The anti-carb load. Carnitas, cheese, and guacamole. #lamarathon...

The anti-carb load. Carnitas, cheese, and guacamole. #lamarathon #fatload #lowcarbrunner #lowcarb #highfat #lchf #keto #nutrition #running (at Whole Foods Market Venice)

The anti-carb load. Carnitas, cheese, and guacamole. #lamarathon...

The anti-carb load. Carnitas, cheese, and guacamole. #lamarathon #fatload #lowcarbrunner #lowcarb #highfat #lchf #keto #nutrition #running (at Whole Foods Market Venice)

RACE RECAP: Lexus Lace Up Series - Irvine Half Marathon

As previously mentioned, this year started off with an ambitious goal. Run a half marathon a month until May where I would run my first full marathon. A week before that marathon, I signed up for my second and decided that I would just carry out this “at least half marathon a month” goal through out the year.

12 races (2 in Nov) of half marathon distance or longer later, and here I was, my last race of the year: The Lexus Lace Up Series half marathon right in my own back yard of Irvine. Half marathon #12 for me.

I was intimately familiar with this course since I used to run much of it when I started running. I knew it would be a flat and fast course, so the question of going out with a bang for the year and going for a PR naturally came to mind.

My previous half marathon PR (1:56) was at my August race, the America’s Finest City half marathon in San Diego. Even though I finally broke the 2 hour mark, this was not an ideal race as the day before I was at the Stone Brewing Company beer fest and was not following my regular way of eating.

Coming into the race, considering how not on my game I was in San Diego but was still able to hit 1:56 and how my 10K went the week before, I figured I could easily hit 1:55, but possibly 1:52. Around an 8:32 pace.

With the starting line so close to home, I procrastinated a bit and got to the race with only 15 mins to spare. I had a little run to the race area, so that served as a nice easy warm up and I was able to greet a few friends before the race started.

I positioned myself right after the 1:50 pacer, but I knew I wouldn’t attempt to keep up with her. The race started and we were off. I started with what I thought was too fast a pace for the first mile, 8:14. Right before mile 2, I came across a fellow member of my run clubs who was on his bike looking for our friends running. He cycled next to me for a bit and it helped me regulate my pace a bit. We were running along the “Mountains to Sea” river bike path/trail. The great thing about this area (Irvine/South OC) is how runner/biker friendly it is. This “trail” is a part of a web of trails that can get you from the mountiains of Peter’s Canyon to the coast of the Newport Back Bay barely having to cross streets or run with traffic.

Gradually I settled to about an 8:30 pace, which I wasn’t quite sure if I could maintain. I checked the course map prior to the race and knew there would be a very gradual climb from miles 3-6. I could feel it but it was very gradual and I was able to keep my pace. Part way to mile 3, my friend Brian caught up to me. He was a part of our Ragnar ultra team and is super fast. He started in the last corral and was holding back this race waiting for friends. That was until I told him about the relatively small field and that he possibly could have won it. He thought about it for a minute and took off like a bolt. He went on to finish 21st overall and 2nd in his age group despite holding back the first 3 miles. Ah, to have that speed.

I ran alone for a stretch. We kept running around the suburbs of Irvine, which while not the most scenic route I’ve ever run, made for a nice flat, fast, and clean course. I was left alone for a good portion as my friend went off to find our other friends. The support on the course was great with water stations at various intervals. I took in water ever other station or so, but no food through out the race.

Finally, I saw the mile 7 marker and I knew it would be flat or a gradual down hill from here and decided I would just go for it and made a push averaging about an 8:15 pace. Part of this was to finally pass up someone I was “reeling in” for a good 2-3 miles, the other part was to break away from someone who was particularly talkative and I didn’t feel like being social while pushing for a PR. Mile 10 had a particularly windy route with a hairpin turn so my pace dropped to 8:23, but my last 3 miles were at 8:13 with a strong sub 8 push at the end. Having my friend on bike next to me pushing to the end definitely helped.

The last mile or two I noticed that I was quickly closing in on the 1:50 pacer and thought to myself that it could not have been possible. Apparently it was, as I ended up passing her with less then a mile to go. I finished with an official time of 1:47:14, good for 9th in my age division, and absolutely destroying my previous PR of 1:56 and even shattering my original goal of 1:52. My GPS later told me it was .2 short, but I would not let that take away from how great I performed.

