Fleet Feet Sunrise 10K Race Report

Race: Fleet Feet Sunrise 10K

Distance: 10K

Goal Time: 1:17:30-1:28:30

Actual Time: 1:26:32 (13:55 min/mi)

This was my second time to do this particular event, and their third time hosting it.  I had a couple goals for this particular run: to get in my hill intervals for the week and try out running with my backpack-style hydration pack.

The run part was hard. For some reason, running outside during this time of year does not feel great.  There's still the ridiculous heat of the summer around, but with some spare humidity thrown in just for fun.  The temperature at the start was 80 degrees with about 80% humidity.  The course goes through Alamo Heights, which is one of the hilliest parts of San Antonio.  I bring your attention to the elevation map below.  The overall difference in elevation is only like 50 meters, but the inclines are pretty steep and quite repetitive.  They definitely began to hurt in the last couple miles.  I ended up doing a bit of run/walking due to the hills. I will definitely need to be hitting up some more hill intervals before the half-marathon. 
 

I am what they call a "sweaty runner."  I end up caked with salt, head to toe, after my long runs. Add the humidity to that and I sweat even more.  So I tend to imbibe quite a bit of fluids on my runs, more than is held in the dinky little eight ounce bottles that come in the belt-style hydration packs.  For me, the belt style packs tended to require a lot of fidgeting since they tended to ride up and not stay on my hips as intended. Getting the little bottles in and out of the holders was a bit of a pain too. But the backpack-style pack was awesome. There were several others who used Camelbaks at this event, though mine was much bigger the ones I saw. It strapped down pretty tight so that there wasn't much sloshing around. I didn't have to fiddle with it near as much as I did with the belt.  I could carry a whole lot more fluid too. The best part was having the fluids on demand, especially during those hills where I really needed it.  I think that allowed me to knock almost a minute off last year's time (1:27:24).  I think this will do me well for the half-marathon so I don't have to drink the gross Lemon-Lime Cytomax.  I still have yet to master catching my breath while sucking on the tube, but I still have a few weeks to work on that. 

 

Mission accomplished for this race. I did have some issues earlier this week and didn't get to the gym as often as I should have. There are still twelve weeks until the event, so I think I'm in decent shape. Next week starts the fall semester of classes, so here's hoping that I can manage work, school, training, and my sanity. 

Race Photos, bib 253:  Start, Finish, Finish  
Official Results

Sunday News Edition

I have a few pieces of news, none of which merit their own blog post.  So here's the digest version of everything.

• I just passed 200 miles run in 2010!  The goal for the year is 500, so I'm behind.  But for taking a six week break, I think I'm still in an okay position.  It'll take me about 15 miles per week for the rest of the year to meet the goal, which is still very doable.  It's even more doable when you factor in my training plan for the 2010 Rock'N'Roll San Antonio Half Marathon.  The 15-week plan ranges between 16 and 28 mile weeks.

• First week of the 2010 RnRSA plan I believe I must call a success. I ran most of the plan, even after the hiatus. Only running 12 miles of the 16 makes me feel a bit disappointed, but it's the most miles per week I've completed since April.  Coming out the other end with no injuries has to be counted as an accomplishment. Here's to next week!  May it be filled with 17 miles including a quality speed interval day.

• My eyes are paid off! My expensive self-splurge this year was on LASIK surgery, which has been pretty awesome.  Sometimes when my eyes are dry, I can't help the feeling of wanting to take out my contacts.  However, I have gotten over the habit of groping my bedside table for my glasses in the morning.  I think I'll appreciate this more in the years to come.  But for now, I will appreciate that I have no bills for it!  So I've taken care of 80% of my pay-down-debt goal with only 60% of the year gone by. 

• I'm behind in my movie watching.  Here's the rundown of ones I've seen recently. Loved the A-Team.  In my opinion, a better series remake than Get Smart or StarTrek. Karate Kid was okay, but my favorite part was the credits for the photography and the Justin Bieber/Jaden Smith song.  Inception was freaking awesome, as everyone should know by now.  The Sorcerer's Apprentice was cute, but not as good as I was hoping.  Despicable Me was very funny, but the trailers were misleading. The dude laughed a lot more than I did.

• I had to abandon the re-read of a book I loved in high school: The Spellsong Sorceress by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.  Twenty pages in and it had all of the writing sins now shunned in recently published books.  The ones that irked me the most were his paragraphs of laundry-list descriptions and flip-flopping verb tenses.  Pairing that with the high fantasy genre, it just felt snooty.  Alas, there goes a fond memory of a childhood read.

