OC Marathon — The Start of Our First Marathon

May 162011
 

The countdown was over and we were walking to the startline. As we crossed over the automatic timing sensor we were taking our first step toward one of my major goals. The course started at Fashion Island and quickly headed down across PCH and down to Corona Del Mar. The views were spectacular, several runners stopped for pictures, I was just trying to keep up with Zeb. My cold was getting to me but my legs were turning.

The course lead us though some of the most expensive neighborhoods in California. The residents came out and cheered it on. It was about 7:00, they were still in their robes and we 4 miles into our race. Zeb had started to pull away from me and was well on his way to finishing his first marathon, I however was debating the desicion I would have to make at mile 12, to turn in toward the OC fairgrounds with the half marathoners or go straight with the full marathoners and see how far my body could take me.

By mile 5 we ran into our support crew, Jaclyn and Danielle were cheering us on with smiles and they let me know that Zeb wasn’t too far ahead, yet. After running through the Backbay, and ecological preserve, we encoutered our support crew again, this time it was a little larger, our parents and sister made it out and were cheering us on.

We were coming up to mile 11 and our support crew were out again and I had made my decision I was heading in with the half marathoners and attempt my marathon another day when my body cooperated a little more. At 11.75 miles the crowd started to get a little more dense and they were coming out with some great signs, very creative and I got some good chuckles from them.

I was with a large group of half marathoners and thought I could slide under the rader and turn in with them. I was about 200 feet away from the turn and I saw the race officials directing the half marathoners to turn, then 100 feet and I started to get a little nervous like I was cheating or something. then 20 feet from the turn and an official points me out and says “marathoners go straight.” I guess I wasn’t fully coinfident about my previous decision, and I went straight. With every step I was getting farther from the OC Fairgrounds but I was doing it.

OC Marathon- The Morning of

May 152011
 

Like Zeb said we had to get up super early to get there in time for the 6:00 start. I like to get to these things early so I can hit the restrooms before the crowds and try to relax a bit. So I was up at 3:30 packing a small bag of pre-race supplies (waters, fig newtons, sun screen, bandaids and mole skin). I mole skinned my feet in all the places I usually get blisters and it paid off. After packing my bag and joing our personal driver (Jaclyn) it was off to pick up our athletic trainer (Danielle). They were the best support crew.

Driving to the race was a fun experience. We were anquious and excited, I think this is when Zeb realized I had a pretty good cold working, I was determined to at least start the race with him and then when he was out of sight I would slow down and see how long I could last.

We got to the start line and meet some really cool people. We headed to the restroom facilities which were crowed andthen to the start line  trying to find people that looked like runners and stand next to them for the start.

This was our first race with a waved start and it was a little different. The really good runners started at 6:00 on the dot and crowd started to do the bunch up thing and push toward the start line. Several minutes later they announced it was about our time. Zeb and I high fived and wished each other luck. I was a nice feeling that we were doing this together. I knew Zeb was gonna do great I just hoped I wouldn’t have to call our support crew for a ride somewhere on the course.

May 22 Mystery Challenge Postponed! We’re golfing!

May 142011
 

To those of you that were interested in participating in the May 22 Mystery Challenge, it has been postponed.  My brother and I will be entering a golf tournament instead. 

The golf tournament is the 5th Annual Richard H. McKinnon Memorial Golf Tournament: which will be held on Sunday, May 22nd.  We will be playing at El Prado Golf Course and are looking forward to taking home the trophy . . . or at least having a good time!

Our Mystery Challenge will be rescheduled for another date in the near future.  I will keep all of you informed on the new date.

OC Marathon – Pre Race

May 132011
 

By now you have read a lot about the Orange County Marathon from my brothers. I thought I would describe some of my experiences that were slightly different than my brothers. We registered for the race several months ago but it really didn’t feel like we were going to run a marathon until about a 2 weeks before the race.

Our training really fell off in the month leading to the marathon (we called it peaking). So with two weeks to go I felt everything really had to go perfectly for us to have a chance of finishing.  With 12 days to go I decided I should try to get miles on my new Sacony’s to make sure my feet fit them. A lot of people say getting new shoes before a big race is a mistake but I really felt like it helped us out. My old running shoes felt flat and unresponsive and I really felt a difference in the new shoes.

The weekend before the race I started a yard irrigation project (digging trenches, installing irrigation pipe and that kind of stuff). I finished the project but the next day i could bearly move my back, I pulled something in my shoulder. My body can usually recover from anything in about 3 to 4 days so I wasn’t too worried that it would affect the marathon but it did disturb my sleep.

