My marathon of Sound and Vision

May 9, 2015 @ 7:30 AM

First off I want to congratulate all of my friends from City Park Runners. They were (in no particular order but all important none-the-less) Erick, Sean, Tyler, Dan, Ron, Paul, Barry, Travis, Doug, Agata, Dominique, Kathryn, Phaedra, Becky, Josh, Dave, Tracey, Anita.

Race started in the Fargo Dome. I forgot to acquire a sat signal for my GPS prior to the race start, but I did hit start on my Garmin just as I crossed the timing mats but I managed to get signal around the 2nd mile and along with the cadence count it figured out my mileage and pace from mile 1 which was pretty neat.

I along with Barry, Erick and Tyler kept with the 3:50 pace group pretty much to the 12th mile. The first part of the course ran some parts of last year's 10th anniversary course. Erick marveled at the course and city in general as I ran with him for the first 15 miles. Barry and Ron were keeping up with the 3:50 pace group. It was at mile 16 where Erick told me we had to start 'hammering.' He was getting farther and farther ahead of me and I was hammering with a ball peen to his sledgehammer as he started getting farther ahead. I still felt good, and didn't worry too much as I told myself if I can keep this pace (5:35-5:45/km) going I still might be able to get the sub 4.

Then mile 17 came and you had to go up a hill into the neighborhood part of the course. I didn't blast up the hill to save my strength as I used effort more than pace. But as I crested the hill, I threw up all of the Gels and I noticed I didn't digest the scrambled eggs that was being served in the hotel. Funny thing was I never felt sick to my stomach anytime prior to the race.

I got my shit together and started moving forward. Lucky there was an aid station near by as I took pretty much all the water that was being held out to wash out my mouth and re-hydrate. I'm glad I packed 6 gels as i started taking a gel right away to try and get my calories back. I still felt good, but I knew I was losing steam as I started finding it a little more difficult to keep a steady pace but I was still in good spirits.

By mile 22, going through the downtown area, the wall was starting to call out. And the more I was fighting it, the closer it was coming. I finally had to stop and walk. I won't lie, I felt a little dejected and when I saw the 4:00 pace group creep up to me and start passing, I was doing pretty much everything in my mind to keep up with them. It was only after a mile the pace sign started to float away into the horizon.

It was then I thought to myself, my last attempt I blew up at mile 18. This time I was able to go a little more farther. Yes I was going on dead legs and my willpower was dwindling, but I wasn't too down on myself. I thought of my girls and my mom and my dad who passed away a couple of weeks after the Twin Cities marathon. I was looking around for inspiration to make this experience a little lighter, and what I saw made me realize all the pain I'm feeling in my legs was minor compared to this obese lady who was power walking the 10k course along with her race bag behind her. I could see from her expression, the determination in her eyes that she wanted to be there along side the marathoners. Some guys on mountain bikes came riding by and shouted out "Keep on truckin' lady!" and for a brief moment, I thought it was an asshole thing to say, but they turned around and smiled at her. Not maliciously, but with encouragement and I found myself a little emotional at that point.

All the while I was walk/running as I witnessed this and I realized it was mile 25...just 1.2 fucking miles to go and witnessing that made my spirit whole when it was falling to pieces. My body was pretty much broken, but my spirit was put back together and even though I couldn't find that lost speed, I was able to muster my legs to go that last mile (that couldn't stop winding back and forth...like really?!) Of course we had to run around the Fargo Dome which by that point I really wasn't interested in the architecture. There was nobody really in front of me to try and beat for that last surge your body gets when you can see the finish line. But I gave it everything as I was crossing the finish line into the arms of a race marshall (I'm laughing as i writie this!) who caught me asking me if I'm ok. I told her that I puked up at mile 17 (like she cared...) and asked me if I was going to puke again, probably preparing to drop me, but I shook my head and started making my way slowing through the finishing chute.

Pretty fun race.
Official race time - 4:14:30

April 2015 > 1 -5 Running Days

April 1, 2015 @ 9:25 PM

Wk11 10 mile easy paced run Fargo marathon training. Rough day today and even tougher evening personal wise.

After I got all my shit together, decided to lace them up and go out for a run. Despite the +9C it was still very cool to me, granted I was wearing my merino wool top, vest, gloves and shorts. It's always my damn hands that start to fall apart and make things uncomfortable. Good thing I was wearing gloves or it would have been a horrible time and would have cut the run short. But I figured I'd go the 10 mile route with my head lamp and just run, easy paced for most of the way, finish strong then cool down mile home. Finally getting that cadence going.

16.06 kmDistance
5:45 min/kmAvg Pace
1,037 CCalories
1:32:26Time
8 mElev Gain

140 bpmAvg HR
151 bpmMax HR

183 spmAvg Cadence
198 spmMax Cadence

April 2, 2015 @ 6:01 PM

Wk11 feeling sick with cold.

