SF Half Marathon Recap

Last Sunday, I completed the first half of the SF marathon (13.1 miles). I finished the race in 1:46. My goal for the race was 1:40, so I'll have to wait for my next race to set a new personal record. I'm not disappointed in myself for my slow time. There were some steep hills and the course was pretty crowded.

The first half and full marathon started at the Ferry building and followed the coast to the Golden Gate Bridge. We crossed the bridged turnaround at the first off ramp in Marin and then headed back to the city. The course went through the Presido and some nice neighborhoods in the city before ending in Golden Gate Park. The full marathon continued on through the city. I can only imagine what they were thinking when they saw the half marathoners finishing and enjoying the complementary food and beverages. I'm sure it was along the lines of what was I thinking. If I registered for the half, then I would be done by now. Oh well, the get bigger medals for their efforts. The second half of the half marathon started up somewhere in the park and finished at the Embarcadero with the marathoners. 

They held the race expo at Fort Mason on Friday and Saturday. It was like any other race expo. There were vendors hocking their merchandise and some giving out free samples. The latter had the longer lines with more aggressive behavior from the people waiting in line. It's not like the cornucopia scenes from the Hunger Games movie, but it's getting closer. Maybe it'll happen if they gave out full size Cliff bars as samples, instead of the bite size slices with toothpicks. Sounds like an interesting social experiment for next year.

Overall the race wasn't a pleasant experience for me. They are a victim of their own success. The course was overcrowded from start to finish and it really detracts from the enjoyment of the race. It's hard to enjoy the scenery when you are constantly trying to squeeze past slower runners or looking for a way around a wall of people running at the same speed. I was really looking forward to running over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the tourist traps along the Embarcadero before the race started because it was closed off to traffic.  The bridge had two lanes closed for the race, but it was still crowded. This made it difficult to pass the slower runners and made it an extremely frustrating 4 miles. I'll do the second half of the marathon next year, but that will be it. I'm only doing that for the special challenge medal they give out for runners that do the other half of the marathon the following year. I must admit, the did a good job on the medal. It is one of the better looking medals I have from running. Here are some photos:

This is the front of the finisher medal for the half marathon

The back of the medal

This is a challenge medal I received for completing the Surf City and SF half marathons

The backside of the California Dreamin' challenge medal

Speaking of race challenges.... I challenged my friend to eat the Carl's Jr All American Burger on the drive home after the race, my treat of course. For those of you who don't know, this is the burger with hot dogs and potato chips on it because it was dangerously lacking in fat, calories, and sodium without them. For the record he did make it home without becoming sick. The next morning however was a different story...

Boost your self confidence to accomplish your goals

I was having trouble getting below the 2 hour mark for the half marathon. I was putting in the training time and I felt I should be running faster than I was actually running. This led me to exploring the psychological side of performance. I found a book entitled, "The Champions Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive" by Jim Afremow.

This book talked about various ways to change how you think about yourself and your performance. He studied various athletes who are successful in their fields and found some tricks they use to boost their performance. One of those tricks is visualization. You need to visualize your future performance with as much detail as possible. For example, picture yourself running the race with the clothes you'll be wearing, with people cheering, feeling the sting of sweat in your eyes, the heavy breathing, and crossing the finish line and seeing your goal time on the clock.

Another trick is have self confidence. If you don't think you will be able to reach your goal in your mind, then it will never happen. Your body follows your mind. I found this article on boosting your self confidence that will help you get you started on thinking positive and achieving your goals. Good luck!

7/21/15 Training Post

I have been taking it easy the last three weeks. I'm doing a half marathon on Sunday, so I have been cycling down. I do this to avoid getting injured from overtraining or being too tired for the race. Many running experts recommend doing this and a good way to do it is follow a training plan. I have used running coach Jeff Galloway's training plans from run Disney. There are training plans for 10 k, half marathon, and full marathons.

Speaking of injuries, I hurt my foot during a cross training session for this up coming race. I had tendonitis in my left foot, so I had to rest for a couple of days to get over my injury. It was incredibly painful and I had to use a cane to hobble around. I should have used crutches, but I didn't have any around the house. This injury was caused by the type of shoe I was using for my weight training. It didn't provide enough support for my foot, so thats what caused the injury. I bought some new shoes and some supports recommended by my doctor.

I spent three days without performing any type of workout. All I did was rest, ice, use compression, and elevate my foot (RICE). Using the RICE treatment, my foot healed up pretty quickly and I feel confident enough to participate in the race on Sunday. There is no lingering pain after my runs since my injury, so I feel like there won't be any issues with my foot. Normally, I try to beat my previous race time. However, I'm going to err on the side of caution for this race and take it easy.

Super Food Pancakes

I saw this recipe in an issue of Runner's World magazine and decided to give it a try. It is a healthy twist on a breakfast staple. It contains some "super foods", like kale and broccoli and it also has ginger in it. Ginger is good for fighting inflammation in joints, so its good to eat if you run a lot or have joint problems.

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups buttermilk
4  eggs
3 cups kale
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 ½ cups broccoli
1 cup celery
Arugula
Sunflower seeds

Instructions
1. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and sugar in large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk and eggs until smooth, then add to dry items.
3. Roughly chop kale, broccoli and celery; grate ginger.
4. In separate bowl, toss small portion of vegetables with ½ cup of batter and mix until well coated; season with salt.
5. Pour into cast-iron or nonstick pan and cook on medium heat for about three minutes or until golden brown on each side.
6. Top with arugula and sunflower seeds.

7. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Makes 8 pancakes.

How Soda Affects the Body and How to Quit Soda

Soda is a major contributor to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. It has been a hot topic in recent months and also during the November elections. There were some cities that placed banning soft drink proposals and tax increases on the sugary drinks before voters. Here is an interesting article on how soda affects your body in a 60 minute time span to show you how unhealthy soda is for you.

Your Body on Soda


I hardly ever drink soda now. But that wasn't always the case. There was a time when I would drink 5 or 6 sodas a day. I was un-employed during the "Great Recession", so I couldn't spend money on soda. I had to quit cold turkey and I went through that miserable experience of caffeine withdrawals. After going through those withdrawals, I vowed I wouldn't take up drinking caffeinated beverages again when I became employed. Here is an article on how to help you to stop drinking sodas, so your experience will be better than mine.

You Want to Stop Drinking Soda?

Need Help with Motivation, Get a Workout Partner

Its tough going at it alone. You are more likely to give up on your goals unless you have someone out there to help keep you motivated. People who exercise with someone else are much less likely to blow off a workout if they have someone else waiting for them at the gym. Also when you exercise socially, you take the focus off the task. This will make the workout go by faster.

Another benefit of exercising with others is performance. In 1898, Norman Triplett found that bicyclists were faster when they raced against another rider than if they were riding alone. It turns out we perform better in the presence of others.

Don't have friends who like to exercise? Try working out with the Team in Training, meetup.com, or do an Internet search to find an exercise group/partner.


How to find an accountabilibuddy

Post Fourth Run

My neighborhood had a bbq for the holiday that offered some great food. With the holiday celebrations, I try not to over eat or eat too many unhealthy foods. However, with this celebration I overate and feasted on brownies, cookies, and this delicious cheesecake tart dish. I need to make up for this by increasing my physical activity and eating better during the rest of the week. That way I can stave off any weight gain and get back on track.

Originally, I planned on running 11 miles around Lagoon Valley park on Sunday. As a penance for my gluttonous behavior the day before, I decided to increase my mileage to 15 miles. Unfortunately, there was a fire in the hills around the park that started on the night of the fourth and was still smoldering the next day. The fire department closed the park, so I ran on the surface streets around town. The air quality was still good because of a breeze that took the smoke away from the area I was running, so I didn't have to run on a treadmill indoors. Whats the point of running if your going to breathe in heavy amounts of smoke that will damage your lungs. 

The new route was a nice change of pace from my normal route. My normal routine has some hill work, but the new route was nice and flat. I decided to run at my half marathon pace for 5 miles to make the run more challenging. My Sunday runs are normally my long and slow runs to build up the blood vessels in my legs. However, today was different and I was being flexible. 

Grilled Pineapple Chicken Recipe

Good morning! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. Here is a timely recipe....

I found this recipe and tried it out when the outside temperature was in the triple digits. I didn't feel like cooking inside, so I fired up the bbq and retreated back inside to the a/c. I came out once to flip the foil packets and then went quickly back inside.

I did make some substitutions to the recipe. I couldn't find any pineapple jelly, so I had to go with pineapple w/apricot jelly. I also went with Mrs. Dash instead of salt.

I tried this recipe again without the pineapple jelly sauce. I just soaked the chicken chunks with low sodium soy sauce in a zip loc bag for 1/2 hour. That switch also tasted pretty good. Just something to consider.

I do recommend using an "ov-glove" or bbq glove instead of tongs. The tongs can puncture the foil packets and cause a mess. It is also a good idea to use a cookie sheet or a platter to carry the packets to and from the bbq.

Here is the link: Betty Crocker Grilled Pineapple Chicken

The finished product.

Before and After photos

We've all seen them. They're a marketing tool used to help sell weight loss products, exercise equipment, and dietary supplements. Sometimes those photos are "photo shopped" in order to make the person appear thinner or more muscular. It turns out some companies are stealing photos from websites that people have posted and using them to help sell their products. These are photos of people who have actually lost weight, but it wasn't because they used their product or services. Here is another reason not to believe those photos. Remember if it is too good to be true, it is.

The Truth About Before and After Photos