Wednesday was National Running Day... or was it National Day of Running?
Whatever the occasion was, it was a day meant to have encouraged running. So what did I do to "celebrate" the occasion?
Nothing.
What have I done since running 13.1 miles on Sunday?
Nothing.
What will I do Thursday and Friday in preparation for Camp Pendleton?
Nothing.
Not. An. Effing. Thing.
Sigh.
I'm sidelining myself for the week. See, for a while now my heel has been feeling a bit tender, a bit strange. I first started to feel it around late March or early April. It always just felt tender, never really any pain save for once. I whacked it really hard getting out of a chair a few days before the Run Through Redlands. It was a piercing and splitting pain, so much so that I wondered for a bit whether I'd be able to run the half-marathon or not.
A few other times my daughters have hit me in the heel and have caused me to writhe in pain. Aside from that, it's mostly discomfort.
However, discomfort can quickly turn to pain and that can lead to injury and a layoff from running. And since I'm signed up for the San Francisco Marathon on July 25, I don't exactly want to take an injury-related layoff now, or ever really.
On the weekend, though, I had the chance to talk to my sister-in-law, my brother Danny's better half. She's a physical therapist by trade, has some piece of paper she calls a Master's Degree that says so, so I figured I'd ask her about my heel. She told me that she'd recommend taking two weeks off completely to rest it.
I felt like asking her if she was insane but thought better of it. Instead I told her that I didn't think that was possible given my Marathon training. She suggested I go ahead and run the Mud Run on Saturday (which she's also running incidentally) but not to run anything on Sunday.
"Damn," I thought to myself. "There goes my scheduled 12."
I asked for and received some advice from one of my super-duper blog buddies and she suggested not running this week as well, in addition to some other super tips.
I don't want to stop running and it's been tough this week not running. But I know that it's for the best. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to try and do next week, whether or not I will run some or if I'll try to get to an elliptical or bike or whatever. I don't anticipate feeling any pain after the race Saturday but again, it's not any sort of injury that could derail me soon that I'm worried about, it's something that could render me obsolete come July 25.
So what is that I have? Well, I guess I should have already mentioned it. It's possible that I have Achilles teondonitis. Common causes include running hills, overtraining, change in mileage, things like that. I don't think I'm overtraining - I haven't run more than 35 miles a week since January - but I have been hitting the hills hard. It's tough because I need to train on hills for San Fran but if that's causing me problems, perhaps I'd be better off staying away from them, or at least not including them as often as I have been.
This time of me not running will pass. It's been just three days since I last ran but I don't think I've gone three days without running since... don't recall, December probably. And the last time I went five days with no runs was in September when I got sick and was laid out for a week.
It's not fun, sitting on the sidelines, but it's better to ease up a bit now than it is to eat the San Francisco Marathon.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Mud Run Of Yore
The countdown for the Mud Run is on in earnest. It's been on for a bit, but now it's rapidly approaching and pretty much right in front of me.
This will be the third edition of the Camp Pendleton Mud Run and I can't wait to stand out there at the start line, corralled in like cattle, waiting for final instructions from a Marine about the race. That brings back some really fun memories, and I will create even more in a few short days.
I figured I'd post some pictures from my first Mud Run here to give you an idea of what Saturday might look like. I'm thinking of wearing the same outfit so Saturday could really look like this.
This race was in October 2008 and was my second-ever race. That alone is a bit strange, to think that Race No. 2 was this one, a monster of a challenge for a newbie, and still a worthy challenge for me now and always.
Maybe this year if I get some good shots of myself I'll actually buy one or two.
This will be the third edition of the Camp Pendleton Mud Run and I can't wait to stand out there at the start line, corralled in like cattle, waiting for final instructions from a Marine about the race. That brings back some really fun memories, and I will create even more in a few short days.
I figured I'd post some pictures from my first Mud Run here to give you an idea of what Saturday might look like. I'm thinking of wearing the same outfit so Saturday could really look like this.
 |
| Stepping out from the river, which was up to my chest. |
 |
| Looking for space to crawl through. |
 |
| Not sure if I was smiling or grimacing... or both. |
 |
| The finish line is in sight... |
 |
| ... gotta step it up! |
This race was in October 2008 and was my second-ever race. That alone is a bit strange, to think that Race No. 2 was this one, a monster of a challenge for a newbie, and still a worthy challenge for me now and always.
Maybe this year if I get some good shots of myself I'll actually buy one or two.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Mud Run High
On June 13, 2009 I ran my second Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Aside from losing my watch in that race, it was an awesome experience yet again. I was happy to have run it again and happy that I beat my time and survived the race once more.
But I wondered what the next year's race would be like. After all, I was going to take on a much more challenging race and run my first marathon. Would I still enjoy the Mud Run after having run a marathon?
I logged many firsts between that Mud Run and now - my first 18-mile run, my first 20-miler, first 22-miler, first marathon. Having met and survived the ultimate challenge, would I still be excited to run the Camp Pendleton Mud Run? After all, it's "only" a 10K, and many marathoners look down on or refuse to run 10Ks.
Well, I am five days away from running my third Camp Pendleton Mud Run and I can say that I am just as excited as ever to run one of these.
This is the ultimate 10K. It's a 10K on steroids with a nice injection of human growth hormone. This race separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls. It was a tough test the first two times I ran it and I think I can run it 20 more times and it will be a tough test every time.
I want to do well in this race, of course. I want to set a new PR. I finished in around 1:06 last year and I want to get as close to an hour as possible. This race has a good balance between running and obstacles, and a lot of the running involves hills. I've been kicking butt on hills lately and the obstacles will pose a challenge as usual. I'm going to focus and approach this race with as much energy and excitement as I do any other race.
My following race will be the San Francisco Marathon, which poses its own set of unique and difficult challenges, so I will enjoy the Mud Run as a sort-of sendoff for San Fran.
And I have no doubt that once the race is over, I'll be thinking just one thing: I can't wait for next year's Camp Pendleton Mud Run.
But I wondered what the next year's race would be like. After all, I was going to take on a much more challenging race and run my first marathon. Would I still enjoy the Mud Run after having run a marathon?
I logged many firsts between that Mud Run and now - my first 18-mile run, my first 20-miler, first 22-miler, first marathon. Having met and survived the ultimate challenge, would I still be excited to run the Camp Pendleton Mud Run? After all, it's "only" a 10K, and many marathoners look down on or refuse to run 10Ks.
Well, I am five days away from running my third Camp Pendleton Mud Run and I can say that I am just as excited as ever to run one of these.
This is the ultimate 10K. It's a 10K on steroids with a nice injection of human growth hormone. This race separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls. It was a tough test the first two times I ran it and I think I can run it 20 more times and it will be a tough test every time.
I want to do well in this race, of course. I want to set a new PR. I finished in around 1:06 last year and I want to get as close to an hour as possible. This race has a good balance between running and obstacles, and a lot of the running involves hills. I've been kicking butt on hills lately and the obstacles will pose a challenge as usual. I'm going to focus and approach this race with as much energy and excitement as I do any other race.
My following race will be the San Francisco Marathon, which poses its own set of unique and difficult challenges, so I will enjoy the Mud Run as a sort-of sendoff for San Fran.
And I have no doubt that once the race is over, I'll be thinking just one thing: I can't wait for next year's Camp Pendleton Mud Run.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Motivational Mondays (May 31)
May will come to an end today and with it the first five months of 2010.
Through the first five months of this year, I've ran 644 miles. That's an average of 129 miles per month, an average of roughly 30 miles per week.
As I look ahead to June and July, something is motivating me quite a bit. And that's not adding mileage to that.
It's rest.
I've been pondering rest for some time now but I think I've all but set my sights on a clean break from running as soon as I cross the finish line at San Francisco.
Don't get me wrong - I love to run. I love everything about it, but that's part of the point. I want to keep loving it. I want to look forward to my long runs, want to approach every run with vigor and excitement.
It's not that I haven't been lately but there have been parts of runs that I've been not enjoying. On Friday, I had a disastrous treadmill run. I was on there for an hour, but it was a chore to get there. I seriously wanted out after two minutes. I wasn't in the right frame of mind and I figured that since I'd run an hour on the 'mill a few days before that it was just a bit of treadmill overload.
Sunday morning I set out on a 12-14 miler and I just didn't feel like leaving the house. I felt like staying home with my family and spending a lazy Sunday morning at home. Now, once I got out and got to running, I felt great. I got in 13.1 miles and it really felt good. And I still got to spend plenty of time with my family.
But thinking about preparing for the Las Vegas Marathon kind of gives me an unsettling feeling. Since that race is in early December, that means I'd have to start back up in September and would have an 18-miler sometime in early October. Not that that doesn't sound enticing or anything but I believe I'd prefer to take it a little easier.
Part of this possible ease-up on running includes the start of the Loper season. The Lopers will start once again on Aug. 1 (right now it's more informal runs than anything) and I want to participate and run with the group from the beginning. With Kennedy going to school on Aug. 11 (YIPPEE!!!) I'm thinking of switching my long-run day to Tuesday or Wednesday, at least for a bit. Once the Lopers start getting up in mileage in late September then I'll go back to the Sunday long run of course. But I could probably squeeze in a 10-12 miler every Tuesday or Wednesday.
My racing calendar will pick back up in October as I've tentatively planned for the Long Beach Half Marathon (Oct. 17) and Ragnar Relay (Oct. 22-23), and then the Mission Inn Half Marathon shortly after (Nov. 7).
I would like to focus on those races as well. And I think re-charging my batteries come August will help set up a good final stretch of 2010 for me.
Through the first five months of this year, I've ran 644 miles. That's an average of 129 miles per month, an average of roughly 30 miles per week.
As I look ahead to June and July, something is motivating me quite a bit. And that's not adding mileage to that.
It's rest.
I've been pondering rest for some time now but I think I've all but set my sights on a clean break from running as soon as I cross the finish line at San Francisco.
Don't get me wrong - I love to run. I love everything about it, but that's part of the point. I want to keep loving it. I want to look forward to my long runs, want to approach every run with vigor and excitement.
It's not that I haven't been lately but there have been parts of runs that I've been not enjoying. On Friday, I had a disastrous treadmill run. I was on there for an hour, but it was a chore to get there. I seriously wanted out after two minutes. I wasn't in the right frame of mind and I figured that since I'd run an hour on the 'mill a few days before that it was just a bit of treadmill overload.
Sunday morning I set out on a 12-14 miler and I just didn't feel like leaving the house. I felt like staying home with my family and spending a lazy Sunday morning at home. Now, once I got out and got to running, I felt great. I got in 13.1 miles and it really felt good. And I still got to spend plenty of time with my family.
But thinking about preparing for the Las Vegas Marathon kind of gives me an unsettling feeling. Since that race is in early December, that means I'd have to start back up in September and would have an 18-miler sometime in early October. Not that that doesn't sound enticing or anything but I believe I'd prefer to take it a little easier.
Part of this possible ease-up on running includes the start of the Loper season. The Lopers will start once again on Aug. 1 (right now it's more informal runs than anything) and I want to participate and run with the group from the beginning. With Kennedy going to school on Aug. 11 (YIPPEE!!!) I'm thinking of switching my long-run day to Tuesday or Wednesday, at least for a bit. Once the Lopers start getting up in mileage in late September then I'll go back to the Sunday long run of course. But I could probably squeeze in a 10-12 miler every Tuesday or Wednesday.
My racing calendar will pick back up in October as I've tentatively planned for the Long Beach Half Marathon (Oct. 17) and Ragnar Relay (Oct. 22-23), and then the Mission Inn Half Marathon shortly after (Nov. 7).
I would like to focus on those races as well. And I think re-charging my batteries come August will help set up a good final stretch of 2010 for me.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday Leftovers (May 28)
Ah Friday, the last Friday of the month.
Is it really already almost June???
Word Association
Play here, as always...
