Free Race Entry!

Another race has just been added to my schedule. I just won a free entry to San Diego Hot Chocolate 15K in March. Thanks, RaceGrader.com!

...and miles to go before I sleep...

I laced up my Hokas this morning and hit the road/trail for an 8.1 mile run which ended my self-imposed seven day sabbatical from running following Death Valley.  The legs felt great and I had some Robert Frost going through my head around Mile 5.  My legs felt pretty heavy on Monday but I felt ready to run by Tuesday.

Yesterday had me working the Las Vegas Triathlon Club's annual off-road duathlon.  It was a fun little event for club members. We had 37 racers finish the adult event and had a decent turnout for the kids race.  I was amused when I heard one of the boys who was about six making motor sounds and ringing his bell as he rode around the bike route.

I put together my running schedule through October this week.  As mentioned in my last post, I have the Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam half in March.  After that, I am racing the Rockin' Rabbit Half Marathon in April.  This promises to be a very fast race since it is primarily downhill with a few flat sections at the beginning/end. After that, I am heading to a tougher course with a lot of hill climbing as I run the Labor of Love half in May. Once that one is done, I don't have anything else on the schedule until the E.T. Full Moon half in August.  Labor of Love and E.T are two more Calico Racing events and will close out a Calico Half Slam for me.  After that, I plan on running my second marathon (St George) in October.  I need to sign up and get picked up for the lottery for this one.  The only other things that jump out are a possible 5K with the boys for Father's Day and a 25K trail race in Henderson in early September.

Beyond my races, I will be volunteering with LVTC at all of their club races and will be a regular safety kayaker for them during weekly training swims at Lake Meade May-Aug.  I also plan on volunteering with Calico Racing at a couple of their events that I am not putting on my race schedule.  Finally and most importantly, I will be cheering on Sarah as she does a series of sprint and Olympic distance triathlons starting with Rage in April and ending with Pumpkinman in October.

Death Valley Marathon - Feb 1st, 2014

Badwater Basin with the family - Rocking the Broncos shirt

This weekend was it - Marathon Weekend

We made the two hour drive from Vegas to Death Valley National Park on Friday and checked in at the Furnace Creek Ranch.  After dropping our stuff off in our room and letting the boys burn off some energy at the playground, we piled back in the Forester and drove over to Badwater Basin to get our picture at the lowest point in the Continental U.S.  After walking around there for a little bit, we returned back to Furnace Creek and had dinner at one of the restaurants at the ranch.  After that, it was back to the room to lay out the gear for the morning and to get a good night of sleep.

On Marathon Morning, Sarah and I got up, donned our race gear, ate a light breakfast and went over to check-in and pick up our bibs.  After walking back from the check-in at the Furnace Creek Saloon, we loaded up our gels and drinks and headed to the starting area for the pre-race brief.  At the end of the brief, the marathon kicked off with the half starting ten minutes later.

Miles 1-6 flew by with me running at a very steady 10 minute pace through the rolling hills.  Shortly after passing the Mile 5 mark, I popped two Cliff Shot Blocks into my mouth and grabbed a cup of water as I passed through the Mile 6 aid station (note - every aid station was extremely well stocked).  At Mile 7, a headwind began sweeping down the road and by the turnaround, I had slowed down to a 2:16 for the half.  As I approached the aid station at Mile 14, I broke open a Hammer Gel and realized that body temperature gel is not the most edible thing. After downing a cup of Gatorade at that aid station and continuing the run, I began to realize how warm it was getting and stripped off my outer layer (it was in the upper 40s at race start) and tied it around my waist.   Temperature relief was immediate and I pressed on still feeling pretty good.  At the Mile 17 aid station, I grabbed another cup of Gatorade and a couple of peanut butter filled pretzel bites and pressed on.

approaching the finish

Shortly after Mile 18, the bad times began. My right quad began to ache and spasm and I alternated running and walking until it worked itself out.  By the time it was done, the Mile 20 aid station was in sight and I grabbed another cup of Gatorade and a couple pretzels and pressed on.  Shortly after leaving the aid station, the intermittent tail wind shifted to a steady side wind that would be with me through the next and final aid station.  At the Mile 23 aid station, I grabbed two cups of  Gatorade and told myself that it was only a 5K left.  The next two miles were tough, both mentally and physically but once the Mile 25 marker came into sight, I got a huge mental boost which helped me greatly pick the pace back up for that final 1.2 miles.  As the finish line came into my view, my youngest son came out to the edge of the road and ran with me for the final quarter mile.  At 4:58:18, I crossed the line.  I wasn't happy with the time but was happy to finish and will take away some good lessons for when I start training for a fall marathon.

