Summer Ended and Autumn Began, but No One Told the Weatherman

The coolest summer I've ever recalled ended last Wednesday and Autumn began on the 23rd. Two days later, we're into not only the hottest weather of the year, but all-time record temperatures on Monday, the 27th (it reached 113 degrees in Downtown Los Angeles before the thermometer apparently broke).

Sandwiched in there, my plans were to do a 20+ miler on Sunday, come hell or high water. And I did. It wasn't pretty though.

My previous 22 milers went without a hitch. Nice and steady, mostly road runs in overcast conditions.

Sunday's run was different. I knew we were in for high temps, so I opted to run to PCH from Newbury Park down Sycamore Canyon. My first foray down there for about 3 months. The most brutal aspect of this run is coming back up the 800 foot ascent from the canyon.

With the help of an alarm, I was out the door at 6 a.m. It was still dark out and thankfully not hot yet. In fact, it was on the cool side. Better yet, it stayed cool pretty much the entire journey down to PCH, where I ran through the campground at Sycamore Canyon.

At PCH I headed west and ran until I reached the entrance of Thornehill Broome Beach, where you see all the RVs lined up enjoying the ocean. From there I turned around and successfully navigated my way back up the canyon, where it continued to stay cool until I reached the steep ascent. From there it was a slow journey in about 80 degree 8:30 a.m. heat. Total distance covered was 21 miles.

I was sore the next day but in a "good" way. Looking forward now to this coming Sunday, where I will get a reprieve from the 20 miler and try my luck at the Camarillo Half Marathon. My goal there is to run about a 1 hour, 20 minute race, which is about 6:06 per mile. That might be a stretch but if I can do that, I'll be comfortable with a 2:50 to 2:55 marathon target.

One rookie move came on Saturday...in my haste to eat on Saturday, I downed a can of Chunky Beef Chili. Mistake. Did not sit well with me on Sunday. I survived. But...note to self...keep the food simple the day before a long run or race.

Tune Up For the Marathon by Alternating Long Runs with Races

In my last post I highlighted my training plans leading up to the Malibu Marathon in mid-November. After nailing a couple decent 22 milers, a couple 17s and a 19, I felt I had developed plenty of endurance for the marathon. Now what I need to do is stay healthy and starting tuning up my speed for the distance.

Since I don't have the time or desire to do speedwork on the track (admittedly this would be good for me to do, but I know my body and schedule and don't feel I can commit myself to doing this weekly), the next best thing is to find some local races.

My goal in these races is not necessarily to go all out and go as fast as I possibly can. To do that would mean I would have to lay off the training for a day or two before each race. And I don't want to do that in the middle of training for a marathon.  The goal is to use the race as speedwork, test how my body feels running faster than I normally run and get used to running in a race.

I would prefer to run 10Ks and half marathons every other weekend, alternating long runs on non-race weekends. But life does get in the way...kids' soccer games, birthday parties, etc. So I did find a 5K race this past Sunday, a half marathon in another week, then another 5K in 3 weeks.

My 5K on Sunday went slightly better than expected. My goal was to run anything under 18 minutes. I ran 17:34 and won the race outright, which was a lot of fun! For my efforts I won a $40 gift card at a local restaurant. Not a bad return on investment!

My favorite book on marathon training, Hal Higdon's "Marathon: The Ultimate Training and Racing Guide," has a performance prediction table that indicates a 17:34 5K equates to a possible 2:49:22 marathon time if you do the proper marathon training and a fast course, good weather and a rested runner.

So it looks like I'm on the right track with my training and am crossing my fingers the weather continues to be courteous. (Unfortunately, forecasts for this weekend indicate Santa Ana winds and major heat...gulp!).

22 Miler Today - Training for the Malibu Marathon in 9 Weeks

Today I nailed another 22 miler in 2 hours and 45 minutes. It was easily my best long run of the year as it consumed very little effort on my part. The long distance training is starting to pay off.

Last week after my little 1 mile fun downhill race on Saturday, I was unable to muster up much energy the next day for a long run. Good enough. I had run a 22 miler the week before.

