Run San Diego

Half or Full Marathon Pre-Race Checklist

Blake — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:44:45 +0000

I’ve seen countless runners show up to the starting corral without the right socks, a dead iPod and even some without their bib or timing chip all together! Facebook rings of posts like “I didn’t sleep well last night” and “running late sitting in traffic” Don’t let this be you . . .

Be prepared, rest well and remain as stress-free as possible on race morning!

Over the years of both participating in and coaching hudreds and hundreds of runners for long distance running events, I’ve developed and refined a handy “Pre-Race Check List” that is very helpful in getting you ready for the race – not only in the days leading up to race weekend, but most importantly, the hours leading up to bed time! And that is an important note . . . have EVERYTHING done and ready before you go do bed. The only thing you should be doing on race morning is waking up, showering (a trait of mine) eating and drinking your coffee en’route.

Download the Pre-Race Checklist Here

Do you have other items or ideas that would be helpful? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.

Good Luck to our VAVi Running Club, Carlsbad Half Marathon 2012

Blake — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:34:46 +0000

With nearly 200 runners signed up for our winter training program through VAVi Sport and Social Club, we’re gearing up for a great Race Weekend for the 2012 Carlsbad Half Marathon. We’ve spent the last 12 weeks training for this race and for many, it’s their First One! Congrats and good luck to everyone running this weekend!!

Learn more why over 2,100 runners have been through our running programs since 2004.

Spring 2012 Training Program Launched

Blake — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:46:12 +0000

Our 8th Training Season is ready to go and we’re taking registrations. The Spring Training Season starts in Late January and runs through Mid-June, training primarily for the La Jolla Half Marathon and/or the Rock n Roll Half or Full Marathons.

Starts 1/31/12
Ends 6/3/12

To learn more visit our other website which included dates, prices and additional information. We have had over 2100 runners come through our programs since their inception in 2004 . . we’d love to have you check out why.

2011 Rock n Roll Results, VAVi Running Club

Blake — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:50:56 +0000

Over 125 Runners from the club rand the race. A bunch made it for the group picture at 5:45am. Not bad!

On Sunday, June 5th, the VAVi Running Club that we oversee and manage set out to complete the San Diego Rock n Roll Half or Full marathon. We had at least 125 runners complete the race. (Even 125 is a hard number to estimate but a good guess based on years of experience and could have been more.)

I’d love to track and post every single runner’s results but that’s impossible. So, after every race, I solicit feedback and results. We had a huge number of you set Personal Records (PR) and do and have done amazing things. At least 4 of you qualified for Boston (probably more for those who didn’t respond!)

