Boston Registrant Number 16,325

According to my math the 113th running of the Boston Marathon has 16,324 athletes approved to run. I registered online and, as soon as they verify my CIM result from earlier this month, I hope to be 16,325th. My next post will have a list of things to do before getting to Boston...you know, silly things like train, get airline tickets, and find a place to stay. Piece of cake! 

Carlos and Joe, I don't see you guys on the registerd entrants list yet. 

Happy New Year...back to the wheel.

 

Back on the wheel...

Okay, the holidays got in the way of training...the dog ate my homework...I'm pms...whatever, I've been a couch barnacle for the last three weeks. I changed that over the weekend with a couple of brief, but hilly runs in Los Altos Hills (the town motto is "What goes up, must go up, and up, and up, and up...you get the idea). I was surprised to be stiff the morning after my first run. Would it be too much to hope we retain our fitness while taking a few weeks off?!?! Apparently.

Things to do this week:

• Run
• Sign up for Boston

 

The Marathon Distance 24.8...er...26.2 Miles

I can't tell you how many people have asked me why the marathon is 26.2 miles. After a wee bit o' research here's the best response I could come up with.

The 1896 Olympic marathon distance of 24.8 miles was based on the distance run, according to famous Greek legend, in which the Greek foot-soldier Pheidippides was sent from the plains of Marathon to Athens with the news of the astounding victory over a superior Persian army. Exhausted as he approached the leaders of the City of Athens, he staggered and gasped, "Rejoice! We Conquer!" and then collapsed.

The marathon distance was later changed as a result of the 1908 Olympic Games in London. That year, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria wanted the marathon race to begin at Windsor Castle outside the city so that the Royal family could view the start. The distance between the castle and the Olympic Stadium in London proved to be 26 miles. Organizers added extra yards to the finish around a track, 385 to be exact, so the runners would finish in front of the king and queen's royal box. Every Olympic marathon run since the 1908 Games has been a distance of 26 miles, 385 yards. Thanks!

So, you might imagine that King Edward VII was an athlete, given his interest in the marathon...you would be incorrect. Edward usually smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day. That's right, a chain-smoking monarch from England extended the marathon by a approximately 1.5 miles so he could have a better view of the start. Thanks!

The CIM

I have a busy work week ahead and may not get to post about the full CIM experience until later this week. In the meantime I wanted to post a quick synopsis. I qualified for Boston. Mission accomplished...though it was far from easy and far from a lock. I needed to finish with a 3:20:00 so I could go to Boston (thank you Mom for birthing me 40 years ago and two weeks before the start of the Boston Marathon!), and I finished 3:19:57. In other words I crashed and burned and redefined pain over the last three miles of the course. As you picture my sprint to the finish, imagine a plane riddled with bullets, its engine on fire, one landing gear down, and half a wing missing as it tries to land on a pitching carrier in the middle of the ocean...yeah, it was a lot like that. Hey, any landing you can walk away from, right?

Real quick:

• Thank you to Abby for supporting my three-day-a-week running habit at the expense of our time together. I love you.
• Thank you to everyone who ran any run with me whatsoever...running is SO much easier and higher quality with someone next to you. Rob Saint Evens, Carlos Jora, Cameron Yee, Strada Morris, Joe Cress, Sephanie Finelli, Mike Morris (not related to Strada), and Austin Weaver. Thank you

Job well done to:

• Mom and Abby running the first leg of the CIM relay for their teams...I really enjoyed the company before the run.
• Rob Saint Evens - 04:15:11 - One month off for a bad achilles (now healed). Not bad
• Carlos Jora - 03:18:58 - Carlos has sub 3:10 written all over him.
• Sephanie Finelli - 03:18:05 - On the heels of a 3:19 performance at the Cowtown. WOW.
  
• Cameron Yee - 03:53:05 - Yet another great finish. 

Full results: http://www.runcim.org/data/results/Results2008Indiv1.html

Back to the wheel...

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

Counting down the time to the start of the CIM. Only 18 hours to go. 

Chronology of CIM preparation:

• 6:00 PM last night: The Expo. Abby and I headed to the expo to pick up our packets. The Expo was very well organized and easy to negotiate. I managed to get out of there without any impulse purchases.
• 7:00 PM: Dinner at Mikuni's. Abby took me to Mikuni's on J street. The place was filled with marathoners from the Expo. I feel sorry for the food servers, no one was drinking and everyone was eating sensibly. It must have been a bad night for tips.
• Sleeeeeeep: I slept really well last night! It must have been the sushi.

Today's Plan: I planned to be a couch potato. Only time will tell if I was successful...enough. 

• I ran to Target to get some tube socks (cut of the ends and you have great disposable arm warmers for the run). 
• I prepped all of my materials for the CIM (another blog entry). 
• I have a quick errand at 2 with Abby. 
• Then I'll stop at the Chiropractor (Thank you Kamala Turko). 
• From 4 - 6 I'll be wrapping presents for a school thing and then picking up the girls. 
  
• Off to my parent's for dinner. The girls and I will be staying the night with my parents.
• My final errand will be dropping off a car at the first relay hand off for my mom and Abby.
• Sleeeeeeeep

Tomorrow's Plan:

• Get up at 4:00 am. Eat a bagel with peanut butter, a banana, a cup of tea, and a handful of Hammer supplements. Drag mom to the car (she's already informed me that this will be the case)
• Depart at 4:30 to get Abby (not a morning person...definitely NOT an o'dark thirty girl when it's foggy and freeeeeeeezing cold)
• Steal my favorite parking spot (less than 100 yards from the finish line). 
• Walk to the Sheraton to catch a bus up to Folsom with 6000 close friends. :-)
• Run fat boy, run.

We'll see how well it goes. Stay tuned,

The Gear

Starting in the top left and moving clockwise:

• Drop bag with my number on it
• The CIM shirt...it's the best yet! I won't wear it tomorrow, but I wanted to get it in the photo anyway.
• Garment Pile: Hat, short sleeve shirt, and compression underwear. No, Mike, they are NOT panties!
• Garment Pile 1: Socks with the big wheel and my Brooks running shorts.
• Tube Socks: I cut the bottom off tube socks and use them to keep my arm warm. Don't laugh. They work REALLY well.
• Body Glide: friction = bad.
• Vitamins: two capsules of hammer nutrition supplements (old man pills)
• Recoverite for after the run.
• Hammer Gel: two flasks of Raspberry Hammer Gel. I figure I'll need 8 ounces of gel for the run. So I split it into two flasks and added some water to thin it out. Gel in 40 degree weather takes on the consistency of Vaseline. 
• Electrolyte Pills for the run. I figure I'll need 3 per hour.
• Not Pictured: the Garmin 405 watch and my vomit green Brooks Defyance shoes.

The last run and a little hypochondria...

I posted this last night, but it didn't go. Forgive the tense.

Today was my last run. I plodded along for three miles around Land Park with Abby's friend Melissa. We ran into each other right when I hit the park and her pace was just what I needed.

 

My legs finally stopped hurting after I beat them up at the kddie trampoline party last Friday, but I certainly don't have the spring I was hoping for this week. Nice taper butthead. I still have a couple of days until the marathon and I'm hoping to have happy legs before I board the shuttle bus on Sunday morning.

 

Speaking of the shuttle bus, it's going to be a great ride. My mom is running the first leg of the relay for her team and, due to a last-minute change, Abby is doing the same. So all three of us will be heading over together.

 

Runner's hypochondria. Raise your hand if you've ever felt sick heading into the final week of the marathon...anyone. Okay, put your hands down. Without fail, most of the marathoners I know become hypochondraics the week of the marathon (think Melman the Giraffe in Madagascar). Every morning they wake with a headache (the onse of the flu), sniffle (sinus infection), or sneeze (head cold!!!!). Of course, sharing my life with four girls 10 and under doesn't help. Those lovely little petri dishes seem to have gone out of their way to sneeze on me this week. It's a conspiracy...I'm onto them!

 

I'm going to the expo tomorrow. Stay tuned...achoooooo! :-)

The week in review...

Last week I got in 6 on Monday, 6 on Thursday, and 13 (or so) on Saturday. 

Monday run was around Land Park. I stumbled across Melissa (a friend of Abby's) going the other way, so I made a u-turn and we shared a mile together before I peeled off for home. 

Thursday's run (Thanksgiving) found me on the bike trail with family and friends. We gave up battling with 27,000 other runnes at the Run To Feed The Hungry. It's a great run, but not one I want to do with the kids. I'm terrified I might lose one...which would be a bad thing. Right? :-) Mike (bro) was in town and looked really good on the run. I think he's on pace to do really well at the Phoenix Rock n Roll Marathon in January.

Friday...yes, I know I didn't run on Friday but it's here for a reason. Friday is posted to prove that I am an idiot. I took the girls to a birthday party at the Sky High trampoline complex. It's great fun. It's also a whole lot of work. Who knew jumping up and down on a trampoline for 90 minutes could be so exhausting? Who knew it would work muscle groups in my legs I didn't know I had? Yes, you guessed it, I was sore on Saturday, and Sunday, and Monday, and still a little bit this morning. Idiot! Of course, my lame ego couldn't let me be satisfied with a little jumping and then off the trampoline. No, in my quest to be the superhuman Daddy my girls think I am (note: I'm aware that this is only temporary...why do you think I'm getting the most out of it right now?), I jumped as high as I possibly could...pretty high. Was that enough? No. I also had to figure out how to do full standing front flips...as many as I could in a row. Which turned out to be three. I drew the line at back flips out of a fear that they'd need to call 911 and remove me on a backboard. Idiot. Without pulling a muscle, it was possibly the dumbest thing I could have done. My legs are completely flat right now.

I'm going to run three on Thursday, try to sneak in a massage on Friday, and remain velcroed to my couch until Sunday morning.

Turkey Trot

Today was the Davis Turkey Trot. I love this run because it's a 5k and 10k with a setup which affords one the chance to run both races if she/he were so inclined. I was so inclined. :-)

I hauled myself out of bed this morning to cold (in Sacramento, cold = mid-40's...yes, I'm a sissy), calm and foggy weather. Abby signed up for the 10k because she's getting ready for a leg of CIM corporate relay. So, she and I headed over to Davis together to get our race packets, run and have breakfast at Bernardo's. 

We got to Davis and parked about four blocks from the start...and felt lucky that we were only four blocks away. Davis is a college town without barely enough on-street parking to accommodate its residents. Never mind sandwiching in additional cars for 3500 or so runners. When we got our packets, we discovered that A Change of Pace has new chips. The old ones looked like a pretzel tied to your shoe and had to be returned after every race. The new ones looked like a thin, pliable strip of orange plastic. Instead of zip ties, the new "chip" had adhesive on one end and slipped through the shoe laces. I like them.

I headed to the start of the 5k with hopes of beating 20:30. The course had a lot of turns and consisted of road and bike trails. I hate lots of 90 degree turns because I feel like they kill my stride and cadence. Oh well. I went through mile one at sub 6 pace and I felt great...but nervous. I can't remember my last sub-6 mile. I decided to throttle back a little and trust the pace which felt comfortable...which turned out to be 6:10. After mile two, the course takes us off the street and onto a bike path. I still felt good, so I decided to press the pace a little. I finished what seemed to be an easy 5k in 18:51 (6:04 mins/mi) at 36th place. I was VERY pleased. 

I hooked up with Abby and we got ready for the 10k start. My goal for the 10K was to run it at an easy pace and hope that it was faster than the 7:37 mins/mi I need to get 3:20 (Boston). This meant that anything better than 47 minutes would make me happy. I went out at 7:00 minutes for the first mile and sped up every mile for the full 10k. My finishing time was 41:30 (6:41 mins/mi) and I still had a whole lot in the tank. I was thrilled! I've had more bad runs than good and I needed some good news heading into the CIM. This was just what I needed.

Abby predicted she'd finish at around 12 mins/mi pace, but came in at 1:05:57 (10:37 mins/mi). She did very, very well and should have a good CIM relay.

Of course, the day was not without folly. Abby had the key to the car...where my sweats were. By the time she finished I had been in a short sleeve shirt and running shorts in 40-50 degree weather for over two hours. I was freezing cold!!!! Next time, I'll drive or take the key. I was shivering for 30 minutes after getting my sweats on. Loser!

Notes:

• The Eggs Benedict at Cafe Bernardo are exceptional after a cold morning running.
• My bro, Mike is in town for the Thanksgiving week. After circling Sac for 40 minutes waiting for the fog to clear...you're not in Arizona anymore. He's going to run 16 in the morning.
• I'm pooped. Good night. :-)

Getting Caught Up...

Bad Hamster! I've neglected my blog. Here's the quick catch up for the week's events:

Saturday: I ran 17.5 with Carlos around Sacramento. I dragged him onto the AR Parkway the last time we ran, so I felt it was fair for me to follow him on one of his runs. We started at his house by Land Park (a familiar theme in my runs), ran around Land Park, down Land Park Dr to E Street in mid-town, to past McKinley part to Elvas, down Elvas and into CSUS (stroll down memory lane), and back. It was great running with Carlos, he's in fantastic shape (I predict 3:13 @ the CIM for him), but contending with stoplights and traffic took its toll on me. The las couple of miles were more than a little difficult...bonk.

Tuesday: I had a dentist appointment at 7:00 am, so I only got in 5 around Land Park. It felt slow, painful, and demoralizing. I've officially had more bad runs that good in the last few weeks. :-(

Thursday: I hooked up with Austin for 9.5 around Land Park. It was a refreshing change to not run solo mid-week. Austin and I averaged around 7:20 mins/mi (snail pace for him) and I felt refreshed. 

Weekly Roundup...

So, here's the week's workouts so far...both of them. :-) 

Tuesday, fast 6 around Land Park. I had every intention of running 10, but I was out late the night before at Hawk's  restaurant for a wine dinner featuring the Frank Family Vineyard . Good wine...a lot of wine...throbbing head on the run. Actually, i was impressed that I could maintain a decent pace with a hangover. Okay, I'm a loser. 

Thursday, I laid of speed work for two weeks after my quad got cranky running yasso 800 repeats. In the mean time I read up on speed work for marathoning and discovered, much to my chagrin, that I should be running 1200 repeats instead. So I ran a paltry 4 x 1200 repeats at the park today. The proof will come in slightly over 3 weeks. 

Other notes from the hamster wheel:

• Austin Weaver strained his hamstring setting a course record at the Apple Hill Harvest run and will not be able to run the CIM. 
• Rob Saint Evens has been working through an achilles problem which was diagnosed last night as tendonitis. His CIM prognosis is questionable.
• The CIM is full! All 6000 marathon entries and 750 team slots have been filled. This means that race day could see as many as 9000 athletes on the course. It's nice to see our little marathon growing up.

Weekend Round Up

I got in 20 on Saturday. I went out a little slower than 8 mins/mi and came back sub 7:30 mins/mi until about mile 18.5. Then the wheels came off and I bonked. I stopped fueling late in the run, I ran 20's on back-to-back weekends, the moon wasn't aligned with Saturn...or, maybe, just maybe, my hare-brained desire to run a good marathon on three days a week training has come back to bite me. I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible to run a good marathon without getting in more miles than I have. The halves have been great, but I just don't seem to have enough in the tank for the 20s. Whereas a couple of weeks ago I thought was staring at 3:15 - 3:18 for the marathon, I'm now calling into question 3:20:59. I've decided to play conservative and give myself the best chance at 3:20. I'm going to head out with the 3:20 group and stay with them until mile 20 or 22 and only then will I speed up if I feel good. It's hard for me to part with 3:15. I want it so badly. 

Other Weekend Performances

• Carlos Jora at the Clarksburg 20 Miler turned in 2:24:17 (7:13 mins/mi). It looks like Carlos wants to go sub 3:10 at the CIM. 
  
• Cameron Yee at the Big Sur Half Marathon completed with a solid 1:47:43 (8:13 mins/mi).
  
• Kris Levy at the Clarksburg Half Marathon finished with a 2:16:59 (10:27 mins/mi). She's in shape to run the CIM, but chose to train elementary school children for the CIM 2.6 mile run instead. We should share her spirit of volunteerism.
  

Back to the wheel for this hamster...

Land Park 6

It was another good run today. I ran a slow first mile to warm up and then averaged 7:20 mins/mi for the last 5+. The only thing disconcerting about the runs this week is that I have no rhyme or reason to when I run well or poorly. In general though, I'm running better and better...and that's a good thing with only four weeks (plus a few days) until the CIM. I'm planning to run 20 this weekend and then slowly taper from there...of course, how much can I taper when I only run three days a week? :-) 

Thoughts from the Hamster Wheel:

• The Theracane: Okay, laugh all you want, but I've had a couple of cranky muscles soothed by the theracane over the last few weeks and I thought I'd share. I first ran across the theracane at a friends house and I thought he'd inadvertently left some perverse sex toy laying around. But, I tried it and bought it online the next day. I really works. 
• RunnersWorld Training Calculator: I got this one from my brother. Nice find Mike. Enter the distance and time that you want to hit, and the calculator pops up another screen that has three tabs across the top; the Distance Finish Times, is how fast you should be able to run each distance; then Training Paces was really interesting as it had what target pace they recommend for easy, tempo, and long runs; finally, Pace is the mph and minute/mile break out for the marathon.   It's a fun page to play with. 

Run well...

Land Park 6 and Running Monks

I told myself last that I would forego track workouts this week after the scare with my left quad last Thursday. So I this morning I headed to Land Park for a quick 6 miles. I finished with a 7:18 mins/mi average and felt good about the run. I was amazed at how many runners were at the park this morning...fast runners. I like to pick out runners ahead of me and see if I can catch them. I caught all but one this morning. After clipping off a 7:02 mile and not making hardly any ground on her...yes, her. She stopped and started walking back toward me. I could clearly see the ING NYC Marathon shirt she sported. Wow! I wasn't sure if it was this years, but I think it was. That means she ran in New York on Sunday and kicked my a$$ on Tuesday. Nice run.

We read about the exploits of Dean Karnazas (ultra runner extraordinaire), his documentary, "50 Marathons in 50 Days " is the stuff of legends. His 50th marathon was a sub 3 hour performance at Boston. But what you read about a people who ran 100 marathons on consecutive days? What if they did this for years on end, in the middle of the night, on mountain trails wearing straw sandals? That's exactly what the Buddhist "Marathon Monks " of Mt. Hiei, Japan do. They use the runs to help them on the path to personal awakening. One of the first things a person learns about Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths (1. All life is suffering, 2. The cause of suffering is craving/clinging, 3. Suffering ceases when we relinquish craving, 4.The path to cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path...but that's another entry). For these monks, I'd say the cessation of suffering comes when they stop running! Seriously, check out the link. It's very interesting.

May all be free of suffering.

NY Times Article Follow-up

For those of you who read the article in the NY Times regarding the toll marathon training exacts on relationships (spouse, co-worker, children, etc.) You read about Jon Cohen training to qualify for Boston. He needed to best 3:20:59 in order to pack his bags for Boston and subject his spouse to another five months of training. Jon purchased a $900 muscle stimulator to improve recovery and an indoor jogging machine. He cross trained with a bike and logged up to 80 miles per week. Sadly, Jon finished 3:28:46, well behind his needed qualifying time. I know he's probably feeling a little disheartened today, but I'm sure he'll be scouring the Internet in no time at all in search of the fastest course in the US. Hey Jon, it's time to tell your wife how beautiful Sacramento is in early December. ;-) Get back on that horse baby!!!

Deluge!!!

I had to get in 20 this Saturday which coincided with Sacramento getting about 10% of its annual rainfall total. Nice. Actually, I took advantage of a break in the weather and only got dumped on for the last 8 of the 20, so, it could have been worse...but not much. I was so cold after the run that, even after a long, hot shower, I was shivering. I felt great on the run up until the last two miles. Everything seized up: knees, ankles, feet (yes, they can seize and it's not pretty), quads. In fact, I didn't feel like myself until about three hours after the run. I need to find a way to stay warm if it rains like this at the CIM. Let me know if anyone has suggestions.

• Kara Goucher made her marathon debut at the NY City Marathon today. Hers was the fastest debut marathon by an American woman. Her 2:25:53 finish meant she averaged 5:33 over the windy course. Check out other results as well.
• Jim Obermaier (friend) finished the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon  in 1:57:10. Nice job Jim. Jim also finished the Indianapolis Marathon last month in a time of 4:39:39. He dedicated the run to the memory of his father.
• Austin Weaver. On a local note, I've been blogging from time to time about a new runner in Sacramento, Austin. Well, he debuted at the Apple Hill Harvest run this weekend. The 8.5 mile course is hilly, but a lot of fun. Just ask Austin, he won it by more than a five minute margin. Did I mention he's fast? At 44:46, he averaged 5:16 per mile. Way to go Austin.

When you gotta go...

...you gotta go. So, where will the 39,000 entrants to the NY City Marathon go pee this Sunday? In one of 2,250 porto potties set up for the race. See the NY Times article.

Just the Facts:

• 2,250 Porto potties (1 potty for every 17.3 participants)
• 11,250 gallons of blue
• 101250 gallons of additional capacity (about 1/6th of an Olympic-size pool...go Michael Phelps)
• 39,000 nervous, hydrated runners with questionable tummies
• 1 rich porto potty vendor!

Speed Workout

It was a beautiful morning. The temp was right and the sunrise which unfolded during my half mile repeats was spectacular..it also put me on notice that the forecast for my Saturday run is rain and wind. Cool!

The halves, however, were lack luster. They started with my left quad yelling at me as I took my first step into the first half...great. It loosened up and I continued to gut out five mediocre halves. I wanted to do six, but the quad got chatty on the fifth interval and I asked myself, rhetorically, "What's more important, the sixth half or the CIM?" 

Notes from the Hamster Wheel:

• All of you marathoners in training need to go home and give your significant other a hug, flowers, wine. Remember, as this NY Times article calls out, they're in it too.
• Apparently, Nike feels the fastest runner DOESN'T always win. This article from SF Gate explains what happened to the "winner" of the Nike women's marathon in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. 
• Wanna get a look at what your pace could be for the CIM based on some of those fun runs you've put in? Head to the Race Time Predictor ...if you dare. :-)
• Also, here's a great pace calculator from Cool Runnings . I use it all the time.

Back to the wheel.

Land Park...Austin 5

My calves were a little tight this morning so I decided to push my speed workout to Thursday in favor of a recovery run...I really don't want a visit from the injury fairy this late in training. 

So, I get to the park and along comes Austin. He was running so fast, I swear he skidded for 30 feet before he got down to my pace. I feel old. :-) I sped up to about 6:45 pace and he slowed to meet me. He's insanely talented, but he's never run a marathon before. He has a lot of anxiety about the CIM. So we talked mostly about race strategy. Okay, I know half of the readers just shot coffee out their nose when laughing at that last statement. Ha ha, I get it. I'm probably the LAST person to give him running advice (FYI, his last 22 mile long run averaged between 5:21 and 5:24 mins/mi), but I have run more than a few marathons and I'm very familiar with the whims of the CIM, so we chatted. He's going to run the Apple Hill Harvest run as his first Sacramento area race. I predict he'll win...by a large margin.

So much for a "recovery" run.

Four Bridges Half 2008

The Four Bridges half was today and, all things considered, I am pretty pleased with the results. I picked up Joe a little later this morning than I should have...I was running late...again! Anyhow, we both lamented being more than a little stiff from our work at the school Halloween event the night before. Joe's children attend the same school as mine. He and I helped out the the fourth grade and wound up running around herding fourth graders for almost three hours. We both agreed that the day before the CIM we're going to be velcroed to a couch. 

We made good time getting up to the start at the Folsom Community Center and, through sheer dumb luck, we pick up Rob as Andi dropped him off as well. We found ourselves at the start with about 10 minutes to spare and enjoyed the people watching. Our favorites were the two guys dressed up as Nacho Libre (no joke). The gun went off and we found ourselves thundering down Natoma with the rest of the herd in the first wave.

About the run. The Four Bridges half starts out fast, going downhill for the first mile. It meanders on the bike trail with rolling hills for the next five miles along Lake Natoma before a serious uphill between miles 6 and 7 as the route hits Hazel and then picks up the bike trail again on the other side of the lake. There's another hill at mile 8 and then the course levels for miles 9 and 10. Mile 11 starts with a a$$-kicking climb and then levels out until you cross the old Folsom foot bridge and climb, climb, climb for the last half mile...what a way to finish!!!

I started out too fast (6:39) but I wanted to get ahead of the herd and attributed the speed to the decline. I didn't feel so hot for miles 3 - 7 (go figure), but found another gear for miles 8 - 11. Despite my new gear, Joe caught me at about mile 9 and we ran until the hill at 11 where Joe (who is apparently immune to the effects of gravity) bounded away from this mortal. I was still passing people, but not like Joe. 

When all was said and done, I finished at 1:33:34, about seven seconds slower than Cowtown. Given the course is tougher than Cowtown and the events of the night before, I felt lucky that I finished where I did. Good run.

Roll Call:

1. Joe "Mountain Goat" Cress - 1:32:53. Well off his best finish, but a great run considering how little he's trained.
2. The Hamster - 1:33:34. Not my best ever, but it is my best Four Bridges time by over five minutes.
3. Rob Saint Evens - 1:41:17. He would have broken 1:40, but he had to stop, remove his shoe, and take off the tape that, instead of protecting his blister, made his toe bleed. Ew!! It was also a PR by more than 8 minutes for Rob. Nice.

Notes: 

• Aid stations were well supported, but quiet as a grave. I've never seen people so quiet on a run; the spectators too...with the exception of Andi. At one point Rob was running through an aid station and jokingly asked them to, "...keep it down." I don't think they got it. 
  
• The lemonade offered by Tahoe Joe's at the finish REALLY hit the spot.
• The course was warm for this time of year and the second half of the run is very exposed. Need sunscreen next year. I DON'T need to work on a tan in October!! For that matter, ever.
• I need to work on some strength before the CIM. In addition to the new speed workouts...great.

The Real World 5K

I've long thought that age divisions are not the truest measure of ones ability. Sure, we lose a step as we age and a 50+ runner will be hard pressed to compete with a 20-something runner. I get it. But, the experience gained from 39+ years on this rock (a blink) gives me the following insight: the biggest predictors of one's personal performance are factors of everyday life. In other words, how much crap we have on our plate and where running falls as a priority. How high a priority can running be in my life when I have two wonderful daughters (and everything that comes from being a school volunteer, piano and gymnastics lessons, etc.), a girlfriend (who has two wonderful daughters), and a full-time job which all take precedence OVER running? I've always wanted to organize a run called the "Real World 5K" where we scrap traditional age divisions in favor some other mechanism. What dredges this thought up is a post on Scott Dunlap's blog. See what you think...

Runs this week...

...sucked. :-)

I ran halves on Tuesday which ranged from 3:00 - 3:09 (I cramped on that one and must admit embarrassment at cramping while running a 6 min/mi half).

I wanted to run seven or eight on Thursday, but woke with a huge headache (no, I didn't drink on Wednesday night). So, I ran five and it felt like driving a car with the parking brake on. I couldn't crack 8 min/mi no matter how much effort I added.

The rest of the week, I've felt a little lethargic. I think I'm fighting a bug.

Of course, this all bodes well for the Four Bridges half this week.

Saturday 18 - Great Day, Lots of People

I only have time for a quick post today. Saturday featured the best running weather I've seen this year: mostly cloudy, cool, and slightly breezy. It also featured a million runners on the AR Parkway. We saw hordes of SacFit runners, my mom's crew (the Golden Girls), Austin (AKA Wheels), and everything in between. 

Rob and I got in 18 at about 8 mins/mi (yes, I forgot my watch again) and it was high quality...for the most part. I guess actually ran two separate runs: 17 3/4 miles and a 1/4 mile cool down. Sadly, with a 1/4 mile to go, I felt the urgent need to inspect the conditions of the men's restroom at the Campus Commons Golf Course...everything was in working order. 

Next up: another "speed" workout at the CK McClatchy track tomorrow morning.

Five Plus Strides

I got in five this morning and it felt good. I thought I'd still feel the effects of my inaugural speed workout but, much to my surprise, my legs felt fresh and ready to go. 

My pace was much faster than my anticipated marathon pace of 7:37 and, for the first time since I started training for the CIM, the pace felt easy. Of course, feeling easy for five and feeling easy for 26.2 are WORLDS apart, but I'll take the small victory. 

In addition to "speed" workouts, I've added strides to the end of my runs (again, in an effort to draw out every last morsel of speed). I finished the run and tacked on a paltry four sprints. My goal was not to yard sale in the middle of the street in front of my neighbors. Mission accomplished.

Planning on another 18 this weekend and then Four Bridges next weekend.

"Speed" Workout

Okay, I've been remiss in posting my runs. Here's a quick catch-up: fanned my run last Thursday...bad hamster; ran a high quality 18 on Saturday...good hamster.

And now to today's workout. My recipe for a "decent" marathon in December calls for long runs (check), training for more than the six weeks leading up to the CIM (check), a "fast" Cowtown half (check), a faster 4 Bridges half (pending), and...gulp...speed workouts. So I bit the bullet and ran five x 800 today with a 200 recovery. My 800 times varied from a pedestrian 3:03 to a glacial 3:09. It's apparent that I needed to introduce speed workouts earlier in the training regimine. It's been so, so, so long since I've pushed my pace with a speed workout that I swear my legs forgot how to do it. The first three 800s felt awkard at best. The final two felt better, though far from good. I plan to keep up the Teusday 800s; I definately need them.

Observations

• It was downright chilly this morning. My guess is the temp started with a 4 today. My covers had a strangle hold on me but, once I broke free and got into the morning air, it felt great.
  
• The 405 gets an "F" for track workouts! The "Lap" button beeped, but failed to register the lap. So I did what anyone would do; I pressed the button again <beep> and again <beep> and again <beep>. Screw it! After more failed attempts than I care to admit, I resorted to checking my time at the beginning and end of each 800 and doing the math.
  

Back to work...

Land Park 4

I woke up this morning with tight calves and too much on my mind, so I decided to slip out for a quick pre-dawn 4 to ease both. At least the calves loosened up.

Cowtown Half Marathon 2008

The Hamster lined up this morning unsure of the performance to unfold over the next 13.1 miles. In order to understand fully my uncertainty, we have to get into the "way back" machine and travel to yesterday morning. Hammy went to the Big Crush in the Amador foothills. Basically, you purchase a ticket for $30 and get a wine glass you can use at almost any winery in Amador. I was the DD, so I dumped a whole heck of a lotta wine. Luckily for me, most of it was marginal at best. I was really disappointed by the quality of the wine I was tasting. The best part of the afternoon was at the last winery "R", they had the best wine, vegetarian soup, and a component aroma test. They added herbs/flavors to 26 glasses of wine and you had to see how many you could guess correctly: soy sauce, olive, dill, cherry, strawberry, etc. I got 19 of 25. Not good, not bad. So, after wine, I enjoyed an alfredo pasta dinner and a little too much dessert: apple crisp and smore brownies.  Yummm! I woke this AM with my tummy talking to me. Why is it that tummies never have anything nice to say? Groan.

Okay, now you know what I did yesterday and why I was nervous about the run. I wanted 1:35 (7:15/mi) as a finish time and got out of the gates at about 7:10 per mile and, sure enough, visited a potty at about mile 4. That tends to kill one's average pace because the clock doesn't stop just because you're in the potty, wouldn't that be nice? Nuts. I got out and caught back up with the 3:10 pace group and, after a 9 minute mile got back to 7:05/mi pace. The tummy still was not 100% but I wasn't about to get off the course again. Short story long, I came in at 1:33:30 (or about there), 7:08/mi pace. I'm pleased.

Notes and observations:

• The porto potty at mile 4 was very well kept. :-)
• The Cowtown half is very, very well supported: the water stops are plentiful and easily accessed, traffic control is great, and the organizers (Rich Hanna) are very organized. I give this run high marks!!!!
• Way to go Carlos! I almost saw Carlos' backside as he galloped away from me at the start and, other than the turn-around in Miller Park, I never saw him again. I think he came in at 1:30 or less. Nice wheels.
• Thanks to Abby for watching my Team Chaos so I could run. And also for herding them to the finish.
• Thanks to my girls for getting up early and getting ready quickly.
• Thanks to my parents for cheering me on.
• Thanks to the Fox and Goose for some GREAT post-run food! (we were going to go to Tower, but the line was insane and they don't do anything fast).
• Thanks to Greg for running in with me.

I'll post some actual times after Cowtown posts them.

The Older I Get...

...The faster I was. :-) I set out to piece together my running history tonight. My initial desire was to see how my performances from Cowtown and Four Bridges served as indicators for my CIM performance. In for a penny...I figured I'd try to piece together a complete history of races run over the last 11 years. Groan! What a pain!!!! I couldn't find a lot of my runs: Race for the Cure, Run to Feed the Hungry, the Tower to Tower Half, etc. Then I stumbled across this site. Holy COW! I found a nearly complete listing of all local runs. It was a stroll down memory lane. One I encourage anyone who's run a race in the Sacramento area to take. The only gaps were my Cowtown times (which I had already) and the Crater Lake Rim Marathon.

See you at Cowtown this Sunday...hopefully dry.

Land Park 5

The morning was again unseasonably warm (67 degrees) and humid too. I ran without a watch today because I felt like I needed a day away from the GPS taskmaster. Today was not about keeping up with a "virtual partner" or tempo, it was about clearing the mind: which didn't happen. 

The weekend is the Cowtown half marathon for me. I like using it and the Four Bridges half as litmus tests for the CIM. I always hope my time at Four Bridges improves on the mark established at Cowtown (even though Four Bridges is a more difficult run). If I have a chance at sub 3:20 for the CIM, I'll need to go sub 1:35:00 (7:15 mins/mi) at one, if not both, of these runs. We'll see.

Eric's links

• Pace Calculator: I'm always trying to figure out pace and distance for the runs I have planned. I like the Cool Runnings Pace Calculator and have spent WAY too much time on the site figuring out the impact of subtle changes of pace on the overall marathon time.
• What's Your VDOT?: I'm going to use the Cowtown and Four Bridges to establish my VDOT and shape my training plan for the final month before CIM. Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out the article on Runners World (48 would be nice).

Now get back to work! 

Land Park 5

• Distance: 5
• Time: 38:55
• Pace: 7:47

I know I sound like a whiner, but it's still warm in Sac! The mercury tickled 64 degrees this morning before the sun came up! Note: all of my temperature readings come courtesy of the new changeable message sign in front of Sacramento City College...and we all know how reliable those temp readings are: not so much. 

The good news: I didn't feel any residual fatigue from the long run on Saturday. This means either the I didn't run hard enough, or I'm getting used to running long again. It's probably a little of both. 

The bad news: my desired marathon pace of 7:37/mile still feels "fast." I want 7:37 to feel like a recovery pace, but it still feels like I'm pushing it. I think the only choice I have is to begin including some speed workouts...groan!!! Of course, I have NO idea how that's going to happen. 

In other news, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia smashed his marathon world record by 27 seconds Sunday, winning the Berlin Marathon in 2:03:59. Gebrselassie, 35, became the first man to win at Berlin for the third time. Let's do the math: Gebrselassie  averaged 4:44/mile for 26.2 miles. Am I the only person floored by that?!?!?! Suddenly, 7:37/mile doesn't seem like such a big deal.

Saturday 16 - Not the Most Elegant Run I've Logged

The Hamster barely eeked out 16 with some new and familiar faces today. Before I get into the nitty gritty of the run, I want to thank Mike, Carlos, Cameron, and Strada for joining me on the trail. Mike's a stalwart of the Saturday runs, but Carlos, Cameron, and Strada are all new to the fray. I was introduced to Carlos through Abby, he's a marathon veteran whose resume includes the Paris and Chicago marathons. Nice. Cameron is Carlos' long-time running partner and Strada is Carlos' neighbor...got it? Anyhow, I was glad to get the opportunity to run with them and I hope they can make many more Saturday runs to come!

The Crew

We kicked off about 7:20 and headed to the 6.5 mile mark. Strada is recovering from a flu so she and Cameron held back just a little while Carlos and I set out at about 7:40 per mile pace (a little fast). Carlos and I spent most of the rest of the run getting acquainted. Carlos ran without a water bottle (which amazes me) and has a springy, efficient stride; juxtaposed with my lumbering, labored stride, we must have made an interesting sight. :-) We stopped at mile 7 to make sure the potties at Arden Ponds were in working order...they were, and then, after a brief conversation with Strada and Cameron, continued across the American River to the turn-around. On the way back we hooked up with Mike whose ego was suffering because he just got passed by a guy with a baby jogger. Hey, we're not as fast as we used to be and getting passed by a baby jogger is a pretty good blow to the ego. Mike jumped in and, after another potty stop (bad pre-run prep by Carlos and me), we dropped Mike off at mile 12.5 and finished out the run with a decent pace. Carlos was pretty patient with me today, I didn't have a whole lot in the gas tank and I probably kept him off the pace he wanted.

We waited for a few at the 6.5 mile mark for Cameron and Strada who both looked really good for running 16 miles, and headed back to our cars for fresh baked bread and iced Vitamin waters courtesy of Cameron. Thank you! All things considered, it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Observations:

• It's HOT: It's unseasonably warm in Sacramento for this late in September, so I made sure to fill my hydration pack to overflowing...I needed every drop!
• Runners, runners everywhere: It's CIM time!!! I could not believe the volume of runners on the American River Parkway today. The full spectrum was represented: from sub 6 speedsters (more than a few) to jog-walkers (most). It's nice to see that many people in the sport and everyone seemed to be working hard to share the parkway.
• Wildlife: Carlos and I stumbled across a juvenile Coyote on the path today. He seemed completely unfazed by our presence.
• Rio Del Lago: good luck to all of the runners on the Rio Del Lago 100 going on today.

Two-fer

At the risk of breaking my motto (Marathons on three-days-a-week training) I got in an extra four mile run last night. Nothing exciting, just 8:00 mins/mile and a little sweat. I got up this morning and nabbed another  6.3 this morning again, at 8:01 mins/mile pace. Everything felt good, just not a whole lot in the tank this morning. I'll relax tomorrow and then get in 16 this Saturday with the LaBou crew: Rob, Mike, and ????

Random thought: my mind was ALL OVER THE PLACE this morning. I had a song stuck in my head (don't worry I won't share it an ruin your day too) and a million thoughts on top of the soundtrack of my run. How many thoughts does a person have in one day? Well, according to the National Science Foundation, people have between 12,000 and 50,000 thoughts a day...now THAT's quite a range. That's like Google Maps saying Sioux Falls, South Dakota is between New York and California...correct, but not a lot of help. How many thoughts do you have a day? Is a person who has more thoughts smarter than a person who has less thoughts? I think we all have the same number of thoughts, it's just a matter of being a critical consumer of the thoughts we choose to engage.  

Austin Ass Kicking

There are no two ways about it, I got my ass kicked this morning!!! I completed my first mile in 8:12 and was looking to try 7:30 for the rest of the run to see how marathon pace felt when I heard footsteps coming up from behind me...I HATE getting passed. 

I looked back and notice a speedster I've seen running around Land Park the last couple of weeks gliding up at slightly sub-sonic speed. Okay, I figured I'd pick it up a little to find out his story...which required him to throttle back to stall speed. <groan> Anyhow, his name is Austin and he just move to Sac (Land Park) six weeks ago from Nashville. He's 25 and fresh off the Notre Dame track and cross country teams. (At this point, the Hamster knew he bit off a little more than he could chew) After a 6:30 mile I decided to cut him free so he could do his thing and I could hail the ambulance coming down 13th Ave. Seriously, I felt like I was doing wind sprints on Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay. 

I settled back into a 7:50 mile to recover and then "sped" back up with a 7:40 mile when I heard footsteps...again!!! Crap! I was getting lapped by Austin...did he have a twin out there? There was more to learn so I pour gas on the coals for a final 6:38 mile and got a little more info out of him. Austin's training for his first marathon after two knee reconstructions. He's been running 20 milers on Saturdays by himself to keep his miles up. When asked his pace, he replies with unfeigned modesty, "5:40 per mile." WTF!!! He's running 5:40 per mile for 20...by himself. This kid needs a training partner because he's got to get ready for the US Olympic marathon trials in 2012.

Late Update

Okay, the hamster's a little behind on the runs. I'll get caught up right now.

Runs last week that I missed:

• Thursday 6: nothing to report. I ran at about 8:10 pace. 
• Saturday 16: I hooked up with Rob and Mike again. I'm truly grateful for their willingness to join me on the trail. I finished in 2:08:16 (8:01/mi pace). It was a hot day on the trail and my pre-run regimine of beer and pasta alfredo the night before didn't help.

Land Park 4

·         Distance: 4

·         Time: Don't know

·         Pace: Don't know

·         Link: Don't have it

I left my watch at home, so I did this one on feel. Here are my observations

·         Watch Addict: I had no idea I was so addicted to my watch. I spent most of the run looking down and my naked wrist. I also missed the beep heralding yet another mile of training under my belt. When all is said and done, I want to run a report on my "training program" to see if I can make tweaks to improve my performance. Now, I'll be four miles short. I shouldn't be so attached to having a complete log, but I am.

·         Shoes Matter: Running in the new shoes made a huge difference today. Obviously, the run was not long enough to offer a definitive opinion on the shoes but, at least my feet didn't feel worse. By the way Rob, you definitely need to retire the pre-2000 shoes you're running in...are they moccasins? Seriously, shoes matter.

·         Overall: The run felt fast. I don't know my exact pace, but it seemed close 7:15.

 

 

Saturday Long Run - 14 on the Bike Trail

• Distance: 14.01
• Time: 1:49:42
• Pace: 7:49/mi (thanks to the last two miles)
• Link: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/807977

What a run! I got a chance to run with Rob and Mike. Rob met me at LaBou on Howe and we set out for 14 miles of fun. Rob ran his first marathon at the CIM last year and he’s looking to use CIM for his second this year. He’s only been running consistently for the last three weeks, though he’s no couch potato when not running. Anyhow, with only three weeks of training under my belt, there’s no way I’d have logged the performance he put in today. Nice work.

I was pleasantly surprised when we picked up Mike at 3.5 into the run (at the Watt Ave. bridge) and he carried us into William Pond for the turn-around at 7 miles (actually, the 13.5 mile mark on the trail). As we got into William Pond, we were greeted by signs declaring a “full scale training exercise” underway. Apparently the Sacramento Regional Office of Homeland Security was simulating a failure of Folsom Dam. I shudder to think what would happen to Sac if the dam really failed. Not good. Anyhow, it seemed like every first responder in a 100 mile radius was there and they were all showing off their gear: satellite trucks, rescue trucks, fire engines, mobile command centers, mobile hospitals, etc. All perfectly polished. It was quite a display. Of course, the kid/gear hound in me found it all irresistible. I decided the group of rescuers mulling around with nothing to do wouldn’t mind taking a quick photo of us, so I pulled out the BB and naturally got a photo in front of one of the fire engines. (What is the difference between a “fire engine” and a “fire truck?”). Mike’s on the left, I’m in the middle, and Rob’s on the right.

Observations from the hamster:

1. Marathon Season: Marathon season is truly upon us. I could not believe the volume of runners on the trail. I’m used to running across Sac Fit, Fleet Feet, or TNT. But none were present today. It was just a steady stream of small groups of runners: fast and slow, old and young, rookies and trail veterans. In 14 miles of running I can’t recall a single stretch where I couldn’t see another runner around. I love the Sacramento running community.

2. Bikes Galore: Folsom hosted the Folsom Lake Bike Festival today and, in addition to the sea of runner, there were as many cyclists on the trail. All headed to Folsom to support their brethren. I saw cycle teams from as far away as Davis on the trail. That’s quite a ride!

3. Détente: Everyone got along today. The runners shared the trail and didn’t run four-across. The cyclists were all polite (I think one almost waved at me). It was amazing. It did my heart good to see that we could peacefully coexist on the trail.

4. Foot Pain: My foot still hurt (still a 3 out of 10) so I decided to pry open the wallet for a new pair of shoes. I went to Fleet Feet in downtown Sac and used WAY too much of Lisa’s knowledge and patience as I tried on 342 pairs of shoes. I hate being high maintenance, but I really need some shoes that are going to ensure I make it to the starting line. The result: I picked up an ugly, but comfortable pair of Brooks Defyance (Warning: put on sunglasses before you open this link). Wait for the review in upcoming entries.

Here are the splits and my comments.

Lap	Time	Comment
1	0:07:49	A little quick out of the gates
2	0:08:01	Much better
3	0:08:01	Yawn
4	0:07:49	Met up with Mike and temporarily sped up.
5	0:08:00	Much better
6	0:08:02
7	0:07:57	Photo stop!
8	0:07:54
9	0:07:58
10	0:07:59
11	0:08:12	Dropped off Mike
12	0:07:57
13	0:07:11	I wanted to push it to see how things felt…good
14	0:06:43	Can you say, "Anaerobic threshold?" I <gasp, gasp> can!

Round and Round I Go...

By the numbers:

·         Distance: 6

·         Time: 50:34

·         Pace: 8:25/mi (glacial)

·         Link: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/788669

It’s been a busy week, so I’m late posting this run. I ran this guy yesterday.

You would think that because I have a Garmin that gives me distance and maps my route, that I’d run all over the place because I always know how far I’ve gone. You’d be incorrect. Truth be told. I really enjoy running around Land Park. The decomposed granite track is easy on the joints (and my nagging little foot), the park is beautiful and peaceful, and I don’t have to stop for lights or intersections. It’s great. Also, running around the park is very, very relaxing to me. Instead of focusing on which turns I’ve made/missed and how far I am into the run. I get to relax, quiet the incessant chattering in my head, focus on form, and let the miles tick off (sometimes faster than others).

All for now. I have a proposal I need to finish related to prison healthcare. What do I know about prison healthcare? Thankfully, nothing first hand. Gotta go!

 

Land Park 5...again

·         Distance: 5.05

·         Time: 0:38:00

·         Pace: 7:31/mi

·         Link: (not uploaded yet)

Fall is on the way!!! It was 59 degrees during my run, which felt great! The first mile was spent blowing the cobwebs out. My foot hurt a little more than I wanted it to and my calves were a little tight. From there I picked up the pace and finished with a 6:28 mile. My first sub 6:30 mile in what feels like 20 years. That said, the 7:37 pace I need to maintain for Boston still feels fast. I keep waiting for 7:37 to feel easy…and waiting…and waiting. I’m still early in my training, I know. But the bottom line is, if that pace doesn’t feel like a walk in the park by early November, I’m in trouble.

Saturday Long Run - 15

Okay, this run involved three people running three different distances meeting up and splitting off at differing points. Essentially, this was three different runs. Joe, Stephanie and I are linked Waldorf. We all have kids who attend the school. They are among an incredible amount of parents running marathons this fall from the school. Joe plans to run the CIM and Stephanie plans to run the Cowtown full marathon as well as the CIM (she’s nuts). We all share the goal of 3:20:00 or better for the CIM. Anyhow, Stephanie used this as her last long run before Cowtown so she ran from her house to meet me at 6:30 AM. Joe had an early soccer game, so he too ran from his house to meet me at 6:30. So 6:30 rolls around and everyone’s been running except me. What a sloth. Not only that, I’m the only one with fluid…what? I think Joe and Stephanie must be part camel. Now I feel like a sloth AND a sissy! Great.

Here’s what the run looked like:

 

Mile	Pace	Comments
1	0:08:07	Pick met up with Stephanie and Joe at my house
2	0:08:00	This split hit in front of the Cemetery
3	0:08:14	Up the incline into Old Sac.
4	0:08:04	Into Discovery Park and  onto the bike trail
5	0:08:06	Feeling good
6	0:08:13	No idea why we slowed here
7	0:08:02	Last split with Joe, he cut off to head home for a soccer game
8	0:07:48	Stephanie and I feel good so we pick up the pace
9	0:07:38	Still feeling good
10	0:07:42	Here too.
11	0:08:01	Stephanie feels good, but my legs are going flat at this point
12	0:07:52	I power though it hoping to turn things around
13	0:08:12	Nope, now I'm just a boat anchor for Stephanie
14	0:08:06	In the home stretch.
15	0:08:02	Gut it out sissy!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/748548

I planned to run a little faster, but my legs ran out of gas. My ego and Stephanie powered me through the last few. It was not my finest run. I definitely held Stephanie back on the last three miles. Sorry. If I were to predict the run times based on today’s run, I’d have Joe and Stephanie well below the 3:20:00 goal and me languishing around 3:30:00. I need to get my game together!

On a positive note. My foot feels good. I switched to an old pair of running shoes and it made all the difference. I guess my “new” shoes are the culprit. So I need to make a stop by Fleet Feet this week.