Palos Verdes Half Marathon 2012

Palos Verdes organizers got off to a rocky start with this year's event long before race day.  First came news that they would be dropping the 26.2 mile race, second longest running marathon behind Boston.  Even though I did not want to run last year's two lap configuration, I had ramped up my training in anticipation of running a full...hoping to make this my first two marathon year.  I was further upset because I missed out on early bird pricing (I was in no rush to register because organizers had not previously upped the price as race day approached).  Adding insult, I completely missed news about being able to pick up my bib number and chip the Saturday before...and when I finally did arrive at Village Runner on the Friday before the race the volunteers appeared to be totally unprepared.  I waited at least ten minutes for one volunteer to find my bib because the box including my range of last names (G-J) was not with the others.  I had to wait perhaps five minutes longer for the guy to find my chip...and he had to look back at my bib number several times before he found the right one.

Race day starts a bit more smoothly.  I wake up with my alarm, have plenty of time to enjoy cereal, coffee, and to gear up for the race.  Sky is overcast and temperature is a perfect 58 degrees...warm enough to not need long sleeves, cool enough to leave the door open for another personal best.  There is no traffic between home and The Promenade on the Peninsula, parking is a breeze, there is no line at the shuttle stop, and the bus that is starting to depart as I arrive has room for three more.

I reach the staging area for the race 45 minutes before the official start time.  I grab a cup of water at a pre-race aid station, hit the restroom before a line forms, take some pictures, then start looking for Leo, a friend who plans to use me as a rabbit (though I suspect he would be more useful to me...my average pace has been falling over the past couple of years and, judging from his posts on Facebook, he is clearly faster).  He is quite tall, not a hard guy to find in a crowd.  We have a bit more trouble trying to locate Charlie.  Nerves start to set it, so we wisely hop into the queue for restrooms.  It is quite long, but moving fast.

As the scheduled 7am race time approaches, a bit of confusion ensues; no one appears certain where to queue up for the race.  Leo and I hover about what appears to be the start-finish line...occasionally breaking away for short sprints to keep our legs loose.  The time for an aerobic pre-race workout comes and goes without even an announcement.  I see someone moving the start sign, so I follow him up to Palos Verdes Drive South.  There are only a couple of runners up here warming up, but this is clearly where the start timing mats have been placed.  I wave to Leo to get him to join me on the street.

Leo continues to warm up as more runners start to show up.  The race is scheduled to start in three minutes, but, again, the majority of participants are still in the parking lot below.  Finally someone makes an official announcement.  The masses approach.  Leo and I have a sweet central spot just a couple of seconds from the timing mat.

Nearly five minutes after 7, the national anthem is sung.  A few minutes later and we are finally off to the races...heading east on Palos Verdes Drive South.  Last year's race started in the opposite direction, but I welcome this change.  During last night's pre-race carbo-load, Charlie explained that the alteration to stat and finish was made to better accommodate post-race traffic, but I see it as a huge mental boost for racers.  There is nothing quite as disheartening in a race than seeing the finish line long before you can actually cross it, made even worse because this particular stretch not only went by the finish line, but continued uphill for what seemed like an eternity given how late in the race it occurred.  Now we endure this climb with fresh legs, an incline that naturally keeps our pace within reason until we have fully loosened up.

As we approach the crest of this first hill, I noticed my Garmin watch has not recorded any distance.  Damn!  Somehow the GPS receiver switched off before I started the timer.  No GPS means I will have to wait until the mile markers and calculate the pace in my head.  I fiddle with my watch and manage to enable the GPS, but it has difficulty locking on to the satellites while moving.  Fortunately, I am running with Leo, so he keeps me informed of our pace.

The GPS kicks in just before the first mile marker, so I can now get immediate snapshots of my pace.  Still, I am REALLY disappointed that my lap markers will not correspond with mile markers and that I will not have complete track data.  I must not dwell upon this.  I have a race to run.  I am otherwise feeling great.

We kick up the pace as we descend to the turn around point near Wayfarer's Chapel and the climb before the return descent towards Terranea hardly slows us down.  Shortly after the U-turn, Leo and I spot Charlie approaching.  He certainly looks enthusiastic, but he has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to catch us.  We complete the first two miles in roughly 7:30/mile.  We are targeting a pace of around 7:40 for the first half of the race, so we are off to a great start.

