Offline for Another Month With a Follow-Up Eye Surgery

Well due to complications resulting from my retinal detachment surgery last Fall, I'm back in the surgery seat tomorrow. Yes, quite depressing. Just when my training was starting to feel good, I'll be away from running for about a month, starting tomorrow.

But the good news is that with all this rest, and hopefully an eye that has regained some of the vision lost due to macular/retinal issues, I'll be back at it with renewed energy. With rest "forced" upon me, my body will go into hibernation mode I suppose.

Yes, I'm still signed up for the Boston Marathon on April 16th but with a month of quality training time removed from my schedule at the peak of my training, I will likely be bailing out from the race :<

There's always next year...

2012 Marathon Trials Winner Meb Keflezighi is Motivational For a Number of Reasons

Before I get to that, a brief update on me. Boston Marathon is less than 3 months away and until I hear about my "next steps" for my lousy 20/70 vision in my right eye. If I hear that surgery is viable to correct the vision, that will sidetrack my training. In the meantime, last Saturday I was able to comfortable boost my long run to 12.5 miles in 1 hour, 35 minutes. If the rain is pouring too hard tomorrow morning, I'm hoping to run another 15 minutes longer.

So last Saturday was the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, where, the top runners around the country who met qualifying time standard competed for 3 slots to the Olympics. The men's "A" standard (and thus receives funding support to the trials) was a 2:19 marathon, 1:05 half marathon or 28:30 10,000 meters on the track. The women's "A" standard was a 2:39 marathon or a "B" standard of 2:46 full, 1:15 half or 33:00 10,000 meters. I'm happy to say that back in the day I met all the women's standards...though unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on how you look at it) I'm not a woman.

So in a nutshell, naturalized U.S. citizen Meb Keflezighi, won the Men's Olympic Trials in a personal best time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 8 seconds, with favorite Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman rounding out the top 3. Notably, the top 2 are both California residents (Mammoth Lakes).

At age 36, he's the oldest winner of the Marathon Olympic Trials after an injury slowed him down at the 2008 trials. In 2004 Meb won the silver medal in the Olympics, the first U.S. male medal winner in the marathon since Frank Shorter in the 1970s.

Perhaps though, this is what inspired and impressed me the most with his recent performance. Only 68 days prior to Saturday, Meb finished 6th place in the New York City Marathon. But he did something really lame that day. Something I can relate to. He accidently ran with a Breath Right nasal strip in his left shoe. And it messed up the ball of his foot so badly that he got an infection. As a result, he had to take extra time off to heal.

Yes, this world class runner made a rookie mistake that I can relate to! Like the day I stupidly ran 45 minutes in "barefoot" running shoes in my first attempt. Even the best of the best make boo boos. This is really motivating! We're all human and we all make mistakes! But we move on!

Congratulations all trials winners! The women's top 3 that are going to the Olympics are Shalane Flanagan (2:25:38), Desiree Davila (2:25:55) and Kara Goucher (2:26:06). Agoura High alumnus and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist and U.S. marathon record holder (2:19:36) Deena Kastor finished 6th in 2:30:40. Not bad for a 38 year old who became a mother just 10 months ago!!

Time, Training and Tenaciousness Tames the Training Tiger

This past Saturday I ran a hilly 11 miles and change in 1 hour, 24 minutes. This was my longest run since my first detached retina surgery on September 15th. A comeback milestone while I decide if I will run the Boston Marathon in April.

What was most satisfying about this run is that it felt effortless. The weather was agreeable as I stepped out the door around 8 a.m. Not particularly prepared for a longish run, I had a few glasses off sweet tea and brought no liquid with me. But I was perfectly fine.

Dogged by tight hamstrings since and sluggishness since getting back into running 2 month ago, as has been the case in previous layoffs, suddenly, out of the blue, my body kicked back into gear. No explanation, no rhyme or reason.

But maybe there are some reasons for this. Perhaps it is my knowledge and experience from nearly 19 years of running that it was only a matter of time. The passage of time, the consistency of my training and the tenaciousness in my mind that I would keep the faith in my comeback.

As with anything in life, success is not easy to achieve. It takes effort.

In any case, the next day, Sunday (yesterday), was the 2nd Annual Camarillo Marathon. The first running of the event on October 3, 2010 was dogged with problems, including a lack of fluids and port-a-johns on the course. The 2nd annual event was originally planned for last October but scheduling issues ensued. The marathon race results this year showed 96 finishers; about a 40% drop from the prior year. That didn't stop 27 year old Peter Ellis of Issaquah, Washington from blowing away the field in 2 hours, 45 minutes, a full half an hour before the next finisher.

