Hate is a strong word,
but I really, really, really don't like you.
- Plain White T's
This song came on the radio within minutes of reaching the Rio Java Cafe, our designated run start today. With my propensity for replaying the last song I hear over and over in my head during a run, I changed the channel as fast as I could to blot that one out. To me that song has the lyrical depth of a third grade poem. When someone has to resort to using the same word three times in a row they apparently don't have much to say. The station I switched to was playing "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. I don't really care for that song either, but it was far less objectionable than the first one. Too bad the CD player in my car doesn't work any more.
The Cruisers were a small group today, only 7 of us. I ran for 3 miles with Cecil before he turned around. I was planning on 10, so finished the last 7 on my own. One week post marathon, I had no time goals. I started out slow, >10:00 miles and finished up around 8:30's for an average pace of 9:00 (90 minutes for 10 miles). By mile 2 my right calf was giving me the business. The left one caught up a couple of miles later. I've never experienced this kind of stiffness and tightness before. By mile 6 or so, my quads were complaining too. They were saying "Hey, we just ran a downhill marathon last week, what are you doing to us?". Luckily they didn't let me down.
So, if you've seen the new title of the blog you know that I'm off to Indiana next. When? Where? Why? you may ask. Well Indiana is a state right and they have a marathon there right? So of course I would eventually end up there. What follows is my attempt to explain the answers to the 5 W's of any good story.
Who: Me of course. And Joe from Run with Perseverance.
What: the 4th Annual Tecumseh Trail Marathon
Where: Bloomington, IN
When: December 2, 2006 just 8 weeks after St George. From the FAQ's on the website: "How difficult is it really? Hmm... Pretty difficult. Try it and find out!" Since this will be my first trail marathon I won't have a time goal. I'm just going to enjoy the run.
Why: Here's the long part. Why this race and why now? Way back in the fall of 2003 when I was training with Snail's Pace for my first marathon, Dr. John completed his 50th state. I hadn't even completed my first marathon yet, but I was enchanted with the idea of doing this myself. I spent hours that fall scouring the internet, especially marathonguide.com for races in every state. I started a list of the races I wanted to do. I first picked the states where I had relatives. Ohio would be Cleveland to visit my parents. I planned Hartford, CT to visit my in-laws. Now they live in PA so I've got Harrisburg on the list. In Florida I've planned Clearwater or Tampa and my parents will come down to visit my aunt there. Of course, Chicago and NYC are on the list as well. I got SEAFAIR in Washington this year as a birthday present.
Anyway back to the original story, during the fall of 2003, I came across an article about the inaugural Tecumseh Trail Marathon. I just sounded really fun and challenging, something different to do rather than a road race. It made it onto my list as my Indiana marathon of choice.
Back at the end of this July, I commented on Joe's blog after he had hiked up Pike's Peak with his son David, asking when he was going to run the marathon version. He replied it was a serious maybe and in preparation for it was considering a trail marathon in Indiana in the late fall. Another email confirmed that the marathon in question was indeed Tecumseh. Joe graciously offered to be my host in Indiana, so the plans started brewing. Joe was running the Portland marathon just a week before I would be running St George so we both had about the same amount of time to rest and prepare. While Joe was in Portland, I bought my airline tickets and mailed in my race entry and state #8 was officially on the schedule a week before #7 was on the books.
So, in December I'm off to Indiana to run what looks to be an unforgettable marathon along with Joe who I've come to admire and respect through the blogosphere. I'm looking forward to it. Now if I could just get my calves to catch up with my brain, I'll be good to go.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Some More of SGM
Here it is Tuesday evening and my legs feel almost normal again. I mentioned that my right quad was sore even before the race was over. There was this strange discrepancy the rest of that day. 
By Sunday morning that had pretty much evened out. Monday the quads and calves were still sore, big time. I think this is pretty much how they felt after my first marathon. In July I was ready to run the next day. Not this time! I think I'm going to take the whole week off and then join the Cruisers somewhere on Saturday morning. I was able to get an adjustment and massage on Monday night. Very well timed and deserved, I think.
This picture is me almost to the finish line. I'm all stoked about the fact that I'm actually up on my toes mid run. I never did resort to the dreaded marathon shuffle in this one.
Here's a one of me and Dean. I'm not exactly sure what's up with me and the "attitude" pose. Say what you will about Dean, but he's a pretty darn nice guy. He was getting a little panicked at this point. He needed to get back to his bus for a 12 hour drive to Albuquerque for number 22.
There's something about the St George marathon that keeps people coming back year after year. There is a large 10 year club and even a 20 year club. The volunteers at the expo pasta feed was super nice. The starting area was very organized. The bonfires were a really cool touch that I've never seen anywhere else. Those clothes that I was so worried about; my wife picked them up for me at the end of the race in about 30 second flat. The course was breathtaking. Starting in the dark and witnessing the day begin was very memorable. Because the course is not spectator friendly, the people of St George hang signs of encouragement on every road sign along the way. It was fun to read these messages. Someone had scrawled a marriage proposal in chalk on the road. I wonder if she said yes? At one of the ranches along the way I saw the most magnificent dark gray horse running along the fence. I saw a sign that said "Run, Bee-otches, Run". That one made me laugh out loud. I've got to admit that running 26.2 miles is a pretty absurd hobby. The sign seemed appropriate. The medals are really unique. They are a stone medallion with the race logo each one is slightly different from the next.
After some Blue Bunny ice cream at the finish line, and a shower, Lisa and I headed over to Zion National Park for a quick drive through. We didn't really have enough time to take the scenic tram tour but we did drive through the mile tunnel and then back through again. We took a lot of photos. The rock formations are just incredible in size, texture and complexity. It is amazing the difference in the rocks on opposite sides of the tunnel. It is almost as though you've left one park and entered another. Someone said "They're just rocks" but they are some pretty amazing rocks. On our way out we stopped in Springdale at the Bumbleberry Inn and had a slice of Bumbleberry Pie, ala mode of course. I just ran a marathon, I could eat pretty much anything I wanted. I love that!
We met up with all the CA Cruisers for dinner and had a great time reliving the events of the day. After dinner Lisa and I got to see a production of Cats at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins, about 25 minutes outside of St George. Tuacahn is an outdoor amphitheatre nestled into the red rock canyons. At dinner and at the show there were many people sporting their long sleeve technical burnt orange shirts. Kinda cool. Sunday morning we went for breakfast at the Bear Paw Cafe. You know how much I love breakfast. I would definitely recommend this place. It was full of runners, too. Very large portions. I had the Bear Paw omelet. It came with home fries and a biscuit. Yummy. We made the drive home in 5.5 hours. We did stop for ice cream at Diary Queen in Barstow. I was still giving myself permission to indulge.
As some of you have commented, now I need to update the name of this little blog. I could go with the obvious "Seven Down, Forty Three To Go". I've also contemplated something like "The Countdown Continues" so I'd never have to change it again. What do you think? I've got #8 planned but I'll save the reveal for another day.
Y'all come back now, you hear! Don't go a-losin' me just 'cause I change my name.
By Sunday morning that had pretty much evened out. Monday the quads and calves were still sore, big time. I think this is pretty much how they felt after my first marathon. In July I was ready to run the next day. Not this time! I think I'm going to take the whole week off and then join the Cruisers somewhere on Saturday morning. I was able to get an adjustment and massage on Monday night. Very well timed and deserved, I think.This picture is me almost to the finish line. I'm all stoked about the fact that I'm actually up on my toes mid run. I never did resort to the dreaded marathon shuffle in this one.
Here's a one of me and Dean. I'm not exactly sure what's up with me and the "attitude" pose. Say what you will about Dean, but he's a pretty darn nice guy. He was getting a little panicked at this point. He needed to get back to his bus for a 12 hour drive to Albuquerque for number 22.There's something about the St George marathon that keeps people coming back year after year. There is a large 10 year club and even a 20 year club. The volunteers at the expo pasta feed was super nice. The starting area was very organized. The bonfires were a really cool touch that I've never seen anywhere else. Those clothes that I was so worried about; my wife picked them up for me at the end of the race in about 30 second flat. The course was breathtaking. Starting in the dark and witnessing the day begin was very memorable. Because the course is not spectator friendly, the people of St George hang signs of encouragement on every road sign along the way. It was fun to read these messages. Someone had scrawled a marriage proposal in chalk on the road. I wonder if she said yes? At one of the ranches along the way I saw the most magnificent dark gray horse running along the fence. I saw a sign that said "Run, Bee-otches, Run". That one made me laugh out loud. I've got to admit that running 26.2 miles is a pretty absurd hobby. The sign seemed appropriate. The medals are really unique. They are a stone medallion with the race logo each one is slightly different from the next.
After some Blue Bunny ice cream at the finish line, and a shower, Lisa and I headed over to Zion National Park for a quick drive through. We didn't really have enough time to take the scenic tram tour but we did drive through the mile tunnel and then back through again. We took a lot of photos. The rock formations are just incredible in size, texture and complexity. It is amazing the difference in the rocks on opposite sides of the tunnel. It is almost as though you've left one park and entered another. Someone said "They're just rocks" but they are some pretty amazing rocks. On our way out we stopped in Springdale at the Bumbleberry Inn and had a slice of Bumbleberry Pie, ala mode of course. I just ran a marathon, I could eat pretty much anything I wanted. I love that!
We met up with all the CA Cruisers for dinner and had a great time reliving the events of the day. After dinner Lisa and I got to see a production of Cats at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins, about 25 minutes outside of St George. Tuacahn is an outdoor amphitheatre nestled into the red rock canyons. At dinner and at the show there were many people sporting their long sleeve technical burnt orange shirts. Kinda cool. Sunday morning we went for breakfast at the Bear Paw Cafe. You know how much I love breakfast. I would definitely recommend this place. It was full of runners, too. Very large portions. I had the Bear Paw omelet. It came with home fries and a biscuit. Yummy. We made the drive home in 5.5 hours. We did stop for ice cream at Diary Queen in Barstow. I was still giving myself permission to indulge.
As some of you have commented, now I need to update the name of this little blog. I could go with the obvious "Seven Down, Forty Three To Go". I've also contemplated something like "The Countdown Continues" so I'd never have to change it again. What do you think? I've got #8 planned but I'll save the reveal for another day.
Y'all come back now, you hear! Don't go a-losin' me just 'cause I change my name.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Saint George Marathon Report
The Facts
Finish time: 3:40:52 – a PR! No doubt helped by the downhill course
Average pace: 8:25
Place in field: 1240/4761, just outside the top 25%
Place in gender: 950/2731, 35% of the guys were ahead of me
Place in age group: 152/384, 39% of these M45-49 beat me to the finish
The 30th Saint George (Utah) Marathon Report
This was my ninth marathon in 3 years and it has me stumped in more ways than one. Maybe I’ll figure it out as I write this report.
I turns out that Lisa was able to get away from work on Friday so that she could join me. St. George is just about a 5.5 hour drive from the LA area and somewhat difficult to fly into so I had planned on driving. When I had booked the hotel back in June, I found the cheapest place I could close to the race start. I was a little worried that the room would not be wife worthy. It turned out to be fine, nothing special and certainly not on par with Mandalay Bay where we stayed for the Las Vegas Marathon, but comfortable and clean. Our drive to St. George was smooth; free of traffic congestion, accidents or construction.
At the expo I picked up my gels. I was forced to switch over to Clifshots since PowerGels have gone to the 4x sodium formulation. Clifshots was going to be offered on the course as well. I have used them in the past so I was pretty confident they would get me through with no stomach issues. The expo featured a neat display of all the t-shirt and medal designs over the 30 years history of the race. I think the first race had a total of 42 finishers. It has grown a little. The 4761 finishers this year was the largest yet.
One thing that had me stumped for this marathon was a time goal. SEAFAIR was all about breaking the 4 hour barrier. Where was I going to go from there? Of course, Boston Qualification is my next big goal, but a 3:30, even with a downhill course seemed like too much of a stretch. Couple that with the hip ache and I didn’t really know where I should aim. Of course this week, being the end of the taper, the hip or more precisely the glute muscle flared up on Monday as bad as ever. I tried not to worry about, chalking it up to taper madness and pre-race jitters. I ultimately picked up a 3:40 pace band at the expo and tucked it into my Fuelbelt pack. Our group of Cruisers and friends, 10 in all, decided to take part in the pasta feed at the expo rather than looking for a restaurant in St. George. It was just spaghetti with vegetable marina or meat sauce, salad, roll and cake. All you can eat for $8, simple but satisfying. We sat around and talked for quite a while and ended up meeting Spencer. He was there solo from Ogden, UT running his first marathon. He picked our brains. I hope we shared wisely.
Race morning or I should say race middle of the night came after a somewhat restless sleep. We had set 3 alarms to make sure I didn’t over sleep. Lisa gave me ride over to the finish and went back to the hotel for couple more hours of sleep. SGM is point to point so we had to catch buses at the finish line to take us to the start. They were giving away incentives to ride the early buses from 4:00 to 4:30 a.m. I missed the cutoff by one bus.
The starting line is at an elevation of 5240 ft. The finish line is at 2680. All but 2 miles of the course is straight down State Route 18, so it was interesting to ride the bus up and up to the start. Man, was it cold at the start. They were predicting temperatures in the mid 30’s. The sky was clear and we enjoyed a full moon. There were portapots lined up on one side of the road and camp fires along the other. There must have been 40 or so fires. They were a very welcome addition to a marathon start. I was somewhat concerned about checking clothes. I had never done this before, but I definitely needed sweats while we waited for an hour and a half for the race start at 6:45. Even with the sweats, I shivered uncontrollably whenever I wasn’t near a fire. Ten minutes before the race start I peeled them off and put them in the bag they gave us, threw them in the Uhaul truck. Nothing to it. I donned a garbage bag at that point for warmth.
About that time they played the National Anthem and everyone stopped where they were in respect. I could hear many people singing along. It was a cool moment by the light of the full moon. As soon as it was over it was back to the last minute frenzy of ditching extra clothes and lining up. I lined up along with Cathe from our group right between the 3:40 and 3:45 pace groups.
After that familiar sound of the horn we were off. Three minutes to cross the starting mat. The start didn’t catch me off guard like it did in SEAFAIR. I thought I might stick with the pace group for awhile but because it was dark, they were off and not easy to see. I had been warned to start off easy, to not let the initial downhill miles pull me out too fast. I decided I didn’t need the stress of trying to follow along, so I ran my own race with the aid of the pace band. Cathe and I ran together for less than a half mile before we got separated, she was shooting for something less than 4:00.
I ran the first mile still in my garbage bag at 9:11, well off the 8:24 pace. It was far too early worry about it. I was confident of making it up later. I ditched the trash bag and it was really great running weather, even in a sleeveless shirt. I had planned for the later miles as we descended into the valley and the day warmed up. The expected high at the finish line was 80 degrees.
Mile 2 clocked off in 8:34. This put me just about a minute behind pace. Again I wasn’t really too worried at this point.
Mile 3, was the first water stop. The water stops were located at mile markers throughout the race. It would be Mile 4 before I got another gage on my progress. By mile 4 the sun was up enough that we could see well. Up to that point there were these little green glow stick beacons on the side of the road to mark the way. They may be there for other reasons but it was still cool. I hit Mile 4 in 33:36, just 11 seconds off pace. The last two miles were run in 8:00 pace. I was on target but it was still too early to get excited. I had yet to hit the uphill section of the course.
SGM is a net downhill course. You hear all kinds stories about the downhills. PR’s are set on the downhills. But dang the course is not all downhill. There are uphills and plenty of them.
Mile 5, I missed the marker again. Mile 6, I was at 49:22. Nearly a minute ahead of schedule, but still no uphill. Mile 7 – 57:02, 1:45 ahead of schedule. I was happy to have gained back my slow start but Mile 7 marked the beginning of the hill, the Veyo hill, the really big mile-long hill. I’d done hills last time and trained hills, so I trucked on up.
I missed the Mile 8 marker. The course flattened somewhat but continued to climb through mile 11. Finally at Mile 9, I caught the clock at 1:16. I had only lost about 30 seconds halfway through this uphill section. My pace had slowed to 9:30.
I missed Mile 10 and 11. Finally at Mile 12 I had the presence of mind to get my time again. I clocked those three miles at 8:23 pace for total time of 1:41, only about 15 seconds behind. I was actually pretty proud for not losing more time on the uphill. In SEAFAIR I used a hill adjusted pace chart. Here at SGM I had to try to maintain a consistent pace to be able to judge my progress. So far, so good.
Mile 13 was downhill and finally I got two consecutive mile splits. Mile 13 in 8:09 for 1:41:25, still 15 seconds off pace. Still no worries. I was about this point in the race that I realized that even though I was on goal, I wasn’t having any fun. I was just blah, there was no joy, no inspiration. I even thought to myself that if Lisa had shown up offering a ride I would have taken it. I couldn’t really understand why I felt like this, but I kept running on.
Mile 14, missed the marker. Again. Do you see a trend here? Mile 15, I was at 2:05:46, 9 seconds under pace. I had run those last two miles at 8:10 apiece. Mile 16, you guess it, missed again. Mile 17, I was at 2:21:30. This gave me a 1:15 cushion on the goal pace. I had run those two miles at 7:53 pace. Mile 16 was a good mile for me. Because of the course design in a canyon there are very few places for spectators to easily access the course. Mile 16 in Snow Canyon was the first real display of support other than volunteers. I high fived as many kids as I could. This boosted my mood.
Then things went into the unknown again. I missed Mile 18, 19, 20 and 21. Was I on goal, was I behind goal? I had no idea. There was no lack of uphills from 16 to 20 so I didn’t know if I’d maintained or not.
Finally at mile 22, I hit the marker at 3:04:29. I was 15 seconds ahead of goal. Only 4 miles to go and I had no cushion to spare. After 5 miles of not really knowing how close I was to goal, I was overcome with emotion. Could I keep going?
Mile 23 and 24, ugh. How do I keep missing the markers? I know since many of them were right at the start of the water stop, I would be so focused on getting my fluid, I missed hitting my watch nearly half the time.