Wk11 Fargo marathon training tempo run. My tempo felt more Adagio than Vivace. Meaning I was slow for my training paces mainly because I'm coming down with a cold and my body is aching all over. I thought going out for a run with CPR would've done the trick but it actually made it worse as I was struggling at the 5km turn in the woods so I decided to cut my run short a mile and start heading her back. Rest day tomorrow and then a 10km tune up race on Saturday. See how everything goes.

HR was too high for a tempo run.

8.76 kmDistance
5:52 min/kmAvg Pace
617 CCalories
51:20Time
7 mElev Gain

151 bpmAvg HR
193 bpmMax HR

183 spmAvg Cadence
204 spmMax Cadence

April 4, 2015 @ 9:00 AM - MEC 10 KM RACE

Treated this as a tune up race for Fargo marathon. I didn't blast out of the gate and just focused on getting myself into a rhythm. I programmed my Garmin to do the first km in between 5:00 - 5:10 then the next 4km 5:00 - 5:02/km and the last 5km 4:50 - 5:00/km.

What actually happened was a consistent 4:50 pace throughout the run. My Garmin was constantly buzzing me to remind me of this in the first 5km. I took the chance and kept at the pace and just trusted myself and all of the training I did over the past 3 months. 

The good thing about the course is the familiarity of the terrain so I was able to take advantage of when to up my tempo on the flats and when to take down the tempo and keep up the effort on the uphills. I was with a group of 4 runners and I was slowly breaking away from them bit by bit. At the last 3km it was just me and another runner and at the 7km mark I decided to make my move. Once we got to the turn into the duck pond, I used the downhill to launch myself ahead of him. I could tell he was trying to keep up with me (mostly from his breathing) I just told myself to relax and slowly start cranking my cadence. When I passed the bridge I turned the tempo even higher to build up a lead. 

When you make the turn to run in front of the Pavillion I took the foot off the pedal as you're going a slow uphill. Once I got past the Pavillion I picked up my pacing and told myself to hold and relax. At the 8km mark I'm now running in front of the Conservatory. I've already built up a significant lead, but I didn't want to get comfortable so I used this stretch to concentrate on my breathing and doing internal systems checks like my leg turnover, balanced forward posture and compact arm swing. When I saw the 1km marker at the formal gardens I went into CPR speed clinic mode. 

I thought about repeats we did over the winter and told myself that now was the time to go. I've done and practiced this many times over the past 2 years and just told myself to crank the tempo it's only 400 more metres. When I saw the finish chute I pushed hard to finish well. I couldn't have executed this any better. This is a great stepping stone and big improvement for everything that I've been working on the past 2 years.

10.01 kmDistance
4:52 min/kmAvg Pace
762 CCalories
48:48Time
11 mElev Gain

48:48Time
48:48Moving Time

188 spmAvg Cadence
210 spmMax Cadence

April 5, 2015 @ 3:49 PM

BS run. This was going to be an LSD, but that quickly changed to a recovery run then changed again to just quitsville. Think I'm just stressed because I have so little time to get in a long training run today, I had to rush out and start instead of my usual prep and then my left knee started to hurt and I knew something was very off when I noticed only my right glute was firing and I was compensating a lot for my left side. 

I think I could have pushed through but decided it wasn't worth  making things worse when I'm so close to the marathon. I'll roll out and recovery stretch and then I have a day off tomorrow. See how I feel for Tuesday. The other thing is...again, it's just so annoyingly cold. I could just NOT warm up. Doesn't help I'm still getting over this cold.

6.13 kmDistance
6:03 min/kmAvg Pace
397 CCalories
37:03Time
90 mElev Gain

129 bpmAvg HR
139 bpmMax HR

183 spmAvg Cadence
202 spmMax Cadence

Let me tell you what I did right. Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon race report.

By the dawn's early light.

I had a wonderful weekend with my 2 sisters, Connie and Cherry along with our good friends Agata (the Polish Sensation) and Kevin Alldredge, as we all got up on a cold October morning to run the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. This post is dedicated to my 2 sisters and their undying belief in the stuff I choose to do with running and other endeavors in my life that truly make me the person I am.

The Threes

The marathon has come and gone and I completed it. I got a personal best from the first time I ran this race last year and beat my time in the Fargo marathon just this past spring. This is my third marathon and I've built upon each one with pretty impressive personal best times. Did I get the time that I really wanted? In all honesty NO I DID NOT. But as I look back at the race and the months and weeks leading up to it, I can actually see where the heartbreak began and where my heart mends and where I had to learn to be somebody. And I couldn't have done that without a huge support system that was pushing me through to the finish line.

This isn't going to be a diatribe of what went wrong and how I didn't get the time I wanted (3:44:00) during the race, as that's a very detrimental thing to talk about for something I signed up to participate in, when I know there are many who would trade places to be experiencing the marathon or just being able to run.

