My Birthday Marathon

My Birthday marathon was a blast! It took place on November 29th, my 12th birthday. It was a 6.55 mile loop we ran 4 times. I was a little bit nervous because 26.2 seemed like a massive amount of miles. Since this was my first marathon, my mom would run the first half with me and my dad would run the second half with me so that I would never be alone.
   
When the marathon started everyone stayed in one group so there was plenty of things to listen to during the first lap. During the middle of the first lap I was starting to cramp up just a little bit, the idea of me cramping at mile 3 kind of annoyed me because I still had 23 miles to go.
   
When we hit the aid station I took a few pretzels and a Mountain Dew and took off. Right after that I realized that listening to some talk about races and what they have endured really helps for you to kind of ignore pain. After we made it to the turn around I felt great and was thinking that the next loop was going to go by really fast with my dad and Ed pushing me.
   
After the second lap we started flying and Ed said that our average mile was 11:06, the thought that I might get under five really helped me not to walk. I was really starting to hurt, after the turn around we did a lot of walking. When we were about .5 miles out from the aid station I started cramping a lot it kind of felt like my stomach was being tied in knots.
   
Most of the cramping went away after about a mile of running, when we were about two miles away from the aid station I saw my science teacher Mrs. Rickards jogging and that kind of gave me something to think about. When we were almost at the turn around I had to go poop and almost right after I said that Ed found three pieces of semi clean pieces of paper towel. So after a few minutes we found a good bush and well... lets just say I went.

At about the last mile Ed told me that I only had a mile to go and that I was going to get under five hours if i kept my pace, this made me run a little faster and made me a little emotional. When I saw the finish I could hardly breath because I was so excited :). In the end my finish time was 4:51, I broke 5 hours!

Thank you to everyone that came. It was the best birthday ever!

Long Beach 13.1

 Long Beach was a blast! The Long Beach half marathon course is awesome, most of it runs by the beach so you can smell and see the beach for several miles. Since I hadn’t ran a half in a while I use a little nervous so I just decided to have fun and not try to PR.
   
At the start of the race I heard Rudy Novotny say “Runners set....... GO!!” I felt pretty good at the start, I was hoping it will stay this way! Boom! The first mile went extremely fast, the course was pretty flat so I decided to make my strides longer. After a while I slowed some so I wouldn’t cramp or have any other problems.

At around mile 5 I passed a 10 year old. He said that this was his first half marathon and that he felt like he was going to throw up. I ran with him for about another half mile then he had to stop and walk so I kept running. At mile 6 we started to run on another beach, and I heard two of my friends coming by Andrea and Chris, they were running the marathon and looked like they were doing great!
   

I was hurting when I hit mile 8, it felt like I had knots in my stomach but I wanted to keep up the pace so I could get a few of those doughnut holes my Mom said would be at mile 9! I passed Joe Taricani from the marathon show at about mile 8.2 he looked like he was having a blast out there!
   
When I hit mile 10 I was feeling pretty good so I decided to pick up the pace. Mile 11 and 12 went by super fast but the last mile was slow and painful. My cramps came back and I wasn’t feeling good.

When I was getting closer to the finish line I started hearing Rudy yelling and I decided I was going to go all out once I saw the finish line. When I saw it I sprinted like someone was chasing me, but wow I definitely felt it when I crossed the finish and stopped.
   
Long beach was amazing! if you didn’t do it this year you should definitely do it next year!

My Experiences At Badwater 135

Badwater is special to me because.....

When Ed “the jester” Ettinghausen got accepted to run he asked me, my mom, my dad, and four other people  to crew for him. We were very excited.  Ed also made us wear skirts! 

At the pre race check-in I met Dean Karnazes, he lifted me up on his shoulders and said “I couldn’t run as far as you can when I was your age, keep running.” You have no idea how happy that made me :) I was wearing a jester hat so people would say things like “Hey mini jester.” and they would usually talk about our skirts, Ed (who most people thought was my dad), and about Badwater.

