Race Report: 2010 Brentwood Run 10K

So quite literally I decided yesterday to run the Brentwood 10K Run instead of a longish trail run. While I do have another 50 miler coming up, it's not until mid-July and next weekend I will be running the San Diego RnR 1/2 Marathon (where I am attempting to PR). So I thought a 10K might be more appropriate.



The route is a double loop down the rolling, wide streets of the famous San Vicente Blvd. I parked a few blocks away about 15 minutes before the gun, so I used that time to warm up on my shuffle to the start. After saying hello to a couple of people, I positioned myself in the crowd probably about 15-20 yards from the start and right around 7:30am, we were off!



After the usual dodging and weaving near the start, I finally broke free from the main herd and focused on running an even-paced 1st 5K and attempt to pick it up and negative split the 2nd half. I seriously don't know how to run these things and figured that was a good a plan as any. That was the plan anyway.

Mile 1 - 7:05
Mile 2 - 7:09
Mile 3 - 7:08

After making the turn to go out for the 2nd 5K loop, I was started to fatigue. My breathing, which was fairly easy for the initial 5K was now more rapid and shallow. My effort definitely dropped here and while I never focused on pace, I knew intuitively it had slowed some. A whole barrage of 'fight words' crossed my head but nothing really seemed to work. So instead, I just kept focus on form and breathing. I did some picking off and was never really passed myself until around the last .2 miles. When I saw the 5 mile mark, I picked up the intensity with the needle already red-lined.

Mile 4 - 7:22
Mile 5 - 7:21
Mile 6 - 7:08



Thankfully and mercifully, the race came to an end and when I stopped my Garmin, I was pleasantly surprised at my time of 44:50 knowing my PR was somewhere in the 44:XX (looked it up later and saw that it was 44:42 - 8 seconds! Rats!).


Giving my little medal a kiss post-race.

These races will never be my thing as I was never blessed with speed, but the mental fortitude that comes from being able to push yourself when every part of your body is screaming to stop is something I can look back and reflect positively on. In other words, I left it all out there.

I'm sure if I actually bothered to do speed work in my workouts, I'd net better results. But right now, I enjoy running for the sake of running and these races are always a good excuse to meet up with friends and do some hard breathing for as long as you're out there.

Grand Canyon: Rim-to-Rim Run

This past weekend, a few members of the Trail Runners Club and I embarked on an epic run across the Grand Canyon. This is commonly referred to as 'Rim-to-Rim' run, as in the North Rim to the South Rim, or vice versa.



In our case, we did the former starting at approximately 8,250 ft of the North Rim trail (where it was chilly with still a bit of snow), descending rapidly down a series of switchbacks and warming up a bit more the further we dropped. We passed a lot of hikers along this route (not to mention throughout the day) and most were kind enough to let us pass. All smiles and unable to put our cameras away, we spent a good deal of time snapping away the more our path came into view from the bay of the canyon we were climbing down and out from.


At the start.


Still some snow at the top.


Taking a pitstop for photos.


A fella can get used to this.


On the descent down.


Still dropping.

A stop at Roaring Springs to top off our bottles and grab a quick bite, we again continued on North Kaibab Trail as the canyon continued to open up for us. It was further along this trail when my right foot caught a rock and I took a less-than-graceful spill. Fortunately, my water bottle absorbed the brunt of the fall and the only damage were these tiny, dried thorny leaves that covered the left side of my body.


Flattening out a bit.


Glancing back at the North Kaibab Trail.


Adam and Liz.

We were still descending but at a much more gradual rate and after passing through Cottonwood Campground, we hit a short detour in the road that led us to Ribbon Falls. Spent a bit of time hanging out, taking pics and then we came back out to the main trail and waited for others.


Ribbon Falls.



Once we took off again, fellow runner Art and I broke ahead from the pack and picked up the pace a bit. With him leading and me right on this heels, we ran in unison and mostly in silence as we entered a windy gorge where we ran alongside a small river, crossing a few bridges from one side to another.



