Running Through Hamstring Problem and Trying Out Skechers Running Shoes

When my running is "off" I tend to have less to write about; hence the month long break between postings here. My right hamstring became problematic at a local 5K race on April 13th and I've been running through the issue for the last five weeks.

If this were a sharp pain I would take some time off, but since the issue is more of a general, dull, soreness, I opt to continue running. But I generally get away with about an hour of running. But the good news is that it feels a little less sore as the days pass by.

For years my kids take me to the local Skechers store at The Oaks Mall. I've purchased a few pairs of casual wear shoes in there and like their shoes, but never ventured into their "GoRun" running shoes. Well recently I gave it a try. And I like them!

These GoRun shoes only weigh about 7 ounces but actually feel reasonably cushioned to me. I was shocked at how comfortable and light they felt the first time I actually ran in them. I've worn these on trails and roads and they feel perfectly fine on both. And they look different than other running shoes.

Skechers GOrun ride offers extra cushioning for elevated comfort and support on every run. Shop now!

2013 Boston Marathon Results for Ventura County and Adjacent Area Finishers

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the today's cowardly Boston Marathon bomb attacks along with their families and the entire city of Boston. It was really a challenge trying to get anything done this afternoon as the news reports rolled in.

I've run two Boston Marathons, had to cancel my third Boston Marathon last year and having passed on the opportunity to run this year's race, this attack was particularly troubling for me. We are all in mourning and in shock. But let's take a brief moment out of all the chaos to recognize those from our local community who completed the 2013 Boston Marathon.

I noticed that Jack Redmond of Camarillo finished just seconds before the first explosion. This Ventura County Star article talks about the aftermath and the stories of some local runners. The article notes some runners were diverted as a result of the blast and thus were unable to cross the finish line. Stacy Stapleton of Camarillo falls into this category. Contact us if you are aware of other locals who were unable to finish due to the attacks.

Benjamin Atkins, Westlake Village, 2:48:15

Jay Loppnow, Camarillo, 3:00:51

Scott Hambly, Thousand Oaks, 3:02:51

Bobby Scott, Ventura, 3:07:56

Christopher Eldridge, Malibu, 3:08:00

Daniel Greider, Ventura, 3:12:08

Rob Hennick, Moorpark, 3:12:11

Jason Griffith, Thousand Oaks, 3:13:34

Glenn Fout, Ojai, 3:20:05

Rafael Gonzales, Camarillo, 3:21:36

Leanne Mohr, Camarillo, 3:23:14

April Lecroy, Ventura, 3:25:54

Jeff Hager, Camarillo, 3:26:24

Jenny Loppnow, Camarillo, 3:29:38

Becky McClintock, Calabasas, 3:29:54

Janice Hyllengren, Moorpark, 3:31:01

Lauren Matzuka, Oak Park, 3:31:15

Mallory Ham, Simi Valley, 3:32:31

Randy Miller, Newbury Park, 3:32:52

Karen Faulhaber, Thousand Oaks, 3:33:26

Lane Desborough, Thousand Oaks, 3:33:30

Rachael Parent, Moorpark, 3:35:02

Amada Garcia, Thousand Oaks, 3:36:55

Julie Ungerleider, Camarillo, 3:37:23

David Moore, Moorpark, 3:39:16

John Wheeler, Simi Valley, 3:39:40

Wendy Raymond, Westlake Village, 3:41:23

Christine Powell, Thousand Oaks, 3:42:35

Sara Jones, Moorpark, 3:43:19

Kirk Waldron, Westlake Village, 3:43:29

Jackie Jones, Newbury Park, 3:45:13

Lisa Mcclellan, Simi Valley, 3:45:52

Steve Arce, Malibu, 3:46:00

Melissa Hernandez, Oxnard, 3:46:00

Rosa Cameron, Oxnard, 3:46:34

Nicholas Duca, Simi Valley, 3:48:10 (Nicholas is 70 years old and finished 6th overall in his division!)

Stacy Galer, Westlake Village, 3:49:57

Susan Duenas, Thousand Oaks, 3:53:15

Laureen Friedman, Oxnard, 3:54:54

Timothy Giller, Simi Valley, 3:55:03

Amy Kupic, Newbury Park, 4:06:43

Jack Redmond, Camarillo, 4:08:10

Lisa Jones, Thousand Oaks, 4:21:07

Dave Czerwonka, Thousand Oaks, 4:22:12

Another 5K Race...at Least I'm Consistent at the 35th Annual Camarillo Kiwanis 5K

Today I ran my first race in about 6 weeks, the 35th Annual Camarillo Kiwanis 5K/10K. According to race organizers, this is the oldest race in Ventura County.

This is one of the most low key, mellow races you'll find. With only 134 total participants in the combined races, parking is not an issue. This year the race took place at a new venue, Pleasant Valley Fields. The course circles around the park onto the Calleguas Bike Path, where most of the running takes place for both races.

I felt fit a week ago but my hamstrings have been sore from sitting too much I think. Maybe I need to sit on ice bags or something. This morning my right hammie was a little sore and stiff before the race and stretching didn't do me any good. But the race started at 7:30am, I was paid for, so I was gonna run, sore buttock or no sore buttock.

First mile was 5:42 behind a youngster who was wall ahead of me. But I knew I would not be able to maintain that pace as my right hamstring at that point had an even more distinct pain. So I plugged onward for an 18:18 5K, good for 2nd overall. It was a disappointment for me because when I signed up I felt I could regain my sub 18 5K time today based on my recent training. But it just wasn't to be today. I believe a day or two off will help me more than anything.

