Mozzer Confessionals

2012 Houston Marathon - 3:00:36 / 6:54

2012-01-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

Net Time: 3:00:36
Pace: 6:54
Rank: 264
Age Grade: 69.17%

28th Marathon took place in Houston; a day after the Olympic Trials. This was my most consistent effort to date and redemption from 2011's fiasco. Held back a bit on the first half and ran with my team-mates solarz and kg; but overall very satisfied with a small positive split. Felt great from start to finish (maybe slowed down a bit on the last 3 miles?) and hopefully a good sign before my fourth Boston! But I have to say, I was sincerely touched by all the kind words and support before the race from my parents, friends and especially my team; CPTC. I will forever bleed orange.

Splits:
Mile 01: 7:07:24
Mile 02: 6:44:14
Mile 03: 6:53:03
Mile 04: 7:00:00
Mile 05: 6:56:74
Mile 06: 6:48:11
Mile 07: 7:06:55
Mile 08: 6:24:10
Mile 09: 6:52:97
Mile 10: 6:45:42
Mile 11: 6:56:22
Mile 12: 6:46:05
Mile 13: 6:45:90
Mile 14: 6:47:45
Mile 15: 6:47:95
Mile 16: 6:41:56
Mile 17: 6:56:97
Mile 18: 6:45:62
Mile 19: 6:53:12
Mile 20: 7:08:03
Mile 21: 6:32:84
Mile 22: 6:55:30
Mile 23: 6:52:84
Mile 24: 7:11:44
Mile 25: 7:12:29
Mile 26: 7:13:73
Mile .2: 1:32:43

Post Houston @ Whitehorse Tavern (i love my team!)

2012 Joe Kleinerman 10K - 38:15 / 6:11

2012-01-09T06:56:00.001-08:00

Net Time: 38:15 (PR)
Pace: 6:11
Rank: 85/5297
Age Grade: 70.76%

Utilized this race to gauge on my fitness and with minimal expectations; my plan was to hit under 40. Furthermore, since the CPTC holiday party was on that same night, it was a good excuse to get a workout in and enjoy the rest of the day. With the tremendous support and cheers from CPTC, I found an extra gear. Fortunately I was able to hold steady to the pace and resulted in my first PR of the year. Now to keep my legs well rested before Houston!

Splits:
01: 6:13:97
02: 6:14:27
03: 6:05:95
04: 6:12:27
05: 6:16:45
06: 5:55:65
.2: 1:17:51

2012 CPTC Holiday Party @ Harbour Lights

2012-01-09T06:52:00.000-08:00

Central Park Track Club's Annual Holiday Party. We pretty much look forward to this party where all the Track, Sprinters and Roads crew come together. Happy Holidays and HNY- Go Orange!

Rachel Yamagata @ City Winery and More Crunkin'

2012-01-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Rachael Yamagata @ City Winery

Crazy week! Rachael Yamagata made it better! Smoky Vocals and great catching up with her.

Secret Santa with the crew @ Pio Pio and O'mara Thxgiving

Drinks @ 13th Step and The Dark Room

CPTC Ugly Sweater @ Sidebar

2012-01-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

Ugly sweater party w/ the team? Sure why not! Great time! Go Orange!

CPTC New Year's Eve Long Run and HBD/HNY in Queens

The National @ The Beacon - 12/12-12/15

2011-12-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

The National 12/12-12/15

Four straight nights for The National @ the Beacon. Sofaking amazing 'cus I'm Mr. November, I won't phuk us over!! AND they played All the Wine, Think You Can Wait, I Need My Girl and About Today!

Birthday @ Old Town Bar

2011-12-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Birthday Drinks with great friends/CPTC team-mates @ Old Town Bar. Truly blessed to have such an amazing circle of great people in my life. I guess it is good to be 32! Houston Marathon in less than a month!

2011 NYC Marathon 2:58:41 / 6:49

2011-11-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

Net Time: 2:58:41
Pace: 6:49
Rank: 975
Age Grade: 69.91%

2011 NYC Marathon

Time flies when I reminisce about the NYC marathon. Actually, it was my 6th. This capped my 27th marathon and 4th of the year. I wouldn’t say it was smooth sailing to get to this point, but it was tough. A couple of months ago, the most important person in my life had a setback in health 48 hours before the Philly Half. I was planning to skip it, but he wanted me to compete and race and return the following day. As tough as it was, I went. However there was no way I was going to race the Berlin Marathon the following week. No effin’ way. Fast forward to November, we got through it and he is now recovering.

Nothing can beat the NYC marathon experience simply because it was my first and always get pumped seeing my friends and family with their excitement. Since there was a chance that my parents wouldn’t be @ their usual spot due to his recovery or possible side effects, it just wouldn’t be the same. But I got his blessing to race and give it all i got; so that made me feel better.

This year I was placed in the local competitive corral. Quite frankly, I missed the regular start where you see all the internationals gearing up for the event and just the atmosphere is more inviting than the secluded LCS. I still don’t see the difference in terms of the porto-potty situation. It’s really the same since all the runners still have to wait. Hence, regular start all the way!

I congregated with my teammates at the start and for the very first time we were situated in the lower level of the Verazzano. I had one of my teammate write a name on my forearm. Knowing the fact that he may not show up at the race, I'll just look at it if I go through some tough patches. I definitely had a goal time in mind, however I know that in marathons anything can happen and with a lingering PF issue since July, I was thinking to myself that I may not have a good race. The first mile, damn, that was difficult. My right PF began flaring up, compensating the gait and I just know it was going to be a long day. I ran with my CPTC buddies nsussman and joeK for the first few miles until we got into the 5th mile, nsussman blasted off. I ran a few miles by myself till I saw ladies in orange on the other side (merritt, Maloney, mariaP, LKos). Once we merged at BAM, luckily the pain on my right foot slightly subsided and I was running with Maloney. I was really glad to see her because on the track, tempo workouts as well as our 20+mile group long runs, we always trained together. Feeding off of my team-mate, I think I got a second life and we worked together till 22. Afterwards she blasted away but was always in my line of sight. Circling back, it was just great to see all the familiar faces with my teammates and friends at BAM (cptc!), Willyburg (soohoo!), LIC (jvong props for the shouts!), my buddies (you know who you are!) all along 1st/5th ave and in the Bronx (thx abruskin!).

Mile 23-24 was the toughest part of the course imho. Physically it was tough rolling through the gradually incline and could feel a nasty blister under my left foot. Indeed I looked at my right forearm at his name to get me more energized. Mentally, I just know it would not be the same without my parents; well they proved me wrong. Just when I reached 96th street and a bit delirious I could see my parents, especially my dad being there. I had a double take and as crazy as it sounds, I started getting all emo’ed and yelled “every year!” After all the surgeries and continuous treatments, he made a promise to me that he will be there for all my NYC’s. Now that I think about it, why would I even think of him not being there? So after the shout-out to my parents, entering into the park was CPTC's wall of orange. Man, I gotta’ give major props to my CPTC team with all the tough workouts, the team camaraderie, close friends I’ve met; just a special feeling and no words could describe that. I knew after seeing my team, and Maloney around 25-30 ft ahead, I knew I locked up my 5th sub three hour marathon, 2nd fastest, and possibly Boston 2013.