• Douglas Adams' sequel to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, was another excellent book.  This particular book had more commentary than narrative, and the time-travel aspect got a bit confusing, but I still very much enjoyed it. His writing style is fantastic, putting character-driven narrative next to laugh-out-loud, snarky, satirical social commentary.  I don't know of any other writer who has achieved both or done it with such a light heart.  My favorite part is the mathematical proof of why there the universe has a population of zero.  Oh, "and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination."

I think it's been a good week, though not very productive.

Fiesta 10K Race Report

Race: Fiesta Mission 10K

Distance: 10K

Goal Time: 1:15-1:20

Actual Time: 1:15:35 (12:10 min/mi) Personal Record!


Fiesta kicked off this week in San Antonio.  I think it's related to the Battle of the Flowers, but nowadays, it is a city-wide ten days of partying.  I have never done the more popular events like Oyster Bake or Night in Old San Antonio.  Last year I did the Fiesta Fandango, a 2.6 mile fun run that preceded the Fandango parade downtown.  This year I decided to forgo the ridiculous heat of that and went to the 10K instead. 


There were patchy thunderstorms on my way to the race which held out long enough for me to finish and then pour during the post-race party.  The run was at Mission County Park, the usual location for races put together by the San Antonio Road Runners.  The park follows the river that flows between the stops on the Mission Trail.  If you go far enough, the trail runs right next to Mission Espada, my favorite.  It's been raining the last half of this week, so the river is pretty full and the grass is really green.   Usually the water is pretty low, and the area isn't really well cared for, so the river smells like rancid broccoli.  We lucked out and only the area near the turnaround smelled like overcooked spinach. The trail itself is an easy stretch of gently rolling hills.  Much easier technically than the Cap10K course, but tt was a lot more humid than last weekend. 


I'm coming up on my LASIK surgery and I'm in the period of time before the surgery where I can't wear contacts.  So this was my first and last race with my glasses.  They didn't do me much good.  They fogged up in the first half mile.  I hooked them in the collar of my shirt and raced the rest with blurry vision.  I tried to imagine what it would be like to not have to have glasses or contacts to see.  I won't have to imagine for long.  

Adding to the difficulty of the humidity, I forgot my headphones at home.  Normally I hardly pay attention to the music that is playing, but it's helpful for times when I need to push myself.  A lot of my inner monologue during the race was coaching myself to keep up the pace.  I put a lot of stress on myself to PR again this weekend.  Between that and the weather conditions, I did not have nearly as much fun as I did in Austin.  But I did PR again!  Another minute off my PR time, shedding 7 minutes over last year's PR of 1:22.  Most likely that will be my fastest 10K time as we get into the summer races where it's really too hot for me to keep a pace like that. 

I hope to take a few weeks off of racing to finish out the semester at school, have my vacation in Orlando, and regroup my training plan.    It was a good race, and I did well, but I need a time out from race weekends.


Official Results
Race Photos 
Scotty's Report

Whirlwind Weekend and Race Report

This weekend included the most driving I've done in a long time.  But I successfully both went to the Poteet Strawberry Festival and the Ausin-American Statesman Capitol 10K.

Poteet is actually a lot closer than I had thought it was.  I decided to hit up the festival before heading out to the Cap10K expo.  I got there right when it opened up, and was able to walk around the whole thing really quickly.  I got some strawberries in a "walkabout cup" as I walked by some of the vendors.  They were the best I've ever had - juicy and not super sweet.  I also picked up the recommended strawberry shortcake and a slice of strawberry bread.  The whipping cream and cake kind of destroyed the taste of the strawberries.  The strawberry bread was offerred by the local band boosters.  It tasted a lot like zucchini bread, with some pinkish swirls throughout.  The cake and bread were okay, but not nearly as good as the strawberries in their raw form.  I only wish I was headed back home so I could buy up a case.   I wish I could have stayed longer to see more of the rodeo and food events.

   

 

I met up with my high school friend Chris for dinner at Iron Cactus.  Chris and I caught up on a couple years of events and hopes.  He has mastered the talent of understated sarcasm that makes his storytelling so great to listen to. We split the Tuna Ceviche for an appetizer and I had Lobster Tacos for dinner.  Since they're known for their tequila selection, we also had a couple of margaritas each. The tequila of choice was Republic Repasado.  It was so worth it.  I highly recommend it to anyone in its vicinity.  (They have other stuff on the menu other than seafood, if you're not into it.)  They have a sister restaurant on the Riverwalk, so I will definitely be attempting to get down there as soon as I can. 

 

Race: Austin-American Statesman Capitol 10K

Distance: 10K

Goal Time: 1:24 to 1:30
Personal Record: 1:21:42

Actual Time: 1:16:46 (12:22 min/mi)  NEW PR!

