It's a little weird to post a pre-race report after the race, but I will post it anyways because I had such a fun time in San Francisco.

Tony and I left San Jose around 2:30pm after my dance team practice. It was not raining at the time, but it started sprinkling on the way to San Francisco and by the time we arrived at Castro Street, it was pouring and wind was blowing steadily. I have never been to Castro District, the epicenter of gay male culture, so I was excited to go there before meeting up with Dr. Jorge Wong at his condo by Twin Peaks.

Less than 5 minutes on Castro Street, I found a really cool-looking jacket I would probably never find at a mall. Of course I had to get it!

It was raining in Castro, but that did not stop us from exploring the area.

There’s a celebration of male beauty.

There’s a bit of erotica on street corners.

And only in San Francisco will you see a train that goes to nowhere in particular!

My friend Tony. He got hit on by an Asian waiter at Orphan Andy.

We ate had late lunch at Orphan Andy's. According to Tony:

“…Orphan Andy's has great pancakes...and a good atmosphere to pick up in Toshi's actual words 'A pair of good looking guys' - and he has the pictures to prove it! Judy - you sure Toshi doesn't swing both ways?"

Don't worry Judy. Toshi does not swing both ways!

It was getting dark, but the rain did not stop.

But the rain made the Castro District even more memorable.

On the way to Jorge's place, we got lost and somehow ended up on the top of Twin Peaks.

Market Street is the bright street in the middle.

South of downtown San Francisco

When we finally arrived at Jorge's place, I realized I left my bib at home and Jorge found out he has not received his bib yet. I called the organizer's officer number on the website, but of course the office was closed at 7pm on Saturday. The message said to go to the race site around 6:30am if we had any issues regarding our registration.

We ate at Brothers Korean BBQ. It has been our tradition to eat at this popular food joint whenever we visit San Francisco, but I really didn't want to eat a lot on the night before the race. The wait here was so long I went outside to look for Hot Pot City, but got soaking wet before I could even find it.

We went back to Jorge's place but the rain never stopped and I could hear the wind rustling through the trees all night.

The weather forecast said there was 90% chance of rain and it was going to be windy too. Not a favorable condition for a run. My girlfriend called me and told me not to worry, but just have a fun, safe race. I told myself that I can't expect a PR, but since I wanted a specific goal to shoot for, I set my goal to finish under 1 hour 25min.

Lick Observatory at elevation 4209ft

Sunday, 11/25 Overcast

This was the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend and the last day of my vacation before I start my new job at Capcom. I congratulated myself for getting a new job by riding to the Lick Observatory. Lick Observatory is atop the summit of Mt. Hamilton, which is the highest mountain looking over Silicon Valley. I know it's the first place it snows around San Jose, and the snow-capped mountain top have always captivated me during the winter months. I've seen it through grade school, junior high, high school, and junior college. Then , I went to San Diego and didn't see it for a few years, but I came back to San Jose after I graduated from college and sure enough, it's still there. Now, I see it everyday on my way to work and back (if it's not too dark). Lick Observatory stands magnificently on the summit, begging me to conquer it someday, and that day was today.

I couldn't capture the beauty of Mt. Hamilton with my camera, but these people did!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naotakem/129289311/

Snowcapped Mt. Hamilton

http://www.flickr.com/photos/explorer/113613672/

My trusty Little Giant.

Coffee Lovers on the intersection of Capitol and Aborn. My friend likes to hang out here after work.

This is the first hill I need to conquer to get to Mt. Hamilton.

An Indian building?

The road was getting steeper from here. But first, I saw horses.

A few minutes of climbing and it already looks like a view from the top. But, it's not even close!

That's San Jose downtown in the mist.

I see a couple of deer. I saw another pair crossing the road and jumping over the fence like it's nothing.

I know that cow is checking me out.

This was one tough climb. Until now, I thought Sierra Road was the toughest road to climb in San Jose, but I may have found its match (Although Sierra Road may be a bit longer).

Finally, I'm almost at the top. After unbelievably steep switchbacks, the road turns into a straight climb to the top (shown here). I had to resort to using the granny gear.

