Posts Tagged ‘Newport pier’

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09 Jun 2012

Day one – For the Disney 1/2 Marathon

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Posted in Blaine's Running Journal | 5 Comments

Distance: 15.0km Time: 2:04 Pace: 9’45/6’30 kCal: 1412 Heart: N/A RPE: 2 Type: 4×10-15 min runs

Today was a perfect day to get out.

I was planning on just going for a nice long walk along the beach, but by the time I got there and started walking, I just couldn’t help myself. I just had to start running. The weather was perfect – 63°F, overcast, a slight breeze, and very few people at 7am.

I few weeks ago I did the 4-mile pier-to-pier with my in-laws. My father in-law is 75 and he’s been running every single day for over 50 years.

It’s amazing to see how he runs. Not too fast (thank goodness for me), but very smooth and fluid while I was struggling away sinking into the sand with every step. How does he do that! And then he only breathes through his noise, while I’m a locomotive!

Man – I need wings!

Well I did learn a few things running with him and decided to try them out on my own today. Rather than running on the boardwalk, I ran along the beach. It was low tide, so again… Perfect. My goal wasn’t to get in a technical run, not to run a fast pace, and not to get the distance or time in. The goal was to simply enjoy myself.

And you know what? It worked!

I was at total peace while keeping an easy training pace. I focused on my breathing and simply enjoyed the ocean breeze on my face.

It was great to get out and a great ‘Day One’ for my ‘official’ marathon training.
Now if I can just find a full marathon to do after the Disney 1/2…
Suggestions anyone?

02 Aug 2011

Taking it Easy

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Posted in Blaine's Running Journal, Blaine's Weekly Review | Comments Off on Taking it Easy

Distance: 12.26km Time: 2:11 Pace: 10’42 kCal: 1024 Heart: N/A RPE: 3 Type: Recovery


Wow – Another week!?!
Just like that. Work has been keeping me waaaay too busy, and it’s getting hard to find the time to get out and run.

But, I’m still dedicated and I even got a (non-running) friend psyched to come out and join me last weekend for an 8 mile (12k) walk-n-run in Newport Beach. Newport Beach has some amazing sunsets, by-the-way.

Yes. You heard me right. Walk-n-Run!
Thanks to all my Twitter, Blog, Facebook, and local friends for support and advise. I’m talking it easy and enjoying my ‘outings’. This coming weekend I’ll be doing a little 5k race at the OC Fair. Not so much for running as for getting free admission into the Orange County Fair. Howz THAT for motivation!?!

I did this event last year. Wow – last year…
Needless to say I was a non-runner back then and could only run half of it. 5k is now a piece of cake and it’s part of my regular running schedule. But still, one week to go before seeing the knee specialist, so I won’t push it… I plan on taking it as a regular daily run and get my free admission – Yeah!

23 Jul 2011

Newport Beach is a good start

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Posted in Blaine's Running Journal | 4 Comments

Distance: 12.30km Time: 2:04 Pace: 10’05 kCal: 1072 Heart: N/A RPE: 4 Type: Pain Assessment


So I’ve got 3 months before the marathon and it’s time to start putting in the miles.

Today and tomorrow are 5-6k runs mixed in with 5-6k walks. Then next week it’s all running with some recovery walks outside my regular training.

I know I’m going to be about 3 weeks short on the rest of my training, but I will get all my long runs in before tapering the week before the marathon.

I’ll also have to wait and see what the doctor says about the knee mid-August, but for now I’m planning on going through my routine and build up my mileage. Today’s 5k was a breeze and no pain, so I’ll do a repeat tomorrow and see how it goes.

If all works out, week three will (re)start on Monday!

22 Jun 2011

Weekend Walks – A killer

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Posted in Blaine's Running Journal, Blaine's Weekly Review | 3 Comments

Distance: 13.08km Time: 2:31 Pace: 11’34 kCal: 1023 Heart: N/A RPE: 3 Type: recovery
Distance: 10.49km Time: 2:06 Pace: 12’03 kCal: 900 Heart: N/A RPE: 3 Type: recovery


So last week I hurt my knee doing some sprints. I thought that is wasn’t anything serious, so I decided to take a few days off and walk on the weekend down at my favorite Newport Beach hangout.

The first day I planed to do just 10k, but my wife wanted to do the whole boardwalk (that includes the piers) so that total was around 15k (my Nano is off a little). I think the extra 5k was a little too much because I needed to stop a few times to stretch my leg. That was okay, I deserve it since because I didn’t wear a compression sleeve – I just think it makes me look too weird.

Okay – I guess that’s the mocho man thing – but wearing a pink or blue brace is kinda embarrassing.

So I got home and iced it up all afternoon. Come supper time, I was feeling pretty good.
Then came Sunday…

Read the rest of this entry »

17 May 2011

Week 4 – Twisted my Ankle

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Posted in Blaine's Weekly Review | 1 Comment


I don’t know how people can do it. My runs at the moment are very small and I’m still just starting on my Marathon training. But I’m finding it hard to get the time in to do my runs and to eat properly (and to eat at the right hours).

This last week I had little sleep due to a few 4-hour travel days jumping between Irvine and San Diego – leaving early, returning late, and then doing more work in the wee hours of the morning. But when I need to work, I work. I know I’ll be able get my runs in, it’s not a question of priority, simply organizational skills and multitasking. To complicate matters, I sprained my ankle mid-week getting into a cab at the train station. I’m such a clutz!

So while I had a great run on Monday in the rain, it ended up being my only run for the week!