Instead I'll borrow this quib that I got from a favorite blogger of mine, Emily who completed a 100miler race and when asked about it, she talked about "The Threes." “Three things you think you did well and three things you know you need to work on for your next one.”

Words to live by

1. I prepared and trained for this marathon as best as I could possibly know.

After Fargo, I sat down and wrote out my training plan. Took it to coach Dan and Erick and reviewed what I needed to do and set about doing it. I just finished getting over some personal challenges and running, training, running with the City Park Runner's group and hanging out with them was a great experience. I have to thank Dr. Phil, Lori, Paul, Roberto, Doug, Cheryll, Geoff, Barbara, Ron, Barry, Kathryn, Lourdes, my bro's Osty and Tyler (in no particular order) for all that they've done and their encouraging support and belief in what I can do. I had a great training cycle and there is plenty of room for improvement with me and the marathon distance, especially with all the stuff that will come with experience.

TCM 2014 Cherry, Aggie, Ruben, Kevin, Connie

2. I handled adversity well...with the help of Kevin

The night before the race, as Connie, Cherry, Agata, and Kevin were all gathered around with our families for a pre-pasta dinner that my sister Connie graciously hosted, Kevin and I were talking race pacing I told him I was aiming for 3:44:00 and I told him my plan was to run comfortably at a 9min/mile pace for the first 8 miles then pick it up and just keep going. We were in corral one and the 3:45 pace group was in corral two. I wanted to run to keep up ahead of them so in case anything went 'wrong' I'd have a buffer and at least be able to hold pace and help them take me home.

I remember Kevin telling me prior to this and I've read and heard from many experienced runners "The pace will dictate itself on race day." I felt a little cold going up to the start line and I told Kevin that my feet were freezing and he told me the same. It took us about 3 miles to finally get warm but we were on a great pace and my legs felt good, I kept reminding myself to relax and just enjoy this. Kevin kept me loose by throwing some jokes my way, he provided all of us with some throw-away running gear and glove liners (but who the hell wants to throw away nice Patagonia gear!) and we just kept the pace going. I knew this was a long distance and I kept my shit together when I wanted to speed up. The pace group caught us at mile 13 and we kept them within striking distance all the way to mile 17 when the balloons started to float off into the distance and it became a small red and white dot in the sea of bodies moving forward and suddenly my body did NOT WANT TO MOVE at mile 18 (30km).

My quads just seized up. Like that grounding halt, there was no indication of any twinges of things to come...it...just...happened...eff off. And while I was suddenly stopped and stooped over Kevin didn't know I stopped and was probably almost a quarter mile a head of me, and he came back for me and asked me if I was ok. I told him what the problem was and he just told me to relax. He kept telling me "It's ok" as I was almost in tears because I suddenly realized I let everyone down back home. Kevin must have sensed the gloom coming down on me as I can't remember exactly what he said, but was to the effect..."We are out here and very close to the end, let's finish this one step at a time" including his calm presence and demeanor help me get out of my funk and we continued moving forward. I kept running when my body didn't want to run and smiled when I was pretty close to tears.

When we got over Summit hill from Dale to Mackubin (the LAST hill on the course) I made it my mandate to not stop until we get to the finish line. He told me to take it easy on the downhill run to the finish line as my quads were thrashed and we were moving forward. But as we were getting close to the end he looks at me, points to a runner about 20 feet in front of us and says "If we are to do anything Ruben, we are going to beat that 70 year old runner!" And I couldn't stop laughing as we bolted to the finish line with a huge ass grin on my face. (Sorry 70 year old sir...)

3. I realized that running can be a team sport and I love that.

It's because of my sister Connie I became a runner. Two years ago, she wanted to do a bucket list item and decided to run the Chicago marathon. My other sister Cherry thought it would be a great idea for us to go down to Chicago and cheer her on. Turns out during the last minute I joined Connie where I had no business being there. I lost her at the half way mark and caught up and found her near the end where we finished together. I'm realizing now that this has been the metaphor and subtext of our lives between her and I...where we've drifted apart, but managed to find each other and always finish. She was there for me with the birth of my girls and through all of my rough patches in my life. She was there in Fargo, cheering the loudest on some lone street screaming my name and at the finish line screaming my name and comforting me during what I thought was a failure of a race.

I waited for her at the finish line of this one and as she was coming through the chute, we made eye-contact and no words needed to be said, except both of us reaching out for each other and hugging. She PB'd her time from last year :)

My sister Cherry and I are very close. She too has been there for me countless times and has always been a staunch supporter in all of the crazy I do. Ever since we were teenagers, we've had a pretty inseparable bond. She won't run with me, but she knows I will always be there for her no matter what. I can write forever about her....but she already knows. She PB'd her time from last year too :)

They both knew I didn't get the time I wanted, but the only thing they said was that they were proud of me and the accomplishment of this race. They knew everything that was going on in the background and without them, I wouldn't be able to keep myself motivated enough for this small personal gain that I get from running. They also have this undying belief that I'll be able to accomplish something I truly want out of this....

