Another day, another Brazen half marathon in the East Bay Regional parks. I had a solid top 10 going for the whole race but the wheels fell off the bus at mile 10. My heart rate was up but I was just slowing down. I carried a bottle of water today as I usually do for trail half marathons. There were plenty of water stops along the way but I drink the water I carry. Today, I emptied my bottle on the first of two laps so I ditched it at the start/finish line. I should have stopped at an aid station to fill it up. The sun shine and 80 degree weather took a toll on me. My second lap was 7 minutes slower than my first and I suffered mightily.
The suffering was fine because most other people were suffering with me. I managed a top 20 and placed second in my age group. At the finish area, a lot of people were stretching their calf muscles out. A sure sign of dehydration. As much as I preach to you guys about paying attention to your surroundings, I still go out and make the same mistakes. I am just now starting to recover 6 hours later.
The EBRP district is awesome. If you live in Northern California or come out here to visit, I encourage you to visit the parks. We had the trail run that I did in Point Pinole and the See Jane Run Half marathon in Alameda, mostly on the EBRP trails.
Today was a great day. I am proud of everyone who got out and enjoyed it. For the rest of you readers who are on the fence about the activities, just get out and do it. Love life and enjoy your surroundings, where ever they are.
The Tour of California recently ended with an HTC-Columbia victory for Michael Rogers. The new tour dates gave us a surprising level of support for the event. I’m curious to see what kind of ratings Versus gets from viewership compared to past events, with the ToC reaching its highest point in popularity.
It’ll still be some time – if ever – before the ToC is able to transition to a full grand tour (think Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a Espana)… but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a future success for American cycling. Even though Lance Armstrong crashed out of the race, fans still lined the street and mountain sides to support their favorite riders.
A look at the ToC start list shows how big of an event it has turned into — Andy Schleck, Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen, Lance, Levi Leipheimer, Mark Cavendish, George Hincapie, and a collection of ProTour teams made the jump across the pond.
Image courtesy of Casey B. Gibson (http://cbgphoto.com)
Even more important was the success of domestic cycling teams during the event, as Team UnitedHealthcare, Team Type 1, and other smaller teams attacked, made it into breaks, and tried to get maximum exposure for their teams.
Team Type 1’s Thomas Rabou (a Dutchman that transferred over from Rabobank) captured the King of the Mountains jersey during the ToC, which is a major victory for the upstart Team Type 1 cycling program.
Hello to all of our new friends from the Tilden Tough Ten. Ted and I ran the event along with almost 300 others this morning… race recap and pictures will be posted tonight.
I had one hell of a day – learned a few valuable lessons – and think it’s nap time!
Photo page is up. For all of you new runners, The photo page is usually posted a few hours before it is announced.
Ted and I ran the Alameda Education Foundation (AEF) Run 4 Education 5K in Alameda, a day after running the extremely difficult Wildcat Half Marathon. Prior to the race, neither one of us was sure what to expect from the 5K. How would our legs recover after a hard effort the day before? Ted shared his thoughts about the run already, but I figured I would whip up a review as well.
The course began across the street from the Sushi House, ran up Shoreline, turned around by the bathhouse, and flew back down to the start/finish line.
The gun sounded and a group of 10 people flew off the front of the race, with a couple of others pacing their way up to the leaders. I ran with the leaders for less than a mile before I was dropped out the back of the group, as I’m clearly not fit enough for a 21-minute 5K. My legs were screaming just a half mile into the race, but I kept trucking forward. I cleared my first mile in less than 7:30 – a pace I normally don’t keep when training – so I was honestly unsure what would happen later. As expected, I began to slow down a bit as we left Shoreline and headed into the Crown Memorial State Beach land. The rest of the entry can be found after the jump. Read more… »
I ran the Brazen Racing Wildcat Half Marathon from El Sobrante on Saturday, which was my second half marathon. It seems Ted was thinking about talking me out of signing up, but I went ahead and registered before he told me how nasty this course would be.
I went ahead and registered for the event before I bothered to closely evaluate the course profile. Before I jump into my race experience, let me first say that this route was definitely hard! It seemed like we were either going up or down a hill, through mud, or on single-track the entire 13.1-mile course.
The gun sounded at 8:30, and it only took a couple hundred yards into the race before everyone had to tackle the first climb of the day. I briefly looked at the map before we started, but I didn’t realize my lungs were going to explode within the first mile.
Up, up, and up some more! The uphill portions were steep enough they forced most people to walk, and the downhills were fast and dangerous. We passed a few people going up the hills, only to see them fly down the hill at speeds that looked somewhat hazardous.
The rest of the blog post is available after the jump.
Today, Michael and I represented Alamedarunners at therun 4 education 5k run. It was a bit difficult for us because we ran a tough half marathon in Wildcat canyon yesterday. After the first half mile, I realized my legs were tired then I put it on cruise and had a good time. I was dominated by some little guys on the local cross country teams. It is fun to be involved with their excitement. They did not want some old guy to catch up to them in any way, shape or form.