The Cap10K is promoted as the largest 10K in Texas.  They weren't lying.  I got up ridiculously early to make sure I got a parking spot near the finish.  I'm glad I did.  I got to the start line around 7am, after procuring coffee and food.  he start line looked like this when I got there.   I killed time by warming up, stretching, and reading Wicked Lovely on my B&N eReader on my iPhone.  It's so convenient to have a GPS, phone, mp3 player, camera, internet, and book all wrapped up into a little sleek package.  

 

It looked like this at 8am.  The weather forecast said cloudy with 10% chance of precipitation.  It began drizzling around 8:15 and didn't stop until I was driving home.  The drizzling made it a little cooler and is an acceptable consolation prize for high humidity.  The race started late, like they always do, but at least not by much.  My start was about three minutes after gun time. 




My Polar heart rate monitor wasn't picking up either my heart rate or my footpod (for pace), so I had no idea how fast I was going or how close I was to my max HR.  I was going by just how I felt.  I recorded my mile splits and was surprised every time.  I wasn't going too hard. I walked through hills and water stations.  I just kind of kept going.  In the first half I thought that somewhere down the course I would have some issue that would slow me down, but it seemed like everything was aligning just right.  I was working hard, but feeling great doing it. 


I was super excited when closing in on the finish I knew that I was going to get a PR.  At that point, I could tell I was beginning to overheat, so I just kind of cruised to the end.  It was around mile 5.5 or so that I came up on this guy - the Music Man - who was providing running commentary.  Literally.  He had a record player and a microphone and was talking to the crowd around him.  He was hilarious.  I hung out for a little bit near him and he helped me keep smiling like an idiot all the way to the finish line.

The finish line was a mess.  With getting a PR, I wish I had someone waiting for me that I could celebrate with.  I have decided that this is a requirement for all prospective significant others - willingness either to run events with me or wait at the finish.  But it worked out well for me today since I don't think I could have found someone in that cluster or human madness.  I managed to procure a banana and a bottle of water.  I passed at least one person that had three bottles of Vitamin Water, two bananas, and two or three bags of chips.  People like that are the reason why I bring my own food to eat after most races.  As a slowpoke, I usually don't get refreshments by the time I get to the finish.  I waited in a ridiculous line for a free massage.  I think I deserved it, don't you?

It was a great weekend all around.  On the way home I got the same feeling I get after I finish my cooking classes.  A vibrancy, a high, that I can only relate to feeling like I want to make out with someone, or go jump in puddles.  Something, anything, just to get more living into a few more seconds. 

And now I'm back and will all too soon return to the regularly scheduled grind.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Born to Run is a nonfiction story about a few elite ultrarunners and a tribe of Mexican natives called Talahumara.  The narrator takes you on a journey of discovery of the engineering of the human body, the evolution of the running industry, and ultrarunning.

The Tarahumara, named the "Running People" in their own language, live in the intense environment of the most remote regions of the Sierra Madres.  They are an isolated culture, one where the economy runs exclusively on the trading of acts of kindness and corn beer.  They are the most peaceful people on earth, even when duelling drug cartels prey on travelers in the area.  The Running People are also the worlds fastest ultrarunners, but you'll never see them.

Ultrarunning refers to distances longer than a marthon, usually found in distances of 50 kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers, or 100 miles.  Not only is the distance itself grueling, but the events are usually held in the most difficult of climates, like the extreme heat of Death Valley, or at high altitude, extremely mountainous regions, or on an all-terrain trail.   Hallucination, severe dehydration, and severe injury are not uncommon.

After reading this book, I wish I was hardcore enough to do that.  It's hard enough for me to wrap my head around a ten mile run, much less a marathon or more. 

It was interesting to see the narrative images of some of the modern ultrarunners like Scott Jurek and  Barefoot Ted.   The group of elites that went on this trip to race with the Tarahumara in their homeland call themselves "Mas Locos" after the event.  You would have to be crazy in order to run 50 miles in that environment.  But they are all very unique individuals and the author shows their personality quirks delightfully.

There is a great deal of science in this book that is very interesting to prove two points: that the modern running show actually causes more problems than it prevents, and why the human is better suited to endurance running than any other animal.  Anthropologists and biological locomotion experts looked at animals like rabbits, deer, and cheetahs who can only breathe once per stride.  Humans are not limited in their breathing patterns to their running cadence, but most stick to a 2 steps to 1 breath cycle.  They also spent some time on how standing upright is actually a benefit over being a quadruped.  Humans can cool down quicker through the evaporation of sweat on our hairless skin rather than being dependent on losing heat through our mouths like dogs.   It was quite an interesting look at human evolution. 

