Concrete Runners Season 3

omg how the hell did we even get this far?!  scrolling through my blog i'm noticing a lotttt of things missing from last year.  i guess i'll have to catch those up later b/c right now i'm still on a high from last weekend.

on saturday, we celebrated our Season 3 kick off for the Concrete Runners.  as most of you already know, just just started off as a bunch of friends that started doing marathons/half marathons together, somewhat jokingly calling ourselves Running Divas.  we eventually evolved into Concrete Runners and are now on Season 3!  looking back at the evolution is so amazing and exciting.  i can't wait to see what's next.

i got there quite early with the rest of the OGs and set up crew, around 7am.  we set up the tables and organized ourselves for the event.  people steadily rolled in starting at about 730/45ish am.  we had people register as they came and we started off our event at about 830am.  we had our kick off speech by Janice (my sister) and Clarice from Muscle Milk said a few words too. Abel lead our stretches and we were off for our run.  as always we trailed off in pace groups so people could be with others that ran roughly around their pace.

our run was a 6 mile loop that included a run across the beautiful golden gate bridge.  it was a little cold but nothing unbearable, especially once we warmed up from our run.  the clouds were minimal so the sights were clear and gorgeous.

we had about 127+ people check in -- plenty of food, chit-chat and laughter filled the park.  i got to see folks from all 3 seasons, meet some of the new crew, and welcome those that aren't officially Concrete ...yet!  i'd say it was a pretty good event.  thank you to everyone that came out to support the event.  and special shout out to all our sponsors Perfect Bar, Icelandic, and Frozen Kuhsterd.  i can't wait to for another event with Season 3.

06.06.15 San Jose Giants Race

super duper late post.  what else is new.  lol

i did one of my annual races last month. the san jose giants race.  they offer a 5k and and 5 mile.  i've gotten my parents to do it with me in the past but they weren't able to do it this year.  this year it was me and my sister and a couple of other concrete runners.

i knew i was gonna be a bit faster than last year so i was excited to see well i would do.   iwas able to shave a couple off minutes off my time.  and my sister and i came in nearly at the same time.  it was great to be able to cross the finish line actually with someone i knew.

last year i came in at 50:02.  here are our results from this year.  woo hoo!

Janice:  46:44
Melanie:  46:45

Here are some pictures.  We also got featured on a facebook page and i'm showing off all of our goodies from the post-expo and a little close up of the medal.

Concrete Runners Secret Meet 04.25.15

while we were in LA, for N+TC Tour LA, we were able to put a little secret surprise together for our Concrete Runners.  we told them that there would be an early run in the morning but didn't tell them anything else.  just just told them it was a secret.

we arrived at the park and they saw this:

the secret run was to run with Manny Pacquiao.  this would be his last run at the pan pacific park in LA before his big fight with Mayweather.

due to some unforeseen circumstances only a few of us actually got to run with him.  but here's the footage i got from that day.

01.11.15 Hot Chocolate 15k

The i'd been eyeing this race for so long.  and this year, i finally did it.  i, initially, signed up for the 5k, thinking, "i don't know if i want to train for a long run for so early in the year."  but i thought about it and thought, "you know what, i'm just gonna bang it out!"  and bang it out, i did.

i got in a run at lake merced on the first of the year and did pretty well.  i pr'd.  not bad for the first run of the year.  i'll write more about the pr's later.

so with this new pr, i was feeling pretty good about the race coming up.  i've never run the course, so i didn't really know what to expect.  it started out in golden gate park, ran out to and along ocean beach and then we back tracked and ended back into the park.

not knowing exactly what the course was, but knowing we would simply backtrack i paid a little attention to the course going out towards the beach.  i noticed as we were running out that mile 7 coming back was on a hill.  so coming back into golden gate park, i prepared myself for the hill at mile 7.  well, i guess i wasn't paying that much attention b/c the whole rest of the race from there was uphill.  lol  basically the last 3 miles were uphill.  and if you've ever heard a runner talk, the last 3 miles, are the worst.  it was definitely taking a toll on me.  i just wanted the hills to end, and where the hell was the finish line!

but i did it and i did great.  i was proud of my time and how i did.  this race proved it, my average miles are now in the mid 9s.  good by 11s!  i finished in 1:32:33 at an average of 9:44/mile.  considering I used to finish 12k races in about 1:30 I was pretty darn proud!

here are some pictures of me and our concrete runners crew.

