A Runner's Journey to Endurance

New Strategies at the Silicon Valley Marathon

2009-10-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

I'd signed up for this one almost a year ago, when I was still running somewhat. I didn't know what to expect coming in to this one, but I knew that I was going to finish it even if I had to walk it. Luckily I didn't have to walk.

Silicon Valley Marathon - 4:40:09 (10:41 pace; 460/769)

I was seriously skeptical about this one. Not only had I not ran that much in the past few months, but I also had come down with something about a week before the race. Lets start from the beginning.

I gave myself a crash course in running in order to trigger muscle memory. Mind you, I had no notions that this would improve my speed. I figured my speed was shot, but the least I could do was help my muscle memory try and remember what it was like to be on my feet for that long. So in the three weeks leading up to the race I ran 2 half marathons within 48 hours (both at 2hrs9min) as well as a smattering of other runs ranging from 3-8 miles, totaling 48.2 miles. A decent amount for me, even when I was running all the time. I felt confident that I would do alright.

Then a week before the event I came down with a bad cold, hacking, coughing and phlegm that I couldn't get rid of. I was annoyed, I wanted to get a couple of more runs in, but, alas, I was unable to. I played it by ear. Obviously if I felt too bad then I wouldn't run cause I wouldn't want to make everything worse. So I get to bed the night before and around 2:30 wake up completely soaked in sweat. At first you would think, "Oh no, maybe I shouldn't run", but as I lay there trying to fall back asleep I couldn't help but think, "Alright, whatever I had finally broke, I should be good to go in about 3 hours". Haha, oh how the mind works sometimes.

Perfect weather when the race began. I immediately felt good about the run, hitting my stride and not feeling too winded. I did notice I was sweating more than usual, but no biggie. About mile 11 I couldn't help but begin to dread running that whole course again as I was starting to feel tired. I wasn't even half way, oh well. I push through. I'd eaten 6 shot bloks (180 calories) at mile 9 and told myself to do it again at mile 15. By mile 14 my calves were starting to hurt and energy was low, so ate them then, vowing to repeat the process every 4 miles, thereby eating before, during and after I normally hit the wall. The next few miles were uneventful. I remember frog hopping with a handful of runners. I would run ahead, then walk, then they would run ahead, then they would walk. Repeat process. I hate it when that happens.

About the same time I noticed that I never hit the wall. I was at mile 19 and the only time psychologically I hit the wall, ever so tiny though it was, was when I thought to myself that I don't want to run marathons anymore (this is a common wall issue for me, when I begin to doubt myself and think why, oh why would anyone want to torture themselves this way!). Too tired. I coupled that thought with my fellow frog hoppers and knew I had to take a different tactic. My training was nowhere near what it should have been, so I knew I had to focus on my muscles. I immediately started a routine where I ran until my calves hurt, then took a 20 second walk break, then started all over again. Immediately I surged forward and left my frog friends behind. I never saw them again (in fact this one guy that I was doing that with finished the race about 20 minutes after I did!). In fact from mile 19 on I was passing a ton of people! I mean they would come on to my radar and I just pecked them off. I think I was on to something with this run walk routine, at least for times like this when my conditioning is completely gone.

So my morale is buoyed as runners are left in my dust (if only I was going that fast) and the miles went by so fast that I barely noticed. I mean I was running slower than my average marathon but it felt like the strongest (at least mentally) marathon I had ever ran! I came to within striking distance of the finish and realized that I might be able to pull off a sub 4:40, my only goal for the race. With 2 minutes to go I hit the 26 mile marker. I sprint past numerous runners in the final stretch, wanting, needing (for some reason) to run a 4:39:59 or better and... I don't know. My clock said 4:40:14 but I was off when I started it and when I stopped it, so I relied on the chip timing.

When all was said and done I missed my target time by 10 seconds! I ended up running a 4:40:09. Just one walk break less and I would have been exactly where I had wanted to be. I guys that's where the cards fell.

Anyway, I could not have been any more happy than I am after this race. I learned an eating strategy that helps break down the wall (eat at miles 9, 14, 18 and 22) and a way to speed up if my calves are beginning to cramp, notably a 20 second walk break. I didn't run this race faster than when I ran it in 2007, but I certainly felt much better during and after it, despite being sick.

(P.S. I was coughing during the race and needing to blow my nose a lot, which was the only sign that I was sick. But after the race I was having the biggest coughing fit. Add that to being sore that night, as well as sore the next day and still not feeling well, I think I did quite well considering. Now whether I made the right decision to run while sick is a completely different matter and I probably shouldn't have done considering it will probably prolong my cough and phlegm problem longer than it should have lasted. Oh well, you win some you lose some, and I think I certainly did a little of both.)

Marathon times predicted by weight differential

2009-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

As the Silicon Valley Marathon approaches I can't help but be anxious. A few days ago I caught a cold and have been fighting it since. I was hoping to get a 6 mile run in yesterday and just couldn't. Hacking, coughing and phlegm filled nose and throat is certainly not conducive to a good run. So in my spare time I've decided to play a numbers game and predict what my time will be on Sunday (that is if I feel up to it and the cold and cough have subsided).

I've read in several different places that for every pound of weight you run a mile 5 seconds slower. So I wanted to put this to the test. You see I have the perfect base run, my first marathon in 2006 when I signed up for and completed with zero training and weighing 212 pounds. Using that I've gone back to the other 4 road marathons and figured out what the weight difference was, and thus what my predicted time would be.

Obviously there are several factors that go in to running, anywhere from hydration, eating, weather, hills and so on, so it would be hard to use the 5 second per mile as a hard rule. That being said the predicted times did pretty good. My San Francisco and Silicon Valley from 2007 were almost dead on, and you can bet there was a +- factor of a pound or two considering my weight was taken from a different day.

My training was different in 2007 than it was in 2008. In 2007 it was all about the shorter races until the end of the year when I started running longer runs. Then in 2008 the Napa Valley Marathon I had obviously trained much better and my body was ready to run the distance and thus I was able to do much better, adding a 38 minute cushion because of my training. Cowtown was better as well, but I had stopped running and I am willing to bet that the difference from the predicted time was my muscle memory picking up where I had left off.

All I can hope is that I can run better than the 5 hour predicted time of my weight and the 5 seconds a mile per pound rule. I certainly haven't trained that well, so I can't really expect anything other than the predicted time. But seeing as how I had ran 2 weeks ago 2 half marathons at a little over 2 hours each, then I feel confident I can run between a 4:30-4:40... Here's to hoping, not only for a finish but that I will have recovered sufficiently to run at all.

A Remarkable Week of Running (finally)

2009-10-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

It feels strange to not be out running all the time. I went from running 9 marathons or longer last year to virtually no running at all. And I didn't have any good excuses!

A little background is in order. Last October I ran two marathons and then just stopped running. No miles in November and only 2.5 miles in December. I vowed to start the year off correct but still could only muster 28 miles. My first attempt at a 50k was at the end of February so I got a few 6 milers in and one 12 miler, but still couldn't get motivated, ending up stopping at the 30k finish of the Sequoia 50k. Then there were 6, 11 and 20 in the following months, leading to my finish of the Nisene Marks Marathon in the first week of June. From there it got worse, logging in only 3 more miles in June, 7 in July, 6 in August and 7 in September. Abysmal, I know. I just couldn't get motivated.

Along came October. I am planning on running the Silicon Valley Marathon at the end of the month. I mean the marathon is 1o minutes from my house and there is a 7 AM start time! What more could I ask for? The month started out slow with only 3 miles in the first week. Vowing to let my muscle memory regain control (about all I could do because speed is something that would take a lot more training, whereas muscle memory could at least be recalled) I moved in to the second week of the month, starting on Thursday (I use Thursday through Wednesday as my week in order to account for all 52 weeks, since January 1 was on Thursday) I ran 7 miles. No too bad.

Now here is the remarkable part. On Saturday I ran a half marathon, something I've only done for training twice before. Felt great if not a little slow. Understandable. The knees groaned a little at the end but quickly disappeared once I stretched. Wasn't sure what I wanted to run on Monday, but I knew I wanted to shoot for at least 7-8 miles. You see I found that my motivation for running increases when I plan on running longer runs as opposed to short 3-4 mile runs. So when I got to the half way point I felt great and kept running instead of turning around. Before I knew it I had ran another half marathon, my second in less than 48 hours! Better yet, I ran it the same pace as the one 2 days before and yet had no troubles at all with my legs and knees.

A truly remarkable and unexpected week for me. In fact this past week of 33.2 miles is my 7th best week of running ever! I know this doesn't amount to much compared to those of you running 100 mile weeks, but this is a lot for me. I know I will be ready for the SV marathon at the end of the month and I think I finally found a great motivating device to keep the miles coming...

Random Photos

2009-06-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I attempted the Stevens Creek 50k last year but lack of training plus 100+ temperature ruined that effort. What is funny though is that I found a picture of myself at mile 1.5 of this race. I am the runner the farthest to the left.

I will run this race again. Hopefully I can get farther than mile 10.9.

O Wonder of Wonders at the Nisene Marks Marathon

2009-06-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

This was meant to kick start my running. I had no intention of setting any goals or even expecting to finish feeling a sense of accomplishment. What I ended up learning was that muscle memory has a long life span.

Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon - 4:44:24 (10:51 pace; 47/69)

I slept well and woke up at 5:38 sans clock. I must have been keyed to the moment as I rolled over wide awake. Grab my breakfast and head out the door for the 1 hour drive, putting me arriving a little less than an hour before the race. This, of course, is one of my favorite aspects of this race, the 8:00 AM start time. The other is the course itself.

Set in Aptos you run 13.1 miles up to the top of the hill. You don't run in the sun until the last few miles because you are running under a lush canopy of trees. The gentle climb, a 2,500 ft ascent, is not too demanding but certainly takes a determination. Then you turn around and run 13.1 miles down. Your legs take a beating as you concentrate on the fire road, hoping you don't hit that stick or rock then sends you tumbling. Ultimately you reach the end exhausted because of the constant pounding and climbing.

The race started relatively uneventful. I took it slow. In fact I started at the back of the pack to force myself to run slow and take it easy. I was taking this as a fast hike instead of a run. At about mile 2-3 I realized I felt good so I opened up some. We hit the first steep portion of the trail at mile 5 and I was already feeling tired. Huh, it was gonna be one of those races. I knew, though, that I would get to the top easy enough, and then the only way to get back to my car was to run back down. No way to drop off or quit. So I felt safe.

At mile 6 I stopped and ate 6 shot bloks, my miracle food while running. A few minutes later I felt myself surging up the hill. It was unbelievable. I mean I was literally running hard up the trail and not feeling my legs slow down at all. My heart and lungs were a different story, of course. Not running more than 100 miles in 7 months has killed my endurance so I had to take short 10-30 second breaks, then let my legs carry the day. I reached the turn around in 2:23 and was ecstatic. I had hoped to be to this point by the 3 hour mark, and yet I knew now that I had a chance of running my 3rd fastest marathon ever. I surged on.

Ironically, the downhill portion is where I couldn't hit my stride. Add that I was tired and it wasn't a good combination. Other factors, of course, were my corn and my calves. The huge corn in the middle of my foot was killing me running downhill because of all the extra pressure. Rocks, branches, holes and so on just seemed to be there every step as each step practically shot pain up my leg. The calves, well there was no way around this one. Not running much has its side effects, and calves that tighten up and cramp is certainly tops on that list.

The time I felt I could reach slipped away, ultimately leaving me running my 6th fastest marathon out of 10! I ended up running a 2:23/2:21 split. I've never ran a marathon with both halves that close, leaving out the fact that one half was up and the other was down. For not having ran or trained, I could not have been more happy with how I felt and the time that I was able to run this tough trail marathon in. I look forward to resuming my training and getting ready for the San Francisco Marathon at the end of July.

The Difference A Shoe Makes

2009-05-22T23:53:00.000-07:00

So I recently had the pleasure of visiting the doctor. You see, my foot is starting to hurt when I walk on it, especially barefoot. There is a growth on the bottom of my sole, almost directly in the front center. I presumed it was a corn, and I presumed correctly, but I had to be sure just in case. Perhaps a little background is in order.

A little over a year ago I noticed some tough skin. Nothing much, in fact thought it was a blister at first. It slowly grew. I figured all the miles I had been running were acting up. About that time my parents bought me a new pair of shoes, really nice ones fitted to me. Very comfortable. But then I took a new job and for the first month or so it was continuous walking, 8 hours a day, roughly 10 miles a day. My feet took a beating. But I wore my cheap pair of shoes that I had originally had before my parents bought me a nice pair. You would think that I would at least invest a little bit of money in shoes, but no, not the case. I bought a cheap $50 pair. I didn't know the difference. Anyways, I wore the cheap pair to work because I didn't want to ruin the new pair. I paid the price.

Apparently corns develop over time and are an inverted triangle: tip on the surface as it widens into your foot. The pressure and what hurts is that hard skin build up pressing in to the foot. It hurts especially at home when I am barefoot. So I sit down and the doctor walks in and immediately says it is a corn. Then she proceeds to tell me that corns come from improper support of the feet, oftentimes because the shoe itself is not cushioned. Doh! So all the running with a cheap throw away shoe and all the working, 8 hours a day, on a cheap throw away pair of shoes, grew a corn that hurts to walk on.

Who knew it would have that kind of effect? I should have guessed, but I didn't think it would be that drastic. The difference a shoe makes. Invest properly and spend the money for a good pair of shoes. I will never go back now...

Shall I try this running thing again?

2009-05-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Strangely conflicting feelings. I miss running. A lot. The sheer joy of finishing a marathon or 50k. The sense of accomplishment. And yet I am also content not running at all, virtually. Strange feelings are a brew.

It all started with the new job. Waking up so early and being so tired by the time I finish my day. I have good intentions. Go home, change, run, come home and eat and feel good. That is what running always does for me. Finish a run and you feel revived. And yet the minute I get in the car to drive home from work, or sit down for a minute, I lose all motivation. It happens. I'll have to change that.

The last marathon I ran was at the end of October. Ran two that month. I've hardly ran at all, some months no running at all. This month only 6 miles. I know I am not in shape to run a marathon the way that I want to run. But it was a marathon that kick started me in the beginning, my first marathon, the one I ran with zero training, repeat zero, and then got me in to running whole heartedly back at SF in 2006. So why not try the trick again? I know I am in better shape then I was then. I mean I am almost 30 pounds lighter now than I was then.

So I signed up for the Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon, one I ran last year, my second fastest ever. No illusions. Figure, since it is 13.1 up and then 13.1 down, it will be tough. But I like the concept of knowing that I have to get to the turn around point to come back. That was my problem with the Sequoia 50k that I dropped to 30k earlier in the year. It was a loop course and I had an excuse to drop because my car was right there. Not this one. So I bit the bullet. Will train some hopefully, putting in a decent amount of miles the rest of the month. At worse, I jog walk a beautiful race in Aptos, getting a full days worth of exercise.

And of course the great high I usually get after finishing that oh so coveted distance of 26.2.

A Reason to Run

2009-03-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

There are numerous reasons why I love running. My favorite, though, is the tired feeling in my legs and, more importantly, the soreness that invariably comes with it. Why, you might ask? Cause the soreness tells me I'm alive, tells me that I've done something. I absolutely love feeling sore as I sit here, flex my muscles and feel them pull in, warming up. I think this is partly why I haven't gone to the gym too often lately, because I've plateaued and mymuscles are no longer becoming sore. Anyway, love this feeling. Where others dread being sore, I relish in it. Love this feeling.

Slipin and Slidin at the Sequoia 30k

2009-03-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

I had high hopes for my first ultra of the year. I think the problem was that I set them too high considering the minimal training that I have done in the past few months. This doesn't mean that I fully expected to finish, but I at least hoped.

Sequoia Trail Run 30k - 3:58:47 (12:50 pace; 74/100)

I waited all week with trepidation, watching the forecasts predict rain. With each passing day the weather got better and better, until it suddenly said no rain all week except on Saturday. Weather held over. It did not rain all week nor on Saturday. I would be running. I felt good the night before and the drive over, but as soon as I stepped up to the start line the doubt stepped in.

I'd never been to the Jaoquin Miller State Park. I was floored by what I was seeing. I mean, this is Oakland. A rough and tumble city with a high crime rate. One you wouldn't imagine having huge towering trees, among them Redwoods and Eucalyptus. The start itself was in a little meadow tucked away by the Chabot Space and Science Center. The course went up hill immediately, running through redwoods. Two steep ascents and about 3 miles later we came to an opening checkered with grass and a smattering of trees. To this point I was already doubting myself. I was tired and it had taken me 36 minutes to run 3 miles. Aside from all that my quads were burning and fading fast. But the weather was perfect. A cool middle 50s. Here was part of the problem: mud.

We were slippin' and slidin' at some parts, jumping babbling creeks and brooks. One time I didn't jump quite far enough and my foot slipped into the water. It was that type of day. It wasn't all bad, there were stretches were the mud gave way to roots and rocks, some hard packed dirt. But more often than not I was picking my way gingerly through and past mud.

Anyway, after mile 3 we came to some rolling hills and I was able to open up some. Running was enjoyable. My legs started recovering from the opening 3 mile ascent. We came to the ridge where the weather became warmer and the tree trapped coolness dissipated. I steep descent dropped us over the other side as we hopped and bounced past mud. Eventually it flattened out and dropped us into another park entrance where we came to a turn around point and an aid station. I did not envy the next part, because now we had to turn around and go back up the long steep ascent. By the time I got up there I was beat down and tired. I had already made the decision to stop at the 30k finish, which always plays tricks with my eating and drinking.

I wasn't doing much of either. My legs were already exhausted, but the depleted electrolytes and no calorie intake was starting to make my calves cramp. A quick 200 calorie snack and some electrolyte pills began to take some of the discomfort away as I slowly walked up the long ascent. By now we were traversing along a ridge and the weather had warmed up as we lost the cover of trees. Huge mud puddles spanned the whole fire road and I had to rough it through the bushes to get through, even still having to walk through a ton of mud. After roughin' it we finally came to some downhill, the final descent back to the finish. I had just barely came in under 4 hours and was exhausted and sore. Oh, and there was over 3,000 feet of elevation gain.

When all is said and done I realized that I am a horrible mud runner. Where others charge through it, I slow down and gingerly pick my way through it all. Mud is not my friend. And the obvious, of course, is that I need more training. Whereas before my muscle strength in my legs held me up and my endurance slowed me, now the lack of training has lessened my quad strength and my endurance was going strong. It was a great day in the park despite my exhaustion. I hoped for a 50k finish, but a birthday run in the park is well worth it.

Running On Cloud Nine

2009-02-21T18:21:00.001-08:00

I haven't ran double digit miles since the last week of October. In fact the longest run was a 6.2 mile run last weekend. I knew that I had to A) get a double digit run in before the 50k, and B) run in the hills with double digits in order to simulate the 50k conditions.

I've always felt that all the conditioning a runner needs in order to be able to complete a marathon or 50k is to be able to run 12-13 miles in similar conditions to the intended race (i.e. road for a road marathon, hills for a trail marathon or 50k). Anything beyond 12-13 is all heart and your ability to be on your feet for that long. Not too mention that any running beyond 12-13 is where you would improve your time. But all you need is 12-13. So I knew I had to run at least 12 in the mountains today.

So I turned to my favorite hill running place cause it has some long hills, steep inclines, gradual climbs and so on. It has it all. So off to Lexington Dam I went. At first I thought I was screwed for next weekend, but then things fell in to place.

First Lap - 4 miles (41 minutes)

The first lap starts at the dam parking lot and goes immediately up a very steep hill. I decided for some idiotic reason to run the first hill, which is about a quarter mile long, and then cruise down the hill for the next 1.75 miles. Huge mistake. My body isn't used to that type of running so I was dead tired after only .25 in to my intended 12 mile run. My saliva was thick, I was breathing heavy and my legs were heavy. I already started questioning myself and thinking maybe I should only do one loop and call it a day. I felt like this for the first 2.5 miles despite all down hill after the first steep hill. How could I possibly consider a trail 50k if I could barely complete a 4 mile trail run?

Things improved drastically. My breathing came under control, a little water helped my saliva and the gradual uphill stretched my legs out. When all was said and done I ran it in 41 minutes. No too bad. I was rejuvenated.

Lap Two - 4 miles (42 minutes)

Lap two is arguably harder than lap 1 because the uphill, though not as steep, stretches for over a mile. So after I turned around and ran down the dam, doing the previous loop in reverse, I was able to make up some good time. I eventually got to the top of the hill and knew that I would easily be able to run a third lap. I came in at 42 minutes, which shocked me. A harder loop and yet I ran it almost the same. In fact I don't think I have ever ran this loop this fast.

Lap 3 - 4 miles (42 minutes)

After I reached the dam again I turned around and repeated lap 1. This time, however, I was not going to repeat lap 1's mistake. I walked the whole first quarter mile. Got to the top and cruised down, feeling great as I opened up and ran downhill fast than I had all day. I eventually took the long and gradual climb back up the dam, walking a couple of steeps, before coming in to the car in just under 2:06, or a 42 minute third lap.

I couldn't believe that I had ran such consistent laps, something I have never been able to do here. I've ran these loops a lot and always tired and ran a much slower lap. In fact I have only ran the three loop combo once and that was at the prime of my running last year. I ran it today 7 minutes faster.

I think that I will be able to complete the 50k. Maybe not my best, but I know I can complete it. Only problem is that it is supposed to rain all week, including Friday night and some on Saturday. If this happens will I have to bow out? I don't think I want to run a 50k in mud and rain. I guess play it by ear, but it isn't looking too good. But that doesn't take away from my absolutely great run today...

Running the Valentine 10k For My Heart

2009-02-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

I had one goal coming in to this 10k, which stemmed from how my training had been going: run a sub 50 minute. I didn't meet the goal in one way, but I did in another.

Valentine Fun Run 10k - 50:31 (8:09 pace; 94/459)

Last year this time I was 10 pounds lighter and ran my fastest 10k ever at this very same race. I had no misguided hopes of repeating last year. In fact I didn't even think I would come close to that time. With no running in November and December I had to wait until today before I could even begin thinking about running a race again, using January and the first half of February to train some. Even that was few and far between as I am still adjusting to the new job with earlier hours on top of trying to regain some of the endurance of last year. It will be tough, as it was when I originally started running in July of 2006, but I believe in muscle memory.

So I looked forward to this race, my first of the year and the one that will kick start my season to regain my fitness. So when I saw rain all day Thursday and Friday I began to wonder if I would run at all. I hadn't paid the entry fee yet, so I didn't have that monkey on my back, so I could have not ran if it rained. I played it by ear and woke up early. Listened for rain. Didn’t hear any. Peaked outside and saw the blue skies in between dark clouds. I would be running.

I set off for Campbell which is a short hop, skip and a jump away while I munched on a banana. As I pinned my bib number on I began to get the nervous flutters of an approaching race as the people milled around me. I haven't had that feeling for a long time. Felt good. So we lined up on the muddy grass and the horn went off just a little after 9. And muddy grass it was.

The lead gazelles took off while the rest of us gingerly ran through the dirty water and mud flying around before finally reaching the paved bike path and speeding up. Right away I knew I was probably running too fast. Recently I've found that if I start slow then I can gradually speed up and achieve the time I want and feel better doing it, whereas last year I could start off fast and do better even though I suffered towards the end. So when I ran the first mile in 7:27 I felt a little dismayed shortly before I realized that my legs were already starting to feel heavy.

I slowed it down some and pushed it to an 8:10 mile 2, but I think the damage was done. I was feeling tired and didn't really feel like pushing myself harder. Shortly before we reached the turn around the 2 lead runners came over the slight incline at a sprint, well ahead of the 3rd place runner. I trudged on, taking walking breaks to try and let my legs catch up to my lungs. When I hit mile 3 at 8:59 I knew I had to fix something or I would completely poop out. I started taking more regular walk breaks to let the muscles relax and the lungs slow down. This seemed to be doing the trick as mile 4 came in around 8:30. Still not great, but I was getting there.

At mile 5 I began to feel my juices return to my muscles, began to feel the discomfort lessen as I eased into my running. Mile 5 was around 8:18. All of a sudden the clouds parted, the sun shown down and the heavens sang to me as running became easy. I was cruising along at an easy gait, knowing that this type of running feels really good. Mile 6 came in around 7:57 and I kept speeding up, zooming in to the finish line just barely missing my main goal of a sub 50 min by 28 seconds.

I didn't really care though 'cause I felt good at the end. I took a lot of walk breaks, around 15 judging by the pace spikes in my Garmin software, and I was still able to run an 8:09 pace. So my speed is almost there, and my endurance is slowly catching up. But I didn't care. My ultimate goal was to run the 10k at a faster pace than my most recent 6 miler. This would show some improvement. So far I have ran 4 six milers this year (counting this 10k) and every single one was faster than the one previous. My last 6 miler was run at an 8:17 pace and came in at 49:44, thus the reason I was shooting for a sub 50. But ultimately it is my pace that matters, and not the time, since there is an extra .2 miles. So I have improved again, running an 8:08 pace, and proving to myself that I can get back in to shape.

Anyway, here's to always trying to stay in shape and remain healthy. I lost my way for a couple of months, but I am back. In fact I am forcing myself to train for a 50k that is in 2 weeks! A b-day present to myself as it will be the last day to run a 50k aged 31.

2008 by Numbers

2009-01-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

2009 Race Schedule

2009-01-17T14:05:00.001-08:00

Not sure if I am being too ambitious. Not because of the number of marathons and 50ks I want to aim for, around 7. After all, I ran 9 marathons and 50ks last year. No, I might be a bit too ambitious because my training is essentially starting pretty much fresh. I ran 6 miles last Wednesday much faster than I thought I could after not running for 3 months, and then again 4 miles on Thursday. So I have some base and foundation still there, but I have certainly lost some of the training. I started by wanting to run a race on my birthday weekend. Last year I ran the Napa Marathon. This year the Sequoia 50k the day before my b-day is the winner. That being said, that is in a little less than a month in a half, so a training I will have to do. That being said, if I am successful than I will have my base and foundation back and thus be able to finish out the year. So it all hinges on Feb. 28th in Oakland. Here's to ambitious schedules:

2/14 Valentine Fun Run 10k
2/29 Sequoia Trail Run 50k
4/18 Ruth Anderson 50k
5/9 Quicksilver 50k
6/6 Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon
7/26 The San Francisco Marathon
8/22 iWalk Half Marathon
9/13 Stevens Creek 50k
9/27 Almaden Times Classic 10k
10/4 Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon
10/17 Oktoberfest 5k
10/25 Silicon Valley Marathon
11/26 Silicon Valley Turkey Trot

A Banner Year in 2008

2009-01-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

The year was a good one, and then it ended not so good. Strange to have such a range of performance. At the end of June I pulled a muscle, then there were wild fires throughout California that prevented running, then I was sick, then more smoke and heat... Suffice it to say I ended up taking a forced break to heal the pulled muscle, which seemed to be extended for the rest of the year. The last half of the year the bulk of all my running was done at races, with next to zero training. I finished 2 more marathons and a 50k, and the results showed the lack of training, although I still had enough of a base to perform decently, with my third fastest marathon being my second to last marathon of the year in Sacramento at the Cowtown Marathon.

Some quick facts:

Marathon - I ran 6 marathons (both trail and road) in 2008. Of those 6 I had my 3 fastests marathons ever out of 9, with my fastest in Napa with a 3:53, my second fastest at the Forest of Nisene Marks with a 4:07 and my third fastest at the Cowtown with a 4:34.

50k - Of the 6 career 50ks I've ran, I ran 3 of them in 2008. My fastest ever 50k was ran in 2008 at the Ruth Anderson 50k in San Francisco with a 5:47, and my third fastest at Quicksilver with a 6:16.

Half Marathon - I certainly didn't run that many stand alone half marathons this year, only 1, but my half marathon performance in the marathons I ran were pretty good. I ran a 1:47 first half at Napa in March, which was the fastest I've ever ran that distance. The only stand alone halfer I did was the iWalk and that too was my third fastest ever (out of 7).

10k - Likewise I only ran 2 10ks in 2008. These couldn't have been on further sides of the performance scale. The first I ran in February was my fastest ever at 46:30, but then the 10k I ran in September, a week after I ran a 50k, was the slowest I have ever ran that distance out of 8 total. Strange.

Suffice it to say, I definitely paid more attention to the longer runs in 2008, which showed as I sacrificed speed for endurance, but that didn't prevent from setting PRs in all but 1 of the distances this year.

With 6 marathons and 3 50ks, I definitely ran my fair share of the longer distances, with 9 of the 15 marathon or longer distances in 2008. But I attempted other races, which also gave me a couple of other firsts. My first unofficial DNF came at the Pacifica 50k in January, which I ended up stopping at the 30k finish. Luckily for me they allow your time to count for that distance, and thus the unofficial disclaimer. Not enough calorie intake was the cause of that one. I also was going to attempt 50 miles at Ruth Anderson, but the way that one is set up is that you choose the distance you want to run as you are running, between 50k, 50m and 100k. Wind gusts of 50 mph were enough to stop me at the 50k distance. And finally, my first DNF at Quicksilver. I signed up for the 50m distance, and pulled out at the 50k finish. Quad busting hills from 29-31 were enough to convince me to pull out, although hindsight showed me that if I pushed on I would have easily finished. Oh well.

All in all, a banner year that was clouded at the end. To make matters worse, I have only ran a little over 2 miles in over 2 1/2 months and have slowly fallen out of shape. New job, earlier hours, heat and cold helped my lazy side win out. But not for long. I certainly don't plan to run as many marathons and 50ks in 2009, but I am hoping (so far) to train and be ready for at least 3 marathons (San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Nisene Marks) and 3 50ks (Ruth Anderson, Quicksilver and Stevens Creek) with possibly some others thrown in, depending how my training and conditioning progresses. It will be tough, but I can't wait to get back in to the swing of things, as an 18.5 mile bike ride today showed me what I have been missing.

To all I hope 2009 will be a productive and fruitful year for you.

Runnin' Loops at the Napa Wine Country Marathon

2008-10-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

Having ran an Enviro Sports marathon before, I knew that this run might not live up to what I thought it would be. In some ways this was true, but in others it was better.

Napa Wine Country Marathon - 4:54:11 (11:19 pace; 14/24)

I signed up for this one because all my friends wanted to do a run in Napa. Originally it was the half marathon, so I signed up for the marathon. I mean, why not sign up for the longer event if I was going to be there anyway? So the marathon I did, but all my friends ended up signing up for the 10k. So now I had to work out how to meet up with them since I was the numb nuts who signed up for something that would take a lot longer than everyone else.