Jason Jablonski beat his goal FULL marathon time by 14 minutes! Awesome job.
Tony Principe was so pissed from last year, he trained hard this year. Results? He slammed 23 minutes from his FULL marathon time. Oh . . . qualified for Boston with a 3:04:59 (Gotta love those “Oh yea’s . . . .” ;)
Speaking of Boston, our resident Female Speedster, Jessica Goertz set her Full Marathon PR with a 3:00:07 to take 15th overall Women, and 3rd in her Age Division!! (Yes, that’s 3 hours and 7 seconds . . . fricken incredible, but frustratingly so too ;) She’s PR’d the race every single year since 2006 – the year she started with training with us. Oh, she won LJ Half Marathon in 2009.
Stephanie Russell ran her FIRST half marathon and beat her projected goal, which is also an automatic PR!!
Mitch Nodland ran on/off for last few years before joining VAVi for the first time this season. He got cramps at Fiesta (~22 miles). Then decided to finish in 3:10:08 to Qualify for Boston, with 52 seconds to spare. (Yes, it’s all true)
Meaghan H. ran her FIRST FULL marathon and loved it so much she’s coming back again! Congrats. (I love those ;)
Jessica Martinez ran her FIRST FULL marathon in 4:24 so got her PR!!
Wayne Dilly smoked it with a 1:17:48 Half Marathon. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
Jennifer Epper got a PR at La Jolla and then decided to do her first FULL. Cranked out a 3:58 . . . jeezers!!
Amy Kelley finished the race after being sick for last few weeks, but better – ran into her TnT coach from Virginia while on the course!
Jules Taggart ran her first FULL marathon . . . automatic PR!!
Lyndsey Hassett missed a bunch of the season with a broken foot, then came back to PR her FULL marathon with a 3:33:50 .. another Boston Qualifier!
Robyn Williams never ran more than 3.5 miles before VAVi. Goal was 2:30, she killed it with a 2:14! (One of my favorite “But I’m not a runner” stories.)
Karen Otto ran her first FULL marathon in 4:04. Awesome!
Anne Stephany knocked out her FULL marathon in 4:20! (I think it was her first)
Jennifer Vanoni finished her first FULL marathon. Automatic PR . . super congrats!!
Kendra Hartman knocked 8 minutes off her FULL marathon time, setting a PR.
Coach Yayoi Suzuki set a new PR for her half, and has cut 28 minutes from her first Half 2 yrs/4 seasons ago.
Kristi Romine ran her 2nd FULL marathon and knocked 54 minutes off her time. Yes, 54 minutes!!!
Ken McDonald has lost 40lbs over the last 14 months, stopped smoking and finished his FULL marathon. Congrats, Ken, on many levels.
Pam Flagg set a new PR for her half, by 13 minutes, and 27 minutes better than her first half 2 yrs ago. Nice job on killing 13 minutes. That’s a full 1 min /mile pace cut.
Kelly Dye set her PR in the Half Marathon!! Super job, Kelly!
Kate M. ran her very FIRST Half with a huge smile on her face!
Lauren W. and his sister Jessica finished their first 1/2 marathon and beat their goal by 5 minutes. Good job!
Michelle Stabile ran her first FULL marathon in 4:13 – Sweeeet!
David Lau finished his FULL marathon in 4:28! Another first time CONGRATS!!!
Tony Barengo did his first Half and beat his goal for 2 hours by over 5 minutes!
Danael Flores ran her first FULL and beat her goal by 7 minutes, coming in at 4:23. Love First Timers under 4:30!!
Diane Sands finished her very FIRST marathon . . and already looking forward to next year!
Jenna Perucci ran her second FULL marathon with a PR by 44 minutes!! Oh boy . . another one of those “Slammed It” times. Congrats.
Melissa Johnson completed her FIRST ever half marathon!
Maegan Rey set her new Half Marathon PR with a 1:58. Sweeeeet!
And another one of our speedsters, Matt Tobey whipped out a 2:54 FULL marathon placing 10th in his division, 50th Overall (out of 8,267)
Stacey Preston got a PR in her Full Marathon with a 4:45! Excellent
Mike Tan got a new PR for his Half Marathon time by 4 Minutes and ran a blazing 1:34!!
Jessica Huepper enjoyed her first season with VAVi and smoked a 1:45:47 LJ half to go onto a 3:50:02 Full Marathon. Congrats!
Pamela Umali got stuck at a Porta Potty line for 8 minutes and still knocked out a 2:17!
Christyn Putulowski scored another PR by finishing the Full Marathon in 4:24!

Rock on Finishers!!

And I know many of you also kicked ass and had a great time! I wish I could research more runners on my own, but unfortunately have to resort to only those who responded.

More Pictures

Enjoy more pictures from the entire race weekend:

Pasta Dinner on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/kLRjjO
Race Day on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/jsMQ5p
Race Day (by Others) on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/mkhTHN

VAVi Running Club

For more information on our VAVi Running Club, visit our separately maintained website: www.vavirunningclub.com

2011 Triple Crown Dates & Timeline

Blake — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 11:55:57 +0000

Congratulations on running the Trip Crown this year. As we near the middle point by completing the La Jolla Half, we look forward to the RSD’s Summer AFC Half Marathon Training program. The following key dates will help you plan the next few months.

4/17/11 – La Jolla Half Marathon
4/18/11 – Recovery Schedule (2wks)
5/2/11 – Prep Training Schedule (4wks)
5/30/11 – AFC Training Begins (1st group run 5/31)
8/21/11 – AFC Half Marathon
8/22/11 – Recovery Schedule (2wks or more, depending on your personal schedule)

We’ll Eat Some of those Fees

Blake — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:24:13 +0000

Everything “running related” seems to be getting more expensive these days – races, groups, clubs, etc. We use www.Active.com for our online processing. It’s a very good service for both organizers and participants. But they aren’t getting any more affordable for anyone. In fact, their fees are close at ~8% per registrant this year (up from last year)

Therefore, we have elected to cover 1/2 of these fees. Meaning you will only pay $4 on the full price $100 registration (less if you’re early bird registration). We’ve also elected to keep the price of our club membership the same this year.