11.04.14 49ers Rush Challenge

I'm it's already the new year and i'm so behind on my posts.  i'll try not to be so late this year, especially with my race entries.

so this will be my lame attempt and recalling my races since the nwm2014.

my very last race for 2014 was the 49ers challenge on 11.04.14.  well i actually did two races that day.  i signed up for the challenge but ended up doing the 4.9k first.  we (who ever concrete runners were with us) decided to accompany arlynn/arthur's mom in her journey.  we thought we would be a doing a good stroll or fast paced walk just to accompany her, but she really was speed walking, so our fast paced walks turned into light jogs at times just to keep up with her.  it was fun.

then later that day we did the 49ers challenge.  i thought the courses were going to be a bit tougher.  but i think the hardest thing was going up and down all the damn stairs.  lol.  we went all the way up to the nose bleeds and all the way back down i don't even know how many times.  and it was a warm day, so it was a little irritating.  but, i definitely do the race again...but i do have some qualms about the pricing.

it was $100 more than the 4.9k race and the medal was the same.  so i have 2 of the same medal.  the shirt was the same.  the only thing that was different is that we got a drawstring backpack instead of a plastic bag, and we got a rally towel and a mini football at the end of the race.  i don't think those even add up to $100.  other than that... i didn't really have any complaints.  the race was pretty organized, thank lord!  there's nothing more disappointing/irritating than an unorganized race.

but here is the course and some pictures from the event. i don't know where all the pictures went, so I had to snapshot from my ig.

Nike Women's Marathon 2014

The annual Nike Women's Half Marathon just passed this weekend.  And I have run it for the sixth time in a row.  Woo hoo!

This year they took the full marathon out and completely changed the half marathon course.  We still started at the Niketown in Union Square but instead of finishing at Ocean Beach we finished in the Marina by Chrissy Fields.

The course was much more challenging.  It had lots and lots of hills.  Good rolling hills for the cyclists out there.  But mile 10 was definitely the king of all those hills.  It was pretty damn steep and seemed to go on for a really long time.  Arlynn and I drove it on accident a couple of days before, so I kindda knew what to expect.

Because it was a brand new course I was a little nervous.  Having run the course 5 years in a row, I knew how to prep myself for what was coming.  This year, I just had to talk myself through each hill as it came along.  Honestly, once my legs started going it was just like a regular run.

The weather was perfect for me.  It wasn't too cold in the morning, I didn't bring a jacket, but brought a garbage bag just in case.  I didn't even use it.  I ended up tossing it even before we joined our corral.  The sun didn't come out until way after I was finished, so the sky remained grey but the weather was quite comfortable.  A comfortable temperature with a slight breeze every now and then.

I only refilled my bottle at about mile 8.  And, just ran through the course.  And although there were lots and lots of hills and people are probably going to complain about all the hills, I really really liked the course.  Apparently, I like hills.  lol  I think it just breaks up the course for me, keeps it interesting.  My friend from Muay Thai says I that I like doing the difficult stuff.  lol I guess she's right.

My gripes about the race:  This race is sooo popular not only b/c it's Nike, but hellooooo everyone wants that Tiffany necklace.  B/c of this it gets a lot of attention from EVERYONE, which means a lot of newbies that don't know running etiquette.  And that just makes it hard on everyone.  I'm glad that events like this get people motivated to move.  Trust me, I'm the first person to cheer someone on when they want to get fit, for what ever reason.  My main complaint, which is what I complain about every single race -- "WALKERS TO THE RIGHT!"  Yes, I understand that some people like to or need to walk, but please leave room on the left for people to pass.  Omg, I can go on about this forever ... I'll save that for my youtube video.

And another thing that saddened me...but I didn't make too much of a big deal about b/c I know it happens all the time...my name didn't get put on the wall this year.  This is the first year in so long that I actually used my own name, and I didn't get put on the wall.  I was sad, but it's ok.

Oh and the product tent for the finisher's gear.  Holy moly what a mess.  I didn't even dare go in there.  I'm hoping they have the product at the Niketown.  I at least would like to take a look at it.

Well, those are all my jumbled thoughts about the race.  Here are some photos for you to look at:

The Giant Race 2014

San Jose Giants 5 Mile 2014 

Earlier this year I participated in the San Jose Giants 5 mile.  Usually, my family does this race with me, but this year I was all by my lonesome.  As you can see, that wasn't really a factor for me.  It my yearly short race.

It also doesn't hurt that I get an additional goody for doing both this and the San Francisco Giants run.

Last year I came in at 52:04. 

