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.

The HORRIBLE Los Angeles Marathon!

My bestfriend Xenia and I before the race<3

I’m going to start from the beginning. Saturday night I lost track of time while downloading music for my ipod and went to bed at 1am! Not only did I go to sleep veerrrry late, I also had a hard time sleeping. Every time I sleep in the same bed as Xenia she always ends up wrapping all the blankets around herself:P She always tells me to wake her up and get some blankets back, but I couldn’t wake her up…she looked too comfortable so I slept with a little corner of the blanket:P We woke up a 5am, so I only got 4 hours of sleepL I was so tired and was not in the mood for anything, but then I went on my facebook and saw all the good lucks from friends and it got me pumped and ready to go. Once we finished getting ready we headed to LA:) The traffic was INSANE! We were completely stopped on the freeway. We had to get off and walk the remaining 2 miles to the starting line. It was funny because we were almost to Dodgers Stadium and my parents ended up catching up to us:P So we hopped back into the car and drove to it. When they blew the horn and announced the LA Marathon 2011; we were excitedJ As soon as we crossed the starting line it began to sprinkle so we put on our raincoats. When we reached mile 4 it began POURING! We were running the flat course and were walking the up hills for my knee. We got a good laugh at one point because I almost slipped on a banana peel:P When we reached mile 10 I couldn’t run anymore. My knee was hurting so bad so I told her to go on without me. I was by myself for a while and would walk and run a little. She ended up waiting in line for the restroom and because the line was so long I caught up to herJ At that point the rain and wind was so HARDCORE. Our hands were so cold that the slightest touch hurt like crazy. I got a banana from one of the volunteers there and I couldn’t even peal it because my hands were so numb! I had to ask a random guy cheering people on if he could peal it for me. He laughed, but said he would be glad to peal my banana:P We continued running/walking, but I couldn’t keep up with her because I was hurting so bad… so I fell behind. It was around mile 18 when I saw a booth giving coffee to the runners. I got in line and noticed his old man wiggling around. He ended up falling down. I guess the intense weather was too much for him. I really wanted to help him, but no one had ever passed out in front of me in a race so I was in shock and just stood there. Some guys lifted him up and took him away. I felt so bad, but there was nothing I could do so I kept going. As the race went on, the weather got WORSE. Everyone was walking as far as my eyes could see. I would hunch my back and tilt my head forward a lot because the wind was so strong. Some streets were flooded! The water would go over my shoe! That’s how deep it was.  Finally I’m at mile 25.. I only needed 1.2 miles left! I was hurting but wanted to get it over with. So I ran to the finish line like a champ. The only bad thing was that there were hardly any people there cheering because of the rain and wind. I crossed the finish line cryingL It took me 30 minutes to find my parents. And when I found them, my mom started crying because she knew how horrible I felt. I was walking with my legs WIDE open and couldn’t bend my knees.  I looked like a dying penguinL I ended up having mild hypothermia. So my dad went for the car so i wouldn't get any more sick, my mom took off all my clothes in the public! And put dry clothes on me because I couldn’t move from being cold. We had to wait a long time for my dad to bring the car because all the traffic. My mom and I found a dry spot and waited there. She kept telling me jokes and told me I was so tough for completing that. She made me feel a lot better:) but it was still cold:P Finally we got into the car and went home. I slept all day Monday and I’m still hurting a little but I feel a lot better. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT RACE. It was pure torture! I am happy and proud to say that I was one of the 70% of 23,542 entrants that finished the Los Angeles Marathon 2011.



I now have 6 full and 1 half marathon medals





I got 7 blisters on my poor feet:( This one was the biggest.