Backtrack: I arrived the night before and checked in to my hotel room. All my other friends would arrive at different times. Kind of strange. We all live close together and yet we all drove separately! Anyway, after seeing my friends Sagar, Anjai and their baby Simran, I wound down and went to bed.

To be woken up by my other friends Steve and Lily, who showed up at 1 after a Halloween party in San Francisco. Not too fun being woken up from a sound sleep by a drunk friend. Wide awake, I got to hear him say how wide awake he was. Five minutes later he was snoring and I couldn't fall asleep.

Eventually I got to the park in Calistoga and met two more friends, Carla and Brian. This was fun! Having all my friends together doing something I love, sharing something that I know they would love as well. The marathoners were first to take off. It was a small crowd as we all began the climb. Yup, the first 2 to 2.5 miles were steep. Did I say the hill was steep? Oh yeah, steep it was as we trudged on up. We were on a fire road for about a mile before turning on to beautiful single track trails. As we rose ever higher the temp rose, until we got to the top and crossed a rocky ridge that had heat waves coming off of it. (The temp would eventually reach the low 90s.)

Eventually we turned back down to have some extremely steep descents. Some so steep you had to walk, and that even was enough to make me almost fall. Anyway, a babbling creek was a nice surprise as we crossed over it and by it several times. Amazing how the temp would drop when you neared the running water.

Did I mention this was a five loop course? Anyway, I came in from the first 6 mile loop, refilled my gatorade, and went the opposite direction for a different 4 mile loop. This one was nowhere near as dramatic, being an out and back: uphill halfway to the out, then turn around and run back to the end of the loop. As lush and cool as the first loop was, this one was the complete opposite, being dry and brown, and nowhere near as steep. I finished this loop twice before returning to the 6 mile loop for another two times.

This was where it got difficult as I started walking a ton more. The steeps were really steep when tired. And I wasn't eating as much as I should have. I did have a good moment that made me smile. I came upon a woman who was dragging her feet and walking slowly. Whenever I come across someone like this I always offer some electrolytes and shot bloks, but runner's pride always makes them say thanks, but no thanks. Anyway, she accepted. We went our separate ways and I figured I would see her at the finish line. With a half a mile to go I hear some feet pounding behind me. I turned and there she was, running just fine. I asked her how her energy was and she loved the shot bloks, giving her running a new life at the end of the race. As much as I didn't like a runner passing me during the last half mile, I loved that I was able to help someone who was crashing...

Anyway, overall the race was a good one. Great location, great weather until the end when the heat filtered in, and about what I expected for time and effort. But what I expected to find at an Enviro Sports run I was a bit confused by. The race, logically, didn't seem like it was 26 miles. In fact it seemed off. For example, the 4 mile loop seemed short as I ran it a lot faster than I thought I would have, especially for miles 7-14. Than my body screams at me as my legs, hips and calves feel as though they ran a marathon, not too mention a 4:54 time was about what I expected to run for a trail marathon with little training. So it was a wash, a feeling I don't know what to feel. I approached the race director after the 3rd loop to ask him about this "feeling", and before I could get two words out he cut me off with his loud and billowing voice as he cut me off. He seemed put out and angry that I would ask him such a simple question that I didn't even get to say! Mayhap other runners had questioned him before me? Who knows, either way I would recommend caution with their runs. If you want a fun run that doesn't seem too accurate, or makes you wonder at how far you were really running than stay away. They do put on a good fun run in great locations. I know I won't be running anymore Enviro Sports runs. I don't like the wondering doubt.

Over all I like the trails we ran on. In fact I loved the location. Decent results for the amount of training I have done recently. Not too mention that it is also my 3rd marathon or longer in 5 weeks. Time to rest and recover.

Huffin and Puffin at the Oktoberfest 5k

2008-10-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

I certainly didn't set my hopes high for this one. There would not be a PR today. I've only ran 2 other 5ks. My first was around 22 minutes and was the run leg of a triathlon. My PR was a 20:53 over a year ago. With the little bit of running I've done this year, I would be happy with anything less than 24 minutes.

Oktoberfest 5k - 23:18 (7:31 pace; 31/258)

Speed is certainly something that I have never focused on, this year or last. So when I originally signed up I for this 5k I had done so to get a little speed, and to work some of the kinks out from the last month of running (a marathon and a 50k) in order to, hopefully, help prepare for the marathon in Napa coming up next weekend. Not to improve speed, or endurance, but to work some of the heaviness out of my legs that have been ever present.

So when I arrived at the start line in 60 degree weather I couldn't have asked for better conditions. As we toed the line the race director casually moved up through the crowd and pushed his way out front. After a little crowd control he turns to us and says "You ready?" and before he finished he blew the horn! What the?!?!? Anyways, everyone frantically started as watches beeped all around.

The first mile was a tough one. I started out fast. I was hoping to run three sub 8 minute miles, and maybe a 7:30 first. As the lead pack pushed more out of sight I began to feel tired as the heavy legs caught up with me. The mile 1 marker finally came and, lo and behold, I ran a 6:53! Whoa, I didn't think I would be able to run the first mile that fast. And just as I smiled to myself, the realization set in that the final 2 would certainly be tougher than I thought because of my erratic first mile.

Mile 2 was tough, as guessed. I took a couple of walk breaks in order to get my breathing under control. My mouth began to become very dry as my spit stuck to my lips as I tried to expel it to the concrete below. 8:01 was about where I thought it would be.

Mile 3 wasn't as tough for some reason. Perhaps I had finally got my breathing under control. Or maybe I realized the end was in sight. Either way, I pushed on. I eventually took one walk break before turning the afterburners on and speeding in to the finish, running the last mile in 8:02.

I certainly accomplished what I had wanted, running a 7:31 pace to come in under 24 minutes. I really couldn't have expected a better result, but it is still amazing to see what not training for a couple of months does. A little over a year ago I ran a 6:53 pace 5k. At the beginning of this year I ran a 7:28 pace hilly 5 miler, and a 7:30 pace 10k.

If that isn't motivation than I don't know what is.

A Race In The Mind of a Marathoner

2008-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

The marathon is an amazing endurance event to finish. To accomplish crossing that finish line takes a lot. The obvious is the physical. Everyone always thinks of the physical strength every marathoner must have and use in order to make sure they finish. What they don't realize is how much willpower and mental strength is also needed, and at times during the race it feels like the mental strength is the most difficult.

Case in point: Cowtown Marathon. This is a perfect example on almost every marathon or 50k I've ran. You start the race and feel great. You brush aside any of the nagging feelings in the legs or doubts you may have simply because you are running a steady race and you feel extremely strong. For me this was easily through the first 5 miles. I was running a little slow, but I couldn't help but imagine fireworks and hearts - uh, wrong daydream - at the finish as I come sprinting down the homestretch as though I hadn't ran at all. A smile would spread across my face at the thought of it.

That same smile would slowly slip away over miles 6-9 as the miles stretched on. Mind you, my pace was still the same at that point, but I could tell things were tightening up but I was so close to the halfway point.

For the first half, of course, that was my only motivation, to get to 13.1. There is something about that number, just the same as 26.2, that I absolutely love reaching. Because of that my pace remained the same as I trudged on towards the halfway point. Once there, of course, I know that I have less than half the course to go! Woohoo! A momentary surge of endorphins, or whatever it could be, that pushes me through to mile 14.

In the back of mind I would start wondering, "Will this race ever end? Man, I am going so slow, these miles just won't go by quicker." Ha. How do you go from "Yes, done with half" to "What the?" Right when I hit 14 my pace dropped a good 2 minutes, and remained that way for the rest of the race. Motivation seemed to drop. Every mile dragged on. Finally, mile 15. Is that 16? Oh, but a momentary respite as my mind weakly registered that I now have single digit miles to go. This is and of itself is enough to give me fuel. Knowing that at mile 16 I would have less than 10 miles to go. Yes!

Then mile 17 and 18 come by and it barely registered, continuing on, not caring at all at this point. Mind you, my pace was still consistent with my second half, but now all I wanted was to be done, to just stop and sit down. Eat something. At this point I always begin to wonder why I would ever decide to sign up for a marathon or 50k. I mean, what kind of sadomasochist am I to willingly put myself through this? Mile 18 usually comes as my lowest point in the marathon, and it certainly did at Cowtown. I am usually hating life as I struggle to maintain a steady zombie shuffle. After all, I am certainly not a lead gazelle. I am no Kenyan. I cannot run a marathon with ease. It is always a struggle for me, no matter how much training I've done. It happens, and I always struggle.

But then something begins to turn at around mile 19. It is that in between mile. The mile right after I had hit the wall. The mile that I am struggling through in order to overcome the wall. Just on the other side of it is mile 20 and the welcoming arms of a 10k. How can I not push forward, even as I drown in the lows of The Wall? No matter how hard I hit it, I know now, at least, that just one more mile would change everything.

And it did at Cowtown. I finished mile 19 and moved on to mile 20. As I hit the magic 2 0 that childish grin from the beginning of the race would invariably find its way across my face again. I know my legs are tired. I know that my calves hurt. I can tell my muscles feel like cramping and that I am starving and low on energy. But with a 10k to go how can I not enjoy myself? The end was finally in sight. With every passing mile they begin to fly by. Whereas miles 14-19 seemed to take forever, miles 20-26.2 just fly by. I move. I continue to move. And with every mile marker I now know that I am almost there.

It is always a magical experience. I actually enjoy the wall, after the fact, of course. It always puts me in my place and shows me that I am doing something very difficult. Invariably this always happens to me. After the halfway point I begin a war with myself, berating myself for trying to do something that is much grander, something that is much more powerful that I am capable of. That mental battle will mean the race, right there. Miles 14-19 are where your mental strength come into play. At every marathon I have ran I always struggle the most on mile 18. It has happened way too consistently to not be a fact for my body in all future marathons.

Is it worth the momentous struggle during those miles? Without a doubt it is. For the struggle is but momentary, maybe an hour to an hour and half, but the joy and the feeling of accomplishment at the finish line cannot be measured. I've now finished 8 marathons and 6 50ks and I can say without a doubt that I have felt these ups and downs at every single race, and at the finish line I am always smiling and am already impatient for the next one. Everyone's body is different of course. Maybe you don't run into these problems the same way I do when I come to the daunting wall and wonder, "How will I get around that?" Maybe your wall is at 20 or 22. But I would wager that there is a mental battle that begins as you lead up to that tough set of miles, cause you know what is ahead of you.

The wall is a bitch, but it is what makes the marathon so tough, and the reason why mental strength is needed just as much as physical strength.

The Cowtown Cold?

2008-10-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

So what I thought was congestion turned out to be a cold. Originally I had thought that with congestion it wouldn't be too bad to run the marathon. I mean, it would be an annoyance, but all congestion really is is an annoyance, at least in my point of view. But being sick is a different matter as you have less energy.

And before I ran I was thinking the running might be good for the congestion, to help break it up some. But when I finished, which was the first indication, it actually got worse.

Mind you, I know my result was directly related to lack of training. But it is interesting to see the whole picture...

Round and Round Cowtown Marathon I Go

2008-10-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Literally, round and round, twice around, with each loop a half marathon. Not really a fan of loop races, but this one was okay because each loop was 13.1 miles.

Cowtown Marathon - 4:34:39 (10:28 pace; 168/288)

I had a lot going wrong going into this one. The obvious: no training in the last 2 months. But other stuff went wrong as well. First, I woke up hacking phlegm that would never come off the back of my throat. Scratchy and unpleasant, not the best to run a marathon in. Secondly, I started a new job that has me walking 8 hours a day, or roughly 9-10 miles, 5 days a week. My legs didn't really have that much rest. Finally, I had to get up at the god awful time of 3:50 because of of the 2 and a half hour drive, if you including picking up my friend Jill.

Anyway, I finally got to the race and had to wait in these huge lines for the bathroom. Also a fairly long line for gear check. Anyway, right when I stepped out of the bathroom the announcer blew the horn and it was perfect timing. I immediately went to the 10 minute pace area because I was guessing I would run a 4:30 marathon and that would be a good place to start. Unfortunately all the walkers and 15 minute pacers were there as well and the first 1.5 miles was stuck behind all the people who were not supposed to be at the front of the line. I don't think they realize that there is a reason there are pacing sections. To have you run with other runners your speed and to not slow down the other runners! At one point I was stuck behind three women walking! I could go on for a long time on this but, alas, I won't.

Anyway, the first half went about as I thought it would. I ran a 1:59. But I knew early on it was going to be a long day. By mile 5 my right hip was starting to have little aches and pains, and my legs still felt heavy. A few miles later and my left knee start aching. By the end of the first half my calves were already starting to cramp. It went, pace wise, about what I thought, but I had a lot of aches and pains that I knew would slow me down a lot in the first half.

The second half was botched horribly. I went from running the first 14 miles all sub 10 minute pace. Then I ran the second half in 2:35! Whoa, what a horrible split. But I kind of thought this was a huge possibility, even though I hoped it wouldn't happen. The second half ended up running an average of a 12 minute pace as I resorted to a run walk shuffle, with my longest mile clocking in at 12:42 (mile 23). The phlegm/congestion was definitely an annoyance, one that was always there. Eventually somewhere around mile 12 another sign of congestion appeared as this weird noise happened every time I stepped down and water or some fluid jostled around by my left ear. Strange.

The final interesting yet scary incident of this race happened about mile 23. The last time I had ate was at mile 21 and I figured I could finish the race without eating again. Anyway, back to mile 23, I noticed I was starving. I mean my stomach was growling and all I wanted to do was eat, but I figured I would still wait for the finish. Mile 25 rolled around and I started becoming dizzy. If I tried to run for any length of time the dizziness would build up and I would get a little cold. So I started walking and running intervals even more than I already was. Run, then walk and let my body convert some more fat to energy. By the time I finished I was not in the best of shape. I should have overcome my stubbornness and just ate again, but I didn't, and it probably took about 20 minutes of struggling to eat a bagel after the race before I had enough energy to stand up and walk around. Probably not the best move on my part, but a lesson learned and a symptom identified. The same thing happened at Pacifica earlier this year as I dropped because I was so hungry, and I realize now that if I would have continued on then then I would have become dizzy just as I did today.

All in all, I am pleased with how this marathon went, even with all the nagging problems that happened. As well the result was my third fastest marathon, and my 14th overall marathon or longer. Good result, good race, good everything (except final mile).

Stompin' My Way Towards the Almaden Times Classic 10k FInish

2008-09-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

The body is an amazing piece of equipment. It can be put through hell and accomplish some amazing feats, it can perform well under pressure and can push harder and longer than you would have ever imagined. Just the same, sometimes your engine needs a rest, needs to be able to recover from the gruelling expenditure from the weekend previous.

Almaden Times Classic 10k - 53:09 (8:36 pace; 99/272)

I didn't know what to expect from this one. On the one hand my legs felt good. They didn't seem too stressed from the 50k from the weekend previous. On the other hand I knew I hadn't had too much rest and I hadn't ran hardly at all since then, so I didn't know whether the legs were ready.

I arrived that morning with grandiose ideas. I'm running a marathon next weekend and figured a long run would be good to do the weekend before, so why not run the 10k, then turn around and run the course again to fit in a half marathon. Once I woke up I realized I was tired and maybe doing a half mary wouldn't be a good idea. So I lugged myself the 20 minutes to the start and toed the line.

Right away I knew this would not be my day. All I really wanted was to run a sub 8 minute mile pace. Simple, I thought, because of the 7 10ks I've already ran there was only one that was over an 8 minute pace, and that one was a trail 10k with a huge elevation gain, so it was realistic. Now I knew I wouldn't be able to do that.

The first 2 miles were sub 8, coming in at 7:43 and 7:56. Not bad, but not good, because I already wanted to take a walk break. My legs felt like they had bricks tied to my feet. When I would run I could run fast, and it felt good, but it didn't last long. This resembled more like the end of a marathon or 50k when your legs are heavy and tired. Your endurance is still there, but the legs can't do what you want.

I took a lot of walk breaks this time. I knew that I wouldn't be able to run a better 10k, or at least run one the way I had wanted to run it, so why torment myself? And so the day went. This was the first time that each successive mile was slower than the previous. The only pace that was faster was the .2, and that was because with a half mile to go I turned the afterburners on and took off, running as though I hadn't ran at all. I mean I was passing people as though they were standing. So it showed that I had it in me to run faster. The problem was that a half a mile was about as far as I could go until my legs gave out on me.

What went wrong? My engine just needed a little time to cool off, to re lubricate and bring itself back up to optimal performance. Add to that not training as much and it would mean that my recovery time would need to be longer. So my original idea of running a half mary, let alone a 10k, so soon after running a trail 50k the weekend before was not realistic. Will this effect the marathon next weekend? I don't think so, but who knows. I think it best that I take care of my engine, of this piece of machine, and let it build itself back up to its optimal performance level. I may do some light running at marathon pace, which would be around a 10:30 pace for a 4:30 finish. Either way, my training is not what it used to be, so I need to stagger my runs more (whereas at the height of my training I could run a race virtually every weekend, and had ran 2 50ks within 2 weeks) and focus on recuperation until my training returns.

A disappointing 10k that taught me a very good lesson.

The Marathon in 26 Words

2008-09-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

A fantastic challenge of man versus training. Then you cramp up, every joint hurts, and you hate life. Welcome to 26.2! Now push onward with conviction!

Dancin' with Wasps at the Skyline to the Sea 50k

2008-09-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing gets your adrenaline going like wasps. I've never ran into them before, literally, and wasn't prepared for it when I ran through all 3 nests. Although distracted momentarily, I certainly was still able to enjoy my long and gruelling run through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Skyline to the Sea 50k - 6:45:15 (13:09 pace; 122/178)

This was an unbelievably picturesque trail. The start was at Saratoga Gap at the intersections of Highways 9 and 35. We ran up and down valleys with huge panoramic views of unending tree after tree. One minute you are running through towering trees and the next you break around a bend and the whole hidden valley opens up. Absolutely beautiful. Then you drop down into the valley floor and run and cross over streams until you finally come out from under the cover of leaves and branches and, voila, there is the ocean right there in front of you. Words do not suffice. All in all, there was 3,000 feet of elevation gain with 5,580 feet of elevation loss.

The race started at the great time of 9. This, to me, is the most ideal time to start running. Unfortunately, in order to get to the start, where there is no parking, you have to drive to where the race will end since it is a point to point race. Yup, that meant driving the 1 hour and 20 minutes to where the buses would pick us up. Which meant getting up at 4:45. Not so much fun. Since I couldn't fall asleep until a little after 3 it meant I would be really tired with only 2 hours of sleep.

Oh, and the bus ride. We were all crammed into these school buses where we had to sit sideways in order to fit in the seats. Imagine a 1 hour and 20 minute bus ride, bouncing you back and forth. Not a good way to start your day. I was so sick by the time we got there that I couldn't enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Add that to being tired and with loud people practically yelling in the seat behind me, and I was not in the right frame of mind. That being said, standing in the cold for an hour in the fresh mountain air certainly freshened my mood.

The race started and after a bathroom break I didn't get to the start line until the race began, which meant I was behind every runner at the beginning. The race was virtually all single track, with some fire roads, so the beginning was very slow going as I slowly moved carefully past runners. 2 miles in and all hell broke loose. I saw one runner stop and scratch his leg and someone else asked if he had been stung. I thought nothing of it until a a couple hundred feet in front of me a woman slaps her neck and yells. I just started thinking, "I hope I don't get stu-" "Ouchhhh" as I did the mad, banshee yelling and arm waving jumping as I surged forward and adrenaline pumped in. I had been stung a couple of times. And I was worried. I had only been stung by a wasp once before and my hand swelled to over 3 times as big. I had an allergic reaction then, what would happen now?

Luckily the race director showed up and gave me an antihistamine. I soldiered on. 5 minutes later we started to hear yelling and a lot of commotion on the trail ahead. We knew what we were getting into and dreaded every step forward. Then the lead runner in our group started yelling and waving their arms and then, almost instantly, everyone started jumping, yelling, screaming and waving their arms. And you get stung by 3 different wasps at the same exact time. Adrenaline surged through me as I lost all focus on running and pushed it on harder to get away from wasps.

Luckily we were in the clear and hit our first hill, since the course is a net downhill, and trudged on. I was out of shape so I walked most of the hill, which was a long gruelling one. We get to the top and come to our first panoramic view, which, of course, came along with its own wasps' nest. This time I was stung in the arm and, uh, the back of my head? The upside was I wasn't having a reaction, the downside was that I had been stung 8 times by wasps. Not fun, and my arm and head throbbed for the whole race.

A plus was that this course was mostly downhill, the downside was that the hills, when they came, were some really tough ones. About mile 15 was another hill that went on for almost 2 miles and was really steep. Not fun. I was moving slowly. After I got back to the 19 mile aid station I walked all the flats until, yup, another long and gruelling hill. I was not in good shape. I couldn't figure it out. I was drinking a lot of water, was taking electrolyte pills and was eating Cliff Shot Bloks. What happened besides being out of shape? As I pondered this I ate more, drank more, and swallowed some more electrolyte pills. And, just in time, it all clicked back into place at the top of the hill.

This was the first that this had happened. I went from nauseous, dizzy and cramping in my calves, hamstrings, quads and groin to flying so fast down the hill feeling more fresh than I did at the beginning of the race. Unbelievable, and it felt so good to open up my stride and literally fly down the single track trails with huge trees and running creeks. I assumed it was endorphins kicking in and giving me such a great feeling. I was wrong.

A few miles later I felt all the same cramps and was dizzy again. What was it? Ah ha, that has to be it. Even though I had ate a lot, it wasn't enough. I needed to eat more regularly. So I ate and drank again and waited for it to kick in while I hobbled along hating life. 15 minutes later I noticed the cramping was gone. I opened up my stride again and was soaring so fast that I was catching runners left and right. I lost count. Where they were all fading I was flying past them as though I hadn't run at all. I was amazed at the huge difference. Granted, I couldn't keep it up continuously, so I worked in a run walk routine in order to not run out of fuel. And it worked.

Even when I was in the best of shape I have never felt this great at the end of a race and could open up not only on the downhills but on the flats as well. So this is what if feels like to have the right nutrition and hydration? Nice, I will have to remember this. And just as I came down the mountain and could see the wind gliders' sails on the ocean, my energy collapsed. I couldn't see eating again, so I drank a lot and pushed through the slowly building cramps until I came to the finish line, which surprised me as I weaved in and out of bushes to suddenly have the finish line literally right in front of me. Apparently we were originally going to end with the ocean in sight, but a wasps nest had found a home there and it would have been cruel to congratulate our finish with a few more stings.

All in all, a truly enjoyable race, despite hating life at mile 14 and wondering why I continue to torture myself with running marathons and ultramarathons. The wasps were a unique experience, one I would never wish upon anyone else, and hope to certainly never have to experience again, even though I know I probably will.

Post script: I went to bed last night with nothing more than a slight stinging on my right arm and a dull throb on the back of my head. I had taken an antihistamine pill and I think that held things at bay. This morning I woke up and after showering and eating I scratched my arm, having completely forgot about the wasp stings, and looked down to find my right forearm a slight red and splotchy color as well as being swollen. I was having a reaction to the stings. All in all my right forearm was stung 4 times within the same square inch surface by three wasps (one got me twice before I was able to swat him off), so it wasn't a surprise that it was reacting the worst there. I guess I have a little memento, eh, one I will keep with me when I run. Along with some antihistamine pills.

A disappointing DNF at the Stevens Creek 50k

2008-09-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't expect too much, but I at least expected to finish this 50k. I most certainly didn't finish, not even close. What went wrong?

Stevens Creek 50k - DNF (2:35:54; 10.9 miles; 2,200 ft elevation gain; 14:19 pace)

Can you tell how your day will go by how it began? I was sound asleep when I was jolted out of sleep. Literally. Strange sound waking me up. Huh? What's going on? Before I even figured out what was happening I had bolted out of my bed and was walking over to the alarm. When I got to the alarm (which is across the room because if it is above my head I will turn it off without even realizing it) I turned it off and sat there, staring at the mirror, wondering why my alarm was going off. Work? Was it morning or did I take a nap or something and it was afternoon? Then it donned on me. I have a 50k. I try to shake off the unsettling feeling of not knowing where I am or why I am there and get in the shower.

Soon enough I was on my way, noticing the temp was 70 degrees already at 7:45. Gonna be a hot one, but the 50k was in the mountains where it usually drops a good 10 to 15 degrees. I was happy. A half hour later I was starting to get hot and noticed that the outside temp had risen to 80 degrees when I arrived at the start! What the?!?! (a ranger told me later that in the Summer up where we were at is something called inverse layer, where the valley floor and the mountaintops reverse and the mountaintops are hotter. whoda thunk it?)

This was not a good start. Disoriented when I woke up, and it was already 80 degrees at 8:30 in the morning. The race started and not even 10 feet in and I already had a rock in my shoe and a thorn stabbed my big toe. I was not going to enjoy today.

After 4-5 miles I already knew I was going to drop, even though I was running a decent pace. I was struggling on the hills and the heat was very overpowering, reaching in to the mid 90s. Now I had to decide whether I wanted to stop at the 10.9 mile aid station or continue on and stop at the 19.3 mile aid station. We hit the longest uphill climb in the whole race, which is very bad timing for trying to decide how far to run. That being said, I stopped at the first aid station at mile 10.9.

What went wrong? First and foremost, I hadn't trained much in the last two months, only running a combined 60 miles, and hardly any of those where in the hills. I hadn't done a marathon or longer run since the beginning of June, so my legs were not in shape, not to mention there may be some residual damage left over from my pulled muscle. My legs were just so tired. I mean, walking the hills was making my legs very tired. I eventually gave up and virtually walked the whole last 3-4 miles. And to put this in to perspective, one of those miles came in at 30 minutes, a very slow uphill mile. Another reason why I walked so much was the heat was very overpowering. Not only had I not trained in the hills but I hadn't done any heat training, ever.

So this was a huge DNF for me. My first DNF came after I attempted the Quicksilver 50m, and stopped at the 50k finish. So that was a decent DNF, one I learned a ton from. This DNF just made me feel like I couldn't do anything right, that I had never ran trails and that I had never ran anything longer than a few miles. Very frustrating. Overall, though, it came down to a main factor of my training, with the heat only a contributing factor. I have no doubt that if I would have focused on my training than I would have finished this race. That is neither here nor there.

As a postscript, I stayed and volunteered, helping with the timing at the mile 19.3 aid station (which is also where the finish is), and was able to see all the runners come through. Amazingly, there were about 7-8 people who DNFed at the 10.9 aid station, and another 11 who dropped at the 19.3 aid station, making a total of at least 19 DNFs (there may be more who turned around and came back to the finish after they came through the 19.3 aid). There were 59 starters.

Postscript to the Postscript: Results just in: 36 finishers and 23 DNFs. Amazing drop out rate, so I don't feel so bad about my DNF. Plus there were runners that didn't finish until 9 hours and 27 minutes. Better luck next year for me, and you can bet I will be prepared then.

Prerace thoughts for the Stevens Creek 50k

2008-09-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

I've lost my discipline. Not sure how or when. Pulled muscle? Smog/smoke? Heat? Could be any of them, could be all of them. Could be something entirely different. Who knows. But today I had it in my mind (actually it started with two days ago, then yesterday) to run some hills, break my legs in some more before my 50k this weekend. What stopped me today? Just checked the weather and it is 100 degrees outside. So I vetoed it.

Which is strange, because last year I was running a ton in the heat, but this year it seems that I don't want to. Doubts and questions. Am I burning out? I hope not, and I think not. But you never know. I was hoping to get some hill running in before this weekend's race, but now it may be too close to Sunday to risk running and being sore. Cause I haven't ran hills in a while, I know I will be tight and/or sore. Now I wait. But, and a big but it is, maybe this will turn out like the iWalk Half Marathon. I didn't run before that and I ended up only being about a little over 2 minutes slower than I was last year. Maybe the same will happen.

I do know that I will shatter my time from last year. Last year when I ran this I had zero trail/hill training and running and I had only ran 2 marathons previous to it. Plus I got lost for over an hour. Now I have experience with 7 marathons and 5 50ks, with tons of trail and hill running, so I know what I am getting myself in to. Add to that having not only ran the course last year but also having ran a good portion of these same trails in training. I should do well. Last year I came in at 8:15. Very slow. This year I hope to run it in 6:30, with an outside goal of 6:15. My last 50k was at Quicksilver in May and I ran that in 6:16, and I ran a trail marathon at Forest of Nisene Marks in 4:07 in June. Granted, I haven't ran too much and too often recently, but I think the conditioning is still there if I run a smart race.

All of this, of course, is preparation for the Skyline to the Sea 50k coming up on Sep. 20th, where I run from Saratoga Gap to the ocean. Gonna be great. But is it strange to kick start your training for a 50k by running a different 50k? I think so, logically, but I have never really thought logically, having ran my first marathon with zero training, and my first trail 50k with zero trail running experience. I am better off now than I was before either of those, so I am optimistic.

Anyway, here's to kick starting the second half of my season, having ran 6 marathons or longer in the first half, then took a 2 month break, and then will now run at least 5 more marathons or longer (2 road marathons, 2 trail 50ks and 1 trail marathon) with another 3-4 maybe's.

Here's to shooting for the moon!

A Surprise Finish at the iWalk Half Marathon

2008-08-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

I came into this one very unsure of myself. I hadn't ran much at all and felt entirely out of shape. Add to that that I have gained 5 pounds in the last month and a half and I had no expectation of doing well at all. In fact, I was in for a gruelling day. The only reason I looked forward to this race was because I knew it would do wonders in a crash course for the 50k coming up in two weeks. What a surprise it was, then, that I ran it well.

iWalk Half Marathon - 1:52:59 (8:37 pace; 23/108)

I didn't get much sleep, but I really didn't care. This race was meant strictly to break the legs back in for the Stevens Creek 50k. A banana and a Gatorade later, I was waiting at the start line on a brisk and windy morning. Perfect weather for running.

I ran this race last year. The start and finish festivities, such as registration and food and drinks, wasn't too well run, but everything else was spot on. A flat out and back that had 9 aid stations and 1 self serve table, so there were plenty of places to hydrate yourself. This was the most I have ever had for aid stations, and one of the reasons I like this race.

So I started out at a conservative sub 8 minute pace. Normally no problem, but I knew it might be a little difficult. The first 3 miles remained sub 8, and the next 3 were at 8 or a little above. So the first half was well on pace, much faster than I had expected. Soon enough I reached mile 9 and I was not only feeling good, but I also was on pace to run a sub 1:50, which has only been done once before during the first half of the Napa Valley Marathon. I was stoked. I couldn't believe how I was feeling. All I had to do was run a little over a 10 minute pace and no problem.