Kudos to the Camarillo Kiwanis for running a nice local event while maintaining registration fees at only $25, including t-shirt and post-race eats. $25 5K races are a dying breed. $30, $35, $40 and even more is what I'm seeing out there. So for that fact alone, do consider the 36th Annual Camarillo Kiwanis 5K/10K in 2014! Visit kiwanisclubofcamarillo.com for updates. The Kiwanis uses all net proceeds from the race for local scholarships. A worthy cause.

I Would Like to Be Running in My 90s Like These Guys!

Ninety four year old Emiel Pauwels of Belgium closer to the screen is seen here beating out 95 year old Ilmari Koppinen of Finland. Both men were born in 1918. It looks to be a 60 meter race. I want to be doing this. These guys look great.

Results From 28th Annual Great Race of Agoura Hills on March 23, 2013

The 28th Annual Great Race of Agoura Hills, one of the largest and longest-running (no pun intended) local running events in the Conejo Valley as well as Greater Los Angeles area, took place on Saturday, March 23rd. I was not able to make this year's race due to kid commitments but it certainly was a nice morning. Let's take a look at the top finishers in the various races that day.

Here are the stats and some of the top placing runners in this year's event:

• Deena Kastor 5K: 1,456 finishers (652 male, 804 female) (1,409 finishers in 2012)
• Old Agoura 10K: 1,319 finishers (493 male, 826 female) (1,639 finishers in 2012)
• Pacific Half Marathon: 441 finishers (203 male, 238 female) (549 finishers in 2012)
• Cheseboro Half Marathon: 913 finishers (478 male, 435 female) (1,034 finishers in 2012)
• Kids' One Mile: 381 finishers (205 male, 176 female) (443 finishers in 2012)

In total, there were 4,510 finishers in the five races, down about 11% from 2012.

Here are the 5 finishers from each race! Visit www.greatraceofagoura.com for more details.

Cheseboro Half Marathon (Men):

1. CAMERON ZIMMERMANN 1:22:41
2. SHAI BIRMAHER 1:23:03
3. MYLES COCKBURN 1:23:40
4. KEVIN BUELL 1:24:19
5. JAMES DAVY 1:25:55

Cheseboro Half Marathon (Women)

1. ELAINE WOODWARD 1:31:13
2. JENNIFER TODD 1:31:40
3. ERIN WHARTON 1:35:28
4. CHRISTINA LIGHTFOOT 1:35:37
5. ANISSA FAULKNER 1:35:43

Pacific Half Marathon (Men)

1. JEFFREY JACKSON 1:13:01
2. TYLER TOCKSTEIN 1:14:09
3. CAMDEN MCALISTER 1:16:32
4. MARCUS GEORGE 1:20:43
5. PAUL COONEY 1:26:29

Pacific Half Marathon (Women)

1. JESSICA DOUGLAS 1:28:49
2. RACHAEL PARENT 1:35:07 (Rachael was 4th last year in 1:39:51 - nice improvement!)
3. MARA STEGEMANN 1:35:35
4. GINA JOHNSON 1:36:07 (Gina was 3rd last year in 1:37:50)
5. LAUREN PHILLIPS 1:36:31

Old Agoura 10K (Men)

1. ISIDORE HERRERA 30:46
2. SERGIO REYES 31:17 (Sergio was also 2nd last year in 29:49)
3. EULOGIO RODRIGUEZ 32:09
4. JUSTIN PATANANAN 33:28
5. TEERTH PATEL 35:58

Old Agoura 10K (Women)

1. LIZ CAMY-BLACKWELL 36:46 (Blackwell also won last year in 36:14)
2. JENN BETANCOURT 41:42
3. JENNIFER SUNAHARA 43:59
4. GABRIELLE BRADLEY 44:47
5. SANDRA SCHWARTZ 46:16

Deena Kastor 5K (Men)

1. ZACK SCHWARTZ 15:14
2. DYLAN MAJERUS 16:51
3. JEFF WELLS 17:43
4. RUSTY SNOW 17:45
5. GARY BARBER 18:09

Deena Kastor 5K (Women)

1. ANDREA MCLARTY 17:12
2. CAROL MONTGOMERY 17:38
3. CINDY ABRAMI 18:06
4. OLIVIA GHAUSSY 19:22
5. SARAH SHULZE 19:38 (Sarah is in the 11-12 age group! Way to go, Sarah!)

Kids 1 Mile (Boys)

1. MICHAEL BARBER 5:46
2. GRIFFIN ARCHER 5:59
3. MATTHEW SPEER 6:04
4. ARMAND ASLANIAN 6:12
5. JACK MILLSPAUGH 6:19

Kids 1 Mile (Girls)

1. CELESTE SCHREIFELS 6:20
2. TATIANA BANI 6:40
3. JENNA FORSTON 6:40
4. TAYLOR NITZSCHE 6:43
5. NATALIE NITZSCHE 6:46

You definitely need to sign up in advance for these races if at all possible, preferably by mid-December, as pricing gets pretty high as the race approaches. For example, the Old Agoura 10K is $35, already a bit on the high side, rises as high as $45 a month prior to the race. As great as this race is, that's a bit too much in my opinion. Another popular local race, the Calabasas Classic, charges $25 for the 10K up until just a few weeks prior to the event.

The half marathons are also great but if you procrastinate like me you end up paying $95 to $100, which, frankly, I won't pay for a half marathon. Just too much. The price this year was $70 prior to December 16, 2012, which is a fair price, albeit $20 higher than it was just five years ago. Hope to make it back out there next year!

Los Angeles Marathon "Stadium to the Sea" Course - Is It Faster Than Previous Course?

It was a lot of fun watching the LA Marathon last Sunday. Having run my PR on the LA course "back in the day" and other solid times in the late 1990s, I was kind of curious about how fast the newer "Stadium to the Sea" course was compared to previous courses that started and finished in downtown Los Angeles.