So about 3 days later my back started to feel better just like I knew it would but I had another problem. I started to feel my throat getting sore and my nose started to run. I caught some sort of cold and I only had 3 days to tell the marathon. We already made our mind up that we were gonna do this marathon and we paid the entry fee. Backing out did cross my mind because I was feeling pretty crappy because I didn’t want ruin the day for my brother. We were in this together and I was gonna atleast start the race with him.

I was still feeling pretty bad the Friday and Zeb was on a little get-away and we needed to pick up our race packets. Other than crossing the finish line I think those pre-race exhibits are the funniest part of the whole race experience, everyone is excited, friendly and helpful, you also get all kinds of cool freebies.

I picked up race numbers which had our team name (runningbros)… pretty sweet!!! After picking up the race packets and mooseing arround the exhibit hall I decided I was near Newport Harbor and I might put my resently obtained sailing certification to the test. I drove down to Newport Beach Boat Rentals where they had a nice 14`Capri sailboat. Sailing in Newport Harbor was a little complicated because it was pretty narrow but checking out those water front houses was pretty cool. It was nice and relaxing, although I still had that pesky cold thing.

I also got to see one of the coolest boats ever…. the Vigrin Oceanic Catamaran.  I have heard about Richard Branson doing some pretty cool things like the Space X prise for private space flights but the Virgin Oceanic mission also seems pretty cool. If you space/exporation junky check out the link to read Virgin Oceanic mission to explore the deepest parts of our oceans.

Ironman Training – Week #19

May 122011
 

Weekly Amount:

Running = 19.5 miles
Biking = 68 miles
Swimming = 4000 M or 2.5 miles
Total Amount: 90 miles

Overall Amount:

Running = 278.5 miles (136.5 miles to San Francisco)
Biking = 910 miles (63 miles to Seattle)
Swimming = 73,200 meters or 46.7 miles (63.5 miles to San Diego)
Total = 1,236.5 miles (1,533.5 miles to New York)

The First Half of The Orange County Marathon

May 112011
 

Many people had given me tips on how to run a marathon.  Many of our heroes provided comments on www.runningbrothers.com and others did so on Facebook.  My Dad even had a few pointers to share with us after talking to some of his running friends, including our fourth hero, Greg Hardesty.  In response, I developed a game plan as to how I was going to conquer the Orange County Marathon. 

  • The first part of my plan was to run extremely slow.  In the gym, I frequently run under 8 minute miles on a treadmill, and recently, even a few under 6 minutes, but they are all in 1 or 2 mile bursts.  I decided not to worry about my time and just run at a consistently slow and steady pace.
  • My second strategy was to stop at every water station along the way and relax when I grabbed some water or gatorade.
  • My third strategy was to take ibuprofen before, during and after the race.

I ran slowly with my brother at the start of the race, talking to him along the way and after a few minutes of blabbering on to him, I could tell that he was struggling already, most likely because he was sick.  A couple of times he did mention that he wasn’t feeling well and we were only on mile 1.  I stopped talking, thinking that he was exerting energy just listening to me and just set my own pace.  He kept with me for about 2 miles until we made it to the first water station. 

For the most part, the Orange County Marathon was well planned, but I did have two complaints and the first complaint was at the first water station.  At the first water station they only had two tables with a handful of staff pouring water for the runners.  At the beginning of the race, thousands of runners are coming through that point and most were stopping for water, it took several minutes until we made our way to the front of the line to get water. 

From there, I began to pull away from my brother.  The second watering station was a little more organized although not much more and upon leaving I saw my brother coming down to the hill.  I waved to him as I finished drinking my water and continued on my run.  That was the last time I would see my brother until the end of the race.

Before the race I did all kinds of stretching, especially on my knee, but for whatever reason it took a long time for me to get warmed up on my run.  My calf muscles and the muscles that went up and down my shin were extremely tight.  I actually don’t think I warmed up until about the 5th or 6th mile, but once I reached that point, it was smooth sailing . . . at least for a while.

The race weaved in and out of residential communties and briefly along the beach which was pretty cool.  We had many supporters who came out to cheer us on.  At around the 5 mile mark (I’m guessing), my brother’s girlfriend, Jacklyn and her sister, Danielle cheered me on and took pictures . . . it sure was nice to see some friendly faces.  At the 9-mile mark, Jacklyn, Danielle, my Mom, my Dad, and my sister, Lacey were there to show their support and take some high quality photos. 

