Bakersfield Track Club Half Marathon

Should I be concerned that at the mile three mark of the Bakersfield Track Club Half Marathon I see a sign that reads, "STAY OUT STAY ALIVE"? That cryptic four word message popped up a few more times along the course. I'm sure the city of Bakersfield put up those warning signs to prevent people from hurting themselves by jumping into the river that flows along the bike path. For me there was a deeper underlying meaning. Mind you, I didn't think my life was in danger, but I did take these signs as a foreshadowing of what lay ahead: a long, drawn out, run with absolutely nothing exciting to look at. Sadly, I was right.


I chose to run the BTC Half Marathon because I wanted to squeeze in another double before The Goofy Challenge in January. I had already completed the half/full combination a few weeks ago with the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon on October 30th followed by the Silicon Valley Marathon the next day on Halloween. I finished that weekend victorious, earning a gargantuan 8 minute PR for the full marathon, one day after running a half. That was a huge win for Endorphin Dude. For this weekend, I scaled back and scheduled a half/half combination. First up is Bakersfield. Yes, Bakersfield.

I figured I could kill two birds with one stone by running BTC. My mom lives in Visalia, which is an hour and a half away, so I could pay mom a quick visit and run a 13.1 miler. It's always good to see mom. She spoils me rotten, and I don't mind that at all! I spent the night at Casa de Mama and woke up at 4am on Saturday morning and headed south for Bakersfield. I arrived with plenty of time to stretch before the race.


Because this was a small race, I decided to go sans cape. I just wasn't sure if the Bakersfieldians were ready for Endorphin Dude! Also, I really wasn't expecting to meet any Half Fanatics or Marathon Maniacs at this small local race, so there was no real need to channel my inner super hero. For that very reason, it shocked me when I met fellow Marathon Maniac, Rose-Marie Jeanpierre, at the start line! It was funny, neither of us wore our credentials on our tech shirts, but we both somehow knew we belonged in the same tribe. All it took was me saying, "I run one of these every weekend," and the next thing I know, the two of us are dropping names left and right.

The real shocker was when Rose-Marie admitted that she initially thought I was Dave Mari and that she wondered why I wasn't in Texas for the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon! I swear, I live in a Dave Mari world. I am in Bakersfield and someone thought I was him! AGAIN!! Why does everything have to be Mari Mari Mari?! For those who have no clue what I am talking about, I am, supposedly, Dave Mari's marathon twin. You can read all about in my Los Angeles Rock & Roll Half Marathon blog post here. I figured since I can't escape Dave Mari, I might as well join him. Here's Rose-Marie and I striking Dave's signature pose:


I finished this half marathon in 2:56, which is far quicker than I had anticipated. Because I was doing back to back halves, I wanted to stretch this run out to the full allotted time, which is 3:30. However, I was so bored that I just started running! There's really not much more for me to say about Bakersfield. I came, I ran, I crossed the finish line, and I went home. Will I run Bakersfield again? Probably not. Am I glad I did it? Sure. I got to see my mom, I got to meet Rose-Marie, and now I have another medal to add to my collection. Win. Win. Win.

Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon

"Hail Mary, Full Of Grace, please get me through this race. Hail Mary, Full Of Grace, PLEASE GET ME THROUGH THIS RACE."


It's not uncommon for athletes to pray to a higher being before or during a game or competition. I've seen football players make the sign of the cross before taking the field and figure skaters look up to the heavens with clenched fists right before stepping onto the ice. Sometimes hard work and ability is just not enough, and athletes need affirmation from a higher power. I grew up catholic, so I am no stranger to prayer. I know that God is really busy on Sundays, so I usually don't burden him on race day. However, today was different.

I came into The Eye-Q Two Cities Marathon very confident. I had just come off of an eight minute PR at The Silicon Valley Marathon the weekend before, so I was feeling really good. On top of that, everything seemed to point to a third consecutive marathon personal record in Fresno and Clovis: fast flat course, sea level, and an extra hour of sleep courtesy of daylight savings time. How could I not achieve a personal best? Well, I think I may have gotten too cocky. Damn shin splints hit me hard at mile two, and I found myself begging to the Virgin Mary for help. MILE TWO!! Who gets shin splints at mile two?? I ended up walking miles two through six, which is a marathon first for Endorphin Dude!

