Memoirs

I like games. I also like winning games. I don't usually play a game that I have no chance of winning, like football and poker. This game I could at least give it a good try and who's to say if I won or lost.

I was tagged by "Sarah," of "Run...Here...Now" to play a little game called "six word memoir".

Here are the rules:
1) Write your own six word memoir
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links
5) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

I thought of a few tactics for this one, but the hardest part for me was choosing 6 words. I kept coming up with 5 or 7. But the rules are the rules and being the black and white kinda guy I am I had to stick to them. Kind of like a training plan, you know. So here goes....

"Still trying to figure it out"

Visual illustration, huh? How about this (I'm on the road so I'm borrowing a pix from the web):

"Mark 8:36"

OK, that meets rules 1, 2, and 3. So in the spirit of the game I tag: Pat, Danny, Charlie, Randy and Ben (PreFan1982). I will be leaving comments on said blogs soon. I apologize if you’ve already been tagged or don’t like playing along, but since I’ve already made a point about being a stickler for the rules, I gotta do it. Rules 4 and 5 complete.

As for me on the running front, it’s been 4 full weeks without running. I have an appointment with the doc next Tuesday. I hope to know more then. I have felt a decrease in the pain level, but the thought of testing the waters scares me a little at this point.

I checked the calendar to count back from Memphis in December. I feel like it might be prudent to start at or very near square one when I am able, both mentally and physically, to run again. A beginner’s marathon training program would have me starting mid-June.

Bonelli Vicariously

Tyler was home last week; spring break. He has been able to start running again, building back up from the stress fracture he sustained after the half marathon. He found a program online from the Pfitzinger Lab Report. I've bookmarked it myself for future reference.

Although not strictly on the plan, he took advantage of the terrific spring weather and headed over to Bonelli for a 3.5 mile jaunt and brought his camera along.

I haven't run a step since the last run of the WTRS. Total mileage for March 2008 was an all time record low of 26.7 miles. A coworker made the observation that maybe this is what happens when you break your self imposed moratorium on California marathons for Catalina and Big Sur.

I've kept myself busy with home improvement projects. The hedge around the backyard is completely trimmed from one end to other for the first time since we moved into this house in 2000. We've painted our bedroom (twice) and installed, trimmed and painted 4 new interior doors. I've got three more to do and a bathroom remodel scheduled.

Run and race well and put in a couple of miles for me.

A Simple e-Mail

I've considered several posts about the situation I find myself in but haven't quite figured out how or what I really want to say. This email string pretty much tells the story in far less words than any post I've composed in my head.


Hi Darrell,

Did you get to run Catalina? How are your legs? We hope you will heal in time for the Big Sur. When is your next state marathon? Be sure to put April 19th on your calendar for the Big Sur get together.

See you soon,

John and Dorothy

------------------------------------------------------

John & Dorothy,

I've definitely put the 19th on the calendar.

I did not run Catalina. The docs think I probably have a stress fracture. X-rays are inconclusive but there is a tell tale pain on the bone. Everyone recommended against Catalina so I finally listened. Big Sur looks doubtful at this point as well. It is only 6 weeks away. If I take 6 weeks off there is no way I'll be ready for a marathon. I may not even be ready for a leg of the relay, which I may consider if there was an opening. We'll be going anyway since Tyler is running one of the relay legs.

No states are planned this year yet, except for possibly Tennessee in December. I've got to let the leg heal up completely if I have any hope of running 38 more states someday.

Take care,
Darrell

WTRS Comes to an End

Here it is almost time for another weekend, and I'm finally getting around to posting about the last race in the Winter Trail Run Series. This time out it was 21K on completely new trails from the rest of the series. The maps and Garmins show 12.7 miles but I guess a 20.4K doesn't have quite the same ring.

What a beautiful weather day it was. We we so lucky throughout this whole series with the weather. It often rained the whole week before and even within hours after finishing but never on the race. I was kind of in a whiny mood at the start. I was cold (it wasn't really), I was tired (I hadn't slept well the night before) and my leg (the right one with the calf/shin issue) wasn't feeling too good. My bib number was 250. I hoped that that wasn't going to be my finish time.

We headed off down the road and it seemed like just about everybody took off ahead of me. I was taking it as easy as I could to assure a finish with the bum leg. As we chugged up the first climb up Main Divide, there were more than a few of us walking. The RD had counseled us to walk this and save our energies for later. We'd need it. I knew what was in store but I'm not sure how many others really did. Going up hill doesn't bother the leg.

After the aid station we headed down the Trabuco Trail, 1400 feet down. It was an amazing beautiful and fun trail to run down. The leg held up but I felt each step going down. I slowed to almost a walk on the steeper parts. There were some really rocky sections that made footing a bit of an issue.

Once we hit the bottom we headed UP and I do mean UP, Horsethief Trail, back up 1300 feet of the 1400 we'd just come down except up in 1.5 miles instead of the 2.5 miles down. I'd run this section before. There wasn't much running, but I did pass a couple of people even walking UP. As we approach the peak the trail takes on a different look, more sandy with ironwood brush. I was very happy to see this area knowing that the hardest part was over.

This time went we hit the summit we headed right on Main Divide back toward the aid station and ultimately down the hill again back to that starting line. Going down that hill was one of the toughest runs ever. My leg was throbbing with each downward step. I've never been a good downhill runner and on this particular day my downhill run was probably slower than my uphill walk. The last quarter of a mile or so was on a flat trail, except for the fallen tree we had to climb over.

My final time was 2:45:46, longer than the Boney Mountain Half in January by 10 minutes or so. I'm not sure which course is tougher, neither is easy, but I was happy to have completed the whole Winter Trail Series. This has been on my running radar for awhile. I wouldn't mind adding this as an annual event on the race calendar. You can't really beat a winter race where you can where a sleeveless shirt and get a head start on your summer tan!

This post has gone on long enough, so the current state of the leg "injury" will have to wait for another post. Sorry.

Making Exceptions

This post has been a long time comin'. Finally, the answer to where's Darrell going to run his next marathon? What state is he going to conquer next?

I'd like to thank the bloggers that have invited me out to their state in 2008. David in Florida, Wes in Georgia and Rae in Tennessee. I have to give special mention to Neese, fellow ex-Ohioan, who volunteered to send my wife emails to get me to come to South Carolina. All places I'd love to go and people I'd like to meet (or see again in Wes' case).

My running group, the CA Cruisers, have been planning a yearly destination race. 2005 - Chicago, 2006 - St. George, UT, 2007 - Washington DC. In 2008 they've decided that the destination is the Big Sur Marathon. What was I going to do? I've had a moratorium on California marathons in favor of the state goal, but there was no way I was going to miss out on Donald's favorite marathon. Donald has done such a great job talking up this marathon, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd run it.

I had originally committed to running my first ultra in CA this winter as well. When that didn't pan out I decided to go all the way with the California exceptions in 2008 and added another race from my wish list. With any luck I will be running the Catalina Marathon next weekend. I've hinted at running the inaugural Big Bear marathon in the fall as long as I've gone and broken the No CA Marathons Rule.

The big factor now is the state of my right calf. The knot/pain gets better during the week when I only do the bike at the gym but then flares back up in a big way after my longish runs on the weekend. The pain started about the time I started the WTRS wearing my trail shoes. I'm slated to run race #4 of the series this weekend and I'm going to wear my street shoes.

I do have an appointment Friday afternoon at a sports medicine/physical therapy clinic that comes highly regarded by a couple of my Cruiser running pals. After Catalina I can take some time off but I've only got 6 weeks after that before Big Sur. I don't expect much from either race in terms of times but I do hope to cross the finish lines having enjoyed the routes and with a smile on my face.

As far as other states in 2008, I only have tentative plans to meet Joe in Tennessee at the Memphis Marathon for what will become our 3rd Annual Early December Blogger Reunion Marathon. All are welcome to join us.

So, there it is, finally - my 2008 marathon plans assuming I can rehab the leg properly:

March 15 - Catalina Marathon, CA
April 27 - Big Sur International Marathon, CA
Sept 6 - Big Bear Marathon, CA
Dec 6 - Memphis Marathon, TN

Unexpected

Just like last week my only miles were my Saturday long run. And just like last week I got some sort of aerobic exercise on the stationary bike at the gym on three occasions.

The weather all week had been very decidedly spring-like. I hadn't had a chance to run with my Cruiser buds for a while. This week's email plans included the line "It looks like we can put aside the rain gear for this week end and pick up the sunscreen instead." I was also excited about running with them since they planned on running into Chino Hills State Park. Trails - woo hoo!