My laces on my right shoe feel loose, but the knot looks tight.  The padding must not be fully packed down.  This is one of the downsides of running in a relatively new pair of shoes (and one of the key reasons I always break in a new pair with at least one long run prior to racing in them).  As long as my foot does not slide during the hilly sections of the course, I should be fine.  I certainly do not want to have to deal with blisters this early into a race.

Leo and I still running with one another as we turn down Via Vicente to Calle Entradero, but, as we expected, I get a little ahead on the descent...and Leo passes me on the climb.  I have warned Leo not to waste too much energy on this hill because it is the steepest of the race.  I do not catch him again until we are around the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive West and Paseo Lunado.   As we pass the aid station at Mile 6, Leo mentions we are on track for a 45 minute 10K...our pace is still good.

As we start the steep drop from Via Alvarado to Paseo del Mar, I hear Leo say something about this being my turn.  I really accelerate quickly on such drops.  Leo complains the whole way down and loses some ground to me, but my lead does not last long.  Leo passes me as the road bends back towards Paseo Lunado.  I try to stay with him, especially when I spot my dad, video camera in hand, standing at the intersection.

My race starts to unravel as we approach the mile 8 marker.  At the aid station, I spot a volunteer handing out Cliff Shots, but I knock the package out of his hands as I run by.  I make the split decision to turn back and pick it up.  Last year I made a similar u-turn to grab water to chase down a Shot, but the added process of bending down to reach a packet on the ground may have taken more energy.  I decide to pocket the energy gel and consume it with water from the next aid station. I have lost enough time here.  Leo now has a good lead.  I try to chase him down.

Making matters worse, my right shoe now feels really loose.  Sustaining momentum is in my best interest as I have just started the climb back towards Palos Verdes Drive West, but it looks as though my laces have come undone.  Why did I not think to check my laces when I stopped for the Cliff Shot?  I must stop to tighten the laces now.  Blisters are no longer my only concern...I could lose my timing chip!  Leo continues to build his lead as I address this issue.

When I turn the corner on to Palos Verdes Drive West, I can no longer see Leo.  He is long gone.  Last night, Leo told me his strategy was to assess how he feels at mile 9 and decide if he can finish this race in under 1:40.  I never planned on going that fast, so I will make no further effort to catch him.  That said, the descent along PV Drive definitely gives me a pace boost.  As far as I can tell, I am still on track to beat my personal record.

I am feeling a bit less enthusiastic when I pass by my dad again at Paseo Lunado.  The slight incline has started to take its toll.  I also start thinking ahead to the climb up Via Vicente...which I imagine will feel even worse than last year given how late it occurs in the course.

On the bright side, the return to Calle Entradero does not suffer from last year's combination of headwind and mist.  And, knowing that we do not have to run past Terranea means I have no reason to conserve energy on the climb up Via Vicente.  I attack the hill.  I have been behind a short girl wearing a maroon shirt for most of this race.  Though she continues to maintain a strong pace, I finally start to catch her.  We encounter traffic...5K walkers appear to be struggling to make it up the hill.  She goes right and cuts the corner on to Palos Verdes Drive South.  I swing wide to the left, so she increases her lead.

I am amused that this girl starts jumping and waving to people at Golden Cove Plaza.  She certainly has a lot of energy.  I left a lot of mine back on that hill.  Fortunately, this final stretch is downhill trending.  I pass her as we reach the Point Vicente Lighthouse.  She manages to get by me shortly thereafter.  I surge ahead of her shortly after I spot the finish line, but she reclaims the lead just before I spot Valerie in the crowd...and hangs on to finish less than two seconds ahead of me.

I regroup with friends and family as soon as I clear the finish chute.  Those of us who ran the 5K are already done.  Leo has managed his goal, finishing the half marathon in under 1:40.  I also achieved mine, crossing the mat with 1:41:06 on the clock (exactly one minute ahead of last year's gun time).  My watch reads 1:40:55, so I am extremely curious to see if my chip time places me under 1:41.  We work our way over to the results.  The first batch of half marathon times are in, but neither of us are on the page yet.