Nutrition



Night before (approx 10 hours before race start), 2 tabs of Nuun electrolytes
2.5 hours before race start, 2 shots of espresso
1 hour before race start, 1 tab of Nuun electrolytes
1 hour before race start, 3000 MG of MCT oil
1 hour before, 1 packet Generation UCAN Superstarch - Pomegranate Blueberry

During race, 2 sips of water every 2 or 3 water stations

My 2 shots of espresso are my staple and help me clean out my system pre race. It’s so much easier now that I have my Starbucks Verismo. I’ve also used the 3000 MG of MCT oils for most of my prior races. Helps jump start the fat burning system.

This was my first time racing with UCAN and really my second time using it at all, so it was a big experiment. The Pomegranite Blueberry was infinitely easier to take down than the Orange flavor I tried last time. The UCAN definitely helped with consistent energy throughout the race even though I was pushing fairly hard and probably maintaining a zone 4. I did not have my HR monitor on unfortunately as the battery was dead. And to top it off, no stomach discomfort at all. I look forward to using this for my training and the LA Marathon. If I could finish hilly San Francisco fasted using MCT and BCAAs only, I can only imagine how LA will go with this stuff.

Conclusion

This was a perfect way to end my 2014. A PR, a nice flat race close to home, a successful test of nutrition, and of course, a great time with running friends. I’m looking forward to running in 2015.

ARTICLE: The Business of "Healthy Eating"

http://www.si.com/edge/2014/11/24/the-business-of-healthy-eating

A great article about the misconceptions of “healthy” eating…

Some great tidbits: 

How can you mess up plain oatmeal?

Here’s how: the guy in the hat now sells “Weight Control” oatmeal. “To Help With Your Weight Management Plan,” it says on the label. The box includes packets of all the fancy flavors … Maple & Brown Sugar, Banana Bread, Cinnamon.Weight control? Each packet has more calories and carbs than the Original oatmeal right next to it on the shelf. They’ve added a couple grams of protein, and now it’s healthy? No, it’s cake.

Look, it’s not just about losing weight. You know what happens to your performance when you’re consuming high levels of sugar? Your insulin spikes. Insulin causes inflammation. Any time you increase inflammation, you have a decrease of power output. Now you’re less explosive, and less healthy. I bet your nutritionist or trainer never told you that.

Take the time to understand what you’re putting into your body. What you put in is just as important as what you take out.

The second thing everyone says:No problem, I got this. Until they realize how it feels to go through sugar withdrawal, because The List wrings every gram of sugar out of the body. Total reset. You’re going to feel and perform so much better, but for the short term, you’ve never felt worse. Fatigue, irritability, confusion. You get a crazy headache behind one eye. You’ll get hot, you’ll get cold, you’ll want to throw up. You’ll shake like a heroin addict going through withdrawal because, guess what—you are. 

You don’t have to enjoy it. You just have to crave the end result more than you crave the donuts.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a pizza and donut every now and then, but I know it’s an indulgence and not good for me. I won’t eat a packet of 100 calorie fat free brownies pretending I’m a healthier person for it. 

Like I tell my friends, “I treat carbs like alcohol. Reserved for special occasions and in moderation.”

A couple other goodies came in today. Finally picked up Ben...

A couple other goodies came in today. Finally picked up Ben Greenfield’s book that I’ve wanted to read. Also, my Cyber Monday order of Generation UCAN arrived. This will be my alternative to gels and gus for training and racing that won’t spike blood sugar and insulin. #lowcarbrunner #lowcarb #keto #nutrition #bengreenfield #beyondtraining #ucan #superstarch

Reflection on a challenge. (2 half marathons, 2 states, 1 day)

Earlier in the year I originally planned to run the Rock N Roll Las Vegas half or possibly full marathon. I found out a few of my friends were running it and put it down on my calendar as a race I would sign up for. Then in April, Disney announced the Avengers Superhero half marathon and it happened to fall on the same day. Being the comic nerd that I am, there was no way I would miss the inaugural running of an Avengers themed race, so considering one was early in the morning and the other in the evening, I thought to myself, why not? If I could run a marathon, I could run a marathon with a break in the middle right?

That led to November 16th, 2014, the day I ran 2 half marathons in 2 states in 1 day.

The biggest part of the challenge was the logistics. Some of the few people to attempt this challenge chose to fly. I chose to drive. Being a former Vegas resident and having family there, I knew I would be staying a few days and would need my car. This essentially set up the “third” race. The race to get from the finish line of race one to the starting line of race two.

Coming into the day I was debating, push it and attempt to hit sub 2 in both races or enjoy the runs as this would be my first time running a Disney and Rock N Roll race. I let the first race decide how the rest of the day was going to go for me.

Avenger’s Superhero Half Marathon (13.1 #10)

What can I say? I was in heaven. Take comic books and all the costumes and nerdiness that could ensue and throw running in the mix.

This was my first Disney race and I am thoroughly impressed with how efficient they were. From the starting corrals, to the course, support, finish line and exit chute setup, to leaving the parking, it was just so efficient and exactly what I would expect from a company/venue that is used to dealing with thousands of people daily.

The race itself was crowded at the start as expected. From what I know about the other Disneyland races, it followed a similar path running through the Disney back lot, briefly into California Adventure, out and back into Disneyland, and then through the streets of Anaheim.

Some highlights of the course were of course running through Disneyland and California Adventure. I was a bit disappointed that the World of Color Wheel was not lit up. It was nice to see the characters, Disney and Avengers related, scattered through out but I didn’t want to stop to takes photos unless there was no line.

Outside of the Disneyland we ran down around Anaheim and faced some unexpected winds. Gusts up to 50 mph and averaging around 20-30 mph. This made the run much more difficult than expected, especially when running near the Santa Ana river trail where dust and debris was flying everywhere and underpasses became wind tunnels. Fortunately, my costume was very run friendly and aerodynamic unlike some others I saw on the course.

It wasn’t all bad outside of Disneyland though. Being Catholic, it was a huge plus for me to run by Christ Cathedral. The entrance to the dreaded Santa Ana river trail was probably one of the more entertaining areas where a group of cosplayers dressed as various comic book characters were there to encourage and high five the runners. There were some very intricate and realistic costumes which was awesome for the comic book nerd that I am.

After the Santa Ana river trail, we ran in and through Angels stadium where they had local school bands cheering us on. The one thing I noticed and appreciated about this race was how involved the local schools were. There were school bands and cheer teams drawn out all over the course to give runners music and encouragement.

After Angels stadium, there was a stretch up through Anaheim and back into the Downtown Disney finishing area. The finish line was once again lined with school bands and rows of spectators. I finished, received my beautiful medal and water immediately and waited for some friends to cross.

The course itself was flat with minimal hills (a couple over and underpasses), but the kicker was the crazy wind.

In terms of running performance, I felt that I definitely held back on this race. I told myself I would gauge how I felt mid race to see if I really want to push for the sub 2. I started off a bit faster than I wanted and with wanting to enjoy the Disneyland park and course, the head winds, and having some stomach issues mid race I decided that I wouldn’t push it. Plus I had a long drive and another race ahead of me. I finished with an unofficial time of 2:03, but for some reason my tag did not register at the start and I had to e-mail Disney to correct. I am still waiting for an official race time.

On a side note, when I signed up for the race, I knew this would be a race I would actually wear a costume for. I knew everyone would be one of the movie Avengers, and being the comic nerd that I am, I had to be a character recognizable, yet uncommon. I went with none other than Deadpool, the Merc With a Mouth. It was the perfect running costume as I was able to find a running suitable shirt and with Halloween passing, some great accessories like dual swords and Deadpool gloves. Not to mention some red running tights which by the way did not work out very well, but I made it through. It was awesome hearing people call out “Deadpool!” in a sea of Captain Americas, Ironmans and Thors.

Overall, I enjoyed the race and I plan on doing this race again next year. More so for the comic book love than anything else.

After a moment to celebrate with some friends, I took off on my drive to Vegas for race #2

Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon (13.1 #11)

My experience with this race is going to be quite skewed. The one thing I realized after doing these races back to back was while it was an amazing challenge to complete, I didn’t quite get the full experience from either race. More so for RNR Las Vegas.

I was very fortunate that there was no traffic or accidents, and I was able to arrive in Vegas by 2PM. I immediately went to a 24 hour fitness to shower and change into my RNR Vegas run gear.

Being a former Vegas local, I knew most of the back roads and shortcuts and can usually get around the strip easily. I felt that I could park at a specific location I knew of without problem, but I sure did underestimate how bad the race would make getting around town. I ended up parking about a mile away from the pre race village and start line. I still needed to pick up my bib, so I ended up running to the start area. It was a nice little warm up, and I actually felt good before the race start. I picked my bib and made my way to the starting corrals.

This was my first Rock N Roll race and I was surprised to find 49 corrals along with little to no corral control. From running Disney earlier in the day to my last big race in San Francisco having such strict corral rules it felt very unorganized. It was good in a way as people could run with their friends regardless, but in the sea of people it was hard to find anyone. Luckily I was able to find one of my close friends from Vegas and we were able to hang out before running our separate races. And hang out we did. There was over an hour from the gun start to our corral (32) start, which negated any “warm up” effect my run to the start gave me. Not to mention the temperature kept dropping.

As we finally crossed the start line, a setup just as intricate as Disney’s earlier in the day (Disney had fireworks, Rock N Roll had shooting fire), the race run was on. It was a cold night. Mid 40s for most of the race. We started south on the famed Las Vegas boulevard, made a U-turn just before Town Square and back up the strip. This race being one of only two days the strip is completely closed. New Year’s eve being the second. We ran up the strip past all the casinos and up through the seedy area between the strip and downtown Las Vegas where quick wedding chapels, adult book stores, and one hour motels line the road. The real Las Vegas if you ask me. We took a turn into a dark neighborhood and did a small loop which would bring us back into the downtown Las Vegas area. As a half marathoner, we did not actually run through the Fremont street experience, but I think the full marathoners did, which certainly would have been interesting. We made our way back down the Las Vegas boulevard and finished right in front of the Mirage. I received my medal, which was definitely not as nice as the Avenger medal received earlier, and proceeded to wrap myself up in a mylar blanket to shield myself from the cold temperature which I could feel now that I stopped running.

Performance wise, I ran just as I would have expected considering I ran another half marathon hours before. With a half marathon already on them and the cold weather, my legs were fairly tight to start. After the first initial mile, I felt good until about mile 7 or 8 and then it felt very similar to how I feel during the latter miles of a full marathon. It wasn’t a full on “wall”, but legs were definitely tired and being up for so long (no time to nap when you’re driving) really caught up to me. I was pretty consistent, but didn’t completely push myself as hard as I probably could have, keeping in mind that at this point, finishing the challenge was all that it was about and training for LA Marathon would begin the following week. I finished in about 2:17.

I’m not quite sure how I felt about this race/course. As a former Vegas resident I knew what was in store for me as I’ve been on the strip hundreds of times. I was expecting something different, but I honestly don’t know what I was expecting. I also expected to see more of my friends, but with so many people and getting to the race late, it made that difficult. Add in the fact I was on my second half marathon of the day and it was cold, this experience while good just felt like there could have been more to it. Maybe if I would have been able to experience the Rock N Roll as a whole, going to the expo, hanging with friends at the pre race concert, and not being so tired it would have been a much better experience.

With the being said, the overall challenge of doing two races, in two states, in one day is an experience I won’t forget and somewhat makes up for the individual race experiences themselves.

Nutrition

These races were not my fastest races, but I was happy with the outcome. I completed the first race with my usual pre race MCT oil, BCAAs, and Nuun, only taking in water on the course. Upon completion, I immediately took in coconut water to replenish my glycogen stores. This and a packet of cocolate almond butter during my second race would be my only carbs for the day. Post race I also brought some pepperoni packets in my bag check to eat for protein and fat immediately after the Avengers run. During the 4 hour drive between races I had some espresso with heavy cream and some lechon (roasted pork) I pre packed. Pre second race I took in the same MCT oil, BCAAs, and Nuun with water and the prementioned chocolate almond butter packet taken around mile 7 on the course. I felt my energy levels were good for the most part and didn’t really have any stomach issues even after taking in the almond butter packet.

Conclusion and Other Thoughts

It was definitely a challenge and something I may try to do again or maybe even top. Additionally, this challenge led me to meet some others who participated in the challenge and then some. One in particular has inspired me and has opened my mind to multi race days/weekends. While keeping my eyes on the prize and health, it’s definitely something I could possibly incorporate into future training and definitely provides a new dimension to running.

I’ve never been called “insane”, “crazy”, or “just plain stupid” so much in my life, but each time I did, I felt a little bit of pride. Of the 25000 or so people running these races there was only a handful running both. Maybe 50 or so. It felt great to be among limited company. The reality is running this type of mileage is relatively easy. Anyone that has done a marathon or trained for a marathon could easily do the two races. Just like any other distance race, it wasn’t about the physical aspect of it, it was about how much you wanted to complete the goal you set for yourself.

My Return (A year PLUS of running and a crazy challenge I am about to embark on)

I have decided to make my return here. I’ve actually really missed it.

This is a not so quick recap of an eventful year PLUS.

Since my last post I have been extremely focused on my running:

I’ve been involved with the local running community including running regularly with Nike and Lululemon run clubs and becoming an officer for a prominent run club here in Southern California.

I returned to racing with a couple of 5Ks in the summer of 2013.

In August I came across the www.runketo.com group and started reading up on the low carb/ketogenic research of doctors Phinney, Volek, Attia, and Noakes. I practiced a low carb/ketogenic diet before in spurts, but honestly never really knew the full science behind it. I didn’t realize how beneficial it would be to running, especially longer distances. Even more importantly, I didn’t realize how beneficial it would be to my health. In September I began my low carb/ketogenic way of eating.

I started using this nutritional plan for my training for the the 2013 Long Beach half marathon. This was my “comeback” race and I was able to complete it in 2:02. A 13 minute PR, but not quite my goal of sub 2:00. Long Beach was the first race of the 3 race series known as the Beach Cities Challenge.

I ran the Surf City 10 miler again and then ran the combo race at the Dana Point Turkey trot. This entailed running the 10k, and an hour or so later running the 5K. I PR’d both races, but ended up developing an achilles issue from that.

December was quiet, partly due to me resting my achilles, but also because it was the calm before the storm…

I was already registered for the New Year’s Race LA half marathon in Jan. The race I did for my first half marathon the year before.

I was set to pace the Surf City half marathon with my running club in February. Race 2 of 3 of the Beach Cities Challenge. To complete the Beach Cities Challenge I would need to finish the half or full marathon at the OC Marathon in May. If I opted to run the full, I would earn the Double Dog Dare 39.3 Dogtag medal that Surf City and OC were putting together as well. At that point I decided that I would just go for it. I was contemplating which full marathon to make my first and what better way than to earn 3 medals while running around my local running area.

While at the expo for the New Year’s Race LA, I found out that Hollywood Half Marathon in April was partnering up with the New Year’s Race LA to set up a “Best of LA” challenge. It fell perfectly in schedule with a day I was scheduled to run 13 miles for my marathon training anyway, so why not?

If that wasn’t enough, my local running group was helping people who were running the LA Marathon for charity. I had no plans to run, but was helping some of them train. A week before the race, I was asked to run for an injured runner who was doing the charity relay. I would be running the second half of the marathon and since I was scheduled to do 15 miles that weekend for marathon training I decided to just add a couple miles on before my leg.

The beginning of 2014 ended up being a half marathon a month for the first four months, culminating in me running my first FULL marathon in May.

It was an ambitious plan, especially for someone that was injured the year before, but I felt I was much smarter this time around and had the support of some amazing runners.

New Years Race LA Half Marathon (13.1 #3): My second year running this race. This year the course was much hillier than the first year, and people were already complaining the year before. I was still recovering from my Achilles issues from the Turkey Trot so I took easier but completed the race in a faster time than the previous year, but not near my PR set at Long Beach. It was a good race and I was able to run with some really good friends. Can’t really ask for much more than that.

Surf City Half Marathon (13.1 #4): I ended up as an official pacer for this race through my run club. I opted to use this as a training run and was set to pace the 2:45 half marathon. This was easy and hard at the same time.

LA Marathon Charity Relay (13.1 #5): This was a last minute decision to run this race, but I’m glad I did. It was great to support my friends and Team World Vision. I will never forget the pride I felt running with these people who don’t normally run, many who it was their first time running more than 5 miles, many who were attempting their first marathon, all for the passion they had in the cause. Even a someone with some running experience, it was not easy though. I used it as a training run and added 2 miles to my half marathon distance. This would be my longest run to date and I found that heat would be my nemesis in running.

Hollywood Half Marathon (13.1 #6): This was really just a throw in race to get the Best of LA challenge medal. I learned I could run a half marathon at a decent pace without taking any gus, gels, and sports drinks. Just on course water.

OC Marathon (26.2 #1): This was the culmination of my races/training. My first FULL marathon. I was running with a friend who was aiming to complete here first marathon also and ran at her paces the whole way. I also had many of the people in my run clubs “pit crew” and pace for us at various points of the race. It was such a great experience. I ended up finishing in 4:43 with more left in tank.

A week before the OC Marathon, I decided to sign up for the San Francisco full which was in a little more than 2 months. My friend was running it too and talked me into it. After OC marathon I took a vacation to the Philippines for a couple weeks and rested and recovered. Upon returning I found a plan for multiple marathons in a short period of time and modified it. I figured I would use the base I built for OC, but add in some hill work to be ready for the San Francisco hills. Also, being on the low carb/ketogenic way of eating, my recovery, even during my original training, was amazing.

Before the San Francisco marathon in July, I decided that I would continue try to do at least a half marathon a month by signing up for the Flight of Fire Trail Half Marathon in Red Rock/Las Vegas, NV.

The Flight of Fire Trail Half Marathon (13.1 #7): would be my first trail marathon, and is still to date my hardest race. I started way too fast and I while I was doing well on the technical terrain, it took a toll on me by the end. I was able to finish, and this will still be one of my prouder finish. I plan to get revenge on the course next year.

San Francisco Marathon (26.2 #2): My friend that I originally planned to do the race with ended up dropping out of the race. I decided that this race would be my own. This was technically my second marathon, but it might as well have been my first. While I enjoyed my “first” marathon because of my run crews support, it was a team effort and I was pacing my friend. This one was all me. No pit crew, no “training partner”, my pace, my plan, my race. My training and nutrition were pretty much on point as the hills were not a big issue and I was able to hit my goal and set a PR of 4:29 on a much more difficult course and without using one gu, gel, or food. Post race, my recovery was been amazing.

America’s Finest Half Marathon (13.1 #8): This would be my August race. I was able to finally break 2 hours and set my half marathon PR at 1:56. This was a day after going to the Stone Brewing Company beerfest and not having quite a nutrition plan I’m used to.

Birthday Run (32 for 32): For the past couple of years, I would run a race on my birthday weekend. Usually it was a local 5K. My birthday fell on a Saturday and this year, I decided that I wanted to do something longer. At least a half marathon, a marathon, or possibly a 50K. There was actually a 50K on my birthday, and I had my sites set on it, but I was disappointed to find out they did not allow Vibram Five Fingers. At that point I decided, that I would run my own 50Kish by running my age (32) in miles. I connected all of my favorite run clubs/routes into one epic run. The route wound through a good part of Orange County starting in Mission Viejo, running through the trails of Aliso Woods, through Laguna Beach, Corona Del Mar, Newport Coast, Back Bay, and ending in Costa Mesa. Highlights included an 800 ft ascent through Aliso and Wood Canyons wilderness park with amazing views as payoff, running through the beautiful beach view neighborhoods of Laguna Beach, running along the coast, passing by all my weekly run spots.I was fortunate enough to have a couple of awesome friends/inspiring runners who would attempt to complete the entire run with me as well as friends who joined in at various points and even pit crew’d for us. It was an epic way to celebrate my birthday.

Ragnar Napa Valley Ultra Team: My race for September was a relay. I ended up joining a Ragnar Napa Valley Ultra team. Ragnar is a relay race that spans about 200 miles and is usually split between 12 people. The Ultra team would do the 200 some miles with 6 people. Each person would take 3 legs on the 205 mile course from San Francisco to Napa. My legs ended up being 11, 15, and 12 mile respectively. You run non stop, through the night, whenever it’s your turn to run. When you’re not in running, your in your van with teammates. Resting when you can, eating what you can, and just having a great time. This was easily my favorite race. It was truly a team effort, and I had a great team.

Long Beach Fantastic! Half Marathon (13.1 #9): This was a last minute race to keep my streak going. It was a small race of around 20-30 people. I was just going to take it easy, but I realized part of the way through that I was in a good position, so I ended up pushing it a bit and ended up winning 3rd place. It wasn’t a PR, but it felt great to actually “race”. I usually run these races just to finish.

This brings me to today…

In a few hours I will be attempting to run 2 half marathons in 2 different states in the same day.

The Avengers Half Marathon in the morning and the Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon at night. I was originally planning on running the Las Vegas half or full marathon only, but when they announced the Avenger’s half, being a comic book nerd, I could not pass it up. I know I can run the 26.2 miles, but there will be 250 some mile drive in between the two which will provide the biggest obstacle. I look forward to this challenge though and it will be a great time with friends at both races.

Long Beach Half Marathon

This is long overdue, and has been sitting in my drafts for a couple weeks now. I've been wanting to post it but have just been so busy to get all my thoughts about the Long Beach half marathon.

The Long Beach half marathon was a very memorable experience for many reasons:

- This would be my second half marathon.
- This was my goal race that I planned for after injuring myself during my first half marathon training.
- This would be my first real race while on Keto
- This was my first big race with my running club

I woke up around 4AM and headed to a nearby 24 hour Starbucks to pick up a Venti Americano with heavy cream. Headed back home to meet with my friend from my run club who was going to carpool with me. We headed off to Long Beach and after dealing with some traffic, arrived just in time to catch the full marathoners take off. Before we left the car, I took my "shot" of bouillon and coconut oil. (A little over an hour before my start time)
 
It was a brisk morning, but my club singlet, shorts, and arm sleeves kept me just warm enough.

It was about 30 minutes to our start, but I had yet to "clear my system". The coffee did not do it's job yet. I ended up "clearing" a little bit out of my system, but not as much as I would have liked and it made me a bit uncomfortable.

The half marathon started right at 7:30, but I was back in the 3rd wave so we took off about 10 mins after the gun. I ran with my friend from my run club, and started faster than I probably should have. (I think around 8:45-9:00 pace.) I felt great for most of it, until we reached around the 7 mile point. This was the beginning of the "boardwalk", a three mile cement path along the beach.

I originally planned on drinking my race drink during this stretch. The drink was a mixture of Vega sugar free natural electrolyte drink and coconut oil. Unfortunately, the cool weather caused the coconut oil to solidify. This made it very hard to get any liquid through the spout and also prevented me from getting any of the fat and MCT oil to give me the boost I was hoping for towards the end. This messed with me mentally a bit more than it probably affected me physically.

At this point I was starting to lose steam and my friend and a gap started to form between my friend and I Around mile 9, I had my first walk break. One of a couple. I noticed my posture was breaking down in my run and it was causing discomfort through out my body. I could feel some tightness in my inner left knee and my Achilles. I got a boost from seeing the leader of one of my other groups I run with. This made me straighten my back and fix my form a bit and instantly I felt relief. That only lasted for a little over a mile.

As soon as we finished the "boardwalk", the final stretch, I felt everything all over again. At this point, I was wish I had brought some sort of "backup" nutrition. I originally planned on bringing some Justin's hazelnut chocolate packs just in case I needed it, but ended up forgetting it in the car. I realized I would just have to do it without anything more. I passed by the Gu station, spectators with donuts, candy, and various fruit, and decided to push on as best I could. I did end up taking in half a cup of watered down Powerade at one of the stations.

I struggled through miles 10-12, having to walk a few times. Eventually, I can across the "1 more mile" sign. I knew I had to finish strong. I straightened my back and posture, and focused on running form and strides. The spectators started to build up as we got closer and closer to the finish line.

The last tenth of a mile was down hill so I came down flying. I crossed the finish line triumphantly.

In the end it, I completed my second half marathon with a time of 2:02:26. Just about a 13 minute improvement over my first half marathon. Granted, I was injured during that race and it was hilly. I still feel very happy with my time, and I'm looking towards that sub 2 hour half marathon.


Life and running is all about learning from prior experiences. My first half marathon I learned to not overtrain and follow a properly structured plan. This allowed me to come into this race healthy and ready. From this race I take away the importance of proper pacing. Especially when you are running Keto and not traditional carb heavy. This race also reminded me how important form is. I should know this considering my prior powerlifting experience, but when your body is fatigued it tends to slip away. Ironic, as I noticed as I focused on my form and posture, my fatigue, aches, and pains would seem to go away.

Overall, the experience itself was great. This was the first big race I ran with my running club, and it was great to get all the support from fellow club members throughout the race. After the race we had our own masseuses in our club canopy which worked out my calves and hamstrings a bit. Running with my friend was great, but I think it definitely hurt me pace wise. It was nice to celebrate with her at the finish line though knowing we both pushed ourselves.

I have confidence that with proper pacing, I can do much better, and I know first hand that you do not need carbs to run long distances. I look forward to the next race!

Daily Log - 10/06/13

My 10 mile run (actually 9.5) went well.

I woke up early and stopped by Starbucks around 6:15AM to pick up an Americano with 3 Splenda and  heavy cream. My daily morning drink. The run wasn't planned until 8:30 so it gave me a good 2 hours to drink and "process". By 7:30, I was able to "clear out my system". I took my pre run "shot": half a cup of hot water, bouillon cube, and 2 tbsp of coconut oil, and headed to the meeting spot.


Met up for the run and took off. It was flat or downhill for most of the first part of the run, which was great, and I felt fine keeping an easy pace of around 9:45/mile. Pace slowed down a bit as we hit the 6-7 mile mark where there was some slight incline. A little before that I took a drink of my electrolyte/coconut oil mix. I really didn't want to have to bring a belt and water bottle to the race, but I want to do the race without carbs as much as possible, and I've been training with that particular concoction.