Mile 25- got that one! I was at 3:30:17. I was 22 seconds in debt on the goal time. All I could think was just keep going. Don’t slow down. Since Mile 22 my right quad was aching badly. The downhill had taken its toll. The good thing is my left hip/glute was doing fine. At mile 24 the course enters the town proper so the crowd support picked up as well. Up to now we had been on SR-18; one long stretch with no 90 degree turns. Once we entered town we had to make several turns. I couldn’t remember quite how many. After the first two turns I was sure that the finish line would be just around the corner. Nope! One more corner. Finally, those balloons. I knew Lisa would be here somewhere in the crowd, but I focused all that I had on getting to those balloons. She called out to me, but I couldn’t make out her voice.
I missed the 3:40 by less than a minute. But, I had set a PR by nearly 12:00. Physically I was beat but I never felt like I hit the wall. I ran strong to the end. I just can't imagine being able to go much faster especially without the aid of the downhill. 10 more minutes and I'm Boston bound. I've got to believe that I can do it.
SGM does not supply split times. I was at 13 miles at 1:49:25 running 8:05 miles at the time. I estimate my half marathon time to be 1:50:14, which puts my second half at 1:50:38. That’s about as close to even splits as anyone can ask for! First time that’s ever happened. Thank you, downhill finish. I think I’ll split the difference for the Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon.
The Dean Corollary
Dean Karnazes was at SGM running the 21st of his 50 marathons. One of my goals was to beat Dean to the finish line. This seemed doable. He had announced 4:00 finishes as his goal. At the 7 mile mark I had to make a stop at a portapot. When I jumped back onto the course, there was Dean. I trailed him to about mile 10 where he stopped to get some water. I kept on going and didn’t see him again for miles. I thought I might actually get to the finish first. At mile 17, Dean passed me up and I just couldn’t keep up with him. Dean finished in 3:20:04. My wife ended up talking to him at the exit chute for a couple of minutes before I got there.
Other Interesting Tidbits
Cathe ended up qualifying for Boston while Dorothy got 4th place age group in the F65-69.
Finish time: 3:40:52 – a PR! No doubt helped by the downhill course
Average pace: 8:25
Place in field: 1240/4761, just outside the top 25%
Place in gender: 950/2731, 35% of the guys were ahead of me
Place in age group: 152/384, 39% of these M45-49 beat me to the finish
The 30th Saint George (Utah) Marathon Report
This was my ninth marathon in 3 years and it has me stumped in more ways than one. Maybe I’ll figure it out as I write this report.
I turns out that Lisa was able to get away from work on Friday so that she could join me. St. George is just about a 5.5 hour drive from the LA area and somewhat difficult to fly into so I had planned on driving. When I had booked the hotel back in June, I found the cheapest place I could close to the race start. I was a little worried that the room would not be wife worthy. It turned out to be fine, nothing special and certainly not on par with Mandalay Bay where we stayed for the Las Vegas Marathon, but comfortable and clean. Our drive to St. George was smooth; free of traffic congestion, accidents or construction.
At the expo I picked up my gels. I was forced to switch over to Clifshots since PowerGels have gone to the 4x sodium formulation. Clifshots was going to be offered on the course as well. I have used them in the past so I was pretty confident they would get me through with no stomach issues. The expo featured a neat display of all the t-shirt and medal designs over the 30 years history of the race. I think the first race had a total of 42 finishers. It has grown a little. The 4761 finishers this year was the largest yet.
One thing that had me stumped for this marathon was a time goal. SEAFAIR was all about breaking the 4 hour barrier. Where was I going to go from there? Of course, Boston Qualification is my next big goal, but a 3:30, even with a downhill course seemed like too much of a stretch. Couple that with the hip ache and I didn’t really know where I should aim. Of course this week, being the end of the taper, the hip or more precisely the glute muscle flared up on Monday as bad as ever. I tried not to worry about, chalking it up to taper madness and pre-race jitters. I ultimately picked up a 3:40 pace band at the expo and tucked it into my Fuelbelt pack. Our group of Cruisers and friends, 10 in all, decided to take part in the pasta feed at the expo rather than looking for a restaurant in St. George. It was just spaghetti with vegetable marina or meat sauce, salad, roll and cake. All you can eat for $8, simple but satisfying. We sat around and talked for quite a while and ended up meeting Spencer. He was there solo from Ogden, UT running his first marathon. He picked our brains. I hope we shared wisely.
Race morning or I should say race middle of the night came after a somewhat restless sleep. We had set 3 alarms to make sure I didn’t over sleep. Lisa gave me ride over to the finish and went back to the hotel for couple more hours of sleep. SGM is point to point so we had to catch buses at the finish line to take us to the start. They were giving away incentives to ride the early buses from 4:00 to 4:30 a.m. I missed the cutoff by one bus.
The starting line is at an elevation of 5240 ft. The finish line is at 2680. All but 2 miles of the course is straight down State Route 18, so it was interesting to ride the bus up and up to the start. Man, was it cold at the start. They were predicting temperatures in the mid 30’s. The sky was clear and we enjoyed a full moon. There were portapots lined up on one side of the road and camp fires along the other. There must have been 40 or so fires. They were a very welcome addition to a marathon start. I was somewhat concerned about checking clothes. I had never done this before, but I definitely needed sweats while we waited for an hour and a half for the race start at 6:45. Even with the sweats, I shivered uncontrollably whenever I wasn’t near a fire. Ten minutes before the race start I peeled them off and put them in the bag they gave us, threw them in the Uhaul truck. Nothing to it. I donned a garbage bag at that point for warmth.
About that time they played the National Anthem and everyone stopped where they were in respect. I could hear many people singing along. It was a cool moment by the light of the full moon. As soon as it was over it was back to the last minute frenzy of ditching extra clothes and lining up. I lined up along with Cathe from our group right between the 3:40 and 3:45 pace groups.
After that familiar sound of the horn we were off. Three minutes to cross the starting mat. The start didn’t catch me off guard like it did in SEAFAIR. I thought I might stick with the pace group for awhile but because it was dark, they were off and not easy to see. I had been warned to start off easy, to not let the initial downhill miles pull me out too fast. I decided I didn’t need the stress of trying to follow along, so I ran my own race with the aid of the pace band. Cathe and I ran together for less than a half mile before we got separated, she was shooting for something less than 4:00.
I ran the first mile still in my garbage bag at 9:11, well off the 8:24 pace. It was far too early worry about it. I was confident of making it up later. I ditched the trash bag and it was really great running weather, even in a sleeveless shirt. I had planned for the later miles as we descended into the valley and the day warmed up. The expected high at the finish line was 80 degrees.
Mile 2 clocked off in 8:34. This put me just about a minute behind pace. Again I wasn’t really too worried at this point.
Mile 3, was the first water stop. The water stops were located at mile markers throughout the race. It would be Mile 4 before I got another gage on my progress. By mile 4 the sun was up enough that we could see well. Up to that point there were these little green glow stick beacons on the side of the road to mark the way. They may be there for other reasons but it was still cool. I hit Mile 4 in 33:36, just 11 seconds off pace. The last two miles were run in 8:00 pace. I was on target but it was still too early to get excited. I had yet to hit the uphill section of the course.
SGM is a net downhill course. You hear all kinds stories about the downhills. PR’s are set on the downhills. But dang the course is not all downhill. There are uphills and plenty of them.
Mile 5, I missed the marker again. Mile 6, I was at 49:22. Nearly a minute ahead of schedule, but still no uphill. Mile 7 – 57:02, 1:45 ahead of schedule. I was happy to have gained back my slow start but Mile 7 marked the beginning of the hill, the Veyo hill, the really big mile-long hill. I’d done hills last time and trained hills, so I trucked on up.
I missed the Mile 8 marker. The course flattened somewhat but continued to climb through mile 11. Finally at Mile 9, I caught the clock at 1:16. I had only lost about 30 seconds halfway through this uphill section. My pace had slowed to 9:30.
I missed Mile 10 and 11. Finally at Mile 12 I had the presence of mind to get my time again. I clocked those three miles at 8:23 pace for total time of 1:41, only about 15 seconds behind. I was actually pretty proud for not losing more time on the uphill. In SEAFAIR I used a hill adjusted pace chart. Here at SGM I had to try to maintain a consistent pace to be able to judge my progress. So far, so good.
Mile 13 was downhill and finally I got two consecutive mile splits. Mile 13 in 8:09 for 1:41:25, still 15 seconds off pace. Still no worries. I was about this point in the race that I realized that even though I was on goal, I wasn’t having any fun. I was just blah, there was no joy, no inspiration. I even thought to myself that if Lisa had shown up offering a ride I would have taken it. I couldn’t really understand why I felt like this, but I kept running on.
Mile 14, missed the marker. Again. Do you see a trend here? Mile 15, I was at 2:05:46, 9 seconds under pace. I had run those last two miles at 8:10 apiece. Mile 16, you guess it, missed again. Mile 17, I was at 2:21:30. This gave me a 1:15 cushion on the goal pace. I had run those two miles at 7:53 pace. Mile 16 was a good mile for me. Because of the course design in a canyon there are very few places for spectators to easily access the course. Mile 16 in Snow Canyon was the first real display of support other than volunteers. I high fived as many kids as I could. This boosted my mood.
Then things went into the unknown again. I missed Mile 18, 19, 20 and 21. Was I on goal, was I behind goal? I had no idea. There was no lack of uphills from 16 to 20 so I didn’t know if I’d maintained or not.
Finally at mile 22, I hit the marker at 3:04:29. I was 15 seconds ahead of goal. Only 4 miles to go and I had no cushion to spare. After 5 miles of not really knowing how close I was to goal, I was overcome with emotion. Could I keep going?
Mile 23 and 24, ugh. How do I keep missing the markers? I know since many of them were right at the start of the water stop, I would be so focused on getting my fluid, I missed hitting my watch nearly half the time.
Mile 25- got that one! I was at 3:30:17. I was 22 seconds in debt on the goal time. All I could think was just keep going. Don’t slow down. Since Mile 22 my right quad was aching badly. The downhill had taken its toll. The good thing is my left hip/glute was doing fine. At mile 24 the course enters the town proper so the crowd support picked up as well. Up to now we had been on SR-18; one long stretch with no 90 degree turns. Once we entered town we had to make several turns. I couldn’t remember quite how many. After the first two turns I was sure that the finish line would be just around the corner. Nope! One more corner. Finally, those balloons. I knew Lisa would be here somewhere in the crowd, but I focused all that I had on getting to those balloons. She called out to me, but I couldn’t make out her voice.
I missed the 3:40 by less than a minute. But, I had set a PR by nearly 12:00. Physically I was beat but I never felt like I hit the wall. I ran strong to the end. I just can't imagine being able to go much faster especially without the aid of the downhill. 10 more minutes and I'm Boston bound. I've got to believe that I can do it.
SGM does not supply split times. I was at 13 miles at 1:49:25 running 8:05 miles at the time. I estimate my half marathon time to be 1:50:14, which puts my second half at 1:50:38. That’s about as close to even splits as anyone can ask for! First time that’s ever happened. Thank you, downhill finish. I think I’ll split the difference for the Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon.
The Dean Corollary
Dean Karnazes was at SGM running the 21st of his 50 marathons. One of my goals was to beat Dean to the finish line. This seemed doable. He had announced 4:00 finishes as his goal. At the 7 mile mark I had to make a stop at a portapot. When I jumped back onto the course, there was Dean. I trailed him to about mile 10 where he stopped to get some water. I kept on going and didn’t see him again for miles. I thought I might actually get to the finish first. At mile 17, Dean passed me up and I just couldn’t keep up with him. Dean finished in 3:20:04. My wife ended up talking to him at the exit chute for a couple of minutes before I got there.
Other Interesting Tidbits
Cathe ended up qualifying for Boston while Dorothy got 4th place age group in the F65-69.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Loose Ends
Well, it took two days, but I got Tyler moved in and pretty much set up. We packed his truck up about midnight on Wednesday. Thursday we drove down to San Diego, about a 2 hour drive. The actually moving in didn't take very long. We went over to IKEA to check out a desk. Tyler decided to hold off buying anything until later. I made one trip to the store for some groceries. I spent the night with some friends in Oceanside.
Friday morning we attended orientation meetings and he picked up his schedule and supply kit. I bought his parking pass, he tried to resolve a schedule issue. The culinary students got their first homework assignment at orientation, school doesn't officially start until Monday. We made a trip to B&N to buy the book he needed for the homework assignment, a trip to the grocery store, back to IKEA to actually buy the desk and a trip to Target for black shoes and a 2" white binder. He still has to figure out how to get his computer hooked up. I decided that was one thing he could do on his own. I think he was a little overwhelmed with the whole process. I finally left San Diego at 5:00 pm on Friday. This was bad timing, it took 3 hours to get home with some major traffic delays.
As for running, I had pushed my runs up this week figuring Thursday, move in day, would be my day off. I had planned a 4 miler on Friday, but after running around in San Diego all day and the long ride home, I scrapped that idea.
On Saturday, my youngest son and I rode our bikes down the San Gabriel River Bike Trail with 9 friends. From Arcadia to Bolsa Chica Beach was about 35 miles. Our group ranged in age from 13 to 62. We took three breaks along the way and just generally enjoyed the ride. One family had staged a car at the end of the ride with a cooler full of food so we enjoyed a weenie roast on the beach for lunch. We loaded up the bikes on other cars that were conveniently staged or planned to pick us for the ride home. I had originally thought that I might get that 4 miler in sometime after the ride but ultimately decided that the 35 mile ride was enough for the day.
I ended the month of September with 134.7 miles, not what I had planned but decent enough to carry me through the St. George next Saturday. I'd say the hip is about 90%
This morning I did my "long run" 8 miles on Robert's Loop with the addition of the Via Verde hill. I kept the pace easy. There are a couple of decent inclines on this route including the VV hill. I just let it go on the downhill and had a blast flying down. My overall pace was right on 9:00, definitely not a blockbuster effort but pretty much exactly what was required 6 days out. I ended the week with a whopping 22 miles, having missed those two 4 milers on Friday and Saturday.
On the home front, apparently September is a very popular month to get married. Just on blogger alone I read about Nattie's parents 46th anniversary on Sept 16, the Shoreturtles celebrated their 8th on the Sept 19 and Michelle and Eric celebrated 27 years on the Sept 22. My own parents celebrated 47 years on Sept 19. On Friday, September 29, my wife and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary. We'll we haven't actually celebrated it yet, but it happened none the less. As you know I spent Friday in San Diego. My wife was at work until 9:00 pm. She is fortunate enough to have a job that is only 3/4 miles from home. Unfortunately their fiscal years ends right around our anniversary. She spends the two weeks around that time working 7 days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day doing inventory and all those accounting things she does so well.
She's hoping to wrap up most of the work so she can join me next weekend in St. George. We'll get our celebrating in then! ;-)
Happy Anniversary, Lisa! I Love You!
P.S. While I was typing this I got a text message from the Portland Marathon. Joe was at 20 miles at 3:14. Only 10k to go Joe, keep it up and finish strong, or in your words Persevere!
Friday morning we attended orientation meetings and he picked up his schedule and supply kit. I bought his parking pass, he tried to resolve a schedule issue. The culinary students got their first homework assignment at orientation, school doesn't officially start until Monday. We made a trip to B&N to buy the book he needed for the homework assignment, a trip to the grocery store, back to IKEA to actually buy the desk and a trip to Target for black shoes and a 2" white binder. He still has to figure out how to get his computer hooked up. I decided that was one thing he could do on his own. I think he was a little overwhelmed with the whole process. I finally left San Diego at 5:00 pm on Friday. This was bad timing, it took 3 hours to get home with some major traffic delays.
As for running, I had pushed my runs up this week figuring Thursday, move in day, would be my day off. I had planned a 4 miler on Friday, but after running around in San Diego all day and the long ride home, I scrapped that idea.
On Saturday, my youngest son and I rode our bikes down the San Gabriel River Bike Trail with 9 friends. From Arcadia to Bolsa Chica Beach was about 35 miles. Our group ranged in age from 13 to 62. We took three breaks along the way and just generally enjoyed the ride. One family had staged a car at the end of the ride with a cooler full of food so we enjoyed a weenie roast on the beach for lunch. We loaded up the bikes on other cars that were conveniently staged or planned to pick us for the ride home. I had originally thought that I might get that 4 miler in sometime after the ride but ultimately decided that the 35 mile ride was enough for the day.
I ended the month of September with 134.7 miles, not what I had planned but decent enough to carry me through the St. George next Saturday. I'd say the hip is about 90%
This morning I did my "long run" 8 miles on Robert's Loop with the addition of the Via Verde hill. I kept the pace easy. There are a couple of decent inclines on this route including the VV hill. I just let it go on the downhill and had a blast flying down. My overall pace was right on 9:00, definitely not a blockbuster effort but pretty much exactly what was required 6 days out. I ended the week with a whopping 22 miles, having missed those two 4 milers on Friday and Saturday.
On the home front, apparently September is a very popular month to get married. Just on blogger alone I read about Nattie's parents 46th anniversary on Sept 16, the Shoreturtles celebrated their 8th on the Sept 19 and Michelle and Eric celebrated 27 years on the Sept 22. My own parents celebrated 47 years on Sept 19. On Friday, September 29, my wife and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary. We'll we haven't actually celebrated it yet, but it happened none the less. As you know I spent Friday in San Diego. My wife was at work until 9:00 pm. She is fortunate enough to have a job that is only 3/4 miles from home. Unfortunately their fiscal years ends right around our anniversary. She spends the two weeks around that time working 7 days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day doing inventory and all those accounting things she does so well.
She's hoping to wrap up most of the work so she can join me next weekend in St. George. We'll get our celebrating in then! ;-)
Happy Anniversary, Lisa! I Love You!
P.S. While I was typing this I got a text message from the Portland Marathon. Joe was at 20 miles at 3:14. Only 10k to go Joe, keep it up and finish strong, or in your words Persevere!
