My home is turning into something like a data center

Following my previous post on Bitcoin......

So LiteBanc (our project name) has been steadily making its way to full power...steadily.... One thing about this project is that if you aren't familiar with computers and have to learn from the basics, its such a pain to figure out why certain things just won't work. I can't recall how many times my partner and I broke night just to figure out the problem and ended up not being able to figure itout until one morning, it just suddenly works. I mean suddenly. Like, you just turn on the power and viola! it just worked! Mind you, my partner is very familiar with computers.

So after all the painful hours of getting these rigs to start, we've steadily progressed to building more and more, to the point where these rigs are taking over the house. (pictured here)

7 MSI R9 280X and 4 Asus R9 290X in the office room

If you were one of those serious PC gamers, you would drool over the amount of GPU power I am capable of running.

15 quality GPU's (9 on standby at the moment) are waiting to hash out as many Alt coins as it possibly can. Of course, the current rates are a little under, but, we are micro-managing these coins so we are hopeful to obtain a better result than just mining coins.

One positive from all this computing power is that I am currently quite cozy in the room as one of the rig is turned on.

If all three were on, it would be a free sauna. The setback, if all of them were running, is that my electricity bill will be off the charts and I will be waiting for the utility company to notify the local police about a suspicious spike in electricity, hence leading to them ringing my doorbell and explaining to them that, no, I am not running a drug scheme, but merely computers making me money.

These rigs are running 24/7, like a server, so the electricity bill is quite expensive. Each GPU runs about 300-350 watts. Having 3 of these running can cost you near $100/month at the rate of $0.12/kWh. So yeah, if you have free electricity, than its a great investment.

My other rig in the guest room (another 4 MSI R9 280X)

I am seriously considering solar panels. Anything to lower the cost of electricity will benefit to your profitability at a large rate. At this moment, we are dealing with paying the electricity bill. What surprised me was that New York, where the other 25 GPU's are currently located, has a much higher electricity rate than New Jersey does. It was quite a surprise to hear that my partner pays 4-5 cents more than I do. In mining, that's a huge difference.

So here we are, steadily growing and moving along. This post seemed like I was everywhere, but honestly, my brain is all over the place right now and with the lack of sleep, I need to let it all out somewhere.

5 years from now, when all these coins will be valued at a much higher rate, I'll look back at this and smile.

Yes, I'm quite optimistic.

A little about Bitcoin

As an aspiring entrepreneur, you always dig in to new ventures. As of 2014, with a number of initial investors, we started LiteBanc, a cryptocurrency mining farm.

As I begin writing about this project (as much as I can, since I tend to slack off on the writing...), I will start off by the basics and work my way into our current project. There are hundreds of forums that you can read about this industry so I'll be very simple and basic.

For details, you can go to www.bitcoin.org ; www.litecoin.org ; or Reddit to obtain a lot of information.

I'm sure you've heard of Bitcoin by now. It's been all over the news. LiteBanc trades and mines a form of currency called cryptocurrency (i.e. Bitcoin) by using methods of cryptography and solve algorithms to obtain these specific coins, hence we are "mining". Following this new type of currency, enthusiasts created a special exchange to trade these coins similar to FOREX in which we actively trade to profit from other forms of cryptocurrency. Confused yet?

So what exactly is cryptocurrency? Well, for starters, its a virtual currency that is not regulated by any banks or government and moved or traded by a decentralized market. There is no physical form, like a dollar bill, and is based on cryptography. The first cryptocurrency that started trading was Bitcoin back in 2009 and by present day, there are many different alternatives to bitcoin (i.e., Litecoin, Dogecoin, Namecoin, etc).

To give you an example of why this digital currency took off by storm, Bitcoin when it first came out was worth practically a fraction of a dollar (the first ever trade was $1.00 = 1200+ BTC). The coins value took off on news about this so-called digital coin and once the demand picked up the value of these coins skyrocketed to highs of $1200 for one single coin. Today, 1 BTC is worth about $660. Those that were able to mine or purchase in the 1000's between 2010 and 2011 are millionaires, mind you, without paying a single penny in tax. Aside from the risk factor and other security issues that will be mentioned throughout my project, this simply creates a whole new world in global currency and will likely change the industry in the future.

So to put it all together, it's money you print out that is not taxable and able to purchase real goods or change to real currency with it. A scam? that's what you might think, but there's a whole different depth that goes into this and fortunately, a lot of big investors (Google Venture, Y Combinator, Reddit, Fortress, Winklevoss Bro, etc.) and global CEO's (Charles Branson, Patrick Byrne, Lars Seier Christensen, etc.) are liking the idea.

About LiteBanc

LiteBanc is a boutique cryptocurrency mining company that mines the most productive Altcoins to benefit the ROI of the company. The trading arm of the company then micromanages the coins on specific cryptocurrency exchanges to ultimately hold onto Litecoin or Bitcoin.

Ultra Marathon #6 - Great Cranberry Island 50K

2010 Runner's World Magazine "Best Race Ever"

Who knew that a small island possesses one of the better ultra races in the US. Featured in the "Best Race Ever" documentary for Runner's World Magazine, this race is by far one of my most enjoyable races so far.
If only the drive was slightly shorter, I would be coming back every year to this fun but challenging course.

So how do you run 31 miles on a small island with a yearly population of 40? Well, there is one road that is stretched out the entire island and that road is 2+ miles long. So if you do the calculation, you run this road back and forth 15 times. Talk about mentally challenging, not only is the course short, it's quite challenging with rolling hills, something I didn't expect...

On the other hand, the island, views, and people were just simply amazing. The 9+ hours of driving to get to the harbor and then the ferry over to the island is worth the travel to get to this tiny island. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the community and organizers. They drove the runners to the start line, but I decided to walk over to get a view of the island. First thing I noticed...the hills! Boy what an uphill climb it was to the start line. In the island, there really is no hotel, inn, or B+B. Either you contact the owners of the homes to rent out, or set up a tent. A bunch of my friends had booked a house, but Leslie (gf) and I decided to camp out for the first time. As we got to the start line, people were already setting up there tents. There were big ones, to just a hammock. We found our spot, which happened to be next to other maniac members, and rested up before the start. As the time got closer to the start time, people came flushing in and set up their tents.

Race time! There were about 20 or so Maniacs at this race and we all took group photo's (it seems to be a tradition, although Benny, Thunder, and I missed out). One good thing about a short course is you constantly get to see the fast racers and friends. I started off with the fast crew (Benny and Thunder) because that is my tradition. Benny is a fast runner and my goal is to run along his side one day. Every marathon that we run, I try to keep up with Benny eventually tapering off to my slow pace. So this time around, I kept up with Benny until mile 12-13, which is somewhat a PR, lol. I was also getting over a knee injury that caused me to stop running 5 weeks prior to GCI50K.  5 weeks ago, I couldn't even run 1 mile, and to day, thanks to my therapist, I managed to run 13 miles without any serious pain. Of course, the injury came back and I decided once Benny took off, I would slow down and walk since the race practically just started. From mile 13-31, I won't go into any details since it was basically a run/walk then mostly walking finish. One thing I didn't want to do is stress the knee injury and just finish, which I did. Along the way, the views of the Atlantic and mountains were simply amazing. Also, the community were great people and helped out with making their own aid stations. One thing that took me by surprise was the blueberries that were growing on the side of the road. You were allowed to take them and eat it at your own will.

The course...hard...tough...not easy. I originally thought (from the youtube video) that this was a flat course. I was totally wrong. There were some serious hills in the short 2 miles. It was definitely a challenging course and if I go back, I will be well prepared. There were 4 sections within the 2 miles with steep hills and a few little ones. The worst feeling was making the turn and heading back up a steep hill. Note to anyone who will be running this in the future..it's not easy.  So I finished at about 7 hours and a little bit (7:10:07). Not the greatest time for me but a joyful race it was. Leslie volunteered for the event and supported me the entire time. We walked the last 2 miles and finished.

After race... This is where the party begins. Maine, island, alcohol.... do the math and you get lobsters, partying, and a whole lot of booze. The best feature of this race is that it includes a feast of good 'ol fresh Maine lobsters for dinner. Definitely something I was waiting for. These lobsters were a good size, and I think I ate 2 or 3 of these. One thing I missed out on was the karaoke, fireworks, and the rowdy crowd of drunk ultrarunners. I would've joined in but with the long drive, 3 hours of sleep, and then the ultra itself, I was pretty much exhausted and passed out immediately after the lobsters. From what I heard the next morning, it was an epic night of drunkness and skinny dipping in the Atlantic (?).

The morning of the race was quiet. The volunteers were cooking up some delicious breakfast and I enjoyed every bit of it. After getting the tent down and packing up to go, we headed out to the harbor for the ferry and bid our farewells. As I've mentioned earlier, this race is definitely a great one and lots of fun. Hopefully I'll be back next year or the following. The drive back was really nice too. Leslie and I stopped at a couple towns, picked up some cheap lobsters, and bought some local wine. It was my first time in Maine and I have to say, although a short trip, I was able to see some amazing things.

Definitely a recommended race and a beautiful state.

5K Run (6/10/12) - Ridgefield Park 5K

For those living close to Ridgefield Park or the new Overpeck Park, and want to PR your 5K, this run is definitely easy. The course is practically flat and its mostly a straight away. Unfortunately, I didn't get to run the race, but my girlfriend did, so I'll dedicate this post to her.

The morning started out cool and cloudy but slowly turned humid and hot. Since I'm currently fighting a knee injury, I decided to bring out my dog and cheer on Leslie. It's the least I can do after all the races (marathons) she came out to support. I would have to say that the RD was a bit unorganized at times, but this run is all fun and games. They served breakfast in the morning with different rolls, donuts, coffee, sports drink, etc. and had a morning stretch. Most of the attendees were there for the walk, so I assume they were gobbling down breakfast.

If you're a fast runner, you have a good chance to win an age group award. There were about 75 entrants and a moderate competition. Leslie started out near the front of the pact and stayed there till the end. There was one women who she couldn't beat but then again, she was pumping 6:45 miles while Leslie is still a 7:00 miler. But in the end, she turned out to be 2nd place overall and got an award. The fastest male was seriously fast finishing under 18 minutes...a time that I wouldn't be able to match, but after looking at my age group, I would've came in 4th overall and 1st age group..had I ran, that is.

Overall, a great PR course and a quick fun morning run that is cheap with goodies. They had a raffle for a 32' flat screen TV which I entered but didn't win.

5K Run (5/20/12) - Demarest 5K

I normally wouldn't post a 5K run on my blog but I since this one has memories, I decided to write about it.

This year it was the 30th Anniversary. 30, Which means the first race held was nearly 2 months before I was born. The last time I ran this event, I was probably 7 or 8. I still remember my mother running this with me. The town of Demarest is where I practically grew up. I moved here from Fort Lee, NJ when I was 3 or 4. my parents and two brothers lived in a small 3 bedroom ranch house on the corner of a cul de sac. This town is perfect for those that want to raise kids in a quiet, harmless area. Demarest boasts six schools, while the population is a mere 4800. You have all the necessary things needed for a home within distance and the city is not too far. My next door neighbor commuted to the city everyday for quite a while. What surprised me was that the estimated household income for this small town was close to $150,000! I don't think my mother, or when my father lived with us (they were divorced when we were kids), made close to that amount.

Duck Pond

Anyway, back to the race.

This course is nothing close to easy. It starts off with an uphill climb and basically becomes rolling hills throughout the rest of the course. The course takes you around the western side of Demarest. I don't remember this race being so hard. But of course, the last time I ran this was when I was under 10 and had plenty of energy. Maybe I should ask my mother. This time around, I went out too hard. I was expecting to keep a 6:30 pace all the way, but started out at 6:15 and slowly disintegrated into a 7:00 pace at the last mile. I should be more cautious about this. The course also had a lot of twist and turns. I wanted to get in more of the scenery but my mind was completely focused on breathing and finishing. Next year, I should get more of the visuals in.

Finish Line

Although the difficulty level was high, I managed to PR my time at 20:54. My previous PR was 21:36. 42 seconds faster. This will boost my confidence level for the Fifth Ave One Mile Run also. My goal for that race is to break 5:30sec. My next 5K is in my current home town Ridgefield Park. This one is supposed to be a fast and flat course so a PR is pretty much expected.

Road Marathon #3 (4/6/12) - Cox Rhode Providence Marathon, RI

My third road marathon and boy what a race it was. Since my day one of taking it to the road, a 4 mile race, June 6, 2010, at a time of 35:31, I finally made it into the Sub 4 marathoners group. My previous marathon PR was a 4:27:26 at the Yonkers Marathon 9/18/11. Ever since that marathon, I've done 50K's, 60K's, trail marathons, and even an attempt at a 24 hour race, but never was able to shorten the marathon time down. That is until yesterday. My previous road marathon was the ING Miami Marathon, and my time was 4:46:46, nothing special. The first half, I ran it in 1:55:00 and slowed down the second leg due to blisters. I was hoping to get close to sub-4ing the race, but it didn't work out well. I knew I had it in me that one day I would be able to get past the 4 hour mark.

Before you read mine, if you're interested, you can read my friends post on the marathon as well!
http://www.runkino.com/2012/05/marathon-96-2012-providence-marathon.html 
His post has a more descriptive aspect of the marathon along with pictures :)

Providence Marathon was not an easy course. I suspected that it would be flat since the organizers mentioned the race was a qualifier for Boston. The first few miles were an easy going 8:30-45 pace getting in the city of Providence. I was pretty much on my own (came here with friends Hideki Kinoshita and Jenny Kim) and enjoyed the surroundings. Once we got out of town and headed into the suburbs (mile 6 or 7), I met a fellow Maniac (who I forgot his name but he was in the 3000's) and chatted away. He was apparently coming back from an injury and testing his legs out. Surprisingly, his pace was fast at around 7:30-45. It wasn't easy for me to keep up, but we were enjoying our conversation and I was feeling really good. The views of the course weren't the greatest, but not the worst. It was a lot of bike paths and residential areas, but at certain points, I saw some lakes and homes that were off the coast which looked really nice. Going back to the start, my friends Jenny and Kino aka Hideki went out fast and I didn't see them, but at Mile 13-14, I caught up with Jenny. Jenny is the type of runner that listens to music and goes at her own pace so I didn't want to disturb her mindset. I just waved my hands and let her know that I was on my way. She looked healthy at that point. This is where I took my first GU ever since Queens Half (NYRR event) on July 24, 2010.

That day, it was my first half marathon attempt after running my first 4 miler in June. I didn't realize how hard running 13.1 miles was at the time. My finish time... an astonishing 2:55:51. I still remember how much I was in pain after Mile 6. But also, my first GU experience was a big FAIL. I was so disgusted by the texture that I had to stop and spit it all out, almost vomiting. I vowed to never take it again.

Well, the GU helped this time, thanks to Jenny supplying it. She mentioned to not consume it all at once, but take a little at a time with water. This helped me get used to the texture while running and I eventually felt refreshed.

Mile 14-19 was a good pace of 7:40-50's. My fellow Maniac kept me going and encouraged me that I will break sub-4 at this rate. I was intrigued that this could be possible, but by mile 19, I slowed down (plus a bathroom break). This will be the first time that I continuously ran to Mile 20 without pain. I slowed to a 9:00 pace for the next mile and then gradually slowing to a 10:00 pace at around Mile 21-24. I was now in the stage of muscle soreness and legs tightening up. Had I kept my pace up, I probably would've been feeling a little better. The bathroom stop must have cramped up my legs. I decided to take another GU, salt tablet, and pure gatorade (I usually run it down with water) to see if it'll help the rest of the way.

Fortunately, in the last 2 miles, I picked up my pace back to 9:15-30 and managed to finish off at 3:52:45. My first Sub-4 marathon! I wanted to sprint the last 1/4 mile, but my hamstring was on the verge of pulling, so I maintained the slow pace. At that instance, Kino shouted my name and I looked over to the right. He had already finished, having run a 3:25:??, but his facial expression was a filled with a big surprise. He was just about to head back to see me run, thinking that I would be finishing a little after 4 hours. Just as he was about to head back, he saw a maniac shirt finishing up and noticed it was me. After crossing the finish line, he was so happy that I sub-4'ed. I had joined the sub-4 club within my running family.

This race has given me motivation that I can run a sub-4 in the future. Although I still have a long way to catch up with some of my faster friends (and even BQ), surpassing the 4 and entering the 3 is a great feeling. I've accomplished another stepping stone towards running and it feels awesome. I will train harder and come October for the Chicago Marathon, I will once again hope to PR and make way to beating 3:30.

Road Marathon #2 (1/29/12) - ING Miami Marathon

Its always great to be in Miami when the month is January and cold in NJ/NY. Miami marathon was a peer pressured marathon by fellow runners Kino and Paul Arroyo. We met up at the NYCM Expo and all three of us signed up for the race (unfortunately, Paul couldn't make the race). The one thing about traveling to the marathon is the logistics and cost. Advice to another marathoner trying to cover other states, if you're not comfortably making a living with plenty of pocket change, I would calculate the costs and save up for the next year. Running marathon's are not CHEAP.

Anyway, back to Miami. I headed out the morning of Saturday from LGA (Laguardia Airport), meeting up with Lisa Cao on the same plane. Fortunately, I had an upgrade to first class and was able to ride comfortably. I tried getting Lisa up, but it didn't work. Once we arrived, we met up with Kino and Steve "Thunder" Lee. Steve and Kino are both aiming for the 50 states and have been traveling together for quite a while. They are finishing their 50th at Hawaii this year. We rented a car and drove straight to South Beach. It's always nice to be by the beach. This is also one of my dream retirements, sitting by the beach every morning until I lay rest in the grave. We did some eating, walking, sleeping, and a short run on the beach and headed back to the hotel where we met up with Gopal. That night, we all grabbed food by the art district of Miami and pretty much went to sleep early. Oh, thanks to Lisa, we got an amazing hook up to the Kimpton Hotel which was close to the start of the race and right by Biscayne Blvd, where it is like the Wall Street of Miami.

The morning of the run was dark. I believe it was 6:00AM or 6:30AM. Anyway, the sun wasn't even up yet. There were still partygoers outside, but you can see many people walking to the start. The course is mainly flat with a little elevation change by the bridge. I was expecting to PR this one but the temperature was in the 70's and a bit humid. I've been wearing my Skechers GoRun and wanted to test them out for the marathon. The race started off with some small fireworks and off went the tens of thousands of people. The beginning was super crowded. I had to zigzag my way through many people, at times almost colliding with other runners, but managed to get into a comfortable pace by mile 3. The first half of the marathon was nice. Watching the sun rise was kinda cool and running through South Beach was awesome. I think I went out too fast but I was doing under 9 minute per mile. There was this girl running aside me the entire time and she kept me at a good pace also. Once we headed North of South Beach, I started feeling a blister forming on my big toe. It started getting uncomfortable but I kept on going. In most cases, I forgot about it and kept running. This race used some interesting water packets at the aid stations. People were throwing these water packets like water balloons and splashing all over the place. What a waste of water, I thought. Miles 7-11 was awesome passing by Rio Alto Island, Di Lido Island, San Marino Island, San Marco Island, and Biscayne Island, all boasting really nice mansions. This part was one of my favorites I think.

After returning to the mainland, I noticed even more blisters on my feet, this time near the ball of my feet and around the pinky toes on both feet. By mile 13, where we returned to the start line and many finished the half, I felt the blisters pretty bad. I continued on, but by mile 15, I completely stopped to take my shoe off. My time at the half was under 2 hours (1:55ish). I noticed 5 blisters on my feet and with the humid, it wasn't helping at all. I continued to run but it was hurting so much, I slowed down completely. I didn't bother to stop at an aid (lesson learned, always stop at an aid if you have that many blisters) and continued on. Miles 16-19, I was pacing at 10 minute miles, sometimes walking. I wanted to take in the course view, but it was mostly the suburb area and there wasn't much to see. I was getting pissed that one by one, people were passing me. Mile 19-20 was by the coast, and it was nice, but still, I was going through a lot of pain. By mile 21, I was on a complete walk with a little jogging. Mile 22, I started to jog a little again. Time wasn't a factor to me anymore. I knew I couldn't really run anymore so I just wanted to finish. I took in the view again as we did an out and back on the Rickenbacker Causeway. It was my first time running through a toll booth.
At the turn around, there was some pineapples being served so I gobbled it up, stretched a little and headed back down. I saw Lisa Cao coming up on the way back. She looked a little tired too.

I continued to jog/walk the rest of the way until about mile 25. The last stretch, there were still a lot of cheerers so it motivated me to run. In the end, I ran the last mile and finished with a time of 4:46:46. It was worse than Yonkers Marathon, when the course is much easier. I enjoyed it a lot, and would love to come back and beat the time again. I'll most likely get a better time.

In the end, we all grabbed some food and met up with Nancy Oh. We relaxed a bit at the hotel and went out to the Bayside Market place at night to grab some more food and meet up with other Maniac members. Aside from the running, its always a blast to be in Miami when the weather is still cold up North in NY. 2013 Miami Marathon, I'm pretty sure I'll be there.

Road Marathon #1 (9/18/11) - Yonkers Marathon

My first road marathon. A good friend and running mentor Hideki Kinoshita aka Kino has finally convinced me to run a marathon. And this one is not just a regular marathon. The Yonkers Marathon is known to be a very uphill course and difficult. Also, it is one of the oldest marathons in the US. I'm not sure how prepared I was, but I was definitely nervous. My previous marathon (first marathon ever) was the Thanksgiving Marathon at the Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. This was a trail marathon and it was gruesome having finished in 5:30:00. The Yonkers Marathon has a cut-off time of 5 hours so I was hesitant on finishing. A fellow runner I met through Kino had told me he is running Yonkers also, but Benny was much faster than me and I knew he would disappear in a matter of minutes. The temperature was mild, in the low 50's I think.

The race is a double loop going from Hastings-on-the-Hudson, up Yonkers, around, and back down. I was told that the beginning was practically a 5 mile incline, and it was! Boy was it hard, I ran a couple ultra's and marathon's but this was tough on me. I had new shoes on as well (stupid me), Saucony Kinvara. If I can recall the course, I just remember hills after hills after hills. Around mile 6, I met up with another running friend Jeffery Lin, who I met at the Thanksgiving Marathon. He was fast. We reached a point where it was a steep downhill and he just plowed right through it. I was still going at a comfortable 9-9:30 pace. The course was okay. Not much views except the beginning. There were lots of traffic lights and police officers. After the turn around coming back down, it was mainly the town of Yonkers. People were wondering what was going on, and some were angry that they couldn't turn or get out of their driveways. It was kind of nice to see the town, but view wise, it's really nothing.

By the time I reached the halfway mark, the time was about 1:55:00. My girlfriend who accompanies me on most races (such a great supporter and looked nice in her spring dress) was surprised that I came back that early. Early, yes, it was too early, too fast. I was expecting to be at midway around 2:15:00. This is where things went the other way. I knew I was way ahead of cut off time, but I also knew that I was pushing too hard for my first road marathon, in new shoes. I slowed down my pace to about 10:00. Bad idea. Muscles starting cramping and I felt drained, especially with the up hill AGAIN. By mile 16, I started walking. Some of this had to do with the shoes also. I was definitely not used to these semi-minimals. The bottom of my feet were hurting and I knew I couldn't heel strike. Also, the uphill running works your muscles and it paid its toll. I walked for about a mile before I regained some strength to run again. By this time, I was getting nervous whether I could finish in time. Miles 17-23 was a complete mess with run/walk (more walking than running) most of the way. I concentrated on running to a certain mark (lamp posts, traffic lights, etc.) and kept going. It was painful, but I kept a straight face and moved along. I was about 3.5 miles away when I checked my watch to see that I had run close to 3:40:00, exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes until cut-off time. By this time, I was pretty much done. At a 20 minute pace, walking the rest of the way, I was cutting it real close. I got scared and started running. It hurt, but I had to run. Not knowing that I picked up my pace, I was inching closer to the finish line. The last 3 miles were a steeeep uphill, followed by a 2 mile downhill to the finish line. I picked up my legs as much as I can and trekked along. 1.5 miles, I look at the watch and was surprised that it was about 4:05:00. I had more than enough time to walk the rest of the way. Not only that, I was gonna finish. My plan was to walk the last mile or so and jog the rest, but there was this person behind me that was shuffling along. I could hear the foot steps coming closer and I looked back. A blue singlet read Whippets, and it was a girl. She looked agonizing but moved along. Something inside me said I don't want to lose at this point so I started moving as well. I didn't want to lose for some reason. In the end, I passed her and moved along finishing at 4:27:26. Not only did I make the cut-off time, but I managed to run under 4:30.

After the race there was some beer and food served but I decided to relax a bit with Leslie (girlfriend). It's one thing to be able to run a marathon, but its another to appreciate having a companion that is very supportive. The weather was beautiful and we were by the river so it was really relaxing.

One marathon down, many more to go!

Ultra Marathon #3 (9/11/11) - 9/11 50K

To commemorate the 9/11 victims and supporters, Matt Gerowitz, who is a fellow running mate organized this free event running the circumference of NYC, approximating a total of 50K or 31 miles. The event was a fun run and I enjoyed it with many of my running friends.

The run was complicating yet simple, just run around NYC. We started off at Battery Park by the station. There were about 40 of us getting prepared to run. Leslie and I met up with Kino and Nobu and headed down to Battery Park. Nobu, who I haven't seen in years, decided to run this since Kino forced him to do it the night before. He's never ran more than a marathon and haven't trained at all. Leslie also never even ran a marathon and was attempting her first marathon.

We met up with many other fellow friends downtown. Benny, Nancy, Annete, Thunder, Matt, etc. So many close running friends were there to do this inaugural event. The weather turned out really nice too. Not too hot, not too cold. We headed east first to the South Ferry Seaport. Along the way, people were wondering what we were doing and when they found out, they started cheering for us. When we hit the Seaport, we then headed North, all the way to 49th Street. On the way, Jackie and friends joined in and there were about 8 of us running up the East Side River. Once we got to 49th, we cut across west to 1st Ave and continued straight up until 80th Street. We cut east again and headed North running above the FDR Drive right by the river. We met up with Thunder there as well. I didn't know about this path and their were many people running or strolling along the way. We continued this path until the 90's and headed back into the city. From here on until the 180's I vaguely remember where we ran. We sort of got lost, but headed North. We trekked along the river, cut across back into the city and headed to 151st street where we went back to the Harlem River Drive, along the river, all the way to Dyckman St. We then went on 10th Ave up, cut across to Broadway and stopped at Twin Donuts, which marks the halfway point. By this time we had already run/jogged 15 miles. It probably took about three and a half hours. Everyone refilled their bottles, grabbed some food and headed to Inwood Park where we made the turn around, this time, heading south back to Battery Park.

Inwood Park has a nice little running course that is filled with trees. You wouldn't believe there was still a place like this in NY. We crossed over to the West Side and headed South. This is where things got interesting. While heading South down the river, we were supposed to make a left at Dyckman St, and run along the Hudson River Greenway. Somehow, we missed the entrance and trekked along the road next to the railroad. This railroad is for the public transit that goes to Westchester so there are frequent trains passing by. Luckily, it was a Sunday, and we didn't see any while we were there. The little path that we were running on suddenly ended and we were right on the railway. Now this definitely isn't the right way and we could've gotten arrested (technically) for trespassing. I think we ran pretty quickly during this time. It was also somewhat exciting. We reached a point where there was a overpass (the Huson River Greenway) and we managed to go up a hill, through a broken fence, and onto the path. It was definitely an interesting part of the race I'll never forget. From here on end, it was an easy path back to the finish. The view was nice too. I always drive down the Henry Hudson (or Westside Highway) and see the runners along the path. I always wanted to run this and now I finally did. Aside from the cars, it was a nice day and there were many people running. We were pretty slow, walking and talking along the way.

It's definitely interesting to see the various cultural aspects of New York. I started realizing what a great place the city is. The high life to the poor community, the nice restaurants to the bodegas, and the different type of people. You really start to appreciate who you are and where you came from. Being raised in NJ, I was always in the suburbs. Raised within a community of medium to high income families. Where I am now, its not where my family would want me to be, but I didn't have a choice and I did work hard to be where I stand currently. Running around the city definitely put life into perspective.

As we headed down the West Side, I ran into my company's presidents assistant near 66st and got to view some weird statues along the way. I like boats and it was nice seeing all the different boats being docked. We were practically walking at this point as some of our members were hurting. Nobu and Leslie were feeling the pain in their legs. I was doing fine since it wasn't my first. We did a run/walk straight down to 42nd street and from there, I ran ahead until 14th Street. There were many people already since we've been running for 6 and a half hours by now. I waited at 14th St for the rest of the crew but Leslie was the only one that came. Nobu, Kino, Nancy was walking so we went ahead. As we headed toward ground zero, there were more and more people. Roads were blocked at this point and we weren't sure where the finish line was. We took a detour and headed into the battery park piers thinking that was the finish. I called Kino to confirm where the finish was and he mentioned it was around the pier somewhere. We waited for Kino and the rest but there were question marks surrounding us, until finally we found out that the finish was where we started, duh.

The last leg, which was only a few blocks, we just walked but Nobu and I noticed that we would be able to finish exactly at 8 hours if we ran. We sprinted the last part and noticed that Benny, Matt, Annette, and a couple more people were waiting for us, surprisingly. Everyone finished and Matt gave all of us a 7:59:00 finish. So this race was just for fun and nothing on time. I was just happy to get it over with and also get bragging rights on actually running around the city.

We all walked over to some alley full of bars and restaurants and ate their. Overall, it was an enjoyable course. Thanks to Matt for organizing this and I'm definitely going to do it again!

Ultra Marathon #2 (8/15/11) - Mahlon Madness 50K

My first completed ultra marathon. I decided to keep track of how I felt at the time of the event so that I can look back and realize how it all started. I know for sure that in the future, I will finish many more ultras and eventually an ironman triathlon which is practically my ultimate goal.

The relief of finishing such long distance is rewarding. To see the finish line, I forget how much pain is running through my legs. I forget that its been almost 8 hours since I started the run. All I see in front of me is the finish and my face probably with a bigger smile then ever. It all started in July of 2010 with a 4 mile run which I thought was pure hell. A year and a month later, after a few injuries and one failed ultra, I am proud to say that I've become one of the crazy people who surpass the norm and turn into maniacs. There is no money involved, there is no trophy, just a big congratulations, some junk food that tastes like a 5 star dinner course, and post race muscle fatigue (means PAIN). But I just did something that maybe (my guess) 1-2% of the world's population can only do and that is an achievement on a different level. I am definitely proud to say that I am a ultra runner and my life has changed since, in a way that I've never imagined. On Dean Karnazes' (ultra runner) 30th birthday, he decided to leave the bar and run 30 miles back home. A month into my 30th birthday, I've accomplished 31 miles and it won't stop there. I'm not Dean, nor will I ever be, but I've been re-born into someone that I never thought would become and I'm definitely loving it.

Loop 1 of 4: An easy 13-14 min pace. Through my previous experience, I decided to think more strategically and decided to just take it easy and save some leg for the last loop. The course had its ups and downs. I chose to walk the uphills and run the rest. There were boulders, mud, gravel, etc.  but nothing too difficult. It was a easy 7.5 mile loop that I didn't have a problem with (except for a slight stomach problem at around 5 miles.

Loop2 of 4: Again, I too it slow and walked the uphills. This time around, I started getting hungry due to not eating in the morning. I took the same strategy, but by mile 4, I was getting really hungry and I started feeling fatigue through out my body. My legs still had some fuel in them so overall, I felt fine.

Loop 3 of 4: The hunger got to me and I stopped at the aid station after the 2nd loop and grabbed all sorts of food. Bad thing was, I ate too much. I was so full when I started my 3rd loop, that about .3 miles in, I decided to walk about a mile to ease the stomach down. This is where I think my problems began. I felt a little groggy and I had difficulty breathing. All this lead to losing my mentality and I started feeling tired. Each step felt heavier and tiring. By the half way mark (3.75 miles), I walked another mile. I was about 19 miles in. At the turn back to the starting point, my legs were starting to hurt, especially the hip and upper thigh area. My running felt slower and I was tripping over rocks that I thought I cleared over (My legs weren't lifting as high as I thought). I ended up walking the last 2 miles and slightly running back to the start.

Loop 4 of 4: Last loop, I knew that I was going to finish, but I my legs were practically out of gas. My mentality was starting to daze off and at around mile 2, I thought I was lost. It's really weird because you know you ran the same course three times already, but yet, I didn't recognize my surrounding. I started to get worried that if I'm lost and I took a different route, I would be screwed. So I walked the entire first half of the loop. By the time I reached an area where I recognized, I tried to run but I guess the walking got to me and I couldn't get myself to run. During mile 3-5, I decided to change it up a bit and try forgetting how much pain I was in. I came up with this ridiculous method of walking 100 steps and running 200 steps. I would count each time in my head and eventually, saving overall time, rather than just walking the entire loop. I don't think this method works for everyone, but it sort of worked for me. I shuffled the last mile and eventually finished. 7 hours 54 minutes, which was the official time. I expected to finish in 6 hours, but I completely underestimated the trail. Lesson learned.

