HB Distance Derby

I ran the 5 miler this morning at the Distance Derby and it was hot, sunny & humid. I finished in 33:29 equivalent to a 42 min 10k. I also won 2nd place in my age group and received a nice looking medal. Many thanks to all the fast guys for deciding to run the 10 miler. The second place runner in my age group for the 10 miler beat my time by 2 minutes for his halfway split. I had calculated that I'm in shape to run b/n a 41 and 42 minute 10k, I just didn't think I'd need to go all out to average 6:42 pace. I hope to improve a bit on that by November when I plan to peak. This was my first race at full effort since Feb. Running fast hurts. Of course, the pain is only fleeting and a few minutes after the finish I felt fine. I maxed my heart rate at 183 and averaged 180 for the last mile that I covered in 6:24. We had a big group of South Coast Roadrunners at the race and we won many age group awards.

Since I don't have any pictures of my race, I thought I'd add one of Jessica. This is her standard evening pose. As soon as I sit down on the couch she hops up and plops her head in my lap expectant of a long stomach rub.

Base Training

I've been base training for the past 3 months averaging 50mpw. This morning I ran my 3 mile fitness test at the Woodbridge track and I had my fastest time ever of 24:26 at a steady 140 heart rate. All those miles are going to pay off. Only 2 weeks ago I ran 24:56. I just added some workouts in over the past two weeks and my first test race is the 5 miler at the HB Distance Derby next Saturday. I haven't posting in a long time. Oops. Injury wise I'm feeling 100% and I'm still targeting to peak in December at the City of Angels Half Marathon.

Halcomb Valley Trail Race

Paul, Ted and I drove up to Big Bear on Sat. We brought mountain bikes up for a Saturday afternoon ride before Sunday's race. I found a nice, supposedly easy family ride in my mountain biking guide just past Running Springs and we discovered that the book was outdated and the fire road had been paved. It turned out to be a nice climb and Ted showed off his prowess in the saddle as he easily pedaled up the hill. Paul, not being much of a cyclist, brought along a Wal-Mart special that had seen better days or more likely decades. Paul had the seat down as far as it could go so he had his knees pointing way out. He looked like an adult riding a tricycle until Ted and I convinced him to raise the seat about 4 inches. Later on the downhill, Paul showed off his bike handling skills by taking his own picture cruising downhill at 20 mph, right hand on the brakes, left hand holding his camera. I was riding behind him praying that he wouldn't crash and watching his back wheel wobble, knowing that he had practically no brake pads left. Paul survived that escapade but lost his $12 Ralph’s sun glasses. After the ride we drove into Big Bear to the Motel 6 and checked in.

Race morning started early. I was awakened by Paul at 5:15 as he repacked his baggage and packed up his sleeping bag. Apparently he couldn't sleep so he decided we deserved the same fate. I got out of bed at 5:30 and we left for the start at 6:15 while Ted stayed back hike 4 miles to a fast food breakfast joint and then catch up on his sleep. We met up with the OCTR crew at the start. We had around ten entrants between the 15 and 33 mile races. Our race went off in waves starting at 7:30 and Paul was in the 2nd wave and I was in the 5th and final wave. The course started with a nice long climb under the shade of a pine forest and dumped us out at 3.8 miles onto a fire road for a gradual decent of 500 fee before heading into another long climb out in the sun. The temps warmed up from 45 at the start to low 70's. At the top of the climb, we entered a long meandering single-track on a soft groomed trail with no rocks and I picked up my pace. This was one of the nicest trail sections I've run on in a while. It looped down and eventually led us back to the first section we had travelled for the final 3.8 miles downhill. On this last section, I really noticed the rocks and roots that didn't affect me much on the climb. I focused all my attention on lifting my feet and I managed to get down without taking a header. Paul's running partner, Jennifer, wasn't so lucky, she fell and broke her finger after Paul distracted her with his camera. I saw a few other bloody knees and arms back at the finish. Trail running can be a contact sport at times. I caught up to Paul and pased him around the 12 mile mark. He ran a great race considering that he'd just finished the Shadow of the Giants 50k the prior Saturday. Although the race starts at 6,700 feet and rises to 8,000 feet, I didn't feel it too much bit then again I wasn't racing all out.