I got another message just minutes later that Rob finished in 3:32! Woot! Nice job Rob.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Movin' Out
So far this week has been hectic but I've kept up with the running schedule. Nothing monumental, no speed, no tempo, just ticking off the lower scheduled miles at an even pace. Monday I didn't get out until 9:00 p.m., I felt like Wes. It seems to me with his busy schedule he's always getting out there pretty late.
Tuesday I was able to get one more run at Bonelli on the trail along the western edge of the park. A year and a half ago when I first ran this trail is was nothing more than a single track with shoulder high mustard on either side, pure joy. This summer the skinny little trail has become a virtual two lane road through the park. There have been at least 3 fires in the park in the last year, so this summer the heavy equipment came out and changed the trails. They make better fire breaks and allow access for the fire fighting equipment. The trails still go up and down and around, but I miss the ruggedness and confinement of the single track.
Tonight I put in 4 miles. 4 miles seems like so little. Before the hip issue, my short midweek runs were 6 miles. It just seems funny to be running this distance. I haven't run "only" 4 miles since my taper for SEAFAIR back in June.
Tomorrow is the big day. Not for me. For my oldest son. Tomorrow he's taking all his earthly belongings (computer, TV and some clothes) and moving to San Diego. He begins his first year at the Art Institute to study culinary arts. My wife is getting all misty. I'm excited. I've said that this is the day I've been waiting for since the day he was born, literally. The way I see it, this is just part of the natural progression of events.
My own parents were married when my Dad was 20, my Mom was 18. They moved out of their parent's homes and have made their own home together for the last 47 years. When I graduated from high school, I went off to college at 18. I spent the first summer at home and was never back again for more than a week during the next 3 years. Twenty three years ago I moved from OH to CA when I was only 22.
The boys getting on with their own lives has always been my expectation. So far, Tyler has been meeting the expectation. Before I start sounding too calloused and hard hearted, I'm not exactly dropping the poor boy like a hot potato. He's driving around in a truck we paid for (I bought my first car after I moved to CA) and he won't have to worry about tuition, we've committed to paying for that (I paid my own tuition with savings and loans). He turns 19 in a couple of weeks, so I know he'll be home then. Likely with all his dirty laundry (yes, I did that. What college student doesn't?) and we'll send him back with a pantry full of groceries. Hopefully we've instilled in him enough common sense, responsibility, ethics, morality and integrity to serve him well. I'm not too worried.
Tyler, you are going to do great and don't forget to call you mother every once in a while.
Tuesday I was able to get one more run at Bonelli on the trail along the western edge of the park. A year and a half ago when I first ran this trail is was nothing more than a single track with shoulder high mustard on either side, pure joy. This summer the skinny little trail has become a virtual two lane road through the park. There have been at least 3 fires in the park in the last year, so this summer the heavy equipment came out and changed the trails. They make better fire breaks and allow access for the fire fighting equipment. The trails still go up and down and around, but I miss the ruggedness and confinement of the single track.
Tonight I put in 4 miles. 4 miles seems like so little. Before the hip issue, my short midweek runs were 6 miles. It just seems funny to be running this distance. I haven't run "only" 4 miles since my taper for SEAFAIR back in June.
Tomorrow is the big day. Not for me. For my oldest son. Tomorrow he's taking all his earthly belongings (computer, TV and some clothes) and moving to San Diego. He begins his first year at the Art Institute to study culinary arts. My wife is getting all misty. I'm excited. I've said that this is the day I've been waiting for since the day he was born, literally. The way I see it, this is just part of the natural progression of events.
My own parents were married when my Dad was 20, my Mom was 18. They moved out of their parent's homes and have made their own home together for the last 47 years. When I graduated from high school, I went off to college at 18. I spent the first summer at home and was never back again for more than a week during the next 3 years. Twenty three years ago I moved from OH to CA when I was only 22.
The boys getting on with their own lives has always been my expectation. So far, Tyler has been meeting the expectation. Before I start sounding too calloused and hard hearted, I'm not exactly dropping the poor boy like a hot potato. He's driving around in a truck we paid for (I bought my first car after I moved to CA) and he won't have to worry about tuition, we've committed to paying for that (I paid my own tuition with savings and loans). He turns 19 in a couple of weeks, so I know he'll be home then. Likely with all his dirty laundry (yes, I did that. What college student doesn't?) and we'll send him back with a pantry full of groceries. Hopefully we've instilled in him enough common sense, responsibility, ethics, morality and integrity to serve him well. I'm not too worried.
Tyler, you are going to do great and don't forget to call you mother every once in a while.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
SGM Taper Week 1
After running along side and leap frogging Sam Thompson at SEAFAIR in July, I really got into reading daily about his progress and each of his 51 marathons along the way on his blog. Now I’m really getting a kick out of reading Dean Karnazes’s blog as well as he knocks of 50 states in 50 days, too. For someone like me who aspires to running all 50 states this is a lot of fun. I hadn’t heard anything at all about Sam before SEAFAIR, his 9th marathon along the way. I’ve met Dean before and will get to run with him at St. George in a couple of weeks for his 21st marathon. I hopefully won’t be running along side him. Dean has been finishing around 4:15 or so and I hope to finish much faster than that. The cool thing about Dean’s 50 is all the people he’s bringing along with him to run. He has gotten a couple of first time marathoners to the finish at almost every one so far. Both of these guys are inspiring to me and have given me some ideas on which marathons to run in each state.
I guess I’m officially in taper, but because the hip is doing so much better, I ended up running just as many miles this week as last at 37. I was able to get in 5 runs this week for the first time in a month.
Saturday morning I headed back up into the canyons above Azusa and ran the road up to Cogswell dam. This is the route I took 5 weeks ago to simulate the downhill at St. George. The morning was beautiful and brisk. The clouds hanging around the mountains back there were pretty cool. I really should figure out how to carry my camera along. There were some pretty scenic shots.
I mentioned brisk. My hands were pretty cold for the first mile or so, almost numb, but this was wonderful weather for a run. The West Fork of the San Gabriel River runs along the north side of the trail. The trail is shaded in most places by the mountains on the right. On the way up the canyon, I saw a couple of fly fisherman and three bikers, one going up and the other two coming back down.
The sign at the base of the trail shows that it is 8 miles to Cogswell Dam. I ran up and all the way across the dam just to make sure I got the most miles. I made it up in 1:07, two minutes faster than last time when I was picking off the cross country team. When I got to the top I took a 5 minute break or so to enjoy the view and to take a PowerGel.
When I headed back down I could tell that the sun was warming things up. For the most part the run is shaded, except for maybe the first and last miles. In the shade the breeze was nice and cool. When I hit a sunny spot I could really feel the difference in temperature as the sun heated up the asphalt, even the breezes coming off were warmer. At one point on my way down a pretty good breeze came along and carried a snowfall of leaves off the tree above me on the mountain side. They just fluttered down gently, almost in slow motion. It was almost mystical to watch. I couldn’t help but smile at the show Mother Nature was providing for me.
Up until the last couple of miles of the run, I was pretty much alone. I really enjoyed the sound of the stream. At times it was silent, and at others it was babbling over the rocks. Sometimes the canyon magnified the sound. On the way out I came upon some hikers and some bikers, but I never encountered another runner. The downhill is noticeable, but I guess I was taking it pretty easy. My time on the way out was 1:02, 3 minutes slower than last time.
This could easily become a favorite run. For the cost of an Adventure Pass ($5 daily/$30 annual) and an easy 10 mile drive, I get away from suburbia and enjoy an easy run in the canyons of the San Gabriel Mountains. There are actually tons of trails in those mountains, I just need to go explore.
If the sign is to be believed, for the 16 miles total route my pace was 8:04, 8:22 in and 7:45 out. This got me thinking about my expected finish time in St. George. I’m well aware that many runners PR there. If, and that’s a big IF, I could keep up an 8 minute pace, I’d be thrilled. Although, I doubt seriously I can keep anywhere near an 8:00 pace for a full 26.2 miles, downhill or not. St. George is net downhill but not all downhill. I think it’s reasonable to shoot for an 8:30 pace, that would get me a 3:43 PR. What would really suck is a 3:32 to 3:35 finish.
Today, Sunday, my mother-in-law has invited us over for lasagna as a going away for Tyler. The last couple of times we’ve had lasagna at her house I ran there, satisfied that the miles there justified the extra large portions of lasagna she served. I considered running the Lasagna Loop today, but because it was Sunday the lure of my morning “date” with Bonelli won out. I ran counter-clockwise for a change of pace.
Running in this direction means that once I start the loop I do the major downhill first and then spend at least a mile climbing back out. That climb out seems relentless. Once I got back up and hit a fairly level patch, about 30 minutes into the run, I got a sudden burst of energy that carried me along. My turnover rate was noticeably faster and I felt really good. I kept up that effort nearly to the end. It almost felt effortless. I really don’t know what to attribute this feeling to, but I sure enjoyed it. The burst didn’t parlay into a PR time but it was nearly a couple of minutes faster than my times earlier this summer.
Next week is going to be a little hectic. I’ve got a chiropractor/massage on Monday. Thursday and Friday, I will be in San Diego with Tyler and Saturday I’m riding to the beach, about 30 miles with some friends. I’m going to have to get creative to get my runs in. Good thing it’s week 2 of the taper.
Be sure you stop by these blogs, Joe, Michelle, Rob and Sara, and wish them all well as they race the Portland Marathon next weekend, October 1st.
I guess I’m officially in taper, but because the hip is doing so much better, I ended up running just as many miles this week as last at 37. I was able to get in 5 runs this week for the first time in a month.
Saturday morning I headed back up into the canyons above Azusa and ran the road up to Cogswell dam. This is the route I took 5 weeks ago to simulate the downhill at St. George. The morning was beautiful and brisk. The clouds hanging around the mountains back there were pretty cool. I really should figure out how to carry my camera along. There were some pretty scenic shots.
I mentioned brisk. My hands were pretty cold for the first mile or so, almost numb, but this was wonderful weather for a run. The West Fork of the San Gabriel River runs along the north side of the trail. The trail is shaded in most places by the mountains on the right. On the way up the canyon, I saw a couple of fly fisherman and three bikers, one going up and the other two coming back down.
The sign at the base of the trail shows that it is 8 miles to Cogswell Dam. I ran up and all the way across the dam just to make sure I got the most miles. I made it up in 1:07, two minutes faster than last time when I was picking off the cross country team. When I got to the top I took a 5 minute break or so to enjoy the view and to take a PowerGel.
When I headed back down I could tell that the sun was warming things up. For the most part the run is shaded, except for maybe the first and last miles. In the shade the breeze was nice and cool. When I hit a sunny spot I could really feel the difference in temperature as the sun heated up the asphalt, even the breezes coming off were warmer. At one point on my way down a pretty good breeze came along and carried a snowfall of leaves off the tree above me on the mountain side. They just fluttered down gently, almost in slow motion. It was almost mystical to watch. I couldn’t help but smile at the show Mother Nature was providing for me.
Up until the last couple of miles of the run, I was pretty much alone. I really enjoyed the sound of the stream. At times it was silent, and at others it was babbling over the rocks. Sometimes the canyon magnified the sound. On the way out I came upon some hikers and some bikers, but I never encountered another runner. The downhill is noticeable, but I guess I was taking it pretty easy. My time on the way out was 1:02, 3 minutes slower than last time.
This could easily become a favorite run. For the cost of an Adventure Pass ($5 daily/$30 annual) and an easy 10 mile drive, I get away from suburbia and enjoy an easy run in the canyons of the San Gabriel Mountains. There are actually tons of trails in those mountains, I just need to go explore.
If the sign is to be believed, for the 16 miles total route my pace was 8:04, 8:22 in and 7:45 out. This got me thinking about my expected finish time in St. George. I’m well aware that many runners PR there. If, and that’s a big IF, I could keep up an 8 minute pace, I’d be thrilled. Although, I doubt seriously I can keep anywhere near an 8:00 pace for a full 26.2 miles, downhill or not. St. George is net downhill but not all downhill. I think it’s reasonable to shoot for an 8:30 pace, that would get me a 3:43 PR. What would really suck is a 3:32 to 3:35 finish.
Today, Sunday, my mother-in-law has invited us over for lasagna as a going away for Tyler. The last couple of times we’ve had lasagna at her house I ran there, satisfied that the miles there justified the extra large portions of lasagna she served. I considered running the Lasagna Loop today, but because it was Sunday the lure of my morning “date” with Bonelli won out. I ran counter-clockwise for a change of pace.
Running in this direction means that once I start the loop I do the major downhill first and then spend at least a mile climbing back out. That climb out seems relentless. Once I got back up and hit a fairly level patch, about 30 minutes into the run, I got a sudden burst of energy that carried me along. My turnover rate was noticeably faster and I felt really good. I kept up that effort nearly to the end. It almost felt effortless. I really don’t know what to attribute this feeling to, but I sure enjoyed it. The burst didn’t parlay into a PR time but it was nearly a couple of minutes faster than my times earlier this summer.
Next week is going to be a little hectic. I’ve got a chiropractor/massage on Monday. Thursday and Friday, I will be in San Diego with Tyler and Saturday I’m riding to the beach, about 30 miles with some friends. I’m going to have to get creative to get my runs in. Good thing it’s week 2 of the taper.
Be sure you stop by these blogs, Joe, Michelle, Rob and Sara, and wish them all well as they race the Portland Marathon next weekend, October 1st.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Chasing the Sun
I knew this was coming for awhile now but tonight is was more evident than ever. I'm running out of daylight.
I do the majority of my midweek runs after work. In the three years that I've been running I used to just head out the front door and put in the miles on the streets around the neighborhood. But this summer more than the others I've been doing many of my widweek runs on the roads and trails in Frank G. Bonelli Regional County Park. Bonelli is only a 5 mile drive from home.
Tonight was only a 5 mile run. But by the time I got home, changed and out there and back to the car it was 7:20 and the sun was gone. It's sad knowing that these runs will have to be put on hold for a season.
I imagine I feel much like my older son who's about to move away for his sophomore year of college. He's been spending more and more time in the last couple of weeks away from home, out with his friends getting in the last bit of quality time he can. I have a feeling he'll be squeezing in some more time with them up until next Thursday when we move him into student housing. And just like him I'll be squeezing every last widweek run in at Bonelli before the sun sets by 7:00 or so.
I feel too like that high school guy who goes off to college leaving his sweetheart behind, only getting to see her on the weekends. Once the setting sun puts Bonelli out of the reach midweek, it'll just have to be a weekend only running destination until next summer. Unlike the high school guy, I'm fairly confident that Bonelli will still be there waiting for me when I come back.
So for the next couple of months I expect to be running back on the streets under the street lamps and by the headlights of the oncoming cars. I may sneak in a midweek morning run or and early exit from work now and then. Hopefully by next spring the trails will be grown back over a little and I can plow my way through shoulder high mustard again.
Bonelli and I have had a lot of fun together this summer and I'm going to miss it.
I do the majority of my midweek runs after work. In the three years that I've been running I used to just head out the front door and put in the miles on the streets around the neighborhood. But this summer more than the others I've been doing many of my widweek runs on the roads and trails in Frank G. Bonelli Regional County Park. Bonelli is only a 5 mile drive from home.
Tonight was only a 5 mile run. But by the time I got home, changed and out there and back to the car it was 7:20 and the sun was gone. It's sad knowing that these runs will have to be put on hold for a season.
I imagine I feel much like my older son who's about to move away for his sophomore year of college. He's been spending more and more time in the last couple of weeks away from home, out with his friends getting in the last bit of quality time he can. I have a feeling he'll be squeezing in some more time with them up until next Thursday when we move him into student housing. And just like him I'll be squeezing every last widweek run in at Bonelli before the sun sets by 7:00 or so.
I feel too like that high school guy who goes off to college leaving his sweetheart behind, only getting to see her on the weekends. Once the setting sun puts Bonelli out of the reach midweek, it'll just have to be a weekend only running destination until next summer. Unlike the high school guy, I'm fairly confident that Bonelli will still be there waiting for me when I come back.
So for the next couple of months I expect to be running back on the streets under the street lamps and by the headlights of the oncoming cars. I may sneak in a midweek morning run or and early exit from work now and then. Hopefully by next spring the trails will be grown back over a little and I can plow my way through shoulder high mustard again.
Bonelli and I have had a lot of fun together this summer and I'm going to miss it.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
22 That Was, A Half That Wasn't
I went back to the chiropractor on Friday for another massage and adjustment. I got a different massage therapist this time. After we talked about why I was there, she gave me a great massage in my glutes and piriformis muscles on the left side as well as my back and neck. She also asked me about how sore my back was after the last one. I must have made it sound like I was pretty sore; she seemed to take it a little easier on me. But she did a much better job of dealing with my hip than the other one. So now I have to decide which one I like better. I’m not going back until the 25th and will see the second one again. I understand the first one is recommended for really good deep tissue so I may switch back and forth. I expect that once my hip is better I won’t continue the massage but will likely keep up the chiropractor on some routine basis. I have a question about tipping the massage therapist. Since the massage is part of a medical procedure and covered by insurance I’ve been told that tipping is not necessary, but I don’t want to appear to be some kind of cheap skate if a tip is expected. Any thoughts?
Onto the run:
Saturday morning was my anticipated 22 miler. Since most of the CA Cruisers were going to be enjoying the Disneyland Half Marathon on Sunday, there was no officially planned run for Saturday. I headed down to Huntington Beach to get the job done. I parked in Sunset Beach between mile marker 10 and 11 and got started around 6:40 a.m. I headed NW toward the 11 mile mark and then turned around and ran SW to the Newport Beach Jetty roughly 9 miles through Bolsa Chica and Huntington Beach. At that point I headed up the Santa Ana River Bike Path. For the first nine miles my split times were in the 8:40 range.
3:40, 8:44, 8:33, 8:31, 8:38, 8:21, 8:40, 8:13, 8:56, 8:14.
