Eat Drink Vegan (and Some Hiking, but Mostly Eat Drink Vegan)

This week was pretty mellow overall. I've never run a half marathon before so I wanted to let my body do it's thing. Instead of running I took advantage of several opportunities to enjoy the social side of life, and I don't regret that one bit. It was really good to see my old friends and remember that I have them! You know that adult feeling when you realize you haven't hung out with anyone in weeks? I feel like I've been getting that a lot recently. This was a good salve.

One of these days Iris will look into the camera.

We're having fun. You can tell that from the picture, right?

Runner Highs and Lows

The good part about running this past week is that I did actually get to run. I’m not sure what recovery is supposed to be like after a race, but I definitely wanted to get out and run at least a little. I ended up going on two short, 3-mile runs at an easy pace. It’s fine. Part of me wishes I ran more, but the other part of me was tired and thought it best to let my body heal as much as possible. At the end of the week I think there was a decent balance, and I’m okay with that.

This is what Iris sometimes looks like when I push her in the stroller. At least she got to wear her princess dress.

I’m struggling a bit with motivation in this transition period before I officially start my 50K training. What I should do in these next 3 weeks? What are my options? Glad you asked. The way I see it, I have three main options.

First, I can run some steady miles during the week and try for really long runs on the weekend. I can probably get up to 16 miles in these next couple of weeks, which would be pretty cool. The mental benefits of getting that a run in at that length might be beneficial, but I’m wary about the actual training benefits the long runs will provide.

Next, I can work on back-to-back runs and consistent mileage. In Running Your First Ultra, Krissy Moehl talks about it being beneficial to have consistent mileage for the weeks leading up to the training plan. In running multiple days a week, I could get my body adapted to the mileage and take a week off before training begins. As I write this, it feels like a good option.

Finally, I can concentrate on getting speed work in to see if I can improve my pacing and running efficiency. This option appeals to me because every little improvement in pacing drastically affects the overall experience of the final outcome. When running a few miles, an extra minute or two a mile doesn’t make a huge difference. Over the course of thirty miles, however, that extra minute adds up. When running thirty miles on trails, that time could be extended to an hour or even longer.

This is kind of how last week looked. Very mellow.

What do you think? Anyone have any opinions on what I should do? Send me an e-mail or comment and let me know.

Dad is the Best

Before Katie left for her trip, we got to spend some time together as a family. We went on an awesome hike with friends and did a bunch of cleaning around the house. During Katie’s trip, Iris will get the opportunity to see a lot of her family. She’s spending time with Nana and Uncles and Aunties galore. We’ll keep busy, but I know Iris will miss her mom.


It’s good for Iris to spend time with family. We are fortunate that she’s so awesome and everyone wants to hang out with her, but her sense of agency is amplified when she’s with others. It’s good to let her have different experiences outside of what Katie and I can show her. The more positive experiences she can have like this, the more empowered she will be, and that is precisely what I wish for her. I want her to feel empowered and confident.

That's confidence, right there.

Brew Overview

This weekend was Eat Drink Vegan (formerly “Vegan Beer Fest”). If you have never been to this event or one like it, you really are missing out. For a reasonably priced ticket, you get a 4 oz. taster glass and walk around trying various vegan craft beer. There are dozens of beers to try, and you can have as much as you like.

So much bigger than the last time I went.

This beer fest is special because along with the dozens of beer come dozens of vegan food vendors. Vegan restaurants and food trucks come from all over California to bring delicious vegan food. They had everything from sushi to burgers to ice cream, and it was fantastic.

Close up of my delicious burger

This is a sampling of some vegan fare.

What made this day even cooler was I got to spend it with some dear friends whom I rarely get to see. They live on the East Coast, and I hadn't seen them in ages so it was the perfect event to catch up.

I imagine this as a picture of a donut.

It's really cool that you can have people come into your life and, though you may not see them often, remain 

Katie and I had a streak going for a few years but missed the last two years. I definitely will not be making that mistake again. It’s such a cool experience.

