The Year Just Ended and the Year Ahead - 2010/2011

Last year, December was quiet with no races.  I ended up with three or four blogs on the end of 2009 and start of 2010.  December of this year I had the California International Marathon (CIM) and a busy time at work.  So, I am collapsing the rest of the year end and new year blogs into this one.  This is the second and final blog in my year end series.  The first was my blog on iPod music for 2010. 

2010: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The story for 2010 was how my running developed during the year.  As I commented last year, there are no bad runs some are just better than others.  However, there are some ugly ones.  Probably the ugliest was the DSE Waterfront 10M with the attack of the hamstrings.  I still managed to get a 1:05:20, 6:32 pace, and an age group second at that race.  After than was the Kaiser Permante Half Marathon where I had a good race until I hit the turn around at mile 10 and could not battle the wind to the finish. At 1:26:37, that race was still good enough to get me a seeded entry to the Bay to Breakers, which was the primary goal.  I also had an age graded score of 80.1.  Finally, there was the NorCal 10 Miler, which was probably my worst competitive race of the year.  I allowed myself to get sucked out too fast and had a crash-and-burn when I could not handle the heat and the rollers on the return. That 10 miler was 1:06:16, almost a minute slower than the Waterfront race.  The good news was that the NorCal was the last of the ugly races and it turned out to be poor race strategy rather than physical issues. 

Devil's Slide Track Club 2010 Relay

After those early races, things started to look up.  There was the Across the Bay 12K, where I ran my fastest time even on that course.  Next was The Relay, where I had a solid performance and set two team records.  After that were the Bay to Breakers and Marin Memorial 10K.  The Bay to Breakers was also the fastest I had ever run on that course.  The Marin Memorial, which I ran for the first time, had me back above 80 for age graded scoring (80.4).
 

I headed into summer with the DSE Summer Race Series at Lake Merced.  My goal was to break 28:00 (for 4.5M).  I did that in the third week with a 27:50 and 6:11 pace.  However, the real revelation of the year was the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon (N2S).  It was a beautiful run and my performance, at 1:25:23, 6:31 pace was much better than I expected.  I won my age group and the Pamakid Runners won many individual awards in addition to the team award. My age graded score was now a nifty 81.13.  On the strength of that race, I set out an aggressive plan for the fall that involved completing the PA/USATF Grand Prix Series.  My last race of the DSE Summer Race Series was 27:35, a 6:07 pace.  That was my fastest race of the year. 

Clarksburg Finish

In October, I ran the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon on the most spectacular course I have ever seen.  I bettered N2S, with a 1:24:19 at a 6:26 pace.  My age grade score was 82.2.  That was followed in November by the Clarksburg Country Run Half Marathon at 1:23:56 and a 6:24 pace.  My age graded score was 82.59.  By that measure, my best race of the year.  Finally, the crowning achievement was 2:59:58 at CIM.  That was good for an age graded 81.19.  

It is hard to decide whether CIM (a sub 3-hour marathon at age 55) or N2S (Age group and team awards) was the most satisfying race of the year.  I think I will just call it a tie. 

Closing Out 2010   

This was the first year my mileage broke above 2,000 miles since my injury of 2007.  The history is:

2010: 2,019.6
2009: 1,878.8
2008: 1,677.4
2007: 1,089.0
2006: 2,123.7
2005: 2,119.6
2004: 2,100.5

I ran 25 races with a total of 191.7 miles.  That compares to 27 races for 155.1 miles last year.  2010 had more long races and I ran fewer of the shorter DSE races.  As a result, I did not qualify for a race participation Mongo Trophy from DSE for 2010.  4.5 miles was still the most common distance thanks to the Summer Race Series, but it was down from 12 races to nine.  The Half Marathon was the second most common with four races, compared to two last year.  Last year I had four 5K races and none this year.  Other race distances were one or two events. 

The Pamakids give out awards for the top three age graded performances with an award year from October to October.  I won third place with my run at the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon.   PA/USATF recognizes race performance in the Grand Prix Series with complimentary race registration for the next year.  In a complete surprise to me, I was in the 10th of 10 spots in the masters classification and will get free race registration for the long series in 2011.  Owing to the way that they allocate slots, I did not qualify as a senior (50  and over), but I did as a Master (40 and over).  Finally, I received the Gold (highest level) Phidippides Award from USATF.  This is a masters participation award based the number and distance of certified races run for the year.

I retired two pairs of running shoes during the year as compared to five last year.  I am carrying over some shoes to 2011 with high mileage.  So, the coming year will probably have a higher turn over.  In fact, I just bought four brand new pairs of shoes with the benefit of a rare 20% discount at Sport Basement. 