And now for what I know I need to work on for the next one.

1. Nutrition, Calories and backup answers.

I basically bonked...hit the wall. During my LSDs I was training with nutrition but I still didn't manage to get the proper nutrients. I practiced with taking clif shot gels and during the training runs, I had no problem with them going down and staying in my stomach. I mapped out when I was going to take the gels and packed the appropriate amount with a couple of extras for that just in-case moments. And during the race I plotted out that I would take one every 4 miles. And by mile 16, I couldn't stomach it anymore. Which was strange because during the training runs I had no problem eating 5 of them. So I was seizing up, and Kevin told me I must be electrolyte depleted and no matter how much Powerade I was trying to down, it was already too late to recover.

Kevin and I talked about this after the race and he gave me some suggestions, and I also talked to coach Dan who gave me the same suggestions. I'm going to need to carefully look at electrolyte and calorie balancing. So for the next training cycle, I'll start incorporating this into my LSDs.


2. Pace management

If I want to get into the 3 hour ranges, I'm going to have to train to get a little more faster. My current cruising pace is a 9min/mile(ish) and I'm going to need to get past that comfort zone and get into the low 8's and train consistently to achieve this. I'm looking at this soberly because I'm learning that building endurance and speed takes a lot of time, especially for me because I came from an anaerobic sport background. I know I'm on my way because one year ago I could barely keep up with the CPR gang. This year I'm making huge improvements and I've built another base that was built upon the Fargo training cycle which will help me get faster and stronger for the next training cycle.


3. Race day preparation and execution

I was cold and I didn't really prepare for that. Even though I had a throw away, I should have grabbed an oversized garbage bag to keep the heat from escaping my body. I don't think I should have run 5 miles the night before even if it was 'easy.' I should have just relaxed and just not do a thing. And I know I shouldn't have over-thought and over-tried the race. I should have had more faith in my training and just go with the flow and trust in the process and live in the moment. I couldn't tell at the moment everything was falling apart (you rarely ever do...) and it was only after a day and talking with my sister Con and with Cherry on the long drive back home where we did a lot of reflecting.

Cherry told me that my best race was the WPS half marathon, where I didn't over think the race. I just ran it and I incidentally PR'd. This same phenomenon happened to me during my last match in Tae Kwon Do. I was freaking out and practicing so hard, but I couldn't find the the distance control for my kicks to connect to the practice bag whenever my coach countered. It was driving me crazy, and this was an hour before leading up to my final match. He took me aside and told me to just get in the ring and kick. Don't think about spatial control, ring management, target acquisition...but just kick. Incidentally I won that match....so yeah...over-thinking, over trying. Just learn to be in the moment. It's one of the reasons I'm seeing my training runs are always better than my races. I'm over trying, over-reaching. When I'm in my training runs, with the CPR gang, I know I'm flying and I'm having fun doing it....just have to learn that part and that will come with more experience.

Final notes:
The marathon is hard. It's hard for me, and I'm loving the challenge. I want to do well...I want to get faster and stronger, because I know I have great races ahead of me. Will I get there? I believe I will, and my sisters and my girls believe it too and that's pretty much all that matters.

Sometimes it's the little things or ones that matter the most.

My 11 year old daughter likes her old man, so I should count myself lucky, and she keeps wanting to run with me. I've signed her up for the MB Marathon Super Run (2.6 mile) that is sponsored through her school, we've done one together and she did last year alone while I ran the 1/2. The last race we did was "Run Through History" hosted by City Park Runners last fall. It was a 5km run and even though her old man had to pull off to the side of the road and pee into the Red River (classy) she jetted towards the finish line to take first place in her division. And so she's been bugging me ever since to run a 1/2 marathon...

Every Father's day in Winnipeg marks the annual Manitoba Marathon. Mackenzie called me up at school 3 weeks before and asked me if I can sign her up for the 10km race, she joined the cross country team at her school so she got in some mileage. I logged into the site and signed both of us up. We did a couple of practice runs and she joined me during one of my speed sessions. She commented to me after the practice with Coach Dan, Yves and Tracy how fast I could run (I can't believe it myself...), but more marveled at how fast the girl was. I told her it takes practice and consistency and to start small first before taking on long distances. I told her it took me almost 2 years to get comfortable to run 10km (6mi) and I don't want her to suddenly hate running because of the toll it can take on your body if you're not prepared.

So we find ourselves at the 10km start line of the Manitoba Marathon. It was a cloudy and cool day, which I told her makes it perfect for distance running. I told her going into the race, that there is no pressure, that I didn't want her to rush off the start line and to slowly build up. Mackenzie is in awe of the starting coral, how the mass of humanity is all crushed into a tiny space and how many people recognized me and were met with warm welcome. I told her this will start to happen as she gets older, how personality can truly go a long way.