The book goes on to claim that the modern running shoe is to blame for modern running injuries.  More people are suffering running injuries, but we have the most advanced running shoes ever.  Or at least the most expensive.  They are designed to insulate the feet from rough terrain, reduce natural motion, and decrease impact to your legs.  The theory is that by doing all that, they prevent the brain from receiving information from the feet.  This results in poor running form, which is the cause of all the common running problems: runner's knee, planar fascilitis, pulled tendons, etc.  I use motion control shoes, but it's because the theory is that the greater amount of sole will lessen the impact caused by my weight.  It's a standard rule for overweight runners.  The only issue I complain of is from intermittent lower back pain which usually works itself out with stretching. 

The sources listed in this book are only part of a larger set of information that is fueling a barefoot running movement among the running community. I normally walk around in rather supportless flats most of the time. I actually went to try on a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, one of the go-to names of the movement.  I originally thought that I wouldn't be able to wear them because I have webbed toes.  The first knuckle of my second and third toes are joined.  (I never knew anyone else other than my family who had this, but I discovered today that two of my coworkers have the same thing! Weird coincidence!)  My first impression is that I had the intense desire to wiggle my toes all the time.  And go dancing. It's interesting that you don't break in the shoes to your feet, you break in your feet to the shoes.  My toes feel a little sore from being spread apart for so many hours, but I'm looking forward to trying to get used to them in time to be able to wear them for a day during my Orlando trip.

This book did a great job of making a narrative out of ultrarunning events, anthropology, and sociology.  It makes me want to run twenty miles barefoot when I've never done anything like it.  The Mas Locos have some great photos from their run in the Sierra Madres.  Be sure to check them out! (This one of Jenn Shelton is my favorite of the bunch. She was the wild child.  Can you tell?)

Race Report: GYRIG 5K

Race: Get Your Rear In Gear 5K

Distance: 5K

Goal Time: None

Actual Time: 1:10:??

This 5K was really just a chance to do something active with the family while my sister was visiting.  In our family, Beth and I lead the health kick, but it has rubbed off on Theresa as she works off her baby weight and to Mom as she works to keep her diabetes in check. I succeeded in bribing Beth to do this event as a chance to meet Scotty in person.  Mom was relieved when I told her that Brackenridge Park is flat and shady - quite the opposite from her previous 5K experience.  Theresa came along for the ride with the kids in tow.  I was really glad that Amanda decided to come out too!  She kidnapped Brittany and bribed her with brunch to round out our posse at the event.  

It was cool and breezy  on race day.  The course was perfect - shady and picturesque.  We took a short break about halfway, but we had to stop a couple of times to put the wheel back on Theresa's wagon for the kids.  We just chatted and made faces at the kids the whole way and crossed the finish around 1:10:00.  As walkers, we weren't officially timed, but I'm proud of it considering we started at the very back and had the few stops.  Brittany didn't start out believing me that it wouldn't be too bad.  Just get her chatting and the time just flies by! I hope she's a convert and that she and Amanda and I will do another walk together in the future (hint hint!). 


It was a great way to start the day.  Afterward came brunch with everyone at the nearest IHOP, then our family split off for more playing in the park.  It was a beautiful way to spend the a gorgeous San Antonio spring day. 


I'll end with a shout out to Cotton "Pa" Hobson, my brother-in-law's grandfather who died of colon cancer a few years ago.  Beth dedicated her walk to him. 


Other race reports: 
Scotty's Race Report
Running Raider
Amanda's report
Official Photographs

Check back later for more pictures! (I'll upload them soon, I promise!)

Race Report: Run Wild for Brainpower

Race: Run Wild for Brainpower 5K

Distance: 5K

Goal Time: 36-38 minutes

Actual Time: 37:44 (12:10 min/mi)

Alamo Series Tally: 1 of 1

This is my second March 5K benefiting University of the Incarnate Word’s Track and Field team.  They advertised the course as flat and fast around the UIW campus. This was my first time to run this event, but it was well organized and fast indeed.

This is the first of 2010’s Alamo Series, which is a collection of nine local races leading up to the November Rock’N’Roll Marathon/Half Marathon.  If you finish seven or more races, you get some pretty nice swag –embroidered clothing with the Alamo Series logo.  I finished 6 last year, missing the first two events.  I’m going to try to do the longer of the available distances at these races.  The longest events are a 20 miler in September and a 25K (15.5 miles) in October.

I really had some motivation issues race morning.  First it was twenty degrees colder than I was expecting – in the 30s when I woke up, rising into the 40s during the race, with a wicked cold wind.  Then I didn’t want to make breakfast.  I got to the race start with my stomach growling and mumbling something about coffee. I wanted to ditch the race, go home and curl up under the covers.  I had to call my personal cheerleader/life coach (my sister) who yelled at me for even thinking about getting fast food breakfast and guilted me into staying for the short time it would take me to finish the short race. Then they delayed race start, which meant I would definitely not be done and cleaned up in time for my editing group. 

