A week of Lone Long runs....

Geez...there are so many options this time of year that there are weeks where one has a good chance of running alone on those loooong runs.  This was the second consecutive week as folks raced pctr series, Napa Marathon or taper for Cool. 

I really don't mind the lone time as I have put into words before..I even thought of taking my ipod along but thought better of it as I set out on a 31 mile run along the American River...Silence is fine for me except for the sounds of spring be it the birds or mud puddles splatting against my shoes.  I use these longer solo runs to review things and see how well I can go since this is mental to be out for 5 or 6 hours. 

Funny that with American River 50 coming up in a month I have not really thought of that or even Miwok I just want to run each day and focus on hitting the training goals on the schedule...Perhaps this being such a narrow focus is doing me good.  I am not getting to caught up in others faster, longer programs but just looking at what I am doing getting to that day in June.  That said the long Saturday run had some low and high moments all of which I handled well.  I had a low point about 25 miles in but just put the head down to speak and moved through it for about 2miles after which things go better once more.  Steady was how I felt on this run.  The next days follow up recovery run of 9 miles had me thinking that only 2 or 3 weeks ago I was feeling exhausted to run and made every effort to get out the door.  This week like last no problem...The legs feel it put the endurance is getting there again...Longer runs on Sunday to come that is good news I am getting ready. 

Having a heck of a time getting my pacer('s) lined up...maybe living so close to the course and having friends in the race is a curse for this..I have asked four friends so far and all taken.  Way Too Cool is this weekend and I am doing my WS volunteer work there so I hope to see some other folks out there that I might be able to ask pace me..gotta get this taken care of soon.

Tony

Why all the competitive juices when I have gotten so slow...?

A quick note this morning...I am off for another busy day of WORK.....hmmm another 10hour day, constent multi tasking in terms of subject matter  I am reviewing,discussing and presenting solutions...I love it..

But what jumped into my mind this morning is that even though I have slowed down and have no chance at placing in my age group at any race...unless they are really slow is I have taken time to review folks on the WS list to see how I compare to them and my scant race resume...Gad...! When I do race it has been when I have not been in my best shape and in other cases run via a heart rate monitor...I consider that I really have only been in good running shape with very solid training one year in the last 9...the rest just goofing off...run a marathon or trail race in crappy shape....
This year with help of my coach and that new found PANIC of being in Western States knowing that effort put in now will make a huge difference for me in June has my competitive juices flowing a bit...I have a private list of folks in WS that I want to beat at WS...Its great that they are in....many for their first time, a few folks that have run well at WS in previous years...But they have never raced against me when I am in shape and tuned both mental and physical...Funny...49 years old and just wanting to finish the race also has some targets on other runners backs to chase down...I love it...Will see what happens but I know I am putting in a solid effort these last three months and look forward to seeing the result...Now off to work!

Tony

A Dizzy Run...bound to happen. Training Picks Up,Good Recovery Run

Sorry, No pictures this week...It was a rather hard week after such a good run on Ball Bearing last week.

The week began with some slower legs, a bit heavy but still out running following the weekday schedule. Things are ramping up now. Weather changed a lot of things during the week..a brief taste of spring turned back to late winter storms come midweek and then returning Friday night. To make things a bit tougher I came down with a bug that left me feeling dizzy and a tad nauseous on Thurday and Friday....I just could not get out and run feeling like that leaving me in a pickle for Saturday's long run...

I awoke feeling a little better Saturday morning a little before 5am..I was going to run the Way too Cool course..including the six mile start at Olmstead....Weather was wicked! At least at my house as I prepped..fired off early morning emails...But out the door I went on a dark stormy morining..As I got to the Cool Firestation I saw a group taking off on the course and Andrew Schooley just pulling in to the lot...I was heading toward Olmstead with a goal to see how I felt, take it slow and just plan for a long day...