Much to my surprise I awoke to a cloudy, misty morning. I checked the weather on-line and the forecast called for highs in the 70's and 10% chance of precipitation. Since the run was 30 miles from home I went out the door dressed for the sunnier weather predicted. Alas I arrived in Yorba Linda to the same gloomy, wet conditions.

The run included 2 miles on streets to get into the park. The street was Fairmont and the direction was UP. What a way to start the run, I hadn't expected that (but the downhill finish was sure going to be appreciated).

We regrouped when we hit the entrance to the park. I fell in with Denis for the loop through the park. He had just recently returned from running a marathon in Tahiti. I think that is pretty cool. This was also his first time running in Chino State Park. I think he really enjoyed it. The low clouds and mist persisted throughout the run, making visibility with glasses difficult. It even rained a little at one point, not exactly the weather I expected, but really good for running none the less.

The loop on Southridge, down Diemer, Telegraph Canyon and back up Little Canyon trail was 5 miles. Add this to the road section and the whole run would have been 9 miles. I was really hoping for more. When Dennis and I reached the exit there were some of the faster runners waiting for us. Among them was Julie, my MCM partner and current WTRS buddy.

I looked at her an told her I was thinking about making another loop around. She just looked at me and then said "You're not kidding are you? Do you need the miles?" No, I wasn't kidding and I kind of hoped she'd be interested in going around with me. As far as needing the miles, I don't know, but I did WANT the miles. Julie wasn't biting so I ran the loop alone for a total of 14 miles.

My total mileage in February was a paltry 83.1 even with the added extra bonus leap day. It is likely to be on the low side for the near future.

Fifteen Minutes

On my way to work this morning I got a call from a friend Mike. Mike was surprised to find my picture in the newspaper. Even more surprising is that it was on the first page of the sports section. Finding my picture in the sports pages, let alone the front page, is about the most unlikely occurrence I could expect. How did this happen?

A while back I was approached by Doug Padilla, sports writer for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. He had been researching the Internet with the intent of finding some local high school athletes that had gone on to great things at little out of the way schools. His search accidentally led him to me (Thanks, Google!). Doug and his editor were intrigued. I met Doug over lunch about a month ago and told him my story. He arranged for a photographer to meet me on my next training run the following Saturday.

The article appeared in today's paper. The Tribune is part of a larger conglomerate so the story is also in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Pasadena Star News and the Whittier Daily News. Here's a link to the story, minus the picture in the print version. I like that Doug took the angle or running with a group to insure success. It's bummer that he left Lisa out of the story. A big part of my story is her support and how we share the trips as mini vacations.

Enjoy the story. My wife bought 6 copies at lunch for various relatives. A coworker printed out the online text and hung it up in the coffee area. My father-in-law was impressed that someone in the family made the paper without dying or being in jail!

Thanks Doug for making me a star for at least a few minutes.

WTRS #3

Another beautiful morning for a race in the mountains. We have been so fortunate with the weather during this series. Just like the first race four weeks ago, it rained off and on all week and the people on TV who get paid to "predict" the weather were talking rain off and on all weekend as well.

We arrived at race start under mostly clear skies with temps on the chilly side, about 35 degree F. The 18K course was predominately a replay of the 12 and 15K course with a little extra loop thrown in. The extra loop was part of the Chiquita Trail. It is one of the most easily runnable and enjoyable parts of the entire series so far. My friends and I have finished up in the same order at each race. Jim comes in first among us and wins his age group, then Julie, me, Terry and Mike. There were 108 starters and finishers. Within the first mile we've each pretty much found our groove. For the last three miles I ran alone. There was no one in sight in either direction of me. I ran that rocky downhill alone again but this time I knew I was on the right track. By my watch my time was 2:10, about on target for my pace in the other races of this series, at 11:30-ish.

By the time I drove home and showered, it was 2:00 in the afternoon and raining again. Not a bad day at the races. As predicted in the last post this was pretty much my only mileage for the week. I did get in 1 mile on the treadmill before weights with the personal trainer on Wednesday.
Speaking of the personal trainer, I've had an appointment with him once a week for the last 7 weeks or so. When I signed up I negotiated some extra sessions and my son was taking advantage of those. Although he still goes to the gym his tolerance for being pushed a little extra by the PT has worn out after about three sessions, so for the last two weeks I've worked with the PT twice a week.

My primary goal when I signed up was to gain some upper body and core strength. Every week the PT asks what we going to work on and I always say upper body. He has tried to convince me to add some leg work into the mix. After working the upper body two times with the trainer last week (I've been working the upper on my own at least two other times each week as well), I finally decided to throw legs into the mix on Wednesday.

I've resisted leg work assuming that as a runner, my legs were strong. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong. He worked my legs and it hurt way more than I ever expected it too. Thursday my legs were sore. By Friday they were major sore. Sitting down and standing up were major undertakings. I believe they hurt worse than after any marathon. By Saturday, race morning, they were still pretty stiff and sore. The first few steps of the race, I felt like I couldn't get moving. Fortunatley they finally kicked into gear and the weight session didn't seem to have much of a negative effect on the outcome of the race.

The pain between my shin bone and calf was noticeable during the race, but not so painful that I couldn't run. I iced it when I got home and for most of the afternoon it felt pretty good. By late evening it had knotted up pretty well and walking was painful, especially the first couple of steps. Today my legs are feeling a little livelier post workout and I've continued the ice and Alleve regimen for the shin/calf thing. I plan on sticking to non load bearing cardio this week with only a 15 miler or so planned for the weekend. The 4th and final race of the WTRS is in two weeks. It is 21K on completely different trails. This one includes part of Main Divide Road and Trabuco Trail, which I've run before, in the rain. We'll see what the weather dude's have in store for us this time.

Until then, run happy!

Word to the Wise

After applying Biofreeze gel to your sore calf, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before using the john.

Twenty near LAX

Last weekend's 20 miler was the only run I got done last week. I did make it to the gym twice during the week and put in some good crosstraining efforts on the elliptical and the bike.

Just for something a little different, for the run I headed to the LA county beaches. I started out near the Los Angeles International Airport at Dockweiler Beach and headed north. I only had a rough idea of landmarks for a turn around point, so I mostly ran for by time. Since I run naked (no Garmin) the 20 miles may be a little soft but not by much.

I ran around the marina at Marina Del Rey and then through Venice City Beach and up past Santa Monica State Beach before turning around. On major con of this route is all the concrete and that the bike path is marked "Bikes Only" but the bikers were in a mood to share. The pros included the carefree nature of the run and on the way north I ran into many large groups of runners from the LA Road Runners. There must have been 8 to 10 different pace groups of runners with up to 20 or so in each group. It was pretty cool to see that many runners training en masse. The Los Angeles Marathon is only two weeks away. It is NOT my next marathon.

I was out there for 3:09 so the 20 miler distance better not be too soft. The 9:27 pace is still among my slowest paces in a very long time. At the end of the run I felt like a zombie. Luckily after a cool down walk, some light stretches, some food (a power bar and banana) and some cold water I felt human again in no time at all.

I haven't mentioned it much lately but the left hip is still a nagging issue. I've gotten used to it. Stretching and massage seems to help a lot. Now I've got another thing that is bugging me even more. There's a pressure, sort of a large knot, between my tibia and my calf muscle that I feel with each step. I've been running through it, but now it hurts even walking. I've been trying to self massage and ice but the pressure is pretty deep. As much as I dislike the idea, I may need to seek professional advice.

This weekend is race #3 of the Winter Trail Run Series, an 18K. It may be the only run I get in this week

As Sarah note, the 20 miler likely indicates a marathon in the future. Hopefully this latest injury won't be the end of those plans.

WTRS #2

Another weekend, another trail race. Saturday was the second in a series of increasing distance on the trails in the Cleveland National Forest, Blue Jay Camp. This week the distance was 15K. We ran most of the 12K course with a little extra added on at the beginning.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was the Winter Trail Run Series. Based on the calendar it is technically winter, the 70 degree air felt a whole lot more like summer. Such is the difficulties we face here in Southern California.

David brings up the point that last week's 15K mudfest in Mission Gorge can't really be called a race. There's no doubt that for me, and probably a few others, these runs are just a chance to be outside on some trails that we might not get to be on otherwise and to share the fun with a bunch of other like minded individuals. On the other hand for some, the race is on, no matter the conditions of the trail. Trail racers are some of the fiercest competitors out there during the race and then the best cheerleaders for the rest us afterward.

This week's race was flawless, there were no trail marking snafu's this time. This time we all knew exactly when to turn right. The RD had sent out a scout on foot and another on bike to check the markers prerace. He is quite a colorful character and I get the feeling that he wouldn't be shy about disemboweling the culprit of last week's escapade.

