What to do when you don't want to do it?

Here is a scenario.

"You have been training for months and months for races. You mostly enjoy your days, enjoy the pain, and love how a good training day makes you feel. You even love and learn to cope with less than optimal days where something wasn't right. You train hard, day in and day out. All of a sudden, things change. You develop dislike (and sometimes even  hate) towards your daily regimen. You do not look forward to getting in the water, you begin to slowly hate your bike, and you can't stand running. You feel mentally and physically exhausted and all you want to do is to do everything else but train."

This actually happened to me this week. I've been training hard for both American River 50 mile run and Ironman Canada for a number of months with almost no break, charging full steam ahead. This past weekend was the Wildflower Triathlon. The events went fine. I didn't do as well as I hoped I would do but I also didn't enjoy them as much as I did in the years past. After returning back to Los Angeles, Katherine and I tried a 3 mile run. I absolutely hated it. Every second of it. From then on, I basically lost all interest in training. I didn't want to get in the water, sit on a saddle, and worse of all, run. This was unlike me. All I wanted to do is eat, watch TV, and sleep. Needless to say (and without much of an option), I listened to my body. I didn't force myself, I took some time off from training and did exactly that, eat and watch TV. It was every bit as enjoyable as I thought it would be. Then, something funny happened last night.... I began to crave running again. Not just 'wanting' but actually craving. So I ran, with no expectations, no goals. I ran to run. I loved it and now, I am back. Recharged and ready to tackle the next few months of intense training for Ironman Canada.

Why am I saying this? Burnouts happen to us all. Don't push through them. Don't do anything you hate, life is too short for that. Take time off and do something you like. Learn a new skill, visit family and friends, have fancy dinners, or do whatever you basically want. Burnouts are temporary but if you constantly force yourself without giving your body and mind the opportunity to recover, then the consequences can be long-lived and even permanent. You'll come back better, stronger, and more importantly, happier. Taking time off is important for both your mind and body. Thank you for reading.

The Past 2 Years

What have I done since my last update?

Life has been keeping me busy and out of trouble (for the most part). I have continued to train, raced in a number of races, hit some low points, high points, bonked, recovered, gained weight, lost weight, crashed (literally and figuratively), got up again, and eventually moved on. No matter what you do, no matter what goals you have, continued forward momentum is what will make you reach the finish line, it's what will make your dreams come true, it's what will make you, you. You will always have people who will despise you, despise your goals, try to knock you down a notch, and those who will come between you and the "finish line". I used to say that they do this because of jealousy... this may have some truth to it, but in all honesty, it doesn't really matter. Your goal is to minimize the associations with negative influences and maximize the positive.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers.

Ok, enough preaching....

What have I done? My last update was "Wildflower 2009" in May of 2009. Since then, here are the races that I have completed and my time:

• San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon (May 2009), 3:11
• Vineman Ironman Distance Triathlon (August 2009), 11:21
• Magic Mountainman, Half Ironman Distance Tri (October 2009), 5:49
• California International Marathon (December 2009), 3:13
• 13.1 LA Half Marathon (January 2010), 1:30
• LA Marathon (March 2010), 3:04
• Wildflower Long Half Ironman Distnace Tri (May 2010), 5:39
• San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon (May 2010), 3:09
• Vineman Ironman Distnace Triathlon (July 2010), 11:36
• Malibu Marathon (November 2010), 3:15