I ran a good chunk of the race with Laurie from Long Beach, a prospective new member for the OC Trail runners. It was her first trail race and she finished well up in her age group. Laurie kept me entertained with her tales about her road runner friends that she drove up with and all of their boring talk about their races and times. I plead guilty as charged.

Paul won a nice sweatshirt in the raffle and I still had a hard time convincing him that it was a net gain weekend for him since he was really struggling to accept the loss of his cheap sun glasses. He must have searched through his plentiful gear three or four times searching for those glasses. We also came home with those beautiful finisher's plates. I almost forgot to mention that I fit all my weekend gear into a backpack and Paul showed up with a full backpack and a large duffle bag full of stuff. I have no idea what he had in his bags but they were stuffed full. He also was kind enough to bring a cooler of drinks, 1 large bag of chips, 1 large bag of pretzels, 1 extra large tray of Oreo cookies and a few apples for sharing. In addition, for his own nourishment, he brought along a bag full of assorted power and energy bars. The man enjoys his food.

Holcomb Valley

Tomorrow is the Corona del Mar 5k that I'm planning to run as a tempo run and next Saturday is the Holcomb Valley 15 mile fun run up at Big Bear. My training is coming right along. My base miles are adding up. I finished May with 220 miles including 58 last week. Base training continues through mid-July so I've got another 6 weeks of lotsa miles.

Taking the lead

It ocurred to me that running with a partner is like dancing and one person has to lead or you'll end up stepping on each other's feet. I prefer to lead since most of my fellow runners seem to either run too fast, or too slow for my taste or at an uneven pace. I can run mile splits within a second of each other on flat courses. Of course if you're going to lead you better know where you're going so I try to map my trail runs out in advance so I don't get my friends lost.

Solvang Half Marathon

Solvang is my kind of town. Yes, I know you're thinking what's a guy gonna like about a little dinky town with a bunch of curio shops. Well how's about 5 bakeries within 5 minutes walk of the finish line. Now you're talking danish.The expo consisted of registration, t-shirt pickup and two vendor booths, one for a new kind of herbal water from Austria and another for wine tasting.
Meredith and I ate at Pea Soup Anderson's on Saturday night before the race. It was the first time we'd eaten at this classic restaurant and the food was good and the atmosphere brought back memories of small town life from Long Island.

I had the bright idea or so it seemed at the time to run the four miles from my hotel in Buellton into Solvang to pick up the pre-race bus to the start in order to let Meredith sleep in and keep the car so she could drive into town at nine and meet me at the finish. What I hadn't figured out was that it would be pitch black at five a.m. when I left the hotel. I ran the first mile on the sidewalk then I had to switch to the shoulder. I enjoyed the warm up and I was serenaded by roosters and peacocks along the way but it was a little scary to run on the shoulder in the pitch black.

I arrived in town in time to grab a huge coffee cake at one of the aforementioned bakeries and then hopped on one of the last busses to the start. For a race we had a very laid back crowd. Just about everyone I spotted was there for the scenery, nary a club jersey to be seen amidst the hordes of ambling pre-race runners.

The weather was 50 ish and cloudy perfect for running and I ran the race as a training run keeping my heart rate below 135 the whole way for a time of 2:05. The first 5 miles were flat to rolling until we hit the one significant climb called cork screw hill at mile 6 and the last 5 miles were all downhill including some quad burning decents.

All in all it was a well organized race and good time. Post race they had some wine tasting but I opted to head back to my hotel for a shower and I caught the end of the continental breakfast before the 11am checkout.