I got my new 15K PR at this one, coming in at 1:46:35, good enough for 56 out of 129. The RD has put a nice write up about the race, here, if you care to read it. I carried my camera with me and took a couple of shots of the winter wonderland around me. (Thanks to Trail Scat for the Smilebox link.)

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Along that really rocky section I was running alone. I couldn't see or hear anyone in front or behind me. The trail looked familiar from the last time but I wasn't sure. I stopped a couple of times, not sure if I should keep going. I finally just kept going downhill hoping to see ribbons at the end. Thankfully they were there because I wasn't really lovin' the idea of going back up to find the right trail or that I was right all along.

It was a nice run. There's nothing really to complain about that.

Thursday, I was on vacation and had planned on getting the speedwork done on the 'mill at the gym during the day when the machines would be less busy. The 'mill seemed to work out well for me a couple of weeks back. Instead, the beautiful day beckoned me to run in Bonelli. I heeded the siren's call and left the speedwork for another day.

Sunday was equally as enchanting, weather wise, so I justified another trip to Bonelli even though my plan is to run three days a week at the moment. In my weakness I justified the extra miles as making up for the 15 miler on the schedule that was only a 15K. Still nothing to complain about.

I've got a 20 mile training run on tap this Saturday. Winter is still on vacation, the predicted high is 74F. (OK, now I'm just gloating.) Have a great week, be nice to your Valentine.

Mission Gorge Trail Run

This past weekend found me racing again, a trail race even.

After my 18 miler on Saturday I headed down to San Diego for the Mission Gorge Trail Run, a 15K race. This race is put on by the same folks that put on Boney Mountain a couple a weeks ago. I probably wouldn't have gone done for the run except for the fact that #1 son lives there. This weekend was supposed to have been the Twin Peaks 50/50. It had been postponed due to the fire damage last fall. I'm sort of glad it was postponed. At this point I don't feel ready, but of course my training would have been different if it had been on the horizon. Instead I've been having fun doing these shorter trail races.

I spent the night at Tyler's place. The night before we'd gone to The Oceanaire Seafood Room for a great seafood dinner as part of Restaurant Week in San Diego. Being a culinary arts student, Tyler had been aching to go there. I didn't realize until later that the executive chef, Brian Malarkey, was on Season 3 of Top Chef. If you are every in San Diego, I highly recommend it. I think reservations are required. Ask to sit in Ishmael's section. He will take very good care of you.

The superb weather that we enjoyed last weekend was no where to be seen for this race. We awoke to a heavy mist that turned into a light rain as the morning wore on. Tyler had wanted to run the 15K with me. An injury down graded him to the 5K and then ultimately to volunteering. He was definitely chomping at the bit for a chance to go run in the mud.

Run in the mud we did. The rain was steady the entire race. There was no escaping the mud. The trails became mini rivers. This course was one of the toughest course I'd run. The rain and mud made it even more challenging; a heck of a lot of fun, but challenging. There were two really big hills that we pretty much ran straight up. No switchbacks here. Running down the hill around mile 3 was more like sliding down the hill. I didn't see anybody fall, but each step you took was accompanied by a slide of 6 to 8 inches. My back got a great workout trying to maintain balance. Listening to the girls behind me going down the hill and screaming and laughing with each step was fun.

The biggest hill was another big straight one up, but this time with stairs. There was no running those babies. We ascended the stairs into the clouds. The wind on top was tough to take since we were all soaked to the skin. I was very glad that we weren't going back down the stairs.

After we'd made most of the descent back to the valley floor for the last couple of miles of the race, we crossed back and forth across a river about 4 times. There were rocks available to cross but at that point just crashing through the water couldn't get you any wetter. Besides it washed off some of the mud.

It was fun to cross the finish line to see Tyler there taking the tags off the bibs. He was soaked to the core as well. Someone had at least given him a trash bag as a rain coat. After some food, I began to cool down quickly. I went to the car to strip off the wet jacket and shirt and sat in the car in my shorts and my leather coat. Tyler worked for 20-30 minutes more before they relieved him of his duties.

When I was waiting for Tyler I had called home to let Lisa know I'd finished and that it had taken me 1:50 to run less than 10 miles. Her response was, "you suck!" We both got a laugh out of that. 12:00 pace is pretty slow for me but considering the hills, the mud and the rain, I guess it wasn't half bad. This was my first 15K, so setting the bar low assures a PR next time around. Right? After a shower and dry clothes back at Tyler's place, we went out for breakfast and then I headed home to a Super Bowl party.

At the race I saw an advertisement for the Big Bear Marathon, an inaugural event. You all know how I feel about inaugural events? It also fits in nicely with my other race plans for 2008 (which I still haven't had time to disclose).

Winter Trail Run Series

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay warm and dry.

Boney Moutain

This weekend I had to opportunity to run my first race of 2008. It was the Boney Mountain 21K Trail Run, part of the XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series. The races are put on by Generic Events and I think they do a pretty good job. The definitely are able to put on some races on some pretty nice trails around here. I've done a couple of their other races - Malibu Creek, twice and the La Jolla Canyon Legend, now called the Pt Mugu Trail Run. Each of these are fun races on wonderful terrain. Boney Mountain was no different, maybe even better.

I'm very fortunate to have been able to run in the race at all. It was originally scheduled for Oct 28, 2007. That was the weekend of the Marine Corps Marathon. Unfortunately the race had to be rescheduled due to the wild fires that were happening at the time. The trail was not ablaze but the air quality was just too bad for the event to go on.

The race locale was about 70 miles from my home, so it was an early morning. The race is almost all single track, very nice. The first miles is on road and then once we headed onto the single track, we fell into a pretty nicely paced single file line. There was a little jockeying for position, but not much. The first significant hill at mile three worked wonders at thinning out the ranks. I was surprised at the number of people that were forced to walk. I didn't really mind counting myself among them. The single track was a pretty deep depression in the ground about 2 feet wide and sometimes more than a foot deep. There was a group of about 6 of us in lock step from about mile 3 to 5.

One of the prettiest parts of the run was along the Blue Canyon Trail. After that began the real challenge of this race. Around mile 7 there is an earnest climb for the next 3 miles with about 1500 feet of elevation gain. I was pleased that along this stretch I was able to run, power hike or walk past a half dozen people or so. Check out the elevation chart here and an example of the views from the top here.

Once we hit the summit it was mostly downhill from there. I expected to be passed by the masses as I usually am but was really pleased when I was only passed by 3 people. I was passed by three more on the home stretch, flat, mile. There was just nothing left in these poor legs at that point.

My final time was 2:35 (official results aren't posted yet). So with no real expectations other than to get a run in and enjoy the scenery, I'd have to say it wasn't a bad day. I had heard others comment that the times at this race were on par with times from Malibu Creek. Although Malibu Creek is a mile longer, this course was more difficult.

After breakfast of eggs, muffins, bananas, oranges and coffee, I walked the mile or so back to where the cars were parked and headed home.

Earlier in the week I'd done my tempo run. I ran 6 miles at 8:07 pace. I'm pleased with that as well. Today the quads are complaining a little but I made it to the gym for some crosstraining; 35 minutes on the elliptical and some weights.

Sooner or later here I've got to set down my race goals for 2008. Maybe I'll have time mid week for that. I'm looking forward to reading all your reports about Disney and RNR AZ.

Victory Smile

I've been able to walk out the door at work each night very near 5 p.m. to remnants of day light. I was able to smile. I don't mind it being dark by the time I drive home, but leaving work in the pitch black has really thrown me for a loop this winter.

Tonight called for the dreaded speedwork. I've thought about it often since last week. I'm hybridizing my program from the first timers and Runner's World version. The first called out 4 x 800; the other 8 x 800. In a stroke of genius I settled on 6 x 800 with 1:30 rest breaks between.

Thanks to the (much needed) rain we had over the weekend I knew the local dirt track would be the local mud pit. I hate going round in circles there as much as I detest the treadmill, so I mapped out a stop light to stop light route on the local streets.

I needed a street with plenty of room (ample bike path) and few cross streets. My chosen route had one driveway and one lightly traveled cross street. Gmaps told me it was 0.4853 miles long. The standard 800 meter track is 0.4971 miles. Probably close enough for government work, but I still adjusted my real times to their 800 meter equivalent later.

I ran about 2.25 mile warm up to get to my designated starting light. Off I went. My first "800" came well under my goal of 3:48. I walked around for 1:30 and then took back off up the other side of the street (you gotta run against traffic, safety first, right?). The back trip took just a couple of seconds longer. Back down again and I was half done. After the trip back up I was pretty confident I was going to beat this speedwork. The last two "800's" were run with a smile.

