slowrunner77

TLD enrolls in the Whole Foods Running School

2012-01-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

We got the team together for the second time is as many months, though the weather tried to spoil our plans. After weeks of the tamest winter ever recorded in human history, a pair of storms rolled in over the weekend. We lucked out, though. Except for some predicatable delays, we had no problems getting over the hill in either direction. Par for the course we hit up Noodles and Co. at the Galleria for dinner (about a minute walk from the starting line) & stayed at the Hyatt Place a mile up the road. I don't think Amber likes N & C as much as Dave & I, but maybe she'll give em another chance :)
Turi, Amber, & myself would be running the 10k, & Dave the 5, all on slightly different courses than last year. Unfortunately (for your time anyway) they replaced the only completely flat part of the race (save for the first 200) with the hilliest. The forecast had called for wind & rain, but we got pretty lucky. It was windy (& as Murphy's Law states, there was a headwind for 82.6% of the course) but I've been in worse, and the rain mostly held off until after we'd adjourned back to the hotel for our "recovery beverages". I took off at the front, feeling good about the pace, but I didn't recognize anyone at the start, & don't have as good a sense of pace as I do when things are really rollin. Since the first mile was a net drop in elevation (though into a stiff headwind - funny, no tailwind the last mile) I was hoping for a 5:30ish to have a shot at 5:40 pace for the race, but no dice. Just a hair under 5:40 for mile 1, then things got fun. We dropped down onto the bike path along Miner's Ravine, which is a nice running path. Rolling hills, water, a little less exposed to the wind. We did about 4k out before the pace bike dropped off & I turned back against traffic. Mile 2 had been a 5:47 & I felt like I could hold that, or close to it. Hard to tell how big the lead was as we'd passed enough halfers that it was hard to tell who was who on the way back. I did spot Turi & Amber around the half-way point, though.

Mile 3...18:00. What?! It sure didn't feel slower. What the cake? So much for a 35, right? Well, that would have been all she wrote if that was actually mile 3, but it was at least a couple hundred meters long, with mile 4 being a couple hundred short. The 6:33 was followed by a 5:06 (5:49 average, that'll work). Lots of weaving in and out of all 3 distance runners the rest of the way. Didn't see mile 5 in the hills, but noticed the 2 and 12 mile-markers for the 5k & half (which suspiciously were NOT right on top of one another as they should have been). Hmmm...I'm going to have to hustle up this last grade to break 36. O look, there's Dave (I got a ten minute head start. If I punked him he was SUPOSSED TO find the cutest girl in Whole Foods and ask her where the homeopathic Vagasil was)...some cursing and maybe a finger (the Georgia State bird!) as I went by with a minute or so left...35:55, (5:47 per mile) for my first real win since summertime!!! Turi measured the course 6.21 on his GPS which mans it was at least that far. They determined the half was really 13.4, so the times in that one are really a little faster than they seam. I tried to get heavier shoes on and get back on the course to run Turi & Amber in, but they were less than half a mile out when I finally caught up to them, with Amber on her way to running a 50:39 10k pr(!) in far less than ideal conditions (and with Turi as a pacer). Way to go you two. They ended up 39th & 40th out of 276 in the 10k, and Dave finished in 26:16, 77th/407 in the 5k. I was hoping to be a little lower in the 35 range, but I was also counting on getting my @#$ handed to me, so I guess it balanced out.
We adjourned to the hotel for a nice beer tasting with Mark Hicks & Andy Harris, & headed back over the hill in time to see the GMEN set up a rematch of their epic Superbowl with the Bellecheats...er...Patriots. Our nect race will be Superbowl Sunday in Davis, CA for the Stampede. I've got 8 weeks or so to knock 92 seconds off my time on a faster course to have a chance at matching or beating my Elk Grove 10k time from last year. That's the goal anyway...let's see if the Achilles et al. choose to cooperate :)
pics: http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%1Es%40s&EVENTID=96990&PWD=&LAST=badolato&DIVISION=&BIB=307
results: http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/2011_WF_10K_OVL.HTM

Year end wrap-up & random musings

2012-01-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it's time to break radio...er...blog silence. After taking 13 weeks completely off running (including nearly 7 weeks in that infernal contraption they call a walking boot) I've been moving around on my own two feet for 9 weeks to end 2011. On one hand, there has been progress. I was pretty out of shape, cardiovascularly, after taking the boot off. I'd gained 12-13 pounds (& lost 3!), some of it muscle, but the legs (especially the left) and my core were pretty weak. I compensated by strengethening the other areas more than usual, and am now back to seeking balance.
One of the things I like about running is the purity of it. Numbers don't lie. I can tell to a nearly exact degree how much work needs to be done to get back in the shape I want to be in, because the clock is painfully honest. I've come a long way in that regard in 9 weeks, but, as far as actually being healthy and able to move forward, I'm right where I left off. My right heel is still swolen & a bit angry, but not enough to seriously hamper training & racing. The left (surgically repaired oh so many years ago) Achilles tendon, though, did not really respond at all to the 13 weeks off. I've been walking a very thin line between being able to run & being on the sideline for all of the two months since my return. I still don't know where to go from here, so it's hard to look forward to 2012 with any kind of clarity or long term goal-setting ability.
I usually end each year with a summary of the previous 12 months. This fall, I grew frustrated enough that I stopped keeping a training log, so my numbers are not exact. It was my goal to run 3,000+ miles & do 5,000+ sets of weights/strength exercises. I'm sure I made it over 2,000 in December, ending 2011 with a 50.2 mile week 52, but obviously taking nearly a third of the year off & buildign back up blew any chance of hitting 3k. I'd also guess I did about 6,000 sets of weights...easy to hit that goal when that's all your doin.
2011 only saw a brief glimpse (& by brief I mean two or three races) of fitness levels acheived in 2010, but it was a good year nonetheless. I absolutely LOVED the Steep Ravine run put on by Coastal Trail Runs. Top 2 course...ever! My best performances came in June (before I got sick) at the Fitch Mountain 3k, where I ran my fastest time in 3 years (9:09) and the Firecracker Mile on July 4th (the day before things started the downward spiral) where I somehow held off the field to run my fastest mile in over a decade at 4:25 & change. I ended up running 23 races, if you include the 3 I've done since Thanksgiving. I ran the Turkey Trot in Nevada City on that day, placing 7th. Then the Red Nosed (really - it was in the teens) 3 mile in south Reno (5th) & the Kaia Resolution Run 3-miler in Sac (1st) in 16:36.

Those were all either fun runs, though, or run as such by me, even though I went hard in each. That leaves me 11/23 for the year, with 3 CRs, 9 runner-up finishes, a 3rd, a 5th, & a 7th. I'm already signed up for runs on 1/22 & 2/5, & am hoping to do a lot more after that. Any bright ideas on how to get the Achilles to cooperate (without me breking the bank), please don't hesitate to comment below. Happy New Year!

Shortest Comeback EVER!

2011-08-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well...instead of jerkin around for a week, or two, or four, I tested out my foot to see if the short break from running (12 days) and week in das boot made for rapid healing. The short version? It did not. A 4 miler at warm-up pace on Friday started out poor, but loosened as I went. Sunday, quite the opposite. After an opening mile of 5:40 (half marathon race pace on a good day) on this rolling course in South Lake Tahoe, the wheels started to come off. Every uphill the second half was a deathmarch, and I managed to run splits of 8:47/9:19 for the race (and it was a double loop of the same course!). I didn't bother with a cooldown. By that point I'd do more harm than good, and I didn't even want to stand on that foot, let alone run on it. I have no idea at this point what it'll take to heal up, and even then, for how long. It's not like I haven't played this game many times before. The difference this time??? It's my left (surgically repaired) Achilles that's amking walking a chore. This is the first time over the last 6 years that's been the case...
Anywho, results are up at http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/2011_TADF_SUN_OVL.HTM
Pictures are on the Thin Air Distance Festivals facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thin-Air-Distance-Festival/119584411402837#!/media/set/?set=a.260516550642955.80919.119584411402837

Blood, Sweat & Beers 2011

2011-08-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a trail run in Auburn that I'd signed up for well in advance, which was a good thing, since it sold out. The bad part was that I was squarely injured by the time it rolled around, but not ready to throw in the towel just yet. With the family and dave, we stayed in Grass Valley on Saturday night and celebrated Betty's 63rd birthday. I may have posted something on Facebook to the effect of "Evil Betty turns 93 today"...but as of now it's an unconfirmed rumor.
I figured this course would be close in difficulty to the Resolution Run 10k I ran from Outlook Park a few years ago, and as luck would have it, the start (at Railhead Park) was right down the street. I knew for a fact that if I had a chance of winning this race I'd need a decent lead at the bottom, roughly 3 miles in. There was one (rather large) felloe who took off like a bat outta hell at the gun, but Camron & I rightfully guessed he was not a threat, and after a few minutes of flat grass and downhill, we were alone. I took the lead and hit the singletrack first, which was the best part of the course. It went back up a little, but not enough to kill me off yet, then rolled along an aquaduct for a while over packed dirt, roots, and rocks. I steeped aside to let Camron by on one of the short but steep downhill bombs (I was wearing road shoes so had to back off briefly on a couple of these). He'd get a bit of a lead, and I'd reel him in when the course mellowed out. But, because of that, I was already in a deficit when the real climbing started, and immediately fell back. I pretty much ran alone the whole way up, only briefly catching a glimpse of Camron speeding away up the hill.
That's not entirely true, I guess. We did have to pass a ridiculous amount of slower long-course runners, so I had some company, just not the kind I'd like. That was my only complaint about the race. The wave starts made for lots of weaving, waiting, and ducking to get around people going nowhere near the same speed on a singletrack trail. Other than that, a great race, and one I hope to do again. HEALTHIER!
Camron destroyed me up the hill. From even at the bottom to a 56 second deficit less than 3 miles later (the course was 5.8-5.9 miles with 1400 feet of elevation change). Camron ran about a minute off Rich Hannas course record, with me in 2nd, and 3rd place nearly another 6 minutes back.
We had a couple brews from Hoppy and a burger while waiting for Dave to finish the long course (10.5) and played with a pug named Pancake. In the days since, I've had to stop running alltogether, though. Between getting slower every week and the pain at best not going away (and probably getting worse) it was just time. Hopefully the rest of the year isn't screwed. I can't say I'm incredibly optimistic for 2011 given the chronic mind-numbing soul-crushing repetitive nature of my issues. Not to mention I started back in PT a couple weeks ago for my right Achilles, and it's the left one that is now imobilized and preventing me from running. So, maybe some silence on the blog for a while, but hopefully not too long.

results: http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/2011_BSB_SC_OVL.HTM

Presidio Cross Country Challege

2011-07-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

These are at the top of "Sandy Hill"...that's why Dave looks like he's birthing twins!

A challenge indeed! I was wondering what it would take to get a 29-30 minute 10k runner to run a 17:22 5k. Is the course long? If not, it must be pretty stinkin hilly! Well...option 2 it is. Long would've been better for me. Hills (climbing) has not been my strong suit all year, and since July 6th my right Achilles has limited my ability to ascend even more. Just for fun, I decided the left one needs to be hurt too, so that one has been on the fritz since mid-last week. So...going in, the story would be my quickly evaporating confidence, not so much what the course was like or who I'd be running against. I honestly didn't feel like I'd be able to do much going in, and if you're already beat mentally...well...it's not ideal. I absolutely LOVE running in the Bay area, though, so feeling strong or not, this was going to be a fun trip.
Abby was partying it up in Sacramento for her 13 year class reunion, the kids were in Grass Valley, and Dave & I were staying in the lap of luxury in Vallejo, at a Motel 6. Noteworthy here is that it was even the cheaper of the TWO Motel 6's in Valejo. The vagabond sentry as we pulled in was not quite as entertaining as the filthy man in the lobby who was requesting his room be changed for the third time. Please don't give me one of his cast-offs...please? As luck would have it, our room was spartan, but clean, and you could even open the door all the way without hitting the bed (see: Motel 6, Escondido, CA). We were only there to sleep after all. First thing in the morning it was another 40 minute drive over the Bay Bridge to the Presidio, made famous by the somehow NOT-award-winning Mark Harmon/Sean Connery movie of the same name :)
Back to the race. In my feeble mental state, I had to have noticed every CA State Cross-Country shirt, College Cross Country shirt, and every other peice of gear that made me wonder just how many people were going to kick my butt that morning. When the race started, just like back in the school days, lots of traffic up front. We started on a grass field for about 40-50 yards, before a quick left and a climb as soon as we hit the dirt. I started out in about 15th, but as soon as the sprinters slowed down, moved up to 8th or 9th by the base of the climb. I don't think this first hill had a name. We went up and over, and down Sandy Hill (which we had to run back up near the end). This hill was even slow going down. If you've ever run on the beach you know what I mean. Over the next few minutes, I slowly passed a couple runners and was in 6th place at the mile mark. So far not too taxed, but a couple runners already had a decent sized lead on the field. We climbed back up behind the start and started the bigger of the two loops with, you guessed it, another climb. I was still feeling good enough to pet a dog as we passed (it didn't hurt that I was going slow enough that I didn't really have to slow down to do so). After mile one, we had a beautiful but brief ocean view, with the Golden Gate off in the corner, a long descent, and a 180 turn at the bottom. This was the half way point of the race. I had moved up a couple more spots to third/fourth at the half, pretty much out of contention for a win. I started back up "Long Hill" (there were 3 named hills...Sandy, Long, and Steep) and was quickly passed. Back in 4th with not much power being generated by the lower half. Back down to the start I regained most of the ground lost on the last climb, and I hit the flat sand section before Sandy Hill redux hoping just to stay close on the climb, and I'd be able to pass on the downhill/flat honestretch.
To my surprise I actually managed a pass about a quarter of the way up, held it over the crest, and extended the lead over the last quarter mile. I was gaining slightly on 2nd place, but was too far behind to make a move. I ended up 3rd in a pretty accurate (3.13) 5k in 18:51...13 seconds ahead of 4th, 16 behind 2nd, and 37 off 1st. Thus ends my odd little streak of 1/2 finishes going back to last Decemeber.
For those unfamiliar with DSE Runners, if you are ever in San Francisco and have an itch to race, they are there nearly 50 weekends a year to scratch it for you! Not only that...the courses vary, they are super cheap ($5!!) and they are some of the friendliest people you are likely to meet (though I think the running community in general is more friendly than most). I've done two of their races in the past year and hope to do many more. They were even nice enough to provide the exquisite photography you see above :)
Dave ran pretty well, figuring that this course was about 15-20% slower than a fast road 5k. Depends who you go by...I think my sub-16 self left about 30 seconds out there on the course, but I just didn't have it that day. On one hand, I was 1:29 slower than last year's CR setter, who is just about that much faster than me on my good day. On the other hand, the guys in front of me are of a speed I've run in the recent past (and hopefully the near future). Dave was under 30:00 on a course that had few fast spots and many slow ones, and finished quite strong after the punishing Sandy Hill.
This week I'll be climbing much more than I'd like once again at the Blood Sweat and Beers trail runs in Auburn. After an aborted speed attemp today, I'm hoping to get one quality run in before then...
Thanks to DSE, and to Sue & Eric, who came to the race to cheer us on, and took us out to a wonderful breakfast at the Presidio Social Club afterwards.
Beer Revolution...quit selling long expired beer!!!

Saucony Kinvara & Peregrine First Impressions

2011-07-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Still trending minimal, I'd been looking for additional road and trail options as my heavier stiffer shoes reach the end of the line. I wanted one as an everyday type road & tradmill shoe to compliment the Nike Free 3.0 (which I love) and an off roader to compliment the New Balance MT 101 (which I also love but on some trails I want juuust a bit more...and I'd like to save these for racing).
I never quite fell in love with the New Balance Minimus Road shoe, and as of yet, I can't wear the Minimus Trail for more than a few miles (less if it's a rocky trail) or that one would be my racer. So...went to Eclipse Running (on Lakeside and McCarran - open 7 days a week!!!) and chose the Kinvara over the slightly heavier but also super comfy Saucony Mirage. At 7.7 ounces, it's barely heavier than the Free, and lighter than almost all non-racing flats. The main difference is that it is SUPER soft...like Charmin for your feet. Makes a great first impression, but I can see how it may be too much cushion for some, even in the ultra lite package. The upper fits great, and there were no hot spots to speak of. They handled double digit miles right outta the box.
The Saucony Peregrine is an odd duck. In no man's land as far as weight goes (9.8 oz...heavier than the New Balance minimal trail shoes, but also far more shoe to them) with a lower heel than the MT 101. Not a support shoe or motion control shoe by any stretch, but they do manage to have a substantial feel to them, and again, a ton of cushion. Over 9 miles, I felt a rock or two...kinda sort of. Under 10 ounces would've been one of the lightest trail shoes on the market a couple years ago, but with 7.5-8 oz options everywhere now, these don't feel all that fast if you're used to the uber-light ones. I wouldn't race in them, but they will serve well me thinks as a relatively light and very agile everyday trail runner. I can see my self doing 90% of my trail training in these, and racing in the 101's.
Overall strong first impression for both of these! Thanks Chuck. Maybe I'm turning into a Saucony man...still diggin the Hattori for road races as well. But the Nike Free, Lunarcers, and a couple New Balance shoes are right up there too.

Firecracker Mile

2011-07-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Flashback to 2000. I'm still healthy and a year from being a collegiate 1500 meter runner. I sign up for the Firecracker Mile because road miles are fairly uncommon, and this one is unique. It's run at 6300 feet elevation in Truckee, CA. To compensate for this, it's downhill from about a 100 yards in to the 1k mark. For that half mile you think you're flying. Then, it flattens out. Maybe even climbs juuuust a few feet back up. The last stretch sucks. Your arms and legs feel like bricks as you run out of usable oxygen. 11 years ago, I got passed just before the line, slowing badly. I still remember that race because it's THE most I've ever hurt after any race of any distance. Of course recovery is faster, but the pain more intense. If anyone out there doesn't think running a mile is as hard or harder than a 5k, 10k, whatever...you need to run harder. Sure, you can jog a mile and it's a peice of cake. But if you are going as hard as you can go, every distance from a 400 meter oval on up has it's lung and leg-searing pain. Sounds like fun, right? Yeah, I thought so too, so after a decade or so of not racing anything this fast or this short, I thought I'd give it another try.
I'd even thrown some 200's in on my speed days to remember what running faster than 2m/5k pace feels like. A 4:29 on the tread was hard, but I knew there was another gear there. However, transfering to road, I just wanted to be under 4 1/2 and keep my odd little streak of top 2 finishes going. Most years it takes a sub-4:20 to win this bad boy, and I had no dillusions of being able to run as fast as I did in 2000. It's funny seeing the body adapt as one gets older (I can't run as fast now, but can hold closer to top speed for longer).
Anywho, last week was a good one. A quality interval day on Wednesday followed by a 2011 5k pr on Friday, and...an extra day off after that last hard day due to the race being on the Monday holiday. I felt good going in, but have to admit, my pre-race nerves are getting the best of me these days. After struggling for a couple weeks, I questioned myself when the warm-up didn't feel as good as I would have liked (this one week after contemplating dropping out of a race). I think it's in my head, which can be your best friend or worst enemy. Sometimes it feels as though no matter how many good days you have, there's always that confidence-shaking, soul crushing bad day (or week, etc...) to make you question your ability...your readiness. But once that gun goes off, all that flies out the window.
Running a mile is like playing third base. Not a whole lot of time to react, or strategize. It's just bang! Go! It didn't help I had my weight on my back foot when the gun went off (sorry about that Fred...next time I'll get behind you). Not quite a sprint, though, so I didn't overreact. I made my way through the kids and the sprinters in the first 100 yards, and settled into third. I picked the right guy to tuck behing because another hundred later, he was leading and I was right on him. About half-way through the downhill section I took the lead. I had no idea how fast we were going and held back just enough so maybe I could run strong til the end. We went under I-80 at just past the halfway mark, and through the roundabout before the course flattened out again. Still 600 or so to go, still in front, and feeling ok. More trouble with the lungs than the legs so far, which is just fine. For a race this short, you can ignore the lungs as long as the legs are still churning. I hadn't even glanced at the watch, and didn't dare look behind me. I knew there was a pack right on my tail, and the crowd let me know too. The pace slowed as the elevation caught up to us, and the last quarter mile became an exercise in survival. It was no longer about a good split, but running fast enough to not get passed. It was all I could do to keep the legs moving down the homestretch as oxygen debt set in. It felt like the turnover remained steady by my legs just couldn't manage a full stride.
It was fun to go back and look at the pictures on the race site, and seeing just how close things were. I got a little lucky with a slightly slower, but deep, field, and held on for the win in 4:25.7. Second place was only a second behind, and third just another couple ticks. Not much room for error there.
I had some tunnel vision on that last stretch, so didn't really hear or see where the family was. Just looking for the finish line! Abby figured it might be a good idea to come to me, which she did, after they got me to stop clogging the finish chute. Pretty intense burning lung and leg pain for a few minutes after, but it didn't last, and I'd paced myself a little better than last time. Betty, Abby, my parents, and the kids stuck around for part of the parade, and I got to see the rest of TLD fresh from their own race (Big Blue Run to the Beach), though since their race started late, they missed mine. Nothing like seeing Dave beer in hand cheering "first woman" as I pass by. Maybe next time...
Pretty cool to see Gretchen sprinting home to 3rd place just over 8 days after finishing Western States. Hopefully over the next couple weeks I'll build a little base for a succesful half in the fall. No races for 20 days, so getting in a couple long runs will be the goal, preferably up in the mountains. Got off to a good start today with a 12-miler on the TRT at over 7,000 feet!
Results: http://www.squawmountainrun.com/uploads/2011_Firecracker_Mile_Results.2.1.pdf
pics: http://macbethgraphics.smugmug.com/RUNNING-COMPETITIONS/TRUCKEE-FIRECRACKER-MILE-2011/17881378_HMgcWH#1368266072_jM6tb2x
I'll get Abby's pics up sooner or later :)

AND...I only coughed once during the race (lots after, though).

At the half way point...

2011-07-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

I decided, since I'm running in July for the first time since 2007, to do a 26 week update at the half way point of 2011. It's been an interesting year, training-wise. After things seemed to be coming along, I got sick at the very end of 2010 and took a loooong time to recover. I wasn't really running decent times til March, but even then, after a couple, my times went back up for a while. By mid-May, I was getting back to respectable, and now am on a mission to get back under 16 minutes on a road 5k (and/or 27 in an 8k, 33:30 in a 10k...).
I've been racing lots of short races, and after 26 weeks, have raced 16* times, winning 8 with 2 course records (one thanks to Cap'n Kirk), and getting 2nd place 8 times (the Oakland race I was leading by over a mile before being sent the wrong way is not counted as a race). All 2nds, and wins for that matter, are not created equal. There's a few where I was out of the race from the gun, and others where I had to stay strong through the tape and run a good time to not finish lower. My legs are holding up (by my jacked up standards anyway), and as long as the lung/throat/head issues don't linger too long, there is the potential for this to be my best fall yet.
My training goals for the year are 60 miles and 100 sets of weights per week. I started the year in the 40's, and though I've hit a couple bumps in the road as of late, I've had a few 70+ mile weeks as well. Six months in, I'm at 1515 miles (58.2 per week) and 2820 sets (108.4). The plan is to try and run 60+ on race weeks & 70+ on non-race weeks, and to have a mini taper every 6-8 weeks, and a larger taper every 12-16.
Off the top of my head, my favorite race so far this year has gotta be Steep Ravine (Coastal Trail Runs). Though I gott my a*@ handed to me on the first climb, the course was simply amazing! Specific race goals for the fall are a fast time at the Bizz Johnson Express Half, a personal best in the Run Through the Colors 10k (34:21), a sub 34 at the Tahoe 10k, and whatever other times and races come with that.
July, I've missed you...
I'll leave you with the awesome sign at the log cabin in King's Beach:

1st Annual Run to Squaw

2011-06-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Part two of Big Blue's trail run series, this 7.7, or 7.8, or 7.88 mile course ran (literally) from Commons Beach in Tahoe City into the heart of Olympic Village in Squaw Valley. I don't think you can really beat the start, looking out at the beautiful waters of Lake Tahoe, or the finish, with the buildings of the Village looming on all sides. The course wandered on the bike path running alongside the river and Highway 29, before making a left and eventually paralleling Squaw Valley Rd.
I was feeling a little better than last week, but far from all the way back. I still can't get through a run, or typing a blog apparently, without the cough. Still, without any major climbing, I was expecting this race to go better than last week's.
Since Abby was meeting us at Squaw afterwards, we had the luxury of bypassing the shuttle from the finish, and we drove to the start to have a warm place to sit after picking up our packets at Squaw. It was 38 at that time, though by race time it was pretty nice (save for one shady section in the middle where you could still see your breath). I decided to test the Saucony Hattori's by racing in them, though they'd never gone more than 3-4 miles before. They held up well. My feet? Not so much. My left one got pretty torn up, though I didn't notice until afterwards, but it had more to do with me not wearing socks than the shoes not handling the distance. They proved to be more than adequate...I just have to find a nice pair of low, ultra thin black socks for race days. Any suggestions?
Anywho, we took off just after 7:45 from the beach, and after a little zig-zagging got on the river path. I got in the lead right away, but held back on the first hill of the beach before setting what I thought would be a good, reasonable pace. About, oh, three minutes later though, I knew sub 5:40 wasn't gonna happen. I backed off just a little, though I was a little ticked to be doing so this early. I was struggling though. Whether it was the altitude, the leftover black lung, heavy legs, mental sissyness (yes, it's a word!) or some combination of all of those, I actually considered dropping out between mile two and three. Abby told me that would have been a first since the comeback. I've got lost, wooped, won, and everything in between, but it's been a looooong time since I DNFd. In the end, though, I wanted to keep my Man-Card, and kept on keepin on. I stayed in the lead all the way through the turn towards Squaw, though I was being stalked the whole time. I resisted the urge to look and see who it was that I couldn't seem to shake. Until we turned left...then I peeked. Gaaa!!! It was Shia Lebouf!!
Actually, Noah Brautigam, younger brother of stud Reno runner August Brautigam. Apparently, bad-assedness runs in the family. Seriously though, he looks like Mr. LeBouf, if Mr. LeBouf was more athletic...& cooler (he did just say he had a thing with Megan Fox, so I guess he deserves some slack, though). There was just enough of a hill after that turn to take me further into distress than I wanted to go, and within a half mile (after being cut-off by a car) I was caught. I made a valiant effort to stay with Noah for a whole minute(!)...and...drafted off him for another 30 seconds or so, before hitting the wall with less than 8 minutes to go. I'd say that for a few minutes my pace dropped from what had been a 5:40 something average to well above 6 1/2 pace. I managed to pull my head out of my...er...back-side orifice, and closed the gap from 30-31 seconds to 17 at the end, but the damage was done. Noah ran a 45:02, and me a 45:19, for 1st & 2nd.
I went back on-course for a fairly short cool-down, and saw Turi was doing well. He'd end up 8th. We continued on til we saw Dave and paced him into the line right around 72 minutes. I'd like to run this again healthy, but the Oktoberfest version is on a Saturday. Maybe next summer, though...taking a minute or two off seems possible if I can stay at it for a year.
We spent the rest of the morning at the beach, then Abby surprised me with an overnighter at the Borderhouse in Crystal Bay. The Borderhouse that used to be Lake Tahoe Brewing Company, and Lake Tahoe Brewing Company that ised to be a brothel (he he). Good ol' Groupon came through with a pretty sweet deal on this one. Thanks dear! I even magaed to shuffle up Brockway Summit and hit the TRT for a few miles the next morning. And thanks Fred, for joining me for my warm-up and hanging with us afterwards.
Next up...hopefully ridding myself of the black lung (antibiotics are all gone and the cough syrup has one more dose) and putting together a good mile on the 4th! Til then...

Had to make sure Abby's shirt fit!

Altitude, Arse Kickings & Cough Syrup...or..."Why I ran in somebody else's shoes."

2011-06-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Cliff Notes: Got sick. Still ran. Got "lost" before run. Ran in demo shoes. Got whooped. Gave shoes back. Still sick.
The story: Here I am all excited because I'm signed up for four races ahead of time. Those that know me know this is rare. Because I've been so injury prone for the last few years, I generally don't sign up for any races ahead of time. It's caused me to miss a few that fill up, but on the other hand, I've also been burned by signing up far ahead of time and never making the start. So...as of last week I was signed up for the Burton Creek 10*k, The Run to Squaw next week, The (Truckee) Firecracker Mile on 7/4, and Blood, Sweat, & Beers a couple weeks later. I guess I was just excited to be racing into summer that I may have gotten carried away.
My last two races, both short and fast (as well as paved and at sea level) were probably my two best of the year. I knew hills (specifically climbing) were not my strength going into last week's Burton Creek Trail Run, but given my recent fitness and the fact that only one person was within 4 minutes at this race last year (even with Kirk & I's 900m detour), I thought I had a chance at defending. Then I got the black lung (ala Derek "freak gasoline fighting accident" Zoolander). I'd had a head cold and sore throat before Fitch Mountain, but got a repreive a couple days before the race, and felt great. But come Tuesday, the sore throat was replaced with the black lung. As of Friday, I was on what I'm assuming is the world's best cough syrup (since it cost $22.75 for a tiny arse bottle with insurance) and as of today, a fast acting antibiotic in case it's bronchitis or some other lung infection.
Anyway, I didn't have a lot of mojo going into the race, but like last year, all of TLD (Turi, Dave, Amber & myself) were signed up, and there's no way I'm backing out of a race if there's even a glimmer of hope I'll run well. We carpooled up plenty early with a cooler full of food & beer for after. Salomon was the sponsor this year (last year Turi ran in a pair of Merrell demos). I'd packed my New Balance MT101's to race in, but was intrigued by the look of the Salomon FellCross, an agressively lugged cross country runner.

They were lighter than any other Salomon I've ever worn, though almost 2 ounces heavier than my New Balance, but the tread was unparraleled. They skipped over rocks and trees, and through the mud, with quite a bit of agility. So, I warmed-up in a pair. Because the female contingent of TLD insists on "before and after" race pics of the team, I skipped my planned loop warm-up for an out and back. The problem was, I need a mulligan on the "back" portion of said warm-up. I took a wrong turn (shocking I know) at an unknown fork, and ended up hitting road about 10 minutes til 9:00. Not the road the race site was on. Not the road that hits that road, or the one that hits that road. After going the direction I thought would get me back to the race before it started (not so much) I waved down a passing car and shared my...um...dilema. 3 minutes til go time. Frick! Anyway, they were nice enough to give me a quick lift, but also didn't know quite where in the hell we were going. Eventually (9:02 on my watch) they dropped me at the 7-11 I knew lead to the race, so I ran it in the rest of the way, throwing my heavier gear at Turi's car as I passed, yelling at the Salomon guys "heycanIwearyourshoesintheracethanks" and getting to the line at 9:07! I figured I was spotting everyone a few minutes, was still planning on running hard anyway, but to my surprise there were still people milling around the start. Apparently the marathoners & halfers took off at 9:00, with the short-coursers going 12-13 minutes later. NEVER have I been so happy for a late start. Others weren't so happy, since the races were all advertised to go off together like last year, so some people had warmed up and stood around for 10-15 minutes. Not me, but I wouldn't have missed the stress from thinking I missed the start.
The race itself was pretty uneventful. The 5k (3.8 miles) & the 10k (7.6, two loops) took off together. One rather tall gentleman (pictured below after his victory) took off like it was a flat 5k, with myself and one other guy not-quite-chasing him down. We broke away from the pack pretty quick, and after the first climb the lead stabilized. Until the big climb that is. The other two (the eventual 5k & 10k winners), who were even by now, pretty much dropped me for good on the first major climb. It basically wrecked me for the day because it happened so easily and my body had no response. I ran in no man's land in second. Nobody in sight in front or behind for most of the first loop and none of the second, save for the marathoners we caught and 5kers we lapped. It was hard to push past the edge of pain, being alone (and mentally broke). I hit lap one just under 25 minutes, and lap two just over, for a 50:27...three minutes off first, and eight minutes ahead of second, with a whole bunch of runners finishing between 58-61 minutes. Last year's splits were 25 (a shorter loop but with an off-course detour of 3 1/2-4 minutes) and a 23.
Amber ended up 3rd in her AG in the 7.6 miler, with Turi (2nd/6th) & Dave running the 14.6 mile half-marathon. We enjoyed our picknick lunch, but I beleive I was in bed just after the kids at 8-8:30, and I'll be repeating that again tonight. The most frustrating part is that my legs don't even feel taxed today. For a race that hilly, they should be trashed, but my lungs just didn't let me go hard enough to really pound (though I sure felt like I was going hard at the time). I'll get another chance on a paved course at Squaw this week, but as of today, I'm still hacking and losing my voice. Hopefully, the antibiotic is better than the cough syrup :) So far 34 sucks...sick on my Bday and Father's Day??? C'mon man...

Fitch Mountain III

2011-06-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

The second weekend in June means the annual trek to Healdsburg for the Fitch Mountain Footrace. This was my third straight year, a minor miracle considering how the Month of June has gone for me since I started racing again in 2006. Here's the recap...injured '06, running '07, injured '08, injured '09, injured '10, and then this year. I think Fitch was one of my last two races before a prolonged break each of the last two years. So far so good this time around. Nothing hurts more than it did last week!
Anyway, it's become a pattern for me to do the 3k here. It's the only race shorter than 5k that I'll generally run, so the goal is usually to do it noticeably faster than goal 5k pace. The course isn't flat, but is still pretty fast and definitely faster than the 10k, which has a much longer climb. You generally start a block from the town square, run a rectangle, and finish about a minute from where you start. All 3 "rollers" are in the first half of the race, so if you do it right, you should have a negative split. This was the case in 09, when I was in 16:30 5k shape and won in 9:29. I had stiffer competition last year from Peter Egerton, a former Cal runner right around my age, and won in 9:15 while in 15:50 shape. You'll notice the discrepency between the 3k times and 5k times. While I ran great for my fitness level in 09, last year was a little slower (comprably, not litterally) because Peter and I started too fast and paid for it before the end. He was back this year, which was nice. We even got to run some Santa Rosa off-road on Tuesday morning!
When the gun went off, lots o young'ns bolted up front, but only briefly. A hundred yards in, I was in the lead at a good pace, with Peter off my right shoulder. We were both hoping this meant the sub-9:00 2-miler in the field was running the 10k (he was...YAY). We handled the first hill better, trading the lead. I'd get a stride up on the roll down, and by the end of the third one had the lead for good. We made a right at the park, and though my lungs we're heaving, my legs felt good, and I picked up the pace slightly on the flats. The slightly downhill stretch before the last turn seemed a tad shorter than usual and went by fast since I wasn't dying. I got to the homestretch in the lead and feeling good, though oxygen debt had started in. Then I saw the clock. 8:whaaaaaaaaa??? No way in hell I'm under 9 minutes. I knew there was room to improve this year, although I'm almost 20 seconds slower over 5k so far this year, simply because I hadn't run this race well, but 16+ seconds? No way. That was confirmed as I approached the finish with the clock not only under 9, but still in the 8:30's! They officially gave me an 8:40 (though you'll notice in the pictures, particularly the one where I am 2 strides PAST the guy at the finsish line, that the clock still reads 8:39!!!). Peter, who has run well under 9 plenty of times (me just barely, and only once or twice a long long time ago), but back when grunge music was all the rage, came in 12 seconds later. We both knew the course was short. He's marked the course before and we still couldn't figure out what was missing, but we knew we didn't just run 4:40 pace for nearly 2 miles. So...we cooled down on-course backwards, and sure enough, we saw the short block that was missed, by ALL the runners, not just the leaders. There had been arrows and volunteers at every other turn, but they missed one. We sped up and timed it at 14 seconds (x 2) and Peter later mapped it a hair under 0.05 (x2)...So the course was 1.76+ instead of 1.86 miles.
So while we didn't run in the 8's, we both improved improved our times from last year, and for me, that's a 2011 first! Call me anal, but I'm going with a time of 8:39 (I was at least that fast with photographic freakin evidence - kiss my patooti 8:40!) which translates to a 9:07-9:08 3k. I'll go with 9:08. There. 4:54+ per mile. Age graded that is right there with my 5k in the mid 81's, but...I can only age grade a 3000 time based on track standards, not road. In a 5k, there's a significant difference between the two, with the track being a faster standard, so given a few extra seconds, I ran somwhere in the age graded 82-83 range. I know this means absolutely nothing to some of you, and for that I apologize, but I'll take everything I can get, and I'll definitely take 7 seconds faster than last May! Now, to get back under 16 minutes in the five...
Abby's parents were kind enough to stay with Rocco & Hannah, so this was actually a long weekend for us. We stayed at the Best Western Dry Creek Inn in north Healdsburg. Super nice place (a stark contrast to the last BW Dave & I stayed in) and to our immmediate west was the wine road leading to the Dry Creek & Russian River Valleys. I did some scouting during a longish run Monday morning, and Abby & I tasted wine & awesome food the rest of the day. I didn't eat very...er...athletically Sunday. After having a chicken salad at Bear Republic, we had hot wings and two spicy pizzas at 3rd Street Aleworks & Russian River later that day, but dang was it goooood. Anyway, I behaved Monday so I could still move this week, and after a hilly trail run with Peter on Tuesday and one last dip, we were off. Back to the real world.
Just as I'm falling in love with the new Saucony Hattori's as a short distance racer, we'll be off-road and at elevation for a while, which they are most definitely not designed for. The next two races are part of the Big Blue Series...the Burton Creek 10k* (*closer to 7 miles than 10k), the 7.9 run from Tahoe City to Squaw's Olympic Village the next week, and the downhill but at 6400 feet Firecracker Mile in Truckee on July 4th. Hopefully I'll see a few of you out there...

Of course STONE is the one to do this, because they are the best!

2011-06-17T12:19:00.001-07:00

Stone distributors were given an opportunity to test out a new freshness application this spring. Stone plans to roll this program out to consumers as evidenced by the recent back label approval for Stone IPA. Drinkers can go online and alert the brewery as to when and where they discover old beer in the marketplace. The link is not yet live.

No Excuses 5k version 2011

2011-06-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

video link: http://results.bazumedia.com/athlete/index/e/583419

Once again we found ourselves at William Land Park in Sacramento for the mother of all age graded 5ks. The weather tried for perfection, and would have acheived it, save for the wind that kept this flat but winding course quite interesting. Dave travelled with myself, Abby, & the kids, we got our usual pre-race eats at Noodles & Co. in Roseville, and stayed at the Hyatt Place right up the street. LOVE this hotel, even if there were a few scores of adolecent softball players staying there during their softball tourney.
I'd be breaking a cardinal rule of sorts by wearing not only a new pair of shoes on race day, but a type of shoe I'd never worn before. I had gone into Eclipse to inquire about ordering a pair of Nike Mayfly's, a very minimal 4.5 oz racing flat that I've grown fond of over the years. They were, however, unloading Reno's first shipment of the Sauciny Hattori, a similarly flyweight shoe that also happens to be the first zero drop heel from any of the major shoe companies. Even the New Balance Minimus line has a 4 mm drop from heel to toe. Outside of that, I figured these were kind of a Mayfly/Minimus Hybrid. I ran in em for 100 yards, brought em home, and hid them for the rest of the week, wanting a mental boost from putting on the slipper-like shoes right before race time. I put on a couple small patches of moleskin on, to cover any potential hot spots, but I don't think there were any. The upper is supple and fits like a glove, while the sole allowed for more groundfeel than I thought it would, but had enough cushion to make the 5k comfortable.

Onto the race. Almost. Everybody knows how a bad day or two can do a hatchet job on your confidence. Or am I just a head case?? Don't answer that. I'd had one of those days last weekend, running a 10k that seemed to be a step backwards from what I was doing several weeks ago...prior to a LOT of hard quality training. Between that and all manner of nagging owies (that's right...owies!) I really was a bit of a head case going into this one, even during the warm-up for crying out loud. I tried not to, but still noticed several runners at the start who'd kicked my bum either very recently or in the not too distant past. Too many for my liking. But, I talked myself into taking the positive route...they would drag me along for a faster time. I didn't really care how I placed in this one as much as what the clock said at the end. That's usually the case on any course that's either fast or that you have a previous time or two to compare & contrast. I'd run 16:32 here in 2009, placing 4th or 5th (before age/gender grading) and ran a 15:51 last year, placing 3rd by a scarce 6 seconds after going out too fast. With all the turns on this course, it would be very hard to tell what your splits even meant with the headwind/crosswind/tailwind having it's way with you. All I know is there was a very large pack for the first few minutes. Larger than in year's past. At sometime point around or before mile 1 (which I ran in 5:05 as part of the pack) Scott McEntyre took off, with nobdy making a move to match him. There was still a large chase pack, with each of us jockeying back and forth more times than I can count for position. I spent the majority of the race in 3rd & 4th, with 2nd not far up & the rest of the top 10 not far behind. In other words, an actual race, not just a time trial. Like Rocklin, I struggled to hold on near the front of the pack, with several different runners making a bid for the top 3 late into the race. With a mile to go, my breathing was comically ragged. Enough so that I'm sure nobody (myself included) thought I'd be making a move. But that can change when a man gets the end in his sights. Around mile 2.9, upon seeing the 3 mile sign, I changed gears, and attempted to again at mile 3. I was running for my goal time of 16:09 now, though it also wouldn't hurt to not get caught from behind at the tape. Scott was well into the lead at 15:48, but I managed to hold 2nd place with a chip time of 16:06.7 (gun 16:07). 20-21 seconds off last year's peak, but the fastest I've run this year in slightly less than ideal conditions. Getting a couple guys back for earlier butt-kickings is always nice as well, but that can swing back the other way next time out. But a good day is a good day. I'll take it, and as summer draws ever closer (as evidenced by the frikkin hail outside) I am more & more optimistic this just might be a running summer after all. Kinda :)
results:
http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/2011_NE_OVL.HTM
age & gender graded:
http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/2011_NE_AG.HTM
Abby got some great shots of the race, but I'll have to add them in a seperate post when our home pc is working again. Til then, here's a shot from last year's start :)

These are a few of my favorite things

2011-05-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

While spinning this morning, I started thinking (stop it! I do that every so often). The Buzz Oates No Excuses 5k is coming up on Monday, and for the life of me, I can't think of any 5k I've ever done that I enjoy more. This will be my third straight year, which is rare for me, after first running this bad boy in 2009. It also got me thinking about my favorites at other distances, and why that is. Is it the speedy courses? Hills? The scenery? PRs? Is there, say, a world class brewery next door (see below)? In the end, it ends up being a bit of all of those things. Obviously, with limited exposure, especially at the longer distances, there are races I'm missing. If you've got a favorite or favorites, put em in the comment section (yes, you can do that without having a blogger profile)...who knows, you may turn someone on to what will become their favorite race.

*less than 5k: for this catergory, most races are run on the track, and it may be hard to seperate one from another. I don't have a clear favorite here. I never got to run anywhere like, say, Hayward Field in Eugene. I think Chico St, Humboldt, Stanford, and American River JC had nice tracks/stadiums, and we got to travel to Citrus College for state in SoCal and run on the track where the Montreal scenes were filmed for Prefontaine, so that was cool. There's a few short road races I've done that were cool too...the Firecracker Mile, Truckee, CA, July 4th. This is a unique race in that it's downhill for the first 2/3rds, but at about 6300 feet, so beware. Go out too fast and the lack of oxygen will get you. I learned this the hard way in 2000. After getting out dueled at the end, it was so bad my TEETH hurt. But it hurt so good. Honorable mention: New Year's Eve Run (2 miles) Sacramento. Ran at Cal Expo the last time I ran it in 2000/2001. Beat Regina Jacobs (in her off-season I'm sure) before she was outed as a steroid cheat. Running in the dark is cool. Fitch Mountain Footrace (3k) Healdsburg, CA. Will be going back to this race, and neighboring Bear Republic & Russian River Brewing Companies in 3 weeks for the third year running. There's a 10k too.

5k: The most often run distance, but No Excuses was the clear favorite. William Land Park is seemingly custom made for this kind of thing. The course is flat and fast, always well marked and timed, and there's a decent size & competitive field (but not too big). The age and gender grading in the final results give another level of uniqueness to this already awesome race. Can't wait for Monday.
Honorable Mention: Chevy's 5k (Chico &/or Sacramento). This was once an awesome race series, before they got cheap, and I was sad to see it's demise. Ran Sac in 1999 & 2000, and Chico in 1999. Bidwell Classic (Chico, CA) while Chevy's ran from Chevy's and part of the way into lower Bidwell, this one is all in the park, and is just the right size without being too much for the paths, is competitive, and it's just a nice place to run. Davis Turkey Trot.

7k/8k: easy...Bridge to Bridge (also a 12k). Although dimished in size by about 60-70% since I first ran it in the late nineties (record size of about 13,000 in 2000) it's still a large, awesome race. You get to run by many SF landmarks on a course with just one hill and a slight uphill finish, and surprise a few early morning tourists on the way.
Honorable Mention: Shamrock Run (Portland)

10K: another easy pick for me. The Lake Tahoe 10k, run in conjunction with the Marathon events, is just plain awesome. From the view to the course to the people, a great race all around. I still remember flipping the channels a few days after the race - we were watching Rocky IV - and nearly choking on my food when I saw Fox Sports Bay area cut from the marathon leaders to yours truly, leading the 10k pack. I never did get a copy of that footage though. I also haven't been back since running a double 5k/10k in 2000 (it's expensive, but worth it), but I'm planning on it this fall.
Honorable Mention (loaded field): Salmon Run, Nevada City (one of my favorite trail races of all time, RIP. Run Through the Colors, Nevada City (the name says it all). Mare Island to Medusa, Vallejo, CA (for roughly the price of a ticket, we got into the race, were paced by a Corvette, and got entry into the park, in the off-season with ridiculously short lines. A great day made better by our manliest of friends Tom Davidson, known locally as SANDALMAN, after he barfed on the Tazmanian Devil). Run For the Community, Nevada City - sensing a pattern with awesome 10ks in Nevada City. LOVE the course.

12k+: Houlihan's/Across the Bay 12k, San Francisco. Always a fan of the Bay area runs. This one is elite, starts in Sausalito, and after a climb, takes you over the Golden Gate...finishing in the other direction along part of the Bridge to bridge course by Aquatic Park.

Half Marathon: Road? Gotta be Rock N Roll Arizona. Geb set a world record that day, and for about what a concert ticket cost, I got into the race AND got to see one of my favorite bands, Collective Soul, outdoors that night! Trail? Haulin Aspen, Bend, OR. Anytime you get me near Deschutes Brewing, I'm a happy guy, but even though I had a rough time in the race, it was an awesome course, and an even better shirt :) Honorable mention: Bizz Jhonson, a return to my JC alma matter & old stomping grounds, manages to be scenic and kinda sorta fastish. XTerra Hawaii World Championships was pretty cool too - just cause I was out of shape doesn't mean the race wasn't a great one!

Marathon: Again, limited exposure, but Napa has got to take the crown, although Redding is the only one I've returned to (twice after the 1st marathon for the relay). CIM (paced a buddy for half in 1998) is pretty cool too, and I'll have to do that one of these days along with BIZZ. If I'm ever healthy enough, I still plan on doing Boston in Yankees gear!

Ultra: again, limited, but I've done many a short course at an ultra. For me, though, TRT is king. The stretch of the Rim Trail and the Flume Trail between Spooner & Mt Rose is one of my favorite places to run anywhere. Add fully stocked aid stations to that & you've got a winning recipe.

Cross-Country: Stanford. Nationals, 1996. Running with (ie-getting my a** kicked by) the big boys was fun, and though I never ran particularly well on Stanford's golf course, it was custom made for cross country. When I see golf courses, I don't think golf, I want to put on my spikes.

Random distance trail runs: gotta love em! The standouts...the Squaw Valley Mountain Run, 3.6 miles stright up from Olympic Village to High Camp. Unfortunately, this race is a casualty of my torn tendons, so I haven't run it since 2000, but it's AAAAAWWWWEEEESSSSOOOMMMEEE! This year, we ran the Steep Ravine Trail runs, put on by Coastal Trail Runs. On part of the Dipsea course, this was simply one of the most scenic and fun trails I've EVER run on.

Star 6 Memorial 10k (& 5k)

2011-05-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Another last minute decision to race. What can I say, i've got the sickness. I think my saving grace will be the ability to get up on the Tahoe Rim Trail for longer weekend runs. Then I won't feel the need to race every weekend. But at the rate the snow is melting (and that snow is still falling) that won't be til around July...2012. Hopefully not. I can't wait to get up there, but we just got some fresh snow overnight, so it won't be anytime soon. I have a pair of snowshoes that I love, but the last time I went to the Meadows and an ungroomed trail, it jacked up my knee, so I've been avoiding that, unfortunately.
Anyway, back to the race. Dave and I both signed up the day before for the 10k. It was a race I was unfamiliar with, but they seemed to have there stuff together...nice website, results posted from last year. In addition, last minute sign-up was only $26, which included a tech shirt. Beat that! I was familiar with the start area (Nimbus Flats off Lake Natomas) but I'd only ever run on the trails out there. So...when they advertised flat and fast, I beleived blindly. This was definitely not a course I'd call slow or hilly, but if you're in the Sacramento area and calling your course flat and fast, the elevation gain better be, oh, about 6 feet :) This was a winding, slightly rolling (with only one decent hill) course on the AR bike path. Out & back. I did the 5k as a warm-up, and was about 40-50 feet above water level at some point after starting by the beach.
The 10k started about 10 minutes before the 5k, and pretty soon I was dueling it out with Anthony Fagundes. He was part of the lead pack in Rocklin that I was chasing in the 5k a few weeks ago. I'd like to say I've improved since then, but so far my 5k's have generally gone better than my 10's, and that would continue to be the case here. I can't make sense of it as my training is geared slightly more for a 10 than a 5. Oh well. I'll get a 33 one of these days. Even with the course being what it was, it was still my goal to try and break 34. A quarter of the way in, Anthony and I were right on pace at 8:25, but we both slowed between the 5k & 10k turns. I'd fallen behind by a max of 3-4 seconds and was a second or two behind at the turn in 17:09. No way I'm running negative splits with all the people (10k runners and 5k walk/joggers) we'd have to weave through on the way back. I wanted to minimize the damage, though, and at least beat my Elk Grove time of 34:24 on a really flat course. But...about 6k in, Anthony started to pull away. I estimated his max lead at close to 20 seconds, but it was probably more like 12-13. We'd both add a little time on the way back & ended up 1st (him) and 2nd (me) in 34:30 & 34:41 (our official times are 34:33 and 34:44, but they were a few seconds slow for everybody).
So, a tiny step backwards being squarely behind someone I'd outkicked several weeks ago when I'd hoped to be faster than then, but at the end of a really good week of training. 75 miles, and four high quality runs - intervals, 2 tempo runs, & the race. Dave got in a decent 10k as well, but broke on the hill. I've still got several different annoying ailments going, including being bloodied and bruised after my most spectacular fall ever on Saturday morning. Seriously...if there were judges scoring my trail induced bellyflop, I would have got perfect tens!! Didn't feel so good when I met the ground, though. That, and my feet are still angry with me for going too far in the Minimusesesesssesees 3 weeks ago. I figured I'd be past that by now, but they were still a little extra sensitive on the trail (and after) this morning. But, we've got an extra day of recovery running this week before NO EXCUSES on Monday. After that, I'm 93% sure I'll actually take a weekend off (by off I mean LSD instead of a race). And silver lining, the 5-race win streak is over, so there's less worry about the fact that I'll get my a** handed to me in Monday's 5k. I just hope I can stay close enough that they'll pull me along to a faster time. Til then...
Something to leave you with since us "sprinters" can't take pictures during a race...

Avenue of the Vines 5k 2011

2011-05-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Turi had the day to remember with this one. He ran (another) big PR in the half, and summed it up well over at Running Round Reno, so I'll keep my report short.
Would I be respectably close to the standard I set last May in running even splits all the way to a 5k PR? Depends what you mean by respectable, but I ran about where I thought I would. Short of my dream goal of breaking 16, but still my fastest 5k since last Memorial Day.
Another runner took it out and I just tucked in behind him. I was hoping we were moving fast, cuz it sure felt like it. The first mile went by in 5:03...faster than last year. I'd have been more worried, but it felt hard, not suicidal. We slowed after the mile split to a pace we felt we could maintain, and around 7 minutes in, I passed for the lead. We hit the turnaround of this out-and-back course in 7:59 & 8:00. I had little faith I could repeat that as I'd already slowed, but I'd just taken the lead and felt good. Maybe a 16:0-something was doable. I had ten seconds to play with afterall. Well...I wasn't counting on the headwind all the way back. Thaaaat's why I got under 8 minutes on the way out. The return trip was harder, and I was struggling to hold pace running alone. I didn't know how much of I lead I had and never looked to find out until I was through the chute. I came across the line 1st for the second time in 16:14. Positive splits & 28 seconds slower than last year (5:14 per mile compared to 5:05), but lots of silver lining. The only crappy thing is the 5k gets the lower class treatment at this race. While the overall winners of the half get their weight in wine, the 5k overall winners get a 1.5L bottle of Woddbridge's cheap stuff, with no indication it's from a race. The age groupers in the half even get an engraved 3L bottle...of the good stuff. Where's the love, people?!
Anyway...Capital Road Race Management was timing this race again. There was a brief problem, with the original time coming in at 16:34, but by the time I got back from my cooldown/pacing Turi for his last 2.2 miles, it was already fixed. THAT's how it's done! THE best timing company on the west coast.
The half was stacked this year. Rich Hanna just about repeated his winning 2010 effort, even after purposefully starting slow, but there was another runner, Jose Morales (from CSU stanislaus - go Warriors!) who ran even the whole way to a 1:09:17 (5:18 per mile for those who want to know). Yeah...that was fast. Fred Z also made the trek from Reno and while just missing his 1:14 goal, ran a PR of 1:15:15 and won his AG. As I said last year, it's a cool place to stage a race, and the wine tasting is open early, which made Abby quite happy. Next year we'll make her run for it, right Turi?? Anywho - I'll be back...maybe in the half, and I recommend this race to anyone who likes flat, fast courses and/or vino.
Til next time...here's a couple pix
http://www.captivatingsportsphotos.net/AvenueoftheVines/Bib-900-999/17090599_gw8nX3#1294774567_Wwh6vXg-XL-LB
http://www.captivatingsportsphotos.net/AvenueoftheVines/Bib-900-999/17090599_gw8nX3#1294773257_DvWdSZ5-XL-LB
I'll add more when/if my home computer works.

10 years later...

2011-05-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

Mother's day 2011 was an anniversary of sorts for me, but not the good kind. On this weekend ten years ago, my left Achilles started hurting. I'd had a torn miniscus, broken big toe (runner error) and some minor arthritis (non running-related) but other than that, nothing more serious over the years than the ocassional muscle pull to dampen my then 8-year-old running career. The day after Moms On The Run 2001, I woke up to an angry heel. By June, I'd be done running after an attempt at physical therapy, and by July, I was on the cutting board, so to speak. Really, it was a tiny hammer and chisel (after the scalpel of course) to remove the sharp new addition to my calcanius that was causing my tendon to tear. Although it took a little longer than planned to be able to bear weight and walk, recovery & post-surgery PT seemed to be going as planned, if a little slow, until it wasn't. Sudden unexplained drops in strength & range of motion were accompanied by more pain. Anyway, my 6-month recovery would last nearly 4 years, during which I developed insomnia and food allergies(!) and I wasn't exactly my old self when I finally did come back.
It seemed like I'd lived a whole 'nother life during those years. I met and married Abby, my lovely wife of 5 years (just kidding dear - keeping you on your toes). Eight years in July. But I had little contact with my running buddies of old. For me, it was a moderate form of torture to be around the running set when I couldn't do it myself. And really, I didn't know if I ever would again. I took up softball and really enjoyed it. I even got back some decent speed on the bases and in the outfield, but I could never jump off the left leg without pain and weakening of the tendon. Eventually though, that led to warming up before games, which led to really short runs, and eventually, longer ones. By 2005 I could push off my left foot reasonably hard without pain, though it was, and probably always will be, weaker. I ran the YGBC 5k run in Verdi in 2005 in 19 & change, then promptly blew out my knee playing centerfield the very next day.
6+ months later, I was back at it again, and by Spring 2006, I was in decent enough shape to run the first of the Gold Country Grand Prix races. I was able to keep it together, if a bit slower, til June, when the imbalances in my left side caused too much compensating on my right, and I had to stop running for most of the rest of the year. In 2007, I was back at it, though, to my surprise. I thought once again I was done for good. The comebacks are mentally, emotionally, & physically draining, especially after several of them. I ran through the summer in 2007 (the only year since 2000 I've been able to do so), in part because I was still getting into shape in the spring. At the end of 2007, I got the marathon bug, running four (only two of them really hard) between October 2007 & March of 2008. By spring, the training was paying off at the shorter distances too. 17 & 18 minute 5ks were now mid 16's, and I was able to hold close to 6-minute pace in a marathon before blowing up a little at the end. Once again, though, my body could only hold up for so long. Just as my long runs were starting to resemble my marathons pace-wise, I had to take another summer off. This one was tough. I'd signed up for the Tahoe Rim Trail 50k (I'd fallen in love with it the previous year though I was ridiculously undertrained for it) in the hopes of contending. That race had become my focal point, but I never made it to the start. In the fall of that year, muscle memory helped this latest comeback go rather well at first. I ran my best time to date at the Run Through the Colors in October and was cruising along, but another side-injury due to the Achilles (this one in the form of a pinched nerve in my lower back/hip area) caused me to end the year on the mend yet again. The latest break, though, was measured in weeks, not months. Each time I started up again, I'd tweek some manner of my training to try & compensate for my...um...lack of structural integrity. The problem with the experts is (experts being doctors, specialists, rolfers, physical therapists, massage therapists - you name it, I've probably tried it) is that none of them agree on anything. You want to trust them all, but end up trusting none of them completely.
The first half of 09 went ok, but I was out again come June, just like clockwork. My first hint that something was getting better was at the Davis Turkey Trot. I'd still been getting back into shape in October, but come November, things were looking up. I got an early lead in that race and ran scared, constantly waiting to be passed while trying to hold it off for as long as possible. Well, I ran a then post-surgery PR of 16:10. I never quite matched that the rest of the year, & in Winter/Spring 2010, my knee was acting up enough to keep me from re-peaking, but not enough to put me out of comission. Running through that would pay off in April and May. I was able to run my 3rd fastest ever 10k in Reno (33:01), my 3rd fastest 5k ever at No Excuses (15:51) and a 5k PR at Avenue of the Vines (15:46). In the 4 1/2 years since I'd started running again, never did I realistically think a PR (at a previously ran distance) was possible. I'd forgotten what running without pain was like, though I enjoyed it nonetheless. I just reset what 100% meant to me. It was not to last, however. On the very next morning, the familiar Achilles pain had returned, this time in the form of partial tear #2 on the right (non-surgicaly repaired) tendon. So, no summer for me.
This one was a blow. I's say the hardest, mentally and physically, but I think it's just an accumulation. Each time I have to do this will get harder til I finally crack and say to hell with this...but that's a long ways off, I promise you that. Summer in a boot, but I was counting down the days.
At first it seemed like this comeback was going to go just splendidly. A stronger than expected showing at the Kokanee 10k in October just two days after the old snip snip, and I thought I was back on track, but I pretty much struggled to find my speed, endurance, and any semblance of consistency until a couple months ago. In March my miles became more steady, and by the end of the moth, my times took a somewhat unexpected drop back to respectable (34's and 16's). I've since added some time back on (my last 5k notwithstanding) and am still trying to figure that one out, but will do so...eventually. I recently got a new collagen building presecription for the Achilles/knee but I've got to be really careful with the dosing due to some "adventurous" possible side effects. Hopefully you'll all see me running this summer, and I'll revisit this again in...oh...another ten years.

The $50 Training Run, or, There and Back Again: The Race that Almost Was

2011-05-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

So...
Abby, the kids, Dave & myself had a plan to go to Six Flags in Vallejo on Mother's Day. No racing, but Dave & I were planning on driving up to Bothe Napa State Park early Sunday morning for a nice long run. Our hotel plans changed a little, though, and we ended up staying in Concord, which just happens to be closer to Oakland than Bothe-Napa, and PCTR just happened to be putting on what looked like a very scenic trail race there that day. So, after approval from the mother-unit, it being Mom's Day and all, we planned on driving 25 minutes from our hotel (it was PHAT: more on that later). We got there and signed up, with the prerequisite high race day fees, but these were a little steep...$40 or $45 for Dave's 10k, and $50 for my 21k. What I call "double-dipping" is not only charging more for late and/or race day sign-ups, but also not giving said runner any shirt/swag, etc... I get adding, say, $5 on race-day. But adding $10 AND not giving a shirt just seems kinda cheap. One or the other guys. The no shirt makes more sense, so they can get the sizes in ahead of time, but $10 extra as well, for the 5 seconds it took to jot my # down on a sheet of paper. C'mon guys...
If it seems I'm a little more peeved about than usual, I'll get to that too, but double-dipping is always something that gets on my nerves.
Anywho, Joaquin Miller park was the site of the race. The extra K actually had me a little worried. 20k (and a gnarly 20k at that) was already going to be the longest race I'd done in some time (2-3 years?), but the sign-up sheet, maps, etc, all had 21k on them. I'd also forgone my usual easy & short pre-race run on Saturday morning, not having planned on racing at all. I wouldn't have thought much about this either, except for the fact that I had found and then passed the maximum threshold for my Minimus trail shoes. I'd done 4.5 in them, no problem at all, and they were comfy enough that I figured on the right trail I could do 6-8. All I can say is, I figured wrong. At some point around mile 6, I went from noticing-but-not-really-being-bothered-by the small rocks to having a stabbing pain in the balls of my feet with almost every step. Both feet!! I had to back off and change my form (in the bad way, not the good way) just to be able to jog it back to the car. So I guess I'll be keeping the miles short in those bad boys for a while longer. I've been feelin it for three days now. Luckily, this is a taper week, so I'm not missing much training-wise, and hopefully, the pain & soreness will be long gone by the weekend. Anyway, I toyed with wearing my Saucony Exodus trail shoes in the race the next day. They're pretty heavily cushioned and softened every footfall noticeably. But they're also relatively heavy, and I ended up going with the 8 oz MT 101's. They preformed admirably til pretty late in the race, on some downhills, where my feet would alternate being pissed off and going numb. If it sounds like fun, it was!!
Oh yeah, the almost race. My plan was to strategize the first half and not hammer til the second half, but a minute in, nobody was going with me, so I pushed on ahead. Lots of ups and downs (over 2000 feet complete with rocks, some really steep parts, and a few mellow spots). Pretty much the training run we'd planned. By 9 minutes in, I couldn't see anyone close on a switchback, so I figured to be at least a minute ahead at that early point. I ran "comfortably" hard for the next ten miles, though at times the terrain made it feel like more of a fartlek run than a race. The "fun" part came with about 1.5 to go, bombing downhill to the last aid station. After arguing amongt each other for a few seconds, they sent me right. Hmmm...this trail looks vaguely familiar, but I've never been here, what do I know. 1k later...hey, look, the 21k/10k split, that doesn't seem right. I think I uttered a few choice words and turned around. I saw another guy coming on the way back. He said he was doing the 21k but had started early, and wasn't convinced this way was wrong...so back to the split/10k turn again, more choice words (I was 95% sure now that we'd been pointed the wrong way). Eventually another runner (with a map on her phone) pulled it up and we saw that, indeed, they'd sent us pretty much the exact opposite direction from the finish. So, back again. As I ran past the aid station again, I told them they were sending people the wrong way. No, the 21k is straight, not right, they said. Well...THAT would have been good to know about, oh, 14 MINUTES AGO! *I know these people are volunteers. I've done course marshalling and aid stations myself. NEVER would I volunteer at an intersection if I didn't know where to send people! The smirk the one guy had on his face was almost enough for me to stop and beat him with a slice of watermelon. Glad you think it was funny...be sure to tell that to the three behind me that you also sent the wrong way. Anyway, I finished the race, and calmy (I was more dejected than angry at this point) told those at the finish that the last aid station had sent people the wrong way. Their only response was "did you tell them"? That was it.
To add insult to injury, they officially have 6 other runners in front of me in times that don't make any sense even if I hadn't been sent the wrong way. There were times where a steep downhill would prevent me from expanding my lead by a minute every mile like the first, but I ran pretty steady, and I was definitely adding to it the whole way. So, it's incredibly unlikely that anyone ran a 1:35 on the 21k course (about where I'd have finished and I'd been running alone from the first hill) & the people that ran those times are a male whose other results have been 11-14 minutes per mile (and closer to midpack) for similar distances, and a 58 year-old female who ran a recent road half in 2 hours...so faster than the winner, but she ain't gonna go 16 minutes faster on a super hilly trail!
Just an idea, PCTR...have different color bibs for different distances so people don't start early with a race they don't belong in!!! Man, I was starting to get over the bad directions, almost, but they managed to totally mess up what was left of the results too!!
Pretty easy things to fix, but they just didn't seem to care, and I'm done with them (not that they'll notice or care). I could've saved $50 and not been whooped by people with a half hour head start if I just wanted to do a training run.
We did make it to Six Flags after going back to our hotel (the aforementioned phat Crowne Plaza in Concord). Hannah and I took a quick dip and soak in the indoor pool that was in the giant fancy courtyard, next to the Koi river. Nice rooms too. I wish this place was on our racing circuit...$88 on Hotwire, and well worth that and more.
After a 79 mile week (2011 high) I'm doing a taper this week to 40 in hopes I get some of the lost leg speed back. I still feel like I ran a marathon the other day (15 mile race plus warm-up) but today is almost kinda sorta a tiny bit better than yesterday.
Up next...Avenue of the Vines, where I have no freakin clue how fast I'll be able to go. Til then...
(remember, this is all inside)

Just seeing who was paying attention!!!

Nevada City Spring Run & TLD PRs at RnR

2011-05-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

What came first, the win streak or the egg?
I'm still not sure what to make of the last couple weeks. I've suddenly added about 10 seconds per mile to my average run (and last two races) but am also enjoying a 4-race win streak. Any of you who know me (yes, all 3.7 of you who read this drivel) know I'd trade the wins in a heartbeat to see my times start to drop, but as it is, the streak makes it a little easier to take. A little. I am a realist. I know when, say, No Excuses comes around in 4 weeks that a high 16 just ain't gonna cut it. I was in the thick of it last year, holding on for 3rd in 15:51...or 66 seconds faster than last week!
In 2008, I was in mid-16 shape (but a decent climber) and ran a 35:50 at the Spring Run 10k. I'd only paid attention to the mile split, turn, and final time. So, as I passed mile one (big downhill, and a little off road with more to come) in 5:09, I was relatively happy. Only 3 seconds or so slower than 2008. Miles 2 & 3 were not so kind, though. By the turn, I was exactly 30 seconds off the pace, and to be fair, my A goal had been to actually run 20 seconds faster than 2008. I'd just added 27 seconds in just two miles. I didn't have too big of a lead, either. Bjorn and Larry passed in the opposite direction 22 seconds later, meaning I had a 45 second buffer, which can shrink quick on the climb back up. Peter GPSd the course at 1821 feet of change, with the finish being a little higher than the start, thanks to a cruel little 15% grade at the end.
I was able to run decent back up, though. Still adding time, but not at a 13 second per mile clip, like miles 2 & 3. My uphill 5k+ (3.1 down, 3.15 up) was 8 seconds per mile slower than 2008, but I was able to add to my lead and win by a couple minutes in 36:44. Larry made a late move into 2nd and held on by a couple seconds at the end, with Bjorn (the 2011 Daffodil 10k champ) in 3rd. Consequently, we're all in the same AG, so GP points were slim. I'll be missing from the next couple races, though, so those guys are going to blow right by me. Jeff Boute (2nd at the Daffodil 5k) took home the 5k crown, and can be seen running up said cruel little hill.
It was great to see you guys again (yes, even Gary) after not running in NC last year.
Sunday rolls around and the major muscle groups are not sore at all. Of course, the Achilles and knee are pissed, but that's nothing new. So, I decided to run a little more of the Rock N River half than originally planned. I parked under the Keystone Bridge at Riverside (mile 0.9) in time to see the marathoners go by around 6:35, and got out to stretch at 7. Turi would come up the river about a minute after Jeff, who ran away with the half in 1:13, and we were on our way. Fred Z, still doing long runs fresh off Boston, joined us a half mile later. Turi had completed, rather religiously, two 12-week training programs and it was paying off. We'd ran together to a 1:32 in Davis, and were hoping to get under 1:30 here. I knew, barring catastrophe, that the 1:32 pr would fall. His training has just been too good for that not to happen. The only question was by how much. He'd gone out pretty fast, and our pace barely ever crept above 6:50. The course was ever so slightly uphill and into a weak headwind on the way out, so when we got to mile 7 at 6:50 pace, 90 minutes wasn't looking so tough. But we'd faded late at Davis. Not to worry this time, though. With Fred keeping the pace honest, and me farting on both Fred and Turi without their apparent knowledge, most of the return miles were in the 6:40's, including the last three. Turi hit the last 100 and I peeled off. He ended up SMASHING his old PR by close to 4 minutes and came in with an official 1:28:14 (6:44 per mile!). If I'm not going to be running any PRs this year, this is the next best thing. What a blast being able to be part of a little personal history being made. For the record, Turi's 10k pr also fell during this race. TWICE. And by default, new standards were set at any number of distances...12k, 15k, 10 mile, etc...
Thanks Fred and Turi for the great Sunday run!
Dave and Amber (the rest of Team Library Dork) ran the 10k and 5k, respectively, and we got to spend the morning together.
For me, my lack of quality over the past two weeks hasn't effected my mileage. 140 miles over 2 weeks, including my first 70 mile week of the year. I'd been responding very well to high miles, running my best two races during what had been my highest mileage weeks, but something needs to be tweaked...I just don't know what. So...the plan is to run high miles this week (71-72), cut my weight lifting by 30-50%, and no race. Next week, I'll cut the mileage by 30-50%, but I'd like it to be of the high quality variety, add back the weights, and hopefully run a decent 5k at Avenue of the Vines. I set the bar high for myself last year...this is one race where I'd be happy to "only" add 8-10 seconds per mile.
Til then...

Safe and Healthy Homes 5k

2011-04-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'll keep this one short. It was rather wet & anti-climactic, but the good news is I'll be able to try out the Nike Free 3.0's without having to go into male prostitution. Phew!
I'm not sure what to think about today. Free shoes and a win go a long way, but missing your goal time by 38-48 seconds, in a 5k, not so great. I know. Boo-hoo, right? I won't think of this again as long as I get back on track (soon), but I'm trying to get back under 16 minutes, not struggle to break 17.
Today's course, which is a pretty fast one, and clearly marked, along the Truckee River, is one I've run before (a 16:29 in September of 2008). Since I'd posted a 16:22 and a 16:30 in my last two 5ks (both in the last three weeks) and I had a great time trial a weekandahalfago, I thought hitting 16:09 was possible, and definitely expected to be under those other two times, which were on slightly harder courses. I don't know what it was today, but the speed was just never there. I was quite surprised when I was already 8-9 seconds off 1k in, and after that, nothing really changed. I stayed pretty even, adding 8 seconds or so to my goal time with each passing kilometer. I'd be hoping to run a flat 10k at this pace the next time out, so hopefully this is just a little hick-up in the grand scheme of things. The knee is still bothersome, but really didn't seem to effect today's race. I may be fighting off the family cold, as I've been coughing all afternoon, but the warm-up (and the previous week of training) felt good. Maybe running on a Saturday (and therefore not backing off quite as much the day before as usual) threw me off, but I do harder workouts the day before my time trials, and don't seem to be effected. Bottom line - I don't know why I ran slower. I'm glad I was lucky enough to eek out a win (though it looks like finish times may be all over the place - mine really was 16:57), and I'll go hard Wednesday and try to figure things out.
Hopefully, my 2008 time will fall next week at the Spring Run 10k

. Three years ago I ran 16:59(900 feet downhill) and 18:51 (back up plus 25-30 yards) to post a 35:50. I'd like to beat that time. I think I'm a little faster than I was then, but not as good of a climber, so it should be interesting. Til then...

Fight For Air Climb 2011 (formerly Climb the Legacy)

2011-04-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, this last weekend couldn't have gone much further askew of what I'd planned. Without going into too much detail, I was either going to attempt my second "daily double" since college by running the Spring Forward for Autism 5k at 8:00, then jogging down the street and defending my title in the Climb at 9:00 (the other mutli-run day being three legs of the RTO over a 12 hour span in 2008) or just run the 5k at UNR. Notice how neither of those plans involve just doing the Climb?
Events beyond my control began to conspire against me, the first being that the City of Reno had the time of the climb wrong on their site. Correct time? 8:15. However, after going back & forth via email, the RD of the climb was willing to work with me on my individual start time, going somewhere closer to 9:00, since this is a staggered run. But the story doesn't end here. Active.com had the time for the 5k wrong, so instead of an 8:00 start time, it's 9:00. So now my double would consist of going anaerobic first, then running a 5k. I liked it better the other way around, but that was still going to be the plan, as long as I could get up to UNR in time to register race morning.
As of Wednesday, I was all signed up for the climb, fundraising complete, thanks to the generous donations of the Warner family in Grass Valley, and Veronica Carlos here in Reno. Until last week, I had no intention of doing the climb at all. I hadn't trained for it like I had in year's past, but then every day at the gym I walked by the table with a team sign up sheet staring me in the face. I wasn't going to be returning to most of the races I'd done last spring, and I'd done the climb every year of it's existence, so...I signed up. St Mary's is a sponsor too, so the race fee was waived. That would later take the sting out of the fact that the event has "gone all cheap". Awesome prizes for the winners in '09, not so awesome in '10, and absolutely nothing in 2011. Heck, even the free pictures from years past were for sale, but that's a rant I'll save for another day :)
Not much to share about the rce itself, as the only strategy involved was to go out fast and don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die!!!! Even sans specific training, I was feeling pretty good about my fitness til about, oh, lunchtime on Friday, when my right knee decided to revert to January 2010 form. I made it one block on Saturday before shutting it down, and assumed I'd be biking, stairclimbing, or using the eliptical trainer to warm-up for the climb. The 5k was out of the question as of Saturday morning, which was disappointing (especially when my legs felt stronger than expected post climb!). Sunday rolls around and Dave and I jog over (yay, I can run!) to the Silver Legacy from the gym to check in with the team, and head back to St Mary's for a proper warm-up. I get to the start at 8:12, so I don't have time to stand around and get nervous, or wonder just what in the heck I'm doing, and I'm the first to go up right at 8:18. Like I said, no strategy, or sense of pace. I noticed at floor 14 that I was feeling it a bit more than I should be at this point, but you can't really hold back - you have NO IDEA where your competition is til after the fact. Combined with the fact that this type of race is half anaerobic made it so I kept the foot on the gas til the legs started to get weak and heavy 2/3 of the way up. Ruh-roh!! I didn't dare glance at the watch, but those last few floors seemed to be akin to running up stairs made of sand. I was still taking two at a time, but my legs would not obey the brain, and seemed to take a lot longer between footstrike and push-off. Thankfully, the end came at floor 36. I glanced down...3:29. Ok, I might be safe with that. I'd run 3:26-3:25 the last two years, but nobody else has ever been under 3:40. The new timers got the results up in a more timely manner than year's past and I saw that I was safe, as long as no surprises awaited at the end. Officially I ended up 17 seconds ahead of 2nd place, but the surprise came when the team results came out, and St Mary's was the first place team by a minute or two (taking the total time of your top 5 runners)! Pretty nice surprise there!
Back to the gym for a cool-down run and light lifting, and even though the knee is holding on for dear life this week, I've been able to run every day, and I'm hoping the next couple weeks of racing won't be interrupted. Heck, it might even be warm out sooner or later. Wouldn't want to miss that!

HOLY CRAP!!! Fred Z takes over Boston...

2011-04-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

2011 BOSTON MARATHON ATHLETE TRACKING

All checkpoints are official times. Click 'TRACK' to add the athlete to your tracking list (maximum allowed: 5; currently tracking: 0).
Bib Name Age M/F City St Ctry Ctz
228 Zalokar, Fred 50 M Reno NV USA
5k 10k 15k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k
0:17:37 0:35:29 0:53:27 - 1:15:32 1:29:43 1:48:56 2:07:50 2:26:29
Finish: Pace Offl. Time Overall Gender Division
5:54 2:34:46 143 124 1

First Impressions: New Balance Minimus Line

2011-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

In the hopes of lining myself up a little better, I've decided to go "barefoot". While I fall well short of the extremeists who call traditional running shoes foot coffins (funny, but overkill) I've always liked a lighter shoe with more ground feel (though I've worn every extreme and most in-between). On any given day, you can find a dozen experts that will tell you that you need orthotics or, say, the Asics Kayano, and a dozen more that will tell you (as these shose do) that less is more. If any of them try to tell you their way is right for everyone, all the time...they are full of sh-- and you should find a new expert. Bulky supportive or motion control shoes will not work for everyone, and neither will the barefoot option. But I'm hoping it will work for me. After enjoying a major injury free running career from 1993-2001, I had Achilles surgery and missed four years. Since 2005, I've had countless weeks & months off - chronic problems stemming from compensation for the "repaired" tendon, from knee, to hip, to tearing the other Achilles. Twice.
Usually, if only one of these things is happening at any given time, I'm running as fast as I was in college. But it never lasts.
The funny thing is, minimalist shoes have been around since I started running. They're called racing flats. The biggest difference in the new trend is the heel drop, or lack thereof. The true "barefoot" shoes have also removed the midsoles and in many cases, the insert, to create a true to the ground feel. This makes the old light shoes more of a transition to minimal footwear, as well as current models such as the Nike Free and Saucony Kinvara (which is more like a racing shoe than a barefoot runner).
At the Davis Stampede in February, Team Library Dork got a sneak peak the Minimus Trail and Minimus Road. Ironically, they pretty much cover the ground between barefoot running and just another lightweight trainer.
I'll start with the road version. This shoe, though built for asphalt, is an ounce heavier than the trail or wellness versions. Weird. It has the same 4 mm heel drop as the others, to strengthen and stretch the Achilles, but the cushioning is more built up underfoot, which you can easily see in the picture above. At 8 ounces, it's lighter than most lightweight trainers and heavier than most racing flats. The upper is supple and has a glovelike fit, though it feels a little wider than normal for a standard New Balance Shoe. Running in it as opposed to just slipping one on and/or walking around, you do notice the different feel and the tendency to put you a little closer to a midfoot strike than a heelstrike, but it's fairly minimal (no pun intended). This ends up being a transitional shoe, and not really a barefoot runner. That aside, I still like it. It's comfy, fits well, and is light. I think it will end up being tinkered with in future releases to be more true to the barefoot movement. Overall first impression: B-
The Trail Minimus. This is the one I was excited about at first sight. They're more flexible and closer to the ground (Vibram soles), not to mention the lighest trail shoe I've ever worn at 7.1 ounces. I'd been racing in the New Balance MT-101's since last fall, and they'd been the bestest, fastest trail shoe around. Hard to say this early (as I'm taking an extremely conservative approach in shifting miles over to the minimal shoes) but these have a shot at the title, even at $30 more a pop. Glove-like fit doesn't cover it. These are slippers for the trail. Great fit, great feel. I did get a stone bruise this morning, the third time I took em out for a mile or two, but that can happen with bulkier shoes as well, and it really was nothing. I'd like to be racing in these by the fall. Only time will tell wether these toe-less Five Fingers were worth the extra dough, but as first impressions go, I love em. I'm excited to take em out, & it's hard to only run a little in them at a time. Overall First Impression: A
Wellness version - I don't really know where these are supposed to fall, or what niche they fill. There's already a road version, that is drastically different than these lower-to-the-ground 7-ouncers. With no laces and a slipper-like upper, this feels more like a true barefoot shoe than the road version, and may be just as good of a runner. Is this a casual shoe? A cross trainer? A running shoe? Hard to say where it fits in the Minimus Universe, but since I'll use the other two for my road and trail running, this is a work shoe. Two-Three days a week I'll wear these to work, hopefully getting the legs and Achilles used to the lack of cushion and support, but without the pounding. These, even more than the other two, beg the question "just what am I paying $100 for?" This is a slipper. A very expensive slipper. I like them, but definitely feel the price is inflated due to the trendiness and hype surrounding them. I'd like to see a $10-20 price-drop in future releases, especially for the wellness version. Less may be more, but why are we paying more? Overall First Impression: B

Daffodil Run 2011

2011-04-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Up until a few weeks ago, I'd planned on running the 10k here. I like that course a little better, and 3 extra miles is 3 extra miles, right?
Starting in late March, though, the more regular training was starting to pay off. I had a couple mini-breakthroughs in Elk Grove and Rocklin, and was thinking I might have a shot at the Daffodil 5k record (16:34), which has been around since 2003. I've run the 5k twice before (2006, 2007) and the 10k twice before (2001, 2008) but whenever I've been in shape to run a speedy 5k...I've done the 10. So...new plan...try to run within 10 seconds of my Rocklin time on a slightly harder course. Not much harder, but when the difference between success and failure is measured in seconds, you can bet you feel every little rise of the pavement, and there were a few.
The forecast called for a cooler-than-usual morning, and sure enough, you could see your breath when we got there. I had driven the course on the way in, to see if I had a realistic shot, and it measured just under 3.2, BUT...that's in a car. You could get a false reading from tires that are over or under inflated, etc...so no big deal. I ran the course for my warm-up, and it seemed pretty dang accurate. All I could do was go out hard and hope that was enough.
That's pretty much how it went. I took the inside line on the street and got into the lead almost right away. The first mile ticked away in 5:15, but felt harder than the 5:14 last week. Maybe the cold, maybe because allergy season is just starting to rear it's ugly head, maybe the mini-hill thingee two minutes in? Something made breathing a little harder than I was hoping for. I've heard somewhere that breathing is fairly important for aerobic exercise, so I just tried to keep doing that, and keep my arms and legs moving at the same time. C'mon now, it's harder than it sounds. I was cautiously agressive to the turn, which I hit in 8:18. A couple seconds slower than I'd hoped, but I'd told myself anything 8:20 or under would give me a shot. The next few minutes were easier course-wise, though I was pushing now. There was another little hill on the bike path, followed by a brief downgrade before turning back into the park. Slight uphill finish, but unless you're dyin', one should be able to muster a kick. It was gonna be close. But as I approached the clock, it was still in the 16:20's, and my watch said the same. I ended up crossing the line in 16:30, getting out a there with the course record by 4 seconds.
No young-uns leading the field this time. Number two was Jeff Boutte, followed by 64 year old running maniac and all around stud Herve Pastre. It looked like a couple of the NU guys were pacing a female teammate to a runaway victory in the 5k. Love to see that teamwork!! Dave flirted with 25 minutes a couple weeks ago, but hit the mark this time - on a harder course to boot, in 24:48/50. I got a nice long cooldown in, and am loving the consistency from week to week. Though I feel a little more beat up than the past couple weeks (the usual suspects...right knee, Achilles, blah blah blah), my mileage has been 67, 67.8, and 67.9 the last three weeks. This week got off to a slow start, as I cut yesterday's run short, but I made up ground today with an 80 minute trail run. I've only got a couple days to figure out whether to attempt a double 5k/stairclimb on Sunday morning, so I'm hoping I recover a little more in the next day or so.
It wouldn't be a small town race without a little drama. This time around, it was glancing at the posted results and seeing 16:35.5 (remember, the only goal was 16:33) where a 16:30 should have been. What the cake?! I sent my delegate, Abby, to find the RD and figure out where those extra seconds came from, but I just couldn't sit still, so I made my way over to the finish line as well. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails. Luckily Abby had a photo of me a stride (or a fraction of a second) from the line, with the giant digital clock showing 16:30. We still got a little resistance before the timer agreed with Abby and changed it to the previously announced-at-the-line 16:29. The only explanation that makes sense is that people aren't clicking right when runners cross the line. When it's inconsistent, it becomes a bigger problem. #2, who I watched finish, was within a second. Dave's time was actually 2 seconds faster than his watch, so it wasn't that the big clock was off. Anyway, I'm grateful it got fixed, but really wish I didn't have to go plead my case to get the time right. The same thing actually happened in a previous 5k here, and when I set the 10k mark in 2008 (my watch, which I never look at til after I cross the line, and the time on the clock...34:45-34:46. My official time...34:50). I never brought it up because those seconds were not the difference of hitting or missing my goal those years, so it just wasn't worth it, but I gotta say, I'm starting to prefer the larger chip timed races. I've yet to have any issue with a CRRM race. It's worth noting, though, that I've never had a timing issue in any other Grand Prix race.
So, rant out of the way, it was a good weekend. We had a good breakfast at the cafe at mile 0.8 and headed back over the hill for Emily's very pink third birthday party. You'll all be releived to know that everything was as it should be the following day. No pink. Well I was worried. That's all I have to say about that. It was really nice seeing a LOT of familiar faces, which is my favorite part of these races. The running community in Nevada County is just great. Reno is finally moving back in the right direction after a few dark years, but I wish some of the enthusiasm of the Sierra Trailblazers would rub off on the Striders.
This weekend's plan's is still up in the air, but will most likely involve at least another 5k, here in Reno. After that, we'll see how the ol' body responds. Til then...
(i'll post some pics when we load the camera-card)

Run Rocklin version 2.0

2011-04-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

This would be one of those rare races I ran in 2010 that I'm healthy & fit enough to give it another go in 2011. This is a super well organized, accurate, and fun race. Just like last year, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good 5k or 12k. A couple thousand people at the start, about 1500 in the 5k and another thousand(?) in the 12. This race fell last year juuust about the time where my training (and knee) was starting to come around. A couple weeks later I think I could have snuck under 16:00. As it was, it was a deep field, and I ran a 16:08/16:09 chip/gun time for a close third overall. A couple weeks ago, it was my goal to get under 17 and hope to be in the top 5. After last week's breakthough in the 10k, I was hoping for something closer to a 16:30 and a shot at the top 3.
I got a good warm-up in on the course, got back to the car to ditch the gloves and arm-warmers, and did a few strides before the gun. I LOVE races that have a countdown clock at the start. It makes it easy to do a perfectly timed warm-up and stretch, which really does help if you're hoping to go out fast. That was the hope, anyway. Mile 2 would be the hardest one, course-wise, so I was hoping for a sub 5:20 mile 1. Like last year, there was a decent size pack after the gun. Around the first two tuens I was about 7th, and three guys were threatening to break away early. By a half mile in, I'd positioned myself at the front of the chase group, and there would continue to be a gap between the top three and the rest of us. After keeping pace a few seconds back and hitting mile 1 in 5:14 I tried to make up some ground on the hill and subsequent flat, and had caught the pack right around the half way mark. I'd thought once I caught up that running with them (as opposed to slightly faster trying to catch up) would feel easier...but I was wrong.
But...the race started over again for the last 8 minutes. We were a tight pack. I think each guy jockeyed back and forth between 1st or 2nd and 4th, myself included. About 12 minutes in though, the three of them were threatening to drop me again as I struggled to stay within a second or two of the back of the pack. But I knew what was coming. A fast finish. Slightly downhill and flat, save for a tiny bump right before the downhill at mile 2.9. At mile 7 of the 12k course (.44 to go) I made a concerted effort to speed up. I remember last year being happy with my time but not liking somebody being 1 second in front of me. You always wonder if you could have dug deeper. Of course, last week, the race came to an end with me reeling in the 10k leader, but unable to bridge that last 3 second gap. Being that it was the best race I'd run since last June, I wasn't upset, but that finish was in my head, and I didn't want a repeat. I dug down for another gear that I was not only blindly hoping would be there, but that 3rd place wouldn't be able to match. A quarter mile to go...in third now (with prize money to get back the entry fee) but no sitting back just yet. First was matching my speed 40 yards ahead, but 2nd was not. I got to him just before mile 3 and ran hard and scared the last tenth of a mile, hoping to hang on to 2nd (which I did) and get a good time in the process. I ended up with a chip time of 16:22.03, which they so nicely rounded up 0.97 seconds to 16:23. Not easy. Luckily I only have a couple packets of GU on race morning for 5 and 10ks, cause it came right back up after going through the chute (Dave only got to see the oh-so-entertaining dry heaves). Two weeks under my A goal time and I actually got to do some real racing in this one!
Dave came in just a hair over 26 minutes and with a lying GPS that said the elevation change (or climb?) was just 29 feet. Not a hilly course, but I'd wager 40-50 up, and 40-50 down, at the least. My mile splits ended up being 5:14, 5:24, 5:14+, <:30. For as frustrating as my training has been since starting comeback #6 or 7 last fall (starting to blend together now) this 5k matches my best time from 2006-2009 to the second, and it was enough to make my want to do the 5k at Daffodil next week in hopes of a 16:33 or under!!!
Another high mileage week for me, and the regularity is starting to pay off...67 miles for the second straight week and 312 over the last five weeks. The Achilles is on the edge, but always is, even at 20 miles a week, so it is what it is. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy the summer this year for the first time since 2007!

age-graded 80's

2011-04-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Here's what I gots ta do to run any age-graded 80's (scraping the bottom of the national class barrel) in 2011...
3k ~ 9:19 I ran 9:15 in 2010 and 9:29 in 2009 in my only 3k. I'd say my only shot would be a find a track meet. Preferably one with a downhill grade all the way around. Come to think of it, I like that idea for every distance!
5k ~ 16:23 Possible if I stay consistant ~ I ran 37 seconds faster last year.
8k ~ 26:56 Gotta find the right race for this one, which is hard.
10k ~ 34:06 Again, possible. More than a minute faster last year, and 19-20 seconds off this mark last week.
12k ~ 41:10 Not too many fast 12k's out there. Maybe Bridge to Bridge in the fall.
15k ~ 51:55 Don't know of any fast 15k's. Anyone? Anyone?
10 mile ~ 55:55 Right now, the endurance ain't that good, but maybe.
Half ~ 1:14:19 See ten miler, add a 5k...and this would be a pr. I think divine intervention would be needed for this one.
Best chances are probably in the 5k-12k range, since that's primarily what I'm planning on training for.

Nutrition Fuels Fitness 5k/10k Elk Grove

2011-03-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, Dave and I had planned on going to Nevada City for a 5k, which after running there many times would have been my first NC run since October of 2009. Mother nature had other ideas, such as genreally flooding the trail sections of said 5k, so said 5k was cancelled, then rescheduled for next week. Luckily, since I'd scouted the race calendar before settling on Nevada City, there was a back-up plan. Capital Road Race Management, who always put on a good race, was hosting a flat and fast 5k/10k just south of Sacramento, so outside of a little extra driving Saturday night, this plan was actually the easier of the two, and I even got in a couple extra quality miles. I decided to run the 10k (Dave did the 5) since theres a few 5ks coming up and this breaks them up nicely. Plus I think I'm in slightly better shape for a 10k (speed endurance vs. speed). Abby and the kids were already nearing Grass Valley with her Dad when the race there was postponed, so Dave and I ended up in a Fairfield Inn five miles north of the race. So convenient! We got there around an hour before the start, signed up, warmed up, etc...
Looks like the weather will cooperate, at least. Overcast and cool, with a little wind, but not too bad, and no rain! After warming up with arm-warmers, I actually ditched em in favor of a tank, shorts, calf sleeves and a cap. From years past, this race looked to be deep enough almost every year that I'd have to run beyond what I've showed so far this year to get on "the podium". The two races started together, with the 10k running a second loop. We were off, with a bunch of orange and blue Fleet Feeters and red River City Rebels up front. There was a pack of six, then a little break, then me leading the chase pack. I'd hit mile 1 in just under 5:25 (and would nearly crap myself since I just was hoping to break 5:40). I backed off a little, and conciously let someone (another rebel) pass, as it's never too late to fix a mistake, and the sooner the better. Now I was in 8th, then 7th for the rest of the first loop, but only one runner (the one that passed 6 minutes in) kept going for a second loop. The others were all in the 5k. The lead was double digits, and I was trying not to fade. 17:10 for the first 5k (5:32 pace) after the first fast mile. Still hanging on. It was a struggle, and if there was nobody in front of me, or if he'd been further up (or out of sight) I'd definitely have slowed, but the miles kept ticking away, all in the mid 5:30's. Do I have a shot at breaking 35? Only if I don't let this guy pull away. Surprisingly, I started ever-so-slowly closing the gap after mile 5, but I had no sprint to really go after him (as you can see from the pained expression on my face with 0.1 to go) and though I hate to admit this, in my head I was happy that I'd kept it close and ran faster than I thought I had in me. Of course, later, that last minute or so was replayed a million times differently in my head, after I somewhat forgot how hard I'd worked just to hold on. But that's the way it goes. If I'd known you got $50 in FOOD for winning, maybe there would have been a sprint. Maybe...
Even though we were weaving through walkers from mile 4-6.2, my second loop was just about even with the first (17:15) and my final chip time of 34:25 was only 3 seconds off the leader! Gaaaa!!!!!!! But, like I said...5:33 per mile exceeded my goals and hopefully will be a springboard to bigger and brighter things. "Only" 1:51 off my 10k pr, but I say only because it had been closer to 3 minutes. Funny enough, the 30-39 age group top 3 was also the overall top 3. A Davis/Sacramento regular Orlando Velasquez was about a minute behind in third, then the 50-somethings took over. My buddy Steve was in the top 20 overall and 8th! in the 50-59 group. Don't you guys know you're supposed to slow down after 40?
Speaking of over 40, Dave finished the 5k in 25:33, the fastest since we've been racing together, and if he fixes the "glitch" he had at mile 2, he'll be under 25 in no time. Hannah was entertained for a couple hours in the bouncehouse(s) and as usual, Rich Hanna and Co. put on a good show. Hopefully, this'll be one I get back to, and hopefully, oh, about 1:51 faster...but I'd settle for 4 seconds!
Next up, Run Rocklin in 6 days...