Mile 10 came around and I had slowed a little, having now to run a little under a sub 10 pace. Huh? Didn't feel that slow, but I know this is certainly doable. With 2 miles to go I now had to run a 9:30 pace. Okay, slipping, but still in my grasp. Try as I might I couldn't speed up for some reason and began taking more and more walk breaks. 1 mile to go and a little under a 9 minute pace and I would have it. But then, just as I thought it was in my grasp, I remember there was also another .1 that I didn't account for, which deflated my morale, and I was resigned to not running a 1:50 pace.

All in all, I am very pleased with how I ran. A 1:53 is my 3rd fastest half marathon (out of 7, and not counting any of the marathon halfers) ever, which blew me away. Perhaps I am in better shape than I had imagined, and perhaps I will be better prepared for the 50k in two weeks. Notch another great halfer, one I wasn't prepared to succeed at.

PS My calves are the only thing that is telling me that I was under trained, being extremely sore after the short drive home, and very sore the next morning. I must say, I love being sore, cause it tells me I'm doing something right... not to mention feeling more alive with muscle s that feel used.

Let the Trial by Fire Begin

2008-08-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have last posted, or frequented the blogosphere for that matter. I had pretty much limited myself to only blogging about my races, and sometimes about my running in between, because it was taking more time than I wanted to spend on it. Add that to the bad weather, smoke and pulled muscle in July, then I have most certainly not been active. In fact, I have only ran a combined 48 miles for last month and this month (30 last, 18 this).

It is amazing how long it takes to get yourself in to shape to be able to run a marathon and half marathon, to improve your pace and run comfortably. What is even more amazing is how quick you lose the endurance and fitness. For me, even though I have run intermittently, I feel as though I have returned to my pre 2007 fitness and am running an uphill battle again.

So I have had to not run the Headlands 50k coming up this weekend, even though I know I could finish it. It just wouldn't be fun at all, and would probably be painful. So I am running a crash course training. I ran earlier this week in the the trails around Lexington Dam for 8 miles. It has been a while since I have ran hills, and it showed. It took me 1hr31m to finish, something that had previously taken around 1hr20m. So on paper it looks slower, but not too bad, but in reality it felt a lot worse. Very out of shape. But it felt great none the less.

So instead of the trail 50k this weekend, I have opted for a flat half marathon in Mountain View. I've ran this before and it took me 1hr50m, my previous best for a stand alone half (with only the first half of the Napa Valley Marathon coming in faster). I am certainly not expecting to set a PR, which would also be a Course Record (CR). What I am intending on doing is giving my legs a crash test and shock them into condition. Why? Because I've got the Stevens Creek 50k coming up on September 7th, one that I most certainly will run since this 50k was my very first 50k I ever ran last year. I would be doing myself a disservice if I did not return to the scene where my virgin trail ultramarathon legs were broken in.

Hopefully this time I will not get lost for an hour and find myself wandering around steep hills wondering where I went wrong.

I love trials by fire. I did this with my first marathon in 2006, and with my first 50k in 2007, as well as my first triathlon in 2007 (with a mountain bike). Should be fun.

Laziness vs. Running

2008-07-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Laziness is too easy to fall in to. I certainly fell victim to it. It all started with the heat, the smoke and the pulled muscle. So I was forced to rest, forced to not run. But once I realized my right quad was healed, and the smoke had cleared, and, for the most part, the heat had subsided, I should have had the go ahead to resume running. But I didn't.

I think once I got in the rhythm of not running, it was easy to say, "I'm tired, I'll run tomorrow". Then tomorrow came and it was easy to say, "Well, not today, but this weekend for sure." Oh well. It felt great to not run, ironically, since I love running so much. Strange to feel both ends of the spectrum.

But, alas, I could not stay away for that long. And after procrastinating for a few days this week I finally went out for a decent run yesterday to kick start my training for the upcoming 50ks I have in September: Stevens Creek 50k and Skyline to the Sea 50k.

My friend was having a "painting" party and I got to thinking. Gas is expensive and, hell, I haven't ran too much, why not run to his house? 5.6 miles later I was at his house. We prepared his house all day from 10 to 5, and then I turned around and ran the 5.6 miles back in the heat, after spending all day in the sun. Not the best of conditions but certainly felt great to get out there and run. I would like to say that this will be a new trend of running to the places I need to be, but I did not like the amount of cars I had to run around, with, against, across and so on, not to mention all the exhaust. Not ideal and I think it best to stay on the trails and bike paths.

Anyway, I think this was a great kick start to resume my training. I've been away a month and it felt good while it lasted, but the feeling of running during and after far outweigh being lazy around the house.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2008-06-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

June - I had set to run quite a bit this month. In fact, I originally had planned a marathon and a 50k, and then of course all the training that comes along with it. The month started out great with a great marathon at Nisene Marks, Muddy Buddy which I had ran a 10 mile training run in the hills before that. So first week went great. Close to 40 miles.

Then I had to cancel the Pacifica 50k. I had wanted to run it for redemption, since I only ran the first 30k of this race earlier in the year. Oh well. The a string of three events happened that ruined running for the rest of the month. First we had a week of horrible heat ranging from 100-105. Not fun. Then had a huge fire in Santa Cruz that congested the air and made it unhealthy to run in. Just as you thought everything would look great for running. So the air cleared up, only to be congested again by over 1,000 fires, many sparked by lightning. Still today the air is extremely unhealthy.

I suppose I could have ran more on the treadmill, and I did do some running. But I can't stand running on the treadmill anymore. Outside I can run for 1-2 hours no problem. On a treadmill? About 20-25 minutes before I can't stand it anymore and have to stop. I used to be able to run for an hour, but not anymore.

Then, during an agility test for a job, I pulled a muscle! My right quad. I've ran how many miles in the last 2 years, ran how many marathons, and a 90 yard obstacle course pulls a muscle? I couldn't believe it. I still can't as my leg hurts still. Luckily, I guess, I pulled it yesterday and the air is still unhealthy to run in. So at least there is a good side, right? While I can't run because of my leg, I wouldn't run in the healthy conditions. But the muscle will take at least a week to heal, probably 2. Oh well.

Anyway, strange month, only was able to run 60 miles, 40 less than the at least 100 I had originally planned to run.

Round and Round, Round and Round

2008-06-24T16:53:00.001-07:00

Round and round the bases I go, bases I go, Bases I go, round and round...

So a few hours of softball did what running for a few hours couldn't do. I am sore. Not in a bad way, but in a tired, my legs feel sore good way. I joined my friends for a nice softball game to celebrate a birthday. We actually had two full teams and then some, which is a lot more than we usually get (usually it is around 10-12 people, this time we had 20+). How does this change things? That means we have less at bats than usual, which means less sprinting and running fast, which I thought would make the day a lot easier.

That still didn't stop me. Crack, I whacked that one good. I knew it as soon as it hit the bat. I was off, sprinting faster than I had in a long time because I knew I had a double, very likely a triple, and if I went fast enough than I could get a home run, the first of the day for both teams. By the time I reached third I was getting out of breath, but I was still moving extremely fast. When I finally crossed home and scored the first home run of the day I was winded. I mean, this really surprised me because I run a lot.

The next day compounded my confusion, as I was sore! My glutes, my quads, hamstrings. Practically my whole lower body was sore. Strange. The only time I feel this is after a 4-5 hour run in the mountains, or my sub 4 hr marathon (which had my hamstrings sore only). So not only was I winded, but I was also sore. Strange.

Which only showed me more than anything else that cross training is very important, not only for running but for all sports. Add to this that I haven't worked any speed training yet and I now understood what I need to do. I mean really need to do in order to speed up. I understood this before, logic being something I, uh (hopefully), was born with, but I am a creature of habit and usually need a real life experience to teach me. So this it did.

Speed training here I come.

Gettin' Dirty at the Muddy Buddy in San Jose

2008-06-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

This would certainly be a test of my endurance. I had ran a marathon the day previous and wasn't too sure how my legs would hold up. The 13.1 miles downhill left my left quad in a knot at mile 24 and the only thing that I could think of when that happened was, "How will this affect me tomorrow? Will I even be able to run it?" I couldn't help but feel as though I would let my brother down if I wasn't able to run. As it turned out, it was only a scare as the race went off with nary a hitch.

Muddy Buddy - 1:12:25 (12:04 pace; 589/965)

I woke up and was exhausted. I had stayed up late the night before celebrating my friend's 30th birthday at the Oakland Athletics game. First thing I noticed was that I wasn't sore! What the?!?! I ran a marathon in the hills. I ran my second fastest marathon ever. Um, and I'm not sore? I would have never guessed this.

I drove over to my brother's house and picked him up without eating anything. I figured it would only be an hour race so no need to eat anything, right? Well this was only partly true. When we took the exit 20 minutes later with another 15-20 to go through the winding hills I suddenly blurted out, "You bring your helmet?" Rules of the race state that both team members must have helmets or you are disqualified. Uh-oh. We had to turn around. We suddenly went from showing up with plenty of time to pick up packets and prepare early, to rushing to get back not even sure if we would be able to start on time.

Last year we showed up with an hour to go before the race and waited around, eventually finding ourselves in the middle of our wave. This slowed us a lot because we were stuck behind a ton of people in a very congested beginning up a steep hill. We had hoped to avoid this this year, but how could we now? We showed up 20 minutes before the race and were in the back of the front parking lot. We had to check in, walk back to the car, put on our three bib numbers, then turn around and get back to the race.

Would you believe it if I told you that after all that we ended up starting at the front of our wave and were in a better position than last year? Yep, that's what happened. Everything went wrong in the beginning, and yet we were in a better position to start the race.

We decided to switch legs this year. Last year we had my brother start the first leg of the race on the bike and take on the very steep but short hill in the beginning because we figured there was more running for me that way. There were four obstacle courses and at each one we were to switch, having the runner now bike and the biker now run.

Since I am the stronger biker we figured I would be able to bike the steep hill that starts in less than a tenth of a mile from the start. On a normal day I wouldn't have hesitated, but I had ran a gruelling marathon the day before with long ups and downs that burned my quads.

So the race started and I took it slow but steady. I wasn't gonna try and break speed records, which I would have tried to do on fresh legs, but not this day. I noticed immediately that my legs were slower and couldn't bike as well. None the less, I almost made it the whole .6 miles to the top, having only stopped once for a brief walk at the top. It was hot and I was already dripping sweat down my face and in my eyes, and we weren't even a minute into the race. Wow, this would be tough.

Eventually the run started after I free climbed up a wall and then climbed down a cargo net on the other side. My legs were heavy but still felt good. I trudged on and just as I was coming in to the second obstacle course my brother passed me, which was good timing for me to start the next leg of biking after I did an over, under, over climb of bars. The problem, though, was that now I was going to pass Mike up right at the aid station, which meant I would be standing and waiting at a future aid station. Believe me, that I wouldn't mind.

At this point I took it easy because I knew I was ahead of my brother. I knew that it really didn't matter what speed I was going because I knew that I would wait at the next aid station anyway, so I took it easy. The third obstacle course was a big climb up a cargo net and then a slide down the other side. At this point I didn't have to wait though, because I finished the bike leg and was leaving the bike for Mike, so I took off running.

Well not really. Maybe a meander, or a shuffle, or a jog. My legs were slow and heavy, and I was feeling the lack of sleep and the tired muscles from the marathon. This was also where I wished I would have eaten that banana for breakfast, or a piece of toast. Anything, really, becauwse I was running out of energy after depleting so much of it the day before. The fourth obstacle was a blessing. It was a catwalk across a bar. The blessing? I could now stand and rest. My legs were tired. Endurance wise, I was fine. My breathing was great, I felt good, but my legs were tired. So I took advantage of the five minute wait.

I took the bike and took my time, knowing that this was the last leg and I was on bike and even if my brother was sprinting the last mile I knew I would beat him there. So took it easy I did, young padawan.

The crowning moment of the race is a dive into and military crawl through a long mud pit to the finish line. Disgusting, yes, especially that first moment that you lift the net up and see thick mud dripping down, then your hand sinks in. You race across just to get it over with. All in all, it was a very fun race. I love doing this race with my brother. We ended up doing it slower by about 3 1/2 minutes.

After an unsure beginning, a tough uphill start (not only for myself but my brother had to run up that hill, then there was another hill after that that he biked and I ran), being baked in hot temperatures on open fire roads, to being drenched in thick, oozing mud, to finally showering off with garden hoses with cold water and a hundred other people in the open air, this was another race to remember.

Flying Down the Hills of the Nisene Marks Marathon

2008-06-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

I looked forward to this marathon since last year, and I most certainly was not let down. After a week preceding the run with soreness in my calves and thighs until the day before the race, I wasn't sure if I was ready to run it. But run it I did.

Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon - 4:07:57 (9:28 pace; 24/69)

I knew coming into this one that it could be difficult. The first 13.1 miles were uphill, and then you are rewarded with the last 13.1 downhill. But I wasn't sure if my legs would hold up for the downhill after running for so long uphill. After all, I am not a very good uphill runner, and this was a half marathon uphill!

So race morning dawned and nothing different than usual. Peanut butter and bread, two bananas and a Gatorade all together with an hour drive. Leaving two hours in advance left me with plenty of time to digest the food and be ready for the race.

It was cold. Aptos is over by the Pacific Coast and in the wee hours of the morning in a park covered with trees race morning was no exception. The race started right on time and I took it slow at first. The first half mile was slow going, and I soon realized that the hills would be easier than expected. Why, you might ask? Because I was comparing the first half marathon with other trail half marathons I've ran before that had less elevation gain and yet were tough. The difference was that a half marathon of, say, 1,600 ft. elevation gain is not spread out over the whole half marathon, but is instead spread out over 6.5 miles. So the ups and downs were a lot steeper. With the gain spread out over 13.1 miles it was a lot more even and gradual.

After realizing this I picked up my speed and came in averaging about 8:20 for the first 5-6 miles. A good pace, but this was where the first steep incline came and things slowed drastically. After this there was one other steep incline that had me walking a bit more. Suddenly the 13.1 uphill was now becoming difficult. To this point I've eaten and drank adequately, so no problems there. That would come later.

Eventually I reached the turnaround in 2:09 and was shocked. My Garmin was on the fritz because we were in the hills and under cover of trees and lost reception, so I was amazed and joyed to be to the top so fast. The downhill was gonna be fun.

So I realized that I still had a chance of coming in under 4 hours. I took off. My miles were averaging about 8 minutes and was coming into each aid station faster than expected. It took me 24 minutes to run the 3 miles from the 17 mile aid to the 20 mile aid. At that pace I would definitely break 4 hours. Problem, though, was that I was focusing so much on speed that I stopped eating. My legs started slowing. I wasn't winded, it was just my legs didn't want to work as well anymore. By the time I realized that I hadn't eaten enough 4 hours had already slipped out of my grasp. To make matters worse I have never ran that far downhill all at once, and my legs were screaming at me. Actually, it was only my left quad. When I stopped to walk a little at mile 24 a huge knot formed in the left quad and I almost had to stop running. Low electrolytes, low food, whatever it was I didn't have enough.

Luckily I was able to finish fairly strong at that point and came in at 4:07:57. My first negative split. 2:09 for the first, 1:58 for the second. Additionally, this was my second fastest marathon, which amazes me because of the elevation gain. After all, you lose more speed going uphill than you can make going downhill. So very surprising, especially seeing as how close this one was to my PR for a road marathon of 3:53.

If you are ever here during this race make sure and run it. It is one of the most beautiful races I have ever ran. Lush canopy of trees, tall redwoods. Amazing weather. Great marathon, one I would love to do again.

But this was only the first half of my weekend, as I had the Muddy Buddy race the next day. This would be my first ever double event weekend with a marathon and is a test of my endurance on how I do.

Part 2 to come later.

Pre-thoughts for the Weekend's Races

2008-06-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read correctly, there will be two races this weekend. The first is one I have looked forward to for almost a year. I couldn't run it last year, so I made sure and made room for it this year. It is the Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon in Aptos, California. I love Aptos and just knew that I wanted to run a marathon up there. So beautiful with huge, lush trees. In fact it is over towards the Pacific Coast, so the weather should be great too.

What is unique about this race is that you run 13.1 miles uphill for about a 2,500 feet of elevation gain. Once you reach the top you turn around and run all the way back downhill! I've never ran a race with so much a continuous stretch of uphill, and then of course downhill. I also like this format because my legs are the most fresh, obviously, at the beginning of the race, so I should be able to get up the first half at a decent pace. Add to that my most recent improvement at running hills at Quicksilver then I know that I am in for a treat. I am under no delusions. I know very well that 13.1 uphill will be tough and gruelling. But my reward will be 13.1 downhill. Even at my worst conditions on other trail marathons and 50ks I was able to still maintain at least a 9 minute pace, sometimes getting into the 8 (and a few times 7 minutes) minutes pace when late in a race. So it should be fun.

My hopeful predictions are that I definitely run faster than a 4:30, which would be the 2nd fastest marathon I will have ever ran. This is certainly doable even with the 2,500 feet of elevation gain simply because of the downhill last half.

After all this I have to rush home and shower in order to leave immediately in order to get to my friend's house so that we can get to the Oakland Athletics game. So no loading up on calories or nap after this marathon.

Hopefully after a decent night's rest then I will wake up early to run the Muddy Buddy with my brother on Sunday. Love this one. You team up and one of you bikes and the other runs until you get to an obstacle course. After you complete it then you switch and keep going to the next one. All in all, about 3 miles of running, 3 miles of biking, and about 6 obstacle courses. Your reward? You get to dive into a mud pit and crawl to the finish line on your hands and knees. Ha. I think we will definitely beat our time of last year, which was a 1:09, so that is the main goal. But I want to see if we can break an hour. So that is the secondary and yet more important goal.

This will be the first time that I will have ever ran a marathon of 50k on one day and ran a race the next day, so it should be interesting. Granted, it is a bike and ride of only 6 miles, but it will be on tired legs. This is another test I wanted to do to myself to see how I can handle tired muscles. Another indicator of endurance.

Here's to a fun weekend!

Cave Man Say: "Eat Meat!"

2008-06-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really so direct, but in many ways this is true. The concept, of course, is to consume protein. However you find your protein (meat, nuts, soy) it is most certainly a necessary component to any runner's diet, especially after runs. I found this out the hard way.

I was doing my last training run last Tuesday before the Nisene Marks Marathon this weekend. I've come to favor doing a training run in the hills on the Tuesday before the event because, for some reason, it seems to help me run better. Something to do with the conditioning of the muscle that also coincides with muscle memory just in time for the race. Maybe I made that up, but it seems to work.

Anyway, I had ran pretty consistently the two weeks prior:

Sun: 8

Tue: 10.33

Thur: 6

Sat: 7.15

Tue: 7

Wed: 6.1

Thur: 2.92

And then a short break for a couple of days, that turned into 4 days off from Thursday's run to Tuesday's run of this week. So nothing out of the ordinary. Yet when I woke up Wednesday morning my legs felt as though they had been put through the ringer. I mean, it felt like I was at mile 23, or that I had just ran a marathon. My right calf and both quads were extremely sore. This was strange because I had never gotten sore after a training run. I've even ran this same trails and distance before and was never sore before. So I started to look for what was different, for surely it would tell me why I was sore.

After a little bit of diggin' around I realized I hadn't eaten much protein in the days before the training run, and I didn't eat hardly any after the run! Whoa, this was a wake up call. I've read that it is best if you eat protein within an hour after a hard workout or race in order to stave off any soreness and to help your muscles knit themselves back together. Until now I didn't really think anything of it. Yet my diet had hardly any protein and here I am feeling as though I had ran a 6 hour race in the hills instead of an easy 1:40 training run.

Of course there could be other factors, and it may have nothing to do with the protein, but it is certainly something I will keep an eye on in the future. If I become sore again I will have to look at the amount of protein I ate and compare it with last Tuesday's protein and see if there is some sort of trend that can support this analysis.

Until then, Cave Man Say: "Eat Meat (okay you vegetarians, "Protein")". It does a body good.

No to Active.com, Yes to Mail In Registration

2008-05-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have become peeved lately. Why you might ask? Because I've been sucked into the Active.com system and blow tons of money away to them for each race entered. Mayhap it is the instant gratification of paying for an event online and knowing that it is done. But why? Why waste the money on Active.com "processing fees" when you can, over the year, run an extra race or two with that money?

What sparked this was I signed up for 4 races, all of which I had budgeted for the year. Two of them were Pacific Coast Trails races and they have their own system to process online transactions and don't charge the "processing fees". But the other two were for Muddy Buddy and the Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon, with processing fees totaling a whopping $15.00! What the?!?!?!?!?! For what? What exactly are they doing that creates that high of processing fees?

So I did a little math on two other runs that I had budgeted for the year (actually I had the San Francisco Marathon budgeted, but I figure I can run both of these for the same price as SF plus a little more. No brainer!), the Cowtown Marathon and the Two Cities Marathon. Cowtown has the marathon, half marathon, relay and a 5k. The fees vary for each one but when you take the number of entrants from each race last year and assume they all used Active then that means Active is making $11,754 in processing fees!!!!! Even assuming half the runners didn't use Active that is still close to $6,000.

I did the same thing with the Two Cities Marathon, which has a marathon, half marathon run, half marathon walk and a relay. Now the marathon is an inaugural marathon so nothing to base it off of, but they have a cap of 3,000, so I will use that total. Using their fees it comes to $20,112! Assuming half, then it would be $10,000.

And what are they "processing"? They host the race info and the results (sometimes) and process the fees. Is this really worth $16,000-$32,000 in processing fees? And that is for only 2 races. Add this up for all the races and they are making that much in processing. A complete waste of money and, I might add, the fees don't represent anywhere near what we, as runners, are receiving in return.

So from here on I will not be using Active. In fact I will veto it every chance I get. This means a little more planning, of course, because that would mean I would have to mail in my registration form well in advance (which would also help me sign up for the race before the fees go up, another cost saver).

I encourage all of you to do the same. Save your money and apply it to a race instead of the elusive "processing fees" that Active.com charges. I am amazed that it has taken me as long as it has to realize this. $5 a race is too much, and I figure I have already spent around $35 this year on the couple of races I have signed up for through Active.com. Perhaps if they would have kept it at an acceptable $1 an entrant, instead of the sliding scale that gets more and more expensive the more the race fees are (even when the race fees go up, so do the "processing fees", which is ludicrous because what processing are they doing that is now more than before?), then maybe I wouldn't have even bothered getting my panties in a bunch, and they would have still made a hefty amount of money per race regardless.

Alas, I am one in hundreds of thousands and my lone voice won't hurt them one bit, but it will certainly benefit me and give me an extra race or two if I wanted, or perhaps another pair of shoes. I think I'll take option B and use the money for myself.

On the Edge and Without Limits

2008-05-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've recently been able to locate a copy of On The Edge and Without Limits, two hard to find DVDs.

On The Edge was a nice find of an older movie. The running itself was actually done by the actors so we see exactly what is going on rather than some edited excerpts of some lame actor attempting to look their best as someone spritzes them with a water bottle. That is the magic of this movie. Real actors, real runners, and a real race. The race itself isn't the exact Dipsea race in the Bay Area, since theatrical elements had to win over at some point, but for the most part we get to see the runners run the historic Dipsea race. A well made movie that actually puts you in the moment and makes you feel what those runners were feeling. In fact I couldn't wait to run after that.

The other was Without Limits, a film put out in the late 90s, that follows Prefontaine's brief but action packed career. Seeing him at his cross country meet in high school brought back fond memories of my cross country experience in high school, so I was hooked right away. I had actually not known anything about Prefontaine before I watched this, so I was fascinated and enthralled throughout the movie. Watching Prefontaine at his various University of Oregon meets, or his Olympic trials or the actual Olympics. It was a shame that such a talented person passed away at the age of 24. Very well made movie that had me on the edge of my seat cheering the whole time. Definite recommend.

An interesting correlation between the two films was the battle that both main characters had with the AAU, or the Amateur Athletics Union, which took certain rights while forbidding the athletes from doing the same. In On the Edge the main character, acted by Bruce Dern, took a stand against the AAU and was ultimately banned from amateur athletic events, such as the Olympics and so on. No worries, no spoiler here as this is all part of the background story to the movie. Prefontaine also took a strong stance against the AAU which ultimately led to its overthrow in 1978, three years after his death.

Check out your local library and see if they have a copy. I found both of these there, and was even able to request Without Limits brought in from another branch. They are both definitely worth it. If anyone else knows of other running movies please let me know. I would love to watch more.

50/50 by Dean Karnazes

2008-05-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

Recently I've had the luck to come in to an a advanced reading copy of Karnazes new book due out in August. It is kind of funny because I had just found out about this book and added it to my wish list on Amazon and filed the thought away for the future. The next day someone aware of my running approached me and said, "Hey Brian, I've got this advanced copy about some guy who runs marathons. Thought you might like it so I held it aside." "Yeah, what's it called?" "Can't remember, but he ran 50 marathons or something like that."

My head perked up and finished her sentence: 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states. Unbelievable the luck I had.

So Karnazes account of this experience has some very good information in it. He of course went over the running he'd done to that point, as well the type of running that he had wanted to do, which led to the Endurance 50 challenge. This was right up my alley because I have become a huge fan of running as many marathons as possible. My body tends to recover easily so the urge to run more often has only grown with time.

So it amazes me to follow Karnazes trek from state to state with a marathon every day. He offers some gems of knowledge on various aspects, such as eating, hydration, recovery, pacing, conditions and on and on. With 50 marathons in a row there is plenty of fuel for the fire.

For the most part the chapters correspond to some aspect of running and how it related to that day's marathon, or sometimes two to three marathons a chapter. As would be expected, this couldn't go on for every chapter. Some chapters would reference that days marathon and the chapter would not mention more than a sentence or two, sometimes none, of the actual marathon, instead going off on a tangent about something entirely different.

What was amazing was to find in the appendix a doctor's evaluation of Karnazes' health from running all 50 marathons, and came to the basic conclusion that running that many all in a row had no adverse effects and that he indeed seemed to be getting stronger as each marathon went on. In fact his last of the 50 marathons in New York was his fastest, coming in at a little bit after 3 hours!

I whole heartedly recommend all runner's to get a hold of a copy and read this extraordinary account. Fascinating read.

A Close Encounter With A Rattlesnake

2008-05-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

I had my first hair raising experience out running the mountains today. In the past I've encountered bobcats and wild turkey, which made me pause. The bobcats crossed my path but kept going. The turkeys I see all the time, so nothing different there, with only once where there was a whole herd of them that wouldn't get out of my way and only me moving slowly towards them making a lot of noise moved them out of my path. I would rather not encounter the claws and beaks of wild turkey.

But a rattlesnake is a completely different situation. I was about 5 miles into my 2 hour run (which was 10.33 total miles) and I was running downhill, pretty fast, on a wide open fire road that was in the low 80's and very dry. Luckily for me I tend to run with my eyes always watching well ahead of me, wanting to be aware of what I am running into.

At first it looked like a stick, and with about ten feet before me I realized it was moving. I froze. Fear pricked the hairs on the back of neck and on my arms. It was a rattlesnake, and not just any rattlesnake, but a young one. The snake stopped and put its head in the air and stared at me, but its rattle wasn't making any noise so I felt somewhat safe.

As I patiently waited, the rattlesnake eventually made its cautious way off the fire road, all the while keeping its head pointed at me. All I could think about was a coworker's story about her husband out running and being bitten by a rattlesnake. He had to have 40 vials of antivenom and his leg almost was amputated. Scary. And this was a young or baby rattler, which meant it was worse because it wouldn't regulate how much venom it released if it struck.

Anyway, I waited for a wide circle of safety of at least ten feet. I've read that snakes can only strike as far as their body length, and this one was only about 3 feet, so I felt safe.

As I slowly walked forward I felt the heat bake me as my body heated up without the movement. Finally, I sprinted forward and away from the snake only to see the snake's head shoot straight up and its rattle started going crazy. As hot as I was I went cold instantly as my hair exploded all over my body. That was the first time I felt frightened out on the trails. Rattlesnake bights are very dangerous, especially when I was a mile and a half away from the nearest paved road.

A runner's nightmare averted. Scary stuff.

Three Recovery Runs Since Quicksilver 50k

2008-05-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

So I've taken it a little easy since the Quicksilver 50k 10 days ago. One good one and two bad ones. Can you have a negative training run or are all runs beneficial regardless of how you felt? Here's what I mean.

Run 1 was done 4 days after the 50k. I wanted to get out there and do a nice, easy run and settled on a 9 minute pace for 6 miles. This was a good run. A little slow, but everything felt good. All systems a go!

The second one was done 8 days after the 50k, or two days ago from today. This was my first mistake. I decided to sleep in and do a run I've done before under similar circumstances. What I did before was an experiment, and I did the same then, which was run 8 miles right after waking up without ingesting anything except water. No breakfast (or lunch as it would have it since I slept in and didn't get to the bike path until 11 AM), so no energy supply after waking up. It worked well before, although it got a little tough. This time, however, the weather was much worse. Starting temps were 95 and muggy, and I purposefully didn't bring water with me because there is a water fountain about every 2.4 miles. That was mistake #2, because it felt like I was sucking on cotton, and every time I spit a bright white piece of cotton would flutter out of my mouth and float in the air. It was tough. By the time I finished the 8th mile my miles went from a little over 8 minute pace to just under a 10 minute pace. So it was the wrong time to try and do this little experiment in such muggy and hot conditions.

My third run, which was today, was even tougher, and yet had the opposite of the second run in terms of food. This time I went and ate a big fat steak burrito and jumped the gun and went out for my run only a little over an hour after eating. I had set out to do a timed run of 2 hours, but with at least a minimum miles of 10 miles. The whole time it felt as though I had a brick in my midsection and it was so heavy and slow in running. To top it off I didn't want to make the same mistake as two days ago so I made sure and drank a lot of water, which continuously made my stomach full. And to make matters worse, this was my trail running day, so I was running some pretty serious hills, with close to 1,000 ft. elevation gain in the first 3 miles. I finally finished the 2 hour run and ran a total of 10.33 miles.

Three tough runs in their own unique way. One sore recovery run, one no food run, one too much food run. Each with their own lessons. And some decent mileage to boot.

Redemption and Skyline to the Sea

2008-05-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

So I was perusing Pacific Coast Trails' website to enter into the Pacifica 50k. You see, I want redemption. I think any course that defeats you, so to speak, is one that you will ultimately have to return and conquer. Earlier this year I attempted a very tough Pacifica 50k in January, in ideal weather conditions, and didn't eat and drink properly and thus stopped at the 30k finish. I knew I could do it, but when you are low on water and food your mind begins to play tricks on you, especially when you end up going past the Start/Finish something like 6 times and see everyone milling around, eating, drinking and just relaxing. Well on my fourth time through the Start/Finish I decided to stop as I began salivating over the Carne Asada burrito of a local taqueria. I knew I was a gonner when all I could think of was a burrito while running.