"Stadium to the Sea" saw its first running in 2010, brought about by new owner, Frank McCourt. McCourt, widely villified as Dodgers owner, only to reap a record price for the team last year, was seen after the race with LA Mayor Anthony Villaraigoza having fun congratulating the winners of the race.

I considered signing up for the race as a last minute fun run but it was sold out. Not too many years ago you could sign up last minute for the LA Marathon, but it has gained popularity, as has marathoning in general, leaving last minute signups more of a challenge.

Did about 17 miles back here since they wouldn't sell me a last minute entry to the Los Angeles Marathon. Score a win for me!

So, about this course...is it faster than previous "loop" courses?

For the "average" runner, and by average I mean the average time for all finishers, the aggregate time for the first 3 years of the course (2013 results still not available in a manageable format) was 5:18. This compares to an aggregate average time over the previous 10 years, on various loop courses, of 5:33. (Thanks to MarathonGuide.com, my favorite website for marathon information, for this data.) This would indicate the new course is faster overall, which makes sense as the course now has a net elevation drop of 430 feet.

Something that more "competitive" running types sometimes do is compare how their time on a course would have placed them in other years. While many factors are at play in making year over year comparisons, such as weather, course conditions, the competition, it is just one of those things that we like to do.

My PR marathon time was on the 1997 LA Marathon loop course, where my 2:35 got me 35th place. That same time on average would have garnered an average place of 23 to 24 over the last 14 years, as well as over the last 4 years of Stadium to Sea. I guess when I ran the race, there was simply more competition. Last Sunday, a 2:35 would have garnered 22nd. While I'm nowhere near that kind of time today, it would be fun to go back and give the Stadium to Sea course a try. Bottom line however, is that for whatever reason, the times for non-elite age runner top 100 placer times appear to have slowed over the years.

Let's get back to the aggregate numbers. The average aggregate recent times in the LA Marathon, while 15 minutes faster than on previous LA courses, are still significantly slower than other large races. For example, the previous 5-year average times at New York (excluding the cancelled 2012 race due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy) and Chicago were 4:26 and 4:37, respectively. Those are dramatically faster than the average times in Los Angeles.

Why is this? Well, I'm guessing but I suspect that we have more marathon "walkers" and fundraisers in LA that bring the average up. Also, each year the wonderful Students Run LA charity brings 3,000 at-risk teens to the marathon, including nearly 3,200 in 2013. Nearly 100% of the SRLA high school seniors graduate high school and go on to attend to attend college. I don't know the average time for SRLA runners but I suspect it does bring down overall aggregate times to a degree.

But let's digress again. how about the overall winning times at the LA Marathon? They have definitely dropped. Prior to the Stadium to the Sea route, the average Downtown LA Loop course from 1996 to 2009 was 2:11:48. Stadium to the Sea has run for 4 years now, including the unbelievable 2:06:05 course record first-time marathon performance in 2 inches of torrential rain by Markos Geneti of Ethiopia in 2011 has been 2:09:27. Three of the four Stadium to the Sea events have been sub 2:10.

So definitely, the course has made progress, though we're still not at the level of other major U.S. courses. The average winning time at Chicago over the last six years was 2:06:39. The average winning time in New York over that period (excluding 2012) was 2:08:04. Still solidly ahead of LA...but in this case, I suspect it is because they payday at those races is substantially higher than at LA.

OK, enough of this analysis paralysis. Let's get running!

Find a Race Anywhere in the USA at RunningInTheUSA.com

In planning for an upcoming trip, I decided to look around to see if there are any upcoming races in the part of Texas I will be visiting. I Googled around a bit and found random races here and there and figured it was going to be a long process. But soon I came across the site www.RunningInTheUSA.com and was pleasantly surprised.

Running in the USA is clearly and simply organized; in fact, it reminded me of this website (www.ConejoValleyGuide.com in case you forgot!). In navigating the site you can quickly drill down to upcoming races by state, and from there, by date. Then they give you the option of searching by distance (5K, half marathon, triathlon, etc.) or by month or other criteria. From there, they link to the race's website.

Nice, clear and concise. Exactly the way I like it.

There currently is over 40,000 upcoming races listed in the Running in the USA database. This includes nearly 2,800 in California alone.

It makes you wonder, how do they compile all of this information? The owners of the site are a husband/wife team, Bill and Mary Flaws of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Mary is the runner in the family and does the website and database programming for the site (in addition to her "regular" job). Mary's marathon PR is 3:08 in the 2010 Lakefront Marathon in Wisconsin (2nd place in her division).

I took a look at another great online running resource, MarathonGuide.com, and quickly discovered that Mary ran 11 marathons (at least) in 2010 alone, including 2 marathons in one weekend, two weekends prior to her PR performance, preceded by another marathon the week before. That's crazy! Heck, I'm usually tapering my mileage the last three weeks prior to a marathon! She is a diehard runner!

Bill works full-time on the site,checking literally hundreds of links each week for race updates, results and new races.

I have appreciation for what they are doing as this is quite similar to Conejo Valley Guide. And the result of their work is an extremely comprehensive and as a result popular resource for runners throughout the country. Check it out!

Interval Training on the Roads as an Alternative to the Track

There's no arguing that if you're looking to improve your speed, doing intervals on the track will help. A standard 400 meter track makes it easy to run any distance in repetitive format. I prefer simple workouts like 400s at 5K or faster pace with a 200 or 400 meter jog in between.

But I don't like running on the track for various reasons. It is always challenging finding/making the time to get over to the track when it is open. Running in circles isn't particularly fun for me. And I tend to get injured on the track.

As an alternative, a few weeks ago I started to do a little stealh interval work on a local road. Starting out with only 4 repetitions from one point to another on a slightly downhill surface, I'll jog back to the start, a noticeable crack in the pavement. The finish is a sign adjacent to the road. Nothing fancy. I don't even know the exact distance (though I'd estimate it is about 450 meters).