That was the needed attidude! Olmstead loop to hwy 49 was a mess..I was running by alone and not feeling good and mind not focusing on running..I was pushing through deep new streams with runoff and just not enjoying it at all...I began to think then that this was a run to focus on building mental toughness..This was not easy at all and just get the time in since it pays dividends come June!

I crossed 49 and saw Twietmeyer heading back and moving easy..I was just picking points to hit as I ran down trails that had turned to steams. I made it to Browns Bar never seeing the streams moving so fast and so deep...it was a true adventure..I was slowly starting to feel better and got to ALT. Here I saw a runner coming back and he said that DeadTruck stream crossing was very deep....Dang. Lets consider to run that and ball bearing...I could run to 3rd gate and turn getting in my 30 for the day...I finally started to feel better! It only took four hours! I was still running slow but with more focus. I went up Goat and started talking to myself (thank god no one was around...) just words to encourage and that seemed to help I followed this pattern to 49 and to the Firestation..I wanted it to be long and slow and set 6hours for this 30 mile run..no not fast it was about time on feet, getting over being sick and being out there..So as my watch had died in the first hour or so...I pulled in got to my car and looked at my phone...clock time...6 hours and 1 minute....Not bad. My legs feel pretty good on Saturday night...Well after todays run..happy to be on the sofa watching tv and relaxing....Mileage goes higher next week....

Just returned from a very succesful 9 mile recovery run...not the fastest but that was not the point so a 39mile weekend...not bad.  Legs feel tired but not trashed..A ray of hope for the last day of Feb!  Bring on March...

Tony

A little inspiration in Winter....

Enjoy Matt Hart's follow up to his trail video from last year...Lots of images from WS..climbs up Devils Thumb..a good view indeed....enjoy.

Tony

A Quad Ball Graduate-Wheres my diploma? Where is my friend?

Rena and Me...Just starting loop 2---

Quad Ball Profile---it is missing about 1mile since I had operator error...

I have some good news...I am finally getting some running legs that make me feel good about my training! With plan moving into its 3rd month and the mileage is building I am feeling better each weekend on the long runs. Granted I have some tired legs the next day but they snap back soon. That is a good sign. I will admit to enjoying seeing a day off on the schedule but those are now once a week versus two early on in the calendar.
With that said...The week began with a tired leg run on Sunday that had me running short. I made that up on the day off with a fast Stagecoach Loop on Monday that had me suprised at how it felt easy and in control. The rest of the running week was kinda like that...Saturday was a big day on the Western States Trail with the first organized run sponsored by Greg and the WS Crew...It is the annual 20mile run from GreenGate to the finish...they had 200 runners on the course. It was short for me so I got Rena to run Ball Bearing Repeats.....This is a tough course with speed and climbing...John Nichols invented the term QuadBall for 4 laps..so that is what we set out to do. It was a very good day for me...A big improvement over my TriBall effort in January. We screamed some sections and moved hard up Ball Bearing...Our loop times where...
1:24, 1:21, 1:19 and 1:23. Folks can run this faster but it was so good for me...It left me tired but still energy in the tank. During the second lap we got the train of runners on the training run and they all seemed happy. Tim Twietmeyer had a posse of WS newbies swarming around him as he made the turn from 3rd gate up to ALT...He did not mind in the least and I would guess a thrill for many running next to him on the trails.

Today I feel good about the training...but on a bummer note..My valentine has gone MIA...It is important to me that she be around to listen in on these moments that are hard but joyous..for my own reasons it is important that she be involved even from a distance. I guess I want her to be proud of me..like saying I can go the distance.but when she goes MIA it casts doubt. Regardless of this my training moves forward. Will she be at the finish in June? ..time will tell but I can't stop and wait...Till next week...tony

Check that Junk Mail, Run in the Sun

Lets cut to the chase and start with...THE SUN IS OUT! After weeks of winter storms, We had our first real day of sun, warmth and even some flowers and trees are starting to bloom!
This makes such a difference in getting out.