Next year's Camarillo Marathon is planned for January 6, 2013. Something to consider, if you like flat, low key marathons.

Predicting Your Anticipated Marathon Time Based on Other Races

Have been running regularly through the holidays, though nothing too long, speedy or intense. Generally 30 to 45 minutes per day. Would love to kick it up a few notches but the holidays and year-end crazyness make that a challenge.

After a visit to the eye doctor the other week, my spring marathon plans may be a bit up in the air. Since the vision in the right eye is terrible and not correctable with lenses, I will be doing another eye surgery next year, quite possible in the January/February time frame. If I can get my running mojo back and ramp up to 20 milers by late January, it's possible to run a decent marathon.

Speaking of marathoning, a topic of interest to most marathoners is how to predict your marathon time based on your times in other distances. Over the years I've used rules of thumb to predict my time, such as multiplying my 10K time by 4.7 and multiplying my half marathon time by 2.1. The resulting total is my predicted marathon time, assuming I've done sufficient long distance training.

To use these formulas, you have to convert from hour/minute format to total minutes in decimal format, then after doing the calculation convert the resulting number back into hours/minutes.

For example: If I've recently run a 38 minute, 25 second 10K, to predict my marathon time, first I convert the 38:25 into decimal format. To convert 25 seconds into minutes, divide it by 60 seconds and the result is .42. Then add .42 back to 38 and you get 38.42. Multiply 38.42 by 4.7 and your marathon time is 180.57 minutes.  Now time to convert .57 back into seconds by multiplying by 60. That equals 34 seconds. Add that back to 180 and you're running a 180 minute (3 hour), 34 second marathon.

OK, that's a bit technical, so I have a better solution. Visit www.mcmillanrunning.com/index.php/site/calculator and try the great running calculator that calculates all sorts of projected race times based on a range of actual times. Typing in a 38:25 10K into this calculator generates a predicted marathon time of 3 hours, 17 seconds.  Pretty darn close to the rule of thumb.

Check it out! It's simple, quick and great!

Ran 14 Miles This Weekend...Most I've Run in 4 Months

Perfect weekend to run...temperatures in the 60s, no wind, no rain. So I ran. Not too hard, but I got out there. Six and a half miles on Saturday, 8 miles today. My hamstrings are tight and my rump is sore, but I"m surviving.

I looked back and this is the most I've run in one weekend since the weekend of September 10-11, the weekend prior to my detached retina surgery.

Something I'm learning more and more with age is that my body needs more time to recuperate from runs. When I was younger, I could force the issue and run hard day in , day out. Not so these days. Old habits are hard to break though...

Running a Local Turkey Trot While Still Feeling Sub-Par

Seems that as I age, I'm "off" more days than I'm on. After my 45 day hiatus I started back up with running. Then all of 18 days later I'm back with what's become my standard early winter cold.

I'm always wondering what I can possibly due to eliminate this issue of catching colds when those around me are sick. Sometimes it just feels impossible. A co-worker had been sick for several weeks and while I steered pretty clear of her, her office is next to mine and many of the documents she touches come to me. So while I diligently washed my hands as much as I could, there was only so much I could do.

Then of course my wife was sick for several weeks. Hard to stay away from her :>

November 14th was my opthamologist visit to check out the eye with the no-longer-detached-retina. The first words out of his mouth as I sat face to face, just a foot away from him, was "I just got over a cold that knocked me out all weekend." CRAP I'm thinking. There's absolutely no way out of this situation. He's literally touching my eye and placing drops in it and I'm thinking, I'm screwed. Sure enough 3 days later the storm in my sinuses and throat came.

T-shirts like this never get worn by yours truly. This color just doesn' do it for me.In any case, the cold made it (as usual) into my lungs and I'm coughing up stuff in large chunks in shapes like Maine, New York and Massachusetts every morning and my chest hurts from all the hacking. And a week later was Thanksgiving and we had no out of town plans, so I figure, why not go run the local Turkey Trot at The Oaks mall.

The race got off to a nasty start for me. With only 20/70 vision in my right eye (more on this situation in a future post), my depth perception is in bad shape and I didn't see the bump in the road 10 steps into the race serves as a walkway towards the mall. After nearly falling flat on my face, both hamstrings immediately were sore. It was bizarre, like they decided to go on strike. They weren't sore before that. All I could think of is that my body simply was telling me it wasn't ready to be speedy again, 25 days into running again and 11 days since my first 5K since coming back.

But this was a "fun run" for me and I kept on running. While running isn't so fun for me when my hams are sore and my chest is full of yucky stuff, I continued onwards to at least break under 20 minutes, several minutes slower than my "typical" 5K time. But hey, I'm still glad I did it.

