Is Being Race Crazy Like Being Boy Crazy?

This is going to be a mixed bag of things (part race report, part social commentary, part me waxing philosophical about life among other things). Consider yourselves warned.

Mile 11: Best signage ever.

Now that I have wrapped up with the Surf City Half Marathon, my sixth half marathon to date and consequentially the anniversary of my first half marathon ever, a few conflicting feelings rose to the surface. The race was such a great experience that I immediately looked to sign up for another immediately. Not only that, I started looking at more half challenges (4 half marathons in 5 weeks to level up in Half Fanatics).

Only a few months ago after the Malibu Half Marathon (the tail end of a string of four half marathons scheduled extremely close together) I told myself I was DONE with racing like a maniac. It had gotten to the point where the races almost weren’t exciting. Even though my times were improving from a major fail post injury, I didn’t feel like I was physically accomplished after a race.

So I asked myself the “WHY” for racing. Why did I do it to begin with? Why would I want to do a high volume when I did? Why don’t I want to do it now?

Whenever I think of conflicting feelings, I usually equate them to dating analogies, since anything involving matters of the heart are usually the hardest to figure out yet the easiest to illustrate… (don’t judge me)

Surf City 2009: Don't let the face fool you, happiest moment ever!

The immediate answer was Surf City 2009, my very first half marathon. I can still picture every moment as soon as the finish line was in my line of sight, the tears, elation, adrenaline rush, complete awe, my heart even skipped a beat I was so happy. It was kind of like falling in love for the first time. Everything is just perfect. The next day, the race was over and it was gone. Post race depression set in. “How am I ever going to feel that way ever again?” I know… run more races! As many as possible!

I started running half marathons every few weeks. And every half marathon race looked good to me… I was completely boy crazy (to continue w/ the race/relationship analogy). And much like irrational boy craziness, every race had left me a little empty and with a broken heart. Didn’t hit goal time, didn’t PR, didn’t feel good afterward, they ran out of small tech tees at the expo, etc. I desperately kept looking to find that feeling I had when I ran Surf City the first time and kept coming up empty. I even opted on upping the ante and running my first full marathon – still, nothing really compared to the first time. Every running playlist might as well have had “Total Eclipse of the Heart” play on an infinite loop it was so bad.

Disillusioned with myself, my performance, lack of real improvement, amount of money I had been spending on races, I swore it off for a while. December and January were all about “training for Surf City round 2″ – when race day finally came around, my feelings towards racing went back to neutral. I also had no expectations going in on how it would feel to finish.

When I crossed the finish line, something magical happened. I ran the race faster than expected (would have PR’d if I had tried) I remember crossing the finish line thinking, that’s it – wait did I really just ask myself that?! Immediately followed by OMG is this what it feels like to be in shape?! My heart flatlined. It wasn’t like puppy love it was like “this love is serious” love.

I fell in love all over again with racing via Surf City. This happened because I treated it like something special from the get go, it wasn’t “just another half” it was something I talked about a month in advance, anticipated, prepared for (mentally) and eventually absolved myself of.

Allison Burbage and me Surf City 2010: I had no clue what I was in for...

Even now as I am typing this, I simultaneously wonder “how am I ever going to feel that way again?” I started looking at the half fanatics page. “Hmmm 4 races in 5 weeks would bump me up a few planet levels.” But, first things first. For now, I am going to try to be as conservative as possible with race picks and not do them every month (as it stands I’m not doing another half till July – SF Marathon). My ultimate goal is subbing a 2 hr half marathon. I also have a side goal of 4 marathons in one month (consecutive weekends) – but not till after the sub 2.

Even then, with having these goals, all I really want to is give some sort of reason to my madness. If I could race with a bird hat on and feel accomplished so be it. And, I still want to do my 4 half marathon month tour de force, as long as I can mentally wrap my brain around the goal/accomplishment. I just hope that I don’t end up racing around town like a hussy and looking for runs in all the wrong places.

The Future of Road Racing: Are We Really Gonna Build This City On Rock & Roll?

