not a good start

yesterday i put in what i think is my last hard run. eight miles, last two harder. smsmh came out and biked the course with me and made the run really enjoyable. i ended up pushing the last five miles, rather than the last two.

see, my forerunner is on the fritz, AGAIN. so, i was trying to gauge speed based on where i remembered the mile splits to be, and using the cyclometer on the bike. it was a mess, and i was clocking 8:30 splits that felt like a 7:00 effort. turns out it was closer to 7:00 effort than it was 8:30, and as a result, turned in a sub hour 8 miler, with the last two splits at 6:53 and 6:46.

anyway, the run felt fantastic. but i made a silly mistake later in the evening. i got caught up in watching elf and didn't get to sleep when i'd wanted to. i woke up this morning with some phantom pains in my left quad and shin, a tickle in the throat and feeling a little run down. i'd better eat right and get lots of rest from here on out.

taper!

this week begins my two-week taper in preparation for seafair. i had been hoping for the traditional three week taper, but the coach believes in two weeks. so, i'm down to 37 miles for this week vs. the 50+ of the past four months. my long run this week is 12. i can feel the beginnings of taper madness setting in...

now, the tough part is making sure i get plenty of rest over the next two weeks. rest, jeff, means getting 8+ hours of sleep and not cross training hard. does that mean no epic trips in the kayak? yes, jeff, don't try to paddle to catalina this weekend.

aww...shucks.

munched

since we scratched the race on sunday, that gave me the weekend to relax and do some other activities. coach decided that i was to run an easy 10 on sunday, rather than try to find another race, so that had me in relax mode.

so, saturday morning, wade and i decided to take the kayak out again. this time, we wanted to launch from crystal cove (click on the rain damage photo and check out the frog photo - haha!) and paddle around the reefs and kelp beds in the off-shore park. after carrying the boat down to the beach, we were set to make our attempt at getting through the surf. again, it was another shore break and timing was going to be crucial. we made our first attempt, and the timing was horribly off. wade hopped into the boat and took some water with him (making the kayak ride lower in the water) and when i tried to hop in the front, a large wave came at the same moment. with me pushing down, trying to get in, the bow went under the wave and the cockpit filled with water. we struggled to get the boat out of the surf and dragged it up on shore where we dumped all the water out.

our second attempt went much better.

sort of.

we decided that i needed to hop in first, immediately following a wave and begin paddling. wade would handle the kayak until after the next wave came and then hop in, helping us paddle through the surf zone. we waited patiently and when we saw our break, we went for it. i kept the bow above the next incoming wave, and quickly jumped into the cockpit. i began paddling for all i was worth. we made it over the next wave without taking any water, and then wade made it into the boat. we dug hard and escaped the surf zone without any complications.

we both let out yells of triumph and exclamations about how well it went. i felt some stinging on my right toe-knuckles, as i had hit my foot jumping into the boat, but other than that, we were fine. as we continued to paddle away from the surf, the pain in my foot turned to throbbing and i began to wonder if i'd done more than just rap my foot. i pulled my leg out of the cockpit and looked at my toe. the toenail on my right big toe was standing up at a 45 degree angle and blood was running down my foot. i thought to myself, "it's not supposed to stand up like that" and quickly pushed it back flat.

wade and i debated whether to head back to shore, but the last thing i wanted to do at that point was navigate the surf and carry the kayak back up the cliff to the car. the toe hurt, but it wasn't preventing us from paddling, so we decided to just go ahead and enjoy the day and deal with the toe later.

we began paddling north up the coast to check out the coastal rock formations and the kelp beds. we were treated to a couple cool sights; a fairly large jellyfish that wouldn't hold still for a photograph and an elusive seal that kept popping up all around us. the further we paddle north, the less i wanted to return to crystal cove and deal with exiting through the surf. i called home to see if someone could pick us up in one of the harbors and shuttle me back to the car, and j agreed.

so, our plan was to paddle all the way up the coast, into newport harbor and find a good place to pull out. we were thinking newport dunes in the back bay, but, really, any place with no surf was going to be fine with me.

we finally hit the kelp beds off of corona del mar and sat in them for a while, marveling at how much kelp there was. the heavy swell was still present, but the wave chop was reduced to a minimum. it was really strange and sort of eerie. we didn't see any sea life, though, which is what i had been hoping for.