I feel fitter already, having done this routine just once a week. I'm up to repetitions. This upcoming week will test my commitment with the Daylight Saving time change...one less hour of sleep this week!

So think about mixing it up in your own routine a bit. You'll definitely notice a difference.

First 5K Race in Over Four Months Was Not a Disappointment

The last time I ran a 5K was the Jason's Race 5K on October 14th of last year, over 4 months and a week ago. My time in that race was 18:18 for the win.

Starting line photo courtesy of the Camarillo Family YMCA www.ciymca.org/camarilloAs of Thursday of this past week I had no plans to do another 5K, but a friend of mine asked me if I would be stopping by the Camarillo Family YMCA 5K down at Pleasant Valley Fields. He said he may be there. Well a few hours later I thought, what the heck, and signed up.

This morning I arrived at the race with my 9 year old son, who decided he would make a go of the 5K himself. So my little buddy was with me, but my friend who prompted me to sign up for the race was nowhere to be found.

There were about 200 runners and it was a very casual little race that took us on an out and back course mainly through Pleasant Valley Fields and a couple streets. There was a section of the course on dirt near the west end of the park that I was not real fond of running on but it was a relatively short section.

The race started very typically. About a dozen youngster ranging from 10 to 20 by my estimate took off like it was a sprint. It took about 1/4 mile at most to slip by the group and I found myself behind one last guy who I was unable to rein in. This young man, 30 years my junior, was the ultimate winner of the race. Nice job!

My place in the race did not change from that point on. The first mile was 5:38, which felt fine and translates into a 17:28 pace, but I couldn't maintain that pace.

There was a pain in my chest as I seem to have an allergic reaction to chimney smoke that constricts my lungs. With all the cold weather we've been having, my breathing has been impacted people burning wood in their fireplaces. Just one of those frustrating things that I can't do much about other than to steer clear of neighborhoods known from personal experience are smoke pits. In any case, 2 hours post-race and my chest killing me!

That one annoyance aside, I ended up finishing in 18:16, suprisingly 2 seconds faster than the 5K 4 months ago! Now if I actually start training for a 5K, maybe I can get down below 18 minutes again...

My son ran his very first full 5K race in 24:27, sub-8 minute pace. He was hampered by side cramps and walked sections of the race...I think this kid has the potential to run me into the ground in a few years.

Now, time for a beer.

Ran Over Two Hours Yesterday Without Carrying Water...Don't Try This at Home

Yesterday morning I was up at 6:30 a.m. and decided to take my camera with me for an adventure run. It was still kind of cool out so I decided to down a bottle of water before the run thinking I would be out no more than an hour and a half. I don't like carrying water if I don't have to, especially when I'm holding a camera.

I decided to head down Sycamore Canyon and see where the Blue Canyon Trail would take me. Usually when I run down Sycamore Canyon I do a straight shot down to the beach. I don't get out enough to the great trails in the Boney Mountain State Wilderness area in Pt Mugu State Park and I'd never run the Blue Canyon Trail, part of the Backbone Trail, all the way through.

Blue Canyon Trail entry point adjacent to Danielson Multi-Use AreaTo get to the Blue Canyon Trail, you run the entire paved section of Big Sycamore Canyon Road to the Danielson Multi-Use Area in Malibu. Instead of heading down to PCH, you veer left. You can't miss it. It's where there's a house. I've always assumed a park ranger lives in that house but don't know for sure.

Danielson Multi-Use Area includes picnic tables and plenty of shade.About .8 mile takes you to a juncture where you can veer left up the Old Boney Trail, which gets you to the Danielson Monument. I continued

Juncture of Blue Canyon Trail/Backbone Trail with Old Boney TrailMoving on, you are treated to outstanding canyon views and views of the Tri Peaks above.

Another mile of twists and turns through single track trails gets you the Chamberlain Trail junction, which is also part of the Backbone Trail system.

This trail is tantalizing with its panoramic views to the ocean, the Oxnard Plain and Conejo Valley.

The Chamberlain Trail takes you up to the highest peaks in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Tri Peaks including Boney Peak and Sandstone Peak (the other one I don't know the name of), but alas, I had no water and was over an hour into my run...and my mouth was getting a bit dry.

So sadly, I turned around and headed back to civilization. There was not a soul to be found on these trails other than me. What a great place to run and explore. Total elapsed time of my waterless run was 2 hours, excluding the 5 minutes of stops to snap photos.

On a side note, I ran into a couple friends as I approached the Blue Canyon Trail trailhead. These deer were very large. I slowed to a halt but they weren't up to the task of smiling and saying "cheese" to me.

Nike "Find Your Greatness" Commercial: We Are All Capable of Greatness

Greatness. It's just something we made up.
Somehow we've come to believe that greatness is a gift, reserved for a chosen few.
For prodigies,
For superstars,
And the rest of us can only stand by watching.
You can forget that.
Greatness is not some rare DNA strand.
It's not some precious thing.
Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing.
We're all capable of it.
All of us.

I was intrigued by this Nike "Find Your Greatness" commercial the first time. Watched it again and again and just love it. Touching. The image of this kid out there all alone, making it happen. So I just had to post here and share, along with the the script that accompanies the footage.

Highlights and Lowlights of 2012 and My Cumulative Lifetime Mileage Update

Since my training is directionless right now as I have no particular race plans set for 2013, why not talk about my 2012.

Last year had the makings for a comeback year after a 2011 that was lacking a marathon performance due to encountering a detached retina. But a follow-up procedure in early February 2012 led to what is probably my most consecutive days without running in 20 years...39 days.

Thirty-nine consecutive days off can do a number to one's fitness level, so I made sure not to go back at the running too quickly. It took me nearly 4 weeks to get back to an 8 mile run, and about 2 months to achieve my first double digit run.

