DSE 6-Hour Distance Classic - 07/10/11

MOST RACES have a set distance with time as the competitive variable.  The DSE 6-Hour Distance Classic flips the common race format by using a set time and treating distance as the variable.  DSE traditionally held a timed race every year.  It was either a 6-hour or 12-hour race in September on the dirt track at the polo field in Golden Gate Park.  After several years of decline, only 28 participants actually ran for distance in 2006 and the race was retired.  Considering the time and number of volunteers needed for a six-hour event (much less a 12-hour), it was not worth it.

This year, thanks to the efforts of race directors Fred & Yong H., the race was revived.  Fred insists that many people supported and had a hand in reviving the Distance Classic.  That is true, but Fred was the strongest proponent and agreed to serve as Race Director. 

The race was moved to a 1.061 mile loop around the lagoon at Crissy Field.  It is about 60% dirt and 40% paved.  It has views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay.  All of the park facilities are readily available.  On the calendar, the race was positioned three weeks before the San Francisco Marathon, making it a good long run option for marathon training.  As in the past, a companion 5K was held for those wanting a shorter event. 

DSE prides itself on producing low-key, informal races.  This has to be the most casual of all the races they produce.  Officially, it starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 2:00 PM.  A little before 8:00, Fred called everyone over, made a few comments and gave a low-key "Go."  The racers sauntered from the start line.  With six hours to run, there is no need to sprint from the start.  This race is the epitome of the DSE motto: "Start slow and taper." 

Consistent with the informality, runners can enter the race "in progress" during the set hours.  Runners can temporarily leave the race to visit, eat, rest or anything else.  Some runners left the race at 9:00 AM to do the companion 5K and then resumed the 6-Hour afterwards.  Runners can also stop any time they want.  So, if the goal is do a certain distance or a certain time, it all works. 

Sunday is normally the day for my long run.  A couple of weeks before the race, I saw a race reminder and decided it would be a good way to do a supported long run.  I thought my pace should be slower than my normal 7:45 to 8:00 long run pace -- maybe 9:00 to 10:00.  I also thought I should be prepared to eat and drink throughout the event. At the reduced pace, it is possible to eat on the run.  Otherwise, I did not have a clear idea of what I wanted to accomplish.  I was thinking I might run three to four hours.  The longest I have ever run at one time is the marathon distance of 26.2 miles.  I thought about setting a new personal distance record.  I also thought that if I felt good at 26.2 miles, I might go for 50K.  Any event over the marathon distance is an ultra.  Although, there is some debate in the ultra community as to whether 50K or 50M should be considered the shortest standard ultra distance.

Several people expressed dread at the idea of running a 1.06 mile loop for hours on end.  One way to deal with that is to break the task into smaller parts -- loop by loop, hour by hour.  Every loop you go by the start line where the lap is tallied and people cheer.  Immediately after that, you pass the aid station with food and drinks.  The outbound leg is on a paved bike path along Old Mason Street.  The return is on dirt paths through Crissy Field.  For much of the event there were pink breast cancer event walkers to watch and dodge along Crissy Field.  I also decided to stop every hour for a break, drinks and food.  Finally, I decided this should be a social event, running and chatting with people I know.  This is not plodding loops in isolation.  In the end, I did not find the repetitive loops to be an issue.  To a certain extent they are a comfort because you are never more than half a mile away from the aid station.

I ran the first two hours with Steve P. and visited.  Steve is leading at the left, headed to the tally board, above.  During the first hour I grabbed a cup of water and, later, a cup of Cytomax.  At one hour, we took a break.  I went to my car, left a jacket and retrieved a sandwich and Gatorade.  After a certain point in long events I get tired of sweet energy foods and I had a couple of sandwiches to balance off the sweet.  Edward H. (yellow shirt, below) joined during the second hour and we ran a few laps together before I took my second break.  This time the food was a Clif Bar and more Gatorade.  Edward and I figured we would meet-up again, but we must have stayed at opposite ends of the loop.  During the third hour I ran a few loops with Vince F. before stopping for the three hour break.  I think I grabbed more Gatorade at this point.  I also ran a few loops with Jerry F. (white shirt, second photo, below).  I don't recall when the fourth break came, but I think it was short of four hours.  I retrieved the second sandwich.  As I passed the aid station, I saw that they had peanut M&M's.  I grabbed a handful on the next loop.  After that, I was focused on finishing and did not take any more breaks.

