NHRich & Chantilly - Got preliminary acceptance to Boston today (pending verification of time) - so, I should be in! So, while you two have had temps below 40F, here in N. California Saturday was 100F just south of San Jose (we were on way to Monterey), yesterday was near 100F and today was 96F while I was running. Good to see you're both getting your runs in! Rich - I thought running in sandy conditions was supposed to be a good thing. Chantilly - DS1 wants a pair of Salomon's...
Dan - Good job finishing the half! We all know what a grind it can be sometimes and just surviving can be important. Helps prepare mentally for races that don't go perfect.
Art - Nice 11.5 miler! Like the idea of the camera trap - need to learn how to make one or find one online...
Saturday, well I thought I was doing a half, but was able to check Friday night and I signed up for the 5K. This was the first time this race was run and DW, DS1 and his SO were doing the half. We arrived and the venue and they've got a huge fair set up and a drone flying around and maybe 200 participants (well, I guess over when you count the kids doing the 100y dash). So, the morning starts out with 3 100y dashes with kids in the superhero costumes. They were running a few minutes behind schedule and they finally call over the 1/2 people. Wish the family good luck and watch them take off. They call over the 10K people and while they're waiting I notice on of the participants has her "D tag" still on her number, I let her know and she asks me to pull it off for her, then asks if I can help put it on I help her, turn around and there are 2 young kids with theirs still on their bibs - I help them out also. The 10Kers go and they call over the 5Ks. I line up close to the front on the extreme left and there are 5 or 6 20-something girls to the right. I'm thinking - well, they're either faster then they look , or there could be disaster about to happen. To their credit, they all took off like a shot when the "go" came. I tried to not get to excited figuring they would burn out pretty quickly. All but one did by the 200y mark. I was letting the one left set the pace and then 2 guys started to pass her at about 1/4 mile mark. I trailed behind them just keeping close and trying to maintain a quick but not too fast rhythm. At about the 1/2 mile mark they both start to slow down and I just go by trying to maintain about a 7mpm pace. At about 1.5 miles we make a left turn (well, I was by myself at this point) and start running into 10K runners. Some were headed back to ask the volunteers where they were supposed to go. I kind of knew and tried not to slow too much. Hit the official aid station just before 2 miles, 10k goes right, 5k left. I yell out which way for 5K and they direct me to the left (I was pretty sure, but wanted confirmation). There are no real markers and there are a few "intersections" . About 3/4 mile from the end I hit one of those points, I know it didn't make a difference which way I went and I promptly pick the wrong way. Ok, realized it wasn't right about 150 yards in and now all I'm thinking is don't let anyone pass you going the other way. Get to the point where things join back together. Don't see anyone and I'm almost done. As I'm getting to the next turn I can see the volunteers are setting up cones to guide the runners to the correct path. There's just a bit of downhill and then last 100 yards is up a slight hill. I finish at 22:07 and 1st overall (still can't believe I won). I grab some water, a banana, some gatorade and walk back on the course to cheer people on. I see the 1st place 10k runner come in (she looked so smooth, not seeming to work at all) in just under 40 minutes. Head back to the car to change shoes and then start jogging back along the course. about 3/4 mile out I see DS1 coming, so I pace him in. The 1/2 is short (?!) at just over 12 miles and DS1 finishes in about 1:30:30 look for his results, but they aren't popping up. I tell him I'm going to look for his SO and head back out. At just over 1/2 mile from finish I see her coming and pace her back to the finish. DS1 results are showing up now on the laptops and I leave them to head out to look for DW. Find her little more then 1/2 mile out and jog with her back to the finish letting her know the course is short and that the cones actually are directing her the right way. DS1 and his SO head out to take a shower leaving me and DW to pickup their awards. To my disappointment, there is no overall award just age group awards - oh, well. We all won our respective age groups. We head home where I promptly head out for another 4.7 miles before we head down to Monterey. Total running mileage 11.2 miles.
Sunday, spent most of the day asphalt patching driveway and repairing fences - temps were near 100F. Did a 6.3 mile TM run around 10PM - was still 80F in the house at 11pm.
Monday, 7.1 mile at lunch - only 96F while running.
Ray
rmcj001 Congratulations on your win! Impressive in the heat. 'way to go for the whole family!...And then to go back out again later…your leg must be felling better. Nice of you to help the newbies with their race chip.
7 miles bundled up in 30F with flashlight at 5:30 am. No wind, so it was good.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Tuesday, 9/22... took yesterday off to rest my legs and ran 9 today. Ran the first mile as an easy warm up on the railtrail, then headed up the road. I eased up on today's pace and everything went pretty well, sprinted the last 1/4 mile of the last mile... 13:34, 9:50, 9:51, 9:43, 9:46, 9:42, 9:39, 9:41, and 9:16. Legs felt pretty good the whole way...
Ray... quite a weekend for you, eh? Congratulations again on getting into Boston, it really is quite an accomplishment. And I can't believe you didn't get any recognition for being the outright winner in the 5K, especially after having to back-track for 150 yards! Awesome run for the whole family! And I should have mentioned the stones that are hidden in the soft dirt on the railtrail. Step on one and it'll twist your ankle or turn you either to the right or left. Between that and the ruts created by ATVers, a steady diet of that stuff gets me in trouble.