The weather was perfect for a 5k. It was a balmy 75 degrees today. Two waves of the little guys started out with a 100-yard dash down the street that was so cute. All of those little legs spinning down a course lined by parents and big people who were standing by to make sure nobody strayed out into the street. It was also comical to watch as some parents ran behind their kids, encouraging them to try and beat the kids around them.
Next up was the 5k. I can’t say too much about it because I was running. I can say the course was lined with cones and Alameda Police Volunteers. The volunteers were friendly and cheering everyone on as we ran by. We even had chip timing for the run. I assume the chips and timing system were donated but it was a nice touch for a small event. They set up a stage for some local entertainment afterward.
We got to listen to live music from the high school kids while were hanging out getting drinks and waiting for a massage. A big shout out to Ada from ProBalance physical therapy who was out donating her time to give out massages to earn money for the schools. Ada helped out with massages and tips to prevent injuries from the tight muscles she was massaging.
I was just a runner who was basically donating the $25 entry fee to help the local community but I am glad I did. I feel privileged to be able to do some small part to help the community. Alamedarunners began as a concept to get the runners in Alameda together for events and training.
We are still learning about the responsibility that comes with a growing site and how the community relies on all of us to get things done. I realize we all tend to live in isolation because of our training routines but we should get together more often to get to know each other. We are slowly coming together and we are slowly learning how to come together with the community. Hopefully we will have a better turn out from Alamedarunners next year. It would have helped if I knew about the event and advertised it but that is all part of the learning experience.
Today’s short blog entry has a simple message: Thank the volunteers!
It’s a simple enough request that truly goes a long way with the people organizing and helping support the events we sign up for. The volunteers are unpaid, usually get a T-shirt and the simple satisfaction that they were able to help out at an event. It’s not a glamorous job – and sometimes is very demanding – but it’s an effort that very few are willing to make.
As someone who has volunteered and participated in organized events, a simple “thank you” really makes a difference. Remember that volunteers have a vital role in the way an event shapes up — and can impact how much fun some athletes have before completing an event.
(If you’re an athlete who has never volunteered, I’d strongly recommend finding a local race and signing up to volunteer. It’s a great experience, and it’s neat to see a race from a different perspective.)
… race recap will be later. Ted is napping and I’m thinking about sitting on the beach. Lots of photos and thoughts will be posted. I’ll tweet you guys the link.
Ted is up from his nap now. I am rested and fed after a grueling day at Wildcat. The pictures are posted here. The people at Brazen racing put on another great event. It is amazing how they can put on these fun events in the middle of the San Francisco Bay area. We are not exactly type-A racers as you can tell by the photos. We stopped for a photo-op with Pete who was directing traffic. Then we stopped and goofed off for more photo’s at an aid station. At the time, we did not know about the nasty hill that was going to begin right after we left the aid station. After 9 or 10 miles in the hills, that last hill did not feel good.
I have a 5k charity run tomorrow morning. I do not foresee any 7 minute miles out of me.
Just a friendly reminder for all S.F. East Bay runners who want to run a 5K this weekend (and for a good cause).
There will be a 100-yard dash at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, with a 5K run scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. (All participants in the 100-yard dash who are 10 or younger will receive a ribbon.)
There is no registration for the 100-yard dash, while the 5K will cost $25 per person or $50 for a family.
Here is what Christine Strena, Alameda Education Foundation Director, said to reporters:
The first 150 5K runners to check in will get T-shirts donated by Alameda Town Centre.
“We hope 200 participants will register and are really excited about this year’s event,” Strena said.
Proceeds will be used to support classroom grants and athletic programs in Alameda public schools, such as middle-school volleyball, basketball and track.
“We would love to raise several thousand dollars, but $2,000 would be great,” said Strena.
On-site registration is available at 8 a.m. at Shoreline and Park Street (in the parking lot near Sushi House). You can also register at Alameda Education.org.
This is the type of event I would normally jump all over — but I’m still unsure if I’ll be able to move after running the Wildcat Half on Saturday. If my legs don’t feel like jello on Sunday morning, I think I’m down for running a 5K on Sunday.
(The Alameda Town Centre image is courtesy of Flickr / Blind Grasshopper.)
This weekend I’m running the Wildcat Half Marathon hosted by Brazen Racing, a tough race that will be my second half marathon. It takes place in the Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, which will provide tough terrain but extremely scenic views.
Brazen will also host a 10K and 5K on Saturday morning, though I already decided to extend the punishment my legs will get by signing up for the half. The half marathon course is mainly fire trails in the park, with 2,204′ of total elevation gain for everyone running 13.1 miles.
I’ve enjoyed all of the trail runs I’ve done in the past (even though I’m still new to running in general), and know that this will be a great challenge on Saturday. I had a blast helping pace people during the Oakland Half Marathon — I hope I’m able to remember the lessons learned from that day.
For example, I know I have to run at my own pace, don’t speed up even if I’m feeling good, and stay hydrated. I know what it feels like to crack, but I’ve learned to do a better job of controlling it.
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