Last week

Emerging from the aforementioned purgatory state in my running/training, I'm regaining interest in the continuing project of building a Frankenstein Footfeathers (yeah, that 3rd person statement just happened). I've been pulling specific strengths of MUCH more gifted runners I admire and adding them, like different color Play-Doh onto the clumpy object that is forming myself into a better, or, more specifically, more competitive runner.  A little speed here, some (a lot) of climb there, visualizing races, stretching the pain threshold, all while maintaining a strict diet of beer and burgers (and pizza, fries, sushi, Clif bars…and whatever else I can get my Ignatius J. Reilly hands on).

Pilsner at Jupiter in Berkeley

Five and Dime IPA at Barclay's in Oakland

The week began with the afterglow of squeaking in under four hours (by .7 seconds) at Way Too Cool.  It was a good test of grit and desire thumping physical malady (sick-cold) and I was pleased.  Recovery was quick and with one day rest I was back on the trails with some short recovery runs through the week.  Friday, I decided to run the Badger Cover Half Marathon in Livermore.  I figured it would be a muddy mess and that turned out to be the case.  The only goal with which I toed the line was to get some climbs in (2,200 feet) and a good training run.

I settled into just over 6 min pace in the first mile (much of which is on pavement and gravel) and in 5th place behind ultra speedster, Lon Freeman leading from the gun as usual.  I overtook 4th place after two miles on a sticky-deep mud climb.  I kept 2nd and 3rd in sight until about mile 5, then settled into an "I don't care what place I get" mood and my pace followed suit.  The design of the course forced us to navigate a crowded trail of 10k and 5k runners/walkers, which was fine unless it was on a thin, muddy singletrack or on a steep greasy-slick descent.  I got a bit of a scare when I glanced back and saw a guy who'd beaten me for 3rd place earlier in the year at another trail half.  Competitive juices flowed but never quite made it to my legs, so I relied on descending as fast and recklessly as possible over the penultimate mile and then striding my best pace over the last, flat mile to finish in 4th and holding off 5th by 30 seconds or so.

Shot I took while marking, from Old Springs Trail in Tennessee Valley

After the race, I went home got cleaned up and dressed to hit the trails again to mark our Rodeo Valley course for the event the following day.  "Hello, BONK."  Ten miles into marking the relentlessly hilly course on already-raced legs, I was spent.

Passed out in the back of the locked pick-up waiting for Mr. Stahler (and the truck keys) to finish marking.

After marking, we packed and loaded the trucks for the next day and I don't even remember going to bed; just waking up to my alarm at 4:15am the following morning.

Rodeo Valley was perfect.  I can't fault the wind but I can praise the clear skies and sunshine.  It was a superb day all around and I'm grateful to have been a small part of so many great runners' and volunteers' experience.

All in all, a good week.  Life moves on.

The Irish Pimp (Stahler) holding down the finish line.

Starting the races.  Photo Margaret Gagnon

Wind was ripping whitecaps as far out as you could see.

Tan and John managing the 50k pass-through aid station (thanks guys!)

Finish chute

Lauri Abrahamsen after her medal-worthy 8k performance.

50k fun

The wind didn't keep people from enjoying the beautiful day.

Badger Cove Trail Half Marathon and Quote of the Day

Muddy, lots of climb, muddy.
4th in 1:35


“The student of history knows no more refreshing recreation than that of nailing liars, like vermin, to the wall.”

Mid Week Peek and ART

Feeling well after last weekend's 50k and getting back some motivation finally now that my cold is leaving me.  I'm not overly excited with the constant rain this week but tend to enjoy it once I get my runs underway, though I'm looking forward to dry days again.  Speaking of dry days, it looks like our Rodeo Valley event this Sunday will be spared by the weather Gods with partly cloudy skies predicted.  Saturday's course marking, on the other hand, will be a generally wet affair.  We've designed a new course and are excited to see how people like it.

Back to my exciting training…  I've started going back to a sports chiropractor for ART and general manhandling of my running-related body parts twice a week.  I haven't been on a regular schedule of chiro work since 2008 and felt it was time to start it back up again.  My hip has been slightly achy for over a month now, not really getting worse but not clearing up completely.  With another big year ahead, I'd rather tackle it pain-free (well, other than the pain I directly inflict on myself in the races!).  So, who's going to be making me yelp in joyful pain every Wednesday and Friday?