Yesterday I wasn't terribly thrilled at the prospect of waking up early for a long run, but the weather was my savior. Without an alarm, I got up at 6:30 a.m. and was out the door 15 minutes later under early morning cloud cover that stuck with my for about 80% of my run. It was a nice, cool morning run that I was able to really enjoy.

My marathon training started 3 months ago when I committed to run the Singapore Marathon in early December. But my friend may or may not run the marathon now due to work demands, so I used that as a cue to bail out (thus saving me about $3,000 in travel expense!) and find a more local race.

My local options are the Santa Barbara Marathon that I ran last year, the inaugural Camarillo Marathon next month or the Malibu Marathon on November 14th. I opted to try something new, leaving Santa Barbara out of the running. Camarillo sounds like a nice flat course but is too soon for me. So I'm doing Malibu!

The Malibu Marathon starts at the Camarillo Airport and heads down past Naval Base Ventura County to PCH, where it runs some hills along the ocean to Zuma. It does not appear to be a particularly fast course and there appears to be about a 200 foot climb from mile 18 to 24, but its all downhill after that. I'm not looking to do a personal best...my goal is to just go under 3 hours and have some fun.

Malibu International Marathon Elevation Chart

So now that I have a new marathon in the works that is only 9 weeks away, I've got about 6 more weeks of training left before a 3 week taper. Working within the bounds of my son's Saturday soccer games, birthday parties and other activities, I used the CVG listing of running events to map out a schedule that intertwines long runs with races.

So my current weekend long run and race schedule is:

Sept 19th: 5K Race in Camarillo - To start developing some speed; a 10K would have been better but a local one wasn't available.

Sept 26th: Long run (20+)

Oct 3rd - Camarillo Half Marathon - Goal is to run at a pace that translates into a 2:58 or better marathon. My rule of thumb is that a half marathon times 2.1 = projected marathon time. For me this means I'll target running the half in less than 1 hour, 25 minutes (2:58 = 178 minutes, divided by 2.1 = 85 minutes).

Oct 10th - Long run (20+)

Oct 17th - 5K Race in Westlake Village - Again, would be nice to do a 10K but I want to stay local.

Oct 24th - This is only 3 week pre-marathon, which is getting pretty close. I'll probably run 16 but I'll see how I feel.  Doing a 22 miler today in my opinion and experience WILL NOT help my marathon performance at this point but some may disagree.

Oct 31st - Not aware of any local races this weekend so I will probably opt to do 10 to 12 miles at marathon pace.

Nov 7th - We're gaining an hour of sleep this day (YAY, my favorite day of the year!) and I'll do at most 8 miles. Nothing too strenuous.

Nov 14th - Malibu Marathon

One Week Break From the Long Run

Since last writing in mid-August, I ran 2 consecutively longer training runs leading up to Labor Day weekend. 19 miles on August 21st and 22 miles on August 28th. I felt fine after both endurance building runs. My weight has been steadily dropping too, down to 141 lbs from about 146 lbs when I started training in earnest exactly 3 months ago.

I've also decided not to run the Singapore Marathon in early December due to logistical and financial reasons. Just isn't quite worth it spending $3,000 to run a marathon on the other side of the world at this point. So now I'm looking at several local marathons. Mind isn't made up yet but I better choose one soon.

Yesterday I took a different path and ran The Oaks Mile, an inaugural 1 mile race down Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks. It was a fun diversion but I'm not exactly sure it was the best move for me. On the plus side, it gave me a chance to test my speed. I ran a 5:15 mile, about 15 seconds slower than what I'd be happy with, but not a surprise given my lack of any speed training (heck I haven't really done any track work for over 10 years) and 1 week off a 22 miler.

But after the race a familiar, nagging little soreness reappeared in my left knee. Not so bad that I can't run or walk, but something that I better take care of with ice and Advil.

So today I intended to go long again, but 45 minutes into the run realized the 1 mile race made my legs stiff and slightly sore. I bumped into some friends halfway down Sycamore Canyon and ran back up with them. Time for a nap!