WTRS 21k

What a beautiful day we had on Saturday. I ended up running and mostly talking the whole race to Eric L. of OCTR. We drove up together with three other OCTR crew members, Skip at the wheel and Nattie and Bei. The other three race together as well. I'm a bit sore today after the run, even though we didn't race and we walked most of the uphill and some of the downhill. We stopped for a picture and Doug was kind enough to stop and frame us for posterity. I wore my IT band strap as a precautionary measure to ward off the IT devil I sometimes struggle with on runs with major downhill sections.

Shoreline Finishers

Yours truly along with Linda and Tonson after the race. Look at those beautiful medals.

Midweek update

It felt so good to be back on the trails. I led some of the OCTR group on a run at Aliso Woods up Cholla and down Rock-it on Saturday. This Saturday I'm running the final race in the Winter Trail Series up at Blue Jay. My running is slowly coming around as I ease my mileage back up. Last week I ran 27 and this week will be high 30's. I also signed up for the La Jolla Half on April 22 and the Santa Barbara Half which is actually in Solvang on May 13.

Trail run this Saturday

I'm looking forward to my first trail run since mid December. I stayed off the trials while I was getting ready for Shoreline and recovering and my first trail run will be this Saterday at Aliso Woods with OCTR. Those kooks wanted to start at 6:30 but I convinced them to hold back until 7:30.

Twenty One

For my oldest daughter on her recent birthday.

Twenty One

On this day that you turn twenty plus one
A third of your life under California sun
My wish for you is a life free of toil
With love in abundance in a home filled with joy

Chorus

When feelings get hurt
And we fall out of touch
Remember we still love
Our daughters very much

The lessons I’ve learned are many from you
How to take on a challenge and see a job through
To look at myself and try not to place fault
Every dish tastes just fine if you add enough salt

Bridge

Will it all turn out fine
Or all be for naught
I can’t read your mind
To get at your thoughts

They say time is a teacher who makes us wait to know
Its lesson is in the stillness after a strong wind has blown
And they say time can heal wounds from the past
And the future is coming, it’s coming on fast

Chorus

When feelings get hurt
And we fall out of touch
Remember we still love
Our daughters very much


JsR 2-20-07

Tired

After driving out six hours out to Scottsdale on Sunday and seven hours back on Monday I fell asleep by 9:30 last night- Tuesday. I did sneak in a 4.5 miler after work. It seems like it's staying light out later which is nice. We change the clocks on March 11 and then it will be light till around 7pm. I can't wait to go home and relax and hit the sack early again tonight. Yet I'm also getting antsy to get back into training. I expect to run only 20 miles this week and 25 next week.

Running log thingie has been added to this blog

I figured out how to get the running log on the blog. It comes off another website called www.breakingthetape.com. Now I can track my mileage in five places rather then four. I ran an easy 4.5 last night and I felt great at the start but my heart rate quickly rose above 145 at a moderate 9 mpm pace. I slowed on the return 2.25 to 9:40 pace to get it down to my usual 135. My calves also get really sore after 2 miles. I've had a problem with sore calves in the past but never after only two miles. I guess I need more time for recovery from the marathon. Next weeekend's 18k trail run looks doubtful unless I walk the whole way which still might be fun.

Orange Man

I like orange shirts. What can I say.

Bored at work

It's a rainy Sunday and I'm trying to catch up on my work. My current distraction is deciding what matarthon to run in December. The Rocket City Marthon in Huntsville, Al looks like a winner. It's a small race of about 1,000 runners and the price $45 and cheap hotel $75 make is a bargain. The course is flat, cool to cold weather and the reviews on marathonguide.com are all 5 star. I can use my free United miles and my old significant cost is a rental car. I can even fly in to Atlanta and visit cousin Nathan. The hostel hotel, and Embassy Suites is across the street from the start and unlike the Huntington Beach at $250 a night was only $119 in 2006. I've never visited the South and this would be a fun way to see a new part of the country.