we continued up the coast, made it into newport harbor (paddling faster than the boats going 5mph in the no-wake zone), made wrong turn and ended up in a channel on the back side of balboa island. we found a good section of sand to pull up onto, called j, and had her meet us there.

the shuttle and pick-up went without a hitch and after a short while, we were back home. i got cleaned up and tried my best to do surgery on the toe. i tried to clip the nail back as far as i could to asses the damage, but the nail bed was too much of a mess to really do anything with it. i wrapped it up tight and just let it be.

sunday morning, i was very skeptical about running on it, but i figured it wasn't a tendon, bone or muscle injury, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. like the black knight, i just kept telling myself, "tis but a flesh wound!". fortunately, running didn't bother it in the least, so i was able to get my 10 miler in without any pain. the mental image of the toenail was more of a factor than any discomfort.

now, i'd just wish the stupid thing would fall off so i don't keep bumping it and catching it on stuff. anyone got some pliers?

scratch

well, i pulled the plug on the tri today.

after much thought and wrestling, i decided to call the team and let them know that we'd race another day. smsmh is sick as well, and even though she wanted me to head up to santa barbara and do the race, i didn't want to be away from her for the entire weekend. that, coupled with problems with the race organizer and getting the waivers for our substitute, our cyclist being busy with a ton of stuff to try to squeeze in on sunday and our original swimmer still out of the picture. the main reason i was doing the race in the first place, was to support k, and if she wasn't going to race, there wasn't a big incentive.

so, k is actively looking for other tris for this summer. i'll make sure to keep you posted.

to balance out that bummer decision, i put in an absolutely fantastic last long run this morning. and the icing on the cake was that alison and p came out and joined me. as i mentioned before, they're in town covering the outdoor track & field championships. they'd be stuck running around carson, which is mostly industrial and not conducive to pedestrians, so i invited them to meet me at huntington beach and run the boardwalk.

i had 20 on the slate, first eight at lsd, next six faster and last six at sub mp. since alison didn't want to do the full 20, i put in a warm up four miles before they showed up, and they'd join me for the remaining 16 (p turned at about 20 minutes - since he's still recovering from injury).

the first four miles were long and i was having a really hard time warming up. i like to tell myself that on those days, the longer the run, the better it turns out. i was keeping my fingers crossed. when i hit the car after the two miles out and back, alison and p were waiting there and ready to go. we set off and kept the pace right where i needed it.

it was great to finally meet up with them. i got to pick their brains about photographing and reporting on races, what it's like to host a blog site, and all sorts of fun topics. alison was a great pace partner, and when we hit the eight mile mark for me and began to drop it down to 8:00-8:20, she never missed a beat, chatting away the whole time. at 14 miles, we saw p back at the car, who'd been soaking is feet in the surf while i filled up the fuel belt. we set off again, this time right on a 7:30 pace for the remaining six miles. again, alison kept on going, right in step and chatting the whole way. i can't say enough about how helpful it was to have her along for the run.

we turned around into the wind at 17 miles, and i struggled a little getting the pace back where it needed to be. the last two miles were beginning to get harder, but i still felt pretty strong and i finished with plenty of energy left.

after the run, we hung around for about 45 minutes, just stretching and talking. it was a very cool morning, hanging out with them, and they made what could have been a very tough solo run, very comfortable. thanks guys, it was very groovy to hook up and run with you!

a break in the clouds

well, june gloom returned this morning, but for the weekend and up until yesterday we were treated to beautiful, blue skies. along with the clear skies, came the heat and the humidity. nothing like the stuff back east or in the south, but noticeable all the same. i headed out on my north carolina river trail (also known as the top of the san diego creek trail) for a 10 miler. i made a clear point of taking it easy on the pace and making sure i had plenty of fluids for the run.

it went off without a hitch with the exception of one thing. when i got home and began preparing my gear, i found that my fuel bottles were safely ensconced in the protective confines of the dishwasher. i opened it up, took a quick steam bath as i fished them out and rinsed them off. during the run, i was drinking peachy keen cytomax up until mile five, when i took a gu and washed it down with water.

dishwasher soap flavored water.

luckily, it wasn't too strong and it was more comical than anything. at least i smelled good when i squirted water on my head. maybe that's the trick to not stinking after a hard workout...carry a bottle of water with a little bit of soap in it for cooling purposes and send the running clothes through a rinse cycle at the same time!