A Spur of the Moment Run up Boney Mountain

Today my plans were pretty simple...to do a long run of at least 2 hours, 15 minutes. Over the last 6 weeks, I did 5 long runs of 14 miles, 13 miles, 14.5 miles, 15 miles, a 5K break and then last Saturday's 2 hour, 9 minute 17.5 mile run. So figured anything over 2:15 would be good. My general plan was to run the same loop as last week, finding an extra mile or so towards the end.

But this morning I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and decided to do something different. We've had this amazing cloud cover in the mornings most of the summer and I heard the heat was coming back next week. So how about mixing it up a bit with a run up Boney Mountain.

I haven't run to the top of Boney for at least 10 years. I made it to the top, or at least very close to it. There's a little red can at the top you sign your name on, and I couldn't find it. I'm sure one of my more knowledgeable trail runner friends will tell me where I went wrong.

It took me about an hour to get there, running as much as I can. Once you get past the Danielson Monument, the trail becomes really narrow, sometimes extremely rocky and steep. There are many sections that pretty much HAVE to be hiked rather than run, unless you're a billy goat. The view is spectacular of course. Some pics and video are below. I saw about 10 people up there, all hiking and enjoying the beautiful day.

So I achieved my overall time goal of 2 hours, 15 minutes. I added some mileage on the roads after my quick descent down Boney. All told I'm going to credit my account 17 miles for today's run.

Made a quick pit stop at the Satwiwa Center.

Boney Mountain sign near Satwiwa Center

Sign after cresting ridge that tells you go right for Boney/Danielson and left for HIdden Valley overlook trail

They call it Danielson Road but it sure don't look like a "road" to me!

NPS Boney Wilderness sign at bottom of Canyon.

On way up to Danielson...sunny above, cloudy below

Danielson Monument is a good place to grab a snack. I didn't...just kept running.

The remains of Danielson's cabin...this chimney.

The trail to Boney Peak is up this way. At this point, the trails are often narrow, steep, rocky and slippery. Be careful!

Clouds over Newbury Park

Near the top of Boney Peak.

 Pretty much at the top of the world at this point.Time to head back down...

Cool Summer = Great Long Run Training

It is rare when I have a long run where I feel "perfectly fine" afterwards...not too tired, worn down by the sun, dehydrated, starving, etc. Today was one of those rare days!

Thank you extraordinarily cool summer temperatures here on the west coast this year! According to a Wall Street Journal online article today, Los Angeles area temperatures in July were nearly 5 degrees lower than historical norms. It has been extremely noticeable around here and I LOVE IT!!

Today was an exceptional day for a long run. I awoke without alarm at 6:20 a.m. and was out of the house by 6:35 a.m.  It has been awhile since I described my pre-long run procedures, which goes something like this: eat something very light, band aids on the nips, petroleum jelly on the toes, heels and underside of the feet prior to placing socks on, as well as some where inner thighs meet the running shorts and where shirt meets skin near armpits (chafing is the silent enemy of long runs...it'll ruin your run if you don't prepare for it).

Love my handy 4 bottle waist pack. Available at most running stores. Carry up to 4 different liquids if you want!Lightweight shirt on. Watch and shoes on (double-knotted of course). Cap on with some 4-5 tissues folded up underneath just in case needed for whatever reason. Light sunscreen on just in case the sun makes an appearance. Then grab water fluid belt and place 4 bottles of liquid (3 Gatorade, 1 water) in belt, which also holds 3 gel packets. Place belt on. Grab sunglasses (didn't use them...they sat on top of my hat the whole run). And I was off.

One planned pit stop 15 minutes into the run and otherwise I was non-stop today. Ran a loop course around Newbury Park. For whatever reason, I prefer one giant loop course over an "out and back" course and I haven't figured out why.

My goal today was to run at least 2 hours, given my previous long run 2 weeks ago was 1:54.  I ran 2:09. Tonight I mapped out my run using www.mapmyrun.com, and discovered I ran a solid 17.5 miles, which equates to about a 7:22 pace. Training seems to be paying off!

The only thing bothering me tonight is my somewhat chronically sore left big toe. Better go ice it...

Over 16 Years Ago I Ran My First Marathon!

Los Angeles Marathon IV Finishers Medal from March 6, 1994My 7 year old brought home a huge trophy for his Pony League baseball season...to him it makes no difference if the team wins or loses, or how many hits he gets...no, to him, its all about having fun and all the "stuff" that he gets, least of which is the humongous, oversized trophy that all the kids receive at the end of the year. He just loves that trophy and the fact that it is bigger than his soccer trophy. He's proud.

So then I had the problem of appeasing my 4 year old, who doesn't have a nice big trophy like that (yet). He wanted something too. My quick thinking led me to the Mizuno shoebox in the garage that has become a repository for 16 years of race medals.  There must be over 200 medals in that box, with the ribbons all tangled.

Most of the medals I could easily part with, but I became possessive of my marathon medals. They have a different meaning than the local 5K/10K races.  I can go out and run a 5K anytime. But a marathon, run at a decent pace, takes months and months of dedication, persistence and grit. Running the marathon means sacrifice. It means getting out of bed at 5 a.m. to run for 3 hours while everyone else is sleeping in. It means braving the heat, leaving parties early, passing on the salsa the night before the run. It means hard work and focus!

All...for the glory of...running 26.2 miles...and a finisher medal.

My 4 year old seemed to intuitively understand this. I told him that some of the medals were "extra special" to me and I wanted to put those in a special box (or in my case shove them in a different drawer). He was amenable to that and got his medal fix with other medals.

So I was looking through the 25 or so marathon medals I've collected and most of them brought back distinct memories. (A handful of marathons I ran as "training runs" and interestingly I have very little recollection of those marathons.)

My very first marathon was the 9th Los Angeles Marathon on March 6, 1994. It was a wet day and I hadn't really trained in rain. In fact, I remember the day before wondering, what type of clothes should I wear in the rain. This first marathon was a surreal experience. After finishing 17 minutes faster than my expectation (I ran a 3:03), I was jubilant, yet, like the other finishers, the celebration was muted because of the rain pouring down on us.  I was sorer then hell for the next week and I already knew another marathon was in my future. I was hooked.

That 1994 L.A. Marathon medal is actually one of my most unique medals. It is the only one made out of glass as you can see from the picture. What a great memory that medal brings. It deserves a better home than a Mizuno shoe box in the garage.

So today I was determined to run for 2 hours. Two weeks ago I ran 1 hour, 39 minutes and a week ago 1 hour, 47 minutes (my 2 longest runs of the year). Without much fanfare I came in at 1 hour, 54 minutes, approximately 15 miles.  I ran a loop course and decided I didn't need to go out of my way for an extra 6 minutes.

3 weekends, 3 progressively longest runs of the year. I'm on track with my training.  Just have to keep dodging injuries as best I can.

Next weekend I'd be better off doing a tempo run or finding a local race to get some speed into my legs. We shall see.

Saved by Cloud Cover in Mid July

Yesterday I spent the day in Santa Barbara with the kids at the Museum of Natural History and didn't get home until late. I was pretty tired and started falling asleep at 9:30 p.m. while reading a story to my 4 year old. But I managed to catch a second wind and ended up messing around on the computer and watching a show until...(gulp)...2:30 a.m.

That wouldn't have been so bad had I not had a plan to run long in the morning. But in my old age (soon to be 46), I've lost a bit of my self motivation when it comes to getting to bed on time. Hey, I'm a busy guy. I enjoy to many things and thus, my sleep takes a hit.

This is not healthy for sure and I'm probably taking years off my life with my miserable 5 to 6 hours a night of sleep. But I don't blame anyone but myself. In fact, it's 10 p.m right now and I should be in bed as I have an early morning flight out of LAX, but feel compelled to write this instead.

So in any case, in the back of my mind I was hoping for a continuation of the unusual weather pattern we've had all July....massive cloud cover in the morning here in Ventura County, lingering into the afternoon. Luckily this played out once again today.

I was up at 7:45 a.m. off of 5 hours sleep and decided I had to make a go of it. So within 5 minutes I had my hat, watch, beverages and gels ready to go. My pre-race consumption was half a bottle of water and one pack of gel. Yum. My goal was to go around 1 hour, 40 minutes, or about 10 minute longer than my previous long run of the year.

Mission accomplished. I plowed away, not particularly fast, but without any pain, aches or complaints. It actually felt good.  One hour, 39 minutes, about 14 miles. I could have run longer. I attribute the success of today's run to cloud cover and mid 60s temps for the duration of the run. Had I encountered full blown sun and 80 degree heat more expected for an 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. run mid-July, I don't think the run would have been so pleasurable.

So today I had my cake and ate it too. I stayed up way later than I should have and survived with a smile on my face my longest run since my last marathon on December 6, 2009. Rolling with the punches. Next long run I'm likely to encounter heat...so I'll definitely have to get to bed EARLIER so I can wake up and beat the heat.

I felt so good today that later in the day I stopped by the gym for one of my Conejo Joe Signature 20 Minute Workouts.  What a great day of fitness. Tomorrow unfortunately I'll be on an airplane for most of the day...which means an opportunity to catch up on my sleep!!

July 6, 2010 Training Update

My last update was June 20th, after running a decent 5K on Father's Day. Five days later, on Friday, June 25th, I got up a bit early and ran up to the Danielson Monument in Sycamore Canyon. Here is the path.

I enjoy that run up to the monument, a tribute to the rancher who, along with his family, farmed and ranched in Rancho Sierra Vista and later donated the land to the National Park Service. As I ascend up the hill toward the monument and burned down cabin (just a chimney remains), my mind starts to wander...how challenging that must have been to live up there.  Would take a long time to get to Trader Joe's from up on that mountain.

The trails are slightly overgrown this time of year, so I had to do my best to avert foliage for poison oak, ticks, etc. What I like about this run is the challenge of the uphill grind, nice views and then the much quicker descent back down into the canyon. Then more hills. This is a nice, strength building run.

I added extra mileage to the run to get to about 10 miles over 80 minutes. The next day, all set for a planned road trip to Vegas, out of the blue I was on my back with a stomach flu for 2 days. Two steps forward, 1 step back, as usual!

One week later, July 4th, I pondered running a 10K.  But I was up so late with the kids after the annual Moorpark 3rd of July Fireworks Show that I opted to sleep in. The good news is that we've been having some nice carryover of June Gloom weather into July. I started my 14 mile run at 8:45 a.m. and had marine layer sheltering me for nearly the entire 92 minute run. Cloud cover is a runner's best friend.

Father's Day Started With a 5K Run

Last Saturday while picking up my 4 year old son my back spazzed out and my training was placed on hold for several days. My chiropractor in Camarillo, Dr Jensen, whipped me back into shape by Wednesday. I ran very slowly with a back brace on Tuesday after my initial adjustment on Monday, then after my 2nd appointment on Wednesday, felt pretty much back to normal by Thursday.  Nice!!

My last adjustment was at the end of December, so I had gone nearly 6 months without a visit. That was a no no. I'll be back to once a month adjustments to keep my back in order.

The 2 day layoff must have been good for me, because today I was able to run a 5K in Newbury Park and actually feel up to par. In fact, I actually won the entire race in a time of 17:27 (though later I discovered the course was actually about 3.06 miles (not the standard 3.1 for a 5K), so technically I ran closer to a 17:45 for my purist running friends.

In any case, I felt pretty good about being able to run under 18 minutes at age 46 without any type of speedwork, other than the 10K race I ran a few weeks back. Gives me more motivation to start training hard again...but I'd have to stop blogging or something so I'd be more rested for it :>

Since personally I'm not a big fan of interval work on the track, my goal will be to run more local races this year as I train for the Singapore Marathon in December. It felt great pushing my body today. Running  a hard 5K race is a good way to shock the body and lungs into a higher level of training!