Have a Look and Join for yourself

Happy Running!!

RSD and VAVi Running Club Join Forces

Blake — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:18:09 +0000

The VAVi Running Club’s history goes way back by now as it gears up for it’s 6th year and 12th season. The club was originally developed and continues to be directed by Coach Blake Miller of Run San Diego.

Coach Blake, along with Coach Robert, also oversee another running community in San Diego, aptly named “Run San Diego”. RSD provides additional coaching and consulting services, a summer training program for the AFC half marathon and a sense of community amongst San Diego Runners. Both TVRC and RSD have combined seen over 1,200 runners through their group training programs!

In mid-2010, it was made official that Coach Blake Miller with Run San Diego (along with Coach Robert) would continue to oversee the operations of the VAVi Marathon Training programs. We all look forward to helping runners of San Diego achieve their training and running goals!

For more information, visit www.vavirunningclub.com and www.govavi.com

Meet Deena Kastor, Group Run, 5/29/10

Blake — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:25:20 +0000

A couple of months ago, Competitor Group /the Rock n Roll marathon asked Coach Blake Miller of Run San Diego along with VAVi Running club to host some group training runs over the month of May. They went great and we’re bringing this to and end with a bang and have Deena Kastor as our final guest speaker.

SATURDAY, MAY 29: Deena Kastor, Olympic medalist and American record-holder in the women’s marathon and half marathon speaks about how she keeps her focus through her recent challenges. Radio personality, funky dude and perhaps the endurance sports world’s greatest ambassador Bob Babbitt also joins us to moderate a Q&A session where you will have the opportunity to ask Deena your own training and racing questions! We’ll follow up the clinic with another group training run (3-6 miles).

Carlsbad: 12:00 pm
Horton Plaza: 3:00 pm

We hope you had a quality workout, made some new friends and are feeling more prepared than ever for the big day! If you didn’t already sign up to receive a complimentary 30-day pass to 24 Hour Fitness there’s still time! For more information and to RSVP, visit the Rock n Roll website

AFC Race & Training Program Price Increases May 1

Blake — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:23:32 +0000

We all know that the AFC Half Marathon will sell out. So why not sign up now to guarantee your entry. Do so by Friday and you’ll save a few bucks!! The entry fees for the both the AFC Half Marathon Race and the Run San Diego’s Training Program increase this Friday at midnight, May 1st.

To register for the AFC Race, visit the official website, AFC website.
To register for the Run San Diego training program, sign up here.

BTW – we are expecting our training program to also sell out as we do limit the membership to maintain an effective atmosphere. We look forward to seeing you at the race, and hopefully at our training program too!

NOTE: This training program is not affiliated with, nor is it endorsed by the America’s Finest City Half Marathon. (But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still kick ass . . . it’s just some legal stuff, for real, but still . . . . ;)

La Jolla Half Marathon Recovery Training

Blake — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:23:53 +0000

First off, Congratulations on finishing your the La Jolla Half Marathon! You’ve come a long way in your training and meeting your goals and you should be proud of your accomplishments – especially if it was your first race. Recovering after your race should be approached with a plan and the way you do it will affect your outcome! There are many approaches to your recovery and your coach or training program should prescribe you with specifics.

Getting ready for AFC Half Marathon?

You’re here likely because you’re thinking about running the AFC Half Marathon as a continuation race, or you’re one of those Triple Crown types . . . I am ;) If so, then your recovery from the race and getting ready for the next round of training is crucial. You certainly do not want to lay on the couch for the next few weeks eating twinkies.

Download your Recovery Schedule

If you just ran La Jolla and planning on joining us for the AFC training, please download the following training plan to assist. It is designed to allow you to recover for a few weeks and maintain your fitness for a few weeks before starting full bore training again.

Half Marathon Recovery Schedule

I hope the above program allows you to recover properly getting you ready to start up your training again – good luck!