Here are my results from this year:

San Francisco Giants Half Marathon 2014

Last week I participated in the Giants Half Marathon for the 4th time.  And it seems like every year I say I didn't train.  lol  Well nothing changed this year.  I didn't train.  I got the San Jose 5 mile run in, and I got in another 6 mile with my Concrete Runners, but I hadn't really run anything over 2 miles besides those 2 runs.  But, I do have my everyday training that I get in, a light run and weights in the morning and either Muay Thai or  Core40 at night.  Well looks like all of that is working for me. 

I honestly didn't think I was going to PR this year.  I only hoped that I wouldn't come in adding on too much time.  But, to my surprise I did so much better than I thought I ever could. 

The run felt pretty good.  I had to breathe through a couple of cramps, but nothing too out of the ordinary.  And, I realized that I would be retiring the shoes I was wearing after that run.  I stopped to hydrate around mile 6, 8, and I think 10ish.  I normally don't stop that often, but I kept going.

I knew that when I crossed the start line the clock already read after 5 mins.  So when I came in and saw the clock at 2:23 I was shocked.  I came in, in less that 2:20!?  Then I remembered to stop my app so I could get a better read.  Well, my phone somehow was buttdialing while I was running b/c my phone was disabled for about 1 hour.  lol  There goes that idea! lol

Later that night, one of my friends texted me with my results.  Last year, I came in at 2:30:47

Here are my results for this year:

I took off 12 minutes off my time!!  Needless to say I was EXCITED!!!  I could not believe that I did that!

Nike Women's Marathon San Francisco 10.20.2013

Yesterday, was the annual Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. And for the fifth year in a row, I did the half marathon. This year was the 10 year anniversary so it was huge. I think last year there were about 20,000 people that ran. This year I believe around 30,000 people ran. The expo was beautiful. But, there weren't as many vendors as there normally are, which means the swag bag that we normally get was quite sparse. Very unfortunate, because in all the years past the Nike Women's Marathon expo was THEE ONE that me and my friend's always looked forward to. The clothing wasn't too exciting either. I like the clothing that represented San Francisco clearly. With a big San Francisco or the bridge, something indicative that this was the San Francisco race. There wasn't too much of that this year. So, in year past where I've had to calm myself from spending so much, this year I only bought 1 thing. Oh well, better for my pockets. But, I did splurge on the anniversary series shoes. Of course in a Tiffany blue color.

Now for my race report. I can say that I actually trained a little for this race. With so many hills, I forced myself to do at least one 8 miler before the run. Thankfully, I forced myself to run 8.64 miles around Lake Merced the week before. This totally helped! Race morning was a lot warmer than expected. Yes, it was cold, but it didn't have that brisk bite that we've grown accustom to expect. I had a thin shirt that I planned to throw away and covered myself with a garbage bag, that I got rid of much earlier than expected. I was actually scared that it would warm up too quickly and that I wouldn't have such a great run. I don't really like running in the heat. But, the weather was perfect all the way through. It wasn't too hot or too cold. Perfect running weather for me. And I was just wearing my Running Divas SF tank. I started the race with my Running Diva SF crew. And throughout the race, like always we separated. I started the race a little quickly and settled in around mile 3. I was at a really good pace. Mile 6 the dreaded hill, the worst hill in all the race. I felt good. Like always, I kept my head down and tried to keep pace on the hill. It's so hard to do so when the walkers are in your way. Note to all newbies, "WALKERS ON THE RIGHT!" (I'm going to make a video on running etiquiette) Anyway, I was able to take the hill and refilled my water bottle after the hill. I kept treking through and knew mile 8 was coming. My favorite mile, which happens to be the Kaiser mile. They give out baby wipes to wipe your face and oranges at this marker. Oranges are sooooooo refreshing. And wiping off the salt on your face feels pretty damn good too. Mile 9 - all down hill from here baby. At mile 10, as you are coming down you see the beach and on a clear day you can see the finishline. There's also a timing post at mile 10, I did the math and noticed that I was at about 2 hours. I was right on time with my 12 min pace. Woo Hoo!!! So, I charged down the hill with all intention of beating my time. At mile 11, I noticed, I was a little behind pace, so I picked it up. And coming in the straight away, I picked it up even more. I officially came in at 2:37:46. I shaved 7 minutes of my time from last year! YEAY!!!

I didn't feel overly exerted. My muscles didn't seize up, no exhaustion headache. I felt good. And today, I'm not super sore. I'm thinking of heading right back in to the gym today.