The first half of 2011 is looking a lot like 2010.  I have already signed up for the DSE Waterfront 10 Mile on January 23 and the Kaiser Half Marathon two weeks later on February 6.  With the benefit of complimentary entries, I may repeat the NorCal 10 Mile and Across the Bay 12K.  I have also committed to The Relay for another year and I have sent my registration for the 100th running of the Bay to Breakers 12K.  They lowered the qualifying time for seeded entry, but I was still able to make it with my improved half marathon times.  My times from 2009 would only be good enough for sub-seeded this year.  After that, the DSE Summer Race Series will return. 

The fall is open, but it will probably be dedicated to PA/USATF cross country.  The Pamakid Runners have one additional runner who will soon be 50.  We hope to be able to consistently put together a senior team in 2011.

KP Half Marathon Training Run 2011

2010 In Review: What's on the iPod?

I so enjoyed holding forth on my iPod music last year that I decided to do it again.  Last year's review is HERE.  Remember, this is strictly treadmill music.  It needs to be loud, with a strong beat.  For the most part, that means classic rock and blues for me.  This was a very active year for new releases in this category.

CD of the Year: Rock of the Middle Ages Division

Hands down, not even even close, it is Peter Frampton's Thank you Mr. Churchill for my CD of the year.  This is a guy who could always play the guitar and came from the standard blues roots for good rock and roll.  You can look back to Humble Pie, paired with the now deceased Steve Marriott (Small Faces), Greg Ridley (Spooky Tooth) and Jerry Shirley, for proof of his bona fides.  Humble Pie is purported to be the first band called "Heavy Metal" by Rolling Stone Magazine.  Frampton went more pop with his 70's solo career, for which he is best known.  This is a solid album with original songs and great guitar playing.  It was released in April and I heard parts of it along with an interview on XM Radio's Deep Tracks channel.  At the time, I was headed to meet the Devil Slide Track Club for The Relay -- there's the running connection.  This album probably enjoyed the heaviest play on my iPod of the new albums this year.  Peter Frampton is now a U.S. citizen and lives in Cincinnati.  Go figure.

CD of the Year: Youth Division

A stellar live CD that includes influences of rock, blues and jazz is Roadsongs by the Derek Trucks Band.  This is a double album, recorded in Chicago over two nights.  Probably my second favorite this year, behind Peter Frampton.  They range from traditional blues (Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway") to Derek and the Dominoes ("Anyday") to Dylan ("Down in the Flood") and to original compositions.   They even manage to slip a little of the Buddy Miles/Band of Gypsies song "Them Changes" into "Get Out of My Life Woman."  Trucks is the best young guitarist in America and this album has solid performances by him and the rest of the band, augmented by a hot horn section.  I am not a big fan the vocalist, Mike Mattison, but to some his understated vocals are the perfect match to the ensemble quality of the band.  I find the studio albums a little bland.  Not the live performances.  This band is all about live performances. 

Just Not Compelling

OK, I know if you are serious about music you are not allowed to say anything negative about Jeff Beck.  When he went from power rock to jazz-rock fusion in the 70's, I though it was a bold and gutsy move.  He dumped the vocals and went for pure music.  He has largely lived off Wired and Blow by Blow since then.  Nothing wrong with that.  Frank Sinatra did not stop singing "My Way" just because he first sang it decades earlier.  A lot of thought and creative energy went into Emotion and Commotion, Beck's first studio album in seven years.  It is not an album he just tossed-off because he could.  All that said, for me it does not work.  To paraphrase one commenter, there is emotion, but where is the commotion?  The album is all of about 40 minutes.  The songs are each three to four minutes.  There is no room to stretch out.  Also, I can't handle Jeff Beck with strings.  Sorry to the die hard Jeff Beck fans who cannot accept that Jeff Beck can ever be less than brilliant and compelling.  Clearly, the Grammy committee disagrees with me.  This CD is all over their nominations for this year.

Phoning It In

The Who needed something to go with their Superbowl appearance. As a result, we have Greatest Hits Live. I tuned in just as they started playing and turned it off before the football game resumed. It was exciting to see them at the Superbowl, but I did not think that performance was great. Greatest Hits Live has better performances, but it is really nothing new. Of course, when you have a catalog like the Who, that is enough. A worthy addition for Who fans. The Steve Miller Band's first studio release in 17 years, Bingo, is mostly blues covers. I suppose if you are a composer but really don't have anything new to say, it is better to do covers than to force the issue. The songs all have Miller's three-part harmony and bouncy pop feel. My wife and I saw him at the Fillmore where he did both his hits and covers of several old blues numbers. That was a great show. This album is just bland.

