Spaniard runner in the world

2008-02-21T23:52:00.002Z

It has been a while that I don't get by and write some words, but here I am again, let's try to practice a little bit writing about running, living in the US, surviving to this crazy winter or anything else that comes to my mind!

I am still running, it makes me feel alive and awake, even with the snow and those temperatures! I follow this rule: if we are above 10ºF, it is OK for me to run outside, so most of the days I am able to run outdoors!

See you on the trails!

Wonderful day in the Dunes

2007-08-03T01:53:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday we spent the day in the Dunes. We went all the family and we went on the trails. We walked for around 3 hours with the kids.

We had a blast all together, it was really fun to have lunch in the trails.

After that we went to the beach. It was a wonderful day and a good complement to my training.

Last saturday we did 29 km, around 18 miles. I am running pretty fast for me, the average was around 8 minutes/mile. So, more or less the marathon pace I am targeting.

My longest run...

2007-07-05T03:13:00.000+01:00

Yes, I did it: 30K on Sunday with the crazy runners. It wasn't too hot and we could make it!! Let's see how I feel during this week after such a long train for me.

It is the longest train I have ever done. I know I shouldn't have done it now if I am preparing Chicago, which is not soon, but it is done!!

My new Chicago's Marathon T-Shirt

2007-06-27T00:05:00.000+01:00

Yes, I ordered this new T-Shirt to run wearing it the Chicago Marathon. I ordered it through Running Banana and they did a really great job. It is a technical t-shirt and the drawings in it look great. So now, I only have to continue training for the big event!!

Today it has been the first day with a lot of humidity and I was really tired after the training. I didn't run very fast but the humidity made running difficult!!

Starting longer runs...

2007-06-25T17:28:00.000+01:00

Yes, this week-end I started again with the longer runs, arround 15 and half miles on Sunday. I ran with the crazy runners in the Dunes, we met at 07:30 am as usual and we ran on the trails, on the beach and we did some small portion on the road too.

On Saturday I ran with my wife, one hour easy run, in this beautiful National Park. It is great to run together even if I go slower. She is doing great and we had fun running together!!

A new week starting, today some rest and tomorrow more running.

Let's start with Chicago!!

2007-06-22T18:08:00.000+01:00

Well, Chicago is coming!! It is necessary to start training. I will try to post my daily runs, using the new gadget of Nike+. Today, 12.4 km this morning. I tried my new custom orthotics, they are different than the old ones that I have been using the last two years.

Let's see if I am able to get used to them.

Today I ran fast, faster than I am used to train, maybe it was the orthotics, just feeling pain on my feet made run faster!! :)

In any case, good training, let's get prepared for the week end running with the "crazy runners" at the Dunes!!

2007-05-11T17:07:00.000+01:00

Well, it is done, my third marathon, second trail one. I ran the called “Trailmarathon” in Michigan on April the 29th. It was a nice experience, I went with my family and we spent one night in Michigan, in Howell, close to the starting of the race.

It was a 3 hours trip with the kids, but thanks to the portable DVD players, we had a calm and nice trip! We had dinner in Howell and we went to bed early, just anticipating that the next day I had to wake up really early, at my 4:45 (5:45 local time).
I met with some other runner friends that were going to run the race and we went to the starting point.

The day looked good, maybe too hot for running a marathon. We started, we had to two laps of a circuit really beautiful in the woods. The first lap I did it with my friends, but the second one, I decided to go a little faster. I did this second lap, alone, running in trails, just with my mind flying wild. At the end, I finished OK, in 4:33, with good sensations.

And now, I am running again, just thinking what is going to be my next race, maybe one half in South Bend. And in October the Chicago Marathon, the real target of the year!!

Oh, it hurts!!

2007-04-24T18:43:00.000+01:00

Oh, I am only a few days far from the Michigan Trail Marathon and it is not possible that I have problems in my legs after running too fast this Sunday in the Dunes, the National Park, on a beautiful but sandy trail, called the Rig!!

I followed a group of fast runners, I did wrong. I should have left them go but I wanted to challenge myself following them, which I was able to do!! But now, after two days I still feel the pain on my legs!!

Today I ran slowlier trying to recover, I feel better but not 100%. And I know that any small pain will be worse during the marathon this week end!!

Let's see how I feel those next days before Sunday...

Valparaiso mini

2007-04-20T02:23:00.000+01:00

Well, after several months running in the cold, it is spring!! And the Valpo mini has arrived!! It was a good race, but I couldn't run with someone during the race, I ran all the race almost alone, which was challenging to obtain a PR!!

Even that, at the end, 1:34:47, my new PR!! And now, some rest and the next week, the Michigan Trail Marathon in Ann Harbor!! Wow!!!

Winter...not so terrible till now

2007-02-20T00:20:00.000Z

Well, yes, the winter arrived and the snow and the cold appeared in front of us. It has been, well, it continues being, a period of discovery and new sensations for all of us.

My family and I we had never been below 32ºF for so long, only once in a while every winter and when that happened, it was most of the time during the night.

So this was absolut new for us. First of all, I decided that I would try to change the minimum my way of life: specially concerning my runs.
This was easy to say and difficult to undertake!!

Day after day I have been doing new PR's concerning running in the cold!! From running in the therties, continuing in the twenties finishing running around 5ºF!! Even now I am scared about those temperatures!! I am proud of that.

I have run with snow, ice, wind and always thinking: "...just keep going!!"

But I have to say that during the week ends, I didn't run alone: always with those awesome crazy runners that I met in the Dunes National Park!! I really apreciate what this wonderful group of runners have done to me.

Look one of the amazing trails in the Dunes!!

Oh, oh, Tecumseh is coming!!!

2006-11-20T17:07:00.000Z

Yes, I am in!! Tecumseh is coming and I don't know how I have done that!! I haven't prepared this marathon as strongly as I did in my one and only previous marathon!!

And now I know what has said Dean Karnaces, the ultrarunner, about this marathon:

Hardcore. ... Along with the 3,500 feet of climbing, most of the course was on technical single-track trail, with numerous stream crossings, hordes of logs and branches to climb over and navigate around, deep pocket of mud, slippery rocks, and gnarled tree roots hiding silently under thick canopies of fallen leaves.The switchbacks were difficult to follow, and if you looked up for a trail marker, it was easy to stumble and fall, which many people did, including yours truly (multiple times, in fact). A lot of the runners were cut and scratched from falling or getting snagged on the thorny bushes that we passed through. I’ve spent some time on the trails over the years, and this trail run was as challenging as any.

So, is this any type of contagious flu? How could I be convinced by my new Sundays runner friends, those crazy runners who run marathons as easily as people eat a Donut!!

Well, in any case, I have tried to be as consistent as possible with my running homework!! So the last 3-4 Sundays training I have been running for 2:10 to 2:20 and with a lot of hills going up and down. Also I have increased my running distance on Saturdays: 1:15 now.

There is only two more weeks and it is done. So this is the last week to train, next week it is over, just rest to be as strong as possible!!

Isn't it beautiful!! What an amazing view from the John Hancock Tower some weeks ago!!

Views from my house

2006-10-26T00:26:00.000+01:00

Isn't it beautiful? We are used to live in small appartments on the other side of the planet. In Europe, and specially in Spain, people use to live in appartments not bigger than 800/900 square feet. Eh, and more expensives than where we live now!!

In Spain, the gouvernment was thinking in supporting what they called "habitational solutions", solutions for housing which were appartments 250 square feet!!

But the US is the open space country, everything is big!! You go to a restaurant and you get one litre of coke for drink!!

Today I am ill, I have gone several times to the "toilette" and it doesn't look to go better since two days ago. Even that, yesterday I was able to run, and today I would like to run at nigth, on the treadmill, I will see how I feel...

Getting installed...

2006-10-24T01:24:00.000+01:00

Well, it is amazing how fast the time goes. It has been almost three months since we arrived at the US. If we look back, we have done a lot of things!!

Our kids are settled down at school, we have a new house and car and step by step our life gets normal.

And, every day we learn something new about this country and his way of life. It has been an exhausting effort but here we are. We hope we will enjoy our stay here, and our kids would learn english in a better way than their parents did!!

On the picture, a restaurant on the Navy Pier in Chicago. I don't know exactly why this message is there, but it was funny to find it there!!

Deer and running...

2006-10-16T23:51:00.000+01:00

What an amazing discovery the other day!! While I was running in this beautiful national park called the Dunes, I saw those wonderful animals, peaceful and elegant. It is really nice to be able to run in such a beautiful place!!It is worthy to take the car and drive around half an hour to get there. I think running in areas like that is really a privilege.

Today I feel bad, maybe I am going to have a cold, I hope I will feel better tomorrow.

Chicago, amazing city!!

2006-10-13T01:47:00.000+01:00

Yeah, Chicago is spectacular!! We have been there a couple of times and when you walk by Michigan Avenue or you see the skyskrappers you can't avoid to say "Wow".

It was a pitty I couldn't run the half marathon of October 1st in Chicago, but it was difficult for me to get there on time. We have approximately 1h15 of communiting to Chicago.

For sur, my next year's target is to run the Chicago's marathon!!

I am back...

2006-10-12T01:57:00.000+01:00

Well, several months later, I am back again!!
During this summer we have had lots of changes!! Yes, I am in the US now living, near Chicago!!

We arrived with my family at the end of July and those last months haven't being easy!!

But here we are, trying to learn the "american way of live" and trying to get installed as soon as possible.

We are happy here, a little bit scared because of the weather but happy!!

And about running...I haven't stopped running, it has been very important for me during this time.

On the pictures you can see where I usually run during the week-ends now...

Step by step...

2006-05-25T07:23:00.000+01:00

I'm writing from the Maidenhead's hotel, near London, some hours before taking the plane to Lisbonne. Those weeks aren't easy: too many changes, two days in London, Viana (Portugal), Lisbonne, Madrid...

It's difficult not to get lost with so many trips!!

More of that, I have now more information about our future. There's no more Texas in the near future but Chicago. And now it looks almost definitive.

As I thoutght it was Texas, I have looked for schools, places to live, good neigboourhoods, etc...

But now with Chicago, a so big City, I am completely lost!! I'm trying to get the maximum of information about the city, but it is not easy: it's the third bigger city of the US!!

Well, I hope I can count on my running blogger friends over there to give me information. Every help will be appreciate!!

I took this picture last week in Viana do Castelo: some children with their teacher walking given hands by the town. I like it.

Changes...

2006-05-16T07:52:00.000+01:00

Well, here I am writing again in my blog. But right now I'm not in Portugal, and I'm not in Madrid...I'm in London!!

One week ago people from my company asked me to go and collaborate during four weeks in some project in London. So, this is my second week here, of course flying home the week-ends.

Last week I ran in Regent's Park and this week I'm staying in a hotel in Maidenhead and just this morning I've been running in the Thames trail, one hour, arriving near Windsor, but it was too far to arrive.

And maybe next friday we will know our next destination... So, changes are arriving!!

I feel quite well after the marathon, I've been running for more than a week and everything is OK.

Madrid's Marathon...

2006-05-02T17:49:00.000+01:00

Yes, it's over, the 29th edition of the Madrid's Marathon is now history...and now my name is in it!!

I have finished my first marathon!! and I have finished under 4h00, in 3h49'33'' (chip time). I'm really satisfied of the work done preparing the race and also the results of it. I think maybe I could have been able to reduce the final time, but this is not important now!! I'm sure I will have more chances to do it in the future, but in the first marathon I think it's really good I have finished in good conditions after the race, running all the time and "happy" the whole race!!

But, even I'm really conscient of the meaning of finishing a marathon and the hard effort necessary to do it!! My congratulations to every finisher of a marathon!!

And why not my second marathon in the United States...

Thanks for all the bloggers who have encouraged me during the preparation, it means a lot for me.

On the picture, the Garabitas Group and me...

Only three days!!!

2006-04-27T19:21:00.000+01:00

Well, it's here. The marathon has arrived!! I can't do anything more, just wait!! Today I have done my last run: 9,3 km (5,7 miles) at 5:15 pace (8:25 in miles).

After thinking about it, I have already decided the strategy of my first marathon: I will try to do 3:45 time. I will begin slowly (I know the first half is a bit harder than the second one, even if the differences aren’t very important): I will try to do the half marathon in 1:52-1:54 and look until km 35 to see how I feel. After that, do as I can!!

I will run at the beginning with some friends of the Garabitas Group, people that I usually run on Sundays. They have told me they want to have my same pace, let’s see.

I feel OK, a bit nervous, but OK.

Less than five days!!

2006-04-25T21:08:00.000+01:00

After several months preparing it, the D day is coming!! My first marathon is here!! Madrid's Marathon is waiting for me!!

I think now I'm living those previous moments of passion and good feelings before the race that I've heard about in so many times: I know I have done all my homework for the last four months, lots of hard trainings , most of them alone, some of them in the cold, always between Spain and Portugal: It wasn't easy for me, but I'm here, and I'm proud of it!!

And now, I have to think about how I'm going to run the race: which strategy will I make in place? Should I try to finish in a special time? Or will I have to run without looking the time, being my first marathon race??

I have some days to think about it.

Flying home...

2006-04-21T18:14:00.000+01:00

It's Friday and as usual I 'm flying home in a few hours. I'm not very happy because I was supposed to be today in Madrid talking with people from my company about our future. So I should have traveled yesterday night, sleeping one night more at home. At the end they cancelled my meeting so I didn't fly yesterday as planned.

So we have to continue waiting to know what happens to us. I'm a bit fed up with this situation: now we still can't reserve the school for next year for our children, because we even don't know in which city we are going to live!!

I hope it will be possible to reserve the school places even later. If someone has any information about that for Chicago or Austin, it will be very helpful to us.

Well, it's better not to think about that, because we can't do anything, so it's not useful to worry about it.

Talking about running, my training is ending, next week is my last week before the race. I presume that this week I will get nervous before my first marathon. I have some experience running half marathons, but not the whole one. I think I have done my homework, but you never know how your body is going to function during the race. Let's see...

On the picture, Fuengirola at night from the varanda of my grandfathers appartment.

Memories from those days...

2006-04-20T11:27:00.000+01:00

Well, normally this happens to me: after some intense days, enjoying life with my family it's hard to me to recover the rhythm of normal life.

Still today I'm thinking about all memories of those days spent in Fuengirola with my family. We had a beautiful time all together on the beach, specially our kids. As every father, I feel really great seeing my kids having fun, and those days they had fun almost every time.

So, after those days, it's even harder to separate from my family and coming back to Portugal, keeping my family in Madrid. Even more those days because my wife had a surgery last day (everything was OK) and I wasn't there.

We knew (and we continue thinking the same way) that these was the best decision for the family, because, without knowing our future destination, It didn't make any sense to move for another different town in Portugal (due to the children school), and some months later, have to leave Portugal. So we decided to send the family to our original town, Madrid, just waiting and see what would happen.

Now, we are close to know where we will go, but even it seems we will go to the United States, it's still not decided the project, and the city. So, everything can still happen.

In my near future I have some conversations with my company to discuss about that. Let's see.

And the marathon is coming!!!

Good Easter holidays...

2006-04-19T09:48:00.000+01:00

After some days off, I'm back again. We have been in Fuengirola, in the south of Spain: a beautiful summer place, with great beachs and lovely ambience. It's a tipical touristic place with all you need to spend a great time.

And, of course, you can eat some fish "cooked" on the boat!!

It's really nice to go together all the family, the children enjoyed a lot those days, going late to bed and having fun all the time.

And I could manage to train as I had planned, even more!! This week I have run 82 km (51 miles), more than ever!! And the last Sunday, was 25,7 km (+/- 16 miles). And the marathon day is coming...

Madrid's monument: Real Madrid's Stadium

2006-04-11T17:50:00.000+01:00

The other day, while I was running the Madrid's half marathon race, I noticed we had to run crossing in front of the Real Madrid's Stadium: The Santiago Bernabéu, It's a bit impressive to see it, but I think it should be absolutely shocking to play inside with 100.000 people shouting!!

The Real Madrid soccer team is one of the best soccer teams in the world even if this year they're not doing a very good work.

As I can know, soccer is a non very popular sport in the United States, even if its importance is increasing year after year. In Europe and in South America is the king of the broadcasted sports without any doubt. And this summer, soccer will be the king of sports with the world cup in Germany. As usual, Spain will lose their possibilities in the begining of the champ...Even that, we will support the team!!