Anyway, redemption time it is, although this one will be a bit more challenging. This time it will be ran in June, when the heat is one of the most prominent elements sapping your energy, with only the 7,000+ elevation gain beating it out. But that makes this one all the better. It beat me once, so now I have to up the ante and attempt it again in worse conditions. I know I will finish it. My hill running has improved immensely, and I've finally found my groove in eating and drinking, thanks to the Quicksilver DNF. So I am ready.

But then I saw something that nearly made my eyes pop out. You see, I hike, run and bike at the Saratoga Gap in the Santa Cruz Mountains. You park at the top of the mountains and there is a large amount of trails to lose yourself into. One of the trails I have always walked past and always wondered about was a trail called Skyline to the Sea. The trail name says it all: a trail that takes you from the top of the mountain to the ocean. I've wondered, how long would that take, I should give that a try, either running or biking. Lo and behold, there is a new race on the Pacific Coast Trails site, an inaugural event, called Skyline to the Sea.

Amazing. You start at Saratoga Gap and head down the mountain. Almost the whole trail is under cover of trees and is well shaded. It is a point to point, one I have never done for an ultra (although I did do one for the Napa Valley Marathon), and has an elevation gain of 3,045 and an elevation loss of, are you ready, 5,625! Oh my, oh heavens, this one has made me giddy. A net loss, point to point trail 50k on a trail that takes you from the top of the mountains all the way to the sea 31 miles away!

Heavens to Betsy, this one has now become one of my key races this year, right up there with the Napa Valley Marathon as one of my most looked forward to races. This one will be fun!

A Successful DNF at the Quicksilver 50m

2008-05-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right, it was a successful DNF! Not that I set out for a DNF and achieved my goal, but that in receiving a DNF I learned a lot more about running and know that I will improve some more in the upcoming races because of it. And this was the strongest I have ever felt at the end of a race. Too bad I had to stop at the 50k finish.

Quicksilver 50k - 6:16:23 (11:57 pace)

I was primed and ready. I had eaten a big chicken burrito with a side of beans - beans are a great carbohydrate source, better than pasta - and then ate a big pasta meal with a lot of bread for dinner. I had my bag packed and my Shot Bloks ready to go. I had everything planned out. Consume a minimum of 200 calories an hour and stay hydrated. This would be easy. One bag of Shot Bloks is 180 calories, so all I had to do was make sure to eat some at each aid station and I would be well over my goal. By the way, was reading A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning, edited by Don Allison, and came across a great article written by a scientist who analyzed how much a runner burns when running in the mountains and how much you would need to consume. He came up with 220 calories an hour. So logic had it that all I had to do was eat that much and I would be fine. It worked, but more on that later.

Even though the race was practically in my backyard I still had to be up by 4 AM in order to get ready and get there in time to make sure I got parking and to be there for the 6 AM start time. Tons of people everywhere. Biggest turn out they'd ever had. So the atmosphere was almost electric as we waited. When we started it was a mass rush up the fire road that soon turned to walking as the road was uphill, and the hill was a pretty steep one. This soon ended a little over 2.5 miles in and we went on this beautiful single track trail for six miles. I'd never been there but I will certainly go there for some more running in the future.

The trick with this course was steady running, as there were a lot of long stretches of uphill. This was what worried me coming into this one, because I don't run hills too well, and I hadn't trained enough to feel confident coming into it. I had done some last minute hill running last week and the beginning of this week, but I wasn't sure if it was too little too late. Alas, this was one of the successes of this DNF! My hill running was drastically different. I had shortened my stride and, voila, I was now able to run the hills! I mean, this blew my mind away as I had always struggled with hill running, yet here I was running the hills and making great time!

A brief backtrack. I started out slow in the beginning on purpose and hung back with a slow and even pace, not wanting to start out too fast too early. But by the time we got to the single track I was stuck behind a grizzled old veteran of 100 mile races who was content to run his pace despite the train of 10-15 runners behind him. Granted, some runners got tired of this and started yelling "On your left" as they tried to charge past everyone, but I didn't feel comfortable doing this, so I waited with everyone else. In fact, I would continue walking when they started running, knowing that as soon as I start running I would be stuck behind them again in no time even though they were running the whole time. So by the time we turned on to the fire roads again my pace was a lot slower than it would have been.

But I digress. Back to the hills. I was ecstatic. I finally gained some confidence with hills, the one part of trail running that every trail runner should do adequately, and to that point I didn't do well at all. Yet, I learned something with this DNF, and I know I am a better runner because of it.

My eating and drinking was on track. I was feeling stronger than I had ever before this late in the race. I think I even set a new trail marathon PR, but can't be positive as my Garmin was off my about a mile or so. Then mile 28 came. I rounded a corner and looked up. What the? I'm here, and runners are way up there and that close? Yep, miles 28-31 were unbelievably steep hills. Some of them were so steep it was hard walking up, and even harder walking down as you slip and slide down the other side. And there weren't just one of these, there were three or four at least. Up to that point I was really strong. In fact I had no intention of stopping. But these steep inclines demoralized me. And the 50 milers were returning from the aid station and having to do some of these hills again! So I made the decision to stop at the 50k finish. All for the simple reason that I did not want to be out there for another 5 hours. I felt stronger than I ever have at that distance as I came into the 31.5 mile aid station, and yet I still decided to stop.

Of course I am disappointed that I didn't continue on. I still want to finish a 50m race. But right now at this time I am not ready. Mentally I am not, which is partly because of the physical as well. Once I can get my trail 50k down to around 5:15 then I will be able to begin thinking about trying the 50m distance again, because that would then mean that it would take me about 9-10 hours instead of the 11-12 hours I was looking at yesterday.

Oh, and I almost set a PR for the 50k distance as well! 3 minutes off of my PR for that distance, coming in at 6:16:21 (I took into consideration the fact that this 50k was .3 miles longer than my previous 50k at Rodeo Beach, which was a 31.2 distance). Amazing.

So I learned through experience how to run hills. A huge plus, perhaps the biggest positive I could take away with this DNF. I also figured out a method to keep myself fed and hydrated, another huge plus. I've found my limits, for now at least, and know that I need to focus and train better and improve my 50k before I can move on to the 50m distance.

It really is amazing how much can be learned and taken away from a DNF. I at first thought the DNF would be a downer and I would be disappointed, but I am very pleased with the surprise that a DNF has left me with. Someday I will try the 50m distance again. I will need redemption eventually. But for now I am content to take away a few nuggets of knowledge from a successful DNF.

10k on the 10th

2008-05-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ah, the third edition of Nancy's virtual runs has come and, for me at least, already gone. I cheated a little because I ran into the same problem as I did with the 9 on the 9th (where I was running a 10k on the 9th and a marathon on the 10th, so I ran 9 on the 8th instead). This time, however, I felt I wanted a lot more rest so I pushed the 10 on the 10th to the 5th!

10k on the 10th - 51:27 (8:16 pace)

I knew coming into this one that I was in no condition to be running a 10k. And by that I mean in no condition to be trying for speed, which, for me at least, is what the 10k is good for. In fact it is one of my favorite distances and have done quite well as recently as February 9th of this year where I set a new PR of 46:30. But my training mentality had shifted drastically and thus my conditioning has changed.

You see, in the past 6 months I've ran 7 marathons or longer (3 marathons, 3 50ks, and 1 27.4 Fatass run) and one particularly tough 30k with 4,160 feet elevation gain! So I've focused on runs for the long haul and am actively trying to slow my pace down in order to last longer. Additionally, I've just come off of a 50k road race in SF a few weeks ago and was just able to begin running consistently again for my race this weekend on the 10th, and the real reason my training has changed. I will be attempting my first 50 mile race (technically Ruth Anderson was an attempt, but since that race is a run and choose the distance when you get to the finish I don't really count that one - whereas Quicksilver is a run and if you don't finish you get a DNF), one that I approach timidly and poke with a long stick to see if it is alive or not.

Preamble over, as well as excuses, I guess, then on to the race. Knowing all of the above I decided to take it easy on the 10k and just pace myself. It started out faster than I wanted and came in at 8:03 for the first mile and 7:56 for the second mile. Way too fast for what I wanted (although, laughably, way too slow compared to my 1 other 10k I've ran this year at a 7:30 pace). Through experimentation and experience I knew that I couldn't just slow myself down and expect to feel comfortable running. To me that doesn't trick the body into the right pace because the body is still trying to run! So I always force myself to either stop or to start walking for 15-20 seconds, which allows my body to catch up and only then can I get back onto the pace that I wanted.

Which was what I did for mile 3, and it was a good thing because even with the walk break I still ran an 8:09! Anyway, I finally got my pace to where I wanted it and came in at 8:38, 8:33 and 8:34 with 1:34 for the final .2 miles.

All in all I did what I wanted. I knew I couldn't push myself and try and set a PR, so instead I tried to run at a comfortable pace.

That was on Monday. Tuesday I pushed it a little farther than I wanted and ran 11.82 miles in the hills as my last run before a nice solid rest of three whole days! Yikes, don't know what to do with myself! Anyway, bad luck it fell on the Quicksilver 50miler, but it also gave me an excuse to run the 10k on the 10th.

The Lessons of Burning Out

2008-05-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

So running has been a feisty friend this past month. It all started with the Napa Marathon in March. I ran it the fastest I had ever done by far, and in so doing pushed my legs to the limits. And I felt it. Sore for days, and in fact I didn't really run for a while after that. Even so, I still managed 50 or so miles that month in training miles, or around 77 miles including the marathon.

The touchy part came in April when I went to run the Headlands Marathon. Didn't feel comfortable at all. I obviously hadn't ran as many miles and so was not near in as good a shape, although I ran enough to keep my legs feeling alright. But my frame of mind was what wasn't there. I felt burned out, and I didn't really care how fast I ran it. I ended up running it with a 12:20 pace, which is slow compared to the other marathons I've ran. Granted, it was in the hills, but I still couldn't get into it.

Then there was the training leading into the Ruth Anderson 50k on 4/19. My training before that was almost zero, with the longest run between the Headlands Marathon on 4/5 being 1 four mile run at a slow pace, and a few 1 mile warm ups before weight lifting. So it surprised me to find that I was holding up well for the 50k and ran a great pace until the wind sapped my energy and slowed me down. Nonetheless, I ran it at an 11:10 pace, so I was very happy.

5 days after that on 4/24 I forced myself to run, and so I set out to run 6 miles in order to get ready for the Quicksilver 50m. I stopped at 3 miles. Granted, my splits were 8:30, 8:04 and 7:56, which looks good on paper, but my morale was low. I still felt burned out. And this training day only confirmed that I wasn't feeling the running as much.

So, stubborn as I am, I went out on 4/26 and ran some hills. Again, I was going to run a loop course in the hills twice and net me 8 miles with about 800 ft elevation gain. Not bad, but I only ended up doing one loop. This time I was walking on some of the downhills and was running sections a lot slower than I had ever ran those sections before. I couldn't figure it out. Why was I not feeling it anymore? Had I burnt myself out by running too much all at once?

The next day I tried it again and did some more road running, trying for 6 miles again, and quit at 3 miles, running 8:27, 8:08: and 8:07. Again, looks good on paper, but it didn't feel right.

So I rested for a few days and decided to try the 6 miles again on 4/30. This time, however, I was going to run a much slower pace and just make sure and get the whole distance in. Miraculously, I felt great. The 6 soon turned into 7, then 8, then 10, then, what the hell, lets make it 13 and do a half marathon. I couldn't believe how great everything felt. My splits were pretty good too.

9:11

8:34

8:43

8:39

8:56

8:48

8:51

8:59

8:42

9:10

9:20

9:28

1:02

At a glance you can see I kept a very consistent pace, even at the end when I forced myself to take walk breaks at mile 11-13 I still kept it up. Slowing my pace by 30 seconds was all it took to feel good about running again.

But the experiment, for that was what it turned into now, was not over yet. I needed to do the hill course I cut short last time and see how I do. So on 5/2 I did the two loop course, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise, and it felt great again.

9:17

8:36

8:23

11:48

8:27

8:48

13:41

9:24

The hills that felt tough, even the downhill portions, were now flying by without a hitch. Amazing. And finally the last was on 5/3, a nice and slow 4 miler: 9:04, 8:32, 9:12 and 8:01.

I think the huge lesson I learned was how a person becomes burned out and what to do when you feel this way. For me it was that I was running these big races (1 road marathon with huge PR, 1 trail marathon with 4,400 ft elevation gain, and 1 50k with huge winds, all within 1 1/2 months) and I was still trying to run right after them as though I hadn't ran them. I tried to run the same distances and the same speeds, and those just didn't feel right. And when you consistently don't feel right while running then that leads to you not wanting to run at all. This happened to me. It wasn't until I slowed the pace down about 30 seconds less than what I am used to running, at least before Napa, and all of a sudden I felt rejuvenated and back to normal. Granted, the speed issue will slowly return to its original, but I can't expect to have it back right away. This I have learned.

And this was another reason why I decided to attempt the 50miler this weekend. Because the joy of running returned, and it returned because I learned something new about my body and how it relates to running.

I can't wait to learn more.

Against My Better Judgement

2008-04-30T12:38:00.001-07:00

Against my better judgement, I have decided to go ahead with the Quicksilver 50 mile race on May 10th. I was contemplating dropping it down to the 50k distance because of the difficulty I had at the Ruth Anderson race a little while ago. I mean, if I couldn't do the 50m there where it is flat then how could I have any chance of doing it in the hills with over 8,000 ft of elevation gain?

Well here is my reasoning. First off Ruth Anderson was unusually difficult conditions to run in. The winds were 25-35 mph with gusts into the 50 mph range. And the gusts weren't every once in a while... More like one after another. Anyway, with those winds it was a lot harder to run through. I wasn't running too fast of a pace, wanting to make sure I didn't use too much energy, but the wind more than compensated and made sure I used all my energy. Plus, my calves were getting pretty sore by about mile 17 because I was leaning into the wind and pushing through it.

Second, the course was a loop course, bringing you back to the start every 4.5 miles. I've found in the past that I don't do loop courses too well. At Pacifica earlier this year I ended up dropping at the 30k finish, which was the fourth time passing through the start/finish area, and if I would have ran the whole 50k it would have been 6 times through there. This makes it harder for me because as I get more tired I know I have that many more opportunities to just stop. Whereas the other races where they were out and backs, or maybe one loop back through the start/finish, I was able to run much more easily. Reasoning: when you are doing out and backs the territory is all new and therefore easier to run through as you are experiencing everything for the first time, and you know you must get from point A to point B. There are no questions or chances to doubt yourself. You just hunker down and do it.

Finally, the fact that the run is in the hills will make things easier, I think. Tougher, yes, but forced walks will not tire me out so much and will not drain my morale. Little breaks do wonders for me while running. Not little walk breaks on a flat course, because then you think to yourself that you should be running. But forced breaks in hills are necessary and par for the course. And in this manner I can break it up into two parts. The first 50k is one long out and back loop with a little over 5,000 ft elevation gain. I've actually ran worse elevation gains than that, so if I make sure and eat and drink properly than getting to this point is no problem. The last 19 miles or so is over 3,000 ft elevation gain and will be the point where all I need do is go out to the turn around point 'cause then the only place to go from there is back.

Sum it up, windy conditions won't hamper my energy and strength and sap anything out of me that I had (although it should be pretty hot that day, so things might be just as bad in a different way). A non-loop course forces me to go from point A to B, if for nothing else to make sure I get back to my car and to where there is food and water. Finally, the hills will effectively break up my running and force me to walk, thus giving me the necessary breaks for not only morale but for my energy and muscles as well.

In theory, that is. Theory didn't go too well as the wind came and blew any notions I had away. Hopefully this time it will be better. And I am okay with receiving a DNF. In fact I am going with the full knowledge that this may very well happen by electing to try the 50m. I'll try my darndest to make sure that doesn't happen, but I will also be prepared if it does.

After all, there is one thing this course will help me with (as compared with Ruth Anderson), and that is that it will help my stubborn side take over and let it do the big walking and talking. Then I can sit back and enjoy the ride.

In theory, that is.

PR at the windy Ruth Anderson 50k

2008-04-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

Things don't always go as planned. I had signed up for the Ruth Anderson 50m and was primed and ready. Granted I hadn't trained as well as I should have since running the Napa Valley Marathon in March and the Golden Gate Headlands Marathon 2 weeks ago, but I thought I could persevere. I never once thought that the wind would come in and have such a devastating effect, not only for myself but for a lot of other runners.

Ruth Anderson 50k - 5:46:10 (11:10 pace; 14/31)

The day didn't start out too well when I was lost in San Francisco. The exit was a tiny little exit with a small little sign. I drove right past it. A few wrong turns later, and then I was back on track. So I reversed the directions and instead of turning left, I turned right in order to get back on track since I was now coming from the opposite direction. Long story short, I didn't get to the start line for close to an hour after it started. The race directors were very accommodating though. I had already figured that I would have a start time an hour longer than my actual run but they pulled out another stop watch and gave me my actual time! I was blown away and I must give a huge thanks to Rajeev and all the other volunteers.

Back to the beginning. Stepped out of the car and I was frozen immediately. I had assumed the day previously, without checking the weather, that it would be great conditions. Luckily my grandmother warned me that it would be cold as a big cold front was coming in. So at the last minute I grabbed some gloves and a long sleeve shirt just in case. These were the first things that I put on when I stepped out of the car and I was still cold!

So as I started everyone else had already finished one lap around the lake, which is 4.475 miles. I soon started and was playing catch up to some of the slower runners, passing many. This was not a good sign. I had told myself that I needed to maintain a 10:30-11 minute pace in order to not burn out. The first mile came around in 8:15! By the time I finished the first lap I had maintained an 8:37 pace, and this was after I tried to slow down some!

The second lap was better as I slowed it down to an 9:15 pace, which was still too fast. But I was feeling great. The wind was playing a huge role in how myself and everyone else was running. The west side of the course, which is less than a half mile away from the ocean (seriously, I've never been to Lake Merced and was surprised to find a fresh water lake so close to the ocean), had strong winds that slowed you down a lot, but it still wasn't too bad yet.

Lap 3 was a little better for me as I was finally able to slow myself down to the manageable pace I was shooting for in order to finish the 50 miles. I still felt very strong and wasn't considering dropping to the 50k at all. I was in it for the long haul.

Lap 4 was the first inkling of a problem on the horizon. The wind was picking up quite a bit and was forcing me to walk through it instead of blow a lot of much needed energy in pushing through it. Even at times the wind would gust in so fast and hard that my walk would almost be put to a stand still! My calves too were tightening up, but this was nothing new so I didn't worry about it. My pace now was where I wanted it, but that was more from the wind slowing me down than me actually making a conscious effort to run that slow. To this point I had ran 17.4 miles.

Lap 5 was where I ultimately decided that there was no way I could keep on trying for the 50 miles. My pace had dropped to 12 minutes and I was walking a ton more, and not just on the windy side. I had started resorting to running for a while and then taking short walk breaks. This happened throughout the whole 5th lap. Oh, and the wind was only just getting started. It had actually spread down the whole west side of the course, whereas it was only on the northwest side earlier.

Lap 6 was a killer for me. That was my slowest lap by far and my calves were playing games with me now. Kind of funny, though, because I would be running along and have to walk in order for them to not cramp. Then a little bit later I could run on it without any problems (a surge of adrenaline? maybe a surge in endorphins that helped mask the discomfort of the calves? who knows, but it was strange). The wind was in the 30-35 mph range now and I was ready to be done and out of the wind and cold. But I still had one more lap to go. Incidentally, I hit the marathon mark here at about 4:42:22, which was the fourth fastest time I have ever ran that distance. Who knows how fast I could have ran it because of two factors: I started slower than I normally would for a marathon and, of course, the wind.

Lap 7 was a good effort. I sped it up some and tried to not walk as much. Ultimately I came in only a little better than the previous lap, but I will take any better, no matter how small it is. I was glad to be done, though, even though I was a bit disappointed that I didn't give the 50 mile distance a try.

But there is always good that comes out of everything, and in this case I ran a PR for this distance. Granted, the other 50ks had big elevation gains, but a PR is still a PR. And I knew coming into this that I hadn't trained well enough for the 50 miles, nor, for that matter, the 50k, so any result was a positive for me. Coming so close off the heels of the Headlands Marathon two weeks ago I am happy with this result. I was going to try for the Quicksilver 50m in three weeks, but will probably have to drop that one back down to the 50k. A 50m is in my future, but I will bide my time and make sure that I am properly trained before I attempt the next one. Another positive, this is the third longest distance I have ever ran (behind 33.5 and 31.2), which is always a step forward.

Here's to happy running and good health! Again, cheers to the volunteers at the RA Endurance Runs. We couldn't do this without you.

Pre-race thoughts of the Ruth Anderson 50m

2008-04-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

Kind of late, both in a post and in the actual time, but I wanted to write some quick thoughts on tomorrow's race. My first 50 miler, and it is an easy one at that. Not saying easy, really, only that it should be easier than other 50 milers because it is a flat loop course with no hills. I haven't trained too well since the Napa Marathon where I ran way faster than I ever imagined I could. I think this effort will suffer because of this, but I am hoping I can hold on to some of my former tenacity and push through and finish.

The course is unique in that you are running and when you get to the 50k finish you have the option to stop and collect your time or continue on to the 50 mile finish (or 100km if you so chose). So I will feel it out tomorrow and see how I am feeling at the 50k finish and decide whether I should push it through to the 50 miles. I am stubborn, so I will probably attempt it nonetheless. And what is the worst that could happen? Push on and run 40 miles and have to stop and get a DNF? Oh well, at least I tried.

So some hopes. I think I will run it at a slower 10-11 minute pace and see how I feel. This should allow me to finish the 50k in about 5 hours or so. So even if I walked at 3 mph the rest of the way that would give me a 12 hour total for the 50 mile. So hopes are to finish the 50 miler anywhere from 10-12 hours and I will be happy. Hell, so long as I finish I will be happy.

Here's to happy running, although in a few short hours I am sure I will be asking myself the typical mid-race question: Why, O Why do you continue to put yourself through this? Answer? Because I can, we can, everyone could, if they put their mind to it. So push the limits I will.

Lake Merced here I come.

Walking To The Finish Line of The Headlands Marathon

2008-04-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

It seems that the Napa Valley Marathon at the beginning of March, in which I ran my first sub 4 hour, took a lot more out of me than I expected. I knew I would be ill prepared for this marathon, and it definitely showed. Alas, I indeed did walk to the finish line. A little deceptive, but true just the same.

Golden Gate Headlands Marathon - 4:49:50 (12:20 pace; 16/27)

The day didn't start off on the right foot. I had showered and eaten a large breakfast before setting out on the 1 hour 24 minute drive to Rodeo Beach in Sausalito, CA, and I didn't realize that I had forgotten to put body glide on my nipples! Oh, the agony of remembering my first marathon where my nipples were rubbed raw from my shirt, or of seeing other runners with blood running down their shirt. I swore I would never forget to put on the body glide (incidentally I did remember to apply it the other chafing spots at least). This put a spark of doubt before I even started.

The race started and we set off immediately up a hill that would last for about 2 miles. Incidentally, this is virtually the same trails that I ran for the Rodeo Beach 50k and had ran my best race thus far. I knew immediately that I was not going to repeat myself. I stowed away my pride in my back pocket and began the long grind ahead of me as the hills seemed to take a lot more out of me than normal. By the time I was coming up to mile 12 I was already doubting whether I would be able to continue, as this is a two loop course where you pass by the finish line. In fact, you have to walk past the record keepers at the finish line to get to the aid station.

But on I pushed, and not only was there the 2 mile hill in the beginning with some rather steep parts, but at about mile 4.5 is another 2.5-3 mile hill that has no respites. Just keep going up. By the time I rounded the valley and came in view of the Pacific Ocean the wind had picked up and I had to literally lean into the wind in order to stay up right. And this was where the deceptive title comes into play. To get to the finish line, and the half way point as well, you have to run down the beach, in the heavy sand! I don't know if you have ever tried doing this but you can't get a firm footing, then your foot is heavy as you try to lift your sand covered foot. Needless to say, I wasn't having any of this so I walked. Yup, I walked to the finish line. Luckily the last 200 ft. went up the bank and onto concrete, so I didn't have to literally walk across the finish. But it was all the same.

This was a very hard race, and I only have myself to blame. I haven't been running as much so my body wasn't used to the long running, as well as doing only one trail training run recently. And the aid stations were pitiful. Water at every aid station (some with sports drink), and food at every other aid station. And the food was not appetizing at all. I had to resort to my Cliff Shot Bloks which held me over, but certainly wasn't enough to sustain myself for the whole distance. And this is the story of my running career so far: not eating or drinking enough. Interestingly enough, and you would think this would be lesson enough, my two PRs for the Marathon and the 50k both came on days that I ate and drank as I should have. Says a lot right there.

And on a side note I am a little irked at Eviro Sports, the organization that put on the event. They put a note on their website, What's in a distance?, that tries to explain this away, but c'mon, couldn't they try and get a little closer to the actual marathon distance? As is the distance only came in at 24 miles! Imagine finishing your marathon or half marathon and believing you had just set a PR that was faster than a road marathon or halfer! Okay, a bit extreme, but still. I understand a bit off, but 2.2 miles! So if it was a marathon my time would have been more like 5:15, which was still a PR for a trail marathon, so woohoo for me!

Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

A tough run in the hills of Saratoga Gap

2008-03-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

This was a strange run for me today. I went on a 15.71 mile run today in the mountains, starting at Saratoga Gap and going to Horeshoe Lake and back. It seemed like I was running extremely slow and unable to maintain a good pace worth anything, eventually finishing in about 3:30. I don't think it was overly hilly, no more than I have done before, coming in at around 1,500 ft. of elevation gain. In fact I did a trail half marathon last year in 2:15 and that one had 1,600 ft. elevation gain.

I am at a loss for words why I was struggling this time. The usual suspect is that I didn't eat enough before and after, and that probably added a ton to why I had to slow and or walk a good portion of the hills. Another explanation could be that I hadn't ran that much since the Napa Valley Marathon earlier in the month, and perhaps this has hampered me a bit. If this is the case than I am glad I caught it now rather than next week when I run a trail marathon. Of course a week isn't much time to prepare, but I will do what I must.

One huge plus is that it did get me out there for a good amount of time to help acclimate my legs to the distance and time. This is a huge plus. And, incidentally, this was the longest training run I have ever done, so perhaps I am moving up in life and will be able to work towards bettering my Napa time!

There is always a positive in everything. Sometimes you just have to look deeper than you would want.

Experimenting on Myself...

2008-03-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Coming into today I had two goals: to experiment on myself and to break the post marathon funk. The second one was the easiest. I mean, all I had to do was go out and run anything longer than 6 miles and I feel it will be a start to breaking out of the funk and begin training and running again for my next marathon on April 5th.

The first goal is the hardest because I would be doing something that isn't recommended for the mainstream. It would be performing an experiment, something that I have wanted to try for a while. And I have done this on a smaller scale without a hitch. The experiment: to wake up and run without eating anything. Why? To try and begin teaching my body to know when it is on empty and to train it to begin using my fat reserves as energy. I've done this before on smaller runs, like 4 or 6 miles and I didn't have a problem at all. Today, however, would be a 10 mile run with no food or energy in reserve.

The run started great, with my first four miles very consistent and on pace to my normal training runs, around an 8:15 pace. But from then on I could definitely feel the effects of not having eaten anything and drinking very little. Many short walk breaks later I was able to finally finish the 10 miles at an 9:19 pace.

The Good - This experiment had some ups and downs that you only ever experience at the end of a marathon, the last 6-8 miles. You begin to feel the wall loom ahead of you and you begin to drag your feet. You can't run as fast and you can feel your energy so low that it is hard to continue running. That is why doing this was great because it is so very important to simulate the last 10k or so of the marathon and be familiar with how that feels.

The Bad - I never really felt like I was able to get a nice, consistent run in. My miles were up and down, with the exception of the first few miles, and the run itself didn't feel as great as it usually does, which was expected under the circumstances.

The Ugly - I haven't had training miles as slow as a few in this run in a long, long time. Sometimes I go into the low to mid 9 minute pace when I am starting to run slower, but today my last three miles came in at 10:38, 10:38 and 10:26. So in that sense I was definitely hurting from not having anything to eat or stored for energy.

Overall I think this experiment was successful. It is extremely important to feel how it feels during that last 6-8 miles of the marathon, and this was the first training run I've done that has been able to simulate this (minus the aching legs and sore joints). So a huge plus. Eventually I will begin to adapt and feel the miles better as I run on empty.

Interestingly enough it was strange to feel the ebb and flow of energy. My body knew what was going on and was trying to convert my fat reserves to energy, but I needed the energy faster than it could give it to me. This is why I should train more like this because the more refined my body becomes the better it will adapt. How? As I was running I noticed the lack of energy, so I would stop at each mile and walk a little. The energy would build a little and immediately after I started running again I could feel the flow of energy. Amazing. And this would happen with every mile.

As a side note, I weighed myself and after, and came in at 3 pounds less, even after all the water I drank during and after the run. Obviously most of that was water loss, but maybe some was fat loss from the need for energy?

Here's to experimenting and finding new ways to better our running. If all goes to plan then a 16 miler in the hills of Saratoga Gap should happen tomorrow. Alas, it is Easter and I do like to sleep in, so maybe this one won't happen. But here is to trying...

Post Marathon Laziness/Funk?

2008-03-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

I wonder if this happens to many people after running a marathon. I know it happened to me after my first marathon in 2006, but I hadn't trained for that one and it was understandable that I would not want to run for a while after. But I've trained for Napa and was prepared for it. In fact going in to Napa I had ran 7 marathons or longer and only the first was the one that prevented me from running for anything longer than a week.

So after Napa I was sore for a while. My hamstrings were sore for a long time and held off running for almost a week. But what about the almost 2 weeks after that? Laziness, it is all I can come up with. Is this common after a marathon? Do many runners feel like not running for a while after running a great marathon? I would find excuses for not doing the scheduled run.

A strange feeling, being this inactive. Perhaps this is my body's self conscious need to recover from Napa and thus led me to not run too much. Who knows what the body is capable of, and I am sure it is capable of much more than we give it credit for.