Overall, I think I ran an ok race given the circumstances; running with pain (just like everyone else) and possibe over-racing (3 half marathons in 4 weeks may not be the smartest idea). From the splits I definitely slowed down after mile 21 but hung on as long as possible till the finish line. Looking back, this was a bit of a redemption after cancelling Berlin (family is more important than marathons!). As I crossed the finish line, I could’ve cared less about running a sub 3 or not. More importantly in my mind was contacting my parents asap. At the end of the day, seeing them, gives hope that we will share this experience every year. I guess life is never easy but will have to take one day at a time and treat each day as a blessing.

Splits:
Mile 01: 7:17:47
Mile 02: 6:10:88
Mile 03: 6:32:26
Mile 04: 6:35:20
Mile 05: 6:28:81
Mile 06: 6:31:12
Mile 07: 6:32:99
Mile 08: 6:39:37
Mile 09: 6:43:40
Mile 10: 6:33:61
Mile 11: 6:47:76
Mile 12: 6:39:42
Mile 13: 6:43:78
Mile 14: 6:51:21
Mile 15: 6:57:60
Mile 16: 6:50:19
Mile 17: 6:41:92
Mile 18: 6:41:02
Mile 19: 6:46:47
Mile 20: 6:59:63
Mile 21: 6:59:69
Mile 22: 7:11:58
Mile 23: 7:10:96
Mile 24: 7:30:08
Mile 25: 7:11:77
Mile 26: 7:11:17
Mile .2: 1:25:73

CPTC Benefit @ NYAC

CPTC Benefit @ NYAC

Iron & Wine and Friendly Fires @ Terminal 5

2011-10-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Friendly Fires @ T5

Iron and Wine @ T5

Hanging with my CPTC crew:

2011 Staten Island Half Marathon - 1:24:32 / 6:28

2011-10-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 1:24:32
Pace: 6:28
Rank: 59/5300
Age Grade: 70.05%

A little off but happy to get through this considering the fact that this was my third half marathon in 4 weeks. I knew from the first mile my legs didnt have the kick like it did from the past few weeks. In addition, doing track and intervals on tuesday/thursday wasn't a wise move to prepare for half marathon. Despite miles 8 and 11 w/ inconsistent splits, I'm glad that I held it together and hopefully use this as a mental note for future marathons.

Splits:
01: 6:26:39
02: 6:19:74
03: 6:18:71
04: 6:21:08
05: 6:26:19
06: 6:10:97
07: 6:24:94
08: 6:51:55
09: 6:24:88
10: 6:28:05
11: 6:36:02
12: 6:48:65
13: 6:21:15
.1: 33:60

2011 Grete's Gallop - 1:23:40 / 6:24

2011-10-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 1:23:40
Pace: 6:24
Rank: 124/4956
Age Grade: 70.78%

*thx to Erica!

Another sub 1:24 half in the books. I paced mostly with ARuben and Casey and I have to say the support/wall of orange from my team was sofaking amazing. Surprisingly my legs felt good after Philly; hence I'll probably run Staten Island next week to get some more tempo mileage before NYC.

Splits:
01: 6:08:68
02: 6:20:19
03: 6:15:84
04: 6:20:24
05: 6:31:14
06: 6:11:39
07: 6:23:35
08: 6:32:31
09: 6:22:18
10: 6:31:81
11: 6:39:06
12: 6:24:50
13: 6:17:57
.1: 39:86

2011 Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon - 1:23:12 / 6:21

2011-09-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 1:23:12
Pace: 6:21
Rank: 306/16476
Age Grade: 71.17%

2nd fastest half marathon took place @ the Philly Half. Due to recent events, I'm happy to stay focus, keep it together and pull off a solid race. I started a bit too fast but, happy with the splits in the end. Great times with the CPTC crew.

Splits:
01: 6:22:17
02: 6:07:69
03: 6:16:26
04: 6:17:61
05: 6:20:65
06: 6:25:33
07: 6:22:00
08: 6:22:67
09: 6:22:80
10: 6:19:84
11: 6:24:32
12: 6:24:01
13: 6:24:70
.1: 42:31

2011 US Open

2011-09-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Best US OPEN ever!

2011 US Open

2011 JackRabbit Battle of Brookyn 10 Miler - 1:03:38 / 6:22

2011-08-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 1:03:38 (PR)
Pace: 6:22
Rank: 13
Age Grade: 69.8%

Skipped the long training run and raced the Battle of Brooklyn 10 Miler instead. As a result, added a 5th PR of the year on an odd distance and shaved 1 minute off. Three loops of PPk is never easy, but this time around, I didn't dread it at all. I give all the credit to my 'rents for being out there and enjoying the race as well as giving me extra motivation to push harder.

One note with this race was the fact that there were bikers along the course and I almost got sideswiped on the last mile going into the finish line. In addition, walkers with their headphones on hand in hand blocking the water station should be outlawed. Instead of being oblivious to your surroundings, courtesy to other runners goes a long way.

Splits:
01: 6:03:65
02: 6:27:00
03: 6:31:50
04: 6:20:14
05: 6:27:10
06: 6:37:09
07: 6:25:31
08: 6:20:51
09: 6:32:46
10: 5:53:29

Post Race @ Gin Mill w/ CPTC

Friend's Lake, Chestertown NY

2011-08-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Friend's Lake - Chestertown, NY

Long weekend getaway @ the Adirondacks. Minimal running (4Mi MAX!) with kayaking, swimming, bocce-ing, boozing, but most importantly spending quality time with my closest friends.

Band of Horses @ Hammerstein

2011-08-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

Much love for Band of Horses; one of my favorite bands EVER! First Carnegie, then Willyburg Waterfront, and now Hammerstein - and performing at my favorite venues! A true rarity was performed "The End is Near" and it was sofaking amazing!

2011 NYRR Team Champs 5M - 30:45 / 6:09

2011-08-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 30:45
Pace: 6:09
AG: 69.72%
Rank: 212/753

2nd Team champs race with CPTC and always a blast! Although not a PR, I was happy with how the race went especially with all the recent racing and ankle recovery. Sometimes it is not about the time, but the efforts to come back and representing your team with pride. A bit conservative on the first 2 miles followed by hiccups on miles 3/4 and sprinted on the last. Overall, I'm just honored to what CPTC has given me such as lifelong friends and camaraderie. Go Orange!

Splits:
01- 6:17:73
02- 6:05:96
03- 6:13:87
04- 6:15:18
05- 5:53:25

Death Cab For Cutie @ Brooklyn Museum

2011-08-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Missed out on the show @ the Willyburg Waterfront, but had admissions to the BK museum show. This show was a televised event for PBS's Artists Den.

2011 Queens Half Marathon - 1:26:06 / 6:35

2011-07-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Chip Time: 1:26:06
Pace: 6:35
Rank: 51/4797
Age Grade: 68.8%

One minute slower than my last half marathon (BK) time, but around 30 seconds faster from last year's course (albeit different). Out of 31 halves, this was my 6th fastest. Asides from the time, it was more about gaining some confidence back into racing. Long story short, I sprained my left ankle on the bridle path 4 days ago and was pretty down about it. Yes, injuries are part of the game but the Queens half was always in my 2011 radar.

I did not run throughout the week (except for a 15-20 min jog to test out the ankle) and was determined to be almost 75% healed up to participate in this race. I do ask myself why would I risk my ankle when there's plenty of races. I did not make any decision to drop out of the race or race it until the last minute. Truth is, my parents was going to be there, so that was my main motivating factor. In addition, I just had to keep telling myself that if I was able to run after a sprained ankle on mile 8 at the 2006 NYC marathon and executed a 3:58, I should grit my teeth and endure the pain for half the distance.

