Spud Run 5 Miler

                                                    Spud Run 5Mile in Merrill, OR

I ran the Spud Run today in 46:54. My splits:

1. 9:00
2. 9:50 (hill)
3. 9:07
4. 9:47 (stopped to help another runner who fell)
5. 9:10

Overall, very pleased. It was windy and cold, around 43 degrees. Didn't help my breathing too much. Good to get outside and off the treadmill to stretch my legs and lungs before my upcoming marathon on 12/2. This was part of a community Potato Festival which was very fun and included a free BBQ after the race, live music, and a parade. Cute shops across the street, too!

 

 



Picked this little guy up across the street at a shop called the Blue Wolf. Had lots of cute giftables. This one's for me. I'll have Amanda wrap it and give it to me for Christmas! One bottle wineholder!

They posted my results for the Lake of the Woods 15K today. They took about 4 minutes off my time for some reason. For my records I'll trust the Garmin. I think they had issues with the timing. Official time is 1:25:42.73. Garmin had me at 1:30:03. That's a big difference. I know I waited a few seconds to stop the Garmin, but not 4 minutes! But the placement should be correct. I was 64th out of 91 participants. Sixth in my age group, and had a great time. We need to go back just to spend the day sometime. The lake is beautiful. Sharon was 58th out of 183 in the 5K at 34:25.25. Tim and Amanda walked/jogged the 5K. Click on my time to see the results page. Click here to see the elevation for the 15K! It was cool and overcast. A great combination for a long run. There were a lot of mosquitoes where we parked, but I had no issues on the run. We stopped at the Running Y on the way home for some refreshments, and then I had to hurry home because Sharon and I both had to work. I loved this race. Definitely would do it again.

A good friend, Dean Wilson passed away on Friday, so I dedicated my race on Saturday to Dean. It was a challenging 9.24 miles (15K). Rolling hills, beautiful views, cool temps, etc. Loved it. I kept thinking about Dean and his family. We were neighbors for years. Our kids are very close. Dean and I did church functions together, like leading worship for a local soup kitchen. I gave everything I had to this race in his honor. He will truly be missed. He was a good friend and a great dad and husband. It wasn't my time that was important, it was that I gave my all in his honor, and I got to do it with my family. I need to do more with my own family. You just never know how much time you have!

A new friend won the event, a female! Congrats, Amber from the Linkville Lopers running club. http://www.heraldandnews.com/members/sports/top_stories/article_efa9e6ba-ad48-11e1-9156-0019bb2963f4.html#.T8t0XLvnD0M.facebook

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.