And the 'gun' goes off and we're running.

The course took us through University Crescent over the Bishop Grandin on Pembina Hwy into Crescent Drive Park. And for the most part the run was pretty good, Mackenzie kept a pretty good pace and I could tell there were a lot of moments that she didn't want to quit because of me. She knew that 10km was a normal run for me and even though I stressed to her that there was absolutely no pressure, she really dug deep to keep herself moving forward. It was those moments where I just force her to slow down and walk for a couple of minutes, then I'd get her to pick a landmark on when she wants to start up again and I'd get her to start off slow and regain her pace. When we got to the 5km mark I told her that she matched her Run Through History time of 35mins which seemed to pick up her spirits.

As we were looping back over onto Pembina Hwy, I could tell she was delirious and exhausted. When we picked up the race kits the previous day, I got her to buy some GU gels and energy gummies for her run. I encouraged her to take water at the water stops and told her to pop 2-3 gummies. At the 5km mark I told her to take the GU with water. I would ask her how she was feeling at the water stops and she told me she couldn't believe how much she was sweating and how awfully hot she felt. She told me she wanted to take one of the sponges the aid stations were offering. I gave her that "What the Hell?" look as I found it to be very cool out, but she's young and probably just a metabolism machine so she grabbed a sponge and was dousing herself and I kept along side her smiling that shit eating grin that I got my little girl beside me.

At the 7km mark, she was dying...this is where she was having doubts. We were just looping back onto the Pembina overpass and she was telling me she couldn't believe how much her feet hurt. She was wearing the new New Balance Minimus shoes I bought her at CPR which are basically flat barefoot type shoes. I told her after this race we can pick up a new pair of shoes with cushioning if she wanted. She told me that she actually likes running in the minimals and she's used to them but she's just tired and wasn't used to this distance. I told her that all the pain she's feeling will disappear when she sees the finish line. Now it was her turn to give me that WTF? look.

At 8km we were back onto University Drive and she told me she was feeling very hungry. We got up at 5am that morning, I made her Maple and Brown sugar oatmeal and some juice for breakfast. Plus I got her to eat the gummies and take the GU, she probably burned a ton of calories just willing herself this far and I kept talking and encouraging her to keep moving forward, she was in pain and as much as I hated seeing her like this, I told her that we would walk for a minute but no matter how much pain you're feeling, bottle it up inside and put it away. And when you cross that finish line, everything that you've done today will be so worth it. Plus we'd go for a huge pancake breakfast!

As you get to the 26mile chute that will take you to the old University track field and finish line, Mackenzie was just dying. She was telling me how much she hated this and that she wanted to quit. I told her it was just around the corner when we get into the chute and then the finish line. She kept telling me that she was hurting, especially her feet and she couldn't believe how much she was sweating, she was almost in tears. This was the only time I got all "Strict Asian Father" on her. I told her there was NO WAY she was quitting. I told her to stop for one moment and turn around and look back...I told her that she ran 10kms...6 miles in the rain with me, you ran for over an hour and covered a lot of ground. There is only a little more left...whatever pain you're feeling Mackenzie, leave it all on the ground that you covered today....just put one foot in front of the other and go forward.

She did just that...as we turned onto the track, I told her the finish line is right THERE! She just bolted....damn, she ran like a demon possessed and I ran right behind her telling her to go go go go...1:14:54 later she made it, with me right behind her.

Next up for us is Color Me Rad. Happy Father's day indeed.

2014 Fargo Marathon race report - There is always Plan C...

So the Fargo Marathon just completed on Saturday which was cool as normally Marathons are run on Sundays but it was really convenient to take the day off from work on Friday and arrive Friday morning, get into your hotel, then check out the expo and get your bib then chill and prep for race day...race...party...sleep then drive back home in time for work on Monday. Or for the SMRT people, also take the Monday off for a nice full recovery.

I traveled with Osty and my sister Cherry to Fargo and we got our race kits along with Tyler and Aggie's as they would meet up with us later in the evening. And then I would then be in bed for 10ish to get ready for race morning.

Since this was the 10th year anniversary, the course was changed from last years (I did not race it) which started and ended at the Fargodome to the original start line at Main Ave. Bridge. The expo was small, not too much to write home about, although the race kit bag was really nice. They gave you the option to have 3 letters ironed onto your Under Armor bag for free. Osty picked SKO, Cherry CCC, I chose ZEN and for Aggie...since she and Tyler weren't there for their bag pick up we chose SXY and RED respectively.

Ok...Race day...woke up at 3AM because I had to pick up Cherry at her hotel which was about 5 mins away and bring her back to mine then we would all leave together. I pretty much wore the exact race kit I wore the past Sunday for the WPS half marathon with the exception of not wearing my Icebreaker merino wool baselayer. Breakfast, hydration and stretching was all the same for the past 4 days leading up to race day so there was no deviation in my planning.

