One

Yey! My blog has turned ONE (actually I forgot about it).

Thanks to this blog, I’ve gained friends who share the same passion as me. Here’s to another year of running, blogging and gaining more friends!

Not to Tri

Work has been crazy this past few weeks and I haven’t had the time to look for a bike. I guess I will Tri some other time.

Next Races

Torchlight Run – July 25 Downtown Seattle. It’s is part of Seattle’s Seafair – the month long summer festival. This will also be my first race after my first marathon.

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US Half Marathon – November 1 San Francisco. I will be invading SFRunner’s beloved city. Running Fatboy and Per will also be running.

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Seattle Marathon – November 29 Seattle. My second marathon and I would be taking a shot of finishing in less than 5 hours.

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I Rocked!

I woke up race morning with the following thoughts in my mind:

- “Pace smartly”, “Enjoy and have fun”, “Don’t worry about the time, just finish”

Before Race Start

I arrived at the starting line at 5:20AM. Bananas, bagels, water and Cytomax greeted the runners. Skies were clear but it was very cold! I did not checked in my sweater and my extra shirt until 6:30AM.

The 25000 runners were grouped in corrals with both half marathon and marathon runners are combined. The first corral was sent off at exactly 7AM and other corrals were released in 1:30 minute intervals.

Mile 1 – 6

Most of the time, I suffer from running too hard at the start of a race. I get so eager and get carried away by other runners. This time, I resisted the temptation. I ran a very relaxed pace. Pace smartly, pace smartly. Nearing Seward Park, my cellphone rang (I was carry it in my hydration belt!). My friend asked if where I was as they are about to park their car near Seward. I finally have my own cheering squad !  A few steps before the water station, I saw my friend with husband and their baby. After a quick picture taking session, I set my sights to the floating bridge from afar.

Mile 7 – 13

This is the start of the scenic route. Half marathon and marathon runners ran 2 miles on the edge of Lake Washington before splitting on the 9th mile. US full marathon runners have the privilege of running on the express lanes of I-90/Lake Washington floating bridge. Running on the floating bridge felt like running on water. As it was a clear day, the snow capped Mt. Rainier was in view.

My heel started to hurt a just a little after the turnaround on the floating bridge. The incline on the I-90 turns also did not helped my knees. Despite this, I was still feeling okay and ready for the next 13 miles.

Mile 14 – 21

There was a good size crowd when I got to downtown Seattle. The race gets exciting starting this point. I was taken for a roller coaster ride. For one the temperature is now either hot or cold. It was cold under the shade or hot when not.

As Seattle is known for being hilly, one minute you are running uphill and before you knew it there is a steep downhill on the next turn (which hurts on the knees). The killer is the long uphill towards Aurora Bridge which reminded of the the uphill of the NB race in Clark (where I nearly gave up!). This time I was prepared. I would walk a few steps before the water station and resume my (slow) run after I finished drinking. I made it to the bridge and back but my knees and feet hurt more now.

Mile 22 – 26.2

So near yet so far. Knees and feet are hurting. Only 5 more miles – flat-downhill-flat-uphill-flat-downhill. I continued my “walk at the water station and resume slow run” strategy. But on the last mile, I suddenly had renewed energy. The nearer I am to the finish line the faster I ran. Knees and feet still hurt but I didn’t care anymore. I sprinted the last 400 meters.

I Rocked

I finished my first full marathon in 5 hours and 28 minutes. Like I said before, I’m not particular about my finish time. I was there for the experience, to enjoy and have fun. I’ve shared stories with other runners along the way. I got high fives, congratulations and good job. I know not everybody can run a marathon and I am proud of myself finishing one. I did not hit the dreaded wall, did not have any injury, blisters nor dead toe nails . I truly rocked! I’d like to thank my friends and family for being an inspiration.

Will I do it again? Hell yeah!!! Next goal is the Amica Seattle Marathon in November.

PS:

My knees and feet are now okay and ready to run again.

Rock ‘n’ Roll shoes

This just came in yesterday – Asics Gel Kayano 15. 

I will be breaking it in today and see if this will be my rock ‘n’ roll shoes.