These shin splints were a huge problem for me, but I believe it was more detrimental to my psyche than my feet and legs. I suffered a colossal meltdown and by mile four, I seriously considered stopping at the halfway point. I figured, it's not really a DNF if you finish at least half of it, right? The pain was unbearable, but I kept plugging along. It was very discouraging to fall so far behind the pack, but what made it worse was the fact that the ultra marathoners were looping back and were running towards me. I had to keep telling myself to keep at it and not give up. Thankfully, the third ultra runner to ran by was my trainer and mentor, Charlie. Can you believe this guy finished second overall in the ultra marathon? Amazing. Seeing Charlie gave me a little boost. I was still in shin splint hell, but hearing him yell out to me, "Good job Tony, keep it up," really helped my mental state.


When I reached mile four or so, all the ultra runners were at their mile 12 and were looping back. I was inching along when I heard someone shout out "Endorphin Dude!" I looked up and guess who it was? Dean Karanazes! No joke. To truly appreciate this encounter, I have to take you back in time. You may recall from my previous race, I met Mr. Ultra Marathon Man at mile three of The Silicon Valley Marathon. As I jogged along the residential streets of San Jose, I felt a presence to my left. I looked over and it was Dean Karnazes. I proceeded to say, "Hi There! I am Endorphin Dude! When you hit the wall at mile 18, call on me and I'll send you some endorphins!"

Well, fast forward a week to the Eye-Q Two Cities expo, I see Dean once again. I approached him and said "I ran with you at mile 3 last weekend! I am Endorphin Dude!" Dean laughed and responded "I remember you! Cape Guy! Was it hot in that thing?!" After a few friendly exchanges, Dean signed my book and posed for a picture with me. In that photo, he is catching the endorphins from Endorphin Dude!

After our exchange at the expo, it didn't surprise me that Dean Karnazes recognized me on the course. I mean, how many runners out there was running in a cape? I counted, and there was only one that day: moi. It probably helped that my moniker was printed on my bib and my head band, but I still got a kick out of Mr. 50 Marathons In 50 Days calling out my name! In any case, after hearing his voice, I looked up, smiled, yelled back "DEAN!" and we high fived. All the ultra runners behind him looked perplexed.

As corny as this may sound, getting that high five from Dean Karnazes did wonders for my ego, which helped to get my mind off of my pain. Fortunately, by mile six, the shin splints dissipated and I was able to keep a solid pace for the rest of the marathon. Yes, I did take walk breaks here in there, but for the most part, I made up for the lost time early on. Miles 6 through 20 were pretty solid. By miles 21 and 22, I felt fatigue kick in, but by the final 5k, I was determined to run to the finish line. I cranked up my music, took a shot of GU, and ran. Yes, there was a lot of grunting going on in the final stages of this race. I have been told that I am the Monica Seles of marathons, and sure enough, I channeled that hard hitting tennis ace all the way to the end. HHHHUUU!!! (Sorry, I don't know how to spell the grunting onomatopoeia). I kept pushing and running like someone had just kidnapped my dog and I had to chase them down. As I got closer to the finish line, spectators and marathon finishers cheered me on.

When I hit mile 25.9, waiting for me there was my fellow Dolphin South End Running buddy, Elizabeth McKay, with her dogs and friend Jennifer Walker. Elizabeth snapped a shot of me heading towards the finish line, and I couldn't help but stop to give Jennifer a big hug. I had emailed and commented on Jennifer's Facebook wall for some time now, and to finally meet her in person with only 0.3 miles left was a huge deal. These two did not have to wait for me, but they did, and that made all the difference when I reached mile 26. With only 0.2 miles left of my journey, I sprinted to the finish line!