Useless Stats from the Napa Valley Marathon

2008-03-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

This was an absolutely fantastic race to enter to set a PR. A net downhill with a nice tailwind - what better conditions could you ask for? I was able to set two PRs: a 1:47 half marathon (3 minutes faster) and a 3:52 marathon (43 minutes faster!). I averaged an 8 minute mile for the first half, coming in a few seconds over or under 8 on every mile, the most even halfer I've ever ran. My fastest mile was #3 at 7:41, and my slowest mile was #23 at 10:40 (took a walk break and a break to eat and drink). Out of all 26 miles I only had 4 of them that broke the ten minute mark (17 @ 10:14, 23 @ 10:40, 25 @ 10:10, 26 @ 10:30). The last half mile I came in at an 8:28 pace as the excitement of coming in under 4 hours began to set in. Average pace: 8:53 min/mile. Average speed: 6.76 mph. Maximum speed: 9.5 mph.

Back to the beginning. When I started the marathon I was in the restroom. By the time I started the start line was deserted, with a few stragglers such as myself. So for all intents and purposes I started in last and I loved the forced opportunity to see how many runners I could pass up. I was a little startled to see that a half mile into the marathon there were people who were jogging and then, huh?, they started walking! A half mile in! I hope they finished, but they may have took on too much of a challenge. Anyway, I ended up finishing 605 out of 1,757. Supposing there were an extremely conservative 100 people in the same situation I was in at the start, that would mean I passed 1,052 runners, or 59.87%!

I consumed before and during the marathon 1,586 calories. Of course this wasn't enough and I was starving and, as usually happens after a long endurance event, I ate a lot that day. I usually average around 4,000 calories on a marathon or 50k day, but on this day I consumed 5,249 calories! And the kicker to this was that I was still hungry at the end of the day! The human body amazes me every day.

This was the farthest I had travelled to date for an event, so it was only fitting that it would be my fastest. From home base to Calistoga: 115.36 miles. Napa was my 8th marathon or longer distance since I ran my first marathon on 7/30/06 (my 2nd this year), 4 of which were road marathons. In continuing the trend, I have set a PR at every single road marathon thus far, bettering my PR by 1:55 since SF 06.

I'm sure I could dredge up some more useless stats, but why bother? These suffice and I had fun discovering them.

2 PRs at the Napa Valley Marathon

2008-03-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

Yup, you read correctly. Two PRs: half marathon and the marathon. Should I count the first half as a PR even though it was not a race in and of itself? Why not, the distance is the same whether it is stand alone or part of another. So 2 PRs, and I couldn't have been any happier. In fact my marathon PR was a whopping 43 minutes faster! I am still in disbelief.

Napa Valley Marathon - 3:52:32 (8:54 pace; 605/1,757)

My mother, father and myself came up to Napa to spend the weekend on Friday, which was a great way for us to not only see Napa again but for me to also case out the course by driving it. It turned out to be on the Silverado Trail, the road the runs north and south on the east side of the valley, a road I've driven several times before. Right away we noticed some mini hills in the first 6 miles, with the rest a relatively flat to a little bit of descent, with another few inclines (such as at mile 19). Run next to the mountains with winery after winery as a backdrop and the colorful mustard flowers peppering the valley a vibrant yellow, what more could I ask for? Well, the weather was much better than expected. Notoriously wrong, the weathermen had this one way off. With a prediction of high 30s to low 40s at the start, I was a little worried. The temp actually turned out to be in the low 50s at the start, but there was a huge wind chill that dropped the temp to about the mid 40s.

Lets back up a day to Saturday the 1st. One of the main reasons I decided to do this marathon was to give myself a birthday present, the 1st being my birthday. So when we went to pick up my bib and goodie bag (yes, an actual duffel back with goodies in it), and the wonderful long sleeve tech shirt I then had to find my parents. To my surprise they had set up for me to have running shoes fitted, which I had never had done before. So now I was going to be able to run the marathon in shoes that actually fit me the way they were surpassed to! And get this, my old shoes were size 11, but they fitted me with a size 12. I guess I should have been fitted a while ago. The 11s felt comfortable, but the 12s were even more comfortable.

Anyway, long winded preamble to the actual day. Eventually I am dropped off about 3/4 of a mile from the start line, since this is a point to point race, and had to rush to get to the start line. Why? Well this "biggest small city marathon" apparently doesn't use chip timing, so the race literally started when the gun went off. With a few minutes to spare I got in line at the port-o-potties when the gun went off. By the time I got back out the start line was deserted, with a few stragglers also going to the bathroom. I was already 3 minutes into the race when I crossed the start line. This was going to be fun because now I was able to take up the rear and see how many runners I would be able to pick off by the time I finished. Something I've always wanted to try, but never had occasion to, and now I was forced to. As much as I was disliking the non-chip timing and my late start, I think this will make everything all better.

I wanted to take an aggressive approach to this race and so maintained an 8 minute pace for the first half, despite the rolling hills in the first 6 miles. We had a huge tailwind and that helped a good bit as well. I knew that I might be starting out too fast but I had recently ran a good amount at that pace and was completely comfortable. Plus I had a plan set up to eat and drink, and through the first half I had stuck by it religiously, and it worked. I came in to the half in 1:47, three minutes faster than my previous half marathon. I had set a PR, but did I set out to aggressively? I don't think it is too good of an idea to set a half marathon pace while trying to complete a much longer run. I guess I will find out.

Miles 14-17 slowed a little, but I was still maintaining an 8:30 or so pace during those miles, so I wasn't worried, but after that I was continually hitting the 9:30-10:30 pace, and was feeling the effects on my calves. I pushed on, knowing that a sub 4 hour marathon was in my grasp. I looked to the left at about mile 24 and lo and behold, Dean Karnazes had just passed me! I had seen him jogging in to the start when I was jogging in, so we started at the same time, so I queried why he was back here at my pace. Take a guess! Yup, he was conserving energy because he was running another 60 miles after the marathon! Ha!

Anyway, I finally came in to the home stretch and tried to speed up and finish strong. With 300 or so yards left the crowd was lined to either side and cheering when my right hamstring seized up on me. How could I cramp up right at the finish line? Luckily I was able to slow it down a little and not let anyone on that I was cramping, but I so wanted to sprint across the finish line! Oh well, you win some, you lose some. And I most certainly won. I crossed the finish line in 3:52:32, 43 minutes faster than my previous best! Okay, I started 3 minutes late and since it wasn't chip timed my "official" time is actually 3:55:34, but I am sticking to my actual time!

Bravo to the Napa Valley Marathon. They did a wonderful job. 12 aid stations with a ton of volunteers. You cross the finish line and there are a line of people there to walk you through the line to ensure our times were recorded accurately. Then you are promptly handed a medal and a water. Shortly after that are a few people literally checking on every runner to make sure that they were okay and didn't need medical attention. They were really looking out for all of the runner's safety, which was absolutely wonderful. The only thing they didn't get right was the location, at a high school. There was no way to gather everyone, so there were booths and various area scattered throughout the school in individual classrooms so you were literally wandering around aimlessly trying to find something, anything. I gave up and walked back to the finish line to await my parents, which were hard to find because the parking couldn't handle to the massive amount of people all coming in to that location.

What a great race, great weather, great organization and a great run for me with 2 new PRs. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

Preamble to the Napa Valley Marathon

2008-02-28T16:48:00.000-08:00

I wonder if the nervous jitters will ever not be there as race weekend approaches. Even though I've done 7 marathons or longer I still come into each one with a measure of doubt, completely unfounded at this point, but I still wonder the "what if". Something tells me that this will happen before every marathon and ultramarathon I enter. And it isn't altogether bad, I must say. This feeling does in fact make me think more about the race and how I want to execute it, what I should do to make sure I eat and drink enough, so for that I am glad of those feelings.

Napa this time of year should be great. Mustard flowers should be in full bloom giving a bright and wonderful yellow sea to either side of us as we run down the center of the valley from Calistoga to Napa. The valley was beautiful the couple of times I've been there to wine taste, and I know I will be able to see so much more running through it. I think the excitement is actually bubbling over and quelling the nervous jitters.

This marathon is in fact one of my two destination marathons of the year. I don't travel much yet for marathons (something I hope to remedy sometime in the near future), along with the Cowtown Marathon in Sacramento in October. In fact Napa was the first marathon I put on my calendar for this year, the first one I started planning for. So I am ready. I've ran a ton more than I have for other preparations, especially comparing with where I was at this time last year.

The last road marathon I did was in November and I ran a conservative and relatively slow pace in the beginning at about 10 minutes a mile. My calves tightened up again from loss of electrolytes, but I was able to keep that at bay by taking electrolytes and eating Shot Bloks starting about the half way point.

So the plan this time is to drink water at every aid station except the first one at mile 2. Then starting with the second aid station I will drink water and take electrolyte pills, as well as eat Shot Bloks, at every other aid station. So if all goes as planned I'm gonna rotate each aid station from water to water/pills/bloks.

That is the plan. Run at around an 8:30-9 minute pace. After the first 6 miles the remainder of the marathon will be a net descent, so that should help as well. What won't help is that the temp at the start will be around 30 degrees and by the time I finish it will probably be mid to high 60s, probably low 70s. Goal time? I'll be happy with anything under 4:30, but I want to shoot for 4:15.

Should be interesting and I am so looking forward to this run.

A Great Training Run

2008-02-27T23:58:00.000-08:00

This has been a weird month for me. I ran the most miles I had ever ran in a single week this month, 50.67 miles, and have ran the second most miles in a single month, coming in at around 100. Yet, interestingly enough, after the Overgrown Fatass Marathon I didn't run for 8 days straight. Go figure, and I still ran as much as I did.

And the last few days I've had trouble getting out there to run. On Monday I was going to run 10 miles, but got stuck at the office and delayed too long and lost my sunlight. Again on Tuesday I was going to do the 10 miler and I did a repeat of Monday. Which left me to today, but now I was getting close to the Napa Valley Marathon this weekend, so I wasn't sure how much I should run. I decided on 7 miles, but while I was running I was feeling good so I decided to do 8. I was finally able to get out there and it sure felt great, whether the three day break had anything to do with it I don't know.

I decided to maintain an 8:30 pace, the pace I felt I would try at Napa this weekend. I was amazed to feel as comfortable at this pace as I did. I never felt winded and my legs felt great.

8:35

8:09

8:32

8:23

8:30

At this point I was already feeling completely confident with this pace, a pace that now comes very easily, so I sped it up, and it wasn't until mile 6 that I started feeling a little winded as I pushed it harder.

8:09

8:06

8:04

I shot for and was happy to find that I was able to make each successive mile faster. I couldn't have asked for a better training run.

But then I realized I was close to breaking 100 miles for the month, something I've only done one other time before, so why not shoot for it? So when I went into the gym after the training run and I logged in another 3 miles, which put me at 97. Now I know I wasn't originally going to do any running from Thursday to Saturday before the marathon, but what could running another 3 hurt? So tomorrow's plan is to run another 3 at marathon pace tomorrow and come in at a 100 miles.

The year is starting off pretty amazing.

Volcanic Spirit

2008-02-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

When we think of hard endurance runs we think of Western States or other 100 mile events. We think of Pike's Peak Ascent, or perhaps Vermont 100. Maybe Badwater?

Well I just came across a pretty amazing race that a couple of runners decided to try and capture the spirit of. A race that involves climbing Mt. Cameroon in West Africa, then coming back down. Extreme temperatures and climate changes, not to mention the 10,000 feet of elevation gain for this marathon distance race. I had just completed a marathon that had roughly 5,000 feet elevation gain I was completely done. I cannot imagine doing twice that elevation gain in the same distance.

The video is called Volcanic Spirit. Check the trailer out, and if your interested give it a go. Now this is endurance running.

Pushing Through the Hills of the Overgrown Fatass

2008-02-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

I was unprepared going in to this one. I had ran plenty of miles, so distance wasn't the issue. What I wasn't prepared for was the massive elevation gain over long stretches. That being said I was ecstatic to finally see the finish and log in my first trail marathon.

Overgrown Fatass Marathon - 5:47:17 (12:40 pace; 13/15)

I had no expectations coming into this except to finish. I had ran 9 miles on Friday and a 10k on Saturday, in which I set a PR and strained my left hamstring, so I didn't expect anything. That being said I was hopeful to finish at around 5 hours. One of the beauties to this run was that it was 20 minutes from house, so I was able to sleep in again and get some good sleep.

2 bananas and a Gatorade later I was at the finish line listening with 25 or so others to Adam's last minute instructions. Away we went. I was keeping a good pace but wasn't optimistic at all to maintaining this pace. I knew that there were some pretty long and steep hills that would slow me down. I've never been good at running the hills, something I know I need to work at.

As I finally came to the top of the first peak, 2,800 feet and 7 miles later, I was happy to finally be running downhill. I set off at a great pace and just let gravity do the rest. The problem? These hills were even steeper with a ton of loose rocks. This, I knew, was going to be rough going on the way back up.

I finally hit the halfway mark in 2:28, and was happy to take a rest and refill my water bottles. What I wasn't happy about was the next five miles of hills. They did not disappoint. I completely hit the wall at around mile 16 and 17, and turned in my worst mile in 27 minutes. These hills were the worst, and it didn't help that I had ran out of energy. Taking many breaks I finally opened and ate a pack of Shot Bloks which buoyed my spirits and opened up the gateway to the energy my legs needed. Once to the top I knew I would enjoy the next 7 miles of downhill, despite legs not moving as fast as the beginning.

I am not sure how this happened but I missed a turn. I stopped where the water was stashed and couldn't find any, so I turned to the left and continued on down the trail. Apparently I was to turn right. Opps. My little mistake cost me .8 miles and about 9 minutes. Oh well, bonus miles I guess.

When i finally finished I was glad I was done. This was the hardest race I had ever ran, in large part due to the elevation gain. From one peak from 200 ft to 3,000 to another from 1,400 to 3,000, that puts the elevation gain to at least 4,400 ft, not counting the many ups and downs within each valley. This was comparable to many 50ks and yet it was all packed into less miles. Such an equation leads to a tough race.

Many thanks and congrats to Adum Blum for organizing such a great event, and to Pavan and Brian for volunteering at the aid station. A great event in the South Bay.

PR at the Valentine 10k

2008-02-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable. After 33.27 miles in the last 6 days I was able to set a PR at the Valentine 10k. Additionally, day 2 of my action packed 3 day weekend (or the first 15.2 miles of 41.4) are now in the books. Logic says that I shouldn't have ran a PR after logging so many miles in at a much slower pace. Logic says that I hadn't come close to setting a PR since my previous best 10k last June. And yet here I am, running the fastest 10k I've ever ran. Unbelievable.

Valentine Fun Run 10k - 46:30 (7:30 pace; 24/279)

I woke up this morning feeling strong. I had ran the 9 on the 9th virtual run yesterday and a nice even pace and this morning was amazed to feel as though I hadn't even ran the previous day. I set off and had a banana while driving the quick 20 minute drive to downtown Campbell. Clear blue skies with temps in the low 50s. Perfect weather to run in.

I'd ran this trail many times. Some in training, some in events, such as the Silicon Valley Marathon and the Jungle Run Half Marathon, so I was very familiar with what I was running. Another great path that follows a creek and some man made percolation ponds, and just as yesterday there is the freeway on the left. Still, a great path. Loud geese and ducks everywhere, ran past a dog park and a fly casting pond. Great atmosphere.

We toed the line at exactly 9 and after giving last minute instructions, and without warning, the race director blew the horn when nobody was ready. Kind of comical how quick he blew the horn after giving his instructions. Judging by past years I guessed that I would be in the top 25 to 50 runners, so I didn't mind moving to the front of the 250 or so runners, which made it easier when the horn went off.

Mile 1: 6:47 - This came in way faster than I wanted. I always start out really fast, perhaps too fast, and this was no exception. But I felt extremely strong at this point. Legs were solid and I wasn't winded.

Mile 2: 7:37 - This was a little more like the pace that I had wanted to run. I came to the first of many small little hills that are unexpected. I tried to maintain my pace, which was perhaps the wrong thing to do on these hills, or any hills for that matter. Anyway, this finally slowed me down and started making my legs feel not so strong. In fact I decided to walk one of the first mini hills, which was my first of three walk breaks this run.

Mile 3: 8:08 - I fell off pace here. The fast first mile combined with all the mini hills was slowing me down. The lead woman passed me up towards the beginning of this mile, which came into play later on in a huge way. Then by the end of mile 3 I took my second walk break as I grabbed some water. As I grabbed the water I saw the 2nd place woman coming into the turn around. I pushed on.

Mile 4: 7:36 - Shortly after the turn around the 2nd place woman came up alongside me. She had been chasing/pacing herself off of my pace and began encouraging me to keep on keeping on because I was pulling her along at a good pace. I couldn't help but tell her that I had ran 9 miles yesterday and was running a marathon tomorrow and thus would not be able to continue pushing her pace, but she was all optimism. Her name was Linda. Soon enough I was able to hold on to and maintain my pace. There is something about running with someone. It gave me a purpose during the race, and I suddenly couldn't let my new running partner down. And besides, I pointed out that the 1st place woman was in sight and we could catch her. Now we both had a purpose behind the run.

Mile 5: 7:48 - We were catching up to the first place woman and it was feeling great. We the predator with our prey in sight. But Linda was falling off pace. We had come on to a mini hill that I trudged up at the same pace, but she didn't maintain that pace. I eventually turned around and waived my arm for her to catch up because numero uno woman was mere seconds ahead of me now, and if I could pull her up closer than she would have a chance in catching her. My encouragement worked and shortly after we both moved past her and my running partner was now numero uno. This was great. With my purpose fulfilled, and just before the end of the mile, I told her to keep pushing on as I took my third walk break for about 15 seconds.

Mile 6: 7:49 - This was an uneventful and very evenly paced mile. Linda was still in front of me about 30 seconds. And then this woman came flying past me, and not the previous number one that we had already passed. I maintained pace and was stretching forward to see if Linda could cross the finish line before this new runner. After all, she wouldn't even know the woman was there until she was passed. But she held on to it and passed mere seconds ahead of the other woman. I shall have to check the results, cause I thought she was passed, but Linda said she wasn't. Ah, hard work come to fruition. Speaking of hard work, I couldn't believe it. I looked up and saw the time break 46:15. I could do it, I could set a PR in a race that I didn't even think had a chance of running well at. Finally pushing it hard I came in at 46:30, a whole 2 seconds faster than my previous best. Only 2 seconds, but I'll take it.

If you're out there Linda, thank you! You helped me just as much as I helped you.

This was a fantastic finish to a race that I had started thinking that a 48 to 49 minute time would be acceptable. The downside? Pushing it so hard stressed my left hamstring. Nothing pulled, and not injury, but a little tender. Low potassium or something. And the other downside is that the mini hills were very tiring on the legs after the 9 miles yesterday. So how will this affect me tomorrow in running 3,000-4,000 feet elevation gain at the trail marathon in Los Gatos? Granted, I will be walking most of the hills, par for the course for my trail running, and my average pace will be 4 minutes slower than today, so who knows.

So much for the theory that you must continue running every week, and if you don't run in a week then your training schedule must be changed or pushed back. So far my week off seems to have only helped my running.

Here's to my first trail marathon tomorrow. Two successes and a PR, what more could I ask for? For tomorrow if I finish the marathon then I will count it as a success. But, if I can run it around 5 hours I'll just be giddy with the overflowing endorphins.

9 on the 9th

2008-02-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

So the first day of my action packed three day weekend has come to a successful close. Another way to look at it? The first 9 miles of the 41.4 I have scheduled for this 3 day weekend are now logged into the books.

9 on the 9th - 1:14:36 (8:16 pace)

I had fun in December when Nancy organized the virtual run 8 on the 8th, so I jumped at the chance to take part in 9 on the 9th. The problem came when I had already had a 10k scheduled for the 9th, and a trail marathon on the 10th. So I could have ran an extra 3 miles on Saturday, or even used the first 9 miles of the marathon, but that wouldn't be too accurate since I would be running both those races differently than I would a 9 mile run. Thus I decided to run the 9 on Friday. It would be demanding, and I won't know how running two events two days before a marathon will affect it. But why not give it a try? After all, if I plan on running a 50 miler then I'll need to see how my body responds to the stress. Anyway, this would also be a good opportunity to work on my pacing for the Napa Valley Marathon in March.

Mile 1: 8:36 - I had taken a nap and wasn't completely awake. Nonetheless, this was a bit slow for what I wanted to run. I was also enjoying the scenery, running alongside a creek, trying to ignore the freeway on the right.

Mile 2: 8:05 - This was more like it. Passed a few runners, a few bikers passed me. An uneventful mile.

Mile 3: 8:09 - Sped this one up a bit. The time doesn't show because I stopped for a 15 second water break. I knew with the run today and the run tomorrow that I had to take every opportunity I could to keep myself hydrated for the marathon on Sunday.

Mile 4: 7:58 - Was feeling pretty good with this mile. Passed a mother pushing her baby in a stroller and tons of dogs walking their owners. Was also running alongside a lake which, in conjunction with the freeway off to the left and the highway to the right, made it a bit windy. Really, the run is better than it sounds. Lots of noise and cars, but also a couple of bodies of water, a ton of trees and a creek with countless animals. I've seen bobcats, turkeys, squirrels, hawks, deer. There are even elk, mountain lion, fox, wild boar and coyotes roaming the hills, but I haven't seen any of them yet. You name it, we have it. Of course you don't see them all the time but the variety is fun to look for while running this trail.

Mile 5: 8:07 - I'd hit the turnaround and was on my way back, running over the bridge and back to the lake. Came across a good looking woman walking her dog, exchanged smiles, and I was amazed to remember her from my run on Monday. Geez, I should run this trail more often. But is there ever a correct way to approach/talk to someone while running and walking a dog? If there is, I don't know of it.

Mile 6: 8:19 - Uneventful and fell off pace a little. It was getting a bit toasty. I had decided to not wear a hat today and that makes a huge difference. Usually the hat soaks up the sweat, but without it it felt as though I was sweating buckets. It was the hottest it had been in quite a while, being in the mid 60s, and the average the last month or so has been low to mid 50s. Obviously great weather compared to other places in the US that are in 20s and 30s. But this was hot(ter) nonetheless.

Mile 7: 8:43 - I love finding places to run that have water fountains along the route, which is why I love running this route so often. This time I took a 25 second time out and stopped for water and to catch my breath. Despite the stop I was still a little off pace, which makes sense the longer you run.

Mile 8: 8:26 - I'm running along and I see a lady and her husband biking towards me. I think nothing of it. I mean, the bike path is 9-10 feet wide, how much space do you really need? Anyway, the damn lady didn't move out of the way! She kept riding next to her husband as though she had no reason to move. Almost running off the trail, squished to the far right, I dodged the rude biker. Okay maybe not that bad, but if I hadn't moved she would have ran me over and blamed me for taking her space.

Mile 9: 8:03 - I stepped this one up and wanted to try and run the last mile the fastest. The whole way it felt like I was running way faster than any other mile, and yet it is only the second fastest mile. I think I started running faster already a quarter of a mile in, so that would explain not running faster than mile 4.

All in all this was a great run. I didn't feel too tired and I could have ran it faster, but then I would risk being too tired for the marathon. So a nice, evenly paced run it was, and I know I'll be ready for the marathon in Napa Valley. Tomorrow I run the Valentine Fun Run 10k in Campbell and will work on my speed, hoping to run an average sub 8 minute mile. My PR is a 7:30 pace for this distance, but ever since I've started focusing on the longer distances I haven't ran the shorter distances quite as fast, but I'm still hopeful that I can set a PR.

And what's next? 10 on the 10th? Or maybe 10k on the 10th? Either would work. Can't wait to read Nancy's great recap.

All Systems A Go

2008-02-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

My mini test of two miles went perfectly today. After running 10 on Monday and 6 on Tuesday, both at a little over an 8 minute pace, I wanted to test my legs to see if they felt sluggish at all. Pace? A little faster than my marathon pace, coming in at 10 min/mile, which is a lot faster than my 50k pace, which is a better estimate for how fast I will be running for the trail marathon on Sunday.

Granted, two miles does not a marathon make. But all I needed to see was if the legs felt sluggish, which can be felt in the first few miles. Hills? I walk most of them, so how my legs feel running up hill doesn't matter. Down hill? Gravity, baby, is all I need.

So all systems are a go for my Friday through Sunday race weekend: 9 on the 9th, Valentine Fun Run 10k, and the Los Gatos Fatass Marathon.

Should be a fun weekend.

Upcoming Three Races

2008-02-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

So after three successive burps in my training I have finally been able to start my training anew. First I came down with a nasty cold that put me out for four days all the while it was raining, then I came down with another sickness shortly after I recovered from the first sickness, this one even worse and put me out of commission for a little over a week, and then it continued to rain for the rest of the month. A promising month turned sour.

But I would come back with a bang. Fully recovered just in time for next weekend. You see, I am planning an aggressive comeback, a weekend full of events. First on Friday will be a virtual run put on by Nancy, 9 on the 9th, one that I will use to work on my pacing. Then from there I will run a 10k on Saturday and work on my speed. But the big race of the weekend will be on Sunday when I run the Fatass Marathon in Los Gatos, my first trail marathon.

Might be a bit ambitious, and some may think I shouldn't run the two days before the marathon, but if I ever want to run the longer races then I will need to begin stressing my body and learning to deal with it.

So in preparation I ran 10 miles yesterday at an 8:21 pace, and then 6 miles today at an 8:08 pace. The point? To see how my body responded. I of course wanted to see how the 6 miler felt after 10 the day before, but the true test would be to see how my legs feel on Wednesday and see how they will hold up for the marathon. So tomorrow I will run a short 2 miles at the gym and that will be the true test.

And on a side note, we as runners often get caught up on the moment and think we need to run, run, run, as much as we can, every week, only taking a break after the event we had been training for. And the numerous marathon training schedules aid this, having you run, run, run all the way up to the race. But one thing I have always felt was take an extended break before the event, and not necessarily wait for after the race, and hand in hand with this is a rest during training. Being sick twice in a row, a dealing with rain for two weeks straight, forced me to take a week off without any running. And what do you know, the break actually felt great and my legs felt strong. The break in running didn't ruin my training, didn't set me back and force me to step it up or adjust my schedule.

The break helped, and I think runners should take more extended week long breaks during training to allow their legs to recuperate, not too mention their spirits. Breaks aren't only for after a race, but should be for during the training as well.

Anyway, hopefully things will feel great tomorrow. So far my legs felt good after 10 yesterday and 6 today, so hopefully tomorrow will tell me if I should do 3 races or limit it to 2 races.

Pacifica Thoughts

2008-01-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about the Pacifica 50k I tried to run this past Saturday, mainly about why I stopped at the 30k mark. What motivated that decision and why did I choose to accept it rather than to push on.

In hindsight it is always easier to identify what went wrong. It is also easier to try and make excuses for why I wasn't able to finish what I set out to finish. In an effort to identify what went wrong, I hope to not make excuses. When it all comes down to it, regardless of what happened or what I think happened, I didn't finish. In running are we really and truly only as good as we were in our last race? That is what I hope to fix by learning from Pacifica.

What kicked all this into gear was realizing that I had ran the 30k in 3:34 in Pacifica, which was 2 minutes faster than my previous 30k at the Rodeo Beach 50k. Huh? How was this possible? Pacifica has a ton more elevation and yet I was on pace to to set a PR. Of course the answer was the most obvious. I had eaten roughly 300 calories by the time I decided to stop. Not near enough by far. It is funny the tricks your body plays on you without enough energy. Your morale plummets, which mine did. I began doubting myself and wondering what I was doing. This had happened to me at the Woodside 50k in the middle miles and the same sensation came over me around the 30k mark, the sensation of thinking there was no way I could continue. I almost DNF'd, but instead I took extra time at the aid station and consumed a ton of calories. My energy instantly increased and my morale was given a boost, ultimately leading to my 2nd 50k finish.

And I think if I would have stopped at the 30k aid station and took extra time to consume the calories then I would have most certainly finished the Pacifica 50k as well. The funny part is that I knew I had some Clif Bars and Clif Shot Bloks in my hip pack, and I knew I had to eat more calories, and yet I didn't break them open. Hopefully this will be the last time I learn this lesson as I now have something to draw upon, an experience to point at and remember.

Finally, the last factor, which I knew going in to it was a possibility, was the fact that I was coming off of a cold and didn't have all the energy I needed. This was made even more clear now, today, a few days after. Either I was sick during the race or the race shocked my body and brought the cold back, but either way I am perhaps the worse for wear now. I am right in the middle of another nasty cold, one that I had during the race.

So two positives can come from not finishing the 50k. One, a deeply ingrained lesson with an experience to draw upon and warn me every time, namely to eat, eat, eat. And the second positive was that I was a bit under the weather for that run, that perhaps I had prepared properly but being sick made everything that much more difficult, and yet I still ran a good 30k.

No excuses, only thoughts on how and what I can do for the next 50k, and to hopefully help others who want to tackle their first 50k.

Pacifica Trail Run 30k

2008-01-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

I knew I wanted this to be a year of firsts for me. Run my first trail marathon and 50 miler. Run a sub 6 hour 50k and a sub 4 hour marathon for the first time. What I didn't know was that this would end up being the first time I didn't finish the race that I had entered, which was the 50k.

Pacifica Trail Run 30k - 3:34:11 (11:33 pace; 20/39)

I knew, of all the 50k's that I wanted to run this year, that this would be the one that would present the most difficulty. It has the highest amount of elevation gain by over a 1,000 feet, the closest being the Rodeo Beach 50k last December. And since I don't run hills too well I wasn't to confident about this one. That being said, as I said in my last post, I had the confidence in being able to finish the distance. So what happened?

It all started a week ago when I came down with a cold and a ton of congestion. I slowly got better throughout the week but I still was feeling the lingering remnants of it, such as some congestion and a runny nose and cough. Add to this my energy level not entirely recovered also. Through all this I was still confident I could finish the distance. Of course I sabotaged myself when I stayed up late reading and watching television, getting less than 6 hours of sleep.

All this did not bode well.

Start to 12k Aid Station - 1:13

The race started and it went straight to a hill that went up to the highest point in the whole area. 3.5 miles straight up the mountain with no break. It wasn't too bad but as you are going up you can see the trail that wasn't too friendly. Half the trail was on rock, and the other half was dirt with sharp, jagged rocks and boulders. It was tough enough going up at a much slower pace, but how would it be going down it? A very technical section that could easily result in twisting your ankle or tripping and falling on the rocks.

I got to the top and turned around, feeling strong. Had a runny nose and a hacking cough, but otherwise doing good. And this turned out to be the most fun I have ever had running downhill. Those sharp, jagged rocks and skinny single track trails proved to be so fun running down. Catapulting yourself from flat surface to flat surface, an obstacle course at a breakneck speed. Oh how fun this was. I passed so many people on this downhill part who were taking it slow and timid, scared to pick their speed up. By the time I reached the bottom I was feeling great and alive, but I knew I had to do that loop again. The course consisted of a 12k loop, then a 9k loop, then same loop counterclockwise, then the 12k loop again and finishing with doing the same 9k loop again. So I knew and dreaded what I had to do all over again.