Everything is Bigger in Texas

Have Blues Will Travel from Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King is solid Texas roadhouse blues.  Good guitar work.  Nice blues numbers, many with good hooks, good lyrics and interesting vocals.  I do not think it is their best album, but it is still a satisfying addition.  Another famous Texan, Jimmie Vaughan, released Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites.  His first album in nine years.  This is more to the 50's R&B side than the blazing blues of Kubek and King or Chicago blues of Miller.  It has the sharp and twangy electric sound, pre-Blues Breakers with Clapton distortion.  The songs also reflect a little of the 40's big band era that preceded them.  Where Miller is bland, this is interesting. 

Seeing Red

Red Velvet Car is an album of new music from Heart, their first in six years.  I though the last album, Jupiter's Darling, was great.  My wife and I saw them at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on the tour for that album where they played one of the best shows I had ever seen.  This album is a more acoustic, introspective effort.  After Jupiter's Darling, I find it a disappointment.  Still, give them credit for a solid job and new material.  Likewise, I found Elvin Bishop's Red Dog Speaks a disappointment after his last album, The Blues Rolls On.  On this one, the songs are not as good, the guests are not as strong, the sound is not as clear and the music does not flow as easily.  This album just makes me want to go back and listen to The Blues Rolls On.

Direct from East L.A.

I was impressed with the performance of Los Lobos on the Crossroad Guitar Festival 2007 DVD.  (Speaking of impressed -- there was also that bass player with Jeff Beck, Tal Wilkenfeld.)  When they came to the Fillmore, my wife and I went.  That was also a solid performance.  So, I bought their new release, Tin Can Trust.  It starts a little slow, but overall it is a good CD and a worthy addition to the iPod.  The twin guitar jams are great and the vocals are solid.  The album is the band's standard mix of blues, garage rock and Mexican.  After my years in Los Angeles, I am a fan of Rock en Espanol and like the Mexican influence. 

The Year's Rediscovery

The Rolling Stones remastered album, Exile on Main Street, was released this year and even included bonus tracks.  I first took serious notice of the band with Sticky Fingers.  I though that was the album where they became a rock band and not an oldies rock and roll band.  Over the years they proved themselves one of rock's most adaptable bands as the music business and public taste changed.  After Sticky Fingers, I thought this album was a complete disappointment.  The songs seemed to drag and plod along with monotonous vocals and harmonies that were very imprecise.  It did not have the raw energy or driving guitar of the bands I was listening to at the time.  In fact, I think I traded the album for something else.  With almost 40 years of perspective, I like the album a lot.  The songs are interesting.  The horns are nicely done and the layering of sound is good.  I guess I have moved beyond the basic power trio approach.  The bonus tracks are also good.

What I Skipped

I did not bother with the new Eric Clapton studio album, Clapton.  His live projects -- Cream, Winwood, the Guitar Festivals, etc. -- are great.  His studio albums now lean heavily toward adult contemporary.  He does not have anything new or challenging to offer.  He has always been an artist who was at his best when pushed or challenged by others.  He is in that comfortable point in his career where he can do what he wants.  This is what he wants - take it or leave it.  I left it.  Likewise, the new Carlos Santana album Guitar Heaven.  That album is comprised of covers of what they bill as the greatest guitar classics of all time.  The parts I heard sounded over produced and the guests wear thin.  I think Santana has more to say with his own material than in reinterpreting the songs of other great guitar players.  A decade later, the Supernatural formula is also wearing thin.

What I Missed

Late in the year, Robin Trower released a new CD, backed by his touring band.  He will be touring this spring and the Fillmore is tentatively listed as a stop.  I will be there.  I still need to get my hands on the CD.  Also released this year were new CD's from Ronnie Wood, Buddy Guy, Rick Derringer and Foghat that all looked interesting.  The Doobie Brothers had a new release.  Like Steve Miller, they tend a little more to the pop and adult contemporary side than I like.  Still, their songs, like those of Miller, are accessible and drilled into my brain from decades of air play.  I also saw the Doobies at the Fillmore and it was a solid, enjoyable show.  So, I may need to get that CD, too. 

Next Year

I have heard that Bob Seger will be issuing a new CD followed by a tour.  I thought his last CD, Face the Promise, was great and I saw him at Oracle Arena on the supporting tour.  I will do it all again if I have the opportunity.  Also, Gregg Allman has a new CD due early next year.  Finally, Jeff Beck has a tribute concert to the late Les Paul that will be released in 2011.  It will be another great year of running on the treadmill with the iPod.