Coastal Trail Run - Montara Mountain...& Fresh Tracks 5k (since I'm lazy and didn't post anything last week even though I actually had plenty of time)

2011-03-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

Quick recaps of the last two weeks -
Last Sunday I finally made it back to Camp Richardson after nearly two years for the Fresh Tracks snowshoe 5k. I LOVED doing this race in February of 2009, but missed it last year so Dave and I could close out the Folsom Trail Run series finale. No schedule conflicts this year. All of TLD (Team Library Dork) or TLG (Gimp...depending on the day) made it up there. Gretchen pretended she was french and gave up when it became evident she'd have to drive 40 EXTRA MINUTES (gasp!) to get there. Anywho, about 50 of us were there. TLD all signed up that morning after making our way through the maze of fresh snow. The snow was a bit soft, which made things more difficult than last time, but it was beautiful. Ross Mcmahan, an old running buddy of mine (and I do mean old...he's...40-double gasp!!) who happens to be an Atlas sponsored snowshoer...um, how to put this delicately...kicked my A@*. I stuck with him for a few minutes, and had a pretty big gap on third, but really didn't challenge him at all after about the four minute mark, and he won by over a minute in just over 22. Dave Cotter was kind enough to grill me up a chili dog with jalapenos for brunch, and after TLD finished (all placing in the top 3 in our respective age groups) we enjoyed a New Glarus Snowshoe Ale from Wisconsin. A quick trip to the fairly new Stateline Brewing Co. at Heavenly was a bit of a letdown...and the reason for the previous cheese themed post, but a very fun day overall. I hope this race becomes an annual tradition.
Yesterday, March 6, Dave and I ran the Montara Mountain Coastal Trail Run 10k in Pacifica, CA. I Didn't think we'd get to go back to SF so soon, but (Bay Bridge accident and insuing clusterfudge of traffic aside) I'm glad we did. It was this, or the Napa 5k (road) and, well...trail races are just better, not to mention the Coastal Trail Runs have been especially chalenging and beautiful. This 10k was just under 6 miles, but had 2 big climbs and descents. Not to mention rain coming in at a 45 degree angle. Unlike the first one we did in December, though, most of this course was runnable, despite the mud and terrain. More fun splashy mud, and less fall and bust your A@# mud, though there was a little of that too, for good measure. Our small, brave group started at 8:00, going the opposite direction that the long coursers were going (the halfers, marathoners, and 50kers did a 7.2 mile loop, then our loop). I'd done the first climb (5-600 feet) during my warm-up, so I knew what was coming. I had planned on starting conservatively, but nobody came with me so I tried to stretch things out. The first downhill was fairly technical and there was a lot of holding back, which was good. The second hill, after a short respite, was well over a thousand feet. It seemed easier than expected for the first few minutes, but I had a bit of a mental lull in the middle, before dialing it back in on what I'll call the Dejavu switchbacks. The last couple miles were an absolute blast, for the most part being able to fly down the hill all the way back down to the finish. I came across in 43:03, crossing the line first for the 1st time since last December (Redding doesn't count as technically Kirk crossed the line first). After quickly getting my long sleeves on, I started slowly back up the hill to see the field and run with Dave back down. I ended up 11:20 ahead of #2 and Dave finished #12/26, and 2nd in his AG in about 68 1/2 minutes. We loaded up on fruit, candy, etc...lost the raffles...and headed back to shower up at our hotel before going to Beer Revolution in Oakland. A semi hitting a passenger car on the Bay Bridge changed that plan though. We actually timed an 0.6 mile stretch on Hwy 101 (a few miles before the bridge even starts) in over 21 minutes, and getting slower. So...we got off, passed time in the city at 21st Amendment and City Beer, then started the long trek home. Totally worth it. Had a blast, and we hope to do more CTRs when they shift back to Sundays in the summer.
I wish I would have brought the camera on-course for my warm-up like last time...the finish pics really don't give you any sense of how cool the course was. The eucalyptus grove was especially cool...and trecherous!
I'll add some snow pics when I get another chance. Gots to go get the rugrats!!

shaved drunken goat cheese farts reaheheally stink

2011-02-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

that is all.
thankyoucomeagain.

Coastal Beer San Francisco Trail Week Run(s)

2011-02-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

***Yeah, these pictures are pretty much backwards. The bottom is the Coastal Trail Run start and warm-up, and progresses backwards (up) from there, finishing with the interior of the Social Kitchen.

Big plans for this past weekend included a couple runs and a whole helluva lot of beer. Ben, Dave and I got things off right with a hearty brunch at Peg's before leaving town on Friday. We made a little detour at Beer Revolution in Oakland and pretty much blew my one-second-per-mile-per-sip theory to smithereens...13 six-ounce tasters later. This place is pretty sweet, but has pros & cons, just like any other place. PRO-One of the best tap lists you'll EVER see, and a nice bottle selection to boot. CON-parking sucks (there is none) and I got excited about a nice find in the cooler til Ben pointed out the "best by" date was well over two months ago!
Oh well. We hydrated well in anticipation on the Steep Ravine Run the next morning put on by Coastal Trail Runs. There was even an Elephant Bar near our hotel for pre-race eats.
I felt pretty good about things the next morning, even though I'd had more beer than ever before the night before a race. I was feeling no pressure, though. I know I am operating 10% or more slower than I was last year, so what's really the big difference between 10 and 12%, right? The only way I'd regret the beers is if I got outkicked down the stretch. Turns out, I didn't have to worry, 'cause I got my arse kicked! This course was possibly more ridiculous than the last CTR we did. It started at beautiful Stinson Beach, immediately went off road and started climbing. No mud this time (ok, just a tiny bit) but stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. I lost count pretty early, but you know if there are stairs instead of switchbacks, it's pretty dang steep. Up 1750 feet over less than 3 1/2 miles, and down 1750 in less than 4. Here's a pic from the staging area of about half the "hill" ("hill" = Mt. Tam...and yes, we got a Mt Tam Pale Ale)
The ocean views from the beach first thing in the morning were pretty stunning as well.

When the gun went off, I settled in in 2nd place, and stayed there pretty much the whole way. The other runner started to pull away less than a mile in, and I let him go. I figured if I had a shot, it would be coming down the other side.
I did NOT have a shot. I flew down the trail, but if anything, he still may have increased his lead in the 2nd half. It was rather reckless, probably a slight mistep from broken bones and or death on several occasions, but what FUN! My favorite part was noticing the forehead high branch that I ducked juuuust in time to avoid decapitation. We had jungle, clearings with ocean views, tons of climbing and decending, and, for good measure - a ladder, right in the middle. I took my camera on the warm-up, so the views are from only a third or so of the way up, but man was it awesome. I wracked my brain to think of any other runs I've done that were this scenic and this cool, and only TRT and XTerra Hawaii came to mind.
Definitely one I'd like to do again. The only hitch was poor markings (poor meaning no ribbons at several forks or intersections, or markings a couple minutes after the fact) on the second half of the downhill. At one point I missed a right that was not marked at all, and only figured I was off course because the trail I stayed on was so steep that I couldn't even walk down it. Two-and-a-half minutes later, a local guessed the right way and we were off. First was way out of sight, but had been anyway. I ran the last 9-10 minutes as hard as my legs would allow and put a minute-thirty gap on my helper. I finished in 62 and change (woulda been just under or just over an hour) in 2nd place. The funny thing about a run with a long downhill finish is that the lungs & heart were immediately recovered, but man were the legs trashed. I went back up with Dave and pranced him to the finish (sorry, no prancing pics). We had a baby wipe/surf shower clean-up, quick change and bit of fruit, and were on our way to the Double IPA Festival at the Bistro, where Pliny the Younger and 50 or so other hoppy adult beverages waited for us.

the start

Even the drive there and back was ridiculously scenic. We saw more bikes than cars.

Having too much fun drinking to even think to take pictures. There's on in here somewhere of the Social Kitchen, where the 2nd Annual Beer Run started the next morning. There was a basic 5 mile course from SK to Magnolia Brewing through Golden Gate Park, and back. I think Dave & Ben did just under four, and I did about 6. Not feeling super, but definitely not hung over. We hydrated well and ate well between the DIPA Fest and "It Came From the Wood" that night. Social Kitchen was the belle of the ball, though. This was a place I'd never heard of til we looked up the beer run. Nice looking place with good food, but only six taps. However, those six taps were of such high quality that this will be a staple on future visits to the Bay. And, did you guys know there was a waterfall in GG Park? I didn't know that...

Anywho, we hoofed it from Social Kitchen, back to Magnolia, and further to Toronado (we had a good-FREE-parking spot we didn't want to give up) and back in time to get Ben to the airport 45 minutes before his 7 p.m. flight. Dave and I stuck around til Monday and hit up Triple Rock in Berkeley for lunch before heading back over the hill. I lost count at around 70 beers tried for the three of us, but most of em were very good, and my liver ain't done any complainin. Yet.

Mythbusters starring Tusker Lager

2011-02-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

Quick recap.
May/June 2010 I was comfortably* running 5-5:05 pace for 5k. Then my Achilles went to poo (again). After time off, still poo. With me so far? Good. It took til December 23rd to get under 5:30 pace (5:28) for a 5k again, and I got very very sick two hours later. Haven't been anywhere near that pace for longer than a mile since. Over the last week, the Achillessesess, heels, knee, and back (as of this morning) were all pissed at the same time. YAY! But, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. No. Not really. In reality, I had a Kenyan beer (the aforementioned Tusker Lager) after dinner, and if Kenyan beer doesn't work, I don't know what will. So, I went to Lakeridge (and to the same treadmill i'd run 15:29/16:56 on) to go for broke...and broke the treadmill. So much for that idea! Moved to another of the same model...11 mph til the very end, sped up a little the last 200...16:54 (5:27 per). Still a ways off, and I'm walking funny now, but hey, it's my best in nearly two months. For the record, I'd have been walking funny even if i just did a freakin aquasize class this morning.

*regularly, not comfortable. That pace feels better when every joint isn't cranky, but has never been and will neer be "comfortable".
ps-YAY Kenyan beer! BTW...I scored it a 2.4/5.

OOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!

2011-01-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

The subtitle of this post henceforth shall be "delayed on-set muscle soreness sucks: what happens when you are not in shape and try to run fast even though you are really a 9-year-old girl" or in short, my first race of 2011.
Luckily, I had a teammate for this one. Cap'n Kirk and I drove to Redding Saturday night in time to meet his ladyfriend (who's waaaaaaay too good lookin' for him) and her Mom at Olive Garden for a good pre-race meal. We were running the Redding Marathon Relay the following morning. This may be the only race I've run three of the last four years, but it's just run so well and it's a cool course. I ran the marathon as a practice run for Napa in 2008, and even though I went out easy, I didn't drink enough and still hit the wall at mile 21. I skipped 2009 due to injury, but ran the first two legs of the relay (19.5 miles, with Dave doing the last) in 2010. An always cool, well-run race had me planning on coming back for the 5k, but late last year Kirk and I decided the relay would be more fun. After that, 2010 took a long walk off a short pier. For me anyway. I was struggling to run 30 seconds per mile slower than in May/June, and that was before I got the flu the last week of the year, and a nice recurence of last year's knee pain. That little bug pretty much sapped all the little gains I'd had over the previuos 12 weeks and had me running worse than I was in the early fall, right after a 12 week break.
This affected nothing but the pace I thought I'd be able to run. When in top shape, I think sub-60 would be the goal on this course, maybe a 58-59. I had hoped to be in the 64 minute range before the flu hit. Now? I had no idea. I'd tried but hadn't been able to hold 6 minute pace for very long in training, and hadn't been able to do anywhere near 11 miles either. I was feeling a little better as race day neared, but had no mental-boosting workout to fall back on. We soaked in the Holiday Inn hot-tub after Olive Garden, and I slept pretty darn good, especially for me. The beds were comfy enough that I wanted to curse at the alarm when it went off at 6:00. Kirk got his waffle at the hotel restaurant, and thanks to the ever-accurate directions given to us by the ass-clowns at googlemaps, we almost missed my shuttle to the start at the Shasta Dam.
As opposed to last year, when we started in the dark, fog, and rain, the sun was out and the skies clear when the gun went off at 8:00, and the weather was near perfect. I'd shared with Kirk the night before that one of two things would happen...I'd go out aggressive on the downhill start (3 of the first 3.5 miles) and die a horrible death later, or be a pansy and let people go right from the gun. As it was, only one guy took off like a bat outta hell, and he was a marathoner, not a relay runner. As Kirk noted on his blog, this guy would pay dearly for his breakneck pace later, as he had to stop en route more than once and would not finish anywhere near the leaders. Heck, I hit the first downhill mile in 5:25, which made my sphinchter do a little moonwalk up into my colon when I saw the watch, but I pressed on. That was easily my fastest mile. "Breakneck" as I'll call him, must have been 5:15 on that first mile, and would be just under a minute ahead of me by the time I got to Kirk at mile 11. I'd bank about 99 seconds under 6:00 pace by mile 4, but had a cramp by then and proceeded to chip away at that 99 seconds each mile between 4-10, hitting 60:11 at mile 10, & having slowed to 6:20-6:25 for each mile between 7-10. I ran around 6 flat pace for the last mile, and sped up when I noticed I was being reeled in from behind. I got to the exchange (just shy of 11 miles) right as the watch turned to 66:00 and Kirk took off.
I knew his first couple miles would be the toughest. They did pave the 12-13 miles of all legs that were trail, but hills are still hills. However, he got to the second exchange, where we were waiting with cowbells, in 1:57 and change. I had just said anything under 2 hours and we're golden when he came flying around the corner and into sight. A little quick math in the head told me he'd kept the pace juuuust over 6 minutes per over the hardest part of the course! If he hadn't expended too much to do so, our time would exceed our goal by several minutes. I ran with him for a minute or two, and he sure didn't seem to be slowing. We drove to the bridge and waited. At 2:30, I trotted across the bridge to see him and ran with him for a little out and back section, with cowbell in hand. We didn't know how long this section was, or at least I didn't, but when we made the turn, it became clear we'd easily be in the 2:30's, and we sped up to the finish.
2:37:39 at the line gave us the same 6:01 pace we'd been at since mile 10...the only difference was I ran 11 miles of downhill, flat, and a touch of rolling at that pace. Kirk ran 15.2 miles with a couple miles of actual hills at that pace! Way to go buddy!!! You're making me look good, though I am releived I exceeded my 9-year-old girl expectations. We ended up chopping 9 minutes off the relay record, were 8 minutes ahead of the first marathoner and 13 minutes in front of the #2 relay team.
As I eluded to in the title, I'm more than a tad sore today (and yesterday...probably tomorrow too), more like after a full marathon, or playing football without pads, but I'll deal with it. This was the best run I've had since I've been sick, but I've still got a lot of work to do, so hopefully I can start to build a little momentum. Lots of fun races coming, and I'd prefer not to get slaughtered.
Pictures coming soon.

2010 Year In Review

2011-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, the year felt like that, but here's the skinny for an eventful 2010 -
miles run 2,088 (1525 the first 6 months, 563 mile 2nd half)
weights lifted (sets) 6,195 (2608/3587)
races 28 (22/6)
wins 17 (13/4)
course records 10 (8/2) though many of these were "young"races and no big'uns
The "other" 11 were: 2nd place x 4, 3rd place x 4, 4th, 5th and 7th.
Favorites...let's see...hard to say...
*The Shamrock Run (7th) in March was an awesome race, and an even better trip. Portland is beer Mecca, along with San Diego, and Dave and I took advantage, and had a sweet hotel, walking distance to the race start, to boot.
*Avenue of the Vines (CR) - gotta include this one, my first PR at an established distance in a looooong time. Unfortunately, the pain started the next day.
There were lots of other cool events that I traveled to (Bidwell Classic, Fitch Mountain) and locals, like the Run-A-Muck, that were a blast as well! No races in Nevada City/Grass Valley for the firs time in a few years, which was weird.
Of course, I wish the monentum gained in May could have continued through June and beyond, but it was not to be. 5 1/2 weeks in "das boot" and 12+ weeks total with no running at all. A new approach with PT and more stability work after resting up has not produced the results I'd like, so 2011 is a big, fat question mark, but I hope to remain active, if a bit more...sloth-like.
I already managed to skip one race, but am signed up for 11 miles of the Redding Marathon Relay on January 16th...will hopefully do 1 more in January...Davis, SF coast, and Snowshoeing in February, then we'll evaluate where I am and go from there.
Oh yeah, Abby popped out another kidlet (I KNOW!). I'm pretty sure this one's mine.
And...I may have tried more new beers in 2010 than any year prior. Friday I will rate my 2,000th beer (I've probably had a few more than that but haven't rated all the swill I had back in the day). Close, though. I'd like to trade a little beer tasting for more running in 2011, but they DO go so well together!

Coyote Ridge Trail Run

2011-01-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

i'm hiding from the cameras...

Last Sunday, Cap'n Kirk, Dave and I left from the Verdi library at just after 3 a.m. to do a trail run at Muir Beach. I'd been feeling remorse about skipping the Holiday Classic in Sacramento the week before, and I really wanted another competition before the year's end. However, on the previous Thursday, I became suddenly and intensely ill whilst playing Santa at the Sierra View Library. At first, I chalked it up to pushing too hard in a 5k time trail/interval workout that morning. It was my first time under 17:00 since June (16:57) and was followed by 4 x 400 at just over 70 per, plus weights. I was toast, but by the end of Santa time I was feverish, shaky, already sore, and had an upset stomach. Through the rest of the day, however, I seemed to get better as I ate, which to me seemed to back up the fact that I wasn't sick, I just pushed too hard.
I was wrong.
I did manage to get up to meet Turi for a road run the next morning. I figured my legs would be trashed, but we weren't planning on running fast. He was scheduled for 11, and I hoped to do 7 or 8 with him. We did 12. Still thought I was improving, though. For several hours after the run I felt better than I had, but by night time, had the cold sweats and all the acompanying fun.
Christmas day, from a physical standpoint, just sucked.
I felt a little better when the alarm went off, but that may have been because I wasn't really awake. I'll never really know. But since this early morning trip was my idea, if I could walk, I was going. We made great time over the pass and got there an hour ahead of time at 7 a.m. It wasn't raining, but definitely had been. There was a waterfall of drainage off the mountain that we'd be running up. If not for one particularly wet and muddy race in Nevada City a couple Octobers ago, this would be THE sloppiest course I've ever run on. Maybe a tie...
Anyway, the warm-up felt ok. Not great, but ok. However, it was obvious early on the first climb, which started a minute in, that this would be a tough day. Just like the first mile of the Fall Colors run, I was dropped by runners I was hoping to pace off of. All distances started at the same time, and after the first two climbs, which included a long staircase and lots of slippery mud, there was an out and back to the 7 mile check-point. Here's where my navigation skills kicked in. I saw markings on the left and turned to ask the runner behind me if he thought this was a left turn, or a future right. If my brain was working, I would have realized it was a future right. In hindsight, I re-remembered that the polka dot ribbons preceded a turn on that side of the road. No problem, only a couple seconds lost. By the turn, I knew I was easily in 2nd, and highly unlikely to catch up. At one point I must have put my head down, or temporarily been stricken blind, because somehow, though I'd just seen it, and knew it was there, I missed the turn!
I thought I may have missed it, and asked a runner if there was a turn coming up on my right. Problem was, I don't think he understood english. He nodded yes enthusiastically and gave me not one, but two thumbs up. A minute or two later, the road ended and we were back on the trail, which I knew with 97.6% certainty was too far. So I turned and timed it back the right I'd missed. 4:19. Times two ways!! Frick!!! I have to say, I think this was by far the most well-marked obvious turn that I've ever missed. I really don't know how in the world I managed that one.
So now I had no idea what place I was in, just that I was 8 1/2 minutes or so further behind than I had been, and was climbing up another muddy lung burner, which isn't my forte anymore under normal circumstances. So I kinda tempo-ran the last 2 or three miles, taking in the amazing ocean views, and didn't wake up til I got caught on the final decent, a slip-n-slide of epic proportions. The guy who passed me was signed up for the 10, but had decided in-race to make the 7 mile turn. In my sissyness, I figured he wasn't racing ME since he had officially been a ten miler, and with my priority currently being to stay upright, I let him go. When we hit the final 200 on pavement, I got my spine back and quickly closed the 50m gap, but then we had a singletrack bridge and a couple turns before the finish...so nowhere to pass. Turns out, he officially finished the 7 miler 3rd overall, less than one second ahead of me, and won our age group.
The leader ran right at 58 minutes. 2nd was about 7 minutes back, with the two of us 3rd and 4th in 68:00 and 68:01. So assuming the rest would've been the same, I'd have run a minute and a half off the lead in 59 1/2. Oh well. No cooldown for me. Thought it wasn't really cold, it was windy and wet, and it felt cold - so I got my pants and coat back on, and waited for Kirk and Dave. Kirk ran a strong 2nd half to come back from 2nd to easily pull away for the win, and Dave finished one of the tougher courses we'd run a while later. Moylan's in Novato for lunch. Only 1 beer as my tummy was pissed again.
Even though the weather really wasn't bad, and neither were the roads, everyone and their mother was on the road, so it took us 7 hours to get home, causing us to miss our buddy Lance's holiday party. Double Frick!!
As is typical of 2010 for me, week #51 was my 2nd half high, even though I was sick to end the week, at 59.6. This week was less than 9! Hopefully, 2011 will start better, but neither my stomach or lung capacity has fully recovered as of a week later. We shall see. I already skipped my next race, a 5k in Sacramento this morning, and plan on racing next on the 16th, when Kirk and I will be hoping to be close to 6 minute pace at the not-too-speedy Redding Marathon Relay. 2010 review coming soon...

Walk Woof or Hoof It 12.4k*

2010-12-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

So far December is treating me a little better than the previous few weeks, so for the second straight Sunday, Dave and I went to Cali for a race. This one looked to be pretty low key, but of course it only takes one other person to make it a race, right? For us, it was the distance and the possibility of rolling hills, not to mention that there was going to be a TON of animals there for Hannah* (*=and Dad) and that it was the only thing close enough to get to on Sunday!
It actually started at noon, so we didn't even leave the house til after 9. By that time, the weather was already getting nice, and Loomis was to have a high of 65. The race started just down the road from Del Oro High School, and was 2 6k loops. The finish line, however, was on the other side of the HS, so if the first loop was really a 6k, then the 12k looked to be almost a half mile long. No worries, though, I need to sneak some miles in there any way I can. There was a younger kid there who was decked out in the River City Rebels gear (one of the Sacramento racing teams). I didn't catch his name, though, as he had headphones in the whole time. Funny, though. Everybody and their mother seemed to be pointing to him at the start and saying something to the effect of "well, we know who's winning the 12k". I had to have heard that at least a half dozen times. 6-7 months ago, my inner competitor would have gave a hearty silent chuckle and a "we'll see about that", but the fact that I'm still quite a bit slower than I was made it so i just quitely smiled to myself and focused on my pace. If it was enough, so be it, if not...hopefully I still had a decent day.
We took off and seperated from the pack pretty quick. I never looked back, but it seems like it was down to the two of us almost right away, especially since the 6k was starting a few minutes later. For a mile and a half, I played shadow and struggled a little bit to hold the pace he was setting. Maybe it was in my head, but he sure looked more comfortable than I felt. Maybe, just maybe, it was partly due to the fact that my warm-up was a mile short and I took a bit to get in a groove, but after about 2 1/2K, I took the lead. We didn't run together after that for more than a few seconds, and there was a 2nd decent climb between 3 and 4k where I put a gap between us and then pushed juuuuust a bit harder on the downhill and flat to the end of the first 6k loop. I passed 6k (which ended up being a tiny bit short...maybe a tenth k?) in a little over 21 minutes. My goal now was to run as evenly as possible, and not implode before the end and get caught from behind. The fear of that pushed me through a couple rough patches, and I started lapping the 6k walkers, who were full of encouragement. Holding pretty steady...probably 5:49ish per mile on the first loop, and 5:52ish on the second. I snuck a peak once when I heard some cheering 30 second after I went by some walkers with about 2k to go, but saw nobody. As it turns out, the kid either made a huge mistake and ran the 12k thinking it was the 6 (though it was pretty clear it wasn't) or the pace broke him, cause he didn't even run a 2nd loop. Glad I didn't know that or I may have involuntarily slowed down a little.
As it was, I had timed the distance between the end of the first 6k loop and the start of the 2nd loop at 2:24, so this would be a 12k plus a little. I'd say each loop was 100m or so short, but the in-between was 600-700m long, so...400 meters or so longer than advertised...came accross in 45:18 (my goal was high 43 for an actual 12k, so pretty close to spot on) and about 5:50 per mile. My last two hard efforts were a flat road 4 miler at 5:40 pace, and a flat treadmill 10k at 5:45, so this was pretty close to right in line with those. I'm hoping to run a 5k in under 17:00 in the next month or so, but I think there's still some work to do before I get to 5:29 pace. Afterwards, I jogged back out to where Dave was coming up the last little hill with just under 2k to go. I think he's starting to see some tangible progress, cause although he was hurting, he was pulling away from one runner and catching up to another. He even dropped me up the last little hill before the fast finish, passed someone down the homestretch, and finished in 68:51 - just under 9:00 pace. Not a super hard course, especially when you get used to mountainous trail runs, but not exactly a speedburner either, so it was a worthy effort (and a long painful drive home!) for both of us. Luckily we had lunch and beer in Auburn to help us through, and Abby was kind enough to drive us. We even got a box of cupcakes from the race, which didn't last long once we got back. For the record, I'm not a big sweets fan, unless it's chocolate or honey in my beer, but these cupcakes were fanfreakintastic!!! Hannah's was decadent chocolate with a candy cane frosting. Mine was bavarian cream filled. Nice! AND...there were 4 of them and 4 of us, so how can you go wrong?
Next week, if the weather holds (it was 64 during this race and I actually had to remove my glasses twice to wipe sweat from my eyes) I'll head over the hill one last time in 2010 for the Holiday Classic in Sacramento. I'd love to do the north Bay trail run on the 26th, but that's just too long to drive the morning of, and for some reason, the wife wants me around Christmas night. Next year, looks like Captain Kirk and I are going to do the Redding Marathon relay as a two person team, just like Dave and I last year, but maybe without the rain? This is a cool race, but I pushed a little past my distance threshold last year and it hampered me until April. This year, I'll be doing the first 11 miles and Kirk the last 15.2. It'll still be the longest run I've done since last year's 19.5...but I'm looking forward to it. Maybe something else in between as well. Til then...

Ferry building 4 Miler

2010-12-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

no pics of us, but these'll give you a general idea of the awesome location!

Sunday was my first race in a while. Things were going in reverse and had gotten so bad I didn't even bother to blog about my last October run. Too bad it was such a horrid day for me, cause the race organizers at that one had a real passion and plan to expand the Girls on The Run series in Truckee from 5ks to 5's, 10's and halfs. Hopefully, I'll get healthy enough to do a few.
Back to the present. Dave and I headed over the hill Saturday night and stayed in a Hampton Inn where one online reviewer promised "the chronic" from the front desk guy. Too bad for us it was a female at the desk. Not only did she not beleive our story, but she was loyal to the hotel even when we showed her the review on Dave's phone, laughing the whole time, and wondering why she was keeping the chronic for herself :) Anyway, the hotel was super comfy, to the point where I really didn;t want to get out of bed at GO TIME the next morning. We'd had a good trip so far, scoring 11/12ths of Auburn's entire supply of Deschutes the Dissident.
It took us just under an hour to get from the hotel to the Maritme Museum right by Ghiradelli Square, and much to our surprise, at 8 a.m. there was even free parking!
The place where we'd go back to for breakfast was a bar two blocks from the start, and I owe them a little extra debt of gratitude. Even though there were 150 racers, there was no port-a-john, so I was incredibly happy that Jack's in the Cannery was open at 6, and allowed me to use the restroom. I usually have to take care of biness about 18 times before a race, and things would NOT have gone well if I'd had to hold it.
We started right at 9:00 about 10 yards from the Bay, and headed back towards Fisherman's Wharf on Jefferson, then the Embarcadero. Once we hit the main drag we had to jump up on the sidewalk but it was wide enough that it was a very minor inconvenience. At that time of day, I actually had more runners getting in the way ont he return trip than pedestrains. Anywho, a DSE runner named Ky set the pace right from the gun. Man, my first sea level run in a while feels nice. Mile 1 was a 5:30, which made me a little nervous. I was running in second, trying not to lose contact, but had hoped to be 8 or 9 seconds slower to run 5:40 or under for the whole thing. A mile-and-a-half in I passed for the lead, but we knew we had slowed. I hit the turn in first, though not by much, in 11:19, for a 5:49 split. Yikes. I ran a couple miles at the Napa Marathon at that speed! Ky was still in second, but was followed closely by another runner who'd end up passing before the end. Miles 2-4 were all about pain management as I was starting to redline to hold pace. The 3rd mile was a 5:47, still slower than I wanted to be going, but I was racing more to win now than for splits. It was cool running on the Bridge to Bridge course, one of my all-time favorite races to do. I even got to warm-up and cool down on the hill. When I saw the cannery, I managed a little burst and ended up only 3 seconds off a straight 5:40 pace, winning by 34 seconds in 22:43 (5:40.75). After catching my breath for a minute, I headed back out and saw that Dave was moving pretty well too. He finished at 8:20-21 per mile in 33:23, 50th out of 139 overall.
For me, still about 35 seconds per mile slower than what i could've done healthy, but an improvement over recent runs. I was able to manage a treadmill 10k a few days later in 35:39 (5:45.0 per) which is exactly 30 seconds per mile slower than my 2010 best treadmill time. Of course, the rest of the day was dedicated to food and beer. Back at Jack's we had a great breakfast and very unispired service, and hit up a couple beer stores on the way home, including the always awesome City Beer over by AT & T park. Next up is likely a 12k in a couple days in Loomis where I have rather loose goals, not being at all familiar with the race or the course.
Til then...

top 10 in the 10k

2010-10-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

Geez...I knew things were spread out because of the small field, but here's the top 10-
Chris Badolato 52.15 M 33
Li Huang Chen 59.45 M 34
Cindy Smith Derby 1.10.20 F 55
Carol Myers 1.11.08 F 50
Beth Kauffmann 1.11.41 F 57
Donna Glogovac 1.12.54 F 50
Christie Giellman 1.14.36 F 41
Andy Baron 1.16.47 M 55
Paige Clock 1.17.13 F 44

OK, that was only 9 (i thought I copied 10) but you get the idea.
Off the track, this may be the smallest race i've done (only 20 in the 10k, more in the half).
The good - at 43+ miles, it was technically the best week of running I've had since I started up again almost 2 months ago.
The bad - it's rare that i feel like getting out of bed in the morning. I know how uncomfortable those first few steps are going to be, and more days than not, it doesn't go away. A few more PT visits, then I'm throwing in the towel if it's still the same. No sense spending $20 a pop to feel the same, right?