anyway, the run went great and i finished up with a great easy pace at just a tad under 8 min miles. today i've got an easy four in preparation for this week's long run on friday. the cool thing about doing the long run on friday? there's a good chance that i'll get to run a good portion of it with alison and p, who just happen to be in town for the outdoor track & field nationals.

so, that'll put me in the running for the truffles, and with vegas looming, watch out diana and jon!

tiny martini

el moro hill profile

here's the training center data from the garmin on saturday's run with dianna. i was pleased to see that it represented the hills properly. this was also the first time that i've taken the forerunner on this specific loop, so it's good to record the elevation and map coordinates.

i'm sure dianna will be pleased to know that bfi climb was right about 800', most of which was in the first mile of the climb. youch! the blue spikes on the route are where i stopped to pull out the camera, dodge mountain bikers or squirt water from the camelbak onto my hat.

*GULP*

this past weekend, i found out that k, my tri-buddy for the swim leg, is really sick and may not be able to make the race this coming sunday. the fee has been paid, and k2, our cyclist, i think is still on board, so i don't want to scratch the race.

after reading warren's amazing race report, i'm contemplating actually filling in and doing the swim leg as well. i've always been a strong swimmer, and i've swam in the ocean on occasion...but it's been a while. i'm wondering if i can pull off a mile swim. it's in salt water, wearing a wet suit, so i've got buoyancy going for me, but i'll have to deal with current, swells and sighting. i might head out and give it a try sometime this week, just to see how i feel.

the funny thing is that it's not the actual swimming that has me kind of freaked out. it's more trying to wrap my head around doing t1. i haven't visualized it AT ALL and there so many unknown aspects to it, i can't even begin to guess. the transition, the start, the...the...the everything. i think i need to settle down, work a couple light swims in this week, spend some time mentally preparing myself for the swim and run, and just remember to have fun.

jeff is a four letter word

well, saturday was my first meeting with another rbf'er, and cross-country at that. dianna was in town this past week, so we planned to hook up so i could introduce her to trail running in southern california. if you haven't already, head over to her site and read her account first.

okay, you're back? first off, she's being much too kind. in retrospect, i really undersold the route that she chose. i told her the hills were HUGE, but as we were climbing them, i was realizing that HUGE (even in all caps) is relative. second, dianna is super groovy. i've met my share of folks from the internet, and there's always that 'unknown' about a person. some are quirky, some are introverts, some swear like sailors, etc. aside from an obsession with talking about running (just poking fun - that's all i talked about too!), she's normal. i think - she's got this problem with knowing left and right... and finally, dianna is an amazing runner. she pushed hard up some incredibly hard hills and the walking was far less than she makes out. she made it through one of the toughest loops in southern california, and that gives her some serious trail running cred. but, i'm getting ahead of myself.

dianna showed up around 3pm on saturday and we quickly headed out to crystal cove state park, just a tad north of laguna beach. i'd given her the option of three different local routes. i described el moro as:

Crystal Cove/El Moro - Around 9-10 miles. First mile includes a HUGE hill, with a second big hill at about mile 7. Route is through coastal scrub along fire roads on rolling hills, super fun single track and finishes with a long downhill with a view of the ocean...

...Out of all the runs, I think the El Moro route is the hardest, but
most rewarding.

okay, so it sounds like i was pushing the el moro route. i was, a bit. it's my favorite trail running location. since the june gloom burnt off on friday, i knew we were in for a great treat. the view from the ridges and hills in el moro is breathtaking. anyway, at the trail head we geared up, synched watches, got fuel and fluids, etc. i decided to bring the camelbak so i could bring a camera and lots of water. with the burn off of the june gloom, it was tad warm.

we started out on the trail and dropped down into el moro canyon. as we came around a corner, i pointed out the top of the hill we'd be climbing. wrong idea. she didn't want to see the hill before we got to it. oops! we quickly hit the base of the hill and started climbing up bfi hill (named for a bfi dumpster that used to sit on an unused access road - but now an acronym for big &#$*@! incline). i tried my best to explain the nuances of the hill; where it would level off a bit and where we'd be hitting the relentless parts. the hill goes on, and on, and on with numerous false summits and blind turns. each time it started to level off, we'd round another corner to see the trail heading up further and further.