At the start, I tried to record each loop on my watch, but kept forgetting to hit the button.  So, I gave up.  As the event developed, I realized that the 50K was practical.  I knew that a 50K was a little over 31 miles.  I figured 31 one-mile loops would do it with those little .06's adding up to whatever I needed past 31 miles.  I completed the marathon distance of 26.2 miles at around four hours.  I started checking my splits in the last hour to see how I was doing.  They were 9:15 to 9:30.  With the extra .06 that is very roughly a 9:00 minute per mile pace.  The runners on the course were thinning out, but I was still saw people I know.  Several times during the second half I saw Hugh B.  We would chat for a quarter to half mile and then resume our own paces. 

I finished 31 loops a few minutes before five hours.  I figure it was about 4:56.  I had not realized the extent to which those little .06's add up over 31 loops.  I actually ran about 32.9 miles and overshot the 50K distance of 31.07 miles by a lot.  I could have stopped at 30 loops and still made it.  After the race I went back to the aid station.  I had two cookies, a brownie and a cup and a half of coffee.  My total for the race was two sandwiches, one Clif Bar, 52 ounces (three bottles) of Gatorade, a handful of M&M's and a couple more cups of liquid.  I took in about 2,400 calories but expended 3,540 during the race.  The two cookies and brownie after the race probably evened it out.   

Hugh B. won the race with a total of 42 laps (about 44.6 miles) over the full 6 hours.  Steve P. came is third in the men's race with 32 laps (just short of 34 miles).  I was fourth.  Noriko B. won the women's race with 36 laps (about 38 miles).  My average pace calculated to 9:00 minute miles including the breaks.  So, my actual running pace must have been a little faster, especially at the start and along the paved portion on Old Mason, at the right.

I reduced my training miles on the week after the race and was back to normal after that.  I ended up with a blister on my left big toe and a bruise on my right big toe.  Other than being stiff and sore afterward, that was the extent of the damage  I was still able to make the next Thursday night race and posted a respectable time. 

Other than finishing out the DSE Summer Race Series, that is it for the summer.  I will figure out my fall next month.  Although, the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon is definitely on the schedule. 

Good Bye

PHOTO CREDITS

1.  PUBLIC DOMAIN (STOP WATCH)
2, 4 & 9.  NOE CASTANON
3.  PROPERTY OF DOLPHIN SOUTH END RUNNERS CLUB (DSE LOGO)
5, 6, 8 & 10.  PAUL MOSEL (c) 2011
7.  JOE CONNELLY

Event Summaries - 05/31/11 to 06/30/11

After close to a month of fussing, I decided that I did not have enough to say about the Marin Memorial 10K to make it a full blog entry.  So, I am doing a number of summaries of the most recent events, leading off with Marin.

Marin Memorial Day 10K - 05/31/11

MY SPRING RACING BLOCK ended on a high note at the Marin Memorial Day 10K.  Marin was one of the fastest 10K's I have ever run.  It was the third race in a four week period that included The Relay and Bay to Breakers.  That is a lot of racing for me.  I decided I would adjust my training and treat the three races as a goal series.  I finished the race in 39:01 gun time and 38:53 chip time.  My 2002 personal record for this distance is 38:54.  My average pace was about 6:16 for the race and my age graded score was 82.2.  In contrast, the age graded score for my 2002 PR was 77.05.  I totally smoked my eight-year younger self.