Although I wouldn’t pick a favorite beer because there were far too many delicious beers at the festival, one that stood out to me was the Aroma Coma from Drake’s Brewing Co. Here’s the description from their site:

“Over the years as beer drinkers clamored for more and more hops, California brewers started making what has become known as a “West Coast style” IPA with a stripped down malt bill and loads of late addition and dry hops that lend hop flavor and aroma without overwhelming the balance with bitterness. In 2009, Drake’s brewers struck out to create one of the first of these beers with their Aroma Coma. With huge American hop additions at the very end of the boil and a double dosing of dry-hops, they created a hoppy, aromatic force-of-nature that can be smelled across the bar as each pint is poured.”

This beer was definitely citrusy, piney, and held true to it’s namesake with its pleasing aroma.

Hope you all had a great week. 

Cheers to another fortunate week. Life is good.

Is anyone reading this thing? If you have anything in particular you’d like to hear regarding my training plans or running in general, let me know. I’d be happy to share whatever I know with you.

Will write again soon.

Be well,
UltraDadRunner

04 - Tiny Dancers and the Beach and Bay Half Marathon

I ran my first half marathon this week! 

I've been so caught up in pre-preparation for my 50K training that I slightly lost sight of the fact that this half marathon was the reason I began training in the first place. I got really excited during the week leading up to the race because I knew the half marathon would be a great indicator of my progress as a runner overall. Here’s how I did...

Runner’s High

I ran the Beach and Bay half marathon in San Diego. This gorgeous course circled Mission Beach, and, because the distance lined up so seemingly well, I was surprised to discover that this is the first time the race was put together.

(Photo courtesy of sandiegobeachandbayhalfmarathon.com)

This is the course as it displayed on Strava upon completion

It wasn’t until a few days prior to the race that I actually considered how I’d run it. Initially, I thought maybe I’d treat it like another long training run, taking it easy and getting through the mileage steadily. Having had very few race experiences, however, I didn’t want to limit my potential performance or experience so I decided to make a plan. How well could I do? What sort of time would I likely be finishing?

Pre-race Butterflies

Everyone says that starting too fast can be detrimental, and I didn’t want to kill myself, so I took a look at the paces I’d been running and gave myself a range to stay between. I decided I’d go out and listen to my body but to be especially wary if my mile splits were are under a specific range. I extended my walk/run intervals to be less frequent but still kept an interval so I would be forcing myself to stop periodically throughout the entire race for nutrition and hydration. I wanted to make sure I kept my effort levels low for at least the first half of the race.

Based on the pace I expected to run, I knew I’d be out there somewhere between two and three hours so I packed enough calories to keep me active and (hopefully) bonk-free for the duration of the race. I also calculated about how much water I wanted to drink at various spots of the race. In retrospect, all of this planning definitely helped lead to a successful run.

How do you plan for calorie intake/hydration for half marathons? As I’m training for even longer distances, I’m hoping to incorporate more whole foods into my races and training to avoid GI issues down the road when the events get really long.

I would have at least preferred to wake up bright and early, but unfortunately we didn't even get that luxury on race morning as the sun wasn’t even up when we left the house to get to the race for our 6:30 AM start time. Fortunately for Katie and I, as parents who run on a lack of sleep 90% of the time, getting to bed early the previous night was not very difficult so we were able decent night's sleep. Katie and Kim normally get to races early to avoid as much of the chaos as possible so we left before 5. I definitely recommend this strategy, although it results in less sleep overall, because you avoid the pre-race pile of cars, which is almost always out of control. 

We took pre-race pictures, I bounced around a bit with some dynamic stretches, and our legs began moving. The initial part of any race is exciting but also slightly technical. Hundreds of people around you are running at mostly different paces, and you have to navigate your way through them. To get through this, I stole a strategy I learned from Katie which is to run through at least the first mile before beginning walk/run intervals.

We're ready to go!

I settled into what I thought was a reasonable pace based on how I was feeling. My heart rate was low, and I was not expending a lot of energy on the first few miles as per my race plan. This being the case, I was surprised to see how fast I was going. It must be the adrenaline, I thought.