Dr. Christina Mullen

Bay Area Chiro Care and, more specifically, Christina Mullen (that's "DR. Mullen" to the rest of you ;-).  I'm picky with whom I allow to yank, prod, and pull at my legs and hips and, after seeing one of the best in the country for so long (Dr. Greenapple in North Carolina), was leery of getting back into it.  So, I researched and met with Christina and finally went for my first session yesterday and am pleased to say that I'm happy with my find.

Christina and Noel from Bay Area Chiro Care will be at Inside Trail events offering some ART for our participants.  Come see them starting this Sunday at Rodeo Valley Trail Run.  Your body will thank you.

Next up on my personal race schedule is the Diablo Trail Challenge 50k on April 21.  Then the season gets fired up with Miwok 100k, San Diego 100, Hardrock, and, well, a bunch of other fun stuff.  I'm CRAZY excited to do another 100 and San Diego has been locked into my sights for a long time.  My biggest fear is getting carried away in the first 30 miles running too fast and crawling into the Sunrise Aid Station dying…again.

Hope to see a bunch of friends and meet new ones this weekend at Rodeo!

Way Too Cool 50k Race Report - Go For It or Go Back To Bed

Janeth Siva, Tim Stahler, and me, along with a giant dog (Hoover).  Photo Chris Jones

Stressful week.  Some business marketing with Active.com was a huge flop (and cost a lot of money - don't use them for marketing), had a couple weeks of dismal motivation, and I got sick as hell three days before WTC.  I was on the verge of bagging the race and just refocus my daily life and training for Miwok and the 100s coming up.  At the very least I had to readjust my goals for the race.  Initially, I wanted to go sub 4 hours and top 20.  That seemed like a stretch now.

I drove up to stay in Roseville with Patrick (thanks for the hotel, P!) on Friday, had a big dinner and giant beer and headed back to the hotel for a stuffed up, coughing, sniffling, sporadic night's sleep.

Looks like a drunk driving advertisement - hotel was across the street.

The weather was nearly perfect on race morning with temps in the 40s and dry with no wind.  I lined up about two rows back from the line in the crowd of 800+ runners and suddenly we were off and running 6 minute pace down the road.  I clicked off the first mile in about 6:15 and was in probably 30-40th place - it was going to be a long day if I tried to keep this up much longer.

The course starts with the Olmstead loop of 8 miles, which loops back through the start/finish with aid station.  During this loop I tried to relax and get into a groove but my energy was low and I felt like stopping after mile 4.  I caught and passed Jean Pommier, then Scott Dunlap, who also wasn't feeling well.  ITR's other half, Tim Stahler came up for the race to take [great] photos and offer support for everyone.  He was situated just after the aid station at mile 8.  I reached him in 56 mins, dropped my gloves and grabbed a filled bottle from him (thanks Tim!).

On Olmstead section.  Photo Peter Beck

Scott Dunlap…and camera.  Photo Tim Stahler

Photo Tim Stahler

Finish.  Photo Simon Gatrall

Shortly afterwards, Erik Skaden caught back up to me and we ran together for the next 10 miles.  He's a workhorse and was setting the pace strong along the river.  I just latched onto the Skaden Train and held on.  Unfortunately, I hit my first real bad patch at mile 18, which happens to be a substantial climb, so I sadly watched Erik and a couple other guys pull away.  The bad patch lasted until around mile 20.  I took in 300 cals of gels, two salt tabs and drank a bunch, trying to regain what little energy I could.  I was probably passed by five guys in that stretch.  Once recovered, I pushed hard and caught everyone except Erik (3:52) and Wes (3:53).

Grinding up Goat Hill (mile 25).  Photo NorCal Ultras

It came down to a race with the clock.  I kept wavering between believing I had a chance at sub 4 and feeling like it was impossible.  When I hit the last aid station at 3:53, I figured there was no chance but I shot through the aid station without even looking up and poured it on to the final stretch.