As I wrap up this ultra marathon, I've learned a lot strategically and now I have confidence of running other ultra marathons. Next up is the Yonkers Marathon, which I hear is difficult, but it is shorter than an ultra so I am pretty confident that finishing will not be a difficulty, rather this time around, I will look to run the entire 26.2 miles.

Up in the Air

I'm an avid traveler. My work has made me overcome the fear of flying and now I enjoy my time in the air very much. Well, of course, there are times when the plane is just too old or I end up on a flight that I didn't want to take. Currently, as I write, I am on a DELTA flight to San Francisco. So far, I'd have to say it's one of the worst flights ever. The seats don't recline, my tray table is broken, and the TV doesn't work. Even better, I'm in row 40. The only thing I appreciate is the in-flight wifi. Had this not been available, and it does cost $13, this whole trip would've been a horror ride.

In the first six months of 2011, I've flown close to 53,000 miles. Most of it is from Continental Airlines. Some from Delta and American Airlines. I've achieved elite status level many years and let me tell you, once you become an elite, even the lowest one, the whole process will make flying so much easier, like the movie with George Clooney, "Up in the Air". My goal will be to become a million miler. Although I'm short by a few hundred thousand miles, I think I can reach it. There's really nothing great to this accomplishment unless you really are a frequent flyer. Most people probably don't even care where they sit or what airline to take. As long as it's cheaper, they are comfortable. I personally can't do that. You sort of get used to certain airlines and you get comfortable riding with them, so much to the point that you remember a few flight attendants and they actually remember you. I've lately gotten to the point of learning the types of airplanes that are flown. Like cars, I try to guess the model and make of each plane I fly. I guess its one of those hobbies.

Its almost a routine when arriving to the airport. Walk straight to the kiosk, get your ticket, stand in the shorter lines, your shoes, PC, belt, anything metal, is already off and in the tray by the time you even get to security checkpoint. Walk to the gate, grab a cup of coffee, read the newspaper, and once boarding begins, you're one of the first batch in. In the plane, you're in the front row, or occasionally first class, but I won't do much explaining on that yet. Slap on the seat belt and off you go to sleep. Once in the air, it's your time and only yours. You can be reading a book, watch a movie, or even have a conversation with the guy or gal next to you. The savior of wi-fi today has given me the chance to write this blog.

The joy of flying. 4 years ago, I hated flying. I hated the turbulence. Every time the plane shook, I thought I was going to fall. And in a plane, if it ever does drop, there's really nothing you can do. But, aside from all that and given the statistical facts that you are more likely to get in a car accident, I've come to enjoy this time in the air. It's almost like a sanctuary. Next up, international flights. I need more of those. Maybe I should start writing more while I'm up in the air. This might be a good idea,

Spring, 1982

The very earliest time that I can recall seeing or remembering anything. I was not even 1 at the time. Scientists say your first memories are during the ages between 2-4.  Why do I remember at such a young age? It is a mystery, although my mother told me there is a video that depicts what I envisioned. As for this memory, I remember my great grandmother who was sitting by the kotatsu (traditional Japanese heating table). I remember a red plastic net, flowers, and the color brown. When I told this to my mother, she said we have a video of my first visit to Japan. This visit was also the first and last time I saw my great grandmother. I have yet to see this video since it's an 8mm tape and I don't own a player capable of playing such tapes. As for the net, it was a plastic net to hold fruits in. The flowers I saw were my great grandmothers apron. She apparently wore an apron with flowers all the time. When I visited Japan, my great grandmother basically watch over me while the rest of the family was busy. Maybe that's why I have this strong visual memory. Either way, this occasion was my first sign at life through my own eyes.

Everyone is different. There are no two exact replicas of a human being (aside from cloning, which doesn't count). We envision life differently as we are supposed to control our minds to create a pathway. Every step we take, every decision we make changes this path. I also think like this because I consider myself a realist. I tried religion, but it wasn't me. I sometimes think that believing in some form or type, can actually help, but more importantly, it is my decision, my mind, in which I control, that leads to the path I would like to have. To have this path, I believe what I have seen so far has lead me to where I am now, good or bad.

Note: My intention for writing these posts is not only to publicize my thoughts but also to improve on my writing skills as I probably do not have a great one. One of my goals in life is to be able to write an autobiography so that my future children and grandchildren will not forget the value of family and life. As I do not recall much of my families history, I value and cherish every moment of my life to make sure that what I learned will hopefully be passed along to them.

Trail Marathon #1 (11/26/10) - Thanksgiving Day Marathon

My first official marathon. I always dreamed of running one and now I finally did it. I always watched it on TV, seeing the olympics, NY marathon, London marathon, Hakone Ekiden in Japan, I wondered whether I was capable of ever doing one. Well. now I can say that I've accomplished one goal in life and it's not gonna stop here.

The race was held at the Van Cortlandt Park and whats great about this is that the race is free or a small donation to conserve the trails in the park. My long time friend and fellow runner Hideki convinced me to run this as I was afraid of not finishing. Another friend Charles also decided to run this with me as he attempted his first marathon as well.

Before I start ranting away about this run, I wanted to make a note by saying that I officially started running 6 months ago. It was the Japan Run (4M) in conjunction with Japan Day at Central Park. One month after that, I ran a half marathon in Queens but walking the last few miles. My hopes of running a marathon was vague at that point. I ran a second half marathon in September and finished with a good time which gave me confidence in running a marathon. At this point, I've ran a few NYRR races and was sort of training by running 3 miles here and there. I never followed a training program and I probably won't be able to since I am normally busy with work. In the beginning of November, I witnessed friends run the NY marathon which boosted my confidence level. I also signed up for a ridiculous 60K run to boost motivation, which turned out to be an unsuccessful finish but was able to run at least the marathon length (read ultramarathon blog on Knickerbocker 60K). I felt somewhat ready that I can finish the Thanksgiving Marathon.