Now, Lick Observatory is closer.

I turn right on Mt. Hamilton Road.

It's another 10 miles to Lick Observatory.

A long windy road wrapped around rolling hills. But, the roads were not too steep.

I was getting warm and I took off my purple skull cap.

I reached the Twin Gates Trailhead. From here, it goes down, you cross a bridge, and it goes back up again. It was getting steeper. I saw a sign that said 7 miles to the Lick Observatory. 7 more miles?! Why am I putting up to this torture? Sure, I was enjoying the beautiful scenery, trees, fresh air, but at times, it felt like I was being tortured. Hey, isn't that almost like sex? Strange thoughts passed through my mind. May be I was getting too much oxygen. Then, I saw something cross the road. It was a small fluffy figure with a bushy tail. I think it was a fox. I quickly pulled out my camera, but he was very shy and hid behind a tree. And then, I saw two more foxes with their bushy tails following him in the woods.

Nuthin' but trees. But I swear I saw foxes!

A couple minutes later, I saw deers on the other side of the hill. A few cars passed me, and more motorcycles passed me and also came down from the summit.

I've got to say they did a very nice job of maintaining the road. I saw a sign that said the area is a property of Regents of the University of California. It's nice to know my tuition went to something useful like maintaining this road because I was using it.

I saw another rider ahead of me, so I pulled out a packet of GU from my back pocket, sucked on it, and started cranking down on the pedals. I caught up with him and I asked if I could tag along, since it's my first time here. He was cool with it and we rode along. He said he comes here every week! He came from Milpitas taking Alum Rock Road, which was not as steep as Quimby Road. Perhaps I can ride with my girlfriend to Lick Observatory on that route.

We were getting closer to the road and I got excited and went ahead a little.

San Jose is hidden in the fog.

Lick Observatory is just around the corner. Pete said he has ridden to Livermore before, too.

Here I come, Lick!

I'm heeere!

Now, I get to go down the windy road below.

I was so excited this morning I forgot to take off the seat post rack!

Pete from Milpitas.

I refilled my water bottles and dropped a tablet of Zenergize in each bottle to make sure I was getting enough electrolytes. I have been riding about 2hrs and 30 min, but I was feeling really good. It was around 50F at the summit and that was warm for this time of the year.

The Lick Observatory was open and I checked out the place. It was like a museum with tools and pictures and they even had a gift shop. I used the restroom, ate my mochi snack and I was ready to get on my bike.

Then, I realized I had lost my purple skull cap. I went back inside the observatory, but I didn't find it there. May be I dropped it on the way up.

We wanted to get two observatories in the picture at once using this mirror. Unfortunately, the other observatory is behind the mirror.

Pete told me he will go down slow since he had a bad accident once when his brake locked up. I went ahead, constantly checking for my cap... and sure enough, I found it! It was lying on the other side of the road. I must have dropped it when I pulled out the GU from my back pocket. Then, Pete passed me. I tried to catch up with him, but man, he is one fast downhill rider. I finally caught up with him at the bridge and passed him going uphill.

The sign reads Twin Gates Trailhead. I need to work on my backhand shooting skills.

Now I was back on Quimby Road climbing up the hill.

Lick looks so faraway now.

I'm back at the top of the summit at Quimby Road.

Buckeye Ranch at elevation 2264ft

The view is wonderful up here. The toughest part of the climb was just a little ahead where the road drops straight down.

The view of San Jose. On the way down, a group of motorcycle riders were coming up. One of them had fallen in the ditch and they were trying to get the bike up. It looked really tough especially on a steep road like this one.

Does anyone know what this fruit is? Can I eat this?

It was almost 2pm and it's already been 4 hours and 30 minutes since I've started riding this morning. I was tired and hungry. After all, I've just conquered Mt. Hamilton and licked the Lick Observatory! I called my friend to see if he was at Coffee Lovers, but he was in LA visiting his folks in LA. I was hoping to get him to buy me lunch and pay him back in pesos, but may be next time.