Luckily, my ankle held up but still tender through race day under favorable weather conditions. The result was a 1:26 and a 3rd place team finish. Even more special was nabbing this place with K and Neal whom I'm extremely close to. GO CPTC! Although not my fastest, it was all worth it to share this placement with them and at least to see my parents being all excited on race day. Yes it hurt a bit, pain is just temporary, but these memories will last. More rest and recovery is in order.

Splits:
01: 6:32:67
02: 6:18:23
03: 6:25:41
04: 6:35:04
05: 6:26:94
06: 6:22:36
07: 6:27:51
08: 6:36:17
09: 6:37:08
10: 6:41:90
11: 6:44:27
12: 6:59:37
13: 6:39:27
.1: 40:30

CPTC Style @ Jordan's B'Day BBq

Sia @ Webster

2011-07-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

2nd Sia show with Oh Land as the opening act. Sia never fails to deliver, sofa-king amazing as usual. In terms of running news, nothing going on, except for an ankle sprain at the bridle path on Monday. Racing @ the Queens Half Marathon sounds very very bleak. This will be a last minute decision; till then my muscular aches and pain from not running since Monday Night seemed to have gone away. I guess that's my only positive take-away.

Three of Cups and Ace Bar

2011 Run For Central Park - 24:05 / 6:02

2011-07-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 24:05 (PR)
Pace: 6:02
Rank: 214/5292
Age Grade: 70.3%

3rd consecutive PR and it definitely wasn't easy. I simply suck in any distances under a 10K. Regarding to the race, I got stuck in a rut on mile 3 but luckily pulled through on the last mile thanks to my teammates. Maybe if I was more aggressive on the first mile or possibly save up on the first two, a sub 24 would be in the works. Nevertheless, with all the recent racing and another PR, I'm ecstatic. I hope to carry this momentum throughout the year. Affirmative, more rest/recovery days are in the works!

Splits:
01: 6:00:10
02: 5:53:53
03: 6:14:04
04: 5:59:20

@ Studio Sq for the World Cup and Robert Moses w/ CPTC

2011 Boomer Run to Breathe 10K - 38:50 / 6:15

2011-07-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 38:50 (PR)
Pace: 6:15
Rank: 39/5004
Age Grade: 69.5%

PR'ed on my weakest distance. The weather was a bit on the humid side, but it was fine since there's going to be plenty of races like this in the summer. Considering the fact that I had raced an 8Miler on Monday, "tracked" at E6 on Tuesday, Tempo'ed on Thursday, and w/ 2 PRs in a week, I'll take it.

On a side note, Huge congrats to my team for taking the USATF Club Team Champs @ the Icahan! I'm so proud of my team - Go Orange!

Splits:
01: 6:15:57
02: 6:03:43
03: 6:19:07
04: 6:30:81
05: 6:12:74
06: 6:08:65
.2: 1:19:45

2011 Putnam County Classic 8Miler - 51:19 / 6:25 and July 4th

2011-07-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 51:19 (PR)
Pace: 6:25
Rank: 16/315
Age Grade: 68.4%

3 years later, I nabbed a 4-5 minute PR for this odd distance. I love this odd distance since it results in a nice tempo and simultaneously, enough time to recover for some speed-work @ the track tomorrow. Very proud of my team as we took 11th, 14th, 16th and 17th. Despite the humidity and hills (great practice btw), an amazing race overall.

Splits:
01: 6:15:39
02: 6:38:89
03: 6:14:66
04: 6:24:44
05: 6:30:91
06: 6:34:64
07: 6:29:42
08: 6:12:63

Brooklyn Brewery for Gian:

2011 Portugal Day - 30:44 / 6:08

2011-06-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 30:44
Pace: 6:08
Rank: 149/4630
Age Grade: 69.8%

This was a tough one to rehash. Long story short, I thought everything was going well till the last mile. With less than .5 miles to go, I may have gotten too close to the curb and tripped. Everything happened so fast that all I know was that I had cuts, gashes on my right arm, leg and some on my face afterwards. Luckily my teammate was there to rally and pace me to the finish line. I was a bit disoriented at the end of the finish line and wound up in the medical tent. I really hope that will be the last time it will ever happen to me.

Although on hindsight, I would like to say I really don't think I lost much time getting back into the race. A couple of seconds here and there, is probably not a factor, HOWEVER, thank goodness as much as shyt happens, I didn't land on horseshyt! Again, I hope this will be the last spazztic moment and perhaps be more conscious with my nutritional needs...who knows? All I know is there was no way that a face/body-plant would stop me from finishing a race; gotta' finish with dignity!

Splits:
01: 5:55:06
02: 5:55:16
03: 6:13:46
04: 6:07:47
05: 6:34:46

Then a Long Run a week later w/ my buddies from CPTC

Lousy T-Shirt 5K - 19:05 / 6:08

2011-06-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

Lousy Tshirt 5K Results
Net Time: 19:05
Pace: 6:08
Overall: 3rd

Since I was shut out of the Corporate Challenge and the madness in CP, I raced the Lousy TShirt 5K race in Riverside Park. I never ran on this course or park before so it was interesting. Witnessed 2 hills, other than that it was a nice little race; great change from the huge NYRR ones. Asides from the course, I placed 3rd overall. Hopefully this should give me some confidence for the 5Miler on this Sunday

Riviera Maya, Mexico

2011-06-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Second time in Mexico, this time around it was in Riviera Maya, just south of Cancun. We stayed 6 days at the Barcelo resort and had a blast. Alas, after all the unlimited amount of food and alcohol out there, I still logged 50 miles. Well it is more like feeling gross after each meal/drinks and one way to negate that feeling was to...run, workout and swim.

Everything was great until the 3rd day where we carried an "unconscious" body in his 70s to shore. Without thinking and panicking, to bring the body back to shore was literally our first response. Upon reaching the shore, the body toppled over me due to its weight. As the body laid on the ground, it was semi-bloated and looked de-oxygenated. That was when it hit us, we thought he was dead. Even the beach-goer who happens to be a nurse said "Oh, he's gone". The medics and resident doc came afterwards and tried to resuscitate him for a good 10-15 minutes; but to no avail. Man, we just felt horrible for his wife and it just goes to show how life events are so random. I know this sounds super cliche, but it really reinforces the fact that at any given moment and at anytime, anything could happen. Hence, honor and cherish your love ones everyday and any given moment.

Friendly Fires @ Webster

2011-05-29T05:47:00.001-07:00

Glasvegas @ Bowery

2011-05-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

2011 Brooklyn Half Marathon 1:25:06 / 6:29

2011-05-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Chip Time: 1:25:06
Pace: 6:29
Rank: 173/5909
Age Grade: 69.5%

After the disastrous 10K from last week, I'm very happy to grab my 5th fastest half marathon. I know I'm not in the best shape compared to last year where I ran 90 seconds faster. But I knew I had to start conservatively and save some at the end. Coming back from injuries is tough as I'm still recovering from my calf/achilles, minor health issues and medicated with decongestants. Hence from the get-go I knew that a PR was never in the works. However, if I'm able to finish a solid performance I'll be happy and hopefully the step in the right direction. Reviewing the splits I think I did ok where there were few fluctuations. Overall, I'm glad to get this result under my belt because within a span of 6 weeks, I've competed in 5 races (Boston Marathon, Scotland 10K, Newport 10K, Healthy Kidney 10K and Brooklyn Half). I really think it is time to take a step back to continue training and ease off the racing. Starting 5/22/11, there will be no racing for 4 weeks (or a month). There I said it otherwise, drinks on me!