Not too long ago,  commentary was posted on the near extinction and death of the indie race due to relatively behemoth racing groups (i.e. The Competitor Group) purchasing them to toss into their well-oiled assembly line of racing series. Meaning… quirky + cool marathons and half marathons with small budget marketing are in danger of being engulfed and regurgitated as cookie cutter RnR races.

The 26.2 and 13.1 races are no longer the only races to fear assimilation. The Competitor Group recently announced that Dean Karnazes will be hosting the very first ULTRA Rock ‘n’ Roll Ultra Marathon in Phoenix, AZ January of 2010. Three letters immediately came to mind: W T F. When I think of an ultra marathon, the LAST thing that comes to mind is some local no-name sugar-coated garage band crooning a song that I have no interest in hearing at the time, local high school cheerleaders and gaudy bling. I think trails, homemade PB+J sandwiches, rugged men and women wearing kerchiefs around their neck along with a calm look of zen-like determination on their faces. Also… mothereffin’ Dean Karanazes?

This is a *big* move by the Competitor Group and also a great indicator of the future of road racing. Historically, the recent downturn of the economy has actually helped distance racing (read: Marathon Outruns Economy). Popular distance races have seen significant increases in participation proving that marathons just might be recession-proof. This is no surprise to anyone who dedicates a significant part of their personal life to training. Nothing makes you feel more in control and more accomplished than testing your physical limitations with a marathon or half marathon. Because of the upturn in this particular industry we’ve seen companies and racing series like the RnRs of the world out there thrive. Debuting their first ultra race (which I imagine will have a solid turn out) could just be the tip of the iceberg.

Is 2010 destined to be a Rock n’ Roll year? And who’s hosting the next Rock n’ Roll Iron Man competition (because you know more IM and half IM’s from these guys are just around the corner)!

More importantly, what does this mean to the serious racer? With increased participation, expect some high traffic and congestion in races by slow and “inexperienced” racers (a gripe that was recently brought up during the last New York Marathon in a New York Times article). I couldn’t count with five hands how many people jumped and signed up for the new Stadium to Sea course for the L.A. Marathon without planned training on how they were actually going to FINISH the course. I’m hoping I will be able to find stats on sign ups versus completions.

Whatever the future of road racing may be, I’m excited to see how 2010 shapes up… Will indie races step up to the plate and leverage grass roots marketing and social media like racevine.com, dailymile.com, popular running bloggers and Twitter/Facebook to increase participation? Will you end up having to pick which RnR marathon you want to run instead of having real choices? Are coaches going to leverage increased participation by using RnR marketing tactics to win over this new breed of runner? Will the next RnR Iron Man be held in a Western coastal state so I can at least go and watch?!
Woo! Can’t wait to find out!

Video: Racevine

I came across this “what is” video about Racevine.com and thought it would be useful to share here for those of you who were new to Racevine – also I’m pretty sure this was friend and Founder/CEO of Racevine, Greg Lou‘s cinematic debut!


Racevine
by turnherelocal

A Very Los Angeles Christmas To You Too!

I believe I got to see a couple of Los Angeles’ most iconic places through the back-to-back races I ran this weekend.

Saturday I got to run through the Santa Monica and Venice beachfront town and boardwalk.  Though the usual California sunniness was drenched in rainy weather, you still got the sense of  the picturesque, Los Angeles beach-side lifestyle. Sunday was all about the Los Angeles movie industry, as I ran a 10K through movie sets old and new on the Universal Studios backlot. It’s not ALL that Los Angeles has to offer, though I would probably recommend this to people visiting here as a unique way to see those iconic things that Los Angeles is known for.

SM-V Christmas Run IMAG0008

This is what Christmas is like in Santa Monica!