One of my lifelong goals was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and I did, during 2010 LA Marathon. Training for speed was the key to accomplish this task. I could not have done it without the support from my family, and my best friends & training partners Alison Chavez, Angela Brunson, Kyla Faye, Lisa Fink, and Ankur Tarneja, who all have yelled at me many times when I started to slack off. Of course, my running coach, John Medina is the greatest. He has taught me patience, pacing, and re-ignited my passion for running. My triathlon coaches, Paul Ruggiero and Rad Hallman are two more people I am honored to have in my life. They have taught me pretty much how to swim, how to ride my bike, run, and to combine all of the above. Ankur's famous words, "stop dragging ass" is what keeps me going during the last 4 miles of pretty much all my events. Ankur, btw, is a 2:36 marathoner. Of course, Angela's "Do, or do not. There is no try." motto is what I keep reminding myself time and time again when I think about "trying" something. Angela has done the world's shortest races and the longest and most certainly, toughest. From a 1 mile fun runs, to having done 30 marathons, to having completed the world's toughest foot race, the Badwater 135 ultra marathon running 135 miles in 120+ degree heat. Kyla is my amazing celebrity superstar friend. She's definitely my most famous friend who was Miss Utah, in addition to being in Fear Factor, fitness competitions, modeling, and tons of other TV & print stuff. She's also a kick ass personal trainer, has qualified for Boston marathon numerous times, and ran Boston. Lisa Fink is my other speedy friend. Calling Lisa "fast" would be a HUGE understatement. She's not only fast, she's "I am going to win this thing" fast. The 2010 LA marathon was her PR with a time of 3:03. nearly 25,000 people ran the race and she won her age group. She has also won the 2009 Malibu Marathon, and came in 2nd in 2010. Alison Chavez is my best friend. She is among the most athletic and successful people I know with 10+ marathons, 3 Ironmans a really hard 50K utramarathon (with 8000 ft elevation gain), a 4.8 mile ultra swim race, many centuries, half ironmans, and tons of other stuff under her belt. When I don't feel like getting up in the mornings, I play the "what is Alison up to" game. So, name suggesting, I log onto facebook and see what Alison is up to at 5AM. She's either swimming, riding, running, taking a spin class, doing weights, boot camp, or any of the combinations thereof. Next thing I know, I am putting on my running shoes or my helmet. Should I mention that she does all this alongside working 10-16 hour days? There are so many other people who, for the sake of keeping this thing semi-short, I have not mentioned. However, I can write pages on every single one of my good friends, whom I would give my life for in a heartbeat.

Obviously, the point of this is to thank my friends. But even a bigger point is to emphasize the importance of positive attitudes. Sure, you can do things on your own, but it's just so much easier (and funner) to do it with others. So, whatever your goals are, get to know like-minded people, get your hands on quality how-to information (whether it's a coach or a reputable training plan) and just do it (remember, there is no 'try').

Let's see, what else is new? There is a wonderful new woman in my life with a nickname "Tough Cupcake". It was supposed to be tough cookie, but she likes cupcakes better. I mean, who doesn't? Cookies are soooooooooooo yesterday. I met her in Spring 2010, during our first date, which was a bike ride, our conversation went something like this:

Me: "Do you want to do an Ironman?"
Katherine (aka tough cupcake): "Sure, why not. Sounds fun".

From that point, she not only busted her butt and trained religiously, but she absolutely ROCKED Vineman Ironman Distance triathlon in July 2010 with a time of 13:13 and coming in 6th in her age division. I should mention that prior to Vineman, she had never done a marathon or a triathlon longer than a sprint. Her and I plan on running Comrades Marathon (56 mile foot race) in South Africa on May 2011.

As for my near-term goals, I will repeat 13.1 LA in January 2011, then attempt a PR at LA Marathon in March, then Boston Marathon in April, Comrades Marathon in May, and Challenge UK (Ironman distance Tri) in September 2011.

Thanks for reading this, friends. As my all time fitness mentor, Tom Venuto says, "Train Hard and Expect Success".

Be Well,

Arkady

Carlsbad Marathon 2009

I've received numerous emails to do a post-race review of the 2009 Carlsbad Marathon I completed recently. Honestly, the highlights of the race were minimal. It was, what I call a JAM (just another marathon). However, I will try to recap the day's events and offer a few suggestions:

My ultimate goal for doing the Carlsbad marathon was to qualify for the upcoming Boston Marathon. Honestly, I don't really care about actually running Boston, just qualifying for it is succinct for me. The marathon started at 6AM and my hotel was approximately 1 mile from the race start. Purposely, I woke up extra early and decided to jog to the marathon start so that I am warmed up and don't waste any energy in the beginning of the race. I started jogging, only to found out that I was going in the wrong direction. After running for about 10 minutes, I see no cars, no crowds, and no fellow joggers. I became slightly alarmed and decided to walk into a 7-11 to find out where the Westfield Shopping Center was (race start and finish). I was informed that I went completely the wrong direction. If I was slightly nervous then, I became very nervous upon hearing this. With only about 20 minutes to the race start and being about 3 miles away, I literally sprinted those three miles. While I was running at a good pace, I actually felt pretty strong throughout my journey to the start line. I got there a little after 6 and was really glad to hear that the race is being delayed for 15 minutes due to technical difficulties.