Weather was +6C and clear sky. Barry, Osty, Tyler, Aggie, Cherry and myself took the bus shuttle together. We got dropped off into an unknown part of town, and had to walk a mile to the Athlete's village as the bus driver didn't know where the start line was. I had a Canada rain poncho on to keep me warm, and Osty and  I did our CPR marathon clinic warm ups and ambled up to the 9:00 - 10:00 mile corral and waited it out.

 

After the national anthem, we get ready to go...The first mile is just an influx of humanity moving forward. I had a pretty decent pace going at 9:47min/mile and as the crowds started to thin out I was able to keep it going to 9:00 min/mile and go into cruise control as I knew this was a long race and I've been studying the map and saw the youtube video of the course so I just let my body dictate my pace and let everything flow. My plan was if I can get to the half way mark under 2 hours, and keep my wits about me, I should have a good chance for a sub 4hour race. Osty and I were pretty much in eyesight of each other but I lost him after mile 3 or 4. I was sure he sped up ahead of me and I just focused on what my legs were telling me and kept things going at an even pace. I heard my name called around mile 7 and I look and see its TYLER! He was alone and running and I was happy to see him, but the poor guy has been injured the past month and he wasn't fully healed. I was looking for Osty but thought he was way ahead of me. I kept my focus going and I had mental images of me running with the elites and thought about my stride and when I knew I had my glutes firing up the kinetic chain, I knew everything was feeling good and right and it just felt like my day.

When both my feet are in mid-air I knew I had my stride firing.

The weather started off perfect at +6, but around 9:30am, it really started to get hot. Everyone was feeling the heat and I could tell I was starting to slow down a bit, but I heard my named called again. And this time it was Connie, my sister who drove in from St. Paul MN, to cheer all of us on. She kept screaming my name, "Ruben! Go Ruben! You look great, you're looking strong!!!" And I was feeling strong, this was around mile 11 and I just ran underneath 2 underpasses with the last one with a bit of a steep incline. Because I was averaging 8:55 min/mile to 9:17 min/mile, I knew I had to pick it up a little bit and get re-focused. I was being a bit of a dick on the course as I wouldn't slap any kids hands as they held them out. It was one reason I wore sunglasses as you can't see my eyes and was hopefully void of any emotion showing. Albeit, hearing Con cheer me on, brought a lot of emotion in me. But the heat was suddenly starting to get to me. I was drinking water, through the whole course but then decided to go with water then powerade for the electrolytes. As I suddenly realized that I wasn't sweating anymore and this was just before the 1/2 marathon mark. (Which made me think I wasn't hydrated as I thought I was)

When I finally passed the 1/2 marker I checked my watched and discovered that I just got under the 2hrs...I knew I wasn't going to get a 3:50 time as I knew I didn't yet have the training, physically to speed up enough to start negative splitting. I went under another underpass with not a very steep grade so it wasn't that bad, and the way I was attacking the hills was to drop my arms, lean a bit to save my strength. But I knew something was wrong about mile 14. There was that burning feeling under both my feet. I liberally applied half a stick of body glide on them early morning but that itchy burning feeling was at first a minor irritation and as I was rounding the corner into mile 15, it was getting unbearable. Both my feet cramped up and I was in literal pain. I actually stopped (which pissed me off) then I dropped on the grass and fell on my back as I was trying to rip my socks off my legs. 

Mile 15 was also the medical drop off marker and I had medical crew come rushing to my aid. They asked if I was alright, I told them I was and was just trying to take my socks off. I asked if they could help me, and the medic whips out surgical scissors and I quickly told him "NO! Please just help me pull them off." So with the help of the medic, he was able to pull both socks off and then I slipped my bare feet into my Hoka's and then asked him if he could pull my lock laces for me as I was a little cramped up from lying on my back with my feet in the air (I'm sure it looked ridiculous). And as he got the tension right, I locked them up and he helped me up and then asked me one more time if I wanted off the course. I declined the offer and just started to pick up whatever pace I was able to run as my swollen feet were just getting comfortable in the Hoka's. 

Of course by this time I lost a lot of time and was already if "F' it Mode" I knew I wasn't going to sub 4hr or even get close to a 4:15. I just resigned myself to finish, then it suddenly became a LONG course. I guess, when your mind and focus are shot, and the heat bearing down on you, you've mentally given up and are just in 'finish' mode. Between miles 18 to 24, was very hard. It suddenly wasn't fun and every step was becoming a bit of a struggle. My feet were rubbing in my shoes as I've never gone barefoot in these Hoka's before and it was rubbing on the top of my right big toe pretty much through the rest of the race. I was wasting a lot of energy focusing on trying not to feel the pain, and when I crossed the overpass onto the last mile, everything was hurting, especially my ego as I thought I prepared so well for this race. All that training over the winter culminated in this moment and I thought I had it and it was all there and it slipped away.

