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!