1. Cream :: Cheese
2. Be with you :: Night and day
3. Pancakes :: Syrup
4. Believe :: In me
5. 45 :: Colt
6. Eat :: More
7. Background :: Desktop
8. Pane :: Window
9. Aim :: High
10. Collapse :: Fall
I laughed at number three. I did this after I filled out the Five Question Friday underneath, so once you read that you'll know why. And I'm not a cream cheese fan. I order bagels often at places like Borders or Panera Bread, and always I say "No, thanks" when I'm asked if I'd like that with cream cheese. I put butter, sprinkle some equal or sweet n low and a dash of cinnamon if it's available and eat it that way. Hmmm... that makes it kinda sweet, which actually contradicts one of my answers from below, kinda sorta... strange.
Eight Years Ago Yesterday
On May 27, 2002, I boarded a Japan Airlines flight in Los Angeles and landed a day later at Narita Airport in Japan. I went as a writer to cover the World Cup. I thought it would be exciting, an adventure to top all adventures. I mean, that's the pinnacle of the sport, the pinnacle of sports writing, so what more could you ask for?
It. Was. Horrible.
Wait, that didn't do it justice...
It. Was. Horrible.
Now, the games were fantastic. I remember those games clearly, very vividly, and not just the games but getting to the games, sitting in the media center before games (the whole lots-of-Europeans-don't-wear-deoderant stereotype is true, I found out the hard way)... things like that, but everything else was abysmal. I went alone, which was my first problem. I felt so stinking alone, ironic considering the mass amounts of humanity there are in Japan. If you've ever seen the movie Lost In Translation, that captures my feelings exactly.
I stayed there for 27 horrible days, my only saving grace the actual games.
I was well over 300 pounds so I did no running - now, I'd run like crazy over there - I did no sightseeing save for a trip to some museums in Hiroshima, did nothing adventurous. I guess the positives aside from watching some really awesome games was seeing Mt. Fuji, riding the shinkansen a million times... and not much else. Visiting Japan I guess counts for something.
As far as where in Japan I went... here are the cities I slept in and visited: Tokyo, Yokohama, Sendai, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka, Oita, Niigata. I went to a game in Shizuoka but didn't stay the night there. I stayed the most in Nagoya even though there were no games there.
The happiest part of my trip was flying out of Osaka International. I remember feeling so happy that day, so excited to finally end that disaster of a trip. Like, I felt so happy then that thinking about getting on a train bound for the airport conjures up happy feelings inside of me right now.
I think at some point in the future I need to go back to Japan, if nothing else to exorcise those demons. If I go back, it won't be by myself though. And I will get some awesome runs in.
Five Question Friday
Here's the latest edition of Five Question Friday. Interesting questions... here we go...
1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?
I thought about this for a while but I think I'd have to say skydiving. Now, I'm not sure if it's about lacking courage necessarily, more like lacking funds. But I've always wanted to skydive. I've always wanted to know what it felt like with nothing supporting you, with no ground or chair or bed or water or anything around you. So short of going into space, skydiving is the closest thing to that.
There's actually a really good and reputable skydive place nearby, Perris Valley Skydive. So if I ever do save up the funds (at least $189) and muster up the courage as it were, I wouldn't have to go very far.
2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?
Wow, that wouldn't last very long... My first inclination would be to say running shoes. I could always go for a new pair of running shoes. I might go with music though, and just hit up iTunes. Or maybe I'd go on Amazon and see what cool stuff I could get there for cheap.
I'm guessing music though. I'd get me some awesome tunes. If I were to buy some stuff right now, I'd get the new Stone Temple Pilots CD (who would have thought they'd ever make a new CD?), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's latest (I just got into this group recently and they rock), and I'd probably buy the girls a new kid's CD, by The Jimmies. That'd be a good start.
3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?
I'd have to say the swing. I hated the monkey bars. I could never ever get across all of them and wondered how some kids did that so effortlessly. I liked playing... what's that game on the ball wall?... handball or whatever... but that's not exactly a standard piece of equipment. Tetherball was for girls and basketball was for when I got older, so I'd have to say the swing.
Oh yeah, one quick swing-related story. I think I was about six years old maybe, but I was swinging and I must not have been paying attention or something but I fell. Hard. Landed right on my back and got the wind knocked out of me. That was the first time I'd ever gotten the wind knocked out of me. It was a scary feeling. I was gasping and nothing was going in. I felt totally helpless and wondering what the eff was going on. I remember going up to the office and sitting there but not sure what help the gave me. I was probably crying... (I'm shaking my head in disgust)
4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?
I love muffins, but I would probably prefer hearty over sweet. Muffins would probably be an exception but they don't exactly fill you up. Don't get me wrong, I love pancakes and syrup as much as the next guy but give me a plate of warm breakfast scramble with potatoes, peppers, onions, cheese, some bacon, hot sauce, maybe a sausage with some coffee and a toast and I'm beyond happy.
You'll notice I didn't say egg. I'm probably the only person around who orders scrambles like that WITHOUT the eggs.
5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?
Isn't Bessy a girls name? Hmmm... I guess I can't say that I'm either.
I wish I could say I was a neat freak :(
I am freakish about some things, like... uh... um... okay, maybe not. I'm a scatterbrain sometimes and I'm a horrible organizer most of the time.
Is it really already almost June???
Word Association
Play here, as always...
1. Cream :: Cheese
2. Be with you :: Night and day
3. Pancakes :: Syrup
4. Believe :: In me
5. 45 :: Colt
6. Eat :: More
7. Background :: Desktop
8. Pane :: Window
9. Aim :: High
10. Collapse :: Fall
I laughed at number three. I did this after I filled out the Five Question Friday underneath, so once you read that you'll know why. And I'm not a cream cheese fan. I order bagels often at places like Borders or Panera Bread, and always I say "No, thanks" when I'm asked if I'd like that with cream cheese. I put butter, sprinkle some equal or sweet n low and a dash of cinnamon if it's available and eat it that way. Hmmm... that makes it kinda sweet, which actually contradicts one of my answers from below, kinda sorta... strange.
Eight Years Ago Yesterday
On May 27, 2002, I boarded a Japan Airlines flight in Los Angeles and landed a day later at Narita Airport in Japan. I went as a writer to cover the World Cup. I thought it would be exciting, an adventure to top all adventures. I mean, that's the pinnacle of the sport, the pinnacle of sports writing, so what more could you ask for?
It. Was. Horrible.
Wait, that didn't do it justice...
It. Was. Horrible.
Now, the games were fantastic. I remember those games clearly, very vividly, and not just the games but getting to the games, sitting in the media center before games (the whole lots-of-Europeans-don't-wear-deoderant stereotype is true, I found out the hard way)... things like that, but everything else was abysmal. I went alone, which was my first problem. I felt so stinking alone, ironic considering the mass amounts of humanity there are in Japan. If you've ever seen the movie Lost In Translation, that captures my feelings exactly.
I stayed there for 27 horrible days, my only saving grace the actual games.
I was well over 300 pounds so I did no running - now, I'd run like crazy over there - I did no sightseeing save for a trip to some museums in Hiroshima, did nothing adventurous. I guess the positives aside from watching some really awesome games was seeing Mt. Fuji, riding the shinkansen a million times... and not much else. Visiting Japan I guess counts for something.
As far as where in Japan I went... here are the cities I slept in and visited: Tokyo, Yokohama, Sendai, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka, Oita, Niigata. I went to a game in Shizuoka but didn't stay the night there. I stayed the most in Nagoya even though there were no games there.
The happiest part of my trip was flying out of Osaka International. I remember feeling so happy that day, so excited to finally end that disaster of a trip. Like, I felt so happy then that thinking about getting on a train bound for the airport conjures up happy feelings inside of me right now.
I think at some point in the future I need to go back to Japan, if nothing else to exorcise those demons. If I go back, it won't be by myself though. And I will get some awesome runs in.
Five Question Friday
Here's the latest edition of Five Question Friday. Interesting questions... here we go...
1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?
I thought about this for a while but I think I'd have to say skydiving. Now, I'm not sure if it's about lacking courage necessarily, more like lacking funds. But I've always wanted to skydive. I've always wanted to know what it felt like with nothing supporting you, with no ground or chair or bed or water or anything around you. So short of going into space, skydiving is the closest thing to that.
There's actually a really good and reputable skydive place nearby, Perris Valley Skydive. So if I ever do save up the funds (at least $189) and muster up the courage as it were, I wouldn't have to go very far.
2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?
Wow, that wouldn't last very long... My first inclination would be to say running shoes. I could always go for a new pair of running shoes. I might go with music though, and just hit up iTunes. Or maybe I'd go on Amazon and see what cool stuff I could get there for cheap.
I'm guessing music though. I'd get me some awesome tunes. If I were to buy some stuff right now, I'd get the new Stone Temple Pilots CD (who would have thought they'd ever make a new CD?), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's latest (I just got into this group recently and they rock), and I'd probably buy the girls a new kid's CD, by The Jimmies. That'd be a good start.
3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?
I'd have to say the swing. I hated the monkey bars. I could never ever get across all of them and wondered how some kids did that so effortlessly. I liked playing... what's that game on the ball wall?... handball or whatever... but that's not exactly a standard piece of equipment. Tetherball was for girls and basketball was for when I got older, so I'd have to say the swing.
Oh yeah, one quick swing-related story. I think I was about six years old maybe, but I was swinging and I must not have been paying attention or something but I fell. Hard. Landed right on my back and got the wind knocked out of me. That was the first time I'd ever gotten the wind knocked out of me. It was a scary feeling. I was gasping and nothing was going in. I felt totally helpless and wondering what the eff was going on. I remember going up to the office and sitting there but not sure what help the gave me. I was probably crying... (I'm shaking my head in disgust)
4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?
I love muffins, but I would probably prefer hearty over sweet. Muffins would probably be an exception but they don't exactly fill you up. Don't get me wrong, I love pancakes and syrup as much as the next guy but give me a plate of warm breakfast scramble with potatoes, peppers, onions, cheese, some bacon, hot sauce, maybe a sausage with some coffee and a toast and I'm beyond happy.
You'll notice I didn't say egg. I'm probably the only person around who orders scrambles like that WITHOUT the eggs.
5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?
Isn't Bessy a girls name? Hmmm... I guess I can't say that I'm either.
I wish I could say I was a neat freak :(
I am freakish about some things, like... uh... um... okay, maybe not. I'm a scatterbrain sometimes and I'm a horrible organizer most of the time.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Opening Up
Missed on the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, did ya? Well, the race has opened up spots for more runners. On Sunday June 6 and Saturday June 12, the race has now opened registration. But there are only 500 spots available, and who knows how many of those are gone.
Register for Sunday June 6 here.
Register for Saturday June 12 here.
As for me...
I. Can't. Wait.
Register for Sunday June 6 here.
Register for Saturday June 12 here.
As for me...
I. Can't. Wait.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Comparing The Mud
Not all Mud Runs are created equal.
I figured that would ring true no matter what Mud Runs were in question. My only Mud Run experience until Saturday was, of course, the Camp Pendleton Mud Run.
Now, I'm a veteran of another Mud Run, the SBSD Mud Run.
I want to preface this entire post by saying that I did enjoy myself at the Mud Run on Saturday and I will consider running it again. It may not sound like it at times but just wanted to get that out there.
Having said that, there were notable differences between Camp Pendleton and SBSD, and initially I had a hard time stopping myself from comparing the two. I didn't want to keep thinking "Well, at Camp Pendleton it's this way" and cause myself to thumb my nose at something. Just didn't want to do that. I wanted to experience this race for what this race had to offer, not how it compared to Camp Pendleton.
I am so fond of Camp Pendleton that I can honestly say that hardly anything compares to that. It's an experience that is hard to match.
But the SBSD Mud Run wasn't some cheapie race either. It was challenging and I felt tired afterward, and sore throughout the rest of the day and into Sunday and Monday too.
So how did the races compare?
Running The Race
There is more running at Camp Pendleton. This of course is not a surprise as that's a 10K and SBSD is a 5K. However, at last year's race they either offered a 10K or it was a 10K, and the 10K course was the same course twice. That would not have been fun. I hope if they do bring back the 10K, perhaps for the fall running of this, that they'll have it as one continuous course instead of the same course twice. In general, I'm not a fan of such races though I understand for logistical reasons it might be easier to do it that way.