Shoreline Marathon Recap

I started my day by waking up at 4:47. I checked my alarm and realized that I had set it for 5:45. Had I slept until my alarm went off I would likely have missed the start. Yikes. Instead I pulled into the parking lot at Beach Boulevard at 5:30 and started readying myself for the start.

My game plan was to shoot for a 1:38 split by running roughly 7:40 for miles 1-4 and then run 7:25 pace. I ran the first mile at 7:46 and mile two at 7:29 and I decided to stay at the 7:29 pace rather than slow down for two miles and try to speed up again. Miles 3 through 8 were uneventful and I ran alone enjoying the crisp morning air. At mile 9 I started following a two runners (Karen K. form Phoenix & her male friend) and at mile 10 three more runners pulled in front of us and led the way until we exited Bolsa Chica Park. The three pack had been stopped and stretching when they rejoined the race and they provided even pacing for us for miles 10 through 13. We lost Karen’s friend and left the park in a tight group of five.

Once we merged into PCH our groups struggled to stay together. We had a really tough time bobbing and weaving through the back of the half marathoners who were running at 9 to 10 min pace. They pretty much blocked off the whole road. I decided at that point to follow Karen onto the shoulder and our three wind blockers went their own way.

Karen and I stayed on pace until mile 16 climbing the gradual hill to the before the turn onto Seacliff when we faded to 7:36 pace. Mile 17 and 18 at 7:33 and 7:38 felt better and as the course flattened out but our times were still off pace. One of our missing three pack runners came from behind us at the 18 mile mark and I got a second wind and decided to run with him as Karen fell behind. In retrospect, I made a big mistake. We ran 7:21 for 19 and I felt like I could sustain that pace until the finish. Wrong. I dropped back a bit but kept my chugging along and ran 7:38 for mile 20 and then I hit the wall, splattered like a bug on a windshield at the 21 mile mark. At mile 20 I was still on pace to run 3:17 and possibly faster if I had something for the last few miles. However, I was toast as I exited the Central Park at mile 21 and turned to run up the Edwards Street hill. I had to stop and walk twice on the hill and still managed an 8:04 but I slowed to 8:37 on mile 22. Somehow I managed a third wind or should I say a last gasp on mile twenty three running 8:05 before giving up the ghost. I was heard muttering “ I want my mommy” as I plodded on towards the final turn back onto PCH. Suddenly my legs, particularly my right leg turned into concrete and I slowed to a crawl, covering mile 24 in 8:49 and mile 25 in 8:54. The last three miles were the most difficult I’ve run or shall we say jogged in a very long time. Even my i-pod shuffle couldn’t give me a lift. Mike Friedl, bless his heart, joined me the last mile and a half and I ran mile 26 in 8:36 for a 3:23:38 finish.

Lessons learned.

1) Drink more water on a warm day. I was overly concerned about the likelihood of having to stop for a bathroom break so I didn’t drink enough water. I only drank at every other water station and I did made it through the race without stopping but it would have been better to lose one minute rather than the almost five minutes I lost in the last three miles. Even though I didn’t feel the heat affecting me my heart rate monitor says it did.

2) If you wear a heart monitor, look at it. I wore the monitor but I didn’t look at my heart rate during the race. I ran based on my plan to stay at or under 7:30’s for as long as I could. If I had checked my heart rate, I might have adjusted my goal to 3:20 and pulled back to 7:40 pace earlier and not slowed so much over the least three miles. I was afraid that if I looked at it I would get psyched out since I ran my half marathon averaging 172 when I didn't think I could sustain more than 165 for that distance.

My marathon heart rate, even on a warmer date should have been under 165 until mile 20, but I was at 166 by mile 6 and over 170 by mile 10. My heart rate continued to climb every mile peaking at 180 on mile 20. No wonder I hit the wall. My heart rate would normally be under 180 until the last mile of a 10k so I was way really pushing my luck. I was fortunate that I was able to back off enough to finish. At the time, I really didn’t feel winded or out of breath just depleted.

