Here I go again......

Not only are those lyrics from everyones favorite 80's power ballad, but it totally describes the feeling today. After Malibu I had a few small ailments, nothing to be too concerned about, just the miles I've put on this old body. My training has been slow, but consistent. Which leads me to believe that tomorrow is going to be rough. The lovely weather here in Dallas has been great all week long, but alas. Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be @ a balmy 36 degrees in the morning. Since the good people at the event informed me to be weary about parking tomorrow. That means I will have to leave my abode early just in case I have an issue finding a place to park in downtown Dallas. That's not the icing on the cake, today, I was supposed to go to a high school football game (which is all the craze in Texas). Gridlock traffic in downtown Dallas caused me to run extremely late, and miss the game. These expo events are interesting to go to in different cities. They all have different vibes, and they attract different people. Today's crowd consisted of the first timers which you can spot pretty quickly because they are taking pictures of themselves at every landmark in the expo. These are also the people that on race day show up in tutu's and pose for every camera man along the course. These are the people that will delay the start time of every run because they want to make sure they get the full "race experience".  Then you have the hipster runners. These are the people that know each other at every booth. They walk around in runner clothes and talk to people about the crappy products they are shilling. The hipster runners are harmless, and can be full of useful information. Finally, you have people like me. We are looking to pick up our packets, grab our race shirts, maybe bye some chews and leave. I'm part of those people who can't wait for the large crowd of runners to break up during the race. Race time is tomorrow at 8 am for the full, I fully expect to not get started till after 8:30... Thanks first timers.... With all that being said, running these races are fun. It's also great that the first timers, the hipsters, and the serious runners get out, raise money, and most importantly run. So, if you'll be running tomorrow be safe, and stay hydrated.

F

Fight On! Post Malibu Thoughts...

It's been several days after running the Malibu International Marathon  and I have several opinions about the runs. For those that are debating if this is a good race. First, the idea of pre paying for parking is brilliant. For all the native Angelenos this is a plus. The general idea is to have parking paid early, so that when you show up you can hand the parking crew your ticket, and viola you're in. So, I arrive 30 minutes early to Zuma Beach where we were instructed to go. Instantly, you're greeted by a large traffic jam. So, pre-paying was a zero sum gain here. This caused the entire event to run late, so this was a huge pain in the ass. Aside from this it was a rare cold day in LA. The temps were in the 40's and the natives were dressed in full ski gear. After the entire pool of runners assembled and the race was under way the course was amazing. Malibu is such a beautiful place to run. I called it The Blues in Malibu. Some of the views were just amazing. The water was blue, and there were very attractive women walking around in the beach. The actual course was great, plenty of challenging hills, and the traffic on the PCH was managed well. You're treated to views like Pepperdine University, and running along the PCH. The fuel stations were great, they all had fuel, water, and endurance mix. As well as Vaseline for any chaffing you may have encountered. The other downside was that the parking was about a mile away from the finish line. So, after 26 miles of running you have to walk to the parking area. The other plus is that there's an exhibit, live music, and organic post workout fruit, bars, and protein. All in all I would run this race again, and I would recommend this to anyone. I was able to finish the run without any further injuries except for being slapped by a cactus along the route. So, I had to finish the last 4 miles with cactus needles in my right pinkie toe. This is more painful that it seems. The last 4 miles did suck. Overall, I would say this run was a success, after the run I do my usual, eat at Fat Burger, then go straight to 24 hour fitness for a 60% to 80% leg workout situation. You're only as good as your training regiment. Now, it's time to go and hit the training tracks again for number 6 and 7 before 2012 is done.

Rome is clearly burning....