I met a few runners, made some friends, and as soon as the clock hit 6:13 AM, the gun went off and the 2009 Carlsbad Marathon had officially begun. The first 6 miles went really well. I was at about 6:30 average pace, with a faster sub-6 on the downhills and slower on the inclines. Feeling great, I decided to step it up a notch. For the next few miles, I was going at about 6:15 pace. At about mile 9, there was a long incline, which lasted for a couple of miles. Wanting to conserve some energy for the flats and the downhills, I decided to tackle this hill quite slowly. Could've gone much faster, but I dropped my pace down to 9-10 minutes per mile for the next 2-3 miles. As soon as the hill was over, I picked up the pace again to average about 7-7:30 pace for the next several miles. The only highlight between mile 10 and 16 is when the half marathon pros zoomed by me at about 4 min/mile pace. It was an incredible thing to watch as the motorcade passed me along with two black runners (possibly from Ethiopia or Kenya).

Starting at mile 17, I started to become fatigued but still kept a decent pace of about 7:30 a mile. I was about 10 minutes ahead of my goal for doing a Boston Qualifier. Realizing that I can probably do a sub-3 marathon, I picked up my pace again (even though the fatigue was setting in and my knees and ankles were beginning to ache). I crown my decision to keep faster speed even though my body didn't want to, the dumbest decision of the day. Around mile 21, I developed a twitch in my left hamstring. It became increasingly painful as the miles progressed. This, in addition to achy joints, made me realize that I am in for a very painful 5 miles. However, I was still able to run the following 2 miles, although not very fast. Starting just over mile 23, my hamstring twitch made me stop running. I physically could not!! Every time I tried to take a step with my left leg, my hamstring would contract rapidly, which made me lose my balance. These last 2-3 miles were probably one of the more painful marathon experiences in my life. It took me nearly 40 minutes to cover the last two miles, shattering my goal of qualifying for Boston.

Even though I tried to stay hydrated throughout the race, I realized that the lack of electrolytes may have caused the cramps in my hamstring. Most liquid I drank on course was plain water. However, I think that the biggest mistake I made was going out too fast, too hard. That may have worked as I got a boost of confidence knowing that I am ahead of my goal. However, it was a short-lived hope. As the saying goes, "Slow and Steady wins the Race". I will try this on my next marathon.

Speaking of next marathon, I will be running the Napa Valley Marathon on March 1, 2009. I will take everything I learned from Carlsbad and applying to Napa.

Before I conclude, I would like to thank a few people... My running partner and good friend, Angela Brunson. If it wasn't for her, I would've never done this marathon. Having run 25 marathons and numerous ultramarathons (including the world-famous Badwater), she knows exactly what she's doing, both in terms of training AND injury prevention. In fact, her softball trick is what really helped me to get over my IT Band Syndrome two weeks before the race. In addition to running, she has also inspired me to take up rock climbing, ice skating, adventure racing, and even learning how to ride a motorcycle. So, Thank You Angela.

Next... My Brother, Harout. Harout recently moved in to Los Angeles to live with me. Being fairly inactive and a smoker, as soon as he moved to Los Angeles, he began his path to healthier him. In the first two weeks of being in Los Angeles, Harout has taken up Aikido & Jujitsu, Ice Skating, and he is training for his first ever Marathon with Team in Training. Way to go Bro!!

Last but certainly not least, my girlfriend and my best friend, Cynthia. She has been very supportive of me throughout my weight loss, Ironman training, and overall understanding. If it wasn't for her, I would've never started running, which means I would've never been doing a review of Carlsbad Marathon nor would I have become an Ironman. I am in the best physical shape of my life and I owe majority of my success to Cynthia. Thank you Love!!!

Favorite Fat Loss Exercises

As promised, here are my three favorite exercises for fat loss.

Before going into too much detail, from my previous post, it should be obvious that in order to lose body fat, one must create a calorie deficit. So, instead of listing the best exercises for fat loss, I will list exercises, which burn the most amount of calories.


1. Running

If done correctly running is by far the best exercise to burn the maximum amount of calories in the shortest amount of time. In addition, it's inexpensive and requires no additional equipment other than a good pair of running shoes and some basic attire. The hype about running being dangerous is just pure nonsense. However, this only applies if running is done correctly. Wearing improper/worn-out running shoes, form imperfections, doing more than your body can handle, and other issues will most likely lead to injury. So, take some time, learn the basics of running, and you're off.

