Anticipating the Year Ahead

San Francisco 2010

In Los Angeles, there were very few races during the summer -- probably due to the summer heat and the abundance of other things to do.  In LA I thought of my running season from fall through spring with the summer off.  In THE CITY, races are available year around.  I no longer think of racing in terms of season.  I look at it in relation to the calendar.  This is the third in my year end series: looking to the promise ahead for another year of running in THE CITY.

January/February

Distance events will be the first order of business.  I have already sent in my money for the DSE Waterfront 10 Miler on January 24 and the Kaiser Half-Marathon two weeks later on February 7.  Rain or shine, I am committed.  Though, I hate running in the rain.  I will skip early January races at Lake Merced and the Great Highway to avoid over-racing in January.  I am running the 10 miler because it was so much fun last year that I want to repeat it again.  If I can get a time below 1:05, all the better.  The goal for the half is the same as last year: to get a qualifying time for a seeded entry to the Bay to Breakers.

Mid-February/March/April

After the half-marathon, I will probably take a down week and then start to prepare for The Relay.  The 27th Across the Bay 12 K is March 21.  I have run it in the past, but skipped it last year because I was afraid it would interfere with my training for The Relay.  I was also lucky I picked last year not to run it because it rained at Fort Baker just before the start and ... well you know.

May

The Relay, May 1-2,  will be my goal event for the spring.  It is set to coincide with a full moon late in April or early in May.  That provides the best opportunity for some light while running at night.  It also means the race date changes from year to year.  I probably will not know for a couple of months which legs I am running.  My approach to the race will depend on what I am running. 

Like this year, that variable date for The Relay means just two weeks to recover before the Bay to Breakers - always the third Sunday in May.  This year is the 99th running of the race.  It was started as one of the ways that civic leaders tried to boost morale and promote the image of a recovering city after the 1906 earthquake.  I am determined to run the race through its 100th anniversary.  Despite the fact that it does not fit my calendar, I am running it again this year.  The goal will probably be to finish without getting hurt.

June/July/August

The DSE Summer Race Series at Lake Merced returns June 10 through August 26.  How often I attend and my goals for the series will depend on my schedule at work.  I will be hard pressed to do better than this year.  So, this is not a firm goal on the schedule.

Fall and Winter

Once fall arrives, the goals are a lot less clear.  The DSE Running Club gives out participation awards.  The small "Mongo" award requires participation in 10 club races, with at least two as a volunteer (the summer race series does not count toward the 10).  Throughout the year I will fill-in with DSE races.  Later in the year, I will probably concentrate on DSE races to fill out the 10 race requirement.  The 34th running of the Bridge to Bridge 12 K will be October 3 and I will probably be up for it when it comes up on the calendar.  Otherwise, I would like to find a couple of half-marathons that work in with the rest of my training and racing goals.  I have to work hard to stay ahead of Cliff P. who is now a half-marathon veteran.

Goal for the Year

The number one goal for the year, like it is for every race, is to have fun.  I would like to keep my race times in the 6:15 to 6:30 range, depending on the distance and remain competitive in my age group.  There is always someone faster than you and you can't control who shows up for a particular race.  So, I am thankful when I eke out an age group win or a high overall placement, but those are not primary goals.  Running injury free.  Now, there is another good goal.  2010 promise to be another great year for running in THE CITY.

2009 In Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The second in my year end series takes a look at some of the notable races for the year.  There are also notable training runs, but they do not lend themselves to a year end review.  Those will have to wait for future posts.

THE GOOD

The Waterfront 10 Miler on January 18 was my most satisfying race of the year.  The race starts in Aquatic Park, runs East through Fisherman's Wharf on Jefferson Street which turns into the Embarcadero as the road turns South.  The route goes past the piers on the bay for a little more than two miles and turns left at AT&T Park.  Then it is across the Lefty O'Doul Bridge which, as Cliff P. notes, is one of the bridges built by Joseph Strauss before he did the Golden Gate Bridge.  After the bridge, it is a couple of miles through the former industrial area of the City, mostly being redeveloped as Mission Bay, still hugging the waterfront.  It is a varied and interesting course.  I ran my most consistent pace, keeping my times grouped close to 6:30 for each mile.  This might be the flattest course I ran for the year, which makes that possible.  I finished in 64:44, for a pace of 6:28.  I felt good over distance and thought I was ready for the Kaiser Half-Marathon, two weeks later.

The Rainbow Falls 5K on March 15 was my fastest race with a pace of 6:11 per mile.  I also ran the Great Highway 4 Mile on November 1 at a 6:11 pace, but that course it probably a few hundredths of a mile short. 

The DSE Summer Race Series was a thrill.  I placed second overall, first in the MVP Points competition and won my age group. 

The Run Your Bunny Off 5K in Snow Hill North Carolina was my only out of area race.  It was fun to run in a different location and to see the local support the race received.  It was also nice to finish in third place overall.  Speaking of third overall, that is also how I finished the DSE Double Lake Merced.  So, these two races were my highest single race finish placement of the year. 