Shin splints and a melt down early on did not break my spirit. After a very slow start, I was able to find the strength to complete this race. I was hoping for a PR at Eye-Q, but I'm not going to fret over this. What I take away from this race is that I managed to snap out of my funk and finish this marathon in 6:27:41. Along the way, I got to see some old running friends and make some new ones. What I love about running is that everyone is so supportive. Seeing people I know and meeting new peeps on the course keeps me motivated to work hard and finish what I start. Thank you Bill, Peter, Naomi, Greg, Eddie, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Charlie, Dean, Terri & Gang, and Jeslen, for helping me complete marathon #7!









Hail Mary, Full Of Grace, thank you for getting me through this race.

Dean Karnazes Silicon Valley Marathon

I had lofty goals this weekend. I wanted to complete my very own Goofy Challenge, which I called "The Endoofy Challenge." My goal was to complete a half marathon on Saturday and a full one on Sunday. I am ecstatic to announce that I reached this goal with flying colors! Notice the two different chips on each shoe.

GOOFIFICATION!

For the second straight day, I woke up at 3am on race day. 3am is not even the crack of dawn. In fact, dawn is still tucked so far up that crack that there is no light in sight! It's ok though, because I slept at 9pm, so I did have a solid six hours of shut eye. I usually squirm around in bed like a fish out of water after a race, but thanks to my new compression calf sleeves, I was able to sleep cramp free! These compression sleeves ROCK, that I am considering getting the whole body suit. Heck, I think there may possibly be a new Endorphin suit in the making! I'll keep you all posted.

Marathon day started an hour earlier for me than all other runners. I wanted to get there early to see my one of my marathon mentor, Yolanda Holder, the "Walking Diva" who is going for the Guinness record for most marathons completed by a woman in one calendar year. The Silicon Valley Marathon marked her 92nd of 2010. When I arrived at the start line at 5:42am, I met two future Maniacs, two newly minted Marathon Maniacs, some Dolphin South End Runners, two first time marathoners, and Yolanda!

First up is Yolanda. I dig the fact Yolanda and I always meet up. This has become our standard routine. So far this year, the two of us marathonned (I just made marathon into a verb!) together in New Orleans, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, The Extraterrestrial Highway, Lake Tahoe, Long Beach, and now Silicon Valley. I always looking forward to seeing this Walking Diva.


I proudly wear my Marathon Maniacs shirt on race day for reason. It's my way of sending a signal to other Maniacs letting them know that I am on the premises. Have you ever traveled to a foreign country and you meet someone from your home town? I remember once I was on the Eiffel Tower (the one in Paris, France, not the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas!) and I saw someone one in a San Francisco State University sweat shirt. I naturally gravitated to that person and struck up a conversation. Sporting that Marathon Maniac shirt is no different. Sure enough, four people spotted me: soon to be Marathon Maniacs Tiffany and Andy Gates and newly minted maniacs Gina and Linda from the Bay Area! Sorry, Andy, my pic of you turned out way too blurry for publication.



And of course, there are the Dolphin South End Runners. Greg, the gentleman below, has run a marathon in 50 states. He's also the very first person in my running club that I met. One of the nicest people I know. The other two young ladies are first time marathoners! Yup, the Silicon Valley Marathon marked Sharon and Martha's inaugural marathons. Both of them were nervous, excited, happy, afraid, you name the emotion, they probably experienced it! What's really funny is that at about 8:29pm the night before the race, Martha posted this on her face book: "...find myself fretting about the number 26.2." I had to email her to tell her to chill out! By the way, Martha finished the race in 04:39:30. Not too shabby! I was very happy to be there for these two at the start line. It is very important for me to be there to cheer on the first timers, even if I am running the race too.

At about 6:50am, Dean Karnazes took the stage with his pre-race pep talk. Clad in Greek attire, Karnazes emulated Pheidippides, the soldier who ran from the battlefield in Marathon, Greece, to Athens to bring news of the Greek victory over the Persians. Today is a big day for runners all over the world, as it is the 2500th anniversary of the first marathon in Athens. After completing his speech, the race director fired off the gun and away we went!

