2012 Semana Nautica Recap

This race report was submitted by Gritty VP, Ann Wilson.  Enjoy!

Semana Nautica 15K is given a rating of 5 out of 5 stars on the Active.com site.  It should be noted that only one person has rated the race.  Let’s see the rating you would give it after reading this newsworthy race report.

The start time was 8:00 so we worked our way backwards and decided to meet at 5:00 a.m. in the South Pasadena High School Swimming Pool parking lot for carpooling/caravanning.  When I pulled into the lot at 4:55 I could NOT believe my eyes.  The lot was littered with Grits and their gym bags.  At first I thought they were large raccoons, but it was clear from the sports paraphernalia that everyone was ready to load into the cars and head up north for a run.  After a quick stop at Starbucks for the java heads in my car we were on our way. 

The roads were empty so we made record time and we were afforded the luxury of picking from any parking space in the San Marcos High School.  The skies were gray and soon it was misting.  It was perfect running weather.  The restrooms were vacant and the bib pick-up tables were eerily quiet, so we just waited for our fellow Grits and ARC members to arrive  … Danny, Pureza, Eddie, Janet, Talia, Sophia, Brian, Colleen, Antonio, Dino, David, James Michael, Vivian, Pureza, Donna, Dave, John, Mandy and Craig.  What a group!

The minutes were ticking by, so soon it was time for a quick mile warm-up, final pit stops, and the discarding of our top layers at the car.  (It was actually chilly.)  They warn you that the Start Line is about 15 minutes from the parking lots and that’s pretty accurate.  You feel a bit like Little Red Riding Hood on her way to grandma’s house. 

After you’ve trekked through the forest you see a clearing.  There’s the loosely organized group of folks milling around the Start Line, waiting for the race to start.  This is also where you can start to take in the festive race attire.  The men were tame.  The women on the other hand took advantage of the holiday and dressed-up.  Err… they dressed-down.  Generally speaking, less was more when it came to the women’s outfits.  Picture bikini tops with sequined shorts.  Okay, you get the idea.  Hey, maybe that’s why the fellas all had such a good race?!

Back to the race … A general announcement was made, no National Anthem was sung (on the 4^th of July.  REALLY!?!), and then a muffled, “3, 2, 1”.   We were off.  I started the race with Danny and Vivian, and we did manage to stay together for a time.  Oddly enough, just when I was about to commend Danny for his ability to pace me, the distance between he and I seemed to be getting wider, and wider, and wider.  Bye Danny!!  Antonio and I have a pattern of treating races like an Indian run around the track.  He leads, I lead, he leads, I lead.  You get the idea.  Thankfully, he was kind enough to slow his pace and cross the Finish Line with me.  Such a gentleman.

The route is a mess of different terrain … bike path, paved highway, and residential streets and it’s not blocked off for the race, so you are in enemy territory (so to speak).  We rewarded ourselves with breakfast at Derf’s.  They had more than one chef working that day, so the feeding of 14 plus people wasn’t nearly as daunting for them as last year. 

Congrats to Mandy and Donna for placing.  Amazing!!  To the runners, cheerleaders and photogs who participated that day… You are the best!

Back to the beginning … How many stars would you give it?

2012 Pasadena Marathon Relay Recap

The inaugural Pasadena Marathon Relay was the idea of a select few who thought it would be great to run such an event along side a USAT&F road race. The organizers and volunteers worked very hard in the few weeks leading up to the race to ensure that the events went as smoothly as possible. As with any first year events, lessons were learned, but all the efforts paid off to run a successful event.

The race consisted of 5 legs: 10K, 5K, 10K, 5K, and 12K. The 2012 event was invitation only and consisted of 6 teams:  3 from A Runner’s Circle, 2 from our very own Gritty City and 1 team from the Pasadena Pacers.

My vantage point was that of a participating relay runner that Sunday morning. I was part of team “To LeGrit To Quit”, one of the 2 Gritty City teams. On my team were Miguel Villegas (10K), Pureza Bacor (5K), myself (Brian Reitz - 10K), Annie Fu (5K), and our very own President, John Burgos (12K). The race went off without any major hiccups and full, half and relay runners were on their way. Runners for legs 2-4 piled into the vans and we were off to our exchange points while the first runners took off down Hill Ave towards Old Town and the Colorado St. bridge. 

I had the fortunate opportunity to watch the lead relay and marathon runners pass my exchange point at mile 9 before becoming one of the runners myself. They looked strong with effortless strides. About 15-20 runners passed before it was my turn to run, then I was off. 

