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November 23rd, 2008 Marathon

Dear friends and family,  (11/23/2008 marathon result: half 1:35:15, FULL 3:20:57.)
I've only told to few but I decided to run another marathon in Kansas City almost 1.5 months after completion of my disappointing 2008 Chicago marathon.  A couple of weeks after the Chicago Marathon, I tested my legs by running a long run (20 miles) and I felt confidence enough in challenging myself for another marathon run to qualify for Boston this year. I kept my plan to run another marathon almost secretive to most of the people to avoid putting my pressure on myself like I did for Chicago.  In addition, I was so determined to qualify for Boston that I did not want people to question my plan.  It had been a challenging time training in the cold Chicago weather and even tougher trying to keep myself in a strict diet when there were so many events to celebrate.   However, every time I felt like giving up, I kept reminding myself that "hard work will result in success".  One of my close friends asked me after the Chicago marathon why do I even run the marathon and my answer was simple:  I want to reach the goal that I set up and I don't want to be a quitter.  If you have ever achieved the goal due to your hard work, you should understand my desire.  I am fortunate to be surrounded by so many successful friends and this is a small way for me trying to validate myself as a better individual like my peers.  Many of my friends are hard workers in their own professions.  There is one that is excelling as a top player in his professional sport, one that is being a perfect husband and father, one that is an inspirational to all the women for being a top management in male oriented business world,  one that continues to strive for his excellence in biking and running, my list goes on and on.  I don't think some of them realize how much their efforts inspire me to be more determined!  
My Kansas City marathon on November 23, 2008 started off fantastic.  The weather was at ideal running condition: 33F at the starting time(8AM)  and at lower 50's by 11AM.  This was my first marathon that I have ran outside of Chicago -also very small (only 200 marathon participants)- so I did not know what to expect.  The course was set up to go about 75% trails and 25% city streets.   For the first 3 miles, I was mostly concentrating on defrosting my toes that almost froze up by waiting so long before the race. The scenery of the city and trails in the woods were very relaxing and peaceful and I was not fatigued at all for the half marathon.  I finished off my first half marathon at a pretty respectful time of 1:35:15 and my legs were feeling fresher than I expected.  There was 1.3 miles stretch of hill around at 6th miles but I was able to overcome it with ease and my confidence level was very strong.  From miles 12th to 18th, the course took off in the trail and for a while, I was worried that I was running a wrong route because I did not see anyone within my sight for a long time.  The consistent up and down of the trails were somewhat fun because it gave my legs a different rhythm to run but running alone on a trail that I have never been before felt a bit lonely.  My running up to 19th miles though, was the strongest that I have experienced in the longest time.  19 miles through 22 miles, the course went back to the street and I began to slow down as steep hill presented at mile 20.  The approximate a mile long of hill at 20 miles definitely took a toll on my legs and my right harmstring began to cramp up and had to slow down my running at 8:00/mile pace.  I was looking forward for water/banana/power gel somewhere after 21st miles marker to shake off my cramping but oddly, the organizer did not have any station set up between 19 to 25 miles.  (After the race, I complained to the lead organizer about it and she did not know why the stations were not set up.  If this was a larger marathon like Chicago, she would hear nastier complaints from all the runners!!) With no hydration and fatigueness taking a toll on my body, my pace has gradually slowed down since the hill at 20 miles and I realized that I had no shot of making the qualifying time 3:10:59 when I checked my time at 24 miles mark and it showed 3:00:00.  It was impossible for me to run sub 5 minutes for the last 2.2 miles so I made a choice to walk/run the last 2.2 miles. I walked around half mile and then jogged off to finish the race strong.  My racing time for the full marathon ended up at 3:20:57, 10 minutes short of the Boston qualifying time.  
Even though I did not qualify for Boston, I was satisfied with my experience.  If I had prepared myself for the hill at 20th mile, I may have come closer to the qualifying time.  This was my 5th marathon I have completed in as many times and I believe that I am becoming better runner each time.  I am looking forward to train again in the future and learn from some of the mistakes that I have made. For the next marathon, I will be needing to lose about 10 pounds to ease off poundings on my knees and I obviously have to work on my endurance a little more.  I may attempt 20 marathons before I can finally qualify for Boston but I can not wait for the day that I will be qualifying.  It will be well worth it and I am sure you will hear from me about it! .  
Well, now that I am finished with my marathons this year, I am going to take at least couple months off from hard training and enjoy foods, drinks, and much needed rest.  My next event I am planning to compete is a triathlon in late April next year.  Until then, I wish everyone a wonderful thanksgiving and joyful holidays.  