I hopped in Jack in the Box. I had the sirloin steak and egg breakfast burrito (without cheese) with fries. I devoured it and I was ready to take a nap, but I still had to ride back home. I rode back carefully since there was a lot of traffic, took a hot shower and a nice, long nap to get ready for my first day of work on Monday.

Total time: 3:50:48

Total Distance: 47.76 miles

Avg:12.4 mph

Max: 36.6 mph

Sunday, November 11, 2007 57F Fair, windy

We did it! The Big Sur Half Marathon is ovah!

The rain had stopped and it turned out to be a gorgeous day. The sun came out as we ran along the picturesque coast of Pacific Grove. The wind was blowing hard, but it felt so good to run in such a beautiful place. I also fulfilled my goal of finishing in 1:23 (finished in 1:22:40). I am one happy runner The crazy Brazilian band was really awesome (the singer remembered me!) and the bagpipe in the tunnel was mind-boggling. I had no idea bagpipe could be so loud!

Since no one answered my call to Join My Pack - look for Bib#444, I've written my own race report.

Here are my splits from my watch:

mile time

1 6:19

2 6:25

3 6:06

4 6:30

5 6:24

6 6:24

7 6:31

8 5:27

9 7:07

10 6:19

11 6:06

12 6:31

13.1 6:36

I took the first mile slow. I did not want to start out too fast, so I intentionally stayed back at the end of the "A" corral. I had to weave around a lot of people to find runners who were running at my pace, but I managed to run the first mile in 6:19, which turned out to be one of the faster time in the whole race.

Runners gather together in downtown Monterey.

Judy, me, and Jorge just moments before the race. It was windy.

The second mile took us to downtown Monterey and into the tunnel where the bagpiper was playing. This time, I was following a tall guy in a white shirt who looked like a younger version of Matt Fitzgerald. 6:25. Not too bad.

A pianist at downtown. He played on a grand piano in the Big Sur International Marathon.

Runners approaching the Custom House Tunnel.

Jorge stopped to take the picture.

One of the coolest part of the course in the half marathon.

The bagpiper in the tunnel

After the tunnel, we ran down to Cannery Row, passing the Monterey Bay Aquarium and climbed up a short hill to Ocean View Blvd. We ran along the American Tin Cannery Outlets.

Dock by the Fisherman's Wharf

Colorful restaurants line up at the pier.

Running down Cannery Row

Greeted by Mr. Forest Gump himself

The Brazilian samba band. I would see her again at mile 12.

Mile 4 is where we first start running along the coast. The wind started to pick up and the runners started forming a line, trailing one runner after another. I'm still following the guy in the white shirt.

Runners running on Ocean View Blvd along the coast.

Runners would come back on the paved trail.

The sun shines on the coastline

I'm sure the sound of 4000+ runners and walkers stomping the road woke them up.

Mile 5 had the biggest hill in the race, where we turned left on Fountain Ave to run up the hill to downtown Pacific Grove. The hill was not as steep as I thought. I was following the guy in a white shirt, but the guy in a yellow shirt with a beanie was going up faster in shorter strides similar to mine, so I started running with him. It was a good decision, since he was also fast downhill and took over the guy in a white shirt, never to see him again.

Downtown Pacific Grove

Now, we were back to Ocean View Blvd. by Lover's Point. There was a water station and I grabbed a cup of water. I was getting warm, so it was a good thing I didn't overdress. I asked the guy with a beanie what time he was shooting for and he says under 1:25. I thought he was making a really good time. Since he was in front of me and getting most of the wind, I decided to take the lead and take the wind. I was hoping we could help each other to catch up to the pack ahead of us, but he wasn't behind me when I caught up to the pack.

This was also the time when the sun started to come out. The scenery was beautiful, but the wind was blowing fiercely. The pack I was in had a couple of local runners, because he was getting cheers from the locals by the first name.

The sun had come out and shined on the rocks emerging from the water.

At mile 7, we encountered the first runner heading back on the opposite side of the road. A Kenyan MacDonald Ondara, who won the 2007 San Jose Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in 1:01, followed closely by a non-Kenyan runner. I thought I saw a first female, but it was a small male runner. Then, a runner in long dreads came and the runner next to me pointed out that's the first female, but the runner turned out to be a male, too. Around this time, the wind had turned into a tailwind and it became easier to run. And I finally saw the real first female runner, running strong by herself (I think she smiled at me).