12k Aid Station to 21k Aid Station - 1:03 (2:16 overall time)

This was an interesting section. It had a steep hill that lasted about a mile and then you get a speedy downhill section of switchbacks, which was fun. But then you are spit out onto a gravel road that goes on for a half a mile at a gentle rise, only to lead to another hill that went straight up for another 3 miles. What is with these long hills? By the time I got to the top and was able to run downhill the last mile I was tired already, and I walked most of the uphill! I came into the aid station feeling a little weary, but optimistic.

21k Aid Station to 30k Finish - 1:18:11 (3:34:11)

But then I knew I had to turn around and do that loop again. I grabbed a few pretzels and took off. This was the biggest mistake that I did. Already low on energy as I recuperated from the cold, I couldn't afford to not eat during the race to replace what was used. But this was exactly what I did and what would jump out and get me later on. I walked the whole uphill portion, which was slow going. I peppered in some jogging when it leveled out some, but that wasn't too often.

I was amazed that I had only been passed by two runners at the very beginning of this loop, the third in the race, and was only passed by one other runner the whole 6 miles despite walking the hills as I did. It was here that I started doubting myself and to think of stopping at the 30k finish. This is one of the beauties of the Pacific Coast Trail Runs, their flexibility. Instead of getting a DNF they would simply put me into the 30k race. Perhaps if I knew I would get a DNF then I would have trudged on, and this is one of the reasons I am not a fan of these types of loop courses. With an out and back you know that the only way back to your car is to finish the race. But with these five loop courses I would have had 4 chances to stop and drop out. And I began contemplating this a lot.

I was getting really tired because of the lack of sleep, and thus the reason I started daydreaming of taking a nap. I was getting really hungry because I wasn't eating too much, and thus the daydreaming of what I could eat for lunch if I stopped. All of this, though, is a direct result of not eating during the race. I was burning so much energy and not replacing it, which lead to a drop in morale, energy and motivation. I didn't recognized this, even though this happened to me before, so when I got to the 30k finish I stopped.

I regret stopping now. If I would have ate more then I would not have stopped, even at the 30k aid station. In fact, comparing my times with the Rodeo Beach 50k, I came into the 30k Aid Station there 2 minutes slower than I did this 30k, which had 600 more feet of elevation gain! Physically, in hindsight, I was running better than I had ever. But no food and energy began playing mind games on me. So for this race my mental will power most certainly let me down, which is a major factor in running ultras.

That being said, I am glad at what I did run. 30k faster than I have ever run it on the trails, and it was the most elevation gain that I have ever ran! I would rather have finished the 50k, and hindsight shows me that I could have easily if I would have eaten more, but you live and you learn. Hopefully I can identify this mental trip that you experience and know how to counter it next time.

This was most certainly a very beautiful run in a beautiful place. But it was most certainly an extremely difficult run.

Preamble to the Pacifica 50k

2008-01-18T22:37:00.000-08:00

I am optimistic about this 50k. I've just come off of a great 50k in December as well as a fast 5 miler on the 1st. Yet I am still weary, despite the optimism. The problem is twofold...

1) I came down with a cold last week and the congestion is almost gone, but still present. An annoyance I know this will be tomorrow. After all, I ran the Woodside 50k at the end of a cold and was annoyed by a runny nose and a hacking cough.

2) This is by far the most elevation gain for any race I have done, and thus will slow me down drastically.

I know I will do well tomorrow as confidence has finally come after completing three 50ks. But will outside factors play a larger role and slow me down? That is what makes 50ks so fun. The ups and downs, both literally and figuratively.

I think I am ready for this roller coaster. If for nothing else than to see how I handle an elevation gain similar to the 50 miler I want to do in May.

2007 By Numbers

2008-01-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

Run Your First Marathon by Grete Waitz

2008-01-08T17:45:00.001-08:00

If you do a quick google search of Grete Waitz you will find a ton of information on such an accomplished runner. For this alone her book is worth considering. Her wealth of knowledge is put to good use as she walks the runner through the experience from the ground up, moving from beginning training to after finishing, giving anecdotes and examples along the way.

I've ran in 6 marathon or longer races thus far and am still learning some of what she writes in this book. Reader beware, though, this book is for exactly what the title states, for runners looking to run their first marathon. A lot of the information given is very basic to runners who have ran this distance already, but to someone who never has ran 26.2 she touches on every aspect and allows the runner to become well informed in what they are getting into.

She briefly touches on two training schedules within the book. The first is for those readers who have ran very little at all. It sets them up and begins conditioning them to running, which in turn prepares them for the actual marathon training. So if you do run some then the training schedule number two is where you would begin. But it is very basic, kind of a run these miles on these days on this week. And she makes it clear that this book is not meant as a day by day guide to your training.

Instead she focuses on the stuff that is overlooked when researching and preparing for a marathon. She goes over running basics, such as form and speed and so on, as well as signs to prevent injury, motivation, and running gear among other information. But the most important chapter is Chapter 12: Marathon Nutrition and Hydration. Even if you have ran a marathon before this is a good chapter to read and refresh and/or educate yourself again. There is a good amount of base information that will probably go the farthest for any marathon hopeful in aiding them to the finish line. Additionally, the final chapter, The Race, is also very useful for the beginning runner because it goes over some of what you will feel, see and expect when you toe the line.

I wish I would have found Mrs. Waitz’s book before I ran my fateful, yet ill prepared first marathon at San Francisco.

If you are a first time marathoner I would give this book a good read and set your goals on that marathon.

2008 Goals

2008-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

After a year of discovery and learning, on both concrete and mountains, I've learned a lot about what I can handle in running shoes. Of course that also implies that I now know where I can test my limits and discover truly how far I can go and where my limits are. After 3 marathons and 3 50ks under my belt I am now comfortable with both distances, but it has left me wondering how far I can run.

Goal #1 (Attempted at the Ruth Anderson and 25-35 mph winds were harsh and the 50 mph gusts were even worse, so I settled for the 50k; Attempted at the Quicksilver 50m but stopped at the 50k, not ready mentally; think this distance shall have to wait until next year or until I can get my 50k time down to a more manageable 5-5:15) is to finish my first 50 mile race. Without ever attempting this distance there is no way I can predict what my time would be. My first attempt will be in April at the Ruth Anderson 50k/50m/100k in San Francisco. I love this format because it is a 4.5 mile loop course and you choose your distance while you are running. If, at the 50k mark, you are feeling strong and wish to continue then all you do is inform the race director and you can continue towards the 50 mile marker. Same for the 100k distance at the 50 mile finish. Oh, and the 50 mile distance has only 1,000 ft elevation gain. With this I can only hope to finish in under 10 hours. My second attempt will be much more difficult and it will all depend on how I do at the Ruth Anderson 50 miler on whether I attempt the 50k or the 50m in May at the Quicksilver 50k/50m in San Jose. This one has an elevation gain of 8,500 ft. for the 50m and the reason it will be much more difficult. Best estimate and goal will be under 12 hours.

This will be my first test on how well I am progressing as an endurance runner and will in turn either establish my limits or raise the bar and expand my horizon.

Goal #2 (Accomplished: 3:52:32 @ Napa Valley Marathon on 3/2/08) is to run a sub 4 hour marathon. I was on pace to do this at SF before my calves cramped up at mile 16-17 because of my lack of foresight to take salt tablets or electrolyte pills. My first opportunity to do this will be on 3/2 at the Napa Valley Marathon, one of the races that I have planned first and is one of my destination marathons for the year.

Goal #3 (Accomplished: 5:46:10 @ Ruth Anderson 50k on 4/19/08) is to run a sub 6 hour 50k, but since I ran a 6:09 at Rodeo Beach in December, I will also be shooting for a sub 5:30, which is doable I think. My first opportunity is at Pacifica on 1/19, but not likely since this race will be over 7,000 ft elevation gain (which I did on purpose because I wanted to do a somewhat comparable elevation gain to the Quicksilver 50m but in a shorter distance, and thus be able to see if I could have a chance at finishing it). Which leaves either the Woodside 50k on 2/2 or the Angel Island 50k on 7/5 to accomplish this.

Goal #4 (Accomplished: Overgrown Fatass Marathon on 2/10/08; Accomplished: Golden Gate Headlands Marathon on 4/5/08) is to run a trail marathon. No time goals here and this one is really a tag along to the other goals. A trail marathon will, of course, be harder than a road marathon because of the elevation gain, but not as hard as a 50k with more elevation gain. I can only hope to run one in under 5 hours. I hit the marathon mark at the Rodeo Beach 50k at around 5:09, so I see no problem achieving this goal. That being said I love the idea of a trail marathon, and not least of all because it is not as hard on the legs but still gives you a great satisfaction in running such a tradition and history rich distance. First opprotunity for this will be either the Los Gatos Fatass Marathon on 2/10 or at the Gold Gate Headlands Marathon on 4/5.

Goal #5 is more of an administrative goal that can help assist me in all the other goals. A base of at least an average of 20 miles a week should be manageable and will push me over 1,000 miles for the year. Still not too much by other standards, and I will of course shoot for quite a bit more, but it is a nice sounding board to base my efforts. Additionally, I will shift much of my training to hills and run many more double digit training runs that I did in 2007, which wasn't much at all (the most I ever trained in one sitting was 13.1 miles and I only did that twice, not counting the half marathon races I've ran), and I know I can run better in the hills and the longer distances if I trained harder and longer.

Last year I set 3 goals and met them all easily, so this year I set five goals, some harder than others. Hopefully this year's goals will have as much success as last year's goals.

Resolution Run

2008-01-01T20:10:00.001-08:00

I could have thought of no better way than to start the new year with a bang, and I certainly did that. With only 3 hours and 45 minutes of sleep, I didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't think I would be running sub 7 minute miles.

Resolution Run - 39:41 (7:28 pace; 29/237)

At 3 AM I couldn't stop yawning. A late night of fun at a friend's house on New Year's Eve, why wouldn't I be out? I knew this when I entered this race, but I still wanted to start 2008 with a race. After four slices of pizza, some sodas, chips and dips and cookies, I called it a night and headed home. I, of course, had to read some before I went to bed, so it wasn't until 4 that I fell asleep.

And the alarm went off at 7:45.

Surprisingly, I wasn't too tired. I arrived with twenty minutes to spare and waited in the 39 degree weather. Hands becoming numb, away we went.

The first mile was an easy, flat mile. I wasn't front of the pack, but I was a back of the front pack, so it wasn't too crowded. My hands, if they could, became even more numb and actually started hurting more if that was possible. I clocked in at 7:00.

I held my pace, for the most part, and was able to continue to pick off runners who had started out too fast, but I was slowing slightly. The flat fire road was gradually going up, but I still felt strong when I came in at 7:17.

This was where it started getting a little more difficult. I have ran hills more but I still seem to lag on them, not able to continue running, even at a slower pace. The first semi big hill came and it was a short one. I ran up the whole way, but when I got to the top I had to take a walk break. Taking the good of it, this was an improvement from last year (feels weird saying last year already). I ran the Dammit Run, which is also a 5 mile run that is ran on virtually the same course. Comparing this to the Dammit Run I had already ran this race 2 minutes faster and I was able to run the first hill, which I didn't do last year. If the race ended here I would have been satisfied, but everything got better! Another hill came before me and I had to walk this one. I applaud those who passed me on this steep hill and continued to run. If only I could have kept running. By the time I reached the top of the dam and hit the turn around point I was feeling a little winded, but still strong. Now was the fun part as I turned around and took the two steep downhills and gradual decent for what they were worth. The 3rd mile was my slowest as the walking on the hills, which had 316 feet of elevation gain in less than a 1/2 a mile, slowed me to a 9:47.

And on this same stretch in the past the fastest I was able to run on training runs was a little over a 7 minute pace. This time, however, I turned it on and was able to turn in mile 4 in 6:36 and mile 5 in 6:48, passing many of the runners who passed me on the hill.

But I couldn't understand why at mile 5 I was still running. This was supposed to be a 5 mile race! Soon enough the high school track presented itself and I was able to run the last lap, coming in at a pace of 7:03. The course, from my garmin as well as mapping the course on google earth, turned out to be 3/10 of a mile longer. Oh well, can't expect all races to be accurately measured, right?

When I checked the on site results I found that I had come in 29th place out of 237 runners, which wasn't too bad. I even thought I was going to place 2nd in my division, but they fooled me! They had two colors for my age group, rather than the typical one color. When they announced the 3rd place in my division I watched the guy receive it and my jaw dropped. On the final stretch of the run, with about 2/10 of a mile to go around the track, he passed me and I even thought to myself to let him go, that I had ran a good run and that was enough. Oh well, he ended up coming in around 10 seconds before I did. Another lesson, one I always seem to be learning: don't let complacency slow you down, keep pushing yourself to the last moment before you cross the finish line.

Ultimately an age place in your division doesn't amount to much. What mattered was that I ran a good run at a fast clip, a speed that I hadn't ran in a long time, running the race at 8 MPH (I still can't believe that some runners run half marathons and marathons at 13 MPH!). With my focus on marathon or longer distances it seems that I rarely run a race this fast anymore, so it was a ton of fun.

Here's to kicking off the new year with a kick of the running shoes!

2007: The Year In Review

2007-12-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

This was an amazing year for me. It was my first full year of running. Actually, discounting the little running I did in 2006 (where I ran in a marathon and a half marathon and trained maybe 50 miles the whole year) then I would say that this was my maiden year, the year where I started my journey to endurance.

The year started with a modest goal of running an average of 13.1 miles a week. Not running much in 2006, this was a good goal. It wasn't until March that I started signing up for races and set as my goal to run some half marathons, with maybe a marathon later in the year. I ended up blowing all of these goals out of the water. I ran the most miles for a month and a week in December, covering 114.49 miles for the month and 41.94 for the third week of December. I also clocked in at 15.52 miles on average per week, putting me at 807.19 miles for the year. Admittedly, I know I should be running a ton more miles than that if I want to get my endurance level up, but you have to start somewhere, right?

I felt confident in myself so I signed up for the SF marathon as well as the Silicon Valley marathon and began setting my sights on possibly running a 50k in December. After a demoralizing SF marathon experience at the end of July where I hobbled the last 10 miles on cramped calves, and still set a PR by 1hr9mins, I wasn't sure if I would run that distance again. A month had passed and I had ran a 5 mile, trail 10k and a half marathon and I suddenly forgot the pain of the SF marathon and set my sites on the Stevens Creek 50k at the beginning of September. I never looked back.

In 2007 I ran 2 marathons and 3 50ks in the last 5 months of the year, not to count the 6 half marathons and numerous other shorter distance races. In each and every marathon and 50k my time improved.

Marathon - I ran my first one in 2006 in 5:47:16 with no training, so I had an almost scientific goldmine for a benchmark. I then ran the SF marathon (7/29/07) in 4:38:48 and the SV marathon (11/4/07) in 4:35:47, resulting in an improvement of my PR by 1:11:29.

Coming into the finish of the SV marathon

50k - This distance also had a good benchmark for my first ever 50k because I had never ran longer than a 10k (only one at that with some good hills) on trails and so went into trail running as a virgin. My first impulsive 50k was ran on 9/8 and I got lost for 2.5 miles and learned a ton about endurance running in the mountains. It took me 8:15:47. A long time to be on your feet, but I was ecstatic. I was now an ultramarathoner. I ran my 2nd 50k on 12/1 at Woodside and ran it in 6:39:16 and beat my goal of 6:45. This one, too, just as my 2nd marathon was demoralizing, demoralized me in the middle miles on a long 10 mile stretch of hills with no food or water. I almost DNF'd. Which led me to my 3rd 50k of the year and my best run race of all my races. Ran it at Rodeo Beach (12/22) and finished in 6:09:00, resulting in a PR from my first 50k to this one of 2:06:47.

I had similar success in the shorter distance races for the first half of the year but noticed a drastic change in how I ran once I started the longer distance running. I no longer focused on speed, which is the emphasis on 5k, 5 mile and 10k races, and possibly half marathons, and instead focused on the long haul, as many of my races towards the end were measured in number of hours rather than number of minutes. I still had plenty of highlights for the shorter races, such as my 3rd place finish in my age group at the Freedom Run 5k in Morgan Hill, or the impulsive entry into the Uvas Triathlon (3/4m swim/16m bike/5m run) which was one of the tougher races I did this year since I was not a good swimmer at all and only had a mountain bike, or the Muddy Buddy race I entered with my brother where we got to dive into a mud pit in order to cross the finish.

All in all, a great year, highlighted by the year ending 50k that I was able to run without a flaw. What's in store for me in 2008? I've got my eye on a ton of marathons and 50ks (if all goes according to plan then 8 50ks and 6 marathons) and 2-3 50 milers, as well as possibly a Half Ironman... Only time will tell (and a road bike for the Half Iron) and I look forward to what the new year brings.

Best of wishes and luck to all you runners in the blogging community!

Rodeo Beach Trail Run 50k

2007-12-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

For the first time I have finally been able to run a marathon or longer race and feel confident in how I was running it. It seemed that virtually everything I was doing was working, much more so than the 5 other marathon or longer races. And it paid dividends.

Rodeo Beach Trail Run 50k - 6:09:00 (11:50 pace; 30/54)

For this one I decided to do things a little differently. First off I had signed up for this event the Thursday before the event was taking place, which was on a Saturday. This had already been different than usual (if you discount my first marathon at SF) because I had ran 10.75 miles on Monday earlier in the week, and it was some hard pounding on steep uphills and downhills and then went to hard pounding on concrete, not that great of a combination. So my usual rest the week before was already messed up, so why not test the other "notions" I had about running.

So I didn't bother cutting myself off of soda that Thursday and Friday before. I've read that it dehydrates you and you have to drink more water to replace the water in your blood that the soda had pulled out, thus being a diuretic. Also I didn't do my normal pre-race meal of a heaping plate of pasta. Instead I sat down with some rice, salad, corn and chicken and than topped it off with another soda and some Ferrero Rocher chocolate for dessert. I knew I would finish the race, so what I wanted to test was whether all these little things that I do, and I know other runners have their little things, in order to insure a good race.

So morning of race I am off on my 1hr30min drive up past San Francisco to Sausalito, which is just on the northern side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Right away I was blown away with what I was seeing, having never been to Sausalito before, and there was more to come. I arrived with about a half hour to spare and got out of the car and was freezing, so I put on my long sleeve running shirt and grabbed my hat and running gloves and went to check in. Oh, and this was something I also did that was different. I decided to bring a hand held water bottle instead of the hip pack with two bottles that can also carry food. This, of course, meant I didn't have room for my electrolyte pills. In both cases I thought it was fine because the aid stations were roughly 4 miles apart, with the longest stretch being 6 miles. This almost ended my race prematurely.

As Sarah and Wendell gave the pre-race announcements I went over my game plan. Even and slow pace and finish under 7 hours. This race had the most elevation gain of any race I had done thus far at 5,500 gain (although Sarah said after the race that it was wrong, that it was more like 6,000 ft gain), so I wasn't hopeful that I could set a PR. Stop and spend time at every aid station to be sure that you eat plenty of food, which, of course, was the mistake that I made in the previous two 50ks. That was it. Simple. My inner dialogue over, and Wendell done, we moved to the starting line next to Rodeo Beach.

Shivering and cold, despite the layers and the thick gloves, we were off. Instantly we started up a hill that pretty much was uphill for almost 2 miles. This was slow going but it was the beginning of the race, so I was able to maintain a nice steady pace and not have to walk. Until I got to the stairs that is, that almost went straight up, which topped out and then fooled you before going into stairs again.

This was the neat part, especially for the history buff that I am. As you wind through the hills you suddenly come upon two WWII bunkers. The history behind seeing these was just jaw dropping, especially when I didn't even know that we had ever built WWII bunkers.

Eventually we finally hit the top of the hill and you can see all the way across and watch the runners trek across the mountain to the downhill section. I love races where you can look across the mountain and see where you will be running and see the other runners, and this happened throughout the whole race.

This downhill section was absolutely amazing. I was flying down here hitting a 7:30 pace and not feeling winded or tired at all. I came into the first aid station at the 4 mile marker in 45 minutes and felt fresh and strong. I followed my pre-race game and took off the gloves and grabbed some food and filled the water bottles. I couldn't contain myself, though, because a bunch of runners kept coming in and leaving. The psychological side got the better of me as I grabbed some peanut butter fudge and took off.

This next section was very rewarding. We went uphill for a good portion and were rewarded with views of the Pacific, and then as you changed direction there would be the Golden Gate Bridge peaking through a pair of hills with SF in the background. Absolutely breathtaking. I maintained a good pace and ran a good portion of the uphills. Then another downhill stretch and I just took off, hitting 8 minute miles again. A fun section came in where you see a bunch of runners winding down and turning to the left sharply, and then they reappear on the opposite side of the gully traversing the mountainside before, huh? Walking up stairs almost going completely straight up? The stairs were fun to get to. A steep technical section that, if you weren't paying attention, could easily result in a twisted ankle. But the stairs were not fun. Large steps that just burned your quads out getting up the mountain.

But it was worth it because at the top was another view of SF and the Golden Gate Bridge again that made you stop and grab for the camera so fast, only to realize you didn't have and then vow to come back and take pictures. Just amazing. As well, of course, such a steep uphill meant that we would have a fun downhill. And it paid off.

Yet again I was flying with 8 minute miles. I reached the next aid station in 1:53. That meant that I had ran 1/3 (or ~10 miles) of the race in under two hours, which also meant that I could possibly run the whole race in under 6 hours. Was my math right or was I having another brain fart? I dilly dallied around for a while, eating plenty, before setting off. I was very optimistic and upbeat at this point. In fact I didn't mind the slow and steady hill after I started up again. That was until the hill never ended. Almost 2.5 to 3 miles of the next 4 to the aid station were all up, with no break to get some speed on the flats or downhill. I saw my sub 6 slowly slip away. I am better at hills now, as this race shows, but I still couldn't talk myself into running this portion that much.

And just when you thought you finally got some downhill you come to another steep section that is virtually straight up and burned your quads. Things slowed again. I finally reached the 14.5 mile aid station. And it was about time. My calves were showing the first signs of cramping and I was beginning to have waking nightmares of the SF 07 marathon. I was kicking myself for not bringing my electrolyte pills. Would I have to stop at the 30k mark because of my calves? Ever hopeful, I asked the aid station if they had any electrolyte pills.... "Ah, no, we don't", the volunteer said. My heart sank. "But we have salt pills, will that work?" I couldn't believe my luck. I took one and away I went. By this point it was uncomfortably hot. The temp itself had probably risen to low fifties, but wearing the two layers, one being long sleeved, as well as the warm gloves was just too much. I couldn't wait to get back the starting line, where the 30kers finished and the 50kers took off for their final 20k loop.

This was my favorite section because it was all downhill and flat, a very fast section that I just flew down despite the tired legs and cramping calves. You see the ending stage of the downhill as it comes down the mountain and turns back towards Rodeo Beach and then flattened out into the valley. I was able to pick off a few runners here who were feeling the effects of the fast start. Before I knew it Rodeo Beach was in sight and I had come in at 3:31. I took off the layers, grabbed some food and some more salt pills and took off. Not soon enough, I guess, because I was now cold again. I had let my body cool off. And it didn't help that the 20k loop was the same loop we did before, minus the middle 10k, so I knew I had at least 2 miles of uphill here in the beginning that would be very slow going.

I trudged on despite the cold and got back to the downhill that was so great last time. It was here that I finally began to see runners and know that for the first time in all my marathon or longer races I was the one picking runners off, rather than always watching people run past me as I wave my encouragements. I want runners to run their best, mind you, but there is something about running strong enough to know that you can pick off other runners.

I sat at the aid station for a long time this time, eating a ton and taking two more salt pills, eventually grabbing a slice of pumpkin pie and heading off. Oh, the dread I felt as I returned to the dreaded hill from before, the one that went continuously uphill for miles it seemed. The only consolation was seeing another runner not too far ahead of me who was also walking this section. I was walking faster though. When I caught him we both chit chatted for a few miles, which helped pass the time immensely. There is nothing worse than hitting these long stretches of uphill and knowing that you have to walk them. It can be demoralizing. But with someone to talk to the time passed fast.

Once we got to the downhill we bid farewell as I was a much faster downhill runner at this point in the race. This was only a half mile from the last aid station and I had put a few minutes between us in that short distance, so I knew my quads were holding up. I ate plenty, doffed 2 more salt pills and was finally feeling warm again. And I was happy. I couldn't believe it. I would easily come in under 6:30, which was one of my goals for this race. And I was at my favorite section of the whole race, and it was the fastest. I took off.

My fifth fastest mile of the whole race was in this section, mile 29. I would have thought I would have been tired, but I felt strong. In fact I couldn't believe it. Another runner was before me and I knew I was going to catch him. That would make four runners that I was able to pick off in the final miles of the race. Sprinting the flats into Rodeo Beach I came in to the finish line at exactly 6:09:00.

I couldn't believe it. I had shattered my 50k personal best by 30 minutes. In fact my math wasn't so off and I almost could have broken the 6 hour mark. Drats, I had talked myself into believing that I couldn't do it and was settling for a sub 6:30 finish. What could have happened if I pushed it? And what if I would have cut out a couple of minutes at each aid station and grabbed my food to go? I would have shaved off at least 12 minutes just by doing that.

Oh well, lessons learned. Always push yourself and don't waste time at aid stations.

This was the most beautiful place I have been to in a long time, and certainly the most beautiful race I had ever had the pleasure of running. I shattered all my little pre-race idiosyncrasies and proved that what I was stressing so much for my pre-race the days before doesn't matter. I shattered my PR. And I did it all with ease. Mind you, not saying the race was easy, but I am saying that I felt that I ran a smart race, one where I paid attention to my body and where I didn't push myself too hard too early. And it paid huge dividends.

I couldn't have asked for a better impulse, year ending race. It reaffirmed my success for the year and proved that I am doing something right. Couldn't have asked for a better way to begin 2008.

Another Impulsive Race

2007-12-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

So I've had my eye on this one for a while now but decided I wasn't going to do it. It was the end of the year and I figured I might as well use the rest of the month of December as a rest and recover month, aside from normal training runs. Well yesterday I got to thinking. My legs felt great. My body felt great. I had another 24 miles to go to reach my goal of a 100 miles for the month and, most of all, I was itching to run another ultra!

So I signed up for the Rodeo Beach Trail Run 50k put on my Pacific Coast Trails in Sausalito, CA. Signed up Thursday and the race is tomorrow, Saturday. This is now the second impulse driven race I have signed up for, the first being the San Francisco marathon 3 days before the event. Going into this one, though, is that I have ran a lot this year and have ran the longer distance enough to know that I can do it.

And I also wanted to test my internal test of endurance (which of course continually fluctuates as I add tests and take tests out, so not the best test in the world). My first test was to, of course, run the marathon, then to run an ultramarathon. Then I wanted to be able to run after a marathon and have a fast enough recovery to be able to run the week after. Which I did, running five miles the day after and a half marathon the weekend after. Then I wanted to be able to run an ultramarathon and still feel comfortable running the week after. All of them have been check marks.

Now the next test: run two marathon or longer distances in the same month. With the Woodside 50k ran on the 1st, that puts this one 3 weeks after, which will be a good test.

I don't doubt that I can do it, but it will be on how my body reacts that I want to see. That is the true test.

Goals. Finish in less than 7 hours. This shouldn't be a problem as I have already done this, although this 50k has more elevation gain. I will also set a goal to remember to eat and drink at every aid station, regardless of how fresh I feel. This is the key to running a sub 7 hour, and hopefully running a sub 6:30. I didn't eat properly at the Woodside 50k and that killed my time, which would have come closer to 6 hours, maybe sub 6, if I had only eaten properly. And that is it, two goals. Both interconnected.

Once I have completed this one I will have ran 2 marathons and 3 50ks this year (6 total for life) and can now feel confident in the distance, which would lead well into next years general goal of working on increasing my speed in both distances.

Here's to another impulsive race entry!

Trails + Concrete = Sore Legs

2007-12-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

I never even imagined this would happen, but transitioning from a trail run to running on concrete is a bad combination. Good for mileage, bad on legs. This was another lesson learned.

So I had the pleasure of running the hills of Santa Theresa yesterday. We had been expecting rain and it hadn't come by the time I got off work, so I took off to get my shoes and get some good running in before the rain came, 'cause I knew that we were expecting quite a bit more rain the rest of the week and I would be confined to treadmill running then.

Running along the mountain you continually come across imprints on the road. The most common is horseshoe indentations, but there were a ton of deer, turkey and bobcat prints everywhere. It was fun being able to see all the different wildlife when you are so close to such a major city. I am sure there were fox and coyote paw prints as well, but I wouldn't have known how to identify them (I've seen some of the coyotes roaming those hills and they are huge; as well I was on a run last week and sat there and watched a fox on the ridge about 100 yards away).

You follow single track trails at first and then jump on to fire roads that dip and dive under and into a dark and shady undergrowth with huge trees and rocks, eventually continuing your climb. And the climb is a huge climb, not so much in feet, but in how steep the road goes up. After half way through the run you peak the hill and all of San Jose is below you, one of the few trail areas that San Jose is so close. I pounded down those steep and fast hills as dusk came on and the lights of San Jose began making the run surreal. Eventually I merged back on to the concrete road and to my brother's house, which was about 5.3 miles of trail running, but he hadn't gotten home yet so I kept running then came back, he wasn't home again so I kept repeating this, clocking in 9.21 miles total.

This was the lesson learned, one that I would have never thought about. After running a little over 5 miles on the steep uphills and downhills I didn't really feel tired. It wasn't until I added the running on pavement that it felt my legs were taking a beating. Run trails and stop, I feel fine. Run all paved roads and stop and I feel fine. I never even thought that doing the two on the same run proves a bad combination, that was until my legs started throbbing and feeling uncomfortable.

Has anyone else noticed this combination and how it feels? Running half a long run on the softness of trails to going straight to the pounding on pavement? Interesting, something I will have to remember the next time I run.

2008 Race Schedule

2007-12-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

I've decided to take on a rather ambitious race schedule for next year, and with good reason. I have found that I am recovering quite fast after every marathon and 50k and that my body is able to handle the stress of such a long distance. Also there is the fact that setting forth to accomplish this many long races will step up my training and put me one step forward to becoming an endurance runner, one that can run these distances without wondering in the middle of it "Why the hell am I doing this again?" Of course, if I ever get to the point where I am not wondering this then I can of course run faster. Alas, there is much I will learn from the upcoming new year, and I hope this schedule will assist with this learning process. One major lesson will be whether I can finish my first 50 miler, a major stepping stone. Another one for this year is to run at least one marathon or longer distance every month. All of this is quite doable because I am making sure most of them are all trail runs which are much easier on the body than road marathons. So quite doable.