Even with all those days off and slow but steady comeback, I managed to run 1,885 miles in 2012, taking me to a cumulative lifetime odometer reading of 48,800 miles. Might be time to change my transmission fluid and air filters. Although 1,885 is my lowest annual total since 2006, when I ran 1,789 miles and zero marathons, I was pleased to achieve it.

While my only marathon of the year was one of my lousiest ever, at least I had an "excuse" of a left calf issue that impacted my training in the final weeks pre-marathon. My training had been pretty decent prior to that.

Nice little highlight was a decent showing in a low-key local 5K race in Camarillo.I was pleased to run a 1:23:51 half marathon a month prior to the full marathon, and a decent 5K a month prior to that. Having not raced much over the last several years, I underestimated the impact of that half marathon on my body and decided to go long a week later. Big mistake. My body needed a recovery weekend. My calf strain halfway into a 20 miler led to another personal record in 2012...most miles walking/limping on a long run. Lousy!

So let's see what 2013 has in store. I'm keeping my expectations low for the time being!

New Year, Training, The Flu and The Camarillo Marathon

After some low key time over the holidays, I had a couple decent weekends of running in the new year. Unfortunately, it is 2 steps forward, 1 step back for me as I enter my 4th day of battling/recovering from a nasty flu. Sadly, the day I planned to get my flu shot the CVS store was out. Four days later it was back, but I got busy and didn't make it over there. A week passes by and I planned NEXT DAY to get my vaccination, but somehow I got nailed by it. I believe the culprit was at work. Arrghh.

The 3rd Camarillo Marathon took place on Sunday, January 6th. The Camarillo Marathon is currently the only marathon that is run entirely within Ventura County. The inaugural Camarillo Marathon in October 2010 had some serious shortcomings but over the last several years the race director seems determined to fix the issues.

This year the race was changed to a flat, 2 loop course, which makes logistics a lot easier for things like porta-potties, water stops, etc. According to Athlinks.com, there were only 94 finishers at this year's race, including 64 men and 30 women. That's about as small as they get. But the winning time of 2:40 by 42 year old Van McCarty was pretty impressive, especially considering he is a master's runner running completely alone, his nearest competitor 13 minutes behind at the finish. This was no fluke for Van, having won the much larger San Luis Obispo Marathon last April in 2:38.

Back to Camarillo, there were also 203 finishers in the half marathon and 72 in the 5K. The 96 marathon finishers oddly was exactly the same number that finished the 2012 event, although the average finishing time dropped from 4:44 to 4:27. That's a step in the right direction.

The 4th Annual Camarillo Marathon is planned for January 5, 2014. www.camarillomarathon.com

Conejo Valley Trail Runners is a New Local Area Running Group Kicking Off 1/13/13

Conejo Valley Trail Runners (CVTR) is a new local trail running club that will be hosting two weekly trail runs in the Conejo Valley and surrounding areas on Wednesday mornings and alternating Saturday and Sunday mornings.

CVTR invites everyone to join them on Sunday, January 13th at 7:30am Wildwood Park. We will be running 6 of the 17 miles offered in Wildwood Park...leaving runners wanting more. We simply ask folks to arrive a few minutes early to sign a waiver. CVTR founding members will be available after the run to answer any questions regarding membership fees and benefits. To learn more, click here.

Advice to Someone Looking to Run Their First Full Marathon in Less Than 2 Months

Crystal posted the following comment to another post covering marathon training tips: 

I'm running my first marathon ever, the full 26.2
I have less than 2 months to train for it.
I'm active but had a baby, and a few surgeries this past year...
All I need is someone to tell me I can do it. In such a small amount of time.

Well, Crystal, the quick and dirty answer to your comment is YES, you can COMPLETE the full 26.2 marathon in less than 2 months. Barring injury or illness, anyone can cover the full 26.2 mile distance in my opinion. But "how" you complete the full marathon is the real question.

Someone walking at a casual pace of 3 MPH can complete a full marathon, but it'll take you close to 9 hours to do it. I think most people can walk at that pace and cover close to the 26.2 mile distance without much training.

But for Crystal, I'm assuming that she has some running base on her, say 10 to 20 miles per week. Maybe her long run is 6 to 8 miles. With 2 months to go, I can see her possibly increasing her long run distance by 2 miles every other weekend, getting her theoretically up to 14 to 16 miles in 2 months.

I think 13 miles would even be enough. Here's a story from a previous post relating to someone that I helped to convince could run his first marathon 20 years ago:

I remember it well.  Barack (not his real name...but I do know of one Barack) started his marathon training at probably 240 lbs at a height of 6'.  Most of that weight was in Barack's belly.  Barack was a busy executive who didn't have a lot of time to train, but he took it seriously.  However, 2 months before the 1996 Los Angeles Marathon, he confided to me that his longest run was only 10 miles.

Barack was determined to run his first marathon.  I told him that if he could ramp up his long run to at least 13 miles (half the marathon distance), I think he could slog through the whole marathon.  I could have taken a harder stance and told him to do at least 16 miles, but I knew that wasn't possible for him at that point.  He would probably injure himself.  He needed the mental encouragement more than anything.  He could finish the marathon indeed...but he may have to walk/jog a good portion of it.

Sure enough, 2 months later Barack was ecstatic.  He finished his first marathon.  He was thrilled to earn that medal on his neck.  It took him 6 hours or so to finish the race, but he did it.  I don't think his peak mileage was more than 25 miles.

26.2 Tips to Run Your First Marathon

Local Area Trail Races in Ventura County and Surrounding Areas

Pre-Race at the Bulldog 25K Trail Race at Malibu Creek State Park in August 2012

We're quickly approaching another new year so it's a great time to start planning your 2013 race schedule. If you don't usually run trails and trail races, think about trying it out! Dirt surfaces are a lot easier on your body than the roads and its a lot of fun getting out there in nature! The "feel" of trail runs to me generally feels more relaxed than road runs too.