We hang around the finish line until Charlie finishes.  He completes the half in 1:55:03, also an expected result given how little he has trained since running the L.A. Marathon a couple of months ago.

Once again, we head over to check the race results.  Leo finds his tag time: 1:39:27.4, 2.4 seconds faster than his gun time.  I look for my name, but cannot find it.  It should appear somewhere near the middle of this page.  I cannot even locate my bib number.

The disappointment continues when I head down hill to collect my post-race snacks.   There are no bagels, the watermelon is kind of tasteless, the oranges are not very sweet, the energy bar is coconut something-or-another.  Fortunately the bag of kettle corn is good.  I am also happy to receive my finisher's shirt...first year Palos Verdes has offered a technical shirt.

I return to the finish area to see if the results have been updated.  My name or bib number still do not appear upon any page.  I head over to the timing tent and ask the timing crew to investigate what may have happened.  They cannot find a result, but do have handwritten record of my bib number's gun time.  They ask to see my bib.  Upon closer examination, they discover that the electronically printed label lists my name, but with a different bib number.  According to the label, I should have been issued bib and chip number 1622.  I am wearing 1609.  Someone screwed up big time!  The timing crew says the best they can do now is enter my gun time AS my official time.  Not ideal, but better than nothing.

With last year's long wait firmly in mind, Valerie encourages us to line up for the shuttle ahead of the crowd.  This turns out to be a really wise move.  The line is relatively short when we arrive.  As we wait, the line grows quickly behind us.  I estimate that we are not waiting for more than twenty minutes before the next bus arrives...and we manage to squeeze on board (I do not mind standing).

From what I hear, some people waited over an hour for the shuttle.

If PV does not get their act together, I may rethink my plan to run this race every year.

Year End Stats

This is the first year my annual average pace has slowed since I started recording GPS data...and I began the year far faster than I ended it. This is the second consecutive year my total mileage has declined. I am definitely concerned because I read somewhere that the average age a marathoner peaks is 38.

That said, I still believe I can improve my pace. After all, I have not been running all of my life...and I recorded official personal bests in the 10Km and both the half and full marathon this year. I would love to get my annual average down to 8:00 per mile, but that will require a lot of effort. At the moment, I am having issues averaging 9.

17 Mile BRB Orbit

Not great, but not bad considering how little I ran during my tour of Southeast Asia.

Garmin Data

Running In Saigon

Frustrated that flooding prevented me from running on the streets of Siem Reap, I have been itching to get out on the streets of Saigon. I would have run yesterday if we hadn't booked a full day trip to the Mekong Delta...which required an early departure so we could stop for ca phe sua da before catching the bus from Saigon Tourist.

Concerned that daytime temperatures are significantly warmer (and traffic crazier) during the day here, I wake up at 5am to make sure I am outside by 5:30. It is raining lightly when I first step outside, but the sky is lightening. Perhaps the reason will stop. This is probably the last time I can run during our trip given how long it takes our clothes to air dry (and Valerie does not want to pack stinky running clothes for our long flights home). I take my chances and cross the traffic circle.

I warm up by orbiting the traffic circle's island. Actually, the one in front of the hotel is more of a hemi-circle. I then cross over to the river side of the main street here assuming that I would have fewer intersections to cross by following it south as far as I can. Note that I do not have a hotel provided running map. I will be making this route up as I go along. I have looked at Google Maps, so I know there will be a bridge roughly a half mile from here. I just don't know if I can safely run across it, turn before it, or if I will have to turn back the way I came.

The sidewalk on the riverside of Ton Duc Thang starts wide as there appears to be a park to my left (along with a couple of riverside restaurants). However, barriers prevent me from crossing into the park...so I continue close to the street. This stretch soon ends and I see stairs up to the bridge...and I can see the sidewalk on the bridge has a railing dividing it from the traffic. I decide to cross the bridge. Unexpectedly, this may be the safest stretch of my entire run.

The steps descend to Nguyen Tat Thanh near a pink government building of some kind with a warship clearly beyond. As I continue along street level, I pass Saigon Port (where the ship is docked) and soon come to the first intersection. To the right, this street appears to be a major avenue, but to the left it seems a quiet side street. I do not expect much cross traffic, so I have no issue crossing it...but figure I should see if it brings me to a road that brings me closer to the water.

