Closing a chapter here with Blogger. It was a great platform and it helped me get started blogging. However, I'm looking to move past just blogging and the limited customization ended up being the reason I've decided to take my talents to a self-hosted platform!
So for now, you can find all the latest, greatest and hilarious blog posts at daizbiz.com!
But stay tuned as I look to build out other pages and content to continue to keep folks entertained!
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Race Report: Surf City Half Marathon
Great race and just slightly missed a PR. And by slightly, I mean 30 seconds! It was a good race to come back to 2 years later and see that while I'm not better, I'm not exactly worse. And given that I was running this one a bit heavier, it's definitely good news.
Race Details:
Huntington Beach, California
Run: 13.1mi, loop
Race Summary:
I was definitely nervous for this race. It's the only road running race that I've repeated and so there was a sense of doubt in my mind that I couldn't replicate my PR performance from 2016. I had to take melatonin to calm myself down after my carb loading dinner. But I got to sleep and was well rested for this race. I had my standard race breakfast, got to a toilet and then even the starting line with ease.
After the emotion of the star spangled banner, the gun went off and there I went. This race was one of those where you set your own starting position. You don't submit a time and get placed in a wave. You just show up and start where you feel you should be. That unfortunately leaves many slow runners at the front as they likely don't know that your time is based on when your chip crosses the start and not when you start relative to the gun. So early on, I was weaving through some people, but I made sure not to do too much of it. A director at my company who runs sub 3 hour marathons had mentioned to me that weaving through the crowds eats away at your energy and likely isn't worth it. So try to find a good line and hold your pace. Definitely some great advice!
Because really, by mile 2, most of the slow folks have fallen back and the course thins out. And it was really easy to run my own race. Everything was going really well too. I had a plan to start taking Honey Stinger gels at mile 4 and then every 2 miles thereafter. That went well and I was really able to keep my cadence high and my legs felt great. In fact, I didn't have any challenges on "the hill" at mile 4 and wasn't stopping to walk or jog thru aid stations. I grabbed my water as I ran and went.
Eventually though, the fast start and the blazing sun seemed to catch up to me. By the turn around on PCH at mile 8, I had to mentally push myself to keep up the cadence. It started to get real tough. By mile 10, I had slowed enough to make a difference and that slowing held until mile 12. Now granted, mile 11-12 is right about where the other "hill" sits. And I definitely didn't power thru this one like I did the first one, but I did "run" up it.
By the end, I really had to push my mind to keep me going. Then I saw the mile 12 marker and started to drop the hammer. I mean it wasn't exactly "dropping the hammer" per se, but relative to the last 2 miles, it was much faster and it felt painful too. But I pushed to the finish and even the official race picture of me running there is hilarious!
All in all, a good race despite missing the PR. I've built a good base and have a good idea of my training progressing in a positive direction after a lackluster 2016 and 2017. Hopefully that bodes well for Oceanside and then Chicago!
2016 vs. 2018 Comparison:
Map and Stats Plot:
Heart Rate Zones:
Race Charts:
Course Reported Finish:
Race Details:
Huntington Beach, California
Run: 13.1mi, loop
Race Summary:
I was definitely nervous for this race. It's the only road running race that I've repeated and so there was a sense of doubt in my mind that I couldn't replicate my PR performance from 2016. I had to take melatonin to calm myself down after my carb loading dinner. But I got to sleep and was well rested for this race. I had my standard race breakfast, got to a toilet and then even the starting line with ease.
After the emotion of the star spangled banner, the gun went off and there I went. This race was one of those where you set your own starting position. You don't submit a time and get placed in a wave. You just show up and start where you feel you should be. That unfortunately leaves many slow runners at the front as they likely don't know that your time is based on when your chip crosses the start and not when you start relative to the gun. So early on, I was weaving through some people, but I made sure not to do too much of it. A director at my company who runs sub 3 hour marathons had mentioned to me that weaving through the crowds eats away at your energy and likely isn't worth it. So try to find a good line and hold your pace. Definitely some great advice!
Because really, by mile 2, most of the slow folks have fallen back and the course thins out. And it was really easy to run my own race. Everything was going really well too. I had a plan to start taking Honey Stinger gels at mile 4 and then every 2 miles thereafter. That went well and I was really able to keep my cadence high and my legs felt great. In fact, I didn't have any challenges on "the hill" at mile 4 and wasn't stopping to walk or jog thru aid stations. I grabbed my water as I ran and went.
Eventually though, the fast start and the blazing sun seemed to catch up to me. By the turn around on PCH at mile 8, I had to mentally push myself to keep up the cadence. It started to get real tough. By mile 10, I had slowed enough to make a difference and that slowing held until mile 12. Now granted, mile 11-12 is right about where the other "hill" sits. And I definitely didn't power thru this one like I did the first one, but I did "run" up it.