After about 13-14 miles of running, we came upon Phantom Ranch where we ended up breaking for close to an hour waiting for others to catch up and to down some freshly made lemonade that the store there was selling. While I was eager to get going after a few minutes, I relished the camaraderie and the realization that it could be awhile before I end up where I was again. So I just took everything in, took my time refueling and mingled with some other hikers/runners before it was time to hit the trail again.


Taking a break at Phantom Ranch.

This final stretch (about 10 miles) to our end destination - the South Rim - I mostly stuck to myself as I wanted to mentally get myself engaged on the hardest part of our day. The thousands of feet of climbing as I'd come to find out, was no joke and probably the hardest stretch of trail I've ever run/climbed.

After Phantom Ranch, we hit the Colorado River and the huge suspension bridge to get us to the other side. This would be the lowest point of the rim-to-rim run at approximately 2,400 ft and all that remained were miles of up. There are two ways to get up to the South Rim: 1) Bright Angel Trail and 2) South Kaibab. We took the first one as it had more water stops along the way, although I believe it's the longer of the two.


The Colorado River.









The last significant rest stop was at Indian Gardens Campground at 3,800 ft and from here, it is 4.5 miles and 3,000+ ft of climbing up to the top of South Rim. And I'm not gonna lie - this part was hell. Pure hell.


Temperature at Indian Gardens.


3,000+ ft of climbing to look forward to.

The switchbacks became steeper and steeper and were seemingly unending. There was little to no running from here on out and it was just one foot in front of the other and sucking air during the death march. I saw many casualties (hikers and runners alike) sitting off on various shady parts of the trail trying to regroup and find strength to keep going.


Feeling strong early on in the climb (it didn't last).


Evil, steep, unending switchbacks.


A full view of the trail up to the South Rim.

Thankfully on Bright Angel Trail, there were several points to stop and fill up with water. I have to say, mentally I wasn't quite prepared for just how much climbing there would be. I ended up joining the list of weary hikers along the side of the trail at a couple of points to get my wits about me before proceeding. Finally/mercifully, I reached the top (after some 24+ miles) where it was windy and cold once again. I immediately went to the shuttle area to go to my lodge where all I wanted to do was eat, shower and sleep.



But all in all, it was a great day and truly an experience I'd recommend to any adventurous soul who wants to do an epic run in one of the most beautiful places on earth. And who knows, maybe I'll come back to do a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim one day. Maybe.

Weekend to Weekend, Rim to Rim

Last weekend I had the pleasure of running with Jose (or 'J-man') in his very first ever race, the Santa Monica Classic 5K (and 10K). J-man and I have known each other since he turned 6 back in 2006 and when I officially became his 'Big' through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

We'd mostly just hang out and go on outings during the times we'd meet up, but on occasion, he'd come with me on some of my runs riding beside me on his bicycle. Never wanted to pressure him into running with me, but after making the suggestion of running a race together one day, he lit up and definitely wanted in. So last Sunday, we found ourselves toeing the line of his first race.

The kid did a great job. The 1st mile went by without a hitch but he definitely struggled some as the race wore on and in the last mile and half, I had to push him a little (our longest training run was a 2 miler). We ended up crossing the line together with both of us beaming with pride. Our official time was a very pedestrian 38:06, but more importantly I wanted to instill in him the will and fortitude it takes to finish a difficult task and that the payoff is worth it in the end.


Crossing the finish! (photo courtesy of Rich Cruse)

Not sure if the running thing will take with him, but my hope more importantly were the indirect lessons that come from crossing that finish line in spite of the blood, sweat and tears you shed to get there. Ok, maybe that's a bit dramatic for a 5K...but you get the picture.

Anyway, damn proud of that kid. He did good.

________________________

This upcoming weekend, I'm setting out on a whole different kind of venture. Thanks to the coordination of a couple of members of the Trail Runners Club, about a dozen or so of us will be embarking on a 'Rim to Rim' (approx ~21 miles) run of the Grand Canyon on Saturday.