Once I got rid of the stress of trying to do too much in a day, I relaxed a bit.  The race itself was nice.  I should have worn my trail shoes for the bits of off-roading along the course, but my regular shoes did fine. Again, my HR monitor was out of batteries so I just ran how I felt. I kind of zoned out and hardly looked at my watch.  The campus was pretty, red brink with white stone accents that made me miss the architecture of Texas Tech a little bit.

I really wanted a 36 minute time, but I’m happy with my 37:44, my fastest 5K yet in 2010. Granted, this was much less difficult than the recent trail runs and not nearly as hilly as the AHHS run.  According to the stats I keep, I did a lot better in the field than in my February runs.  I was in the 95^th and 90^th percentile in my age group for the Eisenhower 10K and the Salado 8mi, respectively.  I was 82^nd percentile at the AHHS 5K, and 55^th percentile yesterday.  (Yes, I know I’m a nerd about numbers.  At least I’m not yet as obsessed with number of miles per week.)   My time is pretty average for me, so I’m curious to see if this was an anomaly or if I have in fact improved compared to others in my age group.

Scotty’s Race Review

All Results

Sponsored Photos 

Race Report: AHHS Run/Walk with the Band

Race: Alamo Heights High School Run/Walk to the Beat 5K/10K
Distance: 5K
Goal Time: 38-40 minutes
Actual Time: 39:09 (12:38 min/mi)

This race was definitely a blast from the past.  I signed up for this run in particular so I could support a local high school band program.  This was apparently the twenty-something-th year they've had this event, which makes sense due to the higher per capita running stores around Alamo Heights than in the rest of the city.

I timed my arrival to be cutting it kind of close.  I was getting tired of arriving at events forty five minutes to an hour before the event.  I got to this one at about thirty minutes to start.  It was enough to pick up my packet, gear up, and make the parade over to the start line.

You heard right- PARADE!  The AHHS drumline (three snares, one quints, three bass drums, two cymbals), lead the pack through the neighborhood to the start line.  I decided to walk in step with them.  They weren't playing very tight and they had some tempo issues.  But since it's a few months out of marching season, I assume they were just out of practice.  I'm pretty certain my high school drumline wouldn't have done much better.  Walking over to drum cadence put me in a nostalgic mood.

I met up with a forum-friend on the Runner's World Beginner's forums.  Scotty is a cute man who wears a bright "I Beat Cancer Never Give Up" singlet at all the events he does.  His first comment to me was, "You're taller than you look in your picture."  I get that a lot.  I was fortunate to be added to his gallery of Great Legs after meeting up with him at the starting line.  See his race report here!

The start caught me by surprise.  The drumline suddenly burst out with a fast cadence that I liked for the first ten seconds I heard it.  After that, there were two small groups of band students playing along the course.  The first was a trumpet quartet that played a StarWars theme as I passed.  The next was a brass group that played Rocky which was appropriate for the big hill right after where they were camped out.

The course itself was fairly hilly, but more low rolling hills and an overall positive grade then a whole lot of steep inclines.  Apparently the 10K course was much worse, including the HILL from HELL.  I was glad that my poor planning and execution earlier in the week meant that running the 10K would be a very bad idea.

Again, I went out way to fast to start.  It's probably due to not having any mid-week runs as the reminder of what my pace should be.  That faster pace feels really awesome though.  It feels natural, like my body is taking over function from my brain.  "Don't worry about it.  I got this." My heart just can't keep up.  I need routine back in my training routine.  Maybe I'm on the verge of a training breakthrough.  Maybe 12 (or 10!) minute miles are only a couple months out of my grasp.

This weekend's race reinforced the desire to be more consistent and prescribed with my training.   If I can just wake up and knock out a 39 minute 5K, what can I do at something I train for?  Maybe I need a more tangible end goal. My next race is in two weeks, and it's another 5K, this time at Incarnate Word.  It's the first race in this year's Alamo Series.  Ooh! I feel challenged already!

Race Report: Paesano's Salado Creek 8M/5K

Race: Paesano's Salado Creek 8Mile/5K
Distance: 8 miles
Goal Time: Around 2 hours
Actual Time: 2:14:31 (16:18 min/mi)

This is the second of two trail races that comprised my February races. Man, this one hurt. For this race report, I'll give the play-by-play of what was going through my head as I was running.


