Monday, February 21, 2011

Race 11-18 President's Day Coyote Point 10k

February 21th, 2011
10k - 39:03 - 6th/48

There is only 1 race in the bay area on President's Day and it's the President's Day 10k/5k put on by Sky High Events. It's run by a guy known as "Big Al". Al is an older guy who is really into getting people fit. He puts on Bay Area races on holidays without much advertisement. There are usully around 50 participants and shirts available to all entrants.

The President's Day Race is at Coyote Point in San Mateo at 10AM. I took this day off the last 2 years, once for this race and once for a snowshoe race. This year I ran the race without taking the day off by running it during lunch since I work only a few miles north in Burlingame.

I got to the race with about 15-20 minutes to spare. I talked with several DSE members who were there (Greg Brown, Erika Kikuchi, and Barbara Robben to name a few). I was very sore from the races I had done the previous 2 days. I especially tried to stretch my hamstrings which were tight. The weather was mostly sunny and a little cool, with a decent wind blowing in from the south.

The 5k and 10k started simultaneously and I started the race around 9th place. After we made it over the initial hill I picked up some spots and took first place. I was caught by 2 guys after the mile mark.One was younger and the other looked 40+. i knew immediately that I wouldn't be able to stay with them. Shortly after, the first woman with a New Balance Silicon Valley singlet on passed me. My legs started to tighten up so I hoped that some of the 3 in front of me would turn around at the 5k turnaround. They all kept going so I prepared myself for 4th place.

The course is out and back heading south along the bay on the Out section. The 10k turnaround seemed far away, but probaby because I wasn't doing so well. After the turnaround a couple more guys caught me and I really started to feel slow. I finished as strong as I could in 39:03 (I think). Big Al isn't big on providing official race results so if you don't write your time and place down while you're there don't plan on ever finding out. I was surprised at my time because I had forgotten to bring my watch to work so I couldn[t run with it and I felt like I was moving slower than that. After Erika finished she said her GPS showed only 6 miles, not a full 10k and I remember thinking that I would have been over 40 minutes at the full distance. I plan on going back to measure the distance and elevation change in a training run soon.

This race isn't the best race but it's the only one on President's Day and it's not too expensive ($25 race day entry + $5 per car park entry fee). I don't like it enough to commit (even in my mind) to doing it the next year, but I guess I'd generally run it unless something different comes along.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Race 11-17 Hamilton YMCA TCRS 4.36mi.

February 20th, 2011
4.36mi. - 27:15 - 5th/113

Since the beginning of 2010 I’ve been making the effort to race in more of the monthly TCRS races which are put on by Tamalpa Runners in Marin. The cost is $3 for members and $5 for non-members and what you get is a 5k-12k course over varied terrain, usually it’s a cross country type course with at least one decent size hill in the middle. This month’s TCRS was no different. The course is a 4-ish mile loop that starts on the levee behind the Novato YMCA, runs on some dirt trails and through a neighborhood going up 2 short but steep hills before returning to the finish. I had never run this course before.

The weather today was mild and sunny and I arrived at the race quite early. I was a little sore from yesterday’s 50k but not too fatigued. I thought having done yesterday’s race might cost me a handful of places. The TCRS series has some competitive runners – I’ve never been within striking distance of the leader after the halfway mark. No one knew exactly how long the course was but for some reason we had to start a quarter mile down the levee and run toward the parking lot to make the course long enough.

I started out in about 9th place but 1st wasn’t too far ahead. Everyone was more or less running in back of the person in front of him (mostly hims with the exception of Valerie Young who was a couple places in front of me). As we got to the first hill I started picking off runners until I got to (I think) 2nd, maybe 3rd? As we crested that hill I lost a couple places but I kept running strong. Also, first place had pulled away from the pack.

We descended down into a neighborhood and ran toward a second hill. I passed 2 guys going up that hill and at least one passed me back as we were at the top. When we started the descent I was in 5th with first place being out of reach but the next 3 guys were all close. I thought I might be able to make up ground going downhill but no dice – it wasn’t happening. I ran as hard as I could to avoid getting caught by the guy in 6th and managed to hold him off. I had saved a little in the tank for the last 100 meters in case he caught me, which I used but didn’t have to.

After the race a bunch of us went to Peet’s down the road. I should be at or near the top of the TCRS standings having placed fairly well in both of the events so far this year, but I expect to miss the next one due to it being the same weekend as the National Snowshoe Championship in Wisconsin.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Race 11-16 Golden Gate 50k

February 19th, 2011
50k - 5:43:52 - 4th/11
Garmin Tracking here.

I had been planning on running the Buzz Half Marathon and considered the possibility of running the full marathon but made a last minute decision not to run it. I had run Buzz twice before and would have liked to again but it’s a long drive to San Miguel and it was supposed to rain. I didn’t want to go that far to run a rainy half marathon. Also, they hold it on a military base which and they require all visitors to go inside where they request licenses of everyone in the vehicle, car registration, and proof of insurance which is a pain to deal with before a race. So instead at 11PM Friday night I decided to run the Coastal Trail Runs Golden Gate 50k.

