First Ever Half Marathon

So this past weekend marked my first ever half marathon race and it was everything I expected it to be and more! To be 100% honest, I surprised myself by running the entire distance without stopping, and I beat my goal time by almost 7 minutes! Everyone that knows me knows how competitive I can be, but I've never ran for longer than 10 miles at a time so I had my doubts about making the jump to 13.1. Turns out, the extra motivation from friends and family, all the runners, and a beautiful backdrop for a race helped tremendously and I felt like I could have kept running!
It was such an awesome feeling of accomplishment to complete something as grueling as running for almost 2 straight hours. I know it's not a full marathon but you have to start somewhere, and I feel like the full marathon may be the next step. The sights and sounds of the race were amazing and the support of the crowd is something you just can't describe until you've seen it and felt it for yourself. Everyone is running individually but you can feel a sense of 5500 people pushing each other to do their best, no matter how fast or slow they are. It was so inspiring to see the different types of people running for the same goal which is to test yourself and finish with pride.
I also ran the race with two new weapons...compression socks and shorts. This was a game changer! And thank you to my wife for buying them for me cause they really do work as advertised. My legs and feet normally start to get that numb tingly feeling during long runs over 6 miles, but not yesterday. Not at all. My legs had increased circulation and felt fresh the entire race, and due to lack of muscle vibration with the compression I had a lot less muscle fatigue. The best part is that I'm really not even sore today which is crazy because earlier last week I ran 6 miles and my calves were sore for three days! So in my opinion the compression technology is not at all overhyped; if anything, it's way underused and if you're into running long distances or have trouble recovering from workouts, get a pair of compression socks and compression shorts, you'll thank me later!
Last and certainly not least, I wanna say how awesome my wife is for her support during the race. She was so positive and filled my head with confidence from the time my training began until the end of the race. Not only did she get up at O'Dark Thirty to get to the race on time with me, she made a sign, ran all over downtown in order to track my progress during the race, and caught a cab to make it back to the stadium for the finish inside Petco Park! She had my whole family tracking my progress online with the run tracker attached to my bib so they could "watch" me run! She is such an inspiration to me and loves me whole heartedly so I want her to know how much it means to me when she does stuff like that. She's the real reason I beat my time by 7 minutes.
So I will end by saying this, I had so much fun this weekend and urge everyone to push themself to trying something out of their comfort zone cause you never know, you might shock yourself...it's a great feeling.

My Wife, the Motivator

So yesterday, Misti ran a 5k obstacle course in Mission Bay that she signed up for in Shape Magazine. The event was called the Diva Dash so as you can imagine it was an all female race full of costumes and goofy running attire. There were a few serious athletes, though, and to my surprise, my wife was one of them...actually not just one of them, she was one of the best of them! I knew she was athletic but I had never seen her really compete so this was an eye opener for me.
The course was extremely tough; imagine running a 5k in wet sand, climbing obstacles, jumping barriers, crawling under ropes and splashing knee deep through the ocean...in a blazing 28 minutes!! I know Marines that can't run a 5k in 28 minutes on flat pavement with the sun shining. She did all of that in 50 degree weather in the rain! I was super proud of her, because I know she wanted to quit or at least walk certain portions, but she kept on running, passing people that started 15 minutes before she did. She says I am her motivation, but the truth is, she motivates me more than she could ever know. Way to go babe, keep up the good work!
Oh and we are running a 5k trail race in a couple weeks...I hope I can keep up!

Less is more??

So I've been fiddling with the idea of cutting my weight lifting sessions in half from 5-6 days per week to 2-3 days per week. So far, by concentrating on compound lifts such as deadlift, bench press, squat, overhead press, and rows, I have had some amazing training sessions and my body has reacted in a way that I haven't felt in a long time....super soreness! So maybe the less is more thing is more my speed and exactly the kind of change my muscles were needing in order to grow. This also allows me to run a little more on days that I'm not lifting, which is perfect for my half marathon training. So if you're stuck in a rut, try cutting back a bit and making your workouts count by increasing your poundage and shortening your reps and pushing your muscles a little harder. The extra rest in between may be just what you need to gain some needed strength.

Happy New Year!!

So I know it's very cliche of me to do this but it's a new year and I have high hopes for my year of fitness that is to be.  2012 is going to be the year I sign up for events...which I've never done in my life.  I'm talking about 5k's, 10k's, Mud Runs, Half-Marathons, Marathons (maybe), and Sprint Triathlons.  There may even be a few strength competitions if I can find them, because I also plan on breaking the 500lb deadlift barrier, which for a 170lb guy is not too shabby.
So to begin my new year I have decided to run a Half Marathon here in San Diego on March 11, thanks to a buddy of mine's perpetual urging, and my amazing wife's act of signing up for her first ever obstacle course 5k.  I was very inspired by both of them and I can't wait to watch my wife run her event in a few weeks.  I started my half training on Dec 31st and have ran at least 2.25 miles each of the 3 days since, all 3 including some trails, and hills which weren't very kind to me...its always tough getting back into the swing of things, especially running.  I was, at one time, a decent runner and so when I run after long layoffs in a not-so-fast-type-of-fashion, its a little disheartening, but I am confident it will come back quickly.
Well, anyways, here's to a tough 10 week half marathon training program for my first ever 13.1 mile trek through the streets of San Diego, and I hope all of you have something they want to attain this year.  I will do my best to pop in every now and then with some running tips and things I learn along the way in order to hopefully motivate someone to hit the pavement, trails, or treadmills for some heavy mileage!  Stay fit, and stay happy!