After completing my leg I jogged back to the starting line to meet up with other teammates and to see how we faired as a team and as a club. Our other Gritty City Team, “True Grit” placed 2^nd in the relay division with a time of 2:42. This was no surprise considering this team had some fairly fast runners in Craig Pansing (10K), Eddie Villegas (5K), Dean Galez (10K), Jason Wang (10K) and Bert Whitson (12K). As for our team, well we came in 3^rd, good enough for the podium! It’s amazing to see a lot of the same lead runners I saw at mile 9 now come through the finishing chute. A lot of them looked to be having an easier time after running 26.2 miles than I did after completing just a 10K. Even the lead female runner, Mandy Grantz, looked just as strong at the finish as she did when she first passed me at mile 9!

We are hoping that the experience gained through this years relay can help open the door to making this an annual, larger event in the future.

Stay Gritty and Happy Running!

 Eddie, Pureza, Brian, and Craig before the relay.

 Alex driving relay participants to their handoff points.

 Wayne from USATF, Sergio, and Bert.

 Jason handing off to Bert at the final handoff.

 Mandy looking strong at mile 17.5!

 Post relay hanging out.

The ladies.

New Jersey/Jacket Order

Hi everyone we are planning to put in an order soon!  (My goal is to have all Jackets and Jerseys in by Semana Nautica on the 4th of July).  Jackets are 55 dollars and Jerseys are 25 dollars.  They are all Brooks brand.  If you are unsure about fitting the best way to do this is to go to a store that sells Brooks merchandise.  Please click pictures to see more info about each product.

Men's Singlet 25$ (Will have Gritty City logo in front): 

Women's Singlet 25$ (Will have Gritty City logo in front): 

 Men's Jacket 55$ (Will have small Gritty logo on front left and big Gritty Logo on back)

 

 Women's Jacket 55$ (Will have small Gritty logo on front left and big Gritty Logo on back)

With A Little Help From My Grits

When I was asked by our President, John Burgos, to volunteer for the LA River Run, I was told I was going to be in charge of ONE parking lot. I thought, "that will be easy." My volunteer assignment evolved from supervising ONE parking lot to coordinating the parking logistics for the ENTIRE race! Like a True Grit, I took the challenge and had fun with it.  To assist our home store, A Runner's Circle, with their first race, was very rewarding. It was great to see the pleased looks from the race participants and organizers alike. For the majority of the racers, it was their first race. Even the Burgos Family (John's Parents) took part in their first 5K.

What was even more rewarding was the efforts of our Gritty volunteers. Our volunteers were instrumental in making the race a success. A special thank you goes out to Pureza Bacor (Volunteer and Racer), Brenda Bonnett, Annie Fu, Colleen Hamman, Joe Razo, Brian Reitz, Janet Uribe and Ann Wilson.  Each of them came out before the Sun came up with smiling faces and boundless energy.

Our sport is inherently a selfish sport. We have to be selfish to dedicate many hours to train, race and rest. However, the Gritty City does not sheepishly fall in line with what is typical of our sport. I was truly touched to experience the selflessness of our running club. It really says something when you have a group of individuals who willingly sacrifice their free time, sleep and comfort without expecting something in return.

Maybe the best way to express it should be by song. So, cue Ringo Starr . . . I Get By With A Little Help From My Grits!


Stay Gritty.

Brenda and Crew at Gear Check

Alex with Yasmin from LA Corps

LA Corps kids at GCTC Water Station 1

John, his parents, and Councilman Labonge

GCTC at Water Station 1

LA Marathon Recap

by our new VP, Ann Wilson:

According to meteorologist John Burgos the LA Marathon was forecasted to have rain, wind, and chilly temps. Oh my! Thankfully the weather gods were kind and there was just a bitter chill to the morning. Like in years past, I opted to take the shuttle from Santa Monica. Thankfully, Chris Kim had her wits about her and she reserved a space for us down in Lot 4. Painless!! There was no problem getting onto the shuttles either. You flash your bib number and you’re on! Of course the shuttle ride is filled with idle chit-chat about past runs and racing strategies. Booooorrrring. HAHA. We were on the 5:00 shuttle so traffic was non-existent and our arrival at Dodger Stadium was drama free. The minute we hopped off the shuttle it was time to find warmth.