The mile markers don’t continue at this point so I ran based on time to get to the 11 mile turnaround. The first time I check my watch I was only at 14 and change, too soon to turn around. The next time I was at 17:59. I felt pretty confident that I had covered the required 2 miles. 18:08 took me back to the 2 mile mark and the countdown home began. 8:31, 9:01 (the first mile over 9 so far, this is the same mile that was 8:56 on the way out so I think it must be a little long). The next one came in at 8:36. At this point I’m beginning to get tired. Once I hoped back onto the beach trail from the river I saw a couple of guys about half mile ahead of me. I wasn’t able to reel them in for nearly 3 miles until they took a facilities break. I overtook them, not to hard to do when they are standing still, huh. So far during the run, I had overtaken quite a few people and was only passed by people on bikes. I was taking a certain degree in satisfaction in that. A few minutes into mile 18 those guys caught up to me and asked me how far I was going. I kept pace with them for about a mile until they turned around and headed back.
That particular mile went by the fastest as far as perceived time, actually 8:30. One of the guys was training for St. George as well. They each had run it 6 to 8 times before, so they gave me some pointers on the course and a carbo load recommendation to boot. I was on my own again for the next 4 and change. The slow down began in earnest at this point. I think it would have started sooner if it wasn’t for keeping up with the two guys. The muscles in my left hip, butt and groin were getting really tired. They were likely sore from the massage the day before. I kept going, never walking but definitely slowing down. Somewhere along here I saw Tom, a guy I met in HB awhile back. He was heading back so we only got to wave and shout How’s it going?
During mile 21, I got passed for the first time. I got passed by a girl. I thought, Dude you just got Chicked! Actually it wasn’t that big of a deal, I know there are plenty of ladies out there that put my feeble attempts at running to shame. It really doesn’t bother me in the least but I thought it was a funny thought to have, especially since I was so aware of the fact that no one had overtaken me for 20 some miles before that. And before you think there was no one else out there, don’t. HB is always a huge draw for runners. I had plenty of company. She ended up stopping less than a mile after passing me so I didn’t feel bad for long.
Then during mile 22, I could hear the footfalls of someone coming up behind me. Louder and louder, dang I’m really slowing down now. It ended up being a 60+year old man. So now I’d gotten passed by a girl and an old man, talk about a blow to the ego. Actually, it was just my brain trying to add a little drama to an otherwise uneventful long run. Those last 4 miles were done in 9:04, 9:18, 9:13 and 9:44 plus the last 5:39 to get me back to the car.
I made it through the 22 without any major glitches, all kidding aside about getting passed. My final time was 3:14 for an average pace of 8:49. This is just slightly better than my SEAFAIR marathon pace. So I think this bodes well for St. George, especially since now I have the inside scoop on the course. I took the rest of the day pretty easy. The hip is sore, muscle sore, not the kind of achy joint pain I was having before.
Sunday I headed back over to Bonelli in the afternoon for the third time this week on my favorite 5 mile loop. The temps were warmer today than during Thursday’s PR, but at 48:18, I was happy with the effort.
All told, I ended the week with 37 miles on 4 days of running and the hip is well on its way to recovered. Not where I’d hoped to be, but not such a bad place three weeks out from a marathon. The next two weeks call for less daily mileage but continue the 6 day schedule. I will definitely scale back to 5 and may consider 4 depending on how the hip feels. I’m not ready to give up on a PR effort in St. George but I do want to guarantee that it won’t be my first DNF.
At the Disneyland Half, my buddy Jesse came in at 1:29:36, 8th place in his division, my division. I’ve got some work to do. Terry from work came in at 2:02:39. The bib I might have worn came in at 2:02:28. This was good enough for 4th place in the M65-69 age group. That’s kind of scary because if I had run my plan was to run along with Terry and she was hoping to go 2:00 or less. A 1:58 would have gotten 3rd place. I’m capable of that on a good day and I would have stolen someone’s thunder. I’m sure I made the right decision.
Onto the run:
Saturday morning was my anticipated 22 miler. Since most of the CA Cruisers were going to be enjoying the Disneyland Half Marathon on Sunday, there was no officially planned run for Saturday. I headed down to Huntington Beach to get the job done. I parked in Sunset Beach between mile marker 10 and 11 and got started around 6:40 a.m. I headed NW toward the 11 mile mark and then turned around and ran SW to the Newport Beach Jetty roughly 9 miles through Bolsa Chica and Huntington Beach. At that point I headed up the Santa Ana River Bike Path. For the first nine miles my split times were in the 8:40 range.
3:40, 8:44, 8:33, 8:31, 8:38, 8:21, 8:40, 8:13, 8:56, 8:14.
The mile markers don’t continue at this point so I ran based on time to get to the 11 mile turnaround. The first time I check my watch I was only at 14 and change, too soon to turn around. The next time I was at 17:59. I felt pretty confident that I had covered the required 2 miles. 18:08 took me back to the 2 mile mark and the countdown home began. 8:31, 9:01 (the first mile over 9 so far, this is the same mile that was 8:56 on the way out so I think it must be a little long). The next one came in at 8:36. At this point I’m beginning to get tired. Once I hoped back onto the beach trail from the river I saw a couple of guys about half mile ahead of me. I wasn’t able to reel them in for nearly 3 miles until they took a facilities break. I overtook them, not to hard to do when they are standing still, huh. So far during the run, I had overtaken quite a few people and was only passed by people on bikes. I was taking a certain degree in satisfaction in that. A few minutes into mile 18 those guys caught up to me and asked me how far I was going. I kept pace with them for about a mile until they turned around and headed back.
That particular mile went by the fastest as far as perceived time, actually 8:30. One of the guys was training for St. George as well. They each had run it 6 to 8 times before, so they gave me some pointers on the course and a carbo load recommendation to boot. I was on my own again for the next 4 and change. The slow down began in earnest at this point. I think it would have started sooner if it wasn’t for keeping up with the two guys. The muscles in my left hip, butt and groin were getting really tired. They were likely sore from the massage the day before. I kept going, never walking but definitely slowing down. Somewhere along here I saw Tom, a guy I met in HB awhile back. He was heading back so we only got to wave and shout How’s it going?
During mile 21, I got passed for the first time. I got passed by a girl. I thought, Dude you just got Chicked! Actually it wasn’t that big of a deal, I know there are plenty of ladies out there that put my feeble attempts at running to shame. It really doesn’t bother me in the least but I thought it was a funny thought to have, especially since I was so aware of the fact that no one had overtaken me for 20 some miles before that. And before you think there was no one else out there, don’t. HB is always a huge draw for runners. I had plenty of company. She ended up stopping less than a mile after passing me so I didn’t feel bad for long.
Then during mile 22, I could hear the footfalls of someone coming up behind me. Louder and louder, dang I’m really slowing down now. It ended up being a 60+year old man. So now I’d gotten passed by a girl and an old man, talk about a blow to the ego. Actually, it was just my brain trying to add a little drama to an otherwise uneventful long run. Those last 4 miles were done in 9:04, 9:18, 9:13 and 9:44 plus the last 5:39 to get me back to the car.
I made it through the 22 without any major glitches, all kidding aside about getting passed. My final time was 3:14 for an average pace of 8:49. This is just slightly better than my SEAFAIR marathon pace. So I think this bodes well for St. George, especially since now I have the inside scoop on the course. I took the rest of the day pretty easy. The hip is sore, muscle sore, not the kind of achy joint pain I was having before.
Sunday I headed back over to Bonelli in the afternoon for the third time this week on my favorite 5 mile loop. The temps were warmer today than during Thursday’s PR, but at 48:18, I was happy with the effort.
All told, I ended the week with 37 miles on 4 days of running and the hip is well on its way to recovered. Not where I’d hoped to be, but not such a bad place three weeks out from a marathon. The next two weeks call for less daily mileage but continue the 6 day schedule. I will definitely scale back to 5 and may consider 4 depending on how the hip feels. I’m not ready to give up on a PR effort in St. George but I do want to guarantee that it won’t be my first DNF.
At the Disneyland Half, my buddy Jesse came in at 1:29:36, 8th place in his division, my division. I’ve got some work to do. Terry from work came in at 2:02:39. The bib I might have worn came in at 2:02:28. This was good enough for 4th place in the M65-69 age group. That’s kind of scary because if I had run my plan was to run along with Terry and she was hoping to go 2:00 or less. A 1:58 would have gotten 3rd place. I’m capable of that on a good day and I would have stolen someone’s thunder. I’m sure I made the right decision.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
What's the 4-1-1
Me! I'm the 4-1-1! What?
I finally signed up today for the First Annual Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon on October 7 and 8. My bib number is 411. Goofy, I know but what do you expect from me. I had read about this race quite awhile ago on both Planet3rry and Steve's sites. Since I'm already signed up for a full marathon that day I figured I ought to join in the fun of a world wide half marathon. I just have to decide which half of the marathon I want to report. So if you haven't signed up yet head on over here and get signed up. Then get out there and put in 13.1 miles; easy for some, a challenge for others. Just get out there and do it. It should be fun running a half marathon with fellow runners from all over the world.
As far as the Disneyland Half goes, I've pretty much decided that its not in the cards for me this year. I would have just run it for fun anyway, rather than raced it. Running with someone's bib is somewhat problematic considering the guy I'd be pretending to be is older than me. But who am I kidding, they are tons of older guys that can kick my sorry behind any old day, so it's not as though I'd be stealing anybody's thunder. Maybe I'll work it in next year, but I can never get that Inaugural thing back (you know what I'm talking about, Drew?). And yes, Donald, the medal is a little more "cute" than it is "cool". I should resist that whole Disney mega-marketing thing anyway, but I'm so weak.....
Anyway, tonight I headed back over to Bonelli for 5 miles. I felt so good on Tuesday, I decided to do the Sunday morning loop again today. I don't really know why, but I really, really enjoy this loop. And although I'm a watch guy (sorry Rob), on a run like this with no mile markers I just "set it and forget it". So I left the park and ride lot headed over the freeway overpass, hit the start button and never looked back until I crossed back over the freeway.
When I finished today, I was like "NO WAY!". I had made a pretty serious improvement in my time. I realize not everybody is interested in this but I went back and checked my log for the year and looked up all my times for this 5 mile route. I have run this particular loop 10 times this year ( yes I keep track of this stuff). I've actually run it more times than that but the others were part of longer runs so I don't have the 5 mile times for all of them. Anyway when I guessed on Tuesday that my 47:41 was the best time on the loop, I was right. My next best time on the same loop 49:54 back on April 9. I've done the loop in as slow as 57:06 on June 25. Tonight I can't really explain what happened. We did get an usually cool day today, low 70's at best, and overcast pretty much all day. I was lovin' it. My final time was, ta da, 45:21, over 2 minutes better than just 2 days ago. 45 minutes is what I used to run on the flat path at the dam, not on the hills in Bonelli. I'm stoked about that, no doubt.
Friday is a scheduled day off. The first official Friday off in six weeks on the new schedule that my hip has blown all to pieces, but I'm taking it none the less. I go to see the chiropractor for the third time tomorrow as well. Then its off to Huntington Beach on Saturday morning for 22 miles. The hip is feeling better so I guess the rest wasn't for naught and as a bonus I achieved a PR time in Bonelli.
I finally signed up today for the First Annual Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon on October 7 and 8. My bib number is 411. Goofy, I know but what do you expect from me. I had read about this race quite awhile ago on both Planet3rry and Steve's sites. Since I'm already signed up for a full marathon that day I figured I ought to join in the fun of a world wide half marathon. I just have to decide which half of the marathon I want to report. So if you haven't signed up yet head on over here and get signed up. Then get out there and put in 13.1 miles; easy for some, a challenge for others. Just get out there and do it. It should be fun running a half marathon with fellow runners from all over the world.
As far as the Disneyland Half goes, I've pretty much decided that its not in the cards for me this year. I would have just run it for fun anyway, rather than raced it. Running with someone's bib is somewhat problematic considering the guy I'd be pretending to be is older than me. But who am I kidding, they are tons of older guys that can kick my sorry behind any old day, so it's not as though I'd be stealing anybody's thunder. Maybe I'll work it in next year, but I can never get that Inaugural thing back (you know what I'm talking about, Drew?). And yes, Donald, the medal is a little more "cute" than it is "cool". I should resist that whole Disney mega-marketing thing anyway, but I'm so weak.....
Anyway, tonight I headed back over to Bonelli for 5 miles. I felt so good on Tuesday, I decided to do the Sunday morning loop again today. I don't really know why, but I really, really enjoy this loop. And although I'm a watch guy (sorry Rob), on a run like this with no mile markers I just "set it and forget it". So I left the park and ride lot headed over the freeway overpass, hit the start button and never looked back until I crossed back over the freeway.
When I finished today, I was like "NO WAY!". I had made a pretty serious improvement in my time. I realize not everybody is interested in this but I went back and checked my log for the year and looked up all my times for this 5 mile route. I have run this particular loop 10 times this year ( yes I keep track of this stuff). I've actually run it more times than that but the others were part of longer runs so I don't have the 5 mile times for all of them. Anyway when I guessed on Tuesday that my 47:41 was the best time on the loop, I was right. My next best time on the same loop 49:54 back on April 9. I've done the loop in as slow as 57:06 on June 25. Tonight I can't really explain what happened. We did get an usually cool day today, low 70's at best, and overcast pretty much all day. I was lovin' it. My final time was, ta da, 45:21, over 2 minutes better than just 2 days ago. 45 minutes is what I used to run on the flat path at the dam, not on the hills in Bonelli. I'm stoked about that, no doubt.
Friday is a scheduled day off. The first official Friday off in six weeks on the new schedule that my hip has blown all to pieces, but I'm taking it none the less. I go to see the chiropractor for the third time tomorrow as well. Then its off to Huntington Beach on Saturday morning for 22 miles. The hip is feeling better so I guess the rest wasn't for naught and as a bonus I achieved a PR time in Bonelli.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
It Figures
This Sunday is the Inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon. If you remember I waited a day too long to register for it. Then when more spots opened up, I was a day late once again, having to check on possible work travel plans before plunking down $85. I might have used my friend Terry husband's entry if his training didn't go well. He's running after all and I'm glad for him. Call it karma, call it bad luck, the race didn't really fit into my marathon schedule very well anyway, falling on a weekend of a 22 miler. So I pretty much gave up any thought of running this event. My wife had even cancelled our hotel room on Tuesday.
Then today I got a call at work from one of the Cruiser's. There's a bib available if I want it. I initially declined the offer. I thought that with the hip less than 100% and really wanting to get the 22 in on Saturday, that a half the next day probably wasn't the best idea. I have nothing to gain by running this except for a really cool medal. As the day has worn on, I'm thinking more and more that I want to go run it. There's also the ethical ramifications of running with a non-transferable bib. If the sponsor was someone other that the BIG Disney machine I might feel a little bad about doing it.
An another note, I ran into Lonny at work. He's the coworker I ran into at the Great Race of Agoura. He is going to pace for someone in his running group this weekend at the Angeles Crest 100. He's going to run from 52 mile aid station to the 74 mile aid station. There's only one aid station in between. He expects to be running during the dark. Looks like it should be a lot of fun. I'm not sure I'll ever be up to that distance, but if I were its right here in the mountains I see everyday. Good luck to Lonny and his pacee!
My run last night was spectacular. I headed over to Bonelli after work and ran my 5 mile Sunday morning loop. I was able to push hard and ended up clocking in a 47:41, probably my best time for this particular route. I'm usually in no big hurry on Sunday mornings after Saturday long runs. I guess running less miles has it advantages. The hip is getting better, but I took tonight off anyway.
Then today I got a call at work from one of the Cruiser's. There's a bib available if I want it. I initially declined the offer. I thought that with the hip less than 100% and really wanting to get the 22 in on Saturday, that a half the next day probably wasn't the best idea. I have nothing to gain by running this except for a really cool medal. As the day has worn on, I'm thinking more and more that I want to go run it. There's also the ethical ramifications of running with a non-transferable bib. If the sponsor was someone other that the BIG Disney machine I might feel a little bad about doing it.
An another note, I ran into Lonny at work. He's the coworker I ran into at the Great Race of Agoura. He is going to pace for someone in his running group this weekend at the Angeles Crest 100. He's going to run from 52 mile aid station to the 74 mile aid station. There's only one aid station in between. He expects to be running during the dark. Looks like it should be a lot of fun. I'm not sure I'll ever be up to that distance, but if I were its right here in the mountains I see everyday. Good luck to Lonny and his pacee!
My run last night was spectacular. I headed over to Bonelli after work and ran my 5 mile Sunday morning loop. I was able to push hard and ended up clocking in a 47:41, probably my best time for this particular route. I'm usually in no big hurry on Sunday mornings after Saturday long runs. I guess running less miles has it advantages. The hip is getting better, but I took tonight off anyway.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
So Much for Schedules
This is killing me! Putting all those big fat zeros into my training log and then again into my Excel spreadsheet. My weekday runs have been nearly non existent. The week before last, my only run was a 22 miler on Saturday.
Last week I went out for 5 on Wednesday. I got my 15 miler completed on Friday morning before we left for the Napa Valley and then on Sunday I did 4.7 miles around American Canyon, CA. My hip is still bothering me, even though I've seriously cut back my schedule. Week 6 of the 6 days/week schedule at 50 miles, turned into 1 day at 22. Week 7 planned at 45 miles in 6 days became 24.7 miles in 3 days. This week, #8, has 5 days for 42 miles including a 22 miler on Saturday. I plan on keeping the 22 miler and taking at least one extra day off, probably tomorrow for about 35 miles. After that I'm officially into taper but I think this time around the taper is going to be more of a super taper, hoping to be completely ache free by St. George.
Friday's run went amazing well in terms of pace. I ran the San Gabriel River Bike Trail. Mile one was a conservative 9:25 and includes the immediate climb up onto the top of the dam. The next 7 miles ticked off in roughly 8:30 pace. After the turn around, I knocked off miles 9, 10 and 11 in 7:56, 7:46 and 7:41. The last 4 miles were between 8:14 and 8:03 for a total running time of 2:04 or an 8:16 pace overall.