at this point, dianna started using my name as a swear word. and i agree that i deserved it. the first hill is tough, and even the most seasoned trail or hill runners struggle on it. by about mile two, we topped out on no name ridge and started our cruise toward the back of the park. the relatively flat ridgeline offers some great views and much needed recovery from the hill. dianna found her legs again and we ran along comfortably, chatting about running (duh).

at about four miles inland, we hit "missing link", a stretch of singletrack that winds back and forth, up and down, through coastal scrub. you get the occasional view of the canyon and ocean, but for the most part, you're tearing through head high buckwheat, mustard, sage and cactus. we tore through there, nearly smashing into some mountain bikers that we didn't see until the last second.

from missing link, we hooked up with the fence line trail and then dropped down 'the wall' and into deer valley campground. the trail had been cleared much wider than normal, and it was a good thing as there was plenty of poison oak along the stream bed. at this point in the run, i'm usually completely recovered from the hills and beginning to feel strong again. dianna seemed to be feeling good as well. just in time, too, since we were getting ready for "tickertron", the hill from hell. it's much shorter than the bfi hill at the start, but it's scrape-your-nose steep. a sure calf burner.

we made it to the top and were treated to a beautiful return view, a horizon of ocean. i assured her that the remainder of the run was rolling hills along the ridgeline, but quickly realized that 'rolling hills' is, again, a relative term. a cool breeze had kicked up off of the ocean, wich took the edge off of the heat. the drop in temperature, the lower angle hills and the awesome view made the last few miles the reward that i had promised this route would be.

we cruised the last few miles, enjoying the last mile with a long downhill back to the parking lot. back at the car, we stretched, cooled down and then quickly headed back to the house to get cleaned up and grab some grub. smsmh and her sister joined us and we headed out to polly's pies for dinner. we grubbed, chatted and laughed. it was a great end to a hard run and groovy rbf meeting. i know dianna is pushing hard to win the "most rbf'ers met" award (who wouldn't want hand made truffles by jon?!), and i encourage you to hook up with her if you have a chance. she's a great runner, has a great sense of humor, loves the sport and is just a groovy cat, even if she can't tell her left from her right.

bottom of the hill, again

well, i'm at the bottom of that hill again, excitedly looking up. today starts a run of heavy mileage, all the way through sunday. 13 miles today of intervals, 10 miles of trail running tomorrow (with dianna!) and then 20 miles on sunday. woohoo! i think i'll be a noodle by sunday night.

i'm not worried at all about the workouts, though. i'm anxious to get out and start running. if i could leave work right this minute and put in the miles, i would. this time, the bottom of the hill doesn't have me thinking about the climb, but more about the view from the summit.

jank at terramuggus

jank just ran his first tri at terramuggus. you've got to read his race report!

the winding river

i had 10 on the schedule last night and was pretty tight on time, so i opted to run from the house, rather than drive to back bay after work. i recently discovered that the head of the san diego creek trail is only two miles from our house, so i've been doing my longer runs from home along that route. i have other, hilly routes mapped out around the house, but they're all on surface streets. even though i don't mind running in traffic, i always have something happen that gets me riled and pissed off at drivers. i don't like feeling that way.

so, discovering this new route, even though it's relatively flat, has been great. the bonus is that there's a section right when i get on the trail where the creek bed is really wide, about 40' across. it's really a drainage control channel with cement embankments and paved trails on either side, but at this one point, the creek meanders through a sandy river bed and stands of reeds. the trail is lined with fairly mature trees that are thick enough you can't see any of the surrounding area. for about a mile, the creek winds along like this, with no indication that civilization is anywhere nearby. at this end of the trail, too, i never see anyone else. it's absolutely beautiful and wrapped in solitude.

it's easy to picture myself running along a winding river somewhere in north carolina or tennessee. mallard families splash in the slow moving water, swallows dart and dive for gnats and the creek creates dark fluid patterns in the light coloured sand. just that stretch of one mile is worth the trip. i absolutely love how there are so many secret spots in southern california that instantly transport you from the urban chaos. this little bit is one of my favorites.

another hill

it seems like every week uncovers a new training hill to conquer. this week is no different. i'll hit two milestones this week. first, this will be my first 60+ mile week. i have several 10+ mile runs during the week and a 20 on sunday. eep! second, on friday, i'll go over 1000 miles for the year. looks like i'm right on pace to hit 2000 for the year! woohoo!

yesterday started the week off. i put in a moderate 6+ miles and felt pretty good. it took me the better part of the first mile to get my stride and begin to feel warmed up. i felt my quads at first, but as soon as i was warm they got in on the game, too. back bay was at high tide, so no jumping fish, but there were tons of birds out. several flocks of terns were out fishing, saw a couple hawks and one HUGE turkey vulture that was trying to get at something in the brush along the trail.

i forgot to mention that on friday's run with smsmh, we saw a well fed rattlesnake crossing the aliso creek bike trail. it was moving pretty slow and had a fat middle section. it had obviously just eaten. it was about three feet long but only had a couple rattles on it's tail. just a testimony to how much food is available for them this year!

jank on the move

hey folks. if you subscribe to bloglines or other rss feed service and read jank's blog, he's moved and the rss feed address has changed.

please unsubscribe your current atom/rss feed and then
subscribe to his new one: http://runmystic.jankowskis.net/wp-rss2.php

rbf fest

hey folks, we've finally decided to plan the first rbf fest. this december 4th, the rbf will be supporting rbf members at the las vegas marathon. if you've been on the fence about this race, or looking for a winter marathon in a wonderful destination location, put this one on your calendar!

smsmh and i, along with other rbf members will be out in force to support all the rbf members looking to run this race. and one of the best things to look forward to is an rbf pasta feed the night before the race! you'll finally get to meet the faces behind the blogs and show your support!

the goal of this rbf fest in vegas is to make the event as seamless as possible for the runners. need help with travel? need help with lodging? need help with fluids or gear along the course? looking for other rbf'ers to run along with you? need someone to run the last 6 miles with you? post your need on the rbf message board so we can support you!

start planning now to join us in vegas on december 4th, 2005!

tri prep

the tri that we're running (as a relay team) is coming up in a few weeks, and k, the friend doing the swim leg, wanted to get in an ocean swim. she'd never done any open water swimming, and she didn't want her first experience to be the actual race. so, early saturday morning, k and i headed out to corona dell mar, me with my kayak and k with her wet suit, to spend some time on the high seas.

i'm beginning to learn that surf launches aren't all they're cracked up to be if you don't have a full skirt. i had a wave crash on the bow and dump about 10-15 gallons of water into the cockpit. the bilge pump made quick work of it, but still, not the best of launches.

we headed out to a buoy about a quarter mile out and k started swimming parallel to the coast. we started pretty close to a jetty, so the swells were pretty tame. as we progressed along the coast, the swell got noticeably larger. k spent some time getting used to spotting and swimming with the swells. after about a half mile of swimming, i stopped her as we were heading into some pretty heavy kelp beds. i wasn't too sure she wanted to be swimming through them. we chatted for a few minutes before turning around to do some laps. k mentioned how strange it was to make a stroke, expecting there to be water and have your arm fall into thin air as you come over a swell. i'm sure it's tough to get used to after training in a pool.

she was starting to get the hang of things, and decided to hit a series of buoys without stopping. she cruised along at a pretty smooth and quick pace and really seemed to be getting the hang of it. i pulled out the camera and took some quick video of her swimming and got a couple photos. her last lap was about a half mile circuit of buoys and then back to shore. total distance for the swim was about 1.5 miles with moderate effort. it was fun to kayak along, too. watching k cruising through the water got me wanting to give it a shot, too.

after k got to shore, i headed in. with a shore break, it's tough to see the waves and their sizes. i moved over close to the jetty so that the surf would be as small as possible. i sat just outside the surf zone, trying to gauge the sets. i edged closer and closer, back paddling to keep my spot. i tried to time coming in right behind a wave, but the one i tried to follow in actually took me with it. it lifted the boat up, tipped it's bow down into the water and flipped me. i ended up between the sand and the kayak and wasn't able to move fast enough before the next wave hit.

the kayak filled up with water pretty quick and it was a struggle to pull it out of the surf. i kept getting hammered, since i was pulling the kayak up the shore and the waves would pound the boat onto my feet. i munched both of my big toes and my shins and knees took a beating. it was an ugly landing, but i learned some valuable lessons from it.