I grabbed the GU before the turnaround point. I was sucking on it with a cup of water, but I spilled most of the water and I was reduced to eating the GU straight, no chaser. I think it was the mint chocolate flavor. If my teeth look black in the pictures, that would be the reason. The taiko drummers were at the turnaround point, too. Somewhere around here, I clocked 5:27 mile, but I think it's a mistake.

The taiko drummers right before the turnaround point.

The turnaround point

The taiko drummers revisited

I caught up with another pack (or may be a pack caught up to me) after the turnaround point. A guy named Greg was getting a lot of local support. He told me this was his hometown. We were running back the same way we came, so the tailwind was now a headwind. Somehow, of all the runners in the pack, they brought me, the smallest guy, in the front to take all the wind and I wasn't appreciating it. I asked Greg to take the lead, but he doesn't make a move Come on! Then, to my surprise, I saw Judy waving at me and cheering me on. I felt so happy to have my personal cheering squad. I decided to crank up my speed and leave the pack behind. I think this was just after mile 9. I figured I could sustain 6:19 min/mile or faster for the next 4 miles.

A slight downhill from the turnaround point

This part was really windy.

I sped up right after mile 9 marker.

Then, I came across Jorge recording me on the video. Everyone started cheering at me and I got another boost of energy. I pushed myself harder. I think I pushed a little too much, because I was running out of breath. My cardio couldn't keep up and I slowed down a bit. But, I caught a glimpse of the runners ahead of me and I was getting tons of crowd support from the runners calling out my bib number. I pushed on.

Go! Toshi Go! Jorge cheering me on.

One of the many mansions on Ocean View Blvd. His wife brought him a cup of coffee as he watched the race.

I passed the water station at Lover's Point and I grabbed a cup of Gatorade. From here, the runners get on a paved trail. I saw a guy in a blue shirt catching up to a guy in a red shirt a couple hundred yards ahead. May be I can catch them. I had 2 more miles to go.

I head back on the trail after Lover's Point.

I passed by the Brazilian band right before the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Brazilian samba raised my spirit. It must be my Latin blood. I ran down Cannery Row and saw the mile 12 marker before the 5K finish line. The US Army volunteers were calling out the splits like a chant, but it doesn't register to me. I just pressed the split button on my watch. Then, I heard a guy saying I'm on 1:23 pace. Right on. I climbed up Cannery Row back on to the trail and saw the guy in a red shirt less than 50 yards ahead of me. I think I can catch him. I passed the final water station and see a little girl dancing. I wiggled my arms like a chicken. I was feeling good. Then, I came to a path where I ran with Judy before the race to do some strides and saw the finish balloon past the bend in the road. I caught up to the guy before the 13th mile marker and made a mad dash to the finish. He didn't answer me, but I kept charging. I heard the guy on the microphone calling my name, "Toshi-kazu Hosaka from San Jose... with a flying finish!" Call it a leap of joy. I caught a glimpse of the time and it's still 1:22.

I finished under 1:23! I congratulated the guy in the blue shirt and the red shirt who gave me the motivation to push at the end.

Forest Gump at the end of the Run Forest Run 5K run around mile 12.

My flying finish. Photo courtesy of Marathonfoto (but I did pay for the digital copies)

Drenched in sweat, I picked up some food, my bag, and the finisher's shirt. Luckily, I found a generous man who let me leave my bags with him while I looked for Judy. He was cheering for his family members.

Thanks for watching my bag, Jaime! We cheered on his wife and his friend and Jorge.

I ran with Judy for the last mile. She had some stomach troubles along the way, but she looked good. Before I found her, I saw a man teeter and fell on Cannery Row. He tried to get up, but collapsed at his feet. Runners around him gathered around him to assist him. They quickly called 911 and the fire truck arrived in minutes. I hope he is okay. Judy finished in 2:05. Not bad for a first half marathon!

Me and Judy after the race

Jorge finished in 2:26 minutes. Despite stopping to take pictures and video, he ran faster than the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll half marathon! Thanks to him for taking pictures and videos!