Fall Colors Trail 10k* & Half Marathon

2010-10-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

up, up, and awaaaaay!

it may have rained a smidge

OK, so I sucked it up, an overpayed for a race. Not the first time, and probably not the last. After the fact, though, I still can't figure out why the race cost so much. BUT, the die hards were out in full force, and that made it fun. The forecast had called for heavy wind and rain. When I got up to let the dogs out, it was windy, but 55 degrees! Cloudy, but no rain. It even looked like it may not be raining as Dave, Turi & I drove to the race.
We were wrong in assuming that being so close to the mountain might sheild us from the wind. If anything it was worse there than in town. Not freezing, but sideways rain will make you guess low on the temperature every time. BIG TIME thanks to Dave 9who was Team Library Dork's support crew) and to the volunteers who stood around in the elements for hours to get us a beatiful trail race!! I woulda stayed in bed!
Well, the plan in the race was to run up the first big climb with Kirk, who was doing the half marathon. The 10k* course (and by * I mean 11k) split to the left after about 10 minutes and crossed a couple streams before meeting up with other parts of the half course. But within a couple minutes, I could tell things were not going to be going particularly well today. Even though we were going a pace that wouldn't neccessarily scare a high-school girl, I was having trouble pretty quick. One guy (who I'd assume was doing the 10k) took off and we let him. No sense bonking on the first big climb with so much race to go, but when the 2nd guy caught us, Kirk went with him, probably assuming I'd tag along, but I was getting NO power off my decrepit Achilles tendons, and for some reason, it felt like my lung capacity was about half as much as normal. I realize the race was at elevation (the 10k fluctuating between 6000 and 6800 feet) but this was ridiculous. But, like I said, lots of race to be run. I'd guess by his speed up that hill, that the first guy (in a green shirt) turned for the 10k, but he was too far ahead of me to see. I'd actually get passed by two other guys, who I stuck right behind, who turned out to halfers, so I made the turn thinking green shirt was the only one to chase down. We crossed a couple streams, and though it was early in the race, I just didn't care about getting wet, so I passed on the rock hopping and just ran right through em. It actually woke me up a little, but as I continued to climb on singletrack, up switchbacks, and one some parts where I couldn't tell there was even a trail (lots of leaves and pine needles) I still didn't feel like I was (or even could) make up any ground. I remember hitting a steep downhill (too steep to attack, especially in the rain and on switchbacks) and finally starting to feel a little more normal, though still struggling. I was absolutely by myself, with nobody in front or behind, and though I was hurting, I was able to appreciate my surroundings, at least a little. 27 minutes in I hit a portion of the trail I'd run before, and was able to pick up the pace quite a bit, but after a while was starting to wonder how long it would take to hit the road. Around the next turn for sure. Nope. Over that next little hill. Nope. It seemed to drag on distance wise over the latter half, having me think the course was about a half mile long. No matter either way. No fast times were going to be run out here. After a much deeper creek crossing, where I rock-skipped this time, I finally hit the road. 0.7 to go. I tried to change gears, but didn't really have much for the slightly uphill finish. The pleasant surprise came with a couple minutes to go, when I was told that I was the first to go by. Really?! There was a stretch this year where I was choosing the more competitive distance almost every time out, but I had quite a bit of luck this time. There was no way I'd have stuck with the top 2 or 3, or even 4, in the half, but I was able to run a whopping 52 minutes to win the short course! Definitely the slowest 10k I've ever run, long course or not. There was about 5000 feet(!) of elevation chnge in the half, and probably 2000 or so in the 10, so it's not like I expected to run under 40, but sub 50? Yeah, I expected that, but just didn't run well.
We stuck around for Kirk and Turi to finish the half. Kirk stuck close to green shirt all the way, and finished 15-20 seconds behind, although more than 4 minutes ahead of last year's course record. Turi took all the pics you see during his 2:25 out in the rain (though he took most of em before it got too bad). Dave was kind enough to charge his camera battery, but old enough to forget to put it back in the camera...so no pics of yours truly. Which is too bad. I ran naked! Or did I? Unless you were out there, you'll never know.
Next up? Who knows. I hurt. Hard to beleive I ran a PR five months ago! But I'll keep trying...and drinking beer.

Weeks 5 & 6 and a "Tough Mudder"

2010-10-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Week 5 in the latest comeback, was, how to put it delicately...sh** on a stick. 14 miles and 48 sets of weights. That's less than 2 good days worth. Oh well. I'll blame it on Harold & Kumar, one last time.
Week 6, which just ended, was better, though the Achilles and heel pain isn't really improving, which is causing me to wonder when or even if I'll be able to get back to the days of old (when I was only a little injured).
33.4 miles, 100 sets of weights, and a 18:08 5k time trail. Still 2:40! off my treadmill pr, but inching downaward. Next week I'll try to get in the high 17's.
Tough Mudder doesn't deserve, and therefore will not get, it's own post. While Bear Valley Ski area is absolutely amazing, the race was an oversold, overpriced, overcrowded and poorly organized mess. I've done marathons and 50ks and never had spent so much on a race fee before, and what do i get for my hard earned dollars?
Dos Equis beer and a line at every freakin obstacle, so at best, we could do intervals with long-ass waits in between. Not to mention when the overpriced first day sold out, they then (and only then) offered a second day...at around $40 less than what I paid for day 1 two months ahead of time. This mess/7-mile-long-line that was the course could have been easily remedied by capping the field at, I don't know, a reasonable number! Or less people per wave. Or more time between waves. However, it was such a ridiculous clusterfudge, they'd have to do some combination of all 3 of those to keep the people moving. As long as those checks clear, though, right guys? One thing that did go well (ok - two if you include that team WWMD "What Would Magnum Do?" all finished as a team) was the 'stache. I looked like cast from an 80's cop movie (Magnum was a PI but we're splitting hairs)...and that was before we darkened our upper lips, to better match Mr Selleck's lip hair hue. Dave, Turi, and I went au natural whilst Ben and Amber had some help from the Halloween store. In addition we all had Hawaiin shirts (which hold mud quite well) and Tiger's caps. Afterwards, we pigged out at Snowshoe Brewing Co in Arnold and headed back to the hotel for beer and baseball. So a fun trip, but I "race" I definitely won't do again. I'll post some pictures once Dave, Amber, and Turi load there's up (to steal)!
This week I'd like to get another race in, but I'm still struggling along. I'd planned to do the Fall Colors 10k in South Reno, which for the last two years has been a small off-road half marathon in the foothills below Mt Rose. It's a beautiful and difficult course. They added a 10k this year, but even though it'll likely draw only double digit attendance (and what follows will pretty much guarantee low numbers) they chose to charge the same entry fee as the half marathon. Why? You got me. $45 in advance, and by advance, I mean a month ahead of time. Not a day or two, or even the weekend before. A month! Which meant, if I want to run this tiny little 10k, I'll have to shell out $55. If they're giving out cotton shirts and Dos Equis, I just might snap. So I'm debating. This would be the most I've EVER spent on a race shorter than a half, and even most halfs I've done have been less...so I'm considering skipping it on principal alone. I'd run the half to get my $$$ worth, but I don't think I'm even close to ready for that. I can't even get an answer as to the reason behind the premium price, and to add salt to the wound, couldn't even find the race on active.com, where they advertise it to be. The response...you can sign up on race day. Guess it doesn't matter since they raised the price a month ago...

21st annual Kokanee Trail runs (week 5)

2010-10-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

After last weekend, when I got up to Mt Rose Meadows for my first really fun run in comeback #777, I'd planned on trying to stretch my wings (or Achilles) a bit this weekend. Another motivating factor was that this was the last chance for a Tough Mudder tune-up. So, I signed up for the 10k and was ready to go. I'd done a few runs of 5+ miles in the last couple weeks, with a long of 8.
Then my wife called to see if she needed to be present at my urology "consultation" on Friday. This was Wednesday. She found out that, no, she didn't need to be there, and they'd be able to get "the procedure" done right after the consult. Whoaaaaa, horsie. Didn't plan on that one. When I later called and asked about running on Sunday, 46 hours after getting the ol' snip snip, they just laughed at me. When I pointed out that Dave Barry got knocked out when he got fixed, they just laughed again. Nobody takes me seriously anymore!!! Anyway, Friday went as well as can be expected when someone is using a scalpel and cauterizing your junk. The ice pack was my BFF, for the rest of the weekend anyway, and things turned a nice shade of leprosy black and purple. Nice, yes? And you thought this was a running blog!! Mwa ha ha!
In the back of my head, of course, I was a good boy for two days in hopes I could still run on Sunday. Not that it's recommended (for a week) but recommendations aren't rules, per se, just general guidelines. Those with the balls (henceforth to be referred to as Harold & Kumar)to do it could do it, right? My plan was to go to South Lake with Dave and Turi, the male contingent of Team Library Dork, and if my warm-up jog was uncomfortable beyond what I was willing to endure, Turi would be me, and run the 10k in my stead. Dave was signed up for the 10k as well. I was actually leaning towards skipping the run on the way up (bumps in the road were no bueno) but at some point Turi mentioned he went for an easy run 2 days after the fact, which gave me a needed mental boost. By the time we got there, and I did my 50 yard jog with Harold & Kumar still intact, I was loosely planning on signing up (as Turi) for the 5k and Turi would be me in the 10. It wasn't meant to be, though. I manned up and Told Turi to sign up for the 10, and we all ran the same race.
There was no snow like last year, but the awesome weather from 2 days ago turned into thunder-storms and lots of rain. We hung out in the car for a bit after watching the half go off at 9, and for the first time since early June, I did a warm-up for something. I made the mistake of thinking my slower pace at the start of the half would serve as my warm-up last year, and I suffered for 5 miles before finally finding a rythm. I only did a mile and a half. If I would've done more, I'd risk too much fatigue in the race, since my mileage has been so low...so I was warmed up. A little.
The uphill start proved to be taxing again, but no 5k runners took off as expected in front of us. I ran with Mike Keck past the 5k turn in 2nd place, and leading the 5k runners, which was a huge surprise. I wanted to find a decent mix of aggressiveness and conservation with my pace, not having pushed for more than 3 miles since I've began running again. When we made a left onto the singletrack 10-11 minutes in, that was the first time I had a mental break. Running for 2nd now, which was still better than I thought I'd do. Mike forced a gap of about 12 seconds by the half way, but as far as I could tell, we'd seperated from the field. A minute or two later, he took off up a steep hill and pulled out of sight. Even though I'd stayed closer than I thought I would to that point, this was the second time I thought the race was over. I went up the hill as well I could, and then things changed a bit. I hit the downhills, twists and turns, and quickly made up the 12 second gap. Between mile 4 and 5 I was still 2nd, but the gap was less than a second, and I was feeling good. A smile even crossed my lips at some point in there. The problem was, Mike was feeling good too. After the re-crossing of the bridge at Fallen Leaf, he decided to run atop the wall rather than slow step the wet stairs at the end of the bridge. He put 10 yards on me there, but that was it. I caught up, and when I saw the yellow aspens we'd passed the first mile, I made my move.
If I'd looked at my watch first, I'd have realized it was too soon for a 165 pound version of my 150 pound self to start a kick. At elevation. Turns out there were two segments of aspens, and I chose to kick at the sight of the one farther from the finish, so...I had to back off a tiny bit. Just couldn't hold the kick, but I wanted to keep the pace hard enough to not let race open up again, while also not burning all my gas before getting to the end. The second grove came into sight, and I had enough to ensure not getting caught from behind at the tape. The official results (which we didn't stick around for due to the now torrential downpour) were all over the place. I think I was just under 43 minutes...let's say 42:50's, with Mike 30 seconds or so behind. Somehow the official results have me at 40:11, him at 43:18 (close to accurate), Turi (18th) at 53:02 (his watch-53:13) and Dave at 65:03 (his watch at 65:48). A completely unexpected win on a day I almost didn't run. Hopefully, this will become a springboard for fall/winter/spring training. My runs til now have all been well over a minute-per-mile slower than when I'm in top form, so there's lots of room to grow, as long as I can get & stay healthy.
Harold and Kumar did ok, though the ice is still close by, and will be for a few days. We texted Abby that I was still looking for Harold on the course, but she didn't know what the hell I was talking about. I'm sure she's not the only one. Once again, the weather caused us to skip the festivites at Camp Richardson's Oktoberfest. This time around, they were packing it in by 11 am. So, a return trip to the Brewery at South Lake Tahoe. Awesome food and service, so/so beer.
After a 30 mile week 5, this week I'll get 3-4 runs in, and maybe 25 miles. We shall see...the ice-pack becons. And to my secret source...Harold & Kumar say thanks for the vicodin!
PS-I'm sorry Turi is such a lazy a** and didn't bring his camera, therefore not allowing me to poach pictured from his blog. That is all.
Tahoe Daily Tribune link: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20101003/NEWS/101009921/1068&ParentProfile=1056

8 1/2 weeks down...3 to go

2010-08-18T11:05:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been over two months now since I've gone for a run, and "the boot" has been on for 23 days and 4 hours, not that i'm counting or anything. I've done a total of 10 minutes of cardio in those 23 days, and have been lifting heavy. My weight is up to 166 (from 150-151) and climbing. I plan to try and stem the tide at around 170, but I am so bored without my running that I need to keep lifting as heavy as possible to remain interested. My routine is pretty much 6-7 days a week at the gym, one day chest/shoulders/core, one day back/arms/core, with a halfed version of a leg workout (quads, hammies, hip tensors and flexors - yes, leg press, lunges, calves - no) every 2-3 days...rinse, lather, repeat, repeat, repeat, etc...
I hope that the week of September 6-12 I am able to do 2 easy runs (a 3 miler and a 4 miler) 2 spinning classes, and 2 x 25-30 minutes on the eliptical trainer, in addition to the weights, and go from there.
Tough Mudder NorCal is only a few weeks past that (7 miles of hills & obstacles). I'm doing it as long as I can walk, even if that means in the boot...though I'd much rather be able to actually run. I wonder if they have a time cut-off...

at the half way mark

2010-07-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

It looks like the second half of 2010 will be pretty uneventful for me on the running front, so I took a look at my goals for the year at week 26 to see where I was at.
Miles-goal: 3000+ actual: 1525 @week 26 (3050 pace)
weights (sets)-goal: 5000+ actual: 2608 (5216 pace)
wins-goal: 18 (i've won 17 in a year a couple times, never 18) actual: 13, 8 course records
goal: run for 11 months (48 weeks)...ain't gonna happen
5k time-goal: <16>15:46 (new pr!)
8k time-goal: 26+ actual: 27:03 on a hilly course, didn't get a shot at a flat one
10k time-goal: <33>33:01 so close...
half time-goal: 1:13-1:14 actual: none...ran a 5k and a 10k instead of two halfs
So, some of the time goals were met, and I averaged 60+ miles (with a peak of 82) and 100+ sets per week til things started getting cranky. I'll have little problem maintaining the weights while not running (300 sets the last two weeks), but the running miles may not reach 2000. I do hope to return to training this year, and maybe even racing, but three weeks after stopping my training runs, nothing is better, so I'll have to play the waiting game there.
Now that Abby has had the baby and is dropping weight, time for me to add some. I've put on 5 lbs. and counting in the last two to three weeks. Before any of you make any wisecracks about my girlish figure...I realize I don't need to worry about putting on 10, or even 20 pounds, from a general health standpoint. 160-170's for a 6 footer is perfectly fine, but as far as performance is concerned (and that's the goal afterall) I'm best at 150ish. My eating (and drinking) habits have already begun to change, as well. The snack foods that I usually pass right by when training and racing are somehow making their way into the cart, and the weekly beer tastings have increased in frequency (not that there's anything wrong with that)...it's just contributing to how much weight I'll have to drop come 2011 to get back to running 5 minute pace for a 5k...

Rocco James Badolato

2010-07-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

I know this is a "running blog", but it may be a while for another run related post, and we did kinda have a busy weekend after all...

trying a new approach...Burton Creek Trail Runs

2010-06-20T17:51:00.001-07:00

not on purpose, really. Mr. Nathan Biggs turned 5 and had his party at Rock Sport last night. I worked yesterday and shot over to the party right after. Consequently, my pre-race dinner consisted off McDonalds, Twizzlers, birthday cake...and Gatorade. Gotta stay hydrated, right? Ironically, me and Dave were theorizing about the effects of a fast food pre-race meal on the way back to Reno last week! That's Hannah above during her first foray into rockclimbing.

We got to the first Big Blue Adventure of the year (The Burton Creek Trail runs) outside of Tahoe City just after 8, and Kirk and I got back to the line just as they were getting ready to head out. This year, they had a 5k (3.47 miles) a 10k (6.95) a half (12.45) and a marathon (25).

Team Library Dork was once again in full force. Turi was the only one to man up and do the half, with Dave, Amber and I in the 11-12 K. Kirk was in the, oh, lets say 6k, and we did about the first 1.2 miles of the course before turning around, trying to follow the end of the course, losing it, heading back the way we came, and getting to the start 2 minutes before go time.

All distances took off at 9, and immediately started a long but fairly mellow climb. Kirk and I, along with an 18 year old 5k runner and Peter Fain, eventual half champ, started to seperate pretty quickly. We climbed up some single and double track to a watertower, hung a right, headed back down a little, and crossed a short dam (with a break in the middle), then got on some crazy winding singletrack for a bit. The young runner went by and me and Kirk just tucked in behind him. He wasn't willing to lead on the big climb (which came up pretty quick) so he relinquished the short-lived lead back to me with Kirk right behind. We started to pull away a little on the hill, and for the remainder of the flatish sections at the top. Here's where it got interesting, though. With a big lead, and the two of us running together (I'd say comfortably, but the aforementioned pre-race meal was wreaking havoc on my innards in the form of multiple side and stomach cramps) the pace bike (which hadn't let the whole time but at most of the turns) stopped. Within 30 seconds we came to the part of the course where the arrows had stopped during our warm-up. We figured we just hadn't gone far enough to see them. We were wrong. We went straight as all the arrows (which were all on the right side of the double-wide trail) went straight. After those three, nothing for nearly a minute-and-a-half. After some PG-13 cursing, we turned around, figuring we were both screwed spotting our competition a 3 minute lead. Well...we saw the back of the arrow for the missed left turn, not only on the other side of the trail, but it had been placed 15 feet or so off the trail, so you'd have to have already made the left to see it, or have known it was right there. So, we finished hard and came through the staging area (the end of the first loop/short course) with only the one kid having come through already, maybe a minute-and-a-half before.

The wrong turn having cost Kirk the win, I'd talked Kirk into pacing me for the second loop, but by the time he got through the chute and started back up the hill, we could see that may be difficult. I slowed a bit to see if he'd catch-up and to give my cramps a rest (which worked) but at the water tower, he went backwards up the back half of the course. I ran a hardish workout pace for the first 2/3 of the second loop, not willing to risk all the cramps returning unless I was being challenged for the lead. Me and Kirk met back up near the top of the singletrack and that was enough (along with the rolling downhills) to pick up the pace a bit. The cramps threatened, but never fully returned. I felt better about my own navigation skills, but sorry for everyone else, when Kirk told me there was a fairly large number of people that he'd pointed the right way just as they were heading straight and missing the poorly marked left, same as us. We ran together for another minute, then I mustered a bit of a kick, so I wouldn't get my man card revoked for slacking off between 3.5-5.5 miles. In the end, I came through 1st in 48 & change for what ended up as a high altitude 12k.

The course was pretty stinkin sweet, so we headed back out for one more loop as a cooldown. By the end, I was glad I'd decided against the half. At about mile 11 or 12, my IT band flaired up again (the Achilles was already pissed but manageable) forcing me to walk a little over the last mile - but we made it back, stuck around for a little BBQ, bean bag toss (we sucked) and awards. I wish the kid who "won" the 5k would have had the integrity to give Kirk 1st like Eric at the /Veggie Chase a few weeks ago. Alas, it was not to be. Not a word, even though he wouldn't have been close. No worries Kirk, you killed the course. An extra 700 never helps, though. Kirk's Dad even ran, and did well (2nd AG) in the short course!

Amber and Dave both finished second in their age groups in the 10k, with Turi finishing third in his in the half. Go TLD!!

We drove a few minutes back to Commons Beach in Tahoe City, unwilling to get all the way in, but soaking the legs and chillin on the beach for a bit. The weather ended up perfect for running...high 40's in the a.m. and low 60's when we left. Lunch at the goodbutoverpricedwithquestionableservice 50 50 Brewing in Truckee, and back home. Barring a miracle in PT, this is it for me. The walking of the cooldown cemented that. Who knows what the fall will bring, though. If you'd asked me any of the previous summers I had to re-retire if I though I'd be running PRs in 2010, I'd have asked if I could have some of whatever you were smokin, and the first six months of this year were great, despite working through more than one injury. I'll keep y'all posted...

da start

loop 1, just before i learned that i still had the lead

da finish

nappytime!

Fitch Mountain Footrace II

2010-06-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Actually, it was the 36th Annual, but the second time for me. Last year I went to Healdsburg and Santa Rosa with my wife and the Biggs's's's's. This time, it was Team Library Dork's turn to paint the town(s) red. Turi & I drove over Saturday afternoon, slightly delayed in our arrival by the unfruitful quest to find him a new running hat. We were in our room & relaxing by 5 p.m. though...well, Turi in the room, me at the pool, as it was about 90 in San Rafael.

Our quest took us to the New Balance outlet in Vacaville, where only ladies buy hats, apparently. However, we ran into John Ostezan, who was the captain of my Odyssey team in 2008, and who joined us on the TRT that fall. Fresh off the 2010 Odyssey, he (along with Paul Miers & his wife) were travelling to a race the following day as well, just not the same one as us. They were all running the (recently featured in Runner's World) Dipsea, but in a weird coincidence, were stating at the same hotel we were. So when they all got checked in, I was retrieved from the pool, and we went with them to the same italian pizza joint they went to before last year's race. At the risk of having our man card's suspended, Turi & I split a beer (so as not to test the sip-per-second theory, which originated on this same trip in 2009). I think it was safe to enjoy 6 ounces of light italian lager with a meal without the race being affected, but if you think it slowed us, please feel free to subtract 6 seconds from Turi's & my times. We don't mind. The pizza was quite good, and the conversation quite entertaining...and it's nice to know I'm not the most immature person I know (thanks guys!!). Back at the hotel, I went out to get some hot-tub therapy before settling in. Dave & Amber showed a little after 9, and we watched highlights and made fun of Kobe Bryant before calling it a night.

Sounds of the "A" Team awoke us at 5:something and we slowly joined the land of the living. We were on the road to Healdsburg (49 miles north) just after 6, and there are ready to go by 7. As much as I've grown to like this race, the T-shirts are about as attractive as Tom Arnold in a speedo (for the second straight year). Maybe Hannah needs a nightgown??? Anywho...last year I was unfamiliar with the course, but thought I could remember it this time around, & did 2 laps of the 3k course as a warm-up. My recent resurfacing of chronic issues manifested in my right hamstring of all places the night before the race, and made me hope the race would not come down to a sprint finish. Even walking around it was tight enough to pull back on the knee and hip (in opposing directions). Stretching only made it angry. Oh well - running at warm-up speed felt ok, but as I did a couple strides, I could feel there would be no top gear today. That usually is fine. If you're running too much faster than race pace, then you didn't pace too well anyway, right? So the plan was to go out at the pace I wanted to average so not having much of a kick wouldn't matter.

At 8:00 we were off. Me in the 3k, the rest of TLD in the 10k, but we all started together. After going up for a block, we veered right, and over a couple more rollers, while the 10k continued straight out and around Fitch Mountain and the Russian River. No sprinters in the field this time, but I didn't take the lead for about a half mile. By that first turn, Peter Egerton & myself had seperated from the pack as well as the 10k leaders. I'd pass on the second little uphill and just tried to push the pace from there on out. We ran by a Relay for Life at one of the local schools, and had a gentle downhill about a half mile before the end. I'm glad I had a comfortable lead by then because juuust where I'd have liked to drop the hammer and push on the downhill, I didn't have another gear. I think I went fast enough to sustain my pace and tried to pick it up as I rounded the last corner and saw the finish. I'd end up running 9:15 (9:29 last year) and as far as I can tell, that's the CR. Peter finished 21 seconds back, with nobody else under 10:00.

After a shoe change and short cooldown, I just missed Turi's 10k finish in 47 minutes, but did manage to get back onto the homestretch to cheer on Dave & Amber & snap a couple pics. Sorry I slacked on the pacing duties guys, but that hammie was pissed.

They were pretty quick with the results (which are posted below) and after the awards we had a little time to kill before Bear Republic Brewing Company (part of the reason I've run this race two straight years!) opened at 11:00. We passed the time climbing trees, eating a killer breakfast pizza (yep, same one as last year...bacon, egg, asiago cheese, & my good buddy Herb. Sometimes, change is bad.) and some juice and coffee. We were the first one's in, & had a tasty lunch before heading back to the hotel for some sun pool-side. We were finally able to find Turi a men's running hat at the outlets in Petaluma on our way to Santa Rosa for dinner at Russian River BC. The beer was outstanding, and the pizza greasy & cheesy...which I'd pay for later but it was sooooo worth it. We even managed an awesome (but too short) trail run at China Camp state park before lunch at Marin BC in Larkspur the following day. All in all, a fun & succesful trip for TLD!

I think the good ol' Achilles may be past the point of no return. I've already dropped my miles down into the 50's the last two weeks after 10 weeks of 76 miles per, but things feel worse than before, so this week I'm skipping the runs & seeing what happens. If a long break seems imminent I'd like to get one more trail run in (Big Blue Adventure Burton Creek) on Sunday before going into yet another shut-down mode, just as the weather is getting nice. I'll keep y'all posted...

Here's a link to Sunday's results-

http://www.healdsburgkiwanis.org/1773/48896.html

Hit the Road Jack 2.2 miler & 10k

2010-06-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

We started at the Alamo...er...Sonoma Plaza, and passed Sebastiani Winery a few minutes in.

Funny how the universe has a way of correcting itself to maintain the...er...cosmic balance, right?

Remember the awesome deal we got on last weekend's hotel? Well, universe, we're even now. Are you happy? Seriously, if you find yourself staying overnight in Vacaville for whatever reason, steer clear of the Best Western. I was happy that we got an $80 room for $51, but my goodness, what a dump! The only positive on this 93 degree day would've been the pool, but of course, it was closed. We were hit with a wall of heat when we opened the door to our room, and after leaving for over an hour (with the "air conditioner" on full blast the whole time) it was maybe a couple degrees cooler. If you were more than a foot away from the AC, you wouldn't be able to tell it was on, except for the louder than normal whirring of the motor. You got used to the noise, til it clumsily shut off a couple times in the middle of the night, only to start up again 20 or 30 minutes later. Good stuff!! I think the room was habitable by the time the alarm went off in the morning, but alas, it was time to leave the oasis that is the Vacaville "Best" Western...never to return.

It took about 45 minutes to get to Sonoma Plaza at around 7 a.m. Cool place. It was a little eerie how much this place (and the race itself) reminded me of the Fitch Mountain Foot Race (in Healdsburg this coming Sunday). They both start on a street lining the town square in the northern Califirnia wine country. Both have gently rolling hills that run you close to vineyards and surrounding neighborhoods, and both have a 10k and an abnormal distance short course (this one was 2.2 miles, next week is a 3k). Dave had pre-reg'd for the 10k & I signed up that morning for the short one, with my sights on the course record of 11:12, just a touch faster than my recent 5k pace. I managed to find the course and warmed up on it, and while it wasn't flat, there was no major climbing, and just one slow spot towrds the end of the first mile. Getting under 11 minutes would take a really good day, but 11:12 shouldn't be too bad. From what Dave said, the 10k course was similar with the major uphill around mile 4, which he said did him in quite nicely. For the second straight week, someone took off like they were running an 800. Probably even faster than last week. You can tell, though, the difference between, say, me running a 4 1/2 minute mile pace, and a Kenyan running a 4 1/2 minute mile pace. While it would be obvious to even the casual observer that I am sprinting, the Kenyans look relaxed at that pace, so you know they can hold it. The guy in the front was sprinting. He was older than the teens & kids who always seem to go out too fast, but there's no way he's gonna hold this pace. Right?

Well, it only took about a minute or so for the gap to stop getting bigger, and in another minute, he was getting passed by myself and a High School runner or three. I didn't see exactly where he finished, not knowing his name, but he was already feeling the pace less than a half mile in. I'd take the lead from the young'n around the half mile mark and tried to push up and over the hill without over exerting myself. The pace wasn't feeling too hard, but I was tighter than usual, so I wanted to be careful. Being careful, though, likely caused me to not accomplish my main objective of running under 5:00 pace. I slowed just enough when there was nobody pushing right behind me and I didn't kick til the 2/6 mile mark. I crossed the line in (I thought) 11:01, and rounded up to 11:02...and ended up with an official 11:04. Still 8 seconds ahead of the 11-year-old course record. Second was about 23-24 seconds back, and third about a minute. Over in the 10k, 34:19 took home the gold, and was also a semi-local HS runner. After a quick shoe change, I went back out on the course and came across Angela running with the stroller, and her and Larry D's son Max. This was about a mile-and-a-half in and he hadn't walked yet. He's FIVE! I took the opportunity to pace him back and had a blast. He even had a kick at the end, just like dear old Dad. Larry was next. I turned back around, and saw Larry almost in the same spot. I paced him as well, and he was closing the gap on the runner ahead of him, but the kid had quite a kick at mile 6. Larry finished 10th right around 39 minutes. Next up was Dave, who I caught up with right around mile 5. It appeared he'd paced himself pretty well, and traded back and forth with a few runners before coming in just over 57 minutes.

We stuck around for a bit for the awards...had some food...just enjoyed the sun, but we had a prior engagement. With Moylan's Brewing Co. in Novato. C'mon now. Don't act surprised. i know we were in wine country and all, but this is a mighty fine brewery. Did I mention they've got 19 taps running? Can you guess how Dave & I found this out?

Anyway...a fun race that I'd like to run in the future (maybe the 10k?).

I don't know what it is about June, but yet again (for the 4th time in 5 years) my body seems to be breaking down. It seemed like this year would be different, especially since May was possibly the best month of training and racing I've ever had. Go figure. My Achilles is still quite problematic, but if that was all, I could handle it...but my ligaments and joints, especially both IT bands and knees, seem to have suddenly lost all elasticity and are quite painful. So...still planning on Fitch Mountain on Sunday, but another involuntary break from running seems more than likely. Not too happy with it, not that having another baby and simultaneously losing my #1 stress relief option (which becomes an added sorce of stress when I'm injured) has we worried at all!!! I have a feeling that there may not be a better option, though, as my times creep upward with the pain level, and the enjoyment and sheer pleasure from testing the ol' body begins to wane.

We'll see...

