Nike RunHit Remix Race Report

I had been waiting for Sept. 24 for such a LONG time that I was so excited the morning of the Nike RunHit Remix. The race was by far the largest I've run in with about 10,000 people registered. The race didn't disappoint and I had a great time at it!

PRE-RACE
My girlfriend and I managed to leave on time and make our way to the downtown area at what should have been a good time. However, I was not prepared for the number of people there and we ran into significant traffic, all headed to the same spot. Fortunately, we managed to get off the freeway and into a parking lot. This was much preferred since it was easier to navigate the race area on foot. We made our way to the start area about 5 minutes before race time. She lined up with the 12 minute/mile group while I made my way to the 9s. I didn't quite make it all the way to the group, so I ended up closer to the 10s.

START
As you can imagine, it was actually a pretty slow start just because there was so many people! Since I forgot my race watch at home, I made a point to look at the start clock when I crossed - there was about 2:40 on gun time. I had to walk the first quarter-mile or so because the course was a bit narrow. When it finally widened, I was able to open up my stride and hit my pace fairly quickly.

MILE 2
No, I didn't skip a mile here. There were so many people during the initial portion of the race that I actually missed the first mile marker. That actually ended up being a mental boost because it was nice to hear, "only 3 miles to go" when I was still thinking that I was on my first mile. When the clock at the 2-mile mark read 21:00, I knew that I was right on the pace I wanted.

MILE 3
I gotta admit that I was pretty spent by the time I hit this mark. But, part of this course ran through USC's fraternity/sorority row and they were quite supportive. I was giving the kids high-fives and pumping my fist and just had a good time with it. That really helped me feel much better about the way my race was going. I focused on my breathing and realized that I was pretty normally; it wasn't labored or particularly tough, so it let me know that my body was in a good spot.

MILE 4 & FINISH
I knew that we were getting close to the end and that my pace felt steady. At this point, I had what I thought was a sign! Going into the race, my goal was to finish in under 45 minutes and I knew that my pace would have to be in the 8's to do that. Somewhere towards the end, I was passed by a lady with an 8 on her running cap. Heck, it might have even been a "B" but it looked like an 8 to me. So, I decided that I needed to stick with this lady because she represented a really good pace. She was much faster than I, but I knew that I wasn't working overly hard to keep up with her. I kept up with her most of the way to the very end.

This course was great because it ends inside the Los Angeles Coliseum. You get on the field by running through the same tunnel that all of the atheletes used for the1984 Olympics - it was awesome. That also means that about the last 200 yards of the race are downhill and I pushed myself on this portion. I hit the infield and the finish-clock read 45:08 - I did it! With my offset from the start-line, I knew that I had beat 45 minutes and felt great! I collected my medal (which is very nice) and started some slight recuperation. I then made my way back onto the course to help my girlfriend finish the last part of the race. My final, official chip time for the race was 42:55 which represents a pace of 8:35 over the distance. Considering how far I've come with my weight, I'm ecstatic with this result.

One of the nice things about this event is that there's a post-race concert, right there on the Coliseum infield. This year's headliner was De La Soul and they put on a really good show. My girlfriend & I had access to the VIP area at the race, so we just hung out and watched the show and had a great time. We also ran into my friend Barry and took some photos together.

Overall, it was a great event and I'm pretty happy with my run. Next year I'll have to have for a sub-40 minute time, but right now I'm enjoying my pictures and my race medal!

Red Lights On Wilshire

After putting in many training hours with both running and on my bike, the season has finally begun for me with the completion of the bike leg of the LA Triathlon this morning. I completed the 24-mile course in 1:19 and am very proud of my performance.

I woke up around 5 AM and felt a slight twinge in my left shoulder. I considered that odd because it's never given me a problem before. I just finished getting dressed, hoping that this wasn't a sign of things to come. I had packed my gear bag the night before, so all that was left to do was fill my water bottles and load-up. I strapped my beautiful Cervelo to the back of my car and off I went to pick up my girlfriend. We made our way to the start are in Venice and took this picture at the starting line.

After I loaded up my jersey with my ID and energy gels, I kissed my girlfriend for luck and headed to my bike. The triathlon was generally well organized and the bike-only group was told where to go. We crossed the timing chip mat and off we went. I was so nervous and excited at the same time, that it took me a full block to clip my second foot in but once that was set, it was ON; no stopping pedaling after that!