The finish area

The dogs are in style in Monterey.

The elite runners wait for the award ceremony

We met up with Dan, who works with Jorge. He is preparing for his iron man race next year.

Jorge relaxes with a cup of Joe at First Awakenings after the race. It was crowded with runners, but definitely worth the wait (But, I couldn't wait and downed a cup of clam chowder). Again, he finished the whole plate. I saw the singer of the Brazilian band there and thanked her for a great performance. She said she remembers me from the race!

They're known for their pancakes, too.

Jorge drove back to San Francisco, but Judy and I visited the beautiful white beach of Carmel-by-the-sea.

I still had the energy to play at the beach.

And run...

And run some more!

So did my girlfriend!

Judy showing her Pilates move

A pug at the beach checking me out. There were so many dogs at Carmel.

Thanks to all the volunteers for a memorable experience. Thanks to the Brazilian band chick. You rock! Thanks to the bagpiper, the pianist, the taiko drummers, the US Army volunteers, and all the runners and onlookers who cheered for the short asian dude with a bib# 444. Thanks to Judy for praying hard for a safe run and a beautiful race day. Thanks a bunch to Jorge for taking pictures and videos! Now, I'm off to Cancun. Anyone know a good trail in Cancun?

11/9/07 47.9F Clear

2 mile tempo run @ half-marathon pace (6:19)

mile 1 (6:18)

lap time

1 1:35

2 1:37

3 1:32

4 1:34

mile 2 (6:13)

lap time

1 1:34

2 1:31

3 1:32

4 1:26

Today was the last day of my training for the Big Sur Half that starts at 7:00am on Sunday November 11. My legs felt a little heavy in the first mile (I did some strength exercise last night), but better in the second mile. Also, the pain behind the back of my right knee is gone. Thank god! I'll keep icing it and massaging it like a kitten kneading the ground before going to sleep.

I've been feeling pretty good so far this week. The stomach problem seems to have gone away. I made all the splits for the track workout on Wednesday, back of my right knee was bothering me a bit on Thursday and a light drizzle didn't make it easier, but my knee seems to be getting better today and the weather was clear this morning. However, there is 40% chance of rain on Sunday in Monterey this weekend, so I have to prepare running in the rain. But, Monterey is still a beautiful place to visit and run, rain or shine, so I am looking forward to the race.

I am also looking forward to meeting my girlfriend who is coming over tonight. Four of us (Me, Judy, Jorge, and Tony) are going to Monterey on Saturday, but only three of us are running the race. The half marathon registration was sold out before Tony could register. He will be cheering us from bed at Howard Johnson, unless he decides to wake up and cheers us at the turnaround point.

Jorge has graciously accepted to take pictures during the race. He regularly runs 13~15 miles on weekends in San Francisco, so this run should be a piece of cake for him, but taking pictures while running should be something new for him.

Sunday 11/4/07 44.5F

After having a tough week that included an interview for a new job and stomach flu, I managed to have one good workout on Friday. I've decided to shoot for under 18 minutes for 5K at the Metro Silicon Valley Marathon.

The runners line up

After a moment of silence for Ryan Shay who passed away at the Olympic Marathon Trials on 11/3, the marathon and half-marathon runners took off promptly at 7:00am.

The 5K started at 7:30am.

I was right behind the kids that held the banner for BAWSI (Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative). They started singing their anthem that went something like, "Ooh! I feel so good..."

I figured the kids will outrun me in the first couple hundred feet, so I stayed behind them, but when we took off, I found myself leading the pack (Yey!) at least for a couple of seconds. Then, I was engulfed by the lead pack. There were two fast girls with ponytail, one tall and one short. The taller one was faster. For the guys, there were Jesús Campos, Tommy Schmitz, Jeff Porto and a tall, hairy guy. My cardio felt good, but my legs were starting to feel like bricks, so I decided to fall back slowly and accidentally kicked the hairy guy's leg on my left. Sorry. I apologized and I guess he didn't mind because he didn't kick me when he fell behind. After about a mile (I didn't see a mile marker), a young guy in high school or middle school and Herman Vandermolen passed me. I saw Herman warming up at a pretty fast pace before the race, so I had expected to see him. Jeff fell back around this time, and I couldn't see the lead pack anymore, but it looked like the race was going be a neck-to-neck race with a 22 year-old Jesús from King City and Tommy, who ran track and field for Marquette University in Wisconsin. I could see the shorter of the two girls up ahead, and Herman passed the young boy. It looked like I could catch up to Herman if I put on the afterburners for the last mile. Then, to my surprise, Jesús and Tommy came running back from the street yelling, "Go back! Go back!" Apparently, we had missed a left turn for the 5K after the underpass. Tommy looked enraged, but Jesús just kept on running. So, we turned around telling all the runners following us to turn back. Tommy briefly stopped to ask a police officer for directions that went something like, "Aren't we supposed to run this way?" "Well, not according to the leader of the pack." "I'm the leader!" He was so pissed off he was kicking the cone that blocked off the traffic. I was impressed with how Jesús kept his cool and kept running, not missing a beat. It's funny how two runners leading the pack can react so differently to a situation like this. We found Fullerton Street almost a mile from where we turned around. Tommy took off chasing Jesús and I took off too, determined to catch Tommy, but he was just too fast. Jesús managed to finish in 15th place, Tommy 19th and me, 31st place.

My time was 27:24. Herman said his Garmin showed 4.7 miles, so I guess my time wasn't too bad. The race director took note of the situation and turned the 5K race into a fun run. No prizes were given to the top overall finisher and the top local finisher.

It would've been fun to watch Jesús and Tommy battle it out, since Jesús has 1:09 for half marathon and Tommy has 4:14 mile on the track.

The three misdirected runners. Jeff, me, and Herman. Jeff looked a little out of shape, but he used to run cross country for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I'm sure he will be back in shape in no time.

Later, I saw Jesús at a booth with a pair of eyeglasses. You wouldn't think he was a runner if it weren't for the Big Sur Half Marathon shirt he was wearing. I told him I'm going to run the Big Sur Half next week. He says he might. I told him I thought he would be running the Olympic Trials. He laughs and tells me he has to run a lot faster to get in, but he is thinking of running CIM in December to finish under 2:37.

I've decided to cheer the marathon runners at the 26th mile marker, but I was the only one there and getting kind of lonely, so I moved on. I found a couple (I think), Don and Joanna. They were cheering for their friend Sam, who was trying to finish under 3:15 to qualify for Boston. Don had just run his personal best at MCM and finished the marathon in 2:54 (Unfortunately, Sam came in 3:28:16 and didn't qualify for Boston).

Joanna, Don, and me. We formed a cheering squad just before the 26th mile.

Jose came in 6th place, but I miscounted the runners and yelled at him, "You're in the 5th place!"

Sorry, Jose.

Look at all the crowd support!

Jose Pina finished in 2:53:43. An officer commented that he's not sweating at all. I hope he wasn't dehydrated.

First place female finisher Kami Semick finished in 2:55:28.

Tom Gardin was a 10th place finisher. I actually ran side by side with him for the last few miles last year at this race. He had injured his foot that time and was not having a good day, but he still outran me. This year, a solid run in 2:56:16.

Nobutomo Nakano was there, too. I didn't recognize him with his shaggy beard until he waved at me. It looked like he almost made the 3 hour, but he fell short by a minute and 43 sec. Better luck next time. I know you can pull it off. He says he's going to try again at the CIM in December.

Mr. Nakano with his lovely wife, Mrs. Nakano (don't know her name ;p). No, he doesn't have a cup on his head.

The finish balloon. May be I will run this marathon next year!

I had a major stomach cramp afterward. I'm glad it didn't happen during the race

Sunday 10/21/07

10 mile @ marathon pace at Los Alamitos Creek Trail.

Target pace ~6:44/mile

I wanted to get up early so I could finish my run before the AIDS Walk which starts at 10am. I called my girlfriend to wake her up at 6:00am since she was planning on an early morning run, but that didn’t get me out of the bed. My body told me to get back in bed for 30 more minutes. I finally got out of bed around 7:30am and left the house around 8am.

A female runner commented, “Wow, look at your legs!” Last year, during the latter half of Metro Silicon Valley Marathon, I was cheered on by a female runner who yelled at me, “sexy legs!” It was a little weird, but it was enough to raise my spirit. Despite the uplifting comment, this run turned out to be more challenging than I thought. I couldn’t keep up the pace I wanted and walkers, cyclists, and runners started showing up on the narrow trail. Also, the mile markers I was following from the Almaden Times Classic 10K were already fading away and I couldn’t get the time for some miles. After 15 minutes into cool-down, I found out I only ran 9 miles at marathon pace, so I decided to run another mile at marathon pace.

8:00am~10:00am

Warm-up (24 min)

Mile Time

1 6:44

2 6:53

3-4 13:28

5 6:50

6 7:02

7-8 13:31

9 6:57

10 6:43

Cool down (25 min)

AIDS Walk with Jorge

6 mile walk at Guadalupe River Park Trail

I came back from running around 10am and quickly put on a pair of shorts that didn’t smell too bad, grabbed a bottle of Powerade, and rushed to the Discovery Meadow in downtown San Jose. The walk had already started when I got there. I was about 20 minutes late. I went straight to the registration booth, signed in, and got my goody bag and the map.  I followed the crowd to catch up with Jorge and his NPO, AACI.

AACI’s booth at AIDS Walk.

I had no idea there was such a nice trail right in the heart of downtown San Jose! I caught up with him within few minutes.

Jorge (on the right) and me. Whoa! What happened to my hair?!

Guadalupe River Park Trail. The river must somewhere near.

One of the few canine participants. I tried to make him look at me, but he didn’t respond well.

The turnaround point at mile 3. We were very close to the San Jose International Airport.

There were a lot enthusiastic high school volunteers. It’s nice to see young people engaging in community events like this.

A particularly enthusiastic volunteer.

Another enthusiastic volunteer.

I was getting tired and hungry, but I had to finish the walk. I concentrated on what was ahead of me and that booty.

I met a fellow UCSD alumni who also ran the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon this June. She had moved to San Jose to get her masters at San Jose State and doing an internship at AACI (I think). She also runs Rancho San Antonio trail.

We finally made it back to the Discovery Meadow.

Participants from AACI. I’m waving behind the banner.

Jorge showing off his “sexy leg”

We had dim sum afterward. We must have had 30 dishes!

I was full and content and took a nice long nap afterwards.

Saturday 10/20/07

Recovery run with Tony at Rancho San Antonio County Park

43 min total (26 min out, 17:30 min back) on PG & E Trail

It was the first time for me to run on this trail in the foothills of Cupertino. I’ve lived in Cupertino for more than 10 years after my family moved from Japan, but I have never been there. The trail was wide and well maintained. Not muddy at all, despite the rain from the day before.

May be I will get to see Jean Pommier training on this trail one of these days. He ran the PG&E trail 8 times at once for training. Amazing. Tony and I decided we should come here often because there are a lot of hot looking female runners. And the view is great, too. The PG&E trail looks over the Silicon Valley. Next time, I won’t forget to bring my camera.

Friday 10/19/07

7 mile tempo-run @ half marathon pace at Gunderson High School (track)

Target pace ~6:19/mile

I wanted run in the morning, but I felt heavy and tired and couldn’t wake up. So, I ran after work around 7:30pm.

There were two guys doing a speed workout on the track. They would zoom by me and I would catch up to them, and then they would zoom by me again. This went on for quite a while. I wanted to rest and ask them what they were training for, but that would defeat the purpose of running a tempo run on the track. Alas, they left before I could finish my tempo run. Running 7 miles on the track is mentally challenging. Going around and around the track gets pretty monotonous and you could easily lose the count of the laps. But, this is a good training to keep my pace and the ground is nice on my legs, too.

I felt good going into mile 4-5. I was getting into a comfortable zone, and then in mile 6, I suddenly felt heartburn or some weird sensation in my throat and I couldn’t breathe well. I felt myself slowing down. It got better once I slowed down. I hope it’s nothing serious.

