Monday, November 29, 2010

Up next the CIM, but “THE LOTTERY” is first and Waffles

It’s been an interesting life since Clarksburg. I got a nasty stomach flu that has derailed my running. My daughter had it first, then me and now Lily has it. Like me Lily is running CIM this Saturday. I’ve kicked my sickness, but life and running just can’t get in the groove.

Saturday I found my cat had the boots put to him by someone. That and typical holiday family stress have made life BLAH, for lack of a better term.

I’m more than rested and tapered and last Saturday’s 12 miler felt good. So we will see what I’ve got in me Sunday. The final plan is to go with the 3:10 group. The body will dictate any further changes come race day.

Lottery Time

Saturday’s Lottery for Westerns States will have the biggest effect on my race. If I get in I’ll be that guy smiling with the care free attitude regardless of the 25deg temps. If I don’t get in I’ll probably be a bit more focused, but still having a good time.

The past few CIM’s I’ve run have been to pace Lily or someone else.  Last year I picked up the fashionable item around my neck from the side of the road.  The scarf will be in full effect Sunday have no doubt.


I had the pleasure of recently trying out the new Honey Stinger Waffle



 
Holy Mother of Calories (160) these little suckers are awesome.  They are based on a Dutch stroopwafel. 

I want a homemade one like this, YUM I suggest you go over to Fleet Feet Fair Oaks and try one out.

AB

Monday, November 15, 2010

A perfect day

Yesterday was a perfect day, (in case you were not aware). How did this rare event in the cosmic pinwheel of existence happen you ask? Well here are the ingredients:


1. A glorious sunrise, think purple, orange, red, yellow

2. Excellent weather

3. LOTS of friends, both new and old

4. A well executed race

5. No stress


The Story of how it all came together

Yesterday was my last big run before my goal of running the California International Marathon for time. The Clarksburg Country Run has been around forever. I first ran it as a junior in High School. I have a photo from the run, but the scanner broke before I could post it. Just visualize a big haired 168lb version of me in red split sided nylon running shorts.

My plan was to run a controlled race to nail down my pace for CIM. My recent training indicated a 7:10 - 7:15 pace was a definite possibility for the marathon. I figured I would go out around this pace and go for even pacing. If the legs felt good then I would try for negative splits.

Prior to the race my buddy Nick Bingham came to town. I’ve known Nick since high school. Nick is the guy you love to hate (from a running perspective). Nick is super talented, his marathon PR is in the low 2:20’s. He placed 5th his 1st year at Western States 100, he has notched a lot of wins in his career, you get my point.

Nick’s daughter Sarah and my daughter Izabella were born 7 days apart and get along great. So Saturday they dropped by so Sarah could spend the night with us. Nick and his son Andrew spent time with Grandpa. We have done this in past when Nick is in town for races. I knew from experience that I would not need to run Saturday before the race, the girls tax me enough. Who knew building fairy houses out of leaves in the backyard could be so taxing.

I awoke early race morning after going to bed early. Nothing like 10 hours of sleep to recharge your batteries before a race. As I drove to the race start I found myself looking at a glorious sunrise across the valley. It was at this point I realized my camera’s battery was dead. So this perfect day had one negative, no photos, but it was the only negative of the day.


Race

The weather was perfect, sunny but cool. There was a head wind on the way out, but nothing too drastic. After a warm-up, I put my watch on and was ready to go. No drop bags and loading of gear. It’s just you and your socks, shoes shorts and shirt. No packs, or bottles, flasks, iPods. I had gels, but only two. I actually used that little pocket inside my shorts (a first) to hold one gel; I held my other gel in my hand.

At the start I saw Lainie Mattoon and Ray Sanchez. Off we went and I settled into 7:15ish pace for the first 3 miles. I felt a bit dead legged, but relaxed. After mile 5 I settled in with another runner and my pace began to comfortably hover around 7:10 most of the time.

I ate a gel at 6 miles and again at 10 miles. At the 10 mile mark the guy I had been running with picked it up. It felt good so I went with him. As we moved along I realized we were pulling some guys back. I later realized we were now running about 6:50 pace. It felt fine, but it was intimidating running this fast with 7 miles to go at point. I felt good but after a few miles I settled it down to 7’s.

The remaining miles I held strong, no problems. I thankfully took another gel they offered at an aid station. If I hadn’t I think I might have had a bonk issue at the end of the race.

At four to go I thought about speeding up again just to see what I had. When I did it seemed to take too much effort so I just stayed put. At two to go I up’d the pace again to see if I was close to the end of my rope. A slight cramp at one mile to go told me to cool my jets, so I did.

I finished feeling strong and in good form, no feet slapping or labored breathing. I definitely still had 10K of running in me at the pace I was moving at. I grabbed some water and ran/walked a few miles for a cool down. My time was 2:22 and change, good enough for a 7:08 paced run.

I spoke to Kuni and Dasie Yamagata before and after the race. I also ran into Ralph and Sharon from my trail running group. I also ran into Jacob Rydman and his wife Sara. Sara won her age group, nice work!! I saw Mark Lantz, Eric Skaden, and John Blue and just about everyone else from the area. I was surprised to see my buddy Thor Anderson. He came up from Monterey at the last minute to run in prep for CIM.

I really enjoyed seeing everyone and having a great time running. The day got better after I drove home, two words: ice cream. A perfect day, the ice bath didn’t even faze me.


What next

I accomplished all my goals for this event. I learned valuable information about my fitness and my pacing for CIM. I believe I have a solid 3:10 CIM in me. At this point I think I will go out with the 3:10 pace group and see what develops.

Next up, the dreaded taper and then CIM.

AB

Monday, November 1, 2010

The new black, cool Blogs, and of course, cool gear

Black is the ubiquitous color in sports and general fashion.  Black running shorts are a mainstay for me and many other runners.  Cyclists are worse than runners when it comes to wearing black shorts, only the elite hammerheads wear the colored spandex like theses guys:



I personally think colored spandex cycling shorts are for another reason, but the photo illustrates that…..

Regardless, like the popularity of the color black, compression sock are all the rage now.  But unless your Paula Radcliffe and have yours color matched to your skin tone, the choice is of course, you guessed it, BLACK.  Now some guys and gals are running in white compression socks.  I’m here to show you that the new black are these babies:

As the sexy (and VERY hairy) model demonstrates neon green is the new black.  And the brand to buy is CEP.  Now pink is availble also, but neon green is what the cool kids wear.

Gear

I recently saw the review of this pack: Salomon Advanced Skin Lab Pack at irunfar.com. The price tag is steep, but it looks to be a very functional and comfortable pack for those epic runs. I’m planning to ply my masculine persuasion on the wife in the near future to obtain one for 2011 adventures.

I recently switched GPS watches after tiring the big red Garmin 305. I love my GPS, but sometimes it just felt too big to wear. It has some draw backs, but the Garmin 110 looks and feels like a watch, but is a GPS. If you’re looking to try a smaller GPS check out the 110 or the just released 210 and 410 that have more functions than the basic 110.

Blogs

Here are a few blogs and website I’ve picked up on recently I think you should check out:

Jacob Rydman, All round nice guy and someone to watch in 2011.

Rhonda Sundermeier, Great race reports

Sacramentorunning, All things running in and around Sacramento.

Jaymee, Sacramento stud who just qualified for the Trials. She sounds very dedicated to her training, a great read.

AB