Almost everyone at the race was wearing all white and some people had their faces covered, so Ed was really easy to see in his orange shirt and jester hat. Ed’s crazy outfit also made it easier to crew because you could see him coming and have enough time to grab the stuff that he needed.

Ed started at the back while everyone went out fast and he was like a fisherman just pulling in and passing the people as the time and miles went on. 

For the first 17 miles runners weren’t allowed to have a pacer so when the runners hit the first check point the pacer had to experience the heat too. Most of the check points were really small cities with only a general store, restaurant, and hotel. Gas, ice, and almost all food was way over priced in these little towns.

At probably mile 25 we pulled over to help the pacer van and I was writing a sign, and we started hearing groans coming from the guy behind so we looks behind us to find a naked man using the toilet (a bush). The sight of that made me laugh for a few hours =).

At about mile 41 we were driving to the next checkpoint to get some ice and popsicles when this huge dust devil came in front of us and all we could see is sand I didn’t see it coming so it kind of freaked me out. After going through the dust devil we passed these massive sand dunes. I can only imagine how hot that sand is.

I noticed that if you didn’t give Ed what he wanted when he wanted it he wouldn’t take anything until the next stop to save time. Ed also didn’t stop running so he saved a lot of time.

At night most of the runners were climbing around a 7,000 foot hill and the temperature dropped down to about 45 degrees! When me and my mom stopped in front of the pacer van I would lean out of the car and cheer and then have to get back in because it was so cold.

I fell asleep in my mom’s car and I woke up and found out that Ed is at mile 98. He complained his knees are shot because of the shoes he was wearing, oh no! After about an hour Martha Ed’s wife came back to my mom’s car and we drove to mile 122 the next check point to take a shower and a nap.

After we got ready we went to were the race staff was setting out times and we would cheer for the runners and every once in a while one of the staff would come out and yell something along the lines of “Here comes elite athlete ....” It would kind of shock me when they came out because I never heard them coming.When Ed made it to mile 122 he looked terrible and you would have to yell at him for him to talk to you, I felt really bad for him.

The travel up Whitney Portal (the last 13 miles) is all hills and is really hard for all the runners.  You would go up a hill just to find another hill plus there is high elevation. I noticed that on the trip up to Whitney portal that Ed was in the zone and seemed to be in a lot of pain.

Most runners and their crew were crying and cheering for the other finishers, so in the end most of the runners picked up their pace a lot for a strong finish! 

After Ed finished he sat down, took a picture with the race director and the crew and he got back up and said “okay guys time for me to carry you.” so Ed literally picked all of us up, one at a time, and ran across the finish!

The day After Badwater there is a little awards ceremony and you watch this years race recap and Chris the race director comes up and calls on all the runners and says their time, place, and if they got close to or beat a Badwater record. After the awards ceremony was over my dad started talking to Nickademus Hollon, Nick is the youngest Badwater, and Furnace Creak 508 (the Badwater for cyclists) finisher. My dad introduced me to Nick and told him that I was gunning for his record and he gave me his e-mail address and told me to e-mail him, meeting Nick was exciting and made me really happy.

...... Badwater certainly lives up to its title and that makes me want to run it even more.

Congratulations to my favorite Jester for another Badwater victory!

Why Do You Run?

People ask me all the time why I run. My friends don’t understand why I love it so much. I run for the feeling of accomplishment, I also run because I like to look at a medal in my house and say “Hey I earned that.” Another reason I run is because of the adrenaline and endorphins that run through my veins during my run and after. My parents run and I like to be like them. I run to have fun. Some days I run to be slow, other days I like to be be fast. I run just to run.

My running goals are to do a marathon when I’m 12, a 50 miler when I’m 13, and a 100 miler when I’m 14.

Why do you run?

What are your running goals?

An Accidental Ultra-Marathoner

June 2nd didn't go as I had planned, but it turned out a lot better!

It started with the Fontana Half Marathon.

The Fontana Half was awesome! The Fontana half is almost all down hill so it is a great PR course, the only downside is you are not allowed to walk :(. The half starts at 3,300 feet above sea level so you had to take a bus up to the start. There were around 2,000 runners and my age division was 15 and under, so I had a chance to win my age division! My friend Kent took me to the start and I was excited!