Well, the day was cloudy and cold. I was nervous but was enjoying the company of fellow runners. Most were doing the half marathon but all my friends were running the full. People mentioned to me that the course was somewhat difficult so I was prepared to running at a comfortable pace. We started off at the turtle and rabbit statue and headed South towards the golf club. We then climbed a hill to get on the side of the highway and headed into the woods. I enjoy running in the woods. There definitely is something about the natural surroundings. I also tend to forget about the time or pace and just focus on running. After a couple turns here and there, we reached back to the tracks (where the turtle statue is, but on the other side) and headed back into the trail. This point marks about 3.3 miles and its another 3 miles or so to return to the start line. I forgot to mention that the marathon is a 4 loop course. The back end of the course has a good amount of uphills and downhills. I think its much tougher than the first 3 miles. It also runs through the golf courses at one point. There's always a stench of horse manure as you get closer to the horse stables. I like the last portion of the course as we get closer to the tracks again. It lets you know you're close to the finish line.

The first 2 laps were good. I was keeping a comfortable pace, even getting in some conversations with other runners. By the 3rd lap, I was getting really tired and started walking. Everything seemed downhill from there. My thighs, feet, and calves were in pain and every step seemed like a shock of electricity running up my body. I maintained a run/walk but it was paying its toll. I believe the time was 3:30 by the 4th and final lap. The clouds above looked like it was gonna rain any minute, so I tried to run the last lap.

It took 2 hours to run 6 miles. I walked most of it alone, in pain, but at the last 2 miles, Kino came from behind and encouraged me to finish. I was actually surprised that he was behind me since he's done many marathons in the past. Charles was actually behind me too, but I wasn't sure how far behind. I wasn't even sure how many people were behind us. When I reached the last portion of the run (the track field), I saw that Kino was waiting for me. I was actually happy that SOMEONE was there to witness my finish. He even took a picture of my finish. 5:30:00 (not exact time) it took to finish my first ever marathon. I was joyful, but at the same time, painful. The rain came as soon as I finished and headed back to the car limping. Charles called thirty to forty minutes later and said he had finished as well. I wanted to stay by, but the rain forced me to be in the car.

After the run, I took my giant fork and headed over to my girlfriends house as my thanksgiving feast was waiting. Hungry and tired, I scarfed down the turkey and all other food on the table and headed straight for the sofa. I really can't remember the night of the race, but I was sure as hell exhausted. The next morning, all I did was relax.

This marathon sparked the ignition for me to run more, run faster. I'm going to guess that it won't end here and there will be many more marathons to come. Next goal: 100 marathons.

Ultramarathon #1 (11/13/10) - Knickerbocker 60K

People train to run a marathon, people train to run a fast 10K, but what do runners do to prepare themselves for an ultra marathon? It was nearly 6 months ago that I decided to run at all, thanks to my girlfriend Leslie who encouraged me to run, and thanks to my childhood friend who inspired me to run after staring at his facebook updates.

In the 6 months, I went from running a 4 miler to a half marathon. I became addicted to running. I don't know what sparked this, but I felt the greatness and freedom of running. After running the Staten Island Half, feeling confident with running a marathon, I wanted to test out my limits. Well, K60K it is. The stupidity in me as well as fellow running buddy Charles Yoo, signed up for a ridiculous 60Km running event. 60K, which is about 37 miles...a marathon and a half marathon combined. What got into me?? I haven't even attempted a marathon and yet, here I was staring at the NYRR site.

Well, the day did come, and well, I couldn't finish the whole thing. It was kind of disappointing, but at the same time, a DNF (Did Not Finish) encouraged me to run it again next year. What also boosted my confidence was that I was able to run a marathon. I dropped out on the 7th loop of the 4 mile course. That's 28 miles! It was a gruesome 7 laps. I can't remember the time, but it was somewhere near 6:30:00. The course was a 4 mile loop around central park. Really nothing special. There were volunteers throughout the course and whats great were the runners running central park daily were cheering us on as well. I liked that a lot. It's always good to get motivation and encouragements from other runners.

The first 3 laps were going pretty good. I was pretty comfortable and my girlfriend was pacing with me the entire time. Leslie used to do cross country so she has more experience than me in running. She was able to maintain a steady pace the entire time while I was slowly struggling. When we hit the 4 lap, I decided to walk a little. My pace was a slow 11:00 and I should've gone a little faster. The slow pace paid its toll on me and by the 5th lap, I was in pain. Leslie decided to take a break after the 5th and I was on my own. I basically run/walked the entire time. I still admired the cheering from other runners and it made me want to run more but my body was pretty much shut down completely. I decided to walk lap 6 to regain some momentum, stretching a little here and there, but that didn't help much. The bottom of my feet were killing me the most and every step I took, it was a shock wave up my legs.

I should've kept walking the rest of the way, but I didn't have it in me. I could have finished and claimed my prize, but my confidence level was near zero. After walking lap 7, knowing there were 2 more laps, I decided to call it quits. It was painful both physically and mentally, but at that moment, I had a slight relief. My friends Charles and Wonah finished the race and I cheered them on. Wonah said she'll never do that again. Charles was getting at me for not finishing.

This race was a turning point in both mental and physical training. I vowed to train harder for next years K60K and I think I will continue to do this race as a mental training run. This also gave me confidence in being able to run a marathon.

So that day marked my first ultra attempt and I plan on training harder to do more of these.