Celeste did give me a call Saturday afternoon, so we planned a run on Sunday morning over on the Bradbury Horse Trails. The dirt path would be gentler on her ankle. It is still stiff and sometimes hurts the way the stress fracture hurt last fall. She has a bone scan scheduled for Tuesday.
I woke up to wet ground Sunday morning. It had "rained" overnight. Rain in SoCal on July 30 is not expected. Our average rainfall in July is 0.0 inches. We should have known it was going to rain, my wife got her car washed yesterday. Oh wait, that only happens in all those other states, not in California!
I met Celeste and found out she had driven down from Ventura, just for our run. She had been staying at friend's in Pasadena only about 15 minutes away. After having lived alone for three years she is finding it difficult to live at home again and the hour drive each way was a good excuse to get some time away.
The weather was perfect: cloudy, cooler, a little misty, albeit humid. We got the 5 miles done in a comfortable 9:15 pace and then stood around and caught up on things for the next hour or so. She was telling me tales of running through the fields of Ventura. I may just have to make the hour drive up there. She and Janice were also talking about a run next weekend, so I may get to run together again then.
Miles for the week: 38
Miles for July: 136.9
My lowest monthly mileage for the year. Not bad considering the first week and a half were marathon taper followed by a week of recovery. If all goes well I expect to hit 200 miles in August.
On my run yesterday I used a couple of new products I forgot to mention. At SEAFAIR, the electrolyte replacement drink offered was Gluekos. I didn't want to try it that day, I carried by own Gatorade Endurance Formula. Today I mixed up the punch flavor. The punch flavor was colorless and tasted pretty good. I had no stomach issues with this product, but I generally have an iron gut. Nothing really special about this would make me recommend it, but I wouldn't rate it unfavorably either.
I've always depended upon PowerGels as my gel of choice. Mostly because it was easily available at my local sporting goods store. When I went to get my supply for SEAFAIR, they only had this new stuff with 4x the sodium. Chocolate was my favorite in the old formula. It was like eating chocolate frosting. (I love frosting - throw out the cake, save the frosting). Thankfully I had enough of that left, along with the gummy bears someone was handing out that I was able to get through the marathon. This morning I tried the Tangerine flavor Powerbar Gel. All I can say is YUK! The 4x Sodium results in a salty orange flavor. It was gross. I gagged about half of it down and threw the rest out. I guess I'll be looking for a new source of PowerGel or switching to ClifShots maybe.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Moonlight and Surf
Thursday I put my run off until the evening. Luckily it has cooled down a little. At least the high for the day was finally in the double digits rather than the triple. The normal Thursday routine prevailed: wife at aerobics, kids and I eat a quick dinner, I sit down to do the crossword and let dinner digest a little before the run. Just like last week I feel asleep midword. I woke up in time to get over to Bonelli just before 8:00 p.m. I wanted to put in 6 miles, so decided on the trail on the east side of the park that is adjacent to the 57 freeway. There was still plenty of light when I got started. Official sunset here in the southern end of the continent is around 8:00. When I got to the turn around point, I had a decision to make. Should I take the road or take the trail back. By now it is nearly 8:30. It will be 9:00 by the time I'm done. There was definitely not going to be any light left by then. During the day, as I run through the trails, I hear things rustling around in the bushes and don't really get too concerned. The same rustling in the bushes in the dark is a little more concerning. I thought of Robb's recent post about adventure/challenge and decided to go for the adventure in the dark. I run roads after dark all the time. The trail is semi cleared fireroad in spots and is a little more single track in others. I only got spooked once bad enough to make my skin crawl and took a couple of minor missteps but fortunately no twisted ankles or knees. On my drive home I realized that the moon was only a very small sliver. It was a pretty fun run, but I think I would have felt better with someone else along. My crazy imagination came up with a few scenarios that didn't have me ending up in a good place.
Saturday morning I met the Cruisers at Huntington Beach for a longish, 15 mile run. The weather was overcast but not particularly cool and very humid. Some people were planning on 10 while others were going for 18. Jesse is still nursing his hamstring so I was pretty much on my own. I came across Jay from the 5k series with a couple of his running buddies. They just happened to be down there for their run. I doubled back and ran a mile with them. My time was 2:21 (9:20 pace). Sort of slow compared to where I was at before SEAFAIR. After my run, I decided to take a quick swim in the ocean to cool off. The water was amazingly warm by normal standards. The Pacific Ocean very rarely gets anywhere near any temperature that you would call warm, even in the middle of summer. I always get used to it but the first wave that hits above the knees is shall we say exhilarating. I swear my heart misses a beat the first time you get completely in. Luckily running shorts dry pretty quickly since the swim was rather impromptu. I hadn't planned ahead to bring a towel. A little jump in the ocean isn't a half bad way to end a run.
Celeste emailed me earlier this week. She may be in town this weekend so we may get a run in tomorrow. Next week my training schedule gets interesting. I've always had Monday and Friday as off days. Starting next week the schedule moves up to 6 days a week of running. So long Fridays off. This will get me to the 50 mile weekly goal with nothing longer during the week than 8 miles. I'm not ready to step up to 18 milers midweek, like Ironman Mike. Next Saturday is supposed to be the first (of 4) 20 miler. I was pretty tired after today's 15, so I'm currently rethinking that. The Cruisers are planning a run in Aliso Woods on Saturday. It is going to be nice, with trails and hills, but may not be the best place for 20 miles. I guess we'll see how I feel then.
Saturday morning I met the Cruisers at Huntington Beach for a longish, 15 mile run. The weather was overcast but not particularly cool and very humid. Some people were planning on 10 while others were going for 18. Jesse is still nursing his hamstring so I was pretty much on my own. I came across Jay from the 5k series with a couple of his running buddies. They just happened to be down there for their run. I doubled back and ran a mile with them. My time was 2:21 (9:20 pace). Sort of slow compared to where I was at before SEAFAIR. After my run, I decided to take a quick swim in the ocean to cool off. The water was amazingly warm by normal standards. The Pacific Ocean very rarely gets anywhere near any temperature that you would call warm, even in the middle of summer. I always get used to it but the first wave that hits above the knees is shall we say exhilarating. I swear my heart misses a beat the first time you get completely in. Luckily running shorts dry pretty quickly since the swim was rather impromptu. I hadn't planned ahead to bring a towel. A little jump in the ocean isn't a half bad way to end a run.
Celeste emailed me earlier this week. She may be in town this weekend so we may get a run in tomorrow. Next week my training schedule gets interesting. I've always had Monday and Friday as off days. Starting next week the schedule moves up to 6 days a week of running. So long Fridays off. This will get me to the 50 mile weekly goal with nothing longer during the week than 8 miles. I'm not ready to step up to 18 milers midweek, like Ironman Mike. Next Saturday is supposed to be the first (of 4) 20 miler. I was pretty tired after today's 15, so I'm currently rethinking that. The Cruisers are planning a run in Aliso Woods on Saturday. It is going to be nice, with trails and hills, but may not be the best place for 20 miles. I guess we'll see how I feel then.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Music in the Park
The Concert in the Park is an annual occurrence in towns and cities all over the place. This is one part of Americana that I've never really taken part in. Have I finally aged to the point that I would actually consider going to this kind of thing?
Anyway, over July 4th we were invited to go see "The Answer" and a Beatles cover band. Unfortunately the show was in Murrieta, CA, 60 miles from home. I bowed out of that one. As luck would have it the Answer has a full schedule of events. This weekend, they played in Monrovia only 12 miles from home. Our friend Kellie is a huge fan. She's has seen them several times and did go to Murrieta. The Answer is a classic rock cover band and was totally fun. Even in the blistering heat the crowd was pretty substantial. They obviously have a loyal following. Many people had on The Answer t-shirts. They are pretty interactive with a dance floor (packed from the get go by the way, my wife and I even took a turn), t-shirt tosses and other souvenir give aways. Besides the music, the people watching was the best. "Classic" rock sure brings out the wild and crazy old people. I'm talking my parent's age. Who knew?
To continue the theme tonight we went to the Concert in the Park in San Dimas, about 5 miles from home. We saw The Bratz. The bass player is my coworker and running buddy Terry's husband. They billed themselves as an eclectic mix. The lead singer has a coffee shop vibe. They opened with Babylon by David Gray, played a lot of Van Morrison, and ended the show with Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett), Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones) and much too my wife's delight Rosalita (Bruce Springsteen). The lead singer is not a strict cover artist per se. Each of the songs is recognizable but he makes them his own.
The Answer is playing in San Dimas next Wednesday night, so I guess we'll be back. I was telling Kellie that I thought the idea of being a groupie for a cover band was a little odd. Then my wife reminded me that we used to follow Fairweather, a cover band back in our college days. They played The Tubes, Genesis and Gentle Giant. We actually met at a Fairweather show. I had to change my stance on the cover band groupie thing.
------------------------------------------
This week has still been hot (big news, I know). I usually run after work but in an attempt to beat the heat I've gotten up early and put in 6 miles before work on Tuesday and Wednesday. They weren't my best efforts ever, but I hovered around 9 minute miles. Until it cools down, I think I will just have to accept this dead running feeling.
------------------------------------------
I saw this license plate frame the other day:
"Printers make good impresions"
Apparently not very good spellers though.
Stay cool!
Edit: After I posted this I went looking for info on Fairweather. I finally came across the correct spelling, Fayrewether and a couple of websites, including www.paulfayrewether.com Thanks Google! Looks like he's still around, going strong. I'll have some catching up to do.
Anyway, over July 4th we were invited to go see "The Answer" and a Beatles cover band. Unfortunately the show was in Murrieta, CA, 60 miles from home. I bowed out of that one. As luck would have it the Answer has a full schedule of events. This weekend, they played in Monrovia only 12 miles from home. Our friend Kellie is a huge fan. She's has seen them several times and did go to Murrieta. The Answer is a classic rock cover band and was totally fun. Even in the blistering heat the crowd was pretty substantial. They obviously have a loyal following. Many people had on The Answer t-shirts. They are pretty interactive with a dance floor (packed from the get go by the way, my wife and I even took a turn), t-shirt tosses and other souvenir give aways. Besides the music, the people watching was the best. "Classic" rock sure brings out the wild and crazy old people. I'm talking my parent's age. Who knew?
To continue the theme tonight we went to the Concert in the Park in San Dimas, about 5 miles from home. We saw The Bratz. The bass player is my coworker and running buddy Terry's husband. They billed themselves as an eclectic mix. The lead singer has a coffee shop vibe. They opened with Babylon by David Gray, played a lot of Van Morrison, and ended the show with Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett), Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones) and much too my wife's delight Rosalita (Bruce Springsteen). The lead singer is not a strict cover artist per se. Each of the songs is recognizable but he makes them his own.
The Answer is playing in San Dimas next Wednesday night, so I guess we'll be back. I was telling Kellie that I thought the idea of being a groupie for a cover band was a little odd. Then my wife reminded me that we used to follow Fairweather, a cover band back in our college days. They played The Tubes, Genesis and Gentle Giant. We actually met at a Fairweather show. I had to change my stance on the cover band groupie thing.
------------------------------------------
This week has still been hot (big news, I know). I usually run after work but in an attempt to beat the heat I've gotten up early and put in 6 miles before work on Tuesday and Wednesday. They weren't my best efforts ever, but I hovered around 9 minute miles. Until it cools down, I think I will just have to accept this dead running feeling.
------------------------------------------
I saw this license plate frame the other day:
"Printers make good impresions"
Apparently not very good spellers though.
Stay cool!
Edit: After I posted this I went looking for info on Fairweather. I finally came across the correct spelling, Fayrewether and a couple of websites, including www.paulfayrewether.com Thanks Google! Looks like he's still around, going strong. I'll have some catching up to do.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Summit House Run
For what it's worth I see this is my 100th post!
Saturday morning while I was getting ready for my run I heard the air conditioner kick in. It was only 5:30 a.m. and I've got the thermostat set to 80 degrees. This was not a good sign.
I drove down to Fullerton to meet the Cruisers for Jesse's Summit House Run. After an initial snafu over the course (a couple of gates were unexpectedly locked) we got started. Jesse wasn't running because he had hurt his hamstring doing speed work the night before. We were joined by a good sized contingent from the 6:42 group as well.
The run was on streets through a nice quite neighborhood in Fullerton. It worked out well that Jesse wasn't running. He drove back and forth on the course giving directions as our group got more and more spread out. Jesse added in an extra hill run up and down Acacia Avenue and a loop through and around Hillcrest park for the front group, me, Dave, Jim, Randy, Michelle and Ana. It worked out really well because we caught up to the slower runners just as they reached the gate to get back to Summit House, 5 miles for them, 7 for us. The original plan was do run the loop twice. We decided just to double back on Skyline drive to Hillcrest Park then back up Skyline again and around to State College to get back to Summit House.
I added a second loop through Hillcrest Park alone and then caught up to Kitty and Kara to finish the run, with 12.7 miles. I commented to Kitty that with the hills on Skyline Dr., I felt like we were back in Bellevue. Although we did end up running the same stretch of asphalt three times is was a really enjoyable run. Skyline drive is rolling and curving and at the highest point in Fullerton. Traffic was nearly non existent and we were accompanied by several other runners and walkers. After all none of us, except Jesse and Michelle, had run here before.
This is one cool thing I find about running, besides pushing myself physically and mentally, I also get pushed geographically. We spend so much time with our routine travels from work, school, kids sports activities, etc. that we rarely venture off our well worn paths. Especially in SoCal we spend so much time on the freeways where everything starts looking pretty much the same mile after mile that we forget that there are plenty of interesting neighborhoods and town centers in this metropolis of LA/Orange County.
This morning thankfully the air conditioner hadn't kicked in before I left for my run. I was planning on going to Bonelli as usual, but couldn't decide which 5 mile route to take. My hilly route that I like or the flatter newly minted Cottontail Run. I'm not sure if it is just the heat or the post marathon fatigue but my legs have felt pretty flat lately. I hadn't made up my mind for sure until I got there and realized I had forgotten my watch, so Cottontail it was. Don't ask my why, I'm not even sure myself, but somehow no watch meant take the easier route. I'm glad I did because by mile 4 I was pooped and took a walk break for a very long "minute" (no watch remember). On the drive home the dashboard readout was 85 degrees, it wasn't even 8:00 a.m. yet.