Boom! the race had started and we were running down hill, so I knew this is going to be a fast course! As I was running I heard someone yell, “good job we are at mile 3 and we are running a 7:12 pace!” Wow I’ll run out of energy if I keep going this pace. At mile 4 I saw the first person looking for walkers, hopefully he doesn’t find anyone! At mile 6 we were basically down the hill and we were heading towards a gas station when I heard someone say. “he passed me again! its ok when they are older, but when not when they’re his age!” I started thinking about this for a while and laughed to myself.
  

At mile 8 I was starting to pick up my pace since there wasn’t anymore hills to go down. A lady ran by me and said “Wow, you are going to be an elite athlete one day!” Just this thought brought me to mile 13 where I saw my mom and sister and sprinted to the finish! In the end I finished in 1:54:34 and I came in 4th place in my age division! First through third place were all fifteen years old.
  

After the race, we decided to go and help my friend Ed with a 100 he was doing at the Riverside Relay for Life. When we got there I decided that I was going to do 7 miles with Ed so I’ll have 20 miles for the day. Ed was running on a .25 mile grass loop around tents, kids, and a stage.

When I finished the 7 I sat down and my Mom and (Ed’s wife) Martha said “Now you only have 6 miles to go for a marathon!” I knew that they were just teasing me but since I felt great, I got up and did 6.25 more. After that I thought to myself, “if I’m going to do this I might as well run until my mom makes me stop.” I ran another 5 and was feeling no pain except for a slight ache in my legs, but thats normal. Sadly I had to stop and go home to feed my dog Cooper =(. I was surprised I ran so far.

Including the Relay for Life and Fontana, I  ran 31 miles!!! To add on to that I felt great! Running 31 miles was painful at times, but after I finished, I felt very proud of myself. I can’t wait until I get to be an official ultra-marathoner!

Nanny Goat 2012

   

Nanny Goat is a blast! The Nanny Goat course is a 1 mile loop, and you can sign up for either the 12 hour, 24 hour, or 100mile race. Nanny Goat is basically a party the whole race =D. I wasn’t running the race but my parents were doing the 24 hour race! One cool thing about Nanny Goat is that you sleep in horse stalls which are in a barn or outside in your tent. The best part about Nanny Goat for parents is you can drop your kids off and they can play with all the other kids.
   

Making my signs for Nanny Goat

 I made 5 signs for the race with different goat jokes on them, I would go about .1 out on the course and cheered with a cow bell and a few of the signs. The good thing about cheering is that it is not only fun but it helps the runners when they are going through pain. After about 2 hours of cheering I went with several of the kids and we went and bounced on the trampoline and cheered the runners while bouncing! Probably the best part of playing with the other kids was swimming =D we swam for about an hour and a half.

Ed and I before the race

 After swimming me and my friends Dylan, Gionni, and Noah cheered and brought out water bottles for the runners:). Just before the 12 hour mark my mom and dad had just crossed the 50 mile marker! And my friend Ed “the jester” Ettinghausen had done 60 miles! Several times during the race I got the opportunity to pace my mom, dad, and Ed. I ran 12 laps total.When I was getting ready for bed an extremely nice runner ran up to me and gave me a bag of M&Ms and said thank you for cheering, this really made my night.

So I woke up at around 7:00 AM and got out of my tent to see my parents finish their 80th mile! My parents ran 80 miles in under 23 hours!!! When my mom took off her shoes i saw several blisters the size of marsh mellows, AKA battle scars :)! For all the crazies out there if you have a chance sign of for Nanny Goat, you won’t regret it!

Hollywood Half Marathon Race Report

The Hollywood Half was AWESOME! The Hollywood Half was an inaugural race, it is also directed by Ken Nwadike. Ken is runner himself and has a  pregnant wife who’s name is Sabrina. Ken let runners pick a lot of factors of the race like what the medal should look like, or what color should the running jacket be. Ken also extended the race deadline in respect of parents running with strollers.
   
