Walking To The Finish Line of The Headlands Marathon

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.

Rodeo Beach Trail Run 50k

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.

Woodside Trail Run 50k

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.

Quicksilver Half Marathon

I really did not know what to expect with this one. I've done trail running with a 10k and with the 50k, but both are completely different races from a half marathon trail race, so I came into this one a little cautious. I figured I would shoot for a 2:10 finish, and I almost did it.

Quicksilver Half Marathon - 2:15:29 (10:20 pace; 51/99) Stats

This was yet another race that I was looking forward to because it was not only a local race but it was also a trail run, which I am trying to get more of. I slept in and woke up a half hour before I had to leave and had some toast with peanut butter and a banana with some water. So I was ready to go. I cruised over to the Quicksilver County Park, which is only 11 miles from my house, and arrived with plenty of time. I was amazed. I had been back there before, to New Almaden, but didn't remember it at all. It is such an old, historic town that is seemingly preserving this feel with its houses directly on the main street, a very small post office and seemingly only one restaurant in the whole town. You would never have thought that such a quaint, old town would be nestled in the foothills of the bustling Bay Area.

A bit of history. Apparently the Quicksilver mines were owned by a private family but the mines themselves were on public property. So in 1863 Abraham Lincoln was informed of the seemingly fraudulent and dubious claim of the private family to the mines ownership so he issued a writ that ordered the army general in San Francisco to take over the mines in the name of the United States. The family, of course, believed they legitimately owned the mines and staked a protest and refused to turn over them. As the army readied to apprehend by force other mine owners in Nevada began staging a protest and feared that the US government was setting a precedence of confiscating private property on public property. This, of course, was going on during the Civil War, so Lincoln re-thought his position in fear of secession and revoked his writ. Interesting the history you find in such a quaint out of the way town.

Back to the race. The race itself was a very small and quaint race. There was no starting line except "over there". The RD gave a quick speech and then with no further notice said go on my mark and quickly counted down. At first we all scrambled and then eventually took off once we realized the RD actually started the race. We all crammed into a small road to the fire road and it felt like a herd of cattle charging down the chute to their new pens. Soon enough, though, we spread out and started up the hill. Huh? A hill at the very beginning? Yep, and when asked the RD said he thought it would be easier to have the fresh legs on the uphill rather than have a hill at the end. What kind of hill, you might ask? Take a look at the elevation profile from my Garmin.

We had close to a 1,000 foot elevation gain in the first four miles with next to no downhill or flat sections. Unbelievable. As I kept going up, most of which I was walking at this point, I couldn't help but begin wondering if the hill would ever end.

Oh, and when it did I had a ton of fun. The ground I lost on the uphill was quickly made up on the down hill. I went flying down so fast I was amazed. I mean I was like a banshee wailing down the hill passing people up. And I couldn't help but wonder, why was everyone going so slow on the downhill? I mean you could tell they could go faster, and yet they were running with guarded steps, almost as though they were afraid of falling. Which, of course, is a real concern, but why worry? Thus is the nature of trail running. Have fun with it.

So I had fun with it. But the hills did return, albeit not as steep except for a short section around mile 9.5. But this also meant more downhill. By this point I had started to feel a dull ache in my left knee. The same place I felt the dull ache at mile 16 of the 50k when I ran the steep, steep downhill when I should have walked it. So this bothered me a little as I did not want to aggravate it any more than it already was. But, how could I deny my legs to utilize gravity and throw themselves down the last descent and try and make up lost time and pass people? Ultimately, I had to give it a go and I am sure glad that I did. I passed about 5 people in the last mile, although one guy came out of nowhere that I hadn't seen at all during the race and flew down so fast I was amazed that he hadn't passed me earlier. Anyway, I ended up running my fastest for the whole race during that last mile and it sure felt good to let the boys off their leash and see what they could do. I hit a speed of close to 11 mph at one point and maintained it for a while. It sure felt good.

Coming into the finish felt great. The weather was warming up and it felt like I had truly exerted myself on this trail. When I crossed the finish line I was greeted by two volunteers offering water and a medal. As I walked away I heard one of them say, "Geez, he's barely even breathing hard". Haha, I guess I should have pushed it a little harder.

In the end I was very pleased with this result. A half marathon trail run that gave me a little more practice with steep elevations, which, by the way, had a total gain of 1,603 feet, so not bad for a half marathon. I came in 5 minutes over my projected finish, so not too bad again. And, here is the kicker, this halfer was run on much of the course that I will be running for the 50k next year (or, dare I say it with a smile, the 50 mile if I am ready) so it was good practice.

