San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon 2010 Review

Wow! I just ran the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego on June 6th, 2010. I have competed in endurance sports my whole life; collegiate swimming, open water swims, lifeguard competitions, triathlons, and a ton of road races. However, nothing compares to the accomplishment of finishing a marathon. I love this race because, it is my hometown marathon and the great support along the course. Overall, great job Competitor!

I'll start of with the positives of the race.
1. It's in San Diego (enough said)
2. It's a great course, you run downtown, through balboa park, by museums, past Petco Park (padres stadium), up the 163 Freeway, and bayfront along Fiesta Island. It was a hot day with high humidity and if it wasn't for the breeze off of Fiesta island, I would have cooked like an egg!
3. Lots of support! Different color cups for sports drinks and water!
4. Plenty of crowd noise on the first half of the course.
5. The finish of the race in 2010 has been changed for the better. The last 2/10's of a mile is like a mountain stage of the Tour De France. It is thin road, lined with crowds and each and every competitor feels like a champion.
6. They had a wave start to ease congestion.

Here are some areas of improvement including some of the changes from last year that I did not approve of.
1. The start was not as electric as years past, but well organized.
2. The biggest issue of the race this year had to do with the half marathon. On the 163, the half marathon meets up with the full. You have 3:20 marathoners running in with 4 hour half marathoners. The volunteers kept on screaming "half left-full right". That was great, but half these people have ipods and weren't listening. I heard reports of marathoners running into walkers from the half talking on their cell phone.
My suggestions:
3. Consider banning ipods for the race. I know people like music, but if they can't hear directions, that really is a hazard and drives down the quality of the race. Almost all those people on the wrong side on the road were ipod'ers.
4. Consider keeping the half with the full for the entire length of the half and have it end in the fashion valley parking lot, thus eliminating the merge of different speeds.
5. The parking lot finish is a drag. Hot blacktop after the race was a serious downgrade from the race.
6. Competitor! Don't get greedy here. The price has been seriously raised for next years race. $130 bucks for early registration? C'mon! For that kind of money, I am thinking about skipping 2011 and heading to Chicago for a change.

Overall I had a great time. I ran a PR of 3:26 in high humidity and heat. No, I didn't run a world record tine of 2:06 with a baby in my arms ;- This was my 4th Rock and Roll marathon and I plan on running it again in the future.

On a personal note, thanks to Micah Cook for being my virtual training partner and pushing me along the way. Micah had a great race and has the best course animation I have ever seen. The cheerleaders don't pump up Micah, he gets them pumped up with high fives and fist pumps! We celebrated at my favorite Mexican restaurant in San Diego. Las Olas in "Cardiff by the Sea". $3.50 margaritas (the best I have had) and the classic combo (taco, enchilada, and rice and beans). Most of all, I would like to thank my wife for being so supportive of my training while we raise 3 kids who are 3 years of age or under. Nice!

Race Review: San Dieguito Half Marathon

If you have never run the San Dieguito Half Marathon, you are in for a treat. This race which takes place in Rancho Santa Fe, CA (San Diego), has so many things going for it, you are sure to come back for years to come.

The course itself takes place in a country Santa Barbara-esque setting starting at San Dieguito County Park. The race starts at a civilized 8a.m.

The course is extremely scenic winding through some of the most beautiful communities in San Diego. The rolling hills make this course both interesting and challenging.

The course is well marked, has great support, and is a closed course for the majority of the race.

Some other unique features of the race are an outstanding beer garden, “The queen of England”, Beer stops sponsored by the “Hash House Harriers, and a selection of Chili served at the finish line! Coupled with a $35 race entry fee and a long sleeve technical T-shirt, this race is hard to keep off your winter race schedule.

Tips to make race day more enjoyable:

Parking is tight and can be found on Lomas Sante Fe and side streets if you get to the site early enough. There is a limited amount of parking available in the park at a cost of $3.00, but the lot will fill up fast.

If you have family or friends come and watch the course, the finish line is a small hike from the main entrance to the park. However, there is a great play area for kids at the entrance to the park which is where the post-race party is held.

Miles 11 and 12 will make you feel like you are flying, but be prepared as the last mile has a gentle incline which can catch you off-guard.

Beware mile 14…the hike from the race finish back to the post-race party. It’s a steep, dirt path that will make you feel the burn.

Overall, one of my favorite races in the San Diego area and I will be back in 2011. Feel free to leave your comments about the race below.

Race logo used with permission from Kathy Loper, Kathy Loper Events. This is an independent blog and is not an endorsement of this blog by Kathy Loper Events.

Marathon Lessons From The Best Motivation Clip Ever!

You have to take a look at this motivational video clip. We can learn so many things from this amazing slice of sports history. It is the story of the 1983 New York City Marathon, where Rod Dixon a heavy underdog in the race, defeated the decorated and heavily favored English Runner Geoff Smith in the final seconds of the race. One of the things I love about the clip is the Rod narrates the clip and you get inside the head of a champion. I think anybody can use this clip to improve their athletic performance on a number of levels.

1. Preparation and confidence in preparation- If you want to take your running to the next level, you have to be willing to prepare and put in the work that others will not. This will not only give you a physiological advantage but a mental one also. Rod is at the starting line and he reflects very quickly on his preparation. This allows him to wipe the doubt from his mind. He knows the work has been done, and now is the time to enjoy the fruits of his labor! Prepare and have confidence in yourself. Not preparing will produce the opposite effect.

2. Control our emotions- A marathon can be a very emotional experience. We go through several phases of confidence, doubt, excitement, and nervousness. You have to not only have confidence at the start of the race, but during the race no matter what the distance.

3. Race your race- On race day stick to your plan. Pace groups may start out faster then you would like, novices take off and burn out later. You know your body better then anybody else! Stick to your plan. I love the way that the character is able to use self-control to hold back even though the leaders pull away.

4. Racing is not only a physical contest-but also mental!- At one point during the race, the main character is gaining on the leaders and realizes that even though he is gaining on the leaders, the race isn’t long enough to catch them at his current pace. Watch how he uses his brain to overcome the challenge. The most fit runner does not always win the race.

5. Grit and determination- To be a champion you have to be mentally tough. There will be times where everything is telling your body to slow down. The best athletes can overcome this and run through extreme fatigue. This is a skill that is learned through practice. You have to train yourself to run through pain. The pain I describe in not a pain from injury but rather from exhaustion. If you have an injury, this is not meant to tell you to run through it.

6. Get inside the head of the competition- I hate to spoil this for you, but when the main character passes the race leader, he runs as fast as he can to emotionally devastate him. His plan worked. This can be used on a number of levels.

7. Run to the finish- It’s ok to be human. We may not always hit our goal times and we may fall short. However, never leave anything on the race course. If you don't miss your goals every now and then, you aren't setting your goals high enough.

8. Be gracious and good sportsman- After winning one of the greatest races in history, the main character praises his competitor and stated that he couldn’t have had the spectacular race without him. How classy! If you see somebody ahead of you in your age group, it's ok to give it your all at the finish. It you see a mom with a double stroller and your pride is on the line, maybe you shouldn't push her into a ditch scraping your way to the finish. Just a thought!

Enjoy!

Chill Out! Take An Ice Bath After That Hard Workout!

Are you looking for a way to get faster without running more? Are you looking to prevent injuries? Would you like your current aches and pains to subside sooner? Would you like to feel fresher and faster after that long training run? Then an ice bath is your answer.

Taking a 10-20 minute ice bath after a challenging workout (i.e long marathon training run, killer interval workout,challenging race efforts), is one of the best ways to recover faster and to keep your training buzzing along without interruption.

Why does it work?
The temperature of the ice bath (AKA "Cryotherapy), constricts blood vessels and reduces swelling, inflammation, and tissue breakdown. This in itself will help you recover faster. However, when you get out of the ice bath, the vessels will now open up (from the warmth), and the flow of blood will help flush out all that nasty oxidative, free radical, mumbo jumbo that has accumulated in your system for the past couple of hours.

Will an ice pack do the same thing?
It is better then doing nothing. But the ice bath is a lot colder and can cover your entire lower body.

Here is a video with some tips on how to take an ice bath. Ignore the fact that the editor of the video mentions that the marathon is 26.5. Just found this on youtube.