Local Ventura County area trail runs in 2012 included the races below. We will provide 2013 updates in the CVG Upcoming Races section.

SOME OFFROAD RACES THAT TOOK PLACE IN 2012

Sun, Jan 8th: Xterra Boney Mountain Trail Run 21K and 5K in Newbury Park

Sun, Feb 19th: 4th Annual Bandit Trail Run 50K/30K/15K/6K in Simi Valley

Sat, Mar 3rd: 5th Annual Malibu Creek 10K/25K/50K Trail Runs in Calabasas

Sat, Mar 24th: 27th Annual Great Race of Agoura Half Marathon

Sat, May 12th: Sycamore Canyon Trail Run 8K, 18K, 30K, 50K

Sat, Aug 25th: Bulldog 50K/25K Trail Runs at Malibu Creek State Park

Sun, Sep 16th: Camarillo Offroad 5K and Free Kids' 1K

Sat, Sep 22nd: 7th Annual Malibu Canyon Dirt Dash 5K/10K and 5K Mud Run

Sun, Oct 7th: Ventura Offroad 5K

Sun, Oct 14th: XTERRA Point Mugu Trail Run in Malibu/Oxnard

Sun, Oct 28th: 35th Annual Lasse Viren 20K Trail Run in Malibu/Sycamore Canyon

Sun, Nov 4th: 8th Annual SOAR Run Through the Orchards 5K/10K in Moorpark

Sat, Dec 8: RideOn Therapeutic Horsemanship Trailfest 1K/5K in Agoura Hills

What Have I Been Doing Since Running a Marathon Four Weeks Ago?

The Malibu Marathon was exactly four weeks ago and my training has not been focused on any particular goal. And that is a good thing, as I could use a physical and mental break.

Candy grabbing with the kids this holiday season. Darn you, WalMartI've been asked a number of times what my next race is. My answer: I dunno...yet. Gotta get my head back in the game, and that may not happen until the new year. Just too tired to think about it at this point. I was hoping for a more solid marathon performance (for me) that would propel me towards a Spring 2013 marathon. But since that didn't happen, I'm in "wait and see" mode.

The good news is that I feel I'm pretty much over all my nagging little injuries...calf strain that messed with my final marathon preparation...and nagging knees. Now I'm running just fine, but tired. Physically tired due to inadequate sleep. But I'm running and happy about that!

Here's what I've done running-wise since the marathon. Warning, this is quite uninteresting.

11/11: Ran marathon

11/12: Rest day

11/13: Walked 1.5 miles

11/14: Walk/jogged 2.5 miles

11/15: Ran 3.5 slow miles

11/16: Ran 4.5 slow miles

11/17: Ran 5.5 slow miles

11/18: Ran 6.5 slow miles

11/19: Ran 5.5 miles

11/20: Ran 6.5 miles

11/21: Ran 7 miles

11/22 (Thanksgiving): Ran 4 miles

11/23: Ran 5.5 miles

11/24: Ran 5 miles

11/25: Ran 5.5 miles

11/26: Ran 4.5 miles

11/27: Ran 4 miles

11/28: Ran 4.5 miles

11/29: Ran 3 miles

11/30: Ran 5 miles

12/1: Ran 8 miles

12/2: Ran 4 miles

12/3: Ran 2 miles

12/4: Ran 4.5 miles

12/5: Ran 5.5 miles

12/6: Ran 5.5 miles

12/7: Ran 5.5 miles

12/8: Ran 6 miles

12/9: Ran 8 miles

So after 3 days of no running, a total of 133 miles down the hatch since marathon day. This holding pattern will probably continue through December...

Interview with John Fedoroff of Thousand Oaks, Winner of 2012 Malibu Marathon

John Fedoroff of Thousand Oaks demolished the course record at the 4th Annual Malibu Marathon on Sunday, November 11th. His finishing time of 2 hours, 37 minutes placed him nearly 12 minutes before the 2nd place finisher and was almost 5 minutes faster than the previous course record.

I met John several years ago at The Oaks Mile in Thousand Oaks and was impressed by his speed. In 2011 he ran the Boston Marathon in a personal best time of 2:34:45. He had trained to run the New York Marathon on November 4th but the race was cancelled on the 2nd as a result of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

John is married, has 4 kids and at age 43 is running like he is in his twenties. I figured, why not ask him about his training as perhaps we can all benefit from whatever he's doing!

1. How do you feel about your performance at the Malibu Marathon? Were you happy with your time, given the challenging course?

I ran about what I expected I was capable of running. I didn't think the course was that challenging compared to what I was expecting in New York which would have been over 2x the elevation gain. The hills toward the end of the race were a bit challenging, but I was expecting them so I made sure I had enough left in the tank to finish well.

2. Were you expecting to win the race? At what point did you know you were going to win? Was there any point in the race where you felt any self doubt?

A couple of days before the race, I spoke with Blue Benadum (the Malibu Marathon race director who placed third in the Santa Barbara Marathon the day before in an impressive 2:28) who warned me that I would probably be running by myself. I wasn't necessarily looking forward to running by myself, but I just thought of it as a training run with aid stations. My goals were to win the race, run a course record and try to run as close to six-minute pace as possible. 

There was a point at about mile five where I thought I might not be able to finish because my hamstring started acting up. I thought, "Oh no, this would be embarrassing--dropping out of a marathon at mile six," but I was able to relax just a bit and the pain went away. Half the battle, as you well know, is getting to the start of the marathon in one piece.