This race day turned out to be a great one, one that I was very pleased to have run and to have taken part in. But the day soon turned sour when I began daydreaming of my favorite Mexican food, Super Taqueria, and went to my car. Put the key in the ignition and... nothing. I would spend the next 6 hours getting things straightened out and arranging transportation for tomorrow. What a pain. But that is another story...

Stevens Creek 50k

Holy bejeezers, this was a blast! Either from running up, down, or around hills to carefully monitoring your nutrition to hydration, this distance was a fun distance. Part of the fun was running the trails, which meant following ribbons. I missed one and ran an extra 2.5 miles. Whoops, but it was a lot of fun. I still can't stop myself from smiling at the thought of finishing this 50k, my first.

Stevens Creek 50k - 8:15:47 (14:48 pace; 39/54) Stats

Coming into the race I was a bit nervous. I was starting to think that I got myself into something way over my head. In fact, I was contemplating as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror before leaving whether I should just go right back to sleep. But, my stubborn side prevailed, and thus I finished getting ready then ate a breakfast of 2 bananas, 2 pieces of wheat toast with peanut butter and a bottle of Gatorade. There was no turning back now.

I arrived and right away it was a much different atmosphere than the atmosphere I was used to at races. Everyone was just as friendly and nice, but you could tell looking around that these runners were in much better shape than I was and were much more hardcore. Some guys were walking around with their 100 mile Western States or Hardrock shirts. Wow, this would be interesting. This pre-race was the most casual I have seen as the race director gave us a last few bits of instruction before walking to the starting line. As we all milled around people were joking and taking pictures before 9:00 (ah, isn't this a great starting time? Not those god awful 7:00 starting times) rolled around and we were off.

Start to 10.9 mile Aid Station

I stayed around the back to feel everyone out to see what I was comfortable running. I knew I had to take it slow if I wanted to last the whole 31 miles. Soon enough though I sped up knowing that I could handle a faster pace. At around mile 1 I started hearing this noise and I looked around and found that there was a guy running in front of me who was dragging a stick along, and not a small stick, so I couldn't figure out why he hadn't noticed it yet. As I continued staring I made a rookie mistake and wasn't watching where I was going. Down I went as a root jumped out and tripped the distracted runner. Luckily it was only a little dirt on my hands and a bloody right knee. So I quickly (I think I got up really fast out of embarrassment) jumped up and soldiered on.

As we came from out of the cover of the trees and into the sun the temp must have jumped 10 degrees, but we were soon back into the trees and the cooler temperature. Soon enough I found myself sandwiched between three veterans of this race as well as a ton of 100 mile races. Directly in front of me the guy had run 15 100 mile races and right behind me the other guy had run 26 100 mile races, so I purposefully stayed at their pace, which was extremely manageable, since we were in a predominantly uphill section. You see, I didn't want to flounder around and make a ton of mistakes and then get a DNF. So I followed their lead, even though I could have run much faster than them on the uphills. When they walked the ascents, I walked. When they ran the descents, I ran. This worked wonderfully and I learned a ton, which I am positive was why I was able to finish. So as we neared the 10.9 mile aid station they slowly outpaced me as I stayed back to get my electrolyte pills out. I didn't want a repeat of the SF marathon, so I brought these to offset my electrolyte depletion. Finally running again, I came in at 2:15:19.

Out of the trees and in to 10.9 aid station

Coming into the aid station I had drank 40 oz. of Gatorade and was right behind the veterans I was pacing before, so everything felt great. Now I had never run a race with this setup for an aid station (standard among ultras), and I came to some volunteers who took my water bottles and filled them up as I looked at the array on the table. M&Ms, brownies, pretzels, potato chips, coke and sports drink. What I eyed though, because I read about many ultra runners eating this during a race, was the boiled potato. You are supposed to roll it in salt and then eat it. Oh wow, what an absolutely disgusting treat. I almost threw up with my first bite. Not wanting to be rude (even though the volunteers couldn't care less) or seem the outright newbie (the more likely answer) I sat there and forced myself to eat the rest. That was just wrong. I know the salt is the key, but not on my watch!

