Lesson Learned

Looking at the San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon course after running it is interesting. I'm thinking, "Ooh, had I known there was going to be an incline towards the end of the race, I would have taken a gel shot!" Lesson learned: always study the course before running it.

I seriously need to get back into training mode. My body is still sore, so I'll wait it out. The 10k Golden Gate Park run on Sunday is up next, followed by the Eye-Q Two Cities Half Marathon in Fresno on November 8th. I'm still on runner's high, but oh the pain...

2 Runners Die in San Jose Half Marathon

This is very sad. Two runners died after the San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon. The scary thing is that I actually witnessed one of them! At about the 10 mile mark, a woman not too far ahead of me collapsed face down on the concrete. I waved my arms and yelled for help and a few spectators rushed to her aid. This morning, I heard on the radio that she, along with another man from Antioch, died. I looked up this woman's results and saw that she was only 4 minutes and 35 seconds ahead of me at the 10 mile mark, so I know it was her.

2 Runners Die in San Jose Half Marathon
Associated Press
10/05/09 7:25 PM PDT

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Two runners competing in the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose have died.

Medical personnel were unsuccessful in trying revive 35-year-old Brandon Whitehurst of Antioch and 34-year-old Rose Lo of South San Francisco during the Sunday event.

Race medical director Dr. Lewis Maharam said the losses were "unfortunate and tragic."

The Santa Clara County Coroner's office said it has not yet determined how the runners died.

Over 10,000 runners participated in the 13.1 mile race through San Jose, where temperatures reached a mild 68 degrees.

Event spokesman Dan Cruz said these were the first deaths since the San Jose race began in 2006.

At a Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia last month a 23-year-old male runner died.

Reflections On Tony's First Half Marathon

I'll admit it, I am sitting on my bed in my pajamas with my medal around my neck. I can't seem to stop staring at it. I absolutely cannot believe that I just ran a half marathon. I am definitely still on runner's high, comfortably lounging on clouds 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.1. My legs, knees, and thighs may be completely banged up, but my heart is yearning for more. Seriously, six months ago I thought I was having a heart attack. Right at this moment, I am experiencing a cardiac infarction of the euphoric kind. Has anyone invented Endorphins in a bottle yet? I should run out and get a patent on that. Life is pretty sweet right now.

A full day has passed since the big race, and I now have had time to reflect on the experience. I am glad that I wore my Garmin GPS watch because it allowed me to relive every lap of the 13.1 miles. I can now analyze what went well and what blew up in my face, and apply those things to my next race. You gotta love modern technology.

Lap 1, 8:05am - 8.22 per mile.
I learned from my rookie mistake at my first 5k when I jetted out the the gate, so I made sure that I kept a steady pace up front. I probably did take it a little too fast, but I managed to pace myself to a 8.22 per mile average for the first lap. The difference between my first 5k and this event is 10 miles! The last thing I wanted was to bonk at the 4 mile mark!

Lap 2, 8:13am - 8.57 per mile.
The first two miles are always the toughest for me, but I really kept my cool. I felt like Serena Williams at a Grand Slam event. She may not put 110% into the lower tiered events, but she'll step it up for Wimbledon, Roland Garros, Flushing Meadows, and Australia. I see this Rock & Roll Half as my major, so you better believe that I will put my all into it!

Lap 3, 8:22am - 9.32 per mile.
My legs were still holding up by mile three, but I do have to say that my mind began to wander. What kept replaying in my head was, "What the heck am I doing out here? I still have 10 miles to run!" I had to do everything I could to channel Endorphin Dude to save me from a mental melt down a la Jana Novotna at Wimbledon. My superhero alter ego told me to whip out my camera and take some pictures, just to take my mind off of the run. I did, and it worked!



Lap 4, 8:32am - 9.57 per mile.
I thought the San Jose Rock & Roll course was supposed to be flat! Halfway through the fourth mile, there was an incline! I remember having to run under an overpass and then up a mini hill! I have to say, though, all the spectators and cheerleaders on the sidelines really did help me to keep my focus.

Lap 5, 8:42am - 9.40 per mile.
Feeling good! I think this was when Endorphin Dude took over my body and I flew!

Lap 6, 8:51am - 9.55 per mile.
Miles 4, 5, and 6 felt good for me. With my music blasting and my legs holding up strong, I was able to keep my pace under 10 minutes.

Lap 7, 9:01 am - 9.52 per mile.
Still holding up, but I did begin to feel a little bit of fatigue start to kick in by mile 7.5.

Lap 8, 9:11 am - 10.23 per mile.
My legs...my legs...

Lap 9, 9:21 am - 10.37 per mile.
Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! My biggest fear looked like it was going to happen, but something midway through mile 9 changed all that. I heard a familiar voice from the side lines. I looked to my left and saw a woman shout out my name. Because I didn't have my glasses on, I wasn't sure who it was, but I recognized the voice. The woman ran up to me with a "Way To Go, Tony!!!" poster and I immediately saw my big head on Peyton Manning's body. It was Darlene Weston from my fantasy football league! I couldn't believe it. I swear, I was about to hit the wall, but seeing Darlene helped me get through miles 9, 10, and 11.