Pre-race:  It's colder than I was expecting it to be.  Last checked, temperature was 42 Fahrenheit. This is good news, it'll help later on.  An Air Force dude  has a really awesome tat on his shoulder of a coat of arms.  I resist the urge to ask him about it.
Mile 0: Went out way too fast. I think my first mile was at 10 minute pace, which is well outside my ability at this point.  But it felt so good to run at that pace.  It was hard to get myself to slow down to my normal pace.  I paid for that too-fast first mile for the rest of the race.
Mile 1: The race director started the 5K participants after the 8 mile runners.  The front runners for the 5K passed me in my first mile.  The trail we were on was barely a foot wide at that point, so when I tried to step aside to let them pass, I had to either hug a tree or get clawed by the nearby shrubberies.  Later I discover a small twig stuck in my hair.
Mile 1.5: The terrain is really difficult to navigate.  It's really unlike the Eisenhower Park, where the rocky areas looked like dried up creek beds: flat and worn but fairly smooth and even.  I wish I was a geologist so I could identify what kind of rock it is; I want to guess limestone since it's so light in color and native to the area.  Salado Creek is much different.  It's more heavily wooded, and most of the ground is dirt with rocks interspersed.  Rocks that are grayish, jagged, and loose.  Some of it looks like shale, but some of it doesn't. I almost roll my ankle a few times with missteps. I am probably going to end up walking most of this course.

Mile 2: A tree crosses the path.  It's like a foot in diameter laying horizontally at waist height.   Had to stop to climb over the tree like a fence. How did the front runners handle this?
Mile 3:  Part of the 8 mile course loops back on top of itself and the 8 mile front runners lap me.  But at least there's an aid station with Gatorade.
Mile 4:  Why can't we run on the perfectly nice paved sidewalk-like path over there?  But no, I have to dodge trees and rock-shrapnel instead. So glad to hit the turnaround.  Normally, red flags are a bad thing; now they signal I'm on the way home.  And finally the sun isn't interfering with my vision of the course.
Mile 5: I lose the two ladies who leap-frogged with me the last couple of miles.  They plow ahead, I'm stuck walking behind.  This park isn't hilly like Eisenhower where there was one steep hill and a few long low grade hills.  These hills you could practically jump from crest to crest, if you wanted to risk impaling your foot on one of the rocks.  The almost constant up and down is really doing a number on my heart rate.  I don't think I'm as prepared for this race as I was for the Eisenhower one.
Mile 5.5: Get to the aid station again.  Take some Gatorade and Gu.  A little bit later, my body tells me I should have done that sooner.  I get a little rush of energy.
Mile 6: Downhill stretch.  Not literally.  Still lots of hills.  I power-walk most of the time with little spurts of a slow shuffle.  BF says he's on the way to meet me.  I love having someone at the finish line waiting for me.  And not only because they can make sure to snag me some of the munchies.
Mile 7:  Is it over yet?  And why the heck do I have to climb this eight food pile of wood chips when there's a perfectly fine, flat route around it?  This course isn't technical - it's treacherous!
Mile 7.5:  Shuffling on the grass shoulder of 1604's access road.  It's starting to warm up.  I don't know how the front runners do this.  Running on this with a crowd of people would be dangerous.  You wouldn't be able to see what was coming up.
Mile 8: Dunzo!  Finally!  2:14:31. OMG my legs hurt.  BF gives me red Gatorade, which I chug. Where's the food?

This pair of races did give me a good insight into what trail running is like.  But I don't think I'll be doing another trail run for a while.  I'd run in Eisenhower Park again, but I don't think I'll make a repeat at Salado Creek.

Next Saturday - supporting high school band geeks at the Alamo Heights High School Run to the Beak 5K.  Some speed runs in the plan for this week, also a weights session.

Race Report: Eisenhower 10K Challenge

Race: Eisenhower 10K Challenge
Distance: 10K
Goal Time: 1:20-1:30
Actual Time: 1:24:47

This was the first of two trail running events.  The next one is the Salado Creek 8M next Sunday. I wanted to do events that were longer than 5K to help me get to my eventual goal of running a marathon.  So when I was looking for February events, this was the only one that was a reasonable distance for me at this stage.  I have been nervous about it for the last week or so because of the event's description on the race website:  "This race is recommended for trail experts and for those that are trying to get used to running on trails."  Something good for both experts and novices? Is that possible?

This was my first venture out to Eisenhower Park.  After a little blip with my iPhone GPS, it was relatively easy to find.  The entrance to the park is right before the entrance to Camp Bullis.  It had a nice pavilion and picnic facilities next to the parking lot.  The restrooms reminded me of family road trips long past (nothing quite like metal toilets).  But overall, very impressed with the park.

It was around 62 degrees at race start.  It was cloudy and misty, which made it between dry and humid.  The clouds kept the temperatures from rising too fast, so it was very nice for the whole of the race.  I lost the pack very early into the race, which isn't unusual.  I ran solo for most of the run with a few patches of waving as the faster runners passed me up.  Twice.

