Free Shoes!

The Sage to Summit Winter Race Series wrapped up this past Saturday. I was unable to beat Dan Yarborough for the second straight race. My race strategy was to hang on his shoulder as long as possible and then make a move some point late in the race. That was wishful thinking! I hung on for a mile or so and knew I had no chance. He took off at a very quick pace right from the gun and that left me hanging on for life for the entire rest of race. The courses for these 10k's were so difficult as I've said many times. The soft sand and hills made me long for road racing. I looked at my Garmin and saw I still had almost 4 miles to go, so it was best not to be longing for the road just yet.

The good news is that I was lucky enough to win the points series. I did so by getting one win and two second place finishes. The 2nd place finisher is a really neat guy, who probably would have smoked me had he made that his mission. Fortunately for me, part of his mission this year is to cover more miles on his feet running than any miles in a car, boat, train, etc. You guessed it, he's an "ultra guy" and goes by the name of Phil Kiddoo. This meant he ran to and from each race. Perhaps I'd have a chance to win Boston if Ryan Hall had to run from Mammoth to the race start. I mention Phil, because the best part of this series was meeting him and a lot of the eastside (of the Sierra) runners who live in the Bishop area. I particularly enjoyed talking with Phil and Jeff (pictured) who both have nice bios here.


I also won free shoes with my victory. For this reason, I'm now considering myself a professional runner. I'll do whatever it takes to hide the fact that I answer phones for a living. I did score some sweet Sanuks which I've been sporting around quite a bit. And yes, technically they are not shoes, but the owner of the store graciously let me apply my win to sandals.

The March Madness Half Marathon in Cary, IL was this past Sunday. This was a special race for me last year, as it was the first race where I really felt part of a team (in terms of running events). I wrote about it ages ago. Its a difficult course, and a great tune-up for Boston. Several friends put in good performances, but none better than Robert (pictured left) who finished 8th with a 1:16 on a very gnarly (whoa, the west coast is influencing me) course. Be sure to check out the excellent recap he wrote about the race on Coursing.

Speaking of Robert... when reading his entries about his faster miles something interesting has come to my mind. I find myself really missing those type of runs. Training at altitude rarely gives me a chance to run fast. I do get a bit faster on intervals and shorter tempo runs, but on any of my 10 -25 mile runs I'm pretty much hanging around 7:10-7:45. The view I have are beautiful, but there is a simple joy in moving at 6:30 or faster for long portions of runs with friends. I'm not doing a very good job of putting this simply enough. But, essentially, it feels good to run fast, and I don't get that as often up here. My hope is that the feeling I'll have at sea level will be so great it will justify my time up high.

Wish you could join me for my workout tomorrow. 2 miles at 6:00. 6x800 at 2:45. Sounds pretty easy. But, its always a bit tougher at 7,000 ft. Also, I'll be skiing for the first time tomorrow. I hope I break a leg.

10k Race Report and Round Valley in the News

Sage to Summit Winter Race 2

The second race in this winter series proved to be very challenging. If you take a look at the topographical course map you'll notice that the path goes over several lines. And with an out-and-back course, this means you have to go uphill in one of the directions. The 700 ft climb was made more difficult by the fact that it was done over a very sandy trail. I don't know how trail runners can stand the soft stuff, I'll take the roads any day.

I was hoping to get the 2nd win and be 2/3 or a way to a sweep of the series, but I had to settle for 2nd place as I was absolutely no match for Dan Yarborough who lead from the gun. I went off slowly from the gun and sat in about 5th place for the first half mile. I picked it up just before we left the harder park surface for the sandy trail. I didn't want to pass on the soft ground and risk having to leave the groove (the area of the path that was most packed and easiest to run on), however I quickly found that there was absolutely no groove. I entered the trail in 2nd about 10 yards behind first. I kept him in striking distance for much of the first few miles, but each time I planned to surge to catch him he simply put more space between us.