Reading about this experience through others, including many who've done the Rim to Rim to Rim - or approximately 42 (!) miles - only fueled my desire to embark on this once in a lifetime adventure. It promises to be difficult, hot (think 80-90s in the canyon) and an absolute blast. I will no doubt be carrying lots of fluid (my Nathan pack + a couple of bottles), food + gels and of course, my camera.

Full report if/when I make it back.

Race Report: 2010 PCT 50

Wow. What an amazing experience.



First of all, thanks to all of you who via text/blog/Twitter/Facebook/RWOL/e-mail wished me luck...meant a lot to me and helped keep me going during dark spots. Secondly, a big thank you to the RD of the PCT 50 John Martinez for: a) letting me into the race after it had sold out and b) for putting on a well-organized race in the beautiful trails of the world famous Pacific Crest Trail.

Last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to my friends (Josh, Colin, Kristin, Andrea) for coming all the way out to support, pace, crew me in my first 50-miler. It would not have been the same without them out there.

I have friends who race this distance (and beyond) quite regularly. Probably as often as some run half and full marathons. And they race it competitively. Having finally endured my first, I have so much more appreciation for what they do week in and week out. I was taken back to my first experience of doing my first half marathon, marathon, etc. I had no idea how my body would respond when I reached miles I've never ventured to run before (in this instance, beyond 31+). So the goal first and foremost, was to finish.

I made the late afternoon drive down towards the San Diego area on Friday, making a quick stop in Irvine to grab an early dinner with my friend Rachel. Then I went straight to the motel I was staying at in Pine Valley Village, a few miles from the start of the race. I managed to snag 6 hours of sleep before my 4am wakeup call. For the next hour or so, it was all race prep - coffee, bathroom, taping nipples, bodygliding feet, bathroom again, etc. When I stepped outside, I ran into two other people who were also heading to the race. We decided to caravan together which was great, because I wasn't exactly sure how to get there.

The race elevation started at ~4,000 ft and would climb to above 6,000 ft on a 25 mile out and back. The starting area was a buzz with nervous energy and chatter when I arrived. I had my game face on, just grabbing my bib and going back to my car, exchanging last minute texts/tweets before grabbing my bottles and gathering at the start again. The race started promptly at 6am without much hoopla or fanfare. The RD sent us off and I settled in mid-pack content to start off as slow and as easy as possible. We started immediately on the PCT single-track which would be the case for almost the entirety of the race. The switchbacks took us up our first gradual climb. I kept my head down and just followed the folks up the road.

Around mile 4, we came to a road crossing before jumping back on the PCT. This time, the road continued along a mountain ridge with a sweeping, awe-inspiring view of the valley. I joined up and started running with a gal named Sally shortly thereafter. She was coming off a great run at AR50 a few weeks back AND was planning on running the Bishop High Sierra 100K NEXT weekend. We chatted and ran together for a couple of miles before I let her go ahead. We hit our one and only fire road around mile 7-8 that ran down into our first aid station at a camp site. I filled up my bottles, grabbed a couple of boiled potatoes before heading back up the fire road. As I was hiking up and taking a draw from one of my bottles, I actually had a dizzy spell and stumbled a bit. I shook it off and kept hiking up before rejoining the single track once again.

The next aid station would be another 8 or so miles. During this stretch, there were some up and down rollers and then some steady climbing on the narrow, sandy, rocky single tracks. I don't remember too much except I was passed a couple of times, walked all the ups and generally felt crappy. My footing was lazy too as I tripped and stumbled on more than a few rocks. I heard my friend Lori's voice repeating in my head, "lift those feet up Burger" so I tried to concentrate on my footing some more. I knew there would be highs and lows during the course of the race, but I basically just felt low. I was still a little light-headed and mentally couldn't flip the switch on. Still, I kept prodding along trying to enjoy the scenery (it was magnificent) and looking forward to seeing my friends who were awaiting me shortly before mile 20.

