Finally a Runner

I ran the Santa Barbara International Marathon on Saturday but before I tell you about that, I want to briefly share my history with running races.

My first race was during college. Gina and I had just begun dating and I was still in that show-off, try-to-make-a-good-impression phase of the relationship. She asked me if I'd like to do a running race with her. "Sure," I said, thinking to myself, "A 10K ...how hard could that be?!?"

The course did a lap of the UCSB lagoon before heading down Del Playa to Ellwood and the turn-around. Eyeballing the runners before the start and I was quite confident that I'd make a good showing. I had been a fairly decent bike racer after all! Gina would be so impressed with my awesomeness.

The pace was quick from the gun and I held onto the leaders ...for about 400 meters. Surely these were Division 1 cross country superstars. What other explanation could there be for getting dropped so quickly?!? I settled down to a more comfortable speed but as soon as we began the trip down DP, I got passed by a girl. "Whoa, this won't do," I thought, so I sped up to match her pace. The lactic acid had already filled up in my legs, but now it began overflowing into my abdomen. By the 6600 block I felt my breakfast preparing for an unstoppable mutiny. I diverted immediately into a yard, fell to my hands and knees, and proceeded to fertilize a bush with my half-digested corn flakes and orange juice.

[Confession: I lived in four different places on Del Playa... this was not the first bush I fertilized.]

Needless to say, my race was over, and, fortunately, Gina did not see me as she passed. I slinked back to the start and waited for her to finish. Amazingly, she stuck with me even after hearing the story of my.....awesomeness.

Well twenty years passed by before I let her talk me into doing another running race. She was very active in the local running community and I wanted to play too. I had pretty good fitness from bike racing so I wasn't too worried about repeating the earlier incident. The only problem now was that I didn't have the first clue how to train properly. Turns out it's not as simple as just going out and running hard, as much as I wish it was. Thus began my regular cycle:

• Run once or twice a week, full gas
• Race a 5K or similar
• Get injured
• Take six months off completely
• Repeat

Then two years ago I discovered trail running. And it was good. If you need convincing, read about it a couple posts down on this blog. Or better yet, just get out and run on the trails. That turned out to be the secret for breaking the injury cycle. I don't know why, but if it ain't broke... don't barf under a bush.

I set my sights on two goal races for 2012: Pier-to-Peak and the Santa Barbara International Marathon. I won't bore you with a P2P race report other than to say it was a blast, made particularly enjoyable because of training with friends and sharing the experience together.

I also joined up with the local Santa Barbara Running & Racing training group specifically for marathon preparation. In retrospect, that was the best decision I made. The coaches are really smart. Plus, training with a group keeps you motivated and accountable... and is really helpful if you are naturally lazy like me.

...this post is getting long already so I'll spare you the training details and get right to the race...

Being my first marathon, and dealing with two very annoying Achilles tendons, I was unsure what kind of goal time to target. My friends Brian and Chester planned to start with the 3:10 pace group and that seemed reasonable based on my training, even though I doubted I could sustain it to the end. I decided I would be happy with any time under 3:30 but my main goal was to enjoy the experience and learn.

Right from the gun we settled into a comfortable 7:05-7:10 pace under the tutelage of Gene the Machine. That's him below in green carrying the sign.

(Brian and I are about to nail an unsuspecting Gina with our sweaty clothing discards. Sorry.)

Our group was down to fewer than ten runners by Mile 3, which really surprised me. Many were in front and many more were behind, but I had expected most runners would make use of the pacers. They proved to be absolutely key for my race.

Our pace felt comfortable the entire 9-mile loop around Goleta, and I greatly enjoyed seeing friends, neighbors, and race volunteers out cheering us on. A really nice vibe. The only downer was the loss of Chester who dropped back to nurse a tender, possibly-fractured hip.

Gene brought us to the 13.1 mark about a minute under pace, by design, because the second half was hillier and expected to be somewhat slower. Hitting the halfway point was a big relief, although my legs were getting fatigued and a little wanky. Ethan took over for Gene and he quickly settled into a steady pace.

Sad to say that Brian dropped back around Mile 18 to deal with some bad quad cramping. I know from experience, that once a major muscle group rebels into a massive cramp, there is no way to completely recover. It may subside, but you will not be at full strength again that day. Kudos to Brian for pressing on under the circumstances.

So now Ethan became my personal pacer, and I decided I would stick with him or detonate spectacularly trying. I was also struck with the uplifting realization that I had now run a longer distance without stopping than ever before. Gina and her friend Sabrina were at Mile 20 and I stole a quick kiss. From Gina. I started getting a little delirious around this point: I thought I saw my friend Katie and went to give her a hug, but just before making contact, I realized it wasn't her. Ooops.

It became more difficult to keep up with Ethan as we turned from Modoc onto Las Postias. He yo-yo'ed about 10 to 30 meters in front of me, and I feared losing him. My legs were really hurting now but I conjured up a memory to put the pain in perspective. Twenty years ago I did the District Championships Road Race out by Bakersfield in 100-degree heat. The race was a hilly 90 miles and I finished in a three-way tie for the bronze. I lost 10 lbs of body weight and peed blood for two days. That was real pain. I also thought about this video my friend Kary forwarded me the day before the marathon:

The mind is a powerful force, and mine slapped me in the face and told me to HTFU! I caught up to Ethan by Mile 23 and turned up the Cliff Drive hill with renewed determination. The change of stride felt good. By the top I was delirious again and probably babbled like an idiot as Mark W. rode his bike beside me shouting encouragement. He's a dude who has run Western States 100 and countless other Ultras. I was also greeted here by my brother Steve, a sub-2:50 Boston Marathon finisher. Their presence motivated me and I picked up my pace to 6:45s along Shorline Drive. Kind-hearted 3:05 pacer Travis dropped back from his group to encourage me along. His calm words snapped me out of my delirium and focused me on the finishing stretch. All pain subsided upon entering the SBCC stadium for the final quarter mile. It was an amazing feeling and the energy was intense.

My finishing time was 3:08:34 which turned out to be 2nd in my age group. Even though I'm a relatively inexperienced runner, I realize this was about as perfect of a first-marathon experience anybody could ever hope for. (Well, except for Todd Booth, who had never run more than 16 miles before ripping a 2:55! But this is my blog, so we're talking about me here.)

One last thing I'd like to share with you about my marathon experience is my race-day fueling, because I suspect that's where many runners sabotage themselves by not consuming enough. According to my Strava data, it took around 3,200 calories for me to run the marathon. Now a typical carbo-loaded person can start with about 2,000 calories worth of glycogen packed away in his/her muscle cells, plus a little bit of liver glycogen too. During the event, if your engine is running up in the high aerobic zone as mine was, then almost all your energy is coming from the glycogen with just a little bit from fat stores. So obviously a marathon requires significant fueling. I had somewhere around a 1,000-calorie deficit I needed to account for. Here's what I consumed:

• 12-oz. V-8 and one Cliff Shot 5 minutes before start
• Five Cliff Shots during the run
• Two 16-oz. bottles of salt-spiked sugary drink (one was iced tea and one was a Coke)
• Six Endurolyte pills
• ~20 little dixie cups of water or Fluid mix

So adding it up, that's over 1,000 calories of fuel and a lot of electrolyte replacement. Consequently, I never hit "The Wall" that marathoners talk about. So if I could be so bold as to make a suggestion to other marathoners, please eat and drink a lot during your race!

Ciao!

Let Me Count the Ways...

I think I'm in love with Trail Running. Or maybe it's just a jumbo-size crush ...time will tell I guess. A younger man would just let loose and follow his heart, be a romantic. I'm more rational than that; I like to analyze and make lists. Pros and cons, that sort of thing.

Here are the pros:

1. Unlike my last affair, trail running doesn't hurt! Not sure why, but maybe it's all the different positions and geometries. Up, down, bumpy, smooth,... Lots of variety so that nothing ever gets worn out or broken. Which also means you get more of a full-body workout! The sense of blissful fatigue after 90 minutes on trails is much more satisfying than 90 minutes on the road (well, I think it is... can't say I've ever successfully run 90 minutes on pavement without blowing up prematurely).

2. And what a heart-pumping experience it is to run all out up a 30% slope. Few things scream, "I'M ALIVE!!!" like that organ pounding against your rib cage at 170 beats a minute. Such a fine line between pleasure and pain. But for whatever reason, I cannot go that hard on the road--other systems fail way before my heart maxes out.

3. I'm also smitten with the mental side of trail running. Your brain goes on hyperdrive as you hurtle downhill on a twisty single-track covered in rocks and roots. Every footstep is subconsciously calculated to keep you upright and moving forward quickly. So many factors... will your shoe grip that boulder, or will it slide off? can your knee handle the drop? is your ankle strong enough? what's under those leaves? etcetera, etcetera. Of course you're not really aware of all that thinking--it just happens instinctively--and it's a rush, a powerful mix of stress and exhilaration. Much different than plodding through the motions when running on pavement or even pedaling a bike.

4. Trail running is oh so Au Natural. Our ancient relatives did it, though not so much for fun as for survival. Eat or be eaten! What else can you do in the modern world that has such a basic primal connection? Does the forest look or feel any different for us today than it did for a young Chumash boy or girl 5,000 years ago?

5. Once a week I do it with a group. They're smart, fit, genuine people. Men and women, mostly all younger than me. No one person dominates, and we all take turns being in front or behind. It's been five weeks in a row now, and we always rendezvous in a new place or run a different trail. Loving the variety!

So, are there any cons of trail running? What about breaking an ankle, getting bitten by a snake, or eaten by a mountain lion? Those are the obvious things, but the risks actually add to the thrill. The bigger issue, however, is what this fling will do to my 30-year relationship with bike racing! Is there room for another activity? Is there enough passion to share, or will performance suffer? Could the two relationships possibly be complementary?

I'd like to find out. I'm going to do some of these in 2011.

Monday Mumbles

I really did start this post on Monday, but I soon lost my focus ...sorta like my training lately.

So, waddup??

Super Teams

Entertaining discussions going on about a few of the Elite and Masters teams around California. Some folks have strong opinions... read here for example, where the subject is the Amgen/UBS masters team. It's true that their roster is a who's who of top SoCal geriatric talent, including many ex-pros, etc., but it's not like they're the New York Yankees playing against Little Leaguers. A quick check of results posted on scnca as of this writing reveals they've won half of the 35+ and 45+ races thus far in 2010 (including a podium sweep in the Red Trolley 35+). Not bad, but not totally dominant either. Other people will win plenty; races will still be fast and enjoyable; the sky is not falling...

...except in NorCal p/1/2 racing. Four "real" races so far this year, four victories by the new Yahoo! Cycling Team. Complete podium sweeps each day in the Cantua/Pine Flat/Dinuba weekend! Of course that kind of dominance is less likely when the bigger races roll around, but certainly Yahoo! along with Cal Giant will be major forces in NorCal racing. Maybe some opportunist up there will remember Clint Eastwood in "Fist Full of Dollars" sitting pretty between the Rojos and the Baxters "...the heart Ramon, shoot for the heart!"

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Running ...huh?!?

I am 100% committed to running the Santa Barbara International Marathon on November 7th. That's 100% farther than I've ever run in my life, and about 99999% farther than I've ever run comfortably since childhood! I ran a tad over 2 miles on Monday, and I still feel it 5 days later. Gina says she thinks it's only 40% likely that I'll follow through, which oddly enough makes it more likely. I don't really know what I'm doing, but continuing with the numbers theme and a bit of math...

I hear the rule-of-thumb is to increase your running mileage no more than 10% per week. OK, if I can run 2 miles now, and need to run 26 miles eventually, then we have:

2 * (1.1)^N = 26 ; . . . where N = # weeks of mileage increases

(1.1)^N = 26/2 ; . . . simplifying

N * ln(1.1) = ln(26/2) ; . . . take log of both sides

N = ln(26/2) / ln(1.1) ; . . . simplifying

and so we have: N = 27 weeks!

Add onto that 2-3 weeks for a taper, plus a few weeks of rest and/or flakiness, and it means training starts ..... NOW!

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Born to Run

No, not Bruce Springsteen, I'm talking about the Tarahumara in Mexico from the book Born to Run -- A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. Half way done and loving it.

I strongly resonate with the book's key theme, that the human animal needs to run. (And by run, I extend the meaning to include any sort of substantial aerobic exercise.) Not only do we need it, but we should love it. We're wired to love it. A bunch of millennia ago, running was essential to our success as a species --eat or be eaten-- and nature has a way of making the important species-survival activities pleasurable. We're still good on one of them, procreating, but somehow the other one got lost along the way.

Or should I say, our society squashed it. Every kid loves to run. If you're a parent, you know this. First mobility is a few months of crawling, then eventually standing, followed by about a millisecond of walking, followed immediately by full-speed-ahead running. That lasts until about the middle of elementary school for almost all kids. But then something happens; running is no longer fun. Why? I don't know, but I speculate it has to do with how our society turns it into a competition. That innocent fund-raiser jog-a-thon at school? Clearly your child sees it as a competition -- how does it feel to not win? Or get last? Why would a kid like to run if it instills a sense of mediocrity or worse? Then there's Junior High PE class ...how many kids emerge from that experience with joyous feelings about exercise? (Not to dis any PE teachers out there, but that's how it is for most kids.)

To be sure, plenty of adults get back in touch with their inner animal and take up running (or cycling, swimming, etc). Many will compete again, and almost all of them will not be winners, but age brings the wisdom and awareness to not equate self-worth with a placing in the local 10K fun run. I think the majority of adults who take up aerobic exercise generally stick with it for the long haul. They reestablish that connection between exercise and mental/physical well being. Unfortunately, they (we) represent a very small minority of the entire population.

I'm wandering here so let me wrap-up with one thought: If all people exercised and ate right, our world would be so incredibly better than it is today on all fronts. It's so obvious.

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More Randoms...

Ever wonder what it costs to put on a bike race? Check this out.

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I crack myself up... When I saw the picture below (Sunday Worlds ride getting lectured at by Officer Rodriguez) all I could think about is how funny it would be if all the cyclists had on kits that resembled the CHP uniform, complete with shiny badge, helmet, and glasses.

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Next up: Figueroa Hillcimb TT (last of the SB Triple Crown) and Cal Poly SLO crit on a supposedly technical and topographically-challenging course. Both in the rain apparently.

A Perfect Weekend

Finally, after six months of things-are-not-quite-right weekends, the past 48 hours have been pretty much perfect. Allow me to bore you with the details....

Wife's Holiday Party
I've been told that a classic symptom of an introvert is that you dread going to parties, but you almost always end up having a really good time. That's me to a tee. Gina has worked at the same company for 24 years and I think I've been to all but one of her company's holiday parties. Some years are more memorable than others --the drunken, skirt-lifting affair comes to mind-- but they're always enjoyable. Like Friday: Tasty food and wine, along with good conversation. Our table won the trivia contest, albeit with some help from internet-connected iPhones. Then, after dinner, Gina danced and I played poker. The first few hands were bleak. The dealer was flirty with the cuties, and Lady Luck was not flirty with me. Twice I lost big with two pair, and then when I drew an inside straight, I ended up splitting the pot. But on the final hand of the night, when everyone goes all in, I nailed a flush and took it all.

Saturday Ride (Bonk-a-rama!)
All week I'd been excited to do the group ride, especially with near-certain rain for the next four days. Plus I really, really need to train. But all that logic goes out the window when the alarm goes off and you're still dog tired and outside the covers is dark and freezing cold and really early. Inside the covers is cozy warm and my sweetie is near. Why get up?! Because, that's what we do, isn't it. 8:00 downtown and I see that 40-50 other riders also got up in the cold dark early. The ride began with nice chatty tempo pace, but as per normal, the climbs sorted us out. I immediately fell back from the leaders and decided the remainder of this ride should be done solo. Skip the regroup, onward to the lake, Ventura, and up the coast back toward SB. Nice power on the rollers at first, but by three hours my fuel light went on and all I had left to eat was a small baggie of raisins. 40 miles to home.

Side story: I have a personal Thanksgiving tradition, and it goes something like this. Leave mid-morning for a four-hour ride. Carry no food. Inevitably a nice bonk will arrive at about three hours, just when the aromas from amazing Thanksgiving feasts begin to waft into the air. Savor the sensations: gnawing hunger, weak legs, slight headache, delicious smells. My theory is, a good old fashioned bonk kicks your metabolism and fitness up a notch.

Anyway, back to the weekend... I missed the Thanksgiving bonk ride this year, so Saturday looked like a good make-up opportunity. By Carp, I was mindlessly turning circles in the 39x17 at 15 mph. By SB, I moved up to the 19 and down to 13 mph. Literal State St. crawl. I saw big-time pro I-AM-TED-KING sitting alone at a coffee shop in full Cervelo kit, and my normal pro-ho tendency would have been to stop and chat (annoy, harass, stalk) him, but this bonk was serious business so I plodded on by. The smell of In-and-Out onion rings almost killed me, but I persevered. At 4 hours and 50 minutes, I arrived home and went straight to the kitchen to fry up some eggs and drench some toast with melted butter which I enjoyed immensely while growing mushrooms in my chamois.

A Nap!!!
After a long ride, a meal, and a shower ...is there anything better?

A Marathon in Town
A huge, huge event for our little community and the organizers did an incredible job of pulling it off. The Santa Barbara International Marathon had a couple thousand runners, which seems like a pretty good turn-out for an inaugural event. Gina decided to run (her 12th marathon in 12 years!) so I rode around to cheer and snap a few pictures of her and some other runners:

One of the most amazing things about Gina is her consistency and her ability to stick to a plan. All but her very first marathon have been in the 3:20-3:30 range. This year she targeted 3:30 which is a nice even time with a bit less pressure than her usual 3:20 goal. Despite the constantly changing slope of our local roads, she stuck to the effort level she knew was right and completed the 26.2 in 3:29:58. Incredible.


And you thought Chicken Rancher Gabe Garcia was just a sprinter! Look at him smiling here on the Cliff Dr. hill after already pounding out 23 miles. His goal was 3:30 also but he went a tad too fast and finished in 3:29:21. Congrats Gabe!


Lunchtime OSM rider Leif Reynolds is also a good runner and this was his 3rd (?) marathon so he knew what he was doing. He also looked quite comfortable climbing that brutal hill on his way to a 3:16:44.


Lots of press about the fast women entrants, and the smart money was on local speedster Drea McLarty to take the vee. But press leads to pressure, which can be a burden on race day sometimes. Well, not this time. She ran away from the field to win in a powerful 2:52:23, 11th overall and a solid eight minutes in front of the next woman. Wow!

Also notable for the cycling community was Eric Forte's performance (2:51:13 for 9th overall) and Nikola Valerjev's run in 3:26:31. Who says cyclists can't run?!

So inspirational was this event and those awesome runners, that I'm going to join the fun next year.


Farmers' Market, Lunch, and Coffee
...with brother and sister-in-law on Sunday afternoon. Nice that he'll still hang with us common folk since he's now a national TV star after his appearance on "Top Chef" and all. Rumor has it he'll be on a future episode of "The Bachelor" as well! Really.

Gardening
My garden really suffered during the remodel, but now it's finally getting the attention it needs. Amazingly, a bunch of summer crops were still producing so I picked a few things...


...and also finally planted my winter veggies. From seed: lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, cilantro, onions, Fava beans, and peas. Also pushed a bunch of garlic cloves in the ground. As soon as the rain lets up, I'll plant a bunch of flower seeds too, so that by next spring and summer we can have a beautiful mix of color and food. The added bonus, of course, is that the flowers will attract and feed a diverse population of predator bugs that keep the pests under control. Nature is amazing.

So that was my weekend, and it doesn't get any better than that.

Friendly but Intense Competition

I'm a sucker for a good competition, especially if I can just relax and watch. So when I found out who was lining up at yesterday's Thanksgiving 4-Miler, I cruised on over for some pre-turkey spectatin' and hecklin'.

Three of my fleetest-footed runner friends--each of them excellent cyclists to boot--would be lining up against each other in this popular annual event. Stakes higher than normal. Grand Prix tie-breaker points on the line. Prizes too, a rarity for local running races. Side bets were placed and taunts were lobbed in a bit of pre-race psychological warfare.

The three combatants (all equally capable of winning):

Mike Smith--gazillion-time winner of the Santa Barbara Sprint Triathlon, including this year at 44 years old. 9-minute two-miler, sub-15 5K, and 31-minute 10K. He's been speedy ever since his track days at Westmont in the 80's. I first met Mike 20 years ago as we rode together off the front of a mass-start Gibraltar Hill Climb. I can personally attest to his tenacity.

Todd Booth--Most consistent top finisher in local running races, ranging from one-mile to a half-marathon distance. 39 years old but getting faster every year. Top California MTB expert-class rider and energetic leader of my team. Rumored to fancy those pink foofie Starbucks drinks, but I won't say that to his face.

Eric Forte--41-year-old Librarian, Father, and quiet philosopher of all thing meaningful. But don't let that fool you... he'll rip out your liver and eat it for breakfast, raw. I've personally witnessed fits of rage in the heat of competition. When he channels that force, he's nearly unbeatable. Case-in-point, last year I saw him solo away from the cat-3 field at the Orosi Road Race to win ...by 10 minutes.

Here's what happened yesterday...

Pre-race smiles almost hide the intensity in the air. When/if Eric (L) moves back to town, and when/if Todd (R) gets a year older, there will be epic battles between these two in the 40+ age group.


Todd started really fast, and soon after this picture he had a nice gap. Smitty tucked in right behind Eric.


Not that those three would notice, but behind was a moving mass of humanity. Nearly 500 runners toed the line, making for a lot of justifiable gorging on turkey and pumpkin pie later in the day!


Todd's blistering pace shattered almost everyone. All except Eric, who clawed back and took the lead. They came through the two mile mark (shown here) in a remarkable 9:56!! Whose engine would better absorb that early pain?


Smitty followed just off the pace, but keeping it steady like he's done for 30 years.


Eric pulled away into the headwind on the gradually-uphill mile three.


Todd close behind but showing the strain of the early attack.


Eric leaves it all on the road during the final mile and finishes first in 20:49.


Todd 2nd, a bit disappointed perhaps, but a rocking fast time anyway.


And the old warrior Smitty takes the Bronze.



Post race, everyone is friends again.




Results and more pictures.

Glass Half Full -- A New P.R.

...of course, before today I'd never run a Half Marathon, so anything would have been a new PR!

I completed the race but I am so totally humbled. 324th. 1:50:35.

Running is a weird beast. I finally understand that training is predominantly about finding the region between stressing your physiology enough so that it can adapt and improve, while simultaneously avoiding injury. If you are physically robust and strong, then the in-between region is large, and you have room for trial-and-error. On the other hand, if you are a one-dimensional weakling like me (and dare I say, most bike racers) then the training region is treacherously narrow.

Contrast this with cycling, where the primary limiter in training is mental fortitude ...if your brain can take the pain, your body will adapt and get stronger.

So the Glass-Half-Empty view goes like this... I started today's SB Half Marathon with a strained calf/soleus muscle and it began to fail at about Mile 4. This despite easing in with a comfortable sub-8:00/mile pace. I gradually slowed over the next five miles while mixing up my stride, hoping other muscles could pick up the slack. Then at about Mile 9, they all rebelled in a full left-leg mutiny. Gut check time. I really wanted to RUN the entire 13.1 miles (other than when grabbing a Gatorade cup). Now I don't know what pace distinguishes slow running from fast walking, but certainly I was on the cusp. A steady stream of more-resilient runners passed me by. Some gave me funny looks, for example, the nice young lady in orange...
...as caught by Ron on film ...or on flash memory as it were.

Passing Mile 12 gave me a big psychological boost, as it marked my longest run ever and I started to believe I could finish without walking. Unfortunately in the final straightaway I became That Guy, you know, the annoying one who speeds up to pass ten people so that he places 324th instead of 334th. Embarrassing.

Results.

Okay, enough woe-is-me whining... back to a glass half full. What a fun time! And beautiful fall weather ...finally... with clouds and raindrops and cool, fresh, ocean breezes.

A few impressions will linger with me...

* I was temporarily mesmerized by the lead runners as they were inbound while I ran outbound. Aaron Gillen (the winner in 1:10) flew by like a wisp of wind. Silky smooth. Todd Booth (pic at right) in 3rd looked like souped-up Pontiac GTO muscle car ripping up a drag strip. Pure power. The gnarly dude battled neck-and-neck over the final 3 miles with some out-of-towner half his age. Annie Toth (women's winner in 1:19) appears to run without touching the ground. She's just about the most graceful runner I've ever seen.


* All the competitors who achieve negative splits, or even hold their pace the entire distance, have my deepest admiration. Top o' that list is my sweetie, Gina, who locks in a pace like an airplane on auto-pilot. Today she flew to a 1:42 good enough for 7th-out-of-78 in her age group. I cannot comprehend that consistency.

* I remember once hearing a mid-pack runner complain about the cheering spectators. He ...and I'm sure it was a he... apparently got tired of getting the obligatory "Good job", "you can do it", "nice work". Maybe he interpreted it as pity, I don't know. What I do know is that, for me, those encouraging words helped A LOT to get through the final few miles.

* ...well, except for the one guy who said, "Don't give up!" Huh? I'm not thinking about giving up ...do I really look that bad?!

* Bike racing could learn a thing or two from running races, particularly when it comes to starting on time and posting results. But that's all I'll say about that, having never promoted a race myself.

* A Full Marathon!?!?! In a month or two?? What was I thinking?! Man, was I ever naive!

OK, now it's time for a Full Glass.

Of Syrah.

Running... It's Just Like Riding a Bike Up Hill

At least that's what I've been told now by half a dozen people. Knowledgeable people, supposedly.

Hmmm, let's see...

During the first few minutes of a run, my feet feel as if I'm scampering barefoot across hot coals. No, not coals.... more like hot, spiny sea urchins. Soon it feels as if Rambo is thrusting his serrated knife up deep inside my shins ...metal on bone... then he twists it to scrape out the marrow.

Seems like my calves rip on most runs. Imagine a heavy-duty meat hook attached to a rope with a metal anvil at the other end. Now bury one of those hooks deep in each calf muscle, and run along while dragging the anvils behind you. It's sorta like that, only worse.

I'm also convinced that a gang of invisible evil elves run beside me smacking my kneecaps with invisible little hammers.

My side cramps feel like I just had an appendectomy--without anesthesia--only upon completion, the surgeon decides to tear open the incision, reach up into my abdomen, and stab each lung rhythmically with his own Rambo knife.

That's not the only abdominal discomfort either. I find that, when running, any morsels of food I've eaten in the previous 12 hours mysteriously bulk up to the size of a Jumbo Deluxe Combo Burrito. This mass hurtles down an express lane of my intestinal plumbing, and soon demands to exit the freeway. With each footstep, like a SWAT team pounding a battering ram against a tightly closed door, that burrito wants out.

And as if these problems weren't dire enough, when I do longer runs, my nipples feel like they've been sanded by a sheet of 60-grit sandpaper. They bleed sometimes.


But yeah, other than those things, running is just like riding a bike up hill.

Lake Los Carneros Cross Country

I gotta say, watching a running race is a whole lot more pleasant than running in a running race! My sore knee was all the excuse I needed to skip this morning's 5-mile XC race at Lake Los Carneros, but since it was only two blocks from my house, I had to go watch ...and take pictures.

Eric Forte and Carl Legleiter quickly jumped into the lead. These boys are very fast. Eric is a former bike racer who has turned his focus to running. Carl, on the other hand, just started cycling this year and by his own admission, is already fully hooked. He's still adapting his legs to turning circles but can already crack the 16:00 mark up Old San Marcos. Too bad he's leaving town in December, otherwise I'd make a strong effort to bring him fully over to the dark side (i.e., bike racing).


These are the gentlemen who I aspire to keep up with someday... Terry Howell, Fred Mellon, and Travis Bower. They're my age +/- a couple years, but they tick off ~5:30 miles when doing races in the 5K to 10K range. Yowza!


Ricky Ho, getting faster and faster. On the few occasions where I was near him at the end of a race, he blew me away with his final surge and sprint. The dude has some major anaerobic capacity!


Travis gets a second picture because he was my daughter's Freshman year math teacher ...and he was so good that she actually enjoyed Math! Will she follow in her parents' math-nerdy footsteps?


Drea McLarty... one of the fastest women runners in town, and also getting into cycling! She writes an eloquent blog.


Mariann (aka Tommy) was a close 2nd, until taking a wrong turn.


Steve Miley and a harem of strong runners (Desa Mandarino, Romy Suzuki, and Gae Triplett).


And back to the leaders... Eric opened a gap in the first 3 miles, but Carl closed it down and passed him on the final lap. Eric dug deep to stay close (see below) and then tried to use his awesome bike-racer sprint at the end, but ultimately came up a few meters short.


All in all, a beautiful fall day for running ...or just taking pictures.

Pier to Peak 2008

The Pier to Peak half marathon was held a few weeks ago and I pedaled up along side the runners to snap a few pictures before joining the group ride.

This is Aaron Guillen. He is a very fast runner. By my calculations, he can run up Gibraltar Rd. faster than many cyclists around town can climb it on their bikes. Seriously, by doing some math on his pace and making adjustments for the final driveway and the flat/downhill section near the top, he can probably do the uphill at about a 55-minute pace.



Matt Dubberley has a big VO2Max and so he made a valiant effort to stay with Aaron. It lasted about a mile. He cracked a bit farther up but still finished in the top ten.



Chicken Ranch Matt is showing he's more than a one-trick pony.



Our friend Steve Miley always has a smile on his face, even when running up a 4,000 foot mountain. Wait, maybe that's a grimace.



Gina smiles for the camera too. This must have been about the 50th time she's done the race up Gibraltar. How can that be if she's only 29 years old?



This is Dr. Andy Bruckner and he's about 150 years old. He was my all-time favorite teacher at UCSB. He taught Real Analysis and Functional Analysis, which are incredibly fun classes if you are a math nerd. But best of all, he'd have his classes over for gourmet dinners and lots of wine.



Race results can be found on the SBAA site and better pictures than mine are here by DJ and here by the SB Indy.

48,058

That's how many steps Gina took on Sunday, as recorded by her high-tech ped computer.

30-something-thousand of those steps were from the Rock-and-Roll marathon in San Diego, but the rest can be credited (blamed?) to my less-than-brilliant planning for our pre- and post-race transportation. Despite making extensive use of the excellent trolley and shuttle system, we ended up walking an additional 4-5 miles. Plus, on the way home we stopped off to spectate a bit at the Dana Point Grand Prix, which naturally meant walking laps around the course and doing a bunch of standing around and talking. Sorry sweetie!

The marathon was great. The course made for a good tour of San Diego, circling Balboa Park and downtown, then heading up through Mission Hills, Mission Valley, and around Mission Bay, before returning toward the airport for a finish on the Marine recruiting base. Race-day weather conditions were ideal: low-60's and overcast for the 6:30 AM start, clearing up by the finish to reveal a calm mild Southern California day.


Try as I might, I failed to get a picture of Gina at the start, despite knowing roughly where she was in the "pack". The runners were seeded based on projected finishing times, and she was in the second corral since she expected to run a time in the 3:30 neighborhood. Where's waldo...

Next time, I'll insist she wear her Elvis outfit... This is the Rock-and-Roll marathon so all the Runnin' Elvis's get front-row status!

So yeah, she ran a consistent pace for the entire 26.2 miles and came in at 3:31:28 which was right about what she had anticipated, and it placed her 6th out of over 600 women in her age group. But most importantly, she felt good and was strong at the end. She inspires me to try something of this magnitude!

++++++++++++++++++++

On the way home, we stopped off for a couple hours in Dana Point to watch some of the Masters Crit Championship bike races. Roger Worthington was the prime mover-and-shaker behind this event and by all accounts, it was very successful. We relaxed sipping iced coffee drinks while spectating and listening to live bands and a slightly-buzzed Floyd Landis rambling on the microphone. A refreshing sight was the large number of locals watching the races and clearly enjoying themselves. Some residents along the course even used it as a front-yard party opportunity! The only downer of the afternoon was hearing the sad news that our friend Matt Hahn had crashed during his race earlier in the day and broke his hip. He had a successful surgery that afternoon, but he'll be on crutches for a month. Best wishes for a full recovery.

We saw the majority of the 30+ race which was won by Karl Bordine, the guy whose green-clad butt is in my earlier picture from the Swamis ride. This is Karl leading the field through turn 4 near the middle of the race...


...but here is my #1 hero from Sunday, standing above the scenic harbor by the crit course in Dana Point...
Did this fine lady really run 26.2 miles just a few hours ago???

Mothballs and Footballs

As fun as it would have been to go yet again to San Diego for the Boulevard RR, I couldn't justify passing up a race two miles from home. Mothballs Crit 2008 was another excellent production by Mondo and the Echelon crew. Everything ran precisely on time and there were no bad crashes or controversies. For a SoCal crit, I'd call that pretty darn successful. Even the announcing from Frazer and Aaron was awesome!

Here's a few pics and stories... as always, click on the pictures to see full size, and please leave a comment or email me to correct any mistakes in the story telling. (BTW, no disrespect intended for those races I don't mention, rather it's just that I got no material.)

Cat 4: My team had the defending champ and he gave it a go for another win but, as is often the case, cat 4 field sprints are a crap shoot and the dice didn't roll his way this time. It's interesting to me that breaks so rarely succeed in these fields because the disparity in strength is so big (I think). One guy not willing to sit and wait was John Orach, who's returning to racing after a 10-year break. Here he is trying to make something happen...


...but nobody would bridge across to him so he spent four laps out front solo. If one strong guy had gone across, they would've had a fighting chance. Oh well. Check Steve Weixel's blog for more pics from this race.

[add/edit] Oh wow... I just saw the results, and it says Johnny O won!! What a humble guy, he didn't even mention it!

45+: Four of us from Platinum (C-Brown, Mark Be-Lukie, TnA, and moi) toed the line along with 30-40 other Masters including a strong squad of VOS riders who just finished up a week-long training camp in the SY Valley. I didn't know any of them but had a strong sense they would be good riders. They just had the look. Also racing were wiley vets Keith Ketterer and Steve Strickler from Amgen/Giant, bruisers C-Black-Ride and Steve Gregorios from Morgan Spinely, and lots of other elderly speedsters. Our goal was simple... make a break stick. So we were active and about half way through the 40-minute race, I countered a move by TnA and quickly we had a gap and some motivated guys (me, Strickie, Gregorios, Mike Gourley, Fred Hobblit, Paul Thorsen, two VOS riders, and I think I'm forgetting somebody). The gap grew and then we sprinted. I felt good but started too late from the back and couldn't get past the three Steves (L-to-R: Steve Gregorios--Morgan Spinely, Steve Gile--VOS, Steve Strickler--Amgen/Giant). The sprint...

Excellent pic by Goodman Graphic

Cat 3's: A strong presence from the Chicken Ranchers in this race with some really fast sprinters (Blinger, Matt, Luis, and Olympian Dave Lettieri) and general strongmen in former Jr national champ Ben Edwards, Aaron Long, Barney, and Pops Larsen. Aaron was off the front but got caught very near the end. Not sure how the last lap unfolded but our heroes were all over the front and would have won except for one quick Helen's rider (Chris Thompson) who beat them to the line...

Women 1/2/3: A small but tough field including 2007 winner Betsy Galenti and teammate Lea Adams (Helen's), Jill Gass (Karyla Wines), Anna Drakulich (Bicyle John's), Kim Turner (C-Ranch), and Lil' Ninja Ryan Hostetter from Velo Bella.

About half way through a break of three went clear, gained time, and then Betsy won the sprint for a repeat victory.


Anna easily won the bunch sprint for 4th. Sadly for her, any joy from this result was crushed the next day when her beloved New England Patriots lost the Superbowl and a chance to make history as the NFL's first 19-0 undefeated team. C'est la vie...



35+: This was an incredibly cool race and the VOS team put on a nearly flawless clinic.

From the gun, Dan Martin took off solo and steadily ground out the laps and kept the field at bay. That is really hard to do and the crowd, such as it was, showed their appreciation by cheering him on.



Good ol' Johnny O, break-away rider extraordinair in the 90's, bridged on up and went pull for pull for a couple laps but his legs weren't up to the task and soon he dropped off.

Next year, he crushes the 35+!



The field was trying. Here is Coach Doyle ripping through the S/F straight with the full field in chase.



Blinger taking a turn trying to bring back Martin. Don't feel bad that it was so hard to bring him back... he's a bonafide motor who won the prestigious Cat's Hill Classic last year ...in the Pro/1/2!!



Nick taking a turn being closely marked by Hernando.



Kim Anderson rode with the 35+ men after already doing the Cat 3 race. Note the bandaged elbow... a result of being taken down in the earlier Cat 3 race. If I were her manager or coach, I'd say "No Way" to doing the Cat 3 race. But who asked me...



Eventually Dan was brought back, and immediately another group of 12 went this time with both Martin and Hernando and some other very strong riders. Perhaps the break was too big however, because they never got a big gap and with just a couple laps remaining, the field closed in. Hernando launched and quickly gained 20 seconds. A race winning move? It looked good at 1-to-go 'cause Mike had a 15-second cushion and only 1,000 meters of smooth pavement between him and the second VOS victory of the day. But if there's one thing you can count on, it's that SoCal crit riders go fast on bell lap. I mean F'n fast, and as strong as Mike is, he couldn't hold them off, and got swarmed just before the line. His expression is priceless... how many of you kids can dig that deep?!

P/1/2: Yeah OK, the real world beaters like Toyota-United, Rock Racing, Kelly Benefits, et. al., were down at Boulevard ripping each others legs off. But we had some horsepower too in our 60-man field. Amongst the Pros and other Ubers taking the line at the 2008 Mothballs Classic were Kodak/SierraNevada alumni Pete Lopinto, Jesse Anthony, and Cody O'Reilly. Also a coupla USA U-23 studs (e.g., Chris Barton), and rising stars like Uthman Ray and big bad Adrian Gerrits, and assorted studs from Time Factory, SoCalCycling, Rock Solid Cycling, and Bearpaw. Charles Dionne was rumored to be about, but I don't know what he looks like so who knows. We Platinum warriors were only at half strength with Cookie and Ben on injured reserve, and C-Brown still coming back from serious sickness. Nonetheless, Gary and I decided to ride agressively and see what might fall out of the tree.

I'll save you having to read much more, and just say that there were lots of attacks and most everything was covered or closed down very quickly. Let's now enjoy some more nice pictures from Goodman Graphic.

Going through the first corner with Cody. At this point, it would have been wise to attach a bungy cord to his bike. A really strong bungy cord.



Gary followed by MarkZen, who's always onboard with the ride-agressive plan.



Gary and C-Walk had words last week about the strategy of trying to mark Chris. CW has been a marked man for 15 years and it still pisses him off. So what does Gary do? Ha-ha-ha. I think deep down inside, C-Walk realizes it's a strong show of respect. But he still hates it.



So I figured I'd try it too.



With about 20 minutes remaining, I rolled off solo for a lap, and next thing I knew Uthman, Mike Easter, and Pete Lopinto came charging up with space and quickly we were joined by Adrian, Nick, Eric Bennet, and a SCVelo and a Bearclaw. We got down to bidness and soon we had a good gap. I pulled a bit too hard once or twice and had to take a brief timeout, but otherwise felt good.



Nick was a horse and took some strong pulls. We got the 5-to-go card and had, oh, maybe 30 seconds.

I thought we had a chance.



But the motivation back in the field was still strong, and Cody is very fit. Had I looked over my shoulder right here, I would have cried.



So we got caught with just under 2-to-go. Daddy-O'Reilly spun it up for Cody and he womped on everybody and won easily. I mean it was like a man against little boys.

But the sprint for 2nd was tight, as shown by this shot from the finish-line camera...


Gary managed to stay in the scrum and got 16th and I was back between 20th and 30th. Although we didn't score any goodies, we rode hard and took chances. Like Jens says, "if ya don't try anyTing, ya beaten ... right at da staut, beaten ... why even sho up?" Right on Jens!

++++++++++++++++++++

So that was Mothballs ... what about Footballs??

Today was Superbowl Sunday and we (Gina, McFlurry, and I) did the Superbowl Sunday 4-mile running race that conveniently started just down the block from home. Not exactly the prescribed recovery activity after a two-crit day, but what the hell...

A few pics from DJ.

Starting in the rain and cold. Those three guys in the red jerseys are really fast, and they were gone in the first quarter mile. Running ain't like bike racing... no drafting to help you fool yourself into thinking you have a chance!



Three hotties!



A dork.



McFlurry running with the ladies ...sly little dog!

He snooped in on their conversations. The girl in front is making Hawaiian Bubble bread for a superbowl party.



In the end, I was happy to finish on the same day as the winners, losing only slightly more than a minute per mile, and ending the pain in 25:04. Gina wasn't too happy with her time but still got 2nd in her age group anyway and took home a timely prize (below), and Brian set a new PR for the 4-mile distance. A fun day.