Splits:
01: 6:38:02
02: 6:42:15
03: 6:27:24
04: 6:26:57
05: 6:33:58
06: 6:39:17
07: 6:26:32
08: 6:21:43
09: 6:25:22
10: 6:26:17
11: 6:26:00
12: 6:22:04
13: 6:32:08
.1: 42:26

@ Sidebar and Belmont for a joint team-mate bday-

2011 Healthy Kidney 10K - 40:33 / 6:32

2011-05-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 40:33
Pace: 6:32
Rank: 220/7563
Age Grade: 66.5%

This one HURT! Maybe it was too much too soon or just a case of over-racing. This was definitely a letdown after last week's Newport 10K. My legs felt flat and after Harlem Hill I was spent! It was the best that I could that day and I knew from the get-go after Mile 2 that breaking 40 was not in the works. I knew I wasn't feeling well and could have easily dropped out of the race, however I need to finish what I started. It certainly wasn't my best race, but I think it is important to OWN EVERY performance whether good AND bad; hence appreciating and savoring the good races.

After the race I had to head back to the doctors in Queens. During that time on the 7 train I just reminisce on things I could've done right. I think it is case of starting the first mile a bit too fast and could not handle the pace. Now that the Brooklyn Half Marathon is on the horizon I really don't have a clue if breaking 1:30 is in the works for me. Oh well, live for another day and another race!

Splits:
01: 6:11:09
02: 6:22:74
03: 6:26:32
04: 6:51:21
05: 6:35:59
06: 6:32:02
.2: 1:35:22

Interpol / Blonde Redhead @ T5

2011-05-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

Asides from Nine Inch Nails and The National, Interpol's performance @ T5 will mark as one of my favorites. I actually had a better time @ T5 than MSG; the band just sounded extremely tight and on chord with their sound. They performed my favorite song "The New"...I just love this band.

2011 Newport 10K - 39:39 / 6:24

2011-05-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 39:39
Pace: 6:24
Rank: 69/1108
Age Grade: 67.8%

My 2nd Newport 10K went well. After injuring my calf and experiencing achilles tendonitis after the Boston Marathon, I'm happy to get a decent 10K performance out of the way. I'm sure I will have a lot of work to do, but the fact that my calf and achilles remained resilient I couldn't ask for anything more. More rest days please!

Splits:
01: 6:31:20
02: 6:16:67
03: 6:24:98
04: 6:27:69
05: 6:15:91
06: 6:27:22
.2: 1:17:16

Xtina's B'day @ Alta

Post Boston Marathon @ Favela

Long Bridle Path Run w/ my Team:

2011 Boston Marathon - 3:02:58 / 6:59

2011-04-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 3:02:58
Pace: 6:59
Rank: 1860
AG: 68.3%

Funny how time flies and just a few days ago I ran my third Boston Marathon and 26th overall. I had plans to try out for another sub 3 but came up 3 minutes short from last year's time (2:59:26). However, I'm ecstatic with the result because I was ready to hang the towel on mile 10. My legs just didn't have it on Marathon Monday. It was just...heavy?

Most importantly, I hung on till the end of the race and came up with my 5th fastest marathon time. As much as I wanted to give up, I didn't travel to Boston and not finish. In addition, my parents, friends, teammates and co-workers were all tracking me, hence I need to finish the race with dignity. Instead of thinking that I had 16 miles to suffer right from mile 10, I told myself to break the 16 miles into pieces and tackle one mile at a time. Pretty soon enough, it worked.

It's tough comparing to last year because I did the same DC/Boston marathon combo for two years. However, the only difference is that in 2010, DC happened on the weekend of 3/20 whereas this year I had the NYC half and DC around 3/26; giving me one less week to recover. What this really means is that I have to be more cognizant on not bunching too many races and give myself more time to recover. It sounds like a broken record, but it is so hard to deal when I love racing so much!

For now, it'll be stress free running and focusing on a few shorter races and possible halves before Berlin and NYC!

GO CPTC!

Splits:
Mile 01: 6:48:01
Mile 02: 6:30:68
Mile 03: 6:39:92
Mile 04: 6:40:34
Mile 05: 6:31:03
Mile 06: 6:39:23
Mile 07: 6:40:25
Mile 08: 6:43:80
Mile 09: 6:43:52
Mile 10: 6:48:55
Mile 11: 6:51:55
Mile 12: 6:45:89
Mile 13: 6:51:66
Mile 14: 6:52:68
Mile 15: 7:02:00
Mile 16: 6:43:49
Mile 17: 7:14:88
Mile 18: 7:21:25
Mile 19: 7:15:23
Mile 20: 7:28:25
Mile 21: 7:43:00
Mile 22: 7:11:38
Mile 23: 7:24:14
Mile 24: 7:09:81
Mile 25: 7:23:01
Mile 26: 7:18:54
Mile .2: 1:26:24

Chris Cornell @ Town Hall

2011-04-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Amazing acoustic set...Now I'm regretting for not purchasing the tuesday tix!

Kickballin' w/ Get Kicks Or Die Tryin'

Carbo-loading w/ CPTC @ Al Forno

2011 Scotland 10K - 39:03 / 6:17

2011-04-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 39:03 (PR)
Pace: 6:17
Rank: 257/8491
Age Grade: 69.0%

Second PR of 2011 and it happened in my weakest distance. I'm happy with the PR, but still feel like I could have lowered the barrier quite a bit. The fourth mile's split was the outlier where my legs felt weak and did not have the springing action. On the contrary, I felt stronger pushing up the same hills during the NYC Half a couple of weeks ago. I'm pretty sure after Boston that much recovery is needed to tackle and focus more on the shorter/middle distance races. Looking forward to shorter distance races after Boston!

*Photos courtesy of Pat Cowden

Splits:
01: 6:06:04
02: 6:10:64
03: 6:12:10
04: 6:42:90
05: 6:13:15
06: 6:19:70
.2: 1:20:05

Dears @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

2011-04-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

2011 National Marathon - 2:59:54 / 6:52

2011-03-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Net Time: 2:59:54
Pace: 6:52
Rank: 68/2879
AG: 69.4%

*thanks to rundash.blogspot.com!*

I registered for this race a while back because after last year's experience I thought it was well organized and had a great time along the course. Moreover, I couldn't resist racing another marathon due to the fact that I scored the $2 round/trip bolt bus ticket to DC! The Suntrust National Marathon in DC was my 25th Marathon and 4th fastest. Although I was cutting very close, it was also my 4th sub 3 hour marathon literally by 4 seconds!

It was a chilly one at the start of the race and knowing myself, nerves are always a factor. This time it was tough to overcome them. Again, the races from January through mid March were mostly disappointments where my training was inconsistent with the race results. In addition, the Houston Marathon experience really dropped an axe to my confidence.

Luckily, a PR at the NYC Half did spark some excitement in racing. Coming into the race with a PR was a double edged sword. I came into the race with some confidence as well as expectations for the race. However, in the back of my mind what if I wasn't able to run a good race or maybe it was too much too soon doing a back to back half and full? Basically, I tossed all those lingering thoughts out the water since I've done the half/full combo last year (Norway Half + Chicago Marathon in 2010) and kept reiterating to myself that the worst it could happen is still get a "long run" in and gauge my fitness before Boston.

