Marathon Maniac #4986

You may have noticed in the pictures for my last two half marathons that I was wearing a shirt that said "Marathon Maniacs". For those of you who aren't marathon runners, you probably thought this was a cute shirt that clearly explained that I was crazy. BUT .. that is not all that it is!

The Debut of the Maniac Shirt

Marathon Maniacs is a running club that I first heard of a little over a year ago. In order to qualify you need to run a number of marathons in a short period of time. The full requirements and qualification levels can be found here, and for me - I was able to qualify at the minimum level of Bronze by completing 3 marathons in less than 90 days. Um, that's the minimum requirement? That was barely achievable!

Being someone with an insatiable need to achieve, I'm always looking for the 'next' goal. First it was to run a marathon, then to run one under 4 hours, then it was to qualify for Boston (which I've given up because to be honest I don't want to train as hard as I'd need to to qualify), then it was to do a triathlon... but then, what next? When I heard about the Marathon Maniacs and what it took to qualify, I knew this was something that I wanted to do.

Last year I ended up running four full marathons after previously having sworn off marathons for good. Oh marathon running, I can't quit you! I ran the OC Marathon in May, the San Francisco Marathon in July, the Marine Corps Marathon in October, and the California International Marathon (CIM) in December. The CIM race was a last minute addition when I realized that the Marine Corps Marathon would be a slower race that David and I would run together. I was itching to do a race and try to PR, and signed up for CIM in October. 

2011 Marathons - All in Tutu!

 Tutus Courtesy of Glam Runner

Once I was signed up for CIM though I realized that my July, October, December races were pretty close together, but not close enough to qualify as a Maniac. I looked at a race calendar though and realized that if I completed another marathon in January, my October, December, and January races would qualify me. Hmm ... what race to do in January? Hmm, but what race to do? The Carlsbad Marathon was in January and local, but it was sold out. I looked around online a bit though and found  a bib for sale on the Tri Club's classified ads. Before I could think twice, I was registered. Maniac status here I come!

Running four marathons in 2011 and then a fifth in January meant that I was basically in marathon training mode for almost a year straight. I really started getting tired of weekend after weekend after weekend of long runs towards the end of the year. Every single Saturday I had to get up early and get out and run for hours. I love running, but sometimes I was just tired and wanted to sleep in. I cut myself a lot of slack towards the end of the year and skipped a few long runs here and there or cut them short, and in the end it didn't really hurt me.

Running Carlsbad with Tara

As the Carlsbad Marathon approached and Tara and I started doing long runs together, we decided that we would run together and I'd try to pull her into the finish with a sub 4:30 PR. I knew the pace would be pretty comfortable for me and my goal for Carlsbad was to just finish. I didn't care what my finish time was, I had already just PR'd in my previous race, and if I crossed the finish line I would be a Maniac!! We ran the whole race together (in tutu!) and had a lot of fun, and I'm so happy to say that as of January earlier this year I qualified! I was a Marathon Maniac!!

Pure Joy & Happiness Crossing the Finish Line

I don't have any full marathons scheduled until July when I run the San Francisco Marathon. I'll be doing San Francisco, Marine Corps, and CIM again this year just like last year. I'm just starting my training for San Francisco this week, and I can't wait to get started with my long runs again. Next weekend I will be running the Vancouver Half Marathon and will of course be wearing my obnoxious yellow Marathon Maniac shirt. 

Marathon Maniac Shirt & Custom Glam Runner Tutu

I feel so proud to have earned Maniac status (even if its at their lowest level), and love all of the greetings and cheers from fellow Maniacs that I see along the course. When my cousin and I ran the Hollywood Half a few weeks ago I felt like a celebrity! I had so many other Maniacs or Half Fanatics yell out "GO Maniac!" or they'd say Hi and shout out their number to me. I felt like I was in a special club of fellow crazy and friendly people!  

 Making Friends at the Hollywood Half Marathon

Upon being accepted you are assigned a number, and I'm proud to say I'm #4986. To date there are over 5000 crazy runners out there who have also qualified and applied. Go Maniacs!

Running For Love

Better title than running "from" love right? Haha. This past weekend David and I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. This was David's second full marathon and my second time running this race with him. Running a marathon is hard. Running another marathon with another person the whole time is hard as well! Unless you both run the exact same pace, one person or the other is constantly trying to adjust their stride or pace. It makes sticking together somewhat challenging, but having someone by your side for a whole marathon is really comforting.