Camp Pendleton is one continuous course, a 10K loop. You start where you finish. Now, Camp Pendleton is also more running. The first half of Camp Pendleton is almost all running, and a lot of it is hilly. It's a challenge just to get to where the obstacles start. SBSD had some portions of it that were running but there were also a lot of obstacles that impeded you from running too far. Now, I realize this might be a bonus for some, not having to run a few straight miles so take it for what you will.
Obstacles Aplenty
Neither race had any obstacles that were easy. There was nothing easy about SBSD, and there sure as crap ain't nothing easy about Camp Pendleton. They differed, though. There was a greater variety of challenges at Camp Pendleton. There are two walls, each six feet high, that you have to scale - one of which claimed my watch last year - and there's also a river you have to cross at Camp Pendleton, an actual river with water that reached to my chest. SBSD had the mud pits and the mounds of dirt on either side, and that was actually challenging to get out of because it was so damned slippery. At one point, I got near the top of one mound and slid straight backward and would have slid all the way back down to the water had someone not stopped me. That was fun.
In both races I had lots of mud and stones in my shoes, but I probably had more of them in SBSD. And since I was in more mud during SBSD, that's natural. The obstacles in SBSD were more spread out, and muddier. I got more muddy at SBSD than I did at Camp Pendleton.
Logistics
Each race was sorta in the middle of nowhere. Camp Pendleton is about a 10-15 minute drive into Camp Pendleton. While there's a checkpoint in front to get back there, you still have to stop and show your license and proof of insurance... I think, if I remember correctly. SBSD was fairly simple to get into. It was on the grounds of the San Bernardino Sheriff's training academy... next to a women's correctional facility :) There was plenty of parking, but SBSD was easier to get to the start line from your car. At Camp Pendleton you either have to take a bus from the lot to the start line (which really isn't a big deal) or walk about a mile.
Bib Pick-up
SBSD was fairly easy to get to. I picked up the bib the day before, shot right in and out without too much hassle. But Camp Pendleton mails you your bib. You cannot beat that.
Post-Race
The hose station was pretty cramped at SBSD, and a water truck nearby had to turn on its water and just let it all spew out so we could get some reprieve. But at Camp Pendleton there are outdoor showers, I'm guessing where they make the marines clean up on a normal day. So it's better to be herded in to some outdoor showers with several thousand people I don't now versus having to wait for a garden hose.
Consensus
There are thints to like and to dislike. Putting SBSD in front of Camp Pendleton would be tough, but I suspect any race would fall into that category. Camp Pendleton for me is tops, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I figured that would ring true no matter what Mud Runs were in question. My only Mud Run experience until Saturday was, of course, the Camp Pendleton Mud Run.
Now, I'm a veteran of another Mud Run, the SBSD Mud Run.
I want to preface this entire post by saying that I did enjoy myself at the Mud Run on Saturday and I will consider running it again. It may not sound like it at times but just wanted to get that out there.
Having said that, there were notable differences between Camp Pendleton and SBSD, and initially I had a hard time stopping myself from comparing the two. I didn't want to keep thinking "Well, at Camp Pendleton it's this way" and cause myself to thumb my nose at something. Just didn't want to do that. I wanted to experience this race for what this race had to offer, not how it compared to Camp Pendleton.
I am so fond of Camp Pendleton that I can honestly say that hardly anything compares to that. It's an experience that is hard to match.
But the SBSD Mud Run wasn't some cheapie race either. It was challenging and I felt tired afterward, and sore throughout the rest of the day and into Sunday and Monday too.
So how did the races compare?
Running The Race
There is more running at Camp Pendleton. This of course is not a surprise as that's a 10K and SBSD is a 5K. However, at last year's race they either offered a 10K or it was a 10K, and the 10K course was the same course twice. That would not have been fun. I hope if they do bring back the 10K, perhaps for the fall running of this, that they'll have it as one continuous course instead of the same course twice. In general, I'm not a fan of such races though I understand for logistical reasons it might be easier to do it that way.
Camp Pendleton is one continuous course, a 10K loop. You start where you finish. Now, Camp Pendleton is also more running. The first half of Camp Pendleton is almost all running, and a lot of it is hilly. It's a challenge just to get to where the obstacles start. SBSD had some portions of it that were running but there were also a lot of obstacles that impeded you from running too far. Now, I realize this might be a bonus for some, not having to run a few straight miles so take it for what you will.
Obstacles Aplenty
Neither race had any obstacles that were easy. There was nothing easy about SBSD, and there sure as crap ain't nothing easy about Camp Pendleton. They differed, though. There was a greater variety of challenges at Camp Pendleton. There are two walls, each six feet high, that you have to scale - one of which claimed my watch last year - and there's also a river you have to cross at Camp Pendleton, an actual river with water that reached to my chest. SBSD had the mud pits and the mounds of dirt on either side, and that was actually challenging to get out of because it was so damned slippery. At one point, I got near the top of one mound and slid straight backward and would have slid all the way back down to the water had someone not stopped me. That was fun.
In both races I had lots of mud and stones in my shoes, but I probably had more of them in SBSD. And since I was in more mud during SBSD, that's natural. The obstacles in SBSD were more spread out, and muddier. I got more muddy at SBSD than I did at Camp Pendleton.
Logistics
Each race was sorta in the middle of nowhere. Camp Pendleton is about a 10-15 minute drive into Camp Pendleton. While there's a checkpoint in front to get back there, you still have to stop and show your license and proof of insurance... I think, if I remember correctly. SBSD was fairly simple to get into. It was on the grounds of the San Bernardino Sheriff's training academy... next to a women's correctional facility :) There was plenty of parking, but SBSD was easier to get to the start line from your car. At Camp Pendleton you either have to take a bus from the lot to the start line (which really isn't a big deal) or walk about a mile.
Bib Pick-up
SBSD was fairly easy to get to. I picked up the bib the day before, shot right in and out without too much hassle. But Camp Pendleton mails you your bib. You cannot beat that.
Post-Race
The hose station was pretty cramped at SBSD, and a water truck nearby had to turn on its water and just let it all spew out so we could get some reprieve. But at Camp Pendleton there are outdoor showers, I'm guessing where they make the marines clean up on a normal day. So it's better to be herded in to some outdoor showers with several thousand people I don't now versus having to wait for a garden hose.
Consensus
There are thints to like and to dislike. Putting SBSD in front of Camp Pendleton would be tough, but I suspect any race would fall into that category. Camp Pendleton for me is tops, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
After The Mud
Some thoughts about the SMSD Mud Run and some things that didn't make the race report.
* I heard some things about how this race wasn't that organized last year. I didn't think that there was much, if any, sort of organizational issues this year so it seems they took care of them. The race started on time - at least I think so, since I didn't have a watch, I couldn't quite tell for sure. There were sheriff's deputies and volunteers throughout the course, plenty of water and fruit and mini-Clif bars and other such items available once we crossed the finish line. About my only complaint was enough water stations for runners to hose off at, but even still they did have plenty of hoses and even a water truck just spewing water constantly. There were just a lot of runners.
* The Youth race was awesome. I would highly recommend that for anyone who wanted to have their children under 13 years of age run a Mud Run. It was a good distance, a good mix of running and obstacles and a challenge. It was just as much a challenge for young children like my own as it was for children 10-13.
* Things we learned about attire, Part 1: tight shorts are better than loose shorts. Kennedy wore tight shorts and they were fine; well, they weren't exactly choking her but they fit well, nice and snug. Yvie wore loose shorts and they slipped a lot. They kept falling down towards the end, to the point where I briefly considered having Yvie just walk in her undies (she was covered in mud, so it would have looked like a swimsuit). I think next time just having them wear a one-piece swimsuit underneath would be good so they can walk around in it afterward. It was funny because whenever her shorts slipped Yvie said "Oh. dang it!"
* Things we learned about attire, Part 2: we were prepared to part with the clothing the girls wore but the stains came out for the most part. Yvie's shirt was already stained so no loss there. The socks are a disaster but that's the thing about mud runs - socks will get dirty dirty dirty and the stuff won't come out in the wash very well. Mrs. LB also washed the shoes and they seem to be okay.
* Things we learned about attire, Part 3: I'm not joking... if I run this race again, I will consider running it barefoot. My shoes sucked, a lot. There was not as much running in this as Camp Pendleton, as there plenty of mud pits and obstacles, and my shoes were loaded with mud and stones. I think I could have saved myself some heartache by just having ran barefoot. I mean, I saw people halfway through the race carrying their shoes.
* I was sore and tired after the race. My arms were and my legs were sore because I was working muscles that I normally don't work since I don't cross train. Just a quick aside.. what the heck is wrong with me, not cross training? Argh. I get so mad at myself... Anyway, it was a 5K with not a ton of running but I felt it. I still went and ran 15 miles on Sunday, but luckily I ran with some Lopers who took it nice and slow. I needed a nice and slow run.
* I got mud in my hair, on my goatee, in my ears, in my mouth, underneath my fingernails and toenails and some other, uh, interesting places. I also scraped up my knees and elbows. Good stuff.
* What's next? The Camp Pendleton Mud Run, on June 5. I am so excited for that one! Look out for my post on Wednesday for the comparisons between the two Mud Runs. Also, I'm still training for the San Francisco Marathon, and I will have a lot of long runs the next couple of months. I have 20 slated for the weekend after the Mud Run, for instance.
* SBSD Mud Run redux? Will I run this race again? I think I will, yeah. I'd like for the girls to run the Youth 1K again, and they've said they'd be up for running it again. We'll see what happens but for now, that's what they have in mind.
* I heard some things about how this race wasn't that organized last year. I didn't think that there was much, if any, sort of organizational issues this year so it seems they took care of them. The race started on time - at least I think so, since I didn't have a watch, I couldn't quite tell for sure. There were sheriff's deputies and volunteers throughout the course, plenty of water and fruit and mini-Clif bars and other such items available once we crossed the finish line. About my only complaint was enough water stations for runners to hose off at, but even still they did have plenty of hoses and even a water truck just spewing water constantly. There were just a lot of runners.
* The Youth race was awesome. I would highly recommend that for anyone who wanted to have their children under 13 years of age run a Mud Run. It was a good distance, a good mix of running and obstacles and a challenge. It was just as much a challenge for young children like my own as it was for children 10-13.
* Things we learned about attire, Part 1: tight shorts are better than loose shorts. Kennedy wore tight shorts and they were fine; well, they weren't exactly choking her but they fit well, nice and snug. Yvie wore loose shorts and they slipped a lot. They kept falling down towards the end, to the point where I briefly considered having Yvie just walk in her undies (she was covered in mud, so it would have looked like a swimsuit). I think next time just having them wear a one-piece swimsuit underneath would be good so they can walk around in it afterward. It was funny because whenever her shorts slipped Yvie said "Oh. dang it!"
* Things we learned about attire, Part 2: we were prepared to part with the clothing the girls wore but the stains came out for the most part. Yvie's shirt was already stained so no loss there. The socks are a disaster but that's the thing about mud runs - socks will get dirty dirty dirty and the stuff won't come out in the wash very well. Mrs. LB also washed the shoes and they seem to be okay.
* Things we learned about attire, Part 3: I'm not joking... if I run this race again, I will consider running it barefoot. My shoes sucked, a lot. There was not as much running in this as Camp Pendleton, as there plenty of mud pits and obstacles, and my shoes were loaded with mud and stones. I think I could have saved myself some heartache by just having ran barefoot. I mean, I saw people halfway through the race carrying their shoes.
* I was sore and tired after the race. My arms were and my legs were sore because I was working muscles that I normally don't work since I don't cross train. Just a quick aside.. what the heck is wrong with me, not cross training? Argh. I get so mad at myself... Anyway, it was a 5K with not a ton of running but I felt it. I still went and ran 15 miles on Sunday, but luckily I ran with some Lopers who took it nice and slow. I needed a nice and slow run.