After breakkfast I checked up on Sam Thompson's 50 state progress. Last Wednesday he put in his fastest marathon of this trek on the 19th of 50 at Twin Cities. Amazing!
Miles for the week: 33.7
Saturday morning while I was getting ready for my run I heard the air conditioner kick in. It was only 5:30 a.m. and I've got the thermostat set to 80 degrees. This was not a good sign.
I drove down to Fullerton to meet the Cruisers for Jesse's Summit House Run. After an initial snafu over the course (a couple of gates were unexpectedly locked) we got started. Jesse wasn't running because he had hurt his hamstring doing speed work the night before. We were joined by a good sized contingent from the 6:42 group as well.
The run was on streets through a nice quite neighborhood in Fullerton. It worked out well that Jesse wasn't running. He drove back and forth on the course giving directions as our group got more and more spread out. Jesse added in an extra hill run up and down Acacia Avenue and a loop through and around Hillcrest park for the front group, me, Dave, Jim, Randy, Michelle and Ana. It worked out really well because we caught up to the slower runners just as they reached the gate to get back to Summit House, 5 miles for them, 7 for us. The original plan was do run the loop twice. We decided just to double back on Skyline drive to Hillcrest Park then back up Skyline again and around to State College to get back to Summit House.
I added a second loop through Hillcrest Park alone and then caught up to Kitty and Kara to finish the run, with 12.7 miles. I commented to Kitty that with the hills on Skyline Dr., I felt like we were back in Bellevue. Although we did end up running the same stretch of asphalt three times is was a really enjoyable run. Skyline drive is rolling and curving and at the highest point in Fullerton. Traffic was nearly non existent and we were accompanied by several other runners and walkers. After all none of us, except Jesse and Michelle, had run here before.
This is one cool thing I find about running, besides pushing myself physically and mentally, I also get pushed geographically. We spend so much time with our routine travels from work, school, kids sports activities, etc. that we rarely venture off our well worn paths. Especially in SoCal we spend so much time on the freeways where everything starts looking pretty much the same mile after mile that we forget that there are plenty of interesting neighborhoods and town centers in this metropolis of LA/Orange County.
This morning thankfully the air conditioner hadn't kicked in before I left for my run. I was planning on going to Bonelli as usual, but couldn't decide which 5 mile route to take. My hilly route that I like or the flatter newly minted Cottontail Run. I'm not sure if it is just the heat or the post marathon fatigue but my legs have felt pretty flat lately. I hadn't made up my mind for sure until I got there and realized I had forgotten my watch, so Cottontail it was. Don't ask my why, I'm not even sure myself, but somehow no watch meant take the easier route. I'm glad I did because by mile 4 I was pooped and took a walk break for a very long "minute" (no watch remember). On the drive home the dashboard readout was 85 degrees, it wasn't even 8:00 a.m. yet.
After breakkfast I checked up on Sam Thompson's 50 state progress. Last Wednesday he put in his fastest marathon of this trek on the 19th of 50 at Twin Cities. Amazing!
Miles for the week: 33.7
Friday, July 21, 2006
Peter Cottontail Strikes Again
It has been a busy week. We fit in my youngest son's 16th birthday dinner, cake at G'mas and Ed Young speaking at church. I started this post yesterday at lunch, and I'm finally finishing it now, Friday night. I had a run I wanted to talk about.
On Monday evening, I overheard my wife and son discussing when we could go out to dinner for his birthday. His birthday was Thursday and he had already planned on going paintballing. My wife has water aerobics on Tuesday. I heard him tell my wife we couldn't go to dinner on Wednesday because that was his day to ride with Dad! I chimed in that we could go on the bike/run Tuesday since that seemed to work better for us all.
During the day on Tuesday I texted him ( I have to take advantage of the technology they love)to see if we were still on. He was good to go. When I got home from work he was firmly planted in front of the computer. It took some arm twisting, but I got him out the door.
He rode faster than previous runs. I think he's getting more confident with the route and with his abilities. We of course ran across the ubiquitous rabbits. I overheard the dulcet tones of Peter Cottontail; being whistled this time. I asked him, "Is that Peter Cottontail, I hear?" I heard "NO!" I guess he just couldn't help himself. I've decided to name this little 5 mile route in Bonelli the Peter Cottontail Run. I hope this is something that we can continue together for some time to come.
I saw this quote over on Rob's site "My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy."John Bryant. It sure felt apropos for me this week. I squeezed Wednesday's run in between work and dinner since I had unexpectedly started work early that day. On Thursday my run was planned for late, about 9:00 pm, after Ed Young, but instead I decided to accompany my wife in picking up Bryan from paintball. I intended on getting up "early" Friday morning. Somehow both my wife and I missed the alarm. I had woken up once, realized it was getting light out but went back to sleep with the assurance the the alarm would be going off any minute. When I next woke up, it was obviously very light outside. It was regular time to get up. I still went out for the run and was only a couple of minutes late for work. It was Friday after all, and nobody noticed anyway.
I have to apologize, I didn't realize the repercussions of a blog name when I started this thing. Five down... represented where I was at the time and defined me here in Blogger and with the RBF. I still find the blogs I read through the Running Blog Recents page. Apparently many others us Bloglines or something similar and the Six Down name didn't quite register. I guess we are all in for a lot a future changes as my 50 state quest continues. I'll be Seven Down... in October after St. George, Utah. I have nothing scheduled after that, at least out of state, so that one may stick for a little while. I don't really know, but hopefully you'll all hang in there with me. The URL remains the same unless I too get fed up with Blogger's picture disability and follow Susan's advice to Steven "to move away from Blogger. Far away and never look back." So don't get too comfortable.
The CA Cruisers are off to a new running route tomorrow morning. Jesse has been trying to get us up to Summit House for a while. It should be fun. With a 6:30 a.m. start we should be back home to the A/C before we hit tomorrow's 107°F expected high. Three straight weeks of record heat is getting a little old. I'm ready to go back to Seattle.
On Monday evening, I overheard my wife and son discussing when we could go out to dinner for his birthday. His birthday was Thursday and he had already planned on going paintballing. My wife has water aerobics on Tuesday. I heard him tell my wife we couldn't go to dinner on Wednesday because that was his day to ride with Dad! I chimed in that we could go on the bike/run Tuesday since that seemed to work better for us all.
During the day on Tuesday I texted him ( I have to take advantage of the technology they love)to see if we were still on. He was good to go. When I got home from work he was firmly planted in front of the computer. It took some arm twisting, but I got him out the door.
He rode faster than previous runs. I think he's getting more confident with the route and with his abilities. We of course ran across the ubiquitous rabbits. I overheard the dulcet tones of Peter Cottontail; being whistled this time. I asked him, "Is that Peter Cottontail, I hear?" I heard "NO!" I guess he just couldn't help himself. I've decided to name this little 5 mile route in Bonelli the Peter Cottontail Run. I hope this is something that we can continue together for some time to come.
I saw this quote over on Rob's site "My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy."John Bryant. It sure felt apropos for me this week. I squeezed Wednesday's run in between work and dinner since I had unexpectedly started work early that day. On Thursday my run was planned for late, about 9:00 pm, after Ed Young, but instead I decided to accompany my wife in picking up Bryan from paintball. I intended on getting up "early" Friday morning. Somehow both my wife and I missed the alarm. I had woken up once, realized it was getting light out but went back to sleep with the assurance the the alarm would be going off any minute. When I next woke up, it was obviously very light outside. It was regular time to get up. I still went out for the run and was only a couple of minutes late for work. It was Friday after all, and nobody noticed anyway.
I have to apologize, I didn't realize the repercussions of a blog name when I started this thing. Five down... represented where I was at the time and defined me here in Blogger and with the RBF. I still find the blogs I read through the Running Blog Recents page. Apparently many others us Bloglines or something similar and the Six Down name didn't quite register. I guess we are all in for a lot a future changes as my 50 state quest continues. I'll be Seven Down... in October after St. George, Utah. I have nothing scheduled after that, at least out of state, so that one may stick for a little while. I don't really know, but hopefully you'll all hang in there with me. The URL remains the same unless I too get fed up with Blogger's picture disability and follow Susan's advice to Steven "to move away from Blogger. Far away and never look back." So don't get too comfortable.
The CA Cruisers are off to a new running route tomorrow morning. Jesse has been trying to get us up to Summit House for a while. It should be fun. With a 6:30 a.m. start we should be back home to the A/C before we hit tomorrow's 107°F expected high. Three straight weeks of record heat is getting a little old. I'm ready to go back to Seattle.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
On To The Next One
On Tuesday night when we got home from Seattle, I was greeted at the door with a home baked Birthday Cake from my mother-in-law. Even though it was 11:00 p.m. I had to have a slice. It's official, as of July 11th, I'm 45 and in a new age bracket for Boston Qualifying! 3:30. I'm going to try not to think about it too much.
I had already worked out a schedule for the St. George Maraton in October before I'd even run SEAFAIR. My goal was to finally hit 50 miles at least a couple of times before then and to get in as many 20+ milers as possible. I also wanted to give myself a couple of easier recovery weeks before getting into the new cycle. I typically take a complete week off after a marathon, running 6 to 8 the Saturday after. Im using a schedule from the NYC Marathon website as a guideline. It is described as "Competitive Marathoner...a schedule for a veteran marathoner aiming to improve race time (from a 30-mile-per-week base for a least one month to a peak of 50 miles per week)." I can accept the veteran label, but I'm going to have to work on embracing the competitive marathoner label.
I decided to ease back into it with an easy 4 miles on Thursday evening. It was HOT when I got home from work, so the kids and I ate dinner quickly and I planned to go out about 8:00 p.m. when it would have cooled down somewhat. My wife was at her water aerobics class. After dinner I fell asleep in the chair working on the crossword puzzle. I woke up after 8:00 when my wife got home. I was beat. There was no running going to happen that night.
Friday morning I woke at the first alarm and made a made dash out the door to get in the 4 miles before work. My wife thought I was certifiably insane. I went over to the Via Verde horse trail. I hadn't run over there since March before my training for SEAFAIR began in earnest. I cut the run to 3 but it felt great. I still had time to shower and made it to work only a couple of minutes late.
I met the CA Cruisers, including Kitty, in Valencia for a run we call Tricia's Run. The last time I had run there was with Dr. John. He and I were paired up again. I should have known better. I had planned on 8 miles. As before, I figured the run with Dr. John would control my pace and be good for recovering from the marathon. John was planning 10. No problem I thought, 2 more miles won't kill me. We were just rolling along at a fairly relaxed pace down the horse trail in Yorba Linda. I wasn't paying much attention to my watch and I had no real idea how far we'd gone since we don't run here often. John runs with a Garmin. When I finally asked him how far we'd gone we were just short of 6 miles. OOPS! John was still determined to find the link in the trails that we hadn't found back in November. I figured we were close, so I told John we'd just keep going and find the end once and for all. Luckily we were only about 0.5 mile away. By the time we got back to the cars we'd covered 13 miles. Just a little beyond my plan (note the sarcasm), but when you run with Dr. John you never know what you're going to get. At least the pace was easy at 2 hours 25 minutes.
This picture is at one of the places the trail crosses a street, we didn't run much asphalt at all.
Sunday morning I went over to Bonelli and ran the road over the dam and the Puddingstone Dr. Trail for 5 miles, no hilly trail this week. My pace was 10:17. Between the heat and the marathon recovery, I'm guessing the slower pace is OK for now.
Miles for the week: 21
In other news, I got a phone call from Janice this morning. She completed her second half marathon today, the Carneros Wine Country Half, in 2:02:10. A PR for her on a gently rolling course, woohoo. She improved by 3 minutes from Fontana which is all downhill. Now I've just got to get her to start a running blog!
I had already worked out a schedule for the St. George Maraton in October before I'd even run SEAFAIR. My goal was to finally hit 50 miles at least a couple of times before then and to get in as many 20+ milers as possible. I also wanted to give myself a couple of easier recovery weeks before getting into the new cycle. I typically take a complete week off after a marathon, running 6 to 8 the Saturday after. Im using a schedule from the NYC Marathon website as a guideline. It is described as "Competitive Marathoner...a schedule for a veteran marathoner aiming to improve race time (from a 30-mile-per-week base for a least one month to a peak of 50 miles per week)." I can accept the veteran label, but I'm going to have to work on embracing the competitive marathoner label.
I decided to ease back into it with an easy 4 miles on Thursday evening. It was HOT when I got home from work, so the kids and I ate dinner quickly and I planned to go out about 8:00 p.m. when it would have cooled down somewhat. My wife was at her water aerobics class. After dinner I fell asleep in the chair working on the crossword puzzle. I woke up after 8:00 when my wife got home. I was beat. There was no running going to happen that night.
Friday morning I woke at the first alarm and made a made dash out the door to get in the 4 miles before work. My wife thought I was certifiably insane. I went over to the Via Verde horse trail. I hadn't run over there since March before my training for SEAFAIR began in earnest. I cut the run to 3 but it felt great. I still had time to shower and made it to work only a couple of minutes late.
I met the CA Cruisers, including Kitty, in Valencia for a run we call Tricia's Run. The last time I had run there was with Dr. John. He and I were paired up again. I should have known better. I had planned on 8 miles. As before, I figured the run with Dr. John would control my pace and be good for recovering from the marathon. John was planning 10. No problem I thought, 2 more miles won't kill me. We were just rolling along at a fairly relaxed pace down the horse trail in Yorba Linda. I wasn't paying much attention to my watch and I had no real idea how far we'd gone since we don't run here often. John runs with a Garmin. When I finally asked him how far we'd gone we were just short of 6 miles. OOPS! John was still determined to find the link in the trails that we hadn't found back in November. I figured we were close, so I told John we'd just keep going and find the end once and for all. Luckily we were only about 0.5 mile away. By the time we got back to the cars we'd covered 13 miles. Just a little beyond my plan (note the sarcasm), but when you run with Dr. John you never know what you're going to get. At least the pace was easy at 2 hours 25 minutes.