I ran the same route back for a total of 7.5 miles. After some calculations back home my 800 equivalent times are: 3:36, 3:38, 3:34, 3:42, 3:35 and 3:44. It felt really good to have gotten this session under my belt. Battle won. Still smilin'.

After dinner, Bryan wanted to go to the gym. We did some work on the lateral machines and then headed off to the bikes. I got on one of the recumbant Lifecycles and took it pretty easy. When I was done Bryan was still pumping away on one of these babies. I jumped on the empty one next to him for 10 minutes more. Those things give you a pretty decent workout. It is my new favorite machine at the gym.

Awareness

Back to work, means less time for blogging.

The first week of the new plan hasn't gone maybe as well as it could. Wednesday was supposed to be the tempo run day. When I finally left work an hour late, I got a call from my wife. She asked how I was. My response was "I've got a head ache and its dark." The hope of last week's lingering daylight and two long weekends worth of runs in the daylight were shattered in one crappy evening.

I joined a bare bones group of Cruisers on Saturday for a few miles on our old standby, the Santa Ana River Path. The weather during Saturdays run reminded me very much of Rocket City, drizzly and overcast, just 10 to 15 degrees cooler. Many Cruisers were participating in the OC Half and Marathon the following day. The unfortunate thing about this marathon, now in its fourth year, it that it has rained on 2 of the 4 runnings. It never rains in California, remember. Another very cool thing is that one of our own Cruisers was chosen as the December Runner of the Month by the OC Marathon.

Today, after the Chargers beat the Titans, Bryan and I headed off to the gym. We did 25 minutes on the bikes and then worked out chest and bicep machines. Now thanks to the gym I'm not only always keenly aware of my legs, I'm now aware of my arms, back and chest as well.

Return to Speed Work

I got out for a run on the first day of the New Year but not until after watching the first showing of the Rose Parade, and then spending most of the rest of the day putting away all traces of Christmas. All the decorations are packed up, the tree is out at the curb, all the outside lights are down and the whole kit and kaboodle is packed back up into the boxes and stored away in the garage.

The first run for the New Year was speed work. The last speed work I did was in preparation for Eugene, nearly a year ago. The reasons for no speed are two fold - my dislike of the track and fear of further or complete injuring to the less than 100% left hip. I joined the gym with my son in part to force myself to run less and to give the hip a break. (Working on the core and upper body strength won't hurt either.)

With a reduction in the quantity of running I felt I needed to up the quality of running. That led me to the FIRST program. I'd first read about it in Runner's World. The drawback of the program for me is the absolute need to do speed work once a week. I haven't bought the book, but compared notes on RW version and versions on the Furman Institute website. Each plan follows the same format of speed work, tempo run and long runs; differing only in the actual amount of each element.

Having returned to speed work after 9 months and with the bum hip I opted for a compromise between the first time program on the web and the RW one. An element I really like is that with speed the program mixes it up a little. One of the rules is: Put more variety in your speed work. To ease into it I did speed that didn't require a track; 5 x (2 min. fast/2 min. easy) plus the warm up and cool down.

The 2 minute fast sections were hard. I was out of breath before the end but hung on. I resorted to walking my 2 minute easy just to catch my breath. By the third one I was able to jog the last minute of the easy section before taking off again. I'll tackle the track next Tuesday.

The program looks good on paper, executing it will be a challenge.

2007 In Retrospect

I arose this morning and headed out the door for my last run of the year. It might be fun to say that I let my imagination run wild with the route, but no, I headed out for my 5 mile Bonelli Loop. I did do it counter clockwise this morning, just for something different.

I ended the year with a nice round 1500 miles. I couldn't have planned it better. It is sad that this is the first year in my 4.5 year career that I haven't increased my annual mileage over the previous year.

Miles for 2007 = 1500
Average monthly miles = 125
Lowest monthly miles (May) = 44.6
Highest monthly miles (March) = 197.7
Number of days run = 213
Average weekly miles = 28.8
Lowest weekly miles = 0
Highest weekly miles = 50

I ran 16 races in 2007. I only set a single PR at the 8K distance. It was a tough year.

Besides the 8K, I ran six 5K's. Three of those were run side by side with Tyler, one I ran alone, and the other two Tyler and I both ran but ran our own races. At those races Tyler set PR's, makes me wonder who was slowing who down.

There were 4 half marathons, 2 of which were run within 6 days of one another and after recovering from tendonitis in my foot and a month of almost no running. The last one was the City of Angels Half with Tyler. I also ran one 14 miler on the trails.

There were four marathons in 2007 that took me from 9 Down to 12 Down.

Eugene Marathon - Oregon
Marine Corps Marathon - Washington DC
Marshall Marathon - West Virginia
Rocket City Marathon - Alabama

Each was memorable for different reasons. Eugene was the only trip that my wife joined me and I got to meet up with all the great bloggers from the PNW. MCM was run with a whole bunch of the Cruisers and it just a superbly run event in the nation's capitol - very inspiring. Marshall was fun because I ran it with no expectations one week after MCM. It was a beautiful day and my family drove down from Ohio to support me. Rocket City was a birthday present from my wife and allowed me to hang out with Joe and Wes. My favorite for 2007 has to be Marine Corps, though.
Map compliments of http://monarch.tamu.edu

Happy New Year!
Be great in 2008! – Dane Johnson

The miracle of running is that with each workout, each step, you are becoming a different person – stronger, certainly, but also more invested in life and the possibilities it holds. – Marty Jerome

Monrovia Canyon Falls

Day two of the long weekend and my only goal was to run a few miles outside and off road. I decided it was finally time to go explore the local mountains. I'd promised myself to do that early this year and didn't make it there often except for Glendora Ridge Road a couple of times.

I finally headed over to Monrovia Canyon Falls. I took the website suggestion of parking outside the park and running in. I was a bit worried about the population density of the trail based on the number of cars encountered by the website author. I hoped that a long holiday weekend and a Sunday afternoon in December might thin the crowds down a little. I was one of only half a dozen cars parked outside.

Parking outside the park added about a mile round trip to the run. Once in the park, I jumped on the Bill Cull Trail and followed it. On the lower part of the trail I passed to women hiking in. As I got closer and closer to the waterfall at the end of the trail, the trail got more and more crowded. I came across several large groups of people going in both directions. There are two other options for jumping on the trail and I think most people take the shortest route.

At the waterfall I took a five minute break to sit and enjoy the view. I should have carried my camera but there is a pretty good photo of the falls on the weblink. On the way back I took the trail to the Nature Center and then took the road rather than the trail back to the car.

It was a fun little run for a Sunday afternoon. I'm not sure that I will do it again. It's only about a 4 mile run. Because it is easy to get to, it is a very popular, i.e crowded. There is another trail that heads off from the park that looks interesting, up Sawpit Canyon Fire Road, on up Overturff trail to Deer Park Junction and even on to White Saddle and beyond. It looks very runnable from these photos (just keep clicking for a nice photo tour of the trail).

Two more days means two more runs. The last run of 2007 and the first of 2008. Up next the annual recap.

Long Weekends

I love holiday weeks. Doesn't everybody? I don't love them just for the obvious reasons of long weekends and short work weeks, but more for the opportunity to get my runs down during the week under daylight conditions. Also thanks to the holidays things at work are very laid back. Nearly half the office is on vacation as are many of our customers, so it is a great time to catch up on the things that I just never seem to have time for the rest of the year. I've been able to walk out the door at 5:00 sharp this week for the first time in months. I was very happy to see that at 5:00 it wasn't pitch black. Only a few days into the official season of winter and the days are starting to get longer. You have no idea the smile those last few rays of sunshine put on my face. It's the little things!

Planned runs with Tyler didn't happen. He is suffering from a pain on the upper part of his shin. It hurts to run and is tender to the touch. It has flared up since the half marathon. I fear a stress fracture. Getting him to ice it and take Ibuprofen is near impossible.

Christmas Eve and Christmas day I was able to put in 5 miles each day on the trails. Both runs were very peaceful. On each of my runs there lately I've scared up a hawk. I stop and watch him fly away to a perch that makes him more comfortable. He cuts through the air so gracefully.

Thursday and Friday evenings after work I headed off to the gym with the boys. A gym membership is something I've been toying with for a couple of years now. I wasn't sure when I'd find the time to go. I'm considering a training plan with three days of running. This plan worked well for Danny, David and Charlie (if my memory serves me right). Danny has rocked a PR in every distance in 2007. My hip continued to bother me throughout the year. A gym membership will force me to run less. Bryan, son #2, has been asking for a gym membership for some time now. So the time seemed right to sign up. My upper body is SORE right now. We'll see how it goes.