Aid station #2 finally arrived around mile 15ish as we were entering the forest part of the run and one of the few areas that offered some relief from the sun. Not a huge deal now, but would be of assistance on the return trip. I got in and out as quickly as possible, grabbing some more gels and continuing on the PCT. My nutrition plan (reinforced by some experienced advice from Rick) was to just take in 100 calorie gels every half hour (200 = 1 hour) with some salt tabs every other time. In one of my 26 oz handhelds I used Nuun, in the other water. I occasionally grabbed some more boiled potatoes and soda when they were available at the tables.




The view from 6,000 ft

After some more running/climbing, I finally saw the sign for Todd's Cabin which was near mile 20 and also where I knew my friends were. I turned left and scrambled down the switch backs where I saw the next aid station and Andrea, Josh and Kristin (nature was calling for Colin at the time). Immediately, my spirits were lifted and gabbed happily while my bottles were again refilled by wonderful volunteers. Josh then joined me and the two of us continued on to the 25 mile turnaround. I felt a renewed sense of energy in spite of my sciatic pain acting up since around mile 8 and a blister on right pinkie toe from around mile 14. We were at or around the highest point (6,000+ ft) and the views were that much more remarkable. We passed a few runners coming back from the turnaround and a lot of quick words of encouragement were exchanged.


Finally starting to feel good.


Josh and I doing some climbing.


Coming into the halfway point.

We finally hit the halfway point to some whooping and hollering by volunteers and friends/family and while my bottles were getting filled, I found my drop bag (only time I'd have access to it) to apply more sunscreen and more Vaseline to my right foot. Before we left, Colin caught up to us and the three of us started back together chatting and taking some photos along the way.


Colin joining me as I begin to tackle the last 25 miles.

Since Josh had parked at the turnaround, he left us after a couple of miles on the return. Colin and I continued on back to Todd's Cabin where I was treated to a wonderful, icy sponge down and after grabbing some more gels, climbed back up to the main road with Colin in tow. He would join me until around mile 30 where he would turn back around and along with Kristin and Andrea, meet me at the finish. I vigorously thanked him for his pacing duties and company and he wished me luck as I continued down the road.

Further along, I hit the 2nd to last aid station and knew with about 8 miles separating this one from the next, took a couple of minutes to ice down and mentally prepare myself. After a couple of cups of coke, some potatoes and grabbing some more gels, I buckled down and left for the next long stretch of road that lay ahead.

This next section (miles ~32-38) was no doubt the most difficult. With the sun now high in the sky and very little cover from it, I felt strength being sapped from my body with each mile. Not to mention the nausea I started to feel from a diet consisting primarily on gels (Hammer and Gu) every half hour. It came to a point that the mere thought of it would make me gag. While most of the return trip was downhill, it was incredibly rocky and technical and I felt my toes getting bashed in by my Cascadias. So I walked/trotted for what seemed like an eternity, getting passed by about 3-4 runners in the process. At one point, I had to stop under a small patch of shade for a minute from the beatdown the sun was laying down. I was of clear mind to keep hydrating and even though I didn't have to, stopped to pee a bit to check the color.

Somewhere around mile 38ish on the ridge back before the highway, I decided that I had had enough and started hammering. I wanted to be done. I chased down a pair of runners down the road ahead. The legs amazingly didn't hurt that much any more so I kept charging. The ridge was narrow and technical however and somewhere around mile 39, I stepped into a shrub when I saw a tail flail up followed by a loud rattle. Holy shit - I almost stepped on a rattlesnake! Fazed for a sec, I pressed on, descended down the highway crossing and kept on charging.



The single track spilled out to an opening where I would turn right down the fire road once again, turn back up and march up where I came before continuing along the PCT. I once again doused myself with some water, took a couple of cups of coke and hiked back up the long fire road. I passed my friends Sarah and BK who were heading down and finally after about a mile of this death march, reconnected to the PCT where the final 7-8 miles lay ahead before the finish.