Why is running so efficient for burning calories? One of the biggest reason is that while one burns lots of calories during the activity, running also makes people burn calories after. It is a high-impact activity and there is definitely tissue damage taking place (nothing to be too concerned about, if done properly). Therefore, right after running, the body uses much energy to repair all those tissues and prep you for running session #2. Also, running not only involves the legs, but also the upper body. This results in more blood circulation, which results in a faster heart rate. This also plays an incremental role in increased calorie expenditure.

2. Cycling/Spinning

Contrary to running cycling is a very low-impact activity. An ordinary person may not be able to run for 90 minutes nonstop, but they may very well be able to cycle for 90 minutes. More minutes translate to more calories. While easy pace cycling on a flat road doesn't burn as much calories as running, it oftentimes can be a more enjoyable form of exercise. Ideally, the heart rate stays slightly lower while cycling simply because the upper body doesn't do much. Friends may decide to have a 3-hour leisurely ride on a Saturday afternoon or just head to the store located about 20 miles away to buy some basic groceries. Point being, cycling doesn't have to be considered an exercise, rather a hobby, which burns calories on the side.

Spinning, typically done in increments of 45-60 minutes, burns much more calories than leisurely cycling. The fact that most spin classes integrate intervals, simulate climbing, and also recovery translates to increased calorie expenditures. Hill climbing on a bicycle is also a great way of burning increased amount of calories. However, hill climbing (depending on the grade) is much more strenuous and may not be suitable for those who are just beginning. On contrary, most spin classes allow you to go at your own pace, set your own intensity and resistance, therefore, the experience is customized to your liking.

3. Weight Training

I do realize that "weight training" is quite vague, but point being, it is, or at least should be an important part of any one's fat loss plan. Weight training in itself doesn't burn a lot of calories, at least not when compared to running and cycling. However, weight training is essential for increased metabolism. Muscle is a metabolic tissue (as opposed to fat). The more muscle one has, the more calories they burn at rest. If doing cardio is the primary source of calorie expenditure, then muscle is bound to be lost triggering a decrease in metabolism. Weight training helps preserve those muscles and thus keep the metabolism at a constant level.

So, how many calories???
These numbers are based on one of my clients' fitness GPS (with HR monitor) readouts. I'll call him Mark, even though that's not his real name. Here are Mark's statistics:

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 186

• One hour of easy running (heart rate between 135-145) yields approximately 720 calories.
• One hour of medium intensity running (heart rate between 145-155) yields approximately 890 calories.
• 30 minutes of high intensity running yields about 550 calories
• One hour of easy cycling = 520 calories
• One hour of medium intensity cycling = 750 calories
  
• 30 minutes of climbing (6% grade) = 500 calories
• One hour spin class = 920 calories
• One hour full body weight training = 300 calories (approx)
  

Abandoning my New Mission

Dear Friends,

I have decided to abandon my mission of having a clearly defined six-pack by March 1, 2009. While this action on my part may indicate failure, and if you'd to think of it as such, that's fine. However, I would like to clarify a few miss-conceptions and hope that you, my dear reader may place this in a separate context. First of all, my decision to abandon the mission isn't based on the difficulty and the commitment required to accomplish my goal. Ask any fitness professional who know what they're talking about and they will tell you that in order to have a clearly defined abdominal muscles one needs to lose body fat. In order to lose body fat, that someone must create a calorie deficit. Now, what is a calorie deficit? Simply put, it is the act of consuming less calories than your body burns. As some of you know, I have dubbed myself to be an endurance athlete and my race calendar for 2009 is quite full of races and events. Starting with Carlsbad Marathon on January 25, 2009 and finishing with an Ultramarathon in December of 2009. Throw in a couple of Ironmans, and a half Ironmen between, and you literally have a full time job called "training". Add to this, my other full time job which actually brings in money to pay for the expenses caused by the "other" job. The nutritional requirements for someone on a fat loss plan doesn't necessarily coincide with someone training for a marathon or an Ironman. For example, many fat loss experts advocate whole grain and whole wheat as preferable carbohydrate sources and discourage of simple carbohydrates while on a fat loss plan. However, while the aforementioned sources are an important part of anyone's diet, starchy foods such as white bread and potatoes are also preferred carb sources for endurance athletes.

In the past few weeks, I have found myself transitioning back to fat loss nutrition and quite honestly, my endurance performance has suffered because of it. I have increasingly found myself with less energy throughout the day and I dehydrate faster during my training. Therefore, I feel like I would be doing a disfavor to my athletic endeavors and ultimately my body by continuing to be on a strict fat loss plan.