The neighborhood here is a bit more sketchy, but there are some cafes and food carts here...likely will get busy during lunch given their proximity to the port. I find it amusing how some Vietnamese just seem to stand in front of their homes doing hardly anything. I wonder what they must be thinking about me as I run by them...I can feel their stares. This street dead-ends at a gate, so I must turn back.

I continue south along Nguyen Tat Thanh, but the sidewalk area varies in width. I must watch every step for puddles, mud, potholes, planters, parked scooters, pedestrians. Ocassionaly a scooter pulls out or crosses to park on the sidewalk ahead of me. My pace suffers as obstacle avoidance becomes my primary concern. A pair of buses loading passengers and some rather large flower displays placed adjacent to them push me to the limit, but I manage to get through the crowd safely and without having to divert into oncoming lanes of traffic.

I cross another quiet side street no longer feeling compelled to explore it. The road continues alongside a wall with no businesses...an ideal stretch of sidewalk to regain my pace. Some low hanging branches cause me to such from time to time and there are still puddles and muddy patches to avoid,but I am feeling much better now.

I come to a fork in the road. One road remains at street level to my left. The other two options lead to bridges. I figure this is as good as any point to turn back.

Traffic is increasing, but, as I have remained on the same side of the street, I am now going with the flow. Should I need to step in the street to avoid something on the sidewalk (or due to lack of sidewalk), I will have to look back first to make sure I don't step in front of a vehicle.


The buses have departed, so the return run seems less eventful even though more businesses have opened and placed stuff on (or have scooters parked upon) the sidewalks in front of them. I even pass a banh mi cart...surprised how early some of these start serving.



Before crossing the bridge back to the hotel, I decide to check under it...to see if there is a nice walkway to run along the canal. It does not look all that nice, so I go back to the bridge.

I continue north past the hotel to see how far I can go without encountering a major intersection. I make it as far as a shipyard. So many vehicles, mostly scooters, flow in and out of or around the entrance...many using the sidewalk beyond it as an additional lane...that I decide to turn back. My run will total more than 5 miles, so this is sufficient distance given how infrequently I have run since arriving in Southeast Asia.

Garmin Data

Not Treading Water in Siem Reap

With the streets around the hotel submerged due to flooding from the adjacent river and the rain refusing to stop long enough for these waters to subside I reluctantly decide to use one of the treadmills in the hotel's fitness center.

Hoping to avert boredom, I turn on one of the TVs.  The first one has sound, but no picture...so I switch treadmills and try the other.  This one works, but I fail to find anything worth watching.  I leave it tuned to a channel showing 2012...and start my run.

I hate running on treadmills.  I feel like I am going nowhere fast.  I set the pace to 12km/hr to guarantee I complete 10km before Valerie's massage is done. This machine's display is annoying because I can only display distance or time...not both.  I leave it on distance.

Around 1.1km, I lose my footing and  accidentally pull on the emergency stop cable (which I had clipped to my shirt).  Great.  The machine has completely reset, so I have no idea how long I have been running.  I set my distance goal for 8.9 km and start again at 12 kph.

I accidentally swat the emergency stop cord with my arm around 3km into the run.  I decide to not clip it to my shirt when I continue.  But before I do, I look too se what the temperature in the room is set to.  The humidity is really getting to me.  Sweat pours down my face and my shirt is sticking to my chest.  I find the thermostat..the air conditioner is not even on!  I flip the switch, set it to 25, and restart the treadmill with 7km as my distance goal.

By 5km, I feel the temperature has reached a more pleasant level...but the damage has already been done.  I am struggling to maintain the 12kph pace.

Another hotel guest looks in the window of the fitness center.  She appears to be staring at me, perhaps in total disbelief that someone is actually running here. I haven't seen anyone use the fitness center since we've arrived.

As I approach the 7km mark, I decide to stop.  I probably could have continued if I was willing to reduce the pace...but didn't want to do so because I can still easily compute my total running time.