 

Update: I took my new shoes for a spin today and ran 16kms without any problems. This is it! hehehe

Yes I’m In

Full Marathon here I come!

US Races Pics

Mercer Island Half Marathon – Virtual Condura Race

First off, I would like to say congratulations to my friends who ran the 21K Condura Race. So while I missed the Condura Race this year, I found myself my virtual Condura Run, the Mercer Island Half Marathon. I found this race while shopping for my winter running gear upon arriving here in Seattle.

Saturday night Seattle, I was already reading blogs and facebook status on how the Condura Race went. I was very excited on doing my own half marathon that I wasn’t able to sleep well. I would wake up every hour and even dreamt I was late for the race. Hehehe. This has been a regular thing for me during big and anticipated races (or was it because of my ginisang munggo dinner?) 

After finishing my oatmeal, I left my apartment and arrived at Mercer Island around 8AM. I had enough time to pick up my race bib and time chip at the registration area. 20 minutes before race start, I did my warm-ups and some stretching.

Registration Area at the Mercer Island Community Center

 

race bib, time chip, garmin and Asics are ready!

There were pace markers at the starting line. I positioned myself at 9:01 – 10:00 minute per mile pace. I had no idea at first if this is the right pace for me as I am familiar with the metric system. I know I can do 6:00 per kilometer but I don’t have a calculator in hand to convert min/km to min/mi. Bahala na si Batman. 

 

The half marathon race started at 9:05AM. The weather was overcast and there was a drizzle at the start of the race. I don’t have an estimate but there were a huge number of half marathon runners. The route reminded me of Baguio but colder. We were running around Mercer Island which is in Lake Washington. The lake was in view everytime you look to the left. 

route as tracked by Garmin

The roads were winding but were lined by tall trees. You will probably see the largest houses in this side of Washington. The Mercer Island residents were very supportive of the runners. They would give you high fives, cheer and even give you water on small paper cups. I was surprised to see cheerleaders lined up at the 10th mile marker.

Learning from my first half marathon, i took advantage of the downhills to recover lost time from the uphills. I also made sure that I drink water at each water station to prevent dehydration even though the temperatures are in the 40s. I was afraid that I would conked out in this race but was surprised to maintain a good pace until the 10 mile. The last 3 miles was really a struggle as I was already tired and it was uphill all the way to the finish line.

I crossed the finish line and heard the announcer called my name “Wilbert Lackbey”. My Garmin registered a time of 2:07:56, way better than my Adidas KOTR time 2:33:22.

me at the race expo

Community Center

starting line

awaiting the gunfire

cheerleaders

finish

Oranges, bananas, bagels, water, electrolytes and Starbucks coffee awaited the finishers. I took a few bites, rested and went back to my apartment to prepare for mass.

Til the next half marathon. Vancouver anyone?

Registered for the Half

Good luck to all of us on Sunday!

Run to Lake Washington

First, a lesson in geography – Seattle is not a flat land but is composed of hills. My apartment is on top of Beacon Hill about 5 minutes from downtown Seattle. The destination for my first Seattle run – Lake Washington,  is approximately 5 kms from my apartment and is after Mt. Baker which is another hill.

Beacon Hill

Today’s weather is overcast and very cold. Wardrobe: upper – Nike fleece jacket on top of Mizuno Infinity Run shirt on top of Nike singlet. lower – Nike compression shorts and NB shorts. Talk about layering!

I started my run around 3PM. Part one is going down Beacon Hill and then going up Mt. Baker.  I had no problems on the downhill but the uphill climb was very exhaustive. I have already done several Antipolo run but this is by far the steepest climb I did. But the climb is rewarding as the view of Lake Washington is breathtaking. 

View of Lake Washington

 It is another downhill through to Colman Park to reach Lake Washington. Colman Park as a beautiful trail leading to Lake Washington. I rested a while and enjoyed the beautiful scenery before heading back home.

Start of trail in Colman Park

Trail to Lake Washington

Lake Washington

Ducks

I am running again! By the way, the actual temperature when I did my run is 37F. I hope next time the sun would show up but knowing Seattle it is always overcast.