So there I was at mile three plugging along. I'm minding my own business when I feel a presence come up right next to me. I turned to my left and was a little taken back by who I saw. I looked at the runner straight in the eye and said, "Dean? Is that you?" The person replied, "Yup!" It was Dean Karnazes! I was in a little bit of shock. I was thinking, "Whoa, I'm running with Dean Karanazes!" The next thing that came out of my mouth was, "Hello! I am Endorphin Dude!" Dean smiled and said he was pleased to meet me. The next thing that came out of my mouth is classic Endorphin Dude kookiness: "If you hit the wall at mile 18, just call on me and I will send you some endorphins!" I'm glad Dean Karnazes had a sense of humor about it! Come on now, Dean Karnazes hitting the wall at mile 18? Ridiculous! Dean laughed and at that point I asked if I could take a picture with him. He happily obliged. I then ran with Mr. Karnazes for the next quarter mile. Wow.

I'm glad I had my camera readily available for that impromptu photo shoot with Dean Karnazes. We took that shot on the go! After snapping that pic, I put my camera away so that I wouldn't slow down at every mile marker to take a picture. My goal for the day was to avoid my trigger happy fingers and just focus on the run. It's a good thing my buddy and fellow DSE member, Elizabeth McKay, was on the side lines cheering us on. Elizabeth got a few action shots of Endorphin Dude flying through the Silicon Valley!

Throughout this race, I felt confident and strong. The compression calf sleeves did wonders for me. All I need now is the the compression pants for my thighs and quads, which started to ache at about mile 19. I kept focused all the way through and to my shock, I was able to run the final 10k. I did take a very short walk break at about 24.2, but for the most part, I was able to keep a steady pace for the final 6.2 miles. I kept chanting to myself, "GOOFIFICATION! GOOFIFICATION! GOOFIFICATION!" Amazingly enough, that was enough to get me to that finish line under six hours. Imagine my shock and excitement when I looked up at the clock and saw that I had PR'ed by 8 whopping minutes!



Furthermore, imagine how incredibly warm and fuzzy I felt when I saw Elizabeth, Paul, Sharon, Sharon's dad Alex, and Martha cheering me on at the finish line! These folks from my running club did not have to wait for me, but they did. It's funny, I always refer to DSE as my "running club," but I have to say that they are more than just that. There is a reason why I wake up at the crack of dawn on Sundays to run with these folks. They are my friends and my running family, and I appreciate and love them!




Wow. What a weekend. I completed my 6th marathon one day after running half marathon #27. And, I PR'ed and finished under 6 hours. I am feeling soooooo good.


I cherish all my medals, but there's just something about this one that makes me choke up every time I see it. This piece of bling represents all the hard work I've done to prepare me for this half/full double combination. Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, I am so ready for you!!!!

On a final note, legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the victory message, then collapsed and died. Good thing that didn't happen to me this weekend!

Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon

There's this running event going on the second week of January at Disney World called "The Goofy Challenge." Some of you may have heard of this. The Goofy Challenge is part of the Disney World Marathon Weekend, and the task is to run a half marathon on Saturday through the park and then a full marathon the next day. If you complete both races, you get three bling-tastic medals. I registered for this race way back in March because I wanted all three pieces of hardware hanging around my neck. Mind you, I had not run a marathon at that time yet. Yes, a medal whore I am, there, I said it.

In any case, I paid an arm, a leg, and a few internal organs for that Goofy Challenge, so I had to work hard to prepare myself for this event. Over the past few months, I have been putting my body through what I call "The Goofification Process." As part of my training, I doubled up races on weekends, back to back. I started out small and worked my way up. My first attempt at the 5k/5k combination didn't kill me, so I moved up to the 5k/10k. Next thing I know, I was running a 10k on Saturday and then another 10k the next day. Eventually, I worked my way up to the 10k/half marathon and then the half/half combination. Amazingly enough, that back to back half marathons in one weekend wasn't too bad.

Fast forward a few months. After running five full marathons over the course of three months, I decided it was time to tackle my version of the Goofy Challenge, which I call "The Endoofy Challenge." Yup, Endorphin Dude was ready for that 39.3 mile run in one weekend. The two races that I chose for this monumental feat were The Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon on Saturday and The Silicon Valley Marathon on Sunday. Halloween weekend. Trick or treat!