I had a pretty good spin throughout the event and averaged 18 MPH which is not bad considering that there were some significant hills. I'm still always amazed (and slightly embarassed) when other cyclists can pass you as if you're standing still; there are people out there that can just hammer away on a bicycle. I had the experience of being passed by both a male and a female pro rider. The female was next to me one second and almost literally, the next second later she was 200 yards ahead. The male pro I could hear coming from 50 yards back because he had a full aero set-up and sounded like a Mack truck and he passed me like one too! I was doing almost 20 MPH at the time and I might as well have been standing still, he passed me like it was nothing!

One of the main reasons that I really wanted to do this ride was because it's a completely closed course; you don't get many opportunities like that in Los Angeles. One of the wonderful sites of this ride was turning on to Wilshire and seeing a long string of red traffic lights for the entire distance. The LAPD did a great job of keeping the roads closed and safe for the racers.

The only negative part about my morning was my experience on the last hill, right at the edge of downtown. It's really my fault for not shifting properly, but I ended up dropping my chain half-way up a monster grade on the 1st street. I had to unclip, get my chain back on the cog and then start, all while on this incline. Fortunately, I did not have the same clipping problems and got back on track. I think this cost me a total of 90 seconds or so, but that's the way it goes. I made a mental note to prepare my gears better when approaching hills.

The end of this ride involved a long, steep descent on Grand with some bumpy intersections. I didn't throw myself down the hill like I wanted to, but still kept up a pretty good pace. In spite of that, I had another speedster with a full aero setup pass me and blew out the hill. From there, it was a quick flat ride to the transition area and the end of the ride.

Overall, a really fun event with a (nearly) flawless ride. It was well run and I got a nice medal at the end of it all. This event was a great way to open my season and I'm really happy with the way it went.

Let the Season Begin!

If you'll recall, I have quite a few events scheduled for the upcoming months. My earlier post shows all of the events that I'm doing.

So, this coming Sunday will be my first event with the bike portion of the LA Triathlon! I'm so excited about it, that I just can't wait for it to get here. I'm slated to pick up my registration materials on Friday evening, after work, and I'm sure that the excitement will start building up even more from then.

As for the event itself, I'm feeling pretty confident. I've been driving parts of the course during the week and it seems OK. It's a little hilly in some portions, but otherwise, it should be a fun ride. The bottom line is that the downhills are the key to the course. There are enough downhills to allow you to build momentum for the next uphill. So, throwing myself down the hills will be key - if I fail to do that, it can make for a miserable ride the rest of the way. Another thing that I've noticed is that I will absolutely need a pair of sunglasses. In the hills of Hollywood, we will essentially be riding right into the sun, so this will be essential. I usually don't ride with sunglasses, so I'm going to go out and buy a pair today. My biggest fear will be of getting a flat tire somewhere along the course. I've had too many flat tires on recent rides, but otherwise, I'm very happy with my bike. I'm sure that my trusty Cervelo and I will do great!

Also, I should point out that I've made a couple of changes to my upcoming events calendar. It all remains the same, but I have added a couple of new events. On Sept. 30 I will be doing the Rosarito-to-Ensenada bike ride. I've been reading about this ride for a long time and glad that I finally get the chance to do it. On Oct. 6-8 I will be a crew member for The 508. I am scheduled to help a mixed team for the duration of the race. I'm definitely looking forward to this since I enjoy being part of a crew. In addition to this, I have my eye on a 5K in Santa Monica (might opt for the 10K) and I'm thinking about doing the Carlsbad Half-Marathon in January, depending on the outcome of the Las Vegas event. Either way, I'm slowly building my calendar for 2007 and can't wait to start the season this weekend!

Nike Does It Right

I must admit that I've never been a huge fan of Nike shoes & apparel. First off, their sizing chart is off by at least 1" in most sizes (when compared to Adidas, Reebok, etx) and I've just never really felt comfortable in their shoes.

However, I've recently begun to take part in the various running clubs that they run in the Los Angeles area and I've been very impressed. THE running club to attend is the Thursday night at Niketown in Beverly Hills. On any given night it attracts at least 100 runners and on the special nights where they have guests/giveaways, I've seen as many as 300 runners there. Since this is a run through residential Beverly Hills, it's also one of my favorite courses. The 3 mile is a quick jaunt and the 5-mile loop tests you early while providing a quick downhill run back.

I also recently attended the Sunday morning marathon training group that runs in West LA. Nike provides the organization, the pace leaders and they even have water/aid stops along the way to keep you going. It's a very well-run operation that is very impressive.

And the total cost for joining these clubs? It's free! Oh sure, they might have my mailing and e-mail address to send me promotional items. but other than that, I haven't had to pay anything to participate in these runs. While I'm sure that it's a relatively small expense for such a large company, the genius behind this type of marketing is amazing. My hat goes off to Nike for putting together such a well-run and fun series of events.