Tents were set up in the parking lot for runners to lay in, but the faux grass flooring was soaked from the day before. Blech! Thankfully we were armed with trash bags aplenty and we could give our legs a rest. As we migrated from tent to porta potty (repeat) we were able to sample tasty treats from different booths. A favorite = a peanut butter sandwich with honey, bananas and choc chips. YUM! The minutes turned to hours and before we knew it we were disposing of our drop bags and finding our way to Coral B. The lead women were off and then 17:31 later it was time to start the journey of the “Stadium to the Sea” to the tune of “We Love L.A. WE LOVE IT!!”

The first miles were, and always are, a blur. I knew the course had miles of uphill followed by miles of downhill. Who knows, maybe it was the other way around. I was, once again, struck by the subtle climbs throughout the race. It was one after the other. The crowd support, aid stations, and bands were somewhat distracting.

I had a goal of staying within a given heart rate at certain points in the race and I achieved that. At Mile 16 I was starting to rethink my game plan and was visualizing putting it into another gear at Mile 22. Sadly, at Mile 19 or 20 my legs started feeling it and that no longer seemed feasible. What I do know … I was blessed to see Tamera at Mile 20 with the rest of the Pasadena Pacers. She greeted me with an opened pack of Sports Bean, a smile, and words of encouragement. She coached me for the next mile, by pointing out that I was still running and passing people. Hey, maybe I wasn’t doing so bad afterall J. Her words reverberated with me. (Tamera, you are awesome.)

I’d love to say the final descent was fabulous. Um … nope. However, the Lululemon ladies came out in full gear and spirit. I think some necks were tweaked that mile. Soon enough, the finish Line was just blocks away. “Oh, What a Feeling!” Medal?? Check! Finisher Photo?? Check! Mylar blanket?? Check! Animal crackers?? Check! Drop bag?? … Drop bag?? … DROP BAG?!!? … Check! Then it was a leisurely stroll back to the car so we could be en route to the after marathon par-tee. Chris Kim was kind enough to open her place to runners and cheerleaders alike. Food, friends and fabulous fun!! Thanks!!

So, I think the LA Marathon and I have finally reached an understanding. We like each other but there’s no love.

Brea 8k Recap(s)

Eddie's recap:
Race day is always an exciting time for me. I still get butterflies in my stomach no matter if i'm
running a 5K, 10K, or 1/2 marathon. I'm nervous till the start of the race and we actually start running. A few of us Gritty City carpooled to the Brea 8K so big thanks to Burgos for driving us, being the designated "official Gritty photographer", and cheerleader for this event.


The Brea 8k is a weird distance ( little under 5 miles) but i ran it last year so i thought i knew what to expect. Little did i know they changed the course this year plus added more hills. At least the last 2 miles were downhill. This race must attract all the elite runners as i can't count how many of them flew passed me during the course of this race and i'm just talking about the "Equalizers Running Club". Nothing else puts my ego in check than a large group of ten year old kids running by me.......lol!

It's all good, i'll get the next time :)
No one said running was a piece of cake!

Overall the race was well organized and packet pickup/parking was right by the start line. Also proud that all my teammates ran great and then it was time to celebrate by hitting up the after-party post race expo/free food area. No boring dry bagels and spoiled bananas over here my friend. I'm talking about real food such as pizza, ice cream, Corner Bakery, Hot Dog On a Stick, Mexican food, and much more.

Funny how the one person who ate the most didn't even run......that's you John Burgos :)
See you guys at the next race!!!!!!!!!!

Brian's recap:

I arrived early to the Rose Bowl to meet some of the Gritty team members awaiting our ride over to Brea to run this year’s Brea 8K. Last year in this USAT&F event the Gritty City Track club placed 3rd overall and the expectations were set high for us to match last years’ results. The crew of Brothers Villegas, Pureza, Burgos and I were on our way.

The Gritts had a good group that morning. During the warm ups we gathered with Antonio, Joe and Colleen and just after finishing I learned that Jason and Annie also race. Before we knew it we were off. The course was more difficult than expected for me. I hear it was slightly different than last year and they made is slightly more hilly.

We started down passed, the mall, through a residential street then doubling back passed the starting line for mile 1, just in time for Burgos to catch some shots. Then straight down Imperial Highway before a good climb up to the top to reach about mile 3. All flat and downhill from that point. One more turn back down Imperial Highway before a quick turn into the finishing chute at the mall. Good course, fast people, great weather. .

The Gritts place 4th overall although we were the 3rd fastest team in the race thanks to two Snails’ Pace team’s placing 1st and 3rd.

Custome’s galore in Brea, who knew? And yes three was a banana man running.