* I got mud in my hair, on my goatee, in my ears, in my mouth, underneath my fingernails and toenails and some other, uh, interesting places. I also scraped up my knees and elbows. Good stuff.
* What's next? The Camp Pendleton Mud Run, on June 5. I am so excited for that one! Look out for my post on Wednesday for the comparisons between the two Mud Runs. Also, I'm still training for the San Francisco Marathon, and I will have a lot of long runs the next couple of months. I have 20 slated for the weekend after the Mud Run, for instance.
* SBSD Mud Run redux? Will I run this race again? I think I will, yeah. I'd like for the girls to run the Youth 1K again, and they've said they'd be up for running it again. We'll see what happens but for now, that's what they have in mind.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Motivational Mondays (May 24)
When I started my weight loss journey four years ago, I had many reasons to doubt myself and many opportunities to quit. I'd tried and failed to lose weight before, many times, so what was another failed venture?
That time, though, was different. I had a few reasons to continue along that path, to try and shed the weight that had plagued me for the longest time.
First, my wife. Her support is unbelievable and ever-present. I would be nothing without her.
Also, my daughters, who were 2 and four months when I signed up with the trainer back in March 2006.
It's one thing for me to try and look good and live a healthy lifestyle for my wife's sake. I mean, yeah, I want her to have a decent-looking fellow on her arm when we go out. But we love and support each other and always have. And we change and grow together and are always there for each other, as you'd expect in any strong marriage.
But my daughters... they reached me in places I didn't realize I had.
I like to think that everything I do is for my daughters. This is one of those things, weight loss. Everything I lost was for their sake. Every workout and exercise I did was so that they wouldn't have an overweight dad take them to and pick them up from school. I know I've blogged about it before, but I want to say it again: I did not want to be the fat dad. I was for a while, even though I wasn't taking my girls to school or anything, but I was an overweight dad for a few years.
I was already on the way towards losing my weight when these pictures were taken about three weeks apart from each other. I'd dropped about 40 pounds by this point but I still had quite a few pounds to shed.
I persevered and came out better because of it. Saturday was just a reminder of that.
I hadn't realized it until way later, but the SBSD Youth 1K Mud Run was the first-ever race we ran together. I mean, I knew we were running together of course, but I was so focused on Kennedy that I didn't realize the implications of the whole scene.
Last year during the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, there was a guy with a white t-shirt, and two teenage girls on either side. On the back of the guy's t-shirt read DAUGHTER and an arrow pointing to the right and left. The girl to his left had DAD written on the back of her shirt with an arrow pointing to the right, and the girl on the opposite side had a similar back to her shirt. I wondered when I'd have the chance to do something similar.
And not even one year later, I had the chance.
Overweight LB would not have had that chance.
That time, though, was different. I had a few reasons to continue along that path, to try and shed the weight that had plagued me for the longest time.
First, my wife. Her support is unbelievable and ever-present. I would be nothing without her.
Also, my daughters, who were 2 and four months when I signed up with the trainer back in March 2006.
It's one thing for me to try and look good and live a healthy lifestyle for my wife's sake. I mean, yeah, I want her to have a decent-looking fellow on her arm when we go out. But we love and support each other and always have. And we change and grow together and are always there for each other, as you'd expect in any strong marriage.
But my daughters... they reached me in places I didn't realize I had.
I like to think that everything I do is for my daughters. This is one of those things, weight loss. Everything I lost was for their sake. Every workout and exercise I did was so that they wouldn't have an overweight dad take them to and pick them up from school. I know I've blogged about it before, but I want to say it again: I did not want to be the fat dad. I was for a while, even though I wasn't taking my girls to school or anything, but I was an overweight dad for a few years.
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| In Mexico with Kennedy, August '06 |
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| With Yvie and a famous Mexican athlete in August '06 |
I persevered and came out better because of it. Saturday was just a reminder of that.
I hadn't realized it until way later, but the SBSD Youth 1K Mud Run was the first-ever race we ran together. I mean, I knew we were running together of course, but I was so focused on Kennedy that I didn't realize the implications of the whole scene.
Last year during the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, there was a guy with a white t-shirt, and two teenage girls on either side. On the back of the guy's t-shirt read DAUGHTER and an arrow pointing to the right and left. The girl to his left had DAD written on the back of her shirt with an arrow pointing to the right, and the girl on the opposite side had a similar back to her shirt. I wondered when I'd have the chance to do something similar.
And not even one year later, I had the chance.
Overweight LB would not have had that chance.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Muddy Madness
I had no idea what to expect on Saturday. I knew I'd be running a Mud Run, I knew it was a 5K and I knew my girls would do the Youth 1K afterward, but that's about it. I did not know the course, did not know the obstacles, did not know much at all.
Mrs. LB and the girls probably knew even less of what to expect, but we all piled into our truck and drove up to the SBSD Mud Run nice and early.
It didn't take too long to get in and get parked, but by the time we got out, grabbed our stuff and started walking towards the start line, I had to go to the bathroom something awful. I bit the bullet and waited in line for quite a while. Since I didn't have my watch and I'd turned my phone off, I didn't know exactly how much time I was in line, but 20 minutes would be a fair estimate.
Once I finished, I said fare thee well to Mrs. LB and the girls and hoped the girls would be excited for their race, which was set to start in less than two hours from then. I met up with blog/Loper buddy Angie and we walked towards the start line. It was an overcast day, no sign of the sun, but that didn't affect the race. Fire trucks still hosed down the crowd with water.
Neither Angie nor I wanted to get wet quite yet, and while we didn't that would only have postponed the inevitable.
We were herded like cattle as we were well off the start line. Once the race started, we were off and running - briefly. I tried not to compare this Mud Run to the Camp Pendleton Mud Run but it was inevitable. I'm going to save those thoughts for an upcoming post so you'll have to wait for that. Anyway, we took off as fast as we could without expending too much energy. It was all dirt at this point, not much mud and no obstacles. It was still fairly crowded but thinned out after we'd run maybe about a mile, possibly less.
That's when the obstacles started. We had to get over a large dirt mound, then run down and into a large mud puddle, then back up another dirt mound, down and into more muddy water, up and over like that for quite a while. My shoes were instantly loaded with mud, and once we got out of that series of obstacles they felt like they weighed about 10 pounds each.
We came up on a giant hill, and someone at the bottom said it was a quarter-mile uphill. They weren't joking. I tried running up but quickly realized that I would probably burn myself out so I walked. Nobody else was running. We trudged up that hill and I kept thinking "This is what San Francisco will be like." Maybe not that extreme of course but I have it in my head that San Fran will be one gigantic hill.
Now, all the while we were running and going through the water, there loud explosions around us - fireworks, bombs, grenades... it sounded like we were in a war zone. And the race web site had even said to expect that, since it was supposed to simulate running through such conditions. Remember, the SD in the SBSD stands for Sheriff's Department. Just like the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which is on a military base, this wasn't just a stroll in the park.
We got through more of the muddy water obstacles, with mounds of dirt on either side, and I was weary. I just wanted different kinds of obstacles, but had no choice but to slog through. My shorts were caked with mud, my shoes had long been covered in mud and there were rumors of socks somewhere on my feet. Unfortunately, there was also a sensation of cuts, which I confirmed when I wiped my knee clean and saw spots of blood on my knee.
Finally, we came near the end... or so I thought. We were near the end, sure, but we had to navigate up, down, back up and then briefly down before we got to the finish. And throughout all of this was more muddy water. This time, though, there was a bonus. Some of this required crawling on your hands and knees. I got on my stomach, with my legs fully extended behind me, and used my elbows to drag me forward. I felt my elbows stinging and knew that I'd probably cut myself.
No matter. I trudged forward. The rocks in my shoes were more than just rocks. It felt like dirt was caked down in there. Finally, we came up the final obstacle, down the other side and saw the finish line. Angie was right behind me and we finished sometime around the 46-minute mark. I'd predicted finishing in the 30-something minute range but, as I said, there were more obstacles than I'd anticipated.
Normally, I would have peeled my clothes off and gotten hosed off but I did have another Mud Run to tend to. So I just got wet enough to get the really heavy mud off of me, took my shoes off to get the surprisingly large amounts of mud inside out of there and strapped everything back on to help the girls with their Youth 1K.
I wasn't sure of the course but realized that it was no small task. This was an actual kilometer of running. We would start and finish at the same spot as the 5K but the course cut off four of the kilometers. That meant all of the final obstacles, where I thought we were close to the finish line but weren't, we'd have to do again. I didn't enjoy them that much the first time around, but now had to go through them all over again. And with the girls no less.
Kennedy was not exactly enjoying the notion of having to run the race. Unlike Yvie, who seemed excited and focused (in karate class, they've been working on focusing) Kennedy was a ball of nerves. As we walked towards the start line, she started to cry. She cried off and on for about 10 minutes until the race started. Once we took off, she stopped crying. And started wailing.
I decided to let Yvie run alone if she wanted to, and she did. She took off as soon as the race began. I looked up at her, looked back to make sure Kennedy was with me, and looked back towards Yvie but she was gone. I did not see her. I scanned and scanned and scanned for her but I could not find her. There were quite a few children and quite a few parents/adults doing the race, so it was easy for me to have lost her. It was an odd feeling. I knew those obstacles were no joke, no watered down version of the real deal. They were the real deal, and I wondered what Yvie would do once she encountered them.
Kennedy was a mess. I tried holding her hand but it didn't matter. I tried telling her that she was brave, that there were some 4- and 5-year-old boyos who would be too scared to run, that this was something only big kids do, that she was tough... but none of that mattered. She cried and cried. I told her "When we finish we can get to mommy" and she said "I want to go with mommy NOW!" so I stopped saying that. Instead, I ran a little ahead of her and told her that she better not fall behind. That seemed to work as she ran and kept up.
I'd had one eye looking out for Yvie but still nothing. We came up to the first muddy part, which by this point was a quagmire to end all quagmires. It was wide, deep and ridiculously muddy. My feet were swallowed up the by the mud and my knees were nearly touching it. I tried to get Kennedy in but she wailed louder. Finally I just picked her up and put her down in part of the mud. She seemed okay with it though, not freaking out like I'd thought she might. She wasn't exactly liking the upcoming mud obstacles - she was still crying - but she was going through them. At first, I held her hand but it was easier for her to do them on her own, so I went first and she followed.
I felt like I'd pushed her too hard, too fast, that perhaps she wasn't quite ready for this. Yvie was either going through the obstacles fine or struggling mightily, and I wasn't there to help her, so I wasn't feeling that great about myself.
We came up to a difficult part of the race. There were really steep dirt/mud hills and on top was a cement barrier, the kind you'd see on the shoulder of a freeway. I wasn't sure if Kennedy would be able to go over them with help but I helped her up and she was able to go over just fine. I still had not found Yvie and I worried how she was doing. On the side, though, there was enough space to walk around them but still I wasn't sure if Yvie had seen that.
On the next incline, though, I spotted Yvie. She was lifting herself over one of those barriers and I smiled excitedly. She was composed and deteremined, and judging by her muddy stains I could tell she'd been going right through all the muddy obstacles. This seemed to lift Kennedy's spirits too. We were together again and I was happy. Then we saw Mrs. LB and we were all happy to see her.
This next stretch was where I had to crawl during the first go-round, but I realized that the girls and most of the other children didn't have to, since they had more room.
Once we got to this part, Kennedy was fine. She even cracked a smile or two. At this part she got ahead of me and I joked with her "Don't beat me!" She apparently remembered this, because on the other side of our last dirt/mud mound was the finish line. She went down before Yvie and I did, and I told her that was the finish line. She smiled at me and took off running. She was quite happy with her "victory" afterward.
We were all drenched with mud at this point, and if their shoes were anything like mine, they were not having a comfortable walk. In fact, I took my shoes off and walked barefoot to the hosing-off station.
While it was a long walk for the exhausted runners, there were no tears at this point, only feelings of a job well done.
