Early this summer it was time to buy new trainers and I convinced my dad to let me try out some Luna Sandal Huaraches instead of nasty injury-causing shoes. The first pair was too large for me but fit him perfectly so he kept those and I got my own pair. I started teaching him how to run in them properly and he decided to set a goal for himself. So right around September he asked me if I would like to join him for a 5k on December 8 that the university he works at was putting on in order to raise scholarship funds for future SDSU students. I thought about it for all of about 5 seconds and agreed to join him on the condition that we race in our Luna Leadvilles and t-shirts.
Fastforward many days and several more miles to Dec. 8 and here we are in the bitter cold of a frigid 53 degree morning ready and excited to rock our Luna's for 3 miles and then some. What's that? You want one of my Luna Sandals racing singlets? Too bad. They don't exist.. ;)
As soon as I arrived I was mad-dogged by the local gang members... I guess they really wanted a singlet..
Luckily I had my compadres from Calexico High School (the folks I train with) to back me up.
But I was quickly recognized by one of my crazy fan girls who then proceeded to chase me..
Oh, you're cold crazy fan girl? Here let me splash this cold..I mean... warm water on you ;) Needless to say she didn't bother me anymore (I wish).
After a bit of socializing and a "quick" ritualistic trip to the bathroom(sorry, no pictures) we all lined up and I discussed race tactics with Calexico while we awaited the start.
"Hey guys watch your step so you don't step on my gum ;) heh heh"
"...GO!"
This hardcore chola girl threatened to shank me should I cut her off at the start so naturally I took another trip to the bathroom(still no pictures :/ )
But this guy helped me shake it off..
"They may take away our lives, but they'll never take our FREEDOMMMMMM!!!!!"
Right before the start my buddy Tony created a distraction while I adjusted my headband so I could be cool and fast like Fernando Cabada.
But enough of the start, onto the race! I was in decent shape for this race but I started having stomach issues the night before (possibly from my dad telling me I HAD to win) and my abs were still sore from a workout on Tuesday but I told myself it'll all go away after the start. Wrong. After the first mile things got worse as the race unfolded. I hung in there with my two Calexico pals in the lead as that was the plan till the last mile free-for-all.
Our tactic was the traditional "dogpack" (their mascot is the Bulldog but I found myself as more of a stray dog since I didn't go to school there and I sometimes train with other schools). Our plan was to stick together and run a hard first mile and push it even more the second mile to thwart any attempts of an outsider trying to sit-and-kick. The course was nice and the atmosphere was fun yet competitive. The fields were nice hard packed dirt and the weather was chilly but calm and fresh.
We toughed it out for 2 miles and on the last one I made my move and gradually picked it up, trying not to let my stomach cramp up or eat itself. I encouraged my fellow teammate to stick with me but he wasn't feeling it.
I trudged on to a 16:08 win. Not too shabby.
Local Imperial Valley College cross-country coach Eric Lehtonen didn't think so..
"[This watch must be broken]...Greg, please tell me you were cruising it."
"Uhhh... yeah coach :)"
(Btw he's an amazing coach. Very well versed in the old methods and history of distance running while still adopting some of the more modern methods. Top-notch and high caliber; he should be coaching some elite's in my opinion.)
Hung out near the finish after I was done to cheer on the incoming athletes. Among them this great little guy I'm coaching comes in smiling while cruising by runners more than twice his age. If I can just get him to run in Luna's ;) Or perhaps Leming's?
I love that this kid loves running.. He'll grow up to be an even greater runner than he already is.
Ragtag Luna Sandals representatives (ssssshh...my dad really trains in Altra's)
We got bombarded with questions regarding running in sandals and were more than happy to answer them all and direct them to the Luna website. And they all dug the singlet.. ;)
After that we all gathered for the awards ceremony and had good laughs.
Me strutting my stuff and cat-walking away.
Dude, you can stop running now!
My dad did great and won his respective age division. First race in Luna's and first 5k ever! The picture is nice but it doesn't really capture the true spirit of the moment.. it looked more like this.
The sister of the kid I'm training. This girl has some SERIOUS talent and at the rate she's going, there's no doubt in my mind she'll make it to the Olympics very soon. (Just as a hint of how great she's already doing, 7th grade and already beating whole women's college teams in San Diego. And them teams ain't slow either!)
This is my coach. The great legendary David Obeso. Once had the opportunity to help coach at the Olympics. He'll wake up in the middle of the night and write down workouts he came up with literally in his sleep. This guy can train ANYONE to be a great and feared runner. I'm more than proud to call him my coach for so long :)
Overall this was a fantastic day despite the cold and stomach upsets. The ambience was more of a family get-together rather than that of a race. And really, that's what this is, the local running community gathering to support a greater cause, to do what we do best, what we love, to run.
By running we share our love, the essence of life, and so I say:
To run is to live.