I enjoyed a 10 mile run this morning with the Cruisers. We met in Brea to run the "Two Loops-Two Parks" route. I ran most of the first loop with some of the mid pack runners. I let James, Jesse and Anet go on ahead. Julie caught up with me on the way back. She had been hanging back with the back of the pack, but picked up the pace. I took the challenge to finish up the first loop at at a faster pace. I made the second loop on my own as many others opted for the "One Loop - Two Parks" option. Mary and Cathe on the other hand took the "Three Loops" option as training for the Surf City Marathon. Coffee and conversation followed.

Three more days off work means three more opportunities for a run.

By Definition

Thankfully we are approaching the end of the eating season that began back in October with pilfering from the Halloween candy bought for the neighborhood kids. It has just continued on through the food frenzy of Thanksgiving and has continued soon with the holiday potlucks and will culminate with the champagne toast next week.

My diet has been out of kilter for a while now. By diet; I mean: "the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit." Because I'm a runner I can get away with eating pretty much as I wish. For the last 5 years or so I've eating fairly intelligently. I took the Food IQ test in the January 2008 Runners World and scored 74 points earning me the rating of "Impressive. You must have strong knowledge - and good habits. With a couple of changes you can be a nutrition superstar." Yeah, me! I lost points for not taking a daily multi-vitamin and I missed the mark on the amount of protein and water I should be getting.

But knowing what to do and putting it into action are not the same. Usually my running makes up for any sloppiness in the diet, but lately the scale has been tipping the other way. Its time to start thinking about diet in these terms: "such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: No pie for me, I'm on a diet."

One way I like to do this is to cut out the sweets and eat more raw whole foods. My idea of whole foods currently is along the lines of: "comprising the full quantity, amount, extent, number, etc., without diminution or exception; entire, full, or total: He ate the whole pie." I'm not usually into News Years Resolutions but committing to whole foods " a natural food especially when grown organically" might be a good idea.

On the running front things are still in easy mode: "free from pain, discomfort, worry, or care: He led an easy life."

M: Zilch

T: planned on picking up the Christmas tree. It rained. No tree, no running.

W: No rain, picked up the Christmas tree. Nada running

H: still nothing (I can't even remember why)

F: we got out of work a little early so I headed out to Bonelli for a relaxed 3.5 miles.

S: Jesse invited the Cruisers out for a run on the equestrian trails in Fullerton. This is the first time we've run here. We've been running together for 4 years. I feel like he's been holding out on us. The 10.5 mile run took us through some nice neighborhoods, around a lake, along the railroad tracks, by the golf course, up and down some hills and through the mud. After the run we met back up at Jesse's house and enjoyed coffee, hot chocolate, OJ and pancakes. Jesse spoiled us for sure.

S: back to my favorite little park for another easy 4 miler. I took a couple of spur trails I hadn't taken before.

I haven't used my watch since Rocket City. Until Friday when Tyler wore it for his run, it still read 4:07.

It’s a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day today. I trimmed bushes and mowed the front lawn this morning. Tyler wants to go over to Bonelli to try some of the tougher trails later this afternoon.

Merry Christmas to all.

Takin' It Easy

Well here I am, 9 days since Rocket City and I've run just once.

I went into Rocket City not feeling that great. My body was tired; my left hip was bugging me again and my heels were complaining a lot too. I definitely wasn't where I needed to be mentally to "attack" Huntsville. Thankfully my mood improved considerably being surrounded by so much runner pheromone. Besides its pretty hard to be a downer when you get to hang out with Wes and Joe. How the race went has been well documented.

Before I'd even gotten to Huntsville I had already given myself permission to take at least the next week off. Taking the week off was going to be made easier because I had a business trip to PA and NJ the week after the marathon. I returned to So Cal from Alabama on Sunday and headed back out on Tuesday, not returning home again until Saturday. After my first few marathons I always took a week off. I decided that I deserved, even needed, a week off this time around.

My trip would offer an opportunity to run on Friday or Saturday. I packed my gear but left it packed in the suitcase.

Sunday I woke up at home in my own bed and was ready for a run. Guess where I went? Can you all say - B-O-N-E--L-L-I! I headed over there at 7:00 a.m. and was off on my Sunday morning 5 mile loop. I had my watch on my wrist but didn't use it. I just ran for the fun of it. It was very enjoyable.

Later that day we drove #2 son to San Diego so that he and #1 son could attend the Chargers vs. Lions game. While they were at the game, the wife and I finished up our Christmas shopping and enjoyed a treat at Extraordinary Desserts (a very dangerous place).

I didn't run again today. It is still early in the week and now that Dancing with the Stars and Survivor are both over I've got my week nights completely free. I may yet get a run in this week or I may decide to enjoy another easy week, maybe even two, before I begin to crank things back up for 2008.

My first race of the year (my first ultra), the Twin Peaks 50/50, has been postponed. The postponement is a blessing in disguise for this tired soul. My plans for 2008 will require me to ramp up eventually but for now - I'm takin' it easy.

Rocket City Marathon

A couple of things are certain about this race. You are guaranteed absolutely flawless execution and support from the race staff and the weather in Huntsville, Alabama is pretty darn unpredictable.

This marathon trip was a birthday gift from my wife way back in July. Thanks to her I am able to chase this crazy little dream. Alabama wasn't on her 10 must see places so she sent me off to hang out with Joe, Wes (and DeeDee). A great time was had by all. I met a lot of other great people as well.

Joe and I decided to take full advantage of the complete array of marathon related events. We started things off with the Historic Runs on Friday afternoon. It was a casual run that afforded us views of some of the oldest areas of Huntsville.

Next up was the pasta dinner where Joe and I met Jeff Galloway personally and had our pictures taken. Wes and DeeDee checked in just in time for the dinner. We took seats at a table with a couple, Charlie and Cheryl, who turned out to be from the same town as Wes and DeeDee, as well as runners/triathletes and oddly enough their hotel rooms were right next door. We were joined by a couple of guys from CO, Jerry and Don, and a guy from TX, Claude, who had run nearly 40 marathons this year alone. There was no lack of stories to be swapped.

Later that evening fellow blogger David, part of the TN contingent I'd been following lately, stopped over to our hotel for a chat. He shared his experience from last year's race with us.

As the three of us discussed the race strategies for the following morning I wasn't sure exactly where I'd place myself. My expectations weren't high based on recent results and decidedly sub-par training. This was Joe's target race, Wes's first and the TN folks were all gunning for sub 4:00. Joe and Wes were focused on 4:15 and gave off the impression that they didn't intend on socializing. I wasn't sure I could hang with TN so I decided to just see what the day had in store.

The starting line was within 100 yards of the hotel lobby, as was the finish line. Joe and I positioned ourselves at the 4:00-4:15 placard and immediately found David and Michele, the second third of TN. Lana was no where to be found. Wes joined us soon thereafter.

Wes, Joe and I took off together. We were joined during that first mile by Greg from Oklahoma. He started up a conversation based on my Marathon Maniac singlet. Nine minutes into the race, Joe and Wes took their walk break and I continued on with Greg. David and Michele were somewhere up ahead.

Greg and I ran together for about 7 miles when he peeled off for a biology break. Greg gave me a lot of tips on marathon recommendations in OK, Nebraska and Kansas. We had passed, much to my surprise, David, Michele and Lana (they'd connected somewhere along the way). They wished me well as I went by. I assured them that they were likely to catch me in the end. After Greg dropped off I was on my own for the rest of the race. Greg eventually caught me around mile 11 and motored right on past.

The weather was a huge factor in this race. The course itself was 80% residential. The aid stations were well stocked and staffed. At the start the temperature was already in the 60's and the humidity level was high, high, high. The cloud cover was heavy so the moisture just clung in the air. I don't think I've seen so many soaked runners before. Because of the humidity the walking wounded began around mile 10 and continued on.

I was able to tick off miles from 8:55 (mile 9) to 9:55 (mile 1). The only mile that was over 10:00 was mile 25 at 10:01. I thought to myself at one point that this race felt like many of my training runs along the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach on those socked in humid days. Maybe that was to my advantage, I don't really know.

I crossed the finish line in 4:07: 49 by the clock (4:07:06 by the chip). I felt pretty good. I immediately ran into Charlie, Jerry and Claude from the night before. I went back out to the finish chute to wait for Joe and Wes. I got to see David crossing the line and missed Michele. She found me as she was waiting for Lana. Greg saw me standing there as he was pulling away in his car and hollered a good bye. Lana made it around 4:45. It was great to get to see her running across the finish lines with her kids by her sides, a very special moment.