Throughout the race I felt great, but it was after mile 3 when all my "goals" dissipated. I knew I wanted to run a sub 3:05 and after the NYC Half or on a good day, nab another sub 3. Overall, I just wanted to race better than my Houston result. The problem with this year's race was the fact that most of the mile markers couldn't be found (miles 4-11) or misplaced (2 25 mile markers?). This threw me a curve-ball and I couldn't believe how this was changed from last year where it was accurate and extremely well marked. Ultimately, it was tough to gauge on my pace (without a garmin since I don't own one) and I had NO clue whether I had a chance to sub 3 within 1 minute at the end of the race. Throughout the race, I had to run depending on feel and even some of my splits were not accurate because I know I did not hit 6:40s on mile 23-24! Maybe years ago racers didn't even have mile markers and etc, however, that was then and this is now and with the fees that were charged and modern conveniences given, placing correct mile markers is not too much to ask for. In conclusion no more DC 2012 for me.

Overall, I'm ecstatic with this race result. The past two weeks has been a good one for racing and I hope to build up this momentum through the course of 2011. After Houston, I know I'm going to savor this result and not take it for granted. In addition, just as important as savoring the good results is also owning the bad race experience. After Houston (sorry to digress) I learned to never eat Mexican before the race!

The thought of cutting down the wire on the last 50 meters to run under sub 3 hours still lingers my mind. Upon the finish line I don't know what became of me, but I was literally weak on my knees and almost face-planted if it weren't for a race official catching me at the end. I have to thank her for that!

I know I haven't been completely honest with giving my body some rest but I just couldn't resist of racing another marathon or other races. For me, I doubt I could go from racing 35 races to 10 in a year. Slowly but surely I will decrease the amount of racing in my plate, but drastic changes won't work for me. Anyway, after Boston, I intend to decrease my marathons and focus more on my weak points such as the 5-10K races.

Splits:
Mile 01: 6:37:53
Mile 2-3: 12:48:56
Mile 4-11: 53:00:33
Mile 12: 6:54:73
Mile 13: 6:59:51
Mile 14-15: 13:34:08
Mile 16: 6:56:23
Mile 17: 6:30:31
Mile 18: 7:20:46
Mile 19: 7:06:55
Mile 20: 7:11:25
Mile 21-22: 14:21:94
Mile 23: 6:43:80
Mile 24: 6:40:26
Mile 25: 7:17:24
Mile 25: 1:18:08
Mile 26.2: 8:35:90

2011 NYC Half Marathon - 1:22:38 / 6:18

2011-03-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

Chip Time: 1:22:38 (PR)
Pace: 6:18
Rank: 318/10190
Age Grade: 71.6%
*race pics courtesy of jeff dengate*

Throughout all the NYC halves I've raced in, I was very inconsistent. I raced horribly in 2007, 2009; however did Ok in 2006 and broke my first 1:30 and 1:23 in 2008 and 2011 respectively. For the past several months, this was the only race as of 2011 where I feel that I raced to my current fitness level. The NYC Half marks my first PR of 2011 - whew!

Recently after a PR @ the Ted Corbitt 15K, I've been going through a slump. Well, it was more like going through races where I felt that my training did not translate well with the race results. Maybe I haven't respected recovery days which then impeded the race outcome. Although I had some injuries (sprained ankle @ the armory a few weeks ago, foot tendonitis, bursitis), I still didn't think I competed well on my previous races. On hindsight, I believe that in races, bad and good ones will come hand in hand and if I don't experience the bad, I will never appreciate the good. Hence, this will be one of the races where I will appreciate and savor.

I came into the race with some sort of redemption or some confidence builder. Furthermore, I made sure that during the race, if I stayed behind my teammates Stephen, Kieran and Erin, I should be in good shape. That's basically what I did; to hang/tag along with them as much as possible. It was after mile 10, when i realized I had a chance to PR in this race.

Funny thing was, now that I'm reviewing my splits, I beat my 10K and 15K PRs. However, I will not count that as my "true" PR...just not right. Hence I will try a real definitive 10K and 15K race and pop in a PR...hopefully!

Overall, I'm extremely ecstatic with this race result and I really could not have done it with my CPTC teammates. All the training, the long runs, the track workouts, the coaching (thanks Tony!), friendships/comraderies really made me believe in myself and to train harder.

Again, I'm happy with this result and I know that not every race will be a PR. I'm definitely going to enjoy this result and never take any PR for granted. I think it is time that I give my body a rest with some TLC! Till then...Boston? #1590! My highest Bib# in 3 bahstons baby!

Splits:
01: 6:21:57
02: 6:13:31
03: 6:16:58
04: 6:24:59
05: 6:12:21
06: 6:28:32
07: 6:16:94
08: 6:19:78
09.3: 8:21:31
10: 4:16:77
11: 6:19:98
12: 6:18:26
13: 6:11:04
.1: 37:52

Pete Yorn @ Terminal 5

2011-03-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Pete Yorn @ Terminal 5 after pre-gaming @ 3 Monkeys-

Impromptu Tempo Run w/ CPTC

Citizen Cope @ City Winery

2011-03-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Citizen Cope's Acoustic set @ the City Winery. A great performer, but I personally think he is better in these venues; just more organic-

Edwyn Collins @ Bowery

2011-03-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Good to see Edwyn Collins recovering well after cerebral hemmorrhaging in 2005. Inspiring -

Smith Westerns @ Knitting Factory

2011-03-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

White Rabbits @ Bowery & Union Hall

2011-03-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

White Rabbits @ Bowery

Drinks @ Union Hall A few drinks with CPTC'ers then rushed back to the Bowery for the White Rabbits Show. I knew I'll be wrecked this weekend since I had to be up by 6AM to race the silvermine 25K the next day! Vicious cycle baby!

2011 Silvermine 25K - 1:48:57 / 7:01 & 2011 Al Gordon 4M - 25:14 / 6:18

2011-02-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

2011 Silvermine 25K
Net time: 1:48:57
Pace: 7:01
Rank: 28/215

Treated this boston build-up series as a long run. Around 50 seconds slower than last year, but satisfied with the efforts given the current circumstance. I have to take in account that this was a back to back race weekend (4M Al Gordon the day before) and recovering from a sprained ankle. The good news is the ankle is feeling better. This is a tough course, and can't wait to race this one in 2012!

Splits:
01: 6:54:68
02: 6:50:07
03: 6:41:86
04: 6:46:01
05: 6:49:76
06: 7:13:41
07: 7:11:59
08: 7:22:61
09: 7:11:93
10: 7:03:71
11: 6:59:90
12: 7:09:71
13: 7:23:35
14-15.5: 17:18:04

2011 Al Gordon 4M
Chip Time: 25:14
Pace: 6:18
Rank: 100/3992
Age Grade: 67.0%

Raced the Al Gordon 4Miler to test out the left ankle. On Tuesday, I rolled my left ankle at the armory while weaving through another team on lane 1-2 and out of nowhere, avoided a cone and landed inward. Nevertheless, toughed it up and finished the 12 by 400m workout. The ankle sprained reminded me of mile 8's 2006 NYC marathon where I limped through the finish. Everything seemed fine, but slowed down significantly on mile 4.

Splits:
01: 6:26:62
02: 6:20:00
03: 6:11:90
04: 6:17:52

2011 Cherry Tree Relay

2011-02-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

Net Time: 1:05:28
Pace: 6:33
Team: Central Park Track Club - 4 (w/ Dani and Stephanie)
Place: 17/111
Coed Place: 10

Sunday was a chilly day for a race, however couldn't pass it up for a relay with my teammates. With my team, we randomized 5 teams into 2 ladies for each gent. In the end, we raced well and happy with the result. Overall, it was competitive yet relaxed and all about having fun. Before the race, a few of my teammates and I lost faith in the MTA and decided to run 8 miles to the start from NYC. After the race, we ran back to the city rounding close to 18.26. Not bad for a nice cold windy sunday long run. Post race binging started early @ gatsbys and ended @ Loreley biergarten.