first, waves are surface water moving and they'll take anything on the surface with it on their way in. second, it is wise to clip all your gear to yourself or the boat. and third, avoid a surf launch or landing if you can...and if you can't, have a skirt on the boat.

the runs of the past few days have let me know that i didn't injure anything that would keep me from running. the toes feel okay and the shins and knees just superficial injuries. whew!

breakfast in an empty house

hardware

this is the award that i got for placing 3rd in my division at the saddleback memorial 5k last week. it's made of tile, and can either be hung, used as a coaster or worked into the tile of your kitchen (which smsmh vetoed...haha).

recovery

the last couple days have been rough. sunday, the aches of running a hard race started to set in and the numbness of the successful race started to wear off. sore quads, an extremely tight left calf and tight upper body muscles had me feeling pretty rough. i put in an easy five miles on sunday, and while i could feel my quads and the tight calf, they weren't actually painful.

yesterday, the coach had me do an "easy, easy" four miles. i took a watch, but didn't look at it throughout the entire run. i just ran what felt relaxing. the quads finally felt good again, but the calf was still tight. i spent about 30 minutes stretching after the run and then from 8pm to 9pm, did my best to tenderize my quads and calves with the behemoth massager.

i'm still a little tight in the calf this morning, but my upper body is feeling better. another day of light running and some decent sleep, and i should be ready to pile the miles on again.

thanks to everyone for all the great support and comments. i took you all on the race with me on saturday, and your encouragement really helped. isn't the rbf wonderful?

what not to do on race morning

i just typed the title and had to laugh, because this entry is basically about a hugely successful race that had everything going wrong up until we crossed the starting line.

yesterday was the fontana half marathon. the course is a one way route, where the runners are bussed up into the mountains and we run down a windy course to the city hall in downtown fontana. the last bus out leaves at 6:20, and since ken hadn't registered yet, we wanted to get to the registration area early enough to make sure we'd have time to register, catch a bus, warm-up, etc. so, the plan was to leave ken's house at 4:45. butt-crack-of-dawn early, but safe.

i was up at 3:45, ate (a big bowl of oatmeal and a banana), got my gear together and was out the door at 4:30. smsmh and i are staying at her brother-in-law's place this week, watching their kids while they're in hawaii, and since i was loaning my truck to some friends for the day, i hopped in my brother-in-law's car and headed over to ken's.

i hit the first intersection with a signal, and the light wouldn't change. i sat there for a few minutes, watching the clock and getting frustrated. i backed up, moved into another lane and the light wouldn't change. i tried all the lanes and nothing would trigger the light. in the near five minutes i was there, no cars had come through the intersection. so, i went ahead and zipped through the red light. yeah...you see where this is going...

two miles up the road, i noticed headlights coming up on me pretty quick, and then the red rolling lights. busted. i pulled over, got out my license and fished around in the glove box for the registration. i explained to the officer that it wasn't my car. he asked where i was going at 4:30 in the morning.

"i'm heading to my running partner's house. we're going out to fontana to run a half marathon this morning."

"are you late?", he asked.

i looked at the clock. "now i am", i responded.

he asked if i'd run the red light and i told him yes. he asked if i'd even slowed down before going through the intersection. i explained the problem with the light and how long i'd been sitting there. he headed back to his car and i thought for sure i was going to be there for another 10-15 minutes. not more than two minutes later, he came back, gave me a warning and sent me on my way. woohoo!

i got to ken's house right at 5am, didn't have time to use the restroom, so we just hopped in his car and took off. we drove up to the freeway, only to find the on-ramp closed due to construction. the detour took us in the wrong direction and pointed us to another on-ramp that was closed due to construction. we decided to cut our losses and hit a different freeway. finally on the road and it was now 5:30 - the time that we wanted to get to the race registration.

we flew to the race location, and pulled into the parking lot at 6:10. i ran to pick up my packet and ken headed over to register. we met back up and ended up on the last bus to the start. whew! at the start, we were treated to limited toilets and LONG lines. again, i decided to cut my losses and searched around for some bushes to...ahem...void in. that didn't leave us much time to warm up, so we jogged a short half mile and then got into the queue. a couple minutes later and the starting horn sounded.