Postrace, I got a shower and then relaxed in the hotel pool for a bit with Sarah and the boys.  After that, we went to the National Park visitor center and spent some time walking around the museum to catch up on some Death Valley history and geology.  For dinner, we got two pizzas from the saloon following the awards presentation (Woo Hoo! Despite some injuries that crept up in the last two weeks, Sarah finished third in her age group in her first half marathon with a 2:15!) and took them back to the room.  After a good night of sleep, we checked out of the hotel early, drove to a couple of other sites for some sightseeing and got in a two mile hike before making the drive back to Vegas.

Back at the house now and there is definitely some soreness and stiffness in the legs.  My plan is to not run again until next Saturday and to not push out anything long or fast for another 10 days after that.  Once that is done, though, it is time to get ready for a spring series of half marathons.  Next race: Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam Half Marathon on March 15th.

Death Valley marathon bib and finisher's medal

Chomping At The Bit

I ran a short, easy 3.1 miles this morning to finish off a 143 mile January.  Tomorrow is a rest day and Saturday is the Death Valley marathon - 576 miles run since Oct 1st going into it with weekly long runs in the 13-21 mile range since early November and three half marathons plus several other races along the way.

Tapering started on Jan 18th with, excluding the half marathon last weekend, only running six times in the 3.1 to 4.60 mile range.  Tapering has been a little tough, mainly mentally.  I want take off and either really push the pace on these short runs or extend them out to a much longer distance and have to remind myself to keep myself in check so the legs are fresh and injury free going into this first marathon.  I now have a new appreciation for the term "chomping at the bit".

Running From An Angel - 25 Jan 14

Running From An Angel finisher's medal

I ran my final pre-marathon tune-up race this morning and it was a hilly half marathon at Lake Mead. It was Calico Racing's 7th and final Running From An Angel as they transition to a new race next year.  Calico always puts on good small events and this race was no exception.

Unlike my previous races at Lake Mead which involved running south of Boulder Beach using the old railway tunnel trails, this run left the Boulder Beach picnic area and headed north on Lakeshore Drive as an out-and-back course. After leaving the starting gate, we had a gradual climb for about 1/4 of a mile before turning onto Lakeshore.  The next 3.5 miles were a series of rollers and some short flatish sections.  After that we began a series of one mile long stretches of downhill, uphill, downhill to the turn around point where the elevation change reversed for the return route. Elevation-wise, the race start was at 1261 ft with the low point of 1194 at the two mile mark and the high point of 1451 ft at the 5.9 mile mark. Temperatures were 50 at the start and 60 at the finish.

We got our packets the night before (my wife ran the 10K) and showed up to the race about 20 minutes before my race began.  A quick restroom stop and I headed to the start-line to await the 7:30 start-time. About 5 minutes before the start, the race director gave us some final instructions and called out a couple of birthdays in the running crowd.  She also pointed out and congratulated the runners who were finishing their Calico Half Slam (four half marathons with Calico Racing in a one calendar year period) with this race.  Finally, we posed for a group photo and then she counted down the final seconds as they ticked off the clock.  Just like that, we were off.