Typically at the 2 week period before a run I'm finalizing preparation. What does this entail you ask? Well, silly little things like drinking enough water to nearly cause my kidneys to fail, eating the right foods since my food intolerances suck. Attempting and failing to cut down on the Starbuck trips... Things like thins are important, and key for runs. I have most of this down pretty well. This trip to the a run is following the same pattern as life right about now. Seems that busy schedules have been the trending topic in my life here lately. So, I'll be in Seattle for the Pass Summit the week before the run. Then I get to hope on a plane and head for sunny helLA. So, sleeping, eating, and final workouts are going to be tough, but manageable. It seems when I'm on the left coast my schedule becomes easier to deal with. Nonetheless, the biggest obstacle is my groin right now. It's more sore today than it's been. Now, I'm not one for pity parties, but I threw myself one tonight and indulged in some tasty, heart clogging fast food. I had the worst workout that I've had in a long while. It was annoying, frustrating wrapped in anger. It's not the pain of this little injury, it's the effect it has on my nightly goals. Chalk it up to the other small ailments that I will have to deal with at one point or another. I'm also dangerously teetering with not having shoulder surgery in December. My shoulder has been feel better after rehabbing it. So, tomorrow, I'll re focus and push other parts of my body to the limit. I'm still a little nervous about how the groin will hold up in Malibu. I'm going to let it rest, and see how things feel later on this week. Running is fun, and it's certainly a fickle mistress. I do plan of trying to get past the runs I have for this year and taking some time off next year to let my body heal. Now, that doesn't mean I won't hit the gym, let's not be ridiculous.... It does mean that maybe the traveling will be for fun and sight seeing and not to go and run. I plan on having one more blog before my actual run, but in case that doesn't happen. Let's hope that I finish Malibu somewhat healthy.

Boys don't cry!

With three weeks til Malibu I have to say. My body has decided at this point to start falling apart at an accelerated rate. Many small ailments are starting to pop up. It could be my intense training, and lack of sleep. None the less, as I always do. I've soldiered on and continued to move forward. Nowadays, my days consists of a mix of work, eating, training, more work, and some sleep sprinkled in. Saying that my schedule is chaotic is an understatement. I've not blogged much because of that fact. So, as of today I'm dealing with a sore groin from running and heavy lifting. My right ankle which I have to have surgery on has been tender for a few weeks now. I know that it's begging for some work to be done on it, but at this point I have to compartmentalize the pain and move on. Over all the pain isn't that big of a deal, it's more nagging than anything else. So, much like in the middle of a football season you're never really healthy, you're just dealing with it. I can't really complain, work and business have been great, but with all of that time invested in my carrer other things suffer. It's a personal choice, I know once I get past these few runs things will get better. Until then here's a video to help motivate you during these grind out sessions before a run.

How bad do you want it?

Oh, and one other thing I'm running for a purpose. Please consider donating.

Help me fight cancer

On the stretch run for Malibu.... Can't wait to see LA.

Poor Poor Pitiful Me!

This past week hasn't been very stellar for me. Training has been pretty mundane. The gym that I frequent is going to shut down for a remodel. Which means I'm going to have to drive a few more miles to a gym that is not as busy as the one in Valley Ranch. My training has been somewhat reduced to allow my shoulder capsule from not being damaged further. The good news is that it has not dislocated since the last few episodes. My professional life is busy as always. Like the old NWA song "100 miles and running". Never a dull moment in the life of a data nerd! I did get some speed running in this week. I kept a 8 minute mile pace for 3 miles in hilly Las Colinas. My goal is to maintain that for at least a half marathon along with getting miles in as I get closer to Odessa. The crappy part is that there isn't a good run in September in these parts. I don't really feel like traveling, since the last few marathons this year for me are going to be on the road. With all that being said, I remembered that I did registered for the tough mudder run in September. It seems like it's going to be a piece of cake. Most people think these kind of runs are a challenge. To me it's more like peeing out of my butt. They aren't very challenging. It's just a reason for non athletic people to dress up in pink tutu's and run once for the entire year. At the risk of sounding like a running narcissistic. I train my tail off to keep in great shape. Most of my friends and family can attest to this. I'm horrible at eating socially. As I told my boss earlier this week. I dabble in weight lifting and running. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that most novice runners get into running events like tough mudder. In my opinion more people should get involved in these events. Cutting down on the cheese burgers and getting active is always a good thing. Okay, I'm stepping off my self imposed pedestal. Some months, you'll run into weeks like the one I'm having. Where the training doesn't seem ample, work, and personal life cut into your focus. I find it best to turn on some Warren Zevon and keep grinding. I am thankful for my close friends, and family who have been there to lend an ear and listen to me vent. Now, to completely shift directions from this gloomy post. My goal for next week is to go past my current max sets in the gym and increase speed, stamina, and power while running. The weather has been un-seasonably cold for August in Tejas. Here are my current max weight values for legs, and back. I've been restricted to 80 percent weights in my upper body till my shoulder feels better and to prevent dislocations in my left shoulder.

Squats - Rack Squats
3 sets @  270
1 set @ 290

Leg Press
3 sets @ 630
1 set @ 720

Dead lifts - Olympic Bar
3 sets @ 225
1 set @ 245

T-Bar Raise
3 sets @ 225
1 set @ 245

Total body weight 198 lbs
Body Fat percentage 10 percent

Now, my play list has turned to Bob Dylan's "If You See Her, Say Hello" How very apropo! Sort of sums it up. I've been trying to catch up on my non technical reading list and here are some of my favorite quotes for this week.

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places" Hemmingway

“If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery–isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.” Charles Bukowski 


Earnestly,
Fernando

Conversations Kill!

Yeah, that's a pretty cynical title. I'm in one of those moods tonight. Nope, not in a good way. I had several conversations in the past few days that have altered my plans for the rest of the year. Sorry, but this post is going to be in a darker prose. One of the conversations I've referenced here is the news that I have a complete tear in my left labrum. Now, for the 6th grader in all of us I said labrum, and not labia. Why is this relavant you ask? Well, my shoulder is barely holding on for dear life, and I'm going to attempt to finish my scheduled runs for this year hoping it doesn't dislocate on a daily or weekly basis. Tomorrow, I schedule surgery for December 2012, and start my aggressive pre-hab program. This type of surgery is tough, and recovery is mixed. I feel I have a very capable surgeon, it's the rehab process that sucks. I'll loose all the muscle I've worked hard to build. So, my schedule is to have surgery in December. Heal, and start rehab ASAP. I can then train enough to run LA LA Marathon on March 17th of 2013. I'll then increase rehab, and start to train for the LA triathlon in September 2013. In between, I'm sure I'll have some runs and start towards and aggressive weight and endurance regiment. It looks like if I can get past the immobilization phase and out and running, I should be fine. This is going to be a tough test of my mental strength. Physically, I'm up to any challenge, it's the not being able to train and the dog days of rehab that are going to be difficult. I've accepted the surgery and now I have to prep for it. I've managed to dislocate my shoulder 3 times since yesterday, and it's been awesome, NOT REALLY! I'll never get used to that pain. Nonetheless, I'm an athlete, and accept that my body is now dealing with all the punishment from football in my earlier days. The days when I felt invincible. Where I felt like no matter how much I weighed if I was somehow able to get my pad level lower I would topple the defender, who clearly outweighed me. It was a badge of honor to deliver the "kill" blocks. It was pride to stand in the pocket and deliver that dart over the middle with timing and accuracy, and not worry about the defender who's coming free on a blitz and is going to level you while you're fully extended. Missing a protection, having the "kat" come in unblocked and he would just kill you from the blind side. Climbing the pocket, side stepping the rush, breking contain and running down the field. Instead of sliding to live another day you said to yourself. Here's my chance, lower your shoulder and punish him!!! Was it machismo, pride, narcism, recklessness or carelessness? Call it what you want. All I have now are conversations that kill....


Fernando

Mr. Bad Example!

Let me start off by saying that I love football. In no way is this post anti football. With all that being said, If I was to do it all over again. I don't know if I would play full contact sports. First, let me start of by describing my admiration for football. It's more than a bunch of brutes running around trying to end each others career. It's the ultimate chess match. One on One battles happening across all positions. Winning at your position at all cost. I played QB at the high school and semi pro level. To me there's nothing better than calling the right play, and beating the defense with intelligent design. The mix of athleticism, execution, and play design is what football is all about. With all that being said, there is a dark side to football. The hits that you take, the abuse that piles up on your body. No, I don't want sympathy, nor should anyone else who chooses to play. The reason for this public service announcement is that I suffered a small little set back this week. It won't impede my running, but it is a little slightly more than annoying. I have a laundry list of injuries that need to be corrected.

• Torn pinkie ligament in my left hand.
• Ankle ligament tear and bone fragments in my right ankle.
• Right knee meniscus tear
• Partially torn labrum in my left shoulder

Each of these procedures will require some surgical intervention. Yesterday, my left shoulder subluxated. Resulting in a dislocated left shoulder. As annoying as this is, I know that there is only one thing that will fix this issue unless I cut down my max on shoulder shrugs and over head presses. See this only happens as I work my shoulders harder and harder. So, I'm sitting here with my left arm in a sling and I have to slow down my shoulder work. This won't stop me from running, but the pain is not much fun. Now, that I've written about it. It's time for some treatment, ice, and gym work. You're only as good as your latest shortcoming. The focus will be range of motion and pain management before hitting light rehab work on the shoulder. I will defer from discussing any concussion related issues I'm experiencing since this is not the proper forum. I know this seems to be the trending topic right now in all of media, but I won't comment on them. The concussion problem is very real, and I've had some bouts with it. 