Miles 1-3 were fairly easy for me because the road ran through Universal Studios City Walk so there were a lot of lights to look at and entertain you while you were running by them. The other good thing about this part of the race is its all down hill :) and I was running around 8 minute miles!
   
Miles 4-6
At the beginning of mile four I felt something  in my bladder.... Oh No! While I was waiting in line I saw a few homeless people and I suddenly heard my friend Jessica yell “Come on Colby!” And I decided I could hold it. Jessica and I were running about 8:20 minute miles now since the course wasn’t down hill anymore and there were some ups and downs.

WOW! I just saw the lead runners they both looked like Kenyans and they were about a foot apart! Thats going to be a close finish!

Miles 7-10

At mile 7 I was still running with Jessica and she was talking about her  crazy quest to do 30 marathons in 30 different states in one year! And then I asked her about the Boston Marathon and if she is going to do it and she said “Yes” and showed me how to drink from a water cup while running. At mile 10 I had to stop and walk for a bit because I was having cramps and it was effecting my breathing.

Miles 11-13.1
“here comes the hill!” I said to myself. Around mile 11 the aid stations ran out of water cups, so there were groups of boxes with gallons of water in them so runners could open and drink from them. Thats a real time killer if your going for a PR (personel record). As I was getting closer to the finish, somebody yelled “Only half a mile to go!”  When I heard that I put my head down and ignored my legs screaming in agony. In the end I finished in 2:02 and placed 24th in my age division (19 and under)!

Jessica and I having a great time

Coming in for a red carpet finish!

Run The Marina Half Marathon

Run The Marina is AMAZING! Run The Marina is directed by Charlie Alewine Racing (CAR), the races are inexpensive and very low key. The Half marathon course is three big loops and the marathon is six. The first part of the loop goes around a fire station then goes through a neighborhood until you reach a turn around and go back to the aid stations. After that you run by a HUGE marina and you run up a bridge and then turn around.

Its 6:00 A.M. and I’m looking around seeing if I have a chance to be in the top three runners because the top three get trophies.

1, 2, 3 GO! I took off running in the front with my friend Deo (Deo has earned ten stars in the Marathon Maniacs several times and has done about three hundred marathons). I was feeling pretty good until I reached the Marina and felt like I was going to have to stop and barf in one of the trees.

Mile 4-8
I lost Deo after the first four miles and a girl doing the half marathon started getting closer and closer so I decided that I was going to try to lose her so she isn’t any trouble in the home stretch. Swoosh! I just passed the half way point and the girl was creeping up. Once she got next to me we started talking to each other and we would ask each other questions like in your opinion what is the worst part of the course? At mile seven I lost her and again I was close to the aid station, good I had enough time to grab water.

Mile 8-13.1
I was in first by a land slide from mile nine to ten but I was losing energy and the wind was strong so it felt like I was running with weights on my shoulders and it was harsh. Now I was at about mile 11.5 and another runner came by and gave me one of her GU chomps mmm apple I was chewing on those until mile 12.5 when I started going a bit faster and the girl was in sight but I was well ahead of her. Right when I saw the finish line I put on my warrior face and started sprinting. Bam! I finished in 1:56:14 coming in first place!!! I just won a half marathon! and I beat second place by about 2 minutes and third place by about six minutes. I was overjoyed when I crossed the finish. I was the only person under eighteen at the race and I just won it !!!

After the race I hung out at the aid station with Charlie, my dad, and my sister. About two hours later, Deo came in he finished in three hours forty four minutes and won the marathon! Deo was ecstatic that he not only did a sub four hour marathon, but he won the marathon too.

Shortly after Deo finished the marathon, a Jeep was pulling out of its parking spot and a Moped came flying by and hits the Jeep and the Moped rider flies over the Jeeps hood and landed hard on the cement. Charlie called 911 and me and my dad rushed over to help him, his whole body was fine except his knee, the paramedic said he had a soft tissue injury.

After the accident I ran on the course to look for my mom so I could finish with her. She was at about mile 26 when I caught her and we finished the race together. She finished in 5:19:40 :) it was her second marathon of the weekend. It was a great day.