10.9 Aid Station to 19.3 Aid Station

It was from this point on that I pretty much ran the whole race on my own. With so few runners spread out over so many miles there wasn't much interaction. But we did run past many of the runners running towards the 10.9 mile station, so there was always the quick hello and way to go, keep it up. Much different than other races. Anyway, it was pretty much all downhill for a while with a few extended hills, so this was a fun part of the course. I did catch up to four people, though, so that was fun. Two had run the wrong direction and got lost, running an extra 6 miles! For the rest of the race to the 25 mile aid station I pretty much kept trading places with them. They ran ahead, I ran ahead and so on. I found out later that they had started an hour earlier, so that extra 6 miles really set them back. Then there were two more who I passed who were also early starters.

It was at this point in the race that I had my first clue that I should eat a Cliff Bar because my legs were getting wobbly and I had no energy. It was amazing, within minutes my legs were back to normal and I felt like I had just started the race! I had overlooked nutrition during the race to this point, and what a difference it does make. Eventually I was passed by two more runners near the aid station, one of which was the race director. I liked this idea because it meant the race director was only minutes ahead of me and was making sure the course was marked correctly. Score for me. I eventually came in to the aid station at 4:08:44.

Rounding Horseshoe Lake to 19.3 Aid Station

19.3 aid station to 24.5 aid station

This was perhaps the hardest part of the course, and not only because of the hills. There were virtually no trees so you were running the whole way practically with the sun blaring down on you. And the hills, oh the hills. This far into the race and it seemed like the hills were never ending. At least in the first half the hills were covered in shade and you had a ton of energy. Not this section. You round one corner and see the trail way off in the distance rounding another hill going up again! Ah, this was a pain. So I trudged on and kept walking the ascents and running the descents.

I had one goal on this leg of the race: get to the aid station! Seems obvious, and it is, but I knew that when I got to the aid station then I would be able to turn around and begin making my way back home, and it would also mean that I was pretty much guaranteed to finish, which wasn't always so up to the 19.3 mile aid station. It was a small comfort I was looking forward to. So the heat pounded me and I shuffled the hills. The two people I kept trading places with eventually passed me for good. But one of them had dropped out?!?! It turns out one of the half found another running partner. Anyway, I arrived to the aid station at 5:38:49 and was ecstatic to find out they had ice cold water! Oh what a joy that was.

24.5 mile Aid Station to Finish

This was the hard part. I was still running in the sun, so that made things difficult, and the descents were getting harder to continue running down. At about mile 28 I began shuffling along not realizing that my energy was depleted and this was why I was feeling dizzy and my legs non-responsive. Sounds worse than it was. So I started fishing for another Cliff Bar, which seemed to take an amazingly long time to pull out from such a small little pouch. First I took another electrolyte pill, which I almost choked on when there wasn't enough water in the one water bottle to swallow it with. So I grabbed the other water bottle and used that to assist eating the Cliff Bar, then I ate about six Cliff Shot Bloks. It helped, again, almost immediately. Amazing, you would have thought I would have learned this the first time it happened. Oh well.

Okay, now I was lost. I was looking at the ground looking for foot imprints and, oh, there's one! So I continued on, even though it didn't seem right. I hadn't seen a pink marker ribbon in a long time and this road was starting to get overgrown. What the, I have to walk up that?!?!? So I got to the top and began walking down, just as steep, then up another even steeper hill. What was going on? The gnats were swarming over me now. There must have been 15 of them on my legs before I realized it and began angrily swiping at them. Was I lost? I got to the end of the road and it turned into a trail, which dead ended at a fire road that you had to turn left or right. No pink ribbons anywhere. This was not right. I was at an intersection and nothing was telling me where to go. I screwed up. This was where I wanted to lie down and curl up into a ball. Not only did I go a lot farther then I had to, but I now had to do it all over again with the gnats and those steep hills. Unbelievable.

I mad my way back slowly because by now I was running out of water and I didn't want to keep drinking it without really knowing how far I had to go. Luckily I only went 1.25 miles farther. I saw a string of four ribbons, one on the left of the fire road and three directly across from it going up a steep trail. I must have missed it when I was fishing for food out of my pack. That sucked. So I was finally back on track again. Problem now, it was all uphill practically. Oh well, I could smile again. I was now 31 miles into the race and had another 2.5 to go, damn the hills!

5,000 ft elevation gain

I eventually came in at 8:15:47. If I hadn't got lost I probably would have come in at around 7:15 (the extra miles section took a crazy amount of time because of the steepness of the trail/fire road), but thus is the nature of trail races. Incidentally, there was one couple that had still not come in yet. I wasn't last at least! They finally came in around 20 minutes later, and the race officially ended. It turned out there were nine people who started early at 8:00 (because they thought they would take longer than 7 hours) so there were a few people who placed behind me, not to mention there were 8 DNFs. Not that place matters here, mind you, but there was something about not wanting to come in last place.