At the turn-around he flew past me and I knew it would be an almost impossible descent to catch him. I watched my competition after the turn and had a good 10-40 second gap on the next 4 racers. After running 7 minute pace up the hill I was now moving along in the mid to low 5's. Near the end of the race I heard the steps of someone behind me. I made a quick glance, and my heart sank when I saw my coach Andrew. He must have been absolutely flying, because I had a decent gap on him at the halfway point. I glanced at my Garmin (I don't usually wear this during a race, but there are no mile markers on this course) and saw there was just over a mile to go. At that point I felt I didn't stand a chance to hold him off. I began to push much harder in the hopes that he would tire.

I hit the hard ground again at the half mile to go point and I put in a surge. At the next 90 degree turn I took a quick glance and saw that I had opened the gap a bit more. It was certainly deflating to lost by such a wide margin (I'm not sure what it was as results have yet to be posted) but it was nice to hold of Andrew, who has out-kicked me in many a mile repeat.

Its hard to measure my performance in this race considering the conditions, but I'm happy to say my pace was a few seconds faster than race 1 and this course was certainly much harder. Next up: The Chico Half Marathon two weeks from today.

NBC article on Ryan Hall highlights Area Locales

I did a double take when I saw the byline on this NBC.com article about Ryan Hall's current training. Round Valley is a very tiny place, and imagining a reporter there gave me a good smile. Having done several of my recent workouts there it was fun to read the article and glance at the accompanying photos.

ROUND VALLEY, Calif. -- It is lonely and harsh out here in the high desert of eastern California. In the winter months, it is cold and it snows, the wind howling across land so remote and forlorn that just a few miles to the south the U.S. government set up internment camps in the 1940s.

One main highway, U.S. 395, cuts through here, interrupted now and then by service roads, strips of asphalt laid down to access huge pipes that carry water far south, to Los Angeles.

This is where Ryan Hall comes now to test himself, in thin air, on high ground, on roads with no names, readying for the Boston Marathon this spring, hardening himself to the elements and the doubts and the question whose answer, as yet, remains uncertain.

While I don't relate to the religious aspects of Hall's running, I really appreciate his attitude and he carries himself very well.

From the time he had started running, more than 10 years before, Hall had dreamed of his approach to Olympic Stadium, and the tunnel, and the roar of the crowd. In his dreams, of course, he was first.

That day in Beijing, bound for tenth, he nonetheless experienced an epiphany.

"I remember thinking, 'You can choose now how you want to live this moment. Do you want to feel disappointment or do you want to pout? You can. Or you can enjoy it.' I just felt like I had this voice from God: 'This isn't everything you wanted. But it's everything you need right now.' "

A nice section about the effects of training around other great runners and a good thought on race strategy and the mental warfare all competitors enjoy.

Every day, too, Hall can see in and around Round Valley and nearby Bishop, Calif., in the high desert, and in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., in the mountains that rise to the west off the valley floor, the evidence that what he's aiming for is possible. Meb Keflezighi, the silver medalist in the Athens 2004 men's marathon, lives and trains in the area. So does Deena Kastor, the bronze medalist in the Athens 2004 women's marathon.

"His form now is right on," Kastor said of Hall. "He is looking so impressive for so early in the season."

Mahon said of Kastor, and of the lesson her medal-winning tactics offers, "Deena makes you hurt as soon as the gun goes off," Mahon said. "If you're going to beat her, she's going to put you through an immense amount of pain. Why? Because she knows you're going to question that pain and question your will from the get-go."

Snow is Gone




Hello brown one, hello blue one
Last night's feathers exchanged for new ones
Hello blackbird, hello starling
Winter's over be my darling
It's been a long time coming
But now the snow is gone
-Josh Ritter

The blizzard from last week is done and the snow is beginning to melt here in Mammoth, but unfortunately it won't actually be gone for quite some time as its supposed to return tomorrow evening.

One last time...

Be sure to check out Jason's blog for pictures and a great story about his time in Austin.

Sage to Summit Race Series

Saturday morning marked the beginning of the Sage to Summit Race Series. The series is comprised of 3 10k trail races on 1/10, 2/21, and 3/14 at the Millpond Recreation Area near Bishop, CA. Runners are given points based on where they finish and after the 3rd race a winner will be determined. These events serve the region as sort of a bridge between the beginning and end of the local racing scene as races are sparse this time of year.