Summoning the same energy and determination I ran with before hitting the final aid station, I again started pumping my arms and again was pleasantly surprised to find responsive legs to get me to the finish. I looked back near the start of the road and see a guy giving chase about 50 yards behind me. So I started hauling and running scared. I passed another runner down this stretch but never looked behind me again.

I just wanted to hurry the hell up and a) finish and b) not get passed. I stomached my last gel down around the 9:30 mark and kept willing myself to finish strong. I saw the start on Old Highway 80 off in the faint distance but it looked so damn far away. While my legs were still feeling strong, my breathing was getting more and more labored the harder I pushed. Around the 10 hour mark where I would have taken another gel, I said screw it and just kept pressing.

After a few minutes of this with still no finish in sight, I actually started getting pissed. How far was it exactly? Where the hell was the finish? Shortly thereafter, I was spent and bonked. I was so done and so weak but I somehow mustered down the final switchback roads that we started on before finally hearing the faint distant sounds of people.


At the finish...finally!

Mercifully, the finish comes into sight and I am beyond overjoyed. A small crowd (which includes Colin, Kristin and Andrea) begins cheering me in loudly and I let out an ecstatic scream. Officially came in at 10:19:44 and utterly spent.



After some congrats and getting a medal around my neck, the only thing I want is an ice cold coke. So I shuffle over to a tent where some other finishers have already gathered, slump to the ground (where I sat for about the next half an hour or so) and slowly pull from a Diet Pepsi trying to come back to my senses. They were out of regular - blah.


Kristin, Colin, Andrea and me at the finish. Much love for these guys.

After a couple of cans of soda and getting some post-race food in me, I finally start to feel human again. So I gather and lift myself up from the crumpled, dirty heap I was in, thank John the RD and the 4 of us drive a little east to a BJ's for some beer and calories (think nachos, pulled pork sandwiches, pizza, ice cream, etc).



The aftermath...other than a sore backside, a blood blister on my pinkie toe and sore shoulders from lugging around two big bottles, I feel like I came away relatively unscathed. Foot never really bothered me and I felt like I did a good job with nutrition/hydration for the 10+ hours I was out there.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better day. I had familiar faces out there, the volunteers were superb and I got to run through some historic and scenic paths I've always dreamt of running on. The run itself could have gone better, but my goal was to finish and finish in under 11 hours so I feel like I can walk away with my head held up high.

Thanks again to all of those who were cheering me (either in person or in spirit). I can honestly and truly say you had some part in getting me across the finish.

Going Long

Can't believe it's here already. In a mere two days, I will be on my way to running my first 50 miler in the lovely PCT trails near San Diego. Worried? A bit. Mostly about the unknowns: running at altitude (6,000+ ft at the highest points), how my piriformis/sciatic pain will hold up in my left hip/butt, chest pains (experience this from time to time), potential foot issues in the latter miles, etc.

Strategy-wise, I think I'm set. I will be running with two 26 ounce handhelds so I can stay hydrated (from what I hear, the trail's pretty exposed), will take in a gel every half hour + food at aid stations, a salt tab with every other gel and do my best to temper any fraction of competitiveness that may arise on race day and run a nice, easy, consistent pace.

I'm fairly confident that a sub-11 is doable. But at this point, I'm hoping to just finish under cut-off and not have to DNF due to my nerve pain flaring up.

Here goes nothing.

Race Report: 2010 OC Half Marathon

Yet another race I sort of jumped into at the last minute. Since I had a few friends running this race (including Andrea running her first full marathon), my initial intentions were to drive down there and pace them in the latter miles while getting some running in myself. Then the opportunity to actually run in the race presented itself when my buddy Bill opted to do Alcatraz instead of the OC Half Marathon. With some last minute scrambling, I was able to get the bib that he would not be using anyway and get some running in (thanks again Bill).

With the PCT 50 looming a mere 6 days away now (gulp), I just wanted to get in a good workout without overtaxing my legs and body in a meaningless race that would not count anyway. Preliminary plan was to run 5K-ish of the start and end at half-marathon pace with some slower miles in between.