Will I do another 50k? I think so, but it will be after I do a ton more hill/trail running which is a completely different beast than street/paved path running. My next trail run is the Quicksilver Half Marathon in San Jose on 9/30, so that should be fun.

Nutrition/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 (1,902 calories total)
14 Endurolytes (0 calories)
9 Cliff Shot Bloks (297 calories)
3 Cliff Bars (900 calories)
2 Brownies (180 calories)
1 Potato (50 calories)
Handful of Pretzels (150 calories)
40 oz. Gatorade (260 calories)
10 oz. Cytomax (65 calories)
130 oz. Water (0 calories)

(All pictures taken from the Stevens Creek 50k website and are representative of when the race was ran in March of previous years when it was much more lush. This race was very dry and hot. From 19.3 on it was brown weeds everywhere except the controlled fire with the black landscape that we ran through)

Race Thru The Redwoods 10k

This was an important race to gauge where I am in terms of trail running, which in turn is a gauge in how well I might be able to handle of 50k, which is run, usually, entirely on trails.

Race Thru The Redwoods 10k - 52:13 (8:25 pace; 97/356)

Felton is a little town in the Santa Cruz Mountains on the Pacific Ocean side. A great, small town tucked away amidst towering redwoods, and is a roughly 40 minute drive for me. This was one of the reasons why I wanted to run this race, beyond being a trail run, because I knew it would be ideal conditions and close to my house. I would not be disappointed.

I woke up around 6:45 and showered up, remembering the week before when I didn't shower before the race and felt groggy. Because of my little fiasco yesterday in running on a full stomach, I made sure that this one I ran on an empty stomach. I know, you need fuel in order to keep up your stamina, but I usually run better on little to no food in the stomach, at least with distances that are 10k or shorter. So I knew that I would be alright without eating breakfast, plus I wanted to compare this to how I felt on the full stomach.

Arriving at Henry Cowell State Park I was not disappointed with the weather. In fact, it was a little cold as my knees shook amidst the cool morning breeze. After checking in we all shuttled over to watch the kid's 1 mile race. If you ever get a chance to watch a kid's race, do it. It was fun watching them sprint in with smiles as they revelled in everyone clapping. And get this, the first finisher, who was 13, ran the mile in 6:22!

Soon enough our race started. I ran the first two miles great, averaging 7 minute miles. The first mile was all on a paved road sloping up for a while before connecting to a trail and starting mile 2, which was also fairly flat, although the sand made it a little difficult to run in. You see, I wanted to run a fairly fast first two miles because I knew that I would be coming to a large hill that would slow me down considerably.

The hill didn't show itself until about 2.5 miles into the race, and it was a killer. It went for almost a mile and had an elevation gain of around 400 feet. Some parts of it seemed like I was walking straight up, hands on knees. Yup, you heard correct. Second race in a row where I had to walk the hill portion. I walked most of it and tried to run anytime the steepness wasn't so bad, but that wasn't too often. Luckily the whole race was ran under the cover of the redwood forest, which ultimately kept everything in the shadows and nice and cool. Mile 3 ended up being a little over 11 minutes, which killed my average and began making me doubt that I would be able to finish in the desired 50 minutes.

About half way into mile 4 the hill relented as the trail spit us out and onto a road that gently rolled up and down, allowing us to get our breath back and continue at a more or less steady pace. As we rounded the cone and began running back towards the finish line everyone began picking up speed. The steep elevation ascent from earlier now turned to a steep elevation descent down a paved road, so we didn't have to worry about the rocks or roots of the trail we just ran up that could jump out and trip us up. The slowness of the first half of the mile was offset by the speediness of the last half, resulting in about a 9 1/2 minute mile. Not too bad, but now it was all downhill and I wasn't too sure how my right foot would hold up, since it was downhill running that really hurt last time.

I felt a twinge of pain if I let myself run too fast, which usually resulted in long lunges down the hill, so I shortened my stride in order to lessen the strain on my tendon. This seemed to work as the pain disappeared. The last two miles eventually merged back onto the trail before spitting us back out and onto a road and to the finish line, averaging about 8 1/2 minute miles. All in all, a good effort, one that has given me a great evaluation on where I should be and how I should train. I was planning on attempting a 50k on September 8th, but after today I am not too sure. Either I need to get some serious trail running in the next two weeks, or I need to pass on the event and prepare for one at a later date. Granted, I would be starting the 50k out running the flats at around a 9-10 minute pace since I know I will have longer to go, and thus not be so tired so early on, so maybe all is not lost.