Tonight, December 1st, I'm still coughing to some degree and have a little bit of stuff left in my chest, but I feel good enough to have my first glass of red wine for about 3 weeks. Yay!

I see Conejo Valley Guide on the back of this shirt. :>

Feeling Under the Weather While Running in Wet Weather

With my wife battling a cold for the last 10 days and a co-worker bring a cold to the office, I kept a positive mental attitude, proactively loaded up on vitamin C and washed my hands all the time to steer clear of catching something myself.

It was a galiant effort. But it got me. Finally. Dammit.

While I did my best to heed off the cold, probably what did me in was insufficient sleep. Hey, I like writing and sharing information, but it does keep me up later than what my bedtime should be.

But I continue to do my best, running through a head cold. Helps me clear out my system. But yesterday it was pouring rain most of the day and I didn't stay out too long.

This brings me to running ware in the rain. It is so infrequent that I run in the rain that, while I know what I should be doing, I usually am not prepared to do it. I wore 2 layers of cotton and it was raining on me. Within 15 minutes the shirts were soaked. Not a good thing as those wet, heavy shirts can do quite a bit of chafing on the chest. Luckily, I didn't run long and I escaped the dreaded shredded nips.

Layering is good. In the colder winter months I layer my tops and often take the outer layer off during the run. But in the rain, the outer layer should repel the water. If you anticipate taking off the outer layer, the inner layer should too. A "technical" shirt made out of non-manmade materials is the way to go. If you are running in strong rain, placing protection, like a bandaid, over the nips, is not a bad idea.

I survived that run. This morning I woke up and it felt like a bus hit me. My sinuses are clogged. But I got out there anyway for 35 minutes. Felt terrible most of the run.

Ah yes, the joys of winter running when sick. The toils of a marathoner.

Coming Full Circle in the 5K - What 45 Days Off Does to Your Aerobic Capacity

So on Halloween I was given clearance to start aerobic activity again after a 45 day hiatus due to multiple eye surgeries. 45 days off from running is by far the longest I haven't run since the beginning of my running endeavors in 1993.

While it sure felt great to get out there again, I knew regaining my aerobic conditioning would not be easy.

As mentioned in previous blog posts, I was signed up to run the Malibu Marathon that took place yesterday, but obviously had to bail out due to my eye surgeries. However, I had forgotten that many, many months ago, last March to be exact, I had signed up to run the Calabasas Classic 5K. Yes indeed, I was signed up to do 2 races in 1 day. Kind of lame of me, but hey, I wanted to get the early bird discount way back when.

The Calabasas Classic 5K/10K is one of the biggest local races, with over 2,000 participants in the 2 races (split about 75% 5K and 25% 10K). It is a well orchestrated event and the goodie bag alone, with a nice "technical" shirt and other items, is worth the cost of entry. Not to mention, the medal you see to the right is given to all finishers. What a neat gesture, as people love getting great swag and momentos at local races!

So since I had already paid to run the 5K, I decided, what the heck, it would be fun to actually run the race.

Mind you, I had only been back running for 12 days since my doctor's blessings. Without a day off in those 12 days and Friday/Saturday my legs were pretty darn stiff and non-responsive. While I had felt pretty good the first week back to running, my body was starting to rebel a bit.

So race day, I had very low expectations. I was running to have fun and test myself, not compete. That was certainly the way the race went.

The gun went off at 8 a.m. My legs actually felt o.k., slightly better than the prior 2 days, and my breathing wasn't labored or anything. While I couldn't run "fast" by my standards, I had situated myself in a spot where I was stuck behind slower runners at the start of the race. This allowed me the mental enjoyment of passing dozens and dozens of runners the first mile of the race.

But after the first mile, that was pretty much it. While my legs were moving, I simply was not able to run "fast" (again by my own standards). About a year ago I ran a 17:30 5K in Camarillo without any speed training. Yesterday I had absolutely no gears and ran a 20:11, effectively the slowest 5K I've ever run (my first ever 5K was 19:42). But hey, it got me 45th place overall out of 1,500 participants. Gotta look at the positive side. And 4th in my age group.

NO REGRETS! Given everything I've been through, I was perfectly happy with my time. Heck, that was a 6:31 per mile pace, 11 days and no rest after 2 major eye surgeries and 45 days of zippo running.

Still, I was a little bit exasperated, trying to run down 2 kids, ages 11 and 13 (according to the results) that were directly in front of me. Heck, add them up and double it and I'm still older than them. I'm gonna run down those kids down next time :> (loved seeing those kids doing so well out there).

After the race my chest was so tight and sore I though I might get a stroke or something. But not to worry, my lungs were simply not used to sucking down all that air so quickly. My aerobic capacity had taken a beating and was in shock I think. Within an hour I was back to feeling fine.

The morning after the race most of my lower body was sore, though mainly my shins and hamstrings.

Feels good to get sore again. I'm baaaaccckkkk. Or on my way, at least.

Run local races. It's great motivation for getting aerobically fit.

7 Days Back Into Running and Starting to Feel the Love Again

Last Monday I was cleared to start physical activity again after my 45 day hiatus from running and other physical activities. While my retina detachment is fixed, my vision in the affected eye continues to be terrible, absolutely terrible. But luckily that is offset by the excitement of RUNNING again.

The first week back at running has been a crescendo of positiveness. I was very careful to start out very slowly and not run too far. The first week, last Tuesday (the 1st) through yesterday (the 7th) was fraught with off and on sore shins, hamstrings and calves. I had hoped to run an easy 8 miles with some friends on Sunday morning, but woke up nursing sore shins. Shin splints from time to time have been my nemesis, causing me to drop out of the Tucson Marathon with them years ago.

But this morning I felt different. The air has been cool, we gained an hour of sleep on Sunday as Daylight Saving Time went buh bye and I started feeling like myself again. Just easy, enjoyable running around town. No major pains or aches.

With the Boston Marathon still 5 months away, today made me felt like I've still got my mojo.

In other news, I'm hoping that I can last until age 100 so I have a chance at beating Fauja Singh's 8:11:15 record performance at the Toronto Marathon on October 16th. That equates to 11:59 per mile.

The way I see it is as follows. I can easily run a 7 minute pace marathon at age 47. If I slow down by 5 seconds per mile for the next 53 years, I'll be able to run a 11:25 pace in the marathon at age 100, demolishing Singh's new age group record!

Congratulations to Singh! You are an inspiration!

Back to Running After a 45 Day Hiatus

At my appointment on Halloween this past Monday my treat was hearing from my eye surgeon that I could resume full activity. So after 45 days, it is time to get this old body in gear again.

Not everything is currently a treat. The vision in my right eye is absolutely terrible. Objects are blurry, distorted and I have to get within a few feet of something to read with the eye, but hey, at least I can run.

My butt and hamstrings now hurt. Yes sir, here I am, former 2:35 marathoner, slogging away at a nearly walking pace as my body readjusts to physical activity. Two days of running 3 to 4 miles and I'm sore.

Taking it easy and slow to get back into it. How the heck am I going to run the Boston Marathon in April? I'll get there. The key I think is to keep my expectations low and to not rush the training.

I was invited to run 10 miles with friends this Sunday morning. Not sure yet if I'll do it. I don't think I'll be able to keep up just yet. But today is only Wednesday, so I'll see how I feel on Saturday.

Back at it!

Eye, Eye, Eye...37 Days Without Running and Boston is Less Than 6 Months Away

The good news on Monday was that my 2nd surgery seemed to go well. The retina is no longer detached. 32 days after my initial eye surgery and my detached retina seems to be healing.

But the bad news is that the eye is blurry as hell still. The gas bubble placed inside the eye has dissapated but the vision is the equivalent of looking at one of those "fun house" mirrors that stretch objects out of proportion and mis-shape them. Eye, eye, eye. This is not fun, yet it is progress.

In the meantime the doc says to stay away from running and over-exerting myself for another few weeks at least. Today is Day #37 of no running. The next time I see the doc I'll be on Day #46, further extending my longest no-running streak since I began running in 1993. I guess the upside to this is that at least I'm setting a personal best this year for something!

This is a RUNNING blog!?  Yep. Even when I'm not running. My body is chomping at the bit. It feels so much like running it is maddening. I did trot down the staircase and across the Trader Joe's parking lot today. Not much. Felt so damn good.

My biggest challenge when I actually DO start running again is to ease my way into it. Don't need to injure myself.

In the meantime, I'm out walking every morning. Not as far or long as I'd like to be doing, but I'm getting out there every day for a minimum of 20 minutes. Not a lot, but heck if everyone went out and at least walked for 20 minutes each day, no doubt in my mind the obesity rate would drop. I've been surprised that I haven't gain a lot of weight with the dramatic drop in aerobic activity. But I do eat less to some degree and the walking no doubt helps.

Four Weeks Without Running...How to Train When You Can't Run?

One month ago today I called to make an appointment with my optomologist. The next morning in his office he asked me to stick around and meet with the retina specialist. An hour later I was told to prepare for a vitrectomy surgery the next morning. No running for probably a month I was told! How does someone (namely me) that runs 2,000 miles per year deal with such prospects!?

The doc did say that I could start to train with light weights after a week and walk, but the running was off limits. So I walked, not a lot, maybe 20 to 30 minutes per day, and it felt o.k. Not particularly enjoyable running with one eye blind due to a gas bubble in it during the recovery process.

For whatever reason, the detachment didn't heal up 100% and 2 weeks ago I had a follow-up surgery. This surgery was only 20 minutes (compared to the hour long initial surgery) to go in and laser up the detached area.  Uggghhhh....back to square one.

Earlier this week my surgeon told me it looks like it is healing up nicely this time. Fingers crossed. Not to complain or anything because at least I have one eye that I can see out of...but it sure is hell frustrating having only one eye. The doc says don't wear a patch, even though the gas bubble that is slowly dissapating prevents me from seeing fully out of this eye. In fact, as I type this, both eyes are open, but my left eye is doing all the work. (When I close my left eye, my right eye sees a blurry computer screen.)

The lovely green wristband I've worn an entire month now while gas bubble resides in eye.

I'm taking this situation pretty much in stride. There's absolutely nothing I can do about it, so why sweat it. In fact, I think it is actually easier being in this situation - one on which physically and biomechanically I'm ready to run - but to gain back my eyesight I cannot - then a typical running injury. When I tweak a hamstring or my lower back, I'm frustrated as hell when I'm unable to run.

So I continue with my 20-30 minute walks in the morning. I get bored easily while walking, so I bring my smartphone with me. I could bring the iPad but prefer the smaller device. Sometimes I grab the newspaper and read while walking. Maybe I'll stop multi-tasking if I ever run into a mailbox or light pole.

The Boston Marathon is 6 months away. Hoping in the next week or two I'll get the go-ahead to start actually RUNNING again. Chomping at the bit here.

Sarah Palin Announces She's Not Running...For President...So How About Running a Marathon?

It was not exactly a surprise today to hear that Sarah Palin is not running for the Republican nomination this fall. She's pretty busy with other stuff.

But her running seems to be doing just fine, with her 1:46:10 half marathon performance in Iowa over Labor Day weekend under her maiden name, Sarah Heath. By my general rule of thumb, take that time and multiply by 2.1 and with some decent training she can run a a 3 hour, 43 minute marathon. Her personal best is a 3:59:36 at Humpy's (odd name) Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on August 21, 2005.

Palin is 47 years old. Her qualifying time for the 2013 Boston Marathon (2012 registration has passed) will be 3 hours, 55 minutes. Come on Sarah, let's see you go for it! You definitely have it in you.

More on Palin's running background in this August 2009 Runner's World article.

Well the Good News is That I Received My 116th Boston Marathon Confirmation of Acceptance in the Mail Today

I received this confirmation in the mail today, re-confirming the email stating I have been accepted into the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2012. My qualifying time was nearly half an hour slower than my previous Boston qualifying times at 3:05:39, but what the heck, I'll take it.

But in the meantime I haven't run since September 14th. I've walked a bit but for the most part of had to ditch my training due to my corrective surgery for retinal detachment on September 15th. The bad news for me last week is that my surgeon and I agreed that I needed a second, shorter surgery last Friday. So I was laid up all weekend and am now recuperating again.

But the good news is that it appears to be doing better. Apparently the vitrectomy did not fully heal the detachment. So he went in and lasered it up on Friday. I was pretty much out for the surger but remember waking up towards the end, attempting to crack jokes while he was doing his final prodding in and around my eye. Great stuff!

So on that happy note, I'm hoping that within a few weeks I'll be back at it. Crossing my fingers.

The Boston Athletic Organization publishes a list of entrants. I count approximately 50 entrants from the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County areas, stretching from Agoura to Simi Valley to Ojai to Ventura.

Well That Was Quick...Entry to 116th Boston Marathon Has Been Accepted

I applied to run the 2012 Boston Marathon last Wednesday night, September 21st, thinking I had applied too late in the process to get into the race (especially after hearing that the 2011 race sold out in 8 hours). At 10:30 a.m. I received the following email notifying me that my entry has been accepted. I'm in!

Wish I could say that I'm going to start training for it today! My eye is still in healing mode after a vitrectomy to correct a detached retina 2 weeks ago and my doc says NO RUNNING still. <grumble>

But I'm out there walking every morning. Better than nothing. Hoping in another couple weeks I'll be back to my usual running routine.

Dear Conejo Joe,

This is to notify you that your entry into the 116th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16, 2012 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.

A Confirmation of Acceptance card will be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail in October.

In early April 2012, an official Number Pick-up Card and Welcome Booklet regarding the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and related race week activities will be mailed to you via US Postal Service first class mail. If you do not receive your Number Pick-up Card (required to claim number) and brochure by April 7, please contact our Registration Office at registration@baa.org. Registration related inquiries may also be directed to 508-435-6905.

Note that bib numbers will not be distributed on Race Day. Your travel arrangements should take into account picking up your number at the Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston on Friday, April 13 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., or Saturday, April 14 or Sunday, April 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

JetBlue is proud to be the Official Airline of the Boston Marathon! Take $10 off each way with Promo Code RUNBOSTON12. Book your flight to Boston between September 24, 2011 and April 11, 2012 for travel departing April 12-15 and returning 16-18. Promo codes can only be redeemed online at www.jetblue.com/promo.

Get the best hotel rates by using the Official Lodging form from Marathon Tours and Travel. For more information, email info@marathontours.com or call 617-242-7845.

For additional tourist information, please visit www.bostonusa.com

We look forward to seeing you in April! Best of luck in your training!

Sincerely,

Boston Athletic Association

World Record Time in Men's Marathon Set Today at the Berlin Marathon

Andrew Makau won the Berlin Marathon for the 2nd year in a row today in a world record time of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 38 seconds. This is 21 seconds faster than Haile Gebrselassie's previous world record time set 3 years ago on the same course. 2:03:38 is a tad under 4:43 per mile. At this point in my life, I'd love to do ONE mile in that time! That's an incredible time!

Makau's time in last year's race was 2:05:08, so he shaved a minute and a half off of last year's time. A minute and a half represents an improvement of about 1.2%.

Makau's 5K split times were as follows:

• 1st 5K: 14:37
• 2nd 5K: 14:40
• 3rd 5K: 14:35
• 4th 5K: 14:38
• 5th 5K: 14:48
• 6th 5K: 14:20
• 7th 5K: 14:38
• 8th 5K: 14:59 (slacker)
• Final 2K: 6:23

Talk about consistency!

Looking for a personal best time? The Berlin Marathon appears to be a good bet. The last 4 times the men's world record was set took place in Berlin today, 2008, 2007 and 2003.

For the last 30 years or so, men's and women marathon records have been almost exclusively set in London, Chicago, Rotterdam and Berlin.

Congratulations, Patrick Makau!

Oh What the Heck, Let's See If I Can Get a Boston Marathon Entry

I've run the Boston Marathon two times. The 100th Anniversary race on April 15, 1996 was the world's largest marathon ever (at least at the time) with nearly 39,000 entrants. I signed up for that race to be part of the celebration.  Then I ran the 2000 Boston Marathon on April 17, 2000.

The 1996 race was supposed to be purely a "fun run" for me to be part of the big celebration. I had run a 2:37 PR Los Angeles Marathon on March 3rd and my body should have been resing for 3 to 4 weeks afterward. But I looked back at my records and boy was I intense back then. I didn't even take a day off, and after a "light" week was ramping my mileage up to 60 to 80 miles per week. Then I raced 2 5Ks in 7 days, with times of 16:18 and 16:23. That was 9 days before Boston.

Boston came and mentally I'm pumped to race it given my recent performances. But it was a biting cold day that I wasn't prepared for physically...yes, I did not bring warm enough clothes and there was snow on the ground. I was miserable before the race.

I knew I should have just stuck with my original "fun run" goal but my ego told me to go for it and see what happens. Well the details are blurry but as I recall the last 6 to 8 miles were a death march, though I managed to pull my lifeless body to the finish line in 2 hours, 45 minutes.

The next Boston was another "milestone" race....the "New Millenium" Year 2000 Y2K race (remember all the stress and concern over Y2K...ah yes, the good ole days). I ran a 2:36 at the Long Beach Marathon in November 1999 and was set for a decent performance at Boston.

In that 2000 race I was doing pretty well up until Mile 15, when I had to make a pit stop. Pit stops are never good for me...completely take me out of my rhythm. I was at 1:18:30 at the halfway point, exactly half of 2:37. But with that pit stop and shivering cold winds (I noted there was a strong headwind and my teeth were chattering loudly at the end of the race), I managed a 2:43:49. The good news is that this was my Boston PR. But my performance was not up to par.

At that point, I had run 2 miserable, cold Boston Marathons and I was done. Put a fork in it. I love Boston but that was it for me. No mas. Finito.

That bring us to today, the 7th day in a row that I have not run, due to my retina surgery last week. I've pretty much written off my Fall Malibu Marathon plans. What to do....

I was checking out one of my fav running websites, MarathonGuide.com, and noticed an article indicating Boston Marathon 2012 has been open for registration since September 12th and ends September 23rd. Today is the 21st.