Mrs. LB and the girls probably knew even less of what to expect, but we all piled into our truck and drove up to the SBSD Mud Run nice and early.
It didn't take too long to get in and get parked, but by the time we got out, grabbed our stuff and started walking towards the start line, I had to go to the bathroom something awful. I bit the bullet and waited in line for quite a while. Since I didn't have my watch and I'd turned my phone off, I didn't know exactly how much time I was in line, but 20 minutes would be a fair estimate.
Once I finished, I said fare thee well to Mrs. LB and the girls and hoped the girls would be excited for their race, which was set to start in less than two hours from then. I met up with blog/Loper buddy Angie and we walked towards the start line. It was an overcast day, no sign of the sun, but that didn't affect the race. Fire trucks still hosed down the crowd with water.
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| Luckily, Angie and I were just out of the water's reach. |
We were herded like cattle as we were well off the start line. Once the race started, we were off and running - briefly. I tried not to compare this Mud Run to the Camp Pendleton Mud Run but it was inevitable. I'm going to save those thoughts for an upcoming post so you'll have to wait for that. Anyway, we took off as fast as we could without expending too much energy. It was all dirt at this point, not much mud and no obstacles. It was still fairly crowded but thinned out after we'd run maybe about a mile, possibly less.
That's when the obstacles started. We had to get over a large dirt mound, then run down and into a large mud puddle, then back up another dirt mound, down and into more muddy water, up and over like that for quite a while. My shoes were instantly loaded with mud, and once we got out of that series of obstacles they felt like they weighed about 10 pounds each.
We came up on a giant hill, and someone at the bottom said it was a quarter-mile uphill. They weren't joking. I tried running up but quickly realized that I would probably burn myself out so I walked. Nobody else was running. We trudged up that hill and I kept thinking "This is what San Francisco will be like." Maybe not that extreme of course but I have it in my head that San Fran will be one gigantic hill.
Now, all the while we were running and going through the water, there loud explosions around us - fireworks, bombs, grenades... it sounded like we were in a war zone. And the race web site had even said to expect that, since it was supposed to simulate running through such conditions. Remember, the SD in the SBSD stands for Sheriff's Department. Just like the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, which is on a military base, this wasn't just a stroll in the park.
We got through more of the muddy water obstacles, with mounds of dirt on either side, and I was weary. I just wanted different kinds of obstacles, but had no choice but to slog through. My shorts were caked with mud, my shoes had long been covered in mud and there were rumors of socks somewhere on my feet. Unfortunately, there was also a sensation of cuts, which I confirmed when I wiped my knee clean and saw spots of blood on my knee.
Finally, we came near the end... or so I thought. We were near the end, sure, but we had to navigate up, down, back up and then briefly down before we got to the finish. And throughout all of this was more muddy water. This time, though, there was a bonus. Some of this required crawling on your hands and knees. I got on my stomach, with my legs fully extended behind me, and used my elbows to drag me forward. I felt my elbows stinging and knew that I'd probably cut myself.
No matter. I trudged forward. The rocks in my shoes were more than just rocks. It felt like dirt was caked down in there. Finally, we came up the final obstacle, down the other side and saw the finish line. Angie was right behind me and we finished sometime around the 46-minute mark. I'd predicted finishing in the 30-something minute range but, as I said, there were more obstacles than I'd anticipated.
Normally, I would have peeled my clothes off and gotten hosed off but I did have another Mud Run to tend to. So I just got wet enough to get the really heavy mud off of me, took my shoes off to get the surprisingly large amounts of mud inside out of there and strapped everything back on to help the girls with their Youth 1K.
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| The calm before the girls' storm |
I wasn't sure of the course but realized that it was no small task. This was an actual kilometer of running. We would start and finish at the same spot as the 5K but the course cut off four of the kilometers. That meant all of the final obstacles, where I thought we were close to the finish line but weren't, we'd have to do again. I didn't enjoy them that much the first time around, but now had to go through them all over again. And with the girls no less.
Kennedy was not exactly enjoying the notion of having to run the race. Unlike Yvie, who seemed excited and focused (in karate class, they've been working on focusing) Kennedy was a ball of nerves. As we walked towards the start line, she started to cry. She cried off and on for about 10 minutes until the race started. Once we took off, she stopped crying. And started wailing.
I decided to let Yvie run alone if she wanted to, and she did. She took off as soon as the race began. I looked up at her, looked back to make sure Kennedy was with me, and looked back towards Yvie but she was gone. I did not see her. I scanned and scanned and scanned for her but I could not find her. There were quite a few children and quite a few parents/adults doing the race, so it was easy for me to have lost her. It was an odd feeling. I knew those obstacles were no joke, no watered down version of the real deal. They were the real deal, and I wondered what Yvie would do once she encountered them.
Kennedy was a mess. I tried holding her hand but it didn't matter. I tried telling her that she was brave, that there were some 4- and 5-year-old boyos who would be too scared to run, that this was something only big kids do, that she was tough... but none of that mattered. She cried and cried. I told her "When we finish we can get to mommy" and she said "I want to go with mommy NOW!" so I stopped saying that. Instead, I ran a little ahead of her and told her that she better not fall behind. That seemed to work as she ran and kept up.
I'd had one eye looking out for Yvie but still nothing. We came up to the first muddy part, which by this point was a quagmire to end all quagmires. It was wide, deep and ridiculously muddy. My feet were swallowed up the by the mud and my knees were nearly touching it. I tried to get Kennedy in but she wailed louder. Finally I just picked her up and put her down in part of the mud. She seemed okay with it though, not freaking out like I'd thought she might. She wasn't exactly liking the upcoming mud obstacles - she was still crying - but she was going through them. At first, I held her hand but it was easier for her to do them on her own, so I went first and she followed.
I felt like I'd pushed her too hard, too fast, that perhaps she wasn't quite ready for this. Yvie was either going through the obstacles fine or struggling mightily, and I wasn't there to help her, so I wasn't feeling that great about myself.
We came up to a difficult part of the race. There were really steep dirt/mud hills and on top was a cement barrier, the kind you'd see on the shoulder of a freeway. I wasn't sure if Kennedy would be able to go over them with help but I helped her up and she was able to go over just fine. I still had not found Yvie and I worried how she was doing. On the side, though, there was enough space to walk around them but still I wasn't sure if Yvie had seen that.
On the next incline, though, I spotted Yvie. She was lifting herself over one of those barriers and I smiled excitedly. She was composed and deteremined, and judging by her muddy stains I could tell she'd been going right through all the muddy obstacles. This seemed to lift Kennedy's spirits too. We were together again and I was happy. Then we saw Mrs. LB and we were all happy to see her.
This next stretch was where I had to crawl during the first go-round, but I realized that the girls and most of the other children didn't have to, since they had more room.
Once we got to this part, Kennedy was fine. She even cracked a smile or two. At this part she got ahead of me and I joked with her "Don't beat me!" She apparently remembered this, because on the other side of our last dirt/mud mound was the finish line. She went down before Yvie and I did, and I told her that was the finish line. She smiled at me and took off running. She was quite happy with her "victory" afterward.
We were all drenched with mud at this point, and if their shoes were anything like mine, they were not having a comfortable walk. In fact, I took my shoes off and walked barefoot to the hosing-off station.
While it was a long walk for the exhausted runners, there were no tears at this point, only feelings of a job well done.
Mud Run's Done
I don't have a full race report for you and may not have one for a while, but I did want to let you know one thing.
Mud Run is DONE.
Angie and I ran the SBSD Mud Run and finished right around the 45-minute mark.
The course was more mud than run, more muddy mud pits and big quicksand-like quagmires to plod through than actual running.
After a brief moment to collect myself and get the mud and pebbles out of my shoes, it was time for the girls to start their race.
Yvie was more adventurous about the entire race than Kennedy. I stayed with Kennedy and lost track of Yvie right from the start, but caught up to her a little more than halfway through. Kennedy cried for a lot of the race, but she stuck with it and was proud of herself once the race was over.
Mud Run is DONE.
Angie and I ran the SBSD Mud Run and finished right around the 45-minute mark.
After a brief moment to collect myself and get the mud and pebbles out of my shoes, it was time for the girls to start their race.
Yvie was more adventurous about the entire race than Kennedy. I stayed with Kennedy and lost track of Yvie right from the start, but caught up to her a little more than halfway through. Kennedy cried for a lot of the race, but she stuck with it and was proud of herself once the race was over.
I'll have plenty more later, but for now I need to rest.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Muddy Madness, Pre-Race
What have I gotten the girls into?
When I went to pick up the race bibs and goody bags for the SBSD Mud Run on Friday afternoon, this thought was prevalent in my mind. At first anyway.
I pulled off the freeway and swung a left onto a road headed out of civilization. The SBSD Mud Run is just north of San Bernardino, on the outskirts of the IE (Inland Empire). It's about a half-hour from Victorville, on the way to Las Vegas. Pretty much the edge of nowhere.
Desolate. Barren. Isolated.
Well, I should temper that with mostly.
SBSD stands for San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, and the race is on their training grounds.
First, though, I came across a rehabilitation center. Not sure what kind of rehabilitating they do, but I'm guessing it's not injuries or anything medical. Then I came upon a women's correctional facility, and just so I could get an idea that this was indeed the real deal, a group of orange-clad women were out in the yard, behind several chain-link fences, just a tad off the road.
Finally, I came up to where race central was - parking, the start line and the registration tables.
I parked and the first thing I heard were cracks. It sounded like gunshots. Actually, it didn't sound like gunshots. They were gunshots.
I heard some loud voice over a speaker blaring instructions and then a series of crack crack crack crack piercing the air.
I got our bibs and goody bags and t-shirts and started to head back to my truck. I was excited as we got consecutive numbers: Kennedy is 622, I'm 623 and Yvie is 624. Awesome.
But then I realized that I'd meant to check out the youth course. I asked around and was pointed to the course itself.
So what it looks like is the girls will have scale those mounds and then the cement barrier on top. There looks like four sets of mounds, which for the girls might be muddy hills. They can go around the barriers on top, I was told, so if they can't do that part, they'll still be okay.
Of course, it's not going to be this dry come race time. No way. There's going to be plenty of water and mud everywhere.
As for the main race, the start line is off in the distance.
Notice the "Gun Cleaning Room" and the silhouettes of the SWAT team?
If the course is anything as hard core as the location, this is going to be a helluva race.
What did I get the girls into? Well, that thought dissipated fairly quickly. They are going to have fun and they are going to take this challenge. The best part of this for them is that they will be able to say they ran their first Mud Run when they were six and four, respectively. How cool will it be for Kennedy to say that she ran her first Mud Run before she was even in kindergarten?
They might like ponies and unicorns and butterflies but my girls have a tough side to them. And they're going to show that on Saturday.
When I went to pick up the race bibs and goody bags for the SBSD Mud Run on Friday afternoon, this thought was prevalent in my mind. At first anyway.
I pulled off the freeway and swung a left onto a road headed out of civilization. The SBSD Mud Run is just north of San Bernardino, on the outskirts of the IE (Inland Empire). It's about a half-hour from Victorville, on the way to Las Vegas. Pretty much the edge of nowhere.
Desolate. Barren. Isolated.
Well, I should temper that with mostly.
SBSD stands for San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, and the race is on their training grounds.
First, though, I came across a rehabilitation center. Not sure what kind of rehabilitating they do, but I'm guessing it's not injuries or anything medical. Then I came upon a women's correctional facility, and just so I could get an idea that this was indeed the real deal, a group of orange-clad women were out in the yard, behind several chain-link fences, just a tad off the road.
Finally, I came up to where race central was - parking, the start line and the registration tables.
 |
| On Saturday, this area will be teeming with runners - and mud. |
 |
| On left: a shooting range; On right: bib pick-up and registration |
I got our bibs and goody bags and t-shirts and started to head back to my truck. I was excited as we got consecutive numbers: Kennedy is 622, I'm 623 and Yvie is 624. Awesome.
But then I realized that I'd meant to check out the youth course. I asked around and was pointed to the course itself.