The best past about the race – the post-race food! This alone was almost worth the price of admission. We had tacos, pizza, soup, coffee, salad and sad little cup of Jamba Juice.

I will be back for this, and next year, Burgos needs to run it!

2012 Gritty City Race Schedule

The 2012 race season is underway and we wanted to make sure everyone was up to date on our planned races throughout 2012. We’ve already had a great turnout running and volunteering at the Chinatown Firecracker Run and we’ve had other members also run 2 other USATF races. Anyone is welcome to run more USATF Races than the ones listed below. Below is a link and summary for more information.

http://www.scagrandprix.org/

February 26, 2012 – Brea 8K – USATF

This is a great early season, very fast race!

March 18, 2012 – LA Marathon – USATF

The Stadium to the Sea course is in its 3^rd year and the popularity for this race only grows each year.

March 24, 2012 – Race for the Cure – 5K – Dodger Stadium

Running to support a great cause, can’t miss this.

April 16, 2012 – Boston Marathon

Good luck to all who are talented (and lucky) enough to get in!

May 20, 2012 – Pasadena Marathon and Half Marathon – USATF

Will it rain for a 4^th year in a row? New course including a run across the Colorado St. Bridge.

July 4, 2012 – Nautica Semena 15K – Santa Barbara USATF Race

Get your run in before the afternoon BBQ’s and fireworks!

August 26, 2012 – Road Mile – El Toro USATF

Lets really put to work all our track workouts and test our speed in this classic 1-mile road race!

October 7, 2012 – Chicago Marathon

One of the finest and most popular marathons in the country.

October 7, 2012 – Santa Monica 5000 (and 10000) – USATF

For those of us staying local this weekend, here is another great race for us to score points for our team.

November 4, 2012 – Dino Dash 5K – Tustin – USATF

Let’s stay sharp late in the year with this cooler weather 5K

November 22, 2012 – Thanksgiving Day – Turkey Trot – TBD

December 9, 2012 – Holiday Half Marathon – Pomona – USATF

Last USAT&F race of the year just before the Holiday’s. 

Interview with Andrew Fan

Hi everyone, this is the first part (of what I hope) will be a regular series on the website. I'm interviewing Andrew Fan, one of the newer members of Gritty City Track Club. Let's get right into it:

John: Hi Andrew, so how long have you been running?

Andrew: Although I started running 3 mile distances on and off about 7~8 years ago, I didn’t get serious about running until about 2 years ago.

John: That's awesome, so what got you into running?

Andrew: I joke with people saying that I run for calories burned, which has truth in it, but I realized that I was severely out of shape and overweight. I knew that something had to change.

John: What other running clubs have you been a part of?

Andrew: Pasadena Pacers.

John: Oh the Pasadena Pacers is one of my favorite groups! That’s actually the first running group I joined as well. So how does the group at Gritty City differ from our friends at the Pacers?

Andrew: The Gritty City seems to have a lot of experienced, competitive runners that know how to balance being very serious about running, yet still enjoying it. You can see how they all have a love
and passion for it, which encourages me push myself harder to excel at something I love doing.

John: So recently, I saw a YouTube video of you from the show "Wipeout". I have to admit this is one of the funniest things I have seen in a very long time. How did this come about? (Here’s the link for those of you who want to witness Andrew in all of his glory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfoiIM9v03A )

Andrew: I used to watch the show on a regular basis and thought "man, that looks fun!" and “shoot, I could do that too.” I’ve never had issues with making a fool of myself in front of people, so why not
make a fool of myself on a national stage?

John: Wow after that experience, I'm sure you are ready for some Mud Runs. What does your upcoming race schedule look like?

Andrew: Although I don’t have any Mud Runs in mind yet, I’ve got the Rock and Roll Pasadena, LA Marathon, Hollywood Half Marathon, Ragnar SoCal, Pasadena Marathon [half], Fontana Days Run, and Rock and Roll San Diego planned. It’s quite a lot of races, but I enjoy the atmosphere and experience.

John: Awesome, I'm sure you'll do great in those races. Now what do you do in your free time, besides running? What are your other passions?

Andrew: While I joked saying I run for calories burned, I have a passion for food. It doesn’t have to be wagyu steaks and foie gras – if it tastes good, I’m always down for a good eat. I’m an Yelp Elite
member, so I go around trying new foods and write about my experiences.

John: That's great Andrew. Any last words you wanna share?

Andrew: Do you have some Grey Poupon?