I will continue updating my blog and will make extra time to increase the frequency. In the meantime, if you reside in Southern California, please visit and sign up for my running group:
http://www.meetup.com/The-Santa-Monica-Running-Group/

You can also be my facebook friend


In an unrelated note, Tom Venuto, my all time fitness and fat loss mentor has just published a new book titled "The Body Fat Solution". It is NOT your ordinary diet book... Get more information by visiting:
http://www.thebodyfatsolution.com/

It is also available in audio version from http://audible.com

David Goggins Ultramarathon 150 mile Run

David Goggins, the ultramarathon runner.. Check out this great and motivtional video.

Dean Karnazes, the Ultramarathon man ...........Will be attempting to earn yet another place in the Guinness Book of World records by covering the most amount of miles run on the treadmill in 48 consecutive hours. In order to achieve this, he will need to cover 240.11 miles in 48 consecutive hours. After 10 hours, Dean had already covered 70 miles and looks to be on track to his goal.

Here he is in WABC studios in New York City... Check out the guy watching while having a death stick, I mean a cigarette......
Photo by Jeff Dengate

Go Dean! Come back in the next couple of days to find out if Dean reached his goal.

For more, visit http://www.runnersworld.com/48hours/

2008 Wildflower Long Course Race Report

Wildflower 2008 was definitely a very interesting event. A golden gem of triathlons, as some put it, draws competitors from all over the world. All the big names were there, including Chris McCormack, who by the way, ended up winning the event, and coincidentally, was racked only a few bikes away from me. Here I am, a beginner Ironman athlete, transitioning by a distance of only a few feet from a world champ. You don't get to see this in any other sport. The Wildflower Long Course featured a distance of 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13 mile run.

Swim
The swim portion was fairly straight forward. No waves, no "sharks", and a semi-clean water. Swimming, being my weakest sport, went well. While there were a lot of people for my wave start, I didn't feel cluttered, maybe because I became aggressive at first and claimed my territory right away. It wasn't that bad.

Bike
Onto the bike... This was a different story. Obviously, Wildflower has one of the toughest bike courses in any half-ironman distance triathlon, but this just wasn't my day. The bike leg was horrible. No matter how hard I pedaled, I wasn't going and people who were not supposed to pass me, were zooming by me like it was nothing. Very disappointed, nevertheless, a learning experience.

Run
Onto the run.... Tough run course, no doubt... but I felt very strong during the run. As soon as getting off that disappointing bike ride, I started jogging out of the transition area. Upon passing the sensors, my legs didn't feel like they just came from a 56 mile bike ride. As a matter of fact, they felt fresh... I absolutely enjoyed the run. With putting out only about 60-70% effort, I was able to run the hilly 13 miles in about 1:53. I could've kicked it up a notch or two, but realizing that I wasn't going to meet my initial goal of finishing the event in 5:30, I decided to enjoy and savor the moment.

General Thoughts
It seems like all the training up to this point had paid off. I felt very strong during the event (even though I bombed the bike portion). I was only mildly tired afterwards and felt like I could've probably stretched the event an extra few hours.

Wildflower 2008 Long Course had many military members participating, in which many of the athletes were veterans injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was very touching to see them right before the swim and throughout the event with missing limbs, blind, and with many other disabilities. But again, I realized that these people are the reason that I am able to stand in front of Lake San Antonio, with my wetsuit on, alongside thousands of other athletes, living in peace and not being in an imminent danger of being shot at. To take this one step further, these brave Heros are about to embark on the most difficult half-ironman distance triathlon and not let their handicap stand in the way. One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite people, "Stop Whining" Arnold Schwarzenegger, is as prominent as ever.

I would like to thank everyone who supported me and continue to do so in all my athletic endeavors. A special thanks goes out to my wonderful coaches (Paul, Rad, & Brad), my special lady Cynthia, mom, dad, brother, grandparents, teammates, mentors, everyone who donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and of course Tom Venuto and Fitness Renaissance, LLC.

Some Pictures:

Glad to have it Over

Struggling up a Hill

Me, my buds Carlos (aka running machine), Jake (aka all around cool guy)

No, I don't normally smile when I run.
I knew they were going to snap a photo.