Of course, it's not going to be this dry come race time. No way. There's going to be plenty of water and mud everywhere.
As for the main race, the start line is off in the distance.
Notice the "Gun Cleaning Room" and the silhouettes of the SWAT team?
If the course is anything as hard core as the location, this is going to be a helluva race.
What did I get the girls into? Well, that thought dissipated fairly quickly. They are going to have fun and they are going to take this challenge. The best part of this for them is that they will be able to say they ran their first Mud Run when they were six and four, respectively. How cool will it be for Kennedy to say that she ran her first Mud Run before she was even in kindergarten?
They might like ponies and unicorns and butterflies but my girls have a tough side to them. And they're going to show that on Saturday.
Friday Leftovers (May 21)
Friday's fun post... okay, maybe not so much fun, but here it is anyway.
Word Association
Play here.
1. Labor :: Day
2. Sweater :: Jacket
3. Five minutes :: Ten minutes
4. Treatment :: Cure
5. Eyebrows :: Eyelashes
6. Awake :: Asleep
7. Salmon :: Fish
8. Red :: Dead
9. Hospital :: Bed
10. Midwife :: Helper
'splainin' : There's a huge promotion going on for a video game called Red Dead Redemption. I have I believe the original, Red Dead Revolver, and that's an awesome game. I just never got to play it enough, or get to play it enough I suppose. And I got to one level that was tough and couldn't get past it so I kind of got frustrated with the game. Salmon... I don't like salmon. At all. Blech.
Mud Runs
I can't believe I have two Mud Runs in the next three Saturdays! Saturday's is a tune-up if you will to Camp Pendleton. It's a 5K and I'm not sure what that course is like or the conditions or anything. All I know is that it will be fun.
The girls are geared up for the race too. Our problem is just figuring out what shoes we want to sacrifice. We can't have Kennedy wear her brand-new white shoes that I bought for the other race, but I think she has a couple of other choices. Their father-in-law promised them he'd buy them some new shoes if they ran the race, so I guess we shouldn't worry too much, but still. My shoe choice? I'm wearing my old, old shoes. They still have some life in them and I don't want to accelerate the life-span of my other two shoes, my new ones (no way) or my other ones (which I still wear on the treadmill).
Anyway, I'm hoping to have pictures up and a report sometime on Saturday so stay tuned for that.
Friday Five
More of Five Question Friday just for kicks.
1. Do you have an iPhone and, if so, how do you get apps and what are your favorites?
I do not have iPhone. I have a BlackBerry Bold and I love it. I don't have apps in the sense that the iPhone has them, but my favorite features on my phone are the web browser (it looks just like the internet on my laptop or desktop), and the music. I have a lot of music on there and it always sounds good.
2. What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade?
This was a really tough one. I had to think and think because a lot of the first things that came up were not-so-fond memories. I barely remember kindergarten other than my teacher's name was Ms. Scott and she had really long, straight hair. This was 1980 I believe when I started school so it may have been a hairstyle popular with younger women then. I remember her being young. First grade was Mrs. Crowder and second Mrs. Peters. Actually, the second grade was a 2-3 combo and I hated that. Third grade was Mrs. Burrows and I suppose I did okay in all of those classes.
But a fond memory? I played t-ball and little league baseball when I was around that age, and stopped around that age too. Not sure why we stopped but I think my parents just couldn't afford it. But I really did love playing baseball on a team. I wasn't the best player, heck I kind of stunk, but I really had a lot of fun playing baseball. Oh, one fun thing... during a practice I ripped a shot into the gap and rounded first, rounded second and was on my way for a triple when I looked back to see where the ball was and BLAM!! the ball hit me in the eye. I had a nice-looking shiner there for a while, even had to take my team pictures with it.
3. What makes you cringe at the thought of touching?
Throw up. Sometimes our cat is nice and up-chucks for us because he knows how fond I am of that, and I seriously have gagged and nearly hurled myself just because I've thought about having to pick it up. Of course, being a parent, you kind of deal with that from your child, so I've cleaned up my share of those kinds of messes and I think it's just gotten to me. I could describe more in detail exactly what it is about that that makes me have that reaction, but I like you, dear reader, and I want you to think fondly of my blog, so I'll stop there.
4. If you could have any celebrity show up on your doorstep who would it be and why?
I'd have to say Shakira because, well, she's got a great voice, she seems to have a good personal... oh, who am I kidding? She's hot. I'd like to see her up close to see if she's as hot in person as she is on TV and in pictures.
5. What would you say is your best physical feature?
I like my legs. I've always thought that was my best feature but since I've been running, they've got muscles and stuff. They're nice and tan too.
**
Alright, that's all I got today. Have a good one!
Word Association
Play here.
1. Labor :: Day
2. Sweater :: Jacket
3. Five minutes :: Ten minutes
4. Treatment :: Cure
5. Eyebrows :: Eyelashes
6. Awake :: Asleep
7. Salmon :: Fish
8. Red :: Dead
9. Hospital :: Bed
10. Midwife :: Helper
'splainin' : There's a huge promotion going on for a video game called Red Dead Redemption. I have I believe the original, Red Dead Revolver, and that's an awesome game. I just never got to play it enough, or get to play it enough I suppose. And I got to one level that was tough and couldn't get past it so I kind of got frustrated with the game. Salmon... I don't like salmon. At all. Blech.
Mud Runs
I can't believe I have two Mud Runs in the next three Saturdays! Saturday's is a tune-up if you will to Camp Pendleton. It's a 5K and I'm not sure what that course is like or the conditions or anything. All I know is that it will be fun.
The girls are geared up for the race too. Our problem is just figuring out what shoes we want to sacrifice. We can't have Kennedy wear her brand-new white shoes that I bought for the other race, but I think she has a couple of other choices. Their father-in-law promised them he'd buy them some new shoes if they ran the race, so I guess we shouldn't worry too much, but still. My shoe choice? I'm wearing my old, old shoes. They still have some life in them and I don't want to accelerate the life-span of my other two shoes, my new ones (no way) or my other ones (which I still wear on the treadmill).
Anyway, I'm hoping to have pictures up and a report sometime on Saturday so stay tuned for that.
Friday Five
More of Five Question Friday just for kicks.
1. Do you have an iPhone and, if so, how do you get apps and what are your favorites?
I do not have iPhone. I have a BlackBerry Bold and I love it. I don't have apps in the sense that the iPhone has them, but my favorite features on my phone are the web browser (it looks just like the internet on my laptop or desktop), and the music. I have a lot of music on there and it always sounds good.
2. What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade?
This was a really tough one. I had to think and think because a lot of the first things that came up were not-so-fond memories. I barely remember kindergarten other than my teacher's name was Ms. Scott and she had really long, straight hair. This was 1980 I believe when I started school so it may have been a hairstyle popular with younger women then. I remember her being young. First grade was Mrs. Crowder and second Mrs. Peters. Actually, the second grade was a 2-3 combo and I hated that. Third grade was Mrs. Burrows and I suppose I did okay in all of those classes.
But a fond memory? I played t-ball and little league baseball when I was around that age, and stopped around that age too. Not sure why we stopped but I think my parents just couldn't afford it. But I really did love playing baseball on a team. I wasn't the best player, heck I kind of stunk, but I really had a lot of fun playing baseball. Oh, one fun thing... during a practice I ripped a shot into the gap and rounded first, rounded second and was on my way for a triple when I looked back to see where the ball was and BLAM!! the ball hit me in the eye. I had a nice-looking shiner there for a while, even had to take my team pictures with it.
3. What makes you cringe at the thought of touching?
Throw up. Sometimes our cat is nice and up-chucks for us because he knows how fond I am of that, and I seriously have gagged and nearly hurled myself just because I've thought about having to pick it up. Of course, being a parent, you kind of deal with that from your child, so I've cleaned up my share of those kinds of messes and I think it's just gotten to me. I could describe more in detail exactly what it is about that that makes me have that reaction, but I like you, dear reader, and I want you to think fondly of my blog, so I'll stop there.
4. If you could have any celebrity show up on your doorstep who would it be and why?
I'd have to say Shakira because, well, she's got a great voice, she seems to have a good personal... oh, who am I kidding? She's hot. I'd like to see her up close to see if she's as hot in person as she is on TV and in pictures.
5. What would you say is your best physical feature?
I like my legs. I've always thought that was my best feature but since I've been running, they've got muscles and stuff. They're nice and tan too.
**
Alright, that's all I got today. Have a good one!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Runnin' Up Mt. Rubidoux
I just got done with my Thursday ritual, my run up Mt. Rubidoux. It was a pretty challenging run, as always. I actually tried to take it easy up there today but couldn't. I actually felt like I needed a slower pace because I had a monster speedwork run on Wednesday but that course is always a challenge, and I always feel my blood flowing when I go there.
The worst part about the run was that next week will be my last week to run up there, at least how I do it now. The reason I'm able to run up there at all is because Kennedy has preschool, but her last day is next Thursday. After that, I'll probably be sticking to the gym for runs or dropping by my mom's house and, uh... "Oh gee, mom, you wouldn't mind it if I went on a run, would you? Awesome. Thanks."
I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back out there. Might have to plan for evening runs up there since Mrs. LB can stay with the girls once she gets home from work. Whatever the case, I feel running up there is an important part of my San Francisco Marathon training, so I'm not about to stop going there altogether.
I recently went up there with Kennedy. I'd gone to the gym first, ran about four miles or so, and then went straight there. Kennedy was game - she was actually excited about it - and we walked up there. She made it a good half-mile before she started to complain about being tired. Yeah, it's tiring.
Funny thing is we went the other way. See, there are two paved paths that lead all the way to the top. One is shorter but steeper. The other is not as steep but about twice as long. Since I figured Kennedy wouldn't last very long, I opted for the steeper path because it was shorter. I hardly ever run this way because I want to get in a longer run, but I should try and tackle the steep path more often.
Anyway, Kennedy did well to walk and push and walk some more. I did have to hold her and carry her a little but she was a trooper and got up there.
At the top of Mt. Rubidoux, there is a big American flag and a cross. There have been Easter sunrise services at Mt. Rubidoux for nearly a century, so it's a bit of a tradition around here.
What you see on the sign is what you see while staring out into the city, and a lot of the buildings are labeled on the sign. So you can see where such landmarks as the Mission Inn are while you're staring out at them, and other places such as the local junior college, the hospital, museums, etc.
Of course, most times I don't pay any attention to anything but the path in front of me. In fact, I had no idea that sign existed until I was up there with Kennedy.
I need to take the girls there and I'm going to try and do it regularly. The problem is that when Yvie gets out of school, it's too hot to go try and walk anywhere, and once the day gets going, it's just tough to peel away. But we're aiming for that, to walk up Mt. Rubidoux.
One day, we'll all be running up there together, provided I can keep up with them. For now, a nice walk will more than suffice.
The worst part about the run was that next week will be my last week to run up there, at least how I do it now. The reason I'm able to run up there at all is because Kennedy has preschool, but her last day is next Thursday. After that, I'll probably be sticking to the gym for runs or dropping by my mom's house and, uh... "Oh gee, mom, you wouldn't mind it if I went on a run, would you? Awesome. Thanks."
I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back out there. Might have to plan for evening runs up there since Mrs. LB can stay with the girls once she gets home from work. Whatever the case, I feel running up there is an important part of my San Francisco Marathon training, so I'm not about to stop going there altogether.
I recently went up there with Kennedy. I'd gone to the gym first, ran about four miles or so, and then went straight there. Kennedy was game - she was actually excited about it - and we walked up there. She made it a good half-mile before she started to complain about being tired. Yeah, it's tiring.
Funny thing is we went the other way. See, there are two paved paths that lead all the way to the top. One is shorter but steeper. The other is not as steep but about twice as long. Since I figured Kennedy wouldn't last very long, I opted for the steeper path because it was shorter. I hardly ever run this way because I want to get in a longer run, but I should try and tackle the steep path more often.
Anyway, Kennedy did well to walk and push and walk some more. I did have to hold her and carry her a little but she was a trooper and got up there.
