2010

• La Jolla Half Marathon , April 25, 2010. Shockingly, I managed to beat my modest personal best HM time from the SFM. Not sure how it happened, since preparation for this run was pretty sketchy, but I think GU Energy Gel may have had something to do with it. Placebo or not, I think I'll be carrying those little sugar packs with me for future runs. Next year, that elusive two hour milestone will fall. GJ's to Hoang, Bridgett, Phil, and Sam.
  

2009

• La Jolla Half Marathon , April 26, 2009. The race began in Del Mar, progressed through Torrey Pines Reserve, and ended in La Jolla Cove. The view of the ocean in the first portion of the race almost makes you forget about the massive hill looming. The course was effectively 'home court' -- although you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at my finishing time -- since we ran most of it during our _training_ session; which for me was abridged for various reasons: sickness, research deadlines, excuses, excuses, etc. In any case, I've again fallen below the mean in my division and lost a few more percentage points on my age-grade. I'm hungry for redemption. Seattle marathon, I'm looking in your direction. Finally, great job to my fellow runners Hoang, Natalie, Jim, and Becca! Pictures.
  

2008

• AIDS Walk San Diego 10k September 28, 2008. This 10k was probably the most forgettable race I've participated in so far -- but I thought I'd document it on this page anyways. The course itself was kind of neat as it pretty much followed the perimeter of Balboa Park. Problems: we arrived at the race super late, and actually ended up jogging for about half a mile to the starting line just to get there on time; and, preparation for this run was somewhere between minimal to non-existent. Not even the obligatory Lorna's meal could compensate for our laziness. Although, as an editorial note, Lorna's is a great restaurant, go check it out. For some reason the result snippet says I'm 29 years old. I'm not.
  

• The San Francisco Half Marathon August 3, 2008. The SFM was amazing. Anyone who is just getting into distance running or has been doing it for a while should try to do this race at least once in their lives. The location was stunning and atmosphere was electric. The races started at 5:30AM on the pier adjacent to the Bay Bridge. Spirits were high at the start and there was a great feeling of camaraderie among the participants; along with the gorgeous bridge being lit up like a christmas tree. The route itself was mostly flat with a few moderate hills leading up to the Golden Gate bridge. Running the bridge was a lot of fun. It was just you, the bridge, cold winds, and a thousand of your best friends. The weather was very forgiving (read: cold) and contrasted sharply with that of the Palos Verdes Marathon. Special thanks to my unnamed running buddy whom I affectionately called Blue. He helped me pace myself and provided inspiration as a 60 year old marathoner!. One thing I learned: a good way to keep your mind occupied during the race is to give the people next to you nicknames and creative backstories =D. Also, great job to my fellow runers Jonathan, Fergus, and Kevin.
  

• The Palos Verdes Half Marathon May 20, 2008. The Palos Verdes half marathon was extremely difficult mentally and physically. The course itself had an unfortunate number of hills and, on top of that, the weather during the bulk of the race was very warm. The race was in San Pedro, CA, which is a city near Los Angeles towards the coast. I started off the race with a pace that was not sustainable (~7-8) and paid dearly in the end (~slow). The number of times I had to stop and walk was somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15 and I was getting passed constantly during the second half of the race. Despite those novice mistakes, I was OK with final result; I was glad that I finished at all. Great job to Hoang, who caught up and eventually passed me in the last few miles. Lesson learned: when one is in a marathon, one must run with humility (a lesson for life?), i.e. maintain a steady pace. Thanks a bunch to Jeff who was hospitable enough to let us stay at his place the night before, and took pictures for us at the finish line. Yet again, the number of males in my age group was incredibly small (23), while the total number of finishers was 1383. As a footnote, this race will be the last time I wear my cotton UW t-shirt in a distance run. Comfort >> Pride. Sorry huskies. Pictures.
  

• La Jolla Shores 5k , April 27, 2008. This was a nice 5k run along La Jolla Shores and up to La Jolla Cove. The race consisted of about 1/3 downhill, 1/3 flat, and 1/3 uphill running. Interestingly enough, out of a thousand runners, with almost half of them men, there were only 38 runners in my 19-24 age division despite the fact that it was held within 5 miles of UCSD campus O_o. The uphill portion slowed me down quite a bit, but I was satisfied with my finish given it was my first official race. Great job to Hoang and Jerry as well! Pictures.