Do I alway run like that?

Do I always run like that - Hagg Lake race report

Hagg Lake 50k was an absolute blast. The conditions were great: not too much mud on the trail, the temperature was nice and cool, and the sun was shining. The run went really well, actually it was my first sub 5hr 50 km. In light of my new PR (personal record) I'll list the positive aspects of the race for me.

its go time

Things I did well on Saturday
1) Run slowly. I ran a faster second lap than I did the first. Negative splits are great because they generally allow one to pass people in the second half of the race as opposed to getting passed in the second half of the race. In this case I passed about 5 or 10 people on the 2nd lap (not counting the early starters).

whos the maniac now?

2) Pay attention to my breathing and my body. Early in the race I found a great rule of thumb to know whether I should pass or not pass someone and whether I should pursue someone who is passing me. Listen to their breathing. Compare it to mine. If they are breathing harder than me, then I don’t pay any attention to them. It’s a possibility that I'm running too slow, but more likely they don’t know how to properly pace themselves and won't finish anywhere near me. If instead they are breathing easier than me, then they're probably more experienced and more fit than I. In this case I'm probably a little further up in the pack than I should be and I should be slowing down.

I should also mention some other aspects of this race… Take a look at the last three pictures here (ignore for a moment that I’m basically just walking in the first few). Am I a weirdo or what? What in the world is that grimace on my face? Do I always run like that? In light of this I think that I should probably alter my training plan to include a weekly run where I pull the treadmill in front of the mirror and practice making normal people facial expressions for a few hours.

Wed 02/11 – Speed work is hard

Wed 02/11 – Speed work is hard

Speed work is hard. Maybe that’s why its not good to do it all the time. Myself, I do it as much as I can, which is to say, as much as my body will let me. Today, it didn’t. The combination of a few consecutive weeks of speed work, plus 25 milers on back to back weekends did not treat me very well, so I cut my session of 6x800s short today. The bigger picture is Hagg Lake next Saturday, so I didn’t feel bad about easing off. Sometimes running (for me at least) is mostly about staying healthy and injury free. I should know, my first marathon (Newport) put me out of commission with shin splints for months. I’m a bit smarter than that now. Rather than get really excited about some race that I want to run fast or that is longer than I’ve ever done before (like Mt Hood in July) and go out and train until I’m hurt, now I’m Mr. gradual progression. The last 3 months of speedwork have seen my 800s drop from 3:20 to 3:00, and my 1600s drop from 6:40 to 6:10. Neither of those time are fast, but relatively speaking, they are faster. That’s the key. In March I’m running a local 10K, 5K and 1 miler, to check and see how these times have changed since the fall.

Sun 02/08 - Pick yourself up and dust yourself off

Sun 02/08 - Pick yourself up and dust yourself off


Not every run is great, and not every run is incredibly fun. Some days, like yesterday, I never really get into a groove. I didn’t really feel strong until I hit the 3:30 hr mark yesterday, and by then my body and mind had already agreed that it was time to head back to the car. I spent the first 10 miles trying to assess why I felt like I was running in slow motion, especially in light of the speed work that felt really good earlier in the week (3x1600 @ 6:10). At this point I came to bridge over a creek on the Old Growth Trail in the Mac Forest. I came down to it, turning to the right, both feet to the left of my center of gravity, hit a wet spot with my foot strike on the bridge, and ended up completely sprawled out, face an inch above the ground, with my left foot hanging over the edge of the bridge, and a nice bruise on my right shin. After a few minutes of walking to ease the pain in my shin, I was no worse for the wear, but my ego had taken a big hit. It was just that kind of day. I continued on in the best way I knew how. This being three weeks from Hagg Lake, I had to get some miles in, so I ran as far away from my car as quickly as possible (thru the Maze over to the bottom of extendo) so that by the time I actually acknowledged that I wasn’t going the full 28 today that I wanted, I had already signed up for 25 just to get back to my car. It was good enough. It's good for me to get in miles when I feel a bit off. I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and made more tracks. Not every run is perfect, and there are and will be days when I question my motivation and my fitness, but in the grand scheme of things, one mediocre long run is not the end of the world. Anyways I've ended laid out on the trail two of the last three weekends, and given a choice, a hard landing on a bridge is better than in the brambles. It's ok to fall, and its ok to cut short a run when I feel off. Hagg Lake is in two weeks, 10k, 5k and 1mile runs sometime in the month thereafter.

Sun 01/11 Cascade Half marathon

It felt nice to be racing again, it feels even nicer to know that more races are just around the corner (like Hagg Lake). I had not forgotten how exciting is to be surrounded by people who as excited about running as I am. The excitement was palpable and contagious. In the time before a race starts I like to relax by people watching and trying to pick out which folks might beat me (which is a lot) and the ones whom I might race close to. The main fashion related indicator of speed is generally is the length of someone's running shorts, unless that person happens to be on the local high school cross country team, in which case all bets are off.
The fact that this was a road race did little to curb my enthusiasm. Road races are fun in their own way. I enjoy trying to keep an even pace throughout, especially when all the miles are marked. I started with a 6:40, and averaged 7:09 min miles. The last few miles were into a headwind, so I know I slowed down there, but other than the last few and the first, almost all my miles were 7:10 to 7:15. Unfortunately I could not catch up to they guy running in long cargo pants, whom I was eyeing from a few hundred meters back for almost the whole race. (As a side note: There always seems to be one guy in some ridiculous outfit that puts me to shame at every race. In the Turkey Trot 5 km, which I took 8th, I was destroyed by a man who was 15 years older, 50 pounds heavier, and ran in long sleeved striped and collared cotton polo shirt. So much for spandex.) The course was an out and back, and on the way back, I passed 5 people, and was passed by 1 person, which I think speaks well to my pacing. Its always interesting to me to see how the die is cast so early in these races, despite so much internal struggle on whether to come out fast or slow and then speed up or down. One thing to note about this race: I am pretty sure than I don’t enjoy drinking coffee and running distance anymore. I just felt like the caffeine was wearing off before I finished. For now on I'm not drinking coffee before any race over an hour long.

Sun 01/04 Bay Area point to point

Sun 01/04 Bay Area point to point
Definitions of adventure running
1) Should involve a heathly degree of the unknown. Distinct possibility of getting lost, found, hungry, or thirsty.

trails ... where we're going we dont need any trails

2) Should involve a reasonable chance of losing one’s

ego. All those who have run out of food/water while still a significant distance away from the trailhead know what this feels like. Climbing Mt Diablo is also another good way experience this sensation.

sometimes trails will just appear where you need them to

3) Bonus points are included for the following: Filtering water from the trail along the way, longer distances unsupported (unless one stops in to buy some food item that is not normally associated with running at all, say for example, a slice of pizza, a burrito, or an espresso), point to point routes (as opposed to loops), especially those that end at a bar, a house, or in another county.

How far was the run? It started back there and went over there.

4) Should involve at least an hours worth of pouring over topographical maps, and the creation of at least one contingency plan. In the pantheon of fun things to do that are not running itself, I would rate talking about running and planning routes very highly.
5) Perhaps most importantly, an adventure run is one which captures the imagination and rekindles our enthusiasm for life and for running.

wintertime in California

With these thoughts in mind I ran a little point to point with Mike the other day. We started in the Marin headlands and ended up in San Francisco, mostly just sort of heading the in direction we felt proper rather than following any map (or official trail for that matter). It’s really nice to get out in the sun …

Sat 12/27 New Years Resolutions

Sat 12/27 New Years Resolutions – I’m still working on my resolutions … make that resolution. So far the only one that I’ve come up is ‘This year I resolve to be a bad ass’. I just haven’t quite figured out what that means. Allow me list some thoughts I have toward achieving my resolution …

1) Race the Mac well in May. Get a seat at the big boys table in May. Not quite sure who the big boys are, but I would like to race with them at the Mac. What does that mean? Sub 5:30.
2) Get back to post PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) weight. Picture hiking all day for 5 months. Now picture hiking all for 5 months with access to a grocery store/quickie mart only once every 5 days. I’d like to get back to the weight that I was when I finished the PCT in Fall 05, minus the giardia of course. This seems like such a ridiculous proposition on its face, but my experience on the weight scale at Dixon over the past year suggests that its almost inevitable. It probably doesn’t matter a single bit what I put in there … as long I stay injury free and keep running, my body’s going to burn it off.
3) Run a 5 minute mile. Actually that sounds pretty hard. Lets make that a 5:30 mile.
4) Make up half the difference between my last marathon time and Boston qualifying time (and qualify in 2010). That’s a 3:23, since I ran 3:36 in Portland in October, and need a 3:10 for Boston’s imprimatur. I read that only 10% off all marathoners ever qualify. Guess how many who run in Boston, having already qualified in the previous year, qualify for Boston the next year. Less than 40%. In case this sounds stupid, I admit it, I crave acceptance from the only marathon that currently excludes me. I’m no Katie Holmes, but I’m cool enough, let me in the club.
5) Run my first 50 miler. Mt Hood in late July. Its go time, period.
6) Run a lot of 50 km’s. At least half a dozen. Preferably more.
7) Run with some folks who are slower than me. Its time to give back to the folks who’ve inspired me, kicked by butt, supported me, blasted by me etc … The best inspiration for running faster is peer pressure, right? Its time to pay it forward.

Sat 12/27 Pre-Cascade ½ marathon time trail

Sat 12/27 Pre-Cascade ½ marathon time trail

I ran a 12 mile time trial today. I was hoping to see a nice jump in pace from all the speed work I’ve been doing, but my 12 mile pace predicted at marathon time that was pretty much the same as I got in Portland in October. Maybe running alone is a bunch slower than actually racing. I didn’t feel like I came in with a bunch of gas still in the tank. I’ve got 1 minute per mile to shave off my road marathon pace to qualify for Boston. I had taken some time off of speed work to save my hamstrings and my ego, but I guess its time to head back to the track from some more 1600’s.

Sat 10/05 Portland marathon recap

Sat 10/05 Portland marathon recap
With no small amount of trepidation, I set out to run another road marathon the other day.

Hi, I'm running right now.

Given that road races are so very terrible on my feet and lower legs, I was apprehensive about how the road miles would feel. It turns out that not much has changed since I ran Newport in 2006. Road miles are fairly boring, monotonous, and challenging (if you want them to be, that is). The one thing I can say for road races is that they attract a lot of people. In certain circumstances this can be a good thing, in other cases not so much. I can’t recall the number of walls of soccer moms, almost completely blocking the road from one side to the other, almost sometimes completely walking too I might add, during the course of this race. A significant portion of this was wholly my fault. I should have gotten to the race much earlier to line up in an appropriate spot. Instead I lined up in about 6000th place and proceeded to pass literally about 5000 or about people, finishing 896 out of 7862. A back of the envelope calculation shows a passing rate of about 1 person every 3 seconds. Lame. Totally lame. I wasted too much energy getting around people. Next time I’ll wake up ½ hour earlier, start up where I should, or better yet, avoid the LA freeway traffic jam like numbers in this marathon. After running this race, I can really appreciate a race like Newport’s so much better. Having said all that, I definitely enjoyed finishing this race in a time that was much quicker than expected.















someone is clearly glad to be done




By the numbers
6 – approximate number of Voodoo donuts eaten post-race.
5,265 – number of people that I passed in the race
34 – number of people that passed me in the race
34 – number of Voodoo dolls that I made when I got back home.
3 – number of terrible tasting goos that I ate during the race. These things tasted like honey with crushed up Flinstones vitamins in them. Blecchhhh!!!!
8:13 – average pace per mile, 1 minute per mile slower than a Boston qualifying time.
1 – number of useless and self-congratulatory medals I received at the finishing line.