Asobi Seksu @ Bowery & Valentine 5K - 19:28 / 6:16

2011-02-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Asobi Seksu @ Bowery; dreamy rock at its best.

Valentine 5K @ Prospect Park
Net Time: 19:28
Pace: 6:16
Age Grade: 66.6%

A bit off from my fastest 5K; the 2nd mile was tough! Will continue to train harder to get back to my previous race shape.

Friendly Fires @ The Bowery

2011-02-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

First time with Friendly Fires @ The Bowery. Awesome band, reminds me a bit of Yeasayer and can't wait to see them again @ Webster in May!

Year of Rabbit & Gridiron 4M - 24:58 / 6:14

2011-02-08T20:18:00.000-08:00

Chip Time: 24:58
Pace: 6:14
Rank: 99/5275
Age Grade: 67.8%

A week after Houston and feeling a lot better. Slowly but surely, I hope to get back into prior shape. Till then, Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!

Splits:
01: 6:13:84
02: 6:06:96
03: 6:28:79
04: 6:09:71

2011 Chevron Houston Marathon - 3:16:26 / 7:30

2011-02-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

Net Time: 3:16:26
Pace: 7:30
Rank: 260/9416
Age Grade: 63.7%

Houston marks my 24th marathon, and certainly had to battle through tummy issues. After so many marathons I would've thought that I got this down under a science and given by my own pre-race rituals, my tummy tends to be on the resilient side. Unfortunately when it came to race time, it was not the case. Sunday's experience proved to be very new to me as I had to make three stops (record breaking lol) throughout the course and was unable to carry a good rhythm for the race. Truthfully, once the pain started on mile 4, I slid into a downward spiral. Nevertheless, will chalk this one up, try some black coffee in the morning as a pre-race ritual to ensure this won't happen again. However, I learned that despite this setback, literally shyt happens but still have to complete the race no matter what the finishing time was.

Splits:
Mile 01: 6:55:61
Mile 02: 6:40:06
Mile 03: 6:51:16
Mile 04: 6:51:93 (start of stomach pains)
Mile 05: 6:52:40
Mile 06: 6:54:85
Mile 07: 7:03:40
Mile 08: 7:00:52
Mile 09: 7:08:99
Mile 10: 7:22:34
Mile 11: 8:23:74 (First stop)
Mile 12: 7:16:24
Mile 13: 7:16:03
Mile 14: 7:22:85 (2nd round of stomach pain)
Mile 15: 7:22:86
Mile 16: 7:28:51
Mile 17: 7:32:57 (desperately seeking for the porta-john)
Mile 18: 9:08:76 (2nd stop)
Mile 19: 7:33:61
Mile 20: 7:45:30
Mile 21: 7:49:93 (3rd round of pain)
Mile 22: 7:56:75
Mile 23: 7:55:26
Mile 24: 8:08:93 (3rd stop and hopefully the last)
Mile 25: 8:05:44
Mile 26.2: 9:38:21

Beat the Heat!

2011-01-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

Forget about Lebron...we wanted Melo anyway! Great win by da knicks thanks to aly!

2011 Manhattan Half Marathon - 1:31:23 / 6:58

2011-01-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

Chip Time: 1:31:23
Pace: 6:58
Rank: 268/4358
Age Grade: 64.8%

First race of 2011 and certainly not my best effort. Overall, this was a bad race for me from start to finish. I was almost late to the start due the cancellation of the 6 train and wound up taking the cab to 102nd. Totally my fault btw when I found out that the start was on west 63rd. Two cabs and almost $20, I made it to the start with exactly one minute to spare.

I struggled and felt miserable throughout this race. After mile 4, my breathing became very difficult and laborous and truthfully, I've contemplated on dropping out with my first DNF on mile 5, but for some reason I felt the need to finish no matter what the outcome was. Quite frankly, this was the best that I could for that day. In essence, I'll chalk it up as another bad race, brush it off and use it to fuel for the next one - when it gets warmer!

On a side note, my start of the week was ruined with the JETS loss. This one is going to hurt!

Splits:
01: 6:54:48
02: 6:59:96
03: 6:33:63
04: 6:59:05
05: 6:56:08
06: 6:42:28
07: 6:52:14
08: 7:02:16
09: 6:54:33
10: 7:20:38
11: 7:11:60
12: 7:03:30
13: 7:08:45
.1: 45:57

Broken Social Scene @ Terminal 5

2011-01-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

Several months ago, I had tickets to see BSS @ Summerstage but opted to give it away because of a the tune-up. Lame! This time, we have no intentions to miss them- Hella Long set!

New Year Crunkin'

2011-01-15T23:32:00.000-08:00

Start of 2011 w/ great friends...tomorrow is the day; JETS make IT HAPPEN!

CPTC Holiday Party @ Harbor Lights

2011-01-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

CPTC Holiday Party @ Harbor Lights

Annual CPTC Holiday Party @ Harbor Lights; all about getting crunked and having a blast...now back to training! Well more like recovering! Asides from staying up late and skipping the Fred Lebow 5Miler, I'm nursing a left foot tendonitis and bursitis on my 5th metatarsal. That ish is painful!

Happy New Year - 2010 to 2011

2011-01-01T01:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from CPTC! During the week, asides from sushi omakase, seafood cravings, thanks to Marisa for being an amazing hostess for NYE, made it an amazing start to 2011. Here's to a healthy running year and for me, respecting REST DAYS - no joke!!! Seriously, that's my 2011 goal. When I took only ONE freaking rest day after the Las Vegas Marathon, that alone is already an issue. Hence, I need to ensure that my body gets the adequate recovery; overall a bit of TLC! Health is most important, wishing everyone the best of everything and only the very the best. And of course, thank you to all my team-mates in CPTC for making everything possible! Holla!

Quick Shout Out to my team-mate: Runner's Kitchen

2010 Ted Corbitt 15K - 59:22 / 6:23

2010-12-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

Final Time: 59:22 (PR)
Pace: 6:23
Rank: 80/3537
Age Grade: 69.3%

CPTC friends thought I was crazy to do some crunkin' at a teammate's shindig in FiDi the night before a race. Affirmative, I'm insane to race a 15K the very next morning! No worries, all I needed was a few hours of sleep and I'm good to go. I was excited and anxious; well more due to the fact of racing something during a two week layoff after the Las Vegas Marathon. I'm always out of my element in these cold conditions, but I can't let this weather get the best out of me. Initially the first few miles were torture, after the first half of the loop, everything seemed to be smooth sailing. Overall, I'm very happy cap the year with a PR and first sub one hour 15K; now back to training with my team!

A few hours before the race with CPTC....

Splits:
1- 6:22:61
2- 6:20:56
3- 6:29:12
4- 6:18:07
5- 6:29:75
6- 6:18:88
7- 6:20:95
8- 6:31:10
9- 6:14:01
.3- 1:59:31

@ Empire Hotel

Fran Healy @ The Bowery

2010-12-17T06:33:00.000-08:00

Fran Healy...not the Mets announcer, but solo-act from one of my favorite bands; Travis! He performed at the Bowery to promote his "Wreckorder" album. Great times with my jew crew.

