Miner's Revenge Trail Marathon - April 2014

Miner's Revenge trail marathon and half marathon was in its first year of inception this year. It was a great and well organized trail race. It was held on April 27, 2014 in Cool this year. The marathon course had quite a bit of climbing and downhill, making it a hard race. Shavi was doing it as a training run. So, was taking it slow and easy, completing it in 5 hours and 2 minutes. He was bummed that he did not pay much attention to time in this race as he could have easily done a sub-5:-)

The race swag was different. It included a gym bag. Shavi liked the race and would do it again.

In Shavi's language: Anthony Brantley knows how to put a race together with a wicked course. Loved and hated every bit of the 26.2miles with ~4,700 feet of climbing and downhill.

American River Parkway Half Marathon - my first one after a long break

Yaayi! I am back to running:-) American River Parkway half marathon was my first half marathon ever in 2011. And now 6 months after the baby was born, I did my first official race after the break, on April 26, 2014. I had been running on and off since January 2013, training on my own, with a friend. It is amazing that it was not too hard to get back to running after the baby. Probably, because I had continued running until 6 months of pregnancy but then was a big 5-month break. I actually found running much better after the break:-)

I know the course of this race pretty well. I did not break my personal record or anything but it was a good way to get back to the racing world. This one has always been a great race for me. This was my 3rd time doing it. Heat was the only thing which was worrying me but it was a great cloudy day that day. The course mileage this year was a little off, making it a 13.75 mile course instead of 13.1 miles. I completed the race in 2 hours 40 mins and did 13.1 mi in 2 hours 32 mins, per my GPS.

Anyone wanting to do PRs or wanting to run a half marathon for the first time, this one is a nice race on American River Parkway. Thousands of people participate in this one. It includes 5K race, half marathon walk and half marathon run. This might be the cheapest race in Sacramento with funds going to American River Parkway. It has always been very well organized and well managed. Will do it again!

Mokelumne River 50mi

This was the first time for Shavi running this race in Mokelumne. He had to drive really early morning there (around 5am since the place was more than an hour far from our home).

He really liked the Mokelumne River race. It was very well organized and they gave a really nice jacket to finishers. Not many people ran this race but it was worth running, per Shavi. Mokelumne River is a very tough race with almost 10K feet of climbing. Shavi completed the race in 12 hours and 10 mins - that was how brutal the course was!

As per Shavi's facebook status: Almost pulled a #bobroot today on the trails. Ended up doing 52.5miles to an already tough 50mi course. Mokelumne River 50mi is legit with ~10K feet of climbing and most of it in just 20miles (Mile 15 - 35). It reminded me of the climb to Devil's thumb a couple of times. Nice low key race, very well organized. Would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get some quality miles in. Amazing views along the course. Good to see familiar faces in the middle of nowhere. (PS: #bobroot is a runner who got lost in the canyons and people spent 2 days finding him. Luckily, he was found alive.)

This was the first long race where he did not have me as crew. Good training run for him. And after the race, he drove all the way back home. Proud of your determination, Shavi! Keep it going.

American River 50 miles Endurance Run - 2014

This year it was Shavi's 3rd AR50 race. I can only remember the first year he was going to do this one and I was so freaked out. Thinking about the distance was killing me! And this year it was nothing to worry about for me. I am glad that racing is going well for both of us :)

AR50 is a great race, great course and very well organized. Another good race by NorCalUltras. It is generally on the first weekend (Saturday) of April. They changed the course this year, making it all trails. Earlier it used to be half road and half trails. So, the timings of last year and this year could not be compared. It was hotter than last year but Shavi did good. He was again taking it easy to prevent injuries and be in shape for his big one coming up - WS 100 miles in June.

Another training run in the books for him.

Way Too Cool 50K - 2014

The first ultra marathon (50K) of the year is in the books for Shavi. He did it as a slow training run. He had a better time than his first Way Too Cool race but not as good as last year. It was hot this year. He had a fun run though. Way Too Cool is a good course and a very well organized race by NorCalUltras. Shavi has been enjoying it since the last 2 years. This was his 3rd WTC race.

Western States 100-miler: Here comes Shavi!

We had been waiting for this and it is going to happen this year!!! Shavi will be running yet another 100-miler which he has been dreaming of since a few years: Western States on June 28-29, 2014. It is going to be exciting. With the newborn at home, training hasn't been easy for him but it is now time to be pumped up since he has a lot races lined up (as training runs) before the big one. This time, it will not be as easy as it was for his last 100-miler but we will get through this together with all the enthusiasm:)

The first big race is this weekend. It is only 50K (now I say "only" with 50K), equivalent to 31 miles: Way Too Cool. The list of his races has been growing:

1. Way Too Cool 50K on March 8, 2014
2. AR 50M on April 5, 2014
3. Mokelumne River 50M on April 19, 2014 (his first time doing this)
4. Miners Revenge 26.2M on April 28, 2014 (his first time doing this - the race is new as well)
5. Canyons 50K on May 3, 2014 (his first time doing this)
6. Gold Rush 100K on May 2014
7. Silver State 50M on May 17, 2014
8. Western States training runs from May 24-26, 2014

And from here on will start his taper weeks for the big race. Getting anxious and excited already!!

Sometimes RICE is what is needed and it sucks!

Injury? Ankle injury! Not fun. I had hardly got back into running after the baby and the ankle injury stuck me. I started running after 3 months of having our little boy and in the 4th month, while I had already reached 9-mile distance, I twisted my ankle. The ankle got swollen and I could barely walk. I have to admit that it was all my fault. Even when it was hurting, I kept running and I crossed that fine line between normal pain/cramps and injury:-( I had been feeling the pain but I kept ignoring it, thinking it is because I have got back into distance running after a long time. After that 9-mile run, I made it worse and had to sit back for a few weeks.

I had to follow the advise of my doctor - Dr. Shavi ;-) whom I trust so well, especially when it comes to running. I was advised not to run, ice it like crazy, elevate it, compress it and have ibuprofen to reduce inflammation. It took long 3 weeks of no running and RICE (Rest, Icing, Compression and Elevation) before the swelling reduced. It is frustrating but you got to take care if you do not want permanent damage. I tried everything and the healing process was slow but it was working. I even tried crepe bandage and anti-inflammatory ointments. I started running in the 4th week, wearing ankle strap. Ankle strap is a great thing - it holds on to the ankle muscles and doesn't let it move much. The pain is still there but it is getting better. I have been doing slow 4-5 miles every other day and it feels better every day. The bad thing about injuries and rest is that you have to start all over again. Training for my first half marathon after pregnancy is fun and I am loving it. Go away ankle pain!

Lessons learned: Do not ignore pains. If injured, follow RICE and have ibuprofen. Take it slow and easy once the pain is getting better and use straps like ankle straps etc.