I made it a point to not go out too fast at the start and hit the first mile in 9:20.  Mile 2 was the low point of the race and I hit it in 18:40.  Yep, pretty consistent for the first two miles. The next mile was pretty much all uphill and my pace slowed accordingly - 29:02 at the three mile mark.  After that, the next 3.5 miles were the same with me losing time on the uphill sections and gaining a little bit back on the downhills.  I reached the turn-around right at the 1:05 mark and began to wonder if I could make it back in a sub-2:11.  Shortly after the turn-around, a short blond lady who had been flip-flopping places with me from miles 4-6 passed me and I picked up my pace to go with her.  We kept up a steady pace and hit the 9 mile mark right at the 1:30 mark.  At some point over the next two miles, we began to pick the pace up and by the 11 mile mark, we had slipped to a 1:49 mark.  At that point, I began thinking to myself that I just needed to hold it together for two more miles and a 2:11 was in the bag.  With about 1/4 of a mile to go, we turned downhill and I took off.  As the finish line came into view, I was shocked to see 2:08 flashing on the time.  As I came around the final corner, I went into a full kick and crossed the finish line with a 2:08:40 chip time and 2:08:47 gun time which means I shaved over 4:30 off my previous best!  About 15 seconds later, the lady I was pacing off from crossed the finish line and I thanked her for the pacing as we had our timing chips removed.  Post-race, I enjoyed some chips, applesauce and chocolate milk before heading out with the wife to enjoy a greasy burger from Five Guys.

Next weekend is the Death Valley Marathon and with this huge PB in the half, I am feeling really good going into it.

New Shoes

...my new Hoka One One Rapa Nui 2 shoes...

OK, I lied...sort of. I planned on getting a pair of Hoka shoes after Death Valley.  However, yesterday afternoon, my wife and I made a trip to the Red Rock Running Company to get her some new shoes and I tried these on.  A couple of laps around the parking lot and I was smitten.

I wore them for a short run this morning and they felt great.  My plan is to run with them on all my runs between now and Death Valley and then use them solely for my long runs after that.

Yes, my wife left the store with a new pair of shoes as well.

...long slow distance and a look-back...

Ran 21 miles this morning at Lake Mead...legs feel great.  This was my final long run on this training cycle.  I am two Saturdays out from the Death Valley Marathon and have the Running From An Angel half marathon next weekend at Lake Mead.

My plan for the next two weeks is pretty simple.  I am backing off quite a bit on mid-week mileage with the intent of keeping the legs fresh.  I am not necessarily taking extra days off, just cutting the runs down to the 3-5 mile range.

One issue I am having is my feet are getting sore on my long runs. It happens in the 15-18 mile range.  I have decided that I am getting myself a pair of Hokas post-marathon for future long runs.  I plan on taking two weeks of low mileage post-Death Valley before starting my spin up for the next round of races.

Weekly Mileage 1 Sep 13 - 18 Jan 14

Since I am at the tail end of a big training cycle, I decided to graph out my weekly mileage since September when I first started to get serious about the Oct-Feb races.  The second week is an outlier during which I had some major transitions going on in duties at work and unfortunately, did not make time to run.  The next lowest week (Oct 20-26) was my fitness eval which I wasn't going to mess around with due to its importance on my career.

In October, I ran my first 10 miler and had three runs over 10 with a long run of 11.39 miles.  In November, I had three runs over 10 with a long run of 14.83 miles (my first time running the Red Rock National Recreation Area Loop). December had three runs over 10 with a long of 17.15 miles.  So far in January, I have done three runs over 10 miles with a long of 21.  The toughest runs were the first of two Red Rock loops, the 18.33 mile trail run earlier this month and the hilly 10.31 mile trail run last week.  Overall, virtually all the runs have been hill runs with the majority of the running in the 2300-3000 ft elevation range.  Frank Shorter (1972 Olympic marathoner and gold medalist) said "Hills are speedwork in disguise".  Hopefully running all these hills bodes well for running a flat marathon at 200 feet below sea level.

Burros

a pair of burros at Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area

I ran a trail loop at Red Rock National Conservation Area this morning.  Four and a half miles in, the trail disappeared and I turned downhill to follow a dry creek bed.

After a few minutes run down the rocky creek bed, I finally saw wild burros.  These are the descendants of burros brought over to the New World by explorers and burros that were used by gold and silver miners in the 1800s.

According to information found on the BLM site, burros come from Africa and there are two primary populations of burros that the feral burros found in the Southwest descended from.  These are the Nubian and the Somalian. The Nubian are distinguished by a black stripe across the shoulders and another down the middle of the back.  This gives the appearance of a cross when viewed from above. The Somalian is distinguished by leg stripes on both front and hind legs that resemble a zebra's markings.

Back to the run, the uphill trail was tough and slow.  However, the pace picked up after I stopped to grab some photos of the burros as I picked my way through the rocks on the gradual downhill back to the parking area.  The run ended up being 10.3 miles and is not a route I will choose to do again due to the ankle twisting potential on the creek bed and the lack of markings on the trail.

trail running

This morning I ran 18.33 miles with the first 17 miles on a dirt trail that was full of gravel.  As the evidence on the left and right of this post shows, road shoes and trails don't mix.

I closed out a 44 mile week and am four weeks out from the Death Valley Marathon.

New Year's Day - 2014

On the water at Lake Mead - New Year's Day, 2014

The morning of Jan 1st found me doing something that I had no idea I was doing 24 hours earlier.  When I got home from work on New Year's Eve, there was a post on Facebook about the 1st Annual Polar Bear swim at Lake Mead's Boulder Beach.  Sure enough, we were out there with me as a rescue kayaker and my wife swimming.  There were about 20 swimmers who completed the 400 meter open water swim.   Temperatures were 58 degrees for the water and 48 degrees for the air.


I parked the kayak near the turnaround buoy.  Two ladies, including my wife, took the lead and quickly swam to the buoy, posed for a picture and pushed back to the shore.  In between their turnaround and the next arrivals, the photographer snapped the quick picture of me.  After that, I continued to stay at the buoy until the last swimmer reached it and turned back to shore.  Once everybody was back on the beach, I hopped out of my kayak and enjoyed some hot chocolate.

Oh yeah, afterwards, I went for a fast 10.28 mile run that took me from the Boulder Beach picnic area on an out-and-back through five tunnels (yes, the same tunnels from a couple recent races) by the Hoover Dam.

Overall, it was a great way to spend the first morning of 2014.

December Running and 2014 Races

I ran an easy six miles this morning to finish off a 20 run/150 mile December. My runs/mileage were 24/139 in October and 20/146 in November. Looking back over the last three months of running, several things jump out at me.  First up, switching my long run to Saturdays with a shorter recovery run on Sundays and sandwiching them between my Friday/Monday rest days has been working great for me since I made the schedule switch six weeks ago.  Second, Monday is a perfect rest day for me and I have been consistently keeping it as such since mid-October.  Third, periodically dropping the mileage back by keeping the weekly long run in single digits is helping keep the legs fresh.

Going into next year, I have signed up for my first four races of 2014 - three halfs and a marathon. The last Saturday in January and first Saturday in February have me running a local race with the Running From An Angel half marathon at Lake Mead and travelling to Death Valley for the Death Valley marathon on Feb 1st.  That is going to be a big weekend for the family with my first marathon and my wife running her first half.  After that, I have the Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam half marathon in March and the Rockin Rabbit half in April.  After that, we will wait and see.

putting in the miles

I closed out the final full week of  2013 with a 17.1 mile run this morning. It finished up a 41.7 mile week on four days of running. Those are potentially my longest run and biggest week since 1994.

The run felt great but my calves are a little sore when walking down steps.  That is pretty standard following my long runs.

Hoover Dam Half Marathon - 12/14/13

I knocked out my second half marathon yesterday.  It was the Hoover Dam Half Marathon put on by Calico Racing.  We started at Lake Mead's Boulder Beach area and did an out-and-back to the top level of the Hoover Dam Parking garage.  The route was similar to my Thanksgiving Day 12K with the middle portion of this race going through the five tunnels of old railway bed before starting the steep drop to the parking garage.

The race had three distances - marathon, half marathon and 10K.  The half started an hour after the 10K and 58 minutes after the marathon.  My wife ran the 10K so after cheering her on at the start, snapping a few pictures and making her laugh as "What  Does A Fox Say?" blared from the YouTube app on my phone as she ran by my photo spot, I went back to the car to get ready for my race. As the start time approached, I was surprised to see how many people were lining up for the half.

At 9 AM, the race began. I hit start on my GPS and dropped it in my back pocket as I crossed the line.  We started out with a short 1/4 mile up the road before turning onto the River Mountain Loop Trail. The route continued uphill until it reached the old railbed shortly after the two mile mark.  At that point, the trail leveled out until the five mile mark where it started the steep down hill.  Around the three mile mark, I had a couple runners pass me and since I was feeling pretty good, I picked up the pace and went with them.  Looking at the GPS post-race, I clicked through Mile 4/5/6 in 27:11.  Unfortunately, we started back uphill shortly after the turn around and they pulled away from me.  At about 6.5 miles I grabbed a cup of HEED from a water station.  I don't normally drink HEED and in hindsight, it was a mistake.  Soon after that, I got a stitch on the right side of my stomach and I never get those.  The next 1.5 miles were pretty slow as a result.  Around Mile 8, the cramp finally worked itself out and I picked up the pace as I went back through the tunnels on the way back.  At Mile 10, I turned back onto the paved River Mountain Loop Trail and began a two mile descent back towards the finish.  Just before the 12 mile mark, the route passed the turnoff to the short downhill to the finish (seeing the finish line was a cruel tease) as we began a short out-and-back to make up the total distance. My wife was there with the camera and I posed for a few photos as I went by her. 10 minutes later, I was at the finish line with a chip time of 2:15:09 and gun time of 2:15:14 which put me pretty much mid-pack for the half finishers (173 out of 383).

This was my second race with Calico Racing with my first being the Twilight Ascent at Red Rock in September and they put on a very well run event.  I have a few of their events on my schedule in 2014 including my next race, the Running From An Angel Half on January, 2014.

Weekly Mileage

I hit a new top distance today with a 15.64 mile run that was about 2/3 on trails near the bottom of Kyle Canyon with the remainder on roads.  It was a cold, windy run with some light rain/snow coming down in the middle half of the run.

With that run under my belt, I took a look at my mileage over the last 12 weeks.

...drum roll...

34.6
39.9
31.7
35.1
36.7
32.6
23.5
27.0
33.7
30.5
23.9
31.4

A typical week consists of five runs with a long run on Saturday and days off on Monday and Friday.  My current goal is to get my weekend mileage up to 26 miles with a 20+ run on Saturday and the remainder as a shorter recovery run on Sunday.  Almost there...

Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam 12K - Turkey Trot

My wife and I ran the the Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam 12K this morning.  With the multiple tunnels in this race, I opted to go GPS free so no split times are available.

Overall, it was a good race.  It was an out and back that utilized an old railway that was renovated a Rails-To-Trail project. The surface was primarily packed dirt and gravel.  On the way out, we ran on a slight incline for the first two miles which took us through five former railway tunnels (the course previously went through a six tunnel, hence the name).  This part was scenic with a rocky hill on the right and Lake Mead below us on the left.  Shortly after exiting the fifth tunnel, we got off the old railway and began to power downhill on dirt service roads.  Part of this was pretty steep with a 12.5% grade sign at one point.  The last bit (estimating about a half a mile) was on a concrete downhill with a lot of short switchbacks leading to the turnaround which was on the top floor of the hoover dam parking lot.  The race at this point was pretty fast but the drawback to all that steep and fast downhill was that we had to climb back up it.  I powered back up the switchbacks and high-fived my wife who was about to head down it.  From there, it was working back up the dirtroads to the railway trail.  Once on the trail, it was literally all downhill and the pace picked back up through the tunnels as we raced over the final two miles to the finish.

Final time - 1:06:46 (8:58 pace) with the wife finishing about 8 minutes later.

Next up - The Hoover Dam Half Marathon on Dec 14th

Sacramento Zoo Zoom - Oct 2000

This race in Sacramento, CA was my last race prior to September of this year.  I was 25 and ran a 22:52.  I wonder what I can do a 5K in today.

This was also my wife's last race until she did the Olathe Medical Center Womens Triathlon in September, 2012.  At 38, she has two 5K races this year that are faster than when she was 25.

I wish I had a good reason why we took such a long lay off from racing.

Valley of Fire Half Marathon - 16 Nov 13

I ran my first official half marathon today.  It was the Valley of Fire Half Marathon at Valley of Fire State Park which is northeast of Las Vegas.

My wife (she ran the 10K and kicked butt) and I got up early and were on the road at 0445.  We arrived at the state park, paid our admission fee at the gate and began driving to the parking area.   As we pulled into the parking area at 0615 and walked to the start line to pick up our packets, my first impressions of the park were confirmed.  This was going to be a hilly race. I knew that going in but didn't get the full impact from the lone elevation chart I saw prior to the race.

Packet pick-up went smooth and I took a walk to look at the hill climb that comprised the first half mile.  Yep, it looked steep.  On a non-running related note, I saw my first desert bighorn sheep walking along a footpath about 50 meters off the road.

At 0700, the half began.  After the first half mile climb, the road dropped in elevation a couple times but ultimately rose in elevation for the first three miles.  Part of this was on an out-and-back on a fire road (partially dirt/gravel) to make up the full distance.  At that point, we started a big descent with a few small uphill section over the next three miles.  At that point, we started climbing up some rolling hills to the 7.5 mile mark where we turned around and began the trek back to the finish line.  On the way back, I realized how steep the uphill was at 6-6.5 miles as I ran down it and the legs began to do a bit of complaining.  From the 7.5 mile mark to the 9 mile mark, it was more rolling hills.  Miles 9-11.5 were uphill.  11.5-12.5 were a rolling downhill/uphill combo and the final half mile was back down the hill to the finish line.

Based on the hills, I went into this race with the goal of finishing in the 2:04:32 - 2:10:53 range.  Remembering my mistake from the last race, I went out at a comfortable nine minute pace and held that through Mile 2. After that,  I slowed down to a bit and stayed in the 9:30 - 9:40 range for Miles 3-6.  At Mile 6, I start up the steep hill and my pace slowed to a 10:53 mile for Mile 7.  I rebounded back to a sub-10 pace on mile 8 but once I started up the hill at Mile 9, I didn't get back under a 10 minute pace until the final downhill 1/2 mile.  I ended up with a final time of 2:13:13 which was a bit off expectations but given the hills, I am not going to complain about it.

One headache that came up in this race - I like Clif Shot Bloks.  About 15 minutes before the race, I had two of them and placed the remaining four in the back pocket on my shirt.  As I was coming down the hill into the aid station at Mile 6, I reached back to find out that they had slipped out of my pocket at some point.

Training-wise, I went into this race following a five day a week training plain that topped out at 36 miles per week with a long run of 14.8.  My first 30+ mile week was in mid-September and I have been consistently above that distance since that point.  I run a lot of hills but today taught me that I need to run more of them at the end of the workouts when I am tired.

Next race - Six Tunnels to Hoover Dam Turkey Trot 12K on Thanksgiving.

3rd Annual National Veterans Day 11k - Las Vegas

A recent move to Vegas has re-energized my running.  In preparation for a half marathon next weekend at Valley of Fire State Park, I ran the 3rd Annual National Veterans Day 11k - Las Vegas this morning.  With the race next weekend, I planned on using today's run as a tempo run and keeping the pace right at a 9 minute mile.  Overall, I achieved the goal and finished in a 1:00:15 which worked out to an 8:49 mile.  The course was pretty flat and primarily on a dirt trail with some loose gravel.

Given that this was only my second race in over a decade (ran the 5.4 mile Twilight Overlook Ascent at Red Rock back in September - great race - conquered the hill climb in under an hour), there were some lessons learned.  The primary one was a reminder to not go out so fast. I am not a fast guy with my best 1.5 mile time since we switched to the run test in 2004 being an 11:16 last month. In today's race, I wasn't paying attention to my splits until I hit the 1.5 mile mark and heard an 11:50 time from my GPS.  I consciously backed off the pace at that point. The second point was stick to what works.  This was twofold concerning nutrition and clothing.  Concerning nutrition, I have two primary things that I eat while on long runs - GU gel and Clif Shot Bloks.  I tried something new and overall, wasn't happy with it.  Clothing-wise, I wore something different and had the rare chaffing moment...not fun.

Today was the kick-off to a busy month of racing.  Next up - Valley of Fire Half Marathon on Nov 16th.