A few of the races I enter also have age group awards.  50 - 59 for the DSE events and usually 50 - 54 for the larger events in THE CITY.  At the DSE Waterfront 10 M and Lake Merced Half-Marathon, I took age group firsts.  At the Kaiser Half-Marathon and at the Bridge to Bridge 12K I took age group seconds for each event.  Bay to Breakers was a different story as I finished 14th in my age group.  More on the Bay to Breakers below.

THE BAD

There are no bad runs; some are just better than others.  Life is too short to wallow in the petty annoyances of daily living (or running).

THE UGLY

There may not be any bad runs, but there are some ugly ones.  The top of the list for 2009 has to be the Kaiser Half-Marathon in February.  Following a very satisfying performance two weeks earlier in the DSE Waterfront 10 Miler, I was looking forward to a strong run in the Half.  My primary goal was to get a fully seeded entry to the Bay to Breakers.  That requires a finish of 1:27:00 or better for a masters runner (age 40 and over).  I was reeling off these beautiful miles for the first eight or nine miles.  6:26, 6:16, 6:27, 6:27 (again), 6:23, 6:08 (where did that come from), 6:27 (again), etc.  Then it all fell apart.  6:45, 6:55, 7:01, 7:04, etc.  It went from smooth, beautiful running to a great struggle almost instantly.  I could barely make it to the finish line.  The silver lining was that I got my seeded entry (1:26:59 chip time) and an age group second.  Ah, but what could have been ...  I don't know if this was a training problem, a nutrition problem or that I should not have run the 10 miler two weeks before.  Given the rapid fall in performance, my guess is some type of nutrition, fluid issue.  My body ran out of something and started to shut down to preserve what was left.

Second on the list is The Relay in May.  This year it was a 200 mile (probably more) race from Calistoga, in Napa County, to Davenport, in Santa Cruz County.  Each team has twelve runners who run race legs from 3 to 8.9 miles.  The typical arrangement is to divide the runners between two passenger vans that leap-frog each other on the course.  One van is active for six legs, while the other is resting.  Some legs are flat and some climb up mountains (if you accept 1,000 feet above sea level as the minimum for a mountain).  Each runner runs three legs, for a total of 36 legs.  It was a rainy weekend.  I hate running in the rain.  I asked the team captain, who has been doing this for better that 10 years, what suggestions he had for dealing with the rain.  He said he couldn't tell me.  While it had threatened to rain in prior years, it never actually rained.  So, he had no experience with running a relay in the rain, either. 

I was runner 11.  I had to sit and wait for a long time to start running.  My first leg, through Petaluma, came at sunset on Saturday.  It was rated as "hard," probably due to a combination of distance and hills.  I pulled my hamstrings and they were irritated for the rest of the race.  My second leg, in San Mateo County along the Crystal Springs Reservoir, came in the middle of the night.  It was easy: flat and short.  With my tender hamstrings and generally lethargic legs, I ran a really crappy time.  It rained off and on throughout the race.  So far, I had been lucky.  It had not rained while I was actually running.  My third and final leg came mid-day on Sunday.  It rained all morning with no sign of let-up.  The leg before this came out of Felton to the entrance of a quarry.  All of the rain had caused a small landslide on the road leading to the quarry.  The poor guy ahead of me had to run a detour of an extra mile or two.  

Then it happened, the zen came over me.  I prepared with a two shot canned espresso (false energy), two ibuprofen (to dull the pain) and two pieces of sugary coffee cake (readily available carbohydrate).  I was going to run through the rain.  It was OK.  My legs hurt.  It was OK.  I had to climb out of the quarry and then through some steep inclines and declines through the Santa Cruz Mountains to the coast.  It was OK.  I was going to have a good run.  Rather than run in a soaked shirt, I took it off.  I almost never run without a shirt.  I pinned my race number to my shorts, grabbed the "baton" as runner 10 approached and took off.  I ran through a relatively warm rain through the mountain woods.  I did not care what my time was.  It was a good run through a beautiful setting in an ugly race.  Our team came in 12th out of 227 teams and we were the first place masters team. 

So, what happened?  I probably was not as well prepared as I thought I was.  I needed a better plan of long runs and tempo workouts.  Second, I sat too long, especially riding in the van, and did not warm-up enough.  At a minimum, I should have started my first leg slower and built up to the pace I wanted over a longer distance.

Finally, there was the Bay to Breakers, in May just two weeks after The Relay.  I knew this was not going to be a good race.  I was still hobbled from The Relay.  Then race day came and it was unusually hot and humid for San Francisco.  I decided to simply survive the race and aimed for a pace around 7:00 per mile.  Since I ran the race just to finish, it was enjoyable.  When I was done, my pace was 6:55.  What went wrong?  Actually, nothing.  I anticipated and adjusted for my condition and the weather. 

Here is hoping for a equally exciting 2010 with lots of running, some exciting races and lots to talk about.

2009 In Review: What's On the iPod?

Working Hard and Going Nowhere
I do about half of my training on a treadmill in the fitness room of the building where I live.  Treadmills are B O R I N G.  During the week, I usually run in the evening, after work.  At first, I was listening to NPR.  It is not enough to keep my attention for a whole workout.  Then I received an iPod as a gift.  I loaded it with music and that was much more successful. 