Zeb High-Fiving Dad at The Orange County Marathon

At the 11th mile is where the half-marathoners split off from the full-marathoners.  I did not realize how many more people were doing the half-marathon than the full.  When I crossed that threshold, it seemed like much more than half of the people made the turn to complete their half-marathon.  The halfway point was marked with a large blow-up gateway type thing along with some inspirational music.  I was half-way done with my marathon and with one step into the second half of the marathon had run farther than I had ever run before.

Which Sport Prepares You the Most for Triathalons?

May 102011
 

My brother and I play soccer twice a week.  We play indoor soccer on Thursdays and outdoor soccer on Sundays. 

Yesterday, we were talking about different sports and wondered which sport would be the best sport to get involved in that would also help us train for the Ironman and for our marathons. 

Here are the questions: 

  • Which sport prepares you the most for a triathalon?
  • Which sport prepares you the most for marathons?

And don’t say darts.

The Start of The Orange County Marathon

May 092011
 

My brother picked me up at 4:30 AM Sunday morning.  Yes, you read correctly 4:30 AM.  Luckily, we were being dropped off by my brothers girlfriend, Jacklyn otherwise we would have had to arrive in Orange County at that time.  Which would have meant being picked up before 4 AM.  Typically, I don’t wake up before 9 AM. 

I couldn’t sleep the night before, which is usually the case when I have something important planned and need as much sleep as possible.  For some reason I get this overwhelming sense of anxiety and can’t sleep the night’s when I need the most sleep, although, I did get 3 hours of sleep which is better than usual. 

Jacklyn and her sister, Danielle, our personal athletic trainer drove us to Fashion Island in Orange County and dropped us off shortly after 5 AM on Sunday morning.  Thousands of people were making their way towards the start line of the race and we followed along side them.  We made sure to hydrate before the race and drank a couple bottles of water, and with the drinking of water came the need to urinate.  It looks like many others had the same idea of hydration because the lines for the toilets were LONG.  Fortunately, the organizers of the Orange County Marathon had the forsight to order a ton of port-o-potties so we were able to find one with a small line and did our business.

We then made our way to the start line.  The Marathon was scheduled to start in waves and according to our paper work, we were placed in wave two.  When we looked at the signs strewn around the marathoners; however, we soon realized that there was no wave 2.  The actual waves were broken down into letter, A, B can C as far as we could tell so we jumped in with the B’s. 

Our bib numbers were pretty sweet as everyone who was running the race and spectators alike commented on our good fortune.  Mine was 2222 and my brothers was 2221.  Also, when we signed up for the race we were allowed to sign up as a team, so, my brother signed us up as The Running Brothers which was largely displayed on our bib numbers.

I was very active Twittering in the days just before the race and one person actually recognized us from our tweets, which was very cool.  He introduced himself as Cory and asked which one of us was training for the Ironman.  Unfortunately, I forgot to ask what his Twitter name was so we could be sure that we connected with him after the race, so Cory, if you’re reading this . . . let us know.

One last thing I need to mention was that my poor brother came down ill in the days preceding our marathon and was not looking good on the day we ran the marath0n.  It was awful timing to be sick on that day and I totally would have understood if he didn’t want to even attempt the race, because in all honesty, he looked terrible.  But, being the trooper my brother is, he attempted to run the race anyways.  Not only that, but he never made any excuses and secretly I think he even was trying not to let me know that he was sick.  Running a marathon is hard enough, but doing it while sick and running in 80+ degree temperatures . . . now that’s what I call guts. 

The first wave went off around 6 O’Clock and the second wave began around 15 minutes later.  Just before we were about to begin my brother turned to me and said, “I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”

I looked back and him and smiled . . . I knew he was right.

Zeb Running at The Orange County Marathon

Happy Mother’s Day

May 082011
 

Without our Mother, we would not even be here . . . well, Rocky might be because I think he might be adopted.  But, without the support and love of our mother we would probably be in jail or doing something innappropriate for a living.  In honors of mother’s day we would like to present this album to our Mom.

Mom, you are the best mother The Running Brothers could have ever asked for.  Thank you for your support, guidance, wisdom and self-esteem boosting.  You are truly one in a million.

Ironman Training – Week #18

May 072011
 

Weekly Amount:

Running = 19 miles
Biking = 66 miles
Swimming = 4000 M or 2.5 miles
Total Amount: 87.5 miles

Overall Amount:

Running = 259 miles (156 miles to Las Vegas)
Biking = 842 miles (131 miles to Seattle)
Swimming = 69,200 meters or 44.2 miles (66 miles to San Diego)
Total = 1,146.5 miles (1,623.5 miles to New York)

Accomplishments:

Zeb Runs to Vegas

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