3) Run more marathon pace miles in training. Based on how incredibly sore I am now after the race (the cane has made an appearance), I believe that I was not adequately prepared to run at 7:30 pace. Most of my training was either at under 7:15 pace or over 8:15 pace. I could have used some longer marathon pace runs but I never could fit them in to my schedule. My training certainly had me in shape for a great 10k PR and probably a 3:20 marathon but not a 3:15 marathon even on a cooler day.

4) Always double check your alarm clock. Nuff said on that topic.

5) Be grateful for small things. The Boston Athletic Assoc. has eased the qualifying times over the years so I re-qualified to run at Boston which I plan to do in 2008.

Tomorrow's Marathon Day

I'm just about on my way to the expo. My hamstring feels good so I printed out a 3:15 wristband for the race. Looks to be warmer than I like but hopefully it will be cool for the first 2 hours. It's supposed to reach 73 degrees in the afternoon in HB. I slept pretty well last night in spite of the various rashes that are covering my body. I'm auditioning for the itchy and scratchy show.

Here's Jessica demonstrating some special pre-race stretching techniques that she perfected during her racing years. She's been talking about putting together a class and earning some money towards biscuits.

My confidence is shot

I ran my 3 mile test at the Woodbridge track again last night. It was the 45th time that I've done the test going back 5 years. I run 3 miles at a steady 140 heart rate. On Jan 3, 2007, I had my PR time of 24:36 and last night I ran 25:20, only my 7th best. I was shocked to lose 44 seconds in less than four weeks since I'm supposed to get fast over the taper. Wasn't it just 18 days ago that I broke 40 minutes in a 10k? Now I'm thinking I'm in worse shape than Dec. 2004 when I ran 3:27 because I ran a 25:05 test the week before that marathon. Can I really run a 3:15 marathon now?

Sunday's forecast is Sunny with a projected high of 70 at the beach. Hopefully, it will stay cool in the morning and I expect to be finished before 10:30.

Taper Madness

I'm starting to go crazy. I feel fine running less but I'm having trouble focusing on work. I just wasted an hour looking for hotel options for the Boston Marathon and I'm planning the trip for 2008. THat's a long way off. I've decided to cut back this week's training to only around 15 miles up until Sunday's race. We've been having some cool cloudy weather the last three days, perfect for running but the forecast is for clear, sunny and warm come Sunday. No change in my hamstring, it is still slightly sore. Wish me luck.

Marathon Plan & Prediction

I plan to go out 20 secs slow for miles 1 & 2 and 10 secs slow for miles 3 & 4. That totals one minute and I'll have 22 to make it up. My target split is going to be 1:37 for a 3:15. The second half of the course is tougher with the hill up Edwards at mile 22. I need to average 7:26 for a 3:15.

3:15 or better: Dream time. I'll be ecstatic
3:16-3:19: This is where I'm guessing I'll be and I'll be delighted with a sub 3:20
3:20-3:26: No shame and still a PR under my 3:27
3:27-3:30:59: Still a Boston Qualifier so I can hold my head high.
3:30 or over: Oh well, there's always tomorrow, at least I know I've got the legs to run faster after my 10k and half marathon PR's.

Time is a flying

I can't believe a month has passed since my last post. I'm only 1 week from my next marathon. Two weeks ago I set a personal - masters PR in the Paramount 10k with a 39:57. I was hoping to break 41:00 and my previous PR of 41:17 and I surprised myself. Three days later I slightly tweaked my right hamstring during a track workout. I was going slower than the prescribed workout but apparently too fast to avoid the injury. Since then I've been doing hamstring curls every other day at the gym. Past experience has shown me that weights usually fix the problem but it usuually takes 3 to 4 weeks.