Last year the race sold out in like 8 hours. This year they changed the process to help ensure the fastest runners have a better chance of getting into the race. So the first 2 days of registration was limited to runners who beat their qualifying standard by 20 minutes or more. I looked back at my Malibu Marathon time of 3:05 last year and saw that it beat my standard by 25 minutes (sometimes it pays getting old).

So I thought, well what the heck. My wife wants to go to Boston, so why not just sign up and see what happens. I qualify for sure but given I signed up 9 days after registration started, I'd say my chances are pretty slim at getting in. I don't see how it would be possible, unless they see I was way under the standard and let me in to the club.

If not, I'll be slightly disappointed but also relieved. I'll keep my $150 and start pondering a West Coast race.

Interesting, I had to "acknowledge that my ($150) entry fee is non-refundable, even if the race is cancelled." That's pretty intense.

Detached Retina Forces a 30 Day Hiatus From Running - What the Heck?

So a couple weeks ago I noticed there seemed to be something in my right eye. Figured it would go away. Wasn't too obnoxious, just occasionally a spot would make it look like there was a fly or something. They call these things "floaters" I later discovered.

But they didn't go away. They got gradually worse, to the point where my vision was slightly blurred last Saturday through Tuesday. Little floaty shapes and black spots, kind of like a dirty camera lense. So I called the opthomologist and they were nice enough to fit me in for an appointment the next day.

The doctor took a look, and by the tone of his voice, it didn't sound good. I'm usually cautiously optimistic at doctors' offices and have never had a major ailment. But when he asked me to stick around to meet with the corneal specialist, that was not a good sign.

It took the 2nd doctor about 2 minutes to tell me I needed to go in for surgery...TOMORROW. Somehow the retina in my right eye became detached. Had I waited another week or two, chances are I could be losing some eyesight. He was in surgery the next day, and within minutes I was scheduled at 9 a.m. for a vitrectomy and cryopexy sclural buckle. In layman's terms, remove the vitreous fluid behind the retina, attach a silicone band with a cryogenic procedure and place a gas bubble in there to allow it to heal. Or something like that.

Everybody asked me, what caused this to happen. We just don't know. Could have been knocked in the head 20 years ago, could be the fact that the eye is nearsighted, could be family history, who knows.

Crap. Here I am, Friday night, one day post-surgery. The surgery seemed to go fine. But for the next 7 to 10 days I can't even see out of my right eye until the gas bubble dissapates.

Hopefully my eye will be fine, though now no doubt I'll have cataracts at an early age as a result of the surgery. But hey, people get cataract surgeries all the time.

But as a result of my completely out of the blue problem, I can'd do anything overly physical for at least 30 days. Yep, that's right...NO RUNNING!!!  I looked back and if I do refrain from running for 30 days (and I plan to unless somehow the eye feels completely back to normal sooner and I can run very lightly), that would be the longest no-run streak since I started running 1993.

In 1993, for some reason I took 25 days off from running in the October/November time frame. I don't know why. My notes are sketchy and I can't recall. The good news is that, 4 months after that break, I ran my first marathon, the 1994 Los Angeles Marathon, in a rainy 3 hours, 3 minutes. I was a lot younger back then, but I'm encouraged to be reminded that I took a long break and came back quickly.

My 2nd longest hiatus from running since 1993 was in 2006, after I was, ahem, neutered. Yes, you don't wanna be running around after someone messes around with you down there.

So perhaps my sudden misery will result in something new, something big. In a way it is kind of a relief being forced to take off an entire month from running. I've been having a variety of physical ailments and perhaps this experience will allow me fully recover, then come back with newfound passion.

So while I sit here, typing this with one good eye, the other closed and sore (like a fork and knife are stuck in it), I have faith that this is yet just one more temporary challenge in this game called life.

And the other good news...is that they did say that I'm allowed to WALK when the eye starts feeling better. Chomping at the bit...over and out.

2011 Bulldog 25K Lived Up to Expectations...Hot and Brutal!

Such a nice, temperate summer this year. One of the coolest summers I can remember...until LAST WEEKEND, my longest AND hilliest run of the entire year for me. In fact, I haven't run 15.5 miles (25K) since the Tucson Marathon last December and I ran a couple 5Ks earlier this summer. Sheesh!

Well, all things considered, I had a great time. Didn't take the Bulldog 25K too seriously this year, especially given the heat topping 90 to 100 degrees. My lack of heat training took its toll before I reached the aid station at the 7.5 mile mark. I was toast around mile 7 and for the most part walked all uphills and a handful of downhills after that. Was happy to jog it in in 2 hours, 22 minutes, good for 15th place overall.

The winner nailed the course in 1 hour 56 minutes, 6 minutes slower than last year but very impressive regardless. Even more impressive was the 3rd place finisher, 39 year old Anissa Faulker, who set the women's course record in 2 hours, 19 seconds. Wow! The top 3 in the 50K finished in 4:04 to 4:08...EXTREMELY impressive and in the HEAT!

I froze a bottle of Gatorade the night before the race, which started at 7:30 a.m. It was completely thawed out within 30 minutes. I just couldn't seem to keep enough fluids in and felt like I was going to get a heat stroke. A nice woman poured some icy cold water over my head at the aid station at mile 7.5 and boy was that refreshing. But...it didn't have a lasting effect.

An outstanding age group marathoner friend of mine refuses to run a marathon in the heat after a bad experience at the Los Angeles Marathon 20 years ago. Obviously one needs to train in the heat (or simulated heat...e.g. run in sweats) to race well in the heat. But I personally just don't enjoy that. Give me cool weather, or give me a beer!

So getting back to the race, I finished on a gimpy note. My big left toe has a recurring soreness after hilly, hard races and my psoas muscle continues to act up...in fact, it was subtly bothering me during the race. Not enough to stop me, but enough to distract and irritate me. That's the breaks. But I'm THRILLED to have completed my longest, hardest run so far this year!

Would I go back? Certainly. This damn brutal course is irresistable. And the views at the top are to die for. Next time I'll bring my camera.

On a side note, I left Malibu Creek State Park to get home and start the recuperation process when I was pleasantly surprised by a convalcade of over 400 motorcycles...the 4th Annual West Valley Memorial Ride.

Some scenes before the race below.

Running the Bulldog 25K Tomorrow on the Hottest Day of the Summer

What am I crazy? Well I guess I'm not the only crazy one as I run the Bulldog 25K trail run in Agoura tomorrow morning, in particular those who are running the 50K! This race in the hills of Malibu Creek State Park has 2 ascents up 2,528 ft elevation Bulldog Mountain. With a net elevation climb of 4,000 feet, this course is not just challenging...it is BRUTAL. And the 50Kers are running the loop course TWICE.

What makes this particularly nutty is that tomorrow is one of the hottest days of the year and an excessive heat watch was issued for the area (see below). What this means is that I have to really focus on hydration. Normally I don't carry fluid bottles in races. This race I'll be making an exception for (though in prior years I have not carried a bottle through the race).

I am not in particularly well-trained shape. I was given a free entry to this year's race and decided it would be fun. YEARS AGO I won the race a couple times, which is why I get a freebie. Two years ago I had planned to run the 50K for the first time but injuries prevented me from doing the 2nd loop. But I finished the single loop, walking/jogging portions of the course, in 2 hours, 12 minutes.

The 50K starts at 6:30am, when the temps dip to their "low" of 67 degrees. 50Kers will finish between 10:30am (85 degrees) and 3:30pm (94 degrees). Absolutely brutal in and of itself, not even factoring in the massive hills (and by the way, the downhill is as killer as the uphill). The 25K starts at 7:30am (about 70 degrees). If all goes well I'll be done by 9:30am, right about when the temps start hitting the 80 degree range.

I hate running in the heat. But too late to wimp out :>  Stay cool and think about me and the 500 other crazy runners in Agoura tomorrow morning!

Excessive Heat Watch for Los Angeles County San Fernando Valley

Issued by The National Weather Service
Los Angeles, CA

Fri, Aug 26, 2011, 7:57 PM PDT

EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...

* HEAT INDEX VALUES... HEAT INDEX VALUES MAY RISE TO AROUND 105 DEGREES DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS SATURDAY AND REMAIN ABOVE 105 UNTIL EARLY SATURDAY EVENING.

* TIMING... SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY EVENING.

* IMPACTS... HEAT RELATED ILLNESS AND FATIGUE WILL BECOME MORE PREVALENT DURING PERIODS OF EXCESSIVE HEAT... ESPECIALLY FOR THE HOMELESS... ELDERLY... AND THOSE WHO WORK OR ARE ACTIVE OUTDOORS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS... STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM... STAY OUT OF THE SUN... AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

More Information

... POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS HEAT EXPECTED OVER THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS...

.A LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO BRING HOT TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT BRING INCREASING RELATIVELY HUMIDITIES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO CLIMB THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND COULD HIT CRITICAL LEVELS OVER THE VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY... ESPECIALLY ON SATURDAY. IN ADDITION... OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURE WILL BE WARMER THAN NORMAL.