The course switched between paved trails, paths covered in wood chips, and rocky off-road type terrain.  The wood chips felt like running on a natural fiber track, soft and squishy.  It was a welcome relief after a hard hill. Both the rocks and the paved trails were slippery, so I'm really glad I got the new trail running shoes.  (Added bonus: They're pink!)  The surroundings were very similar to what we have on my family's ranch, so if felt really familiar.  The rocky parts reminded me of hiking during our vacations out there.  Our ranch just has a lot fewer trees! 

The paths had lots of turns such that you couldn't really see where it was going twenty feet in front of you. Footing was challenging in many areas, but it kept my mind in the moment. On the whole, it felt like there were more uphills than downhills.  My legs were definitely feeling it about halfway through. This picture on the right looks less daunting in photo than it did in person.  That was probably the worst of the hills.

There was a few places where it looked like they had put in speed bumps on the trail.  Massive foot-high speed bumps.  I think they were put in to keep the trails from washing out when it rained, but somehow the idea of putting in speed bumps to help runners manage their speeds was amusing.  There were a set on a steep downhill in the last mile of the race.  I leaped off the speed bumps, hanging in the air before landing on the wood chips.  It felt equivalent to the car chase scenes in San Francisco.

I had a blast.  I'm pretty sure I was smiling through most of the race.  I walked when I needed to, but I still ended up with a time I am really happy with.  It's only three minutes slower than my 10K personal record.  That means on my next 10K road race, I should do really well!  So far my quads, calves, and glutes feel worn out, but more like they've been well used rather than abused.  Tomorrow might be a different story.

There were a bunch of photographers on the course, so if some decent pictures come out of it, I'll post them.

Edit: Decent picture of me at the finish line.  You can tell it was a good course since I'm still smiling at the end!


Bring on the 8M race next weekend!

500 Days of Summer

I wanted to see 500 Days of Summer after seeing it in the previews on a handful of other movies I've rented recently. I picked it up from  the bargain bin of my local Hollywood Video that is closing, and I'm glad to add it to my collection.

Anything with Zooey Deschanel in it is automatically on my "must watch" list.   I don't think I've seen anything with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it since 10 Things I Hate About You.  Quick IMDB search shows that he was the main voice in Treasure Planet.  (Note to self: watch that again...)

I watched this at the gym on the treadmill to try to trick my brain to keep running until the movie was over, hoping to get in 6 to 8 miles for my long run this past weekend.  My brain successfully fooled, I got in 7.5 miles while this was running.  I know I was smiling through most of the film.  The others in the gym must have thought I was nuts.

This movie is best summed up by the narrator:

"This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total mis-reading of the movie 'The Graduate'. The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief. Since the disintegration of her parent's marriage she'd only love two things. The first was her long dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and not feel a thing. .... This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."

Usually when the narrator says that, I don't really believe them.  Somehow everything turns out lovely and heart-melting in the end.  They're telling the truth on this one.  It's not a love story.  But I loved it.

The progression of the relationship is shown out of sequence, so it is hard to tell when the little signs of the relationship not working really begin.  It was really creative and a unique spin on this type of film.  I kind of wish I could see an chronological version, if only to try to see if I could tell an individual moment when it stopped working. 

I enjoyed the soundtrack, though I am not very versed in British Invasion lore.  Oddly enough, the Smiths "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" from the preview came on while writing this post. There's a random dance break that I think is related to the British pop influence, but don't know for sure.  That was my laugh out loud moment.  Zooey Deschanel sings again in this movie.  I usually don't like sopranos, but I really like her voice.  Something about it is not quite professional, still a little scratchy.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but again, can't get enough of it.

This is definitely going to become a favorite in my arsenal of random movies to watch while cooking. I will steal one of the parting lines of the narrator, one that feels like a lot of the days lived recently.   "Most days of the year are unremarkable. They begin and they end with no lasting memory made in between. Most days have no impact on the course of a life."

You may now continue with your daily grind.

January Race Report

Race: Judson High School ROTC Resolution Run
Distance: 5K
Goal Time: 40-42 minutes
Actual Time: 37:50

This past weekend I squeezed in a 5k in the midst of an already very hectic weekend.  I'm really glad I did.

The race itself was atypical of the ones I normally do.  It was a fundraiser for the Judson High School ROTC put on by their boosters. This probably was one of the first times that this group had ever done a 5k.  I'm not sure the people running it had ever been to or participated in a 5k before.  They had few enough people preregistered that they were calling out names to pick up numbers.  That was awkward. They had no chip timing, which wasn't a big deal since the event was promoted as a fun run.  There were no refreshments other than water, which is fine for a 5k course, but I was really glad I thought to pack some before I left home that morning.

