Run the OC: Bread Marathon

I attached my chest armor that provided fuel for the long journey.  It was my jet pack that carried my gas for the next four hours.  I felt like I would be able to fly to my destination in the blink of an eye like Iron Man or become one with my camel spirit animal .  It was the latter.  My upper body was geared up to provide me everything I needed for the next 26.2 miles.  

 running route

This run was my third marathon with my previous marathon being a month ago.  It was spontaneous with no formal training.  The last minute decision to run to Fullerton was to make my run more adventurous and fun.  It was a new route where I would be able to see several cities in Orange county.  With Google maps, I was able to map my route from Irvine to Fullerton through various parks, bridges, and bike paths.  This was the first long run I got to test out my hydration vest that carried 2 liters of water.  I slipped my compression socks on that would make a big difference in my performance

The marathon was very different to the past two I've done.  Since my body was used to these long distance runs, my senses were tuning more into the surroundings.  Due to California's city divisions, I was able to easily move between cities either through their parks or under their highway bridges.   As I traversed between each city, I could smell, see, and hear differences in each place.  I ran through Irvine, Tustin, Santa Ana, Orange, Anaheim, Placentia, and Fullerton.  

 

 reaching the Tustin border

 

There was a huge difference after I left Irvine and entered Santa Ana.  Irvine is ranked the safest city in the nation; with this ranking, it comes with a community that is on the higher end of the socioeconomic scale.  It is rare to see any homeless people in Irvine; the opposite can be seen in Santa Ana.  Many times, California is seen as a perfect, lovely state, and it doesn't hone into the under-served communities, such as the homeless population.  People forget this community because many people drive above their homes (highway bridge) without even knowing.  I passed under several highway bridges and could see people living in tents and other appliances.  I remember seeing one of the tents with a lion teddy bear on top of the tent.  

 

 

 graffiti under the highway bridges

 

Each city also had distinct smells and land marks.  Every time I entered the city, I could immediately smell fast food in the air.  It was not pleasant.  The air smelled better when I got on bike paths located near the highways.  Once I reached mile 14, my eyes lit up because I recognized the Angel Stadium tower and the Honda Center.  My mind immediately told me I was in Anaheim.  It helped push me forward because I knew I was close to my destination.  I usually saw these structures when I was on the highway driving north.  The experience of running past these structures was surreal because I did not know that there was a path for running across these cities.  

 reaching the Angel Stadium

I decided to make my 20 mile destination to be 85 Bakery Cafe because I wanted to refuel with some bread instead of gulping down another runner's gel.  I consumed two energy gels by the time I reached the bakery.  If you have not taken an energy gel before, its like eating sugar in liquid form with a slimy texture.  By the time I reached the entrance, I was drenched in sweat.  I wiped my sweat with a small towel before I entered the store because I wanted to look semi descent.  I happily entered the shop; the only thing going through my mind was wanting to eat fresh bread and a sea salt iced tea.
 

 20 mile marker at 85 Bakery Cafe

 

The original plan for my run was to complete the 20 miles to the bakery, but I wanted to add another 6.2 miles to make it a full marathon.  During mile 7, I messaged my friend who lives in Fullerton to see if she would join me in the additional miles.  It was 9:31am, and I told her I would be in her area around 11:30am.  I got very excited when she agreed to run with me because it gets slightly lonely after 3 straight hours of running.  My music can only keep me entertained for so long.  

While I was in the bakery refueling with bread and a drink, I messaged my friend, "I'm at 85 eating bread lol meet me here?".  I knew that text would instantly make her laugh, and I was right.  Luckily, she lives right across the street from the bakery, so she came into the shop seeing me gulp down the iced tea and nibbling at the bread.  I would have vacuumed the bread in an instant, but the taste and texture of the mango bread was not enjoyable; only half was eaten.  

 refueling with mango bread

A car drive from Irvine to Fullerton usually takes me about 20 to 30 minutes (if traffic is nice), which translated to a 3 hour and 33 minute jog (20 miles).  It was unusual for my friend and I to think that I got into Fullerton without a car.  As we continued to talk while I slurped my drink, my body was able to get a nice, easy stretch and rest before finishing the last 6.2 miles.  