This picture is at one of the places the trail crosses a street, we didn't run much asphalt at all.
Sunday morning I went over to Bonelli and ran the road over the dam and the Puddingstone Dr. Trail for 5 miles, no hilly trail this week. My pace was 10:17. Between the heat and the marathon recovery, I'm guessing the slower pace is OK for now.
Miles for the week: 21
In other news, I got a phone call from Janice this morning. She completed her second half marathon today, the Carneros Wine Country Half, in 2:02:10. A PR for her on a gently rolling course, woohoo. She improved by 3 minutes from Fontana which is all downhill. Now I've just got to get her to start a running blog!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Sub 4:00 SEAFAIR Marathon
Wow! It's been four days since the marathon. I've had a lot of time to mull it over and try to put it into words. I'm not so sure how I'll do, but here goes. First of all I want to thank everyone for the encouraging words and support. I know some of you have been waiting for this report. I'd like to say that I put together the ultimate essay on the epic battle of mankind against the forces of nature. Isn't that what every race is? Instead you just get me yakking on about my best marathon, ever.
On Saturday afternoon we drove the course with a fellow CA Cruiser Kitty and her husband. Kitty was there to run the half marathon. She used to live in the area and her sister still lives in Snohomish. Driving the course was a real eye opener. The course is not advertised as "flat and fast" and I didn't expect that it was. I'd read the reviews of the 2005 course on marathon.com and talked to Jeff about the course. The 2006 course was flatter and deemed to be twice as easy as the 2005 course on the website. Even with all that, knowing that there will be hills and expecting hills is not the same as actually seeing the hills. It was good to see the course but I walked away from the experience thinking "so much for the sub 4:00". The first 5 miles of the course were uphill. I thought of the last longish run I'd done over in Chino Hills with the 4 mile uphill at the start and how agonizing the last 8 miles of that run had been. What had I gotten myself into?
I got a decent night's sleep that night thanks in part to having gotten up at 4:00 a.m. that morning to catch the flight to Seattle. I awoke and felt immediately uneasy. I was just flat out scared about how the day was going to go. We drove over to the start by 6:00, the temperature was 64°F. The sky was only mostly sunny with only scattered clouds. At first there was almostno onee there. Kitty and Leroy showed up and we chatted and I sort of forgot about my fears. Runners were showing up so we decided to go walk a little and I we ran into Rob. He wasn't really hard to spot. There weren't that many people in the park and he had mentioned that he would be hanging out with the Marathon Maniacs. It was cool to meet him. I guess I freaked him out a little when I told him about driving the course the day before. We parted ways so I could hit the portapot on last time before the race.
I could hear the announcer calling the runners to the starting line but it seemed like a lot of people either didn't hear him or weren't payingattentionn. I made it out of the john just in time to run to the street and realize I was on the wrong side of the start line when the race took off. I quickly ran around the gate and got on with the race. This was not the best way to get started but, I was off. About a quarter of a mile into the race Rob caught me, wished me well and took off. He had gotten a late start, along with a lot of other people.
I had found a pace chart on the marathon website that used varied paces accounting for the hills. There was nearly a 2 minute difference in pace between the biggest uphill, at 9:59 and the steepest decline at 7:38. My goal was sub 4:00 (I think I've mentioned this) so to be optimistic I had used the 3:50 pace chart. I printed it out, protected it with packing tape and carried it in my fuel belt. I checked it at every mile to assess my progress. The pace chart suggested 9 to 10 minute miles for the first 5 uphill. I ran most of mile 2 with one of Rob's Maniac friends, Lisa. She was shooting for 3:45 to 4:00. At the 2 mile mark she took off. I decided to maintain the suggested pace. I hit the 5 mile mark in 45:00, a little ahead of the projected 46:52. I definitely wouldn't say I went out too fast on this one!
At this point we had a nice downhill section. It was here that I finally came to my senses and realized that most of the uphills were followed pretty much by equal downhills. I guess this seems elementary but all I was focused on during the drive was the uphills. At mile 8 I turned a corner and there was my wife. That was a nice surprise. I pulled over for a quick kiss and then on my way again. After the nice 4 mile downhill, I was at 1:16:53, ahead of the scheduled 1:19:38.
At mile 11 I started feeling a hot spot behind my right big toe, the beginnings of a blister. This was mostly annoying since I hadn't had a single blister this whole training cycle. I realized I had used Body Glide on my thighs but had neglected my feet. Too late now to do anything about it.
About this same time I caught up with Sam Thompson. Rob had told me about him before the race. He is running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days to raise awareness and funds for Katrina victims. Go check out his website, he even has a blog. Apparently he had this idea before Dean Karnazes. Sam was running along side Tony Phillippi, one of the Marathon Maniac founders.
I hit mile 13 in 1:52:16, nearly 4 minutes ahead of schedule. After the race I had talked to a few people by phone about the race and had mistakenly reported a negative split. I was looking at my 13th split, which was actually mile 14 since I had missed a mile somewhere along the line. I feel bad that I overstated my performance. My official 13.1 mile split was 1:53:41. I still wasn't convinced at this point that I would meet my goal. Between mile 13 and 14 my wife appeared on the sidelines again with camera in hand. Another quick kiss and off I went. At mile 13 I started my second gel. I had used my first at mile 7 and 10, a half pack of PowerGel Chocolate at a time. I had also been grabbing a cup of water at every water stop. I took a couple of short steps, pinched the cup, and sipped the water without missing a beat. I was pretty proud of this. I used to walk water stations.
From mile 14 to 20 I kept leap frogging Sam and Tony and about a half dozen other runners. I was going slower on the uphills and taking advantage of the downs just like the pace chart prescribed. At mile 18, there was my wife again. Yes, one more kiss and go. She yells to me that I'm going to go sub 4:00. I yelled back not to get so confident yet, I still hadn't gotten to the "WALL" yet. I was at 2:35:53 compared to 2:39:58. I still had a 4 minute cushion for a 3:50 finish. I got a little excited but made myself forget it, at least for a couple of miles.
The Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline were at mile 20. I wish they could have followed me to the finish. Mile 20, I was at 2:54:45. With only 6.2 miles to go I figured worse case scenario 10 minute miles and I would still break the 4:00 barrier. Mile 20 is also where the half marathon course joined back up with the marathon course. Mile 7 of the half, mile 20 of the full. The half runners were already finished, so we were sharing the course with the half marathon walkers. This was a very bizarre experience. The marathon runners were very spread out by now, so I just weaved my way through walkers. It made me feel like I was going slower than I really was.
There was no way to deny that I was slowing down. By mile 22 my cushion had dwindled to about 2 minutes. Mile 24 I was at 3:30:18, just 6 second ahead of schedule for the 3:50 finish. Around here were passed a little breakfast joint called Chace's Pancake Corral. It smelled so good. My wife and I returned there Monday and Tuesday for breakfast. Mile 25 to the finish are a gentle uphill. I kept plodding along.
Around the 26 mile mark, I recognized Rob up ahead of me. I was very surprised to see him there. My goal became to catch up to him. I called out his name a couple of times. I caught him right at the finish line. I put my hand on his shoulder just as he crossed the line. He finished 1 second ahead of me. This was a very cool way to finish the race, along side a runner I admired through his blog and met in person just over 4 hours earlier.
My wife took this shot just after the finish. I think it says a lot about the kind of guy Rob is. I've got to hand it to a guy with a wife, 4 kids and pursuing his masters degree who still finds time to put in crazy miles every week and races a lot. After we chilled at the finish area for awhile Rob joined my wife and I for lunch at a TexMex place and chatted some more. Then it was off to pick up the kids and Lisa and I went off to explore the Pacific Northwest.
The temperature at the end of the race was in the mid 70's under still mostly sunny clear blue skies. The latest update the marathon has my finish time at 3:52:10 (chip time). The splits are 1:53:41 and 1:58:49. Only a 5 minute slow down on the second half, cool! Now it shows Rob as #104 and me as 105. I'm not sure how these things change since Monday but that's the latest. There were only 550 marathonfinisherss, not including the half and the relay. I'm really surprised and thrilled with my finish in the top 20% overall and 13/58 in my age group. With such a small field, we got so spread out, and it's easy to convince yourself that there'sno onee behind you. The other thing I'm really proud of is that I ran this whole marathon. Now I can say I've RUN my first marathon. All the others have been done with the run/walk method. I have nothing against that method, it worked for me, but it's a big confidence boost to know that I can run this thing.
I've been trying to figure out what I did differently this time around to get me to this point. Somehow on the hilliest course I've ever run, I set a big PR. My best marathon up till now was 4:06:49. I surpassed that my nearly 15 minutes. My three marathons last year were no where close to besting that time. Here's what I think I did right:
1. My last marathon was 7 months ago.
2. I took 3 weeks off completely in January 2006.
3. I added speedwork and competed in the 5K series.
4. I increased my week day miles to include 8 milers midweek.
5. I did 3-20+ milers, 1-18 miler and 2-16 milers during this training cycle.
6. April and May were my 2 highest volume months ever.
7. I took full advantage of a two week taper.
Thanks to all who commented, supported and cheered me along the way. Now its Six Down and off to St. George, UT in October. Let me think about my goal for that one, it's downhill you know. ;-)
On Saturday afternoon we drove the course with a fellow CA Cruiser Kitty and her husband. Kitty was there to run the half marathon. She used to live in the area and her sister still lives in Snohomish. Driving the course was a real eye opener. The course is not advertised as "flat and fast" and I didn't expect that it was. I'd read the reviews of the 2005 course on marathon.com and talked to Jeff about the course. The 2006 course was flatter and deemed to be twice as easy as the 2005 course on the website. Even with all that, knowing that there will be hills and expecting hills is not the same as actually seeing the hills. It was good to see the course but I walked away from the experience thinking "so much for the sub 4:00". The first 5 miles of the course were uphill. I thought of the last longish run I'd done over in Chino Hills with the 4 mile uphill at the start and how agonizing the last 8 miles of that run had been. What had I gotten myself into?
I got a decent night's sleep that night thanks in part to having gotten up at 4:00 a.m. that morning to catch the flight to Seattle. I awoke and felt immediately uneasy. I was just flat out scared about how the day was going to go. We drove over to the start by 6:00, the temperature was 64°F. The sky was only mostly sunny with only scattered clouds. At first there was almostno onee there. Kitty and Leroy showed up and we chatted and I sort of forgot about my fears. Runners were showing up so we decided to go walk a little and I we ran into Rob. He wasn't really hard to spot. There weren't that many people in the park and he had mentioned that he would be hanging out with the Marathon Maniacs. It was cool to meet him. I guess I freaked him out a little when I told him about driving the course the day before. We parted ways so I could hit the portapot on last time before the race.
I could hear the announcer calling the runners to the starting line but it seemed like a lot of people either didn't hear him or weren't payingattentionn. I made it out of the john just in time to run to the street and realize I was on the wrong side of the start line when the race took off. I quickly ran around the gate and got on with the race. This was not the best way to get started but, I was off. About a quarter of a mile into the race Rob caught me, wished me well and took off. He had gotten a late start, along with a lot of other people.
I had found a pace chart on the marathon website that used varied paces accounting for the hills. There was nearly a 2 minute difference in pace between the biggest uphill, at 9:59 and the steepest decline at 7:38. My goal was sub 4:00 (I think I've mentioned this) so to be optimistic I had used the 3:50 pace chart. I printed it out, protected it with packing tape and carried it in my fuel belt. I checked it at every mile to assess my progress. The pace chart suggested 9 to 10 minute miles for the first 5 uphill. I ran most of mile 2 with one of Rob's Maniac friends, Lisa. She was shooting for 3:45 to 4:00. At the 2 mile mark she took off. I decided to maintain the suggested pace. I hit the 5 mile mark in 45:00, a little ahead of the projected 46:52. I definitely wouldn't say I went out too fast on this one!
At this point we had a nice downhill section. It was here that I finally came to my senses and realized that most of the uphills were followed pretty much by equal downhills. I guess this seems elementary but all I was focused on during the drive was the uphills. At mile 8 I turned a corner and there was my wife. That was a nice surprise. I pulled over for a quick kiss and then on my way again. After the nice 4 mile downhill, I was at 1:16:53, ahead of the scheduled 1:19:38.
At mile 11 I started feeling a hot spot behind my right big toe, the beginnings of a blister. This was mostly annoying since I hadn't had a single blister this whole training cycle. I realized I had used Body Glide on my thighs but had neglected my feet. Too late now to do anything about it.
About this same time I caught up with Sam Thompson. Rob had told me about him before the race. He is running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days to raise awareness and funds for Katrina victims. Go check out his website, he even has a blog. Apparently he had this idea before Dean Karnazes. Sam was running along side Tony Phillippi, one of the Marathon Maniac founders.
I hit mile 13 in 1:52:16, nearly 4 minutes ahead of schedule. After the race I had talked to a few people by phone about the race and had mistakenly reported a negative split. I was looking at my 13th split, which was actually mile 14 since I had missed a mile somewhere along the line. I feel bad that I overstated my performance. My official 13.1 mile split was 1:53:41. I still wasn't convinced at this point that I would meet my goal. Between mile 13 and 14 my wife appeared on the sidelines again with camera in hand. Another quick kiss and off I went. At mile 13 I started my second gel. I had used my first at mile 7 and 10, a half pack of PowerGel Chocolate at a time. I had also been grabbing a cup of water at every water stop. I took a couple of short steps, pinched the cup, and sipped the water without missing a beat. I was pretty proud of this. I used to walk water stations.
From mile 14 to 20 I kept leap frogging Sam and Tony and about a half dozen other runners. I was going slower on the uphills and taking advantage of the downs just like the pace chart prescribed. At mile 18, there was my wife again. Yes, one more kiss and go. She yells to me that I'm going to go sub 4:00. I yelled back not to get so confident yet, I still hadn't gotten to the "WALL" yet. I was at 2:35:53 compared to 2:39:58. I still had a 4 minute cushion for a 3:50 finish. I got a little excited but made myself forget it, at least for a couple of miles.
The Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline were at mile 20. I wish they could have followed me to the finish. Mile 20, I was at 2:54:45. With only 6.2 miles to go I figured worse case scenario 10 minute miles and I would still break the 4:00 barrier. Mile 20 is also where the half marathon course joined back up with the marathon course. Mile 7 of the half, mile 20 of the full. The half runners were already finished, so we were sharing the course with the half marathon walkers. This was a very bizarre experience. The marathon runners were very spread out by now, so I just weaved my way through walkers. It made me feel like I was going slower than I really was.
There was no way to deny that I was slowing down. By mile 22 my cushion had dwindled to about 2 minutes. Mile 24 I was at 3:30:18, just 6 second ahead of schedule for the 3:50 finish. Around here were passed a little breakfast joint called Chace's Pancake Corral. It smelled so good. My wife and I returned there Monday and Tuesday for breakfast. Mile 25 to the finish are a gentle uphill. I kept plodding along.
Around the 26 mile mark, I recognized Rob up ahead of me. I was very surprised to see him there. My goal became to catch up to him. I called out his name a couple of times. I caught him right at the finish line. I put my hand on his shoulder just as he crossed the line. He finished 1 second ahead of me. This was a very cool way to finish the race, along side a runner I admired through his blog and met in person just over 4 hours earlier.
My wife took this shot just after the finish. I think it says a lot about the kind of guy Rob is. I've got to hand it to a guy with a wife, 4 kids and pursuing his masters degree who still finds time to put in crazy miles every week and races a lot. After we chilled at the finish area for awhile Rob joined my wife and I for lunch at a TexMex place and chatted some more. Then it was off to pick up the kids and Lisa and I went off to explore the Pacific Northwest.
The temperature at the end of the race was in the mid 70's under still mostly sunny clear blue skies. The latest update the marathon has my finish time at 3:52:10 (chip time). The splits are 1:53:41 and 1:58:49. Only a 5 minute slow down on the second half, cool! Now it shows Rob as #104 and me as 105. I'm not sure how these things change since Monday but that's the latest. There were only 550 marathonfinisherss, not including the half and the relay. I'm really surprised and thrilled with my finish in the top 20% overall and 13/58 in my age group. With such a small field, we got so spread out, and it's easy to convince yourself that there'sno onee behind you. The other thing I'm really proud of is that I ran this whole marathon. Now I can say I've RUN my first marathon. All the others have been done with the run/walk method. I have nothing against that method, it worked for me, but it's a big confidence boost to know that I can run this thing.
I've been trying to figure out what I did differently this time around to get me to this point. Somehow on the hilliest course I've ever run, I set a big PR. My best marathon up till now was 4:06:49. I surpassed that my nearly 15 minutes. My three marathons last year were no where close to besting that time. Here's what I think I did right:
1. My last marathon was 7 months ago.
2. I took 3 weeks off completely in January 2006.
3. I added speedwork and competed in the 5K series.
4. I increased my week day miles to include 8 milers midweek.
5. I did 3-20+ milers, 1-18 miler and 2-16 milers during this training cycle.
6. April and May were my 2 highest volume months ever.
7. I took full advantage of a two week taper.
Thanks to all who commented, supported and cheered me along the way. Now its Six Down and off to St. George, UT in October. Let me think about my goal for that one, it's downhill you know. ;-)
Friday, July 07, 2006
I'm Outa Here
It's Friday evening and I just finished mowing the front yard. The typical postage size stamp yard in Southern California so it didn't take long. I'll get to the edging next time around. I've got better things to worry about right now.
I've got to go make a last minute trip to the store; food for the dog and PowerGel for me and then get back home to pack up the suitcase. I'm putting my running gear in a back pack and it goes on the plane with me. They can lose my luggage but at least I'll have the clothes on my back and my running stuff.
My wife and I arrive in Seattle mid morning tomorrow and then off to the Expo. We are both really looking forward to the long weekend away and to exploring the area. I looking forward to a carbo load dinner with Kitty and Leroy, fellow CA Cruisers, and definitely meeting up with fellow blogger and SEAFAIR marathoner, the real deal Ultramarathon Man (not Dean K), Rob for a post marathon celebratory meal.
Just a quick recap of my week:
Monday - I took it easy pretty much all day.
Tuesday - I went for a 13 mile bike ride with the guys and a couple of the wives and kids from our small group. We rode a gentle uphill and back down private road up the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. You can read about the trail here. No running that day. My schedule called for 6 miles. Normally when I go on one of these rides I still make an effort to get my running miles in. I have to have something to put down in my log book, you know. But since I'm in taper mode I decided not to be quite so anal about it this time and skipped the run.
Wednesday - I went for a bike ride with my youngest son back over in Bonelli. This time we both rode bikes and we went a little farther than last week. Somewhere along the way, he commented to me that he wasn't going to sing this time because he didn't want to end up on the blog. I guess that tactic didn't work, sorry bud.
Thursday - I took him to a paintball place in Anaheim, so I went over to our usual Saturday morning run on the Santa Ana River Trail for 4 miles. I went out 2 in 16:11. I was pretty happy about that. When I got back to the start I checked the watch and it said 16:11. Before you start thinking that I had a nice consistent run, don't. I hit the wrong button on the watch at 2 miles so I have no idea how fast or slow I ran the second 2 miles.
Friday - rest day except for the lawn mowing.
I won't have internet access after tonight. (Its kind of hard to lug a desk top computer around. )So just in case your interested in my performance at SEAFAIR you can check here:
Unofficial: Unofficial results will be posted 30 minutes after the first person finishes. Results will be posted online at www.perfecttimeevents.com immediately following the event.
Official: Official results with be available approximately 24 hours after the marathon's completion at www.seafairmarathon.com.
Just look for Darrell in the finishers under 4:00, I hope! I want to thank everybody for all the good wishes you've sent the last few days. The RBF is awesome. We'll get back home late Tuesday evening, so hopefully I'll get a race report up Wednesday evening at the latest. I'll catch up with you all then.
I've got to go make a last minute trip to the store; food for the dog and PowerGel for me and then get back home to pack up the suitcase. I'm putting my running gear in a back pack and it goes on the plane with me. They can lose my luggage but at least I'll have the clothes on my back and my running stuff.
My wife and I arrive in Seattle mid morning tomorrow and then off to the Expo. We are both really looking forward to the long weekend away and to exploring the area. I looking forward to a carbo load dinner with Kitty and Leroy, fellow CA Cruisers, and definitely meeting up with fellow blogger and SEAFAIR marathoner, the real deal Ultramarathon Man (not Dean K), Rob for a post marathon celebratory meal.
Just a quick recap of my week:
Monday - I took it easy pretty much all day.
Tuesday - I went for a 13 mile bike ride with the guys and a couple of the wives and kids from our small group. We rode a gentle uphill and back down private road up the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. You can read about the trail here. No running that day. My schedule called for 6 miles. Normally when I go on one of these rides I still make an effort to get my running miles in. I have to have something to put down in my log book, you know. But since I'm in taper mode I decided not to be quite so anal about it this time and skipped the run.
Wednesday - I went for a bike ride with my youngest son back over in Bonelli. This time we both rode bikes and we went a little farther than last week. Somewhere along the way, he commented to me that he wasn't going to sing this time because he didn't want to end up on the blog. I guess that tactic didn't work, sorry bud.
Thursday - I took him to a paintball place in Anaheim, so I went over to our usual Saturday morning run on the Santa Ana River Trail for 4 miles. I went out 2 in 16:11. I was pretty happy about that. When I got back to the start I checked the watch and it said 16:11. Before you start thinking that I had a nice consistent run, don't. I hit the wrong button on the watch at 2 miles so I have no idea how fast or slow I ran the second 2 miles.
Friday - rest day except for the lawn mowing.
I won't have internet access after tonight. (Its kind of hard to lug a desk top computer around. )So just in case your interested in my performance at SEAFAIR you can check here:
Unofficial: Unofficial results will be posted 30 minutes after the first person finishes. Results will be posted online at www.perfecttimeevents.com immediately following the event.
Official: Official results with be available approximately 24 hours after the marathon's completion at www.seafairmarathon.com.
Just look for Darrell in the finishers under 4:00, I hope! I want to thank everybody for all the good wishes you've sent the last few days. The RBF is awesome. We'll get back home late Tuesday evening, so hopefully I'll get a race report up Wednesday evening at the latest. I'll catch up with you all then.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Mind Games and Body Aches
It Monday morning and I'm sitting here catching up on email and blogs. I have the day off; thank you big corporate America. This weekend was a long and I'm tired.
On Saturday morning I volunteered at the 2nd Annual Villa Park Red White and Blue Freedomfest 5K (that sure is a long name for a short race). The RD is a member of the 642 group that the CA Cruisers run with often. I helped register runners on race day. There were 115 preregistered runners and we signed in another 110 or so that morning. The race is a very old fashioned grass roots affair. All finisher got a tshirt and medal, but there are not official times or age group awards. The first three male and females got a pretty substantial place/medal. Some Mom took on the responsibility of calling out finishing times. My friend Jesse came in 4th for the men behind a high school kid, Matt, John from the 642 group and another guy that was somewhere in 30-40 age group. I handed out water to the runners as they crossed the finish line. It is so cool to watch a race from this vantage point. The various emotions on people's faces runs the gamut from pleasure to pain. Boy was it hot out there, too.
My weekend scheduled called for 10 miles on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. I planned on getting my run in after my volunteer duties. I drove over to Riverdale Park on the Santa Ana River Trail and headed south. I was hoping to take advantage of the shade. There was some but not enough. It was 9:00 by the time I got started and hot. My intention was to get the 10 miler out of the way today. When I hit the 2 mile mark I decided to turn around and be satisfied with 4 today. I could always put in the 10 on Sunday morning. I promised myself I would get started earlier trying to beat the heat. On the way back I realized that with all this rationalizing and procrastination, I was sounding like my sons. I wondered if they picked this up from me?
I spent the rest of the day in the heat (OK, now I'm whining and really starting to sound like the boys) getting the back yard ready for a pool party we were having on Sunday. I mowed, edged, trimmed hedges, moved every piece of furniture twice, swept and hosed all afternoon and into the evening. I did manage to take a short break to shower and get to Saturday evening church to hear one of the younger pastors give a message on Hebrews 12:1-3. Coincidental? These passages have inspired a few runners of a certain faith, I am sure.
Sunday morning I woke up at the crack dawn, OK it was already 6:00 a.m. When I woke up my left knee hurt and my right hamstring was tight. I thought this is going to be a fun 10 miles. I drove over the the San Gabriel River Trail. This is the bike trail I run often after work. I realized Sunday morning that I have always referred to this trail by the wrong name. The trail is the San Gabriel River Trail (I saw a sign I've apparently missed for 3 years), the dam is the Santa Fe Dam, so I assumed it was the Santa Fe River. I guess not.
My plan was to do two out and back sections. From where I parked the trail only goes north 2.5 miles, this is my favorite part of the trail. I headed off south to save my favorite part for last. I went out 3 and turned around. My knee and hamstring actually felt pretty good. My right heel was bothering me though. When I neared the 6 mile mark, almost to the car, I began to rationalize that I could stop here. I really didn't need the extra 4 as far as marathon training went. I also remembered a show I had seen last weekend on FitTV about the triathalon. They said that the difference between athletes at any ability level is nutrition and mental toughness. I decided I couldn't lose this mental battle today so I continued past the car and made the other four miles. I finished off the 10 in 1:24 or 8:24 pace.
I made it home in time for a quick breakfast and a shower and back off to church with the family to hear Jim "The Rookie" Morris speak. I've never seen the movie based on his story. He was a great speaker with a great message about chasing your dreams. He had some other great points about treating people well, being a positive role model for the younger generation and being a person of integrity. Good stuff.
Later that afternoon, we hosted a pool party for about 30 people, families from our Friday Night Bible Study group. Where else but southern California would you celebrate the 4th of July weekend with carne asada, rice and beans! It was a great time of food, fun, friends and fellowship. After the last people left and we cleaned up, I sat down and almost immediately fell asleep in front of the TV.
Its now Monday morning. I'm still tired but awake. I've caught up on the computer world and have iced my heel. I hope to spend the rest of the day off my feet as much as possible.
Happy 4th of July to all. I hope you can fly the flag proudly, watch a parade and celebrate the freedom we enjoy here in the Good Old US of A!
On Saturday morning I volunteered at the 2nd Annual Villa Park Red White and Blue Freedomfest 5K (that sure is a long name for a short race). The RD is a member of the 642 group that the CA Cruisers run with often. I helped register runners on race day. There were 115 preregistered runners and we signed in another 110 or so that morning. The race is a very old fashioned grass roots affair. All finisher got a tshirt and medal, but there are not official times or age group awards. The first three male and females got a pretty substantial place/medal. Some Mom took on the responsibility of calling out finishing times. My friend Jesse came in 4th for the men behind a high school kid, Matt, John from the 642 group and another guy that was somewhere in 30-40 age group. I handed out water to the runners as they crossed the finish line. It is so cool to watch a race from this vantage point. The various emotions on people's faces runs the gamut from pleasure to pain. Boy was it hot out there, too.
My weekend scheduled called for 10 miles on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. I planned on getting my run in after my volunteer duties. I drove over to Riverdale Park on the Santa Ana River Trail and headed south. I was hoping to take advantage of the shade. There was some but not enough. It was 9:00 by the time I got started and hot. My intention was to get the 10 miler out of the way today. When I hit the 2 mile mark I decided to turn around and be satisfied with 4 today. I could always put in the 10 on Sunday morning. I promised myself I would get started earlier trying to beat the heat. On the way back I realized that with all this rationalizing and procrastination, I was sounding like my sons. I wondered if they picked this up from me?
I spent the rest of the day in the heat (OK, now I'm whining and really starting to sound like the boys) getting the back yard ready for a pool party we were having on Sunday. I mowed, edged, trimmed hedges, moved every piece of furniture twice, swept and hosed all afternoon and into the evening. I did manage to take a short break to shower and get to Saturday evening church to hear one of the younger pastors give a message on Hebrews 12:1-3. Coincidental? These passages have inspired a few runners of a certain faith, I am sure.