2010 No Excuses 5k (but I'm sure I can come up with a few)

2010-05-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

Memorial day marked the day for the 6th annual Buzz Oates No Excuses 5k, a flat and fast course at William land Park, right next to the Sacramento Zoo. I'd done this race for the first time last year, and really liked it. So much so that I'd planned on coming back in October and running the Cowtown 5k (same course) to try and beat my time. But, well, injuries happen, more to some of us than to others, and I didn't make it back. Come November last year, though, things were looking up. I even got through a miniscus tear early this year without missing much time, and it's been paying off with some of the fastest 5ks i've run in years. We even got Hannah signed up for a quarter miler for the second week in a row! That would be her (with male escort) below... This weekend started before it began (that makes sense, right?). For those of you not familiar with how to beat the system, lemme tell ya. Priceline.com will narrow a hotel search to any area (in this case, Rancho Cordova, 15 hwy. miles from the race). There are only two 3-star hotels in RC, both of which I've stayed at and liked, the Courtyard, & Hyatt Place; priced between $80-90. Not bad, but I wanted to see if I could get lucky. So...I went through the process & bid on a 3 star, limiting the search to RC, figuring it had to be one of the two hotels, if they accepted my $47 ($59.88 after tax) bid. Well...I was wrong. Apparantly you are bidding on 3-star or higher when you place your bid, and my $59.88 was accepted by the 4-star RC Marriott! They have a choice of either 2 Queen beds or 1 King when you book their standard room, but when you bid on a room, you aren't really garaunteed your choice. Also, after they accepted the bid, I forgot to call to request 2 Queens (sleeping in the same bed with Hannah es no bueno) ahead of time. So I just inquired about 2 Queens when we showed up on Sunday afternoon. They were kind full, which surprised me. I figured they must have accepted the low bid cause they were hurtin' for business. Anyway, they didn't have 2 Queens available, but were willing to clean one for us if we were willing to wait. While me & Hannah were dipping our feet in the pool (complete with waterfalls, Koy pond, etc...) they offeredd Abby...you guessed it...a suite. For the same price, since we'd prepaid. It. Was. Huge! In addition to the sweet pool area and room that should have cost three times what it did, they had a nice restaurant at the hotel, with outdoor seating, so that night Kirk & his family (who stayed at the same hotel) had dinner with us poolside in the shade. It was very nice to not have to leave the hotel with the kids (4 of 'em) for dinner...and it was quite tasty as well.
Race morning dawns, and I'm not feeling quite as good as I was 2 weeks prior, but like I said then, we've all had good races on days we don't feel great, & vice-versa, so I didn't pay too much attention. After a couple mile warm-up, I made my way back to the start to be sure Hannah didn't get trampelled in the quarter mile. That grin you see on her face was there the whole time. Sorry...no splits! After that, Kirk and I ran another mile and a half, and got back to the line in time for the National Anthem, and then we were off.
Or should I say Jeff (Huxhold) was off. This would be him with a 10 yard gap in the entire field...100 meters into the race!! That gap would continue to grow for the first couple minutes of the race. I don't know if everybody thought the race was now for 2nd place, but I know the thought at least crossed my mind. The dude was flying.

Anyhoo, we settled into a pace, and Jeff had at least a 30 meter lead (on everyone!) less than a half mile in. The pace felt hard, but I couldn't tell yet if it was just preceived effort, or the actual pace, so Paul Smith, Steve Schenck, & I continued to shadow Jeff a few seconds off his pace, while pulling away from the rest of the field. I'd trade back and forth with Steve for 3rd & 4th place, running in 2nd only briefly for a few seconds during the first half of the race. I knew everybody up front to be experienced runners, and that it would be a battle. But I also knew if I could stick close to Paul, the defending champ, I'd be under 16:00. Paul got to Jeff first, just about half way, then myself, with Steve right behind me. Steve would pass me too, and I settled in and tried to hold the pace. The three of us had run a 4:56-4:57 first mile, which was too fast, in order to keep Jeff close (he was probably closer to 4:51-4:52!) and I'd pay for that little mistake the rest of the way, as the pace hurt earlier than it should in a 5k. No even splits like two weeks ago...not with a first mile under 5. I held on for a 5:11 second mile and a 10:08 split, but was flat out hurting by then. Mile three was tough, but I knew I had to keep contact to run a good time. I thought for just a second I may even be able to get by Steve at the very end (see Zoo Zoom 10k in April) but no dice this time. I managed to speed up a tiny bit after the three mile mark (5:14-15:22) but it wasn't enough. I finished less than 7 seconds off Paul, and a second-and-a-half behind Steve, in 3rd place, with a time of 15:51.5 (my third fastest 5k race...5 seconds off my best). I was happy with the time, but can't help thinking what might have been if I'd gone out just 5 or 6 seconds slower. Would it have been enough to take a few seconds off each of the remaining miles? I'll never know, but I'll sure wonder. Jeff held on close behind me for 4th overall in 16:00.0. Kirk pretty much made the same mistake we had...starting too fast, and paying for it over the second half...and finished 11th in 17:13 after a 5:11(?) first mile. We ran the course again too cool-down, while the kids played in the bounce house. I ended up with a 15:44 age-graded (which works out to a 82.03). I actually leapfrogged Steve S in the age-graded race, and got a plaque and microfiber shirt for the 16th place graded finish. Barbara Miller once again destroyed everyone, running under 24 minutes...at age 70!...Steve Bond ran a super fast 5k in 19:11...and Ron Gross crashed the party as well, with his highest graded finish in this race.

We lucked out with a noon check-out at the hotel as well, so we headed back there afterwards for another hour or so in the pool & hot tub before driving over the hill, which made the adults & kids very happy, and very sleepy.

Next up (probably) is a slight taper this week. Last week was again my highest in 2 years at 81.2! This week I'll shoot for 70, and lift less weights as well, just to see if I respond well. If not, I might as well be running 80, right ;)

After the taper, a likely trip to Sonoma for Hit the Road Jack. I'd like to go after the course record of 11:12 for the 2.2 miler, but I have no idea if the course is hilly, or even accurate. Don't worry, though. I'll keep ya posted.

Veggie Chase 5k, 2k, 100m, 400m...

2010-05-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

those are Bobby Carepenter's legs stickin' outta that there carrot suit!

I travelled with the fam to Rancho Cordova this morning to run the 2nd annual Veggie Chase. There were 3 races to choose from this weekend within 150 miles of Reno, but I hadn't heard of any of them. The Veggie Chase was the most kid friendly, so I signed up for the off-road 5k, Hannah & I did the off-road 2k with the stroller, and Hannah ran not one, but 2 races...1 with the other 3-year-olds, and one with the pre-schoolers.

Hagan park would be a pretty cool place for a road race too. The road/path system hooks up with the American River Parkway, but this one was all on a combo of grass, gravel, and dirt. We started in the park, and ran the majority of the 5k in Soil Born Farm. We got off to a bit of a rough start since they were already out of ALL kid-sized T-shirts when we picked up our stuff (even though you are supposed to be guaranteed the size you specify when you pre-register like we did). Hannah's shirt may fit her by the time she's 10. I warmed up in the park, and after a couple arrows a minute in, I couldn't find the course. Ironically, when the race started, we didn't even follow those first arrows.

We had a bike pacer at the start. Good thing too, as none of us would have had a clue where to go. It was a fast start, especially for the terrain. I started somewhere around 7th or 8th, and made my way up to second pretty quickly. A River City Rebels runner named Eric set the pace. It seemed pretty fast, but again, because of the terrain, hard to tell. After a few minutes, the bike pacers gave way to a couple runners who'd show the way once we were on the farm. They would switch back and forth as we looped in and around the course, and would leave us without a lead for short periods. Eventually we caught and passed one of the two pacers. I ran in second for about 8 minutes before pulling even then taking the lead. I tried to push the advantage on turns and little downhills, which usually signalled a change in terrain. About 3/4 of the way through, I had a lead of 10/15 seconds or so, and was juuust starting to pull away when I followed the pacer down another off-shoot (there were several of these where we'd go out a set distance and pull a 180-not a runners favorite). Well, this one was unmanned and aparently the pacer didn't know where to turn either. We figured out we missed it when the trail hit a dead end and both threw our hands up (THAT was fun!). There goes the lead. We'd heard some yelling but had been too far ahead to understand it, so had just assumed it was cheering for somebody. We turned around and got back to the missed turn right after third and fourth place. I didn't have enough time to catch the leader, who was now well ahead, but I closed the gap a bit and was easily in 2nd again. No idea how fast we were running as there were no markers. I'd guess around 5:20 pace. So just as I was about to finish the last few minutes stewing that the lack of organization would cost me the race, I saw an unexpected example of great sportsmanship...

As we made our way back into the park and made the final turn to the finish, Eric stopped in his tracks and waited for me to pass before finishing a few seconds behind. Since none of the spectators in the park knew what had happened, I'm sure he was on the receiving end of more than a few animated comments. So after all that, the streak (at 3) is still alive. Assuming the 5k was accurate, I ran an extra 50-60 seconds, and came across 1st in 17:21...maybe 16:30 for a 5k? I'm happy with that after the week I've had. After a PR and a 2 year mileage high last week, I came down with a sore throat and a rather persistent and annoying cough on Monday night. I got away with it for a couple days, even getting in a great speed workout in on Wednesday morning. Since then, though, I missed two days of work and have been trying to cure myself on Nyquil, Robitussen...and beer. Not working. I have to break every few seconds as I type this to hack a little more. My right Achilles and heel have been pissed non-stop for about a week as well. What the h-e-double hockey sticks?! Hopefully it'll go away by the end of the week so I can atleast have a shot at the Buzz Oates No Excuses in a week.

After coolin' down a couple miles, Hannah & I did the 2k, with her in the stroller in matching XTerra tops even! It was fun, being all off road as well. Hannah loved it, since she was bouncing in her seat the entire time. I have no idea where we finished, but it was a blast. Off-road stroller rolling is waaaay better!

Next up was the toddler trot for the 2-3 year olds. Hannah ran it without trampling or being trampeled, but was itching for more, as it was only about a hundred yards (50 out & back). So, we jumped in the pre-school prance as well, and she had a little bit more trouble focusing for a quarter mile. After that they had some other kid games and we spent some time on the farm before calling it a day and heading home. Needless to say, Hannah should sleep good tonight. She's runnin' the quarter mile at Buzz Oates too, so now she'll be ready. Mwa ha ha!!!

pics from last weekend

2010-05-22T10:39:00.001-07:00

here's a link to a few race photos from the "Avenue"...
http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%1Es%40s&EVENTID=67740&PWD=&BIB=809

Avenue of the Vines 2010

2010-05-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Not much more to say than last week was full of PRs. The last couple races had gone very well, and my mileage has been in the 70's for several weeks now. The 79 miles I ran last week were my most in nearly two years. That wasn't the end, though. I was almost keeping pace with last week throughout this week...and on Tuesday (as I'd posted that day) I ran an all-time best 5k on the treadmill. 15:36! But that was not the end. After a warm-up, the treadmill pr, and a few minutes recovery jog, I was able to add 5 x 400 at (slighly) faster than race pace before calling it a day. Hoping to continue that monentum, I did a 10 mile tempo run in 58 minutes the following day, sandwiched in-between a 1.6 mile warm-up, and a 1.5 mile cool-down. Needless to say, that was one of my more encouraging 2 day stretches in a loooong while. Thursday was ho-hum, and Friday's 12 miles weren't any faster than usual, but it felt a helluva lot easier both during and after. Saturday's pre-race run was a half run (5 1/2 miles) and felt easy as well. That's not always the case, as it should be.
So come race day, hopes were sky high, but we've all had great races on days you feel like crap, and crap races on days you feel great, so I was cautiously optimistic. Dave and I had a good meal the night b4 at Noodles and Co., and got a good night's rest in Rancho Cordova. We were even disciplined enough to only watch a half hour of The Hangover before calling it a night. Dave was running the half at 7:00 a.m., and I was running the 5k 15 minutes later, so we were up and on the road to Woodbridge at 5:30.
Cool venue for a race. The races started and finished on a country road in front of the winery, which had lots of grass and benches and picnic tables to kick back on and relax with a glass of vino. I was warming-up when the half started, and got to the line for the 5k a couple minutes before the start. If I was going to get under 16, this was the course. Flat as a pancake, with two mile-and-a-half straightways. Heck, even the roads themselves were built for speed...blacktop (softer than concrete) and not a single pot-hole, divit, etc...
The gun went off and I settled into a pre-planned pace in 2nd place. I took the lead a quarter mile in, and never looked back. Mile 1...5:05. Half-way...7:53-54, 180 turn, still feeling good, but doing the math in my head. I could run a 8:06 2nd half and still break 16. That's 8 seconds per mile slower. Would I slow down that much? That's actually been my problem during my recent close-but-no-cigar attempts...5:05-06 first mile, then I'd fade several seconds over the next 2 miles. The Rock-N-River 10k served as a mental breakthrough for me, though. It was the first time this year my road time was close to my treadmill time, and it was followed up by the mud run, which was significantly faster than the previous year, so...no breakdown this time around. I had a comfortable lead at the turn, so as long as I didn't completely fall apart, the race was in the bag, but to hit my goal, I'd have to push. Mile 2...5:05 again. Feeling it now, but no cramping or stomach issues, and only a mile to go now. I'd break it up into landmarks...ok...get to that telephone pole and there's only 0.7 to go. I was just guessing, but it kept me distracted. When I saw the final turn (and the finish) approaching, I tried to muster a kick, but I was already pretty close to maxing out. However, mile 3 (take a guess)...5:05! I've never run 3 even miles before, even on the track. I came across the line in the high 15:40's, which turned out to be a new PR (and course record) of 15:46.5 - 4 seconds faster than I've ever gone in a race!! Now that's what I'm talking about.
I gotta say, after 2 races in the new heavier Nike Lunaracers, I'm beginning to think the extra arch support & cushioning just might cancel out the extra weight (but I found a new pair of the lighter original just to be sure). Anyhoo, I got in a 5 mile cooldown with Gerardo Alcala, a 19 year old soon to be freshman at Delta College who placed third in his first race in a while. The miles flew by while we were talking and at the 12 mile aid station, a ginormous black dog decided to run with us for a couple miles (he'd end up all the way back at the winery an hour or so later, getting love from several hundred people). All in all, a 5 mile cooldown. We'd seen the leaders of the half out there as well. Rich Hanna (who's company did the timing) set a new course record of 1:13:25 (5:36 pace), followed by Fred Z from Reno at 1:16:10. Both of these guys are masters runners, by the way. Rich is 45 and fresh off a freakin' 2:33 marathon at Big Sur, and Fred (who won the Bizz Johnson Marathon last fall at age 49) will be 50 before his next race. That's right, holy crap! I jogged back out on the course with Fred til we saw his wife, Deb, and ran them back in. Her goal was to crack a 1:40, and her official time was a 1:39:58. Way to go, Deb!
Somehow I got suckered into going on Fred & Barry's cooldown, but I only ran with them back to mile 12, then sat on the tailgate of the truck at the aid station with yet another dog, and waited for Dave. He came along not long after, and I ran with him over the last mile or so. He was able to cut nearly 8 minutes off his RNR time, and ran a 2:14:31. All that cooling down gave me yet another high...my first 80 mile week since 2008! I wasn't expecting that, but I'll take it. We hung out with everyone for a while, had a few samples of wine, and collected more wine for the overall & age group wins. We headed south to Stockton for more food at Valley Brewing Co, before the trek home. As usual with Capital Road Race, there were no issues of any kind. Of course, I wanted to be sure about the course, and USATF and Map My Run both have it right at 3.10. Sweet! I also like to see who my competition is, so I looked up 2nd place on zinsli and got a bit of perspective. His most recent 5k listed was a 16:11. My last one was a 16:08. Different courses, but still. Yesterday he was 33 seconds (10-11 per mile) behind. His most recent race was the 12k from Sausalito to SF, which he ran in 41:21. Hmm...I ran that course in 2001 before any surgeries...in 41:22. That just served to make me feel even better about the day, and hopeful for the future. Today (as has been the case lately) my muscles feel mostly recovered already, while a few joints (right knee, hip, achilles) are a little cranky. As long as they don't get worse, the bar for 2010 keeps going up, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.
Sorry...my lovely wife Abby was not present and therefore there are no pictures. I'll link to the official race photos when they're posted.
Next up (for me and Hannah) is the Veggie Chase trail 5k on the 23rd.
http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/2010_AOTV_5K_OVL.HTM results, 5k
http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/2010_AOTV_HALF_OVL.HTM results, half
it doesn't get easier than this off the track (5k course map)...
http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=194479

5k pr

2010-05-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

1st speed workout of the week...I was able to take 1 second off my previous all-time best treadmill 5k. 2.7 miles at 11.9 mph, 0.4 miles at 12.0 (that's all she had, but the last 45 seconds was on an uphill)...15:36. One of these days I'll get back into the 15's on the road. The funny thing is, I never got under 15:45 on the tread in my 20's, but have done so 3 times this year...the 5k races just haven't caught up yet. Here's to hoping they do. Soon!

Reno River Festival Run Amuck relay (PG 13)

2010-05-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

got shorts?

Kirk injects illegal steroids only in his right leg. Hope he doesn't get caught...

Hannah was diggin the helmets

My second foray into the mud was yesterday. Last year, Team Library Dork teammate Turi & I managed to pull out a surprise win in the 4.8 mile obstacle relay course. I had a new partner this year, as Turi is nursing a sprained vjayjay (just kidding buddy!). Seriously, though. I did have a new partner, as Turi has done less running this year and was a little apprehensive about sportin' the old speedo for 2.4 miles. What? I forgot to tell you? Our uniforms this year consisted of a black bikini brief and a blue under armour type shirt. Mine was emblazoned with a yellow "C" for Captain Banana Hammock, and new partner Kirk Ferris had a bunch of grapes across his chest as the Grape Smuggler!

I'd given him as much info about the 2009 edition as I could, but it's not exactly the same from year to year, so we met up at 1 & ran the course as part of a 5k warm-up. It looked like the Reno High football guys were back, but hidden behind a tree before you got to the mudpit, and there was a "maze" after the pit where the football players were last year, although we suspected there would be a more sinister element to that obstacle once the race started. Hay bale hurdles. Check. No crab walk this time, and instead of the balloons at the end, it was a quick round of hopscotch, through the foam pit (which turned out to be a wall of bubbles) and on to the finish.

After the warm-up, we got our barely covered heinies to the start, and at 2:00 were off. I ran the first leg again, and again was a little surprised how many people took off really fast. Most had slowed by the first turn, though, save for a couple. The field had grown to nearly a thousand this year (456 teams), so the people walking and running the opposite direction on the return trip were as much of an obstacle as anything on the course. Three minutes in, I got blasted with a firehouse (on low) and some super soakers by "cops" wearing fake 'staches and shorts that would make Daisy Duke blush. Another minute or so to the park...over the hurdles and onto the little loop where the football players lurked. I was in the lead again, so three of em tried to gang up on me as I was passing through alone, however...after trading blows with the first one (which is surprisingly tiring after a 5 minute mile) I had a Barry Sanders flashback, faked, sidestepped, and accelerated past the others, who very obviously did not expect me to have another gear or two. Well that was satisfying, but starting to tire again. Poo!

As I made another turn onto the grass and approached the pit, I saw Tim, who so mercilessly pounded me the last mile of last week's 10k, gave him a wave, and tried my darndest to long jump into the mud. In my defense, real long jumpers going 25 feet or more don't have to do a 6 minute run-up before their jump like I did. Nevertheless, my twelve footer ain't puttin' the fear in anyone anytime soon. Made for a good splash, though. And my shoes even stayed on this time. On back through the "maze" which was a series of roadblocks that served more as a very brief rest as opposed to a real maze. Gotta like that! Back to the road, running against the grain, feeling a little better, and a little faster than last year, which was good, cause the mummy (that's right...mummy) wasn't really that far behind. After another soak and a quick game of 'scotch, Kirk came running towards me. Pleasant surprise there as last year we had to run all the way back to the start before the second guy goes, but that did cut each leg by 60 yards or so.

Kirk took off without the soap baton that I'd lost when I re-entered the atmosphere in the mud, and took off fast. I jogged in through the foam pit and finish, and worked my way through the crowd to get back out on the course to see Kirk down the homestretch. It was about 20 degrees cooler than last year, which was nice for running, but not for washing of in the river. Luckily for me, between the thin mud and the water/soap hazards, I was almost clean, and didn't have loads of mud in bad places like last year. I got back to the entrance to Idelwild before I saw Kirk flying around the corner and on to the Booth St. bridge, still in the lead. I flipped around and ran him nearly to the finish, before breaking off. Our official time for 4.6-4.7 miles was 24:21, which comes out to about 5:12-5:17 per mile! Whoa...I had NO sense of pace when I was running, but was hoping for something resembling a good 5k pace between obstacles. Needless to say I'm ecstacic we ran (at worst) well under 5:20's including the slow-downs. My expectations (and self imposed pressure) for a good 5k time continues to grow each week.

The mummies finished about 80 seconds back, way ahead of 3rd. I wouldn't know 'til later that one of em was Jeff Huxhold (who at his peak is noticeably faster than either of us). I hope his basketball continues to go well. One less guy kicking my butt on a weekly basis. I still have to figure out how to get Tim that ex-lax, though. We did a couple more miles to cool-down, then hung out at the park, listening to music and putting the legs in the freezing cold Truckee. After enjoying a buffalo burger and a couple tasty Sierra Nevada brews (who replaced Budweiser as a sponsor of the festival) they held the awards on the ampitheater stage like last year. Unfortuntely, with a micro replacing Bud as a sponsor, the Bud girls were absent from the ceremony. Shoot! The price to pay for better beer, I suppose.

It had been advertised that first place would get season passes to Mt Rose, but there should've been an * bigger than the one next to Barry Bonds "records" next to that one. The pass I brought home is good from December to March...except for Saturdays...and Sundays...and all Friday/Monday holidays...and a two week stretch in December/January. In other words, it's a great pass for those who don't have a job! I'd just been thinking what a good idea it was to have a prize that really doesn't cost any hard money, but it's close to useless. Don't get me wrong, most runners, as well as myself, are not in it for the bounty, but I can't help but be disappointed. Last year were such pleasant surprises in May, with swag from a multitude of sponsors, and this year's will end up being a rather worthless peice of paper. Between that and the Silver Legacy who cut about 75% of their prizes for the climb two weeks ago, & that was quite a letdown just based on last year. They did, however, improve upon the rapper-style medallions from last year. I know...how could they, right?! Well, the above pics of the hand painted trojan helmets (how's that for a trophy) should prove my point there!

Today Kirk did not rest, as he was running the 5k at Mom's on the Run, over by Reno High. I started my morning at the gym, did a slighlty abbreviated leg workout, and headed to the race on foot. Nice morning for a run. There were at least a couple thousand, and some familiar faces from the previous day, now in pink instead of costume. I didn't get official results, but Kirk ran a good pace...16:50 for 5k (first time under 17?) and I ran with running/drinking buddy Dave to a 27:40. After another little cooldown, I got to run back uphill to my car at the gym, but all in all, it gave me 79 miles for the week to go along with 122 sets of weights (my goal avg for the year is 60+/100+). Over 70 for another week and my highest total (I beleive) since 2008! I like that the races are going fairly well during the high mileage weeks. I'll try and hold the 70+ a week through June, and see what happens when Dilbert/Stryder/no-name is born.

Next up is another shot a 15:...at the Avenue of the Vines 5k on Sunday. Should be fun...

~~PS: I'm impressed/surprised that the RGJ actually printed our team name. Seeing Captain Banana Hammock & the Grape Smuggler in the Mother's Day paper was quite entertaining!

Sweet & Sour or Aaaaarrrrggghhhh (the story of the Rock N River 10k) 2010

2010-05-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

I started to prep for my 2nd local race in a row a couple nights ahead of time by soaking in a freezing cold ice bath...followed by a hot soak the night before. The former seemed to work to recharge my legs, which are starting to feel the effects (both good and bad) of heavier mileage over the last monthandahalf. The latter served to loosen me up a bit so I woke up Sunday morning ready to go. Kirk & I had run the course the morning before, which isn't something I usually get to do, but Doug (the RD) gave me really good course direction via email, and as you guys know, I can get lost on a track. So that, combined with the fact that last year's courses were not so obvious to the runners (so I've heard) & it served to settle the mind to know the course. I also got to map it on mapmyrun.com to check the mileage (6.24).
It was cool on race morning, but the wind had died, so it ended up being just a little colder than perfect. I slow jogged and walked around a bit, and caught up with Turi & Dave before their half started at 7:00. I actually ran a mile of their race before pulling a 180 and running back to my car to shed some clothes and change shoes. I was trying the updated* (*=heavier) Nike Lunaracer 2 . The original Lunaracer was (IMHO) the best racing flat ever made, so I have NO idea why they felt the need to add almost 30% to the weight and change the upper material. Heavier or not, the cushioning is soooooo comfortable. I didn't get away with going barefoot in these like I could in the last model, though. My shoes looked a little like Curt Schilling's World Series sock by the time I got back to my car after the race. Outside of that, though, they're awesome. Maybe I'll be able to break em in a little more or wear some moleskin and still leave the socks in the car. I just love the feeling of the shoe and road beneath my feet when I'm racing. If socks aren't necessary, I'd just rather not wear em.
Anyway, back to the action. I got in a couple of strides and stretched a block from the start, and made my way to the line with a couple minutes to go. There were many familiar faces (Fred, Kirk, Scott, Mike Weller...Skip Houk was even the emcee). We took off exactly at 7:30, headed south from the Reno arch and took a right on 1st Street. I led briefly for a couple blocks after the first and eventually settled in behing Aggies runner Tim Koepsell. The last time we'd raced (in the dark) I didn't stay with him past half way and was a ways behind after 5k, but that wasn't a day I ever used as an example of my fitness level. This time we stuck together like white on rice...for most of the race. Mile one went by in 5:18. What a difference from the 5:09 I ran in the wind in Sacramento in my last 10k. I felt good this time as opposed to redlining too early. We headed into Idelwild Park and by the time we left the park, it was down to the two of us. I don't know who had been in 3rd, but judging by the shadow present for a mile and a half, it was either Fred or Scott. Anywho, we reached the turn, which was juuust over the halfway mark, in 16:39-16:40. There were a couple times on the return trip where I thought he was going to drop me, only to keep contact. Mile 3-5 was ever so slightly downhill (maybe 40 ft.?) so these two were actually a touch faster than mile 1-3 going out. When we reached the backside of the 1 mile sign, Tim made another move. Subtle, but one I couldn't match. He was 5-6 seconds ahead when we hit the homestretch, and finished in 32:54...7 seconds in front of my 33:01 (5:19 per mile). Fred came in 3rd in 34:24, Kirk was 4th in 34:42, and Scott 5th in 34:48. Of course, everybody in the top 5 would have won last year's race, where nobody broke 35. That's just been my luck. Not to mention the fastest time in the half was 1:19. 1:19! Oh well, the huge one race winning streak's over. It was easy to deal with, though, as this was the fastest 10k I've run (off the treadmill) since surgery in 2001. It comes out to a 81.96 age graded, which is almost where my 5k/8k/10k pr's are from my 20's. Almost. It's 27 seconds off my pr from when I was 23.
Anywho. I got some more miles in on the course, and got to run Turi & Amber down the homestretch. 77.3 for the week, which is close to my best for the year as well. All in all, a very good week. It's amazing how one good day can blend into another, too. I ran 13.1 trail miles today. Nothing fast, but no dead legs either, and that's possibly the longest run I've ever done the day after a race. We got to hang out for most of the morning too, starting with a coffee stout of course, and eventually progressing to a solid breakfast. The next race for me is only a few days away. I'll be partnering with Kirk for a midday obstacle relay on Saturday. I'm hoping their sponsorship has not dwndled since last year the prizes were amazing!! And the food & beer will be waiting for us at the line. Can't beat that. The next TLD race will likely be the Fitch Mountain Footrace in Healdburg, CA on June 13th. I'll be probably be the short one there too, as the rest of TLD probably run the 10k, while I'd like to take 10 seconds off last year's 3k. Till then...happy running.

2nd Annual Climb the Legacy (Fight for Air Climb - Reno)

2010-04-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the day came with me feeling good about my overall fitness. I'm about 20-30 seconds faster in a 5k than I was in May of 2009. That would be 4-6 seconds faster in the climb, with everything else being the same, but they were not quite the same. I'd done about 3 times the amount of stair specific training last year, while this spring I had a goal of trying to become consistant with my mileage base. I've acheived that goal, as I just passed 1000 miles for the year during my 12 miler yesterday! I don't even think I hit 1000 miles by June last year. I've also done 70+ miles for 5 straight weeks. The only time I'd ever done that was when I was training for the marathon.

So, I knew I could match last years time, and had hoped to better it by a few seconds, but what ended up happening was I ran less than a second (faster) than my 3:26.8 from last year (3:26.0). It was a weird day. As far as my legs are concerned, I could have (and therefore should have) gone a little harder. You never want to feel like you had anything left at the end of a race. It's a race after all. Why hold back? But in my feeble brain, I was scared of fading over the last few stories, and while I definitely wouldn't say I was comfortable (far from it) I think there was another neglacted gear there. IF I do this event next year, I will not make that little mistake again. As it was, I didn't fade at the top and ran a 3:26 for 1st place (for the second time) by 15 seconds. I waited at the top for the rest of my team (My Drinking Team Has A Running Problem) to finish. The weird thing about this year, and this seems to apply to lots of people, not just me, was that it was even harder on the lungs/chest/throat than previous climbs. While there's always some lung butter, coughing, etc, involved after running up a dusty, poorly ventilated, & often smoky stairwell, this one took the cake...and it was pretty stinking clean! I don't know why, but Dave and I were hacking so much (and for so long) that we were dry heaving emphatically. After my practice runs I'd have a little cough through most of the day, but this was twice as bad as those, and my practice stairwell is far smokier.

Go figure.

Anyway, Ben's family joined Abby & Hannah down on the street and we hung out for a bit, having some fruit and BBQ, waiting for the results. The hardest part about this type of race for a competitive athlete is that you really have no idea where you stand when you finish. Like a time trial on the bike sans radio, so you just have to put the petal to the metal and hope you did enough. No seeing where your competition is. So, we hung out a bit after I got in a nice 4 mile cool-down, giving me 9 for the day & 72.7 for the week. The awards were slated to go off at 12:00 (the climb started at 10), but come 11:59...still tabulating. 12:15...still tabulating. That would become a theme. Some time after 12, we were told the glitch preventing the times from being able to be downloaded to the computer would not be fixed anytime soon, so we went home. Well, we went home after bringing Hannah into the Circus Circus for a bit to ride the tram and play a few games. Gotta keep the little rugrat happy, right? Especially since she'd been so patient in waiting with us. The results were on the site first thing the following morning. 3 guys ran under 4:00, Dave ran a 6:05, and Ben a 6:06. It might be interesting to pit these guys against eachother in a few 5ks. I think Dave's got the definite edge in endurance, but Ben is quickly improving his speed over short-moderate distances. Way to go guys!

Dave and I will be looking into the Sacramento Climb, held in November. It'll be hard for us to sign up for more than one a year, since besides a few of you, our friends are cheap and the fundraising is a pain in the arse. I don't mind doing it at all. It goes to a great cause...I just think I'm gonna be stuck footing the bill one of these times, and I really can't afford to pay $100 for a race that lasts a few minutes. We'd like to both continue to do the local edition, especially since we've done it both years of it's existence, but it's hard to get too excited when the timing has been an issue two years out of two. Third times a charm, though, right??

Next up...two more locals. The Rock-N-River 10k* on Sunday, & the Run-A-Muck relay with Kirk the following Saturday.

*I hope the 10k is a 10k. The half wasn't even close (maybe 12.4-12.5) to being accurate last year. So not too worried about a time goal for that one, I just hope to be competitive.

prepairing for 3 minutes of pain tomorrow...why, you ask?

2010-04-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

36 floors is why! Ouchie.

That's why the good Lord invented elevators.

It'll start hurtin' after a few floors, & oxygen debt will be rearing it's ugly head by the half-way point or so, but that's what racing is all about - pain management, right?

Dave, Ben & I will be lugging our fund-raising heinies up to the 36th floor of Northern Nevada's tallest building for the 2nd annual Climb the Legacy, put on by the American Lung Association. Yes, we are crazy, and yes, Ben will be signing 8 x 10 glossies of himself after he finishes.

Big Thanks to Peter, Jennifer, Amber, Bob & Turi for the generous donations. The rest of you are cheap :)

That is all.