Video about the marathon

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/03/20/hundreds-checked-for-hypothermia-after-rain-drenched-marathon/

LA Marathon

TOMORROW IS THE LA MARATHON!
Since my best friend is running it I've decided that i am going to run it with her even with my bad knee. Today was my cousins quincenera so i had to wake up very early so i could be ready and make it to church on time. Like 3 hours after mass, the party started. I usually eat little/normal amounts of food before a marathon so i won't be bloated the morning of, but since i went to the party... I couldn't resist the delicious pasta, cake, and ice cream..yumm! of course i had to dance a couple of songs before i left! I danced to like 5 salsa songs in 4 inch heels, which is tall for me:P, so my feet hurt. Since my best friend, Xenia, was going to spend the night at my house I had to leave the party early while everyone else danced the night away so we could get ready and get some good sleep. I came home at like 10 o'clock, but I had to get everything ready and I had to type this blog so I can't go to sleep just yet. Since i want to race the Cal Poly Triathlon, I've decided that I'm going to try to run at most half the marathon:( I never take breaks on marathons, i always run them non stop. But since I'm hurting pretty bad i don't really have a choice. I don't want to make my injury worse, so I'm gonna suck it up and walk half of it even if i look like a weenie. Finishing and completing it is my only goal..I'm not going to focus on beating a PR (personal record) on this race. I'm nervous because i don't want to be hurting, but I'm excited also. So wish me good luck! and I'll explain how everything went on my next post.


http://www.lamarathon.com/home/

New Uniform!:)

This is the new elite tri suit:)

This Wednesday that just past we got our new uniforms! I bought the elite racing suit so I'm gonna look like a pro out there, even though I'm not:P haha. There is also the new cycling kits which have shorts with suspenders and a zip up shirt. The jacket is a yellow and black windbreaker and says Triathlon in really big letters so that's pretty sweet. Too bad we got them a the end of our season though:P I thought i was done racing for the season, but i really want to use the new stuff so i think I'm going to go to the Cal Poly race which is next weekend. The last race is Cal Poly and is an Olympic Tri. since 'm not ready for an Olympic, I'm going to do the sprint instead. I won't get points for my team, but at least i will be able to go out there and race with my new suit:) I really shouldn't go because of my knee so I'm just going to take it slow. The team is trying to bond more since the season is almost over. So we're planning a dinner this coming Wednesday at one of my friends house so we could hang and have a good time:) This is all i could think of right now so I'm just going to end it here:P In my next blob I'm going to talk about the LA marathon and what i have decided on.

For anyone who is interested in doing a triathlon!

The CSULB Triathlon team is hosting a race on Sunday, May 8 from 7:00am to 10:00am. It's going to be an awesome race. It is a reverse triathlon so participants will be doing a run, bike, and then swim instead of the traditional Tri which is swim, bike, run. It consists of a 5km run (which is around 3 miles), a 20km bike (which is 12 miles), and a 400 meter swim. The race will take place at our school, Long Beach State.

This race is for all skill levels. It will be a fast, fun race and i guarantee that all participants will be proud and feel accomplished after completing the race. It is around 2 months away, enough time to train for a good finishing time.

All the money earned from this event will be used for CSULB Triathlon Team's race entry fees, transportation, stationary supplies, uniforms, hotels for far school, and anything else we would need involving triathlons.

If you think you aren't able to complete the whole Tri there is a relay participants can compete in.

Maybe you're just a runner? or a swimmer? or all you do is bike?

all you have to do is complete your event (swim, bike, or run) and have two other friends that can complete the remaining events. If you can't find friends who would want to do this, contact me through this blog or in class and i might be able to find other people for you.

Unfortunately, i can't register for this race because i have to help run it and make sure all participants know where to go and what to do. It's going to be a lot of fun guys! come support your school and the Tri team:)

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND HELP US SPREAD THE WORD:)

You can register on this link
http://www.active.com/triathlon/long-beach-ca/csulb-reverse-triathlon-2011

UCLA Triathlon





The UCLA Tri last Sunday and was a good race. The Tri had 2 waves, wave 1 and wave 2. They decided which wave you were in based on the time you can finish a 400 meter swim. Their were 400+ participants (it was a big race!) and had two transition areas. I was so confused because I thought Tri’s only have 1 transition area. All I had were my running shoes and my bike shoes that click onto my pedals. I had to leave my running shoes in transition 2 and take my biking shoes to transition 1. That means….I had to talk around on the cold floor for a little over an hour because I was in wave 2 and they started at 8 instead 7am. Luckily my friend brought some sandals and was nice enough to let me borrow them. The only problem was that I’m a size 6 1/2 in women’s shoes and he is a size 12 in men’s. Everyone had a good laugh and said it looked like I was wearing flippers :P UCLA’S pool is huge, instead of doing 16 laps we only had to do 8 because the pool was long. Before the race we had to tie a “band” around our ankles that had a chip in it so they can tell the exact time we got. During the swim, my band kept loosening up and almost fell off. If it fell I would have had to swim to the bottom of the pool because they charge you if you lose it. So during my swim I had to stop to tighten it up. I was nervous because I didn’t want them to pull me out for thinking I was drowning, so I made it quick. Once I finished, I ran out the pool to transition 1 to do the bike course. I ran across the mounting area and clipped in my shoes. I was pedaling really fast, looked down and realized my chain fell off. I knew how to put it back on but for some reason at the moment I couldn’t do it. So one of the UCLA tri team members came over and fixed it for me. I thanked them and started the course. We had to do a route 4 times and then you were done with the biking. Half of the course was downhill and the other half was uphill. The uphill was really steep and hard to do. I was literally going 1mph up that monster. After all that hard work and pain, I dismounted and ran to transition 2 for the run. I was running with this girl and we were feeding off each other. I would push her and then she would push me, which makes the run a lot easier and faster. When I finished and crossed the finish line, I was so beat. That race was so difficult, especially the hills on the biking. I went to my family and then went to my team to hang. I’m for sure not doing the UCLA Triathlon next year. Those hills were insane! I’m not looking forward to doing them again unless I get stronger and better at biking hills. Overall, it was tough, but a lot of fun. I enjoyed the swim and run and hanging with the team. I was in the car with 3 other teammates. I was so tired that I slept the ride home while they talked :P I remember waking up and hearing them talk about how one of them accidentally ran over a cat. It was so random and sad but funny at the same time. I love being on the Tri team because you bond with your team and make new friends that are on other teamsJ



A few of us fooling around after the race

Day before race

Hmm.. i don't know what to talk about so i guess I'll talk about how my day was today (day before a triathlon).
So tomorrow is the UCLA Iron Bruin Triathlon, which is a sprint Tri. This will be the second triathlon i will have done. If you ever want to be a part of a Triathlon, you have to always make sure you go to packet pickup. NO BIB means NO RACE. So today 5 teammates and I went to UCLA to get our bibs. Whichever school hosts the race has make sure every participant gets a goodie bag, usually the goodie bags includes: your racing bib with number, a swim cap, cool water bottle, T-shirt with the triathlon name on it, a band with a chip that goes around your ankle so that you know what time you got, and little healthy snacks. It took us forever to find the place for pickup because the school is so big and confusing, but finally we found it. The UCLA Tri team were taking care of giving the goodie bags and informing us triathletes what to do and expect. After we got everything we needed, we went around the course so we could know what to expect for race day. Turns out it will be a nice swim in the pool, a bike ride with two KILLER hills:P, and a run that should be nice and flat. I usually eat pasta before a race to get a few carbs, but my mom had bought tacos de lengua and i couldn't resist so i ate that:P Hopefully that doesn't affect me haha. Once i finished eating, i took a shower and got all my things together so that in the morning i won't have to worry about forgetting something. I always make a check list just in case that happens. I have to wake up at 4:30am because my friend is going to pick me up at 5am. All i need to do is find my helmet and get my bike.I don't know where my helmet is so I'm kind of freaking out:P The worst thing that will happen is i won't be able to find it and I'll just have to use my moms helmet which is fine. I think your second triathlon is always easier and more exciting because you already know what to expect and know you can complete it. In my next post I'll explain how it went. Hopefully i don't die doing those hills!:P

Cool Tunes

Most people need music while working out because it helps you get through it. I always listen to music whether I’m running or at the gym. I like having my favorite songs blasting in my ears, it’s what keeps most people pumped and up for any type of workout. I have two playlists in my Ipod, one for long easy runs and another for interval and tempo/race pace runs. I’ll list a couple of songs to give you an idea of what I’m talking about. When I do long easy runs, I usually listen to a slower type of music. I don’t know why, but it makes me want to run for miles:P

At the moment, these are a few songs I have for a lengthier run:

• “Otherside” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “Starbright” by Quietdrive
• “Go” by My
  Favorite Highway
  .
• “Breakin” by TheAll-AmericanRejects
• “Sorrow” by Bad Religion
• “My Stupid Mouth” by John Mayer
• “Monster” by Lady GaGa
• “The Lime Tree” by Trevor Hall
• “Coyotes” by Jason Mraz

For a faster pace run I have:

• “Have Faith in Me” by A Day to Remember
• “Favorite Fix” by Artist vs. Poet
• “Godspeed” by Anberlin
• “Raise your Glass” by Pink
• “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World
• “Weekend Warriors” by A Change of Pace
• “Give it Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “House of Wolves” by My Chemical Romance

Switchfoot is one my favorite bands, luckily I got to see them the 12^th of December along with My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, Smashing Pumpkins, Bad Religion, Anberlin, and A Day To Remember. They’re one of those bands whose songs are perfect for working out. They have upbeat fast songs that make you want to push as hard as you can and they have their nice slow songs that are perfect for a longer run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl64-XHE7zo

Running changes lives

Why do people love running? Running is a great way to stay active and get rid of negative energy. Whenever I run I feel relaxed and stress free. I usually run at night because I love feeling the cold air hit my face and to me, it’s easier to breathe when it’s cold. At night, there are hardly any people around, only a few who walk their dogs. Running at night is kind of scary at times so I make sure I tell my mom or dad when I leave and always run around the school I live by so they know where I’m at. Since I haven’t gotten my pepper spray yet, I run with scissors:P  I know that’s not the safest thing to run with, but I want to be able to protect and defend myself if something ever happened. I remember one time I was running and then this dog came out of nowhere, barked, and chased me! Haha I was so scared. I guess the dog got out because the owner came running after her and told me that he was sorry and that she doesn’t bite. Another funny incident was when I was running and two guys were driving slowly alongside of me. They were yelling stuff out the window, but I didn’t have my glasses or contacts on so I couldn’t tell who it was. I was scared so I ran faster and they would keep up with me in their car. I thought they were creepy guys that had nothing better to do, but turns out it was one of my best guy friends :P It was funny because I had my scissors ready and when my friend came out I laughed.

I think running shapes and changes you as a person. I use to be a shy, heavy girl and I feel like because of running, it kind of brought me out of my shell and gave me more confidence. I’m still a little shy when I first meet people, but I feel like it has improved than when I was younger. I’m twenty pounds lighter and I’m doing things my family and I would have never thought I’d do. I read a lot of magazines and articles about running, mostly about women, and there are so many stories about how running changed a person’s life. People tell how it got them out of obesity, got them through a family members death, and how running opened many doors for them. I encourage everyone to give running a try, and I hope I continue running for the rest of my life.

I get a lot of free health and fitness magazines since I run marathons and this is one of my favorties.

https://www.womensrunning.com/home

"Women's Running is the world's largest women-specific running magazine.
Women's Running covers all aspects of the running lifestyle, from active beauty needs to training plans. The Women's Running mission is simple: to create a high-quality magazine for smart, successful women who use running to balance and enrich their lives. Women's Running features quality editorial that motivates women to train intelligently, participate in active travel, adopt healthy nutrition habits and keep moving.
Women's Running is distributed at over 4,000 retailers including Barnes & Noble, Borders, REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, Eastern Mountain Sports, and other independent, specialty retailers."

ITBS

While running the Long Beach marathon October 23 2010, I injured my left knee. I’ve had knee injuries before but nothing like this one. The weekend after the race was the WCCTC triathlon camp, a camp where collegiate teams go to so they can train and meet other students in that same sport. I was new to the Tri team at CSULB so of course I wanted to go even with my knee problems. Well, that was a BIG mistake. The morning after we arrived we woke up at 6:30am to be out for a run at 7. The camp took place at San Luis Obispo, meaning lots of hills. Our practice was to run 6 miles through a hilly forest like area. I am the type of person that even when my body hurts and wants me to stop, I don’t. I like to push my limits until I have finished the workout intended. Number 1 rule in running is always know when to stop. Since I didn’t want to take a break, relax and rest my knee. My knee blew out. I ran the last mile limping and crying. When I finally reached the end, one of my teammates had to help me get back to the cabin because it was very difficult to walk. From a 1 to a 10, 10 being the worst, the pain was a 10. I laid on the floor, took some pain relief pills and put ice on my knee for 10 minutes. After, my teammate lifted my leg and bended my knee so he could figure out what was wrong. To me the feeling felt like someone was stabbing my knee with a screw diver and twisting it around. Yes, it was that bad. I couldn’t walk, bend my leg, or get up from the ground without help. Turns out I had Iliotibial Band Syndrome, which is common in athletes. It is caused by increasing mileage or intensity too fast or by running on a slope.

The only way to treat this problem is to do stretches and give it time to heal. I’ve had it for about 2 months already and I can walk without feeling pain again but it begins to hurt after running about 5 miles. Before I was injured I ran 6 miles every day. Now I run a few miles a week so I don’t aggravate it to much. To a runner, this is devastating. Not being able to run as much as you did before sucks. But I’ve learned my lesson. When your body tells you to stop, STOP! Because you will regret later on.

Have I mentioned that I already bought a LA Marathon ticket? Since it’s a month away, chances are, I won’t be able to race because it would be too many miles for my knee to handle but, I’m going to stay positive and keep praying that my knee will get better and hopefully I will be able to race.

So this video just explains what ITBS is and shows some examples on how to cure it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gVawB-is4A

Becoming a Triathlete

So I finally did a triathlon! And let me tell you, it was amazing!

5 am, day of triathlon

On Saturday night I cleaned my bike, put everything I needed in my bag, and went to bed at 8:40pm. I woke up at 4:30 in the morning so we could hit the road at 5 o’clock. When we got to UCI, it was dark and cold! We immediately went to get our body marked so we could enter the transition area and get everything set up. Each participate has a different starting time. The race started at 7am and I started at 7:08. It was already 6:50 so a couple of us got changed and went down to the pool barefoot. It was so cold that every time I took a step my feet hurt.  Try soaking your feet in ice cold water for 15 minutes and then walk. That feeling and the way my feet felt were exactly the same:P Each step was painful so we made the best of it and ran down laughing to get it over with. Once we were in the pool area I put my goggles and swim cap on and went into the pool. The water was really warm and felt like a JacuzziJ Even though 400 meters is a small distance I was nervous because I had never swam that much without taking minute breaks in between. Once the guy told me to go I swam as best as I could. You know how swimmers do a little flip once they hit the wall? Well I never learned how to do that and unfortunately..haha.. I got kicked in the stomach three times because I was too close to them while they were doing it. Even though it did hurt, I kept going so I could make my team proud. Finally.. I finished the swim:)  I ran to the transition area to get my bike and put on my cycling shoes. There are so many rules in triathlons. You have to mount and dismount on your bike at a certain place or else you get penalized. Another rule is that when you’re on your bike you only have 15 seconds to pass the person in front of you, or else it would be counted as drafting annnnnnnd you could only pass on the left side of them. The bike course was only 12 miles but there were so many hills and that’s what made it hard. I was looking at my little computer on my bike and I was going 45 mph down the hill! I looked forward to going down that hill because my family was down there. Every time I passed by they screamed, “GO RONIC!” and “GO BEACH!” I love having people watch and cheer for me because it makes me want to try and go harder. After that was the run. I dropped my bike off and put on my running shoes and my racing bib. The run was the only thing that was easy for me. Once I crossed the finish line I heard my family and team cheer me on, I felt accomplished and proud of myself.

After the race they had some little competitions and prizes. There was handstands, pushups, relays, etc. They had announced that they were going to do a woman’s relay. I didn’t want to race because I thought they were going to smoke me. Since I was the only CSULB girl that was there all the guys on my team practically pushed me in so I could race :P It was funny because I had no choice so I just did it. I ended up getting 3^rd place out of like 5 girls. I won a water bottle and flowers so that was cool :)

We all went to In and Out afterwards and then headed home. Once I got home I ate again. I don’t think I have ever eaten that much food in one day haha. I took a nap and finished the essay we had assigned for this class. Overall, it was a long, beautiful, fun day. And I look forward to doing more triathlons in the future:)


Part of the team that raced at UCI



CSULB Tri Team

Marathons are fun but I thought, how cool would it be to do a triathlon?! Although, I was horrible at swimming and never did much cycling I immediately joined the Triathlon team after being accepted at Long Beach State. It would be a great workout, I would make new friends, and I would be able to achieve one of my goals and hopefully help me to one day complete an Iron Man, which is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. There are four types of triathlons: a Sprint, Olympic, Half-Iron Man, and Iron Man. I will be doing pure Sprints until I get more comfortable with swimming and cycling. In around 5 months my cycling has improved but, my swimming still needs some work. The only bad thing about Tri’s is that it is an expensive sport. I’ve spent nearly a thousand dollars and still not done getting all the things I want and need. But so far, it’s been worth every penny.

I’ve been training with the Tri team at Long Beach State since the beginning of last semester and it has been great. Our racing season is from January to March. Our First race that we will compete in is TOMORROW! :) , February 13, which is at UC Irvine. This will be my first triathlon and I’m super excited. I’ve been practicing swimming, cycling, and running a few miles a week from being injured.  So hopefully I do well. I’m not trying to be the fastest or slowest competitor out there; I’m just going to try my best, represent my school, and have a good timeJ



CSULB Tri



How it all began.

LA marathon 2009

Hello, my name is Veronica Gonzalez; this is my second semester at Long Beach State. When I was younger I use to hate running or anything that involved exercising but, after joining Track and Cross Country in high school I fell in love with it. I signed up for my very first marathon when I was 16 years old and of course, I  was completely terrified. Just knowing that in order to get a medal you have to complete the whole course  under 7 or 8 hours(depending on the race) got me thinking, “Can I even finish it in that time limit?” But I knew that my best friend, Xenia, and her dad would stick with me till the last sprint. Since it wasn’t Xenias dad’s first race he pushed us and didn’t allow any walking. 26.2 miles with no walking, you could imagine the joy on our faces. At the starting line, I felt really nervous but also excited. At mile 10, I was confident and thought it wasn’t that bad. At mile 16, I was a little tired but overall okay. At mile 20, I thought my legs were going to fall off! At mile 25, I was in so much pain I wanted to fall over and just lay on the ground. Then finally, I hit MILE 26! The crowd cheered so loud that gave me the energy to sprint that last .2 mile to the finish line. It took me 5 hours and 40 minutes to finish. Even though I walked funny and wasn’t able to go down stairs for a week. It was totally worth it after getting that medal. It’s cool to say that I have 6 marathon medals (one being a half marathon) and that my time has improved to 4 hours and 38 minutes. My family completely supports me. They all go to every race, cheer me on, and make me signs. Each race is around $120 -$140 and it all goes to whatever charity they choose. So you know not only did you do it for yourself, you also did it for others.

Right after finishing


So i'm posting this video because i thought it was pretty cool. It gives you a good idea on how the event looks like and how exciting it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg6hB02V8t8