For the last miles, I did not have a set route, so we decided to run a straight path right to downtown Fullerton.  The run was very nice having company and being able to go at a pace where we both could talk.  My body was drained by the time we started, so I knew my friend's pace would be able to help push me in my speed.  As we finished the last mile of the run, I was very impressed with my friend because its been awhile since she ran 6 miles (10K).  It was both of our energy and motivation that helped us complete the run.  

I can now say I completed a one way marathon route from Irvine to Fullerton.  Once the marathon was over, I felt better than the past two marathons I've run.  My body was adjusting to the long distances, and I was excited to see what else I could do with my thunder thighs.  More running adventures await me, but I should probably take some time to heal and replenish my body.  

Once we got back to my friends apartment, we rested for a few minutes before heading to Banh Mi Che Cali.  There was no time to waste because my body was craving real food.  The first bite into the banh mi was breathtaking as if I was reliving my childhood when my mom would come home from the grocery store with my favorite sandwich.  I was savoring each bite of the sandwich.  Within a few minutes, it was gone and my stomach was satisfied.  It is after these long runs is when I really can enjoy food because my body is craving calories after losing over a days worth of energy.  I sat at the restaurant with a happy stomach and with the satisfaction of finishing my third personal marathon.  After lunch, my friend drove me back home to Irvine where I would spend the rest of the day being lazy and relaxing.  

 

 post workout lunch

 

I conclude this post with a quote from my running inspiration, “I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run…to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that, " Dean Karnazes.

running summary

Chocolate Covered Banana Marathon

My entire body was in excruciating pain.  I could feel the twitches in my calves that were signs of unbearable cramps to come; my abdomen was piercing as if there was no food supply left to use; my knees were crying out for relief through each step.  Through all this pain, I did not gain a metal, free food, or an applause from friends and family at the end of the race.   I was rewarded with understanding the capabilities of the human mind and body.  I completed a personal marathon with a week of training. Let me explain how all this came about.

I was introduced to a quote that would reignite my passion to explore cities with my legs.  The quote by Dean Karnazes stated, "Unless you're pushing yourself, you're not living to the fullest.  You can't be afraid to fail, but unless you fail, you haven't pushed hard enough.  If you look at successful people and happy people, they fail a lot, because they're constantly trying to go further and expand".  The quote stuck with me, and I used it to explore the different areas of my life not knowing who this man was.

After doing some research about Dean Karnazes, I was surprised to find out that he was an ultra marathon runner.  I discovered that these types of marathons were composed of distances longer than traditional marathons (26.2 miles).  I only thought super heroes could teleport or fly miles of up to 50 to 100.  With further research, I found a few books that he wrote.

One of my goals for this year was to read more, so I picked up one of his books.  It was called Ultra Marathon Man.  I finally found a book that I could not put down.  I connected with every page of the book as I understood his feelings and his passion for running.  His adventures in running were amazing and mind boggling as he discusses his 100 mile run.  He pushes the limits of his mind and body.

I reflected on these types of runners and my running abilities.  I completed my first marathon on March 17, 2013 at the International Hilo Marathon.  The training was for four months.  As of now, I've been running short distances between 3 to 5 miles.  Running another marathon was not on my radar.

Since I signed up for my first triathlon, my workouts have been composed of daily runs with the dog, biking to work, and swimming for leisure.  I'm in the best shape of my life.  I feel more fit than when I trained for my first marathon.  I wondered if it would be possible for me to run a marathon in about a week without the formal training.  Reading Karnazes book ignited my passion and motivation to run.  It was then that I decided to run 26.2 miles on Saturday, April 25, 2015.  I had one week to prepare myself mentally to run that length.

Due to my past training, I knew what to do and not do.  The biggest change to my week was increasing my carbohydrate intake since I would need all the energy I could get when it came time to run.  I continued my daily routine of biking to work, swimming and lifting at the gym, and running with the dog after work.  I told a few friends that I would be running from Irvine to Newport Beach, and I knew some of them thought I was crazy.  How would it be possible for someone to run that length without formal training for months?

I took on this challenge to show that anything is possible as long as you put your heart and mind to it.  It was a personal marathon where I would have to find my own route, provide the water, and have a back up emergency plan.  I was nervous, but who said a challenge would be easy?