Chantilly... that exercise is exactly what's prescribed in the site I was looking at that described Runner's Knee. To be honest, I don't think weak leg muscles is my problem, getting tossed around on the railtrail is what's bothering my legs. Today's road run went just fine. I can't believe 30 degrees, we've warmed into the low 40's for overnight temps. 5:30 am with a flashlight? I'm impressed!
Hi everyone!! So much to catch up with each of you but it looks/sounds like it's going very well with each of you.
After my 18+ miler the Friday (9-11) before we left for AZ, I didn't get a chance to run at all till we got to our AZ home Tues evening.
So Wed. morning, 10.2 miles.
Thursday morning, 5.2 miles. Then met up with trail divas for another 5.3 miles. Total: 10.5 miles.
Friday, rest.
Saturday, 10 miles. My brother rode his mtn bike while I ran.
Sunday, rest. In Phx to drop off DH at airport for his flight back to MN.
Monday, 15.5 miles. Brother rode his mtn bike again.
Tuesday, 8.3 miles. Again with brother on his mtn bike. IT POURED after 4 miles but we kept going as we were on a trail and no shortcut to parking.
Today (Wed.), rest.
Monday and Tuesday ended up being rest days as I had a lot to do each morning.
3 miles this morning before work.
I might have figured out what was eating the green bean shoots. There are several geckos in the yard. They are small enough to get through the chicken wire. If it is them they sure are picky eaters.
Ray - Good news that you accepted for Boston and won your race. Way to go! And a family sweep of their age groups.
Chantilly - Another early run in the cold. Are you wanting warmer weather yet?
Rich - Nice runs there. And you're finally getting that cooler weather.
AZ - I know you're enjoying running in Flag again.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
8 mile run this morning. Nicer weather making it easier to run without breaks. Still muddy in a few places on this route after the rain Tuesday night.
Garden got a good soaking.
Wednesday, 9/23... easy 2 mile recovery "shuffle".
Thursday, 9/24... 9 miles today, 1st mile easy warm-up on the railtrail, then the next 8 on the highway... 9:41, 9:33, 9:27, 9:25, 9:21, 9:24, 9:33 and 9:24. Seems like a good training pace for me right now.
az... nice mileage last week, wow!
Art... Gecko's, eh? I wonder how you trap a Gecko...lol And speaking of gardens, I searched the internet the other day to find out how to till mine and was surprised to see the majority of sites warn not to till. They say it wrecks the soil. So, the latest plan is to till this fall, add lime and fertilizer, then cover it with mulch for the winter. What's missing from the "do not till" sites though, is how you prepare the soil for a large garden, something a 1/2 acre or larger. Nice 8 miler...
Az - Nice weekly mileage there! Getting in some healthy runs there, hope the rest of your time in Az continues to be productive.
Chantilly - Sounds cold. It would be nice to see some cooler weather here and hope you get some more comfortable weather there.
Art - Geckos? That's kind of cool. Hope the geckos don't eat too much of your garden. A couple of days off and you're back at it, good.
NHRich - Working back slowly is one of the harder things to do, so I gotta say you're doing a good job. I know how hard it can be. Keep it up! Good luck on figuring out the best way to prepare your garden.
Tuesday turned into an unscheduled rest day, just wasn't feeling it.
Wednesday, low to mid 80's did an easy 8.1 miles.
Thursday, ran a little earlier in the day so only low 80's while running - another 8.1 miles at a slightly faster pace.
Haven't run yet today, but tonight is 31st Palo Alto Moonlight Run. I'll be doing the 5K this year, not sure how fast I'll go, but mainly hoping to avoid getting caught up in the "crush" at the beginning.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Friday, 9/25... 2 mile shuffle with Sim. Temp this morning was 38 degrees again.
Saturday, 9/26... hectic day today, but managed to get in a 4 miler on the railtrail. Easy pace...
Tilled my garden yesterday, looked out the window this morning just in time to see a grey squirrel bury an acorn where I just tilled... I've got news for him, we're not growing Oak Trees in my new garden...lol
Ray... you're right, it's difficult to ease back into running after a long lay-off. I'm doing pretty well, all things considered. Happy with the new form change and just waiting for all the joints, cartilage, tendons and muscles to get on board... The 5K is a night run, eh? Never done one before...
Lost my post. So here goes again….
NH Runner Nice running. Good plan for your garden.
Farmers used to plow their stubble under after the fall harvest , but then that leaves the soil exposed for the winter. Then they would till it again in the spring. Newer research says that the old way was depleting the soil and that's the reason for the no till advice. Not sure this would apply to home gardens, which would be inundated with grass and weeds...
az2mntrail Nice running in AZ. Good of your bro to accompany you.
Art in AZ Good news about the rain. Nice detective work on the bean sprout mystery.
rmcj001 Hot there still. Hope you get into Boston. When do you find out for sure?
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thurs. & Friday: rest due to work.
Today: 10 miles at 5:15 am with flashlight in 57F and some wind. Looking at 24 hour races…need to practise running in the dark….
5 miles Friday morning with still warm mornings.
5 miles this morning again. Bright sunny skies, no wind.
Signed up for a 8K (5 mile) race next Saturday, Oct. 3, over on the Apache reservation. Figured it was time to do a race and I haven't been in this area of Arizona in a couple of years. So plan to do a little sight seeing around the Salt River Canyon.
Rich - nice runs there. Working slowly looks to be working well for you. That and the extra cross-training tilling the yard. Interesting about the not tilling idea. Haven't heard that before. I wonder if they include smaller gardens also. And do they mean tilling all the time every year or not at all? I agree that you have to till or something the first time you want to garden to prepare the ground before planting. Otherwise, the grass and stuff will use up the nutrients in the soil. That's what tilling is supposed to do. Work the grass, leaves, twigs into the soil so they break down and help enrich the soil. I've down a couple of night runs with the family. They're pretty fun in these have included neon paint, glow sticks, black lights and a party because it is at night and not in the morning.
Ray - Have fun at the night run. The weather has to break soon. At least I keep telling myself that.
Chantilly - I would guess doing a 24 hr. race would include running in the dark some. Most of the really long runs I have seen advertised have been on trails. Is that what you are thinking?
8 miles through the neighborhood, along the canal and around the highway. Sunny, clear and a little drier. Saw a lot of fish just hanging out in the canal. Was kind of surprised to see them just floating there.
Fletch
Greetings!! Yes, it has been a long time since I checked in here. I quickly browsed through the recent posts, and am glad to see the strong running you guys are doing.
Ray – congrats on getting into Boston! That is quite an accomplishment. You should be very proud. Can’t wait to hear how the race goes. The moonlight run sounds like a lot of fun. Hope it went well for you.
Art – you’ve really been putting in some strong miles. And the garden sounds like it is coming along as well, minus the geckos. Nice run along the canal.
Chantilly – you are consistent, as usual. Running with a flashlight is a regular thing with me. Good luck finding a 24 hour race. I’ve been trainging some with some ultra runners around here. Don’t know how you guys do it.
Rich – You’re getting in some good runs as well. Hope the form change goes well. You have a HM coming up in November, right? When, and where is it?
AZ – I’m sure it was nice to get back to Arizona. Nice runs, and really cool that you can share the time with your brother.
As for me, I can sum it up with a very common phrase....”Life is Good!” I am now 7 weeks into the Physical Therapist Assistant program, having finished all of the pre-requisites last year. Had the summer off from school, got bored, and took a job doing golf course maintenance at one of the Pinehurst Resort courses. I decided to stay on with them part time through school. It’s good cross-training – on the days I work, it’s about 6 miles of walking behind a mower, cutting the grass on the greens.
When I last checked in, I was training for my first HM. I ran that race on May 17th (the Race 13.1 in Greensboro, NC). Very hilly course. Started out with the 2:15 pace group, but left them after a couple miles and set my sights on the 2:00 pacer. Got within a couple hundred yards of her...then hit the hills. Wasn’t quite able to catch her. Finished in 2:03.
Backed off of the running for a little while, but still did a lot of walking and hiking. DW and I took a trip to Yosemite, King’s Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks in June. Had a great time, and did a lot of hiking there. When we returned, I started on my training plan for my first FM, the Townebank Outer Banks Marathon on November 8th. I’m deep into that training now, and it is going well. Ran 19 miles last Sunday with an ultra runner friend. This week is a pull-back week for me. 6 miles Wednesday, 8 Thursday, 6 Friday, 6 Saturday, and 10 today. Next week is a little tougher.
I promise I’ll try to check in more often. Good to see you all are doing well.
Safe Running!
Art in AZ Some good runs in the heat. That race will be a nice change of scenery for you.
I have been in 3- 24 hr. races, all in parks on a (mostly) paved path. I have never stayed for the full 24 hrs. due to weather or arthritis pain. Maybe you would be interested in The www.acrosstheyears.com race is in Glendale at Camelback Ranch at New Years and is a 1.1 mile loop around the park. The path is lit at night, the runners wear a timing chip which records their laps/mileage/place on a TV screen every time you pass the start. Most of it is live broadcast on their web site. Except for the cold (32F) overnight, I had a great time there in 2012. There is no pressure to complete a required distance or time, a person just participates for as far or as long as they can. Some people walk the whole time. There is a great aid station with sandwiches, pasta, pizza, gels, drinks, chips & pretzels, dessert, etc. Most people stop and sit down for meals or snacks. Some lay down at night for a couple of hours. They rent tents or bring their own, especially if they are doing one of the multi-day events.
Fletch_NC Nice to hear from you. Sounds like you are busy and enjoying your career change. I've read that the Outerbanks is a scenic race. Be careful hanging around the ultra runners---"once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.." (Yoda)
16 miles on the track.
7 miles
1 hour raking leaves.