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The Breathtaking Big Sur Marathon
Just completed my second marathon of the spring, The Big Sur Marathon. It was most unbelievably beautiful. Running along the Pacific Coast Highway south of Carmel and in Redwood forests certainly helps stay motivated through 26.2 miles. Full race report and Runcast coming soon.
Today I am off downtown to support my fellow immigrant brothers and sisters in support of May Day and immigrant rights.
Gary
Catalina Marathon Part 2: Imagination is more important than Knowledge
“We don’t need to be good all the time, we just need to love what we love for more goodness in the world.”
Catalina like so many of my goals was a dream. Just a vision in my imagination. Some years back, I learned the power of visualizing. Lately more and more of my readings have been pointing to the power of this latent ability of the mind. But the trick is to feel the results of your dreams. That is when the subconscious mind and the power of the infinite mind really kick in to create these very images and feelings in your world.
So what all that spiritual ramblings mean is that do this simple exercise to accomplish your running goals…
Visualize running the race you have always dreamed of doing. But feel the exhilaration of crossing the finish line–the joy, the exhaustion, the excitement of the crowd, and your pride for finishing the goal.
So I had been doing this for months. I had seen myself on the trails of Catalina, and crossed that finish line many, many times in my imagination.After arriving at Avalon, my parents picked me up at the boat dock and I had the good pleasure of their company for the weekend as I stayed on their boat. It is always wonderful to spend time with my parents, and this was an opportunity for them to spend the weekend in Catalina also. I ate breakfast with them to the pouring rain. Would it rain during the Marathon again? Would the trails be covered in mud making them unrunnable? Silly negative thoughts I had to quickly dismiss.
Took a nap, and watched the rain come down. As soon as it let up I went into shore at Avalon to go in and watch Southern Illinois University, my alma mater, play West Virginia in the NCAA tournament. I watched a half of basketball, quickly observing that SIU would get crushed by a larger, better organized team.
Then I tried to find the “greatest radio station in the world”. KISL 88.7 in Avalon. I found the radio station, but no-one was there. I had been listening to the station as I trained and their mix of real roots reggae on Sunday morning gave me the spiritual inspiration on those long trail runs. Unfortunately, you can only catch their radio signal right next to the coast. Well worth listening to. After too many chips and salsa, I needed something healthy so I found some vegetarian soup at a coffee shop and met Sophia, who was doing her first marathon. I love marathoners because anyone that chooses to run 26.2 has imagination and belief in the impossible that makes for a courageous interesting life. She shared stories of Morocco, training, and we reflected on spiritual principles of correct thought. I love when conversations get spiritual with someone I just met. I can learn something from everyone I meet.
Then the rain let up and I saw my first Catalina rainbow. I cannot remember ever seeing rainbows in Southern California and this month I’ve seen three. A nice reminder that the universe will bless us with beauty when we least expect it.
I registered for the marathon and headed back to the boat with my parents. I practiced yoga on the back of the boat, having to get creative with some asanas. I saw the sun go down. And I prayed for a good result the next day. That night prepared everything I had for the next day. Camera, electrolytes, vitamins, aspirin, vaseline, rain gear, sunglasses, and backpack.
The Next Day
My father drops me off at the Catalina Flyer dock the next morning. There 700 runners line up to get on the one way boat to Two Harbors at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. I met Jason and Rebecca in line who were also doing their first marathon as a husband/wife team. They had five kids, yet still found the time to train. I love hearing stories like this. Because it reminds me that I will still find time to run marathons as life progresses in the future. Plus it’s just plain inspirational. After tackling downtown LA traffic the previous years, to run the LA marathon, to sit on a boat in the early morning hours on the way to Two Harbors, seeing the sun come up, was a welcome change–another reminder of the beauty we are blessed with in Southern California.
The starting line was drawn in the dirt. There was not starting gun, no loud music, no crowded streets–a man said go, and we were off. The first three miles were uphill. Then we hit a downhill section then more miles of uphill. Some sections were so muddy, my shoes came off a couple of times. Generally I run with my shoelaces very loose, so I had to tighten them. Finally at about mile 6 we had a two mile downhill section and I had a chance to relax and flow down the hill. Other runners could not believe my speed and leg turnover, I later had to give away my real secret: ChiRunning.
Then miles 8-18 were a combination of hills and easy hills. Maybe you get the idea of how many hills were on this marathon. Then at mile 18 came “pumphouse hill”, the steepest hill on the marathon. I thought I might be exhausted, but I was just a little tired. I took my time swinging my arms, working efficiently up the hill, breathing, conversing with others, just enjoying myself, and soon, I was at the top and had my first views of Avalon.
Only 7 more hills followed that. Then the best part: the last three miles of the marathon were steep downhill, and began passing runners like crazy. I must say I was getting exhausted the last mile of the race, maybe I hadn’t quite trained as hard as I should have.
Results: 4 hours and 19 minutes. 113th place. 9th in my age group. I could not be happier with the results. In fact, I’m always happy with the results of a marathon. As long as I finish and enjoy myself. That’s the important thing, time is relative as Einstein would point out.
It was a dream come true to finish this Catalina. I met new friends, and came to see why runners return to this marathon year after year. I will return next year and want to train some other runners to run it with me so we can go to the bars after the race and do some real celebrating. Wanna join me?
Run with joy,
Gary
RunCast5-Catalina Marathon
This is one of the hardest marathons in the United States with approx. 18 of the 26.2 miles are uphill. I loved every moment of it. The views, the people, the weather.
Spending three months of running trails to prepare really paid off.