The first thing I learned is that the music needs to be loud with a strong beat.  I like classical music, but it does not cut it on the treadmill.  So, for me, that means classic rock and blues.  As the first of my year-end series, here is what was active on my iPod this year.  This is strictly treadmill music since I do not wear headphones running outdoors or use the iPod at other times.

Rock of the Middle Ages: Best Survivor of a Previous Decade

I have come to the conclusion that the classic rock album that has survived the best is Derek and the Dominos' Layla.  Aside from the title song, it did not get overplayed.  It is long and has good variety.  I can listen to this over and over -- and I did in 2009.  Who's Next is also a great album, but it is too familiar.  I listen to it now and then, but not over and over.  The same with the Hendrix albums.  At my local used record store, I found a copy of Derek and the Dominoes Live at the Fillmore.  This is early 70's performance excess by a band that does not have it together.  I actually like the early 70's excesses and the album that shows how it can be done well by a tight band is the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East.

Got Live If You Want It
Considering the Allman Brothers and live albums, One Way Out, Live at the Beacon Theatre was my favorite new discovery for this year.  Two disks, some old songs and some new (to me) ones.  Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes on guitars.  Continuing with the new live albums, late in the year it has been Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live From Madison Square Garden.  They do a great cover of the Buddy Miles song "Them Changes."  I was listening to the beat on "Forever Man" and realized it is a bit of a disco beat.  This may be only disco song by a classic rock act that is not a complete embarrassment.  Remember Rod Stewart?  I also love the way they adapted the Traffic tune "Glad" to the instrumentation they have.  To show real kahunas, they do the Jimi Hendrix piece "Voodoo Chile."  Not slight return, the real piece.  As Eric points out in a video clip, Steve Winwood is actually on the original.  So, it is part of his catalog.  Two disks, but it does have a few places where it drags.  Still, a big favorite for the year.

Musicianship Over Dazzle
I saw Joe Satriani a few years ago on a bill with Deep Purple.  I decided he is all technique and no music.  Robin Trower is the opposite.  He has the benefit of great technique and musical insight.  He is another performer who I think has survived the passage of time well.  I still enjoy the old albums.  A compilation under the title Day of the Eagle came out last year and it has been in this year's heavy rotation.  For a live album, Living Out of Time has been my favorite.  Trower continues to tour and I have seen him at the Fillmore the last couple of years.  He also continues to put out albums and the new ones are on the iPod, including Seven Moons (with Jack Bruce) and What Lies Beneath (a different approach than his normal style).

That'll Go Over Like a Lead Zeppelin

When it comes to loud, heavy and with a beat there is Led Zeppelin.  I received the Mothership compilation a couple of years ago.  I have most of the individual albums, but the compilation is a nice compact way to hear a variety of Led Zeppelin.  I think it is probably the best music for turning the volume to 11 and distracting myself from the pain of a tempo workout.

The Blues is Just a Blessing from a Long Time Ago

In recent releases of traditional blues, there is Elvin Bishop, The Blues Rolls On.  It includes a great collection of guest artists on various tracks.  My favorites are "Struttin' My Stuff" with Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes and "Keep a Dollar in Your Pocket" with B.B. King.  "Struttin' My Stuff" is more a performance platform than a great song, but the guitar work is impressive.  This album was nominated for a Grammy and could have won if it was not for my other favorite, B.B. King's One Kind Favor.  As one reviewer stated, this is a late career masterpiece.  Another brilliant album produced by T. Bone Burnett.  This is the best album B.B. King has put out in years.  Which is not to say others are not entertaining, but this one is great.  This is the album that won the Grammy, beating out Elvin Bishop.

My First Album Release

Bob Seeger is also a good choice on the treadmill and Live Bullet is my favorite.  This is the first album on which I appear -- in the crowd -- at Cobo Arena.  (My second release is Eric Clapton's One More Car, One More Rider, recorded at Staples Center in Los Angeles.)  The Who's Live At Leeds is arguably the best live rock album ever, but this one has to be on the list.  It also plays better on the treadmill, probably because it has more variety.  It is long, which is helpful for long workouts.  I like Bob Seeger's last release, Face the Promise, but Smokin' O.P.'s is even better for a shorter workout.

Is Contemporary Temporary?

Susan Tedeschi's Back to the River is a good contemporary blues recording.  It was released late last year and I have been playing it all this year.  Like several of the contemporary albums above, it has great guests, like Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II. 

The Beano Album

Finally, among the old albums I newly discovered in the last few years there is John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton.  These recordings were revolutionary in 1966.  This is the album that presented the rock and blues guitar sound that we know today (a Gibson Les Paul through an overdriven Marshall amp).  As far as I am concerned, everything in blues based rock before Hendrix was simply leading up to him and everything after is derivative.  When it comes to tone, technique and attitude, Eric Clapton in 1966 was as revolutionary.

Offended?  Perplexed?  Inspired?  Hit the comment button and have at it.