This is, of course, quite tentative. Scheduling conflicts (such as June's Muddy Buddy and the Santa Cruz 50k) or finding out where all the money will come to pay for these are the two major stumbling blocks, or finding out when the actual date of the run is (if Nisene Marks takes place in June then I won't do the Santa Cruz 50k, for example). Without further ado:

1/1 Resolution Run 5 Miles
1/19 Pacifica Trail Run 50k
2/2 Woodside Trail Run 50k
3/2 Napa Valley Marathon
4/5 Golden Gate Headlands Marathon
4/19 Ruth Anderson 50m or 50k
5/10 Quicksilver 50m or 50k
5/31 Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon
6/14 Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Run 50k
6/15 Muddy Buddy
6/21 Lake Almaden Mountain Bike Triathlon
7/5 Angel Island Trail Run 50k
8/3 The San Francisco Marathon
8/23 The Golden Gate Headlands 50k
9/6 Stevens Creek 50k
9/21 Almaden Times Classic 10k
10/5 Cowtown Marathon
10/12 Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
11/2 Silicon Valley Marathon
11/29 Woodside Trail Run 50k
12/20 Rodeo Beach Trail Run 50k

Last minute goals?

2007-12-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

Can you have a late year goal? I feel like I have one in my sights, one that I didn't know that I would be able to have a chance to do, which is run my first 100+ mile month. The most I've ran in a month has been 95.6, so I came close, but it didn't happen. Now, as the year is coming to a close, I have already ran 58 miles with 19 days left to go. I think it can be done (well I know others do it with ease, but it will be a milestone for me). So away I go. 42 miles to run in the last 19 days of the year.

And while I'm at it, why don't I set another hopeful goal? If I run a total of 106 for the month than I can break 800 miles for the year, well above the goal I set for myself on January 1st.

So to all you runners out there, lets set some year end goals and achieve them in the last 19 days. What could it hurt? Log in some miles, burn some calories (build up the calorie deficit for Christmas) and be healthy: a good way to lead into the New Year.

8 on the (weekend of the) 8th

2007-12-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

I had read about virtual races before and have always wanted to take part in them. One where people all across the nation, and some in different countries, would all run on the same day and then report back with how they did and where they ran. I, unfortunately, couldn't run it yesterday because of how fortunate I was to have been able to walk 18 plus miles in the beautiful and lush surrounding of Saratoga Gap and the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. So I pushed it to the 9th.

8 on the 8th - 1:05:55 - (8:14 pace)

I was bummed to have not been able to do this on the 8th, so I was sure to do it on the 9th. When I woke up I wasn't too sure if I would be able to because my toes were sore and the balls of my feet were tender from all the rocks on the trail and the rocks that were in my shoes. So I played it by ear and waited. Sometime after lunch I knew that I would do it. At the least I would DNF, but I would still log in some good miles. After all, that is the beauty of virtual runs because they motivate the runner to get out there and run!

So I started out and knew that I wanted to run the first half at a nice even clip. I started at the trail entrance to the Coyote Creek trail at the Blossom Hill and 101 intersection. I've ran this many times before, so I was very familiar with it. It is a bike path that follows Coyote creek. Add to this beautiful trees and hills off to the left (uh, and subtract the freeway to the right) and you have an idyllic setting. Oh, and it was mid to high 60s, so I couldn't complain.

The first half was ran at an even 8 minute pace, which was right where I wanted to be. I was pushing it a little (it seems that ever since I started running the longer endurance runs my pace on the shorter runs has slowed down), but I wanted a fast pace in the beginning and then slow it down for the last half. So at the 4 mile mark I turned around and walked for a a few seconds to catch my breath. The return journey was just as nice, although the wind was now coming into me because of the the lake in between a highway and a freeway which acted as a funnel for the wind. Anyway, my pace slowed a little, and not because I slowed down, but rather because I was taking short walking breaks. If you subtract my walking breaks than I easily came in at a sub 8 minute pace:

8:21
7:59
7:48
7:50
8:19 (30 second walk break)
8:52 (50 second walk and water break)
8:24 (30 second walk break)
8:17 (15 second and 5 second walk breaks)

All in all, I was very happy to have taken part in Nancy's 8 on the 8th Virtual Race. My legs were a bit heavy from the long hike yesterday, and the sore toes and balls of my feet worked itself out during the race, so it was both a struggle and a joy to finish the 8 miles. I loved doing this; I loved reading other peoples thoughts and feelings about running a virtual run; and I loved the motivating essence that events like this create. All in all, a great idea and one I would gladly take part in again.

Saratoga Gap to Horseshoe Lake

2007-12-09T20:29:00.001-08:00

I woke up this morning knowing that I would have a full day ahead of me. The day would start out with a long hike through Saratoga Gap in the Santa Cruz Mountains and then, after that, take part in a virtual race called 8 on the 8th. Not a lot of activities, but a lot of physical activity.

I arrived at the intersection of highways 35 and 9 where I parked on the southeast corner. It was freezing out with the fog still filtering through the trees and it was in the low forties. My friend I was hiking with was running late so away I went to run a mile, heading towards Castle Rock. Immediately I realized two things: my hands were frozen and the trails were absolutely beautiful.

A few minutes into my warm up mile I was hearing the pitter patter of water so I stopped to listen. It turned out the fog was so thick that it was dripping off the trees. A great feeling as I ran up the hills. By the time I had finished the mile I had climbed almost 300 feet, so it was a decent climb. By the time I got back to the parking lot my friend had just gotten there.

As soon as we started I began recognizing certain landmarks. I knew that the Stevens Creek 50k I had ran in September ran through Saratoga Gap at some point, but having never been there I had no clue where that was. It turned out that where I started this hike was the 10.9 mile aid station, but I didn't know this until the end of the hike.

As we were going through the lush forest I was continually amazed at how beautiful everything was. Deep green moss was on every tree with huge towering giants that left you protected from the sun (if it had come out at least). Eventually we got to an intersection and I just had to stop. I'd been there before and yet I didn't recognize the 2+ miles I had just walked at all! I can't believe how different everything looked from summer to winter.

Soon enough the trail led us up to the ridge and opened into a valley with fog billowing around and swirling with the wind. Very Tolkienesque and I expected Tree Ents at every corner. Here was yet another amazing change in landscape as we moved from the cover of the forest to a ridge line open to the sun and full of grass. My hands were completely numb at this point and there wasn't anything I could do to warm them up. That's what I get for leaving the gloves in my room, right? Won't make that mistake again.

We eventually moved past a private pond , down a fire road to a Christmas Tree farm where there were a ton of people having picnics, playing and cutting trees down. The smell was amazing. Eventually we made it into Horseshoe Lake, which I most certainly recognized from the Stevens Creek 50k because this was where the 19.3 mile aid station and where the finish was. And it really looks like a horseshoe!

So here was where things kind of went wrong. We had hiked 9 miles so far and since I had inadvertently traversed the same route that I had ran the 50k and I thought, lets return back to Saratoga Gap via the route I had ran from the start of the race. I mean, I hadn't recognized anything to that point and had still managed to take the same route from mile 10.9 to 19.3, so the same would happen, right?

Wrong, and we were lost within a mile, walking trails I absolutely didn't recognize. Eventually we were on Grizzly Flat trail and had our first creek crossing. But the peaceful atmosphere turned sour when Grizzly Flat turned out to be the trail from hell: straight up for almost 2 miles and it seemed never ending.

After 18.3 miles we eventually made it back to Saratoga Gap and it took all day to do, what with the stopping, resting and admiring our surroundings. We had to cross a creek, avoid the slow meandering and clumsy salamanders on the trail, hear deer jumping along the side of the mountain, huge and alien looking mushrooms. It was absolutely amazing, with the exception of the extremely numb hands.

And I couldn't believe that unbeknownst to me in the beginning I had ran Saratoga Gap, which was about 10 miles of the Stevens Creek 50k. Perhaps it was the dry and brown conditions compared to the lush and green conditions; perhaps it was the fact that the last time I ran through there I was tired and focused on one foot in front of the other. Who knows, but if you ever get a chance you should definitely walk the trails before or after a race and truly experience the trails. Or, better yet, take time to smell the flowers when you run trails. I know I was absolutely floored and amazed at what I had experienced when I took my time.

Of course, since this took all day, I had to move the 8 on the 8th virtual race to another day.

Woodside Trail Run 50k

2007-12-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

This one was a hoot. From the long downhills, uphills, huge towering redwood trees, to bonking miles 14-19 in the middle loop and destroying my morale, to reviving at the aid station. This one was a very up and down race that, ultimately, I enjoyed very much.

Woodside Trail Run 50k - 6:39:16 (12:58 pace; 36/41)

As I had said before, coming into this one I was a little unsure of how I would do. Part of that was the fact that I was still feeling the effects of the cold that just wouldn't go away. So I took it easy Friday night and rested well, eating a large pasta meal and carbo load myself. Eventually I was able to get a solid 7 hours of sleep and was completely rested. After my standard breakfast of peanut butter and toast, two bananas and gatorade I set off for Woodside, about a 40 minute drive.

I had never been to Huddart Park and was floored as I drove through the hills. Towering redwoods with lush undergrowth made this an absolutely wonderful place to do a long run. You start in the park on the lawn and run down and through the redwoods, a la the Ewoks home in the third Star Wars.

So we toed the line, or around the cones as this was a very informal start. Instructions given, away we went. You run down the lawn for maybe a 100 yards before entering the the redwoods. I loved this beginning because we ran downhill for a little over a mile and this was a nice warm up, which was what I needed. The race started in 40 degree weather and it didn't warm up much at all because once you entered the towering redwoods you are virtually completely in shade the whole time, with the sun almost completely gone. This, of course, dropped the temperature some. So a warm up was good.

I got my first taste of what I was in for at about mile 2 when you hit a long stretch of uphill that went on for miles, almost for the next 5-6 miles. I am not the best at running uphill, so I walked a good portion of it, which drastically slowed me down some. By the time I reached the first aid station it had finally leveled out some. In fact coming into the aid station was a half a mile of downhill, so I was feeling on top of my game. I breezed past the aid station and didn't stop any longer than it took to thank the volunteers. I didn't eat anything, and to that point I hadn't eaten anything either. But I felt good, why stop? Huge mistake.

From here it was rolling hills. The majestic forest made me feel so small and insignificant as I ran under the hundred to two hundred foot trees. The trails were immaculate and the surrounding hills were so lush. All of this helped buoy me along as I kept up a decent pace, even on some of the hills. But in hindsight this was where I started feeling a little worse for wear. I ate 3 Cliff Shot Bloks, which was 90 calories and took a couple of endurolytes. I thought this would be enough to the next aid station. When I finally reached it I stopped and rested, drinking some water and eating some more Shot Bloks, but was still feeling pretty good. The second aid station is about 11-12 miles in, which was about 2hrs24 minutes. I should have eaten more and drank more water, but I was feeling so good. So I pushed on without topping off my water or eating anything else.

This was mistake number two, because this section of the run was the longest. A 14k loop until the next aid station. And this was a very difficult section of the run. The first half of it is one long meandering downhill that kills the quads. I started getting low on energy so I ate some more Shot Bloks and drank some water. To this point I had had about 20 oz. of water, not enough, so I made sure I kept drinking more as I went. Then I hit the killer portion, the part that almost destroyed my morale and made me want to DNF at the next aid station. What goes down must go up, so I now had to trudge all the way back up to the aid station, which meant miles and miles of nothing but uphill. At this point I started thinking I was the last runner out there and that I was really screwed, royally, because I had only eaten 300 calories and had ran out of water (40 oz. to this point). I had to keep stopping because I had absolutely no energy. I also had no clue how far I was because my Garmin kept losing its signal and, at mile 11.7, it lost it for at least an 1hr20mins, so everything was all messed up. This would play again later in the race, this time to my benefit.

Finally I got to the last of the uphill and take off running the short downhill to the aid station. I knew I didn't have any energy and that running that fast downhill could be bad, but I didn't care. I needed water and, more importantly, I needed food. When I finally got there the friendly volunteer was so supportive and cheerful that my spirits were lifted. It felt like I was swaying as goose bumps ran up my arms. I grabbed some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and forced them down. This, of course, almost made me throw up, but it didn't. I must have spent 5-10 minutes there stuffing my face with everything I could get my hands on. After a while I knew I wouldn't DNF, that with the calories came a renewed energy and I would push on.

Bidding the friendly volunteer farewell away I went. I still walked the hills but I ran all the downhills. There was only 10 miles at this point, so I knew I could make it. Steady, steady, steady. Just focus on the downhills and walk the uphills. I didn't get low on energy, but at one point I stopped to tinkle and as I looked out onto the forest it seemed that it was moving away from me! The strangest thing. Like some 3D effect of someone pulling a string on the landscape. Just imagine looking forward and then everything that was stationary seemed to be moving farther away. That was trippy.

I finally got into the last aid station and had the first surprise of the day. I still didn't have a clue how far I had run because of the lost signal on the Garmin, so I asked the aid station how much farther to go. I had assumed that I had over 6 miles to go, since it took that long to get there coming up. When they said a little over 4 miles I was floored. I couldn't believe it. Apparently the 14k loop made up the difference. So I was 26 miles into the run and received the best news possible! You have shorter to go than you thought! So as I stuffed my face, not wanting to make the same mistake I did at the other aid stations, another runner came down the trail. When he found out how long we had he pointed out the obvious, which I had written off for dead during the 14k loop. We could still make it in under 7 hours! Once he said it I couldn't believe it. He was right. We had 1hr20 minutes to make the last 4+ miles. My morale was boosted again and away we went, running together because it is always easier to run with someone.

This section was so amazingly fast because it was all downhill. For the first few miles most of it was downhill with some uphills, so I slowed a bit, but after that I took off. I swear I was on a full on sprint. I started thinking that perhaps I could make the goal I had set for myself, that just maybe I might be able to finish in under 6:45. So I didn't care about my aching joints, my almost cramping calves and my burning quads. I turned it on and went for it. So when I thought I had another mile to go I ran around the corner and saw some cars. Huh? Then through the trees I could see lawn, then around another corner I saw a bathroom. Now I thought the finish would be uphill, as the start had been downhill, so when I saw the bathroom I thought it was the one at the bottom of the hill. Granted, I was excited to know that the finish was right there in front of me, but I did not cherish the idea of an uphill finish. So as I cleared the trees I looked for the hill and, oh sweet jesus, the finish line was not uphill but across the grass about 50 feet away. I sprinted across and couldn't feel any more happy. I had just ran the 50k in 6:39:16 and set a PR by 1hr36min.

I learned a ton from this race. Eat, eat, eat. I only drank about 60 oz. the whole race, which I could have had a ton more, but that didn't stop me. What destroyed the morale during that 14k loop was that I had been out there for 19 miles and 4:21 and I had only eaten 300 calories. I've learned this lesson many times and I don't know why I keep having to re-learn it. As soon as I actually ate, my body responded immediately. In fact when you don't eat it is so gradual you shrug it off as the normal soreness from running for so long, when in fact it is that your body needs food! Soreness will be there, of course, but losing your energy, do to no calories, can be avoided.

Additionally, this was my fourth marathon or longer in a little over 4 months and I know I can do the distance, but if I want to complete them in faster times I need to spread them out more and spend more time training. And by training I mean proper training. The training I have done has been sporadic, kind of a minimalistic approach, so I need to start doing longer runs as well as hill running.

All in all, I absolutely loved this race. The great and beautiful redwood forest is the perfect place to do a long run. And although the elevation profile is deceptively difficult (it seemed more difficult than the Stevens Creek 50k, which had 1,000 feet more elevation), it was well worth the effort and time. Great weather, great forest, great organization. Rewarding in every way. Couldn't have asked for more.

Pre-race Jitters?

2007-11-30T21:55:00.000-08:00

Coming into this one I can definitely say that I have the pre-race jitters. I've ran a 50k before, so I know that I can do the distance, so that is not a problem. So why the jitters? I haven't figured this out yet, but something similar to this happened before my second marathon. Perhaps it's the nagging thought that perhaps the first time was a fluke and that I will set out on this one and find myself lost, or perhaps the distance proves too much and I get injured. Who knows, with time these thoughts will go away. This I know because going in to my third marathon I didn't have the jitters at all.

I think it all started with the cold I came down with about 12 days ago. All of a sudden I felt like crap and didn't feel like doing anything. No running, no gym, no nothing. Granted, 12 days does not break the camels back, but it still is a concern. In fact I still have a cough that won't go away. Will this impede how I run the 50k? I ran the 10k sick last week, granted I was right amidst the worst of it, but it still was tough towards the end. Will this affect it?

Tomorrow it will probably be in the high 30s when the race starts and the whole race is almost entirely in the shade of the redwood forest. How will the cold affect my running, especially when combining it with this cough/cold that won't go away? Granted, by the time I am done with the race it will be in the mid to high 50s, but I don't think I have ever ran in weather that cold. Anyway, whatever the reason the jitters are there.

Going into the race I am not sure how I will do. The course has only 4,500 ft elevation gain, which is relatively small for a trail 50k, so that will help. As well will the cooler temperature, at least once I warm up and the temp begins to rise. Coupling both these together then I can at least feel safe to assume that I should be able to come in around 7 hours. I know, you are wondering how I could think this since my last 50k came in at 8:15? Well beside the temperature and larger elevation gain I also got lost and ran an hour longer than I needed, thus the 7 hours.

Now here is the kicker. Another runner at the Stevens Creek 50k came in 45 minutes after me even though I was lost for an hour, which means I technically should have come in around an 1hr45min ahead of her. She also ran the Woodside 50k last year and she completed it in 7:30 (and recently I ran the SV marathon 1hr25min faster than her). So if I use the 1hr45min estimate then I should be able to complete the race tomorrow in 6:15, or using the 45 minutes then I should come in at 6:45. Using this estimate, although a bit stretched since each race is different, than I see myself coming in at 6:45. Of course I also have two secret goals but, uh, those will remain secret.

Anyway, here's to a 50k, jitters and all. I've looked forward to this one for a long time.

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 10k

2007-11-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

This was perhaps the most common race across the states, a 5k or 10k turkey trot on Thanksgiving Day, and with good reason. What better way to assuage your health conscious than to burn 900 calories before the big meal? Eat an extra slice of Pumpkin Pie, maybe an extra serving of mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. The world is your oyster.

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 10k - 48:03 (7:44 pace; 221/1,445)

Coming in to this one I wasn't sure what to expect. I had been sick since Sunday night and it seemed that the cold was getting progressively worse with each day that moved towards the 10k. Was I going to have to do the 5k or, worst case scenario, not run at all? Even as late as last night before I went to bed I wasn't sure how I'd feel.

Race morning everything went my way. Granted, I wasn't feeling the best, but the cold worked itself out and broke up a little, leaving me confident enough to take on the 10k. I ate some banana bread and orange juice and set off for the 10k that was practically in my backdoor, being only 10 minutes away. When I arrived it was freezing and was second guessing wearing only a short sleeve shirt and shorts. But by race time the temp had warmed considerably to a comfortable mid sixties.

When I arrived to the start line I was floored. There were people everywhere and had the longest race day registration line I had ever seen, wrapping around and away without being able to see the end. Luckily I had signed up months ago and only had to wait as long as it took me to walk to the counter.

This was a 10k and there were thousands of people milling about. I'm used to 10ks with hundreds of people, not thousands, so this would be interesting. With a marathon or half marathon the large crowds thin out and don't really affect your time, but how would the much shorter 10k handle so many runners? We eventually moved to the start line and the announcer announced that there were 6,000 runners in both races. Amazing.

The horn went off and away we went. Uh, at least we were supposed to. I crossed the timing mat and started, but then had to stop and walk again as the congestion backed everything up. So our chips had activated our time and we were walking. Luckily this was only for a short while before we started up again, only to have spectators walking in the streets and slowing everyone down. A friend of mine that was running it this year had run the race in its first and second year and said that this was a lot more runners than both years. So suffice it to say the race director was a bit unprepared for the mass amounts of people, especially the large number of race day registrants. Back to the race, this was why there were so many spectators walking the streets because the race volunteers were not prepared.

After close to 3/4 of a mile things started spreading out, leaving me to a 7:24 first mile. Not too bad for getting over a cold where the congestion and running/stuffed nose constantly made its presence known. This was also not too bad considering the start problems, the cluster of runners and the rude spectators. So it made sense that my second mile came in at 6:54. I didn't speed up and tried to run a very steady pace. The legs felt strong and the pace was a little difficult when I weighed it with the fact that I had another 4.2 miles to go.

By this point the 5k runners had peeled off and the course slimmed some but at no point did I ever find myself all by myself. Around 2.5 was when I first felt the effects of the cold as well as the pace I had set while sick. I had one of the worst side stitches I had felt in a long time and even when I slowed my pace it didn't lessen, so I took my first walk break. Even with the walk break I still ran a 7:40 mile and felt strong, but the sore throat and running nose were starting to take their toll.

The rest of the race was a little uneventful. I had ran consistently, albeit now at a slower pace, but I still had to take some walk breaks. Miles 4 and 5 came in at 8:10 and 8:03 respectively, but I had to walk some. So with mile 6 I decided to slow the pace a little but not walk, that way I could finish feeling strong. As I finished mile 6 I came in at 8:01 and pushed through the last .2 of a mile. I felt strong, even though this wasn't my fastest 10k. When I finally stopped my cold jumped up and said hello, making me so nauseous I almost had to, uh, run to a garbage can to void my stomach. Luckily I kept it under control but didn't feel at ease until I found some water, about 2 minutes later, and calmed myself down. Looking at my watch I finished in 48 minutes.

I was very pleased with this 10k, especially in how I had ran even though I was coming off a cold. I was a little surprised about being nauseous, but wasn't surprised about the toll the cold had on my pace. But I have no complaints and it felt good to finish a 10k before 10 AM. Hopefully the after effects of the cold will be gone by the time I run the Woodside 50 on the 1st, otherwise I will be in for a long day.

Second Test Passed!

2007-11-11T17:27:00.001-08:00

So I had two tests for myself that would be a good indication on how well I was responding to endurance running and whether I was improving at all. The first I already passed, which was to run the day after the marathon and not feel sore doing so. The second was to run a long run within a week after running a marathon.

So I decided to do test myself by running a half marathon (or close enough at least as a shortcut I took decreased my run by .4 of a mile), one that I have wanted to do for a while but haven't been able to because of some race or other that prevented my from this test, besides the fact that I knew I couldn't before. I would park at the bottom of the hill my parents live on and run to their house, which was about 6.5 miles away. The trick here was that there is about 947 feet of elevation gain for the whole run, most of which was in the first half going to my parent's house.

Starting out I felt extremely strong. My legs were solid and I knew today would be a good run. Almost immediately I started on a 1/2 mile of flats and then went straight into a steep hill, which lead into some more not as steep hills. This continued on all the way to their house with only two respites: one a downhill section, which of course meant I had to go back up, and two a flat section. So I knew getting to their house would be a little slower. It ended up taking 59:54 which was a 9:26 pace. Not bad at all and I wasn't feeling any ill effects from the marathon the Sunday before.

So I rested for about a half hour and talked to my parents for a while before refilling the water and heading back out. In the beginning it was tough, even though it was all downhill, because of how cold it was, which caused my sweaty shirt and cooled down body to become very cold, and because I filled my water bottle up with ice water and had to carry it, thus making my hand very cold. Anyway, about a half mile later I finally warmed up again and was flying down the hill, onto the flats, and then to the first minny hill, which I walked. I started feeling a little tired at this point because I was about 9 miles in and 1 1/2 hours of running and I hadn't eaten anything more than a doughnut and a small glass of OJ since 7 AM (and it was 11:45 AM).

To this point I was running around 8 minute miles down the hills, so I was still taking it a little slow. But then I hit the one massive hill that was on the way back and slowed considerably. This hill took me a little over 11 minutes to complete the mile, but it was another victory. Last year before the SF marathon I attempted to run this hill. I went into it thinking I would conquer it and start getting into shape. I didn't even get half way up it, and at that very slow, before I stopped and sat on a bench to rest my aching legs and overtaxed lungs. I turned around and didn't run again, other than a mile or two on the treadmill, because of how out of shape I was. Of course it was about 90 degrees and I had zero training before that run, but the mind is hard thing to fool sometimes. Anyway, this time I attacked it and kept at it, and this isn't some small hill. About 300 feet elevation gain in less than a half a mile.

Once to the top it was a race to my car to see how much I could better the second half of the run. Eventually I came in at 1:55, or a tad over five minutes faster than the first half. My pace for the 12.7 miles was 9:06 a mile.

I think I passed this test with flying colors and now feel very secure in how well my body handles the endurance runs and the hard pounding on the legs. And with 3 marathons and 1 ultramarathon under my belt I know I can go the distance. Now all I can do is work on improving my speed, which will be a test in and of itself.

No goals with this one, though, and no personal tests. This one is simply: run faster!

A First!

2007-11-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was my fourth marathon or longer distance. After each one my legs muscles and joints were sore for a while and I couldn't, or didn't want to, run for a while after. Until today, that is.

Perhaps after my fourth one my body is growing accustomed to the stress that long distance running causes and thus heals faster. Who knows, but today I was able to run 2.08 miles (treadmill) as a warm up before weightlifting. Ran it at an 8:50 pace. Then I ran outside for a little over 3 miles on the sidewalk as a cool down. Ran it at a 8:49 pace.

It felt easy and effortless. Joints and muscles were not sore. When I first woke up, granted, a little stiff, but after I walked around I felt as though I did not run 26.2 miles yesterday.

This is a first.

Silicon Valley Marathon

2007-11-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

I had high expectations coming into this one as it would be the last marathon of the year for me and would be the one that I would be able to test what I have learned and see how this affects my running. On a simplistic level it met those expectations, but on a deeper level it left me with more questions on how I can prepare myself for the future.

Silicon Valley Marathon - 4:35:47 (10:32 pace; 399/762)

I started out the night before with my traditional dinner before an endurance event: pasta in a homemade marinara sauce. I loaded up nicely in order to carb load myself ( I made sure I ate my protein for lunch). I love doing this dinner because it is easily digestible and easy on the stomach, which gives a quiet reassurance that my stomach won't become upset in the middle of the race and I would have to use a nasty port-o-pottie that smells and would, ultimately, take a few minutes off of my race. Was able to get some decent sleep after this because of the daylight savings and woke up early enough to have a nice, full breakfast. For this, again, I stuck to my traditional pre-race breakfast: two bananas, two slices of wheat bread with peanut butter and a Gatorade.

And away I went to the ever accessible downtown San Jose. Parking was a cinch, even as race time approached I was able to find free parking very easily. I met up with a friend and we marched to the starting line just in time to use the bathroom before the race started.

I was amazed out how low key this large city (10th largest in the US) marathon is. You arrive to the "expo" and are funneled to printouts on the wall where you find your number, then turn directly around and tell the volunteers your number, who then hand you your bib and timing chip. Curious, you turn to the right and enter a very small room to get your shirt and where a smattering of tables of people hocking their services and, well, that was it. The expo was done in a few quick glances. The same can be said of the race itself. There aren't any funnels and everyone is just kind of packed in and milling around. No structure at all. It doesn't seem like a lot of people standing there, but results show that there was just about 2,000 runners in the 5k, half marathon and the marathon, of which there were 762. So, as I said, a very low key and small race. Surprising for an event that has been on for as long as it has, this being its 10th anniversary.

As we started we ran south and away from downtown on main streets. For as little people as it seemed at the starting line it sure felt like we were all crowded together as we all marched along. I was running with my friend Jill and was going to keep myself pacing with her since her half marathon pace was about what I wanted to run for the marathon, which was a 9:50-10 minute pace. This was one of the main things that I was doing differently this race, which was to take a moderate pace and keep it steady. This was working much better than I thought it would. Soon enough we were running through the beautiful residential district of Willow Glen with its old, over sized Victorian houses checkered amongst newly remodeled and high priced homes. The weather was perfect and in the low 50's. I couldn't ask for a better situation.

Luckily the crowds thinned out as we turned on the Los Gatos Creek Trail at about mile 4 and began our trek northward. This was the tricky part that other past runners have talked about. They complained that since it is run on a bike path not closed to the public it was too crowded because not only were there many runners but you also had to deal with other bikers, runners and walkers enjoying the trail. I certainly did not find this the case as we rarely were congested and the few people out enjoying their morning were few and far between (although I was boxed in at about mile 7 by other runners, so the moron that I am I was watching the ground and decided to take a step out to the left and speed up to get around them when I hear a shriek from in front of me as biker was bowling speedily down the left lane. I barely dodged out of the way as I too let loose my somewhat deeper shriek).

I've ran this bike path many times so it was very familiar as we moved through Campbell at around miles 6-10 and then into Los Gatos at about miles 10-13.1 before hitting the lollipop portion of this out and back course. At the half way point I had ran an extremely conservative and easily manageable pace of 10 minutes and my miles were consistently within 5-10 seconds of this goal. This put me at the half way point at 2:09, right where I wanted to be because now I wanted to speed up a little and try and run a negative split. I felt this was also manageable because the course was gently sloping up to the half way point before turning around and gently sloping back down.

Not so dramatic as it seems because each increment is only 25 ft.
As I said, gently sloping and barely noticeable.

It was at about mile 15 that I noticed the one spot I would have never imagined I would need body glide was chafing and felt raw. Behind my armpit below my shoulder a ways. I mean I can't even really understand what caused it. Perhaps my water belt was pressing the shirt down and forcing the shirt to rub there? Who knows, but it didn't bother me that much as I sped up and was able to build a little over a two minute cushion off the 10 minute pace by the time I reached mile 18. Each mile was so steady to this point I am not sure what went wrong.

My calves started hurting again, similar to what happened at the SF marathon. The difference was that this time I was taking electrolyte pills (4 to this point), had eaten two Cliff Bars, ate 4 Cliff Shot Bloks and had consumed around 45 oz. of water. So I had things in balance enough to prevent cramping, but was it enough to stop my calves from cramping? More on this later.

My miles slowly dipped into the 11 minute range and by mile 20 the cushion I had built in had vanished. Then I ran a 12 minute and change mile, and then a 14 minute and change mile. At this point my calves were tight. They didn't hurt enough to prevent me from running, but it was uncomfortable. I took time during the 14 minute mile to drink a lot of water and to eat the remaining 6 Cliff Shot Bloks that I had left. How is it possible for something to taste so good? Their texture is like jelly bears and are gummy and dissolve in your mouth. Had raspberry, mango or something like it, and Margarita mix with extra salt. This was heaven and a great relief to my senses to enjoy these while I slowed down.