Going into the race I felt a lot of nerves. This was the first trail race I've ever done, as well as the first race at altitude (although the alt. hovered around 4,600 which is three thousand feet lower than where I usually sleep and run). Lastly, I didn't know the course at all and was told that it had been marked with pink ribbons and chalk on the sand and should be pretty easy to follow.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I was able to race in a singlet and shorts. It was 18 degrees when I got up in Mammoth but had jumped to the 40s or higher by the time the race started at 9AM. I wore a hat and gloves (but was able to ditch those for my afternoon run). The field was small, with about 25 runners competing. I knew the race wouldn't be too large, but seeing as it was the only game in town I expected more.

After the gun went off I found myself in third running a pretty comfortable pace. I was hesitant to pick it up as I was nervous about going off the course. I followed for a corner or two and decided I could probably follow the markers without much trouble. I decided to pick it up a bit and very quickly found myself passing for the lead. I could sense an acceleration and increase in breathing from the two I passed.

About half a mile into the race the course turned off into the desert and off of pavement. We were running in pretty loose sand and it required a lot of hopping from side to side on the path as we searched for the packed grooves that were easier to run on. I love running on trails, and weaving in and out, but concentrating on footing during a race is new to me, and I must say it made me long for the races in Chicago where I could really pound it out on flat pavement. This video shows what the terrain was like about 25 seconds in. You'll also notice that Bishop is a haven for climbers from all over the world.

The course was a semi-loop. We ran out about 2 miles, did a 2 mile loop, and then retraced that 2 mile opening. The first 2 miles had quite a bit of uphill (elevation chart is pictured), so I knew I'd be rolling downhill quite a bit at the finish. As I climbed the hills I found myself swearing at the loose sand. Hills are never fun, but pushing yourself up on really soft stuff is quite a workout. I wondered to myself on each hill if I would break and be caught. I knew I was putting distance on my competitors, but I could still hear them breathing behind me. I didn't want to look over my shoulder and give them any indication I was worried about them.

By the midway point I had opened a gap, perhaps 20 seconds or so, and I was feeling good, but since I did not know my competitors, I considered that they may have strong finishes in store, so I did my best to soldier on. Not that I'm used to large numbers of spectators, but it was interesting to be in the middle of nowhere during a race. Leading the event added to this strange feeling. I've won two races before, but generally I have a few people just in front of me who constantly remind me that I need to keep pushing myself. Perhaps because of all of this I was very self-aware of my thoughts. I do experience this during races now and then. Its usually a neat thing. A dialogue I enjoy with myself about the need to push forward and ignore the things urging me to stop. But, this voice was different. Why?

Well, for some unexplained reason my mind was set on singing the song "Garden Grove" by Sublime. It's been years since I've heard that song. In fact I couldn't even place what it was I was singing until I was able to consult my ipod after the race. The human brain is truly amazing. Especially mine. Ha, only kidding. But, why in the midst of a desert fighting for a win in a race would my mind pull up some strange song from the past?

In the end I was able to hold on for the victory with a margin of victory of about 1 minute. My time was 39:00 which is much slower than the 10k's I ran in November, but obviously trail running is a different beast. I'm left with no choice now but to complete the series and go for the overall win. The second place finisher was a guy named Jeff Kozak who is an accomplished ultra-marathoner/trail runner having won several 50-mile events. We went for a run together after the race and I'm sure he'll be a good friend and running partner when I head south to Bishop. I must admit, that if the trials goal doesn't pan out I may have to extend my distances as listening to him describe his all day training runs in the mountains is incredible!

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After the race the weather hit the high 60's and I declared that wouldn't go inside until after it was dark. I walked in "downtown" Bishop before heading a little out of town to run along the Owens River Valley. This area is a Mecca for fly-fisherman and climbers. I ran on a dirt road with great views of the Glass Mountains as well as the Southern Sierra Nevada (this is pictured as well, you can see the Owens river in the foreground and the Glass Mountains in the back, the dirt road runs along side the the base of the hills seen on the left). This is a spot where I will be doing lots of long runs and tempo runs. Its at about 4300 ft and has a working water well I can use to get more drink (pictured).

Things are going very well at the moment, and i hope the unseasonably nice January continues. I certainly miss running and being with all of my pals in Chicago!