On the intestinal terms the run was a near disaster. Note to self and anyone living in the proximity of Los Angeles. Do not ever, under any circumstances, eat a Hollenbeck burrito from El Tapayec in East LA the day before a long run. Don't get me wrong the burritos are awesome. Any other day, I would go there in a flash. It is a little hole in the wall with room for about 30 people crammed inside and there is usually a line to get in. The food is seriously good, but it doesn't want to stick with you on a long run. Thank goodness disaster was diverted and the bathroom along the trail that had been closed for renovations was back open. I hit it twice, on the way out and on the way back, and I hit it hard. Just a word to the wise. I've learned my lesson. I didn't count those little breaks in my overall time!
Sunday's run in American Canyon was just a nice leisurely run. American Canyon is on the very southern end of the Napa Valley. We stayed in American Valley, as my father-in-law had booked the rooms and they were the only Marriott affiliate (we kid him that anything less that a Marriott is roughing it) in the Napa Valley that he could find for less than $300 a night. The front desk staff had no recommendations as far as places to run. The hotel was on Highway 29, a 2 lane divided highway. Google maps were not complete, since the city is experiencing a growth. I just headed out and found a nice stretch along Wetlands Edge Rd. There was a nice wetlands, duh, along one side and new housing development on the other. I eventually ran into a bike path and ended up with 4.7 miles (determined on gmaps-pedometer) upon my return home.
The trip to Napa was quick but enjoyable. We always have a good time visiting with my wife's Dad and his wife and her brother and his family. Dad and Susan had flown in from PA. Brother and family had driven over from the Sacramento area. It took us about 6 hours driving time to get up to Napa. The boys were less than thrilled being in the car for that long but they survived. They actually complained about taking bathroom breaks because it was going to take longer to get there. We had dinner Friday night at La Strada in American Canyon.
On Saturday, while the grownups visited a couple of wineries, the boys got to play paintball at a park in American Canyon. Number 1 son got to spend Saturday evening with a couple of high school buddies that were going to school at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA just down the road from our hotel. The adults took a tour of Beringer Vineyards and Chateau Montelena. Both places gave very informative tours and we enjoyed the wines, as well. Lunch on Saturday was at the Calistoga Inn. I would recommend it highly; very delicious weekend brunch menu and great service. Dinner Saturday night was at Pacific Blues Cafe, another great meal. The menu is an eclectic mix of burger, Mexican and American comfort food.
The trip was very enjoyable. Too short, but fun. This was only our second trip to the area in 22 years of living in CA. The last time I was in Napa was to run a half marathon in 2004. We aren't huge drinkers and don't really plunk down any huge sums of money for wine, but it is a fun way to spend a weekend every now and then. Wineries aside, the area is beautiful, lodging is plentiful although pricey and there are tons of world class restaurants and shopping, so a great weekend could be had, wine or not.
Last week I went out for 5 on Wednesday. I got my 15 miler completed on Friday morning before we left for the Napa Valley and then on Sunday I did 4.7 miles around American Canyon, CA. My hip is still bothering me, even though I've seriously cut back my schedule. Week 6 of the 6 days/week schedule at 50 miles, turned into 1 day at 22. Week 7 planned at 45 miles in 6 days became 24.7 miles in 3 days. This week, #8, has 5 days for 42 miles including a 22 miler on Saturday. I plan on keeping the 22 miler and taking at least one extra day off, probably tomorrow for about 35 miles. After that I'm officially into taper but I think this time around the taper is going to be more of a super taper, hoping to be completely ache free by St. George.
Friday's run went amazing well in terms of pace. I ran the San Gabriel River Bike Trail. Mile one was a conservative 9:25 and includes the immediate climb up onto the top of the dam. The next 7 miles ticked off in roughly 8:30 pace. After the turn around, I knocked off miles 9, 10 and 11 in 7:56, 7:46 and 7:41. The last 4 miles were between 8:14 and 8:03 for a total running time of 2:04 or an 8:16 pace overall.
On the intestinal terms the run was a near disaster. Note to self and anyone living in the proximity of Los Angeles. Do not ever, under any circumstances, eat a Hollenbeck burrito from El Tapayec in East LA the day before a long run. Don't get me wrong the burritos are awesome. Any other day, I would go there in a flash. It is a little hole in the wall with room for about 30 people crammed inside and there is usually a line to get in. The food is seriously good, but it doesn't want to stick with you on a long run. Thank goodness disaster was diverted and the bathroom along the trail that had been closed for renovations was back open. I hit it twice, on the way out and on the way back, and I hit it hard. Just a word to the wise. I've learned my lesson. I didn't count those little breaks in my overall time!
Sunday's run in American Canyon was just a nice leisurely run. American Canyon is on the very southern end of the Napa Valley. We stayed in American Valley, as my father-in-law had booked the rooms and they were the only Marriott affiliate (we kid him that anything less that a Marriott is roughing it) in the Napa Valley that he could find for less than $300 a night. The front desk staff had no recommendations as far as places to run. The hotel was on Highway 29, a 2 lane divided highway. Google maps were not complete, since the city is experiencing a growth. I just headed out and found a nice stretch along Wetlands Edge Rd. There was a nice wetlands, duh, along one side and new housing development on the other. I eventually ran into a bike path and ended up with 4.7 miles (determined on gmaps-pedometer) upon my return home.
The trip to Napa was quick but enjoyable. We always have a good time visiting with my wife's Dad and his wife and her brother and his family. Dad and Susan had flown in from PA. Brother and family had driven over from the Sacramento area. It took us about 6 hours driving time to get up to Napa. The boys were less than thrilled being in the car for that long but they survived. They actually complained about taking bathroom breaks because it was going to take longer to get there. We had dinner Friday night at La Strada in American Canyon.
On Saturday, while the grownups visited a couple of wineries, the boys got to play paintball at a park in American Canyon. Number 1 son got to spend Saturday evening with a couple of high school buddies that were going to school at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA just down the road from our hotel. The adults took a tour of Beringer Vineyards and Chateau Montelena. Both places gave very informative tours and we enjoyed the wines, as well. Lunch on Saturday was at the Calistoga Inn. I would recommend it highly; very delicious weekend brunch menu and great service. Dinner Saturday night was at Pacific Blues Cafe, another great meal. The menu is an eclectic mix of burger, Mexican and American comfort food.
The trip was very enjoyable. Too short, but fun. This was only our second trip to the area in 22 years of living in CA. The last time I was in Napa was to run a half marathon in 2004. We aren't huge drinkers and don't really plunk down any huge sums of money for wine, but it is a fun way to spend a weekend every now and then. Wineries aside, the area is beautiful, lodging is plentiful although pricey and there are tons of world class restaurants and shopping, so a great weekend could be had, wine or not.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Worked Over
Wednesday I had my second chiropractic appointment. Before the adjustment I was treated to a 30 minute massage. She worked over my back and tried her darndest to get deep into the muscles on my left back side. There was some pain involved, but it was the good kind of pain. During the adjustment, the chiro stretched my hamstrings. She said we needed to work on those in the future. I have no doubt about that. I left there feeling really good.
So good in fact I went over to Bonelli for 5 miles on the Cottontail out and back. No signs of hip pain what so ever during the run.
Thursday at work I could feel the pain again, but it felt mostly muscular and moved around from upper part of my left cheek, down into the hamstrings. I had to adjust my sitting position depending on the chair. By the afternoon, my back starting feeling like I had been hit by a large vehicle. Things were definitely sore. This is a side effect of the massage I hadn't counted on.
I'm going to go out tomorrow morning and put in my 15 miles. Later in the morning I'm driving the family up to Napa to visit my father-in-law and his wife and my brother-in-law and his family. I hope to get at least one 5 miler in somewhere in the Vallejo, Napa, Sonoma area before the drive home Sunday afternoon.
One more long run next weekend and then its taper time. Didn't I just do this not that long ago. Three months sure flies by quickly.
Everybody enjoy their runs this weekend. Remember to root for Donald at Big Kahuna, Jeff at The Robin Hood Marathon, Jessica at the OC Heart 5K and Sarah at the McKenzie River Trail 50K. That pretty much covers most of the commonly raced distances. (My apologies to those I missed.) Get out there and have a great time.
So good in fact I went over to Bonelli for 5 miles on the Cottontail out and back. No signs of hip pain what so ever during the run.
Thursday at work I could feel the pain again, but it felt mostly muscular and moved around from upper part of my left cheek, down into the hamstrings. I had to adjust my sitting position depending on the chair. By the afternoon, my back starting feeling like I had been hit by a large vehicle. Things were definitely sore. This is a side effect of the massage I hadn't counted on.
I'm going to go out tomorrow morning and put in my 15 miles. Later in the morning I'm driving the family up to Napa to visit my father-in-law and his wife and my brother-in-law and his family. I hope to get at least one 5 miler in somewhere in the Vallejo, Napa, Sonoma area before the drive home Sunday afternoon.
One more long run next weekend and then its taper time. Didn't I just do this not that long ago. Three months sure flies by quickly.
Everybody enjoy their runs this weekend. Remember to root for Donald at Big Kahuna, Jeff at The Robin Hood Marathon, Jessica at the OC Heart 5K and Sarah at the McKenzie River Trail 50K. That pretty much covers most of the commonly raced distances. (My apologies to those I missed.) Get out there and have a great time.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Running Hopeful
Dang Blogger! Dang computer! Dang Internet!
I just finished my masterpiece of writing. I wore my heart on my sleeve and its all gone. Way too much time spent composing and editing in Blogger's dashboard and poof its all gone into the neverland of cyberspace. (Truth be told it was probably just another one of my run-on stream of conscious ramblings, but I guess we'll never know.)
Here's the short version.
I ran 22 miles on Saturday down at the Santa Ana River Trail in Yorba Linda with 16 of my CA Cruiser buddies. I ran the first 5 with Michelle, Rochelle, Jesse and Anet. The next 4 with Jesse and Michelle. 6 more alone until I met Terry from work and turned around and joined her for 3, followed by 5 more on my own. The final time was 3:31 for a relatively slow, for me, 9:36 overall pace. Because of the hip issues I intended on taking things slow so I was really happy overall. I did manage a couple of miles at 8:35 and 8:36 in the middle when I was running alone.
Final analysis: no hip joint pain during the run and yeah, no blisters either. The only aches are in my glutes and hip adductor muscles on the left side. I'm thinking these are from the chiropractic adjustment. I've been doing a lot of reading in magazines and the web about hip injuries. For me sitting is the most uncomfortable position. It could be any number of things, but self-diagnosis is probably less than reliable and self-treatment even less so. For now I plan on keeping my chiropractic appointments, scaling back the training program and keeping a watchful eye on the hip. I don't want to "cry wolf" too soon and run off to a specialist before it's absolutely necessary.
Only 5 weeks to St. George and I don't want to do anything stupid at this point (hopefully I haven't already) .
I just finished my masterpiece of writing. I wore my heart on my sleeve and its all gone. Way too much time spent composing and editing in Blogger's dashboard and poof its all gone into the neverland of cyberspace. (Truth be told it was probably just another one of my run-on stream of conscious ramblings, but I guess we'll never know.)
Here's the short version.
I ran 22 miles on Saturday down at the Santa Ana River Trail in Yorba Linda with 16 of my CA Cruiser buddies. I ran the first 5 with Michelle, Rochelle, Jesse and Anet. The next 4 with Jesse and Michelle. 6 more alone until I met Terry from work and turned around and joined her for 3, followed by 5 more on my own. The final time was 3:31 for a relatively slow, for me, 9:36 overall pace. Because of the hip issues I intended on taking things slow so I was really happy overall. I did manage a couple of miles at 8:35 and 8:36 in the middle when I was running alone.
Final analysis: no hip joint pain during the run and yeah, no blisters either. The only aches are in my glutes and hip adductor muscles on the left side. I'm thinking these are from the chiropractic adjustment. I've been doing a lot of reading in magazines and the web about hip injuries. For me sitting is the most uncomfortable position. It could be any number of things, but self-diagnosis is probably less than reliable and self-treatment even less so. For now I plan on keeping my chiropractic appointments, scaling back the training program and keeping a watchful eye on the hip. I don't want to "cry wolf" too soon and run off to a specialist before it's absolutely necessary.
Only 5 weeks to St. George and I don't want to do anything stupid at this point (hopefully I haven't already) .
Friday, September 01, 2006
Random Reflections
How does a week without running feel so busy? Yeah, I decided to give my hip a week to heal and hopefully I can still salvage the 22 miler on Saturday. I'm just considering it an unplanned taper.
I really love what's happened over at completerunning.com. The revamped Complete Running Network is full of great RBF writers and personalities and is superbly informative. I do miss the Running Blog Recents page. I used that page to keep up with my favorite blogs. Although I've got links to some of them on the side bar of my little blog, I couldn't tell if there was something new to read or not without first checking in. I have finally subscribed to many feeds with Bloglines. I guess this is something that you all knew about, but I'm a little slow on the uptake when it comes to technology. I run sans a GPS, a HRM, or even an i-Pod. Heck I can't even take pictures with my cell phone. With Bloglines now I know when you've all added some interesting little tidbit I will want to read.
Drew has added a cool new tool on his blog to connect with other RBF members. Check it out! You never know who you might meet.
Speaking of CRN, I love today's quote: "It is very difficult to train for a marathon; but it is even more difficult to not be able to train for a marathon." —Aaron Douglas Trimble. I really hope this doesn't become my reality.
Wednesday I went out for a bike ride, rather than a run. I got on my stock, 8 year old GT Aggressor for a ride on the streets. I rode over to the far end of Bonelli, through Bonelli and down San Dimas Ave and then back home. San Dimas Ave is the street that Jeff road at 40 mph during his triathlon (June 10). I know I went nowhere near that fast but I went as fast as the GT would roll. I had it in the highest gear and all I could do was just spin the pedals. I ran out of daylight putting in 18 miles in 1:20. I felt like I had kept up a pretty decent pace, but post ride calculations come up with a measly 13.5 mph. Even more reason to be in awe of you Ironmen that clock huge miles at 20+ mph for an easy ride. The good news is that the hip didn't hurt during the ride.
Thursday night we said goodbye to Janice. Yet another work friend moving on to the next big thing. First Brian, my running partner, off to dental school in Boston. Then Celeste, another running partner/friend, off to a new job. Now Janice chasing her dream to become a dentist at the University of California at San Francisco Dental School. I was able to bring her over to the dark side (she got hooked on running) and I got to share her first half marathon.
This evening I saw a chiropractor, to see what she could do for my hip. Along with the hip pain, I can also feel that my back and neck are out of whack. So hopefully getting everything back in line will help. If not, then I will consider the next step. I have seen chiropractors in the past with very good results. This one comes highly recommended by many people at work, including Terry, my one last remaining running buddy at work. I got a little e-stim and "racked and whacked" (the chiro's description). Now, I feeling a little sore, but I expected that.
------------------------------
August Milestone:
3 years at or below goal weight!
182.5 miles for the month. Off my goal of 200 miles, but my highest month yet by about 1.5 miles. Could this be the cause of my hip pain?
One of the races I was thinking of doing, a marathon relay with the CA Cruiser at the inaugural Inland Empire Marathon, has been canceled. That leaves me an opening for another interesting event I'll disclose later. ;-)
I really love what's happened over at completerunning.com. The revamped Complete Running Network is full of great RBF writers and personalities and is superbly informative. I do miss the Running Blog Recents page. I used that page to keep up with my favorite blogs. Although I've got links to some of them on the side bar of my little blog, I couldn't tell if there was something new to read or not without first checking in. I have finally subscribed to many feeds with Bloglines. I guess this is something that you all knew about, but I'm a little slow on the uptake when it comes to technology. I run sans a GPS, a HRM, or even an i-Pod. Heck I can't even take pictures with my cell phone. With Bloglines now I know when you've all added some interesting little tidbit I will want to read.
Drew has added a cool new tool on his blog to connect with other RBF members. Check it out! You never know who you might meet.
Speaking of CRN, I love today's quote: "It is very difficult to train for a marathon; but it is even more difficult to not be able to train for a marathon." —Aaron Douglas Trimble. I really hope this doesn't become my reality.
Wednesday I went out for a bike ride, rather than a run. I got on my stock, 8 year old GT Aggressor for a ride on the streets. I rode over to the far end of Bonelli, through Bonelli and down San Dimas Ave and then back home. San Dimas Ave is the street that Jeff road at 40 mph during his triathlon (June 10). I know I went nowhere near that fast but I went as fast as the GT would roll. I had it in the highest gear and all I could do was just spin the pedals. I ran out of daylight putting in 18 miles in 1:20. I felt like I had kept up a pretty decent pace, but post ride calculations come up with a measly 13.5 mph. Even more reason to be in awe of you Ironmen that clock huge miles at 20+ mph for an easy ride. The good news is that the hip didn't hurt during the ride.
Thursday night we said goodbye to Janice. Yet another work friend moving on to the next big thing. First Brian, my running partner, off to dental school in Boston. Then Celeste, another running partner/friend, off to a new job. Now Janice chasing her dream to become a dentist at the University of California at San Francisco Dental School. I was able to bring her over to the dark side (she got hooked on running) and I got to share her first half marathon.
This evening I saw a chiropractor, to see what she could do for my hip. Along with the hip pain, I can also feel that my back and neck are out of whack. So hopefully getting everything back in line will help. If not, then I will consider the next step. I have seen chiropractors in the past with very good results. This one comes highly recommended by many people at work, including Terry, my one last remaining running buddy at work. I got a little e-stim and "racked and whacked" (the chiro's description). Now, I feeling a little sore, but I expected that.
------------------------------
August Milestone:
3 years at or below goal weight!
182.5 miles for the month. Off my goal of 200 miles, but my highest month yet by about 1.5 miles. Could this be the cause of my hip pain?