I was so captivated by the energy of the event, the cheerful volunteers at the aid stations, and the beauty of the ocean around me that the first five miles flew by. I kept up my walk/run intervals but not really paying too much attention to how fast I was going. Around mile 6 I looked down to see the times I’d been running.

Uh oh. I was going too fast.

I mean, I wasn’t breaking any records or anything, but I was going way faster than I’d trained, and I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out down at the latter miles of the race. I did a mental recap: I have enough calories at this point, I’ve been drinking water, and I have stopped at all of my walk/run intervals. Ease up a bit and regroup in a couple miles.

My splits for the majority of the race.

Mile 8 came and went, and I was still feeling solid. Mile 10 came, and this is when the race started to get difficult. Finally, I thought, this is that feeling I’ve been anticipating. Legs are stiffening and starting to feel heavy, and my heart rate was beginning to rise along with the rising temperature of the day. Now what?

Do I slow it down and finish the race off as if it were a training run? Do I go all out and attempt to finish as strong as possible? Would I even be able to do that if I wanted to?

It turns out, my brain wasn’t up for sorting through any of these questions after having run for an hour and a half so I just kept following my intervals and trying to maintain control of my heart rate. Keep the cadence up, and the steps light.

I shuffled my way to mile 12 when the thought finally hit me, When is this thing going to be over? It’s officially hot, this Gu tastes gross (why did I think salted watermelon would be a thing?), and my legs are blocks of cement.

Finally, a light appeared in the form of a saint who told me, “The finish is just around the corner there. You’re almost there.”

If it’s almost there, does that mean I already finished? Can I just stop now and say that I made it? Is that a thing?

No, that’s not a thing.

I'm trying to enjoy the course along the way. I think it's working.

 What?!?!?!?! Nooooooooo. That saint was actually a devil. The finish wasn’t “just around the corner,” it was still over three quarters of a mile away. For your personal reference, if you find yourself cheering anyone on at a race, don’t make this mistake. Whatever energy I had left vanished instantly, and I began walking.

Before I could completely slow down to my brisk walking pace, I felt a tap at my elbow. A determined runner behind me confidently reprimanded me. “Nope. We’re running this. Let’s go!”

But… But… Yeah, but…

I wanted to offer up some excuse, but she was right. “Alright. Let’s go,” I said. Slowly but surely I got my legs churning again. Eventually, more spectators and previous finishers lined the course with encouragement to get the weary to the finish line when I finally glimpsed it. THERE it is! 

I would have sprinted had my legs allowed it, but, as they were, a quick jog was just about all I could muster. I raised my hands in victory as I crossed the finish line just behind my encourager. I did it!

Aren't these throwback Cali license plate medals cool?

I didn’t know what my time was or what place I got (it was like 1000th or something, I’m sure), but the victory for me was running hard and further than I ever have before, following my race plan and accomplishing a goal I’d sought after for months.

I finished with enough time to stretch and get some water before cheering on Katie and Kim to the finish line. I could not have asked for a better first half marathon experience. If you have a cool half marathon in mind, let me know! I would love to fit it in somewhere along the way with my current training. Cue photo dump.

Katie and Kim are ready to be done with this race. It's now way too hot.

Hey stilt-man, you're blocking the finish sign! What you can't see is that there's a shark eating his leg.

Look, guys! Strava says I burned a day's worth of calories.

Bonk of the Week

What’s a taper? I’ve heard of this concept but have mostly been kind of winging it these last few weeks before my 50k training plan begins. I was in a weird spot because I wanted to run this half marathon well but not kill my body because I’m about to embark on huge training. We will see how I feel this next week.

I didn’t do any PT this week, but don’t tell, OK? Although I have been stretching, using the foam roller, and lacrosse/massage ball for my feet, I did not do any PT strengthening exercises. I got a little lazy and wrote it off as “tapering.” I’m not too worried about this at this point, but I definitely can’t get this lax when training starts to really get tough.

Dad is the Best

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a toddler’s dance recital, accept the offer without hesitation. They are cuteness overload, especially if you happen to know the toddler involved. This week Iris had a dance recital at the local community center and performed both a ballet and a tap number. Check out how ridiculously cute this is...