By the end, I really had to push my mind to keep me going. Then I saw the mile 12 marker and started to drop the hammer. I mean it wasn't exactly "dropping the hammer" per se, but relative to the last 2 miles, it was much faster and it felt painful too. But I pushed to the finish and even the official race picture of me running there is hilarious!
All in all, a good race despite missing the PR. I've built a good base and have a good idea of my training progressing in a positive direction after a lackluster 2016 and 2017. Hopefully that bodes well for Oceanside and then Chicago!
2016 vs. 2018 Comparison:
When there's 30sec in between finish times, there's not usually a huge difference between the details.
Some notable differences were:
-Calorie burn: fewer calories burned in 2016, likely due to weighing less back then
-Moving time vs. Elapsed time: seems that I must've walked through some aid stations in 2016
-HR: both avg and max were higher in 2016 which is strange, but it's possible since your HR decreases with age, at least by conventional theories
Looking at the split comparison, I was faster for 9 of the 13 splits in 2016. But the margin of difference is so small for miles 1-7 and it's crazy how close the race was up to mile 8, maybe even lump mile 9 in there. After that, there was clearly a struggle bus for miles 10-12. It's clear I was able to pick it up at some point in mile 12 and push to the finish, but that little gap there for 2+ miles was just what I couldn't overcome.
Map and Stats Plot:
Ran hard for this one and the heart rate really shows it. Z4 and Z5 for all of the half except 2:10. That's pretty crazy! This one was definitely a Heart Attack Hustle!
Course Reported Finish:
Not a PR, but sooooooo close... :(
Run:
Nothing too insightful here on the summary. Max cadence of 240 is pretty off the charts, just as the best pace of 5:41. However, max means nothing as I likely held that for all of 5 seconds. The averages are more in line with what I was able to sustain. Cadence of 187 isn't too bad and I'll need to up that if I really wanna get to Boston. The 8:16 is really not great. That def needs to go down. Not sure how I get there though. Aye...
Peering into the mile by mile breakdown, my pace was really good up until about mile 7. Maybe even lump miles 8 and 9 into the good category. I mean sub 8:30 is pretty solid and right around the low 8s in the first 10K as well. But after mile 9, it just wasn't good. I somehow found that extra gear for the last 1.1 miles, but just too much ground to make up I think.
Pics:
The timeline of me passing this old dude in pictures... Why he was already ahead of me, I can't even... LOL
Pushing to the finish... Oh the struggle bus...
Finished!
Kiss the bling baby, hard earned
Surf City swag, including the California Dreamin medal! Plus Ellie and Amanda!
Post race noms at Crema Cafe in Seal Beach!
Sunday, January 7, 2018
2017 Year in Review
A little late to getting to this year's recap. I spent the holiday season spending time with family both in Vegas for Christmas and then Hawaii for New Years and my gramps' 95th birthday. It was great quality time well spent with loved ones, but it was also a very fat kid affair all around. I tried to mitigate that with daily 3 mile runs and a handful of gym workouts, but it did not counteract it all. So instead, I start the year at 190 lbs, 15 lbs from where I want to be and 5 lbs from where I normally am. Definitely not a good start...
Getting back to 2016, it appears that last year I was a bit brief with my assessment. Shame on me! I won't go as crazy as 2015, but definitely want to take a look at a now 3-year analysis of some major details. Let's start taking a look at the steps trends:
The month by month trends tell us a few things. I actually started off 2015 with the fewest amount of steps, but I really built up 2015 in prep for Wildflower Long Course and then went crazy high over the summer, in prep for Ironman Florida. In 2016, I was generally flat across the board except for October/November. That represents somewhat of a slow time during the summer and a quick ramp for the Honolulu Marathon. In 2017, I generally started higher than the previous 2 years, but I never exceed the pace of 2015 until October in prep for the NYC Marathon.
What this tells me is that I probably need to start the year off strong and then keep riding that momentum higher towards 2015 type levels in order to be in better shape. This is key if I really want to PR the Chicago Marathon and take my one shot at a Boston Qualifier. Obviously my work schedule will play a large part in all of this, but I'm hopeful I can drop some weight, pickup some speed/strength and get close. Having the EMR test data should help tremendously as well!
I threw in the year totals just to say one quick point: 600k more steps in 2015 than either of the last 2 years! What?!?!?! I mean that's a huge gap and speaks to all the training I did in 2015 and that is why I was in such better shape. With that knowledge, I hope to consciously take that into account and get in more steps (whether it be running or swimming, as cycling doesn't log any steps). Such a crazy gap tho! Never would have guessed based on the month-by-month comparison!