One of the races I was thinking of doing, a marathon relay with the CA Cruiser at the inaugural Inland Empire Marathon, has been canceled. That leaves me an opening for another interesting event I'll disclose later. ;-)
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Rethinking
I took a little detour this week on the "Competitive Veteran Marathoner" training schedule. Friday morning I woke up in plenty of time, I just couldn't drag myself out of bed. I was tired, likely because I stayed up too late the night before, and my hip was still bothering me. Four weeks into the new plan and my body has forced me to reevaluate.
I was really hyped on my new all time high mileage. I felt like a runner. I've been a runner for 3 years but setting and achieving this goal made me feel just a little more legitimate. I know better than to judge myself or anyone based on feelings, but the feeling was there none the less. I guess my 45 year old body is trying to tell me to slow down a little. I know that rest may not be all I need, but it certainly can't hurt and at least of few of you agree. I like Drew's advice to run through as long as it doesn't affect the running. It really doesn't. I do find it interesting that we humans and probably men more so, are likely to follow the advice we want to hear rather than the advice that makes the most sense.
I guess it really boils down to my goals at St. George. My primary goal is to knock another state of that list. My longer range goal is to keep running, specifically marathons, for as long as I'm still upright and breathing. Taking some time off, less mileage or no mileage, won't hurt either of these goals at this point. I'm confident I can finish a marathon with the base I have.
The shorter terms goals are my dilemma. My performance at SEAFAIR had me totally psyched for improvement at St. George. I saw the effect of increase mileage overall and specifically increased number of long runs. I was determined to build on that, couple it with the downhill course at St. George and see what I could accomplish. I hoped to push ever closer to that BQ I harbor in the back of my mind. I figured 3:40 was completely doable and with the right circumstances who knows what's possible.
I did a lot a stretching during the day Friday. That seemed to help my hip feel better. Saturday morning I hosted the CA Cruiser at Bonelli for a 10 mile loop. I was a little disappointed with the turn out, 6 people showed up. Our group can be up to 20 strong on the right day. Jesse seemed to think that people in Orange County have a metal block about traveling up the 57 freeway into Los Angeles County. Those who showed still had a nice run.
My schedule called for 13 miles so I headed over early and put in 3, mostly on trails before the Cruisers arrived at 6:30 am. I figured this would be a pretty easy effort run. I felt responsible for making sure everyone knew where they were going. Jesse and I led the pack and waited at important junctions so that no one got lost. Jesse had to bow out early so I ran with the group at an easy pace for the last 3 miles or so. My hip felt good during the run. It was a busy day at Bonelli. The cross country team from St. Lucy's, a Catholic girls school, was meeting at the park and ride when we got started. In the park, Glendora High School was conducting a time trail for both the boys and girls teams. Dr. John ran through their finish line. The looks he got from the kids and parents were hilarious. At the end of our run, as we enjoyed some ice cold water, bananas, grapes, string cheese and muffins (I was hosting the run), the cross country teams from Diamond Bar High School came streaming into the lot as they finished up their run. There was probably between 30 and 40 of them. It was cool to see the range of skills, abilities and body types coming in.
This morning, after laying in bed for about an hour after the alarm went off, I finally decided to get myself over to Bonelli again for my usual Sunday morning loop. Counter-clockwise this time. I got there later today than usual. I was surprised about the number of people there. I usually see some bikers in the parking lot but rarely come across anyone on the trail. Today I came across a man running with a golden retriever pup, a group of about 8 mountain bikers and a group of 4 HS country guys. The parking lot was full of bikers getting ready to go into the park when I was finished. Seeing people out moving always brings a smile to my face.
As I was driving out, an older man maybe late 60's or so went by. He was all decked out in compression shorts under running shorts, a white singlet, sweat band around his head, hand held water bottle and i-pod. He was tall, a little heavy and stooped over but he was sure keeping up a pretty decent power-walking pace. More power to him, I say. People like him and Dr. John give me hope that I'll still be out there moving like that in 30 years.
The plan called for 45 this week, but because I took Friday off, I hit 38 miles. Next Saturday calls for 22. I would really like to keep that commitment. The following weekend we will be out of town so a really long one will be out of the question. If I miss next weekend's 22 then I only have one more chance for a 20 miler before state #7 in 6 weeks.
My hip continues to ache, especially when sitting behind the wheel in the car and at the keyboard. I may reluctantly rest for a couple of days next week. The "Competitive Veteran" thing may just have to be pushed out into the future a little. What's the big hurry, huh? I've still got at least 42 more marathons to get there!
I was really hyped on my new all time high mileage. I felt like a runner. I've been a runner for 3 years but setting and achieving this goal made me feel just a little more legitimate. I know better than to judge myself or anyone based on feelings, but the feeling was there none the less. I guess my 45 year old body is trying to tell me to slow down a little. I know that rest may not be all I need, but it certainly can't hurt and at least of few of you agree. I like Drew's advice to run through as long as it doesn't affect the running. It really doesn't. I do find it interesting that we humans and probably men more so, are likely to follow the advice we want to hear rather than the advice that makes the most sense.
I guess it really boils down to my goals at St. George. My primary goal is to knock another state of that list. My longer range goal is to keep running, specifically marathons, for as long as I'm still upright and breathing. Taking some time off, less mileage or no mileage, won't hurt either of these goals at this point. I'm confident I can finish a marathon with the base I have.
The shorter terms goals are my dilemma. My performance at SEAFAIR had me totally psyched for improvement at St. George. I saw the effect of increase mileage overall and specifically increased number of long runs. I was determined to build on that, couple it with the downhill course at St. George and see what I could accomplish. I hoped to push ever closer to that BQ I harbor in the back of my mind. I figured 3:40 was completely doable and with the right circumstances who knows what's possible.
I did a lot a stretching during the day Friday. That seemed to help my hip feel better. Saturday morning I hosted the CA Cruiser at Bonelli for a 10 mile loop. I was a little disappointed with the turn out, 6 people showed up. Our group can be up to 20 strong on the right day. Jesse seemed to think that people in Orange County have a metal block about traveling up the 57 freeway into Los Angeles County. Those who showed still had a nice run.
My schedule called for 13 miles so I headed over early and put in 3, mostly on trails before the Cruisers arrived at 6:30 am. I figured this would be a pretty easy effort run. I felt responsible for making sure everyone knew where they were going. Jesse and I led the pack and waited at important junctions so that no one got lost. Jesse had to bow out early so I ran with the group at an easy pace for the last 3 miles or so. My hip felt good during the run. It was a busy day at Bonelli. The cross country team from St. Lucy's, a Catholic girls school, was meeting at the park and ride when we got started. In the park, Glendora High School was conducting a time trail for both the boys and girls teams. Dr. John ran through their finish line. The looks he got from the kids and parents were hilarious. At the end of our run, as we enjoyed some ice cold water, bananas, grapes, string cheese and muffins (I was hosting the run), the cross country teams from Diamond Bar High School came streaming into the lot as they finished up their run. There was probably between 30 and 40 of them. It was cool to see the range of skills, abilities and body types coming in.
This morning, after laying in bed for about an hour after the alarm went off, I finally decided to get myself over to Bonelli again for my usual Sunday morning loop. Counter-clockwise this time. I got there later today than usual. I was surprised about the number of people there. I usually see some bikers in the parking lot but rarely come across anyone on the trail. Today I came across a man running with a golden retriever pup, a group of about 8 mountain bikers and a group of 4 HS country guys. The parking lot was full of bikers getting ready to go into the park when I was finished. Seeing people out moving always brings a smile to my face.
As I was driving out, an older man maybe late 60's or so went by. He was all decked out in compression shorts under running shorts, a white singlet, sweat band around his head, hand held water bottle and i-pod. He was tall, a little heavy and stooped over but he was sure keeping up a pretty decent power-walking pace. More power to him, I say. People like him and Dr. John give me hope that I'll still be out there moving like that in 30 years.
The plan called for 45 this week, but because I took Friday off, I hit 38 miles. Next Saturday calls for 22. I would really like to keep that commitment. The following weekend we will be out of town so a really long one will be out of the question. If I miss next weekend's 22 then I only have one more chance for a 20 miler before state #7 in 6 weeks.
My hip continues to ache, especially when sitting behind the wheel in the car and at the keyboard. I may reluctantly rest for a couple of days next week. The "Competitive Veteran" thing may just have to be pushed out into the future a little. What's the big hurry, huh? I've still got at least 42 more marathons to get there!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
On the Watch Again
My midweek run with the watch went amazingly well. I went over to Bonelli, yet again, for the 6 mile loop. I hit the watch as I crossed over the freeway on my way into the park and never looked again until I crossed back over the freeway on my way out. I ran feeling like I was putting forth a pretty hard effort, but a sustainable effort. I was pleasantly surprised with a 50:11 finish. This is nearly 1:30 better than my best time on the same route. I guess a couple of weeks of lower intensity was a decent idea.
Wednesday Bryan joined me again on the bike for another 6 mile loop in Bonelli. With Bryan along our route is varied so times are not as meaningful.
Thursday was back over to the Walnut Equestrian Trail (my new Thursday night rut). My pace was a little off normal. I cut my run a mile short, to 7 miles in 1:06.
My left hip has been bugging me pretty badly since the end of last week. I've been trying to convince myself I've just messed up the muscles from my odd gait brought on by the blister of the career. I doesn't hurt or bother me much while running, but it is very noticeable sitting or standing still. I guess I should just keep moving. After tonight's run the pain seems to have radiated up my back and down into my thigh as well. I really hope its just muscular, but I can't help but think of Anne's injury.
Probably the logical thing to do is to take it easy or even completely rest for a couple of days to see if it gets better. I'm such a slave to the schedule that I really hate to do that. Especially since I'm just getting used to the new 6 day schedule (week 4) and finally having hit the big 50 mile mark. With just over 6 weeks to the next marathon, rest is probably the best option. But it is also the hardest choice to make. Rest means lower mileage, which some how feels like failure. Crazy I know, but I also know that you can all relate.
Wednesday Bryan joined me again on the bike for another 6 mile loop in Bonelli. With Bryan along our route is varied so times are not as meaningful.
Thursday was back over to the Walnut Equestrian Trail (my new Thursday night rut). My pace was a little off normal. I cut my run a mile short, to 7 miles in 1:06.
My left hip has been bugging me pretty badly since the end of last week. I've been trying to convince myself I've just messed up the muscles from my odd gait brought on by the blister of the career. I doesn't hurt or bother me much while running, but it is very noticeable sitting or standing still. I guess I should just keep moving. After tonight's run the pain seems to have radiated up my back and down into my thigh as well. I really hope its just muscular, but I can't help but think of Anne's injury.
Probably the logical thing to do is to take it easy or even completely rest for a couple of days to see if it gets better. I'm such a slave to the schedule that I really hate to do that. Especially since I'm just getting used to the new 6 day schedule (week 4) and finally having hit the big 50 mile mark. With just over 6 weeks to the next marathon, rest is probably the best option. But it is also the hardest choice to make. Rest means lower mileage, which some how feels like failure. Crazy I know, but I also know that you can all relate.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
St. George Simulation of Sorts
Preparations for my 20 mile run on Saturday actually started on Friday. My proposed route required me to have an Adventure Pass in my possession. During my lunch hour I went over to REI in Arcadia to purchase my pass. They were out of daily passes. The girl at desk told me they expected to get some by the end of the week. I’m thinking Friday at lunch the week is pretty much at its end. She then told me that I could get a pass at the Forest Service Office just up the street. As it turns out it was less than a half mile away. I originally didn’t go to Forest Service assuming it would be up in the forest. Only in southern California would the Forest Service office be in the shade of the freeway, literally right next to the 210 Freeway, rather than the shade of the forest.
My plan was the run up in the Angeles National Forest on the private road up the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. Some friends rode bikes there on July 4th. The trailhead is about 8 miles up the canyon. Then the service road continues up to Cogswell Dam. This route would be a chance to get in some relatively long downhill miles. From the dam back down to the trailhead is about 500 ft elevation loss in 8 miles. St. George loses around 700 ft in the first 8 miles. 500 ft is downhill without being out of control downhill.
Before I could start the downhill run I had to get up to the Cogswell Dam. As I was walking down toward the trail head a group of 25 or so guys came from over from the other lot, dressed to run. They started off less than a minute before I did. I had thought that this run would be solitary, now I had some competition. I caught up to the tail runner fairly quickly. He was the coach, the rest of the guys were the cross country team from Arcadia High. They were running up to the dam and back too. They spread out pretty quickly and I had fun picking them off as I ran up the road. I probably overtook about half of them by the time I got to the 7 mile mark. At that point the fastest runners were on their way back down from the dam. I got to the dam, 8 miles, in 1:09. That’s a respectable 8:38 pace. Tracking down the cross country team helped, I think.
At the dam the road becomes a dirt road that continues west along the north side of the water behind the dam. I came around one bend and ran across a pretty big deer. It bounded off down the trail then up a nearly vertical wall and was gone. It was sure a sight to behold. The road ends rather abruptly so I turned back. I reached the dam again in 22:16. I estimate the out and back to be 2.5 miles. Then the fun started down the hill back to the trailhead. The 8 miles downhill came in at 59:35, or 7:27 pace. This put me at roughly 18.5 miles. I headed back up the trail for about 1.5 miles and then back down to the gate. It was really important to me that I get in at least 20 miles today. Not having a marked course or a GPS, I was dependant on my time. My final running time was 2:57. If I assume a conservative 9:00 pace, I would have needed 3:00 for 20 miles. I’m fairly confident I got in at least 20 and maybe as much as 21.5, but I’m only going to take credit for 20. At the end of the run I took a 15 minute soak in the river. It was nice, cool and relaxing. I thought about Joe and his thermometer wondering what the water temp might be.
I also thought about Matt this last week. I get a kick out of his blog name. Whenever I see it in print, igotblistersonmyblisters, I always hear Ringo screaming “I got blisters on my fingers” from Helter Skelter. I haven’t had a blister in months. I got one on my right foot during Seafair and last week I got one in the same place right behind my big toe on the left foot. I ignored it for about a week and by Friday I had my own personal blistersonmyblisters. I cut away all the dead skin and did my 20 miles with no real negative effect until I was finished and now Igotblistersonmyblistersonmyblisters. Man is this uncomfortable. I thought about posting a pic, but decided it was too gross. I’m having trouble walking.
But that didn’t stop me from running Sunday morning. My schedule called for 4 miles, so I opted out of Bonelli and ran the horse trail along Puente and Via Verde.
To wrap this all up, I completed my 3rd week of 6 days running and hit the elusive 50 miles for the first time. That’s why it was so important that I put in a legitimate 20 miles yesterday. So over the last two weeks I cut back on intensity during the week and kept my mileage up. My legs feel way better than 2 weeks ago, tired yes, but no more of that smoldering hot feeling. Next week I plan on putting the watch back on. It will be interesting to see how my times are for my familiar routes.
Weekly miles: 50
Days run: 6
Weeks to St. George: 7
My plan was the run up in the Angeles National Forest on the private road up the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. Some friends rode bikes there on July 4th. The trailhead is about 8 miles up the canyon. Then the service road continues up to Cogswell Dam. This route would be a chance to get in some relatively long downhill miles. From the dam back down to the trailhead is about 500 ft elevation loss in 8 miles. St. George loses around 700 ft in the first 8 miles. 500 ft is downhill without being out of control downhill.
Before I could start the downhill run I had to get up to the Cogswell Dam. As I was walking down toward the trail head a group of 25 or so guys came from over from the other lot, dressed to run. They started off less than a minute before I did. I had thought that this run would be solitary, now I had some competition. I caught up to the tail runner fairly quickly. He was the coach, the rest of the guys were the cross country team from Arcadia High. They were running up to the dam and back too. They spread out pretty quickly and I had fun picking them off as I ran up the road. I probably overtook about half of them by the time I got to the 7 mile mark. At that point the fastest runners were on their way back down from the dam. I got to the dam, 8 miles, in 1:09. That’s a respectable 8:38 pace. Tracking down the cross country team helped, I think.
At the dam the road becomes a dirt road that continues west along the north side of the water behind the dam. I came around one bend and ran across a pretty big deer. It bounded off down the trail then up a nearly vertical wall and was gone. It was sure a sight to behold. The road ends rather abruptly so I turned back. I reached the dam again in 22:16. I estimate the out and back to be 2.5 miles. Then the fun started down the hill back to the trailhead. The 8 miles downhill came in at 59:35, or 7:27 pace. This put me at roughly 18.5 miles. I headed back up the trail for about 1.5 miles and then back down to the gate. It was really important to me that I get in at least 20 miles today. Not having a marked course or a GPS, I was dependant on my time. My final running time was 2:57. If I assume a conservative 9:00 pace, I would have needed 3:00 for 20 miles. I’m fairly confident I got in at least 20 and maybe as much as 21.5, but I’m only going to take credit for 20. At the end of the run I took a 15 minute soak in the river. It was nice, cool and relaxing. I thought about Joe and his thermometer wondering what the water temp might be.
I also thought about Matt this last week. I get a kick out of his blog name. Whenever I see it in print, igotblistersonmyblisters, I always hear Ringo screaming “I got blisters on my fingers” from Helter Skelter. I haven’t had a blister in months. I got one on my right foot during Seafair and last week I got one in the same place right behind my big toe on the left foot. I ignored it for about a week and by Friday I had my own personal blistersonmyblisters. I cut away all the dead skin and did my 20 miles with no real negative effect until I was finished and now Igotblistersonmyblistersonmyblisters. Man is this uncomfortable. I thought about posting a pic, but decided it was too gross. I’m having trouble walking.
But that didn’t stop me from running Sunday morning. My schedule called for 4 miles, so I opted out of Bonelli and ran the horse trail along Puente and Via Verde.
To wrap this all up, I completed my 3rd week of 6 days running and hit the elusive 50 miles for the first time. That’s why it was so important that I put in a legitimate 20 miles yesterday. So over the last two weeks I cut back on intensity during the week and kept my mileage up. My legs feel way better than 2 weeks ago, tired yes, but no more of that smoldering hot feeling. Next week I plan on putting the watch back on. It will be interesting to see how my times are for my familiar routes.