Posted by KG at 11/23/2008 9:52 PM | Add Comment

2008 Chicago Marathon result

Hello everyone! 
First of all, I want to thank everyone for being supportive and encouraging me throughout my marathon trainings to completion of this marathon.  It meant a lot to me and there was no way I could complete my 4th Chicago marathon without my friends and family's love.  
I am happy to let you know that I have finished my 4th Chicago marathon!  The time was a bit disappointing (3 hours 42 minutes) but considering the tough weather condition, I think it was a success.  The starting temperature was around 70F but around 10:30 AM, the temperature rose up to 86F, which changed the event alert from yellow to red, a severe running condition.  The high temperature was very unusual in October for Chicago and many runners had a tough time.  I started off the race very well.  My legs were feeling loose, my mind was very positive and I was feeling fantastic.  For the first 15 miles, I was well within my goal of 3:10 as I finished my half marathon at 1:35:05, a pace of 7:10/mile pace.  I did not think I was going too fast but maybe I should have slowed down a little bit from the beginning because at mile 15, I felt a sharp cramp in my right calf and the cramp never went away from that point on. In fact, the cramp has quickly migrated to my hamstrings as well and at mile 16, I had to completely stop my running.   It was an emotional moment for me when I could not run or walk anymore because I felt like I was letting everyone down.  Throughout my training runs, I have never cramped as early as 15 miles and I started to become very concerned.  With 10 more miles to go and possibly risking an injury, I began to think that this could be my first marathon that I will ever quit on.   Then, I started to look around and saw all the runners and supporters around me;  There was a little girl holding "you are my hero!" sign, a couple of runners encouraging each others, and people were cheering for me to not give up,  "Go 3596! GO! YOU CAN DO IT!"  That cheers at mile 16, for some reason, was the best energy boost that I have ever experienced.  From mile 16 and on, instead of fighting for the Boston qualifying time, my new challenge became to "Finish the race!" I thought about my friends and families but most importantly, I thought about my friend David Sorin, who I have dedicated this race to.  David was not going to let me quit the race and he was with me step by step.  From mile 16 to the finish line, I was in "the zone" and I just kept talking myself to "somehow keep moving forward and don't quit!".  I apologize if I did not recognize some of the people that came to cheer for me but I was just determine to do the best I could and my last 2 hours of the race was sort of a blur in my memory.  My pace from 16 miles to the end, I believe I ran at 10:00/mile and without David, there was no way I could even accomplish what I did.  He made sure that I will use every ounce of my energy to cross that finish line! 
    As I crossed the finish line, I pulled my arms up in the air and showed a big smile.  Even though my tank was completly emptied, I wanted to smile because I overcame the pain and sufferings for 10 miles long.  This marathon was another tough one and I did not come close to a qualifying time for Boston.  However, I know I can qualify someday as I prove in the past that I ran at 3:15.  With another hard training, I will come back stronger and fitter and you can bet that I will qualify for Boston soon.  I know many of you believed that this was the ONE for me to qualify but I hope you will continue to cheer for me in the future.  I will continue to be optimistic and I will never quit on what I started to do!    
Again, I want to thank my mom, my sister, my uncle and all my close friends for being there for me and I hope to see some of you at Chicago marathon next year!  Keep working hard! Nothing is impossible!
  
My official result
3596 Last Name:Asada First Name:Keiji City:Chicago State:IL CTZ:USA Age:30 Gender:M
Time
5K:0:22:21 10K:0:44:37 15K:1:06:54 20K:1:29:57 HALF:1:35:05
25K:1:57:17 30K:2:27:27 35K:2:59:38 40K:3:30:12 FINISH:3:42:32
Chip Time:3:42:32 Clock:3:43:15 Pace / mile:8:29 PlacementOverall:3483 Gender:2796 Division:499

Posted by KG at 10/14/2008 8:19 AM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment

Running my 4th Chicago Marathon Oct 12, 2008 (My BIP # 3596)

Many of you know that I have been training for my 4th Chicago Marathon this year and my ultimate goal is to qualify for that elusive Boston Marathon (3:10:00 qualifying time). Since I completed my first Chicago marathon in 2004 with a time of 3:28:15, my appreciation of running a marathon has changed 180 degrees. It is challenging and one of the toughest things I have done!! I have been trying hard each year to qualify for Boson (3:10:00) but the closest I've ever finished the marathon to this date is 3:15:54, which was set at the 2006 Chicago marathon. Running a marathon is emotionally and physically demanding and I have respects for all the people who can complete the marathon no matter what the finishing times are. One of the reasons I continue to train hard everyday is to show people what can be achieved if you put your mind into something and have the added incentive of a reason for doing it. Half Marathons and Marathons hurt— but at least you have the ability to run so take advantage of it and do your best! From my father’s illness, my family’s support, self accomplishments to my peers’ encouraging words, I have countless reasons to be thankful and it makes me smile that people believe in my ability to achieve the goal. 

Normally each year, I run for a charity of my choice but this year, I want to dedicate my marathon for a special friend of mine, David Sorin, who is with me in spirit but no longer with us physically. David was one of my good friends from the gym that I work out at and he was always a genuine and sociable friend to be around. We spent many fun times together in Chicago and I am deeply saddened when I heard that he is no longer with us as of August 11, 2008.  At the age of 30 years young, I can not believe how unfair life can be for someone like David and it makes me appreciate how lucky I am each day.  I will be thinking about him and his family throughout my run in Chicago Marathon Oct 12, 2008. All the pains and sufferings that I am going to endure for 26.2 miles are nothing compared to what David’s loved ones go through each day and I would love to honor David. David, may you rest in peace and I will miss you dearly.  I know you are smiling from the above right now! 

As I will cross the 26.2 miles mark this year in Chicago, hopefully at 3:10:00, you can bet that I will have a big smile on my face. I will be smiling because of all my friends and family and how fortunate I am!  If you happened to be in Chicago on October 12, 2008, I hope you will be able to check out the marathon and cheer for me and all the runners. All runners to me are already winners in my eyes and I am sure they could use the extra cheers from all the supporters. Maybe someday, I will see one of you running the race together with me...  I will keep you posted on my result after I complete my 4th Chicago Marathon!

David Sorin, R.I.P 08.11.2008

Posted by KG at 10/7/2008 5:07 PM | View Comments (12) | Add Comment
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