I was beginning to get cold and was definitely hungry. If you know me, you know I can EAT after a marathon. So based on David, Michele and Lana being 30 to 45 minutes off their pace I gambled and ran into the hotel to get some food. Among other things the warm vegetable soup did the trick.

I headed back out and somehow Joe had snuck across the finish line, but I didn't know it yet. I did see Don, the 76 year from Colorado, finish in 5:02 for 1st place in the 75-79 AG. Not long after that I heard them call out Wes's name and looked up to see him coming. I won't soon forget his quote "It is what it is", obviously hurting and disappointed about the outcome. I went to meet him past the finish line and found out then that Joe had finished and was feeling nauseous. I went looking for him. He wasn't in the room which worried me, so I went back down to the lobby and ran into him at the food line. He had ducked into a meeting room until he'd felt well enough to move around.

In the spirit of soaking in the entire experience we went to the awards ceremonies, enticed there as much as anything by the lure of two random $500 gifts to a runner that was present when they called their name. Sadly no one I knew or met that day, won the money. It was awe inspiring to hear the times of the AG winners.

I can't really explain my finish time considering how the race turned out for the others, especially considering their training, etc. I was a little sheepish realizing that I'd finished ahead of them. But as Wes said "It is what it is" and I couldn't be happier with my result.

I'd say Rocket City was a success. I got to hang with Joe again, meet Wes, the man behind the upbeat supportive blog. Now when I read his blogs I hear his voice. A huge shout of thanks to DeeDee for being a great race photographer and putting up with us three guys. It was also great to meet recent blog reads David, Michele and Lana. I'm sure we'll all keep in touch at least through the blogs (until of course some of you start talking that strange triathlon language I don't understand ;-)). I met a whole bunch of other runners that convince me even more that runners are the nicest people around. I may never see them again but it was fun to spend a few hours in their company.

The next state hasn't been determined yet. Joe and I tentatively have the Memphis marathon on the books for December 2008. That will be our 3rd annual early December reunion. I'd love to see the rest of you there as well. The rest of 2008, at least the first half of the year, will be dedicated to doing some of the California races I've neglected for the state chase. I'll post more on that later.

Thanks for reading and recover well!

City of Angels Half - The Results Show

Tyler reports sore legs but has neglected to take any Tylenol.

It looks like we might have a decent finish line photo after all. 2:07:25 for the both of us, exactly the time I had on my watch. I think its pretty cool that his overall pace was faster than his 10K pace. He stayed strong to the end. I forgot to mention yesterday that we caught and passed the 10:00 pace group at mile 4 and never saw them again.

To Danny's lament I did not carry my camera along on this run. I left my Fuelbelt at home; it has the nifty little pockets for carrying such things. I insisted that we wait in the long line to get our photo taken with the medals. I sure hope Brightroom comes through for us.

I skipped today's planned 2-miler in favor of tofu and eggplant Lisa had picked up from Panda Express on her way home from work. I spent another hour at the ER earlier this evening while she got 3 stitches in the heel of her left hand compliments of picture frame glass.

The First Half

The City of Angels Half Marathon Race Report

We woke up at 4:30 to be ready to leave the house by 5:00. We were driving into downtown LA to park at the Music Hall. The race was point to point which required catching buses near the finish line to the start at the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park. The buses were running from 5:00 to 6:30. We were parked before 5:30 and waited until closer to 6:00 to catch our bus ride.

First stop at the Zoo was the Portopot. Second stop was finding a spot close to the propane heaters. I think the temps were about 45, not terribly cold but the sweats we'd worn were appreciated. We left the warmth of the heaters for a second visit to the john and then back to the heat. At 7:15 we left the heat for the last time and stripped off the sweats at the gear check. We did a quick jog through the lot to stay warm. Tyler threw in some jumping jacks and push ups for good measure. Soon everyone headed over to the start. The crunch of people warded off most of the chill.

Tyler's goal for the race was 10:00 miles, for a predicted 2:10 finish (he'd need 9:55 to really make it but 10:00 was easier to deal with. He was very pleased to see a 10:00 pace team identified with three white balloons. His plan was to stick with the pace group. During the National Anthem the balloons escaped. Tyler just threw up his hands - "What were they thinking?" I reassured him we'd be fine without the pace team balloons, I still had my watch.

Another funny thing, Tyler originally told me he didn't want to see the mile markers or know the time. He thought it would just freak him out. But as soon as we hit the first mile mark, he asked the time and continued to ask every mile thereafter. We had a laugh about that later.

The first four miles were an out and back along Crystal Springs Road in Griffith Park. The road separates two municipal golf courses. Griffith Park does a huge drive through Christmas light display. We ran by several displays. Tyler commented that it would be fun to run through here at night when the lights were on. I agreed. During those first four miles Tyler was desperately seeking a third stop at a john. Of course there were lines and he was hesitant to stop and lose time. He finally found an empty near the 4 mile mark about 100 yards off the course that no one else was willing to run to.

At 4 miles our time was 37:54. We had a 2 minute cushion. Tyler was pleased. Mile 5 was along a wide dirt path. This was very nice section of the run. At mile 5 we still had a 2 minute cushion.

After Mile 5 we went through a tunnel under Interstate 5 and ran a mile or so along the LA River Bike Trail. During this mile Tyler removed the make shift arm warmers (old knee high basketball socks) and I pulled off the long sleeve tech top. Short sleeves were ample at this point. I should say that the day ended up being a typically beautiful southern Cal late fall day.

Between mile 6 and 7 we left the bike path and hit the streets again where we would stay for most of the rest of the race. Mile 7 was our first significant hill up Hyperion Ave into Silver Lake. Hills are not a problem for Tyler. He just chugged right on up. I don't think he slowed down at all. I missed the mile 7 marker.

Mile 8 took us down Rowena Ave. It seems like this street was home to some unique and funky shops. One thing I remember is an upscale doggie daycare. We turned onto Silver Lake Blvd and ran next to the Silver Lake Reservoir and a pretty cool neighborhood. The houses were built on a hill so the garages were at street level then the houses went up two to three stories from there with some nice 30's-40's architecture. Silver Lake Blvd was concrete but there was a really nice dirt path between the street and the reservoir. We both took advantage of the softer surface. We hit mile 8 in 1:18, still clinging onto to that 2:00 cushion.

Mile 9 was predominately down hill and increased our cushion to nearly 3:00 at 1:27:19. If I had any complaint about this race it happened here. Up to this point we had been drinking water at every other water stop or so. Here I suggested to Tyler that we should get some Gatorade. This stop had some but they had run out and needed to mix up some more. Really this was a minor issue for us but worth mentioning.

On to mile 10 on Sunset Blvd was the next significant hill. Tyler slowed a little but not much. He hit mile 10 in 1:37:18. Still looking good. It was at this point that he began showing the slightest signs of fatigue. Up to here at water stops we slowed, grabbed the water, walked a couple of steps to gulp it down and then we were off. At the 10 mile water stop he was a little slower on the return to running.

Mile 11 took us into Echo Park and Tyler was hit by a pretty significant side stitch and pain that hit him in the neck and ran across his chest. We took a walk break for at least a minute before he was able to get moving again. I missed the marker so we weren't sure how much of the cushion we'd lost. This mile also included the last hill of note. Tyler slowed some, thought about walking, but kept plugging away instead.

From here on in it was pretty much a down hill finish. Mile 12 was spent on Temple Ave. Up ahead I pointed out Our Lady of The Angels Cathedral within striking distance of the finish. It was less than a half mile away but we still had about 1.5 to go. Mile 12 was 1:58, still looking good for that 2:10 finish. It was about here that Tyler began questioning his sanity and definitely questioning whether he ever wanted to tackle the full 26.2 distance.

After about a half mile on Figueroa St., the route took us onto 2nd St. which is in a tunnel under nearly 3.5 city blocks. It was a pretty cool place to run. Soon after exiting the tunnel we turned left and the finish line was in sight. Just 0.1 miles to go and Tyler kicked in the after burners. I had difficulty keeping up with him. I almost just let him go then decided to try to catch him in hopes of a decent finish line photo of the two of us together. I'm not sure if I made it.

Tyler's finish time by my watch was 2:07:25. He rocked the last 1.1 miles in 9:21:53. That boy has a pretty decent kick. As of this writing at 8:30 PST the official results have yet to be posted. Tyler felt great after the race. This evening his legs are sore and his knees ache, but it doesn't seem to be anything a Tylenol and ice won't help.