Weekly miles: 50
Days run: 6
Weeks to St. George: 7
Disclaimer
Hey, thanks for all the birthday wishes but I feel as if I've led you all astray. I mentioned my birthday last post only in relationship to the monetary gifts from my relatives. My actual birthday was back on July 11, 2 days after the Seafair Marathon. The checks had been sitting on my desk, in my stack, for the last month waiting for just the right moment to spend them.
I always hesitate to cash the checks without having a specific purpose in mind. If I deposit them into our account, the funds seem to get swallowed up in the every day expenses of life, likely as groceries, gas, or towards the insanely out of whack electric bill of the summer. If I cash the checks and carry the cash around in my wallet it just ends up disappearing as well, likely on unplanned lunches. You know the "Hey what are you doing for lunch today, we were thinking of going to _____". If there's money in the wallet I'm more likely to save the brownbag for another day.
I figure it's my birthday money, I should get to spend it on me and on something more substantial than food or gas. My tactic then is to just hold onto the checks until just the right moment. My mother-in-law has been inquiring of (read bugging) my wife for the last couple of weeks about why her check hasn't cleared yet. The Chick's Sporting Goods Tent Sale finally seemed like the right opportunity.
After purchasing the shoes, which were Adrenaline GTS 6 not 5 (Disclaimer #2), I still had about $30 bucks left. A week later and I've ended up paying for parking and coffee out of that. What the heck I might even go out to lunch next week. Chipotle anybody?
I always hesitate to cash the checks without having a specific purpose in mind. If I deposit them into our account, the funds seem to get swallowed up in the every day expenses of life, likely as groceries, gas, or towards the insanely out of whack electric bill of the summer. If I cash the checks and carry the cash around in my wallet it just ends up disappearing as well, likely on unplanned lunches. You know the "Hey what are you doing for lunch today, we were thinking of going to _____". If there's money in the wallet I'm more likely to save the brownbag for another day.
I figure it's my birthday money, I should get to spend it on me and on something more substantial than food or gas. My tactic then is to just hold onto the checks until just the right moment. My mother-in-law has been inquiring of (read bugging) my wife for the last couple of weeks about why her check hasn't cleared yet. The Chick's Sporting Goods Tent Sale finally seemed like the right opportunity.
After purchasing the shoes, which were Adrenaline GTS 6 not 5 (Disclaimer #2), I still had about $30 bucks left. A week later and I've ended up paying for parking and coffee out of that. What the heck I might even go out to lunch next week. Chipotle anybody?
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
New
Sunday afternoon I finally cashed the checks I got for my birthday, so I had some "free" money to spend. Yeah, at 45 I still get money for my birthday from my parents and in-laws. I decided to hit the annual tent sale at Chick's Sporting Goods. The choice of running apparel at the tent sale can be pretty hit and miss, but the shoes are usually fairly decent. I found Brooks Adrenaline GTS 5's, Asics 2110's and New Balance 766's. I decided on the Adrenalines. I'm partial to Brooks shoes. I usually wear Trance. The Adrenalines are one notch below Trance in cushioning and stability. They felt lighter to me and I really liked the feel during toe off. The forefoot seems to be thinner and more flexible than the Trance.
Tuesday after work I made it over to Bonelli for my now familiar 6 mile loop. I wore the new Adrenalines. They felt really good. I had a little twinge in my right arch about 1 mile into to run but it went away. The route takes me down the Cottontail Trail, through the Jungle, then through the RV park and around the picnic area. At the west end of the picnic area there is a trail that follows the spine of the hill that divides the south and north picnics areas. I've run past this trail countless times but always stick to the pavement around the picnic area. Tuesday I noticed that the trail was just recently cleared and widened, likely for fire control. Since I wasn't keeping time, I decided to go exploring. The trail heads up the middle of the ridge at a consistent but easy incline. There are a couple of opportunities to drop back down into the picnic areas but I opted to keep climbing as far as the trail would go. At the far west end of the trail it drops back down rapidly on a single track. It was a lot of fun. For all the times I've run here in the last year and a half I've never ventured onto this particular trail. It isn't very long, probably less than a mile, but it was a heck of a fun run, especially the descent at the end. New shoes, new trail, and the watchless running continues.
The rest of the week will pretty much play out exactly like last week until Saturday.
Tuesday after work I made it over to Bonelli for my now familiar 6 mile loop. I wore the new Adrenalines. They felt really good. I had a little twinge in my right arch about 1 mile into to run but it went away. The route takes me down the Cottontail Trail, through the Jungle, then through the RV park and around the picnic area. At the west end of the picnic area there is a trail that follows the spine of the hill that divides the south and north picnics areas. I've run past this trail countless times but always stick to the pavement around the picnic area. Tuesday I noticed that the trail was just recently cleared and widened, likely for fire control. Since I wasn't keeping time, I decided to go exploring. The trail heads up the middle of the ridge at a consistent but easy incline. There are a couple of opportunities to drop back down into the picnic areas but I opted to keep climbing as far as the trail would go. At the far west end of the trail it drops back down rapidly on a single track. It was a lot of fun. For all the times I've run here in the last year and a half I've never ventured onto this particular trail. It isn't very long, probably less than a mile, but it was a heck of a fun run, especially the descent at the end. New shoes, new trail, and the watchless running continues.
The rest of the week will pretty much play out exactly like last week until Saturday.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Made it through Week 2
Here I go again. Always counting up and down. I made it through my 2nd week of 6 running days, only 8 more weeks to go before St. George. Week 7 and 10 I get Fridays off again. I've been frustrated with the dead legs and slower times since SEAFAIR. I tried a little experiment this week and left the watch at home. I just went out for the prescribed number of miles, taking it slow (I think) and easy (for sure) and just enjoying moving forward.
Saturday I wore the watch but apparently forgot how to use it, but pulled off an 8:41 pace. Joe commented: "You casually mention "an 8:41 pace" here Darrell...that's not a simple, throw away line!! Good for you, that is clear indication your legs are coming back. Looks like the no-watch strategy may have helped them to recover." I guess that's true. Yesterday's sentence doesn't begin to describe how good I felt about my running that day and how much better my legs felt afterward. The cooler weather was probably a big contributing factor. Having such a great pacer, the Amazing Hip, along to keep me moving forward at a respectable pace was a definite advantage too. 15 is a nice medium to long run, the real test will be my 20 miler next weekend. I've planned what I think will be a fun run close to home since most of the Cruisers are racing 5 or 10 miles next weekend in Huntington Beach.
Sunday morning I went over to Bonelli for the hills on the south side of the park. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy this little 5 mile loop? Probably too many times, sorry. It just seems to be the perfect way to wrap up the week. Soon after I started I heard coyotes howling down below. Sure enough as I came around that part of the loop there were 2 of them standing in the trail. The skittered off, but not as quickly as I would have liked them to. I realized that even though they weigh 50 lbs or so, they make almost no noise scooting into the underbrush. The rabbits on the other hand, at about 5 lbs make a real ruckus. This realization didn't make me feel too great about coyotes. I just hoped I was too big to be considered breakfast!
I made it back home before the rest of the family was even awake. I started breakfast and soon the kitchen was full of my favorite sounds and smells: coffee, sausage and pancakes. I had a CD in the stereo and was just loving life. It was about as perfect as a Sunday morning can get. Then I woke up the family, HA! Getting everybody to the table, in the shower and out the door to church is never exactly a stress free couple of hours.
Yesterday Bryan had asked if we could go for a bike ride over the Santa Fe Dam. You bet I jumped on that one. We went today and rode about 8 miles and he was ready to be done. He said he didn't really like it because it was too flat. I really thought he'd like the flat since he dislikes having to go uphill. But, as much as he dislikes the uphills, he really loves the downhills. Good times anyway.
Weekly summary:
Saturday I wore the watch but apparently forgot how to use it, but pulled off an 8:41 pace. Joe commented: "You casually mention "an 8:41 pace" here Darrell...that's not a simple, throw away line!! Good for you, that is clear indication your legs are coming back. Looks like the no-watch strategy may have helped them to recover." I guess that's true. Yesterday's sentence doesn't begin to describe how good I felt about my running that day and how much better my legs felt afterward. The cooler weather was probably a big contributing factor. Having such a great pacer, the Amazing Hip, along to keep me moving forward at a respectable pace was a definite advantage too. 15 is a nice medium to long run, the real test will be my 20 miler next weekend. I've planned what I think will be a fun run close to home since most of the Cruisers are racing 5 or 10 miles next weekend in Huntington Beach.
Sunday morning I went over to Bonelli for the hills on the south side of the park. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy this little 5 mile loop? Probably too many times, sorry. It just seems to be the perfect way to wrap up the week. Soon after I started I heard coyotes howling down below. Sure enough as I came around that part of the loop there were 2 of them standing in the trail. The skittered off, but not as quickly as I would have liked them to. I realized that even though they weigh 50 lbs or so, they make almost no noise scooting into the underbrush. The rabbits on the other hand, at about 5 lbs make a real ruckus. This realization didn't make me feel too great about coyotes. I just hoped I was too big to be considered breakfast!
I made it back home before the rest of the family was even awake. I started breakfast and soon the kitchen was full of my favorite sounds and smells: coffee, sausage and pancakes. I had a CD in the stereo and was just loving life. It was about as perfect as a Sunday morning can get. Then I woke up the family, HA! Getting everybody to the table, in the shower and out the door to church is never exactly a stress free couple of hours.
Yesterday Bryan had asked if we could go for a bike ride over the Santa Fe Dam. You bet I jumped on that one. We went today and rode about 8 miles and he was ready to be done. He said he didn't really like it because it was too flat. I really thought he'd like the flat since he dislikes having to go uphill. But, as much as he dislikes the uphills, he really loves the downhills. Good times anyway.
Weekly summary:
- 6 days of running
- 46.5 miles (this is the 2nd time I've hit that milestone, the first was also on 6 days when I was camping in Carpinteria in May.)
- 8 weeks to go for state #7. I've got to start thinking about number 8. A guy's got to have a plan.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Newport Back Bay
I read this paragraph the other day on Craig’s blog and it perfectly explained the way I’ve been feeling.
“For some reason the summer has not been kind where running is concerned. The heat has left me weary and tired. Energy reserves have been running low. My body has felt achy. I’ve felt sluggish and slow. The more I push the less productive I’ve become. The less productive I’ve become the more defeated I’ve felt. The effort to make some progress has been mostly unsuccessful though I’ve run on a consistent basis. There have been some good weeks but most have been a struggle.”
I am glad to know that I wasn't alone in feeling this way. It was a timely post and more eloquently stated than I could muster.
Wednesday, I put in 6 miles in Bonelli escorted by Bryan on the bike. We got started a little after 7:30. Part of our route takes us through “The Jungle”, a trail that goes through some pretty dense trees and underbrush. At twilight it is significantly darker in “The Jungle”. I think it spooked Bryan on Sunday, but Wednesday he came prepared with a flashlight. When we finished, he told me that these rides were getting easier. I’m really thankful that he’s enjoying this.
On Thursday I went back over to the equestrian trail in Walnut for 8 miles. I ended up running across a coworker and his family out for a walk. They just recently moved into the neighborhood. We were all a little surprised to meet up. We talked for a little while. They were afraid that they were holding me up, but with the easy, no watch thing going on I didn’t worry about the little break, at all. The bummer thing about this run is that by the time I was done just after 8:00 pm, I had to use my headlights to drive home. Headlights at 8:00 mean summer is winding down. All ready? Man time flies. The next day we both remembered the longer days of our childhoods near Detroit and Cleveland. Daylight lasts until 9:00 in the summer farther north in the hemisphere, but then again the nights are probably longer in winter. I don’t really remember.
I followed this up with 6 miles Friday morning before work around my neighborhood. Along the way I was aware of all the litter along the sides of the road. Apparently nobody cooks at home anymore or sees fit to take their cups, bags and burger wrappers to the trash can at home. I told myself I would go back out sometime and clean up. I realize there are bigger issues in the world but this is such a simple thing. Didn’t we all learn, probably in kindergarten, to clean up after ourselves? Enough of that, on to today’s run.
The CA Cruisers were off to another exotic local, the Newport Back Bay. Celeste and I ran here once training for LA. Being in the OC again, I invited Jeff along. Luckily we both had the same mileage scheduled. Jeff invited Natty to come along as well. Another runner/blogger in the area, cool! When I got to the meeting spot, I recognized Natty immediately from reading up on her blog Friday morning. She has a wonderful smile. There was a pretty good representation of paces today and Natty fell in with Annabelle for the 10 mile loop around the bay. I really hope she enjoyed meeting us and thanks to Jeff for inviting her out.
The parking situation was a little chaotic, no one remembers this many cars here before, so we got a little bit of a later start than normal. I was a little worried about how today would go. I was hoping that I could bust out of the slow easy pace for this run.
Jesse was back today but planning on taking it easy on the hamstring. Jeff, Dave and I took the lead early. Jeff and I made a pitstop at the YMCA about a mile into the run and proceeded to play catch up with the rest of the group. We caught most of the group in a mile or so. We eventually caught Dave, Jay and Jim on our way through a really nice neighborhood along Galaxy and Polaris Dr. We reeled in Michelle and Anna, then finally caught up to Jesse and Annette on Back Bay Dr. Jesse was keeping up a decent clip for someone taking it easy. Jeff tried to convince them all that we were on our second lap around. For some reason they didn’t believe him! So about the pace, I stopped my watch when we hit the YMCA and forgot to start it again. So 6 miles into the run I was still at 11:30. Dang that’s fast, less than 2 minutes/mile. What was I worried about.
I didn’t really know our pace but Jeff seemed OK with whatever we were doing and we were reeling people in. To get in our 15 miles we added an extra out and back up the San Diego Creek Trail. Jeff’s training plan called for the last 3 miles at marathon pace. For him that’s 7:00 miles. Needless to say I finished up on my own. Somehow I missed the turnoff to the cars on the way back and put in at least an extra half a mile trying to get back. The first 12 miles were done in 1:44 (Jeff’s watch), my last 3.5 or so were done in 30.5 minutes (my watch), making my pace overall 8:41. I felt good the whole way and finished stronger than I have in weeks. I’d have to call the easy, no watch experiment a success. I may try it again next week.
The Newport Back Bay run is a good one. The basic loop is roughly 10 miles depending on the streets you take through the neighborhood on the west side of the bay. It is mostly an asphalt bike trail. The east side of the bay requires running up Back Bay Drive, a one way road with very little traffic. With the addition of the San Diego Creek Trail a runner can put together any mileage required. The coastal locale makes for cool, overcast conditions early in the day; ideal in my estimation.
“For some reason the summer has not been kind where running is concerned. The heat has left me weary and tired. Energy reserves have been running low. My body has felt achy. I’ve felt sluggish and slow. The more I push the less productive I’ve become. The less productive I’ve become the more defeated I’ve felt. The effort to make some progress has been mostly unsuccessful though I’ve run on a consistent basis. There have been some good weeks but most have been a struggle.”
I am glad to know that I wasn't alone in feeling this way. It was a timely post and more eloquently stated than I could muster.
Wednesday, I put in 6 miles in Bonelli escorted by Bryan on the bike. We got started a little after 7:30. Part of our route takes us through “The Jungle”, a trail that goes through some pretty dense trees and underbrush. At twilight it is significantly darker in “The Jungle”. I think it spooked Bryan on Sunday, but Wednesday he came prepared with a flashlight. When we finished, he told me that these rides were getting easier. I’m really thankful that he’s enjoying this.
On Thursday I went back over to the equestrian trail in Walnut for 8 miles. I ended up running across a coworker and his family out for a walk. They just recently moved into the neighborhood. We were all a little surprised to meet up. We talked for a little while. They were afraid that they were holding me up, but with the easy, no watch thing going on I didn’t worry about the little break, at all. The bummer thing about this run is that by the time I was done just after 8:00 pm, I had to use my headlights to drive home. Headlights at 8:00 mean summer is winding down. All ready? Man time flies. The next day we both remembered the longer days of our childhoods near Detroit and Cleveland. Daylight lasts until 9:00 in the summer farther north in the hemisphere, but then again the nights are probably longer in winter. I don’t really remember.
I followed this up with 6 miles Friday morning before work around my neighborhood. Along the way I was aware of all the litter along the sides of the road. Apparently nobody cooks at home anymore or sees fit to take their cups, bags and burger wrappers to the trash can at home. I told myself I would go back out sometime and clean up. I realize there are bigger issues in the world but this is such a simple thing. Didn’t we all learn, probably in kindergarten, to clean up after ourselves? Enough of that, on to today’s run.
The CA Cruisers were off to another exotic local, the Newport Back Bay. Celeste and I ran here once training for LA. Being in the OC again, I invited Jeff along. Luckily we both had the same mileage scheduled. Jeff invited Natty to come along as well. Another runner/blogger in the area, cool! When I got to the meeting spot, I recognized Natty immediately from reading up on her blog Friday morning. She has a wonderful smile. There was a pretty good representation of paces today and Natty fell in with Annabelle for the 10 mile loop around the bay. I really hope she enjoyed meeting us and thanks to Jeff for inviting her out.
The parking situation was a little chaotic, no one remembers this many cars here before, so we got a little bit of a later start than normal. I was a little worried about how today would go. I was hoping that I could bust out of the slow easy pace for this run.
Jesse was back today but planning on taking it easy on the hamstring. Jeff, Dave and I took the lead early. Jeff and I made a pitstop at the YMCA about a mile into the run and proceeded to play catch up with the rest of the group. We caught most of the group in a mile or so. We eventually caught Dave, Jay and Jim on our way through a really nice neighborhood along Galaxy and Polaris Dr. We reeled in Michelle and Anna, then finally caught up to Jesse and Annette on Back Bay Dr. Jesse was keeping up a decent clip for someone taking it easy. Jeff tried to convince them all that we were on our second lap around. For some reason they didn’t believe him! So about the pace, I stopped my watch when we hit the YMCA and forgot to start it again. So 6 miles into the run I was still at 11:30. Dang that’s fast, less than 2 minutes/mile. What was I worried about.
