Winter Trail Run Series

Two weeks since my last post. How does that happen? I have gotten in all of my planned runs. My weekly mileage totals are low because of the new regimen of only three runs a week. I have been hitting the gym regularly in between for some time on the elliptical or stationary bike along with the weight training.

Let me try to hit the highlights of running (since Boney Mountain)

Tues, 1/15 - Speedwork. 2 x (4 x 400). My target was 1:49 to 1:51. I got all 8 done with an average time of 1:48. My fastest one at 1:41 was the 6th. I'm not really sure where that one came from.

Thurs, 1/17 - 6 miles @ 8:27 pace

Friday, 1/18 - 14 mile long run at Huntington Beach (thanks to a work seminar/training weekend) @ 8:59 pace. Highlights of this run were the mile that I ran with Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton and his running buddy Herman. Ken is a celebrity of sorts around here. As I was nearing the end of the run I saw this figure running towards me. The gait looked very familiar. It was Celeste, my coworker and old running partner. We met right at the turnaround point for her 5 miler. Running those 2.5 miles was nostalgic. It has been a really long time since we'd run together.

Tues, 1/22 - Speedwork, Again. This week called for 1 mile (400 m RI), 2 miles (800 m RI), 2 x 800m. I decided to try this one on the treadmill at the gym. The 'mill made measuring the distance and pace really easy. I couldn't remember my target mile pace (7:35) when I was there and ended up doing 7:53 by mistake and I shortened the 800's to 400's. I surprised myself by actually sticking with the workout considering my 'mill hatred. In the spirit of variety of speedwork ala the FIRST program, I still considered it a success.

Thurs, 1/24 - I joined 31 of the CA Cruisers/6:42 for the showing of The Spirit of the Marathon movie. I enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I would. It was fun for many of the Cruisers since they had been there that year. I hadn't joined them since I was running NYC a month later. Back in 2005 I didn't think I could run marathons only 4 weeks apart. If I only knew than what I know now.

Sat, 1/26 - It has been raining A LOT around here lately. Just this last week we got more rain than we got all of last year. Saturday some of us had planned to run a 12K race in the Cleveland National Forest off Ortega Highway between Lake Elsinore and San Juan Capistrano. I was expecting cold and rainy conditions, with snow possible at the highest elevations. Instead we got a welcome respite from the rain and enjoyed a sparkling clear sky, temps in the 50's and views that went on forever. The race is billed as a 12K, but the elevation map shows the course is really 8.13 miles.

There were 100 racers or so. The trail was 90% single track and in good shape. At least it wasn't muddy but it was very rutted from the run off. The pack thinned very quickly. I ran alone and slowly but surely caught and passed one person after another. I was feeling pretty good about my placement until all of a sudden the front runners were heading back in my direction. There was no out and back in this race. Someone had tampered with the course markings and sent at least 30 of us left at Sugarloaf Junction when we should have gone right. The 8.13 miles became at least 9. My friend Jim had 9.9 on his Garmin. I didn't get as far as he had before getting back on track. Even with that mishap it was a great run on a really beautiful trail. My time was 1:44.

Sun, 1/27 - I'd missed my tempo run Thursday because of the movie. I just happened to wake up around 6:30 this morning and realized it wasn't raining. Before I could think about it too much I got up and out the door for an easy paced run on my Bonnie Cove Five route. Before I got home the clouds cleared up a little to reveal blue sky. Later this afternoon the heavens opened up, it poured. I'd gotten lucky twice in the last two days with weather.

That pretty much sums up all things running in my life. The plans for 2008 post will have to wait yet again. At this rate the plans will be revealed race by race as I do them.

Stay warm and dry.