Safari Park Half-Marathon

I just signed up for the Inaugural Safari Park Half-Marathon in San Diego in March. It is a new course through the Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park). Participants receive a free pass into the park that day. Anyone else interested in running with some tigers? I know I am.

Santa to the Sea Half-Marathon

On an unusually warm Sunday before the rain set in that week, I drove up to Ventura for the Third Annual Santa to the Sea Half-Marathon. This race was featured in the calendar section of Runner's World Magazine because of its Christmas theme. Last year, Runners World caught Julia Roberts running it. I was itching for a half, so I signed up for it. I really love the half-marathon distance. It’s just long enough, and by the time you want to roll over and quit, it’s over.

Many participants dressed up in Christmas attire (knee high red stripped socks, etc.) and we were shuttled to the start line which centered around a large Santa Claus. The gimmick of this race is that you run from this huge blow-up Santa to the Oxnard Fisherman’s Wharf. Too bad this gimmick ends up handicapping the route. Mostly industrial and not very interesting, I wouldn’t recommend this course to anyone who isn’t a local. There were a few glimpses of farmland which proved interesting, but otherwise it was largely on the street. In fact, I have never done a race where so many cars went through our route. The exhaust was a little much.

I should thank all of the volunteers who navigated traffic. Without them, there would have definitely been some problems.

I finished the race at an 11:30 pace . The sea at the finish line was really beautiful. And Oxnard is a great beachy town. I wouldn’t recommend this race if you have any high expectations. But the locals are great and you could combine your run with an afternoon in town.

Happy Running!

WeSpark 10K - A new course in Balboa Park

I agreed to run the WeSpark 10K so I could test-run the course - As a volunteer for the Center for Assault and Treatment Services, we have our Victory for Victims race in Balboa Park too and wanted to see what our course options are. I am amazed at how big this park is, all the hidden hills and valleys (figuratively speaking) -- beautiful wilderness, bridges, soccer fields, wildlife. We are truly fortunate to have such an oasis in the middle of the San Fernando Valley.

I was at the WeSpark inaugural event last year - I passed out Victory 4 Victims postcards to people and slipped them under car windshield wipers. That was a small race. Really small. Neighborhood small. Sunday's race easily had 3 times the amount of people from last year. Also, there were Students Run LA (SRLA) everywhere. Turns out that they had their own 15K race.

We considered cooperating with SRLA for Victims 4 Victims, but the truth is that they don't pay for registration, and don't raise money for the charity. It would be nice for these kids to do some fundraising for these races - fundraising/sales is a pretty good life skill, I think.

The weather was dry Sunday. Running through parts of Balboa Park is like running through a desert - it's dusty and vacant, then the landscape changes and I'm surrounded by cut grass and gurgling river beds. It would have been nice to have a water station after mile 1, but there wasn't anything until mile 2. That sure tasted good.

I was very happy with my time, 1:06. Turns out I placed 9 in my division! Going to these relatively small races boosts my runner's ego- the less people in my division, the higher up I place.

16 miles this weekend.

Happy running!

Congrats NYC runners!

My alter self completed the ING New York City Marathon today. I, however, did not. I did get "in", but opted to cancel and go next year instead. Good thing - I can't imagine doing a full marathon right now. Thankfully, training has been going well. I had to miss yesterday's 14 miles because of seasonal sickness, but had a pretty good 12 miler a couple of weeks ago.

Also happy to say that my new KSWISS running shoes feel pretty good. After all of the advertising they did this past year (not least of which was sponsoring the LA Marathon and opening up a glossy store on Main Street in Santa Monica), I decided to give them a try. I have the Konejo model which is good for correcting pronation - similar to the ASICS Gel Kayanos (which I previously wore). Interesting note, the good folks at Phidippides (who are now the good folks at Fleet Feet Encino), told me that I should always go half a size larger in a running shoe. Maybe that was my problem before?

So I'll be signing up for NYC Marathon sometime this week for next year. Since I got "in" this year and cancelled, I have guaranteed entry - just have to pay again. Small price to pay I think!

Physical therapy and the return of strength training

I saw the physical therapist this morning for my first consultation. I waited for over a month, amidst authorizations and inept office staff, and finally arrived at the beautiful new UCLA rehab suite in Santa Monica. My physical therapist is Anne, and she's pleasant and personable. I tell her about my knee pain and what I have determined as a pulled groin muscle. I also tell her I have not been doing much strength training at all. I know, I know, it's not good.

Anne's diagnosis? Weak muscles, my hips fall down when I run, and my knees buckle inward. This is why strength training is important, folks. So now that I have a doctor's note to strength train, I'll make sure to mark it on my calendar. Proof again that we are our own best diagnosticians.

Some good strength training moves:

Single leg Squats.
Single leg lifts - keep knees straight - use a full-length mirror to check yourself.
Balancing core on one of those balance boards.


Run strong, run happy!

Santa Monica 5000 5K

I participated in the Lexus Santa Monica 5000 this past Sunday. The last time I did a 5K was so long ago I don’t even remember – maybe two years. Now that I think of it, I think my last 5K was the UCLA Bruin Run 5K spring 2009. It was a great morning to be outside – overcast and cool. The course is similar to the Santa Monica Classic starting near Main Street by Oceanpark and making its way to Ocean Blvd, and then looping back for a total of 5K to the Pier. I was still having some discomfort, so I both ran and walked. It felt good to do a race again. There were a lot of elites at this race too. Thanks to Valentino and his son Antonio for coming out, and congratulations to Antonio on his first 5K! We had pancakes after. The line wasn’t nearly as long as the one for the Say No to Drugs Race. The only downside was the 30 minute walk back to my car. But really who can complain with such weather and ambiance?

Thanks to anyone who has donated in support of my races to the John Wayne Cancer Institute. The Santa Monica 5000 helped benefit Saint John’s Health Center which is John Wayne’s umbrella organization. Please consider a donation to my site at www.firstgiving.com/nazbanoo before I stop accepting donations later this year.
Thanks and happy racing!

Injury Woes

So I haven't been running that much since the San Diego Rock N' Roll Marathon. I may have pulled a groin muscle. I decided to have an MD give me her opinion, and guess what? She thinks I pulled a groin muscle. My doctor is a runner, so she then lectured me (nicely)about all the running do's and don'ts I already know. What I really wanted was an authorization to go to see a physical therapist, and now nearly two weeks later, her office staff still hasn't managed to produce one for me. So that's the status on that.

Still, I am planning on running, walking, or at least finishing the Lexus Santa Monica 5000 this saturday. See you there!