I didn’t really know our pace but Jeff seemed OK with whatever we were doing and we were reeling people in. To get in our 15 miles we added an extra out and back up the San Diego Creek Trail. Jeff’s training plan called for the last 3 miles at marathon pace. For him that’s 7:00 miles. Needless to say I finished up on my own. Somehow I missed the turnoff to the cars on the way back and put in at least an extra half a mile trying to get back. The first 12 miles were done in 1:44 (Jeff’s watch), my last 3.5 or so were done in 30.5 minutes (my watch), making my pace overall 8:41. I felt good the whole way and finished stronger than I have in weeks. I’d have to call the easy, no watch experiment a success. I may try it again next week.
The Newport Back Bay run is a good one. The basic loop is roughly 10 miles depending on the streets you take through the neighborhood on the west side of the bay. It is mostly an asphalt bike trail. The east side of the bay requires running up Back Bay Drive, a one way road with very little traffic. With the addition of the San Diego Creek Trail a runner can put together any mileage required. The coastal locale makes for cool, overcast conditions early in the day; ideal in my estimation.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Enjoy the Flow
I figure I have a couple of options to help my legs and brain feel better. I could back off on the schedule by dumping the 6th day or backing off on daily mileage. Neither option is very attractive to me. I don't want to give up on 6 day weeks after only one week. The other option I think I have is to stick to the plan and take the runs slow and easy. I decided to ditch the watch for a week. I've given myself as much grief over my slow times as I have over the state of the legs. The way I see it if I go slow on purpose but have no physical evidence (the watch) of the pace, I can just run and heal.
Tonight I went for my 6 over at the Santa Fe Dam (on the San Gabriel River, remember). As I walked to the 30.0 mile marker that starts my run, I realized I still had my watch on. A mistake? I decided, I would start it but not look at it. I did manage to get the whole run in without once looking at the watch. I usually take mile splits, but not today.
The picture is from Saturday's run in Aliso Canyon - me, Jeff and Jim heading back down West Ridge Trail from Top of the World. I don't know if you can tell or not from the picture but I squint a lot. All the tension in my face get transferred into my neck and down. I notice my shoulders moving up on the run and while I am the keyboard. Its something I have to continually be aware of. During a run when I get tired my head tilts to the left and down. I know all these things add up negatively on running form. Today I focused on keeping my head up and looking ahead, keeping my shoulders down and relaxed and keeping my eyes from squinting and scrunching my face up. I stayed loose, enjoyed the flow and just moved along. Six miles and everything felt good. I did check the watch at the end and was pleasantly surprised with a 9:15 pace overall. Tomorrow, I plan on running Bonelli. I will leave the watch at home. Really, I will.
-------------------
I got Bryan to agree to a bike ride on Sunday evening in Bonelli. We both rode, he picked the route. We went out about 7:30 p.m. and finished in the dark. I'm hoping he'll join me again tomorrow.
-------------------
A couple of fun clues in today's crossword:
17 Across: Cabot or Coe - Sebastian (Coe)
3 Down: Ruth or Zaharias - Babe (Zaharias)
I'm a geek, I know it. But you've got to find pleasure in the little things, right?
Tonight I went for my 6 over at the Santa Fe Dam (on the San Gabriel River, remember). As I walked to the 30.0 mile marker that starts my run, I realized I still had my watch on. A mistake? I decided, I would start it but not look at it. I did manage to get the whole run in without once looking at the watch. I usually take mile splits, but not today.
The picture is from Saturday's run in Aliso Canyon - me, Jeff and Jim heading back down West Ridge Trail from Top of the World. I don't know if you can tell or not from the picture but I squint a lot. All the tension in my face get transferred into my neck and down. I notice my shoulders moving up on the run and while I am the keyboard. Its something I have to continually be aware of. During a run when I get tired my head tilts to the left and down. I know all these things add up negatively on running form. Today I focused on keeping my head up and looking ahead, keeping my shoulders down and relaxed and keeping my eyes from squinting and scrunching my face up. I stayed loose, enjoyed the flow and just moved along. Six miles and everything felt good. I did check the watch at the end and was pleasantly surprised with a 9:15 pace overall. Tomorrow, I plan on running Bonelli. I will leave the watch at home. Really, I will.
-------------------
I got Bryan to agree to a bike ride on Sunday evening in Bonelli. We both rode, he picked the route. We went out about 7:30 p.m. and finished in the dark. I'm hoping he'll join me again tomorrow.
-------------------
A couple of fun clues in today's crossword:
17 Across: Cabot or Coe - Sebastian (Coe)
3 Down: Ruth or Zaharias - Babe (Zaharias)
I'm a geek, I know it. But you've got to find pleasure in the little things, right?
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Shredded
I went to bed Saturday night with my legs feeling that they were shredded. Literally they felt like hamburger. They felt hot from the inside out, like raw meat on the grill. I fell asleep to all kinds of crazy thoughts about what I was doing to myself. Is it just the heat of summer? Did I ramp back up too quickly from the marathon? Am I just a wuss? Since the marathon my weekly mileage has gone 21, 34, and 38 to 48 miles this week. I’m just looking for any reason to explain why my legs feel so crappy and the efforts so tough with only slow times to show for it. Nearly all my runs since Seafair have been slower than before Seafair. I’m not really whining, just wondering if I’m doing more harm than good in my quest to hit 50 mile weeks and trying to squeeze every possible 20 miler out of the time I’ve got before the next marathon.
The good side is I got up this morning on time and went for 5 miles in Bonelli on the hills. My legs felt tired but I kept moving forward and ended up with a time that was somewhere in the middle of my fastest and slowest times for the same course. I am pretty happy with that. So all in all for the week I ended up with 48 miles on 6 days of running. This is all part of the grand plan and although I had serious doubts about my plan yesterday, I was determined not to give in yet.
Saturday morning I joined the Cruisers down near Laguna Beach/Aliso Viejo for a run in Aliso Woods. The distance from home and the hills thinned our little group out considerably. A couple of the die hard 6:42 folks were there too. Since we were deep in the OC, I invited Jeff – The Amazing Hip to join us. I was grateful to have someone to run with. Jeff had 18 on his schedule, I had 20. The way I’ve felt lately, 18 was a great alternative. Aliso Woods is technically a wilderness park, but it is shoe horned into a couple of pretty upscale neighborhoods. Its easy accessibility makes it a favorite of cyclists, runners and hikers. The wide fire roads relieve much of the congestion that might be associated with someplace so popular.
From the parking lot, the run starts out with about a mile on paved road. We then headed left up the Wood Canyon Trail, a very gentle, sometimes sandy trail. There are several jumping off points that would take you up to the ridge. We ran all the way to the Cholla Trail. Cholla is about ¼ mile of switchbacks. It was a lot of fun. I wasn’t fast but I got up it. I did manage to sneak in one walking step that didn’t go unnoticed by Jeff. He teased me about that. Jeff had stashed some water and Gatorade in a neighborhood that abuts the park here. The Amazing Hip thinks of everything. Jim and Dave were right behind us but continued on as we refilled our supplies. We headed along West Ridge Trail toward the Top of the World, yet another place where the park abuts civilization. West Ridge Trail has a couple of hills but nothing too tough. On the last incline Jeff and I ran into Jim one his own headed back down from the Top. Dave had taken one of the other trails back down for a shorter run. Jim turned around to join us for a return trip to the Top. I trailed them up that hill. We took a decent break at the Top. We had a really great view of the ocean from up there. Seven miles so far and I felt pretty good. I had no real idea how fast or slow we were going. The plan was to retrace our steps and then head up the Aliso Creek Bike path for 4 more.
The return trip is predominately downhill. Only a little way back down we came upon the rest of the Cruisers. From there we had a great view overlooking Laguna Canyon Road as it snaked its way toward the beach. The Cruisers headed down Mathis Trail. Jeff and I continued on West Ridge. Running down Cholla was a blast. On the way out we came upon lots of bikers and runners heading in. The mountain bikers almost always greeted us. This is a departure from the road bikers I usually encounter on the bike trail in Yorba Linda. The road bikers seem to be annoyed with us runners.
I was really enjoying the run. I wasn’t checking my watch and had no real idea how far we had gone. About the time that we rejoined the access road, I began to run out of steam (around 13 miles). This was discouraging. All my runs had been ending up this way lately. When we got to the parking lot we met the Cruisers again, took a break and enjoyed some ice cold water. Then it was off to finish this puppy off.
Jeff said something about heading up the trail. I told him I didn’t like the sound of that word up. The bike trail is uphill; ever so slightly but undeniably up. Under different circumstances I wouldn’t even have thought about it. I could have been easily talked into stopping back at the parking lot. A quick check of the watch before we started showed we had run for roughly 2:20 or 14 miles at 10:00 miles. I thought that was a little slow considering the trail wasn’t that tough. On the bike trail I felt like I was holding Jeff back. It was nice to hear that we were maintaining somewhere around 8:15 pace, so even though I felt like I was slogging along we were keeping a respectable pace. The total run time was about 2:50. Jeff reminded me that the long run was about time on your feet not about pace, but it still bothered me. I probably did a poor job of fueling and hydrating since I wasn’t paying attention to time or miles.
When I got home I tried taking an ice bath. There wasn’t enough ice in the freezer to do an adequate job. Although it was cool, it wasn’t “ice cold”. Next time I think I’ll have to stop at the store on the way home and pick up a couple of bags of ice.
Let’s see how week two goes.
The good side is I got up this morning on time and went for 5 miles in Bonelli on the hills. My legs felt tired but I kept moving forward and ended up with a time that was somewhere in the middle of my fastest and slowest times for the same course. I am pretty happy with that. So all in all for the week I ended up with 48 miles on 6 days of running. This is all part of the grand plan and although I had serious doubts about my plan yesterday, I was determined not to give in yet.
Saturday morning I joined the Cruisers down near Laguna Beach/Aliso Viejo for a run in Aliso Woods. The distance from home and the hills thinned our little group out considerably. A couple of the die hard 6:42 folks were there too. Since we were deep in the OC, I invited Jeff – The Amazing Hip to join us. I was grateful to have someone to run with. Jeff had 18 on his schedule, I had 20. The way I’ve felt lately, 18 was a great alternative. Aliso Woods is technically a wilderness park, but it is shoe horned into a couple of pretty upscale neighborhoods. Its easy accessibility makes it a favorite of cyclists, runners and hikers. The wide fire roads relieve much of the congestion that might be associated with someplace so popular.
From the parking lot, the run starts out with about a mile on paved road. We then headed left up the Wood Canyon Trail, a very gentle, sometimes sandy trail. There are several jumping off points that would take you up to the ridge. We ran all the way to the Cholla Trail. Cholla is about ¼ mile of switchbacks. It was a lot of fun. I wasn’t fast but I got up it. I did manage to sneak in one walking step that didn’t go unnoticed by Jeff. He teased me about that. Jeff had stashed some water and Gatorade in a neighborhood that abuts the park here. The Amazing Hip thinks of everything. Jim and Dave were right behind us but continued on as we refilled our supplies. We headed along West Ridge Trail toward the Top of the World, yet another place where the park abuts civilization. West Ridge Trail has a couple of hills but nothing too tough. On the last incline Jeff and I ran into Jim one his own headed back down from the Top. Dave had taken one of the other trails back down for a shorter run. Jim turned around to join us for a return trip to the Top. I trailed them up that hill. We took a decent break at the Top. We had a really great view of the ocean from up there. Seven miles so far and I felt pretty good. I had no real idea how fast or slow we were going. The plan was to retrace our steps and then head up the Aliso Creek Bike path for 4 more.
The return trip is predominately downhill. Only a little way back down we came upon the rest of the Cruisers. From there we had a great view overlooking Laguna Canyon Road as it snaked its way toward the beach. The Cruisers headed down Mathis Trail. Jeff and I continued on West Ridge. Running down Cholla was a blast. On the way out we came upon lots of bikers and runners heading in. The mountain bikers almost always greeted us. This is a departure from the road bikers I usually encounter on the bike trail in Yorba Linda. The road bikers seem to be annoyed with us runners.
I was really enjoying the run. I wasn’t checking my watch and had no real idea how far we had gone. About the time that we rejoined the access road, I began to run out of steam (around 13 miles). This was discouraging. All my runs had been ending up this way lately. When we got to the parking lot we met the Cruisers again, took a break and enjoyed some ice cold water. Then it was off to finish this puppy off.
Jeff said something about heading up the trail. I told him I didn’t like the sound of that word up. The bike trail is uphill; ever so slightly but undeniably up. Under different circumstances I wouldn’t even have thought about it. I could have been easily talked into stopping back at the parking lot. A quick check of the watch before we started showed we had run for roughly 2:20 or 14 miles at 10:00 miles. I thought that was a little slow considering the trail wasn’t that tough. On the bike trail I felt like I was holding Jeff back. It was nice to hear that we were maintaining somewhere around 8:15 pace, so even though I felt like I was slogging along we were keeping a respectable pace. The total run time was about 2:50. Jeff reminded me that the long run was about time on your feet not about pace, but it still bothered me. I probably did a poor job of fueling and hydrating since I wasn’t paying attention to time or miles.
When I got home I tried taking an ice bath. There wasn’t enough ice in the freezer to do an adequate job. Although it was cool, it wasn’t “ice cold”. Next time I think I’ll have to stop at the store on the way home and pick up a couple of bags of ice.
Let’s see how week two goes.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
The New LA Marathon
On Monday the Los Angeles Marathon announced a new point to point course. It will start at Universal Studios and finish at the same place it used to. The last 5 miles are roughly what used to be the first 5 miles. The whole newness factor got me a little excited about this race. It is afterall my hometown marathon and the reason I started running in the first place. I've run it twice and swore never to run it again after the second one. Of the 8 marathons I've done, it is the one I enjoyed the least. I suppose since it is my hometown race, I should run it every year until I conquer it. They also updated their website with a whole new look. It had been the same since at least 2003. It looks pretty nice, I think.
I was discussing the possibility of running it in 2007 with my wife and she brought me back down to earth. "What other races do you have planned for next year?" she asked. At first I couldn't think of anything yet, 2007 is a wide open slate. The only thing I know we have planned is a fall cruise of New England with two other couples. That is going to take a major chunk out of the vacation budget in 2007. I can't believe I actually agreed to a vacation that doesn't involve running. I'm sure I'll find a way to slip it in somewhere.
I finally remembered my hope to add Oregon to my list by running the inaugural Eugene Marathon. I quickly checked the date - April 29, just one week before LA on March 4. It's one or the other. I also remembered my plan to ride the LA Acura Bike Tour with my youngest son and volunteer again. To early to tell, but Eugene is my preference. I'd better start saving my pennies (and $'s)!
I was also considering running Big Sur, especially since most of the Cruisers are on board for 2007 (their idea, not mine). BSIM is the same weekend, the same day even, as Eugene. So many really cool races, so little time.
The Cruiser's are hoping to put together a couple of relay teams for the Inaugural Inland Empire Marathon on December 2, 2006. That one will be a relative piece of cake to pull off. Close to home and only 6 to 8 miles to run. I have a few other ideas in the back of my head and nothing is set in stone yet. LA and my wife just got me thinking that's all.
As far as my training goes, 20 degrees cooler makes a world of difference. I put in 6 miles on Tuesday over at the Santa Fe Dam, 6 miles on Wednesday at Bonelli accompanied by Bryan on the bike. Tonight I put in 8 miles over on the equestrian trails in Walnut, CA. Last week my legs felt dead. The cooler weather has brought them back to life, or at least lightened them up a little. I'm going to get up and run 5 tomorrow before work.
If you don't already read Joe - Run with Perseverance you should stop by. Joe was asking about marathon pace and I'm sure we could all offer some advice.
I'm looking forward to this weekends run at Aliso Woods. I've enjoyed reading about it on Jessica's blog "My Southern California Trail Running" She takes some great pictures of the places she's run and I'm looking forward to seeing and running Aliso Woods first hand.
Have a great Friday and put in some awesome miles this weekend.
I was discussing the possibility of running it in 2007 with my wife and she brought me back down to earth. "What other races do you have planned for next year?" she asked. At first I couldn't think of anything yet, 2007 is a wide open slate. The only thing I know we have planned is a fall cruise of New England with two other couples. That is going to take a major chunk out of the vacation budget in 2007. I can't believe I actually agreed to a vacation that doesn't involve running. I'm sure I'll find a way to slip it in somewhere.
I finally remembered my hope to add Oregon to my list by running the inaugural Eugene Marathon. I quickly checked the date - April 29, just one week before LA on March 4. It's one or the other. I also remembered my plan to ride the LA Acura Bike Tour with my youngest son and volunteer again. To early to tell, but Eugene is my preference. I'd better start saving my pennies (and $'s)!
I was also considering running Big Sur, especially since most of the Cruisers are on board for 2007 (their idea, not mine). BSIM is the same weekend, the same day even, as Eugene. So many really cool races, so little time.
The Cruiser's are hoping to put together a couple of relay teams for the Inaugural Inland Empire Marathon on December 2, 2006. That one will be a relative piece of cake to pull off. Close to home and only 6 to 8 miles to run. I have a few other ideas in the back of my head and nothing is set in stone yet. LA and my wife just got me thinking that's all.
As far as my training goes, 20 degrees cooler makes a world of difference. I put in 6 miles on Tuesday over at the Santa Fe Dam, 6 miles on Wednesday at Bonelli accompanied by Bryan on the bike. Tonight I put in 8 miles over on the equestrian trails in Walnut, CA. Last week my legs felt dead. The cooler weather has brought them back to life, or at least lightened them up a little. I'm going to get up and run 5 tomorrow before work.
If you don't already read Joe - Run with Perseverance you should stop by. Joe was asking about marathon pace and I'm sure we could all offer some advice.
I'm looking forward to this weekends run at Aliso Woods. I've enjoyed reading about it on Jessica's blog "My Southern California Trail Running" She takes some great pictures of the places she's run and I'm looking forward to seeing and running Aliso Woods first hand.
Have a great Friday and put in some awesome miles this weekend.
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