Santa Monica-Venice Christmas Run: So the skies had opened up prior to the weekend, and by Saturday morning, there was some good steady rain, with several sudden downpours. Not great for the freeways here, as my early-morning commute to the beach was marred by two accident sites. Be careful when driving in the rain!! When I finally got to the race, some announcer was putting the racers through yoga moves. There was a lot of talk about the rain, but people were in good spirits. It was not crowded at all, with the crowd feeling closer to that of a neighborhood run. The races are set up as a couple of waves. the 10K was earlier, at 7:30am. I ran the 5K, which started at 9:15am.  The race course took us through the beach house neighborhoods, made up of houses that probably are time-shared more than they are permanent housing. We also ran through downtown, passing by hip restaurants and hip murals. The Venice Boardwalk, normally a river of hippies, tourists, and merchants, was strange to see relatively quiet and empty. Just a few people hanging out, probably wondering what all these crazy people were doing up so early running in the rain. I have to say the volunteer cheering section for this race was sort of half-hearted, but people were still extremely nice. You did get a lot of free samples of bars and snacks and drinks and things. The shirt was a long sleeved tech tee, designed by a big-time graphic designer. If you like courses fast and mostly downhill, you would like this. Oh, and parking was 7 bucks. They were trying to encourage people ride their bikes or take the bus. This actually was not my favorite race. Well organized and friendly yes, but something felt missing. Of course it’s all subjective! I think I would have preferred getting a course with more beach views, though the choice may have been for practical reasons, or a matter of tradition. When I went back to the car, I got a pretty nice view of the wet beach, the classic thatched fencing and the squat little lifeguard house, and the sea gulls and pelicans swooping around.

Just like a tourist! But not! Notice most people are walking. This is the uphill portion of the race.

Just like a tourist! But not! Notice most people are walking. This is the uphill portion of the race.

Say No To Drugs race at Universal Studios Backlot: Oh I liked this one! I like to think they structured this race like a movie. They start off giving you a bunch of great stuff, teasers: you get to run through a bunch movie sets, whetting your apetite for more. It’s all on a nice easy downhill. Then the sets drop off and you’re in movie producer land, those squat little office buildings and assigned parking, with the names of producers like Noah Oppenheim inscribed in order of importance, probably. This part is a little less interesting, but the surrounding moutains/hills are quite beautiful. No rain, but it’s still kind of misty and cloudy. Peaceful. Then comes the conflict, the battle. It’s you and the monster hill! Just when you thought it was bad, it gets worse! Through this climactic period, you’re back running through the movie and tv show sets, but this time it’s all up hill. Oh, they are really teasing you now. Can you really still enjoy the scenery, while also dying from exhaustion? The smart thing to do here is just to stop, stand like a tourist in front of the sets, one of them the Bates Motel sign, and have your friend take a photo of you looking sweaty like you were just running away from a psychotic killer. And finally, right when you thought you could not take it anymore, the FINISH sign emerges from the curved edge of the hill, and suddenly you hear the cheers. And just like that, it’s over! Unless you signed up for the 10K. Then you get to do it again! So yes, this was one of those courses with variety – not just in the scenery, but also in the challenges to the runners. If that’s what you like, then this has lots to offer. Again, it’s a unique way to experience those quintessential things Los Angeles is known for. Btw, the volunteer cheering section throughout the race were rather over-the-top enthusiastic, in such a great way. Not sure how much race directors have control over these types of things, but we happen to have some great cheerers, many of them screaming and cheering us on the way you would a sports team or a rock star. It was kind of crazy, and they were doing it with just as much enthusiasm when I passed them the second time.

So there it is. A couple of races that are just as much about Los Angeles as they are about the holiday season. I hope both these races will be around next year, especially the Say No To Drugs one, which I think isn’t guaranteed to be at Universal Studios every year.

Lake Balboa 5K Turkey Trot

IMG01004The race is perfect for locals who want to do a 5K on Thanksgiving Day. The area is quaint, the park is like most of the state parks in Los Angeles, so nothing to write home about. Lake Balboa itself is pretty “quaint” to put it as bluntly as possible. The course for the 5K was the sidewalk path through the park. It’s probably the smallest race I’ve done to date.

I would probably not do it again because the location is not close to home. I did it to meet up with some friends I know from Twitter and because it was a great excuse to head out to the Valley. I had a chance to catch up with some amazing and influential people which made the experience a five star race all the way, however for the sake of being as objective as possible I had to give it three stars in my racevine review. Race highlight: Glenn Jones was awesome enough to run me to the end of my very first 5K – so he’s all good in my digital book!

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