While this was part of the racing block, I treated it as a casual, train-through race.  Other than trying to match my PR for the distance, the casual attitude was the story for this race.  I did not pay attention to the pre-race e-mail and missed-out on the Pamakids group photo.  Then, I was talking with Ken F. and Jerry F. as race time approached.  Jerry and I started to work our way toward the front, but we only got half way there when the gun went off.  I was caught flat footed and shocked at the start.  Despite the start, I had a great run.  The first half I was running about 6:15 miles and paced off of Peter H.  In the second half, Peter pushed the pace.  I could not keep the same pace, but I still had an even effort to the end.  I worked hard not to slow down along the Corte Madera Creek in the fifth mile.  All-in-all, a very satisfying race. 

2nd Annual DSE Donut Dash - 06/03/11

The first Friday in June is National Donut Day.  It started in 1938 as a depression-era fund raiser for the Chicago Salvation Army and also honored the women who served donuts to the soldiers near the front lines during World War I.  It is now a "holiday" used by the national chains and many independent donut shops to promote their products.  As I noted last year, I love donuts.

A small but dedicated group of DSE runners went from the Brotherhood Way parking lot at Lake Merced to the Krispy Kreme in Daly City to get a free donut.  This is an un-timed fun run with no set route.  There is an informal winner.  Although, I am not sure if that relates to the speed of the run or the number of donuts eaten.  I ran with Steve P. who grew up in the area and knew the best route to get to the donut shop.  Krispy Kreme was much more crowded this year.  We waited in a snaking line to get our free donut and headed back.

DSE Double Dipsea - 06/25/11

This year's theme for the DSE Double Dipsea crew at the Muir Woods was "Fiesta."  My support crew could not stop laughing at the picture of me in a sombrero.  The Double Dipsea is one of DSE's largest and most popular races.  It starts at Stinson Beach in Marin County and follows the famous Dipsea Trail to Mill Valley.  The runners then turn around and head back to Stinson Beach.  The trail runs through heavily forested terrain, up and down hills, across creeks, down and then back up 688 steps in Mill Valley.  Runners must be careful to avoid falls and poison oak.  Outbound, the runners come down a hill, across a single plank of wood at Redwood Creek and make a small climb up to the Muir Woods parking lot.  They cross Muir Woods Road, proceed up a drive past a ranger station and resume running on the trail.  The past few years I have volunteered on the crew that provides traffic control for the parking lot and road.  Steve N. is the captain.  There is also an aid station beside the drive on the hill at the ranger station.  Janet N. is the captain.  All together, there are probably about a dozen volunteers at this location.  In addition, there is a professional first aid crew and emergency radio support.

This year's race had 717 registered with 519 finishers.  There were over 110 volunteers.  The race is handicapped based on age and gender.  Sixty year old female, Jamie Rivers won the race this year.  She was the first runner through our station in both directions.  Well, actually, two wild turkeys were the first to run through our station.  Traffic control went very well this year.  Some years there are a couple of drivers who get frustrated and act badly.  This year, regardless of how they felt on the inside, everyone was patient and courteous on the outside.

DSE Summer Race Series - 06/09/11 to 08/25/11

This marks the fourth year of the Summer Race Series at Lake Merced.  It is a 4.5 mile loop that starts and finishes at the Sunset Blvd. parking lot.  The traditional direction for races at Lake Merced is clockwise.  This year, the race is alternating between clockwise and counter clockwise each week. 

The first year was an eight race series.  Since then, it has been a 12 race series.  I have completed all six races run to date and hope to complete the full series.  Managing work conflicts is always the challenge.  If I can make the full series, I should be able to win the 50 - 59 age group.  I need to do that this year because there are two fast 49 year old runners who will advance to the age group next year.  More on the Summer Race Series to come in a future blog post. 

PHOTO CREDITS

MARIN MEMORIAL BANNER PROPERTY OF TAMALPA RUNNERS
MARIN MEMORIAL PHOTO BY NOE CASTANON
ALL OTHER PHOTOS (C) 2011 BY PAUL MOSEL