The 10 year anniversary limited edition shoes

Running Divas SF

RunMeter App

This year's necklace

San Francisco Giants Half Marathon 08.04.13

Yesterday, I ran the San Francisco Giants Half Marathon for the 3rd time.  And, I'm proud to say that I actually did some training for this race! lol

They did change the course up just a tad, but for the most part you start in front of AT&T park, run along the Embarcadero, past Ghiradelli, through the Marina and Chrissy Field to right under the bridge and turn around and go back.

I started to get my Sunday run routine in order as soon as I noticed the date was getting closer.   And, I got an 8.63 mile run 3 weeks ago, so I was feeling pretty good about race.  I don't really get any race jitters for runs anymore.  After 5 years, I think it's just about routine now.

I started the race and was a little worried b/c my knee wasn't feeling right a couple of days prior.  I even took a break from my regular gym time starting Thursday.  So, I ran will the littlest of caution.  I was going to finish this race regardless.  By the time I crossed the starting line, I noticed that 6 minutes had already gone by on the clock, but of course, I also started my RunMeter app.  So, I was off.

I didn't stop until about mile 6 or 7 to refuel.  By this time we were along Chrissy Field right by the trampoline and rock climbing place.  And I was off again.  When I got to the turn around point, I noticed the clock read 1:19:xx.  I thought to myself, "Whoa!  I'm making good time."  I continued to do the math, 1:19 minus the 6 minutes from the start time...if I continue at this rate I'll be done at 2:26...we'll call it 2:30 b/c I know I tend to get a little slower between mile 10 and 11.

I stopped again around mile 8 or 9 to refuel again, by this time we already at the piers on Embarcadero.  I still had about a third left in my bottle, but I didn't want to run out later down the line and I just wanted to be prepared.

At mile 10, they had another clock and this time it read just over 2 hours.  Again, I did the math.  If I'm running about 12 minute miles, I should get in at just over 2:30.  And even if I slow to at 15 minute pace, I'll still get in at 2:45.  Ok, only 3 miles left...keep it up!

At mile 11, I felt my muscles start to tighten.  Only 2 more freaking miles!  At this point, you just go on auto pilot, and make sure your legs just keep moving.  Anything to keep it up. 

As I ran up the sidewalk toward the park, all I'm looking for is the open fence in the back of the park.  Where is this damn fence! lol  You can hear the announcer.  Ok almost there.  You see the people turn in and now you are really almost there!  As you get in the park you see the people in the bleachers and take the park in and see the finish line.  And as I cross, I look at the clock.  No way, does the clock really read 2:36?  Minus 6...what!   I finished in 2:30!!!  Then I finally remembered to stop my  run app.  And that reads 2:31.  Whoa!  I PB'd!

Later, I found out that the times were already posted.  So, we all checked our times.  I officially came in at 2:30:47.

My Replica Ring Medal

The Running Divas #runningdivasf 

me and my medal

The first person I saw when I finished, the running divo! lol Arther

The turn two award, for running both the San Jose Giants Run and the San Francisco Giants Run

San Jose Giants 5 Mile & 5k

Looks like this is going to be our annual family run day. We did this run last year and the parentals wanted to do it again this year, so I registered all of us again. The parentals did the 5k and Janice and I did the 5 mile. Cool little run for all of us to do together. Maybe I can reel in some other family members next year. I like to think I'm a good healthy influence.

The bottom picture is of my official tag time.  I came in at 52:04 with an average pace of 10:24.  I came exactly 20 seconds faster than last year.  I must say, I'm consistent! 

Here's the familia

The Medal!

My official chip time

May 18 - 19

Saturday, May 18th basically consisted of me getting my ass beat. Lol  I participated in my very first Muay Thai smoker.  

This was obviously not her first rodeo.  And she had a good 10 lbs on me.  She got in a lot of good hits, but I must say that I did get some licks in. I stayed engaged and lasted all three rounds.  Thank you to everyone for the encouragement. I finally watched the footage today, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  It was definitely a good experience and I'm glad I got my feet wet.  

Don't worry there will be more smokers in my future.

Today, Sunday, May 19th was the 107th Annual Bay to Breakers 12k.  So, even though I was feeling a tad bit defeated from yesterday, I got my ass out of bed early and went out for this run.  It was a beautiful day in the city.  And as I promised, I wore my "Stay Strong Boston" shirt.  

I was a little nervous, seeing that my last run which was a couple of weeks ago, only a 4.5 miller around Lake Merced proved to be a little tougher than normal. But, I went out there and did pretty well. I normally average around 1:30 and expected to come in around 1:35.  When I looked at my RunMeter app it read 1:29.  Needless to say I'm quite proud of myself.  I can't wait to see the official time.