Ultras

Not too many people know what an ultra is mainly because crazy amazing people participate in it! Ultras are defined as anything longer than 26.2 miles. The most common race distances are 50k, 50miles, and 100 miles. The idea of running an ultra is like running three or four marathons back to back. I read something that said one should not run an ultra non-stop, it said something like "runners need to shift their gears" so they won't get injured or hurt. Another mindset that and ultra runner must have is..keep moving forward! once one starts something..plan on finishing it! Ultras require being fit of course, but mainly require being mentally prepared. It is a big MENTAL CHALLENGE. Most ultras are on trails instead of being on roads like most marathons. The race does take a lot longer than a marathon, so one can count of running at night and needs to be prepared. It is important to include extra warm clothes, a flashlight, first-aid kit, water bottles, energy bar/gels, and some small snacks like bananas or oranges in your drop bags. People "crew members" or "pacers" help deliver and give the racers their drop bags and certain needs at every few miles or so and help the racers stay on the right course so they won't go another way and get lost. Hydration is key to running a good race! so if one is planning on running an ultra, plan on drinking lots of water!

125 miles!

My friend posted a link on his facebook page and I was completely AMAZED when I read it! I clicked the link and found that a man named Sam Robson ran the London Marathon and ran home when he was finished. The catch was that his home was 99 miles away! After I run a marathon,  I'm almost dying when I cross the finish line and I don't run for a week or two:P He finished the run in 3 hours and 45 minutes and got home a little more than a day later! Imagine running for a whole day straight! That's HARDCORE.
It was said on the link that he ran 125 miles in total at a 13 minute pace. If that were me I would take breaks and sleep on the sidewalk or have somebody pick me up:P He did that super long run to raise money for a charity. He is an amazing man overall.I thought it was funny when it said, "One day after his mega-run, Robson said he was doing fine except for some soreness. That's to be expected. It wasn't just his first 99-mile run, it was his first marathon too". This is very similar to what Ultra's are. In my next post I'll explain what exactly is an Ultra.


http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Man-runs-99-miles-home-after-completing-London-M?urn=oly-wp125

Swimming

I convinced my dad to do the CSULB reverse Triathlon on May 8. He is super nervous because all he does is bike. So lately he has been going swimming with me so he can practice. Since other csulb teams practice in the pool, we could only train for an hour at night. Yesterday was so embarrassing. I got in the pool and started warming up. I had stopped for a quick breath and noticed my dad swimming. He was swimming exactly like my 11 year old brother:P  I know I'm not the best swimmer, but my dad's and brother's techniques were horrible! They both looked like they were drowning the whole time:P So I stopped and gave them some tips. It was kind of hard to explain since I am also new to swimming. They both didn't know how to swim freestyle so I tried to explain as best as I could. They swam with their heads up and splashed water crazy everywhere. I told them that they have to keep their body horizontal and when they sweep their arms through the water they have to make sure to extend it enough so they can move forward. When breathing you have to tilt your head just enough to inhale without drinking any water and exhale when your head is in the water. My dad couldn't get it right so he had to buy a nose plug:P Since I was helping them out, I didn't get much swimming done. So we went today to try it again and the pool was closed:( We're going again tomorrow at 6am so hopefully it's not closed!

Here is a video of Michael Phelps freestye.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax77_hHq9Dc&feature=related

Haile Gebrselassie

 Haile Gebrselassie is 5'5" and is the fastest distance runner ever. He is from Ethiopia and was born on April 18, 1973 and was one of 10 children. When he was younger he had to run 10k everyday to get to school. Little did he know that this would be the start of him one day being a very promising distance runner. Haile broke many records and won many races. His carrer as an athlete sky rocketed after he ran the fastest half marathon. Walt Disney Pictures gave him the role to be in a movie called "Endurance" about his story and how he pushed to reach his dream. Haile also ran the fastest marathon ever.  He completed and won the Berlin marathon in just 2:03:59 on September 28,2010. It is said that this is the current world record. I really look up to this man, he is very inspiring and makes me want to get up right now and go run a couple of miles:P  Not only is he an amazing runner, but he is also organzing ways to help kids who dream about being successful in running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gXuOB-PxxE&feature=related

Where the name originated from.