Deo and I

San Diego Half Marathon at Petco Park Race Review

The San Diego Half at Petco Park is AWESOME! The start is right outside Pecto Park and it runs through downtown San Diego. The course is almost all flat except at mile 8 where there is “a growth opportunity” that lasted about 3/4s of a mile and then the last three miles is all down hill so you can have an ‘epic’ finish, as the race director said.

Mile 1-4 were probably the worst miles of the entire half which is strange because its when you normally don’t feel pain. Right when I passed the start line I took off like a gazelle running for my life and made sure to get right in front of the people taking pictures just in case they were good :). At about mile two I had severe side cramps and I was forced to do kind of a run/walk so I would run for about five minutes then walk for about ten seconds. As I run/walked past the fourth mile marker I noticed a bunch of guys working on building a ship and as I ran by I wanted to stop just to sniff the cedar wood mhhh!

At mile 5 my cramp was gone but I had random pains springing up from no where and I slowed down because there was someone with an iPhone playing music and it kind of helped me ignore my pain and keep moving. At mile eight the so called “growth opportunity” came along and I could hear people moaning “oh no.....” But I was ready and I wasn’t going to give up on my goal and for some reason I started going faster then before.

Woot woot I finished the hill! Now the rest of the race is all down hill which wasn’t too good. The thing about going down hill is that you're tempted to go super fast down and when you do that, you burn your quads and your feet feel like their being torched. Now the finish line is in sight and I can hear Rudy Novotny yelling “you’re all about to finish in one hour and fifty minutes!” As I came down to the tunnel to get into Petco Park and to finish I started to get a little bit emotional because I just beat my dad’s half marathon personal record! I finished in one hour fifty-two minutes and fourteen seconds, I beat my dad’s record by six seconds! My dad said I am officially the fastest one in the house.


After the race I cheered at mile 13 for a while until mom came to take me away from Ed the Jester who was cheering too so I could meet Meb (he won first place in America’s Olympic trials marathon). Meb told the audience in Petco Park that you should never let anyone look down on you and say you can’t do this you or can’t do that and that you should always follow your heart and chase your dreams. After Meb’s speech he came down and my dad yelled his name and he came over to us! He asked me if I did the race today and asked how fast I did it and Rudy told him that he better watch out for me :) Meb said "you're going to be fast when you're older!" It made me ecstatic. The San Diego Half at Petco Park really made my day.

Finish Chelsea's Run 5k

Finish Chelsea’s Run is a race that was set up to honor Chelsea King. Chelsea was an amazing student and athlete. When Chelsea was 17 she went out on a training run on a park trail when she was suddenly attacked on the trail she was running on.

The Finish Chelsea’s Run was developed to raise money to support Chelsea’s law. In Chelsea’s 5K sunflowers surround the start/finish and the people cheering have signs that show Chelsea’s words to live by like “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” - Eleanor Roosevelt.

There were 6,000 runners and in the beginning of the race my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

Runners set... GO! I heard Rudy Novotny yell at the start (If you don’t know Rudy he is known as the voice of America’s marathons). I was running with the elites for about a minute and 30 seconds. I was doing this race for time. The course itself runs on a street road and at mile 2 there is a rolling hill that ends at about mile 3. Right at the beginning of that hill you run by trees and when I ran by the aroma of trees surrounds me and I was engulfed by the experience. It reminded me of the looking out my backyard in Hawaii and just breathing in the fresh air.

At around mile 2.5 I experienced a “little” hill. The hill was extremely steep and I hugged the side to walk about half way through it. As got closer to the finish line I started to here people cheering and I heard Rudy yell “5 seconds left do you want to break 22 minutes?” Right when I heard that my body went on auto pilot and my body took over i started sprinting like someone was chasing me “5, 4, 3 ,2” right before the clock said 22 minutes I finished! When I finished to race I took off and ran to mile 3 to cheer for runners before anyone could stop me. In the end I finished 4th in my age division and 122nd over all.


-With Rudy and my Mom after the race-



-My Results-