It was 7:50am, and I turned on my music with One Direction playing for the first two hours.  Ever since Zayn left the group, my inner fan girl for the group has been playing their music on repeat.  I am not ashamed.  I usually run an 8 minute and 30 second mile pace in my short runs, but I needed to slow my pace down to around 11 to 13 minute miles.  I was feeling great for the first 8 miles and kept a pace of 11 minutes.  During mile 9, I felt my right knee tensing.  It was bearable and would eventually disappear.

This marathon was much different than my first time.  There was no energy from other runners that could help me or friends in the crowd to cheer me on.  There was random bikers and runners that would nod their head or say a quick hello.  At mile 11, a biker shouted at me as I passed him, "Keep it up buddy!"  Having these random people support me pushed me through each mile.

I finally made it half way to mile 13 where I realized I did not bring enough energy gels to sustain my myself.  Luckily, I brought my credit card, so I decided to buy a chocolate covered frozen banana at a vender in Newport beach.  It amused me, and I knew it would get absorbed in my system right away for me to use.  As I was eating the banana, the thought of calling my friend to come pick me up did cross my mind.  My body could still run, so I needed to continue.

As I started to run, I noticed that my iPhone battery life was half gone.  I needed to conserve the battery, so I decided to turn off the music.  I was running the rest of the way with just my thoughts and hearing other peoples chatter.  I reached mile 15 where I would have to take the short ferry cruise across Balboa island.  I thought it added a nice change to the adventure.  The sign of the ferry said it was priced at 1.25 to get across, and I only brought $1.  I wanted to double check the price, so I asked the middle age couple in front of me about the cost.  They said it was a $1, so I was relieved.  It was just me and the couple that got on the ferry with a few cars.  I pulled out the $1 bill to hand over to the money collector, but the couple stopped me and said it was on them as they handed the guy a $5 bill.  I was shocked.  We started talking, and I told them I was on a personal marathon run.  They were very supportive and told me I could use the $1 for water or a snack.  With their kind gesture, I was fueled with positivity for the second half of my run.  

From mile 16 to 20, the path had many hills that I was not prepared for.  My abdomen started hurting, and I wishfully imagined that it was the pain of my make believe abs emerging.  I continued to tell myself that all I needed to do was put one feet in front of the other.  Another thought that frequently visited was not wanting to get leg cramps.  It was very painful the last time I got them on my first marathon during mile 22, and it almost stopped me from completing the run.  I tried my best to keep hydrated and balancing my electrolytes with the energy gels that I would take every 45 minutes.  

As mile 21 approached, I was getting minor twitches in my calves, and I knew that was a sign of the cramps to come.  Every time I felt a twitch, I stopped for a few seconds to massage and stretch both calves.  The muscles were as hard as a rock.  I had to repeat this process between mile 22 to 23.  I noticed that my bottled water was almost gone.  With every water fountain I found, I imagined it as Mario's question mark blocks to help me level up.  

Once mile 23 started, the twitches went away and I was able to run a regular pace without stopping.  I was relieved.  There was only 5K distance left to my goal.  My legs were in pain, and I could feel my upper body was very tense.  Throughout the run, I tried my best not to swing my arms too much to conserve energy.  I reached mile 25 with only 3% of battery life left.  I had to make a decision to turn off the app.  At that time, I also ran out of energy gels, so my energy was depleted.  I could not run my last 1.2 miles.  It was disappointing, but I tried my best to speed walk it back.  I felt light headed, so I knew walking was a good idea.  

It was a relief when I got home.  I immediately went to the kitchen to drink the gatorade and started making a smoothy.  My body was craving food.  I sat down and got my feet elevated; it was the best feeling.  I was surprised I was able to get through the run, but Dean Karnaze's words were repeating in my head throughout the rough parts of the journey.  I wondered if I could also become an ultra marathon runner.  With only 1% of battery life, I took one last photo.  I started the run with a smile, and I ended the run with an even bigger smile.  

WARNING:  If it is your first marathon, look for a beginners training schedule.  Do not attempt to run a marathon with one week of training. Your body will thank you later.