My Favorite Person & Running Partner

Back in 2008 I was living in Hillcrest (San Diego's Castro) and heard that they were having a 5K down the street that coincided with Pride Week. How could I pass up a race that I could walk to?? I quickly signed up and talked David into signing up as well. This was going to be his first road race but he was confident. He had played sports his whole life, was in good shape, and was sure to smoke me in the race. Uh huh. Amazingly I came in first in my age group for the first time ever and beat David to the finish line! 

After the Run & Stride With Pride 5K

Our next race was a 15K trail race. We ran the Xterra Mission Gorge 15K. The course was pretty hilly which back then was the kiss of death for me. I stuck with David for most of the race but towards the end as the trail snaked up a never ending hill, I succumbed to walking and David plowed on. 

Xterra Mission Gorge 15K - Ugh Hills!

Soon David became interested in running a half marathon, so we ran the Austin Half Marathon in 2009. If you haven't run this race I highly recommend it! The course is scenic and mostly flat. It has a few moderate rolling hills which slowed me down a bit, but David kept by my side and we finished side by side. Technically my race results showed that he came in first, but if you look at our finish photo my foot hit the mat first! Just not the foot with the timing chip. Darnit. haha.

Austin Half Marathon

After the Austin race we decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon in DC in 2009. As we laid out our training schedule I noticed that our first 20 mile run occurred on a weekend that I'd be in Boston for a tradeshow. I emailed my friends Martin and Meredith (locals) to see what course they recommended we run to get our miles in. Probably not thinking we'd take his suggestion seriously, Martin mentioned that he'd be running a half marathon in Plymouth that weekend and we could always do the race, and then tack on 7 more miles after we finish. Who does that? That's crazy! Oh wait, that's what we ended up doing. And um, it was pouring that day. So we raced 13 miles in the rain, and then plodded on for 7 more. Misery! (Race recap here.)

Plymouth Run to the Rock Half Marathon

A few more months passed and it was finally time for the Marine Corps Marathon! Our plan was to stick together for the whole race, and even with some lagging on my part around mile 19 and cramping on David's part around mile 22, we finished side by side! My dream of finishing a marathon with someone had finally come true. I loved it. (Race recap here.)

 Marine Corps Marathon 2009

After the Marine Corps Marathon I thought I had dreams of David and I finishing every race going forward side by side! Err ... that totally didn't happen. David was fairly turned off after the race and while he felt accomplished, he was more on the camp over "never again" versus "what's next?"  Shoot. I gave up on getting him to race with me for the next year and a half until it came time to register for the Marine Corps in 2011. My friend Christina was urging us to run and totally out of the blue (to me) David said okay, let's do it. And we can run the San Francisco Half Marathon as a warm-up. Huh?! YES!!!

I ended up registering for the San Francisco Full Marathon (since I was an Ambassador and thought it would round out the experience) and David and I planned to run the first half of the race together before I split off to complete the second half alone. We cruised through the streets of San Francisco side by side and up and down the hills (which by now were something that didn't slow me down). After racing alone for so many years, I loved having him next to me mile after mile. (Race recap here.)

San Francisco Marathon 2011

The months flew by between the San Francisco Marathon and the Marine Corps Marathon, and I couldn't believe that it was finally race time this past weekend! David's training hadn't gone quite as planned and he had been running a slower pace than me in his training runs, and anticipated a slower pace for the race. When we discussed running the whole race together again David said there's no way we could, he'd be going much slower than me. For a while I thought shoot, I was hoping that this would be the race where we'd focus on breaking 4 hours! A goal I've been chasing down for several years, but hadn't really focused on this year since I was just coming back to embracing full marathons again. It crossed my mind to run the race on my own, for me .. but then I shook some sense into myself and thought what is wrong with me?! I've spent years dreaming of someone racing side by side with me. I finally found him! And now because he is going to run slower than I want to I'm going to race on my own? Who am I? A selfish only child? Err wait, I am. But - in the end I decided we'd stick together, no matter what the pace. Guess what - it was worth it! Having your favorite person by your side for 26.2 miles is fun, comforting, and heartwarming.

Marine Corps Marathon 2011

Since we ran this for the experience and not for time, my appetite for a sub 4 hour race hasn't been satiated. Because of this I made a silly rush decision a few weeks ago to sign up for a fourth full marathon this year. On December 4th I'll be running the California International Marathon in Sacramento. This will be the closest I've ever done two full marathons, but hopefully my body cooperates and I am able to throw myself back into training. I've never run this race before and have heard good things about it. I'm giving myself the rest of this week to recover and run just for fun, but next week my game face is back on! Four weeks to a sub four hour marathon. I think I can do it. "I think I can, I think I can." - The Little Engine That Could

 

Why I Run Marathons

As my next marathon approaches, I've been thinking a lot about why I run, and more specifically why I run marathons. I ran my first half marathon (Rock N Roll Phoenix) in January of 2005 as a way to quit smoking. I ran my first full marathon after that (Rock N Roll San Diego) in June of 2005 to see if I could actually do it.
After that I ran another marathon to see if I could finish with a better time, and all of my subsequent marathons have involved chasing down that time goal. 

Hot Mess After My 1st Marathon

There are a lot of things about marathon training that I really like. You set a goal, you create a plan, you commit to that plan, you work hard, you adjust your plan when you stumble, you put yourself to the test on one big day, and you celebrate your victories. The goal setting and planning is part of what I like so much about marathons, but more of what keeps bringing me back is a need for achievement. I've been an achiever my whole life, and marathon training and running fits into that perfectly.

Finishing RNRSD - Current PR 4:00:32

I remember one night in particular years ago that really made me think about marathons and achievement. I was out on New Years Eve having a conversation about various things, and the topic finally settled on my marathon running. The person I was with looked me square in the eyes and said to me "Monika, I think you keep running marathons just to prove to everyone that you're better than them." My heart stopped and my eyes almost popped out of my head. I searched that person's face to see if they were A - joking, or B - trying to me mean. Neither was the case. They sat there looking at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to agree with them. As I realized that this wasn't a joke, I suddenly had a horrible feeling. This person didn't get me at all. They didn't understand the core of what I'm about. Sadly, this person was my husband at the time. After being together for six years, he had no idea who I really was.

I brushed off the topic and we continued on with our night, but that moment has haunted me for years. I don't run marathons to prove that I'm better than people. In fact, its almost the exact opposite. I run marathons to prove to myself that I'm good enough. I want to know that I can try to do something difficult and achieve it.

Growing up I was pushed a LOT. Thanks to Amy Chua's book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, the idea of a tiger mom is fairly well known now. I grew up under a tiger mom who pushed me constantly to exceed. She had my best interests in mind, but I think it might have been in a short-sited way. My mom was obsessed with pushing me to do things younger and younger. I started school with first grade when I was 5 (because according to my mom Kindergarten was a silly American way of calling finger-painting "school)", I skipped fifth grade and started middle school when I was 9, I ended up starting high school at the ripe age of 12, and I was off to college hundreds of miles from home a few months after turning 16. Along the way I was pressured and pushed to always do my best, and to then do better than that. 

Dressed Up Like a Go Getter

 

(In the center, flanked by my cousins)

I'm reading Bart Yasso's book right now and in it he tells the story of how he qualified for the Boston Marathon and finished the race in 2:40. He called his father to share his accomplishment, and his father asked why he hadn't won, and told him he needed to train harder. Hmm, I think I know how he must have felt.

After being pushed so much growing up, once I was released to go off to college, I continued to push myself in the same manner. I pursued my dream of majoring in Engineering, and put every ounce of energy I had into studying and completing my Mechanical Engineering degree. Undergrad was horrendously hard for me. Maybe just because the major was hard, or maybe because I started when I was only 16, but I struggled throughout my 4 1/2 years at UCSB. When I finally graduated (at 20!) I thought my mom would be impressed. Taking note from Bart's fathers mentality, she told me how she was disappointed because she had always dreamed of having a "real child prodigy" who could finish college by 16. Sigh.

Proudest Moment of My Life

Once I entered the real world my mom stepped back from my life, and it was now up to me to push myself. I was so used to trying so hard to be the best at everything or to constantly cross a certain line or achievement that I worked like crazy at my job the first few years. After a few years when I got comfortable with things though, I didn't feel like I was being challenged enough. So I decided that I should go back to school. While I was in  grad school I was working at a start-up and balancing working 80 hours a week with going to school at night. I was run ragged and exhausted all of the time, but being pushed to the limit is what felt natural to me. Upon graduation I felt a bit lost. My company filed Chapter 11 about a month later and suddenly I was both out of a job AND out of school. Luckily I found a job soon after, but with normal 40 hour work weeks I didn't feel like I was doing enough to maximize my time and test my limits. Two months after starting this job is when I started training for my first half marathon. And the obsession to test my body and improve my race times hasn't let up since. 

The Next Era of My Career - Marketing

(I'm in the center holding a bag)

I've gotten to the point in the past few years where I've just about plateaued in my marathon training. Although I want to run faster I don't have it in me to commit to train that much harder.  I'm like a person who wants to lose weight but doesn't want to change their eating habits. I only run about 30 miles a week. My friends who have qualified for Boston are running close to 60 miles a week. Two workouts in a day? No thank you. Last year after a terrible burnout marathon I decided to try to test myself in a different way. I signed up for my first triathlon! I had terrible fears to overcome before the race. I hated swimming, I am a major germ freak and didn't like the open water, I was terrified of falling off my bike,  and I was worried about doing something new and doing something poorly. My first race turned out great though and I signed up for a few more triathlons after that. I've had a number of mediocre triathlons since that first one (exactly a year ago this weekend!) and now I've decided that my next year's goals will be to improve my speed on the shorter distances, and then work my way up to a longer distance triathlon (namely a 70.3 Half Ironman). 

 My First Triathlon

After that, who knows what will be next? I doubt I will ever want to do a Full Ironman (the hours you need to train are ridiculous!), so I wonder what I will need to do to feel accomplished once I meet these other two triathlon goals. Maybe I'll move onto some other life focus after that either personally or professionally. I wonder what that will be, and I can't wait to try to be the best at it. ;o)

Race Medal Rundown

One of the things I love about distance racing is the bling. A nice medal just for participating? Thanks! It makes you feel like you're a winner just for trying. :o)

I've managed to accumulate a nice collection of bling over the years, and am always excited to add to my collection with each subsequent race. Recently the San Francisco Marathon asked the Ambassador team what our favorite race medals were and why. I was shocked when the first few ambassadors replied back immediately saying they didn't really care about the medals and just stashed them away. What? I proudly display my medals on my "wall of accomplishment" (haha) next to my diplomas. Maybe its because running is something I never though I could do, but I'm proud of each and every medal and want to show them off. There's quite a variety of designs among race medals and in my collection you'll find the cool, the unique, and the boring.

Full Marathon Medals

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego 2005

 

 

Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix 2006

Los Angeles Marathon 2006

San Francisco Marathon 2006

 

Long Beach Marathon 2006

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego 2007

Chicago Marathon 2007

Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio 2008

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego 2009

Marine Corps Marathon 2009

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego

Take a look at this medal above, and then check out my friend's tattoo below. We trained together with the Rock Runners last year and this was his first full marathon. I thought this tattoo was pretty cool and a nice artistic take on the medal!

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Half Marathon Medals

Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix 2005

Valley of the Sun Half Marathon 2005

 

 

America's Finest City Half Marathon 2005

 

America's Finest City Half Marathon 2006

Austin Half Marathon 2009

Run to the Rock Half Marathon 2009

Surf City USA Half Marathon 2010

San Francisco Half Marathon 2010

Long Beach Half Marathon 2010

Carlsbad Half Marathon 2011

Surf City USA 2011

San Dieguito Half Marathon 2011

I have two other "medals" that I didn't include above, both of which are necklaces. The first is a Tiffany's necklace from the Nike Women's Marathon in 2006, and the other is a heart shaped necklace from the Mermaid Half Marathon a few months ago. I think its a cute idea to give necklaces instead of finisher's medals, but after wearing both for a short period of time I took them both off for the same reason. Maybe I'm weird, but I start to get uncomfortable talking about how many full and half marathons I've completed with a non-runner, and the conversation usually goes there a few minutes after someone asks about the necklace. The shock the person expresses usually makes me feel more weird than accomplished for some reason. As if they think I'm crazy and weird! I mean I am proud of finishing so many races, but I don't usually broadcast it publicly. At work I think only a few people know I run marathons, even though I have marathon art on my walls. :oP The discomfort I get when someones eyes bug out as I talk about races is the same discomfort I used to get when people found out how old I was in school. I'm younger and always felt a bit out of place, and people's reactions didn't make me feel any less weird.

Mermaid Half Marathon 2011

Nike Women's Marathon 2005

But onto other things, here are a few final medals in my collection from various other race distances that I've finished over the years. I love the variety of my bling collection, and its a nice way to visualize my training and all of the mile I've raced, and the hundreds of other miles I trained leading up to each event.