Lap 10, 9:32 am - 10.27 per mile.
Thanks to Darlene Weston, I managed to pick up my pace in mile 10. I kept going and going and going.

Lap 11, 9:42 am - 10.51 per mile.
Almost there...

Lap 12, 9:53 am - 11.31 per mile.
By mile 12, I seriously thought my legs were going to collapse. I only had one mile left, so I seriously had to pull it together mentally. I kept telling myself, "run through the pain, run through the pain." I cranked up my music, and as cheesey as this may sound, "Rock Lobster" saved me. The B-52's pushed me to that finish line!

Lap 13 - The Finish Line.
With the final .1 miles, I sprinted my way to the finish line. I lifted my arms in victory and let out a huge "OH MY GOD!" I couldn't believe it. I finished my first half marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes at a 10:20 pace. The endorphins kicked in and pretty much followed me everywhere the rest of the day.

Tony's First Half Marathon

I did something pretty incredible today: I ran a half marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I completed the 13.1 miles at a 10:20 pace, and finished 4946 out of 9892 runners. I am still in shock. What an awesome experience the San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon was. I have been working so hard the past few months to get healthy, and I think the dividends are finally starting to show. Life is pretty sweet. Definitely no complaints here :-)

Half Marathon Eve

I am sitting here in my room at The Hilton in San Jose prepping up for tomorrow's big event. I am excited, I am nervous, I can't wait. My system is saturated with energy, thanks to The Old Spaghetti Factory. I have laid out my uniform for tomorrow and now I will channel my inner yogi and rest my mind. Rest my mind?! Yeah right. I'll be lucky if I get any sleep tonight!

Race Fashion

Here's a sneak peak of what I'll be wearing on race day, minus the dog, of course.

Mall Carbs

What I love about running is that I can eat carbs without guilt! Of course, I go for the best kind of carbs too: SBARRO! 3 more days...

38L-Geary Through The Loin

I take the bus every morning to work. I jump on the 38L-Geary and get off at Van Ness and O'farrell. I could hop on the 47 Van Ness, but I choose to walk the remainder of the trip so that I could get in my morning cardio workout. I always cut through the Tenderloin and make my way down 9th. Along the way, I always see homeless characters snoozing in the alley, crack needles on the side walk, and the occasional soiled prophylactic by the dumpsters. It's quite a sight, especially so early in the morning. This morning, I saw something out of the norm, and it got me excited. 5 more days...

Final Run Before The Half

This was my final run before next week's half marathon. I ran 8.25 miles @ 11:30 through Golden Gate Park, up 10th, into Mountain Lake Park, through Sea Cliff, and along the trails of Lands End. I will now taper off and carb up. Seven days until the San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon BABY!!!!

TwirlyBoy Slims Down

The tape measure does not lie, and this photo is not doctored. I seriously do not recall ever reaching a whopping 44 inches in waist size! In fact, I even tried to rationalize it by saying to myself that my stylist was being generous when she took my measurements so that I would comfortably fit into my TwirlyBoy costume. I realize now that I was in denial all along! All my pants had elastic in them, so even though they read "38" on the label, they actually stretched a few more inches! The fact that I never wore jeans during this time just confirmed it. DAMN! I had a 44 inch waist!!

By the way, for those who do not know, I starred is a short film called "TwirlyBoy." I am the "Chief Instigator" of It Donned On Me, a competitive film making team located in the San Francisco Bay Area. We compete in timed film competitions such as the 48 Hour Film Project, The International Documentary Challenge, and the Seven Day Film Challenge. For our 2008 San Jose 48 Hour Film Project entry, I stepped out of the role of executive producer and into the lime light! Check me out in all my rotund glory!

11 Days

Just ran 3.5 miles at 11:01 during lunch. Only 11 days until the San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon, Baby!!!!!!!!!

Tony Version 2.0

I am still trying to wrap my fingers around this one. I went from gorging out on CostCo pizza and hot dogs dipped in mayonnaise to craving sprouts, low fat cheese, and a mustard aoli spread on whole wheat multigrain bread. I no longer linger on the couch for hours watching VH-1 reality shows, and now I look forward to running. It's like aliens came down to earth and swapped the lazy sloth-like Tony of six months ago with Tony version 2.0, a leaner, happier, healthier Tony. I AM ENDORPHIN DUDE, SEE ME RUN!

Breakfast

Breakfast: low fat mozzarella and blue cheese crumbs in a mustard aoli sauce on two sprouted flourless whole wheat berry bread.

Jeff Crispi, Cancer Survivor

Meet Jeff Crispi. Mr. Crispi is one of the most colorful people I've met in a long time. After my 10k, I left Modesto and headed to Walnut Creek to MC his 40th birthday bash. Thanks to the endorphins, I was able to make it through the evening without passing out. I could have ditched this party altogether, but I really wanted to be there. Jeff had something to do with my quest to get healthy. Jeff is a film maker and he is working on documentary called "Full Scale: The Divine Proportion." This film chronicles his quest to lose 100 pounds and to beat cancer. Jeff invited me to be a part of this project, and I happily accepted. I was supposed to just talk about my issues of weight, but somehow it turned into something more. After my interview, I started my walks. Next thing I knew, I got healthy. I have to give Jeff some credit for my transformation. Happy Birthday, Mr. Crispi.