Sunday morning I woke up at the crack dawn, OK it was already 6:00 a.m. When I woke up my left knee hurt and my right hamstring was tight. I thought this is going to be a fun 10 miles. I drove over the the San Gabriel River Trail. This is the bike trail I run often after work. I realized Sunday morning that I have always referred to this trail by the wrong name. The trail is the San Gabriel River Trail (I saw a sign I've apparently missed for 3 years), the dam is the Santa Fe Dam, so I assumed it was the Santa Fe River. I guess not.
My plan was to do two out and back sections. From where I parked the trail only goes north 2.5 miles, this is my favorite part of the trail. I headed off south to save my favorite part for last. I went out 3 and turned around. My knee and hamstring actually felt pretty good. My right heel was bothering me though. When I neared the 6 mile mark, almost to the car, I began to rationalize that I could stop here. I really didn't need the extra 4 as far as marathon training went. I also remembered a show I had seen last weekend on FitTV about the triathalon. They said that the difference between athletes at any ability level is nutrition and mental toughness. I decided I couldn't lose this mental battle today so I continued past the car and made the other four miles. I finished off the 10 in 1:24 or 8:24 pace.
I made it home in time for a quick breakfast and a shower and back off to church with the family to hear Jim "The Rookie" Morris speak. I've never seen the movie based on his story. He was a great speaker with a great message about chasing your dreams. He had some other great points about treating people well, being a positive role model for the younger generation and being a person of integrity. Good stuff.
Later that afternoon, we hosted a pool party for about 30 people, families from our Friday Night Bible Study group. Where else but southern California would you celebrate the 4th of July weekend with carne asada, rice and beans! It was a great time of food, fun, friends and fellowship. After the last people left and we cleaned up, I sat down and almost immediately fell asleep in front of the TV.
Its now Monday morning. I'm still tired but awake. I've caught up on the computer world and have iced my heel. I hope to spend the rest of the day off my feet as much as possible.
Happy 4th of July to all. I hope you can fly the flag proudly, watch a parade and celebrate the freedom we enjoy here in the Good Old US of A!
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, My Turn
Matt tagged me so here goes:
4 Jobs IÂ’ve Had
Paper route as a kid
Deli/grocery clerk
QC/Process Technician
Lab Tech/Engineer/Chemist (at the same place for the last 20 yrs)
4 Movies I Watch Over And Over
October Sky
Rush Hour
The Italian Job
Scary Movie (its always on TV and my son watches itevery timee)
4 Places I Have Lived
Wellington, OH
Kent, OH
Rialto, CA
Covina, CA
4 TV Shows I Watch
Desperate Housewives
GreyÂ’s Anatomy
What Not To Wear
Trading Spaces (when Paige Davis was on)
4 Places I Have Been on Vacation
Wellington, OH (to visit family)
Stamford, CT (to visit family)
Yosemite
Niagara Falls
4 Websites I Visit Everyday
http://www.hotmail.com/
http://www.completerunning.com/
http://www.google.com/
www.mapquest.com
4 Favorite Foods
In-N-Out Burgers
Almost any pasta, except Alfredo
Ice Cream
Chocolate chip cookies
4 Places IÂ’d Rather Be Right Now (Now being 10:00 pm)
Sleeping
Getting ready for tomorrows pool party
Trying to figure out when I can fit in my run
Sleeping
favoriteite Bands/Singers
The Beatles
Kenny G
Third Day
Audio Adrenaline
4 Bloggers I'll Tag
No one, I think I've pretty much seen this on every blog I visit on a regular basis.
Filling in the blanks was harder than I thought it would be. I did figure out that I sure am a creature of habit. I rarely watch any movie more than once, especially now that the kids are older. 10 years ago, I couldn't tell you how many times I saw The Lion King, Beauty and Beast, Rescuers Down Under, etc. I pretty much spend most of my vacations going back home to visit family. I haven't bought any new music in years. I don't watch much network TV, but I'll will watch pretty much anything on HGTV or TLC. I need to get out more often.
4 Jobs IÂ’ve Had
Paper route as a kid
Deli/grocery clerk
QC/Process Technician
Lab Tech/Engineer/Chemist (at the same place for the last 20 yrs)
4 Movies I Watch Over And Over
October Sky
Rush Hour
The Italian Job
Scary Movie (its always on TV and my son watches itevery timee)
4 Places I Have Lived
Wellington, OH
Kent, OH
Rialto, CA
Covina, CA
4 TV Shows I Watch
Desperate Housewives
GreyÂ’s Anatomy
What Not To Wear
Trading Spaces (when Paige Davis was on)
4 Places I Have Been on Vacation
Wellington, OH (to visit family)
Stamford, CT (to visit family)
Yosemite
Niagara Falls
4 Websites I Visit Everyday
http://www.hotmail.com/
http://www.completerunning.com/
http://www.google.com/
www.mapquest.com
4 Favorite Foods
In-N-Out Burgers
Almost any pasta, except Alfredo
Ice Cream
Chocolate chip cookies
4 Places IÂ’d Rather Be Right Now (Now being 10:00 pm)
Sleeping
Getting ready for tomorrows pool party
Trying to figure out when I can fit in my run
Sleeping
favoriteite Bands/Singers
The Beatles
Kenny G
Third Day
Audio Adrenaline
4 Bloggers I'll Tag
No one, I think I've pretty much seen this on every blog I visit on a regular basis.
Filling in the blanks was harder than I thought it would be. I did figure out that I sure am a creature of habit. I rarely watch any movie more than once, especially now that the kids are older. 10 years ago, I couldn't tell you how many times I saw The Lion King, Beauty and Beast, Rescuers Down Under, etc. I pretty much spend most of my vacations going back home to visit family. I haven't bought any new music in years. I don't watch much network TV, but I'll will watch pretty much anything on HGTV or TLC. I need to get out more often.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Text Message Run
"Hey tonight i want to ride my bike with you then when we are done go back out and run one mile...K? -Bryan-HK-"
I received this text message Wednesday morning at 9:03 a.m. from my younger son. Never mind that he was in class, summer school taking World History. How could I refuse this offer? When we went camping in Carpinteria over Memorial Day, he rode along with me on a run. When we got back home he said he wanted to keep going with me some days. Several days after work I'd ask if he was going with me. The answer was usually "Not today" or "Maybe tomorrow". After a while I just stopped asking.
So Wednesday night after work, with the temperature hovering in the low 90's, we loaded up the bike in the truck and drove over to Bonelli. I figured the paved road over the dam and the Puddingstone Dr. Trail would be a nice 5 mile run/ride. If he wanted to run another mile, I would switch and get on the bike. We both carried water and took it easy. I'm not sure if he rides slow because of me or what but I seem to run slower when we are together. I noticed this in Carpinteria, as well. It was hot, so slow was good.
The best part of the run was on the trail. Rabbits crossed our path as usual. My nearly 16 year son was singing "Here comes Peter Cottontail..." as we hopped on down the bunny trail. He is normally absolutely appalled at any behavior that might bring attention to himself, so this was quite funny to me.
Tonight and Friday are days off, so I'm done for the month of June - 155.3 miles. Nothing spectacular, no record high month, just a good solid month of running (at least for me).
10 days to SEAFAIR.
I received this text message Wednesday morning at 9:03 a.m. from my younger son. Never mind that he was in class, summer school taking World History. How could I refuse this offer? When we went camping in Carpinteria over Memorial Day, he rode along with me on a run. When we got back home he said he wanted to keep going with me some days. Several days after work I'd ask if he was going with me. The answer was usually "Not today" or "Maybe tomorrow". After a while I just stopped asking.
So Wednesday night after work, with the temperature hovering in the low 90's, we loaded up the bike in the truck and drove over to Bonelli. I figured the paved road over the dam and the Puddingstone Dr. Trail would be a nice 5 mile run/ride. If he wanted to run another mile, I would switch and get on the bike. We both carried water and took it easy. I'm not sure if he rides slow because of me or what but I seem to run slower when we are together. I noticed this in Carpinteria, as well. It was hot, so slow was good.
The best part of the run was on the trail. Rabbits crossed our path as usual. My nearly 16 year son was singing "Here comes Peter Cottontail..." as we hopped on down the bunny trail. He is normally absolutely appalled at any behavior that might bring attention to himself, so this was quite funny to me.
Tonight and Friday are days off, so I'm done for the month of June - 155.3 miles. Nothing spectacular, no record high month, just a good solid month of running (at least for me).
10 days to SEAFAIR.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
I'm Not (Flying, That Is)
I mentioned before that Janice had signed up for the Wine Country Half Marathon in July. Her scheduled called for 13 miles on Saturday. She asked me to run it with her. She was more than a little concerned about this distance. She had only covered this much ground once before at the Fontana Days Half, with the down hill advantage. I was sure she would be fine but was happy to run with her. I figured I would let her set the pace and that would keep me under control.
We met at the Santa Ana River Trail along with about a dozen of the CA Cruisers. Most of the group was planning on 10. The plan was to run south on the trail. This is good because of the dirt path next to the bike trail for much of the way in this direction. We had met at 6:30 to avoid the heat, forecasts were calling for a 100 degree record breaker. We were fortunate in that the day dawned overcast, no sun in sight. We all ran the first mile together. It was fun for me to have Janice meet some crazy running people. After the first, Jesse and Michelle broke away, followed by me and Janice then the rest of the group.
We made it to the turn around point with Janice feeling strong. We just ticked off the miles at a nice easy pace, at least for me, between 9:30 and 10:00. Janice was doing great. At the 9.5 mile point or so she asked me whether we had hit 10 miles yet. She was beginning to get tired. She and I both recognized this as her "10 mile wall" when she mildly panicked at Fontana. At 11 miles Janice asked for a walk break and took a whole 30 seconds before she started running again. Although she was getting tired, she was still running strong. She did not drop the pace as the run went on. The sun came out just as we hit the 12 mile mark. We couldn't have asked for more. Our final time was 2:08, not that far off from our downhill half marathon finish of 2:05. Janice was worried that she would be a lot slower without that advantage. The Wine Country Half is rolling, so she has some concerns about that and about running it alone. I'm confident based on todays run, that she will be awesome that day.
Saturday - 13 miles in 2:08 or 9:51 pace. My slowest pace in a long time where hills weren't involved.
Sunday, I went back over to Bonelli. I was supposed to meet Terry there, but she backed out last minute. On the drive over (<10 minutes) I debated with myself whether I should run a flatter road route or run my normal Sunday morning hill route. I finally opted for the hill route and vowed to take it very easy, especially on the uphill. Well, I was successful at that. My time was 57:06 for 5 miles, 11:25 pace. I can't remember running that pace since I first started running.
I'm hoping the slow miles are a part of a good taper program. But, I fear in the back of my mind that the slowness will continue. Well maybe not so much in the back of my mind! I'll be the first to admit that I think about this way too much!
During the next two weeks the mileage decreases and I get an extra rest day. Woot! On another "happy" note the temperature in Bellevue, WA is a sultry 86°F, with a heat advisory for the area. Lets get this over with and then get back to normal averages come July 9th (I told you I think about this too much, LOL!).
Miles for the week: 38
We met at the Santa Ana River Trail along with about a dozen of the CA Cruisers. Most of the group was planning on 10. The plan was to run south on the trail. This is good because of the dirt path next to the bike trail for much of the way in this direction. We had met at 6:30 to avoid the heat, forecasts were calling for a 100 degree record breaker. We were fortunate in that the day dawned overcast, no sun in sight. We all ran the first mile together. It was fun for me to have Janice meet some crazy running people. After the first, Jesse and Michelle broke away, followed by me and Janice then the rest of the group.
We made it to the turn around point with Janice feeling strong. We just ticked off the miles at a nice easy pace, at least for me, between 9:30 and 10:00. Janice was doing great. At the 9.5 mile point or so she asked me whether we had hit 10 miles yet. She was beginning to get tired. She and I both recognized this as her "10 mile wall" when she mildly panicked at Fontana. At 11 miles Janice asked for a walk break and took a whole 30 seconds before she started running again. Although she was getting tired, she was still running strong. She did not drop the pace as the run went on. The sun came out just as we hit the 12 mile mark. We couldn't have asked for more. Our final time was 2:08, not that far off from our downhill half marathon finish of 2:05. Janice was worried that she would be a lot slower without that advantage. The Wine Country Half is rolling, so she has some concerns about that and about running it alone. I'm confident based on todays run, that she will be awesome that day.
Saturday - 13 miles in 2:08 or 9:51 pace. My slowest pace in a long time where hills weren't involved.
Sunday, I went back over to Bonelli. I was supposed to meet Terry there, but she backed out last minute. On the drive over (<10 minutes) I debated with myself whether I should run a flatter road route or run my normal Sunday morning hill route. I finally opted for the hill route and vowed to take it very easy, especially on the uphill. Well, I was successful at that. My time was 57:06 for 5 miles, 11:25 pace. I can't remember running that pace since I first started running.
I'm hoping the slow miles are a part of a good taper program. But, I fear in the back of my mind that the slowness will continue. Well maybe not so much in the back of my mind! I'll be the first to admit that I think about this way too much!
During the next two weeks the mileage decreases and I get an extra rest day. Woot! On another "happy" note the temperature in Bellevue, WA is a sultry 86°F, with a heat advisory for the area. Lets get this over with and then get back to normal averages come July 9th (I told you I think about this too much, LOL!).
Miles for the week: 38
Time Flies
I'm in taper mode, right? Isn't this supposed to mean less running and more time.Well so far it hasn't really translated into less miles. Slower miles maybe, but not less miles. More on that later. As far as more time, yeah, not so much. Maybe that's an effect of the slower miles, more likely it is just an everyday fact of life that there is never enough time to do everything I need to do, let alone all the other things I want or like to do.
Earlier this week Janice sent me the pictures she had taken after the Fontana Days Half Marathon. It was only 3 weeks ago, but it seems like an eternity ago. Her note with the pictures said something to the effect that she expected to see the pictures up on the blog, pronto. Sorry, Janice, I didn't get the pronto part down very well, but here's one of the pics.