Tim S. was on the final 400 meters and snapped some photos.  Trust me, I was a lot more uncomfortable than the photos indicate.  As I sprinted towards the line, the clock clicked over 4:00:00, so I thought I missed it.  As in most cases, the clock wasn't synced with the race timing and I actually crossed the line in… 3:59:59.03 and 19th place overall.  For once, I was on the good side of a goal time.  I certainly am thankful under the conditions leading up to and during the race.  Full results.

Gary Gellin in the final stretch!  Photo Tim Stahler

Congratulations to Gary Gellin for executing one of the best races I've witnessed.  Running precise splits, making his decisive move running up Goat Hill, he broke Mike Wolfe's course record, reaching the finish in 3:27.  Julie Fingar and ALL the volunteers put on a clinic of how to produce a race.  I'm very grateful to them and enjoyed the day tremendously.

Thanks to Udo's Oil, Rudy Project, and La Sportiva.  Great companies and superb gear.

Way Too Cool 50k

3:59, 19th overall
Gimmie a beer.

Way Too Cool - Follow Along

One of my new race shirts recently printed and my WTC selection.

Being the big fancy race that Way Too Cool is, there are a few ways to follow the competition as it unfolds along the course.

1. Be there.  The course lends itself well to live spectating.  There are several points one may get to by car, or just hang out and help at one of the aid stations.

2.  Streaming video of the finish.  This is my least favorite version. b-o-r-i-n-g.

3.  Twitter.  Search "#WTC50k" and enjoy.

Back of shirt (since not many will get this view)

My cold is worse today and I may have slept 2 hours last night (feels like my skull is going to crack open and like someone poured lighter fluid on my nose and buffed it with sandpaper).  I barely have enough energy to walk to the kitchen.  I'm chalking this race up to "suffer training for 100s".  If you see me on the side of the trail dead, you're welcome to my ITR racing shirt (it's a pretty badass new, green pearl izumi shirt with the ITR team logo front and back) and my water bottle and gels.  Please let my dog know I'm dead.  Thanks.

Vultures

Sniff, Sniff. Runners to Watch at Way Too Cool

Just to rub salt in the eye of an already challenging week, I've come down with a nice headache, stuffed up, sniffling, scratchy throat damn cold.  So the intent of my race has shifted to "run 50k on Saturday" instead of feeling competitive.  Whatever.  On the brighter side, I have a meeting in the city today with a company that is pretty exciting and could make things interesting, so that's a good thing.

Back to Way Too Cool 50k
Some of the people who will be competitive are:

Men:
Leor Pantilat -
The course has been tweaked yet again at WTC, so course records are a dime a dozen but watch for Leor to go under Uli's 3:18 time for the win.

Gary Gellin -
Gary is on a roll and has been shredding some shorter races lately, including a 2 hour flat win in our Chabot 30k (18.4 miles) trail run.

Those are my top two picks.  I'd be here all day trying to predict the top 10, so I'll just throw out names of guys capable of having a top 10 day.

Rod Bien
Jacob Rydman
Jean Pommier
Van McCarty
Brian Miller
Scott Dunlap
Joel Lanz
Graham Cooper
Eric Skaden

Women:

Caitlin Smith -
Caitlin seems healthy and sharp, coming off a 50k win a few weeks ago.

Jennifer Pfeifer -
Jennifer just won our Chabot 50k (true 50k at 31.5 miles) in 4:14 a couple weeks ago.  She'll be pushing Caitlin and could surprise her for the win.

Darcy Africa -
With her heavy focus on climbing and mountain running last year, it'll be interesting to see how she does on a fast course.

Rory Bosio -
She runs hot and cold.  Knows the course and should run hot.

Others:
Mary Churchill
Luanne Park
Ashley Arnold
Denise Bourassa

Certainly, I missed some people.  Looks like it's going to be beautiful weather and the course will be fast.  Hope everyone has a great run.

Expand Your Focus

Expand your focus.  It sounds like an oxymoron, yet it's been a mantra of mine for a long time.

When I finally finished my college studies in late 1993 and took a job with Buick Motor Division and met a girl I thought I'd be with forever, something still felt missing.  In hindsight I recognize that I was still filled with the residual idealistic beliefs that all young writers experience, those deep beliefs that are almost reality because you have internalized them into every fiber of your being.  The creativity and passion that soaked those fibers was still there but here I was living what others felt I should be doing.  I felt caged in.