I arrived with plenty of time to register and get my stuff together. Ray Sanchez was the only person on the pre-entrants list I recognized as being faster than me, but as I got to the start line Leigh Schmitt came over to say hi and I knew I’d be quite a bit behind him. The weather was cool and cloudy. The first climb is a tough one but I hung with Leigh as we had started talking. I fell off his pace after a half mile and settled into my own race from there. There was a magnificent view of snow capped Mt. Tam ahead to our left as I descended toward Tennessee Valley. A couple other runners in who were in the shorter races passed me but I still felt fine.

As I was getting to Tennessee Valley we started to get hit with hail. It stopped briefly once and returned as I started climbing the Fox Trail to Coyote Ridge. I was glad I ran with a hat because the visor was keeping the hail out of my face. It continued as I ran along the ridge all the way to the Coastal Trail at the Pacific Ocean. The hail turned to rain by the time I hit Pirate’s Cove but and that’s when Ray passed me. I was feeling very cold. I struggled to get back to Tennessee Valley and looked forward to getting back to the start so I could get more clothes.

The rain mostly kept up on the way back and I kept my head down and just focused on what was in front of me. When I completed the first loop I replaced my wet shirt with my warm up jacket from the car. My hands were so cold I had a tough time opening the car door. I got some food and headed out for the 2nd loop. It was the same as the first, minus the 5 mile loop with the Fox trail climb and Coastal Trail back to Tennessee Valley. I was warm for a short time until I got to Tennessee Valley again. As I stared climbing Marincello out of Tennessee Valley my watch started to beep because it was out of memory. This was an annoyance. I started to walk a little too – I was having a less than fun time. I had no difficulty finishing the 2nd loop but could not get my legs to move fast. I finished in 5:43:52 which was easily over an hour slower than I had previous run on a very similar course. Leigh and Ray had already left but I stayed a while to eat some food and talk with the race director, Wendell. I was glad I ran this race instead of the Buzz marathon, but the cold rain ended up getting to me too much.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Race 11-15 Golden Gate Bridge Vista 10k

February 13th, 2010
10k - 40:32 - 5th/132
Garmin Tracking here.

By now I’ve run most of the DSE courses with the only ones I haven’t done being the ones created in the last 2 years. I’ve tried to attend different races to mix it up, but one of the DSE courses I’ll never get tired of is the Golden Gate Bridge Vista 10k. Since I like this course and there was nothing else I’ve been dying to do, I ran this race. Also, it’s only a $3 race cost which is better for my wallet than most any other race.

The course starts at Land’s End which is the northwestern most point of San Francisco – just north of the Cliff House. It heads south and does a quick hairpin turn to a trail that we follow for a little more than a mile before hitting the paved road just below the Legion of Honor. We follow the road from there almost all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge then turn around and come back. On the way back we follow the road to the western end of the Legion of Honor parking lot and take a short trail directly to the Land’s End parking lot, instead of following the windy trail by the water. There is a little concern for traffic, especially near the turnaround but the views for the first 2 miles are excellent if it’s a nice day. For today’s race the weather was perfect.

Winning a DSE race is sometimes a possibility for me although not as much recently because three crowds have gotten bigger and more competitive runners have been coming than several years ago. I immediately ruled this out when I saw Chikara Omine there, and shortly after Sloane Cook. I also saw Joe Weirheim before the race and mentally moved myself down to 4th. I finish in front of Joe at every Thursday night series and recently ran faster at the California International Marathon and Jed Smith 50k, but I generally have no hope of keeping up with him at the weekend DSE races.

I started the race a little fast, actually too fast, right next to Chikara for about as long as I could. Sloan was in front of us and I fell off of Chikara’s pace before the mile mark. Eventually Joe and DSE President Ky Faubion passed me before we hit the road. Ky has been running faster than me at DSE races as well. A younger guy I don’t know passed me as we hit the road. He didn’t know which way to go as we got to an island in the middle of the road. I shouted ahead that they both go to the same place so he took the lower road while I took the upper. The 2 choices meet up at what is rumored to be Robin Williams’ house, something I’ve been unable to verify. I was disappointed to see the vine shaped like a dinosaur in the front lawn that was overlooking the 8 foot wall at that house had been taken down.

The younger guy pulled away in the road section and I was solidly in 6th. I kept him in sight however hoping I could catch them on the hills we still had to run. It looked like I made some ground going up the winding hill to the turnaround and I was happy to see Vince French at the turnaround. Going down the winding road I made up more ground and I caught the young guy near the former dinosaur possible Robin Williams house. I tried to get by him before the climb to the Legion of Honor but he was able to stay with me. I surged a few times going up that hill and finally by the time we hit the top I opened some space. I was also well spent and aware he could catch me in the short trail section so I kept moving as fast as I could. It turned out he wasn’t going to close the gap and I had that figured out as I got to the parking lot. I ran as hard as I could at the end but was a little disappointing with my time.

After the race I had some snacks and got re-acquainted with Steve Stephens’ cat. Steve brings his cat to races and lets it roam around like a dog. A bunch of us all furthered our plans to hike up Mt. Whitney this summer – a trip of hopefully 15 DSE members mainly being organized by President Ky.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Race 11-14 Northstar Snowshoe Series 10k

February 12th, 2011
10k - -
Garmin Tracking here.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Saturday, February 5, 2011