Back to the title...Like many we receive a ton of junk paper mail these days...What ever happened to getting a nice letter or card in the mail...Those are far and few between but a few friends still send notes and cards..It is nice. Anyway...As I have come to do...see the mail..don't recognize the sender (for credit cards, refiance the house, etc) I just rip it up and throw it away. I picked up my mail and was starting to do the usual on Tuesday when I saw an envelope it...looked like junk mail...I opened it I rarely do...To my suprise it was from my bank that is holding my mortage on my house (btw..anyone want to buy it for what I purchased it at?) anyway..it was a check for nearly $800 for my impound account for taxes! Well it is not nice to get that check knowing that my home value has reduced so but its still a nice suprise considering I was about to throw it out...!

The other cool thing this week aside from running was a high school classmate is the commander of the last scheduled space shuttle that took off this week..now that is pretty cool....not many of those in this world and I went to school with him. Granted I can't recall him well but still neat.

On to running and life in general. I had a very nice week of running with some increased mileage from the coach leading to a long run Saturday. All my midweek runs this week took place at the Overlook with me running down to the river and the American River Trail. The shortest run was time wise...1:23 and the longest a tad over 5hours. I am getting some of my endurance back since I noticed the 1:23 felt very short in terms of time and post run feeling. It was fast and enjoyable. The AR trail drops down from the Overlook to the river for 3.1miles and then hits some sweet single track from there. This creates a nice out and back with the climb good training for race day. Saturday I ran long with Rena, Karyn Hoffman and one other person...We took off early to run to Sterling Point and Back...26miles. I did make a rookie error and not stay at my pace for the first half and had some very fast split times as I chased Karyn...We had a long break as folks loaded up with water at Sterling and the return. This long break of 5minutes plus got my legs tight..they never really came back....The return was not too comfortable but the day was nice I was thinking that my last two weekend runs where the same time a little shorter and tried to compare the effort on a flattish course versus the climbing on the cool course. I am thinking that my diet needs a major tweak since I still talk about not eating enough during the week leaving me a bit tired during the long run...better get that dialed in soon.
Valentines Day...have a good one...Tony

First Saturday in February-Mud on those Trails

Week 1-February, the California is caught in the el nino weather pattern bringing the continued much needed rain and snow in the Sierras. SoCal is getting soaked as well with mudslides in many burn areas. That said it seems the weather likes to arrive with its higher rain totals towards the end of the week and those scheduled long runs...Perhaps I need to move these to the midweek so I can run on less muddy trails!!!!

The week of business travel and cancelled weekend in LA left me with lower quality miles. Having Western States on the horizon leaves me each day with a sense of urgency to be prepared and do my part. The date is in stone and my goal is to make each day count. Business travel involves endless time in airports, meeting with clients and listening, endless opportunities to miss a workout by following group dynamics with endless drinks and dinners. I was grateful to make time early and late in the evening to get something in....

Altered plans led me back in nocal on Saturday. It was rather dark and pounding rain as I woke early to meet some folks in Cool. I knew that it would be hard out on the trail but the run had to go on as scheduled. Once at Cool I was greeted by Kate and Rob Evens...they where helping Fleet Feet Roseville with some ultra training group. This brought a ton of folks to the trailhead on a wet and soggy day....My group arrived shortly after including my coach and off we went on the trail..The pace was great as we headed to Browns Bar. I dropped back about 30 seconds as we started our climb. My legs this week felt ok and pace a bit faster. On the way to Alt we began to see different packs of runners heading back towards Cool. Lots of newbies, many other friends as well all on the trails...I looked forward to when the trail would be quite once more...

The overall trail conditions where very muddy, slick, and streams moving fast. I was moving faster but the hips where getting tight as the day wore on..Goat Hill to HWY 49 was hard on me..it has gotten rutted so that it slows me down when I get tight...I did finish the day 11minutes faster than last week so that was good. A short run Sunday has me back on schedule for training.

Thinking of next weekend already...but first need to have a solid work week of training...be it in the rain again...