It was a perfect day of running. Getting to share a half marathon with my son is as they say "priceless". He ran pretty much the whole thing and never really needed any prodding from me to keep going, unlike the first couple of 5K's. I'm also impressed that he was able to beat his target pace by 2:35. We made it through on just the water at the water stops and no gels or other nutrition. He never uses these things in training and today wasn't the day to start. I kind of like his low tech, old school approach.

I asked him if he ever imagined himself running a half marathon. He said he knew he would once he started the Couch to 5K program back in February. High five! Today was the day!

The course was a really nice mix of urban parks, trails, residential, business and downtown theatre district. The course is way better than the LA Marathon course. The half course wouldn't accommodate the volume of people in the full. Spectators were non existent (no big deal for us really). The water stops were plentiful and well staffed although we did only see Gatorade at the one. The finish line festival was simple but plentiful. I'll never complain about getting chocolate chip cookies at a race. There was a live band, too.

It was a perfect day.

SAD

That pretty much describes my midweek training this week, just plain s-a-d.

I ended the long weekend last week with a 15 miler in Chino Hills State Park. For something different I headed in up Telegraph and came back out via Southrigde. I'd never been on Southridge before. It is more rolling than Northridge but also closer to the neighborhoods of Yorba Linda to the south. It was a challenging run, but I think I prefer Northridge. Sunday I joined Tyler over in Bonelli for 7. My plan called for 5. We did the Cottontail loop and added the picnic loop. I was having difficulty keeping up with him. I cut my run short at 6.2 while Tyler knocked out the full seven. My days of considering my runs with him to be "easy" may be over.

Back to this week. The time change has hit me hard this year. I've always hemmed and hawed a lot more when I have to go out for the run after work, in the dark and cooler temps. For four winters its been this way but I've always made it out the door. This week that wasn't the case. My plan called for 4, 6 and 4 on Mon, Tues and Thursday. Monday I was in a foul mood as soon as I walked out the door at work to be greeted by the darkness. Couple that with my hip acting up, yet again, and I'd had enough. Tuesday wasn't any better. Wednesday's I have a conflict but I was determined to get out there Thursday night. All day at work on Thursday I was planning on the run, but upon getting home, I'd made up my mind to scrap that one as well. I had plans for Friday night so there was a big fat nothing in the log book and nothing for me but a funk of negativity. Call me weak sauce (#6,7, or 8), call it a goofy case of SAD, maybe it's just a bad week. What ever it is; this too shall pass. No matter what - I'm really looking forward to next weekend at Rocket City with Wes and Joe.

This morning I finally got out the door before 8:00 and ran my Robert's Loop run, 6.5 miles. The sky was mostly cloudy but at least it was light outside. About half way through the run I could feel my mood lifting. It was just the run I needed. I only have a couple of runs planned next week before I take off for Alabama on Thursday. I hope to eek them out, darkness and foul moods, be damned.

Later in the afternoon the boys and I went to the mini expo to pick up Tyler and my bibs, chips and goodie bags for the big day tomorrow, Tyler's first half marathon. The weather looks to be about perfect if not a little cool, in the 50's, for us weak southern Californians. This was supposed to be an easy effort for me, but I'm not so sure of that anymore. But, tomorrow is not about me its about Tyler. So I'll keep my mouth shut and my mood in check and enjoy watching Tyler cross that finish line.

Note: I need to give my younger son due credit for the race photos in the previous post. Thanks, bud!

Back on The Streets

Six miles Wednesday night was my longest midweek run since Marshall. Bonelli trails are off limits once again due to the early departure of the sun, so it was back to the streets around the neighborhood. A quick look through the logbook showed that I hadn't run any serious streets since last March. My goal was to keep the pace around 9:30, I ended up at 8:57. I was trying to keep things on the slow side in anticipation of the Turkey Trot the following morning.

Tyler had started asking about a Turkey Trot a couple of weeks back. I signed us up for The Run for the Hungry. At one point he had his little brother talked into it as well. He and I had run this together back in 2004. He ultimately backed out but he and my wife came along to watch. They ended up walking their own Turkey Trot, a 2+ mile trip to get a Starbucks before the race started. My old running partner Celeste and her little sis had signed up for the run months ago. We ran into each other at the starting line.

I had warned Tyler that the course was a rolling course, a simple out and back down Foothill Blvd in La Canada. He was really hoping to improve on his PR time by going sub 29:00. At the start he overhead some locals discussing how this race is always their slowest 5K of the year. Between that and the fact that the first mile of the race was obviously uphill, I think he was a little worried about PR'ing. I encouraged to just keep it steady on the way out and then let it fly and enjoy the downhill finish.

Rather than running together we each ran our own race. That seemed to work out better for Tyler. My hopes for the race were to go sub 24:00, still a long way from my 21:54 PR in 2006, but that's where I'm at this year. Although the route is simple it is by no means easy. I was only able to knock out a 24:35. I headed back out to run Tyler in. He looked great. He was able to knock out a huge PR of 27:18, nearly a 2 minute improvement from his last 5K 2 months ago.

We followed up the occasion with breakfast at a little place Lisa and Bryan had smelled on the their coffee run. It was a spontaneous decision but you know how we love our breakfast.

Back home Lisa made the apple pie. The pumpkin pies had been made the night before. My mother in law cooked an awesome Thanksgiving dinner as usual. My sister in law suggested we go around the table and tell what we were thankful for. After some eye rolling by the teenager and before the whole thing completely deteriorated into silliness Tyler mentioned that he was grateful for the changes he'd made toward a healthier lifestyle and fitness. Very cool.

Dinner was followed up with the yummy pies and a game of Dominoes that included a lot of uncontrolled laughter resulting in much snorting and near pants wetting. But it was fun.

I hope everyone had a great day with family and friends. Here are a couple of pics from the Turkey Trot:

Me "gliding" to the finish.And Tyler rocking his PR. Check out that knee lift!

Race or Run

Hanging out over coffee after our 10 mile run along the Santa Ana River Trail, Jim mentioned that he was uncertain whether to run the Boston Marathon. He had qualified earlier this year at his first marathon in seven years. The required travel, starting line logistics, etc; all had him a little out of his comfort zone. Mary suggested that he should go and just enjoy the experience. She went on to suggest that he just run it and not worry about time. The look on his face was that of a person trying to make sense of something just spoken to them in a foreign language.

In the ensuing conversation it became apparent that Jim saw no value in just “running” the race. He’d never in 20+ years of running not raced a race. For the couple of years that I’ve know Jim I’ve seen this to be true. At every race I’ve seen him in he lays it all out there and is completely used up at the end. Jim is often recovering from one injury or the other. Jim is intense.

Mary on the other hand runs races for the atmosphere and camaraderie. She runs for the physical benefits. I can’t remember her sustaining an injury in the 3 years I’ve known her. Mary is upbeat.

Earlier in the run I had been asked when my next marathon was. I replied that I would be running Rocket City in Huntsville, Alabama in three weeks. I would be my 12th state, 15th marathon in 4 years. I lamented my recent slower times attributing them to the recent spate of marathons and continued hip issues.

Does someone who just runs a race not posses a competitive spirit? Does a racer miss the social aspects and the aura of the race locale? Of course the issue is more complex that this but where do you fall on the race vs. run debate?

I realized that I currently fall more in line with Mary than Jim. I had aspired (and still do) to running a Boston qualifying marathon. Although I think that running many marathons close together and running a BQ marathon are almost mutually exclusive goals. In my first couple of years of running it wasn’t unreasonable to expect my marathon times to improve one after the other. To achieve the BQ I think I'll have to reassess the chase for states at least for a little while.
_________________________________________________________
Two weeks post marathon (recover phase?) I ran 22 miles. The next two weeks are taper (right?) for Rocket City with mileage in the low 30’s planned. I’ll be “running” Rocket City and doing my best to keep up with the other bloggers.

Tyler's Longest Run

Last Wednesday I made a comment to a coworker about how good I felt after having run marathons on back to back weekends. I really did feel worse after the first than I did after the second.

That all changed when I went for an easy 3 miler on Thursday. My right hamstring was tight, and I mean tight. This was an unfamiliar pain for me. I guess the two marathons had more of an effect on my body than I initially realized.

Earlier in the week I emailed Anne of run-dmz for route suggestions for Tyler and I on Saturday. She sent me a link to a great site on San Diego running routes and gave me her own personal recommendations. Thanks, Anne! I talked them over with Tyler and he ended up choosing Los Penasquitos Canyon. He also chose the starting time of 10:00, a "little" later than I normally get going but it allowed me plenty of time for the 2 hour drive to San Diego. This being November and with San Diego's normally moderate weather I figured I couldn't go too wrong.