Included in this event was supposed to be a guidon challenge for the JROTC groups. Except I didn't see any flags, or groups who were running in sync.  There definitely were a greater percentage of high school kids there than I am normally used to.  I didn't stay to hear the results, so I don't know who won that.  I just know I didn't win. Anything.  But that's not unusual.

When they were giving race instructions, the guy on the mic said that this was the "flattest, fastest course in the world!"  I think the only reason that's the case because I live in one of the flattest cities in the world.

There were two very cool seniors (as in senior citizens) that I chatted with at the beginning.  One was a old black man whose pace was barely more than a shuffle, but he was really good spirited and friendly.  He fell to the back of the pack almost immediately after the start.  I waved to him at a switchback in the course and he was still smiling.  The other was a grandmother with a super cute outfit (in the fluorescent green) .  We chatted for a little bit at the before the race started.  She left me in the dust at the start line.

I wish I got a picture of it, but a little girl and boy had homemade "Go Mom Go!" posters.  They were super cute.  What wasn't super cute was different mom telling her two kids that they couldn't be passed as I came up behind them.  We leap-frogged for a little bit, but then I won.  Take that!

I felt really good during the race. I was worried with all the warm weather that it would be gross, but it cooled down overnight and there was a nice cool breeze that morning.  I did a pretty good job pacing myself and ended up with a pretty even effort throughout with enough left to pass one more person before the finish.  And I didn't have to peel myself off the pavement afterwards!

I'm really happy with my time.  I blew through what I was expecting, and that makes me look forward to the next few weeks of training. It means I'm in a better position than I thought I was and that the year-end goal of a full marathon isn't going to be as hard as I had imagined.  It's still going to be really freaking hard, especially since I usually do better on 5Ks than I do on longer races.  I used the time on this race to predict my full marathon finish time, and it comes in well under what I'm shooting for, so at least that's a good sign.

Don't know what February's run is going to be at this point, but I'm looking forward to it!

Official Race Results

Spring Training

This week started my spring training.  Right now I'm not training for anything specific other than general stress relief and overall fitness.  My work and school schedule made it really difficult last year to do much more.

I've been running for a little over two years now, but I'm still a solid back-of-the-pack runner. I haven't improved much.  I still run around 12:45 min/mi for 5ks and 14ish min/mi for 10 miles or half marathons.  I started with a lot of run/walking and now can run nonstop for over an hour.  The little gains are what improving as a back-of-the-pack runner is all about.

And making my Nike+ Mini do the electric slide. Isn't she cute?! Nike+ is a great way to have fun while geeking out on stats.  I'm trying to make it past 1000 miles this year.  Any iPod or iPhone runners should use this app!  And let me know your Nike+ ID so that I can finally have friends on there!

One of my favorite workouts came from a Runner's World article. I run a majority of the time on treadmills and I live in a relatively flat city.  So the Indoor Hills workout (#3) is my go-to hill interval workout.  I think this workout is what got me to improve my fitness enough to get a 4 minute PR (personal record) and be able to tackle New Hampshire hills.  My previous PR was 3:17:09 at the 2008 Rock'N'Roll San Antonio.  I then got a 3:13:10 when I ran the 2009 CHaD Half Marathon with Beth in New Hampshire.  Actually, I was pacing her most of the way and could have probably gone faster, but it definitely was one of the best running experiences I've ever had.  New Hampshire is a really beautiful place to run!

"Hill training is almost as effective in building aerobic power as track interval training," says [Chris] Phelan. "And it's far more effective in building strength."

The hill workout could easily be modified for other machines, I think, but I've never tried it.  I go pretty slow and the workout kicks my butt every time, but I feel like I have accomplished something afterward.  It was really rewarding to be able to speed up the workout over the course of a few months.  Before the CHaD Half Marathon I think I got it up to 4.5mph, but this week I couldn't even make it through the workout at 4.0 mph. 

Even with the difficult run, I felt awesome after I was finished.  Sweaty and tired, but awesome.  And I felt the same after yesterday's long (5 mile) run.  I seem to forget when I have a busy day or week or month how much my body likes to be worked. 

My body also loves to lift weights.  I was filling out hours in my final semester at Texas Tech and took a weight lifting class.  I looked the best of my life at that point.  I have two weight lifting days in my spring training plan which will be following the New Rules of Lifting for Women workouts. I started this program before, but ended up so sore after the workouts that I could barely move the next day.  So far this past week has been rewarding without the awkward post-workout movement.



I think I'm going to try to run a full marathon at the Rock'N'Roll Las Vegas at the beginning of December. I've heard great things about the race and it's a location I can convince my entourage to follow me to.  And it's Vegas, Baby!  I hope everything I'm trying to cram into 2010 cooperates and I can finally do a full marathon!