2010 Birthday Drinks @ Dublin 6 & Emerald Pub

2010-12-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Birthday @ Dublin 6 and Emerald Pub

Birthday drinks @ Dublin 6 and Emerald Pub with close friends.  Although I'll be 31 in a few weeks, I feel like I'm 25! Wishful thinking man!

As far as running goes, I have one more race to go till the end of 2010 marking my 35th race of the year; which will totally suck since it'll be in the shivering cold and historically perform my worse in these conditions.  No complaints, I still need to force myself out there to train in these conditions, hot, cold or whatever, just get out there - no excuses! Reflecting on this year, it was definitely a great one for me. After training with Central Park Track Club in March, it has allowed me to PR on all distances. The competitive environment, tough training sessions, new friendships, running partners, has allowed me to progress further as a runner.   I have to thank all my races to them for this year.

If someone were to ask me if I could ever sub 3 at a marathon, I would definitely crack up with a nervous laughter. Fortunately, it did happen this year for an average runner like me, and cracking the barrier three times makes me more hungrier for years to come. However, I'm well aware that the PR streak won't last forever, sometimes things will come to a halt/plateau, maybe regress a bit and eventually making a runner work harder or try new things to complement on their training. The one thing that I'll do differently for next year is to respect the rest days after a race. I know I'm not alone in this because it is tough to stay sedentary for 48 hours straight. Miserable!

Most importantly, despite the training with the team and consistent mileage, I've encountered set backs and had a share of bad races (ie. NJ marathon). However, the biggest take-away for this year is to never give up. Bad races do happen and you just have to brush it off and aim for the next one.  I'm relieved that I didn't let the NJ experience trickle down the rest of the year, instead made me more focused eventually resulting a 2:57 (PR) @ Chicago. Also a hell no to dropping out of races no matter how shytty I felt; it is all about one foot after another.

I have the first quarter of 2011 races set up, and Boston 2011 is a definite for me. Confirmation of Acceptance!

Looking forward to 2011 and be more stringent with recoveries; happy and healthy holidays to you all!

2010 Las Vegas Marathon - 3:05:06 / 7:04

2010-12-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

2010 Las Vegas Marathon

Net Time: 3:05:06
Pace: 7:04
Rank: 84/5154
AG: 67.5%

Just a quick update after landing in JFK today.....Redemption after 2009's 3:18! I knew I had no business racing this monster, but everything was booked already...plus stayed at the Wynn! Considering the lack of quality runs due to my Hong Kong/Macau hiatus, and recovery after the NYC marathon, I'm very pleased with the result. I have to say that the wheels came off early after mile 16 (although my splits states mile 20, i knew by mile 16 it wasn't going to be pretty); but managed to gut it out with a 3:05. With 23 marathons and 7th of the year, it is safe to say 2010 marathoning is over! I'm looking forward to 2011.

One quick note; while waiting for the shuttle outside the Wynn, for the Marathon Maniac (#20518) who was complaining ad nauseum over the stench of Tiger Balm to soothe muscle soreness, you would think someone who does myriad marathoning would be more understanding. Big mistake...big mistake; I guess not!

And finally, whats up Zab!

Splits:
Mile 01: 6:37:73
Mile 02: 6:36:12
Mile 03: 6:35:15
Mile 04: 6:38:51
Mile 05: 6:36:14
Mile 06: 6:41:61
Mile 07: 6:39:22
Mile 08: 6:45:95
Mile 09: 6:35:95
Mile 10: 6:38:72
Mile 11: 6:42:38
Mile 12: 6:45:42
Mile 13: 6:57:83
Mile 14: 7:15:42
Mile 15: 7:03:12
Mile 16: 7:16:62
Mile 17: 7:22:39
Mile 18: 7:07:23
Mile 19: 7:08:13
Mile 20: 7:30:99
Mile 21: 7:28:94
Mile 22: 7:27:89
Mile 23: 7:48:38
Mile 24: 7:43:00
Mile 25: 7:41:19
Mile 26: 7:58:73
Mile .2: 1:26:66

Brandon Flowers @ Hammerstein

2010-12-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

Redemption after missing out at his performance at the Highline! Now a solo act (temporarily), the performance took place at the same venue as last year. Albeit a short setlist, it was freaking amazing.

2010 Hong Kong & Macau

2010-11-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

2010 Hong Kong and Macau

Back to Hong Kong for the second consecutive year! This time around was for my parents. Especially pops, who has not made a trip back in over 27 years! Although my parents were happy to be back to the place they grew up in, they feel that the sense of connection or spark was lost. USA is really their home and they stated they could never live anywhere else. Too much has changed in HK and there's no sense of belonging.

10 days later, my parents were itching just to return back to the states. We did pretty much every touristy thing out there: Lantau Island, Victoria Peak, Tsuen Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mongkok, Temple Street, Admiralty, Sheung Wan, Lan Kwai Fong/Central, Macau, including a visit my parents old apartment complex, to my ancestors burial ground in Cheung Sha Wan.

Heading to Hong Kong 36 hours after the NYC marathon, I started running again on that thursday (3 days later) and managed to hog the treadmill for one hour every day; giving me a daily 12.8km-13.1km to maintain some level of fitness. This was essential, considering all oily and fried stuff consumed in Hong Kong! Hence thats why I was glad to just race the Turkey Trot on 11/25! Dude, it's great to be back in the states!

2010 PPTC 5M Turkey Trot - 30:45 / 6:09

2010-11-26T06:17:00.000-08:00

Net Time: 30:45
Pace: 6:09
Place: 44/1994
AG: 69.55%

Shaved a minute off from last year's result. Hopefully this is a good start and a gauge over my fitness after my Hong Kong/Macau vacation. I still have ways to go as I've put off on speedwork for over a month. Asides from a Vegas vacation this coming weekend, no races are on tap for this year; looking forward to 2011 already!

Splits:
01: 6:20:46
02: 6:09:62
03: 6:16:52
04: 6:08:23
05: 5:49:26

2010 ING NYC Marathon - 2:58:49 / 6:50

2010-11-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

Net Time: 2:58:49
Pace: 6:50
Rank: 829/44829
AG: 69.8%

One month after a PR @ Chicago, 22nd Marathon and 5th NYC and.........third sub 3 of the year!!!

I've got a few hours left before heading over to the airport for vacation...I'm going back to Hong Kong! I still can't believe it has been 48 hours after the big event. I'm looking forward to rest and recover during vacation. As sweet as recovery sounds, I always revert back to my bad habits; which is not savoring the race 48 hours ago and planning for another race. However, right after the NYC marathon, I made a promise to myself that I will take 3 straight days of no running as opposed to taking one day off after Chicago.

My buddy Jon B and I left the apartment around 5:45 to cab to the CPTC bus. It was great to see the team getting all pumped up before the race. Right afterwards I dozed off upon arrival to the Verrazano. At the start, we all parted ways as most of the members of my team were in the green local competitive start. Being at the Orange wave was very new to me as I was always in the Blue wave. I took my time waiting for the opening of the corrals, took care of business and dropped off my baggage.

At the start, it was cold as usual. I truly hate the biting cold. Just imagine all the calories being spent to warm the body; in marathons all calories are crucial! Before the gun went off, I slathered a bunch of tiger balm on my hamstring and calves - and man the scent permeated the whole wave!