Iris got distracted during the performance, but who could blame her? Those kids on the side were being loud and were definitely worthy of attention. She didn’t always demonstrate it on stage, but Iris loves her dance classes. She’s constantly moving around the house and will dance along to any cartoon or Disney music you throw her way.

It fills me with joy to see her enjoy herself, and I’m unbelievably fortunate to have these experiences.

She's about to explode with excitement.

This week also marks the end of Iris’s time at the Child Development Center at Mt. Sac. I can give further details to anyone interested on why, but she got a lovely parting card from her teachers and brought them cupcakes as a treat for her last day.

Oh yes, and there’s this parting gem...

Dad Lesson of the Week

Sometimes there is nothing revolutionary to report. This is one of those times. I had a difficult time being present this week and am constantly working on growing my patience. Isn’t that what parenting is to some extent?

Parenting is an endless journey toward growing patience.

Placing someone’s needs above and before your own is humbling. Sometimes the slog of teeth brushing and cleaning up toys and spilling drinks after you repeatedly asked to use both hands pushes personal patience to its limits. I feel like I did fairly well this week with respect to maintaining grace and patience during these circumstances, but I know I can do better.

That’s the goal: let’s do better than we did the week before. Let’s pay attention to our actions and pursue more patience and grace. That’s my wish for myself and for you.

Brew Overview

I’d hoped to comment here about the craft beer garden at the marathon after-party but have no such luck this week. Unfortunately, halfway down to Oceanside on Friday we discovered that Katie accidentally forgot her ID at home! I was bummed and definitely didn’t respond with the grace and patience I mentioned above.

I could attribute this the nerves bubbling around within me, but I’m going to instead fall on the grace of my wife who patient with me when I most need it. We still had a great weekend and got to visit Hess brewery where I tried the delicious Grapefruit solace.

Grapefruit Solis (courtesy of mikehessbrewing.com)

According to the brewery's website, this beer “kicks it up a notch by taking an awesome San Diego–style IPA and pumping it full of citrusy grapefruit—we're talking real fruit, zest and juice. The hops complement the zestiness, and the subtle malt makes this an award-winning, crisp, and deliciously refreshing India pale ale.”

I love IPAs but was worried about drinking one on this hot afternoon as I thought it might be sensation overload. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by how refreshing Grapefruit solace actually was. It was the perfect taste for the afternoon, and I definitely recommend anyone in the area to check this place out. I believe they distribute throughout the San Diego area as well. Good stuff.

Each emblem hanging in the tasting room represents a different house beer. Very cool idea.

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. This got out much later than I would have preferred, but I had much to say as it was quite the eventful week for me.

Will write again soon.


Be well,
UltraDadRunner

03 - Little Lies and a Mixed Bag of Training

My stepdad Brett says this blog is my online diary, and he’s not entirely wrong. I journaled frequently in high school and found it helpful. It’s healthy to sort through thoughts using writing or speech, gender stereotypes be damned. Having had 30 years now to observe the world, I think many people would do well to express their thoughts more often and communicate openly.

I see so much pent up anger and rage that could be dissipated with a few mere sentences. It’s interesting that my daughter's preschool introduced her to this skill that many adults don’t have. “Use your words:” When an action hurts you, it’s okay to let it be known, if it’s in an effort to find some resolution. It’s important for kids (and adults) to see this transpire.

I’ve been working on this as a parent in allowing uncomfortable situations to happen to Iris. If someone frustrates her, she should use her words to sort through the situation. When Iris and I are playing together, I sometimes tell her, “I don’t like this game when you play it that way. I’m not having fun.” It’s inspiring to see her switch gears and stop whatever she’s doing. Of course, it also could be that she’s just the greatest human on the planet. Not necessarily likely, but possible.

I guess my point in saying all of this is that we humans can be prideful creatures. We don’t want to look weak by admitting something upset us or, worse, that we may actually have some culpability in the pain of others. Heaven forbid we actually have to confront someone and accept responsibility for our actions! 

As tempting as it may be, don’t let pride keep you from peace. Okay, that’s enough rambling for this week. Here’s how the rest of my week went.

Runner’s High

This week was a balance between highs and lows, a trend I'm finding common in many aspects of life. Thursday’s workout, however, definitely stood out as the high. I pushed Iris in the jogger for 6 miles with miles 2-4 being at a higher effort. Iris and I enjoyed the cool weather, and she sang “Jingle Bells” to help motivate me up some of the larger hills. I actually felt good for the entire run and really got to push myself on those harder miles. I wasn’t looking at my watch during the run but definitely felt like I was going faster than my splits indicated. I gave myself a break though because I wasn’t running on a flat trail and I was pushing a toddler.

It's exciting to see these times slowly creep downward ("slow" being the operative word)

I’m working on consistency with my core and PT exercises. I’ve kind of been in a strange area training-wise as I have my half marathon this week and then another 4 weeks until my official 24-week training schedule begins. 

Any recommendations on what I might be able to fill that time with? 

I thought about potentially throwing in some speed workouts one week and maybe using one or two other weeks to just gain consistent easy mileage to build up my aerobic base.

Bonk of the Week

This week’s low point wasn’t any one run specifically. Rather, it was the fact that I didn’t get to do a long run on Saturday. I was only planning on running 5 or 6 miles but had to cancel it due to some crazy illness issues. I don’t know if I caught a bug or was just fatigued, but I felt like a pile of garbage for almost the entire weekend. After Friday’s hike, my body was shutting down. I was achy, sweaty, had that spacey feeling you get if you stand up too quickly and almost faint.

My goal throughout this process is to finish a 50k but to remain healthy in the process. As much as I wanted to run on Saturday, I felt it more important to listen to my body. I had gotten little sleep throughout most of the week and think that rest did my body better than a run would have. I’d rather be sidelined for a few days than injure my body because I’m overworking myself and have to miss multiple weeks as a result.

Dad is the Best

This week’s awesome dad moment was combined with a workout. Iris and I went on an awesome hike up to Etiwanda Falls on Friday while Katie was at class. A friend of mine told me about this hike a few weeks ago, and we’ve done it a few times now as a family. This was the first trek that Iris and I did by ourselves, and it actually went well!

Prepare for a flood of photos

Iris has been getting stronger and is walking more and more with each hike. The first time we tried to hike Potato Mountain we only went about a mile in total. On this hike, which is roughly 3.5 miles or so with about 900 ft of climbing, Iris walked almost half of it on her own! Most of her hiking was done on the way back, but it’s awesome to see her improve. Carrying her for the majority of the ascent was a great (albeit exhausting workout).

Beautiful day for a hike

Last time we went up to the falls, Iris wasn’t able to play in the water for very long because we didn’t have a change of clothes for her. This time, I was prepared with water shoes and a packed lunch. We spent a good 45 minutes or so splashing around, and Iris made a friend! Maya, almost the exact age as Iris, was eager to see someone else her age, and the two ran around together for the better part of our time up there.

Lunch break while actively planning what to accomplish on her next venture into the water

Maya was excited to see a fellow tiny human. "Yes, let us explore together."

The water was freezing, but that won't stop Iris from jumping in

Last cool parenting moment occurred on a late drive home. It was already past Iris’s bedtime, but she desperately wanted to read a bedtime story. I told her that if she changed and brushed her teeth quickly, I’d read her one quick story, and it worked. She got through it quickly and without any complaining, a definite accomplishment for this particular toddler. It’s cool that she enjoys our reading time and that she really looks forward to it. While part of this may be the fact that it pushes bedtime back a bit further, I’ll still gladly take it.

Dad Lessons

I’ve been thinking a bit about this section. I like the idea of talking about highs and lows in both running and parenting because highs and lows are a reality in life. I’ve had several valleys and peaks throughout my life and have noticed that the valleys always stick out more prominently in my memory. 