I had several setbacks during the final weeks of this marathon build up. It started with a groin strain during a 20-miler I ran the day after running a cross country race with the kids I help coach. I learned it's not a good idea to run 20-milers the day after a race. As soon as I started getting over the injury I ended up catching a cold which set me back another couple of days. As soon as I was well enough to run I went out with the kids on a 10-miler and got hit by a car! I had to take a few days off of running to allow my knee to heal.

As soon as I was ready to get back to the marathon training I went out and bought some racing flats to try out on a 15-mile marathon pace run. The problem was that the shoes were a bit too small and I developed blisters on the ends of my big toes. Unfortunately, I developed a strep infection and had to take two different antibiotics to get over the infection and I had to have my toenails removed.

Thankfully, I still had about two weeks before the NYC Marathon so my toes had time to heal. After all of the travel to New York I returned home feeling exhausted, but still wanted to run a marathon so I decided to run one last tempo run. Unfortunately, I didn't warm up properly and felt a strain in my hamstring which took several days to recover from. As any master's runner knows, running at this age is mostly about managing injuries.

[Editor's Note: HOLY %^&*!! And I thought I had a lot of setbacks in my training! Wow!]

3. The marathon started over half an hour late this year. What goes through your mind when this happens and how do you deal with a change in plans like this, both mentally and physically?

I figured it would start late having read that it started late last year. I heard they were waiting for a bus to arrive from Santa Monica. When it comes to punctuality I do not have a very good track record, in fact I'm one of the worst. I joke around with my family that we should change our last name to Feder-late-than-never! I just kept doing my warmups and tried to stay warm. Also, I was happy that I had the chance to use the bathroom one last time.

4. Speaking of change in plans, where were you when Mayor Bloomberg cancelled the 2012 New York Marathon on Friday, November 2nd, what went through your mind, and how did you end up choosing Malibu?

I was in a toy store in Montclair, New Jersey with my family when I received a call from my friend telling me about the marathon being cancelled. It was a hard thing to hear and at first I didn't want to believe it was true. So much time and effort--not to mention the travel expense--goes into preparing for a marathon that it makes it hard to think about things rationally. My thinking was that since they ran the marathon after 9/11 that they would run this year as well. However, it was just too soon for a lot of people. It was a sad time to be in New York and we returned home sooner than we had planned. I still wanted to run a marathon, but found that all of the big races had filled up. After all of the travel I felt it was best to run a local race. I couldn't run Santa Barbara because of a conflict with high school cross country CIF prelims at Mt. SAC, so I decided to contact Blue to see if he could get me into Malibu.

5. You ran a fantastic time at Malibu. Can you give us mortals some training advice...how about the most important things you did in your training?

I try to follow the Jack Daniels approach to running which breaks up training into four phases. The first is the Foundation/Injury-Prevention (F/I) phase where you just build up your miles by running easy. The second phase, called Early Quality (EQ), involves short repetitions (200s/400s) at mile race pace with long rest to work on running economy. The third phase called Transition Quality (TQ) is the most difficult phase where you run longer intervals (1000s/1200s) at 5K race pace with equal rest based on time. Lastly, there's the Final Quality (FQ) phase which focuses on race-specific workouts which for marathon training involve a lot of tempo runs and marathon pace workouts. I try to get my miles up to about 70-80 miles per week during the F/I phase so that my body can handle the more demanding phases to come. Daniels says that it's important to know what the purpose is for every run. Before I read his book, Jack Daniels' Running Formula, I really didn't understand how to prepare for a marathon other than just go out and run. I don't always follow the plan exactly because of injuries or other interruptions, but I know how to get in the necessary work so that when I step on the line I am confident that I can run my goal pace for 26 miles. Probably, the most important aspect of marathon training can be distilled down to just one word...consistency.

6. Some specific training questions: What is your peak weekly mileage, how many long runs did you do prior to the marathon, do you do any speedwork, how often do you take rest days and how long was your taper for the marathon?

For this marathon build-up I think I got up to 90 miles once, but I usually just try to hit 70 miles per week. I always hope to do more, but injuries, etc. seem to get in the way. I got in about six long runs ranging from 16-20 miles in the final three months leading up to the race. I definitely try to get in speed work in preparation for the marathon. If you want to run fast you need to run faster than marathon pace in your workouts. It's not always fun especially when you are training by yourself, but if you can workout with some runners that are close to your ability it's much easier to finish the workouts. A typical week consists of a long run on Sunday followed by two or three rest days then an interval workout followed by another two or three easy days and then a long tempo or marathon pace workout. I'm not a big fan of the long taper because my immune system lets down when I back off the training, so I usually just taper for one week. However, I was forced to taper two weeks due to the cancellation of the NYC Marathon. I actually felt like I was ready for a faster race on less rest a week before Malibu.

7. You are a self-employed graphic artist with a wife and 4 kids - how do you balance your training with work and family?

The short answer would be I don't--if you have figured it out please let me know! Unfortunately, all of these other areas in my life take a hit because of my obsession with running and yet, running has helped keep my life moving forward. I can get down sometimes when the business isn't going well or a family relationship is strained, however the very act of just putting one foot in front of the other keeps up the forward momentum.

One of my favorite verses from the Bible is found in Philippians which says, "…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Probably the best thing that has come out of running is that it can be an inspiration to others.

My wife, Adriana has been running for about a year now. Also, our daughter Bella started running cross country at Oaks Christian High School this past season and made some really good friends along the way. Our oldest son, Nathan just finished his first season of cross country with the Newbury Park youth cross country team. He's really gotten into running this past year. For example, he had an assignment in his 5th grade class to write a famous person and he chose one of America's greatest marathoners. He was so excited when he received a handwritten full-page letter from Ryan Hall a couple of weeks later. Lastly, our boy Xander said the "R" in his name stands for "Runner" in a recent school project (hey, it's a start!) and our youngest boy, Christian considers himself the fastest runner in the family because he's beaten me in a couple of "races" down our street.