Dr. John (red shorts on the right) took some pictures of our "brutal" hill run last Saturday at Chino Hills State Park. The first is the whole group that started the run. We all look pretty happy and ready to go at this point. We hadn't found out yet what the North Ridge Trail had in store for us. The ladies on the left were there for a walk. They took the kinder, gentler route up and back Telegraph Canyon.
The last picture is me and Jeff, the stragglers, after our 16 mile adventure. We're still smiling! Thankfully from the photo you can't tell how absolutely wiped out we are. Dr. John and a few others had hung around waiting for us to return. They were nearly ready to send in a search and rescue party to find us.During the week I put in my usual 6/8/6 mile routine. Tuesday and Thursday, I ran a route through Bonelli that is mostly paved and flat. On Thursday I did the route in the opposite direction from Tuesday. I ran nearly 2 minutes slower overall. This was the beginning of the pre-marathon slow down.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
An Easy Recovery 5
Just a short post to sum up the week before I hit the hay .
No Bonelli this week. After yesterday's hills I didn't think my legs were up to any more. Instead, I got in a very easy 5 mile run with Celeste. She was back in town to pack up her apartment. This was likely the real last run. Next weekend she packs her stuff into a moving van and heads to Oxnard full time. She started her new job last week. We met at her place and ran the very north end of the Santa Fe River Trail. Although I was completely wiped out yesterday this run didn't feel too bad. Thankfully it was short and slow. I let Celeste dictate the pace.
Miles for the week: 41.2
A few less than the updated plan but more than the original. I think I will scale back to the original plan for the next three weeks to make sure I'm good to go for SEAFAIR. I keep wavering between feeling totally prepared and totally over done. I'm anxious about how the next couple of weeks will go.
Anyway, Goodnight JohnBoy.
No Bonelli this week. After yesterday's hills I didn't think my legs were up to any more. Instead, I got in a very easy 5 mile run with Celeste. She was back in town to pack up her apartment. This was likely the real last run. Next weekend she packs her stuff into a moving van and heads to Oxnard full time. She started her new job last week. We met at her place and ran the very north end of the Santa Fe River Trail. Although I was completely wiped out yesterday this run didn't feel too bad. Thankfully it was short and slow. I let Celeste dictate the pace.
Miles for the week: 41.2
A few less than the updated plan but more than the original. I think I will scale back to the original plan for the next three weeks to make sure I'm good to go for SEAFAIR. I keep wavering between feeling totally prepared and totally over done. I'm anxious about how the next couple of weeks will go.
Anyway, Goodnight JohnBoy.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
The Worlds Collide
Or at least met in the parking lot at Carbon Canyon Regional Park…
Earlier this week I got an email from Jeff asking about my plans for the weekend. He was looking for 15-17 miles. I was originally thinking 18 for me, but after last weekend’s long run, decided a slightly scaled back run might be in order. My planned run was near home and included 4 hills throughout the loop. The loop is run in the bike lane on some fairly major streets. When you live in the middle of suburbia, you have to run the routes that are close by every once in a while. The rolling hills would be a nice preview of Bellevue.
I sent an email off to Jeff and we were good to go. I invited Terry from work to join us. She wasn’t up to the full 15-17 but would hang with us for the first few then turn back. Celeste was going to be in town packing up her apartment and would likely join us as well.
Thursday evening I received an email from the CA Cruisers. This week’s run was a combined run with the 642 Group in Chino Hills State Park. There is some cross over membership between the two groups. I shot Jeff an email and suggested this as an alternative. We have talked about running there before and I was certain he would like this option. I liked it too, thinking that the trails would be more forgiving on the legs. Jeff’s reply was, “AWESOME. I'm really looking forward to this now! I wasn’t relishing the idea of 17 miles in the bike lane.” And just like that we had a new plan. Terry was on board, she lives in Chino Hills. The bummer is Celeste bowed out. She’s not much of a nature girl. Dirt, bushes and bugs aren’t her thing.
So here’s where the worlds collide. My running friends from the Cruisers/642 world, met up with a running friend from my work world, and met up with a running friend from the blogging world.
In the email a distance of about 4-10 miles was discussed. For some reason I assumed we would be running up Telegraph Canyon, possibly to Four Corners and back. I guess I thought this because it was the only trail I’ve taken from this side of the park. Before we got started I found out that the plan was to run up North Ridge Trail. Telegraph is a nice easy uphill, barely noticeable most of the time. North Ridge is way more challenging uphill for over 4 miles. We quickly spread out on the trail, with Jesse, Michelle, Jim, Jeff and I leading the pack. Dave and Randy were not far behind. Dave and Randy and the others took the Gilman Trail down to Telegraph and back for about an 8 mile loop. Terry was in this group. Jesse, Michelle, Jim, Jeff and I continued on to the Sycamore Trail then down to Telegraph. Jesse, Michelle and Jim returned down Telegraph for about an 11 mile loop.
The trek up North Ridge was challenging but fun. My legs felt the effort by the time we reached the turn off. We took a couple of breaks on the way up to regroup. Thankfully, Sycamore is downhill. Sycamore was completely overgrown with thistles. They were way up past head level, maybe 8 feet tall. Our legs got pretty scratched up through this section. We took a short break at the intersection with Telegraph to rinse off our legs in a stream to relieve the stinging. Jesse and the others headed down Telegraph while Jeff and I continued up to get in our 15-17. By now all the uphill was definitely taking its toll on my legs. I commented that my legs were getting tired. Jeff asked if it was the quads or the calves. My answer was, Yes! We made it to Four Corners and continued on. Up to this point Jeff kept reminding me that all the uphill meant a nice downhill return. After Four Corners we continued on the trail to the South Ridge Trail that leads to the Equestrian Center. This trail was downhill so, you guessed it, an uphill return. We crested a small uphill, decided we had gone far enough based on Jeff’s GPS and started back.
The uphill back toward Four Corners was the beginning of the end. Jeff suggested a short break at Four Corners and got no argument from me. At this point I started having thoughts that I had bitten off more than I could chew. Remember I was squeezing in this extra longish run on the advice of my blog readers. By now the sun was way up in the sky, the trails are exposed (no trees in SoCal) and my legs were spent. Jeff reminded me of the down hill return on Telegraph.
Telegraph is technically downhill but it is slight. Coasting on a bike is one thing but running still requires effort. At some point on the return, Jeff said we were doing 8:40 miles. Not all that fast for a downhill but not bad I thought for being 11-12 miles into a mostly uphill run. We took one short walk break after crossing a stream but ran on through to the finish. At some point I asked about our pace. It was in the 9’s, the high 9’s.
Jeff was feeling the effects of the run himself. It always does my heart and soul good to know that runners I see as far superior struggle at times too. For whatever reason, I assume that the guys that are faster or put in more miles are somehow superhuman. I figure if I’m getting through, they will just be breezing through. I really need to work on that. As I’m writing this, I’m reminded that Jeff just did his first triathlon last weekend and ran a marathon the weekend before that. It’s no wonder that he was feeling the effects of this run. I know I was struggling but I felt like Jeff was still running like a rock star. If it weren’t for him being along, I’m certain I would have been walking rather than running in. Jeff summed up the end of the run in one world – BRUTAL.
A few of the 642 group had hung around to make sure we had made it back. They were somewhat worried that we had gotten lost and were considering coming back in to find us. I owe a big thank you to the lady runner that offered me the end of her Gatorade. Runners are good people, don't you think?
I was as tired as I had ever been after a run. The unofficial stats for the run are 16.25 miles in 2:38, somewhere around 9:45 pace. This is on par with my pace at Bonelli on Sunday mornings, and the run was 3 times longer. Jim told us that our 16 mile run on the hills was probably equivalent to a 20 miler on the road. I think I will hang onto that assessment, but I will claim 16.25 in the training log.
I am officially done with the long runs for this training cycle. It’s all downhill from here (pun intended). Thanks to all of you, especially Jeff, for getting me through this training. The work is done, now I just have to take it easy and recover from the training effort before the big day in three weeks. The current temperature in Bellevue, WA at 5:30 p.m on Saturday, is 67°F compared to 88°F here in Covina, CA. Lets hope it stays like that.
Happy Father’s Day to all the running Dads out there.
Earlier this week I got an email from Jeff asking about my plans for the weekend. He was looking for 15-17 miles. I was originally thinking 18 for me, but after last weekend’s long run, decided a slightly scaled back run might be in order. My planned run was near home and included 4 hills throughout the loop. The loop is run in the bike lane on some fairly major streets. When you live in the middle of suburbia, you have to run the routes that are close by every once in a while. The rolling hills would be a nice preview of Bellevue.
I sent an email off to Jeff and we were good to go. I invited Terry from work to join us. She wasn’t up to the full 15-17 but would hang with us for the first few then turn back. Celeste was going to be in town packing up her apartment and would likely join us as well.
Thursday evening I received an email from the CA Cruisers. This week’s run was a combined run with the 642 Group in Chino Hills State Park. There is some cross over membership between the two groups. I shot Jeff an email and suggested this as an alternative. We have talked about running there before and I was certain he would like this option. I liked it too, thinking that the trails would be more forgiving on the legs. Jeff’s reply was, “AWESOME. I'm really looking forward to this now! I wasn’t relishing the idea of 17 miles in the bike lane.” And just like that we had a new plan. Terry was on board, she lives in Chino Hills. The bummer is Celeste bowed out. She’s not much of a nature girl. Dirt, bushes and bugs aren’t her thing.
So here’s where the worlds collide. My running friends from the Cruisers/642 world, met up with a running friend from my work world, and met up with a running friend from the blogging world.
In the email a distance of about 4-10 miles was discussed. For some reason I assumed we would be running up Telegraph Canyon, possibly to Four Corners and back. I guess I thought this because it was the only trail I’ve taken from this side of the park. Before we got started I found out that the plan was to run up North Ridge Trail. Telegraph is a nice easy uphill, barely noticeable most of the time. North Ridge is way more challenging uphill for over 4 miles. We quickly spread out on the trail, with Jesse, Michelle, Jim, Jeff and I leading the pack. Dave and Randy were not far behind. Dave and Randy and the others took the Gilman Trail down to Telegraph and back for about an 8 mile loop. Terry was in this group. Jesse, Michelle, Jim, Jeff and I continued on to the Sycamore Trail then down to Telegraph. Jesse, Michelle and Jim returned down Telegraph for about an 11 mile loop.
The trek up North Ridge was challenging but fun. My legs felt the effort by the time we reached the turn off. We took a couple of breaks on the way up to regroup. Thankfully, Sycamore is downhill. Sycamore was completely overgrown with thistles. They were way up past head level, maybe 8 feet tall. Our legs got pretty scratched up through this section. We took a short break at the intersection with Telegraph to rinse off our legs in a stream to relieve the stinging. Jesse and the others headed down Telegraph while Jeff and I continued up to get in our 15-17. By now all the uphill was definitely taking its toll on my legs. I commented that my legs were getting tired. Jeff asked if it was the quads or the calves. My answer was, Yes! We made it to Four Corners and continued on. Up to this point Jeff kept reminding me that all the uphill meant a nice downhill return. After Four Corners we continued on the trail to the South Ridge Trail that leads to the Equestrian Center. This trail was downhill so, you guessed it, an uphill return. We crested a small uphill, decided we had gone far enough based on Jeff’s GPS and started back.
The uphill back toward Four Corners was the beginning of the end. Jeff suggested a short break at Four Corners and got no argument from me. At this point I started having thoughts that I had bitten off more than I could chew. Remember I was squeezing in this extra longish run on the advice of my blog readers. By now the sun was way up in the sky, the trails are exposed (no trees in SoCal) and my legs were spent. Jeff reminded me of the down hill return on Telegraph.
Telegraph is technically downhill but it is slight. Coasting on a bike is one thing but running still requires effort. At some point on the return, Jeff said we were doing 8:40 miles. Not all that fast for a downhill but not bad I thought for being 11-12 miles into a mostly uphill run. We took one short walk break after crossing a stream but ran on through to the finish. At some point I asked about our pace. It was in the 9’s, the high 9’s.
Jeff was feeling the effects of the run himself. It always does my heart and soul good to know that runners I see as far superior struggle at times too. For whatever reason, I assume that the guys that are faster or put in more miles are somehow superhuman. I figure if I’m getting through, they will just be breezing through. I really need to work on that. As I’m writing this, I’m reminded that Jeff just did his first triathlon last weekend and ran a marathon the weekend before that. It’s no wonder that he was feeling the effects of this run. I know I was struggling but I felt like Jeff was still running like a rock star. If it weren’t for him being along, I’m certain I would have been walking rather than running in. Jeff summed up the end of the run in one world – BRUTAL.
A few of the 642 group had hung around to make sure we had made it back. They were somewhat worried that we had gotten lost and were considering coming back in to find us. I owe a big thank you to the lady runner that offered me the end of her Gatorade. Runners are good people, don't you think?
I was as tired as I had ever been after a run. The unofficial stats for the run are 16.25 miles in 2:38, somewhere around 9:45 pace. This is on par with my pace at Bonelli on Sunday mornings, and the run was 3 times longer. Jim told us that our 16 mile run on the hills was probably equivalent to a 20 miler on the road. I think I will hang onto that assessment, but I will claim 16.25 in the training log.
I am officially done with the long runs for this training cycle. It’s all downhill from here (pun intended). Thanks to all of you, especially Jeff, for getting me through this training. The work is done, now I just have to take it easy and recover from the training effort before the big day in three weeks. The current temperature in Bellevue, WA at 5:30 p.m on Saturday, is 67°F compared to 88°F here in Covina, CA. Lets hope it stays like that.
Happy Father’s Day to all the running Dads out there.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Setting the Record and My Son Straight
The results for the Rosie's Garage Almost 5K are now online. I had to know how many people ran the race and more importantly how many runners were in my Age Group, M 40-44. As you remember my son teased me that I got 3rd place out of 3. Well....
The total field was 169 runners. I finished 18 over all. Just outside the top 10%.
The M 40-44 was 10 runners. That puts me in the top 30%, cool.
My official time was 21:02. 2nd place was 19:51. 4th was 23:02. I met and talked to him after the race and didn't even realize until now that he was 4th in our age group.