Until then, happy running!

Dammit Run 5 Miles

I had mixed feelings going into this race. On one side it was the first race since the Marathon and could be a good gauge on how well I have recovered. On the other side I couldn't seem to muster up any enthusiasm or excitement as race day came upon me.

Dammit Run 5 Miles - 42:36 (8:31 pace; 205/603)

This one had the makings to be a great race. It started at 8:30 and was only a 15 minute drive from my house. What more could I ask for? So I was able to get some decent sleep despite the kids next door having a loud party, yet again, until at least 2 AM, which was when I finally fell asleep. Well rested, I woke up and decided to skip taking a shower. This was mistake number one. I figured since the race was so close to the house and it was only a 5 mile run that I could run it and get back here and shower after. So end result? I never fully woke up or felt energized, which a shower always does to me.

I got to the Los Gatos High School and found parking easy enough. So I turned the Garmin on, checked my bib number and did all the typical last minute stuff. Mistake number 2: I didn't charge the Garmin so it, obviously, ran out of battery power. Oh well, it could be worse, right? Like getting to the race and forgettng your timing chip... Yeah, I've done that one as well. Eventually I made my way to the track and did a warm up lap and everything felt great. I was hitting my stride, the legs felt great. Perhaps the day would turn around and it would turn out to be a great race.

Remembering past races, I lined up in the front so that I didn't get stuck behind the slower runners and thus blow a lot of energy weaving around everyone. The gun went off and away we went. The lead runners eventually outstripped everyone, but I didn't care. I was running my race. So we looped once around the track before heading out of the track and onto the trail towards the dam. Already I could feel that something wasn't right. My legs felt strong, my knees were fine. So none of my major concerns coming into this were slowing me down. Mile one rolled around and the volunteer yelled out 8:16. So not too bad. The gravel trail slowly gained in elevation before dropping me off at the first steep incline, which ascended 61 feet. It may not seem like much, but the gain was over only .08 miles, so a steep incline over a short distance. I ran a quarter of it before telling myself to give in and walk. No sense beating myself up over something when I am still technically recovering from the Marathon. At the top of the first hill was the mile two marker and the volunteer yelled out 16:50, so I'm averaging 8:25 a mile, just slightly slower than my mile one pace, and I had walked a hill! Not too bad again.

A little bit farther on and I made it to the dam, and thus the reason for the race. Yet another hill that I gave up on and walked virtually the whole thing. I wasn't feeling right, so why push it? The dam was a little less than a quarter of a mile and has an elevation incline of 132 feet. This was where a ton of people were passing me up, which is usually a motivator in and of itself. But not this time. I watched them file past me, keeping track of who they were. Then, once I got to the top of the dam, I used the energy I didn't waste trying to run up the dam and was able to pass most of them... until the next hill.

Ha, only three hills but they were killers. The last was THE killer. Elevation ascent was 140 feet, so not too much different from the second hill, and this one stretched over almost four tenths of a mile. Not too bad, right? Wrong, because 120 feet of that gain was in the first tenth of a mile. So it goes without saying that I walked this one too. Again, once I reached the top I kicked it into gear and passed a ton of people, making up place wise what I couldn't make up in my time. Yet here was where the trouble began. We soon hit mile 3 (with no volunteer this time) and I was cruising downhill pretty fast. But... But... But, oh I so didn't want this to happen. I started feeling a pain on the top of my right foot where it had felt tender from the Marathon. I pushed through it for a while when I take an extra long lunge to get past a rock and the pain shoots up my leg.

Did something happen to my foot in SF? I know tons of athletes tend to push through pains in their feet, able to continue playing for months at a time without really noticing anything more than a discomfort, only to find that they had a stress fracture or something similar. Is this what has happened to me? Perhaps this was why I wasn't feeling to into my run today? I pushed on and felt the pain build a little with each step. Finally the trail leveled out and turned onto a road where mile 4 was, with the volunteer yelling out 35 minutes. The pain/ache from my right foot subsided noticeably, almost disappearing completely, once I was no longer running downhill, so that was a plus.

I finished the last mile in a little over 7 minutes, coming in at around 177th place (out of around 600) in 42:36, which is an 8:31 pace. Not too bad considering the amount of walking that I had done, around two and a half minutes worth. This was a little disappointing, though, because I had signed up for this race with the intention of running the hills and using this as a gauge/preparation for the 50k coming up in September. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

I found a few things out. One, my knees and muscles are fully recovered from the Marathon, so that is plus. But, and this is a huge minus, the tenderness on the top of my right foot (which happened because of the Marathon) seems to be something more than just being tender.

So a week of rest I must take, although this is a bummer. I do know the alternative, though, and would rather prevent further injury than satisfy a here and now urge to run more. I guess I will have to wait until Saturday to test the foot out before I decide what I will do about the 10k race coming up.

Here's to a speedy recovery!

7/15 - 7/21 Summary

This was a good week for me in terms of running and exercising in general. I was able to do a variety of terrain and worked a lot of different muscles, giving me a nice all around workout.

Sunday - Half Marathon + .55 Mile Warm Up
Monday - 4.12 Treadmill
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - 3.85 Trail Running, 1.26 Treadmill
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - 4.22 Treadmill
Saturday - 7.05 Trail Running

The week started with the Jungle Run Half Marathon, so I was able to get in a decent distance at a good time, comparative to the running I should be doing for the Marathon. Pace was good and I wasn't tired or sore from the race, so that is always a good sign. On Monday I went in and did a 3 mile warm up before working out my chest and triceps, and then did a 1.12 mile cool down at a 1.5% grade on the treadmill. This was important because I wanted to see how my legs felt the day after the Half Marathon, which again, as stated above, is a good measure on how conditioned my legs are becoming.

Tuesday was a rest day, but for the purposes of this site a rest day simply means I didn't run. Instead I did a 16 mile bike ride that had a total of about 700 feet elevation, 500 of which came at the last half mile. I love throwing in a bike routine because it still works out my legs but doesn't stress them as much as running. Wednesday rolled around and the fun began. I went out first and ran 3.85 miles of trail running with an elevation gain of around 500 feet, again most of which was in the last mile. Then I went into the gym and worked out my shoulders, with a 1.26 mile gentle cool down.

Finally I come to Friday, which again was a weight training day. I ran 2.11 miles for a warm up, then worked out my biceps and back, and then did a 2.11 mile cool down. So far the week was pretty easy, until I came to Saturday. It started with a 3.85 mile hike with my sister that had a 500 foot elevation gain. Great trail to hike and is in fact the same trail I ran on Wednesday. Then my sister left and I ran the same trail, but then when I got to the top I turned around and did the trail in reverse, giving an elevation ascent of around 800 feet, running for a total of 7.05 miles. This was a killer. I hadn't felt this beat up since I ran the Marathon and Half Marathon last year. My left knee ached and my right calf was pulsing.

All in all, I ran 33.85 miles, the second highest miles per week yet. Great week and I think I learned a valuable lesson, one that I have always known but never actually experienced, which is that trail running is a completely different sport from concrete/pavement/road running. This week things will taper off and I will hopefully get in around 10 miles as I lead into the weekend and my first big run of the year.

New Training Routine

Recently I've felt that I needed to step up my training for two reasons. The first is the obvious one, which is that my pace and endurance has outstripped the amount of miles that I've been running every week (which was an average of 13.1 a week) as well as only running roads/paved paths. The second reason is that I now know that I will have to run more often in more varied terrains in order to increase my endurance. This past week was my first week in a step towards that direction.

Sunday: 10k Race, 1.5 mile cool down (Flat, Paved Path)
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 13.15 (Flat, Paved Path. Endurance Run)
Wednesday: 4.11 (Treadmill. Five .25 Mile Speed Legs)
Thursday: 5.56 (Trail Running)
Friday: 3.48 (Trail Running)
Saturday: 4.02 (Trail Running)

I started the week off with a 10k race and set a PR. Always feels good to run a better race than the one before. I've had a packed few weekends in a row so I decided to take Monday off and rest, but this only lead to some downtime, so I finished Ultramarathon Man. Couple the inspiration from this book with the PR and I went out on Tuesday and ran my longest single day training session at 13.15 miles. Ran it nonstop and faster than I have ever ran a Half Marathon. The kicker with this, though, was that the next day I didn't feel tired or sore, which is much different than my previous long runs. This was a huge check mark off my list of steps that needed to be reached, which buoyed me for the rest of the week. Finally, the last two stages of the week: speed and hills. I did a short speed session on Wednesday and then the rest of the week was all Trail Running at Mount Madonna. Elevation gain was huge, with the last run amounting to about an 1,100 foot ascent over 2 miles, 3/4 of which was in the first mile. In addition to the running I was able to get in about 8 miles of hiking. It felt great to hike the same trails before or after my runs. Could focus on the trail and actually feel the calves and hamstrings burn. Great trails.

With my endurance run, speed runs and hill running worked into my routine I feel much better about my endurance for the upcoming Marathon. Couple those with the 38 miles I ran last week and I am very pleased. The next step would be to continue this routine through the coming weeks and months and watch as my endurance grows.

The Nitty Gritty of Training

Now down to the nitty gritty: training. After all, this is my journey to endurance, and how could it be a journey without showing how I am preparing myself to accomplish my goals? I started the year out with one basic tenement to my training: to run an average of 13.1 miles every single week. Granted this may not seem much in order to get myself ready for a Marathon or 50k, but it will at least get my endurance up enough to where I can pace myself at a decent pace and not blow all my energy when I need it most. I see some people running 13 miles a day, or doing two hour runs. Eventually I will get there, and eventually is some time in the coming months because I know that it is these longer runs that are going to help my body sustain itself over the long haul. That being said, the foundation to my training is 13.1 miles a week. Recently I have added to my training a few extra activities. One is I started doing trail running. This can do some amazing things to your legs and lungs, both of which make your endurance running much easier. Second is to cross train more in all sports. Currently I cross train in tennis, swimming, biking, weightlifting and occasionally rock climbing, basketball and softball. Running is so focused that a lot of times the muscles you could use or strain in longer distances can be buoyed by the stamina and strength of muscles used by cross training. Finally, I've started trying to increase my speed, most notably my mile pace. When I run a fast mile I notice considerable difference with my lungs and know that I am training my lungs for the pressure and tension that would come with endurance runs.

That puts me to this week, which has definitely been a full week of training. Perhaps not in the amount of running, although I did do a decent amount (26.41 miles), but I was able to get some good cross training in that really completed my workout. First off I started the week with Muddy Muddy, which is a combination of biking and running. I coupled this by going swimming later in the day to try and simulate the tension that I would feel in the triathlons I am racing. As I have said in the past, I am a horrible long distance swimmer. No training + Not swimming for a long time = The slowest swimmer in the world. But I think I finally figured out a stroke, the breast stroke, that will drastically increase the 53 minutes per mile pace I did during the swim portion of the Uvas Triathlon. Anything to not feel like such a fool as wave after wave passes me up. This is decidedly my worst leg of the triathlon and where I lose most of my time. Anyway, the breast stroke helps my breathing, my speed, my stamina... everything. And with the Mountain Bike Triathlon coming up I am on even ground with everyone else on the bike leg (those damn 10-speeds just kept blowing past me at Uvas). That leaves the swim.

Monday I tried to run a fast mile but it was too soon after the 10k and Muddy Buddy of the weekend to feel up to speed. A half mile in at 3:02 I stopped as my legs were too tired to continue. Seeing my time I wish I hadn't of stopped, would have been a PR! Oh well, my legs were thanking me for it. The next day I went trail running with my brother for 3 miles in South San Jose and was blown away. Didn't even know those trails existed. We were overlooking all of San Jose. We got back to his house and he surprised the hell out of me. He wanted to keep running!

I say surprised because before Muddy Buddy he hadn't done much running at all, now he wants to run more. I am glad he did though 'cause I had some of my best running that night. I had never done night running and I am amazed at the difference that it makes. I was doing 7:15 miles after running 3 in the hills! In fact the sixth and last mile I ran in 7 minutes. I have got to do more night running. The next day I took it easy on the legs and played some mixed doubles with the family. Although easier than running, tennis is still great for the legs and lungs, especially when there is a lot of pivoting and quick sprints.

My biggest day, though, was Thursday. I really am a glutton for punishment. We were sitting on low to mid 90s at about 5 PM. I wanted to get a run in and didn't think anything of it. I mean, most of the trail I was going to run is in the shade, how bad can it be? Anyway, I got a call from my friends and they wanted to go bike riding. So we set a time for later in the evening. I head out and do my run. Strong first two miles, then I melted on the last two, turning in 7:41, 7:39, 8:20 and 9:10 splits. The heat was too much without bringing water. So that was a 33 minute 4 mile run. A half hour drive later I met my friends for a nice afternoon bike ride. Sure, like I would let myself have a nice ride. The scenery is great, it is the elevation climb that isn't nice.


About 9 miles to the summit above Lexington Reservoir. The last 2 miles or so is an 850 foot ascent to the summit that overlooks all of the Bay Area. Amazing view, overall fun ride, a bitch of a climb. I've done this before when I hadn't run and it was tough, but doing the run first exhausted me. 2 hours and 12 minutes and 18 miles later and we are back to our cars. I hadn't eaten since 12:30 so we run over and get a quick bite to eat. I was supposed to go to the gym with my brother but it was too late now at 9:45 so he wanted to run and, you guessed it, this glutton jumped at the opportunity to log in more running. So a quick 20 minute drive later (leaving me a total of 50 minute rest since bike and 1hr20 minute rest since 5) I get to his house. We are off and running after a quick visit with mom, niece, nephew and sister-in-law. He originally told me he wanted to do about a 3 mile run, but it ended up being a 6.14 mile loop around his neighborhood. I got back to the house at 11:47 and I was exhausted. My brother went for another mile, and I was tempted to join him but listened to my body instead. A day of running, biking and then running again resulted in 10.15 miles ran and an 18 mile bike ride over a 7 hour time period. I burned 2,300 calories.

That leaves today, Friday, for the week. A day of rest for my legs to be ready for tomorrow when I play in a doubles and singles tennis tournament in Santa Clara. Then another 10k event in Palo Alto Sunday morning.

Here's to a week of cross training from one glutton to another.

Henry Coe 10k and Muddy Buddy

Now this was a fun weekend. I was able to get two events in: My first 10k and one my brother and I have been waiting for, Muddy Buddy.

Henry Coe 10k - 0:49:16 (7:57 pace, 26/99)

The 10k was held in Henry Coe State Park in Gilroy, CA. A great park that made a nice little quaint morning run. My friend, Carla, and myself arrived early and walked the course some. They've said in the past that there are meandering creeks that run through the trail run, but this year there were only two that had any water in them, one you could jump over and the other had a trail going around it. Some die hards jumped straight into the creek to cross, but if you can cross and remain dry why would you ever soak your shoes and socks and risk blisters and sore feet? Who knows, but I was happy that the 7 or so creeks were all mostly dry.

The race itself was great. Around 200 or so people showed up for the 5k and the 10k, so it wasn't too crowded. Still, I moved to the front to avoid the walkers early on. With the gun going off I eagerly began. My pace in the beginning was a little fast and soon noticed it and so slowed down. With a nice even pace I was able to take in the course. And this I did as all the dust swirling in the air caked my nostrils and face. Soon enough we hit some small hills which kind of made this a trail run. I say this because this is definitely a trail run, but probably an easy one compared to others. Anyway, at the half way point I grabbed some water and drank half and threw the other half over my head. The rest was an easy run as most of the small rolling trail was now going at a slight decline. Soon enough I came in at 49mins16sec, a personal best by almost 3 minutes! My friend Carla, incidentally, who hadn't run a competitive race since October of last year, placed first in her division! This just tickled me happy. In fact, if you include the men she placed 3rd in her age overall! Way to go!

Muddy Buddy - 1:08:37 (11:22 pace; 443/746)

Now this is one I have looked forward to for awhile, one my brother had heard about and wanted to do with me. In case you have never heard of it, Muddy Buddy is a race where you team with a partner and one person bikes and the other runs, then after a mile or so you do an obstacle course and then switch, the other biking and the other running. This goes on for about 6 miles or so. We had heard that the first leg is up a steep hill so whoever was in better shape should ride the bike first. This was our original intention, but then they released a map that showed that whoever ran first would run quite a bit more and the rest was downhill, so since I was a better runner than I should start with the run (we were originally going to have me do the bike for the hill on leg 1). Suffice it to say, I wouldn't have brought it up if the hill wasn't so tough. Practically straight uphill for 6 tenths of a mile. Poor bikers. We started the run leg three minutes after the bikers started and we passed the first biker, who was walking his bike, at about a tenth of a mile in! That hill was a bitch. The rest of the race was a blast. Extremely dusty, especially with all the bikers flying past you as you run kicking all the dust in the air. Didn't have my sunglasses on, so you can only imagine.

Technically it was a duathlon, but something makes this one different. At the very end, you climb into a mud pit roughly a hundred feet long! You look at it and realize that you actually paid money for this, then you look forward and find that the only way to cross the finish line is to crawl in mud. You reach your hand in and you sink to your elbow. It's kind of comical. We looked like dogs or cats trying to walk in water with the legs in the water and your abdomen thrust way into the air to avoid the water. Then I hear the announcer yell out, "It's a mud pit, you're supposed to get in it!" Ha, he could only be talking about us. Eventually I said screw it and went as fast as possible, while my brother was trying to throw mud on me from behind. All in all, a very fun race. I wish there were more to the obstacle courses. Perhaps include a few obstacles in the mud pit. Other than that, we had a great time.