So, I began reading Dr. Wayne Dyer on my lunch breaks.  I'd go out to a chair that the janitor staff used in one of the garages (where the big execs parked) and I would sit in my ugly, charcoal grey, Brooks Brothers suit and read inspirational words, trying to find meaning or, rather, purpose to my life.  I would leave the stress and detachment of my stiff office, sit in a dingy, vinyl chair in a dark garage filled with expensive cars, and I would escape into a place I wanted to be, a place I needed to find.

Out of the dozen or so books of Dr. Dyer's that I read over the following months, one thing was painted in my mind every day and still coats the walls of my thoughts.  Whatever you focus on will expand.  Focus on the things that make you feel small and unhappy and that reality expands.  Focus on love, kindness, and your passion, and that reality expands.

I probably would still be working for Buick in some capacity if it weren't for those books read during the piled up lunch hours.  Dyer's books and, more precisely, his challenge to focus on what's important helped me break away from society's views of success and nudged my drifting life into a path with no set direction, yet with meaning and purpose.  I left Buick and moved to New York and that, as they say, was the beginning.

Since then, over these last 17 years, I've had to keep reminding myself to focus on what I want, what's important, because it will expand in my life.  It's challenging and once in a while puts oneself in compromising positions.  It works for nearly everything but sometimes it propels me beyond the present because I visualize what I know is meant to be and suddenly my focus is askew from the present.  When the present doesn't meet with my vision, like so many things that don't fit what you believe to be true, it offers the opportunity for growth.  Sometimes the present catches up with your expansion of focus and the frequencies hum along in parallel waves and things blossom; sometimes they don't.

When they don't, it's important to reestablish your idea(l) of what's important and begin the process of focussing on those things: passion, love, kindness.  Purpose.

Way Too Cool. Way Too About Time.

Finally, it's Way Too Cool race week.  I've been lingering in that purgatory state between coming off a race (American Canyon 50k three weeks ago and the Bay Breeze Half two weeks ago) and approaching another race.  Combine that with a lack of motivation (from a little achy-ness, challenging life situations, etc.) and you end up with weird, half-ass weeks of lower milage yet with harder efforts sprinkled in (to make up for the milage).  I haven't tracked the miles over the last two weeks but it's only around 40 mpw, though mixed in are a couple of stair workouts (4000 steps climbed each) and decent mid-long runs of a couple hours.

My hip was jacked up after the flat half marathon (I'm done with that short, flat, "fast" stuff for a while).  So, I've been hyper-aware of the dull ache deep in the hip and at the top of the femur.  It's nothing debilitating but not something I'd like to endure for a 100 miler, for sure.  With the soft running, it seems to be better.  Saturday will be a good test of it, since I plan to run about as hard as I can with the hopes of a top 20 finish.  Any of my non-runner friends who've commented on my recent success in cherry picking results will understand why I tell them Way Too Cool will prove that I'm just a smudge in the group and not that fast.  Case in point: last night I was at my frequent sushi place and my normal waiter, who knows I run long stuff, brought up 100s and asked how long it takes one to run them.  Without going into deep explanation, I just blurted out "about 20-30 hours, depending on the course."  He pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper and asked what my name is, "In case you're someone known, so I can say I know you."  It was a wave of embarrassment mixed with a ripping undercurrent of depression at the realization that I'm, in fact, "nobody".  I wanted to explain to him that the mere activity of running ultras does not make someone a known athlete.  I wanted to tell him, by example, that this week's race will result in the winner crossing the finish line about 45 mins before I lumber through.  It's all relative.  Instead, I just gave him my website url and figured he'd be impressed with all the colors on the page, fully unaware that it's simply a journal about a guy who travels around the country a lot and runs up and down trails for no other reason than escape.  He bought me a tall Kirin, so it was worth the conversation.

In terms of goals for Way Too Cool, as I mentioned earlier, I'm going to run it about as hard as I can.  The field is stacked so deeply and has so many participants (over 800), that it'll be difficult to key off anyone in particular before the race gets underway.  I'll just try to stay in that 2nd group (well behind the 5:4x min mile guys) off the start and go with anyone who attracts my attention.  I'll be very happy with a sub 4 hour finish but will be mostly running for as high a placing as possible.  If the perfect day unfolds, top 20 would be fine… top 10 would be unheard of.