Mile Time

1  6:15.5

2  6:17.5

3  6:13.5

4  6:14.8

5  6:18.3

6  6:23.2

7  6:24.9

Thurs 10/18/07

Recovery run ~6miles

5:45am 48F cold.

About an hour.

Wed 10/17/07

Track Workout at Gunderson High School

Around 5:45am 51F

2 x 2K @ half marathon pace

2 x 1 mile @ 10K pace

1 x 1K @ 5K pace

1 x 800m @ 3K pace

With 90sec recovery run in between

Tuesday 10/16/07

Recovery run

7~8 miles @ Los Alamitos Creed Trail

5:45am not too cold.

Last Saturday on October 13, I ran Bakersfield's very own 10-K obstacle mud run, Volkslauf for the first time. With over 30 obstacles including 1/2-mile-long mud trench, 8-foot wall, parallel bars, monkey bars, crossing the river on a rope, and countless mud pits, this was definitely the messiest race I’ve ever ran. But it was also an unforgettable race that was strangely satisfying.

A mud pit just before the parallel bars and cargo net

Cargo net

You have a choice between mud or mud with water

Tenaru River Crossing

Yes, you do have to crawl through the pipe. And hold your breath.

Juan-mo-time, a huge mound of dirt that transforms into a slippery hill.

Runners being sprayed with water

Runners slipping down the hill

Carl’s Slide

Happy Valley

Coming into the race, I was very nervous. I had been having some stomach issue all last week and I even had to cut down on the early morning tempo run on Thursday that turned into a race to the john. I took Friday off and left San Jose to Bakersfield right after work on Thursday to see my girlfriend (she was also running the race with her co-workers for the first time). She fed me very well and I got to recuperate and play with her cats all day Friday, although I managed to get lost going on a short recovery run around her neighborhood.

My goal was to finish the race in one piece, injury-free. The verdict? I've got a nasty cut on my left hand, scratches and bruises on both my legs, chafing from the rope on both ankles, and I also managed to strain my right shoulder, a recurring old injury from playing badminton and later falling into the half-pipe on the snowboard. No major injuries, though. I placed surprisingly well at 9th place, as I waddled through the muddy water desperately trying to catch the 7th and 8th place finishers while the mud sucked the sole of my shoes with every step I took. Now that I think about it, I really should have swum that last 50 yards of mud water. But, my conscience was telling me, "Don't do it, you're going to lose your contact lens and you didn't bring a spare. And you're going to bust your right shoulder so bad you're gonna regret it!" That was the smart choice, and I grudgingly followed. My goal was to finish the race without major injuries and I still had a couple more weeks of training for Big Sur half marathon. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But, I should’ve swum! I was so close and I was catching up to them. It still haunts me in my sleep. Anyway, I got out of the water, climbed the last hill and ...where was the finish line? There was a clock, a finish chute, but I didn't see the finish line. I just stopped my watch there and went down the chute and the race official ripped off the tag off my bib. My watch said 43:05, but the official time said my time was 46 minutes. Did I accidentally stop the watch somewhere?

The results

There were some young local cross-country runners who caught up to me along the 2-3 mile stretch on the paved and dirt road, but they had some difficulties going over the walls and parallel bars, so they started to help each other out. Later, I found out they were only 12 and 17 years old, so that was surprising. And they even had a cross-country meet the day before.

My girlfriend did a great job, too. Three of her fearsome foursome were trying Volkslauf for the first time, but they helped each other out and finished the race together.

Stairway to Heaven

Hue City

Going over the parallel bars

Judy even managed to get herself across the river on the rope. She was the only one in her team to accomplish that. Way to go!

Climbing out of Chu Lai

Happy Dirty Bunch

We all got ourselves hosed down after the race.

Unfortunately, I did not get to stay for the award ceremony (if there was any), since we were planning to go back to San Jose for San Jose Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon. I ended up taking a long nap after lunch and we eventually left Bakersfield around 8:30pm.

If you like running and if you like to take on new challenges, this race is for you. And next time, I'm gonna swim to the finish line!