At the top of Mt. Rubidoux, there is a big American flag and a cross. There have been Easter sunrise services at Mt. Rubidoux for nearly a century, so it's a bit of a tradition around here.
There is a great view of Riverside from the top, and what makes it cool is this sign.
What you see on the sign is what you see while staring out into the city, and a lot of the buildings are labeled on the sign. So you can see where such landmarks as the Mission Inn are while you're staring out at them, and other places such as the local junior college, the hospital, museums, etc.
Of course, most times I don't pay any attention to anything but the path in front of me. In fact, I had no idea that sign existed until I was up there with Kennedy.
I need to take the girls there and I'm going to try and do it regularly. The problem is that when Yvie gets out of school, it's too hot to go try and walk anywhere, and once the day gets going, it's just tough to peel away. But we're aiming for that, to walk up Mt. Rubidoux.
One day, we'll all be running up there together, provided I can keep up with them. For now, a nice walk will more than suffice.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Lopers And Marathoning
I'm not even at Marathon No. 2 yet and I'm already looking ahead to Nos. 3 and 4, and maybe 5.
Marathon No. 2 is the San Francisco Marathon, of course, which will go down on July 25.
I have not decided on Marathon No. 3 yet but I had considered the Las Vegas Marathon, on Dec. 5. I just kind of figured that once San Francsico came and went that I would want to run another marathon, and that one was good since it was at the end of the year and would give me plenty of time to prepare for, and since it's a popular marathon for Lopers I might have several others to run my long runs with.
Now, I've got more to consider.
The Lopers season will start on Aug. 1 and the Lopers will train for both the 2011 Surf City Marathon (and Half Marathon) and the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon. Surf City next year will be on Feb. 6 and I'm not sure if LA has set their date yet. This year, the two marathons were six weeks apart Feb. 7-March 21.
I'm wondering now about what I should do.
- Run Las Vegas, Surf City Half and LA Marathon
- Skip Las Vegas, run Surf City full and LA Marathon
- Run Las Vegas, Surf City full and LA Marathon
I've got this to chew on now.
What's most appealing about running both Surf City and LA is that it will be part of the training plan, so most Lopers will train for both. That means I experience everything with everyone. While I'd still probably have to run on my own (I have two half-marathons tentatively scheduled for the fall, plus Ragnar) I wouldn't have to run any 18- or 20-milers alone. Those would be on the Loper schedule, and I had some awesome 20- and 22-milers running with my Lopers.
Still, I don't want to pass by the chance to run Vegas. That just seems like a great way to cap the year, to run my third marathon and possibly my 12th race of the year in the process. And there are two full months between Las Vegas and Surf City, plenty of time to recover and prepare for another marathon.
I'm not going to make or force myself to make a decision soon. I want to mull this over and chew it up, but I also wanted to start that process now.
Marathon No. 2 is the San Francisco Marathon, of course, which will go down on July 25.
I have not decided on Marathon No. 3 yet but I had considered the Las Vegas Marathon, on Dec. 5. I just kind of figured that once San Francsico came and went that I would want to run another marathon, and that one was good since it was at the end of the year and would give me plenty of time to prepare for, and since it's a popular marathon for Lopers I might have several others to run my long runs with.
Now, I've got more to consider.
The Lopers season will start on Aug. 1 and the Lopers will train for both the 2011 Surf City Marathon (and Half Marathon) and the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon. Surf City next year will be on Feb. 6 and I'm not sure if LA has set their date yet. This year, the two marathons were six weeks apart Feb. 7-March 21.
I'm wondering now about what I should do.
- Run Las Vegas, Surf City Half and LA Marathon
- Skip Las Vegas, run Surf City full and LA Marathon
- Run Las Vegas, Surf City full and LA Marathon
I've got this to chew on now.
What's most appealing about running both Surf City and LA is that it will be part of the training plan, so most Lopers will train for both. That means I experience everything with everyone. While I'd still probably have to run on my own (I have two half-marathons tentatively scheduled for the fall, plus Ragnar) I wouldn't have to run any 18- or 20-milers alone. Those would be on the Loper schedule, and I had some awesome 20- and 22-milers running with my Lopers.
Still, I don't want to pass by the chance to run Vegas. That just seems like a great way to cap the year, to run my third marathon and possibly my 12th race of the year in the process. And there are two full months between Las Vegas and Surf City, plenty of time to recover and prepare for another marathon.
I'm not going to make or force myself to make a decision soon. I want to mull this over and chew it up, but I also wanted to start that process now.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
New Mud Runners
If you saw my recent video log (vlog sounds kind of odd) then you probably already know BUT...
On Saturday, I'm running my next race, my sixth race of 2010. I'm going to run the San Bernardino Mud Run. That's exciting as it's a new challenge, albeit one I don't think will be quite like the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. For starters, this is a 5K and Camp Pendleton is a 10K.
Anyway, that part is exciting but what's equally if not more exciting is that the girls are running another race that day! They're doing the 1K Youth Mud Run! How awesome is that?!?
I'm not sure how long their race is, if it's an actual 1K or if it's a dash across a shorter distance. But like the other race, that doesn't much matter. What matters is that it's another race, and this one comes with a bonus - they will get MUDDY!! There are obstacles in this race and there is lots of mud.
The girls are excited about it but I'm not sure they really understand that they will be running in mud and will get completely drenched in muddy water.
I think the girls will be excited for it. They seem that way when we talk about it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to be on the course with them, to help them over whatever obstacles they need help with. I can't imagine they will have to trek through anything too dastardly but it might be tough for them to get through the mud, for instance.
We'll have plenty of pictures and possibly some video to share with you, so definitely come here on late Saturday afternoon to read all about it. In the meantime, we're going to have muddy thoughts the rest of the week.
On Saturday, I'm running my next race, my sixth race of 2010. I'm going to run the San Bernardino Mud Run. That's exciting as it's a new challenge, albeit one I don't think will be quite like the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. For starters, this is a 5K and Camp Pendleton is a 10K.
Anyway, that part is exciting but what's equally if not more exciting is that the girls are running another race that day! They're doing the 1K Youth Mud Run! How awesome is that?!?
I'm not sure how long their race is, if it's an actual 1K or if it's a dash across a shorter distance. But like the other race, that doesn't much matter. What matters is that it's another race, and this one comes with a bonus - they will get MUDDY!! There are obstacles in this race and there is lots of mud.
The girls are excited about it but I'm not sure they really understand that they will be running in mud and will get completely drenched in muddy water.
I think the girls will be excited for it. They seem that way when we talk about it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to be on the course with them, to help them over whatever obstacles they need help with. I can't imagine they will have to trek through anything too dastardly but it might be tough for them to get through the mud, for instance.
We'll have plenty of pictures and possibly some video to share with you, so definitely come here on late Saturday afternoon to read all about it. In the meantime, we're going to have muddy thoughts the rest of the week.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Look Closely
I was going to wait until Friday to post this but why not go ahead and do so now?
Look at this picture and see if you see anyone you recognize.
It's pretty funny, actually. And I was even wondering if that was a possibility, but figured if it was I'd never know about it. Figured I'd share it with you, why not?
Look at this picture and see if you see anyone you recognize.
It's pretty funny, actually. And I was even wondering if that was a possibility, but figured if it was I'd never know about it. Figured I'd share it with you, why not?
Motivational Mondays (May 17)
Before I get started, I just want to say that this will make a whole lot more sense if you read Sunday's post, so scroll down or click here.
I'll wait.
Now, onto the post...
Sunday's run was both encouraging and disappointing. Right after my run, though, I felt mostly disappointment, hardly encouraged. Mrs. LB was shocked to see my shirt, even though it's not the first time I've bled, although I don't recall bleeding that much before. I should have been encouraged by how I felt after the run, at having finished 18 miles strong, just as strong as I'd finished my 15-miler the week before.
But those red stains didn't let me feel that. I focused on them and shut all other thoughts out for a bit. Of course, I didn't like feeling that way. I wanted to revel in my long run, to think about the positives, to feel as if the run was an accomplishment. Instead, I felt discouraged. Embarrassed. Foolish.
Why?
I thought about it for a while, and what I realized was that I felt that way because I was unprepared. I don't know that I respected the distance, the run, what I was about to set off on. Even though I did well to get GU, to leave the house with plenty of Gatorade, with a charged Garmin, hat, sunglasses... that I left my nipples unprotected was just inexcusable for me. I know not all other male runners suffer from that, but I do. And I learned how to handle that a while back.
And yet here I was, with what was essentially the first long training run ahead of San Francisco, and I totally dropped the ball. I was unprepared, and the blood stains are just tangible proof of that unpreparedness.
While the pain was not entirely unbearable on Sunday, I'm not sure what it would have been like in another five, six, seven or eight miles. Would I have been able to run an entire marathon like that? Who knows.
But what I am taking from this experience is this: I need to respect the run. I don't think I'm some superstar runner, so don't get me wrong here, but I sort of acted like I didn't need to take everything seriously. Like all the rules didn't apply to me.
Tape the nipples? We don't need no stinkin' tape.
I've tackled a marathon yet again and before I know it, I'll be standing at the start line of San Fran, and if I slack on anything I'm not going to have a good experience. I need to get all my long runs in. I need to do my midweek runs. Do speedwork. Run hills. Eat properly. Stretch.
At least now I know what could happen if I slack on something. Next time, the price might be higher than just a bloody shirt, and I really don't want to find out what exactly that would be.
I'll wait.
Now, onto the post...
Sunday's run was both encouraging and disappointing. Right after my run, though, I felt mostly disappointment, hardly encouraged. Mrs. LB was shocked to see my shirt, even though it's not the first time I've bled, although I don't recall bleeding that much before. I should have been encouraged by how I felt after the run, at having finished 18 miles strong, just as strong as I'd finished my 15-miler the week before.
But those red stains didn't let me feel that. I focused on them and shut all other thoughts out for a bit. Of course, I didn't like feeling that way. I wanted to revel in my long run, to think about the positives, to feel as if the run was an accomplishment. Instead, I felt discouraged. Embarrassed. Foolish.
Why?
I thought about it for a while, and what I realized was that I felt that way because I was unprepared. I don't know that I respected the distance, the run, what I was about to set off on. Even though I did well to get GU, to leave the house with plenty of Gatorade, with a charged Garmin, hat, sunglasses... that I left my nipples unprotected was just inexcusable for me. I know not all other male runners suffer from that, but I do. And I learned how to handle that a while back.
And yet here I was, with what was essentially the first long training run ahead of San Francisco, and I totally dropped the ball. I was unprepared, and the blood stains are just tangible proof of that unpreparedness.
While the pain was not entirely unbearable on Sunday, I'm not sure what it would have been like in another five, six, seven or eight miles. Would I have been able to run an entire marathon like that? Who knows.
But what I am taking from this experience is this: I need to respect the run. I don't think I'm some superstar runner, so don't get me wrong here, but I sort of acted like I didn't need to take everything seriously. Like all the rules didn't apply to me.
Tape the nipples? We don't need no stinkin' tape.
I've tackled a marathon yet again and before I know it, I'll be standing at the start line of San Fran, and if I slack on anything I'm not going to have a good experience. I need to get all my long runs in. I need to do my midweek runs. Do speedwork. Run hills. Eat properly. Stretch.
At least now I know what could happen if I slack on something. Next time, the price might be higher than just a bloody shirt, and I really don't want to find out what exactly that would be.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
18-Miler: Revenge of the Bloody Nipple
The day started off with such promise. Actually, it was almost like any other Sunday - ready for a long run - and there was no reason to think this Sunday would go any different.
I decided to run alone, run the 18 miles around my house. It was a unique course for me as I would try to run from my house to Mt. Rubidoux and back. I'd actually have to make up miles as a direct shot from here to the top of Mt. Rubidoux would have been less than 18 miles, but no bother. As long as I got my mileage in and did so with Mt. Rubidoux in there somewhere is all that mattered.