Thank you so much, John, for sharing such great advice and inspiration! I think any runner will find your advice quite useful. Keep us posted on your next big race!

2012 Malibu Marathon Yesterday Was My 30th Marathon

It was "one of those days" for me yesterday as I completed my 30th marathon at Zuma Beach in Malibu. The best part of the day was crossing that finish line!

My official time was 3 hours, 17 minutes and 53 seconds, or about 18 minutes short of where I wanted to be. But, as Mick Jagger would say, you can't always get what you want! But I tried hard enough to get what I needed...which in this case was simply a finisher's medal.

My strategy this race was to let everyone take off and battle it out, while maintaining a nice, easy 6:45 per mile pace.

I digress. I had set the alarm on my watch for 5:20 a.m. At 5:30 a.m. I awoke not to the sound of my watch alarm, but the sound of my wife flushing the toilet. Surprised, I looked at my watch and realized it said 5:30 p.m. DOH! Luckily there was plenty of time. (I guess I have my wife's overactive bladder to "thank" for getting me to the start of this race....shh, don't tell her I said that.)

Wish my wife's bladder had gone off at 6 a.m. in hindsight. The marathon was supposed to start at 7 a.m., but one of the busses was late, so it didn't start until 7:35 a.m. - I hate when that happens.

After the excrutiatingly longest (yet very well done) rendition of the national anthem I've ever heard, the race FINALLY started. I didn't see the first 3 mile markers but I felt as was going easy enough. But when I reached mile 4 I discovered I was at a 6:30 pace. By miles 7 to 10 I was feeling dried out. Mile 5-ish there were boxes of water and a table off to the side of a road, but no people to hand them out. Not good. Kind of like seeing a mirage in the desert.

I guess maybe I didn't hydrate enough in the morning because I was completely partched by mile 7. Up ahead I saw a port-a-john and some people. All right, water, I thought. Nope, just some people cheering. Oh well, just wasn't my day. But thankfully a buddy of mine handed me some Gatorade later on.

My body just wasn't up for the sub-3 hour challenge yesterday. Biomechanically, my lower legs were not up to the task. My feet hurt and my calves ached, and I was getting that "twinge" in my left calf that forced me to walk home on a long run 2 weeks ago. I had to play it safe and run flat footed most of the last 8 miles of the race. With one pit stop and 5 or 6 walk breaks, I pushed through the finish line in 3:17. That still got me 22nd overall out of 658 finishers.

This was my 30th marathon and 2nd slowest ever. The only time I ran slower was in 2002 at the Sunburst Marathon in Indiana, where after taking a wrong turn with other runners, I backtracked, injured myself and walked to the finish in 3:30. That said, I still was really happy to finish yesterday. Just "one of those days" indeed!

There's no doubt in my mind that I could run a sub-3 marathon with my recent 1:24 half marathon time. Self diagnosis tells me that my body had not recovered from the half marathon (3 weeks ago) followed by the long run the weekend after.  And that was preceded by a 5K, 2 long runs, another 5K, 3 long runs and a 25K race, in reverse order. My calves were screaming for relief after the half marathon and I ignored them, choosing to "squeeze in" one last long run, where my strained calf made it clear that my body needed more recovery, not more mileage.

Enough about ME already! John Fedoroff of our own Thousand Oaks demolished the course record in 2 hours, 37 minutes! To my knowledge he's the only person that has run sub-2:40 on this course! John had planned to run the New York Marathon that was cancelled after Hurricane Sandy hit.  John previously ran a 2:34 at the 2011 Boston Marathon.

Only 6 runners managed to dip below 3 hours yesterday, telling of the challenging nature of the course. Benjamin Atkins of Westlake Village was 4th place overall in 2:53. Steve Smith of Newbury Park, top finisher in the 50+ age category, came in 10th overall in 3:07:56. Nice job!

And getting back to me again to finish this out...the good thing about this marathon for me, other than finishing, is that I'm only moderately sore today. That means quicker recovery and time to start pondering my next running adventure!

Three Days Until Yet Another Marathon

Hard to fathom that I am 3 days away from yet another marathon, my first marathon in nearly 2 years. It took 4 complete days off and a week of light running to get me here, but it appears the sharp pain in my left calf that ended my plans for a final 18 miler on October 28th is final gone.

The timing of that injury I guess was not such a bad thing. It literally forced me to take it easy, with 2 weeks remaining before a planned marathon. I guess having 5 17+ milers between September 2 and October 5, followed by a 5K on October 14 (as well as September 23) and half marathon on October 21, was reasonable training. I didn't exactly blow the doors off with my buildup, but I've set myself moderate expectations for this Sunday.

My goal is anything below 3 hours. If I average 6:50 pace for the entire race, I can do it. Given my middle-of-the-road training, I am DETERMINED this time not to go out too fast. The first 18 miles of the course are pretty flat/downhill. With fairly cool temperatures expected over the weekend, I'm hoping I can average about 6:45 pace up to mile 18. That would get me to mile 18 in 2:01:50. I could then target no slower than 7:00 pace over the final 8.2 miles to achieve my goal.

Malibu Marathon Elevation ChartIf it doesn't work out, no big deal. I'll be happy enough to finish this one in one piece after what I've been through the last few years. I just need to run smart and not worry about others around me.

I ran this course 2 years ago on a hot day and after training that was severely impacted by colds and  bronchitis. My time that year was 3:05 but I was generally faster then, able to run a 5K in the 17:30 range. Now I'm running closer to 18:15 in the 5K.

I'm o.k. if I give it my best shot and can't get my time goal, but run a solid race. I'll be bummed out if I pull up lame with an injury. Crossing my fingers...