Then I was hoping to get out Friday morning, but took the advice of fellow runners and skipped it. Saturday morning, I went down to the boardwalk around Newport Pier and did a few little 2 to 5 minute easy jogs to see how my ankle was.

My ankle seemed pretty good and of course it was raining; when the rest of the week it was nice, I might add!
But I had the running-itch to get out, especially when taking the train back from San Diego. I could see all the runners out along the beach trials an hour before sunset. I was like a puppy dog staring out the window wanting to go out and play.

Hmmm… I marked those places on the map, so I plan to check them out in the following weeks. So that’s it, not too exciting for a week of training. Total miles for the week, including the Pasadena10k – 14 miles.

I’m hoping that next week will be a ‘normal’ training week.

02 May 2011

Week 2 – Work vs Training

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Posted in Blaine's Weekly Review | Comments Off on Week 2 – Work vs Training


Week Two is done.
I took an extra rest day and skipped Monday’s run due to a toothache.
The goal was to actually push everything over by one day.

3 miles – Tuesday
4 miles – Wednesday
3 miles – Friday
6 miles – Sunday (10k race)

Tuesday worked out great. Wednesday came by and I was a little stiff. So I ended up missing my morning run and started work early. The plan was to run in the evening, but I worked late into the night and come Thursday morning, after just 4 hours of sleep, I was at work again before 7am. I really wanted to get out there and do a few laps around the reservoir, but with deadlines approaching the demand was too great to sneak in an hour of exercise.

I did manage to keep up with some cross-training. Just simple pushups, sit-ups, and flex exercise that I can do here and there. I think I over did it on the sit-ups, though. For two days I had trouble getting out of bed!

So when Friday came, I got up extra extra early and headed down to the beach to do my 4 miles. The great part was that everything was done and completed way before work started at 9am. Saturday I took it easy with a nice walk and went to the health expo. Then Sunday I did the 10k race in Irvine.

So once again, my work took precedence over my training. I missed the second 3 mile run, but my walk on Saturday offset that a little. I could have run, but I didn’t want to over do it the day before my race. I know I just need to get more organized.

More organized? Well… week three is a tricky week too.
It’s a short week because Saturday is going to be the Temecula 10k. So I won’t hit my mileage for this week either, but that’s okay. The next few weeks I’m sticky with my 343-6 pattern of 16 miles. I’ve a few more 10k races I want to do this month. So by the time I’m all done, I’ll have completed a few 16 mile running weeks. By then, I should be more organized and able to juggle my Work and Training schedules.

For now, here is my planned schedule for week 3

Sunday 10k race Irvine
Monday rest
Tuesday 3 mile run / 2 mile walk
Wednesday rest
Thursday 4 mile run / 2 mile walk
Friday rest / walk 5 miles
Saturday 10k race Temecula

 

20 Apr 2011

Starting Week – The Unexpected 1/2 Marathon

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Posted in Blaine's Weekly Review | 2 Comments


So last week was kind of a crazy week.
I’m in the middle of my first week of Marathon training now and today is a rest day. I know I was supposed to write this entry at the end of the week but the weekend really was crazy!

Let me tell you why…

The week itself went like clockwork. I was able to get out on my running days and did 5k for each run. Again, I’m in no rush to push the miles, so an extra week to get my body all set up was a good idea. Especially because of what happened on the weekend!

Saturday morning I was up and ready. But today was different, I was going to go golfing (back-nine), have some Pho (Vietnamese soup), and then do a nice 5k walk to digest before my 5k run along the Newport Beach boardwalk.

Well everything worked out great. Until… I went to get my car keys and found that they were no longer in my race pouch! The only place they could have fallen out was at the 5k turn-around, since that was where I put my tunes on to start my run.

Oh No!!!

Nothing I could do, but to go back to the 5k turn-around and look for them. By now I was a little tired after walking on the golf course and completing 10k! But then the post-depression kicked in!
No luck in finding them, which meant calling the AAA (luckily I keep a spare key in the car or it could have been a real disaster).

Of course on the return trip, I just wasn’t ready for all this distance-stuff and my knees started to hurt – they hurt when I walk but not when I run… go figure.

But nonetheless, I ended up doing a ½ marathon that day! Ha! I did it! What a surprise!
Of course about two-thrids of it was walking, but I’m not going to tell any one if you don’t!

I must say though, I did have a number of great workouts at the beginning of the week and 5k/3-milers are starting to be a lot of fun. Oh, and to top things off on Sunday, when I went back for my 10k recovery walk. There they were! My lonely little car keys, sitting nicely on someone’s fence, just waiting for me to pick ‘em up. Thank you to whoever found them.

Thank you – thank you – thank you!
What a great way to end the week and get mentally psyched for my first week of Marathon Training.

18 Feb 2011

Donuts this weekend!

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Posted in Blaine's Running Journal | 1 Comment

Distance: 9.5km Time: 1:20 Pace: 8’26 kCal: 873 Heart: 133/163 RPE: 7 Type: 2x10min
First time out after two runs on the treadmill. I was wondering how I’d do since it was my first run outside around the reservoir. I got out pretty late this morning, so I didn’t see many of the regulars. I also had to cut it short at the end in order to make it back in time for work. It’d sure be nice if we could all have 3-day weekends, no?

All in all, I felt pretty good that I could pull this off first thing on a Friday morning. That makes going into the weekend even more exciting. The forecast is for rain, but I’m hoping it’ll hold off a little bit. My plan is to do my runs on the boardwalk between the Newport and Balboa piers. Even though there are usually a lot of cyclists, it’s always nice to run alongside the ocean around sunrise. Besides, it’s the only time I can justify having a coffee and donut!


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