My experience of the Kaua'i Half Marathon

You can view photos from the race in my last post.

Here are some highlights from the half marathon on the island of Kaua'i:

• I finished the half marathon in 2:15:56, which is high (not great) for me. Two reasons why so high: 1) I didn't train as well for this as I have for my past two half marathons, and so my IT band started acting up. More on that below. 2) This half had a crazy quantity and grade of constant incline - the first 6 miles were entirely up-hill!
• Friends Aaron and Maria Katz finished in 1:58:42 and 1:57:55, respectively. Despite the uphill battle, they were able to come in under 2 hours for their first half marathon ever! Congratulations!
• It rained - no, poured - on us two or three times throughout the race. The temperature was a moderate 70 - 80 degrees the entire race - not bad!
• The views were unforgettable. Unfortunately, I decided not to bring a camera or camera-enabled cell phone for the race, so I didn't get any action shots, but will find someone who did and post them here.

My splits:

• Mile 1: 9:34
• Mile 2: 9:57
• Mile 3: 10:12
• Mile 4: 10:20
• Mile 5: 10:10
• Mile 6: (big hill) 11:58
• Mile 7: 10:48
• Mile 8: 10:41
• Mile 9: 10:03
• Mile 10: 10:07
• Mile 11: 11:08

I stopped getting splits at mile 12 and 13 due to mechanical failure (my iPod was harder to use after all the downpouring of rain on it, and it was my stop watch for the race).

I actually slowed down throughout the race, despite the fact that miles 1-6 were uphill and miles 7-13 were all pretty much downhill, and this is because my illiotibial tendon started to ache pretty badly. This was an injury caused when I did the Las Vegas full marathon in 2007, and it's something I need to see a physical therapist about soon or it's going to continue to impact my times. My goal would be to eventually beat my Personal Record (PR) of 1:55, but I signed up for this half marathon with the intention of simply experiencing a race on the islands of Hawaii, and this race was created with the goal of becoming "The U.S.'s most beautiful marathon race." I say they have a pretty strong chance of winning that title, and I believe registration numbers will pick up year over year.

Overall, it was an excellent race. There was a large service staff. They were able to get each service station (9 of them throughout the entire half marathon course - that's a LOT!) sponsored by different companies who each brought out a lot of water aids. The start and finish lines were well-organized with photographers, RFID chips for time tracking, aid stations like free beer, food and massages.

Completed the Kaua'i Half Marathon

Today, I finished the half-marathon in Kaua'i, Hawaii with two friends: Aaron & Maria Katz. This was Kaua'i's first marathon and half, and roughly 2,500 runners from 47 different states showed up to race.

First, some photos....highlights from the race, as well as chip times, will be posted tomorrow.

A picture taken of me after the race, on some rocks by the beach right near the finish line.

Aaron, Maria and me after the race.

Chris and me - he greeted us at the finish line with champagne to toast our success!

A new year = a fresh start

So tonight I am up late after a long New Year's Day, contemplating how I'm going to be sure that I get a great start on running this year and that I keep up running as my fitness routine. I'm aiming for consistency and efficiency. I want to run regularly to gain and maintain weight loss and overall health - both mental and physical, as running provides benefits to both - as well as efficiency through good technique that will keep me injury free and enjoying running. I noticed that when I'm not efficient with diet and other areas of health, it impacts both my desire to run and my ability to go longer distances or make good time.

So, at least I was able to document my two goals here. I'd like to post every day with details of my runs, such as distances, times, locations, general experiences, and overall feelings during and after the run. Hopefully keeping a log of my running life will encourage my toward my fitness goals this year. Also, I'll continue to keep writing about the St. Louis running community. I am by no means a great "runner" as other elite or competitive runners in the area might consider themselves, but I do love to run and want to encourage it as a positive, easy and fun form of fitness within the community.

Last year, I ran my first full marathon, and after the marathon experienced illiotibial band syndrome and what I think might have been plantar fasciitis. Both were some of the most painful injuries I've ever felt and prevented me from being able to run more than 5 minutes at a time. After much rest, stretching, short runs, new shoes and an IT band support for my leg, I am ready to get back in and go back to my former routine of 3 to 5 mile runs throughout the week, at least 4 out of 5 week days, and then 6 to 10 mile runs on the weekends.

Happy New Year, and cheers to you all!

Running Site Review

Site of the week: BestWorkoutMusic.com

I am one of those people who simply cannot run without my Ipod Nano. I also love my Nike Plus sport piece as well. More on that later. Anyway, BestWorkoutMusic.com was one of my favorite discoveries recently. The site basically allows you to indicate your minutes per mile or your miles per hour and then select your favored music genre to find specific songs that match the beat of your steps at your pace! It's a phenomenal tool, really. The only problems I see with the site right now are:

1. lack of intuitive interface and impressive site design
2. lack of extensive library of recommendations (but still decent)
3. lack of stickiness - where's the Web 2.0 community aspect? This site has a really neat too. They should capitalize on this by getting me to sign up for a newsletter or a free account or have a forum or something.

Other than those comments, great site. It's helped me find a few good tunes to match my beat so I can keep myself motivated.

In case you're wondering, my chosen beat is 140 bpm (beats per minute).