I sped up a little and was able to get back into the 12 minute range and knew that a PR was slowly slipping away. Mile 24 rolled around and I looked at my watch and calculated that I could still make it so I picked up my speed and away I went. And I don't mean running a 12 minute mile. I mean I was running a little faster than a 9 minute pace with ease. The calf discomfort was gone and running felt easier there at mile 24 than it did at any other point in the day. I was racking my brain on what I did differently that made the difference when I remembered my slices of heaven, 6 to be exact, that I had had 2 miles before and 24 minutes earlier. Especially the Margarita ones with the extra salt. Maybe it was my imagination but something in those must have kicked in as I digested them and gave me what I had been lacking during the race.

Everyone that had passed me miles before were now being passed with ease as I cruised on. I took one more walk break to catch my breath before kicking it into high gear and finishing strong towards the finish. Clocked in at 4:35:47 - a PR by 3 minutes and 1 second.

I learned a lot during this race. That I paced myself, ultimately, didn't really help too much as I ran about the exact same time as the SF marathon when my calves cramped and seized on me. My calves gave me a problem this time but I had taken enough precautions to prevent them from fully cramping. With this in mind I think the electrolyte pills I was taking are either not enough or I am not taking enough of them, and I should take salt tablets instead, which seemed to work better when I had the Cliff Shot Bloks. Ultimately, pacing felt much easier and manageable and if I can figure out the calf problem I will be in a good position to PR at my next marathon in Napa next March.

Ultimately, the race was a success and I am happy that I ran it. As a side not, despite the low key and not too well organized event at the start, finish and expo, there were plenty of aid stations and the volunteers were great in making sure there was plenty of water and cheering you along. Additionally, the shirt is a great tech shirt and the medal is a first class medal, perhaps the best one I have received yet.

Nutrition and Hydration:

Pre-Race (690 calories total)
2 Bananas (200 calories)
2 Pieces of Bread w/ Peanut Butter (360 calories)
20 oz. Gatorade (130 calories)

During Race (840 calories total)
2 Cliff Bars (510 calories)
10 Cliff Shot Bloks (330 calories)
7 Electrolyte Capsules (0 calories)
65 oz. Water (0 calories)

Silicon Valley Marathon 2007
Find more Runs in San Jose, California

Realendurance.com

2007-11-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

Wow, I stumbled upon this site when I went to the Quicksilver 50 mile/50k website to see if there was any new information on next year's event. Once there I saw a link to Realendurance.com made by Gary Wang, an ultramarathoner himself.

It started when he wanted to figure out how many people had ran the American River 50m so he started going through the old records and recording their times and the year that it was completed. Soon enough this lead to imputing just about every endurance race out there, running, cycling, swimming and, of course, triathlons among them. There seem to be a good amount of races not there, at least out here on the West Coast with the Pacific Coast Trails not included, but the list is ongoing.

From one data rat to all the rest, this site could prove interesting if you are an ultrarunner and want a neat, clean searchable database for all ultra runs you have done. Or if you were curious about a particular runner, such as Dean Karnazes or Scott Jurek, you could look them up and see what they have run. Fun site to go through.

Note: The best and easiest way to search events is to go to All Time Lists and chose the state you want to look at, then find the event. Once you click on the event you can see who has completed that event the most all the way down to those that have completed it once. Then you can click on that person's name and it will show all their ultra results, or you can search by name. Once you start searching it is a little tricky to search for someone else as it seems to be stuck on whoever you search for first, even though you are searching a different name. It takes getting used to, but it is fun!

Damn The Taper!

2007-11-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and I remember a line that will stick with me for a long time. Baba is in a bar with his son, a bit inebriated, and is celebrating his son's graduation. At one point he stands up, taken by the moment and the revelry of celebration, and yells "Fuck the Russia." A classic line. Not only for its succinctness but for its ability to capture the cultural aspect. I so want to stand up and say "Fuck the taper."

But I won't. I can't. Last night I was itching to go out. Great weather, calf is healed, everything aligned. So I started thinking, nay, trying to talk myself into throwing my running shoes on and taking them for a spin. I've had to battle this demon a lot this past week.

I mean, there is so much the taper causes that goes against the grain.

It doesn't allow me to run when I want. I feel I can run a ton, but I know I can't, and that is frustrating. Not only because of the taper but because I want to be sure my calf is fully healed.
The weather is perfect for running. I step outside and feel the air, breathe it in, look at the falling leaves and think to myself, "What great weather to run in" only to turn around and walk back into the house.
Finally, I feel like I gain weight during this week. That I eat more and become more lazy because I can't go outside and run. It is so strange to feel so healthy during a run, in fact during the run I will do this weekend, and yet the weekend before I feel unhealthy because I can't run. Strange.

Ultimately I know what I must do in order to better my chances at running the marathon that I want.

It doesn't mean I have to like it.

(and I won't like it when I can't run the week after because of sore joints and muscles, so I will have to go through all this again)

Oi, my aching calf

2007-10-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have a chance to redeem myself for the rookie mistakes that I made at the SF marathon earlier this year. You know, starting out too fast, not drinking fluids and depleting my electrolytes, all of which lead to the painful calf problems for the last 10 miles. So I eagerly look forward to the Silicon Valley Marathon to finally be able to take what I have learned and use the endurance that I have stored up and run a good marathon.

So middle of Thursday my right calf started hurting. I ran 6 miles the day before and felt great. Woke up on Thursday and felt great. Then out of nowhere with not having done any extraneous activity my calf hurt for the rest of the day. Friday rolled around and, again, I felt great. I ran 8 miles. Around mile 2 the dull ache returned, but I pushed through it because it wasn't painful and it wasn't slowing me down or changing how I was running. The ache is still there right now. Each morning I wake up expecting it to be gone, and it does lessen some, but it is still there.

My only thoughts are of the marathon this Sunday... How will this affect me? Will it be healed by then or will there still be some discomfort? I am stubborn and if there is still that dull ache, like when I ran on Friday night, then I will start and finish the marathon.

So my question to the blogosphere... What can I do besides no running or strenuous activity in order to help my calf heal for this weekend? Is there anything I can do or just wait it out?

Race Fever

2007-10-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yup. I have it. I'm not afraid to admit it either. I love going to races. And not for the shirts and medals, although I do like the medals as mementos. I love races because of the atmosphere. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of runners all out there for the exact same reason and have the same if not more enthusiasm for running as I do. Then the race starts and you are psyched and ready to go. Sometimes you beat your PR, sometimes you don't. Each race is different. Then once you are done with your race you get to go home and compile your stats and compare this race to other races and see where and what you can do to improve. One of the great benefits of running is that you are in control of how well or how bad you do. Of course this is with every aspect of life, but this even more so because all you need do is step outside and run, just run. That is how much control you have.

On that note I love this time of the season. October, November and December are the target months for so many runners and race reports abound. You get to read and take part in other runner's trials and tribulations and learn from them. Or, as I do before each big race, you get to search for a race report or two on the race you are running and see what to expect from the runner's point of view rather than the race director's point of view.

Just recently we got to watch Notes of a Non Runner complete her first half marathon in Des Moines, or Runnin' Ragged finish her first marathon in Columbus, or see how Tom and Doug persevered through tough conditions at the Chicago Marathon. Or the races to come as we get to watch Marathondudebill try to break the 3 hour mark at the Richmond Marathon, or see Running... because I can's journey to completing his first marathon at Richmond as well. Then there are the inveterate runners who are machines, who run marathon after marathon as though they were out for a morning stroll. There's Run With Stevie Ray who is running for breast cancer awareness and had a goal of running 50+ marathons from the beginning of this year to February 17th of next year - and has already ran 51 marathons. His most recent finishes are the Indianapolis and Columbus marathons last weekend, he will be running the Miracle Match today, and then the Autumn Leaves 50k and iWUR marathon with Richmond among many others scheduled throughout the year (you might have seen him running... he wears the bright pink shirt). Or there is DaneGer Zone who ran a marathon every weekend last year in his Fiddy2 quest to raise $52,000, and will be running the Marine Corps Marathon coming up this weekend in an attempt to run a sub 3 hour. Then there are the extreme runners in Mountain Man Steve who ran the Javelina Jundred (100 mile race) on Saturday and Sunday, or And A (Ultra)Marathon Runner Was Born who just ran the Dick Collins' Firetrails 50 miler a few weekends ago. Finally there is A Trail Runner's Blog where I can follow Scott running ultras all over the Bay Area and can really learn a lot from just reading his numerous interviews and race reports.

The point of all this? There are all different levels of runners out there that are willing to talk about and teach other runners about their successes and failures. There is a wealth of information out there in the running community that I absolutely love to read up on. Give a few of the above bloggers a go around and see what message they have to say.

Hopefully I will be able to take what I have learned from my own running as well as what I have read about from others and apply it to the Silicon Valley Marathon next weekend... Here's to happy running!

To Slay The Pacing Demon

2007-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

One of the cardinal rules that all runners must follow when running is to pace, pace, pace. In fact, this was one of my mistakes I have noted in the past. So I've read about it, I've experienced pacing and what no pacing does to the rest of the race, and yet I still battle the pacing demon.

I've ran three days straight and on all of them I've paced myself, albeit differently. The first was Saturday and was a 4 mile run where I ran it at a 7:48, 7:35, 7:50 and 8:00 pace. This was a good run and felt good. Pacing wasn't too bad, a little bit sporadic. I could tell that this pace would be too hard to run a marathon at right now.

Sunday was an altogether different pacing practice. I went running with a few friends at their speed and averaged a 10:37 pace. This was a bit slower than what I am used to, and it is still slower than what I want to run the marathon on the 4th at (which is around a 9 to 9:30 pace), but it felt good to slow down and run around a 10 minute pace. I was able to cover 6.3 miles and I didn't feel winded at all, nor did my knees and legs respond negatively. So experiment number two done.

Today I decided to do 6 loops around my house, where each loop is 3/4 of a mile. It was a bit hot out, reaching into the mid eighties when we've been used to the mid to low seventies, but not so bad that it slowed things down too much. Anyway, I set out trying to run my marathon pace and hold it steady. But, and there always seems to be a but when it comes to pacing, I set out at a jog and it felt great. I was running slower than usual but this was my jogging pace. It was extremely comfortable and easy run. My pace was 8:16, 8:15, 8:18, 8:16 and the final .37 miles I ran faster on purpose at a 7:57 pace. So my pace was extremely steady and consistent. Amazing, and my half marathon pace where I usually start out fast and slow down by the end is an 8:25 pace. So this shows me that my steady, easy pace will probably do much better if, and this is a big IF, I run the proper pace for the actual race.

Final piece to the puzzle. At the SF marathon I ran a very consistent first half marathon that was paced amazingly. I actually ran a second half of the first half of the marathon (if that makes sense, or miles 6.5-13.1) with a negative split, which was a first (too bad I didn't hydrate well enough and couldn't capitalize on the steady pace). All my races have been fast beginning with a slow finish.

So coupling all this together will lead to a great PR for the Silicon Valley Marathon on the 4th. My problem though, and this happened today, is that when I set out at what I think is a steady pace it always seems to be faster than what I am shooting for, except when I am running with other people (such as my friends, or at SF with the rest of my corral). So practice I will, nay, must, in the next week that I am running before I taper and rest. With any luck I will slay this pacing demon.

Did I Just Hear That?

2007-10-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

Did I really just hear that? This was how I was when I started running. The simple etiquette that you would find around other people in various situations. I'm not talking about the noises you would hear from running, like feet slapping on the ground, huffing and puffing, wheezing, coughing and so on. Perhaps the cheering spectators, or maybe the few hecklers that are occasionally around.

Nope, I'm talking about farting. Yup, you heard that right. You're running along and all of a sudden this bulbous noise erupts in front of you. You do a double take and look around. At least this was what I did when I first heard the usually ever so private noise. But nobody else even looked around. So you run along again and there it is again.

After having ran a ton of races this year this has, of course, come to be common and accepted. I mean, you're running along and and all that jostling and bouncing around is bound to cause something to happen. In fact I would be remiss if I also didn't mention that I too have let 'em fly when I had to. Yup, I have. When you have to, you have to, right? Don't shake your head and say how uncouth I am. You know you've done it as well.

It is a huge relief, really, after having ran 16 miles and you ever so quietly, at least that was the intention, toot when you can. In fact the whole reason I am writing about this was because at the SJ Half Marathon this past weekend this guy in front of me let it fly and it wasn't a quiet one. It was a horn that someone leaned on for a few seconds. At the 50k you are running on single track trails where you run directly behind someone for miles and they let em fly and you can't get away from it.

Despite all this, hearing someone rip one in front of you always takes you by surprise. I accept them as necessary and almost required, but that doesn't mean I won't be surprised.

Rock n' Roll Half Marathon

2007-10-14T17:25:00.001-07:00

This was another benchmark on how my running had progressed thus far, the other being the SF Marathon. I had run this half marathon last year when I still hadn't been focusing too much on running, but rather running haphazardly. So, yet again, as with the SF Marathon, I am able to gauge how well I've come along. Beyond that this race would also be able to tell me how my knees are holding up.

Rock n' Roll Half Marathon - 1:53:39 (8:41 pace; 1,893/8,792) Stats

I had had a rather light dinner the night before at the dinner reception for the tennis tournament I also played this weekend because they served very small portions. This was a bad start, but I didn't want to load myself with too much food that could possibly not sit well the next day. Then, to compound matters, I only had a banana for breakfast.

This was one of the few races that I was able to go to with some friends, which was a treat. So myself, Jill and Carla were driven to the race by Carla's husband, Brian, which was a another treat. There aren't too many races I go to that I don't have to drive and park. So nice start to the day.

After the traditional bathroom break we all went to our corrals shortly before the race, which was another difference from last year, where I was in one of the last corrals and had to battle the masses, which used a lot of energy. This year I ran with runners running the same pace as myself so we were able to pace properly and not battle one another.

Soon enough the race started and I felt great. I was running a nice even pace that actually felt slow, when in fact I was running a 7:50 pace for the first 4 miles. I knew that this was probably faster than I should have been running, but I felt too comfortable running at that pace. It wasn't until shortly after the fourth mile when I stopped for a bathroom break and to get something to drink that it started not feeling so comfortable anymore. That short thirty second break was enough rest to let my lungs catch up to me, as well as doing something every runner knows not to do: try something during a race that you have never tried before.

Yup, I drank Accelerade, which wouldn't necessarily mean anything accept that it is a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein mixture, which means it is different than other sports drink. It is thicker and has a pasty, chalky taste. Flavor is not altogether bad but you can tell it is a much different drink. Anyway, so this was what they served for sports drink. After the bathroom break I drank a glass of it, and knew it wasn't sitting too well. Not enough to make me stop at the next port-o-pottie, mind you, but enough to clench my stomach and wonder when I would have to stop.

I was able to maintain my pace through the 10k checkpoint at 7:58. So all was still going well. I still felt strong but I could tell I couldn't keep up that pace. It wasn't until mile 8 that my hopes were dashed. I had passed up the 1:45 pacer in the first mile and felt that I should be able to keep him either behind me or in my sight, thus pushing me to a sub 1:50 time, which was my ultimate goal. But then I could sense a group of people coming up behind me after the mile 8 marker, and sure enough they were lead by the 1:45 pacer.

Mile 9 came around and I started taking walking breaks. This was when my hopes were dashed again, because I knew my goal time was slowly coming and would probably slip away.

At miles 10 and 11 I knew I couldn't come in when I wanted, so I focused on not blowing my energy for the tennis match that was later in the day. I was failing fast for some reason and I couldn't understand why. At mile 11 the dull ache in my left knee was poking its head out and trying to say hello, but I tried to ignore it.

Finally, the finish line came and I had to run down that last stretch and... I was happy to be done with this race. I couldn't quite figure out why I didn't feel strong at the latter half of this race.

I finish strong, but when I get to the finish line I slow down a ton! I'm walking almost! Look at everyone around me... Their all sprinting!

Several possible answers:

After playing tennis yesterday I noticed at mile 1 my butt was sore, which I would have never guessed.
Accelerade upset my stomach
Too many long races without enough rest
Too fast of a pace in the beginning
Not enough dinner the night before
Not enough breakfast before the race

Whatever it could be it doesn't matter for this race. The result was what it was, but it could be useful in understanding what went wrong in order to prevent it in the future. Don't get me wrong, I am pleased with this result and am happy to have come in and finish another race. I would have liked to have kept up the pace in the first four miles that I had and finished in a sub 1:50 time (my previous last four half marathons have come in at 1:50, so I NEEDED to break this time). Another race down, more lessons learned.

As a postscript I felt fine after the race, almost like I hadn't worked hard enough. After a filling lunch to replenish the calories my sister and I played our next tennis match. I felt great out there. My legs and knees were fine as I sprinted, jumped and ran for the balls without even noticing that I had ran a half marathon. In fact I think it helped my serve as having ran the half marathon helped me keep my legs planted to the ground which helped it go in more.

As a second postscript my knees, which had been tender since the 50k, finally felt back to normal. No dull ache (until about mile 11 when it briefly flared) which gave me the go ahead to run more regularly during the week.

Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
Find more Runs in San Jose, California

Finding My Tennis Legs

2007-10-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

If you build it, they will come.

Or in this case hope, desire, wish or whatever else you want to call it. We won our first match. The first set was strange. We were up 3-0 and knew we were better than the other team. Then the typical jitters kicked in that my sister and myself have come to recognize as normal, or the usual. We ended up losing the first set 6-4 and couldn't believe what was happening. But, as I said, this was the usual. In virtually every match we played this year we ended up either losing the first set or starting really slow before finding our tennis legs.

And find our tennis legs we did. We took the second set at 6-1 and the third set at 6-1.

Which brings me to getting my heart's desire. I now get to run the half marathon tomorrow and then rest for a few hours before returning to the tennis courts to resume our quest to win the grand prix finale, which means finding my tennis legs after two hours of running.

Now this will be fun.

The Stars They Are Aligned

2007-10-13T13:45:00.001-07:00

There are some weekends where the stars align and everything you want to do falls on that weekend. It doesn't always turn out for the best. It did this time.

My sister and I have been playing tennis this year in the Northern California USTA league for mixed doubles and have earned enough points to play in the year end Grand Prix tournament. The top eight teams gain an entry into this tournament (this year only 7 teams applied, but we were still 5th in No. Cal. so we would have been able to go anyway). But the problem was that I hadn't been playing tennis all year and had already made plans for this weekend.

The Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in downtown San Jose is on Sunday, a race I signed up for last year and have been planning for this one for a while. So what to do? USTA Grand Prix with my sister or half marathon I've planned to run months before we started playing tennis?

The stars aligned. I lucked out. Our first tennis match is today, and if we win our second match is at 2 tomorrow. The half marathon is at 8 tomorrow. Luckily I won't have to make that difficult decision and can take part in both. It will be interesting to see how my legs hold up if I win the first match and have to play the second match after running for 2 hours, but I think I will hold up.

There are only a few times that conflicting events work out in our favor. This was my time. The stars they are aligned.

Marathon vs. Ultramarathon

2007-10-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

This is a fun one. The two couldn't be more different from one another and yet they both achieve the same goal. For the sake of this post I am assuming marathons on paved roads and ultramarathons on trails.

Distance - This, of course, is the most obvious difference between the two, With the marathon at 26.2 miles and the ultramarathon any distance that is greater than 26.2. For example, a 50k is 31 miles. This doesn't seem like much of a difference, being only 5 miles, but after you've ran that far every mile begins to feel much longer than the previous or longer than the beginning miles.

Elevation - The elevation gain is the kicker when it comes to most ultramarathons since most ultramarathons are trail runs. This results in at least an elevation gain of around 4,500 ft or more. This seems very daunting at first, especially as you've ran half the race and you see a trail that just seems to be continually going up, and up and up. This plays games on your legs as well as with your head as you have to be ready to conquer the hills. How, you might ask? Well you conquer them by walking. If you are planning on winning the race, of course, then you probably are not walking the ascents, but for the average ultramarathoner you are walking virtually every ascent and running every descent.

Time - Because of the elevation gain and the forced walking in order to conserve your energy your average pace slows drastically. This results in a finish time much longer than the marathon. For example, I ran my most resent marathon in 4hrs38min and my 50k in 8hrs15min. A huge difference, and a lot of time spent with yourself and only yourself.

Hydration/Nutrition - In the marathon there are aid stations spread out everywhere, which gives the runner plenty of opportunity to make sure that there are plenty of fluids being drank. In an ultramarathon it is you and the trail with aid stations few and far between. This leaves you with at least one 20oz. water bottle and very possibly two, either handheld or on a hip pack. Because of the length of time you are out there and the energy exerted you drink a ton more fluids than you would during a marathon. Additionally, you need to consume quite a bit more during the race. In a marathon you can get by with a few Gu's if you want or even subsisting only on sports drinks and water. Not so with the ultramarathons, which entails packing some energy bars and other forms to consume a large quantity of calories.

Aid Stations - As mentioned above, the aid stations are few and far in between, leaving you more self sufficient with the ultras. Additionally, when you get to the aid stations you have a whole array of food (such as M&Ms, chips, brownies, potatoes and salt, pretzels and so on) that you can munch on while some volunteers fill your water bottle. With the marathon there is no food and oftentimes the sports drink is watered down to make it spread further (which doesn't absorb as well) and maybe, if you are lucky, you'll get some Gu packets or something. The water is handed to you in little dixie cups with about an ounce in each, which doesn't do much unless you walk through and grab five or six cups.

Your Body - This was the most interesting difference. With the marathon you are pressing a lot harder in order to maximize your time and attempt to achieve a PR. This, of course, stresses you body right off the bat. Then you throw in running on concrete for 26.2 miles and your body takes a beating. The ultramarathon, on the other hand, is run at a slower pace and you have many walk breaks to give your body a rest. The hills utilize different muscle groups so the variation is easier on the legs than running on flat streets where you stress the same muscle group over and over. Ultramarathons, surprisingly, are much easier on the body than a marathon and my recovery time was much faster than after the marathon.

Runners - Marathons, of course, draw a much larger crowd. This makes for your 26.2 miles to be ran almost entirely with someone either around you, in front of you or behind you in sight. There are always people talking and there is the continuous pitter patter of running shoes on concrete. They are also nice but generally stay to themselves. The ultramarathon is usually no more than 100 runners, oftentimes maxing out at 50. Since the race is so long the runners tend to spread out and you can go for hours without coming in contact with another runner, although you can usually see them way off in the distance in front of you or behind you. Additionally, contact is very short, but when you do come across another runner they are very cordial and encouraging.

Course - Marathons are oftentimes run on street with volunteers spread out throughout the whole race guiding you. Ultramarathons are usually trail runs which means you have to keep a vigilant eye out for the little pink, fluttering ribbons warning you of a turn coming up. It is easy to get lost and lose an hour or two and log in some extra bonus miles.

Accomplishment - This is the end goal that is the same in both. You feel you have achieved something with both. But, I must say, the ultramarathon tickled me more than finishing the marathon.

What Running Has Done For Me

2007-10-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last year before I ran my first marathon in SF at the end of July I had hiked Half Dome. That was two weeks before the marathon and the main reason why I felt I should give the marathon a try. I was at my peak weight of 212. Looking at it then I wouldn't say that I was overweight, but rather that I was rounding out and becoming "pudgy". I beg the differ now.

A couple of days ago my friends were finally able to compile all the pictures and burn them to cd, so I hadn't seen any of the pictures until a few days ago. My jaw dropped. I barely recognized myself.

These were taken in July of 2006, two weeks before the SF Marathon (weight 212).

I'm on the right

Fourth from either side

Now these were taken this year in June, so not quite a year later. I weighed 177.

It is amazing what complacency does to a person. We get in our ways and routines, not thinking twice about it. As the years go by you slowly allow yourself to indulge in whatever you fancy. The smoker smokes more. The drinker drinks more. I ate more and drank more soda. After three or four years of this you say "geez, I need to lose weight" but you don't take action.

I became fed up with my situation. I started making the typical excuses. "I can't do that." Or make excuses such as "Oh, well this just comes as you get older." I struggled on. After that first fateful marathon, made on an impulse three days before the event, my metabolism was kicked into gear. I lost around twelve pounds in the 4 weeks after. Since then I have continued running and have lost a total of 35 pounds and feel great.

I didn't need a magical pill. I didn't need some magical diet, like Atkins, or Grapefruit, or only Soy or whatever other crazy concoction. It took a diet of less food, more exercise. Simple, that was it. What excuses are made to counter this? "I get to hungry eating less, I can't possibly eat less, and I can't do enough exercise to counter the food." Hogwash. Cut out an hour or television and go out for a run. You get hungry? Uh, isn't that the point? Your body is trained to eat more, so you have to train to eat less and adapt your body to it.

Anyway, I am off my soapbox. The point of all this is that I was amazed at how different I looked with the extra 35 pounds in 2006, and that something as simple as going out and running a few days a week and cutting back on my caloric intake helped me lose the weight and feel more comfortable. Simple equation and the most basic and efficient diet out there. If I could tell everyone out there how simple it is if you have a little perseverance and will power then it would be worth it. Unfortunately the magic pills and diets seem to offer quick results (that don't often last for a long time because dieting and exercise are not added) and in this instant gratification society...

Running and, more generally, exercise have reopened doors. I couldn't be more thankful to running and I think this is perhaps why I have come to enjoy running so much. We all have our reasons, but running helped me become what I remembered of myself and put me back into the shape that I have always seen myself, even with the extra 35 pounds.

Elevation Profiles

2007-10-07T23:39:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been looking everywhere for a program or something that can give me an accurate elevation profile that also tells me how many feet I ascended and descended during a race. I find this bit of information extremely interesting as well useful in seeing how your race compares against, say, another 10k with 500 feet of elevation gain. But I couldn't find anything!

I use my Garmin and the elevation ascent/descent is always wrong. I could be standing still at sea level (the SF marathon for example) and it fluctuates up and down from -100 to 200 feet within a matter of 30 seconds. Or I run around a track and it says I ran 1,000 feet of elevation gain! This irked me some, so I called Garmin to see if there was a software update or something. Nope, there wasn't. Apparently the Forerunner 205 is based off of GPS, which has some god awful margin of error, so much so that it isn't really accurate at all. The 305, though, is based off of an altimeter (sp?) and is much more accurate, although still with a big margin of error.

So I searched the web and looked high and low. Found a National Geographic software called GPS USA that claims to do elevation profiles, yet it isn't compatible with anything higher than the 201 or 301 and you can't even zoom in enough for you to plot the course! So you can pay more money to plot the course on more specific software, but it still isn't compatible with the 205 or 305. So I found a plugin for Google Earth called Wikiloc that gives the profile, but it takes whatever your GPS device says and plops out some number.

For example, my Garmin said that I ascended something like 10,000 feet in my last Half Marathon (actual was around 1,600 ft). The Wikiloc plugin says that I ascended 6,600 feet. So better, but still way off. So I tried plotting it myself, but I come up with 2,400. Much better, but still no cigar.

Finally, and completely by accident, I came across MapMyRun. Absolutely amazing. Exactly what I have been looking for for weeks. You can plot your own run and it will give you an accurate elevation profile. But even better, you can download directly into it from the Garmin and it will take the coordinates and plot it on a map (you can view in map, satellite, or hybrid) and it discards the accompanied elevation figures, as well as discards the random 100, 200, and 300 foot shifts in elevation that the Garmin has when standing still. Its algorithm filters this out and, voila! An accurate elevation profile. Amazing. Even better is that you can then share it with the public and you can also look for other race profiles and/or find other trails and routes around where you run. And its free!

I can't toot MapMyRun's horn enough. This was certainly made by outdoor adventurers for outdoor adventurers with a mind for the data that we typically look for and like. Give it a try.

PS It says it has the capability of uploading GPX files into it but I have not been able to get this to work. This sucks because I've deleted all of the races and courses off my Garmin and so am unable to plot a profile. I have an email placed in to MapMyRun and will let everyone know when they respond. Otherwise, the only method of getting your information into the system to plot the profiles would be to do it manually or upload it via a GPS device.

The "You're Crazy" Stare

2007-10-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

It really is interesting listening to and seeing other peoples reactions when I tell them that I am a runner. Usually it starts out well with a congrats and great job, wish I could get out and exercise more. Which is expected as this is becoming the norm for today's society, and thus the rise in obesity in America.

But the fun ones come after when they invariably ask, "What do you run?" "What is the furthest you've ran?"

I always get that shocked look that screams "You're crazy!" Haha, I love this one, always followed up with a I know better than you do and a shake of the head. Why is it so hard to believe that I want to run a marathon, that not only do I want to run a marathon but I want to do many throughout the year as well as my life? They can't understand. They always, though, throw in the "I admire you, I wish I could do it" or "That is quite an accomplishment".

I enjoy these comments because they aren't completely off the wall and they tend to be real and meaningful comments.

But then I tell them I just ran a 50k, that I have a few more coming up and that I want to run a 50 miler next year. That look of "You're crazy" is no longer feigned, is now a set in stone, stuck on the face look. Have I lost my mind, they ask, why would anyone ever want to be running for that long and for that far? And, you know, I sincerely try and answer their questions and help them understand.

It's a passion. Just as you have in cars, or you have in computers, or you have in watching television. You know, that marathon 4 hour couch potato night that you love? Similar to that, except I am running in nature and am accomplishing something that helps act as a driving force for allowing me to realize that we really can do anything we want. This, of course, is always followed up with "You're crazy stupid, I just don't understand why you would want to put your body through all that pain and struggle for a free shirt and, maybe, a medal".

I give up, usually, and turn to the You wouldn't understand. Runners love it, and will think about running all day. Non-runners just don't understand that connection. To them running is torture. Not the same as say loving cars and saying 'non-car-lovers just wouldn't understand', because we understand that. Perhaps something that is acquired is drinking beer, but this still doesn't equate because you don't acquire a taste for running: you either like it or you don't.

This, of course, makes matters worse because now, even though I never intended this, the person thinks that I think they just couldn't understand, that they don't have the life experiences to understand, and are hurt. Which couldn't be further from the truth.

At this point I give up trying to explain to a non-runner why I would want to run for 31 miles or do a marathon. Now I just accept their know all nods and eyes rolled as they brush such a healthy activity aside as idiotic. Oh well, you win some and you lose some, and this is usually an uphill battle that won't go anywhere.

So I turn to my blogging runners and immerse myself in their running tales and stories and, most importantly, their drive and desire to keep up running.

Then I go out for a run.