First up: Healdsburg. I showed up on race day as an evil vampire bunny, complete with fangs. I paid tribute to my marathon twin, Dave Mari, by wearing a Paul Frank shirt. I thought Julius The Monkey represented as the skull and cross bones was appropriate. Hey, I'm sick of that tortoise always winning, so evil vampire bunny sucked up all his blood and ate him! How's that for a running costume?

I took this race nice and slow. I probably ran about 8 miles and walk/jogged 5. I didn't wanted to stress out my body too much the day before the full marathon. My goal was to complete the half marathon in 3:30, which is the time allotted for the Disney World half marathon. I had fun jogging and stopping along the way to take plenty of pictures. I've come to realize that I thoroughly enjoy running through wine country because there is so much scenery to soak in. I get bored running through residential areas, so it's nice to see vineyards, barn houses, and the occasional farm animal. I also had a lot fun interacting with the other runners in costume. Fun times.

I completed The Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon in 3:14:45, which is 15 minutes faster than I had anticipated. I didn't push myself too hard and my body felt great. After I crossed that finish line, I rushed to the shuttle so that I could be transported back to my car. I then zoomed on down to San Jose to pick up my race packet for part B of the Endoofy Challenge.


Ah, the life of the Marathon Maniac.

Los Angeles Rock & Roll Half Marathon

Non-marathoners ask me all the time, "why do you subject your body to all that pain?" Pain? I guess I don't see it the same way as they do. Sure, it hurts when I get deep into the race, but the truth of the matter is I really enjoy it. Non-marathoners don't get it. That's why I'm so glad when I show up at these races and see others just like me who truly understand why I do what I do, because they do it too. Behold, these are the Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics, at least a small sample of them.



It's funny, I've had Facebook relationships with most of the people in the above photo. These online relationships have ranged from the casual salutation and occasional comment on a photo to the scandalous online rendez-vous in the middle of the night. Ok, maybe it's not all that scandalous. In terms of "scandalous," I think the only incident that comes close is that of the Monkey Man hijacking my photo at the San Francisco Marathon. Check out this pic:

Can you believe it? Some guy in pink photo bombed Endorphin Dude! I had no clue at the time, but when I browsed through my digital camera later that night, I saw the mystery man in the monkey shirt cheesing it up behind me. This was Endorphin Dude's inaugural marathon and Monkey Man upstaged him on the Golden Gate Bridge! Luckily, the perpetrator had his name and number on his bib, so I was able to track him down. SMACK DOWN!!! I searched high and low, and ultimately I found the guy. Monkey man has a name, and it is Dave Mari. I requested Mr. Mari's friendship on Facebook and he happily accepted. Little did he know, I was plotting. Buhaha ha ha ha!

Let me tell you, things got weirder as I ran more races. After I entered the Insane Asylum as Marathon Maniac #2810, other maniacs and half fanatics started to approach me. The only problem was that they were coming up to me thinking I was the Monkey Man! No kidding. On three different occasions, I was mistaken for the man who photo bombed me. I seriously suffered the Jan Brady syndrome. My marathon world crumbled around me because everything was (Dave) Mari Mari Mari! I couldn't handle it. Everybody thought I was him!

This stressed me out so much that I rearranged my running schedule so that I would be on the same course as the ubiquitous Monkey Man to make him pay for what he did to me. Yes, I was going to find Dave Mari on race day and jump into his photo!!! Buhaha ha ha!!! You think I wanted to run the Los Angeles Rock & Roll Half because I wanted to? HECK NO!! In my world, everything is MARI MARI MARI! I hated being the marathon middle child so I had to make things right!!!

Come race day, I showed up with every intent to sneak up on Mr. Monkey Man and make faces in his photo. I was set to follow him all the way up to the finish line so that when he flashed his patented double peace sign and puckered lips, I would do the same from behind! Buhaha ha!!! I was so prepared for this. I took GU shots to give me energy to run from mile to mile to keep up with him. I hid behind port-o-potties and bushes waiting for him, while he took photo breaks with other marathoners. When the time was right, I pounced!