Enjoy
Gary
Catalina Marathon Report: Part 1 Crazy Diamonds
Catalina Race Report
Part 1: Shine On Crazy Diamonds
“We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves…The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, ‘You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.’ The human spirit is indomitable.”
Catalina 2006 was a dream come true for me. But it didn’t start that way.
The evening before, was packing my bag to late in the evening. Fuelbelt, camera, way too many books, trying to make up for the yoga studies I’m behind in, vitamins, Ultra, batteries, sets of clothing, music, PowerBook Pro. As typical, I left all that to the last second, and I was stressed out. I had tried to make the boat over the evening before to meet my parents who had a boat over in Avalon, and all stressed out, running around LA doing errands, I couldn’t make the 5:00 p.m boat.
I made the 6:00 a.m. boat out of Long Beach with my overweight duffel bag. As we left the harbor, I sat writing yoga notes into my computer…
You are what your deep driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.
Then I looked up to see the my first bit of beauty. The sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. I was listening to Pink Floyd’s “Shine on Crazy Diamond” and I had one of those moments when everything seemed so perfect–the sun on the water, the music, my Desikachar’s quote.
You see, Catalina had been a driving desire of mine for some time. In 2003, I planned to do the marathon two weeks after Los Angeles. Yet two weeks after my PR at the time (3:49), my legs were still aching. So I called it off. The weather intimidated my father from going over with his boat also.
The year after the weather turned us away again. 2004 is still famous among Catalina marathoners for just getting dumped on.
So this was to be the year. I chose to not do the LA marathon to focus my efforts on Catalina. In addition, after teaching six college classes in the fall, I got a little beat down from work, tired and unmotivated to run. Plus some other things going on my life that became those little hobgoblins giving me reasons too not run.
New Years day, like many of us, I made a fitness resolution to run Catalina. Even if I finished over 5 hours, walking, taking pictures, taking notes some long race report, I’d finish it.
My runs began short. 3-4 milers twice in the week. Then I began doing some long runs on the weekend. I wasn’t even counting miles. I train on the trails on the back side of Palos Verdes, and I had a point in my mind like the top of Del Cerro hill, and I’d run up there. I ran sporadically with my old running partner, Bob, but he was traveling up to Washington to visit a new girlfriend seemingly every weekend.
Did some group trail runs with the www.socalrunning.com community. But mostly I did some long runs by myself. I coach to not listen to music when you run, yet I really needed some tunes. I don’t care, sometimes you need company even if it is Kirk Franklin on a long run.
Before long I was running for two hours, two and a half hours, three hours on trails and hills. I figuered I should build up to a four hour trail run in preparation. I think it is important to look at the terrain for a marathon, and try to replicate it as much as possible in your training. The ideal is to actually run the course before. Of the 26 miles, something like 18 of them are uphill at Catalina. With the steepest hill at mile 18. So my big training run was 22 miles around Palos Verdes, and I made sure my largest hill was at about 3/4 of the way into the run. That run went great. And I powered the hill.
I practice and teach ChiRunning. And I tried to practice my running form with every run. Especially conserving energy going uphill. My speed downhill is still Bode Miller like, mainly because ChiRunning has taught me to move my legs faster than other runners.
After my long run, I didn’t run for a week. Then I did a couple of short runs. I so believe in rest. Most runners injure themselves because they simply do not rest after hard run. The Wednesday before the marathon I ran the switchbacks with my partner Bob. He always smokes me uphill, as he runs with long strides compared to the baby steps I use with ChiRunning. But this time, I leaned big into the hill, and used my arms to take me up the 3 mile hill of Palos Verdes Drive East. I practiced full yoga breathing. I didn’t look back.
And I got to the top of the hill before he did. First time ever. I was ready.
I had also began intensive yoga study this winter. My yoga teacher, Rosie Good, offered her teacher training which began in February. She is an amazing teacher and person. An effulgent light for many of us in San Pedro. Every Friday evening I chanted and studied the sutras of Patanjali for two hours. Then five hours of yoga Saturday and Sunday. I’m not sure how Yoga is changing my life but, I am changing. Of course I’m more flexible, but it goes deeper than that. Things are opening up inside of me. Creative energies. Infinite possiblities. Positive thoughts. Visions of angels. I guess this website is a channel for me to share some of these thoughts and visions.
And that morning all these memories, my life, was coming back to me with the sun coming up. All these crazy diamonds, Bob, Rosie, Chad, Witze, the Beach Runners, Steve Mackel, Danny Dreyer, Jason Smith, my father, all these people that play a role in keeping you fit and healthy, feeling strong when you feel weak, inspired when you feel demoralized, valuable when you feel worthless, I sent a prayer of thanks to everyone that helped me prepare for this marathon. Because the more my heart chakra opens in life, the more I realize that I get my strength from them and God. Without those crazy diamonds in my life, running marathons is not possible.
Shine On!
Namaste
Gary
Part 2 (Rainbows from Heaven) coming soon.
Glorious Catalina Marathon
But when I climb up to my island peak,
Escape awhile the maddening world of strife
I envy not an earthly thing, this life,
which sometimes galls, is swept clean of cares,
by friendly winds, and once again I smile.
Ay, truly, life seems sweet–a thing worthwhile.
1912-1992
A majestic marathon. Maybe the second hardest but second most beautiful in the U.S.
Time 4:20. Finished 9th in my age group (35-39). Best age group finish ever.
This marathon was perfect for me. Hills, trails, ocean views, outdoor minded people.
I will post a full race report shortly.
My photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garysmith/
Run with joy
Gary
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