Fernando

SF Marathon - The Hangover!

After most marathons most runners experience several different emotions. These usually consist of euphoria, sense of accomplishment, hunger, and best of all soreness. To counter act my bodies physiology, I do a quick leg workout at the gym after my marathons. Not to bore you with my routine, but it consists of squats, presses, stiff legged lifts, extensions, and calf raises. These are done at about 60 to 80% weight. I've found that this gets the acid out of my muscles. I also down about 2 gallons of water after the run. With all that being said, I also had a different issue. So, most people don't know this, but I suffered a small tear in my quad about 6 weeks before SF. This little set back altered my prep work for the marathon, but in no way did it impede it. After the run, I went straight back to work. I was tired from jet lag and my grueling work schedule. Three days after the run I started to feel some powerful pain in my left foot. I didn't have any odd twists or anything. I figured it was just a small soreness issue, but as the week carried on I felt worst. To the point where I had a noticeable limp. This was a little worry some since I have another marathon in October, and well, no rest for the weary, right? So, I had the foot looked at. Turns out I had a sore Peroneal ligament. So, I followed orders, some slight rest, ice, and stretching, but no dice. There was still some soreness there. Finally, I decided to change back to my old every day shoes, and viola. The pain subsided completely. No more soreness, no more weakness in that foot. I still gave it a few more days to rest, and enjoyed some more junk food, before locking it down back for training. Most people look at me weird since I'm running such a heavy set of marathons in several months. What most people don't get is my drive for being in great shape and how much I've come to love running. It's my muse, some people smoke, others drink, or do other recreational drugs. Me, I run, I enjoy pushing myself to see what I accomplish. I also weight train really hard. It's something I've done now to help keep me healthy, and to help me balance out the daily grind. Since I can no longer play contact sports, I have to channel those competitive juices else where. We all have our vices. Running happens to be one of mine. It feels good to be back in the training saddle again. I'm excited to see how much money I can raise for charity, and how much faster I can complete the next 26.2. Next year, I'm doing an Iron Man. Now, that's going to be an experience. For now, It's Odessa, Malibu CA, and Las Vegas are the marathons spots for this year.




Fernando

Oh, you're a runner?

First of all, let's not stand on ceremony. I'm Fernando, I'm 31 and I'm Data nerd from Dallas, Texas. I'm an under achieving Database Engineer/Consultant/Architect/Manager/Scientist. I spend my days spelunking around in the bowels of Database Engines, and leading a staff of Database Engineers. I also have a healthy obsession with lifting weights, and running long distances. Last year my body begged me to stop playing semi pro tackle football. As I closed in on my thirties my body was no longer able to deal with hard hits from playing the pig skin. So, I had to take my competitive juices else where. I settled on running, and pushing my body to the extreme. This year, I plan on running 6 total marathons. In March of this year I ran in the Los Angeles marathon. This was a great event. Very well planned, and executed. If you want to really site see in Log Angeles I would recommend this event. You will run along side most of the LA hot sports. In April I ran in the Big D marathon in Dallas, Texas. This event was horribly planned, and even more poorly executed. The course was mundane, the hydration stations were subpar, and the police directing traffic almost allowed a car to hit me. My advice would be to not participate in Mellew Production events. They have very low standards. My latest event was the San Francisco marathon. This was a great and challenging course. It takes you all over San Francisco, and the hills may not have eyes, but they will kick your ass. The hydration stations were plenty, and had adequate help. Every mile marker there was a medic station, and the staff was helpful. The crowd control was excellent, and I never felt as if I was going to die during the course. My next event will be back in the state of Texas. In good old Odessa Texas. There is nothing to do in Odessa, but run, and get out of town. This will be in October. In November I'll be traveling back to the Golden State to San Diego for a marathon. The night cap will be in Las Vegas in December. Over the next few weeks and months leading up to the Cross Roads Marathon in Odessa, Texas. I'll blog about my training regiment, eating habits, leading up to live blogging during the run. The most important thing I'll be doing is raising money for different charities. I would appreciate any donations to the cause I'm running for. My goal is to leave the world in a better place than I found it. If that means running 26 miles to raise money to help push science forward to help stop terrible diseases, then I'm all for it.


Fernando