Finished the 9.5 mile run with a 10:14 pace. We had a couple stops to check up on some of the run/walkers so that brought the pace down a bit too. I wanted to take it really easy with the race next week. I kept an eye on my heart rate which will be the key. I felt fine with the few hills we encountered. Something that was an issue when I first started keto running. The course is extremely flat so this is a great race to start my keto racing. I'm anxious and looking forward to the race next week!

Daily Log - 09/16/13

Had my usual Monday Runday club run with the Gone Running group.

A nice 5 miles at what I'd like to be my race pace. Monday runs are always the hardest for me. Take forever for me to start and get warmed up. I didn't really get my rhythm until about mile 3 and by the end of the 5 miles, I felt like I wanted to run more, but held back.

My Nike+ Sportswatch kept showing me at around 8:55 pace but ended at at about 9:15.


Nutrition For The Day:

Venti Americano w/ Heavy Cream

Lunch

Left Over Chicken Curry
Blue Diamond - Rosemary & Black Pepper Almonds

Dinner

Left Over Chicken Curry
Halo Top Creamery - Chocolate Ice Cream

Daily Log - 09/15/13

Today was a "rest" day, so no activity for me.

I made some chicken curry last night from scratch for the first time.

I used the following ingredients:

Chicken Thighs
Unsweetened Coconut Milk
Curry Powder
Onions
Ginger
Garlic
Spinach
Chinese Long Beans
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt
Pepper

Unfortunately, I'm not a measurement type of guy so I can't say exactly how much of each I put in. It came out a little more soupy than I would have liked, but I liked it and will make it again.

This will be dinner and lunch for a couple days.

Daily Log - 09/14/13

My schedule called for 9 miles today. This will be my third "long" run in a fasted/Ketogenic state.

Last night, a couple friends and I ate at Sizzlers. I ended up getting the steak with broccoli and melted butter and the salad bar. As usual, when I go to Sizzlers (not often), I take my main meal to go and just eat the salad bar. I want to get my moneys worth! I ate some broccoli salad, beef stew, carnitas pork and loads of guacamole. When I got home that night I took 6 capsules of Fish Oil and my Glusosamine Chondritin (pill 2 of a 2 pill serving).

I woke up met up with my friend Janice at the Back Bay around 7 AM. Janice has been my long run partner. She's a long time friend training for the Nike women's Half Marathon. She completed the full last year and has a couple of half marathons under her belt so she has a bit of experience under her.

After my usual dynamic stretching routine, we took off. Right off the bat, we had to climb a hill. I really hate starting on an uphill, as my body takes so long to get warmed up. Legs felt tight as usual, no rhythm in my step. Eventually we made it over and on the downhill and subsequent flat road ahead my body got warmed up. The run overall had about 6-7 rolling hills. The first one was the longest at 175 ft gain, but the rest were no more then 50-75 ft gain. I noticed that on the hills, my stomach would start to hurt. Not a cramp, but pain like I ate something bad and needed to go to the bathroom. I sucked it up and finished the run. It was quite disappointing as I had to focus so much on my stomach during the run. Lungs were great and legs were feeling ok.

This happened to me earlier this week during one of my shorter runs. I was running much faster, and felt the same pain in my stomach. I actually had to stop and use the bathroom mid run. Earlier that day I had a salad and broccoli for lunch and didn't have a chance to clear it out of my system before the run. I felt instantly better after going to the bathroom that day. I wonder if I'm taking in too much fiber before the run? Actually, I'm pretty sure that I am. I'm going to make sure I don't take in fiber unless I know for sure I will have time to clear it out of my system before the run.

I have 2 more long runs and a 10K "race" before my half marathon. I need to get my nutrition down because I do not want to have any issues on race day. 

Some other random observations from the day:

I had a Justin's Nut Butter at the 5 mile mark. Not sure how I feel about it. My stomach was in pain from the beginning of the run so I can't tell if I had a reaction or not to it. I'm still on the fence about in race fueling. I've been running my runs fasted and depending on my ketones and feeling fine, but part of me wonders how my body will be race day when I'm pushing the pace. I want to make sure I can handle whatever I decide to use. Plus, I really like to up my pace towards the end and want to make sure I have something in the tank. I've been listening to some podcasts and reading the runketo.com website and MCT oil seems to be the trick so I may have to pick up some.

After the run, I stopped by Starbucks and got my usual quad espresso over ice with 3 splenda and heavy cream. It's amazing how within minutes of ingesting the caffeine and fat, my body felt "recovered" and numb from the run.

I also spent some time in the gym stretching and foam rolling.