Posts Tagged long beach half marathon

2008 Running Meme

Thursday 01.01.09 at 19:09 · Filed under uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

1. How many miles/km did you run this year? 405.6 miles in 87:01:08

2. What were your highest/lowest weekly mileage results? 26.9 miles / 0 miles

3. What was your best mileage month? April – 91.3 miles

4. What was your longest run? 26.2 miles

5. How many races did you enter in 2008? What were your best and worst race performances? I did 6 races this year. I am proud of all my results.

6. Do you have a favorite/memorable run from this year? The San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon will always hold a special place in my heart because it was my very first marathon.

7. What was the craziest weather or other type of adverse conditions you endured on a run in 2008? I live in Southern California so I’ve never really run in crazy conditions. Once, when I was out of town, I ran in 36° weather. That was cold for me.

8. What were your goals for 2008? To complete a marathon.

9. What are your goals for 2009? To become a faster and stronger runner.

10. Do you have a favorite running-related quote you would like to share? The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running. Unknown

Comments (2)

R.I.P. My Beloved iRiver iFP-390T

Friday 10.17.08 at 01:37 · Filed under uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,

Good bye, beloved iRiver iFP-390T. I’m going to miss you.

I still remember the day I got you. I was so excited. I splurged and went with your generous 256 mb instead of the 128 model.

So what if I couldn’t put more than 55 songs on you? That was enough to keep me entertained. I’m a simple girl.

When I decided to try to start running, 55 songs was more than enough to hold my Cool Running Couch-To-5k running mix. Remember the first time you ran out of songs and I was still running? I was so excited. As my mileage increased, it became natural for me to just put you on repeat so we could start all over again from the beginning.

We flew together to Asia three summers in a row. You were there for me on the airplane, on those long stretches on the train and even a few boat rides.

And you were there for me as I trained for my very first marathon.

I guess it’s fitting that you were there to help me every step of the way for the Long Beach Half Marathon this weekend.

I’m going to miss you, iRiver iFP-390T!

Comments (1)

The Green Girl’s Long Beach Half Marathon Race Report

Tuesday 10.14.08 at 04:06 · Filed under race reports, sole runners ·Tagged , , , , , ,

The weather here in Long Beach was absolutely perfect for a race yesterday.

Okay, I have to admit something before I go any further. I had two goals for this race. I know I said I didn’t really plan on going for a 3 hour half marathon but secretly, I hoped I could do it. I had the Clif Pace Team bracelet on my arm just above my watch. My other goal was to run the entire thing.

The morning started off chilly so I layered a “disposable” cotton hoodie over my running outfit. I took the Long Beach Transit down to Shoreline Village and headed straight for the porta potties.

I usually avoid drinking more than 8 ounces of liquid before a race because I’m one of those people who always has to pee but at the second bus stop, I realized I had forgotten to grab my Gatorades out of the freezer before I left. I decided I’d finish off the water bottle I’d brought to drink with my usual pre-race favorite snack, a Fiber One bar.

After my porta potty stop, I headed to the third corral to find the Beach Runners. One of my coaches, Steve Mackel, gave me a big hug and wished me luck.

As I waited for the race to start, I immediately started regretting having finished off that water bottle. I had to pee again. Bad. I glanced over at the porta potty line and knew there was no way I’d get through in time. I hoped that feeling would go away.

I stretched and when I felt warmed up, I tossed my hoodie in the bushes next to the corral. There was already an assortment of sweatshirts, long-sleeved shirts and sweatpants in the bushes and hanging from the trees.

As the race started, my body felt good. My legs muscles didn’t feel too tight. The only problem was that I really had to go pee.

In retrospect, I should have just gone in the bushes but instead, I waited in line at the porta potties just past Mile 1. I ended up losing time from 25:00 to 37:07.

I really enjoyed the scenic course. I loved how we passed the Queen Mary in the distance.

I’ve spent countless mornings running along the Long Beach bike path and I thought it was kind of cool how I could run in the bike lane instead of always having to stay in the running section. I felt a little bit like a rebel. I know, I’m a dork.

Mile Split Time
01 12:49:84
02 25:00:90
03 11:39:30
04 12:43:65
05 12:49:71
06 13:02:43
07 13:00:99
08 13:38:73
09 13:36:74
10 13:34:15
11 14:29:19
12 14:30:08
13.1 14:08:00

Everytime I hit a mile marker, I compared the time on my watch to the corresponding distance on my Clif Pace bracelet. I did a good job closing the gap for a few miles but then I got too tired.

I wish I could have dug deeper towards the end but I didn’t have it in me. My positive split times reflect how I was feeling. I ran the entire distance but my official chip time was 03:05:50. My family and friends keep telling me I can just subtract the porta potty time from my official time to make my goal but I feel like your official time is your time, no matter what.

Comments (5)

The Green Girl’s Race Preparation List…

Sunday 10.12.08 at 01:30 · Filed under uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My coaches, Steve Mackel and Gary Smith put together this “Coach Steve & Gary’s Race Day CheckList“.

The most important thing to remember is not to try anything new right before a race. This includes eating new foods; wearing new clothing, socks or shoes; taking new medications or vitamins; applying new creams or lotions; or doing anything else you’ve never done before. I believe this rule would be a lot easier to follow if the race expo was after the race. At the expo, they offer samples of all sorts of “super” bars, drinks, foods and other snacks.

No matter how many times seasoned marathoners warn other runners not to wear clothing or shoes they bought at the expo the day before, we all get tempted to sport new purchases on the big day. Do not, under any circumstances, make this mistake.