Now, on Saturday night I'd worked late and did not get home until 1:20 a.m. Since the Lopers were meeting at 5:30, I figured I could use the extra sleep which is why I ran here around my house, but four-plus hours didn't seem that great when the alarm woke me up a few minutes before 6.
Oh man, is it time already?
I gathered up all my stuff: ate a Clif bar (although I wasn't hungry), filled up the bottles on my fuel belt with Gatorade, grabbed three GUs, strapped on my phone, the Garmin, the Polar, grabbed a hat and sunglasses... did everything well save for the nipples. I haven't found my tape and didn't check to see if we had Band-aids, so just didn't think too much about it this morning.
I stepped outside and it was almost foggy. Very overcast, to the point that I couldn't see Mt. Rubidoux. Usually I can see it from my house, but not this morning.
I set off and was more excited than worried. I just tried to break the run apart into portions. The first one would be at around the three-mile mark where I'd turn onto a main street that would take me to the foot of Mt. Rubidoux - Mission Boulevard. I got there soon enough, probably took it a little too easy on Mile 3 as I came in with a nearly 11-minute mile. I wanted to take it easy, wanted to negative-split in the run but this was too easy. Mile 4 was at about 9:50 which was better.
Before I knew it, I'd eaten a GU and had finished one of my four water bottles. I was feeling good, strong, and waiting to see the top of the mountain - or any part of it.
Ouch.
I looked down at my shirt and a small red spot was visible. It was around Mile 5 or 6 at this point and I wondered how much longer it would bleed. I also wondered why I hadn't done anything to them, just had walked out of the house without thinking much about them.
Finally, around the end of Mile 6 I saw Mt. Rubidoux. It pushed through the low-hanging fog and stood ominously before me. I was on a bridge crossing over a small river...
... trickle...
... when I saw it. And then on my headphones
Dejate caer, dejate caer
La tierra es al revez
La sangre es amarilla
Dejate caer
Maybe that's not the best song to hear when I'm over a bridge.
Translation
Let yourself fall, let yourself fall
The earth is upside down
The blood is yellow
Let yourself fall
I focused on the other side of the bridge and figured I'd power through this part, but thoughts of letting myself fall from the bridge zipped by my mind regardless.
Finally I made it across and wondered where the sidewalk went. I'd only ever driven past this part of Mission, which takes you into Riverside city limits. The sidewalk runs a bit higher than street level so I found my way without too many problems. Up ahead of me was a small tunnel in which I would run through and thought how long the tunnel had been there (probably since the 1930s) and thought it would be cool to run through it.
Ack! That smells disgusting!
I've been in some awful bathrooms that didn't smell as bad as that tunnel smelled, so I chalked that up as a loss and tried to not breath until I was well away from the tunnel.
Eventually, I swung a right and then another and then I was at the base of Mt. Rubidoux. I went through the gates and started my usual Thursday-morning routine on Sunday. It was still overcast, still cool but comfortable, and I was still feeling good. I was at 7.3 miles when I ran through the gate and all was good.
Oh, it's a little more red.
My shirt was brighter than before, not much, but noticeable. Several people walking opposite of me gave me a double take and I tried to ignore them. I mean, it's tough to see someone wearing a white shirt with blood stains on it and not look twice. Still, I tried to hide it as much as possible but that was too taxing.
Eff it. Let 'em stare.
Two miles later and I was at the top of Mt. Rubidoux. I was surprised that I hadn't felt too bad considering I was at 9.3 miles in. In fact, I felt pretty stinkin' good for where I was. I stopped at the top to GU up and drink some Gatorade, then went right back down. Home didn't seem like a long ways away and I took that as a sign that I felt good and not quite longing to go home.
On my way down I drew more stares. What else are people going to do? The fog minimized the views of the surrounding area so people had to look at something, and the big red spot on the white shirt of the runner heading downhill was just as good as anything apparently.
I wish they knew I was running 18 miles.
Frankly, I didn't care but I felt like telling them there was a reason to the madness.
When I got to the bottom and out the gate I was relieved. There werent' too many pedestrians out and cars on Misson weren't going to slow down and stare at me, so I figured it was just me and the road for the next seven miles.
Still feeling good.
I took my final GU at about Mile 14 and felt strong, and felt like giving one last good push. I ran across a Swap Meet which was hopping, and of course the increase in people meant an increase in stares. I just put my head down and ran past people whenever I came up to any of them.
I don't give a *#^@what they think.
I was powering through an 18-mile run - AN 18-MILE RUN - so why would I give a crap what some random person saw or thought?
Finally I was down the last three miles, and this was a pretty lonely part of the run. I'd wanted to run sub-10-minute miles here and I did well to that. Mile 16 was 10:02 but Mile 17 was 9:38. Mile 18 was not as tough as I would have thought, though my legs felt heavy and I was ready to stop. The burning sensation on my chest was becoming too much to handle.
That spot is huge.
I was lucky I hadn't been running past any large crowds because the stares would have turned into pointing at this rate. Instead, I was almost home and when I hit the stop button on The Garmin after Mile 18, I was able to slow to a walk and really assess the damage.
At home, I drew gasps from Mrs. LB and the girls.
Damn. I guess it was more noticeable than I thought.
Then I had Yvie take a picture.
At home, my initial reaction was that of disappointment. I was not happy about my 18-mile run, but rather embarrassed becuase of how I looked. I thought about for a while (and I'm going to have much more thoughts on this on Monday's post) but I think what bothered me the most was that I was unprepared and it showed. That and I looked like a fool.
But the run itself was great. I felt very strong, was not wiped out, was happy with how the GU worked, with how the Gatorade worked, with having run to Mt. Rubidoux from my house, with having finished in a little more than three hours, with a lot of things. But that one thing bothered me for a few hours afterward.
Still, it's all a learning experience, every run is. And while you'll have to wait for Monday's post for all of my feelings, I'm certain I'm going to overcome this and will be better because of it.
The shirt (and white undershirt) though might be a different story...
I decided to run alone, run the 18 miles around my house. It was a unique course for me as I would try to run from my house to Mt. Rubidoux and back. I'd actually have to make up miles as a direct shot from here to the top of Mt. Rubidoux would have been less than 18 miles, but no bother. As long as I got my mileage in and did so with Mt. Rubidoux in there somewhere is all that mattered.
Now, on Saturday night I'd worked late and did not get home until 1:20 a.m. Since the Lopers were meeting at 5:30, I figured I could use the extra sleep which is why I ran here around my house, but four-plus hours didn't seem that great when the alarm woke me up a few minutes before 6.
Oh man, is it time already?
I gathered up all my stuff: ate a Clif bar (although I wasn't hungry), filled up the bottles on my fuel belt with Gatorade, grabbed three GUs, strapped on my phone, the Garmin, the Polar, grabbed a hat and sunglasses... did everything well save for the nipples. I haven't found my tape and didn't check to see if we had Band-aids, so just didn't think too much about it this morning.
I stepped outside and it was almost foggy. Very overcast, to the point that I couldn't see Mt. Rubidoux. Usually I can see it from my house, but not this morning.
I set off and was more excited than worried. I just tried to break the run apart into portions. The first one would be at around the three-mile mark where I'd turn onto a main street that would take me to the foot of Mt. Rubidoux - Mission Boulevard. I got there soon enough, probably took it a little too easy on Mile 3 as I came in with a nearly 11-minute mile. I wanted to take it easy, wanted to negative-split in the run but this was too easy. Mile 4 was at about 9:50 which was better.
Before I knew it, I'd eaten a GU and had finished one of my four water bottles. I was feeling good, strong, and waiting to see the top of the mountain - or any part of it.
Ouch.
I looked down at my shirt and a small red spot was visible. It was around Mile 5 or 6 at this point and I wondered how much longer it would bleed. I also wondered why I hadn't done anything to them, just had walked out of the house without thinking much about them.
Finally, around the end of Mile 6 I saw Mt. Rubidoux. It pushed through the low-hanging fog and stood ominously before me. I was on a bridge crossing over a small river...
... trickle...
... when I saw it. And then on my headphones
Dejate caer, dejate caer
La tierra es al revez
La sangre es amarilla
Dejate caer
Maybe that's not the best song to hear when I'm over a bridge.
Translation
Let yourself fall, let yourself fall
The earth is upside down
The blood is yellow
Let yourself fall
I focused on the other side of the bridge and figured I'd power through this part, but thoughts of letting myself fall from the bridge zipped by my mind regardless.
Finally I made it across and wondered where the sidewalk went. I'd only ever driven past this part of Mission, which takes you into Riverside city limits. The sidewalk runs a bit higher than street level so I found my way without too many problems. Up ahead of me was a small tunnel in which I would run through and thought how long the tunnel had been there (probably since the 1930s) and thought it would be cool to run through it.
Ack! That smells disgusting!
I've been in some awful bathrooms that didn't smell as bad as that tunnel smelled, so I chalked that up as a loss and tried to not breath until I was well away from the tunnel.
Eventually, I swung a right and then another and then I was at the base of Mt. Rubidoux. I went through the gates and started my usual Thursday-morning routine on Sunday. It was still overcast, still cool but comfortable, and I was still feeling good. I was at 7.3 miles when I ran through the gate and all was good.
Oh, it's a little more red.
My shirt was brighter than before, not much, but noticeable. Several people walking opposite of me gave me a double take and I tried to ignore them. I mean, it's tough to see someone wearing a white shirt with blood stains on it and not look twice. Still, I tried to hide it as much as possible but that was too taxing.
Eff it. Let 'em stare.
Two miles later and I was at the top of Mt. Rubidoux. I was surprised that I hadn't felt too bad considering I was at 9.3 miles in. In fact, I felt pretty stinkin' good for where I was. I stopped at the top to GU up and drink some Gatorade, then went right back down. Home didn't seem like a long ways away and I took that as a sign that I felt good and not quite longing to go home.
On my way down I drew more stares. What else are people going to do? The fog minimized the views of the surrounding area so people had to look at something, and the big red spot on the white shirt of the runner heading downhill was just as good as anything apparently.
I wish they knew I was running 18 miles.
Frankly, I didn't care but I felt like telling them there was a reason to the madness.
When I got to the bottom and out the gate I was relieved. There werent' too many pedestrians out and cars on Misson weren't going to slow down and stare at me, so I figured it was just me and the road for the next seven miles.
Still feeling good.
I took my final GU at about Mile 14 and felt strong, and felt like giving one last good push. I ran across a Swap Meet which was hopping, and of course the increase in people meant an increase in stares. I just put my head down and ran past people whenever I came up to any of them.
I don't give a *#^@what they think.
I was powering through an 18-mile run - AN 18-MILE RUN - so why would I give a crap what some random person saw or thought?
Finally I was down the last three miles, and this was a pretty lonely part of the run. I'd wanted to run sub-10-minute miles here and I did well to that. Mile 16 was 10:02 but Mile 17 was 9:38. Mile 18 was not as tough as I would have thought, though my legs felt heavy and I was ready to stop. The burning sensation on my chest was becoming too much to handle.
That spot is huge.
I was lucky I hadn't been running past any large crowds because the stares would have turned into pointing at this rate. Instead, I was almost home and when I hit the stop button on The Garmin after Mile 18, I was able to slow to a walk and really assess the damage.
At home, I drew gasps from Mrs. LB and the girls.
Damn. I guess it was more noticeable than I thought.
Then I had Yvie take a picture.
At home, my initial reaction was that of disappointment. I was not happy about my 18-mile run, but rather embarrassed becuase of how I looked. I thought about for a while (and I'm going to have much more thoughts on this on Monday's post) but I think what bothered me the most was that I was unprepared and it showed. That and I looked like a fool.
But the run itself was great. I felt very strong, was not wiped out, was happy with how the GU worked, with how the Gatorade worked, with having run to Mt. Rubidoux from my house, with having finished in a little more than three hours, with a lot of things. But that one thing bothered me for a few hours afterward.
Still, it's all a learning experience, every run is. And while you'll have to wait for Monday's post for all of my feelings, I'm certain I'm going to overcome this and will be better because of it.
The shirt (and white undershirt) though might be a different story...
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