I'm pretty convinced that I achieved the Age Group win due to the Almost 5K distance. The less than standard distance probably kept the super competitive, sub-elites home or at another race. Whatever, I've got the medal! So there Bryan, I wasn't 3rd out of 3, just thought you'd like to know.
The total field was 169 runners. I finished 18 over all. Just outside the top 10%.
The M 40-44 was 10 runners. That puts me in the top 30%, cool.
My official time was 21:02. 2nd place was 19:51. 4th was 23:02. I met and talked to him after the race and didn't even realize until now that he was 4th in our age group.
I'm pretty convinced that I achieved the Age Group win due to the Almost 5K distance. The less than standard distance probably kept the super competitive, sub-elites home or at another race. Whatever, I've got the medal! So there Bryan, I wasn't 3rd out of 3, just thought you'd like to know.
Get Over It, Already
I got so wrapped up in my own little world of losing running partners and slow final miles that I forgot to mention all the race reports I'm looking forward to:
Jeff - his first triathlon
Robb - Lunenburg World Heritage 5K (attempt at sub 20:00)
Rob - Lake Youngs Ultra (1 week after a 50 miler)
Matt - Valley Crest Half Marathon (1 week after his first marathon)
Donald - The Dipsea Race
Angie - Sugar & Spice Ultra
and from last week check out:
Joe - Sunburst Half Marathon
Jeff - his first triathlon
Robb - Lunenburg World Heritage 5K (attempt at sub 20:00)
Rob - Lake Youngs Ultra (1 week after a 50 miler)
Matt - Valley Crest Half Marathon (1 week after his first marathon)
Donald - The Dipsea Race
Angie - Sugar & Spice Ultra
and from last week check out:
Joe - Sunburst Half Marathon
A Farewell Run
Sunday morning brought me a 22 miler. Normally I do my long runs on Saturday, but had to shift things around to accommodate my 3rd place Age Group finish yesterday. I’m still smiling about that one. 8-) I chose to run the bike path at Huntington Beach. It is about a 45 minute drive from my home, but worth it I think for the generally cooler climate at the beach, plentiful water and bathroom stops and well marked mile indicators. The only negative, especially in light of the terrain in Bellevue, WA, it that the trail is pancake flat. This makes for a nice run but doesn’t adequately simulate race day conditions.
Today’s run was a somewhat poignant affair. Celeste joined me for the initial 5 miles. This is likely the last run that we will get together. Celeste and I have worked together for the last 5 years. She is leaving Monday for a new job in Oxnard, CA, about 1.5 hours north. Celeste started out as a tech aide, moved into a full time position in the lab and then into Technical Services, always performing well above expectations. She was my coworker, running buddy and friend. I will definitely miss her.
Celeste was the third member of the little running group that formed at work, Brian and I being the first two. When Celeste joined the marathon craziness, I was the old man and they were the kids, they were both 20 years younger than me. Later on Terry joined our little trio. At least then we were balanced; two guys, two girls, two “kids”, two “adults”. Brian left us for dental school and life has been hectic for Terry, so Celeste and I have been the most consistent together. We made a pretty good pair, being about evenly matched for pace. Celeste and I have run three marathons together; most of the miles were really together.
Our first was Los Angeles in 2004. Brian was there as well. It was a hot, hot day, reaching the 90’s. In what became a signature move for Brian, he rocketed off early. This of course is not the best race strategy, but that’s another story. Celeste’s training for this one had not gone well. She had suffered a stomach bug that kept her out for a couple of months. Her longest training run was 16 miles. In the marathon we stuck together for 16 miles. She had been urging me to go ahead. My staying back was just upsetting her, so I finally took off. She was struggling from the heat. Soon after I left her I heard an ambulance siren and imagined that she had succumbed. Many runners that year had suffered heat stroke/exhaustion. Her biggest fear was that we would have to wait for her at the finish line. I caught and passed Brian who had burned out and then my right IT band refused to let me run anymore so I walked pretty much the last 6 miles. Somehow Celeste passed us both and finished first. Her fear of being last, keep her moving forward.
Later that year we ran Rock and Roll San Diego along with Brian. Brian repeated his performance at LA, leaving Celeste and I to get each other through. We stayed together until somewhere between 18 and 20. At that point she was hurting and urged me onward. There is no sense arguing with her, so again I continued on alone. This time she came in after me, followed much later by Brian.
Our final marathon together was Los Angeles in 2005 along with Terry, in an attempt to conquer the course in hopefully better weather conditions. 22 miles together this time before she fell back.
We were all set to run NYC in 2005, with Brian joining us from Boston, when Celeste suffered a stress fracture in her ankle. She was understandably bummed but made the best of the day by riding the subway to various points to cheer Brian and me on. This time Brian stayed with me, until I made a pit stop around mile 16 and finally finished a marathon strong.
The point of all this is to say that I have shared a lot of miles and marathons with Celeste, probably even more than with Brian. My log is full of entries “w/B,C&T, or B&C or C&T or just w/C. Since we worked together even the midweek runs were w/C. I missed Brian terribly when he left for Boston and I will miss Celeste too. When you spend that much time on the trail and road with someone, you know them about as well as you can know anyone. Good Luck Celeste. I know you will do well in your new job. It’s going to be hard for a while running without you.
Back to today’s run.
The morning started off cool and overcast, my favorite type of weather. I started the run at Huntington Harbor, Warner Ave and PCH. The first nearly 6 miles were out and back with Celeste, pretty much dead on 9:00 pace. Then I headed out for the rest of the run on my own. The first couple of miles ticked off in 8:30 pace; Slow Down Dude, or you aren’t going to make it 22 miles.
I missed the next mile marker and then ran into Tom, a guy I had met at Huntington Beach back in March 2005. I turned around to run with him a bit. He was nearing his turnaround point, so mile 10 was a little long. I missed the next mile marker as well from talking. Finally I got the next mile marker with an average pace of 9:18 for the last 4 miles. Running with Tom had been good for slowing the pace a little. Tom is retired as a Director of Public Health and still teaches at Loma Linda University. He can knock out a 2:00 half marathon, so he’s no slacker. At that point, he was back at his car, where I met his wife and her friend and continued on my own again.
Back on my own, Mile 12 in 8:41. Could stand to slow down a little, this is a training run not a marathon. Mile 13 in 9:08, under control again. Mile 14 went long because I missed my turnaround marker for a 9:43. Up to the turn around point the clouds were still holding and I had been running into a breeze. Just as I hit the turnaround the sun broke through and now the breeze was at my back. This combined to make the return trip a whole lot warmer. Mile 15 clocked in at 8:27. I really have to get this under control. Mile 16 in 9:02. Now that’s better. Mile 17 and 18 in 8:37 and 8:39. Here we go again! Then the downward spiral began. I was really started to get tired at this point. Mile 19 in 8:58 followed by a 9:16 and 9:17. At this point I really wanted to walk but I refused to let myself. I’ve been really excited about my last two runs with Jeff when I hadn’t taken my usual walk breaks and didn’t want to cave in now that I was on my own. Mile 22 was a whopping 9:44 and I still had about a half mile left to go to get to the car. That last mile was pretty demoralizing. If this is how the marathon goes, 4.2 more miles at that pace and I can kiss my 4:00 marathon goodbye.
All told I ran at least 22.7 miles today, maybe closer to 23 counting the doubling back with Tom and the missed turnaround. My running time was 3:25. Conservatively for 22.7 miles, if my math skills are right (they are better at home aided by a calculator and clearer thinking than in my head while on the run) my final pace for the day is 9:03. This is still good for a sub 4:00 as long as I don’t fall apart at the proverbial wall. I want to think that I will still make it but I won’t deny that the 9:44 mile has me more than a little concerned.
Miles for the week: 39.5
This is on the money for the original schedule but falls short of the 46-50 increased mileage goal.
Today’s run was a somewhat poignant affair. Celeste joined me for the initial 5 miles. This is likely the last run that we will get together. Celeste and I have worked together for the last 5 years. She is leaving Monday for a new job in Oxnard, CA, about 1.5 hours north. Celeste started out as a tech aide, moved into a full time position in the lab and then into Technical Services, always performing well above expectations. She was my coworker, running buddy and friend. I will definitely miss her.
Celeste was the third member of the little running group that formed at work, Brian and I being the first two. When Celeste joined the marathon craziness, I was the old man and they were the kids, they were both 20 years younger than me. Later on Terry joined our little trio. At least then we were balanced; two guys, two girls, two “kids”, two “adults”. Brian left us for dental school and life has been hectic for Terry, so Celeste and I have been the most consistent together. We made a pretty good pair, being about evenly matched for pace. Celeste and I have run three marathons together; most of the miles were really together.
Our first was Los Angeles in 2004. Brian was there as well. It was a hot, hot day, reaching the 90’s. In what became a signature move for Brian, he rocketed off early. This of course is not the best race strategy, but that’s another story. Celeste’s training for this one had not gone well. She had suffered a stomach bug that kept her out for a couple of months. Her longest training run was 16 miles. In the marathon we stuck together for 16 miles. She had been urging me to go ahead. My staying back was just upsetting her, so I finally took off. She was struggling from the heat. Soon after I left her I heard an ambulance siren and imagined that she had succumbed. Many runners that year had suffered heat stroke/exhaustion. Her biggest fear was that we would have to wait for her at the finish line. I caught and passed Brian who had burned out and then my right IT band refused to let me run anymore so I walked pretty much the last 6 miles. Somehow Celeste passed us both and finished first. Her fear of being last, keep her moving forward.
Later that year we ran Rock and Roll San Diego along with Brian. Brian repeated his performance at LA, leaving Celeste and I to get each other through. We stayed together until somewhere between 18 and 20. At that point she was hurting and urged me onward. There is no sense arguing with her, so again I continued on alone. This time she came in after me, followed much later by Brian.
Our final marathon together was Los Angeles in 2005 along with Terry, in an attempt to conquer the course in hopefully better weather conditions. 22 miles together this time before she fell back.
We were all set to run NYC in 2005, with Brian joining us from Boston, when Celeste suffered a stress fracture in her ankle. She was understandably bummed but made the best of the day by riding the subway to various points to cheer Brian and me on. This time Brian stayed with me, until I made a pit stop around mile 16 and finally finished a marathon strong.
The point of all this is to say that I have shared a lot of miles and marathons with Celeste, probably even more than with Brian. My log is full of entries “w/B,C&T, or B&C or C&T or just w/C. Since we worked together even the midweek runs were w/C. I missed Brian terribly when he left for Boston and I will miss Celeste too. When you spend that much time on the trail and road with someone, you know them about as well as you can know anyone. Good Luck Celeste. I know you will do well in your new job. It’s going to be hard for a while running without you.
Back to today’s run.
The morning started off cool and overcast, my favorite type of weather. I started the run at Huntington Harbor, Warner Ave and PCH. The first nearly 6 miles were out and back with Celeste, pretty much dead on 9:00 pace. Then I headed out for the rest of the run on my own. The first couple of miles ticked off in 8:30 pace; Slow Down Dude, or you aren’t going to make it 22 miles.
I missed the next mile marker and then ran into Tom, a guy I had met at Huntington Beach back in March 2005. I turned around to run with him a bit. He was nearing his turnaround point, so mile 10 was a little long. I missed the next mile marker as well from talking. Finally I got the next mile marker with an average pace of 9:18 for the last 4 miles. Running with Tom had been good for slowing the pace a little. Tom is retired as a Director of Public Health and still teaches at Loma Linda University. He can knock out a 2:00 half marathon, so he’s no slacker. At that point, he was back at his car, where I met his wife and her friend and continued on my own again.
Back on my own, Mile 12 in 8:41. Could stand to slow down a little, this is a training run not a marathon. Mile 13 in 9:08, under control again. Mile 14 went long because I missed my turnaround marker for a 9:43. Up to the turn around point the clouds were still holding and I had been running into a breeze. Just as I hit the turnaround the sun broke through and now the breeze was at my back. This combined to make the return trip a whole lot warmer. Mile 15 clocked in at 8:27. I really have to get this under control. Mile 16 in 9:02. Now that’s better. Mile 17 and 18 in 8:37 and 8:39. Here we go again! Then the downward spiral began. I was really started to get tired at this point. Mile 19 in 8:58 followed by a 9:16 and 9:17. At this point I really wanted to walk but I refused to let myself. I’ve been really excited about my last two runs with Jeff when I hadn’t taken my usual walk breaks and didn’t want to cave in now that I was on my own. Mile 22 was a whopping 9:44 and I still had about a half mile left to go to get to the car. That last mile was pretty demoralizing. If this is how the marathon goes, 4.2 more miles at that pace and I can kiss my 4:00 marathon goodbye.
All told I ran at least 22.7 miles today, maybe closer to 23 counting the doubling back with Tom and the missed turnaround. My running time was 3:25. Conservatively for 22.7 miles, if my math skills are right (they are better at home aided by a calculator and clearer thinking than in my head while on the run) my final pace for the day is 9:03. This is still good for a sub 4:00 as long as I don’t fall apart at the proverbial wall. I want to think that I will still make it but I won’t deny that the 9:44 mile has me more than a little concerned.
Miles for the week: 39.5
This is on the money for the original schedule but falls short of the 46-50 increased mileage goal.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Rosie's Garage Almost 5K
I returned home from my business trip to Cleveland very late Wednesday night. Due to mechanical issues and weather conditions in Phoenix I arrived 3.5 hours later than planned into LAX rather than Ontario (CA not Canada). My luggage and car spent an extra day in Ontario until I could get out there Thursday after work to pick them up. Not the end of the world but if I were recommending airlines it wouldn't be America West/US Airways. I'm just sayin'.
The orthodontist visits went well and provided us with some great feedback on a new adhesive. I was able to meet up with some family. My little sister picked me up at the airport, my parents drove over (about 1:15) for dinner on Monday, and on Tuesday I was able to meet up with my middle sister and her three daughters for dinner.