After the anthem, the gun went off and I knew right beforehand that this mile is just a warm-up since this is where the clusterphuck starts. I clocked the first mile a few seconds over 7 and I knew I was right on pace. At the downhill section of the bridge that was when things got crazy as i clocked at 6:18. I told myself to slow the eff down! Anyway, I know my intention was to race the NYC for fun, but for me, it is too tough to just run it. I felt the adrenaline and I set to race it. Afterall, I was eager to get back to training post Chicago with one day of rest and raced a 5K a week before. I had every intention to race at my home turf and as much as my mind was telling me that I've race enough marathons this year and time to hold back, I couldn't as I felt really good on race day.

Miles 3-7 were smooth sailing and spotted Rita handing out the water with her students. Until mile 8 turning into my favorite music venue (BAM), my buddy Jon B caught up to me. I could hear coach Tony screaming my name and for his team. Great moment. As for Jon B, it was good to see him in the race because we worked really well together for Chicago and ran a 2:57/2:58. This time, it was another perfect opportunity to work together for NYC. I knew right off the bat that our strategy via informal texting that our 1st half target would be around 1:27-1:28. We ran together through the half way point at 1:27. Sweet.

Going through queens and on top of Q-boro bridge I was still maintaining in the pace of high 6:30s and 6:40s and spotted Vin V who ran a 1:22 at the NYC Half. As Jon and I kept pushing we could still see Yumi and Gerd (CPTC'ers) from afar. As much as we tried to latch onto them, I was savoring the moment we enter into Manhattan as I know that crowd is usually the most crazy! Oy, reminiscing the nice cold beers....ok Ken focus! Througout 1st ave I was in the rhythm and I knew at this point that if I keep hitting my stride I will have a close chance of a course PR and saw a couple of friends along first ave--- drunk with power as usual hhahahah. Mile 17 was when I spotted Rose and made a quick stop. That's when Jon B pulled away and lost him. I kept telling myself to run sub 7s as much as possible and that's what I did. After mile 19, I came across my former team and they were as supportive as before. It was great to see a few familiar faces.

I clocked a little over 7 at mile 20 and I made a calculation in my head that if I could hit close to 710s, i may snatch another sub 3 marathon. I maintained my focus, very regimented with my gu/gatorade/salt intake and let the crowds pull me through moments of mental lapse. Right through Bronx, Yumi kept giving me a pep talk to "let's do this together". Onto 116th and 5th I passed my teammate Stephen, saw my buddy Arun cheering for me. I uttered to him, "Ayudame!" I reached a very dark point at this moment as I knew the daunting 5th avenue climb as near. Arun did whatever he could to push and pace with me. All the verbal lashing and obscene bursts by any drill sergeant made me push harder and harder. I was feeling more angry than ever. He dropped off at 98th, saw a few of my teammates and that was when I started getting totally emo'ed as I spotted the 'rents with their CPTC gear. I wanted to stop but my pops totally pushed me away hahah ok dad so then I went into Engineer's gate and there was my team.

The wall of orange and last push. For a few seconds I thought how grateful I am to have trained with this amazing team who's able to help me strive for newer and competitive goals which i thought I could never achieve. And to train with such driven runners day in and day out, I really owe this performance to each and everyone of them.

At this point, I knew if i maintained 7:20s, I would seal the sub 3 deal. The last 2 miles were enjoyable as I was in familiar territory, saw Mr. Reese (2:57) blitzed right passed me and mile 26 was when i caught up to Jon B! With 400 meters to go, we sprinted to the finish; 3 seconds apart from each other. Our closest race ever and nabbed our 3rd sub 3 marathon and hopefully plenty more to come.

Two sub 3 hour marathons in a month. I never thought about it and never planned for it in advance. Sometimes, you just have to go out there and go with your gut. And my gut was telling me as much as I wanted to have fun on the race, I was hungry for more. I was hungry and determined to get good another race under my belt before I end my 2010 racing year at a high note. I knew it was risky to start training with one day of rest after Chicago, at this point my body is accustomed to it. I listened to my body and it was fine. I asked myself if would do this ever again? Not really. Pulling this string of marathons is already enough. I'm going to use this Hong Kong vacation to take a mental and physical break to focus on 2011. I have no races schedule; except for Las Vegas - which i'll probably skip since I don't I think it would be a good idea after a vacation. Overall, 2010 of racing has been a great year. I had my share of ups (boston 2:59) and downs (NJ 3:26 and food poisoning and ended up at the ER 48 hours before the National DC Marathon), but in the end, I just kept training and never gave up and owned up to every performance; the good, the bad and the fugly. At the end of the day, I'm just happy with all the training and preparation that was done to get this point; I can appreciate the journey.

It sounds cliche, but it is all the hardwork, the speed workouts, the tempos, the racing regardless of weather conditions, the long runs, the morning runs, the night runs, execution of doubles for extra mileage, the intention of finishing a race no matter how shitty I felt; - that was put in to get to this point. No excuses. Now, I look back at it and I can appreciate the journey to get to the destination. Hence wrapping up 2010 and onto 2011, few races, more recoveries, better eating habits and more short distances would be the main goal; and yes I'm IN for Boston 2011.

Most importantly thank you to everyone who supported me via email/call/text/tweets and of course - GO ORANGE!

Splits:
Mile 01: 7:12:43
Mile 02: 6:18:69
Mile 03: 6:40:61
Mile 04: 6:22:63
Mile 05: 6:41:08
Mile 06: 6:30:49
Mile 07: 6:35:56
Mile 08: 6:40:89
Mile 09: 6:44:88
Mile 10: 6:31:42
Mile 11: 6:44:62
Mile 12: 6:35:29
Mile 13: 6:39:83
Mile 14: 6:44:21
Mile 15: 6:56:22
Mile 16: 6:53:36
Mile 17: 6:39:24
Mile 18: 6:48:77
Mile 19: 6:49:70
Mile 20: 7:09:18
Mile 21: 7:10:74
Mile 22: 7:04:38
Mile 23: 7:00:88
Mile 24: 7:18:72
Mile 25: 7:11:96
Mile 26: 7:14:27
Mile .2: 1:29:62

2010 Pre-NYC Marathon

2010-11-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Tis' time of the year.......the NYC Marathon Expo!

The Dears @ The Knitting Factory

2010-11-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

First time @ the knitting factory; show went on a little late to promote their latest album and new material. Amazing encore - the dears always deliver!

Hoboken Halloween 5K - 18:48 / 6:03

2010-10-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Chip Time: 18:48
Pace: 6:03
Rank: 21/1114
Age Grade: 68.7%

Due to my procrastination, I got shut-out of the Poland Spring 5M; the old adage such as "if you snooze you lose" is most appropriate for all race registrations. The 5K in Hoboken never occurred to me until Matt mentioned during drinks on Friday @ Emmetts that he'll do the race the next day and dressing up as a caddy.

Just wanting to get one more race under my belt, the 5K became a last minute decision. Then I thought to myself if it would be wise to race the next day after imbibing in irish car bombs and a few glasses of Smithicks later. I figured, what the heck it is a 5K but I would need to be in early for race day registration. Luckily on race day, there were some spots left and at the end of the flat course (except for a slight and gradual ascension), I was able to grab my second fastest 5K of the year (7 seconds off my PR @ Founder's Day).

I'm glad that I committed to the spur of the moment decision. Afterwards drank a bit more in one of my favorite mixology digs at death & co. w/ buddy and teammate chris. Now, no more drinks till race day; if so, it'll be a 2 drink maximum.

Splits:
01: 6:03:16
02: 5:52:25
03: 6:08:41
.1: 43:03

@ Emmett O'llunneys before the race---- IRISH CAR BOMBS!

@ Death and Company after the Hoboken Halloween 5K with buddy/team-mate chris-