Saint Louis Races - June, 2007

Sat 2nd ~ Child Center-Marygrove 5K Run/Walk for the Children at 8am in Florissant, MO ~ 314.830.6226

Sat 2nd ~ Hillsboro Homecoming & Festival 5K Run/Walk at 8am at Hillsboro City Hall ~ 636.789.2034

Sat 2nd ~ St. Monica Carnival 5K and Family 1M Fun Run at 8am at Olive and 270 ~ 314.878.9036

Sat 2nd ~ 4th Annual Service Above Self Rotary Club of Swansea 5K Run/Walk at 8:30am in Swansea, IL ~ 618.304.2317

Sat 2nd ~ TPNA 5K Run and Walk at 8:30am in Tilles Park ~ 314.667.5538

Sat 2nd ~ Music City Distance Carnival 400/800/1M/1600/3200/5000 at 4:30pm at Vanderbilt U ~ 615.513.7327

Sun 3rd ~ Need for Speed 8K at 7am in Chesterfield, MO (FF) ~ 636.939.0161

Sun 3rd ~ Make Tracks for the Zoo 5K/1M/0.5c at 8am in Forest Park (E/S) ~ 314.768.5440

Sun 3rd ~ Tour de Troy 5K/0.5M at 8am in Troy, MO ~ 636.262.9135

Mon 4th ~ St. Louis Race Walk Club Summer Series 1500m at 6:45pm at Pattonville High School ~ 314.838.9486

Sat 9th ~ Crusader 5K at 8am at Althoff Catholic High School, Belleville, IL

Sat 9th ~ Route 66 Festival 10K at 8am in City Park, Edwardsville, IL ~ 618.407.3643

Sat 9th ~ Roll on the River 5K and 1M Fun Run at 9am in downtown St. Louis (Washington and 13th) ~ 314.289.4290

Mon 11th ~ St. Louis Race Walk Club Summer Series 3000m at 6:45pm at Pattonville High School ~ 314.838.9486

Sat 16th ~ June Jamboree 5K at 8am in New Baden, IL ~ 618.224.9836

Sat 16t ~ Heart and Sole 2.25M Family Walk for Disaster Relief at 8am at Carlyle Lake, IL ~ 618.594.8261

Sun 17th ~ 1st Annual Care for Kids 5K Run at 9am in Freeburg, IL ~ 618.475.2985

Mon 18th ~ St. Louis Race Walk Club Summer Series 5000m at 6:30pm at Pattonville High School ~ 314.838.9486

Sat 23rd ~ Crestwood 60th Anniversary 5K Run at 7am in Whitecliff Park, Crestwood, MO ~ 314.729.4860

Sat 23rd ~ Walking Ramblers Forest Park/Clayton/Back 16/17M Walk at 7:30am at the FP Visitor’s Center ~ 314.727.4441

Sat 23rd ~ 6th Annual Running Raider Classic 10K, 5K Run/Walk, and 1M Fun Run at 8am in Quincy, IL ~ 217.223.5529

Sat 23rd ~ Care for Kids 5K at 9am in Freeburg, IL ~ 618.475.2985

Sat 23rd ~ Goomna Adventure 55-60M Race at 9am in Spindler Park, Highland, IL ~ 618.651.1386

Sun 24th ~ 21st Kirkwood-Webster 5K Run and Kid’s 1M at 7:30am at the K-WG Family YMCA (E/S) ~ 314.962.9622

Sun 24th ~ 26th Annual Ballwin Days 5K/1M Run at 8am in Vlasis Park, Ballwin, MO ~ 636.207.2388 x7

Mon 25th ~ St. Louis Race Walk Club Summer Series 3200m at 6:45pm at Pattonville High School ~ 314.838.9486

Sat 30th ~ PTA’s 5K Walk for Healthy Kids from 6:30-8am at the Arch ~ 312.670.6782 x382

Sat 30th ~ 4th Annual Firecracker 5K/1M and 1M Walk at 8am at Central High School in Park Hills, MO ~ 573.431.1051

Sat 30th ~ Freedom Fest 5K/1M at 8:30am in Orchard Park in St. Clair, MO ~ 636.629.2414

Sat 30th ~ Summer Sizzler 5K at 9pm at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS ~ 816.304.3969

Saint Louis Races - May, 2007

Races in the St. Louis area in May, 2007:

Thu 24th ~ St. Louis Race Walk Club 1500m at 6:30pm at Pattonville High School ~ 314.838.9486

Sat 26th ~ Run for Bonifest 5K and 2M Walk at 8:30am in Edwardsville, IL ~ 618.656.4388

Sat 26th ~ Alliance on Mental Illness/NAMI 5K/1M Walk at 9am at the Forest Park Upper Muny Lot ~ 314.966.4670

Mon 28th ~ University City Memorial Day 10K/5K Run at 7:30am at the U. City Public Library

Mon 28th ~ Memorial Day 5M/2K Lions Run and 2M Walk at 8am in Lindendale Park, Highland, IL (FF) ~ 618.654.6970

Mon 28th ~ Memorial Day Biathlon 5M/15Mb at 8am in Lindendale Park, Highland, IL (FF) ~ 618.654.6970

Thu 31st ~ Racing for a Reason 5K Run/Walk and 1M Run at 6pm at Pere Marquette Park ~ 573.883.7026

Great running books for women

I got into running somewhat seriously as a hobby and for regular cardiovascular exercise a little bit over a year ago. At the time, I was very new to running and didn't know much about its impact on my body (positive or negative) and best practices when training for races or how to maintain proper nutrition and form. I found the following books to be extremely helpful.

The Complete Book of Running for Women
Claire Kowalchik
Price: $10.88 (Amazon.com)

This book is like my bible. Ever since I developed a deeper love and addiction to running, I go back to this book time and again to answer my questions and keep me on a healthy, safe track to gaining all of the benefits of running. I would recommend it to any and every woman getting started in running.




Fast Track: Training and Nutrition Secrets from America's Top Female Runner
Suzy Favor-Hamilton
Price: $12.44 (Amazon.com)

This book is the next step to getting into running. It really focuses on helping you train for a race and also has a big focus on nutrition. Favor-Hamilton is a proponent of protein shakes and supplements that will help improve your performance, but she also makes excellent recommendations for meal plans and hydration that I still follow today. This is a must-read.