sunday agenda-race!

a. rnr AZ
b. marathon Bahamas
c. Naples half marathon

a=out of state, b=out of country; congrats to Brian on PR win at the latter. I am a lifetime member & always enjoy Naples, so of course, I return.

Due to external conditions (extreme cold (mid 40's)) and internal conditions (re injured left hip in 1st half mile), I struggled to get through the half. Remarkably, it is technically a PR for the year and an improvement (by about a minute) despite the dismal time. I got what I came for: the finishers medal. Congrats to Gene on his 2nd best time ever.

Monday agenda-MLK 5k

Dr. Martin Luther King jr is my other hero; Jesus Christ is first. If it hadn't been for him, I would not be able race with & have friends like the Legendary Sylvia & Lisa D., both who did well in their age groups today.

As for me, I suffered my first loss in umpteen years. I was upstaged by a young kid (20 years younger) who beat by best time ever by over ten seconds. I was a little over a minute behind him, forced to settle for runner up. The mid month crisis plagued me once again. Youth prevailed, but remember, he was fresh and this was my 3rd event of the weekend. Eventually, I have to pass the torch to a youngster; today, I was compelled to do such, reluctantly. I'll take my trophy & move on to the next one.

Magical weekend?

Magical weekend? Yes indeed.

Saturday agenda-race!

Ruling out the ragnar relay which began on Friday, a day I couldn't get off, and since the Disney half is today, requiring that packet pickup be prior, I had the following choices:

1. undy 5000
2. run for the animals 5k
3. flippany 5k/10k

All timed by accuchiptiming, by the grace of God, I was able to do a double header; truly magical. This was the first time my dad got to witness me pull this off.

Race #1: run for the animals 5k

This event was held at the same place my last race of the year was. It also featured a 1 mile dog walk after the 5k. It was a late start race (8) but luckily, it was a cold morning. Thankfully, virtually no wind. I left almost immediately after finishing in an effort to get to the next event with ample time. I had no idea what time I did or even if I placed, but if so, I had to leave without hardware. To make a long story short, I failed to match or beat the time I did just a week ago but I found out after the fact, I got the same age group position (footworks categories (1 overall, no master)).

Race #2:  undy 5000

By the grace of God, I made it in time. It was considerably hotter (9) but the later start allowed for the double header. I did what I could but was nearly 30 seconds slower than the previous race. However, I won my age because thankfully, there was a master slot. Praise the Lord for allowing me to get top ten in both events. The award I got was a medal. Unique with this race was getting underwear bottom in lieu of a t-shirt.

Sunday agenda-race!

This is the main event. I saw it fitting to involve my dad in the inaugural 2 person Disney marathon relay. Why? We did (as individuals) the inaugural marathon, inaugural half marathon and the inaugural marathon and a half (goofy challenge). We are Bell's Elite Sports Team; Truly magical.

It was quite cold, 50 at start, but luckily, no wind. It warmed up to mid 60 as the race progressed. I happy to begin in the first wave, by mile 3ish, when we wrap to pass the starting line, I heard the last wave going off. Sadly, I felt a bit tight, no doubt from lack of sleep & proper rest. After a bit of confusion at split (full vs relay), I tagged off to dad. We both improved on our times from our last distance race, the Latin half. We are now a part of history. We placed 52 out of 111 in the male category & my dad informed me that we were in the top 25% of all teams; impressive. I like the long sleeve tech shirt & finishers medal but didn't care for the post race. The entire experience was well organized. Except for cost, may consider a return.

In with the new '12

Happy new year! In with the new '12. Wishing you all an active, injury free athletic year. I wanna put all the bad experiences of last year behind & move on to hopefully better ones this year. I shall cherish the positive memories of last year, but unfortunately, be compelled to deal with any lingering situations this year. Traditionally, we make resolutions, & like bones, they may be broken. My top ten list will include the usual, some will be continuations, some may be possible & some may be improbable, but it doesn't hurt to dream. Come to think of it, didn't Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr do that? Obama is certainly thankful.

Top ten resolutions for this year (not necessarily in order):

1. Continued athletic success, especially with racing & competition.
2. Health.
3. Wealth.
4. Wisdom.
5. Employment.
6. Training (stepped up).
7. Change.
8. Teamwork.
9. Diet.
10. Travel.

Now it's time to expound on those resolutions.

1. Last year, I did 103 races, way less than the previous year. This was largely due to relationship issues, forcing me to divert my energies elsewhere; I'd prefer to be with someone. Although I'd like to match or beat my highest total of races in a single year, my main goal is continuation; march of last year marked 2 decades since I began competing.
2. To do the aforementioned, I must maintain good health, largely through fitness & diet. That means I still won't smoke or drink, and naturally, do my best to avoid injury & illness.
3. This resolution has always failed but you never know;this might be the year. Maybe I'll get rich the easy way by winning in the powerball or the hard way with some breakthrough opportunity.
4. Hopefully, as I progress, this continues to improve. I made it this far through trial & error, & experiences. Thus far, 2 out of 3 (healthy, wealthy & wise) has been my case.
5. Since the quick fix (lottery) has thus far never panned out, I'll need to keep my job to survive.
6. To get the glory (race win), one must train. I plan to up the ante with quality workouts, such as a 3 mile blast at Niketown.
7. Obama's slogan. He is the change America needs. However, I too, must utilize this. I revolve to make some adjustments in my normal scheme of things. Like Rick Scott says, 'let's get to work'.
8. I want to continue doing relays, both as a team captain & participant. In 2008, I eliminated most series participation, in lieu of individual events because I sacrificed too many running races that I loved the previous year. I will likely adhere to this resolution this year (limit to 2 series). However, I want to increase the number of individual relay races.
9. Continue & hopefully improve upon my nutritional regimen, such as my no meat diet.
10. I will travel as necessary, meaning doing only races that have some significance or purpose to me. I'll avoid just racing to race if it is far.

Today's agenda-1st race of the year

Once again, I did the run, walk, crawl 5k. I picked the middle option because it is extremely difficult to find a racewalk with awards. I failed to beat my anticipated time. largely because I've been battling an injury sustained 2 weeks ago at a race, plus lack of walk training. Thankfully this year, it was cooler weather. Despite the circumstances, I still was the overall racewalker. The generic medal was much improved from last year, featuring a design I never had! It featured a sticker with basic race data, unlike the horrible 2008's that had absolutely no info was on it at all; I had to write on the medal, the event, date, & result. This time, Jon showed & won the run while I won the racewalk, making us the lone representatives for runner's depot.

FYI

You may have noticed much of this blog seemed like a carbon copy of the previous year's post. Testament to how life can be similar yet different. Get out & run!