I got two runs in - 6.5 miles on Monday evening and 6 more on Wednesday morning around the town of Twinsburg, OH. Twinsburg is home to a hugely popular Twins Day Festival in August. Since the half marathon last weekend my legs have felt pretty dead. I'm not sure if the extra miles are finally showing themselves or if it is in my head. I was also somewhat disturbed about how easily my schedule got derailed. One business trip and the snafu with luggage and car and I feel lucky to have just gotten in my originally scheduled miles let alone any extra.
That brings me to today and the Rosie's Garage Almost 5K, the last race in the Puma Cup Series. On the way down to the race I gave Jeff a call to wish him well in his first triathlon. I really hope it went well for him. I had toyed with the idea of dumping my Almost 5K to go show support for Jeff (the event at Bonelli is basically in my front yard) but ultimately decided to see the Cup Series through to the end. I had received a map of the course earlier in the week, mapped it with g-maps pedometer and determined the course to be 2.95 miles, Almost 5K. This was confirmed by both Theresa and Jim's Garmins at the race, within a couple of hundredths. I met Jesse at the registration table, then ran into Jay on the way back from putting the race T into my car. I did a warm up run with Jay, then another short one with Jesse. We got all lined up for the 8:00 a.m. start to end up standing around for nearly 30 minutes before the race finally started. Apparently there was some miscommunication with the local Police about coning off lanes for the runners. Once that was done the race went off without a hitch.
I decided I wan't going to push myself too hard today since I couldn't really PR for a 5K. An Almost PR for an Almost 5K just didn't seem that important. Like I said the legs have been flat and I still had the long run tomorrow to get through. Early on we settled into our usual positions with Jesse in the lead, followed by Jim. It took me about a half mile to overtake Jay. We stayed that way throughout the race. I felt like I was running strong but not pushing myself. I concentrated on keeping a smooth consistent pace. I crossed the finish line in 21:06. By the time I saw the clock and realized how close I was to breaking 21:00, I just didn't have it in me mentally to get there, too hung up on the Almost 5K part I guess. When I got home I extrapolated my time out to a full 5K and came up with 22:10. This is about in line with where I've been lately, but not a PR effort.
The coolest thing about this race is I won my first age group award. I got 3rd place in the Male 40-44 category. Yahoo! I've never placed before. I was, needless to say, pretty stoked. When I got home my youngest son read the medal and gave me a High-5, then humbled me by saying "there were probably only 3 guys in your age group!" I will definitely check that out when the official results are posted on line. At the race I never looked past my own name. I hope he's not right, but even so 3rd place is mine. Yahoo, again! Jesse placed 1st in the 45-49 age group. Jim took 2nd in his AG and Jay took 1st in his AG. Theresa took 3rd by a few feet in her AG, while Cathe came in 1st for the walkers. Even with the late start Rosie's Garage turned out to be a pretty good day for our group.
The orthodontist visits went well and provided us with some great feedback on a new adhesive. I was able to meet up with some family. My little sister picked me up at the airport, my parents drove over (about 1:15) for dinner on Monday, and on Tuesday I was able to meet up with my middle sister and her three daughters for dinner.
I got two runs in - 6.5 miles on Monday evening and 6 more on Wednesday morning around the town of Twinsburg, OH. Twinsburg is home to a hugely popular Twins Day Festival in August. Since the half marathon last weekend my legs have felt pretty dead. I'm not sure if the extra miles are finally showing themselves or if it is in my head. I was also somewhat disturbed about how easily my schedule got derailed. One business trip and the snafu with luggage and car and I feel lucky to have just gotten in my originally scheduled miles let alone any extra.
That brings me to today and the Rosie's Garage Almost 5K, the last race in the Puma Cup Series. On the way down to the race I gave Jeff a call to wish him well in his first triathlon. I really hope it went well for him. I had toyed with the idea of dumping my Almost 5K to go show support for Jeff (the event at Bonelli is basically in my front yard) but ultimately decided to see the Cup Series through to the end. I had received a map of the course earlier in the week, mapped it with g-maps pedometer and determined the course to be 2.95 miles, Almost 5K. This was confirmed by both Theresa and Jim's Garmins at the race, within a couple of hundredths. I met Jesse at the registration table, then ran into Jay on the way back from putting the race T into my car. I did a warm up run with Jay, then another short one with Jesse. We got all lined up for the 8:00 a.m. start to end up standing around for nearly 30 minutes before the race finally started. Apparently there was some miscommunication with the local Police about coning off lanes for the runners. Once that was done the race went off without a hitch.
I decided I wan't going to push myself too hard today since I couldn't really PR for a 5K. An Almost PR for an Almost 5K just didn't seem that important. Like I said the legs have been flat and I still had the long run tomorrow to get through. Early on we settled into our usual positions with Jesse in the lead, followed by Jim. It took me about a half mile to overtake Jay. We stayed that way throughout the race. I felt like I was running strong but not pushing myself. I concentrated on keeping a smooth consistent pace. I crossed the finish line in 21:06. By the time I saw the clock and realized how close I was to breaking 21:00, I just didn't have it in me mentally to get there, too hung up on the Almost 5K part I guess. When I got home I extrapolated my time out to a full 5K and came up with 22:10. This is about in line with where I've been lately, but not a PR effort.
The coolest thing about this race is I won my first age group award. I got 3rd place in the Male 40-44 category. Yahoo! I've never placed before. I was, needless to say, pretty stoked. When I got home my youngest son read the medal and gave me a High-5, then humbled me by saying "there were probably only 3 guys in your age group!" I will definitely check that out when the official results are posted on line. At the race I never looked past my own name. I hope he's not right, but even so 3rd place is mine. Yahoo, again! Jesse placed 1st in the 45-49 age group. Jim took 2nd in his AG and Jay took 1st in his AG. Theresa took 3rd by a few feet in her AG, while Cathe came in 1st for the walkers. Even with the late start Rosie's Garage turned out to be a pretty good day for our group.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Fontana Days Half
First, I want to give a big Thanks to all you who weighed in on my long run question. For the immediate future I just decided to run the half with Janice and not add any extra miles. I will do the 22 miler next weekend and then see how I feel after that before I decide my exact mileage three weeks out. If I had to decide right now, I'm leaning toward 18 for that week. I'll keep you all posted.
______________________________
Today I ran the Fontana Days Half Marathon. It is billed as the World's Fastest Half Marathon Course, due to the fact that it is predominately downhill. I did this one last year and PR'd by 15 minutes (it was only my second half). This year's race was not about me. It was all about Janice. She is a Tech Aide at my work, or as we fondly call them, a Lab Monkey. The term isn't really a fair assessment of the tech aides abilities. Tech Aides usually are working towards or recently completed a science or engineering degree. Janice was completing a post baccalaureate program in science in preparation for entry into dental school when she started working with us. She was accepted to Harvard and the University of CA at San Francisco. She ultimately decided on UCSF. So she is one smart cookie and accepts the Lab Monkey designation with humor.
Somewhere along the line she got it into her head that she was going to run a half marathon. She had run the Nike Run Hit Wonder 5K last year. She picked Fontana since it was local, but she only really gave herself about a month to train. She asked me to run with her. My goal was to get her through. She planned to run 10 miles last weekend but didn't get around to it until Tuesday, 5 days before the half. On Wednesday, based on the time she took for that run I estimated her half marathon finish at 2:15 to 2:30.
My job, at least as I saw it, was to keep her from going out too fast on the downhill start and to keep her motivated from mile 10 on. At the starting line it was fun to see how excited and nervous she was. The first few miles are the biggest decline and is partially shaded by the mountains and trees of Lytle Creek. We took off, I was determined to let Janice set the pace. I did the best I could to hang just half step behind and not pull her along. Mile 1 went by in 9:13. Not too bad I thought considering the downhill. Mile 2 in 9:13. I was impressed that she was so consistent. Mile 3 was 9:02. I suggested that we try to slow down a little. I was expecting 9:30 miles and really didn't want her to wear out in the last few miles. These miles are hard enough anyway but at Fontana, you've lost any downhill advantage and the course is exposed to the sun for at least 7 miles, expected highs were 100°F.
Mile 4 came in at 9:43 and included a walk break through the water stop. I was OK with that. Mile 5 came in at 9:48. I didn't panic but felt we hadn't really slowed that much. Mile 6 was 9:08, back on track or maybe mile markers were off a little. We walked the next water stop for Mile 7 at 9:24. At this point Janice still felt good, she was setting the pace. Mile 8 - 9:04, Mile 9 - 9:25. By the time we were in Mile 10, Janice was starting to get tired. From mile 8 on only one or two people passed us and we slowly reeled other runners in as we went. I tried to let her know what a great job she was doing. She was getting a little frantic looking for the next water stop. I talked her through it, spotted the water stop, we walked it and finished Mile 10 in 9:55.
At this point, I think that she realized that she was now in uncharted territory and the heat was beginning to take its toll. I missed the Mile 11 marker. We took an extra walk break and made it through Mile 11 and 12 in a combined 20:41. We were definitely slowing down. I looked over at Janice and realized that she had stopped sweating. She also said that she felt a little tingling especially her hands. I was afraid that she was showing signs of dehydration. Somewhere during this stretch, Janice was having difficulty staying motivated but she kept going.
After mile 12 we could clearly see the finish line ahead and I said "No more walk breaks, let' just get this thing done." The last couple of miles I was pulling her along. With about half a mile to go, Janice picked up the pace and we finished Mile 13.1 in 10:39.
Finish time by my watch 2:05:20. The official time is probably about 10 seconds longer and will be on the web by Wednesday. I think this is a great finish considering her relative short training plan and the near 90° temperature. Janice proved me wrong, she was not going to settle for a 2:30 or even a 2:15 half marathon. She was very pleased and felt great. It was a very happy moment, knowing that she accomplished her goal. Last week before even running this one, she signed up for the Wine Country Half Marathon. I'd say she's hooked on running. I'm so proud!
___________________________
Today is my birthday! Three years ago today I went for my first run. I'm celebrating three years as a runner. What a cool way to spend it, by helping another runner achieve her goal.
Other significant accomplishments:
Miles for May: 181.3, another all time high (I'm beginning to sound like a broken record)
Tomorrow I'll go back to Bonelli for my Sunday morning run, then I'll be away on business. See you all next Thursday.
______________________________
Today I ran the Fontana Days Half Marathon. It is billed as the World's Fastest Half Marathon Course, due to the fact that it is predominately downhill. I did this one last year and PR'd by 15 minutes (it was only my second half). This year's race was not about me. It was all about Janice. She is a Tech Aide at my work, or as we fondly call them, a Lab Monkey. The term isn't really a fair assessment of the tech aides abilities. Tech Aides usually are working towards or recently completed a science or engineering degree. Janice was completing a post baccalaureate program in science in preparation for entry into dental school when she started working with us. She was accepted to Harvard and the University of CA at San Francisco. She ultimately decided on UCSF. So she is one smart cookie and accepts the Lab Monkey designation with humor.
Somewhere along the line she got it into her head that she was going to run a half marathon. She had run the Nike Run Hit Wonder 5K last year. She picked Fontana since it was local, but she only really gave herself about a month to train. She asked me to run with her. My goal was to get her through. She planned to run 10 miles last weekend but didn't get around to it until Tuesday, 5 days before the half. On Wednesday, based on the time she took for that run I estimated her half marathon finish at 2:15 to 2:30.
My job, at least as I saw it, was to keep her from going out too fast on the downhill start and to keep her motivated from mile 10 on. At the starting line it was fun to see how excited and nervous she was. The first few miles are the biggest decline and is partially shaded by the mountains and trees of Lytle Creek. We took off, I was determined to let Janice set the pace. I did the best I could to hang just half step behind and not pull her along. Mile 1 went by in 9:13. Not too bad I thought considering the downhill. Mile 2 in 9:13. I was impressed that she was so consistent. Mile 3 was 9:02. I suggested that we try to slow down a little. I was expecting 9:30 miles and really didn't want her to wear out in the last few miles. These miles are hard enough anyway but at Fontana, you've lost any downhill advantage and the course is exposed to the sun for at least 7 miles, expected highs were 100°F.
Mile 4 came in at 9:43 and included a walk break through the water stop. I was OK with that. Mile 5 came in at 9:48. I didn't panic but felt we hadn't really slowed that much. Mile 6 was 9:08, back on track or maybe mile markers were off a little. We walked the next water stop for Mile 7 at 9:24. At this point Janice still felt good, she was setting the pace. Mile 8 - 9:04, Mile 9 - 9:25. By the time we were in Mile 10, Janice was starting to get tired. From mile 8 on only one or two people passed us and we slowly reeled other runners in as we went. I tried to let her know what a great job she was doing. She was getting a little frantic looking for the next water stop. I talked her through it, spotted the water stop, we walked it and finished Mile 10 in 9:55.
At this point, I think that she realized that she was now in uncharted territory and the heat was beginning to take its toll. I missed the Mile 11 marker. We took an extra walk break and made it through Mile 11 and 12 in a combined 20:41. We were definitely slowing down. I looked over at Janice and realized that she had stopped sweating. She also said that she felt a little tingling especially her hands. I was afraid that she was showing signs of dehydration. Somewhere during this stretch, Janice was having difficulty staying motivated but she kept going.
After mile 12 we could clearly see the finish line ahead and I said "No more walk breaks, let' just get this thing done." The last couple of miles I was pulling her along. With about half a mile to go, Janice picked up the pace and we finished Mile 13.1 in 10:39.
Finish time by my watch 2:05:20. The official time is probably about 10 seconds longer and will be on the web by Wednesday. I think this is a great finish considering her relative short training plan and the near 90° temperature. Janice proved me wrong, she was not going to settle for a 2:30 or even a 2:15 half marathon. She was very pleased and felt great. It was a very happy moment, knowing that she accomplished her goal. Last week before even running this one, she signed up for the Wine Country Half Marathon. I'd say she's hooked on running. I'm so proud!
___________________________
Today is my birthday! Three years ago today I went for my first run. I'm celebrating three years as a runner. What a cool way to spend it, by helping another runner achieve her goal.
Other significant accomplishments:
Miles for May: 181.3, another all time high (I'm beginning to sound like a broken record)
Tomorrow I'll go back to Bonelli for my Sunday morning run, then I'll be away on business. See you all next Thursday.
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