7th Annual Run Rocklin

2010-04-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've decided you guys can just start calling me three. It seems to be developing into a pattern. Not that there's anything wrong with that. (that's right, Seinfeld is in my blog now...mwa ha ha ha!). Somebody has to take out the fast guys and then watch them blow by, right?
Seriously, though, this was an excellent race. Well run, great layout afterwards, and a nice, well-marked course. But I am still hoping that this recurring pattern of every race I do being deeper than usual just stops. Enough already!

Anyhoo - I toyed with the idea of going to Grass Valley the night before to avoid a two hour drive on race morning. Not that 130 miles is so far, but the body's been cranky and I wanted to avoid it if I could. The down side is that while the race morning trek would've been an hour or less, the drive (after work) the night before would've been nearly two hours itself. Since I wasn't travelling with anyone this time (the wife & kid+ stayed home, and my race buddies were in San Diego enjoying some world-class beers) I couldn't justify the cost of even a cheap hotel, so I ended up leaving the house just before 5 a.m. for the solo drive to Rocklin. Not so bad once the sun started to come up, but man was it a chore to stay awake before that. Anyway, by the time I got there at 7, I was more awake, & had plenty of time to walk around & work the kinks out before I'd have to warm-up. My experience started off rocky, as I heard the person in front of me being told that they were out of large shirts. Already? There wasn't a whole lot of people there yet, & large seems to be a pretty regular size, right? So I pondered the point of signing up ahead of time & filling out your shirt size if they'll all be gone looooong before everyone gets theirs anyway. Lucky for me, a medium fits just fine. So I get up to the table, give them my name. The bibs/chips are in alphabetical order, and matched to a corresponding #. Mine was 42. 42 was not there. So I asked if I should go back to my car & get my active.com confirmation from the 5th. Nope...they looked on the master and my name was there, but my number and chip were gone. So somehow, somebody ended up with my chip & number, but they were on it. Within two minutes, I had a new # & chip, and my info was changed in the computer. That was fast! I can only imagine the insuing calamity at some of the less "organized" runs I've been to.
So never having ran this particular race, I set out to warm-up on the course about 35 minutes before race time. A couple rollers, one sustained for a quarter mile around the mile mark, but really nothing serious. I think actually the rough condition of one of the roads in the middle mile made more a difference than the few small hills. OK...goals intact now that I know the course could be fast..."A" 15:59 - "B" 16:09. I thought either of those may just win it, but, well, you already know how that went.

When the gun went off, there were alot of young'ns sprinting up front, but a couple that looked like they knew what they were doing. When the sprinters faded, though, there was still a large pack up front. Probably about 10 through the first few minutes of the race. We'd just start to spread out by mile one. I was one second off the leader, with a 5:06 split, and was 5th out of a tight-knit pack of seven or eight. The first "hill" spread things out further. A leader (the eventual winner) pulled away by just a couple seconds, and I traded back and forth between 2nd & 4th with a couple of William Jessup U. cross country guys. Mile 2 was a 10:22 split. Struggling a bit, but still holding a decent (if slightly off goal) pace. I was squarely in third now, with the leader pulling away and 2nd with a few seconds gap on me. I made up no ground on him until my final kick, which maybe I should've started earlier, but I was hurtin'. I finished one second behind him with a 16:08, and 12 second off the lead. Just close enough that I wonder what I could have done different in training or during the race to pull it off. We had, however, pulled away from the rest of the pack, as there was a 23 second gap between 3 & 4.

By the time I changed shoes and was heading out on the course backwards for a cool-down, the 12k leaders were coming in. There was an Auburnian Kenyan woman in the field that was a sub 33 10k runner, but she must have had an off day, as she finished behind a couple of guys that can't run that fast. The leader smoked the course, and I think missed the record by a couple seconds, in 38 minutes and change, with two more under 40 before the field started to thin.
So, all in all, a good day. For my $27 entry fee, I got a race, a tech shirt, 2 slabs of rock (one for 3rd overall & one for the AG win), a slice of pizza, 2 bottles of water, 2 cups of coffee (to keep me awake for the drive home), a fudgecicle and a rootbeer flavored popsicle, a banana, and an apple. Good deal, no? AND...$25 for 3rd overall - although I may have been duly inspired for a better kick if I'd remembered at that monent that 2nd place got $50! I would recommend this race in a heartbeat to anyone looking to add one to their calendar. Decent field size too...13 or 1400 in the 5k, and 600+ in the 12k. Thanks to the massive amount of volunteers that helped w/this one - they were great. I am also now justified (and then some) for racing as much as i do. I ran into Greg Mandler, a super-nice guy that Dave & I met during the Folsom Trail series. I've been running into him al ot, and now I know why. Not only does he have a streak of racing EVERY weekend since March...of 2008!...during the busy seasons he'll often run twice in a weekend, and has either raced 100 times in a year, or is well on his way to doing it this year! Holy crap. Makes my "high" of 33 from 2000 seem just downright wussy.

Recovery is ok...lots of...er...let's go with "lung butter" today during my 10 miler, & that was before a shot up the crusty ol' stairwell. I don't think I'll stop coughing anytime soon, but on my fifth try this year (as opposed to at least 3 times that in '09) and just 25 hours after racing, I was able to match my best time up to the 29th floor of the Circus Circus, with the stairclimb race only a week away. In the last month, i've gone up untimed (but slow), 2:28, 2:17, 2:14, & 2:13 today! Like I said in my last post, I'd love to pop off a 2:0-something, but there's just no time. I did manage the 2:13 at the end of a 9.1 mile easy trail run and an addition mile on the road. So I'm hoping to take a few seconds of last year's time, but that was a good race for me last year, so we'll have to wait & see on that one.

Hello, stairwell, my old friend...

2010-04-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

Well, the 2nd annual Climb the Legacy is coming up in 10 days. We've got chip timing this year, and the race is a couple weeks earlier, so the firefighters won't have to get all geared up in 90 degree heat (45 is more likely).
At this time last year, I was just getting into racing shape, after a layoff, but had done quite a bit of stair-specific training, including the waaaaaay bigger (taller) than the Silver Legacy Climb California San Fran. It took getting my arse kicked on that one to kick my training into high gear, and from that point through the first half of June, I got in a ton of climbing, and my other race times started dropping as well.
Fast forward 11 months or so. My running fitness (and therefore shorter race times) has been better than it was in April/May of last year since late last fall. While I was just getting under 17:00 last April, I've run 16:10 and the road and am hoping to go lower. What I haven't been doing as much year, though, is climbing stairs - and since my "normal" races & training has been going fairly well, I'm not really willing to do so. BUT...I have gone up the practice run 3 times in the last couple weeks, hoping my better overall fitness would compensate for my lack of specific training. At first I wasn't so sure. I (barely) managed a 2:28, as opposed to a 2:13 last year. In addition to the fact that i was sore for several days after, which I'd hoped to avoid by only going up 1 1/2 times as opposed to 2, 15 seconds is A LOT when you're only going for a couple minutes! Well, the day after Zoo Zoom, I was back at it. Not expecting much, although my legs were ok for the day after a 10k. 2:17! Reheheally??? Well that's a nice surprise. Maybe there's hope after all. After a Wednesday interval workout, I ran just under 8 1/2 miles at an easy-moderate pace, mostly trail, & met Dave at the well, again not expecting much. I think the longbutnottoofast runs beforehand actually insure I'm properly warmed-up, but I would be be affected by the prior day's hard run, so again, not expecting much. Familiar burn just after half way...2:14! Hmmm. Only one second off my '09 best after a hard day. Gotta be encouraged about that. I'm not recovering well at all, but I've got two more days til my next 5k. I'll go back Monday, & possibly one more Thursday, depending on how the week unfolds. I'd really love to pop one off, like say, a 2:09 - to get my head where I'd like it to be. Days as rough as today have you questioning all kinds of things...

(2 FER 1) Trail Less Traveled Quarter Marathon AND Zoo Zoom 10k

2010-04-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

4/4 at the start...i look like i need to poo because he's going too fast already!

After warming up with the 5k, then imploring Rich not to run me into the ground. Didn't work. 40 yds in... 3.11 miles in...hurtin too early

Wavin' Dave

At least I didn't swalow my gum this time

Dave finishing strong

Hannah @the line making fun of me. Point & laugh dear, point & laugh

ready(?)

Houston, we have a problem.

either celebrating or stretching...

she was putting in some more miles after the race...

Nathan & Hannah on the snake slide

Dang, that Sacramento Zoo has some funky lookin' kangaroos

Why two races in 1 post? Because I'm laaaaazy! Mwa ha ha ha. I hope the 2.7 of you that will read this are not too disappointed in me.

3rd Annual Trail Less Travelled

We actually found a race on Easter morning, and hit the trails near Lake Oroville on 4-4, much to my delight. I've been having a tiny run of bad luck lately. Nothing that couldn't be fixed by me running faster, but many of the races I've done lately are just downright faster than usual. Example, you ask? Well...in Portland, my time would've been good for 3rd-5th the last few...I got 7th. At Bidwell, 2nd or 3rd...I got fifth. In the last two races, it was a combination of the race being faster than recent years & just picking the wrong distance to win. In Lake Oroville, the top 3 or 4 guys ran a pace (for 6.55 miles with a BIG hill) faster than the winning 5k pace. Oh well. The "Quarter" marathon was cooler. Better views, and a kick a## downhill. This was only the third year, so when I scoped the results, I thought I had a shot to win. The 2009 CR was out of my reach (high 36) but the '08 winning time was 39 & change. I could do that...

I hate to admit it, but I pretty much knew the race was over before it began, barring earth shattering events. As we got out of the car, a familiar face jogged by. David Mosier, whom I ran with til he dropped me, in the Redding Marathon, who also happened to be said CR holder for this run, and he's just plain faster than me. Dang nabbit!! Oh well...just gotta go out there and put the hammer down. Try as I might, and I did for a couple minutes anyway, I just couldn't keep up, so by the time we got to the base of "the hill" (dun dun duuuuuun) I was already in no man's land between 1st & 3rd. Did I mention I suck on hills? Kinda my weakness this year - although I'm in better overall shape than 2009 - due to the nature of my injuries, and subsequent avoidance of serious hill training. So, I dragged my butt up the steep mile long climb, losing ground every step, and when I got to the top and made a sharp right, I saw I was no longer in no man's land, because I'd gone slow enough to allow third place to close the gap to about 10 yards. FRICK! Luckily for me, my forte is speed on downhills, and that's what came next. I was able to put the hammer down from mile 3-4.5, and maintain pretty good from there to the end, to finish comfortably in second by almost a minute, but more than 1:40 back from the leader, in 38:40. It ended up being a great training day, though. With a longish warm-up and longer cool-down (with David M) on the course and other side of the lake, I got in 14 1/2 miles, which is my longest day since January. Dave was happy enough with his run as well (though the hill sucked for him too), finishing 52nd in 68:11 & we headed back to Grass Valley for Easter festivities.

30th Annual Zoo Zoom 10k

4/11 was another shot at a 33 minute 10k, after dropping the ball at Davis in February. This was another race too, that was possibly winable...unless somebody showed up & broke the course record & stuff, but that wouldn't happen, right? Right?

Yeah, not so much. Not only did the CR fall, it fell in angry weather. The rain held off til later in the day, but there were some strong winds out there, & the winner was not running with anyone after the first couple minutes (I tried again but it just ain't workin, runnin with these faster guys) to break the wind. He ended up running...wait for it...31:21...on a windy course. Alone! That's 5:03 per mile, for those keeping score. My A goal this year is to hold a 5:20 pace...which would give me a low 33-, but my "if I can run this I won't be pissed" goal for the race was 33-something. 33:01 is splendid, but 33:59 would do. Just a 33. I feel it prudent to mention the starter told us the winner of the 5k, which had gone off 35 minutes prior, ran 17 minutes. Double FRICK!! It was actually just under, but c'mon. I'm a competitive guy, but I've been winning less lately, and I miss it. Oh well. I didn't know there was a 31 minute guy in the field, & the winning time the last two years in the 10k had been 35 minutes, but who is this I see - Rich Hanna, who pulled away from me in the last mile of the Bidwell Classic. Well, that was a decent race, but there was room for improvement. I'm confident in my training, just not my consistency, and it didn't help that I spent the first two hours after bedtime on the floor the night before, rather than trying to squeeze onto a queen size bed with my pregnant wife and squirming, won't closehermouthandjustgotosleep 3 year old. Seriously...ON THE FLOOR. When the movement & jabber stopped a while later, I was still wide awake, and squeezed onto the bed, staying as close to the edge as possible, to avoid Hannah'd piston-like feet. They're usually not so bad once she falls asleep, but when you have insomnia, it doesn't take much to keep you up all night. We're gonna have to rethink this next time we stay in a hotel.

Anyway, I said hi to Rich and Steve Bond, from Grass Valley, & we were off. Neither of them, though, reminded me this wasn't a 5k, though, & although I didn't know it at the time, I took off at 5k pace to keep the leader close. Which worked! For a mile. Running a 5:09 opening mile in a 10k (in a headwind) didn't effect my time much, although I'd venture a guess that if I'd run the first mile 10 seconds slower, each mile after would've been 4-5 seconds faster, but it sure made the remaining 5.2 a sufferfest that I wouldn't wish to repeat. I maintained semi-respectable splits, and came through the 5k in 16:42. Rich would catch me within a couple minutes on loop two, even encouraging me to stick with him (Have I mentioned what a good guy Rich is? He's a good guy!) but that only worked for a couple more minutes. As I faded in the wind, I was caught and passed for fourth place, athough I mustered some kind of response this time and didn't let him pull away. He got a gap on me a couple times, including with a mile left when one of his buddies yelled "take off the cruise control and make a move" and he did. Triple FRICK!!! He just took off, which made me think he had been toying with me. Kinda demoralizing when you're struggling, but then not long after, the gap wasn't getting bigger. Maybe even a stride smaller here and there. Check the watch. Still can get under 34 and salvage a respectable time if I pull my head out of my butt. The 6 mile sign did the trick. I'd developed a cramp trying to keep up with Steve, who was about 20 yards or so in front of me. It's hard to maintain a fast pace with a side cramp, but you can go for short bursts if you are willing to suffer, so when I saw that sign a couple hundred feet ahead, I just went. I passed him quickly but was waiting for another burst from him. I ran scared from mile 6-6.21, as you can see from the bug-eyed wide-mouthed (I needed AIR!) picture that Abby got 100 feet from the finish, and I eneded up getting 3rd back by 5 seconds, and finishing 12 seconds behind Rich, with a 33:44 (although I could have sworn the clock read 33:40 as I crossed). 5:26 per mile...6 seconds per mile to go and 2010 officially kicks heiny. Dave finished 268th out of 620 finishers with a 58:15, and Steve Bond ran another in a series of strong races, finishing 24th in 40:47!

Next up was a series of kids runs, with Hannah in the first of four, with the 4 & under crowd. We started up front, which may have been a bad idea, as Hannah takes a few seconds to respond to the gun or horn. She just kinda stands there and giggles as the kids all around her take off. But I was right behind her, camera in hand, and we sprinted about 40 feet before she was trampelled. That's the red blur pic I included up top, which I'm sure would have been a great action photo. After the carnage, which didn't phase her at all, I ran with her hand in one hand, and the camera in the other, as we were know surrounded by the flock. She loved every second of it, and even got a medal AND a race t-shirt for her troubles, as well as free admission to the zoo.

The Biggs's's's's from 3 doors down were planning on meeting us at the zoo if the weather held, and they got there just a few minutes after Hannah finished. We started to look for the awards ceremony for the 10k, which was in the zoo, and ended up getting the 8 of us in for free, although only three of us raced. OK, I now officially take 1 1/2 of the 3 fricks back. So, we got to see most of the zoo before the weather got really nasty, then proceeded to a new beer spot, just up I-5.

Brew It Up, which is a combination brewery-pub-brew it yourself personal brewery (there was a group there starting up a batch as we ate), well...rocks. Good food. Good service. Solid beers across the board (and we shared 20!). Even a couple styles that I usually don't get very excited about were standouts...the California Common and the Pale Ale. The big boys didn't disappoint either, as the Russian Imperial Stout, Barleywine, & Imperial IPA were three of their best.

So...next up in another string of races is the Run Rocklin 5k. I suppose me putting that in print is going to make a team of 15 minute 5k guys show up, but there it is anyway. Should be fun. I will not, however, be bothering with the pre-race hotel this time. Just a Sunday day trip, followed by Climb the Legacy 4/25. Must - run - faster!

Scheels Fanatic 5k

2010-03-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm glad somebody is pickin up the ball that the city of Sparks dropped when it started getting cheap &/or cancelling their races. The new sports superstore is doing a pretty good job of giving runners races several times a year. They're still (only) out at the Sparks Marina (and i'll address the course issues in a sec) but they're trying...and that's a good thing. There are a ton of good runners in this area, but it's been a rough go of it as far as local races are concerned.

We woke up to close to freezing temps and some wind. Where'd spring go? Actually, it was pretty nice later in the day, but 34 degrees with a breeze when I pulled into Scheel's at 7:15. I'd run here in August (yes, the one where I got chicked), but I didn't see anything where the start had been, and the finish chute was facing the other direction. Silly me, thinking the course would be the same. Actually, I'd hoped that they lengthened it by a hundred meters, as it was short last time, but no need to change anything else, right? Right??

Wrong again, Bob! During my warm-up, I saw that the mile markers were all far off from where they'd been before. My old training partner Fred (and I do mean old) showed me a map they had at the sign-in table, and it was, indeed, a totally different course. We took off right at 8, and I was a bit surprised at how many people took off fast. I started about fifth, and worked my way up to second, and stuck there for a minute or two before taking the lead just before the half mile mark. Just after the half mile mark there was a nice, speed-killing 180 degree turn around a cone...and we then proceeded to run directly back into the other 400 runners. Gotta say - liked the old innacurate course better. There was a bike out front, but we were running against the entire field on an 8-10 foot wide concrete path. Not a good idea, guys.

Anyway, as it turned out, the mile splits were about even. The only problem was that each mile was about 10 seconds slower than what I had in mind. 5:22, 5:26, 5:25, :31 ~ 16:44. Maybe due to the cold (at least I hope so) my legs never felt warm, and I was never able to hit the gear I wanted to hit, even at the end. Lucky for me, 2nd place faded to 3rd, and Fred worked his way up from 6th at the early turn to 2nd at the end, 15-20 seconds back. So - I was able to hold onto the lead, & got my man card back for finishing a minute in front of the one who did the chicking 7 months ago. After a long cool-down and a cold awards ceremony, we thawed out over coffee & breakfast with Fred & his family (Ian & Deb also ran), Kevin, & Al. I was feeling good enough to get a full weight workout in at the gym before going in to work @1, but of course am having a relapse of an old injury today. Got a full run and weights in today too, but can't bend, turn, move, etc...

FUN!!

Next up most likely is the Zoo Zoom 5k on 4-11...one more shot at breaking 16 minutes.

Portland Shamrock Run & Beer Trek 2010 (first ed.)

2010-03-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Dave & I decided to change our plans to drive up to Bend, OR to visit Deschutes & run the Grin & Bear It trail 5k. We were excited for the trip, but in our decrepid states, were not looking forward to 7 hours in the car...each way. So, while figuring out if it would be better to fly into Portland & drive south to Bend, it dawned on me that Deschutes had expanded and now had a pub in downtown Portland as well. No brewery tour, but all the same hop & barley goodness we were looking so forward to. Now, if only Portland has a race this weekend.
Imagine my surprise when within a minute I not only found a race that offered three distances (5k, 8k, 15k) on Sunday, March 14, but realized that combined, this was Oregon's largest race! It reached it's max of 21,500 sign-ups a week or two before race day. So, plan B started to look a heck of a lot better than plan A. 1:25 flight insted of 7 hours in the car. I didn't have to put another thousand miles on the Prius. The race we ended up doing was waaaaay more exciting than what we'd planned (it's been a while since I'd done one of this size), AND...Deschutes ain't the only game in town. Still one of my favorite breweries, we'd be sure to hit them first, but Portland is pretty much beer Mecca, & we had our choice of Breweries, specialty beer stores, &/or beer bars all over town. We even got a good deal at the Marriot Residence Inn, which happened to be the host hotel. We rented a car, but walked about half the time. We were less than a mile downriver from the start/finish, so race morning was a breeze, & also ended walking to Deschutes (about 25 minutes NW in the Pearl District) & McMenamins (10 minute walk). Heck, we even worked out at two different 24 Hour Fitness locations (walked to one) and had another gym (where we worked out the day b4 the race) that was two blocks from the hotel.
Race day came upon us with the legs feeling a little heavy, but no more than the usual amount of pain in the knee or hip. Dave started the 5k at 8:05, and I decided to ease into my warm-up (for the 9:00 8k) by slow jogging backwards from the finish to mile 2 of his course. I saw Dave here & ran in with him to mile 3 before he took it in. He got close to breaking 27:00 (27:20), and seeing as how the middle miles of all the courses were uphill, it was a pretty good effort. There were too many people in the area after his finish to find him, so I checked my warm-up gear, and finished my jogging & strides before making my way to the line.
I had a much easier time getting to the line here than in Chico last week, even though there were close to 6,000 people in the 8k. There was no countdown, so I'd just come out of a down dog stretch when the gun went off, surprisng more than a few of us...hence the two second difference between my gun & chip times, even though I was right in the front. I knew from years past that the top guys in this one were out of my reach, so I had no desire to go to the front after the gun. Two guys seperated almost immediately, followed by a large chase pack, of which I positioned myself near the front. Once we settled into pace, I beleive I was 4th (briefly), tucking in behind the leader of the chase. I hit mile one tied for 4th/5th in 5:18.9, but I was starting to wonder if I could hold that pace. I didn't know the course, but knew from Peter's blog on the 15k a couple years ago that it was not flat. And what do you know, within a minute, we were climbing...and climbing...and climbing. No mountains mind you, just a steady climb for a full 2 miles, broken up only by a 2-lane break each block as you crossed the street. Then up some more. I missed a mile 2 split while dropping back a couple more spots. I'd be in 8th (hanging onto the back of 7th like a fly on poo) when we reached mile 3 (16:54). That gave me a time of 11:36 between 1-3, which I'd have been fine with if it had felt like I'd held back, but, well...not so much. I really needed the end of this hill to stay in the top 10. Lo & behold, a minute or so later, we saw it. A sharp left, then the drag race began. From 3.25 to the end, the race was 99% flat or downhill. I managed to run the 1.97 miles (the first .2 of which was still uphill) in 10:20, or about 5:14 per mile. I got back into 7th on the first downhill, and never gave it back, although 6th was just a few seconds out of reach. I ended up crossing the line in 27:04 (5:27 per). A few seconds off my goal, but not enough to be upset about. Besides, the race was only half the reason for the trip!
Needless to say, we hit a couple breweries on the trip. We tried to do a rerun of our succesful drink-rest-race-drink strategy from the NY/PA/DE trip last fall. So...went to the best place first. Friday night we met up with my friend Will (who lives in nearby Vancouver) at Deschutes Brewery. It was a little nippy, but nice enough that Dave & I walked there, through the heart of Portland, from our hotel. There was one random building with 30 foot crab legs swinging from the roof in the middle of downtown that got our attention. Deschutes (as usual) was phenomenal! We tried everything they had on tap, and had some awesome food to boot. Will came with us back to the hotel to soak in the hot tub, and try another beer (of course). Hell, Deschutes is so cool, they even had Dyson hand dryers in the bathrooms. Sounded like a jet was taking off every time someone dried their hands. After a rest day Saturday (kinda) we cooked our own meal in the room (pasta & salad w/italian sausage) complete with smoke alarm. We couldn't resist splitting a large beer with dinner (which threw of our NY strategy) but it was soooo good - a barrel aged doppelbock. If I think real hard, I can still taste it. Anway, Green Dragon & Mcmenamins were visited on Sunday after the race, and after having a couple Rogue beers at the farmer's market next to the race. Here's the rundown of what we had &/or brought back...
bottle/can-Great Divide Hoss Rye Lager, Stone/Brewdog Bashah, 21st Ammendment Monks Blood, Full Sail Top Sail Imperial Bourbon Barrel Porter, Lompoc Barrel Aged Doppel Bock, Great Divide Yeti, GD Oak Aged Yeti, GD Espresso Aged Yeti, Southern Tier Unearthly IPA, Alameda Black Bear XX Stout, Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad, Alesmith Wee Heavy, Alesmith Speedway Stout 2010, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, GD Belgica, Stone/Brewdog/Cambridge Black Imperial Pilsner, Stone/Maui/Ken Schmidt Imperial Macadamia Nut Coconut Imperial Porter, Southern Tier Iniquity Black Ale, Bruery Two Turtle Doves, Midnight Sun TREAT (cocoa pumpkin porter), Liefman's Kriek, Midnight Sun 3767 (brett IPA), Schaffly Reserve 08 Imperial Stout, HaandBryggeriet Barrel Aged Porter, Harvieston Old Engine Oil, Russian River Consecration, Temptation, Supplication, Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws, GD Titan, Upright Brewing Oyster Stout, Highland Ambush barreled Scotch Ale.
tap-McMenamins Ruby, Hammerhead, IPA, Tripel, Porter, Dry Irish (nitro)Alameda Black Bear XXRogue John John, Imperial Mocha PorterGreen Dragon Strong Scottish Ale, GD claymore, Dogfish Head Black & Blue, Duchesse de Bourgebourgebourge, Laurelwood Moose & Squirrel, LW, Arctic ApocalypseDeschutes Jubel 2010, Black Butte Porter, Green Lakes Organic, Bachelor Bitter, BBitter (cask), Mirror Pond Pale, Cascade Ale, Inversion IPA, Obsidian Stout (nitro), Hop Henge, Red Chair, Fresh Squeezed IPA (cask), D Stratt Dubbel, Sam Hain (nitro), Gluten Free Wit, Armory XPA, Ivanna Weiss, Miss Spelt Hefeweizen, Hop In The Dark Cascadian Dark Ale, Streaking Lil' Buddha (a blend of Dissident & Streaking the Quad).We also could have got a growler (that's right, a growler...of Bud Light...from the airport terminal). Somehow, we resisted.
Definitely a trip (& a race) that I'd like to do again in the future!
here's a link to my race pics (yellow): http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%18%7EA&EVENTID=63145&PWD=&LAST=badolato&DIVISION=&BIB=1601
and Dave's: http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%18%7EA&EVENTID=63145&PWD=&LAST=eveland&DIVISION=&BIB=10343

Bidwell Classic 2010

2010-03-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

the start & finish(es) of the 34th Annual Bidwell Classic

Last weekend was another shot at a faster 5k time at the Bidwell Classic. Originally my goal had been to break 16 minutes in this race, but my knee had other ideas. Some days it's been a victory just to get out the door, while others feel "almost" normal, well, for me anyway. Since my initial sharp whatthehellwasthat pain in my knee, i've dropped down my miles while trying to maintain quality, and like I said, sometimes that's worked, sometimes not so much. On my treadmill time trial day 2 weeks ago (which was a good day) I managed a 16:17, which is o.k. if I can match that on a realcourse, but I've been slower of late on road, and had peaked a month ago with a 15:37! At that point, I was holding out hope for a 2010 5k pr, but alas (see second sentence reference to stupid-a** knee). So...now I'm 40 seconds slower...on a good day. Time to adjust the goals? Not quite yet. Last week I was able to manage a slightly better 2 x 2 mile workout which left me about 6-7 seconds per mile off peak pace (as opposed to 13 per the previous week) on a good day. Still havening madening consistency issues, but what'r'ya gonna do?

Abby & I met Robert & Callan Warner leaving Fleet Feet & grabbed some pre-race dinner at House of Bamboo in downtown Chico. CURRY IS GOOD. I LIKE CURRY. Everyone should like curry. We then checked in to the Holiday Inn, & Robert finagled us a 2 p.m. checkout, which meant...drums please...that's right: we were able to not only stick around and watch a few friends finish the half, but were there when Sierra Nevada Brewing opened their doors @11 (with hot showers still waiting for us after lunch)! We soaked thatnight for a few minutes in the near scalding hot tub, which actually did a nice job of loosening up my knee and hip. I'd guess right around 110. I'd go back in for a few minutes in the a.m. & the temperature had returned to a non-lonster boiling 104. So - got to the park feeling better than the day before, and ran and out and back warmup on the course. No hills at all. Niiiiice. I guess people in Chico don't like giving up any room on the line, though, so after a couple death glares as I made my way to the front (including a couple from kids &/or ladies that had no business being on the line) I made my way to the second row and had to run around about a dozen of them after the gun to get in behind the leader. From this point on, this was pretty much a repeat of No Excuses in May (go out fast, do some dirty phone breathing for a couple miles, hold on for dear life) but with slightly faster splits. I was in 2nd from 0.1-0.7, got passed by (eventual) 1st & 2nd place about 3-4 minutes in, & by timing guru & 45 year-old stud Rich Hannah at the bridge at mile 1.3. I stuck to him for most of the remainder of the race, and we were both catching the early leader at the end (who ended up third)...only 2.6 seconds ahead of Rich in 4th, & 4.8.seconds in front of me in 5th. Man those 6 seconds per sure would've come in handy. As it was, I ran 5:09, 5:19, 5:16, :30+ for a 16:15.0 & 5th place in the deepest Bidweel field in recent years (16:15 would've been #2, #1, or #2 the last 3 years). Inhaling my gum 7 minutes in provided the only entertainment of the morning. Robert came in just ahead of his son Callan (who he'd been pacing) at 20:44, and 12 year old Callan narrowly missed a pr at 21:18, and won his age group. Neel had a nice run in the half, & we even had lunch with a few other Grass Valley runners as well. For me, it was my first official age-graded 80 of the year (first since the Davis TT in November), but I still have work to do to either break 16:00 or dare I say it...run a pr. That would mean cutting 25 seconds. Unlikely, but possible if I can ever hea up a bit without starting over fitness-wise...again! I had a great interval workout yesterday, but pissed the knee off all over again after a stair workout today. Nothing hard, but it's not happy. PT was a joke. Usually it'll feel like it helped for at least the rest of the night and you wake up feeling the same. Today I knew before I left that ot hadn't done any good. Oh well...Friday we leave for Portland, and an 8k where the leader may break 24 freakin minutes. Hope I can find my A game before then (I'd settle for a B+).

Folsom Winter Trail Run Series Finale

2010-03-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

start of the 7 1/2 miler

a few minutes in, before any of the hills

the start of the short course

Dave & Ben (respectively) just before the turn

coming back, less than 2 miles from the end of the series

Dave & I conned (I mean, persuaded) Ben to come with us for this one. He'd actually been to this park before, but hadn't raced with us since September in New York. This was a good one...it ended up just a hair under 50 degrees and sunny, with a light wind. After the weather we've been having, it couldn't have been much better.

We drove over to Roseville Saturday night. I'd booked a Hyatt (that turned out to only be three weeks old) for $70 on Hotwire.com, which has the distinction of not letting you see your hotel 'til you book it. However, being that (as of now) there is only one 3 1/2 star hotel listed in the Rocklin/Roseville/Licoln area, this would be it. When we arrived, I requested a room with two beds (since Hotwire also does not allow you to specify the # of beds you'd like). Not an upgrade, just two beds. What we got (for $70 after tax) was a two-room suite with two queens in one room, & a sectional couch, computer table, fridge, etc, in the other. Did I mention that it was only a $70 room? By the time we got settled in (after another great meal [and a mojito] at the Elephant Bar on Sunrise) it was 9:45...15 minutes 'til the hot tub closed. We really needed a soak, though, as my knee decided to wait 'til Saturday to get angry this week, which meant no recovery time if I wanted to run. So - we went down to the pool, tried the room key. Nothing. Tried again. Nothing. Dave & I figured they had closed down the pool early since it was empty (which isn't ok) & I told myself that as I hopped the fence & let Dave in. We had a nice soak for 15 minutes, & went back to the room for the night.

The FWTRS races start between 9-9:30, depending on distance, so we had plenty of time to relax in the morning. I figured I'd get in another quick soak in the tub, but again, the key didn't work. When I inquired about room keys gaining access to the pool, I was told that they wouldn't work, because the hotel was so new, and the pools hadn't been certified yet, and as such, were still closed. Oops. Now that soak the night before seemed even better. We had a little coffee & bagels instead and headed to Beals Point State Park for race #8 in the series. I really didn't know this time around wether or not I'd be able to run 'til I started the warm-up. The first steps were very tentative, & turning &/or climbing (even over a curb) was kind of a joke, but things got better as I ran. I did most of the short course (muddy in a few fun spots but not too bad) and headed back for the 9:15 start. Dave & Ben would do the short course 15 minutes after I took off.

I felt good enough at the start, and went out relaxed. I didn't want to be too aggressive at first, especially if it wasn't necessary. I resisted the urge to check over my shoulder, but had a comfy lead by the short course turn. Of course, things hadn't gotten interesting yet. We'd gone up and over one decent size hill at mile 1, & a steep, short, muddy hill at the turn, but the real fun was the water tower hill. I was running the flats and downhills agressively now, and ran controlled hard up the hills. Footing was pretty good for the most part, & I only tried to run off the course twice. By the time I was back on the short course, I was feeling good, like I hadn't come close to overextending myself, which is always nice, & (after catching Ben right before the last little hill) came across the line in between 46:16-46:19. About 40 seconds better than when we ran here in the storm. I had my trail shoes on & was off on my cool-down before the watch read 50:00 (& before my knee told me to skip it) and got to see lots of others out there on all three courses. Bryan Hacker was the next guy in my race, & ended up 6:05 back. Kirk Ferris was winning the long course comfortably (he also won by 6:05-weird!) and in doing so, locked up 2nd overall in the men's points race. Dave was 35th on the short course with a time of 30:52 & earned 68.25 points. Ben came in shortly after, placing 43rd with a time of 32:47 (64.26 points).

Of course it wouldn't be a trip worth taking without the obligatory brewery visit. We went to Rubicon in downtown Sac for the second time this season, this time for the "beers of California" to mark the end of Sacramento Beer Week. Several goodies, but the standouts were North Coast Old Stock, Rubicon Hop Sauce, & Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale. Abby met us there (and drove us home) & I'm hoping she was thoroughly entertained before we all fell asleep in the car.

It looks like the series results are in, and for me, one of my season goals has been met. I've actually been trying to go through a series undefeated for a few years now. In the Gold Country Grand Prix's first year (2006) I'd been cruising, 'til injuries got the best of me, and I failed to win any of the final three races of the year. In early 2007, I was still getting back in shape after a long time off, but had surprised my self with a couple wins. That ended in May, when future relay teammate Brandon Neid beat the crap out of me on a tough 5k course. I got him back at the end of the year Turkey Trot but the Van-dammage was done. 7 first place finishes, one second. 2008 held promise. I'd been racing well since the previous fall & (almost) made it through the year without any of the chronic injuries becoming unmanageable. But...after what was possibly my best race of the year (a 34 minute "Colors" 10k, I made my hip angry, & eventually piched my sciatic nerve during a TRT run the following weekend. In survival mode now, I once again was beat by Brandon, this time in the series finale again preventing the undefeated season. I only ran two of the GCGP races in '09, & only started the Folsom Trail series because Bizz Johnson directors never got back to me to let me know if the half was sold out. So instead, Dave & I drove to Folsom that weekend, & were instantly sold on the series. That first race ended up being my toughest test, as one of the previous series winners caught up to me right at the top of the final descent. Luckily, as I'd been slacking for a mile or so, I had enough of a kick to win by 12 seconds. The gap was bigger in the others, but as the season went on, I was once again beggining to exist in survival mode...dropping from the long to the short course 5 weeks ago due to illness, and not knowing 'til last minute the last two races if I'd even be able to run. I'm hoping to be able to continue on with some physical therapy, as there are super fun events coming in March, April, & May that I reheheally don't want to miss.

For the series, I ended up running 5 short courses, 2 intermediate courses, & 1 long course. Two scores were dropped, & two were worth double so in the end I earned 800/800. Dave ran 7 of the 8 races, all on the short course, & had his best effort during a double points race. He ended up with 508.72 points, placing 35th overall (out of 615 individual runners), was the 13th male (of 278) & was 5th in the 40-49 age group, which ended up being the deepest in the men's field. Congrats to all the others who completed the series, and a big GIANT thank you to Diane & everyone else at Breakoutracing, who have been great through the whole season. It was a pleasure doing this series in large part because of the great staff & volunteers that made it so enjoyable. I know it's a lot of work, but you guys make it worth it for everyone. THANKS!

Hopefully, next weekend I'll be in Chico on Saturday trying not to get smoked in the Bidwell Classic 5k, & the awards party for this series is the following day. Should be a fun weekend...may have to fit a beer or two in there somewhere...

Here's a link to the series results-

http://ultrasignup.com/events/series_results.aspx?series=12&year=2009

2010 You Gotta Be Crazy 5k

2010-02-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

pre-race & the start of YGBC 24

Hannah working hard as always

the homestretch

last weeks blister still alive & kicking

Last Sunday was the 24th Annual You Gotta Be Crazy run, kicking off the local race scene here in Northern Nevada. This was the 5th time I've run it, making it the first race I've ever done 5 times (I beleive I've done the Daffodil Run, Bridge to Bridge, & Run Through the Colors 4 times each). I've been all over the place too...ran a high 16, but placed third, back in 2000 or 2001, ran it as my first race back after several YEARS off in 19-something in 2005, placing 6th. Won it the following year with a 17 & change. Ran it again last year as my first race back after a 2 month trip to the DL, placing 3rd in 18:29. This year, the goal was to get under 17 on this slightly hilly (& slightly longer than 5k) course. Then...the snow started. The forecast was for an inch or two, tops, but really; what do they know. In the morning I had to get the shovel out, just to get to the car. Close to two feet on top of the Subaru, probably close to a foot-and-a-half on the ground (just north of Reno). This was an odd storm, though. I was thinking there is no way they're running this race, but I remembered the name, and I wasn't going to be "that guy"...you know, the one member of the team that doesn't show. So, after digging out the car, we eventually made our way to Verdi, where Dave had opened the "hospitality suite" complete with Jittery Joe's Coffee.

I was feeling somewhat unmotivated at this point. It's been a rough couple weeks. Between the half-dollar sized blood blister, side cramps during the majority of the previous few runs, and another dose of the knee pain that sidelined me for a few days last week. This week, it happened on Friday (after 3 days off because of the foot, I'd run well enough that morning). After a post-run breakfast with Hannah, the knee almost gave out as I put weight on it to get up. Same sharp pain, but I caught it a little quicker. I muttered a couple choice words that I'm glad Hannah didn't catch, and limped around the rest of the day. I took Saturday off, which meant if I was able to run Sunday, it would be the only quality run of the week. Then the snow hit, & it became obvious that there would be no 5-minute-pace running this week. I warmed up on the course, and had no real problems with the footing at warm-up pace (although it would obviously be slower) & the knee seemed like it was going to hold. At the start, I noticed the lack of local elites (good for me I suppose), but it made me feel good that TLD had all showed up despite the weather. At the start it was about 28, and wouldn't get a whole lot warmer til the sun peeked out that afternoon.

We first headed down a hill, and it became obvious that footing wasn't as good at the faster pace, which was actually nice, since the big hill was coming not too long after the downhill & bridge crossing. Because the heart rate wasn't spiked at the bottom, and I had a lead, the hill wasn't too hard, but my breathing was pretty eratic. I hadn't settled into any kind of rythm, which I felt in my lungs & my legs. After the hill, there was a long straightaway, which can be mentally tough in most cases, but since we kept our eyes down due to the snow, this section didn't seem as long. It was during this section, though, that I developed another side cramp. Couldn't tell ya why, especially at a pace halfway between workout & race pace, but it was there, & didn't go away. So...hard to push the pace the rest of the way, so I was just in survival mode. I even made the rookie move (a couple times) of glancing back to be sure nobody was coming. A big fat jerk in a giant gold SUV sprayed everyone with freezing slush & ice whilst speeding dangerously close to the runners (& volunteers), but outside of that, the rest of the run was pretty uneventful. I came across about a minute and a half slower than my goal time in 18:25, but it was enough to win by almost a minute and a half. No cooldown for a 2nd straight week. I should probably break that pattern.

After some quick eats, drinks, & awards, we headed to the hospitality suite for brownies & beer.

Good combo. Thanks Turi for the Maui Coconut Porter Brownies, & to Amber for the Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout! Bourbon County - always nice as well. So far this week I've been able to run, but not particularly well. Tomorrow will be my first hard interval day (hopefuly) since the first knee flair-up, so I'm a little anxious to see how that goes. Til next time...

Here's the link to Sunday's results:http://www.silverstatestriders.com/Results.aspx?id=2

(LATE) Folsom Winter Trail Run Series #7

2010-02-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

approaching Brian @mile one

2nd place?

Sorry it took so long to get this out. I sincerely hope all 2.5 of you that read my blog are not too disappointed with my laziness.

The forecast was clear for the weekend, so Dave & I drove down the morning of (with Abby & Hannah in tow). I'd say I'm getting a little old to drive to out-of-town races on race morning, but I'm usually met with sarcasm, disbeleif, etc, when I bring that up. For me, at 32, 8 years removed from Achilles surgery, and much less removed from a partial tear in the other Achilles, it's more about chronic injuries & tightness than age...but I reheheally don't like going further than 30-40 miles on race morning. Dave was kind enough, to his detrement, to prove my point by pulling his calf three steps into his warm-up. As I got back to the car after warming up on the short course, he was taking off the race gear. CRAP! At least he's got his six races in, so missing this one didn't hurt his points. Hopefully it's a quick heal, although it's likely related to recent knee issues. So, he joined Abby & Hannah in spectating (good course to do that on I guess) for 17 minutes or so while I ran the short course.

I'd decided that the course was not so technical, and decided to wear my Asics Piranhas, even though they are an ultra-light road shoe. BAD. IDEA. I think I'd have been fine if I hadn't already made the mistake of wearing them at the Davis Stampede 10k without socks, but, well...I get away with that with the uber-comfy Nike Mayflys, so I took a chance. At the end of that race, I noticed a couple hot spots on both heels, and a blood blister in-between the balls of my left foot. No biggie yet. I ran a normal week, and did one of my best workouts EVER on Wednesday (a 14:57 all downhill 5k on the treadmill - which irritated the blister a little more) before experiencing some nice & sharp knee pain after my (pretty mellow) Thursday run. So, I kind of tapered off at the end of the week & didn't hit any of my weekly goals, but the knee was feeling good enough by Saturday that I expected to be able to race Sunday, and the warm-up confirmed that it could stand up to hills & uneven terrain. The Piranhas (with socks this time)felt fine at first, but as my feet started sweating profusely, they moved around a bit on the loose gravel and rocks, and I could tell I was making said blister angry.

On my way back, as I hit the one mile to go mark, I picked up the pace a little, as the next .7 miles were basically flat, but about a minute later developed a side cramp. What the hell?! Can't explain that one, but I ran through it just fine, if a little slower. When I came across, I looked at the clock and saw :46 at the end, meaning I had run 4 seconds slower than last time we ran this course. No biggie, except I ran the 17:42 the day after running a 16:10 at the Davis Turkey Trot, so my goal had been to break 17:30 this time around. Not until later did I realize the clock was for the long course runners. I'd actually run a 17:38...still a little off my goal, but at least faster than when I ran it with tired legs. I did, however feel the CostCo sized blister immediatley when I started my cooldown. I usually jog the short course, but as I hit the levee, I knew that wasn't happening this day, so I walked about a half mile in, talked to a father & daughter waiting for their family members to come in, and gingerly jogged my way a half mile back. The kicker? The circular blister had grown and morphed into a very clear (and very red) heart. How sweet...if it didn't hurt with each step.

So, a little bit of a rough day for this half of Team Library Dork, but...if the good weather holds and there is no double points race in the finale, the 100 points from this race locks up the series for me. There's a battle a brewin' between my two closest competitors, with John Couillard currently sitting 3 1/2 points ahead of fellow Nevadan Kirk Ferris with one race to do. Up until this week, John had done the long course each time. Kirk had signed up first and chosen the long course. Maybe strategicaly, maybe not...John then signed up for the intermediate course, so there was no head to head between them. I'm rooting for that in the last race, though. Kirk has been in front when they've done the same race, and only has one more shot to make up those 3.5 points.

On the way home, we met up with Gretchen at 50 50 in Truckee, for the 3rd release of barrel-aged Imperial Eclipse Stout - Jack Daniel's style. Apparently, the $20 they'd been charging for the previous two releases wasn't enough, so they jacked it up to $22.95, which made Dave & I purchase less on principal alone. There are some awesome, awesome barrel aged beers out there for less than half that price, so I'm not feelin' the price hike 50 50. Of course, since it was the most expensive release, it was also the weakest of the three. Still good, but a bit one dimensional. We had a great lunch though, and I "traded" a lunch & beer for a plethora of Hammer products that Gretchen had won in the Ultrarunner series. We even met up the next day to run 1 1/2 times around Donner Lake. Thanks Gretchen! That was, however, my last run of the week to this point. I'd never - ever- skipped a run for a freakin blister before this week (now I'm at 3), so I'm either a panzy, or it's a doozy of a blister. Maybe a slight combination of the two. It was nice to lift legs this morning, though, with out putting in 10 miles first. Makes things just a bit easier.

Well...I'm signed up for the You Gotta Be Crazy 5k in Verdi on Sunday. In the Mayfly's, where I can go bearfoot with moleskin protecting my tattered tootsie! My goal had been to run under 17:00 on the hilly road course, but I can feel the rust. Hopefully I can get out there and run tomorrow and Friday without starting the pissed-off-foot process all over again. No rest for the wicked...2/28 back in Folsom, 3/6 Bidwell Classic 5k in Chico, 3/14 Shamrock Run 8k in Portland (I think there may be a few breweries up there too), one weekend off, followed by a 5k* out at Scheels. 15 minutes from home...just what the doctor ordered. Til next time...

Results/pics/points link -

http://www.breakoutracing.com/Winter%20Series%20Results.htm

I'll add a couple of Abby's pics tonight. As always, thanks to Diane & Co for the great race, and to Brian for the pics!

Team Library Dork takes over Davis Stampede

2010-02-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

No pics from this one, as the wife and kid stayed in Reno. I can't blame them - the car is getting old, but the racing is just so much fun, it makes it all worth it. With any luck, this will be the first of six consecutive weekends of racing (4 5k's, a 10k, and a 7.5 miler).
I'll say right off the bat that I missed my goal time (for the first fairly flat race of the year) by about a minute, or 9-10 seconds per mile). I think I'll have a limited number of races to acheive my "time" goals for the year...and I laid a bit of an egg on this one.
between the four of us, we had all three distances covered, with Amber & Dave in the 5k, me in the 10k, and Turi running the half. I warmed up on the course and found the Sudwerk Brewery (which we'd be visiting after) at mile 1. Rather convenient. I missed the start of the 5k at 8:00 as I was just getting back to the car to change shoes and de-robe. It was chilly & overcast, but not cold, with a light wind. At 8:10, the nearly 2000 people in the 10k & half took off together, and by 2 or 3 minutes in, we were starting to thin out the lead pack. By the time we hit the brewery, the 10k leader had seperated a bit, which was a little discouraging this early, but I was still comfortably tucked next to the half marathon leader. There was no mile marker, so no split, but we kept our positions 'til mile 2 (10:42) before our courses went their seperate ways a couple miles later. There were a couple tight turns (including one poorly manned one) and an overpass that made mile 3 slow, but I still hit the 5k on pace to run under 34:00 in 16:59, but I knew I was fading. My legs just didn't seem to have that extra gear. The leader was just about out of sight on all the turns. I'd catch a glimpse every once and a while, but I was in no man's land. Too far back to push for the lead, and not being pushed by anyone from behind, so when things started to get tough, my pace suffered. I kept about the same pace between mile 3 and 6.1, before I saw the finish after the last turn. I had enough of a kick for the last hundred or two that I wished I'd have pushed a little sooner, but it wouldn't have made much difference. I ended up easily in second, a minute behind the winner (who ran my goal time) and a minute ahead of third, in 34:24. The winner was a Foot Locker Nationals competitor (and only 17) so not in my AG, so I was able to add an AG win to the 2nd overall, and take home a New Balance hat and running pants for my pains (not to mention a pretty cool race shirt).
Amber finished 157th overall out of 852 in the 5k, running 26:24 (and won her AG!). Dave was 180th in 27:12. There were 973 in the 10k and 855 in the half, where Turi finished 287th in 1:52:54...not bad for a guy that hasn't been running and chose the LONGEST DISTANCE POSSIBLE. As I mentioned before, we had lunch at Sudwerk afterwards, before heading home and watching the big game. That was futbol, right?
Anyway, got me some work to do to run 16 flat, or 26 & change for 8k (passed the 8k mark at 27:19...49 seconds off the season goal) or a 33 minute 10k, but I'll do what I need to get there. My next three races are slow courses, so my next shot at a decent time will be at the Bidwell Classic in four weeks. Til then...

Redding Marathon Relay & Folsom Winter Trail Run Series #6

2010-01-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

Dave at hill #1, race #2, mile 0.9

me at race #2, mile 0.7

post race #2

Dave, drafting, race #2, mile 0.1

me not drafting, race #2, mile 0.1...too bad I couldn't hold that pace!

race #2, mile...uh...0.023?

Dave finishing race #2. I say if he's got THAT much energy in his thumbs, he didn't run hard!

Hannah eagerly awaiting Dave's arrival, race #1

mile 19.53, race #1. IT bands suck!!!

Dave @mile 0.7, race #2

mile 56 of the drive home

why we really go to California every two or three weeks!

in the homestretch, race #2

photos courtesy of Brian at breakoutracing.com & Abby (I think Ben took the tree one).

I'm going to do a 2 fer 1 post as I was too trashed from the first race to even do a proper post. Lazy you say? Or freakishly efficient?
Anyway, last weekend Dave, Abby, Hannah & I drove to Redding on Saturday night after work. We had an awesome (and by awesome I mean mediocre at best, severely overpriced) dinner at Rose's, the sole italian joint in Susanville. We got in late, but Abby's grandparents, who let us bunk there, stay up later than any of us, so they were there to greet us when we pulled in. Dave dropped me off in the dark and rain Sunday morning to pick up our packet and get on the shuttle to the marathon start. I rode up to the Shasta Dam with Mike Buzbee, who I know from various grand prix races, and we hung out a bit before it was time to go. Worthy of note, but something I didn't know til race morning, was significant changes to the marathon course. Instead of a few miles off road and little in the way of hills in the middle of the race, there was off road between 3.5-15 miles, and more hills. Who loves hills?! NOT ME! It was probably an even more scenic course than before, but the great views from the dam were obscured by heavy fog, rain, and dark. We started in a different spot, and the first three miles or so were downhill and flat. Miles to put some time in the bank if I wanted to run 6:00 pace for 19.5 miles. The first one was fast, maybe a bit too fast, although it felt ok at the time. I'd cross the 5k in the 16:40's before hitting the trails (& mud & puddles). By the time I got that far, I was already soaked through from the rain, so there was no need for time consuming zig-zags to avoid the puddles. Just barrel on through. I led the field through mile 11 (and past the relay exchange, since we did this 3 man relay with 2) and had hit mile 10 in 54:40 (5:48 per). I knew I'd been over 6:00 pace for some time, though, and was beginning to wonder when the trail would end. The marathon leader from Chico TC caught up to me around 11, and we ran together past the half marathon and up and over the biggest of the hills. Through 12, he was on pace for Hal Koerner's course record, but at least in part due to the harder, slower course, would end up missing it by a few minutes. He had enough to pull away from the leading (but fading) relay runner after the big hill, though. We hit the half in 1:18:30 (just about to 6:00 pace now, but adding time fast). Mile 15 was the surprise for me. I thought I was in shape to safely handle 20 miles, hence running the relay instead of the whole thing, without fading or lots of pain. Well...I was wrong on both accounts. My IT band tends to tighten up, then painfully pull over bone, when I run farther than I'm in shape for, therefor comprimising my form. I'm pretty sure the problem starts in the hip, but manifests itself next to the knee (see post Napa Marathon pain, and survival at Run On The Sly 20m). Well, with 4.5 to go, it began, and the last 4.5, just when the terrain relaxed, were to be the hardest. When your hurting, every minute counts, and when I hit mile 19 (now over 6:00 pace for the race) I wondered if I'd have 0.2 or 0.4 left. The race site lists the last leg as both 6.8 and 7.0 miles...but in hind set, like the elevation chart, this is for the old course. After mile 19, a minute passed. Where is everyone? Then two. What the heck...I know I'm still sub 7:00 pace. Then 3 minutes before I saw the exchange zone. I hit mile 19 in 1:56:36, and exchanged with Dave at 2:00:16...3:40 for .2 or .4. According to Dave's GPS, he ran 6.66, which leaves over 19.54 miles for a certified marathon. Based on that, my goal time would have been 3 minutes faster than what I ran (I ended up at 6:09 per mile, which would have been awesome if I'd ran the whole thing). So I was disappointed in the pain that came with a run that really shouldn't have been that much of a struggle, but...we had a good lead on the chasing relay teams.
I went with Abby & Hannah back to the finish at Sundial Bridge and waited...got stretched a little...had some PIE, drinks, coffee, more PIE. It was actually getting colder as the day went on. Wind in the open, rain & clouds. At 2:55 I walked out on the bridge, not expecting Dave for 7-10 minutes, but just before 3 hours, he came up the far side of the bridge. We ended up third overall, 1st in our division at 3:00:15, Dave running 9 minute pace and breaking an hour (59:59)!
After freezing our buns off, we were looking forward to our reward. It was obvious this race had trashed us physically way more than either of us were expecting. The pain right after finishing is usually reserved for the night/morning after a hard marathon or 50k. But...our reward was lunch at Sierra Nevada in Chico. I remember their food being tasty, but what we had was just downright deeeelicious! Mine was thai seafood pasta with yellow curry, rice noodles, grilled shrimp w/red chili sauce and a garnish of thai pesto. Ay chiahuahua! All our meals, plus 15 tasters, plus 3 full beers, one dessert, and a growler of their awesome "Old Ale" to take home...for just about the same price as our forgetful meal at Rose's the night before.

Last week was pretty much a waste. Lots of limping, no quality workouts and 22 miles of slow running after 6 days...and I still wasn't. I'd gone back and forth about what distance to run for race #6 yesterday, and decided Wednesday night on the long one, as I thought my soreness/fatigue, etc... was beggining to go away. Yeah...not so much. By the end of Thursday I emailed Diane (the RD) about possibly having to drop down in distance on race day, and she completely understood, and said no problem. It's rare for things to be that easy anymore, but there you have it. Another reason to run the Folsom Trail Seriesisisis. I actually emailed the Davis Stampede the same day (for the same reason) and have yet to even get a response. Very professional. We traveled to Roseville, and although I wasn't yet recovered, we did stay at a Heritage Inn Express. We even had a jacuzzi thrown in with our two queens since they'd given away the last normal non-smoking double queen. Good for my cold soak, but I need to do at least a couple more of those. I didn't decide on a course 'til we got there that morning. I had decided earlier in the week (in my head) to do the short one, typed another email to Diane to put me in the short one, but didn't send it...eventually deleted it, and spent the next 24 hours going back and forth. The problem with doing the short one was that the two guys I wanted to race were both in the long course, for only the second time, not to mention the intermediate and long courses are far more scenic than the short one for this venue (Beals Point State Park). So...after all the fuss, I ended up going short not because I didn't think I'd finish or do as well, but to a.) facilitate recovery this week (hopefully) and b.) not have to run an unfamiliar course, especially when I'm not near 100%. I threw caution to the wind at the staert, though, and took off fast, trying to take advantage of the paved start. After 600 meters or so, we turned onto singletrack, and although it wasn't pouring like last time, there were a couple muddy spots. I did expect to be around 17:30, and was right on pace at the turn, but for whatever reason I slowed on the way back, and never really had another gear at the finish, and ran my slowest short course of the year at 18:03. It was enough to win, but nothing that'll keep me warm at night, especially since I faded for the second week in a row. If I pull that crap in Davis, the leader will be done and stretching by the time I hit the home stretch. Dave came in just under a half hour. I got a B12 shot at the race too, which was cool. I'm hoping I reap the same benefits as one Mr. Barry Bonds. If I take a little flaxseed oil on top of that shot, I should win all my races and hit lots of homers. I'll try not to be an a-hole like him, though. I still have hip and knee pain, but over the last two days, I've run almost as many miles as the previous six days, so hopefully I'm headed in the right direction. Davis is next...distance yet unknown. Stay tuned.

After 6 of 8 races in the series, the points totals are as follows.

Yesterday was a double points race, so there are 800 points possible-

195 males out of 426 total

Top 3 males-

Chris B 800 points

Kirk Ferris 762.24

John Couillard 669.59

Dave E @16th male, 37th overall with 498.21

However, not so fast. At the end of 8, you can drop your lowest 2 scores, which so far changes things a bit. Although Kirk has beaten John two out of two head to head, if you drop each of their lowest two scores (one of John's being a 0 for missing a race), John is still just holding onto second place (out of 600 points) 578.98 to 575.48. That should be interesting down the stretch.

Folsom Winter Trail Run Series #5

2010-01-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

this is Abby's pic of the finish

the flat before the storm...

i don't know what he's looking at either...

on the backside of the hill

i don't know these guys, but this pic shows how tough it was at the turn!

We returned to the same course we ran for the very first race in the series this past Sunday. Dave & I were both hoping to improve our times from October, but as we drove into town and cloud cover it became obvious there had been rain & that the course would not be optimal for cutting time. I'd guess that i'm 30-45 seconds faster over this distance than I was at the start, so I was looking to take at least 30 seconds off my 17:54, minus however many seconds the mud would slow us down. I warmed up on the short course and found that aggressiveness on the climbs and descents would be interesting. For the first time in the series, I was questioning whether or not my Lunaracers could handle the terrain. Did I mention these were my newly laundered Lunaracers, and that you really should dry them on low heat to prevent the Lunar foam from turning to marshmallow foam??? Well, a lesson learned I suppose. They were actually quite comfy, but easily the softest, squishiest shoe I've ever run in...and they managed to keep me on my feet the whole race!
My main competitors in the series were running the intermediate & long course today, so I was not expecting a push. I'd run most of the first one alone as well, so I hoped that I'd be mentally tough enough to push myself while running solo. The end result of that was a resounding...eh. The kick I easily managed after the last muddy downhill told me I could & should of run faster, but I didn't feel up to it & didn't take advantage on the flats when I had the chance, so...
This course is pretty fun. A short stretch of road/gravel, before cutting across a field, taking a right and going up and over the "warm-up" hill. After that another right, then the main event, which I think Dave measured at race #1 as a 290 footer. Some flatish meandering trail with nice views before a technical descent, a hairpin turn, and the start of the last climb (really a double climb with a short break in the middle) back up to the top...flat...then down again, before 0.1 fast to the finish on the grass.
I came across in 17:42, which with I was neither super pleased or upset. Like I said...eh. It was a 12 second improvement with harder conditions, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for more. I laced up my trail shoes and ran backwards on course for a cooldown and to see how things were panning out. It seemed Dave was further along than when I'd seen him on the cooldown last time. I'm just imagining things, right? Or am I? Dun, dun, duuuuun.
Dave somehow managed, in muddy conditions (compared to near perfect conditions last time) to take 99 seconds of his time, improving from 31:00 to 29:21 and moving into the top twenty at 19th overall! 99 freakin SECONDS over 3.07 miles! Holy crap!
Rubios sat this one out, but instead we had a nice, hot, pancake breakfast that Hannah enjoyed thoroughly. It's little touches like that that make a race or a series stand out, & Diane & others at Breakout Racing are really nailing it. It's very obvious they really enjoy what they're doing - not to mention that Brian takes better pictures 9 times out of 10 than the guys at Facchino. As has become somewhat of a tradition, we went for brunch & suds, this time at Hoppy Brewing Co. in Sacramento before heading back over the hill. What a great deal...for $47, Hannah, Abby, Dave & myself all ate (well) & took home 3 complimentary bottles of Hoppy Brew. Gotta love that.
As far as the series goes, I now have a 34.64 point lead in the overall men's standings, with 600/600 points. Dave is sitting in 13th (male I hope) with 381.19 points. It's a bit hard to really know how things will turn out, as you only keep your best 6 races for the final score (for example, 2nd place wouldn't be seconds if you dropped everyones worst two scores right now) but I'm planning on being done with the short courses so I can put a little wiggle room between myself and the competition, and hopefully help Dave out in the process. Here's a link for race & series results so far, and as always, thanks to Brian at breakoutracing.com for the photos...and Abby too. (i'll get em posted soon...it's not letting me save a draft so i'm posting pre-picture :)
http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=6881
http://ultrasignup.com/events/series_results.aspx?series=12&year=2009

2010 goals & miscelaneous shtuff

2010-01-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

It seems things have been harder to maintain for the last few weeks, but the weekly time trials have been my anchor as they go up in distance. There’s been 2 5ks under 16, a 4 miler under 21, an 8k just over 26. Today I forced myself to hold 5:19 pace for 5.95 miles with a quarter mile kick at 5:00 pace to finish. I’m paying for it now as I think I crossed the threshold of what my body could handle today, but…although on the tread (just like the shorter ones) it was the first time in nearly nine years I’ve been under 33:00 for 10k, only the second time ever, and at 32:54, 20 seconds of one of my better pr’s from years past. I will reward my self (and Ben and Dave) with the last of 2009’s Christmas beers tonight. Have I mentioned how nice I think it is that beer tasting night just happens to fall on interval/time trial day for the last couple months?!
My succesful at first but ultimately failed attempt at a long run a few weeks ago has made me decide to keep things shorter this year. Most likely meaning no ultras and no marathons. Depending on how the 19.4 relay leg on the 17th goes, I may go for a half marathon pr at the Davis Stampede in February, but that's as long as I'll go for a while. The half is my weakest pr and therefore the only one I think I have even a decent chance at beating. 1:14-1:15...I'll have to check. Which brings me to my goals for 2010. Maybe in the fall i'll be healthy enough to train for a marathon, but definitely not the first half of the year. So...
*run a 5k under 16:00
*run a 8k in the 26 minute range
*run a 10k under 33:00
*run a half (pr) in 1:14
*if I manage a marathon...2:39 or bust!
**take 10 seconds off my Climb the Legacy time, and at least 30 seconds of my Climb CA time
*repeat as Run-A-Muck champs, for the bling! Not really under our control as much as time goals, but why not?
And last, but certainly not least, stay healthy enough to get at least 11 months of running in...which would hopefully lead to 3000+ miles and 5000+ sets of weights!!!

www.beerpal.com

2010-01-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

passed 1400 brew reviews on New Years Day on the ol' Beerpal website. It's been fun. I've traded for some rarities and sent some in return (gotta spread the love) and there ain't any plans to stop anytime soon...onward to 1500!!!