I did make the decision to start the run at the west end of the trail so that we ran uphill on the out portion and downhill on the back. Turns out the trail is pretty much flat except for a couple of decent rollers in the first mile or two on the west end. I did hear a couple of "I so hate you" on the couple of little hills since I had pretty much sold him on the route being flat.

The main route down the center of the fairly wide canyon is basically a dirt service road. At the west end after the couple of hills the trail goes through some sycamore groves, then through some meadows and finally through a couple of groves of live oak before reaching the parking lot a the opposite end, 6 miles away. There are many little side trails that could be added on for a fun little day of running exploration.

At one point a guy blew by us in the opposite direction and then passed us a little later like we were standing still. He had to have been doing sub 7:00 miles, maybe even less. It was a beautiful thing to see. We also found and picked up a car alarm clicker that we were able to give back to the owner who had doubled back on the trail in search of it. Call it our good deed for the day.

Tyler's plan called for 10 miles in preparation for his first half marathon. We made it to the 5 mile mark pretty much without incident. There were several other runners, some hikers and quite a few bikers out enjoying the day as well. The plan was to run out the the 5 mile mark and then head on back.

When we hit the 5 mile mark Tyler questioned whether the planned 10 was adequate as his last long run before the half. I tried to assure him that it would be fine but left the decision up to him. He decided to go the full 6 partially for the sake of preparation, partially for the hopes of the port-a-john that would surely be at the parking lot on that end of the trail.

Thankfully it was there and after a brief stop Tyler was ready to head back to down the canyon. Up to this point my legs were feeling tired but OK. Somewhere along the way back my legs started feeling really fatigued and the right hamstring was causing me some pain. Tyler was getting pretty beat himself. There were a couple of walk breaks in the last 3 or 4 miles, especially on those rollers, but we finished the 12 in 2:06:19, a leisurely 11:22 pace for Tyler's longest run to date.

My legs were thrashed and he commented on being way more tired than after his 9 miler last weekend. Some of that may be due to sprints he did on the treadmill on Thursday and Friday. I told him no sprints the week of the half. By the way I finally signed us both up for the half earlier in the week. We'll be running the City of Angels Half Marathon. This is the second running. I wanted to run the inaugural last year but instead I was in Kentucky running the Otter Creek Trail Marathon.

After the run we went back to his place and showered then when downtown to Little Italy for lunch at Zia's Bistro. I had a one of the best bowls of minestrone ever and the Tre Gusti pizza. Tyler had penne with sausage, garlic and broccoli. We should have stopped there but instead we headed over to Extraordinary Desserts for coffee and a little something sweet. I had a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake with dark cherry sauce. That one piece of cheesecake took care of all the calories burned out there on the trail but it was delicious.

I took Sunday off in favor of the hamstring. I'm probably going to baby the leg a little this next week although I'd really like to ramp back up. I've got another state to conquer here with an ever growing list of bloggers going to be there. Besides me, Joe and Wes; I now know about Lana, Michele and David (all from TN). The excitement builds. Let's hope the hamstring loosens up.

Marshall University Marathon - Race Report

Make that 11 Down - On To Rocket City!

Earlier this morning while David, Susan and Danny were tackling the largest marathon in the world I was winding my way through Huntington, West Virginia for the 4th running of the Marshall University Marathon on a much smaller scale.

I couldn’t be happier with my final time of 4:07:08 (by my watch, official times aren’t available yet).

Based on info that I heard at packet pickup; there was no expo; there were about 440 registered runners. There was also a half marathon and a marathon relay that started at the same time. My parents drove me to the start line about 20 minutes before the race start. My sisters and nieces joined us as well. I stayed on the sidewalk and chatted with them until 5 minutes before start time and simply stepped off the sidewalk into the crowd and right on time we were off.

As I mentioned earlier, my only real goal for this race to finish upright. After the desperate struggle to finish last week at MCM, I had serious concerns that this race would be a complete blowout. My strategy for finishing well was to run 9:00 miles and to walk the water stops.

The only real bad points to this race were having forgotten to grab my fuel belt from the car. Luckily because of the course layout I was able to see my parents at mile 3 and alerted them to the belt. They were able to travel the course by car since only one lane was closed and by mile 6 or so I had my belt with me. Water stations were plentiful, though small, but I really wanted my gels for the last part of the race. The other bad point was three stops at the johns. I hadn’t run a step since last week’s marathon so systems tend to shut down. Running this morning jump started everything.

The course through Huntington is billed as West Virginia’s only flat and fast course and it lived up to its names. The only real hill was the underpass under the railroad tracks that bisect the town from east to west.

I started the race off a little fast with a couple of miles around 8:30. By mile 5 I had things under control in the low 9:00’s. At mile 11 when the half marathons left the course the crowd thinned considerably. At mile 17 I had my first mile that exceeded 9:30, not counting the miles that had included the potty stops prior. By mile 20 I was still running at 9:42. I expected to hit the wall but never did. I kept moving smoothly and calmly forward. At mile 22 I saw my family in Ritter Park. This was the 4th time I saw them before the finish line.

It was at this point that I began to catch and pass some of the runners that had left me behind before mile 13. This is usually the point in the race when I am slowing down miserably and everyone is passing me. My last 5 miles were 9:40, 9:32, 9:27, 9:45 and 9:36 with the last 0.2 in 1:58. I never hit the wall or the point where I felt I couldn’t go on. No one passed me in those last 5 miles until one guy got me at mile 26.

Mile 25 took us down through the center of the campus of Marshall University. There is just something for me about being on campus surrounded by all those brick buildings that just makes me happy. As we enter campus there was a coed handing out carnations. I picked one out and carried it to the football stadium and handed to my Mom. The finish line was inside the stadium. We an the full field along the sidelines and then went to center field where a volunteer handed each runner a football to carry the 100 yards to the finish line at the opposite end.

After having expected disaster, the Marshall University Marathon was very satisfying. We ran along the Ohio River (too short), through Ritter Park (twice) and the beautiful neighborhood surrounding it, and through neighborhoods at the other end of the socioeconomic strata. The starting temp was in the low 30’s. We finished in the 60’s. The foliage was just beginning to turn colors. Having so much of my family there to support me was a huge bonus. It would have been a much different marathon without them there. My nieces can’t understand why anyone would run for fun, but I think they got into the spirit, at least a little.

I’m going to take it easy this week. Next weekend Tyler wants me to come down to San Diego to run 10 miles with him. He’s gearing up for his first half marathon. Then I’ve got about a month to get myself ready to run in Alabama with Joe and Wes.

(I’m uploading this on a very slow wireless connection at the hotel in WV, so sorry no links)

Sickness

“We all have a weakness, but some of ours are easy to identify.
We all have a sickness that cleverly attaches and multiplies. No matter how we try.”
- Incubus, “Dig”

I’ve mentioned having an unused voucher for a plane ticket before on these pages. The unused voucher from our trip to Pennsylvania in January offered me the chance to add another state to the tally. I’ve had 9 months to find the right race but no race ever seemed right and I’m just a big procrastinator.

The marathon attached to this voucher came with some conditions:
1. It had to be near an airport serviced by Southwest Airlines
2. It had to be used before December 1, 2008
3. It had to be in a state I hadn’t already completed a marathon
4. It had to be in a state that my wife had no interest in going to
5. Lastly, because I’d procrastinated, it had to be squeezed in between the Marine Corps Marathon and Rocket City Marathon on December 8.

The choices weren’t all that numerous and I narrowed it down to the following:
November 17 – The X-Country Marathon, near Tampa, FL
November 11 – San Antonio Marathon
November 3 – Marshall University Marathon, Huntington, WV

The Tampa race was eliminated due to the available airfares being nearly 3 times the voucher amount. Hotel rentals in San Antonio were higher than I would have liked especially knowing that I could go to Houston some other time and visit my brother in law (free lodging). That left Marshall. The airfare into Columbus, OH airport was reasonable and hotel rooms in Huntington, WV were very affordable.

So although it is only 1 week after MCM, I’m hopping on a plane tomorrow morning and heading out to West Virginia, state #11. The coolest thing about this trip is that my parents, 2 of my sisters and 3 of my nieces are driving down from northern OH to see me.

I think the only reasonable goal for this one is to cross that finish line in an upright position and to enjoy seeing family I haven’t seen since April 2006. Wish me luck!

“I remember when I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that phase
Even your emotions had an echo and so much space
Hmm mmmm
And when you're out there without care, Yeah I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough, I just knew too much
Mmm
Does that make me crazy; Does that make me crazy; Does that make me crazy?
Probably"
- Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy”