Run Edgar Run!

Today, I was suppose to be running in the San Francisco 10K Run , unfortunately my left heel is totally out of sync. I'm in a lot of pain. As much as I wanted to do the run, I didn't want to take the chance on injuring myself more. Recovery time will take a while.  Of all the years I've signed up in running events, this is my first one to not finish! This yearly running event was my favorite. It was the start of my running season in the new year and it helped me be motivated for the rest of the year. In the last few years, I've been signing up for shorter runs, i.e. 10K, 5K. Reason, I've not been training as much for long distance races.  My last long run was in 2024 in the Hapalua Half Marathon in Honolulu. I finished in under 3 hours . Normally, I would be done in just over 2 hours. But as I age, I feel I'm slowing down and not getting my stride these days.  2026 hasn't been a good start, but I recognize my shortcoming and need to get back on the horse to ...

This is my 2nd year in participating in this running event. But, instead of running in the half marathon, I ended up doing the 5k instead. One reason is that I was not as well trained to do the half marathon. Both my friend and I opt for having a less grueling run and at the same time enjoy the winter visit to New York City.  The weather was crisp, tons of fellow runners heading to the start line and looking forward to starting a morning run around New York's Central Park. I love watching people and supporters taking in the occasion. People are generally friendly and show a lot camaraderie. Thankfully, I was to finish this easy 5k run in just over 30 minutes, and I could take in the rest of the morning relaxing and enjoying New York City on a Sunday.  Heading over to the Start Line  Looking back on this run, it really wasn't that bad, I feel a little guilty I didn't train to do the entire half marathon run. This running route required at least 3 laps around Central Park, ...

Today, I received my latest blood test results. Cholesterol level came down to 220, way better compared to the last couple of years. I'm trying to get back to being under 200 and staying below that. I recently had a slight scare from my primary doctor notifying me that my A1c number went up mildly, meaning borderline prediabetic. That gave me more pause to get more back into shape.  Below are my before 11/23 and after 1/2024 photos between months. I think I still need more work.  So as of late, I've started to go to the gym every weekday morning to run on the treadmill for about 30 minutes or about 2 miles. On Mondays and Fridays, I'll do a 24 Hour Fitness BodyPump workout for about an hour with free weights in a gym class. Then on Saturdays when I'm free, I'll do a long run, 3-6 miles.  Nutrition has been much more promising, lots of fruits and more vegetables in my diet. Every chance I get in each meal, greens or a vegetable has to be on my plate. So far, this has...

Follow Up: Cancelled Kaiser 10k Run-it was the first time this race has ever cancelled that I can remember. On my bike home it was torrential! A good hot shower helped! Note to self, if the weather forecast says heavy rain, it's ok to flake out of run and do it another day. Kaiser cancels San Francisco marathons, runners still participate

This Sunday, February 4, 2024 will mark my 13th Kaiser running event since 2005. My first run in this event was a 5k, or 3.1 mile run. Off and on, I've ran the 1/2 marathon, 10k, as well as 5k. I'm reflecting on how much time and energy I've put in to running in this annual event.  I started running in my early 30s, back then I couldn't afford a gym membership, however, I lived near a lake, so with an adequate running shoes, I started doing brisk runs along the lake. Lake Merced 's running parameter was about 5 miles, so over time, I managed to run the entire parameter with some ease. As I became more engaged in running, I would at times train to run 2-3 times around the lake non stop. It was quite liberating, and darn healthy. However, as I got older, my running results were lagging due to less focused training and just going at a slower pace.  When I did my first 5k, I was able to finish in less than 30 minutes, it was amazing, about less than 9 minutes a mile!  ...

The last time I ran a half marathon race was in 2016. At that time, I managed to finish the half marathon in 2 hours and 8 minutes. Along with my friend, Tedd, we finished respectively for our age group and among overall participants.  However, in 2022, I dealt with the tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic. I may have in fact still been suffering from the effects of the infection, as I did not run as well as I had hoped. This race was tough on my body and on my breathing. I had to stop a few times and it was miserable and frustrating at the same time. I was training up to this event but apparently not as well as I hoped.  I hope well into 2023, I can rally and do better than this past year's time of 2 hours and 36 minutes. Off by more than 25 minutes!  Tedd: Ahead of me, in the neon yellow jacket Edgar: Burgundy shorts in the back Finishers! 

How horrible I look! Self criticism, I can do better, but I let myself go. Here's a before pre pandemic 2020, and as November, 2023! I've got work to do. Here's  my strategy,  I'll continue  to post my changes for good health overall.

Every year when I run this event, it just amazes me that I can finish, whether it's rain or shine, motivated or not, I seem to find a way to finish something I started.  Over the years depending on my health or motivation, I would run either a  5K, or 10K, or of course the half marathon. This year, I ran the 10K,  or 6.2 miles. The training leading up to this event was minimal but focused. This year, for the first time it rained at the start of the race. It was cold, but I was prepared to do a descent run at this year's 10K.  When I start my run, I always reminded myself to "stay in your lane", forget the people who lined up behind me are playing catch up because they were late or in the wrong pace lane. Or people chatting away while running. I made sure not to get discouraged if I'm the last one in the sea of runners trying to be one up on each other. I try to be in a Zen mode. Although I do miss running along with others, but I get a good feeling of running by m...

Just ran over the Golden Gate Bridge!  This run was pretty fun. It's a run from Sausalito cross the Golden Gate Bridge and finish in the Aquatics Park area in San Francisco. It was a cold morning, but with a group of runners all in it together it pretty much warmed things up for this 7.5 mile run.  Respectable Finish!  This was my only other run for 2022, so I felt a little better doing this run. I feel, I'm not as conditioned as I'd like to be. I don't want to make it as an excuse as I'm getting older and not trained as in years past. But I think deep down inside, I'd like to be in a better place, health wise. But as you get older, it takes longer to warm up, train differently, and recover differently. I'm sort of giving push back but in reality, I must in order to be in better shape as I age.  Overall, I finished in a good time.  Thrilled, I finished! Time to treat myself!  Clam Chowder! Delish! 

The last time I ran this race was in 2016. At that time, I managed to finish the half marathon in 2 hours and 8 minutes. Along with my friend, Tedd, we finished respectively for our age group and among overall participants.  However, in 2022, I dealt with the tail end of the COVID -19 pandemic. I may have in fact still been suffering from the effects of the infection, as I did not run as well as I had hoped. This race was tough on my body and my breathing. I had to stop a few times and it was miserable and frustrating at the same time. I was training up to this event but apparently not as well as I hoped.  I hope in 2023, I can rally and do better than this past year's time of 2 hours and 36 minutes. Off by more than 25 minutes!  All done!  Tedd and I - We finished!

 Chose to run the 10k this year after being away last year!  A descent finish.... Running Stats   EDGAR MICUA  San Francisco Half Marathon | 10k | 5K  10K  Bib Number 9335  10K 687 of 1276  Gender Place 353 of 536  M 55-59 21 of 37  Gender M  Age 56  Start Time 08:12:44  Elapsed 01:03:19  Pace 10:12 min/mile 

  Last run before the Covid-19 epidemic started.  I ran the 10k that year. It was tough but I had fun as fellow runners were quite encouraging and spirited. Little did they know a pandemic was about to occur. 

It rained quite a bit in this year's annual run. Joined a friend on her second 5K. A good finish! Race Results

After being in injury mode for almost 2 years, I decided to ease back into running. The idea was perfect timing as a friend who I encouraged to do her first official 5k run was interested. It was a perfect time of the year to start a run and also the path of the run was all flat. So, no issues or excuses, as she trained properly to complete a 3 mile run. Start Line  Doing a 5k run is a good start to anyone who wants to build on their distance running. 5k is a nice ease into other distance running levels. There is a 10k, which is about 6 miles, then the half marathon, about 13.1 miles, and of course the full marathon, 26.2 miles. In order to get to complete these races/runs, you'll definitely have to do the following: PROPER TRAINING  If your a beginner, you'll need to measure your capacity to see how far you can run without stopping or if you decide to do a run and walk strategy, you'll need to see what works for your body. In my case, when I started running, it w...

This year I'm coming back from a right ankle injury to run in the Marin County 10k on Sunday morning, April 30th. This will be my first run of the year and the first time running in this event! As always, I try to incorporate running in an event to help raise money. In this run, I'm raising funds for the Sustainable Sports Foundation . The Sustainable Sports Foundation addresses the need to promote local athletic events that encourage a healthy lifestyle and supports the values of sustainability and giving back to the community. The Sustainable Sports Foundation donates all net proceeds to give as many children as possible from low-income families in our community the opportunity to learn to swim, and be safe in the water. Join me in my fundraising efforts by making a donation today! http://www.active.com/donate/sustainablesports/Fundraise4Edgar   Mahalo -Thanks!

This year has been a remarkable running year. As I trained late last year up to the beginning of April of this year, I've had nothing but free reign to push myself to go the distance. First, it was participating in a great running event in Honolulu, Hawaii in April with a good friend of mine to being accepted into a very prestigious bay area trail run in Mill Valley, California in June. But as I wind down to ease up on my running events and weekly routine runs, out of no where comes a very painful right heel that has prevented me from doing any serious runs. I tried running with the pain thinking it would go away but to no avail. Tedd and I at the Hapalua Half Marathon Expo Event Honolulu, Hawaii, April 2016 Dipsea Run , Mill Valley, June 2016 I went ahead and made an appointment to see a podiatrist, only to hear him say, just don't take the stairs at work for awhile and ease up on your distance running. Oh, and also, he says, do some stretching to alleviate t...

911. I. Got in! Check out the list! Now I'm totally committed to training and running in this world famous event scheduled for Sunday, June 12th! http://www.dipsea.org/2016/entrants2016.html The Dipsea Race: First run in 1905, the Dipsea is the oldest trail race in America. It is run every year on the second Sunday in June. The scenic 7.4 mile course from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach is considered to be one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The stairs and steep trails make it a grueling and treacherous race. And its unique handicapping system has made winners of men and women of all ages. Because of its beauty and challenge, it is a very popular event, and because of safety and environmental concerns the number of runners is limited to about 1,500. While racers enter from all over the world, the Dipsea is primarily a Northern California event and the entry process is tilted slightly to favor local contestants. http://www.dipsea.org/ Stay tuned on my results! Re...

I would have to say this running event wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. On the previous week, I completed a San Francisco Half Marathon. Time: 2:08. Ironically, I complete this recent run here in Waikiki by the same time. Who would have thought? The process to train for a running event is never an easy feat. But if you want to finish a run respectively, you've gotta train. The good thing is that I was in good company to be motivated. I had a friend join me in a run and it was much easier than doing it alone. A couple of days before the actual run, we both did a trial run along the elevated route to see how it was looking. It wasn't as bad. At times, you had to really begin to process the length of the race and time. Overall, the weekend festivities that lead up to this event was really fun. From the expo registration to the starting line, it was really festive! Surprisingly. Next run? Not sure what is up; I need to be ready for the next choice as training an...