My hope is that acknowledging both throughout this process will provide some perspective for me. That said, I want to steer this section to lessons I’ve learned or reflections I may have had about parenting throughout the week. I’ll definitely mention low moments as they arise but want to focus on what I’ve learned from them.
p; Iris was awesome this week (as she is almost always) and she pretty much rocked the entire time. Looking back to her prime days of the “Terrible Twos,” most minor fits she has these days hardly register in comparison. Despite this, we did have a teachable moment about telling the truth the other day.

Iris is currently exploring the territory of honesty lately and has been, let’s say, generous with the truth. Part of it is her strong wit and ability to exaggerate or recognize the use of irony, but the other part of it is saying things that aren’t true in order to get something she wants. This occurrence was of little consequence in the grand scheme of things but was important in that it was a decisive moment when Iris realized what a lie actually is and that she told one.

  One night, we had finished reading out bedtime stories and it was time to finally lay down for bed. I’d already taken Iris to the bathroom but she insisted that she really had to go. She sat down on the toilet and… nothing happened. I asked her, “Do you have to go to the bathroom?”
“No, Dad,” she said. “I’m all done.”
“But you told me you had to go to the bathroom. Did you lie?”
“No, I didn’t lie, Dad.”
I went on: “You said that you really had to use the bathroom, but we’re here and you don’t have to go. So it seems like you may have said something that wasn’t true. Did you just tell me you had to go to the bathroom because you didn’t want to go to bed?”
Before realizing exactly what was happening she said, “Yeah. I didn’t want to go to bed so I said I had to go to the bathroom.”
“Ah, I see. When you say something that isn’t true, that’s called a lie. We don’t want to lie to each other in this family. It’s important for us to be honest with one another. Otherwise we’ll be just like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. We don’t want to be like him, do we?”
I could see a little spark in her when she made the realization. As she began talking, her voice slowly started cracking until it turned into a cry. “Well I was lying to you because you lied to me and I didn’t want to go to bed and I wanted to read a book and I miss grandma and I miss mommy too.”

Don't be like this guy

When the waterworks start it’s amazing how much Iris misses everyone who isn’t present at the moment. She’s hoping someone she loves can come save her, and I totally get this feeling. We all want to avoid confrontation and negative feelings. It’s easier to run away from a problem than it is to accept responsibility and remain in an uncomfortable state of guilt and shame. I saw the event as an opportunity, however, because I think it’s important for Iris to be cognizant of the feelings and to experience them fully.

While I certainly don’t want her to feel miserable and wallow in despair, I do want her to know that actions have consequences. If she can recognize that she feels bad after she lies, my hope is that she will want to tell the truth more often. I have no clue whether this will actually pan out this way or if I’m somehow scarring her for life, but I guess that’s kind of how parenting works, right?

Anyway, I explained to her that I love her and that we all make mistakes. She agreed to do better next time, and we went from there. It also helped that Katie got home in the middle of this process and was able to comfort her in that motherly way that is so effective.

Brew Overview

I thought I’d take this rare opportunity to highlight Coors Light this week because I rarely drink it, but it was given to me by a new friend. I'm a quality over quantity kind of guy and have never really been keen to down bottles of a domestic brew when I could instead enjoy a more potent, better-tasting craft alternative.

I’d planned to head home after working Tuesday night but was unexpectedly invited out by a friend of mine at work. His wife and daughter were out of town, and he found himself in a unique position to actually get out of the house. As I don’t get to socialize with adults other than Katie very often, I pounced on the opportunity.

We met at his house and he offered me one his last two beers before we got picked up and headed to Friday’s. Though it was a different location, the atmosphere definitely took me back to old happy hour trips to Friday’s I used to take when I first turned 21. We met up with some other coworkers and got to chat about work, school, music, and even running. I did my best not to drone on and on about all the tedious, esoteric information I’ve been learning as of late, but I have a hard time helping myself.

Anyone else go here a billion times when they turned 21?

As a parent, it’s so energizing to have conversations with other adults on occasion. It provides a bit of balance, which is important in every avenue of life.


How was your week? Did you get any training in? Did you have a parenting disaster or a moment when you felt like your parenting skills were inexplicably on point? Let me know. We’ll talk again soon. Er… I’ll write at you again soon, that is.


Be well,
UltraDadRunner