I was curious about how the marathon started and were it originated from. I'm going to try to keep it short. I found that the name "Marathon" came from the legend of a Greek messenger named Pheidippides. In a nut shell, after battling in a war against the Persians, Pheidippudes ran over to Athens and Sparta. He ran around 150 miles in 2 days and delivered the message about their victory against the Persians. It was definitely was too much for him, and eventually collapsed and died. It was said that the legend has been debated before so I'm not 100% sure if this is correct. The Marathon has nothing to do with Greek sports and athletics; it just got it's name and idea from that legend. The marathon originated and was an event in modern Olympics in 1896. A victory in the 1908 summer Olympic lead to the expansion in interest on marathoning in the States. More than 500 marathons are organized worldwide and are either for charity or to pay for the funds of the race. Once the marathon has the maximum participants, the event gives other participants the opportunity to race in other events (bike, wheelchair, kids race, etc.) in order to get more money for the charities they choose.

Interesting Facts:

• The oldest women to run a marathon was a 92 year old women and completed it in a little less than 10 hours.
• The average woman burns 2,880 calories while running a marathon.
• The heaviest man to run a marathon was 400 pounds.
• By running a marathon, one risks their health and risks the chance of getting a heart attack during or after the race.

Races

I've been looking online for races that I could do for fun with friends and I've found a couple. The Rock n' Roll Marathon series is pretty cool and is fun to run. They have it in 20 different places and offers the half or full. I ran the Las Vegas full in '09 I think. Everyone gets really into the theme and dress up. I've never seen so many people dressed up in Elvis costumes in my life:P I also remember them lighting up so many fireworks minutes before the race started, it was very beautiful. This year there changing it to take place at night instead of in the morning like all marathons are. It's going to be the "Worlds Largest Nighttime Running Event!" I told myself I would never do another marathon in Las Vegas in the winter again because it was EXTREMELY cold, but I have never heard of one taking place at night so I figured I kind of have to do it:P This race is in December so it gives me plenty of time to work on my knee for it to heal if not, then I'll probably do the half. Since I have a lot of family that lives in Vegas I never have to worry about a place to stay and worry about food. So far I have 4 friends that are interested in going and trying it. Another cool running event is Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run series. I would love to do this race because you go through a lot of obstacles with a friend and finish together..You climb walls, go through a mud pit, ride a bike, run, etc.. The one in LA is in November so it gives me time to find a friend who will want to do this with me. I found more marathons and triathlons, but these two stood out the most to me.


This is the vegas one
http://stripatnight.com/?l=right

and this is the muddy buddy one
http://muddy-buddy.competitor.com/

End of season

Tomorrow is the last race the Tri team will compete in this season. I wasn't able to register for it because I am still recovering from the marathon last Sunday. I've heard that it takes a month to fully recover from one. I've also talked to professional triathletes and they told me that I should take a good 6 months off before running another one. I guess it depends on the person because I've ran marathons with only a few months in between. Actually, now that I think about it, I think that's the reason why I'm injured:P I wasn't able to race in my new uniform so that's a bummer, but at least I'll have a new uniform for next season:) In the mean time, I have to stay active and fit so I don't fall too behind. To stay active I'm planning on going to the gym as often as I can and I'm going to try to swim every other night. I'm spending the whole Summer in Hawaii this year to visit my sister so it's going to be hard to get up and train:P I don't really know what's out there so hopefully I get some training in. My friends and I are talking about doing a few little races before January to stay in a race mentality and have fun. I was planning on running Disneyland's half marathon this year with 3 other friends, but i just found out it sold out. So, We're thinking about running the half in Las Vegas. This event will be held at night for the first time so I'm excited for that:) I'm still looking for races online.. so on my next post I'll talk about some of the races I've found and thought would be really cool doing.