By mile 26, you turned a corner and you can hear the finishers cheering everyone on. I dialed onto a mark who was about 100m ahead of me and I could tell he was going for a strong finish and stopped feeling sorry for myself and told myself that whatever I had left, it had to be left on this last stretch of the course. I told myself to bring up the images of me running with the elites and finish strong. I passed by that mark and as I rounded the corned, I heard my name being said by the announcer "Ruben Cervantes of Winnipeg." I crossed the finish line, raised my hands in the little victory of 4:37:41. 

Then I heard my named being shouted again...I turn around, and again it's my sister Connie cheering me on...and I started to cry...ball like a baby cry. (srsly wtf?) I cried because of the disappointment and how much it sucked. I cried because I knew Cherry and her believed in me and most of all I believed in myself and I let myself down...I also think I cried because the product in my hair didn't hold too well in the heat...I'm sure I cried because of that.

Dejection personified :)

But there was Con who reached over the rail to hug me, I sniffled into her shoulder and she told me I did well and to get my medal, recover and to come back and look out for the others to finish up. After getting my medal, bundling up in the recovery jacket they were giving out and drinking 4 chocolate milks, 3 danishes and a bananna, I got to see Osty, Tyler and Aggie cross the finish line. Then Con and I waited for Cher.

It was about 2 PM in the afternoon on the course and it was over 5:30 hrs into the race. I decided to walk back to the last mile and wait at the last turn to see her come in. I had to admit I was getting nervous wondering if she dropped out of the race...but I knew in my heart that she wouldn't quit and as I was looking down the street I could see blue shirt and long hair flowing. I got up and ran along side her for the last mile, as we were nearing the corner she kept asking me where the finish line was. I told Cher it wasn't far now and as we rounded the corner I told her "Now is the time to give it all." And she ran and I stopped and watch her cross the finish line and her victory became so much more for me because what she did personified what a true Cervantes was.

So after the race, my sister Con drove us back to the hotel, I lay in a fetal position for 10 minutes then showered up and got ready as Osty, Tyler, Aggie, and my sisters met up with Coach Dan, Haidee, Becky, Barry and Sarah along with some other runners for a post race dinner and celebration. Again, another learning experience with the marathon, but more importantly about myself and the people who believe in me.

...and believed in me enough to have my sister Connie sign me up to run the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in October. This one I'm looking forward to as, I'm going back to the race that started it all for me...but I just need to not run for a week so I can catch my breath, literally and figuratively.

2014 Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon - Race Report

May the 4th be with you...

I have only run this race once before and that was last year. I came into this 2014 season with the goal of doing the City Park Runners marathon and half marathon clinic to train for the Fargo full marathon. But the Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon event and what it represents is something I believe in, as I have known many people who have succumbed to cancer and every little bit of support counts. Tapering is the least of my worries.

As the Fargo marathon is six days after this one, and there is always that risk of injury...I came into this race thinking of it as a dress rehearsal for the full in Fargo. I had a couple of goals, and that was pace and energy management, learning how to drink on the rum run and eat gummis while I'm in race mode. I told Osty that at any sign of trouble...like muscle cramping, I'd jump off the course and carry on to run another day.

I was in wave 1 start for 8:00 am. And I walked with Erick and Roberto over the bridge from CPR to the start line. I went in the 2:00 corral as I didn't want to get into the flurry of the faster corrals which Erick, Ted, Tracy, Joshua, coach Dan, Travis, Roberto and Yves stationed themselves in.

Photo courtesy of Judy Otto

Hmm...the people I remember seeing in my wave: Sara, Trish, my buddy Agata (the Polish sensation)...Barb and Rhonda doing the relay, Janet...

And the Police sirens go off. I can't say I've raced a lot, this will be my 5th half marathon and you start to learn from past experiences. And this one was that emotional surge at the start line and being surrounded by all these people, its easy to start picking up the pace and finding yourself running faster than you're normally used too and fading out when you least expect it, as I've experienced that a couple of times.

The first mile felt just right, but I had to pee...dammit. I know I had the advantage of months of training, while I know many around me haven't put in the mileage as me and my training partners have. The other advantage I had was the first 5 miles were in very familiar territory. Running down Wellington was like having home field advantage. I knew where the inclines and declines were and you get a good feel for a course after putting in many miles. I didn't take the first water station at mile 2 as I've trained to run 6km (3mi) without water, so why start now? And the course had aid stations roughly every mile after (best to check before your race). I got to see Dr. Phil and Lori cheering all the runners on at the Wellington turn off which we head back into Sir John Franklin Park over the bridge by the cementary on Wolseley avenue. It was at that aid station I took water and then stopped to see if the porta potty was free (it wasn't) which cost me about 10 seconds, so I carried on and kept my pace even.