7:30 and we were off! the coach had said to run mp for the first 10k, since we didn't want me to get injured on the steep part of the course. plus, that would ensure that i was still fresh for the remainder of the race, once we were on the flat. people streamed past us for the first few miles, and it was very tough mentally to let them go. it was also very tough to keep the pace slow. we fluctuated between 7:00-7:20 pace, and due to the downhill, it felt absolutely effortless. knowing that the downhill was going to be brutal on the quads, i took the advice of rbf'ers and REALLY focused on form.

here's the splits for the first 10k:

7:12 mile 1
7:22 mile 2
7:16 mile 3
7:08 mile 4
7:08 mile 5
6:55 mile 6

after the fourth mile, people stopped passing us, and we started reeling folks back in. we were staying very consistent with our pace, running the shortest distance through the curves and keeping our form. as we eased into the sixth mile, the downhill started to recede and flatten out. the change in slope felt weird on the legs after so many miles of steep running and the change to 6:55 felt hard. i wasn't sure if i'd be able to, or if i wanted to, keep that quick of a pace for the remainder of the race.

to break 1:30, i was going to have to not only run the low 6:50's, but also make up the two minutes or so that i'd lost in the first 10k. ken and i started picking it up through the 7th mile, and i started to feel quite good. when we passed the 7th mile marker, i looked back at ken, who had dropped to a few feet behind and shouted "6:44 - we're doing great!".

i was feeling wonderful and dropped into what felt like a hard, but sustainable, pace. i checked the pace at the eight mile marker and was shocked to see 6:26. and it felt wonderful. i kept pushing the hard pace and over the remainder of the race, was able to maintain fantastic consistency. here's the last 7 mile splits:

6:44 mile 7
6:26 mile 8
6:21 mile 9
6:21 mile 10
6:20 mile 11
6:20 mile 12
6:11 mile 13

at mile 10, i could feel my form getting sloppy. i knew that if i didn't focus on it, i'd start loosing tons of energy with the reduced efficiency. i focused hard on my form and was able to keep the consistent pace. i hit the 12 mile marker and realized i still had quite a bit of juice left. i slowly focused on increasing my turn-over and slowly dropped the pace. i was flying as i came down the final stretch and was amazed when i saw 1:28 on the clock as i went through the chutes.

i'd broken my "pie-in-the-sky" goal by over a minute, and my pb by nearly 10 minutes. i was ecstatic! i jogged back up to the finish line to watch for ken, and he came flying into the chutes at 1:30:09, almost two minutes faster than his "pie-in-the-sky" goal.

the race was a huge success. not only had i turned in a fantastic time, but i learned quite a bit about pacing through the early miles, how to keep consistent with my form, and most of all, that all the hard work i've been putting in is paying off. this success is a huge confidence builder. i'm feeling really good about racing the marathon in july, and am very confident that the 3:25 goal is in the bag.

thanks for everyone's support. i thought about your comments, well wishes and suggestions often. they really made a difference!

2005 Fontana 1/2 Marathon

Gun Time: 1:28:42
Pace: 6:46
Place:
Div: 11

recovery/taper

well, this week is a sort of recovery/taper week. with the big mileage last week and a race on monday, the coach gave me a couple easy days and options for days off this week. i had 3-4 or off on tuesday, and i opted for the rest. wednesday was 4-5 miles and i did the hilly loop around our house at tempo pace. yesterday was eight which i did on the back bay bike trail at a tempo pace as well.

i wanted to run whatever felt comfortable, even if that meant fast. my legs were feeling really good, so i just ran at what felt right. i ended up averaging 7:24 for the entire run. i felt oddly comfortable during the last few miles at a 7:05-7:10 pace, even though i could tell i was tiring.

today is a complete rest day, as i fuel up and get hydrated for tomorrow's 1/2 marathon. the race is out in fontana, starting in lytle creek campground and dropping 2100' over the 13.1 miles. coach wants me to run mp for the first 10k so i don't get injured on the steepest part of the run, but then i have the green flag to 'let it rip' for the final seven. ken and i will probably stick together and run between 7:10-7:20 for that first 10k. it's a little faster than what my training mp has been, but i think it'll be hard to go slow on the heavy downhill.

i'm hoping for another pb crushing run. my previous 1/2 marathon best is 1:37:51, and i'm thinking that even with the 7:20 starting 10k, i should be able to hit the low 1:30's. i'd like to break 1:30, but that may be tough to try and make up the time. i'm keeping my fingers crossed. in any event, we're going to stick around for the awards ceremony...haha!