Got up at 3am on less than 4 hours of sleep and cursed under my breath as I discovered I was out of coffee on top of everything else. A quick run to 7-11, back home to go through race prep and then it was time to make the 40+ mile drive to Costa Mesa. Parked, hopped on shuttle and rendezvoused with Andrea at her hotel to get the bib she was kind enough to pick up for me the day before. For a gal who was about to run her first marathon, she was as cool as a cucumber the morning of.


A huge throng of runners raring to go.

Made my way to the start and got situated several rows back from the start. Shortly after the national anthem, the marathoners and half-marathoners were off. Took me a couple of minutes to cross the mat and then for about the first couple of miles, it was a lot of dodging and weaving. Felt surprisingly good though so I kept pushing the pace without too much effort. I hit the 5K mark and just could not get myself to slow down, so I told myself another mile at a faster pace before slowing down. I passed a few friends along the way and just relished running at a faster pace on the roads for a change (virtually zero speedwork in the past few weeks).


The 3:40/1:50 pace group I ran with for a bit.

I was running at about 1:37 pace (which would be a PR with a couple of minutes to spare) and felt like I could at least go to mile 10 feeling like this. Instead, I did the prudent thing. I caught up to the 3:40/1:50 pace group after about 4.5 miles of hard running and decided to slow things way down and run with them for awhile. We passed a Ecological Reserve stretch for a fairly long stretch on a wide bike path so I tried to get lost in the scenery for a bit. My legs kept wanting to go fast however and I constantly had to reel myself back.





Finally, after about 9.5 miles of running (5 with the pace group) I just allowed myself to take off again. Not soon after though, my nagging and recurring sciatic pain in my left hip/butt decided to show up which compromised my speed a bit. Still I kept pushing, picking several runners off along the way. At the 12 mile mark, the half-marathoners split from the full and smelling the finish, I picked it up even more. I was pleasantly surprised that my kick held and I crossed the line with big cheers and a smile on my face at 1:43:45 (unofficially, of course) - a little over 3 minutes slower than my PR time.

I hurried through the finish area and went on the hunt for my parked truck (which took awhile to find), pulled the stashed mountain bike out, got my bearings and starting pedaling, working my back from the full marathon course until I saw some familiar faces.




Running with Lori for a bit.

First person I recognized was Sam who looked strong and would go on to a 3:06 finish. Then I kept riding against the increasing wave of runners (very carefully of course) until I came upon my gal Lori. She was hurting and all business but agreed to let me run with her for awhile. So I rode ahead, locked up the bike and ran about a mile or so with her before wishing her luck and heading back. I mounted again, set out down the long stretch of road on the bike path, saw some more familiar faces before I finally found Andrea around mile 20ish.


Andrea and her beau Pete who took over pacing duties to the finish.

She was looking good and was still running strong so I joined her for a little while too. After a mile or two, I wished her luck and ran back to meet up with some friends at the finish (she ended up finishing in about 4:50 - awesome job again Andrea!).

I was absolutely starving by then as it was approaching noon so I arranged to meet up with Lori, Emil, Sam and Rachel over at the Omlette Parlor in Costa Mesa where I tore into a ribeye steak and eggs brunch while sharing some laughs with my dear running friends.


This baby was gone in about 10 minutes.



The race itself was a positive experience for the most part. There are several turns so you have to focus on running the tangents. And aside for a couple of minor hills, the race felt mostly flat. The day definitely warmed up towards the end and for the marathoners, had to deal with some angry cyclists on the bike path during miles 20+. Other than that, it was a well-organized race and an ideal one to shoot for a PR I would say.



As for me, going to rest my hip some more and hope it doesn't become a nagging problem come Saturday. Also experiencing a little runners knee in my left leg which I hope doesn't get any worse. Otherwise, feeling good about my effort today and think another (official) shot is in order either in June for San Diego or Long Beach in October.

Before any of that though, have to focus on surviving 50 miles next week. Thanks for reading folks.