The way I was thinking of doing the aid stations was water then gatorade and then alternate and carry on until mile 10. As I approached the aid station, I would call out what I wanted so the volunteer would hold out the right cup to me, thank them, garbage it (as I didn't want to be a dick about chucking the cup) and carry on. Drinking on the run is kind of an art in itself, and when I got to my second aid station I called out for gatorade and it was a bit over-filled. What I would do is crush the cup so the lip corners and I'd sip a little of a mouthful and swallow and then drink a bit more, trying not to get it all spilled on me.

It was on Parkside Drive where I found an empty porta potty and just did my business. It cost me another 20 seconds (yea it was a fast drain) but I wanted to be comfortable in this race and having to hold my pee was kind of bothersome and like I said, I wasn't stressing over the run. I was actually enjoying it.

The crowd was great on Portage Avenue, especially when you cross by the entrance of Assiniboine park. I was still going strong at the 6.5 mile mark and I didn't realize it until I saw the picture, but I was running alongside Art, who had bib number 1 which I thought was really cool...in a nerdy, running kind of way.

Photo courtesy Kevin Kowalchuk

The only thoughts that were going through my mind was a Beatles song "What You're Doing" that had a catchy melody and let my glutes start the kinetic chain that would get me through a deceptively long stretch of Portage to Olive street then to Moray where I came upon a runner who looked like he was struggling. I asked him if he was okay, and he told me his muscles were cramping up since mile 3...ouch. I offered him my gummis and told him he's probably got no glycogen in his system I thought maybe it's time for me to take some and just keep them in the side of my mouth and take water from here on out. I suggested to the gentleman to not eat and swallow them and to just let them melt in his mouth as I didn't want the guy to get sick. He thanked me and I carried on.

Last year the infamous 9 mile turn was horrible for me...I thought I was literally going to puke. This year, I was met with a bunch of Filipino volunteers handing out at the aid station. I used what little Tagalog I knew asking for water (tubig) and they responded in kind Mabuhay which literally means live. I was feeling good, my pacing was good (8:43/mi) and I was able to run the inclines with little difficulty. As I was heading back over the Moray bridge into Westwood, I still had the gummis in my mouth, and I found myself alone. I saw the mark that I was looking for...(guy in yellow shirt, red hat and black shorts) who was about 100m ahead of me, when another runner came ambling up besides me...I looked at him, smiled and asked him if he was following me...guy was all "what?" I asked if he was following me, because I have no idea where I'm going...and he burst out laughing! We ran for another half mile before he trailed off...but my mark was still ahead of me.

After the 10th mile, it was when I started to get serious. My mark was still ahead of me, and I did a systems and diagnostics check on myself and found I was still in the green. Someone on the course was handing out orange slices so I spit out my gummis and took one (maybe a bad idea..) and had my last water. I came over the park bridge on Assiniboine crescent and into the mile 11 marker, I was met with Becky a fellow clinic runner! Her smile totally made my day and I told myself that now was the time to go...

Photo courtsey of Judy Otto

When I got onto the last mile on Portage Avenue I thought back to all of the training runs I've done. All of the cold winters when it would have been better to stay in bed but I got up and ran...my talks with coach Dan, Erick, Osty, Tyler, watching ALL of my clinic friends run and them cheering me on during our interval training, I thought about my aunt, Tita Norming who died from cancer, and one of my best friends Marina Vitelli who died from cancer to the liver before her 40th...and suddenly the running didn't matter. What mattered was the belief people had in me and the honor of knowing such great people who have passed before their time. My mark was now 50m ahead of me...and I was suddenly passing about 20 runners that was between me and my mark. And when I got to Assiniboine park, I heard my name being shouted, RUBEN! I didn't want to turn my head as I found the stride I wanted...I was thinking of Meb and the video of his pacing and cadence and I was passing runners and chasing. My mark was now over the bridge and I could hear the course marshal saying "You did it! Just over the bridge and you're home!" But my mark was now 20m ahead and I knew I couldn't catch him...but what the hell...I knew in my heart of hearts I was giving it everything. I could have turned it on earlier...but it is what it is...but what was even better than being able to catch my mark was seeing my daughter Mackenzie waiting for me at the finish line...yep...And I was tapering.

After the race, and eating pancakes and taking a long hot shower and a nap...I ate McDonalds number 3 combo (Quarter Pounder BLT combo) and hung out with my girls. Did some foam rolling went bed early and finally started my taper...

...next up Fargo.

WPS Half Marathon Mile splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	1:52:48.0	13.17	8:34
1	9:24.7	1.00	9:25
2	8:45.8	1.00	8:46
3	8:31.3	1.00	8:31
4	8:42.2	1.00	8:42
5	8:38.8	1.00	8:39
6	8:35.9	1.00	8:36
7	8:26.3	1.00	8:26
8	8:43.9	1.00	8:44
9	8:43.1	1.00	8:43
10	8:35.2	1.00	8:35
11	8:35.5	1.00	8:35
12	8:23.8	1.00	8:24
13	7:28.9	1.00	7:29
14	1:13.0	0.17	7:05