FINISH

Desert Triathlon Report

Desert Triathlon, which took place on April 20, 2008, featured two distances, sprint and olympic. The sprint option offered a swim of 400 meters, bike 10 miles, and a 3 mile run, while the international distance featured a 3/4 mile swim, 24 mile bike and 6 mile run. I completed the international distance. There is really nothing exciting about this course, other than it's dirty water incredibly fast and flat bike course, and a two-loop easy and flat run around Lake Kahuilla. Now, my experience in this event was a whole different story.

Before I dive into the different segments, a bit of prologue. Friday night, after having dinner with my girlfriend and her boss, I contracted food poisoning, stayed up all night on Friday throwing up. Saturday all day, I did not eat anything, and overall, was extremely dehydrated. I was contemplating on whether I should really do the race or just walk away. Then, I remembered Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Stop Whining" attitude and that's exactly what I did. So, come Sunday morning, I felt a little better. Went to the start line, picked up my packet, racked my bike, put on my wetsuit, and went down to start line.

Swim

The bell rang, I ran in the water along with hundreds of my fellow participants. The first five minutes, felt really strong and was surprisingly fast. Then, my hamstring started cramping, followed by my other hamstring, arms, sides, even neck. It was horrible!!! My rhythm went down the drain, I didn't even care where I was going. The lifeguard stopped me twice to tell me I was going the wrong way. That was really embarrassing! From that moment on, I knew that this race was not going to be easy. Long story short, I finally was able to finish the swim, got out of the water and was still cramped. Walked to the transition area, changed into my cycling gear and was ready to start pedaling.

Bike

Surprisingly, as soon as I got on the bike, the cramping went away. There is not much to say about the bike, other than it was a really fast and flat course. There was absolutely no wind, no hills, nothing that would prevent one from going as fast as they can possibly go.

Run

Again, nothing exciting about the run. After running a healthy 4 miles, I started cramping again. Luckily, the onset was slow and I was able to finish the race before I cramped up again completely. I did have to slow down a bit at the end.

After the event, Cynthia and I went to Denny's. This was interesting because the service we received at this Denny's restaurant was unlike any other. These people really seemed to care... I have yet to see service this good, not just in other Denny's restaurants, but also everywhere else. Our next highlight was when we stopped for snacks & gas (no, not the fact that it cost me almost $60 to fill up my Toyota Camry). Upon going to the register and using my credit card, the teller requested to see an ID.... no big deal, I showed her driver's license. Then, she commented, "Sir, do you have a second form of ID? This doesn't look like you." Reason being, I had a triple-chin on my photograph. When I re-took my driver's license photo, I weight around 210-220 lbs and I ended up showing her a photo of my Bank of America debit card, in which my weight was around 190 lbs. So, I guess, that extra 20-30 pounds was the deciding factor for the teller that I, in fact, wasn't trying to pull a fast one. In all seriousness, she really did make my day... most people would get upset when asked to present a second ID, but I took her comments as a compliment. This goes hand-in-hand with not only thinking positive, but also "being" positive to reach your goals, whatever they may be. Anyways, our last stop was at the outlet stores and back home for a nice evening of movies and popcorn.

Enjoy some pictures: My t-shirt reads, "Stereotypes are a real Time Saver

Me + Bike = Love

Jesus is my Health Insurance

Me and the Lady ... She loves this picture. Something tells me that
I'll get this framed as a gift for my birthday.

Calm and Ready.... Not!!

5:42 AM

2007 City of Angels Half Marathon

City of Angels Half Marathon took place this last Sunday, December 3, 2007. It was a really cold morning but warmed up rather quickly as the races started. While the majority of the race was fairly flat or descending, there were a few hills along the route. I, personally, am a hill-nerd, and would take running and cycling uphill anytime over downhill. It builds more endurance and according to one of the greatest cyclists to ever talk this earth, Floyd Landis, "Training to cycle uphill translates into direct increase of speed on flat therein." I am fairly confident we can make the same statement about running as well. According to my Forerunner 305 GPS, there are my stats for the race:

Distance: 13.19 Miles
Time: 1 Hour 28 Minutes 55 Seconds (Chip time is 1:33, why? beats me)
Average Heart Rate: 158 bpm
Maximum Heart Rate: 175 bpm
Fastest Pace: 4:45 min/mile
Slowest Pace: 9:38 min/mile
Average Pace: 6.75 min/mile

Here are some photos, Enjoy: