Lost Creek Trail 5K

Ran the Lost Creek Trail Run 5K on 4/28/2012, while I was on vacation. It was held at the Joseph H. Stewart State Park, which is about 40 miles from Crater Lake in Southern Oregon. It was a perfect day for the race: slightly overcast and a little cool. Nice running conditions. The park is along the Lost Creek Resevoir, which is a truly lovely sight. The area is near the Rogue River and there are multiple waterfalls nearby. After the race I drove around a little and viewed several of them and looked for wildlife. On the drive over there, near the south entrance to Crater Lake National Park, there was about 6 feet of snow on either side of the road. It was very pretty. I think this was about my slowest 5K ever at 30:11, but it was a narrow, hilly path, with moss on several hills which made it very critical to run carefully. I'm pleased with it, since this was my first real trail 5K. I usually run wide open on the streets. It was a great training run, with the hills, etc. I got 5th in my AG and 32nd overall. Not bad. It was a nice way to round out my 2 week vacation which included a trip up to see my family, my second daughter's wedding, 5 days at Lake Tahoe and then the race. We'll have to go back there as a family sometime. It's a beautiful place for a picnic and to spend the day!

Run for the Music 5K 3/17/12

Run for the Music on 3/17/2012

So I started out fast and fizzled. Did about a 3:1 run:walk, and finished in 29:31. That's about a 9:32/mile pace. Not that bad for taking 4-5 months off. Definitely something to build off. I'm fine with that. I just wanted to break 30. The big news here is that I stayed around for the awards and FREE raffle after and I scored Klamath Falls Gems minor league baseball season passes! I got 2 season passes and 2 hats. They play about 3 minutes from our house. I'm so excited. They play 33 home games and we got 2 tickets to each. That was the second best prize given out. I didn't even listen to what the top prize was, I was so excited. What a great day. 

Morgan Hill Half Marathon recap 10/23/11

This is a view of the start/finish line at today's Morgan Hill Marathon/Half Marathon. I picked up my bib and shirt, etc., yesterday and took this photo of them setting it up. Over 2200 entered in both races. 1104 in the half, which I did.

So I finished in 2:04 flat, a 1:44 PR over the Giant Race Half just a couple of months ago. Could have been better, but I ran out of gas after 10 miles and had to run/walk the rest of the way. The legs were really tired from the hills. There were about 6 long gradual hills on the course. About 2/3 of the race is uphill. Overall I was very pleased with my finish and placement. 393/1104 overall. 28th in my age group. 267th male.

This completed my goal of running at least 2 half marathons this year. Looking to take on a full marathon somewhere next year and probably a couple more halves. Then I'll just throw in a few 5Ks for fun.

This race was well organized and supported. Lots of goodies afterward including 2 free beers, $5 wine (all you could drink, if you bought their commemorative glass, which I was happy to do!) My favorites: bagels, bananas, pop chips, burritos, pretzels, etc. The shirt was a nice looking, nice quality tech tee. Good addition to my collection. The finisher's medal was top notch also! Very heavy and attractive.

My legs are still tired and sore about nine hours later. I'm just kicking back at this point savoring my accomplishments today!

The Rest of my Running Year

I've run so many great races this year. I just PRed at the 5K distance at the Riverbank Cheese and Wine Festival. I was sixth in my age group (50-59) and 47th overall. The only problem was that I had registered for the 10K. I was so fast 16:06 at the 2 mile mark that I didn't want to waste a chance to PR at the 5K (which was one of the only distances that I hadn't beaten this year) and I didn't know how long I could hold this pace. So I pulled in and told the timers that I had decided to run the 5K. They weren't really pleased, but they didn't make a big deal about it either. I came in at 25:05.5 which took out my previous best of 25:09 from last year in Waterford, CA. They never posted those results online, so I've never had any real proof of my finishing time. Now I do. So the only distance that I haven't PRed at this year is the mile. Last year at the Oakdale Cowboys and Chocolate Festival, I was 6th overall and 2nd in my age group, with a finishing time of 7:12.4. So far this year I've run a 7:19, 7:27, and 7:28 twice.

This is me near the finish of my recent Cheese and Wind 5K. I really felt great as I was just cruising the whole way.

So, back to the original topic. This Sunday, on 10/23/2011, I take my running career to a whole new level. I am running my third half, second of this year. It is the Morgan Hill Half Marathon. Even though this is a more hilly half than I have done to date, I still hope to PR. My current PR, from just a couple of months ago, was set at the Giant Race in San Francisco, CA, at AT&T Park. Home of the 2010 World Champion, San Francisco Giants (just thought I'd mention that). A couple of the pitchers, Brian Wilson and Matt Cain, were seen out there, but unfortunately not by me! I met some really nice people out there though and had a great time. My wife accompanied me, and was waiting for me at the finish, cheering me on. It was so chaotic and loud, though, that I never heard or saw her. But they caught her in a finisher's photo of me and you can see her down in the front row of the stands cheering me on. That was great.

This photo is from the 2010 Giant Race. I did the 5K last year with my daughter, Rose. This year's photos were not too good.

This one is at the 2011 Post Race Expo, taken by my wife, once we were able to make it through the crowds and find each other. This one is not bad, but the official race photos were taken right at the finish line and I did not look good. This was about 30 minutes later. It took that long to get through and get your post race goodies and bling. I got a nice Tim Lincecum bobblehead! The finisher's medal is top notch also. The girls at the race loved my shirt. It is from the Bad Bass 5K. Most of the them thought it said Bad Ass and I got a lot of great comments on that as they came up to check it out. Pretty funny. I was drenched, as I sweated profusely and soaked my head at every water station. I never stopped, though. First half without any walk breaks. I even ran the two hills. Not bad.

Sorry, to much looking back. Next race is the Morgan Hill Half. Goal: 2:03. Current PR: Giant Race Half, 2:05:44, with a 9:32/mile pace. I'm inching closer to that coveted 2 hour mark. If I run a great race, I can probably do it this time. I just don't want to make it my goal and push too hard. The whole family is going this time, to meet me at the finish. So I WILL be finishing strong!

After that, I am trying to get a team together to run the marathon relay at the California International Marathon. I was too late to register for the individual marathon, so the only way I can run it is with a team. I have a lot of my online running friends that will be there on 12/4/2011. I want to see them and meet new ones! So far I have one female friend, Gina B. that I met at the Bay to Breakers this year, that will do it with me, and we need another male and another female to run a coed team. We'll see if we can pull a team together.

After that, I will be running the Spirit of Giving 5K on 12/10/2011 to complete my Shadowchase Running Club 250 poing challenge. I joined the club this year and if you earn 250 club points, you are eligible for prizes at the end of the year. You get points just by entering club runs. You get extra points for placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in your age group at the events. As of 10/18/11, I am at 240 points and will qualify just by entering this event. So far I have entered 9 club events and have collected 2 third place finishes, 1 second, and a first.

And that should complete my races for this year, unless I decide to sign up for a Turkey Trot somewhere this Thanksgiving. They are always fun, so I just might!

This one was taken on our vacation this year to Oregon. We did a lot of hiking and sightseeing. Just a nice family outing. This is me with my lovely wife, Amanda. It was a beautiful day. Tim, our 14  year-old son was with us. He probably took the picture.

September Races

Here's a couple of photos from 9/17/2011, where I ran the Cancer Awareness Run and Ride in Modesto, CA at the Modesto JC. My official time was 15:40.8 for the 2 mile. This crushed my previous best 2 mile time of 16:13 set earlier this year in Jamestown, CA. I took 16th overall out of 221 entries. There were a lot of walkers. I took 3rd in my AG, as I dedicated this race to my older brother Dave who died of cancer at the age of 43. He was a smoker. The first photo is me approaching the finish line knowing that I was going to beat my goal of 15:45. The second photo was taken for me by one of the ShadowChase volunteers, after I had changed shirts into my 2011 Giant Race Half Marathon shirt.

This photo is myself with Henrietta and 2 of her running buddies before the start of the Graniterock Rock and Run 10K on 9/11/2011. This race was actually close to 6.7 miles long with 3 pretty serious hills, and an elevation difference from -80 ft (below sea level) to 411 feet above sea level. I ran in in 1:02:28 which is my "slowest" 10K ever, but in fact was a pretty decent 9:19 pace due to the actual length of the run.

Here's a couple of photos from my 9/3/2011 Color the Skies 5K race. They had at least 15 hot air balloons released at the event, plus a kid's train ride, jet flyover, skydivers, food, etc. It is a fabulous event. My second time running this 5K. It was my first race 2 years ago. I ran it in 29:19.9 in 2009. I was gasping for air, and stopped to catch my breath at least 3 times. But it was a start. I was 192nd of 385 that day, and 22nd in my AG. This time around I ran it in 25:21, 7th of 21 in my AG, and 61st of 280 overall. Big difference. I actually ran a 7:59 pace in this race for the first time ever in a 5K!

A pretty productive month. Now it's time to focus on my next half. The Morgan Hill Half Marathon on 10/23/2011. More miles, more smiles. Here we go!

The Giant Race Half Marathon

On 8/27/2011, I ran the Giant Race Half Marathon start to finish. That's the summary, here are the details. I intended to leave home by 4:30 to get the parking lot before it filled up. Decided to take my time, take a shower, etc., figuring that I would have plenty of time since the race didn't actually start until 8 AM. However, the parking opened up at 6 AM and I have a 2 hour drive, minimum, to get there. So my wife and I left home at 5:10, then realizing that we didn't have enough gas to get there and back, I got gas and we left town at 5:20. We crossed the Bay Bridge (into fairly heavy fog) and got within 3 blocks of AT&T Park when the unthinkable happened. Traffic. Lots of traffic. It was 7:15. It took me 5 lights to get through the first signal. About the same at the next one. I still needed to put my bib and my IPod on. So as we set waiting for the third light to turn left toward the parking lot, I grabbed my Giants bag (a giveaway from a game last year), and fetched my bib and my IPod out and my wife and I looked for a place beyond that intersection to switch so she could park the car while I went to the start line, used the porta-potty, and warmed up, etc. I got out of the car two blocks from the special event $10 parking lot and my wife took over. It was so chilly with the overcast that my teeth started chattering uncontrollably. I was walking, trying to put my bib on, teeth chattering, and hands shaking, trying not to puncture myself. I made a comment about how cold it was and a female runner who was walking next to me said, "Don't worry, we'll warm up soon enough". I said, "I guess you're right", and fumbled around long enough to get my bib pinned on. I shoved my IPod into my pocket so I could listen for cars and starting line instructions as I got near the start area (which was on the other side of the parking lot that we were trying to get into). I got to the first set of porta-potties and they had quite a line so I kept walking up to the starting corral where there were a lot of facilities and very short lines. Good. Because by then the two bottles of water that I drank over the last 2 and a half hours had to go somewhere. Now it was close to 7:45. Timing was good, I just didn't like splitting up from my wife. We didn't get a chance to make meetup plans after the race! I got right into a potty, had a nice open area near there to stretch and warm up a little. No longer shaking at this point. Nothing but adrenaline pumping. I started going over the race in my mind again. I had planned it out the night before. It was an out and back. Approx. 6.7-6.8 miles out and then back to AT&T Park, where you enter through the outfield fence and finish near home plate! I decided right there, 10 minutes before race time that I had prepared well, and that I wasn't going to stop for anything. I had never run more than about 8 miles without stopping before. I ran a half in Santa Clarita last year and stopped at 8 miles to catch my breath, then stopped at every mile marker after, just to finish. My longest training runs mostly included walk breaks. But I knew I was ready for this. So as we approached 8:00, they announced that we were waiting for a special musical group that was going to sing the National Anthem. A gospel choir. They didn't start until around 8:05, but worth it. They were outstanding. Then they did a wave start, and I tried to creep forward, feeling like I was too far back. The people around me looked like walkers. So I found a comfortable position and our wave started off around 8:12. Turned out the stress getting there was unneccessary. I was there waiting for the start as I should have been. Also turned out that I should have pushed farther forward as I was still behind a lot of slower people. The first block there was nowhere to go! I looked down at my Garmin which was saying that we were barely moving, around a 13 minute pace. I moved to the sidewalk and buzzed by that wave of slower runners and was clipping along at about a 7:47 pace. I settled in between the waves and sort of hit the cruise control around 8:50 to 9:00 minute pace. This seemed really comfortable and I knew I would PR at this pace. It was still very overcast and cool. Perfect for a nice PR run. My previous half in Santa Clarita was 2:17:53. That should be a piece of cake to beat (kill) here. So my only thought was to stay hydrated, hitting every aid station (without stopping) and not to even think about it until the turnaround in mile 7. I hit the 5K timing mat at 28:13. Still good. Then I hit Fort Mason and an intermediate hill. I ran whole thing slowing to about an 11:15 pace, then kicked it in again on the gradual downhill on the other side to try to get some time back. We had already split off from the 10K runners who started with us. They didn't get to enjoy our hill with us. I hit the 10K mat at 58:05 and felt pretty good about that, although I knew at that point any opportunity of breaking 2 hours was probably gone. (I didn't expect to). The turnaround was at 6.8m and I hit that mat at 1:04:01. Still felt great. Kept dousing my head with water at every aid station (every 2-3 miles). Loved the cool water, but sprayed some girl behind me who was quite surprised by that. She yelled in shock. Sorry. Also nearly took out a couple of other girls at the water stations who stopped right in front of the station instead of getting their water and getting out of the way. I wasn't stopping. Sorry. So I determined to wait for the last person at each station to get my water so no one had a chance to stop in front of me. That worked well the rest of the way. Note: when dousing head, your ears may fill with water causing issues for headphones. I couldn't hardly hear my IPod most of the way. It was just loud enough to know it was there, but not loud enought to really enjoy. So I was still cruising. I had come up behind 3 girls, probably in their early 20's, all dressed with cute pinkish shorts and white tees. Very cute. They were obviously running together and pacing at my pace. Around 9:15 at that point. One of them had a Garmin and was setting the pace. I first noticed them about 30 yards in front of me around the 3 mile mark. They were still there at the turnaround. I just paced with them up until around mile 10. I hit the mat there at 1:35:18. There was another aid station about that time and they all stopped and I didn't. I kept going, determined more than ever at this point to finish without stopping and beating my PR by as much as possible. I figured that I was looking at 2:04-2:05 range, knowing that I had to climb that hill one more time. I never saw the three girls again until the post race expo. I asked them how they finished and told them that I had paced of them for miles and they said they did well and finished around 2:12. I told them about passing them around mile 10 and finished around 2:06. Didn't have an official time yet. That made me feel great. They were very nice. So anyway, I ran the hill the other way and tried to make up more time coming down, as I had slowed to 11:15 again climbing the hill. At the bottom I knew that I had about 2 and 1/2 miles to go and had outrun anything that I had ever done before, so I decided to cruise home and try to sprint to the finish. I gradually slowed to about a 10 minute pace for mile 12 and 13 as we joined the slower 5K runners for the finish. They had started around 9:30. It got a little crowded approaching the outfield fence, but I knew the end was near and I suddenly felt like I could be a Kenyan. So I tried to pass a group of slower ladies before the gate and barely did and as I flew by them a guy was standing well out into the gateway trying to high 5 everyone as they came through. I yelled "Get out of the way" as I flew through and stayed left of the slower people making their way down the warning track toward home plate. I was giving it everything at this point. I was drenched from sweat and the water I kept dumping over me. My right ear was nearly plugged. So my wife had taken a spot along the railing to cheer me on when I came through but was unable to get a photo due to the crowd leaning over the railing. She said she yelled at me, but between the crowd noise and the IPod sort of working and my ear being plugged up, I didn't hear or see her. I made it through the large crowd getting water and climbed the bleachers (yes, after 13.3 miles, we had to climb up to the concourse level to get to the post race expo. At the top all I could see were people. It took 30-40 minutes of being bumped my strollers, other runners, etc., shoulder to shoulder to get to the other end. I needed to stretch my legs and couldn't hardly move because the crowd was too thick. I eventually got my food, coconut milk, TIM LINCECOM bobblehead (ah, yes), and my shirt and got through and my wife had made it up there to meet me. Finally I could stretch out and walk a little as my legs were starting to tighten up. (I got water and my finisher's medal at the finish line). They had some nice stuff. I got a half glass of nasty wine (tasted really cheap). Won a Giants' pin at the wheel game, so did my wife. I think they gave those away in your goodie bag last year, oh well. It only cost a buck to spin. Got some popchips, CLIF bars, etc. Very good food and nice goodies. Just a struggle with the crowd to get through. Last year that was all outside and very easy to get around. So I had plans to meet up with other Daily Mile runners after, but I needed my cell to find out where they were. The cell was in the car a couple of blocks away and by the time I got it, I just wanted to get out of there. I had several messages, so I let them know that I was going to go ahead and take off, and my wife and I headed to the mall to walk around and get some lunch. I know, long recap. Overall, the best race I've ever done. Not fond of crowds, but I survived all that. Would definitely do it again. The cloud cover made for exceptional running conditions. Official time: 2:05:44. Previous best was 2:17:53, so I beat it by over 12 minutes. Bib #2654. http://results.bazumedia.com/event/results/event/RCAQ2011 for the official results, video, and photos from race. At the mall, I was so out of it, that I lost my wallet for a while. I recovered it before anyone had a chance to take anything, thank goodness. I totally freaked. Again, this was the first time that I had even come close to running that far without stopping and my brain was somewhere else. Overall, extremely pleased with the run, the weather, the bling, my wife for being there, and to God who makes all things possible. Go Giants!

Prepping for the Giant Race at AT&T Park

Getting excited to run the Giant Race in a week and a half at AT&T Park, in SF, CA. This will be my second half. Just need to beat 2:17 for a PR. Shooting for more like 2:07. I think a 10 minute improvement on my PR would be outstanding. I have been running well lately. If this one goes well, I will probably try a more hilly half in October and see how I do with that. A great year so far. I have 17 races under my belt, several PRs, and lots of miles on my shoes. Running pretty much pain free at this point. Should be a great race.