35 minutes.  Not bad.  12kph is roughly 8 minutes per mile, a decent pace considering I hadn't run in over a week.  If I had run outside, I surely would have been compelled to run further.

That said, I would have really loved to have run around Angkor Wat.  Perhaps I should return here for the (half) marathon.

Running in Ha Noi

At 5am, I start getting ready to run. I am really curious to see if I can tolerate the heat and humidity...and for how many miles.

I am out the door by 5:30am, but it takes time for my Garmin watch to acquire the GPS signal. The sun may or may not be up...it is overcast and a tad foggy. As expected, it is very sticky and warm.

I run thru the parks that neighbor the Metropole en route to the lake. Many people are already out and about working out in one form or another. Certain individuals appear to be doing nothing more than simply moving their limbs. At least they ARE moving. A larger group has gathered by the statue of King Ly. Someone on the steps appears to be leading this group and music accompanies their actions, though I would hardly describe it as synchronized. Amusing to watch as I run by.

I decide to circle Hoan Kiem Lake clockwise...the direction Valerie and I walked yesterday afternoon. The surrounding streets are one way (though scooters view this as merely a suggestion) in the opposite direction, so I can see the traffic coming should I need to avoid people on the sidewalk. Most of the people here are either trying to follow along with the group in the park or do similarly stationary activities. There are a number of walkers...with only a few exceptions they are flowing opposite of my direction. I am constantly avoiding people near the lake, so I decide to stay closer to the street on subsequent laps. A lap is barely more than a mile long (and it would be far too dangerous to run anywhere else), so I plan to do at least four.

After my second lap, I decide to reverse my direction and go with the flow. I notice that I am taller and quite a bit faster than anyone around me...even though I am only averaging between 8:00 and 8:30 per mile. I am not entirely sure this is the better way to go. I soon notice quite a few runners going in my original direction.

On my fourth lap, I decide to stop take photos at various locations I have noted along the way. I am pouring sweat and really feel the heat on my back when I stop moving. The sun momentarily breaks through the fog as I am on the far side of the lake. This will be my last lap for sure.

As I run back through the parks, I am a bit surprised to find the large group by the statue still working out. Not only that, their leader seems to be orchestrating some kind of synchronized laughing as part of the routine. So surreal. A lot of people are playing badminton within the park and on courts that are located upon the sidewalks. A miss hit birdie could easily end up in the street.

I return to the Metropole having logged fewer than 4.5 miles, so I do one complete orbit of the hotel before calling it quits. I would run longer, but Valerie and I have to be ready to meet our tour guide for breakfast.

Garmin Data

21.5 Miler Ahead of Trip

With interest in doing one half or full marathon before the year ends, I've stepped up my training. In the past month or two, I've managed a couple of 16's and, last week, ran an 18 miler. Though I usually ramp up using a very specific schedule, I attempted a 22-23 miler this morning, but fell slightly short with a still respectable 21.5 miler (at an average pace of 8:43/mile).

There are two reasons I wanted to run more than 21 miles this week. For starters, I really wanted to see how feasible running to work would be. If we had showers at the office, I would definitely consider doing so at least once a week...an excuse to add a mid-week 10+ miler would probably do wonders for my training. I long said I wanted to try running to Naughty Dog (basically a marathon from my house). This run took me around an hour-and-half, less time than it took me to drive to Santa Monica on some mornings...and today's run proves I could actually consider commuting to and from Big Red Button! But my primary reason for today's effort was to squeeze in one last long run before my upcoming trip.

For the rest of the month, I will be touring Vietnam and Cambodia. The weather forecast suggests temperatures that will feel like they are well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but never cooler than the 80's overnight. Frequent visitors to this my blog know I do not run well when temperatures inch over 80. I also have no idea how much time I should devote to running given that this is a tour. Chances are I will not attempt a long run while I am there because I do want to have energy for hiking...and taking a lot of photographs (I will be carrying 15lbs of gear on my back most of the time). When possible I will wake up before sunrise and run outside, but suspect I will spend more time on treadmills in the hotel fitness centers. To balance the loss of long runs, I will probably run daily at far shorter distances (i.e. 3 miles) than usual. I'm not sure what I'm going to do while I'm on a junk sailing around Ha Long Bay though...