From a racing standpoint, 2016 was relatively light. I did a pair of bike rides with Amanda that didn't go as well. PR'ed my annual RB Tri but failed to hit my sub 1-hour goal by 20 sec. Got a 2nd place finish at Castaic Lake but missed first place by 10 sec. Did Malibu with strep throat and was slower but still under 3 hrs after pushing thru a dropped chain for the first time in a race. Had that super disappointing cancellation of the NOLA 70.3. And ended with a personal worst time at the NYC Marathon, all those bridges and gradual grade increases taken into consideration. All-in-all, 2016 was kind of a fail from a racing standpoint!
But as with any failure, it's best to learn from it and get better than sulk and cry about it. The step data helps, the EMR test gives me areas to improve upon, hopefully work allows me a better opportunity to train consistently, gotta seriously clean up the diet and just generally do better.
Looking ahead, I've set my sights on 2 major races. First, I'm looking to tackle Oceanside 70.3. Due to the crappy experience of NOLA 70.3, I'm disappointed by the Ironman brand and so Oceanside is my only 70.3 as I had signed up way in advance. This is definitely my first half of the year "A" race. Second, I'm looking at the Chicago Marathon as my last half of the year "A" race. This will be my 2nd Abbott World Marathon Majors race. It's supposedly a flat and fast one so I'm hoping that I can get my training up to par and give Boston my best shot. It's a crazy and unlikely goal as I've never been close to a BQ time, but it's worth a shot with nothing else on the calendar.
We'll see how things go. More races will definitely be added to the calendar. I mean I need to keep up my Honey Stinger and Team Nuun ambassadorships so I can get them again next year. Plus, I just really love racing in general. Training not so much, but racing definitely.
With that said, 2017 be gone and 2018 here we go!!!
(photo credit: http://fairytailfanon.wikia.com/wiki/File:Fail_Meme.jpg)
Getting back to 2016, it appears that last year I was a bit brief with my assessment. Shame on me! I won't go as crazy as 2015, but definitely want to take a look at a now 3-year analysis of some major details. Let's start taking a look at the steps trends:
The month by month trends tell us a few things. I actually started off 2015 with the fewest amount of steps, but I really built up 2015 in prep for Wildflower Long Course and then went crazy high over the summer, in prep for Ironman Florida. In 2016, I was generally flat across the board except for October/November. That represents somewhat of a slow time during the summer and a quick ramp for the Honolulu Marathon. In 2017, I generally started higher than the previous 2 years, but I never exceed the pace of 2015 until October in prep for the NYC Marathon.
What this tells me is that I probably need to start the year off strong and then keep riding that momentum higher towards 2015 type levels in order to be in better shape. This is key if I really want to PR the Chicago Marathon and take my one shot at a Boston Qualifier. Obviously my work schedule will play a large part in all of this, but I'm hopeful I can drop some weight, pickup some speed/strength and get close. Having the EMR test data should help tremendously as well!
I threw in the year totals just to say one quick point: 600k more steps in 2015 than either of the last 2 years! What?!?!?! I mean that's a huge gap and speaks to all the training I did in 2015 and that is why I was in such better shape. With that knowledge, I hope to consciously take that into account and get in more steps (whether it be running or swimming, as cycling doesn't log any steps). Such a crazy gap tho! Never would have guessed based on the month-by-month comparison!
From a racing standpoint, 2016 was relatively light. I did a pair of bike rides with Amanda that didn't go as well. PR'ed my annual RB Tri but failed to hit my sub 1-hour goal by 20 sec. Got a 2nd place finish at Castaic Lake but missed first place by 10 sec. Did Malibu with strep throat and was slower but still under 3 hrs after pushing thru a dropped chain for the first time in a race. Had that super disappointing cancellation of the NOLA 70.3. And ended with a personal worst time at the NYC Marathon, all those bridges and gradual grade increases taken into consideration. All-in-all, 2016 was kind of a fail from a racing standpoint!
But as with any failure, it's best to learn from it and get better than sulk and cry about it. The step data helps, the EMR test gives me areas to improve upon, hopefully work allows me a better opportunity to train consistently, gotta seriously clean up the diet and just generally do better.
Looking ahead, I've set my sights on 2 major races. First, I'm looking to tackle Oceanside 70.3. Due to the crappy experience of NOLA 70.3, I'm disappointed by the Ironman brand and so Oceanside is my only 70.3 as I had signed up way in advance. This is definitely my first half of the year "A" race. Second, I'm looking at the Chicago Marathon as my last half of the year "A" race. This will be my 2nd Abbott World Marathon Majors race. It's supposedly a flat and fast one so I'm hoping that I can get my training up to par and give Boston my best shot. It's a crazy and unlikely goal as I've never been close to a BQ time, but it's worth a shot with nothing else on the calendar.
We'll see how things go. More races will definitely be added to the calendar. I mean I need to keep up my Honey Stinger and Team Nuun ambassadorships so I can get them again next year. Plus, I just really love racing in general. Training not so much, but racing definitely.
With that said, 2017 be gone and 2018 here we go!!!
(photo credit: https://www.centage.com/3-key-trends-for-cfos-2018/)
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