Well, I really did not get the reaction that I had anticipated. You see, when I met the guy in person, I realized that the reason why people mistaken us is because he really is my marathon twin. Dave Mari has such an positive outlook on life and he's so much fun to be around. Hey, if people think I'm him for these reasons, then I'll take it! I decided there and then on race day that there was going to be no sneaking up on anybody. My Monkey Man Marathon Twin and I will share every photo together! Jan Brady, go ahead and get yourself a black afro wig to make yourself stand out, I'm going to stick with Monkey Man! Dave Mari is my friend and not my foe! Take that! Oh wait, Jan, forget that wig. Dave already did pulled that stunt in Chicago! Always one step ahead, that Monkey Man.



If you haven't figure it out already, I was totally jesting. I loved the fact that Dave popped up in my picture on the Golden Gate Bridge. All my friends thought it was a hoot when they saw the photo. I had to find this guy so that I could tag him. More importantly, I just wanted to be his friend. I'm glad that we were able to finally meet in person.

There were many other Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics whom I met for the first time other than Dave. The night before the race, we all met up at at the San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles to celebrate Stephanie Elfman Breadsher's 50th birthday. I got to see Marathon Mitch and Jessica Wabbitz again. I also met Sef Cuesico, Mayra Hernandez, Jenn and Robert English, Sherry Ricker, Henry Kuwahara, and Ethan Hopkin. It was awesome to match of up the Facebook profile with the face in person! Of course, we carried the party into the crack of dawn on race day!


There's Half Fanatic, Henry Kuwahara! Notice that we are paying tribute to Dave Mari. That's Monkey Man's signature pose.


There's Sherry Ricker and Ethan Hopkin. Sherry was one of the first Half Fanatic I became Facebook friends with. It's awesome to finally meet her in person, as we kept missing each other at other races. On the other side of me is Sherry's partner in crime, Ethan Hopkin. When I met Ethan, the first thing I said was, "I've seen your face all over Facebook! So glad to finally meet you in person!" Of course, these two struck the Endorphin pose with me.


There's the gang! I see Jenn English, Dave Mari, Jessica Wabbitz, Dianasaur, and Nancy Hamilton Shumard. There were about ten cameras flashing, which explains why Dianasaur is looking the other way!


In any case, I came into the Inaugural Los Angeles Rock & Roll Half Marathon expecting to have fun. After coming off a full marathon in Long Beach seven days earlier, I really didn't want to push myself too hard in LA. Besides, I knew that a bunch of Maniacs and Fanatics would be out there, so it would be one big party. Indeed it was. I ran with my new running buddy, Dianasaur, took lots of walk breaks, had multiple photo shoots, high fived a whole lot of people, and just straight up had fun! Along the way, I met some fans, admirers, and a whole lot of endorphin-charged half marathoners. This race was too much fun.

Here's a shot of Dianasaur, the funnest running partner I could ever find! I wasn't kidding when I said we took a lot walking break and had multiple photo shoots!

Two Tutu Admirers! I met these two in Long Beach the week before and they remembered me. Ladies, if you're reading this blog, friend me on Facebook!

At mile ten, this guy jogged up to me and said, "keep up the good work with the blog." He introduced himself as Louie and said that he enjoyed reading my work. I was stunned! I have fans!


And then when I crossed the finish line, waiting for me there was the Competitor Group photographer, Lester. It's no secret that I love the Rock & Roll events, and that's why I keep coming back for more. The guys at there are awesome. So far, I've met Natalie, Ryan, Ryan, Megan, and now Lester. It's so nice to cross that finish line and have someone there cheering you on.


What an incredible weekend. The Los Angeles Rock & Roll Half Marathon marked my 26th half marathon to date, and I have to say, this was the funnest out of them all. As I sat at LAX waiting for my flight, I kept saying to myself over and over again, "Did I just run my 26th half marathon?? One week after running my 5th full marathon??" People tell me all the time that I am a machine. I truly am beginning to believe it.