I highly recommend attaching the timing chip to your shoes and pinning the bib on your race shirt the night before. As easy as it may seem, this can sometimes be a little more complicated than expected.

I also make sure I have everything I need in one place before I go to bed. I don’t want to be looking for things in the morning.

The Green Girl’s Race Checklist:

Shoes
Timing Chip
Socks
Spare Socks
Hat
Race Shirt
Bib
Race Pants/Shorts
Watch
Sunscreen
Lip Balm
Hand Sanitizer
BodyGlide
Cash
Road ID
Hydration Belt
Hydration
Gels
Pretzels
Mobile Phone
Digital Camera
MP3 Player
Warm-up Clothes
Bus Pass

The Green Girl’s “Night Before” Checklist:

Attach timing chip to shoes
Put socks near shoes
Pin bib to race shirt
Put out all clothing
Freeze hydration bottles
Prepare hydration belt

I like to take public transportation to races. This way I don’t have to deal with traffic and I don’t have to worry about parking my car.

Comments (7)

Long Beach Marathon Expo…

Saturday 10.11.08 at 05:12 · Filed under uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I stopped by the Long Beach Marathon Expo today to pick up my race packet. I registered early so I qualified for a technical shirt. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the shirts are this year. I also like how the race timing chip is a disposable sticker that was attached to the bib.

Tylenol was giving away individual packets of their painkillers and offering free 5 minute chair massages. It felt good to get some of the knots worked out of my shoulders.

I picked up a 06:00 marathon pace bracelet from the Clif Pace Team booth. I wanted a 06:30 but 06:00 was the slowest they had.

I stopped at the RaceReady booth. I had heard really good things about the RaceReady compression shorts so I was interested in checking them out. They had the Women’s Long Distance (LD) Fitness Shorts in black and navy blue. The salesgirl suggested I take a pair to the women’s restroom in the far corner of the Expo to try them on for size. The sizes ran small – I usually wear a women’s medium but the large fit me perfectly. The stretch material was comfortable and I liked how it felt when I jogged in place in the bathroom stall.

I purchased a pair in the navy blue. My only concern is that the pouches in the back might interfere with my hydration belt. If that’s the case, I’ll avoid wearing them together.

I also picked up a bottle of Penguin Sports Wash. I had been reading reviews on this product online and the majority of users felt it worked well. It’s laundry detergent formulated specifically for technical fabrics. It helps removed odors that are “trapped” in the fabric. I’m interested to see how it works.

For some reason, I tend to accumulate stains on my running clothes. I have no idea how this happens because I swear I’m not rubbing my body against anything when I’m out on my runs but I often come home with streaks and splashes that refuse to come out in the wash. My current method is to first soak my running clothes in a plastic bucket with OxiClean and then with laundry detergent. Once I’ve gotten most of the stains out, I will put them in a cold wash in the machine. I am hoping this Sports Wash will eliminate the soaking rounds.

At the Sub4 USA booth, the owner, Tom Steiner, demonstrated the DryLyte moisture wicking ability by spraying a piece of fabric with a spray bottle. He had me touch the damp outside and then he showed me how the ribs in the fabric helped wick the water so the other side was dry.

I was impressed by how well the fabric absorbed and pulled the moisture away. I purchased 3 pairs of DryLyte moisture wicking wristbands.

My wrists get really sweaty and I find leather or rubber watches irritate my skin so I always wear fabric bands. I’m going to wear these wristbands to wipe sweat off my face when I’m running but I also want to try wearing them under a watch. If it’s comfortable enough, I might be able to wear non-fabric watch bands in the future.

Comments (4)

The Spirit of the Marathon…

Friday 10.10.08 at 04:47 · Filed under uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,


Spirit of the Marathon is the first ever non-fiction feature film to capture the drama and essence of the famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the movie brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries.

I just found out from Tricotine that “The Spirit of the Marathon” is out on DVD.

I missed it when it played in local theatres and I’m really anxious to finally see it. I’m going to make some calls tomorrow to see if any running stores around me have it in stock. I’d love to watch it before the Long Beach Half Marathon on Sunday.

Leave a Comment

Run, 1/2 Pint, Run!

Friday 10.10.08 at 03:25 · Filed under uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,

I made myself ‘half marathon’ cupcakes today. I love to make cupcakes. I just wish I was better at decorating. I’m not even good at frosting them evenly. Regardless, I’m a true believer that it is, afterall, the thought that truly counts.

The Long Beach Half Marathon this Sunday is going to be my second half marathon. My very first half marathon was the Palos Verdes Half Marathon. I finished in
03:28:53 which averages to a 15:57 mile. I used a 5:1 run/walk but ‘almost all walk at the end’ ratio. It was a really hot day and I have a hard time dealing with heat.

The Long Beach Half Marathon has great sentimental value to me because I watched the marathoners and half marathoners at the starting line last year.

The Long Beach 5k last year was my very first race. I had completed Week 9 Day 3 of the Cool Running Couch-To-5k the Tuesday before the race. I remember being terrified I would be so slow that the finish line would already be gone by the time I got there.

The 5k started at 08:30 and the marathon and half marathon started at 07:30. I arrived early to watch them start. As I watched them stretch, I tried to imagine what it would be like to be able to run that far.

You can imagine my excitement that this year I’ll be one of those half marathoners. And one day, I’ll be one of